Siliguri Municipal Corporation Passes Budget of Rs 235.69 Crores With Congress Support

The Siliguri Model came into play again as Congress councillors at the municipal corporation helped Asok Bhattacharya pass the annual budget yesterday.

Sujoy Ghatak and three other Congress councillors supported the budget presented by the mayor on Saturday.

The Congress support has left Asok relieved and made him proclaim that the Left is not in "minority" at the civic board.

"We decided to support the budget in the interest of Siliguri residents. When we were at power, the Left and Trinamul councillors did not support our budget. The move had hit civic services and caused inconveniences to people. We didn't want to take the same stand and create problems for common people," Ghatak said after the budget was passed.

The budget was passed with 26 votes, of which 22 were from Left and four from the Congress. The remaining 18 councillors of Trinamul and two from the BJP did not support it.

"Even though Ghatak resigned from the post of the borough chairman to which he had been elected with the Left's support, he and his colleagues supported the budget. This proves an informal understanding still exists between the Congress and the left," an observer said.

Last Saturday, Asok had sent a letter to Ghatak seeking support after he had placed the budget of Rs 235.69 crore with a deficit of Rs 2.22 crore.

"Now that we have managed to pass the budget, it has been proved that we are not running a minority board. We got certain proposals from the Congress and we agreed to include those in the budget," Bhattacharya said.

Trinamul councillors at the SMC said the mayor had failed to provide even basic services to people and had come up with some unrealistic projects. "We condemn such political tactics. The Left board has miserably failed to deliver since its formation in May 2015. We will soon launch a movement over civic issues across the town," Ranjan Sarkar, a Trinamul leader, said.

It is interesting to note that the budget for Siliguri Municipal Corporation alone is close to the entire budget for GTA region... do give it a thought.

DARJEELING'S SMALL FARMERS ARE LOSING 40% OF THEIR CROP TO RAIDING WILD ANIMALS

-Farmers say demands for compensation go unheard, and they can't do anything about the animals because of strict wildlife laws.

Phincho Tsering Dukpa, a farmer in Lalung-Senchel village of Darjeeling, has made a firm decision to ensure that at least one of his two daughters becomes a government official one day. For him to aspire so, the reason is quite simple. “If she becomes a top officer, she can do something for the village because she can understand how we have been suffering because of wild animals,” Dukpa said.

Dukpa has gone to almost all the relevant government offices to seek compensation for the crop losses he and his fellow villagers suffer every month because of wild animals. “But to no avail,” Dukpa, who grows vegetables like peas, potatoes, and maize in his farm, told VillageSquare.in.

Villages located near forests in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayas are most vulnerable to crop depredation by wildlife, according to Sarala Khaling, regional director of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, or Atree, for Northeast India.

She said that wild boars, rhesus macaques, Assamese macaques, barking deer, Indian crested porcupines, Indian hares and Asiatic black bears are some of the key species that are responsible for crop depredation in the region.
Farmers’ demands

Farmers said that they have been appealing to the government to compensate them for the losses they suffer since they can’t kill or harm the wild animals and scare them away from their farms because of strict wildlife laws.

“But, every time we go and meet the government officers, we don’t get any satisfactory answer,” farmers in Rampuria and Lalung villages said. Some of them, like Dukpa, have noted these denials with concern. “Our plight is not going to change unless we have someone from our own community at the helm of affairs. That is why I am so keen to give the best education to my daughter so that she becomes a government officer,” Dukpa said.

Pointing towards his younger daughter, Pemu Wangmoo, who is in Class 3 in Darjeeling’s Bethany School, he said she seems to be capable of fulfilling his dream.

Dukpa has seven acres of land, but four out those seven acres suffer huge losses as animals like wild boar frequently raid them. “The wild animals cause huge losses to my farm. Every year, they damage farm produce worth Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. This has forced me to think of selling off these four acres of land,” Dukpa said.

“Our land is like gold as it produces anything, but the wild animal attacks are quite discouraging,” he said. “I will manage the education of my two daughters with the income from cattle-rearing and the revenue from my other three acres of land, which are safe from wild animal raids.”

