Financial constraints could not stall Bengal’s development march, says Mamata

Despite financial constraints West Bengal has bounced back and the state is back on development track, said Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee.

She was addressing a rally at Rajkunj on Friday afternoon.

Friday was Banerjee’s 5th day tour in North Bengal.

Criticising the CPI(M), Trinamool Congress chief said the party had ruined the state in every sphere. On the top of it, it had borrowed money and her government had to toil hard to repay the loan. “CPI(M) had ruined the state during its 34 years of rule and our government had to work hard to repay the loan,” she said. She said that it did not do anything to improve North Bengal. The roads were in bad shape and the economic condition of people had turned from bad to worse during its regime. Darjeeling which was a major tourist attraction had suffered badly because of CPI(M)’s failure to combat poor law and order situation .She said that after coming to power she had held more than 100 administrative meetings to expedite the development projects. These meetings were very effective as the problems that had cropped up got resolved immediately. She kept on coming to North Bengal frequently to supervise the projects that had been undertaken for the development of the area.

Highlighting the success of some of her projects Banerjee said that Gajoldoba was coming up as a tourist spot. The construction of the approach road would start soon. There will be two budget hotels and one star hotel that will come up in the area. She said a tourist will be able to see snow clad mountains, river and forest from here. Once the area comes up as a tourist spot it will attract both foreign and domestic tourists and there will be job opportunities for local people. Khadyasathi which gives Rs 2 per kg rise to nearly 8 crore people has been welcomed by people. “The CPI(M) talks about the poor but did not do anything for them. They were used to secure their vote bank,” she remarked. She said that projects like Kanyashree, Yubashri and Sikshashri had benefited lakh of youth. The students will get their books, shoes and uniform free from their schools and this will certainly help them to go ahead with their education. Fair price shops and getting free treatment in state run hospitals have helped the poor people. Trinamool Congress has also prepared schemes for folk artists many of who had faced abject poverty. The state government has given them stipend and they are getting regular programmes which have made them economically stronger. Political experts maintained that Trinamool Congress was likely to do well in the Assembly polls in North Bengal. Though North Bengal is a stronghold for the Left Front and Congress yet the development work carried out in the area was phenomenal and the Opposition candidates had failed to attack Trinamool on the issue of development.