
800 KMC workers clean up rally leftovers in an hour
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
CM Mamata Banerjee concluded her address at 2.30 pm, and despite the scale of the gathering, traffic movement was systematically restored in phases.
According to KMC, 800 workers, including 100 in Esplanade alone, were deployed to clear up the roads on a war-footing.
The volunteers ensured that the crowd dispersed without creating any chaos. Buses ferrying workers were parked on Central Avenue, College Street, and BB Ganguly Street.
By 3.15 pm, the southbound flank of Central Avenue at the Esplanade crossing was opened to traffic. "Once we ensured crowd dispersal and pedestrian safety, we immediately opened the southbound flank for vehicles," said a traffic sergeant. "As workers dismantled the dais, we rerouted northbound vehicles through the same flank to prevent congestion.
"
By 4.30 pm, both flanks of Central Avenue were operational, with a small section near the dais cordoned off for the final dismantling of the stage.
Roads that had remained closed during the programme as lakhs of workers assembled there were fully open to traffic by 4.30 pm. Workers loaded the guard rails onto big lorries and immediately cleared the roads for.
As soon as the programme ended, KMC teams began clean-up operations across the Maidan area, Esplanade, and surrounding roads. A senior official from the solid waste management department of KMC said, "Our teams were stationed across the city and were activated immediately after the programme. Special focus was on clearing the vicinity of the main stage and the Maidan. "
Many workers who had come from the districts cooked their meals on pavements leading to Esplanade. The conservancy workers cleaned up the garbage left behind. Multiple conservancy teams were also deployed at Geetanjali stadium, Uttirno, and several accommodation points in north and central Kolkata where outstation party workers stayed overnight.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Tagore Statue, Bangladesh Hindus & More: TMC Tries To Corner BJP With Tough Questions In Parliament
It appears that many Parliamentary questions listed by TMC MPs in both houses are aligning with the party's aggressive 'Bengali Asmita' campaign against the BJP. Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march from Kolkata's College Street to Esplanade against the alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states and threatened with a 'second Bhasha Andolan" (language movement), it appears that many Parliamentary questions listed by TMC MPs in both houses are aligning with the party's aggressive 'Bengali Asmita' campaign against the BJP. On Thursday, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee will put forth a question for the Ministry of Culture that may pose a challenge for the Bengal BJP. Banerjee will inquire whether there is indeed no statue of Rabindranath Tagore at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial. If the answer is affirmative, he will seek the reasons for its absence and question whether there are any plans to install Tagore's statue at the memorial soon. For those unfamiliar, Tagore returned his Knighthood in 1919 to protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which deeply moved him. Estimates of the dead vary from 379 to 1,500 or more. Every Bengali learns about Tagore's revulsion from a young age. The TMC, aiming to harness the 'Bangaliyana' sentiment, hopes for a straightforward answer devoid of political bias, which could sway voter sentiment in the state against the BJP. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported 23 Hindu deaths in Bangladesh between early August 2024 and early 2025, linked to violence, along with 152 temple attacks. Between November 26, 2024, and January 25, 2025, there were 76 reported anti-Hindu incidents. Any careless response could have significant political repercussions, and the TMC is waiting patiently for such a slip. Ghose will also ask whether the Ministry is maintaining records on the number of individuals from the Hindu community who have been victims of attacks in Bangladesh. Furthermore, she will inquire if S Jaishankar's External Affairs Ministry has taken up the matter with the Government of Bangladesh and whether any official fact-finding team has been sent or is planned to be sent to the neighboring nation currently facing civil disturbances. As TMC has intensified its attack on BJP, the BJP has also sharpened its counter by accusing TMC of helping 'Bangladeshis" obtain Indian documents. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, in the Upper House, TMC's Parliamentary Leader in Rajya Sabha Derek O'Brien listed unstarred questions to the Minister of Home Affairs. He asked for details of funds requested by states and disbursed under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the rehabilitation of disaster-displaced people over the last five years, year-wise and disaster-wise. This question is significant because just a week ago, Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of denying flood relief funds to West Bengal. She alleged that while Assam receives aid, West Bengal struggles with floods caused by water release from DVC reservoirs – a charge the DVC denied. O'Brien also inquired whether the Government plans to consult states for introducing any national framework aimed at the long-term rehabilitation of internally displaced people due to disasters, seeking details if such plans exist or reasons for their absence if they do not. This aligns with TMC's broader Bengali pride campaign. This monsoon session, TMC MPs have posed some tricky parliamentary questions. The ultimate outcome depends on the responses provided, determining whether TMC or BJP will have the last laugh. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
CM unveils ‘Amader Para, Amader Samadhan' for local, quick-fix solutions
