Fulohar erosion leaves scores landless

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 2 AUG.: Erosion continues unabated along the left bank of the river Fulohar in the northern part of this district rendering many people landless since Friday due to the fluctuation of its water level.

Local residents have lost their crop lands due to erosion at some villages under Debipur gram panchayat and Surjapur and other villages under Kahala gram panchayat in Ratua block. Erosion continues at Mahanandatola and Bilaimari gram panchayat areas in Ratua, at Bhaluka Bazaar and Mian Haat areas in Harishchandrapur block.

Due to a lack of funds, the irrigation department could not take up any temporary emergency measures to check the erosion.

Fresh erosion has narrowed down the safe distance between the bank line and embankment for flood protection at Surjapur under Kahala gram panchayat.

“At present the distance between the bank line and the embankment is nearly 50m at Surjapur,” said Mr Tapas Sukul, pradhan, Kahala gram panchayat.

According to the panchayat members, Mr Ajit Mandal has lost a large part of his crop lands due to erosion since Friday. Mr Mandal was the husband of the upo pradhan Mrs Sibani Mandal of Kahala gram panchayat. Like Mr Mandal there are several families in Debipur and Kahala gram panchayat areas who have lost their crops, including standing crop jute. Many of them started harvesting on Friday morning fearing the trend of erosion.

The executive engineer of Mahananda division Mr Biren Das had visited the affected areas on Friday and is monitoring the situation for reporting to the higher authorities.

“We do not have funds to check erosion in other areas except Bhaluka Bazaar,” said Mr Biran Das.

Fresh erosion at Ratua forces early harvest

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 31 JULY: Erosion began this morning at a new place in Debipur-Surjapur area in Ratua block on the left bank of the river Fulohar, forcing farmers to start harvesting their standing crop earlier than normal.

The irrigation department hoisted a yellow signal in the unprotected areas of the river Fulohar when its water level crossed 26.83m. The water level is still rising due to heavy rainfall in north Bengal, said the flood control cell.

Stretching over 1.5 km, a large part of cropland has been eroded away near the present embankment, said Mr BN Das, executive engineer, Mahananda embankment division.

“Farmers were forced to start harvesting standing crops after massive erosion started this morning. Within fifteen minutes, fifteen big chunk of crop land were eroded away,” Mr Das said.

According to the irrigation engineers, the present location of the fresh erosion is just downstream of Bhaluka Bazaar, another vulnerable spot where the present embankment has already been damaged partly.

“The embankment at Bhaluka Bazaar is now safe due to ongoing anti-erosion work. Erosion started on its right bank - eroding char land which is a positive sign for saving the Bhaluka Bazaar embankment,” Mr BN Das claimed.

“But the situation is alarming at Debipur-Surjapur area where fresh erosion has started. The safe distance between the present embankment and the bank line is nearly 300ft,” Mr Das added.

The executive engineer also disclosed: “Apprehending erosion at the new spot, we had estimated a plan of Rs. 3.5 lakh to take palliative measures, as we do not have funds to begin emergency work there.” Villagers fear that the Fulohar River may merge again with an old course of the Kalindri if such massive erosion continues. The executive engineer, Mr BN Das, admitted that villagers’ fears have some grounds, adding that large parts of the land may be flooded.

Surge in intrusions from Bangladesh

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 31 JULY: Infiltration continues along the India-Bangladesh border despite strict vigilance in Malda district, notorious for smuggling fake Indian currency, arms and ammunition.

The interception of one Bangladeshi national carrying a sophisticated foreign-made revolver has proved that criminals are still crossing over, taking advantage of the porous border in this region.

Acting on a tip off, the Border Security Force caught one Mr Ekramul Hoque, resident of Naogaon in Bangladesh, at Shmashani border around 9 am.

Mr Hoque was returning to Bangladesh. The local BSF immediately informed its headquarters in Berhampore, Murshidabad.

The intelligence officials of the BSF conducted an interrogation.

It may be noted that police and the BSF have recently been seizing fake Indian currency worth huge amounts along the border under the Kaliachak and Baishnabnagar police station areas.

Recently, the Malda police have also recovered powerful remote controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) from Kaliachak police station areas.

The kingpin of the IED case, Mr Jahangir Momin, is absconding. Police recovered three IEDs, which were under transit from the house of Mr Momin, resident of Alipur, close to the India-Bangladesh border.

The CO of 123 Battalion BSF, Mr JC Nayak, said: “Members of terrorist outfits use this type of sophisticated weapon.”

