One held with fake notes

KOLKATA: A youth was intercepted with Rs 50,000 in fake currency from near Sealdah on Thursday evening.

Due a prompt action of a traffic sergeant, a youth carrying Rs 50,000 Fake Indian Currency notes has been intercepted near Sealdah on Thursday evening.

Acting on a tip off, police nabbed Mohammad Rehan, 22, was acting suspicious. A traffic sergeant noticed this and chased him. Rehan was nabbed near Moulali. while he was headed to Moulali from Sealdah.

It was a traffic sergeant who pointed the youth to police.

Police are interrogating Rehan to know about the others involved in the racket.

Hotlines to help child abuse victims

KOLKATA: Within a span of a week, two women were arrested for reportedly abusing their children. In both cases, police and neighbours intervened and came to the rescue of the children. To ensure that victims of child abuse get timely help, Childline, an NGO, has decided to install hotline telephones in different parts of the city.

The NGO runs a helpline with the number 1098. But once these hotlines are in place, a complaint can be lodged by simply picking up the receiver. No number needs to be dialled.

Two incidents of child abuse stunned Kolkata this week, as mothers abused their son and for that neighbours had to intervene and informed police to rescue the two children. Now to rescue children who are abused, Childline which operates telephone helpline 1098, is planning to install hotline telephones in different parts of the city, so any one can easily lodge complaint of child abuse by picking up the telephone without even dialing 1098.

One Sunday, Priyanka Mullick was arrested for torturing her six-year old son. She had kept him confined and battered him badly leading to serious bruises. He is now recuperating at Hope hospital at Behala. The boy informed police about being tortured by his mother. Priyanka is now on bail. Priyanka’s father and the child’s father both are seeking custody of the son. In another incident at Basndroni, Sahida Banu was arrested on Tuesday for torturing her son. Her neighbours rescued her eight year old boy.

Childline has, in fact, written to the telecom department for installing hotlines. With the help of the hotlines, the caller will be directly connected to the control room of the organization, following which it can seek police help. Now to handle situations of increased child abuse Childline has written to the telecom department for installing hotlines so that the calls directly reach their control room and they can initiate action with the help of police.

Nicole Menezes, deputy director of Childline, who was in the city to widen the reach of Childline, said their proposal is aimed at stopping child abuse. “Often children who are abused or who have information about abuse cannot inform 1098 for non-availability of telephones. Moreover, many children cannot access mobiles of their parents – who torture them. So we have planned to install hotlines at different places including schools, railway stations and market places. If any student is beaten up, his classmates can even lodge a complaint. This will surely deter the parents and teachers from assaulting children,” said Nicole. She felt that there was a need to involve policemen in the rescue of children who are abused. The organization also plans to sensitize the police.

Psychologist Amit Chakraborty said that if the hotlines come into operation then incidents of child abuse will surely come down. “In Europe there is similar helpline for which parents fear to beat up their children, as they can face trial for it. Even if the child is unable to call the hotline, neighbours can call this hotline and rescue the child immediately,” he said.and caring of the child can be much faster.”

City lights: No takers for Victoria

KOLKATA: It’s cleaner, greener and has been giving the Victoria Memorial grounds a tough run for its money. Morning walkers in Kolkata, who would swear by the part of the Maidan towered over by the historic monument, seem to be switching allegiance to the much less-fancied Rabindra Sarobar, considered shady and downmarket till recently. More than 200 members of the various walkers associations at Victoria have moved to the ‘lakes’ in the last five months for a hassle-free stroll in less polluted environs, where parking isn’t an issue either.

More than 500 lake walkers gathered at the Rabindra Sarobar on Sunday to take part in a Holi celebration, attended by KMDA CEO Vivek Bharadwaj. It’s the KMDA which has changed the face of the lakes through a series of beautification projects. The result has been a switch of loyalty that has taken the Rabindra Sarobar Friends’ Forum by surprise. “We are flooded with applications for membership. Since 2011, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of morning walkers. Die-hard Victoria loyals are now regulars at the lakes. Many have been travelling from Shyambazar and Dum Dum. Scores of central Kolkata residents, who would earlier prefer the Victoria for its proximity, are now happy to take the trouble of driving down to Rabindra Sarobar. They find it greener and cleaner than the Maidan,” said TC Jain, coordinator of the Friends’ Forum. The Lakes are visited by more than 2500 walkers every morning.

