Kolkata Archive

Forces, Maoists exchange fire in West Bengal

Published: October 24, 2009Posted in: NationalTags:

Kolkata, Oct 24 – Days after their daring raid on a police station, the Maoist rebels triggered three landmine blasts and engaged the security forces in a heavy exchange of fire in West Bengal’s Lalgarh belt Saturday evening.

The troopers opened fire at the suspected extreme ultras near the Kantapahari forest area under the Lalgarh police station, West Midnapore district magistrate N.S. Nigam said.

‘The gun battle continued for almost 20 minutes. No injury has been reported so far in the firing,’ Nigam told IANS.

He said the ultras also triggered three landmine blasts near Baropelia in the district.

‘The Maoist opened fire at the joint forces when they were carrying out patrol in the area,’ he said.

Security has been intensified in the district after the Maoists attacked the Sankrail police station, shot dead two officers and kidnapped the officer-in-charge besides looting the firearms kept there.

Officer-in-charge Atindranath Mitra was released unharmed Thursday.

Lalgarh has been on the boil since November last when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Complaining of police atrocities after the blast, angry tribals backed by Maoists launched an agitation, virtually cutting off the area from the rest of West Midnapore district.

As violence continued, the paramilitary forces and state police launched the security operation, but till date the Maoists have been gunning down leaders and activists of the state’s ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and tribals whom they dub as police informers.

Maoists are active in areas covered by 21 police stations in the state’s three western districts – West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.

Refusing Rajya Sabha membership no message to CPI-M: Somnath

Published: October 24, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Kolkata, Oct 24 – Former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee says his decision to refuse Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s offer to be a nominated Rajya Sabha MP was not intended to be a message to his former party Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) which expelled him last year for refusing to quit the speaker’s post.

‘It is not a message to anybody. I can’t and don’t want to give messages like this,’ Chatterjee told IANS over phone from Bolpur, 210 km from here.

The 80-year-old Chatterjee said he had ‘politely refused’ the offer as he felt he could not make much contribution as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.

‘I am an old man. I did not think I would be able to make any useful contribution as a nominated member of the upper house. So I said I should be excused,’ he said.

Chatterjee, who was associated with the CPI-M for decades, was expelled from his party for refusing to quit the speaker’s post after the Communists withdrew support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government last year protesting the India-US civil nuclear deal.

Chatterjee stayed put, saying the speaker’s post was above party affiliations and that he had been a unanimous choice for the chair in 2004.

Chatterjee’s refusal of the prime minister’s offer was seen in some circles as his way of proving wrong a section of his former CPI-M colleagues who said that he stuck to the speaker’s post, defying the party diktat to step down, as he ‘hankered for top posts’.

‘I have only expressed my view. Earlier also, I was asked to become a governor or an ambassador. But I did not accept them. I have said that I have retired from politics,’ said Chatterjee, a seven-time Lok Sabha MP from Bolpur.

Earlier this week, Chatterjee wrote to union Home Minister P. Chidambaram declining the prime minister’s proposal.

Chatterjee said he had finished writing his 350-page memoir which was now with the publisher. ‘I can’t say when it will come out. It is up to them’.

Chatterjee, a barrister from Middle Temple in London, shifted to the Bolpur constituency in 1985 after losing the Lok Sabha polls from Jadavpur to Mamata Banerjee.

In love with his constituency and its people, Chatterjee had declared early this year that he would spend the remaining days of his life in the Birbhum district town of Bolpur close to the sylvan surroundings of Rabindranath Tagore-founded Santiniketan.

To fulfil his wish, Chatterjee has bought a house in Bolpur where he spends time relaxing, chatting with Santiniketan residents and participating in social activities.

A football academy, a polytechnic and a women’s school are among his contributions there. ‘I have no intention to return to Kolkata immediately.

‘I want to lead a serene life away from the hustle and bustle of Kolkata,’ added Chatterjee, who returned to Santiniketan Friday after spending time with his grandchildren in New Delhi.

‘Plastic goods consumption to double in three years’

Published: October 24, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Kolkata, Oct 24 – Plastic goods consumption in the country is expected to double in the next three years, an industry lobby said here saturday.

‘In India, per capita plastic consumption is low at around 6 kilogram per annum compared to world average of 25 kilogram,’ K.K. Seksaria, president of the Indian Plastics Federation (IPF), said at the 50th annual general meeting of the lobby.

According to him, ‘rapid urbanisation’ will boost the basic demand of plastic.

‘Plastic is now being used for housing, automobiles and retail sectors. Almost every product is now packed in plastic packets and the packaging sector is growing fast,’ Seksaria said.

IPF has 850 members across the country. Annually around six million tonnes of plastic is produced in the country.

Seksaria hopes that the plastic industry will add 1.5 million tonnes to its existing capacity in the next six months as primary raw material suppliers like Indian Oil, Haldia Petrochemical and Reliance Industries are in the process of capacity augmentation.

Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy, who was also present at the meeting, asked the industry players to take the responsibility of plastic waste management.

Amar Singh files complaint against Mayawati in Kolkata

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: National, PoliticsTags:

Kolkata, Oct 23 – Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh Friday filed a police complaint against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in Kolkata alleging she had hatched a ‘political conspiracy’ against him.

Amar Singh’s complaint, lodged at the Ballygunge police station in the southern part of the city, also names six others including Shivkanth Tripathi, who had earlier registered a police case against the Samajwadi Party leader in Kanpur.

‘Amar Singh has filed a complaint alleging that Mayawati is involved in a political conspiracy against him,’ Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective Department-1) Damayanti Sen told IANS.

Later, the Samajwadi Party leader called on Police Commissioner Goutam Chakraborty with the request that police begin a case by treating his complaint as a first information report (FIR).

