CMYK
02
KOLKATA, WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2020
Cured of Covid, Pvt hospitals Amid Amit claims,
man dies of other asked to treat Asok says Didi paved
complications Covid patients way for BJP in state
More NBMCH health staff test positive for Covid
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
SILIGURI, 9 JUNE
A
resident of Cooch
Behar district, who
was diagnosed with
Covid-19 earlier and
was undergoing treatment in
the hospital for Covid-19
patients in Siliguri from 31
May, died today, sources said.
However, Health Depart-
ment officials later said he was
cured of Covid-19, but had
some other chronic health
complications.
"One patient from Cooch
Behar died in Dr Chhang's
Hospital. It's a post-Covid
death. The patient was admit-
ted in Chhang's Hospital on
31.05.20, but he was tested
negative on 07.08.20. The
patient could not be released
because he was not stable and
was in the ICU," Darjeeling
District Magistrate S Pon-
nambalam said.
According to officials, the
60-year-old resident of Pas-
tajhar in Cooch Behar district,
was "not positive for Covid-
19" at the time of his death.
"He was scheduled to be
shifted to another hospital
today, but his condition did
not allow such shifting.
He died at 5 pm," an official
said.
Meanwhile, healthcare
personnel at North Bengal
Malda migrant worker dies in train
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
MALDA, 9 JUNE
One more migrant worker
died in a Shramik Special
train as he returned to Malda
from Kerala.
The deceased has been
identified as Khatib Shaikh,
27, of Chandpur village under
the Pukhuria police station.
Police said they have sent
the body for a post-mortem
and that it was yet unclear if
the worker had contracted
Covid-19.
Sources said that the man
had been complaining of
abdominal pain for the past
BSNL Internet
demand in
Kurseong up
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
KURSEONG, 9 JUNE
The demand for BSNL Inter-
net connection is increasing
in Kurseong town and its
nearby areas, thanks to the
lockdown and the online
activities, including online
school classes for students,
which have seen a rise these
days.
Also, people are going
back to the BSNL because
other mobile phone net-
works have not been able to
provide good Internet services
in the Hills.
According to a BSNL
Kurseong office staff, Umesh
Khati, like other emergency
services, they have been
busy providing Internet ser-
vices, even to old connections,
while also laying new Inter-
net lines for their new cus-
tomers.
"So far, we have provid-
ed 25 new Internet connec-
Medical College and Hospi-
tal (NBMCH), the region's pre-
mier health institute, continue
to be infected by the novel
coronaviours, and four more
nursing staff tested positive
for the virus today.
Sources said one intern
and two nursing staff were
found to be Covid-19 posi-
tive. An ambulance driver also
tested positive for the virus,
it is learnt.
"However, officials have
not been able to ascertain how
they contracted the infection,"
NBMCH sources said.
Among the 20 infected
persons in Darjeeling district,
eight cases, apart from the
NBMCH, were reported from
the Naxalbari block, three
cases from Dudhia under
the Kurseong Sub-Division,
one case each from Mirik and
Salbari, and a resident of
Samastipur in Bihar.
A resident of Santipara
under the Bhaktinagar police
station in Siliguri under
Jalpaiguri district also test-
ed positive for the disease.
Two more in Malda
On the other hand, two
two days, but that the train
did not stop anywhere for his
treatment.
tions in and around Kurseong
town and several more new
connections are still pend-
ing and are under process,"
he said.
According to him, as
Kurseong is situated in a
hilly region, it is difficult for
mobile networks to provide
smooth Internet services to
their customers.
"Due to the weather in the
hills, the mobile network is
poor and Internet connec-
tions through such networks
often do not work. As such,
the demand for the BSNL
Internet service is rising by
the day during this lock-
down period," another BSNL
official said.
According to Mr Khati,
various government and
non-government institu-
tions, including education-
al institutions, banks, and
individuals have been apply-
ing for the BSNL broadband
Internet services.
more fresh cases of coron-
avirus were detected in Malda
last night taking the total to
230. Both these labourers
have been admitted to COVID
hospital at Narayanpur under
the Malda police station.
Meanwhile, the nurse found
Corona positive the day before
yesterday was home quar-
antined after primary treat-
ment and the home was cor-
doned by bamboo barriers.
No fresh case in
S Dinajpur in three days
Meanwhile, officials said
that no new Covid case was
recorded in South Dinajpur
district in the past three days,
but that reports of 600 throat
swab samples sent for Covid
tests were awaited. The total
number of Covid cases record-
ed in the district so far is 43.
"Among them, four patients
are in home quarantine and
37 have been discharged
from the Covid hospital.
"Only two patients are
undergoing treatment in the
Covid hospital, after the
recent discharge of two
patients from Balurghat,"
sources said.
