Independence Day Lashker e Tayyaba attack threat on 3 cities

After the lull following the 26/11 terror attack, Pakistan based terror outfit Lashker-e-Tayyaba is planning fresh terror strikes around Independence Day in three major cities -Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Specific intelligence inputs gathered by security agencies reveal that the LeT, responsible for innumerable terror strikes including 26/11 in Mumbai, is trying to sneak militants into the country with the aid of Pakistani authorities. "We don't see any indication that Pakistani authorities have reduced their support to the militants. A 400 500 metre long tunnel dug by the militants to enter the valley has been discovered by security agencies. This could not have been done without help from Pakistani authorities," a senior home ministry official said.

Pointing towards the increase in infiltration bids in the last few months, the official confessed that even as major bids have been foiled recently some militants might have been able to sneak into the country.

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Sea Link is India’s longest

Themain span of the cable stayed portion of the Bandra-Worli sea link measuring 500 metres is the largest in India superseding Vidyasagar Setu in Kolkata and shares the 20th spot with Thailand’s Kanchanaphisek Bridge among the bridges with the longest span in the world.

The Sutong Bridge over the Yangtze River in China, opened June last year, has the largest span of any cable-stayed bridge at 1,088 meters. Hong Kong’s Stone cutters Bridge has the second longest span at 1,018 metres and with 890 metre the Tatara Bridge in Japan is the third longest.

Main span is the distance between the suspension towers and is the most common way to rank cable stayed bridges

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Buddhadeb and Paswan escape big mine blast

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Union steel, chemicals and fertilisers minister Ram Vilas Paswan narrowly escaped a landmine explosion at Baruahati in Maoist-infested West Midnapore district on Sunday afternoon.

The explosion, allegedly by Maoist outfits, has exposed the failure of the West Bengal police and its intelligence wing in ensuring foolproof security for VIPs. Six policemen travelling in the Union minister’s pilot car were injured in the explosion. Two of them were admitted to Kolkata’s AMRI Hospital Sunday evening.

“It is a serious incident. Two policemen are in critical condition,” the chief minister said.

The explosion took place when the pilot vehicle (WB-62-5647) in Mr Paswan’s convoy was passing the Kalaichandi canal area at around 2 pm. “The four-wheeler was tossed in the air by the impact and left mangled.

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Siliguri turns into warzone, Army on call

Siliguri became a war zone on Thursday as mobs of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters and local residents fought pitched battles, as tension spread in the Darjeeling hill district.

The rioting forced West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata to seek Army deployment, but with the situation improving later in the day the Army was asked to remain on standby. “I had a talk with Army officials and asked them to stay alert,” he said.

Flag marches were, however, held by paramilitary jawans, and in response to the state’s request New Delhi ordered the dispatch of 10 more companies — almost 1,000 men — of the CRPF, BSF and SSB. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were imposed in Siliguri subdivision.

Rattled by the worsening crisis in the Darjeeling hills, the CM has called an allparty meeting on June 17 to find a political solution. “I request all people, in the hills and the plains, to maintain peace and amity,” he said. After the GJM sus pended its “indefinite” bandh in the hills for 60 hours, ostensibly to allow tourists to leave the area safely, some outfits like the Jan Chetna Morcha, Amra Bangali and Bangla Bhasa Bachao Samiti called a 48 hour bandh in the plains.

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Metro line under river in Kolkata

The Centre on Thursday approved a Ks 4,676-crore Metro Rail link between Howrah and Salt Lake in Kolkata, part of which will run under the Hooghly river. Kolkata's 13.77-km east-west Metro corridor was approved by the Union Cabinet. Of the total distance, 8 km will be underground and 5.77 km elevated from Howrah to Salt Lake. It will be in two phases and will be completed in six-and-a-half-years.

The Union Cabinet gave its approval for implementation of the East-West Metro Corridor project, Kolkata, covering 13.77 km on standard gauge, from Howrah Station to Salt Lake Sector V at a cost of Rs 4,676 crores. The project is to be executed through a joint-venture company to be formed by the Central and the state government.

A special purpose vehicle (SPV) will be constituted for successful execution of the project as well as its operation and maintenance. Such SPV will be a joint-venture company of the state government and the Centre. Equity participation of government of West Bengal and government of India will be on a 50:50 basis.

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