Page 108 - West Bengal

Cyclone over Bay of Bengal to mainly impact Sunderbans: MeT Dept

The cyclonic storm developing in the Bay of Bengal will primarily impact the Sunderbans spread over West Bengal and Bangladesh, as tidal waves are likely to reach a height of six metres owing to the twin effect of the weather system and astronomical tide, the Met Department said on Sunday. The deep depression over central Bay of Bengal (BoB) is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Sunday evening and after changing course in a northeastward direction from northwest, the system will reach north BoB before making landfall between Tinkona Island and Sandwip close to Bangladesh's Barisal in the early morning of Tuesday, a top official said. "The main affected area will be the Sunderbans in the coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal and in Bangladesh," Deputy Director General of Regional Met Centre, Sanjib Bandopadhyay, said. The development comes as people gear up to celebrate Kali Puja and Diwali in a big way after two years, amid easing Covid case

Heavy rain likely to pound West Bengal as cyclone threat looms large

Heavy rain and wind gusts up to 100 kmph are likely to hit the coastal areas of West Bengal as a deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensifies into a possible cyclone by Sunday evening, dampening Kali Puja and Diwali festivities in large parts of the state. The IMD said the weather system, which lay 700 km south of Sagar Island on Sunday morning and is moving in a northwestward direction, is very likely to recurve in a northeastward direction and cross the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandwip around early morning on Monday. It is very likely to bring heavy to very heavy rain in coastal districts of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas, and heavy rainfall in East and West Midnapore on Monday, while Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly are likely to receive moderate rain on Monday and Tuesday, the Met Department said in a bulletin. Heavy rain will occur in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Nadia on Tuesday, it said. The development comes as people gear up to celebrat

Low-pressure area over sea intensifies, cyclone likely by October 24: IMD

A low-pressure area over the north Andaman sea that on Saturday intensified into a depression, around 1,460 km south-southeast of Sagar Island in West Bengal, is expected to take the shape of a cyclonic storm by October 24, the IMD said in its bulletin. The weather system moved west-northwestward and concentrated into a depression on Saturday at 8.30am, close to west of Andaman Islands, the bulletin said. "It is expected to move northwestward and intensify further into a deep depression over east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 23. "The system is then very likely to re-curve gradually north-northeastwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm over central Bay of Bengal by October 24 morning," the IMD stated. Thereafter, it would continue to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast, between Tinkona Island and Sandwip, around October 25 morning, the IMD forecast said. The name 'Sitrang' has been proposed for the possible cyclonic sto

Delhi, Bengal consume most sweets in India; Rajasthan top consumer of papad

In 2021, the sweet market in India stood at Rs 58,900 crore

WB, Jharkhand women get married early due to fewer job opportunities: Study

The findings by a central government study that over half of the women get married before attaining 21 years in Jharkhand and West Bengal also revealed that the scope for sustainable job opportunities for young women is limited, experts said. It is also clear from the findings that the benefits of government schemes are not reaching the desired section of the population, they said. However, some experts expressed doubts about the data authenticity given that the survey was conducted during the Covid pandemic. It was found in the study, the report of which was published late last month, that Jharkhand and West Bengal are the only two states in the country where more than half of the women are married before they are 21 years old. While 54.9 per cent of girls are married in West Bengal before attaining the age of 21 years, the figure for Jharkhand is 54.6 per cent as against the national average of 29.5 per cent. Women, particularly in rural areas, face a lot of problems. They do no

Crackdown on common man, says Irani on removal of TET protestors in Howrah

Union Minister Smriti Irani slammed West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee after TET job seekers' were forcibly removed from the protest site by the police and termed it a "crackdown" on common people

Possible cyclone likely to hit Bengal, Odisha on Oct 25; warning issued

A low-pressure system over the Andaman Sea is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm and reach West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts on October 25, causing wind gusting to 110 km per hour, the IMD said on Friday. Sanjib Bandopadhyay, the deputy director-general of Regional Met Centre in Kolkata, said that the system is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Gangetic West Bengal, with isolated heavy rain in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. He said that it is likely to cause light to moderate rain in Kolkata on October 24 and 25. "Wind speed of 45 to 55 km gusting to 65 kmph will occur in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur on October 24, while on October 25, wind speed will reach 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph," he told reporters here. Wind speed of 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph will occur in Kolkata and adjoining districts of Howrah and Hooghly, he said. "It will not be a super cyc

Odisha, W Bengal mobilising resources as possible cyclone approaches

Odisha is bracing for heavy rainfall early next week under the impact of a possible cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to skirt the state and move towards West Bengal and Bangladesh, the IMD said on Friday. The West Bengal government has initiated the process of evacuating people from low-lying areas in several districts, officials said. The weather system, which is presently in the form of a low pressure area over the North Andaman sea and adjoining areas, is likely to take shape of a depression on Saturday and a deep depression on Sunday, before intensifying into a cyclonic storm on Monday, and move in north and north-east direction towards West Bengal and Bangladesh, the IMD said. The cyclonic storm is expected to be christened Sitrang', as suggested by Thailand. Odisha's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick said that instructions have been issued to all the districts and coastal region authorities to deal with any eventuality. The system is likel

Kolkata police removes 500 TET protesters, says section 144 imposed

High drama was witnessed at the site of the sit-in by TET candidates here on Thursday midnight as police dispersed the protesters, saying section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed in the area. A strong police contingent led by senior officers removed the 500-odd protesters, who claimed to have qualified the 2014 TET exams but were still omitted from the merit list, from near the head office of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education. Section 144 of the CrPC prohibits the assembly of four or more people in an area. Violation of the order is punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. The agitators had earlier ignored repeated pleas by police to vacate the spot insisting they would leave only after getting appointment letters for teaching jobs in state-run and state-aided primary schools. A police officer said as the agitators refused to move away from the spot despite repeated appeals, minimum force was used to remove them from the site around 12.35 am. However, the ..

