Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / 2017 / Archives for November 2017

Archives for November 2017

Saudi air strikes ‘rain down’ on Yemen’s capital Sanaa

by

Yemen’s capital was struck by overnight air raids that continued well into the next day, targeting the defence ministry and a popular public square [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]

by Al Jazeera

The Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen carried out at least 29 air strikes on Sanaa province, hours after Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile towards the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Residents told Al Jazeera that bombs “rained down” on several neighbourhoods of the capital on Sunday, targeting a stage in al-Sabeen square used by Houthi rebels for military parades, the nearby presidential palace, the national security headquarters and the interior ministry.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported more than 15 air strikes in Sanaa and a further 14 in the districts of Sinhan and Bani Bahloul.

Fatik al-Rodaini‏, an activist based in the capital, told Al Jazeera some of the raids targeted Sanaa’s old city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

“This is the worst day I’ve experienced since the start of the war,” Rodaini said.

“I am fearing for my children’s lives. They haven’t gone outside all day. Just a few minutes ago I was thinking of letting them run to the shops but we heard another loud explosion and my wife said ‘no’.

“The Saudis don’t care about our children, our future, our lives. They know that civilians live in close proximity to government buildings yet they continue to target those areas – they just don’t care.”

Hours earlier, the Saudi military confirmed intercepting a ballistic missile that was fired from Yemeni territory towards the kingdom.

‘Riyadh sleeps peacefully’
Colonel Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces intercepted the ballistic missile with a surface-to-air Patriot missile, which caused it to shatter into fragments in an “uninhabited area” east of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

The Houthis – a group of rebels who control Saada province, the capital Sanaa, as well as other parts of central Yemen – claimed responsibility for the attack, vowing to target the capitals of all Arab countries that are bombing the country.

“Riyadh slept in peace and comfort and last night due to the efforts of the Saudi armed forces,” al-Maliki said.

“We will continue to target the Houthis and their missiles that are sponsored by the Iranians,” he added.

In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier this month, Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels, threatened to escalate operations on the Yemeni-Saudi border and target deep inside the kingdom.

“The Saudis started the war. Our response will continue and increase, whether it’s targeting deep inside Saudi Arabia, targeting military positions where Saudi jets fly from, or military bases inside Yemeni territory,” Abdul Salam said.

“Abu Dhabi and others that target Yemen are – as far as we’re concerned – a fair military target. Any country that targets Yemen will be struck by our missiles.”

Yemen, which sits on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in war since September 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital and overthrew President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognised government.

Concerned by the rise of the Houthis, believed to be backed by regional rival Iran, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Sunni Arab states launched an intervention in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadi’s government.

Since then, the Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

India, NZ battle-ready for series finale

by

(AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

Thiruvananthapuram: With series levelled at 1-1, India and New Zealand will aim to outplay each other in the third and final Twenty20 International match to seal the series at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Tuesday.

But the spectators might not witness full 20-overs each side because the series decider here is under rain threat.

The meteorological office here has also predicted that the weather will be generally cloudy with a few spells of rain or thundershowers starting from Sunday till Wednesday.

Apart from this, it will be a thrilling contest between the two team which are evenly matches on the paper as well as on the field.

To clinch the series, India have to display a better show in both batting and bowling department while New Zealand would like to continue with the same momentum.

India, comprehensive beat the visitors in the first match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. In the second match, New Zealand bounced back in style and defeated India by 40 runs.

Opting to bat first on winning the toss, the visitors rode on an unbeaten quickfire century by opener Colin Munro to post 196/2 in their allotted 20 overs. Munro batted through the innings, smashing 109 runs off 58 deliveries.

In reply, the hosts could only manage to post 156/7.

So, in order to beat the visitors, Indian batsmen have to click this time. The middle-order batsmen like Shreyas Iyer, Manendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya have to click in unison.

The bowling department was also seemed struggling on the flat pitch. Apart from pacer Jasprit Bumrah, no other bowlers troubled the batsmen in the previous match.

