look news india
After the assembly election results of West Bengal, there is turmoil not only at the top level in the politics of the state, but at the grassroots level also, the decades-old impregnable fort of Trinamool Congress (TMC) seems to be crumbling. The office of the Auto Rickshaw Union, once painted in the blue-white color of TMC, near Sonarpur railway station in South 24 Parganas has now completely changed. Now the saffron banner of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is fluttering there. This ground change clearly indicates that the end of TMC’s syndicate rule that dominates Bengal’s politics and system has begun.
Relief from ‘cut money’ in Sonarpur, powerful leaders absconded
Auto drivers of Sonarpur area are now heaving a sigh of relief. Talking to media reports (The Indian Express), local drivers said that now they no longer have to pay a monthly recovery of Rs 120 per vehicle i.e. ‘cut money’ to the local TMC leaders in lieu of forced driving. Just 2 kilometers away from this area, there was huge public anger against TMC’s senior leader Abhishek Banerjee, where a furious mob pelted eggs and stones at him.
Local residents say that the leaders and their goons who used to bully till yesterday are now completely missing after the results. Narrating her ordeal, Rupali Mandal, a local vegetable vendor from Ward No. 13, said that the TMC councilor had asked for a huge bribe of Rs 20,000 from her in exchange for setting up a shop on the footpath. When he refused to pay the money, the bullies completely destroyed his shop. Rupali says, “That counselor is absconding since the election results and his house is locked. I have now returned to my place and am seeking help from BJP leaders for security.” Illegal construction on government lands in the area has now completely stopped and the affected people are filing complaints in the police stations.
Bahubali Raju Naskar behind bars in Belighata, bulldozer runs on illegal buildings
Belighata area of Kolkata was once considered the strongest stronghold of Trinamool Congress, but today there is complete silence there and all the local offices of TMC are closed. With the change of power and changing political equations in the state, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has come into action mode and has started using hammers and bulldozers on the illegal high-rise buildings built by the promoters in this area.
Raju Naskar, the biggest kingpin of this entire construction syndicate and powerful contractor of TMC, is now behind the bars. Raju Naskar, who was once an ordinary taxi driver, had created illegal property worth crores on the basis of syndicate rule, against whom the victims are now openly filing FIR for land grabbing. Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has also made it clear in strong words that no strongman involved in corruption and hooliganism will be spared. After the resignation of Mayor Firhad Hakim, the entire functioning of the Municipal Corporation is now being handled by the government administrator and legal action has started to demolish more than 100 illegal buildings.
The dark game of ‘sand mafia’ was going on from the government flood shelter home.
The pictures and facts that have emerged from Jamalpur block of East Bardhaman, about 100 kilometers from Kolkata, are extremely surprising. Here, Block INTTUC President Tabarak Ali Mandal and his Panchayat head wife Arifa have been arrested by the police on serious charges. Together, both of them were illegally occupying a government community center and a flood shelter built for flood victims and from there they were operating a whole syndicate of illegal sand mining in the Damodar River.
Rights of the poor were being sold in the black market: When the police raided these government buildings, they seized huge quantities of government fertilizers, seeds, pesticides and most importantly MNREGA (MNREGA) job cards to be distributed to the villagers. All these government materials were being sold at high prices in the black market. Local villager Sheikh Murtaza said, “Every day 150 to 200 overloaded trucks carry illegal sand from here, but due to fear no one dares to open their mouth.” Now that this syndicate is inside the jail, the villagers have lost their fear and they are preparing to lodge complaints about the ‘cut money’ collected from them in government housing schemes like ‘Banglar Bari’.