The post Bhagat to Lay Foundation for Siliguri Corridor High Speed Rail Line appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>From a strategic and commercial perspective, the Siliguri corridor holds major significance. The corridor, stretching nearly 40 kilometres, is commonly known as the Siliguri Corridor and lies close to the Bangladesh border. It is regarded as a vital link connecting eastern India with the rest of the country.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Railway Minister Ashwini Bhagat stated that work is underway to lay rail tracks in the hilly terrain of Siliguri. The project aims to improve connectivity in a region that is critical for national security as well as economic development.
In the Union Budget, the Railways have received an allocation of approximately ₹2.93 lakh crore, which is the highest budgetary support ever provided to the sector. The minister explained that the allocated funds will be used for laying new tracks, expanding existing tracks to four lanes, and strengthening railway infrastructure.
The Siliguri rail line will run between Tindharia Halt and Rangapani railway stations in West Bengal. According to the minister, the project is expected to significantly enhance passenger movement, freight transport, and overall connectivity in the region.
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]]>The post Bengali Speaking Migrant Workers Allege Assault In Maharashtra Over Identity Row appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The workers, identified as Dilip Bagdi and Samir Barui, along with another colleague from Pandabeswar, said the incident took place while they were returning home from Maharashtra.
According to their account, the trouble began when some local residents overheard them conversing in Bengali among themselves, even though they had used Hindi while purchasing their travel tickets.
They claimed that locals confronted them, questioned their nationality, and insisted they were Bangladeshis, despite repeated explanations that they were residents of West Bengal. The workers alleged that they were forcibly removed from their mode of transport and taken to another location, where their Aadhaar cards were checked for verification.
Samir Barui said that even after showing valid Aadhaar cards, their claims of being Indian citizens were rejected. The workers further alleged that they were subjected to physical assault, during which hot tea was poured over their heads and they were kicked on the head and stomach.
According to them, the attack continued even after one of the workers pretended to fall ill in an attempt to stop the violence.
The incident comes amid growing complaints in recent months about alleged harassment and attacks on Bengali speaking migrant workers in different states. Such cases have been reported particularly from regions governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, including Odisha and Rajasthan.
Pandabeswar MLA Narendranath Chakraborty met the affected workers after their return and condemned the incident. He blamed the central government for creating what he described as a hostile environment against Bengali speaking people outside the state. He said that while West Bengal welcomes people from across the country, Bengalis are being targeted elsewhere, and warned that such actions would not be forgotten.
Responding to the allegations, local BJP leader Dilip Chakraborty accused the West Bengal government of failing to generate adequate employment opportunities. He said this situation was forcing workers to migrate to states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh in search of livelihoods.
The BJP also suggested that the incident may have been narrated with political intent, pointing to what it described as inconsistencies in the workers’ statements.
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]]>The post Deaths of Two Booth Level Officers Raise Concerns Over Workload During Electoral Roll Revision appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>West Bengal recorded its fourth booth level officer death, since the revision began on November 4, prompting a Trinamool Congress delegation to meet the full bench of the Election Commission in Delhi and accuse the poll body chief of carrying moral responsibility for the deaths.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also attacked the ongoing revision process, calling it a large scale conspiracy against citizens that he claimed could create a situation more oppressive than the colonial period.
The special intensive revision is currently underway in twelve states and Union territories.
In Gujarat’s Mehsana district, Dinesh Raval, a 50 year old teacher, at a government primary school in Sudasana village, passed away from a heart attack at his home between Thursday night and Friday morning according to Sadasana police sub inspector Udaysinh Zala.
Opposition leaders and teachers’ unions linked his death to heavy workload and inadequate support for booth level officers, though police denied any connection between his duties and the incident
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi stated that booth level officers are under intense pressure to complete assigned tasks within strict deadlines, while Gujarat State Primary Teacher Association president Digvijaysinh Jadeja said he had heard from other teachers that Raval had been experiencing stress due to his BLO responsibilities.
In West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, Zakir Hossain, a teacher in a state run primary school deployed as a booth level officer, collapsed on Thursday after reporting severe chest pain and was taken to a local hospital where he died later that night according to his family.
Relatives said Hossain had been struggling to balance his booth level duties with regular teaching, and claimed that his school did not relieve him from classroom responsibilities despite multiple requests, forcing him to juggle both roles.
Leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, have accused the Election Commission of assigning an unreasonable and poorly planned workload to booth level officers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the allegations and argued that any stress faced by booth level officers stemmed from pressure exerted by the ruling Trinamool Congress rather than the Election Commission.
A ten member TMC delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O Brien met EC officials in Delhi and raised five questions regarding the deaths and the workload, but said they received no direct answers from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Mahua Moitra said the delegation submitted a list of forty individuals whose deaths they claim are linked to the revision process, but the Commission dismissed the list as unverified allegations.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav posted a video on social media urging opposition parties, including NDA allies, to unite and expose what he described as a large scale plan by the BJP, warning that tampering with voter rolls could eventually lead to removal of names from land records, ration cards, caste certificates, social welfare lists, and even bank accounts.
BJP spokesperson Harishchandra Srivastava rejected Yadav’s comments and accused him of attempting to create fear and confusion among citizens.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced that Lakshadweep has become the first Union territory to complete full distribution and digitisation of enumeration forms under the special intensive revision.
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]]>The post Rally in Dumdum Demands Severe Punishment for Accused in Assault of Minor Girl appeared first on The Edge Media.
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Details of the Case
The accused, identified as Rajesh Paswan, Vicky Paswan, and Sanju Sai, are currently in police custody. They have been charged under the POCSO Act for allegedly abducting and assaulting a class 8 student. Reports indicate that the girl was taken to a secluded location while returning from her tuition classes and later left near her home during the last week of October.
Public Outcry and Protest March
Hundreds of people, including many women, participated in the rally that stretched over two kilometers—from Airport Gate No 1 to Nagerbazar via Kalidhan Colony and Gorabazar. The participants demanded the death penalty for the accused, expressing outrage over the incident.
Statement from Bangla Pokkho
Garga Chatterjee, the general secretary of Bangla Pokkho, stated that political parties have remained silent due to vote-bank concerns. He added that the organization would continue its protests until the culprits face severe punishment and Bengali daughters can live without fear.
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]]>The post Man in Howrah Dies by Suicide After Identity Document Error During Electoral Roll Revision appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>According to the police, his family reported that he had been suffering from extreme anxiety after noticing a spelling mistake in his papers He had repeatedly visited local government offices for several weeks to get the issue resolved but his attempts did not succeed
The police official stated that the man named Jahir was worried the mistake might cause problems in verifying his citizenship or determining his voter eligibility under the ongoing revision process Following the incident, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee instructed minister Pulak Roy to meet the grieving family Roy later visited them and promised necessary support
Banerjee claimed that within a single week seven people in West Bengal have reportedly died fearing their exclusion from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision exercise
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]]>The post Cyclone Asani: Storm is unlikely to make touchdown and is expected to weaken during the next 24 hours appeared first on The Edge Media.
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Following that, Cyclone Asani is expected to recurve north-northeastwards and move into the northwest Bay of Bengal, off the shores of North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It is unlikely to make landfall, and in the next 24 hours, it is forecast to deteriorate into a cyclonic storm.
Over coastal Andhra Pradesh, the weather system is expected to provide mild to moderate rainfall in a few locations, with heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas. From Thursday evening, heavy rain is expected in isolated areas across coastal Odisha.
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]]>The post Modi Asked Non-BJP Ruled States To Reduce Fuel VAT appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>The Prime Minister stated that a proposal to cut VAT was made in November, but states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Jharkhand “for some reason” did not comply.
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]]>The post No More Strict Covid Restrictions in Tamil Nadu, Wearing Masks Is Still Advised appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>As the COVID-19 conditions have improved significantly across the nation, some states, notably West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Delhi, have opted to relax virus outbreak regulations like as the requirement to use face masks and the prohibition on social events.
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]]>The post Firecrackers are prohibited in West Bengal during Diwali and other festivals, according to the Calcutta High Court appeared first on The Edge Media.
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The Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by environmental activist Roshni Ali, who asked for a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers during the upcoming festivities to protect people’s right to clean, healthy, and breathable air, especially in the wake of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
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]]>The post Mamata Banerjee: Educational institutions in West Bengal will reopen on November 15 appeared first on The Edge Media.
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Due to a spike in coronavirus infections, all educational institutions were forced to close on March 16 of last year. Schools and institutions were initially ordered to close until March 31 by the Chief Minister. However, because the caseload was so high, they remained closed.
For a long time, schools and institutions have faced several infrastructural issues as a result of school closures.
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