Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to modernize the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway junction

According to sources of the Indian Railways, the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is one of the 204 stations of the country identified for an upgrade. This would translate into excellent features for passenger comfort. This station is the largest of this region and the busiest of the NFR zone. Work has started on shifting of ticket counters along with the parcel and RMS offices. Shifting of the existing parking area is also on the cards. The tentative plan is to finish the work by 2025. That is what the chief public relation officer of NFR informed. NJP, located on the southern end of Siliguri, is among the top 100 stations of India in terms of railway bookings. After the upgrade, the station with its new infrastructure would have the capacity to handle over 70,000 passengers per day. At present, it handles as many as 36,000 passengers on any average day. The introduction of modern amenities would provide an airport-like feel and comfort to passengers. Centre plans NJP railway junction revamp. The station also has the narrow gauge track of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), which is on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. There will now be new foot over-bridges, separate arrival, and departure lobbies.

The business community of this region, including stakeholders of the tourism industry have welcomed the announcement by the NFR. These would give a boost to the local economy and contribute to development of the tourism sector. This happens to be a major industry in the region and is the third major decision made by the Centre to improve infrastructure for better connectivity in the region. A few weeks earlier, the Union minister of road transport and highways initiated the work of a 13-kilometre-long, four-lane road to connect the northeast and northwest ends of Siliguri via Darjeeling More. There are plans on the anvil for the expansion of the Bagdogra airport.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

NASA says Artemis I Mission is proceeding as per plan

England on alert - the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) warns flooding from heavy rainfall could double in the next three decades

The Sunderbans in the delta of the Ganges in West Bengal plans to introduce home stay in order to improve tourism

Mauna Loa volcano, the world’s largest active volcano, erupts for the first time in nearly four decades

UNESCO want to assign endangered status to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia does not agree

Police in Alberta, Canada, chase ostriches escaped from their enclosure, one of the birds killed when hit by a car

President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan quits as head of the governing Democratic Progressive Party after loss in election

International Space Station to grow tomatoes, SpaceX will carry the seeds

Kim Jong-un seen in public with his daughter, speculations are rife on her future

England on alert - the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) warns flooding from heavy rainfall could double in the next three decades

This is a wakeup call for England. The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) cautioned that many properties could face risk of flooding from heavy rainfall. This could double in the course of the next three decades and the government has to tackle the issue on priority. The NIC says hundreds of thousands homes and businesses are already in high danger of flooding from so-called "surface water flooding" from heavy rain. The situation is serious. Rains are intensifying due to climate change and is growing. Therefore, unmanaged developments risk putting many more properties at high risk of this sort of flooding by 2055. Hence, the government has to increase investment in relevant areas. Two of these are river pollution and drought. These have dominated public discussion about water recently. The commissioners say, "But we risk ignoring a problem that can literally drop out of the sky at any moment." The head of the Environment Agency warned a failure to adapt to climate breakdown will threaten all aspects of life in Britain. English properties at risk of flooding to double in next 30 years without urgent investment, government warned. Delays in action on adaptation would mean our children would have to bear the burden.

The nature of adaptations could be to plant trees to keep cities cooler in the face of heatwaves, or develop more heat-resilient crops. Incidentally, nature of flooding from heavy rain varies from place to place. Widespread flooding in London in July 2021 damaged more than 1,500 properties, as well as health infrastructure and public transport. Another issue is concreting of roads. Concrete increases the risk of flooding because it prevents rainwater from reaching natural drains like streams. Instead, the rainwater flows down the street and into gutters. The NIC calls for adequate investment over the next 30 years to tackle risks associated with heavy rainfall.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

The Sunderbans in the delta of the Ganges in West Bengal plans to introduce home stay in order to improve tourism

Mauna Loa volcano, the world’s largest active volcano, erupts for the first time in nearly four decades

UNESCO want to assign endangered status to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia does not agree

Police in Alberta, Canada, chase ostriches escaped from their enclosure, one of the birds killed when hit by a car

President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan quits as head of the governing Democratic Progressive Party after loss in election

International Space Station to grow tomatoes, SpaceX will carry the seeds

Kim Jong-un seen in public with his daughter, speculations are rife on her future

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might not attend this year’s Christmas celebrations in Sandringham

India imposed a ban on single use plastics but results are not showing even after three months

