Cine Central to screen world cinema at Kolkata film fest

Kolkata, Nov 8: Cine Central, one of the largest film societies in India, will screen 70 films from 30 countries as part of the 14th Kolkata Film Festival to be held here Nov 10-17. "Besides some remarkable Indian films, we will be showcasing some of the best films from Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Iran, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Pakistan, Sweden, South Korea, Slovakia and Uruguay," general secretary of Cine Central, Sadhan Chakraborty told reporters here Thursday.

"We will also present a package of contemporary films to focus on Turkish, Norwegian and Dutch Cinema," said Chakraborty.Under the "Homage" category, tributes will be paid to Cuban film director Humberto Solas and Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. "A retrospective of Manoel de Oliveira will also be organised to pay centenary tribute to the Portuguese film director," Chakraborty added.There will also be a "Documedia" section where documentaries from Afghanistan, Lebanon and France will be shown, along with a package of documentaries on Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara to commemorate his 80th birthday.

The inaugural film "Gulabi Talkies" will be presented by Kannada director Girish Kasaravalli at Basusree Cinemas in south Kolkata.Cine Central was formed in September 1965 and organised India's first independent international film festival in 1986 under the name Calcutta International Film Festival. This film fest was renamed as International Forum of New Cinema in 1998 and is held every year as part of Kolkata Film Festival.

Nobel testimony to be heard in town

Kolkata, November 7 , 2008: Nadine Gordimer, South African writer, Nobel Laureate and one of the first people Nelson Mandela wanted to meet after he emerged from prison, will arrive in the city on November 10 to deliver a lecture. Gordimer, a strong voice against apartheid, has titled her talk “The Inward Testimony”, which she will deliver at Town Hall, at 6pm.

She is visiting the country on an invitation from the public diplomacy division of the ministry of external affairs. She arrives in Mumbai on November 7 and will be in Calcutta till November 13, when she leaves for New Delhi.

The 85-year-old writer of stories and novels, whose books were banned several times by the white South African government, will be given the honour of “state guest” in West Bengal, said Amit Dasgupta, the joint secretary of the public diplomacy division.

Gordimer’s lecture is part of the Nobel Laureate Lecture series organised by the division. Last year, American mathematician John Nash, on whose life the film A Beautiful Mind was made, had been invited for the lecture. But last year, Calcutta was given the miss, as Nash only visited New Delhi and Mumbai. This year, the ministry is making up for it and more, for Gordimer’s talk is reserved for the city, while in the other two, she will be reading from her books.

The writer, who won the Booker for her novel The Conservationist, wrote powerfully and movingly about the lives of ordinary people, many of them black, in the violence-ridden apartheid era, earning the wrath of the authorities repeatedly.

Her latest book of stories is Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black (2007). She has outlived that cause. But an activist forever, in a post-apartheid world, she works on AIDS and HIV prevention, a severe problem in South Africa. “Gordimer will interact with Calcuttans, including writers,” added Dasgupta. She will attend a dinner at Raj Bhavan. Dasgupta is also planning to take her to Victoria Memorial and St Paul’s Cathedral and city bookstores. But he complained that his early inquiries have revealed that not many city bookstores have any of her books.

THE TELEGRAPH

Maoists own responsibility for Nov 2 blast

Kolkata, Nov 7 (IANS): The Communist Party of India-Maoist Friday night owned up responsibility for the Nov 2 landmine blast in West Midnapore district and said that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was the target.

In a press release signed by its general secretary Kanchan, the guerrilla outfit said it had triggered the blast 'with the active cooperation of the people'.The release said the People's Liberation Guerilla Army organised the explosion and threatened that 'the future will see more of such acts'.'The government cannot prevent such attacks by providing Z plus category security to anybody,' Kanchan claimed.

Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada and Bhattacharjee had a close shave as the blast hit their convoy when they were returning after the groundbreaking ceremony of the JSW Bengal steel project at Salboni. Bhattacharjee was the only leader with Z plus security among the VVIPs in the programme.

