http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=395174:hijli-canal-likely-to-be-revived&catid=72:bengal-plus&from_page=search

 Hijli canal likely to be revived

30 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 30 DEC: Hijli Tidal Canal in East Midnapore, an important navigational route during British rule, is likely to be revived soon. The Haldia Development Authority (HDA), irrigation and waterways department, ministry of railways, and Planning Commission have decided to give it fresh life.
The 36-km stretch of the canal passing through Mahisadal, Nandigram-I and II and Khejuri-I blocks, from Geonkhali to Rasulpur ghat has been choked off for decades. The erstwhile Left Front government made plans to desilt the canal just before the last panchayat poll in its 35-year regime.
In 2006, legislation was introduced in Parliament to declare an old canal/river systems National Waterway Number 5. A 623-km network, NW 5 runs from West Bengal’s Geonkhali southwest to Odisha's Paradip, and within Odisha, from Mangalgadi (near Paradip) west to Talcher. It would include the Hijli Tidal Canal, the East Coast Canal, and the Matai, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers. The cost: Rs 1,526 crore.
Mr Lakshman Seth, then CPI-M MP from Tamluk, also proposed in Parliament the reconstruction of Hijli Tidal Canal. Neither plans has been implemented.
The 138 year-old lock gate at the government dockyard at Geokhali is still displays its glorious history. The words "Govt Dockyard, Calcutta 1872" are inscribed on a steel bar that remains strong enough to fight corrosion, with rivets robust enough to take the load.
Mr Mamud Hossain, saha-sabhadhipati of the zilla-parishad, said the HDA has already sanctioned Rs 28 crore for the excavation of the canal from Mahisadal.
"The cost to excavate the entire 36 km canal has been estimated at Rs 60-70 crore and various departments will help to implement this plan. An amount from NREGA and the Jal Dharo-Jal Bharo projects will also be utilised for this project."
He continued: “Several thousand mandays will be created in the area for the work. Besides, the desilting would help the fishermen in a big way to increase their catch. Farmers will also get more irrigation facilities."
Referring to the huge potential of the Jal Dharo-Jal Bharo programme to reduce the severity and frequency of floods and droughts, he said the idea had been well accepted not only by the Planning Commission, but also by the district's leaders.

Surjya regains control in dist?

27 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 27 DEC: As the CPI-M prepares for the district conference before the scheduled state conference next February, it seems that party state secretariat member and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Dr Surjya Kanta Mishra, is regaining his hold over the organisation of the district, to which he belongs. For nearly two decades, the district party was dominated by Mr Dipak Sarkar, another state secretariat member.
During the recently-concluded local and zonal committee conferences, Dr Mishra was able to put leaders, belonging to his faction, in secretaries' posts. Now, leaders who are close to Dr Mishra dominate the committees. Several leaders, who belong to Mr Sarkar's lobby, have been removed from the posts.
Mr Sarkar, who masterminded the plans to set up harmad camps in Junglemahal to combat the Maoists, gained wide acceptance within the party. The strategy was, subsequently, criticised by a section of party leadership who alleged that the plan not only put the party in trouble but also helped create a wrong notion among the people. The killing of nine villagers at Netai in Lalgarh had not only exposed the presence of armed CPI-M camps in Lalgarh but also the erstwhile Left Front government’s surrender to the party at the grassroots.
Former minister Mr Susanta Ghosh, who is now in jail in connection with the Benachapra skeleton recovery case, and Mr Sarkar were the helm of the party in West Midnapore for over 20 years. The district leadership also mounted pressure on the government for help to combat the Maoists. Before the Netai killings, Mr Ghosh had repeatedly claimed in public rallies how his cadres had driven Maoist out of Lalgarh. On New Year’s Eve, local CPI-M activists held a rally in Lalgarh. 
“All these have later gone against Mr Sarkar and Mr Ghosh soon after the Trinamul Congress came to power. Dr Mishra, who once criticised the district leaders, became the Opposition leader in the Assembly and started dominating the committees which were controlled by Mr Sarkar," a party insider said.
According to party leaders, the district conference will be held from 30 January to 1 February. Earlier, it was scheduled to be held in early January, but as the decision on the bail petition of Mr Ghosh in the Supreme Court will be announced on 6 January, the party has deferred the district conference to 30 January. “If Mr Ghosh gets bail from the Supreme Court, his presence in the conference will give an extra zeal among the participants," said a party insider.
Party sources said eight state secretariat members will be present at the district conference and former chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee will address a public rally on 1 February.

Centre urged to lift ban on industries

25 December 2011

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HALDIA, 25 DEC: The Haldia Development Authority (HDA) has appealed to the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) to lift the ban on setting up of new industrial projects in the industrial belts of West Bengal, including Haldia. The HDA has also appealed to Union finance minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee to look into the matter.
Mr Subhendu Adhikari, chairman of the HDA and Trinamul Congress MP from Tamluk, said: “The Union environment ministry has extended the ban imposed on 43 highly-polluted clusters across the country till March next year. The ban on industrial clusters includes Haldia, Howrah and Asansol in West Bengal. But, we have appealed to both the state government and the Centre to look into the matter so that every investor can get environment clearances as early as possible.”
“Even, I have personally spoken with Mr Mukherjee with regards to this matter and I hope, the ban will be lifted soon,” said Mr Adhikari.
According to HDA officials, at least 12 major industries, including Haldia Energy Ltd, India Power Corporation (Haldia) Ltd, RH Projects, STV Technologies, Haldia Free Trade Warehousing Pvt Ltd, Sinosteel Rolls India Pvt Ltd, Shamon Ispat Ltd, Hindustan Gypsum and Euclix Shipbuilders Pvt Ltd, are waiting for environment clearances from the Centre. “If the ban is lifted within a few months, investors will start their projects soon,” said an HDA official. The Centre had imposed the ban on the basis of a comprehensive environmental pollution index (CEPI). The index was used as a tool to assess the condition of the air, groundwater and land in 88 industrial clusters across the country. About 43 clusters with a CEPI score of 70 and above on a scale of zero to 100 were declared critically polluted. Of the three sites in Bengal, Haldia was found to be the most polluting with a CEPI score of 75.43. Howrah came next (74.84), followed by Asansol (70.20).
A state pollution control board official said: “The CEPI is linked to public health in terms of presence of toxins and their concentration, impact on human health and level of exposure. It will help in industrial sitting and indicate the assimilating capacity of a particular area with respect to air, water and soil pollution.” It has been learnt that West Bengal has submitted two plans and even started executing some of the features. Initial reports suggest there has been a marginal improvement in Haldia. Groundwater pollution and depletion were flagged as a critical concern. The state government feels that a surface water scheme in Geokhali will address this problem. Mr Adhikari said: “We have already worked for increasing green zones in the industrial belt and all existing industries in Haldia have developed their infrastructure according to the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board. If the PCB assesses the pollution in Haldia now, it will find an improved situation compared to the previous measurement.”

Haldia Development Authority focuses on tourism

23 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 23 DEC: As the Central Pollution Control Board has extended the moratorium imposed two years ago on setting up of new industrial units in the area, the Haldia Development Authority (HDA) is now focusing on improving the tourism infrastructure. Following the order, the HDA has stopped providing basic infrastructure for new industries.
It has already started preparing GIS-based "Land Use Map" for effective planning and development. “The GIS map will provide plot wise information on the status of land. IIT Kharagpur has been engaged to prepare the Land Development and Control Plan for the old planning area,” said Mr Subhendu Adhikari, chairman of the HDA.
He said: “We have already launched a dedicated website for promotion of tourism in Haldia and its neighbouring areas. The website will help the travellers who would love to explore the rich natural and historical treasure of the region.”
According to HDA officials, the website has information on important tourist attractions, right from route maps, to travel guides, information on accommodation, picnic spots and sight-seeing places, eco-tourism destinations, and industries.
This apart, the HDA is preparing a detailed project report for development of land in and around Mahisadal Rajbari to make it a favourable tourist destination. Work for the project  will begin soon. The HDA is also going to construct a “Gateway to Haldia Town” to create an impressive landmark for the port city of West Bengal, an HDA official said.
For setting up a speedy communication with Kolkata, the HDA along with Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) took up an initiative to connect Haldia to Kolkata within 30 minutes by the copter service. “The air service will help industrialists, elite and local people for emergency services,” said Mr Adhikari. As a part of development works, the HDA has illuminated 6.3-km HPL Link Road (Connecting between NH-41 and SH-4) by high power LED Street Lights with automated operating system at the cost of Rs 3 crore.

