National motto missing from national emblem

25 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 25 JAN: The national motto of India ~ “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth Alone Triumphs) ~ was found missing from the National Emblem in official signboards and communiqués of several state government offices, including the office of the West Midnapore district magistrate.
The use of the incomplete version of the National Emblem is in violation of the State Emblem of India rules and is punishable under the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005, and the State Emblem of India (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2007. The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency as well. It also appears prominently on the diplomatic and national Passport of the Republic of India.
“Unfortunately few departments of the state government offices have been using the emblem without the motto for official purposes. So, it’s objectionable and the National Emblem of India is not completely adopted, which is the violation of the legislations. The concerned department should correct the mistake,” said a senior police officer. It was found that the National Emblem is being used sans the motto on the signboards of several state government offices, including the census department and consumer services department in the district collectorate and district horticulture and fisheries department. The additional district magistrate (general), Subharanjan Das, remained tight-lipped.
Mr Subir Giri, an octogenarian who lives in Midnapore town, said: “The governments ~ both  the Central and state ~ is lacking initiative to prosecute people responsible for dishonouring the National Emblem.”

30 months on, no clue about missing cops

24 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 24 JAN: It has been nearly 30 months since two police constables posted in Junglemahal for anti-Maoist operation went missing. They are still missing and the state police has no clue whether they are dead or alive.
Kanchan Garai and Sabbir Mollah went missing on 30 July near Dharampur in the Lalgarh area while they were out patrolling. Though Maoists never directly claimed to have abducted the duo, the police are certain they were behind it. Families of two constables of the State’s Armed Police from Bankura and Burdwan districts are spending sleepless nights awaiting their return and they often communicate with the district police officials regarding this.
“Though, we are clueless about their whereabouts, we have settled arrangements by which families of the two constables are getting salaries every month,” said a senior police officer. Mr Bijitaswa Raut, secretary of the West Bengal Police Association, however, said: “More seriousness is required among the police to find out the constables who went missing from Brindabanpur on their way to Lalgarh on 30 July 2009”.
A day after the missing of the two constables, security forces had carried out search operation at Jhitka forest and were involved in a gun-battle with the rebels throughout the day. One person was arrested while the whereabouts of the two constables remained unknown. On the same day, security forces had also launched an operation following a tip-off that the constables could be somewhere in the forest near Bhulagera, a village about 10 km south of Bhimpur. But, they could not trace them there.
In January 2010, two bodies were recovered from Thangbahara in Lalgarh, but after carrying out DNA test from the blood samples of the family members of the two constables, it was established that the recovered bodies were not of the missing constables. Kanchan’s father Basudev and mother Minati and Sabbir’s brother Samad Mollah had given blood for DNA tests.
According to police, security forces had launched an operation in Lalgarh on 18 June 2009 and the two constables went missing on 30 July. A CPI-M leader Banamali Mahato had left the party out of fear of Maoist attack on him and fled from his house at Bamal in Lalgarh. Police had recovered a motorbike from near his house during a raid and the two constables were asked to bring the motorbike to the Lalgarh police station. On their way to Lalgarh, they went missing from Brindabanpur near Dharampur.
“We have interrogated every person arrested from various areas on different occasions for a clue about the sudden disappearance of the two constables. But, we have received no proper information,” said a senior police officer.

