CMYK MONDAY 05 JUNE 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC* www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CONGRESS SEEKS ‘ACCOUNTABILITY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM’ DELHI’S OPTIONS P6 WEATHER Humid and discomfort weather very likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 38 °C and 30 °C respectively. ‘NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT’ NAIDU-SHAH MEETING SPARKS BUZZ IN ANDHRA POLITICS P5 P4 Railways recommends CBI probe into Balasore mishap RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY The very fact that a CBI probe is being ordered points at a suspected criminal angle Max. 85 % Min. 51 % Max: 37.2 °C (+1) SUN RISES 04:53 hrs MOON RISES 18:46 hrs Min: 29.9 °C (+2) SUN SETS 18:18 hrs MOON SETS 04:38 hrs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 4 JUNE TEMPERATURE New Moon on 18 June THUMBNAILS An under-construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge collapses in Bihar’s Bhagalpur on Sunday. The moment when the bridge collapsed in the Ganga River was caught on video by locals.  ANI Monsoon misses onset date in Kerala, IMD says conditions becoming favourable: The monsoon missed its onset date in Kerala on Sunday with the India Meteorological Department anticipating a further delay of three to four days. The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on 1 June with a standard deviation of about seven days. In mid May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said it might arrive in Kerala by 4 June. Scientists, however, said the delay is unlikely to impact kharif sowing and total rainfall over the country. Next wrestlers’ mahapanchayat dates to be declared in 3-4 days SNS & AGENCIES CHANDIGARH, 4 JUNE With the date of the next 'mahapanchayat', only of wrestlers, to be announced in three-four days, a 'mahapanchayat' was held on Sunday at Mundlana in Haryana's Sonipat, a third in a series in four days and the second in Haryana, to express solidarity with the wrestlers protesting against WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over charges of sexual harassment. Top wrestlers comprising Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia have been protesting since 23 April, demanding action against Bhushan. ailway Minister AshwiniVaishnaw said on Sunday here that the Railway Board has recommended a CBI probe into the ghastly train accident at Bahanaga in Balasore district on Friday which claimed 275 lives.The very fact that a CBI probe is being ordered points at a suspected criminal angle or, in other words, sabotage. Talking to media persons, the Railway Minister said the cause of the accident had been revealed by the preliminary report of Commissioner Rai Safety. He did not elaborate but indicated that there was a human element involved as there was a change in the R Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan meets injured people at District Headquarters Hospital in Bhadrak on Sunday. ANI electronic interlocking that led the Coromandel Express to hit the goods train which was stationary on a loop line. The Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Health Minister Manshuk Mandaviya, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and senior railway officers were closeted here today. In fact, the Railway Minister reached here, announced the recommendation for a CBI probe and spoke about restoration work being expedited (by Wednesday the main line will be operational), and rushed back to Balasore. Reliable sources said the investigations as of now had revealed that Coromondal Express (whose driver is injured but stable) had been given the green signal on the main line. It was speeding at 128kmph, but inexplicably a change in the interlocking system done at the point machine took the train to a loop line and it hit the stationary iron ore loaded goods train. Due to the load, the goods train was not impacted while the bogies of the Coromandel Express were damaged and scattered across the other line where the Yashwantpur- Howrah was speeding, said the sources. Such change of the interlocking system does not take place, said the sources indicating that someone may have done it at the switch point. Asked who could have done it, the sources , said it is for the probe to identify. The sources said even the driver of the Coromondal Express confirmed that he was given a green signal on the main line. Earlier, the Odisha government revised the death toll in the tragedy to 275. Double counting led to the earlier figure of 288, said Odisha chief secretary PK Jena. ‘Kavach would not have helped prevent tragedy’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 JUNE The Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express, which met with the disastrous accident at Bahanaga Bazar station near Balasore on 2 June, was authorised to move at a speed of 130 kmph on the main line, but was moving on the loop line instead. The anti-collision device or Kavach technology which is regarded as the armour of the railway system, works in situations of Signal Passed at Danger. But in Friday’s incident, the signal was mainly given for Family members identify the pictures of their relatives, who died in the tragic train accident that occurred in Balasore, on Sunday.  ANI the ‘Main’ line. The superfast train was moving at a high speed that was applicable for the main line and not a loop line where the speed is restricted to as low as 15kmph. This mismatch of speed on a loop line, according to some ex-railway employees, which is not only meant for slower speed but is also shorter in length, was one of the major factors that resulted in one of the worst train accidents in decades. Rail Board member Jaya Varma Sinha today in New Delhi confirmed that even if the Kavach technology was in place, it would not have helped in averting the major accident. The Railway minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, today confirmed that the accident took place because of a change in electronic interlocking. Ms Sinha, sharing preliminary information regarding the train tragedy, said: "The Coromandel Three-member Commission of Inquiry to probe incidents of violence in Manipur STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI/IMPHAL, 4 JUNE The Centre on Sunday constituted a three-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, Justice Ajai Lamba, to probe the recent incidents of violence in Manipur. Former IAS officer Himanshu Shekhar Das and former IPS officer Aloka Prabhakar are the two other members of the Commission. The Commission will make inquiry with respect to the causes and spread of the violence, which took place in Manipur, and whether there were any lapses on the part of any of the responsible authorities or individuals, it said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had visited the state of Manipur during 29 May- 1 June A protest rally organised by Manipur Co-Ordinating Committee (Delhi) at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. SUBRATA DUTTA and after taking stock of the situation had announced the appointment of Commission of Inquiry.The Commission will submit its report to the Central Government as soon as possible but not later than six months from the date of its first sitting. The headquarters of the Commission will be at Imphal, the statement added. The Union Home Minister on Sunday