Poll fast-forward cue to projects

Mamata Banerjee in Midnapore on Thursday. Picture by Saikat Santra

Anshuman Phadikar, TT, Mar 22, 2018, Midnapore: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered speeding up of infrastructure projects ahead of the rural polls this year, ordering stern action against errant contractors and asking officials to overcome alleged "central interference" in implementation.

"Some contractors are not working, some are letting work remain pending, some others are not doing the right things despite getting the work.... All this must be monitored by district administrations. The DMs must hold at least one meeting every six months," Mamata said at an administrative review meeting in Midnapore on Thursday.

A Trinamul member of the local zilla parishad, Saibal Giri, alleged that public anger had been growing over road projects delayed by four to five years because of the contractors' lapses. Mamata immediately asked DM Jagdish Prasad Meena to blacklist all such contractors.

"Those who are taking the government's money, the people's money and not completing the people's work on time, they should not get work anywhere, from any government," said the chief minister.

Sources said many contractors had suffered delays in getting land, which pushed up their costs. "Many times, it is not the fault of the contractors," said a source.

At the meeting, Mamata asserted that her government did not run on commission from contractors.

"Our government does not take cuts from you (contractors), it does not run on cuts.... ," said Mamata, instructing chief secretary Malay De to call a meeting urgently to resolve such issues.

Sources in the government, however, said such commissions were common, impeding projects. "In Murshidabad recently, the government could not find any bidders for work on 55 roads. It was given to a central agency after months of futile efforts to find contractors in Bengal," said a source.

At the meeting on Thursday, an official pointed out that the state could not do much in cases where contracts were given out by the Centre. At this, Mamata alleged that the Centre takes commission to hire contractors and that it should not be "allowed to interfere" in Bengal. "In the work that takes place in our state, we will pick the contractors," she said.

Another Zilla parishad functionary, Surjya Otto, pointed out at the meeting that PWD land along roads have been encroached in many places and pattas (deeds) issued to the encroachers by the land and land reforms department, facilitating construction on the plots.

Mamata warned the department against issuing pattas without thorough checks.