QKolkata: Howrah Air Worse Than Delhi; Floating Market Opens
Your daily lowdown of all things Kolkata.
1. Howrah Beats Delhi On Foul Air Meter
The average air quality index (AQI) of Howrah, home to Bengal's administrative headquarters, during the week starting 15 January was found to be worse than Delhi's.
Data recorded by the pollution control board's manual measuring station at the Howrah Municipal Corporation reveals that the AQI during the period from 15 to 21 January was 450, which falls in the "severe" category – the worst category according to the environment and forest ministry.
During the period, Delhi's average AQI was 332, around 26 percent lower than Howrah's.
For five days in the week, Howrah had topped the list of most polluted cities in the country. Ghaziabad was the topper on the other two days.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Docu On Geocentric Man Called ‘Anti-Scientific’, Denied Nod
A documentary about a man who has been plastering Kolkata's walls since the 1970s with his theory that the "Sun revolves around the Earth once in 365 days" has run into an unexpected hurdle. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has withheld permission for the film's release, reportedly on the ground that it is "anti-scientific.”
'The Geocentric Man', a 40-minute documentary directed by Saumya Sengupta, is about self-proclaimed scientist Kartick Chandra Paul. It even carries a disclaimer that the movie isn't an endorsement of what Paul has been claiming.
“Anti-scientific” may be the reason cited by CBFC insiders, but the reason furnished to the filmmakers has left them scratching their heads. The board viewed the documentary on January.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Bengal BJP Decries ‘Padmaavat’ Violence
To watch or not to watch Padmaavat? If that’s the question, the state BJP leadership had no clear answer to it on Wednesday, 24 January.
With Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period film releasing in Bengal theatres on Wednesday evening, BJP leaders and their sympathisers were divided over their stand in the contentious issue. While Union Minister Babul Supriyo, Rajya Sabha MP Roopa Ganguly and BJP leader Locket Chatterjee had no reservations about watching it, BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha and state BJP vice president Subhas Sarkar decided to stay away.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Presi Eyes Next Session To Reopen Hindu Hostel
Presidency University is trying to reopen Eden Hindu Hostel from the next academic session, which starts on 1 August.
Presidency Vice Chancellor Anuradha Lohia has asked the planning and development committee of the university to update her on the progress of work. She has also requested to fast-track the work, without compromising the safety and quality of repairs.
Renovation work of Hindu Hostel has been going on for the last two years. During the course of renovation, a lot of unexpected damages were discovered, which led to the delay.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Six Hurt as Sword-Wielding Cyclist Attacks Picnickers
A 34-year-old man on a cycle attacked a group of picnickers at Alambazar Colony in Baranagar with a sword on Tuesday, 23 January, injuring six. The man, identified as Suraj Kumar Roy (34), was later arrested from a neighbourhood 800 metres away from the spot.
Around 9.30pm on Tuesday, a group of picnickers in Alambazar Colony noticed Roy on a cycle, wielding a sword. He rushed towards them and before anyone of them could react, started slashing at everyone.
“I ran to a nearby fast food joint for cover. I could see others running to save their lives, while the man continued to yell ‘Joy Maa’ and swing his sword wildly,” a schoolgirl said.
The attack left 42-year-old labour contractor Baburam Shaw severely injured. Roy hacked at Shaw around five times and almost severed his right hand.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Market Sets Sail on Patuli Lake
The government on Wednesday, 24 January, inaugurated a bazaar on a water body in Patuli with the promise to train traders against littering the water body.
The underlying message: traders will lose business if people stop visiting the market because the lake is filled with garbage and it stinks.
"Traders will be trained regularly on ways to keep the water body clean. Plastic bags won't be allowed," a CMDA executive engineer said.
The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority is the executing agency of the floating market.
Shopkeepers have been told not to throw waste into the water. Nets will be used to fish out vegetable peel, fish scales and other waste from the water, the engineer said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the floating market via videoconferencing. The market aims to rehabilitate shopkeepers of the Baishnabghata-Patuli market that is being demolished for the widening of the Bypass.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. Why Lunch In Darjeeling Will Be a Stretch
The city airport does not have enough night-parking facilities for airlines to operate more flights at dawn, making it difficult for a traveller to reach even Darjeeling in time for lunch on the same day.
The earliest flight to Bagdogra in Siliguri is at 10.50am, and the airfare is sometimes almost double that for an afternoon take-off, according to travel operators.
Since all other flights are in the second half of the day, it means tourists visiting Darjeeling or Sikkim are often forced to spend a night in Siliguri or take the undesirable option of a hill journey that stretches well past dusk.
There are either no morning flights or fewer than needed to several other destinations because the airport cannot meet the demand for night parking.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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