Thaindian News

Kolkata, Dec 17 (IANS) West Bengal’s Left Front Chairman Biman Bose Saturday lashed out at the state government for neglecting the victims of the hooch tragedy, saying that many people who were hospitalised could have been saved if the health department was more prompt in its action.

“The state government initially neglected the victims of the hooch tragedy and didn’t pay any attention to it. Later on when the situation snowballed, the health department failed to act. If the health department would have been more prompt in action, many people who were hospitalized could have been saved. So many people died just because of negligence of the government,” said Bose while addressing media persons here.

India saw one of its worst liquor tragedies, as at least 171 people died and over 100 were hospitalised in Bengal’s Magrahat Block of South 24 Parganas district after they drank spurious liquor that came as cheap as Rs.10 a glass. The victims were mostly masons, wage labourers and hawkers, who sat in shanties to drink as a way to relax after a hard day’s work.

The Left Front is scheduled to take up various programmes across the state on Dec 18, 19 and 20 to inform the masses about the instances of negligence on the part of the state government.

Deaths of so many people have also triggered political controversy with ruling Trinomool Congress blaming the Marxists as the main strategists behind the strategy.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe into the liquor deaths in Sangrampur, barely 50 km from Kolkata.

Asked to react about Trinamool’s allegation, Bose said: “A CID probe is on. I won’t comment on the matter right now. But I want culprits to be arrested immediately and punished.”

Bose also alleged that farmers were committing suicide under the new regime as they were not getting proper prices of rice and jute and were unable to sell their produce.