cmyk
HE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIA
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HIJRI CALENDAR
Ramzan 22,1442 AH
PRAYERS
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RAMZAN TIMINGS
IFTAR: 6.43 PM (TODAY)
SEHRI: 4.21 AM (TOMORROW)
COUNTER POINT
TAKES
SHORT
KCR RECOVERS
FROM COVID, 2
TESTS NEGATIVE
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
Chief Minister K. Chand-
rashekar Rao has com-
pletely recovered from
Covid-19 accordingly to a
release issued by the Chief
Minister’s Office (CMO)
late on Tuesday.
Rapid antigen tests and
RT-PCR tests were con-
ducted on the Chief
Minister and both the
results came negative, it
said. The tests were con-
ducted under the supervi-
sion of CM’s personal
physician Dr M.V. Rao.
The CM was tested posi-
tive for Covid 19 on April
19 with mild symptoms.
Doctors advised him home
isolation following which
he isolated himself at his
farmhouse.
Last week, the tests con-
ducted on CM gave mixed
results. While rapid test
came negative, RT PCR
test did not give definite
result, the CMO said.
Ex-J&K governor
Jagmohan dies
New Delhi: Former Jammu
and Kashmir governor
Jagmohan passed away
after a brief spell of illness.
He was 93. Jagmohan, who
died on Monday, had start-
ed his career as a bureau-
crat and was seen by many
as a tough and efficient
administrator. He had also
served as the lieutenant
governor of Delhi and
Union minister in the
Vajpayee-led government.
Twitter suspends
Kangana’s a/c
Mumbai: Twitter has perma-
nently suspended actor
Kangana Ranaut’s account
for repeated violations of
rules, specifically its
“Hateful Conduct and
Abusive Behaviour policy,
the microblogging site said
in a statement on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Bollywood
actor's handle
@KanganaTeam now dis-
plays the message: account
suspended.
Fauci tells India to get
Army to fight Covid
deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle
World rushes oxygen
The second shipment of the EU, from Ireland, carrying two oxygen generators, 548 oxygen concentrators, 365 ventila-
tors and other medical equipment, arrives in Delhi on Tuesday.
Delhi HC puts Centre on notice
Threatens contempt proceedings if Delhi doesn’t get oxygen
DC CORRESPONDENT
with agency inputs
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
The Delhi High Court on
Tuesday threatened to ini-
tiate contempt proceed-
ings against the Central
government for failing to
comply with its order on
the supply of oxygen to
Delhi for treating Covid-19
patients.
“You can put your head
in sand like an ostrich, we
will not,” the High Court
told the central govern-
ment.
It added that the Supre-
me Court has already
directed, and now the
High Court is also saying
that the Centre will have
to supply 700 MT oxygen
daily to Delhi right away
by whatever means. “You
are part of the city and see-
ing the situation yourself.
No, you don’t know. Are
KCR plans to overhaul
state machinery soon
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
A major overhaul of the
administrative machinery
at all levels in Telangana
is likely to take place any
time soon. Official sources
said Chief Minister K.
Chandrashekar Rao wo-
uld make a major reshuf-
fle of IAS officers soon.
As all elections from vil-
lage-level to national-level
had been concluded and
no major elections are
scheduled in state until
2023 December Assembly
polls, the Chief Minister is
said to be keen to put more
focus on administration
for the remaining half of
the tenure of the TRS gov-
RELIGIOUS | EDICT
Clerics say Covid norm violation ‘a sin’
SANJAY SAMUEL PAUL | DC
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
Religious and spiritual
leaders expressed shock
and concern over the lack-
adaisical attitude of people
while the world is going
through tough times. They
condemned the lack of
adherence to Covid safety
norms by people at large
and have equated such
negligence to committing
sin.
Referring to spiritual
teachings and religious
texts, they said one should
not be a cause for other’s ill
health. Those indulging in
violating these simple
WORLD|9
you living in ivory tow-
ers?,” the bench said.
A bench of Justices
Vipin Sanghi and Rekha
Palli also rejected the
Centre’s submission that
Delhi was not entitled to
700 metric tonnes of med-
ical oxygen in light of
existing medical infra-
structure.
It said the Supreme
Court’s April 30 detailed
order directed the central
government to provide 700
MT of oxygen per day to
Delhi and not just 490 MT.
“We had told you con-
tempt is the last thing in
our mind but it is certain-
ly in our mind and don’t
drive us to that last point.
We mean business now.
Enough is enough. Be
clear on this. We are not
going to take no for an
answer,” the court said.
■ More reports on Page 8
● There is no talk
about the CM going for
Cabinet reshuffle in
TRS circles but hint at
the possibility of
inducting a minister
from Warangal district
in place of Etala
Rajendar
ernment by bringing more
reforms in various depart-
ments for effective deliv-
ery of services on the lines
of Dharani, Municipal and
Panchayat Raj Acts.
However, there is no talk
about the Chief Minister
going for Cabinet reshuf-
fle in TRS circles but hint
at the possibility of induct-
ing a minister from
Preachers say God will punish those spreading Coronavirus
God will hold individuals
accountable for spreading the
disease to others.
— Venugopala Diskshitulu,
Chief priest, Sri Venkateshwara
temple, Tirumala
If people go around spreading the
disease, they should know they are
committing a sin.
— Acharya Vimalsagarji Marasab,
Jain Monk
rules, will be answerable
to God, they said.
While individual respon-
sibility lies with everyone,
acting in a manner that
puts others at risk, espe-
HYDERABAD I WEDNESDAY I 5 MAY 2021
59 deaths in just
one day shock TS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
As many as 59 people died
of Covid-19 in one day in
Telangana making May 3,
the deadliest day. On the
same day, the health
department reported 6,876
new cases of Covid-19. So
far, the state has recorded
2,476 deaths due to Covid-
19, while total cases stood
at 4,63,361 as on Monday.
The health department
said 70,961 tests were con-
ducted in the state on
Monday, of which results
for 3,864 tests were await-
ed. Though the daily case
totals appear to have sta-
Warangal district in place
of Etala Rajendar, who
was recently sacked from
the Cabinet.
Though Rajendar repre-
sents undivided Karim-
nagar district, the Chief
Minister wants to induct a
minister from undivided
Warangal district as
Karimnagar district is
already represented by
three ministers, K.T.
Rama Rao, Koppula Esh-
war and Gangula Kama-
lakar while two ministers
(Errabelli Dayakar Rao
and Sathyavathi Rathod)
represent Warangal dis-
trict.
■ Page 3: Cabinet post for
Dasyam or Peddireddy
It is written in the Book of Isaiah,
when a pandemic is around, you hide
in the chambers, till it passes away.
Founder of United Peoples Fellowship
According to the Prophet, when
someone is ill, he should isolate
himself, to stop spreading the
disease.
— Mohammed Husamuddin Sami
Jaffar, Muslim preacher
cially by those who know
they are Covid-19 positive
but do not care about oth-
ers around them, is doing a
greater sin, they opined.
Venugopala Deekshith-
BUSINESS|11 SPORTS|12
Bill Gates to
divorce Melinda
— PTI
bilised around the 7,000
mark, the number of peo-
ple testing positive has
remained same even on
Monday, as had been the
case with the past few
days with one out of every
nine people tested turning
up positive for the disease
indicating that there is no
slowdown in the rate at
which the disease is
spreading among the pop-
ulation in the state.
The GHMC area reported
1,029 cases, followed by 502
in Medchal-Malkajgiri, 387
in Ranga Reddy.
■ Page 2: Nalgonda turns
new hotspot for Covid
IPL ON HOLD
AS PLAYERS
TEST POSITIVE
New Delhi, May 4: The
Indian Premier League
was on Tuesday suspend-
ed indefinitely after mul-
tiple Covid-19 cases were
reported in its bio-bub-
ble. “The tournament
has been suspended
indefinitely. We will try
to conduct the event in
the next available win-
dow but this month is
unlikely,” IPL chairman
Brijesh Patel said.
The announcement
came after Sunrisers
Hyderabad’s wicketkeep-
er-batsman Wriddhiman
Saha tested positive for
Covid-19 along with
Delhi Capitals’ veteran
spinner Amit Mishra.
■ Full report on HC
— Sis Joy Cherian,
ulu, the chief priest at Lord
Venkateswara Temple in
Tirumala, said, “Consider-
ing the gravity of the situa-
tion, where many lives are
affected, and with chaos all
Irregularities found in
Maradona's death
Vol. 84 No. 123 Established 1938 | 20
HC slams ‘unusual
haste’ in Etala probe
Asks which law allowed entry into private land
VUJJINI
VAMSHIDHARA | DC
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
The Telangana High Court
on Tuesday found fault for
the Medak district collec-
tor and other officials for
conducting a survey and
inspection in the lands of
Jamuna Hatcheries,
which belongs to the fami-
ly members of former min-
ister Etala Rajendar, with-
out issuing notices or inti-
mation to them. The court
said that the action was a
clear violation of Articles
14, 19, 21 and 300-A of the
Constitution, and Section
153 of the TS Land
Revenue Act.
“There is no provision of
law which is shown to the
court under which the dis-
trict collector has conduct-
ed a detailed survey and
filed a report. The only
reason shown is that a
complaint was received
against the petitioners
stating that assigned lands
have been encroached by
the petitioners,” the court
said.
These observations were
made by Justice Tadaka-
malla Vinod Kumar on
Tuesday while hearing a
house motion petition
filed by Jamuna Hatche-
ries Private Limited, rep-
Modi speaks to WB Gov.
on post-election violence
Death toll in violence crosses 14 in Bengal
RAJIB CHOWDHURI and
YOJNA GUSAI | DC
KOLKATA/NEW DELHI, MAY 4
As the death toll in post-
poll violence in West
Bengal rose to 14 on
Tuesday from six a day
before, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi dialled
state governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar and expressed
“serious anguish and con-
cern” over the “worri-
some” law and order situa-
tion in the state. The 14
killed include nine BJP
cadres in West Bengal,
and four from Trinamul
Congress (TMC).
Mamata Banerjee-led
TMC, which retained
power in the state for the
third time, has come
under severe criticism
from the BJP, with Left
and the Congress leaders
also condemning the post-
poll violence against their
cadre.
Hours after the PM’s con-
versation with the gover-
nor, BJP chief J.P. Nadda
reached West Bengal on a
two-day-visit and met the
victims’ families.
Taking suo motu cogni-
sance of media reports on
alleged post-poll violence,
the National Human Rig-
over, people should take it
seriously and must follow
precautions.”
He said to serve people
was to serve God. “Every-
one can do this by staying
at home and following
Covid-19 protocols and
thereby do a great service
to fellow humans,” he said.
For those who have
tossed the rules aside and
are roaming about despite
being Covid positive, he
said such people should
know that they will be held
accountable for spreading
the disease to others.
■ Page 3: Wahe Guru will
not spare violators: Preacher
● Justice Tadakamalla
Vinod Kumar wondered
if the Chief Secretary,
collectors and other
officials showed similar
quick response to all
complaints which came
to their notice.
● The judge said prima
facie there has been a
serious violation of the
principles of natural
justice and also non-
adherence of the provi-
sions of the TS Land
Revenue Act.
resented by its director
Etala Nithin and his moth-
er E. Jamuna. The petition
was against trespassing
by the Medak district col-
lector and other revenue
officials into their lands in
Hakimpet and Achampet
villages of Medak district
and conducting the survey
without issuing notices to
them.
The petitioners urged
the court to direct the
authorities to not take any
coercive steps against
them based on a report
prepared by the officials,
which stated that the peti-
tioners had encroached on
66 acres of assigned land.
DMK MEN REMOVE AMMA CANTEEN
BOARDS, STALIN ORDERS ACTION
Chennai, May 4: A video
clip of two DMK men
removing and throwing
away two flex boards
embossed with the name
and picture of 'Amma'
from a state-run canteen
here went viral on
Tuesday and they were
expelled from the party.
The AIADMK and PMK
condemned the vandalism
and sought tough action
against those responsible.
The party filed a police
complaint against them
and the duo was arrested,
DMK leader and former
Mayor of Chennai, Ma
Subramanian said.
The boards were placed
again in the same spots in
the canteen and the two
men have been booked
under various sections of
hts Commission (NHRC)
has sent a fact-finding
team while noting that it
considers the incidents
“as a fit case of alleged vio-
lation of Right to Life of
innocent citizens.”
The National Commis-
JEE-Mains May
edition postponed
New Delhi, May 4: Engi-
neering entrance exam
JEE-Mains scheduled
from May 24 to 28 has been
postponed in view of the
Covid-19 situation, accord-
ing to the ministry of edu-
cation's National Testing
Agency (NTA).
Earlier, the April edition
of the exam was postponed
following an exponential
rise in coronavirus cases.
“The JEE-Mains sched-
uled from May 24 to 28 is
being postponed in view of
the current pandemic sit-
uation,” the NTA said.
The rescheduling of the
April and May sessions
will be done subsequently
cmyk
PAGES | `6.00
Responding to the offi-
cials’ hotfoot in preparing
a report within 24 hours
by conducting a survey
and enquiry on allega-
tions, Justice Tadaka-
malla Vinod Kumar won-
dered if the Chief
Secretary, collectors and
other officials showed
similar quick response to
all complaints, which
came to their notice.
“If so, what the authori-
ties have acted on the com-
plaints about violations of
GO111. Have the authori-
ties never received com-
plaints, which are griev-
ous to it?” Justice Vinod
Kumar asked.
Stating that prima facie
there has been a serious
violation of the principles
of natural justice and also
non-adherence of the pro-
visions of the Telangana
State Land Revenue Act,
Justice Vinod Kumar sug-
gested, “If the government
finds any violations and
illegalities of encroach-
ment of assigned lands by
Jamuna Hatcheries, then
go ahead at the front gate,
not go by the back gate by
violating the rule of law
and using the force,” the
judge observed.
■ Page 5: HC asks if collector
surveyed land sitting in car
the IPC, he said.
'Amma' is a popular
moniker of late CM J.
Jayalalithaa and low cost
'Amma Canteens' are run
by civic bodies in Tamil
Nadu and here by the
Chennai Corporation.
The flex type boards had
Tamil words announcing
'Amma Canteen,' in addi-
tion to information on
food that was being served
in the eatery.
Subramanian said party
chief M K Stalin ordered
expulsion of the two men
from the party, filing a
police complaint against
them and putting the boar-
ds back in the same place.
The AIADMK and the
PMK condemned violence
and political incivility of
the attackers. — PTI
sion for Women too consti-
tuted a fact-finding team
to investigate alleged vio-
lence against women in
various parts of the state.
■ Page 8: BJP compares
TMC with Nazis
and “the registration for
the May session will also
be announced at a later
stage,” it said.
From this year, the exam
is being conducted four
times a year to offer flexi-
bility to students and a
chance to improve their
scores. While the first
phase was conducted in
February followed by the
second phase in March.
The next phases were
scheduled to be held in
April and May. Over 6.2
lakh candidates appeared
in the first session while
5.5 lakh candidates appea-
red in the second session
of the exam. — PTI
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
NALGONDA TURNS
NEW HOTSPOT
From Page 1
Nalgonda district emerged as
an overnight hotspot for
Covid-19 reporting 402 new
cases on Monday, up from a
mere 52 on Sunday, a nearly
eight times rise in just one day.
Its neighbouring Suryapet dis-
trict too saw a whopping rise
in cases on Monday reporting
372 cases, up from 42 on
Sunday, a nearly nine times
rise over a period of 24 hours.
Similar overnight surges were
reported from Yadadri-
Bhongir which saw cases rise
from 46 on Sunday to 183 on
Monday, in Khammam from
121 to 264 for the same days,
while Pedapalli district saw
case gallop from 99 on Sunday
to 218 on Monday. Warangal
Urban district reported 354
cases.
ADMIT EVERYONE WITH SYMPTOMS,
TELANGANA STATE TELLS HOSPITALS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4.
All private hospitals in
Telangana have been
ordered to admit Covid-19
cases even if the patients do
not have a Covid positive
certificate or the result with
them, and if the patients
displayed moderate to
severe symptoms.
The orders, the state
health department said,
were issued in view of the
rise in the positive Covid-19
cases in the state.
The department, in its
orders, also said that every
private hospital treating
Covid-19 patients must
install display boards at
their entrances with regu-
larly updated and real-time
availability of regular beds,
● THE DEPARTMENT, in
its orders, also said that
every private hospital treat-
ing Covid-19 patients must
install display boards at
their entrances with regu-
larly updated and real-time
availability of regular beds,
oxygen beds, ICU beds
(Ventilator/CPAP).
oxygen beds, ICU beds
(Ventilator/CPAP).
The department also
directed all private hospi-
tals not to admit mild and
asymptomatic cases having
oxygen saturation at room
air of more than 94 per cent.
Such patients should be rec-
ommended for home/insti-
tutional isolation in Covid
care centers.
2nd Oxygen Express reaches city
SCR delivers 60.23 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen to TS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
The second Oxygen
Express for Hyderabad
reached the Sanathnagar
Goods Complex on
Tuesday with 60.23 metric
tonnes of Liquid Medical
Oxygen (LMO) filled in
four tankers.
The train traversed from
Angul in Odisha for a dis-
tance of 1,334km, over 31
hours, through the green
corridor route created by
the Indian Railways to
ensure fast delivery of oxy-
gen by the special trains.
Notably, both the Oxygen
Express trains from
Telangana were operated
in empty condition to
Leading the way, from darkness to light
HARLEEN MINOCHA | DC
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
At a time when lack of
proper awareness leads to
increased mortality due to
Covid-19 among common
people, unbridled social
media platforms take
things from bad to worse
by spreading misinforma-
tion and fear like never
before.
After witnessing the
struggles of one of his
friends during the course
of treatment for the
pandemic, a young entre-
preneur realised the
need to spread proper
awareness about the cause
and cure for the malady.
Sunil Sathyavolu, who
works in the education sec-
tor and an environment
activist in the city,
made up his mind to edu-
cate himself on the
killer virus and create
Together in service, for a noble cause
T.S.S. SIDDHARTH I DC
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
With a strength of more
than 400 people, the Covid
Surge Impact Alliance
(CSIA) is a group that has
been reaching out to
people in need, with its vol-
unteers performing vari-
ous tasks, even if it means
standing in a line waiting
for a bed at a hospital for a
patient.
Raj Janagam, from CSIA,
told this correspondent
that the group was
an amalgamation of
more than 20 organisa-
Silent, selfless service is their motto
ATHER MOIN I DC
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
Theirs is a story of utmost
compassion. At a time
when people keep aloof
from the rest of the society
for fear of catching Covid-
19, a group of young
humanitarians is pulling
out all the stops to extend
help to the ailing poor,
notwithstanding their own
constraints. They are
reaching out to patients —
both Covid and non-Covid
— who do not have anyone
to care for.
What started as individ-
ual charity brought five
youngsters together to
form a group and work
as a collective to take
care of the needy.
Silently, yet swiftly, these
five good Samaritans —
Mirza Mujahid Baig,
Dawood Junaidi, Syed
Bilal, Shaikh Sohail and
Sayeed Ghouri — are turn-
ing to be gods in disguise
for several people on the
breadline.
VACCINE JABS FROM PRIVATE
FACILITIES FOR 45 PLUS AGE-GROUP
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
The Telangana Health
department on Tuesday
said private Covid-19 vacci-
nation centres will provide
vaccine shots to those in
the age-group of 45 years
and above.
However, such private
facilities will have to pro-
cure the vaccines directly
from the manufacturers
and administer this to peo-
ple who will pay the
required cost of the vac-
cine and fees, if any,
charged by such private
vaccination centres.
Odisha and loaded condi-
tion back to this state.
The Indian Railways said
it considered the risks and
conditions necessary for
transport of liquid medical
oxygen tankers — a
cryogenic cargo, like the
maximum speed at which
it can be carried, as
also the maximum acceler-
ation and deceleration. A
route mapping was also
done so as to ensure that
the movement of tankers is
smooth with regard to
curves and that there was
adequate height clearance
along the route.
Gajanan Mallya, general
manager, SCR, comple-
mented the officials
for focused action in run-
Sunil Sathyavolu, environment activist
awareness on vaccination
drive, facilitation of
plasma and to help
patients get beds in med-
ical facilities.
Raj Janagam, member of
Covid Surge Impact
Alliance
tions. “We have a helpline
where people can call
Mirza and his friends
spend hours together
serving Covid-19 patients,
and those suffering
from other ailments, bear-
ing all the costs by them-
selves.
Mujahid Baig said they
had been helping people
for the past one year. There
was a bit of a break when
cases fell but the second
wave of Covid-19 made
them resume their services
with more vigour.
“It does not matter
whether it is day or night.
This time round, we are
helping patients in urgent
need, get oxygen cylinders
free of cost, and also help-
ing patients find beds in
hospitals,” he said.
The members of this
group administer supple-
mental oxygen therapy to
Covid-19 patients at homes,
give medicines as advised
by doctors and change
even diapers of elderly
patients. He said people
were so scared of the
pandemic that even close
All vaccine beneficiaries,
including those planning
to get their shots at private
centres, must register
themselves for a slot at the
centre of their choice via
www.cowin.gov.in.
No vaccination will be
done on people who walk
in at such centres without
prior registration.
The department said that
as per the liberalised poli-
cy of the central govern-
ment, vaccination of those
in the 18-44 age-group shall
be taken up in due course
and details as to when this
phase will begin will be
informed later.
The second Oxygen Express with Liquid Medical Oxygen filled in four tankers reached
Sanathnagar in Telangana on Tuesday from Odisha.
ning the Oxygen Express
trains and prompt delivery
of the LMO without
STORIES OF HOPE
According to Sathyavolu,
it was after witnessing the
ignorance and struggles of
friends and families over
treating Covid patients
● WHEN PEOPLE call
for medical emergencies,
we check the severity
and urgency of the
request and then send
them material, says Raj.
and request medical sup-
plies, or other basic
requirements. When peo-
ple call for medical emer-
gencies, we check the
severity and urgency of
the request and then send
them material, such as
oxygen. We have a verified
list of suppliers through
whom we procure the
Mirza Mujahid Baig and his group provide oxygen cylinders to those in need
relatives maintain dis-
tance and avoid helping
those in need. “We are try-
1,000 TONNES OF FIREWOOD TO BE SUPPLIED FOR
CREMATORIUMS IN CITY AMID RISE IN COVID DEATHS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD MAY 4
In view of the heavy body
count left behind by the
second-wave of Covid-19,
the Telangana state forest
department would supply
1,000 tonnes of fire wood
to crematoriums in the
city and the surrounding
areas.
Forest development cor-
poration chairman V.
Pratap Reddy said on
Tuesday that the depart-
ment would be left with
1,000 tonnes of wood after
doing the sales to the
paper mills. This would be
any detention along the
way. He advised all the divi-
sions to be attentive and
that he decided to get
on ground and start creat-
ing awareness in his own
family first, and then
among people in rural
areas around the city
including several villages
in Nalgonda and
Devarakonda. He began
educating them on vac-
cines and their efficacy
and helping them battling
the virus.
“In my conversation with
villagers, I realised that
there was a lot of
misinformation being
spread over vaccination,
which led to further resist-
ance to take the shot. I told
them why it was necessary
to have vaccination and
how the reaction of the
body to vaccination would
only be normal, to which
they responded positively,”
said Sunil.
He helped his friends
and other needy people
materials and send. The
material is received by our
volunteer, who then deliv-
ers it to the patient,” he
said.
Their army of volunteers
comprises business profes-
sionals, corporate volun-
teers and housewives. “To
add to our volunteers, we
have approached
Telangana Academy for
Skill and Knowledge to see
if we can encourage more
students to join our
efforts,” said Raj.
The group says that their
aim is to run free isolation
centres for patients in
ing to show that there need
not be any fear, and teach-
ing people how they can
● CREMATION
GROUNDS facing short-
age of firewood due to
an increase in the num-
ber of Covid-19 deaths,
says V. Pratap Reddy.
given to the crematori-
ums.
He said that due to an
increase in the number of
deaths due to Covid-19, it
is learnt that the crema-
tion grounds were faced
with a shortage of fire-
wood. The price of the
1000 tonnes of firewood is
estimated to be around
`20 lakh.
pg 2
—R. Pavan
proactive to meet the needs
of running the Oxygen
Express Trains.
to get beds and medicines
through social media
and WhatsApp groups.
In the past one week, he
said, he had educated
over 130 people on the
vaccination drive, around
30-40 people on facilitation
of plasma, and helped
about 18 people who
were in dire need for hospi-
tal beds.
“In one such case, I could
extend help to a family
who called me up at
midnight, requesting
me to arrange a bed in a
city hospital here. They
were directed towards me
by a common friend,
and had been waiting in
the ER for over six
hours at that point in time.
As I had some contacts
with the doctors at the
hospital, I could explain
them the situation and
help them get a bed,”
he added.
Hyderabad with a capacity
of 30-50 beds. The primary
beneficiaries will be
people from socio-econom-
ically weaker backgrounds
but not needing hospital
care.
While the group is not
sure by when it can have
these in place, it hopes that
once they are up and run-
ning, the centres
will be able to provide
basic care under the obser-
vation of paramedical staff
to people not needing hos-
pitalisation and thus
reduce the burden on hos-
pitals.
take care of their near and
dear ones, while being
safe,” he said.
Corporation vice chair-
man G. Chandrasekhar
Reddy said 3,500 tonnes of
forest wood was available
in Rangareddy division,
while 4,000 tonnes of wood
was available in
Khammam, Sattupalli,
Aswaraopet and
Bhadrachalam forest divi-
sions. In Macherial and
Khagaznagar, 860 tonnes
of forest wood was avail-
able and 200 tonnes in
Warangal division.
Those requiring wood
for the last rites of their
relatives may contact the
local municipal officials,
the vice-chairman said.
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
pg 3

