Part of Sundarbans may be lost in future : WB' CM Buddhadeb

WB will get CNG from 'Gas Authority of India Limited' soon
Kolkata, 5 June : A part of the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans may be lost in future due to the rising water levels in the Bay of Bengal as a fallout of global warming, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee cautioned Saturday.
"Areas in the Sundarbans like Basanti and Gosaba in our state have been affected by the rise in the water level of the Bay of Bengal due to global warming. The same fate awaits a part of Bangladesh," Bhattacharjee said at a function organised by the state Pollution Control Board on the occasion of World Environment Day.
"If this continues, a part of the Sundarbans may be lost. This danger is knocking at the door," he said. Located in Kolkata's neighbouring North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas district, Sundarbans has a vast area covering 4,262 sq km, including a mangrove cover of 2,125 sq km, in India alone. A larger portion lies in Bangladesh.

The alluvial archipelago, a vast tract of forest and saltwater swamps formed by nearly 56 islands, is located at the lower part of the Ganges delta and has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO for its rich biodiversity. It is home to the famed Royal Bengal Tiger.
Bhattacharjee also expressed his worries over the high pollution levels caused by the thermal power stations. With thermal power constituting 95% of the state's power production, the high gas emissions were posing a big problem. "We can control the pollution caused by thermal power stations to some extent, but this is a grave problem. The faster we shift to green power, the better. But so far we have only five percent of our power requirements met by green sources like solar power and wind power," he said.
Bhattacharjee said a project to generate tidal power from river currents has been undertaken in the Sundarbans. "We are also trying to use the clean coal technology to lessen pollution. We are also using jatropha for making bio-fuel." The chief minister said to reduce the problem of harzardous gas emissions from vehicles, the state government was making efforts to get CNG stations in the state. "We will get CNG from Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) soon," he said.

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Bangladesh holding "Mourning Day"
President visits fire injured at DMCH

Dhaka, 5 June : The nation Bangladesh is observing a national mourning day on Saturday for the victims of the Nimtoli tragedy that killed at least 117 people. The national flag has been hoisted at half-mast at all government and non-government organisations since morning.
President Zillur Rahman on Saturday visited people injured in the city’s Nimtoli fire at the burn and plastic surgery unit of the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Arriving at the hospital at about 4:30pm(BDST), president inquired the injured about their treatment. “I’m deeply sad. I’ve no words to console the people who had lost their close relatives in the devastating incident,” he said after coming out of the burn unit.
At least 117 people were killed as fire gutted eight buildings and over 20 shops at Nawab Katra of Nimtoli in old part of the capital Thursday night. The cause of the fire, biggest since independence, could not yet be known for certain. န Photos : Nashirul Islam

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Evidence of Maoist links with northeast insurgents: GK Pillai

IANS, Shillong, 5 June : Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai said on Saturday there was evidence of Maoists establishing links with insurgents in the northeastern region.
"We have evidence that the Maoists have come to the northeast and tried to establish links with the insurgent groups in the region," Pillai said. Thuingaleng Muivah, leader of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), has admitted that the Maoists had approached him. Intelligence sources said that powerful Naga separatist group helped the Maoists in arms-smuggling through Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Maoists also established links with the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Manipur-based People’s Liberation Army militant outfit.
Asked why the army is not deployed to tackle the growing Maoist menace, Pillai said: "We are trying to reclaim all those areas where there is a vacuum in governance rather than deploying the army and we are slowly winning back the confidence of tribal people in those areas."
He said that the government has been successful in reclaiming these villages from Maoist dominance and "development works are slowly picking up in Kanker and Bastar areas of Chhattisgarh". "This is a small achievement I know, but the beginning has been great as far as a long-term solution to tackling Maoist insurgency and winning back the confidence of tribal people goes," the home secretary said.

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Maoist banner in South Kolkata denies link to train tragedy
Kolkata, 5 June : A Maoist banner was found in Kolkata on Saturday urging the people to foil the "conspiracy" hatched against the Maoists by blaming them for the Jnaneswari Express tragedy that claimed 148 lives, police said.
Police said the banner was found hanging on the walls of Madhusudhan Mancha, a prominent cultural centre at Dhakura in the southern part of the city. The banner, put up by the Maoists, was written in red ink, stating the outfit was shocked at the 28 May train tragedy. Police hold the Maoists responsible for the derailment. "We call upon the people to foil the conspiracy hatched against the Maoists regarding the Gyaneshwari Express tragedy," the banner said.

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Tripura marks World Environment Day
Agartala, 5 June : To stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action for environmental conservation an awareness rally started from the Umakanta Academy here this morning on the occasion of World Environment Day.
Messages highlighting the threat of global warming, human-induced climate change, the thinning of the ozone layer and the impact of chemical pollution and deforestation featured on the rally. Academicians, doctors, politicians, students, non-government organisation (NGO) and sports personnels participated in the rally.
The Tripura State Pollution Control Board and Agartala Municipal Council organised the main rally. Several programmes have been organised across the State to create awareness about environmental disasters and how to control them.

