Interim report by board could not identify the source of around one-fifth of Calcutta’s PM2.5 pollution Environmentalists have raised questions about an ongoing study ordered by the state pollution
The movement against land acquisition for industry started here. But unlike Nandigram, where not an inch was acquired but violence has become endemic, the buzzword here is development. On the eve of the polls in Singur, where around 1,000 acres were taken over for the Tata small-car project, the land war is not forgotten. But as the deadline for the Nano rollout draws closer, the mood is more of anticipation than apprehension.
The Fifties and Sixties were replete with news of food shortages in India. Following the Green Revolution, India became self-sufficient and the memories of shortages became history. The ongoing global food crisis is altogether a new development. The energy crisis, on the other hand, is not new and has remained a global issue since the Seventies. The commodity crisis is more a cyclical phenomenon and hence not entirely unfamiliar, while the banking crisis is self-inflicted. The man-made food crises in Africa are different and have been frequent, leading to misery and starvation deaths.
Chicken has gone off the menu at many Siliguri homes with the Darjeeling district administration confirming bird flu in a village located just over 20km from the town. Culling operation in Poinikumari, the affected village, and areas within a 5km-radius started yesterday. "The team from the animal resource development department had culled 3,973 poultry birds yesterday. Another 7,000 are expected to be culled by 11pm today,' said Rajesh Pandey, the district magistrate of Darjeeling.
Turtle meat on sale at Bansdroni bazaar. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya Turtle meat is being sold across the city and its adjacent areas, in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The act bans slaughter, sale and consumption of the turtle, a protected species. Forest department officials said there were reports of turtle meat being sold in Garia, Kidderpore, Kestopur, Lake Gardens and other places. "We conduct raids and arrest the sellers,' said Atanu Raha, the state principal chief conservator of forests.
When Shri Bush and Kumari Condoleezza Rice talk about rising prices of food and pass the buck of their failure to grow enough food for the American people onto the growing middle classes of what were once-upon-a-time third world countries, they merely endorse the fact that India and China are no longer dependent but instead, economically powerful and making a strong, determined impact on the rich Western world led by the United States of America. The Iraq war has debilitated America and exposed its many warts
The Raj Bhavan in Calcutta could plunge into perpetual darkness if governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi chooses to express his empathy not just with the denizens of the state capital but also with the vast rural populace of Bengal. For, figures available with the Centre reveal that Bengal has among the lowest rates of rural household electrification in India despite being a net "exporter' of power in recent years.
Lightning killed 11 persons in north Bengal as a Nor'wester raged through the region this afternoon. Ten of the victims, including a CPM panchayat poll candidate, were from Malda. Taking a break from a hectic campaign schedule, Habibur Rehman, 42, contesting from the Bhado gram panchayat, was sipping tea at a roadside stall, when a bolt from the sky struck him. He died on the spot. Jagannath Mandal, 55, was killed when lightning blew off the roof of his home in Kalichak, while a railway shed in Englishbazar collapsed on 17-year-old Prasenjit Saha.
Autorickshaws and private buses are responsible for the snarls on city roads, a Besu study has revealed. The study, commissioned by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC), was conducted by the transportation engineering and planning wing of the civil engineering department under the leadership of Prof Sudip Roy. "There are over 100 auto routes in the city and the count is rising by the day,' said Roy. "Initially, an auto carried three passengers. Now, they ferry up to six in violation of traffic rules.'
North Khayerbari (Alipurduar): A group of farmers from a fringe village here has been patrolling the forests for free in their spare time to keep away timber smugglers. To protect the group from confrontation with the smugglers, the forest department today provided the 24 men with uniforms complete with a T-shirt, cap, name plate, baton, torch and bicycle. "The group will get Rs 2,000 per month for tiffin,' said Ashim Chaki, the range officer of Madarihat, which comes under Cooch Behar forest division.
An exhibit at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum. Picture by Amit Datta The next best thing to a Hooghly cruise with your child this summer could be a visit to the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum for a virtual journey through the rivers of the world. The museum is holding the exhibition to commemorate its 49th anniversary and will be open for 45 days before travelling to other cities.
