Sop for north Bengal, nod to roads linking Nepal, Bangla

ENS | Kolkata | July 25, 2014: West Bengal state cabinet on Thursday approved a roadway project worth Rs 1,377 crore which would connect north Bengal with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Senior state officials said the project will be implemented soon. The government has also decided to rehabilitate destitute girl children under Muktir Aalo scheme, for which it has identified 21 acres of land at Rajarhat where it will build homes for them.

The cabinet committee also laid out plans to bring four districts (West Midnapore, Purulia, Bankura and Birbhum) under drought-prone area, while allocating Rs 500 crore for the purpose and deciding that 55,000 hectares of farm land of these districts will be brought under the state irrigation department.

“Bengal is the gateway to North East, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh. And we should remain connected,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while speaking at a government programme.

It has also been learnt that the CM has taken a stock of the situation about the government officials’ preparations towards battling the Japanese Encephalitis in North Bengal. Banerjee has directed all the government hospitals to remain alert round-the-clock and to treat all infected persons properly. She further inquired about the status of the piggeries in the area as the vector-borne disease (JE) is usually transmitted from pigs to humans.

The death toll on Thursday reached 109 after one person reportedly died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Dr B Satpathy, director. health services, told media persons. He although asserted that the situation has started to come under control. Earlier, 37 persons were admitted to the hospital, detected with Encephalitis syndrome.