Deb made SJDA chief

TT, Siliguri, March 15: Gautam Deb has replaced Trinamul Congress MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya as the chairman of the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority.

The board has 14 members and all of them were retained by the state municipal affairs and urban development department for a fresh three-year tenure, suggesting that the reshuffle was essentially carried out to appoint Deb as the chairman.

Bhattacharya, a doctor by profession who had joined politics a few months before the 2011 Assembly elections, will continue to be a member of the board.

“We have got an order from the state urban development department, wherein it has been mentioned that I have been nominated as the chairman of the SJDA. Former chairman and Siliguri MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya will continue be on the board of the SJDA along with previous members,” said north Bengal development minister Deb.

“Rudra (Rudranath Bhattacharya) is supposed to go on an (overseas) trip and has some other work and that is why the change was probably effected,” he added.

The Siliguri MLA was not available for comment on his removal from the post. But Trinamul insiders hinted that Bhattacharya had been removed, as the post was not suitable for a new politician like him.

“He is a well-known doctor and heads the Assembly standing committee on health. Being a non-political person, the post of the SJDA chairman was not suitable for him. We feel the party and the government wanted to give Bhattacharya some relief and let him work in his field, that is health,” said a Trinamul leader.

According to the sources, there are also speculations that Bhattacharya was replaced as he will be given a berth as a junior minister.

New trains

A pair of special trains will be introduced from Dibrugarh to Delhi for Holi. According to Northeast Frontier Railway sources, train 05933 will leave Dibrugarh on March 24 at 7am and reach Delhi at 1.10pm on March 26.

Train 05934 will leave Delhi at 8.40pm on March 27 and reach Dibrugarh at 3.30am on March 30. The trains will have one AC-II, one AC-III, 10 sleeper and four general class coaches.