The Maosits claimed they were opposed to the policies of the 'fascist' state government, which was 'causing great harm' to the farmers by the way it was going for big industries like the JSW project.'Our fight will be on,' Kanchan added.

WB govt to set up new industries at Singur : Buddhadev

7 Nov 2008, 1842 hrs IST, PTI

KOLKATA: The West Bengal government will announce in a few days plans to set up new industries at Singur after the exit of the Tatas Motors from there and has several proposals in hand, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has said. "We have several proposals in hand. We will announce these in a few days. Land was acquired at Singur for industrialisation and we will set up industries there and nothing else," he said in an interview to CPI(M) daily 'Ganashakti' published today.

Claiming the exit of the Tatas from Singur would not impact the investment scenario in the state, Bhattacharjee pointed out that none of the Indian and foreign investors had gone back on their plans for West Bengal. "The Singur episode is an isolated one arising out of the destructive movement of Trinamool Congress ... and none of the Indian and foreign investors has left because of the post- Singur situation," the chief minister said. Bhattacharjee said "people will not forgive opposition parties if they continue to pursue policies which harm the state's interests. Industrialists have identified these parties which have tarnished West Bengal's image ... but I feel that this will not last long."

Claiming that investment in West Bengal had gone up in the last three years, Bhattacharjee said "I hope this trend will be maintained in the near future." There were investment queries from China, Japan, the US, Germany, besides fresh investments were coming from companies like Reliance, Birla and even the Tatas, he said.

West Bengal universities tie up with Italian institutions

Kolkata, Nov 7 (IANS): A high-level delegation from Italy Friday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with several leading West Bengal universities here to launch an educational exchange programme.The academic delegation from the University and Polytechnic of Turin signed the agreement with four premier West Bengal universities - Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Rabindra Bharati University and Burdwan University.

“West Bengal and Turin have a cultural similarity in their origins. I am very hopeful of this academic cooperation, as it’ll serve several issues of mutual interest with reference to scientific collaboration as well as studies in art, literature, culture and political science,” city mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya told reporters at the MoU signing programme. “The MoU was signed between four leading educational institutions and top 11 Italian universities,” he said.

“There’s always a malicious campaigning about Kolkata, outside India, that it’s a city of traffic congestion and filth. I think this type of wrong ideas are common because it’s a communist ruled state in the country,” Bhattacharyya added. “This educational cooperation programme will open up a new era for the students in West Bengal to come in contact with the rich culture heritage of Italy,” he said.

West Bengal CPI(M) gets ready for Lok Sabha poll

Kolkata, Nov 6 (IANS): Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal unit secretary Biman Basu Thursday urged party workers to gear up for the parliamentary elections next year and also maintain the ruling Left Front’s unity in the state. In a press statement after a two-day meeting of its state committtee here, the CPI(M) asked its cadre to gear up for the elections and directed them to beware of political traps set by the opposition before the Lok Sabha poll.

‘The party workers should build a strong network at the district level and they must reach out to a large section of people. The opposition parties are constantly trying to launch armed attack on CPI-M supporters, which we have to combat in a very tactful manner,’ the statement said. The statement quoted Basu as saying: ‘The unity in the Left Front should be maintained in the state.’The statement criticised the ‘anti-people and anti-industrialisation’ stand of the state’s opposition parties.

‘Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked party workers to intensify protests against all evil forces in the state that want to split West Bengal into small parts. He asked party men to oppose the anti-industrialisation protest of the opposition,’ the statement said.

US diplomat praises West Bengal, wants closer cooperation

Kolkata, Nov 5 (IANS): Praising the West Bengal government for creating a congenial atmosphere for foreign investments, a top US diplomat Tuesday expressed her keenness to work more closely with the state to strengthen bilateral trade between India and the US.”My impression after three months here is that the government of West Bengal is very interested in bringing important American investments to the state. So I look forward to working with the government on ways of making those connections with the American investors,” Beth A. Payne, consul general at the Consulate General of the US said here on the sidelines of a conference by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce.

