Page 76 - West Bengal

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Work on to make new plaque under ASI norms: Visva-Bharati VC to Bengal CM

Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor on Sunday said work was underway to "prepare" a plaque retaining UNESCO's declaration of Santiniketan as a world heritage site and in adherence to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) guidelines. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged the Centre to remove the plaques on UNESCO World Heritage Site status to Santiniketan for not bearing the name of Visva-Bharati founder Rabindranath Tagore. In a letter to Banerjee, vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty called upon her "not to continue to form your opinion on the basis of what your sycophants convey". "I wonder whether you are perturbed that in the plaque, Rabindranath does not figureI just would like to draw your attention to our difficulties," Chakraborty said. Urging Banerjee to "please apply your mind," the VC said, "UNESCO declared Santiniketan as a World Heritage Site and we need to follow the ASI instructions while preparing the plaque and we are doing it, the result of which wil

Jyotipriyo Mallick: From Mamata loyalist to "scam-tainted" minister

Jyotipriyo Mallick, a senior TMC leader, saw his four-decade-long political journey take a severe hit as the Enforcement Directorate arrested him on Friday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam in the state. Sixty-five-year-old Mallick presently holds the portfolios of Forest Affairs and Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy in the Mamata Banerjee government. He was the West Bengal Food Supplies Minister from 2011 to 2021, a period during which the alleged irregularities in ration distribution reportedly took place. Mallick stepped into politics as a leader of the Congress students' wing Chatra Parishad - in the early eighties during his college years, inspired by then-firebrand mass leaders Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Mamata Banerjee. Born into a middle-class family in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district in 1958, he delved into politics while pursuing a career in law. Recognizing his organizational skills, a local

ED arrests Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested West Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-core ration distribution scam in the state, official sources said on Friday. The minister was apprehended under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the early hours of Friday following over 17-18 hours of questioning, they said. He will be produced before a local court where the ED will seek his custody."I am a victim of a great conspiracy," the TMC minister said after being arrested by ED in connection with the alleged ration distribution scam. Earlier on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to file a police complaint if anything happens to Mallick during the questioning as he was unwell and had several medical ailments. The central agency had launched searches at Mallick's premises on Thursday. It also searched his ancestral house on Amherst Street in central Kolkata. The alleged scam pertains to reported ...

After plaque row, Visva Bharati says it was a temporary structure

Visva Bharati University on Wednesday said the plaque, which triggered a row to mark the UNESCO heritage status to Santiniketan, was just a temporary structure to demarcate the heritage site. The plaque set up at several places in the sprawling campus of the central university bore the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is ex-officio Chancellor of the university, and Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty, but does not have any mention of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore who set up the varsity. Reacting to this, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar had earlier said, "UNESCO specifically said they are honouring Rabindranath Tagore and his unique legacy by declaring Santiniketan as a World Heritage Site. A megalomaniac V-C and his boss seem to think UNESCO is honouring them!!," A section of ashramites and left-leaning student activists had also objected to the move. When contacted, Visva Bharati spokesperson Mahua Bandyopadhyay told PTI, "It was a purely temporary structure raised to ...

Cyclone 'Hamoon' intensifies into severe cyclonic storm over Bay of Bengal

The cyclone, which passes in the sea, will remain about 200 km from Odisha coast and therefore, no major impact is expected in the state other than light to moderate rainfall in the coastal areas

TMC will launch bigger movement if no response on MGNREGA dues: Abhishek

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said the party will launch a bigger movement, in which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also participate, if a response from the Centre regarding the state's MGNREGA dues is not received by the end of this month. Addressing a meeting in South 24 Parganas district's Bishnupur, which falls under his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, the TMC national general secretary said, "People of West Bengal have worked for two years but have not received their wages under the scheme. I had asked people to choose between 'Paa Dhoro' (beg them) and 'Delhi Chalo' (march to Delhi) options to get their dues and they chose the latter." "Trains were cancelled at the last moment to prevent West Bengal's poor from reaching Delhi to fight for their rights. Permission for protests was also not granted," he said. Banerjee, while recalling the TMC's stir earlier this month over the issue, alleged that Union Minister of State for

