Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 17 (ANI): Ahead of the presidential election on Monday, West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has put up posters across Bengal which describe Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee "anti-tribal community".

Alipurduar (West Bengal) [India], July 11 (ANI): India's longest surviving tiger, Raja, who was more than 25 years old, passed away on Monday at SKB Rescue Centre here, officials said.

New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The Railways has decided to disband five Railway Engineers Territorial Army Regiments located at Jhansi, Kota, Adra, Chandigarh and Secunderabad.

Kolkata Apr 24 PTI Heatwave conditions prevailed in five districts of south Bengal on Sunday as Kolkata sizzled at 396 degrees Celsius the seasons highest temperature the weather office saidNo respite from the heat and humidity seemed to be in sight as the weather office predicted dry weather in south Bengal districts over the next three daysBankura recorded the highest temperature in West Bengal at 431 degrees Celsius the weather office saidHeatwave conditions prevailed in North 24 Parganas Malda Paschim Bardhaman Paschim Medinipur and Birbhum districts with the days maximum temperature moving up 45 degrees above normal it saidAsansol in Paschim Bardhaman recorded 423 degrees Celsius Sriniketan in Birbhum recorded 417 degrees Celsius Malda town recorded 41 degrees Celsius Dum Dum clocked 405 degrees Celsius and Medinipur town recorded 42 degrees Celsius the weather office saidAlipore headquarters of the Regional Met Centre recorded this summers highest temperature in Kolkata at 396 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature was 283 degrees Celsius Adding to the discomfort was the maximum relative humidity of 89 per cent it saidThough there are usually fewer people and vehicles on the roads on Sundays the extreme weather ensured that the city wore a deserted look with only those having no option but stepping out braving the heat and humidityThe weather office predicted hot and uncomfortable weather in Kolkata on Monday with the maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 39 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius respectivelyIt forecast dry weather in all the south Bengal districts including Kolkata over the next three daysThe sub-Himalayan districts of West Bengal are likely to experience a better climate during the next few days The weather office predicted light to moderate rainfall with the possibility of thunder in Darjeeling Kalimpong Jalpaiguri Alipurduar and Cooch BeharDarjeeling recorded a maximum temperature of 222 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 128 degrees Celsius on Sunday it said PTI AMR SOM SOM

Kolkata Apr 24 PTI Kolkata sizzled as it recorded the seasons highest temperature of 396 degrees Celsius on Sunday with the weather office predicting dry weather in south Bengal districts over the next three daysBankura recorded the highest temperature in West Bengal at 431 degrees Celsius the weather office saidAlipore headquarters of the Regional Met Centre recorded this summers highest temperature in Kolkata at 396 degrees Celsius while the minimum temperature was 283 degrees CelsiusAdding to the discomfort was the maximum relative humidity of 89 per cent it saidThough there are usually fewer people and vehicles on the roads on Sundays the extreme weather ensured that the city wore a deserted look with only those having no option but stepping out braving the heat and humidityThe days highest temperature at Dum Dum in the northern outskirts of the city was recorded at 405 degrees Celsius it saidThe weather office predicted hot and uncomfortable weather in Kolkata on Monday with the maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 39 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius respectivelyIt forecast dry weather in all the south Bengal districts including Kolkata over the next three daysThe sub-Himalayan districts of West Bengal are likely to experience a better climate during the next few days The weather office predicted light to moderate rainfall with the possibility of thunder in Darjeeling Kalimpong Jalpaiguri Alipurduar and Cooch BeharThe other places in the state where mercury crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark are Midnapore 42 degrees C Malda 41 degrees C and Krishnanagar 406 degrees CDarjeeling recorded a maximum temperature of 222 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 128 degrees Celsius on Sunday it said PTI AMR SOM SOM

