Siliguri Mayor resigns

Siliguri Mayor resigns

27 June 2011
statesman news service
SILIGURI, 27 JUNE: To pave the way for the formation of a coalition board, involving both the Congress and the Trinamul Congress councillors, the Siliguri municipal corporation mayor, Ms Gangotri Datta, today dissolved the mayor-in-council and submitted her resignation to the commissioner Mr PN Bhutia.
After the mayor's resignation, the deputy mayor, Mr Nantu Paul, and other Congress councillors also submitted their resignations from nine other posts of the SMC.
Following the development, the state government has directed Mr Bhutia to run the SMC. However, to continue serving the people before the formation of the joint board, four Borough chairmen have not submitted their resignations.
Mr Bhutia today sought clarifications from the higher authorities on various subjects, including the formation of a new board through fresh election. The commissioner has also sought clarification about the SMC budget, which was scheduled to be tabled on 29-30 June.
Notably, the Congress councillors had formed the SMC board with the support of the CPI-M councillors after the corporation election when the Trinamul Congress councillors had been demanding the mayor’s post. As a result, the Trinamul councillors did not join the board officially and had been opposing the Congress-led board on many issues since October 2009. The Trinamul started dialogue with the Congress for the joint formation of the board before the state Assembly election.
The state north Bengal development affairs minister, Mr Gautam Deb, had said: “We would not join the Congress-led board which was formed with the support of the CPI-M.” When the Trinamul came to power in the state, the Darjeeling district Congress (plains) had started a dialogue with the party to form a coalition board and requested them to join the board accepting their proposals.
A few days ago ,the Trinamul leadership and their councillors warned the Congress leadership that they would not support the Budget to be tabled on 29 and 30 June unless the board is formed jointly. Yesterday, the Darjeeling district Congress leadership decided that the mayor would have dissolve the council and all officer-bearers, including mayor and her deputy would submit resignations. Both the Congress and the Trinamul leaders agreed to share the ten posts equally and the Trinamul councillors would extend cooperation to elect the mayor from the Congress afresh. The councillor belonging to the Trinamul would hold the post of deputy mayor.
After submitting resignation, Ms Gangotri Datta said: “To facilitate the allinace in the state I dissolved the mayor-in-council and we stepped down from all posts. The commissioner has sought clarifications about various subjects, including fresh election to form the board afresh from the state government. Hopefully within seven days the next process would be started.”