Senior leaders of the tribal community have expressed their disappointment at the newly reconstituted West Bengal Adivasi Development & Cultural Board (WBADCB).
They have cited that not a single representative in the new board is from north Bengal, a region with a considerable tribal presence.
“It is unfortunate that not a single person from the tribal community of north Bengal has been included in the new 20-member board reconstituted last month. There is disgruntlement among tribals over the issue, especially when the head office of the board is in Malbazar of Jalpaiguri district,” said Tez Kumar Toppo, a former member of the board.
In 2018, the Mamata Banerjee government formed a board to carry out various kinds of development work for the tribal community, such as building houses and community halls and taking up initiatives to conserve tribal cultural heritage.
Then, Birsa Tirkey, the president of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, was made the board’s chairman. Some other prominent tribal faces were included as members. In all, there were 31 members on the board from both the north and south districts of Bengal.
However, as its five-year tenure ended this April, the state government reconstituted the board in June. This time, the chief minister became chairperson and Birbaha Hansda, Trinamul MLA and minister of state, vice-chairperson.
“We have scanned the list and couldn’t find the name of a single person from north Bengal. This is surprising and we are apprehensive as to whether, in the coming days, the board will at all carry out any new work in this region,” said Joseph Indowar, a former member of the board.
On Friday, Toppo, Indowar, and some other former members met Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara Basu to speak on the issue. They also said that because of funds crunch, the earlier board couldn’t execute a number of projects.
Ganga Beg, an employee of the WBADCB office in Malbazar, who accompanied the delegation, said that for the past three months, clerks, caretakers, peons and the cleaning staff posted in the office were not getting their salaries.
According to them, after the board was formed, a target to build 5,000 houses for tribals across the state was set.
“However, in the last financial year, only 380 of 401 houses planned in that time could be made. Construction of the remaining houses is pending as funds are not available. Also, there was a plan to set up eight community halls, and not one has been built,” said Indowar.
Former chairman Tirkey said he was banking on the state government.
“We believe in due course representatives from north Bengal would be included. If required, I will speak to the chief minister,” he said over the phone from Calcutta.
BJP leaders of the region were quick to pick up the issue.
“Time and again, we have pointed out that the state government deprived north Bengal in various ways. This is yet another glaring example. Thousands from the tribal community live in this region but not one has been included in the board formed for them,” said Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri.
Mahua Gope, the district Trinamul president of Jalpaiguri, said she would speak with state tribal affairs minister Bulu Chik Baraik, also from Malbazar. on the issue.
Baraik was the vice-chairperson of WBADCB earlier, but not anymore.
"I will take up the issue with him. Tribals dwell in north Bengal in large numbers and we believe they should have representatives on the board,” said Gope.
