Page 8 - West Bengal

Mamata asks health officials to form panel, keep tab on Covid situation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed concern over the surge in COVID-19 cases in China and advised health officials to form a committee of experts to keep an eye on the emerging situation. Banerjee, during a meeting at the state secretariat, enquired why one of the reporters was wearing masks, which has become a rarity in Bengal, and cabinet minister Arup Biswas subsequently informed her that cases were on the rise in China. "Is there a new variant of coronavirus in China? But they (Chinese) have not imposed anything (restriction). I will ask the health department to keep a tab on the situation," the CM said. Turning to Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi, she said, "Set up a team of experts to monitor the situation. The health secretary will be leading the team. Genome sequencing should continue." Earlier in the day, state health officials said that Bengal is ready to tackle fresh spurt in COVID-19 infections. Sample examination is being done regularly in the

Building material maker Visaka's Rs 130 cr new plant in Bengal by Aug 2023

Building material manufacturer Visaka Industries Ltd on Tuesday said its Rs 130-crore plant that is being built in West Bengal will be operational by August 2023. The project will raise the total capacity of environment-friendly boards and panels to 3.5 lakh tonne, a company official said. This will be Visaka's fifth cement fibre board plant in the country, and the first such unit in the eastern state. "The plant will be our second manufacturing unit coming up in August next year in Paschim Medinipur district with an investment of Rs 130 crore. The first facility was established there in 2003 for manufacturing of cement roofing sheets, Visaka Industries joint managing director Vamsi Gaddam said. The project will create direct job opportunities for 500 people in Salboni area. We have decided to increase our manufacturing capacity for our eco-friendly cement fibre boards and sandwich panels. With rising demand for eco-friendly construction materials, the market will be expanded not

Bengal to plant trees at border to prevent air pollutants from other states

West Bengal Environment Minister Manas Bhunia said that air pollution in southern districts of the state was increasing due to stubble burning in neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar. Addressing a press conference on Monday, he said the state government was planning to plant "tall trees" along the border to prevent smoke from stubble burning enter the state. Asked which species of trees will be planted and by when, Bhunia later told PTI, "We are discussing these with experts and it will be announced shortly." "We will hold a meeting to decide the mechanism," he added. West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) chairman Kalyan Rudra said a satellite-based mechanism to monitor the burning of stubble has been developed with assistance from IIT-Delhi. Bhunia also said sensors will be installed in state-run buses to measure air pollution on Kolkata roads Initially, the devices will be installed in buses of six-seven routes that crisscross the city, he said. "We will soon install sensors

HC slams TMC govt over compensation delay to family of rape, murder victim

West Bengal govt faced the ire of Calcutta High Court over delay in compensation to family of a minor girl raped and killed in Nadia district in April this year

AAP reviewing participation in Bengal civic polls, says party source

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had been silently expanding its network in West Bengal, is now reviewing its preparedness for the state's three-tier panchayat polls scheduled for next year

Purbanchal Cement lines up Rs 200 crore for expansion, Bengal in roadmap

Assam-based Purvanchal Cement has earmarked Rs 200 crore for acquisition and expansion over the next few years, including foraying into markets outside the northeastern region like West Bengal, a senior official said. The Maithon Group company has at present a 0.5-million tonne capacity plant near Guwahati. We are evaluating between brownfield expansion and acquisition preferably with mine rights in the northern part of Assam," Purbanchal Cement MD Vedant Agarwal said. "We have earmarked Rs 200 crore over the next two-three years to fund our expansion. Initially, we are aiming at ramping up our installed capacity to 1 million tonnes," he told PTI. Agarwal said the company is also looking at opportunities beyond the northeast. "There are plans to set up a grinding unit in West Bengal to tap the eastern market demand," he said. The West Bengal government has been wooing manufacturing industries for investment, banking on robust coal deposits, officials said. In recent times, howev

Bengal BJP core group to meet in Delhi on Dec 19 to decide LS polls roadmap

According to sources in the BJP, the meeting will be held in the evening at the residence of Subhash Sarkar and will be chaired by BL Santosh and Sunil Bansala

