Page 48 - West Bengal

ADB commits $241 mn loan to improve power distribution in West Bengal

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 241.3-million loan to improve electricity distribution in West Bengal in order to help enhance people's quality of life by ensuring reliable and sustainable power supply. "This ADB programme is aligned with the government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, which aims to strengthen the operational efficiency of power distribution companies," ADB Principal Energy Specialist Roka Sanda said in a statement. Reliable and sustainable electricity distribution and service is essential to West Bengal's growth and development, the statement said. The West Bengal Distribution System Strengthening Program will improve electricity distribution for 8.96 million consumers in seven districts in the state, it said. The programme will ensure replacement of low-tension overhead lines with aerial bundled cables, separate electricity feeders for agriculture and non-agriculture users, and an integrated information and operation management system fo

Cyclone Dana updates: Odisha schools closed; tourists asked to leave Puri

Cyclone Dana: Heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Odisha and Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the impact of the cyclone

RG Kar case: Junior doctors end hunger strike after meeting with CM Mamata

Agitating junior doctors on Monday evening withdrew their weeks-long hunger strike over the RG Kar incident, hours after a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The medics also called off their proposed shutdown in the state's health sector from Tuesday till an indefinite period. "In today's meeting (with the CM), we did get the assurance of some directives, but the body language of the state government was not positive... The common people have wholeheartedly supported us. They, as well as the parents of our deceased sister (RG Kar hospital victim), have been requesting us to call off the hunger strike, keeping in mind our deteriorating health. "We are therefore withdrawing our 'fast-unto-death' and also Tuesday's total shutdown in the health sector, but this is not a result of today's meeting but because the request came from the common people and the parents of Abhaya. This does not mean that we are ending the protest. In the coming days, we will conduct it in

Mamata meets Kultuli rape-murder victim's parents, assures quick justice

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday met the parents of a girl who was raped and murdered in Kultuli in South 24 Parganas district and assured them that the culprit would face the strictest punishment, a source said. The parents of the girl were accompanied by Canning's TMC MLA Saokat Mollah during the meeting at state secretariat Nabanna. "The CM assured them of all kinds of assistance and completion of investigation into the rape and murder of their daughter within three months. She assured them that the culprit would get the strictest form of punishment," the source told PTI. Police have so far arrested one person in connection with the incident. On October 5, the body of a class 4 student was recovered from a pond in Kultuli, leading to huge protests as locals torched vehicles, ransacked a police outpost and put up road blockades in the area.

Kolkata RG Kar case: Protesting junior doctors to meet CM Mamata today

The striking doctors said the outcome of the meeting will determine the future of the protest; they demand removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam as a key condition for resolving the situation

RG Kar case: TMC wants doctors' protest to be halted, says BJP leader

Bhattacharya said, TMC is under pressure, they realised that they are losing their chair

Amid CM's appeal to withdraw stir, doctors' hunger strike enters 16th day

Amid West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's request to agitating junior doctors to withdraw their indefinite hunger strike and come for talks, the 'fast-unto-death' of the medics demanding justice for the RG Kar Hospital rape-murder victim entered the 16th day on Sunday. Taking forward the proposal for talks, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Saturday evening invited the medics for talks with Banerjee for "45 minutes" from 5 pm on Monday at state secretariat Nabanna, conditional upon the "withdrawal of the hunger strike". However, the protesting doctors refused to end their hunger strike until all their demands were met but agreed to join the talks on Monday. Banerjee on Saturday spoke to the agitating doctors over phone during a visit by Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty to the protest site in Kolkata's Esplanade area and urged them to end the hunger strike, stating that most of their demands have been addressed while rejecting their insistence on removing the state ...

WB junior doctors demand action, Mamata calls for end to hunger strike

Mamata Banerjee urged protesting doctors to rise above politics and return to work, stating that people are dependent on them and need their services

RG Kar case: Protest continues, doctors' fast-unto-death enters 15th day

The fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 15th day on Saturday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting doctors have been hospitalised after their health condition deteriorated. Eight doctors are currently on indefinite fast while demanding that the state government act constructively by October 21 to end the impasse. One of the medics said that they would be forced to resort to strike across the state on October 22 if their demands are not met by Monday. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands", a junior doctor said. Several theatre personalities also held a symbolic hunger strike on Saturday to express solidarity with the protesting doctors. The agitating doctors planned to hold a mega rally on Sunday to press for their demands, which include the removal of Health Secretary N S Niga

RG Kar case: All doctors to go on strike in WB on Oct 22 if demands not met

Agitating junior doctors in West Bengal, who have been seeking justice for their deceased colleague at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Friday threatened to hold a strike by all medics in the state on October 22 if their demands are not met. Stating that they are in talks with their colleagues in other states, the medics said there may also be a country-wide strike by doctors on Tuesday over the issue. The junior medics said that they, along with senior doctors, were giving a deadline to the state government till October 21 to fulfil their demands. "We want the chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) to sit for a discussion and implement all our demands," Debasish Halder, one of the agitating junior doctors, told reporters. "Unless this is done, all the junior and senior doctors of both government and private healthcare facilities will be forced to go on strike on Tuesday," he said after a meeting between the junior doctors and their seniors here. Claiming that the doctors were n

RG Kar issue: Delhi doctors demand justice, safety measures for workers

Doctors of government hospitals on Thursday demanded "justice for Abhaya", urging action in the ongoing fight for justice for a female doctor who was raped and murdered at a Kolkata hospital. The Delhi RDA Action Committee, an umbrella body of doctors from AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, GTB Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, and Lady Hardinge Medical College, held a press conference to express solidarity with their protesting fellow doctors in the West Bengal capital. Apart from demands for "justice for Abhaya", the committee also emphasises the need for urgent measures to ensure safety of healthcare workers at hospitals across the country. The joint press conference took place this evening at the Dhanvantri Hostel of ABVIMS and Dr RML Hospital, where representatives from various Resident Doctors' Associations (RDAs) voiced their concerns over the increasing insensitivity of authorities towards the safety and security of healthcare professionals. GTB Hospital RDA .

