Latest news with #Mitra
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
City hospitals pad up to guard against infection
Kolkata: Personal protective equipment, or PPEs, the full-body uniform complete with gloves and mask that doctors and health workers wore during the pandemic to prevent infection spread, have made a return at some private hospitals that now have Covid patients admitted. At least three hospitals have armed their health workers with the full protective gear and have appointed nurses who attend only to Covid patients. One of the hospitals has even decided to levy an extra charge for the protective gear. Even though the current strain has so far triggered mild infections, it could be dangerous for the elderly with comorbidities, and children, doctors said. Peerless Hospital now has two Covid patients — a 15-year-old boy and a 72-year-old man— who are kept in separate single-bed rooms in an isolated area. "Two nurses are attending to each, and they wear full PPE. They are not attending to other patients. Doctors, too, are wearing protective gear while attending to Covid patients, though, unlike the pandemic time, they are attending to other patients as well," said Peerless Hospital CEO Sudipta Mitra. Peerless Hospital had PPEs in stock, said Mitra, adding: "Since this involves extra cost, we have decided to charge Rs 200-Rs 250 a day for the gear. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo The Covid-time price curbs don't apply now." RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS), which has one Covid patient, has given PPEs to doctors and nurses attending to Covid patients. "We are using a version that has no face shield but a mask," said RTIICS intensivist Sauren Panja. Manipal Hospitals, which have maintained adequate stockpiles of PPE and other essential safety supplies as part of a standard preparedness protocol, now has four Covid patients. "Our healthcare workers are fully equipped to handle Covid cases, including the use of appropriate protective gear. We have also reinstated RT-PCR testing facilities across our hospitals. While testing was scaled down after the pandemic, our diagnostic teams have maintained the readiness to resume testing at short notice," said Tanmay Banerjee, senior consultant and director of critical care, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, a part of Manipal Hospitals. Ruby General Hospital tested two Covid positives in the last week and admitted one. "Nurses attending to them wear a protective gown used during the pandemic. Doctors will wear masks but not PPEs unless numbers rise," said Ruby Hospital general manager - operations Subhashish Datta. BP Poddar Hospital has an adequate inventory of N95 masks, gowns, gloves, face shields, and PPE kits. Healthcare workers at Desun Hospital have been provided protective gear to attend to Covid patients. "We maintain a robust stock of all essential protective equipment to ensure the safety of our patients," said Shaoli Dutta, group director, Desun Hospital.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Residents to assist in traffic regulation at city crossings
Varanasi: A day after deciding to involve local traders and residents in assisting with traffic regulation, especially on busy roads and crossings, police commissioner Mohit Agrawal on Thursday inspected several roads, including Englishia Line, to assess the situation. The commissioner, along with many senior officials, not only evaluated the traffic conditions but also examined roadside parking and encroachments. Before taking to the streets, he held a meeting with officials from all zones at the police lines on Wednesday evening. During this meeting, he instructed the designation of local traders and residents as Yatayat Mitra. He asked for the identification of 50 intersections and the appointment of 15 local traders and residents as Yatayat Mitra at each intersection. These Yatayat Mitras will report traffic jams and provide suggestions for their resolution during their monthly meetings at the police station level. Instructions were also given for regular monitoring and strict action against encroachments, illegal parking, and traffic violations to enhance smooth traffic flow. The commissioner asked for the deployment of sub-inspectors at 10 major intersections for effective traffic management. A team of five members, including home guards and fourth-class employees, will be formed to report on the behaviour towards common citizens and victims at police stations. After reviewing the progress of tasks assigned during his last meeting, he instructed the acceleration of the verification process for illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshis, as well as other people with doubtful credentials. He called for weekly meetings with traders, the elimination of cattle smugglers, and thorough investigations of their networks. The commissioner said sub-inspectors will be ranked based on performance, including case resolution, public interaction, maintaining peace, and crime-solving contributions. Police station in-charges should brief officers up to the constable level about ongoing campaigns and directives from higher authorities, he said. Among other important attendees were ACP (law and order, headquarters) S Channappa, ACP (crime) Rajesh Kumar Singh, all DCPs, ADCPs, ACPs, and police station and outpost in-charges, who were present at the meeting.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Kol cops order 18 new sirens for police stations
1 2 Kolkata: Weeks after the Union home ministry directed the states to be war-ready by carrying out emergency drills, where sirens were to play a vital part, Kolkata Police has decided to set up sirens — similar to ones in north and south Kolkata — across its new divisions of Jadavpur, Behala, and Bhangar. In all, 18 sirens will be installed, said sources. Lalbazar has floated tenders for four police stations at Bhangar and at Netaji Nagar. The other police stations will eventually acquire the sirens. According to the tender document, the sirens should be electronically operated, with an operating voltage of 220VAC (+/-5%) 50Hz single-phase and a range of 400 m-500 m (diametrically). They will come equipped with an auto switch-over facility from AC to battery at the time of a power cut. There should be an additional option for a speaker as well. "These are the newer police stations. While the sirens at various police stations were last used for war purposes in 1971, the older ones were frequently used until the late 90s. Recently, when we began taking stock of the sirens following the Pahalgam attacks, we decided it was a handy device to alert hundreds at the same time. We chose those police stations where sirens did not exist before. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo For the record, a few police stations added to the KP area in the past 14 years, though, have sirens installed by Bengal Police," said an officer at Lalbazar. Police sources revealed that former commissioner Soumen Mitra requested a report on air sirens' conditions in police stations. While this initially sparked activity, the report was never completed after Mitra's retirement. This new initiative comes as part of a broader modernisation effort by Kolkata Police to enhance emergency response capabilities, claimed sources. Senior officials confirmed that the new installations will be integrated with the existing emergency response system and regular maintenance protocols will be established to ensure operational readiness. Local residents have welcomed the move. "Having a warning system in place will give us a sense of security," said Amit Banerjee, a resident of Netaji Nagar. The department has also announced plans to create a public awareness campaign about the various siren signals and appropriate responses, which will be rolled out alongside the installation process.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi HC summons defendant in Newslaundry defamation case
