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Eco-friendly transport in Kolkata’s Fort William
Battery-operated rickshaws, locally called ‘totos,’ are now allowed to ply in Fort William, the headquarters of Eastern Command, for civilians to commute in the 177-acre campus. The initiative has benefited those who work in the Eastern Command — both former and current employees — as they routinely visit Fort William, located on the eastern banks of the river Hooghly.
“Electronic rickshaws are immensely helpful. We had to walk a kilometre or two to reach the canteen from one of the main gates,” said Shibnath Ganguly, a retired Air Force staff and added: “It was an arduous walk, especially in the summer.” The e-rickshaws charge a subsidised rate of two rupees from each passenger for each trip.
235th anniversary
The rickshaws ply from 8 am to 8 pm inside Fort William, which completes its 235th year in 2016.
Opened in 1781, the fort, with a formidable arsenal and personnel presence, was named after William III of England. Many civilians, a few thousands in number, stay inside, while scores of employees daily report to their offices offices.“This is primarily a welfare service, not only for the benefit of the public but also for the boys who operate the rickshaws,” explains Col. Richard Fernandes, the Commanding Officer of 12 Garhwal Rifles, who ensures smooth operation of the rickshaw service. The drivers are civilians, selected by the Army, to run four such rickshaws.
“The Army has provided the e-rickshaws. The drivers are not only paid Rs.3,000 every month [by the Army] but also make additional money by providing the service to people,” said Col. Fernandes. The rickshaws are not allowed to go outside the Fort’s campus. However, that is “not a major concern” for Mritunjay Kumar, one of the drivers who covers 50-60 km every day. “I am earning about Rs. 100-150 per day and making about Rs. 8000 each month,” said 19-year-old Mr. Kumar, whose father is a civilian employee of the Army.
The officials believe that the earning of the drivers from the e-rickshaw project, promoted as “an eco-friendly” venture, will go up from localised tourism, as the Vijay Smarak [War Memorial] at Fort William was recently opened to the public.
The e-rickshaws charge a subsidised rate of two rupees per passenger per trip
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – July 14th, 2016
IIT-Kharagpur to confer Distinguished Alumnus Award at the 62nd convocation
Kolkata:
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur will confer the Distinguished Alumnus Award on the occasion of the 62nd convocation of the Institute which will be organized on July 30 and 31.
Seven eminent alumni have been selected for the award for their exceptional professional achievements in the industry, in the academia or as entrepreneur. The awardees are – Dr Anurag Acharya, Ajit Jain, Asoke Deyasarkar, professor Gautam Biswas, professor Indranil Manna, professor Supriyo Bandopadhyay and Professor Venkatesan Thirumalai.
Dr. Anurag Acharya (IIT KGP B.Tech./Computer Science and Engineering/1987 batch), Distinguished Engineer at Google USA. Dr. Acharya is key founder of Google Scholar which since its inception has become an indispensable service for the global academic and research community.
Ajit Jain (IIT KGP B.Tech./Mechanical Engineering/1972 batch), President of Reinsurance Division, Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, USA. Shri Jain is a visionary in the global investment sector, having led Berkshire Hathaway to great heights. He is a well-known philanthropist as well funding the Jain Foundation with the mission is to cure muscular dystrophies.
Dr. Asoke Deysarkar (IIT KGP B.Tech./Chemical Engineering/1971 batch), CEO and Chairman, PfP Industries, USA. Dr. Deysarkar has blended his research with entrepreneurship in Chemical Engineering forming a billion dollar conglomerate of companies. The Deysarkar Family has helped establish the Trans-disciplinary Program in Petroleum Engineering at IIT KGP. Dr. Deysarkar is also known for his philanthropy activities.
Professor Gautam Biswas (IIT KGP Ph.D./Mechanical Engineering / 1985 batch), Director, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. Prof. Biswas has an illustrious academic career of 25 years having taught at IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur and in various international universities and known for his leadership at IIT Kanpur, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur and IIT Guwahati. His fundamental research on heat transfer phenomena is well recognised in the international academic community. He was the Founder Director of Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi.
Professor Indranil Manna (IIT KGP Ph.D./Metallurgical and Materials Engineering/ 1990 batch), Director, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He has been an exceptional academician and researcher having a long-standing association with IIT Kharagpur as faculty and thereafter leading the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata and IIT Kanpur. His significant contributions in advanced material science and engineering have been well recognised by national and international bodies.
Professor Supriyo Bandopadhyay (IIT KGP B.Tech./Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering/1980 batch), Commonwealth Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA. Recently he was named Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist and is known globally for his interdisciplinary research. He directs the Quantum Device Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering which has been frequently featured in national and international media for exemplary research in nanotechnology.
Professor Venkatesan Thirumalai (B.Sc./Physics /1969 batch), Director, NUSNNI-NanoCore, National University of Singapore. He is known for his pioneering research in laser technology. Prof. Venkatesan was Founder of the PhD/MBA program in NUS and the Surface Center at Rutgers University.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award is one of the highest recognition given of accomplishment and contribution of an alumnus/alumna from the Institute.
The awardees will be given a gold medal and a certificate.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / Somdatta Basu / TNN / July 12tj, 2016
Kolkata pays its last respects to the ‘Diamond’ coach
In death, Amal Dutta unified the football fraternity in the city which has so long debated his methods. Dutta, 86, breathed his last on Sunday evening after a battle with Alzheimer’s.
Hundreds of football fans from across the state came to pay their last respects to Dutta who introduced many unknown facets of modern football to his charges over a career spanning more than five decades.
Knowledgeable and astute
“I regard him the most knowledgeable and astute coach I have ever seen. It is sad that his peers and many of the players he coached could not appreciate the immenseness of his knowledge and ability,” said former international Satyajit Chatterjee, who is now Mohun Bagan’s football secretary.
Dutta turned to coaching quite early in his life after having played as a midfielder with considerable success for teams like East Bengal. He also had short stint with the national team, turning out for India at the 1954 Manila Asian Games.
At a time when most of the coaches in the country were rooted in traditional methods, Dutta travelled to England to secure a coaching licence from the Football Association.
“It is a mystery that he never received the Dronacharya Award. Perhaps he never aspired for official recognition. But there are countless players for whom he was the real Dronacharya,” said another former international Surojit Sengupta.
Dutta, who introduced the now-famous ‘Diamond System’ employed so successfully by the Dutch teams of yore, rose to the peak of his popularity in the 1990s.
As coach at Mohun Bagan, Dutta had a spectacular rivalry with P.K. Banerjee, another legendary player and coach, who was in charge of East Bengal.
“He was a true fighter, and that reflected as much in his coaching methods as in his life. I am greatly saddened by his death,” said Banerjee, in tribute to his friend and professional rival.
Dutta also briefly coached the Indian football team, which went on to win the SAF Games crown in 1987. He later became the technical director of the National team for the Nehru Cup in 1988.
Goswami’s praise
Another legendary footballer from the city, Chuni Goswami, heaped praises on Dutta saying that his innovative thinking spoke a lot about his depth of knowledge of the game.
“His passing away fills me with grief. He is the one who introduced modern football techniques to our country,” Goswami said.
Scores of present and former footballers came to pay their last respects to Dutta, whose mortal remains were kept at Rabindra Sadan for the public to offer their tributes.
Dutta was cremated in the evening with full State honours.
Mamata’s tribute
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called Dutta a true legend and said her government would consider immortalising him by naming a stadium or a street in the city after him.
Dutta rose to the peak of his popularity in the 1990s
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – July 12th, 2016