Asked why he had lodged the complaint against Mayawati in Kolkata, Amar Singh said he had his permanent address in the city, and also filed income tax returns from here.

In an FIR registered in Kanpur, Tripathi had accused Amar Singh of indulging in fraud involving inter-transfer of funds between his different companies. He had attached evidence running into almost 1,700 pages to substantiate his charge.

The Uttar Pradesh government, however, chose to refer the case to Kolkata Police after Amar Singh accused Chief Minister Mayawati of masterminding a ‘conspiracy’ and threatened to launch a counter-offensive against her.

However, the city police Thursday tossed the file back to Kanpur saying the authorities of the northern state had followed a wrong course.

R.S. Lodha’s son is now Birla Corp chairman

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Kolkata, Oct 23 – Harsh Vardhan Lodha has been appointed the chairman of Birla Corp ‘unanimously’ by the board of directors, a company statement said here Friday.

Harsh Vardhan Lodha, son of the late chairman R.S. Lodha, served the company as the director till now.

R.S. Lodha was the disputed beneficiary of the M.P. Birla group chairperson Priyamvada Birla’s will that bequeathed the entire assets of the group to him.

Birla Corp, flagship company of M.P. Birla group, has posted a profit after tax of Rs.152.05 crore in the second quarter this fiscal, 154.69 percent up from Rs.59.7 crore reported in the like period last year.

The company’s turnover stood at Rs.556.31 crore in the quarter ended Sep 30 as against Rs.431.49 crore in the year-ago period, registering an increase of 28.93 percent.

The performance of the cement division of the company helped it achieve the net profit, the release said.

‘Improved realisation in the cement division, higher sales coupled with softening of fuel prices and reduction in various costs contributed to the higher profitability,’ it said.

The jute division of the company, which had been losing for the past 15 years, has made a turnaround and recorded profit during the quarter under review, it added.

UAE, India trade likely to grow over 50 percent

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: Business, NationalTags:

Kolkata, Oct 23 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is hopeful that trade with India would grow by more than 50 percent in the current fiscal.

‘The total bilateral trade between the two countries for 2008-09 was almost $44.5 billion, compared to $29.1 billion in 2007-08, which is an increase of 53 percent,’ UAE Ambassador Mohamed Sultan Abdalla Al Owais told reporters here Friday.

‘This year we would like to maintain the same level of 53 percent growth,’ Owais said.

According to the ambassador, investments in sectors such as infrastructure, aluminium and ports by the UAE would facilitate this growth.

The UAE is the 10th largest foreign direct investor in India, having invested more than $5 billion in the country.

India is the third largest investor in the UAE.

The UAE plans to invest $180 million to develop the first phase of a port at Kulpi in West Bengal, around 55 km from here.

Dubai-based DP World — engaged in marine terminal operations and development, logistics and related services — will develop the port and a special economic zone along with the state government.

The investment for the SEZ would be to the tune of $220 million, Owais said.

Freed West Bengal cop back with ecstatic family

Published: October 23, 2009Posted in: NationalTags:

Kolkata, Oct 23 – Emotional and ecstatic scenes were on display here as abducted police officer Atindranath Dutta was re-united with his family early Friday after spending 54 tension-filled hours in Maoist captivity.

Escorted by state police commandos, Dutta returned to his in-laws’ home in north Kolkata around 2:15 a.m., and was welcomed by his parents, wife, other relatives and neighbours.

‘Now I just want to spend the next few days with my family and unwind,’ said the Sankrail police station officer-in-charge, as he hugged his mother Chanda.

‘I cannot say how happy I am,’ said Chanda, as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

The old and non-descript house had been hogging the limelight for the past two days, as the media had virtually laid siege to it in their bid to bring their readers and viewers every moment of the fast-changing drama.

‘During these two days I only wanted to get him back. Now I feel very emotional. Thanks everybody – Kishanjee, administration, the media, and also those who sent so many messages to the news channels praying for his release,’ Dutta’s wife Indrani said, clasping her husband’s arms.

After threatening to kill him, Maoists freed Dutta Thursday evening and handed him over to a group of journalists in Domohoni jungle in West Midnapore district, in a swap with a group of Maoist women activists.

Around noon Thursday, a West Bengal court released 14 tribal women on bail, which was one of the conditions laid down by the rebels for Dutta’s freedom. The women were jailed for their alleged links with the Maoists.

‘I feel very relieved at having returned unharmed to my family – my wife and parents,’ said Dutta, who was abducted from his quarter near the Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district Tuesday.

Asked whether he would continue in the police, Dutta said: ‘Right now, I am not saying I won’t be with the police or with its mainstream. But I will be happy if I am sidelined (transferred) to some allied wings of the police.’

‘I shall be happy if I am given a posting at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). I shall do my best,’ he said while replying to another query.

To another question on whether he would return to Sankrail as officer in charge Dutta said: ‘I can’t say now. I am sure my superiors will take a decision after considering all aspects.’

He regretted the death of his colleagues, second officer sub-inspector Dibakar Bhattacharya and assistant sub-inspector Swapan Roy, who were shot by Maoist rebels.

‘I was not there when the shooting took place. I only heard sounds of firing. One had two more years in the service, the other four years. I have learnt they protested. So they had to give their lives,’ he said.

On his time in the jungles as hostage, the bespectacled Dutta said it was ‘not a happy experience. And staying in the jungle in the cold was also not nice. But they (Maoists) gave me rags and a quilt’.

Asked about his interactions with Maoist leader Kishanjee alias Koteshwar Rao, Dutta said: ‘I spoke to him only in the dark. And at times, I was blindfolded also. But as a person, he did not misbehave with me. He was nice to me.’

Sleepless apprehension had gripped Dutta’s family since Tuesday. After the happy ending, it was time to be together, visit religious places, and rest.

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