kolkata confidential

Agarwal on his way out?
Speculations are rife that P K Agarwal, Principal Secretary, Land and Land Reforms department and Land Reforms Commissioner, is going to be transferred soon. One of the reasons cited is that the upright officer crossed swords several times with officials who are close to the ruling CPM. Recently, he invited the wrath of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattcharjee when a popular Bengali daily, which is known for its strong anti-CPM stand, carried an IB report regarding a project to be undertaken by the Indonesian Group, Salim. The chief minister reportedly saw red as the news item quoted Agarwal. Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb called the official for an explanation. He, along with several of his staff members, had to give an undertaking that they were not responsible for the leak of the IB report.

Cong’s Nandigram trouble
Instead of being enthused at the proposed visit of Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting P R Dasmunsi at Nandigram on March 14, the anniversary of the police firing there last year that killed 14 people, Congress leaders are at a loss to explain to the people why no leader had come to visit the trouble-torn place in the last one year.
“It is better if no leader comes here now, because none of the Central leaders found time to do so in the last year. How do we explain to the people that they found no time to stand by them in their hour of distress,” said a Congress leader.

It’s Roy vs Banerjee
The state government is in a dilemma as to who should it give the post of Director, Medical Education, in the Health department.
Vying for the coveted post are Somen Banerjee, Special Secretary in charge of Medical Education, and Indrajit Roy, principal of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. The controversy started when Joyshri Mitra retired as the director last month. The department nominated Indrajit Roy for the post, but he had been ailing for the last few months and had to be hospitalised. Thats when Somen Banerjee came into the picture and was made the acting director. The controversy took another twist when Indrajit Roy demanded from Minister for Health Surya Kanta Mishra a few days ago that he be given the post as he was fit now.

Poll pitch
With student union elections at Presidency College due next week, much lobbying for CPM’s students union, SFI, by teachers owing allegiance to the ruling party is going on, alleged a section of the students opposed to SFI.
They claim that those teachers are creating pressure on students for voting for the SFI. The students are threatened with dire consequences if they don’t. The students were also asked not to be absent on the day elections are to be held.
This year, the battle for the students’ body in the politically charged atmosphere of Presidency College is going to be hot with issues like Nandigram becoming the focus of the campaign.