1. Man Gets Soap Instead of Phone, Bites Postmaster
Infuriated after a leading online store shipped him a washing bar worth Rs 5 instead of the cellphone he ordered, an Uluberia cable TV operator on Saturday, 27 October, bit and assaulted the local post master and tried to flee with the post office cash box. Md Aftarul, 48, who was granted bail on Sunday by a local court, has lodged a complaint against the online retailer on fraud charges. Police said they have sought an explanation from the retailer with headquarters in Thane.
According to sources Aftarul told cops he had booked a cellphone on 15 October. “The price of the cellphone was Rs 3,500 and they added Rs 98 as shipping charges,” Aftarul said. “I am wary about online purchases since I had been duped once. However, I had promised my son this cellphone. Since the retailer does not ship to Uluberia’s Gangarampur, I was asked to provide the address of my local post office – Kaijhuri sub-post office – which I did,” he added.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Army Red Light to Maidan Cracker Mart Leaves Responsible Revellers at a Loss
The Army’s refusal to allow a Bazi Bazar at Maidan this year – the largest market for green and legal fireworks – has upset responsible fireworks buyers in Kolkata. The move, they said, will now force them to visit the local markets, which rarely have any quality control.
“I think the decision to close one of the major legal fireworks fairs will only lead to a spike in the sale of illegal fireworks in local markets,” said Anirban Ghosh, a resident of Baishnabghata-Patuli township.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Plea to Regularise East Calcutta Wetlands Road
The environment department, whose responsibility it is to protect the East Calcutta Wetlands, has appealed to the Union ministry to consider as “a special case” a road cutting through Munshir Bheri to connect Sector V with the other end of the sprawling water body.
The eastern zonal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the environment department a year ago “to take appropriate steps to remove all illegal structures” on Munshir Bheri, which effectively meant the demolition of the road constructed by the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) in violation of wetland rules.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Puja Pause on Bridges
The Public Works Department has failed to lighten bridges with load more than the design parameter as it could not get traffic blocked in the festive season, sources said.
“We are yet to start the work on majority of the bridges where excessive dead-load has been reported. It was not possible to undertake the work during the festive season as getting traffic blocked on the bridges could have led to severe congestion and harassment of common people,” said a senior government official.
PWD secretary Arnab Roy had issued an order on September 10 asking officials to shed load within 10 days from all bridges where the bituminous layer was more than the design parameters.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Private Buses to Ply All Day, But in Fewer Numbers
For three days from Monday, 29 October, when the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates has decided to ply buses only during peak hours, the Mini Bus Operators’ Welfare Association and Bengal Bus Syndicate have assured they will run some vehicles throughout the day. As a result, commuters will have buses all day, albeit in fewer numbers. The protest had been called against the rise in fuel prices.
Operators felt there would be chaos if all private buses stayed off the roads after the peak hours in the morning and before the rush time in the evening, with schools having reopened after the Puja break.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Tidal Traffic Flow on Bailey Bridges From Tomorrow
Police will introduce tidal traffic flow on the Bailey bridges joining New Alipore with Alipore from Tuesday morning, a day after all major educational institutions and government offices reopen after the Puja break on Monday, 29 October.
Since the Bailey bridges were thrown open to traffic on 12 October, a north-bound traffic flow was maintained on them to handle vehicular pressure. Residents of Behala and New Alipore, who travel by cars, said they were spending hardly 10-20 minutes in the area (depending on the movements of trains on the Budge Budge-Sealdah section) while going to office. The journey back home, however, is reportedly taking between 25 minutes and 40 minutes due to the excessive traffic flow in the peak evening hours – between 5:30pm and 8pm – as they were channelised via Durgapur Bridge and Hide Road.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Snatchers’ Den Under VIP Rd Median Divider Stumps Cops
Reacting to a complaint of mobile phone snatching, Bidhannagar Police was stumped to find a gang of thieves living under a hollow space under a blackstone ox sculpture on the beautified median divider on VIP Road, opposite to the Kolkata airport. This hideout was a major security glitch considering the fact that hundreds of VIPs and dignitaries pass along the stretch every day.
“The discovery has allowed us to avert one of the biggest law and order and security threats in recent times. We had no clue that some criminals had been hiding under the statue. Criminals could have easily used the space to attack any dignitary, who may have been using the stretch,” said an officer of Airport police station, who busted the gang on Sunday, 28 October.
(Source: The Times of India)
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