Tag: darjeeling

Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement from north Bengal Hills

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee had reached North Bengal yesterday night to monitor the rescue operations after the devastation caused by landslides killing 30 people. Today morning, the Chief Minister visited the affected areas.

She has been posting on social media with updates of the situation in north Bengal.

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee’s latest statement from north Bengal Hills:

I started early this morning by road to reach the spot which was affected most by landslide.

A road journey of normally 1 hour is taking 6 hours because of rubble caused by landslide.

3 villages have been particularly affected. Community kitchens have been set up for hundreds of people.

WB CM announces compensation for the people affected by landslide in Darjeeling

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee announced compensation of Rs Rs 4 lakhs to be given to the family of those deceased due to the landslide disaster in the Hills. A compensation of Rs 1.25 lakh will also be given to those who are injured due to the landslide, she announced before leaving for north Bengal.

The West Bengal Chief Minister cut short her programmes in the district of Murshidabad and will visit to north Bengal after rain and landslides in Mirik and Kalimpong areas in the Darjeeling district killed around than 30 people.

She has also cancelled her programme in the Birbhum district, which was scheduled for tomorrow. She will reach north Bengal today evening and will visit Mirik tomorrow.

Under the instructions of the Chief Minister, the State Home Secretary is already in north Bengal and at the locations.

The Chief Minister has urged the tourists in the Hills not to panic and has informed that the State Government will take measures to bring them down to the plains.

The West Bengal Chief Minister said that she was monitoring the situation and will rush to north Bengal after her scheduled programmes in Murshidabad.

The people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong sub-divisions of Darjeeling district since last night. The landslides have caused extensive damage to NH 10 (old NH 55A) and NH 55, cutting off road and telecommunication link to Darjeeling and Sikkim.

The State Irrigation & Waterways Dept has opened control room for north and south Bengal to tackle possible flood situations.

Control Room no for north Bengal: 18003450117

Control Room no for south Bengal: 18003453255

The West Bengal Chief Minister on Facebook said:

” The unfortunate landslides due to heavy rains in Darjeeling Hills have caused havoc.

As reported till now, 30 precious lives have been lost and 8 persons are missing. I have been monitoring the situation very closely since this morning and providing all necessary assistance from the administration to the affected areas.

After cancelling tomorrow’s administrative meeting at Birbhum, I am now on my way from Murshidabad to Darjeeling, so that I can be amidst the affected people at their hour of grief.

We have announced rupees 4 lakh compensation for each of the families of those who have passed away. Administration is working round the clock to complete all procedures to hand over bodies of the victims to their families for their last rites, for which assistance is being provided by the local administration.

Also at the plains, vast areas in Jalpaiguri District have been inundated due to sudden rise in water level in all major rivers and many people got affected. More than two thousand people have been rescued to safe place.”

WB CM to visit north Bengal, to monitor landslide situation in the Hills

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee has cut short her programmes in the district of Murshidabad and will rush to north Bengal after rain and landslides in Mirik and Kalimpong areas in the Darjeeling district killed more than 10 people.

Under the instructions of the Chief Minister, the State Home Secretary is already in north Bengal and at the locations.

The Chief Minister has urged the tourists in the Hills not to panic and has informed that the State Government will take measures to bring them down to the plains.

The West Bengal Chief Minister said that she was monitoring the situation and will rush to north Bengal after her scheduled programmes in Murshidabad.

The people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy rains in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong sub-divisions of Darjeeling district since last night.

The landslides have caused extensive damage to NH 10 (old NH 55A) and NH 55, cutting off road and telecommunication link to Darjeeling and Sikkim.

The West Bengal Chief Minister on Twitter said:

“Anguished about loss of lives in Mirik/Kalimpong landslides. Home Secretary already in N Bengal

I am monitoring situation closely and will rush there after meet in Murshidabad “

WB CM vows to build clean and green Darjeeling

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced a slew of development plans for Darjeeling Hills.

She said 53,000 toilets will be constructed in the hills for schools and for the community as part of the ‘Nirmal Bangla’ (Clean Bengal) scheme. Stress would be given to set up toilets in girls schools where they do not exist.

Stressing on development of tourism in Darjeeling, called the Queen of the Hills, Banerjee said facilities for the tourists would be looked after by the state government itself.

She emphasised on cleanliness in the hill to attract more tourists and said steps would be taken to encourage more of them to visit the remote destinations of Lava and Lolegaon in Darjeeling district known for their natural beauty.

“I come only for the sake of development of north Bengal and have intention of any politics,” she said.

WB CM, who is on a four-day visit to north Bengal, told reporters that an educational hub was being planned at Kurseong that would provide opportunity for the local youth, who will not be required to leave home to be trained.

Steps will be taken for skill development to increase employability of the local youth, she said.

The development plans were discussed at two meetings with officials of GTA and senior government officials during the day.

The chief minister is scheduled to meet members of various communities residing in Darjeeling today.

WB CM conducts administrative review meetings in north Bengal

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee chaired two administrative review meetings for three districts on Tuesday, one at Raiganj and the other at Siliguri.

At Karnajora in Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur, the West Bengal Chief Minister chaired the administrative review meeting for Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur. She inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 55 projects, 29 for Uttar and 26 for Dakshin Dinajpur.

The Chief Minister announced that a Government Engineering College will be set up in Dakshin Dinajpur, a medical college and a super specialty hospital, at Raiganj and Islampur. Auditoriums will be set up in both the districts.

The Chief Minister informed that the project- Sabar Ghare Alo has been completed in the districts of Maldah, Dakshin Dinajpur and Paschim Medinipur. She said that she has instructed the newly appointed District Magistrate of the Uttar Dinajpur to bring more pace in executing developmental works.

The Chief Minister said that while travelling on road, she had observed the bad condition of the national higway from Itahar to Raiganj. She said that she had informed the National Highways Authority to take immediate steps.

The Chief Minister held meeting with the vice chancellor of the newly formed Raiganj University. She enquired about the current status of the university, the administrative set up and related information.

At around 1:30 PM, the Chief Minister left for Siliguri.

On reaching Siliguri, the West Bengal Chief Minister chaired the administrative review meeting for the Darjeeling district at the Rabindra Bhanu Bhavan in the North Bengal University. She said that this was the 97th review meeting she was conducting. Discussions were held regarding Naxalbari, Kharibari, Matigara and Chopra among other issues.

 

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WB CM at Siliguri administrative review meeting

WB CM on 4-day north Bengal tour

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee traveled to Maldah on Monday via train, thus beginning her four-day visit to north Bengal.

The Chief Minister chaired an administrative review meeting for the district of Maldah last evening at Durga Kinkar Bhavan, the Maldah College auditorium. She has already chaired more than ninety administrative meetings covering all the twenty districts of the state.

She will conduct an administrative meeting for the districts of Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur today, 16 June, 2015, at Karnajora.

The Chief Minister will reach  Darjeeling on 17 June where she will meet district officials. She will leave Darjeeling on 19 June to attend the meeting of the North Bengal development department at Uttarkanya.

Bouquet of projects for Maldah

The West Bengal Chief Minister inaugurated projects like Sabar Ghar-e Aalo (a rural electrification project), a central bus terminus in Malda, two new BLLRO offices at Kaliachak and Habibpur and a bevy of new educational institutions in the district. The state government has already allotted ` 289 crore for the electrification project.

The Chief Minister said that the State Government has already written to the Centre for export of Maldah mangoes to foreign countries.

Tourism gets special focus under Trinamool Government

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The West Bengal Government under the leadership of Ms Mamata Banerjee has made developments in every sector in every districts of the State. The Chief Minister has visited each district, chaired meetings across the State with the district officials from Darjeeling to Sundarbans to take stock of ongoing projects and plan newer ones. Identifying new tourist spots and creation of infrastructure for tourists have been one of the agendas of the Chief Minister during her numerous district visits.

The Trinamool Government under Ms Mamata Banerjee had rightly identified that West Bengal with its varied natural beauty has the capability to attract tourists from national and international sphere, and thus earn huge revenue. However, after 34 years of Left misrule, the tourism infrastructure in the State was in tatters. So, firstly, it was decided to renovate the existing to a quality standard and then identify the newer options.

Increased planned expenditure In Tourism under Trinamool Government

In the four year, from 2007-08 to 2010-11, the planned expenditure in Tourism under the Left Government was on an average Rs 16.88 crore only. In the first four years of the West Bengal Government under Trinamool Congress, the planned expenditure in Tourism rose to a total of Rs 331.93 crores, which is Rs 82.95 crores on an average per year. In the years 2011-12 the the planned expenditure on tourism was Rs 30.64 crores. It was increased to Rs 52.62 in 2012-13 and in 2013-14 it further increased to Rs 81.16 crores. In 2014-15, the planned expenditure (revised) was Rs 167.50 crores.

It is observed that while the past Left Government was downsizing the planned expenditure on Tourism year after year, the present Government under Trinamool has been instrumental in increasing the same.

Completed Tourism projects under Trinamool Government

As published on the Economic review2014-15, the following tourism projects have been completed since May 2011:

• Construction and renovation of cottages in different locations at Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong

• Tourism centres in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts

• Tourism centres in Cooch Behar

• Construction of Maldah Museum

• Motijhil tourism centre in Murshidabad

• Chupchar project, Batukeshwar Dutta project and Gopinath Sabji project in Bardhaman

• Ballavpur-Sharmbati project in Birbhum

• Gadiara tourism centre in Howrah

• Furfura Sharif and Chandannagar tourism centres in Hooghly

• Kashipur Mahashram, Kolkata Maidan, Police Museum, College Street, Eden Gardens and other such projects in Kolkata

• Malancha Tourist Lodge in North 24 Parganas

• Tourism projects in Gangasagar and Basanti in South 24 Parganas

• Digha Tourist Lodge in Purba Medinipur

Newer tourism projects are coming up in Bengal

The West Bengal Government has taken up a ne Tourism Incentive Policy in 2015. Under the initiative of the West Bengal Chief Minister, Eco-tourism, Home Tourism and Tea Tourism have been included under this policy.

