hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI/METRO

Thursday, October 21, 2021f@hindustantimes t@httweets i@hindustantimes l@hindustantimes

n VOL. XCVII NO. 251

hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI/METRO

Thursday, October 21, 2021f@hindustantimes t@httweets i@hindustantimes l@hindustantimes

n VOL. XCVII NO. 251

AGRA/LUCKNOW: Congressleader Priyanka Gandhi Vadrawas stopped in Lucknow by theUttar Pradesh Police from goingto Agra on Wednesday to meetthe family members of a manwho died in police custody, butwas later allowed to proceed.

“Do I need someone’s permis-sion whenever I move out ofLucknow?” Priyanka Gandhiasked the policemen whostopped her cavalcade. →P11

PRIYANKA STOPPEDFROM TRAVELLINGTO AGRA BY COPS

NEW DELHI: A day after Amarin-der Singh said he would launch anew outfit and hoped to tie upwith the BJP for the Punjabassembly elections, the Congresson Wednesday termed the movea “betrayal” while the BJP laudedhim as a “patriot”. “CaptainAmarinder Singh is an oppor-tunist leader,” said Punjab dep-uty CM Sukhjinder Singh. →P11

CONGRESS LEADERS HIT OUT AT CAPTAIN AFTER BJP REMARK

Aryan Khan

agency throughout the country and their success rate in securingconviction. It was of the view thatan analysis of CBI’s working mustbe done and that the “premier investigating agency” cannot sim-ply launch prosecutions and then

not bother about their outcome. According to data released by

the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the courts’ con-viction rate in 2020 for crimes registered under the Indian Penal

continued on →18

Rahul Singh

rahul.singh@hindustantimes.com

BUM LA (LAC, ARUNACHAL PRA-DESH): The Indian Army haspositioned new weapon sys-tems in the eastern sector tostrengthen its posture againstthe Chinese People’s LiberationArmy (PLA), which has rampedup military drills across theLine of Actual Control (LAC) inArunachal Pradesh amid thelingering border row inLadakh, officials said Wednes-day. The new weapons includeM777 ultra-light howitzers anda L-70 anti-aircraft gun. →P13

Army deploys new weapons to boost posture against PLA

Utkarsh Anand

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI) has been able to maintain a success rate ofabout 65-70% in getting convic-tion over the last 10 years, agencydirector Subodh Kumar Jaiswal has told the Supreme Court, add-ing that the CBI is trying to improve this average to 75% by August 2022.

Submitting his personal affida-vit, Jaiswal informed a bench headed by justice SK Kaul that CBI secured conviction of the accused in 69.83% and 69.19% of the cases in 2020 and 2019, respectively, and that he was making specific attempts to improve the directorate of prose-cution for a better conviction ratein trial courts.

“It is the endeavour of the CBIto bring the present conviction rate to 75% by August 2022,” stated the director’s affidavit while laying down several crucialstatistics on the functioning of thepremier investigating agency. India celebrates 75 years of Inde-pendence on August 15, 2022.

The affidavit was filed inresponse to questions posed by the court on September 3. The bench, which also included jus-tice MM Sundresh, had called onCBI for placing relevant data on the cases being prosecuted by the

Convictions over 65%,

aim to cross 75%: CBIImproving ‘success rate’?CBI’s conviction rate has been improving steadily since 2015, according to data given in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court

2011  2012  2013  2014  2015 

<5 years 5-10 years 10-20 years >20 years

2016  2017  2018  2019  2020 

CONVICTION PERCENTAGE  

CASES PENDING TRIAL FOR...

3,600 2,908 2,749 500

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

67% 67.1%

68.6%69%

65.1%

66.8% 66.9%

68%

69.2%

69.8%

MUMBAI: A special Mumbaicourt on Wednesday denied bailto Aryan Khan, saying there wasprima facie evidence that the23-year-old son of Bollywoodactor Shah Rukh Khan wasindulging in “illicit drug activi-ties” on a regular basis, andcould commit a similar offence ifreleased.

Aryan, who was arrested onOctober 3 during a raid on acruise ship in Mumbai, movedthe Bombay high court for bailshortly afterwards. His friends,Arbaaz Merchant, 26, and modelMunmun Dhamecha, 28, werealso denied bail by the specialNarcotics Drugs and Psycho-tropic Substances (NDPS) court.

Special NDPS judge VV Patilaccepted the Narcotics ControlBureau’s argument that Aryan’sWhatsApp chats showed that hewas in touch with a foreignnational and unknown personsdealing in drugs, and there werereferences to hard drugs andbulk quantity. →P13

ARYAN MOVES

HC AFTER BAIL

REJECTED IN

DRUGS CASE

Rezaul H Laskar

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: A Taliban team ledby deputy prime minister AbdulSalam Hanafi held talks with adelegation of Indian diplomatson the margins of a regionalconference on Afghanistanhosted by Russia on Wednesdayand reportedly discussed theneed to address the concerns ofboth sides.

There was no official wordfrom the Indian side on thetalks held on the sidelines of the“Moscow Format” meeting,which brought together diplo-mats from 10 countries, includ-ing India, Pakistan and China,and the Taliban delegation.

A statement issued by Tali-ban spokesman Zabiullah Muja-hid said the delegation led byHanafi met the Indian team ledby joint secretary JP Singh, headof the Pakistan- Afghanistan-Iran desk in the external affairsministry.

“Both sides considered it nec-essary to address each other’sconcerns and improve diplo-matic and economic relations,”Mujahid said. The Indian sideexpressed its readiness to pro-vide humanitarian assistance toAfghans, he added.

Earlier, the diplomats and theTaliban team discussed issuessuch as providing humanitarianaid to Afghanistan and counter-ing terror emanating fromAfghan soil. →P9

INDIA JOINS MEET WITH TALIBAN; AFGHAN TERROR, AID DISCUSSED

The Indian Army has inducted the upgraded L-70 anti-aircraft gun in the region. RAHUL SINGH/HT PHOTO

NEW DELHI/METRO

Thursday, October 21, 2021n VOL. XCVII NO. 251

Cong’s 40% reservation for women in UP: Will it have any real impact?Forty per cent of Congress candidates in the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will be women, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced in a press conference on October 19.

This is the first time that the Congress has made such a commitment. Until now, like mostpolitical parties in India, the Congress too has had a poor record in nominating women for state or national elections. To be sure, there are some exceptions such as the All India Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal. In the last Lok Sabha elections, 42% and 33% of their candidates, respectively, were women.

By Gilles Verniers and Avishek Jha

Out of the 2,839 Congress candidates who contested a state election since 2017 (excluding by-elections), only 268 were women (9.4%). There are currently only 72 women Congress MLAs out of a total of 847 Congress MLAs across all states (8.5%).

An examination of women nominations by Congress in recent state assembly polls reveals significant variations, from 0% in Nagaland to 19.4% in Jharkhand.

Percentages, however, can be misleading. In Jharkhand for instance, in 2019,

the Congress contested in an alliance with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. It contested only 31 seats, out of which six were given to women candidates (four of them won). The numbers also vary in larger states where the Congress is itself in the reckoning for power. 14.4% of Congress candidates in Rajasthan in 2018 were women, against 9.4% in Punjab and only 6.4% in Karnataka. In the 2017 Gujarat elections, the ratio was even lower, just 5.4%. To be sure, in these states, the Congress’ record in terms of women nomination is not very different from state averages.

1 The Congress has a poor track record of fielding women candidates

SHARE OF WOMEN AMONG CONGRESS CANDIDATES BETWEEN 2017 AND 2021

In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh election, only 10.4% of the Congress’ candidates were women, only slightly better than the average share of women nominated by all political parties, which was at 9.9%. That year, only the BJP did better, though not by much, at 12%. Assuming that the Congress contests all 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, this would translate into 161 women running for office in only one of the four major parties in Uttar Pradesh, a significant contrast from past elections.

Women’s representation in Uttar Pradesh has been on the rise since the early 1990s, from a paltry 2.4% of all MLAs in 1991 to 10.4% in 2017. Since 1991, the proportion of women candidates and women MLAs has been almost identical. The rise is explained by the gradual induction of women candidates in the four mainstream parties of Uttar Pradesh, and not through an effect induced by any specific party.

The Congress’ decision to announce that 40% of its candidates will be women, ahead of the election is therefore unprecedented for Uttar Pradesh, and one can only hope that other parties will follow suit.

There are, nevertheless, reasons to be sceptical.

2Though their share is improving, women are only one of out every 10 candidates who contest in UP

SHARE OF WOMEN CANDIDATES AND MLAS IN UTTAR PRADESH

First, the Congress has made this announcement in a state in which it is unlikely to perform well. One corollary to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s announcement is that the Congress seems to be preparing to go to the polls on its own, outside of a formal alliance with the Samajwadi Party, with which it had an alliance in the 2017 elections. This raises the question of how many of these 160 women will actually be in a position to actually win their seats.

In 2017, the Congress won only seven seats with 6.3% of the votes (or 22% of vote share in the 114 seats that it contested, in an alliance with the Samajwadi Party). Of the 160 women MLAs elected in the Uttar Pradesh State Assembly since 1993, only seven have won on a Congress ticket. Hence, this announcement is unlikely to increase women’s representation in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.

Second, the fact that the Congress has made this announcement from a weakened position will not necessarily provide incentives to parties which are approaching this election from a position of strength. Scholarship from Wendy Singer and Carole Spary on women’s participation in state and national politics in India tells us that risk-averse parties are less likely to appoint women candidates when the stakes are high. Time will tell, of course, if other parties stay true to this practice.

And finally, this announcement, as welcome as it is, will also have to stand a series of tests in the near future. Will the Congress hold on to its commitment should it change its position regarding a pre-electoral alliance in Uttar Pradesh? Will it make similar announcements in states where it can actually hope to win elections, such as Punjab? Will it also recruit women candidates from a wide array of sociological backgrounds, or will the women

selected come from existing Congress-related political families?

This is not to discredit the Congress’s announcement which is welcome and important. But it is also necessary to remember that women’s representa-tion will only increase when the cause of gender inclusion is embraced by all major parties, and not only by a few or when it suits to do so.

Gilles Verniers is assistant professor of political science and co-director of the Trivedi Centre for Political Data, Ashoka University. Avishek Jha is a PhD candidate in geography at the University of Melbourne, and an Affiliate researcher with TCPD

3The move is unlikely to change women’s low representation in UP assembly

PARTY-WISE COMPOSITION OF WOMEN MLAS IN UTTAR PRADESH

(in %)

4.7%

2.3%

10.4%

9.9%

% Female MLAs% Female candidates

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halaya

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aras

htra

Uttar P

rades

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Kerala

Arunac

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desh

Harya

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Telan

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Uttara

khan

d

Mad

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desh

Rajast

han

Chhattis

garh

Delhi

Sikkim

Jhar

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d

1967 1969 1974 1977 19801962 1985 1989 1991 1993 1996 2002 2007 2012 2017

INC BJP SP BSP Others

1993 1996 2002 2007 2012 2017

0

2

4

6

8

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12

It will also need to stand many more tests ahead

2.53.4 3.5 4 4.4

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9.2 9.4

10.8 10.9 11.1 11.1 11.4 11.8

13.414.4

15.2

16.7

19.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

NEW DELHI

THURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021

Number Theory

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Forty-two people have died in rain-re-lated incidents between October12 and 20 — including 19 whowere killed due to landslides —in Kerala, while six people aremissing, chief minister PinarayiVijayan said on Wednesday. PTI

42 DEAD DUE TO RAINS, LANDSLIDES IN KERALA: VIJAYAN

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

DEHRADUN/HALDWANI: The number of people who have diedin Uttarakhand due to rain-re-lated incidents this week has risen to 52, and at least five peo-ple are still missing, said officialson Wednesday as rescuers dug through debris of landslides andbuilding collapses, and attemptedto reach people marooned by flooded rivers.

Record-breaking amounts ofunseasonal rain led to flash floodin the Ramgarh area, and severalother regions were hit by land-slides. In multiple places, bridgeswere washed away and some roads remained blocked, makingrescue work difficult.

Chief minister Pushkar SinghDhami, who on Tuesday described the human loss as hugeand said infrastructure as well ascrops were destroyed, assured state support. “We want to assurethe people that our government is with the affected people in thishour of need. We are providing every possible help including food and medicines to the needyones and will continue to do so,”

he said after visiting some of the badly hit areas on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the confirmed tollwas at 34. According to Jyoti Negi, spokesperson of the state disaster management depart-ment, the 52 deaths confirmed tillWednesday include 28 from the Nanital district, six from Almora,eight from Champawat, two fromUdham Singh Nagar, and one from Bageshwar district.

continued on →18

Flood toll hits 52 amid rescue ops in U’khand

KATHMANDU: The death tollafter three days of heavy rain inNepal triggered landslides andflash floods rose to 77 onWednesday after rescuers recov-ered 34 more bodies, authoritiessaid. The interior ministry said26 people were also missing.→P15

AT LEAST 77 DEAD AS HEAVY RAIN LASHES NEPAL

KUSHINAGAR: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi inauguratedKushinagar International Air-port in Uttar Pradesh onWednesday, which will improveconnectivity to Buddhist pilgrim-age sites in India.

Referring to the maiden flightfrom Sri Lanka that arrived atthe airport on Wednesday withover 100 Buddhist monks anddignitaries on board, Modi saidthe flight’s landing was akin topaying obeisance to the reveredland. Kushinagar is a sacredBuddhist site, where Lord Bud-dha is believed to have deliveredhis last sermon and attained sal-vation or Mahaparinirvana.

“In UP (Uttar Pradesh), ninenew airports have become oper-ational. There will be newer air-ports in Ayodhya, Azamgarh,Moradabad, Shrawasti, Aligarh… soon,” he said,

Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav accused the BJPof taking credit for projectslaunched by them. →P13

MODI OPENS KUSHINAGAR AIRPORT, LAUDS WORK IN U.P.

SRINAGAR: Security forces onWednesday killed four terrorists,including two commanderslinked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba(LeT) who were involved in thekilling of non-local workers inJammu and Kashmir, a develop-ment that came amid a wave ofattacks on civilians in the restiveregion.

While two terrorists werekilled in an encounter in Shop-ian’s Dragad, two others wereshot dead in a gunfight in theKulgam district, a police officialsaid. An Indian Army soldieralso lost his life in the Shopiangun battle. The slain terroristsincluded two LeT-linked districtcommanders who were allegedly

involved in the killings of a car-penter from Uttar Pradesh onOctober 16 and two labourersfrom Bihar on October 17.

The Jammu & Kashmir Policesay they have “neutralised” 17terrorists in 10 encounters in theValley amid the latest phase ofviolence against civilians sinceOctober 2. →P11

Terrorists behind three civilian killings gunned down in Valley

bench headed by Chief Justice ofIndia (CJI) NV Ramana, as itheard the case registered by thetop court on its own (suo motu)as a public interest litigation.

The bench, which also com-prised justices Surya Kant andHima Kohli, took umbrage to thefact that the state police was yet

continued on →18

Utkarsh Anand

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Courton Wednesday pulled up theUttar Pradesh government forthe sluggish pace of investiga-tion into the Lakhimpur Kheriincident that left eight people,including four farmers, dead onOctober 3, while observing thatthe impression this gives is thatthe state is “dragging its feet”.

“This (investigation) cannotbe an unending story... We getthe impression that you aredragging your feet. Please, do theneedful to dispel that,” said a

UP ‘dragging feet’ on Lakhimpur, rues SC

A

{ SUPREME COURT }

This (investigation) cannot be an unending story... we get the impression that

you are draggingyour feet

An army jawan rescues a child in Tanakpur, Uttarakhand, on Wednesday. PTI

vWATCH: Foreignenvoys praise

the new Kushinagar airport

hindustantimes.com NEW DELHI/METRO

Thursday, October 21, 2021f@hindustantimes t@httweets i@hindustantimes l@hindustantimes

n VOL. XCVII NO. 251 n PRICE ₹5.00/WITH HINDUSTAN ₹ 9.00 (₹ 7.50 IN FARIDABAD)/WITH MINT ₹ 9.50 n 26 PAGES + 8 PAGES OF HT CITY. AREA SPECIFIC PAGES EXTRA.

were approved, and 66 wererejected. In 2018, 18 wereapproved by the committee ofwhich only one was a “category1” cadre. In both 2019 and 2020,the number approved was 14(all category 2A and 2B) and thisyear, till September 25, only onesurrender has been approved bythe committee. The last meetingof the committee was on June26 and another meeting of com-mittee is scheduled in Novem-ber, officials said. The SRC gen-erally meets twice a year.

The debate around surrenders Human rights activists, whowork in Bastar, said that thenumbers are evidence that mostsurrenders that occur in theregion are fake, and that thisrequired an explanation fromthe police. Bela Bhatia, a humanrights activist and lawyer, said,

“Does this mean cases shown assurrenders are actually fakesurrenders? The police inChhattisgarh should be asked toexplain. Our ground work hasshown that ordinary villagersget picked up and are given theoption to surrender or faceimprisonment. Rather than fac-ing long years behind bars, indi-viduals settle for the former.”

Senior police officials inChhattisgarh defended the lownumber of cases being sent toSRC and being approved butclaimed that the poor surrendernumbers of top cadres is causefor concern. “Only those Mao-ists who have rewards on theirheads and have police recordsare considered for compensa-tion under governments’ sur-render and rehabilitation pol-icy, and that too if the surrenderis approved by the state-levelcommittee. We don’t compen-

Reuters

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW YORK: For the first time, apig kidney has been transplantedinto a human without “trigger-ing immediate rejection” by therecipient’s immune system, apotentially major advance thatcould eventually help alleviate adire shortage of human organsfor transplant.

The procedure, done at NYULangone Health in New YorkCity, involved the use of a pigwhose genes had been altered sothat its tissues no longer con-tained a molecule known to trig-ger almost immediate rejection.

The recipient was a brain-dead patient with signs of kidneydysfunction, whose family con-sented to the experiment beforeshe was due to be taken off of lifesupport, researchers told Reu-ters. For three days, the new kid-ney was attached to her bloodvessels and maintained outsideher body, giving researchersaccess to it.

Test results of the trans-planted kidney’s function“looked pretty normal” and thekidney made “the amount ofurine that you would expect”from a transplanted human kid-ney, said transplant surgeon DrRobert Montgomery, who ledthe study. He added that therewere was no evidence of the vig-orous, early rejection seen whenunmodified pig kidneys aretransplanted into non-humanprimates. The recipient’s abnor-mal creatinine level, an indicatorof poor kidney function,

New guidelines for international passengersAll international passengers will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test report for Covid-19 at the time of their arrival in India, according to the health ministry’s latest guidelines for international travel issued on Wednesday. A look at the new rules that will be valid starting October 25

NEW SOPs FOR INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS

PASSENGER FILLS UP A SELF-DECLARATION FORM ON AIR SUVIDHA PORTAL, AND UPLOADS A NEGATIVE RT-PCR REPORT

Airlines must ensure that all passengers have a negative RT-PCR test report before allowing them on the flight

If any traveller develops symptoms during 14-day post-arrival period or tests positive for Covid-19 after arrival in India, then they must immediately self-isolate and report to the nearest health facility or contact the national (1075) or state helpline number

Fully vaccinated

Self-healthmonitoring for 14 days after arrival

in India

* “At risk” countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing

# India will recognise vaccines that are either (a) approved by the Government of India or (b) WHO-recognised vaccines

l Post-arrival Covid-19 testl Home quarantine for 7 daysl Re-test on the 8th day and if

negative, self-health monitoring for the next 7 days

Not or partially

vaccinated

Fully vaccinated

Not or partially

vaccinated

Self-healthmonitoring for 14 days after

arrival in India

PASSENGER ARRIVES IN INDIA

AT THE AIRPORTTHERMAL SCREENING will be carried out on all passengers by health officials present at the airport

PASSENGERS FOUND SYMPTOMATIC during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facility according to health protocol. If tested positive, their contacts shall be identified and managed under laid down protocol

International travellers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol except the facility for online registration is not available them as of now. They must submit their self-declaration form to officials at seaports/land ports on arrival

AT SEA OR LAND PORTS

BEFORE TRAVEL

Passengers who are coming from countries labelled “at risk”* by India

Travellers arriving from nations that are NOT LISTED as countries “at risk”

Nations that have a pact with India on mutual recognition

of vaccine certificates#

All remaining countries#

These are nations from where travellers need to follow additional measures on arrival, including post-arrival testing. They include South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh,

Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand Zimbabwe and many countries in Europe including the United Kingdom

Travellers who are flying in from all countries excluding those nations that have been marked

as “at risk” by the Indian government will be allowed to leave the airport on arrival here

{ COVID-19 } TRAVEL PROTOCOLS

returned to normal after thetransplant, Montgomery said.

In the U.S., nearly 107,000people presently await organtransplants, including more than90,000 awaiting a kidney,according to the United Networkfor Organ Sharing. The waittimes for a kidney average three-to-five years, it said.

Researchers have been work-ing for decades on the possibilityof using animal organs for trans-plants, but have been stymiedover how to prevent immediaterejection by the human body.

Montgomery’s team theorizedthat knocking out the pig genefor a carbohydrate that triggersrejection - a sugar molecule, orglycan, called alpha-gal - wouldprevent the problem.

The genetically altered pig,dubbed GalSafe, was developedby United Therapeutics Corp’sRevivicor unit. It was approvedby the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration in December2020, for use as food for peoplewith a meat allergy and as apotential source of human thera-peutics. Medical products devel-oped from the pigs would stillrequire specific FDA approvalbefore being used in humans,the agency said.

The transplant experimentshould pave the way for trials inpatients with end-stage kidneyfailure, said Montgomery, aheart transplant recipient him-self. The trials might test theapproach as a short-term solu-tion for critically ill patients untila human kidney becomes availa-ble, or as a permanent graft.

US doctors test pig kidney transplant in human patient

Ritesh Mishra

letters@hindustantimes.com

RAIPUR: Only 3% of Maoiststhat surrendered in Chhattis-garh in the past three years havepassed muster of the stateScreening and RehabilitationCommittee (SRC), whichdecides if those surrendering tothe state are eligible for benefitsunder the surrender and reha-bilitation schemes of the gov-ernment. Data accessed by HTfrom the beginning of 2018shows that while Chhattisgarh,the state hit worst by the state-Maoist conflict over the last twodecades, claims a record total of1,462 Maoist surrenders, only113 of these were actually sent tothe SRC for screening, and only47 were found fit enough toreceive the benefits under thesurrender and rehabilitationscheme.

The process of rehabilitationby the government is meant tobegin the day a Maoist surren-ders, either to the state police,or administration or the centralparamilitary forces that areposted in Chhattisgarh. MostMaoists that surrender immedi-ately receive a protsahan rashi(encouragement reward), nowset at ₹10,000. An interrogationis meant to follow where theirrank is verified with police intel-ligence records, and recoveriesrecorded if they are surrender-ing with weapons or arms andammunition, which increasesthe amount due to the person,given that there is a rewardattached with each kind of

weapon. Finally, the names andrecords must be sent to the SRC.This screens their antecedents,and if they pass muster, the sur-rendered Maoists become eligi-ble for government benefits.

The objectives of these guide-lines for surrender, the Unionministry of home affairs says, isto “wean away misguided youthand hardcore naxalites whohave strayed into the fold of thenaxal movement and now findthemselves trapped into that netand to ensure that the naxaliteswho surrender do not find itattractive to join the naxalmovement again.” However, theMHA also adds that “tacticalsurrenders by those elementswho try to make use of the bene-fits extended by the Govern-ment to further their vestedinterests should not be encour-aged”.

The benefits that a surren-dered Maoist is eligible for inChhattisgarh are significant: ₹5lakh for a high ranking Maoist(category 1), and ₹2.5 lakh formiddle and lower cadre Maoists(category 2A and 2B respec-tively); a monthly stipend of₹6,000 for a maximum periodof 36 months; additional incen-tives for recovered weapons;and study and house-buildinggrants.

While category 1 is defined as“State Committee members,Regional Committee members,Central Committee membersand Politburo members”, cate-gory 2-A refers to area com-manders, sub-zonal command-ers and zonal commanders. Any

other hardcore cadres, Dalammembers and identified LWE(left wing extremism) cadreinvolved in heinous crimes willcome under category 2-B. But toreceive these benefits, the Mao-ists must be cleared by the SRC.

The composition of the SRCis an additional director generalof police (ADGP) or inspectorgeneral of police (IG)-levelpolice officer from the statepolice, a representative from thestate home department, and arepresentative of Central ArmedPolice Forces. The definition setby the MHA, for screening says,“The naxalite who surrendersmay be a hardcore, under-ground naxalite cadre and amember of a Dalam and surren-ders in accordance with thecomprehensive surrender andrehabilitation policy beingimplemented by the concernedState Government. Rehabilita-tion of surrendered naxaliteshould be confined to dalammembers and above, otherranks and overground support-ers/sympathisers being consid-ered only in exception cases.”

The numbers The records of the ChhattisgarhPolice show that 1,462 surren-ders have taken place in the past33 months, from January 1,2018, to September 25. Of these,as many as 1,223 were in thethree districts of Dantewada,Sukma and Narayanpur.

Of the 1,462 recorded surren-ders, the district police adminis-trations only sent 113 cases forscrutiny to the SRC, of which 47

sate lower cadre because theyare not active. The aim of thesesmall cadres when they surren-der is to remove themselvesfrom polices’ list and live a lifewithout police fear,” said OPPal, deputy director general(DIG) of State IntelligenceBureau (SIB), and Surrenderand Rehabilitation officer ofChhattisgarh, the head of theSRC.

The DIG further said that lotof these surrendered Maoistsare low-level cadres or a part ofthe “Jan Militia”, who have nobounty on their heads. “How-ever, there are other benefits forthem in different departmentsincluding – Below Poverty Level(BPL) cards, education and hos-tel facilities for their children,various health services, housesunder state or central schemes,training for self-reliance andemployment, if they are eligiblefor government jobs includinginduction in the police force,”Pal said. Activists, however,point out that these are routinebenefits available to all.

An IPS officer working inBastar said that even in the caseof cadres with bounties, thereare bureaucratic challenges,such as what lists their namesappear on. “Even with cadreswho have rewards, many do nothave their profiles in the stateheadquarters’ records, so theirnames are not approved,” hesaid, adding that the state intel-ligence bureau list should beregularly updated.

The official added that withthe primary LWE districts in

Chhattisgarh-Dantewada, Bija-pur, Sukma and Narayanpur,being geographically contigu-ous with Andhra Pradesh andTelangana, a region from wheremuch of the top Maoist leader-ship hails, most choose to sur-render in their home states. “Itis a fact that very few seniorcadres are surrendering inChhattisgarh. This is becausethere is no pressure on themhere as there have hardly beenany arrests, or encounterswhere they have been reached,which means there is less incen-tive or fear to surrender. Mostimportantly, most of the seniorcadres are from AP and Telan-gana and more likely to surren-der in their home states,” saidthe officer.

Another police official basedin Raipur said that the surren-der of low-level cadre, despitethem not making the basic SRCgrade, should be seen as a posi-tive sign. “Yes, this (lowapproval rate under SRC) is anissue of concern and the rea-sons should be discussed by thepolice and government. But, Ibelieve that the surrender oflower cadre is also a positivesign because it reflects that peo-ple are leaving the movementand shifting from Maoist ideol-ogy or they have lost faith inMaoism,” said the officer.

Caught in between Yet, for those Maoists who sur-rendered under the impressionthat they would be the recipientof the long list of benefits, butfailed to make the grade, these

debates bring little solace.Mahru Ram Punem is now partof the police, with the Narayan-pur’s District Reserve Guard,carrying a gun again, a protago-nist in a battle he was trying toescape. The DRG is a wing of thestate police raised in May 2015,which operates in Bastar, and iscomprised primarily of localsand surrendered Maoists, withthe operational argument forthem being that they provideinnate knowledge of both theMaoists and the difficult terrain.

“I had ₹8 lakh reward on myhead when I surrendered in2014. I was a platoon com-mander in Indravati Area Com-mittee. I got ₹10,000 on the dayand since then, I have receivednothing. I have written manytimes to senior police officersbut all of it has been in vain. In2018, the police inducted me inthe district DRG, but I have notreceived what I was promised,”said Punem, now posted in Nar-ayanpur.

For 32-year-old Madka Varte,the process of surrendering tothe Dantewada Police hasbrought another deep fear, typi-cal to others like him. Varte is aresident of Mahrakarka village,falling under the Malangir AreaCommittee in the Maoist lexi-con. He surrendered to the Dan-tewada Police in 2020, and wasgiven at the time, ₹10,000 andnine goats. “Seven of the goatsare now dead, and I have noth-ing left. Worse, because I sur-rendered, the Maoists think Iam a police informer. I live infear,” he said.

{ CHHATTISGARH } STRIFE-TORN

Dichotomy between Maoist surrender and rehab numbers

The police felicitating Maoists who surrendered in Dantewada. ANI

The Central Bureau of Investigation Wednesday filed a charge sheet in the death of additional district judge Uttam Anand, who was mowed down by an auto-rickshaw July 28 this year in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, an incident which led to security concerns in the entire judiciary. The charge sheet has been filed against the three-wheeler driver Lakhan Verma and his accomplice Rahul Verma; both were arrested by the Jharkhand police two days after the incident. The CBI took them into custody after it took over probe July 31. They are currently in jail. The CBI has accused the two men of “deliberately hitting the judge”, as seen in CCTV footage of the area. The duo has been charged for “murder”, while further probe into the “larger conspiracy will continue”, said a senior officer, who didn’t want to be named. →P9

{ MY INDIA } DHANBAD JUDGE DEATH

CBI files charge sheet against accused duo

Traditionally, foreign policy has been perceived, principally, as the preserve of States and governments. The subject matter was considered to cover issues beyond our borders. It meant the focus was on what happened outside, with limited implications for the inside. In a globalised world, this is changing. Foreign policy is becoming less foreign than it was. Globalisation has established a direct linkage between the external and internal. The good news is that PM Narendra Modi’s repeated calls to merge the “local with the global” in terms of industry and services, reflect a deep understanding of the connect. The bad news is that as new issues which impact our national development grow in global importance, geopolitical concerns are leading to their “securitisation”. These are signals of a new and different foreign policy that India needs to address, writes Syed Akbaruddin, a former diplomat who served as India’s permanent representative to the UN. →P14

{ OPINION } GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

When India’s foreign policy comes home

Alibaba shares surged more than 6% in Hong Kong Wednesday after billionaire founder Jack Ma was reported to be in Spain for a “study tour”, by the company’s newspaper South China Morning Post, fuelling investor hopes that the worst of China’s regulatory crackdown for the internet giant might be over. However, an Alibaba spokesperson declined to comment on the same when contacted, according to news agency AFP. Ma has kept a low profile ever sincemainland officials spiked what would have been a world record $37 billion IPO for Alibaba’s financial group, Ant, last November. The company also fell out of favour soon after Ma criticised China’s financial regulators. He disappeared towards end of last year but briefly resurfaced in January after a video clip of him speaking at his charity event came up.His Spain trip is believed to be the first time he has travelled overseas since regulators came for Alibaba. AFP

{ WORLD } ALIBABA

Shares soar after Ma said to be in Europe

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre to explain the exclusion of doctors and health workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic in private clinics and dispensaries from the ambit of the central insurance scheme that promises ₹50 lakh cover to kin of health workers who died battling the deadly virus. “Prima facie, the objective of the scheme is to provide social security to health professionals in view of the risks they faced due to Covid-19, be it in public or private institutions,” the SC bench said against a petition by families of seven doctors who died in Mumbai since the pandemic hit. Earlier March 9, the Bombay HC held that private hospital staffers were not entitled to insurance coverage under the scheme, launched last March, unless their services were “requisitioned” by central or state government. →P13

{ MY INDIA } INSURANCE SCHEME

SC pulls up Centre for barring pvt docs

Facebook, under fire from regulators and lawmakers over its business practices, is planning to rebrand itself with a new group name that focuses on the metaverse, The Verge reported on Tuesday. The name change will be announced next week, The Verge reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been talking up the metaverse, a digital world where people can move between different devices and communicate in a virtual environment, since July, and the group has invested heavily in virtual reality and augmented reality, developing hardware such as its Oculus VR headsets and working on AR glasses and wristband technologies. The move would likely position the flagship app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing brands such as Instagram and WhatsApp, according to the report. REUTERS

{ BUSINESS } TO REVAMP IMAGE

Facebook plans a new group name

02NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Page One Plus

Delhi has around 29,000 acresof crop fields and around21,000 farmers.

Farmers, however, said thatdespite the initiative, most ofthem did not receive any com-pensation for crop loss since2015.

“Farmers in the city lastreceived compensation for cropdamage in 2015. However, onlythose who owned less than 2

hectares of land were compen-sated. This year, the govern-ment has not stated any suchcondition yet. We hope morefarmers manage to get thecompensation. Several farm-lands flooded during the mon-soon between 2016 and 2020,damaging crops, but farmersdid not receive any money. Theprocess is often very messy,”said Rajesh Shokeen, a farmer

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minis-ter Arvind Kejriwal on Wednes-day announced that the gov-ernment will organise an eventon October 23 at Thyagaraj Sta-dium to celebrate the life ofsaint Valmiki.

T h e c h i e f m i n i s t e rannounced the event in a pressstatement released soon afterhis visit to the Valmiki templein Mandir Marg on the occa-sion of Valmiki Jayanti onWednesday.

Saint Valmiki is worshippedby sections of the Dalit commu-nity. Kejriwal often starts theAam Aadmi Party’s campaignsahead of elections from the

Mandir Marg temple, which isunder his jurisdiction as anMLA.

The government statementsaid, “Delhi government willcelebrate the Pragat Diwas ofLord Valmiki on a grand scaleat Thyagaraj Stadium on Octo-ber 23. All Delhiites are invitedto this function.”

Deputy chief minister Man-ish Sisodia accompanied Kejri-wal during his visit to the tem-ple on Wednesday evening.

The event gains significancein light of the Punjab assemblyelection, scheduled to be heldin a few months. The AAP is theprincipal Opposition party inthe state. According to govern-ment data, Punjab has a signifi-cant population of Dalits.

{ OCT 23 EVENT TO MARK VALMIKI’S LIFE }

Kejriwal visits Valmiki temple in Mandir Marg

A

{ ARVIND KEJRIWAL } DELHI CM

PFarmers in Delhi need not be distressed. The Aam Aadmi Party government will continue to help

farmers.

NEW DELHI: Following criticismfrom environmentalists and citi-zen groups, the Delhi Develop-ment Authority (DDA) has clari-fied that its proposal to developan eco-tourism project at SanjayVan is aimed at creating aware-ness and providing recreationalfacilities to people living near it.

The DDA recently invitedexpression of interest (EOI) fromcompanies to develop SanjayVan in south Delhi, the 783-acregreen lung of the national capi-tal, as an eco-tourism destina-tion, with facilities for activitiessuch as rock climbing, aerialtrails (canopy tour or ziplines),forest safari, cycling, picnic andcamping spots, among others.

“Sanjay Van, an integral partof South Central Ridge, attractstonnes of visitors for daily lei-sure activities. DDA’s currentproposal of introducing activi-ties related to nature based eco-tourism aims to create environ-mental awareness and recrea-tion amidst a natural setting inan eco-friendly manner usinglocally available resources. Theactivities proposed, like rockclimbing, forest leisure cycling,camping, star gazing activities,guided nature tour etc have beenincluded keeping their nature ofapplication and natural context,”read the statement by DDA.

DDA official said that the planis to “encourage community par-ticipation to sensitise the publictowards environmental aware-ness via knowledge dissemina-tion through nature walks, edu-cational tours etc”. HTC

AFTER ROW, DDA DEFENDS PLAN FOR ECO-TOURISM AT SANJAY VAN

tion, Himanshu Gupta (AGMUT,2012) has been posted as director(education), with additionalcharge of OSD (health and familydepartment) as well as MD of theDelhi SC/ST/OBD/Minorities andHandicapped Financial andDevelopment Corporation.

Social welfare secretary Gar-ima Gupta has been appointedCEO of the Delhi Urban ShelterImprovement Board (Dusib). Shewill continue to keep additionalcharge of MD ShahjahanabadRedevelopment Corporation(SRDC), the order said.

Neeraj Semwal will be thenew secretary-cum-commis-sioner (food and supplies). Hewill also hold additional chargeas MD of the Delhi TransportCorporation (DTC).

Madhup Vyas has been givenadditional charge of secretary(social welfare).

PWD secretary Dilraj Kaurhas been given additional chargeof secretary I&FC (Irrigation andFlood Control), the official orderadded. PTI

Abhishek Dey

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arv-ind Kejriwal on Wednesdaysaid his government willensure compensation to farm-ers in the Capital who sufferedlosses because of crop damagethis year. He added that thegovernment fixed the rate ofcompensation at ₹50,000 perhectare.

“Recently, I met groups offarmers who told me that theysuffered losses because of cropdamage caused by unseasonalrainfall this year. I want to tellfarmers in Delhi that they neednot be distressed. The AamAadmi Party government willcontinue to help farmers,” Kej-riwal said during a video pressbriefing, adding that the AamAadmi Party set up the initia-tive when it came to power inthe national Capital in 2015.

He said that suffering farm-ers, like previous years, willcontinue to get ₹50,000 perhectare as compensation forcrop damage. “...This is thehighest amount compared toall states, which pay ₹8,000 –₹10,000. We will also makesure that the money is dis-bursed within one-and-a-halfmonths or so. This year too, Ihave issued directions toensure farmers who have suf-fered losses because of cropdamage will get compensationof ₹50,000 per hectare.”

Kejriwal added that districtofficials have started assessinglosses. “... the survey will becompleted within two weeksand the money disbursed to eli-gible farmers within one-and-a-half months after that,” he said.

Government data shows that

from Dichaon-Kalan village inthe southwestern periphery inDelhi.

Dinesh Rana, a farmer fromPalla village in the northwest-ern periphery of Delhi, said,“This year, there has been sig-nificant crop damage becauseof excess and unseasonal rain-fall. Farmers are in immensedistress. However, we hopethat the government stream-lines the process of compensat-ing us and we don’t have to runfrom pillar to post for compen-sation.”

Earlier this year, the govern-ment had commissioned a sep-arate study to assess the griev-ances of farmers in the city andrecord concerns revolvingaround minimum supportprice, input costs, yield, croploss, etc. The findings of thestudy, however, are yet to bepublished.

Paras Tyagi, co-founder,Centre for Youth Culture, Lawand Environment, a Delhi-based public policy group thatworks primarily on villages,said, “In Delhi, there are almostno subsidies for farmers. As aresult, the input costs are veryhigh compared to several otherstates in the country. Consider-ing input costs, ₹50,000 perhectare is too little a compensa-tion amount. Secondly, thereare loopholes in the systembecause of which a large num-ber of genuine farmers areoften excluded from suchschemes. That should not hap-pen. Also, no farmer in the cityhas received any compensationunder government schemessince 2015. So there is a lack oftrust too. The government hasto invest in making the system better.”

Farmers in Capital to get aid to offset crop damage

NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Gover-nor Anil Baijal has transferredseven bureaucrats in the city,with senior IAS officer SwatiSharma appointed health secre-tary of the Delhi government,said an official order.

The Delhi government’s servi-ces department issued the trans-fer and posting order of theseseven IAS officers of AGMUT(Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizo-ram and Union Territory) cadre,according to the order datedOctober 18.

“Senior IAS officer of 2003batch Swati Sharma has beengiven additional charge ofHealth and Family Welfare sec-retary of the Delhi government.

IAS officer of 2007 batch, UditPrakash Rai was named CEO ofthe Delhi Jal Board, in a transferfrom his position as director(education). He will continue tohold additional charge as specialsecretary of the health and fam-ily welfare department.

Deputy commissioner of theNorth Delhi Municipal Corpora-

HT Correspondent

htreporters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: In order to addressconcerns of candidates whoswitched cities during Covid-19crisis, the Central Board of Sec-ondary Education (CBSE) onWednesday said it will soonallow students of classes 10 and12 to change their examinationcentre by submitting an applica-tion to their respective schools.

“It has come to the notice ofthe Board that some studentsare still not in the city of theirschool where they had takenadmission and are residingsomewhere else. In view of the

above, at an appropriate time,CBSE will inform students tomake a request to their respec-tive schools to change the city oftheir examination centre.Schools will follow instructionsgiven by CBSE to forward therequest to CBSE in an onlinesystem,” said CBSE’s Controllerof Examination Sanyam Bhard-waj in a notice issued onWednesday.

CBSE asked students to fol-low updates on the board’s web-site.

“As soon as the students areinformed in this regard, theycan make the request to theirschool within schedule which

will be of short duration,”Bhardwaj stated in the circular,adding that no such requestswill be accepted beyond theschedule.

Last year too, the board hadannounced similar provisionsthough it couldn’t be put to useas the theory papers were can-celled due to the surge in casesduring the second wave.

Due to the Covid-19 pan-demic, several familiesmigrated back to their hometowns and are yet to return dueto lack of livelihood and otheropportunities.

Sukhbir Singh Yadav, presi-dent of the Delhi government

principals’ association, saidthere are several students inmany Delhi government schoolswho are yet to return to the Cap-ital.

“In my school, we have ahandful of students who are yetto return to the city. School offi-cials paid their examination feeand we are now counsellingthem to return to Delhi so thatthe children can at least appearfor their board exams. Most ofthese students are from familieswho lost their livelihood inCovid and went back to their vil-lages,” said Yadav, who is theprincipal of a governmentschool in Rohini.

CBSE to allow Class 10, 12 students to change board exam centres if they have moved cities

{ NEW HEALTH SECY APPOINTED }

7 IAS officers shifted

Kejriwal said farmers who have suffered crop losses will get ₹50,000 per hectare. VIPIN KUMAR/HT ARCHIVE

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 03

My Delhi

less than 2.5 micrometres). “Fire emission from upwind

region enhances PM2.5 concen-tration as winds at transportlevel are from northwest region.Stubble burning share is likely toincrease in next two days if thereis no rain. The overall AQI islikely to further degrade tohigher end of poor for next threedays,” Safar’s air analysis forDelhi read.

Their analysis also attributedthe pollution spike to high stub-ble fire count, calm winds andlow ventilation and local dust.

900 spots violating dust control norms: CAQMWith an aim to control dust pol-lution in Delhi-NCR, the Com-mission for Air Quality Manage-ment in Delhi and Adjoining

levels in Delhi were 53%. “The air quality is expected to

remain in the ‘poor’ category thisweek,” said VK Soni, head ofIMD’s environmentand research depart-ment.

The Capital’s airquality had steadilyworsened all month,a decline that accel-erated on Friday,when the A Q Ireached the far endof the “moderate”zone at 198.

On Saturday, as windscalmed, the AQI reached 284,before climbing to 298 the nextday. It then fell by over 250points on the back of a recordOctober rain on Monday.

Between Sunday and Monday,

the national capital recorded87.9mm rainfall, the fourth high-est in a day ever in October, andthe highest since 1956, when the

city received 111mmrain, according toIMD data.

This resulted inthe first good AQIday since August 31,2020.

An analysis bythe Union ministryof earth science’ airquality monitoringcentre, System of

Air Quality and Weather Fore-casting and Research’s (Safar)shows that 746 fires werereported in Punjab and Haryanaon Wednesday, contributing to12% of Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels (par-ticulate matter with diameter

Air We

Breathe

Areas (CAQM) intensified actionagainst construction sites, withstate monitoring teams inspect-ing over 6,500 sites, of whichover 900 were found to be violat-ing dust control norms, theCAQM said in a statementon Wednesday.

The commission said dedi-cated teams were deployed inDelhi and states in the NationalCapital Region (NCR) to inspectconstruction and demolitionsites ahead of the peak pollutionseason in the region.

“An amount of approximately₹3.07 crore has been levied asenvironmental compensationcharge on the defaulting agen-cies, besides orders for stoppageof work at 52 locations,” the airquality control commission saidin the statement.

Soumya Pillai

soumya.pillai@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Air pollution levelsrebounded sharply into the poorzone on Wednesday after unsea-sonal rains and strong winds ledto a rare ‘good’ Air Quality Index(AQI) day for this time of theyear earlier this week, a turn forthe worse that experts fear willonly deteriorate in coming days.

Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) recordingsshowed the 24-hour average AQIat 4pm on Wednesday at 221 – adrastic worsening from Mon-day’s 46 (good) and Tuesday’s 69(satisfactory).

Experts said the sharp fall inair quality was due to the impactof smoke from farm fires inneighbouring states, and calmlocal winds.

Pollution levels started risingfrom Tuesday night when thewind blowing into Delhichanged direction from north-east to northwest, bringing inplumes of smoke from agrarianstates upwind – Punjab and Har-yana.

After an AQI of 69 at 4pm onTuesday, the index deterioratedto 184 on Wednesday at 11am. AnAQI between 0 and 50 is consid-ered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfac-tory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”,201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400“very poor”, and 401 and 500“severe”.

As of 7pm on Wednesday, theaverage AQI in 26 (out of 36localities with pollution-moni-toring stations) was in the ‘poor’category. Two areas — Dwarkaand Anand Vihar — slipped intothe ‘very poor’ zone, with read-ings of 311 and 348 respectively.

Senior scientists from theIndia Meteorological Depart-ment (IMD) said the spike in pol-lution levels was primarybecause of the large number offarm fires in neighbouring statesand calm local winds, which hada relatively higher share of mois-ture, enabling local pollutants tohang close to the air near theground levels instead of beingdispersed higher in the atmos-phere.

They also warned that the sit-uation is likely to get worse inthe coming days.

On Wednesday, the humidity

Good to poor in 48 hours: Bad air is here, and set to get worse

Source: CPCB

166 179 171 182198

284298

4669

221

6am 12am 12am10pm 4pm10pm

Poor 201-300

Very Poor 300-400

Severe 401-500

0

50

100

150

200

The calm before the smogDelhi's air got two days' reprieve, before the AQI worsened dramatically on Wednesday

Particulate matter levels spike

October 18

87.9mm

October 19 October 20

AQI up after rain respite

Amal KS/HT Photo

PM 2.5 PM 10 (in microgram per cubic metre)

73  50.2 

98.2  99.1 

187.3 

18.6  38 

46.2 

11-Oct

12-O

ct

13-O

ct

14-O

ct

15-O

ct

16-O

ct

17-Oct

18-O

ct

19-O

ct

20-Oct

Good 0-50

Satisfactory 51-100

Moderate 101-200

Soumya Pillai

htreporters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The late with-drawal of monsoon and the off-season showers over north-westIndia might have temporarilyhelped Delhi’s air to shake offthe adverse impact of stubblefires, but with the next crop sea-son fast approaching, environ-mentalists and weather expertshave warned that the stubblefire count could rise fast in thecoming days, and Delhi mightbe in for some intense pollutionspells soon.

After heavy, widespread rainover parts of Punjab, Haryana,Uttar Pradesh and Delhi overthe past two days, satelliteimages from the National Aero-nautics and Space Administra-tion (Nasa) showed an increasein “red dots”—representingstubble fires—over the region.

The impact of this high num-ber of fires was also seen inDelhi’s air on Wednesday, as theair quality index climbing to221, into the “poor” zone onceagain, after a welcome spell ofgood air days. The India Mete-orological Department (IMD)analysis showed that high stub-ble fires were the primary rea-son behind the fall in air quality.

According to Union ministryof earth science’s air qualitymonitoring centre, the Systemof Air Quality and WeatherForecasting and Research(Safar), 746 fires were reportedon Wednesday from Punjab andHaryana, which contributed12% of Delhi’s PM 2.5 (particu-late matter with diameter lessthan 2.5 micrometres) levels.

Pawan Gupta, a research sci-entist at the Goddard Earth Sci-ences Technology and Research(GESTAR), Universities SpaceResearch Association, said firecounts could be low becausefarmers cannot set wet fields onfire, and while the stubble sea-son is delayed this year, thenumber of fires is catching upwith that of previous years.

“From Tuesday, we are seeingfrom satellite images that afterthe clouds cleared up, smoke isvisible over north-west India.Get ready for more intense

{ PROLONGED RAIN }

Experts fear last-minute spike in farm fires this yr

I N D I ADELHI

PUNJAB

HARYANA

burning and smoky skies in thecoming weeks,” said Gupta.

IMD scientist Ashim Mitraalso tweeted satellite images ofstubble fire smoke envelopingnorth-west India on Wednes-day. He said these fires mayhave not been detected becauseof the cloud cover and rain, butafter the rainfall stopped fromTuesday, the smoke startedreappearing on satellite images.

“A fall in temperature andwinds may bring pollutantsfrom these fires into neighbour-ing states,” Mitra said.

Other scientists that HTspoke to also said these post-monsoon showers were onlydelaying the stubble fires inagrarian states and were notnecessarily an indication of theseason seeing a cumulativedrop in stubble count.

They also said with the IMDforecasting more rain in parts ofPunjab and Haryana on October23-24, the window before thenext crop sowing will onlyshorten, leading to more stub-ble fires and intense pollution inthe Capital in the coming weeks.

