No entry of plastics to Digha - violators to pay fines of Rs 300 to Rs 500

It is now No entry of plastics and thermocol to Digha - violators would have to pay fines of Rs 300 to Rs 500. All vehicles entering Digha would be searched from February 1 and those who are found to be carrying such items would be fined with amounts ranging from between Rs 300 and Rs 500.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 22 January 2016.

The East Midnapore district administration has successfully imposed a ban on plastic and thermocol products by levying fines on errant hotels and shops at Digha and has, now, decided to extend the cleanliness initiative to tourists. While the hotels and shops are abiding by the ban, those who arrive from outside to the resorts in their own cars or buses for picnics, are either unaware or are ignoring the ban that has been imposed.
The visitors coming for picnics, have their meals and then throw the plastic or thermocol bags, glasses and plates all over to create litter.
This has also came to the notice of chief minister Mamata Banerjee who was in Digha about a month ago and she has given instructions to implement strong measures to stop such environmental pollution.
Huge crowds are expected between 23 and 26 January and the administration would use that opportunity to pass on the message through microphones, banners and posters.

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Kolkata to DIgha - 45-minutes by chopper, fare Rs 2000

West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has flagged off a Calcutta-Digha weekly helicopter service. The fight will take 45-minutes and the fare has been pegged at Rs 2000. However, a resident in the heart of Kolkata, the Bengal capital, would have to travel an hour and a half to reach the Behala airstrip from where the chopper would take off!
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 December 2015.

A seven-seater Pawan Hans chopper would be taking off every Saturday and reach Digha in 45 minutes. However, the total travel time would be around two hours and fifteen minutes for a person who is staying in central Kolkata while, Digha by road takes a little more than three hours.
The time difference is approximately an hour but the pocket pinch differs significantly. The reason is simple - a one-way chopper ride comes to Rs 2,000 per passenger whereas a one-way air-conditioned bus ticket from Esplanade to Digha costs only Rs 300. Trains from Howrah reach Digha in a little over three hours and, in it, an AC chair car on the Tamralipta Express comes for Rs 370.
Obviously, a chopper service from Kolkata to Digha may not be a profitable proposition. Helicopter services had been started in other parts of West Bengal like in Cooch Behar and Bolpur, but had to be discontinued within a few months because of lack of passengers.
As to Bolpur, the service between Calcutta and Bolpur had to be terminated because the helipad is 4-Km away from the Birbhum town and passengers had to hire a car to reach the helipad.

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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the sea-beach of Digha and was impressed by it and the tourists who spoke well about the tourist spot. But, she wants still more and issued instructions to her people. As she has said - Digha has everything but it is necessary to create some better infrastructure. Tourists who come, especially couples, must not be disturbed. It is up to the administration to ensure that.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 23 December 2015.

Digha is a well-known tourist spot in Bengal but because of problems like littered beaches, poor road connectivity, absence of a proper walkway along the beach and concerns about safety, tourism has never developed as an organized industry. However, some recent measures that have been taken has given a boost to tourism. One of these is the paved 4-Km walkway parallel to the beach in Old Digha.
Another step taken by the government was the attempt to develop infrastructure around the Udaipur beach along the Bengal-Odisha border. There are also plans to build a road connecting Mandarmoni and Digha through Tajpur. It will be a 20-Km stretch and, once complete, the experience will be better than that of Marine Drive in Mumbai.
Mamata's dream is to turn the beach into one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the state.

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Bangkok seats go a-begging from Kolkata – it is out of favor with Bengalis

It is a very sad state of affairs that Puja flights to Bangkok have rows of seats still empty and Thailand struggles to woo tourists from the east. The trend is attributed to political unrest over the past year and possibly a Phuket-Pattaya overkill. As a result, Thailand has been dropped from the list of favorites.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 16 October 2015.

In the festive season of Durga Puja, around 18,000 Calcuttans fly abroad. This is about 50 per cent more than the average for that period in any other month except the winter and summer holiday seasons. Experience has shown that more than 40 per cent of the Puja holiday traffic is to Southeast Asia. Then comes West Asia and Africa (mainly Egypt) that account for around 30 per cent followed by Europe which accounts for 20 per cent. The rest is divided between the United States and Australia.
Among the Southeast Asian countries, Thailand had been the most popular sector for more than a decade. Calcuttans treated Thailand at par with Digha, Puri or Darjeeling – Thailand was nearer home and was full of activity options and, it was also affordable. But – tour operators are puzzled at the sudden new trend.
Incidentally, Thai Airways had added an afternoon flight for five days between October 15 and 24 in anticipation of the usual rush – they are now left staring at the empty seats. And - travel agents who had blocked seats in bulk are stuck with unsold tickets.
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Guarding the beaches of Digha, Tajpur and Mandarmani – 100 youths recruited

In view of the popularity of the beaches of Bengal that usually sees footfalls of around 20,000 to 25,000 in Digha and from 8,000 to 10,000 in Tajpur and Mandarmani, the East Midnapore administration has taken a decision to recruit around 100 youths to guard the beaches.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 16 August 2015.

The intention is to ensure that tourists do not venture into the danger zones of the turbulent seas during high tide and also to carry out rescue operations.
There are many spots on the Digha beach where bathing is dangerous. Nineteen nuliahs had been hired locally about a year ago and split into three groups to man the beaches at Digha, Mandarmani and Tajpur. However, they are not trained in rescue operations. Hence, there is a need for experienced persons.
The people aged from 18 and 45 years have been selected through the local gram panchayats and they are undergoing training at the Udaypur beach, which is deserted most of the time. They are getting trained in to work as a team, and also on the use of ropes for rescuing, giving first aid and resuscitating drowning people.
Other trainings include using motorboats and various swimming strokes at the Amarabati Lake in New Digha. Personnel. The training is being imparted by the disaster management department and each of these persons would be paid Rs 338 a day by the disaster management department in East Midnapore.
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