Siliguri/Cooch Behar, Feb. 26.TT: Ministers and leaders of the ruling Trinamul Congress today convened meetings with the administration across the region to ensure a bandh-free Tuesday and appealed to the public to ignore the Citu shutdown call, even going to the extent of promising compensation if there was a loss.
North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb met senior police officials of Siliguri subdivision and Jalpaiguri district to discuss how to maintain law and order and ensure that life was not affected on February 28.
He also promised government compensation to shop-owners if their establishments were attacked by bandh supporters.
Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee had issued a public appeal against the shutdown. She had asked people not to join the Citu in its general strike at an official event of the unorganised sector in Salt Lake, Calcutta.
Today, the employees of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) were read the riot act from Writers’ by its chairperson and Trinamul Congress Natabari MLA Rabindranath Ghosh and managing director C. Murugan. The NBSTC management said the government has barred its employees from taking leave on February 28 and said absentees would have to face break in service.
Minister Deb said he would go all out to prove wrong the popular perception that the people of north Bengal responded to bandhs called by all and sundry.
“There is a common perception that the residents and traders easily respond to bandh calls. Peace has returned to the hills and several closed tea gardens have reopened because of the efforts of our government. I will personally take to the streets on February 28 and appeal to the people, particularly shop-owners not to participate in the strike,” Deb told journalists after meeting the subdivisional officer of Siliguri Baibhav Srivastava and the two additional superintendents of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri Amit P. Javalgi and S. Pandey.
He said control rooms would be opened in the office of the north Bengal development department in Siliguri as well as in the offices of the SDO and the ASPs. “We will tackle any untoward incident swiftly. I will meet the traders of Siliguri tomorrow and ask them to carry on with their business as usual on bandh day. The government will stand by the traders and will compensate them if they are affected by miscreants,” Deb said.
Deb said he was in touch with the administrations of Cooch Behar, Malda and the two Dinajpurs. “I have also spoken to the chairperson of the NBSTC about the arrangements they are making,” the minister said.
Asked if Trinamul workers would also take to the streets during the bandh, Deb said: “We have strictly instructed our workers not to get provoked in any way or indulge in any confrontation. Police will be there to maintain law and order. We have told the police not to tolerate any breach of peace.”
In Cooch Behar, NBSTC managing director Murugan said he had met the leaders of the four unions of the transport body.
“We have told them that the government will not tolerate absenteeism and it would invoke the deduction of a day’s salary,” Murugan said.
MLA Ghosh, who is also the NBSCT chairperson, said about 450-500 buses of the corporation’s running fleet would take to the roads on the day of the bandh.
“We are opening control rooms in Siliguri, Raiganj, Cooch Behar and Behrampore for smooth operations. If there is a dearth of private buses, we will hire them so that people can have a normal life,” said Ghosh.
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