Parking difficulties and poor maintenance are responsible for the shift of loyalty, according to those who have defected. The Victoria greens no longer wear the emerald carpet that made walking a pleasure. Since parking was banned around the Maidan in 2008, commuting has been a bother as well. “Walkers have to trudge for more than a kilometre to hop into their car at the end of their walk which is tiring. Another irritant is the pollution and the noise. Since you have cars plying all around the Maidan, the smoke often gets unbearable. Finally, the Maidan pathways are poorly maintained. It’s not properly cleaned either,” said DK Khandelwal, a former Victoria walker who has now moved to the lakes.

He found the lakes ‘incredibly clean and quiet’, he said. “It’s a morning walker’s delight. You have greenery all around, pathways are clean, garbage is collected regularly and you don’t have cars honking around you. It’s probably the least polluted spot in Kolkata,” gushed Khandelwal.

Walk for a cause

Come March 18 and the city will witness a unique walk starting from the Calcutta Rowing Club in Rabindra Sarobar in support of the Down Syndrome. The Down Syndrome (DS) occurs because of chromosomal anomaly in a child at birth. Usually, parents of children, affected by the syndrome, tend to hide the child from social exposure which not only hinders their growth but also alienates them from the rest of the world. The walk, organized by The Down Syndrome Support Group of Kolkata, will hence help to create more awareness among parents. The support group has been formed by two courageous mothers Neelam A Jain and Christina Mitra Jabbar whose children are affected by the Down Syndrome. “People born with DS need our support, respect, dignity and equal rights. Yet, most of the parents find it difficult to deal with their children with DS. Each DS child has an extraordinary ability which can be honed for the benefit of the society,” said Jain.

On Sunday, March 18, the city will witness a unique walk from Calcutta Rowing Club in Rabindra Sarovar in support of Down Syndrome Awareness. United Nations for the first time in the history has recognized March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day. The Down Syndrome occurs because chromosomal anomaly in a child at birth. A child with Down Syndrome has 47 chromosomes in every cell as against 46 chromosomes in those unaffected. The DS children share common physical traits of low muscle tone, small stature and upward slant to the eyes and flat facial features. It takes a huge effort by parents to push DS children into main-stream of life. Most of the parents tend to take it as stigma and try to hide the child from social exposure. This hinders the growth of the child and a sense of alienation cripples him socially. The Down Syndrome Support Group of Kolkata, formed by two courageous mothers of DS Children Neelam A Jain and Christina Mitra Jabbar, has organized this Buddy Walk for creating this awareness. “People born with DS need our support, respect, dignity and equal rights. Yet most of the parents found it difficult to deal with their children with DS. Each DS child has an extra-ordinary ability which can be honed for the benefit of the society,” said Jain.

For a clean Kolkata

In a noble initiative, nearly 1,400 senior division NCC cadets led volunteers from the Krishi Vikas Shilpa Kendra – an NGO – and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to clean up the Brigade Parade Ground and the water tank at the Park Street and Outram Road crossing on Sunday morning. The cadets also took a pledge to clean up other parts of the city. Among those present at the campaign, titled ‘Cleanliness a Virtue’, were Firhad Hakim, state urban development minister and Maj Gen M P Singh, additional director general, NCC (Bengal and Sikkim directorate). Hakim hailed the initiative and hoped that this step would help to raise awareness among others to keep surroundings clean.

Urinal turns blue & white

Whenever you think of shades in Kolkata, think blue and white. There’s no escaping the combination, even if it happens to be a toilet wall. After a series of flyovers, lampposts, road dividers and even trees, it’s now the turn of urinals to take on the preferred city colours. An NGO-run urinal at Netaji Nagar in south Kolkata has recently been painted white with thick blue borders. It could be the turn of cemeteries and crematoriums next, locals conjectured.

For the shutterbugs

CRY – Child Rights and You – is organizing ‘Focus Right 3.0′, the third edition of its online photography competition for Child Rights. Conducted by CRY volunteers from IIT Kharagpur, the competition aims at capitalising the potential of photography to influence policy changes to ensure child rights in the state. The theme for the competition is “We are the Future.” The event is open to all. Last date for entries is March 15, 2012.

A loyal driver

Strange are the ways at the Writers’ Buildings. A government officer, whose chamber happens to be on the top floor of the building, has to make his driver sit in his room if he is called by ministers or secretaries for consultation late in the evening. Or else, he finds that his room has been locked while he was away. Last month, he had left his room unattended and climbed down to the second floor for a meeting with a minister. When he returned, he discovered that his room has been locked by a PWD staffer who has safely delivered the keys to the caretaker office located in a far corner of the building. His papers, which he needed to look up immediately, were inside. “These caretakers are always roaming around and whenever they find a room empty, they lock it. It happened to me twice. I have decided not to take a chance,” he said.

