Panel visits Malda for varsity land

Statesman News Service


MALDA, June 28:The Malda Congress today received a shot in the arm when Central officials, deputed by the Union human resources development department, visited Baishnabnagar in Kaliachak III block to survey land for the setting up of the proposed Central Technical University.
It may be recalled that chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had announced that the proposed varsity for vocational courses would be set up in Jalpaiguri district.
Local Congress leaders claimed that Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury was instrumental in bringing the Central team to Kaliachak for land survey. The director of Regional Institute of Science and Technology (North-east), Mr K Kumar and Prof PK Bhattacharya, a senior Central official, today visited a plot of land at Baishnabnagar in Kaliachak III near the South Malda College. They were accompanied by Malda SDO Ms Arunima De and Malda Zilla Parishad sabhadhipati Mr Goutam Chakraborty.
“We are visiting the district to search land for the proposed technical university following a direction from the Union HRD department,” Mr Kumar said. The proposed university would be fourth-of-its-kind in the country where vocational courses would be offered in food processing, jute technology, sericulture and information technology.
It was learnt that Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury had approached the UPA chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi to name the university after the late ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury. Mr Choudhury had recently claimed that the proposal was approved by Mrs Sonia Gandhi. However, on 20 June, the state environment and parliamentary affairs minister, Mr Sailen Sarkar, had announced here that the state government has planned to set up the university in Jalpaiguri district. The state has planned to set up two academic universities in West Bengal soon.” Although it is not yet clear where the university would come up, the Central officials’ visit has made the Congress leaders happy here.

Silent cops roughed up by judge's son

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 27: On duty policemen were manhandled in English Bazaar police station today but no action was taken against the accused. The reason being the accused, Soumyadip Jha, was the son of Mr Pinaki Jha, additional judge in Siliguri Court. The judge, however, sought apology for the incident. Regretting the incident, Mr Jha apologised before the police and was able to have his son released from the police station. Soumyadip, a student of BA1st year of Malda College reached the English Bazaar police station around 1 p.m. today to lodge a complaint against some students belonging to the SFI. He disclosed his identity naming his father and said that he had allegedly been roughed up by them today after a quarrel at Malda College. But the policemen, it was learnt, appeared reluctant to take down his complain and rather persuaded him to leave the police station. After a heated argument, Soumyadip turned violent and slapped an inspector Mr S Tudu when he tried to convince him. He also manhandled another inspector Mr Sinha and tried to snatch his service weapon. The police were forced to restrain him the hard way. The student’s father who was at his Malda home on leave was informed about the incident and he himself came to the police station to beg pardon, which prompted the police to let him go without official action. “The son of Mr Pinaki Jha is suffering from mental problem. There was a heated argument between the policemen and Soumyajit, which may have triggered the incident,” Malda SP Mr DK Mondal said. He further added that the police had not taken offense because his father, a judge, had come to the police station to extend apology, the SP said.

BSF identity cards for minors

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 27: - The Border Security Force would issue identity cards to the toddlers and minor children residing along the Bangladesh border, said Mr C R Das, the Malda district magistrate today. The matter was decided in a recent meeting where the BSF agreed to issue such cards to villagers for the safety and security of the border, he added. “Villagers would have to submit three copy of pass port size photographs to the BSF to get the identity cards,” the DM said. It was also decided that the block development officer, panchayat officials and local MLA in the respective areas would hold meetings every month to discuss the local level problems related to the border and problems of the local villagers, who depend on the BSF to go to their farm land beyond the border fence. The BDO would intimate the problems and resolutions taken to the district magistrate. It may be noted that thousands of farmers and their family members depend on the BSF for permission to cross the fencing through gates operated by the BSF along the border, for cultivation. The villagers also depend on them for other household jobs. The arrangement, however, leads to frequent misunderstanding between the BSF and the villagers in this region. The district magistrate said in case of any major problem the additional district magistrate would attend the monthly meetings to resolve any crisis. The district police would raid the hub of cattle assembled for smuggling in the localities and transit points to check cattle smuggling to Bangladesh, he added. Parts of the border, which are still unfenced due to topographical problems, are under consideration for fencing soon, he informed.