The ban on single use plastics imposed by India includes items like plates, cups, cutlery, straws, packaging films and cigarette packets. However, these are still in rampant circulation across the country and worsening pollution levels. Ravi Agarwal is the director of environmental NGO Toxics Link. He told a media outlet - "Though the central government has issued the ban, the implementation lies with the respective state governments and their state pollution control boards. The state's actions are not up to the mark; there seems to be lack of effective implementation strategy from the states to enforce the ban fully.” India uses about 14 million tons of plastic every year. The government has not issued any advisory on banning the use of SUPs. Neither are there any penalties. Therefore, SUP products continue to be available as usual. Why is India's single-use plastic ban failing? An official of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that in spite of the ban, the use of SUP items, specifically thin carry-bags, continues unabated in the low-end section of the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that his government would be actively working towards a crackdown on plastic in its second term in power. However, plastic waste generated across the country daily is 26,000 tons. Out of this, more than 10,000 tons remain uncollected. One drawback is an organized plastic waste management system. In its absence, there is widespread littering and plastics end up in rivers, oceans and landfills. These pose threats to the lives of wildlife species. A senior official of CPCB says - "… we have directed strict enforcement of the ban, with a focus on street vendors, vegetable markets and local markets, along with checks at borders and inspection of concerned industries." It is necessary to improve waste segregation… and ramp up the infrastructure for recycling.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

Missiles fired by North Korea leads to evacuation warning in parts of Japan

Forests of the southern Sierra Nevada become victims of climate change

North Korea fires at least 10 missiles, one lands close to the territorial waters of the South for the first time since the 1945

Greta Thunberg will not join the COP27 summit in Egypt

China launched Mengtian module of its space station from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan

Climatic crisis threatens emperor penguins of Antarctica

Britain selects a remote peat bog in Scotland to be the first rocket launch pad on the British mainland

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could attend the COP27 climate summit

India eyes its own space station by 2035, ISRO wants industry to collaborate

Storm Nalgae strikes the Philippines and leaves at least 72 dead

Tropical storm Nalgae brought flash floods and landslides to provinces in the southern parts of the Philippines and left at least 72 dead. Nalgae, with maximum sustained winds of 59 miles per hour and gusts of up to 99.4 mph, made landfall in the eastern Catanduanes province. A spokesperson of the disaster agency reported the death of 67 people in the Maguindanao province. Apart from them, loss of lives was scattered in other regions. Another 33 are injured and 14 are missing. The storm could bring heavy and at times torrential rains over the capital, Manila, and nearby provinces. It will finally head towards the South China Sea. Death toll hits 72 as Tropical Storm Nalgae drenches Philippines. The capital experienced around 10 hours of continuous rain with mudslides, landslides and flash floods.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration warned that Nalgae (known locally as Paeng) will continue to cause flooding and rain-induced landslides as it crosses the country. Search and rescue teams pulled bodies out from the water and thick mud following flooding and landslides in the south of the country. The country witnesses an average of 20 tropical storms every year. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr sent condolences to those who had lost their lives in the storm. He also reassured the public that emergency services were deploying with supplies of food and other items to the hardest-hit areas. According to the civil defense authorities, evacuation completed for more than 7,000 people ahead of the storm’s landfall. The coast guard also suspended ferry services through most of the archipelago nation due to rough seas. This left hundreds of vessels and thousands of passengers stranded at ports. Civil aviation authorities canceled more than 100 flights. Scientists warned that storms of this nature kills livestock and destroys key infrastructure. These are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

Spare is the title of Prince Harry’s 416-page memoir, publishers Penguin Random House

Tata and Airbus joint venture to make C-295 transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force

Climate change a matter of concern for the security of Britain

The United States, Japan and South Korea warn North Korea about serious consequences of any nuclear test

Elevator breakdown in the Grand Canyon Caverns trapped a group of tourists 210ft below the ground

A mini tornado in Croydon, South London, left a beer garden in shambles

Tensions increase between North and South Korea with exchange of warning shots off their western coast

Sun temple at Konark and the Konark town to be solar powered from next financial year

A school in Missouri was the scene of another incident of gun violence with three dead, including the shooter

