Tag: Siliguri

Bengal to conduct road shows in Delhi to promote theme city project

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on Bengal to conduct road shows in Delhi to promote theme city project

The West Bengal Government has taken unique measures to set up the six theme cities in the State. Roadshows will be conducted at Delhi from today in order to attract investments for the theme cities in Asansol, Kalyani, Siliguri, Baruipir, Shantiniketan and Dumurjola.

The State Government has now associated itself with different chambers of commerces in order to promote the six theme cities.

The Asansol industry-themed city will be promoted in association with the CII.

The Kalyani IT-themed city will be promoted in association with the BCCI.

The Siliguri Education & Health-themed city will be promoted in association with the AHI

And the Baruipur senior citizen-themed city will be promoted in association with the CREDAI.

The two other cities, the culture-themed city at Shantiniketan and the sports-themed city at Dumurjola, will be also be promoted with different industry bodies.

West Bengal Govt to launch Pran Dhara bottled water for consumers

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on West Bengal Govt to launch Pran Dhara bottled water for consumers

The West Bengal Government has ventured to produce bottled drinking water Pran Dhara with seven bottling plants across the state. The Public Health & Engineering Department, responsible for supplying safe drinking water to all the people of the state has done a record amount of work though it had to create proper infrastructure.

The seven plants producing around three thousand bottled water per hour are at Haringhata, Nodakhali, Baharampur, Maldah, Siliguri and Coochbehar. Two more plants are being set up soon. The 1 lt bottle will cost Rs 18 while the 500 ml bottle will cost Rs 9.

State Public Health & Engineering Minister Subrata Mukherjee said that Pran Dhara is using surface water from the Hooghly River, which is being processed to get rid of all impurities and harmful elements through proper scientific processes of distillation.

It has been experienced during relief works that water pouches produced through Mobile Treatment Units (MTU) are very useful for easy distribution of drinking water to the stranded people, but this type of packaging is not sustainable for a long time and also may get damaged due to leaking/bursting of poly packs.

To overcome these difficulties, the Public Health Engineering Department introduced ‘Pran Dhara’. For the first time this type of Package Drinking Water Plant was installed at Dakshin Roypur Water Treatment Plant Complex in the year 2012-13 in accordance with BIS Specifications. Capacity of this plant is 3600 Bottles of 1000 ml or 500 ml per hour.

Each and every new construction should be monitored in the Hills: WB CM

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on Each and every new construction should be monitored in the Hills: WB CM

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee on Thursday warned the authorities of the Darjeeling hills not to allow rampant construction that was clearly behind the landslides and the death of so many people, standing at the Ground Zero of the landslide disaster zone.

On Thursday, the CM reached Tingling tea estate near Mirik, traveling for more than four and-a-half hours from Siliguri. It was here that at least 19 people were buried by the landslips. On Thursday, the death toll rose to 29 with 10 more still missing.

“I travelled more than six hours to reach Mirik from Siliguri because of landslides on the way. On my way, I stopped at relief camps. We are with our brothers and sisters,” she said on social media.

The Chief Minister also sounded a note of caution. She said, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) would soon be asked to study the fragile hills and come up with suggestions. “Houses and tall buildings should not come up in an unscientific manner,” she said, adding, “I have asked authorities of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to monitor each and every new construction.”

The Chief Minister said that Darjeeling’s quaint wooden bungalows have given way to concrete high-rises and the results are there for all to see. The September 2011 earthquake in Sikkim and April 25, 20015, quake in Nepal that killed thousands should be an eye-opener, she said.

The Government will take immediate steps to redress the situation, WB CM said. “The State authorities would write to the Centre to send a GSI survey team to Darjeeling,” she said, demanding that the central government should generously contribute towards rebuilding roads and homes.

On Thursday, the chief minister called for strict monitoring of all construction activities and said all building rules should be strictly followed.

The West Bengal Chief Minister also visited landslide affected areas of Mirik on Thursday. After halting for an hour she departed for Sukna at 4 pm where she will be spending the night. She will be returning to Kolkata on Friday.

WB CM announces earthquake crisis management group

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on WB CM announces earthquake crisis management group

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today formed a crisis management group to deal with the impact of the devastating Nepal earthquake on three districts of north Bengal and said monetary assistance would be sought from the Centre after detailed assessment of the damages.

“We have formed a crisis management group headed by Director General of Police (Coastal Security) Raj Kanojia. It has members from the disaster management group, police and hospital authorities,” Banerjee told a press conference.

Before interacting with the press, she visited some of the places affected by Saturday’s 7.9 magnitude earthquake in neighbouring Nepal, which shares its border with the Darjeeling district.

“We will write to the Centre for financial assistance only after making a detailed assessment of damages to life and property,” the chief minister said, adding, it was the onus of the central government to provide such support as it was a case of natural disaster.

“We are not very worried about funds. Our first priority is to save and protect lives. We will ask for funds from the Centre only after proper and total assessment,” she said in reply to a question.

“We are sending a bus to Nepal to send people who want go there to meet their near and dear ones, as also to bring back those stranded there,” Banerjee said.

“108 people from Bengal who were in Nepal for various purposes are yet to be traced and efforts are on to locate them,” she said.

“As per the information available, another 336 people of Bengal who were in Nepal have either come back or are on their way back,” she said.

“I have asked the PWD and Irrigation departments to check all the bridges in North Bengal to find out whether these have been damaged by the earthquake,” the chief minister said after holding a meeting with senior officials of different departments here.

