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Cyclone Amphan Comes as Blessing in Disguise for Lockdown-hit Jobless Labourers, Electricians in WB

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File photo: Men remove a fallen electricity pole from a road after cyclone Amphan made its landfall in South 24 Parganas district on West Bengal on Thursday. (Reuters)

With a shortage of manpower to clear uprooted trees and restore power supply amid protests by people staying without electricity or water for more than five days, civic authorities in several affected areas have employed the labourers and electricians for restoration work.

  • PTI Kolkata
  • Last Updated: May 26, 2021, 10:47 AM IST
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Bengali proverb ‘Karor poush mash toh karor sorbonash’ (Someone’s loss is someone else’s gain) has taken a literal meaning in cyclone-ravaged West Bengal.

On one hand, Cyclone Amphan has wreaked havoc in large parts of south Bengal and affected millions of people, while on the other, it has also opened up livelihood opportunities for electricians and daily wagers sitting idle for more than two months due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

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With a shortage of manpower to clear uprooted trees and restore power supply amid protests by people staying without electricity or water for more than five days, civic authorities in several affected areas have employed the labourers and electricians for restoration work.

“There is a shortage of manpower as many employees have been unable to join duty due to the lockdown. Hence, we decided to take the help of local labourers to remove the trees blocking the roads.

“Although it is the job of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) to restore power supply, wires are lying everywhere so we needed the help of local electricians to safely remove them,” a councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said.

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Apart from the KMC, authorities of the South Dum Dum and the North Dum Dum municipalities have also engaged daily wagers to remove the uprooted trees from the roads.

“Hundreds of trees have been uprooted in our municipal area, and we are facing a shortage of manpower. So, we have engaged labourers, who were sitting idle at their homes for the last two months, on a daily payment basis,” Abhijit Mitra, a councillor of South Dum Dum municipality said.

Manoj Sarangi, a daily wager who used to work in a sawmill, has been jobless since the imposition of the lockdown.

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He has now been engaged by the South Dum Dum municipality for restoration work and is being paid Rs 250 every day.

“I didn’t have a job for the last two months and have spent all my savings. This work of removing uprooted trees has saved my family,” he said.

The civic body has employed 100 labourers like Sarangi for the restoration work.

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For electrician Sajal Das too, the cyclone has come as a blessing in disguise. After remaining jobless for two months, his hands are now full.

“Earlier, I used to earn Rs 500 per day but my earning came to a grinding halt due to the lockdown. But since May 22, two days after the cyclone struck West Bengal, my phone has not stopped ringing,” he said.

“Every day, I am getting calls from people asking me to repair their water pumps or mend electric wires,” he added.

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Subal Naskar, a retired technician of the state power department who now runs an electrical appliance shop, too is busy attending to calls for restoration of cable TV network and repair of ceiling fans amid rising mercury levels.






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(Note: This is a Article Automatically Generated Through Syndication, Here is The Original Source

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Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election Phase 2 : Key seats, candidates in the fray

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Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election Phase 2 : Key seats, candidates in the fray

The massive electoral exercise of the Lok Sabha Elections for 2024 is in full swing and the second phase of the election has commenced. In the second phase the fate of the candidates of 89 constituencies spread across 13 states will be decided by the voters. Uttar Pradesh is the most important state with more than 80 Lok Sabha seats. In the second phase of the election voters will vote for eight Lok Sabha seats.

Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha seats which will go for the polls include Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Amroha, Meerut, Aligarh,  Bulandshahar, Mathura, and Baghpat. Amroha, Meerut, Baghpat, and Gautam Buddh Nagar will see a triangular contest between NDA bloc, the Opposition INDIA alliance, and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mathura and Ghaziabad will see a straight contest between BJP and Congress. In Aligarh and Bulandshahr the BJP will lock horns with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.

The Details are as follows-

  • Amroh -Kanwar Singh Tanwar(BJP) ,Danish Ali (Congress).Mujahid Hussain(BSP)
  • Meerut   – Arun Govil (BJP),Sunita Verma Pradhan (Samajwadi Party),Mujahid Hussain(BSP)
  • Mathura-Hema Malini (BJP),Mukesh Dhangar (Congress)         —
  • Baghpat-Rajkumar Sangwan (RLD),Amarpal Sharma (Samajwadi Party),Praveen Bansal(BSP)
  • Aligarh-Satish Kumar Gautam (BJP),Bijendra Singh (Samajwadi Party) —
  • Ghaziabad-Atul Garg (BJP) ,Dolly Sharma (Congress)           —
  • Budh Nagar-Dr Mahesh Sharma (BJP),Mahendra Nagar (Samajwadi Party),R.S.Solanki(BSP)
  • Bulandshahar-Bhola Singh (BJP),Shivram Valmiki (Samajwadi Party)     —

Many prominent personalities will find their fate locked in the EVM machines and this includes Hema Malini who will be eying for her third win from Mathura. She is pitted against Mukesh Dhangar from the Congress party.

