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Howrah, 16 September : Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today said more women should join politics to reduce corruption. "Corruption is much less where involvement of women is more in politics," Youth Congress leader Debolina Das quoted Gandhi as telling party workers here.Asked whether he would be Prime Minister, Gandhi said the post was not important for him as he wanted to work for the people. Promising to make another visit soon, he asked Youth Congress workers to go in for aggressive membership. Gandhi is on a three-day visit to West Bengal, the second such tour in a fortnight, to rejuvenate the Congress ahead of next year''s Assembly polls in the Left Front-ruled state. န Photo : AFP
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Search on for boat capsize victims
Kakdwip, Kolkata, 16 September : Search operation continued Thursday to find three pilgrims missing a day after a trawler in which they were travelling capsized in the Muriganga river near Kakdwip in South 24-Parganas district, police said.Bodies of seven people have been fished out so far while three people continue to be missing, police said. The trawler, carrying at least 60 passengers including pilgrims from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, sank in the Muriganga river Wednesday near the jetty at Kakdwip.
South 24-Parganas Additional Superintendent of Police (rural) Ranendra Nath Banerjee said: "Search operation is still going on for the pilgrims, who are still missing. Several agencies, including state civil defence department, the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indian Coast Guard and police, are working round the clock." State Civil Defence Minister Sreekumar Mukherjee rushed to the spot Thursday morning to supervise the rescue operation.
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UN body keen to assist Bangladesh's local govt structure
UNB, Dhaka, 16 September : The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is keen to assist Bangladesh in further strengthening its local government structure.This was revealed when UNCDF Executive Secretary David Morrison paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Thursday, said Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad. Welcoming the UN organization’s keenness, the Prime Minister reiterated the government’s strong commitment to continuing to work for ensuring effective local government for the greater interests of the masses.
The Prime Minister told Morrison that the government is working hard to establish cent percent pro-people local government across the country. န Photo : PID
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Naxals out to capture power through the use of gun : FM
PTI, New Delhi, 16 September : Amid divergent views within the Congress on tackling Maoists, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that Naxals are political elements out to capture power and the issue of development was “more imaginary than actual”.
“Development is needed. Lack of development may swell their (Naxals’) cadre. But they do not run charitable institutions ...They are political elements and want to capture the power of the state,” Mukherjee said. He was addressing a seminar on ‘Development in Red Corridor’ organised by Hindi daily ‘Nai Dunia’ here.
PTI, New Delhi, 16 September : Amid divergent views within the Congress on tackling Maoists, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that Naxals are political elements out to capture power and the issue of development was “more imaginary than actual”.
“Development is needed. Lack of development may swell their (Naxals’) cadre. But they do not run charitable institutions ...They are political elements and want to capture the power of the state,” Mukherjee said. He was addressing a seminar on ‘Development in Red Corridor’ organised by Hindi daily ‘Nai Dunia’ here.
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Food situation to deteriorate further in Sylhet, Moulvibazar
UNB, Dhaka, 16 September : The flood situation in Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts is likely to deteriorate further in the next 24 hours, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB).On the other hand, the flood situation in low-lying areas such as Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Munshiganj, and Manikganj districts are likely to improve over the same period. The BWDB sources said the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Ganges water levels are on a downward trend, which is likely to continue during the next 24 to 48 hours.
The Padma on the other hand, is following a rising trend which is likely to fall during the next 24 to 48 hours. The trend for the Meghna’s water level is rising, and that is likely to continue during the next 24 hours.
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Supreme Court raps WB govt for alloting land to Ganguly
UNI, New Delhi, 16 September : The Supreme Court has pulled up the Left Front Government in West Bengal for bending rules for allotting land to former Indian Cricket Captain Sourav Ganguly in posh Salt Lake City area at a throw away price for an English medium school.
The West Bengal government has allotted 4250 square metres of land having market value of Rs 45 crore at a very cheap price of Rs 66 lakhs. A bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly reprimanded the state government and said ''You want a man to come with a bag of notes and you will allot the state government Secretariat to him.'' The Court told Ganguly's counsel to stop all construction on the land forthwith.
UNI, New Delhi, 16 September : The Supreme Court has pulled up the Left Front Government in West Bengal for bending rules for allotting land to former Indian Cricket Captain Sourav Ganguly in posh Salt Lake City area at a throw away price for an English medium school.
The West Bengal government has allotted 4250 square metres of land having market value of Rs 45 crore at a very cheap price of Rs 66 lakhs. A bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly reprimanded the state government and said ''You want a man to come with a bag of notes and you will allot the state government Secretariat to him.'' The Court told Ganguly's counsel to stop all construction on the land forthwith.