“There is a western disturb-ance passing over the region onOctober 23-24 and under itsimpact, parts of Punjab andHaryana is likely to receiveheavy rainfall. Delhi-NCR isonly likely to see cloudy skiesand isolated, light showers,”said Mahesh Palawat, vice-pres-

ident (meteorology and climatechange), Skymet.

An analysis by Council onEnergy, Environment andWater (CEEW) shows thatbetween September 1 and Octo-ber 19, over 4,345 farm fireswere recorded in Punjab, and2,034 farm fires in Haryana.Experts said while the numberof farm fires is lower this yearcompared to 2020, it is highercompared to the correspondingperiods in 2018 and 2019.

“This year’s farm fires havebeen low so far, compared tothe kharif season last yearbecause of the delayed harveston account of the extendedmonsoon. However, it is impor-tant to note that the year 2020 isan anomaly due to multiple rea-sons, such as significant adop-tion of the direct seeding tech-nique for paddy sowing due tolabour scarcity on account ofCovid-19 pandemic. Thisresulted in an early harvest andan early and extended stubbleburning season last year. Farmfires reported in Punjab so farare higher compared to the cor-responding periods in 2018 and2019,” said LS Kurinji, pro-gramme associate, CEEW.

She added, “That said, thedelay due to extended monsoonwill only add to the time crunchfaced by farmers in managingstubble and preparing the fieldsfor the next crops.”

A screengrab from Nasa’s fire tracker showing farm stubble being burnt in states neighbouring Delhi.

BE SAFE - BE HAPPYCelebrate This Festival Season Safely

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PhoneNo.

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Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi

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9/21

-22

04NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021My Delhi

It’s six in the evening. He’s makingboxes. He has been making boxes since10 in the morning. In fact, he has beenmaking boxes for 40 years. This 50-year-

old man must be fed up of making boxes almostall his life.

Jamal Khan laughs, bobbing his head up anddown. He is sitting cross-legged on the floor in onecorner of a little qabristan, or graveyard, tuckedwithin Old Delhi’s appropriately named MohallaQabristan. He is surrounded by dozens of boxeshe has made since the day began. “These aren’t ofwood but of MDF,” he points out. The Diwali festi-val is approaching, he explains, saying that this isthe busiest time of the year for him. “Most peopleexchange gifts on Diwali and they need the giftboxes.” The rest of the year remains sluggish “butsomebody or the other is always in need of boxes.”

Mr Khan inherited the profession from his latefather, who arrived a lifetime ago in the WalledCity from Allahabad in UP. “We first lived in Ska-kur ki Dandi, then we moved to Turkman Gate,and now I live with my wife and sons in SheeshMahal, behind Delite Cinema, which is 10 minutes

walk away from here.” Mr Khan began assistinghis father in box-making when he was just 10.“May be that’s the reason I don’t get fed up of mywork. I never went to school, I never realisedthere could be other options in life, so I never feltdiscontented.”

He is happy to report that he can’t say the samefor his children. The sons are in school and mostprobably they won’t take up his work, he feels.“They will do what they will want to do,” observesMr Khan as he concentratedly applies a coating ofliquid gum on the surface of a box-in-progress.“When a supplier gives an order for big boxes, Iend up making around 50 daily.” Today, the boxeshe is making are relatively small and he has rus-tled out 150.

As the twilight sky darkens further, Mr Khangets up, turns on a lamp, and patiently sits downagain. Preparing to give the finishing touch to abox, he suddenly raises his head as if struck by anovel argument. “But I can never be fed up ofmaking boxes. This work has supported my fam-ily all these years, and the earnings help me edu-cate my sons.”

He now poses for a portrait, declaring he willleave for home some three hours later.

His life with boxesGlimpsing into a citizen’s working life

DelhiwaleEXPERIENCE YOUR CITY LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Mayank Austen Soofi

wREAD:

For more stories by Mayank Austen Soofi, scan the QR code

{ }PUBLIC

INTEREST

have received 160 entries on ourportal and offline. A time limitto finalise the design can’t begiven [right now].”

The CPWD has received mostentries from Maharashtra (24),Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (21each), followed by Delhi (16),Uttar Pradesh (15) and Gujarat(13).

Located near the Purana Qila,the New India garden will bespread over 25 acres on thewestern bank of the river andhave infotainment facilities, a“sphere of unity”, a walkway, anexhibit titled “Journey of India”,a “tech dome” and an open-airtheatre. The “iconic structure”is planned to “realise the grandvision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat”,as per the design brief byCPWD.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Devel-

Richa Banka

richa.banka@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high courtpulled up the South Delhi Munici-pal Corporation (SDMC) for seek-ing police assistance to clear an encroachment (a gurdwara) alleg-edly being constructed in a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) residential complex at Rajouri Garden. It also fined the corpora-tion ₹25,000 and said the civic body could either pay the fine or plant 200 tree saplings.

Justice Najmi Waziri said thatbefore seeking police assistance, the civic body should explain howthe encroachment was permittedto come up in the first place.

In an order dated September 29,justice Najmi Waziri, said that the“so-called inability of the munici-pal corporation (SDMC) to remove

the encroachments because of lack of police assistance inevitablyperpetuates an illegality, which [has come] up under the corpora-tion’s own watch”.

During a hearing on January 11,the counsel for DDA said the land-owning agency did not have any role in this situation as the mainte-nance of the residential complex had been handed over to SDMC.

during a hearing on April 12, thecounsel for SDMC told the court that the corporation had stopped the construction in January 2021, and scheduled its demolition in February but due to the non-avail-ability of the requisite police force,the exercise was not carried out. He submitted that the demolitionwas rescheduled for April 16, 2021,following which the court asked the counsel to file a compliance affidavit before August 23, the next

date of the hearing.However, on August 23, neither

the counsel for DDA nor SDMC appeared in court.

On September 29, the courtnoted that the compliance affidavitwas not on record either.

“The court would also note thatnone appeared for the SDMC or DDA on August 23, 2021,” the judge said. The court then fined the civic body to adjourn the case since the compliance affidavit wasnot on record. The judge also asked the corporation to fix responsibility for the lapse on the officer concerned.

“The failure of the municipalcorporation in discharging its stat-utory duties is ex facie causing immense public harassment and cannot be overlooked or con-doned,” the court noted in its order.

“For today’s adjournment, costof ₹25,000 or supply of 200 trees, is imposed upon SDMC. Let the same be deposited with or sup-plied to the Deputy Conservator ofForests (South), GNCTD for plan-tation of trees along the NH-24 starting from Nizamuddin Bridge.The monies, if chosen to be depos-ited instead of the trees, shall be used for the purchase of trees froma government-owned nursery,” the order added.

The court specified the type oftrees that should be planted, add-ing that each tree must be two years old (minimum), its trunk must be six-foot-tall, it must bear aunique number tag, and its detailsmust be entered in the Tree Cen-sus Register, indicating its approx-imate place of the plantation.

The matter will now be heardon December 2.

SDMC pulled up for asking cops to help clear encroachment in Rajouri Garden

Risha Chitlangia

risha.chitlangia@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: The Central PublicWorks Department (CPWD) hasreceived 160 entries for thedesign of the “iconic” structureproposed at the New India gar-den which will be developed onthe Yamuna riverfront as part ofthe Central Vista project. TheCPWD has also initiated theprocess to finalise an agency forthe plantation and landscapework at the garden.

According to CPWD officials,the garden is planned to com-memorate India’s 75th year ofIndependence and will be readyby August 15 next year.

The CPWD, which is execut-ing the Central Vista project,relaunched the design competi-tion in July — the competitionwas first launched in Novemberlast year — in a bid to get moreideas for the iconic structure,which will be 134m in height.

Close to 600 firms fromacross the country had regis-tered for the competition. A sen-ior CPWD official said, “We

opment Authority (DDA), whichis developing the Yamuna river-front, is working on a plan todevelop 90 hectares of area,opposite the New India Garden,on the eastern bank of Yamuna.

DDA officials said that this isbeing done to ensure continuityin landscape work. “The landparcel is located right behindthe Commonwealth Games vil-lage. As the area falls rightopposite the New India Garden,we are planning to rope in thesame agency which will behired by CPWD for plantation toensure continuity in design. Wewill soon finalise the agency,”said a senior DDA official.

As the two land parcels arelocated on the banks of theriver, environment activistManoj Misra, convenor,Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, said, “Itis illegal to construct on thefloodplain. There are two courtorders, one by NGT and theother by the Delhi high court in2005. The Delhi high courtorder clearly states that no con-struction is allowed within300m from the edge of thewater.”

{ CENTRAL VISTA REVAMP } NEW INDIA GARDEN ON YAMUNA WATERFRONT

Govt gets 160 entries to design ‘iconic’ structure

NEARLY 600 FIRMS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY REGISTERED FOR THE COMPETITION

Press Trust of India

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: A city court haspulled up Tihar jail authoritiesfor submitting a “vague” reporton the health condition of anundertrial, asking the superin-tendent and medical officer whycriminal proceedings shouldnot be initiated against them forthe lapses.

Additional sessions judgeAnuj Agrawal issued the warn-ing after the medical officer, incharge of the Tihar Jail dispen-sary, submitted a “vague” medi-cal report and the jail superin-tendent forwarded it in a“mechanical manner”.

The judge had sought themedical report of the undertrialSatya Narayan who was admit-ted to the Deen Dayal UpadhyayHospital on October 1 and wasreleased on interim bail onOctober 8.

The man had then moved aplea seeking bail on the groundsof his precarious health condi-tion. In the health report, thejail authorities apprised thecourt that no medical status ofNarayan could be submitted inview of his release from jail.

TIHAR JAIL STAFF WARNED OVER ‘VAGUE’ REPORT ON UNDERTRIAL

Smt. Kamla Mehra

(1912 -1979)

Mehrae-Di-Hatti (P) Ltd. Jewellers

GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRAExecutive EngineerP.W.Division, Palghar,

e-Tender Notice No. 19 for 2021-22Online Tenders (e-tender) in “B1” form for the work is invited by the Executive Engineer, P.W.Division, Palghar on Government of Maharashtra Electronic

Tender Management System from the registered contractors in appropriate class of Public Works Department of Maharashtra State.This tender notice contains 03 (Three) work and their details can also be viewed and downloaded online directly from the Government of Maharashtra

e-tendering Portal http://mahatenders.gov.in and sub portal www.mahapwd.gov.in.Sr. Name of Work Estimated Cost Fund HeadNo. (Excluding G.S.T.)1 Improvement to Vevji Vasa Karajgaon Arnbesari Road MDR-2 Km.7/00 to 8/500 (Widening) Taluka, 1,04,27,240/- 5054 Road & Bridge

Talasari, Dist. Palghar. 04 D.O.R.8002 Improvement of Saiwan Kinhavali Kirmira Ozer Road S.H.-72, Km. 11/00 to 13/600 Tal. Dahanu, 1,46,80,564/- 5054 Road &

Dist. Palghar. (Sub Division - Talasari). Bridge 03 S.H.3 Improvement to Vevji Vasa Karajgaon Ambesari Road MDR-2 Km. 1/800 to 5/000 (Widening) Taluka, 2,09,21,246/- 5054 Road

Talasari, Dist. Palghar. & Bridge 04 D.O.R.The Executive Engineer P.W.Division, Palghar Reserves right to Accept or Reject any offer. Conditional offers will not be accepted.

All registered contractor should note.E- Tender Available Date 21-10-2021 to 15-11-2021Last Date of Submission 15-11-2021Above (Sr. No. 03 Improvement to Vevji Vasa Karajgaon Ambesari Road MDR-2 Km. 1/800 to 5/000 (Widening Taluka, Talasari, Dist. Palghar. Estimated CostRs. 2,09,21,246/-) Work Superintending Engineer (Thane) P.W.Circle Thane on or before Prebid Dt. 09-11-2021 Time 2:50 pm.E- Tender Opening Date 18-11-2021.No. P. W./Palghar /Tender/ 5018Office of the ExecutiveEngineer P.W. Division, Palghar,Vevur Road, Old Government Rest House,Palghar(E.) - 401 404.Date : 11/10/2021.DGIPR/2021-22/ROC 2398

Sd/-(Madhav Y. Shankpale)Executive EngineerP.W.Division, Palghar

GOVT OF MAHARASHTRAPublic work Division Jalna

E-Tender Notice No.25-2021-2022Online tender (e-tenders) for following works are

invited by the Executive Engineer public Works DivisionJalna (Ph-02482-230143) in B-1 Tender (online) for ( 02)works in Jalna Dist. The contractor Registered with thePublic work department /company/ form /in appropriateclass shall be issued by the Executive Engineer publicWorks Division Jalna.1. All the deails regarding e-tenders procedure andtender documents are available on e-tenders portalof PWD department of Government of Maharashtrahttps://mahatenders.gov.in andhttp://mahapwd.gov.in

2. In case any changes in the Tenders /TendersNotice,the same shall be informed through theabove mentioned web Portals.

3. All the right accept or reject the tenders arereserved with Executive Engineer public WorksDivision Jalna Conditional tenders shall besummarily rejected.

Sd/-Executive Engineer

Public Work Division JalnaDGIPR/2021-22/ROC 2400

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MEET THENEWHEARTOF YOUR CITY

Thursday,April08,2021

n 6 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT.ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

Sanchita Kalra

sanchita.kalra@htlive.com

Couples planning t

o tie the

knot thismonth are in a

bind following the impo-

sition of night curfew from

10pmto 5am in Delhi and 8pm

to 7am inMumbai, to stem

Covid-19 in both cities.

While some havedecided to

postpone the dateagain, others

are weighing alternate solu-

tions, with day weddings being

touted as one. “Themoment it

was announced, we received a

call from the venue tomove the

function to the day, but it

might be difficult,” says Sau-

rabh Aswal, whois getting

married on April25.

For Abhishek Pateria, who

took twomonthsoff fromhis

chats. Hopefully,next birthday, I m

ight

have a party and even then, I’ll ensu

re

everyone gets their Covid vaccine c

ertif-

icates,” quips theRangbaaz actor.

Saleem,who came toMumbai from

Delhi 10 years ago, admits he has

changed. “I was atypical Delhi boy

who

loved to get into fights and rodem

y car

with blaring music. But since I cam

e to

Mumbai, the brash Delhi boy has b

een

replaced by one learning everyday.

I’ve

gone from strength to strength, be

it my

acting ability or as a person,” he sa

ys. At

33, ismarriage onhismind at all? “M

y

mum asksme about shaadi everyday. I

am finding newways to avoid this q

ues-

tion. One should never say never. Ho

pe-

fully sometime,” he concludes.

Sugandha Rawal

sugandha.rawal@hindustanti

mes.com

nce the beginning of 2021,

ulkit Samrat hasbeen shoot-

ng nonstop for his projects, be

Mumbai, Delhi or Agra. The

r says work has found a new

demic.

.w

n fact, now, he consi ers

o be detached from the concept of

hit and flop. “Hitaur flop mein

kuch nahi rakhahai. Agar hit dek

e

bhi main ghar par lockdownmein

baitha hoon, tohmain kya hi ukha

d

raha hun,” Samrat observes, befo

re

going on to explain his definition

of

happiness.“At the end of th

e day, it is about

you being happy, and not attachin

g

that happiness toa condition ki ye

h

hoga toh main khush ho jaunga, y

a

nahi hua toh main udas ho jaung

a.

You are blessed if you have a good

family, you wakeup every morn-

ing, and all the people you know

are alive and well,” says the actor

,

who is preppingfor the third

ment of the Fukrey franchise.

rat made his television

t as Lakshya Virani in the pop-

show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi

a u Thi, in 2006. He went on to

do films such asBittoo Boss (2012

),

Fukrey (2013), Bangistan (2015),

Sanam Re (2016), and Fukrey

Returns (2017).Next, he will soo

n be seen as a

“happy go luckyguy from Delhi” in

the film, Suswagatam Khushaama-

deed. “There areother diverse rol

es

in the pipeline,”he adds.

Pulkit Samratfeels

the lockdown

made him value

workmore

STOP PRESS

job in Poland forhiswedding

and booked a venue in Suraj-

kund, Haryana, changes will be

tough. “There’s no chance of

postponing or even switching

to day functions. It will be diffi-

cult for guests whowill attend

the wedding all theway from

Delhi or Noida,” he says.

Planners feel months of

efforts have gonedown the

drain. Mumbai-based Aanchal

Bagaria, of The Wedding Soul,

who had three-day affairs

planned in April says, “Now it’s

all going to bewrapped up in

one event with a lunch.” But

Mumbai’s VishalPunjabi,

founder, TheWedding Filmer,

says, “When things like this

happen, they teach us to value

whatwehave. Awedding

doesn’t have to bea big party.”

PThe date is so

near and venues

say they need to

check availability

for day timings.

AKHIL NARANG,

Businessman

PAKHIL NAR NG

We’ve received

queries from

couples for a

brunch andthey’re trying to

keep gatherings

intimate.

SHIVAN GUPTA , Creative

director, Amaara Farms

Night curfew to curb Covid

surge hits wedding plans

CityDelh

i

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Shooting, travellin

g, and shooting

again —Kriti Sanon’s life is all abo

ut

that. With a hostof biggies such as

Bachchan Pandey, Bhediya and

Ganpath in her kitty, she is of

course excited. And it was also rec

ently

announced that she will join Prabh

as

and Saif Ali Khanin Adipurush.

Despite the rise in Covid cases and

several restrictions reimposed,

including shutting of theatres,

Sanon says she would prefer theat

-

rical releases forall her films.

“Obviously, as anactor youwant th

e

film to reach beyond just the OTT

audience. Of course, they are grea

t

platforms, and everyone ishooked

on

to it and the platforms have great

content. But as anactor youwant it

to reach even theones who don’t

really go on theseplatforms,” says

the 30-year-old, whose filmMimi,

in

which she plays asurrogate mothe

r,

is also waiting for a release.

It’s been some time since the film was

announced and has been shot. Ask

what’s

happening on that front, and Sano

n says

she recently wrapped upwork on t

he last

scene. “Mimi as afilm needs to reach th

e

masses. It is based on surrogacy, it

’s a

unique subject and made in a very

enter-

taining manner.It is something th

at will

touch your heart, make you cry, la

ugh, and

leave you with food for thought. It

should

be watched by more people who a

re

rooted in areas where OTT isn’t wa

tched,”

she says.In fact, it was rain

ing release datesuntil

recently in Bollywood, when the pa

ndemic

reared its head againand forcedm

any film

releases to be postponed again. “W

e are

very excited for Mimi to release. Th

e times

we are in, it’s important for a film l

ike that

to get a release. Ihope things are n

ormal

soon. There are so many films wai

ting to

release. I am hoping Mimi does to

o, soon,

sometime aroundmid2021. I don’t

know

what the producers are deciding. It

should

get what it deserves,” says Sanon.

NOTETO

READERS: Some

of the coverage

that appearson

ourpages is

paid for by the

concerned

brands.No

sponsored

content does or

shall appearin

anypart of HT

without it being

declared as such

toour valued

readers.

Kriti Sanonwishesmovies

wouldget backto theatres

PI am a bit irritated but

also looking at the

larger picture. I don’t

want to take any

risks. Zinda rahe toh

aur birthday honge.

SAQIB SALEEM, Actor

PI want tosurprisemyself and my

audience. I’ve

never slotted

myself into any

category. I’ve

chosen very

different roles.

RITUPARNA

SENGUPTA, Actor

Scan the code

to read more

about how

couples and

wedding

vendors are

trying to find

a way out in

the crisis

Scan the code

to read more

on Saqib

Saleem’s

birthday plans

‘My 30th birthday seems like a decade ago’

Kavita Awaasthi

kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

Saqib Saleem loves

birthdays and

often throws big parties on his spe-

cial day. “But thiswill bemy second

birthday in a rowspoiled by Covid-

19,”

says the actor, who turns 33 today a

nd

admits he is a little heartbroken tha

t he

won’t be able tomeet friends.

“I have forgottenwhat parties are

like. My 30th birthday party seems

a

decade ago. But Idon’t want to take

any

risks. Zinda rahetoh aur birthday

honge.Mymum is here withme, so

she

will make some yummy biryani.W

e

will have a quiet celebration at hom

e

with the new normal of video calls

and

Titas Chowdhury

titas.chowdhury@hindustantimes.com

Iwant to keep am

ore openmind now. I feel

that the kind of content being chu

rned out

in theHindi filmindustry today is

revolu-

tionary,” says Rituparna Sengupta

. The

National Award-winning actor is al

l set to

return to the Hindi film industrywith Ban

suri:

The Flute. Alongwith it, she is awa

iting the

release of a couple of other films, o

ne of them

with veteran actor Shabana Azmi.

A prominent name in the Bengali fi

lm indus-

try, she is best remembered in Bolly

wood for

her role in Main,Meri Patni Aur W

oh (2005).

With the boom in the OTT spaceandmeatier

roles for women,she believes now

is the time to

explore varied roles in Hindi proje

cts. “Back in

the day, I was toobusy. So, I decide

d to concen-

trate on Bangla films. I was also do

ing films in

Bangladesh and Kerala. But Iwoul

d want to

concentrate on myHindi film care

er now. A lot

of unconventional content is being

made.

Maybe, I am needed inMumbai now,” she says

.

The Bengali superstar says she alw

ays wants

to do somethingnew: “I want to su

rprise myself

andmy audience. I’ve never slotte

dmyself into

any particular category. I’ve chose

n very differ-

ent and challenging roles formyse

lf.”

So, is OTT an option for Sengupta?

“For

actors, it’s a goodopportunity to re

ach a global

audience. Audiences are demandin

g direct-to-

digital releases now. Producers to

o are releas-

ing their films ondigital platforms

as they’re

worried their films might turn stale

if not

released on time.OTT platforms ar

e turning

out to be quite profitable for all,” s

he signs off.

GeorgeClooneyandJulia

Roberts’movie,Ticket

ToParadise,willreleasein

UStheatresnextSeptember.

Theyplayadivorcedcouple

tryingtostoptheir

daughterfromrepeating

theirmistake.

‘HOPE‘HOPETHINGSTHINGSAREARENORMALNORMALSOON,SOON,,,FILMSFILMSWAITINGWAITINGTORELEASE’TORELEASE’

PHOTO:TEJAS

NERURKAR

PHOTO:ARVIND YADAV/HT

PHOTO: JOE

SCARNICI/AFP

Maybe I’m needed

in Mumbai now:

Rituparna Sengupta

PAs an actor you want a film to reach

beyond just the OTT audience.... reach

even the ones who don’t really go on

these platforms.

KRITI SANON, Actor

Tuesday,April13,2021

n 8 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

D irector Chloe Zhao’s Nomadlandhas emerged as the big winner atthis year’s BAFTA FilmAwards2021, bagging four major trophies,including Best Film. Even the BestActress awardwas won by its actor,Frances McDormand, while Zhao her-self walked away with Best Director.The Father won the Best Actoraward for Anthony Hopkins, a cate-gory inwhich Indian actor AadarshGourav was also nominated for his rolein TheWhite Tiger. The filmwas pro-duced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, whowas also in attendance at the ceremonyas one of its presenters, along withhusband, singer Nick Jonas. TheFather also won the adapted screen-play BAFTA.The most emotional moment of theevening saw tributes being paid to lateIndian actors Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor,who passed away in April 2020, inBAFTA’s memoriam segment, along-with actors Sean Connery and Chad-wick Boseman.The latter’s filmMa Rainey’s BlackBottom was named a winner in thecostume design and make-up and haircategories. Riz Ahmed, who along withBoseman, had been nominated for BestActor aswell, didn’t bag the award, buthis film Sound ofMetal bagged twoBAFTAs in the editing and sound cate-gories.

HTC

Rishabh Suririshabh.suri@htlive.com

S he’s the sister of one of Bolly-wood’s biggest stars, KatrinaKaif,yet she auditioned for her firstfilm. Isabelle Kaif recently made heracting debutwith Time To Dance.“I had auditioned for a few films,and this one came through. I was adancer as a kid, anddancing, of course,is a big part of Bollywood. It’s a passionfor me. So I thought it would be chal-lenging and fun,” she tells us.The 30-year-old, who justwrappedup the shoot for her second film,Suswagatam Khushaamadeed, admitsthat Bollywood has beena big influ-ence in her growingup years. “Danc-ing led to acting. I watched Hindi filmsgrowing up, and I’ve had a hard timechoosing a favourite. I love JabWeMet(2007). Lagaan (2001), I’ve watched somany times as a teenager,” she shares.What about the inevitable compari-son with her sister? Is she feeling thepressure of expectations already? “Iknow it. People have been doing it foryears, and I’ve got used to it. It doesn’t

Scan the codeto readmoreonwhySudhanshuSaria wasanguished bythe incident

ActorDeepikaPadukone onMonday

announcedshehasresignedasthechairpersonofMAMIMumbaiFilmFestivalowingtoherworkcommitments.Padukonehadreplaced

filmmakerKiranRaotobecomethechairpersonofthefestivalin2019.

STOP PRESS PHOTO: VIRAL BHAYANI

money to hire them, but you don’twant to. You simplywant to canni-balise other’s work. That’s notokay,” he asserts.On April 9, Saria took to Twitterto express his anguish, claimingthat the makers of theweb seriescopied the poster of hismovie. Inci-dently, both projects tackle the sub-ject of same-sex relationships. Sariais wondering if themakers alsolifted some scenes from his film,which explores the issue of homo-sexual rape. “Those actors proba-bly were shown a reference imageto pose. So, everybody knew thattheywere plagiarising,” says thedirector, whowon theNationalFilmAward for best non-featuredirection inMarch this year, for hisfilm, Knock Knock Knock.Soon after his post, ALTBalaji

tweeted a statement apologising forthe incident. “The uncanny resem-blance and similarity cannot bewritten off as amere coincidence...For this we apologise... We’vedeleted the poster from all ourplatforms,” the statement read.However, Saria, currentlyrecuperating fromCovid-19, isunconvinced by the statement. Hewishes the platform “acknowl-edged the authors of the poster”and claimed that “...this was adecision, not an accident”. More-over, Saria wants people to be heldaccountable for their actions. “I feellike I’m adding to the chain. Thenext time someoneGoogles it, thiswill come up. And eventually, it willbecome harder and harder forthem to pretend as if it’s not athing,” he concludes.

play onme too much any-more. About expectations,Covid took off some ofthat pressure frommyfirst film, as the circum-stances are so different.It has allowed me to justenjoy themoment as itunfolds,” says theactor.The best piece ofadvice Isabelle hasever receivedwasgiven to her by herelder sister. “[Sheadvised] to justfocus onmywork, keepmyhead down.Anyone who hasbeen in the filmindustry gives simi-lar advice,” says theactor, adding, “I’m juststarting now, there areso many types of filmsI want to do. I’d love todo an action or aperiod film. It’s justthe beginning, there’severything left to do.”

KatrinaKaifPHOTO: VIRALBHAYANI

Why Isabelle Kaifis nowused tobeing comparedto sister Katrina

GuruRandhawaismissing the joyof celebratingBaisakhiwithfamily in Punjab;DalerMehndiwillbe at theVaishnoDevi shrine

CityDelhi

Sugandha Rawalsugandha.rawal@hindustantimes.com

M eeting friends and fam-ily to celebrate— that’sthe essence of Baisakhi.However, singer DalerMehndi isn’tmissing it this year.He asserts that social distancing isthe need of the hour, with the sec-ond wave of Covid-19 here.“Being cautious todaywillensurewe get

together for parties in future,” headds.This year, the singerwill cele-brate the festival at the VaishnoDevi shrinewith his family. “I feellucky that I’ll be at the holy cave ofMata VaishnoDevi. I have a per-formance at the pilgrimage on thefirst day of Navratri, which startson Baisakhi,” he says.The festival is especially impor-tant for farmers, as it is a harbin-ger of hope and prosperity while

marking the time of har-vest of winter crops. “Ifeel all festivals give us asense of hope and courage. Bai-sakhimotivates us, and humkohonsla deti hai jeene ka, no matterwho you are— a farmer, or a non-farmer. We all live and yearn forthe support of the supremepower,” explains the 53-year-old.Growing up, hewatched hisparents participate in kirtans atgurdwaras for Baisakhi. For him,the festival has always been aboutbeing grateful for everything. It’swhat he plans on doing this yearas well. “It’s all about hope, love,

betterment, and the will to helpothers. Apne liye to har aadmikarta hai, lekin doosron kimadadke liye khada hona chahiye. Theseare things etched inmymind,withmemories of langar,” recallsMehndi, known for hits such asBolo Ta RaRa, Tunak Tunak Tun,Dardi Rab Rab, Ho Jayegi BalleBalle, and Na Na NaNa Na Re.He feels the best place to cele-brate Baisakhi is at home. “I think(if we follow all the protocolsproperly) 2021-end tak Covid naamki beemari ko bhool jayenge log,”says the singer, who recently cameout with his single, Ragda.

Juhi Chakrabortyjuhi .chakraborty@htlive.com

H e wanted to cele-brate Baisakhi in abig way this yearwith his family inGurdaspur, Punjab, butsinger GuruRandhawaunderstands that given thepandemic, little can bedone.“Since the pandemicstarted, most of us havebeen celebrating festivals athome. Considering the cur-rent situation, this year tooI’ll mostly spend Baisakhiat home and visit the gurd-wara, if possible,” he says,adding, “Unfortunately, I’min Delhi and will definitelymiss being in the villageduring this time. But likeevery day, I’m going toremember God and thankHim for fulfilling mywishes.”

The 29-year-old urgeseveryone to be safe, followprotocols and not indulgein grand Baisakhi celebra-tions involving huge gath-erings. “Covid has impactedeverything, not just this fes-tival. We need to fight this

virus on a daily basis, besafe and follow govern-ment protocol,” adds thesinger known for songssuch as Lahore, HighRatedGabru and Patola.He may not be able tohave the celebration hewanted, but Randhawa hasfond memories of celebrat-ing the festival as a child.“Baisakhi is celebrated as aharvest festival, whenfarmers cut their crops.And on this day Guru Gob-ind Singh laid the founda-tion of the Panth Khalsa. Askids, we’d enjoy spendingtime with family and go tothe gurdwara to do seva.We’d also go to the mela inthe village. It’s a festivalthat brings a lot of happi-ness.”Since Baisakhi is a har-vest festival, the singer hasa special message for them.“May God bless the farmersas we eat because of them.May this year bring growthand prosperity,” he says,adding, “MayWahegurubless everyonewith growthand prosperity. Happy Bai-sakhi to everyone. Stay safeand happy!”

GuruRandhawa

HAPPYBAISAKHI TOALL OURREADERS

ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

INMYVILLAGE

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FrancesMcDormand

BAFTA’s emotionaltributes to Irrfanand Rishi Kapoor

AnthonyHopkinsPHOTO:

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DalerMehndi

Sugandha Rawal

S ome timeback I was told bymycountry that I exist, when I gotthe National Film Award. Twoweeks later, one of themost seniorpeople inmy industry pretends as ifnothing I domatters and I’m invisi-ble and insignificant,” rues directorSudhanshu Saria reflecting onwhathe felt when he found “ridiculouslyobvious” similarities between theposter of an upcoming web show,His Storyy, backed by Ekta Kapoor,and his 2015 film Loev.“I’mnot looking to recovermoney from them, or sue them. Ijust want them to know that it’s notnice and not okay,” says a disap-pointed Saria. “What kind of a cul-ture are we inwhere you can have amarketing meeting and take some-body else’s idea? You have the

I’M NOTMISSINGBIG BAISAKHICELEBRATIONSTHIS YEAR:MEHNDI

NOTE TOREADERS: Someof the coverage that appears onour pages is paid for by the concernedbrands. No

sponsored content doesor shall appear in anypart ofHTwithout it being declared as such to our valued readers.

SudhanshuSariaand (far left)postersof theupcomingwebshowand (left)

his 2015 film

Plagiarism row: It mademefeel insignificant andpowerless, says Sudhanshu

www.hindustantimes.comhtcityHTcity

06NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021My Delhi

Paras Singh

letters@hindustatimes.com

NEW DELHI: The North DelhiMunicipal Corporation is push-ing for relaxation in fire safetynorms for schools in specialareas, especially in Old Delhi andWalled City, pointing out that thestringent norms with regard toroad width will lead to closure ofmany institutes in these areas asthey are located in narrow lanesand alleyways.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS)grants NOCs to only thoseschools located on roads widerthan six metres -- a conditionthat is difficult to fulfil for manyOld Delhi establishments locatedin congested areas. The standingcommittee of the civic body hasunanimously cleared a proposalasking the Directorate of Educa-tion and DFS to frame separatefire safety norms for specialareas by keeping in mind localground realities. The standingcommittee has also directed themunicipal commissioner to nottake action against schools untilthe new fire safety guidelines areframed for the Walled City.

Chhail Bihari Goswami, the

leader of the House, said thereare relaxations in terms of roadand staircase width for guesthouses in “special areas”, but itdoesn’t apply to schools. “Specialareas” comprise Old Delhi,Paharganj, Shahjahanabad andWalled City extension areas.

“The town planning depart-ment of unified MCD had ear-marked old and congested areaswhich were designated ‘specialareas’ and relaxation in firesafety norms were provided tothem. No fire safety regulationsfor schools in these areas hadbeen framed by the educationdepartment at that time. Thefirst set of rules came around2005 which did not specify anyroad width, but in 2011 the roadwidth was specified to be enoughfor fire safety vehicles to passthrough,” the resolution clearedby the north civic body’s stand-ing committee’s said.

Goswami said that as a pre-cautionary measure to preventmisuse of the anticipated relaxa-tion in rules, the standing com-mittee has asked the municipalcommissioner to consider onlythose schools that received fireNOCs till three or four years ago.

“We will not consider sites thathave never got a fire NOC.Around 120-150 schools arelikely to benefit,” Goswami said.

The fire NOC issue also affectsmany civic primary schools too.Jai Prakash, former mayor andcouncillor from Sadar Bazar,said, “We have decided to shiftand merge municipal primaryschools in Deputy Ganj, Roshan-ara and Gali Pahiya Wali.”

A senior DFS official said theissue of wide access roads forfire NOCs exists mainly in theWalled City areas and urban vil-lages. “Many schools startedoperations even before Inde-pendence. Such schools shouldfollow the rest of the fire safetynorms,” the official said.

The official added that the pri-mary clearance requirement fora fire NOC is access to fire tend-ers. “The purpose of a fire NOC isto save lives,” the official said.

RC Jain, the president of DelhiState Public School ManagementAssociation, said separate provi-sions were required: “The roadwidth norms have only led toharassment of school manage-ments. We should incorporateinnovative solutions...”

North corpn pushes for relaxed fire norms in Old Delhi schools

Traffic in Shahjahanabad at Fatehpuri. SANCHIT KHANNA/HT ARCHIVE

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: A day after a24-year-old woman was stabbedto death in south Delhi’s Binda-pur, Delhi Police arrested threemen for the crime on Wednes-day. Police suspect that thewoman, who knew the threemen and was at a birthday partywith them, turned downrepeated proposals for a rela-tionship by one of them, follow-ing which he allegedly stabbedher on Tuesday morning.

Police said that around 2.15am on Tuesday, cops on patrolduty were informed about a girllying injured in a narrow streetnear Gurdwara Sewa Simran inUttam Nagar. Police rushed the

girl, Dolly Babber, to Deen DayalUpadhyay hospital where shewas declared dead on arrival.Deputy commissioner of police(Dwarka) Shankar Choudharysaid that a case was registeredunder IPC section 302 (murder)at Bindapur police station.

During investigation, it wasascertained that at around11.30pm, Babber had gone toattend a birthday party alongwith the suspects -- Ankit Gaba(24), who supplied cosmeticgoods to medical stores, andHimanshu (20) and ManishSharma (28), who were both job-less. “Prima facie it has beenrevealed that the woman wasknown to the men and in theevening preceding the incident,they were partying together on

the terrace of an under-con-struction building in front of thegurdwara. During the party, aheated argument took placebetween Ankit and Dolly oversome personal issues, followingwhich he stabbed her,” said theDCP.

Police said that Ankit hadallegedly been trying to get into a

relationship with her though shekept declining his proposals.

After the incident, the threesuspects fled on foot to VikasNagar in Uttam Nagar area andthen took an autorickshaw toAnand Vihar. They then went toAnand Vihar ISBT and report-edly took a bus heading to Chan-digarh and then to Patiala andlater returned to Delhi the sameday. Police received informationthat Himanshu and Manish werehiding in Dwarka Mod area,from where they were appre-hended, and based on theirinformation, Ankit was pickedup from Sector 23 in Dwarka.

Police said they also recoveredthe knife used to commit theoffence allegedly from the sus-pects.

Three nabbed for stabbing 24-yr-old woman to death

COPS SUSPECT THE WOMAN TURNED DOWN PROPOSALS BY ONE OF THE ACCUSED, AFTER WHICH HE ALLEGEDLY STABBED HER

Paras Singh

paras@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: After several com-plaints by street vendors’ associ-ations and municipal council-lors, the survey for identifyingstreet vendors in the nationalcapital has been extended by twomore months and it will nowend on December 7, 2021.

The order issued by the Delhigovernment’s urban develop-ment department said manystreet vendors, who had gone totheir home states during theCovid-19 lockdowns, are onlynow returning to the city weeklymarkets that had remained shutfor a long time on account of thepandemic and have only recentlystarted operating on a rotationalbasis.

The survey began in Januarythis year and concluded on Sep-tember 30, 2021, and 71,371 ven-dors were identified.

The National Association ofStreet Vendors (NASVI), how-ever, argued that there are at

least two lakh vendors in Delhi.The extension order issued on

October 6 by deputy director(local bodies) said, “Twomonths’ additional time, fromOctober 7 to December 7, 2021,has been granted to cover theareas which are either still notcovered or partially covered.”

The urban developmentdepartment has also raised theissue of publishing the details ofthe identified street vendors inthe survey concluded on Sep-tember 30. Of the 71,371 identi-

fied vendors, the local bodieshave published the details ofonly 48,912 vendors.

Richa Sinha, a spokespersonfor NASVI, said that the associa-tion welcomes the extension ofthe survey period. “The surveyprocess should be more dynamicin the extension period and itshould include service providerslike cobblers, cloth ironing per-sons etc., who were earlier leftout. “The first part of survey alsofailed to capture the people car-rying out street vending in deeppockets of residential neighbour-hoods. The town vending com-mittees should provide a win-dow of time, after the conclusionof the survey in December, dur-ing which time vendors whohave been left out can submittheir applications,” she added.

Many councillors have alsoalleged irregularities in the sur-vey and the north corporationordered a probe last week whenabnormally high numbers ofvendors were identified inJahangirpuri ward.

Two-month extension for street vendor survey in city

PTwo months’ time has been granted... to cover areas either still not covered or partially coveredORDER BY DY DIRECTOR (LOCAL BODIES)

Anonna Dutt

anonna.dutt@htlive.com

NEW DELHI: The preliminary results of the seventh round of theserological survey conducted in Delhi last month to estimate the population-level exposure to the Sars-CoV-2 virus (which causes Covid-19) are likely to be submittedto the state government on Mon-day, according to officials aware ofthe matter.

“This round of the survey wasconducted in great detail, so it willtake some time to analyse the data.However, a preliminary report willbe submitted on Monday. A moredetailed report is likely to be sub-mitted in early November, aroundDiwali,” said an official from Delhi’s health department who asked not to be named. Diwali this

year will be celebrated on Novem-ber 7.

The complete report will alsocontain information about vaccineeagerness or hesitancy, which wasamong the “extensive list of ques-tions” for which data was collecteddigitally during the survey, said theofficial.

The government roped in threenon-governmental organisations to help collect data during the cur-rent survey.

Sero surveys are blood tests thatcheck for antibodies to a virus. They are a good measure of the exposure of a population to the pathogen. They are also a proxy for the level of broad immunity that exists in the population, although the best immunity is thatachieved through vaccination.

A portion of the samples col-

lected will also be analysed for neutralising antibodies that specif-ically target the Sars-CoV-2 virus. This will help researchers corre-late the level of IgG antibodies detected in semi-quantitative tests(which just show whether levels ofan element are high or low) to the

level of neutralising antibodies and thereby estimate the protec-tion that a person has from the coronavirus disease.

This will be the Delhi govern-ment’s first complete survey afterthe brutal fourth wave of infec-tions, which saw the city add over28,000 infections at its peak.

The last round of the survey inDelhi in April was interrupted dueto the emergence of the fourth wave. Just 13,000 samples were collected, instead of the 28,000 tar-geted.

These samples, however,returned a reading of nearly 56%, which means 56 of every 100 resi-dents of the Union territory were exposed to the virus. The previousfive surveys returned readings of 56.13%, 25.5%, 25.1%, 29.1%, and 22.6% respectively.

{ FIRST COMPLETE REPORT AFTER FOURTH WAVE }

State govt to get initial results of 7th sero survey on Monday, detailed report in Nov

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Delhi highcourt asked the Delhi govern-ment to open a fair price shop(FPS) in the vicinity of a residen-tial complex at Baprola for theconvenience of residents.

“It is in the interest of thestate to ensure that citizens donot have to chart their waysthrough difficult areas simply toget foodgrains at subsided pri-ces,” justice Najmi Waziri saidin an order dated October 12.

The court was hearing a con-tempt plea by a petitioner whohad moved court against theDelhi government’s non-com-pliance with a 2019 order,wherein the court asked theDelhi government to examinethe feasibility of setting up theFPS in the vicinity of RajivRatan Awas Yojana, Phase-2,Baprola.

The petitioner contendedthat the FPS that served themwas approximately 2.5km awayfrom the residential area, andwomen had to walk throughdeserted stretches and forestareas simply to fetch ration.

The Delhi government coun-sel told the court since there areonly 320 ration card-holders inRajiv Ratan Awas Yojana,Phase-2, Baprola, it may not befeasible for an FPS licensee tooperate an FPS in the area.

Ordinarily, each FPS caters toabout 1,000 ration card-holdersin an area, the counsel said.

The petitioner’s counsel saidthat relaxation in guidelines foropening a new Public Distribu-tion System (PDS) outlet can beconsidered in the case of JhuggiJhopdi (JJ) clusters and otherareas inhabited by poorer sec-tions of the society.

The counsel added that over800 families, mostly from theeconomically weaker section,are seeking an FPS in RajivRatan Awas Yojana, Phase-2,Baprola.

The court said, “..it is appro-priate that Delhi governmentopen an FPS in the aforesaidplace or in the immediate vicin-ity, as indicated hereinabove sothat the poorest of the poor areserved well by the state”.

HC ORDERS GOVT

TO OPEN RATION

SHOP IN OUTER

DELHI’S BAPROLA

HT Correspondent

htreporters@hindustantimes.com

NOIDA: Three people were arrested on Wednesday for alleg-edly raising “Pakistan zindabad” slogans during a religious proces-sion in Noida’s Sector 8 on Tues-day night, on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, Prophet Moham-mad’s birth anniversary. The arrests came after a video clip of the procession surfaced on social media on Wednesday, the GautamBudh Nagar police said.

Police identified the arrestedsuspects as Mohammad Zafar, Sameer Ali and Ali Raza, all resi-dents of Sector 8.

The police said they launched aprobe after a purported 13-secondvideo of the procession was sharedon social media. The clip also pur-portedly showed a group of peopleholding aloft some flags, includingthe tricolour, and marching with the rest of the crowd.

HT could not independentlyverify the authenticity of the video.

Rajesh S, deputy commissionerof police, Gautam Budh Nagar, said the incident took place in Noida’s Sector 8. “In the video, a few people can be seen and heardchanting both ”Hindustan zinda-bad” and ”Pakistan zindabad”,” theDCP said.

Soon after the clip surfaced,members of a few right-wing grouos on Wednesday protested atthe Sector 20 station, demanding action against the people who tookpart in the procession.

Uma Nandan Kaushik, zonalhead of the Vishwa Hindu Pari-shad, Noida, said, “Some people inthe procession stopped the groupfrom raising this slogan. Someonecaptured the incident on mobile phone and shared the video with us. We then informed the police and demanded action,” he said.

Mufti Mohammad RashidQasmi, imam of Jama Masjid in Noida’s Sector 8, said the proces-sion had no link with the mosque or its organising committee.

The police said the organisershad permission from them to takeout the procession. “ We have sentthe video to an expert team for fur-ther investigation, although, primafacie, it appears that the video is genuine,” the DCP said.

3 HELD IN NOIDA AFTER ‘PAKISTAN ZINDABAD’ CHANTS ALLEGEDLY RAISED DURING PROCESSION

Sero surveys are blood tests that check for antibodies.

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Sanchita Kalra

sanchita.kalra@htlive.com

Couples planning t

o tie the

knot this month are in a

bind following the impo-

sition of night curfew from

10pm to 5am in Delhi and 8pm

to 7am inMumbai, to stem

Covid-19 in both cities.

While some havedecided to

postpone the dateagain, others

are weighing alternate solu-

tions, with dayweddings being

touted as one. “Themoment it

was announced, we received a

call from the venue tomove the

function to the day, but it

might be difficult,” says Sau-

rabh Aswal, whois getting

married on April25.

For Abhishek Pateria, who

took twomonthsoff from his

chats. Hopefully,next birthday, I m

ight

have a party and even then, I’ll ensu

re

everyone gets their Covid vaccine c

ertif-

icates,” quips theRangbaaz actor.

Saleem, who came toMumbai from

Delhi 10 years ago, admits he has

changed. “I was atypical Delhi boy

who

loved to get into fights and rode my

car

with blaring music. But since I cam

e to

Mumbai, the brash Delhi boy has b

een

replaced by one learning everyday.

I’ve

gone from strength to strength, be itmy

acting ability or as a person,” he sa

ys. At

33, is marriage onhis mind at all? “M

y

mum asksme about shaadi everyda

y. I

am finding newways to avoid this q

ues-

tion. One should never say never. H

ope-

fully sometime,” he concludes.

Sugandha Rawal

sugandha.rawal@hindustanti

mes.com

ince the beginning of 2021,

ulkit Samrat hasbeen shoot-

ng nonstop for his projects, be

Mumbai, Delhi or Agra. The

r says work has found a new

emic.

.w

In fact, now, he considers

to be detached from the concept of

hit and flop. “Hitaur flopmein

kuch nahi rakhahai. Agar hit dek

e

bhi main ghar par lockdown mein

baitha hoon, tohmain kya hi ukha

d

raha hun,” Samrat observes, befo

re

going on to explain his definition

of

happiness.“At the end of th

e day, it is about

you being happy, and not attachin

g

that happiness toa condition ki ye

h

hoga toh main khush ho jaunga, ya

nahi hua toh main udas ho jaung

a.

You are blessed if you have a good

family, you wakeup every morn-

ing, and all the people you know

are alive and well,” says the actor

,

who is preppingfor the third

ment of the Fukrey franchise.

rat made his television

t as Lakshya Virani in the pop-

show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi

Ba u Thi, in 2006. He went on to

do films such asBittoo Boss (2012

),

Fukrey (2013), Bangistan (2015),

SanamRe (2016), and Fukrey

Returns (2017).Next, he will soo

n be seen as a

“happy go luckyguy fromDelhi”

in

the film, Suswagatam Khushaama-

deed. “There areother diverse rol

es

in the pipeline,”he adds.

Pulkit Samratfeels

the lockdown

made him value

workmore

STOP PRESS

job in Poland forhis wedding

and booked a venue in Suraj-

kund, Haryana, changes will be

tough. “There’s no chance of

postponing or even switching

to day functions.It will be diffi-

cult for guests whowill attend

the wedding all the way from

Delhi or Noida,” he says.

Planners feel months of

efforts have gonedown the

drain. Mumbai-based Aanchal

Bagaria, of TheWedding Soul,

who had three-day affairs

planned in April says, “Now it’s

all going to be wrapped up in

one event with a lunch.” But

Mumbai’s VishalPunjabi,

founder, TheWedding Filmer,

says, “When things like this

happen, they teach us to value

what we have. Awedding

doesn’t have to bea big party.”

PThe date is so

near and venues

say they need to

check availability

for day timings.

AKHIL NARANG,

Businessman

PAKHILNAR NG

We’ve received

queries from

couples for a

brunch and

they’re trying to

keep gatherings

intimate.

SHIVAN GUPTA , Creative

director, Amaara Farms

Night curfew to curb Covid

surge hits wedding plans

CityDelh

i

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Shooting, travellin

g, and shooting

again— Kriti Sanon’s life is all abo

ut

that. With a hostof biggies such as

Bachchan Pandey, Bhediya and

Ganpath in her kitty, she is of

course excited. And it was also rec

ently

announced that she will join Prabh

as

and Saif Ali Khanin Adipurush.

Despite the rise inCovid cases and

several restrictions reimposed,

including shutting of theatres,

Sanon says she would prefer theat

-

rical releases forall her films.

“Obviously, as anactor youwant th

e

film to reach beyond just the OTT

audience. Of course, they are grea

t

platforms, and everyone is hooked

on

to it and the platforms have great

content. But as anactor you want it

to reach even theones who don’t

really go on theseplatforms,” says

the 30-year-old, whose filmMimi, i

n

which she plays asurrogate mothe

r,

is also waiting for a release.