Maoists planned major strike for Thursday

21 January 2012

biswabrata goswami

JHARGRAM, 21 JAN: Jhargram police today said they had foiled a Maoist plan to carry out a major terror strike at a police outpost near Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Midnapore.
The attack, they said, had been planned for Republic Day. They found out about the plans when they found a large cache of documents and maps during a raid in Akhrasole Forest in Jhargram, said Mr Praveen Kumar Tripathi, superintendent of police. The documents also revealed plans for a second explosion on National Highway-6.
The documents were detailed. The Maoists had conducted a survey of the site, gathered information about the cops posted at the outpost and drawn maps marked with possible exit routes.
They had studied the average daily recess that the policemen took, in order to work out when best to strike. They had also taken note of the amount of arms and ammunition stored at the police outpost.
And they had finalised which squad members would carry out the attack. According to the documents, the squad members were from Jharkhand, Chattishgarh and Purulia in West Bengal. A senior police officer said, “After the setback of senior Maoist leader Kishenji's killing in an encounter with the security forces in West Midnapore on 24 November, Maoist leaders are now trying to relaunch their movement with renewed vigour as a part of their regrouping process in Junglemahal."
The timing of the planned attack was probably aimed at getting maximum publicity, he said. A group of Maoist leaders held a meeting in the Laboni Forest in Belpahari in West Midnapore recently. According to sources close to the group, Maoist central committee leader Prasanta Bose, alias Kishanda, newly appointed leader for West Bengal Sabyasachi Panda,  state secretary for Odisha Ashim Mondol alias Akash, and Madan Mahato were all present. "In a bid to win back the faith of the villagers, the top Maoist leaders decided to launch a movement against the delayed procurement of paddy by the state government and the low minimum support price of paddy fixed by the Centre. sns

Extortion continues unchecked in Haldia

20 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 20 JAN: Despite chief minister Mamata Banerjee's directive to curb criminal activities in the state, extortion continues unhindered in the Haldia industrial belt of East Midnapore district. And the extortionists have now switched their allegiance to the Trinamul Congress after the Mamata Banerjee-led party came to power.
A gang of criminals have been extorting money from oil tankers moving towards Haldia Refinery. Theft of valuable cargo, like iron-ore, sugar and coal from outside port premises has reached such an alarming proportion that if immediate action is not taken, trading and shipping in the belt will be affected. Some iron-ore traders allege that the pilferage sometimes goes up to 10 per cent of the cargo. They estimated that iron-ore worth around Rs 22.50 crore is theft from lorries and dumpers every month.
The Trinamul Congress and police administration have not taken any initiative to stop the menace. It is not only that the extortion menace has suddenly become rampant in Haldia, but the rules of the game have also changed with the change of guard at Writers' Buildings.
“During the CPI-M rule, we used to pay "donation" to a certain local strongman and nobody else dared to disturb us. Now, the situation has changed and every leader is out to extract his share,” said a driver of an oil tanker. Every tanker has to pay Rs 200 as "donation" to a local Trinamul strongman who controls the extortion racket at Haldia Refinery site. Everyday, "donation" or subscription is collected from nearly 300 tankers.
Sources in Haldia port said iron-ore constitutes 20 per cent of the total cargo handle at the 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.
Several industries, including Hooghly Metcoke, Tata Steel, Tata Chemicals, are contemplating to shift their base to other ports, said a senior port official. Traders' bodies like Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) have already taken up the matter with the port authority and the state administration, but no steps have been taken up yet to solve the menace.
The scramble for booty has become such a free-for-all that infighting within the Trinamul Congress ranks is often being reported.
“There are some workers in the party who are maligning our image. These people are collecting money from truck owners, contractors and factory owners. This practice should immediately be stopped and we have already informed the party top brass,” said a senior Trinamul Congress leader.

