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CELEB TALKS 10RAJINIKANTH'S FASCINATION

FOR UTTARAKHAND

ANALYSIS 7A DOUBLE-EDGED

SWORD

SPORTS 12NO POLITTICS BEHIND MY

SELECTION AS BCCI CHIEF: GANGULY

HYDERABAD, WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 16, 2019; PAGES 12 `3

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RNI No. TELENG/2018/76469

Established 1864Published From

HYDERABAD DELHI LUCKNOWBHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHI DEHRADUNVIJAYAWADA

*LATE CITY VOL. 2 ISSUE 7*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Southwestmonsoonwithdrawalcontinues in TS

Class onestudent dies ofheart attackRANCHI: A class one studentdied of a heart attack inJamshedpur on Tuesday, policesaid. According to the police,class one student Vaishnawifell on the ground duringprayer time on Tuesday. Shewas taken to hospital whereshe died during treatment.The doctors said that the girldied due to a heart attack.According to her parents shewas a heart patient and wasundergoing treatment.

The incident took place atShiksha Niketan school ofJamshedpur. "During prayertime a staffer saw the girlfalling on the ground in theclassroom. She was rushed toTata Motors hospital by prin-cipal Sushmita Dey and VicePrincipal Rajani Pandey.

Kerala HCserves noticeto Mohanlal inivory caseKOCHI: The Kerala HighCourt on Tuesday served anotice to superstar Mohanlalon a petition that the per-mission granted to him tokeep elephant tusks shouldbe cancelled.

The Chief Justice S.Manikumar after hearingthe petition filed by a formerForest Service off icialordered the notice to beserved to the superstar andposted the case for furtherhearing after two weeks. Thecase first surfaced in 2011,following an income tax raidat the superstar's home inKochi, when it came to lightthat he was in possession ofelephant tusks and the Forestdepartment took up the case.

HYDERABAD: Withdrawalline of the South-West mon-soon began covering someparts of coastal AndhraPradesh and some more partsof Telangana. As per IMD,conditions will becomefavourable for withdrawal ofSW monsoon from theremaining parts of the coun-try and simultaneous com-mencement of North-Eastmonsoon rains over south-eastIndia during subsequent 48hours. The withdrawal line ofSouth-West Monsoon passesthrough Tuni, Hanamkonda,Bidar, Solapur, Ratnagiri.

In its update on Tuesday,IMD said conditions arebecoming favourable for fur-ther withdrawal of South-West monsoon from somemore parts of central Bay ofBengal, some more parts ofsouth India, remaining parts ofwest India and some moreparts of central Arabian Seaduring the next 24 hours.

Continued on Page 3

l Plans big public meeting on October 17

PNS n HYDERABAD

The sacking ofabout 25,000 homeguards by the UttarPradesh govern-ment has triggered awar of words betweenTRS and BJP. The UPgovernment onTuesday removedhome guardsdeployed acrosspolice stations andtraffic signals in theState, numbering over25,000, reportedly due tofund crunch.

This decision came after thebudget of the departmentstarted to go haywire, withpayments to home guardsbeing hiked on par with thepay given to police personnelon the basis of an order issuedby the Supreme Court.

The 25,000 home guards inquestion were recruited last

year. A decision toend their serviceswas taken appar-ently in August.Further, more than99,000 home guards

are likely to lose reg-ular employment, asthe state government

has cut the numberof days required toreport for dutyfrom 25 to 15 days.

With Telanganawitnessing similar

situation, TRS andBJP supporters began a

war of words. It may be men-tioned here that Chief MinisterK Chandrashekar Rao hasgone on record that 48,000striking employees were 'self-dismissed' as they did notreport for duty before the'deadline' set by him-6-00 pmon October 5th.

Continued on Page 4

TRS and BJP inwar of words over UPhome guards losing jobs

UP govtdismisses 25Khome guardsPNS n LUCKNOW

The Uttar Pradesh govern-ment is doing away with25,000 home guards, sayingthe state cannot afford thenew allowances the SupremeCourt has asked it to pay.

The daily allowance for thehome guards is now Rs 672,up from the Rs 500 before thecourt order in July.

The government said thiswould have cost the state anextra expenditure of Rs 10 toRs 12 crore every month.

It, therefore, decided not todeploy home guards meantfor security at police stationsand traffic signals. The homeguards are not permanentemployees and are recruitedon a casual basis. Officialssaid a large number weretaken on in April. TheSupreme Court in July, how-ever, meant a hike in the costof deploying them.

The home guards weredeployed through a govern-ment order dated April 3.

PNSnMANCHERIAL

In a tragic incident, a two-yearold boy died and another child'scondition was stated to be seri-ous as they consumed cooldrink laced with a pesticide atPerkapalli village, in Bellampallimandal on Monday night. Theincident came to light onTuesday.

The deceased was identifiedas Banoth Arun, son ofTirupath, a farmer fromPerkapalli. The other child,Banoth Aishwarya (4), daugh-ter of the farmer, was hospital-ized. Arun died while under-going treatment at a hospital inKarimnagar on Mondayevening around 7 pm. He andAishwarya fell ill after drinkingthe cool drink that their fatherbrought from his agriculturefield. They were immediatelyrushed to a hospital inMancherial and later shifted toanother hospital in Karimnagaras their condition deteriorated.

Continued on Page 2

Two-yr-oldboy dies afterconsumingspiked cola

TRS hopes high on KCR'smagic in Huzurnagar

K VENKATESHWARLUn HYDERABAD

The ruling Telangana RashtraSamiti (TRS) party is bankingheavily on party supremo andChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao's magicto work in the Huzurnagarbypoll. Hence, it has pulled outall stops for the October 17public meeting in which KCRis expected to take part. Theidea is to swing the votes dur-ing the October 21 by-elec-tions.

Towards this end, TRS hasdeployed more than 700 lead-ers, apart from its 20 star cam-paigners, for making animpact. The party is using theservices of activists fromSuryapet, Miryalaguda,Thungathurthy and Nalgondaconstituencies for campaign-ing.

Apart from KCR and partyworking president as well as ITMinister KT Ramarao, the starcampaigners on field include:G Jagdeesh Reddy, SathyavathiRathod, Puvvada Ajay Kumarand Palla Rajeshwar Reddy

(MLC), Sheri Subhash Reddy(MLC), ThakkallapallyRavinder Rao, Bapu Rathod(MLA), Pochampally SrinivasReddy (MLC), Maloth Kavitha(MP), Karne Prabhakar(MLC), Bhanuprasada Rao(MLC), Gadari Balamallesh,Shankar Naik (MLA), BhaskarRao (MLA), NannapaneniRavinder (MLA), BandaPrakash (MP), council chiefwhip BodakuntiVenkateshwarlu and Assemblychief whip Vinay Bhaskar.

However, the party is relyingmainly on KCR's public meet-

ing to influence voters as theconstituency is the strongholdof Congress, with TPCC chiefand Nalgonda MP N UttamKumar Reddy winning threetimes consecutively. This timeTRS has to counter the influ-ence of BJP and TDP candi-dates too. TRS leaders havealleged that BJP is helpingCongress in this bypoll indi-rectly to consolidate perceived'anti-KCR votes'.

For TRS, winning the seathas become a prestige issue.Although CPI initially agreedto extend its support to TRS,the latter's stance on the ongo-ing RTC strike threw coldwater on the plan. CPI hassince withdrawn its offer tosupport the ruling party in theHuzurnagar by-election.

The TRS is therefore afraidof the impact of these two fac-tors on the outcome of bypollin Huzurnagar. Therefore,according to sources, TRS maysolve RTC problem beforeOctober 20, if possible muchbefore that date.

Continued on Page 2

PNS n NEW DELHI

A Delhi court Tuesday allowedthe Enforcement Directorate(ED) to interrogate formerfinance minister PChidambaram in Tihar jailtomorrow, and arrest him if nec-essary, in connection with theINX Media money launderingcase. The Congress leader's judi-cial custody in the INX Mediacase, which was filed by the CBI,

ends on Oct 17. Since his arreston August 21, he has till Tuesdayspent 54 days in custody — bothof the CBI as well as judicial —in nine spells. The court saidthree ED officials can interrogateChidambaram on Wednesdayafter 8:30 am and asked the jailsuperintendent to makearrangements in this regard.Special judge Ajay KumarKuhar, who allowed the plea ofthe ED seeking permission to

quiz Chidambaram, also reject-ed the Congress leader's pleaseeking to recall the productionwarrant issued against him.

After the court passed theorder, Solicitor General TusharMehta and Special PublicProsecutor Amit Mahajan,appearing for the ED, soughtpermission to questionChidambaram, 74, in somespace available in Rouse Avenuecourt premises.

ED to quiz P Chidambaram, will arrest if required

PNS n HYDERABAD

In a gory sight, the severed headof a newborn baby girl wasrecovered from a secluded placenear a graveyard at BanjaraHills late on Monday night bycops. CCTV footage revealedthat the head of the child wasbrought to the location by straydogs. Police officials ruled outthe possibility of black magicbehind the death of the child,

considering that the severedhead did not have any signs ofbeing operated upon by a sur-gical instrument.

The severed head was spot-ted initially by residents ataround 9 pm on Road Number13 in Banjara Hills. "The headappears to have been torn off thecorpse by dogs. There is a prac-tice of disposing of stillborn andaborted babies at the graveyard.But, the burial was not done

properly and dogs found thebody," said police inspector NKalinga Rao, adding that thebaby was barely 20 days old.Following a probe, the policeregistered a case under Section317 of the IPC. "We are stillinvestigating the case and arereviewing CCTV footage," saidRao. In January, a couple fromUppal area of Rachakonda wasarrested for sacrifice of a three-month-old female child.

According to the police,Rajashekar had kidnapped ababy girl, killed her by choppingher head off on the Musi riverbanks, and brought the severedhead of the baby home on thenight of January 31. He then leftthe severed head on the terraceso it would catch the moonlightas part of a black magic ritual.The couple believed that humansacrifice would help them bet-ter their health.

Baby's severed head dragged out of graveyard by dogs

SC to concludehearing onAyodhya today PNS n NEW DELHI

The hearing in Ayodhyatitle dispute case is likely toend on October 16 insteadof October 17, with ChiefJustice Ranjan Gogoi hintingthat the argument in the 70-year-old dispute will come toan end on Wednesday itself.

On the final day of thehearing, the Chief Justicehas allocated initial 45 min-utes to Hindu parties fol-lowed by one hour toMuslim side, and then fourslots of 45 minute each toassorted parties involved inthe matter. This is then like-ly to be followed by mould-ing of relief in the RamJanmabhoomi-Babri Masjiddispute.

After Savarkar, BJP may proposeBharat Ratna for Godse: D RajaPNS n MUMBAI

Slamming the MaharashtraBJP for mooting Bharat Ratnaaward for V D Savarkar,Communist Party of Indiageneral secretary D Raja onTuesday said the rulingparty may even pro-pose the honour forMahatma Gandhi'skiller NathuramGodse.

The electionmanifesto ofMaharashtra BJP,released on Tuesday saidthe party will ask the NDAgovernment at the Centre toconfer India's highest civilianaward on Vinayak DamodarSavarkar, popularly known asVeer Savarkar.

"This is biggest irony ofour times that while we are allcelebrating the birth centenaryof Gandhiji, the BJP is seekingBharat Ratna to Savarkar, whowas an accused in his assassi-

nation case," Raja said."The day may notbe far off for BJP to

demand BharatRatna toGandhiji's assas-sin NathuramGodse. This is

part of their agen-da," the CPI leader

said.CPI is contesting 16 of the

288 seats in the October 21Maharashtra Assembly elec-tions, Raja said. "Our prima-ry objective is to defeat the BJPand it alllies," he added.

HYDERABADWEATHER

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated October 15, 2019 5:00 PM

ALMANACMonth & Paksham:Ashwin & Krishna Paksha Tithi : Tritiya: Full NightNakshatram: Bharini: 02:22 pmTime to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 12:01 pm – 01:28 pmYamagandam: 07:39 am – 09:07 am

Varjyam: 03:07 am – 04:49 am

Gulika: 10:34 am - 12:01 pmGood Time: (to start any

important work)Amritakalam: 09:12 am – 10:55 amAbhijit Muhurtham: Nil

Forecast: ThunderstormTemp: 30/22Humidity: 80%Sunrise: 06.09Sunset: 05.53

TODAY

CHIRU AS A CRUSADER AGAINST

TEMPLEENCROACHMENTS?

VOLTE-FACE

PNS n HYDERABAD

TRS general secretary KKeshav Rao has done anabout-turn on talks with RTCworkers, a day after heappealed to them to call oftheir strike and sit down fortalks with the governmentbefore things get out of hand.On Tuesday, KK backtrackedcompletely and said starting-ly he did not have the author-ity to invite RTC workers for talks.

Addressing media in thecity on Tuesday, KK went tothe extent of denying that heever said he would be holdingtalks with the RTC unions.And then he quickly addedthat he was always ready to act

as a go-between in the disputebetween the RTC employeesand the government. Quite anabout-face, this.

As a senior TRS leader,Keshav Rao is considered to

be a close aide of ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao, and his words abouttruce with the striking work-ers were seen as having theChief Minister's approval.

That raised a scenario of apossible withdrawal of thestrike and the RTC employeesgett ing many of theirdemands met, if not all. It alsohinted at CM KCR relenting

on his tough stand against thetransport workers going onstrike during festival season.This, when CM had on manyoccasions ruled out talks withthe RTC unions and said thatthe doors were closed onthem.

Now, with Keshav Raogoing back on his statements,it's back to square-one in thestalemate between the striking

workers and the government.It, however, raises questionsabout KK's own credibility;how he could make an offerfor negotiations without theCM's knowledge and confi-dence; and what happenedovernight that made him eathis own words.

For his part, KK tried tominimize the damage sayinghe would always side with theRTC workers and not thestate, and that he was makingefforts to bring the workers'issues to the notice of theChief Minister. So for now,all that talk about "talks" wasjust that - talk. Just words, thatwere later taken back. TheRTC strike will indeed takesome solving.

KK says wasn't authorised to make talks offerAs a senior TRS leader, K Keshav Rao is considered to be a close aide of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, and his words about trucewith the striking workers were seen as having theChief Minister’s approval

HC asks Govt, RTC staff to end strike through talksPNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana High Court onTuesday directed the state gov-ernment and striking employ-ees of the state road transportcorporation to set aside theirdifferences and work towardsan amicable settlement.

A division bench, compris-ing Chief Justice Raghvendra SChauhan and Justice AAbhishek Reddy, hearing abatch of petitions on the strike,said the standoff was causinghardship to the public.

The state government can-not ignore the inconveniencecaused to the public, the courtsaid. The chief justice advisedthe government to appoint apermanent managing direc-tor for the Telangana StateRoad Transport Corporation(TSRTC) as a prelude to open

a debate with workers even ashe opined that the present cri-sis should be resolved withinthe parameters of IndustrialDisputes Act.

Counsel for the corporationinformed the court that thegovernment was in no mood togo for conciliation as ChiefMinister K Chandrasekhar Raohad declared that many of thestriking employees were

deemed to have been dis-missed from their service.

In such a scenario, it wouldnot be possible nor advisablefor the court to ask only theworkers to call off the strike asa precondition for negotia-tions, the counsel said.

To this, the chief justice saidhe too has read the newsreports and that such utter-ances should be taken as once

made during a heatedexchange of words.

He also expressed agonyover the suicide committed bythe employees and said thestrike left indelible scars in themind of the workers.

The chief justice advisedthe workers to show a sense ofaccommodation to have thediscussions with the govern-ment. The division benchadjourned the matter toOctober 18 with a direction toboth the parties to inform thecourt about the steps taken bythem towards resolving theissue. To this, TSRTC-JAC(joint action committee) leaderE Ashwathama Reddy saidthey were ready to hold talkswith the government providedthe unions were invited, untilthen the strike would go on.

Continued on Page 4

l Directs Govt to submit report within two days on steps taken to end protest

The chief justice advised thegovernment to appoint apermanent managingdirector for TSRTC as aprelude to open a debatewith workers even as heopined that the presentcrisis should be resolvedwithin the parameters ofIndustrial Disputes Act

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan met Prime Minister Narendra Modiin New Delhi on Tuesday

Guv Tamilisai briefs Modi,Amit Shah on RTC strikePNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana GovernorTamilisai Soundararajan onTuesday rushed to New Delhiand met Prime MinisterNarendra Modi as well asUnion Home Minister AmitShah to brief them about theramifications of the 11-day-old TSRTC strike.

The State has been going

through tumultuous timessince October 5, when the stirwas launched ahead of theDasara festival, against theominous warnings of ChiefMinister K ChandrasekharRao. KCR has since hardenedhis stance against the strikingRTC employees and over40,000 of them are nowdeemed to have been sacked.

Continued on Page 2

Continued from Page 1

The State government hasruled out merger of RTC staffwith the government, thoughit is the main demand of RTCunions, which have twodozen other demands as well.Talks between the govern-ment-appointed panel and theRTC Unions' JAC have reacheda deadlock. At least, two RTCemployees have ended theirlives and hundreds of othersare believed to be goingthrough harrowing experi-ences.

The Governor's unsched-uled meeting with the Prime

Minister and the HomeMinister assumes significancebecause it comes just a day afterRTC JAC leaders met her at RajBhavan and complained againstthe mishandling of theirdemands by the TRS govern-ment headed by KCR. Theycited the suicides by RTCemployees and their protestsacross the state as the conse-quences of mishandling byKCR and sought her interven-tion to resolve the deadlock.

Telangana BJP leaders alsomet the Governor and com-plained against KCR for "push-ing TSRTC into crisis" with hislopsided policies which led to

strike by RTC employees andcrippling of the public trans-portation system in the statefor the past 10 days, causinguntold hardships to peopleacross the State.

Sources said that theGovernor submitted a detailedreport to Modi and Shah onthe RTC strike and the conse-quences thereof. Her meetingwith Modi lasted nearly 40minutes, signifying that theCentre is keen on trackingdevelopments in Telanganaand is serious about breakingthe impasse. It is understoodthat Modi and Shah took stockof the developments in the

State. BJP has taken on the rul-ing TRS in Telangana aggres-sively on the issue of TSRTCstrike. The saffron party reg-istered its presence amongRTC employees protestingstatewide. Its leaders urgedTamilisai Soundararajan tointerfere, saying KCR has beenacting arrogantly and compli-cating the problem.

RTC JAC leaders, on theirpart, have remained unfazed byKCR's threat to sack the strik-ing employees summarily. Theyare coordinating with the saf-fron brigade in all their protestsand taking support of BJP stateleaders at every possible step.

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HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019 hyderabad 02

PNS n HYDERABAD

IT and MA&UD MinisterKTR held a video conferencewith District Collectors fromthe Secretariat here onTuesday. During the videoconference, the Ministerdirected the Collectors to comeup with a comprehensive san-itation plan, green action planand a water usage plan withinone week for all newMunicipalities. Minister askedthe Collectors to provide infor-mation about the process ofcollection of waste material,recycling, etc in the plan.

Minister stated that therecently held 30-day actionplan gave positive results in thegram panchayats. He said thatsimilar plans should be intro-duced in the municipalities forimproving sanitation. Likegram panchayat workers, themunicipal staff should also beprovided with insurance facil-ities, said Minister KTR.

Minister instructed the

Collectors to identify loca-tions for dump yards, FaecalSludge Treatment Plants, com-posting centers, dry resourcecollection centers, and sewagetreatment plants in the newmunicipalities. He also askedthe Collectors to ensure thereplacement of streetlightswith LEDs in the new munic-ipalities and also identify sitesto develop urban lung spaces.

Keeping in mind theincreasing population in the

municipalities, the Ministerasked the Collectors to increasethe number of public toiletsand She toilets. Minister stat-ed that the government hasalready provided Swatch autosfor collection of garbage fromdoor to door. He asked the col-lectors to increase the staff andvehicles MA&UD PrincipalSecretary Arvind Kumar,CDMA Director TK Sridevi,and HMWSSB MD DanaKishore participated.

PNS n NIZAMABAD

A 25-year-old man wasallegedly lynched by a groupof villagers on suspicion ofcommitting a theft at a tem-ple in Nizamabad district,police said on Tuesday. Theman, who works as a mason,was on Monday thrashed bythe group after he was caughtallegedly trying to steal fromthe place of worship, a seniorpolice official said.

The villagers laterinformed the police who gotthe man shifted to the gov-ernment hospital inNizamabad but he died with-out responding to treatment,the official said. The victim'swife told TV channels shereceived a phone call onMonday night saying herhusband was caught alleged-ly trying to commit a theftand beaten up before beingshifted to a hospital.

The caller then asked herto visit the hospital. "I told thecaller they could haveinformed the police about herhusband instead of beatinghim up. When I reached thehospital on Monday morn-ing, I found my husbanddead," the wailing woman,holding her two-month-oldbaby in her arms, said. Basedon a complaint from her, acase of murder has been reg-istered and an investigation toidentify the accused was on,the official added.

2-year-old boy dies afterconsuming spiked cola Continued from Page 1

It is learned that Tirupathfound the bottle of cool drink,left by some unidentified per-son, at his field and brought ithome to give to his children. Hehad kept it in the refrigerator,from where the kids grabbed it.

Later, it turned out the cooldrink was spiked with a pesti-cide. The parents were devastat-ed to lose their son.

The body of Arun wasbrought to Perkapalli onMonday at 12.30 pm. The inci-dent created a flutter in the dis-trict.

Police have booked a case ofsuspicious death and taken upinvestigations. Cops are focus-ing on the crucial questions ofwho dumped the bottle in theagriculture field of Tirupath andwho was the target of the poi-soned drink.

