I Love Siliguri - ILS

The special operation group team of Pithoragarh police on Saturday seized an eight-foot-long leopard skin worth Rs 5-7 lakh, and arrested three people in this connection, who were on their way to Nepal via Didihat. Police have identified the accused as Ajay Singh of Didihat, Manohar Singh from Musiyari area and Gagan Singh, who hails from Nepal. Divulging details, Pithoragarh superintendent of police Ajay Joshi told TOI, “The trio don’t have criminal background, nor do they have prior history of being involved in smuggling of animal skins.” This incident is, however, not new to the districts, as just a few days back, two leopard skins were seized near the Nepal border. Leopard skins fetch good money to smugglers in Nepal. “We are trying to unearth their links in Uttarakhand and Nepal so that we launch a thorough probe the matter,” added the SP.

Daily Horoscope (May 01 2017 ) Aries (March 21 – April 19) Pay attention to your dreams today, Aries. They’re likely to be interesting! If possible, write down your impressions the moment you wake up. They may not mean much at first, but after a few days you can review your notes and you may be surprised by what they reveal. You’re in the mood for a major change in your life, and your dreams may point you in the right direction. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) You may feel great about yourself, Taurus. It’s no mystery why. You’re looking better than you have in months. People are responding to you very favorably. You will get some admiring glances as you walk down the street. You can’t help but draw attention to yourself. Your good feeling applies not only to you but also to those around you. Your loved ones are especially dear to your heart right now. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) This may not be the most energetic day, Gemini. You’ve been working hard lately and your body needs time to

NGO Maiti Nepal rescued two girls who were being trafficked to India through Nepal-India border point. The girls were being duped with a prospect of foreign employment. The estimated 22 – year – old from Sindhupalchowk and 30 – year – old from Solukhumbu were being taken on a bus (Ba 3 Kha 4168) towards New Delhi, India from Kathmandu when the anti-trafficking organization made the interception and rescued them. "We rescued the girls as one of them were wearing a Lama's rob under the pretext of being sent to Dharmasala in India," Maiti Nepal Kanchanpur Coordinator, Maheshwori Bhatta said. Another girl had been asked by the traffickers to wear Sherpa attire but she had declined, it was revealed in course of an interrogation. 

The police on Friday arrested the kingpin of a gang of burglars allegedly involved in the theft of gold ornaments and diamonds worth Rs 5 crore from a showroom at Suri in Birbhum on April 4. “Gang leader Hasan Sheikh has been arrested,” Birbhum SP Sudheer Kumar Neelakantam said. Police said Sheikh is a resident of Matuapara in Jharkhand’s Shahebganj district. “A special team of Birbhum police arrested him from Shahebganj. He has allegedly been involved in similar cases in Cuttack, Patna Dhanbad, Chhattisgarh, Siliguri and Mumbai. Two kgs of gold was recovered from him,” said a police officer. The gang usually targetted jewellery shops and banks, the officer added. ENS

Nepal and China are set to sign the much-talked about deal for a cross-border rail network, Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara has said. Mahara said the agreement for the proposed rail network between the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, which stands at an elevation of nearly 1,400 metres above sea level, and Kerung, a bordering town of China, would be signed soon. He was speaking at a programme organised by the China Study Centre and the Nepal Institute for Strategic Centre on the ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road Initiative and South Asia’ here yesterday. Nepal’s Prime Minister Prachanda had assured China that Nepal would sign an agreement to extend the rail network from Kerung to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini, said Mahara, who is also the Minister for Finance. “As per the PM’s proposal, we are making preparations to sign the agreement with China soon,” he was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post newspaper. While it is uncertain yet whether Nepal would be part of the OBOR, M

The Bengal Government under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been placing a lot of effort on achieving an open defecation-free (ODF) status for Bengal. Till financial year 2016-17, Bengal has achieved almost 90 per cent (89.63%) of its ODF target, which is the second highest in the country, constructing 1,35,94,762 toilets. Not just that, of the number of toilets constructed, almost 12 per cent (11.8%) have been constructed in Bengal alone, which is also the second highest in the country. Data from the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation shows that 52,03,490 toilets for family dwellings, which is almost 40 per cent (38.28%) of the number of toilets constructed since 1999, were built during the four financial years from 2013-14 to 2016-17 – that is, from the time Mission Nirmal Bangla was adopted on November 19, 2013 (celebrated as World Toilet Day) by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress Government. Not just that, this 52.03 lakh achieved during t

