A rat race has started for key positions in 16 development boards in the Darjeeling hills after chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced plans to revamp the boards.

Sources said sections of some communities started working against the incumbent chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the boards to place their candidates.

“Some lobbies are approaching both the Trinamul Congress leadership and Anit Thapa (GTA chief executive and Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha president,” said a source. “Not to say, complaints against the present chairpersons and vice-chairpersons flow freely.”

A letter written by one particular lobby to Thapa reads: “Very humbly we would like to state that we had submitted numerous complaints against the chairman and vice chairman mentioning their ill deeds but could not receive any positive response from the concerned department. They even have failed to maintain the unification and the harmony of the community they are assigned for.”

While on a visit to Darjeeling, Mamata announced on November 12 that the 16 development boards would be revamped in a “month and a half”.

“We will revamp the development boards and the process will be completed within a month and a half,” she
had said.

“This explains the rat race but the government has not announced anything so far,” the source said.

The development boards have taken up projects like the construction of houses, homestays, community centres and pony roads. However, the major task of the boards has been to build homes at ₹2 lakh each.

There were allegations of widespread corruption in the projects taken up by some boards.

This time, the state government has decided to form a monitoring cell with Thapa as its chairman and L.B. Rai, Trinamool administrator of Mirik municipality, as the vice-chairman. The district magistrates of Darjeeling and Kalimpong would also be members of the cell.

“Since both Thapa and Rai will be in the monitoring cell, the lobbies are approaching both leaders separately,” the source said.

Sources said the chief minister was keen to make Gopal Lama, a former WBCS officer and the TMC’s candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in the last election, the chairperson of the development board for the Tamang community.

The first development board, the Mayel Lyang Development Board for the Lepcha community, was notified on February 6, 2013. Since then, Mamata has formed 15 more boards in the hills following demands from members of respective communities.

However, since 2022, the government has not released any major funds to the boards, the sources said. The chief minister’s recent announcement, however, gave a fresh lease of life to people who aspire to run the boards.

While 14 boards are under the backward classes welfare department, the Khas board is under the north Bengal development department and the minority board is under the minority affairs department.

The boards were first formed when relations between Mamata and Bimal Gurung, who was heading the GTA, hit rock bottom in 2012.

The Opposition then alleged that Mamata was trying to divide the hill people by forming the boards.

Politically, the boards have not provided any dividend to Mamata in the hills where the predominant demand is Gorkhaland, whose creation is opposed by Trinamool.

“Even though the boards have not given any political dividend to Mamata in the hills, the chief minister seems determined to send a message that she wants to address the concerns of these communities,” said an insider.