Delhi

monday, november 7, 2016

www.thehindu.in Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940 ISSN 0971 - 751X Vol. 6 No. 264 CITY EDITION 28 Pages Rs. 8.00

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Impose poll code in

Punjab, Congress chief
Amarinder tells EC

Sri Lankan MP
Sumanthiran calls
for sustainable fishing

India ties will deepen

regardless of U.S. poll
outcome: Nisha Biswal

Pro-Kurdish party in Turkey

to boycott parliament
over arrest of Demirtas

Page 9

Page 12

Page 13

Page 14

Govt. shuts schools as Delhi chokes

BRIEFLY
AAP legislator Rituraj
Govind arrested

Badarpur power
plant closed for
10 days; building
works halted

NEW DELHI: AAP MLA Rituraj

Govind was arrested on

Saturday night for allegedly
violating prohibitory orders
imposed in a ghat area ahead of
Chhath Puja at Kirari in Outer
Delhi. He is the 15th MLA of the
party to be arrested.

MARIA AKRAM

NATION | PAGE 3
Explosives seized, three
Nepalese held in Siliguri
KOLKATA: A large cache of

explosives and detonators was

seized at Siliguri in north Bengal
on Saturday night. The police
raided a house and arrested
three Nepalese citizens. We
have seized 609 gelatin sticks,
200 detonators and 630 metres
of cordex wire [used in
explosives], Commissioner of
the Siliguri Metropolitan Police
C.S. Lepcha told The Hindu on
Sunday.

NATION | PAGE 9
Sri Lanka to summon
Chinese envoy
COLOMBO: Sri Lankas Foreign

Minister Mangala Samaraweera

will meet Chinas Ambassador Yi
Xianliang to protest against his
remarks critical of Finance
Minister Ravi Karunanayake who
had said the Chinese loans were
expensive.

WORLD | PAGE 14
Prashant Kishor meets
Mulayam Singh again
LUCKNOW: Congresss poll

strategist Prashant Kishor met

Samajwadi Party supremo
Mulayam Singh here on Sunday,
triggering speculation of a grand
alliance ahead of the Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections.
There was no official word from
either side as to what transpired
at the meeting.
NEWS | PAGE 7

EDUCATIONPLUS
4 Pages

METROPLUS
4 Pages

SOFT APPROACH: A jawan teaching students as part of Operation

School Chalo at Awantipora in Pulwama district. PHOTO: PTI

2 jawans killed
in Pakistan firing
Army foils two
infiltration bids; more
people flee shelling
PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: Two soldiers were

killed and five others, including two women, were

injured as Pakistan Rangers
resorted to shelling and firing to provide cover to two
infiltration bids in the Pir
Panjal Valleys Poonch district on Sunday.
Soldiers posted in Krishna
Ghati first spotted the movement of militants around 2
a.m. Two infiltration bids,
assisted by Pakistani ceasefire violations, were foiled in
the Krishna Ghati sector.
One soldier was killed, said
a spokesman of the Northern Command.
Sources said the militants
fled back into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as the
Pakistan Army continued
covering fire till 4 a.m.
The deceased soldier was
identified as sepoy Gursewak Singh (23), a resident of
Warana in Tarn Taran district, Punjab, and belonging
to 22 Sikh Regiment.
In the afternoon, fresh
shelling left a Border Se-

Dragged away

curity Force jawan injured,

after splinters hit him.
A mortar shell and heavy
machine gun fire wounded a
woman, identified as Taslim
Akhtar. She was working in
the fields when a shell exploded in Salotri village.
In another incident of
ceasefire violation, a soldier
died in the Saujiyan belt in
the Mendhar area, Poonch
district. Two were wounded
when a mortar shell hit a
post on the Line of Control
(LoC).
The deceased soldier was
identified as Naik Rajinder.
The injured were identified
as Subedar Sanjay and Constable Yaqoob Beig. One
woman special police oicer, Zarifa Bibi, was also
injured.
Of late, Pakistan is using
long-range 120-mm mortar
shells. These have led to
fresh migration as more
areas have become vulnerable. Though no ceasefire violation has been reported
along the 192-km IB in
Jammu,
sources
said
Pakistan is trying to push
more militants through the
Pir Panchal Range before
winter sets in.
J&K SITUATION FRAGILE,
SAYS DGP | PAGE 12

NEW DELHI: As air pollution

levels remained alarmingly
high, with a blanket of smog
enveloping the city, Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal on
Sunday announced that all
schools in the Capital will remain shut for three days
(from Monday till Wednesday). The decision was taken
at an emergency Cabinet
meeting, held at Mr. Kejriwals residence, to discuss
measures to tackle the air
pollution.
The city has turned into a
gas chamber mainly due to
large-scale crop stubble
burning in neighbouring
States. But this is not the time
for politics. The base level of
pollution was already very
high. We have consulted experts and we are taking some
emergency measures, Mr.
Kejriwal said at a press conference held soon after the
Cabinet meeting.

Odd-even may return

The government is also
considering bringing back
the odd-even car rationing
scheme to bring down the
pollution levels. Concerned
departments are directed to

WHEN LIFES A BLUR: There was no respite for people living in the National Capital Region from the dense smog, which resulted
in breathing problems, irritation in the eyes and poor visibility. A scene at Vijay Chowk on Sunday. PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN
start making preparations
for the odd-even scheme to
keep traic emissions in
check. We will make an assessment in the next few
days and implement it, if
need be, the Chief Minister
said.
All construction and demolition work in the city has
also been banned for five
days starting Monday. All
construction projects will be
halted and no demolition
drives will be carried out.
The level of dust particles in
the air is very high, Mr.

WASHINGTON: The terror group

Islamic State has called for a
slaughter of American
voters on Election Day
(November 8) and urged
Muslims not to participate in
the democratic process, according to a U.S.-based terrorist monitoring group.
Rita Katz, director of the
SITE Intelligence Group,
said on Twitter that the

threats appeared in an essay

carried by the Islamic States
Al Hayat media centre that
declares militants have
come to slaughter you and
smash your ballot boxes.
Both parties criticised
The warning was carried
in a seven-page manifesto,
entitled The Murtadd Vote,
USA Today reported. The

KAVITA UPADHYAY
ALMORA: India will host a spe-

DETAINED: Missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmeds

mother is taken away by the police in New Delhi on
Sunday when she and some JNU students tried to
march to India Gate to protest against Najeebs
disappearance. PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA ( REPORT ON PAGE 3)

AT RISK: The Himalayas are warming at a rate faster than the

global average. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Dr. Dhyani said the Centre
has asked the G.B. Pant Institute to represent the 12 Himalayan States at the Conference of the Parties (CoP 22)
of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
being held between November 7 and 18. The Hindu Kush
region was represented at
UNFCCC by the Nepalbased International Centre

for Integrated Mountain Development. At the CoP on

November 17, the impact of
climate change on disasters,
biodiversity, livelihood, and
agriculture will be highlighted. Though the Himalayas are warming faster
than the global average, they
are not yet in focus, he said.
Plans to mitigate climate impact will be drawn up.

Telangana man takes wife to final abode on a pushcart

Passers-by help leprosy-afflicted husband after 50-km walk from Hyderabad to Vikarabad
YUNUS LASANIA

Ramulu with Kavitas

body at Vikarabad on
Saturday. PHOTO: MOHD. ARIF

HYDERABAD: In a traumatic
journey from Langer Houz
here to Vikarabad, 50 km
away, a man who sufered
from leprosy and begged
on the streets trundled a
pushcart with the body of
his wife, to conduct her
funeral in her native
village.
Forty-year-old Ramulu
had no choice but to load
Kavitas body on to the cart,
as an ambulance cost Rs.
5,000.
The frail woman had also
been alicted with leprosy

and died on November 4.

The journey ended only
after local residents in
Vikarabad districts MRP
junction witnessed the
distressing sight, and came
together to help. Ramulu
wanted to bury Kavitas
body at Maikod village in
Manoor, in the newly
formed Sangareddy
district.
After people collected
money, I arranged for her
body to be taken to
Sangareddy by ambulance,
G. Ravi, circle inspector,
Vikarabad, told The Hindu
on Sunday.

FARMERS BURN STUBBLE

AT NIGHT TO EVADE
DETECTION; DELHI ROADS TO
BE VACUUMED | PAGE 2

5 dead, dozens hurt in accidents

STAFF REPORTER
GURUGRAM: Five persons were
killed and more than two
dozen injured on Sunday
morning in separate
accidents across Haryana,
including on National
Highway 1, because of poor
visibility.
A woman was killed and
eight others were injured in
a pile-up, involving more
than a dozen vehicles, near

the Mandi flyover on

National Highway 1 in
Karnal around 7 a.m. The
vehicles were going
towards Delhi when the
accident took place. A
school bus and several
small cars were involved in
the accident, said Karnal
Highway Police Station
Inspector Shamsher Singh.

SMOG TRIGGERS MULTIPLE

COLLISIONS | PAGE 9

Islamic State calls for attacks on U.S. election day

At CoP 22, India will highlight

climate impact on Himalayas
cial side event during the UN
Climate Change Conference
opening on Monday at Marrakech, Morocco, on the 12
Himalayan States that face
the impact of a changing
climate.
The Himalayas provide
water to 1.3 billion people in
Asia, but have been inadequately represented over
the past three decades in climate change discussions, an
expert said. Currently, the
Himalayas are not spoken
about even at discussions in
international forums on
mountain countries, P.P
Dhyani, Director of the Almora-based G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan
Environment and Sustainable Development, said.

Kejriwal said. The government and other agencies will

not carry out any construction work and projects have
been put on hold.
He also announced that
the coal-based Badarpur
power plant would be shut
for the next 10 days. He, however, gave an assurance that
the power supply to the city
would not be afected.

Police said Ramulu

reached Vikarabad at 3.30
p.m. on Saturday with the
body. He was heading
towards Medak district
actually. So we decided to
help him. It takes another
80 km or so of travel to
reach Manoor mandal from
Vikarabad, the inspector
said.
Ramulu was noticed by
passers-by in Vikarabad,
crying and pleading for
money.
All I could do was to
take her body to Maikod.
With no other option, I
began to push the cart and

lost my way and arrived

here, he told local
residents. Kavita died of an
acute illness. For her last
rites in Maikod, Mandal
revenue oicials chipped in
with Rs. 2,000.
The episode echoed the
journey of Dana Majhi,
who carried his wifes body
on his shoulders for several
kilometres in Odisha, since
he could not aford an
ambulance from a hospital
to his village, in August this
year.
(Additional reporting by
R. Avadhani in
Sangareddy)

essay, which used religious

arguments to justify the attacks, also declared that
there was no diference between the Republican and
Democratic parties in their
policies against Islam and
Muslims.
Ms. Katz posted excerpts
of the essay on Twitter, saying the IS was inciting attacks in an attempt to dis-

rupt the election process and

gain media attention.
The full essay, in English,
includes a photograph of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Democratic
vice-presidential
nominee Tim Kaine, and a
photo of Khizr Khan, the
father of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in combat, holding a copy of the U.S.

Constitution during his

dramatic speech at the Democratic National Convention,
the report said. The credibility of the threat, which identified New York, Virginia and
Texas as locations, had not
been established, an oicial
told USA Today. PTI

TRUMP RUSHED OFF STAGE

AFTER SCARE | PAGE 14

2|

CITY

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Gurugrams biggest challenge - waste disposal

Cong, BJP goons stopping us from doing work

As the mountain of untreated garbage continues to grow

in Gurugram, The Hindu takes a closer look at the reasons
behind the mess. Page 4

Speaking on occasion of Chhath Puja, Arvind Kejriwal

says the Delhi government is doing well despite
limited resources. Page 5

DELHI
CONNECT

Calling all readers to connect with us for all things Delhi at

twitter - @DelhiConnect
www.facebook.com/NewDelhiConnect

Farmers burn stubble at

night to evade detection
ASHOK KUMAR

DANGEROUS: There was no respite for residents of the National Capital Region from dense smog, which resulted in poor visibility on NH 24 on Sunday. PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

Delhi roads to be vacuum cleaned

Government has decided to procure between 15 and 20 machines for the purpose
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: In a bid to rein in
pollution in the Capital, the
Delhi government has decided to procure between 15
and 20 vacuum cleaning machines for roads.
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal made an announcement to this efect on Sunday
and added that the Public
Works Department (PWD)
would start by vacuum
cleaning roads that are 100feet-wide from November 10.
Each road would be cleaned
once a week to reduce the
number of dust particles in
the air.
The PWD will start by
vacuum cleaning 100-feet-

wide roads since the machines are big and cannot

enter narrow lanes. Water
will be manually sprinkled
on other roads, said Mr.
Kejriwal.
The PWD started the water sprinkling exercise on
Sunday. Vacuum cleaning on
the PWDs 1,250-km road
network was introduced in
April, but was stopped once
the monsoon set in. Now, to
tackle dust pollution, the
government plans to install
mist fountains at five important traic intersections - including Mukarba Chowk and
Anand Vihar, which is the
most polluted area of the
city.
Further, the use of all

diesel generator sets has

been prohibited for the next
five days starting Monday.
This however, does not apply
to hospitals and mobile
towers. The government has
also shut the Badarpur
thermal power plant with
the Chief Minister assuring
that power supply would remain unafected.
Burning waste
I request people to take
legal power connections and
stop power theft. The Power
Department has been directed to be lenient in issuing
connections. However, this
doesnt mean that unauthorised colonies and illegal
houses will become legal if

they get a connection, Mr.

Kejriwal clarified.
Burning of waste and
leaves, which was banned by
the National Green Tribunal
in April last year, still
continues unabated.
Addressing this issue the
Chief Minister said, Oicials will be held accountable and penalised. Their
salaries will be deducted if
waste or leaves are found
burning in the open.
Also, municipal corporations have been directed to
ensure that fires emanating
from landfill sites are
doused. In fact, fire at the 40acre Bhalswa landfill is a
regular feature. Matters took
a political turn in April when

CSE welcomes emergency measures

BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN

the Delhi government alleged that the BJP had intentionally sparked the fire to
sabotage the second instalment of the odd-even
scheme by causing high pollution levels.
The fire at the landfill
should be doused immediately, Mr. Kejriwal noted.
He also announced that a
committee comprising the
Chief Secretary and Environment Secretary had been
formed to consider artificial
rain over Delhi so that the
dust settles. Cloud seeding
and artificial rains were discussed during a meeting
with the Centre. The committee will explore the option, he added.

NEW DELHI: With Delhi choking

shrouding Delhi for almost

a week, reminiscent of the
Great Smog in London in
1952, on Sunday ensured
the citys air quality
remained hazardously
polluted.
In the Great Smog of
1952, about 4,000 people
died prematurely when
average PM levels were
about 500 microgrammes
per cubic metre along with
high sulphur dioxide levels.
Here, [the concentration
of] SO2 may not be that
high, but as we saw on
Diwali, several gases had
increased substantially.
Overall, it is a toxic
cocktail, said Anumita
Roychowdhury of the
Centre for Science and
Environment (CSE).
The CSE has welcomed
initiatives by the Arvind
Kejriwal government here
to announce emergency
measures for bringing
down the severe pollution.
Ms. Roychowdhury
added: This emergency
situation demands
emergency action. These
measures will now require
stringent enforcement.
However, vehicle restraint
measures, including odd

due to the smog created by

burning of paddy straw in
neighbouring States, noted
agro-scientist M S Swaminathan on Sunday suggested
to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi ways to commercialise
the straw to help tide over the
problem.
India produces 140 million
tonnes of paddy and 280 million tonnes of rice straw in a
year, he said. Known as
Father of Indias Green
Revolution, Mr. Swaminathan was sharing the dias
with the Prime Minister at
the first-ever international
conference of agro-biodiversity in the Capital.

and even, and parking

restraints, must also be
included immediately for
efective impact.
Specifically, diesel
vehicles, including diesel
trucks and cars, should be
controlled.
Emergency action
Globally, emergency
action kicks in the moment
pollution hits the worst air
quality level according to
the National Air Quality
Index and persists at least
for three consecutive days.
This is done to
immediately reduce peak
levels to protect children,
those sufering from heart

and respiratory problems,

and also the general public.
In Delhi, there has been
no respite from the choking
haze of pollution since
Diwali.
Analysis of air pollution
data from the Delhi
Pollution Control
Committee shows that on
Diwali (October 30) the air
was already saturated
the 24-hour average level
of PM2.5 was 347
microgramme per cubic
metre and was at severe
level, which is the worst
category according to the
air quality index.
This further increased
significantly post-Diwali.

On November 2, the 24hour average levels shot up

to 577 microgramme per
cubic metre. On Saturday,
almost a week later, it was
far worse at 639
microgramme per cubic
metre.
The peak levels were
worse and made breathing
diicult. On Saturday, the
four hour average from 12
noon to 4 p.m. of peak
levels were as high as 732
microgramme per cubic
metre at Punjabi Bagh, 762
microgramme per cubic
metre at Mandir Marg and
566 microgramme per
cubic metre at R. K.Puram.
(With inputs from PTI)

Detailed note
Mr. Swaminathan said
paddy straw can be used to
make animal feed, cardboard,
paper, and other products. He
will soon send a detailed note

Schools doing
politics over
order to shut
them: Sisodia

PURUSHARTH ARADHAK
NOIDA: Residents of Noida and
Greater Noida have claimed
that local construction is
leading to air pollution and
was making day-to-day life
diicult for them. They are
considering approaching the
NGT regarding the same.
Residents of sectors 53, 61,
33, 23 and 59 said they were
experiencing
respiratory
problems due to pollution
caused by the ongoing construction work of an elevated
road. Residents of Sector 53
have also lodged a complaint
with the Noida authority as
there are allegedly no sheets
set up over the construction
area to contain the dust.
The elevated road construction has made life diicult for the last two years.
Now the authority has started

CM
YK

NEXT MOVE: The residents are considering approaching the NGT

regarding violation of construction norms. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
filling mud to plant ornamental trees, which has
created more issues. During
peak hours, vehicles kick up
the dust which moves to our
area. The residents are planning to file a case with the
NGT if the authority fails to
check air pollution, said Mr.
B.K. Negi, a resident of Sector

53. The Noida authority is

constructing an elevated
road, pavements and filling
soil in a divider on Master
Plan-II road, next to residential areas. Sources said
that apart from private projects, ongoing government
projects are adding to air pollution, forcing locals to cover

their faces with masks.

The NGT in 2015, had directed Noida and Greater
Noida Authorities to form
teams to inspect and initiate
action on those construction
sites that violate ministry of
environment and forest
(MOEF) -2010 guidelines on
construction methods.
The drive was an eyewash
and once again it is painful to
travel in both Noida and
Greater Noida, said Mr. S.C.
Sachdeva, a resident of Sector
39 in Noida.
Mr. S.C. Mishra, project engineer of the Noida authority,
said, We are making plans to
ensure no pollution is caused
due to construction work. We
have planned to sprinkle water on the ground to so that
dust is not kicked up.
(The writer is a freelance
journalist)

Agro-scientist M S
Swaminathan. FILE PHOTO
to the PM in this regard.
I have told the Prime
Minister how we can make
use of paddy straw instead of
burning it. You cannot ask
farmers to stop burning
paddy straw as he has to prepare his field for the next
crop. You must find a mechanism to commercialise it, he
said.
A technology has been developed in Maharashtra for

Paddy is grown in 11 districts

of Haryana.
Though eforts to prevent
stubble burning has increased
over the past few years because of rising pollution
levels in Delhi and its neighbouring areas, Sudip Gahlawat, a farmer from Farmana
in Sonipat, said it was impossible for the administration to keep a check on it.
The farmers usually set it
afire at night. Few cases get
reported, but most go unnoticed, he said. He suggested that the best solution
would be to find some use for
the stalk. In the wake of increased vigilance, some people give it to gaushalas (cow
shelters). But the people do
not accept it even for free, asserted Mr. Gahlawat.
Sixty-year-old Om Prakash,
a farmer from Nilauthi in Jhajjar, said lack of awareness
among farmers was also to
blame. Mr. Prakash, who
owns over 10 acres of land, argued that burning stubble
didnt just cause pollution,
but also adversely afected the
fertility of the land by destroying friendly micro-organisms. It is myth that the
field needs to be cleared of
stubble to prepare the land for
the next crop. The stubble decomposes and acts as compost. It can be put to other

Deputy Chief
Minister Manish Sisodia on
Sunday
accused
some
schools of doing politics
over the Delhi governments
order to shut them for three
days in the wake of alarming
levels of pollution and said
the decision was taken keeping in mind the health of children.
Some schools are doing
politics over the order. Private schools are directed to
follow it and not play with
the health of children, Mr.
Sisodia said in a series of
tweets.
While a few private
schools welcomed the move,
there were a few who raised
concerns.
The government cannot
order shutting of schools like
this. Health is important but
we need to focus on finishing
our syllabus also. Our
schools will remain open,
said R. C. Jain, head of Delhi
State Public Schools Management Association.
PTI
DELHI:

using paddy straw as animal

feed, he added.
You add urea and molasses in paddy straw, you can
use it as animal feed. There
are many diferent ways,
paddy straw can be utilised.
The PM was very interested
and I will soon send a note to
him on this topic, Mr. Swaminathan said.
Addressing the event, he
said that agro-biodiversity is
not about grains alone but
about the whole plant.
Paddy straw enriched
with urea and molasses is a
wonderful animal feed, he
said while citing examples of
research work done in Myanmar in this regard.
The Centre, meanwhile,
has called a meeting of Environment Ministers of all
neighbouring States on
Monday to curb stubble
burning, which has made
Delhi a gas chamber. PTI

Ban on open waste

burning in Gurugram
ASHOK KUMAR
GURUGRAM: Gurugrams Depu-

NEW

Noida builders flout construction norms

Expensive labour
He added that the nonavailability of labour over the
past few years had compounded the problem further forcing the farmers to use combine harvesters, which are
cheaper and faster. While the
combine harvesters cost
Rs.1,200-1,300 per acre, the
labourers, which cut the crop
close to the ground, charge
around Rs.10,000 for an acre.
Moreover, while the combines take only a few hours,
labourers take several days.
Even if the farmers get the
stalk cut, it is a futile exercise
as it is of no use, he stressed.
The four districts of
Kaithal, Fatehabad, Karnal
and Kurukshetra account for
almost 80 per cent of the
stubble burning in Haryana.

NOT HELPING: Smoke rises from a paddy field that was set alight
to burn away the stubble at Chandhat in Haryana. FILE PHOTO: AP

Commercialise straw to stop

burning, says Swaminathan

NEW DELHI: The dense haze

WORRIED: Delhiites at a rally against pollution at Jantar Mantar on Sunday. PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

GURUGRAM: Bali Ram, a 39year-old farmer from Kaimla

village in Karnal, around 120
km from Delhi, did not burn
the paddy stubble in his fields
this year for fear of being penalised. Despite the extra cost,
he decided to plough his land
with a tractor to get rid of the
plant stalks.
However, he conceded that
most of the villagers in the area still preferred to burn the
crop waste. Burning the
stubble is the most convenient, cheap and pragmatic
solution to get rid of it. Most
farmers prefer to cut their
crops using combine harvesters which do not cut
crops close to the ground and
leave the stalk, usually up to
two feet high, standing. Unlike the wheat stalk, which is
used to make cattle fodder,
the paddy stalk is of inferior
quality and is of practically
no use. So, the farmers cut it
and set it afire, said Mr. Ram,
who owns eight acres of land.

ty Commissioner has issued

directions under Section 144
of the CrPC, prohibiting open
burning of waste and mandating any person, who notices
open burning, to complain to
the Station House Oicer
concerned or senior civic
body oicials.
Issuing the directions on
Sunday evening, Deputy
Commissioner, Gurugram,
T.L. Satyaprakash said that
the district administration
had contemplated implementing various measures in
view of rising air pollution
through a multi-pronged approach. The orders further
said that for every incident of
burning, the person held responsible would be liable to
pay compensation as per Section 15 of the National Green
Tribunal Act, 2010. The order
also directed the Sanitary Inspectors of the MCG to ensure that none of the Sanitation Contractors resorted to
open burning of garbage or
allowed anyone to do so.
Also, the Regional Oicer,

Haryana State Pollution Control Board has been directed

to monitor and supervise the
air quality within the district
and deal with violators in a
strict manner. All Civil Society Groups and citizens,
along with public agencies,
may inform such a prohibitive practice of stubble
burning on Swachhmap on
Google play store, the orders
read.
Orders against stubble
burning already exist
The orders came a day
after a large number of concerned residents took out a
march in the city, seeking the
right to clean air and asking
the administration to take immediate steps to curb the
menace of air pollution.
The citizen activists, however, said that the orders
against open burning of
waste and stubble were already in place, but the problem was poor implementation. Issuing orders is not
enough. It is more important
to ensure their implementation, said an activist, who did
not wish to be named.

uses such as packaging of

vegetables and fruits and is in
demand at mandis, he said.
Haryana Agriculture University (Hisar), Registrar, Dr.
Mohinder Singh Dhaiya told
The Hindu over phone that
the equipment such as Rotavator and Happy Seeder were
available to tackle the problem of stubble burning, but
the farmers were not very enthusiastic about them because of the high costs involved. The Rotavator helps
cut the stubble and mixes it
with the soil, but it costs
Rs.800-900 per acre. If the
government can ofer some
subsidy on it in view of the
problem of environmental
pollution, it can be an easy
solution. Also, Happy Seeder
sows wheat among the standing stubble and there is no impact on the production.
Looking for possible solutions to stubble burning, the
Haryana Government recently decided to launch a pilot project for a paddy strawbased biomass power project.
Haryana Space Applications Centre, Chief Scientist,
Dr. R.S. Hooda said that
around 300-400 active fire
points are noticed via satellites everyday during the peak
harvesting period across the
State starting in the first week
of October.

BRIEFLY
Nine flights diverted
JAIPUR: Nine flights, including

three chartered planes, were

delayed by four to five hours
from landing in Delhi this
morning due to the smog
situation.
The aircraft were diverted to
Sanganer Airport in Jaipur, an
official said, adding that one of
the charted planes was carrying
BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.
All the flights later departed for
Delhi where they landed in the
evening, Sanganer Airport
Director J S Balahar said. PTI

CAUTIOUS APPROACH: Motorists

protect themselves against
air pollution on Sunday.
PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Swaraj India
welcomes move
NEW DELHI: Terming the ongoing

pollution crisis an environmental

emergency, Swaraj India
national president Yogendra
Yadav on Sunday welcomed Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwals appeal
to everyone to work towards a
pollution-free Delhi. Although
the positive intent shown by the
CM is a delayed one, it is better
late than never. We hope that air
quality concerns of Delhiites get
duly addressed, said Mr Yadav.
Staff Reporter

BJP slams delayed

reaction of govt
NEW DELHI: Leader of the

Opposition in the Delhi Assembly

Vijender Gupta lambasted the
AAP government on Sunday for
reacting late to rising pollution
levels in the Capital. Blaming
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for
giving little importance to the
health of Delhiites, Mr. Gupta
said that the government should
immediately form a committee of
environment experts, from both
India and abroad, to discuss ways
to make Delhi pollution free in
time-bound manner. Staff
Reporter
ND-ND

|3

CITY

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

D E L H I

Nov 07, Mon

Nov 08, Tue

Nov 09, Wed

RISE 06 38 SET 17 32

RISE 06 39 SET 17 32

RISE 06 39 SET 17 31

RISE 12 32 SET 23 47

RISE 13 15 SET 00 00

RISE 13 57 SET 00 44

FRESH TROUBLE

Dont turn Delhi into police state

CM slams police action after Najeebs mother, JNU students are detained while trying to protest

Kejriwal meets President,

seeks non-partisan probe
STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Missing Jawaharlal
Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmeds mother
and some students were
dragged away by the police
on Sunday when they tried to
organise a peaceful march to
India Gate to seek justice for
him.
While the Delhi Police did
not allow the protest to be
carried out by barricading all
roads leading to India Gate,
photographs and videos of
Najeebs mother Fatima
Nafees being detained by the
police created a stir on social
media.
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, on whose call the
protest was organised, and
other political leaders condemned the police action.
Students were 2 protest at
India Gate 2day 4 Najeeb. Police blocked all roads 2 Ind
Gate,huge inconvenience.
Don't convert Del into pol
state [sic], Mr. Kejriwal
tweeted.

WHISKED AWAY: While students of JNU who had left campus by bus were detained in the vehicle
itself before reaching India Gate, students trying to reach the venue from Jamia Millia Islamia
were detained near Mandi House. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Strong resistance
While students of JNU
who had left campus by bus
were detained in the vehicle
itself before reaching India
Gate, those who chose to
gather on their own were detained outside the National
Archives on Janpath. A delegation of students trying to
reach the venue from Jamia
Millia Islamia were detained
near Mandi House. The protesters were taken to various

police stations across the

capital.
Mr. Kerjiwal, on learning
that Ms. Nafees had been detained and taken to the
Mayapuri police station,
went there to show his support. Ms. Nafees, however,
had been sent home by then.
Meanwhile, after being released, students gathered at
the Mandir Marg police station and Mayapuri police station to continue their protest.

A dead soldier's
family arrested,
senior political
leaders and a CM
detained. Now, the
mother of a missing
son. Is
@PMOIndia
on a maunvrat?
Sitaram Yechury
General Secretary, CPI (M)

Modi Govt is waging

war on the
students it
fears

A Delhi Police spokesperson said the police had requested JNUSU in writing
not to assemble near India
Gate as prohibitory orders
under Section 144 of the
CrPC were in force but students ailiated to NSUI and
other organisations also
joined them.
Students disobeyed
Responding to allegations
that students and Najeebs

mother had been manhandled, the police said,

Despite being advised to assemble at Jantar Mantar, they
started assembling around
India Gate. They were persuaded not to move towards
India Gate. When they didn't
agree, they were taken to the
Mayapuri police station.
They clarified that Ms.
Nafees was attended to by
women police oicers and
was dropped home by them.

Kavita Krishnan
Secretary, AIPWA

A mother whose son

is missing is beaten
and dragged!
Modi is
doing it!
Ashutosh
AAP leader

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal on
Sunday met President
Pranab Mukherjee to
seek his intervention in
ensuring that JNU
student Najeeb Ahmed,
who has been missing
since October 15, is
brought back to campus
safely.
Mr. Kejriwal alleged
that as students from the
RSS-backed ABVP were
involved, there was a
general perception that
the Delhi Police as well
as the Vice-Chancellor
of the University had
been acting in a partisan
manner.

GOOD NEWS: The President is likely to seek a report from the

Ministry of Home Affairs and the JNU administration on
the missing student. PHOTO: PTI

It is shameful that
JNU students had
to face lathi charge
while demanding
justice for Najeeb

Formality
Speaking to the media
after his interaction
with Mr. Mukherjee, the
CM said the President
had assured him that he
would seek a report
from the Ministry of
Home Afairs and the
JNU administration on
the missing student.
People who were
involved in the brawl
with Najeeb were
questioned by the police
yesterday, 22 days after
he went missing. That
was also a formality. We
have apprised the
President of the matter.
He has assured us that
he will seek a report

from the Delhi Police

and JNU in this regard,
Mr. Kejriwal said.
Issues of importance
He also submitted a
letter to the President in
which he wrote the fact
that Delhi Police have
not been able to trace
the whereabouts of
Najeeb raises serious
concerns about the law
and order situation in
the Capital. He added
that it was shameful that
students had to face

lathi charge and

insensitivity of the
university
administration while
they were struggling to
trace their friend.
The Chief Minister
further said the
university
administration was
indulging in acts of
omission and
commission to
shield the accused
students of the ABVP.
Such partisan role
cannot be expected
from the administrators
of a Central university.
The V-Cs actions, far
from creating trust ,
have gone on to
accentuate distrust
among students, he
said.