Folks, let's do some serious brain scratchin' and try to work out this sum- In a village of 50 people,there used to be 2 shops. One sold "momos"and another "samosas". Among those 50 people,30 of them liked "momos"and 20 villagers liked "samosas". Some days later,another new "momo"shop opened in that area. Now the people who liked "momos"got divided.So,there was 15 customers in the 1st "momo"shop,15 in the 2nd and the "samosa"shop had the usual 20 customers. Ultimately, which shop had the most numbers of customers? The question now arises, who opened the 2nd "momo"shop? Was it someone else? or was it the owner of the "samosa" shop with the intention to divide the customer of the 1st "momo"shop? Please feel free to let your mind "run wild"with speculation. Bishal Gurung, TheDC

Daily Horoscope (April 30 2017) Aries (March 21 – April 19) Your goal for the day seems to be to enchant your mate. There’s no reason not to try. Indeed, today is excellent for love. But don’t exaggerate your romantic wiles, Aries. Since the day’s aspects tend to distort your perception of things, you may be betrayed by what you see in the mirror. Be careful of what you do and how you do it! Taurus (April 20 – May 20) You’re in splendid shape today, Taurus! Did a fairy godmother conjure away all the little difficulties of the past few weeks? Enjoy this moment of relief from your worries. As for your love life, some exciting opportunities may arise. Be on the lookout for them, and whatever you do, don’t let them escape! Gemini (May 21 – June 20) It’s certainly clear that you have faith in your actions, Gemini! You feel no fear or doubt as you progress toward your goals, cruising along on calm seas under clear skies. This new atmosphere is likely the product of your renewed commit

Sprinkling stardust in Guwahati, bollywood actor Katrina Kaif has arrived in Guwahati on Saturday to participate in the ‘India Today mind rocks Youth Summit’. The event will held at Vivanta by Taj. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, will talk about ‘Assam for the 21st century: Working for the future’ in the event. Earlier, ‘India Today mind rocks’ event hosted by the India Today group has put in controversy after Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s photograph was placed behind Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif. However, changing the poster of the event India Today group has recently placed the photograph of Sarbananda Sonowal ahead of Katrina Kaif’s. The event will also witness Himanta Biswa Sarma, Sourav Ganguly and Angarag Mahanta.

Former Indian Football Team Captian Bhaichung Bhutia addressing the gathering during curtain raiser ceremony. The matches shall commence from 01 May to 10 May 2017 at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok which is being organised by Indo Tibetan Border Police ITBP. ITBP Bhaichung Bhutia #itbp #bhaichungbhutia Report by Ajay Agarwal, Gangtok

Activists of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) engaged in a clash with each other in presence of police force at Shibpur area in Kolkata's adjoining Howrah city on Saturday late afternoon, reports said. According to reports, a large number of BJP supporters took part in an announced deputation programme and gheraoed Shibpur Police Station in the afternoon. Local BJP leaders alleged that local TMC activists suddenly attacked them and had started brick, stone and glass-made bottle batting, aiming at BJP supporters, in the presence of a heavy police force. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh claimed that several activists of his party were injured during the clash. Later a huge police force along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) and combat force rushed to the scene and security personnel lobbed tear shells and restored to lathicharge to bring the situation under control. BJP leaders alleged that few of their activists have been detained by the local police while

Update : Vikram Chatterjee has regained his consciousness. His CT scan reports do not show any abnormalities. He received 5 stitches to his head. There are several minor injuries to his body. Bone scan would be sone later on. Actor Dev, Saheb, Hiran and several others have already visited the Ruby hospital to meet Vikram. ---------- Tollywood  Actor Vikram Chatterjee suffered injuries after he met with an accident at the Rashbehari. His co-passenger, also a model, Sonika Singh Chouhan died due to this accident. The accident occurred at about 4am. The locals rushed them to the hospital where model Sonika was declared brought dead. Actor Vikram Chatterjee was initially released after first aid. But later on he felt ill and once again got admitted. Actor Arindam Sil and several other artistes expressed their condolences through their twitter handles. The incident occurred in front of Lake Mall near Rashbehari Avenue. As per the police, Vikram’s car lost control and got into the footp