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Railway mishap : Suspected saboteur sent to CID remand
Kolkata, 5 June : A local court here sent Khagen Mahato, the man arrested in connection with the Gyaneshwari Express derailment, to ten days Criminal Investigation Department (CID) remand.
Mahato, who was arrested by the West Bengal Police on Thursday night, owns the vehicle that ferried the track saboteurs as they went about their deadly mission. The derailment of the Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Express at around 1:30 am on 28 May by suspected Maoists took a huge toll of innocent civilian lives.

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Qatar agrees to supply 500 mmcf LNG
BSS, Dhaka, 5 June : The Government of Qatar has agreed to supply 500mmcf Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to Bangladesh.
Mohamed Saleh Al-Sada, state minister for energy and industrial affairs, gave this assurance to Bangladesh's delegation during a meeting between the two countries at Doha on Thursday, a top official of the energy ministry told BSS on Saturday. To start negotiation with the Qatar government for importing LNG, a high-powered government team visited Qatar on 1 June and returned home on Saturday. Energy Secretary Md Mesbahuddin led the Bangladesh team comprising members from the IMED, CPU (Central Procurement Unit), law ministry, energy ministry, Petrobangla and GTCL (Gas Transmission Company Ltd).
"We sat with the top officials of the Petroleum Department of the Government of Qatar to discuss installations of terminal and gas transmission line, price of LNG and other related issues of LNG import from Qatar," official of the energy ministry said adding the team will submit a report on the visit to the PMO soon.

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Suspected Maoists shot dead a man in West Midnapore dist
Jhargram, 5 June : Suspected Maoists on Saturday shot dead a man they held guilty of being a police informer in a kangaroo trial in West Midnapore district, police said.
The victim's body was found in Chilgora area of West Midnapore. "We have recovered the body. We have not been able to identify the man till now. The investigation is on," Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said.

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Manipur gov'ment deploys forces to prevent Muivah's entry
PTI, Imphal, 5 June : Manipur government has deployed state forces at Liyai Khunou and Jessami near the Nagaland border in Ukhrul district to prevent entry of NSCN-IM General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah.
Official sources said today that about 200 police personnel and border security forces have been deployed at both the villages. Muivah, who attempted to enter Manipur along the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway 39 last month by camping at Viswema in Nagaland, had moved to Pfutsero in that state in an attempt to cross into Ukhrul district via Jessami and Liyai Khunou.

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CM Buddhadeb gives CPI(M) Polit Bureau meeting a miss

New Delhi, 5 Jun : West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya decided to skip the CPI(M) Polit Bureau meeting, which began on Today, citing post-poll violence as the reason for his absence. The Industries Minister Nirupam Sen, who is also a Polit Bureau member, did not attend the meeting as well due to a family function. In the previous meeting itself Sen had informed about his inability to attend the current meeting.
However, this is not the first time Bhattacharjee gave the Polit Bureau meeting a miss. He had earlier failed to show up for a meeting held after the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, at the meeting the state unit presented a preliminary report on debacle in the recently concluded Kolkata Municipality Corporation (KMC) polls, in which Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress outshone.
“There was a preliminary report on the municipal polls. The PB decided to go into the review after the state committee reviews it. Once the State committee does that, we will go into it,” Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.
In the wake of the KMC polls drubbing, the Chief Minister had reportedly offered to step down. These reports were rubbished earlier State CPI(M) secretary and Polit Bureau member Biman Bose, who said, “The question does not arise. The matter has not been referred to the Central Committee. It has not been discussed in the state committee." န File Photo

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Cyclonic storm kills five, damages many houses in Tripura
Agartala, 5 June : At least five people were killed and over 10 injured as a cyclonic storm accompanied by heavy rains Friday lashed several parts of Tripura, leaving behind a trail of destruction, officials here said.
"Four people, including two women, were killed in separate incidents of electrocution and lightning at Teliamura in western Tripura," police spokesman Nepal Das told reporters. The women were struck by lightning when they were working in the field while two brothers were electrocuted when live electrical wires snapped by the cyclonic storm fell on them.

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Bangladesh Parliamentary delegation met CM Buddhadeb
Kolkata, 5 June : A 13-member delegation of MPs from Bangladesh yesterday met West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee here.
The delegation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, led by Suranjit Sengupta, held wide ranging discussions with Bhattacharjee, sources said. The delegation was accompanied by Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata, Syed Masood Mahmood Khondekar.

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FIFA World Cup 2010 : World Cup fever grips Kolkata city

Kolkata, 5 June : Those who know Kolkata even remotely are well aware of the city’s love for football.

Few are those people who don’t know the sentiments of thousands of Bengalis over ‘Mohanbagan’ and ‘East Bengal’. The association of football and Kolkata goes back by many years. Therefore, World cup football mania is as much being felt here as perhaps in S.Africa. The soccer loving city is eagerly waiting for the tournament to begin.
A very interesting fact about Kolkata’s love for soccer is the local people’s divided affinity for the teams Brazil and Argentina. The city is divided between hard core Brazil and Argentina camps.
However, off late, the newer generation of Kolkatans is moving beyond Brazil and Argentina and following other super powers of soccer like England, France, Spain etc. န File Photos : AFP

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Capital Dhaka's housing-block fire kills more than 100 people

Worst fire for over 20 years
BBC News, Dhaka, 4 June : A blaze in a densely populated part of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka has killed more than 116 people.
It began when an electrical transformer exploded, setting on fire shops and housing, including a five-storey residential block, where a wedding party was being held on the roof. The blaze in the old district of Nimtoli has been extinguished, but the search for bodies is still continuing. Correspondents say this has been the worst fire in Dhaka for over 20 years. Nimtoli district is crammed with buildings and roads are narrow, making access for the emergency services difficult.
The BBC's Mark Dummett in Dhaka says the city is one of the most densely populated cities in the world - and Nimtoli is its most crowded district. The blaze engulfed a five-storey apartment block that had metal grilles on its windows and no fire escape. Emergency services say that they do not expect to recover any survivors from the site, which remains cordoned off as they complete the last stages of the rescue operation.