Paranoid cops shut C-Hexagon, trigger traic jam

STAFF REPORTER

CHOCK-A-BLOCK: Stretches such as Sikandra Road and Firozshah Road witnessed heavy rush on
Sunday. PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Accused in NCUI shootings

is injured womans boyfriend
SHUBHOMOY SIKDAR
NEW DELHI: Police probe has

revealed that the accused in

Saturdays shooting at South
Delhis National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI)
campus was the boyfriend
of a woman who was among
those injured in the
incident.
Kajal Sarkar, the 32-yearold accused, is the son of a
CISF constable. He used his
fathers licensed pistol to
shoot himself after shooting
the 26-year-old woman and
her 31-year-old husband Rajender, said the police. The
accused is from Noida,
while both the victims are
from Assam. The woman
had come to the Capital last

month and enrolled herself

in a three-month course at
the NCUI training centre,
said
its
Director
Satyanarayan.
Bone of contention
The woman had allegedly
told Mr. Sarkar that she had
concealed the fact that her
divorce with her husband
had not been finalised, said
a police oicer. This led to
him shooting Mr. Rajender,
the oicer added.
At around 9.15 pm on Saturday, Mr. Sarkar was with
the woman at the NCUI
campus when they met Rajender. An argument ensued and Mr. Sarkar pulled
out a pistol and shot Mr. Rajender in the abdomen. In a

IAF oicer thrashed

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: An Indian Air
Force (IAF) oicer was
allegedly thrashed by a
group of men outside
his residence in southwest Delhis Palam Vihar on Sunday following an argument over
parking.
In his purported
statement to the police,
the victim claimed that
the
accused
also
thrashed his children.

The brawl
In a video shot by a
passer-by, the oicer is
seen being roughed up
by the men wearing
shorts and T-shirts.
The oicer said the

men fled when he alerted the police.

He later approached
the Palam police station and registered a
case.
According to the officer, the group seemed
to have consumed alcohol and objected to
him parking his car in
the residential colony.
They claimed that the
car had blocked their
way for a procession.
When the man objected to the demands,
one of them held his
collar and thrashed
him. When the oicers
wife tried to intervene,
she, too, was allegedly
misbehaved with by
the men.

state of panic, he also shot

the woman and then turned
the gun on himself, said the
oicer. The police rushed
the three injured persons to
the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS)
and all of them are said to be
out of danger.
Asked if the possibility of
a premediated act had been
ruled out, the oicer said
that
was
under
investigation.
Since the accused was
carrying an unauthorised
weapon, the police would
now book the licence
holder, Mr. Sarkar's father,
Constable Jitan Sarkar, under the Arms Act. The accused now faces a case of attempt to murder.

NEW DELHI: As protests over

the alleged abduction of
JNU student Najeeb Ahmed
returned to Lutyens Zone
for the second time, the
Delhi Polices preparations
ensured that there were
fewer who assembled at the
designated venue India
Gate to raise their voice.
Detentions aside, the police had put traic restrictions and employed heavy
security on all major roads
leading to India Gate.
At most entry points, wa-

Ashoka Road, Tilak

Marg Road remained
closed; Chhath
celebrations added to
the congestion
ter cannons and buses along
with policemen in riot control gear were present.
Major inconvenience
Further, all entry points
leading to or from the CHexagon were closed, a
throwback to the arrangements during post-Decem-

ber 16 protests.
Meanwhile, for commuters, the situation turned
to be a two-fold setback as
Chhath celebrations in different parts of the city had
already caused congestion.
While stretches such as
Ashoka Road, Tilak Marg
and Akbar Road were
closed, commuters travelling towards the southern
part of the city via K.G. Marg
were granted relief as Jantpath and Rafi Marg remained open.
Although Sikandra Road
and Firozshah Road were

Victim says failed marriage

played part in shooting
SHUBHOMOY SIKDAR
NEW DELHI: The shooting
was the latest in several
events that tested the
relationship between the
woman and her estranged
husband Rajendra, she
said.
The duo had got
married in 2009, but she
did not disclose it to her
parents. We moved back
to our respective homes
in Assam and acted like
nothing had changed. His
parents, however, found
out about the marriage
eventually but I still kept
it from my parents.
Rajendra and I would

keep in touch but he

always seemed unsure
about moving in
together, she said. The
woman said this
eventually led to their
separation.
Battling troubles
We often fought on the
subject but he managed to
convince me that he
would make our marital
status public. That did not
happen for years. I
resisted my parents bid to
get me married to
someone else with the
added challenge of not
letting them know what
had happened, said the

woman. I had to move on

at some point and I chose
to. Limited my
communication with
Rajendra and started
focusing on my job and
career, she said. The
woman said she met Kajal
Sarkar, the accused in the
shooting, online.
Six months ago, I told
Kajal that I was married
earlier and he said that he
would still marry me.
Rajendra insisted that our
divorce be finalised first
but did little to further it. I
got a new phone number
before coming to Delhi
and did not share it with
him , she said.

open, they remained chocka-block with vehicles as they

had to accommodate traic
from the other roads. Joint
Commissioner of Police
(Traic) Garima Bhatnagar
said Subramania Bharti
Marg, a stretch which connects south Delhi to central
Delhi via Mathura Road, also
saw heavy rush.
Bumper-to-bumper
The combined impact was
seen at W-Point, where
traic remained painfully
slow. Those coming from
Chanakyapuri
also
re-

Another AAP MLA in the dock

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party

MLA from Kirari, Ritu Raj

Govind,
and
his
predecessor, Anil Jha of the
BJP, were arrested on
charges of apprehension of
breach of peace during Chhath Puja celebrations in
outer Delhis Aman Vihar
on Sunday.
The MLA said he was trying to build a ghat at Nithari
Talaab near the expressway
on the occasion of Chhath
Puja along the river bank in
Kirari.
Villagers object
The local villagers objected to his move even as he
said the construction of the
ghat was funded by the
Delhi government.
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (Outer) M. N. Tiwari

DELHI TODAY
Talk: The Geddes Plan for Indore: A Unique Vision for Indian Urban Development by
Prof. Ray Bromley, Fulbright
Nehru Visiting Professor,
School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi; Chair: Professor K.T. Ravindran, Dean
Emeritus, RICS School of Built
Environment, Amity University, at Conference Room I,
India International Centre
(IIC), 6:30 p.m.
Talk: The Theosophical Society: Indias gift to the world
by Dr. Tim Boyd, International
President, The Theosophical
Society, Adyar; Chair: Dr.
Lokesh Chandra, President,
ICCR, at Seminar Rooms I-III,
Kamaladevi Complex, IIC,
6:30 p.m.
Dance: Dramatic Tales: in
Bharatanatyam, Chhau and
Kuchipudi; concept and choreography by Vanashree Rao.
Bharatanatyam choreography
by Dr. Vasudevan; Chhau choreography
by
Kuleswar

Thakur. Kuchipudi recitals by

Vanashree
Rao,
Ayana
Mukherjee, Ranjini Nair, Moutushi Majumder and Gulbin
Sultana; Bharatanatyam recitals by Dr. Vasudevan; Chhau recitals by Kuleswar
Thakur, Prashant Kalia and
Anurag; music composed by
K. Venkateswaran and Dr.
Vasudevan, accompanied by
Dr. Vasudevan on nattuvangam; R. Kesavan on mridangam,
pakhwaj,
tabla,
khanjira and khol; Rajat
Prasanna on flute; and
Raghavendra on violin, at
Fountain Lawns, IIC, 6:30 p.m.
Music & Dance: Sangeet
Samaroh, a festival of Indian
classical music and dance;
Geeta Mahalik - Odissi dance
with Prashant K. Behera,
Prashant Maharana, Dhiraj
Kumar Pandey and Lavanya
Kumar; Lalgudi Krishnan and
Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi - Violin
recital with T. Rajaganesh and
B. Harikumar, at Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg,

mained stranded.
In an advisory issued prior to the protest, the police
had instructed that protesters were not to be allowed anywhere except
Jantar Mantar.
Permission is subject to
the condition that the number of participants does not
extend beyond 5,000 and the
organiser has made prior
submission of an undertaking to SHO, Parliament
Street, based on the
guidelines laid down by the
Honble Supreme Court of
India, read the advisory.

Mandi House, 6 p.m.

Music: Loves Kaleidoscope:
Art Song Recital; Katja Konvalinka (soprano) and Nejc
Lavrencic
(piano).
Programme includes works by
Brahms,
Wolf,
Pfitzner,
Dvorak and others, at C.D.
Deshmukh Auditorium, IIC,
6:30 p.m.
Dance: Purana Qila Dance
Festival: Bharatanatyam by
Priyadarshini Govind and
Kalakshetra Foundation, at
Purana Quila, 7 p.m.
Exhibition: Remembrance of
Keshav Malik, a show of
paintings drawings, graphics,
sculptures and photographs,
at All India Fine Arts & Craft
Society (AIFACS), 1, Rafi Marg,
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Exhibition: Earth Songs, folk
and tribal art from LKA
Archives. at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House,
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
(Mail your listings for this column at
cityeditordelhi@thehindu.co.in)

Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by S. Ramanujam at HT Media Ltd. Plot No. 8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. 201306, on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., Chennai-600002. Editor: Mukund Padmanabhan (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).

confirmed the arrests and

said the police had invoked
Section 144 of the CrPC
(prohibiting assembly of
more than four people)
around the ghat, which was
a heritage property.
However, the two leaders
gathered at the ghat along
with
supporters
and
created a ruckus there, said
the police.
Allegation
While Mr. Ritu Rajs aide
told The Hindu that he was
being framed, Mr. Jhas wife
Poonam Parashar Jha alleged that the former was
trying to grab a piece of government land by using Chhat Puja as an excuse.
The leaders have been
sent to one-day judicial custody. Their bail applications
will come up for hearing in
Rohini Court on Monday.

CITY

4|
As the mountain of untreated garbage continues to grow in Gurugram,
Ashok Kumar takes a closer look at the reasons behind the mess

Millennium Citys biggest

challenge waste disposal

DIRTY PICTURE: Due to unmonitored and unregulated waste disposal, mini dumping sites have mushroomed across the city.
PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

GURUGRAM: Safe disposal of

large quantities of municipal
solid waste (MSW) has
turned out to be a major challenge for Gurugram, a leading financial and industrial
hub with the third largest per
capita income in the country.
Even as the mountain of
untreated garbage builds up
at the defunct Bandhwari
treatment plant of GurgaonFaridabad Road just a few
kilometres away from the
city and the formation of
leachate at the site now leads
to fears of contamination of
groundwater, open dumping
and burning of waste
continues unabated across
the city playing havoc with
the health of the residents
and polluting the environment.
Mixed waste is dumped at
the defunct plant -- it has not
been functioning for the last
three years -- without
processing or any treatment
of the leachate to prevent
ground water contamination.
The problem is worsened
when licensed colonies sanitation contractors undertake
door-to-door collection of
waste, but do not dispose it at
the final dumping site.

Unregulated dumping
While the MCG pays
around Rs.70 lakh per month
to a private agency for doorto-door collection of mixed
waste in Zone I and II and its
transportation to landfill site
at Bandhwari without any
segregation, more than a dozen small-time private agencies are involved in free-ofcost collection and segregation of waste from Zone
III and IV, which house a
maximum number of highrises, malls, schools, licenced
colonies and condominiums.
In fact, in some areas, the
waste collecting agencies pay
substantial amounts of
money to developers or residential colonies for collecting their waste as they recover their cost from
segregation of recyclable
waste. But they lack the infrastructure in terms of vehicles
to transport the remaining
waste to Bandhwari plant,
nor do they have proper storage facilities for aggregated
dry waste or expertise to
process diferent waste
streams and therefore, they
dump the rejects at vacant
plots where they are typically
set afire.
Because of such unmonitored, unregulated and informal work methodologies,
mini dumping sites creating
unsanitary conditions and attracting stray cattle and pigs
have mushroomed across the
city such as Sector 52, 53, 56,
67, 39, 29, Golf Course Extension Road, opposite Medanta
Hospital, among others.
Municipal failure
The problem of open
dumping and burning of the
waste, mostly in New Gurugram, has aggravated due to
the utter failure of the
Municipal Corporation of
Gurgaon (MCG) to ensure
implementation of directions
of the National Green
Tribunal and its own orders
on the issue. More than 18

A STEP FORWARD: The MCG has set up a waste management

plant in Sector 15 Part-I. PHOTO: MANOJ KUMAR

bodies or their authorised

collectors to collect them directly and transport to designated places to recycle dry
waste and process biodegradable waste by composting, biomethanisation and
other suitable methods. The
waste which cannot be
processed be sent to the
sanitary/scientific landfill
site only, said Ruchika Sethi,
a citizen activist who runs
Why Waste Your Waste
campaign.

HEAVY LOAD: Mixed waste continues to be dumped at the

defunct Bandhwari treatment plant. PHOTO: MANOJ KUMAR
months after the NGT put a
ban on burning of any waste
across the NCR, the MCG officials have challaned only 28
people for its violation.
Of late, the MCG seems to
have invented a new method
to deal with frequent complaints of open dumping and
burning of waste, by covering
them with construction and
demolition waste.
Cosmetic cover-up
This cosmetic cover-up
will have a serious bearing on
the environment and health
of the people as the biodegradable component will decompose after some time and
release toxic gases in the air.
In 2014, two large firms
were handed over the contract for collection and segregation of waste for free-ofcost in Zones III and IV to
tackle open dumping of
waste and ensure better
monitoring. The matter reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court over allegations of favouritism and even
a year after the courts final
order, the MCG is yet to float
fresh tenders for these two
zones. The court in its final
order in July last year had vacated its earlier order preventing us from working.
Also, the MCG had told the
court that a fresh tender
would be issued in a period of
10 weeks. Neither the MCG
has floated fresh tenders so
far, nor have they allowed us
to resume the work, said

Showing the way ahead

Housing societies take lead

Some people have taken to managing their waste on their own

GURUGRAM: As Gurugram

GURUGRAM: Even as waste

management emerges as
a major problem in
rapidly urbanising cities
like Gurugram, people
like Sunil Pachar, an IT
professional, have been
showing the way forward
by managing their waste
on their own.
Home composting
A resident of Vipal
Greens on Sohna Road,
Mr. Pachar has been
practising home composting for the past three
years and has not thrown
any bio-waste out of the
house.
The waste that he cannot manage himself is
handed over for responsible recycling.
Mr. Pachar, told The
Hindu that he got to
know about home composting through one of
his friends on Facebook.
On my subsequent
Mumbai trip I went to
meet retired microbiologist Jayant Joshi who had
developed an easy home
composting solution. He
assisted me in starting it
at home in Gurugram.
Since then the time I started I have studied solid
waste management and
do whatever I can to
avoid waste generation,
said Mr. Pachar, a resiCM
YK

dent of Gurugram for the

past eight years.
Resistance
At first he faced some
resistance from his
family, but they soon saw
the advantages.
Initially everybody in
my family was apprehensive as most of us are
conditioned to generate
and throw waste. But
gradually everybody realised not throwing
waste was good for
nature. Everybody in my
house is very supportive
now, said Mr. Pachar.
Once he got his family
on board, Mr. Pachar decided to spread the message and now holds free
awareness
sessions
where he teaches people
the art of managing their
waste at home, school or
company.
In the last two years, I
have convinced at least
100-odd people to start
home composting, he
said, adding that it was
not fair to single out
Gurugram for poor handling of its waste as the
strategy across India is to
dump it in landfills.
Mr. Pachar said that
there was a need for a
fresh look and it would
be ideal if people handled
their waste on their own.

There should be a national slogan around the

theme My waste is my
responsibility so that
people become conscious to cut down their
waste or recycle it. The
current mechanism of
municipalities to pay
vendors to transport the
waste to landfills and
then pay them per tonne
is flawed because there is
no financial incentive for
vendors to carry less
waste. For them, the
more the waste, the more
the money and thus nobody would emphasise
on segregation of waste,
said Mr. Pachar.
Waste handling
He added that the
policy should be inversed wherein the consumer or contractor
should be incentivised if
less waste was generated.
Just like we pay for
our utilities like electricity or water on per unit
consumption,
there
should
be
similar
concept for waste handling wherein each household should be liable to
pay for the per kg of
waste they generate. If
that can be implemented
then we shall see immediate results, said Mr.
Pachar.

struggles with the problem of waste management, some housing societies here have taken it
upon themselves to implement the de-centralised municipal solid
waste management project in a bid to move towards zero waste.
As per records of the
Municipal Corporation of
Gurgaon (MCG), as many
as 13 group housing societies have set up such
waste management plants
in their complexes to convert wet waste into
compost.
Media reports
However, it has not
been an easy journey for
them, especially in the absence of support from the
authorities.
With media reports of
open dumping and burning of waste and its efects
on health, we felt the need
to do our bit. Setting up
the plant was not easy. It
involved a financial burden and the challenge of
persuading residents,
said Regency Park-II resident Priya Mehrish, the
driving force behind the
now successful waste
management plant of a
grouping housing society
in DLF Phase-IV.
The governing council
of the society began by

ZERO WASTE: Thirteen housing societies have set up

de-centralised solid waste management plants in their
complexes to convert wet waste into compost. FILE PHOTO
distributing pamphlets
among flat owners and
answering questions on
the need for waste segregation and types of
waste. The residents were
told that waste collectors
would not take their
garbage if it was not segregated into wet and dry.
It was then made mandatory for the helpers, who
are also stakeholders, to
attend a brief training session. Those who did not
attend were warned of
losing their jobs.
We faced minor hiccups initially, but soon everything fell into place.
We ensured that no additional financial burden
was put on the residents
for setting up the plant,
said Ms. Mehrish.
Almost eight months
after the project was initiated in February, the society, which houses around
500 flats, has cut down
waste generation by up to

70 per cent. More than

300 kg of wet waste generated daily is converted
into compost. The dry
waste, which is around 30
to 40 per cent of the total
waste, is sold to recyclers.
The operational cost
for the plant is around
Rs.20,000 per month, of
which a quarter is recovered by selling compost to Green Bandhu, a
start-up that runs the
plant. Also, the residents
are given 12 kg of compost
free per year, said Estate
Manager R.P. Kaushik.
Ms. Mehrish, however,
lamented that there was
little support from the
government. The authorities should ofer incentives such as rebate in
property tax, buy-back offers for compost or sharing operational cost. Even
a little recognition in
terms of appreciation letters helps motivate RWAs
and residents.

Manoj Kataria, proprietor,

Balaji Engineers and Consultants, one of the two firms
that was allotted the job.
Lack of will
Harish Capoor, founder,
Clean Gurgaon, blamed the
present situation on lack of
planning and implementation by MCG.
The Haryana Municipal
Corporation Act, 1994, is a
well-drafted document and
gives enough power to the
MCG commissioner to ensure a clean city. The problem is with the lack of will on
the part of the MCG oicials
to implement it, said Mr.
Capoor.
Parimal Chandra, a social
sector development expert,
contended that presently the
waste disposal system in
Gurugram is essentially in
the hands of unorganised
handlers like ragpickers,
scrap dealers and small-time
contractors and the MCG has
no established procedures
for waste collection, segregation, transportation and
disposal either for its own
workers and contractors or
for the builders.
The activists strongly advocate the need for an eicient solid waste management system in the view of
rapid industrialisation and
changing lifestyle.
It should be made mandatory for all waste generators to segregate and store
waste at source for municipal

Long-term solution
MCG Commissioner T.L.
Satyaprakash told The Hindu
that as a long-term solution
to the problem of waste management in Gurugram, a
tender had already been
floated for a single agency to
collect,
segregate
and
transport the waste to the
Bandhwari landfill site and
set up a waste-to-energy
plant, but it might take
around two years for the
plant to become functional.
Earlier, the plant failed because mixed waste was being
dumped at the site and it
could not be used for generating power. Now we have
linked the payment of tipping
fee, the amount given to the
operator for the quantity of
waste transported to the
processing facility, to the
amount of power generated,
Dr. Satyaprakash said.
Tipping fee
He added that half of the
tipping fee would be paid at
the beginning and the remaining will be paid based on
the power generated. This,
he said, would force the
agency to segregate the
waste and generate maximum power from the wet
waste. Also, a buy-back
agreement for the power will
be finalised with the agency.
As a short-term measure,
he added, consultants have
been appointed for all four
zones and an app has been
launched to promptly address complaints of dumping
and burning of waste.

Poor planning lays plant to waste

GURUGRAM: In contrast to
the successfully running
waste
management
plants at a dozen group
housing societies here, a
similar plant set up by the
Municipal Corporation
of Gurgaon (MCG) in the
upscale Sector 15 Part-I is
in a sad state of afairs, all
thanks to poor planning
and implementation.
Set up as a pilot project
at a cost of around Rs.20
lakh last year and catering to around 600-odd
households, the plant
produces just 50-100 kg of
compost every month,
running almost ten times
below its capacity.
It was a good project,
but the authorities failed
to rope in the residents
welfare association and
win over the residents before setting up the project. And, when the MCG
later tried to reach out to
the residents seeking
their co-operation in segregating waste, they felt
that the project was being
imposed on them, said
Saurav Bardhan, founder
of
start-up
Green
Bandhu, which has been
entrusted with setting up
and running the plant.
The MCG had plans to
process waste from Sector 15 Part-II as well, but
that seems a distant
dream as of now.
The project, if implemented, will cater to

Set up at a cost
of Rs.20 lakh, the
waste management
plant is running at
one-tenth capacity
around 3,000 households.
A large majority of the
residents provide mixed
garbage to the waste collection agency and it is
then segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories by
the agency itself.
Unlike in the group
housing societies, the
sector residents do not
segregate waste. The
agency does not have
enough space and manpower to segregate waste.
This impactes the output
of the plant, said Mr.
Bardhan, who has been
running similar projects
successfully at several
group housing societies
in the city.
He also regretted that
despite there being a law
making
waste
segregation at source mandatory, the MCG had
failed to enforce the
same.
Need strict laws
RWA president of Sector 15 Part-I, Vinay
Mangla, told The Hindu
that all pleas to residents
to segregate waste had
fallen on deaf ears.

We had several meetings with the residents,

but most of them do not
comply with it. They perceive it as an unnecessary
burden. Only if waste segregation at the household
level is linked with incentives or punishment,
can it be implemented,
said Mr. Mangla.
Mr. Bardhan echoed a
similar view. We need
stringent laws supporting
segregation at the household level like in other
countries.
Also, the compost produced at the plant is not
bought by the MCG, adding to the problems of
Green Bandhu. Mr. Bardhan said it would have
been better had the MCG
bought the compost from
them for its parks and
green belts instead of
buying it from the market
at a higher price.
Another waste management plant set up by
the MCG at Ashok Vihar
Phase-III, which caters to
1,500 households, is facing similar problems.
Hardly 10 per cent of
households
segregate
their waste. The agency
responsible for creating
awareness has also failed
to make any impact, said
Shashi
Bhushan,
secretary of All-India
Kabadi Mazdoor Maha
Sangh which runs the
plant.
ND-ND

|5

CITY/STATE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

WAR OF WORDS

Cong, BJP goons stopping us from doing work

Speaking on occasion of Chhath Puja, Arvind Kejriwal says the Delhi government was doing well despite limited resources
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: Calling the BJP and
the
Congress
gundas
(goons), Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal said that
the Opposition has come together to stop his government from doing work.
Speaking at the Wazirpur
ghat on the occasion of Chhath Puja on Sunday, Mr.
Kejriwal said that despite
limited resources, the Delhi
government is performing
really well and this has irked
his political opponents.
With the Delhi Municipal
polls slated for next year in

We [AAP] won
67 seats of the
70 Assembly
constituencies. This
hasnt gone down
well with them

April, Chhath Puja in the

city has become a political
platform for the parties as
the Purvanchalis (people
from eastern UP, Bihar and
Jharkhand)
comprise
around 40 lakh voters and
can swing the election
results.
These goons of the BJP
and the Congress arent letting us work. We won 67
seats of the 70 Assembly
constituencies. This hasnt
gone down well with them,
he said.
Kejriwal thumps his chest
This year, the Delhi government had sanctioned
funds for construction of
permanent ghats in the city.
Earlier, there were just
60 ghats. But by next Chhath Puja, there will be 300
permanent ghats, the Chief
Minister promised. Special
fund of Rs.3 crore for the
ghats of Shalimar Bagh and
Wazirpur have been earmarked.
You all had voted for us

and we are doing our best

for the welfare of the people, Mr Kejriwal said. Listing out the achievements of
his government, Mr. Kejriwal said that he carries the
list of all poll promises he
made before the Delhi Assembly elections on his mobile phone and checks it
every morning.
But the BJP and the Congress goons are after me.
When you pray for yourself,
please pray for me as well.
CM refuses to accpet L-Gs
decision on DERC chief
Mr. Kejriwal has publicly
refused to accept the Lieutenant-Governors decision
to remove Krishna Saini as
DERC Chairman.
Theres a big conspiracy
to increase power tarif in
Delhi. We all know one of
the power discom is run by
Anil Ambani, who is a good
friend of Narendra Modi.
The Centre wants to favour
them by hiking the power
rates. But we will not let this

FESTIVE SPIRIT: Devotees offer prayers along the Yamuna during Chhath festival on Sunday.
PHOTO: V. V. KRISHNAN

happen. I dont accept L-Gs

decision to remove an honest oicer. He was doing

good work- electricity bills

had come down, the discoms were penalised for

power cuts for more than

two hours, Mr Kejriwal
said.

Mental illness remains a taboo Drama at IGIA: Afghan national

swallows 57 heroin capsules, held
ASHOK KUMAR

GURUGRAM: The semi-urban

area of Gurgaon Gaon,

located just of the Railway
Road here, is doing its bit to
address the needs of its
mentally-ill residents.
National averages estimate
that more than 1,000 of its
40,000 residents could be
sufering from severe
mental illnesses
schizophrenia, bi-polar
disorder and deep
depression. This afects not
just the individuals, but
also their families and the
community at large.
Suresh Pandey (name
changed), a resident of
Gurgaon Gaon, has a 28year-old son living with
mental illness. Treatment

at the Civil Hospital helped

the son to an extent, but he
could not lead a normal life.
The Sambandh Health
Foundation in Sector 31 did
ofer hope in the form of a
recovery programme, but
this was not without
challenges. Public
transport was not
convenient. Also, he
needed to be accompanied
by an attendant.

Expanding reach
To help Sureshs family
and others like him, the
charitable trust has now set
up a camp at the village. It
is a welcome step. Many
people in India sufer from
mental illness, but most are
not willing to speak out. It
is still a taboo, said Sanjay

Seth, head of the

Foundation.
The trust started
working in Gurugram just
eight months ago and now
plans to expand further in
the city. We aim to reach
out to the maximum
people. But this possible
only with active support of
the community, as was the
case with Gurgaon Gaon,
said Mr. Seth.
Nancy Beck, who has
been working with the
Foundation for six years,
said: It is important to
know that mental illness is
treatable. It can happen to
anyone. Though there is no
cure for severe and chronic
mental illness, the good
news is that recovery is a
possibility.

Madhu Vihar builder held

over financiers murder
The accused allegedly claimed that it was a case of suicide
STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: A builder has been arrested in

connection with the alleged murder of

Govind Ballabh Swami, a financier
whose body was found earlier this week
at the courtyard of the apartment in
Madhu Vihar. The police said that Mr.
Swami, who owned a chartered accountancy firm in east Delhi, was
pushed of the balcony of the apartment
by Sunil Uppal during an argument over
a matter of Rs 70 lakh.
Mr. Swami (42) was found on the
courtyard of Aman Apartment on
November 3. His family members told
the police that he had gone to Mr. Uppals house to collect commission
money but was locked up and forced to
sign on blank papers.
Based on the family's allegations, police questioned Mr. Uppal, who allegedly tried to mislead them, saying
that Mr. Swami had committed suicide.
He allegedly even showed them a

The financiers family said that

during a visit for commission
money, the builder locked
up the victim and forced him
to sign blank papers
suicide note which claimed that Mr.
Swami was sufering from depression.
He also smashed a few flower pots on
the fifth floor balcony to make the incident look like a suicide, the police said.
Inconsistent statement
We found several inconsistencies in
his statement and have registered a case
of murder. He was taken into custody
and questioned, during which he broke
down and admitted to having pushed
Mr. Swami of the balcony. Investigation
has also revealed that Mr. Uppal had
damaged Mr. Swamis phone to establish the suicide theory, said a police
oicer.

STAFF REPORTER
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police
reportedly recovered heroin
worth Rs. 2 crore from an
Afghan national at the Indira
Gandhi International Airport here last week. The accused who has been arrested
had swallowed 57 capsules
containing the drugs, said
the police.
Deputy Commissioner of
Police (IGI Airport) Sanjay
Bhatia said the man was arrested on November 3 when
two Afghan nationals were
going to Afghanistan and one
of them - Ghulam Rabani was taken of the flight after
taking ill.
We suspected something

Accused was sent to

AIIMS where doctors
found the capsules
in his stomach after
performing a surgery
wrong. He had come to India
on medical visa last month
but had not visited any hospital, said Mr. Bhatia.
Rabani was sent to AIIMS
where doctors found 57 capsules in his stomach after
performing
a
surgery.
These capsules were made
of polythene. The weight of
the contraband was 525
grams. The capsules were
opened and were found containing heroin, said Mr. Bha-

tia, adding that Rabani was

currently in ICU.
Woman arrested for
smuggling gold
In another case, a woman
was arrested at the IGIA for
trying to smuggle in gold
worth Rs. 61 lakh by hiding it
inside the denim shorts she
was wearing. The accused
was intercepted by Customs
oicials after her arrival
from Dubai on November 4.
A detailed examination
and search revealed that she
was carrying 12 gold bars of
24 carat weighing 1,400
grams and valued at approximately Rs 42.75 lakh in her
denim shorts, said a police
oicer.

CORRIDORS OF POWER
Problem of
plenty in
Gurugram
Residents and politicians
in Gurugram have always
blamed the authorities for
lack of development in the
Millennium City. While
some parts of the city
come under the Municipal
Corporation of Gurgaon,
several other agencies like
the Haryana Urban
Development Authority
(HUDA), the Department
of Town and Country
Planning, and the Haryana
State Industrial
Development
Corporation are also
involved. With the BJP
government coming in,
residents had hoped that a
single authority would be
put in place to increase
accountability. But, this
did not happen. After the
monster jam in July this
year, the government felt
the need for better coordination between
various agencies and
appointed a retired senior
bureaucrat as Chief
Governance Co-ordinator.
Before this, two good
governance associates had
been appointed in
Gurugram to act as links
between the
administration and the
Chief Minister. The move,
however, evoked strong
opposition from rival
political groups who
called the appointments
unconstitutional. In
October, the Haryana
government had
appointed an
administrator for the
proposed Gurugram
Development Authority
with practically no
powers. Now, residents
have been left feeling that
instead of doing away
with the multiplicity of
authority, the present
government has only
added to the chaos.

IMA plans
pan-India stir
Amid dengue,

chikungunya and smog

comes more bad news. All
the 30 State branches and
1,765 local branches of the
Indian Medical
Association (IMA) are
organising a two-hour
pan-India protest on
November 16.
Not only did the interministerial committee
sleep over our issues, the
Central government has
gone ahead with
scrapping of the Medical
Council of India (MCI)
and is replacing it with a
totally nominated body
called the National
Medical Commission. The
Bill is anti-people in
character, said A.
Marthanda Pillai,
immediate past national
president of the IMA.
The group is now
demanding a suitable
amendment to the Indian
Medical Council Act
without compromising
the autonomy of the
profession.