SHORT

LAFARGEHOLCIM
TAKES WOMAN DRINKS
SANITISER, DIES US to permit students
with classes from Aug.
CENTRE, IIT-H IN HOSPITAL
COLLABORATE DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4 A twenty-year-old wo-

The LafargeHolcim Inno-

vation Centre and the Indian
Institute of Technology,
Hyderabad (IIT-H) announced
an academic collaboration on
Tuesday for development of
innovative and smart building
solutions. The study will
explore smart sensing technol-
ogy for continuous on-site
strength evaluation of a con-
crete structure. The focus of
the study will be to eventually
reduce the time cycle for con-
struction of buildings and
infrastructure and also ensure
highly accurate real-time
strength development.
The growing population and
increase in urbanisation need
building infrastructure and
housing to be ramped up at an
unprecedented pace. Smart
Building Solutions can play a
vital role in building fast and
qualitatively, the team at
LafargeHolcim India said.
10-MEMBER GANG
man, who allegedly
drank half a litre of
hand sanitiser after an
argument with her bo-
yfriend on Sunday, died
while undergoing treat-
ment on Monday night.
According to the ACP
of Petbasheerabad VVS
Ramalinga Raju, dece-
ased K Pratyusha was a
resident of Dattatr-
eyanagar and worked at
a private company. “She
was in love with an
acquaintance, Jaga-
deesh, for the last couple
of years. The two had a
fight after he rejected her
proposal for marriage. A
depressed Pratyusha
then consumed hand-
sanitiser at her resi-
dence and was rushed to
a hospital by her family
members on Sunday.
Pandemic woes
On April 30, Biden had suspended all travel to US
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
The office of the U.S.
Consulate General in
Hyderabad on Tuesday
announced that anyone
with a student visa
would be able to enter the
United States if their
classes started on or after
August. However, for
those students whose
programmes start before
the said date, the
embassy will not be able
to approve exceptions for
F Visa holders.
The U.S. Consulate
General urged students
with a start date before
August 1 to contact their
respective educational
institutions and univer-
● THE U.S. Consulate due to the surge in Covid- academic programme
General urged students 19 cases across the coun- commencing August 1 or
with a start date before
August 1 to contact their
respective educational
try. The suspension came
into effect on Tuesday.
However, students and
certain academics cov-
later do not need to con-
tact an embassy or con-
sulate to seek an individ-
ual National Interest
Double mutant
fast replacing
institutions and universi- ered by exchange visitor Exception to travel. They
ties to discuss options in programmes were may enter the United
the case. exempted from the order. States no earlier than 30
● ON APRIL 30, U.S The U.S. government said days before the start of
President Joe Biden
signed a Proclamation
suspending the entry.
that students subjected to
these geographic Covid
proclamations due to
their presence in India,
their academic studies.
Students seeking to apply
for new F-1 or M-1 visas
should check the status
older variant in TS
China, Iran, Brazil, or of visa services at the New Delhi, May 4: The ● AFTER AN exhaustive
sities to discuss options South Africa, may quali- nearest embassy or con- B.1.617 variant of the coron- analysis of 5,000 variants
in the case. fy for a National Interest sulate; those applicants avirus, also known as the
On April 30, U.S Pres- Exception only if their who are found to be oth- double mutant, is fast
earlier this year, the CCMB
ident Joe Biden signed a academic programme erwise qualified for an F- replacing the N440K variant had found that N440K is
Proclamation suspend- begins on August 1or 1 or M-1 visa will auto- in south India, scientists at spreading a lot more in the
ing the entry of certain later. matically be considered the Centre for Cellular and southern states.
non-immigrant trav- Students with valid F-1 for a national interest Molecular Biology (CCMB)
ellers who have been phy- and M-1 visas intending exception to travel, they said on Tuesday. certain way in cell cultures
sically present in India to begin or continue an said. Former CCMB director (with no competition, and
Rakesh Mishra said the in controlled settings), it
double mutant is now a does not mean it will behave
dominant variant in the same way in humans, or
Karnataka,
Pradesh and
Andhra
now
in a complicated pandemic
scenario,” Sowpati tweeted.

ARRESTED FOR Telangana. After an exhaus-

tive analysis of 5,000 vari-
The B.1.617 variant har-
bours 15 lineage defining

COCKFIGHT BETS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
A 10-member gang organising
bets on cock-fighting at a farm
in Rampally village has been
busted by the Keesara police in
Rachakonda.
Cops seized four roosters, 10
bikes and 10 mobile phones, as
also tying threads, `24,510 in
cash and six knives from their
possession.
The police said it received a
tip off that one Penumarchi
Buchiraju, 51, a farmer by pro-
fession, has been frequently
organising bettings on cock
fights by calling and gathering
fellow punters at his farm
land.
“Police teams kept surveil-
lance on it. On Tuesday after-
noon, when around 10-15 mem-
bers gathered and started bet-
ting, a raid was conducted and
the gang was taken into cus-
tody. A case has been regis-
tered under Telangana
Gaming Act .
ants earlier this year, the
CCMB had found that
N440K is spreading a lot
more in the southern states
compared to the other vari-
ants. But B.1.617 is fast
replacing N440K, including
in Kerala, Divya Tej
Sowpati, a scientist with the
CCMB, said.
“Lineages with #N440K
are NOT the dominant ones
in the second wave of
#Covid19inIndia. While
N440K was indeed a muta-
tion of concern in South
India during and after the
first wave, current data
shows that it is essentially
replaced by new VoCs such
as #B1617 and #B117.
“In KL, though not much
data is available on GISAID,
we can see from
https://genescov2.genomes.
in that B.1.1.7 is increasing
at present, whereas N440K
is present in <20% of the
Enrolled members wait for their turn at a Covid-19 vaccination cen- genomes. “Also, it is impor-
tre in Secunderabad on Tuesday. Officials provided only 100 doses tant to remember that just
to the centre. because a variant behaves a
mutations. B.1.617, initially
termed as the double
mutant, has three new spike
protein mutations. Two
mutations — E484Q and
L452R — are in the area
important for antibody-
based neutralisation. The
third mutation, P681R,
allows the virus to enter
cells a little better.
“When comparing the
data from MH, in MH we
can see that the increase in
B.1.617 is seen in Feb rather
than Mar 2021, and again we
observe a reduction in pro-
portion of lineages with
N440K,” Sowpati tweeted.
At a webinar last month,
Sujeet Singh, the Director of
the National Centre for
Disease Control, said in
Maharashtra, the B.1.617
variant was found in pro-
portions of over 50 per cent
in many cities, while the UK
variant was found in 28 per
cent samples in the second
week of March.
— PTI

CABINET POST
FOR DASYAM
VIT announces
OR PEDDIREDDY
From Page 1
scholarships
DC CORRESPONDENT ● LAST DATE to apply for
Speculations are rife in TRS HYDERABAD, MAY 4 scholarships is May 31.
circles that the Chief Minister
may induct Dasyam Vinay Vellore Institute of
More details can be sought
Bhaskar or Peddireddy Sud- Technology — Andhra by sending an e-mail to
arshan Reddy from Warangal Pradesh has announced admission@vitap.ac.in or by
into his Cabinet. The last scholarships for students calling 7901091283.
major reshuffle of IAS officers enrolling into its under and
was done in February 2020 post-graduate courses in ● STUDENTS MAY apply
when 50 IAS officers at all lev- non-engineering streams for G. V. Merit Scholarship,
els were transferred.
Above: People wait for a word on vaccine at King Koti Hospital on
during 2021–22 academic Rajeswari Ammal Merit
Outbreak of corona in March year. Scholarship and P. G. Merit
2020 and subsequent lock- Tuesday. The awards were anno- Scholarship.
down, besides Dubbak unced by VIT founder and
Assembly bypoll, GHMC polls Left: A woman from Dabeerpura entering with an oxygen cylinder to chancellor Dr. G. Viswa- This offers 50 percent
in December 2020 and admit in King Koti hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday. nathan. Providing details, scholarship on tuition fee
Graduate MLC polls, — S. SURENDER REDDY VIT-AP vice chancellor Dr. through all years of the pro-
Nagarjunasagar Assembly S. V. Kota Reddy said schol- gramme.
bypoll and municipal polls till arships will be open for pro- VIT-AP vice-president Dr.
April 30 in 2021, halted the grammes, such as BBA, B. Sekar Viswanathan said P.

‘Wahe Guru will not spare violators’

reshuffle process as the Chief
Minister was more focussed
on elections and politics.
After the TRS came to power
for second term in December
2018, it is facing a series of
elections and model code of
conduct since then starting
from panchayat polls in
January 2019, Lok Sabha polls
in April 2019 and ZPTC/ MPTC
polls in May 2019 and munici-
pal polls in January 2020.
● LAST MAJOR reshuffle of IAS
officers was done in February
2020 when 50 IAS officers at all
levels were transferred.
From Page 1
“Sri Venkateswara Swami will
soon bring a solution for this
pandemic, he will keep all the
families in his care,” the
Tirumala chief priest said.
Acharya Vimalsagarji
Marasab, a Jain monk said,
“Covid-19 has become a pandem-
ic, and with no medicines to pre-
vent it, people should act respon-
sibly. Those who are positive
have to be in quarantine. If such
people go around spreading the
disease, they should know they
are committing a sin. They
should also know that they have
failed in their duty towards soci-
ety and the nation.”
According to Sis Joy Cherian,
founder of United Peoples
Fellowship, “It is written in the
Book of Isaiah, when a pandem-
ic is around, you hide in the
chambers, till it passes away.”
She said, “When people know
they are positive or symptomatic
and still roam around in public
places and in gathering, it will
be a sin in God’s sight. If anyone
who catches it from you and
loses his or her life as a conse-
quence, you will carry the
burden of murder,” she
said.
“I have made what the Prophet
said about such conditions as
part of my sermons now,” said
Mohammed Husamuddin Sami
Jaffar, a Muslim preacher.
“According to the Prophet, when
someone is ill, he should isolate
himself, to stop spreading the
disease.”
Gulbahar Singh, the Granthi,
(chief priest) at Gurdwara
Sahib, Ameerpet, said, “Anyone
who spreads the disease, particu-
larly after knowing that they
have contracted it and ignore
safety protocols that can save
others around them, will have to
face the consequences of their
actions. ‘Wahe Guru’ will not for-
give such people.”
Com., Law, B.Sc. and B.A. as
well as post-graduation in
these subjects.
Students may apply for G.
V. Merit Scholarship,
Rajeswari Ammal Merit
Scholarship and P. G. Merit
Scholarship.
Dr. Kota Reddy said G. V.
Merit Scholarship is open
for any board topper from
across the country. The
selected student will get 100
percent scholarship for all
years of the undergraduate
programme. Rajeswari
Ammal Merit Scholarship
is for district topper from
any state.
G. Merit Scholarship will
extend 100 percent scholar-
ship to all students admit-
ted, who have secured
CGPA of 9.0 / 90 percent or
above in the qualifying UG
examination and scholar-
ship of 50 percent to the
admitted candidates secur-
ing CGPA of 8.0 / 80 percent
or more. Girl students will
receive an additional 25 per-
cent of scholarship amount.
Last date to apply for
scholarships is May 31.
More details can be sought
by sending an e-mail to
admission@vitap.ac.in or
by calling 7901091283.

VIRUS | BLUES Animal-keeper had complained of fever and mild Covid symptoms

Eight Asiatic lions at NZP recover

DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
Eight Asiatic lions from
Nehru Zoological Park have
dodged the Covid-19 bullet.
After they tested positive
for Covid1-9, the lions have
been isolated for a period
and recovered following
medication.
Officials say an animal-
keeper complained of fever
and mild Covid symptoms
but tested negative twice.
This could well be a case of
asymptomatic infection
that passed on to the ani-
mals, zoo officials said,
adding all other animals in
the zoo are healthy.
The eight lions at the city
zoo were the first wild ani-
mals in India, captive or
wild, to have been tested
Covid-19 positive after
transmission of the virus
to them from humans. “The
health of the animal-keep-
ers attending to these lions
is being monitored. Though
there are no known cases of
humans catching Covid
from animals in the coun-
try, we have to be careful.
We do not know if the virus
changes once it enters ani-
mals,” a senior zoo official
said.
CCMB, meanwhile, has
said the genome sequenc-
ing of virus samples from
the lions showed that they
were infected by the earlier
strains that spread through
the country last year and
did not belong to any mutat-
ed versions of the virus.
It was during the third
week of April that animal-
● CCMB SAID the genome
sequencing of virus sam-
ples from the lions showed
that they were infected by
the earlier strains that
spread through the country
last year and did not
belong to any mutated ver-
sions of the virus.
● SINCE COLLECTING
oral and nasal samples
from wild animals is not
possible, scientists from
LaCONES-CCMB have
begun work on developing
a new protocol for identify-
ing Covid-19 infections
among wild animals using
fecal samples.
keepers in charge of the
Lion Safari Park in the zoo
began noticing that the
lions were wheezing. There
was discharge from their
noses and mouths. Since
collecting samples from
lions was next to impossi-
ble, the zoo’s veterinary
team collected the nasal
and oral discharges
deposited on the floors of
the nigh houses of the lions
(small cages where the ani-
mals are kept during the
night). These were sent for
testing on April 24 to the
Laboratory for Conserv-
ation of Endangered Spec-
ies at CSIR-Centre for
Cellular and Molecular
Biology (LaCONES-CCMB).
The samples were tested
using RT-PCR, and were
found positive for Covid-19.
The zoo veterinarians,
meanwhile, began treating
the lions for Covid-19 and
said all the eight lions were
now in good health.
Since collecting oral and
nasal samples from wild
animals is not possible, sci-
entists from LaCONES-
CCMB have begun work on
developing a new protocol
for identifying Covid-19
infections among wild ani-
mals using fecal samples.
On Tuesday, they collect-
ed fecal samples from the
eight infected lions to study
how Covid-19 infections can
be identified from such
samples. “We have to devel-
op non-invasive ways to
procure samples from ani-
mals. Getting swab samples
from animals is very diffi-
cult,” said Dr Karthikeyan
Vasudevan, scientist-in-
charge, LaCONES-CCMB.
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
pg 4

SHORT
HOME-TO-HOME
TAKES
SURVEY TO CHECK
COVID SYMPTOMS
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
As part of Covid control, 641
teams from Greater Hydera-
bad Municipal Corporation
(GHMC) and the Medical and
Health Department conducted
a large-scale home-to-home
survey of people with Covid
symptoms. They did this as
per directions from the state
government.
Members of each team,
including an ANM, Asha
worker and GHMC entomolo-
gy worker went to the homes
with a thermal scanner on
Tuesday as part of the survey
covering 40,000 homes in a sin-
gle day. They found that 1,487
of them had the flu.
Of the 1,487 suffering from
the fever, 1,400 were given the
Covid medication kit.
WB voters stop Owaisi on his tracks
To ensure Trinamul victory, Muslims in Bengal voted against MIM's candidates
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
The expected eastward
march of the All India
Majlis Ittehad-ul-
Muslimeen has been
stopped in its tracks by vot-
ers in Bengal and this has
sent some clear signals to
the party.
When it comes to voting
against the BJP, Muslim vot-
ers would avoid a split of
‘Operation Catfish’ to
check damage to TRS
PULI SHARATH
KUMAR | DC
their support between two
contending sides. They
would support whatever is a
better alternative to the BJP.
They would not prefer a
weak party even if it repre-
sented the community.
What the AIMIM faced in
the Bengal assembly elec-
tions was nothing short of a
drubbing. All its seven can-
didates lost and none could
save his security deposit.
Each of them got less than
● UNDER THE circum- of the TRS party if
stances, many were something happened
1,000 votes.
It appears that Muslims in
Bengal voted en bloc for
Mamata Banerjee’s All
India Trinamool Congress
(TMC). They even voted
against Muslim candidates
of other parties to ensure
the win of TMC candidates.
Muslims comprise 30 per
cent of Bengal’s population
and a majority of them are
spread over four districts --
Murshidabad, Malda, North
OBITUARY
24 Parganas and South 24
Parganas. In these four dis-
tricts, which together have
63 seats, elections were held
for 61 seats. Mamata’s party
managed to get 58 seats.
AIMIM president
Asaduddin Owaisi, proba-
bly realising the way the
winds were blowing in
Bengal, limited AIMIM’s
exposure to seven seats.
Even to gain a toehold there,
Owaisi chose to go as an ally
OBITUARY
of Furfura Sharif cleric
Abbas Siddiqui, who invited
Asaduddin Owaisi to
Bengal. Later, Siddiqui
decided to float his own
political party, the Indian
Secular Front (ISF). He
fielded 30 candidates but
won only one seat; from
Bhangar. This saw many
local Muslim leaders who
first joined the AIMIM
switch their loyalty to the
TMC.
RESPECTFUL HOMAGE
“The Memory of the Righteous is a
Blessings”.
Rev. P. AUSTIN DINAKER
DOB: 20-March 1978
DOD: 03 May 2021
A talented Servant of God, gifted with
singing, and zeal for God’s Ministry.
Inserted by:
Presbter in Charge, Presbyter,

PATIENTS GASP KARIMNAGAR, MAY 4 to their leader. Pastorate committee members and
surprised when Banda ARIFUDDIN AHMED ARIFI Congregation. CSI Christ Church,
Some senior leaders
Srinivas, one of the S/o. Late Mohd Fakhruddin

FOR BREATH DUE

Mr. Lam SAMUEL WILSON Lallaguda Telugu Pastorate.
TRS party leadership among them even 26th September 1934 - 30th April 2021
has launched main followers of the encouraged Rajendar Forever in our hearts. S/o L.J. Wilson
DOD:04.05.2021
sacked minister, adv- He left for heavenly abode on

TO O2 SHORTAGE
DC CORRESPONDENT
KHAMMAM, MAY 4
Nearly 200 patients undergo-
ing treatment in 46 private
hospitals that were allowed by
the government are facing
problems due to erratic supply
of oxygen.
As per the details, there are
two oxygen cylinder suppliers
in Khammam and used to sup-
ply oxygen to the industries
and private hospitals. The sup-
ply of oxygen is not at all a
problem in Khammam before
Covid-19 situation and a 40
litre cylinder will be available
at `330.
Now oxygen is scarce prod-
uct now in Khammam. The
private hospitals, at present,
require an oil tanker capacity
of eight tons per three days.
But, the two oxygen suppliers
are getting a tanker per a
week. The oxygen used to be
“Operation Catfish” to
prevent party cadre in
Karimnagar district
from supporting for-
mer minister Etala
Rajendar.
After being relieved
of his ministry on alle-
gations of grabbing
assigned lands in
Achampet and
Hakimpet in Medak
district, Rajendar had
started gaining con-
siderable sympathy
from people not only
in his Huzurabad con-
stituency and
Karimnagar district,
but also from various
parts of the state.
Even leaders of
opposition parties
came out in support of
him.
Feeling threatened
that the ousted leader
would take with him
to establish a new
ised against quitting political party.
the party. Rajendar’s Under the circum-
close confidantes feel stances, many were
Banda Srinivas state- surprised when Banda
ment is part of Srinivas, one of the
main followers of the
Operation Catfish. sacked minister,
TRS party cadre along advised against quit
with second rung lead- TRS party. Rajendar’s
ers, TRS party leader- close confidantes feel
ship launched a per- Banda Srinivas state-
fect action plan before- ment is part of
hand. As part of it, the Operation Catfish.
party leadership Meanwhile, pam-
directed Karimnagar phlets are under circu-
public representatives lation in the name of
to counter the former “Praja Arogya
minister by luring sec- Parirakshana Sang-
ond rung leaders of ham” seeking IT raids
his main followers and a CBI probe into
with nominated posts properties acquired by
under “Operation former minister Etala
Catfish”. Rajendar. These pam-
Incidentally, many of phlets have been
the former minister’s released in the name
followers had publicly of one Thipparapu
said they will get out Sampath.
30th April 2021, Friday. Most Shocking & Sad news to hear of
Namaz-e-janaza was performed after Our Dear Friend Sam Wilson
South Central Railway National Table
namaz-e-juma. He was laid to rest at
Jamali Kunta Graveyard, Golconda on Tennis Player.
the same day. “May his soul rest in peace”
Apart from his wife, Inserted by: Family & Friends
he has 4 daughters & 2 sons. Ph: +91 8309806474
(CA-3603)
OBITUARY
“ I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever” Psalms 23:6
PALLE CHARLES FINNY
(RINKU & ARAVIND)
DOB: 03/04/1983 DOD: 04/05/2021
S/o Late Palle Johnson Joseph & Esther Rani
Inserted by: Palle Swaroopa (Wife)
Riya, Riyan & John (Children) &
Brothers & Sister &
All Palle Families
Ph: 9505390249, 9440774606
(CA-3605)

