Ready to quit, Cong ministers await nod from Delhi

With the Trinamool Congress ministers at the Centre ready to submit their resignations to the Prime Minister tomorrow, the six Congress ministers in West Bengal are also ready to submit their resignations to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Shaqueel Ahmed, AICC observer for West Bengal, said that the ministers have been told not to resign till they are told, and certainly not before tomorrow's developments are taken into account. Like the TMC Union ministers, the state Congress leaders with ministerial berths looked dejected and crestfallen, but they will abide by the party high command's directives.

Here are the brief profiles of the Congress ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government and the portfolios they held:

Manas Bhunia

irrigation and small scale industry minister (cabinet rank)

Bhunia is an important WBPCC leader, having held the post of president before he was inducted into the Mamata ministry. He said he faced funds crunch but was capable of setting up some major projects.

Total budget outlay for his department was Rs 1568 crore and major projects that are yet to get clearance include a mega textile hub at Murshidaband in Nadia at a cost of Rs 100 crore. Reconstruction of Aila-affected Sundarban embankments and Kaliaghai - Kapaleswari- Baghai Basin Drainage Scheme were important projects under him.

Abu Hena

minister in charge of fisheries

Budget outlay for this year under this department was Rs 155 crore, and around 70 crore has been disbursed till date for development of fisheries projects. A major project that has been put on hold by the finance department, worth Rs 2 crore, is the setting up of 3 lakh fish mandays under MNREGA scheme.

Sunil Tirke

minister of state for consumer affairs

Total budget outlay was around Rs 50 crore but he said that as MOS, whenever he went with any proposal to the finance department, the minister sat on the proposal. He also felt he had no major role in implementing any project. "We were just lame ducks," he lamented.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Distress outside Sen panel office

Kunal Ghosh questioned by cops, claims Saradha chief framed him

Adhir’s swanky grievance cell finds few takers

Former mayor to file PIL against Mamata's 'smoke more' remark