It’s been some time since the filmw

as

announced and has been shot. Ask

what’s

happening on that front, and Sanon

says

she recently wrapped upwork on t

he last

scene. “Mimi as afilm needs to reach th

e

masses. It is based on surrogacy, it

’s a

unique subject andmade in a very

enter-

tainingmanner.It is something th

at will

touch your heart, make you cry, la

ugh, and

leave you with food for thought. It

should

be watched by more people who a

re

rooted in areas where OTT isn’t wa

tched,”

she says.In fact, it was rain

ing release datesuntil

recently in Bollywood, when the pa

ndemic

reared its head again and forced m

any film

releases to be postponed again. “W

e are

very excited for Mimi to release. Th

e times

we are in, it’s important for a film like that

to get a release. Ihope things are n

ormal

soon. There are somany films wai

ting to

release. I am hopingMimi does too, soon,

sometime aroundmid 2021. I don’t

know

what the producers are deciding. I

t should

get what it deserves,” says Sanon.

NOTETO

READERS: Some

of the coverage

that appearson

our pages is

paid forby the

concerned

brands.No

sponsored

content doesor

shall appearin

anypart ofHT

without it being

declaredas such

to our valued

readers.

Kriti Sanonwishesmovies

would get backto theatres

PI am a bit irritated but

also looking at the

larger picture. I don’t

want to take any

risks. Zinda rahe toh

aur birthday honge.

SAQIB SALEEM, Actor

PI want tosurprisemyself and my

audience. I’ve

never slotted

myself into any

category. I’ve

chosen very

different roles.

RITUPARNA

SENGUPTA, Actor

Scan the code

to readmore

about how

couples and

wedding

vendors are

trying to find

a way out in

the crisis

Scan the code

to readmore

on Saqib

Saleem’s

birthday plans

‘My 30th birthday seems like a decade ago’

Kavita Awaasthi

kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

Saqib Saleem loves

birthdays and

often throws big parties on his spe-

cial day. “But thiswill bemy second

birthday in a rowspoiled by Covid-

19,”

says the actor, who turns 33 today a

nd

admits he is a little heartbroken tha

t he

won’t be able tomeet friends.

“I have forgottenwhat parties are

like. My 30th birthday party seems

a

decade ago. But Idon’t want to take

any

risks. Zinda rahetoh aur birthday

honge. Mymum is here with me, so

she

will make some yummy biryani. W

e

will have a quiet celebration at hom

e

with the newnormal of video calls

and

Titas Chowdhury

titas.chowdhury@hindustantimes.com

Iwant to keep a m

ore openmind now. I feel

that the kind of content being chu

rned out

in the Hindi filmindustry today is

revolu-

tionary,” says Rituparna Sengupta

. The

National Award-winning actor is al

l set to

return to the Hindi film industry with Ban

suri:

The Flute. Alongwith it, she is awa

iting the

release of a couple of other films,

one of them

with veteran actor Shabana Azmi.

A prominent name in the Bengali fi

lm indus-

try, she is best remembered in Bol

lywood for

her role in Main,Meri Patni AurW

oh (2005).

With the boom inthe OTT space an

dmeatier

roles for women,she believes now

is the time to

explore varied roles in Hindi proje

cts. “Back in

the day, I was toobusy. So, I decide

d to concen-

trate on Bangla films. I was also do

ing films in

Bangladesh and Kerala. But I would

want to

concentrate on my Hindi film career now. A lot

of unconventional content is being

made.

Maybe, I amneeded in Mumbai no

w,” she says.

The Bengali superstar says she alw

ays wants

to do somethingnew: “I want to su

rprise myself

andmy audience. I’ve never slotte

dmyself into

any particular category. I’ve chose

n very differ-

ent and challenging roles formyse

lf.”

So, is OTT an option for Sengupta?

“For

actors, it’s a goodopportunity to re

ach a global

audience. Audiences are demandin

g direct-to-

digital releases now. Producers to

o are releas-

ing their films ondigital platforms

as they’re

worried their filmsmight turn stale

if not

released on time.OTT platforms ar

e turning

out to be quite profitable for all,” s

he signs off.

GeorgeClooneyandJulia

Roberts’movie,Ticket

ToParadise,willreleasein

UStheatresnextSeptember.

Theyplayadivorcedcouple

tryingtostoptheir

daughter fromrepeating

theirmistake.

‘HOPE‘HOPETHINGSTHINGSAREARENORMALNORMALSOON,SOON,,,FILMSFILMSWAITINGWAITINGTORELEASE’TORELEASE’

PHOTO: TEJAS

NERURKAR

PHOTO: ARVIND YADAV/HT

PHOTO: JOE

SCARNICI/AFP

Maybe I’m needed

in Mumbai now:

Rituparna Sengupta

PAs an actor you want a film to reach

beyond just the OTT audience.... reach

even the ones who don’t really go on

these platforms.

KRITI SANON, Actor

Tuesday,April13,2021

n 8 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y /USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

D irector Chloe Zhao’s Nomadlandhas emerged as the big winner atthis year’s BAFTA Film Awards2021, bagging four major trophies,including Best Film. Even the BestActress award was won by its actor,Frances McDormand, while Zhao her-self walked away with Best Director.The Father won the Best Actoraward for Anthony Hopkins, a cate-gory in which Indian actor AadarshGourav was also nominated for his rolein TheWhite Tiger. The film was pro-duced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, whowas also in attendance at the ceremonyas one of its presenters, alongwithhusband, singer Nick Jonas. TheFather alsowon the adapted screen-play BAFTA.The most emotional moment of theevening saw tributes being paid to lateIndian actors Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor,who passed away in April 2020, inBAFTA’s memoriam segment, along-with actors Sean Connery and Chad-wick Boseman.The latter’s filmMa Rainey’s BlackBottom was named awinner in thecostume design and make-up and haircategories. Riz Ahmed, who along withBoseman, had been nominated for BestActor as well, didn’t bag the award, buthis film Sound ofMetal bagged twoBAFTAs in the editing and sound cate-gories.

HTC

Rishabh Suririshabh.suri@htlive.com

S he’s the sister of one of Bolly-wood’s biggest stars, Katrina Kaif,yet she auditioned for her firstfilm. Isabelle Kaif recently made heracting debutwith Time To Dance.“I had auditioned for a few films,and this one came through. I was adancer as a kid, and dancing, of course,is a big part of Bollywood. It’s a passionfor me. So I thought it would be chal-lenging and fun,” she tells us.The 30-year-old, who just wrappedup the shoot for her second film,Suswagatam Khushaamadeed, admitsthat Bollywood has been a big influ-ence in her growing up years. “Danc-ing led to acting. I watched Hindi filmsgrowing up, and I’ve had a hard timechoosing a favourite. I love Jab WeMet(2007). Lagaan (2001), I’ve watched somany times as a teenager,” she shares.What about the inevitable compari-son with her sister? Is she feeling thepressure of expectations already? “Iknow it. People have been doing it foryears, and I’ve got used to it. It doesn’t

Scan the codeto read moreon whySudhanshuSaria wasanguished bythe incident

ActorDeepikaPadukoneonMonday

announcedshehasresignedasthechairpersonofMAMIMumbaiFilmFestivalowingtoherworkcommitments.Padukonehadreplaced

filmmakerKiranRaotobecomethechairpersonofthefestivalin2019.

STOP PRESS PHOTO: VIRAL BHAYANI

money to hire them, but you don’twant to. You simply want to canni-balise other’s work. That’s notokay,” he asserts.On April 9, Saria took to Twitterto express his anguish, claimingthat themakers of the web seriescopied the poster of hismovie. Inci-dently, both projects tackle the sub-ject of same-sex relationships. Sariais wondering if the makers alsolifted some scenes from his film,which explores the issue of homo-sexual rape. “Those actors proba-bly were shown a reference imageto pose. So, everybody knew thatthey were plagiarising,” says thedirector, whowon the NationalFilm Award for best non-featuredirection inMarch this year, for hisfilm, Knock Knock Knock.Soon after his post, ALTBalaji

tweeted a statement apologising forthe incident. “The uncanny resem-blance and similarity cannot bewritten off as amere coincidence...For this we apologise... We’vedeleted the poster from all ourplatforms,” the statement read.However, Saria, currentlyrecuperating from Covid-19, isunconvinced by the statement. Hewishes the platform “acknowl-edged the authors of the poster”and claimed that “...this was adecision, not an accident”. More-over, Saria wants people to be heldaccountable for their actions. “I feellike I’m adding to the chain. Thenext time someone Googles it, thiswill come up. And eventually, it willbecome harder and harder forthem to pretend as if it’s not athing,” he concludes.

play onme too much any-more. About expectations,Covid took off some ofthat pressure from myfirst film, as the circum-stances are so different.It has allowed me to justenjoy themoment as itunfolds,” says theactor.The best piece ofadvice Isabelle hasever received wasgiven to her by herelder sister. “[Sheadvised] to justfocus onmywork, keepmyhead down.Anyone who hasbeen in the filmindustry gives simi-lar advice,” says theactor, adding, “I’m juststarting now, there areso many types of filmsI want to do. I’d love todo an action or aperiod film. It’s justthe beginning, there’severything left to do.”

KatrinaKaifPHOTO: VIRALBHAYANI

Why Isabelle Kaifis now used tobeing comparedto sister Katrina

Guru Randhawaismissing the joyof celebratingBaisakhi withfamily in Punjab;Daler Mehndi willbe at the VaishnoDevi shrine

CityDelhi

Sugandha Rawalsugandha.rawal@hindustantimes.com

M eeting friends and fam-ily to celebrate — that’sthe essence of Baisakhi.However, singer DalerMehndi isn’t missing it this year.He asserts that social distancing isthe need of the hour, with the sec-ond wave of Covid-19 here.“Being cautious today willensure we get

together for parties in future,” headds.This year, the singer will cele-brate the festival at the VaishnoDevi shrine with his family. “I feellucky that I’ll be at the holy cave ofMata Vaishno Devi. I have a per-formance at the pilgrimage on thefirst day of Navratri, which startson Baisakhi,” he says.The festival is especially impor-tant for farmers, as it is a harbin-ger of hope and prosperity while

marking the time of har-vest of winter crops. “Ifeel all festivals give us asense of hope and courage. Bai-sakhi motivates us, and humkohonsla deti hai jeene ka, nomatterwho you are — a farmer, or anon-farmer. We all live and yearn forthe support of the supremepower,” explains the 53-year-old.Growing up, he watched hisparents participate in kirtans atgurdwaras for Baisakhi. For him,the festival has always been aboutbeing grateful for everything. It’swhat he plans on doing this yearas well. “It’s all about hope, love,

betterment, and the will to helpothers. Apne liye to har aadmikarta hai, lekin doosron kimadadke liye khada hona chahiye. Theseare things etched inmymind,withmemories of langar,” recallsMehndi, known for hits such asBolo Ta Ra Ra, Tunak Tunak Tun,Dardi Rab Rab, Ho Jayegi BalleBalle, and Na Na Na Na NaRe.He feels the best place to cele-brate Baisakhi is at home. “I think(if we follow all the protocolsproperly) 2021-end tak Covid naamki beemari ko bhool jayenge log,”says the singer, who recently cameout with his single, Ragda.

Juhi Chakrabortyjuhi.chakraborty@htlive.com

H e wanted to cele-brate Baisakhi in abig way this yearwith his family inGurdaspur, Punjab, butsinger Guru Randhawaunderstands that given thepandemic, little can bedone.“Since the pandemicstarted, most of us havebeen celebrating festivals athome. Considering the cur-rent situation, this year tooI’ll mostly spend Baisakhiat home and visit the gurd-wara, if possible,” he says,adding, “Unfortunately, I’min Delhi andwill definitelymiss being in the villageduring this time. But likeevery day, I’m going toremember God and thankHim for fulfilling mywishes.”

The 29-year-old urgeseveryone to be safe, followprotocols and not indulgein grand Baisakhi celebra-tions involving huge gath-erings. “Covid has impactedeverything, not just this fes-tival. We need to fight this

virus on a daily basis, besafe and follow govern-ment protocol,” adds thesinger known for songssuch as Lahore, High RatedGabru and Patola.Hemay not be able tohave the celebration hewanted, but Randhawa hasfond memories of celebrat-ing the festival as a child.“Baisakhi is celebrated as aharvest festival, whenfarmers cut their crops.And on this day Guru Gob-ind Singh laid the founda-tion of the Panth Khalsa. Askids, we’d enjoy spendingtime with family and go tothe gurdwara to do seva.We’d also go to themela inthe village. It’s a festivalthat brings a lot of happi-ness.”Since Baisakhi is a har-vest festival, the singer hasa special message for them.“May God bless the farmersas we eat because of them.May this year bring growthand prosperity,” he says,adding, “MayWahegurubless everyone with growthand prosperity. Happy Bai-sakhi to everyone. Stay safeand happy!”

GuruRandhawa

HAPPYBAISAKHI TOALL OURREADERS

ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

INMYVILLAGE

PriyankaChopra JonasandNick Jonas

PHOTO: ALBERTOPEZZALI/AP

FrancesMcDormand

BAFTA’s emotionaltributes to Irrfanand Rishi Kapoor

AnthonyHopkinsPHOTO:

ALEXANDRE

MENEGHINI/AP

(Above) RishiKapoor and(right) IrrfanPHOTOS: TWITTER/BAFTA

DalerMehndi

Sugandha Rawal

S ome time back I was told bymycountry that I exist, when I gotthe National Film Award. Twoweeks later, one of themost seniorpeople inmy industry pretends as ifnothing I domatters and I’m invisi-ble and insignificant,” rues directorSudhanshu Saria reflecting onwhathe felt when he found “ridiculouslyobvious” similarities between theposter of an upcoming web show,His Storyy, backed by Ekta Kapoor,and his 2015 film Loev.“I’m not looking to recovermoney from them, or sue them. Ijust want them to know that it’s notnice and not okay,” says a disap-pointed Saria. “What kind of a cul-ture are we in where you can have amarketingmeeting and take some-body else’s idea? You have the

I’M NOTMISSINGBIG BAISAKHICELEBRATIONSTHIS YEAR:MEHNDI

NOTE TOREADERS: Someof the coverage that appears on ourpages is paid forby the concerned brands. No

sponsored content does or shall appear in anypart ofHTwithout it beingdeclaredas such to our valued readers.

SudhanshuSaria and (far left) posters of the upcomingweb show and (left)

his 2015 film

Plagiarism row: It mademefeel insignificant andpowerless, says Sudhanshu

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 07My Delhi

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Are social media celebrities threatening the stardom of superstars?India’s original online content creator, comedian and actor Bhuvan Bam has his say

nchWnchW h h nnchW h h nnchW h h n#BrunchWithBhuvanBam

“Socialmedia has shownthat everybody has the

capacity to become a star.In fact, theword ‘star’ itselfhas become common.”

—Bhuvan Bam, 27, YouTubestar, comedian and actor

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intention) of Indian Penal Code,officials familiar with the devel-opments said.

The duo were arrested twodays after the alleged murdertook place. The CBI has accusedthem of deliberately knockingdown the judge while he was ona morning jog. The two are pres-

Uttam Anand

Amit Shah

S Poonambalam said: “Roads,which were closed due to land-slides, are being graduallycleared and opened for traffic.Tourists were being rescued andprovided relief.”

The Rangpo Bridge, whichconnects Sikkim and West Ben-gal, was found to be in a precari-ous condition after the support-ing pillars were damaged as thepowerful Teesta river sweptembankments at many points.

East Sikkim district magis-trate Ragul K, who took stock ofthe situation at the border townat Rangpo, said: “We havedecided to allow the movementsof light vehicles only.”

The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) has said thatthe intensity of rain woulddecline in the next 48 hours.“Very heavy rain was recorded inthe districts of north ,includingDarjeeling, Kalimpong and Jal-paiguri. We had issued a redalert for Wednesday. The inten-sity of rain is likely to decreaseover the next two days eventhough there would be light tomoderate rain,” Sanjib Banerjee,deputy director general of IMD’sregional office in Kolkata, said.

According to an IMD official,Darjeeling received around233mm rain while Kalimpongreceived around 199mm rain inthe last 24 hours. While southBengal too witnessed heavy rain-fall in the past few days, theintensity has now reduced.

these areas for rescue work.In a letter to West Bengal chief

minister Mamata Banerjee, BJPMP from Darjeeling, Raju Bista,sought additional teams of for-ces to tackle the situation. “Sev-eral areas such as Rimbick-Lod-homa, Tangta-Jaldhaka, Tukdah-Teesta Valley, various parts ofMirik subdivision, Lopchu-Pe-shok, Algara-Lava and Goke-Bi-janbari have been virtually cutoff from the rest of the countrydue to landslides. Over 50houses have been damaged anda few hundred families could berendered homeless,” he said.

In the foothills in Siliguri, fourhouses were swept by BalasanRiver near Matigara.

Darjeeling district magistrate

HT Correspondents

letters@hindustantimes.com

KOLKATA: At least five people,including two children, havedied in various rain-related inci-dents in the tiny Himalayan stateof Sikkim and the tea growingregion of north Bengal whichhave been witnessing torrentialdownpour (no floods) and majorlandslides since Monday night.

Normal life was thrown out ofgear and hundreds of tourists,who thronged the popular hilldestinations during the DurgaPuja season, were stranded afterNational Highway-10, the mainroad linking Gangtok with therest of the country, was snappeddue to landslides in the area.

The arterial roads connectingvarious spots in Darjeeling andKalimpong hills were damagedat several points while NH-10was believed to be damaged in atleast 16 areas. Power supply andmobile network services werealso affected.

Two children, aged 8 and 10years, were washed away in theswelling waters of Torsa River inAlipurduar on Wednesday. Onedied in West Bengal’s Kalimpongdistrict on Tuesday, two died inSikkim on Monday.

A home guard, Suman Thapa,went missing after a landslide inDarjeeling.

Several teams of National Dis-aster Response Force and civildefence have been deployed in

{ IN BENGAL AND SIKKIM }

5 dead, many stranded amid rains, landslides

Commuters wade through a waterlogged National Highway in Malda, on Wednesday. PTI

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

DEHRADUN: Union minister ofhome Amit Shah will assess theflood situation and take an aer-ial survey of the flood-hit areasin Uttarakhand on Thursday,people familiar with the mattersaid on Wednesday.

Over the past one week, 52people have died in Uttara-khand due to rain-related inci-dents, and at least 17 people arestill missing.

“On Thursday at 9.45 am, he(Shah) would leave to conductan aerial survey of the flood-af-fected areas of the state alongwith CM Pushkar SinghDhami,” said Devendra Bhasin,the vice president of the Bharat-iya Janata Party’s state unit.

Bhasin added that the aerialsurvey will span for about twohours. “After conducting theaerial survey, he would reachJolly Grant airport where hewill hold a meeting with offi-cials concerned at the stateguest house from 11.45 am to12.45 pm,” added Bhasin.

The Union home ministerwill then depart for Delhi fromthe airport at around 1 pm in anIAF plane.

SHAH TO ASSESS FLOOD SITUATION IN U’KHAND TODAY

on July 31 after the SupremeCourt said the incident hadlarger ramifications for the inde-pendence of the judiciary. Thestate government had also rec-ommended an investigation bythe central agency into the case.

CBI joint director SharadAgarwal, who is heading the spe-cial investigation team in thecase, had informed the Jhark-hand high court in Septemberthat the judge’s death was not anaccident and the agency wasinvestigating all angles tounravel the conspiracy.

Several people have beeninterrogated in the last threemonths and lie-detector and psy-choanalysis tests were also con-ducted on them, Agarwal said.

ently in judicial custody. “Fur-ther probe into the larger con-spiracy will continue,” a seniorofficer said, seeking anonymity.

The chargesheet was filedwithin 90 days of the accused’sarrest, as per protocols, toensure that they are not grantedbail, the officer added.

The Supreme Court and theJharkhand high court took suomotu cognisance of the hit-and-run incident after CCTV footageshowed the three-wheelerswerving on an empty road toknock him down. The auto-rick-shaw, which was stolen fromDhanbad, was later recoveredfrom the neighbouring Giridihdistrict that night.

The CBI took over the probe

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI) onWednesday filed a charge sheetagainst two accused in connec-tion with the death of Dhanbadadditional district judge UttamAnand, who was mowed downby an autorickshaw on July 28,an incident which sparked offsecurity concerns in the entirejudiciary.

The central probe agency filedthe chargesheet before a specialcourt against auto driver LakhanVerma, 22, and his accompliceRahul Verma, 21, under sections302 (murder), 201 (destruction ofevidence) and 34 (common

CBI files charge sheet in judge’s death case

many water-borne, airborne, food-borne, and vector-borne pathogens, the report said. The epidemic potential for dengue virus, Zika virus, and chikun-gunya virus, which currently pri-marily affect populations in cen-tral America, South America, theCaribbean, Africa, and south Asia,increased globally, with a basic reproductive rate increase of 13%for transmission by Anopheles aegypti (mosquitoes that can spread dengue fever, chikun-gunya, Zika fever) and 7% for transmission by Anopheles albo-pictus (also a vector for viral path-ogens) compared with the 1950s.

The biggest relative increase inbasic reproductive rate of these arboviruses was seen in countriesin the very high HDI group coun-tries like in Baltics and Atlantic northeast regions. “Although its (climate change’s) health impactsare felt across the world, climate change disproportionately affectsdisadvantaged populations, exac-erbating their vulnerabilities,” thepaper said.

In a 2021 World Health Organi-sation survey of health and cli-mate change, only 45 of 91 coun-tries surveyed (49%) say they havea national health and climate change plan or strategy.

“Climate change is here andwe’re already seeing it damaginghuman health across the world. As the Covid-19 crisis continues, every country is facing some aspect of the climate crisis too. The 2021 report shows that popu-lations of 134 countries have expe-rienced an increase in exposure towildfires. Millions of farmers andconstruction workers could havelost income because on some days it’s just too hot for them to work. Drought is more wide-spread than ever before.

The Lancet Countdown’sreport has over 40 indicators andfar too many of them are flashingred,” said Prof Anthony Costello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown.

Jayashree Nandi

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: India, along with Bangladesh and Pakistan, recorded the greatest losses to work hours due to heat exposurein 2020, according to the Lancet Countdown on Health and Cli-mate Change released on Thurs-day.

Around 295 billion hours ofpotential work was lost across theglobe in 2020, which is equivalentto 88 work hours per person. In these three countries, which are classified as nations having human development index (HDI)scores in the medium range, workhours lost were 2.5–3 times the world average and equivalent to 216–261 hours lost per employed person last year.

With lockdowns around theworld due to Covid-19, millions ofhours of labour, particularly in service, construction, and manu-facturing sectors, were also lost but those have not been accounted for in the study.

This indicator on productivityloss estimates potential work hours lost as a result of heat expo-sure, by linking wet bulb globe temperature with the power (metabolic rate) typically expended by a worker. Wet bulb temperature measures heat stressin direct sunlight, which takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and solar radiation. The highest losses to work hours were recorded in the agriculture sectorfollowed by construction.

The Lancet paper has tracked44 indicators of health impacts that are directly linked to climatechange and showed that key trends are getting worse.

Record temperatures in 2020resulted in 3.1 billion more per-son-days of heatwave exposure among people older than 65 yearsof age, and 626 million more per-son-days of heatwave affecting

Kalyan Das, Ankur Sharma and Mohan Rajput

letters@hindustantimes.com

DEHRADUN/HALDWANI/RUDRA-PUR: Kiran Negi was asleep in her home in Almora early on Tuesday morning, with her hus-band and two grandchildren aged 12 and 16 right next to her, when a loud noise outside wokeher up with a start.

In a few minutes, her homewas crushed under boulders andrubble. Negi, 54, somehow man-aged to muster enough strengthto extricate herself, but her fam-ily remained trapped for hours. The body of her husband, AnandNegi, 60, was removed by rescueworkers around 12 pm on Tues-day . Her two young grandchil-dren were all pulled out -- alive, but injured.

“We were sleeping in thehouse early in the morning whenwe heard a big blast-like sound. Soon after, heavy muck and boul-ders came crashing down on ourhouse burying us under it. I couldn’t understand what had happened. I’m not sure how, butI somehow stood up and came out of the house. My husband and grandchildren couldn’t, andgot buried in it. It was not rain, but death pouring from the clouds on Tuesday,” a sobbing Negi said over the phone.

At least 52 people have died sofar after record rains lashed Uttarakhand over the last three days. Of the deaths, 28 have beenin Nainital district, which saw the Naini lake overflowing, prompting frantic rescue opera-tions from the Army, NDRF andSDRF. Nine of these deaths occurred after a cloud burst in the Ramgarh block of the districtearly on Tuesday morning. Apartfrom Nainital, Champawat dis-trict reported eight deaths, fol-lowed by Almora with six.

In shock after coming out ofthe house, Negi began screamingfor help, and neighbours rushedto do their best. “But they could not rescue them from the debris... the personnel from SDRF and NDRF... could only retrieve the body of my husband.My two grandchildren were res-cued, but they were seriously injured,” she said. They are nowin a stable condition.

Like Negi, 65-year-old MunniDevi from Chopra village near Nainital couldn’t stop her tears after losing her 32-year-old son, Manoj Kumar, who was swept away by an overflowing stream

of water near his home in the vil-lage on Tuesday night. Kumar, worked as a storekeeper in a hotel in Nainital, was returning home on his motorbike when helost control while crossing a stream of water.

“The rains took my young son.I lost a piece of my heart,” said anemotional Devi.

SDRF commandant NavneetSingh Bhullar, who has been on the ground in Rudrapur to moni-tor and assist in relief and rescue,said, “Several rescue operations are on in the affected areas with additional deployment of person-nel in sensitive areas.” Close to 1,500 people have been rescued since Tuesday, officials said.

In Rudrapur town of UdhamSingh Nagar district, which wit-nessed heavy flooding on Tues-day, 48-year-old Nandlal Gang-war remembers frantic momentsof horror. “The floodwater stormed suddenly into our houseand didn’t give us a chance to carry our clothes, ration or valu-ables... Our fridge, TV, washing machine, clothes, ration and all other valuables are completely destroyed.”

Earlier on Wednesday, chiefminister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited affected areas of the state.“There has been massive dam-age. It will take time to return tonormalcy - roads were washed away, there were landslides, riv-ers changed their routes, villageswere affected, bridges collapsed.”

Families recount horror

as rain abates in U’khand

Stranded tourists being evacuated from the landslide-hit area of Khairna, on Wednesday. PTI

such a case has happened herebefore,” he said.

Generally, Rawat said, localauthorities release the watersinto Baliyanala when the waterlevel rises. “But this time, therains were so severe that it leftthe entire area inundated,” hesaid.

In 1880, 151 people were killedafter a major landslide hit Nain-ital’s Sher Ka Danda area. Fol-lowing this, a 79 km drain net-work was built by the Britishalong the slopes and Nainitalwas divided into safe and pro-hibited zones for construction.

“But constructions have comeup in the same zones. And someare over three storeys. Manydrains have narrowed down dueto encroachment and dumpingof solid waste inside them. Thishas affected the free flow of rain-water into the lake,” Rawat said.

Noted environmentalist AjaySingh Rawat, who lives in Nain-ital, said it is for the first timethat the lake has overflown tosuch an extent. “In 1995, thewater had overflown to someextent. But this time, it has hap-pened in a big way. I don’t think

“You could swim and move ina boat on the flooded road here.I also saw fish in large numbersmoving in the waters on theroad. I have never seen such asight here before,” Pawan SinghBisht, who runs a shop near thelakeshore, said.

Neeraj Santoshi

Neeraj.santoshi@htlive.com

DEHRADUN: With parts of Nain-ital district receiving the highest-ever rainfall in the last 124 years,water from Naini Lake over-flowed its bank and flooded theiconic Mall Road and Naina Devitemple complex on Tuesday.

Several visuals on socialmedia showed people wadingthrough ankle-deep floods aswater from the mango-shapedlake, which is situated at a heightof 1,938 metres, overflowed andentered residential and businessareas. Even fish from the lakespilled over to the streets,prompting a few local residentsto put them inside a bucket andrelease them later into the lake.

Some people were also spot-ted kayaking down the floodedMall Road.

Overflowing lake floods Nainital’s Mall Road

Water level rises in Sukhatal — a catchment area barely half-a-kilometre from Naini Lake. HT PHOTO

Vipin Negi and Kalyan Das

letters@hindustantimes.com

DEHRADUN: Fourteen people,including eight trekkers fromWest Bengal and Delhi, werereported missing in two sepa-rate incidents amid heavy snow-fall in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashidistrict, officials said onWednesday.

In the first incident, on Octo-ber 14, a team of 17 people leftfor a trek to Chitkul via Harsil inUttarkashi district. They weresupposed to reach Chitkul onOctober 19, but 11 of them wentmissing on October 18.

“The team had gone for trek-king near Lamkhaga Pass whichis a 90km long trekking routepassing through the remotestvalleys of Kinnaur in HimachalPradesh and Gangotri in Uttark-ashi. However, on Monday, dueto snowfall in the area, 11 wentmissing. Six of them, all porters,managed to go to the ITBP campin Chitkul village in Kinnaurand inform them about the inci-dent on Tuesday,” said Jai Pan-war, consultant to Uttarkashidistrict on disaster manage-

ment. “Of the 11 missing from the

trekking route, eight are trek-kers while three are porters.Seven of the eight trekkershailed from West Bengal whileone is from Delhi. The threeporters were local,” he added.

In the second incident, threeporters went missing on Octo-ber 17 when they were accom-panying Indo-Tibetan BorderPolice (ITBP) personnel to theirposts near the Indo-China bor-der in Uttarkashi.

“The ITBP officers, whoinformed the SDRF to seek helpin finding them, said that thelocal porters had left for theborder with ITBP men on Octo-ber 15. However, on October 17,they got separated from theITBP men due to heavy snowfalland went missing. The ITBPinformed the district adminis-tration on the same on Tuesdayevening after which on Wednes-day, a chopper of the air forceleft with the SDRF personnel tosearch the missing people,” saidPanwar, adding that a team ofITBP personnel had also leftfrom their base in Neelapani.

8 trekkers among 14 missing after heavy snowfall in Uttarkashi

Rezaul H Laskar

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: A Taliban team led by deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi held talks with a delegation of Indian diplomats onthe margins of a regional confer-ence on Afghanistan hosted by Russia on Wednesday and report-edly discussed the need to addressthe concerns of both sides.

There was no official wordfrom the Indian side on the talks held on the sidelines of the “Mos-cow Format” meeting, which brought together diplomats from10 countries, including India, Pak-istan and China, and the Taliban delegation.

The talks represented the firstcontact between the Indian side and a top member of the Taliban’sinterim cabinet, which was formed last month after the groupmarched into Kabul on August 15following the collapse of the Ash-raf Ghani government. On August31, India’s envoy to Qatar met sen-ior Taliban leader Sher Moham-med Abbas Stanekzai.

A statement issued by Talibanspokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the delegation led by Hanafi met the Indian team led by joint secretary JP Singh, head of the Pakistan- Afghanistan-Iran desk in the external affairs ministry onthe sidelines of the Moscow For-mat meeting.

“Both sides considered it neces-sary to address each other’s con-cerns and improve diplomatic and economic relations,” Mujahidsaid. The Indian side expressed itsreadiness to provide humanitar-ian assistance to the Afghan peo-ple, he added.

People familiar with the mattersaid on condition of anonymity that the Taliban spokesman’s remarks were not a full and accu-rate reflection of the discussions.India has said repeatedly in recentweeks that it stands ready to helpthe Afghan people against the backdrop of a looming humani-tarian crisis.

Earlier, the diplomats from the10 countries and the Taliban teamdiscussed crucial issues such as providing humanitarian aid to

Afghanistan and countering ter-ror emanating from Afghan soil.

Russian foreign minister Ser-gey Lavrov, in his opening remarks at the Moscow Format meeting, called on the Taliban to prevent anyone from using Afghan territory against the inter-ests of third countries, primarily the immediate neighbours and the Central Asian states.

The Indian side was repre-sented by joint secretary JP Singhand joint secretary (Eurasia) Adarsh Swaika. Discussions at the meeting dragged on for morethan six hours, people familiar with the matter said.

Lavrov, who held a separatemeeting with the Taliban delega-tion before the Moscow Format meeting, said he discussed with the Taliban leaders the need to prevent the use of Afghan soil against other countries.

“We call on the Taliban move-ment to strictly follow the line of preventing anyone from using theterritory of Afghanistan against the interests of third countries, primarily against Afghanistan’s

immediate neighbours - the coun-tries of Central Asia, our friends and allies.”

The people cited above said thediplomats of several countries, including India, raised the coun-ter-terrorism commitments madeby the Taliban during the MoscowFormat meeting.

Hanafi, in his speech, con-tended the Taliban takeover of August 15 had resulted in a “his-toric transformation” that took place “without bloodshed and destruction”.

According the text of hisspeech released by the Taliban, hesaid the security situation in Afghanistan is “satisfactory” andthe Afghan people “have a responsible government commit-ted to the national interest and safeguarding political freedom”.

A joint statement issued afterthe meeting called on the Talibanto “practice moderate and soundinternal and external policies, adopt friendly policies towards neighbours of Afghanistan...and respect the rights of ethnic groups, women and children”.

{ MOSCOW FORMAT MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN }

India, Taliban delegations meet in Russia

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi called on the CentralBureau of Investigation and the Central Vigilance Commission tohave a “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption and ensure that there were no safe havens for those committing crimes against the country.

Addressing a joint conferenceof the Central Vigilance Commis-sion (CVC) and Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) virtually, Modi said that over the past seven years, the work of his gov-ernment has given people faith that corruption can be stopped.

“People of the country havefaith today that they will get ben-efits of government schemes without any give and take or without any middlemen.”

Comparing this with therecord of the previous govern-ment he said they lacked the willto control corruption.

“The way the earlier govern-ment functioned, it lacked the political and administrative willto fight corruption. Today, thereis a political will and administra-tive reforms are also being car-ried out to achieve the goal.”

The second term of the Con-gress-led United Progressive Alli-ance government was marked byseveral high profile corruption scandals and a popular protest against corruption and it is widely believed that its loss in the2014 elections was partly on account of this. PM reminded the officers about their responsibil-ity. “You have to remember that your partner-ship is with this ‘mitti’ (soil), withMaa Bharti ( M o t h e r India).”

AT CBI-CVC MEET, PM CALLS FOR ZERO TOLERANCE TO CORRUPTION

children younger than one year, compared with the annual aver-age for the 1986–2005.

Heat-related mortality for peo-ple older than the age of 65 reached a record high of almost 345,000 deaths in 2019 — 80.6% higher than in the 2000–2005 average—according to the paper.

In 2018 and 2019, India andBrazil had the largest absolute increase in heat-related mortality.In India, deaths among persons aged over 65 years attributable toheat was in the 10,001–100,000 range in 2019. In the absence of air conditioning, an estimated 195,400 more heat-related deathswould have occurred globally among people aged 65 years and older in 2019, in addition to the 345,000 heat-related deaths that are estimated to have occurred.

In this age group, air condition-ing averted an estimated 69,500 deaths in China, 47,800 in the US,30,400 in Japan, but only 2,400 inIndia.

“These estimates are probablybased on modelling but we in India should start monitoring work hour losses in India. There should be research oriented workon it. Heat action plans should beimplemented. After the heat action plan was implemented in 2013 in Ahmedabad, heat-relatedmortality reduced by 30% to 40%over the years. National Disaster Management Authority is using itas a model plan to be replicated inthe entire country...,” said Dilip Malvankar, director, Indian Insti-tute of Public Health, Gujarat.

Climate change has also led toenvironmental conditions suita-ble for increased transmission of

IN INDIA, PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH, WORK HOURS LOST WERE 2.5–3 TIMES THE WORLD AVERAGE

India among nations to lose most work hrs due to heat

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 09

My India

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GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIROFFICEOFTHEEXECUTIVEENGINEERFLOODCONTROLDIVISIONANANTNAG

Notice Inviting e-TenderE-N.I.T No.:- 11 of 2021-22 Date:- 18.10.2021

For and on behalf of The Lt. Governor of J&K UT E-tenders (Two cover System), are invited fromreputed and resourceful “AAY” class contractors/Firms/joint venture of repute on comprehensive andextensive basis, which should be uploaded on the e-Procurement web portal http://www.jktenders.gov.in, up to last bidding date:- 05.11.2021 up to 4.00 p.m for the subjected work referred belowand as per the details mentioned in this e-tender notification and to whom all the terms and conditionsof detailed NIT/Tender Documents/PWD Form NO.:- 25 are accepted. The detailed tender document,Specifications and drawings can be downloaded on the e-procurement Portal http://www.jktenders.gov.in and also on departmental web site “ifckashmir.com. The cost of the document (non-transferable/Non-refundable) should be in the shape of e-challan/Treasury Challan/in favour ExecutiveEngineer Flood Control Division Anantnag.

S.No.

Name of work Adv.Cost ofWork

Class ofContract

EarnestMoney

Cost ofTenderDoc.

Period ofcompletion

Positionof funds

Tenderreceivingauthority

1. Constructionof FloodProtectionworks/Anti-erosion workson BrengiNallah & itsTributaries

Rs573.44lacs

Class A& Above

Bid Securitydeclarationas perenclosedAnnexure

10000/- 24calendarMonths

Available

Superintending

EngineerHydraulic

Circle,Anantnag/

Kulgam

HQ

The Bidding documents consisting of eligibility criteria, specification, bill of quantities (B.O.Q) set ofterms & conditions of contract and other details can be seen/downloaded from the e-procurementPortal “http://www.jktenders.gov.in” and also on departmental web site “ifckashmir.com” as perschedule of dates given below:-

01 Date of issue of Tender Notice 18.10.2021 1.00 P.M02 Date of downloading of bidding documents 18.10.2021 2.00 P.M03 Date, Time & Venue of Pre-bid meeting 20.10.2021 From 11.00 AM to 2.00 PM04 Last date of submission of pre-bid quarries if any 21.10.2021 upto 4.00 PM05 Bid submission start date 22.10.2021 10.00 AM06 Bid Submission end date 05.11.2021 04.00 PM07 Date & time of opening Bids (on line) 09.11.2021 11.30 AM1. The agency should have sufficient experience and establishment and infrastructure facilities

available with expertise logistic support etc. in the field of any Civil Engineering works i.eprotection work/S&B bund with pitching & Toe crates/pump stations/sumps/SewerageTreatment Plant/irrigation works/flood control works during last five years ending31.03.2021 besides having necessary manpower.

16.0 In case of any disputes/differences, the jurisdiction shall be to the Courts situated in Srinagaronly. Supplies if involved any, will be deducted at prevalent stock rates at the time of tender forsuch material.

For and on behalf Of the Lt. Governor of Jammu & Kashmir (U.T)Executive Engineer

NO.:- FCD/Ang/2021/3121-43 Date:- 18.10.2021 Flood Control DivisionDIPK-10922-21 Anantnag

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Short Term National Competitive Bidding (E-Tendering)On the behalf of "Governor of Uttarakhand" Superintending Engineer, Civil Circle, PWD, Haridwar invitesitem rate bid through E-tendering under Two Bid system. All information will be available from25.10.2021 and onwards on website http://www.uktenders.gov.in

Note:- Submission of following documents in original is essential in office of undersigned on/before thelast date and time of uploading tender by the bidders.

1. Cost of tender document Rs. 5000.00+G.S.T. as applicable only in the form of demand draft in thename of Executive Engineer, Construction Division, PWD, Roorkee. Bank Draft for Rs. 5000.00&GSTRs. 900.00 to be submitted separately.

2. Rs 100.00 Non Judicial stamp affixed with duly signed Rs. 1.00 Revenue stamp for the validity of theTender including certificate for validity up to 60 days.

3. Earnest Money to be pledged in the name of Superintending Engineer, Civil Circle, PWD, Haridwar.4. Attach Copy of Registration.

Superintending EngineerCivil Circle, PWD, Haridwar

Office of Superintending Engineer, Civil Circle, P.W.D.,Devpura, Haridwar

Website: https://pwd.uk.gov.in, Fax/Phone No.: 01334-221407, E-mail: sepharpwduk@gmail.com

Sr. Name of Work Earnest Cost of Time of Validity Category ofNo. Money Tender Completion of Contractor

(Rs. in (Rs.) of Work TenderLacs) (Months) (Days)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 5.21 Rs. 04 605000.00 Months Days+18%GST

Road furniture, road markingand other miscellaneous works(road safety) on Bahadarabad-Dhanauri- Imlikheda-Bhagwanpur- Gagalheri StateHighway-68 and Puhana-Iqbalpur- Jhabrera-GurukulNarsan State Highway-28under Central RoadInfrastructure Fund.

Registered in categoryB or above for Roadwork in any of theGovt. department/Govt. undertaking ofUttarakhand state orregistered in category.A or above for Road

work in any other StateGovt./ Central Govt.department/Govt.

undertaking.

Letter No.: 2552/06C-Civil Circle/21 Date : 20.10.2021

Government of Jammu & Kashmir Union TerritoryMechanical Division, Srinagar

Tel: 0194-2497056, Email: xenmds@gmail.com

Cancellation NoticeSubject: Supply, Installation, Testing and Commissioning of complete sprinkler irrigation

Equipment including HDPE pipe/LLDPE network for Saffron Crop cultivated area atbore well No. 52, 94, 105 & 110-A under implementation of National Mission onSaffron.

Ref: 1. This office eNIT No. MDS/TS/2021-22/e-tendering/07 Dated: 07.04.20212. (Tender ID: 2021_PWDJK_122024_1)3. The Superintending Engineer Mechanical Circle MED Srinagar’s letter No: SEMK/

TS-60/2021/1212-13 Dated: 31.08.2021Due to administrative/technical reasons, the above referred eNIT is hereby cancelled.

Sd/-No: MDS/TS-643/6045-49 (Er. Rajesh Sharma)Dated: 14.10.2021 Executive EngineerDIPK-10910-21 Mechanical Division, Srinagar

Government of Jammu & KashmirDIRECTORATE OF FLORICULTURE SRINAGAR KASHMIR

Tel: 0194-2474234, Fax: 2482032email:- kashflori@rediffmail.com

Subject:- Extension No. 02.In view of no response, the last date for submission ofbids invited vide this office e-Tender Notice No. 19 of 2021dated: 09.09.2021 for Outsourcing of entry ticketingsystem of Mughal GardenVerinag is hereby extended asper the details given below:-

1. Period of downloading ofbidding document

18.10.2021 from 01.00 PMto 03.11.2021 up to 2.00 PM

2. Bid submission Start Date 18.10.2021 from 03.00 PM3. Bid submission End Date 03.11.2021 up to 2.00 PM4. Date & time of Opening of

Tenders06.11.2021 at 2.00 PM

Other terms and conditions shall remain same as laid downin the aforesaid Tender Notice.

By OrderNo.:- DFK/GS-564/3870-72 Sd/-Dated:- 18.10.2021 Accounts OfficerDIPK-10869-21 (Member Secretary)

••Tender can be submitted online up to 12:00 hrs. on 15.11.2021For full details and submission of bid please see the Indian Railways website

www.ireps.gov.in.

NORTH CENTRAL RAILWAY, PRAYAGRAJ

Deputy Chief Engineer (RSW), N.C. Railway, Gwalior for and on behalf of thePresident of India invites open online e-Tenders (Two packet System ) for thefollowingwork :

E-TENDERING TENDER NOTICE

S I THOUL I -DHOLPUR SECT ION :PROVISION OF NORMAL HEIGHTSUBWAYS (RUBs) in lieu OF L/Cs 439, 440,445, 447, 448 and 448A

DYCERSWGWL022133.99 Crore15.11.2021

24 months

Description of work

e-tender No.Approx. CostDate of closing TenderDate of completion/periodfrom issue acceptance letter

North central railways www.ncr.indianrailways.gov.in @CPRONCR1115/21 (SP)

E-Tender No. DYCERSWGWL0221 Date : 18.10.2021RSW Unit, Gwalior

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n 6 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT.ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

Sanchita Kalra

sanchita.kalra@htlive.com

Couplesplanning t

o tie the

knot thismonth are in a

bind following the impo-

sition of night curfew from

10pm to 5am inDelhi and 8pm

to 7am inMumbai, to stem

Covid-19 in both cities.

While somehavedecided to

postpone the dateagain,others

areweighing alternate solu-

tions, with day weddings being

touted as one. “Themoment it

was announced, we received a

call from the venue to move the

function to the day, but it

might be difficult,” says Sau-

rabhAswal, whois getting

married onApril25.

For Abhishek Pateria, who

took twomonthsoff from his

chats. Hopefully,next birthday, I m

ight

have a party andeven then, I’ll ens

ure

everyone gets their Covid vaccine c

ertif-

icates,” quips theRangbaaz actor.

Saleem,who came to Mumbai from

Delhi 10 years ago, admits he has

changed. “Iwas atypical Delhi boy

who

loved to get into fights and rodemy

car

withblaringmusic. But since I cam

e to

Mumbai, thebrash Delhi boy has b

een

replaced by one learning everyday.

I’ve

gone from strength to strength, be

itmy

actingability or as a person,” he sa

ys. At

33, is marriage onhismind at all? “M

y

mum asksme about shaadi everyda

y. I

am findingnewways to avoid this q

ues-

tion.One shouldnever say never.

Hope-

fully sometime,” he concludes.

Sugandha Rawal

sugandha.rawal@hindustanti

mes.com

ce the beginningof 2021,

ulkit Samrat hasbeen shoot-

ng nonstop for his projects, be

umbai, Delhi or Agra. The

r says work has found a new

emic.

w

n fact, now, he considers

o be detached from the concept o

f

hit and flop. “Hitaur flop mein

kuch nahi rakhahai. Agar hit dek

e

bhi main ghar par lockdown mein

baitha hoon, tohmain kya hi ukha

d

raha hun,” Samrat observes, befo

re

going on to explain his definition

of

happiness.“At the end of th

e day, it is about

you being happy, and not attachin

g

that happiness toa condition ki ye

h

hoga toh main khush ho jaunga, ya

nahi hua toh main udas ho jaung

a.

You are blessedif you have a goo

d

family, youwakeup every morn-

ing, and all the people you know

are alive and well,” says the actor

,

who is preppingfor the third

ment of the Fukrey franchise.

rat made his television

as Lakshya Virani in the pop-

how, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi

Ba u Thi, in 2006. He went on to

do films such asBittoo Boss (2012

),

Fukrey (2013), Bangistan (2015),

Sanam Re (2016), and Fukrey

Returns (2017).Next, he will soo

n be seen as a

“happy go luckyguy from Delhi” in

the film, Suswagatam Khushaama

-

deed. “There areother diverse rol

es

in the pipeline,”he adds.

Pulkit Samratfeels

the lockdown

made him value

workmore

STOP PRESS

job in Poland forhis wedding

and booked a venue in Suraj-

kund,Haryana, changes will be

tough. “There’s no chance of

postponing or even switching

to day functions.Itwill be diffi-

cult for guests whowill attend

the wedding all the way from

Delhi or Noida,” he says.

Planners feelmonths of

efforts have gonedown the

drain.Mumbai-based Aanchal

Bagaria, of TheWedding Soul,

who had three-day affairs

planned in April says, “Now it’s

all going to bewrapped up in

one event with a lunch.” But

Mumbai’sVishalPunjabi,

founder, TheWedding Filmer,

says, “When things like this

happen, they teach us to value

whatwe have. Awedding

doesn’t have to bea big party.”

PThe date is so

near and venues

say they need to

check availability

for day timings.

AKHIL NARANG,

Businessman

PAK HIL NAR NG

We’ve received

queries from

couples for a

brunch andthey’re trying to

keep gatherings

intimate.

SHIVAN GUPTA , Creative

director, Amaara Farms

Night curfew to curb Covid

surge hits wedding plans

CityDelh

i

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Shooting, travellin

g, and shooting

again —Kriti Sanon’s life is all abo

ut

that. With a hostof biggies such as

Bachchan Pandey, Bhediya and

Ganpath in her kitty, she is of

course excited. And it was also rec

ently

announced that she will join Prabh

as

and Saif Ali Khanin Adipurush.

Despite the rise in Covid cases and

several restrictions reimposed,

including shutting of theatres,

Sanon says she would prefer theat

-

rical releases forall her films.

“Obviously, as anactor you want th

e

film to reach beyond just the OTT

audience. Of course, they are grea

t

platforms, and everyone is hooked

on

to it and the platforms have great

content. But as anactor you want it

to reach even theones who don’t

really go on theseplatforms,” says

the 30-year-old, whose filmMimi, i

n

which she plays asurrogate mothe

r,

is alsowaiting for a release.

It’s been some time since the film w

as

announced and has been shot. Ask

what’s

happening on that front, and Sano

n says

she recently wrapped upwork on t

he last

scene. “Mimi as afilm needs to reach th

e

masses. It is based on surrogacy, it

’s a

unique subject and made in a very

enter-

taining manner.It is something th

at will

touch your heart, make you cry, la

ugh, and

leave you with food for thought. It

should

be watched by more people who a

re

rooted in areas where OTT isn’t wa

tched,”

she says.In fact, it was rain

ing release datesuntil

recently in Bollywood, when the pa

ndemic

reared its head again and forcedm

any film

releases to be postponed again. “W

e are

very excited for Mimi to release. Th

e times

we are in, it’s important for a film l

ike that

to get a release. Ihope things are n

ormal

soon. There are somany filmswai

ting to

release. I am hopingMimi does to

o, soon,

sometime aroundmid 2021. I don’t

know

what the producers are deciding. I

t should

get what it deserves,” says Sanon.