Tourism in Junglemahal to get a boost

20 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 20 DEC: The tourism industry in Junglemahal, comprising parts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts, which has been hit by the Maoists menace for the past three years, shows sign of recovery from the new year.
The morale of security forces engaged in anti-Maoist operation got a boost following the killing of top Maoist leader Kishenji in an encounter. The leader's death, in turn, has put the rebels on the back foot. “Now, they (Maoists) don't have strength to be reorganised here. Those who have managed to escape during operations are now hiding in forests of neighbouring states. And villagers, who had once supported the rebels, have now turned against them,” said a senior official of Counter Insurgency Force (CIF).
Hotels and resorts in several tourist spots in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, which reported zero per cent occupancy until a few months ago, have started feeling the presence of tourists in this winter season.
Admitting that the Maoist activities had affected tourism industry in the area, an official of the state tourism department said: “It was a political and law and order problem. It had negative impact on the tourism industry in these districts and we can only hope that normalcy will soon return in the area and the tourist inflow will increase again.”
The district administration is taking several measures to boost the tourism industry in the area. “We are developing various packages to boost tourism in our district and these will be announced soon. We are getting into the aspects of eco-tourism, village tourism and community participation,” an official said.
Whether it is the forested areas of Jhargram, the picturesque Mukutmonipur on the confluence of the Kangshabati and Kumari rivers or the Ayodhya Hills in Purulia, tourists were afraid of visiting the places for the frequent violence and bandhs called by the Maoists.
“Though there has never been a single attack on tourists, fear of unwanted trouble had kept travellers away from visiting the areas,” said Mr Manik Mahato, a hotel owner of Jhargram. This apart, burning of some forest rest houses and bungalows, including ones at Kakrajhor in West Midnapore and Duarsini in Purulia, had only added to the fear of tourists, Mr Mahato said. “The number of tourists has started falling since November 2008 and we now depend on sales representatives of different companies and traders who come here for business,” said a representative of Doolung Guest House in Jhargram.
According to official estimates, around 2,000 people used to visit Mukutmonipur everyday during the winter season, but since the 2008 incident, this has come down to less than half. Travel operators said the situation is same in Jhargram which once saw hundreds of visitors.

Maoists face leadership crisis

18 December 2011

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MIDNAPORE, 18 DEC: Following the killing of senior Maoist leader Kishenji in an encounter with the security forces on 24 November at Burisole forest in West Midnapore, Maoists are now facing a leadership crisis, especially for their eastern regional bureau.
The outfit is now trying hard to reorganise its base, especially ahead of its 10th Party Congress slated for 2012. During the conference, the outfit is likely to bring in new faces in place of its slain or captured leaders. Sources in the Intelligence agencies indicated that the Party Congress might have little choice but to induct second-rung, younger leaders in the new Politburo and central committee.
The de-facto CPI(Maoist) Politburo, excluding the arrested members, is now a seven-member body, comprising general-secretary Mupalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy from Karimnagar, Nambala Keshav Rao from Srikakulam, Kattam Sudarshan alias Birenderji from Adilabad, Mallojula Venugopal (brother of Kishenji) from Karimnagar, Misir Besra from Jharkhand, Prashant Bose alias Kishanda from Jadavpur, and Malla Raji Reddy from Karimnagar. 
Of the remaining Politburo members selected in 2007, Cherukuri Rajkumar, alias Azad, was killed in July 2010 and Kishenji on 24 November. The jailed leaders include Pramod Mishra (arrested in May 2008 from Dhanbad), Akhilesh Yadav (arrested in June 2011 from Gaya), Amitabh Bagchi (arrested in August 2009 from Ranchi), Kobad Ghandy (arrested in September 2009 from Delhi), Baccha Prasad Singh (arrested in February 2010 from Kanpur), Narayan Sanyal (arrested in January 2006) and Sushil Roy (arrested in May 2005 from Hooghly). Central agencies are keenly watching whether Maoists will drop these imprisoned leaders from the new Politburo in 2012.
The series of killings or arrests of members of the Maoist Central Committee (CC) and different action squad leaders this year is an indication that the core principle of counter-insurgency strategy is to hit the leadership, a senior officer of Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) said.
A Maoist leader said: “The fake encounter that killed Kishenji is unfortunate and no doubt it is a blow to our party”. According to sources, “in the outfit, he is the founder of, and master at, the practice of organising or infiltrating mass movements and later converting them into violent struggles. He has done this successfully in many places in West Bengal. Within the outfit, he also headed the sub-committee on Political Education”.

Navigable depth falls at Jellingham, Haldia dock in further crisis

16 December 2011

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HALDIA, 16 DEC: The ongoing crisis at the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) has deepened further as the navigable depth at the governing bar of Jellingham has decreased and the number of dredgers working in the channel has come down to two from six.
In 2008, the HDC had faced the similar problem and both the state and Centre had to intervene. This time too, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) authorities have taken up the matter with the Union minister of state for shipping, Mr Mukul Roy, and hope to put all the dredgers back into operation by December.
“The Haldia dock may face severe problem in the lean season, which starts in November, as the depth of water in the Hooghly river has gone down since August. This apart, only two dredgers are working in the river while four dredgers have been withdrawn,” a top Haldia port official said.
According to port officials, the water depth required by vessels to move on the Hooghly river has dropped to 3.8 metre at Jellingham Channel and 4.1 metre at Auckland Channel. The minimum levels required by these two key points in the river are five metre and 5.5 metre, respectively.
This has forced authorities at Kolkata port, under which the Haldia dock falls, to send emergency requests to the Dredging Corp of India Ltd (DCI) and the shipping ministry to arrange for more dredgers, the official added.
The present situation has led to apprehensions among port users about the situation that may arise in the months to come. The months between November and February are considered "lean" for transporting goods through river. The tidal flow also remains low during the period.
In 2008, the situation at HDC had been so bad that ships, even with loads far lesser than their capacity, weren't able to enter the port. With several industries, not only in West Bengal but many other states, depending on HDC for raw materials and fuel, any fall in water level at Jellingham would result in a crisis. A senior port official at Haldia said: “Some senior bureaucrats in the ministry of shipping are out to promote the upcoming private port at Dhamra in Orissa. So they are trying to make the Haldia port sick so that Haldia Port cargo of existing 32 million ton could be shifted to Dhamra.”
“The DCI has forcibly withdrawn the dredger from Haldia dock without taking necessary clearance from KoPT. Even a KoPT pilot was enforced to move with the dredger, which is a criminal offence,” the officer added.
Port officials claim that the situation could have been averted, had the KoPT management paid more attention to HDC instead of planning new projects. According to some officials, a lot of effort was wasted on making plans for a port at Sagar Islands. The authorities, however, are yet to select a site for the proposed project.

Navigable depth falls at Jellingham, Haldia dock in further crisis

16 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 16 DEC: The ongoing crisis at the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) has deepened further as the navigable depth at the governing bar of Jellingham has decreased and the number of dredgers working in the channel has come down to two from six.
In 2008, the HDC had faced the similar problem and both the state and Centre had to intervene. This time too, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) authorities have taken up the matter with the Union minister of state for shipping, Mr Mukul Roy, and hope to put all the dredgers back into operation by December.
“The Haldia dock may face severe problem in the lean season, which starts in November, as the depth of water in the Hooghly river has gone down since August. This apart, only two dredgers are working in the river while four dredgers have been withdrawn,” a top Haldia port official said.
According to port officials, the water depth required by vessels to move on the Hooghly river has dropped to 3.8 metre at Jellingham Channel and 4.1 metre at Auckland Channel. The minimum levels required by these two key points in the river are five metre and 5.5 metre, respectively.
This has forced authorities at Kolkata port, under which the Haldia dock falls, to send emergency requests to the Dredging Corp of India Ltd (DCI) and the shipping ministry to arrange for more dredgers, the official added.
The present situation has led to apprehensions among port users about the situation that may arise in the months to come. The months between November and February are considered "lean" for transporting goods through river. The tidal flow also remains low during the period.
In 2008, the situation at HDC had been so bad that ships, even with loads far lesser than their capacity, weren't able to enter the port. With several industries, not only in West Bengal but many other states, depending on HDC for raw materials and fuel, any fall in water level at Jellingham would result in a crisis. A senior port official at Haldia said: “Some senior bureaucrats in the ministry of shipping are out to promote the upcoming private port at Dhamra in Orissa. So they are trying to make the Haldia port sick so that Haldia Port cargo of existing 32 million ton could be shifted to Dhamra.”
“The DCI has forcibly withdrawn the dredger from Haldia dock without taking necessary clearance from KoPT. Even a KoPT pilot was enforced to move with the dredger, which is a criminal offence,” the officer added.
Port officials claim that the situation could have been averted, had the KoPT management paid more attention to HDC instead of planning new projects. According to some officials, a lot of effort was wasted on making plans for a port at Sagar Islands. The authorities, however, are yet to select a site for the proposed project.

