News Analysis India

Tag: Kolkata Municipal Corporation

  • Kolkata on alert amid cyclone Asani forecast

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has put on alert its employees and disaster management teams in view of the formation of cyclonic storm Asani, which is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclone, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Sunday.

    He said the leaves of all employees concerned are being cancelled to deal with any emergency evolving due to the cyclone, which he said is unlikely to hit the city but will bring heavy rains in its wake.

    “We are, however, making preparations to deal with any eventuality if the cyclone hits the city so that life is brought back to normal as soon as possible,” Hakim told reporters here.

    He said that taking lessons from the devastating effects of the Amphan super cyclone in May 2020, the KMC administration is taking all measures such as keeping cranes, electric saws and earthmovers on standby to clear blockades caused by fallen trees and other debris.

    “We did not understand what the effect of Amphan could really be, but having learnt from our experience we are keeping everything ready,” he said.

    Amphan had uprooted hundreds of trees in the city, blocking thoroughfares and snapping power supply for days in some areas.

    Hakim said a control room of the KMC will be operational during the movement of Asani.

    The Met department has forecast that Asani, lying over the southeast Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify into a severe cyclone as it moves northwestwards.

    The weatherman has forecast that Asani, on reaching westcentral and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra-Odisha coasts on Tuesday, is very likely to recurve north-northeast wards and move towards northwest Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast The severe cyclonic storm is very likely to lose some steam thereafter and turn into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday and further dissipate into a deep depression by Thursday.

    It is likely to bring in its wake light to moderate rainfall over Gangetic West Bengal from Tuesday to Friday with heavy downpour at one or two places in the coastal districts of Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, the weatherman said.

    The administrations of these three districts are keeping cyclone shelters, schools and other pucca structures, dry food and necessary medicines ready to deal with any situation that may occur, a state government official said.

    Fishermen at fishing ports of Shankarpur, Fraserganj and other places were asked by the police and civil defence officials not to venture into the sea in view of the rough weather conditions that are likely to prevail.

  • BJP alleges massive rigging in KMC elections, urges Bengal Governor for repolling

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Alleging large-scale rigging during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, opposition BJP on Sunday met West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and urged him to take steps to countermand the civic polls.

    Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari claimed that there were over 100 instances of irregularities during the polls, and not more than 20 per cent of the electorate could cast votes.

    “Most CCTVs were non-functional with papers and stickers pasted on the camera or their connection points pulled out. The chief minister is turning the state into a dictator-run republic,” he said.

    Sporadic incidents of violence including hurling of bombs at two booths and skirmishes between political workers marred an otherwise humdrum polling as 63.63 per cent of the nearly 40.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise till 5 pm on Sunday, when voting ended.

    High drama was witnessed outside a Salt Lake area house where Adhikari was holding a meeting with party MLAs, after the Bidhannagar city police cordoned-off the entire area and stopped him from leaving for Raj Bhawan, where he was scheduled to meet the Governor, citing a directive of the State Election Commission that non-residents cannot enter the city on polling day.

    In a video that surfaced on social media, BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumder was seen arguing with police officers, asking them on what grounds were they taking such action.

    A deputy commissioner rank officer was heard telling him: “We cannot allow you to proceed to Kolkata as polling is being held and you are not residents of the metropolis.”

    Adhikari also alleged he was manhandled by a junior police officer, and that the gates of the MLA hostel in Kolkata were locked till 5 pm, preventing eight BJP legislators from attending a legislature party meeting.

    Later, the governor, in a tweet, said: “BJP delegation led by LOP @SuvenduWB has urged the Governor to take steps to declare polls #KMC null and void in view of rampant violence, rigging and @KolkataPolice acting for ruling party. A thorough probe was sought in the locking of opposition MLAs in the hostel.”

    “Delegation also sought investigation into the virtual house arrest @bidhannagarpc of LOP @SuvenduWB and several MLAs, being reminiscent of emergency. According to them, ruling party Ministers and MLAs had free run with support @KolkataPolice.”

    A BJP delegation on Sunday evening submitted various footages and documents to the SEC, demanding repolling.

    Adhikari said the KMC elections is being monitored by the Calcutta High Court, and the party will also submit footages in support of its claims to the court on December 23.

    “I saw her (CM Mamata Banerjee) thanking police for having stopped outsiders. How long will she keep labelling residents of the state as outsiders?” the leader of opposition added.