Spinners also failed to step up to the occasion and were smashed all around the park. But, in the decider, the gloomy conditions and pitch might favour India.

India skipper Virat Kohli also have to make the plan for the Duckworth Lewis method which might come in the play.

New Zealand, on the other hand, displayed a brilliant performance. There only problem is the consistency.

In the first match New Zealand were outplayed in every department of the game and in the second match they grouped together and showed their class. So, in order to seal the deal this time they have to repeat the same performance.

The fans might see a interesting battle between both the teams if India and New Zealand played as per the expectations.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand : Kane Williamson (c), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips (wk).

(IANS)

Drishyam Play Launches Its Latest Song “Main Banjar”

by

Drishyam Play recently launched its latest song “Main Banjar”, a haunting composition by Santosh Jagdale featuring the soulful vocals of Mohan Kannan & thought – provoking lyrics by Mukta Bhatt. “Main Banjar” also features in Drishyam Films’ next Kadvi Hawa, directed by Padmashree Nila Madhab Panda of “I Am Kalam fame.” Drishyam Play is an initiative designed to curate & promote fresh music from different parts of our country, beautifully fused with soulful lyrics & earthy vocals.

Drishyam Play, the latest initiative of Drishyam Films that curates & promotes fresh music from different parts of our country, launched its latest song “Main Banjar” on their YouTube channel recently. The song will be featured in Drishyam Films’ upcoming film, Kadvi Hawa.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Padmashree Nila Madhab Panda (of I am Kalam fame), Kadvi Hawa deals with the issue of climate change and stars Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey & Tillotama Shome in lead roles.

“Main Banjar”, composed by Santosh Jagdale is a haunting ballad which features the soulful vocals of Mohan Kannan & some thought – provoking lyrics by Mukta Bhatt.

The talented Mohan Kannan who has lent his melodious vocals to “Main Banjar” averred, “I’m very proud to be a part of this intense song written brilliantly by Mukta Bhatt & composed wonderfully by Santosh Jagdale. At a time when most songs & films are made on love & romance, it’s great to have a topic like climate change and its repercussions forming the basis for the creative expressions.”

Here are more details on the song: Music by Santosh Jagdale, lyrics by Mukta Bhatt, sung by Mohan Kanan, oud & Bazouki by Tapas Roy, live Rhythms & Percussions arranged & conducted by: Dipesh Varma & strings section written & conducted by Jitendra Thakur.
Drishyam Play was launched in Sept, 2017 with the inspirational song “Khidki” composed by Amit Trivedi & sung by Mohan Kannan.

Drishyam Play envisions being a unique launch pad for promising musicians, composers, writers & vocalists to establish themselves in a highly competitive music industry.

The project is also an effort to bring back some elements and the old world charm of all the genres like Sufi, Folk, Ghazal, Thumris. Drishyam Play will be an indigenous process to select & curate tracks that will eventually become an integral part of the movies produced by Drishyam Films.

Grandson of HD Deve Gowda to Contest in Next Assembly Elections in Karnataka

by

Hassan: Grandson of JDS national president HD Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna has reportedly obtained green signal from his grandfather to contest in the next assembly elections in Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons here in Haradarahalli in Hassan, Bhavani Revanna, mother of Prajwal said her son would contest in the next assembly elections and he has obtained permission for this from party supremo HD Deve Gowda.

Deve Gowda will decide the constituency in which Prajwal should contest in the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2018. He is very likely to contest either from Belur constituency or Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru.

(Agencies)

DIFF 2017 was an eventful affair that included an exciting line – up of film screenings, panel discussions and much more

by

The day started with the screening of Deepak Rauniyar’s White Sun, the Oscar Nominated film from Nepal. The other screenings of the day included Pushpendra Singh’s Ashwatthama, Ektara Collective’s Turup, Rahul Jain’s Machines & Iram Haq’s What Will People Say which drew in audiences in large numbers.

Actor & director Konkona Sen Sharma presented a screening of her acclaimed feature. A Death In The Gunj and in the Q & A that followed, she enthusiastically responded to the audiences questions.