No recovery of wakf lands

MALDA, 31 JULY: Following the instruction of the minister of state for minority development and madrassa education, the district land and reforms department had sent a report on encroachment of wakf lands across the district to its higher authorities in November last year but no further instruction has been received for its recovery.

The additional district magistrate, land and reforms, Mr KN Dew said: “After completion of thorough survey the report has already been sent to our higher authorities but still no further instruction is yet to be received to follow it up”.

According to Mr Dew, the survey revealed that wakf lands have been privately encroached across the district. “We need the government order for proper arrangement of restoration of encroached wakf land. We are waiting for fresh order”, Mr Dew said. The minority development department had issued an order to conduct a survey to find out the status of the wakf land across the state with a view to utilizing the land properly with multipurpose objectives for the development of minority. SNS

NH blocked

MALDA, 31 JULY: Irate villagers blocked National Highway 34 at Ekush-Mile in Gazole today, protesting against rampant power cuts. Angry villagers also locked up electricity office at Samsi in Ratua on the same issue. ; SNS

Malaria claims one

MALDA, 31 JULY: Sirajul Islam (45), a migrant labourer, died of malignant malaria yesterday in Malda district hospital. He was suffering from fever over three weeks. ; SNS

Arrests

MALDA, 31 JULY: Villagers detained three youths charging them with suspicious movement and handed them over to the police at Pukuria under Ratua police station this evening. Police arrested them and seized one pipe gun and ammunitions from them. A probe has started. ; SNS

Confusion mounts over real Intuc president

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 30 JULY: The general members of the Intuc are apparently unaware of who the district president of the Malda Intuc is.

Trouble broke out on 27 July when the working president of the Malda Intuc, Mr Kazi Najrul Islam, informed the district Congress leadership that the state Intuc president had ‘nominated’ him as district president.

On the other hand, Mr Narendranath Tiwari was supposedly nominated as district president of the Intuc after the murder of the district Intuc president, Biswanath Guho.

Three Congress leaders left for Kolkata on 28 July to meet Mr Subrata Mukherjee to clear doubts on who the true district Intuc president is. Mrs Sabina Yeasmin, sabahdhipati of Malda zilla parishad, Mrs Sabitri Mitra, MLA of Kharba, Mr Asit Bose, another Congress leader and Mr Tiwari himself have been camping in Kolkata.

Mr Kazi Najrul Islam, who was the working president of the district Intuc, claimed that the state Intuc president had nominated him as president and showed an authorised letter ‘signed’ by Mr Subrata Mukherjee.

In the authorised letter it was also mentioned that Mrs Lakhi Guho, widow of Biswanath Guho, would function as working president.

“After taking charge as district president, Mr Tiwari did nothing for the labourers and did not hold any meeting with them. Due to his poor performance which has weakened labour organisations, the state president has finally selected me as district president. We have an authorised letter signed by Mr Subrata Mukherjee,” said Mr Kazi Najrul Islam.

“I am the district president. The letter which Mr Islam showed is ‘vague'. Mr Mukherjee did not put his signature in that letter. Only the state president can appoint the district president. But in that letter a panel was made including the working president,” said Mr Tiwari, after meeting with Mr Subrata Mukherjee in Kolkata today.

“Tomorrow I will come back to Malda and show the authorised letter as the district president,” said Mr Tiwari.

“I have heard that both Mr Islam and Mr Tiwari have been claiming the position of district president.

The matter is unclear. But it is a fact that many leaders were unhappy over Mr Tiwari's political performance,” said the Congress MLA, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury.

Mr Tiwari is also chairman of English Bazaar Municipality, district youth president, general secretary of the district Congress and had become the district Intuc president.

A group of Congress leaders are apprehending a clash between the two groups of Intuc leadership over the right to its office located at Rathbari.

Locals blame EBM for garbage problem

MALDA, 30 JULY: The CPI-M led Opposition councillors of the English Bazaar Municipality (EBM) and the LF supporters today staged an agitation in front of the EBM, demanding the clearance of garbage dumped across Malda town that is now raising a stink.

The EBM was facing difficulties in disposing of the garbage, following an agitation in two places where the EBM used to dump the waste.

Since Monday, local residents of Kotwali gram panchayat areas, having formed a ‘Paribesh Dushan Protirodh Committee’, have been preventing the EBM from dumping garbage in the new area located at Nimasari.

