Mamata issues model code Dos and don’ts for Trinamul ranks

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Mamata issues model code  Dos and don'ts for Trinamul ranks

ARNAB GANGULY

Calcutta, May 15: Mamata Banerjee today asked her supporters not to "beat up anybody" and laid down a code of behaviour, seeking to allay one of the biggest fears the mammoth mandate has triggered amid sporadic instances of vendetta in the districts. "Do not beat up anybody. It is very easy to beat up someone…. The CPM goons had beaten me so many times, now the people of Bengal have taught them a lesson," Mamata said in her first full-fledged address after the election results. Her pinpointed appeal for peace, while addressing all 184 MLAs of the Trinamul Congress at Maharashtra Nivas today, seemed to be the answer to a recurring question she faced on the campaign trail: will the CPM cadre raj be replaced by a more belligerent Trinamul enforcer? Slipping into the role of a moral science teacher, Mamata listed a set of dos and don'ts at the legislature party meeting that formally chose her the leader (see chart). The guidelines were issued to the MLAs — over 80 per cent of whom would be first-timers in the Assembly — but a senior leader said the norms applied to all party supporters. Mamata expects the MLAs to carry the message back to their constituencies. Acutely aware of the burden of expectation as well as the hawk eyes that will not miss any misstep, Mamata reminded her MLAs: "People are watching us at every step. We have to work for the people. I will be happy the day I can fulfil the aspirations of the people." Mamata also reached out to thank the political workers of all parties for having maintained law and order. "In the areas where sporadic violence is taking place, I will request the perpetrators to stop," she said. Five people have been killed since the results were declared. Mamata's code of conduct has some features that suggest she wants to keep her supporters from interfering in the lives of others. Such intrusions — publicly admitted by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee during the elections when he said the "nagarik samaj" (civil society) should be left alone — was one of the main factors held responsible for the CPM's alienation. Mamata also touched upon what she had focused on during the campaign, drawing derision from the Left that felt she was making impractical promises. "Hospitals will come up in the areas where I have promised to build them. That is my public commitment. I will revisit the areas that I had promised to in my campaign," she said today. Mamata is likely to keep the health and education portfolios with her. She would be assisted by ministers of state, likely to be picked from Trinamul and the Congress. Mamata iterated her wish to start off with a small cabinet. "I will start with a small cabinet. There is no need to rush with the entire cabinet. Once the new policies are framed, we will increase the size," Mamata said. According to Trinamul insiders, the number of cabinet ministers could be between 8 and 10, with around 8 to 10 junior ministers to help them. The outgoing Left government has 43 ministers. Mamata, who reached Delhi tonight to invite Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to the swearing-in, will finalise the number of portfolios to be offered to the ally after the discussions in the capital. "There will be representatives from minorities, women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The ratio has to be maintained," Mamata said. Deputy leader Mamata has named Partha Chatterjee the state's first deputy leader of the House in 59 years. The last time the Bengal Assembly had a deputy leader was in 1952 when Mani Kuntala Sen of the CPI held the post. Trinamul leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has been made the government chief whip and Jyotipriya Mullick, the MLA from Habra, will be the treasurer. Chief secretary Samar Ghosh said he had received a notice dissolving the Assembly from the governor. Ghosh said the Raj Bhavan was yet to confirm the swearing-in date. Sources said the date would be set after Mamata had ascertained the availability of the Prime Minister and Sonia. Mamata said in Delhi she would meet Sonia and Singh tomorrow. "It's a historic occasion. So I want them to attend (the swearing-in),"she said. Rules ready for panchayats SANTOSH K. KIRO Ranchi, May 15: Elected five months ago, panchayat members of the state can finally look forward to carrying out development work in their respective areas with the state cabinet approving two sets of rules to guide the rural bodies. Approved last week and set to be notified in the gazette in the next couple of days, the Jharkhand panchayat (mukhiya, upmukhiya, pramukh, uppramukh, zilla parishad chairman, vice-chairman