The tractors in a field in Malda. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Nov. 15: A dozen tractors rolled in a field to check for live wires a day before Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee lays the foundation stone of Gourbanga University in Malda.

Watching out for live wires is a lesson the chief minister’s security staff learnt in West Midnapore on November 2. Maoists had triggered a blast by using a 1,200m wire that snaked through crop fields near Midnapore town.

The Malda district administration deployed over 400 policemen, who lined up the sides of a 2km road from the circuit house to the Malda college grounds, about 330km from Calcutta.

“The exercise (of using tractors) is part of security measures after the blast in West Midnapore. We don’t want to take a risk with the chief minister’s security,” said K.L. Tamta, inspector-general, north Bengal, who was overseeing the arrangements.

Bhattacharjee is on a two-day visit to the district.

Today, at an event on the Malda college grounds, Bhattacharjee conceded for the first time that “certain faulty policies of the government” were responsible for the impasse involving 75,000 candidates in 140-odd primary teachers’ training institutes.

“Candidates are facing problems because of some of our faulty policies. We are concerned about the future of the 75,000 candidates. But we are also confident about getting over the crisis as talks are on in Delhi,” he told the gathering on the occasion of the 78th state conference of the CPM-controlled West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association.