Calcutta, Nov. 27: Kalimpong not in the Mamata's list of New Districts as Mamata Banerjee today announced that the Sunderbans, Jhargram and Basirhat would become districts and Burdwan would be bifurcated along rural and industrial lines.
While the Sunderbans district will be carved out of North and South 24-Parganas, the district of Basirhat will be created by bifurcating North 24-Parganas. Jhargram, now a part of West Midnapore, will become a separate district, the chief minister said at a government event in North 24-Parganas. Burdwan will be split into Industrial Burdwan and Rural Burdwan.
Mamata added that the decision was taken to ease the daily problems of people living in remote corners of the existing districts. "I think we can implement the decision by next October," she said.
Sources in the state government said the announcement was made with the 2016 Assembly elections in mind, with the chief minister trying to send out the message that she was decreasing the sizes of the districts to ensure better administration.
The sources said the move was also aimed at keeping police and administrative officials in good humour as more districts would mean an increase in the number of key posts and improved possibilities of promotions.
An official said the creation of a district involved several challenges.#"Take the example of Asansol, which the chief minister wanted to turn into a district in 2012," he said.
As the government had set up a police commissionerate in Asansol before announcing that it would be turned into a district, the plan went "haywire".
In a commissionerate, the police commissioner enjoys magisterial powers, which are usually entrusted with the district magistrate in a district.
"The question was who would have magisterial powers in Asansol - the DM or the police commissioner? There was no answer," the official said.
If a DM does not have magisterial powers over large parts of a district, it can create legal hassles, too, sources said.
Only an official entrusted with magisterial powers can impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 and order investigations into police firings and custodial deaths.
Via Telegraph
While the Sunderbans district will be carved out of North and South 24-Parganas, the district of Basirhat will be created by bifurcating North 24-Parganas. Jhargram, now a part of West Midnapore, will become a separate district, the chief minister said at a government event in North 24-Parganas. Burdwan will be split into Industrial Burdwan and Rural Burdwan.
Mamata added that the decision was taken to ease the daily problems of people living in remote corners of the existing districts. "I think we can implement the decision by next October," she said.
Sources in the state government said the announcement was made with the 2016 Assembly elections in mind, with the chief minister trying to send out the message that she was decreasing the sizes of the districts to ensure better administration.
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| Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri and Mamata Banerjee in Kalimpong - file photo |
An official said the creation of a district involved several challenges.#"Take the example of Asansol, which the chief minister wanted to turn into a district in 2012," he said.
As the government had set up a police commissionerate in Asansol before announcing that it would be turned into a district, the plan went "haywire".
In a commissionerate, the police commissioner enjoys magisterial powers, which are usually entrusted with the district magistrate in a district.
"The question was who would have magisterial powers in Asansol - the DM or the police commissioner? There was no answer," the official said.
If a DM does not have magisterial powers over large parts of a district, it can create legal hassles, too, sources said.
Only an official entrusted with magisterial powers can impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 and order investigations into police firings and custodial deaths.
Via Telegraph
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