LINC PEN: manufacturing capacity strengthened half million

KOLKATA, 22ND NOV: Amidst the recessionary markets where the writing instrument industry is growing at about 8% to 9%, Kolkata-based Linc Pen and Plastics, foresees 15% sales growth for the current financial year.

The manufacturing capacity of the company had also strengthened from 1.5 million pens a day to 2 million pens a day with an additional export oriented unit (EOU) at Falta in West Bengal.The company has three manufacturing facilities in India with a production capacity of two million pens per day. Two of the units are in West Bengal and the other is in Delhi. Linc currently exports pens to South America, the UK, the US and the West Asia.

Deepak Jalan, managing director, Linc pointed out that the writing instrument industry was roughly pegged at Rs 21 billion of which the branded segment was worth about Rs 16 billion and project a more than 5% growth in the market share by 2010 from its current share of 10%.

He added that Linc was also focused on overseas markets such as US, UK, South America, West Asia and neighboring countries such as Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh and its export earnings had increased from Rs 260 million in 2007 to Rs 380 million in 2008.

The manufacturing capacity of the company had also strengthened from 1.5 million pens a day to 2 million pens a day with an additional export oriented unit (EOU) at Falta in West Bengal.

Shares of the company gained Rs 1.25 or 6.93%, to trade at Rs 19.30. The total volume of shares traded was 5,865 at the BSE (10:14. a.m., Wednesday).

One CPI(M) supporter killed by Trinamool

Bheramari (Birbhum), 21 November,2008: A Communist Party of India-Marxists (CPI-M) supporter was killed at Bheramari village in Birbhum district of West Bengal on Friday in a feud over a plot of a cultivable land.

The plot is said to be belonging to a Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter, who was originally a CPI (M) supporter and recently joined the TMC. This led to a confrontation between CPI (M) and TMC supporters. Later, around 500-armed TMC supporters chased the CPI (M) activists, which triggered a violent clash between the two groups, in which one Mukhter Seikh (38), a CPI (M) supporter, was killed and several others were injured.

A large contingent of police force rushed to the spot to control the situation. But the tension is simmering in the village and local people are apprehending violent political backlash.

Bengal to focus on developing small, medium towns

KOLKATA, 21th November, 2008: The West Bengal Government has decided to accord top priority to the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to benefit more people with urban li festyle.

Announcing this after a review meeting of JNNURM, convened by the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the State's Urban Development Minister Mr Asok Bhattacharya said that the Chief Minister would soon urge the Union Urban Development Minister, M r S. Jaipal Reddy, to divert at least Rs 500 crore for UIDSSMT from allocation for upgrading small and medium towns.

While Rs 200 crore had already been allocated for developing slums, the Centre has been urged to divert another Rs 200 crore from JNNURM. Mr Bhattacharya said that under JNNURM Rs 5,700 crore had already been spent since its launch in 2005 through 197 pr ojects sanctioned, of which Centre contributed Rs 2,782 crore and the rest was contributed by the State Government.
Price hike resulted in cost overrun of the projects forcing the State Government to spend Rs 871 crore so far and this would shoot up to Rs 1,200 crore by 2012 when the JNNURM programme would end.

The Chief Minister underscored areas like providing urban home for the poor, development of slums, besides developing drainage and sewerage system, while a decision has been taken for securing Rs 1.900 crore loan from the Asian Development Bank.

Of this 35 per cent would be provided by the State Government as matching grant. In next four years of the tenure of JNNURM, the State Government would set off projects worth Rs 4,500 crore, the Minister said adding that Rs 500 crore of it would be spent for developing small and medium towns. (PTI)

China seeks reopening of trade route to India

Kolkata:19 November-China is keen on reopening the Steelwell Road that runs from Lydo in Assam to Yunnan province of China via Myanmar. “The Chinese government will send a formal proposal to its Indian counterpart,” said Li Jiashou, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Yunnan Sub-council.

He was speaking during a ceremony to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Chamber of Commerce and CCPIT, Yunnan province on Wednesday. The MoU was signed to promote economic cooperation between Yunnan and the eastern regions of India within the framework of the bilateral agreements between the two countries. The MoU also stipulates provisions for exchange of economic data and information between eastern India and Yunnan.

