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Kalimpong, Sept. 18: The Opposition in the Kalimpong municipality today accused its chairman C.K. Kumai of mis-utilising civic funds, including the Rs 2 lakh donated by him to a local puja committee last year.

The chief of the GNLF-led civic body, however, has lost no time in rebutting the allegations levelled against him by Norden Lama, Bijay Sundas and Pravin Rahapal at a press meet here today.

Besides the donation to Shakti Puja Committee, Kumai had also sanctioned Rs 60,000 for a staff picnic last December. He had leased out a stall in Hat Bazar to a functionary of a trade body affiliated to the GNLF for Rs 71,000 when the person in question had himself put in a bid of Rs 1.71 lakh. Not only that, though Rs 75 lakh has been sanctioned for a bus terminus near Novelty Cinema, the municipality has already run out of funds and it is yet to be completed.

“Kumai does not allow these issues to be discussed in board meetings. Worse, when we do say something, our statements are not recorded,” alleged Lama, the leader of the four-member Opposition in the 23-member municipality.

According to Sundas, the councillor of Ward 5, the puja committee that received the Rs 2 lakh had already got Rs 40,000 from the DGHC. “Why did he then do it? Is it because he (Kumai) was the committee’s president,” asked Sundas. The Opposition also alleged that the chairman does not bother to table the accounts in board meetings, when the Municipality Act makes it mandatory for accounts to be made public once a year.

Reacting to the allegations, Kumai maintained that the Opposition was barking up the wrong tree. “We donated Rs 2 lakh to the committee with the sanction of the chairman-in-council. The Pujas after all is the most important festival of the Gorkhas, and by donating the money we were fulfilling our social responsibility,” he said.

With regards to the sanctioning of Rs 60,000 for staff picnic, Lama said this has been a practice for many years. About work on the proposed bus stand, the civic chief said construction was stopped on the advice of engineers because of the rains. Kumai also said the lease amount on the Hat Bazar stall was lowered because the person concerned had made an unrealistic bid.

The Opposition, however, said it would take up the issues with the authorities concerned and, if the need arises, file a PIL in the high court.