City News

On her first visit to this former Naxal hotbed as chief minister, Mamata Banerjee today decried the Maoists’ cult of violence and killing but did not offer talks with them. Addressing a rally here, she also criticised a section of intellectuals in Kolkata for indulging Maoists.

Perturbed over the arrest of an eminent scientist who opposed eviction of slum dwellers in Kolkata, a group of scientists has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decrying West Bengal government’s action and sought his immediate intervention. A number of scientists from across the country and some parts of the world have written More >

Autorickshaw operators held office-goers to ransom in different parts of Kolkata on Tuesday, putting up roadblocks at important intersections demanding a rollback of auto LPG gas price hike.

Ailing Kingfisher Airlines today said it has temporarily suspended operations from several major cities, including Kolkata and Hyderabad, and has asked nearly half of its 7,000-odd employees to stay at home till it managed to infuse fresh funds. The airline, burdened by a debt of over Rs 7,000 crore, also did not rule out laying More >

The morning crowds were missing at the important spots and thoroughfares of Kolkata as the city showed signs of participating in the general strike called by 11 Left trade unions on Tuesday. Important crossings in the city such as Tollygunge, Taratolla, Ultadanga, Gariahat, Sealdah, Park Circus seven point crossing looked deserted. The government, however, made More >

Mamata Banerjee has become uncharacteristically silent. At a time when she should be trumpeting the speed with which her Kolkata police seems to have cracked the case of the rape of the 37-year-old woman in a moving car, Didi has gone mum.

It was a strange move when Imran Khan press conference was blacked out at the Kolkata Book Fair for about a minute as the Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician fielded a volley of blistering questions by journalists. Apparently, the session which lasted for about fifty minutes and had a five minutes presser, was blacked out by the organisers More >

The 36th Kolkata International Book Fair began on Tuesday. It will continue till the 5th of next month. The theme of this year’s Book Fair is ‘Italy`. The West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee and noted Italian writer and journalist Beppe Severnyni jointly inaugurated the Book Fair.

The city narrowly escaped a disaster of gigantic proportions on Tuesday evening when a concerted effort by firemen and local residents stopped a petrol pump blaze from reaching the reservoir. An explosion could have caused enormous casualties in the Camac Street area. Residents of nearby apartments rushed out of their homes with portable fire extinguishers More >

Smitten by the national rage Kolaveri Di sung by south Indian film star Dhanush, the Kolkata traffic police is literally humming Why this herogiri di? these days, urging errant bikers to wear helmets.