By IANS,
Malbazar (West Bengal) : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banejee, who is on a visit to north Bengal, Wednesday urged the people not to get entrapped in politics of violence as peace was essential for development.
“I would request you all not to get entrapped in politics of violence. It is the duty of the government to ensure peace and any act of violence will not be tolerated,” Banerjee said while addressing a rally here in Jalpaiguri district.
“Always remember it is easy to light a fire but equally difficult to douse it. So never play with fire. Those who instigate such things will be dealt with accordingly,” she said.
Banerjee lambasted the erstwhile Left Front government for ignoring north Bengal.
“In the last 34 years, the area has not seen any development. The (Left Front) leaders would show their faces only during elections and then disappeared,” she said.
She also blamed the previous regime for putting the state under a huge debt burden, due to which 87 percent of the state’s revenue was spent as interest payments.
The chief minister announced that the state government would give Rs.16.60 crore to North Bengal Medical College for its upgradation and will spend Rs.8 crore on other health centres in the region.
She went on a sop showering spree and announced a host of projects, including a mega tourism project.
“We have planned a mega project which, when implemented, will turn north Bengal into an attractive tourist destination. The plains and the hills will develop simultaneously and together will turn into a Switzerland,” she said.
Three mega tourism parks in Dooars (Himalayan foothills) and Terai (plains) will be set up along with upgradation of the scenic Buxa Fort atop the Buxa Hills in Jalpaiguri’s Alipurduar area.
The Malbazar bus-stand, an important connector, will be renovated at a cost of Rs.1 crore.
The railway link between Changrabandha in Cooch Behar district to Malbazar will also be completed soon.
Banerjee also spoke on generating employment.
“We are committed to creating jobs. Since coming to power (in May), we already have created around three lakh jobs. Once all these projects are put into operation, many jobs would be created and the youths here will not have to leave the state looking for jobs elsewhere,” she said.