AGITATION

Demonstration of forest personnel

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 25: Members of Cooch Behar district unit of INTUC affiliated West Bengal Forest Service Employees' Federation (Unified) staged a daylong sit-in demonstration at the divisional social forestry office in Cooch Behar today. They were protesting against the sudden transfer of their Cooch Behar district unit secretary Mr Smarajit Sarkar.

 

The agitated forest workers alleged that the transfer was uncalled for especially during the ongoing plantation season.

 

Mr Smarajit Sarkar said about one hundred aggrieved casual daily labourers recently left the CITU union and joined the WBFSEF (U). Recently a list of 529 CDLs was prepared but in that list no one was from Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Baikanthapur divisions and so they deserted the CITU affiliated union. This may be one of the reasons behind his transfer, he suspects.

 

One of the rebel CITU supporters, Mr Niranjan Amin explained that they joined the INTUC union because they have to work for 18 hours per day against Rs 40 only. At the time of absorbing of such labourers they were kept out of the list and this prompted them to leave the CITU union.

 

Mr Sarkar alleged that ransacking of funds in the name of observing Forest Week is a regular feature in Cooch Behar social forestry division. "We have been protesting such things for a long and so they are trying to teach me a lesson by transferring me from here", he alleged. He also said that the toy train facility at Narendra Narayan Park in Cooch Behar town is running at a loss, but work is on to launch another toy train project at Kholta in Cooch Behar-II with an inflated fund. "Protesting against misuse of government money earned my transfer", he said.

 

The Cooch Behar DFO (Social Forestry) Mr Apurba Sen said the transfer order came from higher authorities but he has no knowledge about the reasons behind it. A transfer beyond the Cooch Behar division is not under his purview, he explained. Mentionworthy, Mr Sarkar is a range officer of social forestry division engaged in Mathabhanga. In a recent order he was transferred to West Bengal Forest Development Corporation from Cooch Behar social forestry division. []

 

PHOTO : Sit-in demonstration of forest workers at the office premises of Cooch Behar social forestry division. In Cooch Behar on Friday.