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As India saluted thePulwama martyrs on

Friday, unsavoury politicserupted over the terror attacklast year that killed 40 CRPFjawans with the Oppositionand the ruling BJP engaging ina bitter war of words.

Congress leader RahulGandhi asked about the bene-ficiary of the terror strike andthe CPI(M) questioned theneed for a memorial to “remindof our incompetence”. The BJPcame out with a stinging attackterming Rahul’s remarks“shameful” and recalling he hasbeen a “known sympathiser ofLeT and JeM” even as PrimeMinister Narendra Modi saidthe country will never forgetthe sacrifice of the martyrs.

Union Ministers RajnathSingh, Smriti Irani andHardeep Puri and Delhi ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal wereamong those who rememberedthe martyres of the February 14terror attack on a convoy car-rying CRPF personnel.

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Taking strong note of thenon-compliance of its

order, the Supreme Courtexpressed displeasure over anorder passed by theDepartment of Telecom’s deskofficer staying the effect of itsverdict in the adjusted grossrevenue (AGR) matter.

Is there no law left in thecountry, an “anguished” SCasked on Friday while directingthe top echelons of telecomfirms to explain why contemptaction should not be takenagainst them for non-compli-ance of its order to pay adjust-ed gross revenue of �1.47 lakh

crore to the telecom department.Soon after the SC rap, the

telecom department beganissuing orders, directing com-panies such as Bharti Airtel andVodafone Idea to clear duesbefore Friday (February 14)midnight. The order issued onFriday by the UP (West)Telecom Circle asked “all tele-com service providers” to cleardues by 11.59 pm Friday. “Withreference to subject cited above,you are hereby directed tomake the payment of out-standing dues of licence fee andspectrum usage charges by14.02.2020, 11:59 PM posi-tively,” it said.

One of the telecom opera-

tors, who did not wish to benamed, confirmed the receiptof the said order from the cir-cle. While in all, 15 entities owethe Government �1.47 lakhcrore — �92,642 crore inunpaid licence fee and anoth-er �55,054 crore in outstandingspectrum usage charges, it isnot immediately clear just howmuch of that has been soughtby the Government byFebruary 14 midnight.

The order issued the circle-

based Controller ofCommunication Accountscame after the telecom depart-ment earlier on Friday with-drew its order that asked for nocoercive action against telecomcompanies defaulting on statu-tory dues payment.

Hearing pleas filed byVodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel,and Tata Teleservices seekingmore time for payment of AGRrelated dues, the SC expressedserious displeasure as to how a

desk officer can pass such anorder which stays the effect ofthe apex court’s judgment.

“How can a desk officer dothis to the SC’s order. Is this thelaw of the country. Is this theway you treat the courts,” athree-member SC bench said.

Justice Arun Mishra, whowas heading the bench, said,“We don’t know who is creat-ing this nonsense. Who is gen-erating all this? Is there no lawleft in the country? I am liter-ally anguished. I feel I shouldnot work in this court and inthis system. I am veryanguished. I am saying thiswith full sense of responsibili-ty. I don’t get angry like this, but

I am totally lost how to work inthis system and this country.”

Solicitor General TusharMehta tendered an apologybefore the bench also com-prising Justice S Abdul Nazeerand Justice MR Shah, and saidthe desk officer cannot do this.

“As the solicitor general ofthe country, have you askedhim (desk officer) to with-draw this? This cannot be tol-erated. We cannot function inthis fashion. Let us wind up theSupreme Court if your deskofficer has this audacity. Newsreports are being published.Who is sponsoring all this?” theBench asked.

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Srinagar: The probe intolast year’s Pulwama terrorstrike that left 40 CRPF per-sonnel dead has virtuallyreached a dead end withfive persons, who were eitherconspirators or executers ofthe ghastly attack, beingeliminated by security forcesin various encounters. PTI

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Governor Prof Ganeshi Lalon Friday claimed that the

State Government has per-formed phenomenally in sev-eral sectors and is striving veryhard to take Odisha to newheights.

Addressing the StateAssembly on the first day of itsBudget Session, the Governorlauded the efforts of theGovernment to serve peoplethrough Mo Sarkar and 5T ini-tiatives. He said hisGovernment is currentlyimplementing 5T and MoSarkar vigorously to bringtransformation in the entiregovernance system.

He started his speech withpaying tributes to two formerMinisters and six former mem-bers of the House.

He said the overall lawand order situation hasremained by and large peace-ful.

Appreciating the KALIAscheme, the Governor said ithas helped farmers in enhanc-ing economic strength andbenefitted students throughscholarship.

The Governor said planshave been made for completionof ongoing major and mediumirrigation projects within nextfive years. About 200 MI tankswould be undertaken and 1,200defunct LIPs would be madefunctional.

The Governor said hisGovernment has focused onthe promotion of ShreeJagannath culture. A beautifi-cation drive of Shreemandir inPuri has been initiated andsteps are also being taken forbeautification of Shree LingarajTemple in Bhubaneswar.

He said employmentopportunities are being creat-ed through the MSME units.

On food security mea-sures, the Governor informedthat the beneficiaries coveragethe NFSA and the SFSS is3,28,50,816 which is 78.3% theState’s 2011 Census population.

The Governor said hisGovernment is committed toprovide Pucca houses in aphased manner to all ruralhouseless and households stay-ing in Kutcha houses. “MyGovernment is a pioneer in thecountry in the construction ofmore than 23 lakh houses forthe rural poor since 2014-15,”claimed Lal.

The Governor said theGovernment has taken mea-sures to provide world-classhealthcare facilities in the SCBMedical College and Hospital.Under the Biju SwasthyaKalyan Yojana, over 70 lakhfamilies can be referred toempallened private hospitalsboth inside and outside theState with annual health cov-

erage of Rs 5 lakh perannum and Rs 10 lakhfor women members.

He said 1,403OPSC qualifiedMedical Officers wouldsoon join under theOdisha Medical HealthServices Cadre. He saidwith Niramaya likeprogrammes, there hasbeen 33 per centincrease in footfall bothin OPD and IPD with-in a year. More than 40lakh mothers have ben-efited under theMamata scheme.

He said theGovernment hasrechristened the StateSecretariat as Lok SevaBhawan to mark the150th birth anniver-sary of MahatmaGandhi and hasinscribed Talisman ofGandhiji in it touphold the spirit ofSwaraj.

While 214 Odisha AdarshaVidyalayas are operating now,36 more such schools would bemade function from the nextacademic session. TheGovernment has proposed tosanction 100 hostels to 10,000OBC and SEBC students in 14major urban educational hubsof the State.

The Government hasachieved debt sustainabilitybringing down Debt-GSDPratio from 50.7 per cent in2002-03 to 16.8 per cent in2018-19, he said.

Due to adoption of digitalmethods, 57 lakh pages ofbudget documents have notbeen printed and, thus, 700large trees saved a year, said theGovernor.

The Governor said theState’s mineral revenue frommineral royalty has increasedby 7 per cent to Rs 7,747.67crore in a year by December2019.

He said the Governmenthas emerged as a front runnerin the promotion of sports inthe country. The Governmentwould construct an interna-

tional standard Aquatic SportsComplex in Bhubaneswar andSatellite stadiums inBrahmapur, Sambalpur,Cuttack and Rourkela.

“My Government will con-tinue to prioritise the creationand development of key andbasic infrastructure, includingconnectivity, provision of safedrining water, power supply,supporting agriculture withirrigation and other facilitiesand taking healthcare and edu-cation to the next level,” assert-ed the Governor.

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Protesting “inaction”by the State

Government in resolv-ing farmer issues,Congress membersstaged a walkout whenGovernor was address-ing the State Assemblyon Friday.

“The StateGovernment has failed inresolving various issues relatingto farmers. Farmers have suf-fered a lot due to distress saleof paddy. Adequate irrigationfacilities have not been created.But the Government is claim-ing to have done overall devel-

opment in the State. This is nottrue at all. We are staging awalkout,” said CongressLegislature Party LeaderNarasingha Mishra.

Soon, Mishra and othermembers of his party movedout of the House.

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The victory of AAP in theDelhi polls is by and large

viewed as a genre of almost dif-ferent kind of politics, in asharp departure from caste,regional, religious and ethnicconsiderations. It was fought ondevelopment agenda. But it is

no different from the otherelections on the major count ofcriminal elements in politics.

If the report of Associationof Democratic Reforms (ADR)is to be believed, then morethan half the candidates hadcriminal cases against them. Asper a report, "There has beena sharp jump in the number ofMLAs with registered criminalcases. In 2020, 43 MLAsdeclared criminal cases againstthem while in 2015, 24 MLAshad criminal cases. The num-ber of MLAs with serious crim-inal cases, which included rape,attempt to murder and crimesagainst women, is 37".

In the meantime, theSupreme Court had adjudicat-ed on the contempt petitionspertaining to the criminalisa-tion of politics in India and thenon-compliance of the direc-tions of a Constitution Bench

of Supreme Court in PublicInterest Foundation and Ors. v.Union of India and Anr. (2019)with respect to decriminalisa-tion of politics. The directionswere passed by a bench com-prising of Justices R F Narimanand Ravindra Bhat. Mainly thecontempt petitions were filedbefore the Supreme Court onthe grounds that its directionswere not implemented in thesubsequent Assembly electionsand the general elections sincethe Election Commission ofIndia did not amend theElection Symbols Order andthe Model Code of Conduct.

In this case, the court tooknote of the fact that over the lastfour general elections, therehas been a disturbing influenceof criminals in politics. While 24per cent of the Members ofParliament had pending crim-inal cases in 2004; that went up

to 30 per cent in 2009, 34 percent in 2014 and 43 per cent in2019. Further, the court wasintrigued by the issue as to whythe persons with criminalantecedents are being selectedby political parties as candidates.

On this a point very inter-esting set of directions wereissued by the court in exerciseof Articles 129 and 142 of theConstitution of India. As perthe directions it is now manda-tory for political parties toupload on their website aboutdetailed information of thecandidates which shall includepending criminal cases (includ-ing the nature of the offences,and relevant particulars such aswhether charges have beenframed, the concerned court,the case number etc.), alongwith the reasons for such selec-tion and as to why other indi-viduals without criminal

antecedents could not be select-ed as candidates.

