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When Ashish Prasad, technical lead at a bootstrapped IT startup, quit his job to take up a new one, he was assured by the company that his dues would be cleared within 45 days. But days turned into months, and repeated reminders and emails went unanswered with the dues still not paid. Not wanting to go in for time consuming and costly litigation, Ashish who had lost all hope of ever getting his dues, said he was advised to file an insolvency petition under the bankruptcy laws. “However, I am not sure if this will be fruitful”. There are many…

It is perhaps one of the worst healthcare crises to have befallen the state of West Bengal ever, with the impasse in state-run hospitals showing no signs of resolution even as the strike by junior doctors in Kolkata and neighbouring districts enters the fifth day today. In fact, ripples of what started on the premises of the Nil Ratan Sarkar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata are now being felt in cities and towns across the country, with doctors everywhere expressing solidarity with their counterparts in Kolkata. According to latest reports, the Indian Medical Association has called for a…

One among the first 20 cities selected for redevelopment under PM Narendra Modi’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM) launched in 2015, Bhopal faces the loss of a major chunk of its green cover, thanks to the implementation of the smart city project. The number of trees that could literally go under the axe may run into thousands under the Rs 3400 crore development plan in the city, which is still grappling with the consequences of the world’s worst industrial disaster -- a gas leak that killed thousands in 1984. The area chosen for implementing the project, Tatya Tope Nagar (TT Nagar),…

Cyclone Fani in early May was one more reminder for Bhubaneswar of its vulnerability to extreme weather events, and the massive damage to urban infrastructure that such events could bring about, even in an upcoming ‘smart’ city. Fani left Bhubaneswar in shambles  in its trail, with uprooted trees all around falling on roads and buildings, disrupting major services like supply of water and electricity as well as Internet connectivity. Life in the city remained miserable for weeks. Last year too, life in the city had been severely disrupted, as it almost went under water following unusually heavy rainfall of nearly…

The counting of votes for the 17th Lok Sabha elections is just days away. But how does such a mammoth counting exercise take place? Here is a guide. Preparations for the Counting Day The Returning Officer (RO) fixes the time & place of counting at least one week before the date of polling. The place is decided in consultation with the police. The selected place should be spacious enough with adequate lighting and other facilities to accommodate the officials and agents. A permanent structure like a college or a university is usually selected for the purpose of counting. The same is…

Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency comprises the following assembly constituencies: Chowranghee, Entally, Beleghata, Jorasanko, Shyampukur, Maniktala, Kashipur and Belgachhia. The constituency came into being after a delimitation exercise in 2008. The two Lok Sabha elections contested since have seen candidates of the Trinamool Congress (AITC) emerge as the victor. A total of 21 candidates are contesting from various political parties and as independents from Kolkata Uttar parliamentary constituency. According to the CEO, West Bengal, the constituency has a total voter strength of 14,43,818 -- 794275 male, 649528 female and 15 of other gender. [flexiblemap src="http://data.opencity.in/Data/West-Bengal-Parliament-Constituency-Kolkata-North-Map-V-1.kml" width="100%" height="400px" ] Note –…

Come May 19th, it will be fauji versus fauji for the first time ever in the Shimla reserved Lok Sabha seat. Perhaps not so surprising given that the state has 1.6 lakh ex-servicemen and over 62,000 serving personnel, with Shimla alone having over 10,000 ex-servicemen (total electorate 11,53,363 as per 2014 figures). Shimla parliamentary constituency is comprised of 17 assembly segments across three districts: Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur. Retired Col Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress is pitted against former air force senior non-commissioned officer Suresh Kashyap of BJP, both two-time sitting MLAs and belonging to the Koli community. BJP…

A high profile constituency situated within Kolkata, Jadavpur has historically seen political heavyweights, educationists, performing artists and even the current chief minister Mamata Banerjee contesting the seat. Once considered a Left bastion, it saw the first upset in 1984, when CPM veteran Somnath Chatterjee was defeated by Mamata Banerjee, then representing the Indian National Congress. While the Communist Party did wrest the seat back in 1989, from 1996 onwards, the Trinamool Congress (initially with the INC, and thereafter as a registered party itself) won it for three consecutive terms. There was a reversal of fortunes for the 14th Lok Sabha…

Kolkata Dakshin of West Bengal is a high profile constituency, currently held by Subrata Bakshi of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Subrata Bakshi beat nearest rival Tathagata Roy of the BJP by winning a whopping majority of the votes cast in this constituency. This time, the main candidates in the Kolkata Dakshin constituency are Mala Roy of AITC, Nandini Mukherjee of CPI(M) and Chandra Kumar Bose of BJP. Kolkata Dakshin is one of those constituencies that record very high voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, the constituency witnessed a 69.3% voter…

It will be yet another test for incumbent MP and BJP candidate Kirron Kher when Chandigarh votes on May 19th. Actor turned politician Kher found success late in life. Moving to Mumbai from Chandigarh in 1979 with her then businessman husband, the dimpled actress was unable to get a break in Bollywood’s fickle world. It was only after her marriage to Anupam Kher in 1985 that she found acceptance among movie producers. This hard-earned success was put to test in 2014, when the BJP chose her for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat over the claims of local party leaders. A…