“The reopening of the road will facilitate more trade between these regions of the two countries. The Indian government has already widened the road on the Indian side and our government has built an expressway on our side. We have already talked to Myanmar through which 400 km of the road runs,” the Chinese official said.

Land a stumbling block on way to industrialisation, says Industries Secy.

Kolkata: November 19- Even as West Bengal is receiving a lot of investment proposals, procurement of land is proving to be a big hurdle in implementing these projects. Sabyasachi Sen, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Industries, on Wednesday said responding to questions at Biz Bridge, a workshop organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to showcase the eastern region.

“Land procurement is becoming a major hurdle in the industrialisation process. States like Gujarat do not face this kind of problem because in the ‘50s and ‘60s the Gujarat government bought lots of land near the highways. But this did not happen here,” Sen said.

He said the state government is trying to simplify the procedure for facilitating faster sanction of business proposals. “At present there are 20 to 25 windows and we want to cut down the number to six to seven so that investment proposals are processed faster,” Sen added.

He also said the government wants to set up a project to store water. “We will take the help of the Jadavpur University to conduct a feasibility study of this project,” he said.

Sen said the state government was working on a new incentive scheme for industries that will focus on employment generation. “For instance, If a person gets incentive to the tune of Rs 100, 50 per cent will be for the volume of investment he is making and 50 per cent for the number of employments it will generate. We are going to take the help of the regional providend fund commissioner in this regard,” Sen added.

Biotechnology park on anvil in Bengal

Kolkata: November 19 (UNI)- West Bengal Principal Secretary for Commerce and Industry Sabyasachi Sen today said a bio-technology park would come up in the state in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur.

Speaking on the sidelines of ''Biz Bridge'', organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry(CII), Dr Sen said the project would come up on a land area of 100 acre at Kharagpur, which had already been acquired. However, he declined to quote any timeframe for its completion, saying it would be finalised only after the bidding process would be over.

According to him, the state would attract an investment to the tune of Rs 1,00,000 crore in the next five-six years in the iron and steel sector. Earlier, delivering the inaugural address, the principal secretary also said efforts were on to bring the automobile sector into the focus of the state.

''We want West Bengal to be an automobile-hub in line with Gurgaon and Pune. We are ready to extend our support. Foreign tie-ups are also welcome,'' Dr Sen said.

Ess Dee & Vedanta Group will infuse Rs 261 crore in ailing India Foils

Kolkata: 20 November, 2008-Ess Dee Aluminium Ltd, a leading manufacturer and supplier of Aluminium foil-based flexible packaging laminate products, has acquired nearly 90 per cent stake, valued at around Rs130 crore, in Kolkata-based aluminium foils company, India Foils, which is part of the Vedanta group.

"Ess Dee Aluminium and Vedanta group entity Madras Aluminium Company (Malco) have joined hands to revive India Foils. As a part of the rehabilitation plan, we both partners will infuse about Rs261 crore in India Foils in the form of equity and preferential shares, to repay all existing lenders of IFL, thus making it debt-free," Ess Dee chairman and managing director Sudip Dutta said at a media briefing.

Ess Dee and Vedanta will jointly revive the sick company, India Foils in a rehabilitation scheme approved by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR).

Ess Dee will hold around 90 per cent stake and the remaining will be owned by Vedanta's Madras Aluminium Co. The two will plan to make IFL debt free by repaying all its debts with a joint infusion of Rs261 crore, in the form of equity and preference shares.

Dutta, said that for 2008-09, the company will keep growth levels to the same as in the last quarter, and the IFL acquisition will boost the company's rolling capacity from the existing 18,000 tonnes to 37,000 tonnes within a year. An addition 12,000 tonnes capacity will be created by March 2009 and the rest by December next.

Dutta said the additional capacity will also help Ess Dee as it was planning to launch innovative and new anti-counterfeit packaging products, especially aimed at the pharma industry.These new products could not be launched earlier due to lack of capacity, although many pharma companies had shown keen interest in buying the anti-counterfeit packaging.

