Cloud on CM dais

Burdwan, Jan. 6: Decorators in Burdwan have refused to construct the dais and pandal for the chief minister’s January 10 meeting, saying an agency hired by the PWD was yet to pay for a Mamata Banerjee rally last year.

The agency said it was ready to disburse the unpaid amount in instalments but the decorators insisted on a lump sum. PWD officials have asked the agency to explain why the bill of Rs 5.13 lakh was not cleared.

4 ‘molested’

Bankura: A grocer in Bankura allegedly molested four eight-year-old girls and raped at least one of them after luring them to his house on the pretext of giving them lozenges. Rabilochan Dey has been arrested and remanded in 14 days’ judicial custody.

Mamata fever

Calcutta: Mamata Banerjee has postponed to January 18 her visit to North 24-Parganas and Nadia on Monday as she is down with fever.

Jumbo cure

Alipurduar: One of the two elephants hit by a speeding train in Alipurduar on Saturday was pulled out of a ditch on Sunday. Three vets are attending to the elephant, which has suffered leg injuries.

‘Killer’ killed

Alipurduar: Residents of an Alipurduar tea garden allegedly lynched a youth on Sunday, accusing him of slashing to death a college girl who had spurned his advances.

CPM post

Tamluk: Ashok Guria, the secretary of the CPM peasants’ wing who is an accused in the 2007 Nandigram recapture case, has been made president of the body.

Boy ‘kidnap’

Siliguri: A 15-year-old boy in Siliguri has been missing since Friday. Family members said they received a ransom call demanding Rs 20 lakh.