Ronaldinho ignites Durga Puja festivities, casts spell on WB football fans

Wearing his infectious goofy grin, 'Samba Magician' Ronaldinho cast a spell on the football-crazy denizens of Kolkata as his arrival for a two-day visit here ushered in an early onset of the Durga Puja festival. The Durga Puja, the grandest festival in the region, traditionally commences on the sixth day (Shasthi) following Mahalaya, but it got rolling on the second day itself with the 'Gaucho' inaugurating a series of pandals. On a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah also came to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal, it was the Brazil legend who took all the limelight. Wherever he went, chants of 'Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho' and 'Brazil, Brazil' echoed through the crowd, as hundreds of fans eagerly gathered to catch a glimpse of the former Barcelona and AC Milan star. Ronaldinho got himself dressed up in casual shorts, a loosely-fitted navy blue T-shirt, and topping it with his signature snapback cap. "Muchas gracias. Mucho carino (many thanks, much affection)," the 'King of Jogo Bonito' ...

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CBI books 24 in passport 'scam', raids 50 locations in West Bengal, Gangtok

The CBI is conducting searches at 50 locations in West Bengal and Gangtok having booked 24 persons including government officials and private individuals for allegedly issuing passports on the basis of forged documents, officials said Saturday. The CBI has detained an official posted in Gangtok and also a middleman, they said. The FIR names 24 individuals including 16 officials who were allegedly issuing passports on the basis of forged documents to ineligible persons, including non-residents, in return for bribes, they said. The searches are spread across Kolkata, Siliguri, Gangtok, and other locations, they said.

BJP threatens mega rally against corruption in MGNREGA in WB, TMC counters

BJP on Friday threatened to hold a massive rally in the city after Durga Puja against the alleged corruption in the utilisation of MGNREGA funds in rural Bengal. It provoked a sharp retort from the ruling TMC, which accused the saffron camp of diverting attention from legitimate demands for the release of overdue state funds. The state BJP indicated that the date and time of the proposed protest rally will be announced soon. West Bengal BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar said that the party will mobilise the underprivileged rural communities deprived of benefits of various central schemes due to the alleged corruption by local TMC leaders. "There are thousands of cases of corruption by local TMC leaders which have deprived the people of rural Bengal of the benefits of various central schemes, including housing under PM Awas Yojna and access to toilets under the Swachh Bharat scheme," he said. Majumdar's assertions followed TMC's protest in New Delhi and the five-day sit-in outside

ADB joins hand with Bengal govt to study economic corridors' development

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has joined hands with the West Bengal government to undertake a study for the development of state economic corridors, a government statement said on Friday. The ADB is "keen to support the projects with technical expertise and funding", it said. The government, in the statement, said the study aims at "strategising economic development across the nodes of Andal-Panagarh, Kharagapur-Goaltore-Salboni and growth centres such as Siliguri, Dankuni and Kalyani with urban-industriallogistics-skills-energy-social sector convergence". The ADB has worked on a number of landmark projects, including the East Coast Economic Corridor and the Bangladesh Corridor study, it said. During the day, a stakeholder consultation meeting was held by Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi with key industries on the Industrial and Economic Corridor Project. Senior representatives from ADB, consulting firm Deloitte, industry body FICCI and various businesses of the industrial parks alo

HPL to invest Rs 3,000 cr to set up new chemical plants in West Bengal

Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) will invest Rs 3,000 crore to set up new plants in West Bengal, a company spokesperson said on Thursday. It will build the first on-purpose propylene plant and a phenol unit at its existing manufacturing facility at Haldia, and both the projects are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2026, he said. The phenol plant will have a production capacity of 300 kilo tonnes per annum of phenol and 185 KTPA of acetone, he said. "With the commissioning of these plants, the overall chemical business portfolio is expected to increase by an additional Rs 5,000 crore," Narayan said. The propylene plant will be based on olefin conversion technology (OCT). According to the spokesperson, the company earned a revenue of Rs 999 crore from speciality chemicals during the last 2022-23 fiscal. HPL said the proposed investment will likely be the largest in West Bengal in the chemical sector in the last two decades. Narayan said the two projects will generat

