Shyam Group to begin commissioning of integrated steel plant by 2009

KOLKATA, 10 December: Shyam Group of Industries announced on Tuesday that it has completed the acquisition of 450 acres required for its proposed integrated steel and captive power project in Jamuria in West Bengal and will begin commissioning activities in 2009.Rs. 9,900 cr. project

“We have already capitalised an expenditure of Rs. 200 crore for the project from our internal resources and have acquired 450 acres privately out of our total requirement of 1,500 acres,” Deepakk Goyal, Executive Director of the group, said at a press meet.

He said orders had been released for more than 80 per cent of plant and machinery for the first phase of the project. Funding sanction for the Rs. 9,900-crore integrated steel and power plant project had been sanctioned in-principle. However, he said plans to tap the market for raising some equity had been put off in view of the volatility. While 65 per cent of the project cost would be debt, the remaining would be equity.

Captive power

Shyam Sel, which is implementing the project, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) for the project in February this year with the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation and the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation (WBMTDC). The project envisages the setting up of a 1.1 million tonne per annum finished steel and a 1,000 MW captive power project. “We hope to make this the fastest MoA to be implemented in West Bengal,” B. Bhusan Agarwal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, said.

Coal allocation

He said in the first phase, a capacity of 2.5 lakh tonnes of steel and 250 MW of power would be created. However, he also shared his apprehension about the coal blocks, allocation of which has not been received till now.

The group met West Bengal Chief Minister in this regard on November 14 and had been assured of an allocation from the Jagannathpur block and later the Kunr block when WBMTDC gets the allotment.

Mr. Goyal claimed that the group was the single largest private sector employer in West Bengal with 10,000 people on its rolls across 24 locations. It has operations in Howrah, Burdwan, Durgapur, Ranigunj, Silguri, Orissa and Meghalaya.

Kolkata Mint to be coins, currency museum

Kolkata, 9 December: The Old Silver Mint here, a Grecian structure that is now a crumbling but landmark symbol, will house a coins and currency museum after its revamp, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said here on Monday.

“There will be a coins and currency museum, a convention centre, there will be a theatre, park, heritage hotel, centre for children,” he told reporters after laying the foundation stone of the three-year project estimated to cost Rs. 1.5 billion.

“These buildings are heritage buildings. This is a great opportunity to convert this property into a thriving, throbbing, bustling centre for culture, heritage, learning, education and entertainment,” Mr. Chidambaram said. The foundation stone was laid by West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

Kolkata foundry park to attract Rs 25,000 cr investment

Kolkata: December 08, 2008-The foundry park in Kolkata is expected to attract Rs 25,000 crore investment in five years from completion.Tapash Chatterjee, chief executive officer-cum-secretary, Foundry Cluster Development Association, a special purpose vehicle for the foundry park in West Bengal, said 126 members had evinced interest in the project.

The park, spread over 926 acre, can accommodate 150 units. In the first phase, 270 acres will be required. The tendering process for infrastructure in the park is on. The first phase of the project is expected to be complete in the next 12 months. The park, once completed, will employ 30,000 people.

‘Whoever is Castro’s friend across the world is also my friend’,” Maradona told Jyoti Basu

Kolkata, Dec 7, 2008: Frenzied Kolkatans didn’t seem to have enough of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona as he visited the Mother House here to pay obeisance to Mother Teresa and later called on Marxist icon Jyoti Basu, crowding both venues for a glimpse of the star and screaming themselves hoarse with their slogans.On the second day of his visit to the city, Maradona lit a candle at Mother Teresa’s tomb, participated in a prayer session with the sisters of the order, and shook hands with the orphan children to fulfil a wish that he has nurtured for years.

And from all accounts, Maradona and Basu got along famously - thanks to their common “friend”, Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

“Viva Maradona”, “Maradona, Maradona”, shouted frenzied fans as he went to pay homage at the tomb of Mother Teresa - the Catholic nun revered worldwide as the Apostle of Peace.Maradona spent half-an-hour at the Mother House, the global headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa in South Kolkata.

“I wanted to see what Mother Teresa has done in this city. So I want to utilise this trip to visit the Mother House,” Maradona said Saturday, disclosing why he had agreed to come to the city.
Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, is known for her monumental work among the underprivileged.

Clad in a black T-shirt and jeans, Maradona arrived in a silver-white Mercedes at Mother House to deafening cheers from thousands of people who waited for hours on the streets and had perched themselves precariously on trees and walls of nearby buildings for a glimpse of the soccer genius.

