Asok knock on Delhi door

TT, Siliguri, Oct. 24: Siliguri mayor Asok Bhattacharya has decided to take his complaint against the Mamata Banerjee-led government's "financial embargo" to Delhi.

Bhattacharya has repeatedly complained earlier that the state government has refused to release funds for the Siliguri Municipal Corporation that he heads. State municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim has denied the allegations.

Bhattacharya's "no funds" cry against the Mamata government is similar to the Bengal chief minister's criticism of the central BJP-led dispensation for being financially unsupportive towards her government.

Asok will be in Delhi to attend the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at Vigyan Bhavan from November 2 to 5. At that time, he said he would try to meet Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu and Uma Bharati, who is the Union minister of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation.

"I have sought their appointments. I will also speak to our party (CPM) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Darjeeling MP S.S. Ahluwalia," the mayor said today.

Bhattacharya plans to tell Naidu how the state government has "deprived" the SMC by not allotting funds that the civic body is entitled to receive under different state and central projects.

"I will tell him in detail about the financial deterrents posed by the state government and how the rights of a local elected body are being infringed upon. I will also seek information from him on how much money the Centre has allotted to the state under different schemes and how much civic bodies like us are supposed to receive. I believe it would only corroborate my data. So far, I have gathered details which show that the state has not paid around Rs 172 crore to us," Bhattacharya said.

The chief minister had several times accused the Centre of reluctance to aid Bengal with funds. "This is the first time a civic chief, who is also a CPM MLA, will raise the same allegation against Mamata Banerjee's government," a CPM source said.

"Being a former member of the state cabinet for 20 years, Bhattacharya is a known face in the political circles in Delhi.... His plan to visit Delhi, meet Union ministers who are also prominent BJP leaders, might make Trinamul uncomfortable as the charge of financial deprivation the mayor would raise against the state is the same charge that has been levelled by the chief minister and her party leaders against the Centre," a political observer said.

Asked why he would call on Bharati, the Siliguri mayor said: "We are grossly perturbed over the rise in pollution levels in the Mahananda that is the lifeline of Siliguri. We have written to the state pollution control board to collect samples of the river water and carry out necessary examination. The Mahananda Action Plan that was taken up during our government is yet to be implemented in a full-fledged manner. Only two sewerage treatment plants have been installed near the river and nothing more has been done," Bhattacharya said.

"I will meet the Union minister, requesting her to see that the plan is implemented and the river is made pollution free. Further, if additional funds are required for the project, the Centre should approve it."