"জলপাইগুড়ি" গতদুই মাসের খবর

Oct, 20
Four day film festival ends

The 1st North Bengal Film Festival came to an end in Jalpaiguri today amidst expressions of hope for the future of the region in the arena of film making. The Governor of West Bengal Mr Gopal Krishna Gandhi said in his message that the cultural event would prove to be a watershed in the aesthetic career of the region.
The four-day long festival seems to have carved a niche for itself in the annals of the cultural history of north Bengal in terms of overwhelming response from the common people especially in regard to the regional films showcased in course of the festival, claimed the festival organisers. In all, 41 films were shown out of which ten were foreign films. Workshops and seminars were arranged and prizes were distributed among the selected films.

Speaking volume of the promise of the region the Governor said that north Bengal, immensely opulent in terms of socio-ethnic and natural diversity, appeared to be awakening to a new dawn of aesthetic achievement. “The talent lying dormant in the region must be exposed in full with the assistance of all,” he said.

Echoing the same hope Mr Raja Sen, an eminent filmmaker, said that the peerless natural richness of the region coupled with the growing creative fervour among the populace should bring about a new era of momentous cultural changes. “We will leave no stone unturned to project the upcoming cinematic talents at the state level. The films made in the Rajbanshi dialect have cast a spell upon us in terms of their creative excellence,” he remarked.

Oct, 18

Karala River cleaning campaign

Ultimately, seven days since Durga Puja ended, the Jalpaiguri Municipality today initiated the Karala River cleaning campaign.

Every year after the immersion the river gets polluted as the Puja paraphernalia along with the idols are dumped. With the practice continuing unabated for years on end, the natural flow of the stream has got stuck. Consequently, the river overflows even with a spell of heavy shower and inundates a large part of the town during the rainy season. Though the Jalpaiguri Municipality initiates a cleaning operation every year the problem persists.

It may be mentioned here that the green bench of the Calcutta High Court served a notice to the Jalpaiguri municipality asking it to make arrangements to clean the river following the immersion.

The civic body with the assistance of the police administration has embarked on a full-fledged operation this year to combat the situation. A cleaning drive is on at the principal immersion ghats like Babu Ghat, King Saheber Ghat, Samaj Para Ghat, Shanti Para and others.

The vice-chairman of the Jalpaiguri civic body, Mr Pinaki Sengupta, said that since the Brahmaputra river commission had included the river Karala in its operational profile through a circulation in 2007 the civic body had unceasingly pleaded with the commission authority to envisage an action plan for the revival of the river.

Oct, 16

North Bengal Film Festival in Jalpaiguri

The four-day-long North Bengal Film Festival, commenced today amidst a colourful inaugural programme at the Cultural Centre in Jalpaiguri in the presence of a galaxy of celebrated film makers, academicians and political personalities. Mr Tarun Majumder, a film stalwart inaugurated the festival and another film luminary Mr Goutam Ghosh was the chief guest. The state backward class development minister Mr Jogesh Barman was also present.

Inaugurating the festival Mr Tarun Majumder said that the festival would usher in a new chapter in the cultural and aesthetic development in the region. “The region, though neglected for long, has been evolving fast culturally and the day is not far off when it would regenerate the intellectual and cultural landscape of Bengal. The portents are visible. The growing number of creative films being made in several North Bengal- based dialects testifies to the approaching intellectual rejuvenation of the region,” he said. Speaking of his own experiences as a filmmaker Mr Majumder said that a creator must come to terms first with oneself, with the currents and cross currents of one's own personality, much of which remained generally obscure throughout a greater part of one's life. “Mere luminous ideas gleaned from outside cannot help one to come out with a time transcending creation unless the creator goes through a process of inward churning through a happy wedding of mind and heart,” he remarked.

Mr Goutam Ghosh, in his address, said that north Bengal represented the true vitality of the assimilative culture of the hoary land. “Now, with a soul-deadening effect of a decadent culture being felt in every department of life, we are looking forward to this region to uphold the eternal values of life through innovative and thought provoking creations,” he said. Denouncing what is known as ‘popular cinema’ he said that novelty in approach seemed to have vanished in the wasteland of vital vulgarity. “Thought provoking stuff seems to be no longer inspiring the new generation of film makers. Yet we cannot be pessimistic. Two devastating World Wars could not vanquish the indomitable spirit of man. As long as there is the aspiration for a better living there is a possibility of Renaissance,” he commented.

Oct, 13

Jalpaiguri mental hospital entangled in judicial issues

With the infrastructure work having been completed a year back, some kind of judicial problem has been delaying the inauguration of the Jalpaiguri Mental hospital. The district health department is just keeping its fingers crossed as to when the mental hospital would start functioning with the judicial hurdle getting over.

