The West Bengal Municipal Affairs Department has announced the dismantling of the boards of four Trinamool Congress-run urban civic bodies in North Bengal due to serious allegations of illegal operations without conducting elections. These civic bodies include Kurseong Municipality, Mirik Notified Area Authority, Kalimpong Municipality in Darjeeling district, and Buniadpur Municipality in South Dinajpur district. The state government has transferred administrative authority to bureaucratic administrators until new elections are held.
As per the State Municipal Affairs Department’s notification, the decision to dismantle the current boards was made following advice from Governor R.N. Ravi’s office. The Sub-Divisional Officers of Gangarampur, Kurseong, Mirik, and Kalimpong have been appointed as administrators for the respective civic bodies. Elections for Kurseong Municipality, Mirik Notified Area Authority, and Kalimpong Municipality were last held in May 2017.
The Trinamool Congress, along with its local hill allies, had control over these civic bodies after the 2017 elections. Despite the boards’ terms expiring in April 2022, elections were not conducted, and the chairmen were appointed as administrators. The opposition criticized this move, claiming it concentrated power in the ruling party’s hands. Similarly, elections for Buniadpur Municipality were held in August 2017, but no elections were conducted after the Trinamool Congress-run Municipal Board’s term ended in September 2022.
With the change in government in West Bengal, the new administration, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has decided to dismantle these allegedly illegally run boards and appoint bureaucratic administrators until fresh elections are organized.
