Bongaon Municipality has been warned against attempts to intimidate its chairperson, with Union minister and Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur saying strict action would follow if anyone sought personal advantage by creating pressure on the civic body’s leadership.
Thakur issued the warning after meeting Bongaon Municipality chairperson Dilip Majumdar on Monday. The discussion covered several municipal concerns, including the restoration of the Ichamati river, complications related to municipal parking and the malfunctioning CT scan machine at the civic facility.
According to a report by Bartaman Patrika, Thakur said that some people were trying to establish themselves by threatening or intimidating the chairperson. He asked those facing such pressure to inform him and said he would raise the matter with the Prime Minister. Thakur also said that he would not allow “anarchy” to develop in Bongaon.
The meeting also focused on coordination between the chairperson and elected representatives. Thakur asked Majumdar to work in coordination with all public representatives, a message that comes amid reports of internal divisions within the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bongaon after a change in the state’s political leadership. The report said that recent statements by several party leaders had brought the differences into public view, although Thakur did not name individuals while speaking to journalists.
Majumdar said the minister had visited the municipality and sought information about several issues. He added that the civic body had placed its problems before Thakur and that the minister had assured him that the matters would be examined.
The issues raised at the meeting relate to services and infrastructure that directly affect residents. Restoration of the Ichamati river involves a major local waterway, while parking management affects movement and access in the town. The non-functioning CT scan machine also has implications for residents who depend on public healthcare facilities for diagnostic services.
Before visiting the municipality, Thakur inspected a Citizenship Amendment Act camp at the office of the Bongaon subdivisional officer. He instructed party workers to ensure that residents appearing for citizenship hearings did not face difficulties. He later visited Bongaon Hospital to enquire about the facilities and problems experienced by patients.
The next steps will depend on the municipal administration’s follow-up on the issues raised and on the action taken regarding the warning against intimidation. No specific administrative order or implementation timeline was cited in the report.
