MajorGogoimay facecourtmartial - Newspaper Direct

mustreadKOTHRUD LADYBLACKMAILEDBYONLINE CONA 24-year-old resident ofKothrud,who is amusicteacher of some repute,wasconned into an online rela-tionship by her 47-year-oldneighbour. The accusedportrayed himself as aSingapore resident andeventually began to blackmailthewoman,who thenwentto the police. ››P3

ParthWelankarn [email protected]

PUNE:ThePunemunicipalcorpo-ration’s₹16crorelight-emittingdiode(LED)smartstreetlightingproject is now in the shadow ofirregularities exposed by areport submitted by the Comp-troller and Auditor General(CAG).

“Afterdisqualifyingthreebid-

ders in technical evaluationround, only a single bid wasavailable for the next roundwhichwasfinancialevaluation.Aspercentralvigilancecommis-sion(CVC)guidelines,generallysingle bids or tenders are notacceptable in the first instanceand re-tendering is required tobecarriedout,” theCAGreporthas stated. “If there is only onesingle bid after re-tendering,

thereisaneedfordetailedjustifi-cation to accept single tendererofsinglebidwithapproval fromthe competent authority. How-ever, department carried outre-tenderingandsinglebidwasopened after approval of PMCcommissioner,”thereportadds.

CAGwascalledintoaudittheproject after red flags wereraisedsurroundingtheproject.

››FULL REPORT P2

CAG exposes short-circuit in tenderprocess for PMC’s LED project

TUESDAY

Max: 27°c I Min: 21°c

today’sweather

Generally cloudy skywith intermittentrain

shortstoriesPUNEHOTELSBEGIN TOBERATEDBY FDAPUNE: More than 350 restaurantshave opened themselves for adetailed hygiene assessment, twomonths after the food and drugadministration (FDA), Pune, inassociationwith the food safetyand standards authority of India(FSSAI), decided to issue hygienerating certificates to hotels andrestaurants in the city. Restau-rantswill receive their certifica-tion under the star-based ‘hy-giene rating’ system. Auditreportswill be submitted toFSSAI, Delhi, to generate scores of‘bad,’ ‘good,’ ‘very good,’ or’excellent.’ ››P4

Nominimumpunishmentfor electoral offences: SCDELHI: The Supreme Court onMonday dismissed a plea thatsought aminimumpunishment oftwo years for electoral offences,including bribery, false statementand undue influence by candi-dates and political parties. Abench headed by Chief Justice ofIndia DipakMisra refused toentertain a PIL filed by advocateAshwini Kumar Upadhyay thatsought tomake electoral offencescognisable. ››P9

Meghalaya CMwins SouthTura assembly bypollSHILLONG:Meghalaya chiefminister andNPPpresidentConrad K Sangma onMondaywon the South Tura by-electionby defeating his nearest Congressrival, CharlotteWMomin, by over8,400 votes, chief electoral officerFR Kharkongor said.WithSangma’swin, theNationalPeople’s Party has levelled its tallyat 20with the Congress in the60-member state assembly. ››P6

2 acquitted in 1981 IndianAirlines hijacking caseNEWDELHI: ADelhi court onMonday acquitted SatnamSinghand Tajinder Pal Singh facing trialfor their alleged involvement inan Indian Airlines (IA) planehijacking in 1981. The PatialaHouse court acquitted the duo,whowere accused of hijacking anIADelhi-Srinagar flight carryingover 100 passengers and divertingit to Lahore on Sept 29, 1981. PTI

MARKETS RESUME BULL RUN; SENSEX,NIFTY HIT NEW HIGHS >>htbusinessp13

TRY MYANMARTOP BRASS FORGENOCIDE: UN>>htworldp12

SWARAJ MAY MEET PAK COUNTERPART IN USTALKS‘POSSIBLE’ONSIDELINESOFUNSESSIONNEXTMONTH>>p6

Press Trust of Indian [email protected]

NEWDELHI:TheRashtriya Sway-amsevakSanghmayinviteCon-gresspresidentRahulGandhitoattendathree-daylectureseriesbySanghchiefMohanBhagwathere next month, people in theorganisationsaidonMonday.

The idea is to invite peoplefromdifferent ideologies fortheevent, a source in the RSS said,adding that the list is beingpre-pared and may also includeCPI(M)’sSitaramYechury.

IndicationsthatGandhicouldbeinvitedcameonadaytheRSScriticisedhimfordrawingparal-lels between the Sangh and theIslamic radical outfit MuslimBrotherhood. Giving details ofthe September event, RSS pra-charpramukhArunKumarsaidtheSanghwasorganising a lec-ture series of its chief MohanBhagwat on the theme, ‘FutureofBharat:AnRSSperspective’.

“Bhagwatji will address andinteract with select audiencecomprising prominent citizensin a three-day lecture series,”Kumar toldreporters.

RSS INVITE FORRAHUL TO 3DAYBHAGWAT EVENT?

IndoAsianNewsServicen [email protected]

NEWDELHI: TheSupremeCourtonMondayissuednoticetotheCen-tre and messaging service pro-vider WhatsApp after a pleasought direction to restrain theappfromproceedingwithitspay-ments systems unless it fullycomplieswithRBI’sprovisions.

A bench of Justice RohintonFali Nariman and Justice InduMalhotra sought response fromWhatsApp,lawandjusticeminis-try, financeministry and infor-mation technology ministrywithinfourweeks.

Advocate Virag Gupta,appearingforthepetitioner,Cen-tre for Accountability and Sys-temicChange,contendedthatthemessaging platform does notcomply with provision of man-dating a Grievance Officer andother laws of India includingKnow Your Customer (KYC)norms laiddownbytheReserveBankofIndia(RBI).Thepleasaidthatwhile companies likeFace-bookandGooglehaveappointedGrievance Officers for users inIndia,WhatsApphadnot.

In order to make WhatsAppaccountable, itmustbedirectedto complywith Indian laws andappointaGrievanceOfficerwhoshall address grievances of the

consumersaswellasco-ordinatewith investigating agencies, itadded. WhatsApp is a foreigncompanywithnoofficeorserversinIndiaandtorunpaymentsser-vicehereitisobligatedtohaveitsofficeandpaymentsinIndia,saidtheplea.TheadvocatesaidWhat-sAppwas being allowed to con-tinuewithitspaymentsandotherserviceswithoutanychecks.

WhatsApphasover200millionusersinIndiaandalmostonemil-lion people are “testing” What-sApp’spaymentsserviceinIndia,which is the largest base for theFacebook-owned company thathasover1.5billionusersglobally.

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Apex court notice toWhatsApp, Centreon payment system

WHATSAPPHASOVER200MILLIONUSERS ININDIA ANDALMOSTONEMILLIONPEOPLE ARE“TESTING”WHATSAPP’SPAYMENTSSERVICE ININDIA,WHICH IS THELARGESTBASE FOR THEFACEBOOKOWNEDCOMPANY THATHASOVER 1.5 BILLIONUSERSGLOBALLY

MoushumiDasGuptan [email protected]

NEWDELHI:Aninspectionof15spe-cialised adoption agencies(SAAs) by the ministry forwomen and child development(WCD)andtheCentralAdoptionResourceAuthority(CARA),car-ried out in January and Febru-ary,hasdiscoveredglaringirreg-ularities, including prematuredeaths, unhygienic conditions,and even children not beingaccountedfor insomecases.

SAAs house orphaned andabandoned children below theage of six meant for adoption.There are 460 of them aroundIndia.ThehomesinspectedwereinMadhyaPradesh,Maharash-

tra, Telangana, West Bengal,Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand,BiharandUttarPradesh.

UndertheJuvenileJusticeAct(JJ Act),SAAs,whicharerunbyprivateagenciesorNGOsinmostcases,havetoberegisteredwiththegovernment’sChildAdoptionResource Information and Gui-dance System (CARINGS) forintra- and inter-country adop-tionsandprovidedetailsofeachchildadmittedtotheagency.Theportal is run byCARA, the gov-ernment’snodalagencymonitor-ingadoptioninthecountry.

“Wewere getting complaintsthatthecredentialsofsomeoftheSAAs are not of required stan-dard. So the WCD ministryordered an inspection,” said

DeepakKumar,CEO,CARA.“To start with, we decided to

inspect 15 against whom therewerethemostcomplaints.”

The team was taken abackwhenitvisitedJodhpur’sNavje-evanSansthan,saidaCARAoffi-cial involved in drafting theinspectionreportwhoaskednotto be identified. “The registershowedthat14childrenhaddiedbetweenDecember2016andJan-uary2018.Wearenowseekinganexplanationastohowthesechil-drenhaddied,”saidtheofficial.

Theteamalsofoundthatofthe325 childrenwhowereadmittedtothisSAAfrom2008to2018andregistered with CARINGS,detailsof97werenotavailable.

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Adoption agencies in sorry state

RahulSinghn [email protected]

NEWDELHI:Acontroversialarmymajor is likely to face a generalcourtmartial for his friendshipwith a local Kashmiri woman,and an attempt tomeet her in alocalhotel,andbeingawayfromhisdesignated placeofduty,twoofficials familiarwith themovesaidonMonday.

Major Leetul Gogoi wasdetainedbythepoliceinaSrina-garhotel alongwith thewomanin May this year. A court ofinquiry (CoI) into the matterfoundhimguiltyof“fraternisingwith a local in spite of instruc-tions to the contrary and beingaway from the place of duty inoperationalarea,”saidoneoftheofficials cited above.His behav-iour was in violation of thearmy’sstandardoperatingproce-dures. “Ordershavebeenissuedto initiate disciplinary action

evoked criticism frompeople inthe Valley, human rights activ-istsandpolitical leaders.

Gogoi was later awarded theChiefofArmyStaff’sCommenda-tioncard for “sustainedefforts”inthecounterinsurgencyopera-tions.

“Thenextstepindisciplinaryactionisrecordingofsummaryofevidence, followedbyapre-trialscrutiny of documents, whichusually results in a GCM,” saidMajorGeneralNilendraKumar(retd), a former judge and advo-categeneral.

Kumar said in a case likeGogoi’s,theawardof“recordablecensure” should suffice but thepunishmentcouldalsobe“lossofseniority” as the second chargeamountstobeingabsentwithoutleaveinanoperationalarea.

The disciplinary actionagainsttheofficerisonexpectedlines.

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against him,” he added, askingnot to be identified. The inquirywas conducted by a brigadier.The findings of the probe havebeen approved by the GeneralOfficerCommandingofSrinagarheadquartered15Corps.

Thedisciplinaryactioncouldbe in the formof a general courtmartial (GCM),expertssaid.

Gogoibecamemired inacon-troversy last year after tying aKashmiri civilian to the front ofhisjeep,apparentlyinanattempttopreventstone-peltersfromtar-geting his convoy. The incident

MajorGogoimayfacecourtmartialPROBE Action against army officer for ‘fraternising with local woman’

GOGOI BECAMEMIRED INAROWLAST YEARAFTERTYINGACIVILIAN TO THEFRONTOFHIS JEEP,APPARENTLY IN ANATTEMPT TO FENDOFFSTONEPELTERS

FaizanHaidarn [email protected]

NEWDELHI: Individualsandcom-panieswill be able to fly dronesfromDecember 1, 2018, in areasotherthanthosebarredforsecu-rity reasons, according to theregulations foruse ofRemotelyPilotedAircraftSystem(RPAS)released by the civil aviationministryonMonday.

Operatorswillbeabletoapplyfor permissions and get instantapprovalsthroughaportal(Digi-tal Sky Platform) for the use ofdronesforphotographyandrec-reationalpurposes.

Thecommercialuseofdrones—as taxis, deliveryvehicles, orother services — will not beallowedasofnowbutaministryofficialssaiditwasopentomak-ingchangesintheregulationsastechnologyadvances.

“Wewanttoestablishaworld-leadingdroneecosystem.Theseregulations firmly place usamong the global leaders. Ourpolicy road map will providestrong impetus to all players inthe drone ecosystem. We hopethattheseinitiativeswillenableustocreateavibrantnewindus-try,” minister of state for civilaviationJayantSinhasaid.

The regulations state that nopermissions will be needed forflying ‘nano’drones.

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Flying drones willbe legal fromDec 1, with riders

SaubhadraChatterjin [email protected]

NEWDELHI:A committee of law-makersthinkstheReserveBankofIndia’spolicieshaveaccentu-ated the problem of non-per-forming assets of state-ownedbanks, and reduced amount attheirdisposaltolend;thatbanksdonothavewhat it takestofundlong-gestationprojects;andthatit is important to remove theenvironment of fear in whichbankersoperatetoday,worryingthat even a legitimate loanapproval could engender aninvestigation.

According to a senior law-makerwhospokeonconditionofanonymity, the committee is

likelytorecommendinitsreportthat India’s central bank relaxsome of these rules, therebyincreasingtheamountatthedis-posalofsomestate-owned banksto lendbyaround₹5 lakhcrore,and earning them additionalinterest income of around

₹45,000 crore. Specifically, thecommittee has criticised RBI’srevised definition for recognis-ingNPAsthatsawaspike inthebad loanson thebooksof banksandsaidthiscouldhiteconomicgrowth. The lawmaker whoaskednottobeidentifiedsaidthecommitteewillrecommendthatcentralbankeaserules.

The lawmaker also said thatthe committee believes thatRBI’s requirements of theso-called Capital to RiskWeighted Assets Ratio (theextent towhichabank’s capitalcancover its loans, adjusted forrisk) is far too stringent, espe-cially for some state ownedbanks that do not operate over-seas at all. The new Interna-

tional Finance Reporting Stan-dardsplaceafurtherrestrictiononbanksinthiscontext, thelaw-makersaid,andthecommitteeishopingRBIwill defer this.

Abhizer Diwanji, head offinancial services and restruc-turingwithErnst&Young,how-ever,feltthatsuchmeasureswillleadtoapoorerratingforbanksand perceived to be more riskprone.“Irrespectiveoftheinter-nationalexposureofourbanks,theCRARshouldbekepthighasthey face certain other risks.Also, our banks like SBI andBankofBarodahasalotof inter-national exposure even if itforms a small part of their bal-ancesheet.”

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Report blamesRBI for bad loansCOMMITTEE IS LIKELY TORECOMMENDTHATINDIA’S CENTRALBANKRELAXSOMERULES,THEREBY INCREASINGTHEAMOUNTAT THEDISPOSALOFSOMESTATEOWNED BANKS

NEERAJGOES THEDISTANCE

NEERAJ CHOPRA, India’s man with the golden arm, became the first javelin thrower fromthe country to win a gold medal at the Asian Games on Monday. The 20-year-old, who wasIndia’s flag-bearer at the event, flung the spear at a distance of 88.06m.

Favourites India beat Thailand to storm intothe semi-finals of women's hockey. OnTuesday, bothmen's andwomen's archeryteamswill face S Korea in the compound finals.

asiangames

HT COMMENT: Dawn of a new era in Indian athletics? It would seem so, going by the performance of Hima Das, Muhammed Anas andDutee Chand at the Asian Games in Jakarta Palembang

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu created history,reaching thewomen’s badminton final. SainaNehwal got the bronze, losing toworld number oneTai Tzu Yingwhowill face Sindhu on Tuesday.

Long distance runner Sudha Singh bagged thesilver in women's 3000m steeplechase. NeenaVarakil (women’s long jump) and DharunAyyasamy (men's 400m hurdles) too got the silver.

1308 20

REUTERS

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Pune/METRO nVol. II No. 202 n Introductory Price ₹3.00 n 16Pages + 4Pages ofHTCafe. TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

www.facebook.com/hindustantimes www.twitter.com/htTweets n DOWNLOAD OUR iPAD APP www.hindustantimes.com/iPad n OUR EDITION ON KINDLE http://read.ht/JS4

02 hindustantimes HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

htmetro PUNE INNUMBERS

52%Proposed net saving in electricity afterimplementing LED street light project.

n Bomb disposal and detection squad (BDDS) training is beinggiven to women on how to stay safe during Ganeshotsavfestivities. It was organised by Stree Adhaar Kendra atMaharashtra Sahitya Parishad onMonday. HT PHOTO

Special issue of AisiAkshare on literature ofadministrative officersPUNE: A special issue of AisiAkshare, a literature of adminis-trative officerswas released atthe hands of Ramraje NaikNimbalkar, legislative councilchairman on Thursday at TilakSmarakMandir.Medha Kulkarni ,MLA, Ajit Belvalkar and SameerBelvalkar, publishers of AisiAkshare and directors of Belvalkarhousing and PadmanabhHinge,editor, Aisi Aksharewere presenton the occasion. The programmenamedAisi Akshare SahityaSamwad included reading ofexcerpts from the book ‘Manmein hein Vishwas’written byVishwasNangare Patil. The bookreadingwas done byAjit andSameer Belvalkar. Director andactorMrunal Kulkarniwas alsointerviewed.

MIT launches onlinemaster’s course in VedicSciencesPUNE: MIT School of VedicSciences (MITSVS) has launchedan onlinemaster’s certificateprogramme in Vedic Sciences.Multi-disciplinary research anddevelopment, teaching andconsultancewill be the threefocus points of the course.“India has been home to avibrant scientific culture andknowledge tradition thathelped it remain a developedcountry formillennia. Today,corporate employees andindividuals, who are interestedin understanding the Indicperspective and augmentingtheir area of specialisation inmainstream careerswithvaluable knowledge,will findthis programmeuseful,” said DrSai Susarla, dean,MITSVS.

RAABTA FOUNDATION TOSPREADAWARENESSABOUTURDU LANGUAGEPUNE: Raabta Foundation, a Pune-based non governmental organisation, iscommencing the seventh edition of amulti-statemobile education andawareness initiative on Tuesday called theUdaan Express, Education onWheels. Themembers of the Raabta Foundationwill travel in order tocelebrate Urdu Bhasha Vikas Utsav by promoting andmotivating theUrdulanguage. The tour to Chhattisgarh is organised by the ChhattisgarhUrduAcademy. TheUdaan Expresswill stop at other parts ofMaharashtra,Karnataka and Telangana, before entering Chhattisgarh, where itwill beinaugurated by chiefminister Raman Singh alongwithminority affairsminister of Chhattisgarh, Kedar Kashyap; AkramQureshi, chairperson ofUrdu Academy, andMRKhan, secretary of ChhattisgarhUrdu Academy. Theinitiative is a brainchild of Raabta Foundation president Sayyed SaeedAhmed.

shortstories


PUNE: ThePunemunicipal cor-poration’s ₹16 crore light-emit-ting diode (LED) smart streetlighting project has beenunderthescannerforvariousreasons.The report submitted by theComptroller and Auditor Gen-eral(CAG)hashighlightedfreshirregularitiesintheoverallproc-essof awarding theproject.

ThereportsubmittedbyCAGstatesthatawardingoftheworktothecontractorwasdonewith-out competitivebidding.

Also, the irregularities withrespect to design, built, fiance,operationandmaintenancehasbeenhighlighted.

“Afterdisqualifyingthreebid-ders in technical evaluationround, only a single bid wasavailable for the next roundwhichwasfinancialevaluation.As per Central Vigilance Com-mission(CVC)guidelines,gener-allysinglebidsortendersarenotacceptable in the first instanceand re-tendering is required tobe carried out,” said the CAGreport.

If there is only one single bidafter re-tendering, there is aneedfordetailedjustificationtoacceptthesingletendererofsin-gle bid with approval from thecompetentauthority.However,department carried out re-ten-dering and single financial bidwasopenedaftertheapprovalofthe PMC commissioner, addedtheCAGreport.

Besidestheabovementioned

claims, theCAGinitsreporthasalsobrought to light irregulari-ties infewothersteps like feasi-bilityreportanddetailedprojectreport was not prepared, cashflowwasnotregularised, insur-ance policy was not obtained,agreement was executed butpayment was made to otheragencyandopeningthepaymentreserve fundaccount.

Responding to the claimshighlightedby ComptrollerandAuditor General in the report,ShriniwasKandul, chief super-intendentofPunemunicipalcor-poration’selectricaldepartmentsaid,“WeareinpossessionoftheCAGreport,however,wewon’tact immediately based on theclaims of the CAG. The Punemunicipal corporation hasalreadyorderedanindependentinquiryintheissue.Wewill takeuptheissueswithPMCcommis-sioner and would eventuallyrespond to all allegationsmadebyCAG.”

CAGreportreveals irregularitiesinPMC’sLEDstreet lightprojectBUYING TIME? PMC says they haveordered a probe and they won’t actimmediately on the CAG report

2016-2017

₹32.52 cr2017-2018

₹38.58 crAmount paid to contractor (inspiteof losses)₹9.87 cr

Electricity bill amount for two years

Proposednetsaving inelectricity

LEDstreet lightprojectgrabs limelight, againThe report submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted freshirregularities in the overall process of awarding the project

IRREGULARITIESAwarding of work withoutcompetitive bidding.

Irregularities with respect todesign, build, finance, operations

and maintenance.

The department carried outre-tendering and single financial

bid was opened after the approval ofthe PMC commissioner, which wereclear violations as per Central VigilanceCommission (CVC) guidelines.

Irregularities in other steps:Non preparation of feasibility

report/detailed project report and cashflow; non-obtainance of insurancepolicy, agreement executed andpayment made to other agency thanwork awarded; opening the paymentreserve fund account.

NUMBER GAME

1

2

3

4CAG revealsincrease inexpenditure onelectricity postinstallation ofLED lights

“Althoughweare in thepossession of the CAG report,however,wewon’t actimmediately based on theclaims of the CAG. The PMChasalready ordered an independ-ent inquiry on the issue.”SHRINIWAS KANDUL,chief superintendent of PMCelectrical department

52%

n Former standingcommitteechairman VishalTambe said thatthe contractor hasonly fit 40,000LED street lightsso far. HT FILE PHOTO

›PMChas alreadyordered anindependent inquiry in theissue.Wewill take up theissueswith PMCcommissioner andwouldeventually respond to allallegationsmade by CAG.SHRINIWASKANDUL, chiefsuperintendent, PMC


PUNE: The ambitious claims ofthePunemunicipalcorporation(PMC) of saving expenditurerelatedtoelectricitythroughtheLED smart street lightingproject has fallen flat after thereportbyComptrollerandAudi-torGeneral (CAG)revealedthatthere has been an increase inPMC’s expenditure on electric-ity post the installation of LEDlights.

The CAG report, a copy ofwhichiswithHindustanTimes,states that, “As per the agree-ment, theproposednetsavinginelectricity is 52 per cent, how-ever,theexpenditureofelectric-ity on street light has increasedfrom ₹32. 52 Crore in 2016-17 to₹38.58Crorein2017-18.However,an amount of ₹9 Crore 87 lakhwaspaidonaccountofsavingofelectricity during the year2017-18.”

Responding to the CAG’sreport,ShriniwasKandul,chiefsuperintendent of PMC electri-cal department said, “We havealreadyorderedforathirdpartyreport from theCollege of engi-neering Pune. While we do notcompletelyrejectCAG’sreport,we will have to cross check theinformation.However, ifCOEPreport also states the samethings, thanwewill introspectthematter,” saidKandul.

The contractor, Tata UrbanInfrastructure had however,refuted the allegations. Seniorcorporate communication offi-cials from the company said,“Amidst the ongoing contro-versy,wehavegot intouchwithPMC commissioner SaurabhRaoandhaveexplainedourposi-tion.Raohas assuredus to lookinto thematterpersonally.”

LED FAILURE?EXPENDITURE ONELECTRICITYINCREASES

n Passengers alight and walk after a bus broke down near Morwadi, Pimpri onMonday evening. This caused inconvenience to passengersapart from causing traffic congestion. HT PHOTO

immediatelypaythetaxes,”saidDaundkar.

A senior official from thedepartment, requesting ano-nymity, said, “Therehasbeenachange in the senior officialswho were heading the depart-ment, owing to which actionshave to be faced by the currentofficials.”

Earlieraswell, theGSTcom-mission had served notices ontheprojectcellandtransportcellof PMC for not paying taxes.However,afterthenotices,bothdepartments immediatelyclearedthedues,ofover₹5crore,forboth.

HTCorrespondentn [email protected]

PUNE: The Pune MetropolitanRegionDevelopmentAuthority(PMRDA), has started a specialdrive to check on illegal con-structions in its jurisdiction.

Therearearound10,000unau-thorisedstructuresinareasthatcomeunderPMRDA,anofficialreporthas stated.

In the first part of the drive,PMRDAinspected unauthorisedhomesandservedthemnotices.PMRDAofficials said, the plan-ningauthoritystartedthedriveonMonday in theManjri area.

PMRDAcommissionerKiranGitte said," Pune MetropolitanRegionDevelopmentAuthoritystarted the special drive undertheleadershipofIPSofficerSar-angAwhad. If illegalworks arefound,noticeswill immediatelybeservedonsuchproperties."

PMRDA drive toidentify illegalconstructionsbegins in Manjri

employingpeopleaffectedbyitsprojects.

ThePhursungiresidentshadalsoexertedsomepressure,stop-ping garbage dumpers fromtravellingtothedepot.However,now,residentsofPhursungivil-lage said they are hoping PMCkeeps ‘all its promises”, giventhe development plan workpending.

›PMChas decided toappoint 57 personsfromPhursungi, whoselandwas acquired for thegarbage depot. The restwill get their appointmentletters very soon, afterverifying their documents.MUKTATILAK, PuneMayor


PUNE: The goods and services(GST) commission of India hasserved a notice on the Punemunicipal corporation (PMC)forthecivicbody’sfailuretopayservice tax from2007 to2012.

Accordingtoofficials,specifi-cally,MC’s ‘skysignage’depart-menthasnotpaidtheservicetaxfor sixyears.

GSTcommissionhasservedanotice to the department to paytaxes of a total of ₹7,61,00,000,with immediateeffect.

TusharDaundkar,headofthedepartment said, “We havereceivedthenoticefromtheGSTcommission. Consequently,wehaveforwardedawrittenappli-cation to PMC commissionerSaurabhRao requestinghim tosanction the payment to avoidfines in the future.”

‘PROCESSINITIATED’He added, “While following theinstructionsinthenoticeservedbytheGSTcommission,wehaveinitiated the process of payingfines, however, we will also bescrutinisingastowhytherebeenadelayofpaying the taxes.”

“Once the commissioneraccepts our application andsanctions the amount we will

GST pins ₹7 croresales tax bill on PMCsky signage dept

›Wehave received thenotice from the GSTcommission.Consequently, we haveforwarded awrittenapplication to PMCcommissioner SaurabhRao requesting him tosanction the payment toavoid fines in the futureTUSHARDAUNDKAR, head, PMC’s‘sky signage’ department

ugust 27, 2018 hadfocussed on howPMPMLbuseswere in a state of neglect and newbuses need to be inducted.

e repor on ugus af

AUGUST 27, 2018

posed the alarmingmismatch between the city’s recordgrowth and the inadequacy of civicplanning based on data availablefor the last 20 years.

e repor expose e a arm ngi

AUGUST 26, 2018

HTCOVERAGEShalakaShinden [email protected]

PUNE: APuneMahanagarPari-vahan Mahamandal Limited(PMPML)busbrokedowninthebusrapidtransitsystem(BRTS)routeinPimpri-ChinchwadareaonMondayeveningwhichledtotrafficcongestion.Asaresult,asmanyassixtosevenbuseswerestrandedon theroute.

PASSENGERSSUFFERIt ischaoticandpassengershadto alight the buses and walk inorder toget intootherbuses.

The entire stretch was con-gested as the bus headingtowardsNigdibrokedown,afewhundred metres from PCMCbus-stop inMorwadi,Pimpri.

Thedriverofthebussaidthatthe air brakes of the bus gotlocked and the vehicle gotjammed in its position as aresult.

The incident happenedaround 300-400 metres awayfrom the Morwadi bus stop ontheBRTSroute.

The buses which came in

behind the bus in question alsogot stuck. The drivers of theotherbuseshadnoclueastowhytherewas a longqueue of busesstanding in therestrictedarea.

COSTOFNEGLIGENCE?This is a classic exampleofhowpublictransportisrendereduse-lessduringrush hoursofthedayduetonegligenceandimpropermaintenance.

“The broken down bus wasplying on Shewalwadi to Nigdiroutes. It had developed an airvaccum problem because ofwhichithadsufferedajam.Thiswas reported around 4:30pmafterwhichavanfromNigdiwassent to the spot and the buswasmoved.Asperourinformation,itwasclearedwithin20-25min,"saidaspokespersonofPMPML.

However, S Patel, assistantpolice inspector, Pimpri trafficdivision said that it was thepolice and the passengers whohelped to take thebusaside.

“Traffic flowon the roadwasnotaffectedonlytheBRTSroutewas blocked for some time,” hesaid.

Bus breakdown in BRTS lane just another day for PMPML


PUNE:Ujani dam, the lifeline forSolapur district reached itscapacityonMonday,forthe16thtimeinthe last37yearssince itsconstruction.

Thedam,whichwasclosertoreachingthecapacityonSundaywith 95.17 per cent, received39,981cusecsofwaterdischargefromDaundregion.

WARNINGISSUEDOnMonday,35,000cusecswaterdischargewasobservedfromthedam and the dammanagementissuedawarning forthenearbyvillages and for those alongBhimariver.

Meanwhile dams likeKhadkwasla, Pawana, PanshetandVarasgaon remained filledto their capacity despite fewershowers.OthersmalldamslikeDimbheandNeeraDevghararecloser to their capacity.

Pune region received a totalrainfall of 7.5mm in the last 24hoursandaspertheIndiaMete-orological Department (IMD)website, thecityis likelytoexpe-riencemediumtoheavyrainsatisolated places for the next fewdays.

Ujani dam fills tocapacity, waterdischarged fromDaund region

for fiveyears for city roads.

ACTIVISTRINGSALARM“The Pune municipal corpora-tionwasgoingtospend₹48Croreonthisprojectinthistenure.Thecontractorhadquotedapriceof₹78 lakhforhiringthesweepingmachines,butthegovernment’sown website shows the cost ofbuying a single truck, with thesweeping machine, is ₹59.25


PUNE: Punemunicipal commis-sionerSaurabhRaoonMondaystayed a work order for hiringmechanised road sweepingmachines, after a complaintfrom a civic activist. The com-missionerinstructedtheadmin-istrationtocheckthecomplaintfirst.

‘FINANCIALBURDEN’The standing committee of thePunemunicipalcorporationhadrecentlyapproved theproposalto carry out mechanised roadsweeping in three zones in thecity.

Instead of purchasing themachines, the Pune municipalcorporation is hiring it fromothercontractors.SajagNagrikManch’s Vivek Velenkar andVishwas Sahastrabuddheobjected to the tender processandclaimeditwouldbringmorefinancial burden on the Punemunicipal corporation as theratesforhiringthemachinesareinflated.

“Theprojectshouldbecarriedout on an operating expensebasiswhichwillsavearound₹15Croreof thecivicbody,”theciti-zens’ grouphasclaimed.

VivekVelankar said that thePunemunicipalcorporation hadapprovedmechanisedsweeping

lakh.“IfPunemunicipal corpo-rationpurchasesthesetrucksitwill save more money,” VivekVelankar said, adding the totalamountsavedwillbe ₹15Crore.

SaurabhRaosaidthathehadinstructed the administrationnottogivetheworkordertill thetender ispassed.

“We will explore the optionsuggested by the citizens’group,” thecivic chief said.

C IT I ZENS ’ GROUP RA ISES QUEST IONS

Mechanised road sweepingtender put onhold by civic chief

SAJAGNAGRIKMANCH’S VIVEK VELENKARANDVISHWASSAHASTRABUDDHEOBJECTED TO THETENDERPROCESSANDCLAIMED ITWOULDBRINGMORE FINANCIALBURDENONTHEPMCAS THERATES FORHIRING THEMACHINESARE INFLATED

n Vivek Velankar said that the Pune municipal corporation hadapproved mechanised sweeping for five years for city roads. HT

HTCorrespondentn puneletters

PUNE: Punemunicipal corpora-tion (PMC) finally fulfilled itspromise to give permanentemploymentto57residentsfromPhursungi, whose land wasacquired for a garbage depot 20yearsago.

Pune mayor Mukta Tilak,deputymayorSiddharthDhendeand additional municipal com-missionerRajendraNimbalkar,handed over the appointmentlettersto11personsonMonday.

MayorTilaksaid,“Asperthegovernment resolution, PMCdecided to appoint 57 personsfrom Phursungi and UruliDevachi, whose land wasacquired for the garbage depot.The rest will get their appoint-mentlettersverysoon,afterver-ifying theirdocuments.”

The land acquisition for thePhursungi garbage depot hap-pened20yearsago,but thestategovernmentonlyrecentlyissuedout a separate notification andaskedthePunemunicipalcopo-rationtoappointtheaffectedres-idents.

‘HISTORICACTION’Nimbalkarsaidthattheactionishistoric in the sense that thecivic bodyhasnoprecedence of

57 Phursungiresidents who lostland to depot get jobs

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes metro 03

took some private pictures ofthe victim and forced her tochangeclothesaftermakingherto video call him. During theonline conversation, he nevershowed his face on the phone.Thevictimwas traumatisedby

thebehaviour of the accused.The girl lodged a complaint

with theKothrudpoliceandtheaccusedwasnabbed.

Thevictimrequestedthatshewould see the accused from adistanceandwasshockedtosee

his faceandhowhetrappedherintohis gameplan.

“The accused had taken hernude picture and blackmailedher with that picture. We havebookedhimunder the relevantsections of the Indian Penal

Code (IPC). The accused hailsfromAhmednagar andwewillunearthhis involvement in thecrime as the investigation pro-gresses,” said Kothrud policestation incharge AppasahebShewale.

The girl falls for him after he proposed marriage, police said. Hethen makes her download an app and with that, the accused tookcontrol of her mobile phone and began to blackmail her.

He sends her a mail inviting her to Hong Kong for a music festival and shegives out her personal details. The accused, pretending to be a resident ofSingapore, post a picture of a person, who is a resident of Singapore.

A 47-year-old man, driver by profession, has been arrested by the Kothrud police for blackmailing a 24-year-girl.Theman originally hails from Ahmednagar. The two are neighbours and the accused fell in love with the girl,who is a music teacher of some repute. The victim had no idea about theman's feelings for her.

WOMAN FALLS FOR THE PHISH

Fed up with the harassment, the girl approached the Kothrud police who carried out aforensic investigation and nabbed the accused.

The accused used six different Sim cards to con thegirl who at no point in time suspected it was herneighbour who she was connecting with online.ILLUSTRATION: SUDHIR SHETTY


PUNE: The city police havearrested a 47-year-old driverwhoallegedlyblackmailedandcheated a 24-year-old womanfromKothrud on the pretext ofpresentinghimselfasarichandhandsome hunk from Singa-pore.

The man later turned out tobe a driver who stayed in thegirl’sneighbourhoodandnevermeetherduring theone-and-a-half-year courtship.

According to the Kothrudpolice, the accused befriendedher by sending her an emailinviting her to participate in aHong Kong musical festival towhich she replied and sent allher personal details, includingoneof her recorded songs.

The accused then proposedmarriage toherandevenwiredmoney into her account andtook care of her expenses.

Slowly, the relationshipstrengthened and the accusedgotadominantpositionoverthevictim, the police said.

Later, the accused advisedher to download an Androidapplicationonhermobilephonewhen it developed a technicalsnag.

He hacked her phone on thepretext that he will repair itonline.However,afterhackingthephone,he startedkeepingatab on the activities of the girl,gathered her personal detailsand startedblackmailingher.

He prepared a dossier of herprivate data and blackmailedherwiththeintentionofcausingmental harassment, the policesaid.

According to the police, he

Driverposesasrichforeignertoblackmailgirl,arrestedRUDE SHOCK Accused, who claimed to be a Singapore citizen, was staying in victim’s neighbourhood


PUNE:WhiletheCentralbureauofinvestigation (CBI) has madefresharrests inconnectionwiththe rationalist Narendra Dab-holkarmurdercase,twopersonsarrested immediately after theincident in 2013 await closurereport. TheapplicationmovedbyarmsdealersManishNagoriandVilas Khandelwal before thecourtseekingdischargefromthemurder case is pending for thepast fewyears.

Aroundsixmonthsago,advo-cate BAAloor representing theduofiledanapplicationbeforethecourt of justice VB Gulve Patilseekingdischargeoftheduofromthecaseandrequestedthepoliceto file the closure report at theearliest.Alooralsorequestedthedefence and the prosecution tofiletheirsaybeforethecourtandrequested thecourt todirect thepolicetofiletheclosurereportasthey don’t have any role in thecase.

CBI counsel VijaykumarDhakane said that he had beeninstructed by the agency not tospeak to themedia.TheCBIhasarrestedSachinAndureandVir-endraTawadeinthecase.

Aloorsaid“Noclosurereporthas been given and our submis-sionis thatmyclientshavebeenfalselyimplicatedinthecaseandwearefilingacompensationcaseagainst state anti-terrorismsquad (ATS) in high court,” hesaid.