Blame game over cattle smuggling

MALDA, June 26: The Malda superintendent of police, Mr Dilip Kumar Mondal, has expressed reservation against the comments of Border Security Force officials on cattle smuggling to Bangladesh. In a meeting convened by the Malda district magistrate yesterday, senior BSF officials blamed the police partly for rampant cattle smuggling to Bangladesh. Speaking on the issue today the SP said: “The BSF is unnecessarily blaming the police for cattle smuggling from this district.” “Is it possible for the police to intercept a herd of cattle in the market or on way to the border from a market place?” the SP said.

Rickshawpuller shot dead in English Bazaar

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 24: The English Bazaar police station has been instructed to step up tight patrolling in Malda town tonight following the mysterious death of a 40-year-old rickshaw puller early this morning.The objective is to keep watch on a group of motorcyclists who have started “killing game” as adventure here coming from outside, the Malda SP said today.Mr DK Mondal said he could not understand the cause and motive behind the murder of a rickshaw puller after primary investigations were over.“We only have information that a group of motorcyclists entered Malda town last night and raided different roads killing one rickshawpuller,” he said. He said that they attempted to kill another innocent man who managed to escape. This group, police said, shot dead ill-fated Jalil Sheikh at Gour Road early today. Police did not get any clue and the number of the two wheelers to nab the culprits, the Malda SP said. “We will step up vigilance on main roads and many junctions in this town so that police can chase any motorcyclist who tries to enter English Bazaar town tonight again,” Mr Mondal told The Statesman. Malda police are in trouble following reporting of several unnatural deaths, rapes and murders in Malda since the last week of May. During the second week of June, criminals in Malda killed eight persons. Even English Bazaar police could not draw a final conclusion following unnatural death of freelance photojournalist Pralependu Sanyal.The Malda SP said police would finally draw a conclusion regarding the murder of the photojournalist when a chargesheet would be submitted to the court within three months from the date of incident.At present English Bazaar police are trying hard to find a clue to Jhumpa Khatun’s mysterious death. Police went to Santiniketan to interrogate a postgraduate student Rini Khatun, a friend of Jhumpa.

Safe drinking water for all by 2010 , says govt

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 21: “The state government would be able to supply safe drinking water in the eight arsenic affected districts of West Bengal by the year 2010,” the state public health engineering minister, Mr Goutam Deb claimed here during a function on Wednesday. According to Mr Deb, the Centre has allotted Rs 2,000 crore for the arsenic-free water supply project in the state and all projects, many of them under progress, would be completed within three years. “I have no complaints against the Centre at present, regarding sanctioning of funds for arsenic-free water supply projects,” Mr Goutam Deb said. He also pointed out that the state would have to manage Rs 500 crore, which is 25 per cent of the Rs 2,000 crore as matching grant, to get Central assistance and for the execution of the water supply projects. According to the Mr Deb, Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh has convened a meeting on 4 and 5 July in New Delhi with all state officials to discuss the matter of drinking water supply programme and to review the present situation. Mr Deb yesterday visited the two ongoing arsenic-free water supply projects in Malda and claimed that the projects would be completed in the next three months. He claimed that the more than Rs 32 crores have been allotted for the three water projects and another project was under progress at Bhutni Diara, a delta in the mid Ganga.

See also page III

Murder twist to pupil death

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 21: The unnatural death of Jhumpa Khatun, a Visva Bharati student in Malda on 13 June is becoming serious. To get to the bottom of this, the Malda police have decided to interrogate Rini Khatun, a post-graduate student of Santiniketan (VBU), who was close friend of the victim. According to the Malda superintendent of police, Mr DK Mondal, the police officials along with the relatives of the victim would leave for Shantiniketan tomorrow. Jhumpa had come home at Vivekananda Pally in the English Bazaar town during her summer vacation. She had been to Pakuahaat to visit her relatives, but went missing on her way back home. The girl’s relatives finally found her body on 15 June about 4.30 pm from the Mahananda river, near Sabhapur which falls under the Malda police station. Jhumpa’s parents had lodged a missing diary on 13 June with the English Bazaar police station. Yesterday her father Abed Hossain and her uncle Anwar Hossain along with the other relatives met the Malda SP and complained that she has been murdered. Jhumpa’s parents have also supplied some mobile numbers to the police which had been received before and after the recovery of the girl’s body. The police have taken Jhumpa’s cell phone into custody to learn about the call details. The police is also on the look out for a person named Ajad who had called Jhumpa several times both before and after she went missing. “ We expect to crack the case soon,” the Malda SP claimed.

