CM urges manufacturing units to produce green crackers
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday once again urged the firecracker manufacturers to produce green crackers. She was speaking at the Trinamool Congress Chattra Parishad’s foundation day on Mayo road.
Her statement came in the backdrop of a blast that took place at a firecracker manufacturing unit in North 24-Parganas’ Duttapukur where at least nine people were killed.
“Please do not produce firecrackers. Try to manufacture green crackers that may help you earn less but will save lives. We have given emphasis on green crackers. Before our government came to power there were no laws to control illegal brick kilns and sand mining. We have introduced laws to check them,” Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister after the Egra blast incident had formed a committee led by the Chief Secretary for identifying land parcels across the state for developing clusters of green firecrackers.
The committee of officials from several government departments has been asked to identify vested land situated at a fair distance from the human habitat where a cluster of green cracker manufacturing units can be set up.
Chief Minister Banerjee has already instructed the state government to identify the hurdles in the manufacture of green crackers and accordingly take measures to remove them so that the state becomes self-reliant in this and stop import from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu.
“We have set up green cracker factories and formulated several policies involving sand policy, stone theft, brick factories, ferry, and selling of green crackers,” she said.
Speaking about the deaths of migrant workers, she said:
“Recently, we brought the bodies of three migrant workers from UP after they died due to electrocution. Around 24 out of 34 people who died in another accident were from Bengal. Even before that, about 300 people died in a rail accident,” Banerjee said.
“Why are the people dying in BJP-ruled states of Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Now, they have started doing politics over it saying these migrant workers are leaving Bengal as there are no jobs. If that was the case, why do students also travel to other states or countries to earn degrees when Bengal is at the top in the educational sector?” she added.
She further stated: “The state government has launched the Bhabishyat Credit Card scheme where loans up to Rs 5 lakh will be facilitated to those wanting to start their own businesses. We urge people to work in their own state. We have no dearth of skill. For instance, our people in the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur are good at construction work.”
She also announced that district-wise training centres will be set up for people who were deprived of skills such as spoken English and computer training. People can train at these centres for free so that they are not deprived of any job opportunities.