Another star Arun Govil is standing from the BJP from Meerut and he is pitted against Sunita Verma from the SP and Devvrat Tyagi from the BSP. Arun Govil had played the character of Lord Rama in the Ranananda Sagar 1987 serial Ramayan

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MP Kunwar Danish Ali has changed party and is now standing as a Congress candidate Amroha, a constituency historically without a strong allegiance to any particular party. He stood and won as a BSP candidate in 2019. He will be pitted against Kanwar Singh Tanwar of the BJP and Mujahid Hussain of the BSP.

As per reports in the first four hours a voter turnout of 24.31 per cent was recorded in the eight parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in phase two of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday. The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm.

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Video of Isha Arora, Saharanpur Polling Agent Takes the Internet By Storm 

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Video of Isha Arora, Saharanpur Polling Agent taking the internet by storm 

A video is currently going viral on the internet, showing Saharanpur polling agent Isha Arora doing the rounds in the Gangoh assembly constituency during the Saharanpur Lok Sabha elections. Since then, netizens have been going gaga over her charm and personality.

Meanwhile, many are curious to know more about her. A wide range of memes and reels are also being shared on Twitter and Instagram.

According to social media, Isha Arora is a State Bank of India (SBI) employee, currently employed on polling duty for the Saharanpur Lok Sabha Election 2024 in Madari village of the Gangoh assembly constituency.

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Video of Isha Arora dominates the internet

There she serves as the first polling officer at Garhi village’s polling booth. It got to a point that national news agencies were trying to get her on camera.

Many of Isha Arora’s photos and videos are circulating on various social media platforms, generating millions of clicks and views. While talking to ANI, she stated:

“I think that if you get any duty, you should be punctual and that’s the reason I have assumed my duty on time. Every man and woman should be punctual to let the functioning be smooth.” 

On being asked about her election duties, she said:

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“I’ll say that people should be punctual and they are, otherwise conducting such big elections wouldn’t have been possible. I didn’t get time to watch it (comments) in the video. It’s election time and it was my duty to come on time hence I was busy. It goes viral due to my punctuality and devotion…” 

Back in 2019, during the Lok Sabha elections, a clerk from the Public Works Department in Lucknow, Reena Dwivedi, gained national media attention because of her beauty. Her pictures in a yellow saree on duty went viral on various social media platforms.

Also Read: Hareem Shah Addresses Trolls After Her MMS Video Leak

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Raj Kundra ED Case Explained: Properties Worth Rs 98 Cr Seized 

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Raj Kundra ED Case Explained: Properties Worth Rs 98 Cr Seized 

Raj Kundra, the famous businessman and husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, has had properties worth Rs. 98 crore seized by the Enforcement Directorate.

The ED has also seized Shilpa Shetty’s Juhu flat. The Mumbai Zonal Office has seized movable and immovable properties worth Rs. 97.79 crore belonging to Raj Kundra (also known as Ripu Sudan Kundra) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as reported by The Economic Times.

The seized properties include equity shares in Raj Kundra’s name, a residential bungalow situated in Pune, and a flat in Juhu under Shilpa Shetty’s name.

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The investigation was initiated by the ED based on multiple FIRs registered by the Delhi Police and Maharashtra Police.

The FIRs were registered against several MLM agents: Mahender Bhardwaj, Simpy Bhardwaj, Vivek Bhardwaj, Ajay Bhardwaj, the late Amit Bhardwaj, and M/s Variable Tech Pte Ltd.

According to News18, allegations prevail that they collected funds worth Rs. 6,600 crore in 2017 in the form of Bitcoins. Moreover, they falsely promised a 10 percent return per month in the form of Bitcoins.

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Investors were led to believe they would get higher returns on crypto assets, and the Bitcoins were purportedly taken to be used for Bitcoin mining in Ukraine. However, the promoters cheated the investors.

The promoters concealed the “ill-gotten Bitcoins in obscure online wallets.”

Investigation on Raj Kundra and Other Suspects 

The ED investigation into Raj Kundra revealed that he received 285 Bitcoins from Amit Bhardwaj, the mastermind.

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As the deal didn’t materialize, Raj Kundra still possesses 285 Bitcoins, worth Rs. 150 crore at present value, as per Mint.

In this case, Nikhil Mahajan was apprehended on January 1, 2023, Nitin Gaur on December 29, 2023, and Simpy Bhardwaj on December 17, 2023. Currently, all three of them are in judicial custody. 

However, the masterminds, Mahendra Bhardwaj and Ajay Bhardwaj, are yet to be caught. 

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Further investigation in the case is under progress.

Also Read: Petition Against Cody Roberts Demands Felony Charges For Killing Wolf

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