The Darjeeling district committee of the CPM has decided to hold public meetings to protest against allegedly poor civic services and corruption at the Trinamool Congress-run Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC).
“The mayor has made lengthy promises about civic services and infrastructure development in Siliguri. However, since 2022, when Trinamool came to power, the civic board has miserably failed even to provide basic civic services to people living in the SMC area,” said Munshi Nurul Islam, a veteran CPM councillor.
He referred to the condition of roads in the city and pointed out that no steps had been taken to address traffic congestion.
“These days, we are witnessing the highhandedness of a section of real estate developers in Siliguri. Such people are grabbing land and indulging in illegal construction, but the civic authorities and the administration are silent,” added Islam.
Saman Pathak, the Darjeeling district CPM secretary, said the party had decided to organise public meetings in all 47 wards of the SMC.
“We will reach out to people and apprise them of these issues. There is information that the current board at the SMC is planning to hand over one of its plots to a private party. Our leaders will visit each ward and address the people,” said the CPM leader.
“On September 10, we will march to the SMC and stage a demonstration. The civic board should take effective steps to deliver its responsibilities and prevent corruption,” he added.
The CPM was in power at the SMC from 2015 to 20201.
Trinamool has denied the charge. “CPM leaders are raising baseless charges. People of Siliguri have seen how development has been expedited since 2022, when our party came to power,” said a senior Trinamool functionary in Siliguri.