First Woman Mayor assumes charge at GMC

KUNAL RAI

“Focus on cleanliness, waste management and citizen participation”

GANGTOK,: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We believe source segregation is the key to reducing waste generation along with proper waste management, the Mayor said.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.