Kolkata: The construction work for installing a tower at the power grid project in Bhangar has been suspended as the meeting held between the local people and the district administration officials on Friday failed to arrive at a consensual decision.
Another meeting would take place on 31 December in this regard. The local residents and the members of the Jami Jibika Bastutantra O Paribesh Rakshya Committee (JJBPRC) refused to allow the construction of the tower unless their demands are met by the district administration.
The meeting was held for nearly five hours on Friday morning but the issue was not resolved. The members of the JJBPRC staged a demonstration at the project site on Thursday, stalling the construction work of the tower.
Some of the villagers and committee members alleged that other development projects which were promised by the government earlier have been stalled as well and hence they would not allow the power project to continue.
JJBPRC members also alleged that the local administration had assured them that dredging of river would take place and a hospital would be set up but no steps have been taken so far.
They also alleged that the district administration had agreed to meet certain demands of them, including the introduction of vocational training for the unemployed youths in the area and also setting up of a cold storage for fishermen and farmers. But nothing has happened, they said.
It may be mentioned here that a logjam had been created in the power grid project in Bhangar for sometime as they local people did not want the project to take place. The matter was finally resolved following the intervention of the Power department and administration officials in the district.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her administrative meeting in the district on Thursday, expressed her dissatisfaction over the non-completion of the power grid project and sought an explanation from the Power department officials as to why the project has not been completed despite the efforts made by the state government in this regard.