CMC corporators accuse Mayor of favouritism

Cuttack: After the five-year tenure of the Cuttack Municipal Coporation (CMC) Council ended on Tuesday and the administration took charge of the civic body, severe allegations surfaced against CMC Mayor Meenakshi Behera. The Corporators of both Congress and BJP alleged that the Mayor did not carry out any development work in the city and was only safeguarding the interests of the BJD Corporators.

Congress alleged that that there has been rampant corruption in putting up of hoardings apart from irregularities in ration card distribution and management of affairs of Kalyan Mandap in the city, while the BJP Corporators levelled allegations stating that in these five years of the CMC, there has been development of BJD leaders and activists only.

“For the past five years in the CMC tenure, dictatorship had become a vocation. The Mayor ensured that the interests of BJD leaders are safeguarded,” alleged Vijaya Dalei, a BJP Corporator.

Targeting the Mayor, Congress Corporator Giribala Behera said, “The projects carried out by the CMC are only half-way and nothing has been completed. When there was water-logging in the city last year, neither the Chief Minister nor Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debasish Samantaray visited the area.”

Refuting the charges, the CMC Mayor said, “I have not done any partiality to anyone. Otherwise, I would not have ensured that funds are divided equally among different wards. Major drainage works in the city were also carried out in the last five years.”

Earlier, former CMC Mayor Anita Behera had to relinquish her post after allegations of her involvement in ration card irregularities came to the fore. Besides there was a tussle between Corporators during a CMC meeting and even the matter reached police station.