AIDSO demand

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 13: Cooch Behar district unit of All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) demanded installation of women police camps near the hostels of girls' schools and colleges for their security. They also demanded launching of Karate and other self-defence courses for the girl students. Submitting a memorandum containing seven-point charter of demands to the district magistrate of Cooch Behar today the AIDSO leaders also demanded winding up of liquor shops and gambling centres situated near the educational institutions. []

 

117-yr Dolmela

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 13: Tufanganj Municipality chairman Mr Subhas Chandra Bhawal will inaugurate the 117-th year Tufanganj Dolmela on 20 March. Secretary of Tufanganj Dolmela Committee Mr Mohanlal Dutta claimed that the fair organised on the occasion of Dol Yatra is the oldest one in Cooch Behar district. []

GCDP vigilant of Gorkhaland stir,hunger strike on 25 March, 72-hr bandh from 31 March

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 12: Following the ongoing developments in the Darjeeling hills the Greater Cooch Behar Democratic Party (GCDP) may hold talks with the proponents of the Gorkhaland over the boundary of the proposed Greater Cooch Behar state. As the agitators in the Darjeeling hills are demanding a separate Gorkhaland state including some areas in the plains, the proponents of Greater Cooch Behar state are feeling for bilateral talks because they already demarcated a portion of the area in the plains into their proposed state.

 

When asked about it, the president of GCDP Mr Ashutosh Barma said they are keeping a constant watch on the developments in the Darjeeling hills. Though no alarming situation arose yet a dialogue may take place in near future over the boundaries of the two proposed states, he said.

 

The GCDP president said, in support of their demand for withdrawal of all cases brought against fifty-six activists including Mr Bangshi Badan Barman and their unconditional release they will observe a 12-hour hunger strike in front of the office of the district magistrate in Cooch Behar on 25 March. The programme will start at 6 a.m. About one thousand party supporters are expected to participate in the hunger strike. They will seek necessary permission within a day or two from the authorities for observing the programme, Mr Barma said.

 

On the otherhand, the Greater Kamta United Forum (GKUF) will sponsor a 72-hour bandh in six districts north Bengal and eleven districts of Assam on and from 31 March to press for their demand to recognise their mother tongue and proper implementation of the merger agreement by which the erstwhile Cooch Behar State was included in the Union of India. Mr Barma, who is also the general secretary of the GKUF, declared that they would organise greater movements in near future to get their demands fulfilled. []

Avian flu alert in Cooch Behar

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 10: Following fresh outbreak of avian influenza in some areas in the state precautionary measures are being taken in Cooch Behar district. All the twelve blocks of the district were alerted to report any incident of unnatural death of chickens and other backyard birds. It may be recalled that three blocks bordering with Bangladesh had to suffer from massive outbreak of bird flu and after culling drive the blocks were declared cleaned.

 

As a precautionary measure the vehicles coming from Bangladesh through the International Check Post at Changrabandha in Mekhliganj sub-division are being sprayed to disinfect those. As it was believed that the source of avian influenza virus (H5N1) is on the other side of the border the district administration is in no mood to take any chance. A senior official said H5N1 virus might come any time from Bangladesh like the virus of conjunctivitis popularly known as Joy Bangla. It is better to get ready to meet the situation because there is no mechanism to stop spreading of the virus from over the porous border, he opined.

 

On the otherhand, the deputy director of animal resources development department, Dr Tapan Kumar Roy said people should not be panicked because no fresh incident of death of any chicken or duck was reported so far from any block. He claimed that ARD personnel are conducting surveillance in all block areas in the district. Soon after hearing of the cases of Murshidabad instructions were issued to report immediately any incident of death of birds. Dr Roy said the instruction issued to keep the Indo-Bangladesh border sealed is still valid. []

AIYL demonstration

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 9: Supporters of the Cooch Behar district unit of All India Youth League (AIYL) took out a slogan shouting rally in Cooch Behar town today. They were demanding unconditional withdrawal of all cases brought against fifty-seven Forward Bloc activists in connection with the violence that occurred in Dinhata on 5 February.