ke shaktiya evam kritya) niyamavali, 2011, and Jharkhand panchayat (baithak tatha kaam kaj sanchalan prakriya) rules, 2011, make the elected rural representatives directly responsible for implementation of all centrally and state sponsored development schemes. Those heading the rural bodies will not only be responsible for drawing up annual development plans for their respective areas, but also for implementing government schemes related to agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, social forestry, rural housing, drinking water, roads, non-conventional energy, welfare, health, sanitation, poverty alleviation, education, sports and cultural activities, among others. The first set of rules relate to powers and functions of the chiefs and deputy chiefs of gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads, while the second one is a guide to how the representatives should conduct themselves. While the chiefs of the three rural bodies — gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads — have been given ample powers, the rules also stipulate that the buck stops with them as far as funds utilisation was concerned. Last year, the state spent close to Rs 2,000 crore on rural development. The rules mandate the chiefs of the rural bodies would have to convene at least one meeting a month. This apart, the mukhiya, pramukh and the zilla parishad chairmen are solely responsible for the execution of all resolutions adopted during the meetings. The mukhiya, who is the chief of the gram panchayat, would also have to convene meetings of the gram sabhas in scheduled areas. The meetings could be chaired by someone chosen by the gram sabha, but in non-scheduled areas, the mukhiya has to chair the meeting. The gram sabha comprises all adult members of the village and is a crucial body in scheduled areas, with the powers to decide on key issues. The powers were bestowed by the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act or PESA. "Once the rules get notified, the newly constituted panchayat bodies will start functioning in every sense of the term, which will be a dream come true in Jharkhand after a wait of more than three decades," said Moti Lal Ram, deputy director of the panchayati raj department. However, despite the handing over of powers, concerns remain. "We thank the government for the new rule, but they do not give sufficient powers to the gram sabha. We fear the gram panchayats may overpower the gram sabhas in actual practice, which the villagers have to guard against," said Ashok Bhagat, the coordinator of Gram Swaraj Manch, which had long been demanding devolution of powers to the elected rural bodies. The second set of rules is a strict code of conduct for the elected representatives. During meetings, if a member utters defamatory words, levels personal accusations against a member or officer of other constitutional bodies including the state Assembly and Parliament or uses improper words, it could spell trouble. Further, if a member of any of the three rural bodies intentionally disturbs the meeting or does not take his or her seat, they can be held guilty of disrupting proceedings and ordered to leave the meeting venue. Printed copies of the rules would be circulated among the rural bodies soon. The much awaited panchayat polls in Jharkhand were held in December last year, electing 53,207 rural representatives across 4,564 panchayats, 260 samitis and 24 zilla parishads, most of them women. Rebels scorch NH-33 project 47 vehicles torched VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR Hazaribagh, May 15: In a fresh pointer to rebel resurgence after the May 4 Lohardaga killings, armed Maoists last night torched 47 heavy vehicles, harnessed for four-laning a 71.5km stretch of NH-33 between Ranchi and Hazaribagh, and locked the police in a 100-round gun battle that left an assistant sub-inspector wounded. The severe blow, dealt in a 30-minute operation in Morangi, barely 13km from Hazaribagh town, is likely to delay the ambitious highway project worth Rs 625 crore by a year. Around 250 armed Maoists — 50 in black uniforms — descended on the camp office of the road project contractor, Rajasthan-based GR Infraprojects Limited, around 11.30pm. According to eyewitness and company employee Bhagirath Saran, he, along with security guards Parshu Ram Sharma, Anil Sharma, Dileep Sharma, Mukesh Kumar and Pramod Sharma and a few others, was taken at gunpoint before the rebels fuelled arson. They set trucks, dumpers, mixers and buses, roughly worth Rs 40-50 crore, on fire before the Muffasil police, apparently on routine patrol, arrived on the spot. A 15-minute, but fierce, gunfight ensued. The Maoists managed to grab a carbine after injuring assistant sub-inspector R. Das and escaped into the nearby Hathyari forests. Das, who sustained bullet