Durba Singh Chetri, a farmer in Rampuria village, said that the only agricultural produce he always remains assured about is a small farm of one-fourth of an acre outside his home. “This small farm always remains under our watch while our other farm, which is a bit far, gets attacked by wild animals,” Chetri told VillageSquare.in.
In search of assured income

“The income from our farms is conditional on god’s mercy while the income from labour is assured income,” said Raju Ghalay, a farmer in Khasmal-Senchal village of Darjeeling, while describing the farmers’ concerns about frequent wild animal raids on their crops.

He said that many of the young people in Khasmal village now prefer working as labourers in cities across the country rather than focusing on their farming. “They believe that whatever they earn as labourers is something they can rely on,” Ghalay said.

According to Ghalay, some 90 people, mostly youth, of his village out of the total population of 500 are now working as labourers in various cities and towns. “They have seen over the past several years how their parents have suffered. So, they find it sensible to work as labourers rather than relying on their farms only,” Ghalay said.

In Rampuria and Lalung villages also, the residents said frequent attacks from wild animals on the farms of the people have forced many to work as labourers. “This has never happened earlier. In the past, all of us would earn from our farms only. Those days the wild animals were not getting down in the villages in search of food,” Robin Rai, a farmer in Lalung, told VillageSquare.in. “Earlier, the forests had enough to offer wild animals as food. But the trees in forests which offered fruits to wild animals were cut by the government as also by people.”

According to Sarala Khaling, a year-long study conducted by Atree in many Darjeeling villages has found that crop depredation is one of the biggest issues facing the livelihood security of farmers with most of the farmers losing up to 40% of their crops annually. A household, she said, on average reported losses of Rs 955 every month because of wild animal raids.

The losses, Khaling said, are particularly compounded by the fact that land-ownership of farmers in Darjeeling and Sikkim is small and other livelihood opportunities are few. “Agriculture in the mountains involves high inputs in terms of labour due to non-mechanisation of agriculture, small land sizes and absence of agriculture extension services. For a mountain farmer, the inputs that go into agriculture far outweigh the outputs they get in terms of yield and income,” she observed.

“Therefore the stress is high due to crop depredation. In many instances, this has led to migration by entire families due to persistent and severe crop depredation to nearby towns or cities in search of better employment opportunities and better wages.”
Compensation for crop loss

According to Khaling, discontentment among local communities is also based on the perception that government is not adequately addressing community concerns about crop raiding. Ram Prasad, divisional forest officer of Darjeeling, said that he has raised the issue of compensating the farmers with the state government. “My bosses have responded positively and have committed providing some allocation [for compensating the farmers] in the coming budget,” Prasad told VillageSquare.in. He admitted that the wild animals are causing a lot of damage to farmers as “I have myself seen groups of more than 25 boars moving together in the farms”.

In Sikkim, where a set of rules and guidelines exist for assessment and disbursement of compensation for damage to crop and livestock in the fringe of Protected Areas, most often, says a study, amounts have been distributed without estimating the quantum of damage due to which genuine victims could not get compensated for crop losses.

“Only 4% of the respondents in Pangolakha and Fambong Lho fringe areas [in East Sikkim] had received compensation, while the number was 29% in case of Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary [in West Sikkim]. In case of Samanden Forest Village and the remaining 13 other villages SNP, however, there were no instances of compensation being given ever to any of the affected households. Nor were the villagers aware if any such complaints would be addressed,” the study says.
Possible solutions

In order to mitigate depredation, Khaling said that Atree has initiated setting up physical barriers to separate the conflict species and resources. “In one of the villages, old barbwire fences have been re-erected and strengthened and natural fencing has been set up by planting shrubs like Asare, Chutro Kesari and Ghurpis,” she said, adding that the work was undertaken entirely by community members with partial support from Atree.

“The natural fencing, however, takes at least three years to become fully effective as the plants and shrubs planted will require time to grow. For the survival of the saplings, regular monitoring is essential.”

She said a multipronged strategy is needed to deal with this problem. “While compensation, insurances, physical barriers and vigilance can be adopted as short-term measures, for the long-term measures, I think the government needs to think out of the box and look for innovative strategies to really solve the problems,” she said.

