Unable to bear the pressure of TMC affiliated Karmachari Samsad

Vice-Chancellor of BCKV tenders his resignation to Governor

“I have sent my resignation letter to the Governor on Friday afternoon due to my personal inconvenience,” he iterated.

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 6 JUNE: Unable to bear the pressure from the Trinamul Congress affiliated Karmachari Samsad, the vice-chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (BCKV), Dr Dharani Dhar Patra has finally tendered his resignation from his post yesterday.

He sent his resignation letter to Chancellor cum Governor, Mr Jagdeep Dhankar on Friday afternoon, he said.

Though his tenure will be ended on 9 June, he will serve up to 10 June, he added.

“I have sent my resignation letter to the Governor on Friday afternoon due to my personal inconvenience,” he iterated.

The Chancellor had given him an extension of six months and the letter reached BCKV on 29 May 29.

Since then the situation turned grim and the TMC affiliated Karmachari Samsad started agitation in front of VC’s office demanding his resignation from his post.

They alleged that the Governor has extended the service tenure of the VC without consulting the state government.

In an order, the Governor, Jagdeep Dhankar said, “In exercise of powers under section 20(1)(b) of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya Act, I, Chancellor of BCKV, allow Dr D D Patra, vice-chancellor, after expiration of his term of office on 9.06.2020, to continue in office till a successor assumes office subject to the condition that he shall not continue as such for any period exceeding six months”.

Maran Kumar Dey, secretary of Karmachari Samsad said, “The Governor has extended the VC’s term without consulting the state government. We will not obey his instruction”.

Meanwhile, the TMC affiliated teachers’ association WEBCUPA and a section of students also gheraoed the VC’s bungalow on the same issue.

Haringhata block TMC President cum  Nadia Zilla Parishad Purto Karmadakshya Chanchal Debnath had appeared at the University with his huge followers on the first day of the movement. He also described the Governor's activities as undemocratic.

He said, “The movement will go on until fulfillment of our demand.” 

Rajib Dalal, who has become the Administrator cum Chairman of Haringhata Municipality since Monday too was on spot. He was the first Chairman of the Municipality. He said, “We will continue the movement.”

However, VC had alleged on Tuesday that the agitators broke the lock of the first gate of his bungalow before launching agitation. “After breaking the lock of the gate of my bungalow, they sat in demonstration. They threw abusive words and when I faced them, they tried to take me to the administrative building. I assume, if I would go there, they would press me to sign a resignation letter. I informed SP but it yielded no result."

He had also said that he was just obeying the order of the Chancellor. “I am obeying the order of the Chancellor as it is my duty to obey it,” he said.

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MAKAUT plants 40,000 saplings in the campuses spread across its 219 affiliated colleges

“In large parts of the state, Amphan has caused heavy devastation including environment and ecology….The theme of the 2020 World Environment Day is “Celebrated Bio-diversity”. Attention to this may also be bestowed,” Mr Dhankar said in his letter.

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 5 JUNE: Keeping in mind the extended damages caused by the super cyclone Amphan, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) has planted 40,000 saplings in the campuses spread across its 219 affiliated colleges to save the environment and ecology on the day of the World Environment Day, today.

The university authorities had appealed to all its students, employees and teachers to participate the programme on views to compensate the recent damages of greenery by planting saplings.

Mr Jagdeep Dhankar, Governor of West Bengal had also sent a letter to the vice-chancellor of the university, appealing to avail the opportunity of World Environment Day on 5 June so that maximum effort can be made to plant more trees on the campus and off the campus.

“In large parts of the state, Amphan has caused heavy devastation including environment and ecology….The theme of the 2020 World Environment Day is “Celebrated Bio-diversity”. Attention to this may also be bestowed,” Mr Dhankar said in his letter.

Dr Saikat Maitra, vice-chancellor of MAKAUT, who planted a few saplings in the varsity’s Haringhata campus along with Anup Kumar Mukherjee, assistant registrar and other teachers and students, said, “We have started planting saplings from 1 June as a part of continuous planting programme. In addition to this, we have given a special focus on mass plantation this year because the Amphan, an extremely severe super cyclone wreaked havoc in the state and uprooted thousands of matured trees. To compensate for the huge losses of our greenery, we appealed to our students to plant sapling in their locality and it would be treated as NSS activities.”

