Author: admin2

The Chief National Spokesperson of the party, Derek O’Brien today issued a statement, reacting to the BJP President’s speech in Malda:

“After listening to the BJP president’s speech in Malda, it is obvious that they are very nervous. They know their days are numbered. They are politically scared.

Their speeches are low on facts and poor in taste. They don’t understand the ethos of India. They don’t understand the ethos of Bengal. They are heading towards a big zero.

Some are saying they are desperate. Some are saying they have gone mad. Or is it a combination of both?”

With the encouragement of the State Transport Department, Kolkata would soon see women driving taxis. This would be another step in the Bangla Government’s efforts towards empowering women.

According to department officials, several women have been enquiring in recent times regarding permission for driving taxis, and so the State Government has taken this step.

Initially, the taxis would be only for women passengers. Changes to this rule may be made in the days to come.

The bonnet and top portion of these women-driven taxis would be pink in colour while the rest of the body would be white.

Source: Bartaman

The State Government is going to organise the three-day Bengal Beach Festival – from February 1 to 3 – on the beaches of Digha, Mandarmani and Tajpur.

These three places have, over the last few years, become beach hotspots, with hundreds of people arriving all through the year. Many people from outside the State too are coming to these places nowadays.

So, the government is trying to make the places more attractive to tourists. The Bengal Beach Festival is an effort to promote the beach towns more widely. As part of the beach festival, there would be a sea food festival too.

There would be various activities at these places during the three days of the festival. The activities include a marathon, spot quizzes, photography competitions, drum competitions. People would be able to indulge in a range of water sports and helicopter joy rides during the festival.

Source: Khabar 365 Din

On January 2, 2019, the State Government started an anti-tobacco campaign in its schools. It was inaugurated by the Education Minister at Bidhannagar High School in Kolkata.

This is a pilot project, and involves schools of Kolkata, Barrackpore, Hooghly, Siliguri, and the district of Paschim Bardhaman. Later, the project would be extended to all government secondary and higher secondary schools, said the minister.

While inaugurating the campaign, he said, to protect our future generations from the bad effects of tobacco, the government has seen fit to extensively run this anti-tobacco campaign.

Source: The Statesman

The State Government has decided to turn Jhargram, Kalimpong and Alipurduar into ‘green districts’. This was announced recently by the State Environment Minister at a programme in Kolkata.

There would be certain measures taken to make these three districts, ‘green districts’, said the minister. Among them are making electric public transport vehicles like electric buses and e-rickshaws popular, completely banning vehicles more than 15 years old and plastic (packets, etc.), and increasing the green cover across the districts.

The three districts were chosen as they are generally considered to be backward, and these are also regions well-known for their pristine environments.

Source: Ei Samay

The situation in Jangalmahal now is a far cry from what it was during the Left Front rule. As a result of the policies of the Trinamool Congress Government, there is peace. One of the primary ways in which Jangalmahal has renewed itself is through the promotion of tourism.

Hundreds of tourists now visit the popular sites as well as the unexplored locales in Paschim Medinipur and Jhargram districts.

Promoting the Jangalmahal tourism circuit, which includes areas of Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia, the State Government is not only putting up infrastructural facilities like cable cars, heritage hotels and lodges, but also inviting private investments to be a part of the endeavour.

The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) has started overnight packages where tourists are taken around unexplored areas of Jhargram district like Belpahari, Banspahari, Kankrajhor, Laljal and others.

The WBTDC is also promoting trekking and other adventure tourism in Kankrajhor.

The Forest Department has taken an initiative to set up one hundred homestays in Jhargram. The forest-dominated district of Jhargram has a lot of potential in tourism and homestays are a major enabler towards fulfilling that potential.

In Paschim Medinipur, the government has given focus on three places – Karambera Fort in Gaganeshwar village in Keshiary block, Karnagarh in Salboni block and Gongoni in Garhbeta block.

Karambera Fort shows signs of the architecture of ancient Odisha as well as of the Mughal period. Karnagarh is well-known for the remnants of a huge stone fort. Karna from the Mahabharata once supposedly ruled this place, and hence the name.

Gongoni is famous for its natural river canyon – a fascinating wide gorge of red soil on the banks of the River Silabati. The canyon is locally known as Gongoni Danga or Gongoni Khola.

An innovative Mythological Museum has been set up on Sagar Island, at the site where the famous Gangasagar Mela is held. This is the government’s latest gift to the countless pilgrims and tourists who visit the fair every winter. This year the fair scheduled to be held in February.

It has cost Rs 72 lakh to construct the museum – Rs 45 lakh for the museum itself and Rs 27 lakh for the fencing. The museum is located at the mid-point between the sea cost where the devotees take the dip and the Kapil Muni Temple, which they visit after the holy bath.

There is a big statue of Lord Shiva at the entrance. There is a fountain inside the premises. Inside the museum, there are artefacts related to the puranic stories centred on Gangasagar.

This museum would ensure that people visit Sagar Island all through the year, and thus make it a much more popular tourist spot.

Source: Khabar 365 Din

A slew of measures have been taken by the State Government this year for the security and convenience of the lakhs of pilgrims who will be attending the Gangasagar Mela to take the holy dip.

Among the security measures are 12 drones, 700 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, LED television screens and GPS-fitted vessels. And to keep track of all these would be a control room, located at the site of the fair, and another at the State secretariat, Nabanna. Security personnel have been provided with 12 satellite mobile phones.

Metal barricades totalling 220km have constructed along the route to Sagar Island, and in front of the Kapil Muni Temple, where the devotees congregate after taking the holy dip.

Then, there will be 40 battery-run vehicles for picking up garbage for the duration of the fair. The temporary residential structures set up on the island have been painted with fire-retardant material.

Among the other measures taken up are refurbishment of the Kapil Muni Temple, setting up of a large number high-capacity portable lights, running of more buses and vessels, and stationing of medical teams and water ambulances.

Source: Aajkaal