The Hill Affairs Branch of the Home & Hill Affairs Department functions as the nodal branch for matters relating to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). It deals with administrative, financial, legal, and policy matters concerning the hill areas of Darjeeling region governed under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act, 2011 (West Bengal Act XX of 2011).
The act, enacted pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Government of India, the Government of West Bengal, and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, received Presidential assent and was published in the Kolkata Gazette on 12 March 2012. The Act provides for the establishment and functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration for the hill areas of Darjeeling region comprising the subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and specified mouzas of Siliguri subdivision.
The territorial limits of the erstwhile Darjeeling District were altered by bifurcation into two districts in 2017—Darjeeling and Kalimpong—vide Notification No. 36-PAR(AR)/0/2R-2/16 dated 07.02.2017 issued by the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms.
The Branch deals with matters relating to release of Grants-in-Aid to GTA for State Development Schemes and administrative expenditure, release of RIDF loans for rural infrastructure development, and release of Additional Central Assistance as committed under the Memorandum of Agreement. It also handles matters relating to relief and rehabilitation in cases of landslides and other natural calamities in the GTA area.
The Branch deals with audit of accounts of the erstwhile Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the present GTA, service matters of GTA employees, issues relating to transferred subjects, and matters concerning tea gardens, tourist spots, and environmental initiatives such as Clean and Green Darjeeling.
It also handles legislative and institutional matters, including framing and amendment of the GTA Act, GTA (Election) Rules, Rules of Business of GTA, constitution of Boards and Committees for GTA areas, determination and delimitation of GTA Sabha constituencies, conduct of elections to the GTA Sabha, and matters relating to the Board of Administrators, GTA.
The Hill Affairs Branch is headed by the Special Commissioner, followed by the Senior Deputy Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Section Officer, Head Assistant, Upper Division Assistants, and Lower Division Assistants, as per the departmental allocation of business.
