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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}

'''Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council''' (DGHC) ({{lang-ne|दार्जीलिङ गोरखा पार्वत्य परिषद (दा.गो.हि.प)}} (1988–2012), also once known for a short period of time as '''Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council''' (DGAHC) ({{lang-ne|दार्जीलिङ गोरखा स्वायत्त पार्वत्य परिषद}}, was a semi-autonomous body that looked after the administration of the hills of [[Darjeeling District]] in the state of [[West Bengal]], [[India]]. DGHC had three subdivisions under its authority: [[Darjeeling Sadar subdivision|Darjeeling]], [[Kalimpong subdivision|Kalimpong]], and [[Kurseong subdivision|Kurseong]] and some areas of [[Siliguri subdivision]].

==Background==
[[Gorkha National Liberation Front]] led by [[Subhash Ghisingh]] raised the demand for the creation of a state called [[Gorkhaland]] within India to be carved out of the hills of Darjeeling and areas of Dooars and Siliguri terai contiguous to Darjeeling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-18/india/28124084_1_gorkhaland-jyoti-basu-gorkha-national-liberation-front|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104090847/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-18/india/28124084_1_gorkhaland-jyoti-basu-gorkha-national-liberation-front|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 November 2012|title=Gorkhaland an unfinished mission|date=18 January 2010|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref> A violent agitation erupted in the Darjeeling hills from 1986 to 1988 in which 1200 people lost their lives.

==Formation==
The semi-autonomus Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was the result of the signing of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Agreement between the Central Government of [[India]], the [[West Bengal]] Government and the Gorkha National Liberation Front in [[Calcutta|Kolkata]] on 22 August 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gorkhalandstate.blogspot.in/p/darjeeling-gorkha-hill-council-mos.html|title=Memorandum of Settlement – DGHC|publisher=Gorkhaland blog|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref> The ceremony took place at the Banquet Hall, Raj Bhavan (The Governor's Palace) at 10 A.M. The signatories to this tripartite agreement were: C.G. Somaih, Union Home Secretary (on the behalf of the Central Government of India), R.N. Sengupta, the State Chief Secretary (on the behalf of the Government of West Bengal) and Subhash Ghisingh (on the behalf of Gorkha National Liberation Front as the representative of the people of Darjeeling District). The Union Home Minister, [[Buta Singh]], and the West Bengal Chief Minister, [[Jyoti Basu]], also put their signatures on the agreement.

The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Act, 1988 (West Bengal Act XIII of 1988) was enacted by the West Bengal legislature which was assented to by the President of India and was first published in the Calcutta Gazette, Extraordinary of 15 October 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/opinions/political/617-dghc-its-shortcomings.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731065729/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/opinions/political/617-dghc-its-shortcomings.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2012 |title=DGHC – Its shortcomings |publisher=Darjeeling Times |date=19 May 2010 |accessdate=22 March 2012 }}</ref> The council had wide control over finance, education, health, agriculture and economic development within it's jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chandra|first=Bipan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dE9qEg-NgHMC|title=India Since Independence|date=2008|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-310409-4|pages=411|language=en}}</ref>

==DGHC terms==
The DGHC was administered from 1988 to 2005 for three successive terms by the GNLF with Subhash Ghisingh as the Chairman. The fourth DGHC elections were due in 2005. However, the government decided not to hold elections and instead made Subhash Ghisingh the sole caretaker administrator of the DGHC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/27/stories/2005022701191200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304013316/http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/27/stories/2005022701191200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2006|title=Differences over Gorkha Hill Council|date=27 February 2005|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref> Ghisingh signed a Memorandum of Settlement with the government on 6 December 2005 to set up a Sixth Schedule tribal council called the ''Gorkha Hill Council'' in place of the DGHC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-04-15/india/27840952_1_special-status-sixth-schedule-darjeeling-gorkha-hill-council|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707141503/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-04-15/india/27840952_1_special-status-sixth-schedule-darjeeling-gorkha-hill-council|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2012|title=Gorkha council may get special status|date=15 April 2005|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html|title=Memorandum of Settlement – Gorkha Hill Council (Sixth Schedule)|publisher=Darjeeling Times|accessdate=22 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090329055451/http://www.darjeelingtimes.com/news/Historic-Documents/Memorandum-of-Settlement.html|archive-date=29 March 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Opposition from various political parties, social organizations and the people prevented the implementation of this agreement.

In March 2008, Ghisingh was forced to resign as caretaker after losing public support in the Darjeeling hills to [[Bimal Gurung]]-led [[Gorkha Janmukti Morcha]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ghisingh-quits-dghc-hill-districts-celebrat/282823/|title=Ghisingh quits DGHC hill districts celebrate|publisher=The Indian Express|date=11 March 2008|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref> From March 2008 to August 2012, the West Bengal government appointed IAS officers as administrators of DGHC and no election to the council was held in that period.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news429494.html|title=New DGHC administrator to take charge on March 2011|publisher=Zee News|date=10 March 2008|accessdate=22 March 2012}}</ref>

==Gorkhaland Territorial Administration==
The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha signed a tripartite agreement with the state and central governments on 18 July 2011 for the formation of the [[Gorkhaland Territorial Administration]] (GTA) in the Darjeeling hills.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expressbuzz.com/nation/darjeeling-issue-solved-mamata/282219.html |title=Darjeeling issue solved: Mamata |publisher=The New Indian Express |date=8 June 2011 |accessdate=22 March 2012 }}{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Till the GTA body was formed, the DGHC continued in the Darjeeling hills with a Board of Administrators composed of the three MLAs from [[Darjeeling (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Darjeeling constituency]], [[Kurseong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Kurseong constituency]] and [[Kalimpong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Kalimpong constituency]], the Darjeeling District Magistrate, and the DGHC Administrator.<ref>{{cite web|title=Memorandum of Agreement – GTA|url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2011/aug/d2011081101.pdf|work=Press Information Bureau|publisher=Government of India|accessdate=19 September 2011}}</ref> The GTA replaced the DGHC after the GTA body was formed in August 2012 through a West Bengal state act.

== See also ==
[[Chowrasta (Darjeeling)|Chowrasta Darjeeling]]

[[Mahakal Temple (Darjeeling)|Mahakal temple]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://darjeeling.gov.in/ Darjeeling District]

[[Category:Gorkhaland]]
[[Category:Politics of Darjeeling district]]
[[Category:Government of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Politics of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Autonomous regions of India]]
[[Category:Politics of Gorkhaland]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in West Bengal]]
[[Category:2012 disestablishments in India]]

Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council - Revision history

->Citation bot at 20:55, 25 December 2021