KOLKATA — Following a high-level meeting with Darjeeling hill leaders, the new state administration announced a proactive, "tough on corruption" stance regarding the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), launching the state's latest attempt to permanently solve issues that were previously declared permanently solved in 2021.

Officials confirmed the new crackdown will finally address the systemic fund diversion frequently flagged by CAG reports, specifically concerning the Rs 100 crore Hill Area Development Programme announced by the previous government in 2017.

"We are establishing a very strong governance image to secure central funds," said a spokesperson for the Chief Minister's office. "Unlike the previous administration's completely ineffective permanent political solution, our new permanent political solution will feature significantly more meetings about transparency."

While the underlying demands for autonomy and a separate state that fuel the region's instability were sidestepped in favor of administrative discussions, the government assured tea garden owners that new central scheme benefits are on the way. "By promising to do better than the officials who oversaw the last round of missing development funds, we are showing true accountability," the spokesperson added, reading from a statement that closely mirrored press releases from 2017 and 2021.