The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Saturday announced the closure of a Hookah parlour in the city and revoked its licence, citing an adverse on the health of the youth.

Kolkata Jan 25 PTI The West Bengal government has spent Rs 74 crore from its State Disaster Response Fund to settle around 15000 claims of COVID-19 deaths out of the over 18500 applications it has received so far a minister said here on Tuesday At least 80 per cent of the claims have been cleared and more will be done soon he stated In accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines we are releasing the compensation amount as soon as we get clearance certificates from doctors state disaster management minister Javed Ahmed Khan told PTI According to the minister the department has received funds of Rs 100 crore from the state disaster management authority to pay compensation for such claimsSo far we have spent Rs 744 crore to settle around 15000 claims and it seems we may need more the minister saidOver 4500 claims were made from North 24 Parganas district around 1300 came from South 24 Parganas district and over 100 from Malda district an official of the department saidThe official also said that the number of such applications filed in Kolkata were comparatively less given the fact that the fatality rate in the city was highWest Bengal till January 20 reported 20230 COVID-19 deaths 5453 of which were in the metropolisA Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC official said We have received around 2200 applications and compensation has been paid for more than 1500 he saidOn January 19 the Supreme Court directed state governments to intensify their efforts in reaching out to families of COVID-19 victims to pay them ex-gratia PTI SCH RMS RMS

Kolkata Dec 28 PTI Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya on Tuesday asserted that India cant be imagined without the grand old party and called for a fight against both BJP and Trinamool Congress which is trying to project itself as the main opposition against the saffron camp in place of Congress Addressing a function at Congress West Bengal headquarters Bidhan Bhavan on the 137th foundation day of the party the Rajya Sabha MP said If anyone thinks that India can be taken forward on the path of progress by abandoning the Congress heshe is living in a fools paradise It is not possible India cant be imagined without Congress The TMC of late claims to be the only force opposing the BJP and accuses war-weary Congress of failing to put up an effective fight against the saffron brigade Bhattacharya a former Congress state unit chief said that some people are attacking the grand old party to secure applause from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asserted that a party that has existed in national politics for 137 years cannot be wiped out I urge you all to fight against the unholy forces of BJP and TMC We will certainly emerge victorious one day Some are attacking the Congress to get the PMs applause But it is impossible for any force to wipe out a national party that has existed for 137 years he said The Congress has accused the TMC of effectively helping the BJP through its expansion drive in Goa Meghalaya and other states The ruling party in West Bengal has recently emerged as the main opposition party in Meghalaya after 12 of the 17 elected Congress MLAs joined Mamata Banerjees party en masse Bhattacharya said that the recently concluded Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC elections in which Congress won only two of the 144 wards show that party workers are not afraid and can fight back A Congress candidate had alleged that he was beaten up by TMC workers after the conclusion of polling on December 19 He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have any clue as to how to bring down the prices of essential commodities or give jobs to crores of unemployed people PTI AMR ACD ACD

Kolkata Dec 22 PTI Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday said the party does not approve of excesses by its workers on opponents after the landslide victory in Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC poll and cautioned that it will take swift action if any such incident is reported Chatterjee who was asked to comment on the alleged take over of a BJP party office at Behala in the south western part of the city by TMC workers after the declaration of the civic poll results on Tuesday said I am inquiring about it Every party every organisation should have the right to pursue their activities to have their party offices If such a report is true we will take action immediately This is not done he said He said even if people are angry wit those who face the TMC activists ire none can take law into their hands The party does not approve of this Chatterjee trashed the claim of the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari about large-scale rigging in the city civic poll and said BJP would have secured higher number of seats if it had connection with the general people in the city TMC works throughout the year for people who are at the grassroots Those who do not have any connect with people are rejected in the polls every time There is no point in giving importance to someone who is making irresponsible statements every day he said without naming Adhikari Chatterjee said the continuous work done by the TMC-led KMC in providing civic amenities to the people for the past 10 years had made it sure of decimating the opposition which he said has no base among the people Chatterjee who is the state industries minister said the Bengal Global Business Summit to be held next year will take the state to a new trajectory of investment Important investment proposals are slated to be clinched at the business summit he added PTI SUS KK KK

