Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council

Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council (DGAHC), is a semi-autonomous body that looks after the administration of the Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India. DGHC has three subdivisions under its authority: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Kurseong and some areas of Siliguri subdivision.

Formation

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 Kolkata on August 22, 1988. 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.

Text of the Memorandum of Settlement

The Memorandum of Settlement laying down the salient features of the Hill Council states: "In the overall national interest and in response to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's call, the GNLF agreed to drop the demand for a separate...
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