Page 19 - Kolkata

Top 6 Durga Puja pandals that will mesmerise you in Kolkata, check list

The Durga Puja festival is celebrated with complete joy and enthusiasm. The festival will start on October 20 and will conclude on October 24. Here's the list of top Durga Puja pandals

Ronaldinho ignites Durga Puja festivities, casts spell on WB football fans

Wearing his infectious goofy grin, 'Samba Magician' Ronaldinho cast a spell on the football-crazy denizens of Kolkata as his arrival for a two-day visit here ushered in an early onset of the Durga Puja festival. The Durga Puja, the grandest festival in the region, traditionally commences on the sixth day (Shasthi) following Mahalaya, but it got rolling on the second day itself with the 'Gaucho' inaugurating a series of pandals. On a day Union Home Minister Amit Shah also came to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal, it was the Brazil legend who took all the limelight. Wherever he went, chants of 'Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho' and 'Brazil, Brazil' echoed through the crowd, as hundreds of fans eagerly gathered to catch a glimpse of the former Barcelona and AC Milan star. Ronaldinho got himself dressed up in casual shorts, a loosely-fitted navy blue T-shirt, and topping it with his signature snapback cap. "Muchas gracias. Mucho carino (many thanks, much affection)," the 'King of Jogo Bonito' ...

Shah to inaugurate Durga Puja Pandal inspired by Ram Temple on Oct 16

Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Kolkata and inaugurate this Durga Puja pandal

Snap-E Cabs increases electric vehicle fleet size to 600 cars in Kolkata

App-based on-demand electric cab services provider Snap-E Cabs on Tuesday said it has expanded its fleet size to 600 cars in Kolkata, aided by significant collaborations with multiple players. The company has formed alliances with Mufin Green Finance, Mahindra & Mahindra Finance, ICICI and HDFC that are in line with the platform's expansion plans for this fiscal, the company said in a statement. Snap-E-Cabs, which is currently present in Kolkata, is also aiming at entry into newer markets like Bhubaneswar and Raipur while doubling the fleet count as well, it said. "These partnerships align with our vision to provide environmentally conscious transportation options to our customers while expanding our reach and enhancing our service offerings, said Mayank Bindal, Founder and CEO of Snap-E-Cabs. The company said its partnership with Mufin entails a fleet of 100 Tata Tigor cars on lease for five years. These vehicles will be utilized as cabs in Kolkata, effectively increasing its ...

Bhiwandi, Kolkata, Arrah among world's top 10 cities with slowest traffic

Three of the world's 10 slowest cities in terms of traffic speeds are in India, according to the findings by a US-based private non-profit research organisation. As per the report, Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, Kolkata, and Bihar's Arrah are among the 10 slowest cities in the world on the speed index. The study, conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), covered over 1,200 cities in 152 countries. According to the report -- 'The Fast, the Slow and the Congested: Urban Transportation in Rich And Poor Countries' -- the average travel speed of motor vehicles throughout the day is the highest in Flint (US), slowest in Bangladesh capital Dhaka, and is the most congested in Bogota (Colombia). It also said nine of the 10 cities with the slowest uncongested speeds are in Bangladesh, India, and Nigeria. Researchers used data from Google maps to analyse traffic in more than 1,000 cities having a population of over 300,000. Bhiwandi ranked 5th in the world's 20 slowest cities

Ronaldinho confirms his 'maiden visit' to West Bengal in mid October

Brazilian World Cup winner Ronaldinho has confirmed his visit to the city ahead of the Durga Puja festival. For the three-time Ballon d'Or winner, this will be the maiden visit to the football-crazy city that has hosted many legends of the world sport, including Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. "Hello Everybody, I will be doing my maiden trip to Kolkata this mid-October," the 43-year-old posted on his official Facebook page. "I know Kolkata has a huge number of Brazil fans and I am very excited to meet them," he added. He would also meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and "gift her a jersey". He further stated that he would like to "learn cricket" for city's icon Sourav Ganguly. "I know cricket is very popular and this time I want to learn cricket from Bengal's 'Dada'. "I would also interact with sponsors and many felicitation programs and promote the beautiful game. Let the Samba Magic begin this Durga Puja... Ami tomader bhalo bhashi (I love you all)," he ...