PNS n HUZURNAGAR

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee (TPCC) presidentand Nalgonda MP UttamKumar Reddy has urged thevoters of HuzurnagarAssembly constituency not totrust the fake promises beingmade by TRS leaders in theircampaign for by-election, to beheld on October 21.

Addressing a series of meet-ings in Mellacheruvu,Nallabandagudem and otherplaces on Tuesday, UttamKumar Reddy said more than700 TRS leaders, includingMinisters, MPs, MLAs, MLCsand corporation chairmenwere camping in Huzurnagarto mislead the voters.

"Don't trust their fakepromises. None of them wereable to bring any develop-ment in their own constituen-cies. Many TRS MLAs havewent on record in Assemblycomplaining lack of develop-ment in their areas and denialof funds. They are not in aposition to tour their ownconstituencies due to poorperformance. But they arethronging to your localitiesseeking votes. Don't trust theirwords as none of them willever return to your localityafter by-elections. They willcompletely vanish after end ofpoll campaign," he said.

Uttam said as the MLA ofHuzurnagar since 2009 he hasbrought immense develop-ment by executing projectsand schemes worth more than

Rs. 3,000 crore. Similarly, hesaid Congress candidate andhis wife Padmavathi Reddyhad a great track record inserving the people ofHuzurnagar.

Stating that they had nochildren, Uttam Kumar Reddysaid they had considered peo-ple of Huzurnagar as their chil-dren and family members anddedicated their entire lives fortheir service. "We've notchanged in the last threedecades and remained acces-sible and accountable to ourpeople. We believe in ethicsand moral based politics. We

will pursue the same in future,"he said. The TPCC chief saidthat the TRS government hasfailed on all fronts and not asingle section of society wassatisfied with the performanceof Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao. He saidKCR has neglected all sectionsand did deliberate injusticewith many groups. He con-demned KCR for not givingany representation to Madigacommunity in his cabinet. Heaccused CM KCR of insultingover 40 lakh Madiga popula-tion who constitute nearly12% of State's population.

‘Terrorism biggest obstacle to development’PNS n NEW DELHI

Union Minister of State forHome Affairs G Kishan Reddyaddressed the NationalConference of Chiefs ofATS/STFs organised by theNational Investigation Agency(NIA). Speaking on the occa-sion, Kishan Reddy congratu-lated the NIA and called terror-ism a major challenge for thecountry, a curse for any civi-lized society and the biggestobstacle to modern develop-ment.

He added that India hasalways been capable of meetingsuch challenges. He outlinedthe importance of NIA in thecontext of a detailed investiga-tion of terrorist incidents andsaid that the organization wasvital to ensure national securi-ty. Detailing the agency's work,

Kishan said that the NIA hasregistered 286 serious terrorismcases during its tenure of 10years since its inception. Out ofthese, a professional investiga-tion of 210 cases has been suc-cessfully submitted in the NIASpecial Courts.

He noted that the successachieved by NIA in such ashort time and the work it has

done in the field of counter-ter-rorism has emerged as a veri-table signature. He also con-gratulated the NIA for expos-ing Pakistan's role inPathankot, Uri, Banihal andHandwara cases of terroristattacks and in the manufactur-ing and circulation of fakeIndian currency.

He remarked that India's

national security challengeswere functions of its uniquegeography, diversity and region-al as well as global develop-ments. He enumerated funda-mentalism, separatism move-ments, extremism, communal-ism and Maoist violence as themajor internal security chal-lenges faced by India. Heemphasized that all problemsand grievances should be solvedpeacefully within the constitu-

tional provisions of the nation.Giving the example of

Jammu and Kashmir, Reddysaid that the state of Jammuand Kashmir, despite being inIndia, was acting as a separatesovereign state due to disrup-tive and separatist activities. Headded that the Government ofIndia has merged the state ofJammu and Kashmir withIndia by removing Article 370.He noted that with the abroga-tion of Article 370, theGovernment has succeeded incrushing cross border spon-sored terrorism to and therewould be all-round develop-ment of J&K as well as Ladakh.

Reddy said that the biggestchallenge before theGovernment was to ensure apeaceful environment in thecountry so that the fruits ofdevelopment reach everyone.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy at a meet on Tuesday

TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy at a campaign in Huzurnagar on Tuesday

The TPCC chief, Uttam Kumar Reddy,said the TRS government has failed onall fronts and not a single section ofsociety was satisfied with theperformance of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao

Guv Tamilisai briefs Modi, Amit Shah on RTC strike

MA & UD Minister KT Rama Rao at a video conference with Collectors on Tuesday

KTR bats for green action planAsks Collectors to implement plans similar to ‘30-day action plan' in municipalities

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(IN HYDERABAD)

I congratulate NIA forexposing Pakistan's

role in Pathankot, Uri,Banihal and Handwara casesof terrorist attacks and in themanufacturing and circulationof fake Indian currency

G KISHAN REDDY Union Minister of State for Home Affairs

PNS n SIDDIPET

Siddipet MLA and FinanceMinister T Harish Rao has dis-tributed over 200 milch cattlehere on Tuesday. On the occa-sion, the Minister felicitatedfarmers, who have succeededin producing maximum yieldsthrough organic farming.

He further said that a totalof 273 cows were selected forthe distribution and onTuesday a total of 202 were dis-tributed. The Minister said aninsurance coverage of one lakhwould be given to each cowand the premium will be borneby the government. He sug-gested the farmers to take tothe organic farming in a sys-tematic manner.

Meanwhile, he further saidthat the farmers in Siddipethave cultivated paddy in a

whopping 1.24 lakh acre land.Speaking at a review meeting,the Siddipet MLA said that thegovernment is expectingaround 3 lakh tonnes of paddy

harvest this Kharif season.He asked the concerned

officials to procure the paddyfrom 159 procurement centresfrom October 17 onwards and

said the district requires 83lakh of gunny bags to procurethe paddy this year.

He further informed that thedistrict has already got 50 lakhgunny bags. Stating that theState government was expect-ing a bumper paddy harvestthis Kharif, the Minister saidthat farmers in Telangana cul-tivated paddy in a record 32lakh acre.

Stating that the govern-ment was expecting 80 lakhmetric tonne of paddy harvestin the State, Rao said theadministration was preparedto spend over Rs 7 crore onarrangements alone for paddyprocurement. DistrictCollector P VenkatramiReddy, PD, DRDO, Ch GopalRao, Agriculture Officer,Sravan and other officialswere present.

Finance Minister Harish Rao at a programme in Siddipet on Tuesday

Cong lodgesplaint againstMahamood AliPNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress has filed acomplaint with CentralElection CommissionObserver in Huzurnagaralleging that the TRS partyleaders have violated theElection Code of Conduct.

Congress election agents -K Prabhakar Reddy and SASampath Kumar, in theircomplaint, alleged that theHome Minister, MahamoodAli, along with his convoyand escort vehicles, visitedvillages borderingHuzurnagar Assembly con-stituency and convened ameeting with voters.

"The Home Ministeraddressed the gathering of hiscommunity, met everyHuzurnagar voter personal-ly thereby influencing thevoters. RDO was seen presentthere and was observed to besilent and calm," theCongress leaders alleged intheir compliant. "On know-ing that the Home Minister'sconvoy was coming, thepolice checked every vehiclepromptly but to the surprise,the check post was removedand no police was foundwhen Home Minister's con-voy reached the constituen-cy," they alleged.

Man lynchedon suspicionof templetheft

Harish distributes milch cattle

Don't trust TRS' fakepromises, says Uttam

The politi-cal situa-

tion in AndhraPradesh is slowly,

but surelytaking a

curious turn withthe two major politi-

cal players in the state makingstrategic moves.

While the ruling YSRCongress Party is wary of themachinations of a buoyantBJP that has made no bonesabout its expansion plans byinvolving its national leader-ship, the Telugu Desam Party,after biting the dust in the elec-tions, is desperately trying toregain its lost strength bymending fences with the saf-fron party.

TDP was solely responsiblefor breaking its ties with BJP inthe pre-poll scenario on theassumption that Modi had lost

his charisma. TDP supremoChandrababu Naidu projectedhimself as a powerful coordi-nator and guide to all anti-Modi forces in the country.

The Telugu Desam Party isnow convinced that it can'tface YSR Congress in future,given the present state ofaffairs in AP. That is why itappears to be cozying up to thesaffron party for reestablishingfriendship and taking it to the1999 level when TDP was acrucial supporter of the thenNDA government headed byAtal Behari Vajpayee.Therefore, Naidu seems to beexploring all options to re-establish a 'reliable link' withModi!

Andhra Pradesh ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy, on the contrary, isbelieved to be thinking ofways in which BJP's expansion

plans can be thwarted inAndhra. Jagan has been inter-acting with leaders of variousconstituencies with a view tostreamlining the party's orga-nizational set-up. As part ofthe exercise, he may have torub BJP on the wrong side dueto various reasons.

For instance, prominentpolitical couple

D.Puradheswari and DrD.Venkateswara Rao (daugh-ter and son-in-law of NTR)contested the general electionon behalf of two separate par-ties. Purandeswari contestedon BJP ticket from theVisakhapatnam LS seat andVenkateswara Rao was in thefray on YSRC ticket from theParchur Assembly seat in

Prakasam district. Both lost inthe elections.

While the husbandremained calm thereafter, thewife has been actively partic-ipating in BJP programmes.She is behind none in criticis-ing Jagan's government and its'anti-people policies'. She

entered politics in 2004 andsuccessfully contested the LokSabha elections on Congressticket for two consecutiveterms and became Union min-ister at the behest of the thenCongress president SoniaGandhi. She and her husbandchose different parties to con-tinue their political journeyafter having served theCongress.

Purandeswari has beengiven a nominated post at thenational level (Director, AirIndia) by the Modi govern-ment and she is working forher better future in BJP. TheBharatiya Janata Party has tar-geted the YSRC government asit wants to cash in on the grow-ing popularity of the Modigovernment with regard toabrogation of Article 370 inJ&K.

BJP has sketched plans for

possible expansion in AP byhighlighting Modi govern-ment's welfare schemes andpitting the YSRC governmentas an obstacle to progress.

In these circumstances,YSRC leadership reportedlyasked the couple to be in "oneparty", implying Puradheswarishould join YSRC. This devel-opment has raised many ques-tions among the cadres ofboth parties: With what inten-tion the leadership of YSRChas 'specified' like that? Whatwould be the fate of 'hiddenfriendship' that has continuedtill now? Is the YSRCP leader-ship preparing to settle scoreswith BJP? Is it really possiblefor YSRC in its present polit-ically precarious and sensitivecondition, considering ChiefMinister Jagan Reddy is facingserious cases of economicoffences being probed by cen-

tral investigating agencies likeCBI & ED?

Interestingly, similarattempts made by YSRC werethwarted by the central lead-ership of BJP in the pre- elec-tion scenario. The presentpresident of BJP AP unit andformer minister KannaLakshminarayana had madeall arrangements to join YSRCthen. BJP central leadership,however, asked YSRC not toadmit its leaders. It was a bigshock, yet YSRC conceded.

Now, a similar situationprevails following Jagan's moveto bring Purandeswari intoYSRC with specific assurancesregarding their son's politicalfuture! YSRC feels that organ-isational strength is essentialfor retaining power in 2024.Hence, the ruling party has togingerly curtail the attempts ofBJP to expand its base in AP.

M D RATNA KUMAR Senior Journalist

The TDP is now convinced that it can't face YSR Congress in future, given the present state of affairs in AP.That is why it appears to be cozying up to the saffron party for reestablishingfriendship and taking it to the 1999level when TDP was a crucial supporterof the then NDA government headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee

PINPOINT

Jagan's bid to thwart BJP's expansion in AP dicey

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019 hyderabad 03

A GHMC sanitation worker receives a safety kit from Valji Bhai Zala, national commissioner for Safai Karmacharis. Kits werepresented to all sanitation employees of the GHMC in the city on Tuesday

BE SSAFE AAND HHEALTHY

RIMEORNERC

Missing man's body foundHYDERABAD: The body of a manwho was reported missing for thelast four days was found on thecampus of Osmania Universityon Tuesday. He is suspected tohave committed suicide byconsuming poison, police said.The deceased was identified asRamesh Goud, 33, who workedin a private firm in Ramnagar.Goud was missing for the lastfour days and a case related to itwas booked in Musheerabadpolice station. Police sources saidGoud's body was found amidstbushes on 'C' Ground of theuniversity. Officials found anempty liquor bottle and a softdrink bottle beside the body. Nosuicide note was found. OsmaniaUniversity police booked a caseand are investigating. The bodywas shifted to the GandhiHospital for an autopsy.

ACB nets twotreasury officialsSANGAREDDY: Anti-CorruptionBureau (ACB) sleuths caughttwo treasury department officialswhile they were taking Rs 8,000bribe from a government teacherin Andhole on Tuesday.A team of ACB officials led byDSP Ravi Kumar caughtAssistant Treasury OfficerDevendra Kumar and SeniorAssistant, Chary, at the Treasuryoffice. They were insisting on abribe when the retired teachervisited the office for his post-retirement benefits. The teacherhas approached the ACB whichlaid a trap to nab the accused.

Man gets lifer forsexually violatingminor daughterHYDERABAD: A 42-year-oldman was sentenced to lifeimprisonment for sexuallyviolating his 14-year-olddaughter at their residence inChaderghat by a child-friendlycourt on Tuesday. The accusedcommitted the heinous crime inNovember 2016 and threatenedthe child with dire consequencesthat he would kill her motherand younger brother if she toldanybody. Based on a complaintlodged by the girl's mother,police booked a case against theaccused and arrested him. Thecourt sentenced the accused, adriver, to life imprisonmentunder Section 42 of POCSO Act.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Army's 1EME centrecelebrated 77th Electronicsand Mechanical Engineers(EME) Corps Day atSecunderabad in the city onTuesday. Lt General ParamjitSingh, Commandant ofMCEME and Senior ColonelCommandant, Corps of EMEand Brigadier SandeepBhalla, Commandant, 1EMEcentre paid tribute to martyrsof Corps of EME who laiddown their lives for the coun-try. The occasion commem-orated the soldier craftsman'ssolemn pledge to the fallenbrethren that the corps willuphold their legacy and bringglory to the country. The cer-emony was attended by serv-ing and retired members ofEagles Fraternity.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Minister for AnimalHusbandry Talasani SrinivasYadav, who chaired the VijayaDairy Board meeting here onTuesday, decided to set up500 more outlets of VijayaDairy under GHMC andHMDA limits.

He asked the concernedofficials to set up the outlets oneither side of highways and dis-play huge hoardings advertis-ing the outlets. The Ministerfurther said that he wouldsoon call on Chief Minister

K Chandrashekhar Rao toget an order issued for use ofVijaya Dairy products in allgovernment offices and organ-isations.

Pricing of Vijaya dairy pro-ducst vis-à-vis the private dairyproducts would be considered

soon, he said and added thatmeasures to use Vijaya ghee inall temples will be taken soon.During the forthcomingSammakka-Sarakka festival,150 Vijaya dairy outlelts wouldbe set up to boost sales.

He called for giving widepublicity to Vijaya Dairy prod-

ucts in theatres and throughelectronic media and socialmedia. Vijaya Dairy ChairmanLok Bhuma Reddy, MDSrinivasa Rao, principal secre-tary to animal husbandrydepartment Sandeep KumarSultania and others were pre-sent.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A police complaint was regis-tered against Chief Minister KChandrashekar Rao with theKanchanbagh police onTuesday by BJP advocate KKaruna Sagar.

The advocate requested toregister an abetment to suicidecase against KCR andTransport Minister P AjayKumar. He alleged thatKhammam driver SrinivasaReddy committed suicide ashe was upset over the CM'sstatement that the strikingemployees were dismissedfrom service.

On October 12, TSRTC dri-ver D Srinivas Reddy,depressed after losing his job,attempted self-immolation athis residence situated atRaparthi, Khammam, bypouring petrol on himself.His son was also injured whiletrying to save him. The driver'scondition turned critical andhe was shifted to Apollo(DRDO) Hospital inKanchanbagh where he passedaway on Sunday.

"The driver went intodepression after Chief

Minister KCR made a state-ment that 48,000 strikingemployees dismissed them-selves by not joining the dutybefore the expiry of the gov-ernment deadline, and ruledout taking back these employ-ees into TSRTC roles. Thechief minister rejected all thedemands of the strikingemployees including the maindemand for merger of TSRTCwith the government. Theextreme step due to the gov-ernment's decision to dismissstriking TSRTC employees,which makes it clear that thesuicide was committed onlydue to the abetment by noneother than the statementsgiven by the Chief Ministerand Transport Minister" saidSagar in the complaint.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Unlike the claims of the rulingTRS that the GHMC has beenpaying for the losses inTSRTC, the civic body hasnever bailed out the corpora-tion since 2016. Since theTSRTC employees took upfight, TRS leaders have beenrepeating that the ChiefMinister was large-heartedlymaking GHMC pay for thelosses of RTC in GreaterHyderabad limits. GreaterHyderabad Zone (GHZ) ofTSRTC records Rs 43 crorelosses per month at the rate ofRs16 for every km that an RTCbus runs.

In December 2015, theGHMC general body agreedto pay Rs 137.95 crore towardslosses incurred by TSRTC in2014-15. The then GHMCCommissioner handed over acheque towards reimburse-ment of losses sustained by theTSRTC in city operations.Sources point out that eventhat cheque was not processedand payments otherwise werea rarity. In GHZ, the RTCoperates about 3,747 buses,but is reportedly down to 700due to strike.

The State government hadearlier directed that the

GHMC should bear the loss-es suffered by TSRTC inGreater Hyderabad limits, ascity services are generallyknown to suffer losses due tothe relatively-low productivi-ty levels, despite higher occu-pancy ratio in buses. The gov-ernment's directive to theGHMC to keep funding theTSRTC to run the city serviceshas turned out to be an eye-wash.

Transport researcher GSRChaitanya said, "There was amention of money due toTSRTC twice in 2015. InDecember 2015, the GeneralBody agreed to pay Rs 137.95crore for losses in 2014-15.This is the only time they actu-ally paid. I guess they werebound to do so because of theGovernment Order. The sameGeneral Body refused to coverRTC's losses in 2016."

GHMC failed to bail outTSRTC despite being toldCivic body was directed to bearloss incurred on buses servicingthe city, but it rarely did so

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana governmenton Tuesday announced landregularisation scheme (LRS) toregularise unapproved andillegal layouts for the newly-constituted municipal corpo-rations and municipalities. Thescheme will be applicable toplots renewed on or beforeMarch 30, 2018.

The government started tak-ing applications for regulari-sation on Tuesday and willprocess these online only. Ithas given 90 days' time for sub-mission of LRS applications.

Penal charges are linked toland value i.e. more penalamount for plots having high-er market value and lowerpenal amount for plots havinglower market value. Applicantswill have to pay proportionatecharges in case they have notmade provision for the man-dated open space for parks.

The HMDA will regulariseplots that fall in municipalitiesor municipal corporations lim-its, while the others will be reg-

ularised by DTCP.Applications have to be madeto the respective ULB or UDA.Only 10 per cent of totalamount or Rs 10,000, whichev-er is less, has to be paid as ini-tial payment along with the

application.Plots in the bed of water

bodies like river or nalas, andin the Full Tank Level (FTL) orBuffer Zone of any lake, pond,Cheruvu or Kunta and inShikam lands and other pro-hibited categories will not beregularised. Also, sites whichare earmarked for IndustrialUse Zone or Recreational UseZone or water body or openspace use in notified MasterPlans or Zonal DevelopmentPlans will not be regularised.

The LRS approval will begiven within six months fromthe date of payment of fullamount.

Land regularisation scheme announced

PNS n HYDERABAD

The KPHB police booked acase against Cinepolis inKukatpally following a com-plaint about the managementdelaying the screening of a film.The complainant, Sai Teja,from the Forum AgainstCorruption (FAC) mentionedit as an "unfair trade practice"under the Telangana StateCinema Regulations Act, 1955.

"Committing a time to the

patrons and making themwatch advertisements to gen-erate higher revenue during thetime when the show is sup-posed to start, is highly uneth-

ical of the multiplex manage-ment and disrespecting of thetime of the patrons. This ispure deficiency of service andaffects the plans made for thepatrons," Sai Teja wrote in hiscomplaint to the KPHB police

on Tuesday.Sai Teja, who filed a police

complaint on October 9, saidthat he had visited the theatreon October 8 for a movie thatwas supposed to start at 4.30pm. An FIR was filed on

October 14. "I spoke to themanagement and they saidthat they were playing theadvertisements to generate rev-enue. It was after this that Iapproached the police," said SaiTeja, who is head of PR &social media in FAC.

A case has been registeredwith the KPHB police namesthe management of CinepolisIndia Private Ltd and the oper-ations manager of the mall asaccused.

Case against Cinepolis multiplex over adsComplainant says showing ads that encroach into movie time is unethical, misuse of patrons' time

HMDA will regula-rise plots that fallin municipalcorporationslimits, whileothers will beregularised by DTCP

Vijaya Dairy to open 500more outlets in city soon

PNS n HYDERABAD

An employee of an IT giantworking as a software engineercommitted suicide by jumpingfrom a building on Monday.Police officials said that thetechie suffered from Bi-polardisorder.

The deceased person, 35-year-old Palaparthi Raghuram,was an employee of Infosys. Hewas married to PalaparthiSridevi (32) and they have adaughter, Pragna (6). Policesaid that Raghuram andSridevi worked in the samecompany, Infosys. WhileSridevi is a software engineer,Raghuram was a team lead.The couple lived inChandanagar.

According to the police,Raghuram was suffering fromthe Bi-polar condition for thepast 13 years and was undermedication for the condition.His father, Venkateswarlu, alsosuffers from the same illnessand is bed-ridden.