Ram Prasad said that the forest department has also started taking an interest in finding a solution to this problem. “As of now, there is no documentation. We don’t have all the details so that the experts could give us exact solutions. So, we have now started camera-traps so that we have the camera recorded data with us which can help us in devising a solution,” Prasad told VillageSquare.in.

“We are also starting awareness campaigns wherein we would make the farmers aware about various techniques to be followed for safeguarding their farms. We would also give them certain tips for examining the animal behaviour, which can help in devising solutions.”

[Via: Scroll.in]

[Pic: A damaged vegetable plot. Farmers can only erect scarecrows in the fields and beat tin boxes at night, but that does not deter animal attacks. ( Photo credit: Athar Parvaiz )]

EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE LAW: Villages Catch Hold of Constable Riding Bike Without Helmet, Make Him Pay Fine

 

They say practise what you preach. A police constable in Nadia today learnt what it actually means.

A group of village youths yesterday caught the police constable riding a motorcycle without helmet at the same spot where cops have been fining bikers for the offence as part of the chief minister's Safe Drive, Save Life intiative.

A team from Krishnaganj police station had to eventually fine the constable Rs 100 before the villagers allowed him to go.

Around 50 youths from Chandannagar village yesterday gathered at the spot in Krishnaganj where the police had been detaining and fining youths riding bikes without helmets for the past few days.

Constable Bishu Dey, who was returning home after completing his duty at a higher secondary exam centre, was stopped by the group of villagers who asked him why he was riding a bike without a helmet.

Dey tried to convince the youths, saying he was busy in exam duty and had forgotten to bring the helmet in rush. But the villagers were relentless.

The youths insisted that Dey and the civic police volunteer riding pillion would be released only after the constable was fined and given a receipt by the cops from the local police station.

"We told the constable to pay up, just like we have to. We are never spared. We called the police from Krishnaganj police station and kept the constable detained until senior officers arrived," said Bidyut Das, one of the villagers.

A little later, Krishnaganj officer in charge Mukunda Bhattacharya arrived at the spot and requested that the constable be allowed to go, but to no avail.

"Bhattacharya and other senior officers admonished Bishu Dey for riding without a helmet, but requested us to let him go without the fine. That was unacceptable. There has to be equality in treating law violation," said Bimal Biswas, another villager.

"The state government's initiative to save lives on roads is good, but it is for everyone. The police cannot be an exception," Biswas added.

The constable was eventually allowed to go, but only after he had paid a fine of Rs 100 and was issued a challan by the officers.

"Yes, we fined him on the spot for riding the bike without helmet and told him to show the documents of the bike. We do the same with any citizen," officer in charge Bhattacharya said.

Local panchayat member Apurba Biswas said the villagers were desperate to catch any policeman violating the law as the cops had been allegedly harassing bikers in the name of routine checks.

"They found an opportunity today and gave the law-enforcer a taste of his own medicine," Biswas said.

Sources said the anger of the villagers was the fallout of an incident on Sunday night when two youths without helmets were detained and allegedly harassed by some policemen on their way to a hospital to see a patient.

"Nobody is beyond the law. Cops should be more careful and exemplary in conduct before the people," said Nadia police chief Sheeshram Jhanjharia

[Via: Telegraph]

TMC group seeks arrest of TMC MLA's wife over illegal shelter home for girls

Differences within Trinamul have come to fore in Cooch Behar district over a private home for poor girls run by Kalpana Burman, the wife of Trinamul MLA Hiten Burman, in Mathabhanga.

A group of Trinamul workers under the banner of a citizens' forum submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate yesterday and demonstrated in front of the office demanding Kalpana's arrest for running a home in an illegal manner. The MLA' s wife said such demands were being made with "political intentions."

Rana Saha, a member of Pachagarh Nagarik Mancha of Mathabhanga, said a showcause notice was served by the administration on Kalpana a couple of weeks ago as she did not comply with the rules and regulations laid by the administration and still she was running the home illegally.

In Mathabhanga, 45km from here, Kalpana runs Matri Ashray, a home for poor girls. As of now, 12 girls, all below 18 years, stay at the facility.

