"A father's desperate call" - An Open Letter

ClickSaltlake.info  received a distress call from a father and wants to help. We are not disclosing the name of the person who wrote this mail to us for security reason. 

Respected Sir ,

I am very sorry to say that the college NIH (National Institute of Homeopathy), Salt Lake, Kolkata , which is under Government is promoting heavy ragging to the new students. I beg your pardon but this year my children get admitted and now facing heavy tremendous ragging by the seniors. It is also surprising that the college authorities also promoting this. Inside the college campus, the professors leave classes and handed over the the senior students and they started ragging heavily. All the new students are now facing life and death problem. They are in such a panic that they request us not to discuss anything with anyone. Because as soon as the college authorities know about ragging they first inform these stupid senior students and the new students are heavily insulted. Kindly help sir. We are very common people and if anything can be done by you We will be obliged. Thanking you in advance. 

Please do not disclose our identity or my child have to face anything bad. THOUGH THIS IS NOTHING RELATED WITH YOUR DEPTT BUT I AM TRYING TO SEND IT EVERYWHERE TO SAVE MY CHILD

More water for Salt Lake

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

Kolkata:Here’s some good news for residents of Salt Lake. From next week, Bidhannagar Municipality will receive another 2.5 million gallon water daily from Tallah. 

Bidhannagar Municipality chairperson Krishna Chakraborty met state urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim and mayor Sovan Chatterjee at Writers’ Buildings on Monday where Bidhannagar MLA Sujit Bose and other civic officials were also present. “Salt Lake is facing a water supply shortage. It gets about 4 million gallon water from Tallah. Within seven to 10 days, the amount will go up to about 7 to 8 million gallon per day,” said Hakim. 

Chakraborty said the civic body will soon install meters to measure the amount of water the township gets every day. At present, the rest of the water is collected from deep tube wells. “Though we will receive about 7.5 million gallon per day from Tallah soon, there will still be a deficit as the number of residents living in the township has increased over the last few years. The requirement is about 10 million gallon per day. 

In an attempt to increase revenue earnings, the civic authorities are also planning to impose water tax on commercial establishments. “It has already been announced that no water tax will be charged from residents. However, we are now thinking of charging water tax from commercial establishments, as they are running for commercial purposes and a huge amount of water is being consumed by them daily,” said a civic official. 

The state government is working on an arrangement in which the areas of Salt Lake, Sector V, areas under South Dum Dum Municipality and Rajarhat will receive water from the treatment plant that is being set up in Rajarhat New Town. It will have a capacity of 100 million gallon per day. 

After the Trinamool Congress came into power at both KMC and Bidhannagar Municipality, mayor Sovan Chatterjee had met the Salt Lake civic authorities where discussions were held to solve out the water supply problems.

Tax collection to resume in Salt Lake

Suman Chakraborti TNN 

Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Municipality is all set to restart the process of collecting property tax. The civic body had started collecting taxes in March, but the process had to be stalled a couple of weeks later after some confusion over tax calculation surfaced. 

“We are going to restart collecting property tax soon. Tax rates will be based on the old, 2005 rates as directed by minister Firhad Hakim,” said Bidhannagar Municipality chairperson Krishna Chakraborty. 
 

According to the old tax structure, those who have an annual valuation of their property between Rs 1 and Rs 999 will have to pay a tax of 3.5% of the annual valuation. The tax rate will go up to 10.5% for property that has an annual valuation of over Rs 10,000 (See chart). The civic authorities are expecting to collect around Rs 9 crore in the form of property tax this fiscal. 
Officials said that bills of those who have already paid their taxes will be adjusted and fresh bills will be sent to those who did not pay their bills in March. According to sources in the civic body, Bidhannagar Municipality had collected a total of Rs 6.57 crore in the form of taxes in a couple of weeks in March. “We have almost completed the process of calculating the tax rate based on pre-2005 rates and will start dispatching the bills soon,” said a civic official. 

Tax collection in Salt Lake remained suspended for a few years in the past. On February this year, the civic body sent a notice to the residents that the municipality will start collecting tax for fiscal 2010-11, 2011-12 and arrears from 2007 to 2010. There was a mad rush to pay taxes after the bills were dispatched. But many residents started complaining that the tax bills they received were not matching pre-2005 rates. The civic authorities then sought intervention of urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim. The tax collection process was stopped after the minister admitted that there was confusion over the tax bills. There were some miscalculations in the tax bills that was prepared.

Wife ill, vice-chairman slams civic body

Suman Chakraborti TNN 

Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Municipality, which has drawn severe flak from Salt Lake residents for not taking adequate steps to control the dengue outbreak, was slammed by none other than its own vice-chairman Sabyasachi Datta on Wednesday. Datta’s wife Indrani Datta, a former councillor, has been suffering from dengue for the last 10 days. 