Anything for Kahaani

Such was the craze for the film Kahaani that this is what a mother did. Perhaps she found no one at home to keep her one-year-old son at home. Wife of a senior central government employee, she reached the movie hall in an SUV. Once the car was parked at the designated lot for VIPs on Lindsay Street, she handed over her baby, towels, vacuum flasks, milk bottle et al to the male attendant accompanying them. She left him detailed instructions and strode off to the hall. “Har adhe ghante mein mujhe khabar dete rehna aut agar zyada roye to bula lena,” said the woman. (Keep me informed every half an hour. And if he cries a lot then call me). The instructions were loud enough for everyone to hear.

Rocket making materials manufactured in Kolkata seized in Raipur

KOLKATA: The arrest of slain Maoist leader Kishanji’s close aide Sadanala Ramkrishna from the city was seen as the biggest rebel bust in the state, but it has been learnt that a bulk of the damage had already been done before the Special Task Force (STF) and Greyhound commandos could pin him down.

STF officers on Monday came to know that the Maoist brigade had already transported six consignments of spare parts and hardware required to manufacture rocket launchers to Chhattisgarh from the city. It was only during the smuggling of the seventh consignment that Ramkrishna got trapped in police net. On Sunday, however, cops conducted a raid in Raipur and seized 75 boxes of hardware materials (different types of metal sockets) that are believed to be spare parts of rocket launchers. Interrogation of Ramakrishna and Deepak, another Maoist held by the team, led STF officials to Raipur.

The consignment was transported to Chhattisgarh through a city-based transport company and police seized the equipment from the company’s Saraswati Nagar warehouse in Raipur. STF officers claimed the sockets were made at a workshop in Kamarhati. The manager of the transport company, Rabi Tripathi, has been detained for interrogation. Police also picked up Rekha Pardhania, Deepak’s wife, who is believed to look after the transportation in Raipur.

According to sources, STF has detained two more from Kolkata, one among them has been identified as Rajesh Sau. The duo reportedly purchased the Birati flat where Ramakrishna and Depak had been camping for past six months.

After recovering the spare parts, a security alarm rang among the top bosses of internal security. “Probe confirmed that rebels had already gathered huge fire power in their arsenal that they plan to unleash on security forces,” said an officer. It is also feared that only one channel of the weapon supply chain has been detected so far and more such chains are active across the country.

Police suspect that more consignments are in the pipeline. They also believe that more transport companies are being used to smuggle raw materials. Police are now trying to unearth other supply chains.

Son-in-law arrested for trader’s murder

KOLKATA: A greedy son-in-law and a debt-ridden orchestra manager conspired to murder Bowbazar businessman Nisith Jaiswal, say police. They were arrested on Monday along with two alleged accomplices. The hunt is on for two hired killers.

Jaiswal, who owned four shops near New Market, and also had a money lending business, was found dead in a pond in Kheyada, Sonarpur, on February 21.

Police say Jaiswal’s son-in-law Amit Choudhury plotted the murder for his property.

Jaiswal, a resident of Temple Street in Bowbazar, went missing on February 20. His wallet, wrapped carefully in plastic, was found in a pond in Patuli. The body was found the next morning in Sonarpur, some 12km away.

During investigation, police found that the cellphone tower locations of Amit and orchestra owner Rajib Ghosh matched with Jaiswal’s on the evening he went missing. It helped them crack the case.

Amit, a resident of Lake Town, has a small shop in Kidderpore. He also helped his father-in-law in business from time to time and watched his business transactions with envy. He befriended Rajib, who took loans from Jaiswal on a daily interest basis and had run up a huge debt that he could not hope to pay.

The huge cash turnover turned Amit greedy and he started planning to kill Jaiswal, say police. “He lured Rajib with the promise that after murdering Nitish, Rajib’s loan will be waived,” said an investigator.

According to the plan, Rajib invited Jaiswal to his flat at Kamalgazi on February 20. They met near Park Street from where Jaiswal boarded a hired car and went to Kamalgazi. Two professional killers were already there as Rajib’s friends. So was Amit but Jaiswal did not know it. After taking a few drinks, the killers pounced on Jaiswal and strangled him to death.

They took the body in the hired car and dumped it in Sonarpur.

