TUESDAY 07 JANUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR U.S. CONGRESS READY TO CERTIFY TRUMP’S ELECTION WIN PRASHANT KISHOR’S ARREST IGNITES PROTESTS AGAINST BIHAR GOVT TN GOVERNOR RAVI BOYCOTTS ASSEMBLY, LEAVES HOUSE IN A HUFF P9 P5 AUSTRALIANS PRAISE JASPRIT BUMRAH FOR BGT HEROICS P4 SENSEX 77,964.99q1,258.12 WEATHER Generally clear. Cloudy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 27°C and 16°C respectively. NIFTY 23,616.05q388.70 ` vs $ 85.79 P12 SILVER 99,000 GOLD 79,300.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.87p0.36 Centre supports Kumbh, not Gangasagar mela: CM ‘US finalising steps to strengthen nuclear energy cooperation with India’ Eight security personnel, driver killed in Maoist attack in Chh’garh Gangasagar yet to be declared a national fair, laments Mamata Banerjee STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAIPUR, 6 JANUARY RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY RAJIB CHAKRABORTY Max. 75% Min. 64% GANGASAGAR, 6 JANUARY Max: 27.2˚C SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 11:25 hrs Min: 16.3˚C SUN SETS 17:07 hrs MOON SETS 08:29 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 14 January THUMBNAILS A view of a snow-covered 'Lal Chowk' after fresh snowfall, in Srinagar on Monday. n ANI Sensex tumbles 1,258 points over HMPV fears, global uncertainties: The Indian stock market witnessed a steep decline on Monday as domestic benchmark indices plunged more than 1.5 per cent amid growing concerns over human metapneumovirus (HMPV) along with global uncertainties. Heavy selling was seen in the PSU bank sector on Nifty. The PSU bank sector was down by more than 4 per cent. (Page 10) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 JANUARY Mamata asks people not to panic over HMPV C hief Minister Mamata Banerjee has today criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government's policy regarding Gangasagar, particularly compared to the attention lavished on the Kumbh Mela. Speaking at Kapil Muni's ashram on Sagar Island after offering puja, Miss Banerjee said that the central government shows no concern for the Gangasagar Mela, whereas it invests thousands of crores of rupees in the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh. She said that the state government requires substantial funds to protect Kapil Muni's ashram from sea erosion, but the Central government remains indifferent to this issue. The Central government allocates thousands of crores of rupees for the Kumbh Mela. However, despite more than one crore people attending the Gangasagar Mela, it has yet to be declared a national fair, she said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GANGASAGAR, 6 JANUARY According to the Chief Minister, due to the massive funds allocated to the Kumbh Mela, people can directly reach the site via road or air. However, to reach Gangasagar, pilgrims have to cross the river, which is very inconvenient. Miss Banerjee also explained how the administration and NGOs are working to assist the general public. "If my party (TMC) gains power (at the Centre) then Gangasagar Mela will be declared as national fair,” she said. Referring to the Muriganga Bridge, the Chief Minister said that no one had thought about constructing this bridge before. She recalled a conversation with a Central government minister a few years ago in this regard, yet the bridge was not built even after four years. Eventually, her government took the initiative to construct it. Miss Bqanjere stated that despite high costs and financial constraints, the construction of the Gangasagar Bridge is essential. She said that significant progress has already been made in this project. According to her, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared for the Muriganga Bridge. However, completing the construction will take four years and require an estimated budget of Rs 1,500 crore. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday advised people not to panic over reports of a Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) case turning up in Kolkata. “In Bangalore, two cases have been reported. Here, we are yet to detect any such case. Our chief secretary has already held a meeting and taken precautionary measures," Miss Banerjee told reporters at the Kapil Muni ashram here. “We do not have any such alerts in this connection (HMPV cases). In case there are any, I will let you know. Our government is always serving the people; you have seen that during the Covid pandemic,” Miss Banerjee said. The United States is now finalising the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India's leading nuclear entities and US companies, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said here on Monday. “The formal paperwork will be done soon but this will be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past and create opportunities for entities that have been on restricted lists in the United States to come off those lists and enter into deep collaboration with the United States, with our private sector, scientists and technologists to move civil nuclear cooperation forward together,” he said. Mr Sullivan is in New Delhi to hold talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on issues ranging from space, defence, strategic technology cooperation as well as shared security priorities in the IndoPacific region. This is perhaps the last official visit of a top official in the outgoing Joe Biden administration in the US before Mr Donald Trump's inauguration as the new president on 20 January. Recalling that former US President Bush and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid out a vision of civil nuclear cooperation nearly 20 years ago, Mr Sullivan regretted that the two countries have yet to fully realise it. “But as we work to build clean energy technologies to enable growth in artificial intelligence, and to help US and Indian energy companies unlock their innovation potential, the Biden administration has determined that it is past time to take the next major step in cementing this partnership,” he added. “During the past four years, he (Mr Doval) and I have developed a deep personal and professional relationship that has played a critical role in ensuring that the US-India partnership has reached that new high level that I talked about before,” he said. Eight District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and the driver of their vehicle were killed in a Maoist ambush on the Kutru-Bedre road in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday. "The attack, which took place near Amboli village around 2:15 pm, involved a powerful IED blast followed by gunfire. The security team was returning from a joint anti-Maoist operation when their vehicle was targeted," Bastar Range IG P Sundarraj said. According to reports, five other personnel were injured in the attack, with three reported to be in critical condition. The insurgents detonated the IED on a bridge, destroying the police vehicle and causing significant casualties. Sources revealed that the Maoists fired on the security personnel following the explosion. The DRG team, which has played a crucial role in counter-insurgency operations in the Bastar region, was returning after a highrisk mission. This attack is believed to be an attempt by the Maoists to retaliate against the increasing pressure from intensified security operations. (Details on Page 8)