1. Red Road Erupts In Jubilation As Carnival Brings Down Curtains
The Red Road Pujor Carnival took on the milieu of inclusiveness, diversity and integration even as it celebrated Bengal’s culture and heritage, this year’s theme being ‘Rangamaatir Bangla’. As 72 prize-winning idols from across Kolkata rolled down Red Road for immersion in the Hooghly, an extravaganza was held, showcasing gorgeous theme installations, dazzling Durga idols and energetic song-and-dance recitals that represented the region’s biggest festival in all its colours and grandeur.
In the presence of governor Jagdeep Dhankar—this is the first time that the governor attended the carnival—the idols, tableaux and performers passed by over four-and-a-half hours to the relentless beating of dhak and conch shells that recreated the festive mood one last time this year. The spectacle sponsored by the state government signalled the conclusion of the festivities in style in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and a host of ministers, celebrities, bureaucrats and foreigners.
(Source: The Times Of India)
2. Low Tide Delays Immersion At Hooghly Ghat
Low tide in the Hooghly on Friday evening made it difficult for organizers of top-draw Durga Pujas, who participated in the Red Road carnival, to immerse their idols smoothly.
Of the 72 pujas that made it to the carnival list, Ekdalia Evergreen became the first to reach Babughat, which was decked up exclusively for budget pujas, for immersion.
(Source: The Times Of India)
3. Never Said Triple Murder Political: BJP
The BJP-RSS parivar seemed on the back foot on Friday over the Murshidabad triple murder, with state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh saying he had never said the killings were “political”.
“I never indicated the Jiaganj murders had a political motive… It is a grisly incident, a heinous crime… And police are still clueless on the motive, yet to arrest anybody. It is very alarming,” Ghosh, also the Midnapore MP, said on Friday.
On Thursday, Ghosh had tweeted: “It is extremely disturbing and saddening that murder & political violence continues unabated even during Durga Puja, the greatest festival of the Bengalis.” He had used Jiaganj as an example in a set of pictures.
(Source: The Telegraph)
4. Stop Helipad Work: Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Bengal government to stop constructing “until further orders” a helipad at Gajoldoba, close to the Teesta barrage near Siliguri, as part of a mega tourism project.
The tribunal threatened action against senior state officials if they failed to explain within a month why a 2016 directive prohibiting construction in the area had been violated, as alleged by petitioner Subhas Datta.
Datta, an environmentalist, has claimed that the entire Bhorer Alo tourism project, including the helipad, was constructed without clearances and that the area falls within the Pakhibitan wildlife sanctuary in north Bengal.
(Source: The Telegraph)
5. Cops, BSF Man Held For Abduction
A daylight abduction from the centre of the city, a chance CCTV footage showing a car headed for Howrah taking the second Hooghly bridge and cops intercepting the vehicle around 180km from the city and arresting six men: these definitely make for a sensational sequence of events but what was even more surprising was the motive behind the kidnap.
Avijit Ghosh (25) from Malda’s Englishbazar had approached Soumen Kumar Bose (49), a resident of an apartment complex in Sodepur, asking him to get him a government job. Bose assured him a job with the police, but in exchange for a hefty amount. Ghosh made the payment but it turned out that Bose was the ring leader of a job racket and had cheated several others. He had conned over Rs 1crore out of job aspirants.
(Source: The Times Of India)
