Demanding legal action against unauthorised motor vans, Hemtabad Auto and Trekkers Owners’ Association has started an indefinite strike since Monday in the areas of Hemtabad police station in North Dinajpur district.
Buses, trekkers and auto rickshaws stayed off the roads in the past three days. Commuters including high school students are facing a lot of inconvenience due to the strike. No measures have yet been taken by the administration regarding the matter.
Mr Tapan Biswas, secretary of Hemtabad auto and trekkers owners association said: “The number of motor vans is increasing day by day in Hemtabad. They are neither registered by district motor vehicles department nor do they pay road tax to the government.
Even their vans are not insured. These motor vans are carrying passengers at low rates due to which our business is suffering extensively.
Our income has dropped so badly that we cannot even pay bank installment. Though recently the Calcutta High court directed the district administration to stop such illegal motor vans, police have been mute spectators over the matter. If police fail to arrest the drivers of these motor vans and seize their vans, we will start vigorous movement throughout the district.
Mr Purnendu Kundu, OC Hemtabad police station said: “We have started raids against unauthorised motor vans.
But they have gone into hiding apprehending the situation. However, we will start extensive raid after gram panchyat elections.
Archive for May, 2008
Transport association protests against unauthorised motor vans – The Statesman
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008Cyclone affected wait for relief – The Statesman
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008Around 100 members belonging to ten families at Dhriul village near Raiganj whose huts collapsed in the cyclonic storm last night are still living under the open sky as no relief material has yet reached them.
North Dinajpur district Magistrate Mr Sukumar Bhattacharjee said that relief materials have been sent to the storm-affected village today, though the damage estimation is yet to be done by the BDO, Raiganj.
Fire kills baby, two others injured – The Statesman
Monday, May 12th, 2008A two-and-half-month old baby girl died and another two children were injured when a fire spread in a hut from an oil lamp at Malkunda village under Goalpokhar police station areas of North Dinajpur district last night. The deceased child was identified as Badir Unnesha. The injured children were Md Majhar(3) and Murtaj Alam (5).
The mosquito net suddenly caught fire from an oil lamp in the middle of the night and spread in the hut. Locals rushed to the spot and rescued the injured children from the hut.
Cong initiates move to unite ‘democratic’ parties – The Statesman
Monday, May 12th, 2008With an objective to defeat the CPI-M in the next Assembly election, the Congress initiated a move to unite all secular, democratic parties in the state. On the basis of this calculation the Congress had a seat adjustment in gram panchayat level of the rural polls with some Leftist parties, even partners of the CPI-M in the Assembly.
After the panchayat elections are over, the Congress, being a large secular force in the state will appeal to all democratic parties who have a secular view to unite with Congress. They also want Trinamul Congress’s participation. In such cases the Trinamul will have to part with the NDA and BJP. After the panchayat election we will approach some Left parties who are with CPI-M in the state.
We do believe that some Left parties who are frequently being dishonoured by CPI-M will join our move. “If everything goes well it will be possible to defeat CPI-M in next Assembly election,” said the Union I&B and Parliamentary affairs minister as well as West Bengal Pradesh Congress president Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi while he met members of the Press at Bidhan Mancha in Raiganj today just before the start of election campaign in Dinajpur districts.
Mr Das Munshi also predicted the Congress will win in Murshidabad and Malda Zilla Parishad seats in the state .However the percentage of votes for the Congress will rise extensively in the state in this rural election. “On the third phase election the CPI-M have planned to capture booths in Kaliyachawk, Sujapur and Araidanga in Malda district. We requested the state election officer to deploy BSF force there for peaceful election” he said.
In the first phase of the three -phase panchayat polls held yesterday in Nandigram where a clash took place between CPI-M goons and CRPF over the issue of booth jamming, capturing of booths and casting of proxy votes Mr Das Munshi said: “I have requested the Union Home department to conduct an investigation and take necessary measures over the issue”.
80 booths declared hyper-sensitive in North Dinajpur – The Statesman
Sunday, May 11th, 2008RAIGANJ, May 11: After announcing all 1,574 booths as sensitive, the North Dinajpur district administration has initiated a move to identify some of them as hyper-sensitive and super-sensitive. In this regard opinions have been sought from all the recognised political parties in the district.
North Dinajpur police superintendent Mr SB Purnapatra said: “After studying the previous history of crimes of the areas concerned we have marked all the 1,574 booths as sensitive where two armed constables will be deployed during the polls. We have also identified 80 booths out of the 1,574 sensitive booths as hyper-sensitive and supersensitive booths.
