Kolkata Apr 18 PTI Clashes broke out on Monday between two groups of people over control of a construction site in the southern part of the city leaving at least eight injured a senior police officer saidSix people were arrested in connection with the brawl that took place in two-to three phases near TMC MP Sougata Roys residence in the Lake Gardens area he saidWe are looking for others involved in the incident A huge team of Kolkata Polices Anti Rowdy Section ARS are currently monitoring the situation in the area the officer saidThere is a new construction happening in the area An old house is being demolished The two groups engaged in scuffles to exert control of the construction site Members from both the groups have suffered injuries he saidAccording to police sources members of the two groups or syndicates allegedly bore allegiance to the ruling TMCIn West Bengal syndicates allegedly under the patronage of the ruling party control the construction business These syndicates apparently force promoters and contractors to buy construction materials often of inferior quality at high pricesThe senior officer told reporters that some of those who have sustained injuries have admitted to the fact that they were part of syndicatesThe TMC MP when approached said I have not seen such clashes in this area before Such incidents were unheard of in this area even during the Railway Colony movement or the Naxalite period I have been a resident of this area for more than 60 years I had to call the local police and seek their interventionDisagreements over distribution of dividends have led to the clash he said adding that the incident left locals mostly aged people rattled PTI SCH RMS RMS

Kolkata Mar 23 PTI West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asserted that proper action would be taken against the perpetrators of violence in Birbhum district where eight people were charred to death in a village the day beforeBanerjee said she would be visiting the district on Thursday to take stock of the situation thereStrict action will be taken against all those responsible for the Birbhum incident irrespective of their political colours she statedThe CM during a programme here also maintained that she had to postpone her visit to the district by a day as other political parties were already huddling thereTaking a dig at opposition BJP she said its leaders have limped their way to the site of the incident stopping to savour langcha sweetmeat originating in neighbouring Burdwan districts Shaktigarh area in betweenBanerjee also alleged that such incidents of violence are results of conspiracy hatched to divert attention from issues of concern such as price hike of petrol and other commoditiesBJP president J P Nadda had on Tuesday constituted a five-member committee which includes four MPs to visit the site of the tragedy PTI SCH RMS RMS

Kolkata Mar 18 PTI One person was killed and two others suffered bullet injuries in the citys Regent Park area on Friday after gunshots were fired in the midst of a Holi party following an altercation among friendsThe deceased was identified as Dilip Chauhan a senior police officer saidThe accused Sujit Mallik was absconding he saidAccording to the officer an altercation had started among a group of friends during a Holi party in Regent Parks Natunpally area over application of gulal coloured powder on a woman he saidMalik pulled out a gun and fired shots leaving Chauhan dead and two others injuredAll three were rushed to SSKM hospital Doctors there declared Chauhan brought dead while two others are currently undergoing treatment We are investigating the matter the officer added PTI SCH RMS RMS

Kolkata Jan 31 PTI Five persons were critically injured in gas cylinder blast at a residential building in south Kolkatas Ekbalpore area on Monday police saidThe incident happened around 630 pm on the second floor of the five-storied building on Ekbalpore Lane they saidA mechanic went there in the evening after the family who lives in that building informed their cooking gas distributor of leakage a police officer saidThe blast took place when the mechanic was repairing the leakage he saidThe mechanic and four members of the family including two women were injured in the blast he addedAll the injured persons are undergoing treatment at a private nursing home the officer said PTI SCH SOM SOM

Kolkata Jan 31 PTI Students graduating from colleges with 60 per cent marks would be roped in for a paid internship by the West Bengal government for a year Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on MondayAnnouncing the Students Internship Programme 2022 Banerjee said 6000 students will get the opportunity every year at a monthly remuneration of Rs 5000 eachResidents of West Bengal who complete graduation including those from polytechnics and ITIs with 60 per cent marks will be eligible to apply she saidThose applying should be below 40 years she added The state government will rope in 6000 interns make them acquainted with the government schemes and teach them how to implement those They will get a remuneration of Rs 5000 per month Banerjee announced after getting the cabinet approvalApplications will be accepted online and a selection board headed by the chief secretary will select the candidates she saidNames of students who do not get the chance in a particular year will be kept for selection the next year This will be done in coordination with the Education Department the chief minister saidSelected students will be deputed in different state government offices district-level offices on the basis of their location A certificate will be given after the completion of the internship This is our attempt to build a better human being she saidThe state cabinet also gave its approval for changing the policy to recruit one member of each family who gives land for the Deucha Pachami coal mine project in Birbhum districtThey will be appointed as senior or junior constable as per their qualification We have already approved 5100 posts for the same Banerjee said adding that 139 families have agreed to give land for the projectLand will be taken only from those who are willing she saidWe have got 1000-acre land of our own We will give alternate land to those who will give land for the project apart from pattas and compensation the chief minister stressedThe cabinet also gave its nod for the formation of Jai Hind Bahini in four zones -- Jangalmahal Siliguri Kolkata and BarrackporeJai Hind Bahini the members of which will wear a uniform similar to that of Subhas Chandra Boses Azad Hind Fauj will spread the teachings of Swami Vivekananda Banerjee saidWe will train them to become better human beings The dress of Azad Hind Fauj will be the dress of Jai Hind Bahini so that the next generation remembers Netaji The force will also spread teachings of Swami Vivekananda she said PTI SCH SOM SOM

