<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i>“Focus on cleanliness, waste
management and citizen participation”<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style", serif;"><b>GANGTOK,: </b>Tshering Palden Bhutia officially assumed charge as the Mayor of Gangtok
Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Friday, becoming the first woman Mayor in the
history of the civic body. She had earlier served as the Deputy Mayor of GMC
from 2022 to 2026.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Speaking
to SIKKIM EXPRESS after assuming office, Mayor Tshering Palden Bhutia expressed
gratitude to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay, also the president of the
SKM party, for entrusting her with the responsibility of leading GMC. She also
thanked the elected councillors for electing her to the post of Mayor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The
trust and faith reposed in me by our leader, the party and my colleagues is
immense, and I assure everyone that I will work to the best of my abilities,
she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Tshering
Palden stated that her previous tenure as Deputy Mayor had provided her with
valuable experience and a deeper understanding of civic administration and
public responsibilities. As Mayor, my first priority will be to maintain and
further improve the cleanliness of Gangtok, which is the face of the State, she
said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">She
emphasized that achieving complete cleanliness in the capital would require
active participation and cooperation from the public in addition to the efforts
of GMC and its safaimitras. Referring to GMC’s ongoing “WOW - War on Waste”
initiative, she said the corporation, along with councillors and officials,
would intensify awareness campaigns to encourage citizens to adopt cleanliness
as a habit and responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The
Mayor also spoke about waste management initiatives being undertaken by GMC.
She stated that the earlier landfill site was originally intended to function
as a recycling and segregation centre but later became overburdened due to
mismanagement and non-functional machinery.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">According
to Tshering Palden, the landfill is currently being cleared through biomining
with the support and guidance of the Chief Minister, and around 70 to 80
percent of the work has already been completed. She added that new machines and
equipment have recently been introduced for segregation of daily waste and that
GMC would continue to stress source segregation through large-scale awareness
campaigns.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">We
believe source segregation is the key to reducing waste generation along with
proper waste management, the Mayor said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Highlighting
the composition of the new GMC team, Tshering Palden said it consists of a
balanced mix of young and experienced councillors who are committed to
delivering efficient and action-oriented services to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">She
further noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently appreciated the
cleanliness of Gangtok during his visit, which, she said, had increased the
responsibility of GMC to maintain the city’s image as one of the cleanest and
most beautiful capitals in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The
Mayor also shared plans to introduce a calendar of cleanliness drives with
active citizen participation across all municipal wards under Gangtok district.
She added that GMC would work towards strengthening coordination with various
line departments to ensure long-term and sustainable implementation of civic
projects and activities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Tshering
Palden, who is also the in-charge of the SKM party’s Nari Shakti wing, credited
the party leadership for promoting women’s empowerment. Referring to the recent
municipal elections where 12 out of 20 GMC councillors elected were women, she
said the SKM party had demonstrated its commitment to women’s representation
not only through words but also through action.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">“This
election, women were given more than 50 per cent of the seats, and both the
posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor have also been entrusted to women. We are truly
humbled by the trust and confidence placed in us,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">She
assured that GMC would work collectively to simplify and streamline municipal
services, including issuance of licenses and other public-related services,
making them more efficient and time-bound.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Calling
for public cooperation, Mayor Bhutia appealed to citizens to support GMC in its
efforts to make Gangtok and Sikkim cleaner, greener and among the best cities
in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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