Datta, who stays in DL Block and is also the Rajarhat MLA, said the civic authorities were not taking proper measures to control the outbreak, which has reached almost epidemic proportions in Salt Lake. “More than thousands have been affected by dengue here. My wife is down with it, too. I officially informed the SDO about it, but nobody from the municipality bothered to turn up to see my wife. The health inspector only said that he was sorry to learn this,” Datta said. 

Datta also came down heavily on municipality chairperson Krisna Chakraborty. “As a resident of Salt Lake, I can say that yes, dengue cases are being reported from here. As the local councillor, I can say that my ward is very much affected and as the vice-chairman of the municipality, I do not know how to prevent the outbreak. Till today, the chairperson could not provide the exact figure of dengue cases in Salt Lake,” Datta fumed. Datta, who is the councillor of blocks BF, CF, CE, DE and DF, said all these areas are much affected. 

Chakraborty, however, said the civic body was taking all necessary steps to control the outbreak. “We are doing everything possible. We are working to create more awareness, too, so that we can prevent the spreading of the disease. I don’t know what Datta has said, but I don’t believe in politics over this issue. I have heard that his wife has had a dengue attack and I had called her up, too,” said the civic chief. 

Officials said a team of 50 civic workers was making rounds of the township, visiting 40 houses daily to spread awareness and distributing leaflets in the localities. They are also checking the houses and localities for stagnant water. The civic authorities are thinking of imposing spot fines on residents for not taking steps to keep their houses free of accumulated water.

Bidhannagar Municipality vice-chairman Sabyasachi Datta’s wife Indrani, a former councillor, is suffering from dengue

Dengue makes deadly comeback

Salt Lake Worst Hit But Civic Body Yet To Take Action, Docs Blame Uncertain Monsoon For Outbreak

Sumati Yengkhom TNN 

Kolkata: Dengue is swarming the city this season. Doctors agree that it may be the worst outbreak since 2005. 
    The actual intensity is still being assessed, but the indications are grim. Hospitals on the fringes have admitted scores of dengue patients in the last four weeks but the actual number of victims is many times more because only about 20% cases need hospitalization. 
    Salt Lake has taken the worst hit, so far. If the number of patients being treated at hospitals in the township and along EM Bypass is any indication, it 
is high time for the civic body to press the panic button. 
    “Forty-six patients have tested positive for dengue in the laboratory attached to our hospital alone in the past four weeks,” said a source at aSalt Lake hospital. Dr Soumitra Dutta, principal consultant (paediatrician) at Columbia Asia Hospitals, said at least 15 children affected with dengue were admitted to the hospital in last week alone. 
    The sporadic rain pattern this monsoon, accompanied by high humidity, has triggered the comeback of dengue, say dengue. 
    The advice from doctors is that if you have high fever with severe headache and body pain, don’t ignore it as just another viral fever. It could well be dengue and you should go for a blood test. 
    Take the case of Ranjeeta Chakrabory. The young home maker from BS block had high fever and body pain for a few days and it was a while before she went to a doctor. A blood test confirmed dengue and she was immediately hospitalized. After five days of treatment, she was discharged on Monday. 
    “Apart from her, I know of at least five persons in mySalt Lake neighbourhood who have tested positive for dengue in the past few weeks. The muncipality seems to be sleeping over this menace. We have barely come across any mosquito- controlling measures. I have not seen any fogging in the locality in the last two years,” said Ranjeeta’s husband Shantanu Chakraborty. 
    Accumulation of stagnant water, high humidity, uncleared bushes, piling up of garbage and absence of mosquito management exercises have aggravated the situation, said sources. 
    “I come across at least one dengue patient every day, having treated about 10 patients per day in the past 10 days in the hospital. If anyone is suffering from fever as high as 103/104 degrees Fahrenheit, along with headache, body pain, dehydration and nausea, it’s best to consult a doctor right away,” said consultant physician (internal medicine) Dr Subhasis Ganguly. 
    Fever triggered by the dengue virus does not respond to the normal dosage of paracetamol, say doctors. If left untreated, the viral attack could lead to secondary infections affecting organs like the liver, kidney and the heart. 
    “After the dengue outbreak in 2005, there have been sporadic cases every year. But this year it seems to be higher, particularly in Salt Lake and its vicinity, where I have treated about 15 patients in last three weeks. But the severity of the attack is less than the one in 2005,” said paediatrician Dr Subrata Chakraborty. 
    “But there is no reason to panic. We have treated about 29 dengue patients in our hospital so far this year. The positive note is that diagnosis through the blood test can be done in two hours and hence the treatment can be started early,” said Dr Rupali Basu, CEO, Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals. 
    Dr Basabbijay Sarkar, consultant physician of Fortis Hospital, has seen about 14 patients in his Salt Lake clinic in the past month apart from treating an equal number of patients in the hospital. “If we count Day 1 as the onset of dengue, all complications will appear in the next seven to eight days. There is a tendency for the blood platelet to go down in the patient. Timely treatment is very important,” said Dr Sarkar. 
    Even as health officials tried to project the situation as not alarming, doctors practising in and around the township and hospitals are flooded with dengue patients. Sampurnaa Saha (11), a Class-V student from GC block in Salt Lake, was admitted to Columbia Asia on Wednesday night. “Since there weren’t enough beds, my daughter was in the emergency ward all of Wednesday night. She got a bed only on Thursday,” said the girl’s father Sujay Saha. 
    “Out of 10 children affected with dengue, only about two need hospitalization, the rest are advised treatment at home. I practise mainly inSalt Lake and my chamber is flooded with dengue suspects, mostly children. I have admitted at least 15 children in the past one week. Therefore, one can well imagine the magnitude of the dengue menace,” said Dr Dutta of Columbia Asia. 
    Health department spokesperson Dr Asit Biswas said that the they are monitoring the situation closely. “Cases of dengue are being reported from different localities, including Salt Lake. We will soon meet the hospitals and representatives of Bidhanagar municipality,” said Biswas.