“It is important that the American investors have good understanding of here so that we can bring more investments here,” Payne said. She also welcomed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to visit the US. Asked how the US is so comfortable doing business with a state ruled by the Left Front, Payne said: “We look beyond these labels nowadays. The Cold War ended a long time ago.”

However, she added: “American investors are watching very closely how the government resolves issues surrounding land acquisition for large investment projects, and would like to see signs of assurance that future investment projects in this state would be free from disruptions caused by political disagreements.”

Last month, the state had to wash its hands off Tata Motors’ Nano small car project due to prolonged furore over farmland acquisition between the state government and the principal opposition party Trinamool Congress.

Bilateral trade between India and the US in the manufactured goods reached over $41 billion in 2007 and is estimated to grow to over $50 billion this year. In 2007, imports from the US registered an increase of 75 percent over the previous year, while exports to the US grew over 10 percent.

Talking about recent economic crisis and students being denied scholarships by few universities, Payne said: “May be it is harder to get scholarship now than it was before. This is natural whenever there is any financial change like this. That does not mean there aren’t any opportunities.”

WBSEDCL aims Rs 7,500 cr busines in 2008-09

Press Trust of India / Kolkata

November 5, 2008, 20:39 IST

The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company (WBSEDCL) today said it was aiming at a total revenue of Rs 7,500 crore and a surplus of between Rs 500 and Rs 600 crore during the current fiscal.

"We had achieved a revenue of about Rs 6,500 crore and earned a surplus of Rs 131 crore during 2007-08. In 2008-09, the total revenue is expected to be Rs 7,500 crore with a surplus of Rs 500 to Rs 600 crore, if coal supply to power plants remains smooth," WBSEDCL Chairman M K De said here. Interacting with the members of the Merchant Chamber of Commerce, De said the projected power export could have been possible then the profit would have been another Rs 400 crore more.

The West Bengal State Transmission Company posted a profit of Rs 78 crore from a revenue of Rs 436 crore. The company was projecting a turnover of Rs 446 crore during 2008-09 financial year. "We have been able to export only 895 million units as against projection of over 5,000 million units during 2007-08. This is due to failure of the new power plants commissioned during the year," De said.

During the year, the West Bengal government had projected to add 1,570 MW. However, during the current year so far, only 1,000 MW capacity has been added to the system. Owing to failure to meet the targeted export due to commissioning of new plants and shortage of coal, WBSEDCL has slashed power export projection to 2,600 million units."Given the coal supply situation, we do not hope to meet even this target," De said.

Buddhadeb insists on new mining technology

Kolkata, November 5 : ninth four-day International Mining and Machinery Exhibition 2008
With the rising demand of coal in the country, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee insists that the mining sector uses new technology and innovative scientific measures to use the coal seams at greater depths.

At the ninth four-day International Mining and Machinery Exhibition (IMME) 2008, inaugurated in the city on Wednesday, the chief minister stressed that instead of mining the coal seams directly, new technologies might be introduced to extract the combustible gases present in coal, which could be used as fuel or feedstock for chemicals.

“We have huge coal reserves in the state, which ranks fourth amongst the coal-bearing states of the country. There is, however, a need for augmentation of coal reserves in the state,” said Bhattacharjee. At present, there are five coal companies engaged in coal production in the state. Despite the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation being allotted six coal blocks where pre-mining activities have commenced, Bhattacharjee claims that new coal blocks need to be allocated by the Union Ministry of Coal. Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in association with the Ministry of Mines and Coal and Cola India Limited, the exhibition saw the participation of both domestic and international players.

Spread over an area of 50,000 sq m, with over 300 exhibitors from 15 countries, the exhibition has a 60 per cent presence of international players. Germany — partner country at IMME this year — is expected to put up the largest ever exposition of latest equipment and engineering technologies for the mining sector.

