Stretch of Hoogly to be developed as a Ganges River dolphin reserve

The Ganges river dolphin is considered to be the national aquatic animal of India and, it would get more protection in Bengal because a stretch of the Hoogly River between Malda and Sagar is planned to be developed as a dolphin community reserve.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 October 2015.

Bengal is home to the Irrawaddy dolphin and the Ganges river dolphin and, while the habitat of the Irrawaddy dolphins is comparatively protected being a part of the Sunderbans, the same is not done for the Ganga river dolphin. Hence, the focus on Hooghly and the Ganges river dolphin.
The state chief wildlife warden has indicated that the proposal would be placed for approval at the tenth meeting of the state wildlife board at Nabanna on October 8.
The importance of this is that the dolphin is a sort of bio-monitoring tool of river health and, therefore, the conservation of the Ganges river dolphin will also ensure protection of the ecology of river Hooghly.
The prime threat to the species is loss of habitat as a result of irrigation projects and pollution. The Ganges river dolphins are found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
It had been declared as the national aquatic animal of India in 2010 and, as revealed by sources, there are less than 2,000 such dolphins left in the country.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Kolkata wants Europe flights to return – chief minister talks to civil aviation minister

Once upon a time the Kolkata airport had several International Airlines like BOAC, Lufthansa, Japan Air Lines apart from Air India operating services to different European countries – but, the absence of enough passengers and, more importantly, high-value business travelers led to their departure. Kolkata became a low-priority destination for European airlines.
However, chief minister Mamata Banerjee wants them to come back and, hence, she had a meeting with civil aviation minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju who has indicated that he would request Air India to consider reintroducing direct flights to Europe from Calcutta.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 25 September 2015.

In the course of a meeting held in Nabanna with chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the civil aviation minister remarked that the state government's major concerns were direct flights to Europe and inactive airports in the state. He agreed to take up the matter of direct flights to Europe with Air India.
He also added that Air India have to follow a system to follow but, everyone has to work together to motivate the airlines in order to bridge the gap. Air India, British Airways and Lufthansa had the permission to operate direct flights between Calcutta and Europe – they would require sufficient number of business-class passengers to get motivated.
Air India had withdrawn its direct flight between Europe and Calcutta in 2007 for "commercial and operational" reasons – a euphemism for lack of passengers.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Kolkata is dying - Lal Dighi aka BBD Bag in shambles but, Mayor does not know

Lal Dighi is an identity of Kolkata. Earlier known as Dalhousie Square, it became BBD Bag and it is situated in the posh area of the Secretariat of West Bengal, it is in shambles after the Secretariat known as Writer’s Building. It was shifted to its new location and given a new name of Nabanna. But, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee apparently does not know about this!!
Beautification of this landmark heritage had been a pet project of chief minister Mamata Banerjee – but, it is now in shambles because it has gone out of her sight. In fact, the upgrade project has fallen apart because of shoddy workmanship and poor upkeep.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 26 August 2015.

It seems contractors who were engaged by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are flouting the basic norms that are necessary to restore a waterbody.
An example is the pathway that goes all around the square tank – its reinforcement should have been done by using logs of Shaal trees and placing them side by side along the edge of the waterbody with no gap in between. But, the contractor has used low-cost Eucalyptus logs that have begun to rot and disintegrate within six months.
Moreover, the logs have been planted one foot or more apart, instead of edge-to-edge, to use fewer logs. As a result, constant exposure to water is eroding the bank.
It had been the intention of Mamata Banerjee that the area be used by morning and evening walkers. And, for those who work in BBD Bag, it was meant to be an area for exercise and relaxation, either during lunch hours or after work hours. Unfortunately, it has become a nightmare due to lack of maintenance and so slippery that even the guards posted there have to tread gingerly.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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