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Theatre activist Shaoli Mitra quits as chief of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi
Veteran theatre activist Shaoli Mitra has resigned from the post of chairperson of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi, a state-run regulatory body that promotes Bengali language, citing “lack of infrastructure and difficulties in performing duties”, reports PTI.
Published : 23 April 2018, 06:39 AM
Updated : 23 April 2018, 06:39 AM
Mitra, who had taken on the assignment in 2012 at the request of chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked to be relieved of her duties, reports The Times of India.
Mitra said she was forced to send her papers to the information and cultural affairs department and Education Minister Partha Chatterjee as no steps were taken to improve infrastructure despite government assurances in March.
The West Bengal Bangla Akademi is the official authority on Bangla language in India and is responsible for compiling dictionaries and promoting the language.
There was no communication from the department or the minister in the past month, Mitra said and discounted any possibility of rejoining the regulatory body in the future.
“I am finally cutting off all the possibilities of my returning to the chair of Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi,” she said in her letter to Chatterjee.
She had previously offered to resign on the same grounds.
The thespian also said that she had raised the issue in May last year during a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“I had told the chief minister about the infrastructural problems of the Akademi in May last year and had a discussion on the matter with the education minister a couple of times, the last being in March,” she said.
“I had expressed my wish to be relieved of all responsibilities in December last year, but Chatterjee had assured me that the problems will be taken care of. I had then relented. But with no progress even after the assurances, I am left with no option but to resign,” she said.
The state-run organisation lacks manpower and people are not even hired on a contractual basis, she said.
Though the resignation was sent three weeks ago, there has been no further communication on this issue, she added.
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