injuries in the shoulder, has been referred to Ranchi for treatment. The incident is being seen as a case of major intelligence failure. Maoists dared to pull off an operation only 13km from the town and in an industrial hub of the district. Small and big units in Morangi and adjoining Demotand provide employment to over 1 lakh people. Director-general of police (DGP) G.S. Rath confirmed the attack in Morangi, but contended that it would be too premature to call it an intelligence failure. He claimed the Ajay Mahto squad of CPI(Maoist) orchestrated the arson for levy. "There was information on Maoist movement in areas near Churchu, 25km from the camp office. Though the contractors never lodged a complaint about levy demand, our past experiences suggest the same. I am visiting the spot tomorrow and only then I will be able to comment clearly on the issue," he told The Telegraph. Rebels, however, are also known to torch machines in favour of manpower in road and railway projects. GR Infraprojects manager Rajesh Kumar said 30 heavy vehicles, mostly trucks and dumpers, were completely gutted in the fire while 17 others were partly damaged. "The incident is most unfortunate. The deadline to complete four-laning work was March 2012. We fear the attack will now delay the project by another year," he said. Enumerating losses, Kumar said the lone batching plant at the site was gutted. "It was worth more than Rs 1 crore. Five mixer machines were also charred, besides trucks and dumpers. Roughly, we have suffered a Rs 40-50 crore blow," he said, adding that all companies would, henceforth, think twice before doing business in Jharkhand. "It will be hard to resume work after such a heavy loss. We were waiting for guidelines from our headquarters in Udaipur," Kumar told The Telegraph. He, however, denied the DGP's levy angle in the attack. "IL&FS is the executor of the NH-33 four-laning project from Ranchi to Hazaribagh. We have been hired by it. No demand for levy was made to our company," the manager said. Hazaribagh DSP Sangeeta Kumari, who reached the camp office and took stock of the situation today, refused to comment on the possible motive behind the attack. She only spoke to company officials and apparently discussed a plan to deploy policemen at the site for extra cover in the future. An FIR has, meanwhile, been lodged based on Bhagirath's statement. In the FIR, the eyewitness has claimed that some workers have identified half a dozen Maoists as residents of Churchu village. Five killed in violence since poll results  - Political vendetta whiff OUR BUREAU CPM state secretariat member Mohammad Salim in front of Midnapore Medical College hospital, where a CPM worker's post-mortem was done on Sunday. Garbeta resident Jiten Nandi was shot dead by alleged Trinamul activists on Friday. Outgoing health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra accompanied Salim. The two leaders took Nandi to Garbeta town, where he was cremated. Picture by Samir Mondal May 15: Four persons were murdered since last night in different places in Bengal — at least three of them appearing to be victims of political vendetta linked to the election results. Another person, a CPM worker, had been killed by alleged Trinamul Congress activists in West Midnapore's Goaltore on Friday, hours after the results were announced. This afternoon, alleged Trinamul activists beat up and hacked to death Ajit Lohar, a CPM zonal committee secretary, at a village in Bankura's Bishnupur. "Lohar (48) was dragged out of his home and hacked to death with axes," a police officer said. The attackers then severely beat up another CPM zonal committee member, Samir Nag, in a neighbouring village. Nag, 45, is in hospital. Trinamul snatched the Bishnupur Assembly constituency from the CPM in the polls. Manoranjan Patra, the CPM MLA from neighbouring Taldangra, alleged that Trinamul supporters had "threatened" Lohar last night. "They had told him they would teach him a lesson. He was murdered within 24 hours." CPM leaders Mohammad Salim and Surjya Kanta Mishra rushed to Bishnupur after receiving news of the attack. The police said they were yet to ascertain the motive behind the attack. In South 24-Parganas' Bhangar, a Trinamul worker was shot dead by alleged CPM activists last night when he was returning home on a bike. "Syed Ali was shot in the face and neck," an eyewitness said. Trinamul leader Arabul Islam, who lost to the CPM's Badal Jamadar in Bhangar, said Ali, 28, was "targeted by the CPM because he had aggressively campaigned for our party". Jamadar denied the charge. A CPM worker was shot dead this morning by alleged Trinamul activists in Canning East in the same district. Farmer Mubarak Mollah, 42, was going to the market when he was shot. Local CPM leader Saukat Mollah alleged that Mubarak was killed by Trinamul