1. Bengal Resolves Against NRC
The Assembly on Friday passed a resolution opposing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and ruled out the possibility of any such exercise in Bengal.
The resolution — introduced by the Trinamul Congress and supported by the Left and the Congress — is the first such official protest against the exercise that has kept 19 lakh people in Assam out of the final list.
“We do not accept the NRC. What has happened in Assam can never happen in Bengal,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who spoke for around 30 minutes on the resolution that was tabled under Rule 185 of the Rules of Procedures of Conduct of Business of the House.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Loans to Pay but Homeless in Bowbazar
All apartment blocks to come up in Calcutta have to reserve a certain portion of their parking area to set up electric vehicle charging stations, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Friday.
Apartment blocks with built-up area of 20,000 sqm or more have to reserve 10 per cent of the parking area to set up the charging station. The ones with built-up area of less than 20,000 sqm have to set aside five per cent of the parking space for the purpose.
Sources in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation said the rule would only be applicable to new buildings.
(Source: The Telegraph)
3. Victims’ Plight on Mamata’s Lips
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee highlighted the plight of displaced Bowbazar residents during a discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC)in the Assembly on Friday.
“When you are given only a few minutes to run out of a crumbling building, do you have the time to carry all your certificates and documents?” Banerjee wondered during her address on a resolution that the Assembly passed against the NRC on Friday.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Mamata Concern Letter to Modi on Bank Merger
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting the Centre’s decision to merge two Calcutta-headquartered public sector banks with banks headquartered in Delhi and Chennai without holding any consultation with the Bengal government and urged him to reconsider the move.
Besides questioning whether the decision conformed to the country’s federal polity, Mamata expressed apprehension that the move to merge Allahabad Bank with Indian Bank and United Bank of India (UBI) with Punjab National Bank would “create a disaster” for the people and all sectors of the economy.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Bengal: VHP to Reach out to 2 Lakh People, Explain ‘Perils of Infiltration’
The Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will approach two lakh people to explain them the present situation of infiltration in Bengal, and the need to bring in National Register of Citizens (NRC) not only in the state but the entire nation. VHP will also initiate a membership drive from November in the state.
“From November 17 to December 1, we will start our membership drive in West Bengal. We will visit door to door and meet two lakh people. We will explain the perilous situation of infiltration in the state and the need to implement NRC immediately in Bengal. We believe NRC should be implemented throughout the nation after Assam. We will also meet district magistrates and block development officers and give them memorandums,” Sachindranath Sinha, Akhil Bhartiya Saha Sampadak of VHP, said in a press conference in Kolkata.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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