Page 31 - West Bengal

Cyclone Dana updates: Flight and train services hit, IMD issues red alert

Cyclone Dana update: Cyclone Dana is moving towards the Odisha-West Bengal coastline and will make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port on Friday

Dana to bring very heavy rain in south Bengal; over 170 trains cancelled

Cyclonic storm 'Dana', formed over east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, is set to bring heavy rainfall in several southern West Bengal districts, including Kolkata, the IMD said. Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled a large number of trains on October 24 and 25, in view of the cyclone. The storm is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal and make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The cyclone lay 420 km southeast of Paradip, 450 km south-southeast of Dhamara and 500 km south-southeast of Sagar Island at 8.30 am on Wednesday, it said. The Met warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy downpours in isolated places in the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts on October 24 and 25. Advisin

Cyclone Dana: WB Rajbhavan sets up force, control room to assist people

Governor CV Anand Bose called an emergency meeting of experts and the core team

Bengal evacuates 114,000 people as Cyclone Dana approaches Odisha coast

More than 1.14 lakh people in West Bengal have been evacuated to safer shelters so far, with severe cyclone 'Dana' approaching the adjacent Odisha coast, officials said on Wednesday. The cyclone, with wind speeds expected to reach up to 120 kmph (75 mph), is likely to hit between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha by Friday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. In anticipation of the storm, flight operations at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 15 hours from 6 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday, while Eastern Railway has cancelled 190 local trains in its Sealdah division from 8 pm on Thursday to 10 am on Friday to ensure passenger safety. Coastal districts in both Odisha and West Bengal are preparing for heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds on October 24 and 25. "Landfall will begin on the night of October 24 and continue till the morning of October 25. The maximum wind speed during this time is likely to be around 120 kmph," IMD ...

Cyclone Dana latest updates: Odisha and West Bengal brace for impact

Odisha and West Bengal governments are taking proactive measures as Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall soon. Watch the video to know the latest updates.

Cyclone Dana: 178 trains cancelled; evacuations begin in Odisha, Bengal

Cyclone Dana update: East Coast Railways cancels 178 trains as cyclone nears Odisha and Bengal; authorities begin large-scale evacuations; schools closed in coastal districts from October 23 to 26

Mamata urges Bangladesh to release 84 jailed Bengal fishermen after arrests

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said she wants the Bangladesh government to release the 84 fishermen from the state, who were jailed in the neighbouring country for illegally crossing the international border. During an interaction with the journalists at the state secretariat, the Bengal CM said that India has a very good friendship" with the neighbouring country. "Two fishing trawlers have been caught in Bangladesh because they entered their jurisdiction (recently). Thirty-six fishermen were arrested and are now in jail. Even after this incident, three more trawlers with 48 fishermen somehow again crossed the border to reach Bangladesh after which they were also arrested and imprisoned," Banerjee said. The Bengal CM said that the trawlers could have lost their ways or there could be some other reasons. "We have to find out whether they went there mistakenly or due to some other reasons. We are doing whatever can be done legally," she said. Banerjee said tha

Bengal govt forms task force to ensure safety of doctors, health workers

The West Bengal government on Tuesday constituted a state-level task force to ensure safety and security of healthcare professionals in the state and improve the quality of services, a notification said. The task force was set up after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had promised junior doctors of such a measure during a meeting, he said. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant will be the chairperson of the task force, while Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar, Health Secretary NS Nigam and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma will be part of it. "In pursuance of the Government of West Bengal's commitment to enhancing the quality of healthcare services across the state, and in the view of the safety, security, and grievances of healthcare professionals, the state government hereby constitutes a state-level task force," an order signed by Pant stated. It mentioned that there would be two representatives from senior and junior resident doctors, one

Congress announces candidates for Bengal bypolls in 6 constituencies

The Congress on Tuesday announced candidates for six assembly constituencies in West Bengal where bypolls will be held on November 13. The Congress nominees for the bypolls are Paresh Nath Sarkar for Naihati and Habib Reza Chowdhury for Haroa in North 24 Parganas, Bikash Champro Mary for Madarihat in Alipurduar, Shyamal Kumar Ghosh for Medinipur in West Medinipur, Tusharkanti Sannigrahi for Taldangra in Bankura, and Harihar Roy Singha for Sitai in Cooch Behar district. The electoral contest is expected to be a litmus test for all major political parties following the doctors' protests over the alleged rape and murder of a woman medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The stage is set for a four-cornered contest, as the CPI(M)-led Left Front, which had fought elections in alliance with the Congress in previous polls since 2021, announced candidates for five seats on Monday, including one for the CPI(ML). The Left Front is likely to support the Indian Secular Front (ISF) candid

Cyclone Dana: Odisha, Bengal to evacuate people; Coast Guard on high alert

As Odisha and West Bengal are bracing for a severe cyclonic storm, governments of both states started evacuating people and while deciding to close educational institutions in vulnerable areas. With half of Odisha's population likely to be affected by the impending cyclone that could cross the east coast, the state government has planned to shift over 10 lakh people from 3,000 villages in 14 districts to relief camps, according to an official statement. The Indian Coast Guard said it was on high alert and had mobilised its vessels and aircraft to respond swiftly to any contingency owing to the cyclone that will bring torrential rain in the two neighbouring states. A depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression on Tuesday evening and is likely to become a severe cyclonic storm and cross the Odisha-West Bengal coasts in the early hours of October 25 with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph, according to the IMD. IMD DG Mrutunjay Mohapatra said tha

Cyclone Dana expected to hit Odisha-West Bengal coasts by Oct 24: Check details

A cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea is intensifying. It’s likely to become a cyclonic storm by October 23, 2024. Watch the video to know more about Cyclone Dana.

