1994 cut-off year in job guideline - Age and qualification parameters worked out, blueprint awaits govt approval

TT, Darjeeling, Sept. 23: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the state government have worked out a rough guideline for the regularisation of the contract workers of the DGHC, keeping 1994 as the base year. The Telegraph has learnt that the Morcha delegation along with the Darjeeling district magistrate had worked out the two-page guideline in Calcutta yesterday, which was then submitted to the state home secretary for approval. “The guideline states that either 1994 or the date of joining of the contract workers will be taken into consideration,” a source said. This essentially means that those who had joined before 1994 (the DGHC was formed in 1988) would be considered working in the council since 1994. For those who have joined after the cut-off year, there will not be much problem, for their date of joining would be considered their base year during regularisation. The other parameters that were worked out for regularisation were age and qualification. “At the time of joining, a contract worker must have been at the most 37 years old. Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes, ex-servicemen, Other Backward Classes and other categories as prescribed in the West Bengal Service Rules will be given a relaxation of five years,” added the source. This means that those workers who had joined the DGHC in 1988 should have been at the most 37 years in 1994. Also, those who joined the council after 1994 should be less than 37 years at the time of joining. Even though eligibility to various posts has been specified according to the Bengal services rules, sources said “technical experiences” would be taken into account during recruitment. “Those candidates who have had prior experience (before joining the DGHC) in the same post would be given priority,” the source added. All contract workers who have joined the DGHC till April 1, 2007 would be considered for recruitment against the 3,000-odd sanctioned posts, which GNLF chief Subash Ghisingh as the chairman of the council did not fill up. After the meeting in Writers’ Buildings yesterday, home secretary Ardhendu Sen had said the government while filling up these sanctioned vacancies would conduct a “scientific review” to find out how many additional posts could be created to regularise the 6,000-odd casual staff of the council. The contract workers on instructions of the Morcha had started an indefinite hunger strike in the hills from September 14, demanding permanent job status. Three days later, the government announced its decision to absorb at least 3,472 of the 6,300 workers, prompting the protesters to end their fast. Asked about the guidelines, Amar Lama, a central committee member of the Morcha, said: “The guidelines have been worked out in such a manner that all DGHC workers who had joined before April 1, 2007, will get permanent jobs.” Regularisation of DGHC casual workers opposed SNS, SILIGURI, 23 SEPT: The Siliguri-based anti-Gorkhaland pressure groups expressed anguish today over the regularisation of DGHC contractual workers by the state government. “Such a drive without settling the verification issue of foreigners among the Nepali settlers in the Darjeeling hills is unjustified and unconstitutional,” said the spokespersons of the Bangla O Bangla Bhasa Bacao Committee and Jana Chetana. The state home secretary, Mr Ardhendu Sen met a GJMM delegation comprising members of the Jana Mukti Asthai Karmacahri Sangathan in Kolkata yesterday over the regularization issue. It was decided that a fresh recruitment drive would give priority to the contractual workers, though the matter related to making the contractual posts permanent remained unresolved. Taking a serious view of the matter, the BOBBBC president, Dr Mukunda Majumder said that the state government had genuflected before the pressure tactics by the GJMM. “It is clear that the fasting agitation by the GJMM has made the state government buckle. But the stand of the state government is unconstitutional as the nationality of the workers remains under cloud,” Dr Majumder said. Speaking on the matter, the Jana Chetana president, Dr Debaprasad Kar said: “Accommodating even a single Nepali citizen by the state government as a regular worker in any of its departments by the state government is a violation of the law of the land.” Partha to oversee leader selection SNS, SILIGURI, 23 SEPT: Senior Trinamul leader Mr Partha Chatterjee would visit Siliguri on 25 September to oversee the selection of the party leader in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). Mr Chattapadhaya's proposed visit is aimed at ensuring the selection of a unanimous leader from among the 15 councillors that the Trinamul has in its kitty. Contesting in alliance with the Congress, the Trinamul had originally won 14 seats in the SMC polls held on 13 September, while an independent winner extended his support to the party later. Congress on the other hand won another 15 seats, thus facilitating the Congress-Trinamul combine an absolute majority in the 47-member Siliguri civic board. Trinamul Darjeeling district president and the Ward number 17 councillor, Mr Gautam Deb, is the frontrunner for the party's leader post in the SMC. However, the name of first time councillor Ms Chaitali Sen Sharma's (Ward 31) is also making the rounds for the post within Trinamul circle. “I am scheduled to fly down to Siliguri on Maha Saptami morning, that is, on 25 September to oversee the party SMC leader selection process and also hold discussions with the Congress-Trinamul joint campaign committee conveners to know their views about the Siliguri mayoral candidate. I would fly back to Kolkata the very next day and submit a report to (Miss) Mamata Banerjee instantly,” Mr Chattapadhaya said over the phone from Kolkata. He however, added that the programme might get changed in case the Trinamul chief instructs otherwise. Trinmaul sources in Siliguri informed that Mr Chattapadhaya is scheduled to preside over the leader selection meeting at the party's district office in Siliguri at 3 pm on 25 September. Later that day, he would also attend a joint gathering of the 30 Congress-Trinamul councillors and hold informal discussions about the future functioning of the SMC.

Junior Boxing Champion Shiva Thapa and Photo-Journalist Nanda Kirat Dewan of Assam felicitated in Gangtok.

Sabotage led to Left’s debacle: CPM

Suman Sahoo, SNS, SILIGURI, 23 SEPT: A report prepared by the CPI-M Darjeeling district secretariat states that: “Sabotage by some of the party men, including some CPI-M Darjeeling district committee members, led to the defeat of the Left Front in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation poll after around 28 years”. The three-page report would be placed in the district committee meeting in Siliguri tomorrow. Reviewing causes of the defeat, the CPI-M district leadership has come to the conclusion that though the SMC poll was held during an “unfavorable time,” the Left Front had a fair chance to recapture the SMC board. But, due to sabotage by a section of party members, including some zonal and district committee members, the Left Front lost in the SMC poll. “Not only were some prominent party members inactive before and during the election, they also supported and campaigned against the party nominees,” the report says. According to the report, a section of party members even fielded Independent candidates against the Left Front nominees, which helped the Congress-Trinamul alliance candidates win in some seats. The report, however, does not mention any person by name for the debacle, nor does it recommend any action against them. According to the report, though the district leadership hoped they could control factionalism inside the party before the election, they failed to do so in time. Still, the district leadership hoped to win 28 to 30 seats as the previous SMC board rendered enough development works and the Congress-Trinamul leadership lacks credibility, the report says. According to the report, the district leadership did not expect good news from the Ward nos. 4, 9, 13, 21, 25, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 39, 40 and 46, where the party organisation is suffering due to factionalism. However, in addition to the above-mentioned 15 wards, the Left Front lost in 15 more out of the 47 wards of the SMC. The report has been sent to the chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who is, also, in-charge of the party in the district. The district leadership has also suggested some steps, in the report, to be taken to reorganize the party. It may be noted that soon after the SMC election results were out, the CPI-M district leadership ascribed the defeat to the anti-Left torrents sweeping across the state. “The mandate amounts to the triumph of the slogan of ‘change’ at the expense of development,” the state urban development minister and Siliguri MLA Mr Asok Bhattacharya had said at a press conference after the poll results were announced.