People's Democracy

How Long Shall Nandigram Remain A ‘Liberated Zone?’

SENIOR CPI(M) leader and former chief minister of Bengal Jyoti Basu wondered for how long yet a locality of Nandigram in Midnapore east would continued to be ‘under siege’ and made into a ‘liberated zone.’ A small area of Nandigram is yet under forced control of professional thugs of the Trinamul Congress and the Naxalites where they would run riot, organise armed assaults on all who would not support the ‘save agricultural committee,’ and loot households. They would not allow the displaced persons of the area to return from the miserable conditions prevailing in the rainy season at the relief camps.

Jyoti Basu, who had Mamata Banerjee call upon him to discuss Nandigram and Singur issues some weeks earlier, also said that a political process had commenced at Nandigram. The administration, too, is active in bringing back peace and amity in the area where the writ of the state government would not be allowed to run by the worthies of the Bengal opposition with help from armed Maoist gangs from Midnapore west and beyond.

Elsewhere at Nandigram itself, recent weeks have again witnessed Trinamul-Naxalite combination running a reign of terror, looting houses, putting hutments to the torch, abducting and torturing people who remain steadfast with the CPI(M) and the Left Front. Two young SFI workers were recently kidnapped beaten up mercilessly and then left for dead. The police had make a soft intervention to recover the wounded boys and have them shifted to hospitals.

CHEMICAL HUB

Asked whether the township of Haldia would witness a chemical hub coming up, Jyoti Basu said that the state Left Front government was having a series of discussions at various levels on this issue. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau member described the sweeping win of the CPI(M) and the Left at the Haldia civic polls as significant but also added to say that efforts must continue to win over that section of the working people who would yet vote for the forces of reaction and religious fundamentalism.

Elsewhere, Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has written a letter on the various aspects of the proposed chemical hub at Haldia to the political parties in Bengal, national or otherwise. The response from the Left Front constituents and Pradesh Congress, according to government officials has more to do with environmental issues than with the location. The issues are in the process of being sorted out. The Trinamul Congress has not bothered to respond at all, perhaps as expected.

The chemical hub that has been proposed to be set up at the Haldia port and dock area would see a minimum of 500 industrial units coming up. Over a million people would eventually find employment in these units. (B P)