Malda BJP councillor breaks down after heckled over drainage woes; Alleges TMC board ignoring her ward

BJP councillor Sutapa Mukherjee from Ward 21 of English Bazar Municipality in Malda alleged that the Trinamool Congress-run municipal board is ignoring development in her ward due to her political affiliation. According to her, there is no drainage system in several parts of the ward, and the municipality has not constructed any drainage channels despite repeated complaints. As a result, stagnant wastewater has accumulated on concrete roads, even during peak summer, causing foul smell in the locality.

While visiting the affected areas to inspect the situation, Mukherjee faced protests and was heckled by residents over the lack of basic civic infrastructure. She later broke down in tears while stating that she has been raising the issue regularly during the municipality’s Board of Councillors (BOC) meetings and has also lodged complaints on the portal of the state’s Department of Municipal Affairs and Urban Development. She claimed that despite this, no action was taken by the civic body. Mukherjee said, “Only because I am a BJP councillor, no development work is being done in my ward.”

In response, Municipality Chairman Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury said the councillor had never informed him of such a problem. He stated that if she had, the drainage system would have been arranged by now. The incident has triggered political tension in Malda, with opposing parties levelling allegations regarding civic negligence and discrimination.