CPM member declines post in favour of RSP

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 14 JUNE: A tribal woman Mrs Abina Murmu was elected as a CPI-M member of the panchayat samiti in Bamongola block in the last rural polls but she has not taken oath as an elected member, as she had wanted to file for nomination as an RSP candidate.

Mrs Murmu alleged that she was duped by the local CPI-M leaders, who had not disclosed their political identity, and tricked her into filing a nomination for their party, instead of for the RSP. Now the district administration is conducting by-polls to fill this vacant seat (No 6) on 28 June. The seat has been lying vacant since May 2008.

Mrs Abina Murmu had long been an active supporter of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and had expressed her desire to contest in the rural polls on behalf of the RSP. When she had filed nomination papers with the help of local leaders, she was in complete darkness as to which party was giving nomination to her. When she returned home, she discovered that CPI-M leaders had tactfully filed her nomination on behalf of their party.

The angry tribal woman lodged a complaint seeking withdrawal of her name from the election. CPI-M leaders tried to placate her, but did nothing to withdraw her name. Finally, Mrs Murmu contested as a CPI-M candidate. Even more amazingly, Mrs Murmu campaigned door to door, disclosed her experience and urged voters not to cast votes for her, as the CPI-M candidate. But she was finally elected as CPI-M candidate.

It may be noted that last year the Left Front could not come to an understanding over seatsharing in a few places of Bamongola block areas and the RSP had filed another candidate against the CPI-M there, when it skillfully ‘hijacked’ Mrs Murmu.

Shocked elected member Mrs Murmu has now decided not to take part in the swearing-in ceremony and to stay off the board as a CPI-M member, to teach a lesson to the Red party.

This time she is not contesting, after seat adjustments between the CPI-M and RSP. In the by-polls of Bamongola panchayat samiti seat no 6 the RSP candidate is mainly contesting against the Trinamul Congress candidate.

Two arrested in medical waste trading racket

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 12 JUNE: The chief medical officer of health in Malda Dr Srikanta Roy has expressed concern about medical waste recycling trade rackets in this district.

The matter came to light after the discovery of three temporary godowns close to the district hospital yesterday where a huge amount of used syringes and plastic saline bottles were collected and stored.

Police finally arrested two persons on the charge of involvement in the medical waste recycling racket. Three persons had been detained yesterday for interrogation.

The CMOH Dr Roy has asked the superintendent of Malda district hospital to conduct an inquiry into possible negligence of duty on the part of hospital staff in not using proper disposal methods to destroy medical waste through the autoclave sterilizer.

“I will take proper steps on this issue after receiving the inquiry report from the superintendent,” said Dr Roy.

The Malda CMOH has also expressed unhappiness over the role of the English Bazaar Municipality (EBM). The EBM collects a huge amount of medical waste from several nursing homes and pathological units in this town and receives extra payment for this service. However, the waste collected is not being properly disposed of, as the EBM does not own a medical waste autoclave sterilizer. The autoclave sterilizer was set up in the district hospital a few years back. Last year, the then district magistrate and other officials including the then CMOH approached the civic body to use the autoclave sterilizer to dispose of medical waste collected from the nursing home following the pollution control board's norm. However, nothing came of the negotiations.

The EBM collects all medical waste, including risky waste, from nursing homes and dumps it in a small vat located at Chandan Park in ward no 25.

Every morning, rag pickers collect medical waste like syringes and other plastic items from the vat and sell them to local agents who use godowns in nearby areas for the trade of such items.

To curb the practice, the CMOH plans to talk to the chairman of the EBM and will request that he follow the PCB's norms regarding disposal of medical waste collected from nursing homes. The CMOH also intends to draw the attention of the district magistrate to this environmental problem, which has been going on for years.

“I shall issue a notice to all nursing homes again to maintain a proper disposal system for risky medical waste,” the CMOH said. He also said that there is a standing order to dispose of syringes after use and needle cutters have been supplied to all hospital and health centres. “We plan to supply auto-disposable syringes in all health centres soon. Such syringes will be locked automatically after use. They cannot be used by any one a second time,” he said.

Three killed, one murdered in Gazole police station area

MALDA, 12 JUNE: Three persons have died in separate incidents, and one man is thought to have been murdered under Gazole police station area over the last few days. Mazed Ansari (10) was run over by a lorry on the state highway at Syedpur today under Gazole police station. People blocked the road for more than one-and-a-half hours and demanded arrest of the driver.

Gazole police station recovered two bodies from different places today. One has been identified as Amala Sarkar (26), a resident of Barkona village, who had been missing since Wednesday. Police also recovered the body of a 50-year-old woman, Naku Mandal, who appears to have committed suicide at her home located at Ghansahar village.