Now, for following suchdirections, the parties shallalso make public about thequalifications, achievementsand merit of the candidateconcerned, and not merely"winnability" at the polls. Andsuch information shall also bepublished across print, elec-tronic and social media plat-forms. And again this is not atoothless direction of the courtbut of consequences, as it wasdirected therein that if a polit-ical party fails to submit suchcompliance report with theElection Commission, theElection Commission shallbring such non-compliance bythe political party concerned tothe notice of the SupremeCourt as being in contempt ofcourt's orders/directions.

While passing such direc-

tions the court has most sig-nificantly remarked that, “thecandidates must be selected onthe basis of merit and achieve-ment. The reasons for selectinga candidate must be publishedby the party." It furtherremarked, "Winnability cannotbe the only reason for selectinga candidate with criminalantecedents.”

A study by ADR showedthat, from 2009 to 2019, therehas been an increase of 231 percent in the number of candi-dates with declared cases ofcrime against women contest-ing in Lok Sabha elections. Forthe same period, there hasbeen an increase of 850 percent in the number of MPs withdeclared cases of crime againstwomen in the Lok Sabha.

As per the same study, 76lawmakers across the countryhave declared cases related to

crimes against women. A totalof 572 candidates with suchcases registered against themhave contested Lok Sabha,Rajya Sabha and Assemblyelections in the last five years.And as many as nine lawmak-ers have declared cases relatedto rape, out of them three law-makers are MPs and six areMLAs.

According to experts, suchdisclosures might not achieveintended consequence, as theelectorate is well aware aboutthe criminal antecedents ofthe candidates contesting elec-tions. The reason behind suchbehaviour of the electorate isbest put by Milan Vaishnavauthor of ‘When Crime Pays:Money and Muscle in IndianPolitics’, "Voters are voting forcriminal candidates ... despitetheir criminal involvement.Voters are aware of the back-

ground of the people they arevoting for. They are not igno-rant. But they are making a cal-culation that these are the peo-ple who can best representour interest".

But the underlining truthis, what the electorate fails tounderstand is that, criminal ele-ments in politics may well rep-resent some petty causes con-cerning them, but this hasadversely affected the quality ofpolicy making, and hasenhanced nepotism, cronyismand corruption which has atremendous regressive effect onnational growth and develop-ment. And at times, it createsan atmosphere of intimida-tion that most undemocrati-cally muzzles voices of dissent.

(The writer is a lawyer andhe can be reached at [email protected])

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Three-time formerBrajarajnagar MLA Anup

Kumar Sai was sent to jail atRaighar in Chhattisgarh onFriday as his bail plea wasrejected in a case pertaining tothe double murder case inwhich he is allegedly involved.

The Raighar District andSessions Judge Court rejectedhis bail application, followingwhich he was sent to DistrictJail.

Sai was arrested late inThursday evening after intensegrilling for nearly 18 hours overthe nearly four-year-old doublemurder case in Chhattisgarh.

Meanwhile, Bilaspur RangeIG Deepanshu Kabra

announced a cash award of Rs20,000 each to the police per-sonnel involved in the investi-gation of the case.

Notably, on May 7, 2016,police had recovered two bod-ies of a woman and her daugh-ter. The bodies of KalpanaDash (40) and her 14-year-olddaughter Babli were run overby a four-wheeler before beingbludgeoned to death. This wasdone apparently to disfigure thebodies so that their identitiescould not be ascertained. Thisturned out to be a challenge forthe police as they couldn’ttrace the details of the deceasedpersons.

Investigation teams wereformed and personnel weresent to six States to get leads onthe case. Unexpectedly, a con-stable from Odisha identifiedthe deceased from the pho-tographs circulated by theChakradhar Nagar police inChhattisgarh. The constableSaroj Dash happens to be a rel-ative of the deceased.

Saroj informed the in-lawsof Kalpana who approached the

Chhatt isgarhpolice. TheDNA test cor-roborated thefact that he wasthe father of theminor girl. Thiswas the turningpoint in theinvestigation.

Ka lp an a’sestranged hus-band SunilSrivastava toldpolice that hisex-wife hadlinks with AnupSai. Followingthis, policezeroed in on theformer MLA.The police kepta close watch onSai’s movementssince last sixmonths. Thecall records and other evi-dence pointed towards hisinvolvement in the case.Though Raigarh police hadgot enough clues to arrest Sai,they were waiting for an oppor-

tune time to nab him.During interrogation, Sai

told police that he was fed upwith the woman as she wasblackmailing him besides pres-surising him to get married.

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The State Government onFriday raised dearness

allowance (DA) by 5 per centfor its employees and pen-sioners with effect fromJanuary 1, 2020.

The hike came five monthsafter the Central Governmentenhanced DA for its employeesby 5 per cent with effect fromJuly 1, 2019.

Notably, the StateGovernment’s announcementof DA hike followed its decisionon Thursday to release 10 percent of the total arrear revisedsalary as per the 7th PayCommission recommenda-tions.

After fixation of pay under

the ORSP Rules, 2017, theState Government had pro-vided 40 per cent of the totalarrear revised salary due for theperiod from January 1, 2016 toAugust 31, 2017 during thefinancial year 2017-18announcing that balance arrearsalary would be issued in duecourse.

With the latest move, theemployees would get 10 percent of the total arrear revisedsalary of the aforesaid periodfrom January 1, 2016 to August31, 2017 on the same terms andconditions applied at the timeof drawal of first phase 40 percent arrear salary. The 10 percent arrear of the revised salarywould be provided by March20, 2020.

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The State Government onFriday directed the district

Collectors to ensure strictimplementation of the guide-lines for reduction of weights ofstudents’ schoolbags.

In a letter, School and MassEducation Joint Secretary PKMishra asked the Collectors toconstitute special squads tovisit schools and verify com-pliance of the guidelines on anurgent basis.

As per the guidelines, bothGovernment and privateschools shall have to set theaccurate weight of students’schoolbags. The Government

had earlierissued repeat-ed instructionsto theCollectors toc o n s t i t u t esquads com-prising DEOsor DPCs as itschairman andBEOs, DCPOs,police officersand staff ofNGOs as members. The squadsare to verify violation of any ofthe provisions, if any, and sub-mit report to the respectiveDirectorates and he Schooland Mass EducationDepartment.

However, no action-takenreport regarding constitution ofthe squads and action taken bythe same has been received tilldate, the letter stated. The

department asked theCollectors to furnish requiredinformation on formation ofsquads by February 20 for fur-ther necessary action at itslevel.

Earlier, the Union Ministryof Human ResourceDevelopment (MHRD) hadissued a circular to all States toregulate the weight of students’schoolbags.

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Atotal of 74 peo-ple in the State

are under observa-tion for the coron-avirus so far.

According toHealth Departmentsources, 74 trav-ellers, who havereturned from coro-navirus-af fectedcountries after January 15, havebeen identified by the State sur-veillance system and kept inhome isolation.

Out of these persons, bloodand throat swab samples ofseven had been sent to thePune-based virology laborato-ry and they all tested negative.

Notably, a State HealthControl Room is functioninground the clock and people’squeries about the virus areaddressed by a designatedControl Room number 0674-2390466.

The department has issuedan advisory to the ChiefDistrict Medical Officers totake preventive measuresagainst the coronavirus. Inview of this virus having nodefinite treatment, publicity isundertaken widely for aware-ness about it among peoplethrough health education mes-sages on hand-washing, coughetiquette and home isolation.

Besides, special wards havebeen opened in the State’s fivemajor hospitals to deal with thecoronavirus cases.

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The State Assemblymourned deaths of two

former Ministers and six for-mer members on the first dayof the Budget Session onFriday.

Bringing ObituaryReferences, Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik expressed pro-found grief over demises of for-mer Ministers Bhagabat PrasadMohanty and Jagannath Routand former membersSatchidananda Deo, BhagirathiDas, Radha Govinda Sahu,

Daitari Behera, NakaLachhmaya and GourahariNayak.

Leader of OppositionPradipta Kumar Naik,Congress Legislature PartyLeader Narasingha Mishra andCPI(M) member LaxmanMunda too joined Patnaik inmourning deaths of the formerMinisters and members.

Expressing grief, SpeakerSurjya Narayan Patro said theHouse’ condolence would besent to the bereaved families.Members observed one minutesilence for the departed souls.

BHUBANESWAR: TheNaveen Patnaik Governmenthas always acted againstBackward Class people, Dalitsand Adivasis during the last 20years, alleged Samajik NyayaAbhijan convenor DebiprasadPrusti here on Thursday.

Prusti said this whileexpressing his reaction on theState OBC Commissionformed by the Chief Ministeron Wednesday.

“The Naveen PatnaikGovernment didn’t implementthe Mandal Commission rec-ommendations of 27-per centreservation for OBCs during its20 years of rule. As a result,thousands of Backward Classstudents have been debarredfrom medical and engineeringstudies and from gettingGovernment jobs during theperiod. Dalits and Tribals havealso been deprive of theirrights,” alleged Prusti in astatement.

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Chief Secretary Asit Tripathyon Friday asked the con-

cerned officials to make theCensus-2021 data bona fideand credible.

He was speaking to theofficers engaged in censusoperation at a State-level con-ference at the Lokseva Bhawanhere. Tripathy said, “Censusdata become the basis of plan-ning and reference for ten longyears. Since it is done in everyten years, some officers may

not be quite conversant withthe process. As such, theCollectors, ADMs, Tehsildars,Municipal Commissioners,Block Development Officersand Executive Officers mustread and understand the Actand Rules in detail.”

Tripathy directed them toalso go through the censuscompendiums and organisetrainings properly at all levels.

He pointed out that theCensus-2021 is first of its kindas it is mostly being dome ondigital mode.

D e v e l o p m e n tCommissioner Suresh ChandraMohapatra said, “Since censusis a time-bound operation, itshould be undertaken with allseriousness at all levels.”

Additional Chief Secretary,Revenue & DisasterManagement Pradipta

Mohapatras a i d ,“Census isthe principalsource ofprimary dataat the grass-roots levellike village,ward andtowns onpan-Indianbasis and it iswidely usedby nationaland interna-tional agencies. As such, theenumerators play an importantand scared role for Governance,planning and research.”

