Major economies would boost their prosperity, employment levels and health prospects if they took actions that limited global warming to 2c, according to the first analysis of emissions pledges made before
If the Left parties could successfully block the Indo-US nuclear deal by threatening in all seriousness to withdraw their outside support to the UPA goverment, why can't they adopt the same tactic to force the Centre to rollback the steep hike in the prices of petroleum products, including LPG? Is the worsening plight of the majority of the country's people, already reeling under the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and whose miseries are now compounded by the rise in petroleum prices not as serious an issue for the Left as the nuke deal?
Miss Mamata Banerjee, Trinamul Congress chief today alleged that UPA has increased the price of petroleum products many times more than the NDA had, and dismissed the CPI-M's charge that she was silent when the NDA government took the harsh measure. She recalled she had tendered her resignation in protest in 2001 when the NDA government tried to raise the price of cooking gas by Rs 20. "This forced the NDA government to roll back and the increased price was Rs 10.'
It's time to rejoice, as the pre-monsoon showers lashed the city since the wee hours, bringing welcome relief to residents. According to the predictions of the weathermen, the showers will continue in spells for another 48 hours. Mr GC Debnath, director of Regional Meteorological Centre Alipore said, "Till 8.30 a.m. the rainfall recorded is 72.4 mm and it is expected the maximum temperature will remain around 32 degree Celsius.'
Following a prod by CPI(M) state secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose, West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta on Wednesday announced sales tax cut on petrol and diesel to "provide some relief' to the common people even as the state Government urged the Centre to reconsider the fuel price hike. As a result of the announcement, consumers in West Bengal will be paying Rs 2.09 less per litre of petrol and Rs 1.36 less for diesel than they would have following the price hike had the state not cut taxes.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) along with city police and Paschimbanga Vijnanan Mancha will observe no horn hour from 11am to 12 noon on 5 June to observe World Environment Day. The move is aimed at sensitising people about noise pollution and its after effect. It may be recalled that a recent survey has shown that many drivers of heavy duty vehicles are becoming deaf because of rampant use to air horn. KMC will request VIPs not to use hooters during the hour. Only Ambulance will be exempted. n SNS
After bearing the scorching heat for almost a week, the city dwellers got an opportunity to soak themselves as moderate to heavy showers lashed the city this evening, bringing with it much needed relief and hope of an early monsoon. But, the weather office was quick to point out that the showers were not even the pre-monsoon ones and it was the formation of a low pressure trough over Gangetic West Bengal that was responsible for the heavy rain. The weatherman also said that a cyclonic development in Jharkhand propelled the rain gods.
The skies over Calcutta are becoming as congested, and probably just as unsafe, as its roads. Multiple flights on one route, skeletal infrastructure and an obsolete airspace management plan have combined to bring down the safety level of air travel to and from the city by several notches, experts say. It's not that the civil aviation ministry is not spending money on modernisation. As much as Rs 2,000 crore has been set aside for Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, but most of it is for passenger amenities on the ground rather than technology for safer skies.
The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) has pressed the pause button on the Park Circus market's handover to Reliance despite taking Rs 30.33 crore from the company five months ago. The civic body seems to have frozen the move for political reasons, though there has been no official statement yet on why it has not kept its part of the deal. "Given the outcome of the panchayat elections, the message from the CPM headquarters on Alimuddin Street is to go slow on the transfer,' a source in the CMC said.
KOLKATA : Animal charmers, from the state's Bedia community, are facing a distressful situation after the state took away their animals in accordance with the Animal Protection Act. Approximately 800,000 people of the Bedia community in the state have been affected by the law enforcement measures and have had to stop their ancestral profession without being provided with another way to earn their livelihood.
Mouparna Bandyopadhyay Development runs deep