Climate change a matter of concern for the security of Britain

Britain is worried. Its national security appears on shaky ground. This is believed to be a fallout of the failure of the government. A parliamentary report cautions that the reasons for such a situation could be attributed extreme weather events caused by climate change. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy consists of senior MPs and peers. It has urged the government to take control of the major security risks posed by the effects of climate change on critical national infrastructure. These include power, transport, water and communications. The world of today depends heavily on these factors. The report highlight salient issues of the recent past that could be pointers on possible repercussions in future. A few of these are – (i) loss of power to millions in parts of England and Scotland during Storm Arwen in November 2021 due to downing of power lines (ii) loss of lives in Scotland due to derailment of a train in August 2020 and (iii) heatwave of July 2022 when temperatures rose to 104F in the U.K. UK security in danger as govt fails to prepare for extreme weather sparked by climate change - report. The report mentions about finding "overwhelming evidence" that climate change is already having an impact on UK infrastructure and that "no minister has been taking responsibility" for adapting it.

The report follows a series of extreme weather events in recent years. It reveals an "extreme weakness at the centre of government." Moreover, the committee hauls up the ministers of "a severe dereliction of duty" and stresses that "even more severe weather - and consequent impacts - will be prevalent soon." These observations leads the experts to predict that high temperatures are likely to give rise to issues like sagging of electricity cables, softening of roads and increase in the frequency of flooding. These, in turn, might result in frequent failure of railway embankments. Chair of the Joint Committee, Labour MP Dame Margaret Beckett, said Rishi Sunak, the new Prime Minister “must pull all the strands of government together to mitigate against potential disasters… This government must finally recognise that prevention is better than cure and move on from their dangerously reactive approach to risk management."

Some popular stories of this blogger –

The United States, Japan and South Korea warn North Korea about serious consequences of any nuclear test

Elevator breakdown in the Grand Canyon Caverns trapped a group of tourists 210ft below the ground

A mini tornado in Croydon, South London, left a beer garden in shambles

Tensions increase between North and South Korea with exchange of warning shots off their western coast

Sun temple at Konark and the Konark town to be solar powered from next financial year

A school in Missouri was the scene of another incident of gun violence with three dead, including the shooter

Tour operators are happy vis-à-vis trend of booking in hotels, resorts, homestays and the toy train across the hills

Hurricane Roslyn, a powerful Category 4 storm, struck the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta

The government of India has identified wildlife conservation as one of its key goals

Nigeria, the West African nation, sees the worst flooding in a decade with more than 600 dead

More than 600 lives are lost in the worst flooding in Nigeria in a decade. It displaced nearly 1.3 million people and destroyed more than 200,000 homes. The flooding became an "overwhelming" disaster with many states unprepared in spite of warnings. That is what the minister for disaster management said. Forecasts indicate the flooding could continue until the end of November. The country is accustomed to seasonal flooding, but the condition this year is worse. In the opinion of the government, unusually heavy rains and climate change are to blame for such a situation. Another factor could be emergency release of excess water from dams in Nigeria and in neighboring Cameroon. Experts mention other factors like inadequate planning and poor infrastructure. The flooding that began in early summer destroyed large portions of farmland and disrupted supplies of food and fuel. Moreover, there are concerns about spread of disease. Nigeria floods: 'Overwhelming' disaster leaves more than 600 people dead. The disaster has affected 27 of Nigeria's 36 states.

Nigeria's minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, Sadiya Umar Farouk, requested local authorities to evacuate people living in the most high-risk areas. She added that the authorities have made provisions to provide food and other support to those affected. Incidentally, people usually come back to their homes on flood plains after the water levels recede every year. This is because many of them do not have the means to relocate. Inflation has battered the economy of Nigeria and many communities have to struggle for survival. Last month international agencies like the World Food Programme and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation revealed that Nigeria was one of six countries that face a high risk of catastrophic levels of hunger.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

Good news for Indians – Diwali will be a public school holiday in New York City starting 2023

Meghan and Harry visited Uvalde, Texas, the location of the second deadliest shooting in a U.S. school to open a new community play space

North Korea fires hundreds of artillery shells in retaliation to annual defense drills of the South

Heavy overnight rain robs residents of Bangalore of their sleep

Taiwan has allies in the Pacific and Lithuania is its newest unofficial ally

Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, reels under floods – authorities issue yellow alert for next few days

The Chinese XPeng X2 two-seater flying car completed the first public test flight in Dubai

Airlines hike airfare from Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata to Patna ahead of the festive season

The Princess Royal made Daniel Craig a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George at Windsor Castle

