State Minority Affairs Standing Committee reviews dev work

Cooch Behar: A meeting of the West Bengal State Assembly Minority Affairs Standing Committee was held on Wednesday at the Cooch Behar District Magistrate’s office. The 12-member delegation was led by Committee Chairperson Firdoshi Begum and included Opposition MLA Naushad Siddiqui, among other senior officials.

Also in attendance were the Sabhadhipati of the Cooch Behar Zilla Parishad and several prominent local representatives. The meeting focused on reviewing the status of various welfare projects and initiatives aimed at the minority communities across the district.

Following the meeting, the committee visited multiple sites to assess on-ground progress. Speaking to the media, MLA Naushad Siddiqui said: “We have conducted visits in both North Dinajpur and Cooch Behar districts. While good progress is evident in Cooch Behar, only around 30 per cent of the work planned under minority welfare funds has been completed. There is still much more to be done.”

Chairperson Firdoshi Begum also addressed the Press, highlighting the challenges faced due to lack of central funding. “Despite limited support from the Central government and halted financial aid, significant work is being carried out under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee,” she said.

She further added that approximately 96 per cent of planned development work—covering construction of English medium schools, hostels and other infrastructure—was currently underway and is expected to be completed by December. “Had Central funds been available, the scope and pace of work could have been even greater. We’ve also received new project proposals from this district and will forward them to the appropriate departments for further action,” Begum concluded.