NOTETO

READERS: Some

of the coverage

that appearson

our pages is

paid for by the

concerned

brands. No

sponsored

content does or

shall appearin

anypart ofHT

without it being

declared as such

toour valued

readers.

Kriti Sanonwishesmovies

would get backto theatres

PI am a bit irritated but

also looking at the

larger picture. I don’t

want to take any

risks. Zinda rahe toh

aur birthday honge.

SAQIB SALEEM, Actor

PI want tosurprisemyself and my

audience. I’ve

never slotted

myself into any

category. I’ve

chosen very

different roles.

RITUPARNA

SENGUPTA, Actor

Scan the code

to readmore

about how

couples and

wedding

vendors are

trying to find

a way out in

the crisis

Scan the code

to read more

on Saqib

Saleem’s

birthday plans

‘My 30th birthday seems like a decade ago’

Kavita Awaasthi

kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

Saqib Saleem loves

birthdays and

often throws big parties on his spe-

cial day. “But thiswill be my second

birthday in a rowspoiled by Covid

-19,”

says the actor, who turns 33 today a

nd

admits he is a little heartbroken tha

t he

won’t be able tomeet friends.

“I have forgottenwhat parties are

like.My 30th birthday party seems

a

decadeago. But Idon’t want to take

any

risks. Zinda rahetoh aur birthday

honge.Mymum is here with me, s

o she

willmake some yummybiryani.W

e

will have a quiet celebration at hom

e

with the newnormal of video calls

and

Titas Chowdhury

titas.chowdhury@hindustantimes.c om

Iwant to keep am

ore openmind now. I feel

that the kind of content being chu

rned out

in the Hindi filmindustry today is

revolu-

tionary,” says Rituparna Sengupt

a. The

National Award-winning actor is al

l set to

return to the Hindi film industrywith Ban

suri:

The Flute. Alongwith it, she is awa

iting the

release of a couple of other films,

one of them

with veteran actor ShabanaAzmi.

A prominent name in the Bengali fi

lm indus-

try, she is best remembered in Bol

lywood for

her role in Main,Meri Patni Aur W

oh (2005).

With the boom in the OTT spaceandmeatier

roles for women,she believes now

is the time to

explore varied roles inHindi proje

cts. “Back in

the day, I was toobusy. So, I decide

d to concen-

trate on Bangla films. I was also do

ing films in

Bangladesh andKerala. But I wou

ldwant to

concentrate onmy Hindi film care

er now. A lot

of unconventional content is being

made.

Maybe, I am needed in Mumbai no

w,” she says.

The Bengali superstar says she alw

ays wants

to do somethingnew: “I want to su

rprisemyself

and my audience. I’ve never slotte

dmyself into

any particular category. I’ve chose

n very differ-

ent and challenging roles for myse

lf.”

So, is OTT an option for Sengupta

? “For

actors, it’s a goodopportunity to re

ach a global

audience. Audiences are demandin

gdirect-to-

digital releases now. Producers to

o are releas-

ing their films ondigital platforms

as they’re

worried their films might turn stale

if not

released on time.OTT platforms ar

e turning

out to be quite profitable for all,” s

he signs off.

GeorgeClooneyandJulia

Roberts’movie,Ticket

ToParadise,willreleasein

UStheatresnextSeptember.

Theyplayadivorcedcouple

tryingtostoptheir

daughterfromrepeating

theirmistake.

‘HOPE‘HOPETHINGSTHINGSAREARENORMALNORMALSOON,SOON,,FILMSFILMSWAITINGWAITINGTORELEASE’TORELEASE’

PHOTO:TEJAS

NERURKAR

PHOTO: ARVIND YADAV/HT

PHOTO:JOE

SCARNICI/AFP

Maybe I’m needed

in Mumbai now:

Rituparna Sengupta

PAs an actor you want a film to reach

beyond just the OTT audience.... reach

even the ones who don’t really go on

these platforms.

KRITI SANON, Actor

Tuesday,April13,2021

n 8 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y /USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

D irector Chloe Zhao’s Nomadlandhas emerged as the big winner atthis year’s BAFTA FilmAwards2021, bagging four major trophies,including Best Film. Even the BestActress award was won by its actor,Frances McDormand, while Zhao her-self walked away with Best Director.The Father won the Best Actoraward for Anthony Hopkins, a cate-gory in which Indian actor AadarshGourav was also nominated for his rolein TheWhite Tiger. The filmwas pro-duced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, whowas also in attendance at the ceremonyas one of its presenters, alongwithhusband, singer Nick Jonas. TheFather alsowon the adapted screen-play BAFTA.The most emotional moment of theevening saw tributes being paid to lateIndian actors Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor,who passed away inApril 2020, inBAFTA’s memoriam segment, along-with actors Sean Connery and Chad-wick Boseman.The latter’s filmMaRainey’s BlackBottom was named awinner in thecostume design and make-up and haircategories. Riz Ahmed, who along withBoseman, hadbeen nominated for BestActor as well, didn’t bag the award, buthis film Sound of Metal bagged twoBAFTAs in the editing and sound cate-gories.

HTC

Rishabh Suririshabh.suri@htlive.com

S he’s the sister of one of Bolly-wood’s biggest stars, Katrina Kaif,yet she auditioned for her firstfilm. Isabelle Kaif recentlymade heracting debut with Time To Dance.“I had auditioned for a few films,and this one came through. I was adancer as a kid, and dancing, of course,is a big part of Bollywood. It’s a passionfor me. So I thought it would be chal-lenging and fun,” she tells us.The 30-year-old, who just wrappedup the shoot for her second film,Suswagatam Khushaamadeed, admitsthat Bollywood has been a big influ-ence in her growing up years. “Danc-ing led to acting. I watched Hindi filmsgrowing up, and I’ve had a hard timechoosing a favourite. I love JabWeMet(2007). Lagaan (2001), I’vewatched somany times as a teenager,” she shares.What about the inevitable compari-son with her sister? Is she feeling thepressure of expectations already? “Iknow it. People have been doing it foryears, and I’ve got used to it. It doesn’t

Scan the codeto readmoreonwhySudhanshuSaria wasanguished bythe incident

ActorDeepikaPadukoneonMonday

announcedshehasresignedasthechairpersonofMAMIMumbaiFilmFestivalowingtoherworkcommitments.Padukonehadreplaced

filmmakerKiranRaotobecomethechairpersonofthefestivalin2019.

STOP PRESS PHOTO: VIRAL BHAYANI

money to hire them, but you don’twant to. You simply want to canni-balise other’swork. That’s notokay,” he asserts.On April 9, Saria took to Twitterto express his anguish, claimingthat themakers of the web seriescopied the poster of hismovie. Inci-dently, both projects tackle the sub-ject of same-sex relationships. Sariaiswondering if themakers alsolifted some scenes from his film,which explores the issue of homo-sexual rape. “Those actorsproba-blywere shown a reference imageto pose. So, everybody knewthattheywere plagiarising,” says thedirector, whowon the NationalFilmAward for best non-featuredirection inMarch this year, for hisfilm, KnockKnockKnock.Soon after his post, ALTBalaji

tweeted a statement apologising forthe incident. “The uncanny resem-blance and similarity cannot bewritten off as amere coincidence...For thiswe apologise...We’vedeleted the poster from all ourplatforms,” the statement read.However, Saria, currentlyrecuperating from Covid-19, isunconvinced by the statement.Hewishes the platform “acknowl-edged the authors of the poster”and claimed that “...this was adecision, not an accident”. More-over, Saria wants people to be heldaccountable for their actions. “I feellike I’m adding to the chain. Thenext time someoneGoogles it, thiswill come up. And eventually, it willbecome harder and harder forthemto pretend as if it’s not athing,” he concludes.

play onme too much any-more. About expectations,Covid took off some ofthat pressure frommyfirst film, as the circum-stances are so different.It has allowedme to justenjoy themoment as itunfolds,” says theactor.The best piece ofadvice Isabelle hasever receivedwasgiven to her by herelder sister. “[Sheadvised] to justfocus onmywork, keepmyhead down.Anyone who hasbeen in the filmindustry gives simi-lar advice,” says theactor, adding, “I’m juststarting now, there areso many types of filmsI want to do. I’d love todo an action or aperiod film. It’s justthe beginning, there’severything left to do.”

KatrinaKaifPHOTO:VIRALBHAYANI

Why Isabelle Kaifis nowused tobeing comparedto sister Katrina

Guru Randhawaismissing the joyof celebratingBaisakhi withfamily in Punjab;Daler Mehndi willbe at the VaishnoDevi shrine

CityDelhi

Sugandha Rawalsugandha.rawal@hindustantimes.com

M eeting friends and fam-ily to celebrate— that’sthe essence of Baisakhi.However, singer DalerMehndi isn’tmissing it this year.He asserts that social distancing isthe needof the hour, with the sec-ondwaveofCovid-19here.“Being cautious todaywillensurewe get

together for parties in future,” headds.This year, the singer will cele-brate the festival at the VaishnoDevishrine with his family. “I feellucky that I’ll be at the holy cave ofMataVaishno Devi. I have a per-formance at the pilgrimage on thefirst dayofNavratri, whichstartsonBaisakhi,”he says.The festival is especially impor-tant for farmers, as it is aharbin-ger of hope and prosperity while

marking the time of har-vest of winter crops. “Ifeel all festivals give us asense of hopeandcourage. Bai-sakhimotivates us, and humkohonsladeti hai jeene ka, nomatterwho you are—a farmer, or a non-farmer.We all live and yearn forthe support of the supremepower,” explains the 53-year-old.Growing up, he watched hisparents participate in kirtans atgurdwaras for Baisakhi. Forhim,the festival has always been aboutbeing grateful for everything. It’swhat he plans on doing this yearaswell. “It’s all about hope, love,

betterment, and the will to helpothers. Apne liye to har aadmikarta hai, lekin doosron kimadadke liyekhadahona chahiye. Theseare thingsetched inmymind,withmemories of langar,” recallsMehndi,known for hits such asBolo Ta Ra Ra, Tunak Tunak Tun,Dardi RabRab, Ho JayegiBalleBalle, andNaNa Na NaNa Re.He feels the best place to cele-brate Baisakhi is at home. “I think(if we follow all theprotocolsproperly) 2021-end tak Covid naamki beemari ko bhool jayenge log,”says the singer,who recently cameoutwith his single,Ragda.

Juhi Chakrabortyjuhi.chakraborty@htlive.com

H e wanted to cele-brate Baisakhi in abig way this yearwith his family inGurdaspur, Punjab, butsinger Guru Randhawaunderstands that given thepandemic, little can bedone.“Since the pandemicstarted, most of us havebeen celebrating festivals athome. Considering the cur-rent situation, this year tooI’ll mostly spend Baisakhiat home and visit the gurd-wara, if possible,” he says,adding, “Unfortunately, I’min Delhi and will definitelymiss being in the villageduring this time. But likeevery day, I’m going toremember God and thankHim for fulfilling mywishes.”

The 29-year-old urgeseveryone to be safe, followprotocols and not indulgein grand Baisakhi celebra-tions involving huge gath-erings. “Covid has impactedeverything, not just this fes-tival. We need to fight this

virus on a daily basis, besafe and follow govern-ment protocol,” adds thesinger known for songssuch as Lahore, High RatedGabru and Patola.He may not be able tohave the celebration hewanted, but Randhawa hasfond memories of celebrat-ing the festival as a child.“Baisakhi is celebrated as aharvest festival, whenfarmers cut their crops.And on this dayGuru Gob-ind Singh laid the founda-tion of the Panth Khalsa. Askids, we’d enjoy spendingtime with family and go tothe gurdwara to do seva.We’d also go to the mela inthe village. It’s a festivalthat brings a lot of happi-ness.”Since Baisakhi is a har-vest festival, the singer hasa special message for them.“May God bless the farmersas we eat because of them.May this year bring growthand prosperity,” he says,adding, “MayWahegurubless everyonewith growthand prosperity. Happy Bai-sakhi to everyone. Stay safeand happy!”

GuruRandhawa

HAPPYBAISAKHI TOALL OURREADERS ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

INMYVILLAGE

PriyankaChopraJonasandNick Jonas

PHOTO: ALBERTOPEZZALI/AP

FrancesMcDormand

BAFTA’s emotionaltributes to Irrfanand Rishi Kapoor

AnthonyHopkinsPHOTO:

ALEXANDRE

MENEGHINI/AP

(Above) RishiKapoorand(right)IrrfanPHOTOS:TWITTER/BAFTA

DalerMehndi

Sugandha Rawal

S ome timeback I was told bymycountry that I exist, when I gottheNationalFilmAward. Twoweeks later, one of themost seniorpeople inmy industry pretendsas ifnothing I domatters and I’m invisi-ble and insignificant,” rues directorSudhanshuSaria reflecting on whathe felt when he found “ridiculouslyobvious” similaritiesbetween theposterof an upcomingweb show,His Storyy, backed byEktaKapoor,andhis 2015 filmLoev.“I’mnot looking to recovermoney from them, or sue them. Ijust want them to know that it’s notniceand not okay,” says a disap-pointed Saria. “Whatkind of a cul-ture are we in where you can have amarketingmeetingand take some-body else’s idea? Youhave the

I’M NOTMISSINGBIG BAISAKHICELEBRATIONSTHIS YEAR:MEHNDI

NOTE TOREADERS: Someof the coverage that appears on our pages is paid forby the concerned brands.No

sponsored contentdoes or shall appear in anypart of HTwithout it being declaredas such to our valued readers.

SudhanshuSariaand (far left) posters of the upcomingweb showand(left)

his 2015 film

Plagiarism row: It mademefeel insignificant andpowerless, says Sudhanshu

www.hindustantimes.comhtcityHTcity

10 NEW DELHI

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021

Amarinder Singh

be a law and order issue? Askthe DM by calling him. It is toomuch that I cannot go out any-where and should remain con-fined in a guest house in Luc-know,” she said.

Police said she was neithertaken into custody nor arrested.“Because of the massive crowds,the movement of traffic wasbeing hampered and she wasfirst asked to either go to theparty office or her residence butwhen she did not agree, she wassent to the police lines,” Luc-know police commissioner D KThakur was quoted as saying bynews agency PTI.

The Congress UP in-chargewas later allowed to proceedalong with three others, partyspokesperson Anshu Awasthiconfirmed. She reached Agra at10.30 pm to meet Kumar’s fam-ily. “A high-level investigationshould be held and action takenagainst the policemen, and thevictim’s family should get com-pensation,” Priyanka Gandhitweeted.

Lucknow Police allowed fourpeople, including state Congresspresident Ajay Kumar Lallu andsenior leader Acharya PramodKrishnam, to accompany Pri-yanka to the spot.

“The UP government shouldgive strict punishment to the cul-prits and should also providehelp to the victim’s family inevery way,” BSP chief Mayawatisaid.

policemen.“A case has been registered

under section 302 (murder) ofIndian Penal Code on the basis ofa complaint by the kin of thedeceased who has sought actionagainst the concerned police-men. The district magistrate wascontacted and the body was sentfor post mortem. Further actionwill be taken on the basis of thepost-mortem report and theinvestigation,” the SSP said.

Following the theft on Sun-day, six policemen, including thestation house officer, were sus-pended for negligence.

The death was condemned byOpposition politicians in thestate that goes to the polls inearly 2022 with the Congress andthe Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)attacking the state government.

Priyanka Gandhi left Luc-know by road for Agra at 3 pm,but was stopped by LucknowPolice at the Lucknow-AgraExpressway on the grounds thatthe Agra district magistrate(DM) had requested to refrainpolitical leaders from visiting thearea.

“Someone has died, how can it

Hemendra Chaturvedi

hemendra.chaturvedi@htlive.com

AGRA: A Dalit sanitation workerdied in police custody after beingarrested on charges of theft inAgra, triggering a political stormon Wednesday with Congressleader Priyanka Gandhi Vadrabriefly stopped on her way tomeet the kin of the deceased.

Arun Kumar, 31, died in policecustody after his health suddenlydeteriorated during interroga-tion late on Tuesday, said Agrapolice. He was arrested on char-ges of stealing ₹25 lakh frommaal khana (storage roomwhere confiscated items arekept) of Jagdishpura police sta-tion in Agra on Sunday.

“Kumar was picked up fromTajganj area on Tuesday andduring interrogation, he admit-ted to his involvement in thetheft and said that the stolencash was kept in his house. Apolice team recovered ₹15 lakhcash from his house. However,during the recovery, he suddenlyfell ill and was rushed to anearby hospital where he wasdeclared ‘brought dead’ by doc-tors,” Muniraj G, senior superin-tendent of police (SSP), Agra,said.

The kin of the deceased, how-ever, alleged that Kumar wastortured by police. Theydemanded a compensation of ₹1crore, a government job andaction against the concerned

UP man’s death in custody sparks row

Pulwama.“Adil Wani was district com-

mander Shopian of proscribed ter-ror outfit LeT(TRF),” Kumar said.He said that Wani was involved inthe killing of a carpenter named Saghir Ahmad Ansari, a resident of Saharanpur, UP.

Sageer Ahmad, 53, who wasworking in Litter Pulwama for thepast one year, was killed after ter-rorists opened fire on him on October 16. Another non –local, Arvind Kumar Sah, a golgappa seller, resident of Banka in Bihar, was also shot at close range by mil-itants in Srinagar’s Eidgah area onthe same day. On the same day (October 16), two LeT (TRF) mili-tants were killed by security forcesin an encounter at Drangbal area of Pampore in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

4 terror associates held

The National InvestigationAgency on Wednesday arrestedfour more terror associates dur-ing raids, at 11 locations acrossKashmir, in connection with acase to unearth a conspiracyhatched by various terroristgroups to carry out attacks inand outside the Union territory.

Nine people were arrested onOctober 12 and 13.

said inspector general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar in a tweet.

Raja Reshidev and JoginderReshidev, labourers from Bihar, were shot dead on Sunday at Wan-poh, Kulgam. Chun Chun Reshi Das, also from Bihar, sustained multiple injuries and was being treated at the Government Medi-cal College in Anantnag.

The army’s Chinar Corps saidthe joint operation in Shopian ear-lier was launched based on spe-cific inputs. “Repeated surrender appeals turned down by terrorists.Terrorists opened fire forcing Security Forces to retaliate,” it tweeted.

The army also suffered a fatalityin the encounter. “An Army man has attained martyrdom and two jawans have suffered non-fatal injuries,” said the army’s PRO Lt Col Emron Musavi.

The slain soldier was identifiedas Sepoy Karamveer Singh of 44 Rashtriya Rifles. Aged 25 years, hewas a resident of Daldal, Rampur Bhagelan, Madhya Pradesh.

Inspector general of police VijayKumar identified one of the slain terrorists in Shopian as Adil Ahmad Wani, who was active since July 2020. Another slain ter-rorist was identified as Shakir Ahmad Wani, a resident of Litter

police, army and the Central Reserve Police Force.

“Two terrorists were killed inthe encounter,” said a police spokesperson.

In a late-evening tweet, thepolice said they also killed two ter-rorists in Kulgam, where two non-local labourers from Bihar were killed on October 17.

“Police and Army neutralisedLeT district commander (Gulzar Ahmd Reshi) of Kulgam and one other, who were involved in kill-ings of two poor labourers from Bihar on October 10 at Wanpoh,”

the killings of a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh on October 16 and two labourers from Bihar on Octo-ber 17. The official, who asked notto be named, said the two terror-ists were linked to The ResistanceFront (TRF), a shadow outfit of LeT.

The Shopian encounter beganafter security forces received infor-mation about the presence of ter-rorists in Dragad area of the dis-trict. A cordon and search opera-tion triggered a gunfight betweenthe terrorists and a joint party of security forces, including the

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

SRINAGAR: Security forces on Wednesday killed four terrorists, including two commanders linkedto the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) whowere involved in the killing of non-local workers in Jammu and Kashmir, a development that came amid a wave of attacks on civilians in the restive region.

While two terrorists were killedin an encounter in Shopian’s Dra-gad, two others were shot dead ina gunfight in the Kulgam district, apolice official said. An Indian Army soldier also lost his life in theShopian gun battle. Two other security personnel were injured, another official said.

The Jammu & Kashmir Policesaid they “neutralised” 17 terroristsin 10 encounters in the Valley amidthe latest phase of violence in which 11 civilians – seven of them in Srinagar – have been killed in targeted attacks since October 2. Some of these terrorists were allegedly either involved or were collaborators in the civilian kill-ings – five of people from outside the Union territory – this month.

The slain terrorists includedtwo LeT-linked district command-ers who were allegedly involved in

Terrorists behind three civilian killings gunned down in J&K

Security personnel conduct checks, as part of security measures, in Srinagar on Wednesday. WASEEM ANDRABI/HT PHOTO

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

MEERUT: In a major setback to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh ahead of elections next year, former Rajya Sabha MP and four-time MLA Harendra Malik and his son, Pankaj Malik, quit the party on Tuesday.

Speculations are rife that theymay join the Akhilesh Yadav-ledSamajwadi Party soon.

Harendra, a four-time MLA,was a member of Congress national general secretary Pri-

yanka Gandhi Vadra’s advisory committee. He is also a promi-nent Jat face in western Uttar Pradesh. “I have resigned for some unavoidable reasons. I served the party for 18 years andam not a man of levelling char-ges while quitting,” Harendra told HT on Wednesday.

Harendra was a member ofRajya Sabha from Indian National Lokdal in 2004. He served as the party’s state chief and widened its support base before joining the Congress 18 years ago.

Harendra’s son, Pankaj, is aformer MLA and was serving asthe vice-president of the state Congress unit. He was also madein charge of western Uttar Pra-desh. According to people famil-iar with developments, the father-son duo resigned as they felt that they were being ignoredby the party leadership.

Political analyst and LucknowUniversity professor SK Dwivedisaid: “Congress is creating a buzzbut lacks organisation at the grassroots level. It looks like the elections will be BJP vs SP.”

Cong suffers jolt as prominent Jat leaders quit party ahead of UP polls

stir, the BJP leader said Singhdid not talk about ending theagitation against the three agri-cultural laws. “He talked aboutfarmers’ issues. We are com-mitted to it and are working forthe welfare of farmers. Whenthe time comes, both will sittogether and discuss farmers’issues,” Gautam told PTI.

HT reported earlier this

HTC and Agencies

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: A day after Ama-rinder Singh said he wouldlaunch a new outfit and hopedto tie up with the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) for the Pun-jab assembly elections nextyear, the Congress on Wednes-day termed the move a“betrayal” while the BJP laudedthe former Punjab chief minis-ter as a “patriot”.

Singh resigned as Punjab CMlast month after a bitter tusslewith his rival, Navjot SinghSidhu, amid infighting in thestate Congress unit. The partylater picked Charanjit SinghChanni as the next CM of thestate.

“Our doors are open for analliance, though only our par-liamentary board can take thedecision,” BJP general secre-tary and party in-charge ofPunjab affairs, DushyantGautam, said, adding that theBJP was always ready to joinhands with outfits that arenationalistic, and are con-cerned about the country andnational security.

“He (Amarinder Singh) was asoldier. He knows about thethreats to the country and howto secure it... He is patriotic.And whenever it was a matterof national security and secu-rity at the borders, we haveappreciated his stand,” he said.

On Singh’s condition ofresolving the ongoing farm

month that Singh was set tolaunch his own political partyand could even consider an alli-ance or seat adjustment withthe BJP.

The development could alterthe electoral landscape in theupcoming polls in Punjab.After resigning as Punjab CM,Singh announced his intent toquit the Congress.

The Congress, meanwhile,slammed Singh as an “oppor-tunist”, asserting that allyingwith the BJP will kill the “secu-lar Amarinder” within him.

“Captain Amarinder Singh isan opportunist leader who onlythinks about himself, his familyand his friends... He hasdestroyed himself by announc-ing a seat arrangement with

BJP, whom he has alwaysabused,” said Punjab’s deputychief minister SukhjinderSingh Randhawa.

“Punjab does not fear Paki-stan or China. If Punjab todayfaces any threat, then it is fromAmarinder Singh,” he added.

Congress general secretaryand party’s Punjab in-chargeHarish Rawat, too, attackedSingh. “If he (Amarinder Singh)wants to eat crow and go withBJP, he can. Who can stop himif he can’t stay with his oldcommitment to secularism? Hewas considered a symbol of“Sarvdharm Sambhav” and wasconnected to Congress’ tradi-tions for a long time. If hewants to go, he should,” Rawatsaid.

Cong calls Capt an opportunist, BJP says open to alliance

Gujarat

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122,970

83,158

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31,659

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127,521

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2,690,633 669,556

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343,773

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COVID TRACKER

TOTAL DOSES ADMINISTERED (Doses administered on Wednesday)(New cases on Wednesday)TOTAL COVID CASES

34,126,675

18,358 414,293,438

TOTAL COVID CASES TOTAL DOSES ADMINISTERED

NEW CASES ON WEDNESDAY

People who have got one dose

People who have got both doses291,552,797

997,399,032ON WEDNESDAY

6,501,518

Manipur

Risha Chitlangia

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: After grand celebra-tions by the Centre and Bharat-iya Janata Party (BJP) to markPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s20 years in office, a three-daylong conference has been orga-nised by an RSS-linked organisa-tion to discuss his governancemodel. Union minister AmitShah is expected to inauguratethe conference on October 27.

The conference titled‘National conference in deliverydemocracy: reviewing two dec-ades of Narendra Modi as headof government’, has been orga-nised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prad-odhni (RMP), a Mumbai-basedcharitable trust that works infield training people for leader-ship roles. The organisation,which started in 1982, is headedby former Maharashtra chiefminister Devendra Fadnavis.

Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahas-rabuddhe, who is the vice-chair-man of RMP, said: “There will besessions on Modi ji’s economicand foreign policies, new educa-tion policy and his philosophy ofgarib kalyan.”

EVENT PLANNED ON PM’S ‘MODEL OF GOVERNANCE’

CHANDIGARH: The PunjabPolice and the Border SecurityForce (BSF) have recovered ahuge cache of weapons near theIndia-Pakistan border in theKhemkaran area of Tarn Tarandistrict, an official said onWednesday.

In a joint operation, theCounter Intelligence wing of thePunjab Police and the BSFrecovered 22 pistols, 44 maga-zines and 100 rounds of ammu-nition, the police official said.One kg of heroin was also recov-ered, he added They werepacked in a black kit bag con-cealed in a paddy field, the offi-cial said.

Officiating DGP Iqbal PreetSingh Sahota said policereceived secret information thata huge consignment of armsand heroin had been concealed,following which the CounterIntelligence wing in Amritsarwas sent to the spot and asearch operation was plannedwith the BSF authorities. PTI

WEAPONS, HEROIN RECOVERED NEAR BORDER IN PUNJAB

THE SANITATION WORKER WAS ACCUSED OF STEALING ₹25 LAKH FROM A POLICE STATION

Government of Jammu & Kashmir

DIRECTORATE OF FLORICULTURE SRINAGAR KASHMIRTel: 0194-2474234, Fax: 2482032Email:- kashflori@rediffmail.com

Subject:- Extension No. 02

In view of no response, the last date for submission of bids invitedvide this office e-Tender Notice No. 21 of 2021 dated. 10.09.2021for Outsourcing of entry ticketing system of Ashmuqam Park ishereby extended as per the details given below: -

1. Period of downloading ofbidding document

18.10.2021 from 02.00 PM to03.11.2021 up to 2.00 PM

2. Bid submission Start Date 18.10.2021 from 03.00 PM3. Bid submission End Date 03.11.2021 up to 2.00 PM4. Date & time of Opening of

Tenders06.11.2021 at 2.00 PM

Other terms and conditions shall remain same as laid down in theaforesaid Tender Notice. By OrderNo.:- DFK/GS-564/3876-78 Sd/-Dated:- 18.10.2021 Accounts OfficerDIPK-10863-21 (Member Secretary)

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 11My India

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NEW DELHI, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021

DLF CITY /Sushant Lok 1/ Suncity/Greenwood City: Wanted indepen-dent Kothis/Plots 200/300/400/500:Good locations/well maintainedBest offers. Moti Ahuja 9810012400

KALKAJI 200 Yds IndependentLiveable Kothi, IInd flr 3BR DD@ 1.75cr, 300 yds FF corner 4 BR @ 4.25,Okhla PH-I 600yds Factory Corner@9cr. 9810281282, 9810030177

LUXURY FLOORS in DLF/ S.Lok-1.215yds@1.59cr, 300 yds@2.49cr,502 yds @3.79cr onwards; pkg/lift;RTMI/Bkg. Awsome interiors. Col-laboration/ turnkey. # 9990305533

DLF CITY-I /II/III/IV, Sushant Lok &South City, Plots for Sale: 109/150/200/316/502/1025 Sq Yds. MalhotraProperty 45, Ashoka Crescent, DLF-I.# 9958626619, 9999994104.

DLF, SUSHANT Lok, South City,Sun City, Buy / Sell Plots, Houses,Builder Floors, Collaborations.Contact Fairdeals (A Real EstateConsultancy) DLF-I. # 9810014398

DESIGNER FLOORS Avlb all sizes,Vasant Vihar, Anand/Shanti NiketanWestend. Also Vasant Vhr Kothi 800/ 600/400 Vastu Perf. wide rd con-firm deal. Tara Estates 9899755500

RENTED PROP. WTC (CP) Leasedto Govt PSU Co. G.Flr, 9 years Lease,3years Lock-in Units 473 & 512sft.Rent 1.77L & 1.91L, ROI 6%, No Prop.Tax in this Building. 9873340866

C 1/19, Vasant Vihar, 400 sq. yds,Third Floor 4 Bedrooms D/D, EntireTerrace, Power Backup, StiltParking, Immediate Sale. Salwan:9910034566, 9810062871.

VASANT VIHAR, 600 sq yds,North facing clear title IndependentBungalow, wide road, for immediatesale.Brokers Welcome.ContactD.Salwan: 9910034566

VASANT VIHAR 400 Yds -B+G.Flr;400 Yds -3rd Flr+Terrace; 600 YdsB+G.Flr; 400 Yds -S.Flr; 800 Yds3rd Flr+Terrace also many moreoptions. Kamal Sethi 9818299956

LUXURIOUS FLOOR 300 to 1000Syd, Vasant Vhr, SDA, Hauz Khas,GK-I /II, Anandlok, Shanti Nktn & adjPosh Colonies also Wanted Kothies.Only genuine buyer call 9899893333

DLF FLOOR : 300 Yds, DLF-II NorthFacing, 4 BHK+ Servant. Pwrbackup, Gated Security. MindBlowing interiors. All FloorAvailable Owner : 9811047417

YOUR DREAM Home Godrej Sum-mit Sec-104 Dwarka Ex-way Ggn1500sft. 3BHK 300 fmly Happily Stay-ing, Pool/Tennis Court, Dream ComeTrue, Value for Money 9873340866

FLR : Anand Lok 800/450 Cnr P/F allFlr:Def 345 Cnr all Flr;Anand Nkt 265FF&TF New;PShil 1200/800y FF&SF;V.Vhr 800/400y FF/SF & TF+T; NitiBagh 325y P/F all Floor. 7982156567

FARMHOUSE/ PLOTS inChattarpur DLF, Ansal Satbari,Jonapur, Deramandi, Vasant Kunj,1000 Sqyd to 2.5 Acre. DelhiRegistry. Contact #9811004258

KOTHI FOR sale in Sector-105Noida Size 112.50 sq mtr on18 meter wide Road North WestFacing one-time Lease Rent PaidContact Rajat 9205968564

DLF-III PAIR 500+500 yds PlotNorth facing. 316 & 500 yds LivableKothi @ reasonable price. CallSumindra properties 9810165528,9810165532

FOR SALE Plot in Prime Sec-44Noida, B-Block, 460 sqmtr, Corner,North & Park Facing, 18mtr wideroad, Call #7838871110

CR PARK 125y independent Houseconsisting of Ground first second.Also 225y Ground Floor at very wideroad. Direct buyers only. PuneetBhogra: 9810417610

VASANT VIHAR 425y B+GF 4BHK@ 9; Panchsheel Park 850y FF 4BR lift 3car parking new @ 12.50;Defence Colony SF+Ter lift 325y @ 6.PPS 9818881000, 9599808726.

CONFIRM PLOTS for sale DLF-1City Ph-I 500yds 18mtr road North,12mts East 9Mtr West, 12Mtr park.Builder floors DLF 1/2/4 S.Lok-1 allsizes, (Anup Grover) 9871424646

DISTRESS DLF Floors Stilt ParkingLift DLF-1 500 4BHK @4.25, 3604BHK Top+TR @3.50, DLF-2 3304BHK @2.70, 400 4BHK Top+TR@3.25, 200 3BHK @1.50. 9871177425

FLOORS HI FLOORS 180yd - 700yd3/4/5 BHK Lift+Stilt Parking SQ FullyLoaded A++ Const in DLF, S.LOK-1/2/3, South City-I, HUDA Sectors.Prices 1.20cr onwards. 9810112870

DEFENCE COLONY Main Rd.2000 per sq/ft per Floor X 3). ForOffices, Retail, Gyms, Law firmsetc. Parking 15. Opp MoolchandHospital, Great frontage 100 ft.Corner # 9873622215

ECE HOUSE K.G Marg, 3rd Floor fullyFurnished Air-conditioned Ampleparking Office Area : 7000 sq.ft Em: -shashibhushanarora@yahoo.comWhatsapp 9999241954,9810054005.

BISHT PROPERTIES Pvt. Ltd.(Since 1980) Managed by Retd. Govt.officer. Sale, Purchase, Rent & Colla-boration. All Sectors in Rohini. 98111-34984, 9650045100, 9999784468

DISTRESS SALE Friends cly 4BR @3.90cr NFC 3BR+Terce @3cr SukhdevVhr 3BR @2.90cr Nizamuddin (w)5BR +Terce @4.60cr NFC (500) 4BR+Terce @5.95cr # 9810473675

FACTORY SALE in Okhla Ph.2,400 yards, Free Hold, Bsmt + 3, C/A11000 sq. ft. Near Metro Station,Broker Excuse, Contact 9999294563

WANTED AND Avail Kothies 400 /600 1000/2000yd Vasant vr/ Anand& Shanti Niketan/ Westend / Sale1000 yd GK-1 / Deals Farmz (FamilySettlement deals) 9873255806

KOTHIES 500 yd Villa Civilines /272/450/636/1100/2200 Model tn /roop Ngr / 160 yd Hudson line &Around/ farmz Westend& chattarpur(Settlement Deals) 9873255806

FOR LEASE DLF Phase-II 3 Inde-pendent Flats 4 Bedroom each,Fully Furnished with Stilt Parking,A/C, Lift, Generator Contact Owner9811026865 / 8882828785

COMM APRROVED up to 12000 sftavail Nehru Ngr Gzb. suits Mega mart/on line co/management inst.& C&Fagents etc. Sufficient electric load &lift avail. # Wadhwa 9810038248

JANAKPURI, 4BHK, GF, MarbleFloor, Geysers, Fans, Lights, Idealfor Family or Company Guest House,Company Lease preferred, Contact:9810092120, 01149854698.

KIRTI NAGAR (280), First & SecondFloor-3 Beds attached Baths, D/D,Lift, Car parking (2) DWARKA-3BHK,Society Flat Sec-6 Newly renovated,Parking. @30K. Gujral #9810264493.

NOIDA PLOTS Sec-108,162,300mtrSector-92, 300 mtr Park, C.CSector-145, 129 mtr N/WSector-135, 125 mtr C.C5% Abadi Plots # 99718 47626

YAMUNA EXPRESSWAY Plots.Residential, Industrial, AgricultureLand Sector-17,18,20,22D,29,32,33.Size 300,500,1000, 2000, 4000mtr.7% Abadi, Call: 99718-47626

GREATER NOIDA PlotsSec-2, 3 - 162, 200, 220 mtrETA-1, CHI-PHI, Omaxe NRINRI SDS, Gaur Yamuna CityCall: 99718 47626, 95821 56604

OFFICE SPACE Availb 2500sqft -6000 sqft in Sector-62 at reasonablerate. Excellent Loc, 24 hrs electricity& water.#Nigam Director 9810064109pp.nigam@mantecconsultants.com

CALADIUM SEC-109, Dwarka-Expressway, Ggn. 14th floor 3 BHK+Helper Room+ 1 car park. Facing secroad. (2415 s.ft) Power backup, Pool,Security etc. # Owner 9810074007

DLF CAPITAL Green Moti Nagar2/3/4 Beds, D/D & 1RK Studio Apt.fur/unfr. Also deals in Punjabi Bagh,Paschim Vhr, Rajouri Gdn.# DelhiEstates:9810255666, 9625584600

NEHRU PLACE Chiranjiv Tower 1stFloor, Commercial Space 636 Sq.Ft.Covered Area, Fully Furnished withPantry & Washroom. Available ForRent. Call: 9811006783.

OFFICES ALL Sizes Pusa Road,Rajendra Place, Rani Jhansi Rd,Punchkuian Rd, Karol Bagh, Jhande-walan Extn., Patel Nagar Main Rd,Moti Nagar. Gurjesh Suri 9811722228

NEB SARAI, Near IGNOU Road,Commercial space 1100 s.ft UG floorNear MCD school. Suits for Doctors,Nursing Home, Lab, Edu. Institute,play school etc. Lift , Car parking &Registry @ 65 Lacs # 9968246753

PITAMPURA, TOWER Apts, SFSDDA, Modern, Park View, Corner,freehold 2 BHK+Space for 1 moreroom,3rd floor+1 studio on roof, kitchn& bathroom, Rented # 9820891142

HAUZ KHAS Enclave 500yds BsmtStilt Ground Triplex. 2) First Floor andGulmohar Park 300yd Ground Floorall 4Bedrooms. Reasonable Price.Grover Asso 9810173911, 26511118

MUNIRKA MIG DDA Flat SecondFloor on Rent Company LeasePreferred Additional Space Possibleon Roof . Contact 9868413323,9811114262

FOR SALE: SS Group- HibiscusNirvana Country, Sector 50,Gurgaon. Area:4400 sft apprx,4 BHK with Servant. Building: 4,Best Block & Apartment. NewlyRefurbished. Balcony FacingCentral Park & Pool. Asking:Rs. 4.25 cr Call: 9811539810

SUSHANT LOK-I Raj PathRoad for sale 500 syd Plot PrimeLocation Call:- 9810155926

SUSHANT LOK-III NorthFacing, Flourance, Villa, for sale851 syd Plot Prime LocationCall:- 9810155926

DLF-4 BUNGALOW (Duplex)360 sq.yd. for sale 4 BR, Northfacing, Gated Lane with powerbackup, near Galleria Market.Contact: 9810155926

100SYD 9BHK Built-up House inSector-52 Gurgaon, near Metro,Good Investment for RentedIncome and Residence Also. Call:9891441190, 9811961460

SERVICE ENGINEER requiredfor a Medical Company in NehruPlace to provide service supportto International Brand MedicalEquipments. 1st Class ElectronicsEngineer with 2-3 yrs. experience insimilar field. Salary Rs. 3.6 lacs pa +benefits. Apply to servicesupport@biocellmedicare.co.in

CORNER PLOT 263 Sq. Yds.,Sector-28, Gurgaon, Near DPSSchool, behind Bristol HotelContact : 9811412828

PLOT FOR sale 500 Square YardsDLF phase 2 Gurgaon ExcellentLocation Market price only genuinebuyer call: 9717437773

ALL CONSULTANTS Specialists,Lady RMO,Nurses A/B,X Ray Tech,OTTech, Recept.,Pharm'st,Nabh consul.: RNS Hospital E-43 Vishnu GardenND-18 # 9811086235, 9911111752

DLF CITY-2 Kothi 300 sq.yd. @7.75Cr, Plots 215, 300, 400, 500sq.yd., J, L, Q blocks, AkashneemMarg. Surendra Properties9810980000, 9910980000

ACCOUNTS OFFICER requiredfor Medical Company in Nehru Placewith knowledge of Income Tax, TDS,GST,preparing Balance Sheet. SalaryRs. 3 lacs pa + benefits. Apply to:sales@biocellmedicare.co.in

DLF-2 CONFIRM Plot 545 sq.yd.J-block Corner/ Park/ Shermukha,front 19.13 mtr back 13.53 mtr.Bestfor Builder floors. Surendra Prop-erties 9810980000, 9910980000

KLKAJI 250Y 4br lift sq 2stilt car3.50CR Park 125y TF+Trc 4br lift 2car 1.85G.K-II 300y, TF+Trc, 4br lift 2car 5.50Anandlok 400y 4br Park fac boking9810017982, 9810364472, Bahlsons

RENTED TO Dubai Based Companyin MG Road Gurgaon Area 1800 Sq.Feet Rent 1.93 Lakh Per Month.Sale Price @ 3.43 Cr. Contact Owner9810404394

ALAKNANDA DDA Shivalik GF 3Br2.25; SF/TF+T Dup 4Br 1.80, Deshban-dhu TF 3Br+lift 1.55; Mandakni SF/TF+T Dup garage 2.25, Kaveri GF 3Br2/, Uppal 9910712365, 9650485053

NFC KOTHI D-block, 300 sq.yd 3storey prime location/Floors withterrace 500 sq.yd, separatedriveway, Kothi/Floors 300-500sq.yd, wide road. # Goel 9810062512

PRIME LOCATION FreeholdShop for Sale in Anand NiketanDDA Market 240 Sq. Ft. CornerShop with extra space.Contact Owner 9311092015

DLF CITY-I & II & III & IV, BuilderFloors 2 BHK @ 80 Lacs; 3 BHK @2.50; 4 BHK @ 4 Cr with Lift, StiltParking, Ready/U.Const. HarshMalhotra 9958626619, 9999994104

JAYPEE WISH Town Noida Sector-128 Plot 239yd Ideal opportunity toown an Indpt House, Builder Floors.Well Habitations & Amenities withOperational Schools/Hospital9873340866

REQ. WELL Qlfd, Headmistress,SeniorAcademic Incharge, PGT-Eco, English,Receptionist & Cashier.Walk -in 8.30AM to 11.00 AM. Vanasthali PublicSchool, Mayur Vihar-3, Ph; 42316717/22628270 Mail- info@vpsphase3.com

NRI WANTS Plot/ House inDLF/ Sushant Lok-I, Budget -4,00,000/- per sq. yd. Onlygenuine sellers call 9811078877

DLF PLOTS A -46, 200yds,360yds 2 side open, 682Yds M-1,L-1,1022 Yds A-25,H-34, Shahtoot& Kachnar Marg 500yds Amaltas,Arjun, Club Marg 9810996372

DLF CITY-I, Plot - 500 Sq.Yds., Park Facing / Corner / WideRoad, Only Genuine buyers call(Brokers Excuse), LokeshBhardwaj – 9811078877

FREEHOLD CORNER Office/Shop Sale in Comm. DDA Market atVasant Enclave, Vasant Vihar,Prime Loc. on Airport Highway.Contact : Owner 9899722444.

FOR SALE Kirti Nagar Basement(1500 Sq. Feet) on Main Road /11 Feet Roof Height/ Toilet with120 Sq. Feet Space on Ground Floor@95 Lakhs. Contact 9810053533

S-12 GREEN Park Extn, Office Space2nd Flr 2000 Sft with 2 Toilets,Pantry & Store also 3rd Flr 1000 Sftfor Warehouse, Ample Parking.Owner 8178970760, 9811108342

VASANT KUNJ C-2 Luxury FullyFurnsd 3Big BR D/D,3bath on 3rd Flr+ 3 Room bath kit on terrace flr withLift opp. DPS@4.05Cr Nego. ActualBuyer Pl # 9911414199, 8178232519

STATESMEN HOUSE Newlyfurnished Airconditioned PowerBackup office on Rent area 410 sqft@50,000.Pm only Genuine PartyCall: 9810054005, 9560040074

BVFCL, A CPSE Reqd. 3/4 BHKFurnished Accommodation onLease in South Ex./Green ParkArea. No Brokerage Payable. Mail:lonoida@bvfcl.co.in # 7042087138

FOR SALE DLF Phase - III, 500Sq.yrds Plot S14, Lane 2 Side Open.Contact Kashyap : 9810053788

OWNER SELLING New AllottedResidential Plots 162 mt Sector-151corner, Park, 300, 320 & 450 mtSec-43, 44, 47. Prime Location.Contact: 9811012191

HOUSE ON Sale - Gurgaon DLF-2,K-19 Block, Near M.G Road MetroStation, 150 Sq.Yd., 3 Floors, NorthFacing, Excellently Built. Contact -9717434105, 011-27556812

EXCLUSIVE DEALS Prime locationsbuilt up farmhouses & farmland,registered deals, all sizes VasantKunj, DLF Chattarpur& near by locn.Rohan Bhayana: 9810767004

2.5 STOREY corner building forsale with ready to move in showroomat ground floor at Yamuna vihar mainroad. Best location, Reasonableprice. Contact 8920584491

MOUNT ABU Public School, Pkt-H,Sec-18, Rohini, Delhi-89. Req. TGT-Eng, PGT-Phy, Chem., PRT- Science.Atnd Intw on 21, 22 Oct at 12pm,Send CV maisdelhi@rediffmail.com

GAUTAM NAGAR 125 yds 3 sideopen facing & side touching Park ofGulmohar Enclave, 1st & 3rd floor +terrace, Italian marble, B'ment 250yds. Owner 8800723758, 9311771750

SECTOR 57 Builder floors starting1.50 cr on 24 mtr wide road insector-57, best for professional &doctors. Call – 9958052373

GR. NOIDA- Buy/Sell-plot,kothi-AlphaBeta Gama delta p3 Eta Sigma Chi phiS.Nagri Nri City&sec-2&3 Yamuna ExpRes.300-4000 mtr, Industry Sell Rentdrect meet 9999004005,9999611530

TO SELL 360/450 sqmtr 5% plotsector 145, 450 sqmtr plot sec 47North facing also on sale 450 sqmtrplot Sec 104 Hazipur commerciallocation call Basant 9999637369

250YD EOK, 3F+T, 2F, UGF, luxurious4BR, DD, 4Bath with closet, Lift, AC,Chimney, Hob, vastu perfect, Newconstr, ready to move 2 car parking,SQ contact owner # 7678495271

OLD FLR GK-300 SF cnr,lift,pkg@ 3.75/GF 4BHK lift,stilt@4.50/250 TF+T Nw@4.25/208 SF lift+stilt@ 2.70,SJE 300FF lift@4.25/200 GF@2.90,Green Prk200 FF lift/stilt @3.40.#9810526800

VASANT VIHAR/ AnandNiketan / Shanti Niketan, 250 /400 / 600 / 800 / 1000, Sqyrds.Independant Bungalows. Prop-Deals : 9871863399, 9810678184

GULMOHAR PARK 300 sq yards1st floor, 3 bedrooms, att. bath,lobby, D/D, servant quarter, 2 bal.,common terrace, 2 car parking infront of house. Contact 9810183729

DWARKA SECTOR 9, BhriguApartment, Ground Floor Corner 4Bed, D / D, 3 Bathrooms, 1res.carparking , # 9810001144,9811904110, 9810037590

VISHAL ENCLAVE Available for SaleGood location very well maintained240 Sq yards Double Storey 5BHKHouse with sufficient parking forfew cars. Call Khurana 9811155032

SUNDER NAGAR 867 SqyrdsIndependant Bungalow, JorbaghFloors 375 / 600 Sqyrds.PropDeals : 9871863399,9810678184 NOIDA IND. 63, 250mtr sec-88,260

mtr/Gr Noida Ind.Ecotech-lll- 450mtr/Noida Extension Sec-02/03 all sizesplots/yamuna Expressway Resi 1000,2000, 4000 mtr call- 9810536877

PLOTS DLF Available All SizeConfirm Deals DLF-1 500yd 18m EastPlot/ DLF-1 New Kothi 6 BHK 12mwith lift/ DLF-1 East 12m 200yd oldKothi. Saudagar 9868033463

CONFIRM SALE Residential Plot200 sq mtr C-Block in Sector - 100on 30 mtr Wide Road, East and Parkfacing. Contact: 9971768326

INDEPENDENT KOTHI for SaleDLF Phase 1- 109 Yds 5 BHK Eastfacing small Park Near by ArjunMarg, Golf Course, at very AttractivePrice. Call/whatsapp 9718511207

SALE PLOTS Corner / Pair, 112,162, 200, 250, 300, 450 mtr, inSectors 105/108/145/151/ 92/47,5%, Kothis 162m/30/41, 450m/47.Samir: 9311444460/64

DLF CITY-II, Oakwood Estate4 BHK, Middle Floor, Park FacingReady to move, A Tower Avl forSale, Deeparul Estates -8010080868, 9811068621

SALE DLF Ph I,270yd Floors 4Bed+Ser, Stilt Parking Upper Ground, 1st,2nd, 3rd with roof rights 1792 sqftat very attractive price. Cont:Gursimrat Real Estate #9810057708

DLF 1-2 Builder flr4Bhk 300y top+terr@3.50cr U.G.@3.20cr,400y top+terr@4.25 U.G@3.80cr,500ytop+terr@4.95cr U.G@4.80cr.682y/712y alsoavbl. Ankush Associates 9711776151

IMMEDIATE SALE House inJ Block South Extension- I. AllCheque Payments. No Brokersplease. Contact: 9958519462,9003277132.

