Mamata to carve out seven new districts in Bengal, total number rises to 30

The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Monday decided to carve out seven new districts out of the existing 23 districts by redrawing their boundaries for better administration and development.

According to the government, the seven new districts are Sunderban, Ichhamati, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Jangipur, Behrampur and Basirhat.

"Earlier there were 23 districts in Bengal now it has been increased to 30. The 7 new districts include - Sunderban, Ichhemati, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Jangipur, Behrampur and one more district will be named in Basirhat," said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

Reacting to this, BJP's Amit Malviya said, "Mamata Banerjee's decision to create seven new districts and induct new faces is an attempt to divert attention from the SSC Scam. She must explain from where a debt-trapped West Bengal Government gets money to run new districts. With Paresh Adhikari still in her cabinet, new faces won't wash taint."

Paresh Adhikari is the state Education Minister. His house was also raided by ED along with Partha Chatterjee's in the SSC recruitment scam.

Chief Minister Banerjee had earlier announced that there will be a Cabinet reshuffle in the state on Wednesday.

"We will do a reshuffle on Wednesday. There will be 4-5 new faces," she said.

This comes soon after former minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the SSC recruitment scam case.

Chatterjee was minister-in-charge of the departments of industry, commerce and enterprises, IT and electronics, parliamentary affairs and public enterprises, and industrial reconstruction.

The CM took charge of the departments on Thursday after his arrest.

Banerjee now holds charge of 11 departments, including the four held by Partha Chatterjee.

"We don't have a plan to dissolve the whole ministry and form a new one. Yes, there will be a reshuffle. We lost ministers Subrata Mukherjee, Sadhan Pande. Partha da is in jail so all their work has to be done. Not possible for me to handle alone," added the West Bengal CM.