It seems Tata Steel’s ambitious Rs 12,000 crore Subarnarekha port project at Chaumukh in Balasore, Odisha is finally gaining traction after cumulative 17 years delay. This ambitious mega port project is now backed by legal clearances, successful public hearings and local communities support to make way for the ambitious port project. It is learnt that the current Balasore District Magistrate, Mayur Suryawanshi played an important role to get the project going. He is now deemed to be lucky as per administrative peers because his dynamism of conducting successful public hearing, gaining local communities support for the ambitious port project yielded results. As per Suryawanshi’s own admission a fresh foundation stone is being planned by Tata Steel in January 2027. It is also learnt that in the next three months’ time there will be greater clarity on further milestones to be achieved by Tata Steel and its partners. The big news is Tata Steel’s proposed port operation in Chaumukh is meant not only for exporting steel products from its Jamshedpur plant but also possibility of a commercial shipbuilding yard being built over 400 acres with the support of the Government of India. However, getting the various clearances from CRZ, EIA, MoEFCC could take two years before commercial operations begins.

Ram Gopal Varma’s upcoming crime drama Police Company, starring Harshvardhan Rane as encounter specialist Daya Nayak, produced by T-Series, and slated for a 4 June 2027 theatrical release, is now under a cloud after Eclatant Films Private Ltd issued a public notice against him.  Besides, Eclatant Films also sent RGV a legal notice on 15 October 2026 demanding payment of Rs 29.67 crores, which includes accumulated interest of about Rs 11.39 crore. The claim arises from an agreement dated 10 April 2010, also referenced in a Bombay High Court order of 17 April 2013. The company has given him until 30 October 2026 to clear the dues. Under the agreement, RGV is required to obtain a prior written No-Objection Certificate from Eclatant Films before any film production, co-production, direction, writing, or third-party association until the amount is fully paid. The public notice (published in Complete Cinema) warns producers, distributors, broadcasters, and OTT platforms against dealing with him or exploiting rights in related projects without that NOC, stating they would do so at their own risk. The core conflict is this long-standing unpaid financial obligation from the 2010 agreement, not a new creative or production dispute over Police Company itself. Whether the film proceeds on schedule will depend on how the dues and NOC issue are resolved.

One big feat missing in Tanush Kotian’s numbers was a 10-wicket haul in a single first-class match, namely the Ranji Trophy. As a Mumbaikar, he has been around for eight seasons, but a 10+ wicket haul, which brightens a bowler’s achievements in a match and lifts his profile as a match-winner on his own, had eluded him. The right-arm finger spinner — thanks to Mumbai and skipper Siddhesh Lad’s inclination to enforce the follow-on against Haryana and toss the ball to his leading spinner — went for the jugular and dismissed eight Haryana batters in the second innings and crossed the ten-wicket mark in a match (he had taken three in the first innings). It was his 50th first-class match, and he would be pleased as punch; but his best effort in eight seasons also explained why the selection committee hadn’t seriously considered him for multi-day Test cricket so far. Kotian sent down 34.3 overs at the BKC and took 8 for 81 on a fourth-day pitch and won a third straight match for Mumbai in the Elite ‘D’Group match. His match figures of 11 for 151 have to be seen as a big deal; he will be in the basket now for the five-Test series against Australia in the first quarter of 2027. Kotian joined the national squad two winters ago when Ravichandran Ashwin retired midway through the series in Australia and Axar Patel was unavailable. Now he could stake a claim by showing consistency in the remaining league matches. The spinners come into play after the new ball bowlers do their stint, and it’s not child’s play to dismiss 50% of the rival team. Now that Kotian has done it, he should look for more bagfuls! His next duty will be against the Railways at the Brabourne.

