After denying and disputing infiltration as a demographic menace and cow smuggling for years, Mamata Banerjee finally conceded it as a “sensitive” issue asking on Tuesday the district administrations bordering Bangladesh to take measures to stop trans-border infiltration.
Not only this, stopping short of admitting that some of her own party functionaries could be involved in international smuggling the Bengal Chief Minister also warned them of consequences should they not give up smuggling. A number of rural Trinamool leaders from North 24 Parganas had earlier been arrested for smuggling activities.
“See I should tell you loud and clear that involvement in smuggling activities will not be tolerated. The habit must be given up,” Banerjee told an administrative meeting at Barasat in North 24 Parganas attended apart from senior administrative officers by elected representatives from Trinamool Congress.
She said, “North 24 Parganas is a sensitive district” where some pockets had become notorious for cow trafficking, smuggling, and other illegal activities. “As the district shares a border with Bangladesh you have to keep an eye on the areas like Basirhat, Bongaon etc from where the people infiltrate to create problem,” she said asking the Collectors, SPs, SDMs and BDOs to “keep a close watch on the situation.”
Parties like the BJP had for long been complaining against infiltration and its resultant impact on changing demography cow-trafficking and smuggling with an effect that the saffron partyhas in the past a few years gained in popularity in border regions even winning the Basirhat Assembly seat once.
Banerjee who carries the State administration to every district at least once a year partly to keep the “babus” and the “netas” on the leash and partly to reach out to the people and address their issues at the ground level took the opportunity to once again attack the BJP for politicizing cow-trafficking and alleged it was not Bengal but the BJP-ruled States that were responsible for the illegal trade in cow.
“I have told the officials to keep a tight a watch on the cow-racket because there are some people who leave no chance to implicate our Government whereas the cow-trafficking originates from their areas,”she said.
“They blame us for cow smuggling but most of these cows come from UP and Rajasthan. The do not stop the cows there and allow them to be smuggled into Bengal and then to Bangladesh so that they can politicise the issue by accusing us.
They should first check cow trafficking in their State,” Banerjee said without referring to the persons or the political parties that according to her are apparently involved in the cow-trafficking.
The Chief Minister also announced the formation of two new police districts in Barasat and Basirhat under North 24 Parganas district for better management of the law and order situation. In the new scheme of things Barasat will be bifurcated to create the new Basirhat police district which will have a separate Superintendent of Police.
Meanwhile in a separate development the Centre has written astrongly-worded letter to Bengal Government seeking explanation onreported bundling in PDS system, sources said.
Recently the State Food Department received complaints of spuriousrice being supplied by ration dealers in a number of districts.
