Author: AITC

Trinamool Congress has decided to field candidates in all the seven constituencies in Delhi. Trinamool Chairperson Ms. Mamata Banerjee and Anna Hazare will address a rally at the Ramlila Maidan on March 12 to launch the joint campaign from the national capital. The Chairperson has already addressed two massive rallies in Assam and Tripura, where she called for Poriborton at a national scale.

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১২ মার্চ রামলীলা ময়দানে একটি `নজিরবিহীন` জনসভা করার প্রস্তুতি নেওয়া হচ্ছে। যেখানে একই মঞ্চ ভাগ করে দেশকে `বদলানোর` ডাক দেবেন মমতা এবং অণ্ণা। উত্তরপ্রদেশ, বিহার, হরিয়ানা, পঞ্জাব ও উত্তরাখণ্ডে যত বেশি সংখ্যক প্রার্থী দেওয়া সম্ভব, সেটাই দেওয়ার পরিকল্পনা রয়েছে। দিল্লিতে ৭টি লোকসভা আসনে প্রার্থী দেওয়া হবে।

While inaugurating the renovated Technicians` Studio, West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee had promised that the state government will set up two integrated film cities in the state through public private partnership model. One of those will come up on a 50-acre plot in Baruipur (South 24 Parganas) and another on around 85 acres at Dabgram in Jalpaiguri. The projects, for which expressions of interest have been invited, will be implemented by the Information and Cultural Affairs department.

The government wants to create sustainable infrastructure for state-of-the-art motion picture and television production along with post-production centres. The government aims to create such facilities in the film cities so that it could also develop as a tourist attraction, similar to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. A reputable consultancy agency has been roped in to prepare the feasibility study and to provide project management services.

The two film cities will have a film studio complex with at least four sound stages, studios, film processing and equipment centres, theatres, film offices, computer imagery facilities, editing suites along with other necessary commercial infrastructure. There will also be a film school for budding actors and an institute of art and craft.

There will be logistical and infrastructural support like accommodation and revenue generating recreational facilities including tours to the film studios, museums, clubs and festivals to develop the film cities as major tourist attractions.

The Baruipur site – with 51.87 acres – lies off the Baruipur-Amtala Road and comes under Baruipur Municipality. The other site, on 84.81 acres, is at Dabgram mouza, around 15km from Siliguri town. The proposed site lies along Naukaghat Road that connects Bagdogra airport. The land is located along the river bank with minimal existing structures and relatively free of encroachment.

The state Transport Department will ply 63 air-conditioned Volvo buses from April this year.  The buses will ply in Kolkata and its outskirts. The fare will be the same as that of the current Volvo buses. The Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) will run these buses.  The state government announced 10 new routes for AC Volvo services. The Transport Department has introduced routes touching Sealdah, Park Street, Hazra Crossing, Gariahat, Golpark, Chingri Ghata, Narkel Bagan, Park Circus, Kalikapur and Rajarhat.

Earlier, the fleet was given to private operators but they failed to pay the monthly instalments to the bank and later they grounded the vehicle. So, this time the government has entrusted CSTC to run the fleet, said state Transport Minister Mr Madan Mitra.

874 AC and non-AC buses will be bought in all. Out of these, 632 buses will ply in Kolkata, 80 in Siliguri, 60 in Jalpaiguri, 60 in Asansol and 42 in Durgapur. All these buses will be run by state transport undertakings (STUs). While CSTC will run 632 buses, North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) will run 140 buses and South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) will run 102 buses.

Announcing the new routes, Transport Minister Mr  Madan Mitra said, “The AC buses will decongest the city by encouraging car users to avail bus services. We have worked on the alignment so that almost every part of the city gets covered.”

The Transport Department also signed a MoU with the Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) for managing chopper services. BAPL will manage landing facilities and other infrastructure. The government has bought 40 flying hours a month from Pawan Hans for its official trips. The unutilized hours are being used for tourism and transportation purpose.

Students sitting for Class X board examinations and their parents are in for a pleasant surprise in Kolkata.  The South Kolkata unit of All India Trinamool Yuva have come forward to lend a helping hand to the candidates as well as their guardians. Trinamool Yuva workers have set up camps about 200 m away from several examination centres and will be providing all assistance to the students.

From helping traffic police during rush hour before the exams begin to providing drinking water to the parents of the candidates, the Trinamool Yuva camps are making sure Madhyamik exams go hassle free for people.

A total of 900,000 students were due to appear for the West Bengal Secondary Board Examination (Madhyamik) that began on Monday and will continue until March 6.

The initiative has been hailed by parents and students alike. People have thanked Trinamool Yuva for the initiative. Incidentally, INTTUC has also launched free autorickshaw rides for Madhyamik candidates along 125 routes in the city.

