Latest news with #KMC
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
City gets its 1st plastic-free street food hub on Russel St
Kolkata: The first civic street food hub in the city rolled up its shutters on Russel Street Wednesday, offering a hygienic and plastic-free experience to customers. On the offer were bhelpuri, chaat, phuchka, paratha, sweets, kachori, chow mein, momo, tea and ice cream among others. Thirty-two food hawkers, who were evicted from roads last year, turned authorised vendors as KMC handed over licences to them at the inaugural programme. Mayor Firhad Hakim unveiled the hub, and the event was attended by deputy mayor Atin Ghosh, MMiC Debasish Kumar, CMOH of KMC Ranita Sengupta and civic food safety and FSSAI officials. Once the place gains popularity, the sellers will also start serving breakfast. A KMC official pointed out that they planned to model the food hubs—two others will be unveiled in Patuli and Tala Jheel Park—on Bangkok street food joints. Jodd Fair Market, Chatuchak Weekend Market, Srinakarin Train Market and Silom are some of the street food joints in Bangkok, which are popular among tourists and locals alike for their hygiene and affordability. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata In 2023, the Union health ministry, in collaboration with the ministry of housing and urban affairs, had urged states to develop 100 food streets in the country to promote hygienic and safe food practices. Municipal corporations of different states were asked to implement the project under the National Health Mission. KMC took up the project with financial assistance from the Centre. KMC food safety officers will check the quality of the food at the Russel Street stalls. "We have asked vendors to use spices and oils with FSSAI stamps. If any vendor is found flouting, stern action will be taken," said deputy mayor Ghosh. Vendors will be given uniforms, including t-shirts, aprons and caps, which they will have to wear while serving food to people. The vendors were visibly elated at the development. Though they were yet to get an electricity connection, many had started cooking on stoves at their new stalls. A civic official said, "The sellers got their vending licences on Wednesday. They will now apply for their power connection." Chhotelal Shah (43), a fruit seller, grew up seeing his father selling fruits on the Russel Street pavement. "My father had been selling fruits here since he was seven. Now, I am a legal vendor, I've got my KMC documents," he said. Another vendor, Ganesh Roy, said, "I will sell paratha. I'll use a gas oven till I get power connection. After that, I will use induction cooker." MMiC Kumar said, "We are calling the rehabilitated hawkers food business operators. Up next are food hubs in Patuli and Tala Jheel Park. Both are ready, we will finalise the opening dates soon. This is a plastic-free hub, and vendors have been asked to use paper or metal plates."
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
KMC suspends 3 officials in Rs85L drainage scam claim
Kolhapur: Civic administrator K Manjulekshmi has suspended three Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials following allegations of their involvement in an Rs85 lakh scam related to drainage pipe laying work in the Badbade Mala area of Kasba Bawda. The suspensions come after former KMC corporator and Shiv Sena district coordinator Satyajit alias Nana Kadam on July 21 alleged that officials and a contractor colluded to submit fraudulent bills for uncompleted development work. Manjulekshmi has also formed a committee, comprising additional commissioner Shilpa Darekar and city engineer Ramesh Maskar, to investigate the matter thoroughly and submit a report within 48 hours. According to Kadam, the tender for laying drainage pipes was finalized in 2021 for an estimated cost of Rs2.4 crore. "A private contractor from the Kasba Bawda area was awarded the contract with an 18-month deadline. While the contractor submitted bills in five stages and received payment for four, a "fake Measurement Book (MB)" was prepared for the fifth bill without the completion of the remaining work. This allegedly led to the KMC disbursing approximately Rs85 lakh to the contractor based on these fraudulent documents," Kadam said. Replying to these allegations, the contractor concerned on July 26, via email, wrote to the chief minister, KMC administrator, district superintendent of police and the anti-corruption department, claiming that the bill has been taken as advance for the work done on the drainage pipeline. He also shared screenshots of the payments given to several KMC officials. After this, the KMC registered a case against the contractor, whereas an immediate inquiry was imposed against the civic officials concerned. The KMC, in a press release, said junior engineer, public works department assistant superintendent and senior clerk have been suspended. Manjulekshmi said, "The contractor has admitted in writing that he forged signatures. Therefore, Rs 85 lakh will be recovered from him. Also, criminal proceedings have been ordered in this case. The investigation of the officials, employees, bill approvers and others involved in this serious matter of fake bill approval and the entire process is ongoing."
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Mechanics hit jackpot as crumbling roads, flooded stretches take toll on cars & bikes
Kolkata: Mohammad Rafik, a motor mechanic who has a shop opposite gate 5 of Central metro station, hired a helping hand to manage the influx of motorists queuing with vehicles damaged due to waterlogged and cratered roads along Central Avenue, MG Road, and Eden Hospital Road while Baban Biswas, a garage owner in Patipukur, saw his daily business double due to autos, bikes, and cars breaking down or getting damaged on the road between Belgachhia metro station and Bangur. With Kolkata reeling under heavy monsoon showers and crumbling roads, garages and local mechanics have hit a seasonal jackpot. The waterlogged and battered stretches are causing widespread damage to vehicles, forcing motorists to seek repairs. The sale of helmets has also surged. Some of the city's busiest roads, like Central Avenue, MG Road, BB Ganguly Street, stretches of Bypass, Park Circus connector, and the Pragati Maidan area, are and most battered and are proving especially rough on vehicles. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Garage owners along the Ruby-Science City stretch and along the Belgachhia-Bangur stretch have also witnessed a sharp rise in customers. "We used to repair eight or 10 bikes a day. Now it is more than 25. Most problems are related to pothole hits or water damage," said Bittu Rahman, a mechanic with a shop at Janbazar. Anirban Mukherjee, a medical representative, said, "I slipped, landing in a waterlogged pothole. Repairs to my scooter cost Rs 3,000," he said. KMC has come under fire over deteriorating road conditions but blamed the rain for delays. "Repair is impossible when it rains every day," said an official.
Indian Express
a day 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
2 days 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.
