Electric buses to replace city’s diesel guzzlers
The fleet of diesel-powered state transport department’s buses plying in Kolkata will be replaced by electric buses to curb air-pollution, transport minister Firhad Hakim said. “From now, we will focus on electric buses to combat rising pollution in Kolkata. Replacements will be carried out in phases,” said Hakim. More than 1,200 government buses ply in and around Kolkata, and all of them are diesel powered. Last year, the state government had replaced 75 buses with electric versions powered by rechargeable lithium ion batteries. In the first phase, 400 buses will be replaced.
Bridge linking city to north suburbs closed on 2 days
The Chitpore bridge will remain closed to vehicular traffic between 6 am and 10 pm on June 10 and June 13. The closure is planned as authorities want to carry out a load test of the structure. Chitpore bridge gained importance after the Tallah bridge – a key link between Kolkata and its northern fringes – was closed in 2019. The Tallah bridge has since been demolished and work on a new bridge has started. The Kolkata police have prepared diversion plans using Shyambazar five-point crossing, Rajballavpara Road, Belgachia Road and Raja Manindra Road. An officer of the traffic police department said Chitpore bridge has been bearing a lot of loads since the closure of Tallah bridge and it needs to undergo a load test — to calculate its structural integrity — so that its safety can be assessed.
Virtual grievance redress meetings with civic body chief
Residents can now talk to the municipal commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) through Zoom twice a week and seek speedy resolution to their grievances. The municipal commissioner will be available for virtual interaction every Wednesday and Saturday from 11 am till noon. The special municipal commissioner will hold such sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am to noon. The necessity of online meetings was felt during the peak of the second wave.
IIEST’s online convocation scheduled for June 30
The IIEST convocation, which was scheduled to be held on June 30, will be held online. Students have been asked to register online for the event. Degree certificates will be sent to the recipients by post. The recipients have to send relevant information through Goggle Link by June 20. “The recipients cannot be asked to visit the institute to attend the event at a time when Covid cases are rising on the campus. The situation is so grim that we had to open a covid vaccination centre and an isolation facility on the campus,” said an official.