Asok unable to meet ministers

BIRESWAR BANERJEE & AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, May 27: Mayor Asok Bhattacharya today said he felt "disappointed" as he could not meet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee in Calcutta, despite fixing appointments with both of them to discuss development of Siliguri.

Bhattacharya said his first experience as the mayor during the current term in the offices of Hakim, who is in charge of urban development and municipal affairs, and Mukherjee (PHE and panchayat and rural development) was "not good".

Bhattacharya reached Hakim's office this morning, along with Sharadindu Chakraborty, the member mayor-in-council (water supply) and S.W. Bhutia, the commissioner of Siliguri Municipal Corporation.

"As I went to the state municipal affairs department to meet the minister as per an appointment fixed with him, I came to know that he would be busy in the Assembly for the budget session. Also, Subrata Mukherjee, the state minister for PHE, informed me that he would also be occupied in the Assembly.... I had gone to them with plans and proposals for the development of Siliguri," Bhattacharya told The Telegraph over the phone from Calcutta.

"However, later I came to know that Subrata Mukherjee had no other engagements after 3pm," he said.

Sources said Bhattacharya had fixed appointments with Hakim at 11.30am and Mukherjee at Nabanna at 2pm.

Ever since the Left Front emerged as the single largest bloc at the SMC in the recent polls, Bhattacharya has been saying that he doesn't want to get into a tussle with the Trinamul government and wants co-operation from the state for the development of Siliguri.

Today, however, Bhattacharya had to wait for over 10 minutes in Hakim's office before B.P. Gopalika, the principal secretary of state municipal affairs department, called him in.

"I am not drawing any conclusion as this was my first visit but my overall experience during this trip was not very good and I am disappointed. I have been treated by both the ministers in the most unexpected manner. I was also a minister for municipal and urban development departments and served 20 years in the post. But during my tenure, I never behaved in such a manner with anybody, including the then mayor of Calcutta Municipal Corporation Subrata Mukherjee, who is the state PHE minister now," the mayor said.

"It is unfortunate that despite soliciting co-operation from the state, there is no reciprocation from the ministers. After today's experience, it is unlikely that I would seek their appointments soon," he added.

Reacting to Bhattacharya's complaint, Hakim said in the Assembly lobby: "Not just the Siliguri mayor but the mayor from Chandannagar and the chairpersons of 30 other municipalities have been unable to meet me. The main reason is that the Assembly session is on and I have to be in the House to reply to the budget and other questions. I have told them to meet me after the current session is over next month."

Asked whether they could have met him in his office in the Assembly, he said: "Those who are not members often find it difficult to come to the Assembly. Let me assure you that there was nothing political in being unable to meet him (Bhattacharya)."

Echoing Hakim, minister Mukherjee said it was not possible for him to be elsewhere while the House proceedings were under way. "I have never refused co-operation on matters pertaining to development. This government does not believe in such pettiness," he said.

Although Bhattacharya abstained from making harsh comments on the state government or Trinamul, the issue has not gone down well with CPM leaders in Siliguri.

"Such behaviour is expected from both the state ministers as they are controlled by the chief minister, who had said ahead of the civic polls that development in civic areas would come to a halt if some other party, which is not in power in the state, wins," a CPM leader said.

"Also, after the defeat in the civic polls, Trinamul is desperate to stop Bhattacharya from expediting the development of Siliguri."

Sources in the CPM said after today's experience, it was unlikely that the mayor would meet north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb. The minister had said Bhattacharya could meet him at Uttarkanya on June 8.

Trinamul leader in the SMC Nantu Paul said: "Both the ministers were busy in the Assembly and there is no politics in it. The mayor did not discuss his visit with us. We came to know from other sources that he was in Calcutta."