Etala ridicules OLD FRIENDS

supplied to Khammam from
Vizag and Odisha.
The government has given
permission for Covid-19 treat- BREATHE FIRE
TRS charges
ment to the 46 private hospi-
tals in Khammam and these
hospitals are extending treat-
AT RAJENDAR SHRADHANJALI

ment to nearly 350 patients. DC CORRESPONDENT

Many of the patients are com-
ing to the hospitals in serious
condition and oxygen back up
is must to them. A serious
patient inhales and exhales
about seven to eight liters of
air while resting in a minute.
This is about 11,000 liters per
day. K. Pradeep of a private
hospital said that each Covid-
19 patient is different from the
rest. Among those who need
oxygen supplement, some may
require one or two liters of
oxygen per minute. It is based
on factoring in wastage in oxy-
gen supply and utilization
capacity of the lungs at the
moment. This requirement
may translate into three to
four liters of medical oxygen
per minute.
The collector divided the
Covid-19 hospitals as two
groups and asked the two oxy-
gen suppliers to distribute it to
the hospitals as per the supply.
The two suppliers are unable
to get oxygen as per the
demand. There are allegations
from the hospitals that the
suppliers are asking to pay Rs
1500 per 40 liter cylinder some-
times by saying the non-avail-
ability of it. Getting required
oxygen from Vizag and Odisha
at this juncture is a big task
now. M F Gopinath, a doctor
said that the government
should solve the issue by get-
ting more oxygen to the state.
The patients will be in trou-
bles with the situation.
PULI SHARATH shekar Rao, we did HYDERABAD, MAY 4
KUMAR I DC not get an appoint-
KARIMNAGAR, MAY 4 ment. Reacting on Telangana Rashtra Sam-
this, Kamalakar won- ithi (TRS) Ministers and
Parties and people dered how conceited leaders from undivided
may come and go, but Chandrashekar was Karimnagar district on
the justice and sys- and arrogantly he Tuesday lashed out at for- Smt B. SIROMANI GARU
was behaving with D.O.B: 23.4.1953 D.O.D: 26.4.2021
tem never die, said mer health minister (W/o B. Narasimha Das)
former minister Eta- public representa- Etala Rajendar, accusing (Retd AO Prst. Manager ITPI TRC Hyd)
la Rajendar in respo- tives. Now he is mak- him of levelling baseless You will be remembered by all of us for
ever may your soul rest in peace.
nse to the comments ing comments agai- allegations against party Inserted by:
made by Telangana nst me and support- president and Chief Mr & Mrs Koride Sudershan Rao
Mr & Mrs Sajan Lal Srivastava
Rashtra Samithi ing the Chief Min- Minister K. Chandrashe- Mr & Mrs Anugula Pratap Reddy
(TRS) ministers agai- ister since he was kar Rao on Monday. Mrs Rajamgari Shantha Pandurangam
OBITUARY
nst him, at a press handed over a script Ministers Koppula Esh- Mrs Megji Jayashree Nehru
Mrs S Aruna Ramakrishna
meet held at Huzu- to read out with a war, Gangula Kamalakar Deeply Mourned by:
rabad of Karimnagar perfect action plan by and TS Planning Board B. Narasimhha Das (Husband)
Daughters-Sons-in-law
district on Tuesday. the party leadership. Vice Chairman B. Vinod Grand Childrens - Brothers and
Rajendar alleged Rajendar said Kop- Kumar addressed a joint Family Members - Mob 9347513490
pula Eshwar, Rasa- 10th Day Ceremony on 5-5-2021 at 1 P.M.
that this kind of con- a press conference at the
spiracy and injustice mayi Balakishan and Telangana Bhavan here (B/2122/D00017)
were not seen any- Vinod Kumar were to counter Rajendar’s
where in the country. very close to him. “I charges. IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Without giving any also spoke to the lead- They said Rajendar had
notice, officials con- ers of other parties. made no big sacrifice for Priyakant D Bhagat
ducted an inquiry by In a democracy, all the Telangana movement M/S Damodardas Haridas & Sons
D.O.B:13.04.1938 D.O.D:04.05.2021
preparing a false party leaders meet or the TRS or the people Wife: Bhanumati Bhagat,
report dictated by each other to discuss of the state. They also Brother :Nagindas Bhagat and
Late Ramaniklal Bhagat
somebody. IAS offi- people’s issues and alleged that the former Son: Nilesh P Bhagat
cers and revenue dep- resolve them with minister had tried to Daughter-in-law: Priti N Bhagat
collective efforts. But Grand daughters: Akanksha, Preksha
artment officials, wi- split the party on several Daughters: Hema Jayash Adodra
thout having any se- there is a bad traditi- occasions. “In fact, he Nisha Chatan Shah
nse of who was hus- on in the TRS. If TRS was one of the biggest be- Bhagat Parivar Mr. BOOTHAPATY JOHN
band and who was leaders speak with neficiaries of the TRS in (S/2122/D00142)
PRABHAKAR (ANIL)
(Younger S/o B.J. Christopher)
son prepared a rep- either the BJP or the the last 18 years. He was Born on 04-09-1977
ort, he said, adding Congress leaders, it given all important posi- Slept in the Lord: 03-05-2021
The memory of the righteous is a
that even the High will be treated as a tions in the party, inclu- INTEQAL SHRADHANJALI blessing (Proverbs 10:7)
Court expressed sho- crime,” he alleged. ding the post of party flo- Inserted by: Mrs. B. Pramodhini
ck over such a report. “People know the or leader in the state ass- Christopher (Mother)
B.Samuel Krupakar (Brother)
“The comments history of all leaders. embly and minister for John Wycliff (Brother-in-law),
made against me by Who is opportunistic, two terms since 2014. But Lydia Wycliff (Sister) & Children
ministers Koppula who participated in he misused them for his (S/2122/D00141)
Eshwar and Gangula the separate Telan- personal gains and to a
Kamalakar are their gana movement, who mass wealth and lands,”
own knowledge. joined in later stages, Koppula said. SHRADHANJALI
Once, when the secu- who earned money He pointed out that
rity guard at Prag- being in the party? Rajendar was stripped off
athi Bhavan did not All the illegal activi- the Cabinet post in the
allow me inside when ties done by every wake of his involvement
I went with Gangula minister and MLA in land encroachments, MOHD. RAHMATULLAH KHAN
Senior Advocate
Kamalakar to discuss will come out one day but there had been no S/o Dr. Mohd. Rahatullah Khan
GOWRISETTY VENKATA LAKSHMI
DOD: 03-05-2021
one issue with Chief or the other,” he attempts to infringe his 20-02-1942 - 04-05-2021 W/o Late Gowrisetty Jagadishwariah
Minister K. Chandra- pointed out. dignity or self-respect. Ziarat: Namaz E Asar Madina Masjid May her divine soul attain uttama sadgati
Dilshad Nagar, M’ Patnam, Hyd. OM SHANTHI
On: 06-05-21 (Thursday)
Inserted By: GUMEDELLY FAMILY
For Details: 9701576169 Ph No: 9701325111

COVID | BLUES Rush for drug in Adilabad (B/2122/D00018)

Sri. KATEPALLI VISHWANATHAM
DOB: 5.6.1947 DOD: 1.5.2021
You will be remembered

Remdesivir prices soar

DC CORRESPONDENT
ADILABAD, MAY 4
As drug control offi-
cials fail to keep tab on
the supply of
Remdesivir injections
to local medical agen-
cies and approved pri-
vate hospitals in old
Adilabad district,
there are allegations of
these medical agencies
colluding with one
another, in order to
sell these injections at
higher rates in the
black market.
While the MRP of a
pack of six Remdesivir
injections is `2,700,
they are being sold
in our hearts for ever.
Inserted by: Singarapu Veeresham,
Smt. Vijaya Laxmi,
Nageshwar Rao,
Smt. Jyothi Sri
Sai Damodar
illegally for prices as of people to charge (S/2122/D00139)
high as `30,000 each. exorbitant prices.
Further, there is no To make matters
official data concern- worse, patients are not
ing the number of verifying the prices
injections supplied, being charged by pri-
the agencies supplied vate hospitals upon
to, or the names of procuring of
infected patients Remdesivir and other
for whom it was essential medicines.
required. Drug inspectors also
As attendants of frequently ask medical
infected patients are shops to furnish the
under pressure to pro- details of stocks of
cure Remdesivir injec- various medicines that
tions, prices of such were sold at their out-
vital medicines have lets. Despite this, the
skyrocketed. Taking officials have failed to
advantage of the cri- keep a check on
sis, middlemen and diversion of life-sav-
agents were also exp- ing drugs to the black
loiting the sentiments market.
 CITY/AP
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
Owaisi: Centre in ADP collaborates with Cyberabad cops to raise security
comatose state
DC CORRESPONDENT
HYDERABAD, MAY 4
AIMIM President Asaduddin
Owaisi on Tuesday said the
Modi government is in a
comatose state and failed to
tackle the pandemic situa-
tion. He opposed imposing a
fresh lockdown.
Speaking to the media here,
Owaisi said the right to life
is a fundamental right. The
first duty of any government
is to protect people’s lives.
Unfortunately, this is the
consistent behaviour of the
Modi government that it is
clueless, lacks compassion,
has no direction and is not in
a position to control the pan-
demic situation.
He said India received at
least 300 tonnes of interna-
tional emergency Covid aid,
which is lying in Delhi
Airport. Of these, there were
5,500 oxygen concentrators,
3,200 oxygen cylinders and
1.36 lakh Remdesivir injec-
tions. What is Modi govern-
ment doing to change the
scenario for the better, he
asked.
The government had
Summer showers
City witnesses heavy showers after seeing a spike in temper-
ature, on Tuesday.
High Court asks if
collector surveyed
land sitting in car
From Page 1
Amazed at the 42-page report
submitted by the officials
within 24 hours of an order
for enquiry issued by the
Chief Minister of
Telangana, the judge said,
“When the Chief Secretary
has directed the collector to
conduct an enquiry, vis-a-vis,
when the collector had
ordered a tahsildar to con-
duct survey and inspection?
At what time, the tahsildar
gave back the report by
inspecting the site and con-
ducting a survey? When did
it reach the collector? Is it
possible within one hour?
What Mr Advocate General,
in your long service, have
you ever seen this swinging
response from the state
machinery,” Justice Vinod
Kumar asked Advocate-
General B.S Prasad.
Replying to the questions
posed by the Judge, the advo-
cate-general said the allega-
tions were made against the
minister. So an immediate
report was asked.”
The Advocate-General,
however, said that it was a
preliminary report and a
summary report will be pre-
pared by following the due
process of law. Mr Prasad
said there was no embargo in
law or the Revenue Act,
which restricts the collector
or revenue officials of desig-
nated rank to enter into agri-
culture lands owned by indi-
viduals or the government to
inspect.
Reacting sharply to the con-
tentions of the A-G, the judge
questioned as to which law
empowers the collector or
his officials to go directly
into private properties to
conduct inspections and to
erect boards stating that the
land belongs to the govern-
ment, without hearing the
affected parties.”
“The Constitution ensures
every citizen has something
called freedom or fundamen-
tal rights, they cannot be
breached by authorities. If
so, how can it be tolerated,”
Judge said.
While reading the report of
the district collector, which
says that a detailed and full
pg 5
DC CORRESPONDENT partnered with Cyberabad The installation of CCTV real-time tracking of the be spread through a stretch previous collaboration
HYDERABAD, MAY 4 Police Department to cameras is aimed at assist- movement in the streets of 4 km at Nanakramguda. with the city police to
install 51 CCTV cameras at ing the police department and increase the safety The current drive is in con- install CCTV cameras in
ADP India on Tuesday Nanakramguda in the city. to keep a close watch and quotient. These CCTVs will tinuation to the company’s Somajiguda as well.
informed the Supreme Court
that as far as oxygen supply
and Covid situation were
concerned, the Prime
Minister and Home Minister
were directly responsible.
“Yet, why did you take five
days to distribute this aid to
the states? The PMO isn’t
telling us what has happened
to it. This is not incompe-
tence, it is the complete lack
of compassion for fellow citi-
zens,” he alleged.
Owaisi said, “We are seeing
only statements, promises
being made by the govern-
ment before the Supreme
Court. On the ground, things
are not moving. Even now,
hospitals in Delhi are crying
for oxygen.”
He asked why the Union
Government has put a cap on
the procurement of essential
medicines. “People are dying
because you are not giving
life-saving drugs. This is a
complete horror show,” he
said and pleaded that the
government waive the
import duty on medical
equipment required to tackle
the Coronavirus
pandemic.
— R. PAVAN
survey has been conducted,
the Judge wondered as to
how could the District
Collector conduct a detailed
survey of 120-odd acres of
land in a single day. “Even if
it is a digital survey, a person
has to go for the survey by
holding a digital compass on
the land,” the Judge asked.
Explaining that the experi-
ence of conducting a physi-
cal survey of 18 acres of land
owned by him, the Judge
said, “the report of the
District Collector indicates
that he might have conduct-
ed the survey by sitting in
his car and going around the
land and prepared an
enquiry report in sitting in
his room.”
Mr D. Prakash Reddy, sen-
ior counsel appearing for
Jamuna Hatcheries, opposed
the contention of the A-G,
who informed the court that
the report of the district col-
lector is preliminary in
nature. The senior counsel
insisted that no law permits
an official to hold a prelimi-
nary enquiry, without put-
ting the petitioner on notice.
After lengthy arguments
and considering oral under-
taking by the Advocate-
General that the officials
would proceed further by fol-
lowing due process of law,
the court directed the dis-
trict collector, Medak, to fol-
low the procedure of rele-
vant laws on the complaints
received against the lands
pertaining to Jamuna
Hatcheries in Hakimpet and
Masaipet villages of Medak
district.
The court has further dire-
cted the Director-General of
Police, Director-General,
Vigilance and Enforcement,
ACB and Medak
Superintendent of Police
against taking any coercive
steps against the petitioners.
The court also issued
notices to the Chief
Secretary, Medak District
Collector, Toopran RDO,
Masaipet mandal revenue
officer directing them to file
their responses to the con-
tentions raised by Jamuna
Hatcheries within four
weeks and adjourned the
hearing to July 6.
 EDIT
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
pg 6

5 MAY 2021

Rank and file let down, Subhani

BJP keeps stony silence
W
hat’s going on inside the BJP after the stinging electoral rebuke the
party received in the just held Assembly polls in West Bengal and
Kerala, and the less than enthusiastic response in other poll-bound
states, may only be guessed at. Unlike other political parties, the
BJP bars it doors to the world unless it has something to say. Dissent is moni-
tored and tamped down hard. The party’s mentor, the RSS, is an even more of
a bamboo curtain sort of outfit.
Therefore, the evaluation of the recent state elections by the leadership — if
the propaganda component, of which enough can already be heard on televi-
sion through worshipful anchors, is to be discounted — is likely to remain
something of a state secret for now. At lower levels, however, disappointment
— even bitterness toward the top leadership in Delhi — is writ large.
On Tuesday, this newspaper reported voices from below of the party faithful
in West Bengal. The fingers are pointing at Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Union home minister Amit Shah, and the loutish state BJP president, Dilip
Ghosh. The trio didn’t fight a normal political battle
The just ended in which the opponent’s handicaps are exploited
polls are not just a within the bounds of normal debate and within cul-
turally sanctioned levels of public decency. They
common story of a descended to the level of the sewer.
poll reverse. They The voter rejected this in a massive way. Chief
constitute a minister Mamata Banerjee was defeated in
testament Nandigram but her party won big in seats around
After Bengal, Oppn must LETTERS
AMEND CONSTITUTION
Defeated Mamata
that constituency. This is suggestive of fishy goings-
framed within on. The ensuing public reaction is likely to further
well-documented demoralise the local saffron cadres.
policy collapse In Kerala, the BJP drew a blank and polled a lower
percentage than last time. In Tami Nadu, in alliance
with AIADMK, it won four seats. But these will be
devise national strategy working among the Besides Mamata Ban-
Banerjee staking claim for
CM post is wrong and
unethical. No doubt she
has full support of elected
TMC MLAs. Nandigram
viewed as chimeric — here today, gone tomorrow. The party has no base to Opposition parties, so erjee, two other anti-BJP
speak of in the state and commonly attracts hostility. In the UT of Puducherry evident during the West regional leaders em- rejected her and she is
it brought down the Congress government through defections, and then tied up Nilanjan Bengal elections when
several leaders appeared
erged victorious. DMK
president M.K. Stalin’s
returning as CM without
Mukhopadhyay the people’s mandate. This
with a regional party to form government. Like in TN, this too cannot be a
moment to savour. In Assam, the BJP has indeed done well by resorting to its on the Trinamul Cong- chances of being a
usual game of religious polarisation, and returned to power. But polling per- ress’ platforms, will be claimant for a national is legally allowed but
centages of rivals suggest there is not that much to choose between the winning an added headache for role on the Opposition morally wrong.
side and the Congress-led Opposition front. the BJP. front was dented by fact Alternatively, another MLA
For the past five years, the BJP rank-and-file took policy disasters such as Mamata Banerjee was that the Edappadi K. from her party could have
demonetisation and botched GST in its stride, as indeed did the voter. The over- congratulated by almost Palaniswami-led AIA-
been made CM and

W
arching communal motif of punishing “the other” has won the day for the most hat beyond
part. For the rest, the BJP was busy overturning electoral verdicts in states and the cathar-
forming governments anyway, as constitutional bodies and state institutions tic mo-
became accomplices or mute witnesses to political crime. ment? This
But all this was before the Chinese intrusion and continued occupation of tra- is a ques-
ditionally Indian territory, and before the Covid crisis. Now, it is hard to do so tion that every victor
much false propaganda, a speciality of the ruling party and its infamous IT cell, and loser in the just-com-
as to efface from the public mind images of flames leaping out of crematoriums pleted round of elections
in every part of India. to the Assemblies of four
The just ended polls are not just a common story of a poll reverse. They con- states and one Union ter-
stitute a testament framed within well-documented policy collapse — negative- ritory must ask them-
ly affecting employment and growth, besides the monumental Covid failure — selves. If the newly elect-
which has made this country an object of international pity and derision. ed or re-elected satraps
The leadership is uncharacteristically quiet. This is because much is at stake. mostly post haste take
charge and face chal-
mattered most. For eight
years since the charge of
the saffron brigade start-
ed, the state was consid-
ered as the final frontier.
This explains the extent
of time and energy in-
vested in the campaign
by Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi and Union
home minister Amit
Shah. West Bengal was
the sought after trophy.
Consolation prizes shall
not suffice for this
every Opposition leader
in the country but it
would be premature to
assume the emergence of
an all-encompassing
anti-BJP Opposition
front any time immedi-
ately. There were previ-
ous occasions, most
famously in 2015 after
the BJP’s defeat in
Bihar, where similar
hopes were eventually
belied. The chief minis-
ter of West Bengal visu-
DMK was not completely
rejected by the elec-
torate. Pinarayi Vijayan,
despite his image of
being a competent
administrator, has the
handicap of having a
CPI(M) label. It’s true
that there was a time
when a United Front
government under Jyoti
Basu was a distinct pos-
sibility, back in the
1990s, but the Left had a
much bigger national
Banerjee is free to contest
a bypoll, win a seat and
get back to the CM post.
Normally, an elected MLA
can become CM and an
MP the PM. That is the
established democratic
tradition.
Dr B. Shankar Narayanan
Hyderabad

OXYGEN DEATHS
lenges on the twin fronts requires the Central gov- alises a role for herself, footprint at that time
of the Covid-19 pandemic ernment to negotiate on indicative in her and the then West

The Kerala lesson and the personal eco-

nomic crises faced by
millions of people, they
several issues from a
position that is undeni-
ably weaker than what
promise that uprooting
“communal forces” from
Delhi will be her next
Bengal chief minister’s
personal stature was far
higher.
The DMK won Tamil Nadu
Assembly polls after 10 years of
rule by the AIADMK. Its leader

