The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has filed a report before the circuit bench of Calcutta High Court at Jalpaiguri, stating that it would complete drinking water projects which have remained incomplete for up to eight years within three months.
Raja Yonjon Tamang, a resident of Teesta Valley, had sought details of drinking water projects in his area, which is around 40km from Darjeeling.
“Tamang had been hearing for long that drinking water projects were being implemented in his area but he was yet to see concrete results. He filed an RTI before the GTA and on being dissatisfied with the progress of work approached the court in September 2022,” said Pratap Khati, advocate-on-record for Tamang.
The RTI stated that six work orders for schemes were sanctioned for the Teesta Valley area between 2014 and 2018 by the GTA. “Four agencies were issued work orders,” said Khati.
These include projects taken up by Dawa Dukpa (Rs 53 lakh) and Gurung Constructions (Rs 30 lakh) in 2014. In 2018, Jit Kumar Sarki took up three projects for around Rs 56 lakh, Rs 58 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. The same year, Rabindra Shankar got a project of Rs 1.66 crore.
“Taking into account material costs and other factors, around Rs 6.9 crore worth of drinking water projects had been sanctioned in Teesta Valley area,” said Khati.
All were to be done within four to six months. However, apart from work taken up by Gurung Constructions and a Rs 12- lakh project of Sarki, none has been completed.
Khati, also a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL), said: “This is the tip of the iceberg of corruption in the GTA.”
The GTA cited various reasons for the delay, including late permission from the forest department, delay by the department to issue materials, lack of skilled workers, the 104-day general strike in 2017 and Covid-19.
The GTA filed a report before Justice Md Nizamuddin of Jalpaiguri circuit bench of Calcutta High Court that the incomplete projects would be done by January 2023.
Justice Nizamuddin disposed of the writ petition filed by Tamang on November 11 but directed “the said Authorities to complete the work in question within the time stipulated therein by themselves”.
Khati said they would keep a hawk’s eye on the progress of work.