South 24-Paragans district police rounded up Amit, Rajib, driver Biswajit Ghosh and Shanku Ganguli, an aide of Rajib. Police seized the car and are now looking for the two hired killers. Rajib ran an orchestra in a bar located next to one of Jaiswal’s shops.

Jaiswal owned four shops on Moti Seal Street, near New Market, and used to lend money to orchestra managers of various central Kolkata bars.

On Monday, after arresting all four accused, police said, Jaiswal’s son-in-law Amit who married victim’s elder daughter Bandana had hatched the murder plot for the property of Jaiswal

Kolkata outshines other cities in school education

KOLKATA: Never mind if we have to accept the superiority of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in the fields of business and commerce, we are still the best when it comes to school education. A survey carried out recently by Wipro in association with an educational research organization shows that Kolkata is head and shoulders above Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore in scholastic quality.

A total of 16 top schools from each city were considered for the survey that consisted of exams and viva voce on Maths, English and Science. Though the names of the city schools considered for the survey were not divulged, the surveyors revealed that of the 16 top schools, 64% are affiliated to ICSE, 7% to CBSE and 29% to the West Bengal board. “Most of the top ICSE schools from Kolkata that were considered for the survey are Anglo Indian schools controlled by either the CNI or the Catholic Church. However, Kolkata ICSE schools in question are much ahead of schools in the other cities that we considered,” said a spokesperson from the social and community initiatives cell of Wipro.

According to the survey, christened Quality Education Study (QES), there is a clear gap of 10 percentage points between leader Kolkata and trailer Bangalore. The study was conducted among a total of 23,000 students of classes IV, VI and VIII in the five cities. The survey result states that Kolkata has topped while Delhi has clinched the second position each time. The other positions have been interchanged among Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai.

Take the case of Maths. In the study conducted for proficiency levels among students of Class VI, Kolkata has managed to finish at 53.2%, Delhi at 48.6, Mumbai at 42.9, Chennai at 41.4 and Bangalore at 38.7. When the same exam was conducted for Class-VIII students, Kolkata again occupied the first position at 66.8, Delhi 63.7, Bangalore 62.5, Chennai 60.8 and Mumbai 54.7.

Even in case of English, Kolkata managed to stride ahead of the others with aplomb. At a test conducted for Class-IV kids, Kolkata finished at 48.8%, Delhi at 42.7, Mumbai at 41.2, Chennai at 39.8 and Bangalore at 36.5. In case of the results for a test of English for Class VIII, Kolkata maintained its sway with 53.5, Delhi 50.5, Chennai 47.4, Mumbai 47.2 and Bangalore 45.7.

“The participating schools were from ICSE, CBSE and respective state boards. We have found that Kolkata has been able to top the survey because of the excellent performance of the ICSE schools considered in our sample. The CBSE schools have not been able to perform that well. Also, the performance of the schools belonging to the West Bengal board has been poorer compared to the national boards,” said Vaijayanthi Shankar, spokesperson for Educational Initiatives, that partnered with Wipro for the survey.

The survey compares the performance of the state boards too and has found that the West Bengal board is at par with the Karnataka board and fared slightly better than Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra boards, when it came to Science and Maths.

“However, there are some causes of concern and we have alerted the respective principals and teachers about them. Even the best performing schools have performed below the international average at the class IV level, though students matched the international performance level by the time they are in class VIII,” explained Shrikant Sreedharan of Wipro.

“There’s more. Even the top schools exhibit rote learning. They have not been able to display the analytical skills that were expected of students of such top schools,” he explained.

T H Ireland, principal, St James’ School, sounded happy though he did not want to reveal if his school was part of the survey. “It is heartening to know that Kolkata schools have performed so well. The approach of ICSE schools to education is very modern. There are many firsts like the way we allow a lot of freedom to kids when it comes to choice of subjects in board exams. We have set several trends and I am happy that these are being appreciated.”

Birla High School principal Mukta Nain, principal was equally ecstatic. “This makes me happy. We have been able to make a mark as far as school education is concerned,” she said.

Cup of cheer, served with a twist

KOLKATA: The relationship between tea and Bangali babus goes back a long way. But times are changing and so are tastes. Light bodied varieties of tea are gaining ground among aficionados for their aroma and finesse. Flavoured tea and blooming tea have become the newest drink for the young and not-so-young tea drinkers of the city.

Regulars like Darjeeling, Assam, Niligiri, Sikkim and Oolong still rule the charts. But innovation is the name of the game today. So now we get the tea in radical flavours and hues like almond, chamomile, chocolate, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily or peppermint. The carte du jour of speciality tea runs into pages.