According to the sources,
the deceased worker and his
cousin, Shaikh Matin, both had
Jumbo found
dead in Buxa
Tiger Reserve
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
ALIPURDUAR, 9 JUNE
The carcass of a sub-adult
male elephant was recovered
from Nurpur area in the Buxa
Tiger Reserve (BTR) forest in
Alipruduar district early this
morning. The area falls under
the East Division of the BTR,
it is learnt.
Forest workers found the
carcass early morning today
during their routine patrolling,
forest sources said.
Forest officials said that
the post-mortem report
showed that the jumbo died
of infection caused by food
stuck in its throat, which led
to a cardiac arrest.
"The preliminary cause of
the death of the elephant was
impaction at cecocolic junc-
tion finally leading to cardiac
arrest," the Deputy Field Direc-
tor of the East Division of the
Buxa Tiger Reserve, Sri Har-
ish, said.
The post-mortem of the car-
cass was done on the spot
where the animal was found
dead, while the body was later
burnt right there, according
to forest sources.
BJP is a dangerous political party
ON HOME MINISTER AMIT SHAH’S CLAIM THAT BJP WOULD COME TO POWER IN BENGAL IN 2021
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
SILIGURI, 9 JUNE
With a surge in the number
of people suffering from
Covid-19, the Darjeeling dis-
trict administration has
asked private hospitals to treat
coronavirus patients by set-
ting up separate isolation
wards for their patients if they
are found positive.
Health department offi-
cials said the paid Covid
hospital facility will ease the
burden on the existing hos-
pitals treating Covid-19
patients.
The state government
has already converted a 110-
bed hospital, which was
meant for severe acute res-
piratory infection cases
(SARI), into a Covid-19 hos-
pital in Siliguri. Another 120-
bed dedicated hospital for
positive cases has already
been operating in the town.
A Level-III health facili-
ty (which caters to con-
firmed positive patients with
mild infection or influenza
like illness) will be coming
up, officials said.
Darjeeling District Mag-
istrate S Ponnambalam
addressed a meeting with rep-
resentatives of nursing homes
in Siliguri last evening.
"We have asked all private
hospitals to arrange for iso-
lation wards to treat patients
undergoing treatment there
if they are found positive for
gone to Kayamkulam in Ker-
ala almost four months ago
to work as masons and were
stranded there due to the
countrywide lockdown. On 6
June, they both boarded the
Shramik Special train from
there.
"He felt sick on 7 June in
the train and was suffering
from abdominal pain. While
the train did not stop anywhere
for his treatment, we also
were not able to manage pure
drinking water for him. This
morning, he did not respond
to our wake-up calls and we
came to know only later that
he had already died," Mr
FILTHY AFFAIR
People and vehicles pass by heaps of garbage on Vivekananda Road in Ward-7, Siliguri, on Tuesday. � PULAK KARMAKAR
‘Unlock’ awareness in Balurghat town
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
BALURGHAT, 9 JUNE
Police in South Dinajpur and
a social organisation jointly
arranged for an awareness rally
in Balurghat this morning.
The rally covered a 6-km
distance within the munici-
pality area where partici-
pants enacted a caricature of
the Yamraj and sang popular
Hindi and Bengali parodies
to make people aware of the
safety measures to be taken
during the 'unlock period.'
The social organisation,
'Sabji ATM,' is popular for its
activity during the lockdown
period. A group of persons in
the town formed the 'Sabji
ATM' and served the poor and
CMYK
CPIM LEADER ASOK BHATTACHARYA
The Darjeeling dis-
trict administration
has asked private
nursing homes to
set up isolation
wards for their
patients if they, by
any chance, develop
Covid. District Health
Department officials
say such paid Covid-
19 hospital facilities
will ease the burden
on the existing
hospitals treating
Covid-19 patients
Covid-19," Mr Ponnambal-
am said.
Sources said the admin-
istration has asked some
nursing homes in Siliguri
to act on this.
In the absence of a ded-
icated hospital for SARI and
suspected Covid-19 cases
in Siliguri, the treatment of
such patients can be arranged
for at the North Bengal Med-
ical College and Hospital. It
has isolation wards and
many patients are getting
admitted there.
"At the same time, all
sub-divisional hospitals have
been asked to arrange for 20-
bed isolation facilities," a
senior health department
official said.
Matin said.
The deceased is survived
by his wife Lucky Bibi and two
sons, six and four years of age.
Trinamul Congress dis-
trict president Mausam Noor
blamed the railways for the
death. "Negligence of the rail
authorities has claimed three
lives until now. There is no
medical support for those
who fall ill in the train. We will
meet and support the fami-
ly," she said.
BJP MP, North Malda, Kha-
gen Murmu said the death was
very unfortunate. "We all are
by the side of the bereaved
family," he said.
needy and distributed veg-
etable free of cost for a full 60
days during the lockdown.
