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: DELENG/2005/15351
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ADMIN@RK SINGJAMEI@9862450974
PUBLISHED FROM DELHI & KOLKATA VOL. 14, ISSUE 300 | Wednesday, 30 October 2019 | New Delhi | Pages 16 | Rs 3.00 NO HALF TRUTHS
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MOHALLA CLINICS ‘LARGE NUMBER PMC DEPOSITORS WEISZ TO PLAY

AN ANSWER OF CASES FILED PROTEST OUTSIDE ELIZABETH IN
TO MENACE OF
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FROM NOV 22-26

India to play
UDDHAV CANCELS BJP MEET AS FADNAVIS DENIES SHARING OF CM’S POST
1 8 Clashes, shutdown as
1st ever Day- 50:50 formula drives wedge
3 0 EU MPs reach Kashmir
Night Test at
Eden Gardens between BJP and Shiv0 5Sena
0
MPOST BUREAU
7 Shah, Uddhav will finalise
MUMBAI: Hours after Maharash-
tra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis
denied the Shiv Sena was assured post of
the CM for 2.5 years as part of a power- @ power-sharing formula in
Maharashtra: Patil
sharing “formula”, Uddhav Thackeray
on Tuesday cancelled his party’s meet-
ing with the BJP on the formation of the
next government.

a m MUMBAI: Amid bickering between his

party and the Shiv Sena over sharing of
power in the next Maharashtra govern-
Members of European Union Parliamentary delegation board a shikara
ride at Dal Lake in Srinagar, Tuesday
MPOST BUREAU
Militants attack
PTI

KOLKATA: The Indian

cricket team will play its first-
ever Day-Night Test match
against Bangladesh, BCCI
The development might potentially
worsen the already strained relationship
between the two parties.
A senior Sena leader confirmed the

k p ment, senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil

president Sourav Ganguly
said on Tuesday, ending days
of speculation surrounding
the game.
The Test is scheduled to
on Tuesday said party chief Amit Shah and
his Sena counterpart Uddhav Thackeray will
finalise the contours of the “50:50 formula”.
SRINAGAR: A delegation of
23 EU MPs arrived here on
Tuesday for a first-hand assess- Army patrol
party: Officials
ll a
meet, scheduled to be held here at 4 According to sources in the BJP, the dis- ment of the situation in Jammu
pm, was cancelled by Thackeray after cussion and agreement reached with the and Kashmir to a complete
the CM’s statement on sharing of power. Sena on formalising the alliance ahead of the shutdown and clashes between
The meeting was to be attended by Lok Sabha elections this year was on “equi- people and security forces in SRINAGAR: Militants
Union minister Prakash Javadekar and table distribution of power and not on the several parts of the city and the attacked an Army pa-

be held at the Eden Gardens
from November 22-26 and
will be the second game of a
two-match series.
The development ended
days of speculation after Gan-
guly first proposed the idea
to the Bangladesh Cricket
Board, which faced resis-
u
senior Sena leaders. post of the chief minister.” Valley. trolling party in Pulwama
“Union minister Prakash Javdekar A convoy of security vehi- district of Jammu and
and party leader Bhupendra Yadav were cles escorted the MPs, who
Highlights
h
supposed to attend the meeting to start The Sena had demanded a writ- ture party meeting on Wednesday. were travelling in bullet-proof
Kashmir on Tuesday, but
discussions on the formation of the next ten assurance from the BJP for imple- Ever since the BJP’s tally fell in the jeeps, from the airport to their there were no reports of
»» Fadnavis on Tuesday asserted

f k
government from the BJP side, while
the Sena would have been represented
by Subhash Desai and Sanjay Raut,” the
Sena leader said.
he would be the chief minister
for the next five years
»» The Sena also released an old
menting “equal formula for sharing of
power” before holding talks on staking
the claim to form the next alliance gov-
ernment in the state.
recently-held assembly polls, results for
which were announced on October 24,
the Sena raised its pitch for a rotational
chief ministership between the two par-
hotel where a traditional Kash-
miri welcome awaited them.
The team, on a two-day
visit, was briefed by senior
any casualty, police said.
Militants fired upon
a patrolling party of

i
Army at Drubgam in
tance from its players and sat Amid the ongoing tussle between On Tuesday, the Sena also released ties for 2.5 years. security officials on the situ- South Kashmir’s Pulwama
video clip to “rebut” the CM’s

r
for multiple meetings to con- the BJP and Shiv Sena over sharing of an old video clip to “rebut” the CM’s Sena MLAs last week demanded that ation in the Valley and other
vince them. power in the next state government, claims on sharing of power claims on sharing of power in which the Thackeray’s son Aaditya, a first-time parts of Jammu and Kashmir district, a police official
“It’s a good development. Fadnavis on Tuesday asserted he would latter purportedly talked about equal legislator, be made the chief minister. and also met delegations of the said.

My team and I were bent on

S a
Test cricket needs this push.

it and thanks to Virat (Kohli)

also, he agreed,” Ganguly said.
 See P14
be the chief minister for the next five
years. He also expressed displeasure
over the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saa-
mana’ frequently targeting the BJP, say-
ing its role of the “derail” the talks.
Thackeray has been insisting that
the 50:50 formula on sharing of power
was “agreed upon” between himself, BJP
chief Amit Shah and Fadnavis ahead of
the Lok Sabha polls this year.
sharing of posts and responsibilities in
the BJP-led state government.
In a related development earlier in
the day, Fadnavis announced that Shah
would not be attending the BJP legisla-
In the elections held for the
288-member House, the BJP won 105
seats, a loss of 17 seats compared to its
2014 tally. The Sena’s tally also came
down to 56 seats from 63 in 2014.
general public.
There was a complete shut-
down in the city, and at least
four people were injured in
numerous clashes between pro-
testers and security forces in
There is no report of
any casualty in the firing,
the official said.  MPOST

politician claimed on Tuesday

Stop Delhi from Justice S A Bobde appointed FREE BUS RIDE SCHEME
Senior citizens, students
various parts of the Valley and
in Srinagar, officials said.
People put up blockades in
that the Indian government
withdrew with little explana-
tion its invitation to him to be

becoming gas chamber

next Chief Justice of India
at least five different places in part of an EU delegation cur-
may also get benefit: CM Srinagar, including Downtown
Srinagar and 90 Feet Road.
rently on a visit to Kashmir
after he demanded to speak
ARVIND KEJRIWAL Shops and business establish- with local people without a
OUR CORRESPONDENT

In today’s To take oath on November 18 NEW DELHI: The free-

ments were closed and trans-
port off the roads due to the
ride scheme for women on clashes.
police escort.
The Congress on Tues-
day stepped up its attack on

paper
MPOST BUREAU Delhi public buses might Vendors, who had been set- the BJP government for allow-
be extended to senior ting up their stall over the past ing European Union MPs to

CITY
... NEW DELHI: Justice Sharad Arvind
Bobde was on Tuesday appointed as the
47th Chief Justice of India, the Law Min-
istry said. Justice Bobde, 63, will take oath
AIR QUALITY REACHES ‘SEVERE’ CATEGORY 4 as the CJI on November 18, a day after
incumbent Ranjan Gogoi demits office.
NATION He will have a tenure of 17 months
NAGA TALKS CONTINUE FOR 2ND DAY 7 and would demit office on April 23, 2021.
His Warrant of Appointment was
EDIT signed by President Ram Nath Kovind
following which the Law Ministry issued
A CURIOUS SITUATION 8 a notification announcing Justice Bobde’s
INTERNATIONAL appointment as the next head of the Indian
judiciary.
STRONG QUAKE KILLS 6 IN PHILIPPINES11 The Warrant of Appointment was
handed over to Justice Bobde by top Law
BUSINESS Ministry officials on Tuesday morning.
AIRTEL DEFERS Q2 RESULTS  12 As per established procedure, Justice
Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra
presents the warrant of appointment to CJI-
designate Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde
Justice Bobde as his successor.
The convention has it that the senior-
most judge in the top court after the CJI
is named as successor.
A judge since 2000, Justice Bobde
joined the Bombay High Court as an addi-
tional judge. He was appointed as the chief
justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court
citizens and all students,
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal said as the ini-
tiative took off on Tues-
day. This scheme will help
in women empowerment
by bridging the gender
gap that exists in society,
PTI the chief minister said on
his mobile application
‘AK App’ and added that
this was a gift from their
brother on ‘Bhai Dooj’.
“Now, girls and
women who had to drop
out of schools and colleges
because of high transpor-
tation cost don’t need to
sacrifice their education.
They can now take buses
to good schools and col-
leges which are away from
their homes.
“Similarly, women
whose offices are far need
not worry about trans-
portation cost,” Kejriwal
said. Women taking DTC
and cluster buses were on
Tuesday issued pink tick-
ets of face value of Rs 10
by conductors under the
scheme. See P3
weeks, also did not turn up on
Tuesday, officials said. How-
ever, board examinations for
Class 10 were held on sched-
ule with worried parents wait-
ing outside exam halls for their
children.
This 23 EU MPs are the
first high-level foreign visitors
to Kashmir after the August
5 decision of the Centre to
revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s
special status under Article 370
and bifurcate the state into the
union territories of Jammu and
Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Meanwhile, a senior UK
visit Kashmir while denying
permission to Indian parlia-
mentarians, and termed it a
“national embarrassment”.
Congress general secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said
the BJP’s nationalism is strange,
allowing European MPs to visit
and interfere in Kashmir while
Indian MPs are sent back from
the airport.
Congress senior spokes-
person Anand Sharma said
the government has embarked
on an “ill-advised PR exercise,
sponsoring individuals with
questionable credentials”. See P5

SPORT
Gogoi had earlier this month written to the
Law Minister recommending the name of
in October 2012. In April 2013, he was ele-
vated to the Supreme Court.
TERRORISTS STRIKE IN KASHMIR

6 killed as two cars collide in MP Five migrant labourers from Bengal killed
ZIDANE DISMISSES SPECULATION ON BALE15

FOR ADVERTISING
kindly contact at 9810195709 INDORE: Six people, including an infant,
or were killed and as many others injured
mpostdelhi@gmail.com when two cars collided head-on in Mad-
hya Pradesh’s Indore city on Tuesday
FOR SUBSCRIPTION morning, police said.
The mishap took place near Ralaman-
kindly contact at 8800854665 dal square around 6 am when the driver of
or one of the speeding cars lost control over
millenniumpost.circulation@gmail.com the wheels.
As a result, it hit another four-wheeler
coming from the opposite direction, an
official at Tejaji Nagar police station said,
adding that both the cars were severely
damaged in the collision.
Six occupants from the two cars were
killed, he said.
The deceased included a four-month-
old boy, a woman aged 35 and four men in
the age group of 30 to 60 years, the official
said.  MPOST
MPOST BUREAU
SRINAGAR: Five migrant labourers
from West Bengal were shot dead by
terrorists in Kulgam district of south
Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
The terrorists critically injured
another labourer, they said.
All the victims hailed from Mur-
shidabad district of West Bengal, the
police said. The attack happened on a
day a delegation of parliamentarians
from the European Union is visiting
Kashmir to talk to locals and ask them
about their experience after the abro-
gation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special
status under Article 370 of the Consti-
tution in August.
Since the Centre’s decision on Arti-
cle 370, terrorists have been targeting
truckers and labourers, mainly who
have come to the Valley from outside
Kashmir. On Monday, a trucker from
Udhampur district was killed by mili-
tants in Anantnag, police said. This was
the fourth truck driver to be killed by
militants since August 5.
On October 24, terrorists killed two
non-Kashmiri truck drivers in Shop-
ian district.

Saudi King, PM Modi agree RESCUERS PULL OUT BODY

to boost bilateral security 80-hour operation to pull 3-year-old Sujith

RIYADH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz
Al-Saud on Tuesday condemned terror-
ism in all its forms and manifestations,
and agreed to step up bilateral security
cooperation.
Modi, who is here to attend the third
edition of the Kingdom’s high-profile
annual financial conference called on the
King and the two leaders exchanged views
on working together closely to strengthen
the bilateral ties.
Briefing the media following the meet-
ing and luncheon hosted by King Salman
for Prime Minister Modi, Economic Rela-
tions Secretary T S Tirumurti said that the
two leaders condemned terrorism in all
its forms and manifestations and agreed
to step up bilateral security cooperation.
They also discussed cooperation in
agriculture, oil and gas, maritime security,
innovative technology, renewable energy,
trade and investment between the two
countries during their talks.
The two countries are expected to sign
several agreements in areas like defence
industries collaboration, security coop-
eration, air services agreement, renewable
energy, medicine products regulation, pre-
vention of trafficking of narcotics among
others. AGENCIES  See P13
Wilson out of borewell ends in tragedy
MPOST BUREAU
TIRUCHIRAPPALLI (TN):
Rescuers pulled out the decom-
posed and mangled body of a
3-year-old boy early Tuesday
from deep inside an unused
borewell, after a futile 80-hour
attempt to save the child who
had fallen in while playing near
his house in a Tamil Nadu village.
After a post mortem at a gov-
ernment hospital, the body of
Sujith Wilson was handed over
to his parents who buried him in
a heart-wrenching funeral con-
ducted by the local parish priest
at a nearby graveyard.
Sujith had fallen into the dis-
used farm borewell while playing
near his house in Nadukattupatti
on Friday evening, and various
central and state agencies were
called in to rescue him. Initially,
he was stuck at a depth of about
30 feet but subsequently slipped
further down, and the body was
finally pulled out from a depth of
88 feet, an official said.
Commissioner of Revenue
Administration J Radhakrishnan
said rescuers noticed a foul smell
around 10.30 pm on Monday fol-
lowing which medical personnel
and teams of the National Disas-
ter Response Force (NDRF) and
State Disaster Response Force
(SDRF) assessed the situation.
After Radhakrishnan
declared that Wilson was dead,
Family members and relatives mourn near the mortal remains of 3-year-
old Sujith Wilson, before his funeral in Tiruchirappalli, Tuesday
the rescue operation turned into
an effort to retrieve the body,
which was done in keeping with
the national guidelines on “man-
aging the dead” during such
PTI
circumstances.
The tragedy had drawn
national attention with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi also
tweeting words of sympathy and
encouragement.
Tiruchirappalli district col-
lector S Sivarasu told reporters at
Nadukattupatti village that per-
sonnel of the national and state
disaster response force person-
nel retrieved the body.
Earlier on Monday, a heavy
German-made drilling machine
was deployed to dig a parallel
shaft to reach the boy, but rescue
efforts were hampered by rocky
soil and rain.
Two Fire and Rescue Ser-
vices personnel were lowered
into the freshly drilled shaft,
using a ladder and with all nec-
essary support like oxygen, for
initial assessment of the condi-
tion inside. WITH PTI INPUTS  See P6
2 mp around town ADMIN@RK SINGJAMEI@9862450974
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019

REINTERPRETER of
MYTHOLOGIES1 8 6 3
Artist Gogi Saroj Pal, one of the senior most artists in the country, has read voraciously on mythology, but stays away
from rituals, as she observes a lot of “injustices” in it. That’s why she reinterprets it in her work
3 0
S
he vividly remembers a childhood
spent amidst scents of different small
towns; the yawning pace of life, a
GOGI SAROJ PAL,
ARTIST
0 5 try’s partition and how it affected many,
including those around us provided so
many layers that demanded to be explored.
household that held literature dear.
And how at her uncle’s house in Kangra,
conversations around Pahari paintings
and Indian miniature were a part of daily
conversation.
“Art was therefore never an outsider. 7 0 For example, a man who lived with us till his
retirement and who we called uncle (moth-
er’s brother) was in fact a Muslim who chose
not to cross over.”
For someone who has read voraciously
on mythology, but stays away from ritu-
As a child too, I was always encouraged
to jump into a conversation, to never hold
back from questioning. Well, the latter part
@ als, she observes a lot of “injustices” in it,
the reason why she reinterprets it in her
work. “It is after all storytelling, but can
is still going strong at the age of 75,” artist
Gogi Saroj Pal remembered, taking a long
drag from her cigarette and carefully col-
lecting the remains of it in a portable ash-
tray. “You know, I derive a certain pleasure
a m sometimes be very targetted, keeping in
mind what the storyteller wants to achieve.
These tales have always meant to convey
different things in diverse periods. I try to
make sense of those stories and reinterpret
from ruffling feathers,” she added, as if an
afterthought. That seemed to have come as
a warning.
At the ongoing ‘Contextualising Pro-

k p them in today’s contexts. I’ve worked a lot

on ‘Kamdhenu’, the wish-fulfilling cow that
emerged from ocean churning. Now my
concern is, has anyone bothered to ask what

gressives: Indian Art in the Twentieth Cen-
tury’ exhibition, curated by Pal and Ved
Nayar at the India International Centre in
Delhi, while sharing anecdotes about the
major artists, she seems to be in no mood
for a linear conversation, but in fact bursts,
punctuated by her laughter.
One of the senior most artists in the
country working consistently in different
ll a
media including oil, gouache, ceramic, other mediums when my paintings sell her wishes are?”
installation, sculpture and weaving, Pal, so well. I clearly told him that being an In the debate of importance of social
who is known for her powerful portrayal artist was not synonymous with paint- relevance in art, the artist is clear that she is
of the female form, breaking pre-defined ing. It was a way of life. I see art and not a “doodler”. “I am not a decorative artist,
norms, talking about the concerns of the possibility in everything. Why should I maybe that’s one of the reasons that I don’t
u
unheard and the issues that stem from
unequal relationships makes it clear that

h
her choice of medium is purely dictated by
her mood, and not market forces.
“It’s very important that I give myself a
certain freedom and follow my gut. In fact,
once my father asked me why I get into
hold myself back? Failure would be the
last thing to scare me,” said the artist.
Insisting that would not really be fair to
bracket her as a feminist artist, Pal reaffirms
that it is justice for the deprived that her nar-
ratives revolve around. “At one point in time,
I painted people living in exile. The coun-
get into sweet talk. I came into art through
literature. Having grown up in a household
where reading was an important way of life,”
she concluded.  IANS

Drinking soft drinks linked

f k Over 600 companies offer job to SRM students
to obesity, tooth wear
r i OUR CORRESPONDENT ries for engineering and technology

R a B
students, a full-fledged medical college,
esearchers have of tooth enamel and dentine ysed a representative sample eating last year’s impressive hospital and research centre beside a
found that sugar- in obese patients. Previous of survey participants of 3,541 count of 3020 offers from the School of Public Health which is a nodal
sweetened acidic

drinks, is the common fac-

wear among adults.

S
drinks, such as soft

tor between obesity and tooth

“It is the acidic nature of

some drinks such as carbon-
ated drinks and acidic fruit
juices that leads to tooth wear,”
said study lead author Saoirse
O’Toole from King’s College
London.
The study found that being
overweight or obese was
undoubtedly associated with
having tooth wear.
Significantly, they also
found that the increased con-
sumption of sugary soft
drinks may be a leading
cause of the erosion
research has found that tooth
wear affects up to 30 per cent
of European adults.
It is the premature wear-
ing of teeth due to the soften-
ing of the dental enamel from
dietary or gastric acids, com-
bined with wear and tear.
Drawing on data from the
National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey 2003-
2004, the
research-
ers
anal-
patients in the United States.
Patient BMI and the level
of tooth wear were the expo-
sure and outcome measure-
ments in the analysis.
The intake of sugar-
sweetened acidic drinks was
recorded through 2 non-con-
secutive 24-hour recall inter-
views where the patients were
asked to provide details of diet
intake across these two days.
According to the study,
tooth wear is ranked as the
third most important den-
tal condition, after cavities
and gum disease and the
consumption of acidic
food and drink is a lead-
ing cause of
this. IANS
big four IT companies (TCS,
Cognizant, Infosys, Wipro),
a phenomenal 4749 offers have been
made to the graduating class of 2020
students of the SRM Institute of Science
and Technology this placement season.
More than 600 companies have already
visited the campus since the commence-
ment of the placement season on July
22, 2019, and over 6514+ offers have
been made. Many more companies are
expected to come as the placement sea-
son will continue till April/May 2020.
This year, the highest offer made on
the campus, was 41.6 lakhs per annum
by Microsoft. Other top recruiters this
year include Amazon (18 offers of 32
lakhs per annum), Barclays (25 offers
of 10 lakhs per annum) and startup
Udaan (4 offers of 30 lakhs per annum).
Organizations like Veritas and Pay Pal
have made internship linked placement
offers.
At the conclusion of ‘Day One’ pro-
cesses, TCS made 1437 offers (‘Ninja
Track’), Infosys 1315, Cognizant 1175,
and Wipro 822. Apart from this, TCS
has made 183 offers under ‘Digital
Track’ (7 lakhs per annum), said Direc-
tor, Career Centre at SRMIST, Sriram
S Padmanabhan.  This is the highest
number of offers made by these four
centre for implanting the National Fam-
ily Health Survey in Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry. The fountainhead of this
institution started in 2002, is a farmer
turned educationist Dr T R Paarivend-
har who is a Member of Parliament and
philanthropist.  Semester Abroad pro-
gramme at SRM enables students to do
internships at Harvard and other top-
notch foreign universities.
SRMIST is accredited with
the highest grade of A++ by
This NAAC and graded as Cat-
year, the egory I university with
12 B status. All Engi-
highest offer neering, Pharmacy,
made on the cam- Architecture, and
companies in any single campus in the the students. “We pus, was 41.6 lakhs MBA programmes are
country, he said. arrange mock inter- approved by AICTE.
The centralised placement process views and impart
per annum by SRMIST has secured
organized at Kattankulathur campus, advanced comput- Microsoft the third rank in the Atal
brings students from SRM Campuses ing skills to students Ranking of Institutions on
including Modinagar, Ramapuram and as they prepare for the Innovation Achievements
Vadapalani, said Padmanabhan. placement season,” he (ARIIA). SRMIST is ranked
About 1210+ students have been said. globally by QS and rated with ‘4 Star’
made Super Dream (Rs.10 L Pa+) and A landmark on the educational map globally and awarded India centric QS
Dream offer (Rs.5 L Pa+) so far. Stu- of India, the SRM Institute of Science IGAUGE Diamond rating. SRMIST car-
dents are also recruited by companies and Technology is located in Kattanku- ries out cutting edge research in frontier
from the Core Engineering sector. lathur, about 35 km from Chennai. The areas with more than 224 government-
Padmanabhan said top companies 250-acre campus, home to over 20,000 funded research projects at an outlay
are drawn to the SRM Campus due students from all over the country and of Rs. 115 Crores since 2007. It has 11
to the cosmopolitan composition of abroad, has state-of-the-art laborato- international patents also.

Silvia Arazi to launch English

translation of ‘La separación’
Award-winning Argentine author will join the gathering via Skype
OUR CORRESPONDENT motion ourselves.

A
Author Silvia Arazi, who has
ward-winning Argen- originally written the book, was
tine author Silvia Arazi born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
will join the gather- She is a writer, an opera singer

CHINA HOME TO NEARLY

ing via Skype for the and an actress. She is the recipient
launch of the English translation of the Julio Cortázar Short Story
of her novel La separación (The Award (Spain) and her first novel,

2,500 MODERN THEATERS

Separation). La maestra de canto, was made
The event will take place at the into a feature film with singer
Instituto Cervantes of New Delhi, Elena Roger (Piaf, Evita) in the
48, Hanuman Road, Connaught leading role. She divides her time

Place, on Wednesday, October 30,
at 6 pm.
This translation project was
made possible under the auspices
of the Argentine Embassy in India
and Programa SUR, an Argentine
government initiative created to
promote the translation of Argen-
tine authors into world languages.
This book has been published by
Yatra Books, India.
With this project, Yatra Books
breaks new ground in bringing
to Indian readers a work of an
`59 BOOK: THE SEPARATION Argentine writer whose works
9 GENRE: NOVEL have never been translated into
English before.
Silvia Arazi, Author
The Separation is an elegant
and intimate exploration of a
woman’s life following her sepa-
ration after fifteen years of mar-
riage. It delves into the psychology
of falling in and out of love, famil-
ial bonds and social alienation,
as well as the inner struggle of
Lucía, its heroine, as she reflects
on how we process loss and grief
even around events we have set in
between Buenos Aires and Colo-
nia del Sacramento, a small town
in Uruguay.
About the translator: Olga
Marino is a translator of English
and Spanish. She has a Masters in
Comparative Literature from the
University of Iowa, and a Bach-
elor’s degree in Translation and
Interpretation from the Lenguas
Vivas Institute in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. She was born and
raised in Buenos Aires, and lived
and ran her translation and inter-
pretation business in the United
States for almost 20 years. She cur-
rently lives in Delhi.
C
hina has a total of 2,478 modern the-
aters, more than twice as many as the
1,213 theaters in 2016, according to
the ongoing 21st China Shanghai Interna-
tional Art Festival.
Partly due to the increasing need for cul-
tural landmarks and citizens’ appetite for
good-quality performing arts, major cities
in China have seen a surge in theater con-
struction, a Chinese news agency reported.
Theaters with advanced equipment are
blooming across China, said Chen Ping, for-
mer president of the National Center for the
Performing Arts.
A total of 3.12 million shows were put on
in the 2,478 performing arts venues across
the country, attracting 1.38 billion viewers
in 2018, statistics showed.
Chen said “growing pains” also emerged
as many theaters lack quality repertoires and
performers.
“Through collaborations with foreign
troupes, theaters in China are now trying
to overcome this challenge by learning from
their overseas counterparts,” said Zhang
Xiaoding, general manager of the Shanghai
Grand Theater.
During the festival, the Shangyin Opera
House reached an agreement with Teatro
Alla Scala to learn theater management and
opera production from the world-renowned
Italian opera house. IANS

