Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today expressed shock and anguish over the terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir at the state cabinet meeting held at the secretariat, Nabanna today.
At the start of the meeting, Miss Banerjee said: “I’m shocked and rattled at the incident and pray that perpetrators would get punished. A grim hour for all of us,” a source in the know, claimed.
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In another decision that the cabinet took today was that another 100 MW capacity solar power would come up at Goaltore at an estimated cost of Rs 680 cr. For this, the state would have its share of 30 per cent amounting to Rs of 205cr, said the minister Manas Ranjan Bhuniya.
Besides, Miss Banerjee also talked tough with her cabinet colleagues on the strife that broke out at Murshidabad and Malda and cautioned them against any laxity in sounding an alert to the local administration.
The chief minister also held the MLAs and leaders of the twin districts responsible for their abject failure in pre-empting the situation. As she said at the meeting: “The local leaders failed to read the groundswell in advance. It is your failure that you could not carry out your duties properly.”
Talking tough, she alluded to the public representatives further, saying: “MLAs should exercise maximum restraint while uttering any word while addressing his or her core constituencies without thinking anything that any loose talk would put them and the party in trouble. They even forget that once we become public representatives, we can’t talk rubbish.”
Reminding their duties, Miss Banerjee told MLAs to pull up their socks and increase surveillance in their areas.
“Do your duties attentively. Recent riots are a glaring example that your alertness was lacking. These and more would be discussed at the Assembly in time. If you do not do your work properly then I shall have to do your work?”
Mr Bhuniya claimed that the cabinet took another landmark decision to increase solar power in the state after yesterday’s grand inauguration of 112.5 MW solar power at Goaltore.