EBM fails to provide civic services, Cong demonstrates

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 13 JAN: The Congress, Trinamul and BJP led English Bazaar Municipality authority today faced ire from the Congress for allegedly failing to extend civic service in areas under its jurisdiction.

Criticizing the EBM authority, the Congress today held a demonstration in Malda. The English bazaar congress MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury and town congress president Mr Debapriya Saha led the demonstration.

Though Mr. Choudhury was at pains to describe their demonstration was aimed both at the EBM authority and the district administration, the EBM chairman and senior Congress leader Mr. Narendranath Tiwari has taken the issue hard.

“The English Bazaar Congress MLA is trying to malign the Congress led civic body and the Congress party as well”, he reacted.

According to the MLA, they were demonstrating against unkempt traffic system, poor drainage system, disorderly garbage disposal and management, poor condition of drinking water supply, uncontrolled price of sugar and other allied issues.

Rejecting the MLA’s claim, Mr. Tiwari said: “The movement over the issues concerned including the shooting price of sugar would go against the Congress”.

In the EBM vice chairman and Trinamul leader Mr. Dulal Sarkar’s opinion, however, the demonstration was the outcome of a “faction feud in the Congress between the two leaders Mr. Choudhury and Mr. Tiwari”.

Ignoring the criticism of the other Congress leaders, the English Bazaar MLA Mr. Krishnendu Choudhury said: “The civic body is responsible for the poor garbage and solid waste management, poor drainage system and acute traffic congestion in Malda town. The district administration is reluctant to develop the services of the civic body. The public health engineering department is similarly reluctant to carry out drinking water projects despite allotment of funds from the South Malda MP LAD and other sources”. The MLA further alleged that the district administration was reluctant to take action against the sugar hoarders.

“Some traders had old stock of sugar but they jacked the price of sugar to Rs.50 taking advantage of the situation”, he added.