Development remains elusive in village adopted by BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar

BALURGHAT: Development has remained elusive in Chalkramprasad village in South Dinajpur with nothing looking up in the last four years since the adoption of the village by Balurghat BJP Lok Sabha MP Sukanta Majumdar, claim residents of the village.

The village is situated in Balurghat block’s Bhatpara Gram Panchayat adjoining the Bangladesh border. In 1971, a Class IX tribal student Churka Murmu was killed after a Pakistani soldier fired on him following which the village had made it to the headlines.

Residents claim that at the time of adoption, the MP had made several promises of overall development in the village, including drinking water, roads, street lights, cold water machines, and construction of community halls. The condition of the only road that runs through the village is in a deplorable state. There is also an acute water problem that the villagers have been facing over the past couple of years.

“Lok Sabha MP had earlier promised an early repair of the road. Before any poll, the political leaders promise to repair the road but when the polls are over, they forget us,” stated Akhil Debnath, a resident.

According to him, the villagers want to know why the road has not been repaired in four years since the adoption of the village by the LS MP.

In the last rural poll in 2018, the BJP candidate won from here. The villagers had recently staged a demonstration while Majumdar went to the village, campaigning for BJP candidates.

The villagers want to be freed from the “adoption.” Jharna Debnath, a homemaker, complained: “Water connection pipe was installed in the house a year ago but water does not flow in the pipe. Five manual drinking water taps in the

area, installed by the Panchayat, have been lying non-functional for long. Several tube-wells’ heads have been stolen.”

Majumdar said: “The Trinamool Congress-run Zilla Parishad has done nothing for the repair of the road and the other development of the village as our candidates had won from here. I had

sanctioned a fund of Rs 50 lakh for the repair of the road. ”

Rubbishing the charges, South Dinajpur TMC district president Mrinal Sarkar said: “Our Lok Sabha MP always wants media attention and that is why he adopted the village with a promise of development before the villagers. In reality, what have the villagers got in four years? No development has taken place. The MP should answer the question of the locals.”