Maoists change strategy, may abduct Trinamul leaders

13 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 13 DEC: Following the death of CPI (Maoist) Politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao, alias Kishenji, in an alleged encounter at Burisole forest in West Midnapore, the rebels are believed to have changed their strategies.
According to Intelligence inputs, the Maoists are now planning to abduct a few Trinamul Congress leaders, including paschimanchal unnayan affairs minister Mr Sukumar Hansda. The security forces, who are engaged in search operation for Venugopal Rao, brother of slain Kishenji, Suchitra Mahato, wife of slain Maoist commander Sasadhar Mahato, and few others top rebel leaders, are now worried for possible abduction bid of political leaders in Junglemahal. It is believed that the Maoist leaders are now hiding in different forests bordering Jharkhand and Orissa.  
Concerned of the Maoist threat, the state government has already enhanced security of ministers and MLAs from Junglemahal. “The state government is preparing a separate strategy and special security zone for the Midnapore range. The government is working on a strategy, based on local Intelligence inputs, as Maoists are targeting local leaders and supporters. It is not only Mr Mahato, but several other Trinamul Congress MPs and MLAs are also facing threat from the Maoists," a senior police official said.
A few days before Kishenji was gunned down, Maoists put up posters at different places in Lalgarh asking Trinamul leaders to resign from their posts. The rebels alleged that chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee had failed to keep her poll promises.
In the past few days, the Maoists carried out attacks in Jharkhand and Bihar, parts of the Maoists Corridor. At present, the state government is trying to wipe out fear from the residents of Junglemahal. The state government organised Junglemahal Cup Football Tournament, 2011 and provided rations to poor tribals and mobilised people with placards “Not war, we want peace” to dispel fear, said Trinamul Congress MP Mr Subhendu Adhikari. “The situation after Kishenji's death is normal. At first we need to ensure that armed rebels don’t roam around freely. The joint forces will take necessary actions to tackle the problem," he added.  But in Junglemahal, youths, who have applied for junior constables’ posts, are unaware of political promises and more concerned about livelihood: “I don't know if this has something to do with development. I am just trying to get a job,” said a youth.

Maoists choose new state secretary

8 December 2011

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MIDNAPORE, 8 DEC: Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of Orissa state organising committee of CPI (Maoist), has been selected as the party’s new organising secretary in West Bengal.
He has replaced the acting state secretary, Ashim Mondol alias Akash, against whom some party insiders have raised fingers for “conspiring” with police to track down their top leader Kishenji who was killed in an alleged encounter with the security forces at Burisole forest in West Midnapore on 24 November. Intelligence agencies have already informed the state government and the Centre about this new development.
Sources close to the Subsidiary Intelligence Branch (SIB) said: “Panda will basically work as a secretary of the party’s border regional committee of West Bengal and Orissa with the additional duty of organising secretary of the party’s West Bengal unit.”
“The central committee leaders of Maoists have already investigated the killing of their politburo leader Kishenji and they have come to a decision that Akash had kept contact with the leadership of Trinamul Congress even after confrontation developed with them. He could have passed information about the whereabouts of Kishenji who had sneaked into Junglemahal to observe the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week in December,” an SIB officer said.
A Maoist leader who declined to be named said: “A meeting was held at an undisclosed location in Jharkhand on 19 November where Kishenji and his brother Venugopal, along with some other senior leaders, were present. In that meeting, they decided to replace Akash from his post as he was found guilty of conspiring with police to track down the slain leader Sasadhar Mahato. They then selected Sabyasachi Panda as the party’s next organising secretary of West Bengal.”
Sources close to the Maoists also said that the party has already cornered Akash and Sumon, a squad leader who used to move in the Nayagram area of West Midnapore, soon after the killing of Kishenji and sent them to some undisclosed locations of Orissa.
“They have been asked to work there and the party has posted some key cadres to keep a vigil on their work round the clock,” sources said.
Akash, who was given temporary charge as the party’s state secretary following the arrest of former state secretary Sudip Chongdar alias Kanchan in December 2010, had developed “a sharp difference of opinion” with Kishenji. After realising that his political fate could be sealed, Akash tipped off police about Kishenji’s whereabouts, a rebel told The Statesman recently.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the forests bordering Orissa to track down Venugopal and his squad members as the Intelligence Branch officials had reported to the state government that the rebel leader had managed to sneak into Junglemahal and is currently camping at Kanaisole forest in West Midnapore.
Other source close to Central Intelligence agencies, however, believe that Venugopal is hiding at Gatasila forest in Jharkhand.

Play safe: No night trains in Maoist-hit areas yet

6 December 2011

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MIDNAPORE, 6 DEC: The death of Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji in an alleged encounter with the security forces may have sent a message to the state government that the Left-wing movement has been tamed in West Bengal, but the Indian Railways seem to have a different opinion.
The authorities of the Indian Railways, who were once keen to restart night trains, at least partially, in Maoist-hit areas of the state soon after the Trinamul Congress came in power, are now not eager, especially along the routes of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.
Night operations of Express trains were suspended after last year’s Jnaneswari Express derailment where 150 persons were killed and several others injured. Till date the night services have not been resumed fearing another Maoist attack. Five Mail or Express trains ~ three daily and two weekly ~ have been rescheduled following suspension of night operations to avoid troubled areas of Jhargram in West Midnapore and Purulia.
A few days ago, a section of railway authorities met Home ministry officials to discuss resumption of night trains along Kharagpur-Tata section, but within 48 hours, the station master at Bhagabangola in Murshidabad had received threats over phone about a “hit” on the Sealdah-Lalgola Hazarduari Express.
But, incidents like the one in Bhagabangola, which prompted the Railways to halt the 13114 Down Hazarduari Express and inspect tracks besides alerting security agencies, have made officials apprehensive. “Incidents like this make it difficult to run any operation in certain pockets,” said an official.
“The South Eastern Railway had deployed additional RPF commandos and was running pilot locomotives at night, but even after the death of the Maoist leader, we are very much apprehensive of a retaliation from the rebels,” a senior railway official in Kharagpur said.
A senior police officer, however, said, “The coordinated operations by the Central and state police in Junglemahal gradually started gaining ground and the Maoists have already been cornered. The death of Kishenji indicates that they had little space to fall back. But now the government will have to make serious effort to improve the life of tribals in all these Naxalite-hit areas in the state. Otherwise, the problem might raise its head in coming days again.”
“Once we are confident, we will immediately start running of trains during night hours,” the officer said.

Maoists attack Jharkhand ex-Speaker’s convoy; kill 10 

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3 December 2011

MIDNAPORE, 3 DEC: In what appears to be the first act of retaliation for the killing of Maoist leader Kishenji in Burisole forest in the Junglemahal area of West Bengal, Maoists attacked the convoy of former Jharkhand Speaker and MP Mr Inder Singh Namdhari, killing eight policemen and two civilians, including a child, at Ladu More in Jharkhand’s Latehar district today.
At least five people, including three jawans, were also injured in the attack and they have been admitted to hospital in serious condition. One policeman is said to be missing. The dead policemen include an assistant sub-inspector. Palamau SP Mr Sudhir Kumar Jha said two among the four injured policemen, who were admitted to a hospital in Medininagar, later succumbed to their injuries.
The rebels triggered an IED blast and then opened fire on the security vehicles which were escorting the former Jharkhand Speaker from Chatra parliamentary constituency. “Mr Namdhari who was returning from a function at Mahuatand escaped unhurt, but at least eight security personnel and two civilians were killed in the attack” said Mr RK Malik, inspector general of police (operation), Jharkhand. According to police, Maoists attacked Mr Namdhari's convoy between Garu and Lalbhar. A bus in the vicinity also came under Maoist fire. An six-year-old girl who was injured in the cross-fire succumbed to her injuries in a hospital where she was taken along with the other injured. Mr Namdhari said: “I was returning from a programme and security officials were escorting me. When my convoy was crossing a bridge near Ladu More, I heard an explosion behind my vehicle. We didn’t stop the car. The policemen were in the car behind us and weren’t able to move as fast as us.” Condemning the attack, he said: “I was busy in public work. The rebels are not willing to accept our development efforts. Such heinous crimes would not be accepted by the people”.
Mr GS Rath, state director-general of police, said: “The Maoists triggered an IED blast and then opened fire on the security vehicle which was following Mr Namdhari’s car at Ladu More. Eight security personnel and two civilians including a child were killed in the attack”. According to police sources, the bodies of eight policemen have been recovered but one policeman is stated to be missing. “Following the attack, the government has issued a red alert across Jharkhand and security has been beefed up at key places,” a senior police officer said. This attack came on the eve of a two-day Bharat Bandh called by the CPI (Maoist) to protest against the killing of top leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji in West Bengal on 24 November.