“The aroma was mesmerizing, making me a loyalist at the first sip. And it tastes good too,” smiled Shikha Chatterjee who was found buying packets of green tea from one of the few stores that sells herbal tea in the city. The store has a wide collection of flavoured green tea – spice, earl grey, jasmine, mango-vanilla, mint-basil, fennel-ginger and ginger mint lemon. All are available in 50 gram packs priced moderately between Rs 125 and Rs 160.

Ratna Kulkarni, who has been drinking organic tea for over a decade, gets her tea from China, Indonesia and Mumbai. Her favourite is Japanese tea. “The first time I tasted Japanese tea, I fell in love with the aroma. I keep drinking cups of green tea all through the day but I must have a cup of Japanese tea after every meal,” she said.

Strangely enough, this tea crazy city doesn’t have too many speciality tea joints. Twenty five years ago, Dolly Roy of Dolly’s Tea Shop introduced Kolkata to these interesting concoctions. The shop is an oasis in the dreary Dakshinapan Shopping Complex off Dhakuria bridge. Teak panels, rattan chairs, handmade paper lamp shades and the presence of the matriarch Dolly Roy herself makes the joint score on comfort as well as food.

“I have seen people grow. I have loyalists spread across generations, ranging from two-year-olds to 80 years,” claims Roy. Over a cup of second flush muscatel, she shared many a personal experience. “There was this young mother who insisted on having her son’s six-month rice eating ceremony at the shop, because while her son was in her womb, she would come to the shop every day,” smiled Roy. Madhumita Chatterjee, a resident of Australia, was seen buying tea gift packets for friends and family abroad. “I remember coming to Dolly’s when I was in college. I love green tea because of its anti-oxidant quality,” Madhumita said.

The most expensive cup at the shop is Makaibari Silver Tips pegged at Rs 100. Some of the other interesting drinks available are Kashmiri Kahwa, Peppermint Lemon, Mistea, Yankee Brew, Black Forest tea, Orange and Mint Julep.

The other joint where one can get a cup of this humble brew with a twist is the Cha Bar. Nestled inside Oxford bookstore on Park Street, the interiors have a natural feel with wood, bamboo, cane, glass and books. The decor is spruced up with quirky and kitsch tea pots, kettles, cups and saucers.

There are flavoured dips, herbal mixes, fruit brews, organic nips, green tea, Ayurvedic blends and a lot more to choose from. Health buffs can try Chinese and Japanese savours, served without milk. One of the most sought-after is jasmine tea, and there are countless iced teas to beat the heat. Some of the drinks have interesting names like Truck Drivers’ 100 Mile Ki Chai, Dragon Ball, Darjeeling High Fired and Bollywood Masala Mix Chai.

Govt to allow private stake in rural highways

KOLKATA: The state cabinet on Friday approved the formation of a Highway Development Corporation to improve rural infrastructure in Bengal. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced her intention to form this corporation in December 2011.

Industries minister Partha Chatterjee said that the new corporation would keep state highways and rural roads in good shape. “Our aim is to ensure connectivity and increase vehicular speed,” he said. He hoped the rural economy will benefit from the better infrastructure.

The new project is known as Swarnali Rasta Prokalpa on the lines of the Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojna. It will function on the private-public-partnership model and will have PWD officials on board apart from hired professionals, said Chatterjee. Initially, it will start with a paid up capital of Rs 50 crore.

The roads will be maintained for 30 years by the private firms and they can levy a toll tax. The government will get a share of this.

Initially, maintenance of Digha and Basanti state highways will be handed over to private firms. “People will not mind paying tax if roads are in perfect shape,” an official said.

The cabinet also decided to give Urdu the status of a second language in areas where the Urdu speaking population exceeds 10%, like Kolkata, Titagarh, Kamarhati, Asansol, Jamuria and Goalpokhor. People can even write to government offices in Urdu, said Firhad Hakim, urban development minister. The government will give approval for setting up Urdu schools and colleges soon.

The government also decided to include Joka I and Joka II under Kolkata Municipal Corporation and hand over the control of Kolkata East West Metro Corporation to the railways for connecting metro link between Salt Lake and Howrah.

The PWD, which maintains roads, often suffers from a financial crisis. The corporation, when formed, will also be able to borrow from the market. Officials said several agencies had already shown interest in investing in the PPP model.