PLOT SALE 300 sqm CC, NW behindG.belt, 250sq, 12 rd, NE, Sec-105,300sq CC, NW Sec-39, 300, SQ, CC,Cnr, Sec-36, 450 SQ CC, NW,Sec 44.Venus 9810417663

3000 SQ.FT. Semi furnished OfficeSpace Available for Rent in DDACommercial Complex ZamrudpurGK-1 Brokers Welcome ContractOwner 91 98112 09647, 9999059777

NEWLY BUILT IndependentBuilding 9000 Sq.ft. Area with Lift &Parking Available for Rent in OkhlaPhase-1, Brokers Welcome ContactOwner 91 98112 09647, 9999059777

COMM SOUTH Ext-I Main Mkt,Top Loc, GF 600, 1st /2nd & Terrace4000 ft, Front Entry, Lift, & JasolaM6 Plaza, 3500 Sft, GF Rd Fcng,Furnished, signage # 9312507673

FARM HOUSE: 1 Acre, 2.5, 5 &above. 1000, 2000yds at WestendGreen, Vasant Kunj, Sultanpur,DLF Chattarpur, Dera Mandi.Ravi Bhatnagar: 9810081507.

PUSA ROAD main, OfficeSpace 800 sqft, UGF, fullyfurnished, Bright & Ventilated,Toilet, Pantry Steal Deal, Suits allprofessionals. Lalit 9818312077

VASANT VIHAR 400- Corner Parkadjoining Basement/Ground withseparate lift & Driveway also Ready/Booking Third +Terrace in 400 ydsattractive price Rajesh 9810209711

G.K.-1, B-BLK Main Road 1000Sq.Yds. 3 Side Open N/E FacingVaastu Perfect, Beautiful GroundFloor, 5 Bed 6 Bath Independent4 Car Stilt Parking # 9810806666

SAKET NLY. Const. 250Yd B+GF& FF Wide Road Each 4BHK, ShivalikNly. Const. 215Yd B+Ground 3BHKLift Stilt 2 Car Prkg, S.Qtr with CC.Gupta: 9910333322, 9810333322.

GK- 1, 500yds, Bmt/Stilt/ Gr. FloorTriplex, 5 BHK,Vastu perfect,TheatreRoom, Lounge, 4car park sep gate,very well maintained. Asking 10.50.Cont: 9811092042 sidharth

UDAY PARK 500 yds. FirstFloor, Luxurious 4BHK, Top NotchConstruction, Lift and Stilt, ExclusiveGate. Asking 8.5 cr for more infocont: 9811092042.

SARITA VIHAR, K-Block 2B/R,D/D,terrace, Balcony, Modular Kitchen,Complete wooden work, Double Irongrill doors, Auto water pannel. Canbe furnish if desired. # 9650106444

CONFIRM SALE Industrial Plots5000m Hosiery Comp., 5000m Sec-84, 4000m Sec-85, 1000m Sec-83,2100m Sec-138, & 3000m Sec-80Venus Prop. 999-999-2929

G.K.-II 450Y B.New 3rd Flr+Tr.GdnP'sheel Encl 265y B+G/FF/SF W.RdG.K.-I 300y North fac All Flrs 4 BRG.K.-I 208 y Corner B'mnt+GF 3 BRCR Park 250y New SF. 9818158345

VASANT VIHAR only Vasant Vihar400/600 GF & Bsmnt . Park facing,All 400,600,800,1000yds FloorsBungalows All Sizes Available Cont.Rohan Sabharwal 9873333207

GOLF LINKS 375 Yds 3 side CornerBungalow, Jor Bagh 375 yds CornerBungalow, Rajdoot Marg 375 yds,Vasant Vihar/Shanti Nktn 1000 yds,Sunder Nagar 867 P/F# 9873333207

AVAILABLE NEW Guest House,No. 3303, DLF Ph-4, 350 yards, parkfacing main rd, 25 Rooms withPantry, Bath, kitchen, Party hall @Terrace, basement, Lift, AC, LED,Camara, EPBX. Rent-4 lacs perMnth, Sale-8 cr, Owner:9910055853

VASANT VIHAR 300- OriginalBooking Corner Park facing Vaastuperfect First & Second flr specious 4Beds D/D stilt Parking @ attractiveprice.Rajesh Kathuria 9810209711

KALKAJI 250YARDS tastefullyFurnished,Peaceful,2BHK Ground Flrwith seprate Dining. Power backup,Lavish Interior,car parking, Security.Prefer Co.Lease 9811155195.

FOR DOCTORS, Rehabilitation &Diagnostics Centre 1500sq.ft. NewConst. Semi-Furnished on GroundFlr, GK-2, Main Savitri Cinema Rd,Front Entrance. Owner: 9811155195.

FOR SALE Available Green Park200 Sq. Yard with Lift and ServantQuarter, Newly renovated.Call- 011-41040493/4, 9310372785

VASANT KUNJ D-3 GF 4+1BHKRenovated, Sec-A/B&C GF 3BHK,D-2 FF 3BHK, D-2 FF 4BHK, B-1 TF6BHK. Sai Sampati 9818329501

SECTOR-5, GROUND floor 5500sqft suitable for export havingfabrication unit, showroom,office & power back up. Owner9810060315 / 9810495086

MG ROAD, Mega city Mall 945 sqftshop at second floor for retail/office use. Partly furnished.Brokerage will be paid. Call ownerAjit Sahai 9810060315

FULL CHEQUE deals Exotica 5BHK, 360yd plot DLF City-4, 800yd plot in Palam Vihar, 535sftshop in Baani Square sector-50.Call Vikas/ Avenues 9811351972

HAUZ KHAS Enclave/Anand lokbrand new 4 bhk corner/parkfacing, rich specifications, reputedbuilder, brokers excuse# 8700427477

UDYOG VIHAR, IMT Manesar ,INFO/ Pace City , Sector- 32, 35, 44,Bawal, Ansal Bilaspur. Also ManyPre- Rented Options. Contact UrbanLandpro 9810010681, 9810918876

OWNER- BUILT Bungalow NearPari Chowk (Greater Noida). 230 Sq.Mtr.3 Flrs (G+2). 1450 Sq.ft GatedSociety. Rent potential 35000 UGF.Suits Lrge Fmly/WFH # 8527653010

LOCATION LOCATION LocationVasant Vihar, Exceptionally Wellsituated rare Non-Mkt Apartment in600 Yds for niche buyers. A+ specs,Basement also. 9818312077

REQUIRED AUDIT Assistants,Articles, Accountants. Apply SunilTrehan & Associates CharteredAccountant , R-40 South Extn - II,ND-49. Email: castrehan@gmail.com

GAUTAM APT. Gulmohar Park, GFSFS DDA 3BHK,3bath,courtyard,all 4side open, 2 Car parking, teak wooddoor/window,marble flooring.Taste-fully done. Rakesh Ji 9810078614.

VASANT VIHAR F-9/4, 806 yardplot, 4-storeyed House,varied optionsof 4 BHK, 3 BHK,2 BHK, Bed cum toiletfor Paying Guest Indian Couples meetat site by appointment.Kapur 9899959005, 9891509586.

300 SQMTR Plot for Sale inSector-44 Noida Park FacingBlock-G, Prime Location ContactPrashant :9873438014, 9250183941

PRIME LOCATION, Good Address,Panchsheel Encl. First Floor 345 ydsPlot, East Fcng, BRT Main Rd, 4 BR's4baths, huge DD, Lobby, Lift, S.Qtr, 1Rsvd.pkg inside d.way.#9810154429

FREEHOLD 3 BHK IndependentDuplex Mall Apts., Mall Road, NearVishwavidyalaya Metro Stn. 2ndFloor, Facing NE, 3 Side open, Greenview. Owner - 9810509182.

WANTED LADY X Ray Technitians,Sample Collection Boys,PRO andLady Office Assistant, CapitalX Ray Vikaspuri # 9911226464,Em: capital.xray@yahoo.in

56 JANPATH, 3500 SQFT, FF,Front Facing, Above YES Bank,Furnished, High Spec. 5 Lakhs pmall inclusive. Owner 9810133696

REQ PATH Lab Technician, Market-ing Executive&Part Time Pathologistat Indiana Diagnostics at DilshadGarden, Delhi. Sal 10-40K #93108-47826, ihcpvtltd@rediffmail.com

HARPAR GROUP a leading textilecompany requires a Receptionist.Walk in from 11am to 3pm. Address-A 234, Okhla Industrial Area Phase 1,New Delhi 20 Tel- 011-42444444

URGENTELY REQS. for the postof Desktop Support Engineer, expd.or fresher both can apply. Call: 011-46032664 Em: info@ctplonline.com,compteksys@gmail.com

FACTORY / Godown/Offices/ Ware-House Indl/Coml Naraina, Maya-Puri, Kirti Ngr, Rama Rd, NajafgarhRd etc. Reqd Plots for BuildersDLF-I,II,III /S.Lok I&II#98100-06330

URG REQD for NCR-Delhi :Field Executives/Field Boys For BankRelated job 10+2 & Below 45 yearsContact # 79823 13564

SHOP FOR SALE: New Delhi Landwith building Ground & First floorwith complete ownership rights toits roof Situated at ShradhanandMarg, GB Road, New Delhi. availablefor immediate Sale. Please call9268888988

REQ. (FEMALE) Staff Receptionist,Assistant Secretary & Accountant,good looking & good CommunicationSkills. H-22, First Floor, Green ParkExtn., New Delhi-16 # 9717298080

AMRITA PUBLIC School, K2 S.V.ND-80 Req. trained, fluent Engspeaking Lady PGT Chem, Physics,Phy Edu M/F, Sociology, Pol.Sc, TGTComputer, all sub, Music teacher,Drawing teacher, special education& Librarian.09560090207

UDYOG VIHAR 7000 ft for lease,brand new interiors, Ground Floor,NH-8 facing, Signage availble. Othertenants MNC.Next to Radisson Hotel.Covered car parks. # 9871098146

RAINBOWWELLNESS,Polyclinic (Vasant Kunj),requirement for Physiotherapist,Physician contact: 9650418600

375 SQ. mt villa 8 big bed rooms3 halls, serv. qrt north facingSec. 55 NOIDA, broker excuse cont.owner 9811309098/ 9891238723

MAYFIELD GARDEN Sec-51available Flat on Rent 3BHK+sevroom with attached bath. J-block FFfloor 2 huge balconies. 3 baths. Plcontact 9810111541/7840057762

WANTED QUALIFIED GNM Nurseswith 2-3 Yrs exp. for Sodhi NursingHome & ENT Hospital 455 Bhera Encl,Paschim Vihar N. Delhi. Contact atPh 9818051320 or whattap Dr. Sodhi

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CHAWRI BAZAR Showroom /Shop, Air-conditioned, Main Road,Ground Floor. Excellent Interior(10 Feet × 20 Feet) for Rent.Contact: L.K.Gupta # 9810117343

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FARMHOUSE LAND Only ForSale on Gurgaon to Faridabad Road,Mangar Village @ Rs. 1500 Gaj. andRoska Gujjar @ Rs.1000 Gaj, Near10km distance from Qutub Minaror Near Dera Mandi border. Cont :Mr. Dheri # 9667252138FOR SALE 200 sq yard Independent

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of doses that we have already administered is even greater than the population of many countries,” said the health minister last week while elabo-rating on the plan.

Under the national Covid-19immunisation drive, at least 991million vaccine doses have beenadministered since the country-wide drive was launched on Jan-uary 16, according to governmentdata.

The states and Union territo-ries have so far received at least one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses from the Centre and through direct procurement. States also have 107.8 million bal-

Mansukh Mandaviya

WhatsApp chats of Aryan primafacie revealed that he was “deal-ing in illicit drug activities on a regular basis” and therefore it cannot be said that he was not likely to commit a similar offenceif released on bail.

The judge accepted NCB’sargument that all the accused were part of a large drug net-work, and Aryan’s WhatsApp chats showed that he was in touch with a foreign national andunknown persons dealing in drugs, and there were referencesto hard drugs and bulk quantity.

“In the case at hand, materialplaced on record reveals that there is incriminating material inthe form of WhatsApp chats etc.which show the nexus of the applicant / accused no. 1 with suppliers and peddlers,” the judge said.

In Aryan’s WhatsApp chats,there is reference to “bulk quan-tity” and “hard drugs” and “thereis prima facie material showing that accused No 1 was in contact with persons dealing in prohib-ited narcotic substances”, the order added.

All 20 persons, which includesDelhi-based event management professionals, Nigerian nationals,and Mumbai-based drug ped-dlers, have been arrested under

Aryan Khan

Vinay Dalvi

letters@hindustantimes.com

MUMBAI: A special Mumbai court on Wednesday denied bail to Aryan Khan, saying there was prima facie evidence that the 23-year-old son of actor Shah Rukh Khan was indulging in “illicit drug activities” on a regularbasis, and could commit a similaroffence if released.

Aryan, who was arrested onOctober 3 during a raid on a cruise ship in Mumbai, moved theBombay high court for bail shortly afterwards. His friends, Arbaaz Merchant, 26, and modelMunmun Dhamecha, 28, were also denied bail by the special Narcotics Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances (NDPS) court.

The three are among 20 per-sons arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connec-tion with a drugs raid conducted aboard a holiday cruise en route to Goa. Though nothing was recovered from Aryan, Merchantpurportedly admitted to carrying6 grams of charas in a plastic pouch tucked away in his shoe.

“Perusal of papers shows thatthough nothing was found in pos-session of accused no. 1 (Aryan), 6grams of charas was found with accused no. 2 (Arbaaz) which was concealed in his shoes,” the court said.

It further held that the two arelong-time friends who were apprehended together, and basedon their voluntary statements thecharas found on Merchant was for their consumption. “There-fore, it can be said that the con-traband material was in con-scious possessions of both the accused,” the court said.

In his 21-page order, specialNDPS judge VV Patil noted that

various sections of the NDPS Act.Aryan and Merchant are

lodged at Arthur Road jail, whileDhamecha is lodged at the women’s prison in Byculla. JudgePatil, who had heard arguments from NCB as well as the respon-dents’ lawyers on October 13 and14, had reserved the order to October 20.

Additional solicitor general(ASG) Anil Singh, who repre-sented NCB, argued that there was evidence to show that Aryanwas a regular consumer of drugsfor the past few years. He claimedthat the Whatsapp chats revealedthat Aryan was in touch with a person abroad who appeared to be part of an international drug trafficking network. The NCB wasin touch with the external affairsministry to identify people in thenetwork, the ASG said.

Senior advocate Amit Desaiargued for Aryan, stating that theWhatsApp chats on which the federal investigative agency was relying needed to be seen in con-text of the language of the youth. “Today’s generation youth are dif-ferent, they chat, they joke. A casual communication can some-times look suspicious to the agen-cies (…) By no stretch of imagina-tion, the boy can be said to be involved in illicit drug trafficking or international drug racket etc. These allegations are false,” Desaihad said.

“Prima facie it appears thatthere is a case of conspiracy and abetment as alleged by the prose-cution,” it added. The court rejected Dhamecha’s contention that 5 gram hashish found lying onthe floor of a room on the cruise ship was foisted on her. In this regard, the special court acceptedNCB’s submissions that the con-traband was seized from the roombooked in her name.

Aryan’s bail plea in drugs case rejected

Jayashree Nandi

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Union minister forpower and new and renewableenergy RK Singh on Wednesdaysaid that developed countriesshould fund clean energy pro-jects in poor countries throughthe International Solar Alliance.

During the ministerial ple-nary of ISA’s fourth generalassembly, in his openingremarks, Singh said, “It is truethat the available carbon spacehas been taken up mostly by thedeveloped world... We have 800million people around the worldwithout access to energy and ISAcan play a major role in ensuringthat access. It is incumbent uponthe entire developed world toenable the ISA to do this... Directyour funding to ISA...”

The ISA is an inter-govern-mental treaty-based interna-tional organization. It has 86members. Organisation for Eco-nomic Co-operation and Devel-opment report last monthflagged that developed countrieshad not delivered on their prom-ise of mobilising 100 billiondollars a year in 2019 to supportclimate change mitigation.

John Kerry, US Special Presi-dential Envoy on Climate alsoreiterated that the world needsto reach net zero emissions by2050 but also made it clear thatUS alone shouldn’t be expectedto “invest in solar energy”.

Ajay Mathur, director general,ISA, saids “...we are making sig-nificant efforts to acceleratesolar power deployment in everycorner of the world and mobilis-ing USD 1 trillion in solar invest-ments.”

DEVELOPED WORLD SHOULD FUND CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS: POWER MINISTER

Ladakh where India and China have been locked in a border row for over 17 months.

India ordered 145 howitzersfrom the US for $750 million in November 2016.

The M777s are a key compo-nent of the army’s field artillery rationalisation plan (FARP), cleared in 1999. The Rs 50,000-crore FARP lays down the road map for inducting new 155mm weaponry, including tracked self-propelled guns, truck-mounted gun systems, towed artillery piecesand wheeled self-propelled guns. The plan seeks to equip 169 artil-lery regiments with a mix of nearly3,000 guns over the next decade, as previously reported by Hindu-stan Times.

M777 manufacturer BAE Sys-tems has delivered 25 ready-built howitzers and the remaining 120 guns are being built locally in col-laboration with Mahindra Defenceunder the Modi government’s Make in India initiative.

An M777 howizer weighs only4,218kg, which is half the weight ofconventional artillery guns deployed in the northern and east-ern sectors.

The upgraded L-70 guns thathave just arrived in the eastern sector are capable of shooting down modern combat aircraft, armed helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and smaller drones.

The guns, upgraded indige-nously by Bharat Electronics Lim-ited, have a range of 3.5 km.

“The induction of upgradedL-70s here is an important capabil-ity upgrade. The biggest threat weface here is the aerial threat,” saida senior officer, asking not to be named.

The upgraded L-70s have supe-rior target acquisition and trackingcapability with high resolution electro-optical sensors consistingof a thermal imaging camera anda laser ramge finder, said CaptainSariya Abbasi, a troop commanderwith an air defence regiment

Rahul Singh

rahul.singh@hindustantimes.com

BUM LA (ARUNACHAL PRADESH):The Indian Army has positioned new weapon systems in the east-ern sector to strengthen its postureagainst the Chinese People’s Liber-ation Army (PLA), which has ramped up military drills across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) inArunachal Pradesh amid the lin-gering border row in Ladakh, offi-cers familiar with the develop-ment said on Wednesday.

The new weapons deployed inthe sector include the M777 ultra-light howitzers that can be swiftlydeployed and redeployed in chal-lenging mountainous terrain using the CH-47F Chinook heli-copters, said one of the officers cited above. The army has also inducted the upgraded L-70 anti-aircraft gun, a legacy weapon manufactured by Swedish arms firm Bofors AB, into the eastern sector to tackle aerial threats. Thisis the first time the upgraded L-70gun has been positioned in high altitude, said a second officer.

Both M777 and L-70 guns areheld by regiments holding groundnear LAC.

“There are many places whereheavier artillery guns cannot be deployed because of the terrain. But the M777s can be sling-loadedto Chinooks and swiftly inserted there,” said Brigadier Sanjeev Kumar, the commander of an artillery brigade in Arunachal Pra-desh.

The 155 mm/39-caliber M777howitzers have a range of up to 30km. “But it is capable of strikingtargets at ranges of more than 40km in some areas where the geography allows the shells to fly in rarified air,” Kumar said at a for-ward location at a height of 13,500feet in the Bum La sector.

Their tactical mobility hasenhanced the army’s capabilities significantly, he added.

The arsenal in Kumar’s brigadeincludes the 155 mm FH 77 BO2 guns, better known as Bofors.

“If the enemy were to launch anoffensive in this sector, the M777sand the Bofors will play a key rolein crushing it,” said an officer whose unit is located barely two km from LAC.

The M777s are also deployed in

equpped with the guns.“The gun is also equipped with

a new radar for enhancing fire accuracy. It can be integrated withtactical and fire control radars formore flexibility in deployment,” she said, during a demonstration of the gun’s capability at a forwardlocation near LAC.

Abbasi said the legacy gun wasnow a sophisticated air defence weapon.

On Tuesday, Eastern Armycommander Lieutenant General Manoj Pande said new equipmentdeployed in the Ladakh sector wasbeing simultaneously inducted inthe east, with focus on enhancingmobility, drone and counter-dronesystems, precision-guided ammu-nition and surveillance systems.

He also said the army hadstrengthened its deployment in areas where it was previously thin,and adequate forces were deployed to deal with any contin-gency.

Soldiers on the ground are pre-pared for any eventuality and trainhard daily to succeed in assigned missions.

“Our defences and preparationsare such that any misadventure bythe adversary will be thwarted, nomatter where he comes from,” said Major Rufus Johnson, a com-pany commander of 18 Kumaon deployed at a height of 15,500 feetnear LAC.

Rufus is in charge of a locationthat forms the first line of defenceagainst the Chinese near Bum La.There are scores of such locationsalong LAC in Arunachal Pradesh (the army calls them ‘integrated defended locations’) that have theresponsiblity of thwarting adven-turous moves by the enemy.

At Johnson’s location, one ofthe many forward locations that HT visited on Wednesday, drills have been structured to instil aggression in soldiers.

They follow something calledPlan 190, as do other forward-de-ployed soldiers umder Tawang-based HQs 190 Brigade. It involvesaggressive training, vigorous exer-cise, and meditation.

“To deal with a wicked enemyand to carry out our unique opera-tional role, it’s critical to instill aggression in soldiers. It preparesthem to fight in a treacherous environment,” Rufus added.

New weapons deployed in east to counter China

Bofors guns have been deployed in forward areas. RAHUL SINGH/HT

Abraham Thomas

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the Centre’sopinion on allowing the director ofCentral Bureau of Investigation tocontinue in office after retirementif his replacement isn’t recom-mended by a high-powered com-mittee chaired by the Prime Minis-ter in time.

The suggestion came whilehearing a PIL filed by NGO Com-mon Cause that opposed the deci-sion of the Centre to appoint an interim CBI director on February 3this year, a day after the post fell vacant following the superannua-tion of the then CBI director RishiKumar Shukla. A regular CBI director was appointed only in May when the 1985-batch IPS offi-cer Subodh Kumar Jaiswal was recommended to the post by the HPC having PM Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India NV Ramanaand Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Although the ground for thepetition no longer remained, advo-cate Prashant Bhushan appearingfor the NGO asked the court to pass an order that an interim CBI director cannot be appointed as such a post is not contemplated under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 that gov-erns CBI.

Attorney general KK Venugopalappeared for the Centre and said that such an order cannot be passed. “Each member of the HPCholds a constitutional post and areconcerned with important affairsof the state,” he said. Bhushan sug-gested that in such a case there is an option to continue with the existing director. The bench of jus-tices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai sought the AG’s response, who sought time. The court postedthe matter for Monday.

CENTRE’S REPLY

SOUGHT ON

APPOINTMENT

OF CBI DIRECTOR

ational. There will be newer air-ports In Ayodhya, Azamgarh,Moradabad, Shrawasti, Aligarh… soon.”

Till 2017, the state had onlyfour operational airports--oneeach at Lucknow, Varanasi, Gor-akhpur and Agra. After 2017, fiveairports have become operation-al--Prayagraj, Kanpur, Hindon,Bareilly, and Kushinagar Inter-national airport.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Partypresident and former chief min-ister, Akhilesh Yadav accusedthe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)of taking credit for projectslaunched by them. “When they(BJP) didn’t even lay a brick forthe foundation…and yet theycome to inaugurate a projectlaunched during the SamajwadiParty time with their scissors,ribbons, garland and sweets...BJP leaders must remember thatmerely becoming a pilot doesn’tmean you own the plane...,”Yadav tweeted soon after theprime minister unveiled theproject. The SP said on Tuesdaythat the project was sanctionedin 2016 when Yadav was the

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

letters@hindustantimes.com

KUSHINAGAR: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi inauguratedKushinagar International Air-port in Uttar Pradesh onWednesday, which will improveconnectivity to Buddhist pilgrim-age sites in India.

Referring to the maiden flightfrom Sri Lanka that arrived atthe airport on Wednesday withover 100 Buddhist monks anddignitaries on board, Modi saidthe flight’s landing was akin topaying obeisance to the reveredland. Kushinagar is a sacredBuddhist site, where Lord Bud-dha is believed to have deliveredhis last sermon and attained sal-vation or Mahaparinirvana.

“It (airport) is a result of hopesand aspirations of decades...Kapilavastu and Sarnath arenearby as is Bodh Gaya where he[Lord Buddha] gained enlighten-ment… these are places of rever-ence for people from Laos,Korea, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indone-sia among others,” Modi said

He added that as a parliamen-tary representative from theregion, he also feels a sense ofaccomplishment on the comple-tion of the project. Modi repre-sents Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi underlined the fillip thatthe airport will give to economicactivity and tourism in theregion. “It will create an ecosys-tem of economy, tourism andcreate avenues of employment.”

“Whether it is aastha orananda (faith or pleasure), mod-ern infrastructure is a prerequi-site,” he added.

“ In UP (Uttar Pradesh), ninenew airports have become oper-

state’s chief minister. Uttar Pradesh chief minister

Yogi Adityanath said that from1947 to 2014, the state had onlytwo functional airports, Luc-know and Varanasi. “...Now wehave nine functional airportsand will be connected to 75 pla-ces. Construction of an interna-tional airport is on at war-foot-ing in Ayodhya and the secondone in Gautam Buddha Nagar.”

Union aviation minister Jyoti-raditya Scindia said direct flightsfour times a week between Delhiand Kushinagar will begin fromNovember 26. “The airport willconnect eight main Buddhistreligious centres.”

Congress spokesperson Zee-shan Haidar slammed both theBJP and the SP. “I agree with theSamajwadi Party about the BJPwrongly claiming credit for pro-jects. However, the SP too mustremember in whose period theclearance for the big-ticket pro-jects that SP chief AkhileshYadav so often refers to hadcome about,” Haidar said.

(With inputs from Lucknow)

‘Result of hopes of decades’: PM inaugurates Kushinagar airport

PM Narendra Modi and Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in Kushinagar on Wednesday. ANI

Saubhadra Chatterji

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: India’s opposition parties protesting the enhanced jurisdiction of the Border SecurityForce (BSF) in three states have drawn up a plan to challenge theCentre’s order in Parliament. They have included the subject “border management” for reviewin the parliamentary home affairs panel on Wednesday to pave the way for the scrutiny of the new BSF rule.

On October 11, the Union gov-ernment notified the jurisdictionof the BSF has been extended to another 35 kms from the border from the current 15 kms in three states—Punjab, Assam and WestBengal. It also notified that in Guj-arat, which shares international border with Pakistan, the jurisdic-tion has been brought down to 50kms from 80 kms. It stayed the same (50 km) in Rajasthan. BSF has explained that the changes bring uniformity to its jurisdic-

{ WINTER SESSION } ENHANCED JURISDICTION

Oppn plans to oppose BSF order in House

tion across border states, and government officials have pointedout that the enhanced jurisdictionis also a function of technology, but opposition parties have pro-tested the move which they see asthe Union stepping on the turf of states.

The executive amendmentswere made under section 139 (1) of the BSF Act, but the TrinamoolCongress and Congress have latched on another provision under the same section, 139(3), toseek an amendment of the order in the winter session of Parlia-ment that is likely to start in mid-November.

139(3) states “Every order madeunder this section shall be laid, assoon as may be after it is made, before each house of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days.” The same section also gives power to law-makers to approve or modify theorder. The order is automaticallyapproved after 30 days if there is no further modification. For the Opposition to negate the new BSForder, it has to pass a motion in the house against the new amend-ments, which looks unlikely giventhe numbers.

Parliament is no stranger toOpposition’s challenge against executive orders on central laws.In 2012, then Opposition parties such as the BJP and the Left, wanted amendments on the changes in FEMA rules that allowed foreign investment in retail stores. FDI in multi-brand retail turned into a major politi-cal clash and the UPA even lost itscrucial ally Trinamool Congress over the proposed entry of foreign

capital into the sector. At the first meeting of the

revamped panel on home affairs on Wednesday, some Oppositionleaders suggested that border management should be includedin the context of the new amend-ments in the BSF rules. ChairmanAnand Sharma (of the Congress)suggested that it can be added in the pending subject on coastal security. “The first meeting on border security which would cover the BSF issue, is likely to beheld in November. It has been also decided that all concerned states as well as the union home secretary will be asked to deposebefore the panel,” a member said.

The TMC alleged that the neworder has a political undertone. “Out of 23 districts in WB, 10 will be affected by this new order. It will also apply to 21 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and practically the entire North Bengal (BJP’s bas-tion) will come under the pur-view...,” said a senior TMC leaderrequesting anonymity.

WHILE THE CENTRE HAS DEFENDED THE BSF MOVE, THE OPPN SEES IT AS THE UNION STEPPING ON STATES’ TURF

Abraham Thomas

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Courton Wednesday asked the Centreto explain why doctors andhealth workers employed in pri-vate clinics and dispensarieswere kept out of a central insur-ance scheme that provided ₹50lakh cover for the families offrontline health workers whodied fighting Covid.

The scheme introduced onMarch 28, 2020, under the Prad-han Mantri Garib Kalyan Pack-age (PMGKP) was titled ‘Insur-ance Scheme for Hospital Work-ers Fighting Covid-19’. Under it, asum of ₹50 lakh was assured tohealth workers employed inpublic healthcare institutionsand the same was extended onlyto those private hospital staffand contract workers whose ser-vices were “requisitioned” forCovid duties by the state or cen-tral government hospitals or

autonomous institutions like AllIndia Institute of Medical Scien-ces. Other conditions attached tothe scheme required the benefi-ciaries to be employed for Covid-related duties and their deathhad to be due to the infection.

Funds for the scheme wereallocated from the National Dis-aster Response Fund (NDRF)and released through the NewIndia Assurance Company.

The bench of justices Dhanan-jaya Y Chandrachud and BVNagarathna said, “Prima faciethe objective of the scheme is toprovide social security to healthprofessionals in view of the risksthey faced due to Covid-19, be itin public or private institutions.”

The court was hearing anappeal filed by the family mem-bers of seven doctors of privateestablishments in Mumbai whodied fighting the pandemic dur-ing the first and second waves.They challenged an order ofMarch 9 passed by the Bombay

high court which held that thosenot “requisitioned” by the stateor Centre were not entitled to theinsurance cover.

Issuing a notice to the Unionministry of health and familywelfare and the Maharashtragovernment, the bench said,“The matter raises issues of con-siderable public importancesince it has bearing on the secu-rity of health professionals whoserved the nation during Cov-id-19.” Though the petitionbefore the high court was filedby the widow of a single medicalpractitioner, the top courtallowed the family members ofsix other doctors to represent theappeal before it, noting the“nationwide consequences”flowing from the petition.

The court requested the solici-tor general of India to assist inthe matter when it comes up forhearing after three weeks toensure that the objective of thescheme is duly fulfilled.

SC questions govt over exclusion of pvt docs in insurance scheme

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: Union health minis-ter Mansukh Mandaviya will launch a song and an audio-vi-sual film at the Red Fort on Thursday to celebrate the mile-stone of administering one bil-lion Covid-19 vaccine doses, according to people familiar withthe matter.

The target is likely to beachieved on Thursday itself, so the event to commemorate it willbegin at 12.30pm.

While various governmentfunctionaries and other stake-holders will participate, the cen-tral government will also mark the occasion through public announcements at airports, rail-way stations, ports, bus stations and metro rail stations at the pre-cise moment when India achieves the one-billion target.

“People are excited about thismilestone not just in India but globally also as many countries have shown interest in knowinghow India has made it possible tojab so many people. The number

ance and unutilised doses.Many other organisations are

also celebrating the event indi-vidually.

The Union health minister,last week, also launched videos documenting efforts of Covid-19warriors.

From eight states, 13 Covidwarriors, including doctors, ambulance drivers, volunteers and other healthcare workers have been identified as ‘Sentinelsof the Soil’ and their experiencespublished in a book and videos.

The Centre on Saturday alsoreleased a Covid-19 vaccination anthem produced by singer andmusician Kailash Kher to bust myths and slay vaccine hesi-tancy.

Close to 75% of the country’seligible population has already received at least the first dose of the Covid vaccine with India’s Covid immunisation drive pick-ing up pace owing to improved vaccine supplies.

Also, at least 30% of eligibleadults have been fully vaccinatedin the country so far, according to government data.

Centre to celebrate 1 billion doses milestone at Red Fort

Sutirtho Patranobis

letters@hindustantimes.com

BEIJING: An Indian diplomat’s microphone curiously went silentwhile she was highlighting New Delhi’s objection to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship project - the China-Paki-stan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - at the recently concluded second UN Sustainable Transport Confer-ence in Beijing last week.

Priyanka Sohoni, from Indianembassy, was explaining New Delhi’s opposition to the BRI, the China-led intercontinental con-nectivity project when her micro-phone suddenly went silent. The sudden “mike failure” at the UN meeting, hosted by China from October 14 to 16, created a flutter.

During the speech, Sohoni saidthat India is “uniquely affected” bythe BRI and the project “impingeson India’s sovereignty.” “...We are of the firm belief that connectivityinitiatives must be based on uni-versally recognised international norms...” It was at this juncture that her microphone stopped working. The interruption allowedthe Chinese minister, Li Xiaopengto respond to the criticism. “The BRI is open and inclusive... In the past eight years, all the interna-tional communities have wel-comed this initiative...,” Li said.

A diplomat, who has worked atthe UN, said that Li being allowedto seemingly respond to the Indiandiplomat’s speech amounts to a possible breach of the protocol.

INDIA DIPLOMAT’S SPEECH HIT BY GLITCH DURING BRI CRITICISM

A

{ NAFTALI

BENNETT }ISRAEL PM

PI speak on behalf of Israelis: We love India. We

view Indiaas a hugefriend...

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NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 13My India

Recent civilian killings in Kashmirhave, once again, highlighted theValley’s failure to put an end to thepolitics of terror and armed vio-

lence, and undermined the climate for dia-logue that had been slowly building up inthe run-up to possible elections in theUnion Territory. Token condemnations ofthe killings have not been accompanied byvisible moves to assure those who are flee-ing that they are safe and need not leave theValley. The political leadership is operatingin its self-created cocoon, rarely daring tocall a spade a spade.

Who are these “unknown gun-men” — a euphemism deployed tostay out of line of fire of terrorists— behind the killings? Where didthey come from? What is theirinterest in injecting the viciousnarrative of us versus them inKashmir? In the current spate ofcivilian killings, targeting non-lo-cals — another euphemism for allthose who come from other partsof the country, largely Hindus — there is abigger design at work. The aim is to makeKashmir unsafe for non-Kashmiris, andpuncture the claims that peace has returnedto the Valley through development.

Since October 5, civilians of all faithshave been targeted, but what has made ittruly horrific is the way labourers fromBihar have been targeted Fear has spread,and mortally frightened labourers, whowere an integral part of the economy ofKashmir, have fled for their homes, vowingnot to return to the Valley. The yearning forlife has won over the need for livelihood.Kashmir will never be the same again forthem, and their bitter memories of the placewill now percolate down to the rest of thecountry.

But they leave a Kashmir, which, too,finds itself caught in a spiral of terror andfear. Counterterror operations and maxi-malist restrictions have impacted the senseof security that Kashmiris were experienc-ing, especially with the increasing footfall oftourists and everyday activities extendinglate into the evenings without any fear. Butas the people become witness to brutal kill-

ings, of civilians as well as local militants ingunfights, they have turned silent. The nar-rative has once again shifted back fromdevelopment and prosperity to saving lives.Mistrust has deepened, within communi-ties, between communities, and betweencommunities and the State.

Peoples Democratic Party president Meh-booba Mufti, while reacting to these kill-ings, pleaded for dialogue with the people ofKashmir so that an atmosphere of confi-dence is built and guns are relegated to thebackground; she also insisted that guns

from either side (that of the forcesand militants) will not resolve anyissue. But this narrative assumesthat the culture of violence and theongoing killings are a byproduct ofthe absence of confidence-buildingmeasures and dialogue — a ques-tionable premise. Other leadershave denied that Kashmiris wereinvolved in these killings at all, away to perhaps distance the Val-ley’s residents from acts of terror.

They, too, have sought dialogue.But it is clear that violence is not the way

to extract concessions, especially with thisdispensation. Delhi, which has a very firmstand against terrorism, is unlikely to yieldto such tactics. Political openings, if therewere any, have been shut. The killings havemade dialogue a more remote proposition.This will not help either side.

It is incumbent upon Kashmir to isolatethe killers once and for all. For the sake ofKashmir’s image and its ethos, for the sakeof peace and prosperity, for the sake of trustwithin the Valley and between the Valleyand Jammu, and for the sake of trustbetween Jammu and Kashmir and the restof India, there can be no excuses for whatwe have witnessed over the last fortnight.

Kashmir’s political and civil society lead-ership must stand decisively against thepolitics of terror and targeted killings. Andonly that can create a new basis for dia-logue.

Arun Joshi is a senior journalist

based in Jammu and Kashmir

The views expressed are personal

Kashmir leadership: Stand decisively against politics of terror, targeted killings

Arun Joshi

last health worker at the grassroots level. It isthrough the efforts of frontline workers in70,000-plus vaccination centres across thecountry, that we have been able to achievesuch feats.

At the time of the rollout, the supposed dig-ital divide was a key criticism of India’s vacci-nation policy, with the argument that ruralareas would be left out, as the informationtechnology platform could only serve theurban, educated elite. However, these criti-cisms have now fallen flat. More doses havebeen administered in rural than in urbanIndia. India’s efforts in promoting digital liter-acy and connectivity have paid dividends.India’s indigenously developed digital plat-form, CoWIN, has been a game-changer. Itallows every resident in India the facility ofconveniently and safely booking vaccineappointments, and also generates digital vac-cine certificates in real time. Now, as travel

opens up, citizens can also link theirpassports to their vaccination certifi-cates, which allows them to generateinternational travel certificates. Newfeatures have been added so that for-eign nationals residing in India canuse the same platform easily to getvaccinated. The entire process isseamless, digital, and verifiable.

Not only is India producingenough vaccines for domestic use,but it is now able to export again.

Before pausing exports owing to domesticrequirements, India had exported nearly 66million doses of vaccines, under the VaccineMaitri Programme to 95 countries. Over 100million doses have been sent to neighbouringcountries such as Nepal, Myanmar, Bangla-desh, and Iran. This is set to gather furtherpace in November.

These are huge numbers, especially sincemany countries continue to hoard vaccines ordelay their administration. According to areport by Airfinity, the G7 nations and theEuropean Union would have procured a bil-lion more vaccine doses than they needed, andby the end of 2021, 10% of these are expected toexpire. The United Nations secretary-general,Antonio Guterres, described the inequitabledistribution of global vaccines as an “obscen-ity”, calling it a “moral indictment of the stateof the world”. At a time when developednations have shied away from taking the lead,India has been attempting to bridge thisdivide. India’s efforts in ensuring vaccineequality need to be lauded, as it is takingresponsibility which should have rightly beentaken by the developed world.

The best bet to resume normalcy is vacci-nes. India has made significant strides inensuring a speedy and efficient vaccine roll-out. As we continue to increase vaccinationcoverage, discretionary services are alsorebounding, boding well for the rest of theeconomy. This has been evident in the servi-ces purchasing managers index, a leadingindicator of the economy, which has beenabove its long-term average in the past twomonths. Yet, there remains the issue ofaddressing global vaccine inequality. It is timefor the global community to come togetherand ensure that vaccine inequality ends now.India has been taking the lead, but it is nowtime for developed nations to start walkingthe talk in reducing vaccine inequality.

Amitabh Kant is chief

executive officer, NITI Aayog

The views expressed are personal

services, reflect a deep understandingand appreciation of the connect.Global supply chains are visibleaspects of the benefits of embeddingthe local with the global. PM Modi hasbeen vocal in articulating this.

Other aspects of global engagementbeyond trade and commerce too arenow ripe for this two-way connect.The bad news is that as new issueswhich impact our national develop-ment grow in global importance, geo-political concerns are leading to their“securitisation”. Rather than enablinggreater global cooperation, these newjurisdictions are fast becoming arenasfor competition. Some are beingweaponised in ways not fathomedpreviously. Cybersecurity and healthsecurity are two arenas that tran-scend the traditional boundariesbetween external and internal affairsthat have become areas of contesta-tion. Artificial intelligence and dataprotection are next in line. Otherissues are also being moved from thesidelines to centre stage. For example,last week, the Human Rights Councilin Geneva took a small step towardsthe universalisation of the right to a

sustainable environment.These are signals of a new and dif-

ferent foreign policy agenda that Indianeeds to address. It is not to be inter-preted that peace and conflict on ourborders and beyond are no longer ofimportance. They will remain signifi-cant. It only means that, in severalother domains, our boundaries arenot where we imagine them to be. Weneed to look at external affairs asintrinsic to internal affairs in waysthat we have not done previously. Italso means there is an inevitablenecessity to adjust and adapt ourthinking processes, structures andpersonnel to the evolving foreign pol-icy situations that we now confront.There is plenty of knowledge and wis-dom in our systems and associatedenvironment to address the changingscenario. It is time we focus on doingso now.

Syed Akbaruddin is a retired diplomat

who served as India’s permanent

representative to the United Nations in

New York. He is currently the dean of

Kautilya School of Public Policy

The views expressed are personal

Traditionally, foreign policy covers issues beyond our borders. External was the keyword. In a globalised world, this is changing. Issues racing up the foreign policy agenda don’t only impact people far away, but all of us too AFP

All signs indicate that the global econ-omy is recovering much faster thanexpected. The key to this faster thanexpected global recovery has been

vaccinations. Clearly, vaccines are the mostpotent weapon in this global battle against thepandemic.

India has been providing free vaccinationdoses to citizens, irrespective of their incomestatus. Our target is to cover 940 million peo-ple aged 18-plus by December 2021. The vacci-nation drive commenced with vaccination toall health care workers. The programme wasthen expanded to include vaccination offrontline workers, citizens above 60 years, cit-izens above 45, and, eventually, citizens above18. All vaccine doses were procured by theGovernment of India and provided free of costto state governments. Those who can afford topay and choose to do so have been free to useprivate vaccination centres, exemplifying thepublic-private nature of India’s vac-cine programme.

We have also developed twoindigenous vaccines, a testament toour research and development(R&D) capabilities. India’s DNACovid vaccine, ZyCoV-D, is theworld’s first and heralds a wave ofDNA vaccines for various diseasesthat are undergoing trials aroundthe world. Similarly, India’s firstmRNA vaccine against Covid, devel-oped by Gennova BioPharma, has gotapproval for Phase III trials. Our domesticvaccine manufacturing capabilities have beenleveraged to serve the world.

As India touches the billion vaccinationsmark, both the scale and speed of the rolloutmust be appreciated. Close to 300 million peo-ple will be fully vaccinated. That is more thanthe entire population of Indonesia, Pakistanor Brazil, the most populous countries in theworld after China, India and the United States(US). In fact, it is close to the entire populationof the US as well. This means that at India’space, these countries would have been fullyvaccinated by now.

At our peak, we administered 25 milliondoses in a day, a world record. To put it in per-spective, this is equivalent to the entire popu-lation of Australia. Over the past month, wehave averaged close to seven million dosesevery day. Again, for perspective, this ratesuggests that a country with a population of25 million would receive their first doseswithin three to four days, and be fully vacci-nated within a few months.

These numbers cannot be scoffed at. Theenormous effort has been driven by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s leadership andencompassed the central and state govern-ments and the private sector including the

{ OUR TAKE }

Uttarakhand: A tragedy foretold

On Kabul, a united, proactive approach

India’s move to convene a meeting of senior security officials of regional countries on the situation in Afghanistan reflects a proactive

approach to shaping the response to developments in the war-torn country following the takeover by the Taliban. Invitations have been extended to China, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan for the meeting to be held in November. Security officials of these countries met for talks hosted by Iran in 2018 and 2019 with the objective of fashioning a regional approach to Afghanistan. However, the situation has changed since the Taliban takeover and the focus of most countries has shifted to ensuring there is no spillover of terrorism from Afghan soil. India has signalled it is in no rush to give any sort of legitimacy to the Taliban set-up.

Pakistan has confirmed receiving an invitation tothe meeting, but there has been no word on whether it will attend. Over the past two decades, Pakistan’s security establishment has backed the Taliban while successive governments in Islamabad have worked to end New Delhi’s influence across Afghanistan. Under the current circumstances, it is difficult to foresee cooperation between India and Pakistan on Afghanistan, especially when the Pakistani military believes it is in the driving seat. Even if Pakistan opts not to attend the meeting in November, India still has an opportunity to work with regional countries that have genuine security-related concerns and put together a response focused on ensuring the human rights of Afghans and delivering humanitarian aid. Hoping for this meeting to ensure an inclusive government in Kabul would be too big an ask, but it could, at least, help India to get back into the game.

At least 45 people (as of Wednesday morning)have died in Uttarakhand after heavyrainfall caused extensive flooding andlandslides in the eastern part of the state on

Monday and Tuesday. The toll is likely to rise since many people are trapped under the rubble. The Char Dham Yatra, a key event in the state’s tourism calendar, has been temporarily halted. The under-construction Char Dham all-weather highway, which is being built despite protests due to its ecological costs, has been affected too. On Tuesday, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced ₹4 lakh compensation for families of those killed and ₹1.9 lakh for those whose houses were destroyed.

The trigger for this disaster, as always, has been record-breaking rainfall: According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the state reported 178.4mm rain in the first 18 days of October — 485% more than the average. But the reason for the destruction and loss is the state’s unsustainable development trajectory. For years, governments, businesses, and citizens have twisted and flouted laws to build hydropower projects, houses, hotels, roads, cut hill slopes, slash forests and concretise water bodies (the Nainital Lake is a prime example) without considering the fragile ecology of the region. With the climate crisis leading to heavy rainfall in a short period, the unstable hills are now giving way, and rivers and lakes are reclaiming their lost ground. In addition, no one seems to have been aware of the warning signs: According to IMD, Uttarakhand reported over 7,750 extreme rainfall events and cloudbursts since 2015 — a majority of them in the last three years. Until July, the state reported 979 extreme rainfall events. In 2020, this number was 1,632, and went as high as 3,706 in 2018. In the last two editions of the Forest Survey of India, the state did not report even a 1% increase in forest cover between 2015 and 2019.

Whenever these episodes happen, the climate crisis is blamed. But blaming this reality will not change the situation, which is a combined result of the climate crisis, short-sighted policies (destruction in the name of development, as ecologist Madhav Gadgil puts it), and election cycle-focused governance. Politicians, policymakers, and people must recognise that the surge in development projects is untenable because the economic, human, and social costs of such episodes are enormous and intergenerational, and will keep the state trapped in a climate emergency forever.

Traditionally, foreign policyhas been perceived, princi-pally, as the preserve ofStates and governments.The subject matter wasconsidered to cover issues

beyond our borders. External was thekeyword. It meant the focus was onwhat happened outside, with limitedimplications for the inside. It was notprincipally about us, but about whatwas happening to others.

Consequently, foreign policy couldbe addressed in a manner differentfrom how the vast majority of issuesthat were internal were to beaddressed.

In a globalised world, this is chang-ing. Foreign policy is becoming lessforeign than it was. Issues racing upthe foreign policy agenda are thosethat don’t only impact people faraway but all of us too. This may not bea new phenomenon. For example,countering terrorism has been on theglobal agenda now for decades. It hasalso been one of the most evocativeissues, in terms of public perceptions,about India’s foreign policy for ordi-nary Indians. However, the number of

such issues and the pace at whichthey are climbing up the global list ofpriorities has accelerated considera-bly.

If the environment and climate cri-sis have, for some time, beenenshrined as a global concern, thepandemic has resulted in publichealth and its associated downstreamimpacts becoming a foreign policystaple now.

With more than 270 million indi-viduals classified as migrants — per-haps the largest number recorded inhuman history — human mobilityand migration will only grow as a for-eign policy priority. Since digital tech-nologies have percolateddown to the lives of ordi-nary people, the trans-boundary roles of suchtechnologies are figuring inglobal forums. Outer space,the so-called final frontier,is likely to become anotherungoverned space withimportant consequencesfor activities on terra firma.The breadth of such sub-jects has grown in plain sight.

Several more can be listed. Forexample, the quintessentially sover-eign right to tax will now be regu-lated. India agreed with more than 135countries to a new way to tax the big-gest multinational corporatesthrough the recently agreed uponglobal minimum tax. The agreementwill change the terms of how andwhere certain conglomerates will betaxed.

If foreign policy is no longer for-

eign, in the terms we considered it inthe past, do the structures and sys-tems that have been in vogue for longnot need to be tuned to new realities?

The wise who explain global poli-tics describe desirable global out-comes as global public goods. By this,they mean that the products are forthe good of the public, globally. Rarelyis it explained how the public, as astakeholder, is to be engaged in thisactivity. Suffice it to say that the pub-lic benefits. In traditional interna-tional relations theory, public interestis what public officials deem it to be.International organisations, who saythey act on behalf of “we the people”,

behave in much the samemanner, never pondering toreflect on whether they actu-ally represent the peopleand, if so, which people. Inany real test of reflecting thepeople’s will, these institu-tions would fail miserably.Yet they evade calls forchange, except at the mar-gins. In short, there are noready-made templates to

adapt to, at the domestic and theinternational level.