Mr Mukherjee, assistant registrar, when asked said, “We have planted around 250 saplings in our both two campuses and we also donated saplings to the neighborhood. The students who planted saplings in their locality have been asked to send photos of their activities to the concerned department and the department will maintain a register to award numbers to the students.”

He also said the university had also planted 400 seedlings each of Papiya and Aloevera a few months ago, but these were not destroyed in the cyclone.

Apart from this, the Nadia district magistrate Vibhu Goel, superintendent of police, Zafar Ajmal Kidwai and Nadia district zilla-parishad sabhadhipati, Rikta Kundu planted saplings of varieties of trees inside the premises of the district collectorate office in Krishnagar.

EXCLUSIVE

West Midnapore launches mental counselling for quarantined people especially migrants for the first time in the state

“While putting people in quarantine centers has proved to be effective in controlling epidemics, it is important that the process is sensitive enough to ensure that such people do not suffer mental agony. Due to misconceptions going around about the disease, some people think that they are going to die and such thoughts may affect their recovery”, said Dr Bera.

Biswabrata Goswami

MIDNAPORE, 4 JUNE: Staying under quarantine with fears of a possible Covid-19 infection can be traumatic and this has led the West Midnapore district health department to start counselling the quarantined people isolated from homes.

This is for the first time in the state, a district has launched a mental counseling programme at quarantine centers to eradicate mental agony and fear of death developed amongst the quarantined people especially migrants.

District mental health counsellors are following up through telephonic counseling apart from regular follow up by surveillance team with maintaining social distancing norms, said Dr Girish Chandra Bera, chief medical officer of health.

“While putting people in quarantine centers has proved to be effective in controlling epidemics, it is important that the process is sensitive enough to ensure that such people do not suffer mental agony. Due to misconceptions going around about the disease, some people think that they are going to die and such thoughts may affect their recovery”, said Dr Bera.

He said a team of clinical psychologists under the district mental health programme has started carrying out such programmes at various quarantine centers across the district.

“Yesterday, a team of clinical psychologists conducted such a programme at a quarantine center in Keshiary where all the quarantined people were taken in an adjacent field where they were counseled by the psychologists. All quarantined people sat on the field maintaining social distancing norms”, said Dr Giri.

With the grim reality of coronavirus becoming more prominent in the state, local residents are understandably restless and confused. But the most affected are the ones who have tested positive for Covid-19 and are now in quarantine. To deal with this mental health crisis, the team of clinical psychologists are counseling patients and enabling them to undergo the isolation process.

The state health department has even issued a circular to the all district health and family welfare officers and mental health programme officers along with district mental health programme (DMHP) teams, district hospital mental health teams and medical college mental health teams to make an action plan on a daily basis regarding the activities to improve mental health that the people in home quarantine or isolation will undertake, a district health official said.

The teams will call them every day and reassure them that quarantine does not mean they are being stigmatised, the official added.

A senior official from the mental health programme said, “Most of them will initially be anxious when the tests are given. Sometimes, they might experience disturbances in sleeping because of the new place and isolation from kith and kin. They feel most anxious during the initial two or three days and once they get the information about isolation and quarantine they understand that it is for their benefit and the benefit of their family”.

The official said many of them have expressed that they felt better after the counseling. Providing the right information has helped them.

“We teach them how to be productive, how to relax and to stay in touch with their relatives through video calls”, said an official.

A new lab for testing Covid-19 will come up in Nadia soon : Mahua Moitra

“A high percentage of migrants returning to their homes are reportedly having infection of coronavirus – the fact we are considering. So, keeping it in mind, we appeal that every individual migrant should go to a quarantine center or school at first before reaching home. As they are mostly asymptomatic, they should not meet anyone in the locality before being quarantined for 14 days”, Mahua Moitra said.

Biswabrata Goswami

KRISHNAGAR, 3 JUNE: As migrants returning home continued to test positive for the novel coronavirus, the Trinamul Congress MP Mahua Moitra, today, informed that the state government is going to set up a laboratory at Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial hospital (JNM) in Kalyani for Covid-19 tests.

