CM Suvendu Adhikari visits Kolkata Municipal Corporation, pays tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
Kolkata, June 16
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the Kolkata Municipal Corporation office for the first time since assuming office.
The West Bengal CM, on Monday, placed flowers on the chair of former Mayor of Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and paid his respects at the seat where Bose used to sit during his tenure.
The chair and table used by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose from August 1930 to April 1931 as Mayor are displayed at the main entrance of the KMC central building at Mayor's Gate.
Suvendu Adhikari also announced a major move to overhaul the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) through a comprehensive delimitation process, stating that it is "required".
Citing massive disparities in ward demographics, the Chief Minister underscored that the current structure--where some wards hold over 50,000 voters while others maintain as few as 8,000--is unsustainable for effective urban governance.
Addressing the media, Adhikari said, "During the election campaign, I went from door to door. I saw the ward composition: 40,000-50,000 votes in one ward, while 8,000-12,000 votes in the other, 15-18 booths in one ward, while 50 booths in the other. So, delimitation of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is required."
The Chief Minister clarified the procedural path forward, noting that while his government's Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs (UDMA) will submit the necessary recommendations, the final delimitation process rests with the State Election Commission.
"The State Govt's Department of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs will recommend the delimitation. But the delimitation will be done by the State Election Commission. Proposal sent by the state govt through the UDMA Dept, and the delimitation process will be started by the state election commission through the system," he added.
Adhikari also announced a series of civic initiatives to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Kolkata. The state government is organising a five-day special drive to enhance the city's cleanliness and overall preparedness.
KMC Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey said it is extremely fortunate that CM Suvendu Adhikari chose their office to launch the citywide cleanliness campaign and emphasised that everyone's cooperation is needed so that Kolkata looks beautiful and clean when the Prime Minister arrives.
"It is our great fortune that the Chief Minister chose our office to launch the citywide cleanliness campaign...We need everyone's cooperation so that when the Prime Minister comes to our city, we ensure that Kolkata looks very beautiful and clean...We've requested everyone to contribute to this cleanliness drive...The Prime Minister is coming to our city on the occasion of International Yoga Day, which is going to be celebrated on a global level, so I seek your cooperation so that we can make our city even more beautiful...," she said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, someone is talking about cleaning up Kolkata! The city needs this badly. Netaji would have wanted a clean and well-governed city. Hope this cleanliness drive is more than just a photo op for the PM's visit. 🤔
Interesting to see an Indian state government taking a data-driven approach to ward boundaries. The voter disparity is huge. But I'm curious about the political implications—will this affect the ruling party's hold on certain seats? Time will tell.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is a hero for all Indians. Respecting his seat is a nice gesture, but actions speak louder. The delimitation issue is real—I've seen wards with 50 booths while others have barely 15. But will the State Election Commission act independently? That's the real question.
The PM's visit seems to be driving a lot of this urgency. Five-day cleanliness drive? Sounds like a last-minute scramble. Still, if it results in a cleaner Kolkata, I'm all for it. Let's hope this isn't just for show.
It's good that the CM is acknowledging the problem of uneven ward sizes. But why didn't the previous government address this? And why is delimitation only being talked about now? Feels like an election year move. Let's see the actual process.
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