  • Calcutta HC rejects BJP’s plea to stay Kolkata civic polls

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election due on December 19, while directing the state poll panel and the West Bengal government to take measures for holding elections in other civic bodies at the earliest with the least possible number of phases.

    The State Election Commission (SEC) and the state government had earlier told the court that elections to 111 municipal bodies will be held in six to eight phases by May 2022, but dates can be fixed later, taking into account the spread of the omicron variant of Covid-19, and considering the school board examinations.

    A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj in its order refused to stay the KMC elections as prayed for by the BJP.

    The BJP and another petitioner had moved the high court seeking direction to the SEC and the state government to hold elections to all the municipalities and municipal corporations where it is due together and as soon as possible.

    Claiming that the SEC and the state government had announced the schedule for the KMC elections during the pendency of its petition, the BJP had prayed for a stay on the polls for the city’s civic body, which is to be held on December 19.

    The bench directed the SEC and the state government to take measures for holding elections to the other 111 municipal bodies at the earliest in minimum possible phases.

    It directed the SEC and the state government to inform the court on a tentative plan for holding these elections on the next date of hearing on December 23.

  • Kolkata municipal polls: Left Front manifesto urges voters to ‘save city from damage’

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of causing “serious damage” to the city’s environment as well as its civic amenities in the past 10 years, the opposition Left Front on Monday urged people “to turn the steering wheel” in its direction during the December 19 Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.

    The manifesto, which was released during the day, has a colourful layout with poll promises such as shelter for labourers, women empowerment and amenity provisions for third gender written in Bengali.

    CPM leader Sudip Sengupta said, “We, the people of Kolkata, have to swerve left as our vehicle has reached the edge of a steep terrain. If the steering wheel is turned right, we will fall into a deep ditch. To save the city from future damage, people will have to veer the steering wheel to left.”

    Sengupta also said that simple “catchphrases” were used in the manifesto for the ease of understanding of all. The manifesto, resembling a book of illustrations for children, said “We want the rainbow for the full sky, not half (for women and other gender minorities).”

    Another Kolkata district committee member of the CPM said that the KMC board, under the TMC, has set a benchmark for “poor performance”.

    “From filling up waterbodies, flouting environmental norms for building apartments, asking for cut money for civic services to failure to give aid to the poor and the middle-income group, this Kolkata Municipal Corporation has done everything that is detrimental to the city and its people,” he added.

  • State proposed polls to municipal bodies be held in phases by May: West Bengal election body to HC

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday said before the Calcutta High Court that the state government has proposed that elections to 111 municipal bodies be held by May, 2022 in six to eight phases.

    The SEC in an affidavit submitted before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj also stated that owing to paucity of EVMs, counting of votes cannot be held together.

    The SEC affidavit said that “the state government has proposed that the municipal elections may be held in 6 – 8 phases by May, 2022” and that the exact schedule will depend upon the COVID-19 situation and the schedule of secondary and higher secondary examinations.

    It said that the state government has also cited the uncertain impact of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 as a reason for not being able to finalise the schedule of elections to the 111 municipal bodies. Election to Kolkata Municipal Corporation will be held on December 19.

    Maintaining that it has a limited number of EVMs at its disposal, the SEC said that since the elections to other municipalities would have to be held in phases, the results, too, will have to be declared in phases for securing use of maximum number of EVMs.

    It said that as EVMs employed in one phase will have to be re-used in subsequent phases, counting needs to be completed stage-wise.

    The SEC said that the West Bengal State Election Commission Act, 1994 provides that “the state government shall, in consultation with the commission, by notification, fix the date or dates on which, and the hours during which, the polls will be taken”.

    The bench presided by the chief justice had on December 1 directed the SEC and the state to submit before it a plan disclosing the tentative schedule for conducting the election to the municipal bodies of the state by the next date of hearing.

    The order was passed on a petition by the BJP seeking polls to all municipal bodies in a single day. The petitioner also prayed that if this was not possible, then simultaneous counting of votes to all municipal bodies be held so that the result of one does not affect the election of another.

    The SEC and the state had submitted that it plans to hold the elections in a phased manner. The division bench had also directed the SEC to explore the possibility and feasibility of counting votes after the polling is completed in all municipalities.

