“The talks (in Delhi) failed to make any progress,” said Ghosh. The GJM representatives wanted to discuss the territorial issue by including the Dooars. “We did not want to discuss it as the agenda of the talks was the formation and functioning of the proposed interim authority,” said Ghosh.

According to him, the state government wanted the interim authority to be set up first, before determining its territorial jurisdiction.

Another round of tripartite political-level talks would be held later and its date and venue would be decided by the Centre, he said.

The State Urban Development Minister and Siliguri MLA, Asok Bhattacharya, had said earlier that while the state government was against any further division of West Bengal, it

shared no difference of opinion with the Centre over the development of Darjeeling and making the hill council more powerful.

During the meeting, the Centre and the state government were inclined to limit the proposed Darjeeling Regional Authority to just the hill sub-divisions of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, said sources in Delhi.

The GJM wanted the inclusion