IFL which was manufacturing, processing and selling aluminium foil and foil-based products has three manufacturing plants in West Bengal and has a foil rolling capacity of 19,000 tonnes, out of which two are shut. The company has a good front-end conversion capacity that enables it to offer value-added products to its customers. With the funds, Ess Dee will now restart two units in the next five months and the third unit some time later.

"This acquisition will also place Ess Dee on track towards achieving self sufficiency in raw material requirements once the foil stock plant at Hoera is restarted. Additions to IFL's manufacturing facilities in West Bengal would raise strength to Ess Dee's successful hub-and-spoke model of manufacturing and printing foil-based products with plants spread across the country," Dutta said.

One of the main reasons for IFL declaring sick in 2006 was its location, as it did not have manufacturing facilities outside West Bengal, which hampered fast delivery as also it made a substantial investment in latest technology when the industry was not prepared to absorb it.
''IFL lost out by location. Now Ess Dee will provide the spoke and IFL the hub, as together our facilities are located at strategic places, this is a primary synergy through the acquisition,'' Debdeep Bhattacharya, director of Ess Dee, said.Vedanta director Tarun Jain said his company was exiting IFL because it wanted to focus on its core business of mining.

With 37,000 tonnes manufacturing capacity in 8 sophisticated plants spread across India and with the addition of 3 plants of IFL, Ess Dee will be India's largest pharmaceutical foil manufacturing company.

Three CPI(M) leaders injured in JKP backed armed miscreants attack

BANKURA (WB), 20 November,2008: Three CPI(M) leaders were injured when Jharkhand party-Trinamool-Maoist backed armed miscreants attacked them with bows and arrows in West Bengal's Bankura district, police sources said today.

The three CPI(M) leaders - Ranjit Hembran, a former pachayat samiti sabhapati and Ramu Duley and Tulu Hembran, zonal committee leaders were on their way back home to Sarulia when they were struck by arrows at Sarenga area last evening, Superintendent of Police Vishal Garg said.

The three have been admitted to hospital, sources added. Tribal organisations in Bankura district had yesterday obstructed Bankura-Midnapore state highway by placing tree trunks on the road to protest alleged police excesses meted out to tribal in Lalgarh area of neighbouring West Midnapore district.

The three CPI(M) leaders were passing through the area where the tribal had but up road blockade when they were attacked, sources added.

DPT, Hepatitis-B shots in short supply

KOLKATA, 19 November, 2008: Bengal has been severely hit by a shortage of DPT and Hepatitis-B vaccines. The countrywide shortage for the past six months has upset Universal Immunisation Programmes (UIP) in various states, including West Bengal.

In Kolkata, more than 6,00,000 children, from newborns to the age of five, are under risk. These children, a section of whom are slum-dwellers , cannot afford to buy these vaccines in the open market as these are costly. DPT and Hepatitis-B are priced between Rs 600 and Rs 1,000 but are not readily available for bulk supply.

Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss banned the manufacture of these vaccines six months ago on grounds of 'poor quality control' . There are only three state-run units that manufacture them - Pasteur Institute in Coonoor, the BCG Laboratory in Chennai and Central Research Institute in Kasauli. Since then, the state health department and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation authorities have been urging the Union health minister to resume supply of these vital vaccines.

Even CPM Politburo member Brinda Karat took up the matter with Rajyasabha so that West Bengal could again receive its normal supply of vaccines. KMC doctors expressed apprehension that for want of these vaccines , the entire immunisation programme would get marred. "If we fail to supply these vaccines, particularly the hepatitis vaccine, enteric diseases will spread fast and could assume epidemic proportions ," a KMC health official said on Tuesday.

However, so far, there has been a lukewarm response from the Centre . According to a senior KMC health department official, the Centre had failed to keep its promise. "The Centre had assured us that the supply of DPT and Hepatitis-B vaccines would be normalised from October this year. However, we have received a very negligible quantity of these vaccines till date," the chief municipal health officer Debdwaipayan Chattopadhyay said on Tuesday.