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MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Free bus ride scheme for women begins
ADMIN@RK SINGJAMEI@9862450974
Scheme might be extended to
senior citizens, all students: CM
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The free-ride
scheme for women on Delhi
public buses might be extended
to senior citizens and all stu-
dents, Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal said as the initia-
tive took off on Tuesday. This
scheme will help in women
empowerment by bridging the
gender gap that exists in society,
the Chief Minister said on his
mobile application ‘AK App’ and
added that this was a gift from
their brother on ‘Bhai Dooj’.
CM Kejriwal said, “Women
of our country are no less than
anyone else. Whenever they
have had equal opportunity,
they have done wonders.
Whether it is the field of sports,
academia, space science, busi-
ness, they have demonstrated
their excellence. But the struc-
No of Ticketed No of Women Pink % age of Pink Ticketed
HISTORIC MOVE
Region
Passengers Ticket Passengers Women Passengers
North 191,500
East 129,089
West 225,239
South 130,200
Total 676,028
k
r i f
School students set to get
S a
masks from November 1
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Delhi government schools,
government-aided, and private schools will start
distributing masks from November 1. The masks
will reach all the schools by Wednesday. Every
student and their family members will receive a
pack of mask from their respective schools. The
AAP-led government through the Student Man-
agement Committee (SMC) also plans to start
various activities to sensitize government schools
students on the issue of pollution.
Senior AAP-leader Atishi said, “Masks will
be distributed through government, govern-
ment-aided, and private schools from Wednes-
day. Schools were shut past few days and it will
reopen on Wednesday and by then masks would
have reached all the schools — ready for distri-
bution from November 1 — and on a large scale
masks will begin to reach families.”
“Not just schools but hospitals and Mohalla
Clinics will also give out masks for those who
do not have school going children at home,”
she added.
Along with masks to combat air pollution
various activities like street plays, songs, and
Major bureaucratic reshuffle
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Delhi
Lieutenant Governor has
transferred six IAS officers of
AGMUT cadre on Monday.
Renu Sharma, an IAS officer
of 1988 batch, who is presently
holding Additional Chief Sec-
retary (Finance/Planning and
Chief Nodal Officer) in Delhi
government has been shifted
from her current posting to
Principal Secretary cum Com-
missioner (Transport) in the
government.
The LG also shifted Rajeev
Verma, an IAS officer of 1992
batch, who is currently holding
the post of Principal Secretary
(Revenue cum Divisional Com-
missioner), and is also holding
Mohalla Clinics an answer to menace of quacks
ROUSHAN ALI
NEW DELHI: The Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi
government’s Mohalla Clinic
scheme has managed to curb
mushrooming quacks from
unauthorised colonies in the
city while providing acces-
sible healthcare facilities to
residents.
Even as the AAP had prom-
ised to start 1,000 Mohalla
Clinics in the city soon after
coming to power in 2015, at
present, only 300 such clin-
ics are operational. An official
said the target of 1,000 Mohalla
ture of our society is so lop-
sided that women do not get
equal opportunities. In Delhi,
only 11 per cent of the work-
force consists of women. This
clearly shows women do not
have access to equal opportuni-
ties. 30 per cent of passengers on
our buses are women and 70 per
cent are men. It is common for
women to get less pay than men
for equal work. There is a stark
gender wage gap in our society.”
“I personally know many
such families in which even
when a girl wants to pursue
her education, and the family
is unable to afford the travel cost
of the girl to her school or col-
lege, the girl is forced to give up
on her studies. All such women
— our daughters and sisters,
will now get the opportunity to
attend school or college even if it
is far from their home. Women
71,458 37.31%
42,135 32.64%
64,958 28.84%
42,140 32.37%
220,691 32.65%
h
Representational image
also interaction with experts will be conducted
from Wednesday for the students to make them
aware of the ill effects of air pollution.The SMCs
which include parents social activists and teachers
will take the lead in the process, said an official.
A senior government official said, “We believe
that pollution is a health emergency issue and it
is our duty to apprise the students regarding the
same. That’s why the Delhi government is taking
this decision to sensitize the students regarding
the effect of air-pollution”.
SB Shashank,
an IAS officer of
2007 batch, has
been appointed as
Director (I&P) and
CEO Shabdarth
post of Additional charge of
Secretary cum Commissioner
(Transport), has been trans-
ferred and posted as Principal
Secretary (Finance). Further, he
will also hold additional charge
of Principal Secretary (Reve-
nue) cum Divisional Commis-
sioner and Principal Secretary
(Planning).
Ankita Mishra Bundala,
an IAS officer of 2002 batch,
Clinics is likely to be achieved
by the end of this year.
In the last two decades,
various governments in the
national Capital had been
unable to curtail the mush-
rooming of quacks in JJ slums
and 1,797 unauthorised colo-
nies in the Capital. However,
the AAP government’s ambi-
tious Mohalla Clinic project
seems to have been successful
in keeping a check on the ill
practices.
The Delhi government had
allocated Rs 7,485 crore for
the health sector in its 2019-
20 budget, with Rs 588 crore
will now be able to travel far for
work without being discouraged
by the fare,” he added.
Talking about women safety
CM said, “Now every bus in
Delhi will have a bus marshal
to protect women. I want to
warn all such miscreants who
harass women, pick pockets of
people in buses — beware! Your
behaviour will not be tolerated.
Some were asking me how will
free travel in buses make women
safer? The answer is that now
our buses are safer and we are
encouraging more women to
travel in these safe buses.”
Talking about free bus rides
for senior citizens and students
the Delhi CM said, “We have
started with making it free for
women. We will take these expe-
riences into account and then do
it. Everything cannot be done
in one go.”
k p
2,20,691 PINK TICKETS ISSUED TILL 5 PM
ll a
AAISHA SABIR
NEW DELHI: The bus rides
u
which started early on Tuesday
issued 2,20,691 pink tickets to
women bus passengers till 5
pm on the same day.
In a bid to provide secure
and free transportation to
women travelers the AAP-
who is currently holding the
post of Secretary cum Com-
missioner (F&S) and is also
holding additional charge of
MD (DCFHC Ltd), has been
given additional charge of Sec-
retary (I&P) because of super-
annuation of SP Singh, 2001
IAS officer.
Besides this, Vikas Anand,
2002 IAS officer, who is cur-
rently holding post of Secretary
cum Commissioner (Indus-
tries) and also holding addi-
tional charge of MD (DSIIDC)
and CEO (DUSIB), has been
assigned additional charge of
MD (DKVIB) because of super-
annuation of Tarsem Kumar,
an IAS officer of 2002 batch.
The order copy further
mentioned that Padmini Sin-
proposed for construction of
new hospitals and remodeling
of existing ones.
According to a Health
@ rolling out such schemes take
a m
Women passengers show their ‘pink tickets’ while travelling by a DTC bus 
led government deployed
bus marshals and issued free
tickets to empower women.
In North Delhi the number
of ticketed passengers were
1,91,500 of which were 71,458
women passengers. Mean-
while, East Delhi recorded
1,29,089 passengers out of
which were 42,135 female
Six-day Urdu AAP ‘appeals, challenges’ CMs of other
Heritage Festival to states to make bus ride free for women
start at CP today
NEW DELHI: The Delhi gov-
ernment will organise a six-day
Urdu Heritage Festival from
Wednesday at the Central Park
in Connaught Place, an official
statement said on Tuesday.
There will be Sufi music,
dance, poetry, plays and many
more programmes in the six-
day festival.
“This year, many eminent
personalities like Anwar Hus-
sain, Sufi Nizami brothers, Sith-
ara, Fareed Sabri, Talat Aziz and
Rekha Bharadwaj will perform,”
the statement said.
Deputy Chief Minister Man-
ish Sisodia said Urdu is an inte-
gral part of Delhi’s cultural and
literary history, and it is also an
important marker of the city’s
composite culture.
He said the AAP govern-
ment hopes to create an envi-
gla, an IAS officer of 2002
batch, who is currently holding
the post of Secretary (power),
Additional charge of Secretary
(Co-operation) has been given
additional charge of Secretary
(Finance) on superannuation
of SP Singh.
SB Shashank, an IAS officer
of 2007 batch, who is currently
holding charge of Director
(W&CD), besides additional
charge of Director (Social wel-
fare), will also hold the addi-
tional charge of Director (I&P)
and CEO, Shabdarth as Sand-
eep Mishra, an 1997 batch
DANICS officer and Deputy
Commissioner (Excise) has
been relieved from the addi-
tional charge of CEO, Shabd-
arth and Special Director (I&P).
Department official, as many
as 21 Mohalla Clinics are oper-
ating in double shifts. While a
regular Mohalla Clinic is open
5
0 0
7 shortage. Talking about why
passengers. In West Delhi
2,25,239 tickets were issued
while 64,958 were pink tick-
ets for women. In south Delhi,
1,30,200 tickets were gener-
ated of which 42,140 were
issues for women passengers.
DTC issued data on Tues-
day which shows that a total
of 6,76,028 tickets were gen-
There will be Sufi
music, dance,
poetry, plays
and many more
programmes in the
six-day festival
ronment of harmony and love
through the festival which will
conclude on November 4.
“We want to ensure that
Urdu is not only well preserved
but it also advances linguisti-
cally and socially. Reaching out
to a new audience is important
in doing so,” Sisodia said in the
statement. “This celebration of
Urdu will bring together all the
lovers of Urdu who can enjoy
the use of the language in var-
ied forms,” he added.  MPOST
TO CURB STREET CRIMES
Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik on Tuesday flagged off 15
more Prakhar (Street Crime Patrols) vans from Police Headquarters.
These vans have been tasked especially to curb street crimes as well
as crimes against women in the vulnerable areas. According to Police
these street crime patrols are in addition to the already operational
15 Prakhar vans launched on September 25 by the Minister of State
for Home Affairs. These vans are specially designed and equipped
with latest gadgets for quick transmission of information about any
incident related to Crime/Street crime
from 8 am to 2 pm, those with
double shifts operate from 7
am to 1 pm and 1 pm to 7 pm
with two different sets of staff
members including doctors,
said a health official.
The clinics, which are func-
tional on all days except Sun-
day, provide services like basic
medical care for illness like
fever, diarrhoea, skin prob-
lems, viral fevers, respiratory
problems, first aid for injuries
and burns, dressing and man-
agement of minor wounds and
referral services. It also allows
212 tests.
In Nand Nagari, 29-year-
6 3
1 8
3 0
PIC/NAVEEN SHARMA
erated out of which 2,20,691
were pink tickets for women.
As per the report, the per-
centage of free tickets issued
to women was 32.65%.
State Transport Minister
Kailash Gahlot distributed
pink tickets at Shivaji Sta-
dium bus depot to encourage
women travellers.
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The AAP on
Tuesday “appealed and chal-
lenged” chief ministers of other
states to make public bus ride
free for women as the Delhi
government has done in the
national capital to uplift them
and increase the economic
growth of the country.
Senior AAP leader Atishi
said it is a “landmark” day for
women in the city, noting that
free travel for women scheme is
an “origin of a new era of women
empowerment and economic
growth of India”.
Atishi said the Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) wants to “appeal
and challenge” all the chief min-
isters of various states of India
that if they are also concerned
about women empowerment
and want to increase the GDP
of the country then they should
implement the same scheme.
old Najma suffering from
viral fever got free treatment
and medicine from the near-
est Mohalla Clinic. She said,
“Why will we go to any other
place that has quacks?”
Residents of Shaheen Bagh,
Nayeem and Safdarjung areas
echoed Najma’s thought. “We
tried treatment in government
hospitals such as AIIMS and
Safdarjung hospital but long
queues there make it extremely
difficult. Visiting private clinics
or hospitals is costly. Therefore,
we usually opt for a Mohalla
Clinic, which offers us afford-
able treatment,” said a resident.
mp city
Gahlot distributes
‘free pink tickets’
AAISHA SABIR
NEW DELHI: State Trans-
port Minister Kailash Gahlot
distributed free pink tickets to
women bus passengers of Delhi
Transport Corporation (DTC)
and cluster buses on Tuesday.
He said that the response from
women passengers was over-
whelming and the Delhi gov-
ernment plans to increase the
number of buses if there is a
the Delhi government took so
long to roll out this scheme, the
Transport Minister said that
time and it is not possible for
any government to roll out all
the schemes in one go.
Gahlot said, “The response
has been great even men are
happy as the women are part of
their family and women are def-
initely happy to get free tickets
as you can see it on their faces.
The number of buses has been
increasing every month and
whatever is required from our
end we will do it.”
An 18-year-old Mamta
accompanied by her mother
Sarita and sister-in-law travelled
for free to the temple. Mamta
said, “In the morning when we
boarded the bus at New Sima-
puri which was headed for Shiv-
aji Stadium we did not know
about this scheme. We were
given pink tickets for free. We
came to the temple and now
“We believe that following
this decision, every state of India
will take this initiative for the
empowerment of woman, for
economic development of the
woman, and growth of GDP of
India,” she said.
Atishi said only 11 per cent
women join the workforce of
Delhi which is “very sadden-
ing” and this happens because
of the lack of security of women
in the city.
“From today, none of the
‘Youth will be given priority
in ticket distribution for
upcoming assembly polls’
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Congress
will give “priority” to the youth
in ticket distribution for the
upcoming assembly polls in
Delhi, newly appointed pres-
ident of the party’s Delhi
unit Subhash Chopra said on
Tuesday. He denied chances of
any organisational changes in
the Delhi Congress and said
efforts will be made to enthuse
party workers.
“We would give priority to
youth in deciding party tickets
for the assembly elections. It
will be a mix of youth and expe-
rience,” Chopra told reporters
at the Delhi Congress office.
Taking charge of the Congress
in Delhi at a crucial juncture,
Chopra will lead the party in
the electoral battle against the
ruling AAP and the BJP in the
polls for the 70-member Delhi
3
we are going back for free too.”
The family of three women in
the bus felt safe and secure and
were delighted that a bus mar-
shal was present there.
As much as women passen-
gers were happy some male pas-
sengers were not pleased. Alok
said, “Travellers like us are
waiting in the bus for 40 min-
utes hopping from one bus to
another, there is no bus driver.
What is the point of free rides
if we cannot reach our destina-
tion timely.”
When questioned about
this complain, Gahlot said,
“I will take feedback from
DTC and cluster buses and in
case there is lack of bus driv-
ers or conductors we will take
all necessary steps to ensure a
smooth flow of bus transpor-
tation. Usually we do not have
shortage of conductors, at times
we have shortage of drivers that
too in the evening shift in South
Delhi depot. Every month we
plan to increase the frequency
of buses.”
Delhi girls will have to leave
school or discontinue school
due to travel expenses because
the travel cost will be free. From
today, one of the women will
have to leave or discontinue
their work due to the travel
expenses,” she said.
However, it could not be
done for metro trains as the
Delhi Metro Rail Corpora-
tion (DMRC) has sought
time to work out plans for its
implementation.
Assembly.
“We value hardworking
party workers who have faith
in Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka
Gandhi. They are the real
organisation for us. There is
no immediate plan to effect any
organisational change,” he said.
In the 2015 Delhi assem-
bly elections, the Congress had
failed to open its account.
However, in the Lok Sabha
elections earlier this year, the
party managed to raise its vote
percentage and push the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) to third
place on five of the seven par-
liamentary seats in Delhi.
Chopra asserted that the
Congress will spring up a sur-
prise on its political adversaries.
“Just wait and see what hap-
pens in the coming days. We
will do something which you
can not imagine right now,” he
told reporters.
4 mp city
Increase in stubble
burning cases, Delhi
air quality affected
NIKITA JAIN
NEW DELHI: As air qual-
ity slips to 'severe' category
on Tuesday, agencies have
revealed that stubble burning
in the neighbouring states have
increased, which is the reason
for deteriorating air in Delhi.
According to latest staellite
images shared by NASA, there
is an increase in stubble burn-
ing in the last 24 hours.
“The stubble plume from
north-west regions has become
one of the significant factors
in adversely affecting Delhi’s
air quality. The effective stub-
ble fire counts of Haryana and
Punjab have increased from
1654 to 2577 during the past
24 hours, which is a matter of
extreme concern for the resi-
dents of Delhi,” said a statement
by the Delhi government.
Central-government based
agency SAFAR has also shared
its data saying that Punjab and
Haryana has seen a spike in
stubble burning cases. “As evi-
dent from SAFAR-multi-satel-
lite fire product that effective
stubble fire counts of Haryana
& Punjab have increased from
1654 to 2577 during the past 24
hours after showing a notice-
Father-son duo killed in hit
and run at Kamla market
ZAFAR ABBAS
NEW DELHI: In a tragic hit
and run accident late night on
Monday, a father-son duo who
were returning from work on a
bicycle were mowed down by a
speeding car in Central district’s
a
Kamla Market just under the
Ranjit Singh flyover.
The car which, according to
S
eyewitness, was in high speed,
fled from the spot. However,
the public which gathered at
(Wednesday)
30th Oct. 2019
3.00 P.M.
Chaar Bait
By USTAD YASIN KHALIFA PARVEZ
& Party (Amroha)
4.00 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
By POORVA GURU (Hyderabad)
5.00 P.M.
Sufi Mehfil
By VANDANA MISHRA (Lucknow)
6.00 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Qawwali
By ATIQ HUSAIN BANDANAWAZ (Hyderabad)
8.00 P.M.
Sham-e-Ghazal
By TALAT AZIZ (Mumbai)
Invited Poets :
Waseem Bareilvi (Bareilly)
Rahat Indori (Indore)
Rajesh Reddy (Mumbai)
Fayyaz Farooqui (Jalandhar)
Aquil Naumani (Rampur)
Compere : Mansoor Usmani (Moradabad)
Tel.: 011-23863566, 23863858
DIP/Shabdarth/0909/19-20
able dip on October 27,” said
the report.
Speaking to Millennium
Post, M P George, Scientist at
Delhi Pollution Control Board
(DPCC) said that “outside fac-
tors” are major reasons for air
pollution spike in the national
Capital. However, he added that
AQI doesn’t define the condi-
tion of air quality. “There is a
difference between AQI and
GRAP. GRAP is based on the
actual value. As per GRAP the
air quality hasn’t reached severe,
however, it is almost reaching
there,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi
Party (AAP) leaders on Tues-
day blamed the Center and the
neighbouring states for not
taking stern action against the
increasing numbers of stubble
burning cases this year. Accord-
ing to data from the Punjab Pol-
lution Control Board (PPCB),
the state recorded 9,600 inci-
dents of stubble burning till
October 27 last year. “This
increasing numbers of stub-
ble burning cases caused the
spike in pollution but neither
the centre nor the state govern-
ment of the neighbouring states
has done anything," said senior
AAP leader Dilip Pandey.
the accident scene managed to
h u
k
get the number plate of the car
which was left behind due to the
r i f
accident impact. The deceased
were from Nepal. The minor
boy came to Delhi to celebrate
Diwali with his father and
mother in Delhi.
The deceased father and
son duo had been identified as
Heera (30) and his son Kishore
(10). They were immediately
rushed to the hospital but were
declared brought dead by the
Department of Art, Culture & Languages
Govt. of NCT of Delhi
Urdu Academy Delhi
(Thursday)
31st Oct. 2019
12.30 P.M.
QISSA GOI
By Talent Group Delhi
1.30 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
By GHULAM SABIR (Delhi)
2.30 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Qawwali
By GHULAM QADIR NIYAZI (Delhi)
3.30 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
By ALI HUSAIN (Pune)
4.30 P.M.
Chaar Bait (Female Party)
By Vihan Drama Works (Bhopal)
5.30 P.M.
Dastaan Goi
By MAHMOOD FAROOQUI & DARAIN SHAHIDI (Delhi)
6.30 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
By GAYATRI (Mumbai)
8.00 P.M.
Sufi Mehfil
By SALMAN ALI (Mumbai)
Hasan Kazmi (Lucknow)
Tajwar Sultana (Kanpur)
Sunil Kumar Tang (Patna)
Manish Shukla (Lucknow)
Atul Ajnabi (Gwalior)
Air quality reaches
‘severe’ category
Air Quality Index in various areas crossed the 400-mark
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The national
Capital witnessed a hazy
morning on Tuesday, with Air
Quality Index (AQI) reaching
'severe' category that remained
constant throughout the day.
According to data shared
by Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB), various areas of
Delhi witnessing the air quality
reaching more than 400-mark.
The most polluted areas
according to CPCB data were
Anand Vihar (442), Ashok
Vihar (418), Bawana (413),
Dwarka sector – 8 (414), Jah-
angirpuri (410), Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium (406), Mandir
Marg (403), Wazirpur (424)
and Punjabi Bagh (413) among
others.
Other areas, meanwhile,
had almost reached 400 or
stayed at 399 or 398. Areas like
Burari Crossing (396), Mathura
Road (399), DTU (398), ITO
(397) were in “very poor”
category.
An AQI between 0 and 50
is considered “good”, 51 and
k p
ll a
100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200
doctors. “I tried to chase the car
on my bike, however since the
car was in high speed, it soon
vanished taking a left turn,” said
an eye witness to the accident.
Another eyewitness who is
a driver said “I was cleaning
my car when i saw a speeding
car ramming into another car
and then losing balance, it then
mowed down the father and son
who were on a bicycle. The boy
was flung several meters in the
air due to the impact.”
Jashn-e-Virasat-e
Bait Bazi Muqabala
Students of Universities of Delhi
By TRADITIONAL NIZAMI BROTHERS (Jahanzeb, Delhi)
Musical Dastaan on Amir Khusrow
By VUSAT IQBAL KHAN (Delhi)
By TAUSEEF AKHTAR (Mumbai)
Nuzhat Anjum (Lucknow)
Ahmad Mehfooz (Delhi)
Iqbal Ashhar (Delhi)
Alok Srivastava (Delhi)
Rashid Hamidi (Delhi)
All are cordially invited (Seats are available first come first serve basis.)
“moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”,
301 and 400 “very poor”, and
401 and 500 “severe”.
However, Central-govern-
ment based agency, System of
Air Quality and Weather Fore-
casting And Research (SAFAR)
forecasted that the overall pol-
lution level during Diwali
@ Post Diwali, Delhi has wit-
three years.
m
period of current year (2019)
was found to be better than past
a
On the other hand, they
have predicted that the AQI
might plummet in the com-
ing days. “AQI is forecasted to
be in higher-end of very poor
category for the next two days
with few touching higher lev-
Man held with 12 EOW probes fake Kuwait job racket
pieces of gold at IGIA
NEW DELHI: Customs at the
Indira Gandhi International
Airport on Tuesday said that
they have arrested one person
with 12 pieces of gold from IGI
airport. The value of the gold
was more than 14 lakh rupees.
According to customs, one
passenger holding Indian pass-
port, arrived on October 25
from Bangkok by flight .
He was intercepted by the
customs officials at IGI airport
after he had crossed green
channel.
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(Friday)
1st Nov. 2019
2.00 P.M.
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layer wind speed is expected
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by November 1, which is
likely to bring improvement
in AQI,” according to a report
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nessed the worst air quality of
the season with citizens com-
plaining of bad air. SAFAR in
its advisory on Monday had
advised elderly and patu-
ients suffering from breath-
ing problem to not step out.
Officials both in CPCB and
Delhi Pollution Control Com-
mittee (DPCC) have said they
are regularly monitoring the
situations.
His baggage search resulted
in recovery of 12 pieces of gold
concealed inside the wheels of
three trolley bags, total weigh-
ing 420 grams, having tariff
value of nearly Rs 14.57 lakh.
Joint Commissioner of
Customs Niranjan CC said
that further the person admit-
ted that smuggling of gold of
value Rs 87,45,408 in his pre-
vious visits in same manner.
"Thus the total value of offend-
ing goods amounts to Rs 1,02
crore" said Niranjan CC.  MPOST
(Saturday)
2nd Nov. 2019
11.30 A.M.
QISSA GOI
By Talent Group Delhi
12.30 P.M.
Debate “On Gandhi Ji”
by students of Universities of Delhi
2.00 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Qawwali
By QUTBI BROTHERS (Delhi)
3.00 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
by ANWAR HUSAIN (Jabalpur)
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In addition to the above other attractions will be :-
Khwaab Tanha Collective | Artykite | Nazariya
Purani Dilli walon ki Baatein | Books ETC
Honey Handicraft | Calligraphy Arts
Delhi Archives | Calligraphy-Urdu Academy
Urdu Academy's Publications
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Air quality levels continue
to be unhealthy in Ggm
SDMC takes
action against air
pollution violators
OUR CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI: South Delhi
Municpial Corporation
3
GURUGRAM: If there was any (SDMC) has been taking reg-
hope for the residents of Guru- ular actions against violators of
6
gram that quality of air being NGT (National Green Tribunal)
inhaled by them was better than and Solid Waste Managament
the day after Diwali it all went (SWM) norms.
8
into smoke with the thick haze
cover over the city.
1
Showing no improvement
in the quality of air continues To make sure that there was
According to an official
SDMC data, a total of 184
challans were issued, while
an amount of Rs. 55000 was
3 0
to be at extremely unhealthy
levels with the poisonous par-
ticulate matter of 2.5 micros
being at 340-350 micrograms
also no pollution caused due to
traffic congestion, traffic police-
men were also seen managing
the traffic at major traffic points.
imposed on the violators, on
October 28. Meanwhile, about
211 violations were found by
SDMC. Anyone burning gar-
per cubic meter recorded by The district police have been bage or any other sort of bio-
the Central Pollution Control directed for strict vigilance and mass is a violator. This category
Board (CPCB) from the Vikas have been told to penalize the also includes emissions from
Sadan station.
The condition was even
worse from the Gwal Pahari
station that had PM2.5 hover-
polluting vehicles along with
strict enforcement of pollution
under control (PUC) norms.
In order to prevent the dust
construction activities, con-
struction and demolition in
dumping, road dust and air
emissions from industries.
ing up to 370-390 micrograms
per cubic meter. The safer limit
of PM2.5 as prescribed by the
World Health Organisation
pollution construction activities
also in Gurugram from 6:00 pm
to 6:00 am have been restricted.
The the district administration
In Dwarka sector – 8 area,
the inspecting team found
repairs of roads and waste lift-
ing violations. Meanwhile, water
(WHO) is 60. Longer exposure
to air that has high amounts of
PM2.5 can cause lung impair-
has selected 47 spots where the
pollution is considered to be
relatively high as compared to
was sprinkled in the hotspot
area, especially with air qual-
ity in Delhi reaching “severe”
ments. Besides PM2.5 there was
also a high concentration of
PM10, sulphur dioxide, nitro-
gen oxide, and carbon monox-
ide. Various important roads
other places. It is estimated that
30 percent of Gurugram pollu-
tion is caused due to dust pollu-
tion. Besides the closure of the
construction activities mecha-
category. The maximum chal-
lans were issued in the “road
dust” category. SDMC has been
night patrolling, while inspect-
ing teams are vigilant and taking
like the Golf Course Road,
Golf Course extension road,
and the MG road were sprin-
kled with water by the workers
nised sweeping of the roads,
a sprinkling of water on the
roads and the plans is also to
be undertaken by the govern-
stringent actions against anyone
violating the rules. The actions
are being taken in the wake of
increasing air pollution in the
of the MCG. ment agencies. national Capital.  MPOST
ABHAY SINGH
NEW DELHI: The Economic
The complainants in the
case told police that they were
induced by the banners and
Later when the complain-
ants reached the office of the
travel agency for taking their
and Offences Wing (EOW) of posters pasted on the electri- tickets and passports, they
Delhi Police has started a probe cal poles on different roads of found that the office and
on the complaints of 30 peo- Delhi. Later they met suspects. mobile persons of suspects
ple who have accused a private
travel agency of duping their
money on the pretext of pro-
viding jobs in Kuwait.
According to police, two
"The travel agency staff
induced complainants that they
can arrange the jobs in Kuwait
for them. They (complainants)
have paid Rs 60,000 per head
were closed.
The complainants alleged
that all together they have
paid Rs 18,60,000 to the sus-
pects. Some money was paid in
people identified as Salman along with their passports to cash or transferred to the bank
Khan and Arif Khan were the suspects," police said. account of the travel agency.
made suspects in the case. They The suspects assured them to A case under sections 406,420
are officials of the international
travel agency situated in South
East Delhi.
handover the air tickets, origi-
nal passports and agreements
on May 9.
and 120 B of IPC was registered
at EOW police station and fur-
ther probe is going on.
(Sunday) (Monday)
3rd Nov. 2019 4th Nov. 2019
9.30 A.M. 11.30 A.M.
Umang Painting Competition QISSA GOI
Inter School (Urdu Students) By Talent Group Delhi
1.00 P.M.
12.00 Noon
Ghazal Sarai Competition Mehfil-e-Qawwali
Students of Universities of Delhi
By SUFI NIZAMI BROTHERS (Zeeshan, Delhi)
2.00 P.M.
Mehfil-e-Qawwali
1.00 P.M.
By DANISH HUSAIN & PARTY (Badayun) Prize Distribution Function
3.00 P.M. for the Competitions
Mehfil-e-Ghazal
2.00 P.M.
by KAMAL KHAN (Lucknow) Tamsili Mushaira by Students of Jamia Millia Islamia
4.00 P.M. 3.00 P.M.
INDIAN OPERA FUSION Mehfil-e-Ghazal
By KABUKI KHANNA, Sufi Singer (Delhi) By SITHARA (Kochi)
5.00 P.M. 4.30 P.M.
Akbar The Great Nahi Rahe (Comedy Drama) Mehfil-e-Qawwali
BY NIZAMI BANDHU (Delhi)
6.00 P.M.
Sham-e-Ghazal 5.30 P.M.
by MANJARI (Mumbai) Sham-e-Ghazal
8.00 P.M. BY JAZIM SHARMA (Mumbai)
Sufi Mehfil 7.30 P.M.
By SHILPA RAO (Mumbai) ALL INDIA MUSHAIRA
If you are interested in
Delhi Government's programmes of
Art, Culture and Literature,
then simply give a missed call on
9323300300
S.M. Ali
Entry Free Secretary, Urdu Academy, Delhi
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Sena’s taunt at BJP turns into
war of words with Dushyant
The opposition has accused the BJP of using Dushyant Chautala's father Ajay
Chautala for leverage in its negotiations in Haryana government formation
MUMBAI: In the BJP-Shiv
Sena power tussle that has
stalled government forma-
tion in Maharashtra despite a
majority for the alliance, a Sena
leader on Tuesday delivered a
stinging attack with a reference
to Haryana.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay
Raut, when asked about the
delay despite its pre-poll alli-
ance with the BJP, told news
agency ANI: "There is no
Dushyant (Chautala) here
whose father is in jail. Here it's
us who do politics of 'dharma
and satya' (ethics and truth)
Sharad (Pawar) who created an
environment against BJP and
the Congress who will never
go with BJP."
He added: "If someone
wants to keep us away from
power, then it is an honour for
us. A decision will be taken
soon. We are currently observ-
ing that to what lows people
can resort to. As decided before
the Lok Sabha elections, our
only demand is that things
should work according to what
has been decided earlier."
The BJP, which fell short
of a majority in Haryana, has
formed government with sup-
port from Jannayak Janata
Party (JJP), with the post of
Citing ‘red carpet’ welcome to
foreign delegates, CPI leader
seeks Modi nod to visit J&K
a a ‘PR stunt’, says NC
S MPs to visit Kashmir while
Security personnel chase away stone pelting youth during clashes in
Srinagar, Tuesday 
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: CPI leader
Binoy Viswam wrote to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on
Tuesday, requesting that he be
allowed to visit Jammu and
Kashmir since a foreign dele-
gation was given a "red carpet''
entry into the region.
A delegation of 23 Euro-
pean Union MPs arrived in
Srinagar on Tuesday for a first-
hand assessment of the situa-
tion in Jammu and Kashmir
following the revocation of the
state's special status under Arti-
cle 370.
"It is everybody's question,
why the government disallow
any responsible Indian citizen,
including Members of Parlia-
ment, to enter the territory of
Kashmir. Now, the government
has spread red carpet for the
European Union MPs.
"In this background, I seek
your permission to visit Kash-
mir and meet with the ordi-
nary people," Viswam said in
his letter.
As an Indian citizen, it was
his right to visit fellow citizens
in Kashmir, he added.
"I earnestly hope that, you
will take necessary steps to
No alliance with Cong, BJP for Karnataka
bypolls, both not trustworthy, says Gowda
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Janata Dal
(Secular) president H D Deve
Gowda has dismissed any pos-
sibility of having an electoral
tie-up with either the Con-
gress or the BJP for December
5 bypolls in Karnataka, describ-
ing both the national parties as
"not trustworthy" and having
the "same character".
In an interview to PTI on
Tuesday, the former prime
minister said JD(S) would con-
test the bypolls to fill 15 vacan-
cies in Karnataka Assembly
alone and "certainly maintain
equidistance" from the Con-
gress and the BJP.
The veteran politician also
said he was in fact reluctant to
have a tie-up with Congress
Ramtek Assembly MLA Ashish Jaiswal and Bhandara Legislative Assembly MLA Narendra Bhandekar meet
Shiv Sena party chief Uddhav Thackeray at the Matoshree residence, in Mumbai, last Friday 
Deputy Chief Minister for
its chief Dushyant Chautala,
whose campaign was built on
criticism of the BJP.
The opposition has accused
the BJP of using Dushyant
Chautala's father Ajay Chau-
tala in its negotiations. Ajay
Chautala is serving time in jail
for corruption; a day after the
BJP announced its tie-up with
Dushyant Chautala, his father
h u has not come out before term.
f k Allowing EU MPs to visit Valley national embarrassment: Cong
r i
PTI
realise," the CPI leader wrote.
Viswam's letter comes amid
demands from the Opposition
that the government explain
why Indian citizens and politi-
cal parties were being denied
entry into J-K while a foreign
delegation's visit was being
facilitated.
The politburo of the
CPI(M) said in a statement on
Tuesday that it was an "affront"
of the Indian Parliament and
its sovereignty that Indian
MPs and political leadership
of national parties are denied
the freedom of visiting the Val-
ley while a "private visit" by for-
eign Parliament members was
being allowed.
"Though it is claimed that
this is a private visit, the prime
minister has met them and they
are also being briefed by the
National Security Advisor.
"There can be no special
privilege for a group of for-
eign parliamentarians to visit
the Valley while it is denied to
others, including our own MPs
and national political leader-
ship, with most of the known
political leaders of the state
continuing to remain in cus-
tody and detention," the let-
ter said.
after the May 2018 Karnataka
election. "It was the Congress
which came to me after the
election and persuaded us for
formation of Congress-JD(S)
government. Initially I did
not agree but after prolonged
persuasion by the Congress I
accepted (the alliance)," Deve
Gowda said. Asked about JD
(S)'s strategy for the bypolls,
the 86-year-old JD(S) patriarch
quipped, "We have nothing to
do with Congress and BJP. Both
of them are not trustworthy.
They will use us when they
want and destroy us later. Both
the parties are of the same char-
acter". "There is no question of
JD(S) having any electoral tie-
up with any of these two parties
Congress or the BJP and we will
go alone," Deve Gowda reiter-
p
was granted furlough from
prison.
Dushyant Chautala reacted
k consistent and relentless in his
ll a
sharply to the dig. "It means he
knows who Dushyant Chautala
is. My father has been in jail for
six years, he never asked about
his well-being. Ajay Chautala ji
Such statements don't add to
Sanjay ji's stature," said the new
Haryana Deputy Chief Minis-
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Congress
on Tuesday stepped up its
attack on the BJP government
for allowing European Union
denying permission to Indian
parliamentarians, and termed
it a "national embarrassment".
Congress general secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said
the BJP's nationalism is strange,
allowing European MPs to visit
and interfere in Kashmir while
Indian MPs are sent back from
the airport.
Congress senior spokes-
person Anand Sharma said
the government has embarked
on an "ill-advised PR exercise,
sponsoring individuals with
questionable credentials".
"EU MPs representing par-
ties and ideologies in direct
conflict with the mainstream.
Diplomatic disaster which
ended up internationalising
what is essentially our inter-
nal issue. National embarrass-
ment. Those responsible should
be held accountable," Sharma
Govt should have allowed oppn
MPs to visit Kashmir: Mayawati
LUCKNOW: The government
should have allowed opposition
party MPs to visit Jammu and
Kashmir before sending EU
MPs to assess the situation in
the Valley, BSP chief Mayawati
said on Tuesday.
A delegation of 23 MPs
from the European Union
reached Srinagar on Tues-
day for a two-day visit during
which they will be briefed on
the situation by government
officials and also meet a cross-
section of locals. "...before
sending EU MPs to Kashmir
to assess the current situation
there, it would have been better
if the government had allowed
the MPs of (our) country, espe-
ated. Asked if he was soften-
ing towards the BJP in view of
exchange of tweets of apprecia-
tion with Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi, he replied in the
negative: "Nothing like that."
The bypolls are necessitated
due to the disqualification of
17 legislators of Congress and
JD(S) under the anti-defec-
tion law by the then Speaker
of Karnataka Assembly. The
MLAs later filed a petition in
the Supreme Court on which
the order is reserved. The EC
has announced the poll sched-
ule for only 15 of the 17 con-
stituencies. It could not do so
for Maski and Rajarajeshwari
Nagar segments as petitions
are pending in the Karnataka
High Court relating to 2018
assembly poll.
@ about before the national elec-
a m
PTI
ter. Sanjay Raut, who has been
attacks on the BJP, also said:
"Uddhav Thackeray ji has said
that we have other options too
but we don't want to commit
the sin of accepting that alter-
native. Shiv Sena has always
believed in the politics of truth,
we are not hungry for power."
Sources say the BJP leader-
ship is upset at the continuous
said in a series of tweets. A
23-member delegation of Euro-
pean Union parliamentarians
reached Kashmir on Tuesday
for a first-hand assessment of
the situation after the state's
special status was revoked in
August.
"European MPs allowed to
visit and interfere in Kashmir,
but when Indian MPs and lead-
ers go there they are sent back
from the airport. This kind of
nationalism is very strange,"
Priyanka Gandhi said in a
tweet in Hindi. Another Con-
gress general secretary, Ghulam
Nabi Azad, said while he did
not have any objection to par-
liamentarians of EU visiting
Kashmir, he is opposed to
the government not allowing
Indian MPs to visit the state.
"This is an insult to the
Indian Parliament by allow-
ing the members of EU to
visit Jammu & Kashmir. This
is also an insult to the people,
of whom they are representa-
tives," Azad said.
"When I tried to visit Sri-
nagar a week after the scrap-
cially opposition parties, to
go there," Mayawati tweeted
in Hindi. A joint delegation
of opposition MPs, including
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi,
was not allowed to go beyond
the Srinagar airport after their
arrival from Delhi and were
sent back to the national capi-
tal about two months ago. This
is the first time since August 5
when Jammu and Kashmir's
special status was revoked that
India has allowed a foreign
delegation to visit Kashmir.
The Central government has
also announced the decision
to bifurcate the state into the
union territories of Jammu and
Kashmir, and Ladakh.  MPOST
European Union finds its place in Kashmir
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Over 80 days
have passed since the Govern-
ment of India revoked Jammu
& Kashmir’s special status.
Those within have remained
locked while those out have
only been allowed a measured
peak. But all that scepticism is
now changing with a delegation
comprising Members of Euro-
pean Parliament (MEP) flock-
ing to Srinagar to ‘enjoy a slice
of Kashmir’.
Though the Government
of India and the Ministry of
External Affairs have been dis-
tancing themselves from the
invite, insisting that it is in per-
sonal capacity – the red car-
pet rolled out and privileges
being provided to the delega-
tion prove otherwise. Espe-
cially in light of the fact that
digs from the Sena, especially
Sanjay Raut. Yesterday, the two
parties had separate meetings
with Governor Bhagat Singh
Koshyari, reinforcing specu-
5
lation that their partnership is
badly strained.
Allies for three decades, the
0 0
two parties are locked in a feud
over the Sena's demand for a
50:50 arrangement involving
rotational chief ministership
7
for the two parties.
Sena chief Uddhav Thac-
keray reminded the BJP of what
he said was a 50:50 deal talked
tion earlier this year. The BJP
is emphatic about Devendra
Fadnavis staying Chief Minis-
ter for the entire term and says
there was no such deal before
the assembly election.
In last week's Maharashtra
election, the BJP won 105 seats
in the 288-member Maharash-
tra assembly and the Shiv Sena
ended up with 56. With the
BJP's tally dipping from 122 in
2014, the Sena believes it has
enough leverage to insist on
an equal share. Together, the
two have 161 seats, way past
the half-way mark of 144. The
Sena claims its tally is now 61
with the support of five more
MLAs.  AGENCIES
A girl runs for cover after throwing stones during a protest in Srinagar,
Tuesday 
ping of Article 370, I had to
wait for five hours at the Sri-
nagar airport and return to
Delhi. After this, I also tried
to go to Jammu, but was again
stopped at the Jammu airport,"
he said. Azad said under the
leadership of Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi, a delegation of
opposition leaders tried to go
to Srinagar, but it also had to
return after waiting for four
hours at the airport.
"I finally went to the Jammu
& Kashmir with the permis-
PDP leaders denied permission to meet Mufti
OUR CORRESPONDENT
JAMMU: The Jammu and
Kashmir Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) said on Tuesday
that the administration had
denied permission to its dele-
gation to meet party president
Mehbooba Mufti, currently
under detention in Srinagar.
On Monday, the PDP lead-
ership in Jammu had forwarded
a letter to the Deputy Com-
missioner of Srinagar seeking
permission afresh to meet the
detained leader on October 30.
The administration had earlier
given permission to a delega-
tion of PDP leaders to meet the
former chief minister, but the
party deferred the proposed
the media and opposition lead-
ers have both been prevented
from spending any quantifiable
time in the Valley.
On Monday, the MEP del-
egation met with PM Narendra
Modi who wished “their visit to
J&K should give the delegation
a better understanding of the
cultural and religious diversity
of the region of Jammu, Kash-
mir and Ladakh, apart from
giving them a clear view of the
development and government
priorities of the region", as a
PMO statement read.
Despite the public celebra-
tion of Western validation,
unfortunately for the govern-
ment, EU has distanced itself
from this visit, disregarding its
connection with Brussels and
insisting that it has been under-
taken only in personal capacity.
This motley group of over 30
5 mp nation
Haryana cabinet to be expanded
Committee to formulate CMP for coalition
OUR CORRESPONDENT
3
NEW DELHI: The Haryana
cabinet will be expanded after
6
the assembly's special session
from November 4 and a com-
mittee comprising leaders of
1 8
both the BJP and the JJP set
up to formulate a common
minimum programme for the
coalition, Chief Minister M L
3 0
Khattar said on Tuesday.
Khattar, who is in the
national capital along with
Deputy Chief Minister Dushy-
ant Chautala, held his first Cab-
inet meeting at the Haryana
Bhawan here. Only Khattar and
Chautala took oath on Sunday.
It was decided in the meet-
ing that the assembly session
will be convened from Novem-
ber 4. The cabinet also decided
to grant subsidy in the sale of
a chemical which decomposes
stubble. This will encourage
farmers to use the 'decomposer'
chemical and prevent stubble
burning.
Stubble burning in Hary-
ana and Punjab has become a
a major cause for pollution in
Delhi and the National Capital
Region in the past few years.
JJP leader Chautala, the
great grandson of former dep-
uty prime minister late Devi