NagoriandKhandelwalwerearrestedonNovember28,2013byinconnectionwiththeshootingofsecurityguardPrahladJogdand-karat theSavitribaiPhulePuneUniversity campus on May 3,2012. The duo was arrested onDecember13,2013,forthemurderofa30-year-oldpersoninHinjew-adi.

OnJanuary20,2014, thePunecity police arrested Nagori andKhandelwal for the murder ofDabholkar.Theduotoldthecourtthat the thenATS chief RakeshMariahadofferedthemabribeof₹25lakhtoownuptheirroleinthemurderofDabholkar.

Following the arrest, the duowas releasedonbail asprosecu-tion failed to submit the chargesheet. Later,thetwoofthemwerelet off onbail by thecourtafterafewmonthsandsince thenhavenot figured in the conspiracy ofmurder.

D A B H O L K A R M U R D E R

Nagori, Khandelwal yet toget police closure report

MUMBAI: Inthewakeof thestategovernmentpreparingtodemandabanonHinduright-wingorganisationSanatanSansthabysubmit-tingtotheCentre findingsofthefreshbreakthroughthatfollowedtherecentarrestofsomepeople forpossessionofexplosivesandfirearms,theSansthaonMondaydis-tanceditself fromtheaccusedrecentlyarrestedbytheinvestigatingagen-cies.

TheGoa-headquarteredoutfithasbeenlinkedtomanyhigh-profilemurdercases, includingthatofrationalistNarendraDab-holkar,andalsoterroractivities inGoaandMaha-

rashtra.“Wewishtoreiter-ate thatnoneof these indi-vidualsareourseekers,”saidSanatanSansthaspokespersonChetanRaj-hans,addingthat theirmis-sionispropagatingspiritu-alityandnotviolence.

VaibhavRaut,SharadKalaskar,SudhanwaGond-halekar, formerShivSenacouncillorShrikantPan-garkarandAvinashPawarwerearrestedoverthepastfewweeksandareinATScustody.

RajhanssaidtheSansthawashearingthenamesoffiveof thearrestedaccused–Kalaskar,Andure,SuralebrothersandRohitRege–forthefirst time. HTC

SANATANSANSTHADISTANCESITSELF FROMTHOSEARRESTED

n (From L) Sagar Chopdar, Chetan Rajhans and Sunil Dhanvatof the Sanatan Sanstha addressing a press conference inMumbai onMonday. HT PHOTO

PUNE:AconstablesufferingfrommentalillnessandattachedtotheChinchwadgaon police stationallegedly committed suicide. Acase related to suicide has beenlodgedwiththeDehuroadpolice.The deceased, identified as Jay-antKrushnaraKasabe(50),aresi-dentofDehuroad,wasattachedtoChinchwadgaonpolicestationandwassufferingfrommentalill-ness for the past ten years andhad taken leave from workrecentlyashewasrecuperatingfromillnessandneededabreak.

According to the police,Kasabe ended his life around11.30 pm on Friday by hanginghimselftohishouse’sroofceiling.Thematter was reported to thepoliceat5.30amafterthevictim’sfamilymemberssawthebody.

Kasabehad stopped taking toanyoneandusedtoremainaloneoverthelastfewdays.Onthefate-ful day, he slipped to his roomafterhavingdinnerwithouttalk-ingtoanyofthefamilymembers,apoliceofficialsaid. HTC

MENTALLYILLCOP HANGS SELFTO DEATH PrathamGokhale,ShalakaShinde

n [email protected]

PUNE:Thetrafficpolice initiativeto solve traffic congestion in thearea along Khilare street offKarveroadhasonlyaddedtothevehicleusers’problems.OnMon-day,thetrafficpolicehadtomakechanges by removing the barri-cades,which havebeeninstalledatthecirclethatconnectsKhilarePatil road to Kashibai Khilareroad.

As per the changes, peoplecomingfromMhatrebridgehaveto go all the way to Nal Stopchowkandcomebackinsteadoftaking a right turn at KeshvraoPadale chowk. However, it wasseenthatvehicleusersandlocalspreferred ignoring the trafficpolice directions and taking aturnbefore the barricade, caus-ingtrafficcongestion.

Commutersweretakingtheirvehicles into no-entry at thePadale chowk, further creatingchaos and quarrel among com-muters. “Insteadofbarricading,if policemen are deployed inevery chowk, it will be bettermanaged,”saidDattaBirajdar,apedestrian. Parked four-wheel-ers near Nal Stop had causedanotherbottleneck.

“There are also cars parkedalong the Khilare Patil road,whichnarrowstheroadfurther.P1, P2 odd-evenparking systemor disciplined parallel parkingwill help smoothen the issue,”addedBirajdar.

RamBorkar, whoworks in apolitical party office in thearea,said,“Shuttingtherightturnisofnouse.Theroadisgenerallyusedbypeople heading formCentralMall to Navi Peth and old Punearea.Thosepeoplegetmiffedandtaketherightturnbeforethecir-cle, in an indisciplinedmannerwhichcausedchaos.

A traffic chaos calledKhilare Patil street

n With vehicle users and locals ignoring traffic police directions and taking a turn before the road barricades put up by the traffic police,vehicle congestionwas seen at Padale chowk due to diversion on Khilare Patil road onMonday. PRATHAM GOKHALE/HT PHOTO

PUNE:TheLilaPoonawallaFoun-dation (LPF), a city-based non-governmental organisation, incollaboration with ASHA Cen-tre, United Kingdom (UK),helpedagroupof24girlstogotheUK for a 3-week wholesomedevelopment and sustainableleadership programme onAugust 24.

This was the eighth batch ofpeaceambassadors,asthefoun-dationcallsthem,tovisit theUKfor the leadership training pro-gramme.

The 24 ambassadors wereselected based on interviewsconducted by the board mem-bers. The programme is spon-sored by Samena Foundation,UK, who have been partners tothe LPF for the programme forthe last threeyears. HTC

24 girls to attendleadership trainingprogramme in UK

The traffic police initiative tosolve traffic congestion in thearea along Khilare street off Karveroad have only added to thevehicle users’ problems.As per the changes, peoplecoming fromMhatre bridge haveto go all theway toNal Stopchowk and comeback instead oftaking a right turn at KeshvraoPadale chowk.With poor trafficmanagement,vehicle users are seen removingthe road barricades leading totrafficmess.

TRAFFICDEPTPLANGOESHAYWIRE

NALSTOPCHOWK

KHILAREPATIL ROAD

FROMMHATREBRIDGE

KASHIBAIKHILARE PATH

PADALE CHOWK

KARVE ROAD

n Traffic police have put up road barricades on Khilare Patil road. HT


PUNE:An autorickshaw drivernamedYunushHaseemShaikh,50, was arrested and remandedinpolicecustodyonMondayforsexualassaultof the19-year-olddaughter of his family friends.The police arrested him hoursafteracaseinthematterwasreg-istered at Dattawadi police sta-tionunder thePunecitypolice.

“The girl approached thepolicelastevening(Sunday)andnarrated the incident. She saidthat hehadbeenassaultinghersince 2017,” said police subinspector(PSI)MHazareofDatt-awadi police station who isinvestigating thecase.

“The families of the victimandtheaccusedkneweachotherforsometimeandshewaslivingwiththelatter’sfamilytopursueeducation,” the police officialsaid.

Shaikhwasproducedbeforealocal court on Monday andremandedinfour-daypolicecus-tody. The girl was, meanwhile,subjected to medical examina-tionattheSassoonGeneralHos-pital.Duringhispolicecustody,Shaikhwill also be subjected tomedical examination.

The parents of the girl arefromMumbai.Herfatherworksinagaragewhilehermotherisahomemaker, thepolice said.

A case under Sections 376(sexualassault),504(insultwithanintentiontoprovokebreachofpeace)and506 (criminal intimi-dation)of theIndianPenalCodewasregisteredagainstShaikhatDattawadipolice station.

Family friend heldfor sexual assaultof 19-year-old

VICTIMUSED TOSTAYWITHACCUSED FAMILYTOPURSUE EDUCATION,A POLICEOFFICIAL SAID


PUNE:TheYerawadapolicehavebooked a school principal oncharges of molesting a Class 9schoolgirl on the pretext ofdemanding a kiss. The accusedhasbeenbookedundertherele-vant Sections of Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(Pocso)Act.

According to the police, theincidenthappenedinAprilwhenthe school was conductingexams. The victim had gone tothestaffroomforsomeworkandastheplacewasindarkness,shetried to open awindow but wassuddenlygropedbytheprincipalfrombehind.

He held her tight and did notallow her to leave till she gavehim a kiss. The girl somehowmanaged to escape and wenthome. Since that day she hasbeen trying to avoid going toschooland,uponbeingaskedbytheparents,shetoldthatshewasafraid of the principal whomolested her. Later, with thehelp of counsellors, she lodgedan FIR against the accused, thepolice said.

School principalbooked underPocso Act

ACCORDING TO THEPOLICE, THE PRINCIPALHELD THEVICTIM TIGHTANDDIDNOTALLOWHERTO LEAVE TILL SHEGAVEHIMAKISS

AnanyaBaruan [email protected]

PUNE:Thefirstcome, firstservedroundforadmissionstothefirstyearjuniorcollege(FYJC)Class11began its first roundonMon-day.

Withmorethan5,000studentswaiting for admissions, theroundwillbe for thestudents inthefirstcategoryonly, informedtheeducationdepartment.

This round comes after thespecial round under the FYJCwas completed on August 21.Unlike the previous roundswhich were merit-based, thesesetofroundswillbesolelybasedon the sequence of admissionconfirmation by students and,hence, have been divided intothreecategories.

In the first category amongthese, students who havereceivedmarks between 80 and100percent insecondaryschoolcertificate (SSC)/Class 10 orequivalent testswill beeligible.

Based on the admissions inthefirstcategoryround,theedu-cationdepartmentwillreleasealist ofvacanciesonAugust 28at6pm.

Those who have not con-firmedtheiradmissionscoulddosotillTuesday(August28),3pm.

This round is to provide achance of admission to theremaining students who have

are still not got admission,including those who werenot allotted any college in theregularroundsconductedsofar,or who had cancelled theiradmissions in all the regularrounds.

Even those who did not con-firm admission despite gettingtheir firstpreferencecollegesorwhocancelledtheiradmissions,or were rejected in the specialround,willget their lastchanceto admission in these series ofrounds based on the categorytheirmarks fit.

Following this, fromAugust29, the education departmentwillopentheadmissionsfor thesecondcategorystudents, thosewho scored between 60 and 100percent.

The admissions under thethird category will begin onAugust 31, for students whopassedtheboardswithatleast35percentormore.

F IRST COME , F IRST SERVED

One round over, 5Kstudents still awaitadmission to FYJC

IN THE FIRST CATEGORYAMONGTHESE,STUDENTSWHOHAVERECEIVEDMARKSBETWEEN80AND 100PERCENT IN SSC (CLASS10) OR EQUIVALENTTESTSWILLBE ELIGIBLE

AnanyaBaruan [email protected]

PUNE:The state government hasdecidedtoextendthedistributionofmonthlymagazineKishorthatcaters to the creative needs ofteenagestudentstozillaparishadschools. Kishor is published bytheMaharashtraStateBureauofTextbookProductionandCurric-ulumResearch.

In publication for the past 39years, the government hasdecidedtoextendthereachofKis-hortomorestudents.

Intotal,tillnow,around53,585schoolsunder thezillaparishadhave been receiving the maga-zine for their students, but theschools that were opened after2001 were not included in thescheme.

Hence, theobjective thisyearistoreachouttoasmanyas8,072schools across the state, whichwereestablishedpost2001.Sofar,

theschemehasbeenextendedtoalmost2,000schools.

KendreKiranShamrao,exec-utiveeditor,Kishore, said, “Theobjective of thebookwas topro-videagoodsupplementaryread-

ingmaterial to students inaddi-tion to the textbooks that theystudyinprimaryandsecondaryclasses. Despite the increasingpopularity of the magazineamongteenagersovertheyears,

manyruralareasdidnothavetheaccess.So,withthisplaninplace,wewanttoreachouttoschoolsintheremotestruralareasofallthedistricts of the state. A total of61,657schoolswillnowhavethisfacility after the plan is exe-cuted.” The state governmentwillbespending₹9,32,560fortheimplementationof itsplan.

He added that in addition toschools, the magazine also hasmore than 10,000 independentmonthlysubscribers.Intotal,theaimofthestategovernmentistodistribute this literature to asmanyas75,000households.

Kishor to reach 75k schools and households

n Kishor, published by theMaharashtra State Bureau ofTextbook Production andCurriculumResearch, has beenin publication for the past 39years

n Around 53,585 schools underthe zilla parishad have beenreceiving themagazine for theirstudents.

n Under the newplan, 8,072moreZP schools, established post2001, across the state,will begetting themonthlymagazine.

n The state governmentwill bespending ₹9,32,560 for theimplementation of its plan.

n The aimof the state is todistribute themagazine to asmany as 75,000 households.

POPULARMAGAZINE FORSTUDENTS ›Wewant to reach outto schools in theremotest rural areas of allthe districts of the state.KENDREKIRANSHAMRAO,executive editor, Kishor

04 metro hindustantimes HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

Every user has a number onWhatsApp but the messagingplatformdoesnothaveanumberthroughwhichtheuserscancon-tact the company for grievanceredressal, it added. The Griev-anceOfficerofGooglesitsinUSAandarethusrenderedineffective.

“InordertomakeRespondentNo.6(WhatsApp)accountable,itmustbedirected tocomplywithIndian Law and appoint Griev-anceOfficer,whoshallbetheper-son to address grievance of con-sumers, as well as co-ordinatewithinvestigatingagencies,”thepetitionsaid.

WhatsApp...

Nanodronesweigh less than250gm,within the visual range.Butoperatorshavebeenadvisedtoinformthelocalpolicebefore-hand and to not breach the pri-vacyofany individual.

Accordingtotheministry,theDigital SkyPlatformwill be thefirst-of-its-kind nationalunmannedtrafficmanagement(UTM)portal toimplementa‘nopermission,notake-off’ (NPNT)policy.“Userswillberequiredtodo a one-time registration ofdrones, pilots and owners. Forevery flight (except nanodrones),userswillberequiredtoaskforpermissiontoflythroughamobileapp,andanautomatedprocesswill permit or deny therequest instantly. The UTMoperatesasatrafficregulator inthe drone airspace and coordi-

Flying drones

Rajendra Parihar, owner ofNavjeevanSansthan,confirmedthedeathsbutsaidthattheyweremostly children born prema-turely. “These children wereunderweight;wetookthemtothe

Adoption...

With over half of its fleeteight-years-old ormore and thecurrent breakdown rate at overone bus per day, PMPML isrendering the city’s target ofbeing ‘smart’ and efficientuseless.With BRTS routesexpanding the public transportplan for the city, and nowaMetro on the horizon, is PMPMLa tragic case of governmentapathy. Can Pune survive andthrivewith a public transportsystem that is so poor?What istheway forward?

Write to us@[email protected]. Have your say.

yourspaceIS THEREANYHOPEFORPMPML?

ShrinivasDeshpanden [email protected]

PUNE:Youcannowwalk into thekitchenofyourfavouriterestau-rantsandcheckouttheirhygienestandards.

More than 350 restaurantshave opened themselves for adetailedhygieneassessment,twomonths after the food and drugadministration (FDA), Pune, inassociationwith the food safetyandstandardsauthorityofIndia(FSSAI),decidedtoissuehygienerating certificates to hotels andrestaurants inthecity.

Restaurantswillreceivetheircertificationunderthestar-based‘hygienerating’system.

Toearnthecertificate,anyres-taurantcanfillaformontheFDAwebsiteandopenthemselvestoadetailedhygieneassessment.

The audit report will be sub-mittedtoFSSAI,Delhi, togener-ate a score in terms of ‘bad,’‘good,’ ‘verygood,’or’excellent.’

Thescorewillbedisplayedonthedoorofrestaurants.

Of the 350 restaurants in thecity,eighteaterieshavemanagedtogethygienecertificateswhichhaverankedthemeither“good”or“verygood”.

The‘scoreondoor’projectisaway to increase transparencybetweenthefoodindustryanditscustomers.

According to assistant com-missioner (food) of FDA, Pune,Sampat Deshmukh, FDAlaunchedthisinitiativeonJune7,which was celebrated as worldfoodsafetyday.Oncetherestau-rant fills up a form for assess-ment, the FDA assess the placebased on multiple parametersincludingcleanliness,foodqual-ity,andoverallhygiene.

"Underthe‘scoreondoor’ ini-tiativewehaveinitiatedtheproc-ess of hygiene rating to around1,000 restaurants in the city.Actuallythisratingisnotmanda-tory at all. However, we havegivenatargettoourinspectorstobringrestaurantsunderthisrat-ing system," said SSDesai, jointcommissioner, FDA, Pune divi-sion. Officers informed that thehygiene rating should be basedontheFoodSafetyandStandardsAct2006guidelines.

Restaurantswhichwillsecurehigherrankinthisratingsystemwillbedeclaredas ‘TopPlaceToEat’ inthecity.

Underthishygieneratingsys-tem,individualrestaurantown-ers should apply to the FDA forthis rating certificate. Then, theFDA inspector would visit therestaurantandverifythehygieneandcleanlinessstandardsmain-tained in the kitchen and on thehotelpremises.

The food inspector wouldinspect the restaurant underparameters like cleanliness in

kitchen, raw material used,expirydateoffoodmaterialused,cleanlinessinstoreroom,healthcondition of workers, drinkingwater used, complaintmanage-ment,firesafetyaudit,preserva-tivesusedanddisposalofsurplusfood.However, thePunerestau-rants and hoteliers association(PRAHA) is not happywith thisinitiative.Theyareallegingthatthis rating system will entitlefood inspectors with arbitrarypowers.

President of PRAHA,GaneshShetty,said,"Yes,hygieneratingisnotmandatory,butsuchinitia-tiveswill entitle food inspectorswith arbitrary powers. WhileapplyingfortheFDAlicence,wehavealreadyclearedthecriteria,then,whyshouldwedothesamethings again. This is against theease of doingbusiness initiativeof thecentralgovernment."

Shetty also said that FDAstartedthehygieneratingsystemfor hotels and restaurants only.Then, what about 10,000 smalleateriesinthecity?Theyarealsoin the business of food prepara-tion. Such hygiene rating sys-temswilldefinitelyinfluencethedecisionmaking process of cus-tomers. Itwillalsohelpimprovecompetitionbetweenrestaurantowners,addedShetty.

Customers can themselvesshare their views directly withofficialsthroughtheFDAwebsitewhich is being developed as aninteractiveplatform.

Nowserving:FDAratingsateateriesTRANSPARENCY 350 restaurants have opted to get starbased hygiene rating certificates, which will be displayed upfront

n A view of the kitchen of Janjira Hotel in Navi peth, which received a rating of ‘very good’ from the food and drug administration (FDA). RAHUL RAUT/HT PHOTO

n One of the city restaurants thatopted for the rating. RAHUL RAUT/HT

SCOREON THEDOORRestaurants can now receive a certification under the star-based ‘hygiene rating’ system. The ‘score on door’ project isa way to increase transparency between the food industry and its customers

Hotel Janjira, LBS roadVery good

Hotel Sayaji, WakadVery good

Hotel Blue DiamondVery good

Hotel Taj VivantaVery good

Hotel Aishwarya, PimpriGood

Hotel Swaroop, WakadGood

Hotel Citrus, PimpriGood

Hotel KalasagarGood

PARAMETERSASSESSEDn Cleanliness in kitchenn Raw material usedn Expiry date of food materialused

n Cleanliness in store roomn Health condition of workersn Drinking water usedn Complaint managementn Fire safety auditn Preservatives usedn Disposal of surplus food

n Very Good: 81-100 n Good: 61-80 n Fair: 41-60n Needs Improvement: 21-40 n Poor: 20 or below

Ratings(% score)

To earn thecertificate, anyrestaurant can fill aform on the FDA

website and open themselvesto a detailed hygieneassessment.

FDA assess theplace based onmultipleparameters

including cleanliness, foodquality, and overall hygiene.

A FDA inspectorwould visit therestaurant andverify the hygiene

and cleanliness standardsmaintained in the kitchen andon the hotel premises.

The audit reportwill be submittedto FSSAI, Delhi, togenerate a score in

terms of ‘bad,’ ‘good,’ ‘verygood,’ or ’excellent.’

Howdoes the rating takeplace?

350restaurants opt forFDA hygiene ratings

8restaurants havemanaged to gethygiene certificateswhich have rankedthem either “good”or “very good”.

The score will be displayed on the door of restaurants.

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Last year, Hindustan Times hadhighlighted how the villagerswereforced to cremate a dead body on thebusy road of theHinjewadi IT Park.This reportagemoved the districtadministration into taking swiftaction and they handed over a plot tothe grampanchayat. On August 20,the first bodywas cremated there.

HTCOVERAGEJULY 13, 2017

Shrinivas Deshpanden [email protected]

PUNE: The struggle to get a cre-matorium has finally ended inGawarewadi village almostafter a year.

The Gawarewadi gram pan-chayathasbuiltacrematoriumon 6,000 square feet plot whichwas handed over last yearby theMaharashtra industrialdevelopment corporation(MIDC).

Last year, Hindustan Timeshadhighlightedhowthevillag-ers were forced to cremate adead body on the busy road ofthe Hinjewadi IT Park. Thisreportage moved the districtadministrationintotakingswiftaction and they handed over aplot to the grampanchayat.

The gram panchayat built acrematorium on 6,000 squarefeet plot, given by the MIDC,after investingaround₹30 lakh.

On August 20, the villagerscremated the first body at thisnewly-built crematorium.

DeputysarpanchofGaware-wadigrampanchayat,SandeepSathe, said, “Villagers reallyneeded a decent crematoriumandintheabsenceof it, theyhadto cremate a dead body on themainroad.Becauseof thebattlebetween MIDC and the land-owner, the construction of thecrematoriumwasstopped foralong time. Finally after a longbattle,wehaveourowncrema-tion ground.”

Resident Sandeep Gaware,said,“Many a times during therainy season, villagers face lotof difficulties while crematingbodies in open spaces.”

On the other hand, Informa-tionTechnology(IT)profession-als breathed a sigh of reliefwhen they came to know thatthe issuewas sorted out.

Bijesh Kumar, an IT profes-sional working with TCS,said,“IwasshockedwhenIhadwitnessed thecremationonthemain road. It is good that issuehas been sorted. Definitely, weneed development, but at thesame time, how canwe neglectbasic amenities?”

However, the Hinjewadiindustrialassociation(HIA),an

organisation working for thewelfareof ITemployees,hasnorole in thismatter.

Charanjeet Bhogal, chiefoperating officer of HIA,said,“Though the issue esca-latedbetween thevillagersandtheMIDC,but thecremationonthemainroadwasshamefulandcreateddifficulties forITprofes-sionals and foreign visitors,whovisitedHinjewadi.”

Itwas about sevenyears agothatMIDChadacquiredlandforphase three of the IT Park atHinjewadiandhadearmarkedaplot for thecrematoriumfor thesurroundingvillages.

The gram panchayat couldnotundertake theconstructiondue to violent opposition fromtheneighbouringplot owner.

The villagers were thusforced to take their near anddear ones to another cremato-rium four to six kilometersaway or undertake the crema-tion by the roadside inside theITPark itself.

So far, 45 such cremationshadbeenconductedwithoutanycorrective action from theadministratorsofPunedistrict.

One year later,Gawarewadi getsits crematorium

FULL CIRCLEn Seven years ago,Maharash-tra industrial developmentcorporation (MIDC) ac-quired land for phase threeof the IT Park at Hinjewadi.

nMIDC had earmarked a plotfor the crematorium forvillagers.

n However, the grampancha-yat could not undertakeconstruction due to violentopposition from theneighbouring plot owner.

n The villagerswere, thus,forced to take their nearand dear ones to anothercrematorium four to sixkilometers away or performthe cremation by theroadside inside the IT Parkitself.

n 45 such cremations hadbeen conductedwithoutany corrective action fromthe administrators of Punedistrict.


PUNE: In line with the nationalagendaofthecentralgovernmenttoenableeducationalinstitutionstobecomeindependent,theSavi-tribai Phule Pune University(SPPU)hasdecidedtoleadatleast60 colleges affiliated to it on thepathof autonomy.This target isoneamongthemanyothergoalsenlisted in the five-year planrecentlyreleasedbythevarsity.

Thefirststeptogetautonomyis to get colleges accredited andhence,theimmediatetargetoftheuniversity is to accredit all 882

collegesaffiliated to it.Thedraftofthefive-yearplanfrom2019-20to2023-24,whichhasnowgoneforapproval to the MaharashtraUchcha Shikshan Parishad,

states that the target is to get atleast 200 colleges A grade byNAACinthenearfuture.

Fornow,atotalof190collegesout of 882 have applied for the

NAAC accreditation and havereceivedtheirgrades.Fourhun-dred and ninety more collegeshavetogetthemselvesevaluatedbyNAACinthecomingyears,thedraftstated.

Theplanrecordsallthefutureinfrastructural and academicdevelopmentsintheuniversity.

Withmorenumberofaffiliatedcolleges with A grade underNAAC,theuniversitywillhaveabetter chance of improving itsnational ranking as a state uni-versity, stated varsity officials.Settingupof10centresas ‘inno-vation and incubation’ hubs isalsoontheagenda.

F IVE YEAR PLAN

SPPU has autonomy for colleges on agendaUNIVERSITY’S ROAD TO THE TOPn Plan to improveNIRF rankingfrom9th to 5th

n 882 colleges affiliated to thevarsity to be accredited

n At least 200 colleges get Agrade inNAAC accreditation

n University plans setting upof 58 new colleges in Pune,

Ahmednagar andNashikn Increasing the number of PhDstudents from685 to 900 peryear

n Increasing placement cells from439 for 35,000 students to 850centres that can benefit at least1,10,000 students

SOLUTIONS FOR 15064

PUZZLE 15065 ©Gemini Crosswords 2015 All rights reserved

Across1 Gain from the elimination ofcrime (5,2)5 No minor rank (5)8 He might take advantage of adamsel in distress (6,3)9 Boring point of law (3)10 Eight in a row (4)12 Trip to take away from home (5,3)14 Seems a strange herb openly usedby Ali Baba (6)15 A trying delay (6)17 It may be regarded as a form ofcuriosity (3,5)18 Chinese capital lies in total waste (4)21 Strong drink that can get a hold onyou (3)22 Guards ordered to go in the Spanishspearhead (9)24 English poet giving contradictoryanswers (5)25 Like the mail order the gentlemanis holding (7)

Down1 Part of prison circle in large-scalefiddle (5)2 Aim for goal in close finish (3)3 Born and died in poverty (4)4 Plain girl goes to dance (6)5 Maclean’s turn to show restraint (8)6 She died with honour at stake (4,2,3)7 Told of a family connection? (7)11 The government agent is here tostay (9)13 Same ship, different stress (8)14 Review on thug’s weapon (7)16 Bones on view on library shelves (6)19 He doesn’t give much away (5)20 Business unlikely to go intoliquidation? (4)23 A possible catch that isn’t easyto hold (3)

Across1 An archetypal miser (7)5 Pontifical (5)8 Large luxuriousmotor car (9)9 Excessively (3)10 Openly resist (4)12 Reputedly a girl’s bestfriend (8)14 Price-fixing commercialsyndicate (6)15 Plant-type native to highmountains (6)17 Holding acceptedopinions (8)18 Title of Russian emperor (4)21 Place for taking thewaters (3)22 Person of wealth andinfluence (9)24 Pay out money (5)25 With a very firm grasp (7)

Down1 Financially sound (5)2 Spirit distilled fromsugar-cane (3)3 Duty (4)4 Supposed cure for allills (6)5 Introductory remarks (8)6 Affect social superiority(3,2,4)7 Quick visual inspection (4-3)11 High-class (5-4)13 Made good a financialloss (8)14 King of proverbialwealth (7)16 A milk-based semi-liquidfood (6)19 Ostentatiously smart (5)20 A mere trifle in cost (4)23 Absolute nonsense (3)

Cryptic Quick

CRYPTIC CLUES

QUICK CLUES

thetimescrosswords

frompageone

The report of the committee,tobesubmittedbytheendofthismonth, is likely to suggest thatRBI ensure that there is noatmosphere of anxiety anduncertaintyamongthebankersand that the regulator itselfavoid knee-jerk reactions. Thelawmaker added that the com-mitteebelievesthatonesuchwasthehaltingoflettersofundertak-inginthe aftermathof thefraudperpetratedby jewellersMehulChoksi and Nirav Modi’s whomisusedthis instrument(essen-tiallyaguarantee).

The rising NPAs of bankshaveescalated toamajorpoliti-calrowbetweentherulingNDAand the opposition. While theNDA government blames thepreviousregimeforgivingloansout of extraneous considera-tions, the opposition hasslammed the NDA of financialmismanagement.NPAsinpublicsector banks increased byaround ₹6.2 lakh crore betweenMarch2015andMarch2018,lead-ingtoasubstantialprovisioningof₹5.1lakhcrore.ThecommitteealsoplanstoaskthegovernmenttoseeifRBIneedsmorepowerasaregulator.Thecommitteealsorecognises the importance ofbankruptcies being resolvedbefore the National CompanyLawTribunal.

Bad loans...Days after the hotel incident

took place, army chief GeneralBipinRawat said that themajorwouldbegiven“exemplarypun-ishment”ifhewasfoundguiltyofviolatingstandardoperatingpro-cedures.

The army had backed Gogoilast year after the jeep incidentthatdeepenedthearmy-civiliandivide and sparked violent pro-tests inthemilitancy-hitvalley.

Major Gogoi... nates closely with the defenceand civilian air traffic control-lers(ATCs)toensurethatdronesremain on the approved flightpaths,”aministryofficial said.

AllRPAS,exceptnanodronesandthoseownedbygovernmentintelligence agencies,will havetoberegisteredand issuedwithaUniqueIdentificationNumber(UIN). If such a registration isnotdone, itwill beaviolationoflawthatwillattractpenalaction.

As per the regulations, thereare five categories of drones byweight — nano, micro, small,mediumandlarge.Thedirector-ate general of civil aviation(DGCA) has identified 23 sitesacrossthecountrywhereexperi-ments related to drones will beconducted.“It isnotthatwewillneverallowtheuseofdronesforservices. Whenever someoneapproachesuswithanewidea—be it using it for deliveries oragriculturalpurposes—wewilltest it at the identified sites andallow the usage in case to casebasis,”saidaDGCAofficialwhoaskednottobenamed.Forflyingincontrolledairspace, thefilingof flight plan and obtainingAirDefence Clearance (ADC)/FlightInformationCentre(FIC)number will be necessary. Theregulation defines “no-dronezones”asareasaroundairports,near the international border,VijayChowkinNewDelhi,state

secretariat complexes in statecapitals,andstrategic locationsandvitalmilitary installations.A case under the Indian PenalCode can be filed for flying adrone inaprohibitedzone.

“It isgood tohaveapolicy forsomething which is still evolv-ing,”saidMarkMartin, founderandCEOofMartin Consulting,anaviationconsultancy.

hospital and tried our best butcouldnotsavethem.”

Healsodeniedthattherewerechildren whose details weremissing. “There is no irregular-ity.Weprovidedalldetailstotheinspection team. They checkedrecords of 15 years and foundeverythinginorder.”

The inspection report, a copyofwhichhasbeenseenbyHindu-stan Times, comes in the back-dropoftheJharkhandincidentinJuly,when fournewbornswereallegedlysoldbytwosistersfromacentreofNirmalHriday,ashel-terhomefordestitutewomenrunbytheMissionariesofCharity.

Of the three SAAs that wereinspected in Madhya Pradesh,themostglaringirregularitywasfound in Bhopal’s Udaan SocialWelfareDevelopmentOrganiza-tion.WhentheteamheadedbyajointsecretaryintheWCDminis-trycheckedthedetailsofchildrenintheagency’sregisterbetween2008 and 2018, it found that 168childrenwere admitted in SAAduringthisperiodoutofwhich47wereplaced for adoption.Therewereonly13childrenpresentattheSAAduringinspectionwhilenodetailsorrecordswereavaila-ble of the remaining 108. “Theagencycouldnotprovidedetailsofthewhereaboutsofthe108chil-dren,” another CARA officialinvolvedintheinspectionsaidontheconditionofanonymity.

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes 05

hhtmaharashtra

HT Correspondentn [email protected]

PUNE: Stressing on the need tostrengthenstate-levelalliancesofnon-NDA(NationalDemocraticAlliance)parties,theNationalistCongress Party (NCP) chiefSharad Pawar on Monday saidthesingle-largestpartycanclaimthe Prime Minister’s post afterthegeneralelections.Atthesametime, he also praised CongresspresidentRahulGandhiforclari-fyingthatheisnotintheraceforthepostofPrimeMinister.

Pawar made the statementafter holding the party’s corecommitteemeetingandmeetingsenior leaders to discuss pollstrategyfor2019elections.

“Currently,wearefocusingonstate-levelalliancesandmakingefforts to bring all political par-ties, who are not with NDA, onboard.Let electionshappenandlet us together remove the BJP

government. We will then sittogetheranddecide.LeaderfromthepartywithmaximumnumberofMPscanbethePMcandidate,”Pawartoldthemedia.

HeimmediatelyaddedthattheCongress president too hasagreed to this. “I amhappy thattheCongresspresidenthasmadeit clear that he is not driven byPrime Ministerial ambitions,”saidtheNCPchief.

He said the general electionsheldin1977aftertheEmergencyimposed by the then PM IndiraGandhi and in 2004 when AtalBihariVajpayeewasthePMwereperfectexamplestothequestionsbeing raised by some people onthe alternative to PMNarendraModi.

“Noonecouldhavethoughtofdefeating the thenPrimeMinis-ter Indira Gandhi, but she wasdefeatedwithouthavinganyoneparty or leader as the face of theOpposition,”Pawarsaid.

‘PartywithmostseatswillclaimPM’spost’POLLS STRATEGY NCP chief SharadPawar’s focus is to first unite nonNDAparties, then decide on PM candidate

MUMBAI:ChiefministerDevendraFadnavisassuredDhangarcom-munity legislators fromallparties tocompletethestatutoryprocedureofreservationat theear-liest tosendtheproposaltotheCentre.

ThereportbyTataInstituteofSocialScien-ces (TISS)onthepossi-bilityof includingDhan-gars intheScheduledTribescategoryisexpectedtobesubmittedonAugust30.

Monday’smeetingwasconvenedinthebackdropof theviolentturnthecommunity’sprotesthastakenandtheircall forahugemarchinAurangabadonAugust31.OnFriday,membersof thecommu-nityallegedlyvandalisedtheTribalResearchandTrainingInstitute inPune.“TheCMtoldusthatafter the(TISS)reportwasreceivedinthenext twodays, theywouldcompleteall theproceduresat theearli-estandsendit totheCen-tre.Hesaidthegovern-mentwastakingduecaretoputupthecasestrongly,”saidCongresslegislatorRamhaiRoop-anwar. HTC

WILL SENDPROPOSAL TOCENTRE: CM

■ Sharad Pawar, Jayant Patil, and Jitendra Ahwad attend a NCPparty meeting at YB Chavan Hall on Monday. BHUSHAN KOYANDE/HT

PAWAR-INGUP FOR THERACEThe Nationalist Congress Party is looking to its allies for support in the 2019 polls

PAWAR'SFORMULA FORGENERAL POLLS■ State-level allianceamong political partiesthat are not part ofBJP-led NDA

■ Smaller parties shouldsupport the major party intheir respective states

IN PAWAR’S VIEW■ In Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party led byAkhilesh Yadav andMayawati led BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) should come together totake on the BJP■ In Tamil Nadu, all non-NDA parties shouldsupport DMK (Dravida MunnetraKazhagam)■ In Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh andRajasthan, the regional parties shouldsupport Congress

NCP STRENGTH INMAHARASHTRA

NCPMLAs

MPs

2009-2014 2014-2018

63

41

8 5

PAWAR SAYS“We have forged analliance with Congressin Maharashtra.Expect Peasants andWorkers Party of India(PWP) we are notexpecting any moreparties becoming partof our alliance.”

FaisalMalikn [email protected]

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Con-gressParty(NCP)iskeentogetanequal number of seats inMaha-rashtra to contest coming elec-tions in alliancewithCongress.NCPchiefSharadPawarhascon-veyedthistotheCongresspresi-dentRahulGandhi inameetingheldrecently.However,thedeci-

siononthesameisyettobetaken.To reach out to a consensus,

the parties have nowdecided toformajointcommitteeoftwosen-ior leaders each to discuss theissueindetail.Thiswasdisclosedby Pawar in ameeting called todiscuss strategy for the coming2019LokSabha elections, said asenior NCP leader requestinganonymity. “The demand wasmade considering the equal

strengthofboththepartiesinthestatecurrently.Followingajointcommitteehasbeenconstitutedtodiscusstheissueindetail,”hesaid. “Ihavediscussed the issueof seat sharing with Congresspresident. We have decided toformacommitteetotakedecisiononthis.ThecommitteecomprisesAll India Congress Committee(AICC)generalsecretaryAshokGehlotandstateCongresspresi-

dentAshokChavan,NCPgeneralsecretaryPraful Patel and stateNCP chief Jayant Patil,” Pawartoldreportersafter themeeting.Both the parties have agreed toforgeanallianceforcomingLokSabha elections. In 2014 aswell,theoldallieshavecometogethertocontestgeneralpollsbutCon-gresshasgot 26 seatswhileNCPcontestedpolls on 22 seats. Con-gress could win only two seats

while NCPmanaged to registervictoryonfourseats.Inthestateassembly, Congress and NCPhave 42 and 41 MLAs respec-tively.Thepartieshavecontestedtheassemblypollsontheirown.