He waved and threw flying kisses, as nuns of the order, draped in blue-white sarees received him on the narrow ally leading to the Mother House. Once inside the courtyard of the building, Maradona and his girlfriend Veronica were welcomed with a blue-white garland by the sisters, who also seemed to enjoy every bit of their interaction with the soccer superstar.

Evidently in high spirits, Maradona went round the building, and met the young orphans - some of them mentally challenged. He patted the infants on the head and kissed and embraced them before proceeding to the room where the Mother’s grave lies. Hands clasped, Maradona stood silently before the tomb and then lit a candle as the sisters chanted prayers.

Pindrop silence descended on the room once the prayers ended, as Maradona seemed to soak in the serenity of the place. He then knelt down and kissed the white marble of the tomb. Before leaving, Maradona went back to the children. “Bye, bye”, he said. Outside, soccer fans sporting Argentine jerseys tried to break the barricade put up by the security personnel deployed in strength.

“I want to touch his feet - his left foot, and see what it is made of,” said a youth. “If he doesn’t mind, I want to embrace him. Can you help me?” was another young Maradona fan’s plea to a scribe. Maradona called on Basu later in the day.

“Maradona told Basu, ‘I (Maradona) am a friend of Fidel Castro, and you (Basu) are a friend of Castro too’,” West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty told mediapersons waiting outside Basu’s home in North 24-Parganas district. “He further said ‘Whoever is Castro’s friend across the world is also my friend’,” Chakraborty added.

The football hero met the nonagenarian politician for 10 minutes, but disappointed his fans who waited in hundreds outside Basu’s residence. Lending a communist hue to Maradona’s visit to Kolkata, the organisers had arranged for a tete-a-tete between him and Basu. Maradona, a great admirer of Castro, readily agreed to call on Basu at his residence after seeing a photograph of the former chief minister with Castro.

The photo, showing Castro and Basu standing side by side, was taken in 1973 when the former Cuban president visited the city. It was sent to Maradona about 10 days ago by the organisers of his visit. Kolkata, the soccer crazy hub of India, had accorded a tumultuous welcome to the hero of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup triumph since he landed in the city in the wee hours Saturday.

More than 50,000 exuberant fans spent a sleepless night as they assembled at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and lined the route of his convoy upto the hotel. Around 80,000 people turned up Saturday afternoon at the giant Salt Lake stadium, where Maradona was felicitated. He also laid the foundation stone of the Indian Football School at Maheshtala, 13 km south of the city.

WBIDC to begin socio-economic study for Rs 2,000-cr shipyard

Kolkata, 7 December (PTI): West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation will soon conduct a socio-economic viability study to overcome the land acquisition hurdle for the Rs 2,000 crore Apeejay-Bharati shipyard joint venture project in the State.

WBIDC and the Haldia Development Authority, which was involved in the land acquisition for the project that was to come up at the port town of Haldia, hinted that consent for some 300 acres was received out of 494 acres required.

"WBIDC will soon initiate a socia-economic viability study at the project area in order to formulate a rehabilitation scheme. This will help negotiations for land acquisition," top official sources told PTI.

Apeejay-Surendra Group Chairman Karan Paul had earlier said he was committed to the State and hoped "misunderstanding" on land acquisition would be overcome soon.

Bengal Shipyard Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between Apeejay group's unlisted Apeejay Shipping Ltd and Bharati Shipyard Ltd, reiterated that the company was committed to the project despite the current economic crisis.

Bengal Shipyard officials said the company was also in direct dialogue at the panchayat level for land acquisition.

Bengal Shipyard was planning another Rs 2,000-crore shipyard project in Orissa. Asked about the possibility of the project to shift to Orissa, Bengal Shipyard CEO S D Pattnaik said, "The Orissa project is separate from the West Bengal project. The Orissa project has no bearing on the Bengal project."

Diego floored by Maradona chant in Kolkata

Kolkata:07 December 2008, Sunday:THE LONG cherished dream of football-crazy Bengalis to get a glimpse of the football legend, Diego Armando Maradona was fulfilled when the world-famous former Argentine soccer star touched the soil of West Bengal at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in the wee hours on Saturday (December 6).

