28-05-2007
NREGA scheme starts in Tufanganj

COOCH BEHAR, May 28: Sound of conch shell blowing and offering of puja turned the site as a festive one. The villagers welcomed the launching of the new scheme in a festive mood. The 100-day job guarantee scheme under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was started at Balarampur-I in Tufanganj sub-division today.

Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad sabhadhipati Mr Jnanendra Chandra Chanda inaugurated the programme. Natabari MLA Mr Tamser Ali handed over the first Job Card to a villager – Ms Sohagi Mandal. Cooch Behar ADM (General) Mr Pannalal Mahapatra, Tufanganj SDO Mr Sujay Sarkar, Tufanganj-I BDO Mr Shekhar Das, CZP member Mr Dilip Biswas and others were present at the inauguration ceremony. Earlier, the implementation of the scheme was started at Mekhliganj, Mathabhanga, Sitai and Sitalkuchi in this district.

Soon after the inaugural ceremony the villagers started earthwork for a project. CZP sabhadhipati Mr Chanda, Natabari MLA Mr Ali, ADM (G) Mr Mahapatra and others too participated in digging of earth with spades alongwith the villagers. It was learnt that Rs 2,49,920 was sanctioned for 3341 man-days at the first phase for construction of a 600-metre road at Sarayerpar.

Cooch Behar ADM (G) Mr Pannalal Mahapatra said that they asked all gram Panchayat bodies to consider physically challenged persons too for the work. Following that plan a man without one leg – Md Kesaruddin Mian - was engaged at Balarampur-I and he was entrusted with distribution of drinking water to the workers during break of work.

CZP sabhadhipati Mr Jnanendra Chandra Chanda said the villagers have every right to get jobs and they fought for this right for a long. The NREGA scheme is a different kind of job than other schemes. One should work according to the schedule otherwise one will fail to get the benefit out of the scheme, Mr Chanda said. He claimed that many roads were constructed by the three-tier Panchayat system and now “we should proceed for permanent works like construction and repairing of embankments”. He also declared that they might introduce social forestry schemes beside the roads for creating a clean environment under the NREGA programme. []