Page 26 - West Bengal

Darjeeling landslides: Toll rises to 24; rescue ops on as several missing

At least 23 people, including children, were killed as relentless rain triggered one of the worst landslides in a decade in Darjeeling hills and adjoining areas on Sunday, sweeping away homes, cutting off roads, isolating villages, and leaving hundreds of stranded tourists amid widespread devastation, officials said. According to reports compiled by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the West Bengal's Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri district administrations, fatalities were reported from several locations - Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Mirik Lake area and the Nagrakata area in Jalpaiguri district. According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a total of 18 people have died in Darjeeling, with 11 fatalities in Mirik, the worst-hit area, and seven more in the Darjeeling subdivision, including Jorebunglow, Sukia Pokhri, and Sadar Police Station areas. In a separate rescue operation in Nagrakata, located in the nearby Jalpaiguri district, five

Darjeeling landslides kill 20, leave trail of destruction across hills

At least 10 people died and several others went missing as incessant heavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides across the Darjeeling hills in the northern part of West Bengal on Saturday, sweeping away homes, damaging roads and cutting off several remote hamlets, officials said. According to reports compiled by the NDRF and the district administration, fatalities were reported from several locations - Sarsaly, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Nagarakata and Mirik Lake area. Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Richard Lepcha told PTI that rescue and relief operations were underway with the help of police, local administration and disaster response teams. Chief Minister announced compensation for the victims without specifying the amount and said she would visit north Bengal on September 6 to assess the situation in the region where a large number of tourists have also been affected. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the deaths and said the

Heavy rain likely in some districts of West Bengal as depression lingers

The IMD on Friday forecast heavy to very heavy rain in some districts of West Bengal under the influence of a deep depression, which weakened into a depression and lay over interior Odisha. Light to moderate rainfall is likely at most places of the state till October 6. Depression is a condition that follows a well-marked low-pressure area and precedes a cyclonic storm, typically resulting in heavy rainfall and gusty winds, according to weather experts. Heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) is very likely over the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar till October 5, the India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. It said that heavy rain (7-11 cm) is expected in the south Bengal districts of Birbhum, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman and Bankura districts of south Bengal till Saturday. The IMD advised fishermen not to venture into the sea in north a

Amit Shah prays for 'Sonar Bangla' post-2026 polls, Abhishek hits back

Inaugurating the Durga Puja pandal of Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity in north Kolkata, Shah invoked Rabindranath Tagore's dream of a safe and prosperous Bengal

Calcutta HC grants bail to Partha Chatterjee in school jobs scam case

The Calcutta High Court on Friday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the teacher recruitment irregularities case under investigation of the CBI. Chatterjee, the prime accused in the cash-for-jobs scam in Bengal's state-run schools, which perceptively runs into several thousand crores and has rocked state politics for the past several years, was granted bail in a case on irregularities in primary school recruitment, the charge sheet on which was filed by the CBI on December 27 last year. The former minister has been behind bars for over three years now, and has already been granted bail in the other cases slapped on him by the central investigating agencies the ED and CBI. The latest bail order makes him eligible to walk out of jail once the formalities of furnishing bail bonds are over. Lawyers, however, expressed doubts on whether the former minister would be set free ahead of the Durga Puja festival, and opined that in the wake of a .

Amit Shah to join Durga Puja festivities, inaugurate pandals in Kolkata

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take part in Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata on Friday. He arrived in the metropolis on Thursday night and was received at the airport by senior state BJP leader Rahul Sinha. Shah will inaugurate the pandal of the Santosh Mitra Square Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity in north Kolkata on Friday. Organised by BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh, the Durga Puja pandal has showcased 'Operation Sindoor'. Shah will then visit the Kalighat temple in south Kolkata and offer puja. Later, he will inaugurate the Durga Puja pandal of the BJP-backed Paschim Banga Sanskriti Mancha at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) in Salt Lake. He will leave the city in the evening.