Five hurt in train mishap

MALDA, June 20: At least five persons were injured when the 220 Howrah-Malda passenger train derailed at the Monigram Railway Station in Murshidabad district around 9 p.m. today.Mr SR Kabir, a GRP official of Ajimganj, said the train derailed after hitting a road roller. The injured persons were rushed to the Sagardighi sadar hospital for treatment. A recovery train from Malda has left for the spot, Mr Kabir, said. SNS

Woman's body exhumed in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 20: Nearly three months after her mysterious death, police exhumed the body of a tribal woman, Aloka Mardi (30) yesterday following a court order. It may be recalled that the victim, a resident of Nildanga village in Malda’s Bamongola police station area, had died under mysterious circumstances on 31 March this year. Although Aloka’s in-laws had claimed that she died of natural causes, the victim’s family members suspected it to be a murder. Aloka’s father Mr Bula Mardi later lodged a complaint with the Bamongola police station alleging that his daughter was being tortured by in-laws. Following the complaint, the Malda court instructed the police on 18 June to exhume Aloka’s body. It was learnt that Aloka’s husband Mr Thakur Hansda, who works in Mumbai, was not present at home on 31 March when his wife died. Aloka was living at the home with her three-year-old son and in-laws. Claiming that she died of illness, Aloka’s in-laws buried her body on 31 March itself.The body has been sent for a postmortem to the Malda district hospital.Commenting on the case, the officer-in-charge of Bamangola police station, Ms Atreyi Sen, said: “Everything would be clear after we receive the postmortem report.”

Malda mango wins award at the national level

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 16: Lakshmanbhog, a popular variety of Malda mango, secured the best award - ‘mango of the show’ - for its colour, aroma and size at a national level exhibition held in Kolkata today. The state food processing industries and horticulture, Agri Horticultural Society and the Indian Chamber of Commerce jointly organised the exhibition at Alipore in Kolkata from 15 June. According to the Malda Mango Development Officer Mr Samarendra Nath Khara, Malda’s Lakshmanbhog was adjudged ‘mango of the show’ against rivals like Alphonso, Nilam , Chousa , Begamfuli , Dasheri and others. “Hundreds of participants from across the country attended the exhibition, but the Laksmanbhog mango grown by Mr Aminul Islam, of Gazole in Malda, secured the best prize in the contest,” the MMDO, said from Kolkata. Mr Khara said that several mango farmers from the Malda district took part in the exhibition with 216 items of mango and its by products. Of them, 35 Malda items secured prizes. “ Mr Islam and his son secured 25 prizes in various sections,” he added. According to Mr Khara, the chief consultant of National Horticulture Mission, Dr. S K Ray would visit the Malda mango orchards on 20 June to advise farmers on production and quality maintenance. It may be noted that traders have exported Lakshmanbhog to London recently and are planning to send more from Malda.

Land to curb Maoist influence

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 11: To curb Maoist influence in Bankura, Purulia and Midnapore districts, the state government has plans to distribute more land among the landless of the three districts.“Last year 3,000 pattas were distributed among the land less in the Maoist affected districts. Going by our experience it can be said, the exercise has made the people happy,” the state land commissioner Mr PK Agarwal, said during a distribution of records programme at Kaliachak today.According to him, his department has allotted Rs 30 crore in the last financial year to all districts to provide land to landless cultivators but the project is yet to be implemented fully. When asked about the system of returning land acquired by the state government to farmers unwilling to offer farm land for the Tata small car project in Singur, he said: “ It is not possible to return acquired land right now. But they can be rehabilitated.” Addressing the “record of rights” (patta) distribution programme at Manikchak panchayat samiti today, Mr Agarwal said the state government has stressed to distribute land to landless farmers in West Bengal, the pioneer state in the country and the department achieved more than the targeted figure of 10,000 acres last year.” According to him a total of 85,000 pattas were distributed last year.The government has planned to distribute 16 decimal lands to each landless person after buying land from others if there is no available vest land in the respective district. The Malda district has received Rs 1 crore for this purpose, Mr Agarwal pointed out. The government has also launched a plan for the ‘record of right holders’ pattadar so that they can receive loan from the banks at four per cent rate of interest where private moneylenders generally claim 36 per cent interest. The bankers would issue credit cards to them and based on the cards the pattaders would be able to buy seed, fertiliser and other components for cultivation.