Moreover, the corporation will also take care of bridges in rural areas and will help industries develop infrastructure so that remote areas like Purulia and Bankura can be offered to industrialists. The corporation can go in for joint venture projects and also raise financial resources from banks and financial institutions.

Moreover, the corporation will also be developing land commercially and can also launch housing projects. Again, it can work as a project consultant for big projects and prepare feasibility reports.

Coal price revision to hike power cost

KOLKATA: Power utilities in the state anticipate the cost of electricity generation to shoot up at least by 20 paisa per unit, thanks to the coal price revision announced by Coal India Ltd (CIL) on Wednesday. State utilities said the impact would be as much as 20 to 40 paisa per unit. Even as the intensity of the blow is expected to be half of what was apprehended when CIL made the first price revision on January 1, utilities have to wait till when the Calcutta High Court hears out petition by the state government and its utilities against CIL prices.

West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (WBSEDCL) is already under financial constraint and has not been able to apply for a tariff revision even after revision of coal prices before the recent one. CESC consumers, however, will feel the pinch as the utility goes in for an interim hike sometime after the pending tariff revision.

Of 17 categories of coal computed under the gross calorific value (GCV) against the earlier seven bands when coal was sold on the basis of useful heat value (UHV), price has been hiked between Rs 30/tonne and Rs 1,630/tonne. But with power utilities primarily using coal of calorific value 4,000-6,000 kcal/kg, the additional payout will be between Rs 70/tonne and Rs 1,750/tonne. But if power utilities manage to avoid the fifth grade of coal with calorific value 5,800-6,100 kcal/kg, the price hike will be contained between Rs 70/tonne and Rs 570/tonne.

While GCV that measures the amount of heat liberated by carbon and hydrogen in the coal when it is heated, is an internationally accepted pricing mechanism, due to the high ash content in Indian coal, the UHV mechanism was followed that took into account the heat trapped in ash. Typically in Indian coal, GCV is 25% higher than UHV.

“Among the category of coal we use, we expect the average price hike of Rs 400/tonne. That translates to around 20 paise hike in per unit generation cost,” a CESC official said. The private utility that supplies power to Kolkata and adjoining areas purchases 35 lakh tonne of coal from CIL, is also worried about 3-4% wastage as they will have to shell out anything between Rs 360/tonne and Rs 500/tonne for extremely low-grade coal (calorific value 2,200-3,200 kcal/kg) that were considered stone till December 31, 2011.

WBSEDCL, however, fears a bigger hit as it buys bulk of its 20 lakh tonne coal requirement from CIL. “We purchase around 16 lakh tonne coal from the company. Around 80% of the purchase is in the bandwidth of 4,000-4,500 kcal/kg and 20% from 5,000-6,000 kcal/kg,” an official said.

What power utilities are miffed over is that CIL will have the ultimate say in the quality of coal supply. “Even if we want to use more coal of higher calorific value, CIL cannot supply it. So we will be using the same coal but paying more,” an official explained.

The worst affected will be power units in the east as CIL will levy 6% extra on coal from Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) as it is a sick subsidiary and listed with the Board for Industrial & Financial Restructuring (BIFR). ECL supplies coal to both CESC and WBPDCL. Power from Bharat Coking Coal Ltd and Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd also supplies coal to power plants in the state.

‘Are Kolkatans becoming cowards?’

KOLKATA: Surprised that the latest bid to throttle free speech had failed to provoke a city never shy of a protest, an angry Taslima Nasrin asked on Wednesday, “Kolkatar lokera ki kapurush hoye jachchhe? (Are Kolkatans becoming cowards?) “

“It’s a shame for Bengal,” the author told TOI hours after Kolkata Book Fair cancelled the release of the seventh part of her autobiography, ‘Nirbasan’ . Nasrin said it had brought back the painful memories of 2007 when she was forced to leave Kolkata, a city she refers to as home. “I never thought this could happen at the book fair. But then, what was unthinkable in Kolkata has already happened once. I was thrown out of the city as some fundamentalists triggered riots on November 22, 2007,” she said.

Nasrin still believes the city will welcome her back. “I am optimistic I shall be allowed to go to Kolkata and stay there as I do not have any other place to stay. India is my only place. I still feel Kolkata is my home and I shall be allowed to live in peace there.”

She lashed out at radicals for creating an environment of fear. “I fear the fundamentalists can create a ruckus at the stall of my publisher and can vandalize it. ‘Nirbasan’ is based on the incidents that forced me to leave Kolkata and how I was taken to Jaipur and then to Delhi under house arrest,” she said.