Kolkata Jan 25 PTI The West Bengal governments flagship outreach programme Duare Sarkar government at doorstep which was stalled due to a surge in COVID-19 cases will resume from February 15 according to an order issued on Tuesday Another outreach initiative Paray Samadhan resolve issues at locality will also commence again on February 1 it said According to the order the Duare Sarkar programme will continue till March 15 Camps to accept applications for round 1 of Duare Sarkar will be organised from February 15 and will continue till February 22 after which scrutiny of them will be conducted Camps for round 2 will be held from March 1 to March 7 The delivery of the services will start from March 8 and will be completed by March 15 the order said Applications for the Paray Samadhan programme will be accepted at camps during the February 1-15 period it said The Duare Sarkar camps initially scheduled to start from January 2 were postponed The state government had also deferred the student credit card distribution programme which was supposed to begin on January 3 Under the Duare Sarkar programme which first commenced in December 2020 camps are held in gram panchayats and municipal wards for doorstep delivery of services under various government schemes to the citizens of the state The Paray Samadhar is an initiative under the Duare Sarkar scheme which seeks to address local issues related to infrastructure human resources and other sectors PTI SCH BDC BDC

Kolkata Jan 24 PTI A woman professor of a frontline womens college in the city was allegedly molested by a youth in Chitpur area in the northern part of the city over feeding street dogs in the presence of her husband a senior Kolkata Police officer said on Monday Police have arrested the youth acting on the basis of her complaint from Umakanta Saha Lane where he resides The incident took place on Sunday late afternoon when the professor of Lady Brabourne College went to feed the street dogs at Umakanta Saha Lane The accused first asked her to stop feeding the animals and then verbally abused her and her husband the woman alleged in her complaint The accused then allegedly dragged the woman professor from the place by pulling at her shawl she was wearing and then hit her on her hands He had also allegedly hit the professors husband following which the woman lodged her complaint in Chitpur police station he said We have arrested the accused person and our officers are investigating the matter the officer said PTI SCH KK KK KK

Kolkata Jan 19 PTI A huge cache of arms and ammunition was found buried in the ground in West Bengals Paschim Medinipur district on Wednesday police saidThe arms and ammunition were found packed in gunny bags buried in the soil in Bardanga village in Nolbona panchayat area in Goaltore during construction work for a road they saidA senior police officer said that 35-40 firearms and 400-450 bullets were found from the spotGoing by the look it seems that these firearms and bullets were buried several years ago The firearms are also damaged We have seized them and looking into the matter he saidThe soil was being flattened around 1 pm during which the sacks with the arms and ammunition were discovered the officer said PTI SCH SOM SOM

Kolkata Jan 19 PTI West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has written to the state chief secretary H K Dwivedi who had failed to appear before him twice despite summons upbraiding him and giving him a seven-day deadline for his reply on why Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was stopped going to Jhargram to attend a programme despite a Calcutta High Court order that there should be no restrictions on his movement Dhankhar in his strongly worded two-page letter dated January 18 said that this was the last opportunity given to him to provide his response in the matter and in case he fails to appear before him this time too serious consequences will follow in due course The chief secretary would also be required to render full explanation of his acts of omission in the case all through the governor said Sequence of events leave no manner of doubt that the defiance and dereliction of duty is extreme at the level of the CS As a matter of fact this stance has become habitual unmindful of all lawful objections towards this office or rule of law the letter said The governor wrote The chief secretary is provided a last opportunity to provide his comprehensive response regarding the above mentioned matter at the earlier in any case not later than seven days from the receipt of this communication Failing which it will be presumed that he is working in complete disregard of the lawful directives of this office and that his actions are in deliberations and international violation of the All India Service Conduct Rules 1968 as a result of which serious consequences will follow in due course he added Dhankhar had on January 8 summoned chief secretary H K Dwivedi and state DGP Manoj Malaviya for an update on the alleged incident on the previous day when Adhikari was stopped from attending a programme in Netai in Jhargram district Dhankhar whose move was prompted by a complaint by Adhikari to Raj Bhavan had also sought a written report from the two officers They had skipped meeting Dhankhar first on January 10 stating that they were in isolation and also on January 12 and neither the additional chief secretary home nor any police officer next to the DGP had appeared before Dhankhar to provide the update Adhikari had claimed that he was stopped by the police from going to Netai in Jhargram despite the Calcutta High Court order that there should be no restrictions on his movement Adhikari had gone to Bhimpur where he was supposed to pay his respects to the nine persons who were killed on January 7 2011 in firing from an alleged CPI-M activists house during the erstwhile Left Front regime PTI SCH KK KK KK

Kolkata Jan 19 PTI Two drug peddlers have been arrested from here after nearly two kg of charas a narcotic substance was recovered from their possession police said on Wednesday Acting on a tip-off a team of Special Task Force personnel of the Kolkata Police conducted a search operation in an area near the EM Bypass under the Beliaghata Police Station limits on Monday and seized the contraband a senior officer said We have recovered 199 kg of charas worth Rs 20 lakh from their possession he said A case has been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 the officer added PTI SCH BDC BDC