Lal, said both parties will work
together for the welfare of the
state and take decisions col-
lectively. "The Cabinet will
be expanded after the spe-
cial session of the state legis-
lative assembly. A committee
will also be formed compris-
ing leaders of both BJP and JJP
to formulate a common mini-
PTI
sion of Supreme Court. Peo-
ple were afraid of talking to
me. Three former chief minis-
ters were kept in cage and the
fourth chief minister (Ghulam
Nabi Azad) was kept in Delhi.
But, parliamentarians of Euro-
pean Union were allowed to go
to the state.
"Leaders and Indian MPs
are not allowed to visit the state,
but they are taking MP of EU
to the state. This is a conducted
tour. It is like when we go
abroad, we are guided during
visit following serious differ-
ences within its camp over the
visit. "A request by PDP lead-
ers to meet party chief and for-
mer chief minister Mehbooba
Mufti has been turned down
by the administration," senior
party leader and former legis-
lator Ved Mahajan said.
He said there was no offi-
cial response to the party's
communication.
"We have though been
unofficially told that permis-
sion at this stage will not be
granted," he added.
Mehbooba, along with
other prominent mainstream
leaders in Kashmir Valley,
have been under detention
since August 5 when the Cen-
delegates who are now touring
Kashmir comprise members
only from various right-wing
parties panning France, Italy,
Czech Republic, Belgium,
Spain, Poland and UK. Five of
the six British MEPs are from
the far-right and xenopho-
bic Brexit Party; and even the
sole Liberal Democrat MEP,
Bill Newton Dunn, is a former
Tory. Similarly, all the six Polish
MEPs are from the notorious
Justice and Law party which
is facing sanctions for being
allegedly in breach of its basic
values. MEPs from France,
Italy, Germany and Belgium
are all drawn from right-wing
nationalist outfits —European
versions of India’s jingoistic
parties.
Most interestingly, Chris
Davies, MEP from North-West
England, who had been invited
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar speaks during a press
conference after a meeting as Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant
Chautala looks on, at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi, Tuesday 
Families are united, only parties
are different, says Dushyant
NEW DELHI: The Chau-
tala families are united, only
parties are different, Haryana
Deputy Chief Minister and
JJP leader Dushyant Chautala
said on Tuesday, a day after
his father Ajay Chautala met
his estranged brother Abhay
Chautala at a farmhouse.
Monday's amicable meet-
ing between Ajay Chautala
and Abhay Chautala triggered
mum programme for the gov-
ernment," Khattar had said
earlier in the day after meet-
ing Vice President M Venkaiah
Naidu here. In his meeting with
the vice president, Khattar also
invited him to inaugurate the
International Gita Mahotsav.
Besides Naidu, Khattar
J&K visit of EU delegation
NEW DELHI/ SRINAGAR:
Terming the visit of Euro-
pean Union MPs to Jammu
and Kashmir as a "PR exer-
cise", the National Conference
on Tuesday said such "stunts"
are not the answer to the situ-
ation in the region.
A delegation of 23 Euro-
pean Union MPs arrived in
Jammu and Kashmir on Tues-
day for a first-hand assessment
of the situation in the region
following the revocation of
the state's special status under
Article 370.
"The visit of the selected
EU MPs, largely of a particular
the conducted tour," he said.
The former J&K chief min-
ister said 85 per cent of tele-
phones are not working in the
state and there is no Internet
or WhatsApp, even as schools
are closed. Criticising the BJP
tre announced its decisions to
abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's
special status under Article 370
of the Constitution and split
the state into two Union Terri-
tories. On October 6, the PDP
announced that it had got per-
mission from Governor Satya
initially, was snatched off his
invitation when he insisted
upon his desire to “travel freely,
unaccompanied”. Since voicing
his thoughts, Davies’s invitation
has been revoked without any
further communication.
The ruling party has pegged
its hope high and is wishing, at
least, that this apparently high-
flung group will help alter EU’s
perception of Indian’s Kash-
mir decision. This, however,
appears unlikely. EU has been
deliberately distancing itself
from the visit with Foreign
Minister Federica Mogherini
insisting that “restrictions on
fundamental freedoms” of
ordinary people are a matter
of deep worry. “It is crucial
that freedom of movement and
means of communication are
fully restored as well as access
to all essential services,” she has
PTI
hopes of a festering family dis-
pute that led to a vertical split
in the Indian National Lok
Dal (INLD) last year coming
to end.
Asked about the prospects
of his Jannayak Janata Party
(JJP) and the INLD coming
together, Dushyant Chautala,
without taking any names,
said they should reconsider
what they have done.
called on President Ram Nath
Kovind and BJP's general sec-
retary (organisation) B L San-
thosh. The BJP, which fell short
of six seats from the majority
mark in the assembly elections,
sealed a deal with the Chautala-
led JJP to form the government
in Haryana.
ideology, is clearly a PR exer-
cise. It is ironical that Euro-
pean MPs are visiting the
Valley when the state's leaders
including three former Chief
Ministers, are incarcerated for
nearly three months now, and
hundreds of others are in jails
across the country," the NC
said in a statement.
The party said the Centre
should take "concrete steps" to
resolve the issue in the state. .
"What the people of Kash-
mir think of the MPs' visit is
very clear from an intensified
shutdown in the Valley today,"
it said.
government for allowing the
EU MPs to visit Kashmir and
turning back Indian leaders
and parliamentarians, the Con-
gress has said it is an insult to
the sovereignty of Parliament
and to India's democracy.
Pal Malik to visit Mehbooba,
but within hours deferred the
visit after several senior lead-
ers came out in open and chal-
lenged the authority of those
who had sought permission
from the administration at that
time. They targeted Mahajan,
who was in the forefront at
that time as well, for "sidelin-
ing" them while taking such an
important decision.
They also accused Maha-
jan and others of following
the footsteps of the National
Conference, a delegation of
which had visited Srinagar and
met detained party president
Farooq Abdullah and vice pres-
ident Omar Abdullah Octo-
ber 6.
said, echoing a view pervasive
across Britain.
At the forefront of this
planned PR exercise is Dinesh
Dhamija, a man who describes
himself as “chair of a delegation
of MEPs assigned specifically
to help international relations
with India”. Interestingly, he
has been an active supporter
of PM Modi’s Kashmir deci-
sion and has sought credit for
restraining EU from “interfer-
ing into India’s matter”.
But India will be in for
a surprise if it expecting this
unlikely group to protect its
claims in EU. Observers insist
that EU is fully aware of this PR
stunt and is unlikely to perceive
it otherwise. The MEPs in ques-
tion lack the required gravitas
and credibility, and have also
been described as “a bunch of
self-important freelancers”.
6 mp nation
HC impleads civic authorities, raps media
Whether the government needs a “dead body” for implementation of each and every rule, asks the Madras High Court
OUR CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: The Madras High
Court on Tuesday made strong
observations asking whether
the government needs a corpse
to act on implementing each
and every statute, hours after
the decomposed body of a two-
year-old boy was pulled out
from an unused borewell.
Rescuers pulled out the
decomposed and mangled
body of Sujith Wilson early
Tuesday from deep inside the
borewell, after a futile 80-hour
attempt to save the child who
had fallen in while playing near
his house in a village in Tamil
Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli district.
In oral observations, the
court also rapped the media,
saying it was not streaming
anything constructive in cre-
ating public awareness on the
implementation of rules and
regulation on borewells and
tubewells, except giving a live
relay on the rescue operations
that eventually ended on a
tragic note.
It further observed that
everybody has a social respon-
sibility to bring awareness and
it is more on the media in pub-
lishing the guidelines issued by
the state government based on
the Supreme Courts order.
A division bench of Jus-
tices M Sathyanararayanan
and N Seshasayee was hear-
ing a petition seeking a direc-
tion to authorities for strict
implementation of guidelines
issued by the Supreme Court
and for enforcement of The
Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Reg-
Five cops suspended over K’taka: Police step up
S a
custodial death of man crackdown on illegal
OUR CORRESPONDENT
MUMBAI: Five policemen
were on Tuesday suspended
in connection with the alleged
custodial death of a 26-year-
old man in Mumbai, an offi-
cial said.
Vijay Singh, a resident
of Sion area who worked as
a medical representative in
a pharmaceutical firm, died
after he was detained at the
Wadala Truck Terminus police
station for questioning in an
assault case on Sunday.
The victim's family mem-
bers and his friend alleged
that he was beaten to death in
police custody.
"A police inspector, a sub-
inspector and three constables
of the Wadala TT police sta-
tion have been suspended after
an inquiry into the incident," a
police spokesperson said.
The incident is being
treated as a case of custodial
death and the crime branch
has started probing it, he said.
The post-mortem was
being done at the state-run
J J Hospital in the presence
of a metropolitan magistrate
and guidelines of the National
UP infant deaths a ‘man-made
massacre’ for commission: Doc
OUR CORRESPONDENT
BHOPAL: Dr Kafeel Khan,
who was arrested after the
death of more than 60 children
in a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s
Gorakhpur in 2017, on Tues-
day called the tragedy a “mas-
sacre” that took place for “10
per cent commission”, and
hit out at Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath.
The tragedy at Baba Raghav
Das Medical College, which
shook the nation and made
headlines worldwide, began
with the death of 30 children
on the night of August 10 that
year, followed by 34 more
deaths in the days to follow.
While many of the infants
died allegedly due to disrup-
tion in oxygen supply because
of pending payments to the
supplier, the UP govern-
ment had maintained that the
deaths were caused by Japanese
encephalitis.
Khan, then a paediatrician
at the state-run hospital, was
accused of negligence. He was
suspended and later arrested
following an outrage over the
ulations of Sinking of wells and
Safety Measures) Rules 2015.
The court impleaded the
civic authorities and directed
them to produce details on
the action taken against viola-
tors who had failed to comply
with the conditions stipulated
for digging borewells and
tubewells.
The plea was filed by V
Ponraj, a scientist who had
worked with former president
late APJ Abdul Kalam and
was the Director, Technology
Interface, at the Rashtrapathi
Bhavan.
The court said the counter-
affidavit to be filed by Novem-
ber 21 should have details on
the number of permissions
granted and the list of con-
tractors and entities who were
accorded permission to dig
borewells and tubewells and
list of unused and abandoned
borewells and tubewells as
well as the penal action taken
against the violators.
The court has impleaded
principal secretaries to Munic-
ipal Administration and Water
Supply department and Rural
Development Panchayat Raj
as parties.
When the plea was taken
up, the bench orally observed
whether the government needs
a “dead body” for implemen-
tation of each and every rule.
The petitioner, citing the
Supreme Court order in 2009
h u Measures) Rules 2015 came
k
and guidelines issued by the
Ministry of Women and Child
i f
Development in 2013, alleged
that the Tamil Nadu govern-
ment did not comply with the
r
Human Rights Commission
(NHRC) were being followed,
the official added.
Meanwhile, Singh's fam-
ily members and locals pro-
tested outside the Wadala
Truck Terminus police sta-
tion and sought a meet-
ing with the Mumbai Police
Commissioner.
The protesters, hold-
ing placards and banners,
demanded an FIR against the
duty officer and other police
personnel who allegedly
assaulted Singh.
According to the police,
Singh was released after he
complained of chest pain and
collapsed at the gate of the
police station.
However, Singh's friend
Ankit Mishra, who was with
him at the of the incident,
alleged that the duty officer
and constables beat up the vic-
tim and did not even give him
water when he asked for it.
"When he was unable to
speak because of the pain, the
duty officer asked his family
members, who were waiting
outside the police station, to
hire a cab and take him to hos-
pital," Mishra alleged.
infant deaths.
Speaking to reporters here,
Khan said, “The massacre hap-
pened for just 10 per cent com-
mission. It is not a tragedy, it is
a man-made massacre.
“I am moving the Allahabad
High Court shortly to get jus-
tice for the deceased and seek
punishment for the culprits. I
have immense respect for judi-
ciary and the Constitution.”
Attacking Adityanath,
Khan, currently out on bail,
said the Uttar Pradesh chief
minister had, on August 13 that
year, told him, “I will see you”.
Khan said the contractor
supplying oxygen to the hos-
guidelines which led to a simi-
lar tragedy in Tiruvannamalai
Flowers laid on the mortal remains of 3-year-old Sujith Wilson, who lost his life after he fell into a borewell,
during his funeral at Pudur, Tiruchirappalli, Tuesday 
district in 2012.
Immediately after this inci-
High Court and on the basis of
k
dent, a plea was filed before the
p guidelines.
ll a
the court direction, a special
Act to prevent such incidents
was enacted and the Tamil
Nadu Panchayats ( Regulations
of Sinking of wells and Safety
into force, the petitioner said.
This was also not complied
with by authorities this time
around, he said.
The petitioner, referring to
the death of Sujith Wilson, said
the main cause of the death
was failure in the implemen-
tation of both the apex court
Man dies in
police custody,
kin demand
probe
AMETHI (UP): A man
detained in connection with
a case of loot died in police
custody after allegedly con-
suming poison, officials said
on Tuesday.
Satya Prakash Shukla
(50) and his sons were
detained by the police on
Monday night in connec-
tion with loot of Rs 26 lakh
from a bank employee in
Peeparpur area, Additional
Superintendent of Police
(Amethi) Dayaram said.
Shukla allegedly con-
sumed poison and was
rushed to a hospital in
Sultanpur, where he died
during treatment, he said.
However, family members
of Shukla alleged that he
was tortured by the police
and killed in custody.  MPOST
pital at the time had written
14 letters, including to the UP
CM, for (release of) pend-
ing payments, but nothing
happened.
“It was just to get 10 per
cent commission from the oxy-
gen supplier that the massacre
took place,” he claimed.
The doctor said it was sur-
prising that despite an inquiry
conducted by a principal secre-
tary rank official in UP, whose
report was released last month,
“the responsibility of the deaths
have not been fixed”.
Khan, who was in jail for
eight months following his
arrest, further claimed, “I have
BOY’S DEATH IN BOREWELL
@ on sealing unused borewells
m
a
and the High Court orders
and non-compliance of the
The petitioner, pointing
out to the rescue operations
and the methods adopted, said
“The methods adopted by gov-
ernment authorities one after
another clearly shows that the
government is not in a position
to ascertain the ground reality
and not prepared or equipped
with the rescue operations.
This is not the first inci-
dent, there were many that had
taken place in Tamil Nadu, the
petitioner submitted.
The petitioner claimed
the government did not have
any solution or any technol-
ogy when a disaster occurs
Bangladeshi immigrants
OUR CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU: Continuing
its drive against illegal Ban-
gladeshi immigrants staying
in the city, police on Tues-
day warned of action against
building owners renting out
their premises and employers
who hire such people without
proper verification.
In case the tenants or
employees were found to be
illegal immigrants, stringent
action would be taken against
the building owners and their
employers, police said.
"There are Bangladeshis in
the city who don't have any
documents with them and are
staying in the country illegally.
They can indulge in anti-
national activities. Yet these
people were provided shelter,"
Bengaluru Police Commis-
sioner Bhaskar Rao said.
"We will initiate action of
criminal conspiracy conspir-
acy under section 120(B) of the
IPC against those who harbour
them," Rao said.
He said some BBMP (Bru-
come out without a blemish in
the principal secretary’s report.”
UP Principal Secretary
(Stamp and Registration)
Himanshu Kumar, who inves-
tigated Khan’s case, absolved
the doctor of any negligence.
“I was made the scapegoat,
my wife was tormented by law
enforcers. Eight others were
victimised along with me. The
real culprits are being saved,” he
alleged. Khan claimed the bul-
lets fired on his brother were
actually meant for him.
His brother Kashif Jameel
was shot at on June 10 last year
when he was returning home
on his motorbike near JP Hos-
pital in the Humayunpur North
area of Gorakhpur, with three
bullets hitting him.
“My brother was shot four
times and injured. They (assail-
ants) mistook him for me. Now
my fight is to ensure the victims
get justice and the culprits get
punished.
“The infants who died were
not from any one commu-
nity. They were Dalits, OBCs,
minorities, and they were
poor,” he said.
Before Sujith, at least 10 kids died
1 8
in borewells over last 15 years
3 0
5
0 0
7 similar manner in Tamil Nadu
and if rescue services were not
equipped with latest technolo-
PTI
gies, the life and liberty of the
people of Tamil Nadu would
be at peril.
Sujith had fallen into the
disused farm borewell while
playing near his house in
Nadukattupatti.
Initially, he was stuck at
a depth of about 30 feet but
subsequently slipped further
down, and the body was finally
pulled out from a depth of 88
feet.
After post-mortem, the
body was handed over to his
parents who buried him in a
heart-wrenching funeral con-
ducted by the local parish
priest at a nearby graveyard.
hat Bengaluru Mahanagara
Palike) contractors were also
under the scanner for hiring
these Bangladeshi labourers as
they command very less wages.
"We will initiate action
against the BBMP contractors
and will bring these facts to the
notice of the higher-ups," he
added.
Police launched a drive
against the illegalimmigrants
after the National Investigation
Agency busted a terror mod-
ule of Jamat-ul-Mujahiddin
Bangladesh (JMB) by arrest-
ing three of its operatives holed
up in and aroundBengaluru.
These three ultras, involved
in the Burdwan blast case,
wanted to set up their base in
South India to carry out their
activities in different parts of
India.
The NIA probe had revealed
that these operatives were in
possession of incriminating
material, including improvised
explosive devices and had con-
ducted training camps at a hill
in Krishnagiri district of neigh-
bouring Tamil Nadu.
One more Maoist believed
killed; death toll touches 4
OUR CORRESPONDENT
PALAKKAD: One more Mao-
ist is suspected to be dead in
the ongoing operation by the
specialised Thunderbolt squad
near Attapady here, police said
on Tuesday.
A top police official said
the one who died on Tuesday
was injured in the gunfight the
previous day, taking the toll to
four. Three Maoists, including
a woman, were killed in the
operation on Monday. "It seems
like one more member of the
insurgents was found dead. We
are waiting for the confirma-
tion. But there are also reports
of firing at the inquest team
members from the forest," the
official said. Opposition Con-
gress on Tuesday alleged in the
Assembly that the ruling Left
has made it as a policy to elim-
inate the insurgents instead of
bringing them to justice.
With the current operation
resulting in the death of four
Maoists, the total toll, since the
government came to power in
2016, has gone upto seven.
"We are opposing the ideol-
ogies of Maoists. But we cannot
agree to the fake encounters to
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
6 3
OUR CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI: Two-year-old
Sujith Wilson is not the only
child to have met with a tragic
end after falling into an aban-
bdoned borewell as at least 10
other children had died in a
over the past 15 years.
The toddler's death brought
to the fore the lack of awareness
and public apathy towards tak-
ing safety measures.
Unexplicably, April 2014
saw repeat incidents of inno-
cent children becoming vic-
tims of uncovered borewells
in the state.
In September 2013, a six-
year old girl child died after
falling into a borewell in Pula-
vanpadi village in Tiruvanna-
malai District.
A three-year-old girl, R
Madhumita, got stuck at about
30 feet of a 500-feet borewell
at her father's farm at Pallaga-
seri village near Villupuram in
April 2014.
She fell into the borewell -
covered with a polythene sack
- when she stepped on it acci-
dentally while playing.
After a 19-hour long strug-
gle, she was rescued alive by
multiple teams working in
tandem,but later died in a
Four tourists NATION BRIEFS
from Bangalore 4 DEAD AS CAR RAMS INTO TRUCK IN RAJ
drown in sea JAIPUR: Four people died and three more were
injured on Tuesday when a car crashed into a truck on
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NAGAPATTINAM (TN):
Four tourists from Banga-
lore, who were on a visit to the
famous Muslim pilgrim cen-
tre of Nagore in Nagapattinam
district, drowned in the sea in
two separate incidents, police
said here on Tuesday.
Rihan (12) drowned when
he ventured into the sea off
Nagore to take a bath late on
Monday evening. His body
was later washed ashore in the
same area, they said here on
Tuesday.
In the second incident,
three members of a fam-
ily drowned in the sea in the
same area.
Imthiyaz Basha (50), his
wife Riyana (40), son Afras
(18) and daughter Saina (16)
and nephew Nizam (20), all
from Bangalore took a bath in
the sea at Nagore.
They were all trapped in the
sea in high tide.
Though onlookers rushed
to help, they could retrieve
only the bodies of Imthiyaz,
Afras, and Nizam.
The other two survived,
police said.
The ruling Left has
made it as a policy
to eliminate the
insurgents instead
of bringing them to
justice, Cong alleged
kill them," Opposition Con-
gress Leader Chennithala told
media. He had earlier told the
Assembly that during the pre-
vious Congress-rule, they had
captured two wanted Maoists --
Rupesh and Shina -- instead of
killing them in fake encounters.
"When a Left government
is ruling, such alleged encoun-
ters are taking place. While we
were in power, we captured
them instead of killing them,"
Chennithala said. A suspected
Maoist leader C P Jaleel was
killed early in March this year
in an exchange of fire with
police personnel at a resort in
Wayanad which lasted several
hours. Two other Maoists were
also killed in a similar encoun-
ter in 2016. The state leader-
ship of the CPI said it was too
early to confirm whether it was
a gunfight or a fake encounter.
hospital. at least 13 children have fallen
Days after this mishap, a into unused borewells in Tamil
four-year-old boyHarshan fell Nadu alone and only three of
into a borewell, also located them were rescued alive.
in a farm at Kuthalapuri in
Tirunelveli district.
Rescuers battled for more
than five hours and brought the
The rescued include Har-
shan (2014), a three-year-old
boy in 2012 at Thali in Krish-
nagiri district and another boy
child out alive.
A day after the successful
rescue,an 18-month old toddler
fell into an unused borewell at
in Dindigul district in 2004.
Several such mishaps have
occurred in other parts of the
country as well, including
Kidampalayam village, about
50 km from Tiruvannamalai.
D Sujith was playing near
neighbouring Karnataka and
as recently as in June this year,
when a child fell a victim in
a farm along with some family
members when he fell into it.
Stuck at about 47 feet in the
200 feet borewell, his body was
taken out after 24-hours of res-
Punjab.
Two-year-old Fatehvir
Singh fell into a cloth covered
borewell in a farm while play-
ing at Bhagwanpura village.
cue efforts.
Sujith's fall into the bore-
well was the third such mishap
in April 2014 in Tamil Nadu.
The borewell was covered with
a cloth on which the boy had
accidentally stepped on it.
His mother desperately
While Harshan was saved, tried to save him, but to no
Madhumita and Sujith were avail.
not lucky enough. Unsuccessful efforts to res-
It was a "borewell robot",an cue him safely went on for
indigenous device developed about 110 hours and eventu-
by a Madurai-based social
worker, that saved Harshan.
In an interview to PTI,
social worker M Manigandan
ally the boy's body was pulled
out of the 150-feet deep unused
bore well.
As early as 2010, following
had said that the trigger for several incidents of children
developing the device was his falling into unused borewells,
son's accidental fall into a bore- the Supreme Court had framed
well in 2003 and the painful
rescue efforts.
In the past about 15 years,
guidelines to prevent chil-
dren from falling into unused
borewells.
NH-8 in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district, police said. The
accident occurred under the Prasad police station area
on the national highway as the car carrying passengers
from Vadodara, in neighbouring Gujarat, rammed into
the stationary truck by the roadside. A woman was
among the four who died on the spot and their identi-
ties are being ascertained, police said. The injured,
two women and a girl, were referred to a hospital in
Udaipur, they added.
14 CATTLE DIE AFTER CONSUMING FODDER
MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP): At least 14 cattle, including
cows and buffaloes, died after consuming poisonous
fodder at Kaderghar village in neighbouring Shamli
district, police said on Tuesday. The cattle died after
eating the fodder on Monday evening, they said.
A medical team has been dispatched to the village for
ascertaining the incident. The carcasses have been sent
for post-mortem examination and an investigation is
underway, police said.
SMRITI IRANI TO VISIT AMETHI TODAY
AMETHI (UP): Union Minister Smriti Irani will be on
a two-day visit to her Lok Sabha constituency Amethi
from October 30 and take part in a series of pro-
grammes, a BJP leader said on Tuesday. During her
visit, the Union textiles minister will interact with party
leaders and workers, BJP district unit chief Durgesh
Tripathi said. She will also take part in ‘Gandhi Sank-
alp Sandesh Padyatra’, he added. The ‘padyatra’
(foot march) was launched by Union Home Minister
and BJP president Amit Shah on the 150th birth an-
niversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2.
1 KILLED IN CLASH OVER COW DEATH
MIRZAPUR: One person was killed in a clash that
broke out over the death of a cow in Vindhyachal
area here, police said on Tuesday. B Bind (65) got into
an heated argument with his nephews after he blamed
them for his cow’s death, they said. Others joined the
melee soon after and the verbal confrontation turned
into a violent clash in which five people were injured,
police said. The injured persons were rushed to a
nearby hospital, where Bind succumbed to injuries, they
said.
MP: 40 HURT DURING ‘HINGOT FESTIVAL’
INDORE: At least 40 people were injured during
hurling of a charred local fruit at each other while
celebrating the annual ‘Hingot Festival’ in Madhya
Pradesh’s Indore district, a police official said on Tues-
day. The festival was celebrated in Gautampura area,
located around 55 km from here, on Monday, he said.
During the event, held traditionally a day after Diwali,
people of two villages here attack each other with
hingots, a local forest fruit, by removing its pulp and
stuffing it with gunpowder, coal and brimstone.
ELEPHANTS TRAMPLE MAN TO DEATH
RAIGARH: A 50-year-old man was trampled to death
by a herd of wild elephants in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh
district, a forest official said on Tuesday. Baratram
Rathiya, who was guarding his field on Monday night,
encountered the pachyderms near Khamhar village
in Dharamjaigarh forest division, he said. When he
failed to return home the next morning, the matter was
reported to the police and his body was eventually
found in the forest, the official said.
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
SC says large number of cases filed before
it due to 'insufficient or wrong sentencing'
Repeatedly cautioned against dealing with aspect of punishment in a ‘cavalier manner’: SC
MPOST BUREAU
NEW DELHI: The Supreme
Court has expressed displea-
sure over various cases being
filed before it due to “insuffi-
cient or wrong sentencing” by
lower courts despite it repeat-
edly cautioning against dealing
with the aspect of punishment
in a “cavalier manner”.
The apex court said sen-
tencing should not be taken
for granted as this part of the
criminal justice system has a
determinative impact on the
society.
The observations were
made by a bench headed by
Justice N V Ramana in its
verdict on an appeal filed by
Madhya Pradesh. The state had
challenged a Madhya Pradesh
High Court judgement which
had reduced the three-year jail
term awarded to four persons
by a trial court to the period
J&K cadre IAS, IPS officers to continue in
old role; new recruits to get AGMUT cadre
MPOST BUREAU
NEW DELHI: As Jammu and
Kashmir is being bifurcated on
Thursday, IAS, IPS and other
central service officers of J-K
cadre will continue to serve
in the two succeeding Union
Territories (UTs) while new
recruits of these services will
a
be allocated in the AGMUT
cadre.
According to the Jammu
S
and Kashmir Reorganisation
Act, 2019, the provincial ser-
vice officers will continue serv-
ing in their current positions
till a new order is issued by the
Lt Governors for the two new
UTs of Jammu and Kashmir
and Ladakh.
"In future, the All India
Service officers to be posted
to Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir or Union Ter-
National Digital Health
Blueprint report submitted
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Urging the
stakeholders to work towards
implementing the National
Digital Health Blueprint
(NDHB) in a time bound
manner, Union Health Min-
ister Harsh Vardhan said on
Tuesday that “The Centre is
committed to ensuring high
quality healthcare and acces-
sible to all upto the last mile.”
Stressing on the impor-
tance of digital health, the min-
ister said, “The digital health
interventions are accelerating
this transformation and have
a huge potential for supporting
universal healthcare.”
The National Digital Health
Nearly 36 million in India to face threat
of annual flooding by 2050: Study
MPOST BUREAU
NEW DELHI: Nearly 36 mil-
lion people in India will be
threatened by flooding annu-
ally by 2050 if green house gas
emissions are not reduced, a
new study has said, showing
the potential of climate change
to reshape cities, economies
and coastlines within our
lifetimes.
By 2100, it warned, 44 mil-
lion people will be under the
risk of annual flooding due to
rise in the sea level.
The study by US-based
NGO Climate Central said six
Asian countries India, China,
Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indo-
nesia and Thailand where 237
million people live, could face
annual coastal flooding threats
by 2050, roughly 183 million
more than assessments based
on prevailing elevation data.
The findings are based on
CoastalDEM, a new digital ele-
vation model developed by Cli-
mate Central, the NGO said in
a statement.
they had already served in
prison.
“We are of the opinion that
a large number of cases are
being filed before this court
due to insufficient or wrong
sentencing undertaken by the
courts below. We have time
and again cautioned against
the cavalier manner in which
sentencing is dealt in certain
cases,” the bench, also compris-
ing justices M M Shantanagou-
dar and Ajay Rastogi, said.
“There is no gainsaying that
the aspect of sentencing should
not be taken for granted, as this
part of criminal justice system
has determinative impact on
the society. In light of the same,
we are of the opinion that we
need to provide further clarity
on the same,” it said.
Modifying the high court’s
judgement, the Supreme Court
sentenced three convicts to
three months imprisonment
ritory of Ladakh, as the case
may be, shall be borne on the
Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram
h u Lieutenant Governors of
k
Union Territory (AGMUT)
cadre, and necessary modifi-
i f
cations in corresponding cadre
allocations rules may be made
accordingly, by the central gov-
r
ernment," according to the Act
approved by both Houses of
Parliament in August.
The Act provides for cre-
ation of two UTs Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh and the
two UTs will come into exis-
tence on October 31. While UT
Jammu and Kashmir will have
a legislature like Puducherry,
Ladakh will be a UT without
a legislature like Chandigarh.
Expenditure Secretary
Girish Chandra Murmu
and former defence secre-
tary Radha Krishna Mathur
have been appointed the new
Harsh Vardhan, Union Health
Minister
Blueprint (NDHB) Commit-
tee, which was constituted to
lay out the ‘building blocks’
for the implementation of the
National Health Stack (NHS),
submitted the final report on
Tuesday. The report was sub-
By 2100, 44 million people will be under the risk of annual flooding due to rise in sea level, the study warned
“Six Asian countries are mates based on older elevation people at risk.
home to the great majority of data,” it said. “Asian countries
people approximately 237 mil- see biggest increases in threat- tist at Climate Central and lead
lion combined living in places ened land.”
that without coastal defence
could experience coastal flood- more countries Japan and Phil- of climate change to reshape
ing at least annually by 2050, ippines will experience annual cities, economies, coastlines,
more than quadrupling esti- tidal flooding with 22 million and entire global regions
and also imposed a fine of Rs 1
lakh each on them.
The bench sentenced the
fourth convict, who is presently
aged around 80, to two months
imprisonment and slapped a
fine of Rs 65,000 on him.
According to the complaint,
k p
ll a
Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh
respectively.
The Arunachal Goa
Mizoram Union Territory is
popularly known as AGMUT.
The Act says the cadres of
the Indian Administrative Ser-
vice (IAS), Indian Police Ser-
vice (IPS) and Indian Forest
Service (IFoS) for the existing
state of Jammu and Kashmir,
on and from the appointed day
(October 31), shall continue to
function on the existing cadres.
The Lt Governor, the Act
says, will decide about the pro-
visional strength, composition
and allocation of officers once
the two new UTs are formed
and notified.
Talking about these pro-
visions for "other services",
the Act says "every person
who immediately before the
mitted by committee’s chair-
man J Satyanarayanam, who
was earlier chairman of UIDAI.
The minister further stated
that the need of the hour is to
create an ecosystem which can
integrate the existing dispa-
rate health information sys-
tems and show clear path for
upcoming programmes.
“There is a need to ensure
convergence across these IT
systems to monitor and pro-
vide health services in a
robust and efficient manner.
The Health Ministry has initi-
ated efforts in the direction of
a comprehensive, nationwide
integrated e-health system
under National Digital Health
Blueprint,” Vardhan said.
The study said by 2100, two assessments show the potential
on April 15, 2008, these four
people barged into the com-
@ hya Pradesh High Court chal-
m
plainant’s house with weap-
ons and attacked him over not
a
keeping his cow tied up.
The complainant had
alleged that the accused had
threatened to kill him if he did
appointed day is serving on
substantive basis in connection
with the affairs of the existing
state of Jammu and Kashmir
shall, on and from that day pro-
visionally continue to serve in
connection with the affairs of
the Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir and Union terri-
tory of Ladakh, by general or
special order of the Lieutenant
Governor of Union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir."
It says the state government
employees will be able to "seek
option" to serve in either of the
two UTs of Jammu and Kash-
mir and Ladakh and this trans-
fer will be "determined" by the
Lt Governor.
The Act says the "Cen-
tral government shall have
the power to review any of
its orders issued under this
section".
CBI arrests absconding Pailan
CMD in `574 cr Ponzi scheme
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The CBI has
arrested absconding Apurba
Saha, the Chief Managing
Director of the Pailan Group,
in connection with the Rs 574
crore Ponzi scheme the group
company is accused of run-
ning, officials here said on
Tuesday.
The Central Bureau of
Investigation had registered a
case against the group of com-
panies, known for running sev-
eral schools and educational
institutes across the country, in
2017 after the Supreme Court
of India had transferred a
bunch of chit fund cases to the
Scott Kulp, a senior scien-
author of the study, said, these
not tie his cow.
The trial court had con-
victed the four persons for
offences under section 326
(voluntarily causing grievous
hurt by dangerous weapons
or means) read with section
5
34 (common intention), 452
(house-trespass after prepara-
tion for hurt, assault or wrong-
Penal Code.
0 0
ful restraint) of the Indian
It had sentenced them to
three years imprisonment and
7
imposed a fine of Rs 500 on
each of them.
The convicts had thereafter
filed an appeal before the Mad-
lenging the trial court verdict.
The high court had allowed
the appeal and reduced their
sentence to the period of
imprisonment already under-
gone by them, which was only
four days, and enhanced the
fine to Rs 1,500 each.
The central vigilance commission observes Vigilance Awareness Week from October 28 to November 2,
which is also the week in which the birthday of Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel falls. This year
Vigilance awareness week is being observed in Indian Railway with central theme “Integrity -A way of
life”, which is fitting since Sardar Patel is a model for honesty, integrity and probity in public life for
present as well as for future generations. Vigilance awareness week is observed to stigmatize culture
of corruption, favoritism and nepotism and actively promoted all over Indian Railways to inspire ethical
value of Integrity among 1.3 million employees of National transporter
central agency in May 2014.
Saha was arrested from
Kolkata in connection with the
case after having disappeared
last year when CBI officials had
started raiding his premises
in the city's posh Ballygunge
area. The agency had arrested
Bipin Kumar Singh, another
director in the group in August
this year.
Sources in the know here
have said that the Pailan chit
fund case has links to popular
celebrity-turned-politician Rit-
uparna Sengupta, who is also
being probed by the CBI and
ED in the Rose Valley chit fund
case over an alleged receipt of
Rs 7.5 crore from the chit fund
within our lifetimes.
As the tideline rises higher
than the ground people call
home, nations will increas-
ingly confront questions about
whether, how much, and how
long coastal defence can pro-
tect them, he added.
The study added that by the
end of this century, assessments
based on CoastalDEM suggest
that without defence, land now
home to as many as 420 mil-
lion people worldwide could
be vulnerable to annual coastal
floods, even if moderate cuts to
carbon emissions are achieved.
The researchers used
machine-learning methods to
correct for systematic errors
in the principal elevation data-
set used until now for inter-
national assessment of coastal
flood risks, NASA’s Shuttle
Radar Topography Mission
(SRTM).
CoastalDEM-derived esti-
mates of the global population
at risk are three times greater
than values produced using
SRTM elevation data.
mp nation
3
6
8
The state then moved the
1
top court challenging the high
court verdict.
3 0 In its judgement, the apex
court said the sentencing for
crimes has to be analysed on
three touchstones -- crime test,
criminal test, and comparative
proportionality test.
The crime test involves sev-
eral factors, including extent
of planning, choice of weapon,
modus of crime, role of the
accused and state of victim, it
said.
Referring to the facts of
the case, the bench noted that
four persons were injured in
the attack and the “motiva-
tion seems to be that the cow
belonging to the victims had
entered the household of the
accused”.
The apex court directed that
the convicts be taken into cus-
tody forthwith to serve their
remaining sentences.
INTEGRITY-A WAY OF LIFE
Apurba Saha, the Chief Managing
Director of the Pailan Group
company. They added that a
sports journalist of a popular
Bengali daily might also come
under the scanner of investiga-
tive agencies.
AgriMin ‘sure’ of utilising all PM
Kisan Samman Nidhi funds
OUR CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: If all goes as
per the plan, the ‘efforts’ of the
Agriculture Ministry to uti-
lize all the funds allocated for
the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi
would work well and all the
remaining funds would be uti-
lized by the last quarter of the
financial year 2019-20.
As government has allo-
cated Rs 75,000 crore for the
PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and
till the third quarter the min-
istry was yet to spend about
Rs 25,000 crore of the amount.
The scheme was launched
Naga talks continue
for second day
NEW DELHI: Hectic par-
leys continued for the second
consecutive day on Tuesday to
find a lasting solution to the
seven-decade-old insurgency
problem in Nagaland with the
Centre's interlocutor and Gov-
ernor R N Ravi holding sepa-
rate talks with the NSCN-IM
and a conglomerate of seven
organisations, officials said.
While the dialogue with the
Naga National Political Groups
(NNPG) here is heading for
conclusion, the NSCN-IM, a
major insurgent group in the
Northeast, is still resisting the
government pressure to give
up their demands for a separate
flag and Constitution for the
Nagas. "The interlocutor held
discussions with the NNPG
in the morning and with the
NSCN-IM in the afternoon.
The talks are expected to be
held again soon," an official
privy to the development.
The dialogues were con-
vened in Delhi in a bid to iron
out differences, particularly on
the NSCN-IM's demands for a
separate flag and Constitution
for the Nagas, that have already
Saha was arrested by the
economic offences wing of
the agency, with sources cit-
ing his non-cooperation with
the probe as the reason for his
arrest. Officials here said that
he had fled after collecting
money from the public fraud-
ulently and later misapprori-
ated the funds.
The Pailan chief was
arrested after the agency
recently came into the spot-
light for pursuing leads per-
taining to Rajeev Kumar and
other state politicians, while
looking the other way on
investigative avenues linked
to the promoters of the chit
fund companies.
just ahead of the Lok Sabha
elections and as per the polit-
ical experts; the scheme had
helped BJP in combating the
rural distress. The initiative
was launched by the Centre to
provide upto Rs 6,000 yearly
financial assistance to small
and marginal farmers as mini-
mum income support.
Talking to Millennium
Post, a senior government offi-
cial said, “The disbursement
of the funds for the fourth
quarter has started and by
the end of the quarter, all the
funds would be utilized by the
states.”
7
rejected by the Centre.
Ravi, in a statement last
week, said that a mutually
agreed draft comprehensive
settlement, including all the
substantive issues, is ready for
signing the final agreement.
"Unfortunately at this aus-
picious juncture, the NSCN-IM
has adopted a procrastinating
attitude to delay the settlement
raising the contentious sym-
bolic issues of separate Naga
national flag and Constitution
on which they are fully aware of
the government of India's posi-
tion," he had said.
Ravi's statement assumes
significance in view of the Cen-
tre's August 5 announcement
abrogating the special status
given to Jammu and Kashmir
under Article 370. With the
annulment of the special sta-
tus, the separate flag and the
Constitution of Jammu and
Kashmir cease to exist.
The framework agreement
was signed on August 3, 2015
by NSCN-IM leader Thuinga-
leng Muivah and Ravi in the
presence of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. 
IPS Anup
MPOST
Kumar Singh
takes charge as
new NSG chief
NEW DELHI: Senior IPS
officer of Gujarat cadre Anup
Kumar Singh has taken over
the charge of Director General
of the elite National Security
Guard (NSG), the force said
on Tuesday.
Singh took over the com-
mand of NSG on Monday, 10
days after the Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi approved his
appointment as the Director
General of the ‘Black Cats com-
mando’ force.
The ACC had approved
Singh’s appointment to the
post on October 18. “The Black
Cats welcome their new DG
and look to move forward for
achieving greater heights under
his command,” National Secu-
rity Guard tweeted.
The 1985-batch IPS officer
took charge as NSG chief from
Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) Director General S.S.
Deswal, who was holding addi-
tional charge of the post since
the superannuation of Sudeep
Lakhtakia on July 31.
Singh will hold the post till
September 30, 2020 from the
date of joining or till further
orders, whichever is earlier.
The NSG is a federal contin-
gency “zero error” force to deal
with anti-terrorist activities in
all its manifestations. The force
was raised as the federal con-
tingency force to counter ter-
rorists and hijack-like incidents
in 1984.  AGENCIES
“As some more states have
come on the board, so we are
confident if utilizing all spent
fund within the stipulated
time,” the official said.
The scheme was to cost the
exchequer Rs 75,000 crore for
the 2019-20 financial year. An
allocation of Rs 20,000 crore
was made retrospectively for
the 2018-19 financial year
in order to provide the first
installment of the scheme
for the period from Decem-
ber 2018 to March 2019. As
per the reports, only Rs 8,000
crore of that 2018-19 alloca-
tion was spent.
8 mp editorial MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019