Kolkata Apr 22 PTI The West Bengal government in its bid to simplify administrative operations is planning to trifurcate South 24 Parganas creating new districts of Baruipur Sundarbans and Diamond Harbour a top official said on FridayWork was being undertaken on war footing to complete formalities necessary to split South 24 Parganas the largest district in the state into three parts the official saidWe are planning to create three new districts -- Baruipur Diamond Harbour and Sundarban -- by the end of the year Once the proposal gets Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees nod South 24 Parganas -- currently stretching from the city to the coastal villages along Bay of Bengal -- will cease to exist he told PTICurrently Diamond Harbour Baruipur and Sundarbans are police districtsExplaining the rationale behind the division the bureaucrat said geographical location of different blocks of South 24 Parganas often caused problems to people who had to travel miles after miles to get administrative work doneThe split was being planned in a certain way to ensure that the new districts get to have one sub-divisional court each he statedBaruipur spanning around 2500 sq km is likely to have 11 blocksWith 11 blocks Baruipur will be the biggest of the three proposed districts Suggestion to make Gosaba a part of Baruipur has been made he saidSundarbans was likely to have eight blocks four in the entire Kakdwip sub-division and an equal number in Diamond Harbour sub-division he saidThe Diamond Harbour district was expected to constitute the entire Alipore Sadar area and a part of the current Diamond Harbour sub-division the official elaboratedKakdwip has been proposed as the district headquarters of Sundarban and Tongtala of Baruipur We are yet to decide on a zilla head office for Diamond Harbour he saidAsked if the creation of the three proposed districts would in any way affect the configuration of assembly segments in South 24 Parganas the official said that Baruipur was likely to have 11 assembly constituencies Diamond Harbour nine and Sundarban sixAll paperwork is ready for the division Lack of adequate IPS and IAS officers was one reason why the process was getting delayed As of now we are waiting for her Mamata Banerjee to sanction the proposal and make an announcement the bureaucrat maintainedLast week the state government had written to the Centre asking it to increase allotment of IAS and IPS officers in the stateThe Mamata Banerjee government had in the past eight years created three new districts -- Alipurduar in June 2014 Kalimpong February 2017 and Jhargram in April 2017It also split Bardhaman into two districtsCurrently West Bengal has 23 districtsNotably prior to March 1980 24 Parganas was the largest district in the country It was then bifurcated into North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas PTI SCH RMS RMS

Kolkata Mar 31 PTI Jaldapara National Park in West Bengals Alipurduar district has registered a rise of 55 one-horned rhinos in the last three years taking the current headcount to 292 a senior forest department official said on Thursday The number of rhinos was 237 in 2019 and the national park added 18-19 rhinos to its population every year Chief Wildlife Warden Debal Roy told PTI quoting the recently released rhino census report of the department The 292 rhinos included 179 adults 45 sub-adults and 68 calves the report said The enumerators found 101 males 134 females while they were not able to confirm the gender of 57 other herbivores In 2019 there was 130 adults 57 sub-adults and 50 calves in the forest The enumeration drive took place after a gap of three years The national park was divided into 55 blocks for the enumeration exercise which took place on field on March 25 and 26 and each team consisted of four to six members The teams comprised forest staff guides NGOs and forest management committee members of locals Altogether 450 people were involved in the enumeration drive Two rhinos were spotted outside the enumeration zone - one sub-adult in Nilpara range which went back to Hasimara beat on March 27 and another sub-adult in Patlakawa forest which returned to Sisamara beat on March 29 the forest official said The national forest area recorded 40 births of rhinos from February 16 2019 till March 25 2022 Forty-six deaths including poaching were also registered during that period the forest department report said The habitat is conducive for the one-horned rhinos and various steps by the department to increase the forest cover to stop poaching to sensitise the local people living in neighbouring areas of the forest has led to this increase But we must continue the work and bring down the number of deaths another forest official said Like Assams Kaziranga Jaldapara is known to be the habitat of one-horned rhinos in West Bengal PTI SUS RG RG

Kolkata Mar 30 PTI Heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at one or two places in some districts of south Bengal over the next two days the Met department said here on WednesdayBankura recorded the maximum day temperature on Wednesday at 40 degree CelsiusThe weatherman said that one or two places in the districts of Jhargram Purulia Paschim Medinipur and Bankura will be experiencing heat waveKolkata during the day recorded the maximum temperature at 339 degree Celsius and a minimum of 268 degree Celsius it said The Met department also warned of heavy rain on Sunday at one or two places in Alipurduar and Coochbehar districts of sub-Himalayan West Bengal PTI AMR RMS RMS

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 27 (ANI): Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the alleged rigging during the civic polls, BJP MLA Asansol South Agnimitra Paul on Sunday claimed that 'outsiders' were brought into the state who 'attacked' every booth and rigged it at the behest Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], February 27 (ANI): West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has 'called upon' State Election Commissioner Saurab Das on Monday to brief him on the civic poll 'violence and lawlessness'.