Gazole police station yesterday started a murder case after Chandra Pramanik died in hospital. Chadra Pramanik, husband of a former Trinamul Congress gram panchayat member, organised a meeting on Wednesday on the issue of an illicit relationship between a married man and woman and took a fine of Rs 9,051 from both members of the couple. Pramanik then donated Rs 8,051 to a local temple and arranged a party on that night. Pramanik did not return home that night. Locals found him unconscious on Thursday morning and he died in a local hospital. Police detained Mr Bishakha Roy (35) and Mr Gouranga Roy (Bishakha's friend), his father and sixty other villagers, for interrogation. Gazole police arrested Sanjay Sarkar for involvement in the case, and seized one pipe gun and three cartridges from his possession. ;SNS

Congress, Trinamul protest against police ‘inaction’

MALDA, 12 JUNE: Congress and Trinamul Congress workers jointly staged a protest against police inaction today and submitted a deputation to the superintendent of police which asked for the submission of a charge sheet in the Biswanath Guho murder case at the court.

The Chhatra Parishad unit and Trinamul Congress-backed youth wing staged a demonstration to mark today's date when, exactly a year ago, Guho, the INTUC district president and vice-chairman of the English Bazaar municipality, was murdered.

Police had arrested Guho's driver and sent him to Bangalore for a narco analysis. Returning from Bangalore, the driver got bail as the police failed to submit a charge sheet against him and till date, the police has not submitted it yet. The Malda SP Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said, police could not frame a charge sheet for the lack of a narco analysis report. Political leaders suspect a conspiracy behind the murder, but the police still claim that they are clueless as to who the culprits are. ;SNS

Bacteria detected in water samples

MALDA, 11 JUNE: Health department officials have detected Foecal Coliform bacteria in both water sources and human body at Dalla village in Habibpur block.

Following the recent diarrhoeal outbreak in the village that claimed one child and affected at least 45 persons, the health department had collected water samples from the area.

The tests have confirmed the presence of the bacteria. “The people were suffering from E. Coli (Escherichia Coli),” health officials said.

The deputy CMOH-II, Malda Dr D Haldar said: “Collected water samples from a pond and a tube well were tested in a laboratory. Coliform has been detected in both samples. Interestingly, we got coliform from affected human body as well.”

According to him, the locals drink water from a tube well which was set up within 15 metres from the pond.

“Usually health authorities do not allow sinking of tube wells close to any pond.

“Though the health workers have disinfected the tube wells, the Public Health Engineering department has been requested to re-sink the tube well some distance away from the pond,” he added. SNS

Morning school to cope with over-admission woes

MALDA, 11 JUNE: The district inspector of schools in Malda plans to suggest that Kaliachak Girls’ Higher Secondary School authority arrange morning school for a section of class V to beat the problem of over-admission this year.

It may be noted that the school authority decided to reduce the classes to thrice a week per class V student to accommodate the more than 700 students already admitted.

As this first idea goes against the government's education policy, the district inspector of schools Mr Chinmay Sarkar has formulated another solution to the problem.

Terming the thrice a week class per student formula (which would reduce teaching time to less than the mandatory 200 days) a "violation of the government's education policy", Mr Sarkar said: “The school authorities would be asked to arrange morning school for half of the class V students. They would not be allowed to execute their resolution.”

Mr Sarkar added: “We have got a proposal from the local administration for setting up a High School just 500 m from the present girls’ school in Kaliachak. The block level education officials have selected a primary school where there is sufficient place for another school building for a High School. A new school is a must there to reduce the over-admission problem.”

Kaliachak Girls’ HS School will be getting teachers against its sanctioned post in August through SSC, the DI said. SNS

Spirit crisis may aid hooch trade

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 10 JUNE: The state excise directorate has issued permits for importing 11 lakh litre rectified spirit from Uttar Pradesh, but not a drop has arrived in the past week. There is fear that this crisis of rectified spirit, used to manufacture country liquor, will fuel the burgeoning hooch trade.

“If we do not continue production and maintain proper supply of country liquor, consumers of the weaker economic bracket would tend to buy illicit liquor, which is cheaper than the rates for country liquor fixed by the state government,” said Mr Moulinath Mukherjee, executive officer of the West Bengal Country Spirit Manufacturers’ and Bottlers’ Association (WBCSMBA). The Bengal excise officials are tightlipped on the subject. It is learnt they are in touch with the Uttar Pradesh government for supply of the required volume of rectified spirit and have sent an SOS as well. Production of country liquor, meanwhile, remains hampered in the state government's approved manufacturing and bottling plants.

“We have issued a permit for 11 lakh litre rectified spirit from Uttar Pradesh but the UP government is still undecided whether it would export rectified spirit to other states due to its internal problems. We expect the UP government to take a final decision on the matter by 15 June,” said a senior officer of the excise directorate on terms of anonymity. According to him, a shortfall in the production of sugarcane may have triggered the problem in Uttar Pradesh.