Bengal eyeing investments in carbon black industry with EV-driven growth

West Bengal has immense growth potential in the carbon black industry as the sector is expected to witness increasing demand from the electric vehicle (EV) market and battery manufacturing, an official said on Tuesday. Speaking at the Asia Pacific Carbon Black Conference, state Chief Secretary Manoj Pant highlighted the projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8 per cent for the sector over the next decade and invited industrialists to invest in the state's emerging industrial landscape. There is tremendous potential for growth in this industry, particularly as EV demand rises and carbon black becomes integral to both tyres and battery components, Pant said. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to fostering industrial growth and attracting investments while emphasising ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure and streamline policies to create a business-friendly environment. Pant also stressed the importance of sustainability, citing a shift towards green carbon blac

ADB commits $241 mn loan to improve power distribution in West Bengal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 241.3-million loan to improve electricity distribution in West Bengal in order to help enhance people's quality of life by ensuring reliable and sustainable power supply. "This ADB programme is aligned with the government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, which aims to strengthen the operational efficiency of power distribution companies," ADB Principal Energy Specialist Roka Sanda said in a statement. Reliable and sustainable electricity distribution and service is essential to West Bengal's growth and development, the statement said. The West Bengal Distribution System Strengthening Program will improve electricity distribution for 8.96 million consumers in seven districts in the state, it said. The programme will ensure replacement of low-tension overhead lines with aerial bundled cables, separate electricity feeders for agriculture and non-agriculture users, and an integrated information and operation management system fo

Cyclone Dana updates: Odisha schools closed; tourists asked to leave Puri

Cyclone Dana: Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the impact of the cyclone

RG Kar case: Junior doctors end hunger strike after meeting with CM Mamata

Agitating junior doctors on Monday evening withdrew their weeks-long hunger strike over the RG Kar incident, hours after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The medics also called off their proposed shutdown in the state's health sector from Tuesday till an indefinite period. "In today's meeting (with the CM), we did get the assurance of some directives, but the body language of the state government was not positive... The common people have wholeheartedly supported us. They, as well as the parents of our deceased sister (RG Kar hospital victim), have been requesting us to call off the hunger strike, keeping in mind our deteriorating health. "We are therefore withdrawing our 'fast-unto-death' and also Tuesday's total shutdown in the health sector, but this is not a result of today's meeting but because the request came from the common people and the parents of Abhaya. This does not mean that we are ending the protest. In the coming days, we will conduct it in

Mamata meets Kultuli rape-murder victim's parents, assures quick justice

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday met the parents of a girl who was raped and murdered in Kultuli in South 24 Parganas district and assured them that the culprit would face the strictest punishment, a source said. The parents of the girl were accompanied by Canning's TMC MLA Saokat Mollah during the meeting at state secretariat Nabanna. "The CM assured them of all kinds of assistance and completion of investigation into the rape and murder of their daughter within three months. She assured them that the culprit would get the strictest form of punishment," the source told PTI. Police have so far arrested one person in connection with the incident. On October 5, the body of a class 4 student was recovered from a pond in Kultuli, leading to huge protests as locals torched vehicles, ransacked a police outpost and put up road blockades in the area.

Kolkata RG Kar case: Protesting junior doctors to meet CM Mamata today

The striking doctors said the outcome of the meeting will determine the future of the protest; they demand removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam as a key condition for resolving the situation

RG Kar case: TMC wants doctors' protest to be halted, says BJP leader

Bhattacharya said, TMC is under pressure, they realised that they are losing their chair

Amid CM's appeal to withdraw stir, doctors' hunger strike enters 16th day

Amid West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's request to agitating junior doctors to withdraw their indefinite hunger strike and come for talks, the 'fast-unto-death' of the medics demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim entered the 16th day on Sunday. Taking forward the proposal for talks, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Saturday evening invited the medics for talks with Banerjee for "45 minutes" from 5 pm on Monday at state secretariat Nabanna, conditional upon the "withdrawal of the hunger strike". However, the protesting doctors refused to end their hunger strike until all their demands were met but agreed to join the talks on Monday. Banerjee on Saturday spoke to the agitating doctors over phone during a visit by Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site in Kolkata's Esplanade area and urged them to end the hunger strike, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state ...

WB junior doctors demand action, Mamata calls for end to hunger strike

Mamata Banerjee urged protesting doctors to rise above politics and return to work, stating that people are dependent on them and need their services