In themeeting, theNCPchiefhasalsoaskedpartyleaderstobepreparedforboththeLokSabhaandAssemblypolls as there arechancesthatboththepollscanbeheldat thesametime.

NCP proposes 50-50 seat sharing with Congress party


MUMBAI:On a day when liquorbaronVijayMallyawasaskedtoremain present in the SpecialPrevention ofMoney Launder-ing Act (PMLA) court, failingwhich he would be declared afugitiveoffenderunderthenewlaw,ahostofentities–includinghisstepmotherRituMallya,Hei-nekenNVand the official liqui-dator appointed by the Karna-takahighcourt(HC)–filedappli-cations to intervene in theproceedings, before any orderwaspassedtoconfiscateproper-tiesworth₹4,234.84crorebelong-ingtothebeleagueredbusiness-man.

Mallyaiscurrentlycontestinghis extradition case in Londonfiled by the Indian governmenton behalf of theEDandCentralBureau of Investigation (CBI),whohave cases against him foran alleged bank loan default of~9,000crore, including interest.

Apart from the interventionapplications,Mallyamadearep-resentationinthecourtthroughhis lawyer,AmitDesai,onMon-day that although they hadreceived a notice to appearbefore the court, the Enforce-ment Directorate (ED) had notprovidedthemwithacopyofthecomplaint.

“In absence of the copy, howcan we submit a reply,” Desaiargued. Responding to Desai,

ED’s lawyer, Niti Punde, saidthereisnoprovisioninthelawtoprovideacopyof thecomplaint.However, to give both parties afair hearing, the court directedtheagencytosupplyacopyofthecomplaint todefence.

The ED has so far attachedassets worth ₹4,234.84 crore,claiming these properties haddirect or indirect connectionwithMallyaandhis twocompa-nies, Kingfisher Airlines Lim-ited(KAL)andUnitedBreweriesHoldingsLimited (UBHL).

Thecourt, however,hasnowfixed September 3 as the nextdateofhearing,afterRituMallyaand many other companiesapproached the court statingthat their properties wereattachedby theagency.

Mallya’sstepmother,throughherlawyerAnnapurnaBordoloi,filed an intervention applica-tion,claimingtheEDhadfalselyattached17percentof sharesoftwocompanies thatbelongedtoher. She has sought to be heardbefore the ED confiscates theshare.

MALLYA ROW

Stepmother, othersfile pleas inmoneylaundering case

EDATTACHEDASSETSWORTH₹4,234.84 CR,CLAIMS THEYHAVEDIRECTOR INDIRECTCONNECTIONWITHMALLYAANDHIS TWOCOMPANIES

THE ISSUES YOU FACEARE THE ISSUES WE RAISEHindustan Times My City My Voice campaign offers you a platformto highlight and share issues concerning you. Whether it’s bad roads,non-functional streetlights, ill-maintained parks or poor garbage disposal,we will put the spotlight on issues you report and voice out. We will bringyou the response of authorities concerned.

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hhtnation THE CONGRESS, AS A PARTY, WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN THE (1984)RIOTS...PEOPLE IN THE CAMPS NAMED SOME INDIVIDUAL CONGRESS LEADERS.

>AMARINDERSINGH , PunjabCM

2007HYDERABADBOMBBLASTS:VERDICT ONSEPT 4HYDERABAD:A local court onMonday posted for September 4the judgement in the 2007Hydera-bad twin bombblasts case. Thenear-simultaneous explosions atGokul Chat and Lumbini Park onAugust 25, 2007, claimed 42 lives andleft over 50 injured. Sessions judge TSrinivas Rao fixed the date for theverdict after five accused in the casewere produced before the court atNampalli through video conferenc-ing fromCherlapalli jail where theyare lodged. A defence lawyer said,“The accused included Aneeq ShafiqSyed, Akbar Ismail Choudhary,Farooq andMohammed Sadiq,all alleged IndianMujahideenoperatives”.

12 hurt in clashes overrumours on Article 35ASRINAGAR: Clashes broke outbetween protestors and securityforces in Kashmir asmany parts ofthe valley observed a spontaneousshutdown following “rumours”about scrapping of Article 35A,police said. At least 12 peoplewereinjuredMonday in the clashes,police said. Article 35A,which grantsspecial rights and privileges to thepeople of JammuandKashmir, iscurrently facing a legal challenge inthe Supreme Court. People took tostreets inmany parts of the valleyfollowing amedia report that theapex courtwill hear the petitionchallenging the validity of Article35A onMonday. The protests turnedviolent at someplaces.

Steel ministry PSUs topromote rural sports: SinghNEWDELHI:The central publicsector enterprises (CPSE) under thesteelministrywill promote ruralsports and sports for differently-abled, SteelMinister ChaudharyBirender Singh saidMonday. Sportsis an indicator of a country’seconomic development andstrength, and CPSEs under theministrywill strive to groommedalaspirants for theOlympic Games, hesaid. Theminister unveiled thecorporate sports policy for CPSEsunder the steelministry hereMonday. The policy, he said, willprovide a framework for promotionof sports by these CPSEs. Theminister stated that CPSEswilldischarge their responsibilitythrough infrastructural and institu-tional support for talent spotting,scholarships, training and coaching.

SC stays jail term to lawyerfor criticising order on FBNEWDELHI:The Supreme Court onMonday stayed a onemonth jail

shortstories

term awarded to an advocate bythe Punjab andHaryana high courtfor allegedlywriting a post on socialnetworking site Facebook tocriticise an order. A bench of justicesAK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan stayedthe order sentencing advocateManeesh Vashistha tomonth-longsimple imprisonment for hisFacebook post and sought aresponse from the registrar generalof the high court. Senior advocateVikas Singh, appearing for Va-shistha, said thiswas an unverifiedpost on the social networking sitewhichwas later erased. The bench,after hearing brief arguments, said“Issue notice, returnable in fourweeks. In themeantime, there shallbe stay of the impugned order”.

2017 case: Court rejects govtplea to cancel Hardik’s bailAHMEDABAD: Patidar OBC quotastir leader Hardik Patel got relieffromaAhmedabad courtMonday,which rejectedGujarat govern-ment’s plea to cancel his bail in arioting case. Patel is on third day ofhis indefinite hunger strike de-manding reservation for Patidarcommunity in jobs and admissionsin higher education institutions andfarm loanwaiver. “Court’s order is abig relief aswe can continue ourfast. The government had filed anapplication...only to stop him fromleading the agitation’’, said Hardik’soutfit’s co-convener Geeta Patel.BJP Ahmedabad councillor PareshPatel had filed a complaint accusingHardik and others of ransacking hishouse.

Kumaraswamyacquitted in landdenotification caseBENGALURU: A specialLokayukta court onMondayacquitted Karnataka chiefminister HDKumaraswamyin a case of alleged illegalde-notification of a govern-ment land in 2007,when heheaded the JD(S)-BJPcoalition government. In hisorder, judgeDBPatil saidhe did not find any proof toestablish Kumaraswamy’sguilt in the case. Kumaras-wamy,who now leads aCongress-Janata Dal(Secular) coalition govern-ment, had filed a petitionseeking dismissal of thecase .

RELIEF

The principal secretaryrecalled former chief ministerManik Sarkar’s advice to thegovernment officials to keeptheirhandsofftheirpocketsdur-ingaconversation.TheCommunistPartyofIndia

(Marxist) condemned the gov-ernment’s decision saying thatdress code is an individual’schoice.“Dress code has no linkwith

welfare of people. A personshouldhavethefreedomtowearwhathelikes.Thegovernment’sinterferencein thisregardisnotwelcome,” said CommunistParty of India (Marxist) statesecretaryBijanDhar.Tripuraisnottheonlystateto

suggestadresscode forgovern-ment officials.Earlier,MadhyaPradeshgov-

ernment has issued an advis-ory asking officials not to wearjeans and goggles during offi-cial functions.

KumarUttamn [email protected]

NEWDELHI: PrimeMinister Nar-endraModiwillmeetchiefmin-istersofBharatiyaJanataParty(BJP)-ruledstateshereonTues-daytodiscussplansaboutreach-ing out to beneficiaries of thegovernment’s welfare schemesas part of efforts to ensure thepartyreturns topower.BJPpresidentAmitShahwill

also attend the day-long meet-ings along with deputy chiefministersof theNationalDemo-cratic Alliance (NDA)-ruledstates.Thecountry’spolitical situa-

tion and general preparednessforthe2019nationalelectionwillalso be discussed, three BJPfunctionaries said.The BJP rules 15 states and

has deputy chief ministers infour states, where it sharespowerwithallies.“Eachofthesestateshasbeen

asked to submit block-wisedetailsof thebeneficiariesof thegovernment schemes,” a BJPleader saidon theconditionof .The BJP had secured 17.17

crorevotesandwon282outofthe428 Lok Sabha seats it had con-tested in 2014. It claims the gov-ernment’swelfareschemeshadbenefittedabout22crorepeople.The party has drawn a plan toreachouttoeachofthemforsup-port in thenext election.“The BJP has 11-crore plus

members. Ifwecanconvertwel-fareschemesintovoters,theBJPwill return to power with amajoritygreater than 2014.Thechief ministers’ conclave willdiscuss all these issues thread-bare,” saidanother leader.Each chief and deputy chief

ministerhasbeenaskedtocomewithareport.“ThePrimeMinisterandthe

party president will discussthesereportswiththerespectiveunits and seek inputs onhow tomaximise BJP’s performancegiven certain challenges,” athird leader said.The BJP faces challenges of

unified opposition in states likeUttarPradeshandMaharashtra.TheBJPhadwon95outofout

of the128seats in the twostates.Theparty’sproblemshavebeencompounded in Maharashtra,

PMModi,AmitShah tomeetBJPCMs, dyCMs today

n PMwill discuss outreach ofvarious government welfareschemes with CMs. PTI

AAPMARCHFORDELHI STATEHOOD

n AAPMLAs march towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence with Delhi residents' letteraddressed to him demanding full statehood to Delhi in New Delhi on Monday. PTI

DavidLaitphlangn [email protected]

SHILLONG:Meghalayachiefminis-terConradSangmasaidonMon-dayhewilldohisbest totakethestateforwardafterhedefeatedhisCongresschallengerCharlotteWMomin in the by-election to theSouthTuraassemblyseat.“Wearecommittedtothepeo-

ple of the state and Iwould reas-surethepeoplethatafterthispar-ticularvictory thatourcommit-mentisevenstrongernowandwewill dowhat it takes andwewillworkwithallourcommitmenttotakethestateforward,”Sangmasaidwhilespeakingtoreporters.“It has been a good election.

People of Tura have really puttheir faith and trust...,”Conradsaidthankingthepeople.The National People’s Party

(NPP)nationalpresidentwontheseat by securing 13,656 voteswhileMomin polled 5,235. Theseatwasheldby thechiefminis-ter’s sister and former Unionminister Agatha Sangma, whohad vacated it so that he couldenter theassembly.With Monday’s victory, the

ruling NPP has equalled itsstrengthwiththeoppositionCon-gress at 20 seats each in the60-member assembly. The NPPheads a six-party MeghalayaDemocraticAlliance(MDA)gov-ernment in thestate.FormerSouthTuraMLAJohn

Leslee Sangma could manageonly 2,211voteswhile the fourthcontenderChrisKabulASangmamusteredameasly897votes.The“None of the above” or NOTAoptionregistered218votes.The bypolls were held to two

assemblyseatsinSouthTuraandRanikoronAugust23.ThebypolloutcomeofRanikor

assemblyconstituencyalsowenton expected lines as five-timeCongress legislator Martin MDanggo,whoquitthepartytojointhe NPP in July, was ousted byfirst-timer PiusMarweiñ of theUnitedDemocraticParty,anallyofNPP.Attheendofthefinalroundof

counting, Marweiñ’s victorymargin stood at 2,896.Marweiñpolled13,183voteswhileDanggomustered10,287votes.Effortsbythe Hindustan Times to reachhiminremoteRanikorfailed.

Meghalaya CMwins South Turabypoll; party losesRanikor to ally

HTCorrespondentsn [email protected]

BERHAMPORE/MIDNAPORE:Violencecontinuedover the formationofpanchayatboardsinBengalwiththree persons being killed inclashes in two districts of thestate, pushing the death toll tofoursinceAugust25.OnMonday,twopersonswere

killedinManikchakofMaldadis-trict,whileanother losthislifeinRaghunathpurofPurulia.Clashes were also reported

from North 24 Parganas(Deganga), North Dinajpur(Chopra), Jalpaiguri (Falakata)andHowrahdistricts.InKolkata,Bharatiya Janata Party Ben-

gal general secretary SayantanBasusaidtheyapprehendedthatviolencewillincreaseinthenextfew days when boards will beformed.SalamSheikh (34) andAzhar

Sheikh (64), both residents ofGopalpur-Hukumattola area inMalda,about345kmtothenorthof Kolkata, were killed whenclashes broke out allegedlybetween two factions of rulingTrinamoolCongress.NiranjanGope,aBJPworker,

waskilledwhenworkers fought

TMCsupporters inKhajuravil-lageofGhagragrampanchayatinJaypurofPuruliadistrict,about276kmtothewestofKolkata.“Ourworker,NiranjanGope,

diedonthespotasbulletshithimwhenpoliceandTMCmen fired.Morethan10wereinjured,someofthemcritically,”allegedBidy-asagarCharaborty,Puruliadis-trict BJP president. Troublestartedoversubmissionofcastecertificates onMonday, allegedlocals.Puruliapolicesuperintendent

Akash Magharia did not takecalls.ShantiramMahato,districtTrinamool Congress presidentclaimed, “None of our party isinvolved. It is the handiwork ofthe BJP. Several outsidersincluding some were broughtfrom Jharkhand to createtrouble.”Mahatosaidheknewofnonefallingtopolice firing.InSaturiofPuruliadistrictan

assistant sub inspectorof policewasinjuredwhenhewashitbyabrick.In a cabinetmeeting onMon-

day, chief minister MamataBanerjeeaskedherministers toensurethereisnotroubleintheirrespectivedistricts over the for-mation of panchayat boards. A

key taskof settinguptheboardsinvolvestheelectionofpradhanand upa-pradhan from theelected members to run theaffairsof thepanchayat.Evenasclasheswerereported

allegedly between factions ofTMC,MaldadistrictpresidentofCongress,MausamBenazirNoorinstructed her partymen in thedistrict to support the rulingpartyinthe146grampanchayatsthatarehunginMalda.Malda police superintendent

ArnabGhoshvisitedthespotbutrefusecomment.Policearrestedthreepersonsinconnectionwiththeincident.Malda district TMCworking

president,BablaSarkaralleged,“LedbylocalCongressMLAMdMottakin Alam, some goonsencircled the gram panchayatoffice fromMondayearlymorn-ing so that TMCmembers can’treach the spot for forming theboard.Whenoursupporterstriedtoforcetheirway, theCongress-backed goons started hurlingbombs.Theyalsousedfirearms.Twoofourworkerswerekilled.””I am in Kolkata today.How

could I lead the attack...,” saidCongressMLAofManikchak,MdMottakinAlam.

Threemore killed over Bengalpanchayat board formation

whereitslong-timeally,theShivSena,hasannounceditwillcon-testthenextparliamentaryelec-tion separately.In threeelection-boundstates

– Madhya Pradesh, Chhattis-garh and Rajasthan – the BJPfaces a direct contest with theCongress.The Congress is trying to

expanditsbasein thesestatesbyallyingwiththeBahujanSamajParty (BSP).The BSP has pockets of sup-

portamong thescheduledcastecommunities in these threestates.Chief ministers of Madhya

Pradesh, Chhattisgarh andRajasthan will briefModi andShahonhow they plan to coun-ter this challenge.Shah had toured states

betweenJuneandJulytotakeastock of the challenges and theparty’s readiness for the LokSabhapolls.AmitShahhadthendelegated

assignments like the formationof booth committees in eachstate.“The chief ministers have

been asked to share progressachieved on these fronts,” thesecond leader said.

SHAHHADTOUREDSTATESBETWEEN JUNEANDJULY TO TAKEASTOCKOF THECHALLENGESANDTHEPARTY’S READINESS FORTHE LOKSABHAPOLLS

However,severalPakistanidip-lomatsandpoliticalcommenta-tors have urged him to recon-siderhisdecision.Pakistaniofficialsfeel Khan’s

presence inNewYorkwilladdanewdimension toanIndia-Paki-stan meeting, even though hewillnotparticipate inminister-level talks, thereport said.Dawn news, quoting diplo-

matic sources in Washington,saidIslamabadwouldliketoseehow productive this meetingcould be, particularly becauseIndia has already said that it isnotreadytoresumebilateralorformal talkswithPakistan.Theypointoutthatthisweek,

Indiastronglyrejectedasugges-tion that in his letter to Khan,PrimeMinisterNarendraModihad expressed interest onresuming talks.The Indian reaction forced

Pakistan to clarify that the sug-gestionwasamedia interpreta-tionoftheletterandforeignmin-isterQureshi, in his commentsonModi’s letter,neversaidthat“the IndianPrimeMinisterhadmadeanofferofadialogue”, thereport said.Last week, a key US official

saidAmericawelcomesKhan’sstatement emphasising theimportance of peace on bothsidesofPakistan’s borders.

n External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj may meet her Pakistanicounterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of UNGA. PTI

PressTrustof Indian [email protected]

HANOI(VIETNAM):ExternalAffairsMinisterSushmaSwarajonMondayunveiledthebustofMahatmaGandhiat theEmbassyof India in theVietnamesecapitalhere.Swaraj is inVietnam

on the first legofherfour-daytwo-nation tourwhichaimsatdeepeningIndia’sstrategiccooper-ationwithVietnamandCambodia.Thebustwasunveiledin theChan-cerybuildingof theIndianmission.MinistryspokespersonRavishKumartweeted: “Payingrespect totheFatheroftheNation!EAM@Sush-maSwarajunveiledthebustofMahatmaGandhi...inHanoi”.

EAMUNVEILSMAHATAMAGANDHI BUSTIN VIETNAM

Indiastrengthensneighbourlyties


ISLAMABAD: Ameeting betweenexternal affairs ministerSushma Swaraj and her newPakistani counterpart ShahMehmoodQureshi is“possible”in theUS on the sidelines of theannual UN General Assemblysession next month, a mediareport saidonMonday.Thiscouldbethefirstministe-

rial-levelbilateralmeetingsincePrime Minister Imran Khanbecame Pakistan’s 22nd primeministeronAugust 18.“Such a meeting (between

SwarajandQureshi) ispossiblebutnodecision(hasbeen taken)yet,”DawnnewsquotedaseniorPakistani diplomat in theUSassaying.Theexternalaffairsministry

has not announced any suchmeeting between Swaraj andQureshi.InalettertoKhan,PrimeMin-

ister Narendra Modi hadexpressed India’s resolve tobuildgoodneighbourlyrelationsbetween the twocountries.InJuly,Modihadtelephoned

Khanandcongratulatedhimonhisparty’svictoryin thegeneralelections and expressed hopethat both countries will workto open a new chapter in bilat-eral ties.The73rdUnitedNationsGen-

eralAssemblyopensonSeptem-ber18 inNewYork.Swaraj will address the

annualhigh-levelUNGAsessionon September 29, according tothe provisional list of speakersreleasedby theUN.Pakistan is reluctant to con-

firm its agenda for the UNGAmeeting as it is still undecidedwhowill represent the countryat the world body, the reportsaid.Media reports in Islamabad

indicatedthatKhanmayskiptheUNGAaspartofhiseffortstocutdownongovernmentexpenses.

Swaraj likely tomeet Pakcounterpart in US in Sept


BEIJING :China on Monday wel-comedtheparticipationofmilita-riesofIndiaandPakistan forthefirst time in a mega anti-terrordrilloftheShanghaiCooperationOrganisation (SCO) and hopedthat the two countries couldenhance dialogue and coopera-tion both bilaterally andwithinmultilateralmechanisms tomaintainregionalpeaceandsta-bility.Theanti-terrorexerciseofthe

Beijing-basedSCObeingheldatChebarkultown inChelyabinskregion inRussia fromAugust22toAugust29aimedatexpandingcooperationamongthemembercountries to dealwith the grow-ing menace of terrorism andextremism.IndiaandPakistanarepartici-

patinginthedrillforthefirsttimesince becoming fullmembers oftheSCOinJune2017.ThejointexercisetitledPeace-

fulMission2018beingconductedbytheCentralMilitaryCommis-sion of Russia involve tacticallevel operations in an interna-tional counter insurgency orcounterterrorismenvironmentundertheSCOCharter.“WewelcomeIndiaandPaki-

stan’s joint participation in thiscounter-terrorism exerciseundertheSCOframework,”Chi-neseforeignministryspokesper-

sonHuaChunying told amediabriefing.“These two countries are

important ones in South Asia,”shesaid,addingthatstablerela-tionship between the two coun-tries is “significant to the peaceand development of the regionandthewholeworld.”“Wesincerely hope that they

couldenhancetheirdialogueandcooperationbothbilaterallyandwithinmultilateralmechanismslike the SCO, work together toimprove their ties and jointlymaintainregionalpeaceandsta-bility,”shesaidAt least 3,000 soldiers from

China, Russia, Kazakhstan,Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, IndiaandPakistanareparticipatinginthedrill.The Indian contingent of 200

personnelisprimarilycomposedoftroopsfrominfantryandaffili-ated arms and services alongwiththeIndianAirForce.Chinesemilitaryexpertsalso

welcomed the participation ofIndia and Pakistan in the coun-ter-terrorismdrill.ThepreviousSCOcounter-ter-

rorismdrillsweremainlylimitedtotheCentralAsiannations.But due to the entry of India

andPakistan,theSCO’scounter-terrorismmissionhasexpandedtoSouthAsia,LiWei, acounter-terrorism expert at the ChinaInstituteofContemporaryInter-nationalRelationsinBeijing,told

state-runGlobalTimes.“Theeffectivecounter-terror-

ism cooperation among SCOcountries has greatly under-minedterroristgroupsinCentralAsia in recent years, and it’sexpectedthatthiseffectivecoop-erationwillalsobooststabilityinSouth Asia, a region facing amore complicated counter-ter-rorismsituationwithavarietyofactiveterroristgroups,”Lisaid.SunZhuangzhi,aprofessorat

the Chinese Academy of SocialSciencessaidPeaceMission2018willalsogreatlyimprovemilitaryandpoliticalmutualtrustamongSCO countries, especiallybetween IndiaandPakistan.“It’s a rare opportunity for

Pakistan and India,whichhavelong been involved in militaryconflict, to enhance militaryexchangesand trust.This couldimproveregionalstability,”Sunsaid.Li said futurecounter-terror-

ismdrills amongSCOcountrieshave to comeupwithnewdrillson targeting terrorist groups inSouthAsia.HesuggestedthattheSCO further expand to includeAfghanistan,whichiscurrentlyan observer country, tostrengthen counter-terrorismefforts in South Asia. The crea-tion of SCO was announced inShanghai in 2001, with China,Russia,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan and Uzbekistan asfoundingmembers.

China greets India, Pakistaneffort on joint anti-terror drill

picoftheday

n An artist paints plaster cast idols of Lord Ganesh at a workshopin Mumbai on Monday, ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival. AFP

ImtiazAhmadn [email protected]

ISLAMABAD:Pakistanisexpectedtoraiseobjectionstotwowaterstor-age and hydropower projectsbeing built by India during themeetingofthePermanentIndusCommissiontobeheldinLahorethisweek.Unnamedofficialswere cited

inmedia reports as saying that

Pakistanwillraisethe1,000-MWPakalDuland48-MWLowerKal-naiprojectsatthetalkstobeheldduringAugust29-30,thefirstfor-mal meeting between the twosides since thenewgovernmentheadedbyPrimeMinisterImranKhanassumedoffice.Indian water commissioner

PKSaxenaandadelegationwillmeet ateamledbyhisPakistanicounterpartMehrAliShah.

AnofficialtoldDawnnewspa-per that Pakistan will raise itsconcernsovertheconstructionoftheprojectsontwotributariesoftheChenabriverdespiteIslama-bad’sobjections...PakistanwantsIndia to modify the designs tomake them comply with theIndus Waters Treaty of 1960 orputtheprojectsonholduntilNewDelhi “satisfies” Islamabad, thereportsaid.

Pakmay object to Indian projects

PriyankaDebBarmann [email protected]

AGARTALA:TheTripura’sgovern-ment has introduced a dresscode for its officials banningjeans, cargo pants and gogglesand instructed them not to usemobile phones during officialmeetings, in a memorandumissued lastweek.In amemorandum issued by

SushilKumar, principal secre-taryforrevenue,educationandinformationandculturalaffairsdepartments asked all districtmagistratesanddistrictofficialsto ensure proper dress code atthe meetings chaired by eitherchiefministerorhisdeputy.“I hadnever seen any officer

fromIASorothercentral servi-ces coming to office wearingjeans or denim shirts while hewas in central government ser-vice for threeyears,”hesaid.Kumarsaid thiswhilerecall-

ing an incident whereMadhyaPradesh chief minister ShivrajSinghChouhanreprimandedanIASofficial for receivinghimattheairportwearinggoggles.Kumaralsosaidin thememo-

randumthatfewofficialsaccesstheir mobile phones duringmeetingswhichisamarkof ‘dis-respect’ to the person chairingthemeeting.Healsocitedinstanceswhere

officials were seen taking callson their mobile phones duringofficial meetings, which thememorandum said, should beavoided.

Tripura issues dresscode for govt officials

› I had never seen anyofficer from IAS orother central servicescoming to office wearingjeans or denim shirts whilehewas in centralgovernment service forthree yearsSUSHIL KUMAR, principal secretaryrevenue

08 nation hindustantimes HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

solve themurder,” saysMitra.Mitra recounts a decade-old

rape-cum-murderofasix-year-oldgirlinMehrauli.Hehadtesti-fied in that case.“The killer had loaded the

deadgirlonhisbackandwalkedthrough a busy street to dumpthebodyinawatertanktwokilo-metresaway.Suchwashisconfi-dence that no one on the roadsuspectedanything,”saysMitra.The most common practices

are hiding bodies in bed boxes,almirahsoreven theventilationshaftaswasseen innorthDelhi’sModelTown in2016.One such case was of Delhi

UniversitystudentArzooSinghChauhan,whowaskilledinFeb-ruary2016,allegedlybyherboy-friendNaveenKhatriwhen sheinsisted on marriage. Khatriallegedlyhidthebodyintheven-tilation shaft and emptied deo-dorant bottles to conceal thesmell fromhisnewlywedwife.Last November, a bartender

theroadtopassoffthemurderasan accident. The murder of anarmy major’s wife in Delhi’sCantonment in June this yearwas one such case. Anotherarmy major had allegedly runover the woman with his carafter slashingher throat.Buryingbodiesatemptyplots

maybeanoldmethodbutcontin-ues to be used. In May 2016, abusinessrivalryledtothreemenkilling 50-year-oldMohammadIdrishinSoniaVihar.Theybur-iedhisbodyandmotorcycleonalandwhere aDTCbus terminalwas tocomeup.

“Thekillers toldustheywereinspiredbythefilm ‘Drishyam’...They believed burying themotorcycle would destroy allevidence,”saidan investigator.Three years ago, two men,

Aman and Jitender, killed a15-year-old boy in outerDelhi’sMangolpuri and then rodewithhis body sandwiched betweenthemonamotorcycle fornearly5kmtodumpit inVijayVihar.Anothermethod is to deface,

burnordecapitatetheirvictimstoconceal their identities.RajatMitra says how killers

treat the bodies of their victims

shows their mindset and rela-tionship with the dead. “If akillertakesmuchcaretohidethebody, itusuallyshowsaffection.If theydefacethebody,it islikelyto be the role of a stranger orsomeonehateful.”According toDCPKhan,kill-

ers realise it is not difficult forDelhi Police to identify a deadbody. “We have a strong data-base (zipnet) of all unidentifieddead people and it helps usquickly identify them based onmissingreports.Becauseofthis,manyDelhikillerschoosetoluretheir victims outside NCR andthenkill them,” saysKhan.BhishamSingh,deputycom-

missioner of police of DelhiPolice’scrimebranch,saysalotof the bizarre disposal planswerefoundamongfirst-timekill-ers and thosewhomurdered at

thespurof themoment.“In thatdesperate moment to concealtheircrime, theytrytorecollectideasfromnovelsandfilmstheyread orwatched.But suchunu-sual effortsoftenprovideus thenecessary leads and themotivebehind thecrime,” saidSingh.The DCP recounted how a

killer named Rinku kept themurder of his live-in-partnerArti under the wraps for nineyearsafterkillingher ina“fitofrage” in Sultanpuri. He hadmovedthebodytoNajafgarhbytelling an auto driver that thewomanwas not moving as shewas “possessed”. “After crush-ing her face and dumping herbody,hemanagedtomisleadherparentsbydispatchinglettersinher name saying shemarried alawyer’ssonanddidnotwant tobedisturbed,” saysDCPSingh.

n The most common practicesare hiding bodies in bed boxes,almirahs or even ventilationshaft as was seen in northDelhi’s Model Town in 2016;Lalit Jain (right) drove nearly300km to Mussoorie to throwhis wife Silky’s body down agorge. ARUN SHARMA/HT FILE

MurdererswalkextramileforacoverupShiv Sunny andKarnPratapSinghn [email protected]

NEWDELHI:WhenpropertydealerLalitJainallegedly“hammered”his wife Silky to death in northDelhi lastDecember,heandhisfamily were at a loss on how todisposeof thebody.Afteralotofdeliberation, they

reachedaconsensus–toroll thebody down a gorge nearMuss-oorie and then file a missingcomplaint.Andincasethebodywas discovered, the time lapseand the distance would makeidentificationnearlyimpossible.To avoid suspicion along the

300-km route, Jain allegedlymade his sister-in-law and histhree-year-oldnieceapartofthedrive as the body lay hidden inthe leg spacebetween the seats.Jain is not the only one to

adoptsuchmeticulousplanningtohide their crime.Ananalysisofkillers’behaviourshowshowthey take painstaking efforts todispose of or hide the bodies oftheirvictims.From livingwith corpses for

weeks, burying them in court-yardsandstuffingtheminrefrig-erators – Delhi’s killers havedonealmost everything.Delhi witnessed nearly 40

murders every month on anaveragethisyear.Thoughpolicedonotmaintainseparatedataofhowkillersdisposedoftheirvic-tims, officers say they comeacross at least two dozen casesevery year which leave themshocked.“Mostlythosewhohavekilled

inaplannedmanneror ina fit of

ragemakeeffortstodisposeofbod-iesbecausetheyfearbeinglinkedtothemurder.Thosewhokilldur-ingrobberyorforrivalryusuallydonotcare todisposeoforhideabody,”saysMadhurVerma,DelhiPolicespokesperson.Deputy commissioner of

policeAslamKhanwhoarrestedLalitJainandhisrelativessaysthe city’s population, heavypolicepresenceandtheabsenceof desolate space often forcemurderers to make such unu-sualefforts.“Jainandhisfamilyhadbelieved theyhadexecutedtheperfectmurderanddisposal.But they did not know a CCTVcamera installed outsideanother house was capturingthem,” saidKhan.In February this year, civil

services aspirant AvdeshShakya livedwith thedecayingcorpse of a seven-year-old boystuffed inasuitcaseathishomefor nearly a month after thepolice installed CCTV camerasin theneighbourhood.“Wheneverthestenchwould

draw attention, he would pro-ducedeadrats tomislead them.The police presence and CCTVcameras in the neighbourhooddidnotgivehimanopportunitytoslipoutwiththebody.Shakyahadbelievedhewouldbeabletosneakoutbypretendingtoshifthomes,” saidKhan.Rajat Mitra, a clinical psy-

chologist, says themodus oper-andi of each killer and themethod of body disposal isunique.“Thisiscalledtheir ‘sig-nature’.Themethodofdisposalcan help identify a killer and

HIDING BODIES From living with corpses,burying them or stuffing them inside fridges —killers go to great lengths to hide their crimes

Note: 2018 data is not available

Motives behindmurders

32.16% 16.64% 9.61% 9.43% 32.16%

46.54% 18.61% 9.74% 10.82% 14.29%

2015

2017

nOld enmity or dispute nOver sudden provocationn Passion related n Crime related nOthers

7.77%12.69% 35.84%27.41% 16.29%2016

Delhionashort fuseSudden provocation and crimes of passion constitute a chunk of murders

The cases left unsolvedn Solved cases nUnsolved cases

78.89%

570Cases

2015 2016 2017 2018

77.46%

528Cases

88.53%

487Cases

90.31%

289Cases

(till August 15)

DebabrataMohantyn [email protected]

BHUBANESWAR:The Odisha Con-gress appears to be first off theblock fortheassemblyelectionsschedulednextyear.Party’s in-chargeforthestate

Jitender Singh had last weeksaidtheyhavedecidedtodeclarecandidates for 50 of the 147assemblyseatsbytheendofthismonth,andappointoffice-bear-ers at the district andblock lev-els to strengthen the stateunit.The early declaration of the

candidates,aseniorpartyleadersaid,wasmeant tosendacrossamessage that the Congresswasnotan“indecisiveparty”.It had takenweeks to decide

on fielding Ritarani Sahu, thewife of Congress MLA SubalSahu,whosedeathnecessitatedthebypoll toBijepurseat inFeb-ruary.Ritarani ultimately con-testedasacandidateoftherulingBijuJanataDal (BJD), andwonbyamarginofover41,000votes.Congress’s lastminutecandi-

datePranaySahucouldnotevenrecoverhis securitydeposit.OdishalastelectedaCongress

government in 1995, but hassince the 2000 polls seen its for-tune slidewhen it lost power tothe alliance of the BJD and theBharatiyaJanataParty (BJP).The worst came in 2017 pan-

chayatpollswhen theCongressmanaged to get 18% of the totalvotes, and was pushed to thethirdpositionwith theBJPcor-

nering32%votes.TheCongresshasalsoseenhigh-profiledeser-tions, including that of formerUnionministerChandrasekharSahoo,who joined theBJD.But Congress leaders inOdi-

shasenseachanceofrevival fol-lowing the move by the rulingBJD to support the BJP-ledNationalDemocraticAlliance’scandidate for thepost of deputychairperson of Rajya Sabha,HarivanshNarayanSingh.“In the changed circumstan-

ces,theBJPinOdishamaynotgoafter (chief minister) NaveenPatnaikasseriouslyasitdidear-lier. We would go to the peoplewith the message that the BJDand the BJP have (formed) anunholynexusandonly theCon-gress can voice their grievan-ces,” Congress spokespersonSatyaPrakashNayak said.Taking an early call on its

election strategy, the Congresshasalsodecidedthatcandidateswho lost their securitydepositsin the2014assemblyelections—40ofthe147whocontested—will

notbegiven the tickets in2019.“Winnability and new faces

will be our preference whileselecting the candidates,” saidstate chiefNiranjanPatnaik.Thepartyhasalsoannounced

presidents and working presi-dents for 33 organisational dis-trictcommittees,andpresidentsfor 90% zonal committees. It isalso in the process of finalisingboothlevelworkersandwillrun‘myboothmy pride’ campaign,similar to the one inRajasthan,tostrengthen itsorganisationalpositionat thevillage level.TheCongresshasalsobecome

proactive on social media withleaders opening up with criti-cismsof theBJDand theBJP.ProfessorBrahmanandaSat-

pathyofUtkalUniversity,Bhub-aneswar, however, doesn’t seethe prospects of the Congressimprovingin thepollsnextyeardespiteittryingtosetitshouseinorder. “Theparty is on a steadydecline in Odisha and the 2017zillaparishadpollsprovedthatitno longer strikes a chord withtheruralelectorate.Besides, itsfailureinrallyingaroundOppo-sition parties to form a grandalliance at the Centre wouldhavean impact inOdisha too.”BJP national secretary

SureshPujarisaidtheCongresscanchoose to liveunderan illu-sionofoccupyingtheOppositionspace.“Theirvotebaseisshrink-ing. I hope they are able to holdontothe18%centvotetheygotinthepanchayatpolls,”hesaid.