Following the resistance of another public committee at Chandan Park in Ward no 25, the EBM is in no position to dump garbage in the old place. Submitting a deputation to the vice-chairman of the EBM, the LF councillors and leaders demanded that the EBM clear the garbage dumped at various places in English Bazaar town within 72 hours.

The vice-chairman of the EBM Mr Dulal Sarkar said that they have already started clearing garbage from this town after selecting a place in Ward no 22 as a temporary spot.

Though the EBM took the initiative to implement a Solid Waste Management project and bought nearly three acre land at Nimasari under Kotwali gram panchayat in English Bazaar for the dumping of garbage, it has been obstructed due to villagers’ resistance.

The English Bazaar Congress MLA Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, the former chairman of the EBM, alleged that the CPI-M leaders are making the issue political, resisting garbage dumping in two places selected by the EBM.

“The CPI-M men are staging an agitation demanding the clearance of the garbage from this town to malign the Congress-led EBM,” said Mr Choudhury.

“The pradhan of the Kotwali panchayat is a Congress man. The leader of the committee at Nimasarai is also a Congress leader. How is the CPI-M resisting dumping garbage at Nimasarai?” said the Opposition leader of the EBM Mr Dulal Nandan Chaki.

Mr Chaki was also another member of the committee resisting the garbage dumping at Chandan Park in Ward no 25. “We would not allow the EBM to dump garbage at Chandan Park,” said Mr Chaki, councillor of Ward no 25. ;SNS

FB demands corrected BPL list

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 30 JULY: Hundreds of members of Agragami Kishan Sabha, a peasants wing of the Forward Bloc, today staged a demonstration in front of the Malda district magistrate office demanding the immediate revision and publication of a list of families falling below the poverty line (BPL), deleting rich men's names from the list.

The general secretary of the Agragami Kishan Sabha, Mr Ajit Saha, said: “In rural belts like Harishchandrapur where I live, thousands of people who belong above the poverty line are in the BPL list but many people who are poor could not get listed.”

Submitting a 24-point charter of demands to the district administration, the FB leaders demanded the publication of a flawless BPL list.

Besides, the leaders demanded that the government would fix the selling rate of jute to Rs 3,000 per quintal for the farmers.

The administration should check the menace of fake and poor quality fertilisers and pesticides available on the market, the leaders said. As an alternative means of irrigation, the FB leaders demanded rainwater harvesting.

Besides agriculture sectors, the Agragami Kishan Sabha demanded an effective flood and erosion control programme in the northern part of this district including Bhaluka Bazaar where the existing embankment is in an alarming condition.

They also pointed out a repairing, widening and strengthening project for National Highway-81 in north Malda which was decided upon during the tenure of Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi but is yet to be executed.

The farmers belonging to the FB have demanded a cocoon market in Chanchal, the sub divisional headquarters of the northern part of Malda district. Seri farmers face difficulties as there is only one cocoon market in Kaliachak, the southern part of this district.

Country spirit rationed due to state-wide shortage

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 29 JULY: The superintendent of the excise department in Malda has started a rationing system for the distribution of country spirit (CS) to authorised sellers to overcome the ongoing crisis regarding rectified spirit which has hampered the production of country liquor across the state since the third week of July.

A total of 43 authorised country spirit sellers in Malda district have decided to open their CS shops for only a few hours to avoid any untoward incident if they fail to meet the demands of the people.

Some of them have decided to shut down their shop due to inadequate stock.

Some retail CS shop owners in South Dinajpur have sought police protection before the sale of country liquor as they have been facing trouble from local hawkers who are demanding more than their allotment.

“I have prepared a list of allotment for the authorised CS sellers, based on their CS selling records from last year, so that no one is ‘deprived’ during this crisis," said Mr TK Mohanta, superintendent of excise in Malda.

The bottling house located at Narayanpur in Malda is delivering country spirits according to the list made by the superintendent of excise.

The superintendent has prepared the list of allotment based on the stock of rectified spirit collected by the local authorised manufacturing unit from the distillery house IFB, the only one in Bengal.

The bottler had managed only two tankers of rectified spirit from the IFB on 21 and 23 July and has been able to produce more than 2.2 lakh bottles of country spirit for Malda and South Dinajpur.

The production of CS would stop tomorrow.

But if the Malda bottler gets another tanker of rectified spirit tomorrow, it would be able to start production, not immediately but after a 48 hour gap due to technical reasons.