Plastic bag ban to reach panchayats

biswabrata goswami

2 December 2011

TAMLUK, 2 DEC: Concerned about the widespread use of plastic carrier bags and the resulting environmental pollution across the state, the West Bengal government recently issued a notification extending the ban on the use of plastic carrier bags less than 40 microns thick down to the level of panchayats across the state.
Before this most recent announcement, the plastic carry bags ban had been issued in all municipal and corporation areas in the state; the state government now seems to have felt the needs to deal with this problem at the panchayat level, said Mr Mamud Hossain, saha-sabhadhipati of East Midnapore zilla-parishad.
“This time, the environment department is serious about enforcing the law with the help of panchayats," said Mr Hossain. "And it has directed the panchayats to enforce this ban in a month’s time." Mr ML Meena, principal secretary of the state environment department and chairman of the state Plastic Management Committee has therefore issued an order asking all panchayat authorities to work with the police to impose spot fines on offenders.
According to the rules, traders using banned plastic will be fined Rs 500 while their customers will be fined Rs 50.
A panchayat samity member in Tamluk said that it would take a joint effort to deal with the problem: "It is practically impossible for panchayats alone to enforce the ban. The police must take action. Although the law has a provision to impose spot fines on offenders, there is some confusion about this."
"Waste management is the biggest problem and people living in villages have no proper knowledge about the problem. So awareness should be created, before imposing fines," he said. "Tackling the problem, though, is an urgent priority. People should dispose of the waste they generate at their houses by adopting technologies developed by various agencies."
Mr Hossain said, “The government is also working on a plan to phase out plastic carrier bags, which should be replaced by bags made of degradable materials. The problem of waste management in big cities is not of the same nature as that in panchayats. High-end technologies are now being considered by cities such as Kolkata to manage the problem."
Pointing out that some states had already banned the use of plastic carrier bags, an official at the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) said that the indiscriminate use of the bags clogs the drainage system and leads to water-logging and floods. “Plastic waste also prevents the natural aeration of the land and water bodies and hampers agriculture and pisciculture. Coloured or recycled plastic carry bags are hazardous to human health. Even animals die by inadvertently ingesting plastic carrier bags,” the officer said.
The WBPCB had already banned the use of these bags of any kind in ecologically sensitive areas like the Sunderbans, coastal and forest areas in the state and the district of Darjeeling. Heritage sites and 50 metres off the bank of the Ganga river is also off-limits for the bags. Bu the recent effort to extend the ban to the level of panchayats will not only improve the situation but also create awareness among the rural populace, said the WBPCB officer. 

New strategy for Maoists?

29 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 29 NOV: Faced with aggressive government campaign against the wanton killings that have become the hallmark of their strategy, and against their sympathisers, the Maoists seem to be engaged in a re-think on using violence in the “class struggle”.
Indications of a possible change in their stance come at a time when both the Centre and state government have been aggressively attacking intelligentsia, supporters and human rights activists for espousing the Maoist cause, branding them as mere terrorists who had no ideological backing behind them.
In a re-think of the strategy of ‘individual killing’, a section of Maoists is trying to stress on mass movement by reviving its defunct organisations and forming units in new sectors based on priority.
Accordingly, a section of Maoists hiding in the Belpahari area of Jhargram in West Midnapore has formed a cooperative society called as Janasadharaner Krishi Samabay at Patharchapri village. In a leaflet (see sns photo) which was recently circulated among farmers of various villages in Belpahari, Kishan, a central committee leader of the CPI (Maoist), said: “This cooperative is now in a rudimentary stage. The main motto of this cooperative is to help the farmer; not to earn profit. Apart from this, it will help to protect the farmers from touts and mahajans”. The Maoist leader also claimed that farmers living in 14 villages in and around Patharchapri have joined the new cooperative. A Maoist leader on condition of anonymity said: “More cooperatives will be formed in Junglemahal in future as our leadership is now stressing on mass movement before going in for armed struggle against state oppression.”
“Individual killings, which are not the strategy of Maoists, have created a rift between the people and Maoists. A section of Maoists that is already detached from the party is still collecting money from people and they often kill people. But as the Maoists had started mass movement first in Junglemahal, the responsibility of each and every killing goes to the party,” said the Maoist leader. Intelligence agencies have already sent reports of the new developments to the Central government. According to reports, several youths in Belpahari have taken up arms training, albeit without weapons.  “The rebels stress on forming secret party units in the farming community first in the rural areas. Their main focus is that of mass political mobilisation by inculcating leadership qualities in the rural working class,” said a senior official.

Kishenji had host of acts lined up, reveal documents

28 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 28 NOV: Maoist second-in-command Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji, who was gunned down in an encounter by the security forces at Burisole forest on 24 November, had been camping inside the Parihati forest range in Jamboni for the past 15 days to observe the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week in December.
This has come to light from the documents recovered by the security forces from the encounter spot at Burisole forest. “A lot of letters, a pen-drive and computer hard discs were seized from the spot which suggest that the top Maoist leader had come from Orissa at least 15 days ago and he was to organise a state committee meeting before observing the PLGA week here,” said Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram, who had also taken part in the 24 November operation.
“As the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started a probe into the “killing” of Kishenji, we have already handed over all documents seized from the site to them and they are now examining the documents,” he said. A senior CID official said: “The PLGA’s week-long celebration starts from 2 December each year. As the party had become quite weak due to the security forces’ massive operations in Junglemahal, Kishenji, who was also the party’s central military commission member, perhaps felt that it would be an ideal period to chalk out offensive strategies against the security forces’ operations.”
In a document seized from the site, Kishenji had written that he had come to convene sessions with the rebels in West Midnapore to strengthen the rank and file of the organisation as part of the week’s programmes, a CID official said.
Two days ago, a Maoist party insider told The Statesman from an undisclosed location that Kishenji had come to attend a state committee meeting which was scheduled for 22-23 November inside the Parihati forest range at Jamboni in which Kushboni and Burisole forests fall. “He was to dislodge the acting state secretary, Akash, from his post and to declare his decision over the inquiry regarding the killing of the party’s leader, Sasadhar Mahato. Akash was blamed of supplying information about Sasadhar to police,” said the party insider.
Besides, another of his important task was to prepare the assassination blueprints of top political leaders, including the chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, a state Intelligence Bureau (IB) official disclosed. With these goals in mind, Kishenji had camped in Junglemahal for the past 15 days, he added. Examining the documents, the officials of the state Intelligence branch and  the IB of the ministry of home affairs has come to a conclusion that Kishenji had a plan to show video clippings of “heroic” deeds of their cadres, who lost their lives fighting the security forces, to the tribal people with an eye to garner their support.

Conspiracy theory points finger at Akash

25 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
BURISOLE (West Midnapore), 25 NOV: At a time when the killing of top Maoist leader Kishenji raised a controversy with his supporters and some political leaders alleging that he was eliminated in a fake encounter, some party insiders of Maoists have also raised fingers at their party’s acting state secretary Akash for ‘conspiring’ with police to track down the rebel leader.
Akash, who was given temporary charge as the party’s state secretary following the arrest of former state secretary Sudip Chongdar alias Kanchan in December 2010, had developed " a sharp difference of opinion" with Kishenji, said a party insider from an undisclosed location.
The reasons ~ Akash was supposed to be dislodged from his temporary charge at a state committee meeting which was scheduled for 22-23 November inside the Parihati forest range at Jamboni in which Kushboni and Burisole forests fall.
An investigation into the death of Sasadhar Mahato was conducted under the leadership of Suchitra Mahato, wife of Sasadhar, in which Akash was blamed for supplying information about the hideouts of Sasadhar to police. Because of his specific information, security forces had been able to track down Sasadhar and kill him in an encounter.
Kishenji came to Junglemahal recently to attend the party’s state committee meeting and he was to declare his decision on these two vital issues. After realising that his political fate could be sealed, Akash tipped off police about Kishenji’s whereabouts, a rebel said.
The Maoist cadre argued "it is impossible that any of his security guards did not die while a top Maoist leader was killed. Kishenji had four strategic security cordons with heavy assault rifles protecting him. Then how could security forces kill the top leader, without any more bloodshed." Sources close to the rebels also said Akash was very much jealous about Sasadhar since he was a natural leader and he held sway over party activists. Though Sasadhar was not the party’s state secretary, the party members always  respected him and followed his instructions which enraged Akash.
Intelligence officials of different agencies have also corroborated that Kishenji sneaked into the forest to attend his party’s state committee meeting. "We were overwhelmed when we came to know that Akash was not present at the meeting. As we had specific information of the meeting, security forces had cordoned off the Kushboni forest on Tuesday, but the rebels managed to escape from the area. On the next day, we came to know that Kishenji and his accomplices could have taken shelter in Burisole forest and we launched an operation there," a senior police officer said.

