QKolkata: IRCTC’s Special Pujo Menu; Mamata Supports Rohingyas

Your daily lowdown on all things Kolkata.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 

(Photo: Reuters)

1. All Refugees Not Terrorists: Mamata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said there might be terrorists among Rohingya but they "mustn't be confused with commoners", speaking on a day the central government defended in the Supreme Court its decision to deport refugees on security grounds.

Hours earlier, Bangladesh junior Foreign Minister Mohammed Shahriar Alam, who was in Kolkata to attend a seminar, had said the Rohingya crisis was a humanitarian issue but didn't "reject the idea" of links between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and foreign terror outfits.

Source: The Telegraph

2. Binay Meets CM Before Delhi Trip

A GJM supporter shouts slogans at a protest rally during the first few days of the Gorkhaland agitation in Darjeeling. (Photo: PTI)

Rebel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa met Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata before heading for Delhi, following which Bimal Gurung released a letter asking the expelled duo “not to use the party banner.” It was not immediately clear why Tamang and Thapa went to Delhi but sources in the state Secretariat in Nabanna said the two had held discussions with the Chief Minister on the stand they should take in the capital.

"The state government wants to promote Tamang as the main leader in the hills because he is not a hardliner like Gurung. The strategy appears to be working so far as the effect of the strike is gradually fading in the region," said an official at Nabanna.

Source: The Telegraph

3. Mamata Wants Tea Gardens to Open

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 18 September said the government had asked tea planters in the hills to reopen the estates at the earliest and pay bonus to workers before Durga Puja.

The Chief Minister made the announcement after a meeting with Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa, saying the expelled Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders had wanted to know what steps the government had taken to pacify the workers in the tea estates that have remained closed for almost the entire three- monthlong strike.

"We informed them that the Chief Secretary had already held a meeting with tea planters and trade union leaders and made the government's stand clear. The workers should be given bonus before Puja and the planters have been asked to make the gardens functional at the earliest," Mamata said after the meeting.

Source: The Telegraph

4. Narada Sting: CBI Quizzes Firhad for 6 Hours

Trinamool MLA Firhad Hakim.(Photo: Facebook)

The CBI on 18 September quizzed Trinamool Congress leader and state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim at its Nizam Palace office in connection to the Narada sting operation probe. Hakim, who was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate last month, was questioned for more than six hours.

Hakim was seen on video talking to Narada News boss Mathew Samuel, who conducted a sting operation on Trinamool Congress leaders in 2014 before the Lok Sabha election. During the operation, Samuel introduced himself as Santosh Shankaran, representing a private company which provides liaison services for investors.

Source: The Times Of India

5. Shahi Murgh to Gulab Jamun, IRCTC to Dish out Puja Menu

The Bengali’s love for fish is well known.  (Photo: Reuters)

Step into a food plaza at any major railway station in the east during the Puja and enjoy a complimentary drink or dessert with the meal you order. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has also planned a special menu for passengers of Rajdhani and Duronto.

IRCTC has directed the managers of all station food plazas to do up the outlets in a way that gives customers a feel of the celebrations associated with the Pujas.

“We have also instructed the food plazas to prepare special and traditional items during the Puja. The staff have been directed to greet customers and wish them appropriately . Similar directions have been given to vendors serving food through e-catering. We have also made preparations for special on-board menus at the base kitchen in Howrah. Last year, we served a special menu on the Rajdhanis for the four Puja days. This year, this will be extended to more trains from Howrah and Sealdah,“ said Debashis Chandra, group general manager (east), IRCTC.

Source: The Times of India

6. Salt Lake Residents Get Safety App

Police in Salt Lake on 18 September launched a safety app, Bipad Sathi, for the people of the township. The app that can be used on Android and iOS devices was launched at a programme in Nazrul Tirtha. Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Additional Chief Secretary (transport) Debashish Sen, Additional Chief Secretary (IT and electronics), and Surajit Kar Purkayastha, Director General of Police, were among those present.

Source: The Telegraph

7. Acid 'Injected' Into Eyes, 6-Month-Old Fights for Life

A six-month-old girl from Sonarpur has been hospitalised with acid burn injury and is at risk of losing her eyesight following an acid attack. Her life is hanging in the balance due to infection from the wound.

While her parents have accused the paternal grandmother of injecting acid into the infant's eyes, police are also investigating the role of the father, who is now untraceable.

The acid attack allegedly occurred on September 3, but the baby's father, Joyanta Chakraborty , lodged a complaint on September 15, that too not at Sonarpur police station, but with the South 24 Parganas SP.

The complaint says the infant was asleep next to her mother, Tumpa, when her grandmother tiptoed into the room along with the baby's uncle, Biplab, and injected acid into the child's eyes. “I was woken up by the wail of my child. I found my mother-in-law injecting acid into my daughter's eyes,“ alleged Tumpa.

Source: The Times Of India

8. Parents Protest, Demand Action Against School

Hundreds of parents protested outside St. Dominic Savio School in Howrah, demanding action against the institute. A 9-year-old student of the school had jumped from the roof of his residential building after being “scolded” by teachers on 15 September.

The student, Vansh Gupta, is admitted to CMRI Hospital where his condition is serious. According to Vansh’s family, the school authorities did not contact them even after the incident.

“It was only after we lodged a complaint that the school contacted us.. Then they asked us to take back the complaint on the grounds that they will pay for treatment. I want our child to be fit and fine. He is critical and admitted to the hospital. How can the school behave so strange?” asked Swati Gupta, Vansh’s aunty.

Source: The Indian Express

9. Brace for Rain During Puja Days: Met

Finally, Durga Pujo is here in full earnest. (Photo: Reuters)

The run-up to the festive muggy days may be dry, but the Met Department has pegged the chances of a wet Puja at “very high“. “It is likely that we will have a few spells of showers during the period.We can't yet say if the showers are going to be heavy , but it won't be a fully dry period,” said GK Das, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore.

Source: The Times of India