Cong eyes chance inOdisha,gets poll ready before others›Wewill go to peoplewith themessage thatthe BJD and the BJP have(formed) an unholy nexusand only the Congress canvoice their grievances.SATYAPRAKASHNAYAK,Congress spokesperson

in Saket allegedly chopped hiscolleagueintopiecesandstuffedhis body in a refrigerator. Thekilling remained under thewrapsforfourdaysuntilapoliceteamraided thehouse.Burying bodies or burning

themtodestroyevidence isalsocommon. Inoneof themostsen-sationalcases, formerCongressyouth leader Sushil Sharmaburnt thebodyofhiswifeNainaSahni in thetandoorofarestau-rant incentralDelhi in1995.Often, police come across

casesofkillersdeliberatelyleav-ing bodies on railway tracks or

›This is called their‘signature’. Themethod of disposal (of thebody) can help identify akiller and solve themurderRAJATMITRA, clinical psychologist

PressTrust of Indian [email protected]

MADURAI: A day ahead of hisbrotherMKStalin’selevationasthe president of DravidaMun-netraKazhagam(DMK),expelledleaderMKAzhagiri onMondayhardened his stance saying hewill continuewith the proposedSeptember5marchandwarnedthe party of consequences if hewasn’t readmitted.The former DMK strongman

insouthernTamilNadu,whohasbeen flexing muscles since thedeath of his fatherMKarunan-idhionAugust7,saidtherallyinChennaiwasbeingorganisedasperthecadres’wishes.“Theyonlywantedmetotake

theleadinorganisingthemarchtopayhomage(toKarunanidhi),”

hetoldreportershere.He said he was doing this to

“save” the DMK following thedemiseofKarunanidhi.“Kalaingar (Karunanidhi) is

nottherenow.Thepartyhastobesaved and protected,”Azhagirisaid. “If they don’t readmit me,theywillhavetofaceconsequen-ces,”headded.Azhagiri hasbeen inpolitical

hibernation since his expulsionfromtheparty in2014byKarun-anidhi.Theformerunionminis-terwassackedattheheightofhisfightwith Stalin over establish-ingsupremacyin theparty.Indicating a fresh succession

warintheDMK,AzhagirihadonAugust13claimedthatall“loyal”partyworkerswerewithhimandaccused Stalin of blocking hisreturn to theparty.

Later, he sought to projecthimselfassomeonewhowasnotinterested in posts and said hehadneverhankeredforanyposi-tion in thepartyevenwhenKar-unaidhiwasalive.The DMK, however, has

brushedasideAzhagiri’sclaims

andralliedbehindStalin.Allalongconsideredthepoliti-

cal heir apparent of his father,Stalin isallsettobeelectedunop-posed as the party president --succeedingKarunanidhi --attheDMK’s general council meet inChennai tomorrow.He was thesole candidate in fray at close ofnomination lastevening.Replyingtoaquestionwhyhe

did not register his oppositionwhenStalinwasmadethework-ingpresidentoftheparty,hesaidKarunanidhi was then alive.“Kalaingar wanted to readmitme. But these people (the Stalingroup) were preventing himthen,”hesaid.TheMadurai-basedAzhagiri,

whohasbeenholdingaseriesofmeetings in the past few dayswith his supporters here on the

Chennairally,continuedthecon-sultation today.Onwhether anyDMK leader

would participate in themarch,he said, “I don’t want to answerquestions based on presump-tions.”On Saturday, he had said his

strengthwouldbeknownduringtherally.“Youwillknowhowthepartymenacceptmeandwantmethere(intheparty),”hehadsaid.Hehadalso claimed that if he

wasnotreadmittedintotheDMK,the party leaders would face asimilar defeat in the upcomingLokSabhaelectionlikeinthelastParliament and assembly polls.Azhagiri wielded considerableinfluence in the southern dis-tricts and was the party’s orga-nising secretary for the southzonebeforehisexpulsion.

RE INDUCT ION INTO THE DMK

Azhagiri warns of ‘consequences’ if not taken in

n Azhagiri has been in politicalhibernation since his expulsionin 2014 by M Karunanidhi PTI


AHMEDABAD: The twin buildingcollapse inAhmedabadonSun-day night that left one residentdead was a tragedy waiting tohappen, given the dilapidatedcondition of the structure builtover18yearsagobytheGujaratHousingBoard.Asthecityreceivedmoderate

rainsover the last oneweek thecollapsewas imminent, forcingthe municipal corporation todeclaretwoblocksoftheShivamEconomically Weaker SectionHousing Scheme in industrialarea Odhav as “unsafe” andevacuate them justadaybeforetheycamecrashingdown.Butasfatewouldhaveit,some

occupants – according to theauthorities–returnedSundaytocollect theirbelongingswithoutinforminganycivicofficial.Contrarytoearlierreportsof

10, fivepeoplegottrappedunderdebris when the three-storey(ground+3floors)blocknumber23and24 collapsedat 8.30pmonSunday. The rescue operationwasoverbyearlyMonday.”Onebodywasrecoveredand

four persons were rescued in anight-long jointdrivebythefirebrigadeandNDRF teams,” saidAhmedabadmayorBijalPatel.Thoseinjuredhavebeen iden-

tifiedasKiranSaroj (28),SureshHardevbai (35),BhartiPatni (38)and Ajay Patni (20). ThedeceasedwasyettobeidentifiedtillMondayevening.”Wehadinquiredwithall the

32families,whowereoccupantsof thetwoblocked, ifanyoftheirmembers was missing. Onlyaftertheyconfirmedthatnoonewasmissing,thework fordebrisremoval started early in themorning,” saida fireofficial.There were, however, con-

flicting reports aboutwhen theoccupantsofthetwoblockswereserved theevacuationnotices.”On Saturday, the Ahmeda-

badMunicipalCorporationteamwas here. They oversaw thebuilding evacuation as it wasdeclared unsafe. But some peo-plehadgoneback tothebuildingonSunday,’’saidAMCCommis-sionerVijayNehra.Mayor Patel, standing com-

mittee chairman Amul Bhattand Odhav councillor BharatPatel seconded it.”Notice was issued only at 4

pm Sunday, hours before thebuildingcollapsed,”saidPravinSikotia, a residents of the soci-ety. “I saw them coming downlikeapackof cards,”headded.Acolonyofaround70blocksm

each 3-storey-high, was con-structedin1998fortheeconomi-cal weaker section by the gov-ernment with the World Bankassistance. Possession for thesamehadbeengiventothebene-ficiaries from1999.TheAMCofficialsmaintained

that in18yearssincethesocietywasbuilt,alargenumberbenefi-

ciarieshadmovedoutandrentedout theirapartments.Recently,ateamofthemunic-

ipalcorporationhadconducteda survey of the two blocks afterresidents complained aboutmajor cracks running throughthe structure and the plasterpeelingoff at severalplaces.Chief ministerVijay Rupani

expressedhis condolence, ”It isunfortunate that one life hasbeen lost. Ihavegatheredall thedetails and came to know thatbuildinghadbeenevacuated.”ACongress party delegation

led by state chief Amit Chavdavisited thesiteand talked to thedisplaced. CongressMLA LalitVasoyasaid,“Thecollapseindi-catesthatcontractormighthaveused inferior material andbecauseof thatwelostone life.”Mayor Patel, added, ”Until

nowourprioritywastherescueoperation. Nowwewill take uptheinspectionreportsaboutthebuilding.”

Gujarat twin building collapse: Thetragedy that was waiting to happen

n Rescue workers remove the rubble during a search operation afterthe collapse of a building in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Monday. REUTERS WAKEUPCALL

All four bigmunicipal corpo-ration in Gujarat- Ahmead-bad, Surat, Vadodara andRajkot-onMonday orderedinspections in all governmenthousing schemes and evacu-ate if necessary.“First a survey of rest of 68blocks at affected Shivam sitein Ahmedabad’s Odhav hasbeen ordered. Therewill beimmediate evacuation, ifrequired’’, said AhmedabadMunicipal CorporationCommissioner VijayNehra,adding, “Thiswill be soonfollowed by similar sites in allother parts across the city.”Nehramaintained that as ofnownobuilding has beendeclared unsafe. “But thereare some old private proper-ties in old city areas(easternAhmedabad), thatweredeclared unsafe and ownerswere asked to vacant theplaces. Thiswill also befollowed up,” he said.


SHIMLA:Himachal Pradesh chiefminister JaiRamThakurMon-dayorderedamagisterialinquiryinto the clash between YouthCongressworkersandpoliceout-sidethestateassemblyonFriday.However,Congressmembers

demandeda judicialinquiryintothematterandstagedawalkout.Speaking during the ongoing

Monsoon Session of theHouse,the CM claimed that CongressyouthworkerspeltedstonesandlathisatpolicepersonnelduringtheirdemonstrationonFriday.Police usedwater cannons to

dispersethem.Despitethis“Iamready for amagisterial inquiry,asinademocracytheviewsoftheopposition are taken care of bytherulingparty”,Thakursaid.TheCongresshadclaimedthat

adozenofitsyouthworkerswereinjured, while the CM saidninepolicemen, including an addi-tional superintendent of police,were injuredduringtheclash.ThakursaidifSpeakerRajeev

Bindalallows,theywerereadytodiscusstheissuein theHouse.YouthCongresswasallowedto

hold demonstrations between11.30am and 1.30pm by Shimladeputy commissioner, but itsworkers held the protest at3.30pminstead, theCMclaimed.Onaphotobeingcirculatedby

Congress workers on socialmediasites,claimingitwasoftheFriday’sclash,Thakursaiditwasan old one and that of a womaninjuredinanattackbyagroupinRajasthan. Raising slogans insupportoftheirdemandfor judi-cial inquiry, Congress MLAsentered theWell as soon as thehousebeganat2pm.ThespeakeradjournedtheHousetill2.30pm.WhentheHousereassembled,

Bindal said fourmembersof theoppositionwantedtodiscusstheissueunderassembly’sRule67.

Himachal ordersmagisterial inquiryinto clash betweenCong youth, police

IndoAsianNewsServicen [email protected]

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:TheCon-gress-led United DemocraticFront (UDF)Mondaydemandedthatthefundcollection initiatedby the Kerala government fol-lowing the devastating floodsshouldgo intoaspecialaccountandnotintotheChiefMinister’sDistressReliefFund (CMDRF).Addressing the media here

after ameeting of UDF leaders,Congress leaderRameshChen-nithalasaidtheneedof thehourwas to have a separate accountforthefundsthathavestartedtocome in to rebuildKerala.“The government should set

upaspecialaccount forrebuild-ingthestate.WearedemandingthisbecausewhenOckhistrucklastyear,~104crorewasreceivedand till now only ~25 crore hasbeenutilised,”hesaid.“Where has the rest of the

moneygone?Wewishtoknow.”Chennithala also said that

soon after Ockhi struck, chiefminister Pinarayi Vijayanannounced a slew of measuresbutmanyoftheannouncementscontinued tobeonlyonpaper.“In thelightofhowOckhiwas

managed, the government can-notaffordtodoacallous jobthis

time. FirstVijayan announced~3,800 to be given to all thoseaffected by floods, then it wasraised to ~10,000. “We demandeveryone shouldget ~25,000.”So far more than ~500 crore

hascome into theCMDRF.The UDF also demanded a

judicialprobeintoopeningofthedams’ sluice gates, saying thiswas the single major cause forlarge-scaledamage to thestate.

RELIEFAIDTOSETSAILFROMKOLKATAPORTKOLKATA: Relief materials col-

lected by institutions and indi-viduals in thecity for flood-rav-aged Kerala are set to sail in aship fromKolkataPort today.“The relief materials will be

sailing for theKochi Port todayon MV SSL Chennai in two20-feetcontainers,”KolkataPortTrustdeputychairmanSBalajiArunkumar said. The contain-erswouldbecarried freeof costfromtheNetaji SubhasDock.“Itwilltakeatleastsevendays

to reach the Kochi Port, fromwhereauthoritieswillhelptogetthematerialsdistributed.” PTI

Kerala deluge: Opposition seeksa special account for funds drive

n Amanwades through water after arriving to inspect his floodaffected house in Kuttanad, Alappuzha, in Kerala onMonday. AP

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes nation 09

AHMEDABAD: Twomore accusedin the2002Godhratraincarnageincident were awarded lifeimprisonment by a special SITcourt here on Monday, takingthe totalnumberof convictionsin thecase to33.Fifty-nine ‘karsevaks’ were

killed in theGodhratrainburn-ingincidentofFebruary27,2002,triggeringtheworstcommunalriots in thehistoryofGujarat inwhichover1,000people,mostlybelonging to theminority com-munity,werekilled.Special judge HC Vora con-

victedFarooqBhanaandImranSheru and awarded them lifesentence after the prosecutionestablishedtheirroleasconspir-ators in the burning of twocoaches of the SabarmatiExpress. The court also acquit-ted three other accused, identi-fiedasHussainSulemanMohan,Kasam Bhamedi and FarukDhantiya. These fivemenwere

apprehended in 2015-2016 andthe trial was held at a specialcourt set up at the SabarmatiCentral Jail here. Mohan wasarrestedfromJhabuainMadhyaPradesh, Bhamedi fromDahodrailway station in Gujarat,Dhantiya and Bhana werenabbed from their houses atGodhra in Gujarat, whileBhatukwascaughtatMalegaoninMaharashtra.Eight accused in the case are

still absconding.Earlier, the specialSITcourt

had convicted 31 people in thecaseonMarch1,2011. Thecourthad later awarded death sen-tence to 11 of them and lifeimprisonment to 20others.However, the Gujarat High

Court had inOctober 2017 com-muted the death sentence of 11convicts to life imprisonmentwhileupholdingthepunishmentawardedbythespecialSITcourtto 20others. PTI

GODHRA TRA IN CARNAGE

Twomore get lifesentence, 3 acquitted

Press Trust of indian [email protected]

NEWDELHI :The Supreme CourtonMondaydismissedapleathatsoughtaminimumpunishmentof twoyears for electoral offen-ces, including bribery, falsestatement, undue influence,bycandidatesandpoliticalparties.A bench of Chief Justice

Dipak Misra refused to enter-tainaPILfiledbyadvocateAsh-wini Kumar Upadhyay thatsought tomake electoral offen-ces cognisable.“Heardanddismissed,” said

thebenchalsocomprising justi-ces AM Khanwilkar and DYChandrachud.In his plea, Upadhyay had

alleged that since 2000, apartfromgeneralandstateassemblyelections,bribeswerealsogiventogarnersupport forparticularpoliticalpartiesandcandidatesinby-polls.“The change in law has

becomenecessaryastherehave

been increasing incidents ofbribery being detected in allelections, fromlocalbodypollstoLokSabha elections.“This is because, currently,

bribery is a non-cognisableoffenceattractingonlyminimalpunishment,” thepetitionsaid.Upadhyay, in his plea, had

also said in 2012, the ElectionCommissionofIndiahadrecom-mendedto thehomeministry toamendtheexisting lawtomakebribery during elections (bothincashandinkind)acognisableoffence, enabling police toarrest violatorswithout awar-rantandtoenhance thepunish-ment up to twoyears.He said the home ministry

has conveyed to the poll panelthat it has initiated the processtoamendsections171Band171Eof the IndianPenalCode for thesame.However, the government

has not done anything in thisregard till date, the petitionerclaimed.

SC dismisses pleatomake electoraloffences cognisable

“Jawaharlal Nehru belongsnot justtotheCongressbuttotheentire nation. It is in this spiritthat I have written to you,” hesaid.Thelettercomesamidreports

of dedicating the NMML in thememoryofallformerPrimeMin-isters, an ideastronglyopposedby theCongress.SinghsaidtheNMMLisdedi-

catedtothememoryofthecoun-try’s first PM and prime archi-tect of the Indian nation-state.Nehruhasleftbehindan incredi-ble imprint on our country andtheworld,hesaid.Hisdistinctivenessandgreat-

ness have been acknowledgedeven by his political opponentsandrivals, Singhsaid.Recallingthesix-yeartenure

ofVajpayeeasPM,hesaidtherewasno attemptmade to changethenature and character of theNMMLandTeenMurticomplex.“But sadly, that seems to be

partoftheagendaoftheGovern-ment of India now,” the formerprimeminister said.Singh said the NMML must

remain a centre of first-rate

scholarship and professionalexcellenceandthemuseumitselfmustretain itsprimaryfocusonNehru and the freedom move-ment.“No amount of revisionism

can obliterate that role and hiscontributions,”hesaid.SinghalsosaidVajpayeehad

said in Parliament that Nehrutook the opposition along andwasarefinedgentlemanandsaidsuch “greatness we may notagain see in thenear future”.


NEWDELHI:FormerPrimeMinis-ter Manmohan Singh hasexpressed concern overattempts to change the “natureand character” of the NehruMemorialMuseumandLibrary,sayingJawaharlalNehrudidnotjustbelongtotheCongressbuttotheentirenation.In a letter to PrimeMinister

NarendraModi,heurgedhimtoleave the Teen Murti complex“undisturbed” and said thiswouldberespectingbothhistoryandheritage.The Nehru Memorial

Museum and Library (NMML)was established in thememoryof India’s first PrimeMinisterand the museum at the TeenMurtiHousehaspreservedsomeroomsastheywereatthetimeofNehru’sdeath.Singh said during former

PrimeMinisterAtalBihariVaj-payee’s tenure there was noattempttochangethenatureandcharacterof theNMML.The former premier had

describedNehru inParliamentas a “vibrant personality” andsaid“sucharesidentmaynevergrace Teen Murti again”, theseniorCongress leader said.“Letusrespectthissentiment

andkeepTeenMurtiasamemo-rial to our first PrimeMinisterPanditNehruandleavetheTeenMurticomplexundisturbedasitis.Thiswaywewillberespectingboth history and heritage,”Singhsaid in the letter.

LeaveTeenMurti complexundisturbed:Manmohan

› ...keep TeenMurti as amemorial to our firstPrimeMinister PanditNehru and leave the TeenMurti complex undisturbedas it is.MANMOHANSINGH , Former PM

shineejobs Formoregreat jobs,logon towww.shine.com


The Kargil victory exhibited thepowerofhumanwill anddemon-strated the Indianmilitary’spro-fessionalism and resolute com-mitment to national security

objectives.Thevictorywasachieveddespiteheavyodds.Amongtheodds,aspointedoutby the Kargil Review Committee (KRC)report tabledin theParliamentonFebruary23, 2000, was our obsolete security systemwith anumber of anomalies.The report attributed the sorry state of

affairs to thestatusquomindsetofourpolit-ical,bureaucratic,militaryandintelligenceestablishments.Thecommittee thatwassetupposthaste tosatiate thewidespreadpub-lic resentment over the Pakistani intru-sions, turned out to be a blessing for thenational security system. It marked thebeginningof somemajor transformationalinitiatives.TheGroupofMinisters (GoM) formed in

the wake of the KRC report reviewed thesecurity system and made recommenda-tions for bolstering the national securityapparatus. The last 18 years have seen themajority of the recommendations come to

Imran’sNewPakistan isfullof thesameoldfacesThe new PM cannot hope to transform Pakistan into asocial welfare state if it is a national security state

stan’ fullofpuraanaychehray(oldfaces)whoare adamant that they will bring ‘tabdeeli’(change)?Apartfromacoupleofpeople,mostof Khan’s cabinet has served under othergovernments.Khan’svictoryspeechafter theelections

hit all the rightnotes.He talked about goodrelationswith India andAfghanistan. Likehispredecessors,Khanwantsgoodrelationswith India and other neighbouring coun-tries.Likehispredecessors,hewillsoon findout thathewillnotbecalling the final shotsvis-à-vis Indo-Pak relations.On thedayoftheelectionsofthePM in the

NationalAssembly,KhanandhispartywereheckledbythePML-Nmembers.Khan deliv-ered a speech that sounded more like hisOpposition-dayspeeches. WhathappenedtotheKhanwhohadapparentlymaturedanddidnotbelieveinpoliticalvictimisation?Hewasnever there, tobeginwith.Maybetocounterall thiscriticism, Prime

MinisterKhanpromisedthesky.Let’shopehe isable todeliver.Let me repeat something a friend said

abouthisspeech:youcannotmakePakistana social welfare state if yours is a nationalsecurity state.Khan talkedaboutausteritybutdidnotmentionthedefencebudgetorthelavish lifestyles being enjoyed by topmili-taryofficialsand judiciary.Thesetwoinsti-tutionsarethesacredcowsofPakistan.Thelesssaidaboutthem,thebetterchanceofsur-vival forapoliticianand/oranyone.

Mehmal Sarfraz is a senior producer at a televisionchannel and freelance journalist based in Pakistan

The views expressed are personal

n Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan (centre) attends a briefing at the foreignministry inIslamabad, August 24 AP

IndiadisregardsscientificopiniononenvironmentInvolving concerned citizens in the environmentaldecisionmaking process will have farreaching effects

system has hardly changed. In the 1990s,EACcommitteesusedtohaveeminentenvi-ronmentalistsinthem.Nowtheyaredomi-natedbyex-bureaucrats and institutionalexperts who are vulnerable to being arm-twistedbythegovernment.In several instances, courts have also

missedcallingoutdodgyscientificreportsthat have justified high impact projects.Back in 2010, when the CommonwealthGames (CWG) village was to be built inDelhi,NEERI,apremiergovernmentinsti-tution, submitted a report stating that thesiteof thisrealestateprojectwasneitherariverbed nor the floodplains of the riverYamuna.Whilethehighcourtsetupacom-mittee for further investigation, the apexcourtoverturnedthelowercourt’sobserva-tion that theprojecthad “disregardedandignoredmaterial scientific literature andtheopinionofexpertsandscientificbodies”.TheCWGvillagewasbuilt but only towit-ness floods swell up around it, risking theentire construction just days before thegamesweretobegin.Involvingaffectedpeopleandconcerned

citizensinenvironmentaldecision-makingis a simple idea with far reaching effects.Normatively,itonlyallowsfordemocratis-ingenvironmentalgovernance.Italsorec-ognises that the causes of environmentalcrisesarecomplexandknowableonly toalimitedextenttotrainedexperts.Participa-toryprocessesgiveopportunitiestogatherparticular place and livelihood-basedknowledgeofpeopletounderstandandplanfor unforseen effects that landuse changeandothertransformationsmaybring.In2009, theDelhiHighCourt inUtkarsh

Mandalv/sUnionof Indiaupheld that it isthedutyoftheEACstoconsiderthemeritsof the objections raised at the public hear-ings.Notdoingthatwouldamountto“non-application of mind to relevant materialsandthereforearbitrary.”Butthisforumisseenasaninconvenienceandasaroadblockbyprojectdevelopers.In the coastal areas ofKerala andGoa,

fishing communities have come in thou-sandstoparticipateinhearings.Whentheyhaveoverwhelminglyopposedprojectsonthebasis of climate change, landgrabbingand loss of ecology, these hearings havelabelledaspartisanbythegovernmentsandregulators. Inthemidstofnewsoftheongo-ingenvironmentaldisastersandstoriesofhumancourageandresilience, it is impor-tant to remember that compromised deci-sion-making and government faith inproject proponents rather than the publichavemadeusalldefencelessagainsttheper-ilsofdevelopment.

ManjuMenonandKanchi Kohli are environmentalresearchers at Centre for PolicyResearch, NewDelhi


established in 1924§ §

We have rarely had cause to use the twophrases“collectiveexcellence”and“Indianathletics” in thesamesentence.Buttheongo-ingAsianGameshavemadeusdothat.Apartfrom a few occasions— in the 1960s when

Milkha Singh and Gurbachan SinghRandhawabrieflycoincided,andin themid-1980sandearly2000swhen Indianwomencontingentssparkled, ledbyPTUshaandKMBeenamolrespectively—athleticsoffereduscasesof individualbrilliance,ofheartwarmingsolotriumphsagainstallodds.ButonSunday,threeyoungrunnersblitzedtheirwaytothreesilvermedals.Theemergenceofexplosiveyoungtalent issuchanexcitingprospect.Somethingishoveringin theair.Couldthisbethedawnofanewera for Indianathletics?HimaDas, theonly Indian towinatanunder-20 juniorworld

championship,brokethenationalrecordtwice (in theheatsandthe finals) on her way to the silver medal in the 400 metres.MuhammedAnas, 23, pickedupasilver in themen’s 400m, thefirst Indianman todososince1982.DuteeChand,atthecentreofaglobalbattleagainstgendertesting, fell0.02secondsshyofwin-ning the gold in the 100metres sprint. No Indianhaswon a 100metresmedalat theAsianGamessince1998,whenabronzehadbeenwon.Traditionally, Indian athletes have not quite burned up thetrack.Bodytypes,endurance, training,havestoodin thewayofexemplaryperformances.Thisgroupofyoungathletesisblessedwithrawtalent.Greaterexposuretointernationalevents,morescientific training, better physiotherapists who help athletesrecoverfaster,andsheerwillandresolvehaveallcontributedtothisupsurgeattheongoingAsianGames.All threewinnerswillonlygetbetter.MrAnaspickeduphissilverwithoutevenclock-inghispersonalbest.MsChand is improvingher timings.Andit is amatter of timebeforeMsDas is able tobring to the seniorcircuitthethrillsheoffereduson the juniorone.Thebiggesttest:the forthcomingOlympicGamesinTokyoin2020. If Indianath-letesare tomakeamark in track there, itwouldbehistoric.

Dawnofanewera inathletics?Itwouldseemso,given India’sgreatperformanceatJakarta

§

Indiahas150millionpeoplesufferingfrommental illnesses,includingdepression,anxiety,personalitydisorders,schizo-phrenia, and learning disabilities, says a report by NIM-

HANS.But,withonly3,800psychiatrists, 898clinicalpsycholo-gists,and1,500psychiatricnurses, thecountry, is fightingabat-tlewith onehand tiedbehind itsback.Oneof thekey factors toensurethatmorepeoplearenotaddedtothisalreadylargepoolis the early detection of mental illness and professional help.Towards this, theCentrenowplans to trainmore than 10 lakhschool teachers to identify stress, emotional issues, substanceabuseandbullying inschoolchildren.Twoteacherseachinallgovernment and government-aided schools will be trained toholdaone-hour-longclassonceaweek. In caseof symptomsofanyseriouscondition, the childwill be referred toa specialist.While any step to tackle mental health issues must be

applauded, the health ministry should have looked beyondIndia’salreadystretchedteachingcadre.MostState-runschoolteachers fail to even discharge their basic duties, which is notalways their fault. TheState alwayswants them tomulti-task:frompoliocampaigns toelectionandcensusduties, inviolationofRight toEducationnorms.Accordingtoastudyconductedbythe Azim Premji Foundation inMadhya Pradesh, oftenwhenteacherswerenotpresent in theclassroom,itwasforofficialrea-sons.Reasons forabsenceincludeacademicduties,administra-tivedutiessuchasdatacollection, submissionofdatarelatedtothemid-daymeal programme andwork related to student-in-centiveprogrammessuchasdistributionoftextbooks,andotherdepartmentalwork related toelections, census surveys, etc.Whilemulti-taskingis themantraof thisera, itwillbewrong

tooverburden teachers. Instead,whynothaveaseparatesetofpeople,withsimilarkindof trainingimpartedtoteachers, todothis critical job?

Let teachersdowhattheyarehired for

Theplantoutilisethemasmentalhealthcounsellorsforstudentsmaynotwork

ourtake

comment

leadership and strategic community inmakingpragmatic policy choices.It’s about time that we also go in for an

empoweredChief ofDefenceStaff (CDS)asrecommended by the GoM to efficientlymanage military affairs. Perhaps thestrengthening of the strategic culturewillhelp decision makers to understand theimportof thisrecommendation.Largeorga-nisations, like themilitary, consistof intri-catenetworksof staff, functionalandoper-atingcomponents. Itsmanagementrequiresspecial expertise and a full-time commit-ment.Moreover, becausewar fighting is aspecialised field, it requires an in-depthunderstanding of the science, art anddynamicsofwar.Strategicmilitary leadersacquire thenecessaryskillsandcompeten-cies over decades. Multi-agency mecha-nismscannevercompensate foraCDS.Themilitarydomainmustbe left to themilitaryleadership. Multi-agency mechanismsshould be suitably utilised for the imple-mentationandmonitoringofnationalstrat-egy. An empowered CDS will be able todevelop a pragmatic architecture for theintegratedtri-servicetheatrecommands. Inaddition, he will be able to provide single-point military advice to the government,administer thestrategic forcesandstream-linethe jointplanningandacquisitionproc-esses.As an emerging great power, we as a

nationcannotallowthestatusquomindsettocreepback in tooursecuritysystem.Therecommendationsof theGoMmustbecon-sciously taken to their logical conclusionwith an enhanced sense of urgency.

General Bikram Singh isthe former Chief of Army Staff.


fruition. However, there are still someimportant ones that need to be acted uponwith greaterurgency.Anationaspiring tobeaglobalpowermusthaveareadyandrel-evant security systemcapableof takingonthe challenges of the 21st century.A National Security Strategy (NSS) is

longoverdue.All greatpowersandemerg-ing great powers have articulated suchstrategies to guide their national effort inpursuit of national interests, goals andobjectives. The NSS today is synonymouswith thenational or grandstrategy,whichaims to secure the objectives of policythrough the application of political, diplo-matic, economic and elements of nationalpower.Given its enhanced scope, the NSSshould includepolicyguidelinesandbroadstrategic framework for all elements toevolve their respective sub-strategies toprotect,pursueandpromotenational inter-ests. TheNSS shouldnot be confusedwiththemilitary strategy.Therecommendationonestablishingthe

IndianNationalDefenceUniversity (INDU)shouldalsobeexpedited. INDUwill cater tohigherstudies indefenceandstrategicsecu-rity issues besides promoting policy-ori-entedresearch invarious facetsofnationalsecurity.Byfacilitatinggreater interactionbetween themilitary, centralarmedpoliceforces, intelligenceservices,diplomats,aca-demia, strategic planners, university stu-dents and officers from friendly foreigncountries, theuniversitywillbewellplacedto provide well researched and informed

It’s about time we go in for an empowered Chiefof Defence Staff to better manage military affairs

Afreshsecuritystrategy isoverdue

inputs forpolicy formulation to thegovern-ment.Theuniversitycouldalsobeutilisedtoorganisepresentations to theparliamen-tarians, leadershipofvariousdepartmentsof thegovernment andadvisors on criticalsecurityissuesfromtimetotime.Thefourthestate,whichplaysan important role in thefunctioning of democracy, can also beempowered through education at the uni-versity onmatters of higher defenceman-agement. In the long run, INDU will cer-tainlyhelpstrengthenourstrategicculture,which isvital for thewellbeingandgrowthof a nation. Being a set of time-tested andsharedbeliefs,values,andnorms,strategicculture guides the behaviour of national

n The Kargil Review Committee maderecommendations to bolster thenational security apparatus HT ARCHIVE

Khushwinder Singh Surya

In Indian mythology there have alwaysbeen twobigpowers -divineanddemonic,which often clashed. Many a times thedemons got stronger and tried to destroythedivine.However, thedemonscouldn’tfind ultimate success in their diabolicalintentionsbecause it is theruleandwill ofnature that thegoodalwaysprevailsovertheevil,providedthedivinepowerdoesnotstray from thepath of righteousness.It’s not just inmythology, even in our

everyday lives, both powers exist. Theyinhabit every corner of the universe andeven livewithineachoneofus.Thestrug-gle between good and evil is a constant inourmindsandwhichof thetwoweallowtooverpower, is completely up to us. But toensure that thedivinepower finds itswayinto our lives,wehave to constantlykeeplooking for itwithinourselves andhelp ittomanifest itself.Evenagoodhumanbeing,whoisknown

ascaring,honestanduprightmayslip ifheorshedoesnot turn to their innerself and

seek thedivinepowerwithin. Inreality,nohuman is all good or all bad, who webecome is the result of the strugglebetween the divine and demonic powersinsideus thatgivesus the identityofbeinggoodorevil.So,always listen toyourinnervoicecarefullyandseek thegoodness thatexistswithinyou.

Inner Voice comprises contributions from ourreaders.

The views expressed are personaln [email protected]

SEEK YOUR INNER DIVINITY:DON’T LET DEMONICPOWERS OVERPOWER YOU

innervoice

OLDWINE

Floodshavebecomearecurrentformof disasters in India. As has beenstatedaftereverysuchevent, thereislittlethatis“natural”aboutthese

terrible occurrences. Compromised deci-sion-making on development and infra-structureprojectshavealreadywreckedthelives of rural and forest dwelling people.Mining and industries pollute theirwatersources and farmlands and prohibit theiraccesstoforests.Increasingly,environmen-talcrisesinurbanareasremindusthatdis-astergeographiesarenolongerdistantfromus.There are two ways in which citizens

havebeenrenderedvulnerabletobaddevel-opment planninganddecisions of govern-ments.Environmental decision-making proc-

essesfordevelopmentprojectsaresupposedto use the best available scientific knowl-edge to ensure that development doesnotleadtonegativeimpactsorthattheycanatleast be recognised and mitigated. ButIndia’sEnvironmentalImpactAssessment(EIA) process rewards bad science. Forexample, theEIAreports for theapproved“redevelopment”projectsinDelhiusedpla-giarisedinformationandoldbaselinedata.A city that is reeling under air pollution,water crisis and overburdened landfillsdeserved,at thevery least, adetailedscru-tinyofimpactsbeforedecisionsweretaken.Instead,themostcrucialanalysesrelatedtotraffic,airandwateraremissing.IndianEIAsareneverpeerreviewed.EIA

procedures are so corrupted by projectinterests that reputable scientists almostnever agree to be on theExpertAppraisalCommittees (EAC) after one experience.Thefewwhodo,wagelonelybattlesthroughtheirtenuresandmayneverbereinstated.Several ex-EACmembershavewrittenorspokenopenlyabouttheseproblemsbutthe

INDIAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTASSESSMENTSARENEVERPEERREVIEWED. THEPROCEDURESARECORRUPTEDBYPROJECTINTERESTS, REPELLINGREPUTABLESCIENTISTSFOREVER

KANCHIKOHLI

MANJUMENON

ImranKhan’sdreamhasfinallybeen ful-filled22yearsin tohispoliticalcareer:acareer that started with idealism andcame tobemarkedbypragmatism.His

realpolitical careerhas justbegun.Weallknewtheoutcomeoftheseelections

butwhatdidsurprisealotofuswasthewayit was pulled off a few hours after pollingendedonJuly25.Theresultsof theelectionsinPakistanwerepre-determined.Butwhathappened before the final results wereannounced left many of us shocked at howthepowers-that-bedidnotevenwant tohidehowmuchtheywereinfluencingtheresults.Even inacountrywheremanipulatingelec-tions is nothing new, this brazenness wassomethingnewaltogether.I have been in themedia formore than a

decadenowandhaveseen/coveredthepre-vious two elections, but have never wit-nessed thekindof censorship thatwe facedthis timearound.Wehad to talk inaround-about way to say that these elections wererigged. When one said something to thiseffect, even inprivate settings, somewouldtellusthereisnothingonecandoaboutit,solet’smoveforward.Howdoesonemovefor-ward?Howdoesonedealwitha ‘NayaPaki-

MEHMALSARFRAZ

BIKRAMSINGH

RNI No. : MAHENG/2017/73011

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EDITOR, PUNE : ABHAY PREM VAIDYA

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes nation 11

Ranjann [email protected]

BHOPAL: Anelderly farmer,whowasarrestedonadistrictcollec-tor’s order, has threatened self-immolationwithhisfamily,ifheisnotgivenjustice.TheCongresshascalleditaglaringexampleofundeclared emergency inMad-hyaPradesh.

PK Purohit (61), a resident ofKhurpa village in Narsinghpurdistrict,241kmsouthwestofBho-pal, has demanded a high-levelinquiry into the circumstancesleadingtohisarrest.

State Congress presidentKamal Nath tweeted that therewasundeclaredemergencyinthestate and said elderly people get

jail for raising demand for con-structionofaroad.

Purohitsaidhehadbeenrais-ingtheissueofroadconstructionforthepast twoyears.Helodgeda complaint on CM Helplineaboutamonthback.Hethengotacall from an officer who askedhim to lodge his complaintwiththe collector and he appearedbeforecollectorAbhayVermaonAugust 21. “The collector askedme to meet the PWD authorityconcerned.SincetheofficialwasnotinofficeIwentbacktothecol-lector and told him that it wasonly he who could get the roadconstructed. The collector gotagitated and orderedhis staff tosendmetojail.Ihadtostayinjailfor 4 days. District administra-

tion denied bail to me for fourdays,”saidPurohitonphone.

Verma said the complainantwascreatingaruckusinanintox-icated state. Hence, action wastaken against him. Purohitlodged a police complaint onAugust 25. SP NarsinghpurDharmendra Singh BhadoriyasaidpolicewerelookingintoPur-ohit’scomplaint.

Leader of Opposition in stateassemblyAjaySinghsaidhehadwrittentotheCMand chairmanof MP Human Rights Commis-siontotakeactionagainstcollec-toronviolationofhumanrights.

State BJP spokesperson Raj-neesh Agrawal said, “I will notcomment on the issue as aninquiryisgoingoninthecase.”

Elderly farmer arrested onMPofficer’s order, demands justice

mirandbarspeoplefromoutsidethe state from acquiring anyimmovablepropertyinthestate.

It alsodeniesproperty rightsto a womanwhomarries a per-son from outside the state. Theprovision, which leads to suchwomenfromthestate forfeitingtheir right over property, alsoapplies to theirheirs.

