Anit Thapa Bats For 3-Tier Panchayat System That Includes Zilla Parishad

Chief Executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and president of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), Anit Thapa has emphasised the need for a three-tier Panchayat system, including Zilla Parishads, to drive development in Darjeeling and the separate district of Kalimpong.

- MANAS R BANNERJEE

This comes amid lingering scepticism among a section of the Gorkha community regarding the GTA's effectiveness. While some continue to demand a permanent political solution (PPS) from the Centre and the state, others persist in their call for a separate Gorkhaland state.

On 19 February 2025, Mr Thapa met Pradip Kumar Majumdar, minister for Panchayat and Rural Development and formally requested the establishment of Zilla Parishads for Darjeeling and Kalimpong along with the necessary infrastructure to support the upper tier of the three-tier Panchayat system.

Mr. Thapa made these decisions following the recent two-tier rural polls held in the Hills after decades, which led to the formation of Gram Panchayats and Panchayat Samitis in both Darjeeling and Kalimpong.