The CBI sent an email to Minister Paresh Adhikari asking him to appear by 8 pm on Tuesday as directed by the Calcutta High Court. But the Minister of State for Education did not come to the state. On the contrary, it was once learned that she had left for Sealdah station in the Padak Express with her daughter Ankita and ‘disappeared’ in the middle of the road.
The CBI officers announced the name of the minister on Tuesday after receiving the order of the High Court. They contacted the minister three times but could not reach him as his smartphone was switched off. As a result, the Minister was instructed by email at around 8pm that he would be present for assistance around 8pm. However, there was no reply to the minister or e-mail mentioning the difficulty. CBI officials also waited for Minister Paresh Adhikari at the Nizam Palace for the night. But he didn’t go there yesterday.
He is ‘obsessed’ with various mysteries. The question is, did he go down somewhere else on Wednesday morning? Initially, he was said to have shopped at Burdwan station. He can come through the road. But your real picture is not clear The state’s recreation of traditional habitats has encouraged non-public promoters in the travel and tourism sector
“Bengal has it all — from the Himalayas to the mangroves of the Sundarbans, the dense forests and beaches of East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas. If we can also promote Rajbari and Zamindar homes, it will increase foreign and inter-state tourism in Bengal,” said Devjit Dutt, Chairman (Bengal), India Association of Tour Operators. Heritage expert GM Kapoor said the government’s efforts will boost tourism in heritage properties.
About 225 km from Kolkata, Bari Kothi in Azimganj, Murshidabad, a six-and-a-half-hour drive from the city, has been transformed into a tourist hub. Built in the late 1700s, it was the home of Rai Bahadur Budh Singh Dudhoria. It was derelict for over half a century, then seventh-generation descendant Darshan Dudhoria, a lawyer, restored it and turned it into a ‘heritage’ hotel. “We provide a total ride of the district, which includes nearby tours, visits to rural monetary and traveller hubs, and tales of the wealthy cultural heritage of Bengal,” Dudhoria said.
Also in Murshidabad, the Roy family of Kasimbazar Palace has converted their ancestral home into a boutique hotel. “Four months ago, tourism wing officials visited and discussed some major promotional and developmental plans. It would be great if the country promotes the ‘Rajbari experience’ in Bengal, as some other states do, which will help in large-scale protection of such diverse properties,” said Pallab Roy, a member of the Roy family.
Jhargram Rajbari also continued to function as a heritage resort in 2015, a tourism official who brought it said it was run on PPP model. The tourism department plans to convert Wasif Manzil near Hazar Duari in Murshidabad and Karnagarh Rani Shiromani Guest House in Salboni into heritage hotels on PPP model.
Closer to Kolkata, Itachuna and Bawali Rajbari in Hooghly and heritage in South 24 Parganas have been converted into hotels. Although the former has already featured in a variety of famous Hindi and Bengali films, just 40km from the city, it has recently undergone a major restoration and has emerged as a popular weekend destination.
State Minister for Education Paresh Adhikari has been named in the case of corruption in the appointment of secondary school teachers. It is alleged that the minister’s daughter got the job because she was not in the benefit list. The case was filed by a candidate named Babita Sarkar.Babita claimed that the minister’s daughter Ankita Adhikari scored much lower than her. Babita still did not get the appointment letter. However, Ankita has been working in a college in Mekhligonj since 2018. After that the job seeker Babita approached the court. Calcutta High Court ordered CBI investigation in this case. But after summoning the CBI, there is a new thriller about the surprising ‘disappearance’ of the minister and his daughter.
Paresh Adhikari was scheduled to approach the division bench on Wednesday challenging the High Court’s order in the case. But for now he is missing. It remains to be seen what action the CBI officials take in this regard.