The BJP’s Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has sought information from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) with regard to the leasing of the hill body’s properties.

If the GTA does not comply, Bista has warned of lodging a complaint against the GTA with the parliamentary privilege committee, take legal action and approach courts.

Bista on Friday said he “once again” requested for information from the GTA on properties it has leased to private properties including “a property in Darjeeling More, which has been leased to a private company and converted into the ‘Himalayan
Gateway Hotel’”.

“This request follows earlier attempts to obtain information, with letters sent to the GTA Secretariat on July 14th, 2024 (Ref No: DARJ/GN/2454) and August 16th, 2024 (Ref No: DARJ/GN/2514), but no response has been received so far,” Bista said.

Bista requested for information on the leasing process of the Darjeeling More property, including the tender process, advertisement details, number of bids received and the financial terms of the lease.

Bista, also an ex-offico member of the GTA Sabha, demanded information “to seek transparency in the administration’s handling of public assets”.

“I urge the GTA to provide this information in writing or electronically as soon as possible. If the delay continues, I will be forced to take legal action and approach courts. Further, I will be raising a formal complaint with the parliamentary privilege committee,” said Bista.

“Additionally, I have requested for similar information about all other GTA properties that have been leased, rented or handed over to private companies or individuals in the past five years. This should include property details, financial arrangements and recipient information,” said Bista.

A parliamentary privileges committee is a standing committee in a legislature that examines questions of breach of privilege and recommends appropriate action.

It investigates whether the privileges of the house or its members have been violated and then reports its findings and recommendations to the full House. The committee holds semi-judicial powers.

On July 1, 2024, The Telegraph reported that the GTA had started leasing out its properties, mostly motels and resorts to private parties.

The GTA had leased nine cottages along the Maneybhanjyang-Sandakphu trekking route last year for ₹38.5 lakh per annum.

The hill body had said that their engineers had estimated a cost of ₹6.8 crore to repair nine cottages. “These cottages were earning only about ₹6-7 lakhs per annum,” Norden Sherpa, GTA Sabha member in charge of tourism stated.

The 21-room property at Darjeeling More that Bista has referred to in his letter has been leased out for ₹50 lakhs per annum, Sherpa had said.

Many business people this newspaper spoke to then had alleged that the “21-room” description was misleading. “The 21-room description is misleading as anyone can see that this is a huge complex. Even mid-range hotels in Darjeeling go for an annual lease rent of Rs 2 lakh per room,” said a businessman.

Many had questioned the 30-year duration, terming it as a “very long duration” in the hotel business.

The GTA official, however, added that a proper process is being followed while leasing out properties.

There are 26 properties, including the nine leased cottages, under the GTA. Some are well known and in prime locations like the Swiss cottage of Mirik, Delo Tourist Lodge in Kalimpong or Silver Fir at Chowrasta in Darjeeling.