GJM warns ‘militant’ stir for Gorkhaland

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung on Wednesday threatened to launch a "militant" agitation in the Darjeeling hills for its demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee firmly ruled out any division of the state.

Raising the Gorkhaland issue in the midst of the chief minister's visit to Darjeeling, Gurung said the state government has been trying to "suppress the demands of the Hill people".

Speaking to mediapersons after inaugurating a bridge at Bijonbari, Gurung made a brief reference to the Telangana statehood demand and said, "Our movement is old and we will fight for its realisation."

When asked for the nature of the movement he wants to launch, Gurung said, "The police may open fire at us. We may die. But we will fight for realising our demand for separate Gorkhaland."

Taking exception to the chief minister's warning on Tuesday that she could be both "rough and tough", the GJM president, who shared the dais with her , said the state government was trying to act "in a dictatorial manner".

Gurung, who is the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), said the state government did not care to consult GTA principal secretary while organising the North Bengal festival. "The GTA has been empowered and it can hold such a festival. But it was not so in reality. We will not allow any dictatorship on us which the state government seeks to impose on us," he said.

Govt-GJM honeymoon over, says CPM

Saying that the "honeymoon' between the GJM and the Mamata Banerjee government was over, Opposition leader Surya Kanta Mishra on Wednesday said the "opportunist" Trinamool Congress' hurry in forging a pact with the Hill party had created a problem. "At the very outset we had opposed it. We had demanded an all-party meeting, but that was turned down by the government," Mishra said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gjm-warns--militant--stir-for-gorkhaland/1067196/0

Mamata skips Red Road, goes to Netaji home

Birth anniversary ‘Shocked’ Forward Bloc slams CM for ignoring ‘tradition’

AMID confusion about the official ceremony to pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 116th birth anniversary, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday skipped the function at the Red Road  where till date government used to hold celebrations  and reached Netaji Bhawan on Elgin Road, the freedom fighter’s ancestral home, “without prior intimation”.

“I’m sorry to arrive at Netaji Bhawan without prior intimation. But from next year, the government along with the officials of Netaji Bhawan will jointly organise the programme to celebrate birthday of Netaji in a much organised manner,” she told the audience after entering the venue with 117 students dressed as Netaji.

The All India Forward Bloc, the party formed by Netaji, slammed the CM’s action saying there was no need to change the venue of the official function. “Why did they do it? Whom did you insult?” Bloc leader H A Sairani asked, and questioned the chief minister why she did not attend the programme at the traditional venue where party state secretary Ashok Ghosh was present.

“The chief minister did not bother to discuss with us. I am shocked. By shifting the venue of Netaji birthday programme, she has created a precedence,” he said.

He alleged that no intimation was given to the committee by the state government that the venue had been shifted to Netaji Bhavan.

At Netaji Bhawan, where Governor M K Narayanan was present along with Netaji’s daughter Anita Pfaff, Mamata announced to set up a monument at Netaji’s ancestral village in Subhasgram in South 24-Parganas.

“On Monday, I visited Canning. On my way home, I went to Subhasgram and there I saw a plot around 4-5 cottahs. We will set up a museum on the plot within a year as a mark of tribute to the great leader,” she said. The heritage building of Netaji at Kodalia, where a library is still in operation, will also be revamped, she added.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mamata-skips-red-road-goes-to-netaji-home/1064115/0

Edit this entry.
Two fires break out in Kolkata city, 100 shanties destroyed
Posted: January 24, 2013 in Metro cities news   
Tags: Kolkata city fire, Kolkata news, Kolkata shanties destroyed, shanties destroyed, Tangra area shanties, Tollygunge area fire   
0

A devastating fire today destroyed over 100 shanties in Tangra area while another fire broke out in a two-storied building in Tollygunge area of the metropolis but there was no loss of life in both the incidents.

Ten fire tenders battled the blaze at Tangra area for an hour and brought it under control, police and fire brigade sources said.

Firemen evacuated people from the area as a precautionary measure, the sources said.

Local people helped firemen to fetch water from ponds with hose pipes laid over railway tracks, leading to suspension of Budge Budge-Naihati and Canning-Bongaon train services.

Fire Services minister Javed Khan said that there was no casualty in the fire, which gutted over 100 shanties.

The second fire broke out in two storied residential cum-commercial building at Russa Road in Tollygunge area at around 8.15 pm.

A sound recording studio is located in the building.

Seeing smoke emanating from the building, the local people informed the fire brigade, which rushed to the spot and rescued the maid servant of the house.

Four fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control at around 10.30 pm, the fire brigade sources added.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-fires-break-out-in-kolkata-city-100-shanties-destroyed/1064187/