Page 28 - Kolkata

ONDC's beta version goes live in 5 more cities including Mumbai, Delhi

The government's initiative ONDC on Wednesday said its beta version has now become live in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an initiative of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). It said that along with Bengaluru and Meerut, which were chosen for going beta live in September 2022 and December 2022, respectively, the network is now accessible to buyers (consumers) and sellers in these additional five cities. Consumers will be able to purchase from the sellers on the ONDC network through four active buyer applications -- Paytm, Mystore, Spice Money, and Magicpin, it said. Currently, the network has over 40,000 sellers live in over 200 cities, out of which more than 18,000 sellers operate from these five cities. ONDC had its alpha roll-out in April 2022 in five cities to test live transactions with a closed group of sellers and buyers while gradually expanding its footprint. The main objectiv

Retail tomato prices shoot up to Rs 155/kg; highest in Kolkata among metros

Retail tomato prices have shot up to Rs 155 per kg across major cities in the country due to the supply disruption caused due to rain in the producing region, as per the official data. In metros, retail tomato prices were ruling in the range of Rs 58-148 per kg, with the highest in Kolkata at Rs 148 per kg and lowest in Mumbai at Rs 58 per kg. In Delhi and Chennai, prices were ruling at Rs 110 per kg and 117 per kg, respectively. As per the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry, the average all-India retail price was Rs 83.29 per kg, with a modal price of Rs 100 per kg. The highest Rs 155 per kg was in Siliguri, West Bengal, the data showed. Meanwhile, in the national capital, the local vendors are selling tomato in the range of Rs 120-140 per kg depending on the quality and locality. "We have purchased best quality tomato at Rs 120 per kg from Azadpur wholesale market and selling at Rs 140 per kg in retail," local vendor Jyotish Kumar Jha in Paschim Vihar said. The s

UK trade minister Huddleston to unveil green partnerships on Kolkata visit

Britain's international trade minister Nigel Huddleston has said that he want to use his first official trip to Kolkata to show the UK's eagerness to work with India and Bangladesh on shared challenges like climate change, using collective expertise to deepen trading relationship, spark economic growth and create jobs. Huddleston arrived in Kolkata on Monday on a two-day visit to the metropolis. In Kolkata, he will unveil a package of partnerships on electric mobility and green construction at a joint session with the government of West Bengal, the UK government said. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said Huddleston is on a three-day visit to South Asia, which covers Kolkata and also Dhaka in Bangladesh, focused on unlocking more opportunities for British companies to grow trade and two-way business flows. It added that while the UK continues to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, which has completed 10 rounds of negotiations, the ministerial visit forms pa

Don't want to be labelled villagers: 10K people living on Kolkata outskirts

More than 10,000 residents of high-rises in New Town on Kolkata's northern fringes, who live in panchayat area, have decided not to vote in the July 8 elections in West Bengal. New Town Forum chairman Samaresh Das said there are around 16,000 voters spread across several panchayats and that a majority of them are unwilling to exercise their franchise as they "do not wish to be labelled as villagers". "We have already collected signatures of 12,000 voters who have decided not to exercise their franchise besides demanding that the township be taken out of the jurisdiction of panchayats," Das said. Das said the forum has been campaigning in favour of a poll boycott and started putting up banners and hoardings across the township asking residents not to vote. Though the township is in panchayat areas, all civic services are provided by the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA). "Though we pay higher civic taxes than people staying in Kolkata Municipal Corporation areas, yet th

UK international trade minister to unveil new initiatives in Kolkata

UK Minister for international trade, Nigel Huddleston arrived in the city on Monday on a two-day visit to the metropolis to unveil new initiatives in electric mobility and green construction in West Bengal. The UK minister will launch a center to enhance opportunities in the electric vehicle segment by partnering Indian businesses with academic institutions and industries of that country, a statement by the British Deputy High Commission here said. He will also visit a waste processing company in Kolkata using green technology to recycle construction waste into high quality reusable sand, it said. The UK is aiming to negotiate a trade deal with India with the target to double it by 2030, the statement said. India is its 12th largest trading partner accounting 2.1 per cent of its total trade. UK's bilateral trade with India surged to GBP (British pound sterling) 36 billion in 2022, up 11.2 billion GBP or 45 per cent from 24.8 GBP in 2021. The bilateral trade supports half a millio