activists. But local Trinamul leader Saibal Lahiri said: "Mubarak was killed by CPM goons because he was planning to switch to our party." Canning East has been a CPM bastion since 1977. In Murshidabad, Trinamul worker Kamaluddin Sheikh was shot dead this evening in the heart of Behrampore town. The police said Kamaluddin, 42, was riding a motorcycle with his daughter when he was waylaid and shot in the chest and head. His daughter Lipi, 16, suffered a bullet injury in her left hand. District police chief B.L. Meena said it was not yet clear whether Kamaluddin was killed because of political reasons. Another police officer said the Trinamul worker had been arrested in connection with murder last year and was out on bail. Rezzak censured OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Calcutta, May 15: The CPM today censured Abdur Rezzak Mollah for publicly criticising Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen. The action was taken at a meeting in the presence of the outgoing chief minister and industries minister. "He should have discussed the causes behind the poll reverses at a party forum instead of going public," a CPM leader said. Mollah had criticised Bhattacharjee by saying: "Hele saap dhorte pare na, keute dhorte gechhe (can't catch a harmless snake, but went to catch a cobra)." Mollah unfair advantage slur on Big Two BISWAJIT ROY Mollah Calcutta, May 15: Abdur Rezzak Mollah today said Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Nirupam Sen were "responsible" for the Left's debacle and accused them of "taking advantage" of their position to "push through" their land policy. "Both of them are responsible for this debacle as they had taken advantage of their position in the party, government and the politburo to push through their policies," the outgoing land and land reforms minister said today. "Their aggressive policy to acquire land without consulting the farmers cost us. Farmers were the mainstay of our party and the land policy alienated them from us. I had told our party about this time and again. The poll results proved I was correct," Mollah said. He, however, made it clear that he had "never opposed industrialisation". Accusing the party's top leadership of not paying heed to his cautioning, he said it was "futile to explain the ground realities to them". "It is like kicking a rock. You end up hurting yourself. Nothing moves their mindset," Mollah added. The CPM leader, however, did not criticise Left Front chairman Biman Bose. "He is innocent. May be, he was compelled to agree to their (Bhattacharjee and Sen's) policies. But he had tried his best to salvage the situation," said Mollah, who won the Canning East seat overriding the change wave. He did not appear too concerned about speculation that outgoing chief minister Bhattacharjee had offered to resign from the politburo. "Ami adar byapari. Jahajer khabar niye labh ki (I am a small fry. Why should I bother about such big things?)" Mollah termed "absurd" reports that the CPM was considering him as one of the probables for the post of leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. "They (the leadership) will never do so. They don't like me. The party would have wanted to expel me for my relentless criticism of the top leadership. But they didn't dare to do so because they knew that the people are with me." He said he would not leave the party on his own. "Many rats will flee the sinking ship but I will not do so. I will, however, continue to speak my mind." Some CPM leaders, however, today said Bhattacharjee and Sen should not be criticised for the Left's defeat in the polls. "The process of change had set in since the 2008 panchayat polls. I knew we would not return to power this time as people wanted change at any cost. But individual leaders should not be blamed for the debacle," said Haldia CPM leader Lakshman Seth. Calling Bhattacharjee a "sensitive man", Seth urged him not to "step down from the leadership at this hour of crisis when Trinamul activists are attacking our cadres". Drawing an ironic parallel with himself, Seth added: "I stayed put and did not quit when people both inside and outside the party criticised me over the Nandigram issue." A land-acquisition notice put up by the Seth-led Haldia Development Authority had sparked the Nandigram agitation that culminated in the death of 14 people in police firing. Another CPM leader, former Barrackpore MP Tarit Topdar, echoed Seth. "There is no point blaming the leadership alone. The result was unexpected. The people wanted change and the anti-incumbency factor worked against us," Topdar said. He appeared critical of the party leaders who have been openly attacked Bhattacharjee and Sen. "The critics must think about their role too." Citu workers attack boss for chanda order OUR CORRESPONDENT Burdwan, May 