Chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a dig at Rajarhat- Gopalpur MLA and former mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Mr Sabyasachi Dutta, at a North 24-Parganas district administrative meeting for raising uncomfortable issues like filing up of water bodies and mushrooming growth of unauthorised structures in his Assembly constituency and in the Bidhannagar area.

The chief minister, who spoke to the MLAs on issues concerning their Assembly segments at the North 24- Parganas district administrative meeting held at Madhyamgram yesterday, ticked off the former Mayor of Bidhanangar Municipal Corporation, for not being astute enough to deal with such issues of concern when he was the mayor of the Bidhannagar civic body.

“You should have taken special care of such issues when these were under your control. I have asked Bobby Hakim to look into those issues of filling up of water bodies but you should have addressed the issues when those were under your control”, Miss Banerjee said.

Firhad (Bobby) Hakim is the state urban development and municipal affairs minister. This was the first time that Mr Dutta has had an occasion to talk to the chief minister since he relinquished his post as mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. He continues to be a TMC member and MLA. Mr Dutta, who had vowed to continue flagging issues of public concern after putting in his papers as the mayor of the Bidhanangar civic body, brought up the issues at a conclave chaired by the chief minister at a time that speculation was rife that he was inching closer to the BJP since Trinamul-turned BJP leader Mukul Roy was his mentor and key adviser.

Though Miss Banerjee, by way of ticking off the former mayor had reminded him of his duty, she asked the Kolkata mayor and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim to look into his concerns carefully. The chief minister also asked the MLAs, BDOs, party leaders and councillors of North 24-Parganas who were present at the meeting not to create any undue delay in implementing any government projects.

She also dropped a broad hint that she is for tightening purse strings as the government is not in a position to shoulder additional burden. ”No projects should be kept in limbo. All the projects should be made time bound. No further allocation would be made as the government is going through financial constraints,” Miss Banerjee said at the meeting. She also asked the DM to take special care on the issue of caste certificates for the SC, ST and OBCs.

“I have been noticing for the last few years that the issue of caste certificates is being delayed and the people are being harassed. Though the officers at the highest echelons are doing their job, work is getting bogged down at the lower levels. I have asked the DM to monitor the issue in a time bound manner.”