Earlier, the apex court hadadjournedthehearingonabatchof petitions including the onefiled by NGO ‘We the Citizens’,through lawyer Barun KumarSinha,till theweekcommencingtoday.

It had said that a three-judgebenchwoulddecidewhetherthepleas challenging the Articleshouldbereferredtoafive-judgeconstitution bench for examin-ingthelargerissueofallegedvio-


NEWDELHI:TheSupremeCourtonMonday adjourned its hearingon a fresh plea challenging theconstitutionalvalidityofArticle35A, which empowers theJammuandKashmir assemblytodefine“permanentresidents”forbestowingspecialrightsandprivileges to them.

AbenchofChiefJusticeDipakMisra and Justices A M Khan-wilkarandDYChandrachuddidnottakeupthematterasthepeti-tioner had circulated a letter inthe apex court registry seekingadjournment of hearing on theplea.

LawyerandDelhiBJPleaderAshwini Upadhyay, in a freshplea, has sought a direction tothe central and state govern-ments to declare Article 35A oftheConstitution as “arbitrary”on the ground that it was con-trarytofundamentalrights likethe right to equality, dignity ofwomen, freedom of speech andexpression and the right to lifeandpersonal liberty.

Article35A,whichwasincor-porated intheConstitutionbya1954PresidentialOrder,accordsspecial rights and privileges tothecitizensofJammuandKash-

lation of the doctrine of basicstructureof theConstitution.

The apex court is hearing abatchofpleasseekingquashingoftheArticlewhichconfersspe-cial status to permanent resi-dentsof thestate.

Politicalparties, includingtheNational Conference and theCPI(M), have moved theSupreme Court in support ofArticle 35 A that empowers thestateassemblytodefine“perma-nent residents” for bestowingspecial rights and privileges tothem.

AnNGO,‘IkkjutJammu’,hasalsofiledapleaseekingquashingof theprovision. It has said thatArticle 35 A furthers the “twonation theory which is againstthe theoryof secularism”.

The state government,whiledefending theArticle, hadcitedtwo verdicts of the constitutionbenchesoftheSupremeCourtin1961and1969,whichhadupheldthe powers of the Presidentunder Article 370(1)(d) of theConstitution to pass constitu-tionalorders.

TheArticlewasincorporatedintheConstitutionin1954byanorder of President RajendraPrasadontheadviceof the thenCabinet headed by JawaharlalNehru.

SCadjourns hearing onfresh plea againstArt 35A

ARTICLE 35AACCORDSSPECIAL RIGHTSANDPRIVILEGES TOCITIZENSOF J&KANDBARSPEOPLE FROMOUTSIDEFROMACQUIRINGANYIMMOVABLEPROPERTYIN THESTATE

FaizanHaidarn [email protected]

NEWDELHI:Withhealthcarebeingone of the primary concerns ofpeoplewhoselandisrequiredfortheMumbai-Ahmedabadbullettrain project, the Railways hasdecideditwilltakeseveralmeas-ures,includingtheconversionofrail coaches into prefabricatedpolyclinics, accordingtoofficialsfamiliarwiththedevelopments.Themoveisalsoaimedateasingthelandacquisitionprocess.Thefirstsuchpolyclinicislikelytobeinauguratedby the firstweekofSeptember.

This decisionwas takenaftertheNationalHighSpeedRailCor-poration (NHSRCL) discoveredthat villagers who own largetracts of land wanted access tohealthandeducation infrastruc-tureintheirimmediatevicinity.There were also demands forpotablewater.

The land acquisition processfor the 508-km long corridor iscurrently underway. The rail-ways is hoping that suchmeas-ureswillhelpbuildconfidenceinthe people and allow speedieracquisitionoftheland.Accordingto NHSRCL, about 1400 hectareland is required for the projectand only 0.9 hectare has beenacquiredsofar.

InMaharashtra, thecompen-sationtolandownerswillbefivetimesthemarketrateandinGuj-arat it will be as per the 2016 actwitha 25%premium.

“We have been receiving allkindsofrequests.Thedecisiontoprovide these services will betaken in coordination with thedistrict administration. Forinstance, in Palghar, I receivedthe request for the opening of ahealth unit. They have a dilapi-datedbuildingintheareaandweare renovating it. We’re alsoarrangingfordoctorsandnursessincegettingdoctorsintheareaisdifficult. Now, doctorswill visitVarthanvillageinPalghartwiceaweek,”saidAchalKhare,man-

agingdirectorofNHSRCL.AsecondNHSRCLofficialsaid

that similar requests have beenreceivedfromothervillages,andthat at several places, govern-mentbuildingsarenotavailableforhealthunits.

“Some containers havealready been purchased whilecontainer-shaped railwaycoacheswillbepurchased later.The interiorswill be changedasper the requirement of a poly-clinic.Atotalfourcoacheswillbeprocuredandtwo-coachsetswillbeusedtobuildaclinic.Thecon-structionofaconcretestructurewill take time and we want thelandat theearliest.Thecoacheswill be transported and con-verted,” said this person whoaskednottobenamed.

Someofthevillagershavealsodemandeddrinkingwater, borewellsforgroundwaterandreno-vationofschools.

“For drinking water, we willsee if groundwater is available,otherwise alternative arrange-mentswillbemadedependingonthe location. Wewill try to pro-videeverythingtheyaredemand-ing. Some are also demandingsolar lighting. Some districtauthorities may have alsoplanned something, so we areconsulting with them to avoidduplication,”Kharesaid.

Thecorporationisalsoopentosponsoringindustrialtraining,if

required,andwillalsocreateself-help groups to start poultry- orgoat-farming.

The foundation stone for theMumbai-AhmedabadbullettrainprojectwaslaidbyPrimeMinis-terNarendraModiandhisJapa-nesecounterpartShintoAbelastyear.

The 35 bullet trains with 10coacheseach,whichwillinitiallyrun on Mumbai-Ahmedabadroute, will have one businessclass coach and nine standardcoaches each. The project hasfaced opposition from farmerswhoselandisbeingacquired,andbeencriticisedforitscost(around~1.1 lakhcrore, ofwhicharound~10,000 crore would be used inacquisitionof land).

Delhi Metro’s first chief ESreedharan recently said thatbullet trains are for elites andIndianeedsasaferailsystem.

Thelandacquisitionprocessisunderway for the 508-km longcorridor.RKSingh,formerchair-manof theRailwayBoard, said:“Land acquisition is a majorheadacheforanyinfrastructureproject in the country.Railway,especiallyhassufferedalot,firstduringthededicatedfreightcor-ridor and now with the bullettrain. This is a big problem andtheall thedemandsof landown-ers can’t bemetas companyhastostrikeabalancetotheensureitis financiallyviable.”

RailwaystoturnoldcoachesintoclinicstohelpvillagersBULLET TRAIN PROJECTMinistry plans to set up bore wells,renovate schools as sops for villages where land will be acquired

n According to surveys, people living in places where land will beacquired need access to healthcare and education. BLOOMBERG

Faizan Haidarn [email protected]

NEWDELHI:Raebareli’s ModernCoach Factory (MCF) couldstart making lighter and moredurablealuminiumcoaches, forthe first time in India, withbetter corrosion resistance asearly as next fiscal year, offi-cials awareof thedevelopmentsaid.

The lighterweight carriagesconsume lesser energy com-pared to steel coaches andhelpincreasetrainspeeds.TheDelhiMetro has used aluminiumcoachesandIndianRailways iskeenonacquiring themaspartof itsmodernisationdrive.

Officials said the RailwayBoard is set to approve MCF’sproject report formanufactur-ing the aluminiumcarriages.

They added that theModernCoach Factory will have tobring the technology eitherfromEuropeorJapan.Aglobaltender for itwillbe floatedonceModernCoachFactorygets thego-ahead.

Arailwaydelegationhadrec-ommendedadoptionof thetech-nology tomanufacturealumin-iumcoaches in Indiaaftervisit-ing coach factories in Europeearlier this year. Countries inEurope and Japan have beenusingaluminiumcoaches foratleast 15 years.

“Aluminium coaches havethe advantage of lesser weightandbettercorrosionresistance.Lesserweightresults insavingsin haulage costs and betteracceleration/deceleration.

“Bettercorrosionresistancewould result in lesser mainte-nance requirements in theworkshops. They will also lastlonger thanthetraditionalLHB

(Linke Hofmann Busch)coaches,” said Modern CoachFactory general managerRajeshAggarwal.

TheRailwayBoardhadaskedforaprojectreport formanufac-turing 500 aluminium coachesper annum. In its report, theMCF has proposed to build 250coaches annually in the firstphase.

“Since Indian Railway doesnothavethetechnologytoman-ufacture thesecoaches,wewillfirst have to bring it in. It willcost around₹150 crore. In thesecond phase, when the pro-posal is to manufacture 500coachesperannum,additional~62crorewillberequired,”saida railwayministry official.

The official said the rate ofreturnfor thisproject is25-30%.Headdedanyrailwayproject isconsideredcommerciallyviableif the rate in above 15%. Whenthemaintenanceandmanufac-turing costs are lesser, the rateof return is higher.

“Many countries haveadoptedaluminiumcoachesasthey are rusting free, can lastlonger; their cost of mainte-nance is also less. This is theright time to go for aluminiumcoaches,” said former RailwayBoard chairmanRKSingh.

Modern Coach Factory hasincreasedproductionexponen-tially to 368 coaches in the fourmonthsof2018-19.This isalmostequal to the coaches manufac-tured in first fourmonthsof lastfour years and almost doublethenumberofcarriagesbuilt inthe sameperiod last year.

Modern Coach Factory’scapacity of 1,000 coaches perannum is being increased to2,000withaninvestmentof~480crore.

Rlys to pave wayfor lighter, betteraluminium coaches

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NAZANIN ZAGHARIRATCLIFFEBritish-Iranian aidworker returns to prison after arequest to extend her three-day releasewas rejected

1 Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a projectmanagerwith theThomson Reuters Foundation,was arrested in April2016 at a Tehran airport as shewas heading back toBritainwith her two-year-old daughter after a

family visit. Shewas convicted of plotting to overthrowIran’s clerical establishment

2 Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said they received “mixedmessages”ahead of her return to Evin prison. Shewas initially told her requestfor an extension had been approved, but then received a call tellingher to return to prison by sunset, he said

3 Britain’s foreignminister JeremyHunt tweeted that attempts tofree Zaghari-Ratcliffewould continue: “Looks like Iranian legalsystem is impervious to the simple fact at the heart of this: aninnocentwoman is desperate to be reunitedwith her family.”

inthenews

n Detained Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo arriveat Insein court in Yangon, Myanmar. The two, accused ofbreaking a state secrets law while investigating a massacre ofRohingya Muslims, face another week of uncertainty after theverdict in their trial was delayed on Monday. REUTERS

photooftheday

shortstories

world (RUPERT MURDOCH’S NEWS ORGANISATION) OPERATES AS A POLITICAL PARTY, ACTING IN PURSUIT OFCLEARLY DEFINED COMMERCIAL INTERESTS, IN ADDITION TO HIS FARRIGHT IDEOLOGICAL WORLD VIEW.

>KEVINRUDD, formerAustralianprimeminister, callingmedia tycoonRupertMurdoch “thegreat cancer onAustraliandemocracy”

Pakistan: Zardari appearsinmoney laundering caseISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s formerpresident Asif Ali Zardari and hissister Faryal Talpur appearedbefore a joint investigation teamof the Federal InvestigationAgency onMonday in Islamabadto record their statement in a Rs35 billionmoney laundering andfake bank accounts case. In July,the Supreme Court listed Zardariand his sister as beneficiaries in analleged scam that led to the arrestof the Pakistan People’s Partyco-chairman’s close aideHussainLawai. PTI

Pakistan govt bans VIPprotocol at airportsISLAMABAD: Pakistan has bannedVIP culture at airports for “influ-ential people” including politi-cians, judges andmilitary officialsas part of the newgovernment’sausterity plan,media reports saidonMonday. The decisionwill beimplemented to provide equalopportunities to all travellerswithout any discrimination. PTI

Iran goes to UN court overreimposed US sanctionsTHEHAGUE: Iranwent to theUN’shighest court onMonday in a bidto haveUS sanctions liftedfollowing President DonaldTrump’s decision to re-imposethem, calling themove “nakedeconomic aggression.” Iran filedthe casewith the InternationalCourt of Justice in July, claimingthat the sanctions the Trumpadministration imposed onMay 8breach a 1955 bilateral agreementknown as the Treaty of Amitythat regulates economic andconsular ties between the twocountries. AP

‘Stressed’ pilot blamed forNepal plane crash inMarchKATHMANDU: An investigationinto a deadly plane crash onMarch 12 at Nepal’s internationalairport has blamed the captainwhowept and suffered anemotional breakdownduring theflight after his skills were ques-tioned, according to a draft of thereport leaked onMonday. AFP

GUNMANKILLS TWO, THENHIMSELF ATFLORIDA VIDEOGAME TOURNAMENTJACKSONVILLE: Agunman opened fire at an online video game tournamentas itwas being livestreamed froma Floridamall, killing twopeople and thenfatally shooting himself in a rampage thatwounded several others, authori-ties said. Jacksonville sheriffMikeWilliams said authorities believed 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore carried out the attack on Sunday using atleast one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurantsand shops along the St Johns River.Williams said themandied fromaself-inflicted gunshot, adding final confirmation of the suspect’s identitywas pending as the FBI in Baltimore aided in the investigation. Nine otherpeoplewerewounded by gunfire and all were in a stable condition. AP

PrasunSonwalkarn [email protected]

LONDON: UN investigators onMonday saidMyanmar’s armychiefMinAungHlaing and fivemore generals should be prose-cuted in an international courtfor “genocide” against theRohingyaminority.Amission, establishedby the

UN Human Rights Council inMarch 2017, found patterns ofgross human rights violationsandabusesthatitsaid“undoubt-edlyamounttothegravestcrimesunderinternationallaw”,princi-pallybythemilitary,butalsobyothersecurity forces.Some 700,000 Rohingya refu-

geeshavetakenshelterinneigh-bouring Bangladesh and IndiasinceAugust2017duetowhattheUNhadpreviouslydescribedasa“textbook example of ethniccleansing”.The Myanmar government

hasdeniedtheallegations.The latest international criti-

cismofYangon’sapproachtotheRohingya crisis came in thereportoftheUNfact-findingmis-sion. It called for the generals tobe tried for crimes againsthumanityandwarcrimesin theRakhine,KachinandShanstates.Thereportalsocriticisedcivil-

ian leaderAungSanSuuKyi fornot preventing “the unfoldingevents inRakhinestate”.Responsibility for the situa-

tion, thereport said,startsatthetop,withHlaing.Thefiveothersnamed are deputy commander-in-chiefViceSenior-GenSoeWin,bureau of special operations-3commanderLtGenAungKyaw

Zaw, western regional militarycommandchiefMajGenMaungMaung Soe, 33rd Light InfantryDivision commander Brig GenAungAung,and99thLightInfan-try Division commander BrigGenThanOo.Holding the Myanmar mili-

tary – theTatmadaw–responsi-ble, thereport said thatmilitarynecessitywouldneverjustifykill-ing indiscriminately, gang-rap-ingwomen,assaultingchildren,andburningentirevillages.“The Tatmadaw’s tactics are

consistentlyandgrosslydispro-portionate to actual securitythreats, especially in Rakhinestate,butalsoinnorthernMyan-mar. They are shocking for thelevel of denial, normalcy andimpunity that is attached tothem,” the report stated. “TheTatmadaw’scontemptforhumanlife, integrity and freedom, andfor international law generally,shouldbe a cause of concern fortheentirepopulation.”The UN mission was never

grantedaccesstoMyanmar,butthereportsaystheteamamassedinformation fromprimarysour-ces, including through 875in-depthinterviewswithvictimsandeyewitnesses,satelliteimag-ery and authenticated docu-ments,photographsandvideos.Only verified and corrobo-

rated informationwas taken onboard,andthemissiontravelledtoBangladesh,Indonesia,Malay-sia,ThailandandUK, itadded.A fuller report, containing

detailed information and legalanalysiswill bepresented to theHuman Rights Council on Sep-tember18.

AgenceFrancePressen [email protected]

ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE/ROME:PopeFrancishasrecommendedparentsseekpsychiatrichelpforchildrenwhoshowhomosexualtendencies,duringapressconfer-enceonhisplanetakinghimbacktoRomefromIreland.A journalist asked thepontiff

onSundaywhathewouldsay toparentswhoobservehomosexualtraits in theirchildren.“I would say first of all pray,

not to condemn, to dialogue, tounderstand, to give space to theson or the daughter,” heresponded.Parentsmustalsoconsiderthe

ageof theirchild,hesaid.“When it shows itself from

childhood, there is a lot that canbe done through psychiatry, tosee how things are. It is some-thingelseifitshowsitselfafter20years.”He emphasised that parents

should not respond with“silence”.“Ignoring a son or daughter

whohashomosexualtendenciesisanerroroffatherhoodormoth-erhood.”

POPEMUMONCLAIMHEIGNOREDABUSEPopeFrancishasdeclinedtocom-ment on a claim he personallyignoredsexualabuseallegationsagainstaseniorclergyman,aftera visit to Ireland dominated byChurchscandals.ArchbishopCarloMariaVig-

ano, a formerVatican envoy totheUnitedStates,saidhehadtoldFrancisoftheallegationsagainstprominentUScardinalTheodoreMcCarrick in2013.But rather than punish

McCarrick, who was forced toresign last month, Vigano saidFrancis had lifted sanctionsimposedonhimbyhispredeces-sorPopeBenedictXVI.Vigano called on Francis to

resigninaletterpublishedSatur-dayintheNationalCatholicReg-ister.Hesaidthepope“knewfromat

least June 23, 2013, thatMcCar-rickwasaserialpredator,”add-ing that “he knew that hewas acorruptman,hecoveredforhimtothebitterend”.Butthepoperefusedtoaddress

thebrewingscandalonSunday.“I will not say a word about

that.Ithinkthatthecommuniquespeaksforitself,”Francissaidonhis plane as he flew back fromDublin toRome.He said he was demanding

“firmanddecisive”measurestofind“truthand justice”.

POPE FRANCIS:PSYCHIATRISTSCAN HELP GAYKIDS, PARENTS

NEWDELHI:Facebook Inchasremovedaccountsandpages linkedtoMyanmar’stopmilitaryofficialsasanewUnitedNationsreportaccusedthecountry’sarmedforcesofcommittingwarcrimesagainst thecountry’sMuslimRohingyaminority.OnMonday,Facebook

removed18Facebookaccounts,oneInstagramaccountand52Facebookpagesthatwerefollowedbynearly12millionpeople, thecompanysaid inablogpost.It isbanning20 individualsandorganizations, includ-

ingcommander-in-chiefMinAungHlaingandthemilitary’sMyawaddytelevi-sionnetwork.“Wewant toprevent them

fromusingourservicetofurther inflameethnicandreligioustensions,”Face-booksaidonTuesday.“Whileweweretooslow

toact,we’renowmakingprogress–withbetter tech-nologyto identifyhatespeech, improvedreportingtools,andmorepeople toreviewcontent,”Facebooksaid in theblog.Today,wearetakingmoreaction inMyanmar.” BLOOMBERG

FACEBOOKBANSMYANMAR’SMILITARYCHIEF FORHATESPEECH

ISLAMABAD:Thehardline IslamicgroupthatlaidsiegetoIslamabadlastyeardemandingstrictadher-ence to blasphemy laws haswarneditwillagainmarchonthePakistani capital to protestagainstacompetitionofblasphe-mous cartoons to be held in theNetherlands.TheTehreek-e-LabbaikPaki-

stan(TLP)saidonSundayitwilllauncha“decisivemarch” fromLahore to Islamabad onAugust29 and “stay on the streets untileitherthepublicationofblasphe-mous cartoons in the Nether-lands end or the governmentimmediatelyendsdiplomatictieswiththeDutch”.Thegroupledbyradicalcleric

Khadim Hussain Rizviannounced the protest afterDutch parliamentarian GeertWilderssaidhewouldholdacom-

petition of blasphemous carica-tures inNovember.The TLP urged the Imran

Khan government to end diplo-matic and commercial tieswiththeNetherlands and to demandthat other Islamic countries dothe same. It further demandedthat “strictmeasures” be takenagainst the US as the competi-tion’s judgeisanAmerican.Speaking in Parliament on

Monday, PrimeMinister ImranKhansaidtheabsenceofaninter-nationalpolicyonblasphemouscontent reflected the“collectivefailure”ofMuslimnations.“Our government will raise

thematterintheOrganisationofIslamic Cooperation and askMuslim countries to come upwith a collective policy that canthen be brought up at interna-tional forums,”hesaid. HTC

‘ BLASPHEMOUS ’ CARTOONS

Pak Islamist group toprotest Dutch event

Reutersn [email protected]

BEIJING: China’s ruling Commu-nistPartyhasissuedarevisedsetof regulations governing mem-bers’ behaviour, threateningpunishmentforspreadingpoliti-calrumoursandrecommendingthose who cling to religiousbeliefsbeaskedtoleavetheparty.PresidentXi Jinping’s on-go-

ing crackdown against deep-rooted corruption, begun sixyearsagowhenhetookoffice,hasshaken up the party, with Xiwarning, like other leadersbeforehim,thattheparty’sverysurvival isatstake.

Xi has accrued more powerthananyofhisimmediateprede-cessors and has intensifiedeffortstoensurecadresareloyal,disciplined,uprightandhonest.Theupdated discipline rules,

released late on Sunday by thegraftwatchdogtheCentralCom-missionforDisciplineInspectionbut in effect fromAugust 18, putinto written form many ordersthat are in practice already ineffect.In the most serious cases

where a law has been broken,party members can be prose-cuted,butinmanycasesthemostsevere punishment that can bemeted out is expulsion from the

party.Xi’snamehas also beenwrit-

ten into therevisedrules, as it isalready in the party and coun-try’sconstitution,puttinghimattheverycentreofparty life.Party members are not

allowedtospeakoutagainstcen-tral party policies or decisions,andnorcantheyspread“politicalrumours or damage the party’sunity”, thenewrulessay.Anothernewclausetakesaim

at party members who are alsoreligious. While the country’sconstitutionguaranteesfreedomof religion the party is officiallyatheist and party members aresupposedtobetoo.

China targets rumours, religion in new party rules

n Chinese President Xi Jinping has accrued more power than any ofhis immediate predecessors. BLOOMBERG FILE

SutirthoPatranobisn [email protected]

BEIJING:ChinaonMondaysoughtto delink the contentious eco-nomic corridor it’s buildingthrough Pakistan-occupiedKashmir from Sino-India ties,sayingrecentmeetingsbetweenthe leadersof the twosideshavegiven the relationship “freshimpetus”.“We are neighbours, we are

partners. Historically we weretogetherandinthefuture,Ineverbelieve that anybody can sepa-rate India and China,” ZhangJun,assistantministerofforeignaffairs,saidwhiledescribingtiesbetweenNewDelhiandBeijing.Zhangwasamongseniorlead-

erswhoaddressed themediaonfiveyearsoftheBeltandRoadIni-tiative, President Xi Jinping’sambitiousconnectivityproject.Indiahasn’t joined theBRI as

the China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC), one of its flag-ship projects, passes throughPoK.Theprojectbecameanotherirritant between the two coun-

triessinceitwasunveiledin2013.“China has repeatedly stated

theCPEC is an economic initia-tive. Implementing CPEC doesnot jeopardise China’s positiononKashmir,”hesaid.Zhangreferred to threemeet-

ings between Prime MinisterNarendraModiandXisinceAprilin the context of improvedbilat-eralrelations.OnApril28,ModiandXimet for an informal sum-mitin thecentralChinesecityofWuhantoformulatewhatisnowknown as the “Wuhan consen-sus”, anunderstanding to focusmore on convergences than dif-

ferences.“Undertheleadership(ofModi

and Xi), China and India haveexhibitedaverygoodmomentumof growth, anewphase of devel-opment (in ties),”hesaid.“We can all recall, since

April…sinceWuhan,(theShang-hai Cooperation Organisationsummit in) Qingdao and (theBRICS Summit in) Johannes-burg, there have been threeimportantmeetings. They havereached important understand-ings,”hesaid,whenaskedaboutIndia’s sovereignty concernsover CPEC. “There is a freshimpetusinbilateralties,”Zhangadded.He contended India andChinawere natural partners intheancient silkroute“aswellastheBRI”.CPEC,however,isfastbecom-

ingareality.Despitethecurrent“fresh impetus” in China-Indiaties,NingJizhe,vice-chairmanofthe National DevelopmentReformCommission, saidat thesame interaction that CPEC isprogressingsmoothly,withsev-eralprojectsalreadyfunctional.

China seeks to delink Indiaties and contentiousCPEC

CHINA’S FOREIGNMINISTRYHASSAID THEPARTICIPATIONOF THEMILITARIESOF INDIA ANDPAKISTANATAMULTILATERAL EXERCISEONTHESCOPLATFORMINRUSSIA IS CRUCIAL TOPEACE IN THEREGION.

UN:Myanmarmilitarytopbrassshouldbetriedforgenocide

Longwait for justiceSince August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled violence in Myanmar, withthe UN Human Rights Council describing atrocities against the minority as genocide

n Refugees crossing the Naf River into Bangladesh. REUTERS FILE

n Commander-in-chiefSenior-GenMin Aung Hlaing

Whatdoes theUNmission report say? Onmilitary

“Impunity is deeplyentrenched inMyanmar’spolitical and legal system,effectively placing theTatmadawabove the law.The Constitution and otherlaws provide for immunitiesand place the Tatmadawbeyond civilian oversight”

Mission’s recommendations"The Security Councilshould ensure account-ability for crimes underinternational law comm-itted inMyanmar, prefe-rably by referring thesituation to the Interna-tional Criminal Court oralternatively by creatingan ad hoc internationalcriminal tribunal"

"TheUNand internationalcommunitymust ensure thatthe repatriation of refugeesand return of internallydisplaced persons only occurswhen safe, voluntary anddignified,with explicithuman rights protections inplace, including citizenship. Inthe current circumstances,returns are not possible"

n Says army's tactics were"consistently and grosslydisproportionate to actualsecurity threats"nNames six military generals itbelieves should go on trial.n Is critical of state counsellorAung San Suu Kyi for failing tointervene to stop the violencen Calls for the case to bereferred to the InternationalCriminal Courtn Says some abuses werecommitted by ethnic groups

Howdoes theUNdefinegenocide?n The term combines the Greekword "genos" (race or tribe) withthe Latin word "cide" (to kill)n Article Two of the UNConvention on Genocide definesthe term as "acts committed withthe intent to destroy, in whole orin part, a national, ethnic, racial orreligious group "n Only one person has beenconvicted of genocide— inNovember 2017, a UN tribunalfound former Bosnian Serbcommander RatkoMladic, knownas the "Butcher of Bosnia", guiltyof genocide and crimes againsthumanity during the BosnianWar

n State Counsellor Aung SanSuu Kyi

OnSuuKyi“Suu Kyi has not used herde facto position as head ofgovernment... to stemorprevent the unfoldingevents... Through their actsand omissions, the civilianauthorities have contrib-uted to the commission ofatrocity crimes”

ROHINGYA CRISISMission’s report says top generals have committed crimes against humanity

Yashwant Rajn [email protected]

WASHINGTON: US PresidentDonald Trump on Mondayannounced a new trade dealwithMexico, adding that talkswith Canada would beginshortly on a new regional freetrade pact.“It’s abigday for trade.Abig

dayforourcountry.Alotofpeo-ple felt we’d never get here,”Trumpsaidinremarks fromtheOvalOffice, joinedonphonebyhis Mexican counterpartEnriquePenaNieto.US andMexicannegotiators

havebeenworking forweeks toiron out differences and revisethe nearly 25-year old NorthAmerican Free Trade Agree-ment (Nafta),whileCanadawaswaiting to rejoin the negotia-tions.“They use to call it Nafta.

We’regoing tocall it theUnitedStates-Mexicotradeagreement.We’llgetridof thenameNafta. Ithas a bad connotation becausethe United States was treatedvery very badly for Nafta,”Trumpsaid.Pena Nieto welcomed the

agreementwith equal enthusi-asmbutpointedout repeatedlythatMexicowould likeCanadato join the agreement aswell.He said spoke to Canada’s

PrimeMinisterJustinTrudeauonMondayandurgedOttawatorapidlyrejoin the talkswith thegoal of getting a final Naftarewrite thisweek.“I expressedtheimportanceof themreenter-ing the processwith the goal ofconcluding an agreement thisveryweek,”he tweeted.Trump said talks with

Canadawillbeginsoonandthathe will be calling Trudeaushortly. However, he threat-

ened tariffs on Canadian carexports to theUS if a deal couldnot be reached.“One way or another we’ll

have a deal with Canada. It’lleither be a tariff on cars or it’llbe anegotiated deal,”he said.The new agreement with

Mexico,which isstill getting itsfinishingtouches, isexpectedtogo intoeffect inNovemberaftera mandatory period of 90 daysfor public review and com-ments.Officialssaidtheyplan tonotify theCongress onFriday.AseniorUStradeofficial said

there are hopes that a finalthree-nation accord can bereachedbyFriday.Canada would continue to

negotiate,butwouldonlysignanewagreement that is good forthe country, a spokesman forforeignministerChrystiaFree-land said.

(With inputs from Agencies)

US,Mexico reach Nafta deal,talks with Canada to begin

Bloombergn [email protected]

KABUL: RussiaagreedtopostponeaMoscow peace conference onAfghanistan amid oppositionfromtheKabulgovernment,evenas the Taliban had agreed toattend.Afghan President Ashraf

GhaniandRussianforeignminis-terSergeiLavrovagreedtodelaythemeetinginitiallyfixedforSep-tember 4 to an unknown futuredate, according to an emailedstatement from Ghani’s pressofficeandaRussianforeignmin-istrywebsitestatement.“Themainandessentialprin-

ciple is toholdpeacetalksunderthe ownership of Afghans,”

Ghani toldLavrov. In response,Lavrov said Russia wants“Afghan-ownedpeace talksandisreadyforanyeffectivecoopera-tion in that regardwith the gov-ernmentofAfghanistan,”accord-ingtothestatement fromKabul.Bothsidessaidthey’ddecided

toworktogethertosetadateand

hostthemeeting.Russia’sforeignministry said it had acceptedKabul’srequestformoretimetoforgea“consolidatedpositionbytheAfghanside”.Afghanistan said last week it

would not attend the meetingbecauseitwouldnotprovidetheopportunity for direct negotia-tions between the governmentand the Taliban. The US alsodeclined to take part in theRus-sian-led discussions, to whichMoscowinvitedanumberofkeypowers.Taliban spokesman Zabihul-

lah Mujahed said they wouldattendthemeetingbutwouldnothold face-to-face talks withAfghan government officials iftheyattended.

AFGHAN PEACE TALKS

Russia indefinitely postponesnext week’s meet with Taliban

THE TALIBANCONTESTSORCONTROLSHALFOFAFGHANISTAN,MORETHANANY TIMESINCETHEGROUPWASTOPPLED IN 2001 BYTHEUS INVASION.

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes 13

pendent directors are taskedwithprotecting the interests ofminorityshareholders,whoarenot represented on companyboards.

The listing agreement thatcompanies sign with stockexchanges says listed entitieswithanon-executivechairmanshouldreservea thirdofdirect-orships for independentdirect-ors and half in case of compa-nies with an executive chair-man.

Thepanelsoughttointroducea provision for companies todeclarecommencementofbusi-ness in order to tackle themenace of shell companies. Atpresent,manyentrepreneursdonotdoanybusiness forvariousreasons after incorporatingcompanies, making these enti-ties defunct. Some of the non-functionalcompanieswereusedto launder money duringdemonetization at the end of2016.Putting theonusofdeclar-ing thecommencementofoper-ationsonthecompanywillhelptheauthorities to track inabet-terwayanymisuseof thecorpo-rate structure.

MALLYACASE:SEPT 3 FIXED ASTHENEXTDATEFORHEARINGMUMBAI:A special court here onMonday fixed September 3 as thenext date of hearing in the VijayMallya fugitive economic of-fender declaration case as someother parties have sought toimplead themselves in thematterpertaining to the alleged defaultof over ₹9,000 crore bank loans,officials said. Officials said at leastfive parties, including a familymember ofMallya, has soughtcourt documentswith regard tothe ED seeking to get declaredthe businessman a fugitiveeconomic offender under the newlaw and hence the court postedthematter for the nextweek. Thenext date for the hearing in thecase is September 3, as ordered bythe court of special PMLA judgeMSAzmi, they said.

Tesla shares slip after firmdecides to stay publicSANFRANCISCO:Shares of Teslaslipped on the first day of tradingafter the electric vehiclemakersaid itwon’t consider goingprivate after all. InmorningtradingMonday, Tesla Inc. wastrading at $313.13, down $9.69, or3%,while the broadermarketsrallied. Late Friday, founder ElonMusk said that after consultingwith shareholders, the Palo Alto,California, companywill staypublic. That followed a surprisingtweet twoweeks earlierwhenMusk said he had secured fundingfor a deal at $420 a share, then a23%premium.

Shell to buy out Total’s26% stake in Hazira LNGAHMEDABAD:Shell Gas BV, asubsidiary of RoyalDutch Shellplc, said onMonday that it hasentered into an agreementwithTotal Gaz Electricité HoldingsFrance to acquire its 26% equity intheHazira LNG and Port inGujarat. The deal is subject toregulatory approvals, the com-pany said but did not disclosefinancial details of the deal.

COMPILED FROMMINTREPORTERS AND AGENCIES


SANFRANCISCO/TAIPEI:Apple Inc.isnotonlydoublingdownonthe iPhoneX, it’s triplingdown.Theworld’smostvalu-able companyplans to launchthreenewphonessoon thatkeep theedge-to-edgescreendesignof lastyear’s flagship,according topeople familiarwith thematter.Thedeviceswill boastawiderrangeofpri-ces, featuresandsizes toincrease theirappeal, said thepeople,whoaskednot tobeidentifieddiscussingunan-nouncedproducts.

However,noneof the threeiPhoneswill bewhollynewdesigns like the iPhoneXwas

lastyearor the iPhone6 in2014,withsome insideApplelabelling the launchasan“Syear,”adesignation thecom-panyhasgiven tonewhand-sets that retain theprevious

designbutaddnewinternalfeatures.Thecompany isplanningmoresignificantchanges fornextyear, theyadded.The iPhoneXwasn’t asbigahit as someWallStreet

analystshoped forbefore itwasreleased lastNovember.However, it still sold stronglyandhelpedApplegainshareinasmartphonemarket thathasalmost stoppedgrowing.

Theupcomingphones,planned tobeunveiled inSep-tember, showthecompany isadjusting its strategy.Ratherthan luringmillionsofnewiPhoneusers,Apple’s goalthesedays is to steadily raiseaverageprices,while expand-ing the totalnumberofactivedevices to support salesofaccessoriesanddigital servi-ces like streamingmusicandvideo.

“The iPhone is enteringaperiodof 0-to-5%annualgrowth,and the things they’re

doing this fallwill keep themonthatpath,” saidGeneMun-ster, aveteranAppleanalystandmanagingpartnerofLoupVentures.The“real siz-zle” for investors remains theiPhonebecause it’s thehubforalmostallApple’s otherofferings like theAppleWatch,AirPods, andAppleMusic,Munsteradded.ApplespokeswomanTrudyMullerdeclined tocomment.

Inearly2016, thecompanyreportedanewmilestone: 1billionactivedevices.Byearly thisyear, thatnumberhadgrownto1.3billion.ThethreenewiPhonesduenextmonthhaveagoodchance toadd to this important founda-tionof thecompany’s future.

Apple plans iPhoneX designwith newcolours, bigger screensSHIFT IN STRATEGY

n The new devices, planned to be launched in September, will boasta wider range of prices, features and sizes BLOOMBERG


MUMBAI/NEW YORK: Three bank-ruptUScompanieswith links tobillionaire jeweller NiravModiwere“directlyinvolved”intrans-actionsrelatedtotheallegedmul-tibillion-dollar internationalfraud for which Modi has beencharged by Indian authorities,accordingtoaninvestigationbythecourt-appointedexaminer.

Theexaminer,JohnJCarney,found “substantial evidence”thatseniorofficersanddirectorsatFirestarDiamondInc.,A.JaffeInc.andFantasyInc.hadknowl-edge of and involvement in thecriminal conduct alleged byIndianofficials.The“intensive”120-dayinvestigationfoundsub-stantial evidence to support theconclusion by Indian officialsthatthecompaniesandtheirtopofficials were involved in theactivities,accordingtothereportthatwasfiledonSaturday.

The examiner has identifiedtensofmillionsofdollarsofpur-porteddiamondsalesbythedebt-ors to various shadow entities,wherepayment canbe traced toproceeds from the alleged bankfraud, it said.Thefindingsof theexaminer in the US court willlikelybolstertheIndiangovern-ment’s case against the fugitivediamondmerchant.UKauthori-tieshaveconfirmedtoIndiathatModihasbeen located in theUKandBritish officials have askedIndiafordocumentsnecessarytomakeaprovisionalarrest,IndiaTodayTVreportedAugust23.