Cong leaders shaken & stirred

19 November 2011

tirthankar mitra/biswabrata goswami

KOLKATA/MIDNAPORE, 19 NOV: While the Congress rank and file has been stirred into action a day before a convention on panchayats in the city, a section of the party's senior leadership has been shaken by chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee's warning yesterday, asking the party party to decide whether it wants to remain in an alliance with Trinamul Congress. The leaders giving pep talks to the party workers tomorrow may witness disagreements between those activists loyal to pro-Trinamul leaders and those frustrated with playing second fiddle to the dominant alliance partner. The latter, though are sure to be buoyed by Union rural development minister Mr Jairam Ramesh’s statement, made in Midnapore town today, that the Congress party has not taken voluntary retirement in the state.
What riled Miss Banerjee was a Congress rally from Hazra to Mayo road in the city yesterday protesting against attacks on Congressmen in the state. The procession in the heart of a Trinamul stronghold has been a shot in the arm for Congress activists in the city, but Miss Banerjee felt it was a conspiracy planned to have maximum impact on the by-election in Kolkata (south) parliamentary constituency scheduled for 30 November.  But local Congress leaders said that it is perfectly normal for a political party to organise processions, and it was Congress' right to make its presence felt. Mr Jairam Ramesh, who visited several villages in Junglemahal in West Midnapore to look at the implementation of the Centre’s Integrated Action Plan scheme, echoed the sentiment, telling mediapersons, in the presence of Trinamul MP and Union minister of state for rural development Mr Sisir Adhikari: “Congress is a political party and it has every right to conduct a meeting and rally. Congress has not given VRS in this state.”
Mr Ramesh is among the leaders ~ others include Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Shakeel Ahmed ~ who will address Congress workers at tomorrow’s convention, that, apart from taking up panchayats-related issues, is expected to focus on the need to shore up Congress' grassroots support, and prevent their organisationally stronger ally from ousting them.
Mr Ramesh, during his trip to Junglemahal, visited Bhalukhonia, Salboni, and various areas in Lalgarh and Jhargram, where he interacted with villagers. He said several development projects are planned for Junglemahal, including the construction of 1,800 km of village roads.

Jagori’s brother applies for cop job

 biswabrata goswami

18 November 2011

MIDNAPORE, 18 NOV: A day after Maoist activist Jagori Baske, along with her husband, Rajaram Soren, surrendered before chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, her brother, Sovaram Baske, today applied for a job in the police forces under the special recruitment drive of tribal youths launched by the state government in Junglemahal.
He is probably the first family member of any prominent Maoist in Junglemahal who stepped forward to apply for the special police constable force. “I am eager to get benefit of the special project launched by the chief minister. I agreed to work for the sake of the people and the nation,” he said after filling up the form at Belpahari police station today. As today was the last date for filing application to the posts of various police jobs, hundreds of tribal youths thronged the various police stations in Junglemahal.
Defying the Maoist diktat against accepting government jobs, thousands of tribal youths had cycled to police stations from distant areas to collect application forms for jobs in the posts of junior constables, homeguards and the National Volunteer Force in the last two months.
Former Peoples’ Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) convenor Chhatradhar Mahato’s son had also applied for a police job a few days ago.
On her first visit to the Junglemahal tribal belt after taking over as the chief minister, Miss Banerjee had addressed two public meetings at Nayagram and Jhargram on 13 July. At the events, she also distributed scholarships and bicycles to the meritorious adivasi students and promised 10,000 jobs to the youth in the state police and home guards.
She made a clarion call to the Maoists for joining the mainstream by laying down arms and promised that her government would provide them adequate financial compensation, besides taking care of their family members. “Surrender your guns and stop individual killings,” the CM had said, adding, “If you take up arms, do it for the country.”
Following her call, five Maoists have surrendered themselves before the state government so far and “more than 10,000 tribal youths have applied for police jobs so far,” said Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram. sns

Demand soars, government to boost cashew trade

18 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 18 NOV: To boost cashew trade, the state government is planning to implement the Cashew Nut Cluster Zone Project at Contai in East Midnapore. The government also aims to expand the project to other parts of the state.
Three years ago, the Left Front government had taken up an initiative to popularise the trade amongst farmers, but it failed to implement the project following objections from traders. The traders had alleged that many fake traders had been included in the shareholders’ list.
Crisis in the industrial sector in Vietnam and Brazil, major competitors of India in the cashew nut market, had inspired the state government to take fresh initiative for expanding the cashew nut producing area.
Officials of the state industry department said the move would enable the state to export more cashew nut from the next financial year. To meet the growing demand, the state food processing industry and horticulture department is planning to reactivate the cashew nut cluster zones comprising East and West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.
“Due to Maoist problem in parts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, the overall trade in the sector has drastically fallen in the past three years. But, the state government is now planning to reactivate the trade as the demand is growing in the international market," said an official of the state horticulture department. "Although the demand in the traditional markets like the USA, Europe, Japan, and Australia is stagnating or showing slow growth, consumption in other Asian countries is growing fast," the official said.
According to horticulture officials, India exports cashew nut primarily to the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia. The demand for Indian cashew nut has gone up as both Vietnam and Brazil have failed to meet the global demand. This has also led to a rise in the prices.
Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the major cashew nut producing states in the country. Though in comparison with the average cashew nut production in India, which stands at 0.65 ton per hectare, West Bengal produces one ton cashew nut per hectare.
“But with the increasing demand in the global market, there is a huge scope for the farmers to treat it as a commercial crop here. So, we have planned to spread our cashew nut producing area by 200 hectares from 1.32 lakh hectares this year through various projects under the National Horticulture Mission," said an official.
Apart from this, the horticulture department will supply high-yielding variety of cashew to the farmers. The high-yielding variety, brought from Maharashtra, will produce cashew weighing between 8 and 10 gram, which has great demand in the international market, said an official of the department.
For speedy implementation of the "Front Line Technology Demonstration in Cashew", financial assistance to the tune of Rs 30,000 per hectare will be provided for a period of three years for conventional method of cultivation. In case of organic farming, the assistance will be to the tune of Rs 40,000 per hectare.
The department will also provide Rs 30,000 per hectare for three years for inter-cropping.
According to reports, around 450 cashew nut units (small and medium) are active in the Majna area of Contai and more than 50,000 people are engaged in this sector.

Maoists plan to strengthen students’ front

15 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 15 NOV: Maoist rebels, who are active in parts of Junglemahal in West Midnapore for the past three years, are now planning to strengthen its students’ organisation, called Chhatra Samaj, to mobilise tribal students to fight for their rights and welfare activities.
The reactivation of Chhatra Samaj is being seen as a part of a comprehensive strategy taken by the Maoists to revive its now defunct mass organisations, which had helped spread radical activities.
Information collected from different sources indicates that the Maoist strategy is to gain a foothold among the tribal populace in the forest areas first before spreading their activities to other parts of the state. The Maoist area committees, consisting of five to seven armed rebels, have already completed the task of identifying the issues on which movement can be launched.
According to local residents, some area committees in Jhargram have decided to take up the issue of corruption at the Centre, lack of facilities for students, scarcity of teachers in tribal residential schools, unemployment problem among educated tribal youth, withdrawal of security forces from Junglemahal and release of political prisoners from different jails.
“Though the Maoists are virtually engaged in guerrilla war against the security forces in Junglemahal, they are now trying to strengthen its various mass organisations, including the students’ front, to launch mass movement against the state government with an eye to mobilise more people from different sections of the society," said a local resident.
Sudam Kisku (name changed on request), a Class VIII student in Jhargram, said: “Some elders of my locality have asked me to lead the Chhatra Samaj in our school. They have asked me to encourage students about the demands and revolutionary activities of the Maoists."
Asked about the activities of the Maoist-backed students’ front, Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram, said: “I am aware of the existence of Chhatra Samaj, but it is still not operational here."
A senior police officer in Salboni, who often leads operations against the rebels, said: “The students who are involved with Chhatra Samaj mainly act as informers of the Maoists. But, it is very difficult to arrest them as they are all students.”
A Maoist leader, who declined to reveal his identity, however, said: “Every political party has several mass organisations. So, we have also built many frontal organisations for different sections of people.”
Reports of several Intelligence agencies reveal that more than 1,000 tribal students are associated with the Chhatra Samaj, but this students’ front is active mainly in Jhargram sub-division of West  Midnapore. 
Experts on Maoist insurgency, however, said: “Maoists have built students’ front in the tribal area, but they are trying to bring them into the arm struggles which are absurd in respect to the present socio-economic pattern. Students may raise their voice against some social issues, including their demands, but they will not be involved in armed struggles with the Maoists."

Mobile network to get better in Junglemahal

8 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 8 NOV: The telecom department has decided to broaden the scope of the strategic mobile communications in Maoist zones to set up a strong intelligence-based network in these areas. Now the remotest areas in Junglemahal of West Midnapore, affected by acute Left-wing extremism, will soon be covered under a mobile loop.
Plans are afoot to include an additional 18 remote districts across the nine Maoist-affected states, including Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal, which are part of the famous 8,000 sq km Maoist corridor in West Bengal, a senior official of the telecom department in Kharagpur said.
"The mobile coverage plan has virtually doubled for security reasons. Originally, the government was focusing on Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, but now it is looking at a potential 78 Maoist-hit districts across the nine states. As a result, we will require multiple operators in each of these states," the official said.
"The availability of mobile network in remote fringes of Junglemahal is very vital for setting up a strong intelligence-based network. In Junglemahal, many areas are still outside the mobile network range which virtually hampers easy accessibility into the areas. So, decision to broaden the scope of strategic mobile communication will help the security forces to set up its own intelligence unit even in remote areas," a senior police officer who deals with the Maoist insurgency in Junglemahal said.
Lack of economic development and absence of decent telecommunication links has intensified the Maoist problem in these regions. "The rebels often take shelter in areas where the telecommunication facilities have not reached. Currently, driven out by the security forces, the Maoist’s action squad leaders are hiding in remote areas of Belpahari, Banshpahari and Kantapahari of Jhargram. But it becomes very difficult to trace the rebels hiding in such these areas where telecommunication does not work," said the police officer.
A CPI-M leader in Jhargram said Maoists prefer to keep communication alive through messengers. "They don’t depend on the mobile-connectivity. But when they want to communicate with their higher ranking comrades, they go to the nearby towns and use new cell-numbers," he said.
According to the latest master plan, as many as 15 districts in Orissa, 14 in Jharkhand, 10 in Chhattisgarh, eight in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Bihar, two each in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and one each in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, have been identified as territories affected by acute Left wing extremism.
The telecom department will ask a minimum two operators to roll out mobile networks in remote areas of the Maoist-hit states by early-2012. It has also decided not to reserve any slot for BSNL after it declined to participate in the project without 100 per cent Central compensation, a telecom department official said.

