Trinamool delegation visits Bhatpara, state to compensate families of political clash victims

Kolkata: The state government will give Rs 2.50 lakh to the next of kin of the two persons who had been killed in political clashes at Bhatpara, said state Urban Development minister Firhad hakim on Friday.

A seven member Trinamool Congress delegation including Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Purnendu Basu, Bratya Basu, Sujit Bose, Jyotipriyo Mallick and Nirmal Ghosh visited the trouble-torn areas of Bhatpara.

The delegation also held a meeting with the Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore, Manoj Verma and discussed the steps taken by the police to restore peace in the area. The delegation will again visit the area after a week.

Hakim said that the state government will give Rs 6,300 to the owners of houses that have been partially damaged during the clashes, while Rs 35,000 will be given to those whose houses have been totally damaged. Forty six people whose shops have been totally damaged, will get Rs 2.20 lakh to repair them.

Hakim urged the shop owners to open their shops. It may be mentioned that around 60% shop owners have not yet opened their shops despite assurance by the police.

Hakim said the delegation has urged police to arrest the criminals who are coming from Jagaddal to create disturbance in Manickberi and its adjoining areas of Bhatpara. "We have also asked the police to recover bomb making materials and arms that have been stored in Bhatpara," Hakim said.

The delegation also talked to the local people to restore their confidence. Local people urged them to ensure that peace is restored in the area. The delegation assured them of all possible help and assured that every step will be taken to restore peace.

The peaceful Bhatpara became a hotbed of violence after Arjun Singh joined BJP from Trinamool Congress. The violence aggravated after he won the Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat, defeating the sitting Trinamool MP Dinesh Trivedi.

Soon after that, clashes became frequent and two people died. Policemen were also assaulted and their vehicles damaged.

To restore peace in the area, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had sent the delegation to conduct an on-the-spot survey. The team will submit a report in this connection to her soon.