Enough of bandhs: CM

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Mamata at the zari hub in Sankrail. (Gopal Senapati) Feb. 4: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today again voiced her opposition to bandhs and strikes. Flagging off a Rs 2,500-crore foundry park at Howrah’s Panchla, she said: “There have been enough bandhs and strikes in the past 34 years. Now, we have to ensure that nothing disrupts the progress of Bengal. We must focus on development.” Mamata has repeatedly objected to bandhs and other disruptive tactics since the tide turned in the Trinamul Congress’s favour after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.  पश्चिम बंगाल की मुख्यमंत्री ममता बनर्जी ने शनिवार को दावा किया कि उनकी सरकार ने राज्य में अभी तक 5 लाख नौकरियां दीं हैं। हावड़ा जिले में एक पार्क की आधारशिला रखते हुए बनर्जी ने कहा, 'सत्ता में आने के बाद राज्य में हमने करीब 5 लाख नौकरियां दीं हैं। करीब 2.75 लाख सरकारी नौकरियां एवं बाकी निजी क्षेत्र में नौकरियां दी गई हैं।' उन्होंने आरोप लगाया कि वाम मोर्चा की सरकार ने 34 वर्षों के शासनकाल में लोगों के लिए पर्याप्त नौकरियां क्रिएट नहीं कीं और पश्चिम बंगाल से काफी संख्या में युवकों को अन्य राज्यों की ओर पलायन करना पड़ा। मुख्यमंत्री ने कहा, 'हम नौकरियां क्रिएट करने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं लेकिन लोगों को देखना है कि कोई हड़ताल या बंद नहीं हो।' तृणमूल कांग्रेस के बागी सांसद कबीर सुमन ने शनिवार को अपनी पार्टी पर फिर हमला बोला। उन्होंने कहा कि ममता बनर्जी सरकार का जनता के विकास से कुछ भी लेना-देना नहीं है। वह सिर्फ सत्ता में बने रहना चाहती है। उन्होंने पार्टी हाईकमान से खुद को सांसद पद से हटाने की भी अपील की। रवींद्र भारती विश्वविद्यालय में नाट्य विभाग के छात्रों की सभा में सुमन ने कहा कि मेरा तृणमूल के साथ नाता खत्म हो चुका है। मैं चाहता हूं कि पार्टी का सांसद भी न रहूं। इसलिए इस वर्ष सांसद निधि का एक भी रुपया खर्च नहीं किया। इसलिए अब ममता बनर्जी को मुझे पार्टी से हटा देना चाहिए। माना जा रहा है कि सुमन का झुकाव एक बार फिर से वामपंथ की ओर हो रहा है। वह पहले वाम राजनीति से जुड़े रहे हैं। मंत्रियों के कामकाज पर नजर रखेंगी ममता कोलकाता [जागरण ब्यूरो]। मुख्यमंत्री ममता बनर्जी अब अपने मंत्रियों के कामकाज पर कड़ी नजर रखेंगी। उन्होंने मंत्रियों के कक्ष में क्लोज सर्किट टीवी कैमरे लगाने का निर्णय किया है। हालांकि इसके पीछे राज्य सचिवालय [राइटर्स बिल्डिंग] की सुरक्षा को और चुस्त करने का तर्क दिया जा रहा है। राइटर्स बिल्डिंग सूत्रों के मुताबिक मुख्यमंत्री के निर्देश पर वरिष्ठ सरकारी अधिकारी मंत्रियों के कक्ष में सीसीटीवी लगाने की तैयारी में जुट गए हैं। व्यवस्था से जुड़े अधिकारियों के अनुसार मंत्रियों के कक्ष से चोरी की घटनाएं बढ़ी हैं। कंप्यूटर के उपकरण से लेकर दीवाल घड़ी, यहां तक कि पर्यावरण विभाग के सचिव आरपीएस खोलान के कक्ष से लैपटाप भी चोरी हो चुका है। वैसे तो पूरी राइटर्स बिल्डिंग सीसीटीवी की नजर में है लेकिन मंत्रियों के कक्ष में पहली बार उसकी घुसपैठ होगी। माना जा रहा है कि इससे चोरी की घटनाओं पर अंकुश लगेगा। इससे मुख्यमंत्री भी अपने मंत्रियों के कामकाज की रफ्तार का पता आसानी से लगा सकेंगी। इस मुद्दे पर मंत्री फिलहाल कुछ नहीं कह रहे हैं। उद्योग मंत्री पार्थ चटर्जी ने कहा है कि उन्हें इसकी जानकारी नहीं है। वन मंत्री हितेन बर्मन ने कहा कि उन्हें मंत्रियों के कक्ष में कुछ खास उपकरण लगाने की तैयारी की जानकारी मिली है। मंत्रियों को इससे घबड़ाने की जरूरत नहीं है। इससे सरकार के कामकाज में पारदर्शिता आएगी। जबकि लोक निर्माण मंत्री सुदर्शन घोष दस्तीदार ने इस बारे में टिप्पणी करने से इंकार कर दिया। hief minister Mamata Banerjee is set to find a place in the record books once again. She has called a review meeting of six districts at the same venue on February 10. There is a bigger catch. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is about to set another first-time record. She has called a review meeting of six districts at the same venue. There is a bigger catch. The meeting is scheduled to be completed in two hours. The "hurricane" review conference has sent district officials into a tizzy as they are at a loss on fixing the agenda. The chief minister will convene the meeting at Siliguri's Dinabandhu Mancha on February 10 with the biggest likely official participation in a district town, ever since the new government took over. The meeting will be held between 3.30pm and 5.30pm, giving Mamata, the chief minister, an hour before she rushes to flag off the Uttarbanga Utsav in the same town. The chief minister's office (CMO) is about to issue notifications to districts magistrates of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur and Malda so that "all concerned officials" are present at the session with fail. a jumbo attendance. Officials fear that the venue, which is maintained