Trinamul leader held

Cooch Behar, Dec. 31: A member of Kurshamari gram panchayat and local Trinamul Congress leader Akbar Hossain was arrested this morning on charges of taking money from nine beneficiaries of Indira Awas Yojna.

The arrest was made after a complaint by the beneficiaries with Mathabhanga police on December 2. The complaint said panchayat pradhan Jharna Barman and four other members took Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 from each of them after they received the first instalment under the project.

The police are looking for four other accused, including the panchayat pradhan.

Theatre fest

Siliguri: North Bengal Art and Craft Development Foundation organised a painting workshop at Ramkinkar Hall in Dinabandhu Mancha on Wednesday, to mark the opening of the Siliguri Natyamela to be held from January 2. Members of the Natyamela committee will also organise Walk for Theatre on Thursday.

Youth dead

Islampur: Naresh Oraon (22) of Govindpur, near Islampur, died on the spot on Wednesday after he fell from his bicycle and got a head injury.

Meeting

Jalpaiguri: A district- level meeting was organised at the Zilla Parishad hall here on Wednesday to discuss the shortage of fertilisers.

Trade peace

Alipurduar: The weekly haat at Hamiltongonj will resume from Sunday and normal business from Thursday. The people of Hamiltongonj had refused to allow the Kalchini traders to do business at the local market. They alleged that the Kalchini people did not stand by them when they were refused entry to the garden markets by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Peace was brokered on Wednesday in the chamber of the block development officer of Kalchini after a three-hour meeting.