Senior officer of Agri dept dies in car accident

Kolkata: A senior official of the state Agriculture department died when the car in which he was travelling hit a lamppost at Gocharan area in South 24-Parganas on Monday afternoon.

Manabendra Chakrabarty, posted as officer on special duty (OSD) to the secretary of state Agriculture department, was serving an extended period in work.

He was returning in a hired car after attending a programme of the department held at Nimpith Ramkrishna Ashram.

"It is a bolt from the blue for us. He was very efficient in his work and so he was given an extension by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He had his office at Writers Building," said Asish Banerjee, state Agriculture minister.

Chakrabarty was first taken to Pachgachia Health Centre and was referred to Baruipur Hospital from there. However, he died on the way.

The driver of the car also suffered injuries and has been admitted at the same hospital. The impact of the accident was so deadly that the car fell into a canal in the wayside and a JCB was needed to pull the vehicle out.