Bengal

Salboni land owners not happy on land return

• The Statesman
• 17 Dec 2014

JSW Group has agreed to give back  294 acres it purchased from  farmer s
Biswabrata Goswami
biswabrata@thestatesman.net
Midnapore, 16 December:
The proposal of giving back 294 acres of Salboni land at free of cost that the Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group had purchased from the farmers has evoked mixed reaction among the landlosers and local residents.
A section of agitators who mainly belong to the Trinamul Congress are hopeful that Salboni might show the way to the Tatas. “At least the farmers will get back their land at free of cost. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has kept her promise to return unutilized lands to the farmer by making pressure on the company which was apparently not kin to implement its mega project on due time. This happens at a time when a similar effort is caught in legal tangle in the Singur case”, said Biswajit Mondol, a Trinamul Congress leader.
Another section of farmers, who are conducting protest agitation in front of the main gate of the proposed plant site under the banner of Salboni JSW Bengal Steel Ltd Landlosers' Welfare Association for the last couple of weeks, are not in a mood to wind up the agitation.
“We want our own land back, not the ones that the company wants to give us from one corner of the project area. WBIDC had also acquired 189.62 acres from the farmers for this project and we also want the government to return this land” said association secretary Parishkar Mahato.
The JSW Group on Monday agreed to return 294 acres it purchased from about 485 farmer families at Salboni, two weeks after it suspended plans to build a steel and power plant on the acquired land.
The company had actually acquired 4334 acres of land. Among these lands, 3035 acres were vested lands which were purchased from the government. The state animal husbandry department had 799.97 acres of land. “But, in the proposal, the company is agreed to give back only 294 acres of land to the farmers who had given their lands for the company’s Rs 35000 crore project”, said Mr Mahato.
Sushanta Mahato, who works as a temporary electrician at the JSW Salboni site is also upset with the company’s proposal. “My brother and I gave one acre for the project. I don't want the land back. Instead, I want the project to come up so that I get a job,” said Sushanta.
Arup Bagchi, a local resident also expressed his sorrow saying, “We thought that this project would help us by various ways. But, the abundant of this project has snatched our all hopes and dreams”.
A CPI-M leader said, “The chief minister has no credit on this move. The JSW group had purchased the land on its own, and it is free to return it. The Tata Motors had received the entire plot in Singur on lease from the state government. But land acquired by the state government cannot be returned because of the controversial 2011 law passed by the Trinamul Congress government.”
BJP state president  Mr Rahul Sinha said I would sent wrong signals to the investors throughout the country. “ The Jindals will finally back out from the state. Mamata Banerjee made the biggest mistake by creating trouble at Singur which had forced the Tata Motors to go away and now the inve3stors in the country will think that West bengal is not the right place to invest.”

