TMC, CPRM submit deputations ahead of November civic polls in hills

EOI, Darjeeling 2 May 2016: Even as the Assembly election results are being awaited keenly, political parties in the hills have started gearing up and reaching out to voters for the municipality polls scheduled to be held in November this year.

The Opposition, especially the hill Trinamool Congress, and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist, have taken up local issues to counter the ruling Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to garner votes in the civic polls.

The TMC and the CPRM today submitted separate deputations to the district administration highlighting two recent incidents: the collapse of a popular stairway at HD Lama Road, and the mysterious fire that gutted several shops on BM Chatterjee Road in the heart of Darjeeling town.

After submitting the deputation, hill TMC general secretary NB Khawas said, “We submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate regarding the collapsing of the public stairway and the mysterious fire. We have heard that both the incidents occurred under mysterious and questionable circumstances. We demand an inquiry into the incidents.”

He further said, “We have information that the builders of an ongoing construction adjacent to the stairway at HD Lama Road were trying to build a room by digging deep underneath the stairway. In the case of the fire at BM Chatterjee Road, the main doors of some of the houses of ‘C’ Building just a few feet below, were latched from outside and this could have been deadly had the fire spread.”

The stairway near Chowk Bazaar collapsed on April 26 while a fire gutted three shops and three godowns at Daroga Bazaar on BM Chatterjee Road on April 13.

CPRM spokesperson Govind Chhetri said their deputation raises issues such as water scarcity and the problem of dumping the town’s garbage. “People are facing acute water crises but the municipality is unable to address the issue. The Balason water project started two years ago and was supposed to end all water related problems, but nothing has happened. And people living near the dumping yard face serious health risks as the garbage is first dumped in the open before being buried underground,” he said.

Both leaders though, denied their parties were raising the issues to win voters’ sympathy for the municipality elections. “Elections come and go but it is important to ensure good governance and the municipality is meant to serve the people,” Khawas said.

On the other hand, the CPRM spokesperson said, “Our issue is not linked to elections as we sincerely feel people should not face problems.”

Darjeeling district magistrate Anurag Srivastav said, “We received memorandums today from the two political parties and an enquiry will certainly be conducted on the demands placed forward.”