WB CM promises to set up a ‘Howrah Gate’

WB CM promises to set up a ‘Howrah Gate’

Posted on May 19, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Keeping her promise of taking state secretariat to the districts, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday held an administrative review meeting at Sarat Sadan in Howrah and said holding 89 such meetings in about last four years is a record.

“With today’s meeting, we have completed 89 administrative review meetings in the state from CMO to BDO level which is a record”, WB CM.

After coming to power, WB CM had assured of taking the state secretariat to the people’s doorstep in districts and she had been regularly holding such meetings in different districts taking stock of the progress of various government schemes.

Stating that the performance of Howrah district was good as far as various schemes were concerned, she said that the issues like 100 days’ work, immunisation programme, hospitals and marketing hubs were discussed.

“No project can be left pending,” she told the government officials.

She also said that a “Howrah Gate” would be constructed. This large gateway will be constructed by the municipal corporation ahead of Nabanna on Kona Expressway. It will be built in memory of noted footballer and Howrah resident Sailen Manna and will have replicas of two footballs on top of it.

All praises for the Howrah civic body, WB CM lauded it for “best performance” among all municipal bodies across the state “within such a short span“.

CM also distributed cheques to a group of farmers affected by rain and hailstorm in the district.

Talking to reporters after chairing the meeting, Chief Minister said the state government was planning to merge Bally Municipality with the Howrah Municipal Corporation to widen the ambit of HMC and to deliver better civic facilities to a large number of people.

Irrigation system in Bengal – A model for all

Posted on May 19, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

In the renovation of the irrigation system, rivers and canals, and the flood control system, the Trinamool Government’s success has laid bare the glaring lack of worthwhile work in these areas by the previous Left Front Government.

Increased spending

In the four years of Trinamool Government in West Bengal, there has been a spend of Rs 2958,73,60,000. Therefore per year, on an average, the spending has been Rs 739,68,40,000. The actuals per year are Rs 396,48,93,000 in 2011-12, Rs 587,33,99,000 in 2012-13, Rs 683,94,87,000 in 2013-14 and Rs 1290,95,81,000 in 2014-15. Therefore, it can be seen that the spending has been increasing year by year, with the increase from 2013-14 to 2014-15 being by a massive 88.75%.

Compare this to the spending on the same account during the last four years of the Left Front Government – Rs 1095,54,90,000, which is less than that of the Trinamool Government’s spending in 2014-15. These numbers prove how much importance the current Government is giving to the agricultural sector, which forms the economic backbone of the State.

The fiscal distinction between the first four years of the Trinamool Government and the last four years of the Left Front can be summarised in these three points:
The year-by-year increase in the spend in the case of the Trinamool Government has been 3 times, on an average, that of the Left Front.
In the case of the Left Front, the spend was Rs 274 crore on an average, while in the present case, it is Rs 740 crore.

The Left Front Government, instead of increasing, decreased the spend on irrigation and water transport in its last two years. As a result, if one compares the spend during the last year of the Left Front to the projected spend by the Trinamool Government during 2015-16, one would find an increase of almost 10 times (from Rs 211 crore to Rs 2041 crore).

Water Investigation and Development Department

The spend per year during the four years of the Trinamool Government has been more than twice that during the last four years of the Left Front Government, on an average.

Efficiency in the usage of the irrigation system

During the first three years of the Trinamool Government, an additional 1,07,000 hectares of land has come under the irrigation system. Besides, in North Bengal, water from the Teesta barrage system has been used to irrigate an additional 1,10,000 acres in the Rabi/Boro season.

In drought-prone Purulia district, 14 check dams have been constructed to hold water for irrigation purposes. Twenty-three more have been planned to be constructed by March 2016.

Renovation of river dams

The Trinamool Government, during the first three years, more than 1000 km length of river dams has been renovated. Significant among these river dams are those on the rivers Keleghai, Kapaleshwari and Chandia, and on the Hijli Tidal Channel in West and East Medinipur, on the Damodar Shortcut Channel in Howrah district, on the Upper and Lower Bagjola Canals in North and South 24-Parganas and Kolkata, on the Ichhamati River, and on the Beleghata Canal.

Additionally, in the areas in the Sundarbans affected by Cyclone Aila a few years back, some 600 km of embankment have been either built or repaired to prevent flooding.

Irrigation and flood control

West Bengal Accelerated Development of Minor Irrigation Project (WBADMIP), under the aegis of the World Bank, has spent Rs 1380 crore to make an additional 1.39 lakh hectare irrigable.

In the districts of Purulia, Birbhum, Bankura and West Medinipur, under the Jal Tirtha Scheme, an additional 14,000 hectares have been made irrigable during 2014-15 and during 2015-15, plans are for an additional 15,000 hectares to be made crop-worthy through micro-irrigation techniques.