Jute growers await hike in MSP

4 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 4 NOV: In a bid to aid farmers in areas of West Bengal, including East Midnapore, where jute is cultivated, the Centre is planning on hiking the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute.
"The Centre is planning to hike the MSP for raw jute after considering Miss Mamata Banerjee's recent request for a bonus of Rs 400 a quintal for the current jute season in her meeting with the National Development Council in Delhi," said an official at the state Agriculture Marketing department.
The Opposition leader in the Assembly, Mr Surjya Kanta Mishra, also submitted a deputation with the state agriculture minister regarding the same matter.
He said that farmers in the state are reeling under the pressure of rising agricultural products, including fertilisers, and that they are getting sub-par prices for their products, primarily rice, jute, and potatoes.
East Midnapore farmers are dissatisfied with the jute minimum support price (MSP); they are blaming the Centre for fixing the jute MSP rate below the market price.
The chief minister earlier held a meeting with Jute Corporation of India Ltd. (JCI) officials, at which she had offered the additional price and urged them to start procuring jute at the enhanced price. The state will continue to cover the additional amount until the Centre enhances the MSP.
The JCI's current MSPs vary from district to district: farmers get Rs 1,700 for a quintal of jute in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri, Rs 1,713 in South Dinajpur and Malda, Rs 1,725 in Murshidabad and Rs 1,738 in Nadia, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan, East and West Midnapore and South and North 24-Parganas.
“Farmers are virtually rotting in their fields because they are being deprived of the minimum support price of paddy and jute. Some are even burning their jute crop in frustration. If things continue like this, suicides might also take place,” said a Communist Party of India-Marxist leader. A senior agri-marketing official said, “Proper marketing of agricultural produce is critical for the development of the sector in the state. The state government plans to introduce a three-tier marketing facility within the state, with the primary tier catering to the rural population.”
The sector faces a number of major challenges, the officer added, including poor connectivity, a lack of warehousing facility, and the prevalence of middlemen.

Nayachar finally to get eco-tourism & industrial hub

28 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 28 OCT: The state government has agreed to allot 350 acres to Mr Prasoon Mukherjee-promoted Universal Success Enterprises (USE) for setting up an industrial park and eco-tourism infrastructure at Nayachar, an island on the Hooghly river off Haldia in East Midnapore.
Of 350 acres, the state government has agreed to give 250 acres at the industrial town of Haldia and the rest 100 acres will be provided at a place near Panagarh in Burdwan, said an official of Haldia Development Authority (HDA) under which jurisdiction the major land will fall.
In August this year, the state government had announced the scrapping of a proposed PCPIR project at Nayachar island. The project was scrapped on environmental grounds and at the same time, the state government had assured that an eco-tourism project would come up in its place.
“The government will not allow a chemical hub in the state because of threat of air and land pollution and also since it threatens the livelihood of fishermen,” Mr Partha Chatterjee, the state industry minister, had said. He also announced that the island would be developed for eco-tourism and the interests of fishermen inhabiting the island would be protected.
Mr Mukherjee, who had come to an agreement with the erstwhile Left Front government to construct a chemical hub at Nayachar, had sought compensation to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore after the Left Front government transferred 54 sqkm in Nayachar to a joint venture between Mr Mukherjee’s firm and the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) to conduct feasibility studies. But, later Indonesia’s Salim Group, which was to be one of the key investors in the project, pulled out and USE became the sole private investor in the Nayachar project.
After the Trinamul Congress came to power earlier this year, the chemical hub project was scrapped and replaced by the eco-tourism one. Mr Mukherjee agreed with the Trinamul Congress’ views on Nayachar project and submitted a new project proposal, which envisages setting up an industrial park and infrastructure for eco-tourism, besides a power plant.
“A revised agreement for the projects at Nayachar island is to be signed, and the draft, which is ready to furnish, envisages 250-350 acres being given to USE as viability gap compensation,” a HDA official said.
Meanwhile, people who deal in fishing business, however, said: “Nayachar is around 5.6 metres above the average mean sea level and regularly hit by tidal waves as high as 4-5 metres. The ground stands risky for any sort of industrial project and unless the proposed project has definitive water disposal plan to deliver the residue wastes downstream which will not harm the marine lives, it will be difficult to maintain the environmental and ecological balance of the island.”

Schools flout RTE Act with impunity

25 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 25 OCT: The rules of Right to Education (RTE) Act have been laid down but not everyone is in a mood to follow them. Several prominent schools in West Midnapore have been flouting the rules with impunity in the absence of any guideline and a mechanism to enforce the provisions of the Act.
The state education minister has clearly stated that stringent action would be taken if any school, irrespective of affiliation to any board, flouts the rules and conducts admission test. Even schools till Class VI come under the Act. Concerned over this, the district inspector of schools (secondary) in East Midnapore has already issued a notice (no. 613-S-dt 21.10.11) to all schools asking them to follow the RTE Act properly, while no notification has been issued from the part of West Midnapore yet.
This apart, students and parents from the economically-weaker sections of society are still finding it tough to use the RTE Act effectively. Instances of alleged expulsion, mental harassment and misbehaviour have been reported against some private un-aided schools. In rural areas of the district, especially in Junglemahal, several school owners and principals are not even aware of the guidelines. “I had to shell out Rs 25,000 as donation, besides the usual funds and fee for admission of my son in a leading school of Midnapore town,” said Mr Rathin Basak (name changed on request).
Similarly, a leading school in Midnapore has been conducting a test for students seeking admission in Classes V, VI, VII and VIII. A teacher of a leading school in Kharagpur said their school had no official word on the new directions and hence had gone ahead with the entrance test for classes under eighth standard.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recently slammed the state government for not implementing the RTE Act in the state. The statement also said the state had not yet prepared the rules of the Act. This is so “even though the last three years have seen allocation of up to Rs 4,000 crore for implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the state,” it said.
Some parents of students in Midnapore alleged that many schools in the districts are deliberately conducting admission tests, while no action has been taken against the school authorities yet. Concerned over the matter, the Chhatra Parishad plans to submit a memorandum to the district inspector of schools (secondary) on Thursday with a demand for immediate implementation of the Act in every school.

Goon-raj at Haldia port hits trade

23 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 23 OCT: Despite regular patrolling and inspection by the police, incidents of pilferage and sabotage by anti-social elements are frequent in Haldia. Regular theft of high value cargo like iron ore fines, sugar and coal in broad daylight from outside port premises has reached such an alarming proportion that if immediate action is not taken, the economy of trade and shipping will be disturbed. Some iron ore traders allege the pilferage sometimes goes up to 10 per cent of the parcel load of ships and the monthly value of only iron ore pilfered from around 500 trucks and dumpers everyday is around Rs 22.50 crore.
Haldia port, which is facing an unprecedented financial crisis owing to low draft, handled cargo traffic of 41.5 million tons during 2008-09. This time, owing to decline in draft and commissioning of Haldia-Paradeep Crude Pipeline by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), the traffic for the current financial year is slated to be 31.5 million tons only, a senior port official said.
Sources in Haldia port said iron ore constitutes 20 per cent of the total cargo handle at Haldia port and if the pilferage of cargo does not stop immediately trade and industry will be left with no alternative but to shift to other neighbouring ports like Paradeep and Visakhapatnam.
Hooghly Metcoke, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, Sree Renuka Sugars, Ennore Coke Limited and many other companies which use Haldia port are not able to move their cargo freely because of broad daylight theft of their materials outside the port area. These industries are already contemplating to shift their base to other, safer, locations, said a senior port official. Trade bodies like Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) have already taken up the matter with the port authority and state administration earlier, but no steps against iron ore mafias in Haldia have been taken beside the recent arrest of the CPI-M councillor of Haldia municipality and iron ore exporter, Sheikh Mujaffar.
Mr Mujaffar’s elder son, according to sources, too is accused of illegally dealing in iron ore. Normally iron ore is transported through trucks or dumpers from Kharagpur to Haldia for export. Gangs led by some prominent mafias hijack the trucks and bring them to their storehouses which are situated near the port. After unloading a good quantity of high grade iron ore from the trucks or dumpers, they mix impurities in the rest and send it on to the port. “This process is taking place every day, under the nose of district and port administration, but no proper steps have been taken so far against these mafias,” said an industrialist. He said: “The Central Bureau of Investigation has recently begun a probe into the alleged iron-ore export scam through various ports, including Haldia, in which miners use the railways for sending their export consignments to the ports as meant for domestic consumption. The pilferage of high quality cargos should also be probed by a proper investigating agency here