When cops and

CM lock horns
The impasse between
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal and the Delhi
Police at Lady Hardinge
Hospital over the former
trying to meet the family
of an ex-serviceman after
his alleged suicide
showed no signs of a
resolution. Many Delhi
Police oicers were of the
view that perhaps
blocking the CM was not
such a good idea. But the
discipline of the force
kept them from floating
the suggestion before
Special Commissioner of
Police (New Delhi) M.K.
Meena. It is not clear if
anyone went ahead, but
the few who spoke later
said they did not do so as
the expression on Mr.
Meenas face and his tone
at the RML hospital had
conveyed to them the
script for the day.
(Contributed by Ashok
Kumar, Bindu Shajan
Perappadan and
Shubhomoy Sikdar)

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Thanking Sun god

CRPF jawan
injured in
pressure
bomb blast
RAIPUR: A CRPF jawan
was seriously injured
in a pressure bomb
explosion, allegedly
triggered by naxals, in
the dense forest of
Sukma district on
Sunday, police said.
The incident took
place this afternoon
(Sunday) when a team
of paramilitary
personnel was out on
area domination
operation in
Jagargunda police
station area, a senior
police oicial told PTI.
The blast occurred
when a jawan stepped
on the pressure IED
(improvised explosive
device) connection
while security forces
were cordoning of a
forested patch at
Rajpenta between
Narsapuram and
Jagargunda villages,
about 450 km away
from here, the oicial
said.
Head Constable
Kamal Dev of CRPFs
74th battalion
sustained serious
injuries, he said.
Reinforcement was
rushed to the spot and
Dev was brought to the
camp where, after
preliminary treatment
he was airlifted to
Raipur for further
medication, the oicial
said. - PTI

FOR LIFE ON EARTH: Devotees performing Chhath Puja in Lucknow on Sunday. - PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT

Prashant Kishor meets Mulayam again

Bid to forge an alliance ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls
Congress poll
strategist Prashant Kishor
on Sundayy met Samajwadi
Party supremo Mulayam
Singh here, triggering speculation of a maha-gathbandhan (grand alliance) ahead
of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The marathon meeting,
spread over two sessions
and kept under wraps, came
a day after top leaders of socialist-leaning parties attended SPs silver jubilee meet
here- a move seen as an attempt by Mr. Singh to forge
an alliance ahead of the Assembly polls hardly a few
months away.
There was no oicial word
LUCKNOW:

from either side as to what

transpired at the meeting.
State SP president Shivpal
Yadav said he would tell the
media when such a development took place.
When it materialises, I
will tell you, Mr. Shivpal
told reporters.
This is for the second time
in six days that Mr. Kishor
met Mr. Singh , who is trying
to cobble together an alliance
of
like-minded
parties.
The first meeting took
place at Mr. Singhs Delhi
residence on November 1.
The Samajwadi Party,
which was initially part of
Bihars grand alliance, had

The first meeting

took place at
Mulayams Delhi
residence on
November 1.
walked out of it after it was
ofered only a handful of
seats to contest the Assembly elections there.
The grand alliance of the
JD(U), RJD and Congress
had, however, scripted a glorious electoral victory, defeating the BJP-led NDA.
The ruling SP is yet to
open its cards though its
main aim in the polls is to
prevent split of Muslim

votes for which it is looking

for an alliance with secular
parties.
The Congress, on its part,
has not closed its doors for
any possible grand alliance
for the 2017 Assembly polls.
But, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Raj
Babbar has said that no initiative has been taken for an
alliance either by his party
or by any other political
parties in the State.
No initiative for an alliance, either by us or by any
other party in the coming
polls has been taken, but
Congress has not closed its
doors for any such possibility which could benefit peo-

ple of the state, he had said

on Friday.
The UPCC chief, however,
stressed his party will not
enter into an alliance or
grand alliance only for numbers, as numbers were not
important in UP polls.
At SPs anniversary bash
on Saturday, leaders of
erstwhile Janata Parivar underscored the need for unity
to prevent the communal
BJP from coming to power
and spoke about the need for
forging a coalition.
RJD supremo Lalu Prasad
declared his party will not
contest the UP elections to
prevent a split of secular
votes.-PTI

M.P. govt mulls electric

fencing in all jails
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh
government is seriously
considering installing electric fencing around its 122
jails to enhance prison security in view of the daring
Bhopal jailbreak by eight
SIMI activists.
The eight SIMI undertrial
activists had escaped from
the high-security Central jail
here after killing a head constable on the intervening
night of October 30-31. They
were subsequently killed in
an alleged encounter on the
outskirts of the city on October 31.
After the encounter, conflicting versions from the police and the States Home
Minister surfaced, leading to

Army launches School Chalo operation in South Kashmir

AWANTIPORA/NEW DELHI: After

Operation Calm down in

South Kashmir, Army is
now focussing on another
operation School
Chalo, under which it
identifies
areas
and
provides students with
free coaching and make
them participate in extracurricular activities.
We know we have to
deal situation on the internal front and we are doing that with desired results. But simultaneously
during my interaction with
locals, I felt they were worried about the studies of
their children, but at the
same time anxious about
their security. That is
where I asked my boys to
work out a plan for providing education to students,
says Major General Ashok
Narula, General-Oicerin-Command of Victor
Force
The army had launched
Operation Calm Down in
August- September to
clear diferent parts of the
Valley of militants and protesters using minimum
force.
With educational institutions remaining closed
for about five months now
and over 30 schools being
burnt down over the past
weeks, Gen. Narulas directions under the School
Chalo programme is increasingly becoming popular in the Valley.
Various formations under his command have started identifying teachers in
localities and urging them
to hold classes in schools or
community houses to impart education to children,
who have been deprived of
it ever since trouble broke

|7

NORTHERN REGION

NOIDA/DELHI

HANDS ON APPROACH: A jawan providing free coaching to students during operation School Chalo' launched by the
Army at Awantipora in South Kashmir. - PHOTO: PTI
out on July 9 this year, a day
after Hizbul Mujahideen
commander Burhan Wani
was killed in an encounter.
Besides being an army
oicer, I am a father of two
children. So here I approached the issue as a
father and not as an Army
oicer and ensured that
these children should hold
books in their hands, rather
than a stone, Gen. Narula
said.
Using a local slogan
Chyem ne zaroorat Daulat-o-ubab, Faqat Gochum School te Kitab (I
dont need money and
fame, I need books and
school), the Army ofcers
and men now perform a dif-

ferent kind of task - to convince the parents to send

their wards to makeshift
dwellings to study.
Army oicers cited the
performance of 292 students who were studying in
the Army Goodwill School
at Pahalgam who were being taught by well qualified
teachers.
Unhindered by the turmoil which had engulfed
the state, these students
have not only finished and
revised their syllabus but
have also participated
whole-heartedly in various
functions like Eid, Independence Day etc. These
(activities) were also the
reasons given to parents in

other localities to convince

them to send in their children, said Gen. Narula.
Taking a cue from this
operation, far of in Rainpora, a village located in remote South Kashmir, the
troops finally managed to
convince parents to send
their wards to study and
two local teachers to impart them education.
Attired in a cardigan
which read Ek Tha Tiger,
Rafiq Ahmed, a local
teacher, is busy teaching
students from a locality
near Rainpora. I am a
teacher and I am given the
task by the God Almighty
to impart education to my
students and I am only per-

forming my duty, he said.

Colonel Dharmendra
Yadav, who commands a
unit in Anantnag, has been
carrying forward the command of his GoC and is personally engaging with parents to ensure that children
at least attend the
community schooling.
We are trained for a
situation and collapse of an
education system is also a
situation that needs to
dealt. Army has risen to the
occasion and will ensure
that the children are imparted with knowledge, Col.
Yadav said as he shook
hands with a small child.
The army has also started Naujawan Club

where children and youth

get a chance to display their
talent in sports.
The point is to keep
them away from anti-social
elements and I am glad that
many come here to play all
sorts of games or access the
Internet to know about the
rest of world. It is encouraging to see the enthusiasm
amongst these children,
Col. Yadav said in his unit at
Larkhipora.
Kashmir has seen a virtual collapse of educational institution and also
the burning down of at
least 31 schools by miscreants in various parts of the
Valley.
Citing the example of
Army Goodwill School at
Pahalgam, Gen: Narula
said: For the students of
the only fully residential
school in the Valley which
has been running classes
from 6th to 12th class,Kitab
ke Dushman are Kashmir
ke Dushman (enemies of
books are enemies of Kashmir).
Recently,
Muzzafar
Wani, father of Burhan
Wani, had expressed deep
pain over the burning
down of schools in the Valley and made a fervent appeal to those behind it to refrain
from
targeting
educational institutions.
As a teacher, whenever a
school is burnt down, my
heart is set on fire. This is
not right. Whosoever is responsible for this is doing
no good to the society. A society without any education is lifeless. They do not
have any identity, Wani
said and made it clear that
he was making this statement as a teacher and not as
any leader. - PTI

allegations that it might be

fake.
A top oicial has already
left for Chhattisgarh to study
the electric fencing of the
jails in the wake of the Bhopal
jailbreak. We are seriously
thinking about following suit
of the neighbouring state,
M.P. Prison Director-General
(DG) Sanjay Choudhary told
PTI today.
He, however, did not disclose the name of the oicial
who has left for Chhattisgarh.
The security audit of the
M.P. jails is underway, after
which measures will be taken
to ramp up the security of
prisons, the DG said.
Asked about the Madhya
Pradesh governments move

to increase the height of

boundary walls of the
prisons across the State,
Choudhary said all these
things will be done after taking into account the security
audit report of the jails,
which is currently underway.
We are not going to enhance jail security on piecemeal basis, rather we are going to initiate measures in
one go after the report of jail
security audit, he added.
Earlier, the State government had ordered a judicial
probe into the sensational
jail-break and the alleged encounter. The probe will be
conducted by retired High
Court Judge Justice S. K.
Pandey.- PTI

Woman falls into

trench in West Bengal,
rescued after 5 hours
JALPAIGURI (WB): A woman was
rescued from a trench near the
rail tracks, five hours after
tripping into it, at Sahudangi in
Jalpaiguri district on Saturday
night.
Additional Commissioner of
Police, Siliguri police
commissionerate, Mrinal
Majumder said Sikha Ghosh had
fallen into the trench, dug up for
installing electric pillars, while
crossing the tracks at Sahudangi,
in the outskirts of Siliguri,
yesterday.

Raised alarm
As she raised alarm, locals
came to her rescue but she could
not be immediately pulled out of
the trench as a cage of concreteiron was already put inside at
the base as part of the pillar
construction work.
Finally after five hours at
around 11 to 11:30 pm, fire
brigade and police with the help

of drill machine operators

managed to cut through the steel
rod and rescued her, the oicer
said.
Stable
Sikha, in her 40s, was now
under treatment at North Bengal
Medical College and Hospital
and while she was under trauma
her condition was stable
otherwise, her family said
quoting doctors.
The family said she was on
way to a famous Kali temple
located on the other side of
railway tracks from her
residence when the mishap
occurred and blamed lack of
modern disaster management
equipment with the fire services
and administration which
caused the inordinate delay in
her rescue.
The local MLA was present
during the rescue operation. PTI

8|

SOUTH

Tipu Jayanthi: Siddaramaiah asks

oicials to arrest troublemakers
As right-wing groups come out against celebrations, CM reviews law & order
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
BENGALURU: In a bid to maintain law and order during
Tipu Jayanti celebrations,
which have been opposed by
right-wing
groups,
Karnataka Chief Minister
Siddaramaiah directed the
police to carry out preventive arrests of elements
known to create trouble.
The Chief Minister, who
reviewed the law and order
situation in the State at a
meeting with senior police
oicers here on Sunday, instructed the Intelligence oicials to mount a strong vigil
to prevent a repeat of last
years communal violence
during the celebrations.
He ordered the Deputy
Commissioners of all districts to be stationed at the
headquarters and top police
oicials to be on the spot

PREVENTIVE MEASURES: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah taking part in a meeting with police officers
in Bengaluru on Sunday. PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
overseeing security measures.
This measure comes in the
light of the controversy over
the absence of Madikeri
Deputy Commissioner and
Superintendent of Police in
the district when violence
broke out.
Directing the oicials to

leave no stone unturned in

maintaining law and order,
he said some people were
trying to politicise Tipu Jayanti which falls on November 10.
Political mileage
They are trying to gain
political mileage and are on-

ly interested in disturbing
peace and harmony in society, he said.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara, his adviser Kempaiah, and the Chief
Ministers
parliamentary
secretary K. Govindaraju
were among those present at
the meeting.

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Probe team
records Kerala
victims statement

A.P. develops cold feet over

cultural centre near Buddhist site

STAFF REPORTER

SANTOSH PATNAIK

THRISSUR: The police have

VISAKHAPATNAM: After finding

itself on a sticky wicket over
allotment of 15 acres of prime
land near the famous Thotlakonda Buddhist site for establishment of Filmnagar
Cultural Centre, the government appears to have developed cold feet.
Following
vociferous
protests by Buddhist monks,
various social groups and
BJP MLA P. Vishnu Kumar
Raju, the government at the
highest level has decided to
go slow on the project, highly
placed sources told The
Hindu.
A
huge
Buddhist
monastery, dating back to 3rd
Century B.C., is believed to
have existed atop Thotlakonda and the nearby
Bavikonda hillocks located
between Visakhapatnam and
the 17th century Dutch township of Bheemunipatnam.
The sites have been declared as archaeologically
sensitive areas. INTACH

recorded the statement of

the
victim
in
the
Wadakkanchery rape case. A
team led by ASP G.
Poonkuzhali and two other
women oicers collected the
statement in Kochi.
Meanwhile, Wadakkanchery MLA Anil Akkara demanded a revamp of the
probe team, retaining just
ADGP B. Sandhya and Ms.
Poonkuzhali. He alleged that
the CPI(M) leadership had
been interfering in the investigation.
Talking to mediapersons,
Leader of the Opposition
Ramesh Chennithala said: It
is a case which should be
probed by a woman police
oicer in the ADGP rank. But
the investigation charge has
been given to an ASP, with
not much experience. There
are allegations about other
team members too. This
creates suspicion about attempts to hush up the case.

PUT ON HOLD: A view of the Buddhist site in Thotlakonda.

FILE PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

members and conservation

activists have been pressing
for protection of the heritage
sites especially in the light of
attempts to commercialise
them to promote tourism.
Establishment of a recreation centre in an archaeologically sensitive area has
hurt our feelings. It should be
dropped immediately, said
Buddhist monk Dharwmananda Bhante.
While defending the decision to develop the cultural
centre with an investment of
Rs.100 crore consisting of an
international
convention

centre with a seating capacity for 2,200, sports complex and an ultra modern
gym, an oicial said only if
such facility was created on
the beachside, Vizag could
emerge as a film production
hub.
Following protests, the
government had earlier
shelved a proposal to lay a 60
ft. road through the Buddhist
site. The proposal to develop
Filmnagar Cultural Centre
would definitely deface the
archaeologically sensitive
site, said heritage activist
Rani Sarma.

Tusker found dead in Wayanad Hassan library celebrates a centenary of reading

STAFF REPORTER

Leading literary figures have been regulars at the institution that has one lakh books, and a large membership

KALPETTA: A wild tusker, aged

about 20, was found dead

with bullet injuries at Athirattukunnu on Sunday. The
carcass was found in a paddy
field owned by farmer K. Gopalakrishnan, adjacent to the
Pathiri section of forest under the Chethalayath range
of the South Wayanad Forest
Division.
The carcass was found
with two bullet injuries on
the middle of its head. It is
suspected that the elephant
was shot dead from close
range, using a country-made
rifle, Sajikumar Rayaroth,
Forest Range Oicer, Chethalayath, told The Hindu.
The pachyderm had been
sighted near the area earlier,
Mr. Sajikumar said.
A pellet, suspected to have
caused the elephants death,
was recovered from its skull

SATISH G. T.

The elephant that was found with bullet injuries in a paddy

field in Keralas Wayanad district on Sunday.
during autopsy.
A team of veterinary experts led by Anil Zachariah,
Assistant Director, Animal
Husbandry
Department,
Wayanad, conducted the
autopsy.
A case has been registered,
he added.
This is the third such in-

cident in the district in six

months.
The killing of a cow elephant, aged about 13, near the
Sulthan Bathery-Perikkallur
State highway at Nalam Mile
under the Kurichiyad forest
range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) on
July 30 was the first.

HASSAN: One of Karnatakas

oldest public libraries, the
Hassan City Central Library
is all set to celebrate its centenary. The Department of
Public Libraries will hold a
week-long celebration during January and February of
2017.
The Hassan institution
has served many wellknown litterateurs including
Masti Venkatesh Iyengar,
D.R. Bendre, and Shivaram
Karanth, who have also participated in its programmes.
We have a collection of
over one lakh books, besides
8,000 reference titles. There
are more than 13,017 members, said P.L.Nagaraj, chief
librarian.
This is the third centenary

INVITING BOOK LOVERS: Readers browse at Hassan City Library.

PHOTO: PRAKASH HASSAN

library in the State after the

central public libraries in
Mysuru and Bengaluru.
The building here was
sanctioned in 1911 to
commemorate the coronation of George V, then Emperor of India.
The foundation stone was

laid by P.R.W. Wetheralla

Eso, Deputy Commissioner
of Hassan on December 12,
1911.
The building was completed in 1916 and inaugurated by Sir M.Visvesvaraya, the Dewan of
Mysore.

It then became the Public

Library and Reading Room.
In just a few years, the library became a magnet for all
intellectuals and cultural personalities. Mahatma Gandhi
held a public meeting in the
library premises in 1924 as
part of the freedom struggle,
records say.
Thousands of students
have also benefited. Indian
Space Research Organisation
chairperson Dr. A.S. Kiran
Kumar, who hails from Hassan, is a member, and was a
regular visitor as a student.
H.K. Sharat, a faculty member at Malnad College of Engineering said, I have been
visiting this library to read
magazines and borrow books
for 10 years.
Many students have benefited from the reference sec-

tion, where books for competitive exams are available.

Need to expand
Many programmes for the
centenary
have
been
planned, with Hassan MLA
H. S. Prakash chairing the
meetings.
We are facing a shortage
of space. We want a new
building and the department
has provided Rs. 40 lakh for
this, the chief librarian said.
To celebrate the centenary,
a new building has been
planned in the land spread
over 2.5 acres. The design is
being worked out.
We have suggested a
design akin to Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, one
of the best library buildings
constructed on a big budget,
he added.

|9

NATION

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Your loans will be

taken care of:
Amarinder to farmers

Praying to Sun

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress

president
Amarinder
today
reassured farmers that their
loans would be taken care
of if his party comes to
power in the State even as
he promised protection
of the interests of the arhtiyas
(commission
agents).
He said farmers would
be covered under the
partys farm debt waiver
scheme, which forms
party of Congresss Kisan
Yatra in the State.
Rest assured that you
would not have to worry
about anyppP of your
loans, he told farmers.

Modalities
Amarinder Singh said
modalities to resolve the
issue of loans taken from
arhtiyas would also be
worked out in such a
manner that neither the
farmers nor the arhtiyas
would have to sufer the

SCARY NEW WORLD: Devotees pray to the Sun not visible due to smog at the Yamuna, floating with pollutants and froth in New Delhi on Sunday. - PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

debt burden.
With Rs 35,000 crore
of the total rural indebtedness in the State
contributed
by
farm
debts, this is an issue of
serious concern not only
for the State but also the
Central government, he
said and urged the Modi
government to waive of
farm debts across the
country in line with the
waiver
done
for
industries.
Referring to farm debt
waiver capmpaign in
Punjab, the former Chief
Minister claimed it had
evoked a huge response
from farmers.
He said the Congress
Manifesto Committee is
in the process of taking
suggestions from arhtiyas regarding their
problems and possible
steps would be taken to
address their grievances
while resolving the farm
debt issue. - PTI

Impose Model Code without delay: Punjab Congress to EC

To curb the growing criminalisation and gross misuse of official machinery by the Badal government
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Congress on Sunday again
urged the Election Commission to impose the
Model Code of Conduct in
the state without further
delay to curb the growing
criminalisation and gross
misuse of oicial machinery by the Badal
government.
In a complaint to the poll
panel, State Congress chief
Amarinder Singh claimed
that the possibility of holding a free and fair election in
the State is becoming more
remote by the day in view
of the governments failure
to abide by the commissions directives.
Despite your explicit instructions to check the police-criminal nexus and to
put an immediate stop to
the misuse of oicial machinery to promote vested
political interests, the Badal
government continues to
indulge in anti-people activities, negating all possibilities of holding a fair and
free election in the State,

the complaint said.

Amarinder Singh alleged
that the reign of terror let
loose by criminals and
mafia working in direct
nexus with the ruling SAD
continues unabated, with
new incidents being un-

covered every day exposing

the complicity of the Akali
leadership in cases of criminalisation and lawlessness
in Punjab.
Even as it welcomed the
Election Commissions initiatives to ensure free and

GURUGRAM: Police said four

young men on a motorcycle
were killed and four others
injured as several vehicles
collided in Rohtak along the
Rohtak-Gohana road on
Sunday morning due to poor
visibility due to smog. The
accident occured when an
unidentified vehicle hit the
motorcycle. While three of
the motorcycle-borne youth
died on the spot, the fourth
succumbed to the injuries at
a hospital in Rohtak. The accident triggered a pile-up
and six persons were injured
in the collision of several
vehicles.
Among the vehicles which

CHANDIGARH: Asserting that SAD

BJP combine is the only viable,
sustainable combination which
people will vote for in the next
years assembly polls, BJPs
Punjab election co-in charge
Captain Abhimanyu Singh on
Sunday said good governance
and development will be its key
poll planks.
SADBJP combine is the
only viable, sustainable
combination for the benefit of
people of Punjab. It is now that
Punjab has an opportunity to
take advantage of NDA
government at the Centre and
further improve its economic

situation with the support of the

Central government,
Abhimanyu, who is also
Haryanas Finance Minister, said
here.
Abhimanyu claimed that
people will reject the Congress,
which proved disastrous for
the State when they ruled the
State, while Aam Aadmi Party
has lost its credibility.
Out of over nine years of the
SAD-BJP governments rule, it
was UPA which was ruling at the
Centre for almost eight of those
years. But UPA did not pay heed
to one of genuine demands of
Punjab, which was still

Visibility was reduced

on entire stretch of
the National Highway
1 in Karnal, Panipat
and Sonepat
rammed into each other
were an oil tanker, a truck, a
van, jeep, and few cars, police said, adding the accident
occurred near Ghilor village,
about 70 km from Delhi.
No casualties
In another accident, eight
to ten vehicles were involved in a pile up near
Raipur village around 9 a.m.
However, no deaths were
caused in the two accidents,

said Head Constable, Butana

Police Station, Raj Kumar.
The injured were taken to
hospital.
According to the police,
due to the smog, the visibility had dropped considerably on entire stretch of
the National Highway 1 in
Karnal and surrounding
areas, including Panipat and
Sonepat. Police said both at
Rohtak and Karnal the injured were immediately shifted to hospitals.
The accidents caused
traic jams on the road and
police said eforts were
stepped up to clear the vehicles which were involved in
the accidents.
(With inputs from PTI)

Huge cache of explosives seized, 3 held

STAFF REPORTER
KOLKATA: A large cache of explosives and detonators has
been seized by the police at
Siliguri in North Bengal.
Acting on a tip-of, the police raided a house in the Pradhan Nagar area of the town
and arrested three Nepalese
citizens on Saturday night.
We have seized 609
gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 630 metres of
cordex wire [used in explosives], Commissioner of the

The police are yet

to ascertain why
the three Nepalese
citizens had
the explosives
Siliguri Metropolitan Police
C.S. Lepcha told The Hindu
on Sunday.
She said three Nepalese
citizens Dawa Shering
Bhutia alias Dawa Gurung
(50), his wife Puja Limbu (35)
and Krishna Prasad Adhikari

(40) were arrested. According to police sources,

Bhutia is a professional carrier, who delivered various
kinds of equipment on being
hired. However, the police
did not disclose which
equipment he used to
deliver.
The police are yet to ascertain the motive behind possessing the explosives. It is
too early too say whether the
accused are related to any
outfit as the investigation is
going on, said Ms. Lepcha.

Himachal BJP demands white

paper on States financial situation
SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh BJP on Sundayexpressed serious concern over
the huge loans being raised
by the State government and
demanded a white paper
on the financial situation of
the State.
It is a matter of grave concern that the government has
raised a loan of Rs 1,000 crore
this month and the state is being pushed into a debt trap,

of a BJP leader from Mansa

in an illicit liquor case, and
the murder of an ex-serviceman in Moga following
an argument over illicit liquor sale. The former Chief
Minister also highlighted
the increasing atrocities

against Dalits to underline

the importance of the poll
panels urgent intervention
to check the growing lawlessness in the State.
Mentioning the launch of
100 mobile vans for the state
governments health aware-

ness campaign, Congress,

in its complaint, also expressed serious concern
over the misuse of the official machinery by the
Badal government to promote its political interests.
The situation, as is evid-

ent, is progressively deteriorating and crying for stif

and stern action by the
Election Commission to ensure that polls in the State
can be held with some
decorum of fairness, it
said. PTI

Good governance, development key poll planks for SAD-BJP: Abhimanyu

Smog triggers multiple collisions

STAFF REPORTER

fair polls in the state, Congress cited several recent

instances and underlined
the need for strong measures to bring the situation
under control.
In its complaint, Congress referred to the arrest

Himachal Pradesh BJP vicepresident Ganesh Dutt said.

He claimed that the government had even ignored
the advice of the Comptroller
and Auditor General (CAG)
to restrict the loans to a
minimum and its total loan
amount had now crossed Rs
45,000 crore which was a
warning for it.
Demanding a white paper on the financial situ-

ation of the State, the BJP

leader alleged that the government was indulging in
unproductive and wasteful
expenditure and Chief
Minister Virbhadra Singh
had announced projects and
schemes worth Rs 25,000
crore in the last four years
without any budget allocation, which would ultimately increase the burden
on the common man. PTI

recovering from the impact of

terrorism days, he said.
It needed some financial and
fiscal support, which UPA
should have ideally conceded.
But unfortunately, despite all
best eforts of State government,
UPA was not forthcoming, he
added. At the same time, Capt.
Abhimanyu said: But we see a
lot of economic development is
going to happen under the
leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in the country,
so Punjab is ideally poised to
take advantage of this
possibility.
This is natural because of his

towering personality and his

status in national politics, Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal
will be the ideal person to lead
Punjab in this economic
renaissance, he claimed.
So, people of Punjab are wise
to understand that Congress and
AAP are not credible enough, at
least in the governance.
And good governance and
development are the two key
issues on which we (SAD-BJP)
are going to contest the elections
together, he said.
Hitting out at AAP, Capt.
Abhimanyu claimed that it has
completely lost its credibility.

People of Delhi have seen

their misrule. Now, people of
Punjab will not allow this
comedy to turn a tragedy of
Punjab, he said.
About Congress, he said:
Congress proved disastrous in
their previous tenure and people
of Punjab will not like to take
chances with people governing
the State from the palaces
(taking a veiled dig at Capt.
Amarinder Singh).
With Congress and AAP
accusing ruling Akalis of
plundering the State, Capt.
Abhimanyu said all these are all
political accusations.

Further when asked that

Congress often points fingers at
the ruling Akalis on the drug
problem, Capt. Abhimanyu
retorted. if there was anything
wrong done (by the Akalis), they
(Congress) could have got the
inquiries done when UPA was
ruling the Centre.
There are various
institutions of government and
also various judicial and quasi
judicial bodies, The same
Congress leaders who are now
making allegations and
accusations could have filed
applications, why did they not
do so, he said. - PTI

10 |

EDITORIAL

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Gazing at a longer horizon

A national security doctrine, with political consensus, can prevent the unnecessary politicisation of national
security issues. But is the government invested in drawing it up?
M O N D AY , N O V E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 6

HAPPYMON JACOB

Looking for
a humane solution

he agreement between India and Sri

Lanka on establishing a Joint Working
Group on fisheries is a small step forward
in resolving the dispute between fishermen of both countries. In fact, such a mechanism
had been in place until a few years ago to address
problems that arose whenever fishermen from
Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lanka. The points
agreed on are important: a hotline between the
Coast Guards of both countries, a meeting of the
JWG once in three months, and a meeting of the
fisheries ministers every six months. Welcome too
is the commitment that there would be no violence
or loss of life of fishermen. These measures are useful in getting Indian fishermen or their boats released from custody, but they are unlikely to have
any immediate impact on the livelihood crisis facing the fishermen of northern Sri Lanka. Such a
crisis may grip Tamil Nadu fishermen too one day,
after the fishery resources in the Palk Bay are exhausted. The real issue is how long trawlers from
Tamil Nadu will continue to fish in Sri Lankan territorial waters, and how soon bottom trawling is
ended. The oicial statement after the talks between the foreign ministers refers to expediting
the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest. An agreement on this
is crucial, but in the absence of a time frame there
remains a question mark over a solution emerging.
Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen are firm on an immediate end to all incursions and are against seized
Indian boats being released without legal process,
even though they agree that the arrested fishermen
should be released. In talks between representatives of fishermen held a few days earlier,
Tamil Nadu fishermen had asked for a three-year
phase-out period for their trawlers, and a deal under which they would fish for 85 days a year until
then. This was rejected outright by the Sri Lankan
side, which holds that the Indian vessels cause
serious economic and ecological damage. One way
of preventing boundary transgression is to find a
livelihood alternative for Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Equipping them for deep sea fishing is an option.
For now, Tamil Nadu should show greater understanding of the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen, who are economically weaker and yet to
fully recover from a devastating war, and agree to a
more reasonable phase-out period. Sri Lanka, then,
can look at a licensing system under which fishermen from both sides can fish on specified days using sustainable methods and permissible equipment. It is important that all sides recognise that
there is a humanitarian dimension to the issue.