RG Kar case: Fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors enters 13th day

A fast-unto-death by agitating junior doctors in West Bengal entered the 13th day on Thursday over demands for justice for the deceased post-graduate trainee of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and workplace security. So far, six fasting junior doctors had to be hospitalised following severe deterioration of their health parameters, Dr Suvendu Mallick said. At present, eight medics are on the indefinite fast at the protest site in Esplanade, situated at the heart of Kolkata, he said. The protesting doctors have been demanding justice for the deceased woman medic of the RG Kar hospital, and immediate removal of state Health Secretary NS Nigam. Their other demands include establishment of a centralised referral system for all hospitals and medical colleges in the state, implementation of a bed vacancy monitoring system, and formation of task forces to ensure essential provisions for CCTV, on-call rooms and washrooms at their workplaces. They are also demanding increased police ..

95% of hospital upgrades done in Bengal, but RG Kar delays raise concerns

Key infrastructure upgrades in West Bengal hospitals include CCTV installations, better washroom facilities, and new duty rooms were supported by a budget of over Rs 113 crore

RG Kar case: Junior doctors' indefinite hunger strike enters 11th day

The indefinite hunger strike of junior doctors of West Bengal to press for their demands in the wake of the RG Kar Hospital incident entered the 11th day on Tuesday, as a meeting between medics and the state government failed to resolve the deadlock. Two more doctors participating in the 'fast-unto-death' in Esplanade area of Kolkata fell ill, further fueling the ongoing unrest sparked by the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. A crucial meeting between representatives from 12 doctors' associations and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant held at Swasthya Bhavan on Monday concluded without any resolution. The doctors' hunger strike began on October 5, following nearly 50 days of 'cease work' in two phases, after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. As of Tuesday, seven junior doctors continued their hunger strike, with several requiring immediate medical attention. Pulastha Acharya,

Aiims doctors seek prez's intervention as WB colleagues continue strike

Despite continuous protests, including the hunger strike, no significant action has been taken by the authorities in West Bengal

Faima pauses strike as Bengal govt holds emergency meet with doctors

Doctor's body asks resident doctors associations to be ready to stop elective services in case meeting does not address demands

Unrest amid Durga Puja festivities: 1 dead in UP; police attacked in Howrah

In UP, the victim died due to a gunfire incident as a clash broke out in Bahraich district between two groups over immersion of the idol of goddess Durga

RG Kar impasse: Another doctor hospitalised, rest continue fast-unto-death

Another agitating junior doctor, who has been on fast-unto-death since October 5, was on Sunday night rushed to a hospital after his health deteriorated, an official at the medical establishment said. Pulastha Acharya of the NRS Medical College and Hospital was taken to the hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain, he said. With Acharya, the total number of junior doctors who have been hospitalised in the course of their fasting protest reached four. Aniket Mahato of RG Kar Medical and Hospital, Anustup Majumdar of Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, and Alok Verma of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital were needed medical care earlier after a deterioration in their health. "Pulastha is in the CCU and his parameters have deteriorated. We have formed a medical board to treat him," a senior doctor of the NRS Medical College and Hospital told PTI. At the beginning, 11 junior doctors were on a fast-unto-death demanding justice for the a woman medic of the RG Kar ..

Over 77 docs at Kalyani JNM Hospital threaten to resign over RG Kar case

Over 75 senior doctors at West Bengal's Kalyani JNM Hospital have threatened a mass resignation, seeking justice for the RG Kar hospital victim, and expressing solidarity with junior medics on a fast-unto-death to press for their demands. A total of 77 doctors of the medical facility have informed the Registrar of West Bengal Health University via email about their decision to stop work, starting October 14. They cited mental devastation and inability to work in the current state of mind among the reasons behind the move. In their communication, the doctors said they stand in solidarity with the junior medics on a fast-unto-death, whose health is deteriorating. They also expressed concern over the apparent lack of visible effort from the state government to resolve the issue. The agitators have been demanding justice for the RG Kar hospital medic who was raped and murdered, immediate removal of Health Secretary N S Nigam, workplace security and other measures. The Kalyani JNM Hosp

RG Kar case: Two more doctors join hunger strike as it completes first week

Two more junior doctors have joined six of their colleagues who have been on a fast-unto-death here for the past seven days, demanding justice for the murdered woman medic at RG Kar Hospital, along with other crucial issues. Parichoy Panda from Ramakrishna Mission Seva Pratishthan and Alolika Ghorui from Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital joined the protest on Saturday, taking the total number of medics on indefinite fast across the state to 10, including the two at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri. Meanwhile, the condition of the fasting doctors have worsened, with fellow medics saying their health parameters are "declining." They have been on hunger strike since October 5. Dr. Debasish Halder, one of the protesting doctors, said, "They are very weak and all their parameters are declining. The presence of creatinine in their urine has increased. Seven days of fasting is definitely taking a toll on their health, but it hasn't weakened their resolve for ...