Police officials, including the
Superintendent of Police
Deborshi Dutta, and all mem-
bers of the 'Sabji ATM' par-
MANAS R BANNERJEE
SILIGURI, 9 JUNE
Just as BJP leader and union
Home Minister Amit Shah
today confidently claimed
that his party will come to
power in Bengal in 2021, vet-
eran CPIM leader Asok Bhat-
tacharya, who is the party's
state secretariat member, said
Chief Minister Mamata Baner-
jee, "knowingly or unknow-
ingly," has paved the way for
the BJP to come to power in
the state.
"Some activities of Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee
and the selection of inappro-
priate words for giving her
statements, knowingly or
unknowingly, has finally paved
the way for the BJP to come
to power in Bengal with ease,"
Mr Bhattacharya said in his first
reaction to Mr Shah's virtual
rally he held among state
leaders today.
Showcasing the BJP's dream
to build a 'Sonar Bangla,' Mr
Shah, addressing the virtual
rally, which is being taken as
the beginning of the party's
2021 Assembly election cam-
paigning amid the coron-
avirus fear, told Miss Baner-
jee that "her dream would
come true."
Miss Banerjee had recent-
ly told the Press at Nabanna:
"I told Union Home Minister
Amit Shah that if you think we
are unable to tackle the Covid-
19 situation, you can deal
with the matter…but he told me
how we could dislodge an
elected government."
Showcasing some Central
government schemes and
achievements under Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in the
past six years, Mr Shah claimed:
"A health insurance scheme
for the people, Ayushman
Bharat, will be implemented
in the state within a minute
of a BJP Chief Minister taking
oath of office in Bengal."
Darjeeling's BJP MP Raju
Bista, who watched the virtual
rally in his Siliguri home, said:
"Our people have the right to
know the truth and rallies
like these will help connect with
the people directly, while the
government of India has done
everything to provide relief and
support to the people of Ben-
gal. In Bengal, the TMC has
opposed every pro-people
scheme of the Central gov-
ticipated in the rally today.
It was a colourful rally
with the caricature of the
Yamaraj and a model of the
coronavirus. Some police
personnel also performed
Hindi and Bengali parodies
ernment like Ayushman
Bharat."
"This was very well artic-
ulated by Amit ji today when
he rightfully questioned
Mamata ji-Do poor people of
Bengal have no right to receive
free and quality medical aid?
Why is Ayushman Bharat
scheme not allowed here?
Mamata ji's political games
should not be played with
the rights of the poor people,"
BJP leaders in Siliguri attend Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘virtual
rally’ on Tuesday. (Inset: Asok Bhattacharya)
Mr Bista said.
Commenting on the pre-
sent political scenario, Mr
Bhattacharya, who is also the
former state urban develop-
ment minister, said: "BJP
is a dangerous political party.
It aims to come to power
in Bengal, which was ruled
by communists, after coming
to power in Tripura by
dislodging a communist
government there. Securing 18
Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is now
a promising party that can
come to power in Bengal. But
to prevent the BJP, which is in
power at the Centre with
enough strength, Mamata
Banerjee is not powerful
enough now. She was power-
ful when she had become a
mass leader between 2008
and 2011."
According to him, Miss
Banerjee is powerful as she
banks on minority votes.
"Muslim votes are her capi-
tal till now, though she does
not address their problems and
fulfill their demands. She only
bluffs them and creates panic
among them, saying that the
BJP will come to power. Find-
ing no alternative, Muslims
maintain unity and go in
to make the people aware of
Covid-19 and the safety mea-
sures one should follow, now
that the town was opening
gradually after a long lock-
down. "The government has
started to resume activities
favour of Mamata Banerjee just
to prevent the BJP," Mr Bhat-
tacharya, also the former Silig-
uri Mayor, said.
"If we want to bring them
back we will have to practically
hit the streets continuously on
issue-based movements to
prove that the Left, which has
a long history of struggle and
sacrifice with honesty, is an
alternative to the BJP as well
as the TMC," Mr Bhattacharya
said, adding, "To prevent the
BJP, any political adjustment
for the elections with the
TMC, Congress and CPM is
impossible and it would be
more harmful."
According to him, they will
not be able to prevent the BJP
even by branding it a com-
munal party because of reli-
gious polarization.
"When the common
Rajbanshi and Matua people
are in the BJP camp, Muslims
are in the TMC camp. It is easy
to unite Hindus as Muslims
have united to beat the BJP. I
think Mr Trump will win next
time with the help of 70 per-
cent white majority votes eas-
ily because black people, who
are agitating in the USA, are
a minority," he added.
gradually after around 75
days. Transportation services,
except local trains, have
resumed, and markets and
restaurants have been per-
mitted to open, while people
have started to come out of
their homes and return to nor-
mal life. However, on the
other hand, the number of
Covid cases sis on the rise every
day," sources said. "It is high
time that proper protection
is taken by everyone for every-
one. We have to venture out-
side for our work, so we have
to be more careful and adopt
all possible measures to defeat
Covid-19. Our district is still
in the safe zone and we want
to maintain this," SP, Mr
Dutta, said.