Back from the brink

in Lebanon

he election of Michel Aoun, the 81-yearold former general, as Lebanons

President ends a two-and-a-half-year political stalemate. It signals hope that the
countrys fractious political class will come together to form a government invested in addressing
the many challenges it faces, from basic civil issues
to threats coming from neighbouring, civil warstricken Syria. The length of time it took to elect a
President in itself shows the complex nature of the
political system. Under a long-standing arrangement, the President has to be a Maronite Christian,
the Prime Minister a Sunni, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia. The major political parties
represent these sects, and reaching a consensus on
key issues is tricky. What makes matters worse is
external intervention. Hezbollah, which represents
the Shia community, has Irans backing, while the
Sunni political faction led by Saad Hariri is supported by Saudi Arabia and the West. President Aoun, a
Maronite politician, is aHezbollah ally. His election
is the result of an agreement among the Shia, Sunni,
and Christian factions. Mr. Hariri backed Mr.
Aouns election in Parliament, while the President,
in return, named Mr. Hariri as Prime Minister. The
Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, has declared
that he wont oppose Mr. Hariris appointment.
However, Mr. Hariri may find it diicult to form a
truly representative government that can survive in
Lebanons confessional system. His acceptance of
Mr. Aoun as President could be a tactical move given the Sunnis diminishing political clout in the
country. He may also face pressure and resistance
on foreign policy from Hezbollah, which runs a militia that is stronger than the national army. Hezbollah fighters are arrayed alongside the regime of
President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, while Mr. Hariris regional patron, Saudi Arabia, backs the antiAssad rebels. The animosity between Mr. Hariri
and Mr. Nasrallah has a personal side as well. Mr.
Hariri accuses the Hezbollah of assassinating his
father, the former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But
despite these fault-lines, there are many areas of cooperation. The country saw deadly bombings,
claimed by the Islamic State, over the past two
years, reviving memories of the 1980s civil war atrocities. Fighting between Sunni armed groups and
Hezbollah is common in certain pockets. Lebanon
also faces a huge refugee crisis a million Syrians
have crossed the border since 2011. Unless these issues are addressed quickly, Lebanon could also
plunge into civil strife. The leading political groups
need to set aside diferences and expand the scope
of the understanding they have now reached.
CM
YK

New Delhis decision to get back at Pakistan

by raking up Balochistan in various global
fora goes to demonstrate how tactical considerations continue to trump strategic thinking
in India. New Delhi, under Prime Minister
Narendra Modis stewardship, has displayed
an exceptional, often admirable, amount of
enthusiasm for foreign and security policy,
and yet the countrys strategic thinking
continues to be guided by bureaucratic ad
hocism, tactical considerations, and political
expediency.
Mr. Modis energetic foreign policy has
not gone significantly beyond catchy rhetoric and fanfare. Take, for instance, some of the
early objectives of this government: neighbourhood first, selling Indias growth story
globally, and getting Sino-Indian relations on
track. Half-way through its term, most of
these objectives lay in tatters. The Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) leadership continues to argue that having completed over 50 foreign
trips in this period, Mr. Modi has energised
Indias foreign policy. But how does energising become a foreign policy achievement
if policy and strategy are to be judged on the
basis of outcomes, consistency and followup? Beyond these obvious issues, there is,
however, a fundamental lacuna inherent in
the countrys strategic behaviour and choices
today: it functions without a grand strategic
blueprint.
Boxed up in South Asia
Despite its stated global ambitions, India
behaves like a country confined to its South
Asian geopolitical space. By enhancing our
involvement in a never-ending battle with
Pakistan and directing diplomatic and political energy towards fighting it, we have efectively withdrawn ourselves into our little favourite box called South Asia. Increasing
Sino-Indian disafection would further
prompt Beijing to do what it can to confine
India to where the former thinks it belongs.
New Delhis new-found outrage about human rights violations in Balochistan is
suggestive of misplaced priorities. Not only
that, doing so is invariably running a fools errand but more importantly, it is a sheer waste
of Indias diplomatic energy, limited as it is
due to the acute lack of diplomats in the
Ministry of External Afairs (MEA). Yet, human rights violations in Balochistan was Mr.
Modis profoundest policy announcement
from the ramparts of the Red Fort this year.
Paradoxically, even as India is increasingly
getting boxed up in the limited geo-strategic
sphere of South Asia, its influence within it is
steadily weakened by Chinese economic and
military power. The diminishing of American power and consequent strategic realign-

While this unrelenting focus on

terror might benefit the political
agenda at home, it is not in
keeping with the countrys
long-term national interest
ments in the region are bound to frustrate Indias influence in the region furthermore.
Terror-fixated foreign policy
New Delhis diplomatic eforts increasingly seem to revolve around the issue of
Pakistan-backed terrorism, and it leaves no
stone unturned to talk about it at every major
international forum. Getting the U.S. to say
something about Pakistan-based terror
seems to be an ego-trip for New Delhi. It is a
diferent matter that the Americans unhesitatingly make well-rehearsed statements
about terrorism from Pakistan and then go
back to doing business with Rawalpindi. But
then, all we ask for is a statement!
Notwithstanding the fact that Indias
foreign and security policy concerns are far
more than just terrorism, reducing Indias
foreign policy focus to terrorism to such an
extent demonstrates how tactical we are in
our approach. While this unrelenting focus
on terror might benefit the BJPs political
agenda at home, it is not in keeping with the
countrys long-term national interest: terrorism, lets face it, is not Indias most pressing
strategic or existential challenge.
Second, New Delhis disproportionate focus on terrorism has compromised Indias
strategic relationship with China. Chinas unwillingness to agree to Indias line on
Pakistan-based terror has made Sino-Indian
relations thornier than ever. Is it smart to
damage an important, though complicated,
relationship with China because Beijing is

unwilling to buy our line on Pakistan?

Third, the undue focus on Pakistan-based
terror has also damaged Mr. Modis global
image as a leader focussed on governance,
trade and growth. All attention has suddenly
shifted to self-generated tactical concerns,
instead of larger issues such as foreign direct
investment, global partnerships, institutional reforms, economic diplomacy, etc.
Much of the latter set of goals has, of course,
remained merely well-worded rhetoric.
Consider, for instance, the fact that India is
still ranked 130 in the World Bank Group's annual report on the ease of doing business. To
think that growth and development are possible without institutional reforms is to daydream.
Fourth, by going on about Pakistansponsored terrorism in Kashmir, New Delhi
has managed to facilitate what it has traditionally cared to avoid: internationalising the
Kashmir issue. Finally, and most importantly,
making terrorism the mainstay of the countrys foreign policy can hardly ever lead to
any tangible outcomes, except of course, in
domestic politics.
Messy alliance behaviour
New Delhis foreign policy engagements in
general and alliance choices in particular
continue to sufer from a certain degree of
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It
began by reaching out to China (with which it
continues to have a strategic partnership)
and then the focus shifted to Chinas rivals,
namely the U.S. and Japan. Over the past two
and a half years, it sure covered a lot of
ground, but much of it seems impulsive than
well-thought-out.
New Delhis relationship with Washington, especially the signing of the Logistics
Exchange Memorandum of Agreement
(LEMOA) in August this year allowing the
two militaries to work closely with each
other and use each others bases for repair
and supplies, is a clear departure from its traditional policy of not getting into military alliances. While LEMOA, technically speaking,
is not a military alliance, its pretty close.
What is New Delhis grand strategic rationale
behind it, and does it in anyway compromise
Indias traditional desire to maintain strategic autonomy? This question deserves to be
asked especially because such a close military relationship with a declining power
should not undermine Indias ability to
navigate the rough waters of the regions
shifting balances of power. Even if New Delhi
overlooks Chinas concerns, it cant aford to
dismiss Russian apprehensions at a time
when Moscow is opening its doors to Islamabad. Shouldnt India develop its own
grand strategy, rather than become a cog in
the U.S. one?
Indias recent eforts at counterbalancing
China, especially through Vietnam, may also
prove to be pointless. While Indias interests
in the Indian Ocean region should be articu-

lated with more vigour, it should rethink the

strategic rationale of its forays into the South
China Sea. Even Vietnam might not want to
get into an open squabble with China. In
short, it is wise to avoid alliance-games when
charting strategic partnerships: fidelity is not
a time-tested virtue in international politics.
New Delhi also needs more diplomatic
subtlety when aiming to play a major role in
the international system. Sustained and mature negotiations, for instance, are necessary
for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
membership: public spats with countries like
China wont help.
Absence of long-term vision
Long-term strategic thinking requires intellectual depth and an ability to look beyond
the tactical considerations of everyday security policymaking so as to simulate alternative futures and potential responses. Besides, there needs to be institutional
coordination and follow-up action on the
governments key initiatives. This, of course,
is easier said than done in an atmosphere
where next State Assembly election, or the
latest ceasefire violation, matters more than
the next quarter century.
In New Delhi, despite the Prime Ministers
Oices monopolisation of all strategic-security decision-making, there are hardly any
attempts at intellectual investment in long
view strategic planning. Generalist defence
ministry bureaucrats and an understafed
MEA are clearly not in a position to do so.
This shortage of clarity on fundamentals
has led to a lack of focus and prioritisation of
the governments goals and objectives. Looking at the many things that the government is
engaged in, one wonders whether there is actually a sense of purpose to them at all. Previous governments, including the earlier BJPled regime, regularly set up highly specialised groups to generate policy reports and
perspective planning for policymakers. Successive governments recognised the importance of such intellectual inputs, and actively
sought them. Not any more. This government revels in blitzkrieg tactics than strategic planning.
There dont appear to be any carefully puttogether structures within the government
(over and above the regular bureaucratic apparatuses) tasked with grand strategic thinking in a purposeful manner, whose inputs are
then taken on board. India also does not have
a comprehensive national security doctrine
which could help pacify insurgencies, manage borders better or fight cross-border terror.
Sure, governments have a host of daily security related issues and crisis management
to worry about, but in the absence of overarching strategic guidance they stick to ad
hoc measures and firefighting, habitually
missing the big picture. On the other hand, if
there are well-articulated strategic doctrines
or a grand strategic vision in place, institutions will learn to refer to them and adjust
their policies accordingly, leading to a lot
more coherence in the countrys strategic behaviour. Sometimes, however, governments
find it useful not to have any well-articulated
grand strategy as it would be helpful when
acting out of political expediency.
A national security doctrine would require
a great deal of political consultation, careful
scenario building, and net assessment by experts. Such a carefully articulated national
security doctrine, if generated by political
consensus, can prevent the unnecessary politicisation of national security issues as we
have seen in the recent past: but then would
the government want depoliticisation of security, especially when it knows it can derive
parochial benefits out of such politicisation?
The incumbent regime in New Delhi lacks
the art of the long view, to borrow Peter
Schwartzs phrase. If it is serious about the
long-term stability and security of the country, it needs to think beyond the wisdom generated by the specialised desks in the ministries, and invest in grand strategic thinking.
Such thinking can only flourish if and when
the political class commits to institutional reform, intellectual investment and consensus
building.
Happymon Jacob is Associate Professor of Disarmament
Studies, entre for International Politics, Organization and
Disarmament, School of International Studies, JNU.

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

FROM THE READERS EDITOR

Self-criticism is integral
to self-regulation
A.S.
PANNEERSELVAN

For nearly a century, the space for free media has

seen a cyclical oscillation of governments attitude
towards media. Governments create a strong legal
framework to protect freedom of expression and
then invent methods to subvert them. The enabling
environment for media is usually followed by a restrictive and stifling one. The push-back comes from
media practitioners and the public to regain the

space.
Institutions that have power to impose punitive measures on news media
organisations and journalists should remember some of the cardinal principles that govern this profession: ask questions, provide the context, hold
those in power accountable, provide information that is both comprehensible and comprehensive. Journalism should be read as a common good and
not as a crime.
A disturbing ban
The day-long ban of NDTV India raises disturbing questions about the
status of the freedom of expression, its legality and long-term implications.
The statement of the Editors Guild of India explained how the decision to impose the ban violated the fundamental principles of freedom and justice.
This newspapers editorial, Ominous curb on media freedom, rightly argues for an independent forum to decide violations and that a committee of
oicials is not the ideal body to make an independent assessment of what
constitutes information that poses an imminent danger to military personnel
or civilians. In the high decibel media bashing, it is important to bear in mind the obserA key component that
vations made by Raj Kamal Jha, editor of
makes good journalism
The Indian Express, in the presence of the
is the ability to accept
Prime Minister. Good journalism is not dying; it is getting better and bigger. Its just
mistakes and offer
bad journalism makes lot more noise than it
timely corrections
used to do five years ago, he said.
Is there a way to distinguish good journalism from the bad one? What are
the yardsticks? Is an adversarial relationship with the government alone a
marker of good journalism? From my personal experience as a journalist for
three decades, the best visible distinguishing element, among numerous
components that make good journalism, is the ability to accept mistakes and
ofer timely corrections. News organisations may be stafed with some of the
most outstanding talent in the world. However, they cannot wish away mistakes, errors in editorial judgment and human frailties in this deadlinedriven process. Good and ethical ones rectify the mistakes and the bad ones
often camouflage them, and on occasions justify them. The idea of self-reflection, the act of holding the mirror close, the space for course correction
and the constant striving for improving the quality of journalism are important in the newsrooms of respectable news organisations.
My last column, What ails business journalism, was a product of the
same concern. It flagged a major failure. The 800-odd-word column was a
call to resharpen business reporting skills. However, a long-time reader of
this newspaper and editor of the Chennai-based business magazine, Industrial Economist, S. Viswanathan, felt otherwise and has written a reply twice
as big as the column. This oice values feedback, criticisms and contrarian
views. It often engages with readers who difer from the newspapers position on a host of issues and strives to encourage dialogue. Given the newspapers reach and our own countrys diversity, we recognise that it is impossible
to produce a report or an editorial or an opinion piece that satisfies every
reader. But, I believe the newspaper should be seen as a whole, which may
contain sections with which one agrees and those with which one disagrees.
And, thats par for the course.
There are two parts to Mr. Viswanathans criticism of my column. First he
has a very restrictive idea of the oice of the Readers Editor. In his introductory note to his rejoinder, he wrote: I understood the role of the ombudsman
was to respond to readers suggestions and criticisms. But this senior
journalist with wide experience revels in functioning as a regular columnist
freely commenting on all and sundry issues. But, the Terms of Reference
(ToR) for the Readers Editor, which are binding, spell out the key objectives:
To institutionalise the practice of self-regulation, accountability, and transparency; to create a new visible framework to improve accuracy, verification,
and standards in the newspaper; and to strengthen bonds between the newspaper and its millions of print platform and online readers. The ToR makes
it clear that responding to readers complaints is just one component of the
REs work.
The changing ecosystem
Mr. Viswanathans response actually validates my column rather than repudiating it. First, he talked about the changed revenue model for publications where substantial revenue five decades ago was from the cover
price as opposed to the present situation where advertising accounts for bulk
of the revenue. Second, he agreed with the column that direct interaction between the top honchos and the media is limited. Corporates zealously guard
their gates through PR agencies, he wrote. He then listed the names of the
select business leaders who broke the mould to talk to the press and then
veered of into the legal cost of taking on the corporates. Then he shifted his
focus to 200 year plus adoration of the superiority of phoren oracles, citing
a far more open door policy by corporates towards journalists from The
Economist, Financial Times or The New York Times. His letter is a testimony to the challenges in front of business journalism in India.

| 11

PERSPECTIVE

Obamas tricky legacy

Whether the next U.S. President likes it or not, a new Cold War with Russia is already born
STANLY JOHNY

When Barack Obama began his first

term as American President in 2009, the
U.S.s ties with Russia were at a historical
low, partly due to Moscows intervention
in Georgia. There were already discussions in U.S. strategic circles about the
threats a resurgent Russia posed, but the
Obama administration deliberately
played down such warnings, and
adopted a new reset approach to deal
with Russia. The objective was to improve overall relationship with Russia
and have better cooperation on complex
global issues such as the Iran nuclear
crisis. The reset had some immediate
positive efects on bilateral ties. Washington abandoned the Bush administrations plan to build a missile defence
shield in Eastern Europe, while Moscow
opened Russian airspace for U.S. planes
carrying supplies for forces in Afghanistan. The two countries also signed a
New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in
2010, aimed at cutting nuclear weapons.
But almost eight years down the line,
the reset lies in a shambles and talk of a
new Cold War is back. The U.S. and Russia are involved in a proxy battle in
Ukraine and leading two competing military missions in Syria. Washington
wants a probe into Russias war crimes
in Aleppo, while Russian media threaten
a nuclear war. The U.S. has even accused
Russia of interfering in its presidential
elections. Mr. Obama will go down in
history as a President who oversaw a
dangerous deterioration in U.S.-Russian
ties post-Cold War. And perhaps the
greatest foreign policy risk the new U.S.
President will face is tackling an angry,
resurgent Russia. So what actually went
wrong?
The fundamental problem was the
Obama administrations perception of
Russia. Mr. Obama neither appreciated
the depth of insecurity Moscow felt in
the wake of NATOs eastward expansions, nor foresaw its determination to
defend its security interests. He saw
Russias intervention in Georgia as an
aberration, rather than as the beginning
of a strategic comeback.
In a 2012 presidential debate, Mr.
Obama slammed his Republican rival,
Mitt Romney, for saying Russia was the
greatest geopolitical threat America
faces. The 1980s are now calling to ask
for their foreign policy back because the
Cold War's been over for 20 years, he
then said. Mr. Obama appeared confident that the Cold War was a thing of the
past. Even the rationale of the reset was
to create an environment where the U.S.
could work together with its erstwhile
rival in the unipolar world.
Restoring old doctrine
But on the other side, Russia felt consistently threatened by NATOs expansion, to Eastern Europe and also to the
former Soviet region right in its backyard. This insecurity is historical.

YES, HE WILL: Mr. Obama will go down in history as a President who oversaw a dangerous deterioration in U.S.-Russian ties
post-Cold War. Picture shows the President at the White House. FILE PHOTO: AP

The reset lies in a shambles...

the greatest foreign policy risk
the new U.S. President will
face is tackling an angry,
resurgent Russia
Despite its huge land mass, Russia is geographically vulnerable as its core that
runs from St. Petersburg through Moscow to the Volga region lies on plains.
As Catherine the Great famously said, I
have no way to defend my borders but to
extend them. Historically, this has been
at the centre of Russias security strategy
defend the heartland through a land
bufer. During the Soviet years, Siberia,
and the Central Asian republics did this
job. After the disintegration of the Soviet
Union, in the ensuing economic collapse
and anarchy, Moscow was not in a position to respond to NATO intervention in
and expansion to its sphere of influence.
But Vladimir Putin revived this old doctrine after his regime stabilised Russia in
the early 2000s. Its first military manifestation was the intervention in Georgia
a few months after NATO ofered membership to Georgia and Ukraine in 2008.
The same holds true for Ukraine.
When the pro-Russian Ukraine
President Viktor Yanukovych was
toppled by pro-Western protesters in
2014, Mr. Putin took that as a setback to
Russias interests. Ukraine is strategically more important to Russia than
even Georgia. Where the U.S. and other
Western nations which supported antiregime protests in Ukraine erred was in
gauging the Russian response. Mr. Putin
had seen the lame response from the
West to his Georgia intervention. And in

Ukraine, he sought to meet two objectives: stop the country from joining
NATO, and protect the Russian Black
Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in Crimea which
was part of Ukraine. Mr. Putin annexed
Crimea to Russia, which would protect
the Black Sea Fleet, and triggered armed
conflicts in eastern Ukraine, which
would put any NATO plans on the
backburner.
To be sure, this is not acceptable in an
ideal world. And the Obama administration was obviously taken by surprise
by the extent of Russias response. But
there are two things that made Mr. Putin
take this extreme step of annexing a part
of another country. First, the Iraq war,
waged by the U.S. on the false pretext of
weapons of mass destruction and in violation of international norms, had already damaged the moral fabric of the
post-Cold War world order. Second, the
U.S. was so preoccupied with its own
wars in West Asia and Afghanistan that it
was not in a position to respond militarily to Russian aggression.
Limited superpower
Having failed to foresee the Russian
moves, the Obama administration had
limited options accept the outcome of
the Russian annexation of Crimea like
the Russians accepted the Iraq invasion;
escalate the conflict by arming the
Ukrainian government; or take non-military counter-actions. Mr. Obama chose
the last one. Despite the high decibel
anti-Russian rhetoric, the U.S. sent a
clear message to Russia that it didnt
want to escalate the crisis militarily. But
being the sole superpower, it couldnt
let Russia get away with the annexation
either. So the U.S. and Europeans sus-

pended Russia from the G-8 and imposed sanctions on the country in an apparent bid to isolate Russia and weaken
Mr. Putins grip on power.
This was the least efective strategy
even among the limited options. The
sanctions fed into Mr. Putins narrative
that Russia was being threatened by the
West, making him more powerful at
home. Washingtons reluctance to arm
the Ukrainian government underscored
his conviction that there are limits to the
U.S.s power and its overstretched elsewhere. This allowed him to raise the bar,
this time in Syria. Russias decisive intervention in Syria in September 2015 not
only prevented a seemingly imminent
collapse of Bashar al-Assads regime, but
also check-mated Washington. It was
now almost impossible for Mr. Obama to
order a military operation against the
regime as it would naturally escalate the
conflict.
Mini Cold War
Be it in Georgia, Ukraine or Syria, Russia has showed willingness and capability to use force in a limited manner to
protect its interests and expand its reach.
It doesnt mean Russia is on the march to
become another imperial power. It faces
mounting problems, the biggest among
them being the economic crisis. The
sanctions have also hurt Russia economically, and its ties with Germany have
deteriorated. But in the great game, this
was short-term collateral damage. The
long-term goal is to try to restore Russias lost grandeur. Whether the next
U.S. President likes it or not, a mini Cold
War is already born.
stanly.johny@thehindu.co.in

When the screen goes blank

Without the imposition of Emergency, will executive power to censor and stop transmission
of news stand judicial scrutiny?

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in

and present danger. If the information

was already in the public domain, as the
channel argues, what is the mechanism
adopted by the committee that recommended the ban, to zero in on NDTV
alone? Action tainted with mala fide intent is liable to be struck down on
grounds of discrimination and malice as
it would fall foul of Article 14. To shut
down a news channel for a whole day to
ostensibly set an example creates a
dangerous precedent.

SANJAY PINTO

The Information and Broadcasting

Ministrys 24-hour ban on the television
channel NDTV India over its Pathankot
coverage is being seen as an attempt to
muzzle inconvenient live reportage.
And worse, a case of selective vendetta.
The Ministry has invoked the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules,
2015, on the ground that the channel
broadcast crucial information which
compromised national security. These
rules prohibit live coverage of any antiterrorist operation by security forces
and restrict media coverage to periodic
briefing by a designated oicer till
such operation concludes. It is not clear
if the channel's impugned broadcast
was 'live coverage' or just 'reportage'.
A case of overreach
The 2015 Rules, which operate as an
interim injunction on 24x7 reportage,
are to prevent sensitive information
from falling into the wrong hands and
not become a licence for excesses or a
cover-up. They are silent on whether it
is mandatory for the government to designate an oicial spokesperson to give
out information. While the restriction
on live coverage is categorical with the
use of the word shall, there is no
definition of the term periodic. What
is periodic for the State may be
inadequate for a 24x7 television channel. Further, briefing implies sharing a
carefully vetted statement, and not necessarily answering questions. Anti-terror operations must certainly not be
compromised
by
irresponsible
revelations of strategically sensitive information. But the job of the media is to
be an objective observer, to speak truth
to power, to question, even investigate,
for instance, whether an encounter is
genuine or staged, whether a suspect

CENSORSHIP ALIVE AND WELL: Who determines what constitutes a breach of national
security? A screengrab of a foreign news channel that was taken off the air in
India, in 2015. FILE PHOTO: AFP
gunned down is really a terrorist, in
keeping with the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission.
The Ministrys ban flows from its
power under Section 20 of the Cable
Television Networks (Regulation) Act.
The provision empowers the Central
government to regulate or prohibit the
transmission or re-transmission of any
channel or programme if it is necessary
or expedient to do so in the interest of
the sovereignty, integrity or security of
India, friendly relations with any foreign
State or public order, decency or morality. These clauses are a replica of the
reasonable restrictions to free speech
under Article 19(2) of the Constitution.
The legislative intent was obviously to
only sanction action within the constitutional framework and as a last
resort.
Courts word of caution
The right of the media to report news
as it happens is constitutionally guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the
Constitution. This extends to viewers
and readers who have a right to know. Of
course, it is hemmed in with reasonable
restrictions. Is the ban a reasonable restriction on this fundamental right?
How did the channel's coverage under-

Can the government be a

judge in its own cause and
usurp the powers of courts
to carry out punishment for
violation of the law?
mine the interests of the sovereignty
and integrity of India, the security of the
state, friendly relations with foreign
states, which are the relevant constitutionally permissible restrictions on
free speech? Who determines what
constitutes a breach of national security? The scope of reasonable restrictions was examined by the Supreme
Court in S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan
Ram. It noted that the anticipated
danger should not be remote, conjectural or far-fetched. In Chintaman Rao v.
State of Madhya Pradesh, the apex
court had held that reasonable restrictions must not be arbitrary or
excessive.
The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act must not be trivialised to
operate like a stick in the hands of a
headmaster to rein in disobedient
schoolchildren! The moot point here is
whether the impugned content fell
within the constitutional test of clear

Falling into error

Without the imposition of Emergency, will executive power to censor
and stop transmission of news stand judicial scrutiny? Can the government be a
judge in its own cause and based on its
subjective interpretation, usurp the
powers of courts to carry out punishment for violation of the law?
Wouldnt such practices undermine the
doctrine of separation of powers, which
is a basic structure of the Constitution?
Have the principles of natural justice
been adequately adhered to before
trampling over the channels right to do
its job under Article 19(1)(g)?
In Shreya Singhal v. Union of India,
the Supreme Court cautioned the authorities against any insidious form of
censorship which impairs a core value
contained in Article 19(1)(a) and has a
chilling efect on the freedom of speech
and expression.
It is relevant to quote Justice Jackson
in American Communications Association v. Douds: Thought control is a
copyright of totalitarianism... It is not
the function of our Government to keep
the citizen from falling into error; it is
the function of the citizen to keep the
Government from falling into error.
Let the media remain a watchdog.
Leave the interpretation of national interest to our courts. And dont allow
the executive to become a bloodhound.
Sanjay Pinto is a lawyer, columnist and former
Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7.

12 |

NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Sri Lanka wants an end to bottom trawling

MP says Indian vessels must stop the use of heavy-duty fishing techniques in the coastal waters
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka on
Sunday urged India to expeditiously end unsustainable industrial-scale fishing
in the coastal waters between the two countries.
Addressing presspersons
here a day after both sides
agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on the fishermen
issue, a member of the Sri
Lankan Parliament, M.A.
Sumanthiran, said Indian
trawlers were using heavyduty fishing techniques in
the coastal waters that must
be ended at the earliest.
Both sides made significant progress in the talks
[held on November 5] that
were led by External Afairs

Three-point agenda
Mr. Sumanthiran, who
represents the Illankai Tamil
Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) in Sri
Lankas
Tamil-dominated
northern province of Jafna,
said the agreement on the
three-point agenda of the

J&K situation very

fragile, says DGP
SRINAGAR: Describing the situ-

ation in Jammu and Kashmir

as extremely fragile, Director-General of Police K.
Rajendra has said around
300 militants are active in the
State and that continuing infiltration along the Line of
Control (LoC) is a cause of
worry.
The continuing infiltration along the border is a
cause of worry which can
change the whole game, the
DGP told a meeting of top
civil and police oicials
chaired by Chief Minister
Mehbooba Mufti here on
Saturday.
Referring to the situation
in Kashmir, where the unrest
triggered by the killing of
Hizbul
Mujahideen
commander Burhan Wani in
July completed four months,
Mr. Rajendra said even
though the intensity and
spread of the situation had
come down, it continued to
be extremely fragile.
At present, 250-300 militants are active. Given the
present situation, we need to
have a road map for next
two-three months, he said.
The DGP said at least 70
buildings had been set ablaze
by miscreants during the ongoing unrest in the Valley.
He said restoration of nor-

Both agree to jointly

patrol the coastal
waters and work
towards release of
arrested fishermen

Minister Sushma Swaraj and

her Sri Lankan counterpart
Mangala Samaraweera. We
agreed that the Joint Working Group would have three
tasks of expeditiously
working to end bottom
trawling, facilitating joint
patrolling of the coastal waters, and working towards release of arrested fishermen
who strayed into each others
waters, Mr. Sumanthiran
said.

Director-General of Jammu
and Kashmir Police K.
Rajendra Kumar. - FILE PHOTO:
NISSAR AHMAD

Around 300 militants

still active; continuing
infiltration along the
LoC is a cause of
worry
malcy would remain the top
priority for the forces in
coming days. While a semblance of normalcy has been
restored, there is no scope
for complacency. Police will
continue the drive against
miscreants, he said.
Deputy Commissioners
and SSPs of the Kashmir division made detailed presentations on the ongoing
development works. PTI

ture Minister Radha Mohan

Singh.

JWG would help end the

long-standing issue of fishing in the coastal waters between the two countries.
Apart from Mr. Sumanthiran
and the two Foreign
Ministers, the meeting on

Saturday was attended by Sri

Lankan Minister for Fisheries Mahinda Amaraweera
and Union Minister of State
for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon
Radhakrishnan and Agricul-

Meeting schedule
Following the meeting,
both sides agreed that the
JWG would meet every three
months and a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries would be held every six
months. Both sides also
agreed that there should be
no military attacks by the
Navies and the coast guards
of the two countries in deal-

ing with the fishermen.

The agreement to end
bottom trawling through
the JWG came at the end of a
long series of discussions.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had rejected the suggestion that India
would phase out industrialscale trawlers over a threeyear period, arguing that
such a policy would damage
the marine ecosystem. We
refused
the
three-year
timeline as it is not practical.
At the end of that period,
there would be no fish left
due to bottom trawling, Mr.
Sumanthiran said.
Following
Saturdays
agreement, the first Ministerial Meeting as per the
JWG mechanism would be
held on January 2, 2017.

MEERUT: The BJP which oicially launched its campaign

for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on Saturday
from Saharanpur, promised
the electorate on Sunday that
it would turn the State into
the richest province of the
country, if voted to power.
Party president Amit
Shah, flagging of the second
leg of the Parivartan Yatra
from Jhansi, which is part of
Bundelkhand, said the BSP
and the SP had destroyed
the State in the last 15 years.
Mayawati had said the
Samajwadi Party was not
good and asked the voters to
give another chance to her
party but there was no development in the State even
during the BSP rule. Because
both the parties are two sides
of the same coin and can
never bring development to

the State, Mr. Shah said.

Appealing to the people to
vote for the BJP, Mr. Shah
said, You gave enough
chances to the BSP and the
SP. You must uproot the
Samajwadi Party government and give a chance to the
BJP which will usher in development.
Mr.
Shah
said
Bundelkhand was rich in natural resources and would develop immensely once illegal
mining was stopped.
I promise that U.P. will be
the richest State in the country once BJP comes to power.
There will be no loot of public money, no scam, as have
been taking place all these
years under the Samajawadi
Party and Bahujan Samaj
Party rule, he said, while
pitching for same-party rule
at the Centre and State for a
corruption-free U.P.
Mr. Shah alleged that

NEW DELHI: An Indian military

band will, for the first time,
take part in the Japanese
Self Defence Forces (SDF)
marching festival 2016 in
Tokyo later this week. This
also coincides with Prime
Minister Narendra Modis
visit to Japan during which
expanding security
cooperation is big on the
agenda.
The marching festival of
the SDF is an annual event
being held since 1963 and
draws an audience of over
50,000 people.
The Indian contingent of
32 Army bandsmen is
accompanied by three
oicers and a drum Major.
Our team will be there
from November 8 to 14. The
invite was extended by

An issue of faith
As far as the cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural
issue, it is an issue of faith.
But besides being an issue of
faith, it is also an issue which
should be viewed from the
economic, historical and scientific perspective, the
Minister said.
Mr. Singh said the NDA
government was working towards enforcing a complete
ban on smuggling of cattle to
Bangladesh and taken a number of steps in this regard, but
achieved only partial success in view of the long border. PTI

Govt. allows separatists

to hold joint meeting

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is

basing its investigations on a
blue diary recovered from
one of the three Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) terrorists who
were killed while attempting
to storm an Army camp in
Kupwara on October 6.
The diary could prove to
be a vital piece of evidence as
investigators suspect the
September 18 attack on the
Army camp in Uri too was
carried out by LeT operatives, though the Army was
quick to name the Jaish-eMohammad barely hours
after the attack.
The diary contains the
name of a publication house
near the residence of LeT
founder Hafiz Saeed at Muridke in Pakistan.

