Latest news with #Pujas
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
9.4cr tender to raze and rebuild Kavi Subhash, Rly Board team visits station
1 2 Kolkata: Metro Railway floated an e-tender of Rs 9.4 crore for razing and rebuilding the Dakshineswar-bound (Up) platform of Kavi Subhash Metro station. The meagre-amount tender, sources said, is only one of the many that will be floated to execute the project of rebuilding the terminal station of the North-South (Blue) line. Since only the Railway Board is empowered to sanction railway expenditures exceeding Rs 10 crore, officials from the Board in Delhi inspected the station in New Garia on Thursday to assess the damage. "The visit was necessary before estimating and allotting funds for the entire project of dismantling and rebuilding the station," an official said, indicating that multiple contractors will be engaged for comprehensive restoration of the damaged station. Therefore, more bids will follow. Passenger services to New Garia station were indefinitely suspended on Monday after wide cracks were spotted in the columns of the Up platform, which was undergoing subsidence for several months. Metro Railway had planned to start the repair work after this Pujas. When things started looking precariously unsafe, the authorities decided to close the terminal station and run truncated services of the Blue Line from Dakshineswar (north) to the second last station in the south — Shahid Khudiram. Sources then told TOI that the entire station must be rebuilt before it is declared safe for passenger services. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The e-tender floated by Metro Railway mentions "rehabilitation of platform and shed of Kavi Subhash station, including dismantling of the platform shed and refixing it after reconstruction of columns, platform and allied works". The bids will open on Aug 5 and close on Aug 19. The contractor must complete the work in nine months. Meanwhile, the initial job — dismantling the platform shed (covering both Up and Down (New Garia-bound) platforms) — is already underway. Sources said local contractors have been deployed for the job and the "nomination" tender for it has been floated for a "token" amount. Officials said at the local level, the spending limit is Rs 10 crore. Therefore, the estimated cost for the preliminary work is Rs 9.4 crore, well within the permissible limit. Hours after the work to remove the platform sheet started, Metro Railway on Wednesday issued a statement quoting the scope of work in the e-tender, saying it targets to complete the dismantling and construction of the Up platform with its columns in nine months, based on recommendations by railway consultancy firm RITES. Sources said this was the first and preliminary stage of the entire project. "The authorities have set the restoration work rolling. The project would involve several stages and meticulous planning. Even if there is tremendous pressure to reopen the station, the restoration cannot be a hurried job, again, for the sake of passenger safety," said an official.
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
By God! The Modi-Mamata political battle in West Bengal is taking off
Jai Shri Ram didn't quite deliver for the BJP in West Bengal these last ten years. So, Narendra Modi has changed tactics. He is now roping in two very Bengali goddesses to help him with the Assembly elections in the state in 2026. Jai Ma Durga, Jai Ma Kali – that's what he chanted at a rally at Durgapur last week, invocations he has never used like this in West Bengal in the past. In 2024, he did use the Ma Durga name once after the Sandeshkhali scandal of sex abuse and land grab: he described the women of Sandeshkhali as Ma Durgas. But that didn't do the trick. He has now pulled out the double engine Bengali deities Durga and Kali in the hope of slaying his demon in West Bengal. Not one to let grass grow under her feet, Mamata Banerjee has cooked up a counter strategy. At a mega rally in Kolkata this Monday, she declared she has already secured Lord Jagannath's blessings by building a temple to him at Digha; she is now planning to bag Ma Durga's by building her a permanent home – Durgangan where Durga Puja will be on exhibition all year round. This, she possibly believes, will ensure the goddess would never leave her side for the BJP. She knows everyone knows she holds Kali Puja at her home every year and will think up some propitiatory ploy to woo her as well in the coming months. Perhaps this Diwali. This ungodly tug of war over gods and goddesses is something West Bengal is learning to get used to. In 34 years of Communist rule in the state, from 1977 to 2011, the deployment of deities in political battles or another now-common phenomenon, the deification of politicians, was unthinkable. But once Mamata Banerjee came to power, Bengal took to it like ducks to water. Testing the waters, in 2014, Mamata Banerjee set up a wax museum in Kolkata housing wax idols of Bengal's greatest sons and daughters and there, along with those of Netaji and Swami Vivekananda. Mamata Banerjee, too, was cast in wax, seated at her vast Chief Ministerial desk. The queues that waited to see her likeness are legendary. However, apparently because she did not think it was a very good likeness, her image was removed and never restored. But then came Modi in Delhi and with him the snowballing of the Lord Ram iconography in the political field. And the next thing we know in Bengal, in 2016, a 10-armed Mamata Banerjee idol was sharing a pandal with the clay image of the Goddess Durga during the Pujas. Truth be told, this kind of blatant deification never really took off but