The Trinamul manifesto has promised a Nepali-medium college in the
Darjeeling hills, a new campus of Aliah University and a second
agricultural university among other things for north Bengal.
The ruling party also promised to set up a centre of Netaji Subhas Open University in Jalpaiguri.
"A new campus of the Aliah University will be opened in North
Bengal's minority-inhabited area....agricultural University would be
established in North Bengal," says the manifesto. Right now, north
Bengal has an agricultural university, Uttarbanga Krishi
Vishwavidyalaya, in Cooch Behar district.
The manifesto mentions a silk park in Malda where "many crores of
rupees would be invested for construction" and wi-fi connectivity in
Siliguri and Malda.
In the "Jangalmahal, Hills and Tea Estates" chapter, the document claims that the GTA has been allotted Rs 1,018 crore.
However, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha took objection to the Rs 1,018 crore claim.
"We don't know whether Trinamul is speaking about non-planned
expenditure. But as far as funds under plan heads are concerned, the GTA
has not received so much money from the state government. Trinamul
should show copies of government orders on the allocation of the funds,"
said Binay Tamang, the assistant secretary of the Morcha.
Other than the Nepali-medium college, there is no mention of any
other project for the hills. The manifesto doesn't make any promise with
regard to tea plantation labourers though it reeled off the relief
measures the government has provided to them so far.
"The manifesto shows Trinamul is least bothered about tea garden
workers, particularly those in the sick and closed plantations. Not a
single word has been written on closed tea gardens, fixing minimum wages
for tea workers and alternative job opportunities for their
dependants," said Mani Kumar Darnal, the joint general secretary of
Intuc-affiliated National Union of Plantation Workers.(TT)
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