The Police said thatRaghuram told his wife mul-tiple times over the past fewmonths that he wanted to endhis life, but after her persuad-

ing him to do so, he promisedher he wouldn't. "On Sunday,Raghuram again told his wifeabout his intention to end hislife following which Sridevibegan crying. Seeing his wifecrying, he promised her that hewon't take the step. OnMonday morning, the couplewent to their office in the samecab at 9 am," said Gachibowliinspector R Srinivas.

"Sridevi called Raghuramaround 10 am and he told herthat he had come out to have

tea with friends. However,Sridevi received a call soonafter informing her that herhusband leapt to death from anapartment building nearby,"added the official.

Sources said that Srideviwas aware of Raghuram's con-dition before the marriageitself. She said that Raghuramwas a loving husband andtook care of her and the childvery well.

"The disorder is associatedwith episodes of mood swingsranging from depressive lowsto manic highs. The conditionis very common in India withmore than 10 million casesreported every year. Treatmentcan help with the condition,but it can't be cured. It is achronic condition that canlast for years or be lifelong,"said Shiny Sresta, a psycholo-gist.

It is estimated that nearlythirty percent of those diag-nosed with bipolar disorderwill attempt suicide at leastonce in their lives. The suiciderate for people with bipolardisorder is twenty times that ofthe general population, addedthe psychologist.

Bi-polar disorder suspected in techie suicide incidentPolice say Raghuram was suffering from thecondition for the last 13 yrs and was on medication

Vijaya Dairy board members at the meeting on Tuesday

1EME centrecelebratesCorps' Day

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Institute of Management& Foreign Studies (IMFS) willhost the 'Global Edu-Fest' forstudents wanting to pursueeducational programmes atforeign universities. The one-day programme, which willhave representation from 70universities from eight coun-tries, will be held at HotelMarigold on Thursday.

The Global EduFest will beinaugurated by Dr DN Rao,chairman of VNR VigyanJothi Educational Trust.Dileep Konatham, director ofDigital Media of Govt ofTelangana and PVRKMurthy, chairman of GayatriEducation Institutions willattend the inauguration as'Guests of Honour'.

Education fair GlobalEduFest is being organised forthe seventh year in a row byIMFS, India's leading overseaseducation consultancy. GlobalEdufest brings on to one plat-form all the stakeholders inthe vertical 'Study Abroad' viz,students, universities, finan-cial institutions, agencies likeBritish Council which holdstandardised tests like IELTSetc. Representatives of USConsulate and Education UStoo will conduct an informa-tion session on Study in USand the US visa process.University representatives willhold seminars on varioustopics of interest of visitingstudents.

Continued from Page 1

South-West Monsoon hasbeen weak over Telangana,and IMD predicts light tomoderate rain or thundershowers at a few places overTS. However, IMD issuedheavy rainfall warning withthunderstorm accompaniedwith at isolated places oversouth TS for Tuesday.

Mainly low level easterly

winds prevail over the state.For Hyderabad, IMD predictsrain or thundershowerstowards evening or night overthe next four days.

For Andhra Pradesh, IMDissued heavy rain warningwith thunderstorm and light-ning at isolated places in thedistricts of Krishna,Guntur,Prakasham and Nellore ofcoastal Andhra Pradesh andin all districts of Rayalaseema.

Southwest monsoonwithdrawal continues...

PNS n HYDERABAD

To avoid delay in servingnotices on builders of illegalstructures, the GHMC hasdecided to serve notices ofdemolition of such structuresonline. The move also pre-empts errant builders going tocourt for stay orders.

The GHMC is supposed toservice notices of demolitionthrice on the builders of ille-gal structures. The earlierpractice of serving noticesthrough post allowed errantbuilders to deny receipt ofnotice on time or claim to nothave received the notice at all,and eventually let themapproach courts for litigation.

The town planning offi-cials identified 500 illegalstructures four months ago.They also identified encroach-ments on footpaths and othergovernment public spaces at3,700 locations in the city.

Now, the notices will beissued through the DPMS

system which records infor-mation like the date of issue ofnotice etc. Besides, it facilitatesthe notice to include photo-graphic evidence like theextent of deviation in thestructure. Authorities feel thatit will have an immediateimpact on illegal constructionactivity.

There are allegations thatsome GHMC staff who arehand-in-glove with builders

do not carry out demolitionof structures in spite ofissuance of notices for thedemolition.

Online issue of notices isexpected to help officials ver-ify the progress on notices.Provision has also been madeto punish officials in caseswhere action is not taken inthe stipulated time.

Authorities are trying tointroduce online notice system

this month itself, and are alsokeen on posting informationabout the cases pending incourts.

Commenting on the move,chief city planner DevenderReddy said they wanted toplace property tax notice,TDP bank details and suchother data in the computersystems.

As regards pulling downillegal structures, the townplanning rules say that a show-cause notice should be servedas per the Section 452 (1) ofthe relevant Act and a secondnotice issued as per Section452 (2) and a final notice asper the Section 636, a seniorGHMC official said.

The state government hadintroduced a building regu-larization scheme (BRS) fouryears ago. Over 1.27 lakh hadapplied to regularise theirstructures. But even after theexpiry of the BRS, the illegalconstruction activity did notstop.

GHMC to serve notices on illegal structures onlineNew measure pre-empts errant builders going to court for stay order

PNS n HYDERABAD

National Institute ofNutrition, Hyderabad (NIN-H) will observe an 'OpenDay' on Friday when theinstitute will showcase itsscientific achievements andresearch facilities to students,the general public and localmedia. Visitors will also get tointeract with scientists.

The Open Day is beingorganised under the bannerof India International ScienceFestival (IISF)-2019.

Making patrons watch advertisementsto generate higher revenue during thetime when the show is supposed tostart is highly unethical, said Sai Teja

Palaparthi Raghuram

‘Open Day' atNIN on Fri

He alleged RTCdriver Srinivasacommitted suicideas he was upsetover CM sayingstriking workerswere sacked

GHMC was askedto bear the lossessuffered by TSRTCin Hyderabad, ascity services sufferlosses due to lowproductivity levels

Global EduFestfor students incity tomorrow

BJP advocate filescase against KCRover driver's death

90-day time limit for LRS; scheme applicable onlyfor plots renewed on or before March 30, 2018

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019 hyderabad 04

PNS n HYDERABAD

Suicides, shutdowns, 'Vantavarpu' or cooking on roads and'Dhoom Dham' or the cultur-al programme were all part ofthe movement for statehood toTelangana. With the employeesof state-owned Road TransportCorporation (RTC) using thesame tactics for their ongoingstrike, history appears to berepeating itself in Telangana.

K Chandrashekhar Rao,under whose leadership theTelangana movement used allthese tools as part of the strat-egy, is now at the receiving end.Over 48,000 employees of RTCalong with their family mem-bers on Sunday participated in'Vanta varpu'. They cookedthe food and ate it by theroadside. The scenes were rem-iniscent of the Telangana agi-tation between 2009 and 2013.

The same day a RTC driverset himself ablaze inKhammam as he wasdepressed over the ChiefMinister sacking all the strik-ing employees. The next day aconductor hanged himself inHyderabad as he, like all otherstriking employees, had notreceived the salary forSeptember and a cheque he hadissued towards his EMI forhome loan had bounced.

At least three other employ-ees tried to commit suicide,giving a serious turn to thestrike that began on October 5.The decision of Joint ActionCommittee (JAC), comprisingRTC employee unions, tolaunch indefinite strike was thefirst major challenge to KCR insix years. They had a list of 26

demands, the main beingRTC's merger with the gov-ernment.

Acting tough, KCR issued anultimatum to workers to returnto work by 6 pm on October 5but only a few did. The TRSboss did not like the open defi-ance, saying trade unionswhich went on strike underprevious governments can'tdare to use the same weaponagainst his government.

He hit back by declaring thatonly 1,200 employees remainedin RTC. For him, all otheremployees stood self-dismissedfor not joining the duty beforethe expiry of the deadline."His stern warning wasridiculed as no one returned towork. In fact his statementthat there are only 1,200 inRTC proved grand success ofthe strike," political analystTelakapalli Ravi said.

Often criticized by his oppo-nents for dictatorial attitude,KCR ruled out taking back thestriking employees andannounced that no talks will beheld with them. Further anger-ing the striking employees, heunveiled plans to recruit tem-porary drivers and otheremployees and use more pri-vate buses. He directed thepolice chief to deal firmly withany attempt to disrupt the busservices being operated byRTC with the help of tempo-rary staff.

The analyst says KCR stoodexposed for his double stan-dards on strike. "His stand onstrikes was different earlier.He changed the stand as it suitshim. He also proved his eager-ness to privatise RTC," saidRavi. By not paying Septembersalaries to employees, espe-cially during the festival time,

KCR invited more criticismfrom the employees and theopposition who called him'arrogant'.

The occasion provided anopportunity to all his rivalsincluding those who were withhim during Telangana move-ment to come on a commonplatform. This was somethingnever witnessed since forma-tion of Telangana. Studentgroups too joined the protest insupport of the striking employ-ees to corner KCR. TelanganaJana Samithi (TJS) leader M.Kodandaram, who was withKCR during Telangana move-ment, also called for another'Sakala Janula Samme' or themass strike which had lastedfor six weeks in 2011 mount-ing pressure on the Centre.

Sensing that governmentemployees could also joinhands with RTC employees, the

chief minister adopted 'divideand rule' policy by inviting theleaders of the governmentemployees and promising toaddress their pending issuesincluding pay revision. Thedaily protests by striking RTCemployees had started rattlingthe TRS. The party leaderswere also worried over theimpact this could have on theparty's prospects in October 21by-election to HuzurnagarAssembly seat.

With the situation turninggrim following suicide of twoemployees, KCR showed signsof softening his stand. Throughhis trusted aide and advisor K.Keshav Rao, he sent the feelersto the striking employees thatthe government is ready fortalks. "From refusing to takeback the striking employees tonow urging them to call off thestrike and come forward for

talks, it is a big climb-down byKCR," said a political analyst.

With JAC too showing readi-ness to accept Keshav Rao'smediation, this may be con-strued as a victory of the strik-ing employees, irrespective ofthe outcome of talks. Analystssay the strike by RTC employ-ees broke the myth that no onecan challenge KCR. "There isno doubt that KCR stands hisauthority challenged as neverbefore. He may not be Ivan theTerrible anymore," said Ravi,who believes that otheremployees in the state may takea cue from their counterpartsin RTC.

Ravi also believes that thestrike has given the oppositionmuch need shot in the arm.Major opposition parties maynow try to assert themselvesand this could begin withHuzurnagar bypoll.

RTC PROTEST REMINISCENT OF TS AGITATIONWITH THE EMPLOYEES OF TSRTC USING THE SAME PRESSURE TACTICS FOR THEIR ONGOING STRIKE, HISTORY APPEARS TO BE REPEATING ITSELF IN TELANGANA

(Left) Police arrest leaders of student unions during a protest at Bus Bhavan inHyderabad on Tuesday. (Right) File picture of Osmania University students at a‘Vanta Varpu’ programme on the varsity premises

We’ll stand by you, WarangalBar association tells RTC staffPNS n WARANGAL

In a major boost to the RTCstrike, the Warangal Bar asso-ciation has extended its sup-port to the striking employ-ees here on Tuesday. Theyeven announced free legal aidto the employees who are fac-ing job threat after the ChiefMinister's announcementthat they were 'self-dis-missed'.

Hundreds of advocates,representing the Warangalbar, led by the Bar associationpresident Lekkala JalandharReddy, took part in a soli-darity march from the courtpremises to the Kaloji statuearea and called upon thestriking RTC employees notto feel disturbed as they havegot legal remedies to dealwith their issues.

The Bar association calledupon the RTC employeesnot to commit suicides andadvised the families of RTCworkers to maintain peaceand support to the employeeswho are fighting for their justrights. On Tuesday, the RTCemployees took out a massiverally in Hanamkonda cityon Tuesday morning andthey organised a road block-ade at the Kaloji junctionarea. Communist parties,Congress leaders and BJPleaders representing the

Warangal urban district tookpart in the rally, dharna androad blockades in the city.The normal traffic in the citywas paralysed for about anhour in the Bus depot Kalojijunction limits and the rallycommenced at the Bus depotarea and passed through theBalasamudram area to theKaloji Junction limits.

Addressing the strikingemployees, the political lead-ers asserted that they wouldquestion the unilateral deci-sion of the government, sack-ing all the employees, seri-ously. The leader of CPMPrabhakar Reddy said thestand of government wasultimately harming the inter-ests of the workers and it is ina way taking them towards anegative side.

Hundreds ofadvocates,representingWarangal Barassociationtook part in a solidaritymarch from thecourt premisesto the Kalojistatue area

PNS n HYDERABAD

The RTC trade unions accusedChief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao of adopt-ing use and throw policy as faras the RTC workers are con-cerned. The TRS used RTCworkers during 'Sakala JanulaSamme', but now declaringRTC workers' strike as illegal,they said.

They felt let down as the CMused their services during thecourse of Telangana agitationand trying to ditch them nowby going back on his promiseto merge the RTC with thegovernment. They evenaccused the govt of defaultingpayment of Rs 1,052 crore tothe TSRTC after collectingmotor vehicles tax.

Dismissing the existing RTCstaff and asking the newrecruits not to join any unionshow the dictatorial face of theChief Minister. The RTC

workers suspect a conspiracy toloot the RTC assets throughencouraging benamis to filetenders.

The Telangana movementwas fought on the grounds ofdue share in water, funds andappointments. But the RTCworkers state that many of thedrivers and conductors aresometimes working doubleshifts at the cost of their healthsince there were no recentrecruitments in the RTC,which has been affecting theirhealth.

The losses of the RTC areattributed to the government'sfailure in running the transport

undertaking. In 2014, theRTC staff strength was 57,000.These many employees helpedthe RTC operate buses to 125crore KM. Even after retiringof 6,000 employees from ser-vice subsequently, 50,000-oddworkers helped the transportundertaking run its busesto132 crore KM, which is a suresign of increasing the produc-tion.

In spite of this, the RTC hasbeen sustaining losses onlybecause of the government'sfailure to run it on profitablelines, say the agitating RTCworkers. But, the governmentis slinging mud on the RTC

workers. The woman conductors are

working more than eighthours elsewhere in the state,barring the Hyderabad city, astheir duty does not end in 8hours. RTC workers are brav-ing 48 degrees hot sun duringpeak summers working dou-ble shifts. Some of the employ-ees succumbed to sun strokeexhibiting their loyalty to theorganization.

In spite of putting suchhard work, the RTC is closingdown many of its facilities liketyre rebutton shed inWarangal and invited tendersfrom private parties. The RTC

also closed down its printingpress. Security services havebeen outsourced, depot audithas been outsourced. Did theTRS fought for statehood toTelangana only to makeappointments on the basis ofoutsourcing of services. Nowthe government is embarkedon a plan to outsource bus ser-vices.

How can the RTC workersbe held accountable for theRTC's accumulated losses. Ifthe workers should be blamed,the RTC would not ended upwinning so many awards inreduction of accident rate,conserving fuel and so on.

The annual hike in fuelprice would burden the RTCto the tune of Rs 25 crore. TheRTC consumes at least 25crore liters of fuel per annum.Even if the hike in fuel price per year is Re 1, the bur-den would be at least Rs 25crore.

Trade unions blame govt for losses in RTC

PNS n KARIMNAGAR

The police have arrestedKarimnagar MP Bandi Sanjayand others during a protest inthe town on Tuesday. The saf-fron party staged a protest inKarimnagar in support to theRTC strike.

BJP activists organised amassive rally from TelanganaChowk to Bus station alongwith MP Bandi Sanjay. Thepolice blocked the rally nearKarimnagar bus stand, whichled to a clash between police

and BJP activists.MP Bandi Sanjaywas taken intocustody by thepolice. Policeescorted him in aspecial vehicle,which he hadbeen carryingamong theactivists. Activistsshouted slogans against thegovernment during the move.A total of 150 activists, includ-ing the MP, were arrested bythe police. The MP alleged

that the TRS regime was try-ing to scuttle agitations withthe aid of police and assertedthat the BJP would intensifystir.

BJP MP Bandi Sanjay held

CPM faults TRSover strikePNS n HYDERABAD

CPM leader Raghavulu onTuesday found fault with theTRS government's stand onthe RTC workers' issue. ChiefMinister K ChandrashekharRao's refusal to invite the JACleaders for talks demonstrateshis egoistic nature, he said.

He charged the CM withtrying to gift away the RTC tohis followers. "TRS claims tohave achieved Telanganathrough movements, but isacting in an inimical waytowards the RTC workers,who are observing strike insupport of their demands," hesaid. It was not right on thepart of the government tofind fault with the RTC work-ers without first inviting themfor talks, he said and pledgedthe CPM's support toOctober 19 bandh.

MAKING IIT CCOUNT: In solidarity with the RTC employees, Osmania University JAC member-students stage a uniqueprotest ‘Jal Deeksha' in Landscape Garden on the varsity premises, on Tuesday

PNS n HYDERABAD

Ignoring diktats of theTransport Department, cabservice providers - Uber, Olaand so on - have been col-lecting peak hour fare andsurcharges on those whohire the cab services takingadvantage of the skeletal ser-vices being operated by theRTC in view of the strike bythe RTC workers.

In adequate services andcurtailed frequency of ser-vices, which arereturning to depotby 6 or 7 pmdaily, and can-cellation ofnight ser-vices, cabsand three-wheelers havea field day inexploiting thegeneral public.

The cab services areaccused of collecting addi-tional fare in the name of thepeak hour services and col-lecting surcharges citing non-availability of cab services asrequested by commuters.The inflated cab fare becameunbearable and travel with-in the city has become bur-densome. The auto-rickshawdrivers, who collect higherfare even on normal days, arelooting the commuters tak-ing advantage of the busstrike.

The TransportDepartment initiated no

measures against the erringcab and auto-rickshaw ser-vices. Of the 1.40 lakh three-wheelers plying on roadsunder GHMC limits, 85 percent of them did not have anymeters. The commuter hasno option to fulfill thedemands of the auto drivers.Similarly, cab services havebeen collecting inflated fares.As it is inevitable, the com-muters are availing the cabservices.

The fare being collectedfrom Dilsukhnagar to

Secunderabad isRs 300-350 for

the past 10days as againstthe normalfare of Rs 225.Now the farehas become Rs

650, rue com-muters. As

against the normalfare of Rs 120 the Uber

cab service collected Rs 220from a passenger to takehim to Lingampalli fromManikonda, misusing thepeak hour fare. Most of thepeople rely on Uber and Olafor their needs, in spite ofthere are many new playersin the field, because of theirpopularity.

People commuting to faroff plces like Hi-tech city,Madapur, Financial District,Kondapur and other IT cor-ridors have been facing manyproblems because of the RTCstrike.

Cabs make a killing asbuses remain off road

RTC workers alleged that the government is adopting use and throw policy with regard to their issues. They even said that the TRS used RTC workers during ‘Sakala Janula Samme', but now declaring RTC workers' strike as illegal

PNS n HYDERABAD

Agriculture Minister SNiranjan Reddy onTuesday declared that theState government wouldurge the Center to locatethe spices research centerin Telangana as these cropsare specific to Asian coun-tries alone because of theclimatic conditions.

Participating as chiefguest at a state-level sem-inar on spices held at RedHills here, he identified thecurrent trend as cultivationof organic crops. He want-ed farmers to cultivate onlythose crops which meetpeople's needs.

Crops can be exportedto anywhere in the world,he said. CM KChandrasekhar Rao wenton record on the floor ofthe state legislativeAssembly that the TRSgovernment would go toany length for the welfare

of farmers. He askedfarmes to cultivate spicesand leave the responsibil-ity of marketing them tothe Government.

He encouraged thefarmers to raise speciescrops and assured them tosupply fertilizers and seedson subsidy. The CMfocused special attentionon marketing of crops.Quoting the experience of

a farmer, he said that cul-tivation of coriander as aninter-crop in an acre of cot-ton field netted Rs 60,000.He advised farmers to tendcountry chicken. Claiminghimself to be a farmer, hesaid that hewould cultivatespices and share the expe-rience with the farmers.

Only when farmers cul-tivate crops to meet fooddemands of world, the agri-

culture would become prof-itable, he said. Agricultureprincipal secretary CParthasarathi, horticulturedirector Venkatrami Reddy,national research center forseed spices director DrGopal Lal and farmers fromNirmal, Adilabad,Vikarabad, Kamareddy,Sangareddy and Nalgondadistricts took part in theconference.

Raise seed spice crops, ryots told

Minister Niranjan Reddy addresses a gathering at a programme in Hyderabad on Tuesday

TRS hopeshigh on KCR'smagic...

Continued from Page1

At the same time, the party leadersare making elaborate arrangements forthe public meeting to attract voters andtranslate them into votes to ensure thevictory of their candidate.

Election in-charge Palla RajeshwarReddy said on Tuesday that theparty was making arrangements in agrand manner. "The people ofHuzurnagar are eagerly waiting tosee and listen to the speech of KCR,"he said. All sections of the con-stituency people were getting readyto attend the KCR's public meeting.It would be a trend-setter, he said.

People of Huzurnagar were fortu-nate as they wanted development.TRS would find permanent solutionto the problems of Pulichinthala vic-tims and issues concerning theRevenue Department, he said.

HC asks Govt,RTC staff to endstrike through talks

TRS and BJP inwar of words overUP homeguardslosing jobs

Continued from Page 1

BJP in Telangana has come outin full support of TSRTC strike andits leaders have been on groundsupporting the employees. TRSsupporters are pointing out thatBJP, which had stood up againstsacking of RTC employees, wassupporting termination in a stateruled by the saffron party. TRS fol-lowers dubbed BJP's support toRTC strike as 'crocodile tears' as theBJP-ruled state is no different.