15: Nearly 1,500 Citu-affiliated labourers at a Burdwan sponge-iron factory today assaulted a leader of the union for allegedly demanding subscription. "You people have lost (the elections). We will not pay you any subscription any more. Just get out," one of the labourers told Pradip Tah, secretary of the Citu-led union at Shyam Ferro Alloy and former CPM MLA. The labourers, mostly tribals, then pushed Pradip out of the factory premises. Patitpaban Tah, the secretary of the factory's Trinamul Congress-led union, claimed he and some of his aides "rescued" the Citu leader. "We told Pradip to leave the place before the situation got out of hand. Had we not intervened, he would have been beaten up. We urged the labourers to maintain restraint despite the fact that the Citu leader was forcibly collecting subscription from them. Our leader Mamata Banerjee has asked us to stay away from any kind of violence," Patitpaban said. Pradip denied the charge that he was forcibly collecting subscription and said he had gone to the factory after receiving information that the Trinamul trade union had asked all labourers of the factory to participate in a victory rally in Burdwan on May 21. "I went to the factory to organise a protest meeting. Why should Citu members attend a Trinamul victory rally?" he said. Pradip alleged that leaders of the Trinamul union had stopped him from organising the meeting. "They hurled abuses at me. When I protested, they instigated the labourers to attack me. Those who assaulted me had switched over from Citu to the rival union recently," he said. "I called police. They rescued me," Pradip added. Several labourers alleged that Pradip arrived at the factory around 11.30am and "started collecting chanda forcibly". They alleged that the Citu leader slapped two of them for refusing to pay the subscription. "He slapped Barun Bhattacharya and Mantu Ghosh for refusing to pay. We became agitated and gheraoed him. Then we pushed him out of the factory gate," said Bapan Tudu, one of the labourers. The other Citu leaders at the factory said they had "no option but to watch helplessly" as they were outnumbered by the "attackers". Reforms wait for Mamata  Mixed response expected on policies JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY & R. SURYAMURTHY New Delhi, May 15: The Manmohan Singh-government is expecting a mixed ride on reforms in the wake of Mamata Banerjee coming to power in Bengal. The government has been toying for long to make big-ticket changes in rules relating to the relaxation of foreign direct investment norms, pension and insurance, land acquisition, mining and corporate social responsibility. Banerjee's focus is expected to be on the Bengal economy, and she is likely to back any move that will attract more investment in the state. A party or politician in power backs investors who can create jobs or wealth for voters. Policies of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reflected this logic. "She was never against reforms, she simply opposed any move, which she felt would be unpopular with her electorate. She has an amazing sense of the pulse," a top finance ministry bureaucrat said. A vision document of the Trinamul Congress, widely seen as having been drafted by Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra, states, "The next revolution in manufacturing should be led by Bengal." Though it talks of initially encouraging small and medium businesses, the document also envisages a chain of industrial townships across the state. Mitra had contested the Bengal elections under the Trinamul banner, defeating Asim Dasgupta from Kharda. Policymakers in New Delhi feel Mamata will be supportive of tweaks planned in FDI rules as these will open up fresh investment opportunities. Defence FDI is seen as a case in point. Bengal has a base in defence production: not only are their state-run ordnance units such as Icchapur Gun Factory but also component manufacturers servicing them. Sources said top ministers were looking at relaxing the 26 per cent cap on foreign investment to allow up to 49 per cent FDI, provided there is a transfer of technology. Defence ventures The FDI tweak can push investment into the sector and Bengal can be among the benificiaries. Among the joint ventures in defence are BAE–Mahindra & Mahindra, which is into defence vehicles and guns; Sikorsky–Tata, which is into helicopters; EADS–L&T in defence equipment; and Lockheed Martin– Tata. A large number of industry groups are also eyeing this space given the country's plan to spend around $50 billion over the next five years. However, the opening up of FDI in multi-brand retail in a calibrated manner will be far more contentious. It can allow Wal-Mart and others to bring in 26-49 per cent FDI with conditions such as investing a minimum of $100 million. Of this, $50 