“The state health department has already issued a tender bid for purchasing required machineries and equipment. I hope these will come within three or four days and thereafter the hospital will start testing swab samples. Whenever this facility will come up, the number of sample tests will increase,” said Ms Moitra.

She said a laboratory for testing Covid-19 samples was to start functioning at JNM with the help of Kalyani university from 1 June, but due to some problems, the facility will come up on 6 or 7 June.

Ms Moitra, who conducted a press meet at Krishnagar municipality conference room today, said this service was necessitated as thousands of migrants from different states are returning almost every day and a considerable number of migrants are supposedly bearing infections.

“A high percentage of migrants returning to their homes are reportedly having infection of coronavirus – the fact we are considering. So, keeping it in mind, we appeal that every individual migrant should go to a quarantine center or school at first before reaching home. As they are mostly asymptomatic, they should not meet anyone in the locality before being quarantined for 14 days”, she said.

In the government quarantine centers, the administration provides food and water to all quarantined persons while in other quarantine centers like schools, the family members are providing food to their nearest ones, she added.

At few centers, some problems have been reported on silly matters. But, the district administration is trying its best to contain the situation. I can say, no one is starving in quarantine centers, Ms Moitra said.        

Governor extends term of BCKV vice-chancellor, Teachers and employees launch agitation to protest the move 

When asked, Dr Patra said, “The Governor has asked me to continue my service. So, what can I do? The agitators should not make any protest against me. This apart, in the name of protest, some agitators have broken the locks of my bungalow’s gate. This should not be happened”. 

Biswabrata Goswami

KRISHNAGAR, 2 JUNE: A group of Trinamul Congress affiliated employees’ union at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), today, conducted an agitation to protest against the extension of service of the vice-chancellor for the next six-month.

The employees under the banner of Karnachari Samsad squatted in front of the vice-chancellor’s office alleging that the Governor has extended the service tenure of the VC without consulting the state government.

In an order, the Governor, Jagdeep Dhankar said, “In exercise of powers under section 20(1)(b) of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya Act, I, Chancellor of BCKV, allow Dr D D Patra, vice-chancellor, after expiration of his term of office on 9.06.2020, to continue in office till a successor assumes office subject to the condition that he shall not continue as such for any period exceeding six months”.

Maran Kumar Dey, secretary of Karmachari Samsad said, “The Governor has extended the VC’s term without consulting the state government. We will not obey his instruction”.

Meanwhile, the TMC affiliated teachers’ association WEBCUPA and a section of students also gheraoed the VC’s bungalow on the same issue.

When asked, Dr Patra said, “The Governor has asked me to continue my service. So, what can I do? The agitators should not make any protest against me. This apart, in the name of protest, some agitators have broken the locks of my bungalow’s gate. This should not be happened”. 

Courtesy: Images from iNET, BCKV

Lockdown hits tribal community and forest dwellers in Jhargram, distress sale of kendu leaves adds to their woes 

Though, the district administration has come forward to provide jobs under MGNREGS project, but this (March to June) being the peak season for collection and harvest of MFP/NTFP makes it imperative for the government to take prompt measures to protect the economy and livelihoods of the tribal communities by providing them safety net.

Biswabrata Goswami

JHARGRAM, 2 JUNE: Tribal populace in Jahrgram, a part of Junglemahal in West Bengal are facing acute financial crisis as lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus has led to the distress sale of minor forest produce (MFP).

Tribals being the primary procurers, who are involved in the trade of kendu or tendu leaves, said their incomes have been adversely affected due to ongoing nationwide lockdown.

The collection and sale of kendu leaves, which are used to make bidis, forms a substantial part of income for the tribal people.

“Due to lockdown, there are no buyers. We might have to wait for the lockdown to get over to sell the leaves”, said Sanatan Murmu, a procurer of kendu leaves in Binpur.

Though, the district administration has come forward to provide jobs under MGNREGS project, but this (March to June) being the peak season for collection and harvest of MFP/NTFP makes it imperative for the government to take prompt measures to protect the economy and livelihoods of the tribal communities by providing them safety net.

Thousands of registered kendu leaf pluckers are sitting idle due to lack of communication from the district administrations concerned allowing them for collection of leaf.

This is despite the lockdown relaxation announced by the central government on 17 April for harvesting and processing of these forest products.