Census Operations DirectorPremananda Khuntia said thistime, a mobile app would beused in house and populationenumeration. The app could be

used both in online and offlinemodes. A mixed method of datacollection with mobile app,paper schedule and self-enu-meration would be adopted.The enumerators would usetheir own android mobile or i-phones. An additional incentiveof Rs 7,500 would be provided

for use of own mobile in enu-meration work. The manage-ment and monitoring workswould be done through censusweb portal. This would help infaster data finalisation withgreater accuracy.

The Revenue & DisasterManagement Departmentwould be the State NodalDepartment for CensusOperations. The entire opera-tion would be carried on in twophases. The Phase-I would bea period of 45 days from Aprilto September 2020, duringwhich house listing would bedone. The Phase-II would befrom February 9 to 28, 2021,during which population enu-meration would be undertak-en. The revision round wouldbe conducted from March 1 to5, 2021.

The district Collectors and

the Commissioners ofCorporations would serve asPrincipal Census Officers.Additional District Magistrates,Sub-Collectors and Sub-Divisional Magistrates andRevenue Divisional Officerswould operate as CensusOfficers. Tehsidars, AdditionalTehsildars, BDOs andExecutive Officers would oper-ate as Charge Officers. Field-level officers of the StateGovernment and the UrbanLocal Bodies along with teach-ers would work as enumerators.Officers, generally of a rankhigher than enumerators,would work as Supervisors.

The Collectors along withsenior Revenue Division-levelofficers and district-level offi-cers participated in the dis-cussion through videoconfer-encing.

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With intervention of theMo Parivar initiative, 14

people who were held captivein Banaras have been rescued.

According to Mo Parivar,Sundargarh district chiefSunita Biswal, five people andtheir family members werelured by a contractor BabluSingh to Banaras to work there.But there they were tortured.

Cunningly one Jitu Singhmanaged to escape from theclutch of the employer and

landed at Rourkela onFebruary 5. Then with thehelp of social worker PrakashPaswan and Biswal, the matterwas reported to State MoParivar office at Bhubaneswaron February 7.

As the matter came to thenotice of Mo Parivar Stateconvenor Arup Patnaik andOSD of CM Gopabandhu Das,ultimately it came to the noticeof the CM. Then the districtadministration and police wereinstructed to look into thematter. Finally, the Plant Sitepolice moved to Banaras andbrought the victims back toRourkela on Thursday. Biswalsaid all of them would berehabilitated as assured by theCM.

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Ajuvenile was arrested onThursday by police for the

rape and murder of an Odiawoman, whose decomposedbody was recovered from a for-est near Porovin in Goa onJanuary 10.

Police have launched ahunt for another accused, whois still on the run.

Police arrested and bookedthe accused under Sections302 (murder), 376(rape) of theIPC after recovery of the bodyof the 28-year-old victim.

Postmortem of the body

revealed rape and murder bymore than one person. A 16-year- boy has been arrested inconnection with the incidentand he has admitted about theinvolvement of another adult inthe crime, police said.

The sketch of the abscond-ing accused has been circulat-ed and all border check postsand railway police have beenalerted.

On Friday, the arrestedminor boy was produced in alocal court which directed theaccused be lodged in a Staterun juvenile home.

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Kruttibash, son of BJDwoman leader Meenakshi

Mishra who had set herselfablaze on February 12, hasthreatened to immolate him-self if justice is not provided tohim within 15 days.

Kruttibash said this after hewas granted interim bail by theDistrict and Sessions JudgeCourt at Brahmapur onThursday. He was arrested bythe Baidyanathpur police overhis involvement in a parkingbrawl on January 28.

Meenakshi had attemptedself-immolation protesting thearrest of her son.

Krutibash said that theallegations against him arefalse. He alleged that though hishometown is Brahamapur ,the cops are asking him to stayoutside the city. “Why shouldI live somewhere else? Mymother self-immolated her, Itoo will immolate myself in

front of DG office if I do not getjustice within 15 days,” hethreatened.

Notably, Raja had a fightwith a youth Sunil in front of aKalyan Mandap at Panda colonyunder the Baidyanathpur PSover parking . Following whichSunil and his friends assaultedKrutibash with a cricket bat, thevideo of which was captured ina CCTV camera installed nearthe spot and later went viral onsocial media.

When Meenakshi inter-vened to save her son, she wasalso attacked by the miscreants.Later, a complaint was lodgedby Meenakshi following whichthree attackers were arrested bypolice. Later, Krutibash wasalso arrested on the basis of acounter FIR. But Meenakshialleged that her son was false-ly implicated and had no rolein the attack. She had also writ-ten to Brahmapur SP PinakMishra demanding arrest of theattackers and release of her son.

Alleging police inaction inconnection with the incident,Meenakshi set herself afireafter pouring kerosene.

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CPI(M) general secretarySitaram Yechury has

termed the National PopulationRegister (NPR) exercise as aprecursor of the NationalRegister of Citizens (NRC)and urged Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik not to allow itin Odisha.

Addressing a CPI(M) rallyhere on Thursday, he said asGovernments of 13 States,including Odisha, have alreadyannounced not to allow NRCand six Chief Ministers haveopposed the NPR, it can be saidthat half of India is againstthese two moves.

“So, the NPR and the NRCcannot be completed across thecountry because of theiradverse impact on the nation’sunity,” observed Yechury.

He said he wanted to meetPatnaik but could not due tothe Chief Minister’s priorengagements. “However, Ispoke to him over phone andapprised him that NPR, 2020 isnot the same as it had been ear-lier. Now, the Centre has addedsome questions in the NPR for-mat to get the information

required for the NRC,” he said.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi may have said that nodiscussion was held on imple-menting the NRC, but theCentral Government toldParliament nine times that itwould be taken up across thecountry, Yechury asserted.

People who would not beable to provide all informationduring the NPR exercise maybe tagged as doubtful citizensand their names would notappear in the NRC list, heclaimed. Tribals, Dalits, poorand destitute people and wid-ows may not be able to arrangethe requisite documents to sat-isfy the official requirement, hesaid.

He claimed that therewould be no separate survey forthe NRC as the Centre plans tocollect the required informa-tion during the NPR exercise.

“Everybody should under-stand that the NRC will causemore harm than good. Becauseof the Centre’s design, the NPRexercise will also suffer,” he saidand demanded withdrawal ofthe Citizenship AmendmentAct (CAA) and stopping theNPR and NRC processes.

Yechury said the CPI(M)activists would undertake adoor-to-door campaign acrossthe country this month and inMarch to make people aware ofthe adverse impact of the CAA,NRC and NPR.

�� #0!.0�3/1

Following raids at differentcolleges affiliated to the

Sambalpur University (SU),the university authorities onFriday confirmed leak ofZoology and Chemistry ques-tion papers of Plus III thirdsemester.

Six squads of the universi-ty raided colleges inBhawanipatna, Padampur,Bargarh, Sambalpur andRourkela and probed the mat-

ter.University Examinations

Controller Suryanarayan Naiksaid a police complaint wouldbe filed on Saturday in con-nection with the questionpapers leak. But the examina-tions would not be cancelled asthe university has alternativequestion sets.

Notably, the universitymanages examinations of 240colleges in western Odisha. Ofthem, 100 colleges have Sciencestream. After getting informa-tion about leakage of questionof Chemistry paper, the author-ities had held a meeting anddecided to form special squads.The squads conducted raids atcolleges and submitted a reportto the university.

�� .0130�0

Baripada Forest Divisionofficials have arrested five

persons on the charge of smug-gling two elephant tusks nearTitia Chhak under the forestdivision in Mayurbhanj district.

An official said that one ofthe tusks measured 45-cm-long and weighed 700 gramwhile the other one was 38-cm-long and weighed 600 gram.The tusks had been removedfrom an eight-nine-year-oldbaby elephant. The tusks, esti-mated to cost around Rs 50,000to Rs 70,000 each, were beingsmuggled to West Bengal, theofficial said.

The accused wereDebendranath Mahali,Jagannath Sigh, Pankaj KumarMahali, Binu Singh from

Uparataladiha village andSushant Singh of Jamudiha vil-lage under the Udala police sta-tion.

Honorary Wildlife WardenBhanumitra Acharya said theseized tusks date back to one totwo years. “As a tusker carcasshas not been seized in past oneor two years, it is suspected thatpoachers might have killed theelephant in the Similipal corearea or hid its carcass some-where to extract the tusks,” headded.

�� .�/.0��#�01

ABalangir branch of theKalinga Institute of Social

Sciences (KISS) in the name ofMotilal Oswal-KISS ResidentialTribal School would be inau-gurated by Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik on Saturday atBalangir.

Women & ChildDevelopment and MissionShakti Tukuni Sahu, local MPSangeeta Kumari Singh Deo,local MLA and Leader CongressLegislature Party NarasinghaMishra, Motilal Oswal FinancialServices Ltd Group MD & CEOMotilal Oswal, GroupChairman Raamadeo Agrawaland, Motilal Oswal FoundationChairperson Suneeta Agrawaland KIIT & KISS Founder DrAchyuta Samanta would gracethe occasion.

Many tribal organisationsand intellectuals had repeated-ly requested Dr Samanta toopen a KISS branch in Balangirdistrict for underprivilegedand poor tribal children. Thesetribal students would now getquality education. In the firstphase, 1,500 students from thedistrict would be enrolled fromStandards-I to XII. The pass-

out students of Standard-XIIcan pursue their higher edu-cation in the KISS University,Bhubaneswar.

It has been decided by theKISS authorities that only can-didates from Balangir wouldget employment in the MotilalOswal-KISS. The school, estab-lished on 20 acres of land withcomplete financial supportfrom the Motilal OswalFoundation, is fully equippedwith all modern facilities.

Notably, 28 years back, theKISS was set up to enable trib-al community to join the main-stream of the society througheducation, which has beenproved successfully. Now, the

KISS is the largest tribal insti-tution and the first exclusivetribal university in the world.More than 30,000 students arecurrently pursuing their edu-cation from KG to PG while20,000 have completed theireducation successfully and areplaced in different sectors.Another 10,000 students arepursuing their education in10 branches in 10 tribals-dom-inated districts of Odisha dur-ing current academic session.More important than providingeducation to 60,000 students,the KISS has created awarenessamong more than 60 lakh trib-al people of Odisha and otherStates of India.

