1. CM Spells Out Bridge Plan
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday outlined how the fallen Majerhat bridge would be rebuilt, saying her government and the railways would work in tandem throughout to ease the traffic congestion in that part of the city.
"We have fixed a year as the deadline. Breaking the entire bridge will take three months. Construction of pillars will take another three months. We will try to finish the rest of the work quickly," Mamata said in Frankfurt, where she is scouting for investment.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. CM Wants Separate Probe By 3 Agencies
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants three state agencies — Kolkata Municipal Corporation, fire department and police — to investigate the Bagri Market fire separately. A three-member committee led by urban development minister Firhad Hakim will submit the report to the CM in a couple of days.
The devastating fire was on her mind while Mamata was away at Frankfurt in Germany. “There are some markets other than Bagri market which are dangerous. The market owners don’t have any firefighting mechanism in place. They wouldn’t let us do it either. They didn’t pay heed to the KMC warnings from time to time. This can’t go on. It is not about Bagri market only, it’s true about other markets in the area,” the CM said to a private TV channel on Tuesday.
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. Blaze Bares Market For Illegal Space
Toilets have become storerooms and passageways are extensions of shops. Even the gap between two buildings hasn't been spared. In a marketplace where space spells cash, every available inch finds a buyer.
For decades, until the ravages of a blaze reduced portions of it to cinder, Bagri Market had milked every opportunity to flout the rule book under the municipal corporation and the police's benevolent gaze.
Syed Mohammad Iqbal, who lives in a building adjoining Bagree Market, on Tuesday escorted Metro to a storeroom filled with leather goods. It used to be a toilet, he said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Trio Named In Case
Calcutta police have started a case against Radha Bagree and Varun Raj Bagree, the two directors of Bagree Estate Pvt Ltd, along with their chief executive officer Krishna Kumar Kothari.
The case registered with Burrabazar police station is on the basis of a complaint lodged by a divisional officer of the fire services department.
The charges drawn up against the accused include "mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house etc" and "criminal conspiracy". If convicted, the accused are liable for a maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Parents Block Jadavpur Road
Parents of primary section students of Jadavpur Vidyapith School blocked Raja Subodh Mullick Road on Tuesday over admission to the senior section.
Traffic towards Garia and Golpark was disrupted for two hours when the parents lifted the blockade.
The primary section of Jadavpur Vidyapith is private while the senior section is government-aided. Both sections are housed in the same building.
A 2011 government order says if two sections share the same premises, primary students will have to be automatically promoted to the senior section even if the primary section is run privately.
(Source: The Telegraph)
6. Biker Killed On Howrah Bridge
A motorcyclist was killed in a head-on collision with a CRPF vehicle on Howrah bridge on Monday night while another was killed on BT Road when his bike rammed into a vehicle.
Around 10:45pm, Sourav Basu Mallick, 36, collided with the CRPF vehicle between pillars 37 and 38, triggering a traffic disruption, police said.
Vehicles were stranded for about 30 minutes and people had to walk on the bridge to reach Howrah station.
"Preliminary investigations revealed the CRPF vehicle had strayed from the city-bound flank and hit the motorcycle that headed towards Howrah," the officer said.
(Source: The Telegraph)
7. Vexed at Auto Drivers’ ‘Extortion’, Passengers Block Ultadanga Road
Exorbitant autorickshaw fares, 40% of route autos not plying due to Vishwakarma puja and the dwindling number of shuttle buses between Ultadanga and Sector V led to a demonstration by irate passengers at Muchibazar around 10 am on Tuesday. Passengers alleged autos demanded Rs 40-50 till Tank 13 and Rs 70-100 to reach Sector V.
The protest threw peak-hour traffic into a tizzy. Cops said the saving grace was that the agitation was in phases, helping them squeeze in vehicle movement intermittently. Later in the day, WBTC alleged that a bus was vandalised by auto drivers who, in turn, claimed the buses were “eating into their profits”.
(Source: The Times Of India)
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