Title: Need for all-round development of Karandighi Assembly segment of West Bengal.
(RAIGANJ): Karandighi Assembly segment of West Bengal is in the newly born district of Uttar Dinajpur having ancient mythological link with Lord Karna of Mahabharata. Since the reorganisation of States of Bihar and West Bengal in early 1950s, the social composition is that of the Rajbansi S.C. community, Bengali-speaking Muslims, Shersabadia Muslim Community and other Muslims as well as Urdu-speaking and Surajapuri dialect speaking Muslim community. Several thousand refugees have also been settled here after partition. It is one of the largest Assembly segments in West Bengal having no industry, agriculture marketing or any developmental activities. River erosion of Mahananda, Nagore and Kulik threaten Karandighi Anchals of Altapur, Lahutora and Karandighi without any effective measures from Water Resources Ministry and State Irrigation Department. The thirty-third and thirty-fourth National Highways are the gateway to North-East and unless road overbridge at Dalkola Railway crossing is built expeditiously, the area will remain backward. Unless the Ministries of Agriculture and Railways as well as Social Welfare Ministry for Scheduled Castes and other Backward Classes address the issue through the Planning Department of Government of West Bengal and Union Planning Ministry, no comprehensive approach could be built to resolve the problems. I call upon the Planning Ministry to coordinate the issue with the Union Ministry concerned and the State Government at the earliest.