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Mamata, Mayor clash hits development projects

By Malabika Bhattacharya

KOLKATA NOV. 12. The Trinamool Congress is in a convulsion following a "public showdown" between the party chief, Mamata Banerjee and the Kolkata Mayor, Subrata Mukherjee, which appears to be casting a shadow on the various city development projects.

On the face of it, the showdown that began Sunday evening springs from Ms. Banerjee's reservations about Mr. Mukherjee's style of functioning and his reforms programme targeting administration and finances, much to the appreciation of the ruling Marxists, Ms. Banerjee's enemy No.1. She has sought "corrective measures" from the Mayor within 48 hours from Sunday.

But Mr. Mukherjee, her one-time mentor, has shown no signs of capitulation. In fact, he has asked Ms. Banerjee and others in the Trinamool leadership to formally write to him stating the party's position on the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the corrective measures they were seeking.

Ms. Banerjee has demanded the following measures a) immediate removal of the Municipal Commissioner, Debashish Som, an IAS officer; b) the immediate abolition of the water tax; c) lowering of the trade licence fees and; d) scrapping of the Mayor's decision that seeks to stop automatic passage of ownership rights as inheritance to the heirs of owners of shops in municipal markets.

Ms. Banerjee had a meeting with Mr. Mukherjee at her residence but, according to sources, he gave no assurance on her demands.

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