Office space leasing falls 22% in Apr-June in 8 cities: Cushman & Wakefield

India's top eight cities have witnessed a 22 per cent decline in gross leasing of office space as global companies remain cautious about their expansion plans, according to Cushman & Wakefield. Real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield data showed that the gross leasing of office leasing declined to 17.42 million square feet in April-June this year from 22.41 million square feet in the year-ago period as corporates are taking longer time in taking decisions especially for large office space requirements. However, the gross leasing rose 11 per cent from the previous quarter which saw absorption of 15.7 million square feet. Anshul Jain, Head of APAC Tenant Representation and Managing Director, India & South East Asia, said, "India's office real estate market continues with its growth momentum. A significant reason for its ability to buck the global recessionary headwinds is the rise in domestic demand." The entry of new GCCs (Global Capability Centres) and the ongoing ...

Erring firms convicted, but it's not mission accomplished for regulators

Majority of prosecutions for various violations successful for the first time in over a decade

Amid India's EV buzz, Kolkata's electric trams struggle to keep rolling

The tram service has shrunk due to work on the metro, reconstruction or maintenance of bridges, traffic, and state policies

No bar to performance of havans at Kolkata's Rabindra Sarobar, says NGT

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has said that its earlier order prohibiting puja in and around Rabindra Sarobar in Kolkata did not bar the performance of havans at the lake. The NGT was hearing an application seeking clarification on whether the tribunal's earlier directions in the order dated November 15, 2017, prohibited the performance of havans at Rabindra Sarobar. Noting the NGT's earlier order, a bench of chairperson Justice A K Goel said that the tribunal had dealt with the issue of environmental protection of Rabindra Sarobar lake against the dumping of waste and it did not prohibit a havan, which cannot, in any manner, affect the lake or its water quality. While any activity, including performing of puja, in and around the lake which may adversely affect the environment or water quality stands strictly prohibited in terms of order of the tribunal, there is no bar to performance of a havan which does not cause any damage to the water quality of the lake, the bench, also ..

Iconic Howrah Bridge heads for a health check-up after two decades

Custodian of the bridge is already in talks with an incubation centre at IIT Madras; last major health audit by RITES for British-era bridge spanned from mid-1980s till early 1990s

Kolkata petrol pumps see 10 times hike in payments in Rs 2,000 notes

Petrol pumps in Kolkata claim that they have witnessed a 10-fold increase in payments using Rs 2,000 notes from people buying fuel since the RBI announced withdrawal of the high-value currency from circulation, officials said on Monday. In the case of jewellers, the increase in payment by Rs 2,000 notes is 15-20 per cent compared to the weeks before May 19 when the central bank made the announcement. "We are getting 10 times higher number of Rs 2,000 currency notes now since the announcement. We used to get 10-15 notes a day, but now it has risen to 130-140 on average," West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association president Prasenjit Sen told PTI. However, India Bullion and Jewellers Association president (West Bengal) Ashok Begani said, "There is no panic buying as was witnessed in 2016 when currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations that were in circulation at that time were withdrawn overnight". The use of Rs 2,000 notes by customers has risen 15-20 per cent since the ...

Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat cancelled on Monday due to damage by tree branch

The Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express was cancelled on Monday as the rake will undergo urgent repairs for damages caused by tree branches falling on the running train during a storm on the previous day, officials said. The new ICF rake suffered dents on the facia, damage to a pantograph and cracks in the windshield during a thunderstorm near Baitarani Road railway station in Odisha's Jajpur district on Sunday evening. The South Eastern Railway (SER), in a statement, said, "22895/22896 Howrah-Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express will remain cancelled for repairs of damages caused by thunderstorm on May 21 in Cuttack-Bhadrak section of East Coast Railway." The incident happened around 4.45 pm between Baitarani Road and Manjuri Road stations. The train was stranded for three hours till a relief diesel engine pulled it till Manjuri Road, from where the train ran on its own. Tree branches got entangled with its pantograph, besides cracking its windshield and denting the facia, an official ..