Fire department chief Abu Nayeem said the fire had engulfed at least seven buildings. "There were shops selling chemicals on the ground floor, which were caught by the fire as it spread very quickly," he told the AFP news agency.
"The temperature and fumes became unbearable because of the chemicals. "We struggled to get inside due to the narrow stairways of the very old buildings." A large wedding party was under way on the roof of one of the buildings at the time of the fire. "The bride was spared from the fire as she had been at the local beauty salon," an eyewitness told AFP. Other eyewitnesses have described to the BBC the horrific scenes as the full extent of the fire became apparent. READ FULL STORY န Photos : AP, Syed Ashraful Alom

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Dhaka fire : B'desh will hold national mourning on Saturday

Dhaka, 4 June : Bangladesh will hold national mourning on Saturday for those who died in the Old Dhaka fire on Thursday night.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina made the announcement when she went to visit the hundreds of fire victims undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital's burns unit on Friday. Flags will be flown at half-staff and special prayers held at mosques and other places of worships across the country.

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Indian Finance min Pranab Mukherjee says no to bank levy

PTI, Busan (South Korea), 4 June : The G-20 is unlikely to make headway on the contentious issue of taxing banks for future bailouts with India, Australia and Canada opposing it.
Indian Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee made known India's preference for regulatory mechanism instead of bank tax at a meeting with Il Sakong, the chairman of the presidential committee for the G-20 meeting here today. India is not in favour of imposing any tax on banks, he said, adding the better option would be to adopt regulatory mechanism as is being followed by Indian banks.
Besides India, Australia and Canada too are opposed to a bank levy, reported South Korean news agency Yonhap. The countries which are in favour of a bank levy include the US, Britain and European countries. န Photo : AFP

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Normal life hit by heavy rains in submerged Guwahati city
Guwahati, 4 June : Normal life in the city was today affected due to continuous heavy rainfall that submerged many areas and triggered a landslide.
The landslide took place on the road leading to Raj Bhavan on the banks of Brahmaputra river but there was no casualty, officials said. Three vehicles and several houses near the road were damaged in the rains, lashing the city for the past 12 hours. Knee-deep water submerged the busy Zoo Road, Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Bhangagarh, Lachit Nagar and Kahilipara. The water logging hit movement of vehicles and people.

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WB govt gets notification on CBI probe into 'train mishap'

Kolkata, 4 June : The West Bengal Government has received formal notification from the Centre about its decision for a CBI probe into the 28 May Gyaneshwari Express derailment that left 148 passengers dead.
The notification has been received, but the terms of reference are yet to arrive, Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters here today. The CID investigation which was ordered into the derailment in West Midnapore district by the state government would not be wound up immediately. This would be decided after the terms of reference were received, Sen said.
In Delhi, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) issued a notification yesterday handing over the probe to the CBI which will register a case. The Centre has decided to go ahead with a CBI probe as the mishap took place on railway property and therefore did not require concurrence of the concerned state government. န File Photo : PTI

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Finance Min's Power point budget presentation in B'desh
Dhaka, 4 June : Bangladesh Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith will present the annual budget through a power point presentation in parliament 10 June, cutting short the traditional long speech.
This is the first time when a finance minister will use modern technology to unveil the budgetary proposals in the house.

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Santosh Trophy Football in Kolkata from 15 July - 8 August
PTI, New Delhi, 4 June : The 64th Indian National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy 2009-10 will be held in Kolkata from 15 July to 8 August without some of the country's top players in action.
Thirty national team players will not take part in the tournament as they will start training next month for the Asian Cup to be held in Doha, Qatar from 7-29 January next year. Thirty-two teams will participate in the Santosh Trophy with defending champions Goa, runners-up Bengal and semifinalists Tamil Nadu and Services being directly seeded into the quarterfinal league.

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B'desh exports crocodile to Germany

BSS, Dhaka, 4 June : An unconventional product was added to Bangladesh's export basket as the country's lone crocodile farm has finally been able to send 67 crocs to Germany through air today, half a decade into its inception.
"A Thai Airways flight carrying the 67 frozen saltwater crocs of different age groups left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1.20pm today for Germany ", Mustaq Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Reptile Farm Ltd (RFL), told BSS. "We are very much delighted with the maiden export of crocs from Bangladesh as our dreams were fulfilled at last," he said, adding Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to export farm grown crocodiles.
Mushtaq said Germany's Heidelberg University is importing the crocodiles for research purposes. "The export of crocodiles from Bangladesh would fetch US Dollar one lakh, ushering in a hope of croc business in the country," he said.

