CPI(M) criticises Mamata for not inviting Buddhadeb

Purulia, Kolkata, 22 August : The CPI(M) Today criticised Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for not inviting West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to the inauguration of Tollygunj-Garia Bazar Metro Rail extension in south Kolkata. "She did not have the minimum courtesy to invite the chief minister to the inauguration of the extended Metro service,"CPI(M) state secretary Biman Bose told newsmen in Purulia.
In Kolkata, WB's Transport minister Ranjit Kundu told "the Railway ministry led by Mamata Banerjee forgot the tradition of inviting the state government in a correct fashion although we played a very crucial role in the project and bore one-third of costs. He said the state government had so far given Rs 233.46 crore till March 2009. This was paid with project cost based on Rs 950 crore which was revised to Rs 1100 crore. န Photo : Indrajit Dutta

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'Toy train' to remain suspended for one more month
PTI, Siliguri, 22 August : Darjeeling toy train, regarded as a world heritage would remain suspended for another one month due to landslides in the hills.
"The landslides have caused a serious damage to the narrow gauge track which is hanging in several places. It will take nearly a month to repair the tracks and run the toy train," Director of Darjeeling Himalayan railway (DHR), Subrata Nath told PTI today. DHR will also skip the 128th anniversary celebration due to suspension of train services following two major landslides in a week on 16 and 20 August, he said. The National Highway authorities have been repairing NH-55, the Hill Cart road, on which major portion of the toy train track was laid. DHR authorities would soon assess the tracks damage and start repairing works.
"Repairing of Hill Cart road would take at least 10 more days. န File Photo : AP

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Red signal hoisted on Fulahar, Malda face flood threat
Malda, 22 August : Red signal was hoisted along the'protected' stretch of the river Fulahar in the district today following heavy rains in its catchment area.
Irrigation officials said red signal was flashed along the stretch comprising Chanchol, Kharba, Harischandrapur and Ratua areas. An estimated 20,000 people, residing in the adjacent villages along the protected embankment, had already shifted to higher reaches as the river water gushed into adjacent areas.
Meanwhile, the river Mahananda was also rising, threatening population in several adjacent villages under Ratua block. Authorities have been keeping a close watch on the situation. န Photo : Misbaul Haque

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Mamata Banerjee inaugurates Kolkata Metro stretch

Kolkata, 22 August : Indian Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Saturday inaugurated the much-awaited six-kilometre expanded stretch of the city’s Metro railway from Tollygunge to Garia bazaar in the southern fringes.
“Metro railway is the pride of the city. I had announced the expansion in 1999. It’s great that I have been able to inaugurate it myself,” Banerjee said at the programme. She also renamed the existing Tollygunge Metro station after late Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar, while the Garia Bazar section was renamed after noted Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The Garia Bazar and Tollygunge section has three new stations - at Kudhghat, Naktala and Bansdroni.
West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee graced the occasion along with a galaxy of representatives from the Bengali film industry such as veteran actor and Uttam Kumar’s consort Supriya Devi, actor Prasenjit, Koel Mallik, Ranjit Mallik and danseuse Amala Shankar.
With the expansion, the 22.50 km distance between Garia Bazaar (the southern-most Metro station) and Dumdum (the last station located in the city’s extreme northern fringes) would be covered in just 41 minutes. The expansion will benefit city commuters residing in the southern fringes. Commuters will be able to avail of the Metro on the extended route from Sunday. န Photo : Indrajit Dutta

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Hospital-stadium: Mamata’s tribute to West Bengals celluloid fraternity
Kolkata, 22 August : The Metro Railway will set up a 75-bed hospital here, to be named after celebrated film-maker Tapan Sinha, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee announced Saturday. Banerjee also announced that stadium named after legendary film director Satyajit Ray will come up in the southern eastern fringes of the city at Behala.
She also declared that she had also given instruction to the Metro Railway authority to name the Maidan station after legendary footballer Gostho Pal.

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Kolkata - Haldia port interests will be protected in dredging issue
Business Line, New Delhi, 22 August : A high level meeting discussed the impasse created by the shipping ministry’s decision to withdraw one of the Dredging Corporation of India’s dredgers from the Hooghly near Haldia dock and to send it to other ports.
The meeting was attended by Mukul Roy union minister of state for shipping and RK Srivastava joint secretary (Shipping) and the CMD of DCI, the acting Chairman of Kolkata Port Trust and other senior officials of the port. Later, while talking to Business Line the minister said the interests of Kolkata Port, including Haldia dock, would be protected at any cost and DCI should fulfill its contractual obligation to dredge in the Hooghly near Haldia.
The withdrawal of Dredge XVII would sound the death knell for Haldia as the depth of the river has dropped to 4.3 meters at Auckland and four meters at Jellingham against the required 5.5 meters and five meters respectively.

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Number of A/H1N1 flu cases up to 98 in Bangladesh
Dhaka, 22 August : Eleven new cases of A/H1N1 flu have been detected in Bangladesh taking the total number to 98 while officials feared it could reach 70,000 to 80,000 within two to three months, local newspapers reported on Saturday.
Among the 11 new cases confirmed on Friday, six were imported, Director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research(IEDCR) under health ministry Mahmudur Rahman, according to leading English-language newspaper The Daily Star. "We cannot avoid a pandemic like the swine flu," Mahmud was quoting as saying. He said the health ministry is conducting 13 surveillance programs to check the swine flu across the country.
Meanwhile, English-language newspaper The Independent on Saturday said that health officials apprehend an explosion in the number of cases in the next couple of months. န Photo : AFP

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Bus with 40 aboard hurtles off bridge in Chittagong

Chittagong, 22 August : A bus carrying over 40 passengers on Friday night hurtled off a bridge into a roadside ditch at Hathajari in Chittagong, leaving at least 10 injured, police said.
The crash occurred at 10pm(BDST) as the bus tried to avoid a collision with a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. The bus careered through the Bhanagr Pool bridge railing. Police recovered ten people from the crashed car and took them to the local hospital. Officer in charge of Hathazari Police Station Ismail Hossain told local journalist Keshob Kumar, the bus that had been heading for Khagrachharhi from Chittagong went underwater as the depth of the ditch increased due to heavy rainfall over the past few days.

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