Subash Ghisingh's tenure extended amid protests

Jalpaiguri, Sep 20 (UNI) The state government has extended the term of Subash Ghisingh as the caretaker administrator of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC) for another six months till March 2008.

Recalled after the expiry of the five-year term of the DGHC on March 25, 2005, the state government had appointed Mr Ghisingh as the caretaker administrator to run the DGHC for six more months.

Since then, the government has been giving six months' extension to him till date.

Incidentally, Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF), under the leadership of Mr Ghisingh, had captured all 28 seats of DGHC in the last election but since March 25, 2005, no election has been held.

Mr Madan Tamang, president of AIGL, through a fax mesage, today warned Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya from desisting further extension to Mr Ghisingh stating, ''It would be an act of complete disregard of democratic norms forcing AIGL to go to the streets to ventilate their demands'.

They have welcomed an open dialogue with all political parties of Darjeeling hill area to run the DGHC until elections are held. Mr Tamang has demanded dismissal of Mr Ghisingh as the caretaker administrator and also demanded a CBI inquiry into the acts of commission and ommission by the DGHC under the chairmanship Mr Ghising.

Armed with fresh extension order, Mr Ghisingh has left Darjeeling for Kolkata today accompanied by six DGHC officlas en route to Bangkok to attend a tourist meet organised by Pacific-Asia Tribals Association(PATA) at Bangkok beginning September 23.

Mr Ghisingh and the others will also visit Indonesia. Mr Pawan Kumar Chamling, Chief Minister, Sikkim, has also left for New Delhi en route to New York for the Incredible India festival.

UNI