TMC ends sit-in as Guv commits to take up MGNREGA dues issue with Centre

The five-day dharna' staged by the TMC outside the Bengal Raj Bhavan ended Monday after Governor CV Amanda Bose met the party's leader Abhishek Banerjee and gave an assurance of fulfilling his solemn responsibility" by addressing the issue of MGNREGA dues to the state. Bose had already met a TMC delegation in Darjeeling on Saturday and followed it up with Monday's meeting at Raj Bhavan where Banerjee was present. The dharna was to press for payment of Bengal's claims for central funds on account of various schemes including MGNREGA and housing for the poor. Banerjee, however, threatened to relaunch the agitation under TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee's leadership on November 1 if a satisfactory response on non-payment of MGNREGA wages to workers was not received. The central government had earlier claimed that there were discrepancies in West Bengal's accounts for the scheme and hence payments had been delayed. According to officials at the Raj Bhavan, a TMC delegation led by Abhishek

ITC Hotels brand Storii to set up presence in Kolkata, slated to open 2024

ITC Hotels on Monday announced the signing of its first 'Storii' property in West Bengal. The property will be located near the metropolis and is slated to open in early 2024. According to a company spokesman, ITC Hotels already has three 'Storii' properties which are presently operational in Goa and Dharamshala. The Kolkata property will have 30 keys, the spokesman said. Anil Chadha, divisional chief executive of ITC Hotels, said "ITC Hotels has a strong presence in Kolkata. The 'Storii' property will be a boutique resort away from the hustle and bustle of metro life." ITC's Storii hotels are boutique properties with each having a unique 'story' owing to its architecture, location, heritage, theme or facility offerings. Ravi Todi, director, South City Projects (Kolkata), said that this is the first hospitality venture of the property developer which will bring a world-class boutique resort with a Spa.

TMC dubs Governor's decision to meet party delegation as 'people's victory'

The Trinamool Congress dubbed Governor C V Ananda Bose's decision to meet their party delegation on Monday as a triumph of Bengal's resilience, in the wake of the indefinite sit-in outside Raj Bhavan, which entered its fifth day, demanding clearance of the state dues under MGNREGA by the Centre. The TMC delegation, led by party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, is scheduled to meet the governor on Monday evening. According to sources at Raj Bhavan, Bose, who returned to the city on Sunday, has consented to the meeting with the TMC delegation on Monday at 4 pm. In an official statement, the TMC stated, "In response to our official mail dated October 7, Honourable Governor, West Bengal, CV Ananda Bose has granted an appointment on Monday, October 9 at 4 PM to the AITC delegation to be led by our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee." The TMC celebrated the development on social media, declaring it a victory and stating that the governor had finally "relented" an

WB Governor gives appointment to protesting TMC leaders to meet today

The TMC party has been on a sit-in protest in front of Raj Bhavan in Kolkata since Thursday

CBI searches senior Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim's residence: Officials

The CBI conducted searches at the residence of senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim in Kolkata on Sunday morning in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in recruitments made by the civic bodies in the state, officials said. Hakim, the minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, is also the mayor of Kolkata. He is a senior leader of the TMC and has significant sway in the party's organisation. A team of CBI officers reached Hakim's residence in south Kolkata's Chetla area along with a large contingent of central forces, officials said. "Two CBI officers are questioning him," a senior official told PTI. As the searches began, Hakim's supporters gathered outside his house, and began a protest. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched multiple locations, including the residence of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh, in connection with the case. It is alleged by the central investigating agencies that around 1,500 people wer

Centre discriminating against flood-hit people in north Bengal: CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday alleged that the Centre is discriminating against the flood-affected people of north Bengal despite the "gravity" of the disaster in the area and the number of deaths being similar to that in neighbouring Sikkim. She said that the Bengal government has and will continue to help Sikkim at this hour of need. "Bengal is not a beggar", she said demanding "equality in treatment and non-discrimination in matters related to central help". Banerjee mentioned that since the night of the flashflood, her government has sent assistance of Rs 25 crore to Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts and teams senior ministers and officials are still in the affected areas monitoring the situation in the flood-hit north Bengal districts. "The disaster that struck our brothers and sisters in Sikkim has also struck my people in Darjeeling hills and Kalimpong also. The strategic chicken's neck area of West Ben

Rs 6,907 cr due from GOI to West Bengal under MGNREGS: Amit Mitra

During a press conference, Mitra criticised the govt of India for not releasing the rightful dues to states, thus affecting rural employment opportunities for 25.4 mn job card holders in WB