New Year

Wish you a very happy New Year
Image Courtesy>Petr Kratochvil

Bengal 2011

With 20112 first approaching, it’s time to look back at the year that was most eventful.

May 20:Mamata Banerjee was sworn in as the first woman chief minister of West Bengal heading a TMC-Indian National Conggress alliance government, ending the 34 years rule by the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front on Friday (May 20).The oath of office and secrecy to Mamata was administered by Governor M K Narayanan on the Raj Bhawan (Governor House) lawns at 1:01pm local time.The swearing-in took place in the presence of 3200 invitees drawn from among the top names in politics, business and art and culture.

Sept 14: Nine persons were killed and 100 others injured when a speeding passenger train rammed into a stationary train at Malda in North Bengal, leading to derailment of five coaches.

November 24: Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, the man who controlled Maoist operations in West Bengal and other parts of Eastern India, was gun down in a massive security operation after a two-hour gun battle in Kushaboni forest in Jhargram in West Midnapore District.The Security personnel searched for Kishanji’s close aide Suchitra Mahato, wife of slain Maoist leader Sashadhar Mahato, who was with him during the operation and is believed to be injured in the encounter.
November 26:The body of slain Maoist leader and ideologue Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji was identified by Maoist sympathize rand poet Varavara Rao and Deepa, the daughter of Koteshwar Rao’s elder brother Anjayelu.

Dec 9:At least 92 people were killed, mainly due to suffocation, in a massive fire that broke out at the AMRI hospital in south Calcutta early on Friday.Firemen used ropes and ladders,brought out the dead and injured.

Pic Courtesy: TARA TV

According to police and eye witnesses, the fire broke out around 3.30 a.m.local time in the basement of the hospital and and quickly spread to the first and second floors.Around 25 fire engines had been rushed to the spot.6 persons arrested and license of the hospital where 73 persons died was canceled.

13 Dec:Illicit liquor deaths reaches 173 in Bengal. Excessive use of methanol, a poisonous substance had found in viscera from most of the bodies.People from about 10 villages in Mograhat of South 24 pgs district had drank the illicit liquor.75 people are still undergoing treatment at the Diamond Harbour Sub divisional Hospital, MR Bangur and Vidyasagar Hospital. The state government led by Mamata Banarjee announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the deceased. Experts believe that the state government should increase the number of incensed liquor shops to prevent the increasing of illicit liquor dens.

Calcutta as it grew

1686: Job Charnok took the lease of three villages Gobindapur, Sutanati and Kalikata and established East India Company. Later they were merged to form Calcutta.

1773: Calcutta became the capital of India after Warren Hastings was appointed as governor-general.

1174: Postal department was formed.

1780: Horse racing was first introduced.

1780: Hicks’s Bengal Gazette, first Bengali newspaper founded by James Augustus Hickey.

1806: Town Hall was built.

1817: Hindu College was established.

1824: Sanskrit College

1835: Calcutta Medical College

1849: Native Female School (Bethune College)

1854: British government took over the Hindu College and renamed it as Presidency College.

1857: Calcutta University

1862: High court ( after Supreme Court was transferred to New Delhi)

1852: Telegraph

1857 (5 July): Gas light was first introduced.

1874 (8 July): filtered water

1861-75: Underground drainage system.

1861: Footpath for pedestrians

1873: Horse drawn tram carriage

1876: Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed.

1877: Telephone

1889: Bicycle

1896: Motor Cars

1900: Electricity

1902 ( 9 December): Electric Tram

1911: Pumping station at Tala in North Calcutta.

