QKolkata: CM Asks Questions On Border Strikes & More
Your daily lowdown of all things Kolkata.
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1. After Prayers By CM, It’s Time For Questions
Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday tweeted prayers for Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s safe return but raised questions later in the evening on the pre-emptive air strikes on Pakistani territory earlier this week.
The evening comments assumed political significance as it articulated her stand against a war for “merely winning elections” and ended her virtual silence since Monday when she had issued a caustic statement against the Narendra Modi government over the Pulwama terror attack.
“We can demand to know, how many people died in the purported air strike (in Balakot); who died, what was the actual incident…? None of us knows the details that the people of the country should know,” Mamata said as she left state secretariat Nabanna around 6.30pm.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. 100mm Pours On City In 24 Hours
The city received almost 100mm of rain in 24 hours till Thursday morning as the wettest February in Calcutta in a decade came to an end amidst waterlogging in many areas.
The weather department has predicted that the sky would clear on Friday, leading to a fall in the early morning and night temperatures.
Mayor Firhad Hakim said polythene and plastic packets and other items had clogged the drains, causing waterlogging on roads such as Central Avenue, College Street, Muktaram Babu Street and Amherst Street and pockets in Jadavpur, Behala and Kidderpore and near Science City.
(Source: The Telegraph)
3. 45L Vehicles In 12 Hrs Leave City Gasping
Nearly 3,750 vehicles are on the move per minute on city roads between 8am and 8pm, spewing a cocktail of killer gases and soot that has the city gasping for breath. This adds up to 27 lakh vehicles in half a day or 45,000 an hour with each emitting noxious fumes and fine particulate matter that sneak into our blood stream causing various ailments, including cancer.
The high concentration of vehicles is made acute by the limited road length of 1,404 km, which accounts for barely 6% of the city’s total area, with the majority being just two-lane roads. Of the nearly 3,750 vehicles, over 1,900 are in central Kolkata alone. According to a recent vehicle density study by Kolkata Police, the average count in south Kolkata is 6 lakh, 13.7 lakh in central Kolkata and 7 lakh in north Kolkata.
(Source: The Times Of India)
4. Cable Tariff Fine Print Must, Says Mayor
Broadcasters, multi-system operators and cable operators have to tell subscribers in simple terms how best to choose channels at a minimum cost in the new tariff regime, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Thursday.
They should ensure that the subscriber be told about channel prices, packages and bouquets of channels, inclusive of GST, Hakim said after a meeting with broadcasters and operators at the civic headquarters. The practice in the industry is to print prices without taxes, which leads to confusion.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. North Bengal Rhino Count Up 12% In 4 Yrs, Now At 280
The count of one-horned rhinoceros in north Bengal forests has risen by about 12% in the past four years, largely as a result of sustained efforts in providing a better habitat, protection from poachers and engagement with local communities.
The region is now home to over 280 rhinos, compared to over 250 four years ago, a preliminary report of a census based on direct sighting of the animal conducted earlier this year has revealed.
The one-horned rhino population in Bengal is the second largest in India after Assam, but the count had declined sharply due to poaching. Despite stringent vigil, the region saw seven cases of poaching between February 2015 and February 2018.
(Source: The Times Of India)
6. Man Dies In Bid To Board Moving Bus
A 30-year-old man died while trying to board a minibus around 8am on Thursday. The incident was reported from the Park Circus Connector-Gobinda Khatick Road crossing. Cops said the driver managed to escape from the spot.
According to police, the victim, identified as Md Ghulam, a resident of GJ Khan Road, sustained multiple injuries after he fell down from the Panchannagram-Howrah minibus.
The victim was on his way to work and had tried to board the Howrah bound bus while it was on the move. Cops said the victim was rushed to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition. However, after a couple of hours, he was declared dead.
(Source: The Times Of India)
7. State Notifies Sound-Limiter For DJ, Loudspeakers
The state finally complied with the National Green Tribunal’s 2017 order and issued a gazette notification on Thursday, banning the use of DJs, sound boxes and loudspeakers without sound-limiters. Issued by the additional chief secretary Indevar Pandey, the enactment was now actionable, said West Bengal Pollution Control Board chairman Kalyan Rudra. A sound-limiter will cut out noise above 55dB.
With this notification, the sound pollution created by loud music blaring out of loudspeakers could be hoped to be stopped as police will act against them. “Police and authorities granting permission to pujas, musical performances and meetings will have to ensure that the establishments from which sound equipment is obtained have licences and sound-limiters,” an environment department official said.
(Source: The Times Of India)