Jal Dharo Jal Bharo

Under this flagship scheme of the Mamata Banerjee Government, till December 2014, 817 ponds and 7,319 water reservoirs have been dug in West Bengal. During 2015-16, plans are on for another 3,000 similar projects. Significantly, the fact that the West Bengal Government could use the 100-day NREGA scheme to service the building of ponds and reservoirs on such a large scale, is a milestone in India.

All in all, the improvements in irrigation-related aspects during the last four years by the Trinamool Congress Government has been unprecedented.

WB CM chairs an administrative meeting at Howrah district

Posted on May 18, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee today chaired an administrative meeting for the Howrah district at Sarat Sadan. The Ministers from the district, the MLAs, the Howrah mayor and all administrative officials were all present at the meeting.

The Chief Minister took stock of the status of all the developmental works that are being done in the district.

On Tuesday, the West Bengal Chief Minister will hold another administrative meeting for the Hooghly district at Chinsurah.

Kolkata to get solar grid soon

Posted on May 18, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Kolkata is set to be lit up by the sun after dusk after a successful three-month pilot project at Deshapriya Park boosted the confidence of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities and plans are being made to install solar panels in street lights across the city and connect them to the main conventional power grid that runs Kolkata and its suburbs.

Clean and green power

The exercise, once complete, will reduce the dependence on electricity to a great extent and also help people breathe better quality air — with lesser amounts of the deadly carbon emissions. Above all, the initiative will help the cash-strapped KMC to save crores of rupees.

The changeover will be equivalent to planting around 600 fully grown trees within the city at one go, or stop adding nearly 7,000 kilos of carbon dioxide every hour to the air we breathe. Carbon dioxide, a green house gas, is one of the major reasons behind global warming.

Solar Pilot Project

The pilot project involved 50 solar panels — installed on street lamps at Deshapriya Park in South Kolkata three months ago. It was a first of its kind experiment in India where grid-connected street lamps were using solar panels to light up roads. All solar street lighting systems that are there in the country, including in Kolkata, are battery-operated and have no connection to the grid, unlike the new system. As far as installing solar panels in street lamps across the city is concerned, a concept note has been prepared and discussions are on..

The note has been prepared by experts of KMC, CESC and a private body, which is approved by the Union government and was awarded the Green Oscar in 2004.

The project was launched in February with funds from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited. The street lights were fitted with ‘intelligent controllers’ which help the LED light to use only that much power that has been generated throughout the day or less than that. The surplus, if any, will be routed to the conventional power grid and a record of the amount of power transferred would be kept for future reference.

Alternative sources of energy

A bright sunny day in May is expected to generate 1 kilowatt of electricity. The ‘intelligent controller’ will ensure that the LED bulb uses a maximum of 1 kilowatt or less, with the extra power being sent to the grid.

On a cloudy day, when there is less sunlight, the street lamp can draw power from the grid, because it had deposited the extra power it generated to the grid on a sunny day. In other words, it will be somewhat like a bank account: You can withdraw only as much as you deposit.

Street lights in Kolkata consume around 10 MW of electricity every hour. As this power comes from the burning of coal in our thermal power plants, at least 7,000 kilos of carbon dioxide are emitted to the atmosphere every hour to light up Kolkata. If the power is shifted to solar, this can be stopped to a great extent, if not entirely.

Bad road in Kolkata? Register your complaint to KMC via WhatsApp

Posted on May 18, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Repairing your neighbourhood roads will now be a WhatsApp message away. Kolkata Municipal Corporation is coming up with a dedicated number where you can send photos of broken roads and get them repaired in 48 hours.

All you have to do is take click a photo and WhatsApp it to the soon-to-be-announced KMC number, giving the exact address and the nearest landmark. After receiving the photographs, a team from the borough will visit the spot immediately to make a preliminary study o the damage.

There are around 4,000 km of roads in Kolkata, of which 1,800 km is repaired every year by the civic authorities.

The complaints will be collected centrally , sorted and handed out to the respective borough offices. Soon, residents can WhatsApp their complaint if a streetlight is defunct or a beautified road needs maintenance.

WB CM honours commitment, gives job to kin of deceased sportspersons

Posted on May 16, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today handed over appointment letters for government jobs to the kin of two sportsmen in the state who died recently.

Announcing this here today after Banerjee handed them appointment letters, state Youth Welfare minister Arup Biswas told reporters that Salma Rahaman Baidya, wife of the double amputee swimmer Masudur Rahaman Baidya, would join as staff under the West Bengal State Council of Sports.

Deepak Keshri, brother of a promising Bengal cricketer Ankit Keshri, who recently died owing to an injury sustained during a Cricket Association of Bengal senior ODI knock-out match on April 17, has been asked to join as General Assistant under West Bengal Mineral Development Trading Corporation.

