Focus on studies, Mamata tells student fraternity

Without mincing words, Banerjee urged the students and teachers including vice-chancellors of colleges and universities to ensure that incidents that had happened at Raigunj College should not occur in future. The students of Raigunj College had recently beaten up the Principal. Banerjee said, “I warn the students and teachers and ask them to take steps so that such incidents do not occur in future.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee had arrived at Kishengunj by Padatik Express. She went to Islampur circuit house where she held meeting with the officials in the district. She went to Dharmpur  under Goalpokhor Block and addressed a public meeting there. Banerjee laid the foundation stone of 35 projects and inaugurated 51 projects. She had also inaugurated the Rabindra Bhavan  in Raigunj and the district health headquarters. She distributed cycles under the Sabuj Sathi project. Later she laid the foundation of Karma Tirthas and Kissna Mandis where cold storages will be constructed. She told the officials to take steps to make people aware of the projects that have been taken up.

Banerjee said that the erstwhile Left Front government had done precious little for the development of North Bengal. The roads were bad and the villages did not have proper communication. She said that after coming to power, the state government took up comprehensive projects and focussed on rural development. The rural people have benefited from Kishan Mandis and the farmers have been protected from middlemen. The Sabuj Sathi projects are very popular among students where they are given cycles. 

“I believe that the girls from rural areas after getting education will go abroad to acquire more knowledge,” she said, adding the state government would be there to look after poor meritorious students. She laid the foundation stone of the much  awaited Raigunj–Barsoi highway and directed the senior officials of the district to ensure that the project was taken up on war footing.

From Goalpokhar, she went to Tapan and unveiled a slew of projects including setting up of centres for commercial development, Krishi Bhavan and a youth hostel at Balurghat. She also inaugurated Hili Subal Chandra Bimal Sundari Government College. In her speech she said that once all the projects become functional the picture of South Dinajpur will change. She blamed the Left Front government for not taking up the projects for the development of the area.