Noted actor Adil Hussain conducted a Masterclass session. Titled The Freewheelin’ Adil Hussain, the session saw the actor speaking about his process & journey as an actor.

A Panel discussion titled Charting Troubled Waters saw noted filmmakers from 5 different countries speak about what independent filmmaking stands for in their respective countries. Moderated by noted film writer & critic Aseem Chhabra, the panel included filmmakers Yaniv Berman (Land Of The Little People, Israel), Lijo Jose Pellissery (Angamaly Diaries, India), Mano Khalil (The Swallow, Switzerland) & Yoshinori Sato (Her Mother, Japan).

A discussion on Women In Cinema was also conducted which included celebrated women filmmakers & actors including Konkona Sen Sharma (A Death In The Gunj), Ritu Sarin (When Hari Got Married) founder & director of DIFF), Sayani Gupta (The Hungry), Rasika Duggal (The School Bag), Bornila Chatterjee (The Hungry), Ekavali Khanna (What Will People Say), Maheen Mirza (Turup) & Rinchin (Turup). The discussion touched on a diverse range of topics such as equal pay for women and bridging the gap between mainstream & independent cinema.

Actor & Director Konkona Sen Sharma who was extremely delighted to be at the festival averred, “It is my 1st time at Dharamshala and it was magical. I love Tibetian food, the mountains & the independent cinema and I am so excited to be here.”

Winding up the day, founder – director Ritu Sarin averrerd, “It has been an exceptionally beautiful day. Today we had an amazing session with Adil Hussain where he spoke about his practice & his process as an actor. Everyone is enjoying being at the festival. Ashwatthama was highly appreciated and so was Turup. The documentaries Machines & Cameraperson were also screened. And the audiences really had a tough time deciding what to watch.”

This year’s line – up also included 2 award winning documentaries, Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson (USA, 2016), Rahul Jain’s Machines (India, 2016) which screened at 10 international film festivals & bagged the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography at 2017’s Sundance Film Festival.

DIFF 2017 also featured the Indian premiere of Out of This World (USA), a newly restored version of journalist & writer Lowell Thomas’ fascinating account of his travels to Tibet in 1949 (originally released in 1954).

This year’s feature films include Dain Said’s Interchange (Malaysia, 2016), Yaniv Berman’s Land of The Little People (Israel, 2016), Dechen Roder’s Honeygiver Among the Dogs (Bhutan, 2016), Yoshinori Sato’s Her Mother (Japan), Mano Khalil’s The Swallow (Switzerland),KarmaTakapa’s Ralang Roadwhich premiered at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival (an Indian film to be selected at the fest after 13 years) & Deepak Rauniyar’s Oscar entry from Nepal, White Sun which premiered at 73rd Venice Film Festival & bagged Interfilm Award & new voices / new visions grand jury prize at the Palm Springs festival.

DIFF continues its tradition of showcasing experimental films by presenting the South Asia premieres of 3 features by well – known artists & filmmakers: Amar Kanwar’s Such a Morning (India), and Naeem Mohaiemen’s Tripoli Cancelled (Bangladesh), both of which premiered this year at Documenta 14 & Singapore filmmaker Tan Pin Pin’s In Time to Come, which had its world premiere at Visions Du Reel and was in competition at Hot Docs & Sheffield Doc Fest.

This year’s shorts selection was curated by filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni, whilst Children’s Film Programme was curated by children’s media specialist Monica Wahi.

DIFF is presented by White Crane Arts & Media, a trust founded by veteran filmmakers Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam to promote contemporary cinema, art & independent media practices in the Himalayan regions of India.

This year’s festival was once again supported by its long – term partners, Thyssen – Bornemisza Art Contemporary, and the Government of Himachal Pradesh through its departments of Tourism, & Language, Arts & Culture.