As the BJP prepares for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections, a shortage of leaders with experience in civic administration has emerged as a challenge for the party, forcing it to weigh organisational loyalty against electoral and administrative competence. The party has invited applications from aspirants through a dropbox. However, state president Samik Bhattacharya and poll strategy in-charge Sukanta Majumdar have ruled out tickets for former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, narrowing the pool of candidates with governance experience. The challenge has become more pronounced following delimitation, which increased Kolkata’s wards from 144 to 209 and Howrah’s from 50 to 68. Several of the BJP’s experienced hands have links to the TMC or civic bodies outside Kolkata. State minister Tapas Roy and MLA Sajal Ghosh have TMC roots, while Meena Devi Purohit served as KMC deputy mayor from 2000 to 2005 under a TMC-BJP alliance. Other leaders with municipal experience include former Bhatpara municipality chairman Arjun Singh, his son Pawan Singh, and Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh, who served on the mayor-in-council of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. Meanwhile, speculation over possible defections has added another layer to the contest, with at least 44 former TMC councillors, including Ananya Banerjee, Jui Biswas and Devlina Kumar, daughter of former councillor Debashis Kumar, are reportedly seeking BJP tickets. Despite Majumdar’s insistence that the party has enough credible leaders, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s meeting with Sudip Bandyopadhyay has fuelled political speculation. For the BJP, the KMC polls will test not just its electoral strength but also its ability to build a credible urban governance team without alienating its grassroots base.

Superstar Rajinikanth and ‘Baahubali’ actor Prabhas are among the prominent names expected at the 32nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), scheduled from December 17 to 23. The festival, one of the biggest events organised during former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s tenure, is set for a major makeover under Suvendu Adhikari government, with the inauguration planned on the Victoria Memorial grounds. It may be recalled Mamata had transformed KIFF from an event largely confined to the state-of-the-art Nandan complex into a grand affair extending to venues such as Netaji Indoor Stadium, inviting Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as its icons. Actor and West Bengal government adviser Mithun Chakraborty said the committee was discussing invitations to prominent Indian actors, including Anupam Kher, Paresh Rawal and Kangana Ranaut. It is also exploring the possibility of inviting a leading Hollywood star to make this year’s edition memorable. Rajinikanth’s possible visit is expected to generate considerable excitement. The committee plans to give Kolkata a festive makeover by decorating and highlighting several iconic locations across the city. The The committee is focused on promoting the film bazaar, an industry platform aimed at strengthening Bengali cinema and creating opportunities for filmmakers, producers, distributors and other professionals.  There are proposals to institute an Uttam Kumar Lifetime Achievement Award, increasing prize money in the Bengali and Indian Panorama sections, and finalising the festival’s official logo and Royal Bengal trophy. This year also marks the birth centenaries of Uttam Kumar, Bhupen Hazarika, Shakti Samanta, OP Nayyar and Marilyn Monroe. Discussions are underway to curate special screening sections celebrating these icons.

Questions have emerged over coordination between the CPI(M)’s national leadership and its West Bengal unit following reports party’s Kerala leaders reaching out to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Delhi. The reported outreach has triggered speculation over whether the Bengal unit was kept in the loop. The issue has brought the party’s internal communication and decision-making process under scrutiny, particularly given the sharply contrasting political positions adopted by the CPI(M) at the national level and in West Bengal. In Bengal, the TMC remains one of the CPI(M)’s principal political rivals. The Left party has consistently campaigned against it. However, the need for coordination among Opposition parties at the national level to counter the BJP also remains a significant consideration. The reported contacts have therefore highlighted the challenge of balancing broader national political objectives with the distinct electoral and political realities of individual states. Most importantly, party’s national general secretary MA Baby had written to all Opposition leaders including TMC chief Mamata Banerjee recently on the SIR and ECI chief Gyanesh Kumar issue. He even had a telephonic conversation with Mamata after she reciprocated on the issue. Close sources to Mamata confirmed that Didi is in touch with the Keralam unit ever since the SIR issue has taken shape. However, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty sought to draw a distinction between the two political contexts, making it clear that efforts to build unity among anti-BJP parties at the national level should not be interpreted as an indication of an alliance with the TMC in West Bengal. The developments have brought the question of organisational coordination within the CPI(M) into focus. While the party may need to engage with other Opposition forces at the national level, its Bengal unit continues to view the TMC as a key political opponent.

The noble game of cricket thrives on numbers — scores and statistics. In any format, cricket is a team sport, but its legion of fans are fascinated by individual feats… centuries, wickets, etc! On the first day of the third round of the Ranji Trophy Elite League, Mumbai opener Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored his maiden first-class century against Haryana at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s facility at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. The tall right-hander, who turns out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, had been in and out of the MCA senior team, getting chances in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal (in New Zealand now) and Ayush Mhatre (ruled out with a serious hamstring injury). Raghuvanshi played a typical opener’s role and took 180 balls to make 114 with 13 x 4s and 1×6. He was capped two years ago, and in five Ranji matches, he had nothing big to show for it, just two 50s. The country’s leading cricket statistician, Mohandas Menon, WhatsApped in a jiffy that Raghuvanshi was the 119th Mumbai batter to score a century in the national championship that the MCA has won 42 times. The Delhi-born has a long way to go, but a few more centuries this season may get him a place in the India ‘A’ team, just like Shikhar Mohan of Jharkhand following his 1109 runs in 12 Ranji Trophy matches with 4 x 100s. The MCA centuries list in the Ranji Trophy is humongous, starting with Vijay Merchant in 1935. The MCA list includes some illustrious names; well, almost everyone on it is. Raghuvanshi has joined that list, but with the domestic competition so intense, he will have to log in “daddy 100s” to catch the national selectors’ attention. 

