MONDAY 21 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘PRIYANKA WILL FACE TOUGH COMPETITION IN WAYANAD LS BYPOLL’ ISSUES BEFORE JAPAN P6 P7 P4 Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain / thundershower very likely to occur. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 24 °C respectively. Junior doctors to meet Mamata today RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 81 % Min. 67 % KOLKATA, 20 OCTOBER Min: 24.3˚C SUN SETS 17:06 hrs MOON SETS 09:37 hrs delegation of junior doctors will attend the meeting called by theChief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna Sabhaghar tomorrow afternoon. The junior doctors arriveed at the decision following a marathon meeting held this afternoon. However, they will not withdraw their fastunto-death programme. Miss Banerjee had requested them to withdraw the movement before coming for the meeting. Also, the junior doctors have said their will be no compromise on their demand to remove the state health secretary, NS Nigam. Miss Banerjee, during a telephonic conversation with the junior doctors on Saturday, made it clear that it would not be possible for the state government to remove the health secretary. The state Chief Secretary Mr Manoj Pant and Home secretary Nandini Chakravarti had visited the site where the WEATHER Medics say no compromise on demand for removing health secy TEMPERATURE Max: 32.6˚C SUN RISES 05:35 hrs MOON RISES 20:21 hrs A New Moon on 1 November THUMBNAILS A woman performs rituals on the occasion of Karva Chauth in Bikaner on Sunday. n ANI Terrorist killed by security forces in J&KÊs Uri: One terrorist was killed on Sunday in the joint operation launched by the security forces along the line of control (LoC) in J&K’s Uri sector. The Army's Srinagar-headquartered Chinar Corps said that the joint team neutralised one heavily armed militant and recovered an AK rifle, two AK magazines, 57 AK rounds, two pistols, three pistol magazines and other war-like stores from the site. doctors are on fast unto death on Saturday and requested them to withdraw the fast. There, the chief minister had a conversation with the agitating doctors over the phone and requested them to end the fast and come for a meeting at Nabanna Sabhaghar on Monday The junior doctors said they would submit specific allegation against the Health secretary. “It is not our juvenile adamancy to demand for the removal of the health secretary. We have specific allegation against him and will submit documents relating to the allegations tomorrow,” a leader of the agitating doctors said. The state government has already removed the Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and some senior officials of the state health department, which had been demanded by the junior doctors. The junior doctors said their fast-unto-death would continue as they want a corruption-free, transparent health administration. They also demanded that elections to the college unions in all the medical colleges be held immediately. The junior doctors maintained that they had been criticised unnecessarily. They had received information about the meeting in the last moment. They said they had been hurt by some of the statements of Miss Mamata Banerjee and hoped that tomorrow’s meeting will be held keeping in mind the humanitarian approach. Meanwhile, Trinamul Congress leader Kunal Ghosh has demanded an inquiry into an allegation that the junior doctors in their account has collected Rs 1.70 crore. An NGO has been formed and an acount has been opened in the names of Aniket Mahato, Rajdeep Sau and Arnab Mukhopadhyay, he alleged. The account has been opened with HDFC Bank bearing account number XXXXXXXXXX3251. The address given while opening the account is Room number 32, KB Hostel, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, even though to open an account, banks want the permanent address of the account holders that is mentioned in the Aadhar or PAN data. Mr Ghosh demanded an inquiry to find out when the account was opened, how it had beeen opened and who have contributed money. Blast near CRPF school Opposition creating hurdles in the way of development: PM Modi in Delhi, terror angle STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE VARANASI, 20 OCTOBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi fiercely targeted the Opposition parties including the Samajwadi Party and Congress charging them with not allowing development of the country to move forward. He said even today, they (the Opposition) are working to create hurdles in the way of development works. The PM said this after the inauguration and laying of the foundation stone for various projects worth Rs 6,700 crore from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi. Mr Modi said today is a very auspicious day for Kashi as it is going to witness a new story of development. He said various projects worth Rs 6,700 crore include many development works related to airports, education, health, sports, and tourism. Mr Modi said all the Opposition parties, including the SP and Congress, were practicing nepotism. "Only the BJP fulfilled the dream of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Women were talked about reservation in legislation and the Lok Sabha, which we fulfilled. The BJP government gave respect to Muslim women. They were tortured for many years in the name of triple talaq and were living a dark life. The BJP government has given women the courage to walk with their heads held high," the PM said. Prime Minister Modi said that in the future, one lakh youth would be made a part of politics. He called upon the youth to come forward for this and become a part of the country's progress. During his address, Mr Modi said languages are also being developed in the country. Pali language is being developed. I thank the people of Kashi along with all the citizens of the country for all these development schemes. He said last year, improvements were made in a dozen airports of the country. A grand international airport in Ayodhya is welcoming Ram devotees. There was a time when the roads of UP were known for their dilapidation. Roads in UP are being constructed after 2014 and now the roads are shining. Work is being done regarding the development and heritage of Kashi city. From the streets to the beautiful ghats here, people are enthralled, he said. He said as soon as the new government was formed, development works started once again. not cofirmed yet SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 20 OCTOBER A massive explosion took place near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) school in Prashant Vihar in Delhi's Rohini on Sunday, triggering panic among area residents who mistook it as a terror strike. No one was injured in the blast that took place around 7.45 a.m. There is no confirmation yet if it was an act of terror but there were indications of possible use of a crude bomb. A high-security alert has been sounded in the Capital, police said. Sources said a powderlike white residue collected from the blast site was sent for forensic test. However, investigators refused to confirm or deny whether the powder was similar to ammonium nitrate – an ingredient used in the manufacture of commercial explosives. The explosion probably took place in material