A curious
EDITORIAL
Call for counterterrorism
Leaving the ISIS debilitated, American raid to exterminate Baghdadi exemplifies the
situation need for a consolidated effort from nations in order to eradicate global terrorism

W ith the European Union Parliamentary delegation

present in Srinagar to meet the government and
I
SIS chief and most
dreaded Islamic terrorist,
Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi,
6 3 Qaeda. Al Qaeda, which is pres-
ently active in Arab Peninsula
focusing on African sub-Sahara
civil society representatives in Jammu and Kashmir,
there is definitely something to ponder over within India, in
the realms of both party politics and otherwise. Over 20 MPs
from European countries comprising of Members of the Euro-
SHANTANU MUKHARJI who always dreamt of cre-
ating a pan-Islamic Caliphate
enforcing brutal medieval laws,
was killed by the US special

1 8 and sporadic parts of the world,

might attempt to occupy the
space, selectively, possibly in
Afghanistan and other suscepti-
pean Parliament (MEPs) from Italy, Britain, France, Germany,
and Poland are received in the curfew-stricken Kashmir val-
ley. The formalities begin with the delegates visiting Army
15 Corps Headquarters at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Sri-
forces on October 26 in his safe
house in northwestern Syria.
Earlier, there have been peri-
odic reports suggesting that

3 0 ble countries where the scene is

fragile and therefore vulnerable.
Now that Baghdadi is
no more, his cadres may, by

5
nagar for a briefing about the overall security situation includ- Baghdadi was killed but only default, try to join the Al Qaeda
ing that along the LoC in J&K. They are likely to meet some to be later found untrue. This in the absence of any possible
residents, owners of houseboats, and some other delegations. time, however, no other than refuge in their countries of ori-
A prominent aspect of this visit is that the MPs delegation is
drawn mainly from far right parties. This is the first interna-
tional group to visit Kashmir after the government’s decision
to scrap India’s northern most state’s special status granted
If all the
US President Trump con-
firmed the killing, describing
gory details as to how the slain
Baghdadi whimpered, cried

0 0 gin although many must be

on the run now with nothing
in sight to secure their future.
Radicalisation is also likely to
under Article 370 and bifurcating the state into two Union
Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The visiting
parliamentarians are broadly anti-immigration in Italy, in
favour of Brexit in the UK, and against migration and belong
stakeholders are
united, sinking
and ran like a coward through
a tunnel dragging his three
children before getting per-
ished after detonating his sui- 7
Trump’s covert operation to bring down Baghdadi seemingly supports his move to withdraw troops from Syria
suffer a setback, albeit tempo-
rarily, as ISIS cyber blitz will
have taken a beating following
Baghdadi’s death. Indonesia,
to Marine Le Pen’s party in France, and the far-right and anti-
establishment Alternative für Deutschland in Germany. Few
of the visiting MPs, however, do belong to the Left or liberal
their petty
differences, it is
always possible
cide vest.

@
The President further dis-
closed that a dog of the US Spe-
have knowledge of even the
minutest details of Baghdadi’s
movements and killing plans
nificant and relevant disclosures
made by Ismael tipped the bal-
ance in favour of the US Special
after the killing of dreaded
Baghdadi. A similar collabo-
ration between all responsible
Thailand (its southern tracts)
may remain adversely affected.
As regards India, the secu-
parties. The European delegation proceeded to Kashmir valley
after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The PMO expressed through an official statement that, “PM
Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday
briefed the delegation and also discussed the issue of Kashmir
to address any
terror menace.
Baghdadi’s
m
cial Forces was injured though
now stated to be out of dan-

a
ger. This dog, as claimed by the
President, chased Baghdadi to
the end of the tunnel.
neutralising his opponents.
Ethawi is known to be a PhD in
Islamic Sciences and is an ex Al
Qaeda hand who was inducted
in 2006 but was arrested by the
Forces who then successfully
carried out a flawless surgical
operation. Others involved in
the operation included the heli-
copter gunmen which provided
countries who could embark
upon to meet more serious
challenges in uprooting global
terror could make the world a
much safer place to live in.
rity agencies need to be on the
lookout in places like Kashmir
– because of the situation on
the ground and Kerala – where
radicalisation was perceived to
and the situation there after the abrogation of Article 370. PM
told the delegation that there should be zero tolerance for mili-
tancy. Expressing hope that the parliamentarians’ visit to vari-
ous parts of the country will be fruitful, Modi said the visit to
killing reinforces
this argument.
A similar
k p These inputs suggest the
scale and enormous magnitude
of a full proof and profession-
ally sound operation which led
US in 2008. Later, he escaped to
Syria but CIA kept a tab on his
whereabouts. Subsequently, in a
major tip-off, Ismael was picked
fire support from above.
It’s now believed that
Trump’s controversial deci-
sion to withdraw from Syria
Having said this, it’s critical
to examine the likely implica-
tions that may ensue in the wake
of Baghdadi’s exit. According to
be alarming. More importantly,
ISIS demise may allow Turkey
and Malaysia to intensify their
efforts to occupy more space

ll a
Jammu and Kashmir should give them a better understanding to the much-needed riddance up by the Turkish authorities abandoning the Kurds had a Edmund Fitton Brown, who is in the Islamic world to show
of the cultural and religious diversity of the regions of Jammu, collaboration of Baghdadi. It was almost on and handed over to the Iraqis. solid reason behind it. Amer- the UN Coordinator of the ISIS that they are the champions
Kashmir and Ladakh.” As expected, in the already tight secu- the lines of the manner in which According to the security ica was seriously planning to monitoring team, his death is a of Islam in an attempt to push
rity situation, the security has been beefed up further ahead between all Osama bin Laden was exter- experts monitoring ISIS, it’s a launch the operation to get rid significant blow to the cohesive- their agenda. Both these coun-
of the visit of foreign delegation in Srinagar and elsewhere responsible minated in May 2011. Other section of the Iraqi intelligence of Baghdadi and to accomplish ness and the future capability tries, of late, have been visibly
with adequate deployment of Central Armed Police Forces
(CAPF) and J&K police personnel in place to maintain law
and order. Sources in the European Union mission in New
Delhi inform that the Members of European Parliament were
not an official delegation of the European Union and they are
h u
countries in
uprooting global
terror could
notable casualties, done away by
similar modus operandi, were
Gaddafi of Libya and Iraqi Pres-
ident Saddam Hussain.
which laboured tremendously
in sharing the hard actionable
intelligence with the US agen-
cies which eventually fructified
this, it was imperative to take all
parties into strict confidence.
That’s exactly why President
Trump thanked Russia, Syria
of the ISIS. Also, there doesn’t
seem to be any successor to
Baghdadi who can take over the
reins of the so-called Caliph-
anti-India and are ambitious to
play a leadership role. Hence,
India may be on their target.
All said and done, Osama

k
It must be emphasised that yielding very positive results and Turkey for their valuable ate. It’s important to remem- bin Laden’s elimination or Gad-
travelling in their private capacity. make the world in this entire game plan, Intel- and killing of Baghdadi. cooperation in the ‘mission ber that to head the Caliphate, dafi’s, haven’t reduced the terror
The other most conspicuous aspect of this visit by for- ligence played a crucial role in It would be equally interest- accomplished’. as per the ISIS norms, one has quotient in the world. New hate
a much safer

r i f
eigners is that the request of the opposition leaders in India
to visit the valley to independently take stock of the situation
was denied. Congress MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor had proactively
extended a proposal to visit Kashmir but the permission was
not granted to effect. Congress stalwart Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
place to live in
eliminating Baghdadi as for
the last several weeks, there
were untiring efforts on part
of the US to gather the pin-
pointed location where Bagh-
ing to note that, in the last video
shot, analysed by the security
analysts, Ismael was seen along
with Idlib Commander, Hayat
Tahrir-al-Sham (who was later
More significantly, the les-
son learnt is that if all the stake-
holders are united, sinking their
petty differences, it is always
possible to address any ter-
to be from the Quarash tribe to
which Prophet Mohammad is
believed to have belonged to.
Plus, it’s mandatory to have a
comprehensive knowledge of
preachers and perverse fanatics
continue to breed in the terror
space so that the agenda of hate
and religious violence remains
alive. Time has come to uproot

a
is the latest Opposition leader to criticise the Centre for allow- dadi was hiding. It was a tough arrested). This contributed in ror menace. Baghdadi’s killing Islamic jurisprudence. In the the menace once for all. Bagh-
ing the delegation to visit the state but not permitting Indian challenge as the ISIS supremo conjoining inputs to get a larger reinforces this argument. How- absence of these prerequisites, dadi’s end is a good opportu-
leaders to move out of Srinagar airport, sarcastically calling was frequently changing his picture pinpointing to the loca- ever, conflicting inputs indicate it is likely that the ISIS will be nity for the world powers to

S
it a “unique nationalism”. The bigger question that rings loud
is that of the Left parties: why are foreign delegation allowed
in Jammu and Kashmir while Indian political parties pre-
vented. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday told the
delegation that urgent action was needed against those sup-
porting and sponsoring terrorism. There are also unanswered
questions as to why such a noble concern is not shared with
hideouts and was elusive to his
own cadres. He moved with a
bunch of his select confidantes
in a minibus, discussing strate-
gic agenda and planning for a
future course of action.
As part of the operation,
tion of Baghdad’s hiding.
Prima facie, it would appear
that human intelligence played
a vital and decisive role in the
entire operation. The part
played by technological intel-
ligence like getting intercepts
that it was Trump’s PR exercise
ahead of his impeachment hype
and upcoming elections that
was marketed, linking Bagh-
dadi killing for political gains.
Even if we concede this coun-
ter-argument, the fact remains
in disarray in the coming days.
It’s now without direction and
without any leader.
While dwelling on the
emerging scenario, post-Bagh-
dadi, it’s imperative to factor
the presence of Al Qaeda. ISIS
close their ranks and contain
the terror threat conclusively in
a more effective manner.
Shantanu Mukharji is a
retired IPS officer, a security
analyst and a former National
Security Advisor to the Prime
Indian politicians when they seek the same ultimate goal of CIA picked up one Ismael- or resorting to snooping was that the saner global commu- under Baghdadi was a diehard Minister of Mauritius. Views
peace and stability in the northern region. CPI(M) general al-Ethawi, who is believed to probably peripheral and the sig- nity has heaved a sigh of relief opponent and adversary of Al expressed are strictly personal
secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned why members of the
European Parliament were being “welcomed” in Jammu and Dear
Kashmir when Indian political leaders had been prevented
from doing so. “Then why were Indian political party lead-
Quote martial AWAITING NORMALCY Editor millenniumpost.in
ers and MPs repeatedly prevented from exiting Srinagar air- Since abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the incidences of subversive activities and casualties have been
port? I was allowed to enter Srinagar only when the Supreme Genuine Log on to write letters to the
Court permitted over my habeas corpus petition. Even today curbed barring few ones inside the erstwhile state of J&K. Heavy deployment of security and police forces
Indian MPs are not allowed while Modi welcomes MEPs!,” poetry can along with unprecedented clampdown on movement and communication have paved the way for this
editor or send them to
Yechury expressed through a tweet. Yechury and CPI general communicate intermittent calm. But now, the government should aggressively push for normalcy and if possible make
letter2editor.mp@gmail.com
secretary D Raja were not allowed to visit the state after the
the people there partner to the journey for lasting peace, stability and all-round development. And, yes,
You can also send your
abrogation of Article 370 despite repeated attempts. Yechury before it is comments to The Editor,
was allowed to visit his ailing party colleague Yusuf Tarigami education does have a prominent role to play for instilling an enlightened, rational and constructive mindset
after the SC gave its go ahead on the condition that he would understood and the government should thrive for its betterment inside the two Union Territories of J&K and Ladhak
Millennium Post,
not be part of any political activity there. The involvement of Pratap Bhawan, 5 Bahadur Shah
the international community points to another aspect that T. S. ELIOT which will officially emerge from October 31.
has been quite literally blown out of proportion by Pakistan CHANCHAL NANDY Via email Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110 002
when it tried to leave no stone unturned to mobilise and con-

Don’t kill the flow

solidate international support against India for its unilateral
internal move on Kashmir on August 5. In the words of Raja,
“The fact that the Indian government is facilitating the visit
of the EU delegation shows that this government is desperate
and is under pressure to please the international community
which has raised several questions on human rights violations
in J&K. The government is desperate to convince the global
community. While it says everything is normal in the region, Lack of ecological flow disrupts a river’s self-purifying mechanism, rendering it to the
the ground reality is different.” Welcoming foreign delega-
tion in Kashmir amounts to yet another level of internation- mercy of its users who either pollute or overuse it

T
alisation of the matter, albeit in the interest of India, but it is
doubtful that this will be a good decision in the long-term he 2019 World Water to prioritise the procurement
perspective. Given that Chris Davies, Member of the Euro- Prize was awarded to of crops that are water prudent
pean Parliament for North West England was invited to visit South African Jackie like millets as against rice.
Kashmir Valley but was reportedly uninvited after he said he SUNITA NARAIN King for her work Secondly, cities will have to
will only go to Kashmir if allowed to “travel freely”. This itself to establish the need for eco- learn to take water from riv-
is a loud and clear message. logical flows in rivers. In our ers and return water and not
world of today, this is a critical waste. This is where there is

Getting smart
issue — how to establish the huge opportunity to do excreta
rights of our rivers in an age management, which is afford-
of growing demand for water able and so sustainable. This is
and growing risks for climate where cities need to be told that