The superintendent of excise Mr Mohanta said: “We hope that the crisis will be overcome in the first week of August. The bottlers will be getting rectified

spirit from Uttar Pradesh. Some bottlers have already started the loading of rectified spirit in UP.”

The superintendent of excise has also asked the license holders to sell first to customers

coming to consume liquor at the shop.

“Unofficial hawkers will not be allowed to procure bottles in bulk during this time, as this would deprive local consumers,” he added.

There is a long queue before the retail counter of country spirit located at Tulsihata in Harishchandrapur and Mathurapur in Manikchak block in Malda.

Some hawkers have been disappointed, having failed to procure stock as the authorised counters had shut down.

A few hawkers paid in advance but still failed to procure the CS bottles for sale at unauthorised counters.

The district secretary of the CS Licensee Association, Mr Saikat De, said: “Consumers will beat us up if we fail to supply them all. To avoid awkward situations we have decided to open our shop for only one hour a day.”

He added: “We are facing problems in meeting only 50 per cent of their requirement."

Garbage disposal at locals’ mercy

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 29 JULY: The Malda sub-divisional officer, Mr Prakah Pal, has asked the English Bazaar Municipality (EBM) to inform the local people of Kotwali gram panchayat about the Solid Waste Management (SWM) project, in regard to the dumping of garbage at Nimasari ~ a contentious area newly selected for the purpose.

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by the SDO, Mr Pal yesterday, in the presence of the EBM officials including the vice-chairman and Opposition leader, sabhapati of English Bazaar panchayat samiti, prodhan and Opposition leader of Kotwali gam panchayat, local MLA and the block development officer.

The EBM had selected a new plot of land at Nimasarai under Kotwali gram panchayat in English Bazaar and started dumping the garbage of Malda town there, before implementing the SWM project.

On Monday, local villagers blocked the road and stopped the dumping of garbage at the newly selected Nimasarai spot. Facing resistance from local residents of Chandan Park under Ward no 25 in the EBM area, where the EBM used to dump garbage, the civic body started garbage dumping at Nimasari in Kotwali gram panchayat area.

Owing to popular resistance at two places, the civic body was not in a position to clear the garbage since Monday.

As a result, the bad odour was spreading in English Bazaar town where the EBM could not clear the garbage dumped since Sunday.

Mr Narendranath Tiwari, chairman of the EBM, in face of the local resistance, had to seek administrative help to sort out the problem.

The vice chairman (VC) of the EBM Mr Dulal Sarkar said: “We need to convince the local people of Kotwali gram panchayat to allow the dumping of garbage there for the SWM project. We will have to inform them about the SWM project with the help of panchayat officials.”

“By this time we will have built the minimum infrastructure to begin the SWM project at Nimasarai,” Mr Sarkar said. According to the Malda SDO, Mr Prakash Pal, the English Bazaar BDO and sabhapati will help the civic body to talk to the panchayat members and local people who are agitating against the garbage dumping.

If the Kotwali panchayat can not manage the problem it would find another place for the SWM project.

“To clear garbage from places in English Bazaar Municipal areas we have identified another spot in Ward no 22, for temporarily dumping garbage,” said Mr Sarkar.

Community centres for gram panchayats

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 29 JULY: Mass education and panchayat and rural development departments are to jointly set up a ‘community teaching-cum-information centre’ at each gram panchayat where there is no rural library.

The state has asked all districts to implement the project soon. The Malda district administration received the government order on Monday.

This community teaching-cum-information centre will function as a rural library in each gram panchayat area. The mass education department will provide recurring financial assistance and the P&RD will assist in building infrastructure.

Basically, the centre will be built in the premises of a gram panchayat if there is an adequate space or plot of land. The Malda district administration has informed all blocks and panchayat samities of the project.

The district administrative officials may discuss the matter with the block development officers on 8 August, during a routine review meeting of development across the district. Implementation and necessary preparation for execution at the gram panchayat level will be discussed. Malda has 146 gram panchayats and very few of them have a rural library.

Malda campaigns for sanitation across district

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 28 JULY: The Malda district administration has started a campaign for sanitation across the district from 21 July. The programme will continue up to 31 July. At present, Malda is in 14th position in the state.

A combination of three teams are working in each gram panchayat across the district, projecting the new sanitation project where the government has allotted a subsidy of Rs 2,200 to each beneficiary (belonging to the BPL category) for the construction of a latrine. Earlier the rate of subsidy was only Rs 320.

The members of SHGs will function in this project as motivators and they will be getting remuneration. A total of 1.5 lakh SHG members are working as motivators in all 146 gram panchayats of this district at present.

