INDO-BANGLADESH BORDER

Paresh Adhikary's appeal to CM to talk with Centre

COOCH BEHAR, March 17: State food and supply minister Mr Paresh Adhikary had to face a demonstration of farmers at Haldibari in Cooch Behar yesterday. He went there to campaign for the Forward Bloc candidate of Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency. The agitated farmers told him that they were being deprived as they were debarred from cultivation of jute, maize and banana in their fields near the border. As they have been suffering due to the prohibitory order imposed on them they demanded lifting of the ban on cultivation of the selected crops.

Smelling problems prior to the election, the minister immediately conveyed the matter to the district administration yesterday. This morning, Mr Adhikary requested the chief minister to take up the matter with the Union government in the interest of the poor farmers of the bordering areas. The CM reportedly assured him that he would talk with the appropriate authority at the Centre.

Mr Adhikary said cultivators of ten districts of this state are suffering due to the ban along the 1,200-kilometer Indo-Bangladesh border. As the length of the border in Cooch Behar district is 523-kilometre, a large number of peasants are suffering, he said.

It is learnt that an order exists there banning cultivation of lengthy crops along the border as the plants may pose problems to the border guards to maintain vigil along the area.

When contacted, the district magistrate of Cooch Behar Mr RK Sinha said they received an order from the government to discourage the cultivation of high-rise crops. He however denied commenting anymore over the issue.

On the otherhand, district Congress president Mr Biren Kundu said the order was promulgated due to security reasons. The farmers have every right to demonstrate. The state government did nothing to compensate the suffering farmers of the border areas, he alleged.

District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said no one should snatch the right of cultivation from the growers. It is nothing but violation of elementary rights of the farmers. The authorities should restore the right of the suffering farmers, he opined.