TMC flags 'poor' condition of freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose's grave in Tokyo
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The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
Activists, Opposition parties seek probe into West Bengal's Deocha-Pachami coal project
Activists, lawyers and representatives of the Opposition political parties on Monday (August 18, 2025) unanimously demanded a judicial probe into the Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) coal mining project, over allegations of financial and administrative irregularities. 'The West Bengal government is operating a standalone basalt mine in the name of a coal mining project. There is an unholy nexus between the State and the Centre. The financial arrangement behind DPDH indicates grave wrongdoing. We demand the project be stopped immediately and a judicial probe initiated,' economist and activist Prasenjit Bose said on Monday, after the Calcutta High Court heard his petition regarding the same. On Monday, the Calcutta High Court sought a response from the West Bengal government on the DPDH coal block issue within the next two days. It may be recalled that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the commencement of mining work at the DPDH coal mining project in the Mohammed Bazar block of Birbhum district in February this year. She claimed that it is the largest coal block in India and the second-largest coal block in the world, with estimated reserves of about 1,240 million tonnes (MT) of coal and 675 MT of basalt. However, owing to the thick overburden of basalt rock over the region's coal deposits, the executing agency, the West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL), is currently excavating basalt. This had led to questions among activists over why a power generation company was engaged in basalt mining at the DPDH coal block. Mr. Bose claimed that a company called 'Trancemarine and Confreight Logistics Private Limited' was selected as the mine developer and operator (MDO) following a tendering process by the WBPDCL for basalt mining at DPDH. 'However, in April this year, the company was acquired by another corporation, 'Himadri Speciality Chemical Private Ltd', in direct violation of the tender agreement,' Mr. Bose alleged. In the letter of award for the MDO contract issued by the WBPDCL and accessed by The Hindu, clause 4 prohibits a change of ownership of the selected company during the contract period. Mr. Bose also accused the government of 'salami-slicing' the 3,540-acre project area into smaller parts and 'miscategorising the project to bypass environmental clearances and public hearings required of a coal mine of this scale.' Similar allegations had been made by Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary Mohammad Salim on July 3, 2025. He, too, sought a judicial inquiry into the matter. Lawyer and president of the Jai Kisan Andolan, Avik Saha, claimed that the West Bengal government is unable to give satisfactory answers to the questions being raised in the petition at the Calcutta High Court. 'All official documents pertaining to such government projects, by law, should be available in the public domain. But no papers concerning the DPDH project were made public by the West Bengal government… Documents acquired through the court reveal that profits from basalt mining are meant to benefit a select group of people. We demand a judicial inquiry so that the truth about this may be uncovered,' Mr. Saha said. Goutam Ghosh, Secretary of the CPI(M)'s Birbhum District Committee, expressed concerns over the damage to natural resources, including agricultural land, being incurred in the Mohammed Bazar block due to the coal and basalt mine project. 'The government did not keep its promises to the locals from whom they are acquiring land for this project. Based on our surveys in the villages of the project area, like Mathurapahari, Sagarbandi, and Chanda, only 20% to 30% land givers have legitimately received jobs as was promised in the compensation. The local administration is also cracking down heavily on any resistance to this project by the tribals of the area,' tribal activist Jagannath Tudu said.