SALBONI FARMERS UP IN ARMS

BISWABRATA GOSWAMI
biswabrata@ thestatesman. net
Midnapore, 4 December Hundreds of farmers, who gave up their land for the Jindal Steel Plant ( JSP) in West Midnapore’s Salboni, are planning to launch an indefinite agitation in front of the plant’s main gate from tomorrow until their demands are fulfilled.
Around 500 land- losers, who had given their lands seven years ago for the huge project in hopes of getting jobs and compensation, are now worried following an ‘ official’announcement from JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal saying that the project has been put on hold because it does not make “ financial sense” to pursue it in the current circumstances. The group had proposed to pump in up to Rs 35,000 crore in fresh investments, but some recent events have forced them to put the project on hold.
Making the announcement on 30 November, Mr.
Jindal said the proposed Rs 35,000- crore project, which was to be implemented in phases, would need to be re- examined as it did not have either coal or iron ore supply tie- ups. He said as JSW Bengal had already invested Rs. 700 crore in the project, JSW was keen about it. However, given the raw material uncertainties, it was not practical to go ahead with the project, Mr Jindal pointed out.
The three coal mines allocated to JSW have been cancelled in the wake of a directive of the Supreme Court, and the company said that it would bid for these when they were put on auction.
Most of the land was acquired before former Chief Minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee laid the foundation stone for the plant on 2 November, 2008.
Hundreds of famers under the banner of Salboni JSW Bengal Steel Plant Project Land Losers; Welfare Association, today met the company officials at the project site, but all the discussions with them were fruitless.
Pariskar Mahato, who led the protesters, said,“ We will start an indefinite protest agitation in front of the plant’s main gate from tomorrow until our demands are met. We have demanded a monthly honorarium to each family if it can’t provide us jobs and to allow us to cultivate our lands until the project is started again.
The company should also provide us share certificates immediately.” BJP block president Muktinath Patra said they will submit a memorandum to the JSW chairman for starting operations in Salboni.
Though the company had promised on 2 November 2008 that production would begin at the plant by 2014, work at the site has fallen way behind schedule. So far, only staff quarters and some office rooms have come up at the site beside a boundary wall around it.
It isn’t, however, immediately known if the state government will take the same stand on the JSW group’s projects as it did on Tata Motors Ltd’s mothballed Singur plant, a senior administrative official said.
We have demanded a monthly honorarium to each family if the firm can’t provide us jobs, and to allow us to cultivate our lands until the project is started again.

Bengal

NAAC report reveals VU’s poor record

• The Statesman
• 13 Dec 2014

Biswabrata Goswami
biswabrata@thestatesman.net
Midnapore, 12 December
The performance of Vidyasagar University was extremely poor as revealed through a recent report of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) which placed the varsity in the last position among seven Indian universities accredited by its peer teams in their third cycle of assessment in 2014.
The seven member NAAC peer team which visited the varsity during 11-14 November 2014 under the chairmanship of Professor Bharat Chattoo, founder Vice Chancellor of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Jammu.Vidyasagar University has been awarded a cumulative grade point average (CPGA) of 2.86 and was placed under ‘B Grade’ at the fourth meeting of the Standing Committee of NAAC held on 10 December 2014 at Bangalore and published the grade point averages of the universities in the official website of the council.
Interestingly, all the other six universities have secured ‘A Grade’ with CPGA varying between 3.51-3.08 and belonged to  Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu.
The highest CPGA was secured by Guru Nanak Dev University of Amritsar followed by Guru Jambheswar University of Science and Technology, Hisar (CPGA 3.28) and Shivaji University of Maharashtra(CPGA 3.16).Incidentally, Guru Jambheswar University of Science and Technology which secured the second position was established in the year 1990 while Vidyasagar University was founded in 1985.
It may be mentioned in this connection that in the second cycle of NAAC report which came out after the NAAC peer team visit in 2009, Vidyasagar University was in the B Grade and secured a CPGA 2.81 and was in the 13th  position among the 18 universities which were ranked by NAAC.

Bengal

Labour protest halts highway expansion

• The Statesman
• 09 Nov 2014

biswabrata goswami
Midnapore, 8 NoV: The expansion work of National Highway – 6 from four lanes to six lanes is likely to be delayed as labour unrest is taking on a militant mode owing to the reluctant attitude of the construction company authorities.
Around 150 workers who were engaged by the Ashoka Buildcon Ltd (ABL) and ATR Infraprojects Pvt.Ltd (ATR) at different times have started a movement against the project implementing agencies over some issues which include the issuance of identity cards, appointment letters, increments and some statutory benefits. They have already stalled work at few places along the stretch between Dankuni and Kharagpur for the past few days as the authorities have failed to address their demands even after several bipartite talks held since the last few years.
Mr Sk Abdul Hai, general secretary of the labour union alleged that the company had not issued any appointment letters to the workers till date, while they had assured to issue the appointment letters when the workers were inducted. “The company is not even following the Minimum Wages Act. Workers are being deprived from getting statutory benefits like provident fund, medical facilities and others. The company does not have any increment policy even though it is mandatory under the provision of Labour Act,” alleged Mr Hai.
Ashoka Buildcon started work in 2012 after emerging as the preferred bidder in a tender for six-laning on the 111.4-km Dankuni-Kharagpur section of NH-6. The expansion has to be completed in 30 months but if the agitation continues unabated, it would obviously miss the deadline.
A labour union leader (who did not wish to be named) alleged the company authorities prefer to keep happy the syndicate leaders who often extort money from them rather resolving the labour issues on hopes that the syndicate leaders (most are Trinamul Congress leaders) will defuse the labour unrest with their able capacity or political influence.
The company’s people also influenced the police administration who often threatened the labourers asking them not to launch any agitation while they are reluctant to recognize their workers, alleged Mr Hai. The workers however are adamant about continuing with the stir.