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TMC to step up demand for early WB's assembly elections
Kolkata, 4 June : The Trinamool Congress will step up its demand for early assembly elections in West Bengal, where no governance worth the name existed, party chief Mamata Banerjee has said.
"Every day I will keep demanding early assembly polls in the state. If there was governance in West Bengal, I had nothing to say. Now there is no governance in West Bengal," Banerjee told a Bengali TV channel (Kolkata Tv) last night.

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Shillong Airport being expanded : Transport Min AT Mondal

Shillong, 4 June : The process of acquisition of land for expansion of the Umroi airport on the outskirts here is under progress, Meghalaya Transport Minister A T Mondal said.
Around 34 acres of land was required for the purpose, the minister said that though the villagers were initially reluctant to part with their land, they have now agreed to it against suitable compensation by the government.
"Recently I held meeting with the villagers and they have agreed. The deputy commissioner was directed to initiate land acquisition proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act, 1984, and it is expected to be completed shortly," he said in reply to a question by James Sangma of the Opposition yesterday.

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Desperate plight of Burma's minority Rohingya people
Mark Dummett, BBC News, 4 June : Nasima, 22, is from the Rohingya ethnic group, a Muslim minority that lives in western Burma. Rights groups say it is one of the most persecuted communities in the world - they were made stateless in 1982, and deemed to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Several hundred thousand have since crossed into Bangladesh, where people speak a similar language. This year Dhaka has been accused of arresting hundreds of Rohingya and forcing them over the border - claims the government denies. It says it is too poor to help them. The BBC's Mark Dummett spoke to Nasima in the Kutupalong makeshift camp, which is now home to more than 30,000 Rohingyas. READ FULL STORY

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Cotton production reaches 70,000 bales this season in BD

UNB, Dhaka, 4 June : Bangladesh witnessed lint cotton production of 70,000 bales in the current season including 2000 bales under the hybrid cotton cultivation.
“In the 2009-10 season, some 31,500 hectares of land were brought under cotton cultivation and we have achieved expected production of 70,000 bales,” said Deputy Director of Cotton Development Board (CDB) M Farid Uddin. Talking to UNB, he said that in the current season the cotton farmers used hybrid seeds in their fields for the first time and the output was very good.
Farid Uddin informed that of the total land, 289.5 hectares were brought under cultivation of two hybrid varieties - HSC-4 and DM-1. Around 3-3.5 tons of seed cotton were harvested in each hectare (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) compared to two tons from traditional CB-9.
The lint cotton production in the 2008-09 season was not so encouraging as some 32,600 hectares of land were brought under the cultivation from where 50,175 bales of cotton were harvested.

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Will Kolkata Municipal Corporation get its first woman mayor ?

Kolkata, 3 June : Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is worried even after her landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. Who should she pick as mayor from her legions of followers ?
Choosing a mayor wasn't supposed to be a problem. Though not projected as such, Javed Khan, who was opposition leader in Kolkata Municipal Corporation, was the front-runner for the post. Javed's loss to Congress' Shammi Jahan was a shock. As soon as the news reached 30B Harish Chatterjee Street, Mamata started holding marathon meetings with senior Trinamool leaders to solve the leadership crisis. Three names are doing the rounds Firhad Hakim, MLA and borough chairperson, former mayor-in-council member Sovon Chatterjee, and Sashi Panja, late Ajit Panja's daughter-in-law.

According to sources, if everything goes well, the city will have its first woman mayor. More than Hakim or Chatterjee, Panja, a gynaecologist by profession, is said to be the Trinamool chief's choice for the coveted chair.
Sovon Chatterjee, though a Mamata loyalist, may not be chosen as mayor because of controversies surrounding him. Trinamool MP Kabir Suman had cast aspersions on Chatterjee's integrity. Party insiders said Mamata wants a person with a "clean image and a good academic background" in the mayor's chair. Hakim, who is popular among the party rank and file for his proven track record as councillor of Ward 82, may ultimately be left out because of his low profile.'
The only hurdle that Sashi Panja may face is her political and administrative inexperience. Though she hails from a political family, she herself is a greenhorn in politics. A first time councillor, she needs to learn the ropes of civic administration to run a body like KMC. Sources say that the Trinamool chief plans to around the problem. န Photos : AP, Indrajit Dutta, Avijit Mondal

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BD plans to establish Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur
UNB, Dhaka, 3 June : Bangladesh government has revealed plans to set up a safari park named after the country’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the reserved forest area in Gazipur, the Bhawal National Park, in an effort to maintain the environment of the area’s unique coppice shal forest (shalbon).
State Minister for Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud made an announcement to this effect at a press conference on the occasion of the ‘World Environment Day’ at his office on Thursday noon

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CRPF praised for role in anti-Maoist ops in West Bengal

PTI, Kolkata, New Delhi, 3 June : Praising the role of CRPF in anti-Maoist operations in the state, West Bengal's police chief has recommended that the paramilitary personnel be given "suitable reward" for their courage and admirable support to the state police force.
"Effort of the CRPF personnel is praise-worthy and they deserve suitable reward for their courage and admirable support to state police force during jungle operation conducted against Maoist," Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh wrote in a commendation letter addressed to CRPF DG Vikram Srivastava here.
Impressed by the CRPF's role during the operation jointly conducted with the state police to flush out Maoists in West Midnapore district between 1 April to 3 April, Singh asked the central force to suitably reward the 45 personnel of the 184 Battalion.

