Reflect convention

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 20: State Reflect Resource Centre (SRRC) organised the first two-day state reflect convention at Rabindra Bhavan in Cooch Behar that ended today. About two hundred participants from seventeen organisations of this state and even from Bangladesh came to attend the convention. Representatives from Action Aid India and Action Aid Bangladesh too attended the convention.

 

Additional district magistrate (development) of Cooch Behar, Mr Pannalal Mahapatra inaugurated the programme. Cooch Behar Municipality chairman Mr Biren Kundu, Mr Debabrata Chaki and other distinguished persons attended the inaugural session. On behalf of SRRC Mr Subrata Kar hoped that the reflect process may be able to unite all downtrodden and oppressed people. The left behind people will be armed with empowerment by the reflect process, he claimed. []

 

GCDP demonstration

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 20: Supporters of Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) demonstrated in front of the office of district magistrate on the west bank of Sagardighi in Cooch Behar today. They submitted memorandums to the additional district magistrate and the additional superintendent of police. They were demanding introduction of Kamtapuri language as the medium of study in schools, inclusion of the actual history of Cooch Behar in the syllabi and naming of Cooch Behar Airport after the great hero of Cooch Behar royal dynasty – Chilarai.

 

Submitting a memorandum addressed to the state school education and higher education ministers through the Cooch Behar ADM the GCDP president Mr Ashutosh Barma argued that the majority of people in the proposed Greater Cooch Behar state speak in Kamtapuri and so it should be used as the language of study medium in the schools.

 

Mr Barma said the students of this generation should study biographies of social reformers like Roysaheb Thakur Panchanan Barma, legendary Bhawaiya artiste Abbasuddin, great hero of Cooch Behar royal dynasty Chilarai (Shukladhwaj) and also the heroic lives of the Maharajas of Cooch Behar State who were very popular among their subjects. The government should include their biographies in school curriculum, he opined.

 

In the GCDP memorandum setting up of the proposed Central university in Cooch Behar was also demanded to pave the way for higher education for the students of this region. In another memorandum addressed to the state chief minister they demanded appointment of a senior living member of Cooch Behar royal dynasty as the president of Debottar Trust Board, the guardian body of age-old temples and other religious places.

 

Cooch Behar Airport was established in the regime of Maharajas. The air service that was lying defunct for a long is now going to be resumed. In the GCDP memorandum they demanded naming of the airport after the great hero of Cooch Behar royal dynasty - Chilarai. Chilarai was the chief general of Maharaja Naranarayan. He was famous for his bravery. By naming the airport in the name of Chilarai the present generation of people of Cooch Behar should pay respect to the great hero, Mr Barma said. [] (370)

 

Consumer court fines insurance company

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 20: Mr Ranjit Kumar Pincha, a citizen of Cooch Behar town had lodged a complaint at District Consumers' Redressal Forum on 22 November 2005 against New India Assurance Company demanding Rs 1,00,108 against his Mediclaim policy. He claimed the sum to cover the expenses he had to bear during his illness. He tried his best to recover the claimed sum but failed. At last, being annoyed he had to lodge the complaint.

 

Yesterday, considering all aspects the DCRF president Mr Sukumar Chakraborty and judge Mr Ashok Chanda ordered the insurance company to pay Rs 45,053 to the claimant within two months. They also ordered the company to pay Rs 5,000 for the mental agony suffered by the claimant. In the DCRF order it was mentioned that failure in paying of the money within the stipulated period the insurance company would have to extend an additional ten-percent interest on the total amount. []