BALURGHAT, May 15 -- In a significant political development following the change of power in West Bengal, the four newly elected BJP legislators from South Dinajpur district have urged the district administration to halt allocation of funds for all non-essential projects until a full-fledged state cabinet under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari is constituted.
The appeal was raised during a high-level administrative meeting held at the Balurghat District Administrative Building on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Balurghat MLA Bidyut Kumar Roy, Gangarampur MLA Satyendranath Roy, Tapan MLA Budhrai Tudu, Kushmandi MLA Tapas Chandra Roy, District Magistrate Balasubramanian T, Superintendent of Police Chinmay Mittal and other senior administrative officials. The BJP legislators alleged large-scale corruption in welfare schemes implemented during the previous Trinamool Congress regime, particularly in housing projects and the Swachh Bharat Mission programme. They demanded an immediate suspension of pending payments linked to those schemes until a detailed review is conducted.
Illegal sand mining and other unlawful activities across the district also figured prominently in the discussions. District Magistrate Balasubramanian T stated: "The meeting focused on new projects and services in consultation with the MLAs. Strict instructions have been issued to completely stop illegal sand mining and other unlawful trades. Immediate action will be taken wherever complaints are received."
He further informed that nearly 25 kilometres of fencing along the India-Bangladesh border in South Dinajpur remains incomplete. The administration, he said, would identify additional vulnerable stretches and expedite land handover to the Border Security Force for fencing work. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Satyendranath Roy alleged: "Corruption took place in housing and Swachh Bharat projects during the Trinamool regime. We have requested that funds for such works be
stopped and that no fresh allocations, except in emergency sectors, be released until the new government forms a complete cabinet."
Later in the evening, Roy participated in a public outreach programme titled "Chai Pe Charcha" at the Gangarampur bus stand area, where he interacted with residents on the town's development priorities.
Locals demanded construction of a modern flyover to ease chronic traffic congestion, a second bridge over the Punarbhaba River in the Boro Bazaar area, a modern market complex and a full-fledged medical college in Gangarampur.
Roy also expressed his desire to establish an exclusive women's college in the town to promote female education. Assuring residents of visible progress, he said: "Within the next year, a series of visible development projects will begin in Gangarampur. Meeting the expectations of the people remains my top priority." He also called for building a drug-free and crime-free society, asserting that the new political environment in the state would help reshape Gangarampur under a completely new development model.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.