Creation of Jhargram district opposed

20 March 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 20 MARCH: The state government's decision to carve out a new district of West Midnapore has received a jolt as several political parties, including the Congress, have raised questions over the justification of the bifurcation. The government has proposed to make Jhargram a new district for better administration and development of the Maoist-hit area.
The Jharkhand Party (Naren) has claimed a separate self-governed tribal parishad, in the line of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in the Darjeeling Hills, comprising tribal areas of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.
JKP (Naren) and Suci leaders have criticised the district administration for not inviting them in the all-party meeting over the bifurcation. "Our party came second in the elections in Jhargram and a large number of tribal people supports us. If we are not invited in the meeting, our suggestions regarding the new district will not be heard," said JKP (Naren) president Ms Chunibala Hanshda.
Jhargram is already a police district and the state government now wants to make it a full-fledged district. Accordingly, district magistrate Surendra Gupta had called an all-party meeting at Circuit House recently. Mr Swapan Dube of the Congress, Mr Harekrishna Samanta of the CPI-M, Santosh Rana of the CPI, Subhojit Roy of the BJP, Mr Dinen Roy and Mr Pradyut Bhattacherjee of the Trinamul Congress attended the meeting.
The proposed new district will have two sub-divisions ~ Jhargram and Gopiballavpur. The Jhargram municipality and four blocks ~ Binpur, Belpahari, Lalgarh and Jamboni ~ will fall under the jurisdiction of the proposed Jhargram sub-division, while Gopiballavpur-I and II, Sankrail and Nayagram blocks will fall under the jurisdiction of the proposed Gopiballavpur sub-division.
Some political leaders, however, suggested creation of another block after re-arranging Nayagram and Gopiballavpur blocks. The district administration has already selected eight acres of land in the Jhargram municipal area to set up the administrative building of the proposed district.
Mr Santosh Rana of the CPI said that they have no objection to the formation of the new district, but all the administrative set up should be arranged before the creation of the new district.
Mr Dube of the Congress, however, raised question regarding the justification of the formation of new district.
"Midnapore was divided into two districts ~ East Midnapore and West Midnapore ~ in 2001. In West Midnapore, Jhargram is one of the four sub-divisions which is mostly covered with forests. As this sub-division remained neglected, tribal people are being deprived from all-round development. But, this is the question of political willingness. If any government tries to carry out development works, then there is no need to create a separate district," said Mr Dube.