Peace restored in Junglemahal: Mamata

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will complete a year in office on May 20, has claimed that her government has been able to restore peace in Junglemahal with not a single death reported so far this year.

Citing statistics, the chief minister said that in 2010-11 when the Left Front government was still in power in the state, 139 civilians and 35 security personnel were killed in Junglemahal which comprises West Midnapur, Purulia and Bankura districts.

"We have been able to restore peace in Junglemahal. There were only 12 civilian and two security personnel casualties after we came to power, with no death reported since January this year till date," the Trinamool Congress supremo said.

She said that her government has been able to restore peace in Junglemahal with not a single death reported so far this year.

Several feared Maoist leaders including Jagori Baskey and Suchitra Mahato have surrendered to the chief minister following the death of their top leader Kishenji, while Banerjee has taken personal initiative to visit the area several times after coming to power to announce development projects and schemes for tribals.

"We have brought all tribal families under the BPL category enabling them to avail of the Rs two per kg rice scheme while 10,700 youths were being recruited in police," she said.

On Singur where her government had promised to return land to farmers who unwillingly parted with their land, she said that this would be done as promised, but the matter was pending in court.

Pointing out that she had cleared 16 projects for Bengal as railway minister, she said the railway project to manufacture components for diesel and electric engines at Dankuni in Hooghly district would take off within two to three days.

The Chief Minister claimed that what she had done for the state in one year had never been achieved earlier.

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