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

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on Derek O’Brien speaks on the earthquake tragedy in Nepal and India | Full Transcript

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

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on WB CM visits earthquake-affected areas in north Bengal

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:

WB CM to visit north Bengal, to take stock of damages due to earthquake

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on WB CM to visit north Bengal, to take stock of damages due to earthquake

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee took quick administrative measures after an earthquake rattled vast areas of the State, especially the north Bengal.

She said that her prayers are with the people of Nepal and rest of India which were also affected by the earthquake. She urged everyone to stay calm while hoping for their safety.

The Chief Minister said that the Government was monitoring the situation closely and will be traveling to north Bengal tomorrow to take stock of the damage caused.

Mamata Banerjee had been constantly providing updates of the situation through her Twitter account.

 

 

Addressing a press conference at Nabanna, the Chief Minister said:

• We have opened a control room on behalf of Disaster Management group for the earthquake. The Toll Free No is 1070. The Helpline No is 033-2214  3562.

• I have spoken to the PM. We have informed him about the situation in the State. We are assessing the situation.

• All police stations in Kolkata have been alerted. They will stay in touch with KMC to collect information on damage.

• The State Government will do whatever it can to help people in this time of crisis.

• Three people died in north Bengal. 30 people injured all over the state until now.

• There should not be any panic. We have to take all precautions and prevention.

WB CM names six new townships coming up in Bengal

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on WB CM names six new townships coming up in Bengal

Six new townships will be coming up in West Bengal, providing homes to middle class and the poorer section of the society. To be built under PPP model, there will be 25% reservation for the poor section for availing flats in these cities. The land required to set up these cities will be provided from the Land Bank of the West Bengal Government.

The townships will come up at Asansol-Durgapur, Bolpur, Siliguri, Kalyani, Kamalgazi and Gazoldoba.

The township at Asansol-Durgapur will be named Agnibina, that in Bolpur will be christened Geetabitan. The township in Siliguri will be called Teesta, the one in Kalyani will be known as Samriddha. The one in Kamalgazi will be called Uttam City while that in Gazoldoba will be known as Mukta Tirtha.

The site for another city, christened Biswa Bangla, is to be decided soon.

The cities will be complete with hospitals, sports complexes and all other modern facilities.

Municipal elections 2015: Trinamool’s massive campaign across Bengal

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on Municipal elections 2015: Trinamool’s massive campaign across Bengal

Trinamool Congress held massive campaigns for the Municipality Elections 2015 from Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas to Siliguri in North Bengal, from Purulia town in the west to Bongaon in the east  with equal importance and dedication.

Senior leaders including the party All India General Secretary, the party Secretary General, the President of the Trinamool Youth Congress, elected representatives in the Parliament and the state Assembly held road shows, mass meetings and led door-to-door campaign in all the 91 municipalities were election will be held.

 

North Bengal campaign 2Goutam Deb leads a padayatra at Siliguri

 

 

North Bengal campaignTribal people supports Trinamool at campaign rally in North Bengal

Incidentally, Trinamool Congress has already gained majority in three municipalities – Gayeshpur in Nadia and Arambagh and Tarakeswar in Hooghly.

Road show at DumdumMP Prasun Banerjee at road show in Dum Dum

The last few weeks saw extensive campaigns by mass leaders like Subrata Bakshi, Partha Chatterjee, Suvendu Adhikari, Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Jyotpriya Mullick, Goutam Deb, Abhishek Banerjee as well as MPs like Shatabdi Roy, Arpita Ghosh, Moonmoon Sen, Dev and others.

Padayatra at Baruipur

AITC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee and Biman Banerjee campaigns at Baruipur

Satabdi Ray at Suri - Ei SamayAITC MP  Shatabdi Roy campaigns at Suri

Padayatra at SuriFirhad Hakim leads a padayatra at Suri

Campaign at SonarpurAroop Biswas campaigns at Sonarpur

Campaign at BarasatJyotipriya Mullick campaigns at Barasat

DEvAITC MP Dev campaigns at Silguri

Suvendu-Adhikari-at-EgraSuvendu Adhikari campaigns at Egra

Abhishek Banerjee at BardhamanTrinamool Youth Congress President Abhishek Banerjee campaigns at Kalna

Abhishek BanerjeeTrinamool Youth Congress President Abhishek Banerjee campaigns at Naihati

TMC releases manifesto for Siliguri Municipal Corporation election

Posted on | by admin2 | Leave a Comment on TMC releases manifesto for Siliguri Municipal Corporation election

With the election to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation scheduled for 25 April, 2015, Trinamool Congress on Friday released the party’s manifesto outlining its goals and mission for the city. The manifesto – which was released in the presence of Gautam Deb, Darjeeling district president of Trinamool – has been drafted keeping in mind the need of the citizens and their well being.

The issues covered in the manifesto include clean water, land distribution, public health, development of backward areas, and improvement of infrastructure and schemes for people living below the poverty line.

In the manifesto, TMC has vowed to address the drinking water crisis in the area with top priority. A proposal to start Rs 312 crore water project to provide fresh drinking water to the people is in the pipeline.

The manifesto also talked about building overbridges, providing health insurance cover to people, distributing land pattas among other things. The slum areas will be developed and will be provided with free clean drinking water.

WB CM Ms Mamata Banerjee has always stressed on beautification; the manifesto also talked about the development and beautification of at least one public park in every ward. The manifesto also proposes to modernise the solid waste management system as well as the underground sewerage and drainage system.

The manifesto was drafted after receiving inputs from common people, experts and party officials. Trinamool is committed towards building a better Siliguri.