Mamata Banerjee directs state minister to stage dharna in Delhi against Modi govt

Mukutmanipur: Hitting out at the Narendra Modi government for its non-cooperation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she has asked state minister Subarata Mukherjee to stage a dharna in Delhi against the Centre for not giving funds under the MGNREGA scheme. “Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee has been asked to go to Delhi to stage a dharna there,” she told reporters here. [caption id=“attachment_3146728” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. File photo. PTI[/caption] “We have repeatedly sought waiver of the loan taken during the Left Front rule. But the Centre has not done anything,” she said adding the government would continue its work despite the non-cooperation by the Centre. Banerjee, who was speaking after an administrative meeting at Mukutmanipur, known for its second biggest earth dam in the country and a tourist resort, said she has asked the district authority to set up Mukutmanipur Development Authority to expedite various development work in the area. She also asked the district authority to set up a permanent helipad in order to boost tourism in Mukutmanipur. Infrastructure should be created first in order to boost tourism in the area, Banerjee said adding, “A major road funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) would pass through this area connecting eastern India with the North East.” The chief minister also expressed unhappiness about the fact that a lot of work related to tourism and infrastructure development were pending. “Why so many projects are half finished?” she asked the tourism secretary AR Bardhan. Pending projects related to tourism, infrastructure development, water and road repairs should be completed immediately, she said. She said that a water supply project ‘Jal Tirtha’ worth Rs 1,100 crore had been taken up to irrigate 32,000 hectares of farmland in the district. District administration have been asked to keep in touch with people to reduce their hardship and sufferings, the chief minister added.