Civic services go for a toss in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 12: The recent phase wise retrenchment of 158 casual workers of the English Bazaar Municipality has affected civic services in the town, much to the chagrin of the civic officials and the locals. The Congress, Trinamul Congress and the BJP-led civic board fears that the situation may worsen if more casual workers are retrenched. It may be recalled that acting on a complaint lodged by the local CPI-M councillor and the CPI-M-backed union members of the municipality, the directorate of local bodies had recently instructed the EBM chairman to disengage 450 casual workers. The civic body, though unwillingly, has started retrenching the casual workers phase wise. Although a section of Congress leaders, including the Malda district secretary of the party, Ms Rubi Noor and her brother, Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury had tried hard to avoid retrenchment of the casual workers, the civic body had no other option but to follow the government’s instruction. “It is unfortunate that I was forced to carry out the retrenchment order,” the EBM chairman, Mr Narendranath Tiwari, said. Mr Dulal Sarkar, one of the members of chairman-in-council, EBM, said: “The situation is such that there is no casual worker to drive ambulances and vans. Maintenance of street lights and supply of drinking have also been affected owing to the retrenchment of the casual workers.” In 1991, the state government had sanctioned 527 posts for the EBM. However, the present worker strength of the municipality is just 464. This despite the fact that eight more wards have been added to the municipality to take the number from 17 wards in 1991 to 25 wards now, the EBM sources, said. The non-Left councillors of the EBM are now planning to meet the state municipal affairs and urban development minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya and urge him to reconsider the government’s retrenchment order.