Apart from Germany, the exhibition will witness participation from China, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, UK, Ukraine and US, among a host of others. While special focus will be on mining construction, material handling and mineral processes, a number of new products for the mining construction and mineral processing sector will be launched during the exhibition.

“It is a challenge for the mining industry of our country to implement suitable technology so that deep-seated coal deposits can be exploited. The coalfields of Raniganj are predominantly deep-seated mostly exploitable by underground method but past performance of underground mining in India is rather poor,” said Bhattacharjee.

Besides the exhibition, a Global Mining Summit, which will have 350 delegates, will also be held concurrently with the IMME. In addition, a buyer-seller meet has also been planned for manufactures and service providers to interact with potential buyers in the mining sector.

Buddha welcomes Obama as US president

Kolkata, Nov 5 (IANS): West Bengal's communist Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Wednesday welcomed the election of Barack Obama as US president, expressing happiness that an African American was taking over the mantle at the White House.

'This is the first time in the history of the United States th a black president will enter the White House,' Bhattacharjee told newspersons during a function here. 'Some of you must have already heard that Obama has won the US presidential election,' the chief minister said with a smile before he began his speech at an official programme.

Seven West Bengal police officials served notices for security lapses

Kolkata, Nov 5 (IANS): The West Bengal government Wednesday issued notices to seven police officials for security lapses during Sunday’s landmine blast that targeted Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two union ministers, the police said.”Two district deputy superintendent of police, a district intelligence officer, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), the officer-in-charge of Salboni police station, the circle inspector and one additional police superintendent have been issued notices,” Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia told reporters here.

“Explanation has been sought regarding their negligence in supervising the security set up Sunday at Salboni,” he said. Bhattacharjee and central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada had a narrow escape in the landmine blast, which occurred near a culvert as they were returning after the groundbreaking ceremony of the JSW Bengal Steel project in Salboni. Six policemen in Paswan’s pilot car were injured in the blast.

Buddha looks to Chinese auto firm to save Singur

Kolkata, Nov. 5: Undaunted by the Tata Motors’ pullout from Singur, the West Bengal government is still keen on developing an automobile-manufacturing hub in the state. There are three automobile clusters in the country covering the northern, western and the southern regions. The state government, therefore, is eager to bring up a hub in the eastern region too.

The state government has included Singur in a list of sites being considered by Chinese automobile manufacturer First Automobile Works Limited (FAW) for setting up base in India. Rendian Sheng, vice president of First Automobile, who met chief minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee and industries minister Nirupam Sen at the state secretariat, has expressed interest in opening an automobile manufacturing unit in the state in collaboration with Ural India Limited.

Ural already has a presence in West bengal in heavy vehicles manufacturing, with a heavy trucks manufacturing unit in Haldia. The unit caters mostly to the defence sector. ''FAW is China's largest automobile manufacturing company and has shown interest in setting up an automobile unit in West Bengal. It will make all kinds of cars, including heavy vehicles,'' Sen said.
Sen, however, declined to say whether the government plans to offer if the Singur plot to the company, although he said it can be a possible location. Sites in Kalyani, Haldia and Kharagpur have also been discussed with the FAW, he said.

FAW is planning to set up a joint venture with Ural India for manufacturing small cars and buses. The joint venture would make 5,000 small cars a month priced at Rs1.6 lakh each, said JK Saraff, chairman of Ural India. The joint venture was looking for a 600 acre plot and Saraff said the discussion was a preliminary one. While land in Singur was developed, at the same time, it had been leased out to another company, he pointed out.

FAW, the biggest car manufacturer in China, produces 20 lakh cars every year. The company has worked in collaboration with auto majors like Mazda, Toyota, Audi, Valkswagen and have expertise in small cars, buses, omnibus and heavy vehicles. A 15-member Chinese team, led by Li Xiansheng, executive governor of Hubei province in China, is reported to have also met urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and power minister Mrinal Banerjee to discuss many things, including investment opportunities in Bengal.