Maharashtra wants Navi Mumbai to emerge as a major data-centre hub. Yet, as around 15 data centres move through development, the state’s power ambitions are running into a rather prosaic obstacle: land for the transmission infrastructure needed to keep these electricity-guzzling facilities running. The projected connectivity requirement is a staggering 4,000–5,000 MW, comparable to Mumbai’s power demand. Against this, only around 1,500–2,000 MW has been sanctioned, leaving a substantial requirement to be met. A proposed 765-kV substation and associated transmission infrastructure are critical to bridging the gap—and could take three to five years to establish. The Maharashtra Energy Department has sought 25 acres from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation to set up the substation for the project. Four formal communications over approximately 18 months have allegedly failed to secure a response. Repeated attempts to contact Principal Secretary Dr P Anbalagan, including through office visits, SMS messages and voicemail failed to elicit a response. The irony is hard to miss. Maharashtra has tied up more than 85,000 MW of power, and data centres are being promoted as engines of investment and digital growth. But generation capacity on paper cannot substitute for transmission infrastructure on the ground. Nor can private investment in power infrastructure move at the speed required if a crucial land allocation remains unresolved. The consequences extend beyond bureaucratic inconvenience. Delays in transmission infrastructure could constrain the very data-centre expansion the state is courting. Maharashtra wants to power India’s digital future. But before the servers go live, will its government machinery manage to connect the dots—or even allot the land?

It has been barely six months since the TVK rode to power on an anti-corruption plank against the DMK in Tamil Nadu. Yet, chief minister C Joseph Vijay has managed to keep his poll promise of penalising the corrupt; he put the corrupt DMK leader — Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi — behind bars soon after he lost his anticipatory bail plea. Anbil, former TN Education Minister, was arrested by the Greater Chennai Police in connection with an alleged Rs100 crore private schools scam. The DMK claimed Vijay’s government arrested Anbil to clinch a by-poll in Trichy East. The complaint against Anbil was lodged by DC Ilangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu, alleging that money was collected from private school managements on the promise of securing government approvals, including permanent recognition, school upgradation, clearances and other permissions. According to the police, around 177 private schools were linked to the alleged collection of more than Rs 100 crore. Several prominent people including techies like Sridhar Vembu of Zoho fame had spoken about difficulties in getting permission to open schools under the DMK regime. Four months back, Vembu had posted on X how the DMK “ecosystem” had made it difficult for him to run/ manage schools in rural TN. “We run two rural schools, both free NIOS schools under the Kalaivani Kalvi Maiyam umbrella. The Theni school was originally started and run by a retired IPS officer, an honest and upright man. He built very nice facilities but had to shut down his CBSE school because the state government demanded too much money to issue the NOC.” Today, Vembu must be happy. So must be many others like him. Also, Vijay’s approach to fighting corruption starkly differs from PM Modi’s who has so far not acted against the Gandhis!

The Mohan Charan Majhi-led government in Odisha now faces a new dilemma. There is no settlement on the territorial dispute with Andhra Pradesh has been reached even after BJP came to power in the state three years back. The territorial dispute relates to Kotia villages which has been historically recognised as part of Odisha since 1936. Resolving the territorial dispute with Andhra was the poll promises of the BJP. Now it is learnt that Andhra Pradesh has announced Panchayat Elections date for three villages in the controversial Kotia will be held on November 3. This festering issue has now rekindled the decades-long territorial claim against Odisha, for which a solution has not been found even at the Supreme Court level. While historically Kotia was recognized as a part of Odisha since 1936, the region has been contested by Andhra Pradesh since 1971. Can the Odisha government resolve the issue without escalating into inter-state conflict? Odisha’s Opposition party Biju Janata Dal led by Naveen Patnaik has targeted CM Majhi for his failure to resolve the issue.