Granted, there is uncertainty aboutwhat these changes mean for the the-ory and practice of foreign policy.However, for countries such as India,this is not an issue of academic inter-est. Globalisation has established adirect linkage between the externaland internal. The good news is thatPrime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’srepeated calls to merge the “local withthe global” in terms of industry and

When India’s foreign policy comes homeFrom environment to health, migration to digital tech, external affairs is intrinsically linked to internal affairs. Adjust thinking and systems accordingly

A

{ NED PRICE } SPOKESPERSON, US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

PWe condemn the recent violent attacks on Hindu temples and businesses in Bangladesh... Our thoughts are with the Hindu community as we urge authorities to investigate fully. Freedom of

religion or belief is a human right.

One billion doses: India’s leadership role in the world

E STA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 24

The floods were caused by poor governance policies, and exacerbated by the climate crisis

Amitabh Kant

Syed Akbaruddin

While developed nations have shied away from taking the lead, India has been attempting to bridge the vaccine divide HT

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Opinion

14NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021

lAJan 6 panel votes to hold Trump’s aide in contemptWASHINGTON: A House committee investiga-ting the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol voted to hold former White House aide Steve Bannon for contempt after the ally of ex-president Donald Trump defied a subpoena for docu-ments and testimony. Trump has tried to block the committee’s work by directing Bannon and others not to answer questions in the probe. AP

N Korea confirms it tested missile launched from subSEOUL: North Korea test-fired a new ballistic missile from a submarine, state media confirmed on Wedn-esday. This came a day after South Korea’s military reported that it believed North fired a missile off its east coast. South Korean foreign minister Chung Eui-yong called for the US to ease sanctions if North returns to talks. REUTERS

Agence France-Presse

letters@hindustantimes.com

STRASBOURG, FRANCE: TheEuropean Parliament onWednesday gave its SakharovPrize for Freedom of Thought -the EU’s top human rights award- to jailed Russian opposition fig-ure Alexei Navalny.

The anti-corruption cam-paigner, who last year survived apoisoning attack he blames onthe Kremlin, is Russian Presi-dent Vladimir Putin’s best-known domestic opponent.

After returning to Russia inJanuary from Germany, wherehe was treated for the attack, hewas convicted on old embezzle-ment charges and is now impris-oned in a penal colony outsideMoscow, but continues to needlePutin.

Navalny “has shown greatcourage in his attempts torestore the freedom of choice to

the Russian people”, said Euro-pean parliament vice-presidentHeidi Hautala while announcingthe prize.

“For many years, he hasfought for human rights and fun-damental freedom in his coun-try. This is costing his freedomand nearly his life,” she added ina plenary session in the Frenchcity of Strasbourg.

The Sakharov Prize, set up in1988 and named after Soviet dis-sident Andrei Sakharov, isawarded every year to thosefighting for human rights ordemocracy.

Last year, the $58,000 prizewent to the movement opposingPresident Alexander Lukash-enko in Belarus, a close ally ofPutin.

This year, the prize will behanded out in a ceremony in aplenary session of the Europeanparliament on December 15 inStrasbourg.

Putin critic Navalny wins EU’s biggest human rights award

Agencies

letters@hindustantimes.com

PARIS: Various countries areplanning to produce more thandouble the amount of coal, oiland gas consistent with limitingglobal warming to 1.5 degreesCelsius, the United Nations saidon Wednesday.

Ten days before the start ofthe COP26 climate summit thatis being billed as key to the via-bility of the Paris Agreementtemperature goals, the UN’sEnvironment Programme saidgovernment fossil fuel produc-tion plans this decade were“dangerously out of sync” withthe emissions cuts needed.

The UN says emissions mustgo down nearly 50% by 2030 andto net-zero by mid-century tolimit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. But its Produc-tion Gap report found that totalfossil fuel production would riseuntil at least 2040. Developmentplans would produce 110% morefossil fuels this decade than con-sistent with limiting globalwarming to 1.5°C, and 45% morethan for a world where tempera-tures rise 2°C.

Putin will not attend Glasgow climate talksRussian President VladimirPutin won’t go to next month’sUN climate summit, the Kremlinsaid. The COP26 in Glasgow hasbeen called the “last best chance”to get climate change under con-trol. Kremlin spokesman DmitryPeskov said “unfortunately Putin

will not fly to Glasgow”. Russia iscurrently the fourth highest car-bon emitter.

G20 leaders to address climate ahead of COP26G20 leaders meeting in Romenext week will help pave the wayfor UN climate talks that follow,Prime Minister Mario Draghisaid on Wednesday, urgingworld powers to take coordi-nated action. There will be asummit of G20 advanced econo-mies meeting on October 30-31.

‘China’s switch to clean energy may happen fast’The costs of solar and coalpower in China could becomecomparable nationwide by 2023,a new US-China study has found,indicating that the country, thelargest carbon emitter globally,could transition to clean energyfaster than expected.

Inputs from Sutirtho Patranobis

{ EYE ON EMISSIONS }

Output of fossil fuel to go past target, fears UN

Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t attend COP26. AFP

Agencies

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MOSCOW: Russia will shut work-places for a week, Latvia wentback into lockdown for at least amonth and Romanian funeralhomes are running out of cof-fins, as vaccine-sceptic countriesacross eastern Europe face afresh surge of Covid-19 infectionsand deaths.

Russia, which boasted ofdeveloping one of the earliestCovid-19 vaccines, has been una-ble to persuade large swathes ofthe population to take it, and isnow facing its highest daily

death rates of the pandemic.President Vladimir Putin

announced on Wednesday thatthe period from October 30-No-vember 7 would be “non-work-ing days”, although salarieswould still be paid.

Public hostility to vaccinationhas hit other eastern Europeancountries that were within Mos-cow’s orbit during the Cold War.The EU states with the lowestvaccination rates are all part ofthe former eastern bloc, includ-ing Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia,Poland, Latvia and Estonia.

Romania, where one person isdying of Covid-19 every five min-utes, had the world’s highestdeath rate per capita this week,with Bulgaria close behind.

EU’s first new lockdown Latvia has imposed a month-long lockdown, becoming thefirst EU country to shut downagain since the bloc beganreopening this year as vaccines

became widely available. Bulgaria, where only a quarter

of the population has taken afirst dose of vaccine, bannedaccess to indoor public spacesthis week for anyone who cannotshow proof of vaccination, a neg-ative test or recovery from arecent infection.

Poland’s health minister saidon Wednesday “drastic meas-ures” could be needed torespond to a sudden surge ofinfections there, although hesaid no new lockdown was beingconsidered.

Concern in Britain, tooHealth chiefs in the UK haveurged the government to legallyenforce some of the Covid-19prevention measures, such asmandatory face coverings inenclosed spaces, as infections inBritain continue to spike overthe 40,000 mark daily.

The NHS Confederation, amembership body of the coun-

try’s National Health Service(NHS), said a back-up strategy,or “Plan B plus”, is required aspre-emptive action over winter.The warning comes as the UK hita daily high of 43,738 cases and223 deaths on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro says ‘guilty of nothing’ amid chargesAfter Brazil’s senators said JairBolsonaro should be charged fornine crimes, including charla-tanism, malfeasance and crimesagainst humanity in their con-clusion of a probe into the gov-ernment’s handling of the pan-demic, the president insistedhe’s “guilty of nothing”.

A Senate commission pre-sented a final report on Wednes-day after six months of hearings.Bolsonaro is largely blamed forBrazil’s erratic handling of thepandemic, dismissing it as just aflu, shunning masks and vacci-nes, and asking supporters toignore restrictions.

Virus rebounds, curbs returnA health worker from Russia’s emergencies ministry disinfects the Belorussky railway station in Moscow on Wednesday. The country is witnessing a sharp surge in Covid-19 deaths and cases. AFP

Vaccine-sceptic countries across eastern Europe witnessing fresh surge of Covid-19 deaths, infections

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: NewYork City will require police offi-cers, firefighters and othermunicipal workers to be vacci-nated against Covid-19 or beplaced on unpaid leave, mayorBill de Blasio said on Wednes-day, giving an ultimatum to pub-lic employees who’ve refusedand ensuring a fight with someof the unions representing them.

The mandate affecting thenation’s largest police depart-ment and more than 100,000other Big Apple workers -including trash haulers andbuilding inspectors - carries aNovember 1 deadline for gettingthe first vaccine dose, de Blasioannounced.

Jailers on Rikers Island,

where the city has been grap-pling with staffing shortages cre-ating unsafe conditions, will besubject to the mandate onDecember 1.

US prepares to vaccinate 5-11 year old childrenThe US on Wednesday rolled outa plan to administer Covid-19vaccines to 28 million childrenin the 5-11 age group once it’sauthorised and recommendedby health agencies such as theFDA and the CDC. The FDAmeets on October 26 and theCDC on November 2-3 to discussapproving the vaccine, Pfizer-Bi-oNtech’s Comirnaty. Dosage willpossibly be adjusted for children.

YASHWANT RAJ AND AGENCIES

NYC mandates jabs for cops, firefighters

Agence France-Presse

letters@hindustantimes.com

TOKYO: Japan’s Mount Asoerupted on Wednesday, spew-ing a giant column of ash thou-sands of metres into the sky ashikers rushed away from thepopular tourist spot.

No injuries were immedi-ately reported after the late-morning eruption in southwestJapan, which sent rocks flyingin a dramatic blast captured bynearby CCTV cameras.

People were warned not toapproach the volcano as itejected hot gas and ash as highas 3,500m, and sent stonestumbling down its grassyslopes.

Authorities said they werechecking if any hikers had beentrapped or injured, as TV foot-age showed dozens of vehiclesand tour buses parked at anearby museum that has aclear view of the volcano.

Pale grey torrents of ashwere seen rushing down Aso’sslopes towards the museum,but did not reach the site.

“Human lives are our prior-ity and we are working with theSelf Defence Forces, police andfirefighters to effectively dealwith the situation,” chief cabi-

net secretary Hirokazu Mat-suno told reporters.

For those near the mountain,“caution must be exercised forlarge flying rocks and flows ofpyroclastic materials”, saidJapan Meteorological Agency(JMA) official Tomoaki Ozaki.

“Caution is warranted evenin far-away areas downwind, asthe wind may carry not just ashbut also pebbles,” Ozaki told a

televised press conference,warning that toxic gases mayalso have been emitted.

The last time the JMA raisedits warning for Aso to Wednes-day’s level - three out of five -was when it erupted in 2016.

Mount Aso’s huge calderadominates the southwesternmain island of Kyushu, wherethe 1,592m volcano is a populartourist draw.

{ VOLCANO } HIKERS FLEE

Mount Aso in Japan erupts, sends ash as high as 3.5km into the sky

Smoke and ash are seen during an eruption on Mount Aso, a volcano on Kyushu island in Japan. REUTERS

Agencies

letters@hindustantimes.com

KATHMANDU: The death tollafter three days of heavy rain inNepal triggered landslides andflash floods rose to 77 onWednesday as rescuers recov-ered 34 more bodies, authoritiesannounced.

Twenty-four deaths havebeen reported in the Panchthardistrict of east Nepal borderingIndia, 13 in neighbouring Ilamand 12 in Doti in west Nepal,interior ministry official DilKumar Tamang said. Othersdied in west Nepal.

The ministry said 22 peoplewere injured and 26 missing.

Prime Minister Sher BahadurDeuba has announced appro-priate relief to the families ofthe deceased and those affectedby the floods and landslides.

Authorities said the govern-ment would provide $1,700 asrelief to the families of eachdead victim and free treatmentfor the injured.

About 350km west of the cap-ital Kathmandu, persistentheavy rains were hampering

efforts to reach Seti, a village inwest Nepal where 60 peoplehave been marooned by floodsfor two days.

“Rescuers were unable toreach the village due to badweather and continuous rainsyesterday. Rescue efforts arecontinuing today,” Policespokesman Basanta Kunwartold Reuters.

Television channels showedrice paddy crops submerged orwashed away, and rivers sweep-ing away bridges, roads, housesand the runway of an airport inthe city of Biratnagar.

Search for the missing andrescue for those trapped in nat-ural disaster incidents is beingcarried out with the help of theNepal Army, Nepal Police andlocal people in different parts ofthe country.

Authorities have warned ofmore rain in the next few days.

There are “chances of heavyrainfall in some places and lightto moderate snowfall” in theeastern mountainous areas, thedepartment of hydrology andmeteorology said in a forecastfor the next two days.

Nepal landslides, flash floods leave at least 77 dead

A file photo of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. AP

campaigns that will focus on dif-ferent age groups.

Interestingly , the BJP isalready popular among theyoung: according to a Lokniti-CSDS post-poll survey conductedafter the 2019 general elections,the BJP topped the list of partieswith 41% votes from voters in theage group of 18-22 years, whichwas nearly the double of whatthe other parties including the

HT Correspondent

letters@hindustantimes.com

BENGALURU: Former Karnatakachief minister BS Yediyurappaon Wednesday chided state BJPpresident for making “disre-spectful” remarks against Con-gress leader Rahul Gandhi onTuesday. “No one should speakof another in this manner. I willspeak to him (Kateel). Don’tknow in what context it wassaid but if he has spoken likethis, there is no need,” Yediyur-appa said in Sindgi, one of thetwo bypoll-bound constituen-cies in Karnataka.

Nalin Kumar Kateel hadcalled Rahul Gandhi a “drugaddict and peddler” to target theCongress in Hubballi.

BSY SLAMS K’TAKA BJP PRESIDENT FOR REMARK ON RAHULof the vote from this category. In

2019 there were 84 million crorefirst time voters.

“Since 2013 the BJP hasplanned campaigns pivotedaround the young and issuesthat concern them such as jobs,development and economy. Thepolicies of the government thatcreated avenues for earningthrough schemes such asStartup India and Mudra loans isa key reason why the party con-tinues to get support fromthem,”the second functionary added.

To retain its hold over theyoung demographic, the partyhas decided to groom its leaders,particularly young leaders, insubjects such as human rights,cyber laws, and laws pertainingto atrocities against women andscheduled castes and tribes.

It also plans to get articulateyoung leaders put forth its views.

Congress ended up with. Theparty was also popular amongthose between 23-27 years of age.

It is clear the party doesn’twant to lose that base.

“The party’s own post-pollanalysis also show that BJP wasthe most preferred party for thefirst time voters and the youngerlot was attracted to the partybecause of Prime Minister (Nar-endra) Modi’s developmentagenda. The percentage of youthvoting for the party rose in 2019by about four to five percentagepoints,” a party functionary saidon condition of anonymity.

In 2014, when the BJP came topower at the Centre with amajority, it’s big win was partlycredited to the support it gotfrom the first time voters. Therewere 23.1 million first time vot-ers in 2014 and post poll surveysshowed that the party won 39%

“We are not only looking at2024 but at 2029 (general elec-tions). There is a concern (in theparty) that while the communistparties have lost political groundthey have still managed to retainthe mind space (of the young).As a result we see the youngerlot on social media platformsgravitating towards the commu-nists and have cultivated nega-tive perceptions about the BJP,”a senior party functionary saidon condition of anonymity.

Commenting on the socialmedia discourse that is helpingcement perceptions against theBJP, the functionary added,“Negative comments and senti-ments that evoke the feeling ofbeing wronged get a lot of trac-tion. Sometimes our own kidsquestion us based on the socialmedia narrative.”

The party plans to launch

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

letters@hindustantimes.com

NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya JanataParty (BJP) has set its sights onpreteens and adolescents whowill be eligible voters in the 2029general elections and is planningan outreach aimed at this demo-graphic group to ensure they arenot “influenced by the commu-nist and anti-national narrative”said party functionaries aware ofthe details.

The decision to woo the “vot-ers of tomorrow” is an outcomeof a series of meetings held overthe past few months includingthe recent national office bearersmeet in the capital on Monday,the functionaries added. Theparty’s ideological fount, theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghhas also stressed on reaching outthe youth.

THE PARTY’S IDEOLOGICAL FOUNT, THE RASHTRIYA SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH HAS ALSO STRESSED ON REACHING OUT TO YOUNGSTERS

BJP looks to win over ‘voters of tomorrow’ for ’29 polls

KOLKATA: Kolkata police onWednesday arrested a womanand detained three of her familymembers in connection with themurders of Subir Chaki, manag-ing director of Kilburn Engineer-ing, and his driver, an officersaid.

Police have, so far, arrested awoman, identified as Mithu Hal-dar, her husband Subhas Haldar,son Bilash and brother TarunHaldar while they are on thelookout for her elder son Vicky,who is absconding.

An official said interrogationof the suspects and CCTV footageindicated that Vicky committedthe crime with two of his associ-ates, who are also absconding.

Vicky might have met Chakiposing as a prospective buyer, anofficer added. HTC

FOUR HELD FOR KILLING KOLKATA FIRM HEAD, STAFF

GUWAHATI: Three minors agedbetween 8 and 11 years weredetained and a man wasarrested in Assam’s Nagaondistrict on Wednesday on char-ges of murdering a 6-year-oldgirl allegedly after she refusedto watch pornographic clips,police said. The arrested man isthe father of one of the threejuveniles.

The body of the girl wasrecovered inside the toilet of astone quarry in Kaliabor onTuesday, police said.

The three minors, who livednear the victim’s house, report-edly lured the girl to the quarryon Tuesday, and were forcingher to watch the pornographicclips, but when she refused,they killed her with stones,police officials added. HTC

3 MINORS AMONG 4 HELD FOR KILLING GIRL OVER PORN

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 15

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n 6 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT.ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

Sanchita Kalra

sanchita.kalra@htlive.com

Couples planning t

o tie the

knot thismonth are in a

bind following the impo-

sition of night curfew from

10pm to 5am in Delhi and 8pm

to 7am inMumbai, to stem

Covid-19 in both cities.

While some havedecided to

postpone the dateagain, others

are weighing alternate solu-

tions, with dayweddings being

touted as one. “Themoment it

was announced, we received a

call from the venue tomove the

function to the day, but it

might be difficult,” says Sau-

rabhAswal, whois getting

married on April25.

For Abhishek Pateria, who

took twomonthsoff fromhis

chats. Hopefully,next birthday, Im

ight

have a party and even then, I’ll ensu

re

everyone gets their Covid vaccine c

ertif-

icates,” quips theRangbaaz actor.

Saleem, who came toMumbai from

Delhi 10 years ago, admits he has

changed. “I was atypical Delhi boy

who

loved to get into fights and rodemy

car

with blaringmusic. But since I cam

e to

Mumbai, the brashDelhi boy has b

een

replaced by one learning everyday.

I’ve

gone from strength to strength, be

it my

acting ability or as a person,” he sa

ys. At

33, is marriage onhismind at all? “M

y

mumasksme about shaadi everyda

y. I

am finding newways to avoid this q

ues-

tion. One should never say never. Ho

pe-

fully sometime,” he concludes.

Sugandha Rawal

sugandha.rawal@hindustanti

mes.com

ince the beginning of 2021,

ulkit Samrat hasbeen shoot-

ing nonstop for his projects, be

Mumbai, Delhi or Agra. The

r says work has found a new

emic.

.ow

In fact, now, he consi ers

to be detached from the concept of

hit and flop. “Hitaur flop mein

kuch nahi rakhahai. Agar hit dek

e

bhi main ghar par lockdown mein

baitha hoon, tohmain kya hi ukha

d

raha hun,” Samrat observes, befo

re

going on to explain his definition

of

happiness.“At the end of the

day, it is about

you being happy, and not attachin

g

that happiness toa condition ki ye

h

hoga toh main khush ho jaunga, ya

nahi hua toh main udas ho jaung

a.

You are blessed if you have a good

family, you wakeup every morn-

ing, and all the people you know

are alive and well,” says the actor,

who is preppingfor the third

ment of the Fukrey franchise.

rat made his television

t as Lakshya Virani in the pop-

show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi

Ba u Thi, in 2006. He went on to

do films such asBittoo Boss (2012

),

Fukrey (2013), Bangistan (2015),

Sanam Re (2016), and Fukrey

Returns (2017).Next, he will soo

n be seen as a

“happy go luckyguy from Delhi” in

the film, Suswagatam Khushaama-

deed. “There areother diverse rol

es

in the pipeline,”he adds.

Pulkit Samratfeels

the lockdown

made him value

workmore

STOP PRESS

job in Poland for his wedding

and booked a venue in Suraj-

kund, Haryana, changeswill be

tough. “There’s no chance of

postponing or even switching

to day functions. It will be diffi-

cult for guests whowill attend

thewedding all theway from

Delhi or Noida,” he says.

Planners feel months of

efforts have gonedown the

drain.Mumbai-basedAanchal

Bagaria, of TheWedding Soul,

who had three-day affairs

planned in April says, “Now it’s

all going to bewrapped up in

one eventwith a lunch.” But

Mumbai’s VishalPunjabi,

founder, TheWedding Filmer,

says, “When things like this

happen, they teach us to value

whatwe have. Awedding

doesn’t have to bea big party.”

PThe date is so

near and venues

say they need to

check availability

for day timings.

AKHIL NARANG,

Businessman

PAKHIL NAR NG

We’ve received

queries from

couples for a

brunch andthey’re trying to

keep gatherings

intimate.

SHIVAN GUPTA , Creative

director, Amaara Farms

Night curfew to curb Covid

surge hits wedding plans

CityDelh

i

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Shooting, travellin

g, and shooting

again — Kriti Sanon’s life is all abo

ut

that. With a hostof biggies such as

Bachchan Pandey, Bhediya and

Ganpath in her kitty, she is of

course excited. And it was also rec

ently

announced that she will join Prabh

as

and Saif Ali Khanin Adipurush.

Despite the rise inCovid cases and

several restrictions reimposed,

including shutting of theatres,

Sanon says she would prefer theat

-

rical releases forall her films.

“Obviously, as anactor you want th

e

film to reach beyond just the OTT

audience. Of course, they are great

platforms, and everyone is hooked

on

to it and the platforms have great

content. But as anactor you want it

to reach even theones who don’t

really go on theseplatforms,” says

the 30-year-old, whose filmMimi, i

n

which she plays asurrogate mother

,

is also waiting for a release.

It’s been some time since the filmw

as

announced and has been shot. Ask

what’s

happening on that front, and Sano

n says

she recently wrapped up work on t

he last

scene. “Mimi as afilm needs to reach th

e

masses. It is based on surrogacy, it

’s a

unique subject andmade in a very

enter-

tainingmanner. It is something tha

t will

touch your heart, make you cry, la

ugh, and

leave you with food for thought. It

should

be watched bymore people who a

re

rooted in areas where OTT isn’t wa

tched,”

she says.In fact, it was rain

ing release datesuntil

recently in Bollywood, when the pa

ndemic

reared its head again and forcedm

any film

releases to be postponed again. “W

e are

very excited for Mimi to release. Th

e times

we are in, it’s important for a film like that

to get a release. Ihope things are n

ormal

soon. There are so many films wai

ting to

release. I am hopingMimi does too, soon,

sometime aroundmid 2021. I don’t

know

what the producers are deciding. It

should

get what it deserves,” says Sanon.

NOTETO

READERS: Some

of the coverage

that appearson

our pages is

paid for by the

concerned

brands. No

sponsored

content does or

shall appearin

anypart ofHT

without it being

declared as such

to our valued

readers.

Kriti Sanonwishesmovies

would get backto theatres

PI am a bit irritated but

also looking at the

larger picture. I don’t

want to take any

risks. Zinda rahe toh

aur birthday honge.

SAQIB SALEEM, Actor

PI want tosurprisemyself and my

audience. I’ve

never slotted

myself into any

category. I’ve

chosen very

different roles.

RITUPARNA

SENGUPTA, Actor

Scan the code

to readmore

about how

couples and

wedding

vendors are

trying to find

a way out in

the crisis

Scan the code

to readmore

on Saqib

Saleem’s

birthday plans

‘My 30th birthday seems like a decade ago’

Kavita Awaasthi

kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

Saqib Saleem loves

birthdays and

often throws big parties on his spe-

cial day. “But thiswill bemy second

birthday in a rowspoiled by Covid-1

9,”

says the actor, who turns 33 today a

nd

admits he is a little heartbroken tha

t he

won’t be able tomeet friends.

“I have forgottenwhat parties are

like.My 30th birthday party seems

a

decade ago. But Idon’t want to take

any

risks. Zinda rahetoh aur birthday

honge.Mymum is herewithme, so

she

will make some yummy biryani.W

e

will have a quiet celebration at hom

e

with the new normal of video calls an

d

Titas Chowdhury

titas.chowdhury@hindustantimes.com

Iwant to keep am

ore openmind now. I feel

that the kind of content being chu

rned out

in the Hindi filmindustry today is

revolu-

tionary,” says Rituparna Sengupta

. The

National Award-winning actor is all

set to

return to the Hindi film industry w

ith Bansuri:

The Flute. Alongwith it, she is awa

iting the

release of a couple of other films, o

ne of them

with veteran actor Shabana Azmi.

A prominent name in the Bengali fi

lm indus-

try, she is best remembered in Bolly

wood for

her role in Main,Meri Patni AurW

oh (2005).

With the boom in the OTT spaceandmeatier

roles for women,she believes now

is the time to

explore varied roles in Hindi proje

cts. “Back in

the day, I was toobusy. So, I decide

d to concen-

trate on Bangla films. I was also do

ing films in

Bangladesh and Kerala. But I would

want to

concentrate onmy Hindi film care

er now. A lot

of unconventional content is being

made.

Maybe, I am needed inMumbai now,” she says

.

The Bengali superstar says she alw

ays wants

to do something new: “I want to sur

prise myself

andmy audience. I’ve never slotted

myself into

any particular category. I’ve chose

n very differ-

ent and challenging roles for myse

lf.”

So, is OTT an option for Sengupta?

“For

actors, it’s a goodopportunity to re

ach a global

audience. Audiences are demandin

g direct-to-

digital releases now. Producers to

o are releas-

ing their films ondigital platforms

as they’re

worried their films might turn stale

if not

released on time.OTT platforms ar

e turning

out to be quite profitable for all,” s

he signs off.

GeorgeClooneyandJulia

Roberts’movie,Ticket

ToParadise,willreleasein

UStheatresnextSeptember.

Theyplayadivorcedcouple

tryingtostoptheir

daughterfromrepeating

theirmistake.

‘HOPE‘HOPETHINGSTHINGSAREARENORMALNORMALSOON,SOON,,,FILMSFILMSWAITINGWAITINGTORELEASE’TORELEASE’

PHOTO: TEJAS

NERURKAR

PHOTO: ARVIND YADAV/HT

PHOTO: JOE

SCARNICI/AFP

Maybe I’m needed

in Mumbai now:

Rituparna Sengupta

PAs an actor you want a film to reach

beyond just the OTT audience.... reach

even the ones who don’t really go on

these platforms.

KRITI SANON, Actor

Tuesday,April 13,2021

n 8 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y /USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

D irector Chloe Zhao’s Nomadlandhas emerged as the big winner atthis year’s BAFTA Film Awards2021, bagging four major trophies,including Best Film. Even the BestActress award was won by its actor,Frances McDormand, while Zhao her-self walked away with Best Director.The Father won the Best Actoraward for Anthony Hopkins, a cate-gory in which Indian actor AadarshGourav was also nominated for his rolein TheWhite Tiger. The film was pro-duced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, whowas also in attendance at the ceremonyas one of its presenters, along withhusband, singer Nick Jonas. TheFather also won the adapted screen-play BAFTA.Themost emotional moment of theevening saw tributes being paid to lateIndian actors Irrfan and Rishi Kapoor,who passed away in April 2020, inBAFTA’s memoriam segment, along-with actors Sean Connery and Chad-wick Boseman.The latter’s filmMa Rainey’s BlackBottomwas named a winner in thecostume design andmake-up and haircategories. Riz Ahmed, who along withBoseman, had been nominated for BestActor as well, didn’t bag the award, buthis film Sound of Metal bagged twoBAFTAs in the editing and sound cate-gories.HTC

Rishabh Suririshabh.suri@htlive.com

S he’s the sister of one of Bolly-wood’s biggest stars, Katrina Kaif,yet she auditioned for her firstfilm. Isabelle Kaif recently made heracting debut with Time To Dance.“I had auditioned for a few films,and this one came through. I was adancer as a kid, and dancing, of course,is a big part of Bollywood. It’s a passionforme. So I thought it would be chal-lenging and fun,” she tells us.The 30-year-old, who just wrappedup the shoot for her second film,Suswagatam Khushaamadeed, admitsthat Bollywood has been a big influ-ence in her growing up years. “Danc-ing led to acting. I watched Hindi filmsgrowing up, and I’ve had a hard timechoosing a favourite. I love JabWeMet(2007). Lagaan (2001), I’ve watched somany times as a teenager,” she shares.What about the inevitable compari-son with her sister? Is she feeling thepressure of expectations already? “Iknow it. People have been doing it foryears, and I’ve got used to it. It doesn’t

Scan the codeto readmoreon whySudhanshuSaria wasanguished bythe incident

ActorDeepikaPadukoneonMonday

announcedshehasresignedasthechairpersonofMAMIMumbaiFilmFestivalowingtoherworkcommitments.PadukonehadreplacedfilmmakerKiranRaotobecomethechairpersonofthefestival

in2019.

STOP PRESS PHOTO: VIRAL BHAYANI

money to hire them, but you don’twant to. You simply want to canni-balise other’s work. That’s notokay,” he asserts.On April 9, Saria took to Twitterto express his anguish, claimingthat themakers of the web seriescopied the poster of hismovie. Inci-dently, both projects tackle the sub-ject of same-sex relationships. Sariais wondering if themakers alsolifted some scenes from his film,which explores the issue of homo-sexual rape. “Those actors proba-bly were shown a reference imageto pose. So, everybody knew thattheywere plagiarising,” says thedirector, whowon the NationalFilmAward for best non-featuredirection inMarch this year, for hisfilm, Knock Knock Knock.Soon after his post, ALTBalaji

tweeted a statement apologising forthe incident. “The uncanny resem-blance and similarity cannot bewritten off as amere coincidence...For this we apologise...We’vedeleted the poster from all ourplatforms,” the statement read.However, Saria, currentlyrecuperating fromCovid-19, isunconvinced by the statement. Hewishes the platform “acknowl-edged the authors of the poster”and claimed that “...this was adecision, not an accident”.More-over, Sariawants people to be heldaccountable for their actions. “I feellike I’m adding to the chain. Thenext time someone Googles it, thiswill come up. And eventually, it willbecome harder and harder forthem to pretend as if it’s not athing,” he concludes.

play onme toomuch any-more. About expectations,Covid took off some ofthat pressure frommyfirst film, as the circum-stances are so different.It has allowedme to justenjoy the moment as itunfolds,” says theactor.The best piece ofadvice Isabelle hasever received wasgiven to her by herelder sister. “[Sheadvised] to justfocus onmywork, keep myhead down.Anyone who hasbeen in the filmindustry gives simi-lar advice,” says theactor, adding, “I’m juststarting now, there aresomany types of filmsI want to do. I’d love todo an action or aperiod film. It’s justthe beginning, there’severything left to do.”

KatrinaKaifPHOTO: VIRALBHAYANI

Why Isabelle Kaifis nowused tobeing comparedto sister Katrina

Guru Randhawais missing the joyof celebratingBaisakhi withfamily in Punjab;Daler Mehndi willbe at the VaishnoDevi shrine

CityDelhi

Sugandha Rawalsugandha.rawal@hindustantimes.com

M eeting friends and fam-ily to celebrate— that’sthe essence of Baisakhi.However, singer DalerMehndi isn’tmissing it this year.He asserts that social distancing isthe need of the hour, with the sec-ondwave of Covid-19 here.“Being cautious today willensurewe get

together for parties in future,” headds.This year, the singerwill cele-brate the festival at the VaishnoDevishrine with his family. “I feellucky that I’ll be at the holy cave ofMata VaishnoDevi. I have a per-formance at thepilgrimage on thefirst day of Navratri, which startson Baisakhi,” he says.The festival is especially impor-tant for farmers, as it is a harbin-ger of hope and prosperity while

marking the time of har-vest of winter crops. “Ifeel all festivals give us asense of hope and courage. Bai-sakhi motivates us, and humkohonsla deti hai jeene ka, nomatterwho you are— a farmer, or a non-farmer.We all live and yearn forthe support of the supremepower,” explains the 53-year-old.Growing up, hewatched hisparents participate in kirtans atgurdwaras for Baisakhi. For him,the festival has always been aboutbeing grateful for everything. It’swhat he plans on doing this yearaswell. “It’s all about hope, love,

betterment, and thewill to helpothers. Apne liye to har aadmikarta hai, lekin doosron ki madadke liye khada hona chahiye. Theseare things etched inmymind,withmemories of langar,” recallsMehndi, known for hits such asBolo TaRa Ra, Tunak Tunak Tun,Dardi Rab Rab, Ho Jayegi BalleBalle, and NaNaNaNaNaRe.He feels the best place to cele-brate Baisakhi is at home. “I think(if we follow all the protocolsproperly) 2021-end tak Covid naamki beemari ko bhool jayenge log,”says the singer, who recently cameout with his single, Ragda.

Juhi Chakrabortyjuhi.chakraborty@htlive.com

H e wanted to cele-brate Baisakhi in abig way this yearwith his family inGurdaspur, Punjab, butsinger Guru Randhawaunderstands that given thepandemic, little can bedone.“Since the pandemicstarted, most of us havebeen celebrating festivals athome. Considering the cur-rent situation, this year tooI’ll mostly spend Baisakhiat home and visit the gurd-wara, if possible,” he says,adding, “Unfortunately, I’min Delhi and will definitelymiss being in the villageduring this time. But likeevery day, I’m going toremember God and thankHim for fulfilling mywishes.”

The 29-year-old urgeseveryone to be safe, followprotocols and not indulgein grand Baisakhi celebra-tions involving huge gath-erings. “Covid has impactedeverything, not just this fes-tival. We need to fight this

virus on a daily basis, besafe and follow govern-ment protocol,” adds thesinger known for songssuch as Lahore, High RatedGabru and Patola.He may not be able tohave the celebration hewanted, but Randhawa hasfondmemories of celebrat-ing the festival as a child.“Baisakhi is celebrated as aharvest festival, whenfarmers cut their crops.And on this day Guru Gob-ind Singh laid the founda-tion of the Panth Khalsa. Askids, we’d enjoy spendingtime with family and go tothe gurdwara to do seva.We’d also go to themela inthe village. It’s a festivalthat brings a lot of happi-ness.”Since Baisakhi is a har-vest festival, the singer hasa special message for them.“May God bless the farmersas we eat because of them.May this year bring growthand prosperity,” he says,adding, “MayWahegurubless everyone with growthand prosperity. Happy Bai-sakhi to everyone. Stay safeand happy!”

GuruRandhawa

HAPPYBAISAKHI TO

ALL OURREADERS ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK

IN MY VILLAGE

PriyankaChopra JonasandNickJonas

PHOTO: ALBERTOPEZZALI/AP

FrancesMcDormand

BAFTA’s emotionaltributes to Irrfanand Rishi Kapoor

AnthonyHopkinsPHOTO:

ALEXANDRE

MENEGHINI/AP

(Above) RishiKapoorand(right) IrrfanPHOTOS: TWITTER/BAFTA

DalerMehndi

Sugandha Rawal

S ome time back I was told bymycountry that I exist, when I gotthe National FilmAward. Twoweeks later, one of themost seniorpeople inmy industry pretends as ifnothing I domatters and I’m invisi-ble and insignificant,” rues directorSudhanshu Saria reflecting onwhathe felt when he found “ridiculouslyobvious” similarities between theposter of an upcomingweb show,His Storyy, backed by Ekta Kapoor,and his 2015 film Loev.“I’m not looking to recovermoney from them, or sue them. Ijust want them to know that it’s notnice and not okay,” says a disap-pointed Saria. “What kind of a cul-ture arewe in where you can have amarketingmeeting and take some-body else’s idea? You have the

I’M NOT MISSINGBIG BAISAKHICELEBRATIONSTHIS YEAR:MEHNDI

NOTE TOREADERS: Someof the coverage that appears on our pages is paid for by the concernedbrands.No

sponsored content does or shall appear in anypart of HTwithout it being declared as such to our valued readers.

SudhanshuSariaand (far left) postersof theupcomingwebshowand (left)

his 2015 film

Plagiarism row: It made mefeel insignificant andpowerless, says Sudhanshu

16 NEW DELHI

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021

Reliance Jio did not respondto an email till press time, whilean email and text message sentto Dunzo co-founder KabeerBiswas remained unanswered.

Dunzo’s most recent fun-draising was in January when itgathered $40 million fromLightbox, Evolvence, HanaFinancial Investment, LGTLightstone Aspada and AlteriaCapital. Till then, the startupfounded in 2015 had raised $121million in capital. Blume Ven-tures, Kalpavriksh Fund, and

The lender is filing paperwork over Dish TV’s refusal to hold a special shareholders’ meeting.

This is the sixth such meeting that PM Modi has held with CEOs of energy majors.

{ WEATHER } TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW

TEMPERATURE IN FOUR METROS

Delhi

32°c I 19°c

Mumbai

33°c I 26°c

Kolkata

29°c I 24°c

Chennai

34°c I 26°c 31°c I 19°c32°c I 19°c

ALMANAC

31°c I 20°c

l 14 Rabi Ul Awal 1443l Kartika,

Krishna Paksha, 1l Samvat 2078 Sunset: Thursday

at 05:45 p.m. Sunrise: Friday

at 06:26 a.m. Moonrise: Friday

at 06:53 p.m. Moonset: Saturday

at 08:39 a.m.

Today is 21st October 2021

Mainly Clear sky Generally cloudy sky with Light Rain or Drizzle

Strong surface winds during day time

THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

{ THE CROSSWORDS }

{ SUDOKU }

CR

YP

TIC

QU

ICK

PUZZLE 16058 © Gemini Crosswords 2018 All rights reservedCRYPTIC CLUES

ACROSS 1 Highest (7)

4 Strongly dispose (5)

7 To harvest (4)

8 Food of the gods (8)

10 Soon (6,4)

12 To raid for plunder (6)

13 Move about restlessly (6)

15 Isolated and at risk (3,2,1,4)

18 Candidly (8)

19 Knock unconscious (4)

20 Noteworthy happening (5)

21 Thorough (7)

ACROSS

1 Smoke after the battle? (7)

4 More than a yard, often measured in feet (5)

7 Did his influence make Rose change her name? (4)

8 Own no pearls perhaps (8)

10 It’s not excessive to have one’s share, after a fashion (10)

12 He plays in the alley (6)

13 Join a number in this place (6)

15 They have set objectives (10)

18 He has duties to discharge (8)

19 Make a positive statement and upset Vera (4)

20 Live and prosper, lacking nothing (5)

21 Dreams of working without a life of slavery (7)

DOWN

1 Top colour (5)

2 Appear unhappy to see the ground (4,4)

3 Take down in an attempt to reach agreement (6)

4 Give the players the wrong time? (10)

5 Sound quality created by wrong note (4)

6 Add to the general confusion (7)

9 Battle in which there are no charges? (4-3-3)

11 Found the answer again, being determined (8)

12 Dead in bed, and not before time (7)

14 Nippers with long claws (6)

16 Play with spirit on the street (5)

17 Turning point in tax legislation (4)

DOWN 1 Pulsate (5)

2 Party’s declared policy (8)

3 Fall suddenly (6)

4 Oppressive (10)

5 To disguise (4)

6 Passage across (7)

9 Deceitful (10)

11 Self-important (8)

12 Synthetic (3-4)

14 To arrest (6)

16 Commonplace (5)

17 Sleep lightly (4)

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, column and

each of the 9X9 squares contains all the digits from 1 to 9.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

QUICK CLUES

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS (16057)

Patni Wealth Advisors are alsoinvestors in Dunzo.

Dunzo was set up by KabeerBiswas, Ankur Agarwal, DalvirSuri and Mukund Jha.

Mint and VCCircle reported inJune that Tata Digital, a unit ofTata Sons Ltd, had begun talksto buy close to a controllingstake in hyperlocal deliverystartup Dunzo. Later in Septem-ber, Mint also reported thatfood delivery platform Swiggy,too, evinced interest in acquir-ing Dunzo.

EGM where shareholders couldvote on its proposal to sack man-aging director Jawahar Goel andfour independent directors, andapprove the induction of sevendirectors.

Yes Bank decided to moveNCLT after Dish TV on October14 reiterated its stand that anyremoval or appointment ofdirectors will need priorapproval from the ministry ofinformation and broadcasting,rejecting the bank’s demand tocall an EGM. The company also

Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) andMangalore Refinery and Petro-chemicals Ltd (MRPL) byDecember, totalling 4.34 millionbarrels.

This is the sixth such meetingthat Modi has held with CEOs ofenergy majors. Attendees alsoincluded petroleum and naturalgas minister Hardeep Singh Puri,Schlumberger Ltd CEO OlivierLe Peuch, Honeywell presidentand CEO Bryan Glover, RelianceIndustries Ltd chairman MukeshAmbani and Vedanta chairmanAnil Agarwal.

Modi’s call comes as Indiareels under high transportation

fuel prices. India’s strategic petroleum

reserves have started supplyingcrude oil to state-owned refiners.Last year, India bought crude oilat $19 a barrel to fill up its 5.3million tonnes (mt) of strategicreserves, saving $685.11 millionin the process. However, Indiahas an existing crude storagecapacity of 5.3 mt built at a costof $600 million sufficient to meetaround nine-and-a-half days ofIndia’s crude oil requirements.The government has alsoapproved the construction of anadditional 6.5 mt of strategiccrude oil reserves to support 12

Staff Writer

feedback@livemint.com

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi on Wednesdaycalled for enhancing storagefacilities for crude oil during avirtual meeting with chief execu-tives of global oil companies.

Those who attended the meet-ing included Amin Nasser, presi-dent and CEO of the world’s big-gest oil producer Saudi ArabianOil Co, Russia’s OAO Rosneftchairman and CEO Igor Sechinand London-based BP Plc CEOBernard Looney.

“Talking about the oil sector,he said that the focus has shiftedfrom ‘revenue’ to ‘production’maximization. He also spokeabout the need to enhance stor-age facilities for crude oil,” thePrime Minister’s Office said in astatement.

This comes against the back-drop of plans by Indian StrategicPetroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL)to sell 2.17 million barrels ofcrude oil each to Hindustan

days of crude oil requirements. In comparison, countries that

are part of the InternationalEnergy Agency (IEA) hold 1.55billion barrels of public emer-gency oil stocks. In addition, 650million barrels are held byindustry under government obli-gations and can be released asneeded.

“Prime Minister recountedthat since 2016, the suggestionsprovided in these meetings havebeen immensely useful in under-standing the challenges faced bythe oil and gas sector. He saidthat India is a land of openness,optimism and opportunities andis brimming with new ideas, per-spectives and innovation. Heinvited the CEOs and experts topartner with India in explorationand development of the oil andgas sector in India,” the PMO said.

Speaking at the Fifth IndiaEnergy Forum by CERAWeek,Puri said, “India believes thataccess to energy must be afford-able and reliable.”

India has been makingrepeated appeals to the Opec-plus grouping that also includesRussia to hike production, asglobal energy markets acrossfuel sources including crude oil,gas and coal have been on a boildue to inadequate investmentsin view of the energy transition.

PM pushes for enhancing storage facilities for crudeIn a meeting with global oil CEOs, Modi said that the focus has shifted to production maximization

Swaraj Singh Dhanjal

swaraj.d@livemint.com

MUMBAI: Reliance Jio mayinvest in Google-backed Dunzoby participating in the hyperlo-cal delivery startup’s new fun-draising round of $200-250 mil-lion, two people aware of thedevelopment said.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled Jio is in talks withDunzo to finalize the invest-ment, along with the startup’sexisting investors, the peoplesaid on condition of anonymity.They did not disclose the size ofJio’s investment.

“Dunzo has been looking atvarious fundraising options inthe last few months. Other stra-tegic investors, includinganother large corporate group,was also looking at the com-pany for a possible controlstake, but those talks haven’tprogressed well. Bringing alarge group like Reliance onboard could be a shot in the armfor Dunzo as the hyperlocaldelivery business is seeing veryintense competition from thelikes of Swiggy and others,” oneof the two people said.

“They are looking to raise asmuch as $200-250 million inthis round at a valuation ofclose to $800 million. Someexisting backers of the companyare likely to double down ontheir investment in Dunzo inthis round,” the person said.

Jio may put $250mn in Dunzo fundraising

Gopika Gopakumar and Varun Sood

gopika.g@livemint.com

MUMBAI: Yes Bank Ltd is finaliz-ing the paperwork to sue satel-lite television operator Dish TVIndia Ltd over its refusal to holda special shareholders meeting,three people aware of the mattersaid.

The private lender, Dish TV’slargest shareholder with a25.63% stake, will ask theNational Company Law Tribunal(NCLT) to direct the firm toeither share shareholder detailsso it can call the meeting, orinstruct it to set a date for anextraordinary general meeting(EGM), the people cited abovesaid on condition of anonymity.

“The paperwork is ongoing,”one of the three people citedabove said. “The bank could filethe petition on Thursday ordepending on when it gets com-pleted, it could be done latest byFriday.” The development wouldmark the beginning of a legalwrangle for control of Dish TV.Yes Bank, miffed with the cur-rent board, has demanded an

said accepting Yes Bank’sdemand to remove Goel and oth-ers would violate Takeover Regu-lations 2011 and Competition Act.

Subsequently, Yes Bank, in aletter dated October 16, askedDish TV if the company couldshare the details of shareholders,including addresses and emails,as the bank itself could convenea date for an EGM, according tothe executives cited earlier.

Dish TV again deemed YesBank’s request as “arbitrary”,according to the third executive.

This convinced Yes Bank thatseeking the help of courts was itsonly option to convene a specialshareholders’ meeting.

“Yes Bank’s action is arbitraryfor the simple reason that MIB’srules are clear. We had taken theadvice of top Supreme Court law-yers and they both suggestedthat the bank’s action is arbi-trary,” a Dish TV executive said.

Yes Bank’s legal tussle withDish TV will mark a re-run of theZee Entertainment Enterprises-Invesco spat in which Goel’sbrother Subhash Chandra islocked in a legal battle with Zee’slargest shareholder Invesco.

Yes Bank close to approaching NCLT against Dish TV India

Madhurima Nandy

madhurima.n@livemint.com

BENGALURU: Furniture market-place Pepperfry is planning tofile for an initial public offering(IPO) in the first half of 2022 andcomplete a pre-IPO fundinground by the end of this year, atop company executive said.

The omni-channel retailerclaims it was on the cusp of prof-itability last year, but hasdecided to focus on growthinstead.

While the company hasstarted working towards a pub-lic listing, it is also ramping upits offline presence by expandingits store network, both in metrosand smaller cities. Pepperfrystores are primarily experientialcentres and not for selling prod-ucts.

“We are raising a pre-IPOround of between $50-100 mil-lion. While we have enough

money in the bank, we will raisemore money to align a good setof investors on our side beforewe hit the IPO. We have beenfortunate to have marqueeinvestors on our board andwould like to get a similar cohortof great names,” Ashish Shah,co-founder and chief operatingofficer, Pepperfry, said in aninterview.

In a relatively young onlinefurniture market, Pepperfrycompetes with not only verticale-tailers (which specialize in onecategory) but also horizontalplayers such as Amazon Indiaand Flipkart (that sell productsacross categories), which havebeen ramping up their furnitureofferings.

There has also been a fair bitof consolidation with RelianceIndustries Ltd (RIL) acquiringonline furniture seller UrbanLadder Home Decor SolutionsPvt. Ltd last year, expanding its

presence in India’s fast-growinge-commerce market.

Since 2018, Pepperfry hasworking to turn profitable andhas focused on bringing downcosts and paring losses.

“In August last year, we were

close to profitability. Until thesecond wave, we had a great ridein business. But we also realizedthat we can turn profitable atour will. This year, we decided togrow the business significantly.So, the focus is on high growthnow,” Shah said.

Pepperfry posted a 26%increase in revenue to ₹260.61crore and trimmed losses by 33%to ₹122.31 crore in 2019-20.

Earlier this year, Pepperfryreceived ₹35 crore from Inno-Ven Capital, the third investmentby the venture debt and specialtyfirm in the online furniture mar-ketplace.

In September 2020, Mint firstreported that Pepperfry waslooking to launch an IPO within12-18 months. Co-founder andCEO Ambareesh Murty had thensaid that for an IPO, a trackrecord of at least 6-9 months ofprofitability is important toshow the business is capable of

making money.According to a report by Red-

Seer Consulting, the online fur-niture business has increased itsshare owing to experience storesand different models offeringquality furniture at affordableprices.

The online furniture markethas been growing at a CAGR of80-85%, dominated by metrosand tier-1 cities, and driven bythe ease of comparing productsand the low prices offered.

Furniture sales touched $700million in 2019-20, but onlinehad less than a 3% share in theoverall furniture market, whichis pegged at $17 billion.