K
erala’s election results giving a consecutive second term for a govern- will simultaneously
ment in the last 43 years gives out the signal that there is no alternative attempt to reposition
to good governance which can make people think beyond their basic themselves in the evolv-
identities while exercising their franchise. It has proved to the Opposition ing national political
that there is no alternative to hard work in politics; it has also left a message narrative. And make no
for the media that it would lose credibility if it does not follow principles of mistake, there is a dis-
fair journalism and starts following its own agenda. tinct possibility that his-
The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic government swept to power on the back of torians of the future will
the support it has received form people across sections, especially the most find in these days as
vulnerable ones. The Pinarayi Vijayan government ensured that the entire either the tipping point
state machinery was on its feet when life was thrown out of gear by an epi- for this government, or
demic, a pandemic and two back-to-back floods in four of the five years when the time when it steered
it was in power. its ship out of the choppy
It discovered innovative routes to fund infrastructure; political will alone waters.
helped complete projects worth tens of thousands of crores of rupees. They all Only diehard support-
ers of the present gov-
paid rich electoral dividends, too.
The LDF, however, will have to fight a tougher battle this term against the ernment will give
communal forces that are waiting in the corner. The LDF has ensured that greater weightage to the
the BJP closed the account it had opened in the last elections but the reach of positives beyond the fail-
the communal forces across followers of all religions is on the rise. The LDF ure to win West Bengal.
will have to ensure that it gives no room for these forces to manipulate the Yes, there are signs of
minds of the people and make a gain. optimism for the BJP:
The outgoing government drew flak for its running of the home department,
thanks to a spree of encounter killings and the reckless use of UAPA; it will
Returning to power in
Assam, victory of the
have to realign its policy in tune with that of the left parties. Holding the combined NDA coalition
Kerala society together while moving on the path of development is the task in Puducherry, the
waiting for the new government. absence of a landslide
against the alliance in
Tamil Nadu and even a
DECCAN CHRONICLE surprise victory of the
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR BJP candidate against
Editor Printer & Publisher actor Kamal Hasan from
Coimbatore. In a party
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: where sycophancy cross-
es levels recorded in
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad - 500 003, Ph: 040-27803930-4; Fax : 040-27805256
Indira Gandhi's
Vijayawada: No.C-3 & 4 Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.), Ph: 0866-
Congress(I) party, con-
2555284/2555287; Telefax: 0866-2555234
gratulations are likely to
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Visakhapatnam - 530 017 (A.P), Ph: 0891-2552333/2552334; Fax: 0891-2755285 be heaped on the power
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawaleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry, Ph: 0883-2417618/2417208; Telefax: 0883- duo in the party; after
2417208 all, the BJP started as a
Anantapur: Thapovan colony, Bangalore By-Pass Road, Anantapur - 515004, Ph: 08554-276903; Fax: party of the Hindi heart-
08554-276904 land in 2014, and there-
Karimnagar: Survey No.1341, Vavilalapally Colony, Jagityala Road, Karimnagar - 505 001, Ph: 0878- after steadily made
2228908; Telefax: 0878-2220433
inroads in the southern
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But let there be no
Advt Fax: 22254765/22254766/42305325
Coimbatore: 77, Vivekananda Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore - 641 009, Ph : 0422 2231255 denying that victory in
Gram: CHRONICLE Postal registration no: No. H/SD-348/2006-08 West Bengal was what
would have been the
case if West Bengal was
wrested.
The verdict makes it
imperative for the Cen-
tre to stop playing the
game of one-upmanship
with the states, specially
in tackling Covid-19.
Apportioning responsi-
bility now after having
taken complete charge
last year must stop. The
adversarial style of
engaging with state gov-
ernments while coping
with the ferocious sec-
ond wave has to be
replaced with coopera-
tive federalism, which
was once one of
Narendra Modi's oft-
repeated phrases. Sev-
eral steps need be taken
to meet the immediate
crisis as well as the mid-
term and long-term req-
uirements to overcome
the situation arising out
of rampant spread of the
coronavirus pandemic.
To get its political mojo
back, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi must
consider the unimagin-
able — taking a step
backwards to ensure
that the farmers who are
now agitating on the bor-
ders of Delhi return
home amicably. The BJP
will have to plan on ways
to meet the electoral
challenge in three states
where it is in power and
which are due to hold
elections next year —
Goa, Uttarakhand and,
most crucially, Uttar
Pradesh. Increased net-
task. For this ambition
to come remotely close to
fruition, the Opposition
parties will be required
to sink their differences
and put local aspirations
in various states on hold.
What is crucial to the
formation of any an anti-
BJP conglomerate is the
posture of the Congress
Party. Will it cede its
claim to be the leader of
an Opposition bandwag-
on in favour of a regional
leader with whom it has
locked horns in the past?
After all, the Congress
had formed an alliance
with the Left Front in
West Bengal even
though the two parties
were locked in a direct
contest in Kerala. Left
with a barely three per
cent voteshare in West
Bengal, it is time for the
Congress to scale down
its ambitions and see
itself as a slightly bigger
regional party.
Something like what the
Janata Dal used to be in
the last 1980s and early
1990s before its split into
smaller factions.
What is crucial to
the formation of
an anti-BJP con-
glomerate is the
posture of the
Congress. Will it
cede its claim to
be the leader of
an Opp. bandwag-
on?
It is too early for the
Opposition parties to
begin discussing
alliances. But they must
begin with breaking
bread and discussing the
biggest challenges the
nation faces now, and
forge common ground on
tackling the Covid-19
pandemic. Rahul Gandhi
consistently flags issues
that require prioritisa-
tion and discussions
could begin centring on
the suggestions made.
Opposition parties have
to identify the strengths
and weaknesses of each
party and leader and
allocate responsibility
accordingly. Care of
course must be taken to
prevent Trojan horses
from crashing this effort.
Ms Banerjee, after this
landslide victory, will
expect the leadership as
her rightful claim. But
she, like many other Op-
position leaders, have to
stop being “Chhota Mo-
dis” and be more accom-
modative. There are no
shortcuts to successfully
upstaging the present
ruling setup, and playing
the game patiently shall
be crucial.
The writer is an author
and journalist based in
the Delhi-NCR region.
His books include The
RSS: Icons of the Indian
Right and Narendra
Modi: The Man, The
Times. He tweets at
@NilanjanUdwin.
M.K. Stalin would take over as CM
on May 7. The DMK supported by
the Congress won the polls easily.
The DMK on its own has the major-
ity in the new Assembly. The
NDA’s ally the AIADMK lost the
polls and E Palaniswami and O.
Paneerselvan have been sent pack-
ing. This is a big gain for the DMK
after a decade of being in oblivion.
Congratulations to the DMK and
Stalin.
V.R.K. Valmeeky
Hyderabad
50
YEARS AGO IN
States to have more
say in planning
NEW DELHI, May. 4
The new Ministry of Planning
will be concerned with technical
questions relating to planning
and planning organisation and
the policy and details of specific
schemes would be dealt with by
the Central and Administrative
Ministries and State
Governments.
The new rules on allocation of
business among various
Government Departments signed
by President V.V. Giri have spelt
out the demarcation of functions
between the Planning
Commission on the one hand and
the Central and State
Governments on the other.
The rules make it clear that the
Commission would formulate
perspective plans, besides five-
year development programmes.

I I F
nner-party democracy in the t now transpires that BJP leaders own seat was totally eclipsed by her ister’s post in Madhya Pradesh. ormer Rajasthan chief minister
Congress could well prove to be in West Bengal had informed the party’s emphatic victory in the Vasundhara Raje and her

the first casualty of the outcome
Anita Katyal of the state Assembly elections
declared last Sunday. The Congress
Political was originally scheduled to elect its
new president in May but the elec-
Gupshup tion was deferred till June on the
Central leadership about its fail-
ure to defeat the Trinamul Congress
days before the prolonged poll cam-
paign drew to its close. A few state
leaders even admitted as much in
private conversations to media-per-
T
Assembly polls. The BJP drew solace he Capital’s political nephew Jyotiraditya Scindia
from the fact that it now occupies the
Opposition space in West Bengal and
grapevine is rife with specula-
tion that Delhi lieutenant gen-
figured in the list of star campaigners
in the recent Assembly elections.
that the Congress and the Left parties
have been vanquished.
eral Anil Baijal is on his way out.
Though Mr Baijal is an old Delhi
While Vasundhara Raje was expect-
ed to campaign for the bye-elections
hand and a favourite with the ruling in the desert state, newly minted BJP

pretext of the Assembly polls. Rahul
Gandhi’s camp followers had hoped
that a credible performance in these
polls would make it easier for the
Nehru-Gandhi scion to return as
Congress chief. However, Rahul
sons in Kolkata. Nevertheless, an
optimistic BJP had lined up its senior
ministers for media sound bytes and
interviews on the day of the results.
As seen on earlier occasions, it would
not have been surprising if Prime
T
he BJP may be bemoaning the
Assembly election results but
the party’s failure to dethrone
Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal has
come as a huge relief for Madhya
Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh
Bharatiya Janata Party, the Centre
is said to be of the view that Mr
Baijal’s tenure has run its course.
According to the buzz in Delhi, the
Modi government was also dissatis-
fied as it felt Mr Baijal had been
member Mr Scindia was put down
for the crucial West Bengal polls.
However, Vasundhara Raje failed to
turn up for the campaign. It is an
acknowledged fact that she is sulking
because a concerted effort has been

Cong intra-party Gandhi’s failure to make any impact

in these polls has silenced his sup-
porters and led to speculation that
Minister Narendra Modi and Union
home minister Amit Shah had come
forth to exult over the result. As it
Chouhan. Had the party succeeded,
his chief rivals in the state — Kailash
Vijayvargiya and Narotttam Mishra
unsuccessful in checkmating the
Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Admi
Party. Several names are doing the
made by the BJP’s Delhi leaders to
marginalise her ever since she lost
the last Assembly election. The party

democracy is first the internal election for the party

president’s post could be further
delayed. Congress insiders do not
rule out the possibility that Rahul
happened, there was radio silence
from the ministers while word was
put out that Mr Modi and his minis-
ters were busy handling the coron-
— would have actively campaigned
for Mr Chouhan’s ouster. Mr
Vijayvargiya was handpicked by
home minister Amit Shah to super-
rounds regarding Mr Baijal’s suc-
cessor. Former Puducherry lieu-
tenant general Kiran Bedi is among
those who figures in this list. If this
wants to promote a fresh leadership
in Rajasthan and end its dependence
on Vasundhara. With his aunt back-
ing out, the BJP deputed Mr Scindia

casualty of poor Gandhi himself may decline to take

over the party’s reins. Then there is
a section in the party that wants a
avirus pandemic. It was eventually
left to the tried and tested BJP
spokespersons like Amit Malviya
vise the West Bengal election while
Mishra was also given key responsi-
bilities in the eastern state. A victory
proves to be true, it would be inter-
esting to see how Ms Bedi and Delhi
chief minister will work together.
to take her place on the campaign
trail in Rajasthan. Despite his
estranged aunt’s absence, the elec-

show in state polls non-Gandhi to head the Congress.

But it is said Sonia Gandhi is not
keen on this option and would prefer
to continue as interim president till
and Sambit Patra to put a gloss on the
party’s performance. They did try to
put down Mamata Banerjee over her
defeat in Nandigram but were con-
in West Bengal would have automat-
ically given a boost to their ratings in
the party and emboldened them to
resume their campaign against Mr
The two were among the leading
faces of the 2011 anti-corruption
movement but Ms Bedi subsequent-
ly left and joined the BJP following
tion results showed that Mr Scindia
did help the BJP win one of the three
bye-elections.

her son is ready to return as strained from getting too jubilant as Chouhan. Both Mr Vijayvargiya and differences with Mr Kejriwal and Anita Katyal is a Delhi-based
Congress chief. Mamata Banerjee’s failure to win her Mr Mishra are eyeing the chief min- others. journalist
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
pg 7

SHORT TAKES More lives lost to Covid-19 Cong accuses BJP

DESHMUKH SEEKS
PROTECTION
AGAINST CBI
SHAHAB ANSARI | DC
MUMBAI, MAY 4
Former Maharashtra home
minister Anil Deshmukh has
approached the Bombay High
Court seeking to quash FIR
registered against him by the
Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) on charges
of corruption. He has also
sought protection from any
coercive action pending his
petition.
A division bench of Justice
S.S. Shinde and Justice
Manish Pitale is expected to
hear this petition this week.
Apart from quashing of FIR
Deshmukh has also sought
from court interim relief that
pending hearing of his peti-
tion no coercive action should
be taken against him.
Former Mumbai police com-
missioner Param Bir Singh,
had written a letter to chief
minister Uddhav Thackeray
leveling allegations of corrup-
tion, misuse of his official
position and malpractices
against Deshmukh.
In his letter to CM, Singh had
alleged that Deshmukh had
asked API Sachin Vaze to col-
lect `100 crore as bribe from
bars and restaurants in
Mumbai every month.
The HC had directed the CBI
to initiate preliminary inquiry
of transferring votes
to CPM in Kerala
GILVESTER ASSARY I DC
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
MAY 4
A day after Chief Minister
Pinarayi Vijayan alleged
vote trade off between the
UDF and BJP in Kerala
Assembly elections, the
state Congress leadership
hit back at the CPM accus-
ing it of having underhand
deal with the BJP.
Opposition leader and sen-
ior Congress leader Ramesh
Chennithala alleged that the
BJP had transferred its
votes to the CPM in as many
as 69 constituencies. The
Chief Minister came up
with the allegation against
the UDf to hide his own
party’s clandestine deal
with the BJP.
Compared to last Assembly
elections the BJP votes came
down by 4,35,606 and majori-
ty of these votes went to the
CPM-led LDF, he added.
He said the UDF put up a
strong fight in
Manjeshwaram, Palakkad
Relatives perform last rites of Covid-19 victims at the Hindon crematorium in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a group of Muslim youths and prevented BJP victory
helped cremate a 60-year-old Hindu man, who died of Covid-19, at Balrampur in UP, as his family members were hesitant to go ahead with in these constituencies and
the rituals for fear of contracting the disease. — PTI pushing the CPM to third
place. He alleged that the
CPM had transferred its
votes to the BJP in Majesh-
On the CPM claim that it
had closed the account of
BJP in its lone sitting seat
in Nemom in Thiru-
vananthpauram district,
the opposition leader said.
“It was the Congress which
actually closed BJP’s
account by fielding a formi-
dable candidate like K.
Karunakaran’s son K.
Muraleedharan.”
Meanwhile, the BJP also
countered the Chief
Minister’s allegations of
vote trade with the UDF. “If
the CPM is accusing us of
trading votes, then what
happened during 2019 Lok
Sabha elections when there
was a huge dip in their vote
share? Did they sell the
votes to the Congress at that
time,” asked BJP state presi-
dent K. Surendran. He said
the BJP cannot be blamed
for the weakenss of
Congress.
The BJP state president
alleged that the CPM had
played communal card by
mobilising the minorities ,
mainly Muslims. Barring
Malappuram where the
Muslim votes went to the
Muslim League candidates,
in other constituenties the
CPM garnered their votes.

Modi, Boris adopt ‘road map’

against Deshmukh. After waram and Palakkad,
inquiry, the CBI registered an Chennithala said the allega-
FIR against Deshmukh in tions of the Chief Minister
April and also conducted raids were totaly baseless and did-
at several locations, including n’t even deserve a response.
Surendran said there was
minority consolidation in
favour of LDF and UDF
whereever the BJP was in a
winning position.

to steer ties for next 10 years

his residence at Nagpur.

ODISHA: 12-YR-OLD
ENDS LIFE OVER
ONLINE GAMING
AKSHAYA KUMAR
SAHOO | DC
BHUBANESWAR, MAY 4
A 12-year-old boy studying in
Class 8 allegedly hanged him-
self to death in Kharvel Nagar
area of the state capital on
Sunday night, police said on
Tuesday.
It is suspected that the minor
boy had fallen into the trap of
online gaming or betting that
encouraged him to take the
extreme step.
Jashobant Routray, the stu-
dent, was studying in a private
English medium school in
Cuttack staying in his uncle’s
house. He had come to his
house here recently.
Sources said the minor boy
used to indulge in online
mobile phone gaming most of
the time.
On Sunday night, he and one
of his friends were busy play-
ing online games. On Monday
morning, he was found hang-
ing from the ceiling of a room
in the house.
He was rushed to Capital
Hospital but doctors declared
him brought dead.
Though family members of
the deceased did not provide
any exact reason behind the
suicide, they claimed that the
child used to remain quiet
most of the time.
They suspected that he might
have been negatively affected
due to excessive indulgence in
online gaming or betting.
The local Kharvel Nagar
police registered an unnatural
death case and sent the body
for post-mortem.
Nine pacts inked in various fields including one on students’ movement
SRIDHAR
KUMARASWAMI | DC
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on
Tuesday evening held a
“substantive and cordial”
virtual summit with his
British counterpart
Boris Johnson during
which both adopted an
ambitious bilateral
“Comprehensive Road
map 2030” to steer coop-
eration for the next ten
years, elevate the current
Indo-UK strategic part-
nership to a “new and
transformational” Com--
prehensive Strategic
Partnership including a
dramatic boosting of
defence ties, and
launched a bilateral
Enhanced Trade
Partnership (ETP) to ink
an Interim Trade
Agreement sometime
next year and negotiate
to eventually clinch a
Free Trade Agreement
(FTA).
Nine pacts were inked
in various fields includ-
ing one on Migration and
Mobility Partnership
that will facilitate legal
movement of students
and professionals where-
in upto 3,000 young
Indian professionals can
avail employment oppor-
tunities in UK for a peri-
od of two years without
being subject to a labour
market test, as well as
enhancing bilateral coop-
eration in combating ille-
gal migration.
In a statement, the
British High
Commission (BHC) said
the bilateral“unique
agreement includes a
special Young
Professionals scheme to
allow young Indian and
British professionals to
work and live in each
other’s country for two
years — the first such
scheme for a visa-nation-
al country (countries
which require visit visas
to visit the UK)”. The
agreement will “allow
thousands of 18-30-year-
olds to work and live in
each other’s country for
up to two years”, the BHC
added.
The Enhanced Trade
Partnership (ETP) mean-
while is envisaged to fur-
ther remove trade barri-
ers, provide each other
greater market access
and set an ambitious tar-
get of more than dou-
bling India-UK trade by
2030.
Both sides decided to
negotiate a comprehen-
sive FTA to “unlock the
full potential of their
trade and commercial
relationship, boosting
jobs, investment and
exports”.
Prime Minister Modi
also pressed for the swift
extradition of economic
offenders from Britain
back to India, seen in the
context of the cases of
both alleged offenders
Vijay Mallya and
● BRITISH HIGH
Commission says the
bilateral ‘unique agree-
ment includes a special
Young Professionals
scheme to allow young
Indian and British profes-
sionals to work and live
in each other’s country
for two years — the first
such scheme for a visa-
national country (coun-
tries which require visit
visas to visit the UK)’.
Nirav Modi.
Both countries also
agreed to boost defence
and security cooperation
including in the Indo-
Pacific region where
joint naval exercises will
be conducted and also
begin a “new maritime
dialogue”, measures seen
as a veiled message to
China.
Boosting bilateral
defence cooperation will
also include “India-UK
collaboration on key mil-
itary technologies includ-
ing combat aircraft,
maritime propulsion sys-
tem and complex
weapons” to help “deliver
the next generation of
defence and security
capabilities through co-
development and co-pro-
duction”.
The “comprehensive
Roadmap 2030” that was
launched which will
pave the way for further
cooperation over the next
decade across five key
areas, namely people-to-
people relationship, trade
and prosperity, defence
and security, climate
action and healthcare”.
It was also announced
that thye CSP between
India and UK is “ under-
pinned by their shared
commitment to democra-
cy, fundamental free-
doms, multilateralism
and a rule based interna-
tional order”.
Prime Minister Modi
thanked British Prime
Minister Johnson for the
prompt and massive
assistance provided by
UK in the form of critical
medical equipment for
ameliorating the current
Covid pandemic situa-
tion in India and both
leaders also agreed to
expand and enhance the
existing UK-India vac-
cines partnership includ-
ing in nasal vaccines,
highlighting the success-
ful collaboration between
Oxford University, Astra
Zeneca and the Serum
Institute of India (SII) on
an effective Covid19 vac-
cine (Oxford
AstraZeneca/Covishield
that is “developed in UK,
Made in India and dis-
tributed globally”.
Discussion of the
Covishield vaccine
(Oxford AstraZeneca vac-
cine manufactured by the
India-based SII) and its
manufacture in Britain
was also discussed.
On defence cooperation,
a Joint Statement issued,
said, “Both Prime
Ministers agreed to deep-
en their defence and
security cooperation
through the India-UK
Defence and
International Security
Partnership framework
and welcomed the finali-
sation of the new logis-
tics MoU. During the
deployment of the
UK’s Carrier Strike
Group in the Indian
Ocean Region in 2021,
they agreed to hold joint
exercises that will deep-
en cooperation in a
region of critical strate-
gic importance to both
countries. They affirmed
their shared vision of an
open, free, inclusive and
rules-based Indo-Pacific
region ... .”
The nine pacts also
include an MoU to launch
of a new Global
Innovation Partnership
(GIP) to support the
transfer of inclusive, cli-
mate smart innovations
from India to selected
developing countries, an
MoU for Customs cooper-
ation and one in the field
of medicinal regulation.
Both leaders also con-
demned terrorism in all
its forms and agreed to
continue cooperation
including on information
and intelligence sharing
on terror networks and
to share experiences
on dealing with the grow-
ing phenomenon of
extremism and radicali-
sation.”

POLL | ANALYSIS Momentum to give Front a proper shape will pick up once Covid crisis is contained