Bengal CoC launches Indo-Pacific Chamber of Commerce with MEA in Kolkata

The conclave was organized in Kolkata considering the strategic position of the city, a press release from the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry read

Drone to deliver medicines, groceries to people in Kolkata's New Town area

People of Kolkata, especially the ones living in the New Town area, are likely to get various commodities such as medicines, groceries and food delivered to their doorsteps with the help of drones soon, as a Delhi-based logistics solution provider is planning such a move with the help of local authorities. Capt Eshaan Khullar, the associate vice president of Skye Air Mobility Pvt Ltd, said the company has already made agreements with 10 -12 housing societies in New Town for the service as drones will help reduce the time taken in conventional ways of delivering goods. We want to start with New Town and then move to Salt Lake and other parts of Kolkata, besides going to the rural parts where connectivity is an issue, where going from point A to point B is a problem, Khullar told PTI on the sidelines of a presentation programme. He also said that the company is looking forward to partnering with various authorities such as the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) to enable ..

Apollo to acquire partially built hospital in Kolkata region for Rs 102 cr

Apollo Hospitals on Wednesday said it has acquired a partially built hospital at Sonarpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas with a total capacity of 325 beds in a bid to ramp up its healthcare capacity in the Eastern region. Future Oncology Hospital and Research Center was acquired in an all cash deal of Rs 102 crore by Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals Ltd, a wholly owned unlisted subsidiary of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises. The acquisition is being fully funded through its own internal accruals, the company informed the bourses. This will be the second Apollo Hospital in the Kolkata region and fifth in the eastern region. The announcement comes close on the heels of Manipal Hospitals acquiring an 84 per cent stake in AMRI Hospitals Ltd having a total of 1,200 beds in three hospitals at an enterprise valuation of Rs 2,500 crore. "The addition of this new facility is part of our planned capacity expansion across the country and will allow us to serve even more people in the region,"

Shree Cement to raise up to Rs 700 cr via NCDs on private placement basis

The fundraising plan is expected to be part of the company's Rs 7,000-crore capex plan in the next phase of growth, during which it aims to add an additional 12 million tonnes of capacity

Vistara expresses regret over incident involving blind woman passenger

Vistara has expressed regret about the incident involving a blind woman passenger who allegedly had to wait for a long time to deboard from a flight at Kolkata airport last week. The woman passenger's son took to social media to narrate the incident that happened on the Delhi-Kolkata flight after it landed at Kolkata airport on August 31. In a short video narrating the incident that was posted on Instagram, the woman passenger's son Ayush Kejriwal said his mother is blind and there was an assisted travel plan for her using a wheelchair. When the flight landed at Kolkata, everybody got off and mother had to wait, he claimed. Later, she raised an alarm that she was to get down at Kolkata airport. The flight was en route to Port Blair. "@vistara Airlines, how could you put my blind mother in danger like this?! Are you not responsible for taking care of disabled passengers who are left under your supervision and assistance whilst travelling?! SHOCKING!," Kejriwal said in an Instagram .

Telcos face intentional fibre cuts by cable operators in Kolkata: COAI

The telecom industry is facing critical network downtime in the metropolis, as service providers are suffering from widespread intentional fibre cuts by local cable operators (LCOs) across several localities, the Cellular Operators Association of India claimed on Thursday. Such unwarranted coercive actions from unauthorised entities to skew fair competition and limit the customers' choice of service providers, is completely unfair and unjustified, it said in a statement. The telecom service providers (TSPs) are not even being allowed to acquire fresh connections by the LCOs, the COAI claimed. The telecom industry is facing a critical network downtime situation in Kolkata, as the TSPs are suffering from widespread intentional fibre cuts/damage by Local Cable Operators (LCOs) across several localities within the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and surrounding non-KMC areas, which is resulting in the customers suffering due to lack of essential digital connectivity, it said. The field .