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Mamata will request EC to prepone WBengal Assembly poll

Kolkata, 3 June : Buoyed by her party's massive victory in the just-concluded Kolkata civic polls, Mamata Banerjee today said she would request the Election Commission to consider holding Assembly elections in West Bengal along with Bihar and other states due in October.
"I am not in favour of imposition of President's rule or dismissal of the state government. I will prefer an early election. I will request EC to consider holding Assembly election along with Bihar and some other states due in October," she told a press conference here.
She said election in the state could be held six months before the scheduled date and any such decision lay within the jurisdiction of the EC.

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Bangladesh's exports to India to touch USD 1billion by 2011

PTI, Dhaka, 3 June : Bangladeshi exporters have chalked out a plan to get a bigger pie of the Indian market to achieve an annual USD 1-billion earning target from exports by 2011.
Bangladesh has a tiny share of USD 500 million of the over USD 250-billion India export market. However, exports to India have grown by over 100 per cent in the past three years from USD 230 million in 2007 because of reduction in tariff and non-tariff barriers for Bangladeshi products.
"We expect to fulfill the target of exporting our apparels in increased volumes. We are also exploring ways to be engaged as partner of India's Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector for our export promotion," India- Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) president President Abdul Matlub Ahmad told PTI.

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India unveils first indigenous vaccine against 'Swine Flu'
PTI, New Delhi, 3 June : India today unveiled its first indigenous vaccine against the dreaded swine flu which claimed over 18,000 lives globally and more than 1,000 in the country.
The country was earlier importing the vaccine from French company, Sanofi Pasteurs, for only health workers and other high-risk people. The vaccine, produced by Zydus Cadilla, was launched today by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who took one of the first shots.

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We could partially arrest down-slide in W Bengal : CPI(M)

Kolkata, New Delhi, 3 June : The CPI(M) today said the West Bengal civic body polls showed that the Left Front has managed to "partially arrest" its down-slide though it was not able to reverse the setback suffered in Lok Sabha elections.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece ' People's Democracy ', it said the result was a reflection of "urban Bengal" and the Left Front was committed to undertake a "serious introspection" of these results. "During the Lok Sabha polls in 2009, which saw a serious erosion in the Left vote, the Left Front had a lead in 525 of the 1,766 municipal wards in the state or 29.73 per cent. In these elections, the LF has won 603 out of 1,791 municipal wards or 33.67 per cent.
"Hence, the situation now shows, at best, a marginal improvement in the performance of the Left Front.

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Bangladesh housing collapse rescue operation called off
BBC News, Dhaka, 3 June : Rescue workers in Bangladesh have stopped searching for bodies in the ruins of a four-storey building that collapsed in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The collapse killed at least 25 people and injured several others. The building, constructed on the edge of a canal, fell down on top of three flimsy homes where scores of low-paid garment workers and labourers lived. Officials say the building collapsed as the owner was adding another floor to an already unsafe structure. READ FULL STORY

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JSW Bengal faces no problem in Maoist-hit WestMidnapore

IANS, Kolkata, 3 June : JSW Bengal Steel said Thursday it is going ahead with its project in West Midnapore district, a hotbed of Maoist activities.
“Our project got delayed by one year due to the global economic meltdown, but now we have again started work in the project site and the work on boundary wall has progressed to quite some extent,” said Biswadip Gupta, company managing director. JSW Bengal Steel is setting up a 10 million-tonne steel plant at Salboni in the district. JSW Bengal Steel is promoted by Sajjan Jindal led JSW Steel, which holds 89 percent of the equity capital. The state government owns the balance 11 percent.
In November 2008, Maoists had detonated a landmine targeting the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two central ministers, who were returning from Salboni after laying the foundation stone of the project. န File PTI Photo

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Finally catches the killer salt water crocodile from Havelock
Port Blair, 3 June : The salt water crocodile, which had attacked and killed US tourist Lauren Elizabeth Failla, in April this year at Neil Cove beach of Havelock Island was finally caught by the staffs of Andaman’s Forest Department yesterday.
Since the death of the twenty five years old US tourist Lauren E Failla the Forest Department had launched a massive operation to catch the killer croc, which was virtually taken the entire Havelock Islands tourism industry hostages since more than one month.