�*��"�� /030�0

Puni Sabar and his wifeBimle, tribal migrant

labourers of Mahulkot villageunder Khariar police station ofNuapada district working in abrick kiln in Patelguda ofRanga Reddy district inTelangana for the last twomonths, were not allowed bythe employer to come to theirvillage to perform the last ritesof their son Rohit Sabar, whodied in an accident on Tuesdaylast.

Puni's relatives managedto do the funerals of the youth

in absence of their par-ents. Local SardarPabitra Hati of Palmavillage (Khariar block),who had taken the duoto the kiln along withanother SardarPartham Behera ofKantabanji, now saysthat the employerwould not spare thecouple even if theyreturned the advancemoney they had taken from theemployer.

Notably, the couple hasnot been legally registered withthe concerned authoritiesunder relevant law while leav-ing the State. Being afraid of theSardars, the relatives of Puni arenot coming forward to lodge acomplaint against the brokers.However, the District Labour

Officer (DLO), Nuapada, afterlearning about the matter froma tweet tagged to the CMoffice, Odisha, has ordered theSardars to bring the coupleback from the kiln.

When contacted, brokerPabitra Hati told that theemployer was agree to spareonly Bimle, mother of thedeceased.

�� .�/.0��#�01

The National Human RightsCommission (NHRC) has

issued notice to the OdishaDGP over the alleged murderof RTI activist Ranjan KumarDas at Beruan village inKendrapada district recently.

Acting on a petition filedby Supreme Court lawyer andrights activist RadhakantaTripathy, the NHRC passed theorder and sought the replywithin two weeks.

In his petition, Tripathystated that Das had filed a seriesof applications seeking infor-mation about differentGovernment schemes in thedistrict.

Das was regularly receivingdeath threats for seeking infor-mation including on thenumerous brick kilns that hadsprung up illegally. In January2020 his parents received deaththreats asking them to keep

Das’ activism undercheck.

Recently, Das hadlodged a case beforethe Odisha Lokayuktaalleging encroachmentof 1,100 acres ofGovernment land by aresident ofMahakalpada forshrimp farming, the familymembers of Das said.

The delay in arresting theculprits pose serious questionof human rights as it involvesrole of police, intelligence andlaw and order of the State,Tripathy contended.

The failure of the Statepolice to save the RTI activists,journalists and human rightsdefenders from such attacksand extending appropriate safe-ty, security to them pose seri-ous question of violation ofhuman rights. Failure of theState in implementing the pro-visions of Whistle Blowers

Protection Act, 2013 in theState amounts to serioushuman rights violation,Tripathy alleged.

He requested the NHRC totake immediate legal actionagainst the wrongdoers and paycompensation of Rs 50 lakhand provide protection to thefamily members of the slainRTI activist.

Tripathy also requested thecommission to direct the Stateauthorities and the StateLokayukta to ensure the imple-mentation of Whistle BlowersProtection Act, 2013 in letterand spirit at the earliest.

�� 3010�3

The pay revision order ofworking officers and retired

officers, pre and post 2017, wasrecently released by theMinistry of Shipping for all theIndian major ports which waspending since a long time.

A copy of the order wasreceived by the Paradip PortTrust Officers Pensioners’Association (PPTOPA) onFebruary 5. The order willbenefit all the retired officers.In this connection, thePPTOPA requested theChairman, Paradip Port Trust(PPT), to release the payment.

PPTOPA general secretaryShesadev Sahoo and presidentKC Das thanked the Minister,Secretary ,Joint Secretary andDirector, Ministry of Shippingand Chairman of all majorports for their support inreleasing the order.

�� 50�0�

Normal life was affected inDhenkanal town when the

local Nagarik KriyanusthanCommittee resorted to a 12-hour dawn-to-dusk bandhpressing for its demand for acity hospital status to the oldhospital at Baji Chowk here.

As part of the agitation, theactivists staged road blockadesand picketing at different placesof the town disrupting vehicu-lar movements. Besides, shopsand other business establish-

ments remained closed due tothe stir.

Leaders of several organi-sations, including the DistrictBar Association, Chamber ofCommerce, Chemist andDruggist Association,Journalist Association,Congress and BJP extendedtheir support to the bandhcall. They alleged that thoughthe BJD had been winning allthe Assembly seats andParliament seat fromDhenkanal district for a longtime, the ruling party in theState ignored the interest of the12 lakh voters of the district.

Notably, the 85-year-oldDhenkanal HeadquartersHospital has been shifted to aseven storied building nearthe Dakhinakali road. But the

hospital is functioning withmanpower shortage and inad-equate specialist doctors andstaff. For diagnosis of diseases,even the facilities forUltrasound, MRI, Endoscopy,CT scan, ECG and Echo arenot available. On the contrary,the deserted old hospital build-

ing at Baji Chowk has turneda haven for anti- socials. TheGovernment has not executedany project so far to use the oldhospital building situated overthree acres of land. The agita-tors also demanded that thenew hospital be upgraded to amedical college and hospital.

�� .10�!03/1

If the AAP Government inDelhi could afford to provide

free water, electricity, transport,health and education to all thedenizens of Delhi irrespectiveof their age and income, whycan’t the Union Governmentexempt the pension of retiredemployees out of the IncomeTax purview, said foundingpresident of GandhinagarSenior Citizens’ Forum Dr KCPanda here.

He urged the Union andState Governments either to

bring an administrative orderor to amend the existing pro-visions of Income Tax Act forexempting all the retiredemployees of the country frompaying IT.

A superannuated employ-ee during service for 30 to 36years paid IT throughout. Butthere is no justification to paytax again on his/her pensionand hard earned savings, Pandasaid. After retirement, theemployee is paid pension as asuperannuation fund forhis/her livelihood by recognis-ing his/her valuable servicesrendered to the institution orthe country for so many yearsand the pension which theretired employee receives istechnically not an income for

any service or work, but con-sidered only a deferred wage,told Panda.

If the pension received bythe elected representatives like,MPs and MLAs are not taxable,why the pension of retiredemployees come under taxableincome, he questioned.

Citing examples, he saidthat several countries in theworld much smaller than Indianamely, UAE, Oman, Bahrain,Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,Bermuda, Monaco, Andorraand Cayman Islands have zeroincome tax system. There are anumber of countries withoutthe burden of income tax andmany of them are very pleas-ant and tax-friendly countries,he said.

�� 0�7/�

An i n e - d a y - l o n gMahayagna of Sri

Anantanarayan and MaghaMela which began onFebruary 1 concluded onFebruary 9 at the hilltop ofMandargiri, 6 km fromAngul district headquar-ters town along NH-55.

"Around one lakhdevotees participated in theevent. Sadhus from variousparts the State joined themela where for 9 long daysGita Yajna,Mahamrutunjaya Homa,Chandi Homa,Hanumanchalisa Homa,Dakhinakalika Homa,Bishnusahasra nama, sankir-tan and prasad seven wereheld with great fervour," said

chief coordinator BhagabanSasmal.

Notably, the Mandargiri

hill has rich religious and his-toric significance. It has manyof rare herbs and plants.Besides, it is a rich ecosystemof forests and wildlife.

"Though lakhs throng thehill during this festive time,which is at an altitude of 1,440

feet from the sea level, theadministration has not madeany arrangement to supplywater to the hilltop," lament-ed Sasmal.

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BHADRAK: A body of a girlwas found hanging in a houseat Acharya Nagar under theBhadrak Town police limits onFriday.

The deceased was identifiedas Monalisa Sethi (22), a +3 sec-ond year student hailing fromKhaira in Baleswar district. Shewas residing at her cousin’s housein Bhadrak town. Neighboursspotted the body hanging from aceiling when no one was presentin the house. Being informed,police reached the spot, recoveredthe body for postmortem andstarted an investigation.

Though the exact reasonbehind the death was yet to beascertained, it was suspectedthat the girl committed suicide. PNS

7��'��'��

UMARKOTE: Adelegation of theUmarkote BarAssociation metA d d i t i o n a lR e v e n u eSecretary NiharRanjan Das onhis visit here onT h u r s d a y .Na b a r a n g p u rADM Nimai Charan Sutar,local Tehsildar Subas Singhaccompanied Das.

The lawyers’ bodyappraised different problemsrelating to land and revenue toDas. Land settlement has notbeen conducted in Umarkoteand neighbouring Raigharblock since the year 1962 . Asa consequence, the number ofunrecorded tenants have out-numbered the recorded ten-ants.

Secondly, due to technical

errors, uploading of maps andother related information doesnot happen and people of thearea are deprived of selling,purchasing and demarcatingtheir lands.

Das assured to do theneedful as soon as possible.

The delegation was led byassociation president PrasantaKumar Sahu, senior advocateand former MunicipalityChairman Jhadeswar Mohanty,Srinivas Patnaik and TapanDebnath. PNS

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Even as several bar associa-tions of western Odisha

continue to agitate demandingestablishment of a High CourtBench in the region, the StateGovernment has transferred allthe pending cases in the localcourts to neighbouring courtsfor speedy settlement.

Earlier on December 6,the Supreme Court had askedthe Orissa High Court to iden-tify courts in adjacent districtswhere persons can seek redres-sal of their grievances and cre-ate concurrent jurisdiction forthe cases.

The apex court had alsodirected to transfer adequatenumber of officials from thenon-working districts to theworking districts for the pur-pose.

In compliance with thedirection of the apex court, theHigh Court on January 13 hadconferred concurrent jurisdic-tion on the courts in adjacentdistricts.

Based on the advice of theHC, the Law Departmentissued the notification toensure speedy trial of the cases.

As per the notification,the cases under Balangir judge-ship have been transferred toTitilagarh Additional Districtand Session Judge Court. Thecases of Balangir Sub-

Divisional JudicialMagistrate (SDJM) andLoisingha JudicialMagistrate First Class(JMFC) courts have beenshifted to the Saintala JMFCCourt.

The pending cases ofDeogarh and Jharsuguda

judgeship have been given toKeonjhar and Sundargarhcourts, respectively.

Besides, the pending casesin various courts of Sambalpurwould be heard in Bargarhcourts.

