30 children die in 20 days in Allahabad's biggest government hospital

June 22, 2012

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Allahabad, June 22: At least 30 children between the ages of 6 months to 2 years have died in the last 20 days in the biggest government run children's hospital in Allahabad.

And the figures may not surprise anyone. One visit to the 100-bedded hospital shows wards are overflowing with patients, with 2 to 3 children occupying a single bed. These deaths have blamed on poor facilities at the Sarojini Naidu Hospital.

"There are 2 to 3 children lying on each bed. We have to buy syringes from outside," confirms Manna Babu, a relative of one of the patient.

"If there are no beds, we have no choice but to wait with sick children outside, till the time one is available. No wonder children are dying," adds Dinesh Kumar, another patient's relative.

What also emerged through NDTV's visit to the hospital, is that despite the intense heat (Allahabad has recorded one of the highest temperatures this summer) fans and air conditioners of the hospital remain out of order. There is also no doctor who can work the ultrasound machine and the lone operation theatre of the hospital is locked up and not used for surgeries.

The hospital superintendent, Ruchi Rai claims that the children who died were brought to the hospital in a critical condition and had a very little chance of survival. "Most of these children were critical. Visitors also come and go without caring about hospital timings. Half of our time is wasted in handling the relatives of the patients, making it difficult to pay attention to the sick children" she says.

Alarmed by the death toll, the Allahabad high court has taken suo moto cognizance and issued notices to the hospital authorities, Director General Health Services and the Principal Health Secretary.

After that, when the Joint Director level officer of the health department, Abha Shirvastav carried out checks at the hospital, she admitted that the hospital was poorly managed and lacked basic facilities. According to her the medicine stock was inadequate and there was also a shortage of disposable items like syringes.

"We are trying to find out the record and see what caused the deaths. We need to know when the children were admitted and in what condition. If a child was brought in a serious condition then nothing could be done. But if there were lapses in the treatment, that is something we are trying to find out. There is a lot of suffocation in the wards because of overcrowding and the AC's don't work. Also it was teeming with visitors when they should not be allowed inside the wards," she said.

A departmental probe has also been ordered into the deaths.




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Agencies
March 22,2020

Thane, Mar 22: Eight men were arrested at Kalyan in the district on Sunday as they were found playing cricket during the 'Janata curfew' being observed to check the spread of coronavirus, police said.

They were playing cricket at Kala Talao Maidan in the afternoon, police said.

Police also detained a boy in this connection, an official said.

"Action was taken against them for defying the prohibitory orders issued by the Thane Police Commissionerate.

They also went against the 'Janata curfew' being observed to curb the spread of coronavirus," the police official said.

The Mahatma Phule Chowk Police Station registered an offence against the accused under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 290 (public nuisance).

They were also booked under the Maharashtra Police Act as well as the National Disaster Act 2005, the official said.

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News Network
January 15,2020

New Delhi, Jan 15: The CBI has booked 17 individuals and companies, including three Mumbai-based senior Customs officials, for allegedly being part of a money laundering racket using over-invoiced import of diamonds worth more than Rs 156 crore, official said on Tuesday.

The case was referred to the CBI after a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence probe found alleged involvement of Customs officials in the conspiracy, they said.

The DRI probe had alleged that Hong Kong-based businessman Girish Kadel had imported rough diamonds from Switzerland to Hong Kong in the name of his four companies.

Kadel, who had business interests in India, had exported some of these diamonds to India through 14 consignments in the name of two companies Antique Exim Pvt Ltd and Tanman Jewels showing over-invoiced value of Rs 156.28 crore.

The DRI had found during revaluation that actual value of the consignment was Rs 1.03 crore instead of falsely declared value of Rs 156.28 crore, they said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that Kadel used Import Export Codes (IECs) of Antique Exim Private Ltd and Tanman Jewels through his aide Atul Paldecha for siphoning off the money outside India through import of over-valued diamonds, the officials said.

Rough diamonds were imported at "highly exaggerated value" to siphon off excess foreign exchange overseas to cover the differential cost of other imports and park money abroad for unlawful activities.

It is alleged that the then Commissioner APSC Mumbai, Vinay Brij Singh, influenced subordinate officers to give favourable report, they said.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Unnao, Jan 3: The Uttar Pradesh Police has submitted a charge sheet in a court here in connection with the death of a 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was allegedly set ablaze by five men.

Additional Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Pandey, who is heading a Special Investigation Team in the case, said the charge sheet was submitted on Wednesday.

"There is ample proof against the five accused persons, and the charge sheet was prepared based on those evidences," he said on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with 90 per cent burns after being set on fire, died following a cardiac arrest on December 6, 2019.

The woman was set afire by five men, including two of her alleged rapists, on December 5 morning when she was going to Rae Bareli to attend a court hearing in the rape case filed by her.

In her statement to Sub Divisional Magistrate Dayashankar Pathak, the woman had said she was attacked when she reached Gaura turn near her home on her way to the court.

She had specifically named Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam Trivedi and Shubham Trivedi as the persons who set her on fire.

The woman had also alleged that Shivam and Shubham Trivedi had abducted and raped her in December 2018.

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