With Trinamool having successfully dented the Congress bastion in Murshidabad, state municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim has issued clear instructions to the four municipalities in the area that development must take place at a “rapid pace”. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be holding an administrative meeting in the district on September 27.
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On Saturday, Hakim sat down with officials from the four areas — Azimgunj-Jiagunj, Berhampore, Beldanga and Jangipur — and enquired about the specific development needs of these areas, particularly regarding projects that needed special attention.
A senior TMC leader said, “Proper planning is required and the municipal affairs department will make a comprehensive plan on the basis of inputs given by councillors. An issue which came up again and again was the presence of arsenic in water. This is something we will address immediately.”
Officials maintained that apart from arsenic contamination in some areas where piped water supply is the need of the hour, soil erosion is another major issue in Kandi, where the river bank is badly affected. The TMC alleged that the Centre has not taken proper steps to stop soil erosion. “We will also work towards the economic growth of these areas through different schemes that will give training to the youth. Beautification work will take place under different municipalities,” said an official.
Apart from this, sources maintained that coordination between the erstwhile TMC leadership and the ‘new’ TMC leaders was also discussed, with Hakim making it clear that no “infighting will be tolerated”. “There should be coordination between the old and new members and they should consider the party to be their family,” the minister said.