CMYK Rs. 3 KOLKATA FRIDAY, 13 MAY, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—348 (RNI NO.: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) MAY 13 FRIDAY 34 34 29 Houses in Bowbazar evacuated as cracks appear amid metro construction MI News Service, Kolkata: Precipition: 20% Humidity: 70% Morning India Wind: 26 KM/H Pakistani rupee hits new all-time low MI News Service, Karachi: The Pakistani rupee on Thursday broke all previous records against the US dollar and dropped to an all-time low of Rs191.77 in the interbank market, media reports said. The local currency lost Rs 1.7 (or 0.91 per cent) during the day to close at Rs 191.77, surpassing Wednesday's record low of Rs 188.66, The News reported. Dried-up foreign currency inflows, coupled with a delay in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout and a lack of financial support from friendly countries, are adding to the pressure on the local currency. The decline was in line with the predictions of the analysts who fear more losses down the road as the country remains mired in political and economic instability, The News reported. A day earlier, the rupee surpassed the critical threshold of 190 amid a persistent decline in the foreign exchange reserves due to hefty current account and trade deficits, and higher debt payments. Since the beginning of this fiscal year (July 1, 2021) to date, the rupee has collectively dropped by a massive 21.72 per cent (or Rs 34.23) compared to the previous fiscal year's close at Rs 157.54. The rupee has maintained a downward trend for the last 13 months. It has lost 25.94 per cent (or Rs 39.5) to date, compared to the record high of Rs 152.27 recorded in May 2021. Moreover, political unrest owing to PTI's protest campaign against the government is eclipsing the new economic team's focus on economic firefighting. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to march with millions of his supporters towards Islamabad after May 20 to demand new elections to add to the troubles of the economically-challenged PML-N led regime, The News reported. The residents of Bowbazar mainly Durga Pituri Lane are evacuated as fresh cracks and fissures appeared due to the ongoing construction of metro railways. Following the report of cracks developing in some age-old buildings in the area, the Mayor of Kolkata Firhad Hakim accompanied by KMc officials went to the spot. The DG building will hold meetings with Calcutta Metro Rail Corporation Limited to find a way out and gauge the fitness of houses in the area, He further mentioned that there is negligence by CMRCL in Wednesday's incident as it had assured of taking total engineering responsibility of the area, which had seen a similar occurrence about two and half years ago. In August 2019 underground vibrations of a tunnel boring machine had damaged several old structures in the same Durga Pituri Lane when an aquifer broke during tunnel boring for the metro rail corridor and Baljeet Kaul has climbed her second 8000m mountain Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak on Thursday morning just within two weeks, according to a media report. Baljeet Kaur, from Himachal Pradesh summited Mt. Kanchenjunga at 04.20 a.m. with her guide Mingma Sherpa, CMYK water and silt had gushed in, leading to severe sinking of the ground. People had to be shifted to nearby hotels for days. According to Hakim , the soil is apparently yet to settle in the area, which has a large number of old houses, after the incident. "An expert committee under the DG, Building, will begin its assessment at once. Some immediate steps must be taken," he added. The State Minister for Planning and Statistics, Tapas Roy mentioned that his family which lives in Mamata bats for more districts for better administration MI News Service, Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday emphasized that there is a need to create more districts in the state for expediting development work, but it has been constrained by lack of manpower and infrastructure. Speaking at a meeting with West Bengal Civil Service officers at the renovated Town Hall here, She said the area of the existing 23 districts in the state is vast, hence there is a need to divide them and increase the number of districts. While applauding the performance of the civil service officers she further mentioned that the state needs more manpower and infrastructure for this purpose. “We need to divide the districts as these are very large. The state will have more districts. This will help expedite development work”, she said. "Look at our neighbouring state of Bihar, which has 38 districts. In West Bengal, we have so many big districts which need bifurcation to expedite administrative efficiency. So, in future, the current number of 23 districts might be increased to 46," the chief minister said. According to her, the bifurcation and increase in the number of districts is extremely necessary to improve the promotion avenues of the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers, which in her words are the "state's own officers". "Look at our neighbouring state of Bihar, which has 38 districts. In West Bengal, we have so many big districts which need bifurcation to expedite administrative efficiency. So, in future, ❑ Continue PG 3 SC refuses interim relief in LIC IPO matter, issues notice MI News Service, New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant any interim relief in a matter pertaining to the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) initial public offering (IPO) issue and issued notice to the Centre on petitions challenging the constitutional validity of provisions of certain sections of Finance Act, 2021 and certain provision of LIC Act 1956. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and PS Narasimha asked the Centre to file a reply on various petitions. But the bench said, "We are of the view that no case of in- Indian climber climbs two peaks within two weeks MI News Service, Kathmandu: Indian climber Residents carry their belongings as they are evacuated from several buildings in Bowbazar after their houses developed cracks during East-West Metro's tunnel-boring work in Kolkata, on Thursday. PIC: PRABIR BHATTACHARYA. said Pasang Sherpa of Peak Promotion Pvt Ltd, according to Himalayan Times Daily. "She has arrived at Camp III and is now descending as she is expected to arrive at the base camp today evening," Sherpa said. She has also climbed Mt. Annapurna I on April 28, 2022. This is her second 8000m+ mountain this season, according to Continue PG 3 Sherpa. ❑ terim relief has been made out. No interim relief granted." The Court also tagged the matter with the proceedings before the Constitution Bench as the petitions also raised issues regarding the enactment of law as a money bill.One of the petitioners in the matter has challenged the order of the Madras High Court while other one has challenged Bombay High Court order. The petitioner in Madras High Court was filed by L Ponnammal, a LIC policyholder, challenging the passing of the Finance Act, 2021 as a money bill and as the petitioner stated that the provisions were introduced by a Money Bill despite amendment does not fall in the category of Money Bill. The petition sought to declare sections 128 to 146 of the Finance Act, 2021 as ultra vires Article 110 of the Constitution of India or alternatively declare Section 5(9) of the LIC Act 1956 and Section 128 to 130 Section 132 to 146 of the Finance Act, 2021 as ultra vires Article 110 of the Constitution of India or alternatively declare section 140 of the Finance Act, 2021 as ultra vires Article 110 of the Constitution of India. K'taka to implement AntiConversion Bill through ordinance MI News Service, Bengaluru: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka is all set to bring an ordinance in connection with the implementation of the controversial Anti-Conversion Bill in the state. The implementation of the bill which proposes stringent measures on religious conversion activities is going to create a lot of chaos in the state. The move from the BJP in Kar- nataka came following Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday. The high command has also summoned Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra to Delhi, and the issue is likely to be discussed, according to party sources. The bill has been passed in the Legislative Assembly and it is yet to be presented in the ❑ Continue PG 3 the area had spent a sleepless night as the neighboring house had developed a crack. At least five houses in central Calcutta’s Bowbazar were evacuated late on Wednesday after major cracks appeared on the structures, likely to have been caused by metro rail- way construction in the area, police said. A large team of Calcutta Police’s disaster management team accompanied by senior police officers and metro rail officials visited the spot at Durga Pithuri Lane, they said. Several families have already been evacuated from the affected buildings, but some of them refused to leave their houses. Several persons, fearing further subsidence even spent the night in the open. The evacuees have expressed anguish about the recurrence of subsi- dence and concern over the future of the area. A K Nandi, GM (administration), of CMRCL said its engineers are working overnight to repair the cracks and to ensure that no such fissures take place in future. ❑ Continue PG 3