3 US firms linkedto Nirav directlyinvolved in bankfraud, says report

Naresh Goyal, chairman of JetAirways.

Jet Airways had onAugust 9postponedtheannouncementofitsearningsforthethreemonthsended June 30. It had then saidthat the chairman of its auditcommitteeinformedtheboardatitsmeetingthatdaythattheman-

shortstories

equitytostructuredcreditdeals,in financial services, manufac-turing, broadcast services andrenewable energy, involving awide rangeof situations suchasbacking promoters, fundingmanagementbuyoutsandinvest-ing inminoritytransactions.

In2013,ithadinvestedaround$150million in theholding com-pany of the $4 billion GautamThapar-promoted Avantha

tutionalbuyingwhichhas led tothe Indian equities rally,” saidAjayBodke, chief executiveandchiefportfoliomanager(PMS)atbrokeragePrabhudasLilladher.

According to theAssociationofMutualFundsinIndia(Amfi),average assets under manage-ment of India’s mutual fundindustry in July was a record₹23.96 lakhcrore.

Domestic institutional inves-tors (DII) including insuranceandmutualfundcompanieshavepumpedin₹70,164.97croresofarin2018.Incontrast, foreigninsti-tutionalinvestors(FIIs)werenetsellers of Indian equities worth$311.72millionin2018,butbought$161.85millioninAugust.Reuters contributed to this

story.

NasrinSultanan [email protected]

MUMBAI: India’s equity bench-marksset anewrecordonMon-day as reassuring commentsfrom the US central bank,China’sattempts tostabilise theyen and easing trade war fearsliftedstocksworldwideandtrig-gered a gush of domestic liquid-ity. The Sensex and Nifty bothrose over 1.2% during the day,their biggest single-day gain intwomonths.The30-shareSensexrose 442.31 points, or 1.16%, to38,694.11 points, while the50-share Nifty gained 1.17% to11,691.95points.

MSCI’sbroadestindexofAsia-PacificsharesoutsideJapanrose1.1%andJapan’sblue-chipNik-kei closed at a 10-week high.MSCI’sAll-CountryWorldindex,which tracks shares in 47 coun-tries, is now at its highest levelsinceAugust9.

According to data fromBSE,domesticinstitutionspumpedin₹1,117.24croreintostockmarketson Monday, accounting fornearly a third of the ₹3,334.55crore they invested in Indianequities inallofAugust.

Comments from US FederalReserve chief Jerome Powell attheJacksonHolesymposiumonFridayaffirmingthattheUScen-tralbankwasstickingtoitsstrat-egy of gradual rate hikes to pro-tect economicgrowthsparkedarally that gathered pace at thebeginningof thenewweek.

A strengthening in the yuan,which had suffered from tradetensions,alsoboostedsentiment.The Chinese currency hit a2-2.5-weekhighversusthedollarafter China’s central bankrevived a “counter-cyclical fac-tor” in itsdaily fixing tosupportthecurrency,arrestingarecord10-week slide that rattled globalmarketsand irritatedWashing-ton.“Itisboththetailwindsfromglobalmarketsandmassiveinsti-

Global rally liftsIndianmarketsto a record high

n The Sensex rose 442.31 points, or 1.16%, to 38,694.11 points,while the Nifty gained 1.17% to 11,691.95 points REUTERS

GopikaGopakumar,MalvikaJoshiandShayanGhoshn [email protected]

MUMBAI:As the deadline set bytheReserveBankof India (RBI)for resolutionof stressedassetsendedonMonday, lendershavedecided to refer 20 of at least 32stressedaccountstobankruptcycourts,accordingtotwobankersawareof thematter.

For the remaining 12accounts, lenders will eitherrestructure the debt or initiatesale proceedings, the bankerssaidonconditionofanonymity.

On February 12, the RBI hadset a 180-day timeline startingMarch1 for resolving largecor-porate loan defaults, failingwhichbankshavetorefer thesecases for insolvency proceed-ings.

Among the 20 new accountsthat will be referred to theNational Company Law Tribu-nal(NCLT),amajority— includ-ing Essar Power, Korba WestPower Co. Ltd, Jindal IndiaThermal Ltd and SravantEnergyPvt.Ltd—arepowerpro-jects.Thelistalsohasmetalcom-panies, including BMM IspatLtd, ISMT Ltd, BRG Iron andSteel and SplendidMetal Prod-ucts Ltd. RelianceNaval is alsoamong the companies that willbe referred to bankruptcycourts.

Lenders have, however,decided to restructure the out-standing debt of Videocon OilVenturesLtd,GMRRajahmun-dry Ltd and Jaiprakash PowerVenturesLtd.

Banks have received bidsfrom Edelweiss Asset Recon-struction Co. to acquire twoaccounts—CoastalEnergenPvt.

LtdandGTLInfrastructureLtd.Edelweiss Asset has bid ₹3,200crore for Coastel Energen and₹2,400 crore for GTL Infra. Theassetreconstructioncompanyisalso exploring the option ofteamingupwithforeignlenderssuchasDeutscheBankandBankofAmericaMerrillLynchtopayupfront cash.

According to one of the twobankers cited earlier, lendershave decided to sell PrayagrajPowerGeneration Company toTata group and ICICI Venture-backed Resurgent Power Ven-turesandSKSPowertoSingapo-re-basedAgritradeResources.

ABloomberg report onMon-daysaidAdaniPowerLtdislook-ing to acquire the 1,370-mega-wattGMRChhattisgarhEnergyLtd. The deal is likely to beannouncedinthenextfewweeks

after lenders give a formalapproval, thereport said.

Emailsandmessagessenttoamajorityofthecompaniesfailedto elicit any response. SravantiEnergydeclinedtocomment,asthe matter is under judicialreview.

Thecentralbank, throughitsFebruary 12 circular, askedbanks to craft resolution plansfordefaultedaccountswithin180daysincaseswheretheexposureis more than ₹2,000 crore. Thecentralbankalsointroducedtheconcept of a one-day default,underwhichbankshavetoiden-tifyincipientstresswhenrepay-mentsareoverdueevenbyaday.

Last year, lenders referred atotal of 40 large corporateaccountsworth₹3.5lakhcroretoNCLT for initiating insolvencyproceedings.

n A majority of the 20 accounts tobe referred to NCLT for insolvencyproceedings are power firms suchas Essar Power, Korba West PowerCompany, Jindal India Thermaland Sravant Energy

n BMM Ispat and Reliance Naval arealso part of the list of firms to bereferred to NCLT

OVERTO INSOLVENCYCOURT

TheAug27deadlinewouldnothaveanymaterial impact on theprovisioningrequirements, asmostof them (stressed

accounts) havealreadybeen classified asNPAs.There is notgoing tobeanyacceleratedprovisions for these accounts since theFeb 12 circular doesn’tmention itRAJNISH KUMAR, chairman, SBI

n Lenders will sell PrayagrajPower Generation Co. toResurgent Power Venturesbacked by the Tata group andICICI Venture

n Edelweiss ARC has bid ₹3,200crore for Coastal Energen and₹2,400 crore for GTLInfrastructure

POWERED BY

Deadlineover,20a/cstobereferredtotheNCLTUNDER PRESSURE Banks will restructure debt or initiate sale for 12 other stressed accounts

Utpal Bhaskarn [email protected]

NEWDELHI: The Allahabad highcourtonMondaydeniedinterimrelieftopowercompanies,whichhad challenged the ReserveBank of India’s (RBI) February12circularonbad loans.

Thecentralbank, initscircu-lar,hadtightenedthenormsforsettlingnon-performingloansbyallowinglenderstoinitiateinsol-vency proceedings againstdefaulters,besidessettingtime-lines for resolving bad loans.Althoughbanksweregivensev-eraloptionstoarriveataresolu-tionplan,theyhad180daystodoso.

The central bank also intro-duced the concept of a one-daydefault,underwhichbankshaveto identify incipient stress evenwhen repayments are overduebyaday.

AccordingtoCNBC-TV18,thecourthasaskedthecentralgov-ernment to decide and takeactionwithin15days,underSec-tion 7 of the Reserve Bank ofIndiaAct.

Ithasalsoaskedthehigh-levelempoweredcommitteetodecideon resolutions within twomonthsinconsultationwiththecentralbank.

Section7of theReserveBankofIndiaActstatesthattheUniongovernment, in public interest,cangivedirectionstothecentralbank fromtime to time.

ALLAHABAD HCDENIES RELIEFTO POWER COS


MUMBAI: Billionaire GautamAdani’s energyunit isnearingadealtoacquirea1,370-megawatt(MW) thermal power plantbacked by GMR InfrastructureLtd, according to people withknowledgeof thematter.

AdaniPowerLtdwilltakeoverabout ₹3,800 crore ($543million)of loans out of a total of ₹5,800crore that GMR ChhattisgarhEnergyLtdowes,saidthepeople,who asked not to be identifiedbecause the information is pri-vate. Adani Power will alsoassumenon-fundedliabilitiesofabout ₹1,400 crore, the peoplesaid.

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI)hasbeenlookingtorestruc-ture stressed loans that havealreadypusheddozensofcompa-niesintobankruptcy.TheRBIisattemptingtocleanupmorethan$210 billion of soured debt onbankbalancesheetsandhaspre-viously asked lenders to takeabout40largedefaulterstobank-ruptcy court lest overdue bor-rowings slow growth in Asia’sthird-largesteconomy.InFebru-ary, it introduced new rules fordelinquent loanstoberecast.

A deal may be announced inthenext fewweeksafter lendersgiveaformalapproval,thepeoplesaid. Lenders took control ofGMR Chhattisgarh from GMRInfrastructure after adopting arestructuringplanlastyearthatconverted about ₹3,000 crore ofdebt intoabout52%ofequity.

Adani Power saidto near acquisitionof GMR thermalpower plant

Gireesh Chandra Prasadn [email protected]

NEWDELHI:A government panelhas recommended capping theremuneration an independentdirector receives from a singlecompany at a fifth of his or heroverall income, inanattempt topreserve the independence ofthese executives hired to safe-guard the interests ofminorityshareholders.

Theproposedpaycapseekstoprevent independent directorsfromdeveloping cosy relation-ships with company manage-ments and prevent conflicts ofinterest. The cap excludes thefee theyget forattendingboardmeetings.

The recommendation wasmadebyaneight-membercom-mittee led by corporate affairssecretary Injeti Srinivas afterreviewing the Companies Act,2013.ThereportwassubmittedtoUnioncorporateaffairsmin-isterArunJaitley onMonday.

Theministry said in a state-ment that thepanel has recom-mended“impositionofacaponindependent directors’ remu-neration in termsofpercentageof income in order to preventany material pecuniary rela-tionship,whichcouldimpairhisindependence on the board ofthe company”.

Two people aware of thepanel’s discussions confirmedthat the proposed cap is 20% ofthetotal incomeofanindepend-ent director.

“The proposed cap is fair. Ifan independent director gets60%ofhis incomefromonecom-pany,howcanhebeconsideredindependent,” asked one of thetwo people cited before. Theother person said the idea is tomakesurethepersonisnotsub-stantially dependent on onecompany for his income. Inde-

Panel: Limit pay of anindependent directorto 20% from one firm

What thepanelrecommendsn Pay cap for independentdirectors to protect interestsof minority shareholders

n Directors serving on morecompany boards thanallowed to be disqualified

n Registrar of companies todeal with 16 less seriousoffences by imposing fines

n Firms to declare when theystart operations—a move tocurb menace of shell firms

Shayan Ghoshn [email protected]

MUMBAI:Higheconomicgrowthin the last decade riding on theback of elevated credit offtakebecauseof ‘indiscriminate lend-ing’ has led to the current baddebt crisis, finance ministerArunJaitley said onMonday.

When growth is engineeredonthestrengthofa31%ora28%credit offtake in a given year,“historywill certainlyrecord itassomeindiscriminate lending,which is bound to show itsimpact on future”, Jaitley saidthrough video conferencing attheIndianBanks’Association’s(IBA) annual generalmeeting.

The finance minister’s com-ments come at a timewhen theruling Bharatiya Janata Partyand the Congress are tradingchargesoverthegrossdomesticproduct back series data.

According tobackseriescal-culations by a committeeappointed by the National Sta-tistical Commission, the econ-omy grew in double digitstwice—10.23% in 2007-08 and10.78% in 2010-11—during thetenure of the Congress-ledUnited Progressive Alliance(UPA)underformerPrimeMin-isterManmohanSingh.

The calculations have beenmade by a sub-committeeheaded by NR Bhanumurthy,professor at theNational Insti-tute of Public Finance and Pol-icy (NIPFP),withinthecommit-tee on real sector statisticsheaded by Sudipto Mundle,emeritus professor at the insti-tute.

The average growth rate inthe 10 years of UPA rulewas atover 8% against the 7.35% wit-nessedduringthefour-yearten-ure of the NarendraModi gov-ernment.

Indiscriminatelending led tocurrent bad debtcrisis, says Jaitley


MUMBAI:TherupeeonMondayfell sharplytohitarecordclosinglowof70.16against theUSdollar,plungingby25paisedespiteahugerallyinequitiesamideasingworriesovernear-termmonetarypolicytighten-ingbytheUSFed.OnAugust16, thedomesticcurrencyhadtumbledtoahistoric intra-daylowof70.40beforeclosingata life-timelowof70.15perdollar.Therupeehasbeenhitbyarangeof fac-tors includingswellingcurrentaccountdeficit,surgingglobalcrudepri-cesandlukewarmexportgrowth.

RUPEEDIPS TONEWCLOSINGLOWOF 70.16

Jet drafts revivalplan after ₹1,323 crQ1 lossRhikKundun [email protected]

MUMBAI: JetAirways (India)LtdonWednesday reported a fiscalfirst quarter loss of ₹1,323 crore,excluding those of its unit, onhigher fuel costs and foreignexchangelosses.Thecompany’sboardalsooutlinedaturnaroundplan, after posting its secondstraightquarterly loss.

The airline, which hadreportedaprofit(excludingthoseof its units) of ₹53.50 crore in theyearearlierquarter,saidithadanegative networth at the end oftheJunequarter.

“The company has under-takenvariousinitiativesinrela-tiontosavingcost,optimizereve-nuemanagement opportunitiesandenhanceancillaryrevenues.

Theseinitiativesareexpectedtoresultinimprovedoperatingper-formance,”JetAirwayssaidinastatement.

The Jet Airways board onMondayapprovedaturnaroundplan for the airline, whichincludes a cost reduction pro-grammeofmorethan₹2,000croreovertwoyears,aplantoimprovepricing, better inventory man-agement,leveragingitsJetPrivi-legeProgramme,capitalinfusionandfleetsimplification,thecom-panysaid inastatement.

“Thetwosignificantproposalsconsideredbytheboardofdirect-orstoday,thatis,infusionofcapi-tal and the monetization of theairline’s stake in its loyalty pro-gramme, bodewell for the long-term financial health and sus-tainability of the airline,” said

agement needed further time tofinalize theaccounts.

JetAirways,whichhadabout13.6% of the domestic marketshare in July, was expected toreport a wider loss than in theMarchquarterbecauseofrisingcosts.Duringthepast12months,Brent crude has gained 46% to$76.10 a barrel, while the rupeeweakened8.73%against thedol-larduringthesameperiod.

“The company’s continuedthrust to improve operationalefficiencyandinitiativestoraisefunds,includingmonetizationofassets, are expected to addressuncertaintiesinrelationtogener-ation of sustainable cash flowsand ability to repay its borrow-ings,”JetAirwayssaid.“Accord-ingly, the financial results con-tinue to be prepared on a going

concern basis, which contem-plates realization of assets andsettlementofliabilitiesinthenor-malcourseofbusiness,includingfinancialsupporttoitssubsidiar-ies.”

JetchiefexecutiveVinayDubesaidinastatementthattheriseinthepriceofBrentcrude,adepre-ciatingrupeeandaresultingmis-match between high fuel pricesand low fares have adverselyimpacted the Indian aviationindustry,includingJetAirways.

JetAirwaysreportedastand-alone revenue of ₹6,066.91 croreduringtheJunequarter,upfrom₹5,953.92 crore during the Junequarter a year earlier. The air-line’s costs (total expenses) dur-ing the June quarter rose to₹7,389.91 crore from ₹5,900.42crore intheyear-agoquarter.

n Naresh Goyal, chairman ofJet Airways

DeborshiChaki andSwarajSinghDhanjaln [email protected]

MUMBAI:Specialsituationsinves-torAIONCapitalLtdisraisingitssecondIndia-focussedfundwitha targeted corpus of over $1 bil-lion, said twopeoplewithdirectknowledgeofthematter,request-inganonymity.

AIONCapitalisajointventurebetween US-headquarteredglobalprivateequityfundApolloGlobalanddomesticalternativeassets manager ICICI Venture.AIONhadcloseditsmaidenfundin2014at$825million.Addition-ally,italsomanages$120millionof co-invested capital of ICICIVenture and Apollo, taking itstotalassetsundermanagementto

$945million. “For thenew fund,Apollo is expected to commitupto$100million,whiletherestwillbe raised from investors acrosstheglobe,especiallyfromtheUS,wheremostofAION’scurrentsetof limited partners are based,”saidthefirstpersoncitedabove.

“AION’smaidenfundhadseenparticipation from some ofApollo’slimitedpartners,includ-ingUS-basedpensionfunds,anddiscussionsarecurrentlyonwithsomeoftheseinvestorsaswell.”“AIONhasaproventrackrecordofprofitable exits and ishopefulof reaching the first close of thenewfundbytheendofnextquar-ter,”saidthesecondperson.

Since raising its first fund,AION had made a number ofinvestments, including pure

Group,comprisingpapermakerBallarpur Industries Ltd andelectrical appliances makerCromptonGreaves,torepaydebtandreleasepledgedsharesofthepromoters.

In January last year, AIONCapitalfundedthemanagementbuyout of GE’s Indian commer-cialfinancebusinessbyPramodBhasinandAnilChawla.Bhasinwas a former chief executive ofBPOservicescompanyGenpact,while Chawla was the head ofGE’s commercial finance busi-ness inIndia.

InMarch,AIONhadreceivedan approval to set up an assetreconstruction company (ARC)fromtheReserveBankofIndiaaspart of its distressed assetsinvestmentstrategy.

AIONCap targets $1 bn corpus for new fundAIONCAPITAL IS A JVBETWEENGLOBALPVTEQUITY FUNDAPOLLOGLOBALANDDOMESTICALTERNATIVE ASSETSMANAGER ICICI VENTURE

14 sport hindustantimes HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

earlier this month, used decep-tiveflickstomakeitonegameall.Sindhuregainedcomposurein

the decider andhadYamaguchidancing to her tune; led 2-1 andthenracedaheadto11-7.Shecon-tinued to dictate terms againstthe diminutive Japanese andstretchedherleadto16-8.This time there would be no

comeback as Sindhu concededjusttwomorepointsbeforesend-ingapowerfulsmashtoYamagu-chi’s backhand which wasn’treturned. The tie lasted 70min-utes.“Itwasn’teasybutIwaspre-pared for a long match as sheplays a lot of long rallies. Yama-guchigottoomanynetcordsandevenIwassurprisedforawhile,”saidSindhu.LondonOlympicsbronzemed-

allistSainafoundithardtomatchTai, who has now beaten theIndian in10straightties.Taiwasin her elements and neverallowedSainatoleadafterlevel-

lingthescoreat10-all in the firstgame. Saina reduced the gap,reaching 15-16 but Tai claimedthefirstgameeasily.Tai,anIncheonGamesbronze

medallist, continued her domi-nance in thesecondgameshow-ing good court coverage andexcellent retrieving skills in the36-minutematch.Sainaledonceat13-12butfailedtoseizetheiniti-ativeandfrom14-allitwasTaialltheway. “Ineeded tobequickerand have smoother movement,lotmoreshotsaswelltofinishtherallies. Somewhere, she willcatchyou.Everyrallyisdifferentwith her.Most players have setpatternsbutshehasgotavarietyof shots,” said Saina. “She issomeonewhoisnoteasytoread.Notallcoachescanreadher.AsaplayerIhavetriedtoreadbutshealwayscomesupwithanewshot.She has a complete game. Youdon’tknowwheretoplayherandwheretoget thepoints.”

HATTRICKOFGOLD FOR IRANLIFTER SALIMIJAKARTA:Behdad Salimi Kordasi-abi became only the thirdweight-lifter in history to complete ahat-trick of Asian Games goldmedals after vanquishing SaeidAlihosseini in a battle of theIranian giants. Salimi Kordasiabi,whowongoldmedals atGuangzhou 2010 and Incheon2014, battled countrymanAlihoss-eini lift-for-lift as they turned thesuperheavyweight (+105kg)competition into a two-horserace. South Korean superheavy-weight Kim Tae-Hyunwongold in1990, 1994 and 1998 and IraniangreatMohammadNassiri wonlightweight categories in 1966,1970 and 1974.

Indianmen’s table tennisteam assured ofmedalJAKARTA:The Indianmen’s tabletennis teamedged past Japan 3-1in the quarter-final to assure itselfof a historic firstmedal at theAsian Games. G Sathiyanwon twomatcheswhile veteran A SharathKamalwon one as they oustedJapan, the last edition’s bronzemedallists.WorldNo.39 G Sathi-yan beatworldNo. 19 KentaMatsudaira 3-1 (12-10, 6-11, 11-7,11-4) in the fourthmatch to securea passage to the semi-finals andassure India of at least a bronze. Itwas Sathiyanwho gave India agood start, beating Jin Ueda.Sharath then defeated KentaMatsudaira 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 to takea 2-0 lead. Japan then stretchedIndia to the fourthmatch afterMasaki Yoshida beat HarmeetDesai 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4.

Boxers Vikas, Amit andDheeraj enter quartersJAKARTA:Commonwealth Gamesmedalwinning duo of VikasKrishan (75kg) and Amit Panghal(49kg) advanced to the quarter-fi-nals of the Asian Games boxingcompetition. Vikas out-punchedPakistan’s Tanveer Ahmed in hispre-quarterfinal before Amitrecovered froma rusty start tooutwitMongolia’s EnkhmandakhKharhuu—bothwins beingunanimous verdicts. Joining themin the last eightwas nationalchampionDheeraj Rangi (64kg),who defeatedMongolia’s NurlanKobashev. Commonwealth GamesbronzewinnerMohammedHusammuddin (56kg) lost a closecontest against Kyrgyzstan’sEnkh-Amar Kharkhuu to bowout.

Indian squash teamsmakewinning starts in JakartaJAKARTA: India began its cam-paign on awinning notewithbothmen andwomen recording3-0 victories in the group stage ofsquash teamevents at the AsianGames. Themen beat Indonesia3-0 before overwhelming Singa-pore by the samemargin. Thewomen,who had only onematch,beat Iran 3-0. The only familiarplayermissing for IndiawasSauravGhosal but his absence didnot put any extra stress oncompatriots Harinder Pal Sandhu,Ramit Tandon andMaheshMangaonkar as all of themwontheirmatcheswithout concedinga game. In thewomen’s section,both Joshna Chinappa andDipikaPallikal were on viewwith TanviKhanna taking the third spot.

n Iran’s Behdad Salimi AFP

newstracker

the youngman to win gold. LiuQizhen,thesilver-medallistfromChina, recorded apersonal bestandstill finishedon82.22m.Neeraj’sfirstthrowwasjustan

appetiser and the humongousthirdheaveof88.06 lookedlikeithadleftthefieldawestruck.Fromthereon, celebrationsbrokeoutamong the Indians in the standsthough each of the 13 throwersstillhadthreemoreattempts.His longhair fluttering in the

eveningbreeze,theposterboyofIndian athletics kept up thetempo with four clean throws,eachcrossingthe83-metremark.Hissequenceread83.46,X,88.06,83.25 and 86.36.For amoment iteven felt like the Asian Gamesrecord of 89.15m, set by China’sZhaoQinggang in2014,waswellwithinhisgrasp.Whoknows,butforthesultryconditionsitmighthavebeenoverhauled?Neeraj’s training in Finland,

whichhasproducedsomeof theworld’s greatest javelin throw-ers,hasperhapsmadethediffer-ence.HehadflowndirectlyfromhistrainingbasetotheGames.Inhishourofglorythereweresomeemotionalmomentswhensome-one remindedhimofhis formercoachGary Calvert ---who hadguided him to the world juniorchampionshipsgold ---whodiedlast month. “When I wasinformed about his demise, HewasmystrengthandIwillalwaysmisshim,”saidNeeraj.

n Sindhu beat Akane Yamaguchi for the 8th time in 12 meetings. AFP

Not surprised by gold, says first coachNavneet Singhn [email protected]

NEWDELHI: Froman overweight13 year-old in 2011 to an AsianGames champion in 2018, thejourney of Neeraj Chopra isquite intriguing. Seven yearsago,SurinderChopraobservedthat his nephew Neeraj wasdeveloping a bulge around hiswaist.Lack of outdoor activity

options inKhandra—anonde-scriptvillagearound30minutesfrom Panipat (Haryana) —meant Surinder had no optionbut to push the teenager intosomekindof fitnessregimen.Sowheneverhewent toPanipat forsome work, Surinder used to

takeNeerajalonganddrophimat Panipat’s Shivaji Stadiumwhere a family friend oversawhis pursuit of fitness.It was sheer coincidence he

met formernational level jave-lin thrower Jai Choudhary atthe stadium. One day Choud-haryaskedNeeraj to try javelin.“Neeraj’s approach was like aseasoned thrower. Despitebeinganovice,hehadgoodtech-nique. I told him to continuetraining and he agreed,” saidChoudhary fromPanipat.“He was very dedicated and

ready toworkhard.Thatmadehim extra-ordinary. Since hewasaregularat thestadiumhestartedslimmingdownaswell.”Since therewereno frequent

meansofpublic transport fromNeeraj’s village to Panipat, theathlete and coach shifted toPanchkula near Chandigarhwhere facilitieswere farbetter.During training, according toChoudhary, the focus was ontechnique. “Since he had goodstrengthwenever did any gymworkout but fundamentalstrength drills to improvethrowingskills,”saidthecoach.“Since hewas very hardwork-ing, he improved rapidly.”In 2013heparticipated in the

World Youth Championshipsheld inUkrainebutdidn’t finishat thepodium.Twoyears later,whenNeerajrepresentedHary-ana at the National Games inKerala, he caught the eyes of

Athletics Federation of India(AFI) and was inducted in thejunior coachingprogramme.Afterwinninggoldat the2016

South Asian Games in Guwa-hati with a national record of82.23m, Neeraj missed the cutforRioOlympics.AFI’sdecisionto appoint Australian javelinthrow expertGarry Calvert —who died earlier this year —helped Neeraj polish his tech-nique. The Australian guidedNeeraj to a sensational javelingoldat theU-20WorldAthleticsChampionships inPolandwitharecordthrowof86.48m.Andsoit wasn’t a surprise for Choud-hary when Neeraj becameAsian Games champion onMonday. “Itwas on the cards.”

JAKARTA:PV Sindhu became thefirst Indian to enter an AsianGamesbadmintonfinalwhenshebeatworldNo2AkaneYamagu-chi ofJapan 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 inwomen’ssinglessemi-finalhereonMonday.World No 3 Sindhu will face

world No 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chi-nese Taipei in Tuesday’s goldmedalmatch.TaibeatworldNo10SainaNehwal21-17,21-14intheothersemi-final.“Ididn’tdowellin the first match at theGameshere (when Vietnam’s Vu ThiTrang tookher to three games),butthereafterIhaveimprovedinevery round. I hope to continuemy good run against Tai in thefinal. I’mdetermined togivemybestshot,”saidSindhu.By making the semi-final,

Saina was assured of a bronze,her first from theGames in herthird attempt. Before Saina andSindhumade themedal rounds,India’s only badminton singlesmedallist was SyedModi, whobaggedabronzeinmen’ssinglesat the1982AsianGames.AtapackedGBKIstoraaudito-

rium, Sindhu showed greatdeception and control. She led11-8beforeracingaheadto14-10.Yamaguchimanaged tonarrowthegapto14-17butSindhu,silvermedallist at the 2016 Rio Olym-picsandattheWorldChampion-shipsthisyear,provedunstoppa-ble in the firstgame.The second game provided a

twist as Sindhu, despite leading10-6, lost her rhythm, allowingYamaguchi to takecontrol from10-all.Yamaguchi,aworldcham-pionshipbronzemedallisthavinglost to Sindhu in the semi-final

Sindhu first Indian shuttler toenter final, Saina gets bronzeHT@ASIANGAMES

SHARAD DEEP

HEADTOHEADTAI TZUYING

PVSINDHUvs

Head-to-head

Ranking

Last five meetings

Total12

9 3

1 35 0Last time Sindhu beat Tai was infirst round of 2016 Rio Olympics

n Tai Tzu Ying AFP

The 20-year-old’s winning throwof 88.06m came in his thirdattempt. He began with 83.46mand fouled the second attempt.Liu Qizhen of China was a distantsecondwith a best throw of82.22mwhile Pakistan's ArshadNadeemwon bronze with 80.75.

n Chopra is only the secondIndian after Milkha Singh(1958) to win athletics goldat both Commonwealth andAsian Games the same year.

n Chopra’s gold is thefirst for India in javelinthrow in Asian Games.Before this, India hadwon silver and bronze.

(All figures in metres)HIS PROGRESSION CHART

201320142015201620182018

TrackingNeeraj Chopra

2016: SAF Games,Gold2016: Asian Jr Championships, Silver

2016: World U-20 Championships,Gold2017: Asian Championships,Gold2017: World Championships, 15th2017: World Championships, 15th2018: Commonwealth Games,Gold2018: Doha Diamond League, 7th

2018: Sotteville Athletics Meet,Gold2018: Savo Games Finland,Gold

2018:Neeraj Chopra, Gold1951: Parsa Singh, Silver

1982: Gurtej Singh, Bronze

69.6670.1981.0486.4887.4388.06 (NR)

INDIAN (MEN) JAVELINTHROWERS INASIANGAMES

82.2377.6086.4885.2382.2686.4787.4385.1785.69

88.0650.38

71.58

IndiaresultsATHLETICSMen’s javelin throw:Neeraj Choprawongoldmedalwith 88.06mthrow.Women’s 400mhurdlesfinal:AnuRaghavanfinished fourth in 56.92 sec,JaunaMurmu finished fifthwith score of 57.48.Men’s 400mhurdlesfinal:Dharun Ayyasamywon silvermedalwityhtiming of 48.96.Women’s 3000msteeple-chase: Sudha Singhwonsilver in 9:40.03 sec.Women’s long jump:Neena Varakil won silverwith a jumpof 6.51m.

BADMINTONWomen’s single semi-fi-nals: SainaNehwal lost toTai Tzu-ying (TPE) 0-2, wonbronzemedal.

Women’s single semi-fi-nals: PV Sindhu bt AkaneYamguchi (JPN) 2-1, enteredfinal.

BOXINGMen’s light fly 49kgR16:Amit bt EnkhmandakhKharkhuu (MGL) 5-0.Men’smiddle 75kg:Vikas

Krishan bt T Ahmed (PAK)5-0;Men’swelterweight64kg:Dheeraj bt KobashevNurlan (KYR) 3-0.

CANOE/KAYAKSPRINTCanoe TBR 1000mmenfinals: India finishedsecond in Tail Racewith

score of 4:55.149.

EQUESTRIANISMJumping individual 1stqualification:KaevaanKevic Setalvad finished50th, Zahan Kevic Setalvadfinished 57th.Jumping team 1stqualification: India(Kaevaan Kevic Setalvadand Zahan Kevic Setalvad)finished 17th.

HOCKEYWomen’s tournamentpool B: India defeatedThailand 5-0.

KARATEMen’s 84kgquarter-final:Vishal lost 0-8 to AkhatovShakhboz (UZB).Men’s 75kg first round:Jayendran Sharathlost 0-1 to KimMuil (KOR)

SAILINGMixedRXOne: Indiafinished 8thwith a total of123 in race 9; finished 8thwithtotal of 143 and net points 127in race 10.

SEPAKTAKRAWMen’s RegupreliminarygroupB: India bt Nepal 2-0.

SQUASHMen’s teampool B: India(Saurav Ghosal, Harinder PalSingh Sandhu, Ramit Tandon,MaheshMangaonkar) btIndonesia 3-0.Women’s teampool B: India(Joshana Chinappa, DipikaPallikal, Sunayna Kuruvilla,Tanvi Khanna) bt Iran 3-0.

VOLLEYBALLWomen’s tournamentpreliminary pool B: Indialost to China 3-0.

n Neena Varakil won silver in women’s long jump. AP

Dharun hopes silvermedalalleviatesmother’s sufferingAjaiMasandn [email protected]

JAKARTA:LifechangedforDharunAyyasamy when his fatherpassedawayeightyearsago.Hismother,whoearnsamea-

sly sum of ~14,000 today from ateaching job in a private schoolin theTiruppurdistrict inChen-nai, broughthimup.OnMonday,the400mhurdler

clinchedanAsianGamessilver,and was happy that he “wouldnowbecomethebread-earnerofthe family”.“Myfatherpassedawaywhen

I was just 13 and since thenmymother brought me up andmysister on a salary of ~14,000.Today Iwasrunning just towinamedalwhichwouldguaranteeme a decent life and ensuremymother doesn’t go through somany hardships,” saidDharun

whoalso improvedthenationalrecord of 49.45 sec set by him attheFederationCupinPatiala inMarch thisyear.The 48.96 sec onMondaywas

because of Dharun’s ability tomaintain a uniform tempo dur-ing the course of the race. “Mystrategy during the first part ofthe race and the last 200m is thesame,topushrelentlessly,”saidthethirdyearstudentofHuman

Resource. The final push cameafter the 10th hurdle whenDharun scurried past the tallJapaneseTakatoshiAbe, push-inghimtothirdspotwithatimeof49.12.ThewinnerwasAbder-rahmanSambaofQatar,whoseta time of 47.66, anAsianGamesrecord.

NEENA’SFEATNeena Varakil joined the elitelist ofKerala athleteswhohaveexcelledin long jump,clinchingsilverwith thebest lungeof6.51inher fourthattempt.Daughterofalabourer,Vara-

kil gave credit to her husband,PintoMathew,aformerhurdler,forthesuccess.Perhapsthereisanother husband-wife successstory in the making. Everyoneknows what state-mate AnjuBobbyGeorgeachieved, thankstoherhusbandBobbyGeorge.

n Dharun Ayyasamy.

JAKARTA:GreatnesswasthrustonNeeraj Chopra the day he wasnamed India’s flag-bearer here.As he showed onMonday, it satlightlyonhisbroadshoulders.Onway toJakarta, the junior

worldchampionhadeverythinggoing for him. He was consist-ently throwing the javelinbeyond 85 metres and thenational record of 87.43, at theDiamondLeagueinMay,wasfur-therproofthatitwouldbeimpos-sible tobeathimhere.On Monday, the 20-year-old

fromPanipatnotchedupthebig-gest achievement of his careerwhenhewongoldwithathrowof88.06metres, besting the rest byalmost six metres and, in theprocess, improvinghisnationalmark. Neeraj is the first Indianjavelin thrower towinanAsianGamesgold.The portends were good —

Indianathleteshadbeenbaggingsilver medals regularly here—anditwasexpectedNeerajwouldaddagolden liningtothesecond-place finishes. Neeraj gave anindication of his superb formwhen he hurled the javelin83.46monhis firstattempt.Thatitselfwouldhavebeenenoughfor

AJAI MASAND

HT @ASIANGAMES

JAKARTA 20181 8 AUGUST - 2 S EPTEMBERasiangamee

Neerajkeepspromise,makeshistoryWONDERBOY The 20yearold from Haryana bettered his own national record with a javelin throw of 88.06 metres

n Neeraj Chopra’sthrowwas almost 6metres more than thenext best. AP

Neversaydiespirit pays offfor Sudha SinghAjaiMasandn [email protected]

JAKARTA: Sudha Singh has longbeencalled thepioneerof3000msteeplechase in the country. Sooverridinghasbeenherpresencein one of the most gruellingevents in athletics that she con-tinuestoruleevenat32.Winner of the 2010 Asian

Games gold atGuangzhou, andcomingclosetoclinchingbronzeat the 2014 Games at Incheon,Sudha was told by pundits thather time was up.However, shebelieved in her abilities evenwhenmanytopcoachesshutthedooronher followingtwodisap-pointing years when her per-formanceplummeted.OnMonday,shewasbackcele-

bratingsilverattheAsianGameswithatimeof9:40.03,afterbeingdenied gold by Bahrain’s YaviWinfred,whoclocked9:36.42.“Everybody gave up on me.

