Govt farm workers' convention

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 26: Cooch Behar district unit of Pashchimbanga Sarkari Krishi Khamar Mazdoor Samity (PSKKMS) organised its district convention based on six-point of demands at Karmachari Bhavan in Cooch Behar today. Later, they submitted a memorandum containing the six-point charter of demands to the district magistrate.

 

District Left Front convenor Mr Chandi Pal, state co-ordination committee's district secretary Mr Pulak Kanti Biswas, joint convenor of 12 July Committee Mr Samyabrata Ray, district DYFI secretary Mr Mahananda Saha and other leaders spoke at the convention. District PSKKMS secretary Mr Nitai Chandra Pandit tabled the draft proposal at the convention.

 

At the convention the speakers demanded proper functioning of government seed farms and improvement of seed distribution system among the cultivators. They mentioned that there were 114 permanent farm workers out of 172 posts in nine seed farms in Cooch Behar district. They alleged that fifty percent cultivable land in the government farms was lying unused and no initiative was taken to modernise the infrastructures of these farms. These nine government farms are suffering from gross indifference, they alleged. The PSKKMS leaders warned that they would no more allow this situation in the greater interest of agriculture sector and the farmers. []

 

Mahajot brings Cong to power

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 26: By forming a mahajot (greater alliance) Congress won the post of pradhan in Ambari Gram Panchayat in Cooch Behar-2 block today. Mysteriously they secured a left vote too.

 

There are 14 seats in Ambari GP. The position of the parties is : CPI-M – 6, Forward Block – 1, Congress – 5, Trinamul Congress – 1 and BJP – 1. After the recent death of the CPI-M pradhan Dalendra Nath Ray the post turned vacant. Meanwhile, Congress called for a mahajot to drive away CPI-M from power. Today, election for the post of pradhan was held and the mahajot won by 8-5 votes. Another Mr Dalendra Nath Ray (Congress) was elected as the new pradhan of the GP.

 

General secretary of Cooch Behar District Congress Mr Sudha Ranjan Mukherjee said they won by forming the mahajot with Trinamul Congress and BJP. A left vote too came in favour of the mahajot candidate and it indicates that the people want change. Welcoming the outcome District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said their leader Miss Mamata Bannerjee was the first who called for the importance of a mahajot to pull down the CPI-M and it proved its worth at Ambari today. On the otherhand both CPI-M and Forward Bloc separately denied of any "sabotage" done by their men. Probes would be conducted to find out the truth behind the "unexpected" result, they said. []