Earlier in January, theOdisha State Bar Council hadwritten a letter to the BarCouncil of India (BCI) seekingaction against various lawyersassociations protesting forestablishment of an OrissaHigh Court bench in westernOdisha.

�� .0130�0

Ayouth allegedly hacked hisfather to death over a fam-

ily dispute at Rangjam villageunder the Rasgovindpur policestation in Mayurbhanj districton Friday. The deceased wasidentified as Ravan Soren.

According to sources, analtercation ensued betweenRavan and his son Ramesh,over some trivial matter. Thesituation took a violent turnafter Ramesh, in a fit of rage,attacked his father with a sharpweapon resulting in his deathon the spot.

On being informed aboutthe incident, Rasgovindpurpolice reached the spot andlaunched a probe into the inci-dent. The body was seized andsent for postmortem. Policehave detained for further inves-tigation into the matter.

�*��"��-�� %�0!3/0

Villagers sat on a dhrana infront of the gate of the

Indrani Patnaik Iron Mines atJoda in Keonjhar distsrict onThursday, demanding black-listing of the ‘BabaDhabaleswar TransportingCommittee’, a transport agencythat has allegedly cheated itsmembers.

Sources said former MLASanatan Mahakud had formeda cooperative transportingcommittee named “MaaKuaanri” to lift iron ore fromthe Indrani Patnaik Iron Minesas the lone transporter.Mahakud was also reportedlydistributing some parts of theprofit to villagers of Unchbali,who were affected by the min-ing operation.

But being envious of hisinfluence in the politics , theIndrani Patnaik Mines with the

help of some political leadersallegedly adopted a “divide andrule” policy to curtail the influ-ence of Sanatan and picked upone Sanjay Barik to serve thepurpose.

Supported by the party inpower, Sanjay, who was oncesaid to be a close confidant ofMahakud, held continuousstrike in the mines and becameable to cease the transportingwork with the help of affectedvillagers. It is alleged thatSanjay had promised the vil-

lagers to give a share out ofprofit more than whatMahakud was giving.

Accordingly, “BabaDhabaleswar TransportingCommittee” with Sanjay Barikas its head and villagers, whobroke away from Mahakud, asits members was formed. Then,an agreement was signedbetween the newly formedcommittee and the IndraniPatnaik Mines on February 1,2019 to hand over some partsof Mahakud-led agency’s trans-

porting work to Sanjay-ledagency. But dispute started inthe committee when Sanjaydidn't give a share of profit tothe members.

Villagers held discussionswith Sanjay many times in thisregard, but in vain. Finally, theysat on a dharna and threatenedto cease the transporting workif Baba DhabaleswarCommittee is allowed to trans-port materials further and isnot blacklisted soon.

JAGATSINGHPUR: TheKujanga police arrested twopersons in two minor girlsharassment cases on Thursday.

The accused arrested wereSonu Mallick, a resident ofGopiakuda village and JituSethy hailing from Pankapalavillage. Mallick was facing acharge of molesting a 13 yearsold girl. After committing thecrime, Mallick had fled the vil-lage but acting on a tipoff onThursday, police rounded himup at Bhutamundei nearParadip and forwarded him tocourt on Thursday.

Sethy was accused of drug-ging a minor girl and sexuallyabusing her on the pretext tak-ing her to see Makara Mela atRahama Hat. Basing on thecomplaint lodged by minorgirl’s kin, police arrested Sethyand forwarded him to court. PNS

�� .�/.0��#�01

In a twist in the five-year-oldboy’s death in an ambulance

due to traffic jam, theCommissionerate police onFriday twitted the timings asevidence contradicting the alle-gations of the victim’s family.

Based on the CCTVfootages, police refuted the‘traffic jam’ allegation. Takingto Twitter, the police said thatthe ambulance had reachedthe private hospital from theCapital Hospital in just 22minutes and the vehicle hadnot travelled through the busyjunction like AG Square.

But the fact contradictsthe allegations made by thedeceased’s family. As per thecomplaint, the ambulance car-rying the patient from the hos-

pital moved through AGSquare. Due to traffic jam, thevehicle took over one hour toreach the KIMS Hospital forwhich the kid succumbed.

During investigation, therevelation by theCommissionerate police onsocial media raises eyebrowover motive of probe agencythat drew flak following theincident.

According to reports, thepatient was being shifted fromthe Capital Hospital to KIMSHospital after his conditiondeteriorated. The ambulancegot stuck in a traffic snarl andtook over an hour to travel a13-km stretch on Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan Road thatproved fatal for the ailing child.

Sources said that the life ofthe patient could have beensaved if there had been a ded-icated passage for ambulances.

However, the kid’s fatherstated that whatever he has saidis true and anybody in his placewould have done so.

�� .�/.0��#�01

The Dhenkanal CulturalAssociation would organise

a ‘Dhenkanal Utsav’ here onSunday. Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik would attend the fes-tival as chief guest and UnionMinister Dharmendra Pradhanwould join as guest of honour.

Besides, leaders, bureau-crats and notable personalitiesof the district and the inhabi-tants of the twin city ofDhenkanal origin would alsojoin the event.

The objective of the festi-val is to stimulate bonding,belongingness and brother-hood among the people ofDhenkanal staying in Cuttackand Bhubaneswar. It would

promote history, art, cultureand literature of the districtamong the new generation,said association working pres-ident CA Raja NarayanTripathy at a Press meet here onFriday. A souvenir “Ananya

Dhenkanal” would be releasedon the occasion. Among oth-ers, association presidentSourendra Kumar Mohapatraand general secretaryPremenenda Biswal were pre-sent.

�� .�/.0��#�01

The BJP on Friday demand-ed that Primary

Cooperative Society electionsbe held soon as per the OdishaCooperative Act and the con-stitutional norms.

“Cooperative Societies areself-governed and democraticorganisations. According toSection 243 (zk), elections tothese societies need to be heldbefore completion of the cur-rent term. Though the terms ofall Primary CooperativeSocieties are ending betweenJanuary 20 and February 20,the State Government has notpublished notification and,

instead, has appointed aGovernment officer as an in-charge officer,” alleged BJPCooperative Cell co-convenorPabitra Mohan Dash.

A team if the cell met theRegistrar of CooperativeSocieties and urged him toconduct elections to variousposts of Primary CooperativeSocieties as per law at the ear-liest. He threatened that the BJPwould take to the streets if thedemand is not met soon.

Bijay Routray, AnupParida, Gourisham Pattnayak,Subas Pradhan, PratibhaSatpathy, Bandhu CharanSahoo, Bipin Panda, KalyanChaterjee, Kelucharan Jagdeb,Gourishankar Patnaik andRanjit Mohaptra were in theteam.

�� .�/.0��#�01

The State Government hasbeen advised to prepare a

list of all PM-KISAN benefi-ciaries who do not have aKisan Credit Card (KCC).

In order to enable univer-sal access to concessional insti-tutional credit, the Governmentof India has initiated a drive ina mission mode for saturatingall PM-KISAN beneficiarieswith KCC. While the drive hasstarted from February 10, it willbe carried out for a period of15 days, said sources.

Those farmers who do nothave a KCC will be needed tobe covered through the specialdrive, said a senior official inUnion Ministry of Agricultureand Cooperation.

This will help all suchfarmers to get short term loanfor crop and animal/fish rear-ing at a maximum interest of 4per cent on timely repayment.

Detailed instructions inthis regard have been issued toall the State Governments andManaging Directors of all thebanks and the Chairman,NABARD, detailing the proce-dure to be followed for cover-age of the PM-KISAN benefi-ciaries under KCC.

The farmers will beapproached through linedepartments of the StateGovernment, includingDepartments of Agriculture,Animal Husbandry, Rural

Development and PanchayatiRaj.

Bank Sakhis under theNRLM scheme would also beused for motivating PMKISAN beneficiaries to visit theconcerned bank branches forthe purpose.

As the KCC along withbenefit of interest subventionhas now been extended to ani-mal husbandry and fisheriesfarmers also, the StateGovernments have also beenrequested to focus on suchfarmers and facilitate sanctionof additional credit limit/issuefresh KCC to them.

All banks have beenadvised to have separate coun-ters for handling such applica-tions and ensure issue of freshKCC or enhancement of theexisting KCC limit or activationof inoperative KCC accountwithin the shortest possibletime not exceeding 14 daysfrom date of submission ofapplication.

Progress of the drive will bemonitored on a daily basis bythe State/UT Governments.Activities under saturationdrive in a district would be ledby the district Collector withfull support of the Lead DistrictManager and DDM, NABARD.

In addition to the KCC,with a view to provide socialsecurity to the PM KISANbeneficiaries, eligible farmerswill also be enrolled for thePradhan Mantri SurakshaBimaYojana (PMSBY) andPradhan Mantri Jeevan JyotiBeemaYojana (PMJJBY), afterobtaining their consent.

These schemes provideaccident insurance and lifeinsurance at a premium ofRs12 and Rs 330 respectivelyfor an insured value of Rs 2lakh in each case.

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Ajudicial magistrate posted inPathankot was killed while

his friend was injured whentheir Toyota Innova crashedinto a pillar in Chandigarharound 2:30 am on Friday.

Judicial magistrate SahilSingla, 30, who originally belongsto Sangrur, had come toChandigarh to attend a weddingwith his wife and friends.

Singla and his friendPahulpreet Singh (32), which isan advocate were in the Innovawhile Singla’s wife, Radhika,along with a few friends were fol-

lowing in a car when the accidentoccurred near Stadium Chowkon the road dividing Sectors 16and 23. Police said that about 2.30am, information was receivedthat an accident has taken placenear Stadium Chowk. Innova carwas found in an accidental con-dition and injured persons wereshifted to GMSH 16. Pahulpreetwas admitted in GMSH-16 whileSingla was referred to PGIMER.Singla died during treatment atPGIMER.

He alongwith his friendPahulpreet came from Sector 43and were going towards Sector 15.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birlaon Friday urged for dia-

logue and discussion in the leg-islative process. Speaking aboutthe training programme onlegislative drafting, Birla said,good governance is closelylinked to effective legislationand that such programs go along way in strengtheningdemocracy. He added that thegoal of law making should bethe socio-political and eco-nomic uplift of people and inthis regard, effective legislativedrafting is most important.