Steps to double cashew-nut production

13 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
TAMLUK, 13 JAN: In an attempt to double production of cashew-nuts, the state government under the behest of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has recommended new technologies to farmers.
ICAR in association with its research wing, the Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR), has recommended several new high-yielding varieties as well as methods of increasing productivity to make India self-sufficient in raw cashew-nut during the 12th Five Year Plan.
Following a crisis in the industrial sector in Vietnam and Brazil, the main competitors of India in the global cashew-nut market, the state government had taken steps to expand its cashew-nut production area two years ago.
But the project could not take off for an indefinite period after cashew-nut traders alleged that many fake traders were enlisted in the shareholders’ list.
According to state industrial department officials, the move would enable the state to export more cashew-nut to foreign countries from the next financial year. Driven by the immediate need, the state's food processing industry and horticulture department had formed a cashew-nut cluster zone that includes Midnapore East, Midnapore West, Bankura and Purulia districts.
“To achieve higher productivity, it is necessary to adopt some new high-yielding varieties, and improve the cultivation methods. At present, the national average yield is 700 kg per hectare and the target is to increase it to 1,200 kg during the 12th Plan period,” said a state horticulture department official.
At present, the varieties grown by a large number of farmers are prone to pest attacks. Tea mosquito bugs are causing a loss of about 35-40 per cent yield and stem root borer is causing death of five per cent of plants at different growing regions. In order to overcome these pest attacks, DCR has developed some new varieties, which are also high-yielding, the officer said.
According to the state horticulture department, DCR has also suggested two new approaches. As against the present practice of planting 200 grafts per hectare, it has recommended 1,000 grafts per hectare so as to increase the output five-fold.
In West Bengal, around 450 cashew-nut units (small and medium) are running in the Majna area of Contai alone and more than 50,000 people are engaged in the trade. Similarly, around 60,000 people are engaged in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.
“But with increasing demand in the global market, there is huge scope for commercialisation of the crop here. So, we are planning to increase our cashew-nut area by 200 hectares from 1.32 lakh hectares this year under various projects under the National Horticulture Mission,” said an official of the department of food processing industry and horticulture.
“Apart from this, we will supply high-yielding variety of cashew nut seeds to the farmers and we have brought saplings from Maharashtra. This high-yielding variety will produce cashew weighing between eight gram and 10 gram, which has great demand in foreign countries,” said the official.

Rains add to farmers’ woes

10 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 10 JAN: Unseasonal rain and hailstorms have dashed the hopes of farmers living in West Midnapore, who were expecting bumper harvests of potatoes, mustard, and vegetables before the beginning of the boro season.
Thousands of farmers already trapped in debt because of the government's delayed paddy procurement are now in even more trouble. The past five days of rain have damaged crops across large parts of the district; complaints have been pouring in from villages in Keshpur, Garbeta, and Ghatal blocks. Then downpours and hail lashed parts of the district Sunday night. The main worry in West Midnapore, the state's largest potato-producing district, is that all the rain might cause an outbreak of disease in the standing crops. This could not only hurt crop quality, but also affect output, according to a district horticulture department official.
“Further extension of the wet spell could mean trouble for potato cultivators in the entire belt,” the official said, adding that the weather forecast calls for rain again Tuesday. “If the situation continues, things may get worse as there will be heavy moisture content in the soil, which will harm the crop. Then the loss may go up to almost 40 per cent. But if things get better and there is no more rain, the loss will be limited to 10-15 per cent.” Mr Amaresh Maity, a farmer who cultivated potatoes at Narajole in Keshpur area said: “Places where the soil is unable to absorb water will see more damage. The moisture in the soil will lead to the shrinkage of leaves, thereby affecting the life-cycle of the plant. In such cases, the loss will be as bad as 50 per cent.” Another farmer, Mr Kamal Patra, from Garbeta, said the new crop is expected in February. “The next week is very crucial,” he said. Mr Biswanath Samanta, a farmer from Keshpur, said his mustard plants were destroyed completely in the hailstorms Sunday night.
The leaders of the CPI-M peasant wing, Krishak Sabha, have demanded a survey of the damage caused to the crops by the rain ~ and appropriate compensation for affected farmers. West Midnapore district magistrate Surendra Gupta said an assessment is underway. “Rain and hailstorms have damaged crops in most parts of the district and I have asked block officials to estimate the loss due to untimely rains and hailstorms,” he said.

