Darjeeling, Aug. 18: The chances of resolving all issues related to the proposed interim set-up for the hills by September 7 appear remote as more areas of disagreement have emerged.

The Telegraph had reported yesterday that no consensus had been reached on the three contentious issues of territory, tenure and composition of the new body to be known as the Gorkhaland Autonomous Authority (GAA).

Documents reveal that there are also differences between the Centre and the state on one, and with the Morcha on the other, over elections to panchayats and the powers and functions of the district magistrate and the superintendent of police.

“We will need at least another two-three meetings more to sort out the differences,” said Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri.

The Union home ministry, however, has been hoping to clinch the deal on the interim set-up latest by September 7.

The documents prepared by Delhi — after the Bengal government and the Morcha submitted their observations on the draft proposal — reveal that the hill party wants the office of the district magistrate to be stripped of its jurisdiction over all development work. The Morcha wants the responsibility to be handed over to the new body. This is something unacceptable to the state government.

The Bengal government said in its observation that the “office of the district magistrate and the superintendent of police and also those of the subdivisional officers and subdivisional police officers, etc, shall be kept outside control of the GAA”.

The Morcha, however, maintained that “all development oriented functions of the district magistrate along with officers and staff should be brought under the GAA”. It wants the district magistrate to be in charge of only law and order and magisterial responsibilities.

“This is because the GAA should be in a position to carry out development work unhindered,” a Morcha leader said. “Besides, at the moment funds of the MPs and MLAs for local area development, just to cite a few examples, are being directly sent to the DM’s office. This should not happen under the new arrangement.”

The Morcha has also said that police in Darjeeling should be upgraded to the status of a “commissariat”, along the lines of Calcutta police with a commissioner at the helm. However, the Morcha has not mentioned whether or not it wants the police under the purview of the GAA. Both the state and the Centre have clearly mentioned that law and order will not come under the purview of the new body.

The documents reveal that the Morcha also wants a three-tier panchayat system with a zilla parishad heading it. But in 1988, under a new arrangement worked out during the formation of the DGHC, the zilla parishad was scrapped for the hills and a separate Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad created for the plains.

The Bengal government is unlikely to agree to a zilla parishad for the three hill sub-divisions.

Nickole custody

Nickole Tamang, the prime accused in the murder of ABGL leader Madan Tamang, was today remanded in police custody by the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Darjeeling.

Manik Saha, the assistant public prosecutor, said: “The CID had prayed for 14 days police remand but the court has granted a remand for 12 days.”

On Monday, Nickole had been sent to judicial custody since the CID had not asked for police remand then. The investigating agency had, however, applied for a production warrant yesterday following which Nickole was once again produced in court today.

Defence lawyer Taranga Pandit said: “We maintained that he was already in custody for the last couple of days and that the police remand should be less than 14 days. We also told the court that Nickole Tamang is a chronic diabetic and should be treated well.”

Meanwhile, a six-member ABGL delegation today left for Delhi to seek an appointment with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. “The delegation wants to discuss the Madan Tamang murder issue and also the interim set-up,” said an ABGL leader.