MINORITY DEVELOPMENT

Trinamul stir plan on minority development

The Central government had sanctioned a large sum of fund for the development of the people from minority communities but that fund is lying unused. As the utilisation certificate for the first instalment was not sent the second instalment of the fund is not coming. Alleging this the Trinamul Congress is getting ready for a massive movement to attract the notice of the authorities to the matter.

District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh alleged that the Centre had approved a fund amounting Rs 150-crore in 2008 for the development of the people of minority communities. As its first instalment the district received Rs 48-crore but that was not spent till now. As it was not spent and the utilisation certificate was not sent the second instalment of the fund may not come. As a result the members of the minority communities will remain deprieved, as they were earlier. They brought the matter to the notice of the district administration several times but nothing was done, Mr Ghosh alleged.

Mr Ghosh said the sanctioned fund was to be used for making drinking water available to all, good road communication by construction of roads, setting up of Madrasas, improvement of irrigation facilities, arrangement for burial grounds, construction of houses for the homeless and many other developmental schemes for the benefit of the minority people. But the fund has been kept unused. For these reasons the minority-populated areas of the district is still suffering from under-development. Many poor people are going out to other provinces to seek jobs, as they get no job here, he alleged. "We want an end of this situation and so we are going to organise a massive movement over the issue", Mr Ghosh announced.

When asked, a member of the District Minority Development Committee and also an MLA of the CPI-M Mr Tamser Ali said they had sent proposals in two phases to the tune of about Rs 52-crore to the Centre through the state government. But, the Centre reportedly denied many of the projects of the proposals. "They conveyed that no new work could be done by using the fund. The fund should be used to develop and improve existing, ongoing and already approved projects", Mr Ali said. The DMDC member also said that they were trying to set up a Muslim girls' hostel and a plot of land was also earmarked for the purpose. At the first phase the hostel will be for 100 girls but latter it would be uplifted for 400 girls, he said. An English medium Madrasa will also be set up and foundation for the project will be done soon. Mr Ali is in no mood to admit that nothing was done for the minority people in Cooch Behar district.

On Monday, District Minority Officer Mr Sajjad Siddiqi was not available in his office. He was reportedly gone out to survey the progress of the ongoing projects. However, a senior government official said a proposal was sent from the district for approval of an estimated expenditure of Rs 48.20-crore. The proposal was sent following an instruction to make the estimate to the tune of the said amount of money. The utilisation certificate for the first instalment of the fund was sent and they are expecting the second instalment soon, the official said. The received fund was distributed among the Block Development Officers of the concerned areas and work is going on in full swing, he added.

But, the Trinamul Congress leader Mr Ghosh demanded that the administration should disclose the name of the projects and the expenditure done so far. Otherwise they will not go away from their movement plan, he announced.