Top babus fan out in Lalgarh; baby still cries for help

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.

The officials are expected to visit various areas “liberated” recently and oversee relief work. They are also scheduled to visit some nearby villages and assess the development needs of the area.

“Later,we will submit a report to the chief minister on what needs to be done. After today’s meeting,our primary target is to see that relief in the form of food and medical help reaches the villages,even remote ones. Already,potatoes,rice and pulses are being distributed. We will scale up the relief work,” said a secretary.