BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l february 08, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION No separate law to check violence against doctors The Centre has decided not to go ahead with a legislation to protect healthcare professionals from physical violence Bill withdrawn after consultations In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said a draft of the Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019 was circulated for consultations. However, the government decided not to enact a separate law to protect healthcare professionals and institutions ■ 3 months Epidemic diseases act to protect docs ■ The minister said the matter was further discussed with all stakeholders and an ordinance namely The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on April 22, 2020 Later, the govt passed the Act on September 28, 2020 under which violence against doctors are cognizable and non-bailable offences Jail term and fine of `50,000-2,00,000 for offenders under Epidemic Act 2020 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Rahul tears into Modi govt, CB recreates min’s murder crime scene with Gopal questions Adani-PM link E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e Later, the accused was taken back to OSAP battalion in Jharsuguda where he has been kept in CB custody . Meanwhile, DGP Sunil Bansal along with retired high court judge, Justice JP Das, who is monitoring the investigation of the case, reached J h a r s u g u d a o n T u e s d ay evening to take stock of the progress. They were accompanied by director of intelligence Sanjib Panda and ADG (law and order) RK Sharma. They will visit the crime scene on Wednesday . Briefing the media at Jharsuguda, Justice Das said , “I will discuss the matter with ADG CB about the current status of investigation. There are no presumptions yet. We will act on material evidence only I might . visit the crime spot tomorrow (Wednesday) after taking an indepth insight into the investigation carried out so far.” @ Jharsuguda Accuses the BJP govt of tweaking rules to help the conglomerate In 2014, Adani’s position was 609 on the list of the world’s richest. Now he is in the second place. It is sheer magic Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi displays a poster showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi sitting with billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani in what looks like a chartered plane | PTI P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi FRESH from his five monthlong cross-country march, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government and its alleged links with the Adani group, which is facing allegations of stock manipulation and fraud. Rahul’s all-out offensive against the government came on a day when Opposition parties decided to end the three-day logjam in Parliament and take part in the motion of thanks to the President’s address. The Wayanad MP alleged that the Modi government has been favouring the Adani group since it came to power in 2014. He also accused the Centre of changing rules to help Adani acquire airports. “There was a rule that only a company or person with experience in airports be given the responsibility of developing airports. But, the government changed the rules for the Adani group and six airports were handed over to him. Adani now dominates several sectors such as ports, airports, cement, me- dia and defence,” he added. Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had not transacted any business till this debate in the ongoing Budget session as the Opposition stuck to its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee or Supreme Courtmonitored probe into allegations against Adani. Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech drew strong protests from BJP ministers and MPs, who asked the Congress scion to substantiate his ‘wild allegations’ with proof. The former Congress president, then, displayed a photograph of Modi and Adani in an aircraft together, wondering how many trips the duo must have taken together. “Modi goes to Australia and the next day SBI gives a $1 billion loan to Adani. He goes to Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Power Development Board signs a 25-year contract with Adani,” he alleged, demanding answers to his questions from the PM in his speech on Wednesday . While the mystery behind state Health minister Naba Kisore Das’ murder continues to remain unsolved even after 10 days, the Crime Branch (CB) on Tuesday recreated the entire crime scene at Gandhi Chowk in Brajrajnagar. It was done a day before accused ASI Gopal Das’ remand by the CB comes to an end. A team of forensic science experts from Gandhinagar also assisted the CB during the procedure on Tuesday The former . IIC of Brajrajnagar PS, Pradyumna Kumar Swain, who had lodged an FIR against ASI Das and was transferred soon after the incident, was also present at the spot. The process continued for more than an hour. Prior to the recreation, the area around Gandhi Chowk was cordoned off and security Accused ASI Gopal Das reneacting the shooting of minister Naba Das at Gandhi Chowk in Brajrajnagar on Tuesday afternoon | Express forces were deployed to prevent access of unauthorized trespassing. The two cars including the one in which the minister was seated and another at which a bullet was fired were also used at the site. Das was brought to the crime spot under tight security cover, where he reenacted the entire incident starting from shooting the minister from a close range to trying to flee by brandishing his gun and getting overpowered by two other policemen. He was asked by the investigating team to demonstrate the scene for at least