TMC, LDF, DMK win leads to ‘Federal Front’ talks

SANJAY BASAK | DC
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
The victory of the
Trinamul Congress, DMK
and LDF in West Bengal,
Tamil Nadu and Kerala
respectively have given rise
to the possibility of the
Opposition parties coming
together to form a Federal
Front to take on the ruling
BJP-led NDA in the 2024
Lok Sabha polls. While
Trinamul Congress chief
Mamata Banerjee returned
to power by trouncing the
BJP in West Bengal for the
third time, the LDF-led by
Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan created history wi-
th his second consecutive
electoral victory. In Tamil
Nadu, DMK leader M.K.
Stalin convincingly def-
eated the BJP-backed rul-
ing AIADMK to form the
government in the state.
The momentum to give
the front, or a grand
alliance, a proper shape
will pick up once the Covid-
19 crisis is contained.
Speculation is rife that
Prashant Kishor, the poll
strategist and architect of
the victories of Mamata
Banerjee and M.K. Stalin in
West Bengal and Tamil
Nadu could play a key role
in “conjuring up” a grand
Opposition alliance. After
guiding Banerjee to her
spectacular victory in the
high-voltage West Bengal
elections, Kishor in a TV
interview declared that he
would “quit this space” —
of election strategising for
political parties.
Meanwhile, as most of
the Opposition parties
appeared to be responsive
to the idea of a federal
front, it’s the Congress
Party led by the Gandhis
which seemed to be some-
what reluctant.
A senior Congress leader,
who is part of the pressure
group (G-23), went to the ex-
tent of saying that the Con-
gress could even “split” on
the issue of a regional satr-
ap-led Federal Front. He ar-
gued that even though the
Congress had been “neu-
tralised and lost its clout in
the Opposition space, the
family would still try to
control the narrative”. He
said that the only way for
Congressmen to support
such a federal front was to
“bypass the family.” He
then added: “At the end,
Congress could split.”
Talking about Opposition
unity, TMC Rajya Sabha
MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy
too expressed his reserva-
tions about the Congress.
“We don’t trust the Cong-
ress,” he said. “On one
hand the Congress projects
a secular image and on the
other they join hands with
fundamentalist outfits like
Abbas Siddiqui’s Indian
Secular Front in West
Bengal and the Muslim
League in Kerala for politi-
cal gains,” he pointed out.
Roy said that the Congress
has to go in for a “course
correction” if it wanted to
play any significant role in
Opposition unity.
On forming an Opposit-
ion front, Roy felt that it
has to be done on the lines
of Opposition unity in 1977.
He maintained that all the
Opposition parties need to
come under one umbrella.
Besides major regional and
Opposition outfits, which
include the RJD, Samajw-
adi Party, BSP, TMC, BJD,
NCP, DMK, TRS, YSR Cong-
ress, Shiv Sena and
CPI(ML), there are a few
hundred smaller regional
outfits. “There are over
2,000 big and small regional
parties. All these outfits
need to come on one plat-
form to challenge the tyra-
nnical rule of Narendra
Modi and Amit Shah,” he
said. Saying that the Con-
gress continued to remain
an “important player” at
the national level, Mr Roy
hoped that the party would
get off its high horse and
play a “supporting role”.
Roy insisted that there
has to be a Common Mini-
mum Programme (CMP) fo-
cusing mainly on the econ-
omy and how to contain the
divisive politics of the BJP.
The slogan of “Modi hatao”
would not work, he said. It
can be mentioned that in
1972, the then Opposition
raised the slogan of “Indi-
ra hatao”, which Indira Ga-
ndhi successfully counter-
ed with her slogan of “Gar-
ibi hatao”. People voted to
remove poverty, not Indira.
Roy said that the catch-
phrase needed to be some-
thing like “desh bachao”
(save the nation).
On the issue of Banerjee
emerging as the face of the
Opposition, Roy argued th-
at the West Bengal poll res-
ults had a “national impa-
ct”. Even though DMK lea-
der M.K. Stalin “won a gre-
at victory”, his electoral tr-
iumph was a “foregone con-
clusion”, he said. In contra-
st, Banerjee was up against
the entire might of the Cen-
tre and its machinery. “It
was a direct fight between
Modi and Mamata,” he
said.
Speaking to this newspa-
per, CPI(ML) leader
Dipankar Bhattacharya
also said that the victory of
Mamata Banerjee in West
Bengal had a “major
national impact”. He point-
ed out that even the farm-
ers protesting in North
India distributed sweets to
celebrate her victory.
“They celebrated even
though the farmers’ issue
hardly figured in the TMC
campaign,” the CPI(ML)
leader said.
Bhattacharya felt that
after the West Bengal,
Kerala and Tamil Nadu vic-
tories, an “Opposition
alliance is the need of the
hour”. He made it clear
that the CPI(ML) was “will-
ing to be a part of any such
Opposition alliance”. Mr
Bhattacharya felt that the
realignment of all the
Opposition forces should
start immediately.
On the issue of CPI(M),
Bhattacharya pointed out
that at the national level,
the Left generally “sup-
ports” Opposition unity. He
felt that the “CPI(M) cannot
afford to make Mamata
Banerjee taboo” and pull in
a different direction.
Bhattacharya said after it
was ousted from the state
in 2011, the Left continued
to look at itself as a “gov-
ernment in waiting … and
did not play the role of an
Opposition”. Bhattacharya
said that after 2011, the
CPI(M)-led Left should
have “reinvented” itself,
which it did not do.
The CPI(ML) leader
hoped that if there was a
move to form a grand
Opposition alliance, both
the Congress and the Left
would “change their out-
look” and join the band-
wagon.
On Prashant Kishor play-
ing the key role in forming
a grand alliance or federal
front, Roy felt it was an
“excellent idea”. Roy said
that Kishor has a “great
political mind… and was a
brilliant strategist”. Bhatt-
acharya toed a similar line
by saying that “even
though I don’t know much
about the role he played,
but what he did in Bengal
was simply excellent”.
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
SHORT
POST-POLL CLASH:
TAKES
BJP COMPARES
TMC WITH NAZIS
From Page 1
The BJP claimed that the vio-
lence is “state-sponsored” and
compared the TMC with
“Nazis”. Among Tuesday’s vic-
tims, three — Mintu Barman
of Shitalkuchi and Haradhann
Roy and Chandan Roy of
Dinhata — were from the BJP
which lost six cadres on
Monday. The 14 deceased also
include five from Burdwan
East. Of them, four were from
the ruling TMC. While two of
them — Shahjahan Shah and
Bibhas Bagg — were killed
Nabagram in Jamalpur, anoth-
er, Ganesh Mullick, was beat-
en to death at Samaspur in
Raina with an aged TMC pan-
chayat member Srinibas
Ghosh at Ketugram in three
separate attacks by the BJP.
At Nabagram in Jamalpur, a
female CPI(M) worker, Kakali
Khetrapal, was hacked to
death by a group of TMC
workers during an attack on
her home. Apart from the
killings, several BJP offices
and many party workers’
houses were vandalised across
the state.
On Mr Modi’s worries, Mr
Dhankhar tweeted, “PM called
and expressed serious anguish
and concern at the alarmingly
worrisome law and order situ-
ation @MamataOfficial. I
share grave concerns
@PMOIndia given that vio-
lence vandalism, arson, loot
and killings continue unabat-
ed. Concerned. Must act in
overdrive to restore order.”
Lashing out at Mr Modi
immediately, TMC Rajya
Sabha MP Derek O’Brien
tweeted, “PM makes a call to
West Bengal governor on
‘political
Work the
violence’.
(Exaggerated 214%). Stop the
stunts, Mr Prime Minister.
phones on
#COVID19India.”
In a series of tweets earlier
Mr Dhankhar said, “Police
@WBPolice @CPKolkata must
end senseless political vio-
lence, vandalism, arson,
killings and intimidation that
shames democracy. Bengali
diaspora world over has
expressed concern over alarm-
ing lawlessness. Why post-poll
violence only WB? Why this
assault on democracy? Reports
indicate the horrendous state
of affairs. Horrified people are
fleeing to save themselves.
Flooded with SOS appeals.
Harmads are on a killing and
destruction spree. Such nose-
diving of constitutional values
cannot be countenanced. Call
upon @MamataOfficial to
restore order.”
Mr Nadda claimed, “TMC
knew that if BJP would have
come to power in the state it
would not be able to extort
money and play its politics of
appeasement. There is a list of
names who attacked and killed
our party workers. But no one
was arrested. I assure you that
crores of BJP workers stand
by each affected here. Their
sacrifice will not go in vain.
We will fight till the end to give
justice to them.”
On Wednesday, when TMC
chief Mamata Banerjee will
take her oath as the chief min-
ister for the third consecutive
time, the BJP would organise a
nationwide demonstration
against the killings of its
workers.
RESIDENTIAL
SCHOOL FINED
`10K IN ODISHA
AKSHAYA KUMAR
SAHOO | DC
BHUBANESWAR, MAY 4
Authorities of Odisha’s
Bhubaneswar Municipal
Corporation (BMC) on
Tuesday raided a residential
school for violation of Covid-
19 norms. The school was
fined `10,000 for flouting the
pandemic guidelines issued by
the Odisha government.
According to reports, the
school was running offline cla-
sses on its premises when the
BMC authorities raided the
institution. It was also found
during the raid that the resi-
dential school was providing
food and accommodation facil-
ities to more than 30 students.
“We were only teaching the
relatives of our staff with all
the Covid-19 guidelines in
place. Outside students were
not allowed in the class. All of
them have been sent home. So
there has been no question of
violating the pandemic nor-
ms,” said the school authority.
However, according to the
BMC officials, it was a clear
violation of the guidelines.
“Keeping in view of the
surge in Covid-19 in the state,
the Odisha government has
ordered the closure of all the
educational institutions in the
state from April 19. Keeping so
many students in school prem-
ises is a clear violation of the
pandemic norm,” said a BMC
official.
A woman at the deserted Dal Lake after the government announced a lockdown following a massive increase in the death toll due to the
Coronavirus, in Srinagar on Tuesday.
Complete lockdown in Bihar
till May 15 to stop case rise
Decision comes a day after Patna HC orders govt to impose full lockdown
NAYEAR AZAD | DC
PATNA, MAY 4
Bihar has been placed
under a complete lock-
down till May 15 to stop
the surge in Covid-19
cases.
The announcement was
made by Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar after he
held a meeting with minis-
ters and officials.
Announcing his decision
on social media Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar said,
“Lockdown has been
enforced in the state till
May 15 after consulting
ministers and officials.
The Bihar crisis manage-
ment group has been
directed to release a guide-
line in this regard”.
The decision comes a day
after Patna High Court
stepped in and ordered the
government to impose a
complete lockdown in the
state. The court in its
observation had said that
“it seems that the state
government is heading
towards total failure.
There is no action plan in
this regard. Whatever
plan you have submitted is
not up to the mark and no
steps have been taken.
Everything is an eye-
wash”.
Earlier, the Indian
Medical Association and
Delhi to give free ration for 2 months
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
The Delhi government
will provide free ration for
two months to 72 lakh
ration card holders and
financial assistance of
`5,000 to auto-rickshaw
and taxi drivers in the city
to help them tide over the
Covid-19 crisis, Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal
said on Tuesday.
However, the decision to
provide free ration does
not mean that the lock-
ESSENTIAL | SERVICES
Insufficient infra led to more deaths in Delhi: Experts
New Delhi, May 4: A
more virulent strain of
Coronavirus, insufficient
infrastructure to handle
critical cases and hoard-
ing of essential drugs have
led to more deaths in
Delhi, experts said on
Tuesday, a day after the
city registered a record 448
deaths.
They also said the num-
ber of deaths could be
more as many patients die
outside hospitals waiting
for a bed.
Dr Jugal Kishore, the
head of community medi-
cine at Safdarjung
Hospital, said the “insuffi-
ciency of infrastructure”
to handle critical patients
is leading to more deaths.
“The virus is not causing
so many deaths, it is the
insufficient resources and
heads of four government
hospitals in Patna had also
urged the Bihar govern-
ment to enforce a complete
lockdown to “break the
chain of rising Covid-19
cases”.
As per the guidelines
issued by the crisis man-
agement group after the
lockdown was announced
all essential services like
healthcare, general provi-
sion stores, banking sec-
tor, E-commerce, and
courier services, petrol
pumps, and media have
been exempted from the
lockdown.
While the BJP welcomed
the state government’s
move to impose lockdown
in the state, the opposition
RJD blamed Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
and the health department
for the crisis.
Calling Nitish Kumar as
“Chote Sahab” Tejashwi
Yadav said in a tweet that
“it seems he was following
the order of his superiors
that there can’t be a lock-
down till May 2. For the
last 15 days, the opposition
had been demanding lock-
down. Now when the infec-
tion has spread in the state
including villages they are
enforcing a lockdown.
Come out of low-level gim-
mick and politics in this
hour of crisis”.
down imposed in the city
to break the chain of
transmission will contin-
ue for two months, he said
during an online briefing.
The national capital is
under lockdown till May
10 to check the rising num-
ber of Covid-19 cases.
Kejriwal said he is hopef-
ul that the situation in De-
lhi will improve and loc-
kdown will not be needed.
“The 72 lakh ration card
holders in Delhi will be
provided free ration for
the next two months,” the
Black-marketing, hoarding of essential drugs contributed to pushing up death toll
facilities. This is the major
reason,” he said.
Critical cases are piling
up but there are no beds
available for them. Many
patients have died on the
way to hospitals or outside
healthcare facilities wait-
ing for a bed, while many
have died due to unavail-
ability of oxygen, Dr
Kishore said.
Critical patients spend 10
to 20 days in ICU or on oxy-
gen support. So, the beds
remain occupied for this
period, even as the num-
ber of critical cases keep
increasing every day, he
said.
Black-marketing and
hoarding of essential
drugs being used to treat
critical patients is another
reason.
“This has limited the
Maha seeks 200MT
Assam revises night curfew oxygen from Centre
rules, flags shortage of beds
MANOJ ANAND | DC
GUWAHATI, MAY 4
Amid the Covid positivity
rate hovering between 8 to
10 per cent, Assam health
minister Himanta Biswa
Sarma on Tuesday feared
that if current trend
Continues, the state
may have to face the short-
age of beds in hospitals
soon.
Asserting that the state
government was keeping a
close watch on the situa-
tion, Sarma told reporters
that they have asked the
district administration to
identify the localities and
wards where the rate of
positivity is high.
“We intend to start
declaring such wards as a
containment zone in the
first phase,” said the min-
ister, clarifying that they
are not facing shortage of
beds so far but the situa-
tion may turn worse if
necessary steps are not
taken.
The minister also
announced that they are
CM said. “Our decision to
provide free ration for two
months does not mean th-
at the lockdown will con-
tinue for two months. We
imposed the lockdown to
contain the spread of Cov-
id and I am hopeful that
we will end this as soon as
possible,” he added.
Further, Kejriwal said,
“The Delhi government
provided financial assis-
tance of `5,000 to each of
the 1.56 lakh auto and taxi
drivers during the last
year’s lockdown and will
People argue with police personnel at a Covid-19 vaccination centre after vaccine
shortage, at Mallathahalli in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
people’s access to these
drugs,” he said.
Sudhanshu Bankata, the
Executive Director of
● ASSAM TO start vacci-
nation for above 18
youths from Wednesday
but it will pick up only
after May 7.
going to start vaccination
for above 18 youths from
Wednesday but it will pick
up only after May 7.
He reiterated that there
is no other way to check
the surge other than con-
trolling the movement of
people and following
Covid-appropriate behav-
iour.
Meanwhile the state gov-
ernment on Tuesday
revised the night curfew
timing which will come
into effect from 6 pm to 5
am daily from Wednesday
(May 5).
In the revised SOP
issued by the state govern-
ment, it also said that the
shops and other business
establishments will be
closed from 2 pm which
was closing down from 6
pm.
No people or individuals
do so again this time to
help them.”
The Delhi government
imposed a lockdown in the
national capital to check
the spread of Covid-19.
However, lockdown cre-
ates a financial crisis for
people, especially for the
poor and daily wage earn-
ers who find it difficult to
run their homes, he said.
Last week, the Delhi gov-
ernment had announced
financial assistance of
`5,000 for construction
workers, he said.
Batra Hospital in
Tughlakabad Institutional
Area, said a critical
patient succumbs to the
— PTI
could move out of their
home after 6 pm. However,
emergency services will
be exempted from the
order.
The government has also
imposed new rules for
marriage. The new order
said that only 20 persons
will be allowed to attend
the marriage party.
No meetings, public
gatherings will be allowed
in open space.
The health officials said
that the detection of 4,489
Covid positive cases out of
55,939 tests done on
Monday, a rise from 2,385
cases the previous day,
may be an indication that
the second wave is reach-
ing its peak in the state.
“In Assam, the transmis-
sion is yet to reach its
peak, if we go by trends in
other states. Thus, more
caution is required. We
have stepped into the sec-
ond month of increase in
new positive cases. The
peak time may be on the
cards soon,” Assam NHM
officials said.
Describing the current
situation in Delhi as a
“very difficult time,” the
CM appealed to people to
help each other in finding
hospital beds, oxygen, and
medicines and provide
food wherever needed.
“We are undergoing a very
difficult time and the sec-
ond wave has been ext-
remely dangerous. There
is so much despair and
sadness all around. This is
the time to become good
human beings and help
each other,” he said.
— PTI
virus after 14 to 15 days of
testing positive.
“So, if there are more
cases today, the number of
Over 3.6 L Covid
cases in 24 hours
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, MAY 4
With over 3.6 lakh new
Covid-19 cases, India
crossed the 2-crore mark
on Tuesday. The health
ministry data shows that
India recorded 3,62,649
new Coronavirus cases in
the last 24 hours and 3,445
Indians lost their lives
due to Covid-19 infection
and related complica-
tions. Delhi saw the
biggest spike in fatalities
with 448 Covid deaths,
while Maharashtra
showed a steady decline
in coronavirus cases.
Tuesday’s tally saw a
minor dip in the fatality
numbers. While that is
encouraging, what’s cru-
cial is to see whether
there has been any
change in the testing
numbers or not.
Maharashtra reported
51,880 new Covid-19 posi-
tive cases, 65,934 recover-
ies and 891 deaths in the
last 24 hours. Mumbai
reported 2,554 new cases,
5,240 recoveries and 62
deaths. Himachal
Pradesh recorded 48
deaths and 3,824 Covid
cases in a single day.
Karnataka reported
44,631 new Covid cases.
Kerala on Tuesday logged
37,190 fresh Covid-19
cases, while 26,148 people
were cured of the infec-
tion, taking the caseload
SONU
SHRIVASTAVA | DC
MUMBAI, MAY 4
The Maharashtra govern-
ment has demanded 200
MT (metric tonne) Liquid
Medical Oxygen (LMO)
from the Central govern-
ment on Tuesday. In addi-
tion to this, the state also
demanded 10 LMO
tankers to enable
Maharashtra to lift the
allocated LMO quota
from Steel Plant at Angul
via RoRo (Roll On Roll
Off) Oxygen Express.
Maharashtra chief secre-
tary Sitaram Kunte wrote
a letter in this connection
to Cabinet Secretary, gov-
ernment of India, Rajiv
Gauba. Meanwhile, all
tankers carrying LMO in
the state are being fitted
with GPS devices in order
to track their movement
and ensure better man-
agement of supply of the
life-saving gas to COVID-
19 patients.
Amid the rising num-
bers of infected patients,
Thackeray is regularly
taking stock of availabili-
ty of oxygen, Remdesivir
injections and beds. As
the state is in need of
more oxygen, the Chief
Minister has instructed
the chief secretary to
make demand before the
Central government
regarding oxygen supply.
Accordingly, Kunte has
sent the letter.
In his letter, Kunte has
said that Maharashtra’s
16 districts have been wit-
nessing the rise in num-
ber of cases and they are
in need of oxygen to treat
the patients. Therefore,
demand for oxygen has
increased.
“Considering this situa-
tion of rising medical
oxygen demand, I request
you that present alloca-
tion of the state be
deaths will be high on the
14th or the 15th day,” he
said.
Bankata also said that a
large number of patients
are being treated at home,
as hospital beds are full.
“In many cases, patients
require high oxygen flow
which can only be provid-
ed at hospitals and not thr-
ough concentrators or cyl-
inders. By the time a bed
becomes available, their
situation has already dete-
riorated sharply,” he said.
Dr D.K. Baluja, medical
director of Jaipur Golden
Hospital, said, “The quan-
tum (of infections) is very
high. The number of cases
has increased from 8,000 to
25,000. So, the absolute
number of deaths will be
three times more.”
“Your logistics, manpow-
pg 8
to 17,01,979 and recoveries
to 13.39 lakh, the state
government said.
The toll, however,
mounted to 5,507 with 57
more deaths.
Goa reported 2,814 new
Covid-19 cases, 52 deaths
and 1,870 recoveries in
the last 24 hours. The
active cases stand at
26,731.
Manipur reported 433
new Covid positive cases,
2 deaths and 111 recover-
ies in the last 24 hours.
Total cases stand at 32,956
and active cases at 2,391.
Uttar Pradesh reported
25,858 new cases and 352
fatalities in the last 24
hours, as per the state
health department.
Meanwhile, the Indian
Council of Medical
Research has issued an
advisory for Covid-19 test-
ing, saying that laborato-
ries are facing challenges
in meeting the expected
target due to the extraor-
dinary caseload and staff
contracting the infection.
According to the advisory,
RT PCR test must not be
repeated in any individ-
ual who has tested posi-
tive once either by RAT or
RT PCR.
According to the Union
health ministry’s dis-
charge policy, no testing
is required for Covid
recovered individuals at
the time of discharge, the
document states.
enhanced by at least 200
MT,” the chief secretary
said.
He also asked the cen-
tral government to
enhance the allocation at
locations convenient to
the state, otherwise, earli-
er allocation from RINL,
Vizag, and Jindal Steel
Plant, Angul, Odisha
remains on paper only.
“My request is to
enhance allocation from
Jamnagar, Gujarat from
the current 125 MT/day to
225 MT/day. Similarly,
allocation from Bhilai
may be increased to 230
MT from current 130 MT.
These geographically
close locations will
reduce turnaround time
of oxygen tankers, which
are limited in number.
This will also enhance
our daily lifting and bet-
ter demand manage-
ment,” Kunte said.
According to his letter,
Maharashtra is continu-
ing to face the onslaught
of a second wave of Covid
pandemic with the cur-
rent active caseload of 6,
63,758. Of these, 78,884
cases admitted are on
medical oxygen including
24,787 in ICU units.
Moreover, Palghar,
Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg,
Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur,
Solapur, Nandurbar,
Beed, Parbhani, Hingoli,
Amravati, Buldhana,
Wardha, Gadchiroli and
Chandrapur- a total 16
districts- are showing
continuous growth in
Covid active cases and
oxygen requirement.
“I assure you that we are
taking oxygen audit in
every district to contain
the demand in every pos-
sible manner,” he wrote
to the Union Cabinet sec-
retary.
Meanwhile, 250 tankers
are being used for the
supply of LMO.
er, everything crashes in
such a situation. The way
the load is increasing,
your capacity is not able to
match up to it,” he said.
Of the 17,414 Covid-19
deaths in Delhi since the
pandemic began, more
than 5,050 have occurred
in the last two weeks.
Delhi logged 448 deaths
due to the deadly coron-
avirus on Monday, the
highest in the city since
the pandemic began rav-
aging countries.
The capital reported 407
deaths on Sunday, 412 on
Saturday, 375 on Friday, 395
on Thursday, 368 on
Wednesday; 381 on
Tuesday, 380 on Monday,
350 on last Sunday, and 357
on Saturday last week,
according to government
data. — PTI
 WORLD
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
SHORT
15 KILLED, 35
INJURED IN PAK
TAKES
BUS ACCIDENT
Islamabad: At least 15 people
were killed and more than 35
others injured when a speeding
passenger bus fell into a ravine
in Pakistan’s Punjab province,
the police said on Tuesday.
The accident occurred on a
motorway in Hasan Abdal area
of Attock district. The bus was
traveling from Lahore to
Mardan in Khyber-
Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to the police, the bus
driver lost control while trying
to avoid an accident with
another car. The rescue teams
shifted the dead and injured to
a nearby hospital.
At least 15 people have lost
their lives while over 35 others
have injured in the incident,
the police said. Special Ass-
istant to the Prime Minister on
Overseas Pakistanis and
Human Resource Development
Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari
expressed grief over the
incident.
EGYPT BUYS
30 RAFALE
FIGHTER JETS
Cairo: Egypt’s military has
confirmed it ordered 30 Rafale
jets from French defence firm
Dassault Aviation to shore up
“national security”.
The order, which follows the
2015 purchase of 24 Rafale jets,
will be financed through a 10-
year loan, the military said in
a statement late Monday.
Investigative site Disclose
had reported earlier on
Monday that the order was
part of a secret mega-defence
deal worth almost four billion
euros ($4.8 billion).
Egypt is the world’s third
biggest arms importer after
Saudi Arabia and India,
according to the Stockholm
International Peace Research
Institute.
Its arms purchases grew by
136 percent over the last
decade and it has diversified
its sourcing beyond the United
States.
UBER JOINS UK
TECH FIRM FOR
ELECTRIC CAR
London: Uber has teamed up
with UK technology startup
Arrival to create an electric car
for the app-based US ride-hail-
ing firm that will help to cut
emissions, the pair said on
Tuesday.
The vehicle is expected to
enter production in the third
quarter of 2023 and the two
companies will “explore a
strategic relationship in key
markets, including the UK and
EU”, according to a statement.
It comes after six-year-old
Arrival, which is creating also
electric vans and buses, listed
on Wall Street’s Nasdaq in
March.
“Arrival, the global technolo-
gy company creating electric
vehicles using its game-chang-
ing technologies, is partnering
with Uber to develop an afford-
able, purpose-built electric
vehicle for ride-hailing driv-
ers,” the statement said.
The Arrival car “will address
the global need to shift ride-
hailing and car sharing servic-
es... to electric to reduce emis-
sions and improve air quality
in cities”, it added.
MARINE CORPS
INSPECTOR GEN.
GETS SUSPENDED
San Diego: The Marine Corps
inspector general, Major
General Robert Castellvi, has
been suspended amid the
ongoing probes into last sum-
mer’s fatal sinking of a
seafaring tank off the
Southern California coast, a
newspaper reported on
Monday.
Nine men died in the accident
involving an amphibious
assault vehicle July 30 near
San Clemente Island. Castellvi
becomes the highest-ranking
officer to face discipline in the
multiple investigations into
the disaster, the
Diego Union-Tribune reported.
His suspension was announced
by the assistant commandant
of the Marine Corps command-
San
er in a hearing before the
House Armed Services
Subcommittee on Readiness on
Monday.
