West Bengal Politics & Governance

West Bengal steps up dengue surveillance and prevention

1 September 2026

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari chaired a dengue-review meeting at Swasthya Bhavan and announced a three-day cleanliness drive for 3–5 September to remove mosquito-breeding sites. The Health Department also directed ASHA workers to identify people with fever, encourage testing and report cases; the special surveillance campaign was scheduled to continue until 15 October.

The state began publishing daily dengue bulletins on the Health Department website in September.

Key Facts

• Dengue prevention includes removing Aedes mosquito breeding habitats, including standing water.

Malda arranges alternative schooling and exam centres amid floods

1 September 2026

River erosion and rising water led education authorities to suspend nine primary schools in Malda district for student safety: five in Manikchak and four in Ratua-I. Authorities sought proposals for alternative teaching arrangements as some school buildings were threatened or inaccessible.

For the Higher Secondary third-semester examination beginning on 21 September, 736 students from three submerged schools were brought to a new examination centre at Manikchak College, with accommodation and transport arranged by the administration.

Key Facts

• Manikchak College served as an alternative examination centre for students whose three schools were submerged.

West Bengal launches Arjun disaster-response force

1 September 2026

West Bengal formally launched the Arjun disaster-response force, initially comprising 200 retired service personnel. It is to deploy 100 members in Kolkata, 50 in the northern hills and 50 in the Sundarbans for rescue operations during disasters.

Key Facts

• The Arjun force is intended to use experienced retired personnel to speed rescue operations in hard-to-reach areas.
• A separate announced initiative will have the Centre and state jointly assess risks in the northern hills.

West Bengal mandates signatory details on government documents

1 September 2026

West Bengal directed officials signing government correspondence to state their names and designations. Physical files must also carry an official seal alongside the signature; the directive applies across state departments and took effect on 1 September.

Key Facts

• Naming signatories and requiring official seals are intended to make government documents easier to authenticate and verify.

West Bengal pilots unique identification numbers for land parcels

1 September 2026

West Bengal began a pilot in Howrah for a proposed 12-digit Unified Land Parcel Identification Number. The identifier is intended to give each land parcel a unique number; statewide implementation and identification cards for landowners are planned.

Key Facts

• The land-identification project requires geodigitised cadastral maps to identify individual plots.

West Bengal conducts statewide food-safety inspections

1 September 2026

During the first three days of a statewide Food Safety Week drive, officials inspected 2,337 food-related establishments and reported major irregularities at 2,056. They issued 2,039 corrective-action directions, collected 1,277 samples for testing and prohibited sales at 16 establishments; 17 were reported closed or sealed.

Key Facts

• FSSAI regulates food manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, and establishes food-safety standards.

Cleanliness fines take effect in Kolkata

1 September 2026

Cleanliness-related fines took effect in Kolkata on 1 September. Reported penalties include ₹100 for spitting in an open place and ₹200 for open urination or using prohibited plastic; fines were to be collected digitally.

Key Facts

• Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for municipal services including garbage disposal and street cleanliness.

Railways approve Adra–Joychandipahar freight bypass

2 September 2026

Indian Railways approved an approximately 11-km freight bypass from Adra to Joychandipahar in Purulia, allocating ₹272 crore for the project. The separate route is intended to ease operational constraints on the existing corridor; Railways estimates that it could accommodate about 6.065 additional freight rakes a day once operational.

Key Facts

• A freight bypass separates goods trains from existing traffic and connects with the planned third line, helping ease operational constraints.

Track subsidence disrupts rail services near New Farakka

3 September 2026

Heavy rain caused track subsidence between New Farakka and Tildanga, disrupting rail services and prompting cancellations, diversions and restricted operations. A goods train made a trial run on the repaired section on 5 September, and normal services resumed after safety checks, according to Eastern Railway’s announcement published on 6 September.

Key Facts

• Monsoon patrols help railway staff identify track defects promptly and take preventive action.

Centre approves four-laning of NH-327 in North Bengal

3 ...