“We welcome Chinese investments, as well as the industrial sector, to look at the state as a potential-automobile manufacturing hub. The growing expertise in the automobile sector is an advantage for the Chinese companies,” said Sabyasachi Sen, principal secretary, department of commerce & industries, government of West Bengal. He was speaking at a seminar on Chinese investment opportunities in Bengal, in Kolkata on Monday. “From the ‘90s, the state is on the path of industrial revival,” Sen said, adding that there are huge investment possibilities in leather, engineering, IT, biotechnology and infrastructure sectors in the state. “There are very good investment opportunities for manufacturing capacities of electrical goods in the state,” he said.

According to SP Yadav, executive director, West Bengal Industrial Development Corp Ltd, the state offers opportunities and has immense potential in sectors like iron & steel, real estate, hospitality & tourism, IT & ITeS, retail, chemicals & petrochemicals, leather, infrastructure and engineering. “The state has around 75 projects worth $990 million in iron & steel sector in the pipeline,” Yadav noted. Also, in sector like retail, the investments would touch $1.12 billion by 2010, he added.

From January to September 2008, Sino-Indian bilateral trade stood at $42 billion and by the end of this year, it is estimated to reach $56 billion, according to Mao Siwei, consul general of China in Kolkata. “The target is to reach $60 billion by 2010 but it seems the target would be achieved before time,” he said. The number of Indians visiting China has also increased considerably in the last few years. “A large delegation, comprising the governor of Yunnan province, businessmen and performing artists, are set to visit the city next month to promote economic and cultural co-operation between the two states,” Siwei added

CPI(M) demands firm action against Maoists

New Delhi, Nov 3: Claiming that Maoists were behind the land-mine attack on the convoy of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the CPI(M) demanded firm action against the ultras."The Maoists have targeted the Chief Minister and have killed a number of CPI(M) cadres and activists in the recent period. Maoists have opposed the setting up of a steel plant at Salboni."Firm action should be taken against these disruptive elements that are inimical to the interests of the people and development of the state," the party Polit Bureau said in a statement.

The remote-controlled mine was exploded at Salboni in Maoist-infested Midnapore district yesterday shortly after Bhattacharjee had passed through the area. A case was registered against him on August 18 and he has been facing trial in the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Juvenile Court in Ferozepur.

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the attack on the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya through a landmine blast in West Midnapur district. The Union Minister for Steel and the Minster of State were also traveling on the same route.

The Maoists have targeted the Chief Minister and have killed a number of CPI(M) cadres and activists in the recent period. The Maoists have opposed the setting up of a steel plant at Salboni. Firm action should be taken against these disruptive elements who are inimical to the interests of the people and the development of the state.

November 3, 2008

Buddhadeb criticises MNS

Kolkata, Nov 4: In a veiled criticism of the attacks on North Indians by Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navanirman Sena, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said what was happening in Maharashtra was not desirable in independent India.

Without naming either Raj Thackeray or MNS, Bhattacharjee said, "What is happening in the financial capital of the country is totally undesirable in free India". Everyone has free access to any part of the country, but unfortunately even after 61 years after the independence, we are yet to develop the feeling that we are all Indians. When I say this I do not harbour any parochial idea," he said inaugurating a programme to launch the formation of 'Rajasthan Bengal Maitri Parishad.'

Stating that India is multi-lingual and multi-religious, he said that the country is facing three dangers - chauvinism, terrorism and communalism."We have to also fight the enemies of poverty, hunger and unemployment along with these three," he said.Talking about the people of Rajasthan living in West Bengal, he said, "the state has benefited in terms of economy and development over the years by the entrepreneurs of Rajasthan who have been living here".

Arcelor-Mittal to set up R&D centre in Kolkata

NEW DELHI, Nov 04, 2008 (Hindustan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX): Even as the failure of the Nano project put a question mark on West Bengal's investor-friendly climate, world's largest steel producer Arcelor-Mittal has approached the West Bengal government for land at Rajarhat near the Kolkata for setting up its research and development centre.