Lakhs of people thronged roads to have a glimpse of their dream player, who along with his girl friend, Veronica, arrived at a five star hotel by a specially designed bus from the airport. The journey of the soccer legend to Maheshtala in Kolkata, where he later laid the foundation stone for the Indian Football School, was adorned with the Argentine flag and the welcome note in Spanish – ’Beinvenido dios del futbal’ (Welcome to the Prince of football). Here he was gifted a portrait of Che Guevara, drawn by a school boy, whom Maradona hugged and kissed too.

The West Bengal state government arranged for a grand felicitation of Diego at the state’s famous Yubabharati Krirangan (YBK) Stadium in Salt Lake, in the evening. The presence of 80,000 football lovers just to have a view of their football-hero bewildered Maradona, who expressed his gratitude to the crazy football fans. Diego, being amazed at such a grand reception, shouted in Spanish, “I have never imagined that football is followed so passionately here and I have so many fans.

Manmohan cuts short West Bengal trip

Kolkata : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday cancelled his trip to West Bengal's Malda district due to heavy fog and poor visibility in adjacent Purnea from where his chopper was supposed to take off. He has left for New Delhi. "The prime minister decided to cancel his visit when officials learnt of the poor visibility at Purnea," Malda MP Abu Hasen Khan Choudhury told mediapersons.

Manmohan Singh was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a technical institute named after the late Congress leader A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury in Malda. The prime minister arrived in Kolkata on Saturday and left for Santiniketan, where he attended the convocation of the Visva Bharati University. He then returned to Kolkata and spent the night at Raj Bhavan.

Darjeeling issue to be solved through talks: West Bengal CM

SILIGURI:07 December , 2008: Ruling out a separate Gorkhaland state as demanded by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday said he would not permit the division of the state. The issue of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's (GJM) demand for a separate state out of Darjeeling and some of its adjoining areas will be solved through talks, Bhattachrjee said today.

Addressing the inaugural programme of Darjeeling district conference of All India Kishan Sabha, at Phansidewa near here, he said some elements were trying to destroy the harmony of the region. "People should be united and resist this move," he said. "I do not want divisions within West Bengal and will try my best not allow anyone to divide the state," he said.

Bhattacharjee termed poverty the root of terrorism and called for an united fight against it. "Poverty is the root of terrorism. I am not saying this for the masterminds of terrorism but the young boys who fall into their trap for pecuniary pressure and become their cadre. Hence we have to stress on overall economic development of the state and the country," he said. At the same time, he condemned terrorists as "inhuman". "Even after understanding the root of terrorism, I must say that what the terrorists have done in Mumbai is shameful and condemnable. They are inhuman".

Reminding the audience that 16 years back this day (Dec 6,1992) the Babri Masjid was destroyed by Hindu nationalists in Ayodhya, Bhattacharjee said: "We are reaping what we have sowed." "Instead of strengthening our secularism, some of our politicians have put in their best efforts in weakening it. As a result, we are facing terrorist attacks not only from outside but also inside the country."

I had no idea I’ve so many fans in India: Maradona

KOLKATA: Dec 07, 2008: Kolkata Soccer legend Diego Armando Maradona said on that he was surprised by the response of the crazy fans who thronged in thousands to have a glimpse of him as he laid the foundation stone of a football school at Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday.

Blowing kisses in the air and waving to the crowd, the 48-year-old Argentine, dressed in a grey shirt and matching trouser, said he had not anticipated that his two-day visit would evoke such a huge response.

"I had no idea that football enjoyed so much fan following in this part of the world far from my home in South America," the soccer star said. "My country is far from here, but I never knew I have so many fans here," he said as the crowd kept shouting 'Diego, Diego'.

The soccer icon spoke to reporters for just two minutes in Spanish with the help of an interpreter. The Indian Football School is being developed by the Maheshtala Municipality in collaboration with a private company.

Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986, had flown into the eastern metropolis in the wee hours of Saturday to a tumultuous welcome. In a cheerful mood, with girl friend Veronica by his side, the legend signed autographs for children and shook hands with fans.
Maradona then proceeded to leave an imprint of his dreaded left foot, which tore open defences all over the world, on a slab of plaster of Paris for posterity.

He took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser and then pressed his left foot firmly into the plaster as the crowd cheered. A replica of the Taj Mahal was presented to him as also a portrait of revolutionary Che Guevara. Before winding up his visit, the legend picked up a football thrown at him, balanced it delicately on his leg for a moment before kicking it back into the crowd which went delirious.