IndiGo reports 2 engine shutdowns mid-air, both aircraft land safely

In the second such instance in a time difference of a few hours, an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Bengaluru on Tuesday reported a mid-air glitch after one of its engines shut down but landed safely

ASL acquires Japanese-built vessel, to pursue further fleet growth

Apeejay Shipping Ltd (ASL) on Friday announced the acquisition of a Japanese-built vessel with a deadweight capacity of 76,812 MT. The vessel adds significant strength to the Kolkata-based company's fleet, now totalling 10 vessels and boasting of a combined deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 671,332 MT. The cost and financing details of the acquisition were not shared. "We will continue to look for and acquire more ships and focus on expansion and growth," said Karan Paul, Chairman of the Apeejay Surendra Group. Officials shared that ASL, the third-largest ship owner in India, aims to achieve a capacity of one million tonnes in the future. The announcement of this acquisition coincides with the celebration of ASL's 75th year of existence. In 2022, the Union government announced a range of measures to enhance the tonnage of Indian shipping companies, including subsidies. Meanwhile, an ICRA credit report of July 2022, highlighted ASL's track record, noting its previous acquisitions of th

Amid Jadavpur University death row, what are the anti-ragging laws in India

A first-year student of the Jadavpur University in Kolkata died after falling from the first floor of his hostel last week

Prez launches Navy's advanced stealth frigate INS Vindhyagiri in Kolkata

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday launched 'Vindhyagiri', an advanced stealth frigate, at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd's (GRSE) facility on the banks of Hooghly river here. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also present on the occasion. This is the sixth of seven ships built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate that the Kolkata-based warship maker was contracted to build for the Navy under the project. The official said that 75 per cent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into service. P17A ships are guided missile frigates, each of which is 149 metres long

Murmu to launch advanced stealth frigate, de-addiction campaign in Kolkata

President Droupadi Murmu will visit in Kolkata on Thursday, during which she will launch an advanced stealth frigate for the Indian Navy and a de-addiction campaign. Murmu will launch the 'Vindhyagiri' at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd's (GRSE) facility on the banks of Hooghly river, further propelling India's maritime prowess, a defence official said. This is the sixth of seven ships being built under 'Project 17 Alpha' for the Navy. The first five ships of the project were launched between 2019 and 2022. This is the third and last stealth frigate that the Kolkata-based warship maker was contracted to build for the Navy under the project. The official said that 75 per cent of orders for equipment and systems of P17A ships are from indigenous firms, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The state-of-the-art ship will be fitted with the latest gadgets and undergo extensive trials before being handed over to the Indian Navy for commissioning into ...

Ahmedabad most affordable city in India; Pune, Kolkata follow: Knight Frank

Mumbai is the least affordable city followed by Hyderabad and the National Capital Region

Six more held in connection with death of JU student, officer says

The Kolkata Police arrested six more people in connection with its probe into the death of a first-year student of Jadavpur University, a senior officer said on Wednesday. With these arrests, the city police apprehended a total of nine people in the case. Dean of Students and Registrar of JU were asked to meet Joint CP Crime on Wednesday at the Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, the officer said. The city police have taken cognisance of JU students' social media posts, including photographs, which suggest that there was an element of sexual harassment in the ragging of the deceased. Three former students of the varsity are among the six held on Tuesday night during multiple operations conducted by teams of the city police, the officer said. "We arrested them last night after they gave incoherent replies to our officers during questioning. It seems that they were actively involved in the death of the student. We will produce them in a court later in the day," he told ...

President Murmu to launch frigate 'Vindhyagiri' in Kolkata on August 17

President Droupadi Murmu will launch frigate 'Vindhyagiri' in Kolkata on August 17, the Indian Navy said on Sunday. Named after the mountain range in Karnataka, Vindhyagiri is the sixth ship of the Project 17A programme. It will be launched by President Murmu at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata on August 17, the Navy said. "Vindhyagiri, a technologically advanced frigate, pays a befitting tribute to the distinguished service of its predecessor, the erstwhile INS Vindhyagiri," it said. The old Vindhyagiri in its nearly 31 years of service from July 1981 to Jun 2012, had witnessed various challenging operations and multinational exercises. "The newly christened Vindhyagiri stands as a symbol of India's determination to embrace its rich naval heritage while propelling itself towards a future of indigenous defence capabilities," the Navy said in a statement. Under the Project 17A programme, a total of four ships by Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) and three ships