Mayor Nilakshi Talukdar in her office on Friday. Picture by S.H.Patgiri

May 13: New mayor Nilakshi Talukdar promised to provide a responsive administration for the city?s development after taking charge at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) this morning, four months after the mayoral polls.

A woman is holding the post of mayor after a gap of seven years. The last woman to hold the post was Queen Ojha in 1997-1998 during the Asom Gana Parishad regime.

Talukdar said she would concentrate mainly on cleanliness and streamlining of water supply to make up for the loss of four months during her one-year term because of court cases.

?The first thing I would like to concentrate on is cleanliness and hygiene. I will place a suggestion to lift garbage at night or early in the morning to avoid inconvenience to commuters and local residents. Being a citizen of Guwahati, I will try to solve the problems faced by each of us with everybody?s support.?

She next assured that she would take special initiative regarding drinking water, as its scarcity due to non-functioning of water pumps was one of the most important problems faced by citizens.

She admitted that the new office-bearers of the corporation had not been successful in bringing about changes in the city last year because most of them were new and because of employees? non-cooperation.

?But after 14 months, all of us have got a hang of things ? of people?s expectations and our own strengths and weaknesses. With everybody?s co-operation, I will try to give a new direction to the GMC,? she said, trying to convey the message to a largely sceptical and indifferent local populace that she meant business.

She said she would convene a meeting with heads of the corporation?s branches for their suggestions on new development projects.

She promised to approach Dispur for funds, the lack of which has prevented the corporation from implementing new schemes.

?We will have to prepare proposals for development of the city upon which we can receive funds. In most cases, the civic body is looked upon as a non-functioning body,? she said.

At the same time, she said, the corporation could not depend only on funds from the government but would have to take up new policies for revenue generation.

Speaking on the allotment of rooms at the Fancy Bazar municipal market, Talukdar said the process could not be completed in the past year because of indefinite ceasework and non-cooperation by Opposition councillors.

She said she would discuss ways to improve the working of the corporation with senior citizens, public organisations and people in general.

Before being elected mayor, Talukdar, wife of West Guwahati MLA Hemanta Talukdar, was chairperson of the GMC standing committee on public works.

She was the secretary of the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee in 2002-2003 and its general-secretary in 2003-2004.

She was elected member of the Assam PCC from Bharalumukh block early this year.