1 2 Kolkata: The Bengal government on Tuesday unveiled a two-month "Amader Para, Amader Samadhan (Our Neighbourhood, Our Solution)" scheme to solve neighbourhood problems across 80,000 booths in the state. The scheme, with a fund allotment of Rs 8,000 crore (Rs 10 lakh for every booth), will be launched on August 2 and will aim at finding locality-level solutions to problems like broken water pumps, short-stretch broken rural roads, out-of-order electricity poles and broken school roofs. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced the launch on Tuesday, a day after the Trinamool's massive Martyrs' Day show of strength. Bengal goes to vote for the 2026 assembly poll less than a year from now. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The Mamata Banerjee administration had launched a series of good-governance schemes — Duare Sarkar, Lakshmir Bhandar, Didi Ke Bolo and Paray Samadhan — just before the 2021 assembly poll as well. These schemes were credited with contributing significantly to the Trinamool's spectacular victory then; the party won 215 assembly seats to the BJP's 77 (down to 65 now after a series of bypoll losses over the last four years). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo "This scheme may be a small programme but its scope is vast. This is the first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. People will not need to reach out to the administration; instead, the administration will reach out to people. The aim is to listen to ground-level people's voices," Banerjee said at Nabanna on Tuesday. "Neighbourhoods often need water pumps and fixing a portion of a rural road can help villagers avoid getting their feet soiled in mud. We have extended power to many places but broken poles may be a problem somewhere. School roofs may have collapsed. This programme will tackle all such minor issues and solve them quickly," she said. The camps will start from August 2 and each camp will cater to people from three booths for one day, where administration officers will take on-the-spot decisions. "Our motto is 'small is beautiful' and we want to reach the heart of every village. All work will be done transparently through an online portal but people can submit their problems personally," Banerjee added. The initial plan was to have one camp for every two booths but the number of booths was increased to three to ensure work could be completed in two months, the CM said. A task force led by chief secretary Manoj Pant, with the finance secretary and other key department officers, will oversee implementation at the state level; this will be replicated in every district, with cops to be a part of the team. "There will be a 15-day break for Durga Puja but we will cover all booths," she added. Old schemes like Duare Sarkar would continue in December to complete all pending work, Banerjee said, adding that there were fresh applications for Laxmi Bhandar and distribution of caste certificates. "Pending court cases have stalled some of the work but we will complete everything," she said.


Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘BJP crossing all limits, its states Haryana and Assam detaining, sending NRC notices to Bengal residents': Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that a family in Alipurduar district has received a citizenship notice from the Assam government and lashed out at the BJP government in the neighbouring state for 'targeting' Bengali-speaking people. 'Even yesterday, two people from Falakata in Alipurduar, Anjali Sil and Nitya Sil, received notices from the Assam government. These notices, issued in Assamese, came from the Foreigners' Tribunal in Kokrajhar. Such actions are unacceptable and violate the rights of the residents of Bengal,' the chief minister said at a press meet at the state secretariat. 'How can another state intervene in Bengal's affairs? This is not only unethical but also unconstitutional and illegal. They are now crossing all limits. I want to tell the so-called 'Double Engine' government of the BJP to first set their own house in order before interfering in ours,' the chief minister said. Hitting out at the BJP, Mamata said: 'They are vandalising Kali temples, inciting riots, torching houses, evicting people, putting them in detention camps, and cancelling their names. If they think this is how they will run the country, it will divide the nation. And if that happens, the strong framework of the country will collapse — we don't want that. We want our country to remain united and strong.' A day after she had slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for sending 'National Register of Citizens (NRC)' notices to Bengal residents, Mamata once again took a swipe at him over the law and order situation in Northeast states. 'With all due respect to the Assam CM, I would say that he could not control the violence in Manipur, which is still burning, even though he is in charge of the North-East state… All the rage, hatred, deprivation, humiliation, atrocities — including linguistic atrocities — are now being directed at Bengal. Language is the pride of every individual. I am not against any language — I love all languages. Unity in diversity is in our roots. We have different cultural practices and food habits, but we live harmoniously. This is India,' the TMC supremo said. Referring to another letter from the BJP government in Haryana, 'suspecting' some Bengal residents to be Bangladeshis, the CM said: 'Malda, Dakshin Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, and North 24 Parganas officials have been directed to verify the names and report them as per MHA guidelines. Is this a deliberate attempt to take control of Bengal by force? Are they trying to erase the identity of the state? Is this a new form of linguistic terrorism?' Banerjee asked. 'They have now chosen particular states to create problems. However, there is no need to be worried. It is our responsibility to protect our people. If BJP thinks they can remove names from voter lists and win Bengal (polls) like in Maharashtra or Delhi, they are mistaken,' she asserted. 'Every Indian citizen has the right to travel anywhere in the country for work. This is the right to work, which is mentioned in the Constitution. 1.5 crore people work in Bengal. People of all states live here, work here, do business, and contribute to industry. We never face such issues here. So, if someone from our state works elsewhere, what problem does the BJP have? It's not as if they went on their own — they were hired because of their skills and talent,' she added. Stating that over 30 crore people speak Bengali in the world, the CM said: 'This illegal detention is an insult to our mother tongue.' Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More