The Chinese XPeng X2 two-seater flying car completed the first public test flight in Dubai

Flying cars like the XPeng X2 could revolutionize urban transport. These would take the load away from city life transportation. Obviously, traffic on the roads would reduce and make them more friendly for pedestrians and cyclists. Electric vehicles like the XPeng X2 would also reduce carbon emissions. Flying cars are still in the infancy stage but by successfully completing the first public test flight of its two-seater flying car the Chinese XPeng X2 has sent out a message. They did this at GITEX technology expo in Dubai. The flying car lifts vertically off the ground. It does not need any runway, is therefore suitable for built-up urban areas and can carry two passengers. moreover, it is fully electric, can climb at a rate of around two meters per second and reach speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. XPeng flying car takes to the air in Dubai. The duration of the test flight was just 90 seconds. An official of XPeng Aeroht says the technology is close to being ready for public use. However, regulations related to flying cars are still developing.

The company plans to work with governments to establish a physical regulatory infrastructure for flying cars in urban areas. It is quite possible that people would be able to use this mode of transport within five years. The Chinese government plans to launch flying taxis by 2025. Incidentally, the XPeng X2 is equipped with AI automation and can be driven manually or it can be set to self-drive. Right now, there are other flying cars under development around the world, and many of them actually fly. Examples are the Canadian firm Opener's "BlackFly," SkyDrive Inc's "SD-03" and Klein Vision's prototype "AirCar." The last one made a successful 35-minute test-flight between two cities in Slovakia last year.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

Airlines hike airfare from Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata to Patna ahead of the festive season

The Princess Royal made Daniel Craig a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George at Windsor Castle

Hurricane Michael of 2018 destroyed Mexico Beach and the earlier residents are unable to return because of high costs

A cyclonic circulation developing over the Andaman Sea threatens Kolkata with rains during Diwali

African elephants adapt themselves to an arid landscape of rocky mountains in northwest Namibia

Taiwan opens its doors to tourists after easing COVID-19 border curbs

Alaska cancels its snow crab harvest this year because of their disappearance from the Bering Sea in recent years

This year’s London Film Festival closed with ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’

SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts of NASA and ESA returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown

Tala Bridge, the lifeline of North Kolkata, to reopen before the Pujas

The Tala Bridge, built in 1983, was designed to carry a load of 150 tons. In view of the need to carry more load, a new cable-stayed bridge is ready to be reopened before the forthcoming Durga Pujas. The carrying capacity of the new 650 meter long bridge will increase to nearly 365 tons. A stretch of 240 meters of the new bridge will hang in the air above the cable. The design of this railway bridge will be in the Majherhat style. Moreover, the new bridge will be a four-lane one with sidewalk on both sides. Earlier it was a three-lane bridge. Once thrown open to the public the speed of traffic will increase and improve the link between North Kolkata and portions of South Bengal. The demolition of the old bridge began from the night of January 31, 2020. New Tala bridge will be ready before Puja. The Railway Board approved the new design on 22 December of that year, and construction began in January 2021.

After the construction of the bridge, the safety commissioner of the railways will have to carry out inspection. In view of the length of the bridge which is nearly 650 meters, there will be steps to get own at Shyambazar, Chitpur and Sinthi. Incidentally, there are no pillars and the bridge hangs on cables. The Public Works Department is working to complete the drainage infrastructure in the area below the bridge. The authorities have plans to present the new Tala Bridge to the people of South Bengal before the Pujas.

Durga Puja from outside India and within –

13 Best Durga Puja in London UK 2022

14 Best Durga Puja in New York USA 2022

2022 Durga Puja Calendar for Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –

GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri

Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists

How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?

Some popular stories of this blogger –

China and Russia launch war games to confront tensions with the United States

Taiwan shoots down civilian drone near China

Mamata Banerjee expresses gratitude to UNESCO for awarding Cultural Heritage tag to Kolkata’s Durga Puja

Jilebi and Vada-pau make it to a list of 50 of the best street foods in Asia

Maddox Square puja returns in all its glory after two years due to Covid-19

The Midwest and the South of the U.S. faced severe storms, damaging winds, heavy rains and flash floods

Greenland is losing ice at a fast rate with global sea level rise

Meghan Markle says she and her husband were "happy" to leave the UK

NASA enters second phase of going to the Moon after 50 years