four times. The entire process was videorecorded for documentation. A drone was also used to shoot the scene. e x pr e s s r e a d SC dismisses Rana Ayyub’s plea in money-laundering case New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed journalist Rana Ayyub’s plea challenging the summons by a Ghaziabad court in a money-laundering case. She had questioned the court’s jurisdiction saying only the special court in Maharashtra could have taken cognisance of the ED complaint as the alleged offence took place in that state Special SC bench to hear Bilkis Bano’s plea 50 STAR SPEAKERS 16 2 DAYS INTENSE HOURS WHERE THE BEST MINDS CONVERGE TO ENLIGHTEN ELEVATE EMPOWER S h r u t i K a kk a r @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to constitute a special bench to hear the pleas challenging the Gujarat government’s order allowing premature release of 11 convicts sentenced to life in the Bilkis Bano case. During the 2002 Gujarat riots, Bano, who was five months pregnant, was gang-raped and seven members of her family killed. Urging the bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to list the plea, advocate Shobha Gupta said Justice Ajay Rastogi was continuously sitting in a combination of himself and Justice Bela Trivedi, who had earlier recused herself from hearing the matter. The bench, also comprising judges P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, assured Bano that the new bench will be formed at the earliest. The top court had earlier clarified that objections pertaining to locus of pleas filed by third party petitioners by one of the convicts Radhey Shyam and the Gujarat government did not arise anymore. The court also clarified that it would take up Bilkis’s plea as lead matter. “After victim’s plea comes, the issue of locus goes... Come on merits. In these cases no technicality has to follow,” Justice Rastogi had remarked while posting the pleas for February . With you, dear: Dad holds hand of dead daughter Mesut Hancer in an orange jacket sitting on a pile of rubble, holds the hand of his dead daughter Irmak, 15, who lies on a mattress, crushed by a huge concrete block, in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake epicentre in Turkyie AFP Rescue race on, Toll 6,200 Y e s h i S e l i a n d MAYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi With the toll crossing 6,200 a day after a 7.8 pre-dawn earthquake shook up Turkiye and Syria, Turkiye President, Recip Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency for three months in 10 of the worst hit provinces in his country. Amid temperatures below freezing point and over 200 aftershocks, rescuers raced against time as nearly 6,000 buildings collapsed in Turkiye alone. Not all buildings have been accessed by the rescuers yet. In the Hatay province in Turkyie where 1,500 buildings were destroyed, rescue effort was yet to begin. But in areas where teams worked, occasional cheers broke out through the night as survivors were brought out of the rubble. There were also reports of people stuck in the rubble sending videos and voice messages requesting urgent assistance and rescue. So far, over 8,000 people have been pulled from the debris in Turkiye. Amid a global scramble to rush humanitarian support, India on Indian field hospital 4 IAF C17 aircraft loads of Indian relief and rescue personnel sent to Turkyie and one to Syria Field hospital sent to Turkiye to establish a 30-bed medical facility. 45-member medical team accompanying it. It has X-ray unit, ventilators, OT and other equipment Tuesday sent five aircraft full of relief and rescue equipment, which includes NDRF search and rescue teams, medical equipment for creating a 30-bed makeshift hospital, drilling machines and dog squads. Out of the five IAF C17 aircraft, four have been sent to Turkiye and one to Syria. “PM Modi gave immediate instructions to build a crisis centre and all relevant Indian authorities had a meeting. This is an example of good friendship and we really appreciate it. We are in touch with the Indian Embassy in Ankara along with Indian authorities in Delhi,’’ Turkiye envoy Firat Sunel said. “We really appreciated the Indian heart,” Syrian envoy Bassam Seifeddin Alkhatib said. ‘Mindless’ constructions pose threat to Tampara lake H e m a n t K u m a r R o u t @ Bhubaneswar A year after the eco-sensitive Tampara lake in Ganjam district was declared as a Ramsar site, the wetland is now facing serious threat from encroachment and bio-degradation, thanks to the ill-planned construction activities being undertaken by none other than the state government itself. Sources said recreational facilities are being developed for tourists PRESENTS Construction activities being undertaken at Tampara lake | Express along the natural freshwater lake of national importance by allegedly reclaiming the lake land in blatant violation of the Ramsar regulations as well as Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules (2010 and 2017) of the Union government. While a portion has been filled with soil to lay paths from the periphery by reclaiming the lake itself, concrete structures are being constructed for setting up cottages. The state government has also planned to develop facilities like a water park, jetties, trekking path and parking spaces alongside the lake. Once a wetland is recognised as a Ramsar site, it needs to be managed in accordance with the regulations of the Wetlands International and should be free from all sorts of encroachments, and external interference with regard to its aquatic ecology or else it will lose its Ram, CONTINUED ON: P5 sar status. THINKEDU CONCLAVE FEBRUARY 9-10 2023 10:00 A M ITC GRAND CHOLA CHENNAI ONWARDS Presenting Partner Associate Partners