Requisition for spl meet for floor test illegal: Darj civic body official

darjeeling: The ongoing tug-of-war in the Darjeeling Municipality saw a letter being served by the Vice-Chairman to the requisitioners stating inability to convene an extraordinary meeting for a floor test as the matter is subjudice.

In the letter the Vice-Chairman wrote that seeking requisition for a special meeting is illegal and has no legal validity. "I am not inclined to hold the Extraordinary Special Meeting of the Darjeeling Municipality at this point of time."

She further stated that as the matter of disqualification of some of the sitting Councillors is pending in the Court of SDO and has not been disposed of, the matter is subjudice hence the question of holding an extraordinary meeting at this point does not arise, stated the letter.

Incidentally, 4 Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) Councillors along with a TMC Councillor had met the Chairman of the Darjeeling Municipality on November 24 and served him a requisition letter urging him to call an extraordinary special meeting for a floor test.

With no response from the Chairman, a similar letter had been served to the Vice-Chairman also. In March the Hamro Party (HP) with 18 seats, came to power in the Darjeeling Municipality having 32 wards. The BJPM had then bagged 9 seats; TMC 2 and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha 3. Later just before the GTA elections, Amar Lama of the BGPM had resigned from Councillorship in order to contest the GTA elections thus rendering the Ward number 24 seat vacant. Recently 5 Councillors had defected from HP and pledged allegiance to BGPM.

HP Councillors including the Chairman and Vice-Chairman had recently Darjeeling Municipality met the Darjeeling SDO seeking the disqualification of 4 Councilors who had recently switched over to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) from HP invoking section of 21(B) of the Bengal Municipal Act.

Recently the BGPM had got together their Councillors and the ones who had defected, in a closed door meeting in Kurseong. With the support of two TMC Councillors their number stands at 16 while the Hamro Party number with support of GJM Councillors now stands at 15.