The Speaker was chairingthe valedictory function of 35thInternational Training Programin Legislative Drafting organised

by the Parliamentary Researchand Training Institute forDemocracies here. The month-long program was attended by 40participants from 26 countries.

Giving a brief overview ofthe legislative process in theIndian Parliament Birla saidthat there is a great tradition ofdialogue and discussion inIndia. He added that legisla-tions are thoroughly debated byall parties, representing peoplefrom all over the country beforebeing passed by the Parliament.Birla observed that in a rapid-ly globalizing world, it is imper-ative that all the nations of theworld come together for peace,security and development in anenvironment of mutual trustand cooperation.

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Taking a serious view of asubmarine officer resigning

after allegedly victimised by asenior Vice Admiral, whowanted to promote his son-in-law, the Armed Forces Tribunal(AFT) here has ordered theNavy to promote the officer tothe rank of the Captain. Thevictimised officer, CommanderSS Luthra, had retired someyears back after he was deniedpromotion.

Luthra was one of thehandpicked officers trained inRussia, to handle the nuclearreactors of India's nuclear sub-marines INS Arihant and INSChakra. He had to quit theNavy allegedly due to discrim-ination, according to his coun-sel Ankur Chhibber.

Directing the Navy topromote Luthra, the order said,"The officer is entitled to pro-

motion and will be promotednotionally and granted thesubstantive rank of Captainfrom the original date of hisbatch. He will be entitled to payaccordingly till the date ofretirement and thereafter, pen-sion and terminal benefits forhis enhanced rank of Captain."

This is the second timethat the AFT has given a judg-ment in favour of Luthra as in2017 it had asked the Navy tohold a fresh promotion boardfor him after it was found thata senior Vice Admiral in-charge of officers working onnuclear submarines allegedlymanipulated the system in away that only his son-in-lawgot promoted while otherswere overlooked.

The tribunal had alsoexpunged the marks given toLuthra by the senior ViceAdmiral. However, the reviewpromotion board held in 2018also did not promote him as the

tribunal found that the officerwas given low-value judgmentmarks by the members of theboard.

Taking a strong viewagainst the review promotionboard, the Armed ForcesTribunal bench headed byChairman Justice RajendraMenon said, "Clearly, arbi-trariness, contrary to the pol-icy and against the principles of

natural justice, is writ large inthe Special Review Board andtherefore, it is liable to be setaside."

The court also did notshow faith in the Navy to carryout a fresh promotion board forthe officer saying, "In these cir-cumstances, sending back thecase to the respondents toreverse the apparent injustice ismost likely to be an exercise infutility and will result only infurther delay in justice beingdelivered to the officer," Menonsaid in his order.

The court stated that it wassatisfied that the Navy's specialpromotion board did not con-duct its exercise in the mannerit was supposed to do. "TheTribunal is duty-bound notonly to protect a person frombeing subjected to violation oflaw but to advance justice andnot to thwart it," it said.

Luthra, in his original plea,had alleged that the Vice

Admiral was the senior review-ing officer (SRO) for officersserving in both INS Chakraand INS Arihant from 2010-12as the inspector-general,nuclear safety-officer in-charge,for securing nuclear sub-marines and secret projects ofthe force. It was alleged that theVice Admiral manipulated thenaval system in such a way thathe has been either the review-ing officer or senior reviewingofficer for his own son-in-lawon various occasions.

Due to this, other officerswho were being considered inthe same promotion board ashis son-in-law stood at a dis-advantage, the petition hadclaimed.

The Navy and the Vice-Admiral had gone to the courtagainst the Tribunal order in2017 but it was rejected and thesenior officer was asked to paya reduced fine of �1 lakh from�5 lakh to Luthra.

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The National InvestigationAgency (NIA) has arrested

Jammu & Kashmir’s LoC TradeOrganisation president TanveerAhmed Wani in connectionwith the case related to sus-pended Deputy Superintendentof Police Davinder Singh, whowas caught "escorting" terror-ists out of the Valley in his vehi-cle.

Officials said Wani wassummoned to the NIA head-quarters here on Thursday andquestioned about providingfunds to Hizbul Mujahideenterrorist Syed Naveed MushtaqAhmed, alias Naveed Babu,and others.

After ascertaining his sus-pected role in terror funding,the sleuths arrested him and hewas taken to Jammu, to be pro-duced before the designated

NIA court.Wani's arrest is the sixth in

the case being probed undervarious sections of Indian PenalCode, Arms Act, ExplosivesAct and Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act.

Besides Wani, the agencyhad earlier arrested the theDeputy SP, Naveed, HizbulMujahideen terrorist RafiAhmed Rather and Irfan ShafiMir, who claims to be an advo-cate.

Naveed's brother, SyedIrfan Ahmed, was also arrest-ed after he was brought fromPunjab. Irfan was in constanttouch with his brother Naveedwho had asked him to look foran accommodation inChandigarh where they couldgo to escape the harsh winter

of Kashmir.The case came to light

after Singh, who was accom-panying Naveed, Mir andRather, was intercepted bypolice near Qazigund on theJammu-Srinagar national high-way last month and arrested.Singh's arrest came following atip-off from the IntelligenceBureau.

Naveed and his associatesMir and Rather were suspect-ed to be traveling to the nation-al capital before being appre-hended by the police. Naveedcarried a reward of �20 lakh onhis head and was on the hit-listof the Army.

Singh is suspected to havebeen facilitating a host of ter-rorists in lieu of money for pro-viding them hideouts as alsoofficial vehicles for transport-ing them within the Valleyand beyond.

��

The Supreme Court onFriday sought response

from the Jammu & Kashmiradministration on a plea filedby Sara Abdullah Pilot chal-lenging the detention of herbrother and NationalConference leader OmarAbdullah under the PublicSafety Act.

A bench of justices ArunMishra and Indira Banerjeeissued notice to the union ter-ritory of Jammu & Kashmir onPilot's plea and posted thematter for further hearing onMarch 2.

Senior advocate KapilSibal, appearing for Pilot, toldthe apex court that it is ahabeas corpus petition andOmar has been kept in deten-tion since August 4 last year.

Habeas corpus is a writseeking production of person,who has allegedly been in ille-gal detention, before a court.

"He was in detention under

section 107 of the CrPC. Now,he has been detained under thePSA," Sibal said.

To this, the bench askedhim, "What are the grounds ofdetention? Let us see."

Sibal referred to the dossierhanded over to Omar by theSuperintendent of Police andsaid the grounds of detentionare already mentioned there.

He said the dossier claimedthat Omar has been detainedunder the PSA to avoid state-ments by the political leader,prevent violence and mainte-nance of law and order.

"Has any petition beenfiled in the Jammu & Kashmirhigh court by anybody on yourbehalf? Verify whether any-thing is pending there," the

bench told Sibal and asked himto file an affidavit in this regard.The senior advocate told thecourt that nobody has filedanything in the high court ontheir behalf and the bench canrecord his statement on this."No counter affidavit isrequired in the matter asgrounds of detention arealready there," he said.Afterissuing notice, the bench saidthe matter will be heard afterthree weeks. Sibal urged thecourt that the matter be heardnext week as it is a habeas cor-pus petition concerning liber-ty of an individual.

When Sibal said that itwould delay the matter, thebench said, "You have waitedfor so long. Wait for 15 moredays.

Sibal said there was nodelay on their part as Omar wasin detention since August lastyear.

"She (Sara) has not waitedfor one year. He was in deten-tion. He is now in preventivedetention under the PSA.Kindly have it next week. It isa fresh detention order," hesaid. To this, the bench said, "Itcan't be heard overnight.Sorry."

��

Noting the "positivesteps" initiated by

the Union Governmentto restore normalcy inJammu & Kashmir, theEuropean Union onFriday sought a swiftlifting of existingrestrictions in the UnionTerritory.

"The visit confirmed thatthe Government of India hastaken positive steps to restorenormalcy. Some restrictionsremain, notably on internetaccess and mobile services,and some political leaders arestill in detention," said VirginieBattu-Henriksson, EUSpokesperson for ForeignAffairs and Security Policy.

The comments by theEuropean Union came a dayafter a group of 25 foreignenvoys concluded a two-dayvisit to Jammu & Kashmir tohave a first-hand account of thesituation over six months afterthe Centre announced with-drawing its special status.

"While we recognise theserious security concerns, it is

important that the remainingrestrictions be lifted swiftly," theofficial said.

Battu-Henriksson said thevisit presented a "welcomeopportunity" to see the situa-tion on the ground and tointeract with local interlocutorsin Jammu & Kashmir.

"We look forward to con-tinuing the dialogue with Indiaon the situation in the region,"the official added.

The visit was organised bythe Government to help theforeign envoys know about thesituation in the UnionTerritory. The EU official saidthe programme included meet-ings with civil and militaryauthorities, some political rep-resentatives as well as selectedrepresentatives of civil societyand the business community.

��

Aday after the SupremeCourt ordered political

parties to publish details of can-didates' criminal antecedents,the Election Commission(EC)on Friday welcomed the ruling,saying it would reiterate itsin-structions to parties regardingthe same. "ElectionCommission ofIndia whole-heartedly welcomes this land-mark order, which is boundtogo a long way in setting newmoral yardsticks for overallbettermentof electoral democ-racy," the EC said in a state-ment.

The ECI had issuedinstructions, along with anamended form ofaffidavit, onOctober 10, 2018 for "ensuringpublicity of crimi-nalantecedents by the candi-dates and the concerned polit-ical parties forthe information

of voters", the statement said.The Supreme Court on

Thursday directed all politicalparties to uploadthe details ofcriminal cases against candi-dates on their websites andso-cial media accounts, as well aspublish the same in one local-newspaper and one nationalnewspaper within 48 hours ofthecandidates' selection or twoweeks before nominations arefiled,whichever is earlier. Theparties have to also submitcompliancereports to the ECIwithin 72 hours of the selectionof candidates.

This had been implement-ed in all elections conductedsince November2018, itsaid."Now, Commission pro-poses to reiterate these instruc-tions withsuitable modifica-tions in order to implement thedirections of Hon'bleSupremeCourt in letter as well as in spir-it," it noted.

