The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is a statutory autonomous administrative body constituted for the governance and development of the hill areas of the Darjeeling region in the State of West Bengal. It was established under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act, 2011 (West Bengal Act XX of 2011), enacted pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Government of India, the Government of West Bengal, and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Under Section 26 of the said Act, the GTA has been vested with administrative, executive, and financial powers in respect of the notified hill areas falling within the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
The GTA came into operation in March 2012 following Presidential assent to the Act. It was created to provide an institutional framework for decentralised administration and to promote socio-economic, infrastructural, educational, cultural, and linguistic development of the hill areas, while functioning within the constitutional framework of the State.
The territorial jurisdiction of the GTA comprises the subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong, along with specified mouzas of the Siliguri subdivision. The administrative authority of the GTA is exercised through the GTA Sabha, consisting of elected members and members nominated by the Governor of West Bengal, as provided under the Act.
The GTA is entrusted with responsibility for implementing development schemes and administering subjects transferred to it by the State Government. These include areas related to local development, infrastructure, social welfare, culture, and allied sectors, as notified from time to time. The functioning of the GTA is governed by the provisions of the GTA Act, Rules framed thereunder, and Government Orders issued by the State Government.
Financial support to the GTA is provided through Grants-in-Aid from the State Government, Additional Central Assistance committed under the Memorandum of Agreement, and infrastructure funding including RIDF support. Utilisation of funds is subject to prescribed financial rules and audit procedures.
The Home & Hill Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, functions as the nodal department for coordination with the GTA and handles matters relating to administration, finance, legislation, and policy concerning the hill areas.
The GTA succeeded the earlier administrative arrangement under the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and represents an important institutional mechanism for participatory governance and development of the Darjeeling hill region.
Contact Information
Address: GTA Secretariat,
Lalkothi, Lowis Jubilee Complex, Darjeeling – 734101
Phone :
Chairman's Office 0354-2255022, 0354-2254434
|Principal Secretary's Office 0354-2254918, 0354-225471(O)