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B'desh govt to ban those below 18 from political activity
Dhaka, 16 September : Those who are below 18 years of age may be banned from political activity in Bangladesh under a draft policy for children announced here by the government.
The age and definition of a child are proposed to be revised from the present 14 to 18 years, bringing in nearly 45 percent of the country's estimated 156 million population. The new child policy seeks to target ultra poor children under the protection of its social safety net, The Daily Star said.
Dhaka, 16 September : Those who are below 18 years of age may be banned from political activity in Bangladesh under a draft policy for children announced here by the government.
The age and definition of a child are proposed to be revised from the present 14 to 18 years, bringing in nearly 45 percent of the country's estimated 156 million population. The new child policy seeks to target ultra poor children under the protection of its social safety net, The Daily Star said.
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Tripura University to launch bamboo development course
Agartala, 16 September : India's first course in value addition to bamboo products, intended to meet demands of the international market, will be introduced in Tripura University in collaboration with the textile ministry's Bamboo and Cane Development Institute (BCDI)."The theoretical part of the post-graduate diploma course would be conducted in the university campuses while the practical and hands-on training part would be done at the BCDI under the guidance of foreign experts," university Vice-Chancellor Arunoday Saha told reporters. According to Saha, bamboo technology and design experts from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan would conduct the training.
The Tripura University, which was conferred central university status in July 2007, Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the BCDI to conduct the one-year course from the 2010-11 academic year. "The new course would be industry- and job-oriented. After completion of the course the students would be able to prepare value-added bamboo products, which would be consumer and demand driven," BCDI officials said. They said that the value addition and designing would be aimed at meeting the demands of international market.
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National Liberation Front of Tripura militants kidnap villager
PTI, Agartala, 16 September : Three tribal villagers have been kidnapped by the members of banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) from Desharaipara in Dhalai district, the police said today.
A group of NLFT ultras raided the remote hamlet near the Indo-Bangla border on Tuesday and kidnapped the villagers at gunpoint, a delayed police report said. The Indo-Bangla border has been put on alert so that kidnappers could not sneak into Bangladesh soil, police said. Senior police officers including superintendent of police (SP), Dhalai visited the spot.
PTI, Agartala, 16 September : Three tribal villagers have been kidnapped by the members of banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) from Desharaipara in Dhalai district, the police said today.
A group of NLFT ultras raided the remote hamlet near the Indo-Bangla border on Tuesday and kidnapped the villagers at gunpoint, a delayed police report said. The Indo-Bangla border has been put on alert so that kidnappers could not sneak into Bangladesh soil, police said. Senior police officers including superintendent of police (SP), Dhalai visited the spot.
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Suspected Maoists kills man at Jhargram in W Midnapore
Jhargram, 16 September : Suspected Maoists have killed a person at Jhargram in West Midnapore district, police said today.
The bullet riddled body of the unidentified man was recoverd this morning. Maoist posters found near the body read that he had been killed because he was a police informer, police added.
The bullet riddled body of the unidentified man was recoverd this morning. Maoist posters found near the body read that he had been killed because he was a police informer, police added.
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NGO concerned over Elephant deaths on NB railway tracks
IANS, Siliguri, 16 September : A leading NGO working for wildlife Wednesday alleged that the authorities' failure to implement recommendations by an expert panel has led to an increase in elephant deaths on North Bengal railway tracks.
IANS, Siliguri, 16 September : A leading NGO working for wildlife Wednesday alleged that the authorities' failure to implement recommendations by an expert panel has led to an increase in elephant deaths on North Bengal railway tracks. 
"To arrest the incidence of elephant killing on the railway track between Siliguri and Alipurduar railway stations in the North East Frontier Railway, several recommendations were made by the expert committee set up by the West Bengal forest department," WWF-India director Saswati Sen alleged. The recommendations were also forwarded to central forest and environment and railway ministries but no such recommendations have been implemented so far," he added.In a consultative meet on elephant mortality in northern West Bengal due to railway accidents and review of the measures taken, the members of the organisation's state unit decided to set up a rapid action core group involving army personnel, railway, forest and other expertise on elephants, to take up the cause. The committee will monitor whether recommendations made by the earlier expert committee and state government were being implemented properly or not. The reports prepared by the state forest department show that more than three dozen elephants have been killed after being hit by trains between Siliguri and Alipurduar railway stations in the past nine years.
The organisation members also recommended that the railway should not set up double line on that section of the North East Frontier railway, besides suspending movements of trains during night. န File Photos : AFP
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