Darjeeling municipality chief faces assault bid charge

 BGPM chairman says exchanges had started after Ritesh Portel had blamed Dipen Thakuri for delay in implementing projects during HP’s rule

Ritesh Portel.

Vivek Chhetri   |   TT  |  Darjeeling   |  01.04.23 : Darjeeling municipality councillor Ritesh Portel has filed a police complaint, alleging that chairman Dipen Thakuri used abusive language and tried to hit him with a chair when questions were raised on the construction of “illegal” highrises in the town during a civic board meeting on Thursday.

Portel and Thakuri were elected as Hamro Party councillors, but the latter defected to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) to topple the HP’s board helmed by the former.

After the BGPM took over the municipality in January, the first board of councillors meeting was held on Thursday.

“When we raised the issue of illegal constructions in the town, there were heated exchanges and the chairman used abusive language and tried to hit me with a chair,” said Portel who filed the complaint at Darjeeling Sadar police station on Thursday evening.

Thakuri, however, said Portel was exaggerating the incident.

Dipen Thakuri 

“The BoC meeting was very fruitful. All councillors had tea and pokaras. While everyone was sipping tea, they raised the issue of highrises, which was not on the agenda of the meeting,” said Thakuri.

“There were just some heated exchanges and nothing more,” he added.

The BGPM chairman said the exchanges had started after Portel had blamed Thakuri for the delay in implementing projects during the HP’s rule.

“He was the chairman and I was just a councillor. I wonder how I could be blamed for the delay in implementing certain projects,” said Thakuri.

HP supporters plastered posters in the town against the civic chairman on Friday.

The HP had in the past alleged that its board had been toppled because of the stern decision of not allowing any highrise that flouted building norms.

In 2015, the Darjeeling civic body had identified 337 “illegal highrises” in just eight of 32 wards in the town.

The same year, notices were sent to 61 buildings but no concrete action has been taken.

Bribe admission

Contractors in Darjeeling told journalists on Friday that they were to pay commissions to all parties that come to power in the municipality. 

Recently, HP leader Ajoy Edwards had said the BGPM was taking a seven per cent commission on the Rs 1,500 crore Jal Jeevan Mission, a drinking water project.

Edwards said: “If the HP or I have received any commission for undue favours or to allow illegal activities, I will forever retire from politics.”

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph