WEST BENGAL Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced today that the Darjeeling tripartite pact for the formation of the Darjeeling Hill Authority will be inked on July 18 in Sukna, Darjeeling. THE THREE parties involved in the agreement are - state and central governments, and the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM). Union Minister P Chidambaram will also attend the event.

The Darjeeling Hill Authority will be an independent body; it will have three sub-divisions under its authority – Darjeeling, Kalimpong and some areas of Siliguri subdivision. Also, the hill authority will handle the Tauzi department, which deals with leasing land owned by state government.

The CM credited the state government officers, the central government as well as the people of Darjeeling for the agreement reached on the tripartite deal.  “Due to the untiring efforts of our officers led by the chief secretary, the central government and my brothers and sisters from Darjeeling, there is now a consensus on signing the tripartite. We will sign it on July 18,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by media persons.

She further noted that Sukna was picked for the programme on the request of the central government. Since Chidambaram would be coming by air, they needed a place where he could arrive easily in the wake of the monsoons. Banerjee is hopeful that the deal will bring peace in the hills.