Appreciating the Chief Minister’s humanitarian face after meeting her at the state secretariat, both Salma and Deepak expressed their gratitude to Banerjee.

46-year-old India swimmer Masudur Rahman Baidya, the only man with amputated legs to cross the English Channel in 1997, died on April 26 after a cardiac arrest.

In a tragic on-field incident after Phillip Hughes’ death last November, a promising Bengal batsman Ankit Keshri passed away on April 20 owing to an on-field injury.

WB CM calls for national iron ore policy

Posted on May 16, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the central government needs to frame an iron-ore policy which will benefit the states.

“For coal, there is a national policy but for iron-ore there is none,” she said in the presence of union Coal and New and Renewable Energy Minister.

“If you can set up an iron-ore policy then states will be benefited,” she told the union minister.

WB CM was attending the inauguration of coal behemoth Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) new corporate headquarters at Rajarhat.

“Coal and iron are very important,” she said.

According to the Chief Minister, with the modernisation of the steel industry picking up pace in the state, the potential for steel plants is good.

“The industry potential is very good,” she said.

She also assured the union minister of all possible help and assistance for projects in the energy, coal and power sectors.

“Whatever help you need for renewable energy project or coal project or power project, we will always extend our cooperation,” she said.

Mamata Banerjee’s 3 D mantra for success: Dedication, Devotion, Determination

Posted on May 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

Trinamool Congress Chairperson Ms Mamata Banerjee today addressed the young party activists belonging to Trinamool Chhatra Parishad at a workshop held at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata.

The Chairperson asked students not to be depressed or upset and follow the 3 D’s for success: Dedication, Devotion, Determination. She said the huge turnout for the workshop today was an inspiration for her.

Class Representatives (CR) owing allegiance to Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad in different colleges across the State took part in this programme to take guidance from the senior leadership of the party.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chairperson was immersed in nostalgia. “I feel proud to say my initiation in politics was with student activism. Our political career started from grassroots,” she said. She urged students to work for the people and always be by their side.

Criticising a section of the media for hyping small incidents, she said people have not forgotten the horrors of CPM rule in Netai, Khejuri, Nandigram or Keshpur. “We have to defeat CPM-BJP-Congress in the Assembly Elections,” she told the TMCP activists.

She made it clear their ideology was supreme in Trinamool. “We withdrew support to the Centre when their policies became anti-people,” she added. She also said that a database of TMCP activists in Bengal would be built.

Speaking of the development in Bengal in the last four years, the Chairperson said her government had set up 13 colleges in the last four years while Left Front set up only two in 34 years. “There were 31 colleges in Bengal till 2011. In four years we have set up 45 new colleges. There were only 1300 medical seats in Bengal till 2011. We have taken the number up to 2700 in just four years,” she added.

She also highlighted the success of Kanyashree while promising that 40 lakh girl students would receive cycles in the coming months. She also took pride in the fact that treatment for cancer, cardiac ailments and Thalassemia is free in the State.

KMC draws up mega project report to combat water-logging

Posted on May 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

KMC drawn up a detailed project report for combating water-logging in this part of the city this monsoon. The cost of the project has been pegged at Rs 23 crore.

In his first meeting on monsoon preparedness with representatives of such government agencies as KMDA (Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority), KMWSA (Kolkata Metropolitan Water & Sanitation Authority), PWD (Public Works Department), Irrigation, PHE (Public Health Engineering) and KMC technocrats, Singh laid out the blueprint for fighting water-logging this monsoon.

As the first step to rid the city of water-logging, Singh directed his department to ensure that most major and critical drainage pumping stations in the city come under CCTV surveillance.

The KMC issued an order asking all executive engineers of the sewerage & drainage department to pull night shifts at different pumping stations from June 15 and continue in that vein till the monsoon retreats.

WB Govt to open ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets across the State

Posted on May 15, 2015 | by admin2 | Leave a Comment

In 2014, West Bengal Essential Commodities Supply Corporation (WBECSC), under the state food and supplies department, had launched its own retail chain of commodities, to promote exclusive products of the state in agriculture and food sector, with a distribution outlet in Kolkata called ‘Roudra Brishti’.

The government is now planning to take ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets to the districts so that people of the entire State can benefit. The state food and supplies department had called for tenders from various municipalities in the State and got a fabulous response. Several municipalities like Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Suri, Nabadwip, Barasat, Madhyamgram have expressed interest.

At these outlets while consumers will get branded commodities at discounted prices, producers of agricultural products will also get a fair price. Currently, average daily transactions at ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets is worth Rs 50000. They register monthly profit of Rs 10-12000 as per the minister.

Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said, “We did not set up ‘Roudra Brishti’ with profit in mind. Our aim is to provide goods to people at a fair price. We are glad these outlets are making profits.”