'No bulldozer allowed': Mamata Banerjee stalls move to demolish illegal hotels on sea beach
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stalled the move of the Purba Medinipur district authorities to demolish 140 hotels built illegally on the sea beach of Mandarmani, a well-placed source said.
The CM, who was unhappy since the state secretariat was "not informed" of the order beforehand, said no bulldozers would be allowed, according to the source.
The directive of the district authorities was issued following a National Green Tribunal order regarding the violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone by these hotels.
Banerjee, the bureaucrat said, gave strong instruction that "bulldozers will not be allowed anywhere in the state".
"The CM is very very unhappy with the development at Mandarmani beach. She has directed that no such activity will be allowed there. The notice was issued by the district administration without consulting or informing the state secretariat. In fact, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was also not informed," he told PTI.
The Purba Medinipore district administration recently issued a demolition notice to 140 hotels in Mandarmani, a popular seaside destination.
"Regarding Coastal Regulation Zone violation by hotels/resorts and homestays in Mandarmani, Purba Medinipur, all stakeholders are hereby directed to demolish and clean your illegal construction by November 11, otherwise legal action will be taken,” the notice, a copy of which is with PTI, read.
The order, however, is yet to be executed.
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7 persons injured as gas cylinder catches fire in Surat building
Surat (PTI): Seven persons received burn injuries after a gas cylinder caught fire in a building in Gujarat's Surat city on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The incident took place on the second floor of the Krishna Complex building located in Katargam locality at around 6 am, a fire department official said.
Seven persons, all men in the age group of 18 to 27 years, present in a small room of the building suffered burn injuries and were rushed to a hospital where they were undergoing treatment, he said.
"We received a fire call at 6.18 am, following which six fire tenders from three fire stations were rushed to the spot to control the blaze," a fire control room official said.
"The blaze was soon brought under control and the (fire-fighting) operation concluded within an hour," he said.
The police seized three gas cylinders from the site and further investigation was underway, the official said.
