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QKolkata: Study On Pollution Stuck in a Rut; E-Buses Coming Soon

Your daily lowdown for all things Kolkata.

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India
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1. Study On Pollution Source Gets Tangled In Red Tape

The source apportionment study on air pollution in Kolkata and Howrah has been delayed due to red tape, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) has said in a reply to an RTI filed by a green action group. The revelation comes at a time when the city is struggling to deal with the worst-ever air pollution with the civic authority and the state doing precious little to address the situation.

The study to find out which source contributes how much to the pollution was entrusted to the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) by WBPCB in November 2017. The report is critical to devise a mitigation plan as pollution from different sources have to be prioritised and addressed according to their contribution to the overall pie.

(Source: The Times Of India)

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2. Sit At Home, Register Marriage Online

Bengal has become the second state after New Delhi to give citizens the option of tying the knot online. Citizens can choose from around 1,500 marriage registrars across Bengal and get hitched without having to visit the registry office once.

The process, say officials, is “absolutely seamless”. You go to the site (rgmwb.gov.in), fill up the form, give personal and physical details required and pay the registration fee online. Only the ultimate step — signing on the dotted line in the presence of three witnesses — is offline.

(Source: The Times Of India)

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3. Touts Are Back Amid Festive Rush At Airport

The spurt in city-bound passengers this festive season has brought back taxi touts – and this time they have a larger gang – at the Kolkata airport.

The touts went underground and remained out of sight for some months on the face of a police crackdown following TOI reports in July this year. But with the increase in traffic volume – many Kolkatans return home in winter from other states and abroad – they have staged a comeback to make some quick bucks.

(Source: The Times Of India)

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4. Metro Reduces Carbon Footprint, Raises Green Power Production

At a time when Kolkata air quality is under severe scrutiny, Metro Railway claims that its emission of carbon dioxide to the environment has come down by 1,327.88% in the last four-and-a-half years. This has been possible through the use of solar power. While solar panels have been installed on the roofs of existing buildings, upcoming ones, like the stations at Dakshineswar and Baranagar will be totally green ones.

“Solar panels have already been installed on the roofs of Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Kavi Subhash stations. There are also panels on the roofs of the Noapara sub-station and Tapan Sinha Memorial Hospital. Our endeavour is to use solar power for all non-operational purposes. Most lamps in offices and stations are now being lit using solar power. We also use solar power at our carsheds. Water is also heated using the panels,” Metro Railway CPRO Indrani Banerjee said.

(Source: The Times Of India)

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5. Hospital Waives Treatment Fees, Arranges Medical Equipment For 2-Yr-Old With Breathing Ailment

Little Zeeshan has spent almost half of his life in the hospital — the longest duration being the last six months. Zeeshan, who can’t breathe without oxygen support beyond half an hour, could have gone back home two months ago if his parents could afford the medical equipment he needed at home.

On Wednesday, however, the boy aged 2 years and 4 months got his Christmas gift in advance. Playing Santa to him were doctors and nurses, who had treated him at the Institute of Child Health (ICH). He returned home with the life saving gifts, including a BIPAP, pulse oximeter, nebulizer, an oxygen concentrator and a promise to send him to AIIMS New Delhi for further treatment.

(Source: The Times Of India)

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6. January Debut For Electric Bus Fleet In Calcutta

Calcutta’s centuries-old mass transport system is set to shift gears and go green as battery-run buses hit the roads by January-end.

Eighty such buses will ply across 10 routes. The move is aimed at reducing vehicular pollution, transport bosses said.

Two of these buses have reached the city and 20-odd are scheduled to arrive by next month. The heavy industries ministry will provide 60 percent of the funds for such purchases across 11 cities with a million-plus population.

(Source: The Telegraph)

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7. More Police Areas In Bengal Crack Down On Drunk-Driving

Almost 6,000 driving licences were suspended between July and September across six police commissionerates other than Calcutta, the surge in prosecutions reflecting the magnitude of a problem shown up by stricter vigilance.

Suspension of licences for drink driving or using a phone at the wheel was until a year ago limited to areas under the jurisdiction of the city police. Since the campaign against these two offences started, the prosecution rate across police commissionerates around the city has shot up.

In 2017, the number of driving licences suspended within the same time frame was less than half the tally of 5,956 this year.

(Source: The Telegraph)

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