DAUGHTER OF SIKKIM WINS MEDALS FOR INDIA Sushmita Rai from Majhitar in East Sikkim wins a Silver Medal and a Bronze Medal for INDIA in WAKO Asian kickboxing Confederation (WAKO ASIA) 24 to 30 April 2017 at Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. She won medals in two events just few minutes ago. One from Women Musical Form Hard Style and another one in Women's Point Fight.

Army personnel helping pull out a vehicle stuck in the hailstorm in Sikkim. Army personnel have rescued 520 tourists stranded and pulled out 75 vehicles stuck due to a massive hailstorm that struck the hilly region of east Sikkim. The five-hour-long operation took place on the evening of April 27. All kinds of assistance including medical aid, food, water, warm clothes and lodging at the nearest Army Transit facility was provided to stranded tourists. TIMELY ACTION BY ARMY SAVED LIVES   It was only due to the prompt action by Army personnel that these people could be rescued considering that sun sets in Sikkim around 5 pm and visitors find it very difficult to withstand the biting cold weather conditions here. With all lines of communication currently non-operational, this is all the information available since reports last came in.

A father and his daughter are crushed to death under the wheels of Teesta Express train in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur on Saturday, April 29, 2017.  The father and his daughter were crushed to death under the wheels of Teesta Express train in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur this morning. The deceased were identified as Hazrat Ali, 45, and his adopted daughter Ayesha Khatun, 8, of Karnapur Sitpara village in the upazila, our Gazipur correspondent reports quoting a railway official. They were crushed under the wheels of Dewanganj-bound Teesta Express near Sreepur Railway Station around 9:00am, said Shahjahan Mian, the station station master. “They might have committed suicide, he said. “My husband and daughter left home around 8:30am,” said Halima Begum, wife of Hazrat Ali. Her husband was depressed over a case, Halima said.

An unidentified decomposed dead body of a male aged about 35-50 yrs, height 5'6" has been recovered from river Rimbi at 13th Mile, Thingling, West Sikkim. The body has been kept at DHG Mortuary for 72 hours for its identification and claimant after post mortem examination.

Investigations have revealed that the accused is Kamal Hariman Kumar, a resident of Siliguri, Darjeeling. In a unique case, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) unit of Konkan Railway on Friday apprehended a man, who would travel as a bonafide passenger of AC coaches on trains across the country and steal from co-passengers. When apprehended, he had several other tickets on him — all in air-conditioned classes — and a bunch of 50 keys, possibly to open suitcases that he planned to steal on these journeys. "On Friday, Ketan Suresh Kongavkar, a passenger travelling by First AC coach HA1 on Madgaon-CST Konkan Kanya Express, complained to the RPF team on the train that his wife's black leather bag was missing. It contained Rs 50,000 in cash, foreign currency, a gold bangle, mobile phone, passport and ATM/Visa cards. This was when the train was approaching Roha at around 3.40am," said a KR official. Kongavkar had boarded the train at Kudal. The escorting team led by sub-inspe

Officials of the Airports Authority of India said they had proposed to build a new terminal at Bagdogra airport as the sate government couldn't provide land contiguous to the existing one for the extension. The AAI, the officials said, would continue to operate the existing terminal that can handle just around 400 passengers an hour. The proposed second terminal will be able to host 1,000 passengers an hour. The Bagdogra airport witnessed a passenger traffic growth of 40 per cent in the last fiscal compared to the 2015-2016 financial year. The existing infrastructure at the airport is ill-equipped to meet the increase in flights and passengers. The AAI had mooted the proposal for the second terminal at a meeting its officials had held with state government representatives on April 25. "Earlier, we had sought around 120 acres of land contiguous to the present terminal so that it can be expanded to meet the growth in passenger traffic at Bagdogra. But the government refused

