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Bengal Panchayat poll date verdict on Thursday: HC
Kolkata, May 8 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday heard a petition by the Congress seeking quashing of the May 14 Panchayat poll date in West Bengal on grounds of inadequate security arrangements and said it would hear the case again on Thursday before pronouncing its verdict.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya and Arijit Banerjee heard the petitioners and respondents in the case and took stock of the deployment of armed forces on the polling day.
West Bengal Advocate General Kishore Dutta said the state has 71,500 armed personnel to be deployed during the polling day in addition to 80,000 civic volunteers and pointed out that the state administration would be able to post one armed personnel and one person carrying baton in each of the polling booths.
“The state has 500 inspectors, 10,000 sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors and 61,000 constables, home guards and National Volunteer Force (NVF). There are 80,000 civic volunteers also. A polling premise is comprised of four to five polling booths. So there would be enough armed forces for the security,” he said.
State Election Commission (SEC) counsel Shaktinath Mukherjee said it considers the forces to be adequate to conduct the single-phase polling. He said the state had 35,000 armed personnel during the previous rural polls which was way lesser than the current figure.
However, the counsels of the opposition parties said they are not satisfied with the security arrangements and raised objections claiming the civic volunteers cannot be used in law and order issue.
They also opposed the pattern of force deployment proposed by the state administration as the SEC has identified some booths as sensitive and highly sensitive, where more number of personnel is required.
Objections were raised by another body named ‘Sarkari Karmachari Parishad’ that filed a separate petition before the court seeking the deployment of central forces to ensure the security of several government employees who would be working as polling officers on the day of election.
Pointing out that all the elections in the state barring one since 2011 were conducted with the central forces, the body claimed providing security to the polling officers is of utmost important because if they are deterred from their duty, the election would not be free and fair.
Earlier in the day, the state Advocate General questioned the maintainability of the Congress petition and claimed the plea filed by state Congress President Adhir Chowdhury should not be entertained as it might involve political interest.
Chowdhury argued that he filed the plea not as a representative of political party but to protect the interest of common people.
He accused the SEC of playing second fiddle to the state government in every aspect of the election process and has not taken any action against the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress that resorted to large scale pre-poll violence since the election is announced.
He also claimed that 34 per cent seats in the rural polls have been declared as uncontested this time which is unprecedented in the state.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
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