million should be in back-end infrastructure such as warehouses, cold-storage and transportation, depending on the state government's decision. Besides, retailers will not be allowed to set up shops in cities with a population of less than a million. For this to pass muster with the Trinamul Congress, which has socialistic leanings, will be difficult. "Mamata will now exert pressure for development of Bengal which is a legitimate demand. But, economic reforms will carry on at its own pace, as opposition to them is not limited to Trinamul. There is opposition to some of the reform measures from within the Congress," N.R. Bhanumurthy, economist with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, said. A bill on land acquisition, which the government wants to introduce in the next session of Parliament is expected to face greater difficulty. The bill, which seeks to reform a 1894 law, has provisions for better compensation and rehabilitation measures but provides for the state to buy up the rump 30 per cent land if businesses are purchasing land to set up industries. Mamata is against any state role in such acquisitions. The Congress ministers are hoping to override her objections by stating that states can decide on a role in acquisition. Whether Mamata will buy this argument remains to be seen. Efforts to increase the FDI cap in insurance firms to 49 per cent will remain hostage to the vagaries of the relationship between the Congress and the BJP rather than Trinamul's objections as it is a money bill and needs the support of the BJP in the Upper House. Allies such as Trinamul and the DMK have expressed discontent with these bills but have rested on their oars without making their future stand on the bill clear. Pension bill Another bill on the entry of private funds in the pension business is, however, expected to breeze through because Trinamul is unlikely to object to it as it does not affect state-run insurance firms or pension funds. However, the party is expected to drive a hard bargain in mining royalties. Bengal has been denied a hike in coal royalty as it charges cess on coal sales. With few avenues to raise money for development projects, Mamata can be counted upon to raise the temperature in the coal ministry. Officials said Trinamul would "quite naturally" support moves to auction mines, which could help the states to garner higher revenues, and allocate 26 per cent of mining profits to the displaced. Industry upbeat on Bengal KARAN CHOUDHURY Ready to roll New Delhi, May 15: Businesses are preparing investment plans for Bengal across a wide range of sectors, banking on the new state government to take up large-scale industrialisation. Investment prospects will be the main topic of discussion of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (Ficci), which will have its next executive meeting in Calcutta in July. Possibility of Ficci secretary-general Amit Mitra being the next Bengal finance minister has boosted their hopes. "Ficci will be keen to pursue development programmes with the state government and have already scheduled their next executive committee meeting in Calcutta at the beginning of July to take the agenda forward," director-general Rajiv Kumar said. According to industry insiders, new avenues in FMCG, metal, engineering and knowledge-based sectors will open up soon. "At this point it is too early to say anything as Bengal will go through a very gradual change. We would love to invest more in the state but first we have to see what all policy changes the Mamata Banerjee government manages to bring in," said a spokesperson for a well-known cola brand. Once shunned by industrialists, Bengal may soon be on the investment radar thanks to its cheap and skilled manpower along with low cost of living compared with other cities. "Mining, metal and power are a few other areas where industries are keen to invest as Bengal provides a lot more opportunities in these sectors. More than investments, the state now needs a surge in economic activities. That will help it to come out of the present situation," said Anjan Roy, adviser Ficci. Sources said Essar Oil had plans to invest $500 million to develop more coal bed methane blocks at Raniganj. The Keventer group has tied up with French company Carso Group to import an innovative food-testing laboratory to be set up in Barasat. Foreign funds Besides domestic companies, the state can attract investments from overseas players in clean energy, biotech and nanotech, healthcare, education and infrastructure. "The clear mandate given by the people of Bengal will help the state government to carry out its action agenda for the economic and industrial development of the state most effectively. The CII looks forward to working closely with the new government to exploit the inherent strength of Bengal