North East Rising

India, September 25: After the Bharatiya Kisan Union and other organisations held several protests by farmers against the farm legislation passed earlier this week, a nationwide demonstration and “chakkajam” began on Friday.

The officials mentioned how police personnel inadequate strength were deployed across Punjab and Haryana to ensure law and order.

Punjab: As many as 31 farmer organisations joined the call for a complete shutdown in Punjab. Some of them gathered across several areas to disrupt vehicular movement while the others held protest marches. On Thursday, farmer unions began a three-day ‘rail roko’ protest at six different locations in the state with 1,000 to 1,500 farmers sitting on the tracks at each protest site. Farmer groups in Haryana have urged residents to observe a bandh from 10 am to 4 pm on Friday. Only the National Highways have been exempted from the bandh call.

The “Punjab bandh” call is getting support from government employees’ unions, singers, commission agents, labourers and social activists. Shops, commercial establishments and vegetable markets at many places remained shut. Shopkeepers have been appealed to keep their shops shut in support of farmers. Farmers on Thursday had started a three-day stir against the Bills and squatted on tracks in parts of the state. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said the state government was with them in the fight against the Bills and no FIR will be registered for the violation of Section 144 of the CrPC, which bars assembly of more than four people at a place. As many as 31 farmers’ organisations came together for a complete shutdown of the state.

Delhi-Noida border: As many as 150-200 farmers arrived at the Noida Gate in Sector 14A near Chilla, at the UP-Delhi border, where they were stopped by the police to ensure law and order.

West Bengal: TMC protested against the bill in front of Gandhi statue mayo road in Kolkata. Left party farmers’ bodies like ‘Sara Bharat Krishak Saba‘ under CPI(M) and those of other left parties like CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP led protests in various parts of West Bengal demanding the withdrawal of the “anti-people” farm bills passed in the Parliament. They took out rallies in the districts and blocked roads for some time. Participants in the processions at some places carried vegetables and agricultural produce and shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar.

South India: In Tamil Nadu, farmers from National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers’ Association sat outside Collector’s office in Trichy protested with human skulls, chained hands and nooses around their necks today.

Farmers in Karnataka also protested against the ‘anti-farmer policies of the central and state governments today. A large number of riots from various parts of the state arrived at the capital to take part in the demonstrations and register their protest against the amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act and the Karnataka La Reforms Act. A group of farmers also blocked the busy Tumakuru road near Yeshwanthpur in the city. The farmers were later taken away by the cops in buses.

The left party-affiliated farmer’s unions staged protests in Hyderabad.

Kolkata, September 24: Parts of West Bengal Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and parts of Medinipur witnessed heavy downpour on Wednesday.

A low-pressure zone is detected in North Orissa and North-West Bay of Bengal. Scattered rains are forecasted in the adjoining districts of Orissa and the western districts. A lot of water vapour is entering North Bengal from the Bay of Bengal. As a result, four to five more days of heavy rains are forecasted in North Bengal with high levels of humidity

There is a probability of heavy rainfall (more than 200mm) in North Bengal. Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Kochbihar, Jalpaiguri North and South Dinajpur will have thunderstorms along with heavy rain. A yellow alert has been issued in Malda. Scattered heavy rains, cloudy skies and thunderstorms are expected in one or two western districts of South Bengal including Kolkata.

Since heavy rains are expected in Birbhum, Murshidabad, Bankura, and West Midnapore, fishermen have been banned from sea ventures. Winds as strong as 45 to 55 mph will blow along the coast. The water level of the rivers of North Bengal will rise which might flood low-lying areas.

Weather reports have shown the maximum temperature of the city rising to 31.5 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature is 25.4 degrees Celsius. The maximum relative humidity is 98% and the minimum relative humidity is 76%.

Kolkata, West Bengal: College Street, also known as “Boi Para” (Book Mart), is a 900-metre long street, located at the central Kolkata in West Bengal stretching from B.B. Ganguly Street crossing (Bowbazar) to MG Road crossing (Barna Parichay Market) via Dr. Lalit Banerjee Sarani crossing and Colootola Street/Surya Sen Street crossing. It is the world’s largest second hand book market and India’s largest book market.

The place derives its name from the presence of so many colleges including presidency University, The sanskrit college and University, City college of commerce and Business administration. The College Street is most famous for its small and big book stores, which gives it the nickname Boi Para (Colony of Books). People from the whole city and different parts of the state gathers here for their books. Many bigwigs of the Bengali publication industry are situated here.

The history of the place goes back to the time when David Hare established the Hindu College in 1817. The road where the college was located was once known to be ‘The Great Arterial Road‘ which was later called ‘College Street‘ for the presence of the Hindu College. Babu Buddinath Mukherjee along with the support of the Chief Justice, Sir Edward Hyde East, and some European and Hindu gentlemen helped Hare to establish the college. With unanimous approbation finally Hare successfully established the Hindu College with twenty scholars.

It was under the Governance of Lord Wellesley, that the approval of the building came in. He even took the charge of planning and construction of the roads around the area. the Street has always been one of the famous landmarks for Kolkata.

However, its prestige was further enhanced when it made it to the Time magazine’s ‘Best of Asia’s‘ list. The place is not just a book mart for the people of the city. The street even houses many centres of intellectual activities, including the India Coffee House (a famous cafe of Kolkata). It has been the rendezvous place of many illustrious and notable personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, Satyajit Ray, Manna Dey, Amartya Sen, Mrinal Sen, Shashi Kapoor and Aparna Sen etc.