Transfer woes
Troubled by the tribal movement in Jungle Mahal, especially in West Midnapore, it seems that most of the senior IPS officials have started refusing postings in the trouble-torn district. Situation has become so intense that officials are even shunning their promotion offers for which they might have to go there. A senior official of Bengal Police said that most of them are citing problems like wife’s poor health condition, education of children and old parents for not accepting the posting.

Pressed into talking
When Jyotiraditya Scindia walked into the auditorium last week to interact with the press, little did he know about his popularity? Curious to know the views of the young MoS for Commerce and Industry, the press surrounded him asking his views on almost everything under the sun, from port to the tea industry to petrapol. After charming the crowds with his witty remarks, the young politician was soon beleaguered by mediapersons and asked to comment on all the issues. Fumbling through his answers, he took quite a beating from the press and was on the verge of stumbling on the dias before being rescued.

No way out?
Nothing is as confusing in the state as the PTTI crisis in the primary education of the state. Even senior politicians and leaders who are not in regular touch of the development issues find it difficult to understand the developments and often their statements do more harm than good. Last week, when the Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal spoke about a bridge course for PTTI trainees along with upgrading the qualification of PTTI trainees, many politicians thought that a solution to the long drawn crisis has emerged. While TMC leader and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Partha Chaterjee was quick in declaring that it was because of Mamata Banerjee that the crisis has been solved, senior CPM leaders thanked Sibal for extending an olive branch to the state only later to realise that it was no breather to the state government. While the Trinamool has been silent on the issue since then, the state education minister had a tough time explaining why his own party members welcomed the proposal and he was rejecting it the very next day.