More than 40 held in connection with Shivamogga stone-pelting incident: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said more than 40 miscreants have been arrested in connection with the stone-pelting incident in Shivamogga and cases booked against them.
Creating disturbance and indulging in stone pelting during religious events of a community is against law, and his government won't tolerate such incidents and will suppress them, he said.
"The situation in Shivamogga is now peaceful and under control and the police there are taking all the necessary measures to maintain peace", he told reporters here.
Shivamogga BJP MLA S N Channabasappa, who visited the houses in Ragi Gudda area which were damaged due to the stone pelting last evening, alleged that some outsiders, with the support of some insiders, were behind the incident.
"Shivamogga has become a haven for those who want to spread terror," Channabasappa told reporters in Shivamogga on Monday.
In Bengaluru, Home Minister G Parameshwara termed it a minor stone pelting incident and said the police have controlled it, and suspects have been taken into custody.
Noting that the administration will not let any untoward incidents happen, he said the police have warned and dispersed the mob and the situation is peaceful now.
To a question on reports that some miscreants wearing masks had indulged in stone pelting, the Home Minister said they have been arrested now and legal action will be taken against them after inquiry.
Asked about stones being pelted on the police, he said, "Yes, are they happening now? Such things have happened, police are capable of controlling it and will do it. Aware that anything may happen during the procession as it is a tense area, forces including RAF were deployed in advance, so we could control it from spiraling into a big incident."
The situation in Ragi Gudda area in Shivamogga, where prohibitory orders have been clamped, after tension during the Eid Milad procession and alleged incidents of stone pelting, is now peaceful and under control, police said.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
