Forward Bloc to intensify movement against ‘land grabbing' in Howrah
The farmers' front of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) on Saturday said that they will sharpen their movement against alleged land grabbing in Howrah's Panchla block.
Farid Mollah, a farmer leader of AIFB, said the issue would be one of the key points of discussion during the two-day state conference (June 14-15) of the party's farmers' wing, that was held in Cooch Behar. 'We have repeatedly urged the Howrah District Magistrate to take action against land grabbers, but no steps have been taken by the administration,' he said.
In a letter to the District Magistrate, the local Forward Bloc leaders have alleged that a group of land mafias, with some 'administrative backing', are active in the Panchla area.
'These people are filling fertile agricultural land with fly ash to convert it into highland, making it unfit for cultivating paddy and other essential crops,' the letter claimed.
The party, in its letter, alleged that there is a nexus between land grabbers, anti-social elements, and sections of the block administration, allegedly backed by the ruling party. The letter urged the administration to 'excavate a branch canal from Sahpara to Dighirpar and Mallik Bagan to restore irrigation facilities' and allow farmers to resume cultivation. 'We urge you to take strict action against the land grabbers and those complicit within the administration to prevent illegal activities in the area,' it read.
Mollah said the trend of agricultural land being encroached upon for real estate and fisheries business is not limited to Howrah. 'This is the situation across Bengal. Agricultural land is vanishing, the government is turning a blind eye. We'll intensify our movement against this,' he said. He criticised the Centre's agricultural policies, pointing out the absence of a separate agricultural budget. 'Central government is anti-farmers. They're cutting funds for schemes like MGNREGA. We will protest against this too,' he added.
Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal.
Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
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