Security of Junglemahal MLAs, leaders enhanced

20 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 20 OCT: As Maoists have threatened Trinamul Congress leaders over the demand of withdrawal of security forces from Junglemahal, a cautious district administration has strengthened security of all MLAs and  senior political leaders in the Maoist-hit areas.
The administration has decided to provide four security personnel each to all four Trinamul MLAs from the area. Earlier, two security persons used to guard an MLA from the area. The administration will also provide security cover to an MLA whenever he or she visits areas in Junglemahal. Other political leaders, who are on Maoists' hit-list, too, will be provided security, a senior police officer said. The Trinamul Congress West Midnapore district president has already been provided two security persons. Trinamul MLA Mr Mrigen Maity said: “Two days ago, the district police have increased the number of security personnel from two to four following Maoist threat."
Sources in Central Intelligence agencies said Maoists have prepared a list of 22 Trinamul leaders who would be attacked. Four Trinamul Congress MLAs are at the top of the list. According to Intelligence inputs, the hit-list was prepared last week at a meeting in the jungles of Jharkhand. The meeting was attended by over 500 senior Maoist leaders. The Intelligence report suggested that the hit-list was prepared after chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee failed to show her willingness to withdraw security forces from Junglemahal and release of jailed Maoists which she had promised before the Assembly poll.
Admitting the security enhancement following the Maoist threat, Mr Sukumar Hansda,  Trinamul Congress MLA from Jhargram and Paschimanchal Unnayan affairs minister, said: “I cannot move elsewhere in Junglemahal freely because of threats from Maoists. It is important for me to visit the areas to assess development works. Realising the situation, the administration has enhanced my security cover.” Sitting in his heavily guarded home in Jhargram town, Mr Hansda said: "Junglemahal have been suffering from lack of development for the past 35 years, but I am unable to carry out development works here out of fear and threats.”
Trinamul’s Gopiballavpur MLA Mr Churamani Mahato, who admits that sometimes even he cannot go to his own home because of Maoist threat, said the state government is committed to improve the situation in Junglmahal, but Maoists are hindering development works. Police officers in West Midnapore admitted that the Maoist threat has to be taken seriously and the security of the MLAs and minister could not be compromised.

Gelatin sticks seized
A total of 37 gelatin sticks was seized from the Burisole forest near Kantapahari in Lalgarh of West Midnapore today. Security forces found the gelatin sticks kept in a bag inside a bush. Later, bomb squad personnel reached the spot and examined the sticks.

Maoists regroup in Junglemahal

19 October 2011

Rebels take advantage of relaxed joint operation, recruit youths
biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 19 OCT: Taking advantage of apparent under-utilisation of security forces in Junglemahal since the Trinamul Congress-led government took charge, Maoists are back in control over vast areas of forest land in West Midnapore.
Sources close to the CPI-Maoist say they have been able to regroup at least 17 squads in West Midnapore district alone in the past two months. At least 10 youths from each village in remote areas of Junglemahal have already been recruited in the squads and they are being trained by senior leaders at various undisclosed places.
A group of 25 rebels from Orissa, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, who are trained for carrying out guerrilla warfare, has visited the training camps in Junglemahal. They have reportedly stored a huge cache of arms and sophisticated land mines ahead of the recent one-month "conditional ceasefire" announcement.
At a meeting of the central committee in Saranda forest in Jharkhand in August, the rebels have decided to set up four guerrilla bases in Junglemahal in the next two years.
More importantly, the Maoists have plans to “restart” attacks on security forces “with increased frequency and more telling effect”. The rebels might choose soft targets like vulnerable police stations, camps of state armed police, political and government appointees and even the CRPF, a senior police officer warned.
Concerned about Maoist activities, the Central government has already warned the state government that Maoists are regrouping and inducting local youth in areas in Junglemahal. Even, some Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officers have already urged the state government to begin joint operations as their area domination has weakened considerably due to lack of decisiveness of state forces over assisting them in operations, thereby allowing Maoists to regroup in the area. The state government has, however, not paid heed to the request of CRPF to begin joint operations immediately and chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee has given a seven-day deadline to the Maoists for initiating talks in her rally at Jhargram recently.
Police said they were told that Bikash, a Maoist leader, and his 30 squad members, had taken shelter in different jungles, including Kenkakhali, Dumurdiha, Pingboni, and Metala in the Goaltore police station area. Acting on a tip-off, security forces raided the jungles, but failed to nab the rebels. Security agencies have reported that Maoists are planning to form a “tactical united front” with other left-wing extremists. They have also said that at least two Maoist Politburo members, including Kishanji alias Koteshwar Rao, have been hiding in the Saranda forest in Jharkhand. These two members are monitoring the activities in West Bengal, security agencies warned.
In West Midnapore, a team of 22 Maoists, led by Bikash, has already started providing arms training to local youths. There have been reports that Maoists are forming “village defence squads” in many areas, and extortion notices have been served to businessmen and CPI-M workers, a Central Intelligence report suggests.

Rebels call bandh in 3 dists on 22 Oct
statesman news service
MIDNAPORE/KOLKATA, 19 OCT: Maoists have called a bandh in three districts of Junglemahal on 22 October, a day after chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee's seven-day deadline to the rebels for laying down arms and coming to the negotiating table for talks ends. 
In a release today, state secretary of CPI-Maoist Akash has asked people to observe the bandh to protest against the suspension of seven jawans of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), recent incident of rape of a tribal housewife by the security forces at Sonamukhi village in Belpahari and atrocities on tribal people by the Trinamul Congress-backed goons.
The Maoist leader, in the release, has also criticised Miss Banerjee for dubbing the Maoists as “supari killers” and “jungle mafia” during her speech at a rally in Jhargram on 15 October.  Three days ago, Maoists had snubbed Miss Banerjee’s ultimatum and demanded immediate withdrawal of security forces and release of jailed Maoists by putting up posters at various places in Salboni. 
Today, the rebels set several other demands before the state government which include immediate release of water through Kanshabati barrage for irrigation and supply of seeds and fertilisers for the farmers.
“The chief minister has declared many developmental projects for tribals here, but she never talked about the farmers. If water is released from the Kanshabati river, then farmers will be benefited. So, we are demanding immediate release of water from Kanshabati and if this is not happened, we will launch movement soon,” said Akash.
The release came at that time when Union finance minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee has assured Miss Banerjee of all kinds of assistance for handling the Maoist menace.. 
Meanwhile, Union rural development secretary Mr PK Sinha paid a visit to Junglemahal to take stock of Centre-sponsored development schemes in the region. His visit is significant as the Union home ministry is planning to back the rural development ministry’s multi-pronged action plan to tackle Maoists through comprehensive development activities in Junglemahal.

CBI to probe into iron-ore export scam

14 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 14 OCT: The Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to begin a probe into the alleged iron-ore export scam through various ports, including Haldia, in which miners use the railways for sending their export consignments to the ports as meant for domestic consumption.
Last year, a CBI team had grilled some port officials of Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) to find out whether the port had allotted plots for storing iron-ore inside the port premises. “If land is allotted for storing iron-ore inside the port premise, it will be treated as legal consignment. But no plots were allotted for the past four years till the probe began, due to which the Haldia port had been incurring losses worth Rs 20 crore annually,” a senior port official told The Statesman.
This time, investigations conducted by various agencies, including railways, Customs and Excise, have revealed a massive scam by many miners cheating railways to the tune of a few thousand crore rupees by passing off export consignments of ore as meant for domestic consumption.
By declaring the consignments as meant for domestic use, the miner are enjoying huge subsidy and thus they are paying only one-sixth of what they owe to the railways as freight charges.
Alarmed by the railway freight scam, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has already instructed the CBI to conduct a thorough probe into the matter. It has also asked the CBI to conduct an investigation whether ports are involved in the massive scam, a senior port official said.
According to a mine department official, hundreds of iron-ore crushing units have come up in Orissa and Jharkhand in the past few years. These companies and traders are primarily engaged in export of iron-ore through the ports along the east coast, resulting in export of 9.05 million tons at Paradwip during 2004-05 ~ an increase of 68 per cent ~ and about 4.97 million tons at Haldia, an increase of 33 per cent than the previous year.
“As the port did not provide land for storing iron-ore, the agents dumped these substances in private store-houses outside the port which were later exported illegally,” a port official alleged.
In another part of the well-organised conspiracy, one company avoided paying railways over Rs 750 crore in over three years, by exporting through the Haldia port.
Sources said iron-ore from the mines in Orissa and Jharkhand is primarily exported through Haldia, Vizag, Paradwip and Gangavaram ports. Iron-ore miners move ore from mines for exporting, but show them as meant for domestic consumption, including for their captive units. The railway freight charge for domestic use is only one-sixth of the charge for export.
South-eastern Railway zone in 2010-11 earned Rs 8,187 crore from freight traffic, of which Rs 5,135 crore was from iron-ore transportation. “And this was after they billed most of it for domestic consumption,” a senior official said.