Cyclone likely to reach WB-Bangladesh coasts by Oct 25, skirt Odisha: IMD

The IMD Thursday said that the possible cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is likely to reach West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts by October 25, skirting Odisha. The IMD in a statement said that a low pressure area has formed in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on October 24. The low pressure area is very likely to move west-northwestwards and develop into a depression over east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal around October 22. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression by October 23. "Subsequently, it is likely to re-curve northwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal by October 24. Thereafter, it is likely to gradually move north-northeastwards and reach near the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts by October 25, skirting Odisha," IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said. He, however, said the IMD has not so far made any forecast on the possible landfall, intensity an

Bengal teacher recruitment scam: SC upholds Manik Bhattacharya's arrest

The Supreme Court declined to interfere with the arrest of TMC's Manik Bhattacharya by ED in connection with the money laundering matter regarding the teachers' appointment scam

Agitating TET candidates should withdraw sit-in protest: Bengal edu min

West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said the agitating candidates of Teacher Eligibility Test 2014 should withdraw their sit-in demonstration near the state primary education board office. Hinting that the sit-in protest, which began on October 17 in Salt Lake area, was instigated by some political parties, Basu told reporters here on Wednesday, "There are people who want the impasse to continue." "Is it feasible that everyone who has sat for a test automatically gets recruited? Does everyone in the NET, NEET, WBJEE panel (merit list) get job at the outset?" he said on the candidates' demand that they be given direct recruitment despite not having cleared the interviews. Basu alleged the agitation appeared to have been instigated by those who don't want the recruitment process to begin. "I have been asked not to accept anyone's instruction, not from any higher-ups the entire interview process will be strictly based on merit. Don't the agitators favour merit-based recruitment

Not me, but CPI(M) drove Tata Motors out of Singur: Bengal CM Mamata

On a sunny afternoon just two days before Durga Puja in 2008, then Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata had announced to pull out the ambitious Nano small car project from Singur in West Bengal's

Sourav Ganguly's exit as BCCI president takes political turn in West Bengal

Sourav Ganguly's exit as BCCI president has become a subject of political spat rather than a sports administration affair

NIA files FIR in clashes between two communities in Kolkata's Ekbalpur

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered an FIR in the October 8-9 clashes between two communities in Ekbalpur area of Kolkata, a senior official said. The anti-terror agency is likely to start an investigation into the clashes from Wednesday and its officers may submit a copy of the complaint at Bankshall Court in the city, he said. The NIA has taken over the investigation and registered the FIR on Tuesday. "We are going to seek the custody of those arrested by Kolkata Police. We may seek video footage of the CCTV from the area. Our officers may reach the spot tomorrow," the officer told PTI when contacted. The police had clamped Section 144 Cr PC in Ekbalpur till October 16 to maintain the law and order situation in the area. So far over 45 people have been arrested in connection with their alleged involvement in the clashes. The Calcutta High Court last week stated that it is for the central government's consideration, given the gravity of the incident, whether t

CBI summons Trinamool Congress MLA's husband in post-poll murder case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued summons to the husband of a Trinamool Congress legislator in connection with the West Bengal post-poll violence case

Bowbazar residents hit by metro fiasco need to claim compensation in a week

Application forms for claiming compensation are being distributed among those affected by the damage caused to the 12 buildings in Bowbazar here last week during work in an East-West Metro tunnel, a senior official said. The forms will have to be filled up and submitted within a week, following which the claims will be verified by the police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the official of the project's executing agency, KMRC, stated. At least 12 houses at Madan Dutta Lane of Bowbazar developed cracks on Friday morning in central Kolkata following water seepage during work in the tunnel, the third such incident in a little over three years. The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC) had said that efforts will be made for disbursal of monetary compensation within 15 days. So far, 183 people have been shifted to hotels from the affected buildings. "The compensation claim forms will have to be submitted within a week, following which verification will be done in another seven da

With eye on panchayat, LS polls, Nadda forms core committee for Bengal BJP

BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday constituted a new core committee for the party's state unit with an eye on next year's panchayat polls and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, a party leader said. The West Bengal BJP unit didn't have any core committee since last year when Sukanta Majumdar was appointed the state president, replacing Dilip Ghosh who was made a national vice president. The 20-member new core committee included, apart from Majumdar and Ghosh, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, film star Mithun Chakraborty, and the four union ministers from the state Subhas Sarkar, Shantanu Thakur, John Barla and Nisith Pramanik. BJP national general secretary and state observer Sunil Bansal, and the state in charge Mangal Pandey are among the four special invitees to the core committee. This is the first time after Sukanta Majumdar took over that a core committee has been set up. Earlier during Dilip Ghosh's tenure, there was a core committee,

Make Ganguly Bengal's brand ambassador replacing SRK: Suvendu to Mamata

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari advised Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to offer the chair of brand ambassador of the state to former cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly

Shocked that Sourav was deprived of second term as BCCI president: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she was shocked that former India captain Sourav Ganguly was deprived of a second term as BCCI president. Banerjee, while talking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for a trip to north Bengal, also said she would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene so that Ganguly is allowed to contest the elections for ICC chief. "Sourav has proved himself to be an able administrator, and I am shocked at his removal from the BCCI president's post. This was injustice meted out to him. I will request the PM to ensure that Ganguly is allowed to contest elections for ICC chief, she said. There should be no politics on this matter, Banerjee added.