Kolkata mayor refutes US Embassy report on pollution
Kolkata mayor and West Bengal environment minister Sovan Chatterjee has expressed his dissatisfaction over a US embassy report stating that particulate matter 2.5 levels in Kolkata are much worse than in Delhi. The US Embassy recorded that the PM 2.5 levels crossed the 300 mark in the first 15 days of the year and touched the 500 mark on January 16, whereas the permissible limit is only 50. The mayor said that the report was “misleading and nowhere close to the real picture”.
Maroon and green adorns Kolkata
The maroon and green colours of Mohun Bagan Sporting Club adorned the city on Sunday afternoon after the club defeated its arch-rival East Bengal 2-0 at a Derby match at Salt Lake Stadium. The football-crazy city lived the moment by Mohun Bagan supporters buying prawns and lobsters which are considered the symbol of the club, as opposed to the Hilsa of East Bengal. The official attendance at the match was 52,951. The cl ub had won the first leg of the I-League clash scoring a narrow victory of 1-0 against its arch-rival East Bengal.
Charging points for e-vehicles
In an attempt to develop green transport in New Town satellite town in the northeastern fringes of the city, The New Town Kolkata Development Authority has planned to install charging points for e-vehicles at several strategic locations of the area. The authority has invited private firms to design the charging points. The best and most feasible design will be chosen to manufacture the charging points. New Town already has bike taxis, e-rickshaws and electric vehicles to make the new face of the city less affected by the endemic pollution that the city struggles to deal with.
Gang rape shakes the city
The city watched television news channels in disbelief after a 27-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped by six persons, including three juveniles, at a Calcutta Port Trust quarter in Taratala area of south Kolkata. The incident occurred when the woman had gone to buy chicken. The accused took turns to rape the victim and also recorded the crime on video. All the accused have been arrested. Many Kolkatans have demanded that the punishment for the juveniles be on a par with that for the adults.
Aishik Chanda
Our correspondent in West Bengal
chanda.aishik @gmail.com