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Kipling’s Mowgli revisited at Sunderban to save the Tiger

Scout.org, 3 June : On 1st & 2nd of May 24th Asoka Group,South Calcutta Bharat Scouts & Guides organized a camp in Sunder ban’s Bali island in collaboration with We Stand for Environment & Education (WEE). WEE is a society dedicated to environment & education to create an awareness among the local people to save the tiger in order to save Sunder ban from further demise. As a part of this programme, the Scouts & Rovers between the age group of 10 to 20 years hiked up to Ruby Hospital from Ballygunge Jagadbandhu Institution on bicycles. The enthusiastic group of young boys along with their mentors acted out a short skit dealing with the theme of awareness in the camp. Kipling’s Mowgli was enacted at the heart of the mangrove, through the play, to convey the message of conserving forests & its population. The local people had a mixed response to this message. Although they did not totally agree with the idea of saving the tiger, for the animal at times is really a menace for them, the play still managed to have an impact on them. Some of them also said that, now they do not frequent the forest for cutting wood or for collecting honey as slowly they are beginning to realize that the survival of the forest is directly proportionate to the survival of the people who depend on it. READ FULL STORY

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TMC storms to power in W Bengal's municipal corporation polls

Kolkata, 2 June : Riding the winds of political change, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress today won the 141-ward city municipal corporation polls, inflicting a crushing blow to the ruling Left Front in the civic elections, dubbed as a semi-final before next year’s Assembly polls.

In Sunday’s election to a total of 81 civic bodies across 16 districts in West Bengal, TMC also tasted success in the districts where it alone bagged 20 of 43 municipalities, the results for which were available till noon. The party bagged another eight civic bodies where it had local-level seat adjustment with the Congress. The Left Front registered wins in 12 municipalities while Congress lagged behind winning only in three.

The Trinamool Congress, which had already won two-thirds majority in the 141-member KMC, will not need the support of the Congress to rule Kolkata where her party has already captured 94 of the 135 wards the results of which were available. The Left Front which was in power in KMC with 75 wards has managed to win in only 29 wards. The Congress has so far got nine and the BJP three seats.
In the 2005 KMC polls, Left parties had won 75 seats, TMC 42, Congress 21 and BJP three.
Congratulating Ms. Banerjee on her party’s performance, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the West Bengal Congress chief, said he accepted the people’s verdict.
Elated over Trinamool’s success, Mamata Banerjee demanded immediate Assembly elections, saying Left Front major CPI(M) has lost all rights to continue in power. န Photos : Avijit Mondal, Indrajit Dutta

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CBI to probe Gyaneshwari Express derailment : Sources
PTI, New Delhi, 2 June : The government has decided that CBI will probe the Gyaneshwari Express derailment in West Bengal in which 148 persons were killed, according to sources.
On Monday, West Bengal home secretary Samar Ghosh had ruled out CBI inquiry into the Gyaneshwari express derailment. However, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee was adamant for probe into the accident. Alleging that there was a 'political conspiracy' behind the derailment, Banerjee had on 29 May demanded a CBI investigation.

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Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina launches MRP and MRV
UNB, Dhaka, 2 June : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday launched the long-awaited Machine Readable Passport (MRP) and Machine Readable Visa (MRV) elevating the country’s passport and visa system to international standard.
“Introduction of MRP and MRV would put an end to tampering of passport and visa and harassment particularly faced by the innocent expatriate Bangladeshi workers,” she said while launching the MRP and MRV at a function at the Osmani Memorial Hall in the capital. The prime minister said the MRP and MRV would also play a role in checking drugs and arms smugglers as well as militant and terrorist activities.

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Mamata demands immediate Assembly poll in West Bengal

Kolkata, 2 June : Buoyed by the remarkable showing of her party in the civic elections in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today demanded immediate Assembly elections, saying that Left Front major CPI(M) has lost all right to continue in power.
Terming her party's success as "historic", she told reporters after arriving from Delhi that "the CPI(M) has lost all right to continue in power in the state. Assembly elections should be held immediately. "It is a victory of the ma-mati-manush (mother, land and the people). They have given a verdict in favour of political change in the state. I salute the people."
In an obvious reference to her party's failed alliance with ally Congress for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, Banerjee said, "In this election we had to fight against the ruling party and three to four other forces. န Photo : Indrajit Dutta

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West Bengal CM Buddhadeb silent on civic poll results
Kolkata, 2 June : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today refused to take questions on the civic poll results that delivered a blow to the ruling Left Front. Asked if the results of the civic poll, widely seen as a trend-setter for next year's Assembly election, were on expected lines, Bhattacharjee evaded any reply and left the state secretariat in a huff.
CPI(M) headquarters on Alimuddin street wore a deserted look after the results that gave Trinamool Congress a thumping majority in the KMC. In contrast, there was an air of jubilation in front of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence with party workers celebrating the massive victory.

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Air Marshal Dipankar Ganguly new 'IAF's medical DG
PTI, New Delhi, 2 June : Air Marshal Dipankar Ganguly, the senior-most Air Force medical officer, has taken over as the Director General Medical Services (Air).
He took over his new assignment yesterday, an IAF press release said here today. Air Marshal Ganguly was commissioned in the IAF on 22 May, 1973. He did his MBBS from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) at Pune and specialized in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

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50+ decomposed bodies shifted to Kolkata hospitals : DM

Midnapore, Kolkata, 2 June : Nearly 50 of the decomposed bodies were shifted to three hospitals in Kolkata, including SSKM Hospital, from the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital.
The morgue at the Midnapore Hospital has 12 freezers with a maximum capacity for 36 bodies. But the hospital found it difficult to handle over hundred bodies it recovered in the aftermath of Gyaneshwari accident on 28 May. The bodies, many of which were unidentified, were taken to the Midnapore hospital with some kept on ice slabs. “The ice has been melting and there is a terrible stench from the bodies,” an official said.
“We have problem in the storing the bodies at Midnapore Hospital. So we have decided to shift the bodies at Katapukur police morgue in Kolkata,” said Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the district magistrate of West Midnapore. A total of 102 bodies have been handed over to the families of the deceased, Nigam said. န Photo : AP

