Two-decade wait continues in Bengal: Chanchal residents demand municipality status, slam govt over 'unfulfilled promises'

By Rajnish Singh

Malda (West Bengal) [India], April 8 : Frustration is mounting in Chanchal town of West Bengal's Malda district as residents renew their long-pending demand to grant the area municipal status, citing poor civic infrastructure and years of political neglect.

Chanchal, a key constituency in the district, has been demanding a municipality since 2009. Despite housing important administrative offices such as the Sub-Divisional Office, SDPO office and a court, the town continues to function under a panchayat system, leaving residents grappling with issues like inadequate drainage, poor roads, and faulty street lighting.

The Chanchal subdivision was established on April 1, 2001, and a court followed in 2012. While the left front government had reportedly initiated steps to declare a municipality in 2011, the proposal never materialised after a change in power.

Subsequent announcements by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2014 and 2021 also failed to translate into action as claimed by locals.

Advocate Jahangir Alam, who has been continuously raising the demand of the municipality in the area.

"The town had three major issues for a long timeone was the demand for a subdivision and other for a court in Chanchal. The third demand was the municipality. The first two demands for subdivision and court are completed but the municipality has not yet been approved. Apart from the demand for municipality in Chanchal, there are issues related to a bus stand and stadium in Chanchal. There is also a need for a girls' college in the town. The government has even identified land for it, but no work or project has started yet," Alam told ANI.

He further said that "their first and foremost issue is the municipality." "The demand for a Chanchal municipality was raised together with the subdivision and court. The subdivision was established in 2000, the Chanchal court was set up in 2012, and just last year, a jail was also established here."

However, the advocate said that "the main issuethe demand for a municipality, which people have been asking forhas not been fulfilled." "Even during the previous election, we raised this demand, and the leaders had assured that a municipality would be granted. But five years have passed, and nothing has been done so far."

"A few days ago, a local citizens' forum here even held a sit-in protest. There have been various protests, but this demand has still not been fulfilled to date," Alam said.

He stressed, "If a municipality is established, it will improve the quality of life for the people here and our demands for proper drainage, footpaths, and roads will be addressed. "Street lighting will improve, and the problem of garbage and unhygienic conditions in the town will also be resolved."

"The panchayat cannot handle everything, so having a municipality is essential. With a municipality in place, people can receive all civic services properly. That is why the people here are demanding a municipality."

"An attempt was made to approach the government regarding this issue earlier by the MLA, but that proposal was completely rejected. The then Chief Minister had also taken it up earlier, and even during the Left Front government, a bill was passed in the Assembly approving the municipality. However, it has still not been implemented to this day. As a result, there is a lot of anger among the common people, who are demanding that the municipality be granted as soon as possible. We hope that whoever wins will fulfil our demand," Alam added.

Jaishankar Chaudhury, a government school teacher, said that demand for a municipality is still unfulfilled.

"The biggest demand of Chanchal town is that it should have a municipality. For the past 20 years, there has been a demand for both a subdivision and a municipality. The subdivision has been established, but the demand for a municipality is still unfulfilled. I believe Chanchal may be the only subdivision in India that still does not have a municipality," Chaudhury told ANI.

He further pointed out the drainage system as another "major issue." "If it rains for even about an hour, waterlogging starts appearing everywhere very quickly."

Asked if the residents of Chanchal have raised the issue with politicians, Chaudhury said: "We had put forward our concerns to the leaders, and they said that the municipality would be established as soon as the government was formed, since the Governor had already signed documents. But five years have passed, and the municipality has still not been declared."

Another government school teacher, Sarkar, added that former minister Firhad Hakim had informed the residents here that the Governor had already signed the documents for the municipality but not been fulfilled yet.

"The then minister, Firhad Hakim, had informed the residents here that the Governor had already signed on the documents for the municipality in Chanchal and that it would be established here after the elections. However, after the voting was over, the municipality was not implemented," Sarkar told ANI.

"We have also seen that during administrative meetings of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the current MLA raised this issue with her. But she reportedly responded with a smile, saying that if a municipality is established here, taxes would increase. This left the local residents quite disappointed. This was an insult to the residents of Chanchal."

He also pointed towards a major drainage problem in Chanchal, saying, "If it rains even a little, it leads to a flood-like situation. Even slight rainfall causes water to enter homes."

Questioned about the benefit of a municipality in Chanchal town, Sarkar said: "Everyone knows if a municipality is established, government funding will be provided and the grants will increase. With a municipality, drainage systems and roads will get better, bringing an overall positive change in our lives."

"In 2011, when the left front government was in power, Chanchal was declared a subdivision. At that time, it was also announced that a municipality would be set up here. However, the left government lost power, and that promise was never fulfilled. I am not sure if there are other such examples in the state like Chanchal town where there is a subdivision being governed under a Panchayat system and not a municipality."

Speaking to ANI, two villagers seeking demand for municipality in Chanchal are raising issues of the drainage system, electricity, and road, among others.

Ratan Das, BJP contestant from Chanchal, told ANI, "This time, we will win in the Chanchal Assembly seat. I am contesting as a BJP candidate, and I am 100 per cent confident of victory. Whenever we go to the villages, people come out elderly men and mothers give us their blessings."

Asked about the issues, the BJP candidate from Chanchal said, "The main issue here is that the promises made earlier by the Trinamool were false. It is very important for Chanchal to have a municipality because in West Bengaland perhaps even in Indiait is rare to find a subdivision that still does not have a municipality."

"Five years ago, a minister from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government, Firhad Hakim, had come to Chanchal and, during a public meeting, he said that only the Governor's approval was pending. The demand will be fulfilled after TMC comes into power but even today, the municipality has not been established here."

He further pointed out other issues in Chanchal constituency, pointing that "there is a need for a bus stand in here. There is a school here, and children face difficulties in reaching it. People also face problems because of this."

"This time, there will be a change in the Chanchal Assembly, and we will upgrade this bus stand into a modern bus stand," he added.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor