Candidates for chairman’s post in Darjeeling municipality spell out priorities

EOI, DARJEELING, FEBUARY 13, 2022 : All the three candidates being projected by three political parties as the chairman of Darjeeling Municipality in the civic polls on February 27 expressed confidence about forming the new civic board; based on past experience and new vision. 

So far the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and the newly floated Hamro Party (HP) have announced their candidates for the post of chairman. 

For Hamro Party, its president Ajoy Edwards is the face of the chairman while for BGPM the nominee for the chairman’s post is the party general secretary Amar Lama while GJM has fielded senior leader P.T. Ola for the post of the chairman. 

Lama emphasised on Sunday the need to plan the town of Darjeeling which was now congested beyond repair. 

"We have to engage a town planner for the present Darjeeling. It is no small task, but we will have to make a beginning," he said. Lama said mini civic boards would be formed in all the wards of Darjeeling to facilitate citizens to get their work done without having to step in to the main municipality office. 

Other issues Lama highlighted were review of the AMRUT drinking water project, parking spaces and solid and liquid waste management. 

"The AMRUT project is in process, but we will have to see how feasible it is. We have to review it and if it is okay then we will follow it," he said. The BGPM general secretary asserted his party would be successful in forming the civic body board. 

"We are getting positive responses from the citizens. I believe, we will form the new board," said Lama, who is also a former municipality ward commissioner. 

Edwards said the need of the hour was for holistic development of the town. "There are nearly ten sectors including health and tourism that we can work on. We will work on short, mid and long tern projects to make Darjeeling town better. Issues like better street light, garbage and traffic management has to be addressed," he said. 

The HP president said this election was for the voters to seek the report card of previous boards of different political parties in power. 

"There are candidates and political parties who were part of previous boards who are contesting the poll. However, this time people will have to ask for their report card which is not good. People will judge and vote accordingly," Edwards said. 

Only the GJM and the Gorkha National Liberation Front have been part of the civic body boards over the past years. 

The Trinamool Congress which is also contesting the Darjeeling municipality election have formed the board in the Mirik municipality. Candidate for the post of municipality chairman for GJM P. T. 

Ola said he would revisit the "Vision Document," the blue print which had already been prepared when he was at the helm of the Darjeeling municipality. 

"We had prepared a vision document which covered issued like dismantling old structures and build a four-storied building with underground parking and water harvesting facilities. “We also implemented the Balason augmented drinking water project and prepared a DPR for water distribution system," he said. 

Ola said people would vote for his party, considering they had previously administered the municipality. "We have with us the experience of running the civic body. Our report card is good and people will vote us to victory," he said. 

For the February 27 election the GJM and the Trinamool Congress have decided to share the 32 seats of the Darjeeling municipality. GNLF and the BJP will also contest the civic poll as partners.