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NDFB Chief Daimary remanded to 14 days' police custody
Guwahati, 2 June : NDFB Chief Ranjan Daimary, prime accused in the October 2008 serial blasts in Assam, was today remanded to 14 days police custody in Udalguri.
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) leader was remanded by Udalguri Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate Hanif Ali in connection with a bomb attack in 1995, killing several patrolling police personnel. He was handed over to Udalguri police by Sonitpur Sub-divisional court yesterday and was brought to court amid tight security as NDFB supporters, carrying banners and placards, demonstrated outside the court premises.
The police fired in the air to disperse the supporters when they refused to move away. The situation is now under control, the police said.

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Dhaka building collapse kills at least 20

BBC News, Dhaka, 2 June : A four-storey building has collapsed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, killing at least 20 people and injuring others.
The apartment building in Tejgaon fell on some neighbouring tin-roof shanties late on Tuesday, killing several people living in them. Rescue operations are in progress and at least six people have been taken out of the debris by army and fire workers. Officials say the death toll is likely to rise as an unknown number of people are still buried in the debris. Fire official Abdus Salam said the building had been constructed on land which was once a canal and the owner had been adding another floor to it when the collapse occurred. Officials said it was unclear how many people were inside the building when it collapsed. READ FULL STORY န Photos : AP

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4 suspected Maoists arrested for Gyaneshwari Exp disaster
Jhargram, 2 June : Four suspected Maoists were arrested early today in connection with the Gyaneshwari train derailment in the first breakthrough in investigations into the disaster that has been blamed on Maoists.
Official sources said the 202 Battalion of Special Action Force (SAF, earlier known as CoBRA), along with the state police apprehended Lalto Mahto, Dilip Mahto, Ashit Mahto and Kamlesh Mahto from Guimera village under Jhargram police station early this morning. 148 persons were killed and 200 injured in the derailment of the Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari express train on 28 May.

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Andaman admin allots 6000 cbm of sea sand for extraction

Port Blair, 2 June : Considering the heavy sea sand demand, the Sand Allotment Committee of Andaman and Nicobar Administration has allotted a total quantity of 6000 cubic metre (cbm) of sea sand for the extraction this year.
There is a curb of sea sand extraction in remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands after a Supreme Court judgment in 2002. Since then, A and N Administration allows certain quantity of sea sand extraction every year. ''Out of 6000 cbm, 2000 cbm has been allotted to be extracted from South Andaman Division for 204 people. Considering the limited quantity of sea sand available in South Andaman, 2000 cbm have been allotted from Havelock Division for 208 people, including 2000 cbm from Mayabunder Division for 220 people,'' an official release of Andaman's forest department said here.
The South Andaman Forest Division had received more than 940 applications for extraction of sand.

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23 killed in 3 road crashes in Bagerhat, Comilla & Sirajganj
Dhaka, 2 June : Twenty-three people were killed and 37 others injured in three separate road accidents in Bagerhat, Comilla and Sirajganj on Wednesday. Of the deceased, 16 died in Bagerhat, five in Comilla and two in Sirajganj.
In Bagerhat, at least 16 people were killed and 30 sustained injuries as a Mongla-bound bus collided head-on with a mini truck on Khulna-Mawa highway at Madrashaghat in Mollahat upazila at about 4:30am(BDST).
A bus hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Chandsri area of Comilla Chauddagram upazila, killing five people and injuring four others.
In Sirajganj, a head-on collision between two trucks at Banpara highway at Sattikri area killed two people and injured three others.

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Khulna's small industries face closure for load shedding

UNB, Khulna, 2 June : Over 700 small industries are on the verge of closure due to acute load shedding in Khulna industrial belt. Production in these industrial units has decreased to one-fourth during the last month due to erratic supply of electricity.
Small factories dependent on power are the worst sufferers of load shedding. Most of these factories are being forced to cancel orders due to their failure in completing work on time. Bangladesh Engineering Shilpa Malik Samity sources said production in 700 hundreds small and big industries in the city's Fulbari Gate to Rupsha area was being hampered seriously, causing huge loss to the owners.
Proprietor of SS Engineering Robin Kumar Chakravorty said they do not get power supply properly even for four hours a day. He said they could not take new work orders as they failed to complete the work orders which they accepted earlier. Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, General Secretary of Bangladesh Engineering Shilpa Malik Samity, demanded at least 4-6 hours of uninterrupted power supply for running the small industries.

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First Bangladeshi to conquer 'Everest', Musa Ibrahim, returned

Returns from Mount Everest
People greet Musa Ibrahim as he arrives at the Hazrat Shahjalal Intl Airport in Dhaka. Musa Ibrahim, the first Bangladeshi ever to climb the summit of Mount Everest, returned home on Tuesday. န Photo : Reuters
Dhaka, 1 June : The first Bangladeshi to conquer Mount Everest, Musa Ibrahim, has returned.
The special plane flying him home touched down at around 4.30pm(BDST) in Dhaka international airport. Secretary of the foreign affairs ministry, Mijarul Quayes, greeted Musa with flowers on behalf of the prime minister.
People crowded the terminal to catch a glimpse of the mountaineer and welcome him back home. Musa was accompanied by his parents, wife and son.
Musa Ibrahim summited Everest as the first Bangladeshi on 23 April.

