Re: NEWTOWN - Gautam Deb answers...
Rana Bose
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On Sun, Dec 5, 2010 at 12:40 PM, Rana Bose <ran...@gmail.com> wrote:
WB announces sops for Rajarhat land losers
Kolkata, Dec 5 (PTI) Ahead of Trinamool''s proposed gherao of HIDCO against alleged forcible land acqisition at Rajarhat here, West Bengal Housing Minister Goutam Deb today announced a slew of sops for land-losers, including provident fund cover, jobs and business opportunities.
Addressing members of the Land-Losers'' Cooperatives and Syndicates, Deb said the land-losers working in the unorganised sector would be brought under provident fund cover.
"The scheme is worked out in a manner so that the beneficiaries will get between Rs one lakh to 1.5 lakh after they retire from work," he said, adding that a list of the beneficiaries was being made.
Stating that a large number of traffic guards and security personnel would be required for the New Town project at Rajarhat here, he said 100 people would be selected from the land-losers families to work as traffic guards.
They would be trained by the police, while their salaries would be paid by Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO), the sole promoter of the New Town project, he said.
"We are setting up two markets where 70 per cent of the shops would be allotted to the land-losers families. Besides, the department of Self-Help Groups would train women members of such families. They can display and sell their products at some emporia that we are setting up," Deb said.
Denying Trinamool Congress'' charge about irregularity in land acquisition at Rajarhat, he said the government had purchased most of the land directly from owners.
Deb said 22,000 people were employed in the IT companies that had come up in New Town and another 2.5 lakh would get jobs there in phases.
Referring to Trinamool''s proposed December 9 agitation, Deb said he was ready to sit with the agitators to appraise them of the actual situation.
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Maoist central committee leader, Kishenji aide held in Kolkata
Express News Service Posted: Dec 05, 2010 at 0401 hrsKolkata In a major breakthrough, the Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) has arrested five senior Maoist leaders from several places in and around the city. Among those arrested are Sudip Chongdar, central committee member and state secretary of the CPI(Maoist), and Kalpana Maity, a senior woman leader who is said to be a close aide of Kishenji.According to reports, the STF acted on a tip-off that several top Maoist leaders were converging on the outskirts of the city for a meeting. A couple of other Maoists are reported to have escaped the police trap.
Speaking to newspersons, Rajeev Kumar, Additional Police Commissioner, STF, said: “Sudip Chongdar alias Kanchan, state secretary of the CPI(Maoist), his close associates and state committee members Anil Ghosh alias Ajoyda and Barun Sur alias Bidyut, and a supporter, Bimal Ghosh alias Shankar, were arrested on Friday night from the Maidan area in central Kolkata. After interrogating them, we arrested another state committee member and wife of Ashim Mondal, Anu alias Kalpana Maity, from Howrah station today.”
He added: “Our raids are still on in the outskirts of Kolkata and adjacent districts. We have seized several documents and electronic gadgets used by the Maoists. The seized material include improvised rocket launchers and communication devices.”
According to sources, the Maoist leaders were scheduled to hold a meeting on the outskirts of the city to discuss the Rajarhat land issue. Police had been receiving intelligence inputs about Maoists groups zeroing in on Rajarhat in the past couple of weeks.
While Kumar claimed that Chongdar and his associates were arrested from Maidan area in central Kolkata, sources said the central committee member and one of his associates were picked up from Rajarhat.
A Maoist squad leader, Kajol Mahto, alleged to have taken part in the raid on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp at Silda in West Midnapore district on February 15 this year which left 24 securitymen dead, was arrested from Salboni police station on Friday. PTI