“One motivator will be getting Rs 50 if he can collect Rs 300 for the construction of a latrine from a BPL family. When the beneficiary is able to deposit Rs 300 to their respective gram panchayat pradhan, the government will allot Rs 2,200 in subsidy for the construction of the latrine with the help of selected NGOs at their home,” said Mr Kajal Banerjee, the additional district magistrate, Malda zilla parishad (MZP).

“This Total Sanitation campaigning programme has evoked a significant response in the district for the first time,” Mr Banerjee, also additional executive officer, said.The administration has been campaigning for BPL family members and registered labourers to receive the 100-days job under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), after which they could easily pay Rs 300 for a sanitation project. The additional executive officer has planned to organise an open session on Total Sanitation campaigning on 15 August, seeking permission from the higher authorities.

Locals apprehend Fulohar rise

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 28 JULY: Erosion started along the bank line of the Fulohar last night due to the sudden rise of, and fluctuation in, the water level.

Though the engineers have taken palliative measures to arrest erosion at the vulnerable spot at Bhaluka Bazaar in Harishchnadrapur II block, villagers are apprehensive that the part of the embankment designed for flood protection has been damaged, and will not last when the water level crosses its danger level.

The water level of the Fulohar was recorded this morning at 25.3 m, according to the irrigation department. The water levels of all three rivers the, Ganga, Fulohar and Mahananda, are rising.

Local people today expressed unhappiness over the ongoing work at the Bhaluka Bazaar.

“The present work may not be able to check severe erosion. The department has done nothing over the past three years to save the embankment, despite several reminders”, said Harishchandrapur MLA, Mr Tajmul Hossain.

The superintending engineer of north circle, Mr ML Mitra, assured the minister for environment, Mr. Sailen Sarkar, MLA from Ratua, that the department would be able to save the embankment at Bhaluka Bazaar when Mr Sarkar convened a meeting yesterday.

But a section of engineers who were working the spot are not sure about the fate of the embankment during a high flood situation when the river will touch 28 m.

They are also apprehending that mid August the situation of the vulnerable spot will turn critical and it could be breached.

Mr Gopal Mahalder, a local fisherman, said: “the water level of the river was rising rapidly and whirling waters were eroding its bank in many parts”.

Ignoring the apprehensions of the local people, the executive engineer of the Mahananda Embankment division, Mr BN Das said that “we hope that we will be able to save the embankment at Bhaluka Bazzar if the river does not behave abnormally due to natural calamity”.

Fake currency worries Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 28 JULY: The English Bazaar MLA, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury has informed the finance minister Dr Asim Dasgupta that fake Indian currency is spreading across the district, creating a ‘parallel economy'.

He has urged the finance minister to check the menace with an ‘iron hand’ and pointed out that though the police and BSF were recovering fake Indian currency, a huge amount of such counterfeit notes were being smuggled, evading the security forces along the border.

Apprehending security concerns and law and order problems, Mr Choudhury, in his written representation to Dr Dasgupta, has pointed out that fake Indian currency racketeers have created a ‘safe corridor’ between Jharkhand-Bihar and Bangladesh on the eastern side.

Submitting the representation to the finance minister and a group of cabinet ministers at a meeting held at Old Circuit House on 26 July, the English Bazaar MLA also informed him that a large number of arms, ammunitions and explosives (powerful IEDs) are being recovered by the police on a regular basis from Kaliachak police station area which has further necessitated that Malda, located along the Indian-Bangladesh border, should be considered from a different angle.

Recently recovered powerful IEDs from Kaliachak area were also discussed in the meeting on that day and the Malda police superintendent replied ‘satisfactorily’ before the group of ministers.

Besides the issue of security concerns, the MLA English Bazaar has approached the finance minister for expansion of the present English Bazaar town, adding a rural belt Sahapur located on the Mahananda. He claimed that “the land can easily be developed as a Second Township or notified area before the entire area goes into the hands of a few promoters and political goons.”

The English Bazaar MLA also demanded, among other things, the implementation of a medical college in Malda, a Lakshmipur drainage scheme to check water-logging and floods due to excessive rain, implementation of the proposed Silk Park, the development of a rationing system and more focus on the distressed minority community.

“The office of minorities, which was set up with the sole mission to mobilise this community both socially and economically, is falling far short of its avowed goal,” Mr Choudhury pointed out.