Nayachar projects clear another hurdle

6 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
NAYACHAR, 6 JAN: The state government seems to have earned the confidence of Nayachar residents allowing it to set up a 1,980 MW thermal power plant.
The project has been stalled after the Centre delayed the environmental clearance saying it would affect the livelihoods of nearly 5,000 fishermen and their families living on Nayachar Island in the Hooghly River near Haldia in East Midnapore.
Universal Crescent Power Private Limited, led by NRI industrialist Prasoon Mukherjee, will set up the plant with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore. At the Centre's behest, the company and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) held a public hearing at Nayachar on Wednesday.
The company authorities assured the fishermen that the plant will not threaten their livelihoods by polluting the river. "The company will follow environmental guidelines," said Mr Srimanta Basu, a company spokesperson.
A fisherman who attended the hearing said: “If the company authorities keep their promises, we have no objection to the plant."
The state government signed an agreement with Mr Mukherjee's company to set up a thermal power plant, an industrial park, and an eco-tourism project on Nayachar Island with a total investment of Rs 26,000 crore. Mr Mukherjee said that 50 per cent of the coal required for the power plant will be imported from Indonesia. The rest will be acquired domestically.
An official of the Haldia Development Authority said the power plant will use a super-critical boiler to generate electricity. "The company has already signed an agreement with the state power utility to sell electricity."
Mr Tapas Gupta, the chief engineer of WBPCB, said: “We have noted down all comments made by the locals at the hearing and this will be sent to the Centre."
A state administrative official said: “As majority of the locals has no problem with the power plant, we hope the Centre will issue environment clearance for the plant soon.” The Trinamul Congress-led government has scrapped the erstwhile Left Front government's proposal to set up a chemical hub at Nayachar in East Midnapore on ground of environment pollution and protest from locals.
But, few months after the Trinamul came to power, Mr Mukherjee met state industry minister Mr Partha Chatterjee and submitted few proposals.
Mr Mukherjee had also got permission for a housing project at Baruipur in South 24-Parganas district, minister Chatterjee said.

Now, Maoists to take up farmers’ issue

5 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 5 JAN: Set back by the killing of senior Maoist leader Kishenji in an encounter with the security forces in West Midnapore on 24 November, Maoist leaders are trying to re-launch their movement with “renewed vigour” as a part of their regrouping process in Junglemahal.
A group of Maoist leaders held a secret meeting at Laboni forest in Belpahari in West Midnapore last night. According to sources close to the outfit, those present included: Maoist central committee leader Prasanta Bose, alias Kishanda; Sabyasachi Panda, a newly appointed leader for West Bengal; the party's state secretary of Odisha, Ashim Mondol, alias Akash; and Madan Mahato.
In a bid to win back the faith of the villagers, the top Maoist leaders decided to launch a movement against the delayed procurement of paddy by the state government and the low minimum support price of paddy fixed by the Centre.
"This decision taken in the meeting was immediately conveyed to the leaders in Junglemahal. Accordingly, a section of villagers especially farmers had taken plans to gherao the Belpahari police station today, but they were restricted by the security forces as the Intelligence agencies informed them about the plans,” an officer of the Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) told The Statesman. Sources in the Intelligence agencies said: “The rebels in yesterday's meeting had mainly concentrated their discussion on the re-establishment of their bases among the tribal populace in Junglemahal. They have come to a point that they will not launch any individual killing, if there is no need to do it."
Admitting this decision, a Maoist leader said, “We will now give priority on vital issues which mainly concern poor people, farmers and tribals. This time, we will launch movement for the sake of Junglemahal people and obviously movements will be carried out peacefully.” Sources monitoring Maoists activities in Junglemahal and Jharkhand said that Panda would enjoy enormous freedom in reorganising the rebels in Junglemahal and, if necessary, he would be able to take independent decisions.
Panda, who had established People's Liberation Front in Odisha, is considered to be the most ferocious present Maoist leader. In order to prove his presence, Panda has started formulating strategy to declare war against the government, sources in Intelligence agencies said.
However, faced with an 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-evaluation of using violence in the “class struggle”.
Indications of a possible change in their stance come at a time when both the Centre and the state government have been aggressively attacking intelligentsia, supporters and human rights activists for espousing the Maoist cause, branding them as mere terrorists who have no ideological backing.
In a re-think of the strategy of "individual killings," a section of Maoists is trying to stress mass movement by reviving its defunct organisations and forming units in new sectors based on priority, a senior police officer said.
CID custody for CPM leader
MIDNAPORE, 5 JAN: A CPI-M leader, who was arrested in connection with the Salboni skeleton recovery case, was remanded in CID custody for five days today. A karmadhakshya of Salboni panchayat, Mr Narayan Singh, was arrested by  CID sleuths last night from his hideout at Chawktarini in Salboni. According to CID officials, Mr Singh was an accused in the murder of Jaggeswar Mahato, Trinamul Congress Salboni block president, in January 2010. The CID has arrested 13 out of 26 accused CPI-M leaders in this connection so far. sns