New projects that are coming up include the Gajaldoba Mega Tourism project, Jharkhali Eco-tourism project, Sabujdwip Eco-tourism project and Jhargram Rajbari Heritage project. Besides, facilities of home-stays are being identified at Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Mukutmanipur and other places of scenic beauty.

Bottomline

The West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee has time and again given suggestions regarding different tourism projects and providing proper facilities to the tourists. The State Government is following the suggestions and also taking part in different tourism fairs nationally and internationally in order to promote Bengal and attract tourists. From Gangasagar in the south to Darjeeling in the north, special focus is being given to tourism and this will be a major success for the State in the coming years.

Derek O’Brien speaks on the earthquake tragedy in Nepal and India | Full Transcript

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Full Transcript

Deputy Speaker Sir,

Desmond Doig, the famous journalist who lived in Kolkata and spent most of his time in Kathmandu in Nepal – he died many years ago – remembered the country for the comforting vision of Nepal with its emerald fields and terracotta huts and purple rain. In the last two days what we saw was anything but comforting.

On behalf of everyone in the country, as well as West Bengal, where we had casualties, we convey our deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives.

Sir, for such a situation like this, our belief is that, the formula has to be PIC – Preparedness, Infrastructure and Communication. Since it is a different country, I should not comment on infrastructure. We should also prepare ourselves for facing disasters like these.

From an Indian point of view, our learning yesterday was, whether it was central government or the state government – governments of UP, Bengal and Bihar – the communication was very, very strong. Whether it was the Chief Minister of Bengal or the Prime Minister’s Office or other offices, communication went out well.

It is my duty to inform this House what happened in Bengal in terms of rescue. The disaster management teams were monitoring the situation. Everyone forgot about the local municipal elections. The administration was very focussed on the rescue efforts.

Disaster management meetings were chaired by the Chief Minister and the teams went out that evening. Everyone was very concerned. 15 mountaineers from Bengal came back safely.

Yesterday the Chief Minister of Bengal was in north Bengal, monitoring the situation. She had the opportunity to meet the families of those who had lost their lives.

The communication efforts, the disaster management efforts, specially up in north Bengal – Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling – were very well handled. In these situations, we always look up to the Army, Navy and the Air Force. They must also be congratulated.

I want to end with a suggestion, Sir. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was dissolved. Not that having an NDMA would have solved the earthquake problem, but out of a board of 12 odd members, only three members have been appointed so far. My humble suggestion to the government is not to keep those seats vacant.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the people of Nepal and the people of the States which are affected.

WB CM visits earthquake-affected areas in north Bengal

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee today reached north Bengal to take stock of the damage caused by the earthquake that hit parts of India and Nepal yesterday.

After arriving at Bagdogra airport, Ms Banerjee said, “There has been a lot of damage. 55 people are hospitalised in Siliguri. We have sent a rescue team to Nepal already.”

Earlier in the day she tweeted that 31 people out of 336 tourists from Bengal, who were stranded in Nepal, have been rescued. They were being flown back to India.

WB CM met the family of Rupban Khatun, aged 45, a victim of the earthquake. She also visited people in hospital who are suffering from earthquake injuries and trauma.

The government has launched a toll-free helpline number for the control room: 1070.

WB CM has been constantly sharing information regarding the rescue operations through her Twitter channel:

100 new motels to give tourism in Bengal a boost

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The West Bengal Tourism Department has decided to associate with the Public Works and Forest departments in order to modernize and expand infrastructural facilities and give a boost to tourism in the State.

While the PWD will construct more than 100 ‘Pather Sathis’ (attractive motels) alongside almost all the national and state highways across the state at a cost of more than Rs 20 crore, all forest ‘rest houses’ will be upgraded with essential gadgets like air-conditioners, LED television sets, geysers and refrigerators.

Motels facilitating pleasant connectivity to tourist spots would be handed over to the Tourism department by the PWD on completion for maintenance and formation of joint ventures wherever possible for quick recovery of costs.

Revenues earned by the Forest department would be shared by all stakeholders, including private partners, who would promote sales and guarantee upkeep of the facilities for weekend travelers.

Yet another novel method of attracting travelers– both domestic and foreign, would be the arrangement of short ‘home-stays’ deep inside forests with picturesque surroundings.

Promoted through enterprising ‘Forest Protection Committee’ members, these cosy nooks mostly in North Bengal, Dooars and Darjeeling (in places like Tagda, Chimney and Pokriata) would give private entrepreneurs, especially tea garden owners, a run for their money.

However, the most frequented facilities like Mirik, Jaldapara, Gorumara, Holong, Digha and Gangasagar will not be given lesser importance.