Cooch Behar Municipality to end water crisis by Italian help

 

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 20: The water crisis in this heritage town is going to be a thing of past. Thanks to the financial assistance extended by the Italian government. The Cooch Behar Municipality is to construct nine overhead water reservoirs to ensure regular water supply to the citizens. The civic body is to get an Italian assistance to the tune of Rs 14-crore to implement the ambitious plan.

 

Chairman of Cooch Behar Municipality Mr Biren Kundu said they are going to add nine overhead reservoirs in the town. Presently, there are only two that are in working condition. Another two are under construction. As the citizens have to suffer from inadequate supply of water especially during the summer months the civic body will erect additional reservoirs to draw an end to the problem.

 

Not only overhead reservoirs but also water treatment plants like chlorinating plant and iron removal plant will be installed. There will be a surface water treatment plant. In this plant water lifted from adjacent Torsa river will be scientifically treated to make it usable. These schemes may better the existing situation of water supply facility in the town, the chairman hoped.

 

With a fund of Rs 8.49-crore received from Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) 632 houses will be constructed in the slums fitted will all civic facilities like roads, drains and toilets. There are twenty-five slums in this town except in Ward No. 7 and 14. Under Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns (IDSMT) programme sanitary toilets will be offered to all. The aim behind the plan is to make the town free from service privies (khata paikhana) to ensure a pollution free environment.

 

Mr Kundu promised that they are eager to build up housing estates for all Harijans of the town to ensure shelters to each of them. IHSDP or IDSMT funds may not be available for implementation of this plan. So, a proposal is being sent to the Central government urging them to extend adequate assistance. "We will request the Union minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munsi to take an initiative so that the proposal approved", the chairman said. []

 

CPI-M reacts over FB's 'go alone' plan

 

COOCH BEHAR, Dec. 20: The CPI-M is apparently unshaken following the threat of Forward Bloc's 'go alone' policy. They evaluated the FB's policy as a 'no profit no gain' one for the Left Front.

 

Yesterday, Forward Bloc's newly elected Cooch Behar district secretary Mr Udayan Guha declared that they would go alone in the ensuing three-tier panchayat elections. The decision was adopted in their recently held district conference to honour the wishes of their grass-root level supporters. Mr Guha, also a state committee member of Forward Bloc had claimed that they already got the green signal from the state unit of their party.

 

Reacting to the FB's decision the district unit secretary of CPI-M and also the convenor of district Left Front, Mr Chandi Pal said today that the decision is not a new one for the Forward Bloc. It will not be able to affect the CPI-M or the Left Front. "We may feel good if they stay with us because all the Left Front constituent parties except the Forward Bloc are with us", he claimed.

 

Commenting over the statement of the district FB secretary that they are trying to shun the association of anti-socials like Mr Binay Konar, the district CPI-M secretary said the people are to judge who is anti-social and who is not. Mr Guha is not the judge of any court. He is no one to describe anyone as anti-social. The people will decide it in the elections, he said.

 

Yesterday, Mr Guha had declared that they would field candidates in the seats considering their organisational strength in the areas concerned. In other seats they will act according to the situation. Mr Pal took it as a point to attack and said, it means they do not have adequate strength to field candidates in all seats. "We can field candidates in all the seats in this district and we may do so if necessary", he said.

 

Mr Guha had clarified that by their 'go alone' policy they are not going to weaken the Left Front. "We will stay in the Left Front but at the same time we will stage protest against the autocratic policy of the CPI-M to keep the LF on the right track", he said. The CPI-M leader, Mr Pal too wants them to stay in the front. "No one should held us responsible if the Forward Bloc leaves the Left Front to go alone", he said. "We are not going to drive them out but they may know where the door is", he added.

 

Mentionworthy, the Forward Bloc had decided not to participate in Left Front programmes after defeat of its two candidates in this district in the last Assembly elections – at Dinhata and Sitai. They had held the CPI-M responsible for the defeats. After demise of the then district secretary of Forward Bloc, Kamal Guha, the differences started narrowing. At last, at a meeting of the Left front the two parties had agreed to work jointly once again. But, following demands from grass root level supporters the FB had to change its line again and it got back to the earlier stance of confrontation with the CPI-M by remaining in the Left Front. []