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

CM Mamata Banerjee earlier also announced that a cabinet reshuffle is on cards, and around four to five new faces will be inducted to the council of ministers

Increasing the total number of districts to 30, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that the state will soon carve out seven new districts.

The seven new districts will be Sunderban, Ichhemati, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Jangipur, and Behrampur. One more district will be named from the Basirhat region.

At present, Sundarban falls under South 24 paraganas, whereas Icchemati and Basirhat falls under North 24 parganas. Ranaghat under Nadia and Jangipur and Behrampur from Murshidabad district. Bankura will be divided to form the Bishnupur district.

"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," Mamata Banerjee said after the cabinet meeting.

Reacting to this, BJP's national convenor of the IT cell 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."

The chief minister earlier in the day also announced that a cabinet reshuffle is on cards, and around four to five new faces will be inducted to the council of ministers. The new faces inducted to the party will take their oath on Wednesday evening, she added.

She also said that there are several departments such as Panchayat, Public Health Engineering, Consumer Affairs & Self Help Group in the Bengal cabinet that do not have any dedicated minister to handle the operations.

The CM also said that it was not possible for her to handle the responsibilities of these departments alone.

"We have to reshuffle our Cabinet. But (I) do not have any plan to dissolve the Cabinet and come up with a new one. There are several departments that have no one at the helm. I alone cannot shoulder (the) responsibilities of all these departments," Mamata Banerjee said.