Even as six senior secretaries of the state government landed in Lalgarh on Wednesday to provide relief to the people, help is yet to reach Jashomoni Mandi and her newborn 48 hours after she delivered the baby on the verandah of a primary school being run as a relief camp.

The mother-baby duo still lay near the roadside primary school at Narcha village, three kilometres from Lalgarh police station. The only relief came from the villagers who gave them shelter inside a dark mud house near the school as heavy rains lashed the area.

Meanwhile, secretaries of various departments reached different areas of Lalgarh on Wednesday and held talks with block officials and panchayat members regarding relief and development in the area.

The womenfolk, including Jashomoni, who have taken shelter at the primary school are yet to return to their homes in Chotopelia village. “We are still scared and cannot get back to our village. But we need some food and clothes. Only reporters came and helped us,” Jashomoni said.

Meanwhile, state revenue secretary C M Bachawat and managing director of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Subrata Gupta reached Pirakata and held a meeting with the district administration.

Another team comprising Sanjiv Chopra, principal secretary (agriculture) and Bikram Sen, special secretary (finance) held a meeting at Ramgarh.

The third team comprising Sourav Das, principal secretary (PHE) and milk commissioner Barun Roy held a meeting at Lalgarh. The teams will be stationed there. “We have just arrived and we are assessing the situation,” Gupta told The Indian Express over phone.

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