Kamal Guha cremated

 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 7: The last rites of Kamal Guha were performed today at Bara-nachina cremation ground in Dinhata. His son, Mr Udayan Guha performed the Mukhagni ritual at 4-15 p.m. in presence of other family members and numerous Forward Bloc supporters.

 

Dinhata is the town where Kamal Guha born 79 years ago. Though he was accepted as a state level leader he always preferred Dinhata as his main place of activity. And so, as expected, the normal life of the town almost collapsed today when his body was carried back from Cooch Behar. Many were found with folded hands and tears rolling down their cheeks. Late Guha was a father like man to them. Crossing all barriers of political beliefs hundreds of people thronged to pay homage to the late leader.

 

Earlier, numerous followers of Forward Bloc and the party's leaders from all spheres gathered at Netaji Bhavan (Forward Bloc's Cooch Behar district office) in Cooch Behar this morning to pay their last homage to their undisputed leader. Leaders of other parties too rushed with flowers bouquets to show their respect to the leader who died in a private nursing home in Cooch Behar on yesterday afternoon. Forward Bloc's all-India general secretary Mr Debabrata Biswas, ministers and MLAs were also present there with broken hearts.

 

The body of Kamal Guha was carried to Regional Cancer Centre at Binpatti in Cooch Behar this morning. This RCC was established in his initiative and it is one of his numerous contributions to the people of Cooch Behar. Later his body was kept at Netaji Bhavan upto 10 p.m. to facilitate mourners to pay respect to him. From there his body was carried to his hometown Dinhata by a large motorcade. He was shifted from Dinhata on 24 July to Cooch Behar in a serious condition and today his lifeless body returned there.

 

At Dinhata : Soon after spreading of his death news on yesterday afternoon the Dinhata town wore a bandh like look. Earlier, rumour of his death shocked the citizens several times from Sunday night to yesterday noon. The rumour stopped after his surrender to death on yesterday afternoon. From this morning Dinhata town wore a total bandh like look and it was spontaneous. Hundreds of people, not only from the town but also from adjacent villages, thronged to the town to get a last glance of their leader and to pay respect to him.

 

His body was taken to Dinhata FB office and then to his home and after a procession that toured different roads in Dinhata town the body was taken to Bara-nachina cremation ground. Efforts were taken to do everything according to pre-planned schedule because he was famous for his punctuality. Because, he strictly believed that Dashtaa maane naytaa-shaat' (10-o'clock was 9-and-60-minutes to him). []

 

Cooch Behar Airport

 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 7: Cooch Behar Airport is getting ready for resuming of air service from Independence Day. In a bid to make the plan successful the Airport Authority of India is working hard to keep their promise.

 

Additional District Magistrate (Development) Mr Pannalal Mahapatra said the Regional Director (East) of Airport Authority of India Mr SP Bakshi is supervising and gearing up the work so that a trial flight could be conducted on 10 August. A special aircraft of Indian Airlines meant for such purpose may be pressed into the test flight.

 

Meanwhile, all necessary arrangements are being provided at the airport here. The passenger lounge is being fitted with air conditioner. Work to introduce all sorts of lighting and other facilities are going on in war footing, Mr Mahapatra said. Earlier, the length of the runway of the airport was extended by 60-metre to make it 1117-metre.

 

The ADM (G) said that there were proposals from Air Deccan, Alliance Air and Kingfisher for conducting flights through Cooch Behar Airport. The matter may be finalised within a day or two about the operator, he said. []

  

Trainee teachers on warpath

 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 7: Members of North Bengal unit of All Bengal Primary Teachers' Trainee Association (ABPTTA) staged a roadblock at Harish Pal Choupathi in Cooch Behar town today. They were insisting on appearance of the chairman of District Primary School Council (DPSC) to promise them about fulfilment of their demands. But police lifted them from the site to clear the traffic movement that was disrupted due to the roadblock.

 

Later, the ABPTTA members gheraoed the office of the DPSC at Cooch Behar. They demanded speedy appointment of trained teachers in primary schools, settlement of the cases pending over the fate of Primary Teachers' Training Institutes, arrangement of examinations for the trainees of 2005-2006 academic session and announcement of the final date for clearing of all disputes. The DPSC chairman, Md Nuruddin Mian assured them that he would do his best take up the matter with appropriate authorities.

 

ABPTTA president Mr Bhajan Barman said they would no longer wait with dry assurances. The authorities should come up to do something for these trainee teachers. He warned that they would start fast-unto-death programme at Kolkata if the authorities fail to meet their demands by 30 August. []