Meet with Asim cancelled, officials express grievances

MALDA, 27 JULY: A large number of government officials, including the heads of the various departments, were upset after the cancellation of a meeting with the finance minister Dr Asim Dasgupta. They had been waiting four-and-a-half hours before the meeting was cancelled, which had been scheduled to be held on Sunday from 11.30 a.m. at the Malda District Magistrate Conference Hall.

The district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh had announced that Dr Dasgupta would hold a meeting with the group of Cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs, chairmen of the municipalities and sabhadhipati at Old Circuit House from 10.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. on Sunday. Just after the end of the meeting the finance minister was to meet the various departmental heads to review the progress of development works at the district magistrate office.

But the first meeting with the political leaders and Cabinet ministers ~ where only the district magistrate, two additional district magistrates and the superintendent of police were present ~ ended around 3.00 p.m. The disappointed senior district officials, just before leaving the venue, wondered: “What was the purpose of the meeting called here today?” The Congress MLA from English Bazaar Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, who was more vocal in the meeting than others, said: “We had planned to detain the ministers here, to break the trend of holding meetings with the government officials and inviting only the sabhadhipati. They apparently do not need to discuss any subject with the MLAs.” Though the MPs were not present, the MLAs belonging to the LF and the Congress pointed out various problems concerning the district and pending government tasks, blaming the related departments.

With two separate meetings at two venues, and in the absence of the heads of the departments, some cabinet ministers faced difficulties answering the questions raised by the political leaders.

Neither the finance minister Dr Dasgupta nor the district magistrate Mr Ghosh called all the officials who were waiting ~ including the additional district magistrate, sub-divisional officers and some departmental heads including the executive engineers ~ to the Old Circuit House, owing to problems in accommodating all of them.

When the executive engineers of the PWD, PWD (Roads), PWD (Electrical), agri-irrigation and agri mechanical, PHE and PHE (Arsenic Division) were waiting for him at Malda district magistrate’s office, they were summoned one by one to brief departmental ministers and other top officials, answering the questions raised by the political leaders. Executive engineers of the PHE and some other departments were not summoned.

Due to this mismanagement, the total team of engineers of the irrigation and waterways department, including the chief engineer II (design) Dr A Sen, did not meet the finance minister to place before him the report prepared for this district. They instead waited for their minister at Old Circuit House, following the instruction of the departmental minister Mr Subhas Naskar, from 10.30 am till 3 pm.;SNS

RSP for formation of Unnayan Parishad

MALDA, 27 JULY: Following in the footsteps of the Pashchimanchal Unnayan Parishad’s formation in south Bengal, the Revolutionary Socialist party (RSP), Malda unit, has demanded the formation of Barind Unnayan Parishad, comprising backward blocks like Old Malda, Gazole, Habibpur, and Bamongola in Malda and Tapan block in South Dinajpur.

Yesterday, the district leaders of the RSP, including the district secretary, Mr Goutam Gupta, submitted a 17-point charter of demands highlighting Barind Unnayan Parishad to the finance minister Dr Asim Dasgupta and pointing out the problems faced by local people living in the Barind belt. The Malda Left Front chairman, Mr Jiban Moitra, also the CPI-M district secretary, submitted a 45-point charter of demands for the development of the district, including areas belonging to the Barind belt.

The LF, however, did not demand the formation of Barind Unnayan Parishad. “We have made demands concerning the development of the people of the Barind belt. We demand improvements in the system of irrigation and drinking water and electricity supply. Also, we call for an end to road problems and farmers’ problems along the border due to the the BSF's atrocities. But we did not demand the formation of Barind Unnayan Parishad. We have drafted our charter of demands after discussion with the district leaders of the LF. There was no discussion about the Parishad,” said Mr Moitra.

“We have been struggling for the development of people in the Barind belt, demanding the formation of Barind Unnayan Parishad for many years. If the government can form Pashchimanchal Unnayan Parishad for the development of people in those areas, we can demand a board for the development of people,” said RSP district secretary Mr Goutam Gupta.