The 1st edition of DIFF was held in 2012. Since then, it has become established as one of India’s leading independent film festivals. DIFF’s cutting – edge & eclectic programming, which includes many India premieres, and its policy of inviting as many directors as possible, has made it one of the “go – to” events in any cinephile’s calendar. At DIFF 2016, 100’s of cinema enthusiasts from across India & the world converged to watch films & discuss the state of modern cinema, whilst some of India’s best -known film critics & journalists were on hand to cover the event.

Congress dares Modi to put ‘Paradise Papers’ suspects in dock

by

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate action against the suspected Indian tax evaders who feature in the “Paradise Papers” leak, including one of his ministers, and put the entire facts before the Supreme Court bench overseeing black money investigations.

The Congress also demanded the resignation of Minister Jayant Sinha.

“Will the Prime Minister show the courage of conviction to hand over this entire information to the bench of Supreme Court that is looking at action against black money holders? Will the ‘Compromised Bureau of Investigation’ (CBI) and ED (Enforcement Directorate) take action?” Congress Spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.

The “Paradise Papers” are a set of 13.4 million leaked financial documents from law firm Appleby on investments of major multi-national corporations (MNCs) and that of well known individuals in India and abroad in tax havens.

The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung obtained the documents and subsequently shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The Indian Express newspaper carried out the investigation in the case of 714 Indian links, which include Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and BJP Rajya Sabha MP R.K. Sinha.

The leaked papers allegedly reveal that Jayant Sinha was a director in a US company D. Light Design that has a subsidiary of the same name in Cayman Islands. This subsidiary raised a loan of US$3 million. A loan agreement dated December 31, 2012 was signed with Jayant Sinha as a signatory and a director.

Surjewala said that Jayant Sinha concealed this information of being a director of D. Light Design in his declaration to the Election Commission as also to the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office.

He said that Jayant Sinha continued as a director of D. Light Design even after being elected as an MP in May 2014 and “continued to receive money and shares” of D. Light Design during this period.

“Jayant Sinha also refuses to disclose the various financial documents that he has signed for or on behalf of Omidyar Network. He is or has been a director of various other companies. Do these companies have any connection to any offshore entities like the Omidyar Network?,” the Congress leader said.

While Jayant Sinha has explained his position through a series of tweets, R.K. Sinha, when confronted by media, wrote on a piece of paper that he is on a “maun vrat” (vow of silence) for seven days for religious reasons.

Surjewala said that R.K. Sinha and his wife Rita Kishore Sinha are owners of an offshore company called ‘SIS Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd’ (SAPHL) in Malta, a tax haven.

He further said that another company called ‘SIS International Holding Ltd’ (SIHL) is incorporated in the offshore tax haven of British Virgin Islands and owns 39,99,999 shares of SAPHL.

“R.K. Sinha neither disclosed this in his election affidavit nor to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat…Is the non-disclosure not an electoral offence? Did the BJP and the Modi government not know about all these offshore tax haven based transactions?” Surjewala demanded to know.

He said that Prime Minister Modi’s “so-called” fight against black money and corruption remains a “complete flop” as it failed to take action in the Panama Papers leak where around 500 names emerged, including those of persons linked to the BJP.

(IANS)

Paradise Papers: Amitabh Bachchan, Jayant Sinha among 714 Indians linked to tax havens

by

New Delhi: Minister of State Jayant Sinha, BJP MP Ravindra Kishore, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, former minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachhan figure among 714 Indians named in a financial data expose on how the world’s rich and powerful have stashed their wealth abroad to evade legitimate taxes, according to a worldwide investigation whose first lot of revelations was published on Monday.

India ranks 19th among 180 countries, exposed in the cache of 13.4 million documents dubbed as “Paradise Papers”, in terms of the number of individuals and companies who have skirted taxes and invested in offshore companies in tax havens.

It comes a year after Panama Papers leak and two days before the government observes “Anti-Black Money Day” to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation — a move that sought to hit at illicit wealth.

The data relates to two firms – Bermuda’s Appleby and Singapore’s Asiaciti and 19 tax havens across the world that help the global rich to move their money abroad, according to the Indian Express which was part of the world-wide probe carried out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

“Interestingly, it is an Indian company, Sun Group, founded by Nand Lal Khemka, that figures as Appleby’s second-largest client internationally, with as many as 118 different offshore entities,” the newspaper said.

