A day after Left Front leader Asok Bhattacharya took oath as the mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, he speaks to Arshad Ali on his future course of action. Will the number of portfolios, which is seven, change? No, the number will remain the same. Will Arabinda Ghosh, the Independent candidate who supported the Left Front get a berth? No, he had refused it beforehand. Among the winning Left Front candidates, one is from RSP and the other from Forward Bloc. They will get a portfolio each. The rest, I have not decided. I will zero in on the names once I return from the party meeting in Kolkata. Will the four Congress and two BJP councillors be considered for any portfolio? No, why should I do that? They have decided to be in the Opposition. What will be your thrust areas as the mayor? We will work towards providing people with better civic amenities with special focus on drainage and garbage disposal. Our mantra will be to create a responsive municipal corporation, which will be corruption-free and run in a democratic fashion. We wish to create a participatory democracy and be as transparent as possible. Do you think you will get cooperation from the state government? I do anticipate non-cooperation from the state government but would like to believe that it will cooperate because this is not the right platform for a political battle. What steps will be taken to connect to the masses? Ward and area committees will be put up to look into the civic problems of every area of Siliguri. Twice a year, the corporation will come up with a report on the developmental works undertaken. What about technological intervention? Locals could give a voice to their grievances through SMS and email facilities. Besides, we are mulling the idea of developing an app for the municipal corporation. In this age of smartphones, this will help us connect easily with the people.