TOGETHER IN GRIEF: Villagers attend the funeral prayers of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Waseem
Ahmad Khanday at Kellar in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Sunday. PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

Muridke camp
A senior NIA oicial said,
The name of the publication
house is not the only clue.
The diary has other details as
well linking the terrorists to
LeT and Hafiz Saeed. Several
notes in Urdu suggest that
the terrorist, who has identified himself as Faidullah in
the diary, was living in the
Muridke camp and had received training there.
The diary was recovered
by an NIA team which took
over the investigations on

October 9, three days after

the three terrorists were
killed in an encounter.
A Home Ministry source
said the local police and the
Army did not properly
search the bodies and vital
evidence would have been
lost had the bodies been disposed of. However, Baramulla SSP Imtiyaz Hussain
denied the allegations.
The three terrorists were
part of a suicide squad and
had booby-trapped their
bodies with grenades, to in-

PEERZADA ASHIQ
SRINAGAR: For the first time in

the 121-day-long agitation in

the Kashmir Valley, the government allowed separatist
leaders Syed Ali Geelani,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
Yasin Malik to hold a joint
meet here on Sunday.
The decision is aimed at
opening a window to end the
four-month-long logjam. A
similar exercise was disallowed by the police on
November 2.

flict casualties on security

forces.
During the Pathankot operation, one of the Jaish-eMohammad terrorists had
hidden a live grenade in one
of the pouches of his jacket
before he was killed. This led
to the death of NSG commando E.K. Niranjan when
he was retrieving the body.
Tell-tale signs
Three AK rifles, three under barrel grenade launchers, magazines, several

rounds of bullets, four Icom

radio sets, three GPS
devices, three cellphones,
dry fruits, medicines, a map
and a matrix sheet found on
the terrorists had tell-tale
imprints of the LeT, said an
NIA oicial.
A vial containing some
medicinal liquid was also
found on the attackers with
an Urdu sticker saying:
khoon rokne ke liye (to
stop bleeding). The oicial
said the terrorists had come
for a long haul.

You gave enough

chances to BSP and
SP. You must uproot
SP government,
he said at rally

RALLYING SUPPORT: BJP chief Amit Shah addresses the

Parivartan Yatra in Saharanpur on Saturday. PHOTO: PTI
gangsters and criminals
were present in both the SP
and BSP and that was why
both could not improve the
law and order situation.
Chief Minister Akhilesh

Yadav had said that he would

resign if Mukhtar Ansaris
Qaumi Ekta Dal was merged
with the Samajwadi Party.
Well, the merger took place.
Where is Akhilesh now?

Why is he continuing as
CM?, he asked.
He alleged that while the
SP had people like Mukhtar
Ansari, Ateek Ansari and
Azam Khan, the BSP had
Naseemuddin. But there are
no goonda elements in the
BJP, he claimed. He also
charged that all the schemes
started by the BJP government at the Centre were unable to reach the people of
the State due to the culture
of commission of the U.P.
government.
Union Ministers Rajnath
Singh, Kalraj Mishra, and
Uma Bharti, besides BJP
vice-president Om Mathur

and State BJP chief Keshav

Prasad Maurya addressed
the gathering.
Will end water crisis
Mr. Rajnath Singh also
raised the deteriorating law
and order situation in the
State. He said agriculture
had been hit in Bundelkhand
as farmers were unable to get
water. A BJP government in
U.P. would ensure the water
crisis was solved in 5-10
years, he promised.
Ms. Uma Bharti raised the
longstanding demand of
statehood for Bundelkhand.
Mr. Shah is expected to
flag of two more Parivartan
Rath Yatras, one from
Sonbhadra and another from
Ballia on November 8 and 9,
respectively. All the four yatras will culminate in a
massive public rally to be addressed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.

Programme coincides with Prime Minister Modis visit to Japan, during which expansion of security cooperation is big on agenda
Japan, defence sources
said.
The main festival is from
November 11 to 13. There
are some dummy runs
before that and the team
has to get adjusted there,
the source said.
Mr. Modi is scheduled to
visit Japan on a two-day
visit from November 11-12
and sources said he was
likely to witness the parade.
In January this year, a
123-member French Army
contingent became the first
foreign Army ever to have
marched on Rajpath during
the Republic Day parade
saluting President Pranab
Mukherjee and witnessed
alongside by French
President Francois
Hollande who was the
Chief Guest.
In May last year, a 75-

many States had already

banned cow slaughter after
increased awareness over
the issue.

VIJAITA SINGH

Drummers delight: Indian military band to shower love in Tokyo

DINAKAR PERI

NEW DELHI: There was a need to

take the States into confidence on banning cow
slaughter, Home Minister
Rajnath Singh said on
Sunday, maintaining that the
cow was protected even during Mughal rule.
Cow slaughter and beef
was banned since the Vedic
times. Even during the
Mughal rule, it was banned
during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the Babarnama that
one cannot rule over
Hindustan unless you stop
cow slaughter, he said at a
function in memory of those
killed during a demonstration on the issue here
50 years ago.
The Home Minister said

Terrorists diary may change the course of Uri case

BJP can make U.P. the richest State, says Amit Shah
STAFF REPORTER

States have big role

in cow protection

agenda during the bilateral

discussion between Mr.
Modi and his Japanese
counterpart Shinzo Abe,
some announcement could
be expected during the
visit, sources said.

MARCH TO GLORY: A file photo shows the Army band

at the Rajpath in New Delhi during the Republic Day
celebrations. PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA
member Indian Army
contingent from the
grenadier regiment, in
another first, marched at
the Victory Day parade in
Russia which was attended
by Mr. Mukherjee.
Beyond the symbolism of
the marching Army band,

India and Japan have

resumed discussions for
purchase of at least 12
ShinMaywa built US-2
amphibious planes worth
over $1.4 bn.
While concluding the
agreement on civil nuclear
cooperation is on top of the

Diferences over cost

The decision to
commence discussions
for the sale of US-2 planes
was announced by the two
leaders in 2014. But despite
several rounds of
negotiations at various
levels there was no
headway due to diferences
over the high cost, local
manufacturing of
components and transfer of
technology.
Another reason, defence
sources said was that with
several other critical big
ticket defence acquisitions

in the pipeline, this deal

fell aside in the order of
priority.
The sources said the
project was now back on
track after some
understanding on the
contentious issues and
Japan also agreeing to
lower the price.
Japanese Embassy
sources said they had
clarified issues from their
side. We are waiting for
the Indian Defence
Ministry and the Defence
Acquisition Council to take
a decision, the sources
said.
The US-2 is capable of
landing on water in rough
weather conditions and can
transport troops and
supplies to the hundreds of
islands around India during
conflicts and disasters.

Reject PMs statement

Later, in a joint statement,
the Hurriyat leaders rejected
the statement of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi that
development is the cornerstone of the Kashmir
solution.
The struggle of the people of Kashmir is not for any
economic benefit or package
but for determining the future of millions of its
residents, said the statement.
The leaders accused the
authorities of denying political space to them.
Describing the burning of

33 educational institutions in
the Valley as Satanic acts,
the separatists alleged that
the attacks were a ploy to
defame
the
ongoing
struggle.
On the governments decision to hold examinations
in November and relaxing
syllabus for students, the
separatists said such a move
would tell upon the educational standards.
The Hurriyat leaders have
invited traders, educationists, transporters, civil society members and religious,
social and political organisations on Tuesday to jointly
discuss the future course of
action.
Oicials say the Hurriyat
is under pressure to opt for
forms of protests other than
shutdowns.
Bid to set fire to school
In another development,
miscreants attempted to set
on fire the Government Boys
Higher Secondary School at
Zakoora here on Saturday.
The furniture in the school
was partially damaged, said a
police spokesman.

Implement Bihar-like
prohibition laws in Gujarat
AHMEDABAD:
OBC
leader
Alpesh Thakor threatened a
'gherao' of the Gujarat Assembly on Monday to seek
stricter prohibition laws in
Gujarat, along the lines of
those in Bihar, even as the
Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani,
claimed he was doing everything possible for strict implementation of the anti-liquor law.
In a show of strength, Mr.
Thakor, who has emerged as a
prominent face of the OBC
community in Gujarat, addressed a massive gathering
at Gandhinagar on Sunday to
mount pressure on the State
government on various issues, including liquor prohibition, employment for
local youths, and decisive
measures for the communitys
upliftment.
Though Gujarat has the Prohibition Act, it is not implemented properly. We also feel

that [the Act] is very weak. As

a result, bootleggers have no
fear in carrying out their illegal activities and paying
money to the police, he said.
We want the Gujarat government to implement a
stricter law, just like what the
Bihar government implemented recently, to deal with this
menace. Under this new law,
punishment for selling liquor
should be at least 10 years and
a fine of Rs. 5 lakh. The law
must ensure the immediate
suspension of the concerned
police inspector of the area,
Mr. Thakor added.
The law should also have a
provision of issuing notices
to the local MLAs as well as
the DSP if liquor is found to
be sold in their area. If the
State government does not
come up with this law by
today evening [Sunday], we
all will 'gherao' the Assembly
tomorrow, he said. - PTI

House panel to probe

debit card data breach
NEW DELHI: Concerned over the

biggest-ever breach of debit

card data, a parliamentary
panel on finance will examine various security issues related to payments in
the banking sector and has
asked government oicials
and representatives of some
banks to appear before it.

Data of as many as 32.14

lakh debit cards were compromised and 641 customers
across 19 banks were duped
of Rs. 1.3 crore using stolen
debit card data.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance is
headed by Congress MP
Veerappa Moily. PTI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Incredible
India: Modi
to be mascot
NEW DELHI: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi is set to be the
mascot of the
Incredible India
campaign, with the
Tourism Ministry
deciding not to rope in
Bollywood stars for the
role which was lying
vacant after the ouster
of Aamir Khan.
No Bollywood actor
will be engaged for the
campaign aimed at
attracting foreign
travellers. Video
footage of Mr. Modi
during the last twoand-a-half years where
he has talked about
tourism in India and
abroad, will be used for
the campaign, a senior
Ministry oicial said
here. PTI

| 13

NEWS

NOIDA/DELHI

Armys Demchok mission a success

Chinese troops tried to obstruct the work, but the Indian side held firm and laid a pipeline
The soldiers fortified
the area and
prevented the PLA
from further entering
into Indian territory

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI: The Army has com-

pleted laying an irrigation

pipeline for residents of villages in the Demchok region
of Eastern Ladakh despite a
face-of last week with
Chinese troops over the
work.
The irrigation project was
being built under the Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural
Employment
Guarantee Scheme to link a
village with a hot spring.
Hut as protest
In order to protest the laying of the pipeline, Chinese
troops attempted to erect a
fibre-reinforced
plastic
(FRP) hut on the border on
Friday. However, the Army
and the Indo-Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP) did not allow
that. Oicials said the Army

STANDING THEIR GROUND: Army teams along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. PHOTO: DINAKAR PERI
had fortified the area and
prevented Chinese forces
from further entering into

Indian territory.
While the three-day faceof ended on Saturday, the

Army engineers continued

the work on laying a pipeline
for nearly a kilometre and

completed the work on

Sunday. Last Wednesday, the
Chinese side objected to the
work saying that no construction was allowed on the
border as per earlier agreements.
However, the Indian side
countered it, saying the restriction applied only to defence constructions. A faceof ensued.
This is the first time since
2014 when the Chinese Army
had come deep inside the Indian territory in Demchok in
protest against an ongoing irrigation project.
(With inputs from PTI)

Trinamool Congress
rules out alliance
with BJP in Bengal
SYED SAJJAD ALI
AGARTALA: Trinamool Congress
vice president Mukul Roy
ruled out the possibility of any
alliance with the BJP and
claimed that his party has taken the lead in raising its voice
against communal issues in
the country.
We will have no tie-up
with the BJP. Our leader
Mamata Banerjee has strong
and clear views on issues of
communalism, Mr. Roy, who
was in Tripura to campaign
for Trinamool Congress candidates standing for the Assembly by-elections to be held
on November 19, told newsmen.
He also lashed out at the
CPI(M) for allegedly rigging
all past elections in the State
to retain power. It had no
popular mandate ever, but

Ties with India will deepen regardless of who wins: U.S.

VARGHESE K GEORGE
WASHINGTON: The U.S.s partnership with India will
continue to deepen regardless of who the next
President is, said Nisha
Biswal, Assistant Secretary
of State for South and
Central Asia.
Speaking to The Hindu in
an exclusive interview ahead
of Tuesdays poll to elect the
45th President of the country, Ms. Biswal said: I do
think that the U.S.India relationship will not sufer in
terms of a partisan take on
the relationship. It is a solid
relationship
that
will
continue to grow, the partnership will continue to
deepen.

She anticipates that the

priorities for the next U.S administration will be to work
with India in maintaining the
rules-based world order and
enhancing
infrastructure
and trade connectivity in
Asia.
Ms. Biswal, who has been
in charge of the U.S relations
with India for the last three
years, said the Obama administration was working
hard in support of Indias
ambition to be a member of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG).
Asked whether this would
be
achievable
before
President Barack Obama demits oice in January 2017,
she said: That is certainly
our hope and our desire

Everyone, the President, the

Secretary of State and everyone in our government, is
working with the NSG to advance the case of Indias
membership.
Nuclear contract
The negotiations on the
first nuclear commercial
contract between the two
countries were on track and
would be concluded in June
2017 as scheduled, Ms.
Biswal said. We are hopeful
that the next President will
have the opportunity to actually see the inauguration of
that, she said, underscoring
the continuity in India-U.S.
relations through Democratic and Republican administrations in the past.

Nisha Biswal
This relationship has historically been supported by
both parties. You have seen
major advancements when
there was a Republican
president the civil nuclear
agreement was negotiated
under President George

Bush; you have seen major

advancements under Democratic Presidents. Certainly,
President Clintons historic
visit put us on the path where
we could be in a position for
President Bush to conclude
the nuclear deal. You have
seen, under the leadership of
President
Obama
and
Secretary Hillary Clinton
and Secretary John Kerry the
relationship continued to
flourish. In the last three or
four years, there has been
tremendous progress. On the
Hill [the seat of U.S Congress], the India Caucus is
broadly bipartisan, the overwhelming majority of the
Congress claims to be members of the India Caucus,
Ms. Biswal said.

PANAJI: Rebel RSS leader

Subhash Velingkar-led
Goa Suraksha Manch
(GSM) and the Shiv Sena
have begun discussions
on seat-sharing for the
State Assembly elections
due next year.
Shiv Sena
spokesperson Sanjay Raut
and Mr. Velingkar met in
Panaji on Friday for the
discussions. Shiv Sena has
proposed to contest 10
seats in the State.

LEAVING NO STONE UNTURNED: Security personnel inspect the premises of the Civil Secretariat on the eve of the annual
Darbar opening in Jammu on Sunday. PHOTO: PTI

Trains to clock 160 kmph on way

to Delhi from Mumbai, Howrah

Muslim women
slam AIMPLB
on triple talaq

NEW DELHI: After the launch of

the high-speed Gatimaan Express, the Railways has undertaken a mammoth exercise to reduce the journey
time between Delhi and
Howrah and Mumbai by increasing the maximum
speed of trains to 160 kmph.
The estimated cost of the
project is Rs. 10,000 crore.
We have firmed up an action plan to increase the
maximum speed to 160 kmph
on the total 9,000-km main
trunk routes across the country as part of the Mission Raftaar project. To begin with,
we have started work on two
major busy routes of DelhiMumbai
and
DelhiHowrah, said a senior Railway Ministry oicial involved in the project.
The Railways recently introduced Gatimaan Express
between Delhi and Agra that
attains a peak speed of 160
kmph.
Strengthening of the track,
upgrading of the signalling
system and fencing of vulnerable sections along the
route are to be undertaken to
raise train speeds on the two
busy corridors.
While the Delhi-Howrah
route is used by about 120
passenger trains and around

LUCKNOW: Amid the raging de-

NEED FOR SPEED: Gatimaan Express runs between Delhi and

Agra at a maximum speed of 160 kmph. PHOTO: PTI

Scope for more trains

Once these two major
routes are upgraded for
trains to run at 160 kmph,
there will be scope for
launching more passenger
trains. This will reduce the
waiting list of passengers in
some of the popular trains as
many more such services
with similar facilities will be
on ofer, the oicial said.
The cost was being calcu-

PM Modis personal commitment and leadership

were absolutely critical in
achieving the climate agreement in Paris last year, said
Ms. Biswal.
Envoys visit to Arunachal
Asked whether the visit of
U.S. Ambassador to India
Richard Verma to Tawang in
Arunachal Pradesh recently
was a signal to China, she
said: Ambassador Verma
has sought to visit every part
of India, to be able to expand
the relationship between the
two countries and two
peoples of our countries. I
think he has visited some 22
of the 29 States. I imagine
that he will have been to all
29 before he is done.

Sena, GSM begin talks on

Goa seat-sharing

Checks and balances

100 goods trains every day,

some 90 passenger services
and an equal number of
freight trains run on the
Delhi-Mumbai
corridor
daily.

She said the tenure of the

Obama administration had
been a period of incredible
dynamism and incredible
ambition in India-U.S. relations. Ms. Biswal recalled
that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first state
guest that Mr. Obama received as President and India
was the first major country
that he visited. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
Mr. Obama had forged a
unique partnership to address climate change, she
pointed out.
In one of the first interactions that he had with
President Obama, he [Mr.
Modi] said, for him, this was
a personal issue, and that he
believed strongly in it.

lated and ws estimated at

about Rs. 10,000 crore for the
two sectors.
All zones involving the
two corridors have been instructed to undertake the
work as a mission so that
trains can move at a maximum speed of 160 kmph in
the next three years.
The 1,400-km DelhiHowrah and the 1,500-km
Delhi-Mumbai rail corridors
are among the two major
busy routes of the Golden
Quadrilateral of Indian Railways.
Other routes are HowrahChennai, Delhi-Chennai and
Chennai-Mumbai. PTI

bate over triple talaq, the All

India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) on Sunday criticised
the signature campaign
launched by the AIMPLB,
dubbing it as a move to mislead women from the
community.
The campaign is not to
empower Muslim women
but to mislead them, AIMWPLB president Shaista
Amber told PTI here.
Her comments came days
after the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board carried
out a signature campaign
against the Centres aidavit
in the Supreme Court against
triple talaq and the questionnaire prepared by the
Law Commission regarding
Uniform Civil Code.
She said it would have
been better had the AIMPLB
written in its documents that
it wholeheartedly supported
the provisions in the Holy
Koran about triple talaq.
The AIMPLB could also
punish those who utter
talaq thrice in one go, she
suggested.
Ms. Amber said the aidavit before the apex court
smacked
of
vote-bank
politics. PTI

No consensus
Our leaders were of
the opinion that the Sena
should contest three
seats, the Goa Praja Party
two seats and the Goa
Suraksha Manch thirty
seats, a senior GSM
leader said.
He added that Mr. Raut
was not ready to accept

The Shiv Sena has

already announced
three candidates for
the State Assembly
polls
only three seats and
insisted that the party will
contest at least seven.
Inconclusive meeting
The meeting remained
inconclusive and it was
decided that the issue of
seat-sharing would be
discussed at the GSM
international
organisational meeting on
November 8.
The next meeting
between GSM and Shiv
Sena leaders is expected
to happen on November
10, he said. All the parties
have decided to keep the

details of alliance talks

under wraps till the final
announcement, which is
expected to happen after
November 10.
GSM is an ofshoot of
the Bharatiya Bhasha
Suraksha Manch, a front
demanding that the
medium of instruction in
Goa elementary schools
should be in the mother
tongue.
The Shiv Sena has
already announced three
candidates for the
upcoming polls.
Last month, Sena chief
Uddhav Thackeray had
announced his inprinciple approval for an
alliance between GSM
and his party for the
upcoming State elections.
PTI

adopted all corrupt means and

malpractices in elections, Mr.
Roy alleged.
The Trinamool leader said
he was confident of the victory of the partys candidates
in by-elections in Barjala and
Khowai Assembly segments,
adding that the party would
resist attempts to rig polls at
the booth level itself.
He accused the ruling party
of misusing the police and administration to get an unethical advantage in the by-elections. Our party leaders and
workers are in the field to
check wrongdoings, he said.
Mr. Roy, however, said the
TMCs main challenge was
the 2018 assembly election. If
people can exercise their vote
in a free and peaceful environment, the CPI(M) would face
a miserable defeat in Tripura,
he asserted.

Govt. wont share

details on RBI
chiefs posting
NEW DELHI: The Centre has de-

clined to share details on appointment of RBI Governor

Urjit Patel and other candidates short-listed for the top
post in the central bank, saying these are cabinet papers and cannot be made
public.
Replying to an RTI query,
the Cabinet Secretariat
denied to share a copy of
minutes of the meetings of
the search committee for
selecting the RBI Governor,
details of the candidates considered by it and its
recommendations.
Information sought is exempted from disclosure under Section 8(1) (i) of the
Right to Information (RTI)
Act, the Cabinet Secretariat
said in reply to the RTI application. The Section bars
disclosure of the Cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the Council of
Ministers, Secretaries and
other oicers.
Provided that the decisions of the Council of
Ministers,
the
reasons
thereof, and the material on
the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be
made public after the decision has been taken, and
the matter is complete, or
over, the Section reads.
Mr. Patel was on August 20
named as the RBI Governor
to succeed Raghuram Rajan,
who demitted oice on Sept.
4.
The Cabinet Secretariat
said a Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search
Committee
has
been
constituted with the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which
is headed by PM Narendra
Modi, for recommending the
names for appointment of
chairperson and members of
financial sector regulatory
bodies. PTI

14 |

WORLD

25 killed in IS
suicide bombings
KIRKUK: Suicide bombings
claimed by the Islamic State
(IS) group killed at least 25
people and wounded more
than 50 in two cities north of
Baghdad on Sunday, oicials
said.
One bomber detonated an
explosives-rigged vehicle at
the southern entrance to
Tikrit, while another other
blew up an ambulance at a
car park in Samarra, possibly
in concert with a third
bomber.
The Tikrit attack killed at
least 15 people and wounded
at least 33, while at least 10
died and at least 25 were
wounded in Samarra, security and medical oicials
said. Iranian pilgrims were
among the victims in
Samarra, which is home to a
major Shia shrine that was
bombed in 2006.
IS issued a statement
claiming
responsibility,
identifying two of the
bombers as Al-Moslawi
a nom de guerre that would
indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a
propaganda attempt to link
militants from other areas
with the ongoing battle for
Iraqs second city. . AFP

have arrested dozens of

people following fresh
violence against Hindus, a
senior officer said on Sunday,
after a spate of attacks.

MEERA SRINIVASAN
COLOMBO: Sri Lankas Foreign

Minister
Mangala
Samaraweera will meet Chinas Ambassador to place on
record Colombos displeasure at the latters recent remarks. A Foreign Ministry
source told The Hindu on
Sunday: We are trying to
schedule a meeting.
At a press conference last
week, Chinese Ambassador
Yi Xianliang had criticised
Sri Lankan Finance Minister
Ravi Karunanayakes remarks on Chinese loans being expensive, and asked
why Colombo sought more
loans if that was the case.
Chinese projects
Apparently taking objection, Mr. Karunanayake responded , saying: I am the
Sri Lankan Finance Minister,
not the Chinese Foreign
Minister. He told reporters
in Colombo: If he says they
have not given loans with an
interest over 2 per cent fine
we have to pay only 2 per
cent then.

Hindu homes and temples

in the Brahmanbairs district
of eastern Bangladesh have
come under attack during the
last week.
Abu Zafar, the officer in
charge of Nasir Nagar police
station in the district, told
reporters that so far 53
people had been arrested on
suspicion of involvement in
attacks and looting from
Hindu homes. Reuters

Banners urge Gen. Sharif to contest polls

ISLAMABAD: Mysterious

banners have appeared in

Pakistan urging the countrys
powerful Army chief General
Raheel Sharif, who is set to
retire this month, to contest
elections, a media report has
said. The banners put up on
electricity poles in
Rawalpindi urged Gen. Sharif
to contest election in 2018.
Since government officials
CM
YK

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Sri Lanka to summon Chinese

Trump rushed of stage after
envoy over controversial remarks security scare at rally

Bangladesh: 53 held for attack on Hindus

DHAKA: Police in Bangladesh

NOIDA/DELHI

cannot enter politics for at

least two years after leaving
service, the banners urged
that the mandatory period
should be reduced in case of
Gen. Sharif.
In July, posters were seen
in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi
and several other major
cities, urging the general to
impose martial laws instead
of retiring. PTI

Chinese Ambassador to Sri

Lanka Yi Xianliang.
Following the January 2015
presidential polls, Colombos
equation
with
Beijing changed considerably, with newly-elected
President Maithripala Sirisena vowing to investigate
corruption allegations related to Chinese-aided projects initiated by the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa
administration.
At the same time,
Colombo enhanced its ties
with New Delhi, which had
been concerned about the
perceived pro-China tilt of

Mr. Rajapaksa.
After going back and forth
on the $1.4 billion port city
project, inaugurated by
Chinese President Xi Jinping
in September 2014, Colombo
has now agreed to proceed
with it after revising its
agreement with Beijing,
tweaking some conditions.
Even as the ColomboBeijing ties seem to be getting back on track, Ambassador Yis recent remarks
have shocked Sri Lankan oicials, and surprised many in
the diplomatic community
here, who found the comments uncharacteristic of
Chinese diplomacy.
The widely-read Sunday
Times newspaper quoted a
senior Foreign Ministry
source as saying: If Ambassador Yi had any complaint
on behalf of himself or his
Government, the accepted
norm is to make representations to the appropriate
source. That is the Foreign
Ministry. His conduct is
highly unprofessional and
does not in any way foster
good relations between Sri
Lanka and China.

RENO/PHILADELPHIA: Republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump was rushed of
stage by security agents at a
rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night after a false
alarm as someone in the
crowd shouted gun during
scules with a man who held
up a Republicans against
Trump sign.
Two security agents
seized Mr. Trump by the
shoulders and hustled him
backstage as police oicers
swarmed over a man in the
front of the crowd and held
him down and searched him
before escorting him away
with his hands behind his
back. Mr. Trump, seemingly
unruled, returned to the
stage and continued his
speech after a short time,
saying Nobody said it was
going to be easy for us and
adding We will never be
stopped.
After being released, the
man who was apprehended
told CBS News Reno ailiate
KTVN-2 that he was a Republican supporter who attended the rally to express

FALSE ALARM: Donald Trump being hustled off the stage by

security agents after a perceived threat, at a campaign rally in
Reno, Nevada, on Saturday. PHOTO: REUTERS
his opposition to Mr. Trump.
I came here with this sign
expecting boos... But it was
just a sign, Austyn Crites
said. Mr. Crites said when he
took it out, the crowd began
to attack him, choking and
beating
him
before
someone yelled about a
gun. After being held for a
few hours questioning and
security and background
checks, Mr. Crites said he
was released, and that the
police did their job.
Mr. Crites said he wanted

to contrast President Barack

Obamas reaction to a
protester during a rally a few
days ago, in which he urged
the crowd to respect the
protester, with Mr. Trumps,
saying he wanted people to
understand the diference.
I have nothing against
Trump supporters, he said.
We are all registered Republicans and support many
of the same candidates for
local oices. I have serious
concern against Trump, he
added. Reuters

U.S.-backed rebels launch operation to retake Raqqa

AIN ISSA (SYRIA): U.S.-backed

rebels said on Sunday they

were launching an operation
to retake the Syrian city of
Raqqa, the de facto capital of
Islamic State (IS). The attack
ratchets up pressure on the
militant group at a critical
moment, with its fighters already battling an ofensive by
Iraqi security forces on their
remaining Iraqi stronghold
in the northern city of Mosul.
The U.S.-backed Syria
Democratic Forces (SDF), an
alliance of Kurdish and Arab
armed groups, first announced on Sunday that a
campaign to retake Raqqa
would begin within hours,
with U.S. forces providing air
cover. Soon afterwards, it
said that the operation,
called Euphrates Anger, had
begun.
Long-expected
The general command of
the Syria Democratic Forces
announces the blessed start

LIBERATING SYRIA: Jihan Sheikh Ahmed (centre), a spokeswoman for the Syrian Democratic
Forces, announcing in Ain Issa, some 50 km north of IS-held Raqqa, that the operation
to capture the IS-held town has begun. PHOTO: AFP
of its major military campaign to liberate the city of
Raqqa, Jehan Sheikh Amad,
an SDF spokeswoman, told a
news conference in the Syrian town of Ain Issa.
The SDF called on Raqqas

civilians to avoid areas

where IS militants are
present and to go to liberated territory.
An attack on Raqqa has
been long expected, with
U.S. Defence Secretary Ash

Carter saying on Oct. 25 that

the battle to retake it would
overlap with the assault on
Mosul.
The top U.S. military
commander in Iraq, Army
Lieutenant General Stephen

Townsend, said last month

that the U.S.-led coalition
fighting IS wanted to move
urgently to isolate Raqqa because of concerns about the
group using the city as a base
to plan and launch attacks
against targets abroad.
France has also pushed for
simultaneous action on both
fronts. President Francois
Hollande said last month
there was evidence that IS
fighters were fleeing to
Raqqa, and that everything
must be done to stop them
regrouping there.
French Defence Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian said on
Sunday that an ofensive on
Raqqa should be launched
while the battle to push the
group out of Mosul is under
way. Since it was formed in
early 2015, the SDF has seized
large swathes of territory
along the Syria-Turkey border from IS and pushed the
jihadist group back to within
30 km of Raqqa. Reuters

Pro-Kurdish
Opposition to
partially boycott
Parliament
ANKARA: Turkeys pro-Kurdish
Opposition announced a
partial boycott of Parliament
on Sunday, saying it was
halting its legislative efforts after its leaders and
other lawmakers were detained in a move which drew
international condemnation.
The Peoples Democratic
Party (HDP), the secondlargest Opposition grouping
in Parliament, said it would
not fully withdraw, but its
deputies would stop participating in sessions of the
legislature or meetings of
parliamentary commissions.
More than 110,000 oicials
from soldiers and judges
to teachers and journalists
have been detained or suspended since a failed military coup in July, in what critics of President Tayyip
Erdogan say is a crackdown
on all forms of dissent.
After discussions with
our parliamentary group and
our central executive board,
we have decided to halt our
legislative eforts in light of
everything
that
has
happened, HDP spokesman
Ayhan Bilgen said in a statement read out in front of the
partys oices in Diyarbakir
and broadcast online.

Arrest of HDP leaders

HDP oicials would consult with the partys supporters, many of whom are in the
largely Kurdish southeast,
and could then consider a
full withdrawal from Parliament, he said.
Selahattin Demirtas and
Figen Yuksekdag, the HDPs
co-leaders, were jailed
pending trial as part of a terrorism investigation on Friday. Ten other HDP lawmakers were also detained,
although some were later released.
The United States expressed deep concern, while
Germany and Denmark later
summoned Turkish diplomats over the Kurdish detentions. European Parliament
president Martin Schulz said
the detentions call into
question the basis for the
sustainable relationship between the European Union
and Turkey. Reuters
ND-ND

| 15

BUSINESS

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Apple seeks sops for manufacturing unit

See one more rate cut in December: HSBC

BSNL approaches Centre for spectrum

iPhone maker Apple has sought incentives from

the government to set up a manufacturing unit
in the country. PTI

RBI will go for another round of rate cuts in

December, keeping in line with its dovish stance
in the last policy, according to HSBC. PTI

BSNL has approached the Telecom Department

for airwaves in the premium 700 MHz band after
it went unsold in the recent auction. PTI

India to raise work permit

issue with Canada, U.K.
Britain recently announced changes in visa policy to curb immigration
ARUN S
NEW DELHI: India will raise its
concerns over restrictions
on the movement of foreign
skilled workers for shortterm duration work with Britain and Canada, as these
curbs are afecting the Indian
IT industry.
Canada, the U.K., the U.S,
Germany and Switzerland
are the top five markets for
Indian IT firms. The annual
revenue of Indian IT firms
from the U.K. and Canadian
markets is about $18 billion
and $3 billion respectively,
according to industry body
Nasscoms estimates.
Separate bilateral talks are
slated for November 7, with
Canada and Britain, on
various issues, and workers
movement is one among
them.
Visiting
Canadian
Minister of Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship,
John McCallum is slated to
meet
External
Afairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj,
Minister of State for Home
Afairs Kiren Rijiju, and representatives of Nasscom, the
IT trade body.
The Commerce Ministry
has also been briefed about
the IT sectors concerns. Mr.
McCallum is likely to be
joined by Laura Albanese,
Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration, Ontario, and
Lena Diab, Minister of Immigration, Nova Scotia.
Discussions with the U.K.
will be at the level of the India-U.K. CEO Forum and
other oicial meetings on the
sidelines of the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Brit-

INDIA CALLING: British Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for International Trade
Liam Fox depart with a delegation for India, at Heathrow airport on Sunday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
ish Prime Minister Theresa
May. The Centre and Nasscom are expected to take up
the issue of Canadas plan to
introduce a new short-duration work permit exemption
for inter- and intra-company
transferees and experts,
among others, for work up to
30 days annually.
The IT industry feels this
30-day limit does not serve a
purpose as it is too short a
time frame for the sector.
On the U.K. governments
recently announced changes
in visa policy towards curbing immigration, India is
likely to take up its concerns
on the higher minimum salary threshold for intra-company transfers.
Nasscom welcomed the
Canadian
governments
plans to bring down visa and
work permit processing time

to two weeks from 3-4 weeks

as part of the Global Skills
Strategy to attract foreign
talent.
However, it said the
processing time in itself was
not a major concern.
During the November 7
discussions, Nasscom will
seek clarity from Canadian
government oicials on
when the new plan will come
into efect and whether Canada will be able to incorporate their demands in the
Skills Strategy.
Assessment exemption
Under the specialised
knowledge category to avail
exemption from Labour
Market Impact Assessment
(LMIA) in Canada, the employer
will
have
to
demonstrate that the employee (foreign worker) has

the specialised skill and the

requisite
proprietary
knowledge to carry out a certain task.
However, getting an LMIA
exemption is diicult as
about 20 per cent of applications are usually rejected.
Gagan Sabharwal, director, Global Trade Development, Nasscom, said:
We feel a lot more needs to
be done (by Canada) to realise the full potential by setting a clear and objective criteria around specialised
knowledge in the LMIA exempt category that has seen
rejection rate rise since these
guidelines were introduced a
couple of years ago.
He said the introduction of
measures will help Canadian
businesses and their customers plan with confidence to
fill local skill shortages.