    The court had in its December 1 order said that the SEC is “expected not to declare the election of the municipal bodies in the state in such a manner which will give benefit to one particular party”. The SEC underlined that it is an independent constitutional authority and therefore, immune to any political interest. “The commission has always made sincere endeavour to conduct free and fair elections and impartiality of the commission may not be doubted on the basis of baseless allegations,” it submitted.

    The bench directed that the matter will be heard again on Tuesday.

  • Kolkata civic polls: Congress names 66 candidates in first list, to go it alone in most wards

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Congress on Saturday announced names of poll candidates for 66 of the total 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), and made it clear that the party will go it alone in the December 19 election in most of the wards.

    This is the first list of contestants while the party will extend support to independent candidates in 22-25 seats to ensure the defeat of the Trinamool Congress and the BJP, Congress state committee member Nepal Mahato told reporters.

    To a question, he said, “The Left Front already announced candidates in several seats where our party is strong. So we have decided to go ahead with this list.”

    The Congress and the CPI(M)-headed Left Front had fought the assembly elections held in March-April this year together.

    “But our priority will be to defeat both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP,” Mahato said.

    The Congress has nominated at least two TMC councillors in the last KMC board, who were denied tickets by the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

    The Left Front on Friday released names of 114 nominees, leaving 17 seats for the Congress and the ISF.

    It will announce candidates in 13 wards later.

  • Dhankar cautions SEC against toeing Mamata government’s line on civic polls; Trinamool hits back

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday cautioned State Election Commissioner Saurav Das against toeing the line of the state government on holding elections to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and other civic bodies separately, describing this as an “outrage of Constitution”.

    The ruling Trinamool Congress was quick to hit back, accusing Dhankhar of crossing his constitutional limits.

    The West Bengal government has proposed to the SEC that elections to municipal corporations of Kolkata and Howrah be held first and those to the around 100 other municipal bodies where polls are pending be taken up later.

    SEC officials recently indicated that they have accepted the proposal.

    The notification in this regard is yet to be issued.

    “Cautioned Shri Saurav Das that SEC toeing line of State Government and be merely its executing agency, would be an outrage of Constitution as also unwholesome for democratic process,” the governor tweeted.

    Dhankhar, in a letter to Das, said he had received numerous inputs that the SEC is abdicating its constitutional mandate and authority and toeing the line of the state government.

    “(The SEC is) in effect executing the directions of the state government in the matter of holding upcoming elections to the municipalities in the state,” he wrote in the letter, a copy of which he attached to his tweet.

    He said Article 243ZA of the Constitution in categorical terms invests the SEC with “the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to the municipalities.”

    This constitutional mandate for the SEC can in no manner be qualified or diluted by any law by state as, in terms of Article 243ZA(2), such law has to be subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the governor said.

    Maintaining that the SEC had mooted the idea of simultaneous elections to all the municipalities earlier, Dhankhar said overwhelming political inputs are for the same.

    “It is imperative at your end to ensure that constitutional mandate is regarded both in letter and spirit, and am sure you will bear this in mind,” the governor told Das in the letter.

    He wrote that the SEC is expected to act independently of the government.

    “Further, it is trite legal proposition that provisions of an enactment cannot override, in any manner whatsoever, the stipulations in the Constitution. The supremacy of the constitutional prescription is non-negotiable,” Dhankhar said.

    Dhankhar’s letter drew a sharp reaction from the ruling TMC, which accused the Governor of crossing his constitutional limits.

    “The state government has every right to send a proposal. The governor is interfering with the administrative and constitutional rights of the state government,” senior TMC leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said.

    Dhankar’s views were, however, echoed by the opposition BJP, Congress and the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

    “We want that elections to all the municipalities are held together. The state government since 2019 has been delaying the elections for their political interests. Later, they blamed it on the COVID pandemic,” state BJP vice-president Pratap Banerjee said.

    The BJP has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking that poll to all municipal bodies where it is due be held together on a single day.

    The case is pending.

    The opposition Congress and the Left Front, which doesn’t have any representation in the state assembly, accused the state government of delaying the civic elections for political reasons.

    “The state government has no proper explanation on why it is delaying the elections to other municipal bodies. They (TMC) are delaying the polls in areas where they are not on the strong ground politically,” senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

    The proposed date for the elections to KMC, as well as Howrah Municipal Corporation, is December 19.

    The elections to KMC, along with 112 other municipalities and municipal corporations, were due in April-May 2020.

    But the polls were postponed due to the raging COVID pandemic.