The Jalpaiguri sadar hospital superintendent Mr Suresh Chandra Bhoumick said that the building was lying in neglect since a year due to judicial problems. “Several mental patients hailing from different parts of the district come for treatment. Relatives and friends of the psychiatric patients requested us time and again to open up an indoor department in the hospital for mental diseases. Hence we spend around Rs 18 lakhs on the project. We, however, do not know when the hospital would start catering to the needs of the psychiatric patients of the district,” he said.

Goddess Laxmi beckons, but prices pinch

With Laxmi Puja approaching, the prices of essential commodities, including vegetables and fruits have increased, affecting the poor and the middle class people in Jalpaiguri district.

Mr Gautam Mridha, a resident of Jalpaiguri, complained of a huge hike in prices. “Price of almost every item related to the Laksmi Puja has increased a lot. Prices have gone up by 30 to 40 percent. For example, cucumber, was previously sold at Rs 20 per kg and now the price has become Rs 30 per Kg. The same is true for apple and other fruits,” he said. “We have a fixed budget for the Puja. How can we afford these items deemed essential for the Puja?” he rued.

Meanwhile Mr Nagen Roy, a vegetable seller, said that the hike in wholesale prices had brought about an alarming situation in the retail market. “We are aware of the plight of the poor and the middle class people. We do sympathise with them. Yet we are helpless as we have to increase the retail prices of the items to keep a meager profit margin for ourselves,” Mr Roy said.

Oct, 11

Relatives protest at hospital following patient’s death

Commotion broke out at the Japaiguri hospital today following the death of a patient due to alleged apathy of a section of the hospital staff including a doctor. The aggrieved friends and relatives of the deceased allegedly roughed up a hospital staff and the hospital authority lodged an FIR against the assaulters. The agitators also gheraoed the district chief medical officer health, over the incident.
According to the agitators, Madan Ghosh (65) who was an inhabitant of Raikatpara, Jalpaiguri suffered a cerebral attack in the morning and was taken to the Jalpaigur Sadar Hospital in a serious condition.

“'We brought the patient to the emergency department of the hospital at about 7 a.m. and found the only on-duty ticket counter staff Ganesh Das sleeping. When we woke him up to seek the doctor, he claimed that the doctor was visiting the wards. We waited for 45 before looking for the doctor ourselves and found the on-duty doctor Anup Pal sleeping too. No one had alerted him of the serious patient. However, after checking the patient he had him admitted and referred the case to doctor Barun Biswas who was off duty then. More time was consumed in bringing the doctor from home and meanwhile the patient died,” alleged the deceased's nephew Mr Subrata Ghosh.
Taking exception to the manhandling of the hospital staff, the hospital authority lodged an FIR against the assaulters. The hospital superintendent Mr Suresh Bhoumick said that the allegations would be looked into but the FIR had to be filed as the agitators had assaulted an on-duty staff.

Bhandari fair at Jalpaiguri celebrates Durga’s return

The popular Bhandani fair began at Barnish village in Jalpaiguri district today.
Leaving nothing to chance, the police are being extra cautious to ensure the fair remains an incident-free one. “The police have searched the whole fair ground as well as the Bhandani temple with hand-held metal detectors and sniffer dogs to ensure security. In addition, about a 100 policemen have been posted at the fair site,” claimed the Jalpaiguri police superintendent Mr Manoj Varma.

Oct, 8

Kumari puja in Jalpaiguri

Organising for the past 10 years, the ‘Senpara Sarbojanin Durga Puja’ (Post Office Road) held Kumari puja today. Celebrating its 58th year of Durga puja, the community puja is the only of its kind to hold Kumari puja. “Kumari puja is an event performed on ‘Maha Ashtami.’ Ours is the only community puja in Jalpaiguri,” claimed the organisation's secretary Mr Rana Sengupta.

The priest, Mr Partho Bhattacharya, said: “Kumari puja is a symbolic of Durga Puja. In it, we worship a girl child as the symbolic representation of Durga. This year we worshiped Adrija Mukherjee (6) a little girl of Jalpaiguri. She was worshiped as ‘Uma’ (another name of Durga).”

In addition to Kumari puja, the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to attract people. “This year we have selected a village Pathsala (school) as the theme of our pandal. We have also highlighted Tagore's Sahaj Path, inside the Puja pandal. Significantly, artists who are hearing impaired have etched the Sahaj Path inscriptions in the pandal. We have provided them space inside the pandal so that they can display handicrafts prepared by them,” said Mr Pradip Chakraborty, joint secretary of the Puja committee. Kumari puja was also held at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Jalpaiguri.