by the information and cultural affairs department to host cultural programmes, may be filled to capacity since the chief minister usually takes with her about nine or 10 state ministers, at least two union ministers and a minimum of at least 18 secretaries including the bureaucratic top brass. Other than these must-attendants, officers of the district line departments, including public health and engineering (PHE) department, public works department (PWD) and health department, are needed to be present. Each district would have around 80 to 90 participants, The participants from each district would be around 80 or 90, taking the total crowd to nearly 600. A contrast to the February 10 (Friday) meeting, is another one scheduled on February 7 (Tuesday) to be convened at Nadia. This review meeting is likely to be held in the circuit house with the usual attendance. The time span for this meeting is also two hours. "The idea behind these meetings is to review the progress of developmental projects. But none of these meetings held so far has been structured to review projects," confided a source. Another source said, "What will the Siliguri review meeting be like? The chief minister would take at least half an hour introducing the various participants." After the earlier meetings, officials had complained of being unable to highlight any problem faced by them. Another official said that at least half a day was required for these review meetings. Some officials, however, said that the CM had to make the cut-short agenda considering the Uttarbanga Utsav which is to be held between February 10 and 15. The festival is being organized by " Uttar Banga Utsav Committee" under the North Bengal development, information & cultural Affairs, tourism, backward class welfare, sports, youth welfare and forest departments. The festival will showcase the various facets of sports, culture, cuisine and a lot more of Bengal on a large canvas in the six districts of North Bengal. This year the festival's focus is Siliguri sub-division and the district of Jalpaiguri. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a foundry park in Sankrail on land that is still shown on theTrinamool Congress website as "grabbed" by theBuddhadeb Bhattacharjee administration. But the politics of land acquisition was from Mamata's mind on Saturday. Employmentgeneration gained priority over bandhs and strikes. The CM also inaugurated a 'Zari Park' in Sankrail and announced a goldsmith hub near Domjur. Mamata assured that the government was working hard to fulfill its target of generating 10 lakh jobs within five years. In the last eight months, it has already created 2.75 lakh jobs, apart from 60,000 in IT, 2 lakh in the private industry and 2 lakh indirect jobs, said the CM. The goldsmith hub will require no acquisition or purchase of land. It will come up on government land under the public works department at Ankurhati in Howrah's Domjur, she said. "We have identified a PWD godown spread over eight acres in Ankurhati. I have asked WBIDC to hand over four acres of the vacant land to set up the hub for goldsmiths. It is an internal transfer of land, hence there will be no problem ," she said after laying the foundation stone for the foundry park on Ranihati-Amta Road on NH-6. The foundry park is promoted by Foundry Cluster Development Association under the aegis of the Indian Foundry Association (IFA). The Industrial Training Institute located inside the foundry park was renamed as Swami Vivekananda Industrial Training Institute. Responding to the request of IFA chairman, Pawan Sureka, Banerjee said the 5.15 km road leading to the park from Ranihati crossing will be converted into four-lane stretch to facilitate the movement of goods vehicles in and out of the foundry park. The CM requested Sureka to build a cold storage and health centre in Ranihati in joint venture with the state. Built on 924 acres, the Rs 2,500-crore foundry park has the potential to employ around 30,000 people directly and 100,000 people indirectly. Phase I is being implemented on a contiguous land of 269 acres. "This park has export potential to the tune of Rs 2,110 crore," commerce and industries minister Partha Chatterjee said. The Zari Park in Sankrail can hold 600 workers. The CM promised to set up an "international market" in the hub. She emphasized that self help groups should be empowered so that these craftsmen do not leave the state and women can also work from home . She also wanted an eye camp for the zari workers.