Binay Tamang, the president of a faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, has flagged yet another long-standing demand of Darjeeling residents — upgrade of the 170-year-old Darjeeling municipality to a municipal corporation.
However, unlike some other demands which the party has taken up with state and central governments over the years, Tamang brought in people from different walks of life and constituted a committee that was assigned with the task of spearheading the movement on the issue.
On Sunday, Tamang held a meeting in Darjeeling where hundreds were invited from different sections of the society and all 32 wards of the hill town.
At the meeting, the Darjeeling Municipality Corporation Demand Committee, which Tamang claimed is an apolitical body, was formed.
“One of the issues on my agenda in the 2019 election manifesto was to work towards the upgrade of the Darjeeling municipality to a municipal corporation. Since 2000, the demand for a corporation has been raised. We had a meeting for the formation of a non-political Darjeeling Municipality Corporation Demand Committee that has had representatives from various sections. We want the state to look into the issue and if required, make necessary amendments in Acts so that Darjeeling can get a municipal corporation,” said Tamang.
According to the West Bengal Municipal Corporation Act 2006, a civic area can be accorded the status of a municipal corporation if it has a population of five lakh, around 3,000 people live in a sqkm area and three-fourth of the population is into activities other than agriculture.
According to the website of the Darjeeling municipality, the civic area is spread over an area of 10.6sqkm and according to the 2011 census, the population was around 1.2 lakh.
In total, the demand committee would comprise over 100 members.
“They will work on drafting the process and details. We will help them in liasing with the state government. I would like to request all residents of the hills to come together and support the demand,” Tamang said.