"ArcelorMittal is keen to set up a central office in Rajarhat, for which it has sought land from the state government," said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. He also said that other companies such as Airtel and ICICI Bank have also approached the government for land in the same area.

Mittal is in the process of setting up greenfield plants in Orissa and Jharkhand and the R&D centre would be a global hub for design and engineering. "The centre would be a global hub for design and engineering and shared services and in the final stage it will have 300 engineers working in it," said Vijay Bhatnagar, CEO, Arcelor-Mittal India. It will take up consultancy jobs and cater to needs of Arcelor-Mittal plants in 27 countries around the world.

Rajasthan-Bengal Maitri Parishad inaugurated

Kolkata, November 03: Rajasthan-Bengal Maitri Paishad inaugurated on Monday. Narayan Jain, a member of the state minority commission and co-convenor of the meeting said the organisation to be a non-political one. Eminent persons of the both community was present at the occassion.

“The parishad is an important step towards improving relations between Rajasthani and Bengali communities. Rajasthanis residing in Bengal are equally contributing in the development of West Bengal,” said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.The chief minister condemned the incidents of animosity between Biharis and Marathis and said that every Indian citizen has the right to live anywhere within the country. “It is the cultural tradition of West Bengal that people of all communities live in harmony and such incidents are unthinkable in the state,” Bhattacharjee added.

Left Front chairman Biman Basu also lauded the formation of the parishad. The inauguration was attended by guests like MP Mohd. Salim, MP Sudhanshu Seal, MP Prashanta Chatterjee, CPI(M) state secretary of Rajasthan Basudeo and CPI(M) West Bengal state committee member Rabin Deb.

“The object behind the formation of this parishad is to strengthen relations, exchange and promote culture of both the states,” said MP Hannan Mollah, key-organiser and convener of the parishad. Rajasthan Bengal Maitri Paishad will not only help in promoting business activities between both the states, but also aims to promote tourism, socio-cultural activities, education and vocational training.

Mollah said, “We have seen people from other states facing problems in Maharashtra and Assam. Even people from West Bengal sometimes have to face problems in other states, as they are branded as Bangladeshis.” A similar gathering of the parishad is planned in Jaipur after the Assembly elections.

Buddhadeb welcomes private investment in low-cost housing

Kolkata, Nov 3: Welcoming more private investment in low-cost housing, West Bengal chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattcharjee here Monday exhorted everyone involved in the real estate business to ensure housing for the poor and middle-income groups. "In a country where one billion people live in substandard houses, one million stay in temporary or make-shift houses and 50 percent of the population does not have proper housing, our main concern should be how to provide housing for the poor,” Bhattacharjee said at the opening session of the 36th World Congress on Housing Science here.

He said though the state has low cost technology to make low cost houses, every effort should be made to lower the costs further so that housing becomes affordable to the masses. He welcomed more housing in the state through the public-private-partnership (PPP) model and cited the example of Shapoorji Pallonji and DLF, which has started a PPP project in the state. “The government alone cannot solve this problem of housing. The government alone cannot provide housing for all,” Bhattacharjee added.

Arcelor-Mittal, others keen to invest

Leading investors from sectors like steel, telecom and banking have evinced interest in setting up offices in the upcoming IT hub of West Bengal, Rajarhat. Speaking at the session Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said, big companies, including the world's largest steel producer Arcelor-Mittal, want to to set up offices in Rajarhat. "ICICI, Mittal, Jindal and Mittal's want to set up offices in Rajarhat," the chief minister said. However, with land prices rising, providing land to the industries was a major challenge, he added. "We have a problem of land in urban areas. Prices of land are increasing everyday. It is a complicated issue. Gautam Deb is asking for Rs 7 crore per acre for land," the chief minister said referring to his state housing minster. Another problem faced by the real estate sector in recent days was scarce bank finance, he added.