“The lockdown relaxation is for the people living in these (tribal) areas, not for the traders and contractors. For the traders to come and operate (collect and purchase the MFPs), they need to bring vehicles like trucks etc. with them to transport the (forest) produce. That is why there is a lot of confusion and it has hampered the season this year,” said Nakai Hembram, a resident of Belpahari.

Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP), also called Minor Forest Produces – MFPs, have a major role in the economy of the tribal societies. According to the government’s own admission, “around 100 million forest dwellers depend on MFPs for food, shelter, medicines and cash income”.

Across the country, there are more than 200 recognised minor forest products including kendu leaf, bamboo, mahuwa (flower & seed), sal (leaf and seed), lac, chironjee, tamarind, gum and karanj seed.

As per the data of Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED) – an arm of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs – the total estimated value of only 55 forest products is Rs. 20,000 crores (Rs 200 billion). It is estimated by the government, the annual value of 13 MFPs gathered from just seven states stands at Rs. 3,802 crores (Rs. 38.02 billion).

Tribal people constitute 8.6 percent of India’s total population and constitute 11 percent of the country’s rural population. It is estimated that directly or indirectly the livelihood of at least 250 million people is dependent on forest products and its business, a government report said.

The four-month period – from March to June – is the time when most of the MFPs are collected and purchased. This earning constitutes the majority of the annual income of tribal communities. The nationwide lockdown that started on 25 March has hit the tribal community across the nation including the Jhargram district.

After the lockdown was imposed, the Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda sent a letter to all chief ministers on 6 April, asking them to initiate “proactive measures” for the well-being of the tribal population. Munda asked the states to act through Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) to provide the tribal people safety and ensure their livelihood. Moreover, the government revised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of 49 MFPs.

Despite this, people on the ground are grappling with many issues and for those who live in far-flung areas, it is impossible to get the price for their crop. 

BJP MP protests inside CMOH premises in Krishnagar

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 31 MAY: With BJP versus Mamata Banerjee politics taking center stage since the beginning of the coronavirus fight, the BJP MP from Ranaghat Jagannath Sarkar had to conduct a sit-in-protest demonstration inside the premises of the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) in Krishnagar today.

Sarkar and his party workers squatted on the floor inside the premises after the CMOH allegedly ignored to respond to his phone calls he made repeatedly and did not attend his office.

Venting his discontentment, Sarkar said, “Being an MP, I have some dignity. But, the CMOH has perhaps no knowledge of courtesy. He had given me a time to meet him, but he deliberately did not receive my calls and even he did not turn up to attend his office. I came here to submit a letter regarding harassment in the name of violation of pandemic protocols.”

Within hours after the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh and the party leader Sayantan Basu were stopped from visiting the cyclone-ravaged areas, Sarkar had faced ‘the ruling party’s wrath’, on 26 May.

Sarkar was not stopped by the police from visiting the cyclone-hit areas, but this time, the district health department had come forward and knocked on the door of his resident at around 3 am asking him to stay in home quarantine for the next 14 days as he visited quarantine centers.

In a letter (Memo no –CMOH/Nad/3332/171 dated 25.05.2020), the chief medical officer of health, Nadia said, “It has come to our knowledge that today i.e. on the 25 th May, 2020, in the afternoon, you have visited Quarantine Centers housed at Charbrahmanagar GSFP school, Bablaban GSFP school and Charmajdiya Govt Colony primary school in Nabadwip block where high risk asymptomatic persons returned from Maharashtra, Telengana and Andhrapradesh have been quarantined. It has also been learnt that you have interacted with some quarantined persons there, without taking required precautions and without maintaining prescribed social distancing norms……In this context of the above, you are hereby advised to be in strict Home quarantine for the next 14 days…”

Sarkar alleged that the steps against him have been taken on political intention to prevent him from conducting any social or political activities. “Within minutes after my visits at the quarantine centers, the former chairman of Nabadwip municipality BIman Krishna Saha had also visited the quarantine centers along with his more than 200 associates. The district health department, however, kept their eyes closed on this matter while they have served a letter advising me to stay in home quarantine”.

Later, Sarkar submitted his memorandum before the representatives of the district magistrate in the collectorate office.