GMC: The tussle continues

Aug. 3: The Opposition councillors of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) today adopted a resolution to allow development projects to be undertaken with the approval of the majority.

The resolution, aimed at making the mayor’s post virtually redundant, was adopted at a meeting after mayor Kushal Sarmah refused to step down.

The withdrawal of support by two Independent and the lone Trinamul Gana Parishad (TGP) councillors has reduced the Congress-led disposition in the GMC to a minority. The Opposition has 30 councillors, while the Congress has 27.

AGP councillor Prabhat Das said they had submitted a copy of their resolution to the new GMC commissioner, A. Agnihotri.

Das said according to the GMC Act, any development project could be undertaken with the approval of the majority. “This resolution will empower the majority to decide on the projects. The majority will now decide the projects, with or without the mayor’s approval,” Das added.

The Opposition has also extended to August 7 the deadline for Sarmah to prove his majority. They have threatened to demonstrate at the corporation office in Uzan Bazar on August 8 if the mayor failed to attend the requisition meeting and prove his majority.

Das said the councillors have also appealed to the commissioner to halt the ongoing development projects, which had been undertaken with the mayor’s permission. “This resolution has made the mayor virtually redundant,” Das said.

Congress councillor Abdul Masjid said they would not fail to attend the requisition meeting. He said that if they failed to turn up, the Opposition would unanimously elect a mayor from the councillors present at the meeting.

Congress councillors, on the other hand, are holding meetings with party leaders and local legislators to sort out the matter amicably.

A group of councillors met Assam PCC chief Bhubaneshwar Kalita on Sunday to resolve the crisis.

“Kalita promised to convene a meeting of the councillors to discuss the situation. We are hoping to resolve the problem within the deadline so that the residents do not suffer,” Masjid added.

A Congress councillor said the mayor’s indifference to the situation had affected the party’s image. He said the tussle between the Opposition and the mayor has also affected the functioning of the corporation and created a host of problems for the residents.

Das said the mayor has made repeated requests to the Opposition to resolve the crisis through talks. However, the Opposition councillors have refused to budge from their demand. The stalemate has been continuing since July 6 when the three councillors withdrew support from the mayor.