Feature
Atleast 6 patients died in fire broke out at KGMU Hospital in Lucknow
Lucknow: In a tragic incident fire broke out at Trauma Center of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), in Lucknow on Saturday, Doctors, paramedics, attendants and security personnel had a tough time evacuating the about 200 critical patients amidst the bellowing smoke. The evacuation process continued till late in the night.
Shivangi had nearly fainted seeing her six-year old gasp for breath. Standing outside the Lari Cardiology, she prayed for a miracle. “My daughter Shivalika was suffering with respiratory problem and was on oxygen when we were told to rush outside and go to Lari Cardiology. But here they are not admitting her because the beds are full,” she cried.
Cousins and friends of Afroz who had suffered a shoulder injury realised that they would waste time looking for a bed so they carried him on a chair. Walking for over half a kilometer, they hired a tempo to reach a private nursing home in Nakkhas. “I have had an eye to eye contact with death here. I shall never come back again,” the teenager stated.
Deepanshi also pledged never to come back again to KGMU. She was away to fetch some food for her mother-in-law who was attending the three-year old son Monu when the fire took place.
Not allowed to go inside and rescue her son, the inconsolable mother kept crying till the attendant of the neighbouring bed said that the son was safe. She reunited with the baby after firemen left. “This placed is jinxed,” she said.
The fire in trauma centre is a trauma itself. Non functioning of fire fighting equipment says that
Arif, a youth in his 20s had suffered several multiple fractures in a road accident. His old and ailing parents were seen begging passers by to help them lift and transport their son to the Centenary hospital. “We don’t know where centenary hospital is located,” the mother said. “I feel very guilty for putting my parents in this crisis,” said Arif.
Some of the patients and attendants remained thankful. Mohan Kumar who was getting his father treated in the medicine department said, “God has given a new life to us.” Many of them thanked firemen and good Samaritans. “I will pray for the boys who fetched her out of the trouble,” said Beena Devi, an elderly woman who was admitted to medicine emergency.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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