“We are prepared to provide security to other booths that might be marked as hyper-sensitive and supersensitive based on the opinion of political parties. We have received opinions of a few parties and are waiting for the opinion of other parties on the matter. However, we will be able to mark the total number of hyper-sensitive and sensitive booths of the district, where additional security will be deployed, by 13 May.”
Our Uttar Dinajpur
Sunday, May 11th, 2008I found this nice video on Uttar Dinajpur at youtube. Full credit goes to who ever made and uploaded it on youtube.
Cong banks on Priya’s campaign – The Statesman
Saturday, May 10th, 2008The Union information & broadcasting minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi will arrive in Raiganj on Monday to campaign for the Congress candidates.
“The minister is scheduled to organise an election campaign in Kusmondi and Harirampur Blocks of South Dinajpur and in Itahar Block of North Dinajpur on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday Mr Das Munshi is scheduled to address rallies in Hemtabad, Islampur and Chopra Blocks. On Thursday the PCC chief is scheduled to address several rallies in Raiganj,” Mr Mohit Sengupta, president, North Dinajpur Congress committee said.
It was learnt that a section of Congress activists in North Dinajpur were not involving themselves in the election campaigning. Congress leaders feared that such an indifferent attitude could affect the Congress vote bank. However, a section of Congress leaders are now of the opinion that Mr Das Munshi’s visit will boost the morale of the party workers.
Patients troubled in absence of ECG service – The Statesman
Thursday, May 8th, 2008Patients with cardiac problems have been suffering in absence of the eco-cardiography service at the Raiganj district hospital. The eco-cardiography service at the district hospital has not been available since more than a month yet no measures have been taken to restore the services.
The patients below poverty line (BPL) are the worst affected as they were supposed to get ECG facilities free of cost in the hospital but due to absence of eco-cardiography service they have to pay for these services availed from somewhere else. The absence of ECG services has also affected the national litigation programme in the hospital.
Superintendent of Raiganj district hospital, Dr Swapan Kumar Paul said: “The ECG facilities were stopped in the hospital in absence of a technician. Our technician who was working in the ECG unit has recently joined the Karandighi hospital in the distirct as a regular staff. The ECG unit stopped functioning as a new technician was not appointed after that. The matter has been brought to the notice of the chief medical officer of health (CMOH) of North Dinajpur, Dr SS Sahoo, who has assured us to sort out the crisis very soon.
The CMOH of North Dinajpur Dr SS Sahoo said: “We have instructed two of our technical staff, working at Karandighi and Kaliyaganj hospital to work in the ECG unit of the Raiganj district hospital twice a week until a new technician is appointed. The ECG service would start very soon.”
BSF to be deployed at Indo-Bangla border – The Statesman
Thursday, May 8th, 2008In a bid to conduct the panchayat polls peacefully, additional Border Security Forces (BSF) would be deployed near the Indo-Bangladesh border in North Dinajpur, Mr Utpal Dutta, additional director general of police (ADGP) (traffic) said today at Karnajora in Raiganj.
It was learnt that Mr Dutta recently set out for the districts where the third phase of panchayat polls was to be conducted. The purpose of his visit was to check vulnerable points and inspect the security measure. He reached North Dinajpur this morning and held a meeting at Karnajora asking all district police officers including North Dinajpur SP Mr SB Purnapatra to check vulnerable points and police force in the district.
When asked Mr Dutta said: “We are studying the activities of KLO, KPP, Maoist and other extremist groups before deploying additional security for polls in the districts of North Bengal. BSF will be deployed at some vulnerable zones near border to stop infiltration.”
Kaliyaganj IC transferred for ‘malpractice’ – The Statesman
Thursday, May 8th, 2008RAIGANJ, May 7: With days to go before the panchayet polls a controversy has erupted here over the transfer of the Kaliyaganj police station IC. The IC Mr Dilip Talukdar has been transferred from the district for allegedly favouring the CPI-M in poll campaign.
The president of Kaliyaganj block Congress committee Mr Promathnath Roy registered a complaint against the IC recently with the election observer and state election officer stating that the IC Kaliyaganj police station Mr Dilip Talukdar was favouring CPI-M leaders in Kaliyaganj.
The North Dianjpur SP Mr SB Purnapatra said: “Both the CPI-M and Congress in Kaliyagnaj were not happy with Mr Talukdar’s activities. The leadership of both parties registered complaints against Mr Talukdar recently.”