The leaked data indicates that among Appleby’s Indian clients were several prominent corporates and companies which subsequently came under the scrutiny of investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate.

These include firms in the Sun-TV-Aircel-Maxis case; Essar-Loop 2G case; SNS-Lavalin in which Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was named and then cleared; the Rajasthan ambulance scam which has recently been routed to the CBI and which names a company called Ziquista Healthcare (Sachin Pilot and Karti Chidambaram were earlier honorary/independent directors of the firms respectively); and fresh financial links in a CBI case against YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha’s name figures in the record because of his past association with Omidyar Network.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Ravindra Kishore Sinha, a former journalist who founded the private security service firm SIS or Security and Intelligence Services, is heading a group that has two offshore entities in Malta offshore.

Besides corporates, the data revealed details of individuals as well: Amitabh Bachchan’s shareholding in a Bermuda company acquired before the 2004 Liberalised Remittance Scheme kicked in; corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and film star Sanjay Dutt’s wife who figures under her former name Dilnashin.

Jayant Sinha on Monday denied any wrongdoing and said all transactions related to him mentioned in the investigation were “fully disclosed” to relevant authorities and were done in his “official capacity, not personal”.

“These were bonafide and legal transactions undertaken on behalf of highly reputed world-leading organisations in my fiduciary role as Partner at Omidyar Network and its designated representative on the D.Light Board,” he tweeted.

The daily said Jayant Sinha did not mention this in his declaration to the Election Commission when he contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, nor to the Lok Sabha Secretariat or the Prime Minister’s Office as a Minister of State in 2016.

But the Minister said all these transactions have been fully disclosed to “relevant authorities through all necessary filings as required”.

“After leaving Omidyar Network, I was asked to continue on the D.Light Board as an Independent Director. On joining the Union Council of Ministers, I immediately resigned from the D.Light Board and severed my involvement with the company.”

But the Congress was not impressed with his defence and demanded Jayant Sinha’s resignation and a “high-level probe” into the scam.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s so-called fight against black money and corruption remains a complete flop.

“Jayant Sinha refuses to disclose the various financial documents that he has signed for or on behalf of Omidyar Network. He is or has been a director of various other companies. Do these companies have any connection to any offshore entities like the Omidyar Network? Does it not compromise the position of Jayant Sinha as the MoS?” the Congress leader said.

Asked about Sachin Pilot and son of former minister Vayalar Ravi figuring up in the Paradise Papers related to the Rajasthan ambulance scam, Surjewala said: “The CBI and ED probe has already been initiated against Sachin Pilot. Will the government order probe against all those in the list?”

He asked the Prime Minister and the government if he knew about R.K. Sinha and his wife Rita Kishore Sinha’s “international tax havens based entities”.

The BJP Rajya Sabha MP on the otherhand has indicated that he cannot comment because he was on “maun vrat” (silence of vow) for a week.

Asked for his reaction, the MP gestured that he had shut his mouth up and wrote on a piece of paper that he had taken a pledge not to speak for a week for ‘Bhagwat Yagna’.

(IANS)

China objects to Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh

by

New Delhi: China on Monday objected to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s first visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying her tour of the “disputed area” is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the region.

On Sunday, Sitharaman visited forward army posts in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of the defence preparedness.

“As to Indian Defence Minister visit to Arunachal Pradesh, you must be very clear about China’s position,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.

“There is a dispute on the eastern section of the China-India boundary. So this visit by the Indian side to the disputed area is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the relevant region,” she said in a response to a question.

The Indian side should work with the Chinese side to make contribution to properly revolving the issue through dialogue and create enabling environment and conditions, she said.

“Hope India will work with China for the shared goal, seek a solution acceptable to both sides and accommodate our concerns in a balanced way,” she said.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet and routinely objects to top Indian officials’ visit to the area.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China stretches to 3,488 km. Both sides have held 19 rounds of talks by the Special Representatives to resolve the dispute.