The WBCSMBA has planned to submit a memorandum to the government soon to overcome the present crisis and it would urge the government to reduce the rate of country liquor so that the illicit liquor industry cannot flourish in the state.

Notably, 22 persons died in Kolkata and 48 in Tamluk in January and May this year respectively due to consumption of hooch.

According to WBCSMBA official Mr Mukherjee, a Bureau of Applied Economics and Statistics survey has found that the country spirit market in the state for 2008-09 was 8,391 lakh litres, of which only 25 per cent (2,098 lakh litres) was being met though government bottling plants and vends. The remaining 75 per cent (6,293 lakh litres) came from illicit sources.

Tech aid to boost mango exports

Statesman News Service
MALDA, 9 JUNE: In an effort to boost mango exports to foreign countries, the Malda district administration has sought help of the TIFAC (Technology Information Forecast and Assessment Council) under the Union ministry of science and technology.

Recently, senior officials of both the state and Central government ~ including senior scientists of TIFAC and CISH (Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture) Lucknow, held a meeting here with local progressive mango growers, entrepreneurs and people's representative to take initiative for setting up an irradiation plant in Malda to ensure microbiological safety.

Malda accounts for 73 per cent of India's mango exports to foreign countries. However, the majority of its exports go to Bangladesh, as the district is unable to export to West Asia, the US or European countries, because it does not match up to their standards for bacterial safety.

It was decided that the state government would provide required land for setting up the irradiation plant at Malda Food Park in English Bazaar town. During the meeting, the officials also discussed the commercial viability of the project, concluding that at least Rs 15 crore is required to set up the plant.

The meeting proposed that the TIFAC should promote technical and financial support for the benefit of local farmers. The state and Central officials adopted a resolution to set up a study commission to judge the commercial viability of the project here and to submit a detailed project report shortly.

Dr Debabrata Majumder, senior scientist of TIFAC, also the member secretary of the small and medium scale industry, said he would look into the matter and report back to his higher authorities in Delhi soon.

According to Dr Majumder, the irradiation plant will not be viable here for four months in a year, if it is to focus on mango and litchi alone, but it can run regularly and smoothly if it can also be applied to a large quantity of other fruits like pineapple, orange, guava, tomato and other agro-products from adjoining districts. According to the Central officials, Malda district produces four per cent of the total volume of mangos in India. Malda district's contribution is much higher ~ 73 per cent ~ in terms of the total export of mango from India to foreign countries.

Though the Union ministry of commerce and industries has registered three Malda mangoes ~ Fazli, Himsagar and Laxmanbhog, under the Geographic Indicator Act for protecting Intelligence Property Rights, Malda district is still lagging behind in the foreign market as it lacks a brand name.

State officials said that Malda mangoes and their products are being exported to foreign countries after radiation treatment at Lasalgaon, yet the credit goes to Maharastra for export.

Our mangoes - Himsagar and Lakshmanbhog ready to give Alphonso a run for its export market

http://telegraphindia.com/1090610/jsp/calcutta/story_11086213.jsp

Fewer classes to solve over-admission crisis!

MALDA, 8 JUNE: To beat the problem of over-admission into class V, the Kaliachak Girls’ Higher Secondary School authority in Malda district has come up with a simple solution - reduce the classes to thrice a week per student.

However, this reduction would be illegal. By the committee's calculations, if each student took classes on alternative days they would manage accommodating the 702 students already admitted to class V and also those waiting in the wings for admission.

“We do not have an adequate number of rooms to accommodate all the students. Under the circumstances, the only solution is classes on alternate days. The students would be divided into groups and each group would get three classes per week,” said the Kaliachak Girls’ Higher Secondary School headmistress Mrs Mallika Sarkar.

The school has additional problems. Of the 29 sanctioned posts (including Higher Secondary section), the school has 20 teachers who have to divide the workload between them.

The school's proposition is encountering obstruction, however. “Such a formula is unheard of and cannot be introduced without the instruction of the secondary board of education,” said the district inspector of schools, Malda, Mr Chinmay Sarkar.

According to Mr Sarkar, the thrice a week class per student formula would reduce the mandatory 200 days’ class per year. “It is a violation of the government education policy,” he added.