Till October 27, West Bengal alone reported a shortage of a whopping 88.49 % in DPT vaccines and 63.64 % in Hepatitis B vaccines . Though DPT doses were sent to the state earlier this month, the shortage, continued to be severe, said a KMC doctor associated with the immunisation programme. "It would also appear that the DPT and DT programmes are virtually scrapped, at least in these states." he said.

Dunlop workers seek government intervention

SAHAGANJ(Hooghly), 19th November, 2008: Agitated workers of the Dunlop factory at Sahaganj in West Bengal protested at the gates of the unit on Tuesday and demanded its reopening.

On Monday, the Pawan Ruia Group that owns Dunlop cited the global economic meltdown; a lack of demand and a funds crunch and suspended production, offering workers Rs 2000 per month till the factory reopens. But the workers don't believe any of it - neither the reason for suspending work nor the offer of allowance. They want the factory back on stream and all their long-pending dues. Mrityunjay Pandey a worker at Dunlop, said, “The management is talking about the economy. But the economy has been down only for the last two months. They are just pretending, saying they will get money from here or there. But no one will give them any.

Harish Singh another worker said, “We have no faith in this management. Whatever agreement is to be made must be made in front of the Chief Minister or the Industry Minister. We will accept only those commitments.”

The leaders of the CITU and INTUC unions who had been talking to the management were incommunicado and demanding government intervention. Meanwhile there is evident gloom among the labourers. Since the Ruia group took over Dunlop two years ago, they had received some respite from the instability. But now the uncertainties seem to be back. Shakli Devi, wife of a Dunlop employee, said, “How will I run my family. There’s no work and no salary. How will I manage? As it is, we suffered for ten years. Now the trouble is back.”

It is certain that for the moment at least, the story of the revival of Dunlop India is truly over.With it industrialization in West Bengal has received another blow. Also a very, very uncertain future faces the 1202 workers who depended on Dunlop India for a livelihood.

NMDC to invest Rs. 1,000 cr. in Birbhum coal project

MINING TOGETHER: Ram Vilas Paswan (left), Union Minister of Chemicals, Fertilizer and Steel, and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, West Bengal Chief Minister, exchange documents after signing an MoU between NMDC and WBMDTC in Kolkata on Tuesday.

KOLKATA,19th November: Navratna public sector National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) will initially invest Rs. 1,000 crore to develop a coal mining project in Birbhum district in West Bengal, Chairman and Managing Director Rana Som said.

Mr. Som was here on the occasion of signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation (WBMDTC) for starting coal mining activities and supplying iron ore and bauxite.

He said the Deocha-Pachami coal block in West Bengal was one of the largest coal blocks in India and NMDC proposed to make its second foray in coal mining with this virgin block. The initial investment would go mainly towards land acquisition and purchase of heavy earth moving machinery. NMDC already had two coal blocks in Madhya Pradesh. The Birbhum block was yet to be allotted. He indicated that this mine would need technology and NMDC might rope in a foreign partner if it so wanted. Spread over a 9.7-sq. kilometre, the mine had a 2-billion tonne reserve of thermal coal and was deep mine. The West Bengal Power Development Corporation would have a 10-per cent stake in this venture, while the WBMDTC would hold 40 per cent of the equity with NMDC holding 50 per cent and having the right to divest 15 per cent to bring in another partner.

West Bengal Power Minister Mrinal Banerjee said that with a proposed capacity of 10,000 MW, the state utilities would need one lakh tonnes of coal a day soon. The project would help the power sector.

The MoU paves the way for the geological exploration of the deposit to establish the project’s commercial viability, after which the joint venture would be incorporated to carry forward the project. Union Minister for Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steel Ram Vilas Paswan, who was present while the MoU was signed, said the project will have an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore. Other dignitaries present included Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Minister for Commerce and Industries Nirupam Sen.

The NDMC, India’s single largest iron ore producer, has also signed another agreement with the state government by which it will make a certain amount of iron ore available to the steel manufacturing sector of the state.