BJP supporters said that homeguards were a voluntary force andthat they were hired recently onneed basis. The saffron party main-tained that home guards were paidon daily basis and not on month-ly salary like in the case of RTCemployees; so, it was like com-paring apples with oranges .However, two wrongs don't makea right.

Continued from Page 1

The strike by nearly48,000 employees of differ-ent unions of the TSRTCdemanding fulfillment oftheir demands began onOctober 5 across the stateresulting in its buses stayingoff the roads, causinginconvenience to com-muters.

Since the strike began,two employees have endedtheir lives and threeattempted suicide.

The chief minister hadruled out talks with theemployees or taking themback, terming the agitationas illegal.

Meanwhile, a policecomplaint was filed byadvocate K Karuna Sagar

accusing Chief MinisterRao and Transport MinisterP Ajay of abetting the sui-cide of TSRTC driverSrinivas Reddy who com-mitted self-immolation inKhammam last week andsought registration of a caseagainst them.

The complainant allegedthe driver went into depres-sion after the chief ministermade a statement that thestriking employees gotthemselves 'self-dismissed'by not joining duty beforethe October 5 deadline.

A police official said acase over the driver's deathhad already been registeredby the Khammam districtpolice and the lawyer'scomplaint was forwarded tothem.

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019 nation 05SHORT READS

Congress spreadingrumours over Article370: ModiCHARKHI DADRI (HARYANA):Prime Minister Narendra Modion Tuesday accused Congressleaders of spreading rumoursover Article 370 in India andthe world. While addressing arally at Charkhi Dadri in poll-bound Haryana, Modi said thepeople of the state havedecided to put their stamp onthe clean and transparentadministration of the BJPgovernment and bring it backto power. "People of Haryanahave decided to bring BJP backto power," Modi said. Withwrestler Babita Phogat enteringinto the political 'dangal' as theBJP candidate for the Dadriassembly seat, Modi saiddaughters of Haryana haveproved their mettle in all fields."During an informal meeting,Chinese President Xi Jinpingtold me he has seen Dangal movie," Modi said."Mahre Choree Choroon SayKam Hey Ke," he said inHaryanvi.

Maharashtra unit ofBJP proposes BharatRatna for Savarkar

White tiger dies atOdisha'sNandankanan ZooBHUBANESWAR: A five-year-old white male tiger died at theNandankanan Zoological Parkhere on Tuesday due to liver-related aliments, a seniorofficial said. ‘Subhranshu', whowas a major attraction at thezoo, died at about 10.15 amfollowing month-long liverailment, said Nandankanan Zoodeputy director Jayant KumarDas. "The white tiger suddenlycollapsed on Saturday andstopped eating. He was treatedby experts from the OdishaUniversity of Agriculture andTechnology (OUAT) but didn'tsurvive," Das said. Subhranshuwas born to Royal Bengal TigerMahesh and white tigressSneha on July 25, 2014. Withthe death of Subhranshu, thetiger population at the zoo hascome down to 25, out of which12 are male and 13 arefemales. The white tiger's deathcame weeks after the death offour elephants at the zoo due toHerpes Virus infection.

MUMBAI: Maharashtra BJPunit on Tuesday said it will askthe party-led NDA governmentat the Centre to confer BharatRatna, India's highest civilianaward, on Vinayak DamodarSavarkar, popularly known asVeer Savarkar. In its electionmanifesto, released by BJPworking president J P Nadda,the state unit also sought thehonour for social reformersJyotiba Phule and SavitribaiPhule, a party leader said. Themanifesto speaks of "pursuingthe matter with the Centralgovernment," the leader said.Many BJP leaders look up toSavarkar for inspirationalthough he was a member ofthe Hindu Mahasabha and notthe Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS), the ideologicalparent of the BJP.

PNS n NEW DELHI

In the run up to Maharashtraelections, the Congress is pitch-ing high on slowdown inIndian economy. The partyhas decided to field formerPrime Minister Dr. ManmohanSingh on October 17 to lend acredible voice against the gov-ernment's policies on the eco-nomic issues.

The party has sent an invi-tation, titled "Words ofWisdom on Indian Economyby Dr. Manmohan Singh". Thevenue is Garware ClubBanquets at WankhedeStadium, Mumbai.

The former Prime Ministerwill be addressing a PressConference and will meeteminent personalities of the

state . The l ist is beingfinalised, a source told IANS.Important people from allwalks of life are being invit-ed to meet Manmohan Singh,a source said.

The party is engaged inhigh-pitched battle with theincumbent BJP-Shiv Sena in

Maharashtra. The Congressis also fighting an internalbattle, as many leaders havedefected to the ruling com-bine. The infighting is out inthe open with SanjayNirupam accusing Delhileaders of sidelining him.

The Former Congress

President Rahul Gandhi hasa lso targeted the ModiGovernment on economicslowdown. He said that thegovernment is not interest-ed in providing jobs, but isonly diverting attention ofthe public by talking some-thing else.

Manmohan to meet press andeminent personalities in Mumbai

The party has sent aninvitation, titled"Words of Wisdom onIndian Economy byDr. Manmohan Singh".The venue is GarwareClub Banquets atWankhede Stadium,Mumbai

Abhijit Banerjee, theIndian-origin econo-mist who won the

Nobel prize on Monday, spent10 days in Delhi's Tihar jail forparticipating in a protest as astudent of Jawaharlal NehruUniversity.

In a scenario not unlike the2016 JNU sedition row, abunch of JNU students wasarrested and "beaten up" by thepolice in 1983 for "gheraoingthe vice-chancellor in hishouse for the umpteenth time"for expelling the president ofthe student union.

In an article, published inHindustan Times in 2016,Abhijit Banerjee shared that heand his friends were kept inTihar jail for 10 days and werebeaten up. "We were beaten (Iwas) and thrown into Tiharjail, charged not quite withsedition, but attempt to mur-der and the rest. The chargeswere eventually dropped thankGod but not before we spent 10days or so in Tihar," he said in

the article.The world-renowned econ-

omist, recognised for his workon global poverty alleviation,says in the article that thepolice action was backed byCongress government at theCentre and Left-leaning fac-ulty. He said there were alle-gations that the student bodypresident was expelled to insti-gate protests, which could beused to change admission pol-icy, which gave weightage tostudents from rural areas.

"What it undoubtedly was is

an attempt by the State toestablish the lines of authori-ty. We are the boss they weretelling us, shut up and behave,"Abhijit Banerjee said in the2016 article.

Drawing parallels to theJNU sedition row, hittingheadlines at the time, AbhijitBanerjee said that the govern-ment intervention in the mat-ter once again said that itwants to establish authorityover the university campus.

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a bid to achieve last-mileconnectivity for people travel-ling between small towns andmajor cities, Railways MinisterPiyush Goyal on Tuesdayflagged off nine 'Sewa Service'trains saying the nationaltransporter is taking transfor-mational steps for the future.

According to railways, out ofthese, five trains will run on adaily basis, whereas the rest ofthem will run six days a week.

The Ministry of Railwayshad recently approved 10 trainsunder its 'Sewa Service' initia-tive for better connectivitybetween smaller towns andimportant cities.

Speaking at the flagging offceremony here along withUnion Ministers Dr. HarshVardhan, DharmendraPradhan and Minister of Statefor Railways Suresh C. Angadi,Goyal said: "Indian Railways istaking transformational stepstoday. I would like to thankPrime Minister NarendraModi that he gave a vision tothe railways, and providedfunds for the progress of therailway through the budget."

Hailing the Prime Minister,Goyal said: "He (Modi) alwaysgives a suggestion how tomake maximum use of theresources and system of rail-ways. And people demandthat trains reach small cities,and for this we have 'Sewa

Service' trains concept."Goyal said without spending

anything and without makingany new investment, railwayshas started these nine trainstoday from the availableresources. "And further thetrains which are standing willbe used for the public," he said.

He said for the PrimeMinister's vision for the coun-try, railways will play animportant role for the future.The Minister also thanked therailway employees for showingdedication to improve railwayfacilities.

Goyal further said that ofthese 9 trains, a train will alsogo from Vadnagar to Mehsana."The tea-seller at that Vadnagarstation has become the PrimeMinister of the country, byconnecting Vadnagar withMahesana, railways has givena gift to Modiji," he said.

The 'Sewa Service' dailytrains have been introducedbetween Delhi and Shamli,Bhubaneswar and Nayagarhtown, Murkongselex andDibrugarh, Kota and Jhalawarcity, and Coimbatore andPalani. While the other 'SewaService' Trains that will run sixdays a week will run fromVadnagar to Mahesana, Asaryato Himmatnagar, Karur toSalem, Yesvantpur to Tumkurand Coimbatore to Pollachi.

Piyush Goyal flags offnine Sewa Service trains

PNS n KARACHI

The halt in the supply ofcheaper anti-rabies vaccinefrom India and China has ledto an acute shortage of thelife-saving drug in Pakistan'sSindh province as it grappleswith increasing incidents ofdog bites, an official said.

Naseem Salahuddin, Directorof the Rabies Free KarachiProgramme, said that there is abig difference in the price of thevaccine imported from India ascompared to the one purchasedfrom other countries. The vac-cine imported from India costsRs 1,000 (USD 6) whereas thedrug imported from Europecosts a whopping Rs 70,000(USD 446), the official said,adding that this life-saving drugis only available in the govern-ment hospitals in the country.

The shortage or absence ofthe anti-rabies vaccine has beenwitnessed in government hos-pitals in the Sindh province,including its capital Karachi asimports of the vaccine fromIndia has stopped in recentmonths, while its import fromChina has been suspended.

Shortage of anti-rabies vaccine inPak as India,China halt supply

Indian bizman inDubai buys ticketsto send 13 foreignprisoners home

PNS n NEW DELHI

While the Supreme Court isworking with its full sanc-tioned strength, vacancy ofjudges is on the rise in the 25high courts of the country,according to latest LawMinistry data.

The figures released bythe ministry onOctober 1 show thatthe high courtsfaced a shortage of420 judges -- thehighest till nowthis year.

As on October 1,the high courts wereworking with 659 judgesas compared to the sanctionedstrength of 1079.

In September, a total of 414posts of judges are vacant inthe 25 high courts.

Over 43 lakh cases arepending in the high courts.The figure was 409 in Augustand 403 in July, according tothe data available in publicdomain.

A three-member SupremeCourt collegium recommendsnames of candidates forappointment as high court

judges. In case of appoint-ments to the Supreme Court,the collegium consists of fivetop judges of the top court.

High court collegiums shortlist candidates for their respec-tive high courts and send thenames to the law ministry.

The ministry, along withbackground check reports

by the IntelligenceBureau, forwards itto the SupremeCourt collegiumfor a final call.

The govern-ment has main-

tained that appoint-ment of judges in the

high courts is a "contin-uous collaborative process"between the Executive and theJudiciary, as it requires con-sultation and approval fromvarious constitutional author-ities. Vacancies keep arising onaccount of retirement, resig-nation or elevation of judgesand increase in judges'strength. In June, the vacancyposition stood at 399, while itwas 396 in May.

In April, 399 posts of judgeswere vacant, while the figurewas 394 in March.

PNS n DUBAI

A Dubai-based Indian busi-nessman has bought one-way tickets for 13 foreignprisoners, including fromPakistan, Bangladesh, Chinaand Afghanistan to returnhome after they were releasedfrom prison here, a mediareport said on Tuesday.

Joginder Singh Salaria, thechairman and managingdirector of PehalInternational Transport andfounder of Pehal CharitableTrust (PCT Humanity) pur-chased one-way flight ticketsin coordination with DubaiPolice authorities for the pris-oners who were released froma jail on Monday, the KhaleejTimes reported.The prison-ers are from Pakistan,Bangladesh, Uganda,Afghanistan, Nigeria, China,and Ethiopia, it said.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Bombay High Courtrefused bail on Tuesday toactivists Sudha Bharadwaj,Arun Ferreira and VernonGonsalves, arrested for alleged-ly inciting caste-based violenceat Koregaon-Bhima in Puneand Maoist links, noting thatthey were "active members" ofbanned outfit CPI (Maoist).

Justice Sarang Kotwal reject-ed the bail pleas of the threecivil liberties activists, observ-ing that there was prima facieevidence against them.

In three separate orders, thejudge said the accused wereactive and senior members ofthe banned Communist Partyof India (Maoist), and arrangedfunds for the organisation andrecruited cadres.

The Pune police lodged acase against them in January,2018 after the Elgar Parishadheld on December 31, 2017allegedly triggered violence atKoregaon-Bhima village inMaharashtra's Pune districtthe next day.

The scope of the investiga-

tion was not restricted to find-ing out the object and effect ofthe programme organised onDecember 31, 2017 by theElgar Parishad or carrying outa probe into the violence thatfollowed the event, the courtsaid.

"The investigation was

expanded to unearth a muchlarger conspiracy of seizingpolitical power through anarmed revolution by mobilisingthe masses," it said.

Justice Kotwal further saidone of the objectives of thebanned organisation wasdefeating the "enemy forces"

with the use of weapons and byforming a people's army.

"The state's armed forceswere treated as enemy forces bythe organisation," the courtsaid.

The three were initiallyplaced under house arrest bythe Pune police in August lastyear and later, taken into cus-tody on October 26 after a ses-sions court in Pune rejected

their bail pleas.The accused, who are in jail

since then, approached thehigh court last year.

The police booked the threeand several other activistsunder the provisions of thestringent Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA) andthe Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On Ferreira, the court saidone of his tasks was to raise,

manage and distribute funds inthe banned organisation and heoccupied an important positionin the outfit.

"Ferreira's work towardsachieving some of the objec-tives of the banned organisa-tion was not only appreciatedby it, but, he was given specif-ic directions on some occa-sions. This all shows that theapplicant was an active mem-ber of the banned organisa-tion," the court said.

"There is material in thechargesheet to show that primafacie the applicant (Ferreira)had actively worked towardsfulfilling that responsibility,"the court said.

It also noted that Gonsalves'act of recruiting cadres for thebanned outfit and being itsactive member was punishable

under the provisions of theUAPA.

"Facts sufficiently establishprima facie that the applicant(Vernon Gonsalves), oninstructions of the bannedorganisation, was recruitingcadres from institutions likeTISS (Tata Institute of SocialSciences)," the court said.

It added that the evidenceput forward by the prosecutionshowed that Gonsalves was animportant and active memberof the CPI (Maoist) and waspart of the "larger conspiracy".

"One of the important taskswas recruiting cadres and thereis material in the chargesheet toshow that prima facie the appli-cant (Gonsalves) had activelyworked towards fulfilling thatresponsibility," the court said.

HC refuses bail to 3 activists, says they are ‘active members' of CPI (Maoist)

Sudha Bharadwaj Arun Ferreira Vernon Gonsalves

The three were initially placed underhouse arrest by Pune police in Augustlast year and later, taken into custodyon October 26 after a sessions court inPune rejected their bail pleas.Theaccused, who are in jail since then,approached the high court last year

Judges' vacancies inhigh courts on therise: Law Ministry data

PNS n THANE

AIMIM president AsaduddinOwaisi has said Bharat is "nota Hindu Rashtra" and they willalso not let it become so.

His comments came afterRSS chief Mohan Bhagwat lastweek said the Sangh is firm onits vision that "Bharat is aHindu Rashtra".

Addressing an election rallyon Monday night in Kalyantown of Maharashtra's Thanedistrict for party candidateAiaz Moulavi, Owaisi said asection of society wants topaint the entire country in onecolour, but "we see Hindustanin multiple colours, it is thebeauty of Hindustan".

"Bharat is not a HinduRashtra, and Inshallah, we willnot allow it to become so," hesaid.

Alleging that the Shiv Senawas against the green colour,he said, "Change your specta-cles and you will see the greencolour in the national flagalso."

He said Bharat is uniquebecause of itssecularism andpluralism. There is no othercountry in the world as Bharat

and "we are proud of it"."I want to tell those in the

RSS that we are not living hereon your sympathy. If you wantto measure the index of myhappiness or sorrow, you andwe should see what theConstitution has given to us,"Owaisi said.

He also said that the AllIndia Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) hasestablished itself inAurangabad because of itsown efforts.

"We will spread to otherparts of the state also. You can-not stop us," he said.

Owaisi also said that theNDA government was pat-ting its own back by banningthe practice of triple talaq, butwas not aware of the woes ofmembers of the Muslim com-munity.

Won't allow Bharat to become‘Hindu Rashtra': Owaisi

PNS n GURGAON

The abrogation of Article 370provisions is a "decisive battle"waged by the Narendra Modigovernment to end years ofPakistan-sponsored proxy warand terrorism, and it will bringlong-lasting peace in Jammuand Kashmir, Union HomeMinister Amit Shah said onTuesday.

Attending the 35th RaisingDay celebrations of the counter-terror force NSG as the chiefguest here, Shah said the recentdecision to repeal special provi-sions in J and K will help "com-pletely eradicate" Pakistan-sup-ported terrorism from theKashmir Valley.

The minister said his govern-

ment is firm on the policy of"zero tolerance" on terrorism andto defeat all its forms.

The National Security Guard(NSG) is an important instru-ment to achieve this goal, theminister said.

"I believe that with the

abrogation of Article 370 byPM Narendra Modi, we haveinitiated a decisive battleagainst years of proxy warand terror acts perpetrated byour neighbour (Pakistan) andthis step will ensure long-lasting peace in Kashmir andthe region," Shah said at theNSG garrison in the Manesar

area here.He said India has been fac-

ing terrorism for many yearsand there would be very fewcountries across the globe whohave waged such a long battleagainst terrorism. Terrorism isa curse on any civilised societyand the biggest impediment todevelopment, he said.

I believe that with the abrogation of Article370, we have initiated a decisive battleagainst years of proxy war and terror actsperpetrated by our neighbour and this stepwill ensure long-lasting peace in Kashmirand the region, he said

The tea-seller atthat Vadnagarstation hasbecome thePrime Minister ofthe country, byconnectingVadnagar withMahesana,railways hasgiven a gift toModiji, RailwaysMinister PiyushGoyal said

The world-renownedeconomist, recognised forhis work on global povertyalleviation, says in thearticle that the policeaction was backed byCongress government atthe Centre and Left-leaning faculty

ARTICLE 370 ABROGATION

When Abhijit Banerjeespent 10 days in Tihar jail

‘Decisive battle' against proxy war andterror in Kashmir: Amit Shah

Former Prime Minister of India IKGujral was one of the most schol-arly and well-read leaders we havehad. At a public function organisedby this writer, he mentioned that the

battle of Panipat took place at that locationonly because it was the southernmost loca-tion, which had an open area suitable forwarfare. According to him, right from theKhyber Pass to Panipat, the entire terrain washeavily forested where conventional warfareof that period was not possible.

A recent news report mentioned that theGovernment is planning to build a 1,400kilometre-long “great green wall” of India.If this project receives official sanction andis backed by innovative institutional arrange-ments for its implementation, it would marka remarkable step forward in greeningIndia because we, as a nation, have failed toseize the importance of greening our degrad-ed and deforested land.

The Green India mission was one of theeight key missions included in the NationalAction Plan on Climate Change. The pur-pose of this operation was to protect, enhanceand restore India’s decreasing forest cover andact on the growing extent of climate changethrough a combination of mitigation andadaptation measures. Unfortunately, the mis-sion has been grossly under-funded. Areport by the Parliamentary Committee, titled,‘Performance of the National Action Plan onClimate Change (NAPCC) pertaining toMinistry of Environment, Forest & ClimateChange (MoEFCC)’, quotes MoEFCC as stat-ing that the “budget allocation of ̀ 47.80 crorefor FY 2017-18 is grossly insufficient. Thecommitted liability of FY 2015-16 and 2016-17 is ̀ 89.53 crore, which is more than the bud-get allocation of FY 2017-18.”

Expansion of population and encroach-ments by humans on forest land and the habi-tat of other species have not only reduced for-est cover since independence but has also ledto poor forest density even in those areas,which are regarded as forest land. The pro-posed “green wall” of India is planned to estab-lish a green belt from Porbandar to Panipatand would help restore degraded landthrough afforestation, particularly along theAravalli hill range, which covers Gujarat,Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.

It is well-known that the Aravallis havebeen heavily degraded in several areas, par-ticularly in Haryana, as a result of the nexusbetween politicians and the builders’ lobby.The establishment of the “green wall” wouldprovide an effective barrier for dust comingfrom the deserts in Western India andPakistan. It is now well-established that dustfrom deserts can travel large distances as hasbeen seen with dust from Saudi Arabia trav-elling to northern parts of Europe. This writerhas always advised officials in the Middle East,including a former Saudi Oil Minister,“Please convert your oil wealth to soil health.”

Recently, the Conference of the Parties(COP 14) of the United Nations Convention

to Combat Desertification(UNCCD) was held in India andas a follow-up to that event, Indiacan and should set an example forother countries that are threat-ened with desertification.

The UNCCD is an agree-ment to combat desertificationand mitigate the effects ofdrought, based on long-termstrategies and national pro-grammes, supported by interna-tional cooperation and partner-ship arrangements. It was in2006 that in order to gather sup-port for the convention, the UNdeclared that year as the“International Year of Desertsand Desertification.”

The convention has thus farbeen ratified by 190 States andthe European Union (EU).However, on March 28, 2013,Canada became the first coun-try to withdraw from it butreversed this arrangement onMarch 21, 2017.

In hosting COP14 of theconvention, India made a majorimpact on this expanding prob-lem in different countries of theworld. Prime Minister NarendraModi in his address to this con-ference stated: “I call upon theleadership of UNCCD to createa global water action agenda,which is central to land degra-dation neutrality strategy.”

The IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC)recently published a specialreport on climate change, deser-tification, land degradation, sus-tainable land management, foodsecurity and greenhouse gas

fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.The report states, “The level ofrisk posed by climate changedepends both on the level ofwarming and on how population,consumption, production, tech-nological development and landmanagement patterns evolve.Pathways with higher demandfor food, feed and water, moreresource-intensive consumptionand production and more limit-ed technological improvementsin agriculture yields result inhigher risks from water scarcityin drylands, land degradation,and food insecurity.”

It further states: “Many activ-ities for combating desertificationcan contribute to climate changeadaptation with mitigation co-benefits as well as to halting bio-diversity loss with sustainabledevelopment co-benefits to soci-ety...Preventing desertification ispreferable to attempting to restoredegraded land due to the poten-tial for residual risks and mal-adaptive outcomes.”

The UN system, as is wide-ly known, is currently under-funded and is actually facing aserious crisis. For several yearsnow, there has been a growingrealisation that the UN systemneeds to be restructured andreformed, starting, of course,with the composition of thepermanent members of theSecurity Council, of which Indiashould have been admitted as amember years ago.

In the case of the UNFramework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCCC),

the Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) and theUNCCD, there are distinct over-laps. Clearly, actions under oneconvention would have implica-tions for the other two. The dri-vers of change underlying thesethree conventions are common,namely the increase in humansociety’s ecological footprint asGandhiji had warned us aboutall his life. It is to be consideredwhether a comprehensive con-vention, which covers climatechange, loss of biodiversity anddesertification, may be far moreeffective than fragmentedactions being taken under eachof these conventions.

As far as India is con-cerned, the advance of deserti-fication has negative implica-tions for the country as a whole.To that extent, therefore, the“great green wall”, which isbeing considered, would be anexcellent initiative. However,just as in the case of acid rain inNorth America, which crossesnational boundaries and, there-fore, required a regional solu-tion, it would be important forSouth Asian nations to cooper-ate on activities, which involvesimilar initiatives in Pakistan,Afghanistan and Bangladeshas well. Given that naturerespects no political bound-aries, we need to promote com-mon solutions to problems thatare regional in nature. Terrorismshould give way to terra-ism.

(The writer is former chair-man, Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, 2002-15)

As if the existing threats to wildlife in theform of illegal poaching, encroachmentsand culling were not enough, a new

provocation comes from intrusive tourism.Unknowingly or out of curiosity, tourists areheckling animals so much during safaris thatthe latter are now displaying aberrant behav-iour. The latest such instance was captured byone of the passengers aboard a jeep at the AtalBihari Vajpayee Zoological Park in Bellary,Karnataka, in August, which went viral thisweek. An aggressive male lion is seen chas-

ing a jeep full of visitors until the driver accelerated enough to outpace him. Itwas sheer luck that the tourists managed to escape the wrath of the lion, whowas hellbent on pouncing upon them. Now the king of the jungle is usually gen-tle when not on the hunt, even unperturbed by human behaviour. Besides, byvirtue of park tourism, lions have become quite immune to human attention. Soit was quite strange that Keshri, the lion in question, would become hostile unlesshe was teased or provoked. Turns out he had just been brought to the park andwas yet to settle down. Clearly, he was not used to tourist behaviour and shouldnot have been exposed to visitors either. Particularly, when he was yet to demar-cate his territoriality and be sure of his limits, he was but expectedly insecure.In the age of daring selfies and their virality, tourists are not just happy takingroutine shots but want a dramatic film sequence. And when they cross limits ofadmissibility, they run the risk of a chase or attack. Be it big cats or elephants,several videos of them raging after tourists have circulated on social media. InJuly, a similar video was captured as bikers were chased by a tiger at the MuthangaWildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala.

Our big cats are stressed in their fragmented habitats, some of which do nothave enough roaming stretches, prey bases or transit corridors to deeper forests.Human encroachment and development have resulted in frequent man-animalconflicts. Hemmed in from all sides, such aberrant behaviour is being reportedall too frequently now, even from reserves like the Kruger National Park. Touristbehaviour, therefore, should be respectful of protocol and mindful of the peaceany sanctuary guarantees the wild. For example, protocol calls for the visitorsto maintain a certain distance from the animals during an encounter, which isdefinitely not followed either by them or unscrupulous tour operators hellbenton selling a “sighting.” With greater interest comes greater responsibility.

Pakistan may not be blacklisted by theFinancial Action Task Force (FATF), theinter-governmental forum that links ter-

ror funding to freezing international aid, butIndia’s persistent campaign against it nursingterror hubs has clearly paid off. It now appearsthat Pakistan could slip into the “dark grey”list, a severe warning to take correctives, asit has but fulfilled only six of the 27 conditionsof compliance to evade curfew altogether.Besides, the common cause on terror hubsimpacting domestic politics that India has man-

aged to drum up around the world, particularly winning US endorsement on thiseffort, means Pakistan has few friends. In August, the FATF’s Asia Pacific sub-group placed it in the “enhanced blacklist” for its failure to meet global standards.Yet its Prime Minister Imran Khan has been lobbying hard for the overall FATFvote, diverting attention from the terror factory at home to Kashmir, forging anew Islamic alliance with Turkey and Malaysia for a crusade-like stance againstthe Western world, still dangling the Taliban sword to keep the US invested inits relevance for Afghanistan and playing on Chinese anxieties about the Indo-US axis. And while Pakistan may scrape through this time, requiring just threemembers’ support to escape a funding ban, it has still got away by being a strate-gic counterweight for others’ geo-political concerns rather than attempting anycourse correction at home. What else explains the renewed push for militancyin Kashmir? That problem continues and can only be beaten by now normalis-ing life in the Valley. Discontent cannot be allowed to fester under lockdown forPakistan’s no-risk benefit schemes.

So what are India’s obstacles? The recent incremental push in bilateral rela-tions with China has meant that it has come around to agreeing with our view-point of combatting terror without referencing Pakistan. How else could it justi-fy its own clampdown on Uighur Muslims? And though it dragged its feet at theUN, it did assent to designating Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. But as thenew president of the FATF, China isn’t expected to ignore concerns of its all-weath-er friend Pakistan. It has wriggled a bit here and there but cannot abandon itsally given its strategic interests in the region. Direct transactional benefits withChina will frankly take a long time to mature as significant tradeoffs on Pakistan.Of course, there are two more nations, Turkey and Malaysia, to deal with. Bothare now spearheading a new-Islamic axis as India has stepped up diplomaticengagement and is building on mutual understanding with the UAE and SaudiArabia. In fact, India has made significant inroads in the Organisation of IslamicCooperation (OIC), which has traditionally been opposed to it on Kashmir. Butwith the UAE and Saudi Arabia inviting India as an “observer” in its last edition,the OIC has warmed up a bit albeit Malaysia and Turkey continue to supportPakistan. In fact, Khan is now advocating a trilateral forum for a neo-Islamic worlddistinct from the traditional pan-Islamism. This leadership challenge to religiouslegacies has not gone down well with even Saudi Arabia of late. India, too, hasnow given up the charm offensive with both Turkey and Malaysia and is hittingback economically. It is reviewing imports of palm oil and other products fromMalaysia in response to its Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed’s United NationsGeneral Assembly (UNGA) speech on Kashmir. With that country hosting radi-cal Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, there are some creases of discomfort.Reports say that following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s addresson the Kashmir issue, India pulled out of discussions with Anadolu Shipyard,which intended to tie up with with us for building a 45,000-tonne fleet supportship. Simultaneously, India is also building bridges with the ring states aroundTurkey and Malaysia — Cyprus, Armenia and Greece around the former andIndonesia around the latter. India is now pegging its diplomacy on sound eco-nomic sense and that’s delivering results, particularly in one-on-one negotia-tions in a multilateral world. It is demanding that sensitivities be shown to it inreturn, considering some of these nations are defaulting on rights records too— Turkey in Syria and China in Hong Kong, Tibet and in Uighur-dominated Xinjiang.In fact, India has stayed away from commenting on these issues until now, whenit has condemned Turkey’s action against Syria. Smart reasoning and correspond-ing posturing might change the way the world perceives our concerns.

Together, we can win

Sir — A large number of climatestrikes have recently eruptedaround the world, directing atten-tion to issues such as climatechange and global warming. It isalso interesting to note that manyindigenous tribes have been pray-ing for the protection of theAmazon rainforest as thousands ofwildfires continue to destroy it.People often turn to prayer in dif-ficult times. Such prayers notonly lead to positive results butalso strengthen relationshipsamong people. The prayers for theAmazon and the protests haveattracted the attention of the glob-al population. One hopes that suchadmirable activities continue toinspire people around the world.

P SenthilVia email

Misleading policy

Sir — Economists have foreverbeen negotiating between thetwin poles of wealth and pover-ty. In 1776, Adam Smith postu-lated that the existence of eco-nomic prosperity, more than thepersistence of poverty, must be

paid attention to. An eon wasspent on identifying the condi-tions necessary for wealth cre-ation. Then an era was spent onthe distribution of incomebetween capital and labour.

Finally, Nobel Prize-winningeconomist Angus Deaton delvedinto the cause, spread and mea-surement of poverty. But lookslike Indian-American economistAbhijit Banerjee has analysed

the problem with poverty with anexperimental approach. The ran-domised controlled field trials(RCTs) adopted by him hashelped find out what works andwhat doesn’t to fight poverty.

The traditional way of measur-ing wealth on account of the coun-try’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is misleading. It probablyfurther skews the distribution ofwealth and accentuates income dis-

parity. We have journeyed longfrom exploring the creation ofwealth to the distribution of incometo now Nobel prize winner AbhijitBanerjee’s treatise on poverty.

Strangely, it is seen that deep-er the democratic mores, as it is inthe US, the sharper has been theturn to the right wing ideology ofwealth inequality. It may takeages for the socio-economists,much less the Governments, to

move away from a trite GDP toeven grasp the concept of creationand distribution of happiness.

R Narayanan Navi Mumbai

Challenges ahead

Sir — This refers to the editorial,“Bangla pride” (October 15). Theappointment of former cricketteam captain Sourav Ganguly asthe head of the Board of Controlfor Cricket in India (BCCI) is wel-come. In fact, he may just be theperson the cricket administrationneeds right now to set thingsright. It’s good to learn that on hispriority list are first class players,who are the foundation for astrong pool of talent for the nation-al team. Other issues like theabsence of an Indian umpire in theelite panel of ICC and reducing thegulf between women and men incricket should be given impor-tance. Ganguly must also ensurethat financial management in theBCCI becomes more transparent.He has his task cut out.

Bal GovindNoida

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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op nionHYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019

06

The great wall of nature

RK PACHAURI

The proposal for a 1,400km-long green corridor along the Aravalli range, which isstill in the planning stage, is a remarkable step forward in greening the country

It is biggest irony of our timesthat while we are celebratingGandhiji’s birth centenary, theBJP is seeking Bharat Ratnafor Savarkar, an accused inhis assassination case.

CPI general secretary —D Raja

Professionally, it has been a very special year for me. Boththe successes have only motivated and encouraged me to keep following myinstincts and work hard.

Actor—Hrithik Roshan

The global security situationis in a flux. There is concernover the inherent dangers innuclear brinkmanship pur-sued by countries as a coverfor cross-border terrorism.

Indian diplomat—Pankaj Sharma

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

The historic China connect

This refers to the editorial, “Finding an old connect”(October 14). The second informal summitbetween Prime Minister Narendra Modi and

Chinese President Xi Jinping was historically signifi-cant. The choice of Mamallapuram as the venue of themeet was important on account of its historical linkswith China, which dates back to the seventh century.Mamallapuram, named after Narasimhavarman I of thePallava dynasty, is an ancient port town that has a strongmercantile history with China. It was also part of China’ssilk route and India’s spice route. In fact, the originsof Kanchipuram’s silk industry can be traced back tothe import of raw silk from China via Mamallapuram.Sino-India links in the region can be traced back as faras 2,000 years. Chinese coins discovered in the regionfurther establish the age-old link between the twonations. This rich history made Mamallapuram a befit-ting venue for this summit.

China has seen an exponential growth in cutting-

edge technology, leaping far beyond India. Electronicgoods manufactured by it, which were once frownedupon, have now become much sought after. As India isa big market for Chinese goods, it is unlikely that Xi willtake a harsh stand against India on the issue of Kashmir.

TK NandananKochi

IT IS WELL-KNOWNTHAT THE

ARAVALLIS HAVEBEEN HEAVILYDEGRADED IN

SEVERAL AREAS,PARTICULARLY IN

HARYANA, AS ARESULT OF THE

NEXUS BETWEENPOLITICIANS AND

THE BUILDERS’LOBBY. THE

ESTABLISHMENTOF THE ‘GREEN

WALL’ WILLPROVIDE AN

EFFECTIVE BARRIERFOR DUST

COMING FROM THE DESERTS

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Wild chaseWhen a ship sinks in themiddle of a sea, the captainevacuates everyone safelybut Gandhi is a captain whohimself left after seeing theCongress sinking.

AIMIM chief—Asaduddin Owaisi

Though it may not be blacklisted, it does slide further oncompliances required for countering terror at FATF

The aberrant behaviour by a lion at a wildlife park inKarnataka shows why we need a tourism protocol

Pakistan slips up

A double-edged sword

CONGRESS NE KHODA PAHAD, NIKLI CHUHIYA. WOHBHI MARI HUI. (THEY DUG A MOUNTAIN, ONLY TO FIND

A MOUSE. THAT TOO A DEAD ONE).—HARYANA CHIEF MINISTER

MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR

THINK IN WHAT LIGHT DO THESE REMARKS SHOW WOMEN. BECAUSE OF PEOPLE WITH YOUR MINDSET,HARYANA IS KNOWN AS THE CRIME CAPITAL.—HARYANA CONGRESS PRESIDENT KUMARI SELJA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’sannouncement on offering free publictransport to women has sparked off a

debate across the country about the financial per-formance and pricing of public transport. As citiesacross the world struggle to keep the Mass RapidTransit System (MRTS) and other modes of pub-lic transport financially viable, scholars and oper-ators alike are trying to arrive at an economical-ly sound formula for operations.

According to an estimate by the DelhiTransport Corporation and the Delhi Metro,women constitute around 30 to 35 per cent pas-sengers in both buses and the trains. This comesto about 14 lakh women per day on the busesand 800,000 women per day on the metro. TheDelhi Government is assuming that the schemewill see a rise of 50 per cent in female ridership,resulting in a decrease in the number of vehicleson the city’s roads and improved safety for thosevulnerable sections who cannot afford publictransport otherwise.

Impact studies in cities that have experiment-ed with a free public transport policy indicate tan-gible benefits such as higher ridership, less traf-fic congestion, better air quality, savings on print-ing, ticket-punching technology and the peopleengaged in ticket sales. Free public transportpromises intangible benefits, too, such as astronger democracy, higher citizen participation,better liveability and a vibrant economy.

However, it is easier said than done. Cities likeTallinn in Estonia and Châteauroux and Aubagnein France experimented with free public trans-port in the past and achieved positive results fora while. Sustaining the results beyond a few years,however, proved to be a problem. Also, while thecombined effect of free service and happier com-muters can significantly increase ridership, pub-lic transport can also experience a rebound effect,resulting in crowding and poor service quality dueto a large demand response. Such a response canresult in a higher tax burden for the transportagency.

The key to operating a free public transportis to identify alternate sources of revenue tofinance it. Sustaining a free transport policy in thelong-term, especially during times of economicvolatility, can be highly strenuous. The city ofChâteaurouxin, France could generate returns onpublic transport in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.However, 2008 onwards, the returns declined. Thecity of Hasselt in Belgium had to wind up its freepublic transport policy after a few years as theGovernment could no longer support its financ-ing.

So, the big question is, can Indian cities affordfree transport for their citizens, given the burgeon-ing population of the country?

Cities in India face a severe shortage of pub-lic transport. City peripheries and low-incomeneighbourhoods often remain unserved and evenif a network of buses and local trains and so onexists, the frequency of service is low, renderingit ineffective. Free or otherwise, the absence ofpublic transport results in last-mile connectivi-ty problems for the poor. Addressing the inade-quacies of the country’s public transport networkwill require huge capital investments and consid-ering the amount of expenditure it entails, it could

be too much of a burden on the StateGovernments to then generate funds for operat-ing expenses.

However, the good news is that, though itappears impossible at present, there are solutionsworth exploring. Given that State Governmentsare finding it difficult to provide even partial sup-port in the form of subsidies and grants to pub-lic transport agencies, relying on budgetary sup-port to fund a free transport policy seems verydifficult at present. Running free public transportmay or may not be possible but every city musthave at least an affordable transport system. Thereare a few strategies for long-term funding andcost-cutting that could be explored for achievingthis.

Cross-utility subsidy: Although it’s not verypopular in the country, cross-utility financing isprevalent in many parts of the world, includingEurope and North America.

There are many ways to enforce a cross-util-ity subsidy like imposing a levy on utility use orcross-subsidising a loss-making utility by a prof-it-making one. The loss-making transport depart-ment of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply &Transport (BEST), for instance, was, for a longtime, cross-subsidised by revenues generated bythe profitable electricity department. If imple-mented in a prudent manner, cross-utility sub-sidy can offer a long-term solution for fundingpublic transport.

Targetted subsidy: Grants often fail to ben-efit the desired user groups. So, the solution liesin introducing selective subsidisation for careful-ly identified beneficiaries. It is a difficult thing topull off but one can take heart from the fact thatover 10 million customers in India gave up theirLiquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) subsidy inresponse to the Government’s plea. If people aremade aware about the purpose of a subsidy, therewill be many who will give it up if they don’trequire it. At any rate, the Government shouldexplore targetted subsidies to offer affordable pub-

lic transport to the needy and the vulnerable. Dedicated transport fund: Many experts

have emphasised the need to exempt public bustransport corporations from the motor vehicle tax.For many bus corporations, the operational loss-es are almost equal to what they pay as motor vehi-cle tax. While there is a sound rationale behindtaxing vehicles that generate huge negative exter-nalities like emissions and congestion, imposinga similar tax on public buses is draconian. On a“per passenger kilometre” basis, public transportis more efficient and causes lower emission andcongestion than private vehicles. Moreover, thetax gets directly passed on to the commuters aspart of the fares they pay. Foregoing the tax willalso make fares more affordable and improve thefinancial accessibility of public transport.

New performance indicators: There is alsoa need to develop new performance indicators forevaluating public transport corporations. Theseindicators must mainstream social and environ-mental goals. Currently, public transport opera-tions in the country are guided primarily by finan-cial parameters like earnings and cost-per-kilo-metre. Now, more emphasis needs to be placedon the intangible socio-economic benefits suchas time savings, improved productivity, lower con-gestion and improved livelihood opportunitiesthat public transport enables. Changing the waypublic transport corporations are assessed will alsochange the manner in which they operate and thegoals they prioritise in service delivery.

While financial performance is critical foroperating public transport, increasing the fare isnot the best solution. The approach to the prob-lem will change once it is realised that the objec-tive of operating public transport is not to gen-erate revenue but to offer affordable services tocitizens. The need of the hour is to find innova-tive solutions to make public transport affordablefor all.

(The writer is Area Convenor, Centre forSustainable Mobility, TERI)

While cities that experimented with free public transport achieved positive resultsfor a while, sustaining them beyond a few years proved to be a problem

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Fight pollutioncollectively

NAVDHA MALHOTRA

Carpooling, using public transport, segregatingwaste to reduce burning, choosing not to burstfirecrackers at Diwali can make a big difference

MEGHA KUMAR

The Diwali season comes with many debates: Does a ban onfirecrackers make a difference? Could we have prepared bet-ter? Has the national Capital’s air pollution decreased? What

can Delhiites do to help bring it down?This year the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government announced

a series of measures to tackle air pollution, including the odd-evenvehicle rationing scheme; distribution of masks to prevent PM10 intake;a community pyrotechnic show for Diwali; mechanised road-sweep-ing; a tree plantation drive and a pollution plan for 12 hot spots. InSeptember, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that according to theair quality data of the last four years, the pollution levels in Delhi hadreduced by 25 per cent. While the data is still being examined, thisindicates a positive step in the fight for a cleaner Delhi.

In the past, there have been many claims and counter-claimsover the impact of the odd-even scheme implemented in the Capital.While some studies indicated that it was a success, others claimedthat there was no impact, and still others contended that it was impos-sible to isolate vehicular pollution from Delhi’s data sets. However,the one thing all studies agree on is that the odd-even scheme willnot succeed without a robust public transport system and withoutrestrictions placed on heavy vehicles and two-wheelers, which makeup the majority of Delhi’s vehicular traffic. In the past, the schemeprovided exclusions for two and three-wheelers, trucks, taxis andcars used by VIPs. These exemptions, and the limited hours of theodd-even scheme, made it harder to define the success of the pro-ject, especially as two-wheelers have the highest emissions levels.At the moment, the Delhi Metro and bus fleet are not equipped tokeep up with the existing demand from commuters, let alone thedemand that will be generated during vehicular rationing days. However,the undeniable benefit of the scheme is decreased congestion onthe city’s roads. This cuts down the number of hours citizens spendin their cars and the pollution caused by congestion. The schemeis a step in the right direction but it alone cannot solve the problemsof vehicular pollution.

Given these concerns, the next logical solution would be to con-sider electric vehicles (EVs) and particularly electric public transport.Several cities around the country have committed to electric bus fleetsand feeder buses and should these measures be implemented, theywill certainly have a positive impact on air pollution. However, cut-ting down on tailpipe emissions is only half the battle. As long asEVs are powered by traditional electricity, they still contribute to fos-sil fuel emissions, just perhaps not in the same city they are drivenin. EVs are a step in the right direction but not enough to tackle theair pollution crisis, unless they become solar powered in the future.