The problem according to the Malda zilla parishad sabhadhipati, Mrs Sabin Yeasmin, is serious. Mrs Yeasmin, a former student of the school, said: “The school does not even have additional space for construction of a new building to accommodate more classrooms.” N SNS

Train driver likely to be grilled in oil theft case

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 8 JUNE: The Malda GRP has approached the railway authorities seeking permission to examine the driver of a train of oil tankers as part of an investigation into an oil theft case.After interrogation of three wagon breakers nabbed by local people on Friday evening near Mahananda Halt Station, the GRP has decided to examine the driver. The IC GRP Mr PK Das said: “After the incident we tried to contact the driver for examination as part of our investigation but the driver was not available. Now he is in Katihar, Bihar. We have approached the railway authorities asking that he be made available to us.” Angry local people had nabbed four persons who were stealing oil from tankers on a running train on Friday evening, although one of them later got away. They then blocked rail tracks, disrupting railway services till late at night, demanding exemplary punishment. When one of the thieves fled their clutch, the angry locals had beaten the remaining three severely and handed them over to police. Local people near Mahananda Halt station, and from areas bordering Gazole and Malda police stations, alleged that police had failed to listen to their claims of oil being stolen from the running trains. The GRP and RPF had conducted a joint raid six months ago at Mahananda halt station, but with insufficient results. Therefore, the locals had decided to take matters into their own hands.After the culprits were handed over by the locals, the GRP arrested them and started a case. The three persons, residents of Kumarganj area under Ratua police station, are still undergoing treatment in Malda district hospital. The arrested persons later disclosed that they were part of a large group who used to steal oil from running tankers on railway tracks. But they left for Delhi in search of jobs as daily labourers. Recently they returned and committed the crime again. The local people, who nabbed the three persons, alleged that a gang of wagon breakers in connivance with police and train drivers commit crimes on running goods trains. The drivers slow down the goods trains before approaching the Mahananda Bridge so that the criminals can make the thefts, they said. Police investigation later revealed that the four wagon breakers boarded the tankers at Kumarganj and removed the seal of an oil tanker to collect oil. Each of them was carrying a container of 50l.In the rural belt there is a good market for diesel, petrol and lubricants. Many people buy these product from different areas to run tractors, pump sets for irrigation, or for other purposes.

Commerce has no future, say students

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 7 JUNE: A large section of students who passed Madhyamik examination do not want to study Commerce subjects at higher secondary level because they feel there is no future in that direction.

Students prefer to select Science and Art subjects, looking towards future prospects of employment.

The present trend of admission shows that a large section of students are selecting subjects aiming at the demands of the school service commission and its subject-wise recruitment.

They are aware that the school service commission does not recruit large numbers of teachers for Commerce subjects in the secondary and higher secondary schools.

This present trend has created a double problem in many secondary schools in Malda town. Some Higher Secondary schools, including AC Institution and Barlow Girls’ Higher Secondary School, are facing difficulties in running the Commerce section with their small number of students. On the other hand, it is difficult for them to accommodate the hundreds of students who have applied to study Science and Art.

In Barlow Girls’ HS School, only 23 girls applied for the commerce department. Similarly, only 17 students applied for the commerce department in AC Institution.

Interestingly, two teachers out of three, all of whom who were appointed as assistant teachers in additional posts in Barlow Girls’, have been waiting a long time to receive retention from the higher authorities.

Meanwhile, school authorities are facing a flood of students demanding admission into class XI, while capacity is often too low to accommodate them.

They are choosing students on the basis of merit, meaning some students are being turned away, even if they are from the local area of that school. There are simply not enough HS schools in the state.

Yesterday, for this reason, students turned violent at two Higher Secondary schools in Malda district: Naymouza HS School and UCBHU Vidyalaya in English Bazaar town.

They locked the main gate of the schools, ransacked several school properties and finally blocked National Highway 34.

Combined effort to fight blood shortage

MALDA, 7 JUNE: Malda district hospitals and nursing homes are in the throes of an acute blood crisis with the district blood bank having been dry for days on end.

To tide over the blood crisis, voluntary organisations and the Malda district CPI-M have taken initiatives to organize blood donation camps.

In a novel development, a blood donation camp was organized at the district CPI-M office today at the behest of the party district secretary Mr Jiban Moitra. Mr Moitra has taken upon himself the responsibility of collecting more than 100 blood units with the assistance of the part apparatus. “The political parties must come forward to shoulder social responsibilities as the district is grappling with this grave blood crisis,” Mr Moitra said.

To overcome the protracted blood crisis in the district, several local clubs and voluntary blood donors’ forums organized mobile blood donation camps yesterday. More than 60 persons donated blood. Interestingly, many tribal boys and girls contributed blood in Gazole.

Another blood donation camp was organized at Children Park in English Bazaar town where 18 persons donated blood in the presence of ten thalassaemia-stricken patients. ;SNS

Headlines June 8, 2009

A 15-year-old boy was slapped to death in Murshidabad on Saturday night because he sold a bunch of tuberose at a Rs-2 discount in the absence of the florist he worked for, an English Daily reported. Somnath Haldar, who fainted while being hit repeatedly, did not regain senses.

The inspector general of police Suman Bala Sahu on Sunday met the eight-year-old domestic help who was allegedly beaten up by deputy inspector general Basudeb Bag at his Andul residence on Saturday. Sahu spoke to the girl and her father for 45 minutes at a Liluah home. Police recorded a general diary after residents of Andul put up a roadblock near Nazirgunge investigation centre on Saturday night.

