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Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
KMC makes Bengali mandatory in monthly meetings amid row over language in BJP-ruled states
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken to the streets protesting against the alleged harassment of Bengalis in BJP-ruled states for speaking Bengali. Now, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has made it mandatory for its councillors to speak in Bengali during monthly meetings. A recent directive from KMC chairperson Mala Roy asked all mayoral council members and councillors to use Bengali during the question hour in future sessions. This comes after the House's monthly session last week, where a TMC councillor from Ward 49 posed her question in English. After the question was placed, Roy instructed Mayor Firhad Hakim to reply in Bengali. Roy then announced that henceforth, all KMC proceedings would be conducted in Bengali. According to KMC officials, Roy has also ordered her office to conduct all official business — including monthly meetings — in Bengali. Speaking to the media, Roy said, 'From now on, the monthly meetings will be held in Bengali. Now, even in Parliament, we will speak in Bengali. Earlier, that was not the case. The state has already taken steps so that the signboards are written mainly in Bengali, and now in monthly meetings the questions and answers will be conducted in Bengali. We will be informing all in this regard.' According to KMC sources, steps would be taken to ensure that councillors submit their queries in Bengali going forward. However, many pointed out that there had been no language restriction earlier. Sajal Ghosh, the BJP councillor from Ward 50, said, 'Why restrict Bengali to just the monthly meetings? Why not make all KMC signages fully Bengali, removing Urdu? Why does official KMC stationery still carry Urdu script?' After a recent 'Talk to Mayor' session, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that signboards and hoardings of all commercial establishments, including shops and restaurants, must be written in Bengali, along with other languages. Last year, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation mandated the use of Bengali language on all commercial signboards, including hoardings, alongside other languages. A deadline of February 21, 2025, was set for implementation of the rule. 'The KMC authority has decided that henceforth it is mandatory to write Bengali language on top of all the signboards/signages/hoardings alongside any other languages. For this purpose, we also need to check and implement the same in all establishments of KMC (including KMC HQ, Borough Offices, KMC Health Centers, KMCP Schools),' the order had stated. A similar initiative was announced by the KMC in 2007 under then-Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, requiring shop owners to include Bengali on signboards. However, it was not successfully implemented.
Express Tribune
14 hours ago
- Express Tribune
KMC cracks down on illegal parking fees, plot allotments
Despite an official ban by the KMC and Sindh government, a man continues to collect parking fees from motorcyclists in Saddar, raising questions about enforcement on the ground. PHOTO: EXPRESS The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has launched a citywide operation to eliminate illegal parking fee collection, while also initiating the cancellation of plots found to have been illegally leased in the Orangi Township Project. Following the announcement of free parking across the city by Mayor Murtaza Wahab, and subsequent directives from Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, KMC launched a crackdown against illegal parking fee collection. Since the launch of the initiative, three FIRs have been registered in connection with the illegal fee collection, including at Kharadar police station on July 10, following citizen complaints; at Bahadurabad police station on July 28, after a raid by the City Wardens; and at Boat Basin police station on July 29 when culprits were caught red-handed. Wahab has urged citizens not to pay parking charges and to report such incidents to KMC Helpline 1339. He has also directed the City Warden Department to deploy teams at designated free parking locations, and to conduct regular patrolling to ensure compliance. Separately, KMC has initiated the cancellation of over 320 illegally leased plots in the Orangi Township Project, after an internal investigation was ordered by the mayor. The inquiry revealed that during the tenure of then Project Director Rizwan Khan, a number of plots were leased without due process. In 2019, 26 plots were allotted to a single individual, while 180 others were issued to members of the same family and close associates. Current Project Director Faisal Rizvi also submitted a report identifying over 500 irregular allotments in total, including 80 previously identified and 320 discovered in the latest phase. The cancellation process has begun, with related cases forwarded to the director general anti-corruption for legal action.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
How new mother-newborn care unit at Safdarjung Hospital is saving lives