Use your demat account to bet on U.S. polls

ASHISH RUKHAIYAR
MUMBAI: ICICI Direct, a
brokerage firm, is trying to
cash in on the U.S.
presidential polls by
ofering its clients a
facility to bet on the
impact of the outcome on
the U.S. market.
Investors can trade in
the futures contracts of
Dow Jones and S&P 500
the two leading indices in
the U.S. through ICICI
Direct.
With U.S. presidential
elections coming closer
and the Federal Reserve
rate hike expected in
December, there is some
interest among
professional traders in
participating in such
events, Vishal Gulecha,
executive vice president,
ICICI Securities, told The
Hindu.
The bigger interest
though, of investors and

traders, is how they can

hedge their domestic cash
portfolio and derivative
trades in Indian markets
against any unexpected
reaction in the global
markets due to the
presidential elections.
Rupee-denominated
Investors can use this
facility to trade in U.S.
contracts during Indian
time.
The contracts are
rupee-denominated.
During the last six
presidential polls, there
had been an average
movement of 5.7 per cent
in the Dow Jones index in
the one month post the
results.
The U.S. election day is
on November 8 and the
equity markets across the
globe are showing signs of
nervousness, leading to
massive sell-ofs.
Interestingly, some of

the other leading

brokerages like IIFL,
Kotak Securities and
Edelweiss had launched
overseas trading services
similar to ICICI Direct a
few years ago, but shut
them down due to lack of
investor interest.
Historically, an
emerging market like
India has given better
returns than that of
developed markets like
the U.S., said an oicial of
a large brokerage that had
launched an overseas
trading facility earlier.
We didnt see much
traction in the service as
domestic investors found
more opportunities in
India itself. So that service
was discontinued.
Global employees
ICICI Direct said that its
overseas platform ofered
opportunities in stocks
across global exchanges

GST regime may benefit

organised plywood industry
(India) sees the implementation of the GST regime as a
game-changer for the plywood industry, where the
unorganised sector enjoys an
80 per cent marketshare.
However, the company is
hopeful that the 18 per cent
rate applies to the industry.

timber, which is grown in India on agro-forestry basis.

Treating plywood on par
with luxury goods or white
goods is not justified as it is
an intermediate product,
mostly used for making furniture and house-interiors.
He saw the possibility of migration of good quantity
material from the unorganised sector.

18% rate
We are hopeful that, being a product for masses, plywood should be in the 18 per
cent
bracket,
Sajjan
Bhajanka, chairman of Century PlyBoards (India), said.
Ninety per cent of our raw
material base is plantation

Level playing field

The rate notwithstanding,
GST will create a level playing field for the sector as the
exemption limit is restricted
to Rs.20 lakhs, pushing most
small units out of the exemption net, he said.
Sanjay Agarwal, managing

INDRANI DUTTA
KOLKATA: Century PlyBoards

director, said that while the

two major players in the organised plywood industry
Century Ply and Greenply
pay 30 per cent taxes, the unorganised players hardly pay
any taxes, enabling them to
ofer their products at
cheaper prices. We expect
this scenario to change with
the implementation of GST,
he said. CenturyPly is exploring the possibility of entering the Africa market
though it is a challenging
proposition, he added. It is
a challenging proposition
with huge timber resources
but also major law and order
and logistic problems, with
some locations being 1,000
km from the nearest port.

and the participation was

primarily from ultra-HNIs
(high net worth
individuals), who are
looking at portfolio
diversification, and
employees of multinational corporations,
who get stock options.
The brokerage,
however, cautioned
investors that trading in
Dow Jones futures was not
advisable for retail
investors and even
seasoned traders must be
careful as bid-ask spreads
are very high.
Retail investors look
for the impact it could
have on their domestic
portfolios and they are
keen to know ways in
which they can manage
their risk. We recently
organised an investor
conference call on hedging
and saw overwhelming
participation, Mr.
Gulecha said.

Banks, LIC told

to monitor Tata
Group moves
NEW DELHI: Amid the on-going
boardroom battle at Tata
Group, the Finance Ministry
has asked financial institutions, including LIC and
banks, to keep a watch on developments to safeguard the
interest of investors.
Since LIC, as well as banks,
have invested depositors
money in various companies
under Tata Sons, it is their
duty to see that public
money is not put at risk, Finance Ministry sources said.
Safeguarding depositors interest is paramount, they
said. LIC alone has an exposure of about Rs.37,500 crore
in diferent Tata Group companies. PTI

16 |

NOIDA/DELHI

BUSINESS
BOTTOMLINE

THE HINDU

Will Tatas snare Mistry in their shareholding web?

global round-up
U.S. regulator finds another
cheat device in Audi car

Up to 30% stake of Tata Sons in listed firms may give it ammo as a shareholder to oust Mistry from these companies

A U.S. regulator found

software in some Audi
vehicles that lowered their
carbon dioxide emissions if it
detected they were being
used under test conditions,
Germany weekly Bild am
Sonntag reported. The
California Air Resources Board
(CARB) discovered the
software in an automatic
transmission Audi last
summer, the newspaper said.
CARB and Audi declined to comment on Sunday's report. The
paper said the device, which was not the same as the one
which triggered last year's diesel emissions scandal at Audi
parent Volkswagen, was also used in diesel and gasolinepowered cars in Europe. VWs admission that it had installed
software that deactivated pollution controls on more than 11
million diesel vehicles sold worldwide, triggered the deepest
business crisis in the German carmaker's history. Audi, the
main contributor to VW group profit, has also admitted its 3.0
litre V6 diesel engine was fitted with emissions-control
software. Reuters

ASHISH RUKHAIYAR
MUMBAI: The board proceedings at
Tata-owned Indian Hotels Company last week signalled the possibility of a long and hard fight between
the Tatas and Cyrus Mistry. The independent directors on the board of
IHCL reposed their faith in their
chairman Mr. Mistry, and even
praised him for his strategic vision.
If holding company Tata Sons,
which removed Mr. Mistry as its
chairman a fortnight ago, wants him
out of the boards of group companies, it has to brace itself for due procedure and pray that there are no
more surprises as the one that IHCLs independent directors threw
up last week.
If it cannot get the backing of all
the directors on the board of
individual companies, Tata Sons, as
a shareholder, can still attempt sacking Mr. Mistry as a director. But, it
would be an unpopular option, especially if the independent directors
on the board reairm their confidence in Mr. Mistry as the chairman,
as was done in IHCL. Legal consultants said that there were two elements to the issue: one, Mr. Mistry
being removed from the chairman's
post of a group company, which can
be done by the board; and two, his
removal as a director, which needs
shareholders approval.
If a company wants to sack the
chairman, then it can be done at the
board level, Sandeep Parekh,
Fonder, Finsec Law Advisors said.
However, all the directors, not just
independent ones, have to take a
conscience call on how to vote in the
best interests of the company.
Three listed entities of the Tata
Group Tata Steel, Tata Motors
and Tata Global Beverages have a
similar board structure. Each of
these companies has a total of 11 directors, with six of those being independent, as per information available on their respective websites.
TCS has six independent directors
out of a total of 10 directors on its
board.
Further, Tata Chemicals has nine
directors on its board with five independent, as per its annual report for
the year 2015-16. Similarly, Tata
Power had five independent directors on a board of 10 directors as on
May 23, 2016, according to its latest
annual report.
Meanwhile, Tata Sons has a stake
in the range of 20-30 per cent in
these entities barring TCS in which
it holds close to 74 per cent. Trusts
controlled by the Tatas own a significant 66 per cent in Tata Sons,
which is the holding company of the
group.

Cross-holding
While Tata Sons is the primary
holding company of the diversified
conglomerate with a market capitalisation of more than $125 billion, of
significance is the cross holding
within the group. Cross holding
refers to a practice wherein group
entities hold equity stakes in other

GM cautiously ramps up Bolt

electric car production
General Motors Co is ramping
up production of Chevrolet
Bolt electric cars at a factory
north of Detroit and is on
track to start delivering
vehicles as promised by the
end of the year, company
officials said. Barring a lastminute stumble, GM will be
first to offer an electric car
with more than 200 miles of
driving range at a starting
price of less than $40,000
before tax credits. Silicon Valley electric carmaker Tesla has
said its entry in this new market segment, the Model 3, will
launch next year. The Bolt and the Model 3 represent
contrasting strategies to push electric vehicles into the
mainstream of the U.S. auto market. Tesla Chief Executive
Elon Musk has said the company will overhaul its Fremont,
California, factory to build as many as 500,000 Model 3
sedans and related models a year. Teslas Model 3 design
prototypes show a car aimed at German luxury sedans such
as the Audi A3 or A4. Musk has said nearly 400,000 people
have put down deposits on the Model 3. GM, however, is
taking a more cautious approach. The $37,495 Bolt, with a
238-mile range, is a compact, utilitarian hatchback with
design features such as a thin front seat to increase rear-seat
legroom, aimed at making the car attractive to drivers for
ride-hailing services. Reuters

Source: Company websites & annual reports, stock exchange information

companies within the group.

It efectively gives the group more
control direct and indirect in
the companies within its fold. Cross
holding exists in the group company
and that could give Tata Sons, an additional, though slim edge when it
comes to shareholder clout in pushing resolutions.
If a person has to be removed as a
director then shareholders approval is required. With Tata Sons holding between 20 per cent and 30 per
cent in the larger listed entities of
the group (Tata Motors, Tata Steel,
Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages),
it can attempt to remove Mr. Mistry
as a director. The process is clearly
laid down in Section 169 of The
Companies Act. It is by way of an ordinary resolution.
The law states that the director is
entitled to be heard at the shareholders' meeting, said Mr. Parekh, a
former executive director at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Obviously, if a person is removed

as a director by getting shareholders approval, he ceases to be the
chairman as well.
In other words, what Tata Sons
could find diicult to achieve at the
individual company board levels,
Tata Sons as a shareholder, with its
sizeable stake, could attempt at the
shareholders level.
Tata, the shareholder
Tata Sons as a shareholder can
move a special notice asking the
board to call an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The board is
under an obligation to convene a
meeting to seek shareholders voting on the resolution, said J.N.
Gupta, managing director of SES
Governance, an advisory firm.
Section 115 of The Companies Act
2013 lays down the law for
resolutions requiring special notice.
... notice of the intention to move
such resolution shall be given to the
company by such number of mem-

bers holding not less than one per

cent of total voting power...
In the battle for control, the holdings of institutional investors gain
significance. Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) owns 3.2 per in
TCS, while holding 13.6 per cent
stake in Tata Steel which is beleaguered by uncertainty in its British
operations. Meanwhile, New India
Assurance, another public sector insurance firm, owns 1.17 per cent in
Tata Steel. LIC also holds 13.1 per
cent stake in Tata Power, 7.13 per
cent in Tata Motors, 8.8 per cent in
Indian Hotels and 9.8 per cent in
Tata Global Beverages.
Anecdotal evidence has it that
typically, retail shareholders form
less than one per cent of all those
who vote on resolutions.
Take, for example, the case of Tata
Motors. Tata Sons has a 33 per cent
stake in it, while the individual or retail shareholders have about 6.2 per
cent stake.
If a good chunk of retail share-

INTERVIEW JUDITH IGLEHART

Indians have the intellectual

capacity to do what they want
PEERZADA ABRAR

At a time when funding is

drying up for start-ups,
Keiretsu Forum, the worlds
largest private angel investment community is planning to expand and open
more chapters in the country. In an interview, Judith
Iglehart, president, international division, Keiretsu
said it is in tough market
conditions that the angel
network is able to find the
best companies.
She said what sets
Keiretsu apart from mainstream venture capital
firms is that it provides
money to the companies
and nurtures them during
tough times. Californiabased Keiretsu, which
makes investments based
on the insights from its
community of over 2,500
investors or members, is
eyeing Indian companies
ranging from healthcare,
aerospace to big data and
robotics. Edited excerpts.

How is Keiretsu Forum

shaping up in India?
From our perspective, it is
shaping up fine. Members
bring other members. As
long as people are coming
to us and bringing deal flow
to us, we are doing our job.
Because the twin pillars of
Keiretsu Forum are great
association and quality deal
flow. We want to see the beCM
YK

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

st companies with the best

members. We see a great
variety of sectors, everything from cool stuf to
hardcore life sciences. But
not everything is interesting to every member. So we
have the ability to look at
lots of companies and in
their home territory so that
the original chapter can
keep an eye on the growth
and development of the
company as they move
forward.

What are you doing

differently compared with the
others?
I don't know nothing how
the (mainstream) funding
works, but they usually just
throw $100,000 into a company and say go into YCombinator (start-up accelerator) or some place
and make it. We have learnt
over the years that it is not
quite that easy. A lot of good
ideas and entrepreneurs
need nurturing. A lot of our
members like to provide
work, money and nurturing
to small companies. I think
we are in it for the longterm. We don't have that
scattershot approach of
shoot the shotgun and
have the buckshot go everywhere. We are more focused on the niche.

What
advantages
does

India have over other start-up

ecosystems?
All of your scientists are involved in big science. The
world of big science is
changing. Cellular Biology
is being used for computers,
clothing that moderates
wear and your exercise potential. Things that were
unheard of five years are
now huge in the market.
Who knows what it would
be next year, but Indians
have the intellectual capability to do whatever they
want. They (Indians) started most of the major companies, ran them in the Silicon Valley, now that they
are home and they will do
the same thing here.

Do you see exits for

investors as a significant issue
here at a time when funds are
drying up?
We know that the people
that are
in

place in our chapters have

the capability of bringing
these companies to liquidity events.
The lesson I learnt is that
it takes a long time for a
company to get liquidity.
We thought originally it
would be three years, but it
is five years.
It is not 10 or 11 years, but
five or six years is typical.
We have only been around
for 16 years. It took us a
while to see those trends.
Every time the market takes
a dive, we start (back to)
square one again. .

Any such ideas where

Keiretsu placed its bets?
A company was brought to
us that made cofee and removed most of the cafeine
from it. It was called
Puroast (low acid cofee). It
seemed to be a good idea,
everybody gets an upset
stomach after drinking nine
cups of cofee. Nobody may
have done it.
There is a company I saw
in Seattle. It was an apple
orchard that was being
ripped out for it to be replanted as an organic orchard. They raised a lot of
money in Washington State,
which is where they grow a
lot of apples.
It came to Northern California and
nobody invested, so it just
depends.

holders abstains from a vote, then

the value of Tata Sons shareholding
goes up even further when it comes
to passing resolutions.
While Tata Sons holds stake in as
many as 15 listed entities, Tata Steel
also has a sizeable equity stake in 13
listed entities, according to data
from Bloomberg.
The metal major holds stake in
Tata Power, Tata Sponge Iron, Titan,
TCS and Tata Motors to name a few.
Corporate governance advocates
viewed cross holding in a mildly
negative manner. They said such
structures give companies undue
benefit in terms of control that is
disproportionate to the stake that
they hold. It is certainly not a good
practice as it gives the holder of
shares voting rights that are disproportionate to their economic benefits, said Mr. Gupta, who is also a
former executive director with the
SEBI, adding that nearly 90 per cent
of business houses have cross holdings in India.

U.S. mutual fund managers brace

for close presidential election
The U.S. presidential election
is looking like less of a
certainty for Democratic
nominee Hillary Clinton than it
did a month ago, prompting
mutual fund managers to
brace for more volatility by
raising cash and getting their
buying lists ready for
opportunities. The market
has been pricing in a Hillary
victory, and now with the
introduction of the Comey
letter, theres a stronger possibility that the base case doesnt
happen, said Phil Orlando, portfolio manager of the New
York-based Federated Global Allocation fund. FBI Director
James Comey wrote to Congress that more of Clinton's
emails would be scrutinised as part of an investigation into
Clintons use of a private email system while she was
secretary of state. The benchmark S&P 500 stock index has
shed nearly 2 per cent since Comey's letter was made public.
Orlando said his fund has been raising cash out of the
possibility that the market could fall as much as 10 per cent
from the all-time high of 2,193.81 on August 15. Reuters

India can take a leaf out of Sheield

D

embarked on a partnership
for advanced manufacturing,
a key focus outcome of
Prime Minister Narendra
Modis visit in November
2015. The year 2016 was announced as the year of Education and Research, and it
was decided to jointly take
up projects for scientific and
technological cooperation.

isruptive transformation is taking place in

the global manufacturing
sector. This is led by new
technologies that are developing rapidly and spreading through manufacturing
hubs all over the world. In
this scenario, India has the
opportunity to become a key
player in advanced manufacturing, provided we are able
to reap the technology dividend along with our demographic dividend.
Advanced manufacturing
is a broad term that includes
new products and new
processes. Smart and intelligent manufacturing ecosystems bring together both
production and services.
The concept applies to high-

Chandrajit
Banerjee

technology products as well

as traditional manufacturing
that may now be using more
technology-intensive
processes.
For example, additive
manufacturing is a process
where thin layers of material
are deposited in a pattern
made by a digital design.
Similarly, robotics is veering
towards smaller and more
complex robots that can
operate alongside workers,
and automation is rapidly
gaining space.
All these forces lead to
greater productivity, better
asset utilisation, increased
flexibility and customer-focus, and better working conditions. In India, high-tech
manufacturing and innovation is taking place in various

The U.K. enjoys strengths in design, integration of science and

engineering, and integrated automation solutions. PHOTO: AFP
manufacturing hubs such as
Pune and Bengaluru. To
align with the evolving global knowledge economy, India
will need to strengthen these
processes.
Low R&D ratio
Indias R&D expenditure
was estimated at $44 billion
in 2014, the eighth largest in
the world. Between 2006-07
and 2012-13, patent applications went up by a compound annual growth rate of
close to 12 per cent from
137,900 to 269,500. Part of
these would have filtered
into the advanced manufacturing sectors.
However, we have a low
ratio of R&D expenditure to
GDP at 0.9 per cent, and this
is further skewed by a larger
proportion being undertaken by government agencies rather than the private

sector. India also lags in the

export of high technology
manufactured goods, which
comprise 8.6 per cent of its
total manufactured exports
in 2014, although this is
double the share in 1990.
Building on its talent pool,
India has the requisite capability for advanced manufacturing.
We are looking at greater
engagement of the private
sector in R&D for advanced
manufacturing, and tie-ups
with UK companies will be a
force multiplier. For this, we
must learn from leading
players in the world, and the
visit of Theresa May, Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom (U.K.), with focus on
the India-U.K. Tech Summit,
which will give shape to India becoming a key player in
advanced manufacturing.
India and the U.K. have

U.K.s strengths
The U.K. enjoys strengths
relating to design, integration of science and engineering, and integrated automation
solutions.
Indias
multiple language skills and
software capabilities are also
considered strengths. The
areas of collaboration identified by lead agencies include
automation, next-generation
sensors for manufacturing,
standards, materials design,
and engineering-driven sustainable manufacturing.
The U.K. has recently
commenced an initiative to
create advanced manufacturing innovation districts
which bring together research organisations, enterprises and incubators in
urban centres.
The first such district is
coming up in Sheield. If we,
in India, consider a similar
strategy, the U.K.s advanced
manufacturing
research
centres could be taken as a
model.
To propel advanced manufacturing in alignment with
global developments, India
would need to also develop
the right business ecosystem
to promote innovation and
entrepreneurship.
(The author is Director
General, Confederation of Indian Industry)
ND-ND

| 17

SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Telecast schedule

Zou wins first world pro title

Humbling feeling

Kvitova triumphs

NBA: Sony Six & Six HD, 6.30 a.m. (Tue)

Australia v South Africa: First Test,
STAR Sports 2 & HD2, 8 a.m.
Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe: Second Test,
TEN 3, 1.30 p.m.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Zou

Shiming of China claimed the vacant WBO
flyweight title with a unanimous victory over
Thailands Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym in a
re-match at Las Vegas on Saturday.

Its a testament to me taking care of my body and working on

my craft throughout my career. Its always humbling when
youre able to put yourself in any category with the guys that
laid the path for you. LeBron James on passing Hakeem
Olajuwon for 10th on the NBA all-time scoring list

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra

Kvitova of the Czech Republic defeated
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-2 to take
the title at the $2.2-million WTA Elite
Trophy in Zhuhai on Sunday

Alastair Cook set for record England captaincy

CRICKET / To draw inspiration from the 2012 tour when the team came back after losing the first Test to win the series 2-1
G. VISWANATH
MUMBAI: Alastair Cook is sui

generis among a sizeable

group of England captains
who have led teams in India
starting from the Bodyline
fame Douglas Jardine in 1933.
So far 16 have had the distinction to have led in 55 Test
matches.
For many decades the
teams from Jardine to Tony
Greig (1977) played under
the banner of Marylebone
Cricket Club (MCC), but
since 1981-82, the men from
Old Blighty have played truly
as an England team under the
captaincy of Keith Fletcher
who has the unique honour of
leading in a six-Test series in
1981-82.
Born in Gloucestershire, the
31-year-old Cook, trained by
former England captain Graham Gooch at the North-East
County of Essex, has returned
to India as captain for the
second time, a noteworthy
happening that has given him
a wonderful opportunity to
defend the series he won 2-1
four years ago.
The left-handed opener
who has often given the impression of being stoical and
fitting into the role of a bulwark is also approaching a terrific feat of leading England
utmost times; now he shares
this particular honour with
Michael Atherton at 54 Tests.
For diferent reasons, many
of his predecessors were high
on the popularity chart like
M.J.K. Smith, Ted Dexter,
Tony Lewis, Tony Greig,
Keith Fletcher and David
Gower; the last named particularly because of his natural
ability to bring elegance in
stroke making on the of side.
And just like Greig who
brought an imitable style to
his commentary and appealed
to the Indian fans, Gower is
treated with warmth and
fondness because of his ability
to bring savvy in the com-

mentary box. Cook has appeared to be aloof, prefers to

focus on his work which is
batting and foiling the Indian
spinners in order to achieve
glory for his team.
At this point in time though
Englands stock has skidded
down following the defeat
against Bangladesh in the
second Test at Mirpur, and especially not able to find answers to the tyro of-spinner
Mehedi Hasan, but Cook reminded the doubting Thomas
among the press corps on Saturday that his team bounced
back to shock Mahendra
Singh Dhonis team four years
ago, after going down in the
first
Test
at
Motera,
Ahmedabad.
At the conclusion of Englands first media interaction
of the tour, Cook was asked if
his team can draw inspiration
from the 2012 tour and he said:
I remember saying in a press

LOOKING AHEAD: Alastair Cook, who is back in India as captain for the second time, will hope to
make the series a memorable one. PHOTO: AFP
conference after the first Test
match when everyone was
talking about how you are going to stop India from winning

4-0. We managed to turn it

around and win 2-1. So, anything is possible. One thing
you can never fault these guys

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
RAJKOT: After the Indian teams first
practice session before the first Test
against England starting here on
Wednesday, Indias coach Anil
Kumble spoke about the quality of the
English side, preparations ahead of
the Test, communicating with players
and the importance of Hardik Pandya.
Excerpts:
Preparations before the first
Test: We are happy with our preparations. Obviously disappointed with
some of the injuries but then it is part
and parcel of the game. I feel sad, especially for Rohit (Sharma) because
he was really doing well in the Tests
against New Zealand.
Team combination: We still
have not figured out the combination.
With Hardik (Pandya) being part of
the squad, we have more options. We
dont know how the wicket will behave. It looks a good surface. We still
have a couple of days to decide the
team.

On playing the English side:

England is a quality side. Alistair
Cook has been here a number of occasions. Hes a quality player at the top.
Then there is Joe Root. Their bowling
attack has troubled us in the past.
What we would like to focus on is
what we can do and how we can
measure up to. Thats how we played
against New Zealand. We adapted to
the three surfaces quickly and did the
right things as a team. As a bowling
unit we bowled in the right areas. Our
batting also clicked and thats what
we are expecting here as well.
On Hardik Pandya: He is extremely talented. When he bowled in
Dharamshala and batted in Delhi, one
could see that hes a quality player.
Thats why we are backing him in this
series. We understand the importance of an all-rounder as a fifth
bowler and a batsman in the lower order and thats a great option to
have. We are keen to see how he
develops. We dont want to put too
much pressure on him and he will

have the freedom to express himself

and not worry about Test cricket,
whenever he gets the opportunity.
The more he plays, the better he will
get.
On Karun Nair: Karun has done
all the hard yards in domestic cricket;
hes scored heavily, regularly and
consistently. There was a bit of talk
about him not performing for India A
in Australia, but what we are looking
at is consistency and thats why he
was part of the squad against New
Zealand. After that hes got runs in the
Ranji Trophy. Karun is someone we
have kept a close eye on. I am sure he
will get an opportunity. And when he
goes out to bat, we will back him to
score runs the same way he has done
for Karnataka.
Playing Test cricket: We have
seen the development of the team in
the last seven Test matches (against
West Indies and New Zealand). Every
player is looking forward to the fiveTest series. One can look at the past
records the way you want to, but for

Loss highlights structural issues plaguing India

DOHA: In the lead-up to the

second leg of the AFC Cup

semifinal match against Johor
Darul Tazim, Bengaluru FC
manager Albert Roca, when
asked how diicult was it to
coach a winning team into
playing in a diferent way, had
this to say:
Its not just about the system but the rhythm of the
game. The kids here have
never been in direct confrontation with tough teams. One
day they are in the I-League
and one day in the ISL. So the
problem is rhythm. I have tried
for the two-and-half months to
coach them on that.
Its physically demanding.
It doesnt come in two months.
Systems for sure are important. But without a good
rhythm we will never achieve
the football that we want.
Too nervous
Nothing was more emblematic of this than the final BFC
lost to Air Force Club on Saturday. In Rocas own words,

Air Force played a kind of

football which we never had
any experience of before. We
were too nervous, never comfortable on the ball and we
could see that the level and
rhythm [of the opposition]
was superior.
It is things such as these that
BFCs run to the final shouldnt
mask. Its journey is no doubt
one of Indian footballs biggest
success stories and something
which the club should be
rightly proud of. However, as
much as it did to put India on
the continental map, it also
highlighted the structural issues plaguing India.
It was no co-incidence that
one of these came back to bite
Bengaluru FC. The domestic
football calendar in India is
such that, the club went into
what probably were its most
crucial ties till date, rather
undercooked.
We played just four games
in the past two-and-half
months, Roca said after the
defeat. So theres a lack of
rhythm. I would have liked to
play more games and more ex-

Albert Roca.
FILE PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR

perienced teams before a

game as big as this. In future, I
hope that the team becomes
more compact and fluid. But
today, its true we felt the lack
of competition.
The clubs assistant coach,
Carles Cuadrat, who has in the
past worked with the youth
teams at Barcelona, explained
how serious lack of competition at lower levels can hold
back football development.
Strong competitions make
the players stronger, he said.
In Europe, as a kid you have to
play really big games against
tough teams. Unfortunately in

Rampant Liverpool takes top spot

LONDON: Liverpool swept to the
top of the Premier League as
Sadio Manes double inspired
a 6-1 rout of Watford, while
Tottenham rescued a 1-1 draw
at north London rival Arsenal
on Sunday.
While Liverpool dazzled, its
old rival Manchester United
ended a four-match winless
run in the league as goals from
Paul Pogba and Zlatan
Ibrahimovic secured a muchneeded 3-1 victory at Swansea.
Liverpool has emerged as a
genuine title contender and
Jurgen Klopps side moved
one point clear of second
placed Chelsea thanks to a
scintillating goal spree at
Anfield.
At the Emirates Stadium,
Harry Kane marked his return
from injury with the equaliser
as Tottenham kept its hated
neighbours from the Premier
League summit.
Arsenal took the lead in the
42nd minute when Tottenham
defender Kevin Wimmer
headed a free-kick into his
own net.
But England striker Kane,
who had been sidelined for
seven weeks due to ankle ligament damage, equalised for

but being underdogs takes a

lot of pressure of us.
When he goes for the toss at
Rajkot on Wednesday (Nov.
9) he would have done so 55
times for England, and Virat
Kohli would know that his
counterpart would be the first
big stumbling block that initially the likes of Mohammad
Shami and Umesh Yadav have
to deal with.
England captains in India: Douglas Jardine (3)
1933-34, Nigel Howard (4)
1951-52, Donald Carr (1) 195152, Ted Dexter (5) 1961-62,
M.J.K. Smith (5) - 1964, Tony
Lewis (5) - 1972-73, Tony
Greig (5) 1976-77, Keith
Fletcher (6) - 1981-82, David
Gower (5) 1984-85, Graham
Gooch (2) - 1993, Mike Brearley (1) - 1980, Andrew Flintof
(3) - 2006, Nasser Hussain (3)
- 2001, Kevin Pietersen (2) 2008, Alec Stewart (1) - 1993
and Alastair Cook (4) - 2012.

Kumble happy with preparations but non-committal on combination

FOOTBALL

N. SUDARSHAN

is whatever challenge you

have thrown, we have always
managed in big games,
someone has stood up and

played good cricket. That is

the challenge we have got
here. It is exciting. We are
quite heavily the underdogs
and that is sometimes a very
good platform.
Cook went out of the way to
boost the morale of his team
then. No doubt( its a) big
challenge. Anytime you play a
No. 1 or a No. 2 side in its backyard, it is a huge task for us
and a huge challenge with
these kind of guys who have
not played a huge amount of
cricket in the sub-continent as
a group.
This side has exceeded expectations in the last couple of
years in the big series. We
played some very good
cricket in the big series.
Last year we went to South
Africa and won away from
home when they were No. 1
side in the world. Yes, these
are diferent conditions and
we know how hard it could be

GOAL GLUT: Liverpools Sadio Mane scores his sides fifth goal
against Watford. PHOTO: AP
Tottenham from the penalty
spot early in the 51st minute
after a foul on Mousa
Dembele
by
Laurent
Koscielny.
The results: Premier League:
Sunday: Arsenal 1 (Wimmer 42-og)
drew with Tottenham 1 (Kane 51pen); Hull 2 (Snodgrass 61, Dawson
63) bt Southampton 1 (Austin 6pen); Liverpool 6 (Mane 27, 60,
Coutinho 30, Can 43, Firmino 57,
Wijnaldum 90) bt Watford 1 (Janmaat 75); Swansea 1 (van der Hoorn
69) lost to Manchester United 3 (Pogba 15, Ibrahimovic 21, 33).
Saturday: Chelsea 5 (Hazard 19,
56, Alonso 20, Costa 42, Pedro 65)
bt Everton 0.
Serie A: Sunday: Pescara 0 lost
to Empoli 4 (Maccarone 12, 44,

Pucciarelli 23, Saponara 89).

