Biswabrata Goswami
Midnapore, 8 November: Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced a Rs 15-crore infrastructure development package for Nandigram police station, promising a major overhaul of its facilities, including a two-storey barrack for 98 police personnel, officers’ quarters, a guest house, an auditorium and a canteen.
Performing the bhoomi pujan and laying the foundation stones for the projects at Nandigram police station on the occasion of Kali Puja and Diwali, the Chief Minister described the package as a Diwali gift to the people of Nandigram, who had elected BJP candidate Hasirani Ray with a massive mandate.
The projects, to be executed through the Haldia Development Authority (HDA), also include a gymnasium, a waiting shed and visitors’ room, renovation of the existing police station building, reconstruction and repair of boundary walls, protection work around the pond and bathing ghat, and improvement of internal roads and seating arrangements.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Adhikari said the two-storey G+1 barrack would accommodate 98 police personnel, while a G+2 officers’ residential complex would have accommodation for senior officers. A three-storey G+2 guest house would also come up to facilitate visitors to Nandigram, which has several places of historical and religious importance but lacks adequate overnight accommodation.
He said the guest house would be managed either by the panchayat samiti or the police station. Government officials visiting on official assignments would be accommodated free of cost under government rules, while other visitors would be charged a nominal fee.
The proposed auditorium would have a seating capacity of 154, while the canteen would be equipped with kitchen facilities and accommodate 50 people.
Highlighting the government’s efforts to strengthen policing across the state, Mr Adhikari said all 452 police stations had been sanctioned three essential facilities — a gymnasium, a purified drinking water system and generator backup.
He also announced additional police mobility and manpower support for Nandigram. One vehicle and one motorcycle had already been provided, while three more vehicles and three motorcycles would arrive. An additional force of 20 personnel would also be deployed, he said.
The Cabinet had approved a police outpost at Sonachura, located more than 20 km from Nandigram market, to strengthen law and order in the area.
The Chief Minister, who arrived after visiting a floating Border Outpost of the BSF on the Ichhamati river at Hingalganj along the Bangladesh border, apologised for keeping the gathering waiting for more than two hours.
Recalling his long association with Nandigram, Mr Adhikari said he had continued to maintain contact with the local police even when he was Leader of the Opposition, although he avoided attending police programmes during that period to prevent the force from being placed in an embarrassing position.
He said the small temple within the police station premises had been built when he was a minister and inaugurated by him seven years ago.
Referring to the massive electoral support he had received from Nandigram, the Chief Minister said that although he had to relinquish the Assembly seat after becoming Chief Minister, his relationship with the people remained unchanged.
“I had promised that even if I became Chief Minister and my responsibilities increased, the people of Nandigram would continue to find their friend Shuvendu Adhikari beside them during festivals, difficulties and development work,” he said.
Mr Adhikari also reiterated his commitments to Nandigram, including the proposed Haldia-Nandigram connectivity project, early operationalisation of the railway line, construction of a modern hospital and establishment of an ITI near Chandner Pole.
He said the proposed ITI would provide vocational training in trades such as welding and fitting, enabling local youths to acquire practical skills and improve their employment prospects.
The Chief Minister also praised the local police and community representatives for transforming the relationship between the force and residents, recalling that there was a time when people in Nandigram viewed the police as adversaries. He credited local leaders and prominent residents with helping establish the police as friends of the people.
Concluding his address, Mr Adhikari invoked Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of service to humanity and expressed hope that the festival of lights would bring prosperity, employment and security to the state.
He called for better prices for farmers, employment for workers and educated unemployed youths, the return of migrant workers to their homes and stronger security for women.
