1. MHA Sends ‘Bangla’ Name Proposal To MEA
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s dream to change the name of the state from ‘West Bengal’ to ‘Bangla’ moves an inch ahead as the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought the External Affairs Ministry’s opinion because of the similarity of the name with that of Bangladesh.
Sources in the state home department said MEA would take up the matter with the neighbouring country and once the ministry gives its nod, the process of the name change will become easier.
(Source: The Times Of India)
2. At 53, Air Quality Index Records Cleanest 1 Nov In Recent Years
The cyclonic circulation and the consequent drizzle seem to have washed away all the pollutants from the city’s ambient air. The clear sky, the sunny day and unhindered winds seem to have cleared the air.
“Today is perhaps the cleanest 1 November in recent years, with the air quality index recording a very low 53. The pollutant count has been dipping since Monday,” said environmentalist Animesh Bhattacharya, who keeps tabs on the change in ambient air with altering weather condition. The 1st of November was also without the notorious “November haze”, which usually shrouds Kolkata at the onset of winter. But despite the clear air, the pollution index of the city steadily remains static at 200+scale, making environmentalists fear the worst winter to come.
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. Non-Subsidised Cylinder Rate Inches Towards ₹1k Mark
LPG, both non-subsidised and subsidised, turned the costliest in Kolkata among the four Metros on Thursday. While in the non-subsidised category, an LPG cylinder weighing 14.2kg came for Rs 969.50, the price of that of a subsidised cylinders was Rs 508.7, the highest in the past three years. This means, an average household will now have to shell out Rs 208.5 more for every cylinder than what they did at the beginning of the year.
This hike in price could not have come at a worse time most households here. “The average household expenses are shooting up. The hike in petrol and diesel prices has already translated the use of a private car into an expensive affair. Add to this, the LPG price rise. This is inflating the monthly budget,” a Tollygunge resident said.
(Source: The Times Of India)
4. Pollution Body Banks On Kids For Cracker Awareness
The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) is making schools students “ambassadors of change” to spread awareness about the recent Supreme Court order against excessive bursting of firecrackers.
WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said on Thursday: “People need to know about the 23 October verdict, allowing only an 8pm to 10pm window for bursting of crackers, which is a big relief for all of us. The top court imposed a complete ban on sale of firecrackers in Delhi NCR last year. For Bengal and the rest of the country, this is the first time the festival of lights would be celebrated under strict restrictions. The best messenger for the novel decision are schoolchildren.”
(Source: The Times Of India)
5. Med Entrance Exam Time Deferred By 4 Hrs
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which will conduct its first medical entrance examination, has decided to postpone the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) from 10am to 2pm in 2019. It will be held between 2pm and 5pm.
Students will immensely benefit because till this year, candidates under slot 1 were required to reach the designated exam centres by 8.30am. Students in slot II had to reach between 9.30am. Students who failed to reach the centres on time were refused entry and those who reported at 7.30am were not allowed to eat or carry tiffin till the exam was over.
(Source: The Times Of India)
6. Qatar Airways Aircraft Damaged After Tanker Run-In
A water tanker rammed into the belly of a Qatar Airways aircraft at the city airport early on Thursday, ripping off a portion of the metal.
The Dreamliner Boeing 737-800 series aircraft had arrived from Doha around 2 am and was hit by the tanker around 20 minutes later, airport officials said. All passengers and airline crew had disembarked by then.
The driver of the water tanker, Sanat Chowdhury, has told officials that the brake of the water tanker had malfunctioned, airport sources said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. Road Woes Of Rajarhat Residents
Residents of housing complexes in a pocket of Rajarhat where apartments sell for Rs 45-70 lakh but the link road is a dirt track marched till the township’s Biswa Bangla Convention Centre on Thursday to protest the lack of initiative to ease their daily commuting distress.
Around 200 members of gated communities like PS Ixora, Sunrise Greens and Clubtown Courtyard were in the crowd that converged on the airport-bound flank of the main arterial road cutting through New Town. They stalled traffic for close to 40 minutes from 9.30am.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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