Durga Puja 2025: Corporate sponsorship up across West Bengal's 45K pandals

Corporate sponsorship for Durga Puja is buoyant in Kolkata with brands returning strongly, though retail sales show mixed trends across malls, shopping hubs and markets

BJP names Pradhan poll in-charge for Bihar, Bhupender Yadav for Bengal

The BJP on Thursday made important appointments for key poll-bound states, including for next year, naming Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav as its election in-charge of Bihar and West Bengal. The party appointed Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, one of its vice presidents, its in-charge for the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu where it is a junior partner to the AIADMK. While the Bihar assembly elections are expected to be held in November, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are likely to go to polls in March-April. A BJP statement said Union minister C R Paatil, who heads the party's Gujarat unit and is considered a capable organisation hand, and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya are co-incharges for the Bihar polls. Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb is the co-incharge for West Bengal and Union minister Murlidhar Mohol is the co-incharge for Tamil Nadu, it added. Both Pradhan and Yadav are among the most experienced poll managers of the BJP and

Bengal school job aspirants protest over fair recruitment process

A section of school job aspirants, who appeared for recent exams conducted by WBSSC, staged a demonstration in Salt Lake on the eastern fringes of Kolkata on Thursday, demanding fair recruitment in government-aided schools. They gathered at Karunamoyee Metro station and took out a one-km march to Bikash Bhavan, the state education department headquarters. The agitators, who appeared for the State Level Selection Test (SLST) conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission on September 7 and 14, were demanding the abolition of the provision of awarding 10 extra marks to untainted teachers who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order and have participated in the fresh exams. The Supreme Court ordered the sacking of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff at state-aided schools, describing the 2016 recruitment process as vitiated and tainted. The protesters claimed the 10-grace-marks provision would deprive new candidates and violate the norms that ensure a level playing .

Fewer than 7,000 clear West Bengal TET 2023 for over 13,000 teacher posts

The results of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2023 were published by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education on Wednesday, with less than 7,000 candidates of the 2.73 lakh who appeared in the test qualifying in the examination. A total of 2,73,147 candidates had appeared in the TET examination held in December 2023 for filling up posts of 13,421 teachers for classes 1 to 5. Of the 2,73,147 candidates who appeared in the TET 2023 examination, a total of 6,754 or 2.47 per cent of candidates have qualified in the test, a senior official of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education said. "We will analyse the reasons behind the less than 3 per cent candidates qualifying in the TET and share with you our findings later on after the Pujas," the official said. The Board earlier posted the 'Final Answer Keys' to all question codes on its website. WBBPE Secretary Ranjan Kumar Jha said in the notice that all registered candidates who appeared on December 24, 2023, examination for ...

Kolkata rains: 7 dead, over 30 flights cancelled amid heavy downpour

As rain-battered Kolkata struggle with widespread flooding and electrocution, CM Mamata Banerjee slammed poor dredging of the Farakka barrage and lapses by a private power utility for the crisis

Low pressure to bring heavy rain to south Bengal this week, says IMD

A low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal is likely to bring heavy rain in several districts in the southern part of West Bengal till September 24, the IMD said on Monday. Moderate rain is also likely to happen in the same region till September 27. The IMD said that heavy to very heavy rainfall (7-20 cm) is very likely to occur at one or two places over South 24 Parganas district and heavy rain (7-11 cm) will take place at one or two places over Purba and Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Purba Bardhaman, Howrah and Hooghly districts of south Bengal till Tuesday morning. Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Bankura districts thereafter till Wednesday, it said. The IMD said that another low-pressure area is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal around September 25 and become a depression the next day. The Met office said that squally weather, with surface wind speed reaching 35 to 45 kmph gusting to

Amit Mitra flags US tariff concerns, outlines Bengal's economic plan

At MCCI's annual general meeting in Kolkata, Amit Mitra voiced concern over US tariffs while highlighting Bengal's growth strategy and central tax devolution issues

IMD predicts heavy rainfall in north Bengal districts till September 20

The IMD on Thursday forecast heavy rain in the northern part of West Bengal till September 20 owing to an upper air circulation over east Bihar and strong moisture incursion. In south Bengal, light to moderate rainfall is likely at many places with thunderstorms and lightning and at a few places in some districts till September 22, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Heavy rain is likely in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar till September 20, it said. Malda in north Bengal received the highest rainfall in 24 hours till 8.30 am on Thursday at 34 mm, followed by Alipurduar at 31 mm, the Met data said.