T
change insecurity? they have to recycle and reuse
he Indian government’s flagship initiative for making We must understand that every drop of the sewage they
Smart Cities is an integrated approach to upgrade a city the issue of river flow is really generate. In fact, cities should
in all its interconnected aspects. The Smart City Mis- about the politics of power. The be asked to take their drink-
sion is an urban renewal and retrofitting programme by the The problem question of rights of the river ing water downstream of their
government with the aim to develop 100 smart cities across also is that cities becomes much more compli- sewage discharge points. It will
the country in order to make them both citizen-friendly and cated and much more political make them clean up their waste,
sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Development is and industries when water is scarce and rights return water to the hydrologi-
entrusted with the responsibility to implement this mission take water, but are contested. Overpolluted rivers fail to assimilate solid waste, thereby failing to clean itself cal cycle and add to our water
in collaboration with the state governments of the respective In India and many other security.
cities. As an idea, smart cities are not simply about impres- return waste and countries, water was allocated They destroy the river, and in to their average. there is such high rainfall — Thirdly, and most critically,
sively developing and upgrading cities from their present sta- pollution. They to farmers — who needed it to this way, the available and scarce So, there is flood. But all unpredicted and this then we must realise that the only
tuses but this initiative is essentially a combined effort of both grow our food. But now cities resource of water is further worse, after the flood, there is makes the flood, a deluge. It way we can cope with extreme
state and Central governments to collaborate for a common destroy the river, and industries are growing new diminished. So, in this fight, the drought because regions, cit- destroys lives; massively. and variable rain is to harvest
goal and general welfare of people. Developing 100 cities in and in this way, users of water. The fight is over river then has no rights — there ies, villages do not have the So, this is where we need to every drop and to build deliber-
the country as model areas based on an area development the re-allocation of this resource is no water for flow. But there capacity to hold the rain; the go back to the drawing board of ately for drainage. Every water-
plan is expected to have a rub-off effect on other parts of the
the available and between the old and the new is then an additional problem. drainage systems, ponds and Jackie King so that we begin to body and every drain must be
city and nearby cities and towns. The trickle-down effect of scarce resource of users. Re-allocation creates ten- Because the river has no water, tanks have been destroyed; the face the reality of deciding the deepened and protected to
such a development move is the result that is actually sought. water is further sions and even leads to blood- it cannot assimilate the waste of streams have been filled up. In rights of rivers. This is where the store the floodwater. India has
A smart city housing people will also house all the amenities shed in some cases. humans. It cannot clean itself. this way, we have a flood at the opportunity lies as well because extraordinary and diverse tra-
and facilities and services that people will need. Generation of diminished It is also important to under- It dies many deaths. time of drought. This is not the if we give the river its rights to ditions of building water stor-
employment is a prominent aspect of this and subsequently, stand our difference with the And, all this is happening in new normal. This is completely water; we will learn to do more age systems. These structures
education, pollution control, and maintenance of most basic rest of the world. In the already an age of climate change. The abnormal. And remember, cli- with less. must become our new temples
facilities such as roads and sewage. For a second round of developed world, for instance, fact is that today, we need to mate change impacts are only Firstly, agriculture will have — every drain, every ditch and
Smart Cities Mission likely to be rolled out in 2020, whatever in countries of Europe, water rethink everything we know just beginning. Global tempera- to be much more wise with its every water body must be pro-
that was left out in the scheme will be covered. A five-year moved to cities and industries and understand about water tures will rise further. water use. But this does not only tected so that the floodwater
scheme started in June 2015, many of its water and sewage because people and livelihoods management. Today when it We will even have to rethink mean using drip irrigation. It can be used to recharge ground-
management projects are likely to be accomplished towards also moved. But in India, mil- rains, it does not pour; it is a the role of dams in this extreme also means that we will have water and this can be used in
the end of the scheme, that is, by June 2020. Sorting out what lions still work on the land; they deluge. In the monsoon season rain age. Dams were built to to change our diets so that we the coming season of drought.
existing scheme will be the instrument to execute the Smart continue to need water for their of 2019, we have seen over 1,000 hold water; modulate the flow. eat food that uses less water and DOWN TO EARTH
Cities Mission is an administrative deliberation but what is of livelihoods. instances of heavy and extreme But now this holding of water that we do not grow our meat Sunita Narain is the Director
greater consequence is that the impacts of the development The problem also is that cit- rain events; many places have is becoming the biggest risk as using the industrial farming General of CSE and the edi-
initiatives be lasting and sustainable. ies and industries take water, had 1,000-3,000 per cent more dam managers have no option methods of the rich countries. tor of Down To Earth. Views
but return waste and pollution. rain in a single day, as compared but to release the water when This requires the government expressed are strictly personal
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Despite its omnipresence in all Indian languages, Sanskrit stands shunned in the modern era
I
ndia’s Central Reserve Police
Force is the world’s largest
police force. Upon joining this
M NAGESWARA RAO
great Force in the year 2005, I
was quite amused to see the weird
slogan “CRPF Sada Ajay; Bharat
Mata Ki Jay” written on all its offi-
cial signboards. Amused is actually
an understatement, for it proclaims
that CRPF would never be victori-
ous and glory to Bharat Mata! This
was a linguistic revelation, in more
ways than one.
Article 351 of the Constitution
Bereft of motherly
nourishment
by Sanskrit,
directs the Union of India to develop
the Hindi language by drawing “….
for its vocabulary, primarily on San-
skrit …..”. This is not new, as Sanskrit
Hindi and
other Bharatiya
languages
has always been the primary source
of vocabulary for all Bharatiya lan-
guages, much like Latin for Euro-
pean languages. But when Sanskrit
became
linguistically
is not taught and learnt as part of
public instruction, it is impossible to
achieve this constitutional objective.
malnourished
orphans. India
fell between the
Our forbearers kept our civili-
sational knowledge, texts and ethos
alive through their steadfast attach-
ment to Bharatiyata in the midst of
invasions, strife, wars and untold
stools. We lost
the millennia-
old Sanskrit
existential crises. However, our col-
lective ‘Avidya’ or agnotology during
the last century or so, stands testi-
mony to the ‘induced ignorance’
explosion amidst ‘information’
which had been explosion by means of ‘Macaulayism’.
the bedrock ‘Macaulayism’ is the colonisation
of the Indian mind by systematic
of our ancient wiping out of traditional and ancient
civilisation in
about half-a-
century, whereas
Indian education, indigenous culture
and vocational systems and sciences
h u
via the education system. Our collec-
tive ‘Avidya’ is thus manufactured,
maintained and disseminated both as
k
Israel revived a process and as a purpose to derac-
the long-dead inate us with an obvious aim that is
Hebrew during
the same period
r i f
tragically oblivious to us.
We have always been a knowl-
edge-based civilisation. For several
millennia, we produced a huge body
of knowledge and literature on a vari-
a
ety of subjects, primarily in Sanskrit.
Our Rig Veda is one of the world’s
oldest known texts. Our Mahab-
S harata is the longest poem to have
ever been written. More than their
antiquity, the breadth, depth, sophis-
tication and the invaluable knowl-
edge and insights of our ancient texts
The Bharat Ratna debate
Whether Savarkar is worthy of India’s highest civilian award is the moot point
W
ith the arrogance of
power and Machiavel-
lian politics, the RSS-
BJP combine is trying
D RAJA to appropriate, nay to misappropriate
India’s glorious past. The latest in this
regard is the call for Bharat Ratna for
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The Maha-
rashtra BJP incorporated the demand
as part of its manifesto along with ask-
ing for a similar honour for Mahatma
Phule. This was followed by Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi and party presi-
dent Amit Shah openly justifying the
demand. Amit Shah went much fur-
ther and said that our history must be
rewritten.
Releasing its election manifesto for
the Maharashtra assembly polls, BJP
promised that it would ask the NDA
government at the Centre to con-
fer India’s highest civilian award on
History is Savarkar. A point to note here is the
something based timing of the request. BJP has been in
power since 2014 and has only now
on accepted chosen to honour Savarkar. It is not
facts and cannot by chance that the choice is being
announced at a time when the entire
be amended to country has been celebrating the 150th
accommodate birth anniversary of the Father of the
Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Hence, it is
concocted clear that the ultimate goal of conferring
facts that suit the award to Savarkar is, of course, to
undermine Gandhi and his position as
some groups the tallest leader in the national move-
or a particular ment and to elevate the RSS, Golwalkar
and Godse. It is also to project RSS as
ideology. It one founded by so-called heroes of free-
cannot be erased dom struggle and their fellow travellers.
or amended as It must be noted here that at an ear-
lier attempt by then PM A B Vajpayee
the present is to do the same was forced to abort fol-
a continuation lowing widespread national criticism.
Anyone who follows the RSS ways of
of the past, imposing their views on people will
confirming fully readily agree that the award given last
year to RSS icon Nanaji Deshmukh was,
the veracity of in fact, a ‘test-drive’ or a ‘litmus test’ to
the facts see if they could get away with award-
ing figures with a history of advocating
bigotry. PM Modi’s visit to Savarkar’s jail
cell in Andaman Cellular Jail in order
to pay homage can also be considered
part of this same plan.
The well-calculated move to put
Savarkar alongside the real great
national heroes with government sanc-
tion will render it a permanent fixture
that cannot be rescinded later. Dhanan-
jay Keer, his biographer, describes an
incident in which a twelve-year-old
Savarkar led a march of his school mates
to stone a village mosque. Savarkar him-
self in his later recounting, uncritically
and with pride, recounts the same inci-
In a linguistic abyss
6 3
1 8
3 0
5
0 0
7 ing Sanskrit from public education to
@ Sanskrit, Hindi and other Bharatiya
a m
k p
For several millennia, we produced a huge body of knowledge and literature on a variety of subjects, primarily in Sanskrit
ll a
is overwhelming.
It is, therefore, baffling that we
don’t teach any of our great ancient
texts – Vedas, Upanishads, Mahab-
harata, Ramayana, Arthasastra, Pan-
chatantra, etc., as part of our public
education system. Works that would
make anyone proud of their civili-
sation have been shunned by and
large from our education system.
In any other country, such a thing
would be considered as a matter of
national shame. I would even go so
far as to assert that it would be akin
to civilisational high treason. Here, I
am distraught to say, we take pride
in doing so.
Education became a fundamen-
tal right (RTE) with the insertion
of Article 21A in the Constitution.
As RTE is scalar in its purpose and
agnostic about content, Macaulayism
simply vectorised it by filling the vac-
uum. It is, therefore, no exaggeration
to state that our formal education
Justifying the demand for Bharat ratna, Amit Shah further stressed on rewriting history from an Indian perspective
dent. “We vandalised the mosque to
our heart’s content and raised the flag
of our bravery on it. We followed the
war strategy of Shivaji completely and
ran away from the site after accomplish-
ing the task.”
Also when in jail, he wrote infamous
mercy petitions to the British, begging
for release and pledging loyalty, with
not one word written about Indian free-
dom. He wrote: “Now no man having
the good of India and humanity at heart
will blindly step on the thorny paths
which in the excited and hopeless situ-
ation of India in 1906-1907 beguiled us
from the path of peace and progress.
Therefore, if the government in their
manifold beneficence and mercy release
me, I for one cannot but be the staunch-
est advocate of constitutional progress
and loyalty to the English government
which is the foremost condition of that
progress.”
It is also on record that while Gan-
dhi, other freedom movement lead-
ers and Subhash Chandra Bose spent
the World War II period intensifying
the movement to decolonise India,
Savarkar was recruiting Hindu sol-
diers into the British army. When the
Congress resigned from all the state
ministries it held during the Quit India
Movement, Savarkar advocated stead-
fast loyalty to the British and at his
direction the Hindu Mahasabha allied
with the Muslim League to occupy the
ministries vacated by the Congress.
has become synonymous with our
deracination. With ubiquitous Eng-
lish medium schools and education,
our illiteracy in our mother tongue
is competing with our deracination.
More than a century ago, Swami
Vivekananda commented about mis-
sionary education, stating: “The child
is taken to school and the first thing
he learns is that his father is a fool,
the second thing is that his grand-
father is a lunatic, the third thing
that all his teachers are hypocrites
and the fourth, that all his sacred
books are lies!” It is not any differ-
ent now, except that child became a
great grandfather of civilisationally
uprooted self-loathing progeny.
The venerated Ananda K Cooma-
raswamy sounded the alert long ago
about the perils of colonial educa-
tion: “A single generation of Eng-
lish education suffices to break the
threads of tradition and to create a
nondescript and superficial being
The society and values that Savarkar
advocated for are not in line with the
Indian Constitution and in fact, run
rather contrary to it. Golwalkar and
Savarkar were the biggest admirers of
fascist Italy and Nazi Germany and it
was visible in their politics. Ghettois-
ing and marginalising the Muslim com-
munity was one of their stated goals.
He also petitioned the British for mili-
tary conscription, compulsory military
training in schools and rights for all
Hindus to own guns. Savarkar never led
or joined a movement for social reform
and he was part of groups opposed to
women’s rights, temple entry or anti-
untouchability movements.
History is something based on
accepted facts and cannot be amended
to accommodate concocted facts that
suit some groups or a particular ide-
ology. It cannot be erased or amended
as the present is a continuation of the
past, confirming fully the veracity of the
facts. Union Home Minister Amit Shah,
in a recent seminar at Banaras Hindu
University, spoke about the need to
“rewrite history” from an “Indian point
of view” and went on to ask, “Who is
stopping us from amending history?”
His call to rewrite history is predicated
on specific, pre-determined outcomes
and cannot be seen in isolation from
his regime’s and his political organisa-
tion’s overall world view.
He added: “If there was no Veer
Savarkar, the 1857 kranti (revolution)
mp in focus 9
he was, Dr Ambedkar rightly felt
that the rich and resourceful San-
skrit alone would be the best route to
our civilisational renaissance. He was
equally aware that no other Indian
language possessed such enormous
versatility as did Sanskrit to qualify
as a medium of science, arts, law and
governance. He also probably saw
through the game-plan to retain Eng-
lish forever through constitutional
subterfuge. Therefore, to the Con-
stituent Assembly, he sponsored San-
skrit as the official language but later
withdrew it, perhaps under opposi-
tion. His apprehensions were amply
corroborated from the later day
undeclared public policy of banish-
prevent any civilisational resurgence.
Ambedkar was proven right.
Bereft of motherly nourishment by
languages became linguistically
malnourished orphans. India fell
between the stools. We lost the mil-
lennia-old Sanskrit which had been
the bedrock of our ancient civilisa-
tion in about half-a-century, whereas
Israel revived the long-dead Hebrew
during the same period. What
a damning contrast! And Hindi
uprooted from Sanskrit, lost its vital-
ity to organically keep pace with the
deprived of all roots, a sort of intel- A peek into the Constituent increasing needs and remained as
lectual pariah who does not belong to Assembly debates on language pol- the official language, even as colonial
the East or the West, the past or the
future. The greatest danger for India
icy can help us comprehend as to
why and how we sunk into such a lin-
English continues to rule the roost.
Onam is a popular festival to
is the loss of her spiritual integrity. guistic abyss. Pandit Lakshmi Kanta commemorate the annual visit of
Of all Indian problems, educational
is the most difficult and most tragic.”
On October 20, 1931, Mahatma
Gandhi said, “I say without fear of
Maitra brilliantly articulated the case
for Sanskrit as the official language
as follows: “……..you have become
dead to all sense of grandeur, you
virtuous King Mahabali to satisfy
himself about the wellbeing of his
‘Praja’. Likewise, beginning with the
150th birth anniversary of Gandhi,
my figures being challenged success- have become dead to all which is great we should start a new Onam invok-
fully, that today India is more illit- and noble in your own culture and ing Gandhi’s ‘atma’ to annually visit
erate than it was fifty or a hundred civilisation. You have been chasing a us to take stock of our educational
years ago and so is Burma because
the British administrators, when they
came to India, instead of taking hold
of things as they were, began to root
them out. They scratched the soil
shadow and have never tried to grasp
the substance which is contained in
your great literature. Nobody can get
away from Sanskrit in India. Even
your proposal to make Hindi the State
well-being so that the pervasive
avidya, civilisational deracination
and mother tongue illiteracy that our
education system has been creating,
can hopefully be contained, at least in
and began to look at the root and left language of this country, you yourself deference to the Mahatma.
the root like that and the beautiful provide in the very article that that It is worth mentioning that I am
tree perished.” Gandhi’s comments language will have to draw its vocabu- embarrassed to write in English but
prompted the venerable Dharam-
pal to undertake extensive research
and publish his seminal work “The
Beautiful Tree” on pre-British Indian
education.
lary freely from the Sanskrit language.
You have given that indirect recogni-
tion to Sanskrit because you are oth-
erwise helpless and powerless.”
Being the civilisational man that
have no option when presented with
a fait accompli.
M Nageswara Rao is a serving
senior IPS officer. Views expressed
are strictly personal
tweet
RETWEET
ATISHI
@AtishiAAP
In a deeply unequal country, where
women still have to take money from
their fathers, husbands and sons for
every small expense, free bus travel
will give women independence and
an opportunity to fulfil their dreams!
#DilliMeinLadiesFirst
LT GENERAL GURMIT SINGH
(RETD)
@LtGenGurmit
HUGELY PROUD of Northern Army
Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh A
Soldier & Warrior of Highest Military
Order. Nothing deters such Braves.
All Mighty is Always with Truthful &
would not have become history. We Committed Soldiers. ‘Bountiful Hand of
would view even that from the point Nation & Waheguru Has Blessed This
of view of the British.” This is not at all
true. Why tell a lie to score over others Commander & His Team.’ #JaiHind
who stand head and shoulders above
Savarkar? It was Karl Marx himself who
had called the revolt as India’s first war
of independence against the British
SANJAY JHA
colonial rulers.
Awarding Bharat Ratna to Savarkar, @JhaSanjay
rewriting of history, etc., are only point-
ers to their conspiracy to turn India
into a Hindu Rashtra even by suitably
amending our Constitution. The Com- US senator denied permission to visit
munist Party of India is well aware of
it and in 2015 at the XXII Party Con-
Kashmir, says transparency crucial. So
gress at Puducherry observed publicly dear @DrSJaishankar what is the official
that the advent of Narendra Modi to criteria for a visit? You need to let all
power should not be viewed as a mere of us Indians know. And silence is not
change of power from one bourgeois
a response. Awaiting your answer, Mr
government to another bourgeois one.
As years passed and the RSS-BJP gov- Jaishankar!
ernment came out in its true colours, in
its fascist avatar, wrecking everything
that is Indian, secular, constitutional
and based on pluralism, the party at its KAPIL SIBAL
XXIII Congress at Kollam declared that
mass resistance is the need of the hour
@KapilSibal
and the offensive can be countered only
from a platform of all secular, demo-
cratic and left forces. I, therefore, appeal To visit Kashmir :
to all those who cherish the secular fab-
ric of our nation to come out openly All is normal for members of the
and defeat the RSS-BJP conspiratorial European Parliament
offensive.  IPA All is not normal for our own !
D Raja is General Secretary of the CPI.
Views expressed are strictly personal
10 mp world
HK bars democracy activist Evacuations as wildfire
Joshua Wong from local polls breaks out3in Los Angeles
Wong accuses the government of ‘political screening’ after an
election officer ruled invalid his nomination for the November poll
HONG KONG: Hong Kong
democracy activist Joshua
Wong was barred Tuesday from
standing in upcoming local
elections after months of huge
and frequently violent protests
in the city.
Wong, one of the most
prominent figures in the oth-
erwise leaderless movement,
accused the government of
“political screening” after an
election officer ruled invalid
his nomination for the Novem-
ber poll.
The 22-year-old was sent to
prison earlier this year over the
democracy protests he helped
lead in 2014. He immediately
joined the historic anti-govern-
ment protests rocking the city
upon his release in June.
Wong was the only candi-
date barred from standing in
an election for district councils,
which tackle regional issues.
The election is the first to be
held since the current mass pro-
tests started.
He accused the government
Tuesday of censorship in dis-
qualifying him.
“The decision to ban me
from running for office was
clearly politically driven,” he
told a press conference on
Tuesday.
“The true reason is my iden-
tity, Joshua Wong, is the crime
in their minds.” He also accused
the election officer of misinter-
preting his political ideology.
“This says that the disquali-
a
fication was simply a hard order
from Beijing, a political mission
handed down from Beijing.”
S ‘US sanctions threaten
Hong Kong leader
Carrie Lam warns
of recession risk
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s
leader says the city is at risk
of falling into a recession as it
enters its fifth month of pro-
democracy protests, and she
says her priority was ending
violence first before a political
resolution.
Chief Executive Carrie
Lam said Tuesday that if third
quarter data due for release on
later this week shows negative
growth, then the semiautono-
mous Chinese city’s economy
will have entered a technical
recession.
Hong Kong has been
gripped for more than four
months of protests, with dem-
onstrators and police fre-
quently in violent street clashes.
The unrest has hit the city’s
tourism and retail industries.
Lam told reporters before
weekly Cabinet meeting that
finding political solutions to
the problem would take a back-
seat to authorities’ efforts to
quell the violence.  AGENCIES
Egypt arrests train conductor
after youth jumps to his death
CAIRO: An Egyptian train
conductor who forced two poor
street vendors without tick-
ets to jump off a moving train,
leading to the death of one of
the youths, has been arrested,
authorities said Tuesday.
The incident, which took
place on Monday in the
Nile Delta town of Tanta,
has stirred public outrage,
with footage of an ensuing
argument between the conduc-
tor and other passengers on the
train going viral.
There have also been calls
on social media for the resig-
nation of Egypt’s Transporta-
tion Minister Kamel el-Wazir.
The other youth who was
forced to jump off the train was
injured.
The railway authorities said
the conductor had demanded
the youths “pay tickets but they
refused,” after which he opened
a carriage door for them to
jump out.
The conductor remains
in custody pending an
investigation.
Egypt’s railway system
has a history of badly main-
tained equipment and poor
management.
Latest official figures show
that 1,793 train accidents took
place across the country in
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks during a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday 
The election officer wrote in
her reasoning that Wong’s con-
cept of self-determination does
not rule out the independence
of Hong Kong as an option,
which she deemed inconsis-
h
tent with the Basic Law, the city’s
mini-constitution.
Wong and his party, Dem-
u the decision, and denied any
k
osisto, have denied supporting
independence for the city.
r i f
They advocate self-deter-
mination and a referendum for
Hong Kong people to decide
how they want to be governed.
Any talk of independence
incenses Beijing as Chinese
President Xi Jinping increas-
ingly emphasises the impor-
New clashes as embattled Chile
Iranians’ right to health’ President reshuffles cabinet
WASHINGTON DC: Wash-
ington’s sanctions against Teh-
ran have drastically constrained
its ability to pay for humanitar-
ian imports and are threatening
the health rights of Iranians,
Human Rights Watch said
Tuesday.
US President Donald
Trump unilaterally withdrew
from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal
last year and reimposed pun-
ishing sanctions as part of a
stated campaign of “maximum
pressure” against the Islamic
republic.
Officially, the punitive mea-
sures make exceptions for food,
medicine and other humani-
tarian goods, but most com-
panies are unwilling to do any
trade with Iran for fear of reper-
cussions in the world’s largest
economy. Trump “administra-
tion officials claim they stand
with the Iranian people, but
the overbroad and burdensome
US sanctions regime is harm-
2017.
The deadliest train crash
occurred in 2002, when over
300 people died after a fire
erupted on a speeding train
traveling from Cairo to south-
ern Egypt.
In February, at least 25
people were killed when
an unmanned locomotive
slammed into a barrier inside
a busy Cairo station.
That accident led to the
resignation of Transportation
Minister Hisham Arafar and
the appointment of el-Waizir,
a career army officer.
On Tuesday, at least
four people were killed and
four others were injured
when a microbus crashed
into a train in the south-
ern city of Luxor, the railway
authorities said.  AGENCIES
k p
ll a
tance of territorial integrity.
A Hong Kong government
spokesman said Tuesday that
the administration supported
political censorship.
“There is no question of any
political censorship, restriction
of the freedom of speech or
deprivation of the right to stand
for elections as alleged by some
members of the community.”
“The candidate cannot pos-
sibly comply with the require-
ments of the relevant electoral
laws,” the spokesman added.
Hong Kong has been bat-
tered by nearly five months of
pro-democracy protests which
ing Iranian’s right to health,
including access to live-saving
medicines”, said Sarah Leah
Whitson, Middle East direc-
tor at HRW.
“The comprehensive web of
US sanctions has led banks and
companies to pull back from
humanitarian trade with Iran,
leaving Iranians who have rare
or complicated diseases unable
to get the medicine and treat-
ment they require,” she added.
The sanctions include pre-
viously suspended nuclear-
related embargoes including
on Iran’s oil exports and finan-
cial transactions, with new ones
added.
The US Treasury said they
were imposed to make Iran’s
leaders “cease support for ter-
rorism, stop proliferating bal-
listic missiles, end destructive
regional activities, and abandon
their nuclear ambitions”.
In a 47-page report, HRW
documents how the US-built
15 pilgrims
killed as truck
plunges off cliff
in Myanmar
YANGON: Fifteen Bud-
dhist pilgrims including
a monk were killed after
their flatbed truck plunged
off a 300-metre (1,000 feet) cliff
in eastern Myanmar, police
said Tuesday, blaming faulty
brakes.
The accident happened
Monday evening in Shan state
as the truck carrying 25 people
was returning from a Buddhist
festival.
Police officer Myint Soe
told AFP the cause of the crash
was brake failure as the vehicle
rounded a turn.
“Fifteen people were found
dead while 10 were severely
injured,” he said, adding that
the steep and challenging ter-
rain made for a risky overnight
search for victims.
Buddhist-majority Myan-
mar sees thousands of people
travel widely on journeys to
religious festivals and pagodas
during summer.
But poorly maintained
vehicles are often go-to
options for cheap travel and
the country lags behind
others in the region on road
construction and safety
enforcement.  AGENCIES
@ cial hub is battered by months
a m
PTI
Beijing and its local leaders have
taken a hard line against.
Millions have hit the streets,
with hardcore activists clashing
repeatedly with police in the
biggest challenge to China’s rule
since the city’s handover from
Britain in 1997.
Wong is one of the best-
known pro-democracy fig-
ures in Hong Kong today after
becoming the poster child of the
huge pro-democracy “Umbrella
Movement” protests of 2014
that failed to win any conces-
sions from Beijing.
The decision to disqualify
Wong has sparked criticism that
it could intensify the ongoing
exemptions for humanitar-
ian imports into its sanctions
regime have failed to offset the
strong reluctance of US and
European companies and banks
to finance humanitarian goods.
Iranian patients have strug-
gled with a foreign medicine
shortage and price hikes for
over a year both due to reim-
posed US trade sanctions as
well as a battered economy with
a free-falling currency.
Medicine importers get sub-
sidised currency rates from the
government, yet foreign drugs
and medical equipment cannot
always be found in state-owned
pharmacies.
Iran produces 96 per cent
of the drugs it uses but imports
more than half the raw materi-
als to make them, according to
the Syndicate of Iranian Phar-
maceutical Industries. It also
has to import special medicine
which patients with rare dis-
eases require.  AGENCIES
6 Cambodians held as hopes Pak authorities shuts art exhibit
fade for missing British tourist denouncing deadly police raids
KOH RONG: Six Cambodians
have been held for questioning
in connection with the disap-
pearance of a 21-year-old Brit-
ish woman who went missing
on an island popular with back-
packers, as police on Tuesday
said hopes were fading of find-
ing her alive.
Nearly 200 army, navy and
police personnel scoured Koh
Rong island in southern Cam-
bodia for a sixth day to find
tourist Amelia Bambridge, who
was last seen at a beach party
on October 24.
A bag and phone were
found where she was sighted
on Police Beach, a late-night
hangout popular with travel-
lers, with British media report-
ing the alarm was raised after
she failed to check out of her
hostel.
Six Cambodians, some
of whom work in the island’s
bars, have been taken to police
headquarters of neighbouring
coastal province Sihanoukville,
a senior officer told AFP on
Tuesday.
“They are being ques-
tioned,” provincial deputy
police chief Nop Panha said.
“We are not drawing any
conclusions yet.” But another
senior police source said there
was “little hope” that Bam-
protests.
3
“When you keep rigging the
only -- and lowest level -- elec-
5
tions on offer, you’re going to
make many in #HongKong...
conclude that the only way to
on Twitter.
0 0
be heard is on the streets,” Maya
Wang, Senior China Researcher
for Human Rights Watch, said
7
Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing
leader warned Tuesday that the
city’s economy could end the
year in recession as the finan-
of seething pro-democracy pro-
tests that her struggling admin-
istration has been unable to end.
She said the city’s economic
woes cannot be fixed unless
there is an end to violence, but
offered no political solution to
stop the unrest.
The pro-democracy camp
could secure 117 seats on the
1,200-strong committee that
chooses the city’s leader if they
win a majority in the district
council elections, which have
no power to pass legally bind-
ing motions.
In 2016 and 2017, the city’s
courts ousted six pro-democ-
racy lawmakers, including
Demosisto member Nathan
Law, for breaches of their swear-
ing-in ceremony and oaths of
allegiance, a move backed by
Beijing.
Last year, Agnes Chow,
another young pro-democ-
racy leader from Wong’s party,
was barred from standing in
by-elections because her party
advocates self-determination
for Hong Kong. 
AGENCIES
SANTIAGO: Trending Chil-
ean protesters clashed with
security forces on Monday,
several hours after embattled
President Sebastian Pinera
announced a cabinet reshuffle
in his latest bid to end 10 days
of street demonstrations.
At least 20 people have died
in a wave of protests against
social and economic inequal-
ity ahead of the latest violence
in Santiago and, according to
local media, the cities of Val-
paraiso and Concepcion.
“Chile has changed and the
government too has to change
to confront these new chal-
lenges in these new times,” said
Pinera, who replaced a third of
his cabinet, including highly
unpopular Interior Minister
Andres Chadwick.
Protesters have been
demanding Pinera’s resignation
as anger over low wages and
pensions, expensive health and
education, and a growing gap
bridge will be found alive after
a days-long hunt yielded few
clues to her whereabouts.
“We are looking for a body
now,” said the official, who
is part of the search party,
requesting anonymity.
Bambridge’s distraught
family -- who have been reg-
ularly posting on Facebook
asking for information for
their daughter’s whereabouts
-- are in Cambodia and have
been shuttling between Siha-
noukville and Koh Rong as the
search intensifies.
“Where are you Amelia we
miss you dearly,” posted sister
Sharon Schultes on Facebook.
“PLEASE FIND OUR AME-
LIA.” Authorities are check-
ing with fishermen if anyone
was accidentally caught in
their nets, while teams are also
trudging through Koh Rong’s
lush jungles for clues.
Koh Rong, located in the
Gulf of Thailand, is a two-hour
boat ride from the coast and
draws budget travellers with its
cheap guesthouses, beachside
bars and idyllic beaches.
But it has undergone devel-
opment in lockstep with the
construction and casino boom
in nearby Sihanoukville, thanks
to a cash influx from Chinese
investors.  AGENCIES
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
LOS ANGELES: More than
8 6
1,000 firefighters battled a
wind-driven blaze Monday that
broke out near the renowned
Getty Center in Los Angeles,
1
prompting widespread evacu-
ations as the flames destroyed
0
several homes and forced the
shutdown of schools and roads.
The so-called Getty Fire
ignited overnight near a major
freeway and quickly spread
south and west towards neigh-
borhoods, scorching some 600
acres (240 hectares) and send-
ing people fleeing in the dark.
By Monday afternoon, fire
crews had slowed the pace of
the blaze and were racing to
contain it before strong winds
hit the region again Tuesday
evening through Thursday.
Authorities said some 1,100
firefighters were battling an
inferno that threatened 10,000
structures, many of them multi-
million dollar homes.
Among those forced to flee
was Los Angeles Lakers star
LeBron James, who tweeted
that he and his family had evac-
uated his home in the upscale
neighborhood of Brentwood
during the night.
“Man these LA fires aren’t
no joke,” he said. “Had to
emergency evacuate my house
and I’ve been driving around
with my family trying to get
rooms. No luck so far!” He later
tweeted that he had found a
place to stay.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
also said on Monday that he
had to flee.
“We evacuated safely at 3:30
this morning,” the actor and
former California governor
tweeted. “If you are in an evacu-
ation zone, don’t screw around.
Get out.” Monday night’s red
carpet premiere in Los Ange-
les of “Terminator: Dark Fate,”
starring Schwarzenegger, was
between rich and poor fueled
the country’s worst civil unrest
in decades.
Clashes between protesters
and police later took place in
central Santiago, not far from
the presidential palace, as a
peaceful rally of several thou-
sand people gradually gave way
to violence.
KARACHI: Pakistani author-
ities have closed a prominent
art exhibition in Karachi that
sought to denounce police
raids led by an infamous offi-
cer that had killed hundreds
of people in the southern port
city, the artists, exhibit orga-
nizers and rights activists said
Tuesday.
The artist, Adeela Suleman,
said her work at the Frere Hall
for the Karachi Biennale con-
sisted of an installation of 444
small concrete tombstones
symbolically marking the num-
ber of “extrajudicial killings” in
raids led by police officer Rao
Anwar, an infamous figure in
Karachi.
One of the stones hon-
ors the memory of Naqeeb
Ullah, a 27-year-old aspiring
model killed by Anwar’s unit
in a 2018 shootout in Kara-
chi. Anwar’s trial in the case is
ongoing. Karachi police say the
raids were justified operations
against militants.
The closing of Suleman’s
exhibition on Sunday drew
nationwide condemnation
from fellow artists and human
rights activists who say it was
yet another attempt to censor
criticism in Pakistan.
Suleman, a fine arts pro-
canceled because of the fire.
“We will be donating food
intended for the after-party
to the American Red Cross,
which is serving those affected
by the fires,” Paramount said in
a statement.
The Getty Center, which is
home to a priceless art collec-
tion, said none of the pieces
were under threat from the
flames, notably because the
building is designed to be fire
resistant.
“Many have asked about the
art -- it is protected by state-
of-the-art technology,” the
museum said in a tweet.
The Getty Fire broke out
as California has been deal-
ing with a number of wildfires
that have ignited throughout
the state in the last week, forc-
ing massive evacuations and
power cuts.
California’s governor
declared a statewide emergency
on Sunday as a wind-driven
fire in the Sonoma wine region
north of San Francisco spread
out of control, forcing tens of
thousands to flee.
The Kincade Fire, which
erupted last Wednesday and
is the largest so far this year,
Some shops were looted,
and a fire tore through a build-
ing housing a shopping cen-
ter, several shops and a hotel,
recalling the violence that
erupted in the early days of
the protests that broke out on
October 18.
Workers at Escondida, the
world’s biggest copper mine,
Adeela Suleman’s
art was an attempt
to tell the story
of extrajudicial
killings by an
unrestrained
police force
fessor at the city’s Indus Valley
School of Art and Architec-
ture, said she was “disappointed
and sad by the way two men in
plainclothes” arrived on Sun-
day, and forced the organizers
to close the exhibition, “right
there in the presence of art lov-
ers in the city.” The plainclothes
men never spoke to her, she
said.
Her art was an attempt to
tell the story of what many see
as extrajudicial killings by an
unrestrained police force.
“Artists are gravely con-
cerned if we cannot express
ourselves,” she said.
Jibran Nasir, a prominent
human rights, said he himself
witnessed how the plainclothes
men apparently officers from
the intelligence agency forced
the exhibit shut.
Pakistan already has cen-
had spread to more than 66,000
acres -- or more than 100 square
miles (260 square kilometers) --
by Monday afternoon and was
only 15 per cent contained.
Firefighters have also
been battling a number of
additional fires fed by strong
winds, low humidity and high
temperatures.
Residents who fled the Kin-
cade Fire recalled hasty depar-
tures as they waited it out in the
safety of a community center in
Petaluma, California.
“The police came with loud-
speakers. We weren’t expecting
it,” said Kathy Amundson, who
fled with her wheelchair-bound
