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Kolkata, Oct 29 (IANS) As many as 720 students of St. Xavier’s School in West Bengal’s Burdwan district have been suspended for taking private tuition from the school’s teachers.

Confirming the decision, head master K. K. Devasy said: “Some of the students take tuitions from our teachers, and some do not. We have taken this decision in the interest of the students”.

The school authorities Wednesday gave a note in the diaries of the students saying they should not take tuitions from teachers of the school. The note warned that students disobeying the order will be punished.

When the school reopened Thursday, 720 students from classes V to X were told to go home and not to attend classes for a month.

“They were told the school authorities will hold discussions with us. When we went, we were informed that they were suspended for taking tuition from teachers of the school,” a guardian said on condition of anonymity.

The guardians staged a demonstration and forced the gatekeepers to let the students into the school compound.

Classes were not held in the school Thursday.

A teacher said when students take tuitions from teachers of the same school, it may lead to “unfair” judgement. “There is a chance they may get to know the examination questions. Also teachers are bound to favour those students who take private tuition from them.”

“But we don’t have any objections to those taking private tuition from teachers of other schools. That’s the prerogative of the students and their guardians.”

However, a guardian said that while the students were “victimised”, the teachers who gave private tuitions to them went scot free.

Kolkata: A R Rahman on Tuesday announced his Jai Ho’ concert at Salt Lake stadium on November 14, five years after he rocked a packed house at the same location.

The show is being organized by The Liver Foundation West Bengal and will help spread awareness about liver ailments and raise funds. President of the Liver Foundation, West Bengal, Ashokananda Konar urged everyone to come forward and support the cause.

Sourav Ganguly has been instrumental in supporting the foundation since its foundation. A few years back in Siliguri, the two maestros had come together with urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya to help a child, who was suffering from liver disease, recuperate.

He could not afford the cost of treatment. They hope that a lot of people benefit from the initiative taken up by the Liver Foundation.

Rehman had last performed at the stadium five years back. He was touched by the love and affection showered on him by the 90,000-strong audience at the show. This time he hopes it will be a bigger success, more so because he feels privileged and honoured to be called to perform for a noble cause.

Though he receives a stream of requests for performances, this concert was chosen by Rahman for its deservingness. It will form a part of his nationwide chain of concerts that has already been taken to Calicut, Pune and Chennai.

Rahman said he had experimented with Tagore and other Bengali songs in a few of his Tamil films. Asked to pick a favourite song from his vast range of compositions, Rahman said, that it is very difficult to pick and choose. However, the songs composed for Roja are really very special for him.

Kolkata: In a recent report, a kidnapped cop has been killed as Jharkhand govt decided not to free a Maoist leader.

Police inspector Francis Induwar had been kidnapped on 30th September and the Maoists claimed the release of three Maoist leaders. These arrested leaders’ inlcude Kobad Ghandy.

The Maoists had demanded that three of their leaders, including Kobad
Ghandy, be released in exchange for Enduwar.

The news of Enduwar’s killing was confirmed by Jharkhand Deputy
Inspector General R.K. Malik, who said his body was found on the
Jamshedpur-Ranchi highway around 9 am.

Kolkata: It’s like a blow to Mamta Banerjee led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. CPI-M today delivered a blow to Mamata backing the Congress in wresting the Siliguri Mayor’s post from the later.

The chief minister, backed by state CPM secretary and Left Front chairman Biman Bose, left no scope for party hardliners to derail the plans to keep the Siliguri Municipal Corporation out of Trinamool’s control.

In a two-hour meeting of the CPM state secretariat held at the party’s state headquarters at Alimuddin Street, Bhattacharjee played a key role in pushing the party brass into accepting the Congress proposal for support.

Immediately after the proposal for support came from the Congress, Bose called an urgent meeting of the secretariat late Wednesday evening.

Sources said a difference of opinion in the 13-member secretariat was sorted out by the chief minister. Three members reportedly said this decision could be considered as opportunistic.

Kolkata: Press Club Kolkata shot off letters to Union home minister P Chidambaram, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti and home secretary Ardhendu Sen, condemning the way Chhatradhar Mahato was arrested.

PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato was arrested by policemen impersonating as journalists. It came under criticism from intellectuals and journalists on Sunday.

