COOCH BEHAR, July 17: The Cooch Behar district unit of All India Youth League (AIYL), the youth wing of Forward Bloc will block functioning of all head offices and branch offices of all banks, post offices and insurance offices in Cooch Behar district on 20 July. They will also organise sit-in demonstration in front of SDO offices on 21 August and district magistrate’s office on 11 September.  

Declaring the programme a state secretariat member of AIYL and also the district unit general secretary Mr Abdur Rauf said that the decision was adopted in a meeting of the AIYL’s Cooch Behar district committee held at Khagrabari yesterday.  

Mr Rauf said that they adopted the decision to demand acceptance of the Mukherjee Commission’s report on disappearance of the great patriot Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They are also demanding national museum status for the historic Netaji Bhavan situated on Elgin Road in Kolkata, Mr Rauf added. The AIYL leader said that the Central government already denied accepting the Mukherjee Commission’s report but they believe that the report may throw enough light on the historic disappearance of Netaji and so they are demanding to accept the report. They will not allow functioning of any post office, bank and insurance office on 20 July to draw attention of the Central government into the matter, he said. 

After the agitation against the Centre, the AIYL will turn its eyes to the local issues. Mr Rauf said the river-erosion is a major problem of Cooch Behar district. Rivers like Kaljani, Torsa, Mansai and Gadadhar turn as panic to the people during the monsoon. Following the massive erosion caused by these rivers the district is suffering in agriculture sector and also suffering economically. The AIYL will organise a movement over the issue. They will also move demanding employment of unemployed youths. He alleged that the concerned industrial department failed to perform its role satisfactorily. On the otherhand the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is also suffering. It needs modernisation and improvement. Mr Rauf declared that they would organise sit-in demonstrations in front of all SDO offices in Cooch Behar district on 21 August and the district magistrate’s office on 11 September to draw the attention of the state government to the burning problems of Cooch Behar district. [] 

Adivasi families crossed floor to join RSP 

COOCH BEHAR, July 17: Tribal people from more than one hundred families joined to RSP leaving CPI-M and Forward Bloc at Patlakhaoa in Cooch Behar-II. A meeting was held at Pachunir-par area on the occasion on Friday. 

A front ranking leader of Pachunir-par area, Mr Gopal Oraon said that the tribal people are getting no good from the Left Front government though they were serving for the ruling parties like CPI-M and Forward Bloc for a long time. The local road communication scenario is very bad and they failed to convince the authorities to improve the road condition. The residents of the area are not getting any benefit as forest-villagers. The CPI-M and the Forward Bloc never came forward to help them in removing these problems. At last they had to take a decision to join the RSP because this party is fighting for the rights of Adivasi people, Mr Oraon said. 

Not only Mr Oraon but others too complained that a plan was adopted sometime ago to develop a tourist spot in the area but no approach road was constructed to go to the spot. The Adivasis of the area are suffering from many problems without any remedy, they alleged in the meeting. 

It was learnt that at the first phase the new entrants will have to work with RSP’s trade union wing UTUC affiliated North Bengal Forest Mazdoor Union. Cooch Behar district RSP secretary Mr Narayan Deb, district UTUC secretary Mr Sarajit Dutta, upo-pradhan of Patlakhaoa gram panchayat and secretary of district Samjukta Kisan Sabha Mr Tatnarayan Roy, Mr Tapas Saha, Mr Gopal Chaki and Jalpaiguri district secretary of North Bengal Forest Mazdoor Union Mr Bimal Das were also spoke on the occasion. []