PM Modi inaugurates 16th Armed Forces Commanders' Conference in Kolkata

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the three-day Combined Commanders' Conference (CCC) of the armed forces at the Eastern Command headquarters here on Monday. The conference is the apex brainstorming forum of the armed forces, bringing together the nation's top civil and military leadership to exchange views at the conceptual and strategic levels, a Defence official said. Coming in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, this year's meet will focus on reforms, transformation, change, and operational preparedness. The theme is 'Year of Reforms Transforming for the Future.' "The focus of the conference reflects the armed forces' commitment to institutional reforms, deeper integration and technological modernisation, while sustaining a high level of multi-domain operational readiness," the official added. The PM arrived here on Sunday evening from Assam and will leave the city in the afternoon for Purnea in Bihar. Operation Sindoor, which was conceived as a punitive and targete

Policybazaar reports 60% offline growth in West Bengal insurance sales

Insurance broker Policybazaar on Wednesday said its offline business in West Bengal was growing at 60 per cent and made up nearly 30 per cent of its total policy sales in the state. The company, which has a presence in at least 80 cities, opened 15 offices and point-of-sale outlets across the country last fiscal, an official said. "Offline sales are picking up fast for Policybazaar, and already account for about one-third of our business in Bengal. The growth will be around 60 per cent, and we expect to maintain the traction," said Gaurav Surana, Deputy Vice President (East) Life Insurance at Policybazaar. West Bengal has emerged as a key market for term insurance, contributing 26 per cent of the overall policy count in FY'25, he said. He said that the GST waiver on insurance will further boost growth. Surana said educated and salaried customers form the bulk of insurance buyers in West Bengal. "Graduates and above make up 80.1 per cent of policyholders in Bengal, higher than the

Mamata shifts stay to monitor Nepal situation amid network issues

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a three-day administrative tour of north Bengal, shifted her place of stay from the Kanyashree bungalow to Uttarkanya due to mobile connectivity issues, a senior official said on Wednesday. "It is reported that there were network issues at the Kanyashree bungalow, which made it difficult for her to stay updated on the developments in Nepal. As a result, the CM shifted to Uttarkanya on Tuesday night to monitor the situation more closely," the official told PTI. Later, the Trinamool Congress posted a photo of the party supremo sitting in 'Uttarkanya' and monitoring the situation in the riot-hit neighbouring nation. Uttarkanya is a building in Siliguri which houses the temporary state secretariat for the North Bengal Development Department of West Bengal "The unfolding situation in our neighbouring country, Nepal, is a matter of deep concern. Placing the interests of the state above all else, our compassionate Chief Minister, remai

Hilsa prices to pinch pockets this Puja despite Bangladesh exports: Traders

The Md Yunus government in Bangladesh may have chosen to honour the commitment of culinary tradition and issue a notification to export hilsa to India ahead of the festive season, but fish importers in West Bengal aren't sure whether the move will broaden smiles of the average middle class waiting to savour the delight of Padmar Ilish' this Durga Puja. Fish traders on this side of the international border attribute dual factors of lower quantity of export from Bangladesh compared to previous years, as well as higher cost of imports, as reasons behind the high prices of 'rupali shosyo', which means 'silver crop'. Putting apprehensions of an export freeze on hilsa to rest, the Bangladesh government's notice on Monday stated that it has approved in-principle the conditional export of 1200 metric tonnes of hilsa to India this year, in keeping with its traditional Durga Puja gift to Bengalis in India. For this, the Md Yunus government has invited applications from interested exporters i

ED raids multiple sites in West Bengal over sand smuggling racket

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday launched a series of coordinated raids in various locations of West Bengal, including Kolkata, targeting individuals and businesses that were found to be allegedly involved in a sand smuggling racket, a senior official said. Raids are being carried out in several areas, including Behala, Regent Park, Bidhannagar, and Kalyani, in connection with the scam, he said. The ED officials conducting the raids were accompanied by a large number of personnel of the central security forces. At the centre of the operation was Sheikh Jahirul, a prominent figure in the racket in Jhargram district of West Bengal. ED sleuths were conducting searches at his sprawling residence near Subarnarekha River in Gopiballavpur, he added. "Searches are underway at Jahirul's residence, office and vehicles. He is accused of being heavily involved in the illegal sand extraction and trade business," the official said. Incidentally, Jahirul, who owns several sand mines, h

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urges toilet facilities on 9 Sealdah-Lalgola trains

Chowdhury said passengers, especially from Murshidabad, face severe hardships as EMU-MEMU trains lack toilets, calling it an "egregious act of inhumanity" by railway authorities