    The civic bodies where elections are due are being run by state-appointed Board of Administrators.

  • Pratap Banerjee appointed BJP’s Kolkata civic poll management panel in-charge

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The BJP’s West Bengal unit on Sunday appointed state vice-president Pratap Banerjee as the in-charge of the upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) election management committee of the party.

    The proposed date for the elections to KMC, as well as Howrah Municipal Corporation, is December 19.

    The notification is yet to be issued.

    “Pratap Banerjee, state vice-president, has been appointed as in-charge of upcoming Kolkata Municipal Corporation election management committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party, WB,” state unit president Sukanta Majumdar said in a statement.

    The BJP has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking that poll to all municipal bodies where it is due be held together on a single day.

    The case is pending.

    The five-year term of elected representatives who run West Bengal’s 112 municipalities and corporations ended in the last two years, but elections could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    These civic bodies are being run by administrators appointed by the state government.

  • TMC-led civic body puts off opening of quarantine centres until after Bhowanipore bypoll

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA: The chief health officer of the Trinamool Congress-led Kolkata Municipal Corporation in a recent advisory said institutional quarantine and safe home services may be reopened in the municipality after September 30—the day when the high-decibel by-election is scheduled to be held in south Kolkata’s Bhowanipore. 

    “Institutional quarantine and Safe Home services may be reopened if required (but after 30.09.2021 after Bhowanipore Assembly Election) to contain Covid situation in Kolkata during and after Durga and Kali pujas,” reads the advisory. It comes amid a rise in Covid cases in the West Bengal capital. 

    The Covid advisory mentioning the bypoll date has made some TMC leaders uneasy. They feel the BJP may now capitalise on this and demand that the election, which Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee must win to continue as CM, be put off. 

    “The BJP was against the by-election citing the pandemic. But, she needs to get elected as an MLA within November 5 to continue as CM, and if the by-election is deferred, she will have no option but to step down from the post of state CM,” said a senior TMC leader.

    “No one knows what will be the pandemic situation a week from now. How can we set up a time frame for opening quarantine centres and safe home facilities?” asked an official of the state health department. The advisory did not miss the BJP’s attention. The party’s Bengal chapter said it shows the state government is trying to distort the true picture.

    “If quarantine centres and safe homes are reopened before the bypoll, the question of conducting the election amid the pandemic may be raised. This why the advisory clearly mentioned the facilities can be reopened after the by-election,’’ said a BJP leader.

  • Quarantine centres to reopen post-Bhowanipore bypoll: Kolkata civic body’s Covid advisory sparks controversy

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: The notification to reopen institutional quarantine and safe home services in Kolkata after September 30, the day scheduled for the Bhowanipore bypoll, has sparked quite a debate. The bizarre letter of advisories was issued by the chief health officer of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in the wake of the rising Covid cases in the state capital.

    Mentioning the date in the advisories by the Trinamool Congress dominated civic body is said to be politically significant as reopening of quarantine centres and safe homes before the election day might give the BJP a chance to demand postponing the by-poll citing Covid-19 pandemic.

    “Institutional quarantine and Safe Home services may be reopened if required (but after 30.09.2021 after Bhwanipur Assembly Election) to contain Covid situation in Kolkata during and after Durga and Kali pujas,’’ the letter says.

    Sources in the state health department said mentioning the by-poll date in the letter was unnecessary. “No one knows what will be the Covid pandemic situation after a week. How can we set up a time restriction for opening quarantine centres and safe home facilities,’’ asked an official of the state health department.

    The ruling Trinamool Congress said the mention of the by-poll in the advisories might give BJP a scope to raise the pandemic issue. “The BJP was against the by-election citing the Covid pandemic and aiming at Mamata Banerjee’s resignation from the post of the chief minister. She needs to be elected as an MLA by November 5 and if the by-election is deferred, she will have no option but to step down from the post of the CM as there will be a month-long festive season in October. Besides, no one knows what the Covid situation will be after the festive season,’’ said a senior TMC leader.

    BJP’s Bengal chapter alleged that the advisory reflects the state government’s mood to suppress the actual Covid infection picture to ensure Mamata Banerjee’s seamless tenure as the chief minister. “If quarantine centres and safe homes are reopened before the by-poll, the question of conducting the election amid pandemic may be raised. This is why the advisory clearly mentioned the facilities can be reopened after the by-election,” said a BJP leader.