Intellectuals are demanding immediate release of Chhatradhar. On Sunday, a rally was taken out in support of the PCPA leader, projected as a “leader of people’s struggle”.

On Monday the day Vijaya Dashami will be observed all over the state intellectuals will sit on a dharna to condemn the arrest.

Human rights activist Sujato Bhadra claims “The way Chhatradhar Mahato was arrested is illegal. Policemen have to be in uniform and disclose their identity before arresting a person.”

He says further, “Police cannot impersonate as other professionals and carry out their activities. There is no provision in the indian legal system for the police to do so.”

Looks like recession not only affected peoples job or pay cuts but also it is affecting the festivals and we are talking about the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations. And it is now affecting the idol makers in Kolkatta.

Durga puja is not limited to Kolkata or north India for that matter, it is celebrated internationally in the US and Europe. But this time, due to the recessions, the donations for the pooja has been reduced to as low as 50%.

So, the various organizations which used to conduct the pooja have tried to manage with less. This has direct relation with the idol makers in India.

Pradyut Pal, who is one of the biggest exporter of the idols says “Our export business is down 50%. Even the number of online enquiries were much less this year because budgets are down.”

Kolkata: Union railway minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has been announcing various plans regarding new railway lines projects, civic infrastructure, healthcare facilities and flyovers, however the railway officials are clueless about how these plans will be given their due shape.

The list of announcements starts with Mamata announcing a survey work would be taken up on two new railway lines proposed to connect Taratalla to Metiabruz and Majerhat to Garden Reach.

She mentioned about the inauguration of computerised reservation system (CRS) at Metiabruz. This is the fourth passenger reservation system under South Eastern Railway in Kolkata.

Ms Banerjee announced plans to set up a hospital to serve the healthcare needs of the people in the area. However, getting land for the proposed hospital was posing a problem, she said.

She also announced plans to build a flyover next to Nazrul Setu near the Fancy market area. These projects will come up on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

With the festive season around the corner, Didi has surely made various announcements. We hope it comes true and people get their “gifts”.

Kolkata: The blame game between CPM and Mamata Banerjee is increasing rapidly with regards to running of the Railways in the State.

“She is running the Railways as her personal property. Instead of developing existing infrastructure, she is adding a number of new trains. This is just a public gimmick,” said Basudeb Acharya, CPM parliamentarian and former chairperson of Parliament standing committee on Railways.

“We are not disrupting the rail services. She is aware that she is making the Railways unsafe by putting extra pressure. Therefore, she is blaming us,” adds Acharya.

Whereas, Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at the CPM, accusing of sabotaging the Railways due to frequent disruptions on rail tracks in Bengal.

“Railways are a sensitive mechanism and a vital one. The CPM is engaging in preplanned disruptions,” said Banerjee.

The CPM leaders, meanwhile, retorted by saying that Banerjee is putting pressure on the Railways by adding a number of new trains without developing the infrastructure, which makes trains accident-prone.

Kolkata: West Bengal Housing minister Gautam Deb is willing to allot 10 acres of land each to the two companies. Deb mooted the proposal in the CPM meet. The party secretariat, however, left it to the CM to take the final call.

In the mean time, reports said that Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is not keeping well. He has extended his sojourn at Mongpong in North Bengal by yet another day, as he could not make it to CPM’s weekly secretariat meeting on Friday.

The CM will attend the inauguration programme of the police memorial on Sunday.

Health reasons apart, there are security concerns over the CM’s travel by a a low cost carrier (LCC), that only has economy seats.

With the Jet Airways flight to Bagdogra cancelled for the second consecutive day and no Air India (AI) flight scheduled on Friday, the CM’s security advised against travel on the SpiceJet flight, which has no executive class.

While returning from a trip to south India, about 28 girls of the Howrah Girls’ College, fell ill.

Rumours are that the girls consumed the food served by the pantry car and due to food poisoning they fell ill. The quality of the food being served on this trains is being questioned.

Railway minister Mamata Banerjee ordered an enquiry and directed senior officials to lodge a police complaint against those responsible.

Following soon, Government Railway Police at Howrah then arrested the pantry car manager of the 2507 Ernakulum-Guwahati Express.

The catering staff, however, claimed they had served the same food to nearly 500 other passengers and none of them, other than the students, fell ill.

Preliminary inquiry, however, revealed that the girls were ill before they availed of on-board catering services.