During the function, the chief minister thanked Paswan for his role in getting a number of the state’s projects cleared. “He has helped in the revival of IISCO factory at Burnpur with Central funding of Rs 13,000 crore. He is also getting Rs 5,500 crore for the Durgapur Steel factory and trying to clear the PCPIR project as early as possible. We are all thankful to him,” Bhattacharjee said.

According to Paswan, PCPIR project will receive the Central nod by this year. “The proposal will be placed in the high-powered committee comprising secretaries of different Union ministries. Then it will directly come to the Cabinet for clearance,” he added.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said industrial progress was difficult without mineral supplies and a national policy was needed for dispersing resources evenly throughout the country.

West Bengal seeks greater tax pie from Centre

Kolkata, November 18: The West Bengal government has requested the Centre to increase its share in the taxes collected from the states from 30.5 per cent to 50 per cent.

In a meeting with the chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission, Vijay Kelkar, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee demanded hat the scope of Centrally- sponsored schemes be redefined and states be given larger scope to implement such schemes. Kelkar is in Kolkata to hold meetings with representatives of the state government.

“Under the Indian constitution, most of the developmental works have to be carried out by the state. But we have limited resources. We have demanded that the entire financial relations between the Centre and the states should be restructured. We also demanded that states should be given the right to impose service tax,” said state Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta.

Kelkar urged the state government to go in for better fiscal management and mobilise resources. He pointed out that the growth rate of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of West Bengal was 10.5 per cent, while the national average was 11.29 per cent.

W.B Khadi & Village Industries Board bags first prize

Kolkata,November 18, 2008 : West Bengal Khadi & Village Industries Board (KVI) has recently won the national award for securing the first position from amongst state level KVI boards under the rural employment generation programme. This was due to the exceptional performance delivered by the Bengal KVI.From 1998-99 till 2006-07, the state KVI had taken up 9,584 projects and thereby providing employment to 94,419 people, but in 2007 alone 5,917 projects were undertaken providing work to 75,344 people. In 2007 the board not only completed its targets but set off on the course to achieving targets for the current year.

The West Bengal Khadi & Village Industries Board was set up by the Government of West Bengal under W.B.Act. XIV of 1959 and took over the activities from erstwhile Advisory Board in April, 1960. Bengal has established its status under Khadi Programme for its unique art and craftsmanship. The climatic condition and abundant local resources have widened the scope for the development of Khadi Programme in the State.

The districts of Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, Bankura, Hooghly, Purulia have the extensive coverage of the Khadi Programme, especially for Silk & Muslin Khadi. The Bengal KVI unit is trying to promote and popularize muslin and silk khadi, but also a need has been felt in improving the marketing strategies to boost sales. The state produces 36.37 per cent of silk khadi and 55.25 per cent of muslin khadi of all produced by different KVIs in the country.

Separatist groups stoking violence, says Buddhadeb

KOLKATA,18th November,2008: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said on Monday that the various separatist groups were aiming to disturb “peace and harmony” in the State by stoking violence and terror.

Pointing out to the agitations at Paschim Medinipur, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, Mr. Bhattacharjee said: “If every other ethnic group starts demanding a State of their own, democracy in West Bengal be in peril.”He addressed an election rally in Howrah organised by the district’s Left Front committee in support of its candidates for the forthcoming polls to the Howrah Municipal Corporation.

“The tribal people in Paschim Medinipur district are being misled by the Maoists. But I thank a large section of them for having understood the reality and for detaching themselves from the movement,” he said. Mr. Bhattacharjee, however, added: “The Maoists will not sit idle.”

Agitation continue

Leaders of various tribal groups – some of which are suspected to have the support of Maoists – protesting against alleged police excesses announced on Monday that their agitation, which has virtually cut off Lalgarh area of West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur from the rest of the district, will be intensified and will continue till their demands are met.

They met in the Lalgarh area and reiterated their demands that include the release of tribals arrested in connection with the blast that narrowly missed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s convoy on November 2, a public apology from the district’s police superintendent for the excesses committed on the local people during raids in the villages and the withdrawal of police camps from the region.

Govt.’s claim

The State government, however, claimed that five tribal groups that were part of the agitation have decided to withdraw from the protests. “They withdrew their agitation after a meeting with the local administration,” Raj Kanojia, the State’s Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) said here.

