West Bengal

Kolkata, Aug 28 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for allegedly letting loose central agencies on her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in a coal scam case, claiming that some BJP ministers were working hand in glove with coal mafia.

She also accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to "bulldoze the federal structure" of the country and snatching away rights of the states.

Siliguri (WB), Aug 26 (PTI) A long-awaited tourist train with a vistadome coach will start its journey from Saturday through the lush green forests and tea gardens of Dooars in north Bengal, a railway official said.

The train between New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and Alipurduar Junction through Dooars has already become an attraction among tourists as well as curious locals with all seats booked for this weekend, he said on Thursday.

Kolkata, Aug 5 (PTI) The flood situation in West Bengal remained critical on Thursday though there was less rainfall, a senior state government official said.

The number of deaths due to the deluge remained unchanged at 23 as no fresh fatality was reported from any of the seven affected districts where around three lakh people have been shifted to rescue centres.

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Scientists have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair their own mechanical damage without the need for any external intervention, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

Piezoelectric crystals are a class of materials that generate electricity when it undergoes a mechanical impact.

Kolkata, Jul 22 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the snooping on Supreme Court judges, journalists and political leaders among others using the Pegasus spyware, news of which broke earlier this week, was "worse than the Watergate scandal" which broke in the US during the NIxon presidency.

Kolkata, Jul 21 (PTI) Latching on to the snooping row, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday accused the Modi government of trying to establish a "surveillance state", and pitched for opposition unity to oust the "authoritarian" BJP government in the Lok Sabha polls.

She also asked the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the Pegasus snooping scandal that purportedly targeted activists, politicians, journalists and even judges using spyware.

Tamluk, Jul 20 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in West Bengal and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, during a party meeting in Purba Midnapore, publicly advised the district police chief to refrain from doing something that would prompt his transfer to Kashmirs Anantnag or Baramulla.

Adhikari who is facing multiple police probes, including one related to alleged tarpaulin theft, asserted at a meeting held here on Monday that it would be wrong to assume that the BJP was weak as it has the central government by its side.

Mangalkot (WB), Jul 12 (PTI) A local Trinamool Congress leader was shot dead on Monday by unidentified assailants when he was returning home on a two-wheeler in Mangalkot in Purba Bardhaman district, police said.

Ashim Das, the 'anchal' (area) president of the party, was shot from a close range by bike-borne miscreants around 6.30 pm, a senior police officer of the district told PTI.

Das was declared brought-dead when locals took him to a nearby hospital, he said.

Kolkata, Jul 5 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress will stage protests across West Bengal on July 10 and 11 against the spiralling fuel prices and the alleged lack of response towards the issue by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, senior party leader Partha Chatterjee said Monday.

TMC activists and supporters will hold sit-ins in all district towns and blocks from 10 am to 4 pm on July 10 and 11, Chatterjee told reporters at the party headquarters here.

Kolkata, Jul 2 (PTI) The Bengal government on Friday urged the Election Commission (EC) to conduct pending bypolls in the state at the earliest, as it gave assurance that all COVID-19 protocols will be adhered to during the process.

Of the seven seats where elections are set to be held, Bhawanipore is the one that is expected to draw significant attention amid speculation that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who faced defeat in Nandigram, may contest bypoll from the constituency, which also happens to be her home turf.