Bengal outlook grim

There is no doubt that Ms Mamata Banerjee should be given at least a year to prove to everyone that she is an inveterate bad administrator. This is because, first, she hasn't had any experience in governing a State before, which means that she has to learn everything from scratch in this totally new sphere of public activity, for which time is required. Secondly, the Trinamul Congress organisation, an important tool of development, is in a shambles, both in Kolkata and, more so, in the rural areas.

THREE REASONS

Even so, the early indications are that West Bengal's future, both immediate and in the longer run, is far from being encouraging, the reasons for which are rather complex, to say the least. On the face of it, there are three reasons for this. First, some of the State's economic problems need tough decisions to be settled, tough in the sense that the people may have to pay a higher price for services which the State distributes to them.

Secondly, some of the problems which the Mamata Banerjee Government has been saddled with are practically unsolvable because of the past positions taken by the protagonists, positions which are deeply entrenched today because of past exigencies. And thirdly, an adequate supply of financial resources is indispensable for any Government to trigger the State's medium-term development on a firm footing, a requirement which simply cannot be fulfilled in the foreseeable future.

Take the power situation in the State which promises to go from bad to worse in the months ahead. Regardless of it being shortage of coal or poor maintenance of the functioning thermal power plants, the scarcity of funds is stalling all progress. An increase in power tariff is indispensable but which, as of now, doesn't seem to be on the cards. Ms Banerjee doesn't want to burden citizens with higher priced power when the overall price situation has become so very difficult. The flip side is that without adequate power the industrial resurgence of West Bengal is a non-existent prospect.

TWO PROBLEMS

Consider the Maoist activities in Jangalmahal and the Darjeeling issue. Both these problems have been festering for quite some time. While the first has created serious issues of governance for the State Government during the past few years, the second issue just cannot be solved easily, in view of the growing expectations of the young generation, which has been brought up on the dream of having a separate State.

The Maoist problem is now on the brink of a further evolution, with the Chief Minister's deadline having expired, and the Maoists having held their first bandh, marking the end of the deadline. The Darjeeling issue is also poised for a substantive development, in view of the growing perception in the hills that the GTA is just an ‘eyewash', on the road to the attainment of a separate Gorkhaland.

As regards the overall financial resource situation, especially after the recently-held meeting of the National Development Council, Delhi won't find it easy to make an exception of West Bengal, as far as extending special assistance to it is concerned. Ms Banerjee therefore, won't get what she wants from the Centre, namely, grants and moratoria on interest payments on past loans.

Briefly, the Bengal CM is stuck. One hopes she will find a way out of the mess. In fact, she has to, if non-Left governance of West Bengal is to be given a fair chance of success, thus enriching the democratic experience for the State's people.

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