Jalpaiguri Cha Nilam Kendra Bachao Committee

Efforts to revive the North Bengal Tea Auction Centre in Jalpaiguri have gone futile. The ‘Jalpaiguri Cha Nilam Kendra Bachao Committee,’ which was formed to save the centre on the verge of shutdown held a meeting with tea sellers and buyers associated and the auction centre, today. But the majority of the buyers stayed away from it.

“We have 130 registered buyers of which over 100 are from Siliguri and Kolkata. None of them were present today,” said Mr Kamal Bhattacharjee, executive officer of the North Bengal Tea Auction Centre.

The buyers and sellers associated with the centre have their differences of opinion as well. “Teas sold at the Jalpaiguri auction centre do not fetch proper prices. The rates are always lower than what it is in the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre. We had sent huge amount of tea to the Jalpaiguri centre when it was set up in 2005 but since the buyers did not pay enough, we had stopped sending tea to the centre,” said Mr Kishan Kalyani, a plantation owner and a registered seller of the Jalpaiguri auction centre.

Superfast train from Haldibari to Sealdah

The much-awaited super fast train service from Haldibari to Sealdah would run from tomorrow. According to the Jalpaiguri MLA Mr Debaprosad Roy, the service was to start in April but could not due to some technical and administrative problems. “It is a reality now,” he added.

“The train would reach Jalpaiguri Town Station at 8 p.m. tomorrow. Youth Congress activists would welcome the passengers of the train. I am confident the facility would help boost Jalpaiguri's economy,” the MLA said.

“We are expecting about 250 passengers tomorrow. We would also felicitate Mr Debaprasad Roy as he personally took the initiative to provide the people of Jalpaiguri this service,” said Mr Saikat Chatterjee, president Jalpaiguri district Youth Congress.


Sept, 29

Tea auction centre on revamp mode

Efforts to revive the North Bengal Tea Auction Centre in Jalpaiguri have gone futile.
The ‘Jalpaiguri Cha Nilam Kendra Bachao Committee,’ which was formed to save the centre on the verge of shutdown held a meeting with tea sellers and buyers associated and the auction centre, today. But the majority of the buyers stayed away from it.

“We have 130 registered buyers of which over 100 are from Siliguri and Kolkata. None of them were present today,” said Mr Kamal Bhattacharjee, executive officer of the North Bengal Tea Auction Centre.

The buyers and sellers associated with the centre have their differences of opinion as well. “Teas sold at the Jalpaiguri auction centre do not fetch proper prices. The rates are always lower than what it is in the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre. We had sent huge amount of tea to the Jalpaiguri centre when it was set up in 2005 but since the buyers did not pay enough, we had stopped sending tea to the centre,” said Mr Kishan Kalyani, a plantation owner and a registered seller of the Jalpaiguri auction centre.

Mr Nagendra Prasad, representative of a buyers’ group, said: “Comparison between prices fetched in the STAC and the Jalpaiguri auction centre is not enough. The valuation of tea differs from time to time. The sellers would have to keep patience for the betterment of the centre.”

Admitting the problems, the secretary of the ‘Cha Nilam Kendra Bachao Committee’, Mr Gautam Pal, said: “Only an united effort of the sellers and buyers can save the situation. We expect a positive attitude from all concerned. Another meeting would be organised soon.”

Speaking on the subject, the principal adviser to the Indian Tea Planters’ Association, Mr NK Basu, said: “The tea auction centre also has problems regarding the tax exemption. The problem of proper valuation of tea also needs to be sorted out.”

The DM Jalpaiguri, Mrs Bandana Yadav, who is also the chairman of the North Bengal Tea Auction Centre, said: “The sellers have to send a fixed percentage of their total production to this centre. The problem of transportation and accommodation for the buyers also needs to be taken care of. I would soon arrange for an AGM of the centre and also request the state government for tax concessions.”

Sept, 27

Din Bazaar market to be re-modelled

The Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority in conjunction with the Jalpaiguri Municipality and the different merchant associations of Din bazaar will be re-modelling the Din Bazaar market in Jalpaiguri.

The matter was decided at a meeting between officials of the SJDA, the Jalpaiguri municipality and the traders’ bodies.

“The SJDA CEO Mr Soumitra Mohan held a meeting with us and the traders’ bodies today. A decision to re-model the Din Bazaar, the oldest market of Jalpaiguri was taken in the meeting,” said the Jalpaiguri Municipality chairman Mr Mohan Bose said.
According to Mr Bose, the work will be completed over two phases.

“The survey for the work will begin soon and construction work is expected to commence this year,” he added.

The secretary of the Din Bazaar Fish Merchants’ Association Mr Debu Chaudhury was very enthusiastic when he said “We had a meeting with the Municipality on the issue a few days ago. We welcome the new initiative.”