Bengal

Impasse over elephants’ route ends

• The Statesman
• 07 Nov 2014

Conflict between Bengal and Odisha govts resolved

Biswabrata Goswami
biswabrata@thestatesman.net
Midnapore, 6 November
An unwanted conflict over the blocking of elephant passage route between West Bengal and Odisha governments has apparently come to a happy ending today, as a herd of 80 elephants were allowed to enter into Odisha from the state’s Junglemahal districts.
The trouble erupted after the locals in Odisha dug trenches along its border with West Midnapore to thwart the jumbos from crossing over to their side. As it was the time for the jumbos to take Odisha route from Bengal during their way back to Jharkhand’s Dalma sanctuary, a sudden blockade along their transit route in Odisha led them to stay in Bengal’s district triggering conflict with the human habitats for the last few days.
To address the situation, forest officials from Bengal met their counterparts in Odisha and urged them to withdraw their blockades so that the migratory elephants can take their normal transit routes. Earlier, in August, the forest officials of Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh had met in Jamshedpur and pledged working together to ensure free passage for the elephants.
“After a series of talks with the divisional forest officers of Balasore and Baripada in Odisha, they finally lifted the blockades and all the elephants wandering in the Nayagram, Gopiballavpur areas in West Midnapore reached the Odisha today”, said Mr Anjan Guha, Divisional Forest Officer, Kharagpur.
Historically, elephants were present in West Bengal in the 19th century, mostly in the dense ‘Sal’ forests of Midnapore. But their population dwindled with the gradual loss of forest cover. With the JFM (joint forest management) scripting a success story during the mid-80s by bringing the green cover back, the Jharkhand elephants - already under severe threat from habitat loss - started moving towards Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Odisha using their age-old corridors.
As if the habitat loss in Jharkhand and Odisha - the elephants’ original abode - were not enough, a study by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) reveals that more than 2,000 and 5,000 hectares of prime elephant habitat in Jharkhand and Odisha respectively are being extensively mined. WPSI undertook the study almost a decade ago and found that elephants from Jharkhand’s Dalma sanctuary had started moving towards locations not suited for them. The study found dissection of the jumbos’ traditional transit paths through West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Keonjhar in Odisha. While the mining activities in Jharkhand and Odisha are on the rise, the ripples are being felt in West Bengal. Foresters claim that the jumbo herd from Dalma couldn’t return to Jharkhand in 2012 and had to stay here. The fallout: ever-increasing conflict in Bengal.
Mr Subrata Purohit, a Wild Life activist in Midnapore alleged, “The elephant doesn’t belong to a single state, it’s a heritage animal. Blocking their traditional migration route is a crime.”