West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty was also present on the occasion. Earlier, Maradona and his entourage flew in a helicopter from the metropolis to the venue of the function.

PM sanctions Rs.950 million for Visva Bharati

Kolkata, Dec 6: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday announced a grant of Rs.950 million for the Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan in West Bengal.Manmohan Singh said a high-level committee, under the chairmanship of state Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, had also been appointed to promote the university as an international centre of academic excellence.

'I am happy to announce today (Saturday) that an amount of Rs.95 crore (Rs.950 million) has been sanctioned for implementing the initial plan prepared by Visva Bharati in pursuance of the recommendations of the committee,' Manmohan Singh said during the convocation held for the 2005 and 2006 batches of the university, of which he is the chancellor.

The prime minister said the University Grants Commission (UGC) had earlier sanctioned generous grants for the development of Visva Bharati and for expanding the facilities in its Santiniketan campus, about 220 km far from Kolkata. 'There is, therefore, no dearth of resources available now to the university and I would urge all of you to take full advantage of this,' Singh said in his address.

'Also, as a follow-up of the recommendations of the committee, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has completed the conservation work in the heritage buildings in the Ashram and will now restore the four buildings in the Uttarayana complex within the current financial year.
'A committee has been set up in August 2008 to advise on restoration of art works and other building related issues in Visva Bharati. All these initiatives will help the university to excel further,' he a said, adding that 'to come to Santiniketan is to come on a pilgrimage'.

Manmohan Singh, who came to West Bengal on a two-day trip, arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport here Saturday morning and then headed off for Santiniketan. Manmohan Singh will fly back to Kolkata in the evening and spend the night at Raj Bhavan.

On Sunday morning, the prime minister will again fly off in a helicopter to Malda district. He is slated to visit late Congress leader A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury's residence at Kotwali in Malda. After this, the prime minister will go to Purnea, from where he will leave for New Delhi.

West Bengal gets its first trauma care unit

Kolkata, 7 December: A private hospital has started West Bengal's first Trauma Care Unit (TCU) to deal with the rapidly increasing road traffic accidents here particularly in the EM Bypass area, the eastern part of the city, authorities said. Ruby General Hospital, located in north-eastern Kolkata, inaugurated the TCU Thursday evening.

"This TCU is one of its kind in West Bengal. We decided to start this unit after getting about 126 accident cases a month in the area since the beginning of 2008," Chairman and Managing Director of the hospital Kamal K. Dutta told newspersons Friday. He said most of the deaths from road accidents can be prevented if the victims are attended to in time.

"We have seen that a majority of the road accident victims die during the 'Golden Hour' (the time period of one hour in which the lives of a majority of critically injured trauma patients can be saved if definite surgical intervention is provided) as it takes a considerable time for them to reach hospitals."

"Hence we have strategically located the TCU at the accident-prone zone near EM Bypass," Dutta said. The TCU is equipped with 15 trauma surgeons. There are provisions for all major surgeries including general, neuro and plastic surgeries.

According to WHO predictions, if a concerted effort is not made to improve the services by 2020, there will be 147 percent increase in road traffic accident (RTA) deaths in India. India has one percent of the world's vehicles, but six percent of the total global RTA deaths.

PM arrives at WB

Kolkata, 6 December, PTI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday arrived at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on a two-day visit to West Bengal.

He was received by Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Singh left soon by helicopter for Santiniketan to attend the convocation at Viswabharati, of which he is the Acharya (chancellor).He will return to the city tonight and will visit Malda on Sunday before returning to Delhi.

Bush an 'assassin', Castro has been a great influence on me: Maradona

KOLKATA, 6 December: US President George W Bush is a "bit of an assassin" but his successor Barack Obama will, hopefully, do a good job, football legend Diego Maradona said on Saturday.

"I would like to think of George Bush as a bit of an assassin. I like this change. I welcome this change," Maradona said at his first media conference in India when asked to comment on US president-elect Obama.

Maradona, who is on a short visit to Kolkata, "I like Obama a lot. I think he will do a good job," Maradona said. Known for his strong anti-US views, the legend has in the past opposed US military operations and spoken out against its policy towards Communist Cuba.

Speaking about his friendship with Fidel Castro, Cuba's ruler till recently whom he idolises, Maradona said: "I have shared a lot of cigars with him. We have talked about politics and football. He has been a great influence on me."

