Kolkata: With no response from Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha as yet, the West Bengal government has decided to request other state governments for armed forces for the three phase panchayat polls beginning July 2. "The state government is now writing to some more states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat for state armed police (SAP), since we are yet to receive any response from the states we...
11:23 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Advocate General Bimal Chatterjee's remark in the Calcutta High Court likening the State Election Commission to a beautiful woman on Tuesday generated controversy, with Congress demanding his resignation. "One after the other, like a beautiful lady, demands are being made by the Commission," Chatterjee said in the court. He later sought to clarify that his remark was aimed at the institution and not at State Election Commissioner...
10:39 PM, Jun 04, 2013
New Delhi: For effective governance and providing affordable access to communication, the Union Cabinet Tuesday decided to install mobile towers in nine Maoist-hit states, including Chhattisgarh where the rebels killed several Congress leaders May 25. The approval to the project was given by the Union Cabinet in a meeting held here. Mobile towers would be installed at 2,199 locations in nine states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya...
10:21 PM, Jun 04, 2013
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said the West Bengal government will soon get comments of the Centre on the bill passed by the state assembly for protection of investors in chit fund schemes. "The Ministry of Finance has given its comments to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). I think they (MHA) are awaiting comments from one or two other ministries, perhaps the Ministry of Company...
10:08 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: To satiate the wanderlust of Bengalis, with a record 20 per cent of the state's population hitting the traveller's trail any time of the year, the land of undulating terrain Jharkhand became the focal theme of this year's India Tourism Fair. Bengalis are the most widely-travelled people in this country and one of the most travel-crazy races in the world in terms of budget tourism, spokesman of the Indian...
09:19 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will skip the Chief Ministers' meeting on internal security convened by the Centre in Delhi on Tuesday. "No, she is not going. Finance minister Amit Mitra will represent the state at the meeting," a highly-placed source in the state secretariat told PTI. The sources did not give a reason why the Chief Minister would not be attending. He also could not state who...
03:50 PM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: The West Bengal Human Rights Commission on Monday directed the city police to conduct a probe into the alleged rape of an Irish woman in Kolkata and submit a report within three weeks. "Taking cognizance of media reports, the commission Monday directed the police commissioner to conduct a thorough probe in the matter and submit a report within three weeks," said commission Joint Secretary Sujay Kumar Haldar. The 21-year-old...
05:43 AM, Jun 04, 2013
Kolkata: West Bengal Election Commissioner Mira Pandey will move the court again on Monday over the state government's proposal to use security forces in booths and polling stations. The state Election Commission issued notification for the three-tier panchayat election in the state on May 27, which set in motion the poll process from May 29. The district magistrates are getting ready to conduct the polls on the basis of the...
09:05 AM, Jun 03, 2013
Kolkata: A young Irish woman was allegedly raped by a man in his house in Kalighat area. The woman, aged 21, filed a police complaint on Saturday alleging that she met the accused, Sujay Mitra, on May 31 at a pub here where she was celebrating her birthday, police said. Later, Mitra allegedly took the girl to his home and raped her, police said. Following the complaint, police on Suday...
07:19 PM, Jun 02, 2013
Kolkata: Over 66 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the Howrah Lok Sabha by-poll in West Bengal on Sunday. The polling was peaceful. Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta told reporters that till 6 pm, when the voting closed, 66.20 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise. However, Gupta said as there were people still in the queue in some booths, the final percentage might increase by one or...
03:08 PM, Jun 02, 2013
Kolkata: Eight persons received burn injuries when a fire broke out in two godowns in North Kolkata's Cossipore area on Saturday night. The injured were admitted to state-run RG Kar medical college and hospital. 14 fire tenders were engaged to fight the blaze which was brought under control after midnight. A disaster management team of Kolkata police joined the firemen in fighting the blaze which swept through two godowns at...
01:59 AM, Jun 02, 2013
Siliguri: The BJP will put up candidates in almost all the seats in the coming panchayat polls in West Bengal, senior party leader Prakash Javadekar said on Saturday. "We will put up candidates in all the seats in the panchayat polls in West Bengal. We will also do well in the polls," Javadekar, the BJP official Spokesperson told reporters in Siliguri. We will do well in the panchayat polls as...
01:24 AM, Jun 02, 2013
Midnapore: At least eleven Congress party supporters were injured during clashes with rival political parties during filing of nomination for the ensuing Panchito poll in West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Saturday. The scattered incidents happened in Chandrakona, Madpur and Belda areas, district superintendent of police Sunil Choudhury said. Seven persons have been arrested while 20 others have been detained as a preventive measure. The injured have been admitted to...
10:37 PM, Jun 01, 2013
Kolkata: The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Saturday floated the name of Jagmohan Dalmiya as interim president of the Indian cricket board if N Srinivasan stepped down, but said it would be game if board vice president Arun Jaitley replaced the incumbent. However, a top CAB official said it was "opposed" to former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) presidents Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar retuning in...
06:36 PM, Jun 01, 2013
Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with maverick filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh in his first English language film 'The Last Lear', said his death has left a huge void in the world of progressive cinema. The 12-time National Award-winning filmmaker died of cardiac arrest yesterday at his south Kolkata residence. Bachchan, 70, took to his blog to express his 'shock' on the sudden demise of the 49-year-old Bengali filmmaker. "Rituparno Ghosh,...
10:17 AM, Jun 01, 2013
Bangalore: Heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds and lightening lashed this tech hub on late Friday, crippling normal life, inundating low-laying areas and throwing vehicular traffic out of gear across the city. "The city and surrounding areas received about 80-90mm rain in about three hours from 7 pm due to low pressure and surface winds across the region," a senior meteorological official told reporters. Though the southwest monsoon is still...
08:30 AM, Jun 01, 2013
Howrah: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday accused the Centre of issuing threats of engaging CBI against the state government since Trinamool Congress quit the UPA on the issue of FDI in retail. "They (Centre) are threatening us with CBI. There is no use of intimidating or threatening us. We had quit UPA on the single issue of FDI in retail. We will continue to oppose it," Mamata...
07:20 PM, May 31, 2013
Kolkata: CPI(M) on Friday defied a ban on law violation programmes in the metropolis and staged a protest demanding return of money to those defrauded by the Saradha chitfund scam among others. "The government is breaking the law every day and asking us not to hold law violations. The government is taking away democratic and political rights of opposition parties," Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) leader Surjya Kanta Mishra...
06:24 PM, May 31, 2013
New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel looking into chit funds and ponzi schemes in the backdrop of Saradha scam in West Bengal, will give its recommendations on preventing recurrence of such incidents to Parliament in the forthcoming Monsoon session. "We have completed deliberations on the ponzi schemes and will submit our recommendations to Parliament in the next Monsoon session," a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance said after the...
05:21 PM, May 31, 2013
Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with late filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh in 'The Last Lear', says he always gave 'immense liberty' to his actors, and that he was "never rigid in his directions to the artists". "Challenging, gently pushing for a correction, giving immense liberty to the actor on set without any interference, and readily accommodating any peculiar demands that most actors often tend to make when they are facing...
03:51 PM, May 31, 2013