Saturday: Torino 5 (Belotti 2, 59pen, Ljajic 11, Benassi 38, Baselli 51)
bt Cagliari 1 (Melchiorri 41); Napoli 1
(Hamsik 52) drew with Lazio 1 (Keita
54).
La Liga: Sunday: Real Madrid 3
(Bale 38, 45, Morata 76) bt Leganes
0.
Saturday: Granada 1 (Tyton 81og) drew with Deportivo la Coruna 1
(Andone 64); Real Sociedad 2 (Vela
54-pen, Willian Jose 75-pen) bt Atletico Madrid 0; Osasuna 0 lost to
Alaves 1 (Santos 77-pen); Las Palmas 1 (Viera 90+4-pen) bt Eibar 0.
Bundesliga: Sunday: RB Leipzig
3 (Werner 3, 44, Forsberg 21) bt
Mainz 1 (Bell 74).
Saturday: Eintracht Frankfurt 1
(Gacinovic 5) bt Cologne 0. AFP

India, the level is still not big to

create that kind of competition. So the players arrive
when they are 19 and 20.
Like we have Daniel [Lalhlimpuia], Nishu [Kumar],
Malsawmzuala and others. Of
course they have been playing
and touring abroad. But they
are not playing in oicial competitions at the highest level.
So its something that the federation [authorities] should
look at. Its not easy. But giving
more exposure to younger
players is the way to become
better.
We have to look forward,
Roca said when asked about
the future of Indian football.
The guys deserved to be in
the final. But we should not
stop [at that]. We have to be
honest about the reality. We
have a lot of things to do. We
have to assess our level and try
and be more competitive.
In the past three years, the
footballing ecosystem had a
lot to imbibe from the clubs
success. It might now have
nearly as much to learn from
its defeat.

de Silva to
the rescue
HARARE: Dhananjaya de Silva
scored his second Test century to put Sri Lanka in control
of the second and final Test
against Zimbabwe after the
first day at the Harare Sports
Club on Sunday.
de Silva came to the wicket
with Sri Lanka struggling on
112 for four, but showed
greater application than Sri
Lankas top order as he put on
143 for the fifth wicket with
Upul Tharanga before finishing unbeaten on 100. AFP

SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka 1st innings: D. Kar-

unaratne c Williams b Masakadza 26,

K. Silva lbw b Mpofu 37, K. Perera c
Mumba b Masakadza 4, K. Mendis c
Moor b Tiripano 26, U. Tharanga c
Masakadza b Cremer 79, D. de Silva
(batting) 100, A. Gunaratne (batting)
13; Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-1): 5; Total
(for five wkts. in 90 overs): 290.
Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-66, 3-84,
4-112, 5-255.
Zimbabwe bowling: Mumba 142-54-0, Tiripano 22-4-63-1, Mpofu
18-4-65-1, Masakadza 8-2-18-2, Cremer 18-0-57-1, Williams 5-1-8-0,
Waller 5-0-23-0.
Toss: Zimbabwe.

us, immediate performance really

matters and thats the confidence we
would like to take in the series.
Communicating with players: Communication is very important so that I know exactly what goes
through in a players mind. We all
want the team to do well and the
player who has been replaced also to
do well. Its important that we keep all
of them in the loop.
Its unfortunate that K.L. Rahul,
who has performed brilliantly in all
three formats, is missing out. Hope he
comes back soon. Same with
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar
Dhawan.
We will keep them motivated. They
also realise that its an occupational
hazard. When you are injured, the important thing for a coach is not to look
at them to come back quickly, because
thats not going to help the individual.
Its important that they are 100 per
cent fit and probably find that out in a
domestic game. Thats the kind of
protocols we have set.

IN HIGH SPIRITS: Birthday boy Virat

Kohli mugs for the camera along
with Cheteshwar Pujara on
Saturday. PHOTO: PTI

Murray marks
No.1 spot with
Paris triumph

Andy Murray. PHOTO: AFP

PARIS: Andy Murray celebrated

his new world No. 1 ranking

with a first Paris Masters title
on Sunday after defeating
American John Isner 6-3, 6-7
(4), 6-4 in the final.
Murray, 29, will replace
Novak Djokovic at the top of
the rankings on Monday and
claimed his eighth title of a remarkable season after extending his winning run to 19
matches. This has been an incredible journey for me to get
to the top of the rankings, said
Murray, who will move 405
points above long-time rival
Djokovic.
It is the Britons fourth title
in succession after wins in
Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna
and his 14th career Masters
1000 triumph.
Murray entered his Tourleading 12th final of the year
having won all seven previous
meetings with Isner, including
straight-sets wins at Roland
Garros in May and last week in
Vienna.
For Isner, who was chasing a
first title of the season, it was
his third appearance in a Masters final after finishing runner-up at Indian Wells in 2012
and Cincinnati in 2013.
The results: Final: Andy Murray
bt John Isner 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4.
Doubles: Henri Kontinen & John
Peers bt Pierre-Hugues Herbert &
Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6 [10-6].

18 |

SPORT
Kerala starts
chase in right
earnest
KAMESH SRINIVASAN

BRILLANTLY DONE: The fleet-footed David Warner is caught short of the crease by a stunning
direct hit by South Africas Temba Bavuma. PHOTO: REUTERS

Rabada rips through

Aussie top-order
CRICKET / South Africa sets a huge victory target of 539
PERTH: Emerging South Africa

paceman Kagiso Rabada

claimed three crucial wickets
as South Africa closed in on
victory against Australia on
the fourth day of the opening
Test in Perth on Sunday.
Set an intimidating victory
target of 539, the home side was
wobbling on 169 for four at
stumps and facing a potential
record defeat against South
Africa.
Usman Khawaja was on 58
and Mitchell Marsh on 15, with
South Africas unbeaten record at the ground set to be
extended.
An extraordinary piece of
fielding by the diminutive
Temba Bavuma removed the
dangerous David Warner for
35 to end an opening stand of 52.
Spectacularly done
Warner dropped the ball in
front of him and set of for a
quick single, but Bavuma
pounced from cover and unleashed a powerful throw
while horizontal and still in
mid-air.
It rattled the stumps at the
non-strikers end with Warner

inches out of his ground.

The dismissal set the stage
for Rabada (three for 49) to display his quality in the absence
of Dale Steyn.
Four balls later fellow
opener Shaun Marsh (15) was
caught at second slip by Faf du
Plessis of Rabada as Australia
slumped to 52 for two.
Steven Smith and Khawaja,
who was dropped on 41 when

Hashim Amla could not cling

on to a tough chance at first
slip, set about rebuilding the
Australian innings in search of
a draw.
The pair settled in against
the part-time bowlers, but
when the ball started to reverse
swing Rabada returned to the
attack and ended a 92-run
third-wicket stand with an impressive spell. AFP

SCOREBOARD
South Africa 1st innings:

242.
Australia 1st innings: 244.
South Africa 2nd innings: S.

Cook c S. Marsh b Siddle 12, D. Elgar c

Starc b Hazlewood 127, H. Amla b
Hazlewood 1, J-P. Duminy c Nevill b
Siddle 141, F. du Plessis c Nevill b
Starc 32, T. Bavuma c Khawaja b M.
Marsh 8, Q. de Kock c Voges b M.
Marsh 64, V. Philander b Smith 73, K.
Maharaj (not out) 41; Extras (b-10,
lb-13, w-17, nb-1): 41; Total (for eight
wkts. decl. in 160.1 overs): 540.
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-45, 3295, 4-324, 5-346, 6-352, 7-468,
8-540.
Australia bowling: Starc 31-8-

114-1, Hazlewood 37-11-107-2, Siddle

26-9-62-2, M. Marsh 26-4-77-2, Lyon
34-3-146-0, Voges 5-1-8-0, Smith
1.1-0-3-1.
Australia 2nd innings: S.
Marsh c du Plessis b Rabada 15, D.
Warner run out 35, U. Khawaja (batting) 58, S. Smith c de Kock b Rabada
34, A. Voges c de Kock b Rabada 1, M.
Marsh (batting) 15; Extras (b-8, lb-2,
w-1): 11; Total (for four wkts. in 55
overs): 169.
Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-52, 3-144,
4-146.
South Africa bowling: Rabada
16-2-49-3, Philander 12-3-36-0, Duminy 8-1-18-0, Maharaj 17-6-40-0,
Cook 2-0-16-0.

JAIPUR: Bhavin Thakkars blemishless unbeaten 56 of 176

balls laid the foundation for
Kerala reaching 170 for one, in
response to Haryanas first innings score of 303, on the
second day of the Ranji
Trophy Group C match at the
Sawai Man Singh Stadium
here on Sunday. It was the first
half century of the season for
the 34-year-old Thakkar.
The scores: Haryana 1st innings: Nitin Saini b Vinod 21,
Shubham Rohilla lbw b Warrier 4,
Chaitanya Bishnoi c Saxena b Vinod
21; Rajat Paliwal c Abdulla b Vinod 18,
Mohit Hooda c Nikhilesh b Warrier
30, Rohit Sharma c & b Warrier 92,
Harshal Patel c Nikhilesh b Warrier 0,
Yuzvendra Chahal c Abdulla b Saxena 16, Mohit Sharma c Thakkar b
Warrier 24, Sanjay Pahal b Saxena
54, Ashish Hooda (not out) 0; Extras
(b-14, lb-5, nb-4): 23; Total (in 109.1
overs): 303.
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-53, 3-53, 4104, 5-104, 6-104, 7-154, 8-188,
9-297.
Kerala bowling: Sandeep Warrier 32.1-11-80-5, Manu Krishnan 216-61-0, Vinod Kumar 24-8-42-3, Iqbal
Abdulla 19-4-50-0, Jalaj Saxena 12-042-2, Rohan Prem 1-0-9-0.
Kerala 1st innings: Bhavin
Thakkar (batting) 56, Vishnu Vinod b
Harshal 58, Rohan Prem (batting) 51;
Extras (b-2, lb-2, w-1): 5; Total (for
one wicket in 57 overs): 170.
Fall of wicket: 1-72.
Haryana bowling: Ashish Hooda
9-2-20-0, Sanjay Pahal 12-6-25-0,
Mohit Sharma 10-3-34-0, Harshal Patel 10-0-25-1, Yuzvendra Chahal 13-150-0, Chaitanya Bishnoi 3-1-12-0.

Brasher, Vial
Perez shine
NEW DELHI: William Brasher and
Matias Vial Perez scored
seven goals between them and
helped Royal Punjab to an 8
goals to 5 1/2 victory in the final of the SS Empress Sir Pratap Singh Cup 14-goal polo
tournament at the Jaipur Polo
ground here on Sunday.
The results (final): Royal Punjab
8 (William Brasher 4, Matias Vial
Perez 3, Dhruvpal Godara) bt Jindal
Panther 5 1/2 (Simran Shergill 3, Ricardo Nunes, Siddhant Sharma, handicap 1/2).

Elysian may repeat

1 KINNERASANI PLATE (Div.
II), (1,400m), 3-y-o & over rated
upto 30 (Cat. III), 12-45 p.m.: 1.
Zensational (7) P. Gaddam 62, 2.
Cannon Grey (4) Kunal Bunde 60.5,
3. Athletic Approach (1) Sai Kumar
60, 4. Full Of Life (2) B. R. Kumar
60, 5. Two Rock Da World (6) A. A.
Vikrant 60, 6. Jem Star (8) Kiran
Naidu 58.5, 7. Arracache (5) Deepak
Singh 55.5, 8. Fresco (3) Ajit Singh
50 and 9. Royal Gold (9) G. Naresh
50.
1. Zensational, 2. Full Of Life, 3.
Cannon Grey
2 GOLCONDA
PLATE
(1,200m), 3-y-o & over, rated 46 to
70 (Cat. II), 1-15: 1. Prospero (5) P.
Trevor 60, 2. Green Image (3)
Srinath 57, 3. Dream Girl (2) Suraj
Narredu 55, 4. Masti (8) Rafique Sk.
54, 5. Without Makeup (10) T. S.
Jodha 54, 6. Big Flash (9) Deepak
Singh 53, 7. Golden Angel (4) G.
Naresh 52.5, 8. Lavender (6) Aneel
52.5, 9. Dream Vision (7) Rohit Kumar 52 and 10. The Blue (1) N.
Rawal 52.
1. Prospero, 2. Dream Girl, 3.
Dream Vision

3 HIDDEN BLOOM PLATE

(1,100m), (Cat. II), maiden 2-y-o
only (Terms), 1-45: 1. Proud Warrior (2) N. Rawal 55, 2. Royal Victory (3) Ajeeth Kumar 55, 3. So Far
(7) Deepak Singh 55, 4. Starlight
(5) S. Sreekant 55, 5. Sunrisers (6)
Suraj Narredu 55, 6. Tootsie Roll
(1) Kuldeep Singh 55, 7. Kohinoor
Lucy (8) Kunal Bunde 53.5, 8. Lady
Admiral (4) G. Naresh 53.5, 9.
Lucky Nicky (9) Kiran Naidu 53.5
and 10. Sarvatra (10) P. Trevor
53.5.
1. Sarvatra, 2. Tootsie Roll, 3.
Lucky Nicky
4 RECOMMENDER PLATE
(Div. III), (1,200m), 3-y-o & over,
rated up to 30 (Cat. III), 2-15: 1.
Shandaar (9) T. S. Jodha 61.5, 2.
Golden Beauty (5) B. R. Kumar 61,
3. Prime Time (3) P. Gaddam 61, 4.
Good Taste (1) K. Sai Kiran 60.5, 5.
Wild Heart (8) P. Trevor 60, 6.
Fantastic Nine (6) Kiran Naidu
59.5, 7. Our Ensign (7) S. Sreekant
58, 8. Halifax (4) Kuldeep Singh
56.5 and 9. Golden Choix (2) Ajit
Singh 52.
1. Wild Heart, 2. Our Ensign, 3.
Golden Beauty
5 RACE CLUB CUP (1,400m),
3-y-o & over, rated 26 to 50 (Cat.
III), 2-50: 1. Rock Baby Rock (5) P.
Gaddam 60, 2. Vijay's Dynamite
(8) Deep Shanker 57.5, 3. Vijays

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

RANJI TROPHY ROUND FIVE, DAY TWO

Group A:
At Hyderabad: Uttar Pradesh 335

in 102.5 overs (Umang Sharma 49,

Rinku Singh 50, Eklavya
Dwivedi 60, Kuldeep Yadav 71, Saurabh Kumar
52, Shubek Singh Gill
three for 57) vs Punjab
243 for three in 75 overs
(Manan Vohra 59, Jiwanjot Singh 62, Uday Kaul
34, Yuvraj Singh 72 batting).
At New Delhi: Bengal v Gujarat.
Match abandoned.
At Mysuru: Mumbai 345 in 133.2
overs (Akhil Herwadkar 96, Shreyas
Iyer 70, Suryakumar Yadav 110, Karn
Sharma five for 81) vs Railways 76
for three in 45 overs.
At Raipur: Baroda 93 & 44 for no

loss in 16 overs (Kedar Devdhar 33

batting) vs Tamil Nadu 337 in 102.4
overs (Abhinav Mukund 100, B. Indrajith 68, Dinesh Kathik 65, N.
Jagadeesan 32, Munaf Patel four for
91).
Group B:
At Kolkata: Saurashtra 121 for

nine in 43 overs (Jaydev Unadkat 31

batting, Arup Das seven for 39) vs
Assam. Toss: Assam.
At Patiala: Rajasthan 323 in 105.4
overs (Manender Singh 36, Pranay
Sharma 31, Ashok Maneria 41,
Mahipal Lomror 38, S.F. Khan 110,
Suryakant Pradhan three for 97,
Govinda Poddar three for 59) vs
Odisha 143 for eight in 45 overs
(Deepak Behera 49 batting, Aniket
Choudhary four for 34).
At

Jharkhand 493 in 119.4 overs (Pratyush Singh 45, Ishank Jaggi 55, Ishan
Kishan 273, Kaushal Singh 39, Shahbaz Nadeem 38, Subodh Bhati three
for 80) vs Delhi 225 for three in 55
overs (Unmukt Chand 89 batting,
Rishabh Pant 107 batting).
At Vadodara: Karnataka 267 &
108 for three in 24 overs (Ravikumar
Samarth 45 batting, Manish Pandey
35) vs Vidarbha 176 in 66.4 overs
(Faiz Fazal 31, Ravi Jangid 38, Jitesh
Sharma 61, Sreenath Arvind three for
27, Shreyas Gopal three for 22).
Group C:
At Cuttack: Chhattisgarh 198 in

71.3 overs (Amandeep Khare 60,

Ashutosh Singh 55 not out, Rituraj
Singh six for 60) vs Goa 127 for six in
57 overs (Samar Dubhashi 38 batThiruvananthapuram: ting, Abhuday Kant Singh three for

Unmukt, Pant to Delhis rescue

M.R. PRAVEEN CHANDRAN
After
watching Ishan Kishan (273)
flay his bowlers from behind
the wicket, Delhis wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant
(107 batting) launched a fierce
assault on the Jharkhand
bowlers late on the second
day as Delhi fought its way
back in the Ranji Trophy
Group B match at the KCA-St.
Xaviers College ground here
on Sunday.
Pants whirlwind knock
came of 84 balls and contained eight sixes and seven
boundaries.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

Brutal assault
The brutal assault decimated the steady Jharkhand
attack which had done well to
reduce Delhi to 74 for three.
Pant added 151 runs for the unbroken fourth wicket in quick
time with captain Unmukt
Chand (89 batting).
At the end of the second
days play, Delhi, in reply to
Jharkhands first innings score
of 493, was 225 for three.
On a featherbed of a wicket,
Pant picked up the length
early and cleared the fence
with amazing regularity, often
hitting through the line.
He started by nonchalantly
flicking medium-pacer Ashish
Kumar over fine-leg for a six
and raced to his century overtaking Unmukt, who was on 45
when Pant strode to the
crease.
Pant tonked of-spinner
Sunny Gupta over the long-on

Rishabh Pant .
fence to complete his century
in style.
Unmukt played an innings
of
substance
when
it
mattered. After an uncertain
start, the opener settled down
to play a few pleasing drives
against the medium-pacers
and held the innings together.
He farmed the strike, allowing Rishabh to dominate the
attack.
In the morning it was an
Ishan Kishan show all the way.
The left-hander after surviving a diicult chance early on,
chanced his arm to reach his
double century.
Delhi picked up two quick
wickets early in the morning,
but Ishan added 85 runs for the
ninth wicket with Vikash
Singh (who only made 2).
Apart from playing the con-

ventional shots, Ishan paddleswept the medium-pacers for

boundaries and reverse swept
the spinners to become the
highest scorer for Jharkhand
in Ranji Trophy.
The
youngster
also
equalled the record for
highest number of sixes (14) in
Ranji Trophy.
The scores:
Jharkhand 1st innings:
Anand Singh c Pant b Awana 12, Virat
Singh c Pant b Tokas 0, Pratyush
Singh c Dhruv b Bhatti 45, Saurabh
Tiwari c Pant b Bhatti 9, Ishank Jaggi
c Unmukt b Sood 55, Ishan Kishan c
Rana b Sood 273, Kaushal Singh c
Unmukt b Sood 39, Shabaz Nadeem
lbw b Milind 38, Sunny Gupta lbw b
Milind 0, Vikash Singh b Awana 2,
Ashish Kumar (not out) 0; Extras
(nb-8, lb-4, w-3, b-5): 20; Total (in
119.4 overs): 493.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-42, 3-78,
4-80, 5-196, 6-316, 7-404, 8-404,
9-489.
Delhi bowling: Parvinder Awana
18-4-66-2, Vikas Tokas 25-1-122-1,
Subodh Bhatti 23.4-5-80-3, Nitish
Rana 8-1-30-0, Manan Sharma 11-050-0, Varun Sood 14-1-48-2, Dhruv
Shorey 1-0-8-0, Milind Kumar 18-266-2, Unmukt Chand 1-0-14-0.
Delhi 1st innings: Unmukt
Chand (batting) 89, Dhruv Shorey c
Kaushal b Vikash 5, Vaibhav Rawal c
Pratyush b Anand 1, Nithin Rana c
Vikash b Ashish 19, Rishabh Pant
(batting) 107; Extras (b-1, lb-2, nb-1):
4; Total (for three wkts. in 55 overs):
225
Jharkhand bowling: Ashish Kumar 13-2-56-1, Vikash Singh 13-260-1, Anand Singh 4-1-8-1, Kaushal
Singh 1-0-1-0, Shabaz Nadeem 16-355-0, Sunny Gupta 8-0-42-0.

Kolors wins feature event

RACING

HYDERABAD: Elysian may repeat in

the M. B. Mangalorkar Memorial
Cup (1,600m), the main event of the
races to be held here on Monday
(Nov. 7).
There will be no false rails.

NOIDA/DELHI

Wonder (2) Laxmikanth 57.5, 4.

Royal Dynamite (7) T. S. Jodha
56.5, 5. Gorgeous Lady (4) Deepak
Singh 54.5, 6. Citi Colors (3) Suraj
Narredu 53.5, 7. Ikigai (6) G.
Naresh 52.5, 8. Sir Walter Raleigh
(9) S. S. Tanwar 51 and 9. Magical
Skill (1) N. S. Rathore 50.5.
1. Vijay's Dynamite, 2. Citi
Colors, 3. Sir Walter Raleigh
6 M. B. MANGALOKAR MEMORIAL CUP (1,600m), 3 & 4-y-o
only rated 46 to 70 (Cat. II), 3-20: 1.
Miracle King (3) A. S. Pawar 60, 2.
Elysian (4) Srinath 58, 3. Silver
Dollar (6) Suraj Narredu 55, 4. Mr.
Baahubali (1) Rafique Sk. 54.5, 5.
Ans Ans Ans (5) P. Trevor 53.5 and
6. Handy Man (2) N. S. Rathore 51.
1. Elysian, 2. Handy Man
7 ETURNAGARAM PLATE
(1,100m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to
50, 3-50: 1. Bharat King (5) Srinath
62, 2. Malakeye Ziba (9) Rafique
Sk. 60.5, 3. Pamella (12) Suraj
Narredu 60.5, 4. Back To Business
(4) P. Gaddam 56.5, 5. Proud Image
(6) Aneel 56.5, 6. Beauty Flash (8)
G. Naresh 56, 7. Onk Onk Onk (3)
P. Trevor 55, 8. Bouncer (10) Kunal
Bunde 54.5, 9. Hal Chal (1) S. S.
Tanwar 54, 10. Act In Time (2) K.
Mukesh Kumar 53.5, 11. Time Is
Luck (11) Laxmikanth 53 and 12.
Gun Barrel (7) Khurshad Alam
52.5.
1. Pamella, 2. Bharat King, 3.

Onk Onk Onk

8 KINNERASANI
PLATE
(Div. I), (1,400m), 3-y-o & over,
rated upto 30 (Cat. III), 4-20: 1.
Sefarina (3) Deepak Singh 62, 2.
Brioni (8) Srinath 61, 3. Raja
Hindustani (7) Ajit Singh 60.5, 4.
Danielle (4) A. A. Vikrant 60, 5.
Take A Bow (5) Aneel 60, 6.
Touch Of Gold (2) Md. Sameeruddin 58.5, 7. Amaravathi (6) G.
Naresh 57, 8. Kohinoor Valour (1)
S. Sreekant 53.5 and 9. Wind Dancer (-) (-) 50.
1. Brioni, 2. Take A Bow, 3. Sefarina
9 KINNERASANI
PLATE
(Div. III), (1,400m), 3-y-o & over,
rated upto 30 (Cat. III), 4-55: 1.
Creative (5) Rohit Kumar 61, 2.
Play It Cool (6) B. Dileep 60.5, 3.
Carnival Express (8) Kiran Naidu
60, 4. Symbol Of Gold (4) Ajeeth
Kumar 60, 5. Forever Bullish (7)
Aneel 59.5, 6. Captain General (1)
Kuldeep Singh 56.5, 7. Sensational
Girl (3) Sai Kumar 55.5, 8. Rainbow
Blues (2) A. K. Pawar 50 and 9.
Kohinoor Love (9) Kunal Bunde
50.
1. Sensational Girl, 2. Carnival
Express, 3. Captain General
Day,s best: Prospero
Double: Zensational - Sensational Girl
Jkt: 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9; Tr (i): 1, 2 & 3; (ii):
4, 5 & 6; (iii): 7, 8 & 9. Tla: All races.

HYDERABAD: Kolors (Rafique Sk up),

trained by Deshmukh, won the Kasu
Brahmananda Reddy Memorial Cup
, the main event of the races held
here on Sunday (Nov. 6). The winner is owned by Mr Kondlapudi
Satish.
1. OWN OPINION PLATE
(Div. II), (1,100m), 5-y-o & over,
rated 46 to 70 (Cat. II): Wind
Zoom (K. Sai Kiran) 1, Dancing
Farha (A. S. Pawar) 2, Symbol Of
Pride (K. Mukesh Kumar) 3, Staying
The Best (N. Rawal) 4. 2-1/4, hd and
shd. 1m 07.64s. Rs 40 (w), 9, 15 and 5
(p), SHP: Rs 56, FP: Rs 521, Q: Rs 274,
Tanala: Rs 1809. Favourite: Symbol
Of Pride. Owners: M/s Mangilipelly
Satyanarayana & Sandeep Reddy
Gunna. Trainer: Satyanarayana.
2. YOUNGSTERS PLATE
(1,100m), (Cat. II), maiden 2-y-o only (terms): Amorous White (G.
Naresh) 1, Sweetie Pie (A. S. Pawar)
2, Reach The Heights (Suraj
Narredu) 3, Juneau (Kuldeep Singh)
4. 7-1/2, 3/4 and 4-1/4. 1m 08.02s. Rs
7 (w), 5, 8 and 6 (p), SHP: Rs 24, FP:
Rs 25, Q: Rs 24, Tanala: Rs 49. Favourite: Amorous White. Owner:
Mr M.P.Anata Vatsalya. Trainer:
A.Vatsalya.
3. RECOMMENDER PLATE
(Div. II), (1,200m), maiden 3-y-o &
over, rated upto 30 (cat. III):
Chester (Gopal Singh) 1, New
Comer (B. Dileep) 2, Prep One (Rohit Kumar) 3, Dawning Hope
(Rafique Sk) 4. Nk, 2-1/4 and 1/2. 1m
16.05s. Rs 22 (w), 8, 6 and 19 (p), SHP:
Rs 15, FP: Rs 80, Q: Rs 37, Tanala: Rs
762. Favourite: New Comer. Owner:

Mr Ahmed Alam Khan. Trainer:

Laxman S.
4. ADOLFITO PLATE (Div. I),
(1,200m), 3 & 4-y-o only, rated 26 to
50 (Cat. III): Ruby's Gift (Suraj
Narredu) 1, Seven Colours (Ajeeth
Kumar) 2, Vijay's Empress (S. S.
Tanwar) 3, Queen To Rule (Srinath)
4. 1-1/4, 2-1/2 and 3-1/2. 1m 13.87s. Rs
15 (w), 6, 9 and 31 (p), SHP: Rs 27, FP:
Rs 76, Q: Rs 46, Tanala: Rs 819. Favourite: Rubys Gift. Owners: M/s
B.S.Reddy,
C.V.Krishna
Rao,
S.Prasad Raju & K.S.N.Murthy.
Trainer: Prasad R.
5. OWN OPINION PLATE
(Div. I), (1,100m), 5-y-o & over, rated
46 to 70 (Cat. II): Altruist (P. Trevor) 1, Symbol Of Choice (B. R. Kumar) 2, Oathofyourdaughter (G.
Naresh) 3, Exclusive Beauty (Kiran
Naidu) 4. 1, 1 and nk. 1m 07.22s. Rs 11
(w), 6, 8 and 11 (p), SHP: Rs 22, FP: Rs
50, Q: Rs 25, Tanala: Rs 234. Favourite:
Altruist.
Owner:
Mr
M.Ramachandra Rao. Trainer: Sequeira.
6. ADOLFITO PLATE (Div.
II), (1,200m), 3 & 4-y-o only, rated 26
to 50 (Cat. III): Green Striker (B. R.
Kumar) 1, Olympic Hero (Deep
Shanker) 2, Composure (Aneel) 3,
Dragonstone (P. Trevor) 4. 1/4, 23/4 and 1-1/4. 1m 14.69s. Rs 28 (w), 8,
6 and 7 (p), SHP: Rs 17, FP: Rs 84, Q:
Rs 34, Tanala: Rs 320. Favourite:
Olympic Hero. Owner: Mr A.K.
Jaiswal. Trainer: A.Sharma.
7. KASU BRAHMANANDA
REDDY MEMORIAL CUP
(1,400m), 3-y-o & over rated 86 &
above (Cat. I): Kolors (Rafique Sk)

1, Vijays Viraaj (P. Gaddam) 2, The

Healer (Srinath) 3, Woman O War
(Suraj Narredu) 4. Nk, shd and shd.
1m 26.41s. Rs 27 (w), 7, 12 and 6 (p),
SHP: Rs 40, FP: Rs 263, Q: Rs 121,
Tanala: Rs 574. Favourite: The
Healer. Owner: Mr Kondlapudi Satish. Trainer: Deshmukh.
8. BHADRACHALAM CUP
(1,600m), 5-y-o & over, rated 26 to 50
(Cat. III): Grand Canyon (A. A.
Vikrant) 1, Brilliant (Srinath) 2, Ice
Barrier (Suraj Narredu) 3, Vijay
Vidyut (A.Joshi) 4. 4-1/4, 3/4 and
3/4. 1m 42.30s. Rs 44 (w), 10, 6 and 7
(p), SHP: Rs 17, FP: Rs 160, Q: Rs 59,
Tanala: Rs 246. Favourite: Ice Barrier. Owners: M/s Syed Nawaz Hussain, P.A.Raju & the estate of late
Ravada Vijay Kumar. Trainer:
L.DSilva.
9. RECOMMENDER PLATE
(Div. I), (1,200m), maiden 3-y-o &
over, rated upto 30: Golden Image
(Kuldeep Singh) 1, Man Of The
Series (Md. Sameeruddin) 2, General Salute (P. Trevor) 3, Cannon
Hope (Kunal Bunde) 4. 1/4, 1-1/2 and
shd. 1m 15.61s. Rs 32 (w), 9, 10 and 6
(p), SHP: Rs 28, FP: Rs 179, Q: Rs 81,
Tanala: Rs 288. Favourite: General
Salute. Owners: M/s K.S.N.Murthy,
L.DSilva & Surender Singh
Makhija. Trainer: L.DSilva.
Jackpot: Rs 26384 (26 tkts), Consolation: Rs 1500 (196 tkts), Treble:
(i): Rs 501 (113 tkts), (ii): Rs 371 (213
tkts), (iii): Rs 1262 (131 tkts).