Questions, however, remain on the impact the decision of these five groups will have on the overall agitation. Lalgarh has remained largely inaccessible for more than a week. Roads to the area have been dug up and trees felled to set up roadblocks at different places in the Jhargram sub-division, according to reports reaching here.

The State administration is treading a cautious line, avoiding any confrontation with the agitators. It is hoping that the situation can be resolved through discussions that are being initiated by the district authorities. The situation was reviewed at a meeting of senior State officials convened by the Chief Minister here.

In a significant development, an Additional Superintendent of Police of North 24 Parganas district, who was assigned to Lalgarh on special duty, has left the town, refusing to serve in an area where Maoists are active. He has threatened to resign if not relieved of his duties there.

CPI(M) accuses centre for trouble in West Midnapore

Kolkata,17th November (PTI): Accusing the Centre of working against the interest of West Bengal, the state CPI(M) on Monday blamed the UPA government and Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren-led JMM for the tribal agitation in West Midnapur district.

"The Centre has been acting against the interest of West Bengal since the withdrawal of support by Left parties to the UPA government," CPI(M) state secretary Biman Basu told reporters here.

He alleged that Soren had pledged support to the UPA government on July 22 in the trust vote on a condition that the Centre would back the JMM's move of a separate territory 'Greater Jharkhand' carved out of West Bengal.

"This was the reason behind the Centre not acceding to the request of the West Bengal government to send CRPF to West Midnapur district as requested," he charged.

On the ongoing stir by the tribals against the alleged police excesses, Basu said, "it is not a fight of the tribals against the administration."

‘CONSPIRACY’ - AND THE SINGUR COURT CASE

By B PRASANT

An INN subscriber from Delhi writes to say – perhaps with a minute but obvious tinge of cynicism – as to what is the nature of the ‘conspiracy’ that the Bengal CPI (M) in its statement speaks about, to have been involved in the case filed against and subsequently, after nearly a year, judgment and verdict delivered on, CPI (M) leader Suhrid Dutta on the Singur resident Tapasi Malik’s ‘unnatural death.’

The case had been lodged by the CBI, which also led the inquiry as well as the investigation, and the state LF government was not made a party to the case other than having an AOR (‘advocate-on-record’).

At the outset, let us clarify that Suhrid Dutta was accused of ‘criminal conspiracy’ to murder u/s 120B, plus u/s 302 of the IPC, read inter alia with section 164 of the CrPc and its sub-sections. What do the sections mean, signify, and with what fall-outs, sans the legalese involved?

Section 120B reads that whoever is a person involved with a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence punishable with death can be served with a sentence that involves either the death penalty or imprisonment for life.

Section 302 is whoever commits murder shall be punished with death, imprisonment for life and shall also be liable to [a] fine.

CrPc 164 stands for signed record of any confession or statement made to the magistrate of law in the course of an investigation.

Thus far, everything is simple, straightforward and in keeping with the spirit and law of justice as conceived by our former British colonial masters, and followed since, by- and-large, by the Indian ruling classes.

Let the complexities, comrades and friends, especially our friend up in Delhi, commence from and at this point of time.

Surprise, surprise, the nature, and progression of the conspiracy and the great big fault lines therein, too, appears quite as simple and straightforward as perhaps not expected.

The entire case against Suhrid Dutta is based on the ‘secret confession’ u/s 164 of ‘one Debu Malik.’ Debu later stood in court to say that he has not made the statement, which, by the interesting way, allegedly does not bear his signature.

Subsequently, Debu also formally retracted the confession in the court of law. There thus remained no direct evidence of any kind. This should have been the end of the matter. However, complexities are lovably clung to always with an end in view and a game plan at hand.

After a test of narcolepsy up in Delhi (was he administered the dreaded and mind-bending ‘truth serum’, sodium pentothal, we have no way of knowing), where Debu who does not speak / understand either English or Hindi, was allegedly not even explained the significance of the long and lugubrious section and several subsections thereof, of 164, allegedly neither agreed nor disagreed to whatsoever was read out to him but the fact is that he did not sign the ‘statement’ which the inquiring magistrate then signed. Shall we quote from the law, then, friends, to bolster our case?