A homemaker quarantined at the Infectious Diseases Hospital for suspected swine flu walked out on Sunday and returned home to Kalyani in Nadia. Sutapa Bhattacharya, 46, who had been to Singapore with her family on vacation, was despatched to the Beleghata hospital after she landed at the airport on Saturday night. She wanted to leave after signing a risk bond but was not allowed to do so by the nurses in the isolation ward. She was allegedly denied medical attention for hours.

A 26-year-old homemaker was murdered allegedly by her husband in their flat located at Sinthee in Kolkata on Sunday after a fight over her going out to work. Arvind Santalia, 40, who works in a different outlet of the same sari company where his wife Pinki was employed, is absconding. Arvind slashed the veins in Pinki’s left leg and left wrist and hit her on the forehead with an iron utensil.

Residents of Salt Lake have decided to move court against the school being built in the area by Sourav Ganguly. The CA 222 plot, spread across 63 acres between Salt Lake School and Haryana Vidyamandir, was recently leased out to the former India captain by the urban development department. Residents fear construction of a third school in the area will lead to pollution and congestion.

Forty thousand jewellers in the state are going on strike from Monday to Wednesday, stopping the making, booking and buying of jewellery — bang in the middle of wedding season, media reported today. Members of the Swarna Shilpa Bachao Committee and Bangiyo Swarna Shilpi Samity have announced the 72-hour bandh to protest “the high-handedness” of the income tax department.

The word “Doctor” has come under the legal scanner. The division bench of Calcutta High Court has asked the state medical council to submit an affidavit on relevant rules empowering individuals to put “Dr” before their names. The bench headed by Chief Justice S.S. Nijjar issued the directive following public interest litigation by Kolkata resident Sanjib Das.

A peon of a private firm in Ballygunge was arrested on Sunday for stealing Rs 1.07 lakh from the office two days ago. Raju Bera used to stay in the office. He allegedly broke open the cash box and decamped with the money. He was picked up from his home in East Midnapore. Police recovered money found buried under the floor of his room.

An unidentified man in his late 40s was found dead in a makeshift CPM party office, set up before the general elections, near the Kona Expressway and NH 6 crossing on Sunday. The body bore no signs of injury. It has been sent for post-mortem.

The body of a woman in her mid-20s, whose wrists and throat were slit, was found in a trunk on the bank of Circular Canal in Narkeldanga , Kolkata, on Sunday. The woman, yet to be identified, was dressed in red and black kurta.

Headlines June 7, 2009

A Central Study Team comprising five members of the team will visit Gosaba and Pathar Pratima today to asses the damage caused by the cyclone storm. The Central Study Team comprising 12 senior bureaucrats from various ministries arrived in Kolkata yesterday and later rushed to Darjeeling and North 24-Parganas to review the scale of devastation caused by cyclone Aila. The team members will be returning to Kolkata on Tuesday and will hold a meeting with state government officials at Writers’ Buildings. The Central team members will leave for Delhi on 9 June to submit their report to the Union government.

Mamata Banerjee may be giving the go by to the state government’s all-party meet on Aila relief but her ally Congress will take part in it because it doesn’t want to be seen “in poor light across the country”, a newspaper reported. The Trinamul Congress said it was the Congress’s “internal matter”. “Ours is an all-India party. The UPA government is providing all assistance to the state government to tackle the post-cyclone crisis. At this juncture, if we stay away from the meet, it would show us in poor light across the country,” state Congress working president Pradip Bhattacharya said.

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee will flag off the Howrah-Digha - Kandari Express - on 13 June. After assuming charge as Railway minister on 26 May, Banerjee announced the introduction of Howrah- Digha "Kandari Express ‘’ to mark the birth anniversary of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The train earlier used to run once a week only on Sundays from Howrah.

After a preliminary probe four Government Railway Police personnel have been suspended for allegedly robbing passengers of a Sealdah-bound train two days ago. The four were directly involved in robbing people in a general compartment of the Muzaffarpur-Sealdah fast passenger on the night of June 4.

Two persons were arrested on Friday in connection with the murder of Trinamul Congress leader Yudhisthir Dolui, at Jakri village, near Khanakul, in Hooghly, on Wednesday. The duo ~ Paresh Chandra Dolui and Raghunath Dolui ~ were among the 85 people, who had been named in the FIR lodged following the murder.

Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has accused the CPI-M of unleashing a reign of terror to teach a lesson to people who had voted against it in the Lok Sabha election taking advantage of the absence of Trinamul Congress MPs, who were in Delhi attending the Parliament session.

The CPI-M has called a 12-hour Panskura bandh today to protest against the murder of a teacher committed allegedly by Trinamul Congress workers on Friday. In the past three days, it is the second successive bandh called by the CPI-M in Panskura, to protest against the ‘atrocities’ of the Trinamul Congress.