Gen. David Berger, the com-
mandant of the Marine Corps,
ordered the suspension last
week pending the outcome of
the probe, the newspaper said.
Castellvi was the commanding
general of the Camp
Pendleton-based 1st Marine
Division until September.
He was named in a previous
investigation as someone who
has some responsibility in the
accident. However, the Marines
did not punish him.
Bibi gets deadline
until midnight to
form coalition
Jerusalem, May 4:
Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
faced a midnight deadline
on Tuesday to put togeth-
er a new coalition govern-
ment — or be looking at
the possibility of leading
his Likud party into the
opposition for the first
time in 12 years.
Netanyahu has strug-
gled to secure a parlia-
mentary majority since
March 23 — when elec-
tions ended in deadlock
for the fourth consecutive
time in the past two years.
Despite repeated meet-
ings with many of his
rivals and unprecedented
outreach to the leader of
a small Islamist Arab
party, Netanyahu has not
been able to close a deal
during a four-week win-
dow. That window was to
expire at midnight, at
which point the matter
returns to President
Reuven Rivlin in the
absence of an agreement.
A failure to reach a deal
would not immediately
push Netanyahu out of
office. Rivlin could give
him an additional two
weeks to form a coalition.
He could give one of
Netanyahu’s opponents
an opportunity to form a
government, or in a final
move of desperation,
send the matter straight
to parliament. That would
give lawmakers a chance
to choose one of their
own as a prime minister.
If all options fail, the
country would face anoth-
Members of the Lebanese Communist Party burn a
make-shift Israeli flag at a sit-in near the town of Naqo-
ura on Tuesday, protesting against resumption of indi-
rect talks on the demarcation of the maritime border. —
AFP
Lebanon, Israel
resume talks on
maritime border
Naqoura (Lebanon),
May 4: After a nearly six-
month pause, Lebanon
and Israel on Tuesday
resumed indirect talks
with US mediation over
their disputed maritime
border.
The resumption comes
after a new US adminis-
tration took over.
Lebanon has sunk deeper
into it economic and
financial crisis that start-
ed in late 2019 — a culmi-
nation of decades of cor-
ruption and mismanage-
ment by the political cl-
ass. The small Mediterra-
nean country is eager to
resolve the border dispute
with Israel, paving the
way for potential lucra-
tive oil and gas deals.
Local media said the
talks resumed at a UN
post along the border kno-
wn as Ras Naqoura, on
the edge of the Lebanese
border town of Naqoura.
The Lebanese delegation
will speak through UN
GLOBAL | WARMING
Climate vows see world nearing Paris goal
Berlin, May 4: Recent
pledges by the United
States and other nations
could help cap global
warming at 2 degrees
Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by
the end of the century, but
only if goals to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions
to “net zero” by 2050 suc-
ceed, scientists said on
Tuesday.
More than 190 countries
agreed in Paris six years
ago to keep average tem-
perature increases below
that level — ideally no
more than 1.5 C (2.7 F) —
by 2100 compared to pre-
Benjamin Netanyahu
er election this fall, mean-
ing months of continued
political paralysis.
In the March 23 election,
Netanyahu’s Likud
emerged as the largest
single party, with 30 seats
in the 120-member parlia-
ment. But to form a gov-
ernment, he needs to have
the support of a 61-seat
majority. That task has
been complicated in large
part by members of his
own religious and nation-
alist base.
The New Hope party, led
by a former Netanyahu
aide, refuses to serve
under the prime minister
because of deep personal
differences. Religious
Zionism, a far-right party
that espouses an openly
racist platform, supports
Netanyahu but has ruled
out serving in a govern-
ment with the Arab part-
ners he has courted.
Yamina, another right-
wing party led by a for-
mer Netanyahu aide, has
refused to commit to
either him or his oppo-
nents. — AP
and US officials to the
Israelis. American Amba-
ssador John Desrocher,
who serves as the US
mediator, arrived in
Beirut on Monday night
to take part in the talks.
The US has been mediat-
ing the issue for about a
decade, but only late last
year was a breakthrough
reached on an agreement
for a framework for US-
mediated talks.
The talks began in
October but stopped few
weeks later. Israel and
Lebanon have no diplo-
matic relations and are
technically in a state of
war. They each claim
about 860 square kilome-
ters (330 square miles) of
the Mediterranean Sea as
being within their own
exclusive economic zones.
In the second round of
talks, the Lebanese dele-
gation offered a new map
that pushes for an addi-
tional 1,430 square kilo-
metres for Lebanon. — AP
Over 190 countries participated in Paris accord 6 yrs ago
industrial times. The
Climate Action Tracker,
compiled by a group of
researchers who translate
emission pledges into
temperature estimates,
projects that the world is
currently set to overshoot
the Paris accord’s target
by 0.9 degrees. But if 131
countries that make up
almost three-quarters of
global emissions meet
their pledged or
discussed “net zero” goal,
then the 2-degree target
could be met, said Niklas
Hoehne of the New
Climate Institute. That’s
Dr Fauci advises India
to gather all resources
Country needs to build makeshift field hospitals, says expert
Washington, May 4:
Terming the situation in
India “very desperate”,
America’s top public
health expert Dr
Anthony Fauci has sug-
gested the government
marshal all its resources,
including the armed
forces, to immediately
build makeshift field
hospitals, and urged
other countries to help
with not only materials
but also personnel.
In an exclusive inter-
view, Fauci, who is the
Chief Medical Adviser to
US President Joe Biden,
also called for a nation-
wide lockdown, not nec-
essarily for six months
but “for a few weeks” to
break the “continuity
and transmission of
infection.”
Dr Fauci’s suggestions
and dire assessment of
India came as the num-
ber of new Covid infec-
tions in India officially
passed 2 crore, almost
double the number three
months ago. Of these
more than 2,20,000 people
have died, according to
official figures.
In contrast, the United
States has recorded 3.2
crore cases and 5,77,000
deaths in a population
that’s one-fourth of
India's 120 crore since
the pandemic began.
Still, because of India’s
inadequate healthcare
infrastructure, weaker
economy and lower stan-
dard of living, the suffer-
ing has been magnified,
especially in the second
wave that has led to a
huge shortage of oxygen
and hospital ICU beds.
The government says
the infection rates have
consistently dropped
since April 30, when it
recorded more than
400,000 cases. It reported
over 355,000 cases on
Tuesday. “Given the fact
that India is under such
terrible stress right now
with the extent of the
outbreak, the rest of the
world should pitch in to
help, similar to what the
US is doing,” he said.
“The world can help by
supplying India with
materials, and perhaps
even personnel, but cer-
tainly materials that
they need to adequately
address it (the pandem-
ic),” he said. The 80-year-
old physician and immu-
nologist, who serves as
the director of the US
National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, on Monday
also recommend mass
vaccination to arrest the
current spread of the
deadly disease across
India. “Right now, they
should start getting as
many people vaccinated
Fauci said. UN extends help to
as they possibly can,”
— PTI
EU reviews China’s Indian authorities
Sinovac virus vax
The Hague, May 4: The
European Union’s drug
regulator says it has start-
ed a rolling review of
China’s Sinovac Coron-
avirus vaccine to assess
its effectiveness and safe-
ty, a first step toward pos-
sible approval for use in
the 27-nation bloc.
The European
Medicines Agency said
on Tuesday that its deci-
sion to start the review is
0.1 C cooler than the
previous optimistic fore-
cast the group made in
December.
Hoehne said
President Joe Biden’s
recent ambitious new cli-
US
mate goals had con-
tributed significantly to
the revised estimate, along
with the European Union,
China, Japan and
Britain. But the pledges
still fall short and have to
be further revised going
forward, he said. “We have
to halve global emissions
in the next 10 years,” he
said. — AP
People walk through an alley near Houhai lake in Beijing during the Labour Day holi-
days, which take place from May 1 to May 5, on Tuesday.
Chinese tourists move with
ease as Covid fears recede
Beijing, May 4: Sipping
bubble tea and dressed in
their holiday finest, mil-
lions of Chinese travellers
flocked to domestic tourist
attractions over the May 1
long holiday with Covid-19
fears already a distant
memory.
Beijing’s historic alley-
ways were packed with
camera-wielding visitors
on Tuesday, while a bride
dressed in red tulle took
wedding photos with her
groom outside
Forbidden City.
the
UNITED STATES
BAN ON INDIA
RETURNEES
BEGINS TODAY
Washington, May 4:
The travel ban imposed
by US President Joe
Biden for people coming
from India, which is
experiencing one of the
worst waves of the
Covid-19 pandemic, came
into effect on Tuesday.
Biden
India
May 4.
issued
proclamation on Friday
restricting travel from
starting from
a Covid-19 vaccines because to receive the vaccines.
Certain categories of
students, academics,
journalists and individu-
als have been exempted
from the ban, according
to the
Department.
US State
— PTI
based on preliminary res-
ults from laboratory stud-
ies and clinical studies.
“These studies suggest
that the vaccine triggers
the production of antibod-
ies” that fight the Covid
“and may help protect ag-
ainst the disease,” the ag-
ency said in a statement.
The EMA added that no
application has yet been
submitted for marketing
authorisation. — AP
French parliament to
vote new climate law
Paris, May 4: The French
parliament is set to vote th-
rough a new climate chan-
ge law on Tuesday intended
by President Emmanuel
Macron to reinforce his gr-
een credentials one year
ahead of national polls.
The draft legislation is al-
most certain to be appro-
ved in a first reading by the
lower house of parliament,
CHINA
Out-of-towners also mob-
bed popular sites in Sha-
nghai over the weekend,
many dragging roller bags
and snapping selfies
against the city skyline.
In Wuhan, where Covid-
19 was first reported in late
2019, thousands of maskl-
ess revellers cheered and
danced shoulder to shou-
lder at the outdoor Str-
awberry Music Festival.
China has largely
brought the virus under
Lanka gets 1st batch
of Sputnik V shots
Colombo, May 4: Sri the Russia’s Gamaleya
Lanka has received its Institute. State Minister of
first batch of the Russia’s P h a r m a c e u t i c a l
Sputnik V vaccine.
flown
early hours
in
Production, Supply and
The 15,000 doses were Regulation
SRI LANKA
of Tuesday to
the Indian
ocean island nation which embassy were present at
is struggling to obtain the country’s main airport
of the delay in getting Jayasumana said he was
them from the neighbor- hopeful that Sri Lanka
ing India. would receive the total of
Sri Lanka has ordered 13 13 million doses of the
million doses of the Sputnik V from Russia in
Sputnik V vaccine from the future.
United Nations, May 4:
The UN team in India is
supporting authorities to
address the Covid-19 pan-
demic, including combat-
ing misinformation, a spo-
kesperson for UN Sec-
retary General Antonio
Guterres has said.
Stphane Dujarric, Spok-
esman for the Secretary-
General, told reporters at
the daily press briefing on
Monday that the UN team
in India is working to pro-
mote the Secretary-
General’s Verified’ cam-
paign, which was launched
last year to deliver trusted
where Macron has a work-
ing majority, but it has
been heavily criticised by
environmental groups.
Campaigners see it as too
timid given the pace of cli-
mate change globally and
accuse the French leader of
half-hearted commitment
to a cause he has admitted
to embracing belatedly.
— AFP
— AFP
control with strict lock-
downs and border controls
since mid-2020, with only
17 cases among quaran-
tined travellers reported in
the country on Tuesday.
The Chinese economy
recorded an explosive 18.3
per cent increase in GDP in
the first quarter, and life in
China has largely returned
to normal aside from occa-
sional small outbreaks,
even as a devastating new
wave of infections over-
whelms
India.
neighbouring
— AFP
Channa
Jaya s u m a ,
and officials
from
Russian
the
— AP
information and life-saving
advice amidst the Covid-19
pandemic.
Launched in May last
year, the Verified' initiative
is aimed at promoting and
sharing verified and sci-
ence-based content and
fact-based advice.
Dujarric said that the
United Nations Children’s
Fund in India continues to
help with the national vac-
cination strategy. The
agency is translating mes-
sages in many languages
and stepping up its work
with communities across
16 states, he said. — PTI
G7 to hold discussion
over global threats
London, May 4:G7 for-
eign ministers meet in
London for their first
face-to-face talks in more
than two years on
Tuesday, with calls for
urgent joined-up action to
tackle the most pressing
global threats.
China, Myanmar, Libya,
Syria and Russia are all
on the formal agenda as
the ministers from the
club of wealthy democra-
cies prepare for a leaders’
meeting in Cornwall,
southwest England, next
month.
They will also discuss
pg 9
USAID ADMIN
REVIEWS
CORONAVIRUS
AID TO INDIA
Washington, May 4:
USAID Administrator
Samantha Power, soon
after being sworn in by
Vice President Kamala
Harris, reviewed the
ongoing Covid-19 assis-
tance to India and held a
virtual meeting with the
country’s Ambassador
Taranjit Singh Sandhu,
reaffirming that America
will work tirelessly to
support the people of
India in its fight against
the deadly contagion.
Power engaged directly
with teams facing down
the global Covid-19 pan-
demic, with a specific
focus on the current dev-
astating outbreak in
India, according to a
statement by the United
States Agency for
International Develo-
pment (USAID), an inde-
pendent agency of the US
federal government pri-
marily responsible for
administering civilian
foreign aid and develop-
ment assistance.
Power, the former US
ambassador to the United
Nations, met USAID’s
Covid-19 Task Force to
discuss America’s global
relief efforts.
Task Force Executive
Director Jeremy Kony-
ndyk and staff briefed
her on the status of the
US government's deploy-
ment of supplies to India,
including six planes filled
with oxygen supplies,
N95 masks, rapid diag-
nostic tests and medicine.
During the meeting, she
reaffirmed that the US
will continue to work
around the clock to pro-
vide support and assista-
nce to its partners in In-
dia, and highlighted new-
ly-released guidance,
which will make it easier
for teams in the field to
secure
Personal
lifesaving
Protestive
Equipment. — PTI
NORTH KOREA
PEOPLE WARNED
AGAINST COVID
STRUGGLE
Seoul, May 4: Isolated
North Korea is warning
its people to brace for a
prolonged struggle aga-
inst the Coronavirus, cla-
iming that broadening
outbreaks and muddled
immunisation
grammes in other coun-
pro-
tries show vaccines are-
n’t the ultimate solution.
The column published
on Pyongyang’s official
Rodong Sinmun newspa-
per came amid questions
on when and how vac-
cines would arrive in
North Korea. The UN-
backed programme to
ship Covid-19 vaccines
worldwide said in Febr-
uary that North Korea
could receive 1.9 million
vaccine doses.
However, Covax has si-
nce warned of global sh-
ortages because the Se-
rum Institute of India,
which is licensed to pro-
duce the AstraZeneca va-
ccine, is putting its sup-
plies into domestic
demand. — AP
violence in Ethiopia, Iran
and North Korea, Som-
alia, the Sahel and west-
ern Balkans, as part of
what London said were
“pressing geopolitical
issues that threaten to
undermine democracy,
freedoms and human
rights”.
Britain’s Foreign
Secretary Dominic Raab
met his US counterpart
Secretary of State Antony
Blinken on Monday with
both pushing a firm line
on the need for a more
unified approach.
— AFP
 WORLD
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
SHORT
UK ADOPTS 3D
SCANS FOR RAPID
TAKES
HEART DIAGNOSIS
London: Britain’s health serv-
ice announced on Tuesday that
it is rolling out revolutionary
technology to diagnose and
treat around 100,000 patients
with suspected heart disease,
five times faster than normal.
The National Health Service
(NHS) said the technology
known as HeartFlow turns a
regular CT scan of the heart
into a 3D image allowing doc-
tors to diagnose life-threaten-
ing coronary heart disease in
just 20 minutes. Previously
patients would have to go into
hospital for an invasive and
time-consuming angiogram.
“The NHS Long Term Plan
committed to cutting strokes,
heart attacks and other major
killers as well as ensuring pat-
ients would benefit from cut-
ting edge therapies and tech-
niques and HeartFlow is just
the latest example of that,”
said NHS medical director
Stephen Powis.
SIKH MAN
ATTACKED WITH
HAMMER IN NY
New York: A Sikh man was
attacked with a hammer by a a
person of colour who shouted
at him “I don’t like you” and
“You’re not the same skin” at a
hotel in Brooklyn here, promp-
ting a prominent New-York bas-
ed advocacy group to call on in-
vestigators to examine if the
assault was a hate crime inci-
dent.
Sumit Ahluwalia, 32, of
Astoria has said his assailant
was fuelled by racial hatred,
according to a report on New
York Daily News website.
Ahluwalia said the man, a
Black, assaulted him on April
26 at his workplace, the Quality
Inn in Brownsville.
He said the man came into the
lobby of the hotel at around 8
am and started shouting while
the front desk lady asked him if
he needed help.
EU LAWMAKERS
SEEK RELEASE OF
ARMENIAN PoWS
Brussels: More than 120 mem-
bers of European Parliament
have urged the EU to increase
pressure on Azerbaijan to
release Armenian prisoners of
war captured last year in fight-
ing over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We ask you to act to demand
the return of all Armenian
prisoners of war to their coun-
try,” they said, in a letter to the
heads of the European Comm-
ission, European Council and
EU diplomatic service.
It called on the officials —
Ursula von der Leyen, Charles
Michel and Josep Borrell “to
bring all our weight, and use
all levers at our disposal, to
demand that Azerbaijan purely
and solely respect internation-
al law”.
Armenia suffered a harrow-
ing defeat in the six-week war
last year that left at least 6,000
dead on both sides as
Azerbaijan won back swathes
of territory it lost in fighting
some three decades earlier.
Under a Russia-brokered
peace deal on November 9 to
halt the bloodshed, the two
sides agreed to return all pris-
oners of war and the remains
of those killed in the fighting.
NZ BIZMAN GIVES
UP KNIGHTHOOD
POST GUILTY PLEAS
Wellington: A well-known
New Zealand businessman
who was found with hundreds
of child sex abuse images gave
up his knighthood Tuesday
before it was stripped from
him.
Ron Brierley last month
pleaded guilty to three charges
in an Australian court, spark-
ing a rarely invoked procedure
to strip him of the honor he
received more than 30 years
ago.
New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern said her inten-
tion was to remove the title
from Brierley if he hadn’t writ-
ten first to relinquish it.
Ardern said Britain’s Queen
Elizabeth II had been
informed, and that Brierley
will longer be able to use the
honorific Sir.” I think its a
sad day for the children of
New Zealand and, indeed, the
world, when someone is found
guilty of possessing such hor-
rendous images, Ardern told
reporters. It is only right that
there are significant
consequences for that because
as a country, we have to reject
anyone that thinks that is okay.
Ardern said Brierley
had been found with over 1,000
images portraying children
being abused, which had
completely rewritten his
history.
Mexico metro accident kills 23
Mayor Claudia Sheibaum hints at possibility of people getting stuck inside car
Mexico City, May 4: An
elevated section of the
Mexico City metro col-
lapsed and sent a subway
car plunging toward a
busy boulevard late on
Monday, killing at least 23
people and injuring about
70, city officials said.
Rescuers initially
searched a car left dan-
gling from the overpass for
anyone who might be
trapped. Those efforts
were suspended early on
Tuesday, however, because
of safety concerns for
those working near the
precariously dangling car.
A crane was brought in to
help shore it up. “We don’t
know if they are alive,”
Mayor Claudia
Sheinbaum said of the
people possibly trapped
inside the car following
one of the deadliest acci-
dents for the city’s subway
system, which is among
the busiest in the world.
Earlier Sheinbaum said
someone had been pulled
alive from a car that was
trapped on the road below.
She said 49 of the injured
were hospitalised, and
that seven were in serious
condition and undergoing
surgery.
“There are unfortunately
children among the dead,”
Sheinbaum said, without
specifying how many. The
overpass was about 5
meters (16 feet) above the
road in the borough of
Tlahuac, but the train ran
above a concrete median
strip, which apparently
lessened the casualties
among motorists on the
road below. “A support
beam gave way” just as the
PHILIPPINE
DIPLOMAT
APOLOGISES
FOR PROFANITY
Manila, May 4: The
Philippines’ foreign sec-
retary apologised on
Tuesday after tweeting
an obscene phrase dem-
anding China get out of
Philippine-claimed terri-
tory in the South China
Sea in an outburst that
annoyed the Philippine
president.
Foreign Secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr blast-
ed China with the profan-
ity on Monday, when the
Department of Foreign
Affairs announced it had
protested the Chinese
coast guard’s “shadow-
ing, blocking, dangerous
maneuver and radio
challenges” of Phili-
ppine coast guard ships
patrolling and carrying
out exercises from April
24 to 25 at disputed Scar-
borough Shoal. Locsin
also compared China to
“an ugly oaf ” which was
“forcing your attentions
on a handsome guy who
wants to be a friend.”
Locsin said he was
apologising only to his
Chinese counterpart,
Wang Yi, to ensure their
friendship would contin-
ue. “I won’t plead the last
provocation as an excuse
for losing it; but if Wang
Yi is following Twitter,
then I’m sorry for hurt-
ing his feelings, but his
alone,” Locsin tweeted.
President Rodrigo
Duterte, who has nur-
tured friendly ties with
China and its leaders
since taking office in
2016, expressed his irrita-
tion in televised remarks
Monday night.
“Just because we have a
conflict with China does
not mean to say that we
have to be rude and dis-
respectful,” Duterte said.
“We have many things to
thank China for the help
in the past and its assis-
tance now.” — AP
DIGITAL | ASSET
Downfall of Argentine economy fuels crypto craze
Buenos Aires, May 4:
Argentina’s economic
downturn, with high infla-
tion, a deflating currency
and a shortage of US dol-
lars to invest in, has in fact
proved a shot in the arm
for one sector: cryptocur-
rency.
As they seek safe havens
for their dwindling nest
eggs, Argentines — used
to buffering against eco-
nomic crises — have been
putting their money into
Bitcoin, Tether, Etherium
or Dai.
An aerial view of subway cars dangle at an angle from a collapsed elevated section of the metro, in Mexico City, on
Tuesday. The elevated section of Mexico Citys metro collapsed late on Monday killing at least 23 people and
injuring at least 79, city officials said.
train passed over it,
Sheinbaum said.
The Mexico City Metro
has had at least two seri-
ous accidents since its
inauguration half a centu-
ry ago. In March of last
year, a collision between
two trains at the Tacubaya
station left one passenger
dead and injured 41 peo-
Political demonstration
Members of feminist group Femen protest in front of the poll station where the far
right party Vox candidate Rocio Monasterio will vote during the regional election for
a new regional assembly in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. Over 5 million Madrid
residents are voting on Tuesday for a new regional assembly in an election that tests
the depths of resistance to lockdown measures and the divide between left and
right-wing parties.
German man held for
sending threat letters
Berlin, May 4: Police in
Berlin have arrested a 53-
year-old German man on
suspicion of sending
dozens of threatening let-
ters to politicians, lawyers
and journalists that were
signed with the acronym
of a far-right extremist
group, officials said on
Tuesday.
Prosecutors in
Frankfurt, who are han-
dling the case, said the
man was detained in the
German capital on Mon-
day. The suspect, whose
name wasn’t released for
privacy reasons, has pre-
vious convictions for
“numerous crimes, inclu-
ding ones that were moti-
The Latin American country has around two million accounts for crypto trading
“The number of user
accounts for investing in
‘cryptos’ has multiplied by
ten in Argentina since
2020,” said Maximiliano
Hinz, Latin American
director of cryptocurren-
cy exchange Binance, the
world’s largest by trade
volume. There are now an
estimated two million
crypto trading accounts in
the country of 45 million
people.
Argentina has been in
recession since 2018, with
inflation averaging 45 per-
ple. In 2015, a train that did
not stop on time crashed
into another at the Oce-
ania station, injuring 12.
Hundreds of police offi-
cers and firefighters cor-
doned off the scene on
Tuesday as desperate
friends and relatives of
people believed to be on
the train gathered outside
vated by right-wing ideol-
ogy,” prosecutors said.
The letters were signed
“NSU 2.0” — a reference
to the National Socialist
Underground group that
was responsible for a stri-
ng of violent crimes bet-
ween 1998 and 2011, incl-
uding the racially moti-
vated killings of nine men
with immigrant backgro-
unds and a policewoman.
Police think the suspect
sent almost 100 letters to
dozens of people and
organizations across
Germany and Austria
since 2018. German news
agency dpa reported that
investigators think the
suspect may have obt-
● FOR THOSE wishing to
put money aside for a
rainy day, cryptocurren-
cies offer relief from low
interest rates and a gov-
ernment-imposed limit on
greenback purchases of
$200 per month.
cent over the last three
years, and a GDP contrac-
tion of 9.9 percent in 2020.
Poverty haunts two in
five people, and unemploy-
ment is at 11 per cent.
For those wishing to put
the security perimeter.
Despite the fact that the
Coronavirus situation
remains serious in Mexico
City, they crowded togeth-
er as they waited for news.
Adrián Loa Martínez, 46,
said that his mother called
him to tell him that his
half-brother and sister-in-
law were driving when the
— AP
ained personal data on the
people he targeted from
official records or Dar-
knet forums. German sec-
urity agencies warned of
the growing threat of vio-
lent far-right extremism.
In July 2019, a regional
politician from Cha-
ncellor Angela Merkel’s
party was killed by a neo-
Nazi; three months later, a
gunman tried to force his
way into a synagogue on
Yom Kippur, killing two
people. In February of last
year nine people with
immigrant backgrounds
were shot dead in Hanau,
near Frankfurt, by a gun-
man who had called for
genocide. — AP
money aside for a rainy
day, cryptocurrencies
offer relief from low inter-
est rates and a govern-
ment-imposed limit on
greenback purchases of
$200 per month in a popu-
lation accustomed to dol-
larising savings.
One Bitcoin is now
worth about $60,000, or 5.6
million pesos.
“It is no coincidence that
Argentina and Venezuela,
countries with high infla-
tion, are the main crypto
poles in South America,”
— AP/PTI
overpass collapsed and
that a beam fell onto their
car. He said that his sister-
in-law was sent to a hospi-
tal, but that his half-broth-
er José Juan Galindo was
crushed and he feared he
was dead. “He is down
there now,” he told jour-
nalists pointing toward
the site.
China’s UN envoy
seeks Myanmar
coup resolution
United Nations, May 4 :
China’s UN ambassador
on Monday urged
stronger diplomatic
efforts to resolve the con-
frontation in Myanmar
since the Feb. 1 military
coup, warning that fur-
ther violence could lead to