Like the different sources of the problem, the solutions to ourair quality issues are also varied and complex. Pollution does notacknowledge State or city boundaries and our solutions must tran-scend these as well. Central and State Governments must work togeth-er to ensure heavy industrial and vehicular activity is kept outsidecities; equitable and environmental solutions for stubble burning areimplemented as quickly as possible; industrial activity is heavily reg-ulated and fuel emission standards for vehicles continue to advance.Most importantly, this Government needs to ensure that air qualityis monitored adequately and that the data is shared so that the ben-efits of schemes like odd-even can be evaluated.

At the moment, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) hasa woefully incomplete monitoring network, with data gaps for manypollutants and locations. The newly-released National Clean Air Plan(NCAP) fails to include many of the Indian cities that require policyaction and doesn’t give local authorities the enforcement power theyneed to penalise offenders. As citizens, it often feels like there is lit-tle we can do beyond voting for the right candidate every few years.Installing air purifiers, limiting physical activity and wearing masksoutside allows those who can afford it a break from the air pollu-tion but it does not solve the issue. Each individual can take certainproactive actions: Carpooling and using public transport cut vehic-ular emissions. Ensuring that waste is segregated before it is dis-carded cuts down waste burning as does limiting open garbage andleaf burning in the winter. During Diwali, choosing not to burn fire-crackers can make a massive difference, as we have seen in thelast decade in New Delhi.

However, it is clear that only stringent policy can create the kindof widespread change that is needed to tackle air pollution. To makethis happen, citizens must encourage their representatives to takeaction through their votes and their voice. Elections will be held inseveral States soon, including Delhi. We must make our prioritiesknown to our leaders by raising our voices and demanding a bet-ter standard of air quality from our representatives.

(The writer is a social campaigns manager)

How would the late Sena chiefBal Thackeray have reacted tothe idea of his grandson

Aditya entering electoral politicswhen the Thackeray clan hadscrupulously kept out of it fordecades? He would have chuckled.

So far, the family has run a pow-erful political party in Maharashtrawithout contesting elections. Theyoungest Thackeray, Aditya breaksthat tradition in the forthcomingMaharashtra Assembly elections bycontesting from the Worli seat inMumbai.

Balasaheb had once told me hehad taken three decisions — hewould not contest elections, would

not write his autobiography andwould not take any Government postand he had stuck to them till the endof his life.

After the first Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government(BJP) was formed in 1995, Balasaheboften quipped that he ruled theState via “remote control.” Balasaheb’sson Uddhav Thackeray surprisinglynot only kept the party alive but alsofollowed the “remote control” poli-cy of his father.

However, the 29-year-old Adityais different in this sense and he rep-resents the aspirationalMaharashtrian youth. His image-makers are trying to project him asa suave, English-speaking Senaleader. Nine years ago, Balasahebhimself introduced his grandson tothe political world in October 2010and also named Aditya the head ofthe party’s newly-created youth wing.

The timing is perfect for theThackeray scion to make his electoraldebut, with the BJP-Sena alliancepoised to win the Assembly polls thismonth.

Aditya stated the obvious in aninterview recently, “I chose this elec-tion because I thought this was theright time.” There is a vacuum in theyouth leadership in Maharashtra,which he hopes to fill.

As a child, Aditya used to trav-el with his father and grandfather andbecame interested in politics fromthen on. “If you have to do some-thing good for society, politics is theway. I have been thinking of my jour-ney for the last five years. We did sev-eral agitations. How to serveMaharashtra better, Shiv Sena style?I have always thought that I shouldjoin my party legislators”, says Aditya.

Prior to this electoral contest, hehad undertaken a Jan Ashirwad

yatra in July to thank the voters forthe 2019 success but his real inten-tion was to gauge the public moodfor his own debut.

The young Thackeray repre-sents the changing political sce-nario and also the evolving cultureof the Sena. Much has changedsince the days of Balasaheb. Theparty’s clout in Maharashtra politicshas certainly diminished. Politics haschanged, the voters have changedand the Sena, too, has become ajunior partner in the coalition, ascompared to the earlier days ofdominating the Sena-BJP alliance.

Aditya is experimenting with adifferent kind of politics, trying tochange the old narrative. The Sena’simage has been that of a muscularpolitical party and he would have tochange this if he wants to succeed.The Sena is no more a rabble-rous-ing party.

In the past it used to launch agi-tations against the South Indians,Gujaratis, Biharis and Muslims.Today, in a bid to woo non-Maharashtrian voters, his campaign

has multi-lingual posters. He doesnot mention religion or Hindutvaand instead prefers to raise bread andbutter issues like employment anddevelopment.

He talks about the ban on plas-tic, beach cleaning and the environ-ment. Aditya is more cosmopolitan,modern and open to new-age elec-toral politics. He is accused of beingcomfortable with the Page 3 set buthe is also trying to appeal to the ordi-nary youth.

Second, Aditya is emulating hisgrandfather by building a baseamong the youth. The seniorThackeray had a devoted youth fol-lowing all his life. As long as he wasalive, every Vijayadasami day, thou-sands of youth had attended hismeeting at the Shivaji Park. Now,Aditya is targeting the millennial vot-ers. He is being projected as a sen-sitive, modern, young leader, who isflexible and open to new ideas.

Third, it was the family’s consid-ered decision to support Aditya’s elec-toral plunge. Bal Thackeray couldrun the Government through remote

control. Uddhav, too, managed to dothat but Aditya, encouraged by hismother Reshmi, believes that thedays of “remote control governance”are over and one needs to be in thesystem.

Above all, the Sena wants tostrengthen itself on the ground fear-ing that the BJP might subsume theparty. The family feels that thejunior Thackeray’s presence in thenext Cabinet would give them somecontrol.

Aditya is poised to win theWorli seat, if Dame Luck smiles athim, he might even become theDeputy Chief Minister. ThoughUddhav says now, “The first step inpolitics doesn’t mean that you haveto become the Chief Minister of theState. He has just entered politics, thisis just the beginning.” He would pushfor his son when the time comes.

Aditya wants to prove that he isnot just another son of a powerfulpolitical family but a grassrootsleader in his own right. TheAssembly contest will be his acid test.

(The writer is a senior journalist)

Will the Thackeray clan see a s(o)nrise? The timing is perfect for Thackeray scion Aditya to make his electoral debut with the BJP-Sena alliance poised to win the

Assembly polls. The young Thackeray represents the changing political scenario and the Sena’s evolving culture

KALYANI SHANKAR

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

Though some fossil fuelcompanies now promoterenewable projects, theycontinue to expand theiroperations in the face ofoverwhelming evidencethat their actions will driveecosystem collapse andmake much of the planet uninhabitable.It is difficult to confront thefull implications ofirresponsibility on such amonumental scale. But we, and our politicians,now have no choicebut to try.(The Guardian editorial)

A TIME OFRECKONING

THE KEY TOOPERATING A FREE

PUBLICTRANSPORT IS TO

IDENTIFYALTERNATE

SOURCES OFREVENUE TOFINANCE IT.

IF IMPLEMENTEDIN A PRUDENT

MANNER,CROSS-UTILITYSUBSIDY CAN

OFFER A LONG-TERM

SOLUTION FORFUNDING PUBLIC

TRANSPORT

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019 money 08CAPSULE

Gold up marginallyby Rs 5, silver falls Rs 91NEW DELHI: Gold witnessedmuted trading on Tuesday,rising marginally higher by Rs5 to Rs 39,105 per 10 gram inthe national capital as aweaker rupee kept thedownside limited, according toHDFC Securities. "Spot goldprices for 24 Karat in Delhiwere trading marginally up byRs 5 at Rs 39,105 as weakerrupee kept the downsidelimited. Spot rupee wastrading 10 paise weakeragainst the dollar during theday," Tapan Patel, senioranalyst - commodities, HDFCSecurities said. The yellowmetal had closed at Rs 39,100per 10 gram in the previoustrade here. Silver, however, fellby Rs 91 to Rs 46,809 perkilogram from Rs 46,900 perkilogram on Monday. In theglobal market, gold wastrading higher at USD1,493.30 an ounce, whilesilver too firmed up at USD17.62 per ounce.

Sensex spurts 292pts; auto, metalstocks drive rally

Lectro E-MobilitySolutions launchese-bicycleNEW DELHI: Lectro E-MobilitySolutions, a part of HeroCycles, on Tuesday launched anew electric bicycle, priced atRs 30,999. Townmaster, athrottle e-bike, can be chargedfrom a regular plug point anddoes not need specialcharging stations, much likeother products under theLectro range and can go for30-40 km on a single chargeof around three hours. "Thereis new emerging category ofconsumers in India who isfitness-oriented while alsobeing environmentally-conscious about reducingtheir carbon footprint. "Thiscategory of consumers isleading the demand foralternative and clean transportoptions that are viable fordifferent kinds of trips – be itshort distance or longdistance," Lectro E-MobilitySolutions Director AdityaMunjal said in a statement.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Non-life insurance companieswitnessed 28.3 per cent rise intheir collective new premiumat Rs 24,563.24 crore inSeptember, according to Irdaidata.

All the 34 non-life insurershad collected business premi-um of Rs 19,141.65 crore in thesame month a year ago.

Among these, 25 generalinsurers reported a rise of 39.3per cent in their combined pre-mium during the month at Rs20,145.46 crore as against Rs14,463.60 crore in September2018, as per the InsuranceRegulatory and Development

Authority of India (Irdai) data.The seven stand-alone pri-

vate sector health insurancecompanies clocked Rs 1,115.75crore premium in Septemberthis year, up 21.6 per cent fromRs 917.38 crore in the year-agoperiod.

The rest two specialised

PSU insurers -- AgriculturalInsurance Company of Indiaand ECGC -- saw a decline of12.2 per cent in their premiumincome at Rs 3,302.02 crorecompared to Rs 3,760.67 crore.

On a cumulative basis, pre-mium collection of all non-lifeinsurers during April-September this fiscal rose by17.23 per cent to Rs 95,978.99crore.

The 25 general insurers wit-nessed 16.84 per cent increasein their combined premiumincome at Rs 82,802.51 crore,and the seven stand-alone pri-vate sector health insurers reg-istered rise of 6.35 per cent toRs 6,096.98 crore.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Leading exchange BSE hascome out with a new frame-work for companies seeking tomigrate from its small andmedium enterprises (SME)platform to the main board.

Under the new guidelines,companies listed on SMEexchange need to have a mar-ket capitalisation of at least Rs25 crore in order to move upto the main board, BSE said ina circular. Explaining further,BSE said that the market cap-italisation on WeightedAverage Price (WAP) of pre-ceding 20 traded days from thedate of submission of applica-tion to the bourse for migra-tion from SME platform to themain board should be equal toor in excess of Rs 25 crore.

The exchange has nottweaked guidelines pertainingto requirement of post issuecapital and debarred entities.

BSE said that the firmsneed to ensure that their postissue capital should be over Rs10 crore, besides, companies,their directors or promotersshould not be barred from thecapital markets for shifting tothe main platform.

At present, firms that havea post-issue paid up capital ofmore than Rs 10 crore butbelow Rs 25 crore has theoption to list on the mainboard or the SME Exchange.In case their post-issue paid-up capital exceeds Rs 25 crore,main board listing becomesmandatory.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Indian Oil Corp (IOC), thenation's biggest oil firm, plansto rais?e Rs 3,000 crore in rupeeborrowings this month to meetits general corporate financingneeds, IOC Director (Finance)Sandeep Kumar Gupta said onTuesday.

"We plan to raise through arupee denominated bondsissue up to Rs 3,000 crore. Asimilar amount may be raisedlater in the financial year," hesaid here.

The b?ond issue will be of Rs1,000 crore with a greenshoeoption of another Rs 2,000

crore, he said and added that"we may retain or not retainover-subscription of up to Rs2,000 crore." The bond issuewill be of 10 year tenure.

IOC plans to use the moneyraised though the bond issuefor general corporate financing,he said adding the companyhad a borrowing of Rs 81,000crore at the end of Septemberquarter.

The company is aggressive-ly expanding refining andpetrochemical capacity andlaying infrastructure to meetrising energy demand in thecountry. "We had a plannedcapital spending of Rs 25,000crore during current fiscal. Ofthis, about Rs 8,000 crore wasspent till August-end and

another Rs 1,500 crore wouldhave been done in September,"he said expressing confidenceof fully spending the plannedcapex by March 2020.

The company, which sub-sidises cooking gas LPG andPDS kerosene, is yet to receiveRs 9,700 crore from the gov-ernment in unpaid subsidises.

"The unpaid subsidises arecoming down. They were Rs19,000 crore at the beginningof the fiscal and have nowcome down to Rs 9,700 crore,"he said. Gupta said, IOC hasalready announced plans toinvest Rs 2 lakh crore in next5-7 years to expand refiningand petrochemical capacities inorder to maintain leadershipposition. The plan is to almostdouble its oil refining capaci-ty to 150 million tonnes perannum, expand fuels and LPGretailing network, jack uppetrochemical productioncapacity and produce morecrude oil and gas.

IOC to raise Rs 3000 cr via rupee bonds

PNS n MUMBAI

Union minister Smriti Irani onTuesday pointed out that chal-lenges before the governmentlies in getting corporate Indiaimplement the laws speciallyenacted for women and chil-dren. Government has takenvarious initiatives and intro-duced laws for the safety ofwomen and children so thatthey get justice faster, the min-ister noted.

"The real challenge is actu-ally bridging government poli-cies with those of companies sothat we collectively deliver thebenefits of the laws to womenat large," she told a Bloombergevent here.

Irani, who heads the textileministry, said government hasbeen taking initiatives towardsbetter childcare as well point-ed to the enhanced materni-ty/paternity leaves.

"Companies need ensurethat women do not feel left outespecially in areas where theyfeel they can be promoted tothe next level," she said, addinggovernment has not just cod-ified the labour laws but hasalso ensured that laws makewomen feel secured in theirworkplaces in both in theorganised as well as unorgan-ised sectors.

Noting that woman andchild security is not an issue ofa particular country, she saidthe government has passed

laws to protect children fromsexual offences.

"For the first time, we havebrought a law where childpornography, especially in theonline space, is dealt withseriously," she added.

Irani further said the onlyissue on which political partiesof all hues have one view isregarding women and chil-dren, and as a result, the coun-try could move, especially inthe past five years, to a women-led development model fromwomen's development.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Vegetable oil imports fell by 13per cent to 13.03 lakh tonnesin September from samemonth last year, due to largecarry-over stock and imposi-tion of safeguard duty on palmoil originating from Malaysia,industry body SEA said onTuesday.

The Solvent ExtractorsAssociation of India (SEA)highlighted that many tradersare shifting to Indonesia forimports of palm oil amidreports that India might curbshipments from Malaysiawhich used strong words in theUnited Nations on India's deci-sion to abrogate Article 370 inJammu & Kashmir.

"The government imposed 5per cent safeguard duty onRBD Palmolein/Palm Oil ofMalaysian origin with effectfrom September 4. In view ofthis, now the duty differencebetween crude and refinedpalm oil has increased to 10per cent irrespective of any ori-gin," the association said.

Although the import ofRBD palmolein remainedmore or less same inSeptember, the quantity ofimports from Malaysiareduced to one-third fromprevious month's import, itadded. SEA's Executive direc-tor BV Mehta attributed the fallin vegetable oil imports tocarry-over stock and imposi-tion of safeguard duty.

"Secondly, recent reportappeared in Media, that

Government of India may takesome action to curtail importsof palm oil from Malaysia fol-lowing the hostile attitude ofMalaysia at the UN inSeptember when Malaysiacharged that India invadedand occupied J&K. Fearingsome action by Government ofIndia in retaliation, manyimporter/refiners shifting theirbuying from Malaysia toIndonesia for November-December shipment," thestatement said.

Imports of vegetable oils(comprising edible and non-edible oil) during Septemberdeclined by 13 per cent to13,03,976 tonnes compared to

14,91,174 tonnes in the year-ago period.

Imports of edible oil fell to12,54,443 tonnes in September2019, from 14,22,003 tonnes inthe year-ago period, whilenon-edible oil imports fell to49,533 tonnes from 69,171tonnes during the periodunder review.

However, the overallimports of vegetable oils dur-ing November 2018 toSeptember 2019 went up by 3per cent to 14.17 milliontonnes, SEA said in a state-ment.

During November 2018 toSeptember 2019, SEA saidimports of refined oil (RBDpalmolein) increased to26,12,394 tonnes from19,98,813 tonnes in same peri-od of last year, due to lowerduty on palmolein importedfrom Malaysia.

This resulted in lowerimports of crude oil whichstood at 109,69,087 tonnesfrom 113,43,273 tonnes duringthe same period of last year,reducing capacity utilization ofdomestic industry.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The industrial and logisticsegment has attracted USD 500million (about Rs 3,500 crore)investment since 2017, asdemand for quality warehous-ing space is growing rapidlypost the implementation ofGST, property consultantCBRE said on Tuesday.

In its report, the consultanthighlighted that several poli-cies (both proposed andimplemented), along with thegrant of infrastructure status tothe logistics sector, led to morethan USD 500 million beinginvested in acquiring industrialand logistics assets in Indiaduring 2017-H1 2019.

In its survey of warehousingclients post GST, CBRE foundthat almost 70 per cent ofrespondents indicated animprovement in ease of doingbusiness mainly on account ofe-way billing, which hasremoved a lot of bottlenecks incargo storage and transportprocesses.

About 80 per cent ofrespondents felt that the taxa-tion system improved after

the implementation of GST,while 40 per cent respondentsindicated that they willincrease the number of ware-houses in the post-GST era.

On outlook of this sector,CBRE said demand for ware-housing will strengthen andestimated that leasing will beabout 10-15 per cent higher

this year at 25-30 million sq ftcompared to last year.

CBRE had earlier reportedthat leasing of warehousingspaces went up by 31 per centto over 13 million sq ft acrosseight major cities in the firsthalf of this year, driven main-ly by demand from third party-logistic and e-commerce firms.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Terming TRAI's review ofcall connect charges "retro-grade", Reliance Jio has saidthe regulator's consultationpaper is neither warrantednor sustainable and thatretention of such charges willharm subscribers and punishefficient operators.

Jio alleged that any defer-ment of sunset clause forinter-operator terminationcharges will end up rewarding"designed defaulters" whohave deliberately stayed awayfrom new and efficient tech-nologies.

Jio has shot off a letter toTRAI saying the presentConsultation Paper "sub-sidises and incentivises thetelecom service providerswho, by design and astuteplanning, do not want toshift to IP based technology".

Jio has questioned TRAI'sjurisdiction and reasons totinker with the originalschedule for implementationof zero termination chargeregime from January 1, 2020.

Launching a scathingattack on the TelecomRegulatory Authority of India(TRAI), which is examiningwhether sunset clause forinter-operator terminationcharges should be deferred,Jio said nothing preventedincumbent operators fromswitching their networks toefficient VOLTE (Voice overLong-Term Evolution) all thiswhile.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Multinational pharmaceuticalcompany Mylan is workingwith Drug Controller Generalof India (DCGI) to launchpretomanid, a medicine usedto treat drug-resistant tuber-culosis (TB), a top official ofthe US drug major has said.

Non-profit drug developerTB Alliance and Mylan NVhad in April announced aglobal collaboration to makethe experimental drug pre-tomanid for cure of pul-monary tuberculosis.

"We have submitted thenew drug application to theoffice of DCGI. We are in anadvanced stage of discussionand are working with theoffice of DCGI... Mylan willbe in a position to launch theproduct in India soon afterreceiving approvals fromDCGI," Mylans global presi-dent and executive directorRajiv Malik told PTI duringhis recent visit to India.

This drug is important forIndia because Prime MinisterNarendra Modi said Indiawould get rid of tuberculosisby 2025, he added.

Also, Modi launched acampaign to eradicate TBfrom India by 2025, five yearsahead of a globally-set dead-line.

TB Alliance was currentlyadvancing the development ofpretomanid in three ongoinglate-stage clinical trials, Mylanhad said in April.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Commerce Minister PiyushGoyal on Tuesday said Indiaand the US do not have anytrade disputes and both nationshave huge bilateral trade andinvestment potential.

Speaking during a ministe-rial panel discussion at IndiaEnergy Forum here, Goyalsaid, "There is no (trade) dis-pute (with the US). We hadcertain disagreements, but Idont think that there is... anyrelation where there are no dis-agreements at all. I think wewelcome some 'nok jhok'(argument). Little bit of uncer-tainty helps in taking thingsforward."

Goyal's comments assumessignificance in view of recentwithdrawal of GeneralizedSystem of Preferences (GSP) or

trade tariff incentives onIndian products by the US,especially when both countriesare negotiating a trade agree-ment.

Goyal was of the view thathis discussion with his UScounterpart helped improvethe bilateral relations further.

Referring to the withdraw-al of GSP by the US, Goyalsaid, it could be a "dispute inthe eyes of some, but I think itopened up an opportunity forme to have a dialogue with mycolleague (US trade represen-tative). We had some wonder-ful discussions."

About the business potentialwith US Energy firms he said,"There is huge potential on thegas side and also in nuclearenergy. The US and India have

a robust relationship, which hashuge potential going forward...We should not look at incre-mental growth in our rela-tionship. We should be lookingat a quantum leap. We have sethalf-trillion-dollar (trade) tar-get (with the US)."

Goyal said that there is hugepotential of energy exportsfrom the US to India andbusiness is going on with theUS on oil, gas and nuclearfronts.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Reserve Bank will contin-ue to be accommodative anddeliver one more rate cut in theDecember policy reviewdespite the "surprising" spike inheadline inflation forSeptember, say analysts.

Some analysts also wonderif the economy is headedtowards "stagflation", which ischaracterised by persistentlyhigh inflation and low eco-nomic and jobs growth.

Official data released onMonday showed consumerprice inflation for Septemberracing to 3.99 percent, up from3.3 percent in August. Underthe inflation targeting frame-work, the RBI is bound to keepthe price index at 4 percentwith a 2 percentage pointseither way.

