Minister of state rank for Gurung

 GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung and (right) deputy chief executive Ramesh Allay  

TT; VIVEK CHHETRI Darjeeling, Nov. 6: The Bengal government has granted the status of a minister of state with independent charge to the chief executive of the GTA, the post Bimal Gurung holds. Roshan Giri, an executive member of the GTA, said: “According to the notification, the chief executive has been given the status equivalent to that of a minister of state (independent charge). 

The deputy chief executive has been given the status equivalent to that of a minister of state, while the rank of the chairman of the Sabha will be equivalent to that of a deputy minister of the state.” The notification, signed by joint secretary of the hill affairs department Chinmoy Chakraborty and dated November 2, also stated that the executive members of the hill body would be equivalent to the “secretary to the government of West Bengal”. 

According to Writers’ Buildings sources, the members and the chief executive of the GTA will not be eligible for any perquisites, honouraria or emoluments from the state government. “It is clearly mentioned in the order that assigned the ranks. The order is a warrant of precedence, which will determine their seating in the Republic Day parade, for instance. They (GTA members) will not be eligible for anything else from the state government.

 Their honouraria, emoluments and perquisites have already been fixed by the GTA Sabha (in September) and that is all they will get,” said a source in the hill affairs department this evening. The GTA Sabha had fixed an honourarium of Rs 50,000 per month for the chief executive. The deputy chief’s honourarium has been fixed at Rs 45,000, while the chairman and deputy chairman of the Sabha are supposed to get Rs 40,000 and Rs 35,000 each month, respectively.

 The honourarium of each executive member was fixed at Rs 30,000 per month and the elected members were supposed to get Rs 25,000 a month. Gurung, his deputy Ramesh Allay and Pradeep Pradhan, who is the chairman of the Sabha, would now be allowed to use beacons in their official cars. The GTA Sabha consists of 45 elected and five nominated members, three of whom are Trinamul Congress nominees while the remaining are from Morcha. The GTA Sabha had fixed Rs 5,000 a month as honourarium for the nominated members. Durga Kharel, a Trinamul member, however, said he had recently received two month’s honourarium of Rs 20,000. 

“It seems that they are giving us honourarium at the rate of Rs 10,000 per month.” Sources said Bimal Gurung has decided not to take his monthly honourarium and is looking at converting the amount into a calamity fund. The security cover for each member of the hill body will be arranged for by the state directorate of security. 

 “That is the standard practice for political and executive functionaries in the state. The directorate assesses the need for protection on the basis of threat perception for every individual and provides security accordingly. Now, holding the rank of a minister of state (independent charge), Bimal Gurung will probably be eligible for more security than earlier,” said a home department official at the Writers’. Gurung now has an escort car with four armed personnel.