Paddy procurement delayed; farmers suffer 

3 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 3 JAN: Farmers in West Midnapore district are spending sleepless nights due to the delay in paddy procurement by the government. So far, the district administration has failed to achieve its target of paddy procurement.
The government had decided to procure 3 lakh metric tons of paddy in the district. But, the district administration has, however, been able to procure only 1.5 lakh quintals so far.
“Though it was decided that the procurement would start from 15 November, the administration started procuring on 21 December due to a delay in administrative procedures,” said an official of the district food and supply department.
The state government has decided to procure 20 lakh metric tons of rice this season.
Mr Madan Dutta, a resident of Murakata village in the Kankabati panchayat area of Midnapore Sadar block, said: “The delayed procurement has not only prompted the farmers to sell off their produce at a price less than the minimum support price of Rs 1,080, but also resulted in drying up of their produce.”
The farmers have now formed a joint action committee to pressurise the government. “The farmers are forced to sell their paddy for anything between Rs 440 and Rs 480 per quintal to the rice mill owners, who are now pocketing the minimum support price,” a farmer alleged.
A senior district administrative official said government agencies charged with procuring paddy ~ Confed, Benfed and ECSC ~ are bankrupt. "The state government, too, is in a cash-strapped situation to procure rice directly from the farmers," he said.
"The government had also assured the agencies of being a guarantor of its bank loan. But, the problem arose as the agencies have not yet repaid their loan taken for procurement of potatos last year,” the official said.
"The state government, too, has not taken any initiative to repay the loan," said Mr Mrigen Maity, a Trinamul Congress MLA from the district. Meanwhile, a farmer said: “The minimum support price (MSP) is not enough to meet the production cost. The labour cost has gone up substantially compared to the previous year.”
Mr Narayan Chandra Nayek, the convener of the farmers’organisation, said: “Around Rs 18,000 is required to cultivate an acre of land, which produces about 20 quintals of paddy. The MSP should stand at minimum Rs 1,300 per quintal.”

Polluted Digha still a hot spot

1 January 2012

biswabrata goswami
DIGHA, 1 JAN: Digha has turned out to be the hottest spot in state for tourists who are in mood to celebrate. This popular sea resort, located 180 kilometres from Kolkata, is now bustling with party hoppers celebrating the New Year.
The number of domestic tourists have outnumbered their international counterparts. Despite pollution and exorbitant hotel rates, the flow of tourists is on the rise. The calm and serene environs are luring a lot of tourists to Mandarmoni and Shankarpur beaches too.
Room rents at hotels were abnormally high with the owners taking advantage of the huge demand. Desperate for a break, many came here without booking hotels or lodges and were compelled to stay on the outskirts of Digha.  As per statistics, in the past five years, the tourist inflow in West Bengal has increased by 7.2 per cent whereas the national figure stands at 5.6 per cent. About 65 lakh tourists used to visit the state five years ago, but the figure now has increased to 145 lakh.
In Digha the tourists inflow has increased from 8 lakh to 32 lakh, during this period. “Compared to the last two years, this year, tourist inflow increased abnormally, especially after the former rail minister Miss Mamata Banerjee introduced direct rail services here,” said a hotel owner.
However, the Digha-Shankarpur Development Authority has not  taken any initiative to provide better services to the tourists. The police too have failed to take any step against the hotel owners who neither provide space for car-parking nor security for tourists in their hotels.
With the rise in tourist  flow, the pollution level has also risen. Digha, which was once called the “Brighton of the East”, has turned into a garbage dump, with plastic and litter everywhere.
The famous casuarinas forest off Digha coast has lost its charm. The sewage system here has been a problem for many years. But, owing to the unavailability of funds, the sewage system has not been upgraded. Despite these problems, Digha remains the favourite weekend destination for the state populace.
The Digha Science Centre, one of the satellite units of the National Council of Science Museums, Union ministry of culture, have recently opened two new galleries ~ Fun Science and Reflection ~ which will not only attract tourists but also teach science to visitors, particularly to the students through a fun-filled  interactive session.
Published at The Statesman.