Districts reel under power cuts

13 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
KOLAGHAT, 13 OCT: The power situation in both East and West Midnapore districts, along with other parts of the state, remained grim today. There is no indication that there will be any significant improvement in the power supply in the next 48 hours.
Frequent power cuts, coupled with an acute water shortage over the past few days, have left residents living in the districts praying for respite. Fed up with unscheduled power-cuts, local residents in East Midnapore have demanded that officials announce the schedule of power cuts so that they can make alternative arrangements.
According to the latest report of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the state, along with some other states in the country, is staring at a blackout situation as nearly all thermal power generation units are operating on a fast-depleting supply of coal that can run out any moment.
At Kolaghat, Bakreswar, Farakka, Talcher, Kahalgaon, Tuticorin, Khaparkheda, Panipat, Badarpur and Kota there is barely a day's stock of coal left. Nearly 19 other thermal units have less than seven days of coal. The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is failing to import coal in sufficient quantity, leading to a huge generation loss in at least four NTPC thermal plants where the coal stock is less than four days, a CEA official said.
According to officials at the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL), the shortage of coal supply for the last few days has forced the corporation to shut down a 210 MW unit in Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant (KTPP).
Mr Pulak Roy, the general manager of KTPP, said: “On an average, four to five coal-loaded rakes are required everyday to run all our six units, while the railways provides barely two or three rakes every day for our power station. As a result, we have been forced to shut down one of our six units for the past few days. In the remaining five units, we are generating 800 to 850 MW compared to the capacity of 1260 MW."
Coal India Ltd is citing unprecedented rain at several mines and the Telangana stir as causes behind the squeeze in supply. A CIL source said, "Unprecedented rain has sapped the coal supply from several mines, leaving thermal plants across the country to survive on dregs. The situation has worsened in the past month due to heavy rains at a large number of Coal India mines, which has washed out roads and resulted in less coal being lifted. This has reduced production as well as the dispatch of coal to power plants."
Meanwhile, the water supply in several municipal areas of the districts has been badly hit as power goes off for six to eight hours a day in different phases in these areas.  The services in different hospitals across the districts have also been affected in the past two days owing to the unscheduled power cuts.
Workers under the banner of the KTPP Thika Shramik Union, a Trinamul Congress-dominated workers’ union, today submitted a deputation before the general manager alleging that two officers at the plant are sabotaging the power generation by influencing some workers in the hope of defaming the new state government.

CPM replaces tainted leaders

11 October 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 11 OCT: In a bid to reorganising the party in West Midnapore, especially in the Maoist-hit areas, the CPI-M has started filling up vacant posts of leaders who have either been arrested or fled fearing Maoist attack. 
The CPI-M has already selected secretaries of Lalgarh local committee and Binpur zonal committee in place of those who have either been chargesheeted in Netai carnage or fled the area fearing attack on them. “We will have to start party activities in the area soon. And it is not possible if the leaders are absent. So we decided to replace the leaders," said a senior district committee member of the party. After the CBI submitted a charge-sheet against several CPI-M leaders in connection with the Netai massacre, the party has begun to remove the accused leaders from party posts.
The CPI-M called an urgent district secretariat meeting to find out suitable candidates for the posts. The party will also chalk out a strategy to counter attack on party activists by Trinamul Congress supporters in Junglemahal. The CBI has filed a charge-sheet against 20 CPI-M leaders, including several local and zonal committee secretaries. Of the 20 accused, eight senior leaders are still at large. According to a CPI-M leader, the party has felt the need of replacing the leaders to keep a safe distance from the Netai carnage, particularly ahead of the truce between the state government and Maoists. The situation would turn more critical if the accused are arrested while holding the party posts.
“Moreover, as the absconding leaders will not be able to take part in day-to-day activities of the party, it was necessary to replace them to continue the party functioning,” said a CPI-M district committee leader. “We have plans to hold a rally at Midnapore town in the last week of November. Party workers will rejuvenate themselves from the rally and intensify their political movements," a CPI-M district secretariat member said.
The party has felt the need to replace Binpur zonal committee secretary Mr Anuj Pandey, his brother and Dharampur local committee secretary, Mr Dalim Pandey, Belatikri local committee secretary Mr Chandi Karan  immediately to reorganise the party in these areas.
Apart from them, Ms Phullara Mondol, a district committee member and the district president of Ganatantrik Mahila Samiti, Lalgarh local committee secretary Mr Joydev Giri, Lalgarh local committee member Mr Tapan Dey and Binpur zonal committee member Mr Mohammod Khaliluddin will also be replaced, a CPI-M leader said.
The party has for the first time chosen a tribal, Mr Arjun Mandi, for the post of Lalgarh local committee secretary. Mr Mandi was earlier a local committee member in Lalgarh and has replaced Mr Joydev Giri, who has been chargesheeted in the Netai case and is still at large. Mr Sushanta Kundu, a retired headmaster of a high school, has been appointed Binpur zonal committee secretary. Mr Kundu has replaced Mr Anuj Pandey, whose house was pulled down by Maoists in June 2009. “The party will also scrap party membership of those who have already been arrested by investigation agencies,” said a CPI-M insider.

Ex-minister Susanta charged with murder

23 September 2011

Charge-sheet filed in Benachapra skeleton recovery case

biswabrata goswami 

MIDNAPORE, 23 SEPT: For the first time in West Bengal, a minister, though a former one, has been charged with murder.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a charge-sheet against the former CPI-M minister for Paschimanchal Unnayan affairs, Mr Susanta Ghosh and 57 other CPI-M leaders and workers in connection with Benachapra skeleton recovery case before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) of Midnapore Judges’ court today.
“Many among the 58 CPI-M activists including Mr Ghosh accused in the Benachapra skeleton recovery case, in which at least seven Trinamul Congress workers were killed and then buried in a graveyard on 22 September in 2002, were directly involved in the murder, conspiracy and disappearance of evidences,” the charge-sheet reads.
Among the accused, 16 CPI-M men are in judicial custody, while the remaining 42 CPI-M men are absconding, the CID stated in the charge-sheet.
Mr Purna Sekhar Mukherjee, a CID officer, said: “We have filed the charge-sheet within 88 days of the first arrest, of a CPI-M worker on 28 June, but the investigation into the case will continue for a few more months. Following receipt of the forensic report of two of the seven skeletons (which is yet to come) a supplementary Arms Act charge-sheet could be submitted later.”
Besides filing the charge-sheet, which runs to 22 pages, the CID also submitted about 3,000 pages of documents and annexures before Mr Manoj Kumar Rai, CJM, Midnapore. The documents were brought packed in a trunk and submitted before the magistrate.
Mr Mukherjee told journalists: “Seven skeletons were dug up from a pit near Ghosh’s ancestral house in Benachapra village in West Midnapore district on 22 June. The ex-minister was arrested on 11 August based on the FIR lodged with the Anandapur police by one Shymal Acharya who had claimed one of the skeletons was that of his father Ajay Acharya. He had lodged a complaint against 40 men while the CID has tagged another 18 CPI-M men based on the information collected from the arrested men during the probe”.
Trinamul Congress had alleged that the bodies of its supporters, who died in a firing incident on 22 September, 2002 at Piyasala village, were carted away by CPI-M cadres and buried at the spot.
But, the CID officers have not confirmed about the firing yet and because of this reason, it has not tagged any of the accused with provisions of the Arms Act. The CID officials, however, have gathered enough evidence about the killing and so, they have filed charges of murder, conspiracy and disappearance of evidence against the accused, a CID lawyer said.
Sixteen of the 58 persons named in the charge-sheet are already behind bars, while the remaining including CPI-M’s Paschimbanga Krishak Sabha general secretary Mr Tarun Roy, Keshpur zonal secretary Mr Imtiaz Ali and the former minister’s brother Mr Prasanta Ghosh have not been arrested so far, a CID officer said.
The CJM court on 19 September had extended Ghosh’s judicial custody for 43 more days in connection with the case and ordered authorities to produce him before the court on 31 October. Bail pleas of six others accused in the case were rejected and the court also extended their custody.
On the same day, Mr Ghosh had moved the Calcutta High Court seeking bail in the case, which adjourned hearing the prayer till Monday.
Mr Mukul Roy, Trinamul leader and Union minister of state for shipping, said: “At last justice is being done. When the police submit a charge-sheet, it's done on the basis of prima facie evidence. We have long been saying Mr Susanta Ghosh took an active part in suppressing democracy. Whoever protested against the CPI-M's atrocities and misrule his place was either the burning ghat or the grave.”