a chaotic situation “and
even a civil war”.
Zhang Jun also warned
that “any wrong han-
dling” might lead to fur-
ther tension in Myanmar.
The UN Security Council
on Friday strongly backed
calls by Southeast Asian
nations for an immediate
cessation of violence and
talks as a first step toward
a solution following the
military coup in Myanm-
ar that ousted civilian le-
ader Aung San Suu Kyi
and her party and rev-
ersed years of slow pr-
ogress toward democracy.
The council again
demanded the restoration
of democracy and the
release of all detainees
including Suu Kyi and
condemned the use of vio-
lence against peaceful
protesters and the deaths
of hundreds of civilians.
Zhang, who described My-
anmar as “a friendly
neighbour”, strongly bac-
ked diplomatic efforts by
the Association of Sout-
heast Asian Nations
known as ASEAN and by
UN special envoy for
Myanmar Christine
Schraner Burgener, and
expressed hope they
would produce results. He
said “China is not in favor
of imposing sanctions.”
“We should really be cre-
ating a more favourable
environment for bringing
the country back to nor-
mal and finding a political
solution through dia-
logues among the relevant
political parties within
said Marcos Zocaro, a spe-
cialist in digital assets.
Where previously cryp-
tocurrency may have been
the reserve of tech wiz-
ards, trading platforms
“have evolved to create
bridges to a public without
financial education,” said
Sebastian Valdecantos, an
economist and founder of
Moneda PAR, an online
Argentine credit system.
On some platforms it
requires just two clicks to
make a purchase or sale.
Also no longer limited to
Gisela Rioja Castro, 43,
was looking for her hus-
band, 42-year-old Miguel
Ángel Espinoza. She said
that her husband always
takes that train after fin-
ishing work at a store, but
he never arrived home and
had stopped answering his
phone. When she heard
what happened, she imme-
diately feared the worst
but has received no infor-
mation from the authori-
ties. “Nobody knows any-
thing,” she said.
The collapse occurred on
the newest of the Mexico
City subway’s lines, Line
12, which stretches far into
the city’s south side. Like
many of the city’s dozen
subway lines, it runs un-
derground through more
central areas of the city of
9 million, but then runs on
elevated concrete structu-
res on the city’s outskirts.
The collapse could repre-
sent a major blow for
Mexican Foreign Relat-
ions Secretary Marcelo
Ebrard, who was Mexico
City’s mayor from 2006 to
2012, when Line 12 was
built, and who is consid-
ered a potential presiden-
tial candidate in 2024 elec-
tions. Allegations about
poor design and construc-
tion on the subway line
emerged soon after Ebrard
left office as mayor. The
line had to be partly closed
in 2013 so tracks could be
repaired. Ebrard wrote on
Twitter: “What happened
today on the Metro is a ter-
rible tragedy.” “Of course,
the causes should be inves-
tigated and those responsi-
ble should be identified,”
he wrote. — AP
● ZHANG JUN warns
that “any wrong han-
dling” might lead to
further tension in
Myanmar.
● MYANMAR FOR five
decades had lan-
guished under strict
military rule that led to
international isolation
and sanctions.
the constitutional and
legal framework,” he said.
Myanmar for five
decades had languished
under strict military rule
that led to international
isolation and sanctions.
As the generals loosened
their grip, culminating in
Suu Kyi’s rise to
leadership in 2015 elec-
tions, the international
community responded by
lifting most sanctions and
pouring investment into
the country. The coup
took place following
November elections,
which Suu Kyi’s party
won overwhelmingly and
the military contends was
marred by fraud.
“It’s mainly an issue
relating to the difference
on the election,” Zhang
said. "The political par-
ties should be able to find
a solution on that. So
that's why China prefers
... more diplomatic
efforts.” “That’s why
China is working very
closely with the relevant
parties urging them really
to refrain from going
extreme, avoiding vio-
lence, avoiding casualties,
and try to find a solution
with dialogue. That’s why
the council is also now
giving full support to the
diplomatic efforts of
ASEAN,” he said. — AP
the rich, Argentines from
all backgrounds and age
groups are getting on bo-
ard, with investments pos-
sible from a single peso.
“I have older clients who
used to be afraid of mak-
ing a fixed deposit with a
bank but are buying cryp-
tocurrency without fear of
risk,” said Zocaro.
In Argentina, it is
becoming increasingly
common to buy and sell
everything on sites operat-
ing in virtual currency.
— AFP
pg 10
LANKA DEFERS
DEBATE ON
CHINA-BACKED
COLOMBO PORT
Colombo, May 4: The
Sri Lankan Parliament
on Tuesday postponed a
debate on the controver-
sial Colombo Port City
Economic Commission
Bill which was sched-
uled for discussion on
Wednesday.
All party leaders in the
House agreed that the
debate should be
rescheduled as the
Supreme Court’s deter-
mination on the consti-
tutionality of the bill
had not yet reached
Parliament, officials
said. The USD 1.4-billion
Colombo Port City proj-
ect, expected to play a
key role in China’s ambi-
tious ‘Maritime Silk
Road’ project in India’s
backyard, is said to be
the single largest private
sector development in
the island.
China has built the
port city on reclaimed
sea, adjoining the Port of
Colombo. The Colombo
Port City Economic
Commission Bill aims to
provide for a special eco-
nomic zone to establish
a commission to grant
registrations, licenses,
authorisations and
other approvals to oper-
ate business in such eco-
nomic zones. As per the
schedule on
Wednesday, the
Supreme Court’s deter-
mination of the bill was
to be read in Parliament
by Speaker Mahinda
Yapa Abeywardena
before the House was
opened to debate on it.
However, the determina-
tion has not yet reached
Parliament.
The apex court had
concluded the examina-
tion of the bill on April
23. The Supreme Court
has heard 18 petitions
filed against the bill by
the Opposition parties
and civil groups. Some
of the pleas called for
the Supreme Court to
order a national referen-
dum and a vote of two-
thirds majority in
Parliament to pass the
bill. The bill was
gazetted on March 24
and placed in the order
paper of Parliament on
April 9. — PTI
UN CONDEMNS
‘EXCESSIVE’ USE
OF FORCE IN
COLOMBIA STIRS
Geneva, May 4: The UN
rights office condemned
on Tuesday the “exces-
sive use of force” by
security officers in
Colombia, after numer-
ous deaths during days
of protests against a pro-
posed tax reform.
The Office of the
United Nations High
Commissioner
Human Rights voiced
“profound shock” at the
for
latest incident overnight
in the city of Cali in
which police are alleged
to have “opened fire” on
demonstrators, report-
edly killing and injuring
a number of people.
It called for calm on all
sides ahead of a planned
mass protest on
Wednesday, and stressed
that security forces
should only use firearms
as a last resort.
Spokeswoman Marta
Hurtado told reporters
in Geneva that the situa-
tion remained volatile.
“What we can say
clearly is that we have
received reports, and we
have witnesses, (of) exce-
ssive use of force by sec-
urity officers, shooting,
live ammunition being
used, beatings of demon-
strators and as well
detentions,” she said.
Protesters in Colombia
called on Monday for a
new mass rally after 19
people died and more
than 800 were wounded
in clashes during five
days of demonstrations,
according to official fig-
ures.
Separately, a European
Union spokesman said
the bloc also condemned
“the death of the people
killed during those
protests, reports are say-
ing that amounts to at
least 19 victims, and one
police officer.” — AFP
● UN CALLS for calm on
all sides ahead of a
planned mass protest on
Wednesday, and stre-
ssed on usage of
firearms as a last resort.
 HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
quick
Cold summer
BITES for durables
INDICATORS % ADITI KHANNA
Sensex 48,253.51 -0.95
Nifty 50 14,496.50 -0.94
S&P 500* 4,135.43 -1.37
Dollar (`) 73.86 0.08
Pound Sterling (`) 102.51 -0.09
Euro (`) 88.68 0.46
Gold (10gm)* (`) 46,758▼97 0.20
Brent crude ($/bbl)* 68.82 1.87
IN 10-Yr bond yield 6.015 0.00
US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 1.578 -0.028
* As of 8:30 PM IST
Telcos get nod
for 5G trials, no
Chinese tech
The DoT approved applications
of telecom companies—Reli-
ance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone
and MTNL—for conducting 5G
trials but none of them will be
using technologies of Chinese
entities. The list of telecom gear
makers approved for trials
include Ericsson, Nokia,
Samsung, C-DOT and Reliance
Jio's indigenously developed
technologies. This means that
Chinese gear makers will not be
part of the 5G trials.
Steel makers hike
prices of HRC,
CRC by `4,500/t
Steel makers have hiked the
prices of hot rolled coil (HRC)
and cold rolled coil (CRC) by
Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500 per
tonne, respectively, sources
said. After the price revision, the
cost of a tonne of HRC will be
Rs 67,000 and CRC, Rs 80,000.
The price revisions have been
made in the last three days, the
sources said. They said the
prices of HRC and CRC could
again be increased by Rs 2,000-
4,000 per tonne.
RBL Bank Q4 net
dives 34% as
provisions rise
Small-sized lender RBL Bank
reported a 34 per cent decline in
its March quarter profit to Rs 75
crore compared to Rs 114 crore
in the year-ago period due to
provisioning for possible loan
losses in the retail unsecured
segments. The Mumbai-based
lender's net profit for FY21
increased marginally to Rs 508
crore from Rs 506 crore. The
bank's core net interest income
was down 11 per cent during the
quarter at Rs 906 crore.
CIL work slowed
as employees
catch Covid-19
Coal India Ltd said its opera-
tions slowed down with more
than 5,400 of its employees
and their wards across sub-
sidiaries testing positive for the
coronavirus. But offtake rose to
54.1 million tonne last month.
"Offtake could have been even
higher but the pandemic
spread afflicted over 5,400
company's employees and their
wards across subsidiaries,
including contractual workers,
slowing down the operations.
Printed & Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Limited, Printed at
Deccan Chronicle Press at Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Ltd. #563/9/D&9/E,
Behind Andhra Bank Pet Basheerbagh,
Kompally, Ranga Reddy Dist. Editor:
T.Venkatram Reddy, RNI Reg
No.APENG/2008/24282. © All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without written permission of The Editor,
Financial Chronicle ® is
prohibited.
Sales, production halve in busy season
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, MAY 4
After a total washout last
summer, consumer
durables, especially cool-
ing products, are facing
yet another difficult sum-
mer. While sales are
almost half of 2019 sum-
mer, production is down
by 60 to 70 per cent.
"Due to the nation-wide
lockdown last year, sum-
mer sales were completely
lost. This time, the second
wave and the lockdowns
in some of the states and
an overall fear about the
pandemic has affected the
sales. If we compare with
a good summer of 2019,
this year's sales are 45 to
50 per cent," said Kamal
Nandi, head executive VP,
business at Godrej Group.
The onset of the summer
season was strong, as the
distribution channels
were stocking up in
March. Expected price
hikes in April on account
of rising commodity
prices also led to the
demand across the chan-
nel. However, the second
DELL AMONG 19 FIRMS APPLIED FOR HARDWARE PLI SCHEME
SANGEETHA G
CHENNAI, MAY 4
The government has
received applications from
19 companies for the pro-
duction-linked incentive
(PLI) scheme for IT hard-
ware.
The electronic equipment
manufacturing companies
that have applied under the
Bajaj pledges `200 crore, Top jewellery maker to shun mined diamonds
Tata to fly in O2 tankers
MICHAEL GONSALVES
with agency inputs
PUNE, MAY 4
Bajaj Group on Tuesday
committed Rs 200 crore to
India's fight against the
deadly second wave of
Covid-19, which has paral-
ysed Asia's third biggest
economy, even as India's
biggest conglomerate,
Tata Group, assembled its
resources to save precious
lives lost from a severe
shortage of oxygen.
The Baja Group's pledge
of Rs 200 is in addition to
the Rs 100 crore that the
group had donated last
year to fight the pandemic.
The Pune-based auto
major said the financial
support will be utilised to
alleviate the on-ground
challenges and to build
capability and stock
resources to tackle a possi-
ble third wave.
Bajaj Group facilitated
in the procurements of 12
oxygen plants to provide
more than 5,000 LPM
(litres per minute) supply
to rural and urban hospi-
tals along with medical
life-saving equipment like
oxygen concentrators,
ventilators and BiPaps
(Bi-level positive airway
pressure) to help in treat-
ing patients suffering
from Covid-19.
"We wish to extend our
deepest gratitude to all
healthcare, sanitation &
emergency support staff
and local administrations
for their dedicated and
VOLVO CAR INDIA
HIKES PRICES
MICHAEL GONSALVES
PUNE, MAY 4
Swedish luxury car maker
Volvo Car India has
increased the prices of its
luxury sedan S90 and pre-
mium SUVs, XC40, XC60
and XC90 ranging from Rs
1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh effective
from May 3. It also hinted
that the price of the Volvo
models will see another
price hike later this year.
After the price revision,
the Volvo S90 D4
Inscription will be avail-
able at Rs 60.90 lakh, while
the Volvo S60 T4
Inscription will be avail-
able at Rs 45.90 lakh.
Covid wave has been a
dampener for secondary
sales across key geogra-
phies in the country, with
the south faring marginal-
ly better than other
regions, says Motilal
Oswal Financial Services.
For cooling products like
air-conditioners, air-cool-
ers and fans, almost 50 per
cent of the yearly sales
happens during the March
to May season.
Further, production also
is down to 30-40 per cent of
the 2019 summer, as the
oxygen needed at produc-
tion units has been divert-
ed for Covid patients.
Most of the units are
either shut or working at a
category IT hardware com-
panies are Dell, ICT
(Wistron), Flextronics,
Rising Stars Hi-Tech
(Foxconn) and Lava.
Fourteen companies have
filed applications under
the 'domestic companies'
category, which include
Dixon, Infopower (JV of
Sahasra and MiTAC),
Bhagwati (Micromax),
tireless effort to contain
the spread, amidst adver-
sity.
"As the nation grapples
with this second wave of
the pandemic, we as a
group, continue to remain
steadfast in our commit-
ment towards extending
all our support and care in
helping the affected com-
munities at large to tide
through these unprece-
dented times," Rahul
Bajaj, chairman-emeritus
at Bajaj Auto, said.
Tata Group will airlift 60
cryogenic oxygen tankers
from abroad and build
around 400 oxygen gener-
ating units that can be
used by hospitals in small-
er towns.
Besides, the group
makes around 5,000 beds
available for Covid-care,
with various group firms
coming together in the
fight against Covid-19.
The group is also
reskilling some of its staff,
especially within Indian
Hotels, which has convert-
ed many of its hotels into
Covid-care facilities.
"As we speak, we are
making available around
900 MT of oxygen per day,
that is Tata Steel alone,"
said Banmali Agrawala,
president-infrastructure,
defence & aerospace and
global corporate affairs,
Tata Sons.
Agrawala also lauded the
government for providing
planes from the Air Force
to bring some of the con-
tainers.
SUSTAINABLE | SOLUTION
Insects fed food waste to become fish feed
JASMINE NG
MAY 4
A Singaporean company will
feed airport food waste to crick-
ets and mealworms before turn-
ing them into fish feed, aiming to
cut the country's use of imported
feed and offer a sustainable alter-
native.
Blue Aqua International will
partner dnata, an air and travel
services provider, to convert
organic waste from its catering
and ground handling operations
at Singapore's Changi Airport
into insect protein for aquacul-
tural use, according to a state-
ment on Tuesday.
fraction of their capaci-
ties, said Nandi.
Though manufacturing
is down, there is no let up
in the uptrend in commod-
ity prices, with prices of
metals such as copper, alu-
minium and steel going
up by 16 per cent, 7 per
cent and 10 per cent,
respectively, in a quarter.
Prices have zoomed 30 to
60 per cent in a year. The
trouble is that despite the
higher input costs, con-
sumer durable companies
were not able to hike
prices in April due to sub-
dued demand and aggres-
sive marketing by deep-
pocketed players like
Samsung.
Syrma, Orbic, Neolync,
Optiemus, Netweb, VVDN,
Smile Electronics, Panache
Digilife,
Workstations
HLBS, RDP
and
Coconics.
The target IT hardware
segments under the pro-
posed scheme include lap-
tops, tablets, all-in-one per-
sonal computers and
servers.
CHRISTIAN WIENBERG
MAY 4
Pandora A/S, which
makes more pieces of jew-
ellery than any other com-
pany in the world, will
stop using mined dia-
monds as part of a broad-
er strategy to drop raw
materials associated with
unethical production
methods.
Despite decades of
reform, the global jew-
ellery market remains
tainted by reports of
human rights abuses at
mines and factories. To
address such concerns,
Tiffany & Co. last year
started providing cus-
tomers with details of
newly sourced, individu-
ally registered diamonds
that trace a stone's path all
the way back to the mine.
Pandora, which is based
in Copenhagen, said on
Tuesday it will now only
use diamonds manufac-
tured in laboratories. The
company is set to release
its first collection using
lab-made stones in the UK,
and will turn to other
Chip stocking strategy helps Hyundai: COO
GABRIELLE COPPOLA
MAY 4
Hyundai Motor Co. and
Toyota Motor Co. kept
ordering semiconductors
last year even after the
pandemic crushed auto
sales. Both were rewarded
with record April deliver-
Company will feed food waste to crickets and mealworms
The project looks to replace tra-
ditional fish and soybean meal as
the main sources of protein for
aquafeed. The insects will eat the
Serum leads Bill and Melinda Gates to
cross-sector
divorce with $146 bn at stake
investments
into UK DINA BASS,
SOPHIE ALEXANDER &
DEVON PENDLETON
LONDON, MAY 4
MAY 4
Bill and Melinda Gates,
Serum Institute of India who for decades have
will invest 240 million overseen one of history's
pounds in the UK to greatest fortunes and
expand its vaccine busi- philanthropic operations,
ness and set up a new said they plan to divorce.
sales office, creating a The announcement on
large number of jobs, Monday that the couple is
Downing Street announ- splitting after 27 years of
ced as part of plans for a marriage has the power to
1-billion pound India-UK ripple through the tech-
Enhanced Trade Part- nology industry, a vast
nership creating around portfolio of business and
6,500 jobs in Britain. real estate holdings and
The announcement into the realms of global
came ahead of a virtual health, climate change
summit between Prime policy and social issues,
Ministers Boris Johnson including equality for
and Narendra Modi on women.
Tuesday. The pair, who command
The Pune-based vac-
cine-maker headed by
an estimated $146 billion,
according to the
CEO Adar Poonawalla is
among a list of nearly 20
Indian companies across
Bloomberg Billionaires
Index, made no public
hint of their financial
sectors such as health- plans, though they
care, biotech and soft- emphasised that they will
ware services to cooperate on continuing
announce significant their philanthropy.
investment plans in the "After a great deal of
UK this week. It was also thought and a lot of work
revealed that Serum on our relationship, we
Institute has started have made the decision to
phase-I trials in the UK end our marriage," the
of a nasal vaccine two said in a brief state-
against the coronavirus. ment posted on Twitter.
"The sales office is "We have raised three
expected to generate new incredible children and
business worth over $1 built a foundation that
billion, 200 million
pounds of which will be
works all over the world to
enable all people to lead
invested into the UK," healthy, productive lives."
Downing Street said.
"Serum's investment
Bill Gates, the 65-year-
old co-founder of
will support clinical tri-
als, research & develop-
Microsoft Corp, ranks as
the world's fourth-richest
ment and possibly manu- person. Melinda Gates, 56,
facturing of vaccines. is a former Microsoft
This will help the UK manager who's gained
and the world to defeat international prominence
the coronavirus,” it said. co-running the Bill &
— PTIs Melinda Gates
markets in 2022. stand on its raw materials
The decision to shun as investors increasingly
mined diamonds comes focus on sustainability.
less than a year after Nordea's asset manage-
Pandora pledged to stop
relying on newly mined
ment unit recently said it
plans only to hold securi-
gold and silver in its jew-
ellery. By 2025, its entire
ties that live up to envi-
ronmental, social and gov-
production will use only ernance standards across
recycled precious metals all its portfolios.
as part of a plan to ensure To be sure, Pandora uses
its operations are carbon relatively few diamonds in
neutral within four years. its production. The com-
Pandora's lab-made dia- pany, which has branded
monds are grown from itself a maker of afford-
carbon with more than 60 able trinkets, used mined
per cent renewable energy diamonds in about 50,000
on average, a ratio that's pieces last year out of a
set to rise to 100 per cent total of roughly 85 million
next year. pieces of jewellery.
The company is taking a Pandora also highlight-
ies. South Korea's world idled plants a year
Hyundai sold 77,523 units ago as part of the broader
last month, up 128 per cent
from a year ago. The
shutdown to curb Covid-
19. Many carmakers
Japanese auto giant's US slashed orders for semi-
sales grew 183 per cent to conductors to keep a lid on
239,311 vehicles, including costs. Now, with auto
the Toyota and Lexus
brands.
demand roaring back and
c o n s u m e r- e l e c t r o n i c s
Automakers around the companies gobbling up all
food waste and convert it into
body biomass containing about
60 per cent protein. The dried
larvae will then be made into
feed.
Insects are emerging as a sus-
tainable solution to several prob-
lems. Using a fraction of land
and emitting less carbon, they
turn food waste into feed and
offer an alternative source of
protein. Ynsect SAS, a French
startup that breeds mealworms
to feed fish and pets, attracted
money from investors, including
"Iron Man" movie actor Robert
Downey Jr. in a round of fund-
raising last year.
The deal will give Singapore's
Bill Gates
Foundation. It's already
given away more than $50
billion.
They will remain co-
chairs and trustees of the
foundation, a spokesper-
son for the organisation
wrote in an emailed state-
ment.
"No changes to their
roles or the organisation
are planned," according to
the statement. "They will
continue to work together
to shape and approve
foundation strategies,
advocate for the founda-
tion's issues, and set the
organisation's overall
direction."
The couple filed for
divorce in King County on
Monday, an online search
of court dockets shows.
They have a separation
agreement, according to a
copy of a divorce petition
posted by the website
TMZ, which doesn't elabo-
rate on the terms. It calls
their marriage "irretriev-
ably broken."
It's the second bomb-
shell divorce among the
uppermost ranks of the
world's richest people in
recent years, following
the 2019 separation
announcement of Jeff
Bezos and MacKenzie
Scott.
That split, which divid-
ed the couple's stake in
Amazon.com Inc, immedi-
ately made MacKenzie
ed price as a considera-
tion behind its decision.
Lab-made stones cost
about a third of mined
ones and the switch will
make diamond jewellery
accessible to more con-
sumers, it said.
Global diamond sales fell
15 per cent in 2020 due to
lockdowns, travel restric-
tions and economic uncer-
tainty, according to a
research report by the
Antwerp World Diamond
Centre and Bain & Co.
Production of rough dia-
monds fell 20 per cent in
2020 and prices declined
by 11 per cent.
The market for lab-creat-
ed stones currently enjoys
double-digit growth, with
younger customers in par-
ticular keen to identify
sustainable producers,
according to the Bain
report. The lab-made dia-
monds will have the same
physical characteristics
as mined stones, Pandora
said. The new collection
will include rings, ban-
gles, necklaces and ear-
rings, it said.
—Bloomberg
the excess chip-making
capacity, they've been
caught flat-footed.
"Most of our competitors
decided to cut the orders,"
Jose Munoz, Hyundai's
global chief operating
officer, said in an inter-
view. "We saw the market
differently." —Bloomberg
farmers access to domestically
produced animal feed, which is
traditionally purchased from
overseas. The Southeast Asian
nation imports more than 90 per
cent of its food and has set a goal
to produce a third of its food
locally by 2030. It also aims to
achieve an overall recycling rate
of 70 per cent by then. Currently,
less than 20 per cent of
Singapore's food waste is recy-
cled.
As part of the partnership,
Dubai-based dnata will add Blue
Aqua to its list of suppliers to
purchase locally farmed seafood
for its catering operations.
— Bloomberg
pg 11
Melinda Gates
one of the world's richest
people. In the months that
followed, she became one
of the most influential
philanthropists in the
world, giving away bil-
lions of dollars to often
overlooked causes among
billionaire donors.
But for Bill and Melinda
Gates, separating assets
potentially poses a bigger
challenge than dividing
the Bezos fortune, which
was largely concentrated
in Amazon stock.
Bill Gates's net worth
originated with Microsoft
but shares of the soft-
ware-maker now probably
make up less than 20 per
cent of his assets. He's
shifted much of his stake
into the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation over
the years and his exact
stake hasn't been dis-
closed since he left
Microsoft's board last
year.
Gates's biggest asset is
Cascade Investment, a
holding company he cre-
ated with the proceeds of
Microsoft stock sales and
dividends that's run by
Michael Larson. Through
Cascade, Gates has inter-
ests in real estate, energy
and hospitality as well as
stakes in dozens of public
companies, including
Canadian National
Railway and Deere & Co.
—Bloomberg
DIESEL TO HAVE
BIODIESEL MIX
FROM USED
COOKING OIL
New Delhi, May 4: India
on Tuesday began experi-
menting with doping
diesel with a small portion
of biodiesel extracted
from leftover cooking oil
in kitchens to cut reliance
on imports as well as
reducing carbon emis-
sions.
Diesel, India's most used
fuel, is made from crude
oil, for which the nation is
85 per cent dependent on
imports. Imports can be
reduced if a portion of
diesel extracted from fos-
sil oil is supplemented by
an equally combustible
diesel.
Bio-diesel can be pro-
duced from vegetable oil,
animal fat, tallow and
waste cooking oil, Indian
Oil Corporation (IOC)
chairman S. M. Vaidya
said at a function to
launch diesel doped with
used cooking oil (Uco).
To start with, 7 per cent
biodiesel extracted from
Uco is being doped in
diesel and the supply of
such fuel was started on
Tuesday.
As much as 23 million
tonnes of edible oil is con-
sumed in the country
annually. Out of this, 3
million tonnes of oil is dis-
carded after use and is
called used cooking oil, he
said. "There is a potential
to generate 222 crore litres
of Uco annually but no
structure exists for collec-
tion of waste cooking oil,"
he said.
To encourage this, the oil
companies floated an
expression of interest
(EoI) seeking biodiesel
made from Uco, offering a
fixed price for five years
and a guaranteed offtake
for 10 years.
As many as 30 LOIs have
been issued at the indus-
try level (by IOC, Bharat
Petroleum Corporation
Ltd and Hindustan Petro-
leum Corporation Ltd)
which will give 26.62 crore
litre of biodiesel in years
to come, it was informed
at the function.
India consumed 72.7 mil-
lion tonnes (about 8,000
crore litres) of diesel in
the fiscal year 2021.
The first lot of used
cooking oil-based
biodiesel blended diesel
was flagged off by oil min-
ister Dharmendra
Pradhan. — PTI
 GAMES
DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 5 MAY 2021
pg 12