Invitation matters for MZP official

Statesman News Service

MANIKCHAK (Malda), June 11: Mr Goutam Chakraborty, sabhadhipati of the Malda zilla parishad today stayed off the dais of a “records of rights” distribution programme despite requests by panchayat officials and the land and land reforms commissioner Mr PK Agarwal. The reason, his name was not printed in the invitation card as guest. The Manikchak panchayat samiti, run by the CPI-M, today organised a “records of rights” distribution programme at Manikchak block and printed the names of different dignitaries including that of the government officials on the invitation cards. The sabhadhipati’s name, however, was conspicuously absent from the card and CPI-M MLA and minister Mr Sailen Sarkar was not invited at all. Mr Chakraborty, who attended the programme, decided to sit among the audience with media persons ignoring the requests of the officials present to take a seat on the dais. The congress leader also accepted the felicitation sitting in the audience and delivered his speech from there. In his speech he requested the land and land reforms commissioner to take the initiative to distribute ‘records of rights’ to those affected by the erosion of the Ganga and Fulohar rivers.He also urged the government officials to send the list of the ‘patta’ holders to the MZP so that they can provide further financial assistance.Addressing the programme Mrs Madhabi Choudhury, sabhapati of Manikchak block tendered apology for leaving the sabhadipati’s name out of the card. “We are sorry for the mistake and apologise. The programme was organised locally by the samiti. There was no intention to leave out the sabhadhipati,s name,” she said. The CPI-M MLA, Mrs Asima Choudhury, also appeared taken aback by the miss. “Had I known it I would have pointed them to include the sabhadipati’s name,” she said.The Malda district magistrate, Mr CR Das, said: “Five hundred and sixty one landless received record of rights today.” According to him, 321.53-acre of land was distributed equally among the 561 landless farmers in 10-gram panchayats. Each recipient got nearly 3 acres of land for cultivation in 10 maoujas of the block. Of the lot, 13 deeds of rights were issued in the name of women members of respective families.

Centre bans export of infected mangoes

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 7: The Central horticulture commissioner has instructed all states not to export mangoes to the USA and Japan without “eradication treatment,” Malda mango development officer Mr SN Khara, said today. The state horticulture department yesterday forwarded the Centre’s message to all mango production districts, including Malda. Exporters have also been requested to follow the system of “eradication treatment” so that Americans and Japanese could not lodge complaint of poor quality mangoes against India. Mr Khara said the horticulture department has assured the exporters of extending cooperation in disinfecting fungus, bacteria and insects from mangoes meant for export to the USA and Japan. However, the problem is that Malda does not have any treatment plant for eradication of fungus, bacteria and insects. The state has only one private treatment plant for mangoes at Dankuni in Hooghly. “On receiving the circular yesterday, we discussed the matter with Mr Ashok Seth, an exporter in Kolkata, who was supposed to export 1.2 tonne Malda mangoes to the USA. Mr Seth has agreed to follow the eradication system before exporting the mangoes to the two countries,” Mr Khara, added. According to officials, the horticulture department has proposed the Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce to take initiative to set up a treatment plant for mangoes in the district so that the exporters could disinfect mangoes in a proper way before exporting those to the overseas countries, especially USA and Japan.

Pic: Aayesha Hoque

Family cast out over intercaste marriage

Statesman News Service

MALDA, June 6: Figureheads of a scavenger society in Malda have announced a fatwa against one of their own. “Pay a sum of Rs 10,000 to escape ostracism,” is what their diktat is against a family, which dared to marry off their minor daughter to a person not belonging to their caste. There is another provision though. The cornered family would have to invite all the residents of the colony to a dinner to atone for their so-called sin. It so happened that Jyoti Harijan, a Class IX student of Chintamoni Girls’ High School fell in love with a local cycle mechanic Chhato Das. Honouring the affair, her parents married her off to the boy on 15 April. The marriage allegedly upset the society the family belongs to and the girl Jyoti was physically heckled by some heads of the society. Her offense - she had married someone beyond her caste. The torture did not stop there. The society heads held a kangaroo court and decided to boycott the family and all belonging to the society were instructed to follow the decision. Jyoti soon found out that leading a normal life was growing difficult from other ends too. “When Jyoti went to school after her marriage, the school authorities instructed her to concentrate on her household chores rather,” alleged Mrs Gouri Harijan, the girl’s mother. According to her, Jyoti wants to continue her education.