WEDNESDAY 17 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR SHAH TO INAUGURATE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVERFRONT PROJECT IN ASSAM 'CHALO JANTAR MANTAR', KERALA CM VIJAYAN P4 SENSEX 73,128.77 199.16 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. DENSE TO VERY DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING. COLD WAVE CONDITIONS AT ONE OR TWO PLACES. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 21 AND 04 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % P5 ` vs $ 82.97 11 PAISE CM turns down Metro’s proposal STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 JANUARY THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 JANUARY Army personnel take part in rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade 2024, near Kartavya Path, in New Delhi on Tuesday  ANI Parliament security breach case: The Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed the bail plea of accused Neelam Azad, arrested in the Parliament Security Breach case and stated that the material, evidence and other documentary evidence show her complicity in the offence and thus, disentitle her to be released on bail. Prima facie there are reasonable grounds against the accused person which negate the enlargement on bail considering the fact that the investigation is pending, said Delhi Police. GOLD 63,330 ‘On the same day, my party members will hold a rally in every block, in every dist at 3pm’ Min: 4.3 °C (-3) SUN SETS 17:40 hrs MOON SETS 23:15 hrs TEMPERATURE P10 CM to lead a harmony rally on 22 January Min. 45% Max: 20.7°C (0) SUN RISES 7:10 hrs MOON RISES 11:25 hrs NIFTY 22,032.30 65.15 ‘INDIA BLOC WELL-POSITIONED TO DEFEAT BJP IN 2024 LS POLLS’ hief minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Kalighat temple and offer puja on Monday, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. “I will do a rally on 22 January. It will begin from Kali Mandir, where only I will visit to offer prayers to Maa Kaali. Following that, we will hold an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan and hold a C meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join the rally. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” she said from Nabanna, the state secretariat. She then went on to add, “Many people have been asking me about various temples but I have nothing to say. I have always said ‘Dhorma Jaar Jaar, Utsob Shobaar’ (religion is a personal, while festivals are for everyone). She is calling her march as “Sampriti Rally”, adding, “On the same day, my party members will hold a rally in every block, in every district at 3pm.” Hindu seers, like the Shankaracharyas of Puri and Uttarakhand have distanced themselves from the event at Ayodhya, saying that the manner it is being conducted is not in proper order. “The pran-pratishtha should be performed by religious leaders, the saints. I have heard what they have to say on the issue. I respect their views,” she said. Mamata later said, “From 20 January till Feb 12, we will hold camps in Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is opposed to Metro rail’s proposal to dismantle a portion of the Dakshineswar skywalk or any sort of relocation as part of its expansion of the Metro route. The livid chief minister today not only binned the Metro rail’s alleged proposal of dismantling a portion of the Dakshineswar skywalk but announced that the state government would in no way allow it to dismantle the skywalk at Dakshineswar. (PG3) every polling station where three of our officers will be present. People can give their names if they haven't been able to avail of our welfare schemes. This will be under the banner of Jono Sanjog programme.” INDIA SEEK TO REFINE APPROACH IN FINAL T20I BEFORE WORLD CUP P12 SILVER 76,500 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 77.980.42 ‘Attacks on ships in India’s vicinity a matter of concern’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JANUARY External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed grave concern over the attacks on ships in the vicinity of India, saying such threats have a direct bearing on the country's energy and economic interest. “There has recently been a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean. This situation does not benefit anybody,” he said at a joint press statement with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian after wideranging talks between them in Tehran. He emphasised that it was important that this issue was "speedily addressed", in an apparent reference to the targeting of merchant vessels in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Yemen's Houthi rebels. Mr Jaishankar, who was in Iran on a two-day visit as part of the ongoing highlevel exchanges between the two countries, also said that both India and Iran were concerned about recent events in West Asia External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Iranian Foriegn Minister H. Amirabdollahian, in Tehran.  ANI and emphasised the importance of preventing further escalation of violence and hostilities in the region. He reiterated India's position for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. “On the issue of Palestine, let me reiterate India's long-standing support for a two-state solution where the Palestine people are able to live freely in an independent country with secure borders.'' On the Chabahar Port in Iran, Mr Jaishankar said he has assured the Iranian leadership of India's full commitment to the strategic port project. Iranian media said Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, during his meeting with Mr Jaishankar, emphasised the need for speeding up implementation of Iran-India agreements, including the Chabahar Port Development Plan, and the need to compensate for the delay in the implementation of commitments. Mr Raisi also referred to the deep-rooted relations between Iran and India, and the efforts to fulfil the will of the high officials of the two countries in order to develop and improve the level of relations in political, economic, science and technology, transportation & energy sectors.