Bengal Cabinet okays Mamata's 'Durga Angan' proposal

Kolkata, Aug 11 (PTI) The West Bengal Cabinet on Monday gave its nod to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's proposal to set up a "Durga Angan", a courtyard dedicated to goddess Durga, Power Minister Arup Biswas said.
    A Trust would be formed, and the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) and the state tourism department would work in tandem to execute the project, he said.
    "UNESCO awarded our Durga Puja with the 'intangible heritage tag'. To show respect to UNESCO's recognition, our CM had proposed setting up Durga Angan, and today the Cabinet gave its nod. There will be a Trust formed. The HIDCO and tourism department will work in tandem with the Trust," Biswas said.
    He said that the land for the Durga Angan would be provided by the state government, and the budget for the same would be decided later.
    The state government recently helped set up a Jagannath temple in Digha.
    "Today, the Cabinet also okayed establishing two plants of 800 x 2 megawatt in Salboni (in Paschim Medinipur district), which will help in fulfilling the increasing power demand," Biswas said.
    The Cabinet on Monday gave its nod to a major relaxation in home construction rules.
    Construction regulations would now allow building homes even on small plots of land, Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said.
    He said that previously, construction on small plots was not permitted due to regulatory restrictions.
    “In a major policy shift, permissions will now be granted to build homes on plots as small as 500 square feet,” Hakim said.
    “There will be no minimum plot size requirement. If the applicant meets other eligibility criteria, approval will be granted,” he said.
    This move is expected to provide housing opportunities for thousands of people, especially in densely populated and urban settlement areas.
    Hakim also clarified that the relaxations would vary based on the size of the plot.
    "While fire safety norms applicable to larger plots will still be enforced, the same may not apply to smaller ones," he said, further emphasising that the size of the road adjacent to the plot will be a critical factor in granting construction clearance.
    The entire application and approval process will now be conducted online, Hakim assured.
    "Once the online application is submitted, the applicant can go ahead with foundational work. During this time, municipal authorities will conduct all necessary inspections and surveys. The government aims to complete the entire approval process within just 15 days," he said.
    The Cabinet has approved the recruitment of 627 personnel across various state departments, both permanent and contractual positions, official sources said.
    They said the Judicial Department will see the addition of 22 new positions, while the Health Department will establish 122 new posts specifically for the SSKM Hospital.
    In addition to the permanent roles, the Health Department will also hire 464 contractual staff under the ‘E-Mobile Medical Unit’ programme.
    These positions will include attendants and drivers, aimed at enhancing mobile healthcare services across the state.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)