SC cancels Left govt’s land deal with Sourav

Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN 

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday scrapped the Left Front government’s decision to allot Sourav Ganguly a large tract of land in Salt Lake on which he had planned his dream project — an international school with special focus on sports. 
    A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly allowed a petition filed by an NGO alleging the tract of land worth 44.9 crore was allotted to the cricketer for just 63 lakh, and that too in extraordinary haste and breach of rules and regulations. 
    The judges, who admitted they drew a lot of joy from Sourav’s batting and captaincy skills, clarified these personal impressions counted for little when the case in hand projected a wrong act. 
    Setting aside a Calcutta high court order approving the allotment, the bench said: “It is clear that the government made allotment of the new plot to Sourav Ganguly on terms which were even more generous than the ones suggested by Sourav in his letter dated January 19, 2009. Such action of the government smacks of arbitrariness and falls foul of Article 14 (right to equality).” 
    In a rap to the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee regime, the bench added: “The government was anxious to oblige the allottee by giving bigger plot that too with no loss of time.” 
    Justice Ganguly, who wrote the judgment for the bench, faulted the allotment as irregular and hasty. The apex court asked the cricketer to return the land within two weeks. 
    “Sourav must, within two weeks from date, hand over peaceful and vacant possession of plot no. CA-222 measuring 63.04 cottahs (a little over an acre) in Sector-IV, Salt Lake City (Bidhannagar), Kolkata, to the concerned department of the state government. Within two weeks thereafter, the state government must refund to Sourav, by a cheque, the entire money paid by him for such allotment,” Justice Ganguly said. Norms flouted in giving land to Sourav: SC 
New Delhi: Justice A K Ganguly of the Supreme Court said he was aware of Sourav Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket and had watched him on TV. “But as a judge, I have different duties to discharge. Here, I must be objective and eschew my likes and dislikes and render justice to a cause which has come before the court,” he said. 
    The petitioner had pointed out that in response to an advertisement for setting up of a school in Salt Lake City, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government had received 24 applications. But it only entertained Ganguly's application. The NGO said Ganguly had initially taken possession of the allotted 48 cottahs of land. But later, he wrote to urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharya pleading for additional land citing the ICSE guidelines, which stipulated that no affiliation would be accorded to a school set up on less than 60 kathas. 
    The Left Front government, throwing rules and regulations to the wind, rushed through the entire exercise and allotted him aplot of 63.04 kathas.
    The NGO had also alleged that to overcome the ICSE condition that the school management could not be vested in a single individual, Ganguly floated a trust, much after the allotment of land, for the proposed international school. The trust comprised his mother, father, sister, brother, wife and other relatives. 
    The bench said, “It is clear that Sourav is selectively seeking compliance of ICSE norms in asking for a bigger plot. In so far as other norms are concerned, they are clearly flouted as seen in the constitution of the trust set up to run the school.” 
    The petitioner had also challenged the allotment on the ground that there were two other English medium schools operating in plots adjoining to the one given to him. It said the HC had upheld the allotment of land to Ganguly despite the NGO mentioning the violations of allotment and affiliation rules in its petition. 
    Humanity had organized agitations against “the handing over of a plot that has been designated for a college in Salt Lake’s master plan to an individual.” The former skipper started constructing his integrated school project (primary to the higher secondary levels) on this plot in June last year. 
    The Calcutta high court had, in April last year, upheld the land allotment observing in its order that there was no arbitrariness in the state government’s action of allotting the land to Sourav. 
    This order was challenged by Humanity and others following which the apex court had issued notice to the state government on September 16, last year. The apex court also took an undertaking from the cricketer’s counsel on the same day, that no construction activities will be done by him on the disputed land and status quo would be maintained till further order. 
    Humnaity’s Arunangshu Chakraborty told TOI on Thursday, “The apex court admitted our plea that the land allotted to Sourav earlier was a different land. It was at B F 158 and measured 48 cottahs. There was a clause in the agreement that the government could change the location of the plot. The government used this clause and gave Sourav the 63 cottahs at CA 220.” 
    Chakraborty added, “Sourav’s counsel pleaded this plot was lieu of the earlier one. But the court pointed out that in his letter addressed to the former urban development minister Bhattacharya, Sourav had said that he would surrender this plot and apply for a bigger of a plot. The government would have made the fresh allotment after registration of the surrendered deal. But nothing of the sort was done. What’s more, Sourav had mentioned that the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination would not give affiliation to his academy unless he had a 60-cottah plot. Our counsel argued that the plot in question was not allotted in the name of the Ganguly Educational Society, but in Sourav’s.” 
    The original petition read, “The people of Salt Lake in whose interest Salt Lake City was established ... the rule of law which was deliberately throttled by the state authorities by way of distributing plots of land to many having proximity to political leaders without following any policy guidelines.” 
    (With inputs from Ajanta Chakraborty in Kolkata)