INDIA MAY LOSE THE CUP

SHORT TAKES
Padukone tests
+ve, hospitalised
New Delhi: Legendary Indian
badminton player Prakash
Padukone has tested positive
for COVID-19 and is recovering
from the infection at a hospital
T20 World Cup set for UAE shift with 3rd wave expected in Nov.
in Bengaluru. The 65-year-old, New Delhi, May 4: This
who is the first Indian to win year’s T20 World Cup is
the prestigious All England set to be moved from India snippets
Championships title in 1980, is to the UAE with the BCCI
likely to be discharged later
this week. “Around 10 days
acknowledging that none
of the participating teams BCCI to incur `2,000 crore loss
back, Prakash, his wife (Ujjala) would be “comfortable”

and second daughter (Anisha),
they developed symptoms and
got themselves tested and the
results came out to be posi-
tive,” Vimal Kumar, a close
friend of the legendary shuttler
and director at the Prakash
Padukone Badminton Academy
(PPBA) said. “They got them-
selves isolated but after a week
Prakash’s fever didn't come
down, so last Saturday, he was
admitted to a hospital here in
Bengaluru. He is okay now.”
— PTI
Top boxing official
dies of Covid-19
New Delhi: The Boxing
Federation of India’s Executive
Director R. K. Sacheti died on
Tuesday after battling COVID-
19. He was 56. The long-serving
administrator was fighting the
dreaded infection at a hospital
here for the past few days and
was on ventilator support.
“With a deep sense of sorrow &
grief, we inform you that Mr. RK
Sacheti, ED (BFI) left for heav-
enly abode today morning, cre-
ating a huge void in the sports
world,” the BFI said in a state-
ment. BFI President Ajay Singh
said Sacheti was the “life and
soul” of the national federation.
“Indian boxing reaching such
heights in the last few years
was largely his contribution. We
will miss him dearly. Boxing will
miss him. Indian sport will miss
him. Rest in peace my dear
friend. We will always be proud
of you,” Singh said. — PTI
Hockey League
matches put off
Lausanne: India’s upcoming FIH
Hockey Pro League away fix-
tures against Spain and
Germany later this month have
been postponed due to the
international travel restrictions
imposed in the wake of surging
Covid-19 cases in the Asian
country, the world body (FIH)
informed on Tuesday. The
coming here because “a
third wave” of Covid-19
cases is expected at the
time of the event.
While a final decision
will be taken in a month’s
time but it is understood
that even the Indian crick-
et board is jittery about
holding the 16-team tour-
nament in October-
November after the ongo-
ing IPL had to be suspend-
ed because of multiple
Covid-19 cases inside the
bio-bubble.
It’s learnt BCCI officials
have had very recent dis-
cussions with some of the
top decision-makers in the
central government and a
shift to the UAE has been
more or less agreed upon.
The dates of the marquee
competition, which was
planned across nine ven-
ues, have not yet been
finalised.
“The suspension of IPL
within four weeks is an
indicator that it's not real-
ly safe to host a global
event of that magnitude at
a time when the country is
fighting its worst health
crisis in last 70 years,” a
senior BCCI source privy
to development said on
conditions of anonymity.
“There is a chance of a
third wave hitting the
Indian shores in
November. So while BCCI
will remain the hosts, the
tournament will probably
shift to the UAE,” he
added.
Health experts have
warned of a third wave in
India in September, a view
that has been shared by
Maharashtra health min-
ister Rajesh Tope.
The dire situation in
India, where a daily addi-
tion of over 3 lakh new
BCCI assures safe return for foreigners
New Delhi, May 4: IPL
A groundsman fumigates the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
cases has continued for
the past many days, has
shaken most of the mem-
ber boards and the ICC is
unlikely to take a risk
with safety of interna-
tional cricket teams.
“You can be rest assured
that most of the top
nations wouldn't like to
tour India within next six
months unless the situa-
tion comes to normalcy.
The players and their fam-
ilies would be very wary
to travel if they are in the
middle of another surge.
“So expect BCCI to agree
with shift of tournament
to UAE,” another source
also chipped in.
He said IPL’s suspension
after a string of positive
cases has made the offi-
cialdom very jittery of
taking any more risks.
“The IPL in India was a
platform to prove to the
world as well as partici-
concerned about return-
pating nations that it is
safe to host a tournament
even when the second
wave is hitting its peak.
“It was going well but
the bio bubble has now
become porous. What's the
guarantee it won't happen
again in October-
November. Nations like
Australia, England and
New Zealand are almost
certain to have travel
advisories in place,” he
argued.
One of the biggest rea-
sons for conducting the
tournament in the UAE is
that it can be kept to three
grounds — Sharjah,
Dubai and Abu Dhabi —
and there is no air travel.
“Look six venues for IPL
was always a dangerous
proposition when they
successfully managed
with three during the last
edition,” the source said.
— PTI
HOSTING IPL IN INDIA WAS RIGHT
CALL, SAYS PUNJAB KINGS OWNER
New Delhi, May 4:
Punjab Kings co-owner
Ness Wadia on Tuesday
backed the BCCI’s deci-
sion to host IPL-14 in
India amid the Covid-19
threat, saying that was the
“right call” before the sit-
uation deteriorated quick-
ly.
Wadia welcomed the
decision to suspend the
league for the time being.
“Best decision has been
taken given the circum-
stances. Lot of people are
suffering in India,” Wadia
said.
As far as hosting the
event was concerned at
the first place, he said,
“Due diligence was done
before the IPL but no one
of India due to the COVID
— IPL
is perfect. The right call
was taken to hold it in
India ahead of the World
Cup it is just unfortunate
that situation deteriorat-
ed so quickly.”
Wadia added, “If the
ground staff wasn’t part
of the whole bubble then
that needs to be fixed.
Also cutting down the
venues also need to be
considered forward to
reduce the risk.”
He said holding the
league in UAE, which
hosted it last year due to
the pandemic back home,
would not made any dif-
ference. “Everyone tried
their best sometimes it
works sometimes it does-
n’t.” — PTI
least May 15 and will not
A
dvertisers on the Indian Premier League
remained silent about losses due to indefinite
suspension of the tournament, although indus-
try insiders said it was the right thing to do consider-
ing the current surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Harsh Jain, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder,
Dream11 & Dream Sports said, “We agree with BCCI's
decision to postpone the IPL. Focussing on tackling
the current crisis in India, along with ensuring the
health and safety of players, is far more important
than any business impact.” Star India, the official
broadcasters of Indian Premier League, also support-
ed BCCI’s decision to postpone the tournament.
In case players are available only for a part of the
tournament, the salaries are paid on pro-rata basis
which means “assigning an amount to one person
according to their share of the whole”.
However, a senior player said that pro-rata is only
applicable when a player voluntarily makes himself
available for only a part of the tournament based on
the matches available. In this case, the organisers have
halted the event so the franchises are likely to pay for
at least half of the season.
Aussies off to the Maldives?
W ith their country shut for all those flying from
India, the now suspended IPL’s Australian con-
tingent, comprising players, support staff and com-
mentators, is expected to head to Maldives before tak-
ing a connecting flight for home. “A mass exodus of
Australian players, coaches and support staff to the
Maldives is the expected remedy to a dilemma created
by the postponement of the 2021 IPL and the current
closure of the Australian border to citizens currently
in India during its rampant Covid-19 outbreak,”
ESPNcricinfo reported.
“There are close to 40 Australians in the IPL bubble
comprising players, coaching staff and commentators.
The likes of Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Glenn
Maxwell, Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich are expect-
ed to join commentator Michael Slater, who had
already headed to the Maldives as a temporary post,”
the report added.
It’s heartbreaking for KP
F ormer England cricketer Kevin Pietersen took to
Twitter on Tuesday to express his thoughts on the
ongoing Covid-19 crisis in India. In a tweet, Pietersen
expressed that he is heartbroken to see the things that
are happening in a country that he loves so much.
“India — it’s heartbreaking to see a country I love so
much suffering! Crying face. You WILL get through
this! You WILL be stronger coming out of this! Your
kindness & generosity NEVER goes unnoticed even
during this crisis,” he wrote.

Behrendorff chips in to donate

Indian men’s hockey team was
scheduled to play against Spain
on May 15 and 16, followed by
the two-leg tie in Germany on
May 23 and 24. “Since the
matches initially planned in
London on 8-9 May were also
postponed we are currently
looking at all potential options
to rearrange these matches at a
later date,” the international
hockey federation said. — PTI
Irregularities found
in Maradona death
Buenos Aires: A medical report
on the death of Diego
Maradona given to prosecutors
chairman Brijesh Patel on
Tuesday said the BCCI
will “find a way” to send
the league’s foreign
recruits back to their
respective countries after
the event was suspended
indefinitely due to a
Covid-19 outbreak in its
bio-bubble.
“We need to send them
home and we will find a
way to do that,” Brijesh
said when asked how will
the foreigners return
home but did not elabo-
rate beyond that.
The foreigners involved
in the lucrative league are
ing to their respective
countries due to travel
restrictions imposed in
the wake of a deadly
resurgence of the pan-
demic in India.
The BCCI had assured
foreign players of a safe
return earlier as well. The
IPL had 14 Australian
players left, after three
pullouts a few days ago,
along with 10 from New
Zealand and 11
Englishmen. South Africa
had 11 players in the
league, which also fea-
tured nine West Indians,
three Afghans and two
● The foreigners
involved in the IPL
are concerned
about returning to
their respective
countries due to
travel restrictions
imposed.
from Bangladesh.
In a joint statement,
Cricket Australia and the
Australian Cricketers
Association said they
respect their govern-
ment’s decision to sus-
pend flights operating out
surge here and will not
seek exemptions for its
players stuck in the coun-
try ravaged by a deadly
second wave of the pan-
demic.
“CA is in direct contact
with the BCCI as they
work through plans to
ensure the safe accommo-
dation and repatriation of
Australian players, coach-
es, match officials and
commentators back home
to Australia. CA and the
ACA respect the decision
of the Australian
Government to pause
travel from India until at
seek exemptions.” They
further stated,
Reacting to the move,
Cricket South Africa
(CSA) said it is in contact
with its players who will
need to home quarantine
on arrival from India as
per the World Health
Organization recommen-
dations.
“Those travelling back
to South Africa will
undergo home quarantine
in line with the current
World Health
Organization recommen-
dations,” it said in a
release. — PTI
C hennai Super Kings pace bowler Jason
Behrendorff announced on Tuesday that he was
making a donation to the UNICEF Australia’s India
Covid-19 Crisis Appeal to help the country in its fight
against the raging pandemic. In a message posted on
his Twitter page, the 31-year-old wrote, “Like most
cricketers, India has always been a special place to me,
it’s a beautiful country, the people are always welcom-
ing, and playing cricket in India is like no other expe-
rience in the world. It is never lost on me how privi-
leged I am to be able to play cricket for a living and
travel to such countries as India, no more so than in
the past 16 months. It’s really horrific and distressing
seeing what is happening at the moment here and
knowing there isn’t much I can do. My thoughts are
never far from those here in India who are being affect-
ed by the virus. I can’t even imagine what you are
going through,” wrote the left-arm bowler.

Chelsea up for Real challenge BCCI got lulled into a

said the Argentine legend ago-
nised for more than 12 hours,
did not receive adequate treat-
ment and could still be alive if
he had been properly hospi-
talised. The medical panel
worked for two months on the
report which was written by
more than 20 doctors. The doc-
ument further complicates the
defence of seven people under
investigation in the case,
including brain surgeon
Leopoldo Luque and psychia-
trist Agustina Cosachov, both of
whom worked for Maradona.
The medical report said “the
patient’s signs of risk of life
were ignored,” adding that
Maradona “showed unequivocal
signs of a prolonged agony
period” of at least 12 hours.
The document also said the
attention Maradona was getting
“did not fulfil the minimum
requirements” — AP
4 Indian women
to play in Hundred
New Delhi: The BCCI has grant-
ed No Objection Certificates to
four Indian women cricketers,
including T20 captain
Harmanpreet Kaur, to play in
the inaugural ‘Hundred’ tourna-
ment in the UK starting on July
21. Opener Smriti Mandhana
and all-rounder Deepti Sharma
are among the four bound for
the 100-ball tournament. The
name of the fourth player is not
yet known. — PTI
Regd. No. HQ/SD/509/2021-23
Printed and Published by
K. Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan
Chronicle Holdings Limited. Printed
at Deccan Chronicle Press situated
at Plot No. 9 Alwal Village, Vallabh
Nagar Taluk, Medchal Malkajgiri
Dist. Telangana and Published at 36,
S.D. Road, Secunderabad-3.
RNI Registration No. 3081/1957.
Editor: Kaushik Mitter
London, May 4: Premier
League powerhouse Chelsea
will be looking to go
through to their first
Champions League final
since the title-winning cam-
paign back in 2012 as they
host European veterans
Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The Blues will welcome
Real to Stamford Bridge still
with much to do after fail-
ing to land the killer blow
when the 13-time European
champions were on the
ropes in last week's first leg.
A 1-1 draw in the Spanish
capital still gives Chelsea
the upper hand thanks to an
away goal, but Thomas
Tuchel’s men could have
had a much more convinc-
ing advantage but for a tale
of two strikers.
In a story of his first sea-
son at Chelsea, Timo
Werner missed a glorious
chance to put his side in
front early as the out-
stretched leg of Madrid
goalkeeper Thibaut
Courtois denied his old
club.
That miss even provoked
criticism from the wife of
Werner's teammate Thiago
Silva. “Every team I go to
there is a striker who keeps
missing goals,” Isabelle da
Silva posted in a since-delet-
ed Instagram message.
At the other end, after
Christian Pulisic had put
Chelsea in front, Karim
Benzema needed barely a
half-chance to blast Real
back on level terms for his
28th goal of the season and
become the joint fourth-
highest goalscorer in
Champions League history.
Those are the sorts of
Real Madrid players arrive in London for their Champions
League second leg match against Chelsea. — Real Madrid
numbers Chelsea expected
when it paid 47 million
pounds ($65 million) for
Werner last June, at a time
when other clubs, including
Madrid, were scrambling to
find the money just to pay
their players as the coron-
avirus pandemic halted
football across Europe.
Backed by Russian oli-
garch Roman Abramovich,
Chelsea was the club least
deterred by the pandemic as
it splashed out a total of 220
million pounds in the trans-
fer market last summer.
That expense has been
rewarded by a return to the
last four of the Champions
League for the first time in
seven years.
Yet, none of the attacking
trio of new signings,
Werner, Kai Havertz and
Hakim Ziyech have consis-
false sense of security
tently shown their best
form.
Havertz and Ziyech start-
ed the first leg on the bench,
but Tuchel has remained
loyal to Werner since taking
charge in January despite
his lack of goals.
The need for a prolific
goalscorer to back up the
significant defensive
improvement since Tuchel
replaced Frank Lampard
has even sparked rumors
Abramovich could be forced
to spend big again.
Chelsea are among a num-
ber of clubs interested in
Borussia Dortmund’s
Erling Haaland.
But Tuchel remains confi-
dent that Werner can prove
to be the consistent finisher
the club need.
“You will not find one
manager who will not add a
20-goal striker to his squad.
I cannot have enough of
them, if you can guarantee
that,” said Tuchel when
asked about interest in
Haaland.
“But this is what Chelsea
bought, they bought Timo
Werner and he is a 20, 30-
goal striker a year. Now he
is struggling a little bit, for
the first time in his career.
In any transfer, there are
risks of adaptations, change
of country, change of men-
tality. It needs time. It's not a
puzzle where you identify
one piece and you go out
and find the exact piece, it’s
more than that and that’s
why there is no rush,”
Tuchel said. — Agencies
T
hat the IPL should
fizzle out prema-
turely and sudden-
ly, while a source of
shock to many, was in
fact always a lurking
threat. One had only to
look back a couple of
months to the Pakistan
Super League, which
was called off when sev-
eral members of one
team tested positive.
In India, whether the
tournament should be
called off on moral
grounds because of the
scale of tragedy and
devastation caused by
the pandemic in the
country was a subject of
hot and protracted
debate, with opinion
divided down the mid-
dle. But the ‘gamechang-
er’ was always going to
be the virus, if it struck.
In hindsight, there are
several things which
now appear could have
been done to ensure a
full tournament. The
BCCI should have been
more proactive to the
threat from the pandem-
ic, not being lulled into a
false sense of security
by the successful con-
duct of the series
against England.
The logistic of the IPL
are far more complex
and demanding, since
the tournament features
far more players/sup-
port and other staff, and
also entails travel,
which is now being
Ayaz Memon
Over The Top
The choice of venues in India seemed
dictated by political exigency rather
than with acute understanding of the
pandemic. Why Ahmedabad was chosen
for the play-offs and final without the
city having a franchise in the league is
well-known.
talked off as may have understanding of the
been a key factor in
causing the crisis.
pandemic.
Mumbai, Delhi were
The BCCI should have
been plugged in to the
hotspots and could have
been avoided. Why
Covid (mis)manage- Ahmedabad (numbers
ment in the country, and for this city were mas-
could have shifted the sively fudged) was cho-
tournament elsewhere, sen for the play-offs and
maybe the UAE, in final without the city
March itself. having a franchise in
Sources within the the league is well-
Board aver that this pro- known. Matches could
posal was mooted by have been scheduled
some and even agreed instead in Hyderabad
upon by some franchis- and Mohali, which also
es and players, but have teams.
never moved forward as In such a fragile envi-
the powers that be want- ronment, everybody
ed the league to be involved in the league
played in India at any had to be on utmost
cost. guard. Beyond that, luck
also plays a part. But
It’s not hard to believe
that this decision was there is little doubt that
stoked by political the BCCI got lulled into
motive. The choice of a false sense of security,
venues in India too much like the central
seemed dictated by government in the
political exigency national context, and
rather than with acute took its eyes off the ball.