Prohibitory orders have been clamped under Section 144 Cr. PC, in Domkal and Jalangi police station areas of Murshidabad district. A political activist was murder here on Friday. Both Congress and CPI-M parties claimed that criminal attacks on party workers were the reason behind sporadic incidents of violence there.

An IPS officer has been accused of torturing his eight-year-old domestic help, who tried to flee his Sankrail house in Howrah yesterday, newspaper reported. Basudeb Bag is a DIG posted at Writers. “We are conducting an inquiry,” said Surajit Kar Purakayastha, inspector-general, south Bengal.

A fundraiser to help the cyclone affected victims was held in Kolkata yesterday. An initiative by the private Bengali news channel (Chobbish Ghanta) in association with Ramakrishna Mission and Math, the event was inaugurated by renowned vocalist Nirmala Mishra.

Thousands of property tax payers have been inconvenienced after lawyers of the Municipal Assessment Tribunal (MAT) decided not to attend proceedings of the tribunal. The lawyers have not been attending the proceedings of the tribunal since 5 June.The lawyers, under the Calcutta Municipal Tribunals Bar Association (CMTBA), have demanded that a permanent service judge be appointed for overseeing proceedings of the MAT.

The Barasat Government College turned into a battle field yesterday, following a clash between SFI and Trinamul Congress Chattra Parishad supporters, over the admission of first year students in the college. At least four police personnel, including Paritosh Ghosh, the inspector-in-charge of Barasat police station and five students, were injured in the clash.

After a tripartite meeting yesterday authorities of the Damodar Valley Corporation owned Mejia Thermal Power Station in Burdwan district declared Rs 14 lakh as compensation to the relatives of the deceased and absorption of one of the dependents from each family into DVC.

UGB gets new vice-chancellor

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 5 JUNE: Dr. Gopa Dutta, president of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, has been appointed as vice-chancellor of the University of the Gour Banga.
The UGB authorities were facing problems after the resignation of the university’s first VC, Prof Surabhi Bannerjee. It was decided that Dr. Dutta would take over on 9 June in Kolkata when Prof Banerjee would be available to make over the charge in there.
Today, SFI leaders staged a demonstration and submitted a memorandum to the registrar of the UGB raising several demands related to academic development of the university and colleges, including the appointment of vice chancellor, so as to enable a meeting of the executive council for taking major decisions in the interest of the students.
Speaking to the deputation, the registrar of the UGB, Mr. Tapas Chatterjee said: “The new VC Dr Gopa Dutta would be coming here on 11 June and resolve the ongoing crisis”.
“The demands of the SFI leaders were legitimate and on the lines of academic development and we must take appropriate steps in due course”, Mr. Chatterjee said.
The SFI district secretary Mr. Joy Chakraborty said: “Though the state council for higher education has approved the new subjects for honours study courses, college authorities in North and South Dinajpur allegedly have denied giving admission forms to the interested students”.
After receiving complaints the registrar of the UGB called the college authorities and asked them to issue admission forms for honours courses.
The student leaders also demanded the recruitment of required teachers for the colleges where new subject with honours courses have been introduced recently.

"Murdered' woman appears in court

Statesman News Service
MALDA, 5 JUNE: Mrs. Mandal appeared in court on 30 May, proving that she was not murdered by her husband fiver years ago. A fresh inquiry into the case was ordered today, after Mrs. Mandal gave a confessional statement.
The Malda district judge Mr. B C Maity today instructed the police to appoint an inspector to conduct a fresh enquiry into the “murder” case.
While appearing in court on 30 May, Mrs. Mandal had claimed she and her husband Mr. Phekan Mandal had gone to Uttar Pradesh in search of employment where she got lost.
“My husband returned to Malda after failing to trace me. A generous man saved me and I married him and settled down in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, some workers from Malda came to our locality and I learnt from them that my husband and his parents had been accused of murdering me. I decided to come here and narrate the truth”, Mrs. Mandal clamied in court.
His former husband, Mr. Phekan Mandal, and two others, were accused of murdering Mrs. Mandal following the recovery of an unidentified woman’s body near Panchanandapur in Kaliachak on 3 July, 2004. They were arrested and the police charge sheeted them. The district judge had summoned the investigation officer of the case and asked him to appear before the court on 5 June.

Traders wait for leasing out of land

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 5 JUNE: The state public works department (roads) took initiative to lease out its lands to vendors under the flyover on the eastern side of the National Highway 34 in February this year. The vendors are currently occupying the area illegally. However, nothing has been done.

The PWD minster Mr. Kshiti Goswami has already agreed to lease out its lands and on 22 January 2009 the minister approved the application submitted by the Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MMCC) demanding ‘permanent settlement’ of 82 small traders who are occupying the area below the Rathbari Flyover illegally.

