Simpark Mall, the underground mall on Lindsay Street, to reopen

Simpark Mall, the underground mall situated on Lindsay Street, would reopen as indicated by the Mayor of Kolkata - the reopening would be in spite of a recommendation of the fire and emergency services department to shut it down. In fact, the Lindsay Street shopping complex had been shut down on Wednesday but will now reopen on Friday.
This has bee reported in telegraphindia.com dated 4 March 2016.

It seems during an inspection by fire and emergency services department officials it was revealed that there were inadequacies in the fire-safety measures at the mall and its underground parking facility, which can accommodate about 200 cars. Accordingly, the Mayor and officials of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) had visited the mall on Wednesday and ordered immediate closure of the mall and the underground parking plaza.
But, within less than 12 hours, the mayor did a volte-face - the reason was "in the interest of the 190 traders". Obvious, the goodwill of the traders took precedence over the safety of thousands of shoppers. The parking lot, however, will remain shut.
The car park has provisions for over 200 cars and, with loads of inflammable petrol and diesel in their tanks, any fire would be disastrous. The entire New Market will turn into an inferno. Hence, it was decided against reopening the parking plaza.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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#whitehouse #presidentobama #ussecretservice #josephclancy In view of a number of security lapses in the White House, Joseph Clancy, the director of US Secret Service feels another White House, a fake one, is needed to train the Secret Service staff. At preset they train in a car park that does not replicate the environments of the White House.
Joseph Clancy, therefore, wants a sanction of $8m to build a replica White House to train agents. It would be located in Beltsville, Maryland, 20-miles from the president's real home in Washington.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 18 March 2015.
The director has explained that they train in a car park that does not have the bushes and fountains that the White House grounds do, hence the need to have a replica mansion which would provide agents and officers a training experience that would be more realistic.
His request is against the backdrop of several embarrassing security lapses including one in which a knife-wielding man managed to sprint across the White House lawn and make his way into the mansion before he was restrained.
Incidentally, he is a 30-year veteran and was appointed by President Obama to take over the troubled agency on a permanent basis when the earlier incumbent was forced to resign.

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