Social activist Prem Goyal wants to strengthen Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC) by empowering it fully as per its mandate if elected from Upper M.G. Marg ward in the municipal election.

“GMC has only 20 percent power. In the past, during the first GMC, all the powers were given to the civic body. These days, some powers are with GMC and some powers are given to Urban Development department. Ultimately it is the people who are confused and they have to run from one place to another,” said Goyal on Sunday.

“I have been raising municipal-related issues for many years of all the wards in Gangtok as a common citizen.  I have touring all the wards these years and know what shortcomings are there. If elected, I will again take up these issues and place before other counsellors and seek their support to place it before the government. My first priority would be to get the full powers of GMC back and do best work with other counsellors for development of all the 19 wards,” said Goyal.

Prem Goyal, a 74-year-old resident of M.G. Marg has been working on various social issues of Sikkim for many years.

Asked if the Gangtok Municipal Corporation would be the correct platform for his issues which are broader with pan-State implications, Goyal replied: “I have been working on social issues since 1974-75. Some were successful and some did not happen. I was thinking on what to do next when people, not only from Gangtok but also from other places of Sikkim, asked me to contest this municipal election. They told me that my work is not finished and maybe it is due to the fact that I am not an elected representative or in the decision making body. I was suggested that I can do something for the people if I get elected into a place of power. I gave these suggestions a careful consideration and found it rational and then I filed my candidature.”

Goyal has received the election symbol of ‘gas cylinder’.

Regarding the election environment in Upper M.G. Marg, Goyal expressed it was a good decision by the present State government to have a political municipal election. According to him, there is another kind of election environment in Upper M.G. Marg and he feels that there has been political interference which is causing confusion among the voters.

There are nine candidates in Upper M.G. Marg with an electorate base of around 1800 voters.