Asok names SMC deputy - Sole RSP councillor named deputy mayor, Arabinda in core committee

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, Siliguri, May 24: The Darjeeling district Left Front today selected the deputy mayor and seven members mayor-in-council for the Siliguri Municipal Corporation.

Mayor Asok Bhattacharya made the councillors (see chart).

"A meeting of the Darjeeling district Left Front was held today. It has been decided that Rambhajan Mahato (the only councillor of the RSP) will be the deputy mayor of the SMC. He will have the responsibility of some of the important departments. Names of all seven MMICs have been finalised. I have also decided on the departments that would be allocated to them and those that I would look after," Bhattacharya said at a news conference held at the SMC today. "All of them would be sworn in at a programme that would be held in the civic body at 2pm tomorrow."

Durga Singh, the only councillor of the All India Forward Bloc, has been given a portfolio.

"In a strategic move, the CPM has given both the councillors of its allies (Rambhajan and Durga) two posts. It is significant. They did not want to take any risk by antagonising the councillors or their parties. Such a decision also follows the need to stay together and not allow Trinamul even a bare minimum chance of trying to coax and induct any disgruntled councillor," said a political observer.

Nurul Islam, Mukul Sengupta and Sharadindu Chakraborty had held the post of MMICs earlier. The others are first-timers.

"Kamal Agarwal is a senior councillor and he has been inducted as an MMIC. Parimal Mitra is a former councillor. He was in the earlier Left Front board and Shankar Ghosh, who contested civic polls for the first time, has been made an MMIC," the observer said.

Bhattacharya said: "We have also formed an eight-member core committee. Arabinda Ghosh (the Independent who won from ward 15 and supported the Left to get the majority mark of 24 in the 47-ward SMC) will be in the committee. It will monitor the activities of the MMICs, deputy mayor and mayor. It will conduct a review of their performances every six months and make necessary recommendations."

Bhattacharaya is the convenor of the committee. "We will solicit co-operation and advice from the leader of the Opposition and all other councillors, irrespective of their political affiliation," Bhattacharya said.

He also spoke about the storm that hit the town yesterday evening. "We have asked for an assessment of damage. Each councillor has been asked to find out what are the damages in their wards. We will extend all possible co-operation to people who have been affected," Bhattacharya said. "Huge (makeshift) gates with display boards that were raised on Hill Cart Road and other roads during many events have collapsed. We have decided to stop granting permission to raise such gates," he added.