FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW Care beyond cure US House passes war powers resolution to block Trump from escalating Iran war Page 6 Page 9 PM Modi: India will work with Venezuela to expand cooperation in key sectors STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NATION Shah to review India-B’desh border vigilance in Tripura Page 8 | Friday, 05 June 2026 Argentina seeks a glorious end to the Messi era with another WC title Page 12 Bengal drops Tajpur deep-sea port plan, eyes Dadanpatrabar New Delhi, 4 June STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held extensive talks with Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez in New Delhi, exploring ways to deepen cooperation across sectors including energy, trade, investment, healthcare and automobiles. “As a valued partner in Latin America, our close cooperation with Venezuela holds immense importance for the Global South. We will continue to work together for the mutual benefit of the people of our nations,” Mr Modi said in a social media post on ‘X’ after the talks. The discussions reviewed the entire gamut of IndiaVenezuela ties and featured an exchange of views on regional and international developments of mutual interest, reaffirming the commitment of both countries to strengthening their partnership hief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced that the proposed deep-sea port at Tajpur is no longer feasible due to a shortage of available land. The state government has instead prepared an alternative plan centred on Dadanpatrabar, located around 10 kilometres from Tajpur. Speaking after a meeting at Nabanna with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on ports, coastal development and Kolkata’s riverfront areas, Mr Adhikari said: “The state does not possess sufficient land at Tajpur to support a deep-sea port project. Thousands of acres of land are required for a deep-sea port. Since the state does not have adequate land at Tajpur, the project is not viable there. Kolkata set to get water metro in Bengal: Kolkata, 4 June C and promoting the interests of the Global South. The high-level engagement came at a time when Venezuela has emerged as a significant supplier of crude oil to India, giving renewed momentum to bilateral ties and opening avenues for deeper economic cooperation. During their discussions, Mr Modi and Ms Rodriguez reviewed the full spectrum of India-Venezuela relations and explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration across multiple sectors. (Photo by Subrata Dutta) SILIGURI SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | This was also a reason why the Adanis had moved away from the proposal.” “As an alternative, the government owns around 1,700 acres of land at Dadanpatrabar and has planned to move forward with the project there," he said. Mr Adhikari said discussions with Mr Sonowal had been positive and the Centre had granted approval for the alternative plan. Mr Adhikari further stated that West Bengal will join the Centre’s Sagarmala 2 pro- gramme, despite not participating in the first phase. The state plans to prepare a proposal worth Rs 22,700 crore over five years, focusing on port connectivity, fisheries infrastructure and coastal development from Sagar, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Nayachar and Khejuri up to the Odisha border. The government also plans to construct 44 new jetties. Approval has already been received for 41 of them, and work is expected to begin soon. Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday announced plans to introduce a modern Water Metro service in Kolkata. “Kolkata is set to become the 18th city in India to be connected to the Water Metro network. The service, designed to provide fast, environmentally friendly and modern public transport through waterways, has already been implemented successfully in other parts of the country,” the chief minister said. The Water Metro initiative, first launched in Kochi, is being expanded to several Indian cities under a central government programme. Page 3 HC quashes herbicide registration: New Delhi: A Division Bench of Delhi High Court (corum: C Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla) has quashed as illegal the registration granted to a Delhi-based company, Crystal Crop Protection Limited (CCPL) for the import and manufacture of halosulfuron methyl, a herbicide. CCPL obtained a permit in 2011 for the import of samples manufactured and supplied by a Singapore firm. Subsequently, in 2016, it applied for and got a Registration Certificate in 2016 for the import of Halosulfuron Methyl 98% manufactured by Jiangsu Agrochemicals, China, despite the absence of any material demonstrating that the latter firm was authorised to manufacture the herbicide at that time. Page 5
The Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman Weekly is a compendium of news and views from the Kolkata and Delhi editions. Printed on airmail paper, it is popular with readers outside India. The Statesman (average weekday circulation approximately 180,000) is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. The Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000.