Sept,23

Poor road conditions in Jalpaiguri irk residents

Public grievance is mounting in Jalpaiguri over the town's poor road conditions. The Jalpaiguri municipality chairman Mr Mohan Bose said that the roads would be repaired within the next six months. But people want it to be repaired before the pujas.
“All the municipal roads and drains are being re-constructed since June. We expect the work to be completed in six months,” said the municipal chairman Mr Mhan Bose. He, however, could not assure that the roads would be repaired before the Pujas.
“As the municipality started its work during the rainy season; people have suffered a lot. Heavy rains disrupted the construction work and washed away the sand used for the repair work. Most of the roads are in a mess", alleged Mr Raja Sengupta, a resident of ward no. eight.

Mrs Tanima Saha, a senior citizen of ward number seven said: “I have a lame leg. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me and those like me to travel because of the poor road conditions.”

Likewise, Subimal Das, a rickshaw-puller and an inhabitant of the town said: “We are scared to ride through some of the streets. Its taking a toll on our body and affecting our earnings.” Since the Jalpaiguri Municipality is a Congress run institution, it is obvious that the Opposition would take a dig at it. “The Municipality is actually wasting public money. Rain washed sand has blocked the drains in different parts of the town, which would require further effort and funds to clear. The work was approached unscientifically and the people of Jalpaiguri are having to pay,” alleged Citu Jalpaiguri district secretary Mr Aditya Misra.

But, Mr Mohan Bose, the municipality chairman is holding the monsoons responsible for the sad plight. “The municipality is re-constructing roads covering 50 km in different wards but the rains have disrupted the process. We are trying hard to complete the work before the Pujas but that seems quite difficult. We too are concerned with the situation,” he said.

Sept, 20

Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital awaits revamp
With weak infrastructure and less staff at its disposal, the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital authority is finding it increasingly difficult to handle the pressure of the growing number of patients. The district health authority admits so and so do the political organisations along with the policy makers underlining the need for the expansion of health care service in and around the town.

The Jalpaiguri district chief medical officer, health, Dr Malay Ghosh, said: “A large number of patients come every day to the hospital for treatment but lack of space, staff and specialist doctors has made it difficult for the authority.” He said that long queues are seen at the outdoor ticket counter every day, “but we cannot even increase the number of ticket counters for lack of space,” he added.
Unhappy with the situation, the Congress and the Trinamul Congress leadership have blamed the hospital authorities for the situation. “The Youth Congress would launch a stir against the situation at the Jalpaiguri Hospital after the pujas,” said Youth Congress leader Mr Saikat Chatterjee.

“The Jalpaiguri Hospital has clearly failed to handle the patient load. Mismanagement, lack of doctors and an indifferent staff have added to the problem. It is ultimately the people who are suffering,” said Trinamul leader Mr Kalyan Chakrabarty.

The CPI-M is worried about the situation and is trying to find a way out. “It is a serious matter. The infrastructure of the Jalpaiguri Hospital needs to be improved and more doctors are needed for better health service. We also need another hospital in the town to reduce the patient load,” said Mr Manik Sanyal, Jalpaiguri CPI-M district secretary.

The Jalpaiguri CPI-M MP, Mrs Minati Sen, also said that she was aware of the situation at the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital. “It is essential to upgrade the health service because the those who are poor have no other alternative. But, we would also welcome private initiatives to establish a hospital in Jalpaiguri,” she said.

Sept, 14

Jalpaiguri based scientist to leave for Geneva

With the recent L.H.C project deemed to be the biggest scientific experiment, having created a flutter across the globe another experiment equally significant called the ‘Physics Collision’ would be conducted on 21 October again in Geneva. And Jalpaiguri's association with the path-breaking project seems to have ushered in a great deal of exultant expectation across the district. Dr Subir Sarkar, a resident of Panda Para, Jalpaiguri is all set to leave for Geneva to take an important part in this monumental project.

Dr Sarkar (35) and his wife Dr Suchandra Dutta (32) have been working as senior scientists at I.N.S.N, Pisa, in Italy for many years. While Mrs Suchandra Dutta's association with these projects span over more than a decade her husband stepped into it around a couple of years back.

When asked about his participation in the momentous scientific experiment scheduled for 21 October Dr Sarkar said that over 10,000 scientists had been working on this project. "My duty would be to collect and impart minute and detailed information on the ‘Physics Collision’ experiment,” he said.

Allaying fear over the upcoming project the eminent scientist from Jalpaiguri said that the speed and the power likely to be generated in course of the collision during the experiment would be too nominal for destruction of the mother earth. “The project would, on the contrary, enable the scientists to unravel many a mystery surrounding the origin of the universe,” the scientist said.

Recollecting his ‘sweet days’ spent in Jalpaiguri Dr Sarkar said that the town with its traditions and culture always fascinated him.