CM surprise after upset - Mamata meets disabled people who had to cancel march

Children present a bouquet to Mamata Banerjee at the programme for the disabled in Jalpaiguri 

on Wednesday. Picture by Biplab Basak

TT, Jalpaiguri, Dec. 3: Mamata Banerjee today made an impromptu visit to an event for disabled people and talked to a few of them while on a 3km walk to address a government programme at the Sports Village she opened in Jalpaiguri today.

The Jalpaiguri Welfare Organisation (JWO) had to cancel a march of the disabled to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today after police verbally told the organisers about their inability to assure security because of their preoccupation with the chief minister's visit.

The JWO had been organising the procession every year for the past 31 years to mark the day.

Mamata's visit today assuaged the feelings of the organisers who had also been forced to dismantle one of the two daises put up along Club Road here to hold events to celebrate the day.

Around 1.15pm today, Mamata came out of the PWD bungalow, located on Club Road, where she had put up last night.

Trailed by director-general (coastal security) Raj Kanojia and inspector-general of police (north Bengal) Jawed Shamim and 100-odd policemen, the chief minister started walking down Club Road.

After a few minutes, she reached the JWO premises, where preparations were on for the celebrations.

Seeing the handicapped children, Mamata halted and walked up to them. The chief minister greeted Trisha Das and Chintu Roy, who were preparing for a cultural event and a blood donation camp at the JWO premises, who presented her a bouquet.

The JWO representatives, initially surprised that Mamata had walked in, presented her a shawl and some handicraft items made by disabled people that was also selling in stalls there.

She also checked out the handicrafts put on display and purchased some bags and other items.

The JWO office is barely 500m from the PWD bungalow where Mamata stayed last night.

"We were disappointed as we had to scrap the march. But today's visit by the chief minister has come as a solace," said Sanjoy Chakraborty, the JWO secretary. "We have gifted jute bags and a shawl made by our members to the chief minister. We are happy that she stopped here and met the children."

Bidding goodbye to the disabled children and JWO representatives, the chief minister took a bylane and reached the Jalpaiguri Town Club Stadium. Mamata spoke to officials accompanying her and said Rs 50 lakh would be provided for the development of the stadium.

After around 35 minutes, Mamata reached the Sports Village.

"The International Day for Persons with Disabilities is a significant date. I enjoyed when I joined the celebrations here today," she said in her speech at the Sports Village.

She, however, launched a broadside at the Opposition and supported the administration's decision to use classrooms of three schools in Jalpaiguri for accommodating police personnel posted for the chief minister's visit.

While one school had to reschedule its annual exams, the other two institutions rearranged the seating for the examinees. "I come here and work for the people. The Congress and the CPM cannot stand it. They raise baseless questions like, why I come here, where I stay, what arrangements are made for me. Despite being number one in terms of security threat, I never take a convoy, a pilot or security," Mamata said.

"So what if a school had to be used for the accommodation of the police? Where will the police stay? On the road? What about the women police personnel? I have spoken to the headmaster and he told me that no force was used and due process was followed for taking the school," she added.

After the meeting, the chief minister boarded her car around 3.15pm. But as her convoy arrived at Raikatpara More, located 1km from the Sports Village, she again got off and walked to the PWD bungalow.

On the way back, she again stopped near the JWO office and received a memorandum from the disabled, seeking protection of their rights, reservations in jobs and disbursement of monthly allowances.

Bomb scare

A bicycle found with an abandoned bag near the PWD bungalow where Mamata was staying triggered a bomb scare this evening. A bomb disposal squad of CID and a sniffer dog reached the spot. As they carried out a check, Manu Roy, a civic volunteer, arrived and said the bag was his. The bag was checked and only some clothes of the youth were found inside.