1. Portions of Two Houses Collapse in Kolkata, None Injured
While incessant rainfall lashed Kolkata on Monday, portions of two houses collapsed in the city, but nobody was injured in the incidents, police said.
In the first incident, 12 inhabitants of an old dilapidated building in south Kolkata's Alipore area escaped unhurt after the roof and portion of a wall collapsed this afternoon following today's heavy rainfall, a police officer said.
"Nobody was injured in the incident and our officers managed to evacuate 12 inhabitants of the building, which was declared ‘condemned’ by the civic authority," a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
The roof and a wall of the building on Gopal Nagar Road in Alipore suddenly collapsed at around 2pm, he said.
Source: PTI
2. Amid ‘Switch’ Talk, Mukul Roy Meets BJP Leaders in Delhi
Suspended Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy’s meeting with senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party in the national capital on Monday added fuel to the speculation about his impending move to join the ruling party. Roy, who is also expected to resign from the Rajya Sabha this week, met BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is also in the party’s in-charge of West Bengal.
While Roy, a founding member of the TMC who was expelled for six years for anti-party activities, could not be reached for comment, Vijayvargiya said the BJP is not in a hurry to take any decision on the issue.
He, however, said most leaders who want to work on the “development agenda” set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are keen to join the party.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Trinamul Launches Mission for Revival in Hills
The Trinamul Congress is planning to revive its support base in the hills and rebuild the organisation that had almost crumbled following a series of switchovers during the recent statehood movement.
Sources said the Bengal ruling party was cashing in on the split between Bimal Gurung and Binay Tamang in the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the recent backlash on the BJP team in the hills.
Rajen Mukhia, the Trinamul president in the hills, today visited Darjeeling and held a meeting with supporters in the party office that had been vandalised by suspected Gorkhaland supporters during the agitation.
Source: The Telegraph
4. Ahead of Panchayat Polls, BJP to Organise ‘Padyatras’ in West Bengal
The state BJP unit has decided to take out “padyatras” across the state on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, ahead of next year’s Panchayat polls. The decision to take out the padyatras, as part of the BJP’s national campaign ‘Run for Unity’, was taken at a party meeting held on Sunday.
Speaking to The Indian Express, state BJP vice-president Biswapriya Roy Chowdhury said:
Our aim is to reach out to as many people as possible with these padyatras. It is a great way to connect with the masses, and a big padyatra will be taken out from Swami Vivekananda’s ancestral house in North Kolkata on 31 October. Relatively smaller padyatras will be taken out in every district by our district and block-level leaders and workers.
Source: The Indian Express
5. Tea Planters Fear Big Plunge in Production
Planters have said production of Darjeeling Tea in 2017 might come down by over 60 per cent compared to last year as Darjeeling gardens are yet to be ready for plucking and processing after the statehood agitation.
Although the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had lifted the shutdown 13 days ago, estates across the hills are yet to resume the production of the renowned Darjeeling Tea.
The reasons: all 87 tea estates which produce the Darjeeling Tea is yet to finish the weeding of tea bushes; machineries at the factories need repairs as they remained idle for a long period; and most importantly, fresh leaves and buds are yet to sprout.
Source: The Telegraph
6. ED Questions Madan Mitra on Narada Sting, Saradha Scam
Former Minister Madan Mitra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in the Narada sting and Saradha chit fund scam. While leaving ED office after questioning, Mitra told mediapersons: “I have answered all questions. I am ready to cooperate whenever asked. I have told them everything inside.”
Sources in ED said Mitra refused to recognise Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel, who, while posing as a businessman, had allegedly paid money to 12 TMC leaders in lieu of favours in 2014. “Though Mitra did not deny accepting the money, he said accepting money as donation is normal, and he didn’t remember the specific meeting with Samuel,” said a source, adding Mitra was simultaneously quizzed about his alleged role in Saradha scam. Mitra’s bank details are likely to be examined, said sources.
Source: The Indian Express
7. WB Govt to Preserve Durga Idols with "Exquisite" Artwork
The West Bengal government has decided to preserve some of the Durga idols with "exquisite" artwork in different puja pandals in the city this year.
Along with the state government, some private organisations would also safeguard such idols.
"Many of the idols created for this year's Durga Puja are works of exquisite art and worthy of preservation. So we have decided to preserve some of them. And there are a a few organisations as well as some individuals who have come forward to preserve them in their private collections," a senior state government official said.
Source: PTI
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