The chief minister lays the foundation stone of the university in Malda on Sunday and (below) supporters of the Trinamul Congress listen to Bhattacharjee’s speech. Pictures by Surajit Roy

Malda, Nov. 16: Malda will soon have a medical college once a proposal from the state government got the clearance of the Medical Council of India, said chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

He was laying the foundation stone of the Gour Banga University here this morning.

“Our state has nine medical colleges and we are going to add two more; one will be located in Kalyani in Nadia and the other in Malda. We have already sent the proposal to the Medical Council of India and we are just waiting for their clearance,” Bhattacharjee said at the function that also marked the end of his two-day visit.

State higher education minister Sudarshan Chakrabarty, environment minister Sailen Sarkar, backward classes development department minister Abdus Sattar and vice-chancellor Surabhi Banerjee were present at the function.

“Our state tops the country in agriculture and fisheries and we have to come first in education as well. There is a challenge ahead of us. We are making great strides in the industrial field also,” said the chief minister.

Bhattacharjee appealed to the teaching community to support those students who were financially weak. “Welcome them with open arms and extend all help to them. You (teachers) should also stand by Muslim students, who are still backward, and look after their interests.”

He said the backward classes development department had already given the university Rs 44 lakh so that vocational courses could be introduced, especially for the poor Muslim students.

Many Trinamul Congress supporters, mainly women, joined the crowd that assembled to watch the programme. They were sheltering from the sun under umbrellas with Trinamul colours and election symbol. “We have come to see the chief minister,” said Arati Saha of the party. The Trinamul Congress district president, Babla Sarkar, said their grassroots members might have gone, but no leader had attended the programme.

At the beginning of his speech, Bhattacharjee remembered Ruby Noor and wished the ailing Priya Ranjan Das Munshi better health.

Principals rapped

The CPM-dominated West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association in its annual report has criticised the “autocratic” attitude of some college principals in the state.

The charges were made against the heads of about 16 colleges, with five of them in Calcutta.

At the association’s 78th state conference that began yesterday, the general secretary, Tarun Kumar Patra, has slammed those college heads, describing them undemocratic, autocratic and even anti-teacher.

The two-day conference was held at the Malda College ground and chief minister spoke on the opening day.

One of the colleges mentioned in the report is Harimohan Ghosh College in Calcutta.

“The teachers of Harimohan Ghosh College have been on a movement against their principal’s autocratic manner of functioning and we have asked the varsity to end the problem soon,” the report said.