1921: Rick saw

1926: Radio Wave

1957: Television

1975:Calcutta Doordarshan (Television)

1986: Metro Rail

Illicit liquor deaths in Bengal

Illicit liquor deaths reaches 173 in Bengal. Excessive use of methanol, a poisonous substance had found in viscera from most of the bodies.People from about 10 villages in Mograhat of South 24 pgs district had drank the illicit liquor.75 people are still undergoing treatment at the Diamond Harbour Sub divisional Hospital, MR Bangur and Vidyasagar Hospital. The state government led by Mamata Banarjee announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the deceased. Experts believe that the state government should increase the number of incensed liquor shops to prevent the increasing of illicit liquor dens.
Political patronage, inaction of police, excise department and easy availability are the main reasons behind the mushrooming of illicit liquor dens in rural and urban areas of West Bengal. illicit liquor traders often bribe police and excise officials to run their their business. They often mix poisonous substance to increase their sale. Though police and excise demolished illicit liquor dens, people are skeptical about the long time effect.
Pics: Arun Lodh

AMRI effects

Picture Courtesy: Associated Press

Picture Courtesy:Associated Press

At least 92 people were killed, mainly due to suffocation, in a massive fire that broke out at the AMRI hospital in south Calcutta early on Friday (Dec 9).Firemen used ropes and ladders.brought out the dead and injured. According to police and eye witnesses, the fire broke out around 3.30 a.m.local time in the basement of the hospital and and quickly spread to the first and second floors.Around 25 fire engines had been rushed to the spot.6 persons arrested and license of the hospital where 73 persons died was canceled.

Here are the time line of events that unfolded after the fire:

December 9:Eighty-eight patients died at AMRI Hospital choked to ddeath from an early morning fire.
The fire in the upper basement of an annex building of the private hospital of South Calcutta was spotted sometime between 2.15 and 2.30am local time, spreading smoke into the wards on the second, third and fourth floors through the air conditioned ducts.
According to media reports, nearly two hours later, at 4.08am local time, the fire brigade was informed by police who received a call from a relative of a patient on their emergency line but not from the hospital authority.
Local people from the nearby shanties alleged that when they tried to enter the hospital around 3am, they were prevented by the security guards of the hospitals. They climbed the wall and entered the hospital premises to save the trapped patients.
Mamata Banarjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, announced compensation for the families of the victims, arrest of the hospital’s owners and cancellation of its license. The hospital announces a compensation of Rs 5 lakh ($ 9400), the state government Rs 3 lakh ($5670) and the Prime Minister Rs 2 lakh ($ 3780) to the kin of the dead.
Hospital directors R.S. Goenka and his son Manish surrender along with S.K. Todi, his son Ravi, Prashant Goenka and Dayanand Agarwal.

Dec 10: An Alipore magistrate today sent six AMRI directors to 10 days in police custody. Alipore Bar Association prevented lawyers to defend the accused.
Two more patients died, rising the death toll to 92.

Dec 11:Investigation found that security guards of the hospital prevented slum dwellers from entering the premises to help the patients.

Dec 12: The team of fire services officers formed by the Bengal government to check safety measures at hospitals found that two reputed private hospital do not have any no Objection Certificate (NOC) to run the hospital.

Dec 13:Vice President of AMRI (Safety) Satyabrata Upadhyay and Sanjib Paul, assistant Manager ( Maintenance) have been arrested.
AMRI Hospital Dhakuria shut down their operation completely after Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee faced hostile employees inside the premises and a mob ransacked the premises.

Dec 14:According to Calcutta Municipal Corporation, more than 75 per cent of the nursing homes in Calcutta lack the mandatory approval of the fire department to operate.
Governor M.K. Narayanan met fire department officials at Governor’s house and expressed concern over the way safety norms were being violated.
The four-member fire safety audit committee visited private hospital and nursing homes found hazardous materials stored in the basement without adequate safety measures.

Dec 15: The state government named a former judge to probe the AMRI fire.

Download copyrighted images a big no no

According to experts like Daniel Scocco,don’t copy material just because you are not making a commercial use. A lot of people wrongly think that if they credit the author of an article or image they are not violating the copyright law.Use other materials that are not subject to cop. Alter the picture is not the solution.
According to Brad Templeton, an online expert,Copyright law is mostly civil law where the special rights of criminal defendants you hear so much about don’t apply. Plagiarism is also a punishable offense.According to experts, there is the principle of fair use or fair dealing- it is possible to copy a reasonable amount of a published work without violating copyright.Experts believe that you can get anything from search engine like Google images but using them will almost certainly violate someone’s copyright.WHEN YOU WANT TO USE PICTURES FROM THE INTERNET,ALWAYS use material under public domain or use royal tee free pictures.

Image Courtesy:Kosta Kostov