CMYK Rs. 3 KOLKATA MONDAY, 16 MAY, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—351 (RNI NO.: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) Morning India Congress fidgets as internal reforms on card Manik takes oath as Tripura CM as TMC digs at Tripura fiasco MI News Service, Udaipur (Rajasthan): Congress MI News Service, Tripura: BJP chief Manik Saha on Sunday took oath as the chief minister of the state on Sunday at Raj Bhawan in Agartala. The BJP legislative party meeting on Saturday had elected Saha as the legislature party leader in the presence of the Central observers. The BJP decided for leadership change in the state a year ahead of the Assembly elections by replacing Biplab Kumar Deb with Saha as the Chief Minister. Saha is a Rajya Sabha MP and chief of the party in the state. The polls in the state are likely to be held in March next year. Saha, a dental surgeon, is expected to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeastern state where Trinamool Congress is also seeking to emerge as a key player. Saha joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March this year. Meanwhile, Deb after submitting his resignation to State Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya said that he had wholeheartedly served the people of the Tripura. Deb had taken oath as the first Chief Minister of Tripura in 2018, ending the 25-year-rule of the CommuContinue PG 3 nist Party of India in the state. ❑ The building owner arrested in Munkda fire MI News Service, Delhi: The building owner has been arrested regarding the Mundka fire tragedy in Delhi. The owner of a building in outer Delhi's Mundka where a massive fire led to the death of 27 people was arrested on Sunday, two days after the incident. "We received information that Manish Lakra was going towards Haridwar in Uttarakhand. We laid a trap and nabbed him from Ghevra Mod," Sameer Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer), said. As per sources, Lakra used to live on the fourth floor of the commercial building, and he managed to escape to the adjacent building along with his family members when the fire broke out. As of now, the police have recovered 27 bodies and identified 14 of them as women and six as men. A motivational program was underway on the second floor of the building, when the fire broke out. Afatherson duo from Australia was conducting the session, the police said. According to Police, multiple raids were conducted in Delhi and Haryana to nab him. As per sources, the building belonged to Lakra's father, who died in 2015, leaving it to him. The CCTV camera and router manufacturing and assembling company, in whose office the fire is suspected to have started, had been on the premises since 2017. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's wife and Odissi dancer Dona Ganguly during a dance workshop for sex workers and transgenders ahead of International Museum Day in Kolkata. Andrew Symonds’s glorious innings comes to an end MI News Service, Sydney: Andrew Symomds is no more. The prolific and fecund Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds died following a single-vehicle crash in Hervey Range, around 50 kilometers from his home in Townsville, on Saturday night, police said in a statement. Speaking in Townsville, Patrol Inspector Gavin Oates said the cause of the crash was still being investigated but at this stage there was nothing to suggest alcohol was a factor. Symonds’ last Queensland cricket captain, Chris Simpson, who is now chairman of Queensland Cricket, said the dynamic all-rounder “never wanted for much”. His Aussie compatriot added, “He couldn’t care less about money,” Simpson recalled on Sunday. “He had three great passions in his life: his kids, the outdoors and cricket.” ”Andrew Symond’s demise is shocking news for all of us to absorb,” Tendulkar wrote. “Not only was he a brilliant all-rounder, but also a live-wire on the field. I have fond memories of the time we spent together in Mumbai Indians. May his soul rest in peace, condolences to his family & friends.” Lumbini all set to welcome Indian PM Modi MI News Service, Katmandu: Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, is all set to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. This is the fifth visit of Prime Minister Modi to Nepal after taking over the top post in 2014 and the first after his re-election in 2019. To receive and welcome Modi in Lumbini, his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba has already reached Bhairahawa, a city nearby Lumbini on Sunday evening. Deuba will inaugurate the second international airport in Bhairahawa on Monday and will accompany Modi in Lumbini throughout the day. As per the itinerary obtained by IANS, the Indian Prime Minister will arrive at Lumbini from Kushinagar by an IAF helicopter at 10.40 a.m. Then he will go to Maya Devi Temple and attend a special prayer. He will also be lighting a lamp in front of the Ashokan Pillar, and water the Bodhi tree, gifted by him, during his 2014 visit. Later, he will perform Bhoomi Poojan and lay the foundation stone of India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage, being built at the initiative of the International Buddhist Confederation, New Delhi. "I look forward to offering prayers at the Mayadevi Temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti," Modi said in his pre-departure statement issued on Sunday. "I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions of Indians to pay reverence at the sacred site of Lord Buddha's birth." "I also look forward to meeting Prime Minister Deuba again after our productive discussions during his visit to India last month. We will continue to build on our shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, ❑ Continue PG 3 CMYK president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday announced forming an advisory group from among CWC members which would meet regularly to discuss political matters, but asserted it was "not a collective decision-making body" and would help her get the benefit of vast experience of senior colleagues. The Congress president also announced that a compact task force will be set up to drive the process of internal reforms that are essential. As per sources, these reforms with a focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will cover all aspects of the organization, including structure, rules for appointments to party posts, communications and publicity, outreach, finances and election management. Comgress’s ‘Nav Sankalp Chintan Shivir' eventually came up with the following result to uplift the party from shambles. According to Sonia Gandhi, “I feel it has been a very useful and productive 'shivir'. So many of you have had an opportunity to express your views and offer your suggestions in a spirit of constructive participation. I have received a summary of discussions in each of the six groups. They will inform our party positions, policies and programs” To Sonia, This effort will also be of value to prepare manifestos for state and national elections. she further added, "I want to make a special mention of the report of the organizational group since it is ❑ Continue PG 3 KMC to put up containment zones at IIM campus MI News Service, Kolkata: With the number of Covid in- fected cases among the students of IIM Joka going up to 28 on Saturday, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to set up a containment zone at the campus. The Health department has already sent the samples of the Covid infected students to National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in Kalyani for genome sequencing. The health officials are trying to ascertain the variant of Corona virus that had infected these students. Currently, there are no containment zones in the city. After a gap of a couple of months, the city of Kolkata is going to witness a containment zone again. KMC envisage setting up the containment zone in IIM Joka only to restrict the spread of Covid after 28 students tested positive. The civic body has plans to carry out tests within a span of three days for a period of 10 days of the affected as well as 58 other students who have not tested Continue PG 3 positive but have come ❑