No job too small: TMC councillor of Balurghat runs ‘toto’ to eke out a living
‘I lost the job of a labourer after being elected as councillor’
A Trinamool Congress councillor of Balurghat civic body has set an example for all in the society as he runs ‘toto’ to eke out a living for his family.
Shyamal Saha, the TMC councillor was elected from ward no. 6 in the last civic body election.
Saha said the honorarium that he receives as a councillor from the concerned civic board is not enough to run the family.
“The honorarium that I get from the civic body as a councillor in a month is not sufficient to run my family. I have no other income. As a result I am forced to run Toto for my family,” Saha said.
He said he worked as a labourer at Balurghat civic body before he was elected as a councillor.
“I lost the work of a labourer after being elected as the councillor. I also worked as an electrician to earn a livelihood. I worked at the Balurghat civic body as an electrician. As per the contract, the concerned board had to pay me on a daily basis for my work. After I was elected as a councillor, it became tough for me to work as an electrician and I was forced to quit the work of electrician because of the pressure of work as a councillor,” Saha said.
Saha who resides in Balurghat’s Gouria Math area has his wife in the family. His only daughter recently got married and settled. When Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee had formed the party in 1998, Saha joined the party and was selected as a president of ward no 6. He still works as a working president of TMC from the same ward. Saha said he never thought of quitting the party due to the financial compulsions.
Finally he had taken up a decision to run the ‘toto’. “I have also set the timing for it. I used to go outside with ‘toto’ early in the morning so that my work as a ward councillor couldn’t be disturbed. I run the vehicle till 10 am every day and the earning helps me to run my family. After 10 am, I do concentrate on public service and other works of being a councillor. As a councillor, it is my duty to provide public service and solve the problems of the residents of my ward,” he added.