Daily Horoscope (April 29 2017) Aries (March 21 – April 19) Today you should feel especially sensual, Aries. You will want to bask in the pleasure of being in love. A passionate encounter could occur at your home, probably after a wonderful meal you’ve prepared. You could have a frank discussion about the future of the relationship. You might decide to try living together if you don’t already. Think carefully about it and do what feels right. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) A warm, interesting phone call from a current or potential love partner could have you longing for this person’s company, Taurus. You should have a lot to say to each other and so spend a lot of time on the phone. A meeting could be arranged, probably somewhere in your neighborhood. Your chemistry is intense, so don’t be surprised by the direction of this involvement. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) An unexpected but welcome financial windfall could lead to some long-desired changes in your living situation, Gemini. You

As per intel, Assistant Commandant Harshit Kumawat and his team from 53rd battalion SSB, Hatkhola,  intercepted Sajid Hussain 26yrs at jharna busty, Jaigaon today at 1.30pm;  who was said to have possessed an Illegal Pistol. Sajid is known for his involvements in SP Tablets, Corex and other abusive substances. SSB later produced the suspect before Jaigaon Police Station. Appreciable move by 53rd Bn SSB... Pic: googleimage Report by: Ajay Verma

In what could be called a significant recovery of antiques, the Central Armed Police Force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Wednesday seized a 500-year-old idol of Lord Vishnu, estimated worth Rs 45 crore, from Siliguri. The Historical Department of North Bengal has confirmed the idol as Vaisnava icon. It is a rare metal sculpture of Gour/Netai. The SSB today issued a press statement saying, "The idol was dispatched for examination by Historical Department of North Bengal, University of North Bengal. The experts confirmed that the image indicates the prevalence of Chaitanya Vaisnavism in Bengal. The Vaisnava 'Lanchhana' on the forehead of the figure indicates that it is undoubtedly Vaisnava icon." The SSB had received specific input about the movement of smuggler after which it conducted a joint operation with Customs and apprehended the accused. During preliminary interrogation, the accused revealed that this idol was stolen by him with the involvement of one of his a

Eastern States record surplus rain so far Heat wave conditions in North-West India have momentarily abated, with thunderstorms lining up over the plains in the region, even as pockets in the eastern parts of the country were scorched by high temperatures. Heavy to very heavy rain has been lashing the North-East with the ‘Kal Baisakhi’ season announcing its arrival, as is usual for this time of the year. Pre-monsoon weather Elsewhere in the country, pre-monsoon weather seems to have set in, with typically conducive atmospheric formations linking the North with the South to trigger gusty winds and thundershowers at a number of places. The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction has said that the thundershower regime over North-West India would become better organised and widespread into the second week of May. The Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Weather Services, too, extended a similar outlook. No ‘rain deficit’ for now None of the geographical regions in

Priyanka Chopra says that she has done nothing more than what she has done in Hindi films, when asked about doing sex scenes in Hollywood Priyanka Chopra’s mandate with her production company — Purple Pebble is quite clear. At an event where she was promoting  Baywatch  in Mumbai, the actress took a moment to talk about how she is venturing into regional cinema first to encourage talent. Apart from Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Marathi film industry, Priyanka’s outlook is to also give Sikkim it’s own film industry. The north eastern state doesn’t have a film industry of its own unlike the other states. Priyanka, while talking about the work that she wants to do in terms of cinema said: “I made it big on my own in the industry. Of course, I was Miss World and therefore I got offers but I always had to introduce myself in front of people. I have seen that struggle and therefore my company is always in search of fresh talent whether actors, writers, technicians or musicians. In Sikkim as well