Launched a year ago, the Mother Newborn Care Unit (MNCU) under the Paediatrics Department at Safdarjung Hospital has helped reduce mortality rates in sick infants born outside the hospital. According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Paediatrics, titled Mother Newborn Care Unit: An Innovation for Improving Survival of Small and Sick Babies at Tertiary Level Facility, the mortality of outborn neonates was 28.3% before the initiation of the MNCU. After the centre was set up last year, it dipped to 18.7%. It was conducted by doctors from Safdarjung Hospital and covered 1,980 newborns. Following the study, Safdarjung Hospital has now been designated as the nodal centre for MNCU implementation. The hospital — a multi-speciality tertiary care centre — has been providing care to sick neonates referred from across Northern India — but these newborns were admitted to paediatric wards alongside older children. In February 2024, the hospital operationalised the 40-bed Level III MNCU, offering comprehensive critical care for premature and sick newborns — including those with complex medical or surgical needs — regardless of birth weight or gestational age. This unit specifically caters to outborn neonates. The MNCU is equipped with advanced facilities, including mechanical ventilation (both invasive and non-invasive) and other Level III intensive care services for critically ill newborns. Additionally, Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) garments, binders, and chairs were procured to enable immediate KMC for newborns weighing less than 2,500 grams, without waiting for full stabilisation. KMC is often referred to as a skin-to-skin contact intervention and frequent breastfeeding for premature or low birth weight infants. The unit's infrastructure also includes dedicated washrooms, bathing facilities, and a dining area for mothers and surrogates. Key findings of study In alignment with global best practices, the central government has now revised its Newborn Care Guidelines to advocate for the establishment of MNCUs in Level II public health facilities. Level II is the secondary level of healthcare, providing specialist services while Level 3 refers to tertiary care, which provides highly specialised and advanced medical care. According to a letter sent to Safdarjung Hospital by the Union Health Ministry, states and union territories are planning to set up MNCUs and have requested exposure visits to the hospital to understand infrastructure, service delivery, and challenges. 'Given Safdarjung Hospital's expertise… it may be used as a nodal centre for the Mother Newborn Care Unit. We also request the appointment of officers from the Pediatrics and Obstetrics Departments as nodal officers for inborn and outborn MNCUs,' said the order. The letter said these officers would support the visits, training, and mentoring of State/UT participants, including Delhi and international delegates. 'The HoD of Pediatrics at Safdarjung Hospital may send a proposal to the Delhi NHM to support this initiative and explore funding possibilities for support staff and other resources. This nodal centre may serve as a resource hub for capacity building of hospital personnel across Delhi and other State/UTs,' it added.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
HC bar on rooftop ops of two restos
Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Monday restrained proprietors of two restaurants under two police stations from continuing their rooftop operations. It sent the matter back to KMC for re-verification of documents, facts and figures before proceeding with any demolition work. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Justice Gaurang Kanth directed KMC to complete re-verification in two weeks. Justice Kanth also instructed KMC to provide the petitioners with a hearing, provided there were no unauthorized constructions at the buildings in question. The court directed Bhowanipore PS and Shakespeare Sarani PS to maintain a strict vigil on the buildings. The petitioners approached the HC after KMC served a "stop-work" notice on May 5 under section 401 of the KMC Act, 1980, accusing them of violating norms. Senior counsel for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner was running the business after obtaining all necessary licences and permissions and was also paying taxes and duties. Senior counsel for KMC argued that the civic body could invoke its powers under 401 and 408 of KMC Act sections not only to stop unauthorized construction but also halt operations that went contrary to the undertaking by the petitioner while obtaining nod from KMC.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Karachi traffic police cracks down on illegal parking fees collectors
Listen to article Karachi authorities continued enforcing the citywide free parking policy as a Karachi traffic warden team took action on Shahrah-e-Faisal, arresting three individuals for illegally collecting parking fees. The suspects were caught red-handed and handed over to the police. A case has been registered at Bahadurabad Police Station, and legal proceedings are underway. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has instructed inspection teams to conduct regular checks and ensure full compliance with the free parking decision. He reiterated that no compromise will be made on public interest and that implementation of the policy must be guaranteed. Earlier, the Sindh government abolished parking charges on all roads across Karachi's 25 towns, according to a notification issued by the local government department. The move followed directives from Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and formed part of a broader parking policy aimed at ensuring free public parking citywide. A major relief for Karachiites by the Sindh Government! Free parking announced across the city on the directives of CM Sindh. Local government instructed all towns for immediate implementation. — Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (@KmcPakistan) July 25, 2025 'Providing free parking to citizens was a top priority,' said Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, adding that the decision was taken in the public interest and that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) remained financially stable.