TheyaskedmetoquitbeforeIlostgoodwill.Withastringofdismalperformances and age catchingup, therewerenotmany peoplewillingtotrainme”.However,theturnaroundhap-

penedinFebruary,whencompet-ingintheMumbaiMarathon,sheovercamecramps toemerge thebest Indian in the event. There-after, her journey for a secondAsian Games medal started. “Ifelt I still had it in me to winanother Asian Games medal.Today, I was running to win amedal,whatevercolour,Iwasn’tbothered,”saidSudhasoonafterwinning the medal, which shesaid is at par with the 2010Guangzhougoldfortheresilienceandthe“wayIfought”.“The2014Gameswasadisap-

pointment as I finished fourth(behindLalitaBabar)despitelop-ping off nearly 10 seconds fromthe 2010Games timing. I thankthepeoplewhostoodbymeinmymosttestingtimes…coacheswhokeptthefaithinme,”saidSudha,whohails fromUttarPradesh.

n Sudha Singh. PTI

TotalBSG

Japan

South Korea

Indonesia

Iran

43

28

22

17

36

36

15

15

57

42

27

15

136

106

64

47

Country

China 86 62 43 191

India (9th) 8 13 20 41

medalstally

G: Gold S: Silver B: BronzeMedals tally updated afterDay 9 of competitions

HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 hindustantimes sport 15

ballcan’thappen.It’sthecurseofthemoderngame.Shortformatswillgiveyouinstantsuccess,thecup of joywill be full. But some-times it becomes too late tochange (action). Earlier, peoplegroomedthemselvesintoclassi-calbowlers.”

DEFENSIVESPINDoshifeelsspinnerstodayaretoodefensive. “On a good pitch, thespinnerwhohastwo-threefield-erson the fencestraightaway. Ittells the batsman the bowlerdoesn’thavetheconfidence.Foran off-spinner, having a deeppointisastrictno.I’moldschool,but this isanoldgame.“Subtlety and deception of

flight comes from a side-onaction. If you are open-chested,the non-bowling arm will dropquickly. It’s deception of flightthat makes a batsman lunge,commithimselfonthefrontfoot.Nowadays batsman play spinfromthecrease.“GraemeSwannwasthelastof

theclassicalspinners,”hepointsout. “Ashwin is top quality, butstrictly in themodernsense.”Doshi also feels too many

ARCHERY11:15am: Compoundwomen’steamgoldmedalmatch, SouthKorea v India (Muskan Kirar,Madhumita Kumari, JyothiVennam)12:05pm: Compoundmen’s teamgoldmedalmatch, South Korea vIndia (Rajat Chauhan, Aman Saini,Abhishek Verma)

BADMINTON10:30am:Women’s singles goldmedalmatch—PV Sindhu v TaiTzu Ying (TPE)

BOXING1:00pm:Women’s feather 57kgquarter-finals—Sonia Lather v JOSonHwa (PRK)1:45pm:Women’s light 60kg

quarter-finals—Pavitra vHasa-nahHuswatun (INA)

CYCLING TRACK7:30am:Women’s Keirin (Deborah,Heats 1; Sonali ChanuHeats 3)

DIVING6:45pm:Men’s synchronised 3mspringboard final (K RamanandaSharma, Siddharth B Pardeshi)

EQUESTRIANISM6:30am: Jumping individualqualifier 1 (Kaevaan Kevin Setal-vad, Chetan ReddyNukala, ZahanKevin Setalvad)6:30am: Jumping teamqualifier(Kaevaan Kevin Setalvad, ChetanReddyNukala, Zahan KevinSetalvad)

HOCKEY2:30pm:Men’s tournament Pool A— India v Sri Lanka

SAILING10:30am: 49ermen race 9, 10 & 11(Varun Ashok Thakkar, GanapathyChenagappa Kelapanda)10:35am: 49er FXwomen race 9, 10& 11 (Varsha Gautam, SwetaShervegar)10:35am: Laser Radialwomen race8 (Nethra Kumanan)10:40am:Open laser 4.7 race 8(Govind Bairagi, Harshita Tomar)12:10pm:Mixed RSOne race 11(Dayne Edgar Agnelo Coelho,Katya Ida Coelho)

SEPAK TAKRAW12:30pm:Women’s quadrant

preliminary group B— Japan vIndia

SQUASH8:30am:Women’s teampool B—India (Joshana Chinappa, DipikaPallikal, Sunayna Kuruvilla, TanviKhanna) v Thailand2:30pm:Men’s teampool B— India(SauravGhosal, Harinder Pal SinghSandhu, Ramit Tandon,MaheshMangaonkar) v Qatar5:00pm:Women’s teampool B—India (Joshana Chinappa, DipikaPallikal, Sunayna Kuruvilla, TanviKhanna) v Indonesia

VOLLEYBALL11:00am:Men’s tournamentquarter-final 7 – 12— India vPakistan

INDIANS IN ACTION TODAY

AgenceFrancePressen [email protected]

PALEMBANG: For athletes fromquake-hitLombokcompetingattheir own country’s AsianGames,thepressureisfargreaterthan theusualquest forgold.Competitors from the pictur-

esque islandhaveanxiously fol-lowed news of deadly earth-quakesthatkilledmorethan500people, hundreds of miles fromIndonesia’s host cities JakartaandPalembang—andhopetheirperformances can bring a fewsmiles to facesbackhome.

“Iwassoworriedaboutmyfamily -- itwas a little hardto sleep,” said 18-year-oldsprinterLaluMuhammadZohri,whohails fromtheworst-affected northernpartof the island.“Theycalledmetotell

menot toworry, to justfocusonmyrace.Itriedmy best,” he added,afterreachingthemen’s100m final, where he fin-

ished seventh. “Now I can’twait to go to Lombok to see myfamily.”Bronze-winning beachvolleyballduoDhitaJulianaandPutuDiniJasitaUtamihavecap-turedtheheartsofthehomefanscheeringforthem.“WehopeallLombokpeopleareokay,”saidJuliana.

Athletes fromquakehit Lombokspread happiness

Fastest Asians under 10 seconds in 100metres

Year Venue Athlete Time (in Seconds) Records

2007 Amman Samuel Francis (Qatar)

2014 Incheon Femi Ogunode (Qatar)

2015 Wuhan Femi Ogunode (Qatar)

2018 Madrid Su Bingtian (China)

2018 Jakarta Su Bingtian (China)

9.80 Sec 9.85 9.90 9.95 10.00

Record time in seconds AR: Asian Record, GR: Games Record

(AR)

(GR/AR)

(AR)

(AR)

(GR)

FASTEST INDIAN:Amiya Mallick, 10.26 secondsNational meet, April 2016, New Delhi

FIRST GAMES RECORD:Lavy Pinto (India), 10.80 seconds1951 New Delhi

9.999.93

9.91

9.929.91

Stats: S.PERVEZ QAISER

Agence FrancePressen [email protected]

JAKARTA: Su Bingtian’s AsianGames gold in the 100 metrescameas little surprise tomany,including athletics boss Sebas-tianCoe, long anadmirer of thepint-sizedChinese sprinter.The 28-year-old streaked to

victory in a competition recordof 9.92 seconds inJakarta at theweekend,missingthecontinen-talrecordbytiniestof fractions.Su edged out Nigeria-born

QatariTosinOgunode -youngerbrother of Femi Ogunode, withwhom the Chinese star sharesthecontinentalbestof9.91 -onanightwhensixAfrican-bornath-letes bagged six track and fieldgolds atAsia’s showcase sportsevent.RyotaYamagata --partofthe4x100mJapanteamthattooksilver behind Usain Bolt’sJamaica at the 2016 Rio Olym-pics, took bronze, underliningCoe’sconfidencein thefutureofAsian sprinting.“You could argue Japan and

China are two of the mostimprovedathleticsnationsoverthe last six or seven years,” theBritonsaid inan interviewwithnewsagencies.“For me it’s very clear --

they’re making very goodprogress. If we’d been sittinghereadecadeago, talkingaboutpotentialhereforaChinaathleteto run 9.8, you’d have probablytakenquite longoddson that.”Coe, president of track and

field’sgoverningIAAF,pointedto China’s willingness toembraceoverseascoachesafteryears of fostering suspicion ofstate-sponsoreddoping.Su is coached by American

coachRandyHuntington,whileswim star Sun Yang’s partner-shipwithAustralianDenisCot-terellhashelpedturnhimintoaworld-beater.“IfyoulookattheChinesefed-

eration, they’ve been quiteglobal,” saidCoe. “They’ve rec-ognised there are gaps in theirown coaching structures andsaid ‘hey,let’sbringthattalenttothe table’. It’s a pragmaticapproach.There’sbeenagreaterclarityaroundtheimportanceofcoaching.”Coe is aware of the massive

void left by athletics mega-starBoltaftertheJamaican legend’sretirement lastyear.Buthealsowants athletes to be personali-tieswhocanconnectwith fans.“I’m a boxing fan,” said Coe,

twiceanOlympic 1,500mcham-

pion. “Ifwe’dbeensittingin the70s,you’dprobablybesaying tomewhatoneartharewegoingtobe doing afterMuhammadAli?But FloydMayweather,Hagler,Hearns comealong.“BecauseUsain isnot simply

thoughtaboutat the status thathe’s thought about becausehe’s got a sack full of worldrecordsandhe’sgotaclutchofOlympic titles. It’s actu-ally because he’s a per-sonality. It’s perform-ance plus personality.We’ve got to help theathletestell theirsto-ries.”Su himself is a

superstar inChina,although he hassome way toachievetheceleb-rity that pin-upLiu X i angachievedafterwinning110mhurdles goldat the 2004Athens Olym-pics.“There was more pressure

here than at aworld champion-ships,” said Su, swallowed by ascrum of state media after hiswin.

NoBolt,nocryforCoeafterSublazestogoldCHINESE DRAGON 28yearold wins 100m with Gamesrecord of 9.92 secs, missing continentalmark by whisker

n Su BingtianGETTY IMAGES

ASIANGAMES JAKARTA 2018

n Among present spinners, Dilip Doshi feels R Ashwin is top quality. AFP

coaches spoil internationalteams. It isn’t entirely the play-ers’ fault.“Todaywehavetoomanypeo-

ple running the game, toomanyinvolvedinmanagement.Thereis abundance of money, so wehave positions; jobs have beencreatedtospendthemoney.“I believe there is no coach

neededforinternationalcricket.Ravi Shastri was himself aplayer, so he is more of a man-ager. Having been a successfulcricketer,heknowswhattosayinthedressingroom.“Butnogreatteam–DonBrad-

man’s, SteveWaugh’s, thegreatWest Indies teams, none hadcoaches.OurIndian teamdidn’thave one,wehelped eachother.AtTestlevel,youonlyneedman-agers.“You may need a fielding

coach,amasseur,but if Ihavetoguide a player, he shouldn’t bethere (in the team) at all. Theyshouldcomeinready.Youdon’tneedananalysttotellyouwheretohit,orwhereabowlerhasbeenhit. Thatmakes the player lazy.What happens if the planninggoeswrong?”

Spinners chasing instantsuccess, says Dilip Doshi

HT@ENGLAND

N ANANTHANARAYANAN


NEWDELHI:The Board of ControlforCricketinIndia’snewly-regis-teredconstitutionmarkedamile-stone in the SupremeCourt-ap-pointedCommittee ofAdminis-trators’journey.Buttheselectiveimplementation of themodifiedrule book has not helped inaddressing some key issues –especially,conflictof interest.TillMonday,nostatebodyhad

compliedwiththenewconstitu-tion. Registered in Chennai onAugust 21, affiliated units haveuntil September 20 toaccept theMemorandumofAssociationandrulesandregulations.OnAugust23,theCoAquoted

portions of a Supreme Courtorder tomake theBCCI’s actingoffice-bearers–president,secre-taryandtreasurer–totallypow-erless. The Vinod Rai-led CoA,said,“exceptfortheCricketAdvi-sory Committee and the dulyreconstitutedselectioncommit-tees, all committees/sub-com-mittees under theOldConstitu-

tionstanddissolvedwith imme-diate effect. In the event anyurgentdecisionthatcannotawaittheappointmentofnewcommit-tees/sub-committeesintermsoftheNewConstitution isrequiredtobetaken, thesamemayeitherbe taken by the Committee ofAdministrators or the Commit-teeofAdministratorsmayconsti-tute an ad-hoc committee com-prisingof personswhomeet therelevantcriteriastipulatedintheNew Constitution to assist theCommitteeofAdministratorsintakingsuchurgentdecision.”There are some glaring dis-

crepancies in implementing theconstitution.Keeping the strictclauses on age, tenure and con-flictofinterestinmind,RatnakarShetty’spresenceincommitteesoverseeing Hyderabad andUttarkhandhasraisedquestions.Similarly,themencomprising

the powerful Cricket AdvisoryCommittee – exists in theorythough–areineligibleifthecon-flictofinterestrulesareenforced.Conflictof interesthasbeenoneofthemostcontentiousissuesin

BCCI administration. In fact, inthenewconstitution, conflict ofinterest has been categorisedunder ‘directorindirectinterest’,‘roles compromised,’ ‘commer-cialconflicts’, ‘priorrelationship’and ‘positionof influence’.“Itwasadirectionofthecourt

that the CAC, as is constitutedpresently, in the interimperiodwillcontinuetilltheelectionsareheld.TheCACwasappointedbythe AGM. For appointing theselectors, the CAC, as existstoday, should be consulted till anew CAC is formed. The courthasdirectedustoconsultthem,”saidRai.Recently,Tendulkar recused

himself from picking a juniornationalselectorashisownson,Arjun,isplayingintheU-19team.Questionmarks have also beenraisedoverthepresenceofGan-guly,whoisCricketAssociationof Bengal (CAB) president, andLaxman, who is a commentatorand a batting mentor in CAB’sTwenty20program.“(If)theyhadtheir own issues, it’s their prob-lem,”Raisaid.

CoA ducks questions onconflict of interest cases

AjaiMasandn [email protected]

JAKARTA:Indiafinishedthegroupstageinwomen’shockeycompe-tition on top of PoolBafter a 5-0winoverThailandtoqualify forthe semi-finals. After drubbingfavourites SouthKorea in theirlastgrouptie, thematchagainstThailand was, as expected, acakewalk.They will face China in the

secondsemi-finalonWednesdaywithKoreaplayingJapan in thefirst the sameday.India,whofinishedtheleague

stage with 12 points, howevercouldnotopen theiraccount tillthe middle of the third quarterand failed to convert a singlepenalty corner of the five theyearnedat theGBKhockeycom-plexonMonday.They scored their opening

goal in the37thminute,anaber-ration as they have been inmenacingformandhadscoredatotalof33goalsbeforeMonday’stie and had thrashed defendingchampions South Korea 4-1 inthe last game.ButRaniRampal’s return to

the field, after missing the lasttwo games due to injury, washeartening.Shedidherbit,scor-ing three goals (37th, 46th and56th minutes), to allay fearsabouther form.While the Indiacaptainmight be in good touch,

injuryconcernsremain.Shehadpicked up lower back and hipinjury in the firstmatchhere.Rani conceded that the first

two quarters in extreme heatwere“disappointing”.“Didn’t play the first two

quartersthewaywewouldhavelikedto.Thepassingwasbadand

itwasawake-upcall forus,”saidRani.“Butreturningtothefieldaftermissingtwomatcheswasapositive.Ihadaslightinjuryandthismatchhasbroughtback therhythmsomewhat,” saidRani.Butoncetheopenerhadbeen

scored,byRaniwhosmashedtheball inafterUdita’s full-bloodedshot had been palmed away bythedaringThaigoalkeeperAlisaNarueangram, the floodgatesopenedandRani,Monika (52nd)andNavjotKaur (55th)madeitaone-sidedcontest.However,Ranisaid,“theflair

wasmissing,anditwasprobablybecausewewereplayinganaft-ernoonmatch here for the firsttime.Theconfidenceishighandwewant torecoverfromthedis-appointments at Common-wealthGames—whereIndiafin-ished fourth — and the WorldCup—wheretheteamwaselimi-nated in the quarter-finals andfinishedeighth.India’s Dutch coach Sjoerd

Marijnesaidthepaucityofgoalsin the first two quarters wasbecause the “players were pro-tectingthemselvesfrominjuriesandheat”On the reason for Rani not

playingthelasttwogames,Mar-ijnesaid,“Itwaspartofourstrat-egytoprotectplayersforimpor-tantmatches. She played todayandmusthavecomeintorhythmtoplaythesemi-finals,”hesaid.

India thrashThailand tomakewomen’s hockey semis

n India captain Rani Rampalwas back in action and scoredthree goals against Thailand.PTI

NAnanthanarayanann [email protected]

SOUTHAMPTON: A chilly breezeblewacrosstheAgeasBowlastheIndianteamreturnedtotrainingonMonday, the first time sincethey completed a crushing winoverEnglandin thethirdTestatTrentBridge.After spending a few days in

London to savour that successwhichhelpednarrow the serieslead to 1-2, Virat Kohli and histeamarrivedinSouthamptononMondayafternoonandstraighta-way hit the nets, with the teamhotel at the other end of townoverlooking the Southamptonharbour.The focus over the past week

has been on the two new addi-tions –U-19WorldCup-winningskipper Prithvi Shaw andHanumaVihari. The uncappedplayerswerefirstputthroughthepacesinsidetheAgeasBowl,nowcalled Rose Bowl, in a fieldingdrill.BesidesShawandVihari,Jas-

prit Bumrah — who took fivewickets in the second innings atTrentBridge—andKarunNairwere part of the fielding drillsconductedbyRSridhar,thefield-

ingcoach.Off-spinnerRAshwin,whostruggledwithanadductormuscle injury in the third Test,still looked some distance frombeingfully fit.Hedidnotstraintoomuch.He

first kept jogging between twoblueconesplacessome30metresapartasphysicaltrainerShankarBasumonitored.Hedidnotbowl,butbattingagainstthrowdowns.The top four batsmen hit the

nets first. Openers ShikharDhawan and KL Rahul raisedhalf-centurypartnershipsinbothinningswhich proved vital, butthey still need to find their best

form.Neitherhasmanagedafiftyin

six innings and that will be thenext step ahead in India’s bid toget the top order in good condi-tion.The 18-year-old Shaw looked

inexcellentnickwhenhebattedintandemwithVihari,althoughtherewasextrabounceandsomedeliveries struck close to thesplice of the bat as he played indefence.Shaw, who picks up the bat

with a flourish, then listenedintently as coach Ravi Shastriexplainedthefinerpointsoftack-

ling the English conditions toboththenewcomers.India hold themomentum as

theyprepare for thefourthTest.However, England will be athome as itwas once again over-cast. Though Southamptonhadexperiencedhotweather, dampconditionshavefollowedboththeteamsin thisseriesanditrainedin this southerncoastal townonSunday.India have played in South-

ampton only once, on the 2014tour. They lost by 266 runswithJamesAndersonclaimingsevenwicketswithhisswingbowlingtobenamedMan-of-the-Match.TheotherplayerEnglandmay

look to play this time is off-spinall-rounderMoeenAli, after hescoredadoublecenturyandtookeightwicketsinWorcestershire’swinoverYorkshireinafirst-classCountygame.In2014,Moeendidbetter thanAnderson, claimingeightwickets,includingsixinthesecondinnings.Withtwodaysavailable,India

willhopeAshwinregainsfitnessto be available for selection,thoughthepitchappearedthatitwould again favour pace andswing, especially if conditionsremainovercast.

India return to training after break

n Prithvi Shaw (left) and Hanuma Vihari at the team’s practicesession at an overcast Rose Bowl in Southampton on Monday.

Agenciesn [email protected]

PARAMUS,US:His putterworkingfinallyinthelastround,AnirbanLahiriroundedofftheweekwiththree-under 68 to finish T-71 inthe Northern Trust, the first ofthe four play-off events at theFedExCup.Themore important thing is

he is still in top-100 and staysaround for the second leg in thecoming week at Dell Technolo-gies Championships, where hehasachance tomakeamends.Meanwhile,BrysonDeCham-

beau, starting with a four-shotlead, never let anyone comecloserthantwoshotstocardtwo-under69andfinallywinbyfourshotsoverTonyFinau.

MANISHA,ANKITINYOUTHBOXINGSEMISBUDAPEST:Asian gold-medallistManisha and silver-winnerAnkitKhatana advanced to thesemi-finalstoassurethemselvesof medals at the ongoing worldyouth boxing championships

here, onMonday.Manisha fetched a split ver-

dict over Slovakia’sMiroslavaJedinakovainherquarter-finalbout to enter the last-four stageof the light welterweight 64kgcategory.Ankit made the semi-finals

after he prevailed 5-0 overDen-mark’sNikolaiTerteryan in thelightweight60kgcategoryquar-ter-finalsonSundaynight.However,DivyaPawarbowed

out of contentionafter a 1-3 lossto Kazakhstan’s Aizada Yesly-amgali in thequarter-finals.

I ND IA ROUNDUP

Lahiri shoots 68 tofinish tied 71st

n Anirban Lahiri AFP


NEWDELHI:Onapreparatorytour,IndiafootballcoachStephenCon-stantine says his teamhas to beready to accept the challenge offacing three-time A-Leaguechampions,SydneyFC.Askedofhisapproachagainst

Sydney FC, Constantine said,“Wealwaystrytoplayournatu-ral game and we’ll stick to thatagainstSydneyFCtoo.”India relied on a brace from

SumeetPassiandaheader fromSajidDhottoregisteranimpress-ive 3-1 win against APIA Leich-hardtTigersFCU20s inSydney.Askedhowsatisfyingwasthe

win, the head coach said, “It isalways good when you win agamebutwemustkeeponcontin-uing the work that we havestarted.WeareayoungU-23teamand thewinagainst a teamcom-prisingoftheU-20boysandsomeof the younger pros fromAPIATigers isalwaysencouraging.”India are gearing up for the

SAFFChampionship.

‘MUST BE READYFOR SYDNEY FCCHALLENGE’

SOUTHAMPTON:ChinamanbowlerKuldeepYadav’sTestrolehasatleast temporarily been halted.AfterdisappointingintheLord’sTest,heisbackhomeplayingforIndiaA.WithIndianexttotourAustra-

liaat theyearend,Kuldeepmaynotbeneeded.Butthewristspin-neratleastiskeytolimited-overscricket. But a left-armorthodoxspinneriswaydownthepeckingorder.RavindraJadeja ispart of the

squad in England. His eight-wickethaulwonIndiatheChen-naiTest of 2016againstEnglandon the last day. But he has onlybeenused as a substitute, to usehisbrilliant throwingarm.Left-arm spinner Dilip Doshi

played 33 Tests in four years,from1979 to 1983, steppingupasthe famed spin quartet BishanSingh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna,BSChandrasekharandSVenkat-araghavanwerefinishingup.Hetook114Testwicketsandalsohada long stint with Nottingham-shire in theEnglishCount.Fingers spinners are under

pressure fromwrist spinners inIndia, especially with the latterclicking in the shorter formats.Off-spinner R Ashwin hasn’tplayed white-ball cricket forIndia since the 2017West Indiestour.Doshi feels T20 and chasing

quicksuccesshashurtthetrain-ing of spinners. “One problemwithmodern-daycricketinIndiais the cropof open-chested spin-nersisbig.Outof100marks,youareplayingwith60,whichlimitsyou.The trulygreat in thegamesucceeded on every pitch. Thisgameissideon,evenViratKohlilooks over from the shoulderwhilebatting,”hesays.Askedaboutthedeclineofleft-

armspin,hesayshewillanalyseandnotcriticise.“Anybowlerworthhis salt, if

theaction isnot sideon, hecan’tpivotonthefoot,propellingofthe

DOSHI ALSO FEELS TOOMANYCOACHESSPOILINTERNATIONAL TEAMS.IT ISN’T ENTIRELY THEPLAYERS’ FAULT.


SOMEWHERE SHE (TAI TZU YING) WILL CATCH YOU. EVERY RALLYIS DIFFERENT WITH HER. SHE HAS A VARIETY OF SHOTS.

>SAINANEHWAL, after losingbadmintonwomen’s semi-final 17-21, 14-21


MADRID:BarcelonadefenderGer-ard Pique has said Paul Pogbawould be welcome at the NouCampif theFrenchmanendsupleavingManchesterUnited.“Wewould be happy to have

him (Pogba) here,” Pique toldreportersonMonday.“Iknowlit-tleaboutwhatheisgoingthroughinManchester and the relation-ship that exists (betweenPogbaandcoachJoseMourinho).Pogbaisaverygoodplayer,butaMan-chesterUnitedplayerrightnow.”

DORTMUNDTHRASHLEIPZIG4-1BERLIN:BorussiaDortmundeasedpast RB Leipzig 4-1 on Sundayaftercomingfromagoaldown,tomakeawinningBundesligastartundernewcoachLucienFavre.

After Jean-Kevin AugustinhadscoredforLeipzigafteronly31 seconds,Dortmundgot downtobusiness,grabbingthreegoalsin22minutesthroughMahmoudDahoud,Marcel Sabitzer’s owngoalandAxelWitsel.Captain Marco Reus com-

pletedaquickbreakforhis100th

Bundesliga goal in second halfstoppagetime.

INTERLOSEGROUNDAFTERDRAWMILAN: Inter Milan lost furthergroundbylettingatwo-goalleadslip to draw 2-2 with Torino onSunday.

After going ahead with goalsfrom IvanPerisic and Stefan deVrij, Inter lost their way asAndrea Belotti pulled one backforTorinobeforeSoualihoMetieearnedthepointon68minutes.Meanwhile 43 minutes of

silencewasobservedinthegamebetween Genoa and Empoli,which the former won 2-1, inmemory of the 43 victims of thebridgetragedyinGenoa.

SALAHACCUSESEGYPTIANFALONDON: Mohamed Salah hasrevivedadisputewithhis coun-try’s football association andaccused them of ignoring hiscomplaintsover imagerights.SalahwasupsetinAprilwhen

his image was used to promoteEgypt’s official sponsor WE,while hehas a sponsorship dealwithrivalcompanyVodafone.

SHORT PASSES

Pogba will be welcomed at Barca: Pique

n Marco Reus scored his 100th Bundesliga goal on Monday. REUTERS

n Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid came back from agoal down to beat Girona 41. REUTERS


SILVERSTONE:Silverstone circuitorganisers apologised to Mot-oGPfansaftertheBritishroundof the championship was can-celledduetoheavyrainmakingit toodangerous to race.“I am so sorry,” saidmanag-

ing director Stuart Pringle in avideo statement, promising tocontactall ticketholdersduringtheweek. “In the end the ridersfelt that theconditionswerenotgoingtoberight todaytoraceatall and they made the decisionnot to race.”Organisers had repeatedly

postponed the start, havingbrought it forward to allowplenty of room for manoeuvre,before accepting there was nopossibility of beating the badweather.

SILVERSTONESORRY AFTERBRITISH GP AXED

LewisHamiltonmayhave cut adealwiththeclouds.Over the last five racesof this

Formula One season, we havewitnessed — over sector-timesand practice sessions — theincreasing pace of Ferrariengines. This advantage hasn’ttranslated to a proportionatenumberofwinsthough,thankstopoor strategic calls and drivererrors.Ferrari’sbiggestfoe,how-ever?Rain.The single-minded engineer-

ing of current F1 cars ensuresthatthefastestcar—theonemostcapable of generating speed inastraight-line—israrelythebestinconditionsthatrequireittobedriven slowly. Two races ago,Ferrari’s SebastianVettel spun

out while leading the GermanGrand Prix, failing to negotiatethe rain lashing the track andallowingaresurgentHamiltontoinheritvictory. InBelgium,Fer-rari had led every practice ses-sionandtwoqualifyingsessionswhenrainstruckinQ3.Hamiltontook one of the year’s mostunlikely pole positions, while

Vettel scrambledhisway tosec-ondplace.Cue the déjà vu. Last year,

whenVettelhadtriedtoslingshotpastHamilton on the same gor-geousBelgiantrackofSpa-Fran-corchamps,hewasthwartedbothby the British driver brilliantlyensuringVetteldidn’tgetanopti-mumslipstream,andbytheFer-

rari’slackoffull-bloodedthrottle.ThisSunday,theGermandriverscreamed past with a perfectlyjudgedpass.Later an incredulousHamil-

ton shook his head. “He drovepastmelikeIwasn’teventhere.”There was a horrific crash

behind them:NicoHulkenbergdroveFernandoAlonso into theair,sendinghimhurtlingacrosswhatmighthavebeentheheadofCharles LeClerc, if not for theHalo,theF1safety ‘cockpit’intro-ducedthisyear.Now that lives have indeed

beensaved,thisdeviceiscontro-versialnomore.VetteltimedSundayright.He

overtook Hamilton after thatcrash but crucially before thesafety carwas announced, han-dled the safety car restart withthe aplombhe regularlyused toshowwhenwinning champion-shipswithaclass-of-the-fieldRedBull, and finally held the raceleadwith a flawless pitstop.Notthat he needed to sweat.He fin-

ished 12 seconds ahead, and isnow 17 points behindHamiltonheading into the Italian GrandPrixthisSunday.Thattrack isnot justFerrari’s

home but also full of very fast,verystraight lines.After the race, Hamilton —

who, last month, absurdlyaccusedFerraridriversofinten-tionallycrashing intoMercedesdrivers—climbedout of his carandstoodstaringattheredcarhecould not match.He said some-thing about Ferrari using“tricks”,beforebackpedallingtoclarify that he wasn’t accusingthemof illegalityyet.F1RaceDirectorCharlieWhit-

ing laughed this off, as didmostfans, but this predictable tend-ency to whine and pout overdefeatsmaybeHamilton’s leastchampion-esque attribute. Itclouds his legacy. Hamiltonneeds to learn to lose. Vettelmightenjoyteachinghim.Writer is a film critic and has beenwriting about FormulaOne since2004

In Belgium, Vettel flies the Ferrari flag high

n Sebastian Vettel has narrowed the gap to championship leader LewisHamilton to 17 points after winning the Belgian GP on Sunday. AFP

MOTORMOUTH

RAJA SENAgenciesn [email protected]

MADRID:AsecondhalfdoublefromKarim Benzema helped RealMadridtoa4-1victoryatGironaon Sunday and maintain theirperfect LaLiga start in the post-CristianoRonaldoera.SergioRamosandGarethBale

also netted for the Europeanchampions,whoappear tohaveput the disappointment of theirSuperCupdefeat toneighboursAtletico Madrid earlier thismonthbehindthem.“Weweretryingtoforcethings

in the first half attack-wise andmisplacing too many passes,”coachJulenLopeteguisaid.“Youplaybetterwhenthescoreboardis in your favour. Girona pres-suredusin thefirsthalf,makinglife difficult for us and the sideshowedtheircollectivementalitytocomethroughit.”After seeingBenzemadenied

bya linesman’s flag in theopen-ing stages, Real were given anearlyscareandfoundthemselvesbehind after 17 minutes whenformerB-teamplayerBorjaGar-ciaputtheCatalansin frontwithacomposedfinish.Realwere indebted to anum-

beroffinesavesfromgoalkeeper

KeylorNavas,whowasselectedahead of new signing ThibautCourtois,asGironasidelookedtodoubletheiradvantage.However,EusebioSacristan’s

side were made to pay for theirprofligacywhenMarcMuniesafelledMarcoAsensio in the boxjustbeforehalf time.Ramoscoollychippedtheball

into the roof of the net from theensuing penalty beforeAsensiowon another spot kick fromwhichBenzemanettedhis first.Balethengaveaglimpseofhis

searing pace when he latchedontoanIscothroughballtoscorein his sixth consecutive leagueappearanceHethensetupBenzema’ssec-

ondfromcloserangetenminutesfrom the end to seal victory forReal,whohavemaximumpointsaftertwomatches,whileGironaremainonone.

LA L IGA

Benzema shinesinReal’s victory

RESULTSGirona 1 RealMadrid 4Garcia 16 Ramos 39-p

Benzema 52-p, 80Bale 59

Sevilla 0 Villareal 0


LOSANGELES:Saul “Canelo”Alva-rez brandedmiddleweight rivalGennadyGolovkina“hypocrite”onSundayas theirwarofwordsescalatedaheadofnextmonth’seagerly anticipated rematch attheT-MobileArenain LasVegasonSeptember15.WorldmiddleweightkingGol-

ovkinbridledwhenaskedtocom-ment on Golovkin’s frequentassertion that his trademarkaggressive style had made himpopularamongstMexicanboxingfans.“It’shypocritical,”Alvarezsaid.“He’sahypocrite.Maybeheuses it to get fans. If somethingtragicweretooccurinMexico,hewouldn’tbethere.”

KENYAWELCOMESNEWDRUG-TESTINGLABNAIROBI:AthleticsKenyaonMon-daywelcomedtheestablishmentinNairobiofaWorldAnti-DopingAgency-approved blood testinglaboratoryforEastAfricadeclar-ing itabigstep in theiranti-dop-ingfight.The laboratory, due to open

next month, will test all dopingcases in international trackandfieldinKenya,Ethiopia,Eritrea,TanzaniaandUganda.“This is the best news we

havereceivedthisyear,andweinAthletics Kenya are veryexcited about it because it willhelp us to fight this menace ofdoping effectively,” said presi-dent Jackson Tuwei at a newsconferenceonMonday.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Alvarez brandsGolovkin ‘hypocrite’


NEW YORK:World No 1 SimonaHalep was upset 6-2, 6-4 byunseededEstonianKaiaKanepiin the US Open first round onMonday,thesecondconsecutiveyear theRomanianhas lost heropening match at FlushingMeadows.Playing in the firstmatch on

the Louis Armstrong Stadiumcourt, the French Open cham-pion failedtosustainanykindofservicerhythmandherusuallystout defence proved no matchfor Kanepi’s bruising ground-strokesanddeftdropshots.“Ihavealways lovedbeing in

New York,” the 33-year-oldKanepi said. “I like the atmos-phere.I likebeinghere.I lovethecourts and the climate, and Ithink that the courts suit mygamereallywell.”The only consolation for

Halep is that she has amassedenoughrankingpointstoremainworld No 1 after the two-weektournament inNewYork.Kanepiearnedthefirstbreak

whenshelaunchedaback-handloboverHalep’sheadto jumpouttoa2-1 lead.Kanepibrokeagain inthefifth

game and never looked back asHalepwonjust59percentofherfirst-servepointscomparedto80percent forKanepi in the set.Frustration forHalep boiled

over in the second game of thesecond set when she smashedherracketon thecourt,earningaracketabusewarningfromthechair umpire.Halep recoveredanditappearedacomebackwason when she broke Kanepi tolovetolevel thesecondsetat4-4.ButKanepicompletedtheupsetwhenHalepsentaservicereturnlongonmatchpoint.It was the sixth time in the

Open era that theNo 1 seed haslost in the firstroundofaGrandSlamtournamentandthefirstattheUSOpen.Halep had looked ready for a

long run inNewYork after shewon theRogersCup thismonthand narrowly missed out onback-to-back titles after losingto Kiki Bertens in the Cincin-nati final.

WorldNo1HalepknockedoutbyKanepiUS OPEN French Open champion puts in an erratic display to go down in straight sets to Estonian

NeyYorkTimesn [email protected]

NEWYORK:Asked if hisnewbookwill upset people, RichardHill-wayansweredimmediatelyintheaffirmative. “Yes, oh yes,” hesaid.Hisco-author,RobertEver-itt,nodded.Theirbook isnotaboutanyof

the typical inflammatory topicsin sports: no cheating,no greed,nosteroids.Instead,itisaboutinwhatorderwhichpeoplestartedplayingtennis in the1870s.The topic, however esoteric,

hasbeenapointofcontentionforthosewhothinktheyhaveaclaimtohavingbeenfirst,onbothsidesof theAtlanticOcean.Leavingnostoneunturnedin

thesearchforanswersandverifi-cationsofthoseanswers,HillwayandEveritt’s book, TheBirth ofLawnTennisisrepletewithlusharchivalimagesfromtheearliestdays of the sport, and themanysimilar games that preceded it.“It’s a search for what the realstory is, thetruestory,”Hillwaysaid. “And we have evidence toback itup.Nowit’spossible thatsome familywill say,well, since110yearsago,it’sbeenpassedonthatthishappened.Well,it’spos-siblethatithappened,butthere’snoverification.”The tome—ofwhichonly 500

limited-edition copies, leather-bound,were printed—doesnotuse theword“invented” lightly.Theauthorsconfirmtheprevail-ing theory that lawn tenniswasinvented in 1874 byMaj.WalterClopton Wingfield, who pub-lished his first rule book for thesportinFebruaryofthatyear.Hereceivedpatents for thegame inBritain and in theUnited Stateslater that year. “There’s no dis-puteas topeople experimentingwith a game outside, perhapsmany years before lawn tenniswas invented by Wingfield,”Everitt said. “According to thepatent offices, we’ve includedninereasonswhyhisideacanbetermedasan invention.Theoth-ers can’t provide anything thatbacksthatup.”Hillway and Everitt relied

solelyoncontemporaryaccountsof the earliest days of the sport.Theonlyoriginstoryfullydocu-mented at the time, they con-cluded,wasWingfield’s.Variousplaques and signs aroundEngland contend otherwise,claiming to be the birthplace of

lawn tennis. “We must haveheard10different stories of peo-ple who had invented it beforeWingfield,”Hillwaysaid.“Ifyoubelievedeveryoneofthose?Eachone we followed, and there wasnothingthere.”“One story is thatHarryGem

andhisfriend,AugurioPerera,in1859, had a game that was thesame as Wingfield’s, that theyplayeditbutdidn’t tell toomanypeople about it, and they’re thereal inventors,”Hillway added.“Butwe looked for primary evi-denceandwrittenevidence,notastory that comes out 100 years

lateraboutagreat-uncleofsome-body. We found nothing thatcouldback thatup.”Hillway,75, isa formertennis

coach from Colorado who oncecompeted against Arthur AsheandothersofthateraaroundtheAmericanWest.Everitt,62,isanillustratorfromWolverhampton,England.Bothshareakeeninter-est in tennis historyandcollect-ing. When they realized theywereworkingonbooks on simi-lar topics — Hillway onWing-field,EverittonthefirstWimble-don championships in 1877 —theydecidedto join forces.