“We did not discuss the matter in the LF meeting because the demand is our own. We took the opportunity to submit our charter of demands to the group of cabinet ministers as well as the finance minister so that they can inform the government about the plight of the people living in the Barind belt,” he added. ;SNS

Police concerned over seized explosives

MALDA, 27 JULY: A team of senior police officers from Kolkata including the ADG Security, Mr A K Maliwal and the deputy inspector general, CID (Special Operations Group), Mr Siddhinath Gupta today expressed concern about the improvised explosive devices recovered from Malda since Friday. Mr Maliwal said: “We never saw such components used in manufacturing remote controlled IEDs in West Bengal. Such IEDs are used for anti-national activities.” The Malda police handed over the case to the CID and the CID officials have collected the IEDs after defusing those for more examination and forensic tests. The CID is of the opinion that the kingpin Jahangir Momin, who is still absconding, had been trained to manufacture such IEDs. ;SNS

Documentary film

MALDA, 27 JULY: The district administration has approached the state information and cultural affairs department for the list of enlisted directors to make a documentary film on the inputs collected from successful projects implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Malda. The additional district programme coordinator for NREGA, Mr Kajal Banerjee informed today while addressing a programme of IEC (information, education and communication) on NREGA implementation. ;SNS

Protest against power-cuts

MALDA, 27 JULY: Members of the Trinamul Congress women’s wing demonstrated in front of the electricity office at Ravindra Avenue today, protesting against rampant load shedding across the district. ;SNS

Asim faces up to drought

MALDA/RAIGANJ, 26 JULY: The finance minister, Mr Asim Dasgupta, today allotted Rs 10 crore for the development of irrigation systems to cultivate aman paddy in the Malda district, which is suffering badly due to the current scarcity of rain.

“If the district receives adequate rain shortly, the allotted funds are to be diverted to another developmental project”, Mr Dasgupta told the Press, in a meeting at Old Circuit House with a group of Cabinet ministers. The political leaders and officials of the agriculture department highlighted the plight of farmers at present due to the scarcity of rain and lack of irrigation.

The finance minister has asked for defunct irrigation systems to be repaired and the re-sinking of shallow and deep tube wells if necessary, to provide waters for the transplantation of aman seedlings. Transplantation is yet to begin in 75 percent of the land marked for aman cultivation in this district.

The finance minister, along with Mr Kshiti Gowami, Mr Subhas Naskar, Mr Abdur Sattar, Mr Pratim Chatterjee, and Mr Sailen Sarkar, reviewed the positions of rural electrification, backward class development and caste certificate issuing, and also discussed the NREGS, the revision of lists of people below the poverty line, the procurement of paddy from farmers, roads, and the erosion and flood protection works across the district.

With the financial assistance of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyut Yojana, the state aims to provide electricity to the left-out villages by 2010, the finance minister said. Mr Dasgupta has asked the concerned officials to clear the huge number of pending applications for caste certificates as soon as possible.

“We will hold a meeting with the backward class welfare development minister, Mr Yogesh Barman, the minister of state for minority and madrassa education, Mr Abdur Sattar, and other officials, to sort out the problem soon”, said Mr Dasgupta in this connection.

The finance minister also asked for the revision of the BPL list by September 2009. The RSP leaders have demanded the enrollment of BPL families. Mr Dasgupta also assured that he would look into the demands for compensation for crop, mango and houses damaged by Aila in the district.

The finance minister, who earlier visited Raiganj, has instructed the engineers of the North Dinajpur district irrigation department to work on a “war footing” in order to save crops like aman paddy and jute from drought like conditions.

He instructed the engineers to ensure the service of all government pump sets at least 22 hours a day. The engineers were also told to activate the service of all broken down pump sets shortly, for which the necessary funds will be given by the state government.

On the evening of 24 July Dr Asim Dasgupta, in order to review the overall development work of the district, held a meeting at Karnajora, attended by civil defence minister, Dr Sreekumar Mukharjee, the state minister for health, Mr Anowarul Hoque, the higher officials of the North Dinajpur district administrations, and the engineers of different wings of irrigation, power, PWD and chairmen of four municipalities and BDOs of different blocks.

Dr Dasgupta said that North Dinajpur district had only received around 40 percent of its ideal rainfall. Under these circumstances the transplantation of aman paddy was possible in only 30 percent in North Dinajpur. Jute retting is also being affected, and the district will have to wait until 15 August for additional rain. If farmers are not able to transplant at least 70 percent aman paddy by 15 August the cultivation of alternative crops will be considered. ;SNS

Police scuttle bomb production ring

MALDA, 26 JULY: The Malda police have decided to hand over the seven powerful IED recovery case to the CID to ensure a more thorough investigation.

The Malda SP, Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, said that “due to the load of maintaining law and order, district police would be insufficient to properly follow up the case. We have decided to hand over the case to the CID as this wing will be able to give proper attention to the case”.

