Mamata forms a tea directorate & N Bengal development board

HT, 30 Jun 2016, SILIGURI: The state government on Wednesday set up a tea directorate in North Bengal with a chief executive officer as its head as the chief minister roped in almost all the winning or losing Trinamool Congress candidates in the 2016 Assembly elections in different advisory boards and committees.

The state government also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to revive Balurghat and Malda airports in North Bengal. As per the MoU, the AAI has agreed to hand over 132.66 and 114 acres of land (including runaway) in Balurghat and Malda respectively with right for development and use by the state government for a period of 30 years at a token cost of Rs 1.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who held an administrative meeting here at Uttar Kanya for the districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Darjeeling, announced that the tea directorate will work for the welfare of tea garden workers. An advisory committee for the tea directorate has been formed under the chairmanship of TMC Alipurduar MLA Saurav Chakraborty.

Mohan Sharma, the sabhadhipati of Alipurduar zilla parishad is the vice-chairman, while Santa Chettri who lost the Assembly election as TMC candidate from Kurseong and Sukra Munda, the TMC MLA from Nagarkata, are the members of the advisory committee.

Mamata roped in Abdul Karim Chowdhary, who lost the Assembly election from Islampur, as the chairman of Uttar Banga Unnayan Parishad Advisory Council. Harka Bhadur Chettri, the Jan Andolan Party convenor who lost the election from Kalimpong, is among the members in the advisory council. Chettri is believed to be close to the chief minister.

Announcing the formation of North Bengal Board for Development of Sports and Games, Mamata said, “Baichung Bhutia is the chairman of the board and Mantu Ghosh, the former national table tennis champion and Arjuna awardee, is the vice-chairperson.”

Mamata has also made Mann Ghisingh, the Gorkha National Liberation Front chairman, a member of the board. The GNLF had supported the TMC in 2014 Lok Sabha election and 2016 Assembly election.

Mihir Goswamy, the TMC MLA from Cooch Behar South, and Arghya Roy Pradhan, the TMC MLA from Mekhliganj, have been appointed as the chairman and vice-chairman of North Bengal State Transport Corporation. Sardha Subba, the TMC candidate who lost from Darjeeling, is a member.

Mamata also announced that Tenzing Norgay Central Bus in Siliguri would be upgraded to an international bus terminus. The state government will give a state reception to President Pranab Mukherjee when he visits Darjeeling for three days beginning on July 12,” the chief minister said. She herself would be present in Darjeeling during that time.