Fire at city’s tallest building
A Fire broke out on the 10th floor of city’s tallest under-construction skyscraper ‘The 42’ at 42 Chowringhee Lane in central Kolkata due to sparks from welding work which fell on a mesh over the balcony of the 10th floor. The fire then moved down to the 9th and 8th floor of the building. However, it was then brought under control by the fire tenders. This was the first instance of fire at the tallest building in the city which occupies an iconic position in the city-scape overlooking the Victoria Memorial and the Maidan ground.
City to get more water meters
Encouraged by success of a pilot project to prevent water wastage in the city by insdtalling water meters at 4,000 households in Cossipore area of north Kolkata, the city’s civic body has embarked on an Asian Development Bank-funded Kolkata Environment Improvement Project to bring more city areas under the coverage of water meters. Over 1 million litres of water were saved in the pilot project. Authorities are now planning to bring the Dum Dum, Tullah, Paikpara and Belgachia areas under the scheme after which, more residential areas along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass would be brought under the purview of the project. Authorities say that the water meters bring consciousness for water conservation among the residents even though additional costs are not being charged.
Security beefed up at airport over threat
Security has been beefed up at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport after an anonymous mail with just a word ‘highjake’ was sent to the airport director’s office. The email, sent from a private address, was considered as a non-specific threat and a complaint was lodged with the local police station. Police officers have launched an investigation. Authorities across the airport were alerted and a thorought check was carried out of the premises.
Momos become hot cakes as winter nears
A dip in mercury levels has sent city’s residents scrambling in search of traditional Tibetan cuisine. People are thronging the markets for momos and thukpa in greater frequency in the evenings. Though momos and Thukpa have become a mainstay of the city’s offerings over the years, the chill in the air seems to be driving more people to reach out to piping hot momos and the vegetable and/or meat soup of thukpa at not only the established joints across the city but also at roadside stalls. However, unlike in Delhi or other parts of the country where the food is customised to local tastes, the Tibetan cuisine is not improvised with ingredients from the region.
Aishik Chanda
Our correspondent in West Bengal
chanda.aishik@gmail.com