1. Court Expands Immersion Path
Calcutta High Court allowed immersion of Durga Puja idols on October 1, the day of Muharram, and extended the immersion deadline for September 30, which is Dashami, from 10pm to midnight.
Idols that reach the ghats by midnight every day between September 30 and October 4 would be eligible for immersion, a division bench of the High Court said while issuing an interim stay on a notification issued by the state government.
The notification, dated September 14, had restricted immersion of idols till 10pm on Dashami and barred it on Muharram.
Police have been asked to make the necessary arrangements and clearly demarcate routes for immersion and Muharram processions so that these can take place simultaneously.
(Source: The Telegraph)
2. Binay: Board to Open Talks Door
Binay Tamang on 21 September described the formation of the board of administrators for the hills as "a positive step" and projected it as a gateway to tripartite talks on the sole issue of Gorkhaland.
"The formation of the board is a positive step forward as it has now opened the doors for a tripartite meeting for Gorkhaland. In spite of representing the board at the tripartite meeting, we will not talk about the powers and functions of the GTA (Gorkhaland Territorial Administration) but will press for a permanent settlement, which can be nothing but Gorkhaland," he said.
Tamang, who has been named the chairman of the board by the Mamata Banerjee government, was clearly trying to pacify the hill constituency, given the prevailing prostatehood mood in the hills.
(Source: The Telegraph)
3. 19.75% Bonus Agreed for Hills Tea Workers
A 10-hourlong tripartite meeting on the Darjeeling tea industry held in Siliguri on 21 September ended at 12.30am on 22 September, with an agreement being reached on paying “19.75 percent bonus in instalments,” according to the official of a top producers’ body.
Arijit Raha, secretary general of the Indian Tea Association (ITA), the largest tea producers' body in India, who was present at the meeting, told TOI: “Yes, an agreement with the workers' body has been signed. It's 19.75 percent bonus, 50 percent of which will be given within seven days of normalcy (resumption of work). The balance amount will be decided at a meeting on October 14. Despite the low cash reserve owing to the huge crop losses this year, the garden owners will pay bonuses as per the fixed formula.”
(Source: Times Of India)
4. Salt Lake Dengue Alarm
The death of Milan Banerjee, a resident of Salt Lake EE Block who had tested positive for dengue, highlights the unique challenges the township poses for its civic body in containing the mosquito- borne disease.
The 36- year- old's death has left the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation worried because barely a fortnight remains before Salt Lake stadium starts hosting the Fifa Under- 17 World Cup.
Salt Lake has no open drains and is cleaner than neighbouring areas such as Dum Dum and Rajarhat, which have been reeling under a dengue outbreak.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Fake Liquor in Branded Bottles Hits Festive Spirit
It was a tip-off that came from the city's red light district – Sonagachhi. A few customers from the area were reported to have bought liquor and taken ill soon after consumption. As the Enforcement Branch officials began a probe, they found the city market being breached by fake Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in the run-up to the Puja.
Police say a section of hoarders are actually manufacturing, storing and selling liquor, passing them off as popular whiskey and rum brands. While two separate cases in this regard have been lodged at the Burtolla police station, EB officials say they are probing similar complaints from central and south Kolkata areas including Shakespeare Sarani.
(Source: Times Of India)
6. City Hospital Gets Green Light to Conduct Heart Transplants
RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) on 21 September became the first hospital in the city to receive permission to conduct heart transplants, enabling retrieval of the most vital organ from the deceased. Till now, patients requiring a heart transplant had to travel to Chennai or Delhi as there were no facilities available in Kolkata.
“We have issued a clearance to RTIICS after an inspection that was conducted last month.The hospital is now ready for heart transplants that marks a breakthrough in the city's healthcare services,“ said Aditi Kishore Sarkar, nodal officer in charge of organ transplants in the state.
Regional director (east) of Narayana Health R Venkatesh said: “We are equipped with all the necessary infrastructure and allied clinical services to run a successful heart transplant programme. Our transplant te am comprising cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and cardiac anaesthetists will conduct regular heart failure clinics to identify and treat patients during their evaluation for transplantation.”
(Source: Times Of India)
7. Puja Club Eyes Magazine Record
A Durga Puja organiser in Alipurduar is aiming to set the record for the largest wall magazine, measuring around 100 sqft.
Named Janobaak (word of the people), the magazine is being prepared by the club members and residents of Falakata and will have the works of prominent Bengali authors and write-ups by locals. It is scheduled to be inaugurated on Chaturthi on September 24.
The Falakata Collegepara Sporting Club, which is organising its 41st Durga Puja this time, has sent an application to the authorities at Guinness Books of World Records, claiming to have made the largest wall magazine.
(Source: The Telegraph)
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