��

The Supreme Court hascome out with guidelines

for expeditious hearing ofcriminal appeals involvingdeath penalty, a decision whichcomes against the backdrop ofdelay in execution of the fourdeath row convicts in theNirbhaya gang rape and mur-der case.

The apex court has fixeda deadline of six months, fromthe date of the verdict of thehigh court, for hearing anappeal against the cases ofdeath sentence. In the circular,which was made public onFriday, it is mentioned that ina matter wherein the HighCourt has confirmed/ uphelddeath penalty and this courthas granted leave (admission of

case), the criminal appeals willbe listed for hearing not laterthan six months before the thethree-judges bench from thedate of sgrant of leave, irre-spective of the fact that appealis ready or not.

"As soon as the specialleave petition involving deathpenalty is filed, a communica-tion from the Registry may besent to the court appealedfrom to make ready and dis-patch to this court the certifi-cate of service as well as theoriginal record within a periodof 60 days or within furthersuch period fixed by court, afterreceipt of the intimation of thefiling of such special leavepetition along with the trans-lation of the documents invernacular language, if any," thecircular said.

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The Land and DevelopmentOffice, under the Ministry

of UrbanDevelopment, onFriday, removed encroach-ments and took possession ofland allotted to the Centre forApplied Politics (CAP)Narendra Niketan (now adefunct entity), founded byformer Prime Minister lateChandrashekhar.

The prime property, mea-suring 2000 yards located at IPEstate, ITO, near the graveyard,is worth over �1,200 crore,

According to L and DOsources, the department vacat-ed the premiseson Friday andtook possession of the saidproperty. It was found thatCAP violated the clause oflease and allotment letter issuedin 1977. Interestingly, inspec-tion was carried out by L andDO in 2015 and 2016 and mis-use of property was found.

"In view of the above , thelessor has decided to cancel theallotment in respect of propertyallotted CAP, NarendraNiketan, IPEstate with imme-diate effect for violation ofprovision of allotment letterand agreement to lease. Uponsuch cancellation, entire plot ofland forming the subject mat-ter of the relevant lease deedand the building standing0there upon including all struc-tural erections and fittingspresently held by CAP shallvest with the Lessor," the orderpassed by Amit Kataria, Landand Development Officer said.

HN Sharma, a close aide oflate Prime Minister ChandraShekhar, said that he had writ-ten to the Ministry of UrbanDevelopment and Land &Development Office that thesaid premises was encroachedupon by apolitical party(Samajwadi Janta Party-Chandrashekhar) and few pri-vatepersons and requested theministry to cancel the allot-ment of the saidland as CAPwas a defunct entity and theCentre does not have anyofficeat the said property. Earlier, PSPrasad, who was secretarywiththe former PM, had sub-mitted a plea to the ministryurging it to takeback the pos-session of the saidproperty.Sharma said that for-mer PM had desired that ifCAP Narendra Niketan fails tofunction according to its objec-tives then land should bereturned to the government.

In 1977, the Ministry ofUrban Development had allot-

ted 2,000 yards to the CAPNarendra Niketan. The primeland at ITO was a bone of con-tention between the SamajwadiJanata Party and the Centre forApplied Politics (CAP)Narendra Niketan.

The said property was

inspected by the L&DO offi-cials vide inspectionID noID12468 and after ascertainingthat the land was being mis-used a notice nol&DO/lS2B/1(309)/251 ofAugust 26, 2015 was issued toCentre for Applied Politics

saying, "You are therefore here-by required toremedy thebreaches within 30 days fromthe date of receipt of thisnoticefailing which action to re-enterthe premises under clause ofthelease will be taken against youwithout any further notice inthematter."

The South Delhi MunicipalCorporation had sent a noticefor recoveryof property tax tothe tune of Rs71, 91,151 onMarch 14, 2016.

In its inspection, the SouthDMC found that the centrewasguilty of unauthorised con-struction on the land allotted toit ,misappropriation of theproperty and non-payment ofl e g i t i m a t e m u n i c i p a l/Government dues. "Despitehaving full and authentic-knowledge of the irregularitiescommitted, the Centre forApplied Politics, have not takenany tangible action in the mat-ter," the SouthDMC order hadsaid.

��

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Friday held exten-

sive parleys here with visitingPortugal President MarceloRebelo de Sousa and the twonations later signed sevenagreements and MoUs in fieldsincluding defence and securi-ty.

The pacts provide forcooperation in areas of invest-ment, transport, ports, cultureand industrial and intellectualproperty rights. The agree-ments also included a joint dec-laration a bilateral mobilitypartnership and another onmaritime transport.

Among the pacts, the twocountries will jointly developNational Maritime HeritageComplex(NHMC) in Lothal,Gujarat.

The MOU will pave theway for cooperation betweenthe two countries for showcas-ing common MaritimeHeritage.

Portugal is an importantcountry for India in SouthernEurope, and bilateral ties havewitnessed a steady progress inthe last 15 years. In October2005, Portugal extradited Abu

Salem and Monica Bedi toface terror charges.

Modi visited Portugal inJune 2017 during which 11agreements were signed cov-ering a large number of areasincluding space, avoidance ofdouble taxation, nano-tech-nology, biotechnology andhigher education.

Sousa arrived here onThursday night on a four-dayvisit, his first to India. The lastvisit by a Portuguese Presidentto India was in 2007. He isaccompanied by a high-leveldelegation.

Officials said the talksbetween the two leaders cov-ered entire expanse of bilater-al ties including in areas oftrade, investment and educa-tion.

In the morning, thePortuguese president wasaccorded a ceremonial wel-come at the RashtrapatiBhavan.

President Ram NathKovind will meet the visitingpresident on Friday eveningand host a banquet in his hon-our.

Sousa will also travel toMaharashtra and Goa duringhis visit.

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Not ready to take any chancein the wake of the spiral-

ing cases of coronavirus acrossthe countries, the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation(DGCA) asked airports andairlines on Friday that passen-gers arriving in flights fromJapan and South Korea must bescreened once they step out ofaerobridges in order to preventthe spread of novel coron-avirus infection.

Till date, only passengersarriving from four countries -- China, Hong Kong, Thailandand Singapore - were beingscreened for possible exposure to the respiratoryvirus at 21 identified airports inIndia.

The Indian Embassy inJapan said on Friday that athird Indian crew on board a

cruise ship off the Japanesecoast has tested positive for thenovel coronavirus as authoritiesconfirmed that total 218 peo-ple have been infected with thedeadly virus on the quaran-tined ship.

Two crew members, out oftotal 138 Indians on board thecruise ship Diamond Princess,were tested positive for thevirus earlier.

In a circular, theDirectorate General of CivilAviation (DGCA) stated,"Universal screening of all thepassengers coming in flightsdirectly from Japan, SouthKorea, Thailand and Singaporebesides the flights from Chinaand Hong Kong shall beensured immediately once theystep out of the specific identi-

fied aerobridge.""It is advised to place the

suitable signages at strategiclocations at all the airports andgetting the self-declarationform filled by the passengers asper the instructions of theMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfare," it added.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet onFriday joined other airlineslike Air India and IndiGo inannouncing temporarily sus-pending Delhi-Hong Kongflights from February 16 to 29in the wake of novel coron-avirus outbreak that has so farkilled nearly 1,500 people inChina.

IndiGo and Air India hada few days ago had already sus-pended all their flights betweenIndia and China. Meanwhile,the Union Health Ministrysaid that the conronavirus sit-uation is under control in the

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The verdict in the Behmaimassacre case, in which

20 people were killed alleged-ly by bandit Phoolan Devi’sgang in 1981, which was sup-posed to be delivered onJanuary 6, has been postponedagain with the next hearing list-ed for February 26.

The date for pronouncingthe verdict on the role of thefour surviving accused in thecase that shook the countrynearly four decades ago

could not be fixed onWednesday in the absence ofthe original case diary (CD),District Government Counsel(criminal) Raju Porwal said.

The court has listed thecase on February 26 with strictinstructions to the officestaff and the police to tracethe original CD and place itbefore the court, Porwalsaid.

It has also made it clearthat it will hear the argu-ments over the missing case diary firstbefore listing the case for pronouncing of judgement.

Porwal said the super-intendent of police ofKanpur Dehat has made awritten request to the specialjudge (UP dacoity-affectedarea), seeking more time to

present the CD.Considering the request,

the judge has given time tillFebruary 26 to search for themissing CD and place it before the court, hesaid.

Earlier, special judgeSudhir Kumar had pulled up acourt official after noticing theabsence of the original CDwhile delivering the judge-ment in the case onJanuary 18.

The court had expresseddisappointment over the mat-ter. It had postponed the casefrom January 24 to January 30and then to February 12 as theCD could not be traced.The court has also issueda notice to the session clerkconcerned for the missing casediary, Porwal said.

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Aworshipper was killed andthree others received splin-

ter injuries in Shahpur area ofPoonch on Friday in heavymortar shelling by the PakistanArmy from across the line ofcontrol. It is after a long timethe Pakistan Army used 120mm mortars to target civilianareas on the Indian side.Hitting back, the Indian Armytoo retaliated strongly andreportedly caused heavy dam-ages to several forward posts ofthe Pakistan Army. The firingin the area was going on till thetime of filing the report till lateFriday evening.

According to groundreports, “a mortar shell fired bythe Pakistan Army directly

landed on the roof top of a reli-gious place and exploded afterfalling down in the courtyardwhere worshippers were gear-ing up to offer Friday prayers”.

One of the worshipper,present in the courtyard,iden-tified as Badrudin, was hit bysplinters of a mortar shell andsuccumbed to his fatal injurieswhile three others were rushedto the nearby hospital by localvillagers despite heavy shellingin the area. The Pakistan Armyalso targeted forward villages inQasba, Keerni, Mandhar andKaiyan areas of Poonch.

On Thursday evening also,the Pakistan Army had target-ed a revered shrine of SainMiran Sahib in the forwardarea but failed to inflict anyinjuries to civilian population.

According to groundreports, “the Pakistan Army onFriday afternoon initiated‘unprovoked’ ceasefire violationin Shahpur area of Poonchtargeting several forwardIndian posts”. After some time,Pakistan army started targetingcivilian areas using 120 mmmortars triggering panic inthe forward villages. In theabsence of adequate number ofbunkers constructed in thearea the local residents were leftwith little options but to remaincloseted inside their houses.