  As curtains came down on the life of one of the most charismatic actors of Bollywood, Darjeeling fondly remembered Inspector Raj. Vinod Khanna was in the Hills for almost a month-long shoot of the superhit film Lahu Ke Do Rang in 1978. The Queen of Hills has many a fond memories of Khanna who had starred in this film as Police Inspector Raj Singh. The film directed by Mahesh Bhatt starring Shabana Azmi, Danny Denzongpa, Helen along with Khanna released on September 28, 1979 and was extensively shot in Darjeeling and Hong Kong.  Though the film was shot in different locales including the Lebong Cart Road, Hill Cart Road and Chowrasta, it is largely remembered by Darjeeling for shoot of the song sequence Chahiye Thoda Pyaar where Khanna serenades Shabana Azmi at Lebong and the Chowrasta. Parvaz Mullick fondly remembers the shoot of the song sequence at the Chowrasta in front of his shop. The Mullick family owns the famous curio Habeeb Mullick and Son in Darjeeling. The curio was foun

A special 5kg pack of handcrafted Darjeeling tea from iconic Makaibari tea estate in Kurseong has fetched the best ever price for any first flush tea at $302 (Rs 19363) a kilo at a private sale on April 26. The unique tea variety of 155-year-old iconic garden was bought by Makaibari Japan, an independent firm run by Yoko Ishi who exclusively buys Makaibari tea. Legendary tea planter and Makaibari chairman Rajah Banerjee described this tea as a "very delicate, subtle first flush with a pitchy and fruity overtone". "This particular tea exhibited a high first flush quality of Darjeeling with a subtle underline tint of second flush muscatel. It can only happen once in a blue moon. Otherwise, prolonged drought followed by unusual rain had caused erratic sprouting in the gardens in early this year. Almost 80%-85% of the buds were gone. But I took a chance with the rest of 15%-20% of the bushes. I decided to hand-roll a very small quantity of leaves and it turned out to be a

An old man riding a rickshaw with passengers suddenly fell of after crossing the bumper outside Margaret school at Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri a while ago. As locals and the rikshaw passengers came to help saw he was breathless and had died on spot. Eyewitnesses say it could be either sun stroke or a heart attack that took away his life. Soon police arrived and have taken the body for post mortem. As temperature is increasing in Siliguri, last evening several electric wire cables toppled down on the road at Court more. Traffic was halted for some time until the way was cleared. Sometime earlier this month the rise in temperature saw fire in electric cables at Seth Srilal Market and a bullet reduced to ashes at Darjeeling more.

A Honda car WB74AG5538 after crossing Rohini Toll Plaza met with an accident near firing range today morning at 7.30am. The vehicle toppled and turned several times and landed on the fields 50 feets away. The reason of accident is not known yet, May be some vehicles fault. There were 3 people in the vehicle and all are safe, escaped with minor injuries.

Challenge accepted, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today, vowing to "capture Delhi." She was responding to BJP chief Amit Shah's targeted attack on her and her Trinamool Congress during a two-day visit to the state aimed at rapidly expanding his party's footprint in West Bengal, where it has so far had limited political presence. Mr Shah has handed his Bengal BJP team the task of uprooting the ruling Trinamool Congress by 2019. "I accept the challenge of those who challenge me. We'll capture Delhi," Mamata Banerjee declared, accusing the BJP of trying to "intimidate" the Trinamool Congress. "They come from Delhi and spread lies. They are in a hurry (to capture power in Bengal)....They cannot handle Gujarat, but they are eyeing Bengal," the Chief Minister added. She criticised the BJP chief 's booth-level interactions and visits to modest village and slum homes, saying, "They go to slums in the morning and

BJP chief Amit Shah questioned the Mamata Banerjee Government in West Bengal and asked the Chief Minister to explain the fund allocation in the state as the Centre, he said, had offered enough financial assistance to her government. Criticising the Trinamool Congress over scams which her party has mired itself in - Narada and Sarada scams, Shah said that he is worried about the development and progress of West Bengal. "You all know about issues like Narada, Sarada scandals and law and order problems. But there remains another issue - where has the fund allocated to the state by the Centre gone?" he asked. "While the 13th Finance Commission had allocated Rs 13,585 crore to Bengal in five years, you will be happy to note the Narendra Modi government gave Rs 2,82,942 crore to Bengal. Where has this money gone?" he asked the crowd at a Vikas Sabha of the party. "There has been no development in the state -- no roads, poor electrification in rural areas. Can Ma