Akasa Air commences daily flight operations from Kolkata: Report

Akasa Air on Thursday started daily flight services from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata, the airline said in a statement. The eastern metropolis is the airline's 17th destination and the second in West Bengal after Bagdogra. The airline started non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guwahati and Bengaluru. In the inaugural flight, 174 passengers travelled from Kolkata to Assam's largest city and 167 arrived in Kolkata from the Karnataka capital. On a daily basis, the airline's flight will arrive in Kolkata from Bengaluru at 5.15 pm and leave for Guwahati at 5.55 pm. The return flight from Guwahati will reach Kolkata at 9.10 pm and leave for Bengaluru at 9.50 pm, an AAI statement said. "Akasa has introduced services such as a caf and allowed pets on the plane," Belson Coutinho, co-founder and Chief Marketing and Experience Officer of the airline said. "We are delighted to launch operations from Kolkata, our second destination in West Bengal," Prav

CCI notifies setting up of regional offices in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has notified setting up of its regional offices in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. The regional offices will help the regulator in creating more awareness about competition law as well as provide easier access to people. The watchdog keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors in the market place as well as takes various initiatives to promote competition. The Southern Regional Office is in Chennai while the Eastern and Western Regional Offices are in Kolkata and Mumbai, respectively. These offices were inaugurated earlier. In terms of territorial jurisdiction, seven states and Union Territories (UTs), including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, will be under the Southern Regional Office, according to a notification dated May 16. As many as 14 states and UTs, including West Bengal and Odisha, will be under the Eastern Regional Office. A total of 4 states and UTs, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, will be under the jurisdicti

Varanasi- Kolkata Expressway: Travel From Delhi to Kolkata in 17 hours

At present, the Purvanchal, Lucknow-Agra, and Yamuna Expressways make it possible for a traveller to cover the Delhi-Varanasi journey in just over 10 hours

Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun to visit Kolkata on two-day trip

Swapan Dasgupta said that there are no state functions involved in Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun's visit to Kolkata

Woman passenger misbehaving on IndiGo flight handed over to Kolkata police

The CISF personnel had to wait till sunrise since at Indian law, the police cannot take a woman in custody after sunset

Nitish likely to meet Mamata in Kolkata on Apr 25, discuss Lok Sabha polls

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to meet his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on April 25, sources said on Sunday night. Kumar is expected to meet Banerjee around 2 pm at her office in state secretariat 'Nabanna' on that day, they said. The two leaders are likely to hold a closed-door meeting to strategise on fighting the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, they added. Banerjee held similar meetings with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik last month.

Massive fire in West Bengal's Howrah district guts over 100 shops

Over 100 shops were gutted as a massive fire devastated a market in West Bengal's Howrah district in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said. The fire broke out at the Ludlow Bazar in Chengail in Uluberia police station area around midnight, they said. It spread fast, gutting over 100 shops, many of which were temporary structures. Ten fire tenders brought the blaze under control after fighting it for over four hours, officials said. There was no casualty, they said, adding that the cause of the fire will be known after an investigation. The damage caused by the fire is being ascertained, officials said. Traders said they had stocked goods recently expecting surge in sales due to Eid, and the fire caused damage worth lakhs of rupees.

Prices of vegetables soar 15-30% due to summer heat in and around Kolkata

The sweltering heat in Kolkata and surrounding districts are impacting vegetable production leading to a surge in prices, an official said on Tuesday. Prices of common vegetables have increased by 15-30 per cent in recent weeks and unless there is rainfall within the next five to six days, rates are expected to rise further, a vendors' body said. "The ongoing intense heat and lack of rain have had a significant impact on vegetable production. Supplies in producers' markets in the districts have already decreased drastically ," West Bengal Vendor's Association president Kamal De told PTI. Citing an example, De said that farmers' markets or haats' at Gopalnagar close to Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district received an average of nearly 100-125 truckloads of pointed gourds per day during this time last year. But the number has dropped to 45 a day now. "The situation is even worse at small markets ," De added. There are about 50-60 large such haats' in the state. Crops are also show