700 projects undertaken in Siliguri, says Asok SMC has received Rs 3 crore from municipal development fund trust and will get Rs 5 crore more

TT, 8 February 2020, Siliguri: Mayor Asok Bhattacharya said on Friday that the Siliguri Municipal Corporation was executing over 700 projects that entailed spending of around Rs 100 crore.

As the polls to the SMC are round the corner, Bhattacharya seems to be playing the development card in contrast to his earlier criticism of the Bengal government which was accused of holding the release of funds for the civic body.

“Over 700 projects are being implemented and Rs 100 crore will be spent on them. We could not carry out development projects in the past five years because of an unofficial financial embargo by the state on the SMC. But our relentless struggle has finally started bearing fruits as the state has released funds under some heads and approved the release of more amounts,” Bhattacharya said on Friday.

According to him, the SMC has received Rs 3 crore from municipal development fund trust and will get Rs 5 crore more. A sum of Rs 16 crore was also approved under the central government’s 14th finance commission. Further, the state government approved funds to the tune of Rs 21.86 crore for road network project, Rs 16 crore under green city mission and Rs 8 crore for slum development.

The SMC is the sole civic body run by the Left Front in Bengal.

Ranjan Sarkar, a Trinamul councillor and leader of opposition at the SMC, said: “All these years, Bhattacharya had been levelling baseless charges at the state. As the elections are ahead, he is now trying to play the development card. However, such moves will not work as it is evident now that the state has been allocating funds for the SMC. It is the Left board that had failed to carry out development works in the city.”