Friday, January 9, 2009

Nandigram

Nandigram



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Nandigram


Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30)
Country India
StateWest Bengal
District(s)Purba Medinipur
Area
Elevation (AMSL)

• 6 m (20 ft)

Coordinates: 22°01′N 87°59′E / 22.01, 87.99 Nandigram is a rural area in Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located about 70 km south-west of Kolkata, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite the industrial city of Haldia. The area falls under the Haldia Development Authority.[1]


In 2007 the West Bengal government decided to allow Salim Group to set up a chemical hub at Nandigram under the SEZ policy [2]. This led to resistance by the villagers resulting in clashes with the police that left 14 villagers dead, and accusations of police brutality.


Ms Firoza Bibi of All India Trinamool Congress is the newly elected Member of Legislative Assembly from Nandigram Assembly Constituency, by-elections for which were held on 05 Jan 2009.[3]







Contents

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[edit] History


During the Bengal famine of 1943, Qudrat Ullah Shahab (who later became a famous Urdu writer in Pakistan) served in Nandigram as magistrate in pre-independence India - he came under fire from the authorities when he was involved in distributing strategic wheat reserves to the starving local community.



[edit] Political affiliation of the people in Nandigram


In the by-election to Nandigram assembly constituency held on 05 January 2009, Ms Firoza Bibi of All India Trinamool Congress has been declared elected by the District Magistrate C D Lama on 09 January 2009.[4] Ms Firoza Bibi defeated CPI nominee Paramananda Bharati of Communist Party of India in a multi-cornered contest, where more than 80% of the eligible votes were polled. Ms Firoza Bibi, mother of Indadul, who died in the police firing on Mar 14, 2007, polled 93,022 votes, while Mr Paramananda Bharati cornered 53,473 votes. [5][6]


Ms Firoza Bibi, who won by a margin of over 39,500 votes over her nearest rival from CPI, dedicated her win to those killed in nearly a year-long fight allegedly with Communist Party of India (Marxist) cadres over the land issue. Ms Firoza Bibi is an activist of Trinamool Congress-led Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee that forced the West Bengal government to shelve its plan to acquire farmland for industrial purpose in 2008. [7]


The by-election was necessitated after the incumbent Member of Legislative Assembly Mr Illias Mahammad Shekh of CPI, who won the seat in State elections of 2006 and also in 2001, had to resign following a sting operation exposing his corrupt deals. [8]


In 1991 and in 1987, Shaktiprasad Pal of CPI had won this seat. CPI candidate Bhupal Panda was MLA from this constituency in 1982. Prabir Jana of JNP had won this seat in 1977.[9]


Nandigram assembly constituency is part of Tamluk (Lok Sabha constituency).[10]



[edit] Conflict over Development Project in Nandigram










Ramsey Clark, the former Attorney General of United States visited Nandigram in November 2007 and expressed his solidarity to the poor peasants of the area who were tortured by the CPI(M)[11], [12]

The controversy over the state government plan to build a petrochemical complex in Nandigram led opposition parties to organise against the acquisition of land. The Trinamool Congress, Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Indian National Congress cooperated to establish the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee ('Committee against Land Evictions'). The apparent aim of BUPC was to protect the farmers' lands. However underlying motive was to stop industrialisation which could have given jobs to unemployed youths of Bengal and also give a boost to development in the area. The region would have become an industrial belt and would have attracted further investments and jobs to the state. Several poor villagers who were supporting industrialisation and jobs where forcibly driven out by BUPC with their houses vandalised. BUPC amassed huge arms and didnot allow police to enter by digging up roads, following guerilla tactics advised by Maoists. This continued for 3 months. When the administration decided to remove blockade and restore normalcy there was a confrontation and more than a dozen people died in police firing.


Several writers, artists, poets and academicians took a strong position against the police firing which in turn brought significant international attention.


As a direct aftermath of the West Bengal government's Special Economic Zone policy, in the panchayat elections of May 2008, CPI(M) and its left front allies were defeated in Nandigram and adjoining areas by the Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance[13]. The Trinamool Congress-SUCI alliance and the Congress wrested the Zilla Parishads from the CPI-M in three districts of the 16 districts of West Bengal.


See Nandigram violence



[edit] Health


In March 2001, Nandigram II Block of Medinipur District claimed to have achieved full toilet coverage in the entire block.[14]



[edit] Transport







There is no rail connection and roads and other means of reaching Nandigram are ill-developed. Buses, jitney trekkers and van rickshaws are the primary public vehicles inside the villages.


Nandigram is connected by ferry with Haldia. This ferry service is an important mode of transport for farmers and small traders of Nandigram, who uses this service to reach Haldia market for selling their commodities. Haldia Municipality runs this ferry service.[15]


Within the village, houses are not very close to each other so one has to walk for many a mile as van rikshaws are incapable of travelling on the small mud roads (aal path).



[edit] Education


The area has a college affiliated to Vidyasagar University, and there are several schools.




[edit] References




[edit] External links









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