'Probe irregularities in functioning of theatre halls, wedding venues built during Left Front regime'
kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim has asked Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Binod Kumar to conduct a probe against alleged irregularities regarding functioning of theatre halls, wedding venues or similar infrastructure constructed on government land during the Left Front regime, which are now being run by trustee boards. The matter came to light at the recent monthly meeting of KMC, when councilor of ward 98 Arup Chakraborty pointed out that Niranjan Sadan in Bijoygarh is lying in a neglected condition with the trustee board responsible for its maintenance indifferent to renovation of the hall.
According to sources, Niranjan Sadan was set up during the Left Front rule jointly by KMC and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) but is being run by trustee board headed by CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, who does not happen to be a local resident.
"The Commissioner should compile a list of such theatre or wedding halls with the help of the councillors and find out what sort of agreement has been made by the concerned government department regarding management of the property. There have been irregularities associated with the functioning of such halls as the trustee boards have been renting such halls for their own benefit. The Commissioner has been asked to submit his report within a month," Hakim said.
Chakraborty questioned why government properties should be run through trustee boards ? "It is made through government funds and hence should be run by the government. The hall is being used for the benefit of the their (CPIM) party cadres and is of no use to the common people," he added.
Madhuchhanda Deb, CPI(M) councillor of ward 92 argued that the trustee board was constituted by the local people and they have raised no objections with the chairman of the Board being an outsider. "I am not sure whether there is any such condition that chairman of the Board should not be an outsider," he added.