Trinamool workers at a camp in South Kolkata

The state government plans to suggest imposition of life-term penalty to persons behind adulteration of milk. Senior office bearers with the State Milk Federation, in the presence of the state animal husbandry minister declared this during the inauguration of the state dairy here today.

The state has expressed concern that an increasing tendency of gross milk adulteration has gripped the milk trade. The Chairman, Milk Federation, Mr Paras Dutta said: “We have already detected some villages where adulteration of milk has become a common matter.” He added: “The present law to prevent such adulteration suggest a maximum 10 years of imprisonment, which we want to intensify and we have suggested enhancing this to life term against the offenders.” The Animal Husbandry Minister, Mr Swapan Debnath, after the inauguration said that the respective officials would be warned to keep sharp vigil on the offenders.

The state dairy was closed in 2004 and after 10 years it was inaugurated today after renovation. The farm would dispatch 5000 packet milks processed by Mother Dairy. “Metro dairy has assumed charge to help it running. We would now insist bringing the milk unions under a single umbrella,” said Mr Debnath.

Industrialist Harsh Neotia Tuesday met North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb at Uttarkanya with several proposals for projects, mostly in the tourism sector for the region.

Asked to comment, Mr Deb said this was a courtesy call and that Mr Neotia visited Uttarkanya with several infrastructure development proposals, mainly in the tourism sector.

“Mr Neotia is developing a tourism destination at Makaibari in the Hills. He has also selected two spots at Lataguri in the Dooars and the Batasia Loop in Darjeeling, to develop them as tourist destinations,” Mr Deb said.

Talking to reporters, he said he requested Mr Neotia to introduce a cardio-thoracic unit at the nursing home he owns in Siliguri to provide better medical services to the people here. Mr Neotia assured introduction of the medical facility here very soon, according to the minister.

Boosting the tourism infrastructure in North Bengal has been a priority of the Trinamool Government. From setting up a tourism hub in Gazoldoba, to building a film city in North Bengal – several steps have been taken by the WB CM to change the dynamics of the region. If tourism flourishes, more employment opportunities will be created, the Chief Minister believes, and rightly so. The region has immense potential waiting to be tapped.

Top US investors have expressed their interest in investing in West Bengal keeping pace with the change in the state, Finance and Industry Minister Mr Amit Mitra said. That the confidence of investors in Bengal is returning, was exemplified by the fact that AMCHAM India chose Kolkata as the venue of its National Executive Council meeting, after a gap of 10 years.

After his one-and-half hour meeting with the 13-member AMCHAM India delegation led by its chairman Lowell Paddock, Mitra told reporters here that the US investors had shown keen interest in investing in a number of sectors in the state and future cooperation considering it as a hub in South East Asia and among ASEAN countries.

“We are happy that US companies are keen on investing in the state with a change in its environment and work culture, even as it took ten years to make this breakthrough,” the Industry Minister said. The areas of possible investment by the US investors in West Bengal included energy, manufacturing sector, aircraft repairing, IT, healthcare, agricultural marketing and tourism, he added.

The Minister said he had asked the members of the delegation, representing various multinational companies, to come up with specific proposals for the state government`s consideration. “With this change in attitude by the US investors, there will be an enormous investment in the state resulting in development, economic progress and employment opportunity,” he said.

Describing his meeting with the AMCHAM executive committee, Mr Mitra said the members of the delegation were considering various modes of investment in the state, including the PPP model.

Apart from Lowell Paddock, who is also the President and Managing Director of the General Motors, the delegation was represented by top executives from Quaker Chemicals India, IBM, Fi-Tek LLC, Boeing India, Cognizant Technology Solutions, DuPont India, Caterpillar India, KPMG, Lockheed Martin India, General Electricals, Boston Scientific India and Supply Chain Management Professionals India, Mitra added.

The state government has decided to set up 120 new Ayush dispensaries in government-run hospitals in the state to promote alternative medicine alongside the allopathic. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held in Nabanna.

According to the Minister of State for health, Ms. Chandrima Bhattacharya, of the 120 new dispensaries, 70 will be homeopathic, 40 ayurvedic and 10 unani. The government will recruit 360 personnel to man the new dispensaries. “One doctor, a pharmacist and a general duty staff will be recruited for each of the new dispensaries,” she said.

There are 1,352 government hospitals in the state; of them 605 hospitals currently have Ayush dispensaries. These include 409 homeopathic and 196 ayurvedic dispensaries. With the addition of 120 new dispensaries, the total number of AYUSH dispensaries in the state will go up 725.

The Cabinet also extended the West Bengal Health Scheme by a year till 2015. “The scheme which is meant for state government employees was to expire in March this year,” state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mr. Partha Chatterjee said. Unlike the system of reimbursement that existed before, the employees would now enjoy the benefit of a cash-less treatment of up to Rs 1 lakh at empanelled hospitals, he added.