stored or concealed inside the school along its boundary wall or in a sewer line passing close to the wall, sources said. Soon after the blast, Special CP, Special Cell, R. P. Upadhyay reached the spot to lead the investigation by bomb disposal and dog squads. Delhi Police have registered an FIR under the Explosives Act. Investigators from the NIA, the CRPF, and the NSG also joined the investigation during the day. Over half of healthcare workers feel their workplace ‘unsafe’: Survey STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 OCTOBER A recent survey has shown that over half of the healthcare workers who participated in the survey, feel that their workplace is unsafe, particularly in state and central government medical colleges. The survey was led by healthcare experts from the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC), Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS, New Delhi. The "Workplace Safety and Security in Indian Healthcare Settings: A CrossSectional Survey" has been published in a recent issue of the journal Epidemiology International. It highlighted significant gaps in the security infrastructure within Indian healthcare settings, and underscored the urgent need for improving the prevailing Nearly half of the healthcare workers do not have a dedicated duty room while working for long hours or at night. safety and security measures in healthcare settings. The survey found that more than half (58.2 per cent) of healthcare workers feel unsafe at the workplace and 78.4 per cent reported having been threatened on duty. Nearly half of the healthcare workers do not have a dedicated duty room while working for long hours or at night. Dr Jugal Kishore, the corresponding author of the study, said the existing duty rooms are grossly inadequate in terms of providing the basic amenities and services such as regular cleaning, pest control, ventilation, room space, and air conditioning. Over 70 per cent felt security personnel were ineffective, and 62 per cent reported the emergency alarm system to be inadequate. Nearly half reported severe gaps in access control, surveillance, and security in highrisk areas like ICUs and psychiatric wards. The survey said over 90 per cent of institutions lack proper screening for weapons or dangerous objects, and nearly three-fourths reported the absence of secure hospital boundaries. These findings paint a dire picture of insufficient security in critical healthcare settings, putting NZ SECURE FIRST WIN IN INDIA AFTER 36 YEARS A LESSON IN DIPLOMACY both workers and patients at risk, Dr Kishore said. Over 63 per cent of respondents in state government medical colleges were unhappy with the number of security personnel, with a four-times higher likelihood of dissatisfaction compared to private colleges. Nearly 70 per cent criticised poor emergency alarms, access control, and security in high-risk areas, where dissatisfaction was more than 3.5 times higher. An alarming 81.3 per cent of healthcare workers reported witnessing violence, yet nearly half (44.1 per cent) felt these incidents were handled poorly. Further, 80 per cent of respondents didn't know who to contact in case of an emergency, and over 70 per cent lacked a clear, confidential process for reporting security concerns. P12 BJP releases first list for Maha elections; Fadnavis to contest from Nagpur South West AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 20 OCTOBER The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its first list of 99 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections, scheduled to be held on 20 November. As per the list, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will contest from Nagpur South West, while state BJP president Chandrashekhar Krishnarao Bawankule will contest from the Kamthi seat. Other key candidates include Minister Girish Mahajan who will contest from Jamner, Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur, Sreejaya Ashok Chavan from Bhokar, Ashish Shelar from Vandre West, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, Rahul Narwekar from Colaba, and Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale from Satara. The list also features Suresh Damu Bhole from Jalgaon City, Atul Save from Aurangabad East, Sanjay Mukund Kalkar from Thane, and Vinod Shelar from Malad West, among others. The announcement two days after a meeting held at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence to discuss the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) strategy for the Maharashtra polls. Maharashtra has 288 Assembly seats, and the BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance alongside the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. As election day nears, both the Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress -- have intensified their preparations, including seat-sharing discussions. Earlier, Deputy CM Fadnavis confirmed that seat- sharing talks within the Mahayuti alliance are nearing completion. "We cleared the problematic seats by having a positive discussion. We will clear the few remaining seats in the next two days, we have decided that the cleared seats should be announced by that party at their convenience," he said. “In the BJP, processes like the Election Committee and Parliamentary Board have almost come to an end,” he added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that positive discussions on seat sharing were held during Friday's meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. "The discussions are in the final phase. The seat sharing will be finalised soon and we will give you the good news," Shinde added. Sources had said that the seat-sharing arrangement among the BJP, Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawarled NCP were almost finalized. Of the 288 seats, the Shindeled faction is expected to contest 85-90 seats, Ajit Pawar's NCP around 50, with the BJP contesting the remainder. Delhi reeling under ‘poor’ AQI, situation may further deteriorate STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 20 OCTOBER The national capital's average Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday was recorded at 277, falling in the 'poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). There are at least ten places in the city, including the pollution hotspots, where the Air Quality Index figures pegged more than 300 points, falling in the 'very poor' category, according to the CPCB. With the air being under the poor category, the residents of the city, especially those suffering from illness, may experience breathing discomfort while most of the people on prolonged exposure to such air are likely to witness the same symptoms. In the areas where the Air Quality Index is 'very poor' people might develop respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. Apart from the rising air pollution levels in the city, another concern is the toxic foam visible in the Yamuna river, mostly near the Kalindi Kunj area, flagging a concern with the Chhath Pooja not far, in which the devotees often go to the river for rituals. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's (IITM) Air Quality Index and weather bulletin, the outlook for the subsequent 6 days, air quality is likely to be in the “Very Poor” to “Poor” category.