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First Post
a day ago
- First Post
History Today: When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose died in a plane crash
On August 18, 1945, Subhas Chandra Bose, also known as Netaji, succumbed to his injuries after a devastating plane crash. In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel 'Lolita' was first published in the United States. In 2005, a major earthquake in Java and Bali left over 100 million people in darkness On this day in 1945, Subhas Chandra Bose also known as Netaji, succumbed to his injuries after a devastating plane crash. Today, August 18, is a massive day. On this day in 1945, Subhas Chandra Bose also known as Netaji, succumbed to his injuries after a devastating plane crash. In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov's outrageous and controversial novel Lolita was first published in the United States. In 2005, a major earthquake in Java and Bali left millions of people in the darkness. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today, will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Subhas Chandra Bose dies in air crash Subhas Chandra Bose is one of the biggest names in Indian history. Bose, the son of a wealthy Bengali lawyer, had joined the Indian freedom movement alongside countless others. However, differences with Mahatma Gandhi over his non-violent approach against British rule – and Bose's advocacy of industralisation compared to cottage industries – led to a falling out between the two men. Bose, who had been president of the Congress Party, resigned his post in 1940 and founded the Forward Bloc. In 1941, he famously slipped out of India disguised as an Afghan. By 1945, Bose had been away from India for a few years. However, he continued fight the British by siding with the Axis Powers. He had also founded the Indian National Army (INA) which comprised 40,000 members. However, after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. Bose, getting news of the development, decided to go to Tokyo. By 1945, Netaji had been away from India for a few years. However, he continued fight the British by siding with the Axis Powers. He first went to Saigon after which he got on a plane for Tokyo – which crashed soon after taking off. Bose is said to have suffered third degree burns and passed away at an army hospital. It has now been over 80 years since Bose is widely believed to have died in the plane crash in Taiwan. Still, rumours about Netaji perhaps slipping away persist. Perhaps it is only fitting that there remains controversy and intrigue over the death of the revolutionary and freedom fighter. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lolita debuts in US Vladimir Nabokov, a Russian-born American novelist from an old aristocratic family, had published Lolita in France in 1955. However, it was not until its publication in the United States in August 1958 that the novel caught on. The tale of Humbert, a European intellectual, lusting after Dolores Haze aka Lolita took the world of literature and culture by storm. Lolita first edition cover. Image courtesy: Olympia Press The novel, which took place in small-town America, had been rejected by multiple publishers including Viking publishing for fear of its lurid themes of lust and pedophilia. The book sold a massive 100,000 copies in a matter of weeks. Some hailed it as a brilliant piece of work and satire while other derided it as filth and pornography. Lolita changed Nabokov's life. Prior to the work, no book he had ever published made him more than a few hundred dollars. It remains Nabokov's most famous work and one of the most enduring novels of the 20th Century. Java-Bali power outage in 2005 In 2005, Java and Bali suffered a massive blackout – plunging over 100 million people into darkness. The blackout, which came in the backdrop of Indonesia facing an electricity crisis, hit around 10:30 am local time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The provinces of West Java, Banten and Jakarta were all affected, as were parts of the resort island of Bali. It disrupted electricity to homes, businesses, and trains, and caused major traffic jams in the capital. Train service was also suspended in Jakarta and outlying suburbs, and some domestic flights were either delayed or cancelled. In 2005, Java and Bali suffered a massive blackout – plunging over 100 million people into darkness. AFP Many homes and business were still without electricity nearly five hours after the blackout occurred, and some schools sent students home. At the Parliament building, some legislators and visitors were forced to break open an elevator door after being trapped for about 10 minutes, as per a local media report. 'Jakarta was completely blacked out. The supply to the city had gone,' Mulyo Aji, a general manager at Perusahaan Listrik Negara, which operates the power network, told BBC. A Jakarta police spokesman said the problem seemed to be 'purely technical' and not a result of sabotage. 'All vital projects are being protected and there is no sign of infiltration,' Tjiptono said at the time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The cause of the blackout was identified as a critical failure in a 500 kV transmission line between Cilegon and Saguling in West Java.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
SCERT says Bose ‘fled to Germany out of fear', corrects error
Thiruvananthapuram: Following protests over alluding to the element of 'fear' behind Subash Chandra Bose 's travel to Germany during the independence struggle in a draft copy of a teacher's handbook, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) carried out an immediate correction. The draft of the teachers' handbook prepared by SCERT for the fourth standard was published on the council's website for teachers' reference. In the book dealing with the portion of the Indian independence struggle, it was stated that Bose served as Congress president and later resigned from the organization to form a new party, the Forward Bloc. However, in the later part of the description, it was stated, "Bose fled to Germany, fearing the British. " SCERT sources said the handbook was not a final version, and the correction was made as soon as the undesirable allusion to Bose's exit to Germany was noted in the PDF version. The attempts to portray Bose as a coward who fled to Germany, fearing the British, caused much flutter, especially when the CPM and Congress persistently attack the BJP govt in the Centre and Sangh Parivar for their alleged attempts to alter the narrative of the Indian independence struggle. 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 silver prices in your area.