Historians seek proof oftennis’ oldest tales

Not so different after all

Serve Speed (in mph)The 2015 Open was a case in point of how Serena trumped the men

Performance analysis

BaselinePointsWon

Net PointsWon

Serve&VolleyPointsWon

47.74 0.26

64.39

65.6

48

65.1

65.71

126125

124123

2017

As debate rages about equal pay in the US Open, statsshow the product men and women put in is very similar

SerenaWilliams

Novak Djokovic

Fabio Fognini

Kei Nishikori

Lleyton Hewitt

David Ferrer

Women

0.71

0.11

Men (Figures in %)

Stats: NYT

Difference

rum

12117

en Simona Halep lost her cool on numerous occasions during her women's singles first round match against Kaia Kanepi on Monday. AFP PHOTO

Agence FrancePressen [email protected]

NEWYORK:NovakDjokovic,backfrom the wilderness with anunlikely Wimbledon triumph,has even better tennis in him,SwissgreatRogerFederersays.“I thinkheprobably still has

more left in him. I think he’splayingwell, but I think he caneven play better,” Federer saidinFlushingMeadowsthisweekas he prepared for Monday’sstartof theUSOpen.Third-seededArgentineJuan

Martin del Potro also backedDjokovic to continue his riseback fromarightelbowinjury—all the way back to No 1 intheworld.“I believe in him,” del Potro

said.“Iknowhehaseverythingto win the first position in the

world again. But I also knowwhathehasbeen throughtogetinto this position again.He hadfrustrationwith the injury.Heleaves early in every tourna-ment. It’snotnormalforaplayerlikehim.”

Federer got an up-closelook at a rejuvenated Djokovicwhen the Serb beat him in thefinal at Cincinnati last week—a triumph that saw Djokoviccomplete his collection of allnine prestigious Masters1000events.That hardcourt victory

stamped Djokovic a US Openfavourite as he joins formerchampionsStanWawrinkaandAndyMurrayinreturningtothetournamentayearafterinjuriessaw them all sit out the lastmajorof theseason.Djokovic pulled the plug on

his2017seasonafterWimbledon,although a prolonged breakeventuallywasn’t enough to lethimavoidsurgeryonhiselbow.WawrinkamissedhisUStitle

defense last year, part of eightmonths on the sidelines with a

leftkneeinjury,andMurraywillbe playing his firstGrand Slaminmore than a year after a hipinjurythat finallyrequiredsur-gery inJanuary.Their stories sound similar,

but Federer, who at 37 hasendured his share of injuries,said there’snomagicpathbacktothetopafterasignificantspellon the sidelines.“I think it depends on what

kind of injury you have had orwhat kind of process and roadyouhavehadtothecomeback,”hesaid.“If you have an injury that

always keeps on hurting andyou’realwaysplayingwithfearof your next step or your nextmatch, itcanreallyrobyouwithyour confidence in terms ofmovement and then you willneverbethesameplayeragain.”

Federer pleased to see Djokovic on the rise

n Novak Djokovic› I like the atmosphere.I like being here. I lovethe courts and the climate,and I think that the courtssuit my game really wellKAIAKANEPI , after beatingHalep

www.youtube.com/user/htwww.facebook.com/HTcitywww.hindustantimes.com twitter.com/htshowbiz instagram.com/htcity

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htcaféPUNE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018, 4 PAGES I Entertainment & Promotional Features

PUNEEIJAZ’SLOWKEYBIRTHDAYPLANS>>P2

genres, as sticking to just onewill be boring,” says the actor,who is also clear about thekind of films she doesn’t wantto be a part of.

“I’d love to domost things,except for the really sexistcomedies that aremade in

India. Doing different films,that’s where the fun is... That’sthe beauty of Bollywood films,there are somany differentfilms happening in the sameindustry at the same time,”signs offMalavika.n [email protected]

Rishabh Suri

ActorMalavikaMohanan isenjoying the phase she’scurrently in. After all, her

first international filmBeyondTheClouds, directed by theOscar-nominated Iranianfilm-makerMajidMajidi,earned her some greatreviews. Now there are reportsthat the actor is in talks toco-starwith none other thanRajinikanth in a Tamilmovie.

Malavika, who hasmainlyworked inMalayalam cinemabefore being cast in theMajidMajidimovie, says that thingshave become decidedlysmoother after themovie’sIndia release inApril thisyear.

“When you’re aspiring to bean actor, unless you proveyourself, people don’t take youseriously, and that’s [true] foranyone out there. But themoment someone likeMajidMajidi puts their faith in you,or casts you, [it] opens up somany doors, professionally.”

“After themovie released,”sharesMalavika, “A lot ofpeople saw it, not just themasses, but a lot of [film]industry people, too. That hashelpedme, because peopleapproachedme for projects.Personally, too, it has boostedmy confidence, as one[usually] has self-doubts.”

Besides the rumouredRajinikanthmovie, Bollywoodis onMalavika’s radar, too.“I’m definitely in talks forHindi films. This iswhere Iwant towork in. I have grownup inMumbai, and this iswhere Iwant to be. Also, I like[working in] a lot of [different]

‘Many doors have opened afterBeyond The Clouds’

I’d love to do most things, except for the really sexistcomedies that are made in India. Doing different films,that’s where the fun is... That’s the beauty of Bollywoodfilms, there are so many different films happening in thesame industry at the same time.MALAVIKAMOHANAN, ACTOR

Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi got married in a private ceremonyPHOTO: INSTAGRAM/NEHADHUPIA

wrote, directed and acted in aplay called Between theLines…About challenges, Ithink awoman, in any fieldthat is primarilymale-dominated, faces stereotypes.Women directors are expectedtomake a certain type of films.I amasked, why as a strongvoice forwomen, I chose tomake a film on aman and not awoman. But isn’t celebratinggood sensitivemen equallyimportant? In today’s time, it’sdifficult to confront sexism asit is very subtle.

There’s a lot of talk about femaleoriented films …A film is not feminist only if itis awomen-oriented film. I amconcerned about thewaywomen are portrayed. Do theyrepresent of the diversity thatexists in society?People askhowdoes it feel to be awomandirector… I don’t knowhow itfeels to be amale director!When you are directing, youaren’t aware of your gender,you are simply directing. Butit’s a fact that you bringwithyou a female gaze that is basedon your life experiences.n [email protected]

NOTE TO READERS: Some of the coverage that appears on our pages is paid for by the concerned brands. No sponsored content does or shall appear in anypart of HTwithout it being declared as such to our valued readers.

Applause for humantrafficking film trailer

A still from Love Sonia

More than 13 years ofresearch on the hard-hitting subject of human

trafficking has resulted in thetrailer of Love Sonia. Thetrailer is garnering applause.Directed byTabrezNoorani,andwith Shalini Thackerey asone of the producers, themovie starsManoj Bajpayee,RichaChadha, RajkummarRao, DemiMoore, and FreidaPinto, while debutanteMrunal Thakur plays the lead.FilmmakerKaran Johar , whohas already seen the film,launched the trailer onTwitter. “One of themostpowerful films I have seen, it’sabout the courage of one 17-year-old to rescue her sister,”he says. RajkumarHiraniwho

was impressedwith the film,tweeted, “Saw#LoveSonia. Awell-researched film,whichwill shock you andmake youthink of theworldwe live in.Here is the trailer.” Otheractors, too, shared viewpoints.Anil Kapoor tweeted, “A girl insearch of her sister on ajourney like never before.#AgainstAllOdds.” AkshayKumarwrote on themicroblogging site, “This onegaveme the hills...#LoveSoniawhat a hard-hitting trailer thisis with such an interesting starcast. Looking forward tothis one.” “This looks raw, realand hard hitting. All the best#mrunal and the entire team.Can’t wait towatch!,” HrithikRoshan tweeted. HTC

‘Whyshouldwomenfilmmakersonlytell storiesofwomen?’

PHOTO:

HTBS/

ADITYA

VERMA

I am asked, why Ichose to make a filmon a man and not awoman. But isn’tcelebrating goodsensitive men equallyimportant? In today’stime, it’s difficult toconfront sexism as it isvery subtle.NANDITA DAS ACTORDIRECTOR

Prashant Singh

WhenDevAnanddirectedAwwalNumber (1990),which revolved

around cricket, it came as abreath of fresh air. Hindi filmaudiences didn’t have a trystwith reel sports till then. Fastforward to 2018, and you seethat Bollywood has taken a bigfancy to sports aswell asIndia’s sporting stars.

But there’s amethod to themadness: after all, AkshayKumar’s Gold ismintingmoney at the box office ( ₹100crore) after the blockbustersuccess of other sports-basedfilms such asDangal, Sultan,MSDhoni: TheUntold Story,BhaagMilkhaBhaag,Mukkabaaz andMaryKom.

“Traditionally, Hindi film-makers have always lovedgenres such as romance,action and comedy. Sportswasnever a favourite genre. Butthe kind of commercialsuccess aswell as criticalacclaim that Dangal andSultan gotmade everyonetake notice of sports films,”says Sultan directorAli AbbasZafar. Zafar has a point as aslew of sports-relatedmoviesare in the offing.While ShahidKapoor is set to do a boxing

filmwith director RajaKrishnaMenon, KanganaRanaut has signed PangawithwithAshwiny Iyer Tiwari,that revolves around kabaddi.Also, Ranveer Singhwill starinKabir Khan’s next, based onIndian cricket team’s victoryat the 1983 cricketWorld Cup

“India hasmany sportsheroes, who have reallyinspirational stories. I don’tsee any reasonwhyweshouldn’t play up their heroicson the big screen. It can onlyserve as an inspiration toyoungsters, and thatway,such filmsmeet amuch largerpurpose that just providingentertainment,” says tradeanalyst TaranAdarsh.

Also, in the pipeline arebiopics on sports stars such asSainaNehwal (starringShraddhaKapoor), PVSindhu, PullelaGopichand,Indianwomen cricketers suchas JhulanGoswami andMithali Raj, DhyanChand, PTUsha, AbhinavBindra, SaniaMirza; and ParalympicchampionsDeepaMalik andMurlikant Petkar.

“Sports have been thebackground inmost of ourfilms. There has to be humanemotions. As long asweengage and entertain ouraudiences, sports or any other

The success of Dangal encouraged the trend

Neha Dhu i d A

ActorNehaDhupia, who isexpecting her first childwith actor husband

AngadBedi, says that shewasfrowned upon for not goingpublic about her pregnancy.

A day afterNeha andAngadannounced the news on socialmedia, the couplewalked theramp at a fashion show inMumbai.

Asked howdoes she seewomennot shying away fromworking during pregnancy,Neha says, “It’s amazing. Iread an article about awomanwhowas eightmonthspregnant andwas shooting forBlack Panther and onemore...(actor) Gal Gadot came backfor a patchwork of her films...I’ve also continuously beenworking and did not go publicaboutmy situation. I was

frowned upon... ‘Why is shewearing loose clothing orwhyis she putting onweight?’”

Neha says shewasn’tconcerned about thecomments though. “Forme, itdoesn’tmatterwhat otherpeople think of you as long asyou are healthy and respectfulto your personal andprofessional life and striking abalance,” she adds.

NehamarriedAngad in aprivate ceremony at aGurudwara inNewDelhi onMay 10. She saysAngad “isrock solid and funny”. “He isgoing to become a father soonandwe’re very excited... I likehis relaxed attitude, which isthe right kind. Neither is helaid back nor does he take lifetoo seriously,” she says.

IANS

‘Frowned upon’ for keeping pregnancy underwraps, Neha remains unfazed

genre iswelcome. But theidea shouldn’t beto overdo it orpeoplemay loseinterest,”warnsexhibitor-distributorAksRathi.

Zafar says thIndia has “alwabeen a sports-crazy nation”,people identifywith suchstories. “Oflate, Indiansportsmenhave beenperformingexceptionallywell at theinternationallevel.Most spobased films areuplifting. Theygreat human ta

sha

hatays

orts-

make forales,”he says.

AAf

‘w

aye

t s ces

Shreya Mukherjee

Strong personality, strongnarratives describeNandita Das. The actor-

filmmaker has beensynonymouswith qualitycinema,with films such asFire (1996), Earth (1998),Bawandar (2000), Kamli (2006),I Am (2011), and her directorialdebut Firaaq (2008). Herdirectorial,Manto, starringNawazuddin Siddiqui, is setfor its theatrical release.Nandita talks about the film;her father, painter JatinDas,being theManto of her life; andher cinema plans.

Your filmManto was received wellin international festivals. Ahead

of its India release, what’s goingon in your mind?I’m overwhelmed by theresponse. Some peoplemaythink that this is a festival filmas it has been screened in someof the best festivals first.People oftenwant to labelthings. I would say it’s a filmfor all, across nationality, ageand gender. It is a film thatcelebrateswhat I call the‘Mantoiyat’ in all of us. ByMantoiyat, Imean the free-spiritedness, thewill to bemore honest,more courageousabout thingswe care for.Thosewho areMantoesque,live on their own terms.Mantois someonewhowasmisunderstood, even by fellowprogressives. The film raises

multiple questions. After 71years of Independence, havewe really progressed?Havewereally changed? It’s amirror toour prejudices, fears,morality.

You had said that your father,painter Jatin Das, is the Manto ofyour life?When I readManto, Iwonderedwhyhe sounded sofamiliar. I realised that I havegrownupwith a person likehim.My father has a lot ofMantoiyat in him.He hasnever really been part of the‘artmarket’, much likeManto,whowas such a progressivewriter but never joined theProgressiveWriter’sAssociation. Both of them

were nevermotivated bymoney. Theywere bothpassionate about theirworkand beyond that, deeplysensitive human beings.

Tell us about the challenges youface as a woman director. Afteryour first directorial Firaaq(2008), you took almost a decadeto direct the second?I’mnot a professional director.Imake films onlywhen a storycompelsme to. In these 10years, I didmany things. I wasthe chairperson of theChildren’s Films Society ofIndia, I was a hands-onmothertomy son,who is now 8, Iwrote amonthly column for 8years, did a 4month fellowshipat Yale University and I also

With films basedon boxing,kabaddi, cricketand a slew ofsports biopics,has Bollywoodfound a new boxoffice successrecipe?

BOLLYWOOD’SBEINGASPORT

REEL SPORTING HISTORYnAwwal Number (1990): The DevAnand-directed film that starredAamir Khan, revolved around cricken Lagaan (2001): Starring Aamir, theAshutosh Gowariker directed filmwbased on cricket of the British Raj.n Iqbal (2005): Shreyas Talpade starrestory about a cricket-obsessed deafboy from an Indian villagenChak De India (2007): Shah Rukh Khstory that was inspired bywomen hockey team’s win at the2002 Commonwealth Games.nPaan Singh Tomar (2012): Irrfan Khan starred in the film basedon the late army-man, who represented India at the 1958 AsianGames before becoming a dreaded dacoit.

et.

was

ed in thef andmute

an-starrer tells a fictional

Sultan madeeveryone takenotice of Indianwrestling

Shahid Kapoor and ShraddhaKapoor will soon be seen insportsbased films.

AkshayKumar’s filmGold is a boxoffice hit

STOP PRESS

PLAYWRIGHT NEILSIMON PASSES AWAYAmerican playwright andauthor Neil Simon diedat the age of 91 due tocomplications frompneumonia at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital inManhattan, USA.Simonwas one of thepioneering playwrightswho set a new tone intheatrical comedywith hisshows like The Odd Coupleand plays like Lost inYonkers.Hewas also the onlyplaywright to have fourBroadway productionsrunning simultaneously.Simon earned countlessawards including threeTony’s, Mark Twain Prize for‘Comedy’ in 2006 andKennedy Center Honors in1995. —ANI

PHOTO: NYT

htcafé02 ENTERTAINMENT HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

SnehaMahadevan

PankajTripathi,whowillnext be seen in theRajkummarRaoand

ShraddhaKapoor-starrerhorror comedy, Stree, hadarather interestingway to passtimewhilehewas shooting forthe film.A source from the sets

reveals, “For someone,whofrom the trailer, seems tohaveanaffinity for all thingsparanormal in the film,Pankajused tonarrate ghost stories onset to pass the time inbetweentakes.Gathering the cast andcrew, the actorwouldnarratestories that heheard inhischildhood, to entertaineverybodyon the set.”Talking about this hobby

of storytelling, Pankaj says,“I’ve always loved listeningto stories, especially theparanormalkind.The funwas in thewaypeoplenarrated them, and itwasinteresting to see thateveryone seemed tohave onepersonal experience.Myvillage inGopalganj (Bihar)had somany stories like theseand Iused tohear themwhilegrowingup. So, on set itstarted as a jokewhereweoneday, I decided to share ghoststories but soon it becamearegular thing andall the ones Ihadheard inmychildhoodcame inhandy.The locationmade it even spookier.”Pankajwill soonbe seen ina

web series starringAliFazalandShwetaTripathi, postwhichhewill begin shootingfor theShakeela biopicalongsideRichaChadha.n [email protected]

Pankaj spooksco-actorswithreal lifehorror stories

PankajTripathi

pgovernment sanctions formultipurpose play fields in thecity. So the idea is to, apartfrom encouraging them, alsomentor themby providingthem the right guidance andtechnical support. I will betying upwith varioussponsors’ aswell so push thisinitiative as game equipmentneeds to be bought.”n [email protected]

t c on

Sneha Mahadevan

ActorAliFazal is a sportsenthusiast and has beenplaying basketball and

football since his school andcollege days. Therewas a timewhenAli hoped to representIndia as a basketball playerbut destiny brought him totinsel town and the rest ishistory. Besides playingbasketball, Ali loveswatchingfootball and playswheneverhe has some free time onhishands. Andnow,Ali isnow allset tomentor young footballenthusiasts fromLucknow,Uttar Pradesh, while shootingfor his current film,Prasthaanam.A source close to the actor

reveals, “A fewyears ago, Alimentored a teamof footballplayers fromShillong,Meghalaya, as their brandambassador.While shootingfor one of his films inGoa, Aliinitiated the idea to fly theboys fromShillong footballclub toGoa andmentor themside by sidewhile shooting forhis film. Lucknowbeing hishometownholds an importantplace inhis heart andAliconsiders it his responsibilityto give back in someway oranother. Ali took the onus torepresent the young lads astheirmentorwhile shootingfor his film inLucknow. Evenafter the completion of hisfilm, Ali will continuementoring these talented kidstill the time their potential isrecognised by professionalfootball clubs of India.”Talking about it, Ali says,

“When I workedwith the

Ali to mentor young footballenthusiasts from Lucknow

amazing teamat Shillong andsaw the hardwork the kidswere putting in, it remindedme ofmy trainingwhen I wasan athlete duringmy collegedays.When Imet these kids inLucknowwhile I was shootingthere, I was really impressedwith their talent and I feel withthe rightmentoring they cando a lot in the sport. They don’tevenhave proper fields at this

Ali Fazal

Shreya Mukherjee

Film-makerAanandLRai’s TanuWedsManu(2011) andTanuWedsManuReturns (2015),not

justmade the audiences laugh,but also had the cash registersringing at the box-office. Andfor quite some timenow, therehave been speculationsaround the third instalment ofthe franchise.Talking about his plans

regarding the third part,Raishares that he is interested inmaking the film, but thatwillonly happenwhenhe has astory that is “good enough”.Not divulgingmore, he addsthat the star cast thatincludes actorsRMadhavan,KanganaRanaut and JimmySheirgill, may still remain thesame.“Themoment I am sure that

I amgoing tomake everyonelaughmore [thanwhatwehave already done in the past],I willmake the [third] film.Rightnow, I’m [totally busy]with Zero [his upcoming filmstarring ShahRukhKhan], sothere isno story inmyhead.

But I can’t livewithout a storyinmyhead, so, once I amout oZero, yes, I will work onsomething and Iwill havesomething coming soon. But Iwill takemy own sweet time todirect it,”he says.TanuWedsManu, like its

sequel, was a hit, and for thatmatter his latest production,Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi alsohad a successful first part.When asked about how easy ordifficult it is to live up to theexpectations that comewithinstalments of a franchise, hesays, “Whether it is a sequel oran instalment, it is a story,which is beingnarrated. Youhave a few characters, whomyou know frombefore, but thistime there is somethingnewthat is happening [to them]. Soeverything again boils down tothe kind of story you are goingtonarrate… In that case, alittlemore expectation fromthe audience is always better.”Rai is currently readying

for the release of hisnextproduction,Manmarziyaan,starringAbhishekBachchan,Taapsee Pannu andVickyKaushal.He recently visited

Amritsar, Punjab, for thepromotions of the film,withAbhishek andKanikaDhillon,writer of the film.n [email protected]

Tanu Weds Manu 3? Only when story is ‘good enough’PHOTO: MANOJ VERMA/HT

Themoment I am surethat I am going to makeeveryone laughmore[than what we havealready done in thepast], I will make the[third] film.AANAND LRAI FILMMAKER

y

Aanand L Rai, Kanika Dhillon and Abhishek Bachchan in AmritsarPHOTO: TWITTER/AANANDLRAI

Kavita Awaasthi

Iamnot a big birthdayperson,” says EijazKhan,whowill turn a year oldertoday. “I have social anxietyand usually I don’t knowwhatto dowhen I am in thespotlight (laughs), eventhoughmy job involves beingin the spotlight. I would ratherbe left alone orwith very fewclose people, who don’t judgeme,”he says.This year, Eijaz isn’t keen

on partying or have any sort ofget together.Hewants to be onhis own. “I’ve always beenveryweird aboutmy birthday.I have realised thatmy biggestfear is being alone, so toovercome this, onmybirthdaythis year, I will be alonepossiblywithoutmy phone,

too. I love camping in theforest so Iwill probably justpickupmybike and take off,without giving a damn aboutwhat peoplewill think or say.As you grow older, you realisethat you don’t have to pleaseeverybody or that you can’tplease everybody. I will be allbymyself this birthday.”Ashe turns 43, Eijaz admits

that he doesn’t dwell onmemories.He says birthdaysare another reason tocelebrate lifewith our lovedones. “Earlier, it was all aboutspending it with someonespecial but the last two to threeyears have been a haze. I don’tremembermuch and I amhappywithmy selectivememory. I’ve always livedmylifewithout a plan but thatphase is over forme.Now, I

want to have amission everyday, take baby steps, andchangemy life,” says theactor, who recently shot for aweb serieswith directorNageshKukunoor.Recently, Eijaz spoke about

his difficult childhood, hisdating experience and going totherapy on a TV chat show,which generated a lot of buzz,as his love life became a focalpoint. “I spoke about the lovedones, whowere an importantpart ofmy life but aremarriednow.What I spoke on the talkshow about the fact that Iregret cheating on someone,wasmisinterpreted andturned into something else.And sowasmy statementabout going for therapy. Thereare a few things that happenedinmy life that have left amark. I go for therapy tounderstand the patterns andhow to break out of them, howto dealwith the addictionsincluding socialmedia,needfor validation, wanting to beliked all the time andnot beingable to say ‘no’. I have learnt alot aboutmyself in therapy.”n [email protected]

Eijaz Khan says he wants tocelebrate his birthday all by himself,this year. Adds that he wants totake ‘baby steps’ to improve his life

‘IWILL SPENDMYBIRTHDAYALONE’

I have realised that my biggest fear is beingalone, so to overcome this, on my birthday thisyear, I will be alone possibly without my phone.EIJAZ KHAN, ACTOR

LOOK BACK

TwinningAbhishek Bachchan posted this throwback image of himwith his sister Shweta Bachchan Nanda, and captioned it,“Partners in crime since the days ofmatching pajamas!Happy Rakhi Shwetdi! Love you. #RakshaBandhan#BrothersandSisters.”

QUOTE HANGER

I LIKE TAKINGUP THESE SOCALLEDDIFFICULT FILMS,BECAUSE I KNOWNO ONE ELSEWILL DO THEM.SOMETIMES IFEEL SUCHFILMS GRAVITATETOWARDSME.JOHNABRAHAM,ACTOR

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Will keeptalking abouIndia withoujoiningpolitics:Anupam Kher

u

TWITTER TWATTER

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/BACHCHAN

Who’s theboss?@arjunk26: None of ushave an answer why@AnilKapoor has wornsunglasses in a familypicture. Maybe he thoughtwe are his fans.@anubhavsinha:Sometimes Rahul remindsme of Justin Trudeau. Suave.Intelligent. Earnest. Young.Amiable. Good Looking.Sometimes Casual andalmostman next door. Whyshould a leader always carrya halo around him????@mariagorettiz: I haverealised thatmusic comes tomewhen I need it themost..A day that needed alittle warmth from the cold ,

rainy and grey skies ..And aday full of thoughts andreminiscing of@tiscatime: So what Ididn’t get tomeetmy#brothers on#RakshaBandhan? I met thisfierce #sistah@navya_meharchand (Vimi)who hasmy back like anarmy of brothers#sistahlove #famlove#DelhiScheduleWrap#partywithfam

CELEB DIARIES

AnunbreakablebondSoha Ali Khan postedthis adorable image ofTaimur Ali Khan and InaayaNaomi Kemmu, on theoccasion of RakshaBandhan. Shewrote, “Heyyou got a little somethingin your eye - ohwait, it’smy finger !”

SHOW BUZZ

HARSHVARDHAN[KAPOOR] ISCONSTANTLYTRYING TOIMPROVE HISCRAFT ANDBECOME ABETTER ACTORRATHER THANTRYING TOBECOME A BIGSTAR.ANILKAPOOR,ACTOR

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/SAKPATAUDI

V eteran actor AnupamKher, whowill next beseen in the film TheAccidental PrimeMinister, has comparedPrimeMinister NarendraModi and CongressPresident Rahul Gandhi,sayingwhile the formerhas a roadmap for thecountry’s development,the latter is yet to sharehis vision for the nation’sfuture.The actor’s wife

Kirron Kher is Chandigarh’sBJPMP, but Anupam, whohas been vocal aboutIndia’s social, political andeconomic issues, says hewill keep talking about thecountry without joiningtheworld of politics. Onchances of him joiningpolitics, the senior actorsaid: “I will continuetalking about the countrywithout joining politics.”

IANS

htcaféHINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018 TIMEOUT 03

SCRAMBLE - 2827

HTCAFÉ SUDOKU

Fill in all thesquares in thegrid so thateach row,column andeach of the9X9 squarescontains all thedigits from 1to 9.

DIFFICULTYLEVELCALVIN AND HOBBES BillWatterson

SOLUTIONSUDOKU

SOLUTIONMATHDUKU

MATHDOKUPlace numbers intothe puzzle cells sothat each row andcolumn containseach of the digitsfrom 1 to 5. No num-ber is to be repeatedin any row or col-umn. Each bold-out-lined cells contain ahint of a number andone of the mathe-maticalsymbols + x - /. Thenumber is the resultof the operation rep-resented by thesymbol to the digitscontained.

DID YOU KNOW?

IN the 2012 filM Barfi!, the char-acter Shruti Ghosh played byactor IleaNa D’Cruz, was looselybased oN director ANuragBasu’s Mother. The’70s-iNspired Makeup aNdclothiNg was based oN her oldphotographs.

Solve the four anagrams and move one letter to eachsquare to form four ordinary words

NAEERFNI ISTARTLYADUHNN SCRAMBLESOLUTION:Ranee,finis,rattly,unhand

ANSWER:Acrownismerelyahatthatletstherainin.-FredericktheGreat

Now arrange the letters marked with anasterisk (*) to form the answer to the riddle orto fill in the missing words as indicated.

A crowN is Merely a hat that____ ___ ____ __. - Frederick theGreat (4,3,4,2)

Someone providing youwith stability on theprofessional front needs to be givenincentive to keep him or her on the rolls. Acomfortable journey is foreseen for thosetravelling long distance. You are likely tofloor those aroundwith your oratoryskills. A chancemeetingwith someoneyou admire will leave you spellbound.LuckyNumber: 4; Lucky Colour: Purple

Youmanage tomake yourmark on theprofessional front. Your dreams andaspirations get realised on the academicfront. Someone’s kindness bestowedupon youwill provemost timely. Youwillmanage to strike a good understandingwith a friend of the opposite gender.Your health remains satisfactory.LuckyNumber: 8; Lucky Colour: Violet

Positive thoughts will keep you in a goodmood.Expect an outing today, as someone picksyou up for a local trip. Those forced to livein another townmay get the chance tocelebrate something together with theirfamily. Youwill manage to overcomedistractions to focus onwork. Yourphysical fitness will impress all.LuckyNumber: 17; Lucky Colour:White

You feel ready to take on the daywith fullenergy and dynamism. Don’t blow yourtrumpet toomuch, lest youmake othersenvious. You are likely to receive athoughtful gift from someonewho isyour well wisher. This is the right timefor investing in a scheme you have beencontemplating for long.LuckyNumber: 2; Lucky Colour: Green

Spending timewith like-minded people isindicated today andwill give you hours offun. Good networkingwill be of immensehelp on the academic front. A posting ortransfer will provide you a chance tostart afresh andmake amark. Those inthe private sector stand to gainmonetarily.LuckyNumber: 6; Lucky Colour: Brown

Youwill get the better of someonewho is instiff competitionwith you. Don’t let thefeeling of desperation overwhelm you onthe academic front, as things will turnfavourable in the end. Putting in someextra hours is the need of the hour tomeet a deadline. A family youngster is allset tomake you proud.LuckyNumber: 5; Lucky Colour: Yellow

Knowing a bit more about a project will helpyou in tackling it better, so don’t hesitate inasking. Youwill manage to convince afriend or familymember about yourideas and get their assistance. Awatchful eye on business partner or rivalat work will be required by some. A newromantic relation is on the cards for a few.LuckyNumber: 9; Lucky Colour: Brown

Youwill have to bring some changes in yourlifestyle for your own good.Whatever ishappening, is happening for your wellbeing. If you are feeling a bit frustratedwith the pace of things, it is best tomatch the speed, rather than gettingagitated. On the health front, thingslook satisfactory.LuckyNumber: 7; Lucky Colour: Pink

Someone visiting you from abroad or fromanother townwill brighten up the domesticfront. Those seeking lovemay need tointerpret the signals from the oppositecamp correctly to avoid letting go of anopportunity of a lifetime. Good financialsituation is likely to keep you in a goodmood.LuckyNumber: 8; Lucky Colour: Violet

Better prospects outsidemay get you into twominds, but don’t take any hasty decisions.Your lack of attention to details may getyou into the firing line on the domesticfront. Couples, who are recently married,may experience some differences, buttheywill be ironed out soon. You standto gain on the academic front.LuckyNumber: 22; Lucky Colour: Indigo

Youmay have to keep the ball rolling on theprofessional front, as people will be bankingon you. Some of you are out to dominatethe social scene. Organising a function ora party can be on the top of your mindtoday. The day can end up in completebliss for the newlyweds or those in love.Your health remains satisfactory.LuckyNumber: 11; Lucky Colour: Blue

Travel proves lucky in increasing the prospectson the professional front. Consider youroptions well before taking a calculatedrisk on the academic front. Don’t startanything new today, as stars seemunfavourable. Your current performancemay not be adequate to attain your goal,so give it your best.LuckyNumber: 2; Lucky Colour: Green

LEO(JULY 23 - AUG 23)

SAGITTARIUS(nOV 23 - DEC 21)

SCORPIO(OCT 24 - nOV 22)

VIRGO(AUG 24 - SEPT 23)

TAURUS(APR 21 - MAY 20)

ARIES(MAR 21 - APR 20)

AQUARIUS(JAn 22 - FEB 19)

CANCER(JUnE 22 - JULY 22)

CAPRICORN(DEC 22 - JAn 21)

PISCES(FEB 20 - MAR 20)

LIBRA(SEPT 24 - OCT 23)

GEMINI(MAY 21 - JUN 21)

AstrologerPremKumarSharma canbe contactedat:Delhi: 91-11-26449898,26489899 (Sat toMon): Panchkula: 91-172-2562832, 2572874 (Tues toThurs);Mumbai: 91-22-26398641 (Lastweekofeverymonth)DAILY HOROSCOPE

TUESDAY,AUGUST 28,2018

JACKBLACK: He is an American actor, comedianandmusician. He is known for his roles in filmssuch as School Of Rock (2003), Nacho Libre (2006)and Goosebumps (2015).

MOVIES ON TV

HBO1244 How To Train Your

Dragon1431 IronMan 21636 Inferno1856 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of

Cobra2100 American Assassin2255 The Tuxedo

SONYPIX1346 Fast Five1636 Snakes On A Plane1845 Cinderella2100 TheMummy2345 House OfWax

STARMOVIES1303 Home Alone 2: Lost In

New York1534 Avatar1902 Fantastic Four: Rise Of

The Silver Surfer2100 The Karate Kid

SONYMAX1201 Tadakha1456 Heropanti1812 Jaanbaaz Khiladi2055 Son Of Satyamurthy 2

2349 Ek Ka Dum 1

ZEECINEMA1218 Rowdy Rajkumar 21512 Mr. AndMrs. Ramachari1802 Dildaar The Arya2100 Jaya Janaki Nayaka

&PICTURES1414 Players1737 Jumanji2000 Shivam1110 Terminator Genisys

WB1327 Overdrive1457 Transformers1717 Ace Ventura: Pet

Detective1845 Valerian And The City

Of A Thousand Planets2100 Spooks: The Greater

Good2247 Forrest Gump

I N T E R CUT E NTER TA I NMENT

htcafé04 LIFESTYLE HINDUSTAN TIMES, PUNETUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2018

For all stories, visit www.hindustantimes.com/brunch

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The dori work as well as theglass embroidery was turnedinto motifs inspired byRajasthan’s Amer Fort, JalebiChowk and Sheesh Mahal inPunit Balana’s creations

ARUNWAYOFUNCONVENTIONALSTYLES

Neha Agarwal’s labelAgami showcasedPushtaini, a lineinspired by the ageoldand traditionalMadhubani artwork

Using black andgrey against redand white,fashion designerSoumodeepDutta’scollection was asymphony ofweaves,embellishmentsand craft

Day 5 of theLakmé FashionWeekWinter/ Festive 2018 inMumbai came to a closewith an array of inspiringstories told on the ramp,through fashion

Akshata Shetty

When your love forcontemporary,tradition andeverything

fashionable comes together,you are in for a lot of surprises.The runway before theLakméFashionWeekWinter/Festive 2018 grand finale beingheld inMumbai, was anamalgamation of traditionaland contemporary silhouetteswith a dash of fun. Post anenergetic and pumped upshow,which seems to beNarendraKumar’strademark, the designerexpressed that he likes to keephis shows and clothes fun.Kumar presented his lineNeverHyde, speciallydesigned for plus-size people,and celebrated everyonewhowalked the ramp to therockingnumber ‘She’s got thelook’ sung by singerAlriaD’Souza, among others.Day 5 also saw an array

of creations rich in fabric,motifs and unconventionalsilhouettes. JayantiReddy’sfabrics inher collectionweremeticulously crafted to giveeach silhouette an avant-gardeappeal. Similarly, PunitBalana paid tribute to thebeautiful pink city, Jaipur.Fashion designer SanjuktaDutta’s collection titled, Aborwhichmeans independent,was dedicated to the strongand determinedwomenweavers of Assam.n [email protected]

Enchanting theaudience with herdesign aesthetics thatwere every bitwearable, fashiondesigner Nupur Kanoifeatured vibrant andintricate glassbeadwork, which wasinterestingly used tocreate optical illusionlike embroideries

Fashion designer NarendraKumar presented modernathleisure, day and eveningwear in a variety of fabrics suchas ponte roma, interlock knit,jacquard, terry wool, looper knit,moss crêpe and cotton linen,which gave the garments styleand substance

An interesting concoction of Assamese silk and traditional motifsinspired by the different places of India, Sanjukta Dutta’s creationsfeatured a range of hues from orange, blue and yellow to traditionalcolours such as red and black

Exploringtransparencycreatively withsheer accents,the fabrics in

Jayanti Reddy’screations weremeticulouslycrafted to giveeach silhouettean avantgarde

appeal

Fashiondesigner RituKumar’scollection wascodesignedwith Frenchdesigner SylvieGiacobbi. A mixof burgundies,reds and mustardswith a twist offresh citruspastels, theabstract printswere inspiredfrom tribalartworks

PHOTOS: PRODIP GUHA/HT, SHASHI KASHYAP/HT, HEMANSHI KAMANI/HT

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