deification by other names became the norm. Mamata Banerjee painting the third eye of the Durga idol at Durga Puja inaugurations and fluently reciting holy mantras at the drop of a hat have now become a part of Kolkata's Durga Puja iconography. The results of the deification of politician in the political arena are there for all to see. The atheist Communists are out, so also the secular Congress. And the two main contenders for power in the state – Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi – are resorting to every trick in the book to forge ahead. Remember Amit Shah and Modi dashing from Delhi to Kolkata like daily passengers before the 2021 Assembly elections, to their numerous public rallies, with their favourite slogan, Jai Shri Ram, which Mamata Banerjee labelled a war cry? Her wheelchair-borne 'khelahobay' missile dashed Shah's dreams of 'do sau paar' or 200-plus seats. In 2024, the BJP's tally of MPs plummeted from 18 to 12. For 11 years since Modi became Prime Minister and set his sights on Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's home state, the BJP has been hunting without luck for a formula for success. But the shift from Lord Ram to Ma Durga and Ma Kali this time could be a giant leap in the right direction. Rebranding Hindutva The new strategy was unveiled on July 5 when Shamik Bhattacharya, BJP Rajya Sabha MP from West Bengal, was appointed the president of the state unit of the party. At his inauguration, Bhattacharya did something no one had ever before. On the backdrop on stage, beside images of Modi, Mookerjee and other regular BJP icons, an image of Goddess Kali took centrestage. Another first, chants of Jai Shri Ram were interspersed in equal measure and vigour with Jai Ma Kali. This goddess is worshipped with pomp every year in Bengal at the same time as Diwali. But she is also worshipped daily in most Bengali homes where a photo of the goddess is adorned with a fresh garland of the trademark red hibiscus every day. For the devout, the Kalighat temple, Dakshineswar and Tarapith are regular pilgrimage sites. In short, Goddess Kali is big for Bengalis. The BJP has latched on to that. This July, what has unfolded is the rebranding of BJP's north Indian Lord Ram dominated Hindutva for a Bengali audience with a distinctly different taste in deities. Also promoted, the fact that son of the soil Mookerjee is also the founding father of the BJP, so BJP's roots are deeply Bengali. The Trinamool has labelled all this a gimmick and may well be backing a subterranean campaign questioning how the BJP, whose supporters mock Bengalis for guzzling fish curry, egg roll and chicken biryani during the Durga Puja that coincides with the Navratra period, will deal with the fact that Ma Kali celebrations include the consumption of alcohol and meat. This was made unforgettable by the redoubtable TMC MP Mohua Moitra who went so far as to claim Ma Kali even enjoyed a good smoke. The 2026 Assembly polls could be do or die for the BJP. Mamata Banerjee is sure to ensure the BJP's Bengaliyana is put to tough tests during Durga Puja and Kali Puja this September-October. For Bengal's voters, the elections will be much more than about voting for the politician they prefer. Even the gods and goddesses will be watching.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
8,500 hawkers set to get vending certs before puja
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is set to distribute 8,500 vending certificates to hawkers who have already enrolled with the civic body as bonafide traders in the city's major hawking zones before the Pujas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the first phase, KMC will start distributing vending certificates in major hawking hubs like New Market, Hatibagan, and Gariahat from Aug 16. The certificate will be issued for a year and will be renewed annually. This decision was made at the meeting of the town vending committee at the civic headquarters on Wednesday. According to a KMC vending committee member, the exercise of offering vending certificates aims at restricting hawkers who have encroached on the carriageways or a significant portion of pavements. "We have decided to start distributing vending certificates to genuine hawkers to identify and remove those who have been illegally occupying carriageways and pavements," said the town vending committee member. At the same time, a unanimous decision was made to push back a section of hawkers who have taken over carriageways. KMC and the police will need to conduct a joint drive to free the carriageways and car parking lots of hawkers' encroachment in the New Market area. According to a KMC official, the certificates will be issued to around 59,000 hawkers who applied in 2015 for a hawker's identity card, enabling them to register as bonafide hawkers. However, according to a civic official, the hawker population has already reached the 3,00,000 mark. "It is an uphill task to issue vending certificates to all hawkers at once. But those who haven't applied so far will be given an opportunity to apply for enrolment in the future after the completion of the distribution of vending certificates. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now However, it will be a continuous process and may take years. The town vending committee will need to keep a vigil on new encroachments of carriageways or entire pavements, as that will certainly endanger the life of a pedestrian," said a member of the committee. "We don't want to evict hawkers. But we need to restrict rampant encroachment of carriageways by a section of the hawkers who don't want to abide by rules. We have recommended the distribution of a vending certificate to those who have been doing business without infringing hawking rules," said Debasish Das, a member of the town vending committee who attended the meeting as a hawker representative.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Pick different venue next year,' says Calcutta High Court on TMC's July 21 rally
