TUESDAY 19 MARCH 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KAMAL NATH’S CLOSE CONFIDANT QUITS CONGRESS, JOINS BJP ‘PEOPLE ARE SOURCE OF POWER IN RUSSIA’ P9 SENSEX 72,748.42104.99 WEATHER Scattered thunderstorms. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 27 °C and 20°C respectively. RAINFALL: 6.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY P7 ` vs $ 82.904 PAISE Min. 83% Max: 88.4°C SUN RISES 05:41 hrs MOON RISES 12:46 hrs Min: 83.7°C SUN SETS 17:47 hrs MOON SETS 02:00 hrs Seven dead after building collapse at Garden Reach STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 18 MARCH hief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the Garden Reach area of the city today, where an under-construction building collapsed, leaving seven people dead. At least twenty people were rescued and sent to the hospital. Miss Banerjee directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal to take action against those involved in the illegal construction of the five-storey building, which collapsed around midnight in the area. Muhammad Wasim, the accused promoter, was arrested in this connection. Around 12 o'clock last night, the under-construction multi-storey building of Ward No. 134 of Gardenrich collapsed on the neighbouring shanty. Several tiled, makeshift houses collapsed. The mayor of Kolkata and the minister of public works and urban development, Firhad Hakim, arrived there at night. Incidentally, This is a very congested area. This building had no sanction from the authorities, and it was illegal. I have told the CP and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to take action. C New Moon on 25 March THUMBNAILS A view of the almond blossoms during the spring season, in Srinagar on Monday.  ANI NDA finalises seat-sharing in Bihar: The NDA s formally announced its seat-share formula in Bihar this evening, which placed the BJP firmly as the 'big brother' in the state with 17 seats to contest. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United, which previously had the pole position in the alliance in Bihar, will contest on 16 seats. Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party will contest on five seats, Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustan Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha's RLM gets (P5) one seat each. MAMATA BANERJEE CHIEF MINISTER OF WEST BENGAL Hakim is also the MLA for the area. Cabinet minister Sujit Basu also went to the spot. They were in the area all night. Banerjee also visited the hospital where the injured persons are undergoing treatment. Police and disaster management teams swiftly evacuated 20 people, among them 13 injured, while the search is on for survivors who may be trapped under the rubble. West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose announced that Rs 5 lakhs will be given as compensation to the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 1 lakh will be given to those injured. The victims who died in the disaster are Shama Begam (44), Hasina Khatun (55), Rizwan Alam (22), Akbar Ali (34), Muhammad Wasik, Muhammad Imran, and Ramjan Ali. Among the deceased were three children. “This is a very congested area. This building had no sanction from the authorities, and it was illegal. I have told the CP and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to take action,” Miss Banerjee told reporters after taking stock of the situation. Mayor Fir had Hakim said that several steps were taken to rescue the trapped victims. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have started to blame the government for the alleged rampant unauthorised construction in the city. The Leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also demanded the arrest of the local councillor. However, Trinamul Congress leader Shantanu Sen gave a statement based on Sukanta and Suvendu’s complaint: “The Chief minister has said that the culprits will be punished. The BJP need not think about it,” he said. Holding KMC responsible, CPI-M politburo member Muhammad Salim demanded resignation of Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim and a highlevel probe into an unauthorised construction incident. Additionally, chaos ensued when BJP leader Sajal Ghosh arrived, causing local residents' fury. Election Commission orders removal of home secretaries in six states STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH Days after announcing the seven-phase schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued orders for the removal of home secretaries in six states--Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand along with West Bengal's Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar to ensure fair polls, sources said. The poll panel has also ordered removal of Brihanmumbai Municipal Com- missioner Iqbal Singh Chahal along with some other senior officials from various states, they said. Additionally, the secretaries of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have been removed. The DGP had been in the spotlight after the BJP and other opposition parties criticised the Bengal police for alleged inaction in giving justice to the victims of Sandeshkhali. The Sandeshkhali area had been witnessing unrest after women protestors sought justice against alleged atrocities committed by Tri- namool Congress ( TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides. Meanwhile, the poll panel also directed all the state gov- ernments to transfer officers connected with electionrelated work, who have completed three years or are in their home districts. Maharashtra had not complied with the directions in respect of a few Municipal Commissioners and some Additional / Deputy Municipal Commissioners. While conveying displeasure to the state chief secretary, the Commission directed the transfer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner and the additional/deputy commissioners with the direction to report by 6 pm today. The chief