According to officialsources, out of sanctioned14460 bunkers , a total numberof 6,225 bunkers have beencompleted so far in the divi-sion, including 5,628 individ-ual bunkers and 597 commu-

nity bunkers.Out of these only 562

bunkers have been construct-ed in Poonch while 1,369bunkers have been completedin Samba district, 955 inJammu district, 1,230 in Kathuadistrict, 2,109 in Rajouri dis-trict.

Construction work of

14460 bunkers were approvedat a cost of �415.73 crore forborder residents facingPakistani shelling in Jammudivision. A total of 13,029 indi-vidual bunkers and 1431 com-munity bunkers were sanc-tioned to accommodate borderresidents during cross borderfiring.

Kolkata: Activists of theCPI(M)’s Women’s wing andthe Youth Congress protestedon Friday against the hike inLPG cylinder prices at twoimportant junctions of the city,leading to major traffic snarls insome areas of north and southKolkata, police sources said.

Youth Congress members,armed with placards and ban-ners, blocked the APC Road inRajabazar for around 30 min-utes at 3 pm, throwing trafficout of gear.

Members of the CPI(M)-backed All India DemocraticWomen’s Association (AIDWA)also staged a demonstrationoutside the Indian OilCorporation office in Dhakuriain the southern part of the city.

The AIDWA protest causedtraffic snarls for around anhour on the Dhakuria bridge,police sources said. LPG pricewas increased to �858.50 per14.2 kg cylinder from �714 pre-viously, making it the steepesthike in rates since January2014. PTI

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The Dal Lake and its sur-rounding areas in Srinagar

will soon be declared an eco-sensitive zone, officials said onFriday. The famous lake hasshrunk to less than half its orig-inal size with its capacity downto 40 per cent due to pollutionand encroachment, they said.

“The Committee ofExperts (CoE) on Dal andNageen lakes shall submit thefinal proposal to the Housingand Urban DevelopmentDepartment (HUDD) by 20thof February,” a senior officialsaid. He said the recommen-

dations of the committee will besent to the Centre by February29. It is expected that the DalLake and its surrounding areaswill be declared as eco-sensitivezone (ESZ) by the first week ofMarch, the official said.

In November, the Jammuand Kashmir administrationhad set up a 10-member com-mittee to declare the Dal Lakeand its surrounding areas aneco-sensitive zone, followingconcerns over its shrinkingsize. The Committee of Experts(CoE) on Wednesday reviewedand discussed the draft notifi-cation for declaring the lake andits surroundings as ESZ, theofficials said.

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In an apparent reference toHome Minister Amit Shah’s

admission that the BJP’s’ ‘golimaro’ rhetoric might haveworked against the party’sinterest in Delhi elections,Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Friday said the saf-fron leadership should havekept this in mind while theywere spreading hate

campaign before the elec-tions.

“Where senior leaders gavehate speech and induce theyouth to take up arms it is butnatural that they will resort totaking up guns in their hands.They (BJP) should havethought about it before theelections,” she said asking “whatwill the workers do if youinduce them to shoot at youropponents.” She made the state-ment while giving speechinside the State Assembly.

Referring to the incidentsof attack on the Opposition inthe BJP-ruled States Banerjeesaid, “it is time to change theirrhetoric.” Alleging that theBengal BJP leaders were stillmaking violent speechesBanerjee said “a few leadersthat you (BJP) have sent inBengal are still not prepared tomend their ways. They arestill spreading hatred … But Iwarn them this will not helpthem in Bengal.”

Alleging that the BJP and

RSS were actively convertingthe Aadi Vasis (tribal people)into Hinduism Banerjee said“such practices were never seenin Bengal earlier.

The BJP and RSS are con-verting the Aadi Vasis in thegarb of organising mass mar-riages. They should refrainfrom doing so,” warning onceagain that National Register forCitizens will not be invoked inBengal.

“There will be no NRC inBengal,” Banerjee said addingshe would write to the ChiefMinisters of all the non-BJPstates to unite against NRC.

While Railway MinisterPiyush Goyal had on Thursdayattacked the State Governmentfor refusing to implement thecentral schemes so as to bene-fit the common peopleBanerjee targeted her UttarPradesh counterpart YogiAdityanath’s government alleg-ing it had failed to give pro-

tection to the women.“In Bengal, we have laws to

protect women. Police actimmediately when there iscrime against women but lookat UP where victims are burntalive and their families areattacked,” she said.

Banerjee also rued thatshe was not invited to theinaugural ceremony of theKolkata East-West Metro cor-ridor though she had workedvery hard as the RailwayMinister to bring the project toKolkata.

Meanwhile, the Bengal BJPline seemed to be divided overthe use of hate speeches duringthe elections.

The debate over the futurestrategy came up after the BJPsuffered a humiliating defeat inDelhi at the hands of the AamAadmi Party which won thepolls for the third consecutivetime on the plank of good gov-ernance.

The saffron party won only

8 seats while the AAP bagged62 in the 70-member House.

While a section of the lead-ers including Chandra Bose thegrand nephew of Netaji SubhasChandra Bose said that “theparty should contest electionson the issue of good gover-nance” rather than strongrhetoric based on hatred thosebacking state president DilipGhosh opposed the view.

Supporting party MPSwapan Dasgupta’s views hetweeted “Agree with SwapanDasgupta that Bengal (BJP)must have a CM face whocould match up to the statureof Mamata Banerjee. In publiclife-nothing is private! The BJPmust have a Bengal Centricstrategy for WB.”

Dasgupta had earlier saidthat ideological issues must besupplemented by governanceagenda. He also spoke in favourof a Chief Ministerial face tocounter the stature of MamataBanerjee.

However State BJP presi-dent Dilip Ghosh said the BJPhad its own way of functioning.“That is not the way the BJPworks” he said while anotherstate level leader said “the strat-egy that had given us 18 out of42 seats should be pursuedbecause Bengal is differentfrom Delhi. You will have tocounter TMC’s aggressive strat-egy by a matching aggression.”

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Jammu: On the first anniver-sary of ghastly Pulwama ter-ror attack, Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) on Fridaypaid rich tributes to 40 CRPFpersonnel who had sacrificedtheir lives when their convoywas targeted by a suicidebomber of Pakistan-basedJaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) ter-ror outfit.

Several political leaders ledby BJP National GeneralSecretary, Ram Madhav, alsovisited the ground zero of theattack near Lethpora onJammu-Srinagar NationalHighway and offered floraltributes to the martyred CRPFjawans.

On the occasion, a memo-rial built in the memory ofmartyred CRPF personnel, wasinaugurated at the Lethpora

camp. The names of all the 40personnel along with their pic-tures are a part of the memor-ial along with the moto of theCentral Reserve Police Force(CRPF) — ‘Seva and Nishtha’(Service and Loyalty).

After attending a solemntribute ceremony, AdditionalDirector General of CRPFZulfiquar Hasan said toldreporters, It is a way to payhomage to the brave jawanswho lost their lives in theattack,”

“The names of all the 40soldiers along with their pictureswill be part of the memorial. “Itdefinitely was an unfortunateincident and we have learnt ourlessons now. We were alwaysextra alert during our move-ment but now an extra layer ofalertness has been added to it,”

Hasan said. Umesh Gopinath Jadhav

from Maharashtra was the spe-cial guest at the wreath-layingceremony at CRPF campus hereto mark a year of the attack.

Jadhav took a 61,000 kmlong journey across India tomeet families of the 40 jawanswho lost their lives in theattack. Jadhav met the familiesof the Pulwama martyrs andsaid that he collected the soilfrom their houses.

“I am proud that I met allthe families of Pulwama mar-tyrs, and sought their blessings.Parents have lost their sons,wives lost their husbands, chil-dren lost their fathers, friendslost their friends. I collected soilfrom their houses and their cre-mation grounds,” Jadhav said. PNS

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The ruling Congress hereWould hold a massive

demonstration on February 16to condemn the “continuedsteps the Bharatiya JanataParty-led NDA has been initi-ating to deprive the poor anddowntrodden of theirConstitutional rights.”

PWD Minister and PCCpresident A Namassivayamsaid in a press release on Fridaythat the Centre has been “zeal-ously going ahead to deprivethe Scheduled Castes,Scheduled Tribes and theBackward Classes” of the fruitof reservation in educationand employment.

The recent trend to ensurethat the benefit of reservationwas not “available” to thedepressed sections is highly“condemnable.”

The architect ofConstitution Dr B R Ambedkarhad framed the necessary blue-print for reservation to pro-mote the wellbeing of thedowntrodden and to procuresocial justice to them, he saidand added that the first IndianPrime Minister and also theCongress regimes at the Centrenurtured the policy of reser-vation in the past.

But, the present BJP-ledNDA had been trampling uponthe reservation policy eversince it came to power at theCentre.

Namassivayam said theruling Congress would hold ademonstration at the head postoffice here on February 16 tocondemn the Centre’s “anti-poor” policies.

The Centre is also tryingto use the recent verdict ofSupreme Court that “reserva-tion is not a fundamental right”to dilute the reservation prin-ciples as envisaged by the stal-warts of the downtrodden peo-ple.

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The Bombay High Court onFriday declined to grant

anticipatory bail to civic rightsGautam Navlakha and AnandTeltumbde in the ElgarParishad case.

However, Justice Prakash DNaik of the High Court extend-ed interim protection fromarrest granted to both of themfor four weeks so they couldapproach the Supreme Court inappeal.

While Navlakha hadmoved the high court after aspecial Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA) courtin Pune rejected his anticipa-tory bail plea on November 12,2019, Teltumbde hadapproached the court for anticipatory bail inFebruary 2019.

The special court in Punehad earlier rejected Navalkha’santicipatory bail plea afterobserving that the Prosecutionhad sufficient material to showthat Navlakha was “not only amember of the banned organ-isation but an active leader”.

Navlakha and AnandTeltumbde were among theactivists booked in connec-tion with an FIR registered onJanuary 8,2018 at the Pune’sVishram Baug Police Station inconnection with the Elgaar

Parishad organised at ShaniwarWada on December 31, 2017by the leftist outfit Kabir KalaManch (KKM) and RepublicanPanthers Party ahead of theJanuary 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots.

The