It may be noted that the PWD minister had agreed to lease out the disputed area below the flyover subject to terms and conditions.

Before agreement it was decided that the MMCC would construct stalls for traders at their own cost, according to the guidelines formulated by the PWD engineers. The MMCC will have to follow these designs and vacate some areas to ensure the safety of the flyover.

In February , the executive engineer PWD ( roads) Mr. Ram Chanda had informed the matter to the MMCC and sought help of the land acquisition department to provide government guidelines to calculate the rent and salami ( one time payment ) for stalls to be handed over to the small traders.

“The venture is at a standstill now. There is no report of further development. We did not get the assessment report from the land acquisition department till date. MMCC representatives did not contact us after completing the formalities “, said Mr. Ram Chanda.

Mr. T K Sharangi, special land acquisition officer, said: “We had got the proposal from the PWD and already assigned a surveyor to assess the rent and other fees. The report would be sent to the concerned department shortly”.

The district secretary of the MMCC Mr. Jayanta Kundu said : “ We had applied to the Malda SP seeking an NOC ( no objection certificate ) from the police department on 25 February this year , but have not received it . As we didn’t have an NOC from the police department, we did not seek an NOC from the fire brigade”.

The PWD has specifically mentioned that tea stalls or food stalls i.e. stalls where fire would be used – would not allowed under the fly over for safety reasons.

June 6, 2009 : Bengal's H'lines

Trinamul Congress would not join the all political party meeting to be held at Writers’ Buildings on Sunday. Ravaged by political and natural calamities, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and his party yesterday decided to call an all-party meeting on Sunday to discuss cyclone relief. Mamata Banerjee, however, said in Delhi that her party would not go there “to put its seal of approval” on the “disaster” brought about by the state government’s shoddy relief operations.

The CPI-M state secretariat has taken stock of the outcome of chief minister’s visits to the cyclone-hit areas of the two 24-Parganas and the implications of the interactions. The leaders said : “Buddha was right”.

Rivers in the cyclone-ravaged Sunderbans rose by up to a foot after a heavy downpour yesterday, newspaper reported today. As the rain began around 1.30pm, thousands across the Sunderbans echoed the question “what will happen now”? Thousands across the Sunderbans echoed the question. Officials disclosed they had no evacuation plans for the weekend’s high tide.

Cops are yet to spot the Maoist squad members who had wreaked havoc in Sarenga, Bankura last Wednesday. The joint combing operation across the Sarenga, Barikul stretches in Bankura and Belpahari and Lalgarh areas in Midnapore (W) hasn’t yielded any results as yet.

Four contractual labourers died at the DVC's Mejia Thermal Power Station last evening when they fell from a cooling tower being commissioned. The labourers, assigned to a job of erecting the tower at the seventh unit of the MTPS, had joined work at 6 p.m. The mishap occurred at 8.15 p.m.

Suicide by an East Midnapore farmer who couldn’t sell a part of his plot to marry off his daughter because of a government embargo is snowballing into a larger land row, newspaper reported. Villagers in Tamluk’s Kulberia, where Samir Parui hanged himself Thursday, and Srikrishnapur yesterday gave the district magistrate three days to lift the freeze on 5,000 acres, imposed in 2004 to help the government acquire land for its offices. Backed by local Trinamul Congress leaders, they threatened to gherao the land registry office in Tamluk town from Tuesday and block all transactions.

The Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance, which reaped a rich harvest in last month’s Lok Sabha elections, has not worked out in 12 of the 15 municipalities going to polls this month. We have not been able to firm up the alliance despite our sincere efforts because of Trinamul’s decision to field candidates against our people, said state Congress working president Subrata Mukherjee. Bengal Congress president Pranab Mukherjee has called a meeting of state party general secretaries today.

Five people were injured after a clash broke out between Trinamul Congress and CPI-M supporters at Salap in Howrah last evening. The trouble broke out following a scuffle between supporters of the two political parties over selection of the pradhan of Salap II gram panchayat under Domjur panchayat samiti.

A detailed report on the murder of Yudhisthir Dolui, a Trinamul Congress leader from Khanakul in Hooghly, will be submitted to the Centre soon, said Union minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy, who visited Khanakul yesterday.

Police arrested a 45-year-old man in Thakurpukur Thursday night on charges of raping his teenage daughter. Hari Mitra, a van rickshaw puller, used to frequently rape his 14-year-old daughter and forced her to consume contraceptive pills to keep his crime under wraps, police said. The man's wife had left him two years ago after putting up with years of domestic violence. The incident came to light when the teenage girl mustered courage and narrated her ordeal to his elder brother on Wednesday.