secretary was further directed to transfer all the similarly placed Municipal commissioners and Additional / Deputy Municipal Commissioners of PM Modi counters Rahul on ‘Shakti’, says ‘I am a devotee of Bharat Mata’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 18 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit back at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark saying the fight will be between those who want to destroy Shakti and those who worship it and he has readily accepted the challenge. While Gandhi had said Shakti in the context of the might of the state, the Prime Minister while addressing a public rally at Jagtial in Telangana referred to Shakti as the feminine energy. “They have said their fight is against a Shakti. Every mother is a form of Shakti, every daughter is a form of Shakti ...I am a worshipper of Shakti...INDI Alliance yesterday at Shivaji Park announced their manifesto that they will destroy Shakti. I accept this challenge. I am ready to lay down my life to protect mothers and daughters,” said the Prime Minister. He then went on to criticise the Opposition for the remark. “Can anyone talk about the destruction of Shakti on the soil of Bharat? Don’t we worship Shakti? We had also dedicated the suc- cess of Chadraayan to Shakti by naming the point where it landed as Shiv Shakti...Should you give an opportunity to all those who want to destroy Shakti?...INDI Alliance has exposed their agenda. The fight is between those who protect and those who destroy Shakti and the contest will be on 4th June,” he added. The Prime Minister then accused the Congress of using the funds from Telangana exchequer to fund conspiracies and divisiveness. “Now Congress has madeTelangana its ATM state. The money looted from Telangana goes to Delhi and reaches the safe of the dynasty. This money is used to fund conspiracies of lies and divisiveness. And the people know that a scamster never takes action against another one. That is why Congress, which levelled allegations of scams, now sits on those files.” CMYK P12 SILVER 77,000 GOLD 67,530.00 CM Mamata Banerjee reached the spot and took stock of rescue efforts and sooth nerves Max. 88% TEMPERATURE P5 NIFTY 22,055.7032.35 ‘I WILL BE BOWLING THIS SEASON, PLAYING ALL 14 MATCHES’ IMRAN AND NAWAZ ARE IN THE SAME BOAT other Corporations in Maharashtra. This step comes as part of the Commission's resolve and commitment to maintaining a level-playing field and ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, which has been emphasised by CEC Rajiv Kumar time and again and recently during the press conference for the announcement of Schedule for General Elections 2024. The Commission meeting, chaired by Rajiv Kumar, comprising Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was held today at noon. (SEE PAGE 3) BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 85.110.36 Don't be selective, disclose all details: SC asks SBI to share electoral bonds’ serial nos PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH The Supreme Court on Monday directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose all details in its possession relating to 22,217 electoral bonds, including the alphanumeric numbers of each one of them, to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The 22,217 electoral bonds of different denominations were purchased by corporations, private entities, and individuals between 1 April 2019 and 15 February 2024, and redeemed by various political parties. “In order to fully effectuate the (15 February 2024) judgement and to obviate any controversy in the future” relating to the disclosure of information about the 22,217 Electoral bonds, a five-judge constitution bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and J8ustice Manoj Misra, said, “We direct that the Chairman and the Managing Director of SBI shall file an affidavit on or before 5.00 pm on 21 March 2024 indicating that SBI has disclosed all details of the Electoral Bonds which are in its possession and custody and that no details have been withheld from disclosure in terms of the 4 directions contained in paragraph 221 of the judgement dated 15 February 2024.” Referring to the directions issued by its 15 February 2024 judgement, the bench said, “There is no manner of doubt that SBI was required to disclose all details available with it. This, we clarify, will include the alphanumeric number and serial number, if any, of the bonds purchased.” The bench mandated the SBI to disclose all details, including the date of purchase or redemption, the name of the purchaser or recipient, and the denomination of electoral bonds. The Constitution Bench further directed the Election Commission of India to upload the details on its website forthwith upon receipt of information from the SBI. The bench said that the use of the word “including” in its 15 February directions means that the details specified in the judgement are illustrative and not exhaustive. US appreciates Indian Navy’s role in Indian Ocean Region STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 MARCH The United States on Monday appreciated the important role being played by the Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin had a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two discussed ways and means to implement the India-US Defence Cooperation Roadmap which was concluded last year. Other defence industrial cooperation issues such as repair of US naval ships in Indian shipyards were also briefly discussed, the Ministry of Defence said. The two ministers also discussed a range of bilateral, regional security and defence cooperation issues. They reviewed the recent bilateral events such as the INDUS-X Summit held in New Delhi in February 2024, and the bilateral tri-service exercise ‘Tiger Triumph’ which commenced in India on Monday. The duo had last met in New Delhi in November 2023 during the India-US Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue.