'State has regularised all refugee colonies, no need to fear NRC, CAA'
Jalpaiguri: Announcing a series of projects for further development of North Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday again assured the people of the state that there is no need to fear the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Population
Register (NPR) as her government has already regularised all the refugee colonies in the state.
"Our government has regularised all the refugee colonies following a nod by the cabinet in this regard. So there is nothing to fear and we will not allow them to implement CAA, NRC and NPR in Bengal," Banerjee said while addressing a rally in Jalpaiguri which is close to the Indo-Bangladesh border.
Banerjee, who offerened puja at Madanmohan Temple in Cooch Behar after inaugurating the medical college and hospital in the district
named after Maharaja Jitendra Narayan on his 106 th birthday today, said that the work of the medical college and
hospital in Jalpaiguri has also begun.
During her first political rally in north Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls in 2021, Banerjee announced that Banarhat and Kranti will be made two separate blocks. At the same time Mayanaguri and Falakata will come up as municipalities.
The Chief Minister has taken the decision following requests by local MLAs during Monday's meeting.
Reiteriating that it is her government that restored peace in both Jangalmahal and the Hills, Banerjee said that another 600 KLO activists those turned to the mainstream of lives will be provided with jobs by the state
government. Earlier, jobs were given to 400 of such
people.
She has also assured of giving job cards to 20 migrant workers in each booths so that they do not face any trouble in earning their livelihoods after returning home facing many hurdles due to hasty announcement of lockdown by the
Centre.
Taking a dig at the BJP-led Centre for not fulfilling assurances given to tea garden workers even before 2014 general elections, Banerjee said: "It is our government that launched the cha-sundari project to provide pacca houses to 3,694 homeless tea garden workers only in the first phase in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri. Initially it will be provided to the employees of seven tea-garden workers. Such people in total 370 tea gardens will be getting the benefit.
They (Centre) assured of taking over the closed tea gardens. But they are yet to fulfill their promise".
Besides announcing setting up of the new campus of Panchanan Barma University at Khalsamari on 17 acres of land and a workshop at his birthplace, she said that her government has also announced holiday on his birthday.
She further mentioned about the Narayani Battallion headquartered at Mekhliganj besides the Gorkha Battallion and Jangalmahal battalion with their headquarters at Naksalbari and Jhargram.
The battallions have been raised by her government paying respect to the sentiment of the local populace.