Gautam Deb, minister for housing and public health engineering, said areas under Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) alone faced a shortage of 90,000 dwelling units, and the state could construct only 20,000 units. Foreign investors would visit Rajarhat and adjoining areas, Deb said. Somnath Chatterjee, speaker of the Lok Sabha, said, by the end of the 10th five year plan, the shortage of dwelling units in West Bengal was estimated to be 24.7 million units. This could increase to 26.35 million by the end of the 11th five year plan, with about 99 per cent of the shortage concentrated among the economically weaker sections of the society, Chatterjee added. The total investment required for urban housing was estimated at Rs 3.16 lakh crore by the end 2012, said Chatterjee.

Housing policy soon

The West Bengal government may introduce a new housing policy soon. Speaking later on the sidelines of the seminar organised by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, I N Chakraborty, secretary of the housing department of West Bengal, said the state was in the process of framing a new housing policy, on the lines of National Hosing and Habitat policy. According to Chakraborty, the state will face a shortage of seven million dwelling units by the end of the 11th five year plan, against 30 million nationally.

Also, Bengal could consider framing regulatory framework for special residential zone (SRZ), in the lines of special economic zone (SEZ) , which should spell out incentives and regulatory framework to be provided under the policy, he said. "There should be multiple stake holders, including private, institutional and cooperative sectors, in the new housing policy, which should be framed in consultation with the local bodies," Chakraborty said. The recommendations followed a recent inter-state housing policy meet held in Rajasthan. According to rough estimates, Bengal will need an investment of Rs 7,400 crore to complete the New Town satellite township east of the city.

50,000 crore investment potential

Till now, about Rs 1,435 crore has been spent, and in the next 20 years the total investment in the area would be Rs 50,000 crore. This apart, the housing policy should give more emphasis to the housing needs of the slum dwellers. In this regard, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a Central government scheme for urban regeneration, has also started projects on special area development in the state. Some of the other recommendations of the inter-state housing meet included setting up a dedicated fund for housing finance, setting up mortgage finance company and new foreign direct investment (FDI) guidelines in the housing sector. Also, a single window clearance was needed for foreign funds, Chakraborty said.

H V Patodia, president of Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, said with rapid urnbanisation, one big challenge would be providing affordable housing to city dwellers, especially the poor. In India alone, about 100 million people lived in slums and slum-like conditions, and the number could touch 200 million by 2020.

14th Kolkata film festival to begin November 10

KOLKATA, 3rd Nov: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee announced at a press conference that the 14th Kolkata Film Festival will kick off from November 10. The eight-day cinematic extravaganza will include the screening of 276 recently released films from all over the globe.

Bhattacharjee said that the melange will have 17 Indian entries, other than 44 short-films, eight documentaries and seven children’s films. A total number of 100 foreign films from 62 countries will also be included, of which majority will be the Latin American films.

The festival, for which 2,500 delegates have been registered, will pay centenary tribute to the renowned French director Jacques Tati by showcasing four of his masterpieces – The Big Day, Mosiure Hulots Holiday, My Uncle and Play Time. In addition, a special segment of Satyajit Ray’s favourite Hollywood films as well as Ray’s restored films will be screened.

According to Bhattacharjee, “Short filmmakers would also get the chance to showcase their works during the festival at the Bangla Academy, while there would be ‘film market’ for marketing the movies all over the world.”

The Chief Minster said that the budget for the festivities has been pegged at Rs 1.40 crore. The West Bengal government would spend towards procuring the films, but other expenses like providing hospitality to the guests would be met by the sponsors.

‘Increase expenditure on public health’: Surya Kanta Mishra

Kolkata, 3rd Nov: Public expenditure on health should be increased to 2-3 per cent of GDP of the country, up from the present level of 1 per cent, Surya Kanta Mishra, West Bengal Health Minister, said here on Saturday.

