Colombo flights unprofitable
Flights to Colombo from Kolkata are not profitable because there are not enough takers, said an official. Sri Lankan Airlines, which operates thrice a week, gets barely 40% of passengers whose destination is the island country. Most of the passengers are bound for the Gulf, and the airline has to offer low fares. “Compared with other markets like Mumbai and Delhi, Kolkata is not lucrative. Because of Kolkata’s location, we are not getting passengers onwards from Colombo for destinations like Southeast Asia or the Far East,’’ said V. Ravindran, regional manager, Sri Lankan Airlines.
Tallah bridge out of bounds for motorists
The Tallah bridge will be closed to traffic from January 31 for demolition. The decision was taken in a meeting joined by several government agencies at Nabanna, the state secretariat. The government had on September last year announced a ban on the movement of buses, lorries and other heavy vehicles on the bridge. Smaller vehicles were allowed but with a speed limit of 10kmph.Dismantling the bridge will start on February 1 from Shyambazar end, said an official of the public works department. The 57-year bridge in north Kolkata came under the scanner for failing in strength test. After several rounds of inspections, engineers concluded that the structure might collapse any moment, prompting the government to pull down the bridge and build a new one.
Protest for a cause
A section of students of Presidency University has been on an indefinite sit-in in a dean’s office over alleged delay in repair of wards 3, 4 and 5 of Eden Hindu Hostel. The students alleged authorities had promised in December 2018 after renovation of ward 1 and 2 that the other three wards would be repaired at the earliest. The students are staging the protest outside the office of the dean of students, Arun Kumar Maity, as well as in the corridor leading to the dean’s office. The students have drawn a graffiti depicting a raised fist with the word ‘Azadi’ on the stairs leading to the first floor of the university.
Constitution first
Pastors and priests of Kolkata’s Roman Catholic churches read out the Preamble to the Constitution after Sunday service on Republic Day. The archbishops sent a circular to all 65 parishes of the archdiocese of Kolkata and the seven districts conveying the decision to them. “The Preamble to the Constitution was read out to uphold and safeguard the Constitution. I think under the present situation, understanding, upholding and being aware of the Constitution is more important than ever,” Archbishop Thomas D’Souza told the media.
Pranab Mondal
Our correspondent in West Bengal
pranabm@newindianexpress.com