Former Maoist stronghold Jhargram made Bengal’s 22nd district

The Dalit and tribal dominated region was carved out of Paschim Medinipur, one of the largest districts in the State. 
Image used for representational purpose only.
Image used for representational purpose only.

KOLKATA: Former Maoist stronghold Jhargram was made West Bengal’s 22nd district on Tuesday. The Dalit and tribal dominated region was carved out of Paschim Medinipur, one of the largest districts in the State. 

Spread over 3,037.64 sq km, Jhargram has a population of 11,37,163 along with eight community blocks, one municipality, nine police stations and three police outposts.

 R. Arjun has been appointed the new District Magistrate whereas Abhishek Gupta has been made the new Superintendent of Police. 

West Bengal’s western region Jangalmahal, of which Jhargram district is a major part, witnessed a bloody Maoist insurgency from 2008-11, leading to deaths of over 700 Maoists, security personnel and civilians.

Along with tea gardens of north Bengal, Muslim-dominated regions in central Bengal and the Sundarbans, Jangalmahal is one of the poorest regions of the State. 

Taking the opportunity to claim credit in bringing peace to the region, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “Earlier, people used to be scared to come to this region. In the last six years, I am proud that Jangalmahal has shown that Maoist-infested areas of the country can return to peace.” 

She promised new projects worth Rs 200 crores and recalled the major works done in the region, including the Bhasraghat Bridge, stadium at Nayagram and Jhargram, new Industrial Training Institutes and claimed that over 35,000 boys and girls from the region have been employed in the West Bengal police to protect the area from Maoists sneaking in from neighbouring Jharkhand and Odisha. 

She also promised that Jhargram will get a new university after the work at Biswa Bangla University in Shantiniketan is completed.

She also tried to woo the Adivasi residents of the district saying that Santhali script Ol Chiki, has been included in West Bengal Civil Services (WBCS) examination and that Scheduled Tribes will get scholarships from Class V.

Mamata Banerjee also promised that two lakh folk artistes would be employed by the State and a state-of-art archery academy would be built.  

She also took indirect potshots at BJP for fears of communal violence during Ram Navami festival to be held on Wednesday. “Ram Navami is the time to defeat the demons who try to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims and forge riots for political benefits,” she said.

She is likely to announce the new Asansol district on Friday, and Sundarbans and Basirhat districts are also in the pipeline.

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