90-year-old mother Joy.
“We smelled smoke, we
couldn’t see it,” she said. “Looks
like our home is safe but the fear
is wind blowing embers and
then it starts new fires.” Oth-
ers were not so lucky. The fire
has destroyed dozens of homes
and vineyards, including the
renowned 150-year-old Soda
Rock Winery. Authorities said
more than 3,000 firefighters and
responders were battling the
Kincade Fire, which was not
expected to be fully contained
before November 7.  AGENCIES
will start a 24-hour strike from
Tuesday in support of the pro-
tests, a mining union said in a
statement.
A week-long state of emer-
gency that had seen 20,000
police and soldiers deployed
on the streets ended at mid-
night going into Monday.
On Saturday, Pinera can-
celed nighttime curfews that
had begun a day after violent
protests broke out.
Finance Minister Felipe
Larrain, who was among the
axed cabinet members, came
under fire last month for rec-
ommending that “romantics”
buy flowers, after announcing
that inflation hadn’t risen and
they were even cheaper.
Also on the way out was
Economy Minister Andres
Fontaine, who fell afoul of pub-
lic opinion when he advised
disgruntled workers to “get up
earlier” to avoid an increase in
peak hour metro prices. A GENCIES
sorship on the media in place
and “now artists are also being
stopped from displaying their
artwork,” Nasir said.
Earlier, Nasir tweeted how
his own press conference
against the exhibition’s closure
was disrupted by “unknown
men who threw away micro-
phones of the media and
shamelessly tried to censor us.”
In response to a query from
The Associated Press, Kara-
chi police said they had not
received any complaints from
the artist or her exhibition’s
organisers.
Pakistan has, in recent
months, imposed curbs and
restrictions on the media in a
bid to stop outlets from criti-
cizing the government and the
country’s powerful military.
The Karachi incident comes
days after Pakistan blacklisted
and expelled Steven Butler, the
Asia coordinator of global press
freedom group the Committee
to Protect Journalists, or CPJ.
Butler had landed at Paki-
stan’s international airport in
the city of Lahore with a valid
visa to attend a human rights
conference named after Asma
Jahangir, a renowned Pakistani
activist who died last year of a
heart attack.  AGENCIES
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Baghdadi’s likely successor to try to breakelection
UK set for 3rd
killed by US troops: Trump
Multiple media reports from the region have identified him as Abu Hassan al-Muhajir
WASHINGTON DC: President
Donald Trump on Tuesday said
the US had “terminated” the
“number one replacement” to
ISIS leader and world’s most
terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
who was killed in an American
raid in Syria.
President Trump announced
on Sunday that Baghdadi,
believed to be 48-year-old, blew
himself in his suicide vest as
the ISIS leader was chased to
the dead end of a tunnel by the
US service dogs during a raid
by American special forces in
northwest Syria.
“Just confirmed that Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one
replacement has been termi-
nated by American troops. Most
likely would have taken the top
spot - Now he is also Dead!”
Trump tweeted.
Baghdadi had not officially
named his successor, but several
names were being speculated
after his death.
Trump told reporters on
Sunday that the US knew the
potential successors of Bagh-
dadi and was after them.
The president, however, did
not specify who the individual
was, nor did he give any details
on the mission that led to his
death.
Multiple media reports from
the region have identified him as
Abu Hassan al-Muhajir.
According to The New York
Times, he was being smuggled
across northern Syria in the
back of an oil tanker truck when
PM Hariri resigns
as Lebanon crisis
turns violent
BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime S a
Minister Saad al-Hariri said
he would submit his resigna-
tion on Tuesday, declaring he
had hit a “dead end” in trying
to resolve a crisis unleashed by
huge protests against Lebanon’s
ruling elite.
The Sunni politician
addressed the nation in a tele-
vised address after a mob loyal
to Shi’ite Muslim groups Hez-
bollah and Amal attacked and
destroyed a protest camp set
up by anti-government dem-
onstrators in Beirut.
Lebanon has been para-
lysed by the unprecedented
wave of protests against the
rampant corruption of the
political class that has collec-
tively led Lebanon into the
worst economic crisis since the
1975-90 civil war.
“For 13 days the Leba-
nese people have waited for a
decision for a political solu-
tion that stops the deteriora-
tion (of the economy). And I
have tried, during this period,
to find a way out, through
which to listen to the voice
of the people,” Hariri said in
his speech.  AGENCIES
China says its approval is ‘must’ for
choosing Dalai Lama’s successor
BEIJING: China on Tues-
day said its approval is must
for choosing the successor to
Tibetan spiritual leader the
Dalai Lama, rejecting the US’
assertion that the next-in-line
to Tibet’s exiled leader will be
selected by the Tibetan people
themselves and not by Beijing.
US Ambassador at Large for
International Religious Free-
dom Sam Brownback, who met
the Dalai Lama in Dharmshala
on Monday, hit out at what he
called China’s persecution”
of the Tibetan people’s faith
and said they have the right
to choose their own religious
leaders.
The role of picking a succes-
sor to the Dalai Lama belongs
to the Tibetan Buddhist sys-
tem, the Dalai Lama, and
other Tibetan leaders. It does
not belong to anybody else, not
any government or any entity,
Brownback was quoted as say-
ing by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Brownback made the
remarks while speaking at a con-
ference hosted by the Tibetan
Institute for Performing Arts in
Dharamshala — the seat of the
Tibetan government-in-exile.
Concerns over the health of
84-year-old Dalai Lama, who
fled into exile in India fol-
in 4 years
Brexit gridlock
it was hit by what witnesses said
they believed to be an Ameri-
can airstrike.
“Little is known about him,
including his real name and
nationality, complicating efforts
to confirm that he was the one
killed in Sunday’s strike. But ter-
rorism experts considered him
a possible successor to al-Bagh-
dadi,” the report said.
Under Baghdadi, ISIS spread
over wide segments of Iraq and
Syria beginning in 2013, even-
tually claiming the formation
of a “caliphate” in the region
as it plotted and carried out
gruesome attacks that reached
far beyond its main territorial
bastion.
Baghdadi had been a top
target for both the Trump and
Obama administrations, and
h u and three children up with a
k
had a USD 25 million bounty
placed on his head.
i f
Meanwhile, US officials
have said the body of Islamic
State group chief Abu Bakr al-
r
Strong quake kills 6 Masked men attack protesters
in south Philippines in Iraq’s Karbala, killing eighteen
MANILA: A powerful earth-
quake struck the southern Phil-
ippines Tuesday, killing six
people, cracking buildings and
injuring dozens in a region still
reeling from a previous deadly
tremor.
Terrified locals ran into the
streets after the 6.6-magnitude
quake, which hit the island of
Mindanao as schools and offices
opened for the day.
The shaking lasted up to a
minute in some areas, damag-
ing homes, multi-storey build-
ings and classrooms in a region
where hundreds are still dis-
placed by a quake that killed
at least five earlier this month.
The Philippines suffers regu-
lar tremors as part of the Pacific
“Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense
seismic activity that stretches
from Japan through Southeast
Asia and across the Pacific basin.
A teenage boy was crushed
by a falling wall as he tried to
escape his school in Magsay-
say, the town spokesman told
AFP. Though other students
were injured in a “stampede”
to escape the building, they
survived.
Rock and landslides
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang
lowing a failed 1959 Tibetan
revolt against Chinese rule,
have renewed uncertainties over
his possible successor after his
demise. China claims control
over the selection, asserting that
the successor to the Dalai Lama
has to be endorsed by it.
Asked for his reaction to
Brownback’s comments, Chi-
nese Foreign Ministry spokes-
man Geng Shuang told media
here that the envoy’s comments
amounted to interference in
China’s internal affairs.
The 14th Dalai Lama is in
political exile who has long been
carrying out anti-China activi-
ties overseas under the pretext
of religion,” Geng said.
Baghdadi was buried at sea,
as fresh details surfaced about
the US special forces operation
that led to his death over the
weekend.
Syrian Kurds claimed to be
a key source of the intelligence
that led Americans to Baghdadi
after years of tracking the man
across much of Iraq and Syria.
And an unnamed US mili-
tary dog became an unlikely
k p
behind a five-year reign of terror
ll a
hero of the raid, incurring inju-
ries as it chased Baghdadi down
a dead-end tunnel underneath
his northwestern Syria hideout,
where the jihadist blew himself
suicide vest.
The US military basked in
success Monday after eliminat-
ing the founder and spiritual
guide of the Islamic State (IS)
group, capping a years-long
campaign to crush the Sunni
Muslim extremist organization
that had at one point created a
unleashed by the violent shak-
ing killed four others, while a
collapsed wall crushed a man,
authorities said.
At least 50 people were hurt
by falling debris, including some
seven pupils and teachers hurt
escaping their collapsed elemen-
tary school. Locals were awed by
the power of the quake, which
was shallow and thus potentially
more destructive.
“Buildings were not just
moving, they were swaying,”
Gadi Sorilla, a doctor at a hos-
pital in Tulunan, a town about
25 kilometres (15 miles) from
the epicentre told AFP.
“I asked God for help,”
he said, adding the hospital
had quickly received about
10 patients, some with head
injuries.
Tulunan’s mayor Reuel Lim-
bungan said the local municipal
hall had been heavily damaged
and authorities had received
“lots of reports of injuries”. Res-
cue teams worked until dark on
Tuesday to assess the damage to
the region, where electricity and
phone services were knocked
out in some areas by the power
of the quake.  AGENCIES
China firmly opposes any
contact with the Dalai Lama
by any foreign official. The
words and deeds of a certain
US official violates US commit-
ment to recognise Tibet as part
of China, and not to support
Tibetan independence. China
firmly opposes such words and
deeds,” he said.
Geng said the present Dalai
Lama who is the 14th in the line
of top Tibetan spiritual leaders
himself has been approved by
the Chinese government. The
reincarnation of Living Buddhas
as a unique institution of suc-
cession in Tibetan Buddhism
is governed by fixed rituals and
conventions,” he said.  AGENCIES
“caliphate” the size of England.
“His death marks a devas-
tating blow to the remnants of
(IS),” said Defense Secretary
Mark Esper.
He praised the nearly hun-
dred-strong force that helicop-
tered to the rural compound
in the Idlib region of Syria in a
complex mission that required
coordination with Russians,
Kurds, Turks and President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime to
prevent US aircraft from being
fired upon. “They executed the
raid in all of its facets brilliantly,”
Esper said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair-
man General Mark Milley said
no one was injured in the opera-
@ “Our intelligence source was
fire when they arrived.
a m
tion, despite the US team taking
They took two men prisoner,
and Baghdadi’s body was taken
to a secure facility for a DNA test
that would confirm his identity,
Milley said.
“The disposal of his remains
has been done, is complete and
was handled appropriately,” he
added, saying it was handled
“in accordance with the law of
armed conflict.”
Another Pentagon offi-
cial confirmed that Baghdadi’s
body was put into the sea at an
unnamed location, similar to
the 2011 sea burial of Al-Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden after
his death in a US special forces
raid in Pakistan.
A Kurdish official said an
inside source the group oversaw
was responsible for leading US
BAGHDAD: Masked gun-
men opened fire at Iraqi pro-
testers in the Shiite holy city
of Karbala on Tuesday, killing
18 people and wounding hun-
dreds, security officials said,
in one of the deadliest single
attacks on protesters since anti-
government demonstrations
erupted earlier this month.
The attack, which happened
overnight, came as Iraqis took
to the streets for a fifth consec-
utive day, protesting their gov-
ernment’s corruption, lack of
services and other grievances.
The bloodshed in Karbala,
a major pilgrimage site where a
revered Shiite figure was killed
in a 7th century battle, could
mark a turning point in the
demonstrations.
It was not immediately clear
who was behind the attack,
and protesters said they did
not know whether the masked
men were riot police, special
forces or Iran-linked militias.
The protesters said Iraqi
soldiers had been stationed
around the protest site but
withdrew after the attackers
began firing tear gas and live
fire.
The provincial governor,
Nassif al-Khutabi, denied that
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OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (E&M)-I
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ISSUED BY P.R.O. (WATER) Sd/-
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forces to Baghdadi’s hideout,
helping to map out the interior
of the compound, its staffing,
as well as making it possible
for them to identify Baghdadi.
“Since 15 May, we have been
5
working together with the CIA
to track al-Baghdadi and moni-
tor him closely,” said Polat Can,
0 0
a senior adviser to the Kurdish-
led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The group had an informant
who was able to infiltrate Bagh-
7
dadi’s house.
“Al-Baghdadi changed his
places of residence very often,”
he said on Twitter.
involved in sending co-ordi-
nates, directing the airdrop, par-
ticipating in and making the
operation a success until the last
minute,” Polat Can said.
The source also “brought al-
Baghdadi’s underwear to con-
duct a DNA test and make sure
(100%) that the person in ques-
tion was al-Baghdadi himself,”
he said.
Attention focused as well on
the unnamed dog -- likely a Bel-
gian Malinois, a breed favored
by the military, which chased
Baghdadi into a tunnel under
the complex and cornered him
before he detonated his suicide
vest. Trump praised the dog on
Sunday as “beautiful,” but mili-
tary officials said any informa-
tion about it, including its name,
was secret.
“It’s classified, we’re pro-
tecting the dog’s identity,” said
Milley.  AGENCIES
any protesters were killed but
said there were some injuries
among security forces.
He said videos that had
spread online were fabricated
and not from Karbala.
U THS
mp world 11
LONDON: Britain looked set
Tuesday for a pre-Christmas
3
6
election after the main opposi-
tion Labour party backed Prime
Minister Boris Johnson’s push
1 8
for an early vote to try to over-
come the lengthening political
deadlock caused by Brexit.
Conservative leader Johnson
3 0
-- overseeing a minority govern-
ment -- is trying to lead Britain
out of the deep crisis engulfing
its EU departure that was meant
to take place this Thursday.
But unable to get parliamen-
tary support for his divorce deal
with Brussels, he was forced to
abandon his “do-or-die” pledge
to leave the bloc on schedule
and has begrudgingly accepted
ministers to plot strategy in
advance of another gruelling
session of the lower House of
Commons that could stretch
on Monday meant “for the next
there months, our condition of
taking no-deal off the table has
now been met”.
another extension until the end
of January.
Britain’s inability to break
its half-century bond with the
into the night. Johnson’s new
attempt amends existing laws
requiring a two-thirds major-
ity by proposing a simple bill
“We will now launch the
most ambitious and radi-
cal campaign for real change
our country has ever seen,” he
EU has halted costly “no-deal”
exit preparations and reportedly
seen freshly minted 50-pence
with an election date.
“This house cannot any lon-
ger keep this country hostage,”
added.
The sides must now settle on
an election date. Johnson insists
commemorative Brexit coins
melted down. General elections
have been held twice in the last
four years — in 2015 and 2017.
The next is not scheduled to
Johnson told lawmakers after
they defeated Monday’s elec-
tion attempt.
Johnson’s election push
received a big boost when the
on December 12. A rival plan
proposed by the pro-European
Liberal Democrats and the Scot-
tish National Party (SNP) pro-
poses December 9.
happen until 2022.
But Johnson has been try-
ing to secure an early vote to try
to win a majority to allow him
leader of the main opposition
Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn,
indicated his support.
Veteran socialist Corbyn has
The second option is also
preferred by Labour.
Some in the party say the
later date reduces the number
to push through legislation to been torn between rival camps of more liberal students voting
enact Brexit. within his own party and is fac- because it comes after they fin-
His third attempt to get par- ing poor polling numbers that ish their semesters and return
liament to agree to disband early show the Conservatives in a home for the winter break.
and hold a general election on strong lead. He has argued he Labour’s trade spokesman
December 12 ended in failure
on Monday after he fell well
short of the required support
of two-thirds of MPs.
cannot back an election until
Johnson promises not to take
Britain out of the EU without a
new trade deal when the post-
Barry Gardiner told BBC radio
“the first thing” for Johnson to
do to get his party’s backing was
“to ensure that students are not
But he was making a fresh Brexit transition period ends in going to be disenfranchised by
bid for the same date on Tues- December 2020. an election on December 12”.
day using a different parliamen- Britain would be following Corbyn did not specify a
tary procedure that would only
require a simple majority.
He consulted his cabinet
EU rules until that time.
But he said the latest delay
to Brexit agreed by EU leaders
date in his statement. “It will be
a December election,” a Labour
source said.  AGENCIES
Footage circulating online
purporting to show the after-
math of the attack showed
fires and people running
away to the backdrop of heavy
gunfire.  AGENCIES
12 mp business
Airtel defers Q2 results
Bharti Airtel has deferred the release of its second-quarter earnings report till November 14
as it sought clarity and "support" from the government on Rs 42,000-crore statutory dues
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel
has deferred the release of its
second-quarter earnings report
till November 14 as it sought
clarity and "support" from the
government on Rs 42,000-
crore statutory dues it owes to
the exchequer following the
Supreme Court judgment.
It was scheduled to
announce earnings for July-
September quarter on Tues-
day but in a notice to the stock
exchanges, it said the same is
now being deferred till Novem-
ber 14.
However, the company
released its operating highlights
for the three months ended Sep-
tember 2019 in a regulatory fil-
ing to the BSE.
The company’s revenue from
India mobile services rose 7
per cent year-on-year during
the September 2019 quarter to
Rs 10,981.4 crore, as the sub-
scriber base stood at 279.4 mil-
lion, according to a regulatory
filing by the company.
Its customer base for India
mobile services represented a 15
per cent fall over the year-ago
period, but seen on a sequential
basis, it was 0.9 per cent higher
than June quarter.
The average revenue per user
(ARPU) for mobile services — a
key metrics for telecom compa-
nies — slipped marginally to Rs
128 against Rs 129 in the previ-
ous sequential quarter.
“The company is approach-
ing the Department of Tele-
communications (DoT) to seek
clarity on the total amounts
involved and request for their
support to deal with this adverse
outcome,” it said in the notice.
According to the DoT's cal-
culations, Bharti Airtel faces a
a
liability of around Rs 42,000
crore after including licence fees
and spectrum usage charges,
Air India toS
while Vodafone-Idea may have
connect Amritsar
with London Stansted
MUMBAI: Air India will be
connecting Amritsar with Lon-
don Stansted with thrice-a-week
service from October 31.
“Commencing from Mum-
bai, the flight will connect Ram
Das Jee International Airport in
Amritsar to Stansted Airport in
London to facilitate Sikh pil-
grims aspiring to visit Punjab
on the occasion of Guru Purab
or the birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak Dev ji,” said a statement
issued by Air India.
The flight will be operated by
a 256-seater Boeing 787 Dream-
liner aircraft with ‘Ek Onkar’
painted on its tail. The fuse-
lage has been painted with the
words “Shri Guru Nanak Dev
Amazon pumps in
over `4,400 crore
in India business
NEW DELHI: The US-based
Amazon is pumping in over
Rs 4,400 crore (more than $600
million) in its various units in
India including marketplace and
food retail to provide them more
ammunition to compete against
arch-rival Flipkart.
Amazon had registered
cumulative losses of over Rs
7,000 crore across various units
in 2018-19. However, the fresh
funding is indicative of Ama-
zon's confidence in the Indian
market.
As per the regulatory filings
made to the Corporate Affairs
Ministry, two entities - 'Amazon
Corporate Holdings' and 'Ama-
zon.com.incs Ltd' are pumping
in Rs 3,400 crore in Amazon
Seller Services (marketplace
unit), Rs 900 crore in Amazon
Pay (India) (payments arm) and
Rs 172.5 crore in Amazon Retail
India (food retail business).
"...consent of the board
be and is hereby accorded for
allotment of 3,400,000,000 (340
crore) equity shares of Rs 10
each aggregating to Rs 3,400
crore to the existing share-
holder on right basis...," the
filing, sourced by Paper.vc said.
The resolution was passed by
the board of directors of Ama-
zon Seller Services on October
14, 2019, it added.  PTI
to pay about Rs 40,000 crore. Jio
may have to pay around Rs 14
crore. Though the matter had
been in courts for over a decade,
the companies had not made
any provisions for potential lia-
bility in its books of accounts
and in absence of which it is
now knocking on government
doors for relief.
"The management of the
company recommended to
the board of directors that
the agenda item related to the
approval of audited financial
results for the second quarter
(Q2) and half year ended Sep-
tember 30, 2019, which was to
be a part of the board meeting
today (Tuesday) be deferred till
November 14, 2019 on account
of the fact that more clarity is
needed on the AGR matter aris-
ing out of recent judgement of
Hon'ble Supreme Court," Bharti
Airtel said in the notice to the
stock exchanges.
Its chairman Sunil Bharti
k
Mittal and his brother Rajan
Mittal had met Telecom Min-
r i f
ister Ravi Shankar Prasad and
Telecom Secretary Anshu
Prakash on Monday.
"The board of directors, in its
meeting held today (Tuesday),
has accepted the management's
recommendation and deferred
the agenda item relating to the
approval of the said financial
Ji 550 years celebrations”, the
said the airline. Punjabi cui-
sine will served onboard Air
India flight AI165 which will
fly from Amritsar to London
Stansted and return as flight AI
166 to Amritsar on every Mon-
day, Thursday and Saturday.
It will be the first-ever sched-
uled flight to India from London
Stansted Airport and the only
direct link between London and
Amritsar, the airline said. AGENCIES
DGCA asks GoAir to replace PW engines GoAir starts new flights from
of its 13 A30Neo aircrafts within 15 days Bengaluru, Kolkata to Delhi
NEW DELHI: Civil aviation
regulator DGCA on Tues-
day asked GoAir to replace
13 A320Neo aircraft's PW
engines, which have been used
for over 3,000 hours, within the
next 15 days or face grounding
of the airplanes, an official said.
The 13 aircraft have to be
fitted with at least one modified
Pratt and Whitney (PW) low-
pressure turbine engine within
the next 15 days, the Director-
ate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) official said.
The official said there are
Indian steelmakers face debt challenges after ill-timed bets
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI:
India’s biggest steelmak-
ers may be suffering from
buyer’s remorse as assets
they bought from bankrupt
rivals stretch their bottom
lines while market condi-
tions have worsened.
Less than 18 months
after scooping up these
distressed assets in the
hopes of extracting value
and boosting market share,
the steelmakers are strug-
gling to meet sales and pro-
duction targets because of a
slowdown in the key con-
struction and auto sectors.
Tata Steel Ltd, JSW Steel
Ltd and others are also
wrestling with falling rev-
enues amid high debt loads.
“The operating envi-
ronment has changed
results till Thursday, November
14, 2019. All other agenda items
shall be taken up by the Board
in the meeting to be resumed
today in the ordinary course,"
it added. Initially, telecom ser-
vice providers (TSPs) had to
pay a fixed license fee. The gov-
ernment in 1999 offered a new
package, known as 'migration
package', giving an option to the
licencees to migrate from fixed
licence fee to revenue sharing
fee with a principle of 'pay as
you earn'. This was accepted by
the operators unconditionally.
k
Licence fee and interest till
p
the date of migration i.e. July 31,
ll a
1999, was paid by them and no
dues were waived off.
The 'revenue sharing' regime
was so designed that the central
government becomes a partner
h u or sharer of 'gross revenue of the
company'. An annual licence fee
is payable as a percentage of the
AGR. The licence fee initially
was 15 per cent of the AGR and
progressively reduced to 8 per
cent in 2013 and many saw it as
an extremely beneficial regime
for telcos.
However, AGR calculations
became a point of dispute with
some in the government feeling
that funds due to the exchequer
were being diverted to create
new businesses within and out-
side the country.  PTI
IndiGo places
firm order for
300 A320neo
MUMBAI: Budget carrier
IndiGo announced on Tues-
day it has placed a firm order
for 300 A320neo family air-
craft, comprising A320neos,
A321neos and A321XLRs.
The airline, however, did
not disclose the value of order.
With this, IndiGos total
number of A320neo family air-
craft order now stands at 730,
the airline said in a statement.
This marks one of Airbus
largest aircraft orders ever with
a single airline operator, the air-
line said. IndiGo had earlier in
three tranches placed orders
for 530 Airbus planes between
2005 and 2015.  PTI
13 aircraft in the airline's fleet
in which both the PW engines
have been used for more than
3,000 hours.
In response to a query from
PTI, the airline's spokesperson
said, "GoAir has not received
any communication/directive
from DGCA in this respect.
from when they bid for assets around in the cur-
these plants,” said Amit rent environment.
Dixit, senior steel analyst A deepening credit
with brokerage firm Edel- crunch in India’s shadow
weiss Financial Services. banking industry follow-
“So their payback period ing the collapse of a major
obviously gets elongated infrastructure lender in
now.” 2018 has sharply dented
Steel prices were high spending on cars and real
and demand was booming estate in India.
then. Now, confronted with Domestic steel con-
falling prices and slower sumption in September was
consumption, steelmakers at its lowest since the start
are facing the risk of credit of the fiscal year 2019/20,
downgrades, job losses and according to official data.
cuts in capital expenditure. A synchronised global
Arnab Kumar Hazra, economic slowdown amid
assistant secretary general the U.S.-China trade war
at the Indian Steel Asso- has compounded the prob-
ciation, an industry group lem, quashing global steel
that also represents major consumption and intensi-
steel producers, noted fying competition among
companies would take a exporters.
longer time to turn their JSW Steel Ltd, which
Govt forms high-level
panel to look at bailout
package for telcos
NEW DELHI: The government
has constituted a committee of
secretaries to explore a financial
bailout package for the telecom
sector by lowering spectrum
charges as well as ending the
era of free mobile phone calls
and dirt cheap data as compa-
nies look at the government for
avoiding payment of thousands
of crores of rupees in overdue
statutory levies.
The Committee of Secre-
taries, headed by Cabinet Sec-
retary Rajiv Gauba, has been
@ including revenue from non-
a m
asked to examine “all aspects”
of “financial stress” faced by
service providers such as Bharti
Airtel and Vodafone-Idea and
suggest measures to mitigate
them, sources in the Depart-
ment of Telecommunications
(DoT) said. The panel, which
will comprise secretaries to
the ministries of finance, law,
and telecom, has been asked
to look at the demands of tele-
com service providers (TSPs)
for deferment of payments they
had promised for the spectrum
won through auction as well
as consider lowering airwave
usage charge.
It has also been asked to con-
sider lowering the obligation of
TSPs for providing 5 per cent of
their annual revenues for the
Universal Service Obligation
Fund (USOF), they said.
In parallel, sector regulator
Trai is expected to examine pre-
scribing minimum charge for
voice and data services, which
according to old telecom opera-
tors will ensure long-term via-
Market on a roll: Sensex gallops 582 PMC Bank depositors
points on earnings boost, stimulus hopes
MUMBAI: The Indian stock
market began the post-Diwali
session with a bang on Tues-
day, with the benchmark Sensex
surging 582 points to close at a
near four-month high on hopes
of more economic stimulus
measures and income tax cuts.
Starting the first full session
of Samvat 2076 on a bullish note,
the 30-share Sensex soared over
666 points before settling 581.64
points, or 1.48 per cent, higher
at 39,831.84. It hit an intra-day
high of 39,917.01 and a low of
39,254.12.
Likewise, the broader NSE
Nifty rallied 159.70 points,
or 1.37 per cent, to close at
Whenever we receive any
communication, at that point
in time, we will evaluate and
respond accordingly. We will
continue to work on all direc-
tives/policies as stipulated by
the DGCA."
The PW engine-powered
A320 neo planes in the fleets
of the two airlines - IndiGo
and GoAir - have been facing
glitches both mid-air and on-
ground since their induction
way back in 2016, which has
also led to grounding of some
planes.  PTI
bought Monnet Ispat &
Energy Ltd in September
last year, had promised to
turn it around within a year
but now says it will take
another year.
The company will also
miss its sales and produc-
tion target for 2019/20 by
3 per cent and has had to
cut its capital expenditure
by a third, said Seshagiri
bility and robust financial health
5
of the sector, they said.
The panel was set up a day
after an unsigned paper seeking
0
a waiver of interest and penal-
ties on the unpaid amount, as
0
well as staggering payment of
principal licence fee over 10
7
years was submitted to the DoT.
Citing the recent Supreme
Court ruling that had upheld
the government’s position on
telecommunication businesses
in calculating the annual gross
revenue of telecom companies, a
share of which is paid as licence
and spectrum fee to the exche-
quer, the note sought a two-
year moratorium on spectrum
payments beyond April 2020
till March 2022, reduction in
licence fee from 8 per cent to 3
per cent, and cutting USOF to
1 per cent. Industry body COAI
immediately welcomed the con-
stitution of the CoS, saying the
panel must work out a relief
package within 60 days.
The CoS, which is expected
to meet shortly and submit
recommendations in a time-
bound manner, will consider
the demand of TSPs to defer
spectrum auction payment for
2020-21 and 2021-22 in order
to ease cash flow and lower-
ing USOF charge to 3 per cent,
sources said.
Following the top court
order, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea
and other telecom operators
may have to pay the govern-
ment a whopping Rs 1.42 lakh
crore within three months.  PTI
11,786.85. Bourses saw a broad-
based buying throughout the
day as sentiment was further
boosted by encouraging quar-
terly corporate earnings and
US-China trade deal optimism.
On the Sensex chart, Tata
Motors emerged as a standout
performer surging about 17 per
cent after the company reported
KOLKATA: GoAir on Tuesday
announced the introduction of
additional frequencies on its
Kolkata-Delhi and Bengaluru-
Delhi sectors.
Effective from October
27, 2019, GoAir has started to
operate non-stop flights from
Kolkata to Delhi thrice a week.
The flight form Kolkata departs
at 09:35 hrs on Wednesday, Fri-
day and Sunday and arrives in
Delhi at 12:25 hrs.
The return non-stop flight
departs from Delhi at 15:10 hrs
and arrives in Kolkata at 17:40
Rao, JSW’s joint managing
director and group chief
financial officer.
“There is a credit
squeeze, there is prolonged
monsoon, a weaker gov-
ernment expenditure and
fall in consumer demand,”
Rao said.
Tata Steel, which
bought specialty steel firm
Usha Martin Ltd in April,
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Centre to soon order SFIO probe
into DHFL financial irregularities
3
NEW DELHI: The govern-
ment will soon order an SFIO
6
probe into alleged financial
irregularities at debt-ridden
mortgage firm DHFL after
1 8
a report by the Registrar of
Companies indicated fund
diversion, a source said.
The Mumbai office of the
3 0
Registrar of Companies (RoC)
earlier this year had initiated
a detailed examination into
alleged financial irregularities,
including fund diversion, by
DHFL promoters.
The RoC Mumbai sub-
mitted its report on Dewan
Housing Finance Corpora-
tion (DHFL) to the Ministry
of Corporate Affairs (MCA)
a couple of days ago, an offi-
cial said.
There is a good enough
reason to refer the matter
of DHFL to Serious Fraud
Investigation Office (SFIO),
the official said, adding the
report indicates diversion and
Competition Comm orders probe
against MakeMyTrip-GoIbibo, OYO
NEW DELHI: Fair trade
watchdog CCI has ordered
an investigation against online
travel agents MakeMyTrip-
GoIbibo and hospitality ser-
vices provider OYO after
finding that prima-facie they
have violated competition
norms.
For the case, the Compe-
tition Commission of India
(CCI) assessed the allegations
on the basis of two relevant
markets. In the case of Make-
MyTrip-GoIbibo (MMT-Go),
it is the ‘market for online
intermediation services for
booking of hotels in India’, and
for OYO, it is the ‘market for
franchising services for bud-
get hotels in India’.
MakeMyTrip has acquired
narrowing of losses in the Sep-
tember quarter.
Other major gainers were
Tata Steel, Yes bank, Axis Bank,
Maruti Suzuki, Tech Mahindra
and TCS -- rising as much as
7.09 per cent.
Elsewhere in Asia, Shanghai,
Hong Kong and Seoul ended on
a negative note, while Tokyo
closed in the green.
Europe was trading in the
red in early deals.
Meanwhile, the Indian rupee
closed with marginal gains at
70.84 against the US dollar.
Brent crude futures, the
global oil benchmark, fell 0.97
per cent to $60.97 per barrel. PTI
hrs on Tuesday,Thursday and
Saturday.
Starting from October 28,
2019, the non-stop flights from
Bengaluru to Delhi is being
operated four times a week. The
flight from Bengaluru departs
at 05:45 hrs on Monday, Tues-
day, Thursday and Saturday
and arrives in Delhi at 11:40.
The return non-stop
flight departs from Delhi at
14:20 hrs and arrives in Ben-
galuru at 17:10 hrs on Mon-
day, Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday.  MPOST
told Reuters the turn-
around of the company
would be delayed.
Tata Steel and JSW are
not alone.
The world’s biggest
steelmaker ArcelorMittal
and partner Nippon Steel
and Sumitomo Metal Corp,
which committed $6 bil-
lion to acquire a 10 million
tonne steel plant in India,
will face similar issues, ana-
lysts have said.
The problems afflict-
ing the steel majors, which
together control over half
the country’s total steel
production, have already
surfaced among mid-sized
firms.
“Inventory is high,
debtor days have extended,
and most mid-level steel
siphoning of funds.
The matter will be referred
to the agency under the MCA
in the next few days, the offi-
cial added.
DHFL came in the eye of
storm after a report suggested
that the company through lay-
ers of shell companies alleg-
edly siphoned off Rs 31,000
crore out of total bank loans
of Rs 97,000 crore.
Following the allegations,
the RoC Mumbai started
looking into the matter and
found that certain offices that
were reported as shell compa-
nies were not found at their
given addresses.
GoIbibo. Following a com-
plaint from the Federation of
Hotel & Restaurant Associa-
tions of India (FHRAI), the
watchdog looked into various
aspects of their businesses and
concluded that “prima-facie”
there are violations of com-
petition law.
The commission said that
MMT-Go prima-facie appears
to be a dominant player in the
relevant market.
“... prima-facie OYO is
not found to hold a domi-
nant position, despite being a
significant player in the mar-
ket for franchising services
for budget hotels in India’,” it
noted.
According to the watch-
dog, delineation of relevant
protest outside RBI
office seeking payback
MUMBAI: Harried deposi-
tors of the troubled Punjab
and Maharashtra Cooperative
(PMC) Bank continued with
their protests by agitating out-
side an office of the Reserve
Bank here on Tuesday, to
demand a payback of their
stuck money.
A depositors' delegation also
met a Chief General Manager-
rank officer after the protest in
suburban Bandra Kurla Com-
plex (BKC), and submitted a
memorandum.
The PMC Bank has been put
under restrictions by the RBI for
over a month, after an alleged Rs
4,355 crore scam came to light.
At least five depositors, who
had high quantum of money
stuck with the bank, died in the
last month, including one who
committed suicide.
The depositors, majority
of them senior citizens and
companies are now con-
templating job cuts,” said
R.K. Goyal, managing
director of Kalyani Steels
Ltd which relies heavily on
the automotive sector for
steel orders.
The credit crunch and
slowdown in autos and real
estate pushed India’s GDP
growth to a six-year low of
5 per cent in the April-June
quarter, in a troubling sign
for the steel sector whose
fortunes are closely tied to
the broader economy.
The extent of the slow-
down is prompting com-
panies to revise capital
expenditure plans and oth-
ers to question the ability of
companies to achieve debt
reduction goals.
Despite Tata Steel’s
Under the companies law,
the MCA has powers to take
various actions against com-
panies in case of suspected
violations, including inspec-
tion of the books of accounts.
A forensic audit sepa-
rately done by KPMG has
also reportedly found mas-
sive fund diversion by the pro-
moters, a development which
may make lenders averse for
revival of the company.
The third largest mort-
gage lender had sought a Rs
15,000-crore lifeline from the
lenders as they finalise the res-
olution plan, which may also
include picking up 51 per cent
equity in the company by con-
verting their debt into equity.
KPMG has submitted a
draft report to the lenders,
which has reportedly found
that DHFL promoters had
diverted nearly Rs 20,000
crore of bank loans to related
entities.  PTI
market is based on market
realities as they exist at the
time of assessment and that
in rapidly changing markets in
particular, market assessment
cannot have a static approach.
In a 26-page order, the
fair trade regulator said there
exists a prima-facie case for
investigation against MMT-
Go and OYO for alleged vio-
lation of the provisions of
Section 3(4) of the Compe-
tition Act. This section per-
tains to anti-competitive
agreements.
“Further, a prima-facie
case for investigation under
Section 4 of the Act is made
out against MMT-Go,” it
added. Section 4 relates to
abuse of dominant position. PTI
women, gathered at the RBI
building which houses the
offices of the chief general man-
ager for cooperative banking
regulation, with banners like it
being a "Black Diwali" because
of the PMC crisis.
Later, a five member del-
egation went to meet senior
RBI officials and submitted a
memorandum.
After its meeting with RBI
officials, Jitshu Seth, one of the
delegation members, said they
requested the RBI to assure
them that their money lying
with the trouble-hit bank was
safe.
"The RBI official said their
priority is to protect the money
of each and every depositor,"
she said, adding that the RBI
was also been urged to either
arrange a Rs 4,000 crore infu-
sion into the bank or merge it
with a healthy lender.  PTI
move to partially defer
expenditure on expan-
sions, IIFL analyst Anu-
pam Gupta said its plans to
cut debt by $1 billion this
fiscal year look ambitious,
given weakening profitabil-
ity across India and Europe.
Brokerage firm Edel-
weiss expects both JSW
Steel and Tata Steel to see
increases this year in their
debt to EBIDTA ratios - a
metric that reflects the cash
available to companies to
pay debts.
And the downward
pressure on steelmakers
does not look set to reverse
soon.
“We are just sitting idle
and waiting for the tide to
turn,” Kalyani Steels’ Goyal
said.  AGENCIES
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
mp business 13
PM MODI INVITES SAUDI COMPANIES TO INVEST IN ENERGY SECTOR
FinMin seeks details of land parcel
India to spend $100 billion from CPSEs for asset monetisation
on energy infra by 2024: PM
NEW DELHI: The finance ministry has writ-