The letter read: "The district administration had instructed Kalpana to bring the girls to the at the Child Welfare Committee's office earlier this month and to close down the home. She did not however, send any of the girls and instead, took in writing from their parents that they wanted their daughters to stay at her facility."

The Mancha members also mentioned that if the administration failed to take any step, they would approach the court.

Abu Taleb Azad, the sabhapati of Mathabhanga I panchayat samiti and a Trinamul leader of the town, said: "The administration has found anomalies in the functioning of the home. Our party has nothing to comment and we are not intervening into the matter."

Kalpana said: "A section of people has resorted to such acts with political intentions. I would not draw the name of any political party but would like to clarify that these people want to slander my husband's reputation. I am running the home with my own money and have in writing assent from the girls' parents. I have informed the administration about it also."

[Via: Telegraph, file pic]

Uttar Pradesh elections 2017: Riding on Modi tsunami, BJP makes a clean sweep

BJP has already crossed the majority mark in Uttar Pradesh and moving closer to an absolute 2/3rd majority in the state Assembly after over two decades.

The elections were widely seen as a virtual referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation decision and was a test for Akhilesh Yadav, who recently took charge as the national president of the Samajwadi Party.

Here is a tally of all 403 seats in the state assembly: BJP+ leading on 310 seats, SP-Congress 64 seats, BSP 20 and Others leading on 9 till now.

(Via: Economic Times)

CM's next surgery on schools - Need to control those whocharge so much: Mamata

Calcutta, March 3: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today told the Bengal Assembly her next target would be cleaning up private schools that "charge so much".

Having tabled a bill to rein in private hospitals with a commission that will fix the charges for treatment and adjudicate on complaints of negligence, the chief minister said: "Now, I think there is a need to do something to control private schools. There are some private schools that are very good. But some of them charge so much in fees and donations. I think this needs to stop."

"I have nothing to say about those who can afford it. But I believe there has to be some control... without interfering in their internal administration," Mamata said.

She will sit with the private schools before drafting the policy. A meeting will be convened after the board exams are over. The drive will cover private higher education institutions.

Authorities at several reputable English-medium schools said they were worried that the government would try to interfere in their running. Some of them also complained that the chief minister had implied a parallel between private hospitals and private schools.

"How can the government determine our running costs? We charge students for the infrastructure we create, the facilities we provide and the reputation we have built over the years. It is unfair to suggest that we charge students for profit," said one principal.

Anglo-Indian schools run by the Christian missionaries wondered whether the state government could interfere in their operations. Article 30 of the Constitution gives minorities the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions.

The principal of an Anglo-Indian school said: "If the government really brings in legislation for private schools, we shall have to find out if it can be binding on institutions like ours. We shall also verify whether such legislation can be an infringement on our minority rights."

There are two categories of private English-medium schools in Bengal, the Christian missionary-run Anglo-Indian schools and non-Christian schools run by private bodies.

"We are pained that the government wants to treat us the same way as the hospitals," said the principal of a non-Christian private school.

Government sources promised that "the spirit of the legislation will be reformist, not punitive" like it would be for private hospitals.

The sources insisted that the chief minister's announcement in the Assembly did not imply the legislation would be a knee-jerk reaction. They promised a "well-thought-out initiative", likely to be rolled out in three to six months.

"A strong feature of the new drive will be checks on schools selling seats. Some reputable schools are already under the scanner of the government," said a Trinamul leader.

A woman was arrested last year for selling seats at private schools for anything between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. She had allegedly wangled seats for several hundred children.

Many believe the racket could not have operated without the connivance of some insiders at the schools but the police probe did not go that far.

It is not yet clear whether the government would try to control the schools through a new law or through guidelines that the schools would be expected to follow.

In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party government has passed two legislative measures to regulate the fee structure at private schools. The bills are awaiting the lieutenant governor's approval.

A principal in Calcutta said: "We don't mind if the government draws up a new set of guidelines to ensure that every private school offers quality education. But it's a matter of serious concern if a regulatory commission like the model introduced to control private hospitals is set up for the schools and it tries to decide the fees we charge."

- Telegraph News