16-04-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
With COVID cases surging, EC
restricts campaigning in Bengal
Kolkata : Considering the steep rise of
Covid cases in the state, the Election
Commission(EC) has restricted all parties
from conducting any kind of political rallies,
meetings and political gatherings
between 7 pm and 10 am during the days of
campaign from Friday onwards.
Invoking its powers under Article 324,
EC also extended the silence hours from 48
hours to 72 hours in the next phases of
election. In an order issued by the commission,
it has been said that ’No rallies, public
meetings, street plays, Nukkad Sabhas
shall be allowed on any day during the
days of campaigning between 7 pm and 10
am from 7 pm of 16.04.2021’.
The commission also said that silence
period for rallies, public meetings, street
plays, Nukkad Sabhas, bike rallies or any
gathering for campaigning purposes shall
be extended to 72 hours before the end of
the poll for phase 6, phase 7 and phase 8 in
the state. The commission has asked all the
candidates and political parties to adhere to
the Covid guidelines laid down by the
commission and also made it clear that it
would be the responsibility of the political
parties to provide masks and sanitisers to
all the people attending the political rallies
and meetings.
The Commission has given absolute
authority to the District Election Officers
to enforce Covid guidelines and will cancel
the meetings and rallies if the rules laid
down by the commission are not followed.
Special Observers and the General, Police
and Expenditure Observers are given the
responsibility to strictly monitor the compliance
of Covid norms during the elections.
The decisions were taken after an allparty
was convened by the chief electoral
officer Ariz Aftab on Friday in which the
Trinamool Congress urged the Election
Commission to club the last three phases of
elections into one with the
Covid-19 pandemic situation
showing an upward surge in the
country including in Bengal.
However, the other political
parties pitched against the clubbing
of the next three phases and
vowed to follow the guidelines
laid down by the commission.
"We believe that people’s
lives should be given the topmost
priority. However, the
health protocols and sanitisation
measures cannot be implemented
properly because of engagement
of a good number of government
officials in the lengthy
election process. We feel the last
three phases of elections should
be clubbed into a single one so
that we can put in the full
machinery to curb the Covid
pandemic situation," Partha
Chatterjee, Trinamool Congress
secretary general, said.
The BJP differed and said that
the level playing field for those
candidates who are contesting
the last three phases of elections
cannot be offered if election phases are integrated.
"So far 61 per cent of the candidates
would have finished their election by
tomorrow (Saturday) as five of the eight
phases will be over. So, if there are any sort
of restrictions in campaign then the 31 per
cent candidates who are in the fray in the
last three phases will be deprived. There
needs to be a balance between campaigning
and adhering to safety norms and we are
ready to follow guidelines laid down by the
Commission for campaigning," BJP leader
Swapan Dasgupta said. Rabin Deb, who
was present in the all-party meeting as a
representative from Sanjukta Morcha, said:
"We have informed the Commission that we
will strictly adhere to any guidelines laid
down by the poll panel in connection with
the election campaign amidst Covid pandemic
situation. We have decided to hold
rallies and meetings that will not involve a
large gathering of people," Deb said.
16-04-2021 to 30-04-2021
5
Punjab to deploy 270
ambulances for emergency care
Chandigarh, April 16 (IANS) Punjab has entered into a pact to
procure 270 ambulances from Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd (ZHL), a private
emergency medical service provider, for its residents free of
cost, it was announced on Friday. The ambulances comprise 245
basic life support and 25 advance life support vehicles. Ziqitza
operates the 108 emergency service number with GPS-enabled
ambulances. The ambulances are strategically located in the operational
district in such a way that the entire district can be covered
within minimum time.
The entire service right from a person making a call to the necessary
pre-hospital care in the ambulance and taking the victim to
the nearest hospital will be absolutely free. Speaking about the
development, Saikat Mukherjee, Project Head, Ziqitza, said,
"With the complete fleet of 270 ambulances, we would be able to
provide better access to the pre-hospital services."
Female student held for
smuggling gold worth Rs 1 cr
Lucknow : A 22-
year-old female student
from Kolkata
was arrested by customs
sleuths at
Lucknow airport for
smuggling gold
worth Rs 1.13 crore.
The student,
whose father is a
wholesale dealer in
rice, was returning
from Dubai on an Indigo flight which landed in Lucknow on April
13. According to Deputy Commissioner, Customs, Niharika
Lakha, "The female student was trying to smuggle 2,318 grams of
gold which she had concealed in white polythene inside her underwear."
"It was the biggest catch from a woman passenger," she
added. The accused gold carrier was produced before a Magistrate
and sent to jail. Customs sleuths confirmed that the woman was
caught for the first time in Lucknow.
She was supposed to hand over the gold to a person waiting
outside the airport.
3 hours waiting time in cremation grounds of Patna
Patna : Keeping in view the number
of deaths in Bihar, family members
of the deceased are waiting two to
three hours in cremation grounds to
perform the last rites of their loved
ones.
Moreover, the employees at the cremation
grounds are allegedly extorting
Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 for ambulance
service and cremation of one body.
IANS visited the cremation
grounds in Digha, Bas Ghat and
Mahendru Gulbi Ghat to check the
ground reality. A number of bodies
were found inside these cremation
grounds located on the banks of the
Ganga river.
An active worker of the ruling
political party named Rahul Kumar,
came with a body to Bas Ghat and said
that the state government and the local
administration completely failed to
provide basic facilities in Bihar.
"As per a state government order,
no charge is needed to be paid at the
cremation grounds if a patient died
due to coronavirus. Here in Bas Ghat,
the ambulance charged Rs 2000 for
carrying the body from the hospital to
the cremation ground and I have paid
Rs 2000 to cremate the body of my
uncle," said Rahul Kumar.
When asked, an employee of the
Bas Ghat cremation ground said: "We
are putting our lives at high risk of
infection, hence, we are charging
money and are not scared of the district
administration’s action against us.
The work we are doing is highly dangerous."
In the last 24 hours, the state government
said that 24 persons infected
with coronavirus and admitted in different
hospitals, have died in Bihar.
Sources however said that the number
of deaths is much higher than the official
figures.
Keeping in view the long waiting
time at the cremation grounds, Patna
District Magistrate Chandrashekhar
Singh admitted mismanagement at the
cremation grounds. He has now directed
the Patna Municipal Corporation to
repair electric cremation units in
Khajekalan, Patna city and Gulbi Ghat
in Mahendru locality. At present, only
one electric cremation unit at Bas Ghat
is operational where 43 bodies were
cremated in the last 36 hours.