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over the upcoming July 21 Martyrs' Day rally organised by the Trinamool Congress, and said that from next year, the event should be shifted to an alternative venue. A petition filed before Justice Tirthankar Ghosh alleged the rally caused inconvenience to the public. While refusing to intervene this year, the judge said, 'At the last moment, I will not change the venue. But from next year, select another place like Sahid Minar, Brigade Parade Ground, or Salt Lake Stadium. Political parties have emotional attachment to such days, but stadiums should be used for such programs.' The petitioner had pointed out that the rally, to be held on a working Monday, would disrupt traffic and affect office-goers. Justice Ghosh remarked, 'For how many more days will people tolerate? Declare it a holiday. If such programs are held on working days, how will police manage traffic?' During the hearing, TMC counsel Biswaroop Bhattacharya argued the petition was politically motivated. 'This has been going on for 13 years,' he said. Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted, 'They are alleging traffic jams. But traffic curbs happen during any major program, even when the Prime Minister or President visits, or during events at Brigade Parade Ground.' Dutta also questioned the timing of the plea: 'Why was the petition filed just seven days before the rally, when it happens every year? Hundreds to thousands come from the districts; even during Pujas, there are curbs.' Justice Ghosh, however, said, 'Can you (the state) say there will be no congestion? Let the Police Commissioner submit an affidavit that there will be no traffic disruption.' Petitioner Shamim Ahmed said, 'We are not asking for a ban. We are saying that Section 144 is imposed from KC Das to Victoria House. When other parties seek permission to hold events there, the state cites traffic disruption as a reason to deny it. Police have already issued notifications stating curbs across major streets.' Justice Ghosh said that July 21 cannot be observed by 'blocking roads, causing jams, and seizing buses'. A long hearing will be held to decide whether future rallies can be held in front of Victoria House. Until then, the court directed that both the police and ruling party must ensure no traffic jams occur. The Kolkata Police Commissioner has been asked to submit a bond stating this guarantee. Police notices already issued regarding the rally must be submitted to the court on Friday, Justice Ghosh said. The state will then argue the admissibility of the case. Since 2011, the rally has been held annually, typically in front of the Victoria House, to commemorate the 1993 police firing that killed 13 protestors from the then-Congress and Trinamool Congress.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bengal plans post-Puja industrial conclave to boost investment & exports
1 2 Kolkata: To accelerate Bengal's industrialisation, state govt would host a business and industrial conclave after the Pujas, Amit Mitra, principal chief economic adviser to CM Mamata Banerjee , said on Tuesday. Mitra said the CM decided to host the conclave after taking stock of investment proposals — received since the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in Feb — during a meeting at Nabanna during the day. The state's ex-finance minister, however, clarified that this conclave had nothing to do with BGBS and it would be held as usual. The dates are yet to be finalised, said Mitra. Experts said through this conclave, Bengal govt wanted to showcase its achievements in industrial growth ahead of the 2026 assembly elections and also send a message to investors. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata A state-level investment and synergy committee meet was held on Tuesday, during which the proposed conclave was discussed. While the focus would be on core sectors like steel, leather, apparel and hosiery, gems and jewellery, food and food processing, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, the conclave would also aim to boost cultural and historical tourism in Bengal. Bengal is going to have five new steel plants in Jangalmahal, which will bring in investments to the tune of Rs 32,000 crore, Mitra said. "Gems and jewellery is another sector we are focusing on, as Bengal has a high potential for growth in exports of gems and jewellery. In 2023-24, we exported to the tune of $1.8 billion, so we are going to set a higher export target," he added. With high demand at the IT hub, Mitra also stressed the importance of IT, ITes and semiconductor sectors. The food processing sector is set to get more attention, with export of shrimps touching $423 million in the 2023-24 financial year. The focus would also be on food, food products and milk, Mitra said. Bengal's leather industry exports touch $700 million annually, which is half of the country's exports, Mitra pointed out. Additionally, medical equipment and medicines worth $20.5 million were exported from the state in 2024, he added, explaining the need for attention to these sectors. CM to inaugurate leather & textile hub tomorrow CM Mamata Banerjee would inaugurate the leather and textile hub at Alipore on Thursday. Located opposite Alipore Jail Museum, the hub would be a major sales point for leather products and Bengal saris.
