Plan to expedite pending state projects mooted at Balurghat municipality meet

BALURGHAT: A high-level meeting was conducted in Balurghat municipality on Thursday to discuss how to expedite pending projects that were undertaken by the Trinamool-led state government for overall development of residents.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her recent administrative review meetings with top-level district administrative officials at Gangarampur on Tuesday instructed concerned civic officials to speed up pending projects and utilise the funds as early as possible so that the common public gets benefitted.

District magistrate Nikhil Nirmal, who presided the meeting, said: "A meeting was organised with the board of directors of Balurghat municipality to gear up the pending tasks like sanitation, drainage system, removal of garbage, drinking water, construction of new roads and repairing of old ones. The funds that were already sanctioned for various development projects will be utilised soon."

Balurghat municipality has been running under the directions of three board of administrators — Uttar Banga Unnyan Parshad vice-chairman Arpita Ghosh, Mackintosh Burn Ltd chairman Shankar Chakraborty and Sub-divisional Officer of Balurghat Isha Mukherjee.

"Balurghat will be declared Open Defecation Free town on December 7 and we are planning to organise programmes regarding the matter. We have discussed on the vital issues of House for All, Bardhakya Bhata (Old Age Pension Scheme) and new projects. We will also revalidate the funds that were not being utilised. There have been a few ceremonial-halls (Utsab Bhawan) that need urgent repairing because of extensive damages," said Arpita Ghosh. The board members have also directed the concerned officials, engineers and employees to work on the pending projects fast and submit the requirement of new projects so that more funds will come for further development.

DM Nikhil Nirmal said an internal Whatsapp group has created to monitor the ongoing projects.

According to him, the concerned civic body will recruit new employees in the vacant posts.

According to a source, Balurghat municipality has a separate autonomous body and it needs written resolution for taking any decision.