The Bengal government has started an administrative investigation into allegations of corruption, financial irregularities and administrative malpractices at the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Sources told The Telegraph that Bengal chief secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal had recently held a meeting at Nabanna with officials from different departments who are members of the enquiry committee.

“The chief secretary briefed the officers on the allegations and the manner in which the enquiry was to be conducted,” said the source.

On June 5, the principal secretary of the home and hill affairs department wrote to the heads of six departments, apprising them of the state government’s investigation, the sources said.

The departments are of food and supplies, school education, panchayat and rural development, higher education, public health engineering and urban development and municipal affairs.

The sources said the chief secretary had directed the officials to immediately start the investigation.

“Officials from Calcutta have started visiting Darjeeling,” said a source.

The high-level team has been directed to submit the report by this week.

The team is basically looking into allegations raised by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung and general secretary Roshan Giri, along with Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, had met Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari in Calcutta on May 29.

“The committee was formed to look into allegations raised by the Morcha,” said the source. The Morcha is an ally of the BJP.

A special audit of the GTA cannot be ruled out after the enquiry committee submits its report, said a source.

During his very first visit to north Bengal on May 20, Suvendu had also raised the issue of alleged corruption at the GTA and in the Darjeeling hills and had promised punitive action against “thieves”.

“Through the investigation, punitive action will be taken against thieves regarding the corruption that has taken place at the GTA,” the chief minister had said after landing at the Bagdogra airport.

Recently, Anit Thapa, who is also the chief executive of the GTA, said that the investigation into the alleged corruption at the hill body should be initiated from 2012 onwards. The Morcha had ruled the GTA from 2012 to 2017.

Responding to Thapa’s statement, Gurung said the then Mamata Banerjee government had conducted “a special audit” at the GTA during 2017-18 but had found no wrongdoings.