 

The AIYL supporters also demonstrated at the Cooch Behar Kotowali police station. Such programmes were held at Mathabhanga, Sitalkuchi, Ghoksadanga, Tufanganj, Haldibari, Mekhliganj, Sitai and Baxirhat police stations too, claimed the general secretary of Cooch Behar district unit of the AIYL Mr Gopal Dey.

 

Mr Dey demanded that the state government should ensure an end to the indiscriminate police firing and atrocities to stop democratic movements. The police personnel involved in the gunning down of five Forward Bloc activists on 5 February should be punished, he demanded. He also demanded making of an environment to build up co-operation between police and public and the police should come up with the initiative to do this. []

Banking habit

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 9: Aiming to grow banking habits among the students a programme was organised jointly by Cooch Behar College and Allahabad Bank on Friday. Bank accounts of 250 students were opened on the occasion. Chief manager of the bank Mr NG Biswas, manager Mr Manoj Silsharma, Dr Pankaj Kumar Debnath and Prof Avijit Roy were present on the occasion. Teacher-in-charge of Cooch Behar College Mr Bishnu Prasad Mukherjee presided over the programme. []

 

Social service

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 9: Bela Guha Dustha Mahila O Shishu Kalyan Samity, a social welfare trust established by late Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha in memory of his late wife, has started health check up drive at primary schools in Cooch Behar district. The president of the BGDMSKS Dr Bidyut Kamal Saha said they already started organising health check up camps at primary schools on Saturdays. They also distribute medicines among the needy students. If necessary they will arrange medical treatment to the ailing students free of cost on behalf of the trust, Dr Saha said. []

NBSTC : all-party meet demanded

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 6: In an aim to restore normalcy in functioning of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) the Trinamul Congress demanded convening of an all-party meeting to discuss over the issue to find a way out.

 

Today, a team of senior leaders of the Cooch Behar district unit of the Trinamul Congress including Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh (president), Mr Niranjan Dutta (vice-president) and Mr Santosh Mukherjee met the chairman of the NBSTC, Mr Supriya Kar at Paribahan Bhavan in Cooch Behar. They urged the chairman to call an all-party meeting as early as possible to discuss and identify the actual problems the NBSTC suffering from and also to find way outs. As the NBSTC is the one and only transport industry run by the state government in north Bengal it should be set on the right track for the greater interest of the people, they argued.

 

District Trinamul Congress vice-president Mr Niranjan Dutta said they requested the chairman to take initiatives to allot the lands of the NBSTC situated at different depots among the retired 428 NBSTC personnel instead of handing over the lands to the private sector. In these lands the retired persons may start their own small businesses to support their families, they opined.

 

Mr Dutta said they made it clear to the chairman that the NBSTC authority should clear the suspicion among the people in this region over the selling out of the land of the NBSTC's Ultadanga depot against lesser price than the market rate.

 

The Trinamul Congress leaders also requested the chairman to make the transfer policy transparent so that no certain political party can get undue advantage. Launching of long distance bus services in newer routes and appointment in the vacant posts of cleaners also demanded.

 

The NBSTC chairman, Mr Kar heard their points patiently and assured of taking appropriate measures after considering the proposals carefully, Mr Dutta said. []

Best NSS performer awarded

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 4: Prof Arunabha Basumajumdar, vice-chancellor of North Bengal University handed over the 'Best Programme Officer of National Service Scheme for the year 2006-2007' award to Prof Kishore Kumar Chatterjee of Tufanganj College at a programme held at the university campus yesterday.

 

Prof Chatterjee was conferred with the award for his untiring and outstanding performance at grass root level for the last thirteen years of NSS services at Tufanganj College. He is the programme officer of NSS (Unit-I) of the college.

 

Prof Chatterjee was awarded with a trophy and a certificate of merit by the vice-chancellor. Prior to the felicitation programme Mr Joy Sarkar, a senior NSS volunteer of Tufanganj College greeted Prof Basumajumdar on behalf of the college with a flower bouquet. []

 

PHOTO : NBU vice-chancellor Prof Arunabha Basumajumdar hands over the Best NSS Programme Officer trophy to Prof Kishore Kumar Chatterjee of Tufanganj College.

Trinamul to fight alone

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 3: Trinamul Congress will fight alone in the ensuing three-tier panchayat elections in Cooch Behar district. They made this decision public in a convention of party workers at the Community Hall in Tufanganj today and asked party workers to get ready for the polls. President of the party's district unit, Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh inaugurated the convention.

 

In presence of leaders like Bardhaman MLA Mr Swapan Debnath, Dinhata MLA Mr Ashok Mandal, vice-president of the party's district unit Mr Niranjan Dutta and Mr Hiranmay Chatterjee it was declared that Trinamul Congress will go alone in the rural polls in Cooch Behar district. About two thousand activists and supporters attended the convention.

 

The vice-president of the party's district unit Mr Niranjan Dutta said forty CPI-M supporters under leadership of Md Jaharuddin Byapari and Md Naimuddin Byapari joined Trinamul Congress during the convention. Six SUCI supporters too expressed their allegiance to the Trinamul Congress on the occasion, he added.

 

In today's convention, decisions were adopted to organise movements demanding construction of the river embankments for which foundations were laid earlier. The Trinamul Congress will also organise movements demanding measures to stop erosion of rivers to protect lives and properties of villagers, extension of irrigation facilities, power and drinking water to all dwellings and to stop corrupt practices in the public distribution system. []

A rally of dancers and artistes on the occasion of Folk Culture Festival at Chilakhana in Cooch Behar of West Bengal on Sunday.

Folk festival

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 2: Cooch Behar district folk culture festival was held at Chilakhana in Tufanganj today. State backward classes welfare minister Mr Jogesh Chandra Barman inaugurated the colourful festival. State forest minister Mr Ananta Roy and Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad sabhadhipati Mr Jnanendra Chandra Chanda were also present. Beside different folk cultural programme a seminar was also held on the problems of folk artistes and development of folk culture, according to the district information and culture officer Mr Tapan Sarkar. []

 

Conference

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 2: The twenty-first annual conference of the Cooch Behar district unit of the West Bengal Teachers' Association (WBTA) was held at Cooch Behar Uchcha Balika Vidyalaya premises today. After the delegate session an open session was also held. Several resolutions were adopted at the conference to protect the rights of the teachers and also to improve the educational scenario according to Mr Sisir Sarkar, the Cooch Behar district unit general secretary of the WBTA. []

 

Central Instrumentation Centre inaugurated

 

COOCH BEHAR, March 2: Inauguration ceremony of Central Instrumentation Centre, Acharya Brajendra Nath Seal College, was held on Saturday. Dr BG Unni (Scientist-F of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research), North East Institute of Science and Technology, inaugurated the centre. Dr R Chakraborty, director, Central Muga Research and Training Institute (CMRTI), Central Silk Board and Mr PK Das, scientist, CSB were present in the inaugural ceremony.

 

In his inaugural address Dr Unni said that this centre is a state level centre of West Bengal. He hoped that it would turn into a National level centre within a few years. He suggested that the researchers should have the objective to serve the society directly through their research activities. An overwhelmed Dr R Chakraborty too expressed his optimistic thoughts regarding the future of the centre especially in the field of Muga research.

 

ABN College sources said that the newly launched centre would promote quality research in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry as well as in Microscopy. It will extend facility to continue research on malaria, cancer and genetic disorders. Changes in genetic sequences can be monitored with higher sensitivity. Any infection of microorganism or hormonal fluctuation can be monitored with higher specificity. Muga Research Laboratory of ABN Seal College, the only centre of Muga research in West Bengal will get specific instruments for research on the disease related problems.

 

Mr Saugata Ghosh, lecturer of postgraduate department of Zoology will act as the centre in-charge of the new facility. For any support service one may contact with Dr Nilay Roy, head of the department, postgraduate department of Zoology, ABN Seal College. []