Diego Maradona arrives to a rousing welcome in Kolkata

KOLKATA, 6 December: "God of football" Diego Armando Maradona arrived on a two-day visit to Kolkata early Saturday and was welcomed by thousands of Kolkatans who gave sleep a miss and lined the roads for a glimpse of the Argentinian.

People waved flags of India and Argentina, danced to the tune of foot-tapping Latin American music and raised slogans eulogising the football legend who touched down at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International airport at 1.25 am. Kolkata, cricket crazy India's soccer crazy hub, saw passions run high as more than 50 thousand sports buffs assembled at the airport, and various street junctions leading to the hotel on the Eastern Metropolitan bypass where Maradona would put up. It was a carnival atmosphere as the milling crowd held aloft cut-outs of the footballer, and carried posters welcoming him in multiple languages - English, Hindi, Bengali and even Spanish. From old infirm men to children not yet in their teens, from able-bodied youth to bashful housewives - everyone seemed to have hit the streets. "I have been waiting for more than an hour. I am a great fan of Maradona," said housewife Ratna Sen, who had travelled 25 km to be a part of the occasion. The diminutive 1.65m hero of Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph was welcomed at the tarmac of the airport by West Bengal sports minister Subhas Chakraborty and the organisers with flowers. "Maradona is a phenomenon. This is a momentous occasion. It's the raw passion for soccer which has brought so many people on the roads," said former India international footballer and Arjuna awardee Prasun Banerjee, waiting on a city street.

More than 5000 policemen, including the Rapid Action Force and crack commandos were deployed on the entire route of Maradona's convoy to prevent any breach of peace. A couple of over-enthusiastic teenagers were seen climbing lamp posts near the airports to hoist Argentine flags, forcing the security personnel to step in and bring them down. On Saturday morning, Maradona would begin his schedule by flying out in a helicopter to the facility of one of the sponsors before laying the foundation stone of the Maradona Indian Football School at Mahestala, 13 km south of the city.

Maradona, accompanied by his girlfriend Veronica, would also be felicitated at Maheshtala before returning to his hotel for a media meet that would be followed by the felicitation at the giant Salt Lake Stadium in the afternoon. "It will be a programme worth remembering for years. Don't miss the start and the end," said Chakraborty.

Maradona would kick-start a match between Foreign Minister's XI and Chief Minister's XI, where players turning out for various teams would take part. Among those seen in action would Bhaichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto. Later, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would inaugurate the felicitation proper. Maradona would be showered with gifts, among which are golden replica of the stadium, and a left foot with a football. He would also go around the stadium in the bus, before the function concludes with a pyrotechnic display.

On Sunday, Maradona would visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa. He would also call on former state chief minister and communist patriarch Jyoti Basu at his Salt Lake residence. Maradona would conduct a soccer clinic at the Mohun Bagan ground later in the day, before wrapping up his visit with a charity dinner at the hotel. Five jerseys and footballs autographed by the soccer star would come under the hammer at the dinner, the proceeds of which would go to the IFS.

10 West Bengal jute mills resume work in despite strike

Kolkata, Dec 5 :Ten jute mills in West Bengal have resumed work despite an ongoing indefinite strike called by 18 trade unions in the state, a mill owners' organisation said Thursday.
'Ten jute mills in the suburbs of Kolkata have started working. Some other jute mills also want to start working but militant trade unionism is stopping them,' Sanjay Kajaria, chairman of the Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA), told newspersons.

The indefinite strike in 59 jute mills in the state started Dec 1 due to non-payment of dearness allowance (DA) to the workers by the mill owners since April 2007.

Gobinda Guha, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)-affiliated Bengal Chatkal Majdoor Union, confirmed that 10 jute mills have started operations.

'Around six mills in Howrah, two in South 24-Parganas and a few others have reopened,' Guha said.

'Since the time is good for the mills owners as they are getting record orders from the government, they should settle the striking workers' demand,' he said.

The jute industry witnessed a 63-day strike from Jan 5 to March 8 in 2007, which crippled production during that period.

The IJMA claimed the central government had decided to allow use of plastic bags to pack food grain by amending present norms requiring mandatory use of jute bags as the workers in most of the mills had gone on strike. This would dampen demand, Kajaria said.

'The textile ministry has communicated to us that it will dilute the Jute Packaging Materials Act to allow plastic bags as work at most mills have come to a halt following the strike. Our worst fear has come true,' he added.