Students’ rally in Kalchini for special facilities 

COOCH BEHAR, July 10: Progressive Students Union (PSU), the students’ wing of RSP, organised a procession in Dooars today. Starting from Kalchini the students reached at Hamiltonganj and submitted a memorandum to the Block Development Officer of Kalchini, Jalpaiguri. They demanded special facilities for the students of the closed tea gardens.

PSU leaders of Kalchini Mr Ramkumar Lama, Ms Monika Chhetry, Ms Asita Kurmi, Mr Hyder Ansari and Ms Durga Chakraborty led the procession.

Mr Ramkumar Lama said that four tea estates in Kalchini are lying closed for a long time. These are Raimatang, Chinchula, Kalchini and Vernabari. The students are the worst sufferers. Many of them had to leave study due to poor economic condition. A number of students passed the Madhyamik examination but they failed to continue their study because they have no ability to get admitted in Higher Secondary schools. Mr Lama said that the authorities should consider the case of these poor students and they should take an initiative to reopen the tea estates.

The students submitted a nine-point charter of demands to the Kalchini BDO. In that memorandum they demanded special rebate for the students of closed tea estates during admission in educational institutions. They also demanded reconnection of electricity supply in the closed tea gardens till reopening of these gardens.

Mr Lama mentioned that girl trafficking became a menace in the closed tea gardens in the Dooars. Among the trafficked girls there were many students too and so they demanded strict measures to stop the menace. The students also demanded alternative employment schemes for their survival.

The PSU leader said they would wait for measures taken against their demands for one month. If no action is taken they will organise a sit-in-demonstration in front of the Kalchini BDO office, he declared. []

Barman’s bail plea rejected

COOCH BEHAR, July 10: General secretary of The Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association (GCPA), Mr Bangshi Badan Barman and 56 others associated with the organisation were produced in the court of District and sessions judge of Cooch Behar, Mr Nripendra Nath Ghosh today. Mr Barman’s pleader, Mr Shibendra Nath Roy said that there is three cases lying against his client in that court related with murder of an additional SP, murder of two policemen and attempt to murder of police personnel.

On behalf of Mr Barman, Mr Roy appealed to the court to release his client against bail. The judge rejected the bail petition and ordered production of the accused again on 24 July. []

Fresh stir plan declared to get a new rail route

COOCH BEHAR, July 10: The New Railway Demand Committee (NRDC) will organise demonstrations at New Cooch Behar rail station premises on 17 August. They will also organise a daylong sit-in there on that day. To make the agitation programme successful they will mobilise hundreds of supporters at New Cooch Behar on that day. This plan was adopted at a meeting of the NRDC held at Rasik-bil in Tufanganj yesterday. Executive members of the NRDC from Cooch Behar and Assam attended the meeting. Mentionworthy, the NRDC is struggling since 1995 for a rail route from New Maynaguri of Jalpaiguri district to Jogighopa in Assam.

The joint convener of NRDC and also the convener of Cooch Behar district Left Front Mr Chandi Pal said that they had lodged a complaint to the state land and land reforms minister Mr Abdur Rezzak Molla over the slow pace in acquiring land for the proposed rail project in Cooch Behar district. The minister visited Cooch Behar on Saturday. He inquired from the NRDC leadership about the progress of work for the proposed rail route. When the leaders told him about the slow progress in land acquisition he instructed the concerned officials of Cooch Behar to act in a speedy manner. The minister also instructed them to complete the land acquisition process during the monsoon so that work can be started soon after the monsoon, the NRDC joint convener said.

Mr Pal mentioned that the New Maynaguri- Jogighopa rail route needs about 96-kilometre land in Cooch Behar district but about 30-kilometre land is yet to be acquired.

Not only against the district administration, the NRDC is also getting ready to submit complaints against concerned railway officials for delay in implementing the New Maynaguri –Jogighopa project. A NRDC delegation will visit New Delhi in the third week of August. There they will submit a memorandum to the Union railway minister Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav. They will request him to complete the project within the time frame as declared by the railway authority.

The proposed railway is very much needed for development of this region. Following massive movement organised by the NRDC, the railway authority had assured that trains would start running in a section of the proposed route in 2007, Mr Pal said. But due to slow progress in acquiring land and also due to indifferent attitude of a section of railway officials the completion of the project may be delayed, he feared. He made it clear that they are not ready to allow anyone to make the project a suspended one. And so they are going to start a fresh agitation, he declared.

The NRDC leaders will also submit a memorandum to the Union road transport and national highways minister Mr TR Baloo. They will demand introduction of water transport service through Brahmaputra in Assam. Shipping service was there in Brahmaputra in the past and this is required again to carry merchandise produced in this region. They will request the minister to reintroduce the waterway. If they get no positive response from the minister they will have to organise a massive movement as they did for the New Maynaguri- Jogighopa railway, Mr Pal said. []

PHOTO : The bridge in danger following massive erosion of Torsa at Ghughumari near Cooch Behar town. Road link of Dinhata and Mathabhanga with Cooch Behar may be disrupted if the bridge collapses.