27).
At Indore: Services 400 for eight
in 179 overs (Aanshul Gupta 72,
Shamsher Yadav 136, Rahul Singh
Gahlaut 95) vs Andhra.
At Jaipur: Haryana 303 in 109.5
85 overs (Mohit Hooda 30, Rohit
Sharma 92, Sanjay Pahal 54,
Sandeep Warrier five for 80, Vinod
Kumar three for 42) vs Kerala 170 for
one in 57 overs (Bhavin Thakkar 56
batting, Vishnu Vinod 58, Rohan
Prem 51 batting).
At New Delhi: Hyderabad vs
Tripura. Match abandoned.
At Ranchi: Jammu & Kashmir 162
& 39 for no loss in 11 overs vs Himachal 370 in 98.5 overs (Ankit Kalsi
54, Paras Dogra 89, Robin Bist 32,
Rishi Dhawan 79 batting, Parvez Rasool three for 69).

DDCAs latest
tryst with
controversy
NEW DELHI: The Delhi and
District Cricket
Association (DDCA)
continues to be rocked
by controversy, the latest
being the removal of
three international
players from its selection
panels Maninder
Singh, Atul Wassan and
Nikhil Chopra.
The DDCA stated that
the three were sacked on
issues of conflict of
interest since they all
had commercial
connections with the
media.
Interestingly, the
biggest conflict of
interest involves the
Sports Working
Committee of the DDCA.
The practice for more
than a decade has been
that the SWC
recommends the panel of
selectors and support
staf who in turn oblige
the SWC with favourable
selections in senior and
age group category.
This conflict of
interest has often been
cited as the root cause of
woes plaguing Delhi
cricket and its
administration. The
High Court appointed
panel, headed by Justice
(Retd) Mukul Mudgal,
had attempted to cleanse
this malady.
The matter now rests
with the Delhi High
Court which is in
possession of the report
submitted by Justice
Mudgal with
recommendations to
weed out alleged
corruption and nepotism
from the DDCA.
Incidentally, some of the
SWC members have
been in power for more
than a decade, so also
some DDCA oicials.
Special Correspondent

Saurav makes
main draw
KOLKATA: Local boy Saurav

Sukul beat Jagmeet Singh 6-3,

5-7, 6-2 to qualify for the main
draw of the seventh leg of the
$5000 Asian Tennis Tour at
the Yuba Bharati Krirangan,
Salt Lake, here from Monday.
The results (qualifying): Ravishankar Sathiyaraj bt Maninder
Singh 6-4, 6-2; Arnav Alok Goel bt Archit Jain 6-3, 7-5; Saurav Sukul bt
Jagmeet 6-3, 5-7, 6-2; R. Subramanya
bt Chinmaya Dev 6-1, 7-6(6).

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

Thakur, Shirke
could meet
Lodha panel
NEW DELHI: The Board president

Anurag Thakur and secretary

Ajay Shirke have indicated to
the Lodha Committee their
desire to meet it after November 9. The decision was
communicated to Justice R.M.
Lodha on Sunday.
For the Lodha Committee,
appointed by the Supreme
Court to suggest reforms in
the Board, it would be the first
interaction with Thakur after
a series of communications.
The much-awaited meeting
between the top two oicials
of the Board and Justice Lodha
would hold the key to find a
way out for the beleaguered
cricket oicials who have little
choice but to comply with the
set of recommendations.
Special Correspondent

Indian juniors
finish eighth
BILBAO: Indian colts ended their

campaign in eighth place at the

BWF World junior mixed
team badminton championship after sufering successive
losses to Indonesia and Denmark here.
The Indian shuttlers lost 0-3
to Indonesia in the 5-8th place
play-of on Saturday and then
sufered a 2-3 defeat against
Denmark for the 7-8th place
tie on Sunday. PTI

| 19

SPORT

NOIDA/DELHI

Finally, a home win for FC Pune City

Eduardo Ferreira and Anibal Rodriguez find the target against Atletico de Kolkata

MUMBAI: He may have hung up

his boots early this year, but

you cant keep Robert Pires
away from football for long.
With his nine-year-old son
Theo showing plenty of
promise and with a new Star
Sixes tournament, which will
reunite the worlds greatest
players in their national team
colours and renew old rivalries, just a few months
away, the Arsenal legend has
been occasionally training
with the Gunners first team to
stay in shape.
Sometimes, I miss footballI mean the real thing. But

FC Pune City 2 (Eduardo

41, Rodriguez 55-pen) bt
Atletico de Kolkata 1
(Hume 69-pen)
NANDAKUMAR MARAR
PUNE: FC Pune City scrambled

to a 2-1 victory in front of home

fans for the first time this
season, thanks to goals from
Eduardo Ferreira and Anibal
Rodriguez against the in-form
Atletico de Kolkata (ATK) at
the Balewadi Stadium here on
Sunday.
Iain
Hume converted
a penalty for the
visitors.
Debjit Majumder, guarding
the visitors goal, could only
watch through a crowd of
bodies as Eduardo scored
FCPCs first goal in the 41st
minute with a fierce header,
twisting in the air to nod home
a flag-kick.
Later, the ATK custodian
got his fingers to a penalty kick
by Rodriguez, but his block
was not enough to stop the ball
from bobbing in.
Rival goalkeeper Edel Bete
faced a moment of truth in the
69th minute when ATK was
awarded a penalty for a foul by
captain Mohamed Sissoko on
Helder Postiga. Bete blocked
Humes shot with an out-

OPENING SALVO: FC Pune Citys Eduardo Ferreira, who had a rough but exciting outing against
Atletico de Kolkata, celebrates his goal for the home team. PHOTO: ISL/SPORTZPICS
stretched dive to his right but
the rebound was jabbed home
high by the striker.
Two penalty-kick awards
and numerous yellow cards
marked an intense match between two combative sides.
The danger of injury in a bodycontact sport came into play
when Ferreira was carried of
following a concussion. Med-

I think the Star Sixes is a great

idea, said Pires in a chat with
The Hindu, as he ofered a
peep into his new world, at the
Mehboob Studios here on
Sunday.
It will be interesting because Ronaldinho will be the
captain of Brazil, Steven Gerrard will be leading England
and (Carles) Puyol for Spain,
said the 43-year-old, a World
Cup winner with France in
1998, about the new six-a-side
tournament which will kick of
in London next July.
I think its going to be a new
brand of football, everything
will be compact. And it will be
very good for fans because

ical tests were on to determine

internal damage. Antonio
Habas was forced to introduce
Jesus Tato in place of the injured Brazilian.
Both goalkeepers were kept
on their toes. Bete stretched
out to get within range of a
Postiga snap attempt from far
out, but the ball arched into the
side netting. Debjit remained

against Tottenham Hotspur, at

the venue in front of wildly
cheering fans.
Pires was a vital part of the
Arsenals all-conquering team
of 2003-04, whom the coach
Arsene Wenger once described as the oil in the engine of Arsenals Invincibles.
And the Frenchman is clear
that he does not want that sort
of pressure for his son Theo.

Robert Pires. PHOTO: STAN RAYAN

they will get to see all the
former greats in action again.
Pires was in the city as part
of the first oicial screening of
an Arsenal game in Mumbai,
the North London derby

Smog blanks out two Ranji matches

RAKESH RAO &
UTHRA GANESAN
NEW DELHI: Continued smog, poor

visibility and unplayable conditions

forced the officials to cancel the
two Ranji Trophy matches
scheduled in the city after the
second days play on Sunday was
called off as well.
The BCCI is now looking to
reschedule the Group A game
between joint table-toppers Gujarat
and Bengal (at Ferozeshah Kotla)
and the Group C game between
Hyderabad and Tripura at the
Karnail Singh Stadium.
Match referee P. Ranganathan
told mediapersons at the Kotla that
the BCCI technical committee had
taken the decision due to
exceptional and unavoidable
circumstances.
To be rescheduled

The Board is considering

rescheduling the two matches
before the semifinals. The
cancelled matches cannot be
compared to a rained off game.
Therefore, no points are being
awarded to the teams involved, he
said.
While the Bengal-Gujarat match
was officially called off at 3:15 pm,
the Hyderabad-Tripura tie was
called off before noon by match
referee Sanjay Sharma after players

India dominates
Indian wrestlers
claimed all eight gold medals
on ofer in the Commonwealth
wrestling championship in
Singapore on Sunday.
The medal winners: Men: Freestyle: 61kg: Gold: Harful; Silver: Vikas; 65kg: Gold: Bajrang Punia, Silver: Rahul Maan; 74kg: Gold:
Jitender, Silver: Sandeep Kate; 86kg:
Gold: Deepak, Bronze: Arun; 125kg:
Gold: Hitender, Silver: Krishan.
Greco Roman: 59kg: Gold:
Ravinder, Silver: Vikram; 71kg: Gold:
Deepak, Silver: Rafiq; 98kg: Gold:
Hardeep, Silver: Sachin.
KOLKATA:

Sourabh loses
in final
SAARBRUCKEN (GERMANY): Sourabh Verma went down fighting to World No.16 Shi Yuqi of
China 19-21, 20-22 in the summit clash of the Grand Prix
Gold badminton tournament
here on Sunday.
Semifinal results: Sourabh
Verma bt Anders Antonsen 21-15, 2118; Sameer Verma lost to Shi Yuqi 2118, 21-15. Agencies

Vijayalakshmi recovers
on time to beat Mohota
RAKESH RAO

alert when Sissoko turned and

shot goalwards but the ball
was wide of target.
Needing a win to keep head
above water, the home team
pressed numbers into the attack, forcing ATK to defend
deeper around the box.
Getting a knock
Of a move down the left,

Luca trapped and swivelled to

his right for space to shoot but
was of target. The fans were
treated to of-the-ball excitement when Eduardo hurt his
cheek when challenging an
aerial ball. The signal for ambulance was given but by the
time the vehicle reached the
sidelines, the Brazilian had
recovered.
Two minutes after his goal,
Eduardo collapsed near the
halfline, feeling the after-effects of the injury, which at
that time had been treated
with a bandage on the right
cheek.
Pune increased the lead in
the 55th minute after a
dramatic moment. Anibal
moved ahead to head a floater
from the right flank and the
ball bounced of him onto
ATK defender Pritam Kotals
hand.
The referee upheld an appeal for deliberate handball,
showed the player a yellow
and pointed to the spot.
Majumder read Anibals shot
correctly and raised the palms
for a reflex block. The ball
changed direction after impact and lodged into the other
corner.
Pune has now moved to
sixth place, ahead of Kerala
Blasters on goal diference,
while ATK remains in third
place.

If you want to grow, you need to have a longer league: Pires

STAN RAYAN

CHESS

complained of burning sensation in

their eyes, difficulty to breathe and
itching.
The opening day of both the
games had also been wasted due
to similar conditions with even the
toss yet to take place.
Hyderabad is scheduled to play
its next game also in the city but
the team is planning to return
home for now.
Tripura is currently third in the
group with 12 points from four
games and Hyderabad fourth with
10. These are extraordinary
circumstances. The playing
conditions are bad but never before
has a match been called off due to
pollution.
No visibility

The players are finding it

difficult to breathe and run and
there is no visibility in the outfield,
a Hyderabad official said.
It would have been funny if it
wasnt such a serious issue to see
players from all the teams walk
around with face masks to protect
themselves at both the grounds.
Team officials confirmed that all
the players had been given masks
as a precautionary measure and
advised not to indulge in any
outdoor activity.
Hyderabad captain S. Badrinath
added that even brief warm-ups
were difficult.
There is a smoky, dusty feel in

my mouth, the eyes are burning for

everyone and even a short game of
football left many gasping for
breath. It is disappointing but there
is little anyone can do about it,
Badrinath said.
Unprecendented

Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel

was equally disappointed. This is
an unprecedented experience. I
have never come across such
weather ever. It was obviously
tough for all the players. In fact, we
had procured masks today.
Rescheduling the matches is a
good development because these
points can prove crucial in the
qualification process and there is a
window.
We are looking forward to
playing Bengal at a later date, he
added.
Experienced Yashpal Singh, who
has played a large part of his
professional cricket in the capital
as part of the Services team here,
said he was surprised.
I played my age groups cricket
here, with Services also here. This
is the first time things have
become so bad in terms of
pollution and visibility.
The ball and players cannot be
seen near the rope. If I as a resident
of the city am finding it difficult,
you can imagine how bad it must
be for the visitors, Yashpal, now
playing for Tripura, said.

NBA

Memorable day for

LeBron James
LeBron James
scored 25 points on Saturday,
passing Hakeem Olajuwon for
10th on the NBA all-time scoring list, as Cleveland Cavaliers
remained unbeaten by defeating Philadelphia 102-101. James
now has 26,970 points as
against Olajuwons career
total of 26,946 points.
James also added eight rebounds and 14 assists, the last
on Channing Fryes 3-pointer
to create the final margin with
65 seconds remaining. Kevin
Love added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Cavaliers while
Joel Embiid led the 76ers with
22 points.
King James took only 993
career games over 14 seasons
to surpass Hakeem The
Dream, who needed 1,238
games over 18 campaigns to
achieve his total. The next target on the NBA all-time scoring list is Elvin Hayes with
27,313 points.

WASHINGTON:

Of the top 10, only James,

Kobe Bryant and Michael
Jordan were players that werent centres or power forwards
with dominating inside games.
James wants the team to improve, even if it is unbeaten
and of to its best start since
opening 8-0 in 1976.
We just need to get better,
James said. Being unbeaten
means absolutely nothing. On
the defensive end we need to
be a whole lot better.
We have not taken a step
backward, but weve had a
couple of lulls. We take care of
that and we will continue to
move forward.
The results:
Oklahoma City 112 bt Minnesota
92; Cleveland 102 bt Philadelphia
101; Orlando 88 bt Washington 86;
Detroit 103 bt Denver 86; Indiana 111
bt Chicago 94; Atlanta 112 bt Houston 97; Milwaukee 117 bt Sacramento 91; LA Clippers 116 bt San
Antonio 92. Agencies

Theo loves Arsenal

For Theo, it is very important that he enjoys the game
and training. He loves football,
he loves Arsenal, he loves to go
to the Emirates, said the Arsenal winger, who played for

Sai Saran Reddy

puts SV varsity
in quarterfinals
NEW DELHI: Sai Saran Reddy
won his two singles matches
and a doubles match with Jude
Raymond to put Sri Venkateswara
University,
Tirupati, past Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in
the pre-quarterfinals of the allIndia inter-University mens
tennis tournament at the Guru
Jambheshwar University of
Science and Technology,
Hisar, on Sunday.
Sai Saran beat Ranjeet Singh
6-0, 7-5 and Paras Dahiya 4-6,
6-2, 6-0 in the singles matches.
In doubles Sai Saran and Jude
Raymond beat Paras Dahiya
and Amit 4-6, 6-3, 10-5. Paras
Dahiya had won the only rubber for the Rohtak team by
beating Jude Raymond 4-6, 6-1,
7-5.
In the quarterfinals, Paramveer Singh Bajwa, Param Pun
and Shrey Gupta helped Panjab University, Chandigarh, to
a 3-0 victory over Mumbai
University for which Vanshal
DSouza and Rohan Samant
could not win a set between
them.

Special
Correspondent

Goa takes
first innings lead
Goa, in reply to
Andhras 267, made 325 in 87.4
overs thanks to half-centuries
by Suyash Prabhudesai (89),
Deepraj Gaonkar (67) and H.
Parab (54) in the four-day
Cooch Behar u-19 fixture here
on Sunday.
In Bengaluru, Ayan Chaudhari (five for 30) and Vikram
Vinayak (three for 34) put
Jharkhand in a commanding
position against Karnataka.
Ayan and Vikram helped their
side dismiss Karnataka for a
paltry 111.
The scores:
At Ongole: Andhra 267 and 27 for
one in 10 overs vs. Goa 325 in 87.4
overs (Suyash Prabhudesai 89, Deepraj Gaonkar 67, H. Parab 54, Nihal
36, M. Harishankar Reddy five for 70,
P. Girinath Reddy three for 86).
At Bengaluru: Jharkhand 236 and
83 for one in 23 overs (Vivek Kumar
55 batting) vs Karnataka 111 in 72.1
overs (Shivakumar 42, S.S. Sateri 27,
Ayan Chaudhari five for 30, Vikram
Vinayak three for 34).
At Chennai: TN 286 & 33 for four
in 16 overs vs Vidarbha 193 in 78.4
overs (Yash V. Rathod 44, Atharva
Taide 25, R.S. Jaganath Srinivas three
for 27).

ONGOLE:

FC Goa in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super

League two years ago.
Sometimes, I give him advice but I dont want to push
him, I dont want to put pressure on him. He is only nine, he
has lots of time, he can learn
good football because he is at
the Arsenal academy which is
very good. And he has signed
the contract for Arsenal, his
head is only for Arsenal.
He wants India too to catch
its children young, if it wants
to climb footballs world ladder and play in the World Cup
some day.
I played one season in the
ISL, you have a lot of potential,

you have big stadiums, it was

amazing to see huge crowd in
that big stadium in Kerala, and
the people love football but
you need more academies for
the young players, said the
Frenchman.
Because they need to learn
and if you want to learn, you
need good academies.
The ISL has made Indian
football visible to the world,
felt Pires.
The mix of Indians and
foreigners will be a blessing
for your country but you need
to play longer. The ISL is too
short. If you want to grow, you
need to have a longer league.

NEW DELHI: It was the kind of

wake-up call that could well

see S. Vijayalakshmi stay more
alert through the remainder of
her campaign for the recordimproving seventh National
womens chess title.
In the fourth round, the 37year-old messed up a completely winning position
against archrival Nisha Mohota before getting her act
back in the sixth hour and
walking of as a relieved winner in 78 moves.
Vijayalakshmis third victory in four games saw her
keep the company of defending champion Padmini Rout at
the top of the table with 3.5
points.
On a day when five out of six
boards witnessed decisive
battles, three-time winner
Mary Ann Gomes drew with a
much-younger M. Mahalakshmi in 59 moves.
Top seed Eesha Karavade
posted her maiden victory at
the expense of Kiran Manisha
Mohanty and so did R.
Vaishali who got the better of
Pratyusha Bodda. Padminis
third victory resulted in a third
loss for the unpredictable
Swati Ghate.
Gritty display
Nisha, who eventually
sufered her first loss like P.
Bala Kannamma on this day,
displayed tremendous fighting abilities against Vijayalakshmi who held the upper hand
for the better part of their
Queens Gambit Declined
game. Up two pawns by the
29th move, Vijayalakshmi ap-

peared on a roll until she mishandled the position and allowed Nisha plenty of
defensive options.
I couldnt imagine letting
go of such a comfortable position, admitted Vijayalakshmi,
appearing more relieved than
delighted with her efort. I
missed a lot of possibilities.
But luckily I regained my grip
in the end, said the joint
leader.
With each player having a
rook and a bishop, on opposite-colour squares, Vijayalakshmis two extra pawns
eventually proved decisive.
Padmini too good for Swati
Padmini, for a change, was
not the last to finish her game.
She outwitted Swati after gaining a bishop. It was obvious
that Swati had missed a better
continuation after keeping
pace with the in-form Padmini.
Eesha stayed in control of a
complex game against Kiran.
After a series of exchanges, Eesha found a checkmating combination. At this stage, an exasperated Kiran gave up.
The results (fourth round):

Mary Ann Gomes (2) drew with M.

Mahalakshmi (1.5) in 59 moves; S. Vijayalakshmi (3.5) bt Nisha Mohota
(2) in 78 moves; P. Bala Kannamma
(2) lost to Soumya Swaminathan (3)
in 37 moves; Padmini Rout (3.5) bt
Swati Ghate (0.5) in 46 moves; Eesha Karavade (3) bt Kiran Manisha
Mohanty (1) 49 moves; Pratyusha
Bodda (0.5) lost to R. Vaishali (1.5) in
40 moves.
Fifth-round pairings: VaishaliMary; Kiran-Pratyusha; Swati-Eesha;
Soumya-Padmini; Nisha-Bala; Mahalakshmi-Vijayalakshmi.

SHOOTING

Ankur wins bronze

ABU DHABI: Ankur Mittal topped
the qualification with 143 but
had to settle for the individual
bronze and the team silver in
double trap in the 6th Asian
Shotgun Championship in
Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Ankur compiled four perfect rounds of 30, including
three in the qualification
phase, but a round of 27 in the

semifinals reduced him to a

fight for the bronze.
The results: Double trap: 1.
Ahmad Alafasi (ISP) 26 (29) 135; 2.
Saif Alshamsy (UAE) 24 (29) 139; 3.
Ankur Mittal 30 (27) 143; 4. Saad Al
Mutairi (ISP) 27 (28) 135; 8. Yoginderpal Singh 131; 14. Sangram
Dahiya 129. Team: 1. ISP 407, 2. India
403, 3. UAE 400. Sports
Bureau

20

LIFE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2016

10 Commandments tablet up for auction

Colour photo biography on Gandhiji hits market

500 flying drones set world record

The worlds oldest known stone tablet inscribed

with the Ten Commandments dating back about
1,500 to 1,700 years is up for auction in the U.S.

The first-ever colour photo biography on Mahatma

Gandhi, chronicling his life and times and containing rare
photos, published by GandhiServe India, is now on sale.

A new Guinness record has been set for the most

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) flying together,
as 500 drones put on a light show in Germany.

New material
may help reduce
paper waste
BEIJING: Scientists have developed a low-cost, environmentally friendly way to
create printed materials with
rewritable paper that can
considerably reduce paper
wastage.
Researchers Ting Wang,
Dairong Chen and colleagues from Shandong University in China made the
new material out of tungsten
oxide and a common polymer used in medicines and
food.
Even in the present digital
age, the world still relies on
paper and ink, most of which
ends up in landfills or recycling centres.
The researchers created a
film by mixing low-toxicity
tungsten
oxide
with
polyvinyl pyrrolidone.
To print on it, they exposed the material to ultraviolet light for 30 seconds or
more, and it changed from
white to a deep blue.
To make pictures or
words, a stencil can be used
so that only the exposed
parts turn blue. To erase
them, the material can simply sit in ambient conditions
for a day or two.
To speed up the erasing,
the researchers added heat
to make the colour disappear
in 30 minutes. The study was
published in the journal ACS
Applied Materials & Interfaces. PTI

Blood-based TB test may spot

drug resistance faster: Study
Researchers from Mumbai identify biomarkers useful for diagnosis
R. PRASAD
CHENNAI: Mumbai-based researchers have identified
two microRNA biomarkers
present in serum samples
that could potentially be
used for TB diagnosis and
TB disease prognosis. It
could be used both for drugsensitive pulmonary TB and
multi-drug-resistant
TB
(MDR-TB) patients. The results were published in the
journal Tuberculosis.
The use of these biomarkers may expedite the
diagnosis of MDR-TB. In India, generally patients are
first started on drug-sensitive TB drugs. It is only when
they do not show any improvement despite medication even after a couple of
months
that
MDR-TB
suspected.

30 patients studied
Compared with controls,
the microRNA miR-16 level
in 30 newly diagnosed drugsensitive pulmonary TB patients was 5-6 times higher
and the miR-155 level was
about two times lower.
Of the 30 patients studied,
serum samples collected
from 10 patients were tested

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: A tuberculosis patient displays the anti-TB

medication that he takes daily. FILE PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD
for the two microRNAs at
the time of diagnosis and
after the completion of treatment. The levels of miR-16
and miR-155 returned to normal level once the patients
completed the treatment and
were sputum negative, says
Dr. Deepak Modi from the
National Institute for Research in Reproductive
Health, Mumbai and one of
the authors of the paper.
The levels of two microRNAs are diferent in people
with MDR-TB compared
with
drug-sensitive
pulmonary TB and healthy
individuals.
Serum samples from 19
MDR-TB patients were studied by the researchers. If the

miR-16 is elevated 5-6 times

in people with drug-sensitive TB, it is two times lower
than the normal level in people with MDR-TB.
In the case of miR-155 the
reduction is only slightly less
compared with drug-sensitive TB (it is intermediate between drug-sensitive TB patients and normal level).
We dont know why the
two microRNAs behave differently in MDR-TB patients
compared with drug-sensitive TB, Dr. Modi says.
miR-16 better indicator
The miR-16 shows better
predictive
value
than
miR-155 in both drug-sensitive pulmonary TB and MDR-

TB cases, says Vishal Wagh

from the National Institute
for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai and the
first author of the paper.
Dr. Modi says, In patients
undergoing TB treatment if
the miR-16 level is lower or if
the miR-155 level is not increasing then MDR-TB
should be suspected.
The blood-based TB
diagnosis using these biomarkers has great advantages. Even in adults a good
number of them are unable
to give sputum samples.
Children, especially younger
children, do not produce
sputum
samples.
So
diagnosis of pulmonary TB
in these cases is diicult
when we rely on sputum
samples, says Dr. Chander
Puri, Pro-Vice Chancellor of
MGM Institute of Health
Science, Mumbai, who was
not involved in the study.
The researchers are expanding the study to cover a
larger population of drugsensitive, MDR-TB and extra
pulmonary TB patients.
There is no reason why
the biomarkers should not be
present in the blood even
when
TB
is
extrapulmonary, says Dr. Puri.

Lost Chandrabhaga river

flowed in Odisha: Study
BENGALURU: After an expert
panel recently confirmed
the existence of the
mythical Saraswati river in
Indias northwest,
scientists at the Indian
Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, now claim to
have found evidence of
another lost Indian river.
Called Chandrabhaga,
this ancient river is
believed to have existed at
a distance of about two km
from the 13th century Sun
Temple at Konark, a
Unesco World Heritage
Site in Odisha.
No trace of any water
body is at present visible
in the proximity of the
temple, but the mythical
river figures prominently
in ancient literature, the
scientists report in the
journal Current Science.
Almost all lore regarding
Konark, including
illustrations and
photographs, indicate the
presence of the
Chandrabhaga river in the
proximity of the temple,
they say.
The IIT study aimed to
find out if there was more
to the myth. They did this
through integrated
geological and geophysical
exploration in conjunction
with historical evidence

Field study and

analysis of satellite
images indicate a
palaeo-channel,
say researchers
and analysis of satellite
data. Imagery from
Landsat and Terra
satellites of the U.S. and
those obtained by NASA
Space Shuttle Endeavours
Radar Topographic
Mission in 2000 were
used.
According to their
report, satellite imagery
and Google Earth images
showed a sinusoidal
trace, characteristic of a
typical palaeo-channel
remnants of an inactive
river passing north of
the Sun Temple extending
approximately parallel to
the coast.
The existence of a
palaeo-channel was
further corroborated
through profiling the
surface using ground
penetrating radar that
showed the existence of a
V-shaped subsurface river
valley, the scientists
report.
Field studies revealed
that the palaeo-channel is
characterised by swampy

lands covered with water

hyacinth plants and
geologically, the area is
covered with alluvium, a
deposit characteristic of
rivers.
Data also showed a low
gravity anomaly zone
along the suspected
palaeo-channel an
indication of the presence
of low density
sedimentary deposits
along the depressed zone.
All the evidence
indicate the presence of a
palaeo-channel near
Konark, the scientists
conclude.
Combining the myths
with scientific and
historical evidence, the
identified palaeo-channel
may be correlated to the
lost river Chandrabhaga,
the paper said. What
caused the extinction of
this river remains a subject
of further investigation.
According to the IIT
researchers, identification
of such a palaeo-channel
may lead to the
delineation of pockets of
freshwater zones within a
dominantly saline water
environment, and may
even partially alleviate the
drinking water problem
along the Odisha coast.
IANS

London drives back to the past

Syrias last weavers abandon looms

A man drives a 1903 Wolseley Tonneau vintage car past a Penny Farthing bicycle as they cross Westminster Bridge
during the 120th Veteran Car Run from Hyde Park in London, to Brighton in southern England, on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

ARIHA (SYRIA): With the deftness of decades of experience, Abu Mohammad

wove thick green thread with
a wooden loom in northwest
Syria, creating a vibrant geometric pattern renowned
among Arabic textiles.
It was the last day before
the weaver in his 50s would
be forced to close the workshop, leaving the last five remaining looms in his hometown of Ariha in Idlib
province to gather dust.
This trade is dead now...Today is our last day of
work on the loom, as we
dont have any more thread,
the balding man said.
Weaving has been devastated by Syrias five-year civil
war, with thread becoming
too diicult to procure from
Aleppo once the countrys
artisanal hub but now ravaged by fighting and
bombardment.
The battered city, 70 km
northeast of Ariha, was the
main provider of the rough
thread needed to weave Arabic textiles, versatile fabrics
turned into rugs, furniture
covers, and other household

STAR TREK
Akshay may adopt village hit by farmer suicides

ollywood actor Akshay Kumar is likely to adopt a village in the

Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. According to Collector
Sachindra Pratap Singh, the actor had recently met State
Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar in Mumbai. During the meeting,
the Minister briefed the actor about the woes of farmers in Vidarbha,
particularly in Yavatmal. Akshay volunteered to adopt one of the
villages hit hard by the farmers suicide, he said.
The government then asked the district administration to suggest the
name of a village that needed help. The village Pimpri Butti was
recommended.
The actor has now started shooting for the film
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Akshay on Sunday took to
Twitter, where he shared a photograph of
himself with actor Bhumi Pednekar. In the image,
Bhumi is seen donning a red sari and vermillion on
her forehead and Akshay is seen sporting a
moustache. The two are seen posing in front of a
toilet. Bhumi, who made her Bollywood debut
with the National Award winning film Dum
Laga Ke Haisha, shared the same
photograph and captioned it: Hello from
Akshay Kumar, me and our most trusted
friend, the toilet.
It was earlier reported that the film is
based on Prime Minister Narendra Modis
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. . PTI

Priyanka is a superhero, says Parineeti

arineeti Chopra has praised her star cousin Priyanka Chopra

for her Marathi-singing debut in Ventilator, saying she is a
superhero, who can do anything.
The 28-year-old actor, who herself is a trained
singer, congratulated the Quantico star for her
first Marathi song by calling it the best debut.
Mimi didi you are a superhero. Excel at
everything you do. This is the bestttt debut!!!
Love you, she wrote. Parineeti is also looking
forward to her own Bollywood singing debut
in her upcoming romantic drama Meri
Pyaari Bindu.
Ventilator is produced by Priyanka under
her production company Purple Pebble
Pictures. It stars director Ashutosh
Gowarikar in a lead role and other
veteran Marathi actors. PTI

Syrian weaver Abu Mostafa works on a loom at a workshop in

the village of Ariha, on the last day of weaving before the
workshop was forced to close. PHOTO: AFP
items. But now Aleppos
rebel-held eastern districts
are besieged by government
forces, making it impossible
to obtain thread from there,
and materials from the regime-controlled west are too
expensive, Abu Mohammad
said.
On his last day, he worked
as enthusiastically as he had
since his teenage years,
pulling down wooden levers
to lay down colourful acrylic
fibre across a white base.
The sound of the panels

smacking against each other

was interrupted only by Abu
Mohammads nasal singing,
or a brief tea break with fellow weavers reclining on a
shabby couch.
All we have left
Ariha, in Idlib province, is
the most well-known in making this product, said Abu
Mohammad, gesturing to the
green-and-red blankets and
pillow cases hanging on the
wall behind him.
We make all household

items, from rugs for bedrooms to covers for the

Quran. We would furnish entire houses.
Before the war, there
were more than 100 looms in
Ariha, but the only ones left
are the ones in this shop, he
said.
As the siege on Aleppos
east tightened and access to
thread became more diicult, only three looms in the
Ariha workshop remained
active.
Before the war, our trade
was booming. We could buy
thread for pennies from
Aleppo, Abu Mohammad
said.
He pulled out a small box
containing dozens of spools
of colourful thread: This is
all we have left.
Despite the pressures, Arabic textile production will
resume eventually, veteran
weaver Abu Mostafa insisted. If there was enough
thread, we could work 100
looms at once. The looms are
all ready, we just need the
thread.
Its a shame its going to
end like this. AFP