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New Delhi, Dec 14 (IANS) Veteran BJP leader, Lal Krishna Advani, has been hospitalised at Delhi’s Apollo Hospital after his health deteriorated.

The former Deputy Prime Minister and BJP stalwart was hospitalised late on Friday night.

The 97-year-old Lal Krishna Advani has not been keeping well for quite some time and was hospitalised for the fourth time in the last few months.

The reason for this latest hospitalisation could not be immediately known but doctors said that his condition is stable right now.

The former Home Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was conferred with the highest civilian honour the ‘Bharat Ratna’ this year.

As the senior leader could not attend the ceremony organised at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, he was conferred with the award at his home.

Lal Krishna Advani is one of the founders of the BJP and a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)

Lal Krishna Advani was one of the torchbearers of the final phase of the temple movement when he started his Rath Yatra from Somnath to mobilise support for the Ram Temple in September 1990.

On November 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the veteran leader’s residence to extend birthday wishes. He also shared a photo on social media platform X in which he can be seen gifting a bouquet to the leader.

PM Modi had captioned the photo, “Visited Advani ji’s house to extend birthday wishes.”

Prior to that PM Modi had said in a post on X: “Heartiest greeting to Advani ji on his birthday. This birthday is more special as the leader has been conferred with the Bharat Ratna this year. He is one of the respected leaders of the country who have dedicated their lives for the development of the country. I pray for his long and healthy life.”

“Advaniji has always been respected for his intellect and rich insights. I am fortunate to have received his guidance for many years,” PM Modi said.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Dec 13 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Office in Kolkata has predicted cold wave conditions in five districts of West Bengal for the next two days.

These five districts are East Burdwan, West Burdwan, Bankura, Purulia and Birbhum. Cold wave is a situation when either temperature after sunset scales down below 10 degrees Celsius or minimum temperature is below the normal levels by 5 degrees Celsius.

At the same time, dense fog has been predicted in the next few days in the five districts in the northern sector of West Bengal namely Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and North Dinajpur. Fog has also been predicted in certain districts in South Bengal — Purulia, Bankura and West Burdwan — in the early morning hours.

Even the state capital Kolkata has started to feel the pinch of cold wind since Thursday. The maximum temperature in Kolkata on Thursday was 24.3 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 degrees lower than the normal level.

The minimum temperature in Kolkata on Thursday was 13.8 degrees Celsius, which was 2.3 degrees lower than the normal level. The maximum and minimum relative humidity in the city on Thursday were 96 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.

The Regional Meteorological Office has predicted maximum and minimum temperatures in Kolkata to scale down further during the next couple of days. As per weather office productions, on Friday the maximum and minimum temperatures in Kolkata will be around the same as it was on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the latest average Air Quality Index (AQI) index in Kolkata has been recorded at 285, which comes in the “purple” or “very unhealthy” category.

Environmentalists and doctors have advised children and people with respiratory problems to avoid outdoor activities during this period as far as possible. The AQI levels, like every year, started deteriorating after Kali Puja and Diwali in October and the deterioration is continuing.

–IANS

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Chennai, Dec 17 (IANS) Tamil Nadu BJP President, K. Annamalai has urged the Stalin government to take immediate measures to stop garbage dumping in Tamil Nadu’s border districts by neighbouring Kerala.

In a post on social media platform X, Annamalai said, “Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who is ceding Tamil Nadu’s rights, including Cauvery water, to states ruled by his coalition parties, has allowed the border districts of Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, and Tirunelveli to be turned into a garbage dump by the Communist government of Kerala.”

He further alleged, “While the DMK government is in alliance with the Communist government of Kerala, our southern districts have been turned into dumping grounds for the biomedical, plastic, and meat waste from Kerala.”

Annamalai claimed that border check posts, meant to stop this illegal waste transportation, have instead become mere collection centres.

He accused the DMK government of turning a blind eye to the illegal smuggling of minerals from Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts into Kerala, while simultaneously permitting Tamil Nadu to be used as a dumping site.

The BJP alleged that despite repeated complaints to authorities and the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, no action has been taken.

He alleged that the dumping continues with the full knowledge of the DMK government.

Annamalai issued a warning that if similar incidents persist, the BJP will mobilise public support in the first week of January 2025, load the biomedical waste and garbage into trucks, and dump it back in Kerala.

“I myself will travel in the first truck,” he added.

Large volumes of biomedical, food, and plastic waste, allegedly from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) and a Private Hospital, have been found dumped across multiple villages, including Kodaganallur and Palavoor.

The waste includes hazardous biomedical materials such as used syringes, PPE kits, and other discarded items dumped on patta lands and in waterbodies, raising significant health and environmental concerns.

In addition, medical records containing sensitive personal information of cancer patients treated at RCC were allegedly discovered among the waste and included patient names, addresses, treatment details, diagnoses, and dietary plans.

Some documents appeared to be recent, with dates as recent as November 2024. This not only highlights improper waste disposal practices but also raises alarms about a serious data breach.

—IANS

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