in several areas, which will include manufacturing, services and especially the social sectors namely education and health," said CII director-general Chandrajit Banerjee. Shale gas auctions on way OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT New Delhi, May 15: The government plans to auction shale gas blocks before the end of this year and has identified six regions holding the gas as it seeks to exploit unconventional fuel to help reduce the country's energy shortfall. "The shale gas block will be put for auction before the end of the year and will be given out to successful bidders in early 2012. A new regulatory regime to meet the needs of the sector will be set up before the auction process begins," a senior oil ministry official said. S.K. Srivastava, the director-general of hydrocarbons, said six basins — Cambay, Assam-Arakan, Gondawana, KG onshore, Cauvery onshore and Indo-Gangetic basins — have been identified for exploration. "According to available data and the studies undertaken, India has huge shale gas potential. This will add up additional resources in our hydrocarbon base," he said. The country will need to change exploration laws as the current exploration licences do not include unconventional sources such as shale gas. The government plans to come out with regulatory policies and production sharing mechanism, including the sharing of profit with state governments before the first round of auction takes place, officials said. India has signed a shale-gas accord with the US to determine reserves in the country and help in the auctions. Shale gas is a non-conventional natural gas found in non-porous rock and requires fracking technology to extract the gas from shale. According to preliminary estimates, shale gas reserves in the country may be larger than its proven conventional gas deposits. India has reserves of 1,074 billion cubic metres of natural gas, according to the oil ministry. ONGC has started a pilot project on shale gas exploration in some of its acreages in the Damodar basin and has found the gas flowing in Ichapur village near Durgapur in Burdwan district. State-owned oil and gas firms have been on the lookout for such assets to acquire technical expertise so that they can bid successfully when blocks in the country are put up for auction. Reliance Industries has already taken the lead by acquiring stakes in three firms and forming joint ventures with shale gas companies in the US. There are huge shale deposits in the country, and with the development of new technology such as horizontal drilling and sand cracking, the extraction of the shale gas has become more economical. Shale gas extraction involves tapping natural gas trapped between layers of shale rock, similar to the extraction of gas between coal seams. DIAL M FOR MLA JADAVPUR Manish Gupta, 69 Education: BSc; certificate in civil engineering from the College of Military Engineering, Pune. Profession: IAS officer, retired as the state chief secretary. Has worked as a consultant post-retirement. Family: Wife, two sons and their families. Home: Suren Tagore Road, near Gariahat. Hobby: Reading. Likes: Straightforward people. Dislikes: Arrogance. Priority: Bringing potable water to every part of Jadavpur; improving the condition of hospitals. Can be reached: Through the Trinamul block office near the intersection of the Anwar Shah Road Connector and Garfa Main Road. DUM DUM Bratya Basu, 41 Home: P 65 Kalindi Housing Estate, Calcutta-89. Family: Wife Poulomi. Education: MA in Bengali. Pursuing PhD from Delhi University on the relation between a film script and a play, though he has little hope now of completing his thesis. Profession: Teaches Bengali at City College, Amherst Street. Pursuit: Theatre. Priority: Improve water supply. In love with: East Bengal, but MLA Bratya promises to be neutral. Can be reached: Through his friend Barun Nandi at 9830338833; promises to have offices in all four zones of his constituency but where and when is still not clear. KHARDAH Amit Mitra, 63 Home: 63 Baburam Ghosh Road, Calcutta-40. Also has flats in Delhi and Khardah. Education: Masters in economics from Delhi School of Economics; PhD from Duke University, US. Family: Wife Meera Balakrishnan is a PhD in sociology. Daughter Aditi, now in London, has done masters in sociology, communications and international relations. Before joining politics: Taught in US universities. Was the secretary-general of business chamber Ficci and chairman of the railways' committee on innovative financing and implementation of projects that are economically unfeasible but socially desirable. Loves: Reading books and listening to "all kinds of music, from Nazrulgeeti to western classical". Tried his hand at violin while in school but gave up. Big plan: To set up centres to revive small-scale units. There, budding