RERA becomes functional in Bengal, 18 months after SC order: Top official

The West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority (WBRERA) is finally up and running, nearly 18 months after the Supreme Court struck down the state's own regulations introduced as a substitute for the central law, a senior official said. In May last year, the top court had declared the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Act (WBHIRA) as unconstitutional. "The WBRERA is now in place and we have very recently commenced functioning. Until the IT backbone is ready, consumers will be able to file complaints against builders, agents and others physically. The website is expected to be operational within a fortnight," Sandipan Mukherjee, who assumed charge as WBRERA chairman, told PTI. West Bengal was perhaps the only state where the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, passed by Parliament, had not become functional. The WBRERA is headed by Mukherjee, an ex-Indian Forest Service officer, and consists of two other members -- B N Das (former power department official)

Cal HC says it expects SEC not to notify rural polls in Bengal till Jan 9

Allowing the SEC to file an affidavit stating its position on Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari's PIL, which alleged faulty process to determine OBC percentage, the Calcutta High Court said it expects the poll panel not to notify panchayat polls in West Bengal till January 9. Noting that the current population figures of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the total population of the state should also be arrived at based on household surveys as is being done in the case of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the petitioner claimed that two different yardsticks cannot be applied as that will lead to arbitrary results. A division bench presided by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava on Wednesday granted two weeks' time to the State Election Commission (SEC) to file an affidavit in opposition and thereafter affidavit in reply by the petitioner be filed within another one week. The bench, also comprising Justice R Bharadwaj, said that it will also be open to the state to file an ...

Bengal seeks more investment in cement sector, says minister Shashi Panja

West Bengal Commerce and Industry Minister Shashi Panja on Wednesday invited more investment in manufacturing, including cement, into the state. The industry has responded positively and at least two companies expressed keenness to invest in the state in the coming years. At an interactive session on cement organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Panja said that that state can be a destination for cement companies, given the growing demand in the east and the availability of coal in abundance in this region. Cement companies have been struggling with coal shortage that has pushed their cost significantly in the last few quarters. The West Bengal government is trying to develop the Deocha Pachami coal block in Birbhum district. Companies such as Purvanchal Cement of Assam and Mangalam Cement of the BK Birla group stated that they have long-term plans to have grinding units in the state to meet the growing demand. "We have been allotted a raw material block in Chhattisgarh and

CBI court reserves order on ex-WB minister Partha Chatterjee's bail plea

Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday prayed for bail before a special CBI court here in a case in connection with the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-aided and sponsored schools. Opposing his bail prayer, the CBI prayed for an extension of his judicial remand. The special CBI court judge, after hearing arguments of both sides, reserved the order on the prayers. The court had on earlier occasions rejected bail prayers of the former minister. Chatterjee, first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 23 following recovery of a huge amount of cash, jewellery and property deeds from his alleged close associate Arpita Mukherjee's flats, was taken into custody by the CBI on September 16 on the basis of a court order. Chatterjee, who was suspended by the Trinamool Congress following his arrest, was produced before the special CBI court by the agency on Monday. Praying for his bail, Chatterjee

Bengal panchayat polls: Adhikari files PIL for central forces' deployment

Suvendu Adhikari filed a PIL before a division bench of Calcutta High Court demanding deployment of central armed forces during next year's election to the three-tier panchayat system in the state

700,000 appear in TET exam; education minister denies paper leak report

Nearly seven lakh candidates on Sunday appeared in the TET examination conducted by the WBBPE to fill up around 11,000 vacancies for primary teacher posts in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools. The West Bengal Board of Primary Education Board (WBBPE) conducted the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET) examination after a gap of five years in 1,460 examination centres across the state amid tight security arrangements, officials said. West Bengal Education minister Bratya Basu on Sunday denied there has been any question paper leak in the TET examination and alleged "some people" wanted to disrupt the examination process to discredit the Mamata Banerjee government by circulating fake question papers on WhatsApp. Basu told reporters that he was satisfied the exams could be conducted smoothly despite attempts by "some people" to derail the process and give a bad name to the Mamata Banerjee government. Asserting there was no question paper leak in the exams, the minister said

