3 killed and several injured in train accident near Maldah

Three passengers were killed and several injured after Ajimganj passenger collided head on with the Guwahati-Bengaluru Express at Jamirghata, just 10 kilometer away from Maldah railway station the evening.
A senior railway officer said that the engine of the Guwahati-Bengaluru Express derailed and later Ajimganj Passenger train hit the derailed train.
Train services in this section were disrupted following the accident. Senior railway officials arrived at the spot and supervising rescue operation. A relief train and a medical team departed from Howrah station this evening.

Former mayor Anadilal's death anniversary observed

KOLKATA: Family members of Anandilal Poddar, mayor of 1944-1945( at age 28, become the youngest and first Hindi speaking mayor of the Calcutta Corporation), are still trying to fulfill his dream to serve the people of several wards of Kolkata.
Ravi Poddar, son of Anandilal donated a trauma care ambulance to the KMC as road accident victims would be admitted in the hospitals during emergency period.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation also observed his death anniversary.
Neeru Poddar, daughter-in-law of Anandilal said that Anandilal saw many dreams and tried to fulfill those in very short times and later he passed away but his ancestors are pursuing those dreams for the welfare of the society.
Neeru said that Poddar family organsied a camp to donate clothes, books and other stationery to the students of the KMC schools on Saturday and will organize more charitable works in future.
Anandilal was greatly impressed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's political views, whom he patronized and assisted towards the freedom movement against the British.
“Anandilal wanted that KMC’s services would reach door to door and we are trying to serve the poor people in our limited capacity, said Neeru.

10,000 Eunuchs allege ‘government deprive us’

Pix: Subal Saha
West Bental Brihanala Wellfare Society, general secretary Sova Halder and social worker Raja Goswami addressing media

PANDUA, HOOGHLY: West Bengal Brihanala Wellfare Socieity(WBWS) organised an international conference of the eunuchs at Pandua in Hooghly from 19 to 29 July.
Sova Halder(Barama), general secretary of WBWS addressed the media on 25 July in the conference centre regarding several issues of eunuchs. She said both the centre and state government did not take any initiative for the development of the eunuchs. “Brihanala did not get any benefit of 'Indira Abas Yojana,' NREGA scheme, pension, health insurance and Below Poverty Level. Government did not form any committee to provide us facility but our ‘women’ work for human being with our traditional way to give the little kids fun, said Sova Halder.
Halder also threatened for a fast at Jantar Mantar very soon to protest against the governments’ negligence to announce any scheme for the eunuchs.
Around 10, 000 eunuchs came from several states of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and USA to participate in the conference.
Social worker Raja Goswami, who participated in the press conference, said around 60 lakhs ‘brihanala’ are living in the India in deplorable condition and most of them depend on begging.
“The eunuchs can join any government job and work more for our society. They have very good network that can also is very helpful for police and BSF to collect useful information, said Goswami.

Mural Bhai in London for discourse on Adyama’s mystic power

PIX: State agricultural minister Rabindranath Bhattacharya and Mural Bhai watching a skeleton in the biology room of the new school building.

KOLKATA: Bramhachari Mural Bhai, general secretary cum trustee of Dakhineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath (DRSA) departed for London on Sunday to deliver speech in several religious occasions there.
DRSA press secretary MS Mukherjee said Mural Bhai was invited by NRIs in London and he will join several spiritual discourses on Adyama’s (goddess of DRSA) mystic power.
Mukherjee said Mural Bhai was earlier highly acclaimed for his spiritual discourses in USA. “He is invited ever year by NRI in USA to deliver speech on the teachings of Annada Thakur, who set up DRSA", Mukherjee said.
DRSA has also set up a higher secondary school and it has been affiliated by state government on 15 July this year. The school building was inaugurated by state agricultural minister Rabindranath Bhattacharya. Mural Bhai urged the government to help for running the school.

Tourism circuit project to develop Nawadip

State tourism minister Rachpal Singh, Jalmandir in Nawadip, devotees' congregation in a temple.