With furniture being a non-essential category, business wasimpacted during the lockdownsdue to the first and secondwaves.

Post the second wave, Shahsaid business has bounced backsince July.

Pepperfry may file for IPO in first half of 2022

Ashish Shah, co-founder and chief operating officer, Pepperfry. MINT

Swaraj Singh Dhanjal

swaraj.d@livemint.com

MUMBAI: Vodafone Idea Ltd onWednesday said it will defer pay-ment of its spectrum dues byfour years under the terms of arecent telecom bailout package.

In a stock exchange filing, thetelco said its board has approvedthe exercise of the option ofdeferring instalments for theOctober 2021 to September 2025period, in accordance with theDepartment of Telecommunica-tions’ October 14 notification.

Vodafone Idea added thatother options offered in the DoTnotification will be consideredby the board within the stipu-lated time frame.

The government had askedtelcos to convey to it by October29 whether they want to opt forthe four-year dues moratorium.It also gave 90 days’ time to theoperators to indicate if they wantto opt for converting interestamount pertaining to the mora-torium period into equity, PTIreported on October 18.

Along with this option, theaudited financial statements ofthe immediately preceding fiscal(2020-21) may be submitted,reported PTI.

The government has offeredthe option to defer payment ofthe spectrum auction instal-ments due up to four years, withimmediate effect, excluding theinstalments due for spectrumauction 2021. This option isapplicable from FY 2022-23 toFY 2025-26. These deferredamounts will be spread equallyover the remaining instalmentsto be paid, without any increasein the existing time period speci-fied for making the instalmentpayments. Interest as stipulatedin the relevant year of auction of

spectrum will, however, becharged so that the Net PresentValue (NPV) of the payableamount is protected.

Last month, in a major reliefto the telecom industry andespecially for struggling Voda-fone Idea, the governmentannounced a wide set of reformmeasures by granting a morato-rium on unpaid dues, redefiningadjusted gross revenue prospec-tively and cutting spectrumusage charges.

Rival Bharti Airtel Ltd’s chair-man Sunil Mittal said last monththat his company will opt for thepayment moratorium offered.Following the reform packageannounced by the government,UK’s Vodafone Group Plc andAditya Birla Group have drawnup fresh plans to invest in thetelco, Mint reported earlier thismonth. The two promoters arelikely to invest as much as $400million in fresh equity in Vi tostrengthen the struggling tele-com operator. Both promoterswill invest around $200 millioneach to retain their stakes at thecurrent level once Vodafone Idearaises funds from external inves-tors, Mint reported.

With inputs from PTI

Vi opts for four-year moratorium on spectrum payment

A

{ RAJNISH KUMAR } FORMER SBI CHAIRMAN

PIndia has a dream of becoming a $5 trillion economy. A sound banking and financial system is a sine qua non for achieving this

dream.

The telco has time till October 29 to think about opting for moratorium on AGR dues. MINT

Asit Ranjan Mishra

asit.m@livemint.com

NEW DELHI: India will tell visit-ing World Trade Organisation(WTO) director general NgoziOkonjo-Iweala that it is coun-tries that indulge in over-fishingthat should stop their fisheriessubsidies while others should beallowed 25 years to develop theirown fishing capabilities in a sus-tainable manner.

Okonjo-Iweala is on a three-day visit to understand India’sposition on fisheries subsidiesahead of the WTO ministerialmeeting next month wheredeveloped countries are seekinga deal. She is expected to meettrade minister Piyush Goyal,finance minister Nirmala Sithar-aman and prime minister Nar-endra Modi among others.

“It is not right to say India isnot in favour of or blocking thefisheries subsidy negotiations.India has its own proposal on thetable. The Indian proposal ismuch more stringent on thosecountries who have created theproblem of overfishing and over-capacity,” a commerce ministryofficial said under condition ofanonymity.

According to the Indian pro-posal, countries which areengaged in distant water fishingbeyond their natural geographi-cal area should stop their subsi-dies for 25 years in areas beyondtheir exclusive economic zones.At the same time, it is seeking a25-year horizon for other coun-tries to develop their own fishingsector.

“It is based on the principle ofpolluter pays because fisheriessubsidy negotiation is not a tradenegotiation,” the official said.

INDIA TO CITE ‘POLLUTER PAYS’ PRINCIPLE IN FISHERIES SUBSIDY NEGOTIATIONS

Gita Gopinath to quit IMF post in January

WASHINGTON: IMF’s chief economist Gita Gopinath will leave her job in January next year and return to the prestigious Harvard University’s Economics Department, according to the global financial institution.

The 49-year-old economist had joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the Chief Economist in January 2019.

RBI slaps ₹1 crore fine on Paytm

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday imposed a monetary penalty of ₹1 crore on Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PBBL) for violation of certain regulations.

This is related to an offence committed of the nature referred to in Section 26 (2) of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act), the RBI said in a press statement.

‘FRL must participate in arbitration case’

NEW DELHI: Future Retail must take part in arbitration over a commercial dispute with Amazon.com Inc., a Singapore arbitration panel ruled, rejecting the retailer’s bid to avoid the process.

Amazon is trying to blockFuture’s $3.4 billion sale of its retail assets to Reliance Industries Ltd, accusing it of breaking contracts.

WITH INPUTS FROM REPORTER

AND AGENCIES

lA

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general, WTO. AFP

Raising the stakesReliance Jio is in talks with Dunzo to finalize an investment, along with the startup’s existing investors. A look at the firm’s operations and fundraising.

Graphic: Sarvesh Kumar Sharma/Mint

THE valuation Dunzo is eyeing in the latest round

CASH Dunzo is looking to raise in its latest round

MONEY raised since its inception in 2015 till its last round

AMOUNT Dunzo raised in its last funding (in January 2021)

800

250

121

40

Source: Mint Research

(in $ million)

Up to

FUNDING FUNDA

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 17

Powered by

Business

Ben Jones

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

LONDON: At its core, T20 cricketis a game of boundaries whoseearly appeal was intrinsicallylinked to the idea of the six. Thesugar-rush thrill of balls flyingover the ropes is behind muchof the growth and dominance ofthis format of our game.

But it’s also come through inthe data, the numbers whichshow us the skeleton of thegame. Boundaries are, funda-mentally, where games are wonand lost. In games where oneteam wins the dot ball battleand the other the boundary bat-tle, the team that hits moreboundaries wins 64% of thetime. Even withinthat battle, thequest for sixes inparticular definesthe game. While ateam may rightlysearch for and pri-oritise the bowlerswho can chokethose boundaries,it’s only naturalthat the batters who can hitthem come to the fore.

The last few years has seenthe number of sixes explode. Adecade ago, a T20 saw a six hitevery 26 balls. For the last fiveyears, the figure has stayedsteady at around 21 balls. Thereare a wide range of factors con-tributing to this, from more T20specialists to more specialisedtraining for the hitters them-selves. While the effect has beenonly a slight increase in theoverall run rate, the nature ofhow those runs have beenscored has changed substan-tially. We talk about “modern”T20 teams not in a moral orqualitative sense, but throughthis lens—sixes are modern, andthe most modern players hit alot of them. The team that hasdone more to create this cul-tural dominance than anyother—West Indies—stillinclude two of the finest six hit-ters in the world.

Dre Russ PowerThe undisputed Prince of Poweris Andre Russell. “Dre Russ”stands clear of almost everyother T20 batter around when it

comes to clearing the ropes.Since the start of 2019, he has hita six every six balls; that’s betterthan any other player in theworld, and the next best (KieronPollard) is “down” at eight balls.He hits them from every length(once every seven balls fromshort, nine balls from goodlength, every four balls fromfull), from every bowling type.While his bowling fitness hasfallen away, Russell is stillemphatically at the top table ofhitting.

Pollard is another name thatyou can’t ignore in this discus-sion. For one, he sits just behindRussell in the bare statistics ofrecent cricket, finding theboundary almost as regularly asRussell, and more regularlythan every other player in theworld. Yet Pollard has elementsto his game which, for Russell’sundoubted destructive capabil-ity, the Jamaican can’t match.While players like MS Dhonihave long championed takingthe game deep and targeting theweakest opposition bowler, Pol-

lard often workswith a sibling ofthis strategy—tak-ing down hismatch-up. Pol-lard’s balls-per-sixagainst off spinover the last fewyears is just 5, butagainst right-armpace it’s 10. And

so, on more than one occasion,he’s opted to pat back an over ofright-arm pace because hewants to be on strike, and set,for the off spin at the other end.Power hitting has no need toevolve beyond strength andaggression, but the added nousof guys like Pollard elevate therole to the next level.

Hardik & the yorkerSome players, in their domi-nance of one area actually serveto highlight the genius of theircompetitors. Hardik Pandya, forinstance, is an astonishing hit-ter of yorkers, and anything full.His long arms give him remark-able leverage, and the ability toget under all but the most pin-point of deliveries. Againstdeliveries around the 5mmark—under-powered york-ers—Hardik strikes at a stagger-ing 234 in T20 cricket. Few inthe world can match it.

Yet the flipside of those physi-cal traits is that against anotherkind of delivery, Hardik is disad-vantaged. As is often the casewith taller batters in otherforms of the game, shorterdeliveries cause problems, the

larger frame harder to manoeu-vre under the ball. It’s reflectedin Hardik’s record, specificallyagainst what have been termed“hard lengths”—the 8-9m zonejust back of a good, Test matchstyle length. Against these deliv-eries, Hardik strikes at just 115,

and while the technical issuesdon’t extend to getting out—heaverages 46 against them—it’s ablow to his all-round excellence.Despite losing the series 3-2 ear-lier this year, England effec-tively shackled him by adoptingthis method. Some have sug-

gested that Hardik should makealterations to his stance orset-up, slightly weakening hisstrength against full balls, tostrengthen his weakness againstthis heavy length. It’s a classiccompromise, but one whichillustrates the remarkable

nature of Russell’s hitting—hestrikes at 178 against that heavylength.

How to become a power hitterOther specialist six hitters takea more extreme view, embrac-

ing their strengths and leaninginto them. Liam Livingstonemay have faltered in the IPL, butyou’d be a fool to write him offbased on a couple of days inalien, bubbled conditions;despite his own origins in thenorth of England, his ultra-ag-gressive, boundary-orientatedbatting approach feels far moreCaribbean than Cumbrian.

All about momentumIn conversation with the DailyTelegraph’s Tim Wigmore, Liv-ingstone discussed how he’schanged his technique. “Powerhitting is all about trying to getthe momentum and the snapthrough the ball, rather thanlosing it by collapsing your backleg. It was something I wasn’treally aware of until Colly andTres showed me,” Livingstonesaid. “That turned my careeraround in eight weeks.”

This year, it bore fruit. 82sixes in just 38 matches hasseen Livingstone enter the raceto hit 100 maximums in a calen-dar year, an achievement onlytwo men (Gayle and Russell)have managed.

Livingstone is nowhere nearthe class of these two, but hisemergence this year implies atechnical basis for power hit-ting, which itself suggests thatwith a few more hours in thegym and a few more studyingstances on top of that, more andmore batters will improve theirsix-hitting.

Yet, there’s still more to do, asWigmore reiterates in the samediscussion. “18 years since T20’sinception, batter training hasnot entirely escaped the normsof the longer formats [...] playersare expected to excel across for-mats”.

We head into the World Cupstill looking at a generation ofbatters primarily trained on redball values, with any overtlywhite ball ambitions—eventhose with more conservativemiddle order roles—having tobe cloaked, even notionally, bythe idea of Test supremacy. Itwon’t be until the economics ofthe game are entirely developedto sustain T20-only career-spe-cialists (a state not far away)that we will see power hitting goto the ultimate level, given itstechnical contrasts with the FCgame. At the moment, Russell,Pollard, and Hardik still standclear in terms of consistentlyoutstanding power hitting,delivering returns which oth-ers— like Livingstone, or otherchallengers—can briefly match,but struggle to maintain.

CRICVIZ

Up to power players to call the shotsStatistics show that a team that hits more sixes wins a T20 game more often even when it has played more dot balls

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Andre Russell

Kieron Pollard

Hardik Pandya

Tissara Perera

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Evin Lewis

Nicolas Pooran

Asif Ali

Moeen Ali

Chris Gayle

Six hitting over the years

27.2

100

100 177.42 179.17

200

66.67

158.33

236

165

400

118.18

181.67

147.19

154.35

159.06

128

124.44

222.73

155.77

Rise of six-hitting machines

Hardik Pandya T20 strike rate v pace

No matter what the nuances of the game, T20 cricket relies heavily on batters who can hit the ball out of the park at will. A look at some of the biggest hitters at this T20 World Cup.

Power Hitting since 2019

Pollard in T20s last three years

(min 50 sixes)

Balls-per-six

Balls-per-six

Balls-per-six

6.4

8.2

8.8

9

9.2

9.5

9.5

9.5

10.6

10.9

5.2

7.1

7.1

7.8

10

7.6

off break

leg break

left orthodox

left unorthodox

right pace

left pace

28.427.1 27.7

25.524.6

23.221.3

20.322 21.1

22.5

ICC T20 World Cup

lALakshya wins, Saina bows outODENSE: Lakshya Sen beat Sourabh Verma in straight games to enter the second round but it was curtains for Saina Nehwal at the Denmark Open. Lakshya, who had finished runners-up at Dutch Open last Sunday, won 21-9, 21-7. Saina lost to Japan’s world No 20 Aya Ohori 16-21, 14-21.

Fit-again Bajrang starts trainingNEW DELHI: Wrestler Bajrang Punia said he has started training after recuperating from his knee injury but would give this year’s Senior National a miss to better prepare himself for 2022. The 27-year-old had a ligament tear in the run-up to the Olympics but still managed to claim the freestyle bronze medal in 65kg at the Tokyo Games.

Pattinson ends international career MELBOURNE: Australian pacer James Pattinson retired from international cricket after realising that he won’t be in the reckoning for the Ashes series due to fitness issues. The 31-year-old, who has played 21 Tests and 15 ODIs, though will continue to play domestic cricket. Pattinson had recently suffered a knee injury during an intra-squad Victorian trial game.

Abhay to apply for fielding coach’s jobNEW DELHI: Abhay Sharma, who has worked with India A, India U-19 and the national women’s side, is a front runner to replace India fielding coach R Sridhar. The 52-year-old is set to apply for the post, a BCCI source confirmed. The application deadline ends on November 3. Sharma has played 89 first-class games representing Delhi, Railways and Rajasthan. He was the fielding coach of the Indian team which travelled to Zimbabwe in 2016. Sharma also travelled with the Indian team on the tour of USA and West Indies in the same year.

to record statements of all thecrucial witnesses before a judi-cial magistrate so that their ver-sions could have a greater evi-dentiary value during the trial.

Ashish Mishra, son of Unionminister of state for home affairsAjay Mishra ‘Teni’, who isnamed as an accused in the mur-der first information report (FIR)lodged by the farmers, wasarrested on October 9, a dayafter the Supreme Court camedown heavily on the state gov-ernment for the police’s lenienthandling of Mishra.

Senior advocate Harish Salve,representing the Yogi Aditya-nath government, on Wednes-day cited a status report on theprobe submitted in the courtthat pointed out that statementsof 44 witnesses were recorded bythe police, but only four weretaken to a magistrate to put theirversions on record under section164 of the Criminal ProcedureCode (CrPC).

“You have said in your statusreport that you recorded state-ments of 44 witnesses. But onlyfour of them were recordedunder section 164 (of the CrPC).Why haven’t you recorded state-ments of others under 164?” thebench asked Salve.

“Your SIT (special investiga-tion team) is in a better positionto recognise who are the mostvulnerable witnesses and can bebrowbeaten. We want to knowwhy statements of only fourhave been recorded under 164?You know that evidentiary valuewill be far better for statementsunder 164,” added the bench.

Salve replied that the concernof the court initially was that thepolice was going slow on the

LAKHIMPUR KHERI

Around 500 people strandedon Kainchi to Bhowali road wererescued, taking the total numberof people pulled to safety since Monday to around 1,500. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF)personnel also carried out rescueoperations in waterlogged areas of Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar, using rafts at some placeson Tuesday night.

Most of the casualties were ofpeople who died when their homes collapsed due to the heavyrain in the early hours of Tues-day. “We were sleeping in the house early in the morning whenwe heard a big blast-like sound. Soon, heavy muck and boulders came crashing down and buriedour house. I’m not sure how, butI somehow stood up and came out of the house. My husband and grandchildren couldn’t,” said54-year-old Kiran Negi.

The children were pulled out12 hours later, but her husband did not survive.

Rescue workers said their jobhas been complicated by inces-sant rains. “We have already res-cued many people in the last three days. Several rescue opera-tions are still on in the affected areas with additional deploymentof personnel in sensitive areas,” said SDRF commandant NavneetSingh Bhullar, who has been on the ground in Rudrapur to moni-tor and assist in relief and rescue.

Electricity supply and tele-phone connectivity, badly hit by the rains, have been restored in thetown. But villages on the outskirtsremain affected, officials said.

The rescue and restorationwork was likely to pick up with the improvement in the weather,Nainital district magistrate Dhiraj Garbiyal said.

Aerial photos showed ragingrivers and the lake at the pictur-esque tourist town of Nainital overflowing onto the famous Mall Road.

“In 1995, the water had over-flown to some extent. But this time, it was much more. I don’t think such a case has happened here before,” said Ajay Singh

U’KHAND RAINS

Code was 59.2%. It was an improvement from 50.4% recorded in 2019 and 50% recorded in 2018. It was also the highest in five years.

Experts, however, raised somequestions about the data on con-victions in Jaiswal’s affidavit. A former CBI joint director, who didn’t want to be named, asked whether the “success rate” data included the final outcome in higher courts or only first stage convictions. “Has the agency fac-tored in conviction of all the accused persons or discharge of some accused in a particular casehas been ignored while sharing this data with the SC? These issues have always plagued the CBI that actual final stages convic-tion or acquittal data is not takeninto account,” the director said

Jaiswal’s affidavit disclosedthat there were 9,757 CBI cases pending as of December 31, 2020.Out of this, one-third (3,249) caseswere pending trials for more than10 years each. There are 500 casesstill at the stage of trial after 20

CBI CONVICTIONS

Rawat, a noted environmentalistwho lives in Nainital.

Rawat said usually, localauthorities release waters into Bal-iyanala when the water level rises.“But this time, the rains were so severe that it left the entire area inundated,” he said. By Wednes-day morning, most of the water had receded from the roads.

Dhami issued instructions toofficials to conduct survey of cropdamage in affected areas so that farmers can be compensated fortheir losses. He had on Tuesday announced ₹4 lakh compensa-tion to the kin of the deceased.

In the high reaches of Uttark-ashi, at least 14 people — includ-ing eight trekkers from West Ben-gal and Delhi — went missing after heavy snow caused by the same weather system that brought the deluge in the lower reaches.

Union home minister AmitShah was scheduled to reach Uttarakhand on Wednesday nightto assess the flood situation in thestate on Thursday, said DevendraBhasin, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state vice president.

Uttarakhand saw 17.8 centime-ters (7 inches) of rain in the first few weeks this month, but recorded nearly 58 centimeters (22.8 inches) within just 22 hourson Tuesday, news agency AP quoted aid Bikram Singh, the director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, as saying.

Scientists have attributed anincreasing trend of intense rainfallin parts of India to disruptions in weather patterns caused by the cli-mate crisis, and this, experts say, has exacerbated the harms by unplanned construction work in ecologically sensitive areas such asthe Himalayas and the Western Ghats, which too have been hit byfloods and landslides.

“In both these regions, we areseeing extremely destructive activities in the name of so-calleddevelopment. Road projects cut-ting through hillsides are com-mon to both regions. In 2019, I travelled to Puthumala in Keralaafter the landslides and saw sev-eral small landslide sites leading

up to the big one. These were all along a road construction project.Rock quarries are proliferating along these construction sites to provide construction material. This is leading to a gradual crum-bling and weakening of the hills,”ecologist Madhav Gadgil told HTin an interview published on Wednesday.

{ }accused but all the 10 accusedhave now been arrested. He alsomentioned that there were twoFIRs arising out of violence onOctober 3, and that the arrests inthe second FIR was a “little diffi-cult” since a crowd had allegedlylynched four people after thevehicle ran over an equal num-ber of protesting farmers.

But the bench made it clearthat it was not looking into thesecond FIR.

“We are only concerned aboutthe FIR where the farmers died,”the CJI told Salve.

The bench also questioned thestate government about theperiod of custodial interrogationof the accused in the FIR on thefarmers’ deaths, adding that thepolice “cannot get out anythingunless the accused are in policecustody”.

At this, the state’s additionaladvocate general, Garima Pra-shad, informed the bench thatthe accused were interrogated incustody, and that they were nowin jail while the police have beenworking on reconstructing thecrime scene.

Salve submitted that severalphones have been seized, andthe purported videos of the inci-dent have been sent for forensicexamination. “If the forensicreports come, there may not beany need for further questioningin custody,” he added.

To this, the CJI responded:“Mr Salve, it should not be a nev-er-ending story... Ask your teamto record section 164 statementsas soon as possible...also, ensureprotection and safety of wit-nesses.”

Salve assured the bench thatthe necessary steps for recordingof section 164 statements andwitness protection will be takento dispel the doubts of the bench.

The court then adjourned thematter to October 26, asking theUP government to file a furtherstatus report on the investigationbefore the next date.

Advocate Shiv Kumar Tripa-thi, the lawyer whose letter tothe CJI formed the basis of thisPIL, requested the bench for a

copy of the status report thatwas filed by the state govern-ment in a sealed cover envelope.The bench, however, said itwould consider sharing thereport on the next date of hear-ing.

The incident on October 3claimed eight lives. Farm groupssay a Mahindra Thar owned byAjay Mishra mowed down pro-testers from behind while theywere returning from a demon-stration in Tikunia village onSunday afternoon. A video clipthat is yet to be authenticatedforensically shows the same.

The minister and his son,however, deny the charge thatthe latter was in the vehicle andsay farmers pelted the car withstones that led to the driver los-ing control of the vehicle. Theyalso accuse the protesters oflynching two BJP workers andthe car’s driver. A local journal-ist was also killed.The Mishrasclaim that Ashish Mishra wasnot even at the site.

years. Jaiswal said in his affidavit that

in many such cases, trials were held up because of stay orders granted by the Supreme Court and the high courts. He con-tended that despite the Supreme Court’s directives disapproving ofan indefinite stay on trials, “thereare still a number of cases in which the trial has been stayed”.

However, the statistics submit-ted by the CBI director with his affidavit showed that out of total 9,757 cases, only 367 cases (3.7%)were stayed by the Supreme Court or high courts.

The oldest instance of stay ontrial was from the Calcutta high court, where two corruption cases remain suspended since April 1991. Similarly, in one case, the stay on the trial from the Supreme Court has been operat-ing since August 2000.

The data further demonstratedthat Delhi and Maharashtra had maximum number of pending CBI cases at the trial stage. As of December 31, 2020, Delhi had 1,227 such cases while Maharash-tra 1,073 cases. The other states with large number of pending CBItrials were West Bengal (905), Uttar Pradesh (696), Tamil Nadu(629), Bihar (629), Gujarat (465) and Jharkhand (446).

Of all states, West Bengal hadthe maximum number of cases —112, that has been pending trials for more than 20 years; followed by Delhi (81), Maharashtra (62) and Bihar (52).

The CBI chief told the top courtthat a committee — with the director of prosecution as a mem-ber and involving all the senior law officers serving in different zones of CBI — had also been con-stituted to suggest steps and pre-pare strategy to speed up the pending trials, especially those pending for more than 20 years.

About pending appeals, Jais-wal’s affidavit stated that there were 13,291 appeals pending across all the levels of courts in the country. Of these, 1,194 were filed by the agency whereas the rest of them had been filed by theaccused. A majority of these

appeals,12,258, were pending across the high courts.

The CBI director rued that theappeals in CBI cases take long time in their disposal. Jaiswal referred to the 2G spectrum scamcase where the CBI filed an appealin 2018 against acquittal of all theaccused, including former Uniontelecom minister A Raja and MP Kanimozhi, but the Delhi high court is yet to admit the case aftergranting leave to appeal.

Similarly, Jaiswal also cited theagency’s predicament in complet-ing investigation in cases where the state concerned has with-drawn the general consent from the CBI to conduct probe in its ter-ritory and the agency needs to obtain the state’s consent on a case-by-case basis.

The affidavit stated that CBIhas sent over 150 requests to the governments of Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan,Jharkhand, West Bengal, Kerala and Mizoram between 2018 and June 2021 for grant of specific consent for investigation of casesin the territory of these states butapprovals were granted in less than 18% cases.

Jaiswal highlighted that thecases in which the states agreed for a CBI probe chiefly related to trap of corrupt central public ser-vants, while requests in approxi-mately 78% cases pertaining to bank frauds of high magnitude impacting the economy of the country remained pending.

“The delay caused in taking upcases by the CBI due to any of thereasons mentioned above, at times, leads to destruction or dis-sipation of evidence. This is detri-mental not only for the investiga-tion by the CBI but also for subse-quent prosecution of cases,” lamented Jaiswal.

On Wednesday, additionalsolicitor general Sanjay Jain, whowas appearing for CBI, informedthe bench about Jaiswal’s affida-vit filed on October 18. The affida-vit, however, was not on record, prompting the bench to defer thematter to November 8.

The court was hearing a matterarising out of the CBI’s appeal

from a 2018 judgment of the Jammu & Kashmir high court. Bythis judgment, the high court let off some lawyers from the char-ges of fabricating false evidence against a few security forces per-sonnel to frame them in a case ofrape and murder. While the two girls from Shopian had died due to drowning in March 2009, CBI claimed that some lawyers and doctors created false evidence of rape and murder to implicate per-sonnel of security forces.

However, it took CBI morethan a year to file its appeal against this order. In January, thetop court sought an explanation from the department noting the delay in filing the case “shows clearly gross incompetence in thelegal department of CBI which raises serious questions of its effi-cacy to prosecute the case”.

When the agency submitted itsexplanation for the delay in Feb-ruary, the bench was livid and called it “a saga of gross negli-gence in performing duties” whileasking, this time, the CBI directorto file his personal affidavit as to what steps are being taken to ensure proper functioning of prosecution of legal cases.

Subsequently, then CBIdirector Rishi Kumar Shukla filedhis affidavit in March 2020 apolo-gising for the inordinate delay in filing the appeal. The director pointed out that a new set of instructions with stipulated time-lines have been issued to stream-line the process of filing and mon-itoring of appeals filed by the agency.

The present CBI director Jais-wal, in his latest affidavit, has alsoreferred to a new standing order issued on September 27 by whicha dedicated cell has been createdin CBI, for the monitoring and co-ordination of proposals relat-ing to filing of appeals and specialleave petitions.

“Apart from the above role, theco-ordination cell has also been entrusted to take up matters withfield formations to fulfil the nec-essary requirements, if any, in theproposals sent,” added the director.

18NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Sport

Sanjjeev K Samyal

sanjjeev.samyal@htlive.com

MUMBAI: Before their finalwarm-up match, India’s combi-nation was probably set fortheir tournament openeragainst Pakistan. Given theground and pitch conditions atthe Dubai International CricketStadium, venue for Sunday’sgame, an ideal bowling line-upwould be two spinners andthree pacers.

The multi-dimensionalRavindra Jadeja is an automaticchoice while most favoured thein-form Varun Chakravarthy topartner him.

But it’s never wise to write offproven performer R Ashwin.The off-spinner had been out offavour for the T20 squad sinceJuly 2017 until he was recalledby the selectors last month forthe World Cup. He didn’t makethe kind of impact expected ofhim in the UAE leg of IPL. Justwhen it looked like he would bepushed back in the queue to getinto the playing eleven, Ashwinchose the final warm-up gameagainst Australia on Wednesdayto make a statement and stakehis claim.

Impressive startWhile India put aside Austra-lia’s challenge in the practicegame after restricting them to152/5, the talk of the day wasAshwin’s 2/8 in two overs.Handed the new ball by RohitSharma, who was captainingthe side, the off-spinner madean instant impact with a double-wicket over.

He prized out David Warneroff his fifth delivery and tookout Mitchell Marsh next ball, inthe second over of the innings.When Sharma brought himback in the 14th over, the tallbowler conceded just five sin-gles to Steve Smith and MarcusStoinis.

It is a performance that willget India’s think-tank intodebating on the second spinner,going by the importance of anIndia-Pakistan game and Ash-win’s experience. If one looks atAshwin’s record against Paki-stan, it’s difficult to look beyond

him. He played in the last threeT20 World Cups, and each timehe returned fabulous perform-ances against thearch-rivals inIndia’s victories.

I n 2 0 1 2 a tColombo, Pakistanwere dismissedfor 128 and Ash-win was the mostsuccessful bowlerwith 4-0-16-2,removing ShoaibMalik and UmarAkmal. In 2014 at Mirpur, Bang-ladesh, he opened the bowlingand returned 4-0-23-0 as Paki-stan were restricted to 130/7.Another easy chase saw Indiawin by seven wickets.

In the 2016 edition at home,Ashwin was not at his best butstill produced the goods against

Pakistan at Eden Gardens.Given the new ball by skipperMS Dhoni, he returned 3-0-12-0

to help restrictPakistan to 118/7in the game cur-tailed to 18 overseach.

For his child-hood bowlingcoach and formerleft-arm spinnerSunil Subrama-nian, the mannerof dismissals

against Australia, trappingWarner leg-before and havingMarsh caught at slip showed“Ashwin is bowling a fullerlength and has not lost hispotency”.

The former India team man-ager said: “Quality like him is ata premium; he will make an

impact wherever he plays. Justbecause he has been out of theT20 team doesn’t mean he is outof the set-up. He knows exactlywhat the game is, he knowswhat a high-class bowler he is.He will always be impactful.Whether he fits in the elevenremains to be seen as there aretwo other good spinners.”

Bowling with the new ballwas surprising for him. “That iswhat he is most familiar withtoo. If you look at CSK (Ashwin’sfirst IPL team), he was mosteffective when he bowled withthe new ball.”

Ashwin’s angle of deliveringtoo impressed Subramanian.“The key is the trajectory hebowls in T20 cricket. The trajec-tory is much straighter from thepoint of release but since heimparts revolutions even with

that trajectory, he will get theball to do off the wicket.

“I will not be surprised if heplays only the semifinals andfinals. His big match tempera-ment, you can’t buy that.”

Back as the Tamil NaduCricket Association Academyspin coach, he didn’t read muchinto Ashwin’s inconsistentshowing this IPL for Delhi Capi-tals. “It’s only about what rolehe has been given by the cap-tain. The role he was given inIPL from what I could see is tostop the run flow. He didn’t do abad job.

“There are not many off-spin-ners in T20 because they aregoing to get slogged—ball comesin, the batsman extends hisarms and the ball goes out. Forhim to stay relevant… he bowlsas per his role.”

Ashwin pushes for spot in XIOff-spinner’s crafty spell — two wickets in an over with the new ball — puts him in contention for a place in the eleven against Pakistan on Sunday

Agencies

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

DUBAI: India fine-tuned theirT20 World Cup preparationswith a convincing eight-wicketwin over Australia in their finalwarm-up game here on Wednes-day but the sixth bowler’s slotremained a worry as even ViratKohli rolled his arm over goinginto the tournament proper.

Captaining the side with Kohlionly taking the field to bowl,Rohit Sharma (60 retired off 41)showed sublime touch alongsideopening partner KL Rahul (39off 31) as India chased downAustralia’s 152/5 in 17.5 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav (38 not outoff 27) came at number three inKohli’s absence and got valuabletime in the middle which shouldboost his confidence goingahead. Hardik Pandya (14 not outoff 8) came in at four to finish thegame and he did it with a cleanhit over the bowler’s head.

Another plus for India wasseasoned pacer BhuvneshwarKumar finding rhythm after apoor outing against England.India had also beaten England intheir earlier practice game.

The batting department looksmore or less settled and the fivespecialist bowlers also inspireconfidence but the same can’t besaid about the extra bowlingoption with Hardik not bringinghis all-round skills to the table atthe moment. “Hardik is comingalong pretty well, but it’ll be awhile before he will start tobowl. He hasn’t started bowling,but he should be ready by thestart of the tournament,” saidRohit at the toss for the warm-upmatch against Australia.

The team management ishoping he will be ready to bowlduring India’s World Cup cam-paign which begins with themarquee clash against Pakistanon Sunday. Skipper Kohli keptthings tight with two overs ofmedium pace but to expect himto do the job in high-pressurescenarios would be asking fortoo much from him. India con-ceded 58 runs off the last fiveovers and that is something theywould like to improve on.Brief scores: Australia 152/5 (Steve Smith 57, Marcus Stoinis 41; R Ashwin 2/8). India 153/2 in 17.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 60, KL Rahul 39). India won by 8 wkts.

ROHIT FINDS HIS GROOVE AS INDIA OUTPLAY AUSSIES IN WARM-UP TIE

India's R Ashwin bagged two wickets in the second over of the warm-up match against Australia in Dubai on Wednesday. AP

A

{ RASHID KHAN } AFGHANISTAN SPINNER

PDoesn’t matter how wickets are prepared here, it is always helpful for the spinners... it should be spinners’

World Cup

Agencies

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

ABU DHABI: David Wiese bludg-eoned an unbeaten 66 as Nami-bia stayed alive at the T20World Cup on Wednesday witha six-wicket win over the Neth-erlands.

Former South Africa interna-tional Wiese hit five sixes andfour boundaries as Namibiachased down their target of 165with six balls to spare. It wasNamibia’s first ever win at theWorld Cup and kept alive theirhopes of making the Super 12stage. In their opening game onMonday, they had crashed to 96all out and lost by seven wicketsto 2014 champions Sri Lanka.

“It’s awesome,” said man-of-the-match Wiese. “It means alot to me to be in a World Cup.To be on the international stageis special and to put in a big per-formance for Namibia, I’m gladto get this opportunity to playinternational cricket.”

Defeat almost certainlymeans the Dutch, who lost theiropener to Ireland, also by sevenwickets, will be eliminated.Even a win over Sri Lanka intheir concluding Group A game

on Friday may not be enough.

SL beat IrelandThe winners of the 2014 edition,Sri Lanka, entered the Super 12sby defeating Ireland for theirsecond win in Group A of thequalifiers in Abu Dhabi onWednesday. Asked to bat first,Wanindu Hasaranga top-scoredwith a 47-ball 71 and raised a123-run fourth wicket partner-ship with opener Pathum Nis-sanka (61-47b). The pair revivedthe innings after young Irelandleft-arm seamer Joshua Little’s(4/23) early strikes left Sri Lankareeling at 3/8. Sri Lanka set 172for Ireland and then stifled theirbatters with off-spinner Mah-eesh Theekshana (3/17) andHasaranga (1/12 in 4 overs) play-ing big roles. Brief scores: SL 171/7 (Nissanka 61, Hasaranga 71Josh Little 4/23). Ireland 101 in 18.3 ovs (Andy Balbirnie 41, Theekshana 3/17, Karunaratne 2/27, Lahiru Kumara 2/22). SL won by 70 runs.Netherlands 164/4 (Max ODowd 70, Colin Ackermann 35; Jan Frylinck 2/36); Namibia 166/4 (David Wiese 66*, Gerhard Erasmus 32; Pieter Seelaar 1/8). Namibia won by 6 wkts.

Wiese stars as Namibia beat Netherlands, SL qualify for the Super 12s

Namibia's David Wiese (R) and JJ Smit celebrate their win over Netherlands in the World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday. AFP

Reuters

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

MELBOURNE: Former Australiacricketer Michael Slater hasadmitted himself into care for“health and mental issues”after being charged by policefollowing a report of a domes-tic violence incident in Sydney.

Slater was taken into custodyat a police station in Sydney’snorthern suburbs on Wednes-day and declined to talk toreporters after his release.

“Michael’s got nothing tosay, he’s exercising his right tosilence,” his lawyer JamesMcLoughlin said.

New South Wales (NSW)police said they had started aninvestigation on Tuesday intoreports of a domestic violenceincident last week.

“Following inquiries, detect-ives attended a home at Manlyabout 9:20 a.m. and spoke witha 51-year-old man. He has sincebeen arrested and taken toManly police station,” NSWPolice said in a statement.

“He was ... charged with use(of a) carriage service tomenace/harass/offend andstalk/intimidate.”

Slater’s manager SeanAnderson said his client wassuffering health problems.

“Michael has been privatelybattling health and mentalissues for some time now,” hetold Reuters in a text message.

“He has now admitted him-self into care in order to con-tinue his treatment.

“He is also receiving legaladvice in relation to today’scharges.”

Opening batter Slater played74 Tests from 1993-2001 and 42ODIs before becoming a fixtureon Australian TV screens as acricket commentator for 15years.

Slater occupied a position atthe top of the Australian Testbatting order for close to a dec-ade, hitting 5,312 runs beforehis 2004 retirement.

Slater was dumped from theSeven Network’s cricket com-mentary team last month afterthree years with the Australianbroadcaster.

The 51-year-old caused con-troversy in May after a furioustirade against Australian PrimeMinister Scott Morrison onsocial media.

Slater said Morrison had“blood on (his) hands” after thegovernment temporarilybanned Australians fromreturning home from India asthe Asian nation battled amajor Covid-19 outbreak.

Former Oz batsman Slater charged for domestic violence

Michael Slater REUTERS

Press Trust of India

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

DUBAI: Out-of-form Englandskipper Eoin Morgan is open todropping himself during the T20World Cup if it helps the teamwin the title.

Morgan averages 16.63 in the35 T20 innings he has playedthis year. He recently led KKR tothe IPL final but runs eludedhim.

“It’s always something I’vesaid — it’s always an option,”Morgan said when asked if hewould be open to dropping him-self from the playing eleven.

“I’m not going to stand in theway of a team winning theWorld Cup. I’ve been short ofruns but my captaincy has beenpretty good, as it goes. So, yes isthe answer,” he was quoted assaying by ‘ESPNcricinfo’.

The World Cup-winning skip-per has scored just 82 runs inseven innings for England thisyear in the shortest format of thegame.

CAPTAIN MORGAN OPEN TO HIS OWN OMISSION FROM ENG PLAYING XI

Agencies

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

PARIS: While the vast majority ofcricket eyes are focussed onevents in the Gulf where the T20World Cup is underway, a smallminority are locked on events inSpain. The Desert SpringsCricket Ground in Almeria, averdant cricketing outpost in aparched corner of south-eastSpain, is currently hosting theEuropean qualifiers for the nextedition of the T20 World Cup, tobe held in Australia next year.

Denmark, Germany, Italy andJersey are the four teams bid-ding to finish in the top two andprogress to the global qualifiers.

Hardly big names but eachside has its share of playersclaiming first-class experience.Italy’s Jade Dernbach, 35, spent

15 years with Surrey and repre-sented England in 35 T20s and24 ODIs, playing in the 2012World T20. The South African-born pacer qualifies for Italythrough his mother and came onboard after being tapped up bycaptain and head coach GarethBerg, who plies his trade as anall-rounder for Northampton-shire. “He (Berg) picked up thephone and he outlined what hewas looking to achieve with Ital-ian cricket and where he thoughtI could fit in on that journey,”Dernbach told The Cricketer.Dernbach duly made his secondinternational debut 2,757 daysafter his last internationalappearance in 2014 when hetook 1/17 in four overs in the six-wicket win over Denmark.

On the other side of the deckthat day was another formerEngland player. Denmark’s

Amjad Khan, 41, won a singleTest cap against the West Indiesin 2009 and played one T20I butinjuries cut short his chances,not just with England but incounty cricket as well where heturned out for Kent and Sussex.

Already the only Danish toplay Test cricket, the Copenha-gen-born Amjad, who is notquite as fast a bowler these daysas he was, set another record inthat game against the Italians.His second T20I came 4,597 daysafter his only other one forEngland in March 2009—a gapbetween appearances.

Dernbach and Amjad may bethe most eye-catching names butavid followers will also recogniseKent’s Grant Stewart in the Italyline-up along with Leinster’sJamie Grassi. It should come asno surprise to see Italy thrivingon the field. The country’s first

brush with the game dates backto 1793 while Milan is particu-larly associated with the game.AC Milan was originally theMilan Cricket and Football Club.

Germany, meanwhile, canclaim Dieter Klein, who playeddomestic cricket in South Africabefore joining Leicestershire,and Durham’s 2013 countychampionship-winning squadmember Michael Richardson,son of former Proteas wicket-keeper Dave Richardson.

Jersey’s Jonty Jenner made asingle appearance for Sussexagainst the touring South Afri-cans in 2017 but can claim tohave fielded in a Test forEngland as a substitute for ChrisBroad. It is the Channel Island-ers, however, who qualified firstwith a four-wicket victory overGermany on Tuesday, althoughthat is not entirely surprising.

Football giants chase runs, wickets

Associated Press

sportsdesk@hindustantimes.com

MADRID: There was a goal rushin the Champions League onTuesday and it was hardly a sur-prise to see Lionel Messi andMohamed Salah among the scor-ers. By converting coolly takenpenalties late in their games,Messi and Salah sealed 3-2 winsfor PSG and Liverpool, respec-tively, on a chaotic night when35 goals were scored acrosseight group matches—at an aver-age of nearly 4.4 goals.

Real Madrid and ManchesterCity grabbed five goals eachaway from home. Ajax producedperhaps the best performance ofthe lot in overwhelming Borus-sia Dortmund 4-0, with Sebast-ien Haller—the competition’ssurprise leading scorer—nettinghis sixth goal of the group stagein just three rounds of games.

Messi is saving his goals forthe Champions League in hisfirst season at PSG. The Argen-tina star rescued the French clubin its 3-2 win over Leipzig, equal-izing in the 67th and then pro-ducing a cheeky “Panenka” pen-alty down the middle to com-plete PSG’s comeback at the Parcdes Princes.

Salah became the first playerin Liverpool’s 129-year history toscore in nine straight games inall competitions, netting an earlydeflected goal after a mazy drib-ble and then stroking in a 78th-minute penalty to clinch a 3-2victory at Atletico Madrid.

There was more late penaltydrama in that game, too, withAtletico—down to 10 men fol-lowing the red card to AntoineGriezmann after his two goals—seeing a spot kick awarded andthen overturned after a refereecheck on the pitchside monitor.

Liverpool and Ajax are theonly teams on a maximum ninepoints, leaving them with achance to advance with twogames to spare.

In Paris, a typically bold Leip-zig team dominated PSG for longspells, only to be hurt by one of

the game’s all-time greats. It wasthe 34th time that Messi scoredtwo or more goals in a Champi-ons League game. Mbappe brokeclear to score an opening goalthat was cancelled out by AndreSilva before Nordi Mukiele vol-leyed home in the 57th.

Messi then stroked in a squareball from Mbappe after Leipziglost possession while the samepair combined for the winner,with Mbappe adjudged to havebeen pushed for the penalty.Mbappe pointed straight atMessi to tell him he could takethe spot kick and the Argentinacaptain made no mistake.

Salah, meanwhile, is in theform of his life and now has 12goals in 11 matches in total thisseason after a double in the samestadium where he scored one ofLiverpool’s goals in their Cham-pions League final victory in2019. Naby Keita’s sensationalvolley added to Salah’s eighth-minute goal, only for Griezmannto score in the 20th and 34thminutes as Atletico mounted acomeback. The France strikerwas handed a straight red cardfor lifting his boot into the face ofLiverpool’s Roberto Firmino and

another wild challenge, this timeby Mario Hermoso on DiogoJota, gave Salah the chance fromthe penalty spot. He sent JanOblak the wrong way.

Youngsters shineTwo of the world’s best youngplayers inspired the heavy winsfor Madrid and Man City. Vini-

cius Junior, a 21-year-old Brazil-ian, scored two—including onefrom a wonderful solo run—andan assist in Madrid’s 5-0 win atShakhtar. Rodrygo and KarimBenzema, with his 73rd Champi-ons League goal, completed therout that started with an own-goal by Shakhtar captain SergiyKryvtsov in the 37th.

Phil Foden, another 21-year-old forward, might not havescored in City’s 5-1 win at ClubBrugge, but he was behind muchof the team’s best work, includ-ing a sumptuous pass to set upJoao Cancelo for the opener.

Riyad Mahrez had two goals,including a penalty, Kyle Walkerran onto Kevin De Bruyne’s passto score the fourth and 19-year-old substitute Cole Palmer addedthe fifth two minutes after com-ing on for his debut.

AC Milan might be unbeatenin Serie A but their 0-1 loss atPorto means they have lost thefirst three matches in the groupstage for the first time—a sadway to make a first group-phaseappearance in eight years. LuisDíaz scored from the edge of thearea in the 65th minute as Portojoined Atletico on four points.

{ UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE }

Messi and Salah score two each; Real, Manchester City win big

Liverpool’s Mo Salah (C) dribbles past Atletico’s Mario Hermoso (R) at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Tuesday. The Premier League club triumphed 3-2. AP

ICC T20 World Cup

Results Club Brugge 1

Manchester City 5

Paris St Germain 3

Leipzig 2

Atletico Madrid 2

Liverpool 3

Porto 1

AC Milan 0

Ajax 4

Dortmund 0

Besiktas 1

Lisbon 4

Shakhtar 0

Real Madrid 5

Inter MIlan 3

Sheriff 1

NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 19Sport

20 NEW DELHI

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021

#MyCity

#DILLIKISARDI: DELHIITES ARE

BRACING FOR A COLD SPELL

AFTER UNSEASONAL RAINS p 04

#Showbiz

‘A SIMPLE FUNDA’Diana Penty says thereason behind doingonly seven films in acareer spanning nineyears is that she takesup only work that sheenjoys p 01

A

{ PRAKASH JHA }

PThe poor kid, who is Shah Rukh Khan’s son, has got into a mess.

On Aryan Khan #Lifestyle

FESTIVE FASHIONTake style cues from Bollywood divas to turn heads this Karwa Chauth p 03

#HTHealth

‘PINK’ OF HEALTH: EXPERTS

SHARE ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT BREAST CANCER p 06

lLibra

A good reference can make you standa better chance of landing a job p 02

Thursday,October 21,2021 f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

CityDelhi

Thursday, October 21, 2021 n 8 PAGES. f@HTCITY t@HTCITY i@HTCITY y/USER/HT. ENTERTAINMENT & PROMOTIONAL FEATURES

this is most important. And I think it’s a fair and honest way to work, for everyone involved,” shares Penty.

Her primary criteria for choosing a project, therefore, is the story. The Cocktail (2012) actor elaborates, “The story is the foundation of any film. I rely on my instincts a lot while reading a script. I usually know instantly if it is something I like.”

The 35-year-old has been working through different phases of the pandemic, and she admits it was “very stressful” in the beginning,

trying to “control the uncontrollable”. “But the more you do it, the more accustomed you get to it. The toughest part, in my opinion, was having to quarantine in a separate part of the house after a shoot. It was annoying and inconvenient. But now that most people are double vaccinated, things are easing up a bit. It’s still important to follow Covid-19 protocol on set, but the overall energy on sets now is much happier and less stressful,” says the actor, who was recently seen in Shiddat, which released directly on an OTT

Titas Chowdhury

titas.chowdhury@hindustantimes.com

Esha Gupta has often beentrolled and slut shamedfor posting sultry pictures

of herself on social media. Recently, the actor shared some pictures while sunbathing at a balcony. They featured her topless, with her back facing the camera. And once again, her Instagram was flooded with risqué comments.

“It’s a gender bias. So manymale actors put up shirtless pictures. Why not ask them to cover up? People look at them and go, ‘Waah bhai! Kya body hai’,” Gupta, 35, points out. She also expresses exasperation over people who hold women responsible for promoting rape with their outfit choices: “It’s their mentality that’s to be blamed. A woman’s clothes making people think about rape is problematic,” she adds.

Though trolls used to botherher a few years back, she has

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 any part of HT without it being declaredas such to our valued readers.

PI have had friends from India. And they are very fun.BILLY BOB THORNTON, Actor and filmmaker

Sugandha Rawal

sugandha.rawal@hindustantimes.com

Oscar-winning actor and filmmakerBilly Bob Thornton always had adesire to dive deep into all thingsIndia. While his yearning to visitthe country remains unfulfilled till

now, his fondness for India and its people continues. “I was first introduced to India through The Beatles (rock band) and George Harrison (musician). And since then I always had a desire to visit, but I’ve never been to the country,” admits Thornton, who calls himself “a pretty spiritual person”.

The 66-year-old, who is working with actor Dhanush on The Gray Man, rues that misconceptions about India continue to prevail in the West in some or the other way. “Sometimes in America, we get the idea that everything in India is so uptight... Like you have to just concentrate on your job, spirituality and everything’s like this. But I’ve had friends from India before, I’ve also met people from the country over the years. And they’re very fun. So, I think people should see that aspect of the country more, that it is a place with beautiful and fun people”.

Thornton, who was recently seen in the web series, Goliath, is co-starring with Dhanush on Russo Brothers’ ambitious project. Ask him about how it’s going, and he tells us, “The experience has been so great and wonderful till now”.

