NBSTC

NBSTC staff suicides

An artisan of the mechanical department of the North Bengal State
Transport Corporation, Loknath Dey has committed suicide last night.
He hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his room at his house
situated at Kalabagn in Cooch Behar town. A few months ago he was
transferred from Cooch Behar to Suri in Birbhum district. He left a
suicide note too.

The secretary of the NBSTC Workers Union's Cooch Behar Division unit,
Sujit Sarkar said Dey was transferred to Suri a few months before the
Durga Puja. As a low salaried staff it was hard fro him to run to
establishments at Suri and Cooch Behar. In Cooch Behar, his wife is
suffering from Tuberculosis and she is now under treatment in a
government hospital. His married son is an unemployed one. Due to
these reasons Dey was suffering from mental agonies and that may
prompted him to commit sucide, Sarkar said. He also said that this is
the sixth suicidal death in the NBSTC.

NBSTCWU sources said the workers and employees were not paid 25
percent of their salary each month starting from April. They are yet
to get the salary of November.

The councillor of the concerned municipal ward, Mahananda Saha held
the Transport Department for the suicide of Dey. He had to commit
suicide as he collected a huge amount of loan to run the family and
the treatment of his ailing wife, Saha said. Dey's wife also said her
husband lend money for the family.

The Managing Director of the NBSTC, C Murugan said he would enquire
about the incident as he was a worker of the corporation.