A CPI-M supporter was lynched at Gopalnagar at Bongaon in North 24-Parganas yesterday within 12 hours of the murder of a Trinamul Congress leader in the same place last night. Police said Sahadeb Sarkar (40), alias Naru, a CPI-M supporter and resident of Beledanga near Gopalnagar, was found murdered at Gajipur near Gopalnagar yesterday. After preliminary investigation, police suspect that Sahadeb was first beaten up and then his throat was slit. Police also suspect he was murdered as revenge for the murder of Trinamul leader Ianbi Nabi Mandal, who was shot dead allegedly by CPI-M backed goons at Sunderpur near Gopalnagar on Thursday.

An extortionist shot at a truck driver near Sodepur railway siding at Kharda in North 24-Parganas yesterday.

Talks are on between the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the north Bengal-based Kamtapur Progressive Party (KPP) for a possible merger, newspaper reported today. KPP president Atul Roy floated the proposal for a merger with the NCP in March after the NCP general secretary PA Sangma, had announced support to the demand for Constitutional recognition of the Kamtapuri language. The NCP is also eyeing to take into its fold another Kamtapuri faction ~ the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) ~ which too thrives on the socio-political aspirations of the Kamtapuri community.

CLP leader Manas Bhuinya yesterday wrote a letter to Mamata Banerjee, railway minister, urging her to undertake several projects like extension of the Digha-Tamluk railway line to Baleswar via Chandaneswar to connect West Bengal with Orissa, construction of a railway line to connect Panskura with Arambag via Ghatal and setting up of computerised booking counters at Baliachak, Belda and Digha.

Managing director of West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Limited SP Gon Chowdhury, has proposed a project to utilise the roofs of high-rise developments to harness solar power."More than 2,000 MW of solar power can be generated by setting up solar power plants on rooftops of the highrises in the city," said Chowdhury. He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Green Building - A Step Towards Energy Conservation’ organised by the Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kolkata.

A registered IT firm of Sector V in Salt Lake, Assurgent Technology Solutions Private Limited, has been accused of duping around 2,000 of its trainee employees. The Durgapur branch-in-charge of the company was arrested yesterday.

Suicide over loss of crops in Aila

MALDA, 4 JUNE: A farmer Mr Gul Mohammad (40), committed suicide by consuming pesticide out of depression over crop loss, last night, at Brihasthali village, under Chanchal police station.

“Failing to save the boro crop from Aila, my husband went into depression," said Mohammad's, wife Mrs Sahela Bibi.

“My husband had obtained Rs 21,000 from a loanshark, to cultivate the crop and had taken additional loan for my treatment. He intended to pay off the lender after harvesting the boro paddy.”

“We lost the entire crop to the storm,” she lamented.

Mr Mohammad, who was a marginal farmer, owned an acre of land at Brihasthai village, in Chanchal-I block, which he had inherited from his father.

The local panchayat has informed the death incident to the BDO and has sought help from the next kin, of the deceased.

Some locals, however, alleged that Mr Gul Mohammad committed suicide due to other family related problems. The police are investigating the incident.

The Chanchal SDO, Ms Debjani Datta said: “I have learnt of the suicide. We would verify the matter and a probe is being carried.” ;SNS

Malda DM seeks FBP help

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 4 JUNE: The Malda district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh has urged the Farakka Barrage Project (FBP) to look into the problem of erosion and to finish proper anti-erosion work on the left bank of the Ganga to save the present embankments from flooding.

After a preparatory meeting for flood and disaster management, the district magistrate talked to the authorities of the FBP, a Central government unit, over the phone and sent a letter to them pointing out the problem on the left bank of the Ganga in Manikchak, English Bazaar, as well as Kaliachak II and III.

At a recent meeting, the executive engineer of the irrigation department in Malda pointed out some vulnerable and erosion-prone zones along the left bank of the river Ganga and explained how flood waters may gush into protected areas, breaching the existing embankments at Manikchak and Kaliachak II areas, if the FBP does not take up anti-erosion work covering the vulnerable zones.

The Malda district magistrate said: “I have spoken to the FBP authorities regarding the problem. They are carrying out anti-erosion work in the vulnerable zone on the left bank of the Ganga within their jurisdiction in Malda district. They ensured me that they would complete the ongoing work by 15 June.”

The block development officials had also pointed to the vulnerable position of a 12 km long afflux embankment from Farakka to Sultantola in Kaliachak II block, which needs to be maintened for flood protection.

“No maintenance work has been done in the afflux embankment in the last few years. The area is under the jurisdiction of the FBP. The FBP engineers need to inspect the embankment properly to take up maintenance work now, as there are several ‘rat holes’ in the embankment. It could be breached at any time if it is attacked by flood waters,” said Mr Soumen Misra, executive engineer, irrigation department.

The district magistrate said the Mahananda embankment division has taken up anti-erosion work not only on the bank of the Ganga, but also to protect the embankment on the Fulohar bank at Bhaluka in the district.