Kolkata 28 July (H.S.): The West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department has decided to appoint nodal officers in municipal corporations and municipalities across the state to ensure the prompt resolution of civic grievances until newly elected municipal boards assume office.

The announcement was made by Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul during the department's Mukhomukhi public interaction programme on Tuesday.

The minister said that every municipal corporation and municipality will have a dedicated nodal officer in charge of a grievance cell, which will function daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

It is not enough to merely organise public interaction programmes. We must listen to people's problems and ensure that they are resolved promptly, Paul said.

According to departmental sources, senior official Shantanu Naha has been entrusted with overseeing the initiative. He will coordinate with the nodal officers appointed in various municipal bodies to identify civic issues and facilitate their timely resolution.

Following the change in government after the Assembly elections, several Trinamool Congress-backed mayors, including those of Kolkata and Bidhannagar, resigned after the BJP assumed power in the state. As a result, elected boards in several municipal bodies have been dissolved, while in others, many councillors are reportedly not attending municipal offices regularly.

In this situation, ensuring uninterrupted civic services and addressing public grievances has become a key priority for the state government.

The government plans to complete elections to the Kolkata and Howrah Municipal Corporations by December 7, while elections to more than 100 municipalities across the state are expected to be held early next year. Until the newly elected municipal boards take charge, the administrative responsibility for these civic bodies will largely remain with the state government, prompting the Urban Development Department to introduce the nodal officer system to ensure that public services continue without disruption.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey