WEST BENGAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION

Forward Bloc's ex-MP contests as Trinamul candidate

Former Lok Sabha member Mr Hiten Barman won as a Left Front sponsored Forward Bloc candidate. In 2009 his party replaced him with another candidate, Mr Nripendra Nath Roy. Annoyed with the decision of the party leadership he got himself dissociated with the Forward Bloc. Later he was removed from the party. As he failed to take decision hastily to join the Trinamul Congress it also failed to offer him candidature to the Lok Sabha seat then. Now, Mr Barman appeared in the scenario again and he is contesting from Sitalkuchi Assembly segment, which was once a CPI-M den.

Mr Barman was once a loyal soldier of the legendary Forward Bloc leader, Kamal Guha. Now, his loyalty is to the Trinamul Supremo Ms Mamata Banerjee. In the Trinamul Congress he is a vice-president. 

Mr Barman said the Trinamul Congress is an actual believer of leftist ideology. At Singur and Nandigram it sided itself with the peasants and the Left Front had protected the Tatas. Mere bearing of red flags cannot make one a leftist. "I left the Forward Bloc due to difference of ideology and I am now campaigning against under development during the LF rule", he said.

He admitted that problems rose among the local leaders and supporters of the Trinamul Congress after announcement of his name as a candidate. Such things happen everywhere and here too it cooled down. Supporters of all sections of the party are now working jointly against the CPI-M candidate, he claimed.

Mr Barman said he was involved in the movement demanding formation of Uttar Banga Unnayan Parshad. During the LF regime nothing was done to improve the UBUP and so North Bengal is still an underdeveloped region. After formation of the Trinamul-led state government he will engage himself in improving the UBUP, he promised.

The former FB MP said the CPI-M already admitted its defeat and so they fielded a new candidate at Sitalkuchi. The outgoing CPI-M MLA Mr Harish Barman was an unsuccessful man as he failed to bring good to the people of the area, the Trinamul leader added.

West Bengal Assembly Election

Main issue is a long awaited bridge over Singimari at Sitai

The fight at Sitai in Cooch Behar district is confined between two teachers. They are the Congress candidate Mr Keshab Roy and the Forward Bloc candidate Mr Dipak Roy. A veteran Congress leader Dr Fazle Haque won from Sitai segment in 2006. This time the Forward Bloc is trying its best to recover their lost seat and the Congress is also trying hard to retain the seat.

In 2006, Dr Haque defeated Mr Nripen Roy of the Forward Bloc by 4895 votes. He got 72,184 votes. In 2006, the number of voters was 1,83,112 and this time it is 2,08,971.

The FB candidate Mr Dipak Roy is highlighting the necessity of the long awaited bridge over Singimari river. The work may have started if the election was not declared, he claims. After formation of the eighth Left Front government the construction of the proposed bridge will start, he assured.

It may be mentioned here that the bridge is very essential to connect Dinhata with Sitai as hundreds of people have to cross the river by ferryboats round the year. The problem turns worse during the monsoon months. The bridge issue comes up before each and every election and the leaders made it a habit to throw promises about its construction.

When the FB candidate Mr Dipak Roy is making promises to build up the bridge, the Congress candidate Mr Keshab Roy is criticising the leftists for not doing anything in their regime. He said the Left Front failed to construct the bridge in its past 34-year rule. The leftists laid the foundation of the bridge on 22 February 2009 but failed to start its construction yet. After pulling down the LF government from the seat of power the Trinamul-led state government will build the bridge, he hoped.

On the otherhand, the FB candidate said a LF minister laid the foundation and it will be also be constructed under the eighth LF government, he claimed. 

West Bengal Assembly Election

Congress may take action against rebel MLA

Is the rebel Congress leader Dr Fazle Haque expects to be an official candidate of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)? With such a hope hidden in his heart he submitted a nomination as a NCP candidate on Thursday. He however filed two additional nominations as independent candidate.

Dr Fazle Haque is a veteran Congress leader. He is an AICC member too. Once he was in the ministry of the then chief minister Siddhartha Sankar Ray. In the Assembly election of 2006 he won from Sitai. This time he was willing to contest from Dinhata, as the Sitai seat gone reserved. Failing to get the ticket from his party he decided to contest as an independent candidate with support of a large section of aggrieved Congress supporters and Trinamul Congress supporters. The Youth Congress also came out to support him. Meanwhile the Trinamul Congress gifted the Dinhata seat to its ally NCP. Two separate claimants of that party already filed nomination papers there. On Thursday, Mr Haque submitted three nominations – two as independent candidates and one as a NCP candidate.

Mr Haque said, he knows that his membership from the AICC got cancelled soon after filing of the nomination paper as independent candidate as his membership from the party gets suspended for six years. He also said that if the NCP allots him its Clock symbol he will contest as a NCP candidate. Otherwise he will contest as an independent as he decided earlier.

On the otherhand, PCC president Dr Manas Bhuiyan told over phone that he was yet to get reports about the candidature of Mr Haque. "We will wait till withdrawal of the nomination papers. If he stays in the poll fray as a candidate then measures may be taken against him", he added. District Congress leadership said as Mr Haque is an AICC member they cannot take any action against him. It is upto the high command, they clarified. 

PRIMARY EDUCATION

A school is running under a tree for the past eleven years. The tiny students of '188-Kharija Gopalpur Nagra Barman Netaji Vidyapith' are learning their lessons under a mango tree round the year at 188-Kharija Gopalpur village under Jamaldah Gram Panchayat in Mekhliganj block. In winter it is not so hard to study under the mango tree but during the ensuing monsoon months it will be tough as it was in previous years.

The school was established in September 2000. Since its establishment the classes are running under the open sky. The only shelter is a mango tree adjacent to the Bhandani temple in that village. Villagers said the District Primary School Council ignored the necessity to construct a school building following controversies over naming of the school. DPSC sources however preferred to make no comment.

There are 58 students and three teachers including a headmaster. The school is under Mekhliganj circle of the DPSC. As there is no school building there exists no toilet facility too. The mid-day meal scheme is yet to launch here. The students get uncooked rice only. The teachers have to keep the school's educational accessories in neighbouring residences.

The headmaster of the school, Mr Swapan Kumar Sinha said they made appeals to the chairman of the DPSC and the district magistrate several times to erect a building of the school but nothing was done till now. He however admitted that a fund was allotted for construction of the building but a controversy over naming of the school halted the initiative to construct the building. Meanwhile, the number of students has decreased from 120 to 58.

Secretary of the Village Education Committee, Mr Pradip Barman said they have been assured of official approvals for construction of buildings for a higher primary school and a primary school. After receiving of the required approval they will start construction of the school building, he said. 

MATHABHANGA

Free for all footpaths at Mathabhanga town

Encroachment of footpaths along different streets and roads is a major problem in Mathabhanga sub-divisional town in Cooch Behar district. At many places the hawkers and small stallholders occupied the footpaths to run their business. As the footpaths are being used for other purposes the streets are narrowing. Occupying the footpaths and even encroaching the roads a number of constructions came up in this town.  Now, it is hard for the pedestrians and even vehicles to pass through the roads safely and easily. Citizens complain that the municipal authority is not looking after the problem. Students are the worst sufferers, as many of them have to go to their schools on foot.

Many shops along the Bazar Road came down to the road from the footpath. A shopping complex also came up adjacent to the road. The condition of the busy Immigration Road from Shani Mandir to Minibus Stand is also similar. The footpath along this road is under control of the encroachers. The civic body constructed a footpath with railings but ignoring it the hawkers are using the railings to hang their merchandise to attract buyers. It also turned a problem for the pedestrians. Eateries came up on the newly built footpath in front of the police station. The footpath along Manimala Road is also under the encroachers. They have occupied almost all footpaths along the streets in the town like Sitalkuchi Road, Boarding Road, BN Road, Manomohan Road and Ashutosh Road.

A number of citizens alleged that the Mathabhanga Municipality conducts its duty by mere public announcement asking the encroachers to leave the footpaths. These announcements fall in deaf ears and no one was found eager to leave the footpath. The authorities are not interested in evicting the encroachers and take any action against the illegal constructions, they alleged.

When asked, the chairperson of Mathabhanga Municipality Ms Kokila Sinha admitted that due to different reasons it is not possible for them to evict the illegal encroachers. She however assured that the issue would be tabled in the next meeting of the municipal board.

ASSEMBLY ELECTION

West Bengal forest minister Mr Ananta Roy during a poll campaign at Mathabhanga in Cooch Behar.

ASSEMBLY ELECTION

NOC for two colleges to lure voters

State forest minister Mr Ananta Roy is contesting again from Mathabhanga Assembly segment as a CPI-M candidate. According to his supporters he will get votes from the people, as he was able to bring no objection certificates (NOC) for establishment of two colleges in a single block.

It is hard to get two colleges in a block in any district. But, Mr Roy did the impossible. And now he is expecting votes in return of his effort. The CPI-M is using the college issue in its electioneering in favour of Mr Roy's candidature.

In the recent past the ruling party was in an awkward position due to the popular demand for setting up a college in Mathabhanga-II block. When the demand rose to its height Mr Roy came out as saviour and brought NOC for establishment of a college at Ghoksadanga. Following the development, locals of Nishiganj turned agitated and demanded another college in their area. That demand was also met with another NOC. Thus, the Mathabhanga-II block received two NOCs for two colleges. In return, Mr Roy is hopeful of getting the voters' support. Not only NOC, financial approval was also issued for setting up the two colleges, Mr Roy claimed. He also assured that after the election the Left Front government would play its role to build up the proposed colleges.

The opposition camp is however, not pleased. They termed the NOCs as lollypops to lure voters. It is nothing but poll politics, they said.

The Trinamul Congress candidate of Mathabhanga, Mr Binay Krishna Barman alleged that the forest minister failed to satisfy the people of Mathabhanga from where he won in 2006. He is now trying to lure the common people. Taking it granted that the Trinamul Congress is going to form the next state government, Mr Barman said they would build the proposed two colleges, as it is impossible for the Left Front. The NOCs have been issued under condition that these colleges are to be run by own financial support and then it is nothing but a stunt to claim votes by showing those NOCs, he retorted. 

ASSEMBLY ELECTION

Rebel candidates jeopardise poll patterns

Official district unit leaderships of the Congress and the Trinamul Congress are on the same boat. They are facing a similar problem and that is the rebellion inside their organisations. The aggrieved rebels have gone so far that they dared to field independent candidates against the official candidates. At least Dinhata and Mekhliganj already witnessed it.

A resident of Dinhata, Dr Fazle Haque is a senior Congress leader. Once he was in the ministry led by the then chief minister Siddhartha Sankar Ray. In the 2006 Assembly election he won from neighbouring Sitai constituency as a Congress candidate. This time he expressed his eagerness to contest from Dinhata as the Sitai seat has been declared as a reserved one. The rebel camp in the Congress, the Youth Congress came out with a decision to support Mr Haque. A large section of Trinamul Congress supporters also expected to support him. Many supporters of the Greater Cooch Behar movement may also support him aiming defeat of the Left Front sponsored Forward Bloc candidate, Mr Udayan Guha.

But, Dinhata is the winning seat of the Trinamul Congress. They replaced the outgoing MLA Mr Ashok Mandal with its state unit general secretary Mr Mihir Goswami. Since then rebels became more active.  Later, the Dinhata seat was gifted to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that is almost a non-entity here.

District Congress president Mr Shyamal Chaudhury said according to the PCC's instruction they would campaign in favour of the alliance supported candidate. If anyone comes up to campaign against the official candidate or tries to contest as independent candidate the matter will be conveyed to the PCC.

The Youth Congress leadership also made it known that they are not pleased with the official Congress candidates, Mr Jayanta Roy at Mekhliganj and Mr Keshab Roy at Sitai. It may affect the polling pattern of the Congress-Trinamul Congress alliance.

Mekhliganj is one of the two seats that the Congress got from the alliance. Here, a local Trinamul Congress leader, Mr Sunil Roy came up to contest and it is believed that a large section of the supporters of the Congress and the Trinamul Congress may support him, as he stood second in the previous election against the FB candidate. The local Congressmen are not happy with their official candidate, Mr Jayanta Roy. They wanted Mr Mrintunjay Singha Sarkar as the candidate and the district YC leadership also spoke in favour of him. Local Trinamul Congress activists wanted the seat for a Trinamul candidate but it was allotted to the Congress. Following the development they fielded Mr Sunil Roy. Here, the Left Front sponsored Forward Bloc candidate is the food and supply minister Mr Paresh Adhikary.

Perturbed with the situation, the district Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said, the seat sharing was done by the state unit leaderships of the two parties. "We should abide by the instructions laid down by the state leadership. We must report all matters to them related with the situation that can disturb the unity of the alliance", he said. 

Tough fight for FB to retain Cooch Behar Uttar seat

Cooch Behar town is known as the stronghold of the Congress for a long. Cooch Behar Municipality was a Congress-run body till the previous civic election. But, the Trinamul Congress is a partner in the existing municipal board. After delimitation of the Cooch Behar Uttar Assembly constituency the town has been excluded from this constituency.

In the previous two Assembly polls the Forward Bloc's candidate won from this seat. But after delimitation it is no more a safe one for them. Due to change of status of this seat from 'general' to 'reserve' the Forward Bloc fielded a new face to contest from this constituency.

In the previous two elections Mr Dipak Sarkar won from this seat defeating ex-MLA Mr Mihir Goswami (Trinamul Congress). In 2001, Mr Sarkar bagged 57,170 votes while Mr Goswami got 38,813 votes. In 2006, Mr Sarkar pulled 67,997 votes and Mr Goswami got 36,325 votes. This time it is difficult for the Forward Bloc to use the image of the outgoing MLA as a 'wind of change' is blowing all over. The leadership of the Forward Bloc however not ready to admit their fear and so they are expressing their confidence in wining the seat again with a new candidate from scheduled caste community.

Cooch Behar Uttar Assembly segment is made of 13 Gram Panchayat areas under Cooch Behar-II block. After two consecutive terms of Mr Dipak Sarkar, this time the Forward Bloc fielded here a new candidate, Mr Nagendra Nath Roy.

In 2006, twenty wards of Cooch Behar Municipality were also in this Assembly segment, but this time these wards have been excluded due to delimitation. Though the stronghold areas the Congress got excluded, the Forward Bloc is not in a happy mood. Because, as a whole the votes in favour the leftists are going down considerably in recent times. In 2001, Mr Sarkar had acquired 46.88 percent votes and in 2006 he got 48.40 percent votes. In the Lok Sabha election of 2009, the Left Front candidate bagged only 43.08 percent votes from this Assembly segment. In the three-tier panchayat elections held in 2003, the leftists were able to capture 12 Gram Panchayats out of 13 Gram Panchayats in this Assembly constituency area. But, in 2008 they were able to retain six GPs only. Though the influence of the leftists is decreasing in this area the Forward is not ready to admit it. They are trying to woo the voters by pointing out that the opposition-run panchayat bodies are not functioning well and transparently. As a result, the Forward Bloc candidate has a greater chance to win from this segment again.

Construction of Railway Heritage Museum starts

Construction of a new building to room the Railway Heritage Museum is going on in Cooch Behar. The new building is coming up adjacent to Cooch Behar Railway Station. It is expected that construction of the new building may be completed by the end of the year.

According to practiced norms the railway museums are erected following the model of a local heritage building. In Cooch Behar the proposed museum building is being constructed following the structure of the historic Madan Mohan temple.

Additional divisional railway manager (ADRM) of North East Frontier Railway's Alipurduar division, Mr Indrajit Singh said the proposed building is being constructed at about 1000 square-feet area adjacent to Cooch Behar Railway Station. He expects the work to be completed by September of this year if no major problem comes up. A fund to the tune of Rs 7.62 crore has been allocated for the purpose, he said.

NF Railway sources said, historic articles and documents of the then Cooch Behar State Railway, Eastern Bengal Railway, Bengal Dooars Railway, old instruments, ticket box, drawings, furniture, trolleys, water columns and many other materials are to be displayed in the gallery of the museum. A library room will also be there, where books on railways and its history and also of cultural heritage of North-eastern India would be kept for curious readers and researchers. In the auditorium there will be facility for screening of documentary films and staging of cultural programmes.

Laying of railway tracks began in Cooch Behar in 1883 in a bid to connect the then princely state of Cooch Behar with railways of other parts of Bengal. But, prior to that, a railway station came up at Haldibari, on the western side of the Cooch Behar State in 1876. The new railway museum may throw light to that closed chapter of history again to the present generation believe many. Union railway minister Ms Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation of the proposed Railway Heritage Museum in Cooch Behar on 29 October in 2009. From that day a museum came up in a small room in Cooch Behar Railway Station with a few age-old articles, artefacts and documents. After completion of the new building the museum would be shifted to spacious rooms with many more objects for exhibition.

Secretary of Cooch Behar Heritage Society Mr Arup Jyoti Majumdar believes it will attract tourists and visitors to Cooch Behar from outer places and may act as a booster to develop the tourism industry in this region. Mr Shibendra Nath Roy of Concern for Cooch Behar also expressed his pleasure over the decision of the railway ministry to establish a full-fledged railway heritage museum in the heritage town of Cooch Behar.