Despite several film credits and accoladesto his name, the Armageddon (1998) actor is well known for maintaining his distance from the “Hollywood game”. “I didn’t feel like one of them... I have acquaintances there. It helped me when I distanced myself from the business and the whole celebrity [culture],” says Thornton, who also made headlines for his marriage with actor Angelina Jolie in the 2000s. Noting that walking away from Hollywood made it easier for him to go to work, he adds, “When you evolve as a person, it helps you evolve as an actor in some way. And that happened with me, at least I hope it has happened.”

He also reveals that his role as a brilliantbut down-and-out lawyer seeking redemption in Goliath “has been the closest character to myself I’ve ever played”. “When I first read the script for the original season, I thought it was me,” Thornton concludes.

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Diana Penty is veryselective about thefilms she picks, andthis is something that

gets pointed out to her often. But it has worked out well for the actor so far. Having done just seven films in the nine years of her film career, Penty says her “simple funda” is to enjoy what she does.

“I want to be excited with the projects I take up, wake up every morning looking forward to telling a story. As an actor,

platform, since theatres were closed then.

Penty reveals that intense love stories have never been her thing, yet she ended up saying yes to the project.

“There was something verypure and real about the script. It was set within a landscape that is so relevant to the world we live in today,” she shares, adding that the ending drew her to the story the first time she read it. “It really stayed with me and that’s when I knew it was something I wanted to be part of,” Penty concludes.

CityDelhi

BillyBob Thornton

hopes people canget over prejudices,

see ‘beautiful and fun’ aspects of

India

Energy on sets

now is much

happier, less

stressful: Diana

WE GET AN IMPRESSION THAT INDIA IS UPTIGHT,

SAYS BILLY

STOP PRESS

TheWhite Tiger actor

Adarsh Gourav has bagged an international

project, the anthology series Extrapolations. He will star

alongside Hollywood actors Meryl Streep, Kit

Harington andmore.

Many male actors post

shirtless pictures,

why not ask them to

cover up?

India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match:

It’s raining deals and discounts!Sanchita Kalra

sanchita.kalra@htlive.com

Be it playing on the streets or watching onscreen, a match unites

all cricket lovers. And with the much-awaited India-Pakistan match, scheduled for October 24, at the T20 World Cup, eateries and bars are ready with special offers and discounts. Provisions are also being put in place to cater to larger groups as the event coincides with Karwa Chauth.

Delhi’s Tamasha plans tooffer 1+1 cocktails and mocktails to double the match excitement while giving your partner the best food after a day of fasting. If you and your partner are die-

hard cricket fans, reserve a table at The Drunken Botanist, Gurugram, to get a free beer on India’s victory and free shots on every Pakistan wicket. Meanwhile, Shakespeare Bistro & Bar in the Capital is offering a chance for 40% flat discount when India is batting.

Going beyond deals on drinks and food, SOCIAL outlets in Mumbai and Delhi’s Nehru Place will also have dhol walas and face painters for a stadium-like experience. “We also have a special menu and on-the-spot offers to make the night even more memorable,” says Mayank Bhatt, brand head - SOCIAL.

Want to watch the game athome? There are many promotional offers for you as well. Place your order at Masala Pizza Company before the match begins to

get a 20% discount. Or if you want some biryani vouchers, Lattu Biryani has contests on its social media pages. “Predict the correct score or wicket tally of players to win vouchers worth ₹5,000,” says Debashish Yadav, CEO, Licorne Hospitality.

For a sweet ending to theday, Mad Over Donuts has a quirky code ‘mauka’, that will get you additional six donuts on a purchase of six.

now learnt to turn a deaf ear to them. The One Day: Justice Delivered (2019) actor says, “I’ve matured to the level where I don’t react anymore. I understand that people will point fingers, no matter what you do. I remember putting up a picture in a saree and somebody wrote, ‘Aaj poore kapdon mein photo daala hai!’ When I post a picture with makeup on, I’m called ‘plastic beauty’. When I post a picture without it, they call me ugly and say I need makeup.”

The problem lies at a basiclevel, believes Gupta. “There are many who don’t like girls who’re upfront. But people know that I’m strong and if someone slaps me, I’m going to slap them twice,” she says, adding, “This isn’t just limited to our country. It happens everywhere in the world, despite conversations about gender inequality and sexism. I wish we become more progressive in our thoughts.”

Exciting

offers await

VOUCHERS WORTH

₹5,000

40% FLAT DISCOUNT

WHEN INDIA IS

BATTING

20% DISCOUNT ON

PRE-MATCH ORDERS

MAYANK BHATT, FROM SOCIALFor a true blue World Cup viewing experience, we will have dhol walas and face painters too.

JAIDEEP SINGH ANAND, FROM TAMASHAIndia vs Pakistan is always thrilling, more so if your partner joins in cheering with you over good food.

PHOTO:

SHUTTERSTOCK

FILE PHOTO (PICTURE FOR

REPRESENTATIONAL

PURPOSE ONLY)

The bail request for Aryan Khan, son ofactor Shah Rukh Khan,

and two others in connection with the seizure of banned drugs on a cruise was denied by special court in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Special Judge VV Patil, designated to hear cases related to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, rejected the bail pleas of Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant and model Munmun Dhamecha.They will have to approach the Mumbai High Court for bail.

The trio was arrested onOctober 3 by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for alleged conspiracy, possession, consumption, purchase and trafficking of drugs.

Aryan and the others havebeen booked for offences under Sections 8(c), 20(b), 27, 28, 29 and 35 of the NDPS Act. They are

presently in judicial custody. While Aryan and Arbaaz are at the Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, Munmun is lodged at the Byculla women’s prison in Mumbai.

Aryan had, in his bail plea, said NCB’s contention that he was involved in conspiracy and illicit drug trafficking was absurd, and pointed out that there was no recovery of drugs made from him. NCB, however, opposed the plea and said Aryan had been consuming drugs for a few years now and was in touch with some persons, who appear to be a part of an international drug network for procurement of drugs. The agency was relying on WhatsApp chats of Aryan, which they claim point towards procurement of bulk quantities of drugs.

NCB had argued that therecovery of six grams of charas from his friend Arbaaz points to conscious possession by Aryan. PTI

Cruise drugs case: Special court refuses bail to Aryan Khan

Aryan KhanPHOTO: PUNIT

PARANJPE/AFP

Esha Gupta

02NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021time out

{ DAILY HOROSCOPE }

Thursday, October 21, 2021Dr Prem Kumar Sharma (Astrologer and Vaastu expert) can be contacted at: Delhi: 011-47033152, 40532026 (Sat to Mon); Panchkula: 91-172-2562832, 2572874 (Tues to Thurs); Mumbai: 09716145644 (Last week of every month)

elder brother and we have that chemistry, on and off camera. The best thing about him is that everyone knows he is a star, yet he is so simple. I don’t think he knows he is one. He is humble, and sends food. Four-five varieties of food is always there in his van,” he reveals.

Singh and Sanon have known each and have their own vibe. “Kriti, like me, is Punjabi, so we have that going. And I learnt so much from Om (Raut, director) sir, he is so intelligent,” he quips.

#WhereAreThey

NOW

PThese days, singing reality shows have become cutthroat.SANJEEVANI BHELANDE, Singer

Sanjeevani Bhelande began her journey as a playback singer with Kareeb (1998)

FORTUNATE

TO HAVE MY

NAME ETCHED

IN THE HISTORY

OF MUSICKavita Awaasthi

kavita.awaasthi@htlive.com

Singer SanjeevaniBhelande first cameinto the limelightafter winning seasonone of the music

reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma, in 1995. And since then, there has been no looking back. She has performed in over 2,000 live concerts and sung a number of popular tracks, including Chori Chori Jab Nazren Mili (Kareeb; 1998), Chidiya Tu Hoti Toh (Nayak; 2001), Nikamma Kiya Iss Dil Ne (Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa; 2002) and O Yaara Rab Rus Jaane (Socha Na Tha; 2005), among others.

For Bhelande, playback singing gave her voice an “identity” and helped her reach a wider audience. The 51-year-old explains, “When the history of music is written, to have your name as a playback singer and to be known for original songs means a lot. I’m fortunate to be a part of some good songs.”

But it is her spiritual tracks that brought her immense fame. She says, “I have composed over 100 spiritual songs, which is where my strength lies. Many of my aartis have a million views on YouTube. The internet has been a blessing as I have a huge following online.”

In the last year, the singerhas released three albums including a spiritual album for prayer meeting and one, where she sang traditional bandishs in raag format. “I have authored a book, Meera and Me, a contemporary interpretation of Meera. I have also sung love songs in English in an album under the same name. I am working on a thumri and a song on Nature and a Hindi and English translation of a Marathi abhang by Sant Tukaram,” she reveals.

The singer is happy to have “continued her classical training” all these years. She says, “I want to perform more classical music than ever before. Over the years, I

can see my growth has been phenomenal.”

Recalling her days of beingon the reality show and how it was a stepping stone for her to foray into playback singing, she remarks, “It was the very first season so the reach wasn’t that wide. When I was singing on the show, it felt like a college competition. But it felt great to have a legendary

composer like Khayyam saab give me the prize.”

Elaborating further on thechanges in singing reality shows now, she tells us, “These days, the shows have become cutthroat and well-defined. There is an economics to reality shows. Today, contestants have a makeup department to help them. Back then, there was no glamour. It was simple.”

THEN??Singer Sanjeevani Bhelande reveals how she moved from films to spiritual tracks

Rapper Snoop Dogg isbeing sued for posting aviral video on his

Instagram. The lawsuit is said to be worth $150,000.

The new copyright lawsuitclaims that the rapper posted a viral video, which showed footage of a protester trying to scale an office building in Manhattan, on his Instagram handle without permission, reports billboard.com.

In a case filed on October 18in Los Angeles federal court, FreedomNews.TV accused the rapper of stealing copyrighted

footage of the April incident.The media outlet has come

out to claim that the video on the rapper’s feed was an “exact copy” of their original, stating that he takes an “active and pervasive role” in what content is posted to the social media account.

The rapper is the latest starto face a copyright lawsuit over allegations of unlicensed material uploaded to Instagram. Earlier, singer Dua Lipa got into trouble for sharing a paparazzi image of herself. HTC

Snoop Dogg in legal trouble over Instagram video

simple way. Iam with my

friends andfamily, and go to

the gurudwara inthe morning to pray.

I was shooting forAdipurush this time.”

The mythology film has a star-studded cast and Singh couldn’t be happier about getting to work in such a film. “The best part is that the entire cast is great, everyone fits their character. Prabhas is like an

LEOJUL 23-AUG 23

LDon’t resort to sycophancyat work, it may provecounterproductive. Letyour work speak for itself.

Don’t fritter away money saved for animportant venture.LOVE FOCUS: You are quick to see yourpartner’s faults, while your ownescape your attention. LUCKY NUMBER: 3 LUCKY COLOUR:

Cream

VIRGOAUG 24-SEP 23

IOn the academic front,you will need to be afighter to make yourmark. An exercise routine

adopted by you will give positiveresults. LOVE FOCUS: Reminiscing about yourwedding day with your spouse will befulfilling. LUCKY NUMBER: 6 LUCKY COLOUR:Maroon

LIBRASEP 24-OCT 23

lA good reference canmake you stand a betterchance of landing a job.Be careful not to aggravate

a condition you are suffering from byindulging in self-medication.LOVE FOCUS: The situation on themarital front may improve. LUCKY NUMBER: 4 LUCKY COLOUR:Purple

SCORPIOOCT 24-NOV 22

SFinancially, you remainon a solid wicket and mayeven invest in the stockmarket. Wedding bells

may ring for someone eligible in thefamily. LOVE FOCUS: Partner can express thedesire to start a family, so besupportive. LUCKY NUMBER: 11 LUCKY COLOUR:

Orange

SAGITTARIUSNOV 23-DEC 21

sIt is important to utiliseyour spare time to workon your weaknesses onthe academic front. Today,

don’t give any chance to your boss totick you off. LOVE FOCUS: It is high time youcommenced your search for a lifepartner. LUCKY NUMBER: 1 LUCKY COLOUR:

Lemon

CAPRICORNDEC 22-JAN 21

cIf you have a flair forwriting, why not explorethis option. You may haveto reach deep into your

pocket to hire an attendant to takecare of a family elder. LOVE FOCUS: Lover may suggestmeeting at his/ her favourite hangoutplace. LUCKY NUMBER: 5 LUCKY COLOUR:Grey

AQUARIUSJAN 22-FEB 19

aBe more accommodatingof someone who hasnewly joined your office.Try not to overstep your

financial bounds as the budget isthere to be followed.LOVE FOCUS: Parents may not approveof the one you are in love with. LUCKY NUMBER: 17 LUCKY COLOUR:

White

PISCESFEB 20-MAR 20

PYou are likely to create am i l e s t o n e b yaccomplishing somethingimportant professionally.

Some of you may travel to anothercity to attend a wedding. LOVE FOCUS: You may find a partnermuch more understanding thanbefore. LUCKY NUMBER: 2 LUCKY COLOUR:Golden Brown

ARIESMAR 21-APR 20

ADon’t rest on your laurelsafter passing out of school;there is still so much toachieve. It is best not to

antagonise a senior at work overpetty issues. LOVE FOCUS: If you are leading yourown separate lives, it is time toreignite the romance. LUCKY NUMBER: 6 LUCKY COLOUR:

Rust

TAURUSAPR 21-MAY 20

TA target that you have setyour eyes on will finally beachieved, bringing yougreat relief. Your excellent

performance in a competitive exam islikely to brighten your chances ofclearing it. LOVE FOCUS: Newlyweds get to knoweach other better as they spend timetogether. LUCKY NUMBER: 18 LUCKY COLOUR: Red

GEMINIMAY 21-JUN 21

GA celebration is on thecards. Rent from aproperty may get delayed,but your tenant may have

a valid reason. LOVE FOCUS: Spouse appears in adifferent mood today, so give themspace. LUCKY NUMBER: 9 LUCKY COLOUR:

Golden Brown

CANCERJUN 22-JUL 22

CThose compelled to joinoffice may find workingf r o m h o m e m o r econvenient than attending

office. When life knocks you down,get up and give it another shot.LOVE FOCUS: Keep communicationlines open to prevent yourrelationship from breaking down. LUCKY NUMBER: 7 LUCKY COLOUR: BabyPink

{ CALVIN AND HOBBES I BILL WATTERSON }

Rishabh Suri

rishabh.suri@htlive.com

Actor Sunny Singh, who willbe seen next in the pan-India film, Adipurushalongside Prabhas, Kriti

Sanon and Saif Ali Khan, believes 2022 will be great. He is waiting for his projects to release soon, which have been stuck due to the pandemic.

“After the second lockdownwas lifted, everybody started working and theatres are opening, soit is all good. My pending film, Adipurush is my most-awaited film. We have a few days of shoot left, so we are finishing it. Then I have three-four more films lined up. The year 2022 is going to be great,” says Singh, who turned 36 on October 6.

The Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018)actor is not big on birthdays, and likes them to be simple affairs, which was the case this time around too. Singh tells us, “They are good, but boring, aapki sirf age badh jaati hai (laughs). I celebrate it in a

I don’t think Prabhas knows he is a star: Sunny

PHOTO: SARANG

GUPTA/HT

P Prabhas is like

an elder brother

and we have that

chemistry, on and

off camera.

SUNNY SINGH, Actor

Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar saidthat the Hindi film industry isunder the scanner because of its

“high profile” nature and it is the “price” it has to pay.

His statement comes at a time whenthere is a renewed attention on Bollywood after Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested in connection with a case of alleged seizure of drugs from a cruise ship.

When asked if he feels that Bollywood is being targeted with raids, Akhtar said, “This is the price the film industry has to pay for being high profile. When you’re high profile, people have fun pulling you down.”

Earlier this month, Aryan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. Without taking names,

Akhtar said the superstar’s son’s case got more attention than an alleged “one billion dollar” drug recovery from a port. “You find cocaine worth one billion dollars at a port, somewhere else there were 1200 people where ganja and cash worth ₹1,30,000 is found, according to media reports. Now this has become national news but I haven’t seen any headline on the billion dollar cocaine,” he added.

When asked specifically if he feels SRK and Aryan Khan are being targeted, Akhtar refused to elaborate. The lyricist expressed his views at a book launch in Mumbai. PTI

Kavita Awaasthi

Actor Satyajeet Dubey isthrilled that his OTTdebut, Mumbai Diaries

26/11, has been well-received and his character, Ahaan Mirza, was appreciated. Dubey reveals that when he met with filmmaker Nikkhil Advani and read the script, he knew he had to be a part of it. He says, “Jo screen pe hai, woh behtar hi hai. On the script level, I felt it was a compelling story that I had to be a part of.”

However, Dubey was in nohurry to jump on the OTT bandwagon. He reveals, “OTT’s been in India for four years but it boomed after 2020. I didn’t want to be a part of projects for the heck of it. Sometimes, you have to wait for the right kind of roles.”

The actor made his debut with Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011) and is busy shooting with actor Revathi for Aye Zindagi.

He admits that though he has done films, he never got the kind of reception that he did for Mumbai Diaries 26/11. “The recognition was long due. People are paying attention to me. I have been at it but it takes time for some people to get noticed. I had to wait 10 years for recognition. I hope filmmakers exploit the talent that I have to offer,” he says.

Satyajeet Dubey

Satyajeet waited 10 years for recognition: People are paying attention to me now

Javed Akhtar on Aryan Khan’s arrest: Price to pay for fame

Javed AkhtarPHOTO: SATISH BATE/HT Aryan

Khan

.◄ Rapper Snoop Dogg is facing a new copyright lawsuit over viral video

PHOTO: MIKE

BLAKE/REUTERS

03NEW DELHITHURSDAYOCTOBER 21, 2021 lifestyle

Rajkummar Rao is currently promoting Hum Do Hamare Do

BobbyDeol’snext isApne 2

Celeb style: On point!

Meetings, promotions,shoots and releases —celebs sure have their

hands full, but are always dressed to impress! Actor Mrunal Thakur was clicked at a trailer launch in a pastel bodycon dress, while actor Rajkummar Rao took the ethnic route for promotions, donning a kurta set and a printed jacket. Meanwhile, actors Ananya Panday and Bobby Deol kept it casual while out and about. HTC

Ringing in the festive season with family and friends are these actors, satiating their wanderlust

Shahid Kapoor stepped out on a dreamy, romantic date under the stars with his wife, Mira Rajput Kapoor, at a beachside restaurant. Couples, take note!

Mouni Roy spent time at an ashram along the Kollam-Kottapuram waterway in God’s own country, Kerala. She shared a click of herself against the backdrop of lush greenery, with wind blowing through her tresses

Ananya Panday will soon be seen in Liger PHOTOS: YOGEN SHAH

The trailerof MrunalThakur’s

Dhamakahas

garneredimmense

praise

JET, SET, VACAY!

Janhvi Kapoor is enjoying some time off in the lap of Nature at Queen of the Hills, Mussoorie, with her squad. The actor shared glimpses from her vacation in the hills, in which she is seen practising yoga. For those craving a serene retreat, look no further!

Cricketer Virat Kohli is spending quality time with his wife, actor Anushka Sharma and daughter Vamika in Dubai. He recently a posted a picture-perfect click of them enjoying a sumptuous breakfast

PHOTOS: INSTAGRAM

MALAIKAARORA

If you feel like going OTT thisKarwa Chauth, opt for a heavilyembroidered lehenga like this

red-ivory one by Annu’s creation, which looks stunning

on Malaika. Elegant jewelleryand a sleek hairdo add

the perfect amount of glam.

Compiled by Shruti Shende

Choose from a range of sarees and lehengas for this festival, which is on Sunday. While shades of red remain the top choice, you can look beyond, inspired by Bollywood divas

KATRINAKAIF

The actor looked every bitstunning in this Sabyasachi

orange-brown net saree and printedfull sleeved blouse with a plunging

neckline. If you’re going in for something similar, opt for simple

jewellery like Katrina, who has donned just a pair of earrings. Also,

ensure you go for naturalmakeup and a nice round

bindi.

KIARAADVANI

If you want to take your fashiongame up a notch, take cues from Kiara Advani, who dazzles in this

Geethika Kanumilli blood red lehenga and blouse, perfectly paired with

golden jewellery. You can either do up your hair in a middle part sleek

bun like Kiara, or opt for softwaves, with this

ensemble.

PHOTOS: INSTAGRAM

KAJOLDEVGAN

If you want to ditch red, Kajol’s rani pink Punit Balana

saree with delicate resham work, paired with a resham and mirror

embroidered blouse, is the perfect choice! To amp up the look, you can opt for embellished golden

jewellery and carry anembroidered

potli.

Celebrate Karwa Chauth in style, courtesy celebs SARA ALI

KHAN This voluminous red printed

lehenga by Anita Dongre, with intricate gold work, and strappy fittedcholi complement each other perfectly,

making for a comfortable yet stylish look. While opting for this, remember to keep your jewellery minimal like Sara, with a

simple maang tikka and a pair of earrings. You can also let your hair

down in beachy waves for amore sophisticated look.

BHUMIPEDNEKAR

The actor looks ravishing in thisall-red custom lehenga by Manishii,

with delicate embroidery on the dupatta. The spaghetti strap blouse adds a dose of glam to the otherwise

simple yet elegant outfit. She completed the look with silver

jewellery, open hairdo andminimal makeup.

Looks like Raveena Tandon is having the time of her life with her family in Los Angeles, USA. Apart from spending some quality time, the actor also seems ready to ring in Halloween!

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife, writer Tahira Kashyap Khurrana are taking time off from their hectic work schedules to soak in some vitamin ‘sea’

Tune in on

hubhopper

Best Podcast

COMEDY

After Hours MalayalisZayaan and Sameer

Create your own podcast forfree on studio.hubhopper.com

04NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021my city

As with the change in weather comes the threat of catching cold and cough, some denizens are stocking up on vitamin C pills and kadha to boost their immunity. “We need to be careful when such kind of a weather change happens,” says Shivani Jaiswal, a dentist from Anand Lok, adding, “I’ve bought vitamin C tablets and other basic medicines for cold and cough. I’m also going to wear only full-sleeve clothes from now on, especially when I step out in the evenings. I don’t want to fall sick during the festival time!”

hain! So yes, our winter shopping has begun,” says Shubhendra Kumar, an IT professional from Greater Kailash I.

Some like Ashish Jain, an entrepreneur from Adarsh Nagar, have started carrying light winter wear to work, to use as needed. “Since it rained after Dussehra, I had to carry a jacket with me to battle cold. The centralised AC in office is another reason that made me do this, nahin toh meri kulfi jam jaati,” says Jain.

Anjuri Nayar Singh

Owing to extremely highdownpour earlier this week,Delhi has witnessed asudden change in weather. A

nip in the air is being observed during early morning and late evening hours. And this has made Twitter abuzz with talks of how winter is here!

From pulling out some light winter wear to lugging along jackets or stoles, especially to their workplaces, denizens are indulging in it all to adjust to the instant weather change. “It’s that kind of thand jahaan fan mein thand lagti hai aur nahin chalao toh garmi. Especially in the evenings, you do need a light jacket or something warm to cover the arms,” says Samridhi Verma, a teacher from Kalkaji Extension, adding, “Of course it’ll only get cooler now. And keeping that in mind I’ve already unpacked my daughter’s and my winter wear, and arranged it in our wardrobes. These will be required pretty soon...”

With the dip in mercury setting the tone for arrival of winter, some Delhiites have even started shopping for winter clothes. “My wife was aftermy life to order new clothes for Diwali. We got married recently, and this is going to be our first Diwali together! But ab thand itni ho gayi hai toh she has told me ki winter ke kapde abhi hi cart mein daal dete

PI’m going to

wear only full-sleeve clothes from

now on... I don’t want to fall sick during the

festival time.SHIVANI JAISWAL,

Dentist

PAb thand itni ho

gayi hai toh my wifehas told me ki winter ke kapde abhi hi cart

mein daal dete hai.SHUBHENDRA KUMAR, IT

professional

#DilliKiSardi: Unseasonal heavy rains make denizens brace for a cold spell

Sudden change in weather has got the internet abuzz with posts about arrival of winter PHOTOS: TWITTER

‘UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES’ It’s a human mentality to avoid change, says Dr Imran Noorani, a city-based psychologist. “It has to do with not understanding how important the issue is,” he says. Moreover, creating an effective password is important. Ankur Tripathi, an MNC professional, says, “Use combination of at least 10 characters, which could be anything but not your basic information.”

Anjuri Nayar Singh

anjuri.singh@hindustantimes.com

Online shopping forfestivals is takingplace in full swing,for many. And whynot, for pre-Diwali is

the time when one lets loose all restrictions on budget to enjoy the festivities. But, give it a pause and think and reply: When did you last change your account password? If the answer is taking a long time to come to you, then know that your accounts wouldn’t be as safe as needed. Indeed, better safe than sorry, so you can do a course correction even now.

#gramit

Deewana hua badal... After the recent rains, the sky has been a mix of clear and cloudy patterns, providing enough inspiration to denizens for the ’gram! As clouds hover over the Raisina Hills in the Capital, many moods of the city sky urges the onlooker to seize the moment. And that’s exactly what this lensman does, in quite a poetic expression!

PHOTO: RAVI CHOUDHARY/PTI

#culturecapsule

THE PORCELAIN ROSE This art exhibition showcases the work of artist Paula Sengupta, who is also an archivist and an ethnographer. Themed around flora and fauna, the displayed artworks are an amalgamation of chintz, digital photo prints, and animation.Where: www.galleryespace.comOn till: October 24

RAGAAZ UTSAVOver 60 students of music will perform in this high pace show. Alongside them, there will be a soulful rendition by classical musicians Mohd Amaan andFareed Hasan Khan. Amaan represents the intricate singing style of Agra and Patiyala gharanas whereas Khan comes from the lineage of Delhi Gharana.Where: Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurugram When: October 23Timing: 5pm

‘DON’T USE EASY CODES’Gaurav Sharma, DCP (Southwest), Delhi Police, recently tweeted how important it is to change the passwords regularly and not use easy codes. Sharma says, “The most important thing is that you don’t ever share it with anyone! Many have the habit of delegating things... we give our card to someone and ask to do a transaction. That needs to stop!”

‘VAULT PASSWORD AS 123456?’KPS Malhotra, DCP (cyber, special cell), Delhi Police, says people must be very careful as everything nowadays is connected to your bank account. “Will you keep the password of your safety vault at home as 123456? No, right? So you also need to value your cyber safety and security. Guard your cyber credentials well and be safe online and in life,” he says.

Surge in online shopping brings cyber security back in the spotlight

WHEN DID YOU LAST CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD?

Can’t remember! There is a lot of confusion when you change your password, says Sonali Kutariyar, a Noida-based banker, adding, “It’s difficult to remember a new one. In the bank, we need to change password every two weeks just to mitigate risk of cyber fraud . In my organisation, there is multi-factor authentication that leads to remembering many passwords at the same time, which creates chaos. So for personal things, I keep an easy password.”

Autofill to the rescue“When everything is fed in the phone, it gets easy to use your accounts,” says Bhavna Bansal, an IT professional from Naraina, adding: “Though I do want to organise my passwords as per the accounts such as a different one for shopping and different for office or banking. But, I’ll have to do it manually, and if God forbid I don’t remember it, then it’s a whole process to get out of that game called — forgot password!”

Reasons behind laxity in changing passwords

Confusing mandates Shubhangi Jeswal, a dance teacher from Noida, fails to wrap her head around all the mandates that a password demands on varied websites. “Most of the apps want specific passwords that include special characters, numbers, uppercase, lowercase and what not. Getting this combination right is at times like solving a maths problem! Every time I try to make a new password, it takes several attempts to finally get it right,” she shares.

What do the experts say?

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KICK-START YOURSUNDAYWITH

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pps

ofandwidthun.o consume less data too.

one, go to Call Settings and turn

o he Low DataUsage option. OnAndroid

devices, choose theUse Less Data setting for

calls. Since I made these changes, I have

noticed no perceptible difference in speed

or the quality of calls.Don’t lose sight either of cross-trackers,

adware, and potentialmalware. They’re all

over, tracking everythingwe do and

up bandwidth as they do this

tiest tools I’ve come

rary boosnew plan.

ooster and simultaneousl

ooking into how much data we

ere consuming, andwhy. Things began to

fall into place.We’re all taking cheap band-

width for granted, I realised, and do not any

longer follow best practices when online.

Most ofmy family’s bandwidth consump-

tionwas taken up by video—classroom ses-

sions, workmeetings, get-togethers. Was it

necessary to do it all in high-definition video

though? Of course not.

Onmost of the video-calling appswe use,

the default is set to 720p. With everyone

logged on over hours, this consumes a heck

of a lot of bandwidth. When reduced to

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nta,erge

Havinggy

college, he eventually completed a Bache-

lors degree and a Masters in zoology. “In

my free time, I would sit on the banks of the

river near the Patna university and watch

the dolphins emerge from thewater,” says

Sinha, now 67.He would go on to teach zoology at the

university, and earn a PhD in the hydrobiol-

ogy of the Ganga. This meant studying the

river, its water quality, and species such as

the otter, turtle and, of course, the Gangetic

dolphin. So little had the Ganga’s hiol-

ogy been studied at that

warned him hewasby then I haAs

hat had started toworry him: it

ed like thereweren’t as many dolphins

in the water as there used to be. He wasn’t

wrong.When Sinha beganwork on his PhD

in the 1980s, dolphins were still being indis-

criminately slaughtered in the Ganga,

mainly for their oil, which was prized as

bait for catfish and for its supposedly

medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. Cou-

pled with a slow birth rate (dolphins only

reach sexualmaturity at age 10, gestation is

ninemonths, and females have just one calf

at a time), their population was plummet-

ing. (While the slaughter stopped in the

1990s, a new threat now looms: pollution

and the degradation of their habitat.)

Themore he learnt, themore Sinhawor-

ried. “What would I dowithmy research if

the species didn’t even survive,” he says. He

began talking to fishermen, students

policy makers about alternativ

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artificial intelligence (AI), is allowing

researchers to recreate — much more

exactly — the works under masterpieces.

Pablo Picasso’s 1902 The Crouching Beg-

gar, for instance, hides a painting by Santi-

ago Rusiñol, Picasso’s contemporary and a

leader of the Catalan Modernism move-

ment. Twenty-nine years after the painting

beneath the painting was first discovered

using radiography, it has been resurrected

sing AI- and 3D-based technology. The

ork (it is being called a NeoMaster) was a

laboration between the US-based Oxia

us, an AI startup on a mission to resur-

ost art, andMORF, a digital art gallery.

usiñol is a lesser-known but very sig-

t artist,” says Anthony Bourached,

der of Oxia Palus. “We thought it

sed the extreme value of our tech-

bring to light artists and work that

the visibility they deserved.”

den painting is of a garden

e the Parc del Laberint d’Horta

na. A machine learning pro-

d several Rusiñol paintings

d with a height map (essen-

enabled paint to be layered

d the textures of brush-

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a Girl.the first of an era ofrecting art that willr understanding ofsays Bourached.gs on canvas ofed from $11,111e thousands ofcovered,” saysf MORF.

RATING GAZE } TECH PEEKS INTO ART

tery. Availa-owsers, it can be

desktop and phone with a

ick. This kills ads, prevents cross-

racking, andmakes browsing the internet

safer and faster.

ncess. I can’tte anyone peering

. hat is why I pay Rs 900

r to Stoop Inbox for an email

dress that I use for all my subscriptions

and purchases. It prevents cross-tracking

and helps protect my privacy online.

While on the subject of cross-tracking, I

figured this out a little late and regret that

quite a bit. Using your real identity to post

reviews on platforms such as Amazon is

bad idea. There are “scrapers” that

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9. After a betting affair many

years ago, the BITS Pilani Dubai

campus banned cards.

10. Yamini and Javed were

childhood sweethearts, but

broke up when they went to

college.11. The card player learned her

skills as a kid at the Club at the

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Dubai graduate.13. Javed’s wedding was held in

his bride’s hometown,

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marry?2. Which of the four women

went to the original Pilani

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Adigitallyrestored imageofQueenandAttendants(above), froma6thcenturypainting fromtheBadamicaves, is thethird Indiandeposit at theArcticWorldArchive. (Left)Theuntouchedphotographofthepainting.BENOY BEHLment advisory firm that previously depos-ited a selection of digitally restored photo-graphs of India’s oldest cave paintings, theones atMaharashtra’s Ajanta caves. Thoseimages, of Buddhist art that dates back tothe 2nd century BCE, were also by Behl.(The third, and earliest, Indian deposit wasa digital excerpt of the Bhagavad Gita inSanskrit, Hindi and English, handed over in2018.)Titled Queen andAttendants, the Badami

photograph depicts a regal figure beingwaited upon by attendants. The original hassuffered so much wear and tear, over its1,500 years on the stone wall, that there arestill brown patches in the digital restora-tion, where Behl says there just wasn’tenough evidence of what colours or lines touse.When you have been studying awork for

decades, he adds, “you reach a point whereyou are able to make a genuine attempt torestore the art and retain the gentlenesswith which it was made, but not a scratchmore than the evidence points to”.He selected this painting as his subject,

Behl says, because, even though very little ofit survives, it is enough to establish a contin-uous tradition of painting in ancient India.“It is evidence that the painting traditioncontinued in India after the Buddhist paint-ings at Ajanta.”These paintings are believed to have beencreated by successive generations of thesame painters’ guilds as those whoworkedtAjanta andEllora. “That iswhywe see theame inward look and gentleness of expres-on in the paintings in the Badami cave, ase saw in Ajanta,” Behl says.“Ajanta signifies Buddhist culture andens the door to key cultures across Asia.s work, Queen and Attendants, focuseshe Hindu tradition, and establishes thep influence of theHindu faith in the vari-traditions we see today,” says Hardikani, director and COO of Sapio Analyt-From the context of Indian culture, thisst surviving painting of the Hindu tra-is important enough to be preservedr.”

e barren land-ther, a brigadier and leader of

troops, struggles to write to his wife; hedoesn’t know how to tell her that their son,a captain he sent into combat, is dead.The Chinese are depicted as cartoonish

characters capable of horrific deception andcruelty, but Anand never loses sight of thehorrors of war. There is plenty of patrioticdialogue but the suffering of the soldiersisn’t glossed over. At one point, a platoonalmost gives up. A soldier says it would bebetter if theywere dead. The camera lingerson scores of dead bodies.At another point, soldiers sit down to singplaintively of their loved onboormujh

e spec-he Vickyin 2019outmeneleasedafe butBatra,e Kar-was posthumously

e the Param Vir Chakra; and Bhuj:The Pride of India, an incoherent train-wreck set during the 1971 India P kiconflict, about a sVij

artik Aaryan leads a rescuemission(it’s not yet clear exactly where); and Ekkis,in which Varun Dhawan plays Param VirChakra awardee Second Lieutenant ArunKhetarpal.These tales of valour and sacrifice speakto the current zeitgeist of nationalism thatoften veers into chest-thumping jingoism. Acase in point is Bhuj, which prioritises Paki-stan-bashing over storytelling.What’s cu ious is that despite the tand si

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Anupama Kundoo

with

Rachel Lopez

rachel.lopez@htlive.com

Anupama Kundoo is the to

p Indian

architect you’ve probably never

heardof.Her portfolio isn’t stuffed

with luxury hotels, ambitious sub-

urban townships or extravagant

office plazas. She doesn’t have a

bullpen of 200 architectswho exe-

cute designs inhername.She’s not

besties with a socialite orBollywood star.

Instead, Kundoo, 54, hasworked largely out of Pud

-

ucherry since 1990,with acore teamof six, on proje

cts

thatwouldbe consideredcareer suicidebycommer

cial

builders. She’s built a beautiful centre for homel

ess

children, creating domedrooms fromhandmade clay

bricks fired from within; a kiln that hardens into a

home. She’s developedunique Full-FillHomes, a sys

tem

of modular crates cast inferrocement, which can

be

assembled in roughly a week with little constructi

on

knowledge.Hernext big project, Line ofGoodwill, c

ov-

ers housing and hotels for 8,000 in Auroville. No t

all

towers, just compact clusters that rise at one endof

the

city and slope down to reach the ground at the oth

er

end.Kundoodoesn’t talk like a

narchitect. She references

DNAstructure, the interconnectedness ofmushroo

ms

and the murmuration ofbirds, when discussing h

er

work. And her projects take time. They involvem

ass

labour rather thanmassconstruction,withmater

ials

developed for the locationand from it. Her ownhom

e,

Wall House in Auroville,used handmademud bri

cks

over polluting factory-made ones. Its terracotta r

oof

wasdevelopedwith ideasfromlocalpotters. Theres

ult:

a sleek, avant-garde home that is still indisputab

ly

Indian.WallHousehas becomea

sort of calling card forKun-

doo. It’s been featured ininternational design mag

a-

zines and architecture journals. She replicated it, br

ick

bybrick, at theVeniceArchitectureBiennale in 2016

. It

was showcased in the India episode of the Apple

TV

series Home last year.This yearhas broughtmo

repraise. InMay, the Inter-

nationalUnion ofArchitects awardedher theAugu

ste

Perret Prize forTechnology inArchitecture. Lastwe

ek,

the Royal Institute of British Architects chose her

for

the RIBA Charles JencksAward, which she is set

to

receive in November.The accolades andattenti

on comeas a surprise. “I’ve

always wanted to be part of a solution rather tha

n a

problem,” says Kundoo,from Berlin, where she now

lives. “I only notice thatI’ve done things differen

tly

when people point it out.”

Kundoopickedherpathearly, startingherownpra

c-

tice straight after graduating fromMumbai’s Sir JJ

Col-

lege ofArchitecture in 1989. “I knew if I joined a firm

in

Bombay, I’d be amicro-component of something th

at I

wouldn’t even enjoy. I figured, if I was that irrelev

ant,

mydroppingout of the systemwouldbe irrelevant

too.

I didn’t want towait to dowhat I wanted.”

What shedid insteadwasworkwithmodernist archi-

tect RogerAnger inAuroville, “a place people thin

k of

as Utopia but is really theR&D lab of theworld”. It

let

her experimentwithnon-commercial, sustainable te

ch-

niques long before green-buildingwas a construct

ion

industry catchphrase. Theprojects alsohelpedher ea

rn

aPhD in 2008, andallowedher to teachat top institut

es

likeYale and theParsons School ofDesign inNewYo

rk.

“She’s unlike anyone I’ve met,” says Sekar Sokka

-

lingam, who has workedwith Kundoo for 23 year

s,

graduating from painter’s assistant to carpenter,

plumber, electrician, contractor onWallHouse, an

d is

nowaheritage conservator. “Anu is talented. Butmo

re

than that, she has a goodheart. She has credited us

on

every project, introducedus by name, treated us li

ke

equals.”Sokkalingamwaspart of t

he team that accompanied

Kundoo toVenice in 2016and recalls that participa

nts

were assigned separatelocations from their crews

when prizes were announced. “Her concern was

not

winning or losing, but that she wouldn’t accept a

ny

award if we were not able to get on stage too. For

me,

that’s a prize in itself.”That egalitarianism exemplifies herwork—d

esign

that considershumans inrelation toeachother, to th

eir

location and to their environment, rather than spe

edy

projects that addno valueto the communities inwh

ich

they reside. “Systems thatsaveus timearewonderfu

l,”

Kundoo says. “But howare youusing all thoseminu

tes

freedupby slicedbread andwashingmachines? It on

ly

matters if you’re spending them to build a better

world.”

Since 1990, the architect has been building sustainable

, socially conscious,

projects in Auroville and beyond. Her work draws on th

e indigenous and the

international. It’s labour-intensive, but low cost. Now, t

he world is taking notice

insightOnsite,

Among AnupamaKundoo’s mostacclaimed projects isa home for homelesschildren inPuducherry. Thedomed rooms aremade up of claybricks handmade

ll nd fired

1 Kundoo, 54, has created

unique Full-Fill Homes,

modular crates cast in

ferrocement, whichcan be assembledcheaply in about aweek, with minimumconstructionexperience. Most of the

furniture is built-in,lowering costs further

2 Her biggest projectyet is Line ofGoodwill, urbanhousing and hotelsfor 8,000 in Auroville.

These are compactclusters that rise atone end of the cityand slope down to

ound atthe other end.

3

JAVIER CALLEJAS

LUNA BUCHERER - KOPI

ANDREAS DEFFNER;

IMAGING: MALAY KARMAKAR

NEW DELHISUNDAYAUGUST 29, 2021

11

Get access to interesting articles, newsmaker profilesand news-you-can-use pieces on culture, gadgetry,lifestyle and mental health.

06NEW DELHITHURSDAY

OCTOBER 21, 2021

When it comes to exfoliation, we have three main options — Alpha Hydroxy Acids, Beta Hydroxy Acids, and PolyHydroxy Acids. Alpha Hydroxy Acids are small molecules that work to induce the skin to self-exfoliate. They work on the skin cells that are full of water. Some AHAs also can help reduce pigmentation. Beta Hydroxy Acids are lipophilic, meaning they are oil-loving. This means they penetrate into the follicles or pores, and help reduce oil secretion while exfoliating within the pores. It helps in blackheads, acne, and even on the body for calluses. Poly Hydroxy Acids have larger molecules than AHAs. So they are less effective at pigmentation, but better when it comes to gentle exfoliation.

Now what to choose? You can mix and combine them but best under the supervision of a skin specialist.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are

author's personal.

How to choose the right chemical exfoliant?

#theburningquestion

Dr Kiran Sethi, Integrative aesthetic and skin specialist, founder of Isya Aesthetics

Amyra raises the fitness bar Inspiring her followers on the gram, actor Amyra Dastur often shares her workout sessions. In her recent Insta stories, she was seen balancing her entire body on her feet, while holding weight with her hands. The stomach and weight exercise demonstrated can correct one’s body posture.

Leg day in style for Karishma TannaActor-model Karishma Tanna sure knows how to keep it stylish while working out. In her recently uploaded Instagram post, she can be seen working out in the gym wearing a neon tank top and shiny fitted gym bottoms. The bright athleisure combination of neons and black with a high ponytail made her look ready to nail her leg day regimen. Tanna captioned the post, “Neon and Me, #gym #legday #mood #ootd.” Inspired to break into a sweat in style, yet?

PHOTOS: INSTAGRAM

PLack of exercise,obesity and high

alcohol consumption greatly add to the rise in breast cancer cases.

DR DEEPAK KUMAR JAIN, Surgical

oncologist

HTC

Making ‘room’ for mental healthA project, La Lloreria, or the Crying Room housed in a building in central Madrid, aims to remove the stigma attached to mental health, crying and seeking help. With signs like “Enter and cry,” and “I too have anxiety,” glowing in

pink, it is a safe haven for people battling mental health issues. “It is a really excellent idea to visualise mental health issues. It is stigmatised to cry in Spain,” said Jon Nelssom, a Swedish student who lives in the Spanish capital.

For a calm mind and bodyThe Jannat girl, Sonal Chauhan recently shared a photo of herself doing Tolasana in lilac activewear. The actor explained the benefits of the asana in her caption: “Tolasana is an advanced asana that creates fire in the body, focus in the mind, and brings balance to your practice.” When are you getting your yoga mat out?

Inflammation? Orange juice to the rescue! A study published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, suggests that drinking 100% orange juice significantly reduces interleukin 6, a well-established marker of inflammation, in both healthy and high-risk adults. The review examined published studies relating to orange juice and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. The review was conducted by the Think Healthy Group and researchers at Tufts University and George Mason University.

#inbriefPHOTO: JUAN MEDINA/REUTER

NEW DELHIOCTOBER 21, 2021

Scan here

to visit

HTHealth

HEALTHon Thursday

Swati Chaturvedi

swati.chaturvedi@hindustantimes.com

October is observed asBreast Cancer AwarenessMonth across the globe.Breast cancer, one of themost prevalent forms of

cancer, is characterised by uncontrolled growth of cells, which results in formation of lumps within the breast. It is one of the treatable forms of cancer. But it can be a life-threatening disease, if not detected early, as it can spread to other parts of the body. Read on to learn more about the disease and how you can prevent it from affecting you and your loved ones.

Risk factorsWhile there are some risk factors

that you can’t change such as your age and genes, a rise in the number of breast cancer cases also points towards some lifestyle related factors. “There are a number of reasons, starting from late marriages to birthing children late. Also, not breastfeeding one’s newborn. In some cases, it’s also attributed to hormonal replacement therapy,” says Dr Shelly Singh, gynaecologist.

Naming some other common lifestyle mistakes, surgical oncologist Dr Deepak Kumar Jain adds, “Lack of exercise, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking greatly add to the rise in the number of cases.”

Excess fat or obesity increases the risk of getting breast cancer. “Excess body fat increases the oestrogen levels in a woman’s body. Oestrogen makes hormone receptor positive, which in turn, helps breast cancer to develop. Increased insulin levels have been linked to breast cancer. Moreover, increased plasma cholesterol in obese women leads to accelerated tumour formation. Obesity also leads to chronic low-level inflammation,” elaborates senior gynaecologist Dr Neha Khandelwal.

SymptomsDifferent people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Dr Jain points out the warning signs, “The

usual first sign is a painless lump/mass in the breast. Also, changes in the size or shape of a breast. A dimpling or thickening of some of the skin on a part of a breast is a sign too.” A swelling or lump in an armpit is also experienced by some. “Inverted nipple and scaling of the breast or a nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood are other symptoms,” says Dr Singh.

Myths FINDING A LUMP IN YOUR

BREAST MEANS YOU HAVE

BREAST CANCER

“Every lump is not cancer. Get yourself seen by oncologist for correct opinion,” says Dr Jain.

BREAST CANCER IS

CONTAGIOUS

“No cancer is contagious. They do not spread by touching, eating food or sharing things” says Dr Jain.

ANTIPERSPIRANTS AND

DEODORANTS CAUSE BREAST

CANCER

“Some people believe it is because of antiperspirants, that hasn’t been proved,” says Dr Singh

Prevention is better than cureEAT HEALTHY

“Eating healthy and eating mindfully helps in controlling weight and reducing the risk,” says Dr Khandelwal. A healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is recommended.

AVOID TOO MUCH ALCOHOL

While moderate drinking can be good for the heart in older adults, even low levels of intake can increase the risk of breast cancer.

BEING AWARE

For most women, regular mammograms begin at age 40. “Self-examination is required for all girls in the age group of 25-39 years. Preventive mammograms should be encouraged in women in the age group of 40- 55 years once in every two years,” Dr Singh.

BREASTFEED, IF POSSIBLE

Breastfeeding for a total of one year or more lowers the risk of breast cancer. It also has great health benefits for the child.

DON’T SMOKE

On top of lowering quality of life and increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and at least 15 cancers — including breast cancer — it also causes bad teeth and wrinkles. Now that’s motivation to stay smoke-free!

FEEL FIT, INSIDE & OUT

The journey

towards holistic

health

Our overall well-being can only be possible when there is a fine balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health

Jinnie Gogia Chugh

The pandemic taught usthat there are no shortcuts to good

health. Our health goals have now shifted from trying to achieve a ‘perfect body’ to accomplishing holistic wellness, which means being fit from the inside out.

Head-to-toe holistic wellness is only possible when there is a fine balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health, along with a robust immune system. Be it Zumba or Pilates or any other

workout regime, and the fanciest of diet plans, wholesome wellness will remain a distant dream unless you work on each aspect of your well-being that are interconnected.

A wholesome combinationof nutritious food, working out, sound sleep, meditation, spending time in good company, working on your immunity and strengthening your spiritual side is important to heal and feel good from the inside out.

Here are a few simple tipsto make your health journey enriching:

2 3 4 5

1

MEDITATION CAN

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Meditation is said to have a magical impact on all aspects of your well-being. Take out at least 10 minutes every day to meditate. It will help reduce stress and anxiety, increase focus and improve your decision-making ability.

WORK OUT DAILY

AND MAKE IT FUN

Pick up any form of physical exercise that you enjoy. It will protect you from a number of health risks, help you manage weight, bring down your cholesterol level and keep you fit and energetic. Take up running, cycling, yoga or swimming — whatever you enjoy the most.

VITAMIN C INFUSED

GREEN TEA

Have a cup of green tea everyday. Comforting and soothing, it will help you relax and de-stress. Loaded with antioxidants, green tea has multiple health benefits. You can go for vitamin C infused green tea. Vitamin C is known to strengthen your immunity.

MAKE WISE FOOD

CHOICES

Eat food the way God intended it to be — fresh, healthy and healing. Avoid spicy, overcooked, processed foods, aerated drinks and sugary packaged juices. Include fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs in your diet, along with healthy fats.

EMOTIONAL DISTRESS IS HARMFUL FOR YOUR

MIND, BODY AND SOUL

Let go of negative emotions and be generous to yourself. This is the beginning of healing. Do not hold on to grudges and cultivate compassion. Also spend time in the company of those who make you feel better. Bonding with Nature is also very healing.

PSet yourself free from FOMO, the ‘fear of missing out’, which is often a major cause of stress in our life. JINNIE GOGIA CHUGH, Wellness expert

With Breast Cancer Awareness Month underway, experts help decode

‘PINK’ OF HEALTH: ALL ABOUT BREAST CANCER

common myths related to it

the disease and debunk some

PHOTOS:SHUTTERSTOCK (FORREPRESENTATIONAL

PURPOSE ONLY)

PHOTO: HTCS

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