Analysts on Tuesday attrib-uted the sharp spike in theheadline number to a rise infood prices, particularly onions

which alone accounted for0.43 percentage points of thejump.

Foreign brokerage Bank ofAmerica Merrill Lynch's econ-omists said the sudden spurt ininflation is "temporary" andexpects it move up further to4.6 percent in October.

But despite this, it expectsthe RBI to continue with itsrate cuts and deliver a 0.25 per-centage points reduction in theDecember review.

It said the RBI will take this

view because the liquiditycrunch that began this time lastyear is still hurting the econo-my and also with an eye on theAugust industrial productionnumbers, which showed a con-traction by 1.1 percent--thesteepest in seven long years.

If growth continues to headsouth or remain slow, the RBIwill cut rates by a further 0.40percent to take the repo ratedown to 4.5 percent by nextSeptember, it added.

Japanese brokerage Nomurawondered if the economy isentering a "stagflation" stage,and warned that a combinationof weaker-than-expectedgrowth and higher inflationmakes for a tough policy callfor the monetary policy com-mittee.

"We believe the larger devi-ation of growth from target vis-a-vis inflation target will like-ly lead the MPC to continuewith an accommodative poli-cy stance and deliver anotherrate cut of 0.15 percent inDecember," it said.

Singaporean bank DBS alsoexpects the rate-setting panelis likely to look past foodinflation and not put brakes onthe easy money policy.

It can be noted that the RBIhas cut rates by a cumulative1.35 percent in five consecutiverate cuts in 2019, to prop upgrowth amid the legroom cre-ated by softer inflation andfalling growth numbers.

MUMBAI: Extending its gainsfor the third consecutivesession, market benchmarkBSE Sensex rallied about 292points on Tuesday driven bygains mainly in auto, metaland banking stocks. Aftersoaring 421 points during theday, the 30-share Sensexended 291.62 points, or 0.76per cent, higher at 38,506.09.It hit an intra-day high of38,635.19 and a low of38,238.27. The broader NSENifty too rose 87.15 points, or0.77 per cent, to settle at11,428.30. Top gainers in theSensex pack included Vedanta,M&M, ONGC, Hero MotoCorpand Maruti, rising up to 3.79per cent. On the other hand,Bharti Airtel, Infosys, TataMotors, HCL Tech and TechMahindra fell up to 2.53 percent. Elsewhere in Asia,bourses in Shanghai, HongKong ended in the red, whilethose in Seoul and Tokyoended higher.

On outlook of this sector, CBRE saiddemand for warehousing will strengthenand estimated that leasing will be about10-15 per cent higher this year at 25-30million sq ft compared to last year

SEA's Executivedirector BV Mehtaattributed the fallin vegetable oilimports to carry-over stock andimposition ofsafeguard duty

Goyal's comments assumessignificance in view of recentwithdrawal of Generalized System ofPreferences (GSP) or trade tariffincentives on Indian products by theUS, especially when both countries arenegotiating a trade agreement

Smriti Irani

Irani nudges India Incto adopt more women-friendly policies

Irani, who headsthe textile ministry,said governmenthas been takinginitiatives towardsbetter childcare aswell pointed to theenhancedmaternity/paternityleaves

Foreign brokerageBank of AmericaMerrill Lynch'seconomists saidthe sudden spurtin inflation is"temporary" andexpects it move upfurther to 4.6percent in October

New BSE normsfor cos to shiftfrom SME

Piyush Goyal

‘No trade disputes with US,only few disagreements’

Veg oil imports fall 13 pc inSep; Malaysian shipments drop

Mylan workingto launch new TB drug in India

‘Despite inflation rise, RBI may cut rates in Dec’

IOC plans to use the money raisedthough the bond issue for generalcorporate financing, he said, adding thecompany had a borrowing of Rs 81,000crore at the end of September quarter

TRAI's IUC review will harmusers, punish efficient telcos: Jio

Warehousing space sees USD500 mn investment since 2017

Non-life insurers see 28% rise in premium

yderabad-based G.Naga Jyothi is on amission to inspirewomen farmers togrow mushroomsand Stevia (sugar

substitute) as protein-richalternatives for people whodon’t consume meat and nat-ural sugar.

She quit her bank job torejoin the work she started inher graduation and sincethen has never looked back.“My agri-based enterprisePlantae is all about research-ing the plant kingdom.During research at my gradu-ation level I realised thatplants hold the solution toevery medical problem weface. I have worked withfarmers and artisans whoseexperiences gave me a lot ofinsight into this,” she said.

The idea of finding a meatalternative came to her whenshe read an article about howmuch non-vegetarians missmeat after they are forced toquit it for health reasons. Soshe researched on plant alter-natives that provide proteinas much as meat and alsotastes good.

Jyothi did her PGAgribusiness Managementfrom MITCON Institute of

Management, Pune. In orderto form her own companyshe later got trained at theICAR-Directorate ofMushroom Research inSolan. “I started on a smallscale by growing exotic medi-cinal mushrooms which areknown to be alternativesfor non-vegetarian diet. Ialso trained manywomen to grow differ-ent varieties of mush-rooms,” she said.

She said finding a sub-stitute for naturalsugar is the need ofthe hour as oneout of every tenteenagers inIndia has highlevels of glucosein blood.

“Many artifi-cial sweetenersthat are availablein the market areproduced fromchemicals. Hence, Istarted promotingStevia as it is a per-fect natural sugarsubstitute,” she said.

“Stevia leaf extract isavailable in the marketbut many people arenot aware of its bene-fits. While doing survey

in the city, I found that manyfelt Stevia leaf extract is likeany other kind of artificialsweetener owing to the simi-larity in packing. Manystayed away from it fearingside effects. But scientists at

the Central Instituteof Medicinal

and

Aromatic Plants informedme about about the plant, itsextraction and its health ben-efits. Our aim isto have thiswonder herbin everyhome

soon. The fresh leaves ofStevia can be used for sweet-ening many dishes. We alsoplanning to start a nursery tosupply these plants for peo-ple,” she added displaying apacket of her Stevia’s sugarsubstitute.

She now has a team of fivemembers who work on pro-

duce, package and marketStevia extract. She alsocollaborates withmany women acrossTelugu states who

produce Stevia attheir homes.

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

LIVE GUITARPERFORMANCES ANDA HARMONICARENDITION CROONEDBOTH SOLOS ANDDUETS FROM THEVAST COLLECTION OFHITS OF THE SINGER

WednesdayOctober 16, 2019

G. Naga Jyothi’s enterprise, Plantae, is keento help people lead healthier lives andprovide a source of income for women

farmers across Telugu states, finds V SATEESH REDDY

Many artificial sweet-eners that are available inthe market are producedfrom chemicals. Hence, Istarted promoting Steviaas it is a perfect naturalsugar substitute. Steviaextract is also availablebut not many people areaware of its benefits

G. NAGA JYOTHIENTREPRENEURH

REPLACING MEAT AND SUGAR FOR

FOODIES

Breaking mentalbarriers in society

he number ofpeople whoacknowledge(and also cele-brate) WorldMental Health

Day, that falls on October10, has been steadilyincreasing over the years.This shows that more andmore people are acceptingthe importance of ahealthy mind to achieve agood work-life balance.

But taboo, prejudiceand infamy surroundingthe subject have put manypeople in the dark. Totear down the myths andmisinformation sur-rounding mental health,Good Universe, an NGOvocal about social issues,conducted a mentalhealth awareness pro-gramme recently.

“It’s ok to struggle; it’sok to ask for help; it’s okto not have all theanswers and it’s ok to not

be ok. This is our motto,”said the organisers.

The event, themed#flauntyourflaws, wit-nessed talks by manymental health expertswho answered questionsregarding the prejudiceassociated with mentalhealth issues such asdepression and addictionand their treatment.

Many other peoplecame forward to sharetheir stories about mentalhealth.

A dance performanceby Patruni Sastry, anexpressionist, madeeveryone think about howterrible mental illnessescan be.

Ashish, known for hishappy-go-lucky andcomedian attitude,opened up about his sen-sitive history of childabuse in such a poignantand respectful way thatmoved the audience to

tears. “It is true what theysay. Sometimes the mosthappiest people go thro-ugh the most toughesttimes. Ashish lived up toit by sharing his personalstory as well as speakingagainst other shushedtopics like dowry, harass-ment and inter-religiousconflicts,” said the organ-isers.

Speakers at the eventincluded Dr PurnimaNagraja from Dhritifoundation, LuciaKankipati from EverydayMiracles and Dr SnehaKhelani from RetrospectCounseling and alsoShyamanthak Kiran.

Founder of GoodUniverse Kamal says,“Mental health is quiteessential to the overallhealth and well being,and mental illnesses arecommon and treatable.What we need is moreacceptance.”

Many sections of society are waking up to thefact on how important mental health is. Thehuge attendance at a recent event on mental

health is a testament to that fact

T

Remembering Kishore Kumar

Dakshin Dhwani,a city-basedkaraoke group,whose musicaljourney beganthree years ago on

October 13, coinciding withthe 29th death anniversaryof the late playback KishoreKumar — the unchallengedicon of Hindi playbacksinging during the late 1960s— organised a musical eventcommemorating theirgroup’s formation. Thegroup, which has grownfrom a family-run unit of six

members to 35 membersfrom various age groups andbackground, organised theirgrand event ‘Ik Raasta HaiZindagi’ at Our Sacred Spacein Secunderabad.

In all, 13 performers,including live guitar perfor-mances and a harmonicarendition, crooned bothsolos and duets from the vastcollection of hits by KishoreKumar.

The audience, made of allage groups, applauded thesingers for the musicalevening. The performers

comprise people from cor-porate and professionalbackground in the age groupof 25 to 75 who put up soul-ful performances.

With open and culturalspaces in Secunderabadshrinking, this kind of eventwas a breath of fresh air forthe 100-odd crowd whoattended the event. “This isour first anniversary pro-gramme that we performedin Secunderabad after wemoved here. We are over-whelmed with their supportwe got from the people

here,” said T. Balakrishnan,co-founder of the group andone of the performers.

Anjna Puri Surath, a doc-tor and a music buff, said, “Iam very happy that ourgroup went the extra mile tostage this event in anacoustic-friendly venue to asupportive crowd. I lovedtheir claps and whistles as Irendered the Kishore num-bers from the 1960’s which iseasily the golden phase ofHindi cinema.”

The audience couldn’thelp but stay till the end of

the 200-minute long pro-gramme after which theyinteracted with the singers,thanking them for a memo-rable evening.

The young singers wereseen networking with thelike-minded fans who alsoattended Dakshin Dhwani’sprevious event ‘Are DeewanoMujhe Pehchano’, an openmic session that was held atNritya Forum forPerforming Arts at BanjaraHills.

As Prabha Naresh, whoanchored the programme,said, “It was a double treatfor music lovers of Hyd-erabad and Secunderabad. Iam glad we pulled it off.”

T. Balakrishnan informedthat they also held a musicalprogramme at CherlapallyPrison recently as part ofPrisoners Welfare Day inassociation with theTelangana PrisonsDepartment. — VSR

More than100 music

lovers cametogether to

pay homageto legendarylate playback

singer KishoreKumar

D

THE IDEA OF FINDINGAN ALTERNATIVE FOR MEATCAME TO JYOTHI WHEN SHE READABOUT HOW MUCH NON-VEGETARIANSMISS MEAT AFTER THEY QUIT IT FOR

HEALTH REASONS

ZOEKRAVITZCAST ASCATWOMANIN THEBATMAN

oe Kravitz has been cast asSelina Kyle, a.k.a.Catwoman, in Matt Reeves’The Batman, an individualwith knowledge of the pro-ject told TheWrap.

Robert Pattinson will play the DarkKnight in the upcoming Warner Bros.film. Reeves and Mattson Tomlin wrotethe screenplay, and the film isbeing produced by Reeves andDylan Clark. Michael E. Uslan isexecutive producing. It is set tostart filming in January in theU.K.

Reeves took over as directorafter Ben Affleck stepped awayfrom both that position and asthe film’s star, saying that hewould be hanging up the cape forgood. Reeves has since describedthe film as a “defining” and “verypersonal” story about the DarkKnight, rather than an originstory in the vein of FrankMiller’s beloved Year Oneseries.

Jonah Hill was mostrecently reported to havebeen talks to play TheRiddler, while JeffreyWright was in negoti-ations to star asCommissionerGordon.

Kravitz’s mostrecent creditsinclude Mad Max:Fury Road, FantasticBeasts and Where to FindThem, Rough Night, FantasticBeasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse andBig Little Lies. She also voiced the roleof Catwoman in The Lego BatmanMovie.

She will next star in Viena and theFantomes and the TV series HighFidelity. Kravitz is represented byParadigm, Untitled Entertainmentand Edelstein and Laird & Sobel.

The Batman will be released onJune 25, 2021.

Z

uperstar Rajinikanth has a deepbond with Uttarakhand whichbrings him to the hill state almostevery year. He sayshe finds

peace

in its atmosphere.The southern star, who is regarded nothing

less than a demigod by his millions of follow-ers, this time arrived in Rishikesh on Sunday

night with his daughter Aishwarya.He stayed at the Dayanand

Ashram and attended the‘Ganga aarti’ in the evening.

He also prayed at the‘samadhi’ of his guru.

Later, he did medi-tation for some

time.The Dayanand

Ashram is situ-ated on thebanks ofGanga Riverand is aunique centrefor the studyof Vedas andSanskrit. It isunique in thesense that thelessons are

conducted inEnglish. There is

a temple dedicat-ed to Lord Shiva.The ashram was

established during thesixties by Swami

Dayanand Saraswati, a

well known scholar of Sanskrit and Vedas.An office bearer at the ashram, who spoke

on condition of anonymity, said, “Rajinikanthis a very pious man and whenever he comeshere, he stays in one of the rooms and eats thefood offered in the ashram. He is always keento know about the activities and programmesin the ashram.”

Rajinikanth went out for a stroll onMonday morning and then left with hisdaughter for Kedarnath and Badrinath in ahelicopter. He offered prayers at both thetemples where he was welcomed by the tem-ple officials.

The superstar told reporters that he hadcome to seek the blessings of the Lord and hisGuru for his upcoming film Darbar.

“We have completed the shooting ofDarbar and I am here to pray for the successof the film,” he said.

Last year, he had visited the temples to prayfor the success of his film 2.0 before itsrelease. He has also visited the place beforethe release of Robot.

Rajinikanth seems to be fascinated by theserenity of Uttarakhand. Last year, in July, hehad stayed in Mussorie for the shooting of afilm. He had visited the SwamiramHimalayan University in Jollygrant and hadoffered tributes at the ‘samadhi’ of Swamiram.

According to sources, Rajnikanth has beenvisiting Uttarakhand since the past onedecade and the actor says that he finds peacein the atmosphere here.

S

Hyderabad Wednesday October 16, 2019

10

celeb talks

hroughout history, hate andconflict have been a part ofthe human experience. Fromhorrific extremes such as theHolocaust or the Rwandangenocide, when hate has

fueled mass destruction, to everydayincidents like playground bullying ormalicious trolling on social media, hateshapes our lives in myriad ways. Andwhile all humans have the capacity tohate, few understand what sparks it andtransforms it into a destructive force.

Executive produced by filmmakingheavyweights Alex Gibney and StevenSpielberg and directed by GeetaGandbhir and Sam Pollard (Emmy

winners for “When The Levees Broke:A Requiem in Four Acts”), WHY WEHATE explores one of humanity’s mostprimal and destructive emotions —hate. At the heart of this timely series isthe notion that if people begin tounderstand their own minds, they canfind ways to work against hate andkeep it from spreading.

The six-part series will begin airingon Sunday, at 8 pm on DiscoveryChannel and Discovery HD world,with additional episodes airing eachsubsequent Sunday. In addition, manyof Discovery’s networks around theworld will begin airing the series inOctober.

T

GEETA GANDBHIR SAM POLLARD

ALEX GIBNEY STEVEN SPIELBERG

ctress Vahbiz Dorabjee has lost 13kilos for her role in a new web series.

“I have always maintained a fitlifestyle and hence working out hasbeen a core part of my daily life.Recently I was also trying out

intermittent fasting. Yoga, regular walks,etc have also been a part of my daily rou-tine, not only to lose weight rather to bebe healthy and fit,” Vahbiz said.

Last week, she teased her fans onInstagram about the project.

“They say when you really withyour heart manifest something,the entire universe conspires tomake it happen (yes, as filmyas it sounds)! But yes, myeyes had seen a dream,one which I had beenworking towards and Ican finally see myselfinching towards it!#Excited#NewBeginnings#AnnouncementComingSoon,” shewrote.

A

VAHBIZ DORABJEESHEDS 13 KILOSFOR WEB SERIES

li Fazal and ShriyaPilgaonkar’s HouseArrest will releaseon Netflix onNovember 15.

Also featuringJim Sarbh and Barkha Singh,House Arrest brings to life theconcept of JOMO (Joy OfMissing Out).

House Arrest is jointlydirected by Shashanka Ghoshand Samit Basu. The film isproduced by Trilok Malhotraand KR Harish of IndiaStories Media &Entertainment Private Ltd.

It is the story of a man —trapped in his own fears —who locks himself at home,only to find that while he canrestrict his interaction withthe world, he can’t keep theworld from entering hisdomain.

Ali feels House Arrest has afantastic script.

“It’s witty, very fresh and forme, selfishly, the character isvery arched and layered. So itwas a fun time on sets to playthis part. Even though it is acomedy, it is complex and Igot to go on set everyday anddo something new and fresheven though it was all oneplace,” he said at the time ofthe announcement.

AALI FAZAL'S HOUSEARREST GETS

RELEASE DATE

RAJINIKANTH'S FASCINATION FOR UTTARAKHAND

OSCAR WINNERS' WHYWE HATE SERIES DEBUTS

ON SUNDAY IN INDIA

hat Victory Venkatesh is playing thelead in Tharun Bhascker’s next setin the backdrop of Malakpet raceclub is old news. The latest piece ofinformation trickling in indicates

that the veteran actor will be seen as a punterwho bets on races. “Venky is always on thelookout for interesting characterisationsand role in Tharun’s film was one. His querieson character front were convincinglyanswered by Tharun. The actor was especial-

ly pleased with his role’s graph.The fact that it is giving him

chance to speak Deccaniwas an added bonus. Hewas in splits goingthrough some dialogueswritten by Tharun andis eager to reel them infront of the cameras,”says a source.

The untitled film ispresently in pre-pro-duction and Tharunwill take it in front of

the cameras once hecompletes promoting

his acting gig MeekuMaathrame Cheptha,

where he played a lead for thefirst time. Suresh Productions

will be bankrolling theventure.

roducer K.K. Radha-mohan, who has burnthis fingers by distributingNGK and Kalki earlier,has acquired the Telugu

dubbing rights of Karthi-starrerKhaidi. Despite the dismal show ofhis last, Dev, Karthi enjoys a decentmarket in Telugu. Radhamohanwill be releasing the film forDiwali, wherein it will lock hornswith Tamil superstar Vijay-starrerWhistle.

Khaidi, helmed by LokeshKanagaraj of Maanagaram fame, isan action-thriller and will seeKarthi playing Dilli, an escapedlife-convict on the run and his

journey with a cop who is on alsoon the run from a deadly smug-gling gang. Dilli also should alsomeet his daughter whom he hasnever seen in life. This segmentforms the emotional crux.Radhamohan said, “Khaidi is dif-ferent from the regular cinema. It’sa concept-driven film devoid ofheroine or songs. It would be a pul-sating affair and the teaser hasreceived phenomenal response.”

Shot completely during nightsand peppered with intense chasesequences on the highway, the filmsees Anjathey Narain, George,and Dheena in pivotal characters.C.S. Sam is the composer.

aunched last week, thefi lming of MegastarChiranjeevi’s next withKoratala Siva, kicks offnext month. Except for

the fact that it will be a signa-ture Koratala social drama, themakers chose to keep a lid overthe plotline.

But that’s up until now.Multiple reports that aredoing rounds point out thatthe film will be set in thebackdrop of EndowmentsDepartment and the step-motherly treatment that hasbeen meted out to it over theyears. It is said that Chiru willbe seen as an employee of thedepartment who is unhappywith the state of some tem-ples and decides to take

matters in his own hands.His part primarily targetsencroachers and political

heavyweights who in thefilm are shown to be involvedin grabbing of the land that

belongs to the departmentand some Hindu religious

institutions. Also, the leassees are

taking the temple lands at throw-away prices and in turn are giv-ing them on sub-lease at marketprices, resulting in huge loss to thedepartment. The film will dealwith these issues, it is widely spec-ulated. For the untitled film — ajoint venture between KonidelaProduction Company andMatinee Entertainments — Ko-ratala has gathered a strong team.Thiru is the cameraman whileSreekar Prasad will be the editor.Suresh Selvarajan, whose work inBharat Ane Nenu received ravereviews, will be the productiondesigner.

A proposal to remakeBrochevarevaruraa for the

Hindi belt has come my way.I didn’t feel like revisiting the

story. Moreover, I am notcomfortable with Hindi. I

would be required to dependon someone for help, which I

don’t want to doVIVEK ATHREYA

WRITER-DIRECTOR t’s rare for a Tollywoodfilmmaker not to suc-cumb to commercialtropes of storytellingand emerge out in fly-ing colours by doing

what he believes in. Vivek Athreyadid that twice. If his maidendirectorial Mental Madhilo was areasonable success despite glow-ing reviews, the enormous successof Brochevarevaruraa proved thathis films can be a big box-officedraw as well. No wonder his nextmove is being keenly watched.The writer-director is taking itslow and is presently penning athriller and a romantic comedy.“The thriller runs as a socialdrama and I’m currently in thefirst draft. As far as the rom-comis concerned, it was an idea that

I had for sometime and I’m devel-oping it. I am working on both thescripts simultaneously and I don’tknow which one will go to setsfirst,” he told The Pioneer in anexclusive interview.