New Delhi The Delhi high court on Monday issued a summons to Delhi-based defence analyst Abhijit Iyer Mitra in a defamation suit filed by nine women employees of digital news platform Newslaundry for his allegedly sexually abusive social media posts. The suit stems from a series of tweets posted by Mitra from February to April in which he allegedly made derogatory posts about the digital platform's women employees, their workplace and subscribers. A bench of justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav passed the direction after the women employees, including company managing editor Manisha Pande, submitted that Mitra has not shown remorse even after taking down his tweets. They have even sought damages against Mitra. The women employees, represented by advocate Bani Dixit, also urged the court to permanently restrain Mitra from posting against them. Senior advocate Percival Billimoria, appearing for Mitra, urged the court to dismiss the suit since the cause no longer survived after he had taken down the allegedly defamatory content. On May 21, Mitra gave an undertaking to court to take down the posts within five hours, after the judge slammed him for his language. The court said that the 'choice of words' was 'impermissible in civilized society'. The senior counsel further argued that the posts were not defamatory. The bench said, 'You have to stick to the point. Today we can't look at your written statement. Today it's between the plaintiff and the court. Since the defamatory material has been taken down, what remains is the compensation. We'll issue summons.' The order said, 'The aforesaid aspects (regarding Mitra's defence) will be looked into at the time of submissions. The interim order, which the court has passed, will continue.' While fixing September 10 as the next date of hearing, the court also granted the women employees the liberty to file an application, in case Mitra posted further allegedly defamatory content. 'In the meantime any further defamatory statement or content is published by defendant no 1, the plaintiffs will be at liberty to file appropriate application,' the court said. In the suit, seeking ₹2 crore in damages and an unconditional apology, the women employees alleged that Mitra falsely and maliciously labelled them using derogatory terms and slurs, posted obscene poems undermining their dignity and also launched a scathing attack against the platform's subscribers. 'Even a bare perusal for the allegations and insinuations, which have been tabulated in the plaint in detail, leave not an iota of doubt that these are capable of causing inordinate corrosion of the reputation and goodwill of the plaintiffs that has been arduously built over a period of years. Furthermore, the libelous and unsubstantiated allegations by the defendant No.1 (Mitra) will not only directly and adversely affect the reputation of the plaintiffs amongst their friends, family and peers, but has caused enormous mental trauma, harassment and embarrassment,' they said in the suit. The suit went on to add that terms used by Mitra were not only an insult and attack on women journalists, but reinforced deeply regressive and violent attitudes toward sex workers, who face systemic marginalisation and stigma. 'No woman/ person deserves to be dehumanised. No profession deserves to be weaponized as an insult. These remarks strip women—whether journalists or sex workers—of agency, identity, and respect,' they said in the suit. Seeking takedown of the tweets, the suit states that the publications do not fall within the purview of 'free speech' 'journalistic criticism' 'satire' or fair comments and were rather a sexist slur aimed at humiliating the women professionals of Newslaundry.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Defamation suit: Delhi HC issues summons to Abhijit Iyer Mitra as Newslaundry, women journalists seek compensation
The Delhi High Court on Monday issued summons to analyst and commentator Abhijit Iyer Mitra in a defamation suit filed by women journalists of Newslaundry after the plaintiffs clarified that though the statements have been taken down, they want to pursue the suit for compensation. Mitra's counsel, meanwhile, implored Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav to dismiss the suit with costs. The case against Mitra was filed by nine journalists of Newslaundry, as well as the organisation, accusing him of defaming them through a series of posts that used abusive language, and seeking damages of Rs 2 crore. Justice Kaurav had, on May 21, criticised the language used by Mitra in his posts and directed him to take down the alleged defamatory posts within five hours, while noting that such statements 'are not permissible in any civilised society'. On Monday, Justice Kaurav initially proposed disposing of the suit since Mitra had taken down the alleged defamatory material on an undertaking and not pursuant to a court's direction. He orally inquired from the plaintiffs' counsels, 'Once these posts are deleted, what remains?… In this case, defendant (Mitra) himself came forward, he admitted (to the mistake) and deleted it… Had he invited a court order (for taking down the posts), position (in adjudicating the suit) may have been a little different… In this case injunction application has not been adjudicated on merits… Why to keep this matter pending?' Denying that the posts which were taken down were defamatory, senior advocate Percival Bilimoria, appearing for Mitra, told the court, 'I'm pressing for this application to be dismissed with cost and an investigation in to this channel.' However, Justice Kaurav remarked that the remedy for requesting an investigation 'lies elsewhere' and not within the adjudication of a defamation suit. The court also remarked to Mitra's counsels: 'Since you realised where the lakshman rekha lies, your client will be well advised to maintain that…' Meanwhile, the plaintiffs informed the court that they want to pursue the aspect of claiming compensation, as mentioned in their suit. Addressing Mitra's counsel, Justice Kaurav orally instructed, 'They (plaintiffs) say there's loss of reputation, so you file your written statements.' The court then directed that the matter be placed before the joint registrar for completion of pleadings by both parties.