Sitharaman had visited Nathu La area on the India-China border in Sikkim last month and greeted the People’s Liberation Army soldiers across the border.

(PTI)

Russia retaliates after Canada imposes sanctions

by

A woman holds a placard with a portrait of Sergei Magnitsky during a 2012 rally [Tatyana Makeyeva/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Canada’s move to impose sanctions on 30 Russian officials was “senseless and reprehensible” and has led to retaliatory measures, Russian officials said.

Canada announced the sanctions on Friday against Russian officials it accused of complicity in the death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009 while he was in prison after alleging state tax fraud.

Kirill Kalinin, a spokesman for the Russian diplomatic mission in Ottawa, told the official TASS news agency late on Friday retaliatory actions against Canadians had already been set in motion.

“Canada’s decision on extending anti-Russian sanctions under a false pretext of a hypocritical protection of human rights is absolutely senseless and reprehensible,” said Kalinin.

Ottawa’s move “is isolating itself from one of the key global powers” and “pushes Canada’s foreign policy back to the narrow black-and-white worldview, incompatible with modern geopolitics”, he added.

“Dozens of Canadians” have now been barred from entering Russia in response, Kalinin said, without specifying who would be affected.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed “the list is long, with dozens of names on it”.

The foreign ministry said in a statement those targeted are “Russophobic Canadian citizens who have consistently worked to destroy bilateral relations.”

In 2008, the whistleblower Magnitsky accused Russian interior ministry officials of organising a $235m tax scam, but he was then charged with the crimes he claimed to have uncovered. Human rights groups allege he was beaten in prison before he died under unclear circumstances.

His detention and death ignited serious diplomatic tensions between Russia and some western countries, including the United States.

Canada last month passed a Sergei Magnitsky Law, which targets Russian officials for human rights violations. Ottawa followed the Magnitsky Act passed by the US that led to sanctions on more than 40 Russian officials.

NTPC blast: 15 men with burn injuries shifted to AIIMS

by

New Delhi: Fifteen men, who have suffered serious burn injuries in the NTPC plant explosion in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, have been shifted to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital here.

While six of them were admitted to AIIMS trauma centre, nine were taken to Safdarjung Hospital.

Majority of the six admitted to AIIMS have suffered extreme facial burns.

“They have been admitted in the burn department of the AIIMS trauma centre. One of them has 60 per cent burns, while others have burn injuries ranging between 25 and 50 per cent,” a senior doctor at the premier All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) said.

The injured were brought to AllMS around 8.30 pm, after being flown to Delhi in an air bus. A green corridor was created from the IGI Airport to the AIIMS trauma centre considering the seriousness of the patients.

Among the nine patients at Safdarjung Hospital, two of the injured persons were brought to the central government-run facility around 8 pm yesterday, while seven others were admitted in the burns ICU of the hospital early this morning.

“Five of the patients are very critical. While three of them have suffered around 80 per cent burns, two have got 60 -70 per cent burn injuries,” Dr Rajendra Sharma, the medical superintendent of the Safdarjung Hospital, told PTI.

The other four patients have suffered burns ranging between 25 and 45 per cent, Sharma said.

“We have the arrangements in place, in case more patients are to be brought, we can accommodate them,” Sharma said.

Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel visited the hospital last night to oversee and ensure that the blast burn patients get the best treatment and care.

The death toll in the massive explosion at the state-run power giant NTPC’s Unchahar plant climbed to 32.

Eighty-five injured people are being treated at hospitals in Rae Bareli, Lucknow and Delhi.

The NTPC has initiated a probe to ascertain the reasons behind the blast.

In a statement issued yesterday, the NTPC had said that at unit number 6 of its Unchahar plant, there was a sudden abnormal sound at 20-metre elevation on Wednesday afternoon.

The 1,550-MW plant supplies electricity to nine states, according to officials, and employs around 870 people.

(Agencies)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives