Autonomous panels in Bengal kept defunct during Trinamool govt to be reactivated from Aug 1: CM Adhikari
Kolkata, July 22
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that different autonomous commissions in the state that were allegedly kept defunct during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government will be reactivated from August 1.
"The previous government has kept all the constitutional bodies in West Bengal namely the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, the West Bengal Women's Commission, the West Bengal Child Protection Commission, the West Bengal SC-ST-OBC-Minorities Commission, and the West Bengal Information Commissioner, where RTI replies are given), inoperative. The people of West Bengal have witnessed how former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ashok Ganguly (retired), who was the Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission, was attacked and harassed by the the-then Trinamool Congress government in the state. During the previous (Trinamool) government's tenure, the administrative officials were kept silent. All these constitutional bodies will be made functional again from August 1. Everyone will be forced to take all the complaints and take action on the complaints," Chief Minister Adhikari said while addressing the floor of the Assembly while giving his reply on discussions of the budgetary allocation of the state Home department, which is also under the control of the Chief Minister.
He also added that the state-government formed Commission led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai will submit its report soon on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.
After the said committee will give its recommendations on the draft UCC Bill, the state government will present the final UCC Bill on the floor of the House. Once it would be cleared there, it would be forwarded to the office of the Governor R.N Ravi for clearance, following which it would become an Act.
The Chief Minister also announced a financial compensation for the families of the fishermen killed in the recent fishing-trawler sinking at the Bay of Bengal as well as for the families of the migrant workers from West Bengal killed in disaster at a tunnel in neighbouring Sikkim.
Each of the families of the deceased in both the mishaps will be provided with compensations of Rs 5,00,000 from the state exchequer.
At the same time, Chief Minister Adhikari announced that the state government will also provide jobs to one member from each of these families.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good move but I'm skeptical. Will these commissions actually work this time? Or will they just become tools to target political opponents? And UCC implementation needs careful deliberation, not rushed through. The fishermen compensation is welcome though. 👏
As an outsider, it's interesting to see West Bengal finally getting its act together on these commissions. But I worry about the UCC - India's diversity is its strength, and a one-size-fits-all approach might create more problems than it solves. Let's hope the committee does thorough consultations.
Rs 5 lakh compensation for fishermen families is peanuts compared to the loss of a breadwinner. But giving jobs to one family member is a better long-term solution. As for the commissions, let's see if they actually start functioning or if this is just another political gimmick. Actions speak louder than words. 😕
The attack on Justice Ashok Ganguly was truly shameful. No government should treat constitutional authorities this way. Glad to see these bodies being revived. I just hope the new government doesn't repeat the same mistakes under different management. Accountability must work both ways. 🏛️
UCC in Bengal? That's a bold move. Our state has always been a melting pot of cultures and religions. Hope the committee includes voices from all communities, especially minorities who might be worried. Also, good to see RTI being taken seriously after years of neglect. Information commission being defunct is criminal. 😤
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.