On his third trip to cyclone-hit areas, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee travelled over four hours by road, over water and in an auto-rickshaw to meet villagers in North 24-Parganas on Saturday. Unlike earlier visits, when he was heckled by the affected people, the CM chose a safe location and covered a distance of 4 km in an auto-rickshaw to reach Jogeshganj, a CPM-led gram panchayat.

“Roads here are not suitable for cars, so we decided for auto-rickshaws,” said a district administration official. Interestingly, CPM flags were not displayed in the area, the only Red factor being a banner of the Mazdur Kranti Parishad — a Naxal party.

The CM announced that he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 19 to discuss the relief package his government has demanded. “I know thatched houses will not last. If the Centre gives us funds, we will construct pucca residences and embankments,” Bhattacharjee told the gathering.

Sitting on a makeshift stage, Buddha listened to complaints of villagers, the most common being relief supplies left by boats on riverbanks rarely reach interior villages.

“Relief is coming in, but it’s not enough. I will ensure it reaches the remote areas. Students who lost their study material in the cyclone will get new books from the CM’s Relief Fund. I will also send clothes sourced from Basirhat. All government schools and colleges in cyclone-affected areas have been asked not to charge the development fee from students. If they face problems, they can write me directly,” Buddha said.

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