Civic body moots increase in number of wards

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 4: The English Bazaar Municipality (EBM) has decided to send a proposal to the government for increasing the number of wards in the municipality. The delimitation exercise would aim to leave an equal population in each ward.

At present the EBM has 25 wards. In the last board meeting, held on 16 January, the board of councilors unanimously agreed to increase the number of wards in the municipality by at least three to four. In the same meeting, the councilor of ward 10 Mr Shantanu Saha had proposed adding the rural area of Sahapur, located on the bank of Mahananda in Old Malda. He argued that Sahapur was an excellent candidate, as a bridge already connected the rural belt with the heart of the English Bazaar town.

The Opposition leader Mr Dulal Nanda Chanki objected to adding any new areas to the EBM at present. He proposed beginning the delimitation exercise by calculating the population and number of polling stations and ensuring that equal development takes place in all areas, including the most recently added areas which are still lagging behind.

Mr Chanki had pointed out that at present wards in the municipality were not equally demarcated.

“Some wards have three to four polling stations, where the number of voters is 3,000 to 4,000. Yet there are wards in the most recently added areas where the number of polling stations is five to seven, and the number of voters is a high 7,000 to 8,000. Developmental funds have been distributed without proper consideration of population,” Mr Chanki said.

It was also pointed out that there are many areas in the added wards, such as ward 23, where the EBM still could not provide proper road facilities or other basic amenities. The people consequently face great difficulties admitting patients to the district hospital.

The councilors and vice chairman accepted the points made by Mr Chanki, but voted against him for the acceptance of three to four wards into the municipality.

The vice chairman Mr Dulal Sarkar said: “We will notify the government of the resolution reached by our board meeting for the delimitation exercise to increase the number of wards by at least three to four”.

“The proposal for adding a new rural area such as Sahapur in Old Malda will also be sent to the government,” the vice chairman added.