Page 46 - West Bengal

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

RG Kar case: Protest continues, doctors' fast-unto-death enters 15th day

The fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 15th day on Saturday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting doctors have been hospitalised after their health condition deteriorated. Eight doctors are currently on indefinite fast while demanding that the state government act constructively by October 21 to end the impasse. One of the medics said that they would be forced to resort to strike across the state on October 22 if their demands are not met by Monday. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands", a junior doctor said. Several theatre personalities also held a symbolic hunger strike on Saturday to express solidarity with the protesting doctors. The agitating doctors planned to hold a mega rally on Sunday to press for their demands, which include the removal of Health Secretary N S Niga

RG Kar case: All doctors to go on strike in WB on Oct 22 if demands not met

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been seeking justice for their deceased colleague at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Friday threatened to hold a strike by all medics in the state on October 22 if their demands are not met. Stating that they are in talks with their colleagues in other states, the medics said there may also be a country-wide strike by doctors on Tuesday over the issue. The junior medics said that they, along with senior doctors, were giving a deadline to the state government till October 21 to fulfil their demands. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands," Debasish Halder, one of the agitating junior doctors, told reporters. "Unless this is done, all the junior and senior doctors of both government and private healthcare facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday," he said after a meeting between the junior doctors and their seniors here. Claiming that the doctors were n

RG Kar issue: Delhi doctors demand justice, safety measures for workers

Doctors of government hospitals on Thursday demanded "justice for Abhaya", urging action in the ongoing fight for justice for a female doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital. The Delhi RDA Action Committee, an umbrella body of doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, and Lady Hardinge Medical College, held a press conference to express solidarity with their protesting fellow doctors in the West Bengal capital. Apart from demands for "justice for Abhaya", the committee also emphasises the need for urgent measures to ensure safety of healthcare workers at hospitals across the country. The joint press conference took place this evening at the Dhanvantri Hostel of ABVIMS and Dr RML Hospital, where representatives from various Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs) voiced their concerns over the increasing insensitivity of authorities towards the safety and security of healthcare professionals. GTB Hospital RDA .

RG Kar case: Fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors enters 13th day

A fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 13th day on Thursday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting junior doctors had to be hospitalised following severe deterioration of their health parameters, Dr Suvendu Mallick said. At present, eight medics are on the indefinite fast at the protest site in Esplanade, situated at the heart of Kolkata, he said. The protesting doctors have been demanding justice for the deceased woman medic of the RG Kar hospital, and immediate removal of state Health Secretary NS Nigam. Their other demands include establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at their workplaces. They are also demanding increased police ..

95% of hospital upgrades done in Bengal, but RG Kar delays raise concerns

Key infrastructure upgrades in West Bengal hospitals include CCTV installations, better washroom facilities, and new duty rooms were supported by a budget of over Rs 113 crore

RG Kar case: Junior doctors' indefinite hunger strike enters 11th day

The indefinite hunger strike of junior doctors of West Bengal to press for their demands in the wake of the RG Kar Hospital incident entered the 11th day on Tuesday, as a meeting between medics and the state government failed to resolve the deadlock. Two more doctors participating in the 'fast-unto-death' in Esplanade area of Kolkata fell ill, further fueling the ongoing unrest sparked by the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. A crucial meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant held at Swasthya Bhavan on Monday concluded without any resolution. The doctors' hunger strike began on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. As of Tuesday, seven junior doctors continued their hunger strike, with several requiring immediate medical attention. Pulastha Acharya,

Aiims doctors seek prez's intervention as WB colleagues continue strike

Despite continuous protests, including the hunger strike, no significant action has been taken by the authorities in West Bengal

Faima pauses strike as Bengal govt holds emergency meet with doctors

Doctor's body asks resident doctors associations to be ready to stop elective services in case meeting does not address demands

Unrest amid Durga Puja festivities: 1 dead in UP; police attacked in Howrah

In UP, the victim died due to a gunfire incident as a clash broke out in Bahraich district between two groups over immersion of the idol of goddess Durga