ABECA demands stop to power cut

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 24: Cooch Behar district unit of All Bengal Electricity Consumers' Association (ABECA) has started a movement in this district in support of different demands in the interest of power consumers. As a part of their movement they organised a rally in front of the office of the divisional manager of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) in Cooch Behar yesterday. They also submitted a memorandum containing a 13-point charter of demands to the divisional manager.

 

Secretary of ABECA's Cooch Behar district unit Mr Kajal Chakraborty said today that power cut became a regular feature. It occurs every now and then without any prior notice causing difficulties to students, businessmen and all other electricity consumers. He demanded immediate measures to stop power cut.

 

Mr Chakraborty said the WBSEDCL and all other power distribution companies made an appeal to increase electricity tariff for 2007-08 fiscal year. Following its claim the WBSEDCL reaped a profit to the tune of Rs 300-crore and so there should not be any reason to increase the tariff once again. It will only put additional burdens on the consumers, he opined.

 

Mr Chakraborty said ABECA wants Rs 10 only should be charged as rental for meters in agricultural sector. The proposal for hike in meter rent should be ignored and the consumers should be allowed to buy their own meters according to their choice. He hoped that power consumers from every walk of life would come forward to support the movement that ABECA initiated in the greater interest of consumers. []

Three "militants" arrested

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 24: Cooch Behar Kotowali Police yesterday arrested three persons who posing as militants tried to extort money from a businessman. The trio were produced in the court today and were remanded in police custody for three days.

 

Police said a local businessman of Baneswar named Mr Krishna Sarkar received a threat letter written in both Bengali and Assamese on 1 July. In the letter the senders demanded Rs 8-lakh from him. They claimed themselves as men of Tiger Force. Later he got a phone call too, by which the caller threatened him to part the money immediately otherwise he will have to face dire consequences. The caller even threatened him of abduction of his son. After receiving the letter and the threat call Mr Sarkar became panicky and leaving Baneswar he took shelter at Alipurduar for a few days.

 

Getting back to Baneswar Mr Sarkar disclosed the matter to the inspector-in-charge of Cooch Behar Kotowali Police Station Mr Rajib Bhattacharya yesterday. During inquiry the police found that the phone call came from a public call office in Baneswar. Police started keeping vigil on that PCO and when three persons came there to make a call to Mr Sarkar they were nabbed immediately. They were identified as Amal Ray, Shankar Dey and Ameer Khan. All are residents of Baneswar. Among the nabbed three, Amal was once worked as a driver of Mr Sarkar. Amal visited the trader's residence even after he received the threat letter. Police is interrogating the three men to ascertain whether they are actually connected with any militant outfit. []

 

PHOTO : Nabbed "militants" being interrogated at Kotowali police station. In Cooch Behar on Tuesday.