entrepreneurs will be trained in filing income-tax returns, approaching the right places for loan, maintaining accounts and other aspects of business. Water supply, drainage, roads and healthcare are his other priorities. Also plans to set up a women's college (Khardah has a college but for boys). Accessibility: Plans to set up an office at Khardah (didn't give a phone number). BARASAT Chiranjeet Chakraborty (unwilling to disclose his age). Address: Southern Avenue (unwilling to disclose full address). Family: Wife Ratnabali and daughter Deepavali, who lives in the US. Education: Was a student of architecture at JU but did not appear for the final exam. Profession: Actor. Hobby: Painting, singing and playing cricket, table tennis, and carom. Priority: "To serve people." Can be reached through: Trinamul office on KNC Road, Barasat. (Refused to give his phone number). BEHALA EAST Sovan Chaterjee, 47 Home: Gopal Bhaban, 36 Maharani Indira Debi Road, Parnasree Pally, Calcutta-60. Family: Mother, wife, son and daughter. Education: BSc (pass) from Behala College; LLB from CU. Profession: Owns warehouses. Likes: To sleep, travel and take photographs. Dislikes: Adda. Big plan: To bring parts of Joka within Calcutta Municipal Corporation and to ensure early completion of the Joka-BBD Bag Metro. Can be reached at: 9903711111; people can meet him at his home between 8am and 10am and the party office at the James Long Sarani-Roy Bahadur Road crossing between 7pm and 9pm. BIDHANNAGAR Sujit Bose, 48 Home: 51 Canal Street, Sreebhumi, Calcutta-48 Family: Wife Swarnali, son Samudra and daughter Mohini. Education: Up to Class XII; was a student of Motijheel College of Commerce. Profession: Owns two restaurants. Likes: Jeans and Manna Dey. Loves: Goddess Kali. Built a temple on his roof last year. Big plan: Ensure better water supply and transport connectivity in Salt Lake. Can be reached at: 2534-4289; His Salt Lake office at BB-105 between 7pm and 9pm and on the ground floor of his home between 9am and 11am. RAJARHAT NEW TOWN Sabyasachi Dutta, 45 Home: DL 239, Sector 2, Salt Lake City, Calcutta-91. Family: Father, mother, wife, brother and sister-in-law. Education: BCom from Umesh Chandra College; LLB from South Calcutta Law College. Profession: Owns IT firm. Likes: Hindi films and football. Dislikes: Any addiction, except politics. Promises: Better roads and "to take care of the cheated landlosers". Can be reached at: 9830055833. Will meet people at the Hidco office at New Town between 9am and noon. Can also be met at the Rajarhat party office, opposite the police station, during weekends. RASHBEHARI Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, 67 Home: 25A Roopnarayan Nandan Lane, Calcutta-25. Education: BSc and LLB. Profession: Politics. Hobbies: Boxer in school and college; did the basic mountaineering course from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Priorities: Water supply, health, street lights, senior citizen allowance, widow pension, slum development and revival of civic schools. How to reach him: Dial 9331027917. BALLYGUNGE Subrata Mukherjee, 64 Home: 16/1A Gariahat Road, Calcutta-19. Family: Wife Chandabani. Qualification: MA in Bengali and archaeology. Hobbies: Travelling, he has even been to the Antarctic. Profession: Politics. Many plans: Immediate attention to water supply, drainage, street lights, roads, unemployment and law and order. How to reach him: Dial 9831811110 or land up at his home. JORASANKO Smita Bakshi, 51 Home: 73B Girish Park North, Calcutta-6. Family: Husband, son and daughter. Education: Graduate. Profession: Social work. Likes: Reading newspapers, listening to Rabindrasangeet. Dislikes: The "I" syndrome. Big plan: To build community halls. "Have to find out what else needs to be done." Reach her at: 9433037498; promises to spend some time (at the party offices) in each ward every week. Behala west Partha Chatterjee, 58 Home: 9/4 A Khanpur Road, Calcutta-47. Family: Wife, mother and daughter. Education: MBA. Dislikes: Hypocrisy. Hobbies: Reading management books and economics journals and surfing channels on TV. Would want to: "Enforce the rule of law and restore people's trust." Can be reached at: 9831002887 CALCUTTA PORT Firhad Hakim, 52 Home: 6A Peari Mohan Roy Road, Chetla, Calcutta-27. Family: Mother, wife and three daughters. Education: BCom from South City college. Profession: Owns a unit that makes plastic sheets; trades in tiles, marble slabs and sanitary items. Likes: Adda. Dislikes: Abusive language. Big plan: Repair the many heritage structures in the area, like the Bhukailash Rajbari and Michael Madhusudan Dutt's house. Can be reached at: 9830037445; promises to meet people at the Ramkamal Street party office at Kidderpore from 8pm to 10pm and at the CMC ward office opposite Ahindra Mancha in Chetla from 8am to 10am.