Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, announced that the state government will implement the Ghatal Master Plan in West Midnapore with state funds in three years since the Centre has refused to implement it after repeated pleas.
Banerjee was speaking at a public distribution programme in Hooghly’s Arambagh where she said: “We will not depend upon the Centre for the implementation of the Ghatal Master Plan. I have asked the chief secretary BP Gopalika and the principal secretary of the Irrigation department Prabhat Mishra to prepare it within the next three years. We are going to implement it and around 17 lakh people will be benefitted. We have repeatedly urged the Centre to implement it but they have not given any clearance yet.”
TMC MP from Ghatal, Dev took up the issue in the Parliament several times. He was present at Monday’s distribution programme where he requested Banerjee to implement the Ghatal Master Plan if the Centre refuses to do it. Banerjee assured him that the state will implement it without Centre’s support.
On the last day of the Union Budget session in the Parliament, Dev had urged the Centre not to overlook the concerns of the people of Bengal as far as the Ghatal Master Plan is concerned. “I urge the Prime Minister to implement the Ghatal Master Plan. This is about the people of Ghatal, not TMC or BJP,” said the MP.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also attacked the Narendra Modi government on recruitment issues while alleging that BJP, CPI(M) and Congress are disrupting the recruitment processes in the state by filing litigations in the court.
“Many posts are vacant but we are unable to recruit people because of some BJP, CPI(M) and Congress leaders. It is a loss to them if people of Bengal get employment. The moment we want to recruit, they are filing cases. If you have courage, contest an election. Have we ever asked what deal was struck during the recruitments in Defence forces? We have never raised questions on the Railways recruitments. We believe that people are getting jobs. One should not stop recruitment of people in this manner. Many poor people are getting jobs,” Banerjee stated.