Tinsukia Municipal Board has its 'hands tied'

From our Correspondent

TINSUKIA, May 14: Excessive police interference in the functioning of municipal works has marred any prospects of Tinsukia town getting a healthy shape in the near future, with rift reaching its peak following cases registered against Tinsukia Municipal Board (TMB) officials. While the local MLA Sanjay Kishan has distanced himself from overseeing municipal affairs, the ward commissioners, many of whom even cannot understand official orders, are allegedly making heyday in absence of any decorum.

According to a TMB source, due to alleged unholy nexus between police and businessmen, the municipality failed to undertake any eviction drive even as some big business houses have encroached public roads on their front yards illegally causing extreme inconvenience to the public.

The Tinsukia police station, according to inner circle, of late has turned out to be trader-friendly and reportedly loyal to the local MLA who allegedly has more concern for his party workers-turned contractors and traders rather than genuine grievances of the public who elected him. A recent incident involving TMB officials and police raised the eyebrows of many. When TMB officials, including an engineer, tried to remove an uuthorized marking fenced by a businessman on the GNB Road, the trader immediately approached the local police station and got a case registered under bailable offence within an hour against the TMB staff and police started harassing TMB officials till late evening. A demoralized official said it was unfortute that the police acted at the behest of the unscrupulous trader rather than supporting TMB officials who were on official duty for public interest, adding further that this was not the solitary incident, such unethical interference also happened before and the local MLA was always a mute spectator.

Such state-of affairs go ubated under Tinsukia municipality. There appears to be least possibility of any improvement in Tinsukia town, observed a section of conscious citizens of the town.