Experts from a bomb disposal squad on 25 July defused seven powerful remote controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) at Malda Police Line ground amid tight security. Police, posed as a buyers, seized four IEDs and arrested two persons, Mr Jahangir Sheikh and Mr Ashique Iqbal, from Katagarh along NH 34, 5 km south of English Bazar town, on Friday evening. Police also recovered three more IEDs which were being manufactured at Alipur, very close to Kaliachak police station, on Friday night during a raid, with the help of the two arrested persons. Police could not arrest the house owner and kingpin Mr Jahagir Momin, who absconded during the raid. “He left the area and may take shelter in Bangladesh, which is close to his home in Kaliachak”, said Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhyay.

The IEDs were so powerful that sharpnel spread for more than 50 metres, even when it was exploded under sand bags in the police line ground.

The remaining explosives will be sent to a central forensic science laboratory test place in Kolkata. Police seized accessories like ammonium nitrate, acid and sodium from the house of Mr Momin, where three more IEDs were being built. The two accused were remanded in police custody yesterday for eight days for interrogation. In August 2008, two IEDs were recovered by Malda police, one at Baishnabnagar near Farakka and another at English Bazaar, but police could not identify the source.;SNS

Potato prices come down, finally

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 24 JULY: After several requests from customers and the ordeal they had been facing since a long time, the Malda district magistrate, Mr Sridhar Ghosh finally directed merchants to sell potatoes at the rate of Rs 14 per kilogram in local markets. Even then, though the Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MMCC) claimed that the rate of potatoes has been reduced to Rs 14 per kilogram from Rs 17 to 18, potatoes were still charged at Rs 15 per kilogram today at Netaji Market.

One of the regular customers, Mr Indranil Biswas, said: “I bought quality potatoes at Rs 15 per kilogram from Netaji Market this morning”.

Holding a meeting with the MMCC recently, Mr Ghosh requested them not to charge more than Rs 14 per kilogram of potatoes, when the government rate is Rs 13.

“I had requested the MMCC to sell potatoes at Rs 13 per kilogram but they said that due to the cost of conveyance, it is forced to charge Re 1 more than the government fixed price. If the government can assure that it would provide subsidy for the extra expenses, it can sell potatoes at Rs 13 per kilogram in the local market,” said Mr Ghosh.

“Yesterday, my staff bought potato at Rs. 14 per kg from the local market”, Mr Ghosh added. The joint secretary of the MMCC, Mr Ujjal Saha, said: “At present we are bringing potatoes from Burdwan, Memari, Bolpur and other areas of south Bengal. Due to excessive conveyance cost we are not in a position to sell it at Rs 13 per kilogram at present”.

“The rates of potatoes were Rs 17 and Rs 18 in the last week of June but today the rate is Rs 14 per kilogram after bringing potatoes from not only the south Bengal districts but also from other states”, Mr Saha added.

Rainwater crisis affects aman cultivation

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 23 JULY: Transplantation of aman paddy seedling has been stalled due to scarcity of required rainfall in Malda district, agriculture development officers said today.

A few farmers have been able to continue transplantation for cultivation of aman paddy with the help of various sources of irrigation in Chanchal sub-division in northern part of the Malda district.

But farmers in Malda division, which majorly comprises of rainfed zones, are facing acute rainwater crisis that is hampering aman cultivation this year.

The agriculture development officer (technical), Mr Soumendra Nath Das, said the blocks belonging to the Malda sub-division have been badly hit this year because the major paddy cultivation areas like Gazole, Habibpur and Bamongola are rainfed zones. The Habibpur block has been identified as the area worse hit due to the acute rainwater crisis, he added.

According to Mr Das, the farmers were able to continue transplantation in low lying areas where there is standing water in the field like in old Malda where farmers could complete the transplantation of aman paddy with the help of standing rainwater there.

“Farmers have managed to complete 90 per cent production of seedlings for aman cultivation. But out of the 1.50 lakh ha land for aman cultivation, farmers have completed only 25 percent of its transplantation,” Mr Das said. Now, farmers are facing difficulties to save the new aman seedlings where transplantation was completed due to scarcity of rain. According to the weather report prepared by the agriculture department today, the district has received only 447.4 mm rain out of the normal 771.8 mm rainfall since January and this problem has started since June. In July till date, the district has received only 160.4 mm rainfall out of its normal 353.1 mm. “The situation will be alarming if the district does not receive required rain by 15 August, which is the last date for aman transplantation,” said Mr Das.