Sec 164 (1) states: ‘the Magistrate shall, before recording any such confession, explain to the person making it that he is not bound to make a confession and that, if he does so, it may be used as evidence against him; and the Magistrate shall not record any such confession unless, upon questioning the person making it, he has reason to believe that it is bear, made voluntarily.’

Permit me readers to quote for once the chapter-and-verse of what is written in sub-section 4 of section 164 of Cr Pc for it will help clear up any fog of indecision yet hovering over the case.

Any such confession shall be recorded … of an accused person and shall be signed by the person making the confession; and the Magistrate shall make a memorandum at the foot of such record to the following effect.

"I have explained to (name) that he is not bound to make a confession and that, if he does so, any confession he may make may be used as evidence against him and I believe that this confession was voluntarily made. It was taken in my presence and hearing, and was read over to the person making it and admitted by him to be correct, and it contains a full and true account of the statement made by him. [Our emphasis]

(Signed)

Magistrate"


Here the linguistic issue we talked of before comes to play a crucial rôle. A somnambulant and befuzzled Debu recovering from the narcolepsy test nodded a ‘yes’ or did not, is not the question involved here.

The issue is that the magistrate making the inquiry signed the ‘statement’ without Debu signing it. The statement ‘said’ that according to Debu, Suhrid Dutta, a much respected leader of the Hooghly CPI (M) and well into his 70s, had allegedly asked him [Debu] to hire goons to kill the late Tapasi as ‘she was the leader of the anti-small motor car movement at Singur.’ [Any takers on this score, please, anyone?]

This, we hold, is patently a ridiculous statement had Debu even made it under the circumstances (which, we repeat, he did not.)

The crux of the matter is that in the absence of any specific charge or witnesses, the verdict was given based on ‘circumstantial evidence,’ i.e., Debu’s statement one (a statement that he later formally denied and withdrew).

The CBI called the case the ‘rarest of the rare cases.’

We understand the reason why.

The Bengal CPI (M) has decided to move to High Court with its appeal and quite rightly, too.

The CPI (M) is a patient lot. We recall the absolving of all charges nearly a decade later of what had been slapped on hundreds of CPI (M) workers in the courts of law over the past decades following sentencing that involved the death penalty. We shall wait. We shall win. By now, we are used to it.

(INN)

Mamata demands return of land at Singur by Dec 2

SINGUR,15 November, 2008: If the West Bengal government will not return the land acquired from farmers "not willing" to part with it for the now abandoned Tata Motors Nano project here by December 2, cultivation would be started on it, the Trinamool Congress threatened on Saturday.

"If the government does not return the land to unwilling farmers by December 2, potato, cucumber and vegetables cultivation will begin as the farmers will have to survive," TC chief Mamata Banerjee told at a party rally here. Banerjee said she along with other party leaders would begin token cultivation of vegetables on December two and thereafter farmers on a mass scale if the land was not returned by then.

She opposed the state government's efforts for Faw automobile company of China to start an industry on the plot and demanded that a global tender be floated for new industry there. "There should be transparency and accountability in the tender to be floated for selecting industry in Singur," she said.

Denying that she and her party were anti-industry, Banerjee, who had demanded return 400 acres of the nearly 1000 acres acquired for the Tatas, said she was sticking to her point that 600 acres was sufficient for an industry.

Deadlock continues in Lalgarh (Paschim Medinipur)

Agitators-officials talks inconclusive, will continue
Tribals arrested for blast cannot be freed: government

KOLKATA, 14th November, 2008: Parts of West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur continued to remain cut off from the rest of the district on Friday, following protests by tribal villagers against alleged police excesses. Maoists are known to have a presence in the region.

Representatives of the agitators met local authorities to break the deadlock. The talks, held in the affected Lalgarh area, were inconclusive and would continue, Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakravarty said here. For more than a week, ever since roads were dug up and trees felled to set up roadblocks, access to Lalgarh has remained restricted. Supply of water, power and food has been severely disrupted.