India

IIT-Kgp set to make a global mark

• The Statesman
• 06 Nov 2014

Biswabrata Goswami
biswabrata@thestatesman.net
Kharagpur, 5 November
In a unique academic leadership programme, IIT Kharagpur will now invite professors and scholars from foreign universities besides offering joint PhDs with top international institutes to support students and scholars for international exposure.
This will not only boost exchange programs and research activities but will also help the institute to make its presence felt strongly across international academia.
Under the Shri Gopal Rajagarhia International Programme, which was launched today, at least ten professors from some of the world’s leading universities would come to the Kharagpur campus each year for few months.
Similarly, around 30 talented international scholars would be invited every year to conduct research activities at IIT, said the institute’s Director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti.
He said they are already in talks with leading universities from the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Under the joint PhD programme, students would be awarded with the doctorate by IIT-Kgp and an international university.
The institute’s distinguished alumnus Gopal Rajagarhia of the 1968 batch has donated Rs. 10 crore for funding the initiative.
“I was always keen to give it back to IIT. Its international ratings are poor because of low international exposure. With this program, we want the IIT to make its presence felt in the international arena so that its ranking improves as per our Vision 2020,” Mr Rajagarhia said.
At present around 200 PhDs are awarded by the IIT each year and hope to take it to 400. “We want around 25 per cent of PhDs to be joint PhDs. We will also be getting foreign students to study here for such joint PhDs,” said Mr Chakrabarti.
Recently, IIT, KGP has launched the unique International Summer and Winter Semester programmes wherein students and faculties from India and abroad are participating.
Besides student and faculty exchange, the institute has launched the M N Faruqui Innovation Centre (MNFIC) today in the presence of Shri Arjun Malhotra who made the seed funding for this centre. Several other alumni were present during this program.
Among several objectives, the Center will focus on supporting the creation and operation of an academic organisation within IIT Kharagpur in which students would be able to work in  interdisciplinary groups to work towards novel and efficient solutions for well-known, substantial and contemporary technical challenges.

VU students yet to follow JU footsteps

• The Statesman
• 02 Nov 2014

Unions haven’t raised voices over campus surveillance

biswabrata goswami
Midnapore, 1 NoV: At a time when JU students are holding referendum on issues ranging from the Vice-Chancellor’s continuation to campus surveillance, not a single protest, even by the students’ unions like SFI or DSO, against the introduction of campus surveillance by checking identity cards at Vidyasagar University has been organised yet.
Interestingly, hundreds of VU students have, however, extended their moral support to the students’ movement at JU either on Facebook or other media.
Under the direction of the present vice-chancellor, Profe-
ssor Ranjan Chakrabarti, himself a professor of History at Jadavpur University, a notice was issued by the acting registrar of VU on 26 May, 2014 (Memo No.VU/R/Noti./656/2014), which stated that ‘the bona fide students of Vidyasagar University are advised to enter into the university premises showing their identity proof issued by the university authority.’
 In the notice it was further mentioned that ‘if any unauthorised person(s) are found moving in the different sections of the university, necessary disciplinary/legal action will be taken against them as per the university rules.’
  The lone voice of protest was heard from Dr Abhijit Guha, a teacher of the Anthropology department of Vidyasagar University, who wrote a letter to the registrar on 27 May pointing out the fact that the ‘university campus is a public space owned, maintained and funded by the public authorities of the country and it was not declared as a restricted area by any authority.’
  Dr Guha also pointed out that there is a nationalised bank, a post office and other public utility facilities within the campus of Vidyasagar University and the aforesaid notice may prohibit the public who do not officially belong to the university. He requested the registrar to revise the notice in the interest of the public.
  The reply of the registrar of VU to Dr Guha foreshadowed the attitude of the present authorities of Jadavpur University who had recently issued orders by which entry of any person in the campus would be under strict surveillance.        On 30 May, Dr JK Nandi the acting registrar of VU, categorically replied to Dr Guha that ‘a university campus is not a “public place” as it is used to define national highways, roads/streets, railway or bus stations, parks or any other open space used by the public at large.’
 The registrar of Vidyasagar University also stated that ‘most universities of India are enclosed spaces’ and the persons using the bank or the post office of the university campus are ‘visitors’(read ‘outsiders’) and there should be  certain restrictions in the entry of those persons for the protection of the valuable properties of the university.
An SFI student (who is not wished to be named) said, “We have no organisational strength to arrange a protest against the decision here, so we have supported the JU students who are fighting for the same issue in their varsity.”