3
ten to all ministries asking them to seek details
of land parcel from CPSEs under their admin-

6
istrative control for monetisation, according to
sources.
The exercise is part of the government's
Speaking at Saudi Arabia’s annual investment forum, PM Narendra Modi promised
stable, predictable and transparent policy regime to catalyse foreign investments
1 8
efforts to meet disinvestment target of Rs 1.05
lakh crore for the current financial year.
The Department of Investment and Pub-
lic Asset Management (DIPAM) has already

Riyadh: India will invest a mas-

sive $100 billion in oil and gas
infrastructure to meet energy

3 0
empanelled 11 consultancy firms for monetisat-
ing land and properties of central public sector
enterprises (CPSEs), public sector undertakings
(PSUs) and other government organisations.

5
needs of an economy that is The list of empanelled firms includes RITES Rs 1.05 lakh crore from disinvestment proceeds
being targeted to nearly double Ltd, Bostan Consulting Group, Anarock Prop- and achieving this has become more critical after
in five years, Prime Minister erty Consultants Pvt Ltd, Cushman & Wakefield it doled out Rs 1.45 lakh crore stimulus by way
Narendra Modi said on Tuesday
as he sought investment from
oil kingpin Saudi Arabia and
other nations to boost supplies.

0 0 and Feedback Infra Pvt Ltd.

DIPAM has asked all ministries and depart-
ments to get details from CPSEs under their
administrative control of those land parcel for
of a cut in corporate tax.
The proceeds from disinvestment will be crit-
ical for the government to stick to its target of
keeping fiscal deficit at 3.3 per cent of the gross
Speaking at Saudi Arabia’s
annual investment forum, also
known as ‘Davos in the des-
ert’, Modi promised stable, 7 monetisation which are free from any encum-
brances, litigation and encroachment, the
sources said.
It also asked the ministries to seek board-
domestic product in the current financial year.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved a
new process of strategic disinvestment with a
view to expediting privatisation of select PSUs.
predictable and transparent
policy regime to catalyse for-
eign investments.
@ approved monetisation plan of CPSEs for
smooth sale.
According to the sources, the land parcel
The Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi gave nod for sale of 53.29 per cent
government stake in Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd
“India is investing heavily in
oil ad gas infrastructure,” he said
adding as much as $100 billion
will be spent by 2024 in creating
additional oil refining capacity,
a m including that of enemy property and residential
quarters could be sold by bunching up together
or separately on a case-to-case basis.
Over 6.50 crore shares in 996 companies of
20,323 shareholders are under the custody of
and its 63.75 per cent stake in Shipping Corpora-
tion of India, 30 per cent in Container Corpora-
tion of India, 100 per cent NEEPCO and 75 per
cent in THDC.
Officials said strategic sale may involve two-
laying new pipelines and build-
ing gas import terminals.
The world’s third-largest
energy consumer is 83 per cent

k p Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI),

under the home ministry. Of these 996 com-
panies, 588 are functional or active companies
-- 139 of these are listed, while 449 companies
stage bidding beginning with an expression of
interest or a preliminary intent showing bid,
and a final financial bid. Pre-bid meetings with
likely bidders and roadshows to attract potential

dependent on imports to meet
its oil needs and about half of
its gas needs are shipped from
abroad. Its per capita energy
consumption is a fraction of
the global average and it is now
investing heavily in physical
infrastructure as well as city dis-
tribution to boost availability in
a growing economy.
Saudi Arabia is India’s sec-
ond-largest supplier of crude
oil and New Delhi is keen to
expand this partnership beyond
the buyer-seller relationship
into a strategic one with cross
investments.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday
be as big as the size of the Indian
economy, too is keen to venture
into fuel retailing and the petro-
chemical sector so as to lock-in
consumer for its oil in a world
that is fast-moving towards
renewable energy sources and
h u
k
electric vehicles.
“I want to ensure you that
ll a
infrastructure such as roads,
airports, and ports. The prime
minister said India is targeting
to nearly double the size of its
economy to $5 trillion in the
next five years. “Roadmap for
reaching the $5 trillion economy
target is ready. The target is not
only about quantitative growth
said infrastructure is needed for
the business to grow. India, he
said, is adopted an integrated
approach for infrastructure
development. “India is inte-
grating infrastructure through
one nation one power grid,
one nation one gas grid and
one water grid, one nation one
are unlisted. investors will form part of the process to provide
The government has set a target of mobilising clarity on every aspect of the stake sale.  PTI
Speaking at Saudi Arabia’s
annual investment forum, also Sitharaman chairs Petronet net nearly
known as ‘Davos in the desert’,
he said the reforms undertaken
by Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi’s government since
meeting of NIIF's
governing council doubles to `1,089 cr
on lower tax rate
August will bear fruits in the
next few quarters. NEW DELHI: Finance Min-
“Yes, there has been a slight ister Nirmala Sitharaman on

r i f
India’s rate of growth is going to
rise further. We are taking steps
for the growth of our economy,”
he said. “We are improving on
our ease of doing business rank-
but also about improving the
quality of life of every Indian.”
He said five big trends
impacting global businesses
are technology and innova-
mobility card, one nation one
optical fibre network.”
Infrastructure growth in
India will be in double-digit
and there is no possibility of
slowdown (in the Indian econ-
omy). But my own view is that
it is temporary,” he said at the
Future Investment Initiative
(FII) conference here.
Tuesday chaired the governing
council meeting of the National
Investment and Infrastructure
Fund (NIIF).
The NIIF is a fund man-
NEW DELHI: Petronet LNG
Ltd, the country's biggest
importer of liquefied natural
gas, on Tuesday reported nearly
doubling of net profit in Septem-

a
Modi highlighted the recent ing. Due to political stability, tion, infrastructure, human capacity saturation. “All the reform measures ager that invests in infrastruc- ber quarter on back of improved
opening of the fuel retailing sec- predictable policy, and big resources, compassion for the For international invest- that have been taken in the last ture and related sectors in the margins.
tor for non-oil companies to lure diverse market, your investment environment and business- ment depends on quality man- few months will see the outcome country. Net profit in July-September

demand of a fast-expanding
S
investment in the world’s fastest-
growing consumption centre.
“India needs investments in
the energy sector to meet the

economy. And I request energy

companies present here to take
advantage of this opportunity,”
he said.
Modi said Saudi national oil
company Aramco has decided
to invest in the 60 million tonnes
a year West Coast refinery proj-
ect in Maharashtra - which will
be Asia’s biggest refinery.
Aramco, whose planned ini-
tial public offering is touted to
in India will be most profitable.”
Stating that infrastructure
is a technology multiplier, he
said it not only provides invest-
ment opportunity but it also
important for the growth of the
business.
“The requirement of physi-
cal infrastructure is in develop-
ing countries. Asia requires $700
billion per year for infrastruc-
ture development. We have set
an investment target of spend-
ing $1.5 trillion on infrastruc-
ture development in the next
few years,” he said. This target
includes oil and gas plus other
friendly governance.
Transformative technologies
such as Artifical Intelligence,
Genetics, and nano-technology
have become part of daily life, he
said adding India has become
the world’s third-largest startup
ecosystem.
“Indian start-ups are acing
everything, from food deliv-
ery to transport, to hospitality,
to medical treatment, to tour-
ism,” he said urging venture
funds to invest in start-ups in
the country.
Stating that infrastructure
is an opportunity multiplier, he
power and so skilling of human
resources is essential, he said,
adding 400 million people will
be skilled in different streams
in 3-4 years.
“International trade agree-
ments should not be restricted
to goods alone. Manpower and
talent mobility should be an
integral part of it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Billionaire
Mukesh Ambani on Tuesday
said the slowdown in the Indian
economy is temporary and the
recent measures taken by the
government will help reverse the
trend in the coming quarters.
and I am quite sure that in com-
ing quarter this will reverse,” he
said. Indian economy, which till
recently was hailed as the fast-
est-growing major economy, has
seen growth rate decline in each
of the past five quarters, fall-
ing to 5 per cent in April-June
2019 from 8 per cent recorded
a year earlier. This is the lowest
growth outturn since 2013 and
has largely been attributed to the
slowdown in investment that
has now broadened into con-
sumption, driven by financial
stress among rural households
and weak job creation.  AGENCIES
"Finance Minister Smt. @
nsitharaman chaired the Gov-
erning Council meeting of
National Investment and Infra-
structure Fund (NIIF) in North
Block today. Minister of State for
Finance and Corporate Affairs
Shri @ianuragthakur was also
present," the finance ministry
said in a tweet on Tuesday.
The NIIF is operationalised
by establishing three alterna-
tive investment funds (AIFs)
under the Sebi regulations.
The proposed corpus of NIIF
is Rs 40,000 crore (around
$6 billion). 
at Rs 1,089 crore was 90 per
cent higher than Rs 572.89 crore
net profit in the same period,
the company said in a regula-
tory filing.
Revenue from operations,
however, slipped to Rs 9,361.18
crore from Rs 10,745.34 crore
in the second of the previous
fiscal year.
"The company elected to
exercise the option of lower
tax rate of 25.17 per cent
(announced last month by the
government)," it said.
"Accordingly, the deferred
PTI tax liabilities (net) (DTL) as at
MD & CEO Prabhat Singh
 PIC/NAVEEN SHARMA
June 30, 2019 and estimate of tax
expense for the quarter ended
June 30, 2019 have been remea-
sured and resultant impact of
Rs 376 crore on DTL and Rs 70
crore respectively pertaining to
previous quarter have been rec-
ognised in the current quarter."
Petronet said its board of direc-
tors approved special interim
dividend of Rs 5.50 per share
for 2019-20 fiscal year.  MPOST

CORPORATE KALEIDOSCOPE RBI imposes
`1-cr penalty on
Bandhan Bank
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has slapped a
fine of Rs 1 crore on private
sector Bandhan Bank for non-
compliance of its guidelines on
promoter holding requirement.
IndianOil won the National CSR Aaward instituted by the Ministry The RBI has, by an order on
of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, under Women and Child Thursday, imposed a monetary
Development category for its Assam Oil School of Nursing project at penalty of Rs 1 crore on Band-
Digboi. Finance Minister Nirmala Seethraman, gave away the award han Bank for non-compliance
at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, Tuesday, to Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, with the guidelines on promoter
IndianOil and Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Director (HR), IndianOil. The holding contained in 'Guidelines
awards were given away in the presence of Anurag Thakur, Minister for Licensing of New Banks in
of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs; Injeti Srinivas, Secretary,
Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Sameer Sharma, DG and CEO of Private Sector', the central bank
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs said in a release. This penalty
has been imposed in exercise of
powers vested in the RBI under
the provisions of Section 47A(1)
(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of
the Act.  PTI
Air freight slips 5% in Aug, in red zone since Apr
NEW DELHI: Economic slowdown and
softening of global trade continue to hit
air cargo firms with the latest official data
showing 5.3 per cent decline in freight
traffic in August on a year-on-year basis.
Many of the shippers are facing can-
cellation of orders and buyers are insist-
ing for discounts.
"New buyers are not coming. The exist-
ing buyers at times insist for discounts
citing delays. The global slowdown has
impacted India as well," said Afzal Mal-
barwala, Vice President, Galaxy Freight
Pvt Ltd.
As per the monthly data released by
Airports Authority of India (AAI), all the
airports in the country handled 2,88,532
tonnes of freight in August, down 5.3 per
cent compared to 3,04,716 reported in the
same month a year ago.
On a cumulative basis, all airports in
the country handled 142.27 million pas-
sengers and 1,423.74 thousand tonnes of
freight during the April-August period
of 2019-20.
Key items transported by air include
high-value goods such as gems and jewel-
lery, medicines, electronic goods and read-
ymade garments. Perishable items such as
fruits and vegetables were also carried by
the airlines.
"Aircraft movements and freight traffic
have decreased by 1.2 per cent and 4.7 per
cent, respectively, while passengers have
increased by 0.4 per cent during the period
under study," the Civil Aviation Ministry
said in a report.
Facing external headwinds and low
demand in the home market, the Indian
economy has been slowing down. In the
first quarter of the current fiscal, it slipped
to six-year low of 5 per cent.
Many research and rating firms had
scaled down their growth projections for
the full financial year.
The domestic aviation sector which
had seen consistent double digit growth
has now been witnessing subdued air
travel demand resulting in low margins
and losses.
Most airlines such as IndiGo and Air
India earn a sizeable part of their revenue
from ferrying goods in aircraft belly. They
hope to increase the share of cargo in com-
ing months.
"We are now also focusing on inbound
cargo business from Southeast Asia and
Middle East and I am very pleased with the
response we are getting on these sectors,"
IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta told investors
during a conference call recently.  IANS
Hindustan Zinc Q2
profit rises 14.6%
NEW DELHI: Vedanta group
firm Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL)
on Tuesday posted a 14.6 per
cent increase in net profit at
Rs 2,081 crore for the quarter
ended on September 30, 2019.
The company had posted a
net profit of Rs 1,815 crore in
the year-ago period, HZL said
in a filing to BSE.
However, total income of the
company declined to Rs 5,101
crore during July-September
2019 from Rs 5,175 crore in the
year-ago period.
Mined metal production for
the quarter was 2,19,000 tonnes,
up 3 per cent sequentially on
account of higher ore produc-
tion. Integrated metal produc-
tion was 2,10,000 tonnes for the
quarter, almost flat from a year
ago.  PTI

Bonanza for stock markets as DDT likely to be scrapped

Indian markets abuzz with speculation
NEW DELHI: A bonanza is in the offing for
the stock markets as the Prime Minister's Office
Coalfields Limited (CCL), Ranchi has been conferred with “National (PMO) and the Finance Ministry are working on

on personal income tax rate cut: Report

CSR Award 2018” in the category-CSR Awards for contribution to measures which may include dividend distribu-
the National Priority Schemes, sub-category—Promotion of Sports tion tax (DDT) being scrapped.
in Jharkhand during a mega function held in Vigyan Bhawan, New In this regard, the Department of Economic
Delhi today. President Ram Nath Kovind graced the occasion as the Affairs (DEA) and Revenue Department officials
Chief Guest. CCL Chairman & MD Gopal Singh received the award in the Finance Ministry have held meetings with
from the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of PMO officials.
State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur According to analysts, the announcement
related to buyback attracting 20 per cent tax
to close the loophole on DDT had made inves-
tors jittery.
This was a new provision on buybacks intro-
duced in this year's Union Budget by Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The motive was
to clamp down on the strategy of avoiding divi-
dend distribution tax (DDT) through buyback of
shares by listed companies. The budget had pro-
posed an additional tax of 20 per cent in case of
buyback of shares by listed companies.
This was one of the key reasons for the ner-
POWERGRID bagged the National CSR Award which was conferred vousness in the stock markets post the Budget
by Hon’ble President of India in the category - Corporate Award for when they fell heavily. Hundreds of companies
Excellence in CSR, Companies having eligible CSR Spend equal and who were planning buybacks were stuck in the
above 100 crores, at Vigyan Bhawan on 29th October 2019. The middle of the new tax regime and since then
award was presented in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala there has been a lull for new buybacks. This also
Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs unnerved investors who used to benefit from
Anurag Singh Thakur. The award was received by CMD K Sreekant surrendering shares to the companies.
alongwith Director (Personnel) Ravi P Singh According to the Budget provision, as per
section 115QA of the Income Tax Act, buyback
of unlisted shares attracts additional tax of 20
per cent (plus surcharge and cess) in the hands
of the company distributing the income on such
buyback. Such income arising in the hands of
shareholders is exempt under section 10(34A)
of the Act.
However, such provision is not applicable on
buyback of listed shares. "It is now proposed that
section 115QA of the I-T Act will be amended
to include such tax on buyback of listed shares.
Further, section 10(34A) of the Act is conse-
quentially proposed to exempt income received
by the shareholders on buyback of listed shares.
The proposed amendment will be applicable
with effect from 5 July 2019", the Budget provi-
sion said.  IANS
SINGAPORE: Following the
surprise move to cut corporate
taxes last month, speculation
is high that a reduction in per-
sonal income taxes is on the
cards next in India, a report by
Singapore's DBS Bank said on
Tuesday.
With the all-in corporate
tax rate at 25 per cent, it is likely
that personal income tax rates,
which are at 30 per cent plus
levels, will also be lowered,
surcharges notwithstanding,
it suggested.
"Markets are divided on the
timing of such a move," added
DBS in the Flash report 'India:
Personal income tax cuts likely
in the pipeline'.
A combination of an
increase in the basic exemp-
tion limit and introduction of
a differentiated tax rate struc-
ture for higher incomes might
be on the cards - for instance,
the minimum tax slab could be
raised to Rs 0.50 million vs Rs
0.25 million presently, accord-
ing to DBS.
Tax rate on incomes over Rs
0.5 million might be lowered
and subjected to differentiat-
ing rates (10 per cent, 20 per
cent, 30 per cent etc.). Such an
arrangement will lower the bur-
den on smaller taxpayers, mod-
estly better for mid-tier but raise
tax incidence on higher tiers,
said the bank report.
Speculation is that the
announcement is imminent, but
the authorities might also prefer
to bide time and announce any
rework in the personal income
taxes at the budget due in Feb-
ruary 2020, according to the
report.
Any increase in the basic
exemption limit will be ben-
eficial for the small taxpayers
whose total income is below
INR0.5 million, said DBS,
noting that the February 2019
Budget had already provided
rebate relief for Rs 0.5 million
and below.
Estimates of the likely cost of
a review of the existing income
tax slabs range from Rs 1 tril-
lion to Rs 1.5 trillion.
Considering the revenue
arrangements with the states,
the impact on the centre's
finances could be to the tune
of 0.3-0.5 per cent of GDP, DBS
pointed out.
The share of direct taxes to
India's total tax revenues peaked
at 61 per cent in FY2009-10 and
has since stabilised around 55
per cent last year.  AGENCIES
14 mp sport MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019

Mominul
named B’desh
Test captain,
‘D/N Tests huge step forward to develop game’
Mahmudullah It will bring back the crowd into stadiums and a whole lot of young children to the sport, says Sourav Ganguly
leads T20I side
3
KOLKATA: BCCI president Sourav something special in Indian cricket. pen as he pushed the BCB to play
Ganguly on Tuesday termed Eden “This is the beginning of some- under floodlights in a bid to pull
DHAKA: Mominul Haque

has been named captain of
the Bangladesh Test team
while Mahmudullah will lead
the T20I side in their upcom-
ing tour of India in the wake
of the suspension handed out
Gardens hosting the first Day-Night
Test between India and Bangladesh
as a “huge step forward” in their bid
to bring back the glory of the five-
day format.
“In this effort of ours, Day-Night
Test cricket is a huge step forward
6
thing special in Indian cricket. It is a crowds to the stadiums.
priority for the newly elected Office Ganguly met Kohli for the first
Bearers and members of Apex Coun- time since becoming BCCI President
cil to take Indian cricket forward. For
me, as former Captain of India and as
the current President of BCCI, Test
cricket is of utmost priority and we

1 8 at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai last

Thursday, and it is believed the for-
mer India skipper had a word regard-
ing Day-Night Tests.
to current incumbent Shakib
Al Hasan by the International
Cricket Council, the Bangla-
desh Cricket Board (BCB)
and we believe it will bring back the
crowd into stadiums and a whole
lot of young children to the sport,”
Ganguly said.
at BCCI will leave no stone unturned
to bring this format back to its feet.”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah added:
“It is a great day for Indian cricket.

3 0 The Indian team was earlier not

keen on playing Day-Night Tests.
India had previously dodged plans to
play a pink-ball Test in Adelaide dur-

reportedly announced on
Tuesday.
Taijul Islam has been named
as Shakib’s replacement in the
Test and T20I sides. Moham-
mad Saifuddin, who was ruled
out of the series with injury and
“I am extremely honoured that
the Eden Gardens will host the inau-
gural Day-Night Test match and
the Cricket Association of Bengal
will create a spectacle for everyone
to watch. I thank the Bangladesh
Cricket Board President Mr. Nazmul
5
India will host Bangladesh in our ing their tour Down Under last year.
first ever Day-Night Test match at There was also reluctance on
Eden Gardens. Sourav, myself and India’s part when a move to host
our team had an idea of revolution-
izing Test cricket and this is our first
step towards it. It was very impor-
tant to start the process now since
short notice.”

0
Bangladesh Cricket Board presi-
dent Nazmul Hassan said: “The BCB 0
Ganguly as BCCI president who has
been an integral part of this journey.
On that note, I am pleased that we
BCCI relationship.”
The BCB on Tuesday agreed to
play the second Test against India at
a Day-Night Test against the West
Indies at home was brushed under
the carpet.
Ganguly has always backed pink
Tamim Iqbal who is sitting out
due to personal reasons, have
been replaced by Abu Haider
Rony and Mohammad Mithun
Hassan and his team for accepting
our request on such a short notice.
I also thank India Captain Mr. Virat
Kohli for his co-operation.”
India does not play a lot of Test
matches after the Bangladesh series.
We thank the Bangladesh Cricket
Board for accepting our request for 7
and BCCI share a very long history
of support, co-operation and friend-
ship. Ours is a bond of strength and
it is very heartening and reassuring
have had a frank and constructive
discussion with the players and the
Team Management. I have received
a positive response about playing the
Eden Gardens under lights and this
will be the first Day-Night Test for
both teams.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly
ball Tests, even when he was the head
of the BCCI’s technical committee in
2016-17. Ganguly had then recom-
mended that domestic tournaments

ICC bans Shakib for failing@

respectively. Ganguly said this is the start of a Day-Night Test match on such a for the BCB to have someone like Mr Day-Night Test in view of the BCB- is the man behind making this hap- be played under lights.  AGENCIES
Pace spearhead Mustafizur

to report Shakib made a Will leave no stone

Rahman also makes a return to
the Test squad.
T20I squad: Soumya
Sarkar, Mohammad Naim,
Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hos-
sain, Mosaddek Hossain,
a m
approaches from suspected bookie
mistake, BCB
will stand by unturned to make D/N Test
Animul Islam, Liton Das,
Mushfiqur Rahim, Arafat
Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mus-
tafizur Rahman, Shaiful Islam,

k p
DHAKA/DUBAI: Bangladesh is set to be the skipper in the franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad
him: B’desh PM
DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime
a spectacle: Dalmiya

Abu Haider Rony, Mohammad
Mithun, Taijul Islam.
Test squad: Shadman
Islam, Imrul Kayes, Saif Hasan,
Mominul Haque (c), Liton Das,
Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudul-
lah, Mohammad Mithun,
Mossadek Hossain, Mehidy
Hasan Miraj, Taijul Islam,
Naeem Hasan, Mustafizur
ll a
captain and world number one three T20 Internationals. was to take on Kings XI Pun- Minister Sheikh Hasina and KOLKATA: The Cricket Asso-
ODI all-rounder Shakib Al The 32-year-old was being jab. Sunrisers won the game the country’s Cricket Board on ciation of Bengal (CAB) will ‘It’s a huge
Hasan was on Tuesday handed
a two-year suspension by the
kept away from the team’s
ongoing practice sessions
by 13 runs.
“These messages on 26
Tuesday offered support to sus-
pended all-rounder Shakib Al
leave no stone unturned in
their bid to make the first-ever
development for
ICC for failing to report three before the India tour on ICC’s April 2018 included a number Hasan, insisting that his failure Day-Night Test between India sure. Eden has
h u
corrupt approaches, includ-
ing one at the IPL, by a sus-
pected Indian bookie, ousting
him from the upcoming tour
of India.
instructions. The series against
India comprises three T20
Internationals and two Tests
and gets underway in New
of deleted messages. He con-
firmed that these deleted mes-
sages contained requests from
Mr Aggarwal for Inside Infor-
to report corrupt approaches
was a mistake from which he
will learn and bounce back as
a wiser player.
and Bangladesh at the Eden
Gardens a memorable one, sec-
retary Avishek Dalmiya said.
Bangladesh Cricket Board
witnessed a lot of
historic moments
and this will be

k
not reporting the approaches,” Delhi with the shortest format mation,” the ICC stated. Aggar- Shakib, Bangladesh’s Test (BCB) on Tuesday agreed to
Rahman, Al Amin Hossain, Twelve months of that ban said Shakib, who is currently games on November 3. wal’s other two approaches and T20 captain and the world’s play the second Test against a new feather in
Ebadot Hossain.  AGENCIES is a suspended sentence which at No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2 in Shakib was spoken to by were during the Bangladesh No.1 all-rounder in ODIs, was India at Eden Gardens under the cap of Eden

r i f will come into effect if Shakib

fails to comply with the anti-
corruption code of the world
body. The one-year ban that
he has to serve will keep him
the ICC allrounders’ rank-
ings for Tests, ODIs and T20Is
respectively.
“The ICC ACU is reliant on
players to play a central part
the ICC’s Anti-Corruption
Unit in January and August
this year and he failed to report
the approaches made to him by
“an individual known to the
Premier League when Shakib
was playing for Dhaka Dyna-
mites in 2017, followed by
the tri-series against Zimba-
bwe and Sri Lanka in January
on Tuesday handed a two-year
suspension by the ICC for fail-
ing to report three corrupt
approaches, including one at
the IPL, by a suspected Indian
lights and with a pink ball
after pursuation from newly-
elected BCCI president Sourav
Ganguly.
“It’s a huge development
Gardens’
the Test match and Dalmiya
said it would be a carnival like

a
out of next year’s Indian Pre- in the fight against corruption ACU and suspected of involve- 2018. Aggarwal, the ICC said, bookie, ousting him from the for sure. Eden has witnessed atmosphere with Bangladesh
mier League (IPL) and also and I didn’t do my duty in this ment in corruption in cricket, wanted to meet Shakib but the upcoming tour of India. a lot of historic moments and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
the World T20 to be held in instance,” he said in a statement Deepak Aggarwal.” cricketer didn’t oblige as “he Twelve months of that this will be a new feather in the also confirming her presence

S Australia from October 18 to

November 15 the same year.
“I am obviously extremely
sad to have been banned from
the game I love, but I com-
pletely accept my sanction for
issued by the ICC.
In his absence, senior-most
player Mushfiqur Rahim might
lead Bangladesh in Tests while
one among Mahmudullah
Riyadh or Mosaddek Hosain
The ICC said Aggarwal had
asked Shakib to provide infor-
mation on team composition
and strategy on three separate
occasions, one of them being
April 26, 2018 when his IPL
had concerns over Mr Aggar-
wal, feeling he was a bit ‘dodgy’,
and that, following their con-
versations, he had the feel-
ing that Mr Aggarwal was a
bookie,” it added.  AGENCIES
ban is a suspended sentence
which will come into effect if
the 32-year-old fails to comply
with the anti-corruption code
of the world body.
The one-year ban that he
has to serve will keep him
cap of Eden Gardens,” Dalmiya
said in an interview.
India cricketers Moham-
mad Shami and Wriddhiman
Saha have had first-hand expe-
rience of Day-Night cricket
with pink ball when local
and Indian counterpart Naren-
dra Modi also invited besides
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee. “There will be Ben-
gali sentiment also as India will
take on Bangladesh and it will
add to the flavour. There will