NADIA: State tourism development minister Rachpal Singh is going to fund Rs 72 lakhs to develop the infrastructure of Nawadip, a pilgrimage centre for the devotee of Lord Gouranga. Singh visited the town and joined in prayer in several temples. He was accompanied with district magistrate of Nadia Sanjay Bansal, MLA(Nawadip) Pundarikhakha Saha and chairman of the Nawadip Binaykrishna Saha and met with the devotees and asked for their suggestion to improve the infrastructure .
He expressed his concern over the soil erosion across the Ganga River. He said ferry service would be started in between Mayapur and Nawadip. All-important visiting places and temples will be brought under the circuit tourism development project for facelift.

Fraudster arrested

Pix: Fraud secretary Palash Mandal

Palash Mandal, 28, had impersonated the personal secretaries of finance minister Amit Mitra, commerce and industries minister Partha Chatterjee and sports minister Madan Mitra besides posing as chief secretary Samar Ghosh and home secretary G.D. Gautama, was arrested from Kolkata on Saturday. Police said a resident of Nadia Mandal, was involved in smuggling and other crime rackets, used to call up BDOs, DMs and police IGs and demand money posing himself as a secretary of several ministers.
He opened a bank account and asked the senior officials, who wanted to get transfer or promotion, to deposit money in his account.
Police got several complaints against him and later tapped his mobile phone and trapped him. Mandal was married and he has a daughter. His father died many years ago and he was fostered by his step-mother Pusparani.

Kolkata Goalz for underprivileged boys

PIX: State sports minister Madan Mitra inaugurating the 'Kolkata Goalz' project and minister of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Jeremy Browne kicking the football at the Shibtala playground in Park Circus.

KOLKATA: Kolkata Goalz, a project for underprivileged kids has been started to engage them in football practice.
The project is a joint initiative of Kolkata Police, Kolkata Muncipal Corporation, All India Football Federation and Indian Football Association (West Bengal) and the British Council.
Besides these organisations, six Kolkata Premier League clubs - Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Chirag United, George Telegraph, Mohemmedan Sporting Club, Police Athletic Club and United Sports Club are also part of this noble endeavour.
Police Commissioner R K Pachnanda said this project using football as a tool would encourage deprived kids from Kolkata to aim at more positive future.

Ratha Yatra festival begins

PIX: A kid drawing her chariot and Bramhachari Mural Bhai drawing the ratha at Adyapeath. (Pix: By Subal Saha)

KOLKATA: Rath Yatra has been celebrated in Kolkata and surrounding districts on Sunday. The festival being celebrated since 1397 and it is about a weeklong festival in West Bengal. Mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)and Tollywood actor Jit have inaugurated the rathayatra festival of ISKON in Kolkata.
The Rath Yatra of Mahesh in the Hoogly district has been celebrated today. This festival is also of historical repute. This is not only because it's the grandest and the oldest Rath Yatras in Bengal, but because of huge congregation it manages to attract. The Mahesh Rath Yatra of 1875 is of special historical significance: A young girl was lost in the fair and amongst many, the district magistrate Bankim Chandra Chattopadhya — the great Bengali poet and author of India's National song — himself went out to search for the girl. A couple of months later this incident inspired him to write the famous novel Radharani.
Rathyatra was celebrated in Mayapur and state tourism minister Rachpal Singh joined the festival there. He promised that his government would concentrate to improve the infrastructure for Mayapur to attract more tourists there.
Dakhineswar Ramakrishna Sangha Adyapeath(DRSA) celebrated the rathayatra today. Bramhachari Mural Bhai inaugurated the festival. Thousands devotees joined the festival.

Appearance day observed

PIX: Prayer hall, congregation of the devotees and Sri Nilanjan, present gurudev of KJS. by Subal Saha

MADHYAMGRAM: Kalpataru Jagaran Sangha(KJS) observed the appearance day of their gurudev Sri Madhab on Saturday at Badu near Madhyamgram in North 24 Paraganas.
Sri Nilanjan from the KJS said following the instruction of gurudev, Sri Madhab, he established KJS, an organisation at “Madhab Niloy” with a mission to provide relief to all ailments of mind and body and bring peace and happiness into life.
The organisation also supply a herbal dietary supplement to devotes called VADU. Nilanjan said thousands people were cured from several disease after consuming the ayurvedic medicine.
Madhab Niloy, has been set up in a serene mango orchard on Badu Road.
“The main focus of the sangha is to provide services to all those, who are physically or mentally distressed and to the seekers of the path of light,” Nilanjan.