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Maoist promises Rly security

Subir Bhaumik, BBC News, Kolkata, 1 June : Police say they have "definite evidence" of Maoist involvement A Maoist leader has said that they will take "full responsibility" for the safety of trains travelling through areas under their control.
Comrade Akaash's statement comes after the rebels were blamed for Friday's train crash which left 148 people dead. Police say Maoist sabotaged the track, causing the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai express in West Bengal. Maoists denied the charge. But Comrade Akaash also said they would investigate whether any rebels were involved.
Railway officials in eastern India have cancelled night trains in Maoist-affected areas after Friday's incident.
Comrade Akaash told the BBC that they were "appealing" to the railways to run trains through rebel strongholds even during the night. "We are promising total security to all trains. We will not allow anyone to attack any train anywhere in the country and those trying to do it will face stern punishment," he said. The railways have not reacted to the statement... READ FULL STORY

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Magnitude-6.4 earthquake hits Andaman & Nicober Islands
Xinhua, New York, 1 May : A magnitude-6.4 earthquake hit Andaman and Nicober Islands in India on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS) said.
The quake struck at 1:21:48 a.m. local time Tuesday (195148 GMT Monday) at a depth of 127.7 km with the epicenter 120 km southeast of Port Blair in India's Andaman Islands, according to USGS. There is no immediate reports of any casualties or property damages due to the earthquake.

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South Kolkata's Patuli firing : Tripura trooper suspended

Agartala, 1 June : The Tripura government Tuesday suspended a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) trooper who fired during the Kolkata civic polls injuring a CPI(M) activist who has died.
The victim, Bapi Dhar, 43, succumbed to his injuries in a Kolkata hospital following loss of blood and cardiac arrest. "The Tripura Police has suspended TSR trooper Sandip Sharma, 27, for (the) firing Sunday," Tripura Police spokesman Nepal Das told reporters. Dhar sustained leg injuries near a polling booth when he was fired at by the trooper in Patuli area in Kolkata's southern outskirts.
Ten companies of TSR comprising 800 men went to West Bengal for the civic polls. Tripura has 13 battalions of TSR, nine of which can be deployed anywhere in the country as and when required.

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Opposition BNP demands Facebook resumption in B'desh

Dhaka, 1 June : Bangladesh's main opposition BNP has demanded immediate reopening of Facebook. BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed made the demand at a discussion on Tuesday.
Moudud said, "The government has obstructed the people's freedom of acquiring knowledge and exchanging information by closing Facebook." He also demanded proper action against those who committed cyber crimes. On 29 May Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission shut down the popular social networking site which has over 875,000 users in Bangladesh. BTRC told the media that it had temporarily closed the website for publishing caricatures of prime minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

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TSR police firing victim dies, row over Mamata's comment
Kolkata, 1 June : A CPI(M) worker, who was injured in police firing in Sunday's Kolkata civic poll, died Tuesday as Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee labelled him a "notorious criminal", sparking protests.
Bapi Dhar, 43, sustained leg injuries near a polling booth when he was fired upon by a Tripura Rifles constable in the Patuli area in Kolkata's southern outskirts. The jawan, who had come to the city on poll duty, has been placed under suspension and detained amidst allegations that the firing was unprovoked. Dhar died early Tuesday following blood loss and cardiac arrest. He is survived by his wife and a minor son. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPI(M) secretary Biman Bose earlier visited him in hospital.

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WB not to accept NCHER Bill till necessary changes made

Kolkata, 1 June : West Bengal Higher Education Minister Sudarsan Raychaudhuri today said the government would not accept the National Commission Higher Education and Research (NCHER) Bill, scheduled to be introduced in Parliament in the coming Monsoon session, till necessary changes were made.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a workshop, organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce (MCC) here, the minister said, '' We are opposing the NCHER Bill, 2010, in its present form and we will not accept it till some necessary changes are made by the Union Human Resources Development Ministry.
We accepted the recommendations of Yashpal Committee report, but we cannot accept the Bill as it is now,'' he added. Union Human Resources Development Ministry is trying to introduce the NCHER Bill for the creation of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, a regulatory body for higher education.
NCHER, once set up, will replace and subsume the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and National Council for Technical Education (NCTE). NCHER will be set up on the recommendation of the Yashpal Committee.

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Agriculture min Matia asks BBS to apologise for wrong info

Dhaka, 1 Jun : Bangladesh's Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury has slated the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics for giving erroneous data on production of different crops.
She asked the BBS officials to apologise to the people and the media. The minister said on Tuesday the data were sent to the finance ministry without coordinating with the agriculture ministry and its related agencies As a consequence, the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARSO) and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) provided three different statistics over the same issue. Matia expressed her resentment to reporters after a coordination meeting among the ministry, BBS and DAE at her office.

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