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Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Tread middle path: Heritage panel tells school, KMC
1 2 Kolkata: The West Bengal Heritage Commission on Sunday urged La Martiniere Schools and the civic body to tread a middle path on the eve of a court-directed joint inspection of school, where even regular maintenance work had been affected after the school management became embroiled in a controversy last year. This path should balance the practical needs of maintaining a nearly two-century-old school premises while ensuring the sanctity of the heritage buildings is retained. The controversy arose when the school paved the heritage southern steps in the boys' school with marble tiles without seeking permission from the KMC heritage committee. A senior West Bengal Heritage Commission functionary told TOI neither the commission nor the civic body would pose a hurdle for the maintenance of the buildings at the twin La Martiniere Schools or endanger anyone, be it students, teachers, or staff by stopping the school authorities from carrying out preventive maintenance work. He added the school would have to adhere to heritage norms. "I wish to assure La Martiniere authorities that if they submit a detailed proposal on the urgent preventive restoration work and the work is overseen by a restoration architect empanelled with KMC, it will be approved. We do not want seepage to irreversibly damage to the buildings," the official said. Following a nudge from the KMC last year, La Martiniere appointed KMC-empanelled restoration architect Partha Ranjan Das to advise the school on repairs and restoration of the heritage buildings and oversee the work. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Descubra ofertas de voos imperdíveis Voos | Anúncios de Pesquisa Saiba Mais Undo Das told TOI he had listed the work in two segments: critical, which had to be immediately addressed, and non-critical, which could be taken up later. The heritage commission official pointed out the school's plea to delist the heritage properties led to a trust deficit and raised questions about the management's intention. "Heritage buildings have to adhere to certain guidelines," the commission official added. He added that govt authorities in charge of heritage upkeep also needed to be practical to specific situational needs. The Commission expected a pragmatic and sensible way out through discussions. A vacation bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh and Justice Smita Das De on Friday had directed the team of two KMC executive engineers, a West Bengal Heritage Commission representative and a representative from the three petitioners, including the school authorities, to inspect the school on Monday and decide on the urgency of the repairs, as pleaded by the school. The bench directed the KMC and the heritage commission not to wait for the court order to take a decision but submit a report to court on June 5.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Lord Jagannath becomes MRF's second client for Sukhoi tyres after IAF
On the night May 31, the chariot of Lord Jagannath rolled on the streets of Kolkata with tyres of Sukhoi fighter jets. The 24 km dry run was to ascertain whether the four tyres that are fixed to usually Sukhoi fighter jets were fitted properly to the wooden chariot of the Lord Jagannath. ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Kolkata, which has been organising annual Rath Yatra for the past five decades have been looking to replace the Boeing tyres fitted to the chariot of Lord Jagnnath for the past few years. Radharaman Das, the Vice President of ISKCON Kolkata said that when he approached the tyre maker MRF they were shocked at the request of Sukhoi aircraft tyres for chariot of Lord Jagannath. 'For the last 48 years the chariot of Lord Jagnnath has been working on Boeing tyres, for the last 20 years we have been looking for a replacement. MRF finally called us in December 2024, they were also shocked because they only have only one client the Indian Air Force,' Mr. Das told The Hindu. The ageing tyres of Boeing -747 had been serving the chariot for over 50 years but last year the organisers of the Rath Yatra faced significant challenges including axel issues. 'In 1972 we started the first Kolkata Rath Yatra. In 1977 an American disciple got this new chariot made for Lord Jagannath. He used Boeing second hand tyres from Kolkata Airport to make the chariot,' he said. The Boeing tyres were manufactured by Kolkata based tyres makers Dunlop, But since Dunlop suspended its operation a long time ago, finding aircraft tyres was a challenge to ISKCON. The Sukhoi's 4-ft diameter tyres were found to be the closest to the jumbo jet tyres which were of the same diameter. Mr. Das said that MRF sent a team comprising a general manager to verify their claims and needs for new Sukhoi tyres. 'MRF sent a team of their general manager and others to see that we have the Boeing jumbo jet tyres in our chariot. Then they sent a report and MRF finally agreed to sell four tyres,' the ISKCON representative said. The four tyres, each of which can withstand a load of 16 tonnes have come at a cost of Rs 1.72 lakh The installation of Sukhoi tyres took about 20 to 25 days, which required minor structural changes keeping the traditional wooden and iron structures intact and a dry run was held on Saturday night. Mr. Das said that the chariots of other deities including Lord Balaram chariot has got new iron wheels for the chariot. On July 27, 2025 when thousands of devotees will participate in the annual Rath Yatra of ISKCON in Kolkata, and pull the ropes of chariot of Lord Jagannath, it will gently roll the tyres of Sukhoi jets which are meant to pierce the skies at supersonic speed.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Automotive
- NDTV
After Priest's 20-Year Search, Sukhoi Tires To Be Used On Jagannath Chariot
Kolkata: Lord Jagannath's chariot will have a spring in its steps this summer when it rolls out on Kolkata streets for the Rath Yatra on June 27. After a 20-year search, the Rath Yatra's organiser, ISKCON Kolkata, has found new tires for the massive chariot. The old tires, sourced from a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, have been replaced by tires used on Sukhoi fighter planes and manufactured by MRF. Radharamn Das, vice president and spokesperson for ISCKON Kolkata, shared the fascinating story of finding the best fit for the Lord's chariot. The Rath Yatra in Kolkata started in 1972 with a small chariot housing the three deities taken out through the city's streets. Five years later, a member of ISCKON donated three new chariots for Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Lord Jagannath's chariot was fitted with second-hand tires from a Boeing Jet. Over the years, the tires suffered wear and tear and were repaired before every Rath Yatra. In 2005, however, Mr Das noticed they needed to be changed. This started his 20-year search for new tires for the Lord's chariot. A key challenge for arranging the tires was to assess the weight they would need to bear. "Finding a weighing scale for a massive chariot was a huge task. We eventually managed to weigh it and it came to about nine tonnes. Factoring in the weight of devotees on the chariot during the Yatra, we realised that the tires would need to support a weight of about 16 tonnes," he said. "We first spoke to Dunlop, but they had stopped manufacturing these tires. After extensive research, we found Sukhoi tires to be the best match. We first tried to contact MRF in 2018, but could not get through. Eventually, they got back six years later. In December 2024, they sent a team, we worked out a price and they delivered the tires a month back," Mr Das told NDTV. He shared how MRF authorities were surprised when ISKCON Kolkata first told them their requirement. "We were told that the only other client for these tires is the Indian Air Force," Mr Das quipped. MRF assured them that their tires have an adequate weight-bearing capacity. The four tires cost a total of Rs 1.80 lakh. After the tires were delivered and fitted, a 24-km dry run was organised, and all was found to be well.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
What's the guarantee that the new recruitment will be fair, ask West Bengal's teachers
The protesting teachers of West Bengal, who recently lost their jobs over a 'vitiated and tainted' selection process, have questioned whether fresh recruitments would remain free of fraud, after the West Bengal government issued notifications for a new selection test. Despite certain relaxations specifically for the teachers who lost their jobs after a Supreme Court order on April 3, the teachers have stayed firm on their demand for their exemption from the new selection process. Also Read | Police detain teachers protesting against Bengal government's fresh recruitment notification The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) and the School Education Department of the West Bengal government published gazette notifications on May 30 for fresh appointments of assistant teachers in upper primary, secondary and higher secondary classes in State-run and State-aided schools. SC directive This followed a Supreme Court order directing the West Bengal government to complete fresh recruitments by the end of this year, after nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments were cancelled by the top court over widespread fraud in the 2016 hiring process. In the gazette notifications for this year's State Level Selection Test (SLST), the WBSSC and Education department have given an age relaxation for the 'sacked' teachers, as per the Supreme Court directive. The usual age limit is a minimum of 21 years and a maximum of 40 years as on January 1, 2025. Moreover, additional marks are being offered for prior teaching experience and lecture demonstration. While the written examination carries a weightage of 60 marks, an additional weightage of 10 marks each has been given to prior teaching experience and lecture demonstration, for candidates of classes 9 to 12. It is worth noting that the teachers, now on protest, were appointed in 2019, accounting for around seven years of teaching experience. However, this has not brought any comfort to the protesting teachers. 'It is surprising that the WBSSC and the West Bengal government, which were accused of widespread fraud in the 2016 recruitments, have once again been delegated the task of carrying out fresh recruitments. What guarantee do we have that there will not be any corruption this time?' Shubhojit Das, a protesting teacher of the Jogyo Shikkhok Shikkhika Adhikar Mancha asked. 'No fair competition' Highlighting the Supreme Court directive that allowed the 'sacked teachers' to hold their current jobs till December 31, he said that juggling work with preparations would put them at a disadvantage if they were to appear for this year's SLST. 'Even if we agreed to a re-examination, this is not a fair competition by any means. We are expected to prepare for SLST while simultaneously working and performing our existing teaching duties,' Mr. Das told The Hindu. Also the syllabus for the written examination is different from what they taught in schools. BJP legislator Abhijit Gangopadhyay called the fresh recruitment 'discriminatory' owing to the additional marks being given for prior teaching experience. 'The government's notification was for all candidates, including those who will be appearing without any prior teaching experience. But out of the 10 marks, they will not get any marks in that segment and will fall behind in a competitive examination. This will keep happening in their following attempts… I do not understand the reason behind this discrimination,' Mr. Gangopadhyay said. The BJP MP from West Bengal's Tamluk had ordered a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff by the WBSSC and West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in 2022, during his tenure as a Calcutta High Court judge.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Schoolteacher shot dead in Madhepura
Madhepura: A govt high school teacher was shot dead in broad daylight by motorcycle-borne assailants on the Singheshwar-Lalpur road near Laxminiya village in Madhepura district on Saturday. The victim, Ram Tahal Das (37), a resident of Karhara village under Gwalpara police station, was returning from his school with a colleague, Raviranjan Prasad, when the attack occurred around 12.30pm. Das, who was riding pillion on Prasad's motorcycle, had just finished his teaching duties at Khonhi Sonbersa High School under Shankarpur block. As the two travelled home, three masked criminals on a bike, lying in wait, began to chase them. They opened indiscriminate fire on Das, who fell from the motorcycle and died on the spot. Prasad escaped unhurt. Singheshwar police rushed to the scene upon receiving information. After completing necessary formalities, the body was sent to Madhepura Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. Madhepura SDPO Pravendra Bharti said, "Police are yet to ascertain the reason behind this gruesome murder. Investigation is on and the criminals involved in the incident would be nabbed soon." Das, the youngest of three brothers, had lived in a Thakurbari in Uda-Kishanganj since childhood. He pursued his education there and completed a postgraduate degree in Hindi. He had joined the school as a Hindi teacher four years ago.