appealed to the people of Manipur to lift the blockades at the ImphalDimapur, National Highway2 so that basic food items and other necessary items can reach the people in the strife-hit state. In New Delhi, members of the Meitei Manipuri community living in the national capital gathered in large numbers at Jantar Mantar to stage a peaceful protest demanding steps to bring back normality in the state. Meanwhile, sitting Congress MLA and former Minister K. Ranjit Singh's house at Serou was burnt down yesterday by Kuki militants who swooped down from the neighbouring hills accompanied by hundreds of Kuki villagers. MLA Ranjit had lamented the failure of the state forces to provide protection to him as well as the other villagers of his area. Express collided with a goods train carrying iron. The impact of the collision was so strong that the coaches of the Coromandel Express split and fell onto the railway tracks, while the goods train didn't even budge. Meanwhile, the Yashwantpur Express was also approaching on another track when the coaches of the Coromandel Express fell. The Yashwantpur Express had almost passed, but within a fraction of a second, its last two coaches collided with the detached coaches of the Coromandel Express, causing damage.” P12 Death toll from Bengal stands at 62, may increase Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addresses a Press conference, in Howrah.  ANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 JUNE Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said this afternoon that 62 people from Bengal died in the tragic train accident in Odisha, as per the latest count. With at least 182 of the 275 people who died in the mishap not yet identified, the number of casualties from Bengal could increase.According to Miss Banerjee, 206 people injured in the accident have been admitted to hospitals in Bengal. Seventy three people have been admitted to different hospitals in Odisha while another 56 persons have been discharged from hospitals in the neighbouring state. Miss Banerjee said Rs 5 lakh would be given as financial assistance to the next of kin of the dead from Bengal. Rs 1 lakh will be given to those who are injured and Rs 10,000 will be given to those who suffer from trauma for three months. The state government will give ration to these affected families for three months, she said. Miss Banerjee said senior IAS officers have been monitoring the situation. Round- the-clock control rooms have been opened in Kharagpur, Santragachi and Nabanna. She said teams of doctors with ambulance have been sent to the spot. About the unidentified dead bodies, Miss Banerjee said it will take some time to identify them. She said the Kolkata Police are in touch with 13,000 families to obtain information about their near and dear ones who may have been on the trains involved in the mishap. Miss Banerjee who visited the site of the incident on Saturday, said a thorough investigation needs to be done. She said the state government is keeping tabs on the situation round the clock and those admitted to different state-run hospitals are being closely monitored. BREEZY MOOD Children enjoying the pleasant weather at Kartavya Path near India Gate, in New Delhi on Sunday.  ANI Eyeing defence ties, Lloyd Austin lands in Delhi T’gana tops in overall environmental performance SNS & AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI , 4 JUNE US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in India from Singapore on Sunday to further strengthen the defence partnership between the two nations (photo). Upon his arrival, US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, received the Pentagon Chief who kickstarted the third leg of his four-nation tour. Taking to Twitter, the US Defence Secretary wrote, "I'm returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership." “Together, we're advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," he added. Austin's New Delhi visit will prominently focus on advancing India-US new defence innovation and indus- trial cooperation initiatives and continuing with the efforts to expand operational cooperation between the US and Indian militaries. The Pentagon, while elaborating on the details of the Defence Secretary's visit, said, "After Singapore, Secretary Austin will visit New Delhi to meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other lead- ers as the US and India continue to modernize the USIndia Major Defence Partnership." “This visit provides an opportunity to accelerate new defence innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and drive ongoing efforts to expand operational cooperation between the U.S. and Indian militaries," the statement added. During his New Delhi visit, Austin is set to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with an aim to expand the defence-industrial partnership.The visit holds particular significance considering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming state visit to the White House in June. Austin attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and his first stop was in Tokyo where he met with Japanese Defence Minister Yasukasu Hamada and other senior leaders and visited US troops stationed in Japan. Later, from Japan, he flew to Singapore, where he addressed plenary remarks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) 20th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. After New Delhi, the US Defence Secretary will embark on a visit to France. NEW DELHI, 4 JUNE On the eve of World Environment day, which falls on Monday, the Centre for Science and Environment CSE and Down to Earth have released The State of India’s Environment 2023 report. As per the report, in terms of overall environmental performance Telangana is at the top. Its rank is based on its progress in enhancing the forest cover and also done well in municipal waste treatment. The bottom ranked states in terms of environmental performance are Rajasthan, Nagaland and Bihar. In agriculture, Madhya Pradesh takes the top slot for a big jump in foodgrain production. Unfortunately, though about 50 per cent of the CMYK Volunteers take part in the 'Yamuna Sansad programme' organised to make Yamuna clean and pure on the eve of the World Environment Day, in New Delhi on Sunday.  ANI cropped area in the state remains uninsured. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh feature on the second, third and fourth spots while at the bottom of the ranking in agri- culture is Delhi, Goa and Meghalaya. In public health, Delhi is ranked number one. The national capital has allocated the highest share of its budget to health. It boasts of a robust network of healthcare facilities. However, it has a low immunisation rate. Delhi is followed by Sikkim, Goa and Mizoram. Madhya Pradesh, which is at the bottom, has a high incidence of maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality rate. Chhattisgarh, Assam and Uttar Pradesh also range in the bottom-half. In public infrastructure and human development, Gujarat leads the rankings. It makes the cut for its performance in providing employment and tap water connections. The state, however, ranks comparatively low in sexratio and has a high proportion of rural households using unclean cooking fuels. However, Jharkhand occupies the bottom spot, and is preceded by Nagaland, Rajasthan and Arunachal Pradesh.