Mamata fumes at MLAs, bureaucrats, police officers for below-par civic amenities in Bengal

Kolkata: Alleging that civic amenities almost everywhere in West Bengal have gone for a toss, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday questioned the ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats whether they expect her to sweep the streets of the state or not.

Chairing a meeting held at the state secretariat, primarily to review the performance of the various civic bodies in the state, an angry Banerjee slammed a minister, a former TMC mayor and a few bureaucrats for their “below-par performance”.

"Do I have to go out to sweep the roads now? You cannot walk looking up in the sky at times; you also have to look down. Nobody sees the condition of the roads and the street lights. They are just raising taxes and deploying people and both the police and the (civic) administration are not doing anything," Banerjee said at the meeting.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also said that the performance of the civic body officials will be reviewed by a team including vigilance department officers, the additional director general of police (Law & Order), an additional commissioner of police, officers from the CID and the Director of Security.

“The government will not take a bad name for the actions of some individuals. I don’t want master extortionists. I want people’s servants. If they cannot perform, they must leave. In the coming days, only those who work for the people will get tickets (to contest elections)," she said.

Banerjee named Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose and held him accountable for encroachment in Rajarhat area near Kolkata.

The chief minister also holds the land and land revenue department.

She also named former Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborty, who joined the BJP from the TMC, accusing him of ruining the city neighbouring Kolkata.

“Rathin Chakraborty ruined Howrah when he was the mayor. Illegal buildings have come up near (state secretariat) Nabanna. The police and everyone else involved have turned a blind eye to it. Do I have to look after everything?” she questioned.

The state secretariat is located in Howrah.

Banerjee also said she was aware that several TMC leaders, a section of the bureaucracy and the police were involved in raising money through illegal means.

The TMC chief also accused sub-divisional officer Amrita Roy Burman of neglecting Bally municipality, which is without a civic board.

She said that multiple interest groups have cropped up in every part of the state.

At Monday's meeting representatives from two civic bodies— Taherpur in Nadia district and Jhalda in Purulia district— were not invited, officials said.

Banerjee alleged that the MLAs were doing whatever they felt like taking advantage in those municipalities where the boards had not been elected.

"I will clean up the entire system and then go for fresh elections. If need be the clean-up should start from my home,” she said.