Rs 400 for blood to maintain tradition

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 2: As Prabhat Chitrakar is maintaining the tradition of making the clay idol of Baro Devi (a form of Devi Durga worshiped by Cooch Behar royal family), Shiben Ray is also a part of the tradition. The Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board knows him as Kamsanait. It is the hereditary duty of Kamsanaits to give blood for the puja of Baro Devi by piercing his finger. He is doing the job for about twenty years.

 

Shiben Ray is a resident of Dargapara at Kaljani village in Cooch Behar. He has to offer blood on the Mahashtami night during the Gupta-puja ritual of Baro Devi. This is an act to maintain the tradition of Nara-bali (human sacrifice). Human sacrifice was being done during the regime of Maharaja Nara Narayan who initiated the puja of Baro Devi. As the system of human sacrifice is no longer but the Debottar Trust Board is maintaining the tradition though it is functioning under the state tourism department.

 

During the Gupta-puja on the night of Mahashtami, a little human figure made of rice-dust is sacrificed to maintain the tradition of human sacrifice. Human blood is needed at that time. As a hereditary Kamsanait Shiben Ray is offering the needed blood for the past twenty years. The Debottar Trust Board will give him Rs 400 for the act. Though he demanded Rs 500 this year it was not sanctioned as the budget was approved earlier, DTB sources said.

 

Shiben Ray is working as a Deuri engaged at DTB-run Siddheswari temple. He gets Rs 1,000 per month for the job. He maintains his family with that sum. Depicting his economical condition he had appealed to raise the honorarium but that was not sanctioned. "I will have to act as Kamsanait as my forefathers did because it is our hereditary duty that started in the regime of the Maharajas", he said. []  

 

Cong demands probe in foodgrain scam

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 2: Raising allegation of gross irregularities and corruption in implementation of Sampurna Gramin Rojgar Yojana scheme (SGRY), the Cooch Behar District Congress demanded a thorough inquiry into it. Yesterday, submitting a memorandum alongwith some relevant documents to Mr BL Meena, divisional commissioner, Jalpaiguri, they urged him to intervene and order a probe against the persons involved in the corrupt practice. Among the delegation there were leaders like Cooch Behar District Congress president Mr Shyamal Choudhury, vice-president Mr Dipak Neogi, general secretaries Mr Robin Roy and Mr Sudha Ranjan Mukherjee.

 

Cooch Behar District Congress president Mr Shyamal Choudhury said they demanded the probe based on the government reports and correspondences. The period of the alleged foodgrain scam is 2001-2007. Some time back, the anomaly was detected in Haldibari block under Mekhliganj sub-division and an inquiry was also ordered. But conducting of that probe was merely eyewash because it revealed the tip of the iceberg only, he alleged. Mr Choudhury believes the actual picture may come out if a thorough inquiry conducted. The Jalpaiguri divisional commissioner however assured them of taking necessary actions into the allegations, Mr Choudhury said.

 

Mr Choudhury and other Congress leaders told the divisional commissioner that a section of dealers, distributors, political leaders, panchayat and zilla parishad functionaries did the corruption in connivance with a section of government officials. Citing an example of Haldibari block (from 2001-02 to March 2007) they pointed out that the distributor concerned had lifted 52, 298.72-quintal of rice or Rs 7,84,48,080.00 as per official record though the allotment was 63,620.88-quintal or Rs 9,54,31,320.00. The unlifted quantity was 11,322.16-quintal.

 

Mr Choudhury said that the secretary-in-charge, Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad had lodged a FIR against a distributor of Haldibari on 19 June of this year. He mentioned that following an interim report furnished by the regional accounts and audit officer, Jalpaiguri division, the divisional commissioner had ordered on 19 March 2007 for a specific inquiry against pradhans of three Gram Panchayats and two SGRY foodgrain dealers and entrusted the additional executive officer of CZP to inquire and take legal action. But no action was taken yet to stop the corrupt practice in the entire district, the Congress leader alleged. []