PANCHAYAT MELA

Panchayat Mela in Cooch Behar

Aiming to highlight the progress and achievements in different developmental schemes run by the Panchayat system, a two-day Panchayat Mela (Panchayat and Rural Development Fair) will be held at Bhetaguri in Cooch Behar on 2-3 January.

Sate forest minister Mr Ananta Roy will inaugurate the fair. Backward classes welfare minister Mr Jogesh Barman, Cooch Behar MP (Rajya Sabha) Mr Tarini Roy, Cooch Behar MP (Lok Sabha) Mr Nripendra Nath Roy and seven MLAs will attend the inaugural ceremony.

Sabhadhipati of Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad, Mr Dilip Biswas said the Panchayat Samitis would post stalls in the fair. 29 Gram Panchayats of the district that earned Nirmal Gram Awards (total sanitised village) are to be felicitated at the fair. The Self Help Groups (SHG) under all the twelve Panchayat Samitis of the district will also be awarded for their extraordinary activities and initiatives. Elected persons associated with the Panchayat system for more than 25 years (including the CZP Sabhadhipati himself) will also be felicitated.

Cultural programmes highlighting regional folk song, dance and drama will be added attractions in the two-day fair. An eminent and veteran folk performer, Ms Foolti Barman, who is popularly known as Foolti Gidali, will be felicitated in the fair, the Sabhadhipati said.

The CZP Sabhadhipati claimed that all the MLAs of the district agreed to attend the Panchayat Mela. Replying a question he said that the Trinamul Congress MLA of Dinhata Mr Ashok Mandal and the Congress MLA of Sitai Dr Md Fozle Haque too agreed to attend the fair. He said he had no knowledge that the Trinamul Congress would boycott the fair terming it a propaganda-festival of the CPI-M.