Shedding more light on thethriller-social drama, Vivek, whois in talks with premier produc-tion houses DVV Entertainmentand Mythri Movie Makers for hisnext, added, “It would mostly fea-

ture an ensemble. I would ideal-ly need eight to 10 popular facesto spearhead it, with four beingtop-league actresses’. It would bemostly set in Hyderabad.”

His two films have been withSree Vishnu and he is not averseto the idea of teaming up withstars. “Some stars approachedme and expressed their interest towork with me afterBrochevarevaruraa. But as of now

I don’t have scripts for them. Ican’t force myself and write forthem. It’s not good for me orthem. I believe the writing shouldtake its organic course,” hedeclared.

Vivek, who has completed writ-ing dialogues for good friendPavan Sadineni’s next withBellamkonda Ganesh, also ruledout the possibility of directing theHindi remake ofBrochevarevaruraa.

“A proposal to remake it for theHindi belt has come my way. Ididn’t feel like revisiting the storyand waste my time. So, I couldn’ttake it up. Moreover, I’m not com-fortable with Hindi. I would berequired to depend on someonefor help, which I don’t want to do,”he concluded.

i

11

tollywoodHyderabad Wednesday October 16, 2019

l

p

t

KK RADHAMOHAN TODISTRIBUTE KHAIDI

Mebaz launches wedding campaign with

KIARA, VIJAYndian wear brand, Mebaz, from the house of Manyavar,announced the launch of its latest wedding campaignwith Bollywood’s glam-diva Kiara Advani andTollywood’s heartthrob Vijay Deverakonda. Launchedthrough two television commercial films, the duo will

be seen donning Mebaz’s latest wedding-collection across print,outdoor, digital campaigns. Through the move, the brand hopesto widen its appeal amongst the millennial populace of the coun-try.

Following the outstanding success of the Telugu movie ArjunReddy and its Bollywood remake Kabir Singh, Vijay Deverakondaand Kiara Advani have won over the box office and millions ofhearts. Recognised as the next generation actors, the duo withtheir impeccable charm and beauty have won everyone’s heartsacross the industry and social media. The stunning and grace-

ful Kiara Advani, also known for herstyle and acting prowess has

become a household name;while Vijay, with his

smouldering looks andbrooding charm haswon over the audiencerepeatedly. Together, theduo shares a dynamic,youthful energy thatresonates with thebrand’s ethos and its

key message.

iCHIRU WILL BE SEEN ASAN EMPLOYEE OF THEENDOWMENTSDEPARTMENT WHOTARGETSENCROACHMENTS ONTEMPLE LANDS

Venky isa punter

CHIRU as a crusaderagainst temple

encroachments?

FOLLOWING THE OUTSTANDING SUCCESS OF THETELUGU MOVIE ARJUN REDDY AND ITS BOLLYWOODREMAKE KABIR SINGH, VIJAY DEVERAKONDA ANDKIARA ADVANI HAVE WON OVER THE BOX OFFICEAND MILLIONS OF HEARTS. RECOGNISED AS THENEXT GENERATION ACTORS, THE DUO WITH THEIRIMPECCABLE CHARM AND BEAUTY HAVE TAKEN THEINDUSTRY BY STORM.

I can't force myself to writefor stars: Vivek Athreya

The writer-director is going slowand is presently penning a thrillerand a romantic comedy, findsNAGARAJ GOUD

sport 12HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 16, 2019

SAUGAR SENGUPTA n KOLKATA

Even as Board of Control forCricket in India presidentdesignate Sourav Ganguly

returned to Kolkata amid a grandwelcome the former Cricket Indiacaptain said there was no politicsto be read into his getting nom-inated as the boss of Indiancricket.

Soon after landing at theNSI Airport the cricketing south-paw said, “there was no politicalpressure on me; neither is thereany political deal,” behind his get-ting the priced post. When askedas to whether he saw a shinningpolitical future ahead of himparticularly after the 2021 BengalAssembly elections, he remainednon-committal saying “there wasno talk with anyone on my polit-ical future.”

Incidentally hours beforebeing tipped off to be the firstcricketer to become a BCCI pres-ident Ganguly had a brief meet-ing with Home Minister AmitShah which many critic saw as aprelude to his becoming theBoard president.

On whether there was anyoffer from any political bench for

him he said “there is nothingwrong if any politician wantsgood people to join politics.There is nothing wrong if MrAmit Shah or Mamata Didi wantgood people to join their parties.”

On his future chemistry withBCCI secretary designate JayShah he said “Jay and I have beenvery good friends.

Both of us are young andboth of us have experience andboth of us want to do somethingfor the Indian cricket. So it willbe a great inning for both of us.There will not be lack of any

effort … whether I will be suc-cessful or not I can’t say but I cansay that I will work to the best ofmy capability for the cause ofIndian cricket.”

Dwelling on his priorities asthe BCCI chief he said “my firstpriority is the whole lot of firstclass cricketers. It is this pool ofcricketers from where the toppayers emerge. But the remaininglot of first class cricketers getsvery little for them. So it will bemy first priority to do somethingfor them. We will work collective-ly and change their lives.”

PTI n DUBAI

Injured India opener SmritiMandhana has lost her

number one status after beingtoppled by New Zealand’sAmy Satterthwaite in the bat-ting chart of the latest ICCODI rankings.

Mandhana, who has 755points, slipped to the numbertwo spot after she missedIndia’s recently concludedODI series against SouthAfrica due to injury.

The 23-year-old suffereda fracture in her right toe afterbeing struck by a ball duringa net session before the startof the ODI series againstSouth Africa which India won3-0.

Among others batters,skipper Mithali Raj moveddown to the seventh spotwhile her Harmanpreet Kaurrose in the rankings to theoccupy the 17th place.

In the bowlers’ rankings,Jhulan Goswami, ShikhaPandey and Poonam Yadavmoved down to be placedsixth, eighth and ninth respec-tively.

Among the all-rounders,Deepti Sharma has moveddown to the third place whileShikha Pandey broke into thetop 10.

PTI n RANCHI

The demoralising defeats atthe hands of India in the

first two Tests has forced SouthAfrican paceman KagisoRabada to think if his side canbe put under more pressure.

India’s top-order fired inunison to bury South Africaunder a mountain of runs inboth the Tests, where theyamassed 500 and 600 in the firstinnings in Visakhapatnam andPune.

“We’ve been put underimmense pressure. I don’t knowif we can be put more pressurethan that,” Rabada toldreporters.

The 24-old year old pace-man acknowledged that notonly Indian batsmen but theirbowlers also outsmarted them.

It’s been a long time whenSouth Africa took 20 wickets in

a Test match and Rabada, whois South Africa’s leading seam-er, only has four wickets fromtwo matches in this series.

“They got the ball toreverse and they bowled well asa collective. Their whole attackput pressure on us in every sin-gle aspect. Their spinnersbowled well and when the ballwas reversing their seamerscould exploit that. We didn’treally get the ball to reverse andthat’s a major weapon of ours,”he explained.

Rabada is hoping that thisphase will be over soon.

“It’s never nice to lose,especially in the manner we’relosing right now but we’regoing through a transition peri-od. Our team is fresh andyoung, so the best thing we cando is look at where we canimprove and remember ourstrengths and build on them.”

PTI n KARACHI

Head coach-cum-chief selec-tor Misbah-ul-Haq is

extremely disappointed with theattitude of some Pakistani play-ers, who shy away from propertraining, lack discipline anddon’t adhere to professional stan-dards.

Pakistan recently suffered awhitewash against Sri Lanka inthe three-game T20I series athome and Misbah remains verydisappointed at the way the top-ranked side capitulated to SriLanka in front of home crowds.

“What has disturbed Misbahthe most in his first assignmentas head coach and the chiefselector is the reluctance of someplayers to follow directions of themanagement and do propertraining to keep high fitnessstandards,” one source said.

“He is unhappy that someplayers are just too relaxed andtake training lightly and are notworking on improving theircricket discipline. He has also notbeen encouraged by the attitudeof captain, Sarfaraz Ahmedwhom he feels shies away fromtaking responsibility when thechips are down.”

Another source said thatMisbah was surprised by thebehaviour of three senior play-ers — Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim,and Haris Sohail.

“Several times he felt theywere making excuses to shyaway from training and propernets. He got the feeling they hadsome sort of excuse ready to goeasy on their training,” the sourcesaid.

“Batsman, Haris Sohail hasdeveloped a painful habit ofmaking excuses for having someniggling problem or pain whenasked to push himself in training.

“Another problem whichconfronts Misbah is that most ofthe players don’t appear to havethe cricket discipline to followand execute plans on the fieldwhich are discussed in the dress-ing room.”

The source said at one stageMisbah even felt that the deci-sion of former head coachMickey Arthur to keep left-armpacer Wahab Riaz out of theteam was understandable.

The long-serving formerPakistan captain is also notpleased that some players are alsonot displaying the required pro-fessional standards.

“Two players bluntlyinformed their team’s headcoaches that they would reachfor the National T20Championship matches inFaisalabad on the morning of thegames. When Misbah came toknow about this he told thehead coaches they should bemore firm with the players andensure they joined their provin-cial team a day before the match-es,” one source said.

Misbah is also surprised thatArthur and the ex-support staffdidn’t pay enough attention todeveloping proper batsmen in allformats and didn’t look beyondBabar Azam.

“It is not a very happy situ-ation now and one can expectMisbah to take some hard deci-sions as chief selector whileselecting the T20 and Test squadsfor the coming tour of Australia,”he said.

Zahid Mahmood, a leg-spin-ner who in the past has beenignored by the selectors andcoaches, is now under the consid-eration of Misbah who is not sat-isfied with the form of currentteam leggies, Yasir Shah andShadab Khan.

Similarly, Misbah is also onthe lookout for some new pacebowlers and youngster NaseemShah is under his scanner for theAustralian tour.

The source said it will also beinteresting to see whether Misbahsupports Sarfaraz Ahmed to con-tinue as a Test captain when theboard meets to decide on the cap-tains for the Australian tour.

PNS n NEW DELHI

With the VIVO ProKabaddi League Season

Seven entering its penulti-mate phase, the semi-finals,all eyes are on the star athleteswho have pushed their teamstowards the coveted title.Defending championsBengaluru Bulls have rode onPawan Sehrawat’s raidingbrilliance all season but theywill be up against Leaguetoppers Dabang Delhi KC,who have with them anotherbrilliant talent in raiderNaveen Kumar. In the secondsemi-final, Bengal Warriorswill face an in-form UMumba side, who outclasseda strong Haryana Steelersunit in the Eliminators.

BATTLE OF RAIDERSFor most parts of this sea-

son, Pawan Sehrawat haslooked the best Kabaddi play-er in the country, and he hascarried that form into thecrucial, knockout stages ofthe competition. His 20-pointperformance was vital inBulls’ comeback victoryagainst UP Yoddha in theEliminators and the defend-ing champions will onceagain be reliant on the High-Flyer for the raid pointsagainst Delhi, especially withRohit Kumar still lookingtroubled by his back injury.Pawan has 328 points from 23matches this season, includ-ing 17 Super 10s, but theraider will be facing a famil-iar foe in Delhi’s left cornerRavinder Pahal. Interestingly,the ‘Hawk’ has a better head-to-head histor y againstPawan in duels (8-7), and willtake belief from NiteshKumar’s performances forUP against the raider fromthe same position.

At the other end, NaveenKumar will be keen to launchthe wrecking ball onto a leakyBulls’ defence. BarringMahender Singh, no defend-er looked convincing in theirgame against UP, and inNaveen they will be facing araider of another class. The19-year-old, a produce of the

Future Kabaddi Heroes(FKH) programme, has 19consecutive Super 10s thisseason (268 points from 21matches), and will be a forceto reckon with. With both theraiding departments lookingstrong, the match will mostlikely be won by the defence.

“ W E L L - B A L A N C E D ”SIDES

Bengal Warriors,arguably, have been the mostcomplete side in Season 7,with their defence and attackfiring hand in hand. But theywill be facing a U Mumba,often called a defence-reliantteam, who have discovered anew dimension through twoyoung raiders — AbhishekSingh and Arjun Deshwal.The duo scored 32 points forthe Mumbai side in theirEliminator round, and with UMumba also peaking at theright time, the second semi-final will be a tactical warfare.Baldev Singh (averaging 2.59tackles per match) and RinkuNarwal have been in goodform for the Warriors andthey will be keen to make lifedifficult for Mumbai’s youngraiders. Maninder Singh’sinjury concerns will be aconcern for the Bengal teamthough, especial ly withMumbai corners of FazelAtrachali (top scoring

defender in season seven with81 points so far) and SandeepNarwal in red-hot form. Butin K Prapanjan andMohammad Nabibakhsh, theWarriors have a great raidingunit to support Maninder.

The eliminator roundswere testimony to the factthat there can be no clearfavourites in a Kabaddimatch. Expect nothing shortof fireworks as the mostfiercely competed season ofVIVO PKL enters the finalstages.

The players had a takeon the semi-final match:

Talking about the semi-finals Pawan Hi-FlyerSehrawat, Captain ofBengaluru Bulls, said “It wasa great match yesterday, I

have never played such a highquality match. During myschool days I played a matchwhich ended in a draw andafter that I played a tied gamein the knockout stage yester-day and it was a great experi-ence to be part of it. I had losthope of winning but then ourcoach motivated me and wehad Rohit bhai's support alsothat kept me going. Therewere so many excitingmoments in the match that inthe end turned it turned inour favour. It was a completeteam effort. Our match withDabang Delhi KC is going tobe challenging, they are agood and balanced team withgood quality defenders andraiders and like the previousone it is going to be a close

call. A blockbuster of a RaidFest for sure!”

Talking about the semi-finals Fazel Sultan Atrachali,Captain of U Mumba, said“The last match with Haryanawas very difficult as Haryanahad played us very recentlyand they knew our gameplay.They had strategized accord-ingly to ensure the best result.However, it was a very impor-tant time for me because inthe last season, we qualified tothe playoffs and then could-nt go further so I wanted tonot repeat the same mistake.Yesterday's game was reallygood because we won such atough match so the team isvery motivated and confi-dent. We have strategizedfocusing on defence and whenwe have a controlled defencewe perform really well. EvenBengal Warriors has a gooddefence but I think we canovercome that. We need toconcentrate on team workand not depend on any oneplayer during the match,everyone has to support eachother and play as a unit.”

Talking about the semi-finals Joginder Narwal,Captain of Dabang Delhi,said “The season has beentough and the competitionduring the league stage ishigh. The team worked hardand emerged as table toppers,we wish to continue themomentum and give our bestduring the semi-finals. Wehave always taken one gameat a time and will do so evenfor our match againstBengaluru Bulls. Our aim is topick the cup this year, and weare working towards it.”

Talking about the semi-finals Nabibaksh, BengalWarriors, said “U Mumba putup a good game, they were onpoint with their defence andoffence. We are preparing forthe semi-finals and practicingrigorously to make sure wekeep the pressure on ouropponent from the begin-ning. The match against UMumba will be a neck-to-neck battle and we will giveour best to make sure weemerge victorious and

ST JOHN'S: Phil Simmons hasreturned to take charge of theWest Indies three years afterbeing dismissed in controver-sial circumstances, CricketWest Indies has announced.

In a statement CWI said onMonday that Simmons wouldbe head coach for the next fouryears. He led the Windies to the2016 Twenty20 World Cupbefore being booted out amidtensions with his paymasters.

“Bringing Phil Simmonsback is not just righting a pastwrong, but I am confidentthat CWI has chosen the right

man for the job at the righttime,” said CWI presidentRicky Skerritt.

Former West Indies all-rounder Simmons, 56, wassacked in September 2016 for“differences in culture andstrategic approach” betweenwith the cricket hierarchydespite their remarkable T20World Cup triumph.

Simmons’ success in theT20 arena however was notmirrored in Test cricket.During his reign the WestIndies won only one of 14Tests. PTI

AFP n DUBAI

Ireland captain GaryWilson wants his side

to ensure they finish"right at the top again" inthe upcoming 2020 T20World Cup qualifyingtournament, but Nigeriaand Jersey are amongthose chasing a "dream"appearance on the glob-al stage.

Scotland are thehighest-ranked team inthe competition, with 14nations vying for sixplaces in the openinground of next year'sWorld T20 in Australia,where they would joinBangladesh and SriLanka in attempting toreach the 'Super 12s'.

Ireland are the onlyTest team having to gothrough qualifying,which starts on Friday inthe United ArabEmirates, and will beexpected to book a sixthstraight appearance inthe tournament.

"We are here to com-pete at the world stage,"said Irish skipper Wilson."We have a great recordin the Middle East andthe boys are looking for-ward to a great tourna-ment and ensure we fin-ish right at the top again."

The winners of eachgroup of seven will qual-ify automatically, withthe four remaining spotsto be decided in playoffs.

Scotland, 11th in theworld T20 rankings,claimed their first-everwin at a global ICC tour-nament in the 2016 edi-tion by beating HongKong, but will be lookingto put the pain of agonis-ingly missing out on the50-over World Cup ear-lier this year behindthem.

They had twochances to secure a placeduring last year's qualify-ing in Zimbabwe, butlost to Ireland before raincut short their tense runchase against two-timeworld champions theWest Indies.

"We know everyteam is dangerous in thiscompetition," saidScotland captain KyleCoetzer. "It is vitallyimportant not only for usas Scotland but for everyteam here."

JERSEY CHASING 'DREAM'The Netherlands,

who reached the 'Super10' round in 2014,Oman, Hong Kong andhosts the UAE will all beamong the favourites toqualify.

But the l ikes ofNigeria, Jersey andSingapore insist they arenot going to just makeup the numbers as theybid to give cricket aboost in their countries.

There was already ashock in the Asianregional qualifiers, withSingapore reaching thisstage ahead of Nepal, theworld's 13th-ranked out-fit.

Island team Jerseyare playing in their sec-ond consecutive qualifi-er, having fallen shortfour years ago despitesurprise victories overHong Kong and Nepal.

"For Jersey, it wouldprobably be the biggestthing that has happenedin our sporting history,"admitted captainCharles Perchard.

"It's a dream of oursto potentially play in aWorld Cup next year...

"We're a small island

and in a lot of sports wedo punch above ourweight, especially incricket and qualificationwould be massive forour country."

Nigeria havereached the final stage ofqualifying for the firsttime as cricket continuesto grow in the Africancountry, with their youthside booking a spot atnext year's Under-19World Cup in SouthAfrica.

"It would be a greatthing to be at the WorldCup. It would be a greathistory for Nigeria," saidtheir skipper AdemolaOnikoyi, after his teamtook the place ofZimbabwe followingtheir suspension by theICC.

"Our juniors will beat the World Cup nextyear in South Africa, sowe want to do that aswell."

Singapore, led byAmjad Mahboob, arealso debutants at thequalifying event, whileBermuda will be lookingto repeat the heroics oftheir side who famouslyreached the 2007 WorldCup.

The qualifiers getunderway on Friday,with Scotland facingSingapore in the openingGroup A game, whileIreland take on HongKong and the UAE playOman in Group B.

PTI n MUMBAI

Domestic cricket stalwart andformer India opener Wasim

Jaffer on Tuesday slammed the“unfit” pitches being used inVadodara for the Vijay HazareTrophy.

Jaffer took to Twitter to vent outhis frustration.

“Absolutely unfit pitches to playin ‘List A’ matches in Vadodara,” hewrote.

Later Jaffer, who is the highest-run scorer in Ranji Trophy, said thatthe pitch at the Motibaug ground was“close to being dangerous”.

“Yes, specially the pitch atMotibaug is close to being danger-ous. Two-three players were hit by aball and nobody is scoring more than150-160 runs.

“Our tournament was (sup-pose) to start on 24th (September)but then there was rain for two

weeks. So, I don’t know why theBaroda Cricket Association first of alltook up (the job) to host VijayHazare,” Jaffer said.

All the Group B matches havebeen played in Baroda and Jaffer’steam Vidarbha won only two of theirnine matches, losing four. Three oftheir games had no result. They arelanguishing at the 8th spot in theElite Group B standings and 13th inthe combined Group A and B stand-ings.

“And the matches we are playingon, if you look at the scores, you willget to know what kind of wickets weare playing on. In Bengaluru, Jaipurand Dehradun they are getting goodpitches to play (on), so its just feelsvery sad,” Jaffer said.

A senior member of theVidarbha’s coaching staff believesthat the match-referee should submita detailed report about the conditionof pitches to the BCCI.

Ireland, Scotland attemptto deny minnows ‘dream'

Misbahdisappointedwith attitude ofsome players

No politics behind my selectionas BCCI chief: Ganguly

Jaffer slams ‘unfit’ Vadodarapitches for Hazare trophy

Smriti loses top spot

Smriti Mandhana in a file picture PTI

Don't know if we can be putunder more pressure: Rabada

Simmons reappointed WI coach

Delhi eye maiden PKL final place

‘Want to reverse losingtrend in knock-outgames of ICC events’PTI n KOLKATA

Former India captain SouravGanguly, who is set to be the

new BCCI president, wants theVirat Kohli-led national team toreverse the trend of losing theknock-out games in ICC events.

“India are a good team. Iknow they have not won a bigtournament. But they play well inbig tournaments except the semi-finals and the final. Hopefully,Virat can change it around. He isa champion player,” Gangulytold reporters here on Tuesday.

India have not won an ICCevent since the 2013 ChampionsTrophy. The team finished run-ner-up in the 2017 ChampionsTrophy final after losing toPakistan.

In the World Cup earlier thisyear, India were one of thefavourites to win the title butended up losing the semifinal toNew Zealand.