Jamshedpur beat Hyderabad FC 3-1 at home
JAMSHEDPUR: Jamshedpur FC made
it two wins out of two with a domi-
nant 3-1 win against Hyderabad FC in
their Indian Super League clash at
the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on
Tuesday.
Farukh Choudhary tapped a loose
ball home in the 34th minute to con-
vert his team’s dominance into a goal.
Marcelinho scored an unlikely equal-
iser in the 45th minute but Jamshedpur
regained control after the break with
goals from Aniket Jadhav (62’) and Ser-
gio Castel (75’).
The result sees Antonio Iriondo’s
men surge to the top of the table while
Hyderabad are yet to open their points
tally.
The hosts surged forward looking to
take an early lead and tested Hyderabad
custodian Kamaljit Singh when Isaac
Vanmalsawma opted to shoot from
outside the box in the eighth minute.
A minute later, Mobashir Rahman’s
excellent diagonal ball into the box
put Choudhary one-on-one with the
Hyderabad goalkeeper who prevented
the Indian forward from slotting the
ball into the net.
Jamshedpur dominated proceed-
ings and kept Kamaljit on his toes.
The hosts finally converted a chance
in the 34th minute.
Piti received the ball on the left and
skipped past a defender before send-
ing a powerful strike towards goal.
Kamaljit’s save fell right into the path of
an onrushing Choudhary who turned
the ball home.
Piti, the architect in midfield, nearly
added a second goal soon after the first
when Castel found him in space on the
edge of the box. The Spanish midfield-
er’s right-footed effort ended up a few
inches wide of the target.
Against the run of play, Hyder-
abad struck an equaliser at the stroke
of half-time. Marcelinho collected
Rohit Kumar’s pass, cut in from the
right, dropped his shoulder to ease past
Keegan Pereira and neatly slotted into
the net, beating Subrata Paul at his near
post.
An injury to Sahil Panwar following
a collision with Castel dampened the
visitors’ spirits and Jamshedpur were
back on the front foot.
Castel swung a cross into the centre
from the left for substitute Jadhav who
sent a diving header over the bar with
just the keeper to beat.
Jadhav made amends for the miss
with an excellent finish after collecting
Choudhary’s cross in the 62nd minute
to put the hosts back into the lead.
With the Men of Steel overpowering
their opponents in midfield, Hyderabad
struggled to get back into the game as
the second half wore on.
Castel soon added Jamshedpur’s
third with an excellent piece of centre-
forward play. The Spaniard brought
down Memo’s long ball, twisted and
turned to beat a couple of defenders and
fired the ball into the net. Choudhary
and Pereira also had their efforts kept
out before the final whistle as Jamshed-
pur sealed full points, piling misery on
Hyderabad who remain winless after
two rounds.  AGENCIES
out of next year’s Indian Pre-
mier League (IPL) and also
the World T20 to be held in
Australia from October 18 to
November 15 the same year.
“It’s clear that Shakib
has made a mistake and he’s
realised that,” Hasina was
quoted as saying by bdnews24.
com. “There’s nothing much
the government can do about
the ICC’s decision but BCB will
stand by him,” she added.
The ban comes as a huge
blow for Bangladesh cricket
ahead of their much-antici-
pated tour of India, which com-
prises three T20 Internationals
and two Tests, beginning with
the shortest format games on
November 3.
The BCB, however, said that
doors will be opened for Shakib
once his ban ends.  AGENCIES
giants Mohun Bagan and
Bhowanipore Club played the
CAB’s Super League final at
Eden in 2016.
Dalmiya said the board will
draw experience from organ-
ising that match, a brainchild
of former India captain Gan-
guly — then CAB president
— while hosting the India-
Bangladesh rubber.
“We will leave no stone
unturned and make it a great
show for everyone. CAB was
the first association to host a
match with a pink ball earlier
when we had the local match.
So it’s now new to us. That will
help us in preparation,” said
the administrator. The BCCI
has plans to felicitate India’s
legendary Olympians Abhinav
Bindra, MC Mary Kom and
PV Sindhu on the sidelines of
be dignitaries also who will
add to the entire cause. It will
be a carnival atmosphere. We
will sit together and try and
work out something,” Dalmiya
concluded.
Ganguly met Kohli for the
first time since becoming BCCI
president at the Cricket Centre
in Mumbai last Thursday, and
it is believed the former India
skipper had a word regarding
Day-Night Tests. The Indian
team was earlier not keen on
playing Day-Night Tests. India
had previously dodged plans to
play a pink-ball Test in Ade-
laide during their tour Down
Under last year. There was also
reluctance on India’s part when
a move to host a Day-Night
Test against the West Indies at
home was brushed under the
carpet.  AGENCIES

Ganguly wants pink SG balls ready in 10 days

NEW DELHI: There might
be a dearth of SG pink balls
with the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) at
present, but President Sourav
Ganguly wants board rep-
resentatives to immediately
speak to the company and
get balls ready by the next 10
days so that both the Indian
as well as Bangladesh team
has enough time to prepare
for the Day-Night Test which
gets underway at Eden Gar-
dens from November 22.
Sources in the know of
developments said that Gan-
guly wants a team to get crack-
ing and ensure that there are
enough SG balls prepared and
handed over to the team by
10 days.
“Yes, the president is keen
that we play the game with SG
pink balls. A team has been
tasked with connecting with
the ball manufacturers and
prepare international quality
balls in the next 10 days,” the
source said.
A BCCI functionary said
that the real challenge will be
to provide umpires with sub-
stitute balls.
“Had GM Cricket Oper-
ations Saba Karim ensured
that we had domestic matches
under lights, say knockouts
of the Ranji Trophy or for
that matter the Irani Cup, we
would have had enough balls
ready. But the whole idea was
almost put into the boot of the
car even though Ganguly did
keep harping on it as Technical
Committee head. There was
no effort made.
“So now, when we have to
provide for close to 48 balls —
to the two teams, the match
officials etc — where do we
get them from? How about
substitute balls if one ball is hit
out of the park after 34 overs?
You need a ball of almost same
condition. Providing these will
be the real challenge because
the umpires won’t accept new
balls. The players also need to
be given some time to adapt
to how the pink ball behaves
and if there will be a different
set of skill sets that will have
to be brought in to ensure that
they can get the ball to reverse
and things like that. We must
ensure that the ball is handed
well in advance so that the
players from both teams are
comfortable when they take
the field on the first day of the
Test,” he explained.  AGENCIES

Stand-in Bertens stuns world

No. 1 Barty in WTA Finals
SHENZHEN: Late entry Kiki
Bertens stunned world number
one Ashleigh Barty with a come-
back three-set victory to shake-up
the season-ending WTA Finals in
Shenzhen on Tuesday.
All four players can still qual-
ify from Red Group after Belinda
Bencic’s three-set victory over
Petra Kvitova in the later match.
Bertens looked in deep trou-
ble at a set and break down, but
turned the tide with ruthless
returning and aggressive play at
the net to overwhelm a deflated
Barty, who could have sealed a
spot in the semi-finals with vic-
tory. The world No. 10 won 3-6,
6-3, 6-4 in two hours and nine
minutes in a see-saw match fea-
turing 12 breaks of serve. “Of
course you’re always ready to play,
but I did not see it coming today,”
Bertens said of her late call-up.
“In the beginning I was strug-
gling. As the match continued, I
felt better and better.” Bertens was
a late replacement for world No. 3
Naomi Osaka, who earlier in the
day withdrew from the round-
robin tournament due to a shoul-
der injury.
She appeared nervous under
the bright lights dropping her first
three service games and Barty,
who has locked up the year-end
No. 1 ranking, pounced to run
away with the first set.  AGENCIES
 MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Gym time high on agenda for
Rohit, Co. ahead of Delhi T20
NEW DELHI: With the Air
Quality Index (AQI) not show-
ing much signs of improve-
ment in the national capital,
the Indian players could give
hardcore outdoor training ses-
sions at the Arun Jaitley Sta-
dium a miss and spend more
time at the gym before Sun-
day’s opening T20I against
Bangladesh. Team India is set
to arrive on October 31 and
have two training sessions
planned. Both the sessions on
November 1 and 2 are from 2
pm to 5 pm. But it could turn
into optional sessions.
Sources in the know of
developments said that a final
call will be taken after taking a
look at the weather on Friday
and Saturday.
“The match shouldn’t be a
major problem as it is a night
match, but the issue is the train-
ing (set for the mornings) and
you could see optional train-
ing sessions on both the days
if the weather doesn’t improve.
This isn’t a fresh season and
the players have already been
playing so some gym ses-
sions should be enough to get
them up and running after the
Diwali break. And even if you
have the senior players com-
ing in on Saturday — eve of
the game — it could be just to
gauge the playing conditions.
But again, all that depends on
the weather conditions.
“We have been keeping a
check on the weather forecast
and while the sun didn’t come
out on Tuesday, it is showing
r i
sunny on Friday, so in that
case, training shouldn’t be a
problem. Once the sun comes
out, things will hopefully be
a
Dinesh Karthik to lead TN in Syed James Milner backs ‘confident’
S Ali 20/20 tourney Liverpool for Premier League glory
Mushtaq
CHENNAI: Wicket-keeper-
batsman K Dinesh Karthik
was on Tuesday named to lead
Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mush-
taq Ali Trophy Twenty/20
cricket tournament to be held
at Thiruvananthapuram from
November 8 to 17.
All-rounder Vijay Shan-
kar will be his deputy, a press
release from Tamil Nadu
Cricket Association said
The team includes interna-
tional cricketers Ravichandran
Ashwin, Murali Vijay and M S
Washington Sundar, who will
join the squad after the conclu-
sion of the India-Bangladesh
T20 series.
Fast bowler G Periyas-
wamy, who impressed in this
year’s Tamil Nadu Premier
League for Chepauk Super
Gillies, is the only new face in
the squad.
The paceman with a slingy
action similar to Sri Lankan
legend Lasith Malinga, has
overcome vision issues in his
right eye, shone in the TNPL
Zidane dismisses speculation
over Bale’s future at Real Madrid
MADRID: Zinedine Zidane
insists Gareth Bale was given
permission by Real Madrid
to travel to London on Mon-
day, and claims the Welshman
never talks about leaving the
club.
Bale has not played since
injuring his calf during a
game for Wales on October
13 and his trip to England has
prompted speculation he will
seek an exit from Madrid in
January.
But Zidane insists Bale had
permission to be absent on
Monday and Tuesday morn-
ing and that he is not aware the
30-year-old wants to be sold.
“It was a personal issue and
he had permission yesterday to
go,” Zidane said in a press con-
ference on Tuesday.
“It was a personal issue
and he went, that’s it, no story.
He also went because he’s not
available to play.
“But I don’t think he ever
speaks about leaving. When
he is available he plays, that’s
all there is to it.”
Bale came close to a
move to Chinese club Jiangsu
Suning last summer after
Zidane said it would be “best
for everyone” if he left Real
Madrid.
But the deal fell through at
the last minute due to a dis-
agreement over the transfer
READY FOR ACTION
sorted and in that scenario, we
will have full training sessions,”
the source said.
A senior Delhi and District
Cricket Association (DDCA)
Shift India-B’desh T20 outside Delhi: Environmentalists
NEW DELHI: Environmentalists wrote to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on
Tuesday, requesting him to consider moving the first India-Bangladesh T20
outside Delhi as the rapidly deteriorating air quality could prove a health risk
for the players and thousands of spectators. The rapid spike in the pollution
h u
level after Diwali has become a cause for concern ahead of the international
match at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground on November 3. In December 2017, the Sri
Lankan cricket team was left gasping for breath during a Test match at the
Kotla, forcing most of their players to wear protective masks even as some
k
fell ill. “In the light of extreme pollution in Delhi, we would like to request you
to consider shifting the venue for the first T20 outside of Delhi. Making our
f
cricketers play a physically demanding sport for 3-4 hours in Delhi’s toxic air
will end up doing more damage to our cricket team’s health in the long run,”
Jyoti Pande of Care For Air and Ravina Raj Kohli of My Right To Breathe said in
the letter. 
and has been rated highly.
The Tamil Nadu team had
finished runner-up in the Vijay
Hazare Trophy (50 overs) tour-
nament recently, losing in the
final to Karnataka.
The Dinesh Karthik-
led side had won all 9 nine
matches in group C before
overcoming Punjab (via rain
rule) and Gujarat in the quar-
terfinals and semifinal.
Players including Karthik,
Baba Aparajith, Abhinav
fee and Zidane is not expect-
ing any fresh offers in January.
“I don’t think there will be
an offer and I haven’t thought
about it either. Gareth is a Real
Madrid player,” said Zidane.
“What happened in the
summer was the situation at
the time and in the end Gareth
stayed and all the better for
everyone.
“It’s true what was said
didn’t help but for me the result
is the most important thing.
He’s an important player and
it’s important he plays and he
plays well.
“If in January he says he’ll
stay, there will be talk about the
transfer window in the sum-
official said that the weather
could also force a slight change
in training timings on Saturday
as the air in the mornings are
an issue in these conditions.
p
k However, the task is eas-
ll a
Mukund, M Shahruk Khan
and bowlers T Natarajan, K
Vignesh, M Mohammed and
M Ashwin had performed well
in the tournament.
Left-handed opener Abhi-
nav Mukund, who had a good
run in the Hazare Trophy, how-
ever, doesn’t find a place in the
team for the T20 tournament.
Washington Sundar will
join the team after the com-
pletion of the Twenty/20 series
against Bangladesh.  AGENCIES
mer. Unfortunately people
will always speak about these
things but he’s here and every-
one is happy he’s here.”
Zidane claimed he has a
“good relationship” with Bale
but sources have said that the
forward remains on bad terms
with the Frenchman.
Bale was particularly unim-
pressed by his omission from
Madrid’s squad to face Club
Brugge in the Champions
League earlier this month.
After the match, Zidane
put his absence down to a fit-
ness issue but those close to
Bale insist he was fully fit.
“I spoke to him and I spoke
to James (Rodriguez). Both of
“To be honest, it was hurt-
ing the eyes a bit today. And
while Bangladesh also have
a training session for Thurs-
day, I don’t think that will take
place. Also, Bangladesh could
ask for a slight delay in the
training timing for Saturday
as they are scheduled to train
from 9 am to 12 pm. Training
in the morning would be an
issue and in such a scenario
and India’s training could also
then be pushed a little deeper,”
the official said.
With the air in Delhi turn-
0 by bookies.
ing ‘severe’ during Diwali
on Sunday, there were ques-
tions asked if there would be
a change to the venue of the 7of season asFCit takes
Chennaiyin
opening T20I of the series
between India and Bangla-
desh on Sunday, but a BCCI
@ on ATK
m
functionary confirmed that
there would be no change and
a
DDCA in fact started selling
tickets for the opening game
from Monday. 
AGENCIES
AGENCIES
LONDON: Last season’s tri-
umphant Champions League
campaign has given Liverpool
the confidence and belief they
can win the Premier League
this season, midfielder James
Milner has said.
Liverpool beat Tottenham
Hotspur in the Champions
League final in June to win
their first trophy under man-
ager Juergen Klopp and fin-
ished second in the Premier
League, a point behind Man-
chester City.
Klopp’s team lead the
league by six points this sea-
son after a strong start and
Milner hopes the experience
of winning Europe’s elite club
competition will help in their
pursuit of a first league title in
30 years.
“This season we have a
team that can do it,” Milner
told the Guardian newspaper.
“I think there’s calm around
the club, both inside and out-
side, and people are confident
them weren’t available to play
against Brugge and they didn’t
play,” said Zidane.
“There’s nothing else to
say about that.” Bale will miss
Madrid’s La Liga game at home
to Leganes on Wednesday,
along with Nacho, who has
a knee problem, and Marco
Asensio, who is recovering
from a anterior cruciate liga-
ment injury.
James Rodriguez is also
unlikely to be involved as he
missed training on Tuesday
due to the birth of his child.
Real Madrid are sixth in
the table but only two points
off the top, with a game in
hand.  AGENCIES
mp sport 15
BCCI plan to felicitate Bindra,
Mary Kom, Sindhu at Eden Test
KOLKATA: The Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) has plans to felici-
tate India’s legendary Olympians Abhi-
3
6
nav Bindra, M C Mary Kom and P V
Sindhu on the sidelines of India’s second
Test against Bangladesh which could be a
day-night affair.
India will take on Bangladesh on
November 22 as part of their two-Test
series on home soil, at Eden Gardens.
1 8
Newly-elected BCCI president Sourav
Ganguly has proposed to the Bangladesh
3
Cricket Board (BCB) that the Test be a
0
pink-ball one played under floodlights.
5
The BCB are yet to respond as they are
tackling issues of their own with players plans to recognise the achievements of the Olympic Games while Sindhu is India’s
unwilling to play and Test and T20 skip- Olympians Bindra, Mary Kom and Sindhu first female Olympic silver medallist and
0
per Shakib Al Hasan being investigated
by the ICC for not reporting approaches
According to sources in the Cricket
as part of the Eden’s annual Pink Ball Test.
The CAB also has plans to invite
schoolchildren and providing them free
passes for the game.
first-ever Badminton World Champion.
Ace pugilist Mary Kom became the
first boxer in the world, male or female, to
win eight medals at the World Champion-
Association of Bengal (CAB), there are
eyes first win
Bindra is India’s only gold medallist at ships held recently. 
‘Coming soon’,
AGENCIES
says recovering
Bumrah on
CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC
takes on ATK in aclash of for-
mer champions in an ISL game
at the Marina Arena here on
cracking and finds the net.
It was a night of missed
opportunities as CFC and
Mumbai City muffed chances
improvement from their game
against Goa, Chennaiyin FC
is yet to score a goal in two
matches.
Twitter
MUMBAI: India’s pace sensa-
Wednesday, eyeing its first win with the former getting a lion’s However, Gregory is not tion Jasprit Bumrah is “coming
of Season-6. share of attempts. perturbed and chose to focus soon”, he tweeted on Tuesday
ier said than done as the Kol-
Brazil’s attacking mid-
ifelder Rafael Crivellaro and
on the chances his team has
created in these two games.
with a picture of him working
out at a gym.
kata team is coming off a 5-0 Anirudh Thapa created sev- “We did everything but Down with a back stress
thrashing of Hyderabad FC at eral chances against Mumbai score (against Mumbai City). fracture just before the South
home on Friday. City and the coach will expect “We had a lot of chances. Africa series, Bumrah is
Chennaiyin FC, to its credit him and Maltese striker Andre We had 18 shots on goal. Not back on his toes, it had been
rallied from 0-3 hammering Schembrito deliver in the all on target but we certainly reported earlier.
at the hands of FC Goa in
the opener, to pick up itsfirst
point courtesy a goalless draw
against Mumbai City FC onDi-
games to come, starting with
the one against ATK.
CFC showed improvement
from the game against FC Goa,
had the opportunities to score.
“I am bewildered that we
did not score. The keeper
(Amrinder Singh) made an
Not only is he doing light
running and warm-up exer-
cises, he is set to undergo
assessment at the National
wali day (October 27). but they would need to do well outstanding save from Rafael Cricket Academy (NCA) post
Though CFC kept a clean with regard to finishing and (Crivellaro). So I am pleased Diwali under the watchful eyes
sheet, head coach John Greg- control the midfield more if with that side of our game. of Nitin Patel.
ory would be concerned
with the fact that the defence
appeared shaky at times.
Also, he would be hop-
ing that the forward line gets
they need to make an impres-
sion against Antonio Lopez
Habas’ ATK.
While the performance
against Mumbai City was an
“Nirka (Nerijus Valskis)
had a couple of chances as well.
There were periods last year
where we were not even creat-
ing chances.”  AGENCIES
Sources in the know of
developments had said that the
doctors in the UK were happy
with the recovery that Bumrah
was making post the injury and
his back has been put on auto-
heal mode and doesn’t need
any surgery.
Liverpool beat
“He is on auto-heal mode
and the back is recovering well.
He has already started running
and doing some light warm-up
exercises. He will be assessed
post Diwali under the watch-
ful eyes of Nitin.
Tottenham in the “Things have progressed
well, just as it had in case of
Champions League his previous stress fracture
final in June to win which also healed naturally,”
the source pointed out. AGENCIES
their first trophy
under manager
Juergen Klopp and
finished second
in the Premier
League, a point
behind Man City
we have to just keep pushing
and not worry too much about
the title.
we can get it done. team was expecting another “A couple of bad games can
“Hopefully winning that tight title race in which defend- happen and with the number
first trophy, the European ing champions City push them of games, we’re playing there
Cup, as a squad will give us the every step of the way. might be a couple of injuries. It
experience to win the league.” “City are so good they’re could be a couple of poor per-
Liverpool won the last of capable of winning every formances and the lead’s gone.
their 18 top-flight league titles game,” the 33-year-old added. That’s why it’s so special to win
in 1990 and Milner said the “The gap is not that big so the league.”  AGENCIES
Oly boxing trials new judging system to ‘regain trust’
TOKYO: Olympic boxing officials will
trial a new, more transparent judging
system this week as the sport fights to
elimination from the Olympics”, Morinari
Watanabe, a Japanese Olympic Commit-
tee official who heads the taskforce, said
crisis-riddled AIBA.
Under the new system, judges press a
button when they mark blows and their
“regain trust” after scandals that nearly on Tuesday. decisions will be immediately shown on
saw it kicked out of the Games. “We have to regain trust. That’s the top a screen, providing instant feedback and
The new system, where judges’ scoring priority,” said the 60-year-old, who heads grounds for clarifying decisions.
is updated in real time on a screen, will be the International Gymnastics Federation. Watanabe said the taskforce is con-
tested at the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo Watanabe was tapped for the role sidering whether the screen should be
stadium, where the Tokyo 2020 boxing after the International Olympic Com- visible by the audience as well as judges
competition will be held. mittee (IOC) suspended recogni- and referees.
Amateur boxing body AIBA was tion of AIBA after an investigation into “The most important thing is that
stripped of the right to organise the Olym- mismanagement. judgements should be fair and transpar-
pic competition, and replaced with a spe- The decision raised fears that boxing ent,” he said.
cial taskforce, after a series of problems might not feature at the 2020 Games, but The system will be tried out this week
including a major judging scandal at the the IOC opted to form a taskforce headed at the stadium, where test boxing matches
2016 Rio Olympics. by Watanabe to resume preparations that got under way from Tuesday in prepara-
Boxing is “on the verge of the crisis of were frozen during its investigation into tion for the Games.  AGENCIES
Khawaja gets Test lifeline with Aus A call-up
SYDNEY: Usman Khawaja made 122 runs at an average batting lineup; another opener
has the chance to win back his of 20.3 in the first three Tests and No. 6. Mitch Marsh left
place in Australia’s Test lineup of the Ashes series before being the No. 6 spot vacant when
after being named on Tuesday dropped for the fourth. he injured his hand punch-
in an Australia A team to play He recovered some form ing a wall after his dismissal
Pakistan in a three-day tour in the domestic Marsh Cup in a Shield match earlier this
match next month. one-day series this season with month.
Khawaja, who was dropped back-to-back centuries for Pucovski has a chance to
after the third Ashes Test in Queensland against Victoria. seal the spot after narrowly
England in August, has been Former Australia coach missing out on a Test debut
named beside Test hopefuls Darren Lehmann has been against Sri Lanka last summer.
Marcus Harris, Travis Head, among those backing Khawa- Queensland. Head, who was vice-cap-
Will Pucovski and Nic Mad- ja’s recall, citing his excellent “Again, it will get down tain during the Ashes series,
dinson for the day-night match test record in Australia. to (Sheffield) Shield perfor- has also batted at No. 6 but has
at Perth Stadium from Novem- “If you look at his record mances I suppose but if you yet to find form in the domes-
ber 11. in Australia on its own it’s out- look at horses for courses in tic first-class competition.
The match offers play- standing,” Lehmann told Fair- Australia, he has been very He was overlooked for the
ers a last chance to impress fax Media. “He had to come good.” captaincy of the Australia A
selectors before the first Test back and make runs and he Harris is the incumbent team in favor of wicketkeeper
against Pakistan which starts has done that in his first two test opener and likely to retain Alex Carey. Maddinson is seen
at Brisbane’s Gabba ground games in the Marsh Cup, has his place but two places appear as an outsider for Test selec-
on November 21. Khawaja made very good hundreds for to remain open in the Australia tion.  AGENCIES
16 mp Entertainment
Weisz to play
ELIZABETH
in the biopic
The story will be told through the lens
of Taylor’s friendship with her assistant
LOS ANGELES: Rachel Weisz
is set to star as Elizabeth Tay-
lor in A Special Relationship,
exploring Taylors journey
from actor to activist.
The story will be told
through the lens of Taylor’s
friendship with her assistant
The upcoming
production will
be helmed by the
female directing
duo Bert&Bertie
Roger Wall.
Based on the screenplay
written by Academy Award-
winner Simon Beaufoy, the
upcoming production will be
helmed by the female direct-
ing duo Bert&Bertie, reports
variety.com.
was nominated a total of five times.
Taylor won Oscars for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Butterfield 8 and
Though famous for her glamorous lifestyle and multiple marriages, she also
took a crusading role in the fight against AIDS, which stemmed from her hir-
ing of Walls, a gay man who grew up in poverty in the homophobic Deep South
in the mid-1980s.
r
Terminator:
i
Dark Fate
Weisz won a best supporting actor Oscar for her turn in 2005’s A Con-
stant Gardener and was nominated in the same category earlier this year
for The Favourite.
a
S
premiere called off
due to wildfire
LOS ANGELES: The premiere of
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda
Hamilton’s Terminator: Dark Fate has
been cancelled due to wildfire.
The premiere was scheduled to take
place on October 28, in Hollywood
and set to be attended by Hamilton,
Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Luna and
Mackenzie Davis.
In a statement, Paramount Pictures
said, “In light of the ongoing, active
fires being battled in the area, Para-
mount Pictures and Skydance have
canceled tonight’s Los Angeles pre-
miere of Terminator: Dark Fate.”
“We will be donating food intended
for the after-party to the American Red
Cross, which is serving those affected
by the fires,” it added.
The fire broke out early Monday in
Southern California along the 405 free-
way near the Getty Center. Over 10,000
homes and commercial buildings are
under evacuation orders as firefighters
work to put out the blaze.
Chinatown, Godfather producer Robert Evans no more
LOS ANGELES: Robert Evans, whose
charisma rivalled some of the actors
who appeared in the hit films he pro-
duced, is no more. He was 89.
His publicist Monique Evans con-
firmed the news on October 28, reports
CNN. As a studio head, Evans helped
resurrect Paramount Pictures in the
1960s and 1970s by bringing such proj-
ects as Chinatown, The Godfather and
Rosemary’s Baby to the big screen.
Evans seemed to epitomise Hol-
lywood excesses with his seven
marriages, outspoken nature and free-
wheeling lifestyle that he documented
in his 1994 memoir The Kid Stays in
the Picture.
Born in New York City to a dentist
and his wife, Evans was a child actor
on radio and in the early years of tele-
vision. When stardom eluded him,
Evans took a job promoting sales for
Evan-Picone, a clothing company co-
owned by his brother, Charles.
ll a
h u
k
f
IANS
In a post on Twitter, Schwarzeneg-
ger said he was evacuated from his resi-
dence at 3.30 am. “We evacuated safely
at 3:30 this morning. If you are in an
evacuation zone, don’t screw around.
He was working that gig when actor
Norma Shearer spotted the good-look-
ing Evans at the Beverly Hills Hotel
pool. She lobbied for Evans to por-
tray her late husband, MGM producer
Irving Thalberg, in Man of a Thousand
Faces, a 1957 film about Lon Chaney.
a m
k p
Get out. Right now I am grateful for
the best firefighters in the world, the
true action heroes who charge into the
danger to protect their fellow Califor-
nians,” the veteran actor said. PTI
Kartik
Aryan promotes his
best friend Sunny
Singh aka Titu’s
upcoming movie
‘Ujda Chaman’
He also caught the eye of producer
Darryl F Zanuck, who cast the young
actor as the matador Pedro Romero in
The Sun Also Rises, based on the classic
Ernest Hemingway novel.
Evans wrote in his memoir that
Hemingway and the cast’s attempt to
MILLENNIUM POST | New Delhi | Wednesday, 30 October, 2019
Ayushmann on Bala and
Ujda Chaman similarities
6 3
1 8
3 0
5
0 ‘Anybody can come
7 0 up with the idea’
@ MUMBAI: Actor Ayushmann Khurrana says he is
not worried with the plot similarities between his film I got the same idea by six
Bala and Ujda Chaman, both stories of men dealing
with premature balding.
Directed by Amar Kaushik, Bala stars Ayush-
mann as a young bald man while Ujda Chaman, a
remake of the 2017 Kannada movie Ondu Motteya
different people. It’s my decision
to go with the best director, best
producer and best script
Kathe, features Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety star Sunny
Singh in a similar role.
The first look poster of Ujda Chaman had said
“takle ki pehli aur original film” (first and original
film of a bald man). Ayushmann said Bala aims to
celebrate complexes and is about self love.
“The word ‘takla’ is quite derogatory. It’s not
celebrating self love. It isn’t about just reced-
ing hair or baldness. It’s about loving and
discovering yourself more than anything
else. We shot our film first, announced
our film first.”
“ There’s just one line which is sim-
ilar otherwise it’s a different film. I’ve
seen the South film, after we com-
pleted the shoot. Once you see
the film you’ll realise (the dif-
ference),” Ayushmann said in
a group interview.
When asked is he both-
ered that both the films are
scripts on the story, he went with the best team.
“I got the same idea by six different people. I’ll just
go with the person who is more credible. There was
releasing almost back-to-back, the a film called Hair is Falling in 2011 and there were
actor said, “It happened with ‘Bhagat a lot of films which were made on receding hairline
Singh’ also. I’m really confident about our but just that they weren’t successful.
film, it’s a beautiful film and one of the best scripts I’ve
ever read. Anybody can come up with the same idea.”
Earlier this year, a writer had claimed that Bala
was based on a script he had narrated to Ayushmann,
alleging that he was not given any credit for his story.
Aysuhmann, however, said that out of all the
“It’s my decision to go with the best director, best
producer and choose the best script on the subject.
As simple as that.”
Ayushmann said with Bala, scheduled to release
on November 7, he approached baldness with
empathy. PTI
Hollywood largely responsible for
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
against people of colour: Longoria
LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Eva Longoria has blamed the film indus-
try for under-representation of people of colour and promoting unconscious
biases against them.
The actor believes the movie industry is ‘‘largely responsible’’ for the nega-
tive portrayal of Latinos on the big and small screen.
‘‘What studies show is that we are being erased. This goes beyond under-
representation. When you aren’t
on screen in the media, you are
Hollywood star Eva being erased. you don’t exist. And
Longoria was last the stories from Hollywood don’t
come close to representing the
seen in live-action complexity of our community.
movie adaptation This is a problem – the demo-
graphics of America are chang-
Dora and the Lost ing and it’s changing in a very
City of Gold Latin way, and this cultural shift
is freaking people out.
“We in this room have con-
tributed to these negative portray-
als and images we’ve seen in the
media. We here in Hollywood are
largely responsible for much of the
unconscious bias that is against
people of colour. People of colour
are depicted in very narrow ways
on screen and unconscious bias
come from those repeated images
that come across as a threat,”
Longoria said at TheWrap’s Power
Women Summit here.
The actor was last seen in live-
action movie adaptation Dora and
the Lost City of Gold. PTI
York Times he “was a bad executive”
Evans helped resurrect partially because he “would get very
Paramount Pictures in involved with just a few pictures, and
I let a lot of other things pass”.
the 1960s and 1970s Evans’ tumultuous life also
by bringing projects included pleading guilty to cocaine
possession in 1980, after his brother
like Chinatown to the and another man were arrested in
big screen a scheme that involved buying
$19,000 of cocaine from a fed-
eral narcotics agent pos-
get him thrown off the picture led to ing as a dealer.IANS
the line he used to title his biography
after producer Zanuck declared, the kid
stays in the picture.
A few unsatisfying
and unsatisfactory sup-
porting roles would
end his acting career
and so, Evans turned to
producing.
He served as produc-
tion chief at Paramount for
eight years. Evans told The New