Siliguri, 30th May: In a dramatic political rift, supporters of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) staged a protest in front of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), raising concerns over the city’s drinking water crisis. The protest was marked by the protestors holding placards questioning the mayor’s role and blocking Mayor Gautam Deb’s car that arrived at the borough office.
According to reports, the matter escalated when the protestors got engaged in a heated confrontation with Mayor Gautam Deb and Deputy Mayor Ranjan Sarkar. Later the matter was brought under control with the intervention of the police officials. The incident led to an overall tense atmosphere as the mayor and deputy mayor were outraged.
It is to be noted that the city is currently experiencing difficulties with the shortage of drinking water in several areas. On Wednesday, Mayor Gautam Deb issued a warning against drinking the water supplied by the municipality during a press conference. This resulted in widespread tension across the city. Despite efforts to mitigate the crisis, including distributing PHE water tanks to different wards, residents are seen purchasing water from shops in long queues.
In response, former Mayor Ashok Bhattacharya alleged past harassment when similar water supply disruptions occurred during Mayor Gautam Deb’s tenure. On the other hand, Mayor Gautam Deb strongly condemned the protest stating that the situation is being closely monitored by inspecting to different boroughs.