Daily Horoscope (April 28 2017) Aries (March 21 – April 19) Today you might decide to host a social event in your home, perhaps for friends and colleagues with whom you share intellectual, philosophical, or spiritual interests. Dreams, astrology, or metaphysics could come up. This should be a congenial gathering. You’re apt to bond closely with these people. At least one of them might be a potential romantic partner who finds you fascinating. Taurus (April 20 – May 20) A large gathering, perhaps a festival of some kind, could take place in your neighborhood today, Taurus. You could choose to attend with some close friends and your romantic interest. This event could shake everyone up a bit. It could present information that’s exciting but also a bit unsettling. It could provide you and your friends with conversation for several days. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) Discussions with friends or colleagues about possible future business enterprises could find you taking notes, Gemini. Yo

The Sukma encounter in which 25 CRPF soldiers lost their lives was still fresh in our minds, the Thursday morning came with another sad news of three more soldiers getting martyred in Fidayeen attack on an army camp in north Kashmir’s Kupwara. The martyred soldiers are Captain Ayush Yadav, JCO Bhoop Singh Gujjar Dussa and  Naik Venkat Raman. Though the gun battle which began around 4:30 am neutralised two terrorists as well, but the loss to army, families of the dead and the nation is irreparable. Here is the profile of all the three soldiers. Captain Ayush Yadav The 25-year-old captain was the only son of the his parents who live in UP’s Kanpur. Captain Ayush had been in service for the last three years. His father Arun Kant Yadav who is an inspector in UP police told the media that since the news of their son’s martyrdom reached, the family is in shock and despair. “We have lost our son, and he died because the government doesn’t have any strong Kashmir policy. Since I am a man

Uber is diving head-first into the race to create a flying car, shedding more light on its plans for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle. At a conference yesterday, the company said it’s entered into new partnerships with established and emerging aeronautics players like Aurora Flight Sciences, Embraer, Bell Helicopter, Pistrel Aircraft, Mooney and ChargePoint.  Uber Elevate , as the project is called, will focus its efforts on the markets in Dallas in the US and Dubai. The  Elevate Network  is Uber’s project to set up an on-demand ride-hailing service in the sky. A fleet of electric-powered vehicles, capable of taking off vertically, and cutting down ride times from 30 minutes to just five. To do this, Uber’s new partners will be providing the technological requirements to develop these  airborne taxis . In fact, Uber has even set a timeline for its pet project, indicating it plans to demonstrate the Uber Elevate Network for the first time at the 2020 World Expo in Duba

Katrina Kaif is one of those celebrities who doesn’t like to make headlines. The actress has always shied away from the media, and her presence on social media is almost close to nil. However, last year, she had shed her inhibitions to make a debut on Facebook on her birthday, and her fans couldn’t be happier. Finally, they got to interact with their favourite actress, and if not that, at least they got an opportunity to know what’s happening in her life. Now, what’s more exciting is that the actress has also made a debut on Instagram and her entry on the social media platform was grand. First, Karan Johar had teased about the same on Twitter, a day before. Furthermore, Katrina’s Facebook page has also been hinting about the same from past few days.  And then, several celebrities including Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar also welcomed her. And her fans are excited than ever. You can imagine the level of excitement by the fact that she already has over 500K followers in just four ho

True friendship knows no bounds. Not even death can come between those who are bound by the bonds of friendship. It is no secret that Vinod Khanna and Feroz Khan were close friends. The two became friends after working together in three films, each of which proved to be a success on the silver screen. Khanna, who debuted in 1968, passed away of cancer on 27 April 2017 in Mumbai, while Khan who entered film industry in 1960 passed away on 27 April 2009 in Bangalore. The two worked together in blockbusters like the blockbuster Qurbani and Dayawan and Shankar Shambhu. Both actors were known for their larger-than-life personas on screen. While Khan was known for his killer looks and cowboy swagger, Khanna was not far behind in fame with his roles as a macho villain and a charming hero. Call it co-incidence or fate, but the fact is that both friends passed away of cancer (Feroz Khan of lung cancer and Vinod Khanna of bladder cancer) on the same day in April and at the same age -- both