Sinking barge: High tide worry for fly ash unloading
A team of engineers inspected the ship on Saturday and stated that the internal fly ash must be removed swiftly to facilitate repairs. However, the unloading process is repeatedly hindered by high tide.
The barge was carrying fly ash from Budge Budge en route to Bangladesh on Thursday evening when it developed a crack in its hull. "Although nothing is being forcibly dumped into the river, the submerged ship makes water pollution inevitable. This will pose a threat to those fishing nearby with small boats, as fish density will decrease," said Sundarban Marine Fishermen's Union Secretary, Satinath Patra. Ex-Pro-VC and head of chemical engineering at JU, Prof Siddhartha Dutta, said fly ash contains heavy metals in both soluble and insoluble forms and that contact with it can cause skin diseases in humans.
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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Pet medical tourism hit hard, Bangladesh paw-fall plunges to zero across city clinics
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: The footfall of Bangladeshi pet parents at veterinary clinics across the city has dipped to nil in the past year, since the upheaval in the neighbouring country. The clinics that receive furry patients from Bangladesh mostly conduct surgeries on cats, which have remained suspended since July last year. However, some of them are providing virtual consultations over the phone or through email to the pet parents in the neighbouring country. The feline treatments and surgeries conducted in the city include tumour removal, fracture repairs, eyelid fixation and cataract operations, gastrointestinal surgery, surgical intervention for congenital issues, and removal of swallowed objects. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata While other foreigners also fly to Kolkata for pet treatment, most are from Bangladesh, according to Susmita Roy, who runs a veterinary hospital at Taratala. "The pet parents can easily commute to Kolkata from Bangladesh with cats. Given the ongoing tension, however, only medical visas are being given to Bangladeshi nationals to come to India. For pet treatment, they need a tourist visa. Until the situation improves, Bangladeshi pet tourism to Kolkata will not resume. " Sudipto Nag, a veterinary consultant, said, "For the last five years, we have been getting a huge number of pet patients from Bangladesh, and over 90% of them are cats. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses In Sukun Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo In most cases, Bangladeshi pet parents visit our clinic for surgeries on cats after they consult virtually and fix surgery dates. But ever since Bangladesh has been on the boil, pet parents have stopped coming here." The city has around 200 registered pet clinics that receive nearly 500 patients from Bangladesh on an average every month, according to veterinary doctors. They have started online consultations and telemedicine facilities, but critical patients are at high risk, they said. Payel Chatterjee, a veterinary officer of the state govt, said, "Though virtual check-ups are on, it is a daunting process for us to guess the feline disease and prescribe treatment. We are depending on the comprehension of pet parents while prescribing medicines. This can also be risky." Cat owners from Bangladesh come to Kolkata for pet treatment due to cheaper travel and accommodation expenses, said Rohit Raj, a senior veterinary doctor attached to various clinics in the city. "We mostly conduct surgeries on cats from Bangladesh. The current turmoil has hit pet medical tourism from the neighbouring country. In the past year, I have not had a single patient from Bangladesh. We started facilities for feline surgeries only for Bangladeshi nationals who own cats," said Raj. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Med tourism takes a hit, B'desh patient inflow slides to 10% of what it was a yr ago
1 2 Kolkata: It's been a year since Bangladesh went into turmoil, stemming the flow of patients to Kolkata hospitals even as travel restrictions were imposed. The number of patients from the neighbouring country has slid to just 10% of what it was a year ago, though some private hospitals have seen a marginal rise in numbers since April. With visas still being issued slowly, the situation is not likely to improve soon, they felt. Some are actively exploring opportunities to expand reach beyond Bangladesh to fill up the void. Peerless Hospital now receives 15-20 Bangladeshi patients a day at its OPD. The number was 150 on average until a year ago. Admissions are rare. "Patients are apparently still finding it difficult to secure health visas to travel to Kolkata. Visas are probably being processed slowly, which has kept the number of patients low for a year now," said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. Charnock Hospital, too, has seen a sharp drop. "Some patients do trickle in. But it's nothing like before. And my guess is this will take a long time to revive," said Charnock managing director Prashant Sharma, also the chairperson of Health Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata At RN Tagore Hospital (RTIICS), number of Bangladeshi patients has dipped by 75% over the last year. "If we compare June 2024 numbers to June 2025 numbers, it is down to a fourth of what we would get," said Narayana Hospitals COO R Venkatesh. Bangladesh records 70% of India's medical travellers. Some hospitals have witnessed a slow footfall rise since April, though. Manipal Hospitals have witnessed a partial recovery. Ayanabh Debgupta, regional COO — Manipal Hospitals (East), stated: "Due to recent political developments in Bangladesh, many who wished to travel to India for medical care were facing delays. This situation is gradually easing, allowing more patients to access the care they need. Currently, we are issuing an average of 250 to 300 medical visa letters per day across all Manipal Hospitals in Eastern India. Since April, we have observed a steady rise in patient inflow from Bangladesh, with an average monthly footfall of approximately 3,000 to 3,500 patients — around 40% of whom are new registrations." The recent launch of Ayush portal by the Centre has streamlined medical visa process. Desun Hospital has been witnessing a steady rise in footfall of Bangladeshi patients since April 2025, with OPD figures achieving nearly 90% of footfall it saw before trouble started in Bangladesh last year. Ruby General Hospital, which received around 800 patients a month from Bangladesh a year ago, now gets around 400. "It has improved in last two months but is still half of what we would get," said general manager (operations) Subhasish Datta.
Indian Express
27-07-2025
- Indian Express
Mother Teresa replaces Atal in Jharkhand scheme name, BJP calls it ‘conversion agenda'
The Hemant Soren government's decision to rename a healthcare scheme launched by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government after Mother Teresa has kicked up a political storm, with the Opposition accusing it of 'pushing a conversion agenda'. Earlier this week, the Jharkhand Cabinet decided to rename the Atal Mohalla Clinic. Launched under the Raghubar Das-led BJP government as a tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the scheme aims at strengthening health infrastructure in urban slums and provides free primary healthcare services — including consultations, medicines, and diagnostic tests. The decision to rename it 'Mother Teresa Advance Health Clinics' was taken at Chief Minister Hemant Soren's cabinet meeting earlier in the week. The chief minister also approved 20 other key proposals at this meeting. The BJP called it an attempt to 'promote religious conversion', claiming it was part of a 'larger conspiracy'. The BJP has long been alleging there's an attempt to convert the state's tribals to Christianity. 'What contribution has Mother Teresa made to Jharkhand?' senior BJP leader and former Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri said Saturday at a media briefing in Ranchi. 'The blueprint for a separate Jharkhand was based on the BJP's Vananchal vision, which was a gift from Atal ji. Religious conversion is a serious issue in the state, and Hemant Soren is using this name change to further that agenda.' BJP's Godda MP Nishikant Dubey too raked up the name change, accusing the Soren government of 'trying to erase Vajpayee's name'. He then went on to call the government's actions 'cheap', saying that the chief minister seemed to be 'preparing to end up in jail again'. 'If the government wants to work in the name of Teresa, they can start a new initiative. Why rename a scheme named after Atal ji?' he said. 'By changing the name, the government has acted in a disgraceful manner. The current conduct of the state administration suggests that the CM of Jharkhand, who is also Congress's favourite, seems ready to go to jail once more'. Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha dismissed the charges as 'politically motivated and baseless'. 'Mother Teresa may not have been awarded the Bharat Ratna, but she was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize for dedicating her entire life to serving the poor, the oppressed, the marginalised, and the sick. Illness knows no religion, and she provided healthcare to thousands without discrimination. Her work was directly connected to health, making her name rightfully fit for such a scheme,' he said. Taking a jibe at BJP, the JMM alleged that the party had 'run out of real issues', claiming it was the 'BJP that started the trend of renaming things across the country'. 'Those holding press conferences have already been rejected by the people in elections… BJP trying to polarise votes in the name of religion and nationality, accusing people of being Bangladeshi when Jharkhand doesn't even share a border with Bangladesh,' he said. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
