FORWARD BLOC STIR PLAN

Forward Bloc calls roadblock stir at Dinhata

The Forward Bloc called a three-hour road blockade programme at Dinhata on 22 July. On that day FB activists would stage roadblock at Chaupathi at the centre of the town, on the main road in front of the office of the sub-divisional officer and at the crossing of the bypass road from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. They called the programme in support of a few issues of public interest. As Dinhata was their stronghold for years they are eager to regain their power of influence over the sub-division again. It may be recalled here that the Trinamul Congress captured the Dinhata Assembly seat in the last election. The FB had to surrender the Sitai Assembly seat too in this sub-division to the Congress in that election.

Secretary of Cooch Behar district unit of the Forward Bloc Mr Udayan Guha said the population of Dinhata town rose significantly in the past years. The vehicular traffic too rose but the main road of the town (Dinhata-Cooch Behar road) was still narrow as it was before. The proposal for expansion of the road is pending for a long. The public works department is paying no heed to the demand. "We have drew attention of the PWD officials on several times but they took no visible measure to widen the street. At last, we had to decide of a road blockade programme to highlight the issue", Mr Guha said.

At Baro-nachina an important bridge is lying in an awkward position for a long. The PWD is taking no initiative to repair it. Mr Guha alleged that villages like Petla and Matalhat were got disconnected due to the precarious condition of the much-needed bridge. In case of any incident of fire in the area it will be hard for fire-servicemen to enter in those villages to douse fire. "We want this bridge to be repaired immediately", Mr Guha said.

He also mentioned the rural electrification scheme named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Power transformers in at least 48 villages in Dinhata are lying out-of-order. According to the promise all the residences in each village are to get power connection but it is still to be translated into reality, he alleged. The Forward Bloc would not allow such things anymore, Mr Guha announced.