WBSSC scam: Maximum illegal recruitments of teaching staff made for Bengali

As per the fresh list of 40 illegally recruited teachers in the state-run schools published by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), the maximum illegal recruitments were made for Bengali

Property buyers in Bengal at builder's mercy as RERA not functional: FPCE

Homebuyers' association FPCE on Sunday urged the West Bengal government to make the real estate law RERA functional in the state at the earliest to protect the consumers' interest. In May last year, the Supreme Court struck down the West Bengal government's law WBHIRA for regulating the real estate sector, saying it was unconstitutional. The state government introduced the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Act (WBHIRA) as a substitute for the central law RERA, which was passed by Parliament in 2016. The apex court's ruling came on a plea filed by the Forum For People's Collective Efforts (FPCE), an umbrella body of homebuyers.The FPCE has played an important role in the enactment and implementation of RERA. FPCE President Abhay Upadhyay said it has been the association's endeavour to ensure that RERA is implemented in its letter and spirit across India. With the objective to have one law across India for the entire real estate sector, he said the Supreme Court, in its writ ...

All govt scheme grievances to be redressed: TMC MP assures Birbhum locals

TMC MP Satabdi Roy faced the ire of a section of locals in Bengal's Birbhum district, who alleged that "unfair means" have been adopted for doling out government scheme benefits, and sought immediate redressal of their grievances. Roy, who was in Sainthia area on Saturday for a public outreach programme, urged the aggrieved villagers to approach the nearest Duare Sarkar (government at doorstep) camp, run by the state government for registering names under its welfare schemes, and their grievances would be looked into. A group of women approached Roy as soon as she reached Hatora village and complained that benefits of a rural housing scheme were being doled out only to a handful of people. "Those in need of houses are not getting the money; we are living under inhuman conditions. Some people, who has already received money, are getting it for the second time. This is unfair. Local panchayat and BDO do not listen to us, despite having raised the matter several times," one of the wome

3 killed, many injured in blast near Abhishek's rally; Suvendu seeks probe

At least three people were killed and several others injured in a blast near the venue of senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee's rally in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district, police said on Saturday. The incident took place in Block 2 of Arjunnagar in Bhupatinagar area, 1.5 km from Contai town where TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee addressed a public meeting on Saturday, a police officer said. "The blast was reported in a house around 11.15 pm on Friday and three bodies were recovered on Saturday morning. A few others are injured. The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained and further investigation is underway. "The impact was so powerful that the mud house with a thatched roof was blown off in the incident," the senior officer of Bhupatinagar Police Station said. The three deceased were identified as Rajkumar Manna, who is reportedly a TMC worker, Debkumar Manna and Biswajit Gayen, he said. A forensic team later reached the spot and collected

Relying on Suvendu Adhikari for long was a mistake: TMC's Abhishek Banerjee

Relying on Suvendu Adhikari for long during his earlier stint with Trinamool Congress was a mistake, Trinamool Congress' national General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee admitted

Actor Paresh Rawal booked over his 'cook fish for Bengalis' remark

The CPI(M) leader said that people from Bengal residing in other parts of the country could get affected as a result of Rawal's comments

Bengal govt extends social outreach programme 'Duare Sarkar' till Dec 31

The West Bengal government on Friday extended the 'Duare Sarkar' programme, social outreach camps about its various projects, till the end of this year, an official release said. It had earlier announced extension of the programme till December 5. "The state government had notified (on September 28), the schedule and details of the 5th edition of the Duare Sarkar and Paray Samadhan campaign with outreach camps at the habitation levels to be held from November 1 to 30. The same was extended till December 5, 2022 on November 28," the notification said. "Now, after due consideration... the state government is pleased to extend the outreach camps under 'Duare Sarkar' further up to December 31st," it said. The first edition of the campaign started on December 1, 2020.