Mayor faces fire from within TMC over illegal structures

Barely days after Trinamul Congress councillor Dilip Barman criticised the functioning of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), another party councillor, Ranjan Shil Sharma, on Tuesday openly accused mayor Goutam Deb of compromising with promoters over illegal constructions in the city.

In a dramatic intervention during the SMC board meeting, Mr Sharma said he was “deeply disappointed” with the mayor, who had come to power three years ago promising a zero-tolerance policy against illegal buildings. “I am truly astonished. What the mayor had promised after winning the elections, and what people are now saying about him, is a matter of shame,” Mr Sharma said.

Advertisement

Drawing a sharp contrast with Deb’s predecessors, Mr Sharma added: “This mayor’s chair was once adorned by Bikash Ghosh, Ashok Bhattacharya, and even Gangotri Datta. None of them had to face such allegations. But under this regime, the homes of poor people have been demolished, and some influential individuals’ illegal houses too. Yet, when it comes to promoters, questions over land titles are being evaded. Instead of firm action, the demolition drive has been stopped with advice to move from the high court’s Single Bench to the Division Bench. This is shameful.”

The comments, coming from within the ruling party, reflect growing discontent over the mayor’s handling of the sensitive issue, which has triggered widespread criticism in Siliguri.

Responding to the attack, a visibly agitated mayor defended his record. “Records will tell the truth. They will show how many demolition drives have been carried out against illegal constructions. We were compelled to act against poor people’s houses only because of court orders,” he said.

Mr Deb further claimed that he had personally intervened with the authorities concerned to ensure proper Land Use Conversion Certificates (LUCC) before any new construction. “The records will speak for themselves,” he reiterated.

The confrontation signals not just public anger but also cracks within the TMC’s Siliguri unit, as allegations of “protecting promoters” continue to haunt the mayor.