Salt Lake Shakes Off Violent Poll History

Suman Chakraborti & Debamoy Ghosh | TNN 

2000 municipal election, Salt Lake FD Block: CPM men beat up Trinamool Congress supporters and hurl bombs to capture Ward 16. 
2005 municipal election, Salt Lake, BK Block: Jyoti Basu’s confidential assistant Joykrisna Ghosh and former CPM MP Amitava Nandy heckled by Trinamool supporters and police. 
2010 municipal election, Salt Lake: No clash, no rigging, no booth jamming. Only police ‘excesses’. 
    Contrary to the fears of many that elections in Salt Lake will be violent this time, too, the entire polling process from 7am to 3pm was so peaceful that even police seemed apparently confused. After all they have been at the receiving end for years. 
    Even places where bombings were a common affair — Duttabad, Mahisbathan and the bheris — were unnaturally calm. Many voters, elderly and the young, came out freely to cast their votes. Polling in the township was as high as 70%. And this time, it was genuine voting. 
    “I did not have any trouble casting my vote,” said Kamalika Das of Duttabad, who walked the 3km from Purbachal with her three-month-old baby. 
    In most of the 126 booths of the township, voters preferred the early hours. There were long queues from 7am to 9 am, but booths were almost empty after 11am. Only a small section of people preferred to cast their vote in the latter half of the day. 
    With the state election commission (SEC) issuing tough prohibitory orders — any outsider was liable to be arrested and private buses and taxis were barred from entering the township — not many outsiders were seen in Salt Lake, a welcome change compared to previous occasions. The central forces ensured that those who had entered into the township in the past few days could not create any trouble. 
    What was also surprising was the bonhomie between contesting candidates at some places — a rare sight in Salt Lake. In Ward 8, CPM candidate Chandra Sarkar, Trinamool candidate Swati Banerjee and Congress candidate Arpita Chowdhury were seen chatting with each other. And in Ward 3, CPM candidate Sharmila Das and Trinamool candidate Anindya Chatterjee were having a pleasant talk. 
    The SEC had provided 60 companies of central forces in four layers of security. The Bengal police apparently did not have much to do after this. 
    The state police seemed to act overzealously on the administration’s directive to arrest outsiders. At many places, police tried to nab every person they suspected to be an outsider, and ended up harassing many innocent locals. 
    Samir Kumar Dutta, a resident of AB-278, was on his way to market when he was accosted by a few police officers. They demanded to know who he was and where he was going. Dutta explained that he had cast his vote in the morning and was out to buy groceries but one of the cops asked him to leave the place. Dutta kept insisting that his rights were being violated. One of the senior Bidhannagar officers allegedly caught him by the neck and dumped him in a police van. 

In another case, 70-year-old N C Pal, a resident of BE-29, was left floundering as a relative he had called for help in an emergency was blocked by an election official. The College Street resident had reached Salt Lake Tank No 4 when a police jeep intercepted him. He managed to convince the police but an officer on election duty stepped in, and asked him to leave. Pal contacted police over phone and offered his voter’s ID card for verification but the poll official refused to budge. Pal had to go all the way to Ultadanga. “I was disappointed,” he said. 

    Another 70-year-old, Dilip Majumder, who had come from Dum Dum to Salt Lake on a ‘personal matter’ said he was harassed by police and Trinamool Congress men. “I did not go anywhere near a booth. I pleaded that I had some work but they did not listen,” he said. The CRPF finally defused the situation. 
    Police even stopped maids and vegetable and fruit vendors from entering Salt Lake.