The agitators are protesting against alleged police excesses during raids to track down those responsible for the November 2 IED blast in the region. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had a narrow escape that day as a powerful IED went off moments after his convoy passed through Kalaichandi.

Roadblocks have also been put up in the adjoining sub-divisional town of Jhargram and only a few were removed following Sunday’s meeting between leaders of tribal groups and the local administration. The district authorities assured the agitators that allegations of police excesses would be looked into and action taken against anyone found guilty.

But they were told that the demand for release of all tribals arrested in connection with the blast could not be met. Those in whose possession arms were found and against whom specific charges were framed would not be released, Mr Chakravarty said. Nor would the three camps of the Central Reserve Police Force, set up earlier in the region, be withdrawn. In Kolkata, senior officials and those from the police administration attended a review meeting held by the Chief Minister.

The government, which is keen on avoiding a Nandigram-like situation, has advised authorities in Lalgarh not to take any action that might precipitate a confrontation with the protesters. Asked about the situation at Lalgarh, Biman Bose, secretary, State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the move to apprehend those behind the blast was guided by the administration’s anxieties over the law and order situation and was not aimed at the tribals.The Congress has sought Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s intervention to facilitate restoration of normality in the area, said its legislature party leader, Manas Bhunia.

Ban on Maoists up to the Centre: Yechury

KOLKATA, Nov. 13 : CPI(M) Polit buro member Mr Sitaram Yechury said today both political campaign and administrative action were needed to tackle Maoist attacks in West Bengal. Asked whether the West Bengal government should ban the Maoists as the Trianmul Congress chief Miss Mamata Banerjee had dared it to do so, Mr Yechury said it was for the Centre to take a policy decision on the issue.

He said Maoist activities were causing concern in different parts of the country and the Prime Minister had initiated steps to deal with the problem. The Left Front-government had asked for additional battalions of para-military forces from the Centre, but the latter pleaded its inability to deploy them on the ground that they were needed for election duties, he said.

Speaking at a party programme Mr Yechury charged that the bailout package being offered by different nationalised banks in the country would benefit only private players of the share market and not the common man. The current global financial crisis, he said, was the result of the neo-liberal policy of the capitalist world. He questioned why Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh was now calling for insulating the country's economy against international finance capital, while he had once been a strong advocate of integrating the country's economy with the globalisation process.

Astonfield sticks to Rs 2000cr green energy plan

Kolkata, November 14, 2008: Astonfield Renewable Resources Limited (ARRL) plans to invest close to Rs 2,000 crore over the next two years on renewable energy projects in India.This is part of the money raised by the company earlier when it had decided to foray into India.

According to Sourabh Sen, co-chairman, ARRL, “Raising fresh funds is an issue now but we have more banks in US and Japan part financing all our projects. A few of the projects are self-funded. We hope to break even in six to seven years from now.”

Sen said ARRL has seen a steady growth of business in 2007 and first quarter of 2008, where the first official renewable energy allotments were received in Bengal, including 10 megawatt of biomass, 5 megawatt of solar PV, and 1 megawatt of manure-to-power, to be executed in Gangarampur, Bankura, and Kalyani, respectively.

Since then, last year, ARRL bought its first plot of land in Bankura, a total of 26 acres for a 5 megawatt solar PV plant, which ARRL will start constructing later this year. According to Sen, ARRL is also in final stage to bid on the allotment for a 54 megawatt municipal solid waste-to-energy plant in Dhapa, a project the company has been working on since October 2007. The specific projects in West Bengal will cost approximately Rs 60 crore for the 10 megawatt biomass project, Rs 100 crore for the 5 megawatt solar, and Rs 8 crore for a 1 megawatt of manure-to-power project.

Sen said that the Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has issued a letter of intent to ARRL for setting up solar power projects of 3 megawatt in the state with the option of two more in future.

The tariff for generation of solar energy has been fixed at Rs 15.96 per unit by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) for projects to be commenced up to December 31, 2009, and Rs 15.16 per unit for projects commencing between December 31, 2009 and March 31, 2010. Astonfield has also set up an office in Mumbai to focus on projects in South and West India.