Kolkata Dec 21 PTI The ruling Trinamool Congress candidates were leading in 99 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC on Tuesday as per early counting trends while the opposition BJP and CPIM are ahead in two wards each and Congress in one SEC officials said The counting of the votes for the 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC began this morning at 8 am As per the trends the TMC has taken the lead in 99 wards BJP and CPIM are leading in two wards each The Congress is leading in one ward a State Election Commission official said The TMC has taken the lead in 99 wards spread across KMC boroughs - 5 4 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 TMC MLA and sitting councillor Atin Ghosh was leading in ward number 11 in North Kolkata In ward number 13 TMCs sitting councillor Anindya Routh was ahead of others The BJP is leading in ward number 22 and 23 and the Congress in ward number 45 The CPIM is leading in ward number 103 98 In ward no 22 BJPs sitting councillor Mina Devi Purohit is ahead of her nearest rival of the TMC In ward no 45 Congresss sitting councillor Santosh Pathak is ahead of his nearest rival of the TMC The KMC is divided into 144 administrative wards which are grouped into 16 boroughs Sporadic incidents of violence including hurling of bombs at two booths marred the KMC elections on Sunday even as over 63 per cent of the nearly 405 lakh voters exercised their franchise PTI PNT RG RG

Kolkata Dec 21 PTI The counting of the votes for the 144 wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC election began on Tuesday morning with the ruling Trinamool Congress taking an early lead in six wards SEC officials said The counting began at 8 am As per the early trends The TMC has taken early leads in six wards so far a State Election Commission official said The TMC has taken early leads in ward number 23 11 31 2 4 and 7 Sporadic incidents of violence including hurling of bombs at two booths marred the KMC elections on Sunday even as over 63 per cent of the nearly 405 lakh voters exercised their franchise PTI PNT RG RG

Kolkata Dec 20 PTI The Congress on Monday alleged that a party candidate for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC election was stripped down to his underwear and beaten up by TMC supporters in the northern part of the cityA video of the incident which took place on Sunday night hours after the polling ended has gone viral on social mediaA TMC leader denied that its supporters were involved in itRabi Saha the Congress candidate for the KMC ward no 16 went out to buy some goods when he was surrounded by a few men who started abusing him for contesting the pollsIn the complaint lodged with the police Saha said when he protested he was stripped down to his underwear and severely beaten up He was later admitted to a state-run hospitalState Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury condemned the incidentDidicracy in Bengal manifests its uncouth face where a Congress candidate is being stripped off and beaten black and blue in the full glare of public as he dared to contest the KMCElection2021 he tweetedWest Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is addressed as Didi by his followersA senior TMC leader who did not wish to be named claimed that none of the party workers was involved in the incidentThe police will investigate the matter and bring out the truth he saidPolice said they have started an investigation and the culprits will be nabbed soonSporadic incidents of violence including hurling of crude bombs at two booths marred the KMC elections Votes will be counted on Tuesday PTI PNT NN NN

Kolkata Dec 19 PTI As many as 72 people were arrested for allegedly disturbing law and order during Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC elections on Sunday police said One person was arrested for allegedly hurling bombs in Sealdah area in which three voters were injured of whom one was in serious condition a senior police officer said Seventy-two people have been arrested so far for disturbing law and order in the city where civic elections are underway One person has been arrested in connection with the hurling of bombs Others involved in the incident have been identified and they will be arrested soon Joint Commissioner of Police Headquarters Subhankar Sinha Sarkar said Crude bombs were hurled in front of Taki school in ward number 36 in which three voters of the area were injured A large police contingent has been deployed in the area and the State Election Commission has sought a report from the police on the matter Sarkar said that four people have been arrested in connection with an altercation between two contesting candidates on Hare Street Polling is being held peacefully there at the moment he said The IPS officer however dismissed reports that a policeman was also injured PTI SCH ACD ACD

Kolkata Dec 19 PTI Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee Sunday said if any party leader is found to be involved in violence during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation KMC elections strict action will be taken within 24 hoursThe TMC had in the run-up to the polls also warned party candidates against using force during the electionsWe dont support any form of violence and strict action will be taken within 24 hours if any TMC leader is found to be stopping the process of free and fair polls I would request the media to come out with related footage and evidence if available he told reporters after casting his voteSporadic incidents of violence were reported during the day as a voter turnout of 5217 per cent was recorded till 3 pm on SundayTwo incidents of hurling of crude bombs were reported in Sealdah and Khanna areas of Kolkata and police contingents were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control a State Election Commission official saidAsked to comment on BJPs decision to hold demonstrations across the state against the alleged violence Banerjee said the saffron party is trying to find an escape route from imminent defeatWhen votes will be counted on Tuesday you will see the TMC has won and the BJP suffered a heavy defeat They are just making excuses he said PTI PNT RBT RBT

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 19 (ANI): West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday condemned the crude bomb explosion outside a polling booth in Kolkata and said that peaceful voting is extremely important in a democratic system.