“Public expenditure on health has been hovering around 0.9 per cent for several years now, it has to be taken up to 2-3 per cent of GDP,” he told the Health Economic Summit organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

There are 700,000 registered doctors and a million nurses in the country. However, there is still a shortage of 500,000 skilled manpower, said Amit Ghose, Chairman of the BCCI Health sub-committee. More than 80 per cent of the population in India does not have any health insurance policy coverage, Ghose pointed out.

Bengal Chief Minister survives Maoist attack

SALBONI (West Midnapore), 2nd Nov: West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and state industries minister Nirupam Sen narrowly escaped an ambush by Maoists at Salboni in West Midnapore district on Sunday. The cars of the CM, Sen and the Union ministers Ram Bilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada had passed the spot a couple of minutes earlier. An IED blast snapped a high tension electric wire and riddled a police car with shrapnel and pellets, injuring six policemen.

Sunday's incident came only a week after Maoists killed three persons, including a doctor, at Belpahari in the same district. "As the whole area is Maoist-dominated, we are eliminating all other possibilities and zeroing in on them," IG (law and order) Raj Kanojia told newspersons. West Midnapore SP Rajesh Singh said, "Modus operandi suggests that it is the handiwork of Maoists." They were all within earshot of the blast. The ambush has left police shell-shocked since this entire zone had been cordoned off. All the six injured policemen were tailing the car of Union minister of state for steel Jitin Prasada. Some of them suffered head and chest injuries. The high tension wire swished around after being snapped by the force of the explosion and could have been devastating, but it luckily didn't hit any other vehicle apart from the police jeep. Even these occupants escaped electrocution.

Bhattacharjee, Paswan, Prasada, Sen, MP Naveen Jindal and industrialist Sajjan Jindal had gone to Salboni for the foundation laying ceremony of the proposed Rs 35,000-crore integral steel plant in the Maoist-affected area. They were returning to Kolkata when the blast took place at Kalaichandikhal, about 12 km from the plant site, between 2.10 pm and 2.15 pm. It was hardly 10-15 minutes since the leaders had started from Salboni.

The first car in the convoy was that of Congress leader Manas Bhunia. Next in line were cars of Bhattacharjee, Sen and Paswan. The police vehicle (WB 62 5647) that was hit was right behind Jitin Prasad's car. It had escort officer Ranjit Mondal, two constables, two security guards and a driver. "I heard a loud explosion. A split second later, something fell on top of the vehicle. The windscreen and windows shattered. I suddenly felt pain. Everyone in the car was bleeding and moaning. We had no clue what had hit us," said Rabindranath Mahato, a guard who was injured. Prasad's car had passed the spot seconds earlier and it came to a screeching halt. On seeing what had happened, Prasada's bodyguards asked the driver to speed off to Kalaikunda airbase where an aircraft was waiting for them.

Several other vehicles carrying CPI(M) supporters stopped 200 metres behind the shrapnel-riddled jeep as injured policemen staggered out. Drivers got scared on seeing branches lying on the road. Maoists are known to plant landmines on the roadside and cover them up this way. Some CPI(M) cadre went to help the policemen and that is when they saw the high-tension wire lying across the road. No one dared to take another step. Two policemen had reportedly been posted at the spot — close to Bhadutala jungle, a Maoist den — but were nowhere to be seen when the blast happened. The first police team arrived 20 minutes later. The substation at Kerani Chati was asked to switch off power and only then could ambulances and rescue teams arrive.

The injured are Ranjit Mondal, constables Kartik Maity and Alokava Chowdhury, security guards Judhishthir Mahato and driver Mukul Phulmali. Mandal, Mahato and Phulmali were taken to Kolkata for treatment. The rest were admitted to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital. Bhattacharjee, however, remained in Midnapore town till late in the afternoon to attend some programmes.

"I have heard about the incident, but am yet to get the details from the police. The perpetrators will be identified and brought to justice," the CM said. Fifteen locals have been detained for questioning by police.