‘NON-RESPONSIVE APPROACH’
Bengal guv shoots another letter to Mamata
Kolkata: 15.05.2020
West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday criticised West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s “non-responsive” approach to the Raj Bhavan and saidhewasstill awaiting information he had sought a week ago on the appointment of a board of administrators, comprising the outgoing mayor and mayor-in-council members,to run theKolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).
“Your continued non-responsive stance when it comes to the performance of ‘duties’ under Constitution towards the Governor in terms of Article 167 is unfortunate and contrary to your oath under Article 164 and against the essence and spirit of the Constitution and surely cannot be countenanced,” Dhankhar said in his letter to Mamata on Thursday, days after chief secretary Rajiva Sinha failed to provide him details of the decision.
“I still await the information sought vide my communication dated May 7, 2020 sent to you after the Chief Secretary, West Bengal, had failed to make available the information soughtfrom him on May6, 2020 [sic],” he said in the letter. The present administrative model breaks away from the prevailing system of appointing a bureaucrat as administrator once the elected board completes its five-year tenure.
The state government heaved a sighof relief on Tuesday after a division bench of Calcutta High Court allowed the new board to continue till July 20. But with decision pending on the fate of 89 municipalities whose terms will end in May, Dhankhar’s letter has added to the government’s woes. Civic heads in these municipalities are looking up to the government to follow the KMC model and appoint them as administrators to run essential services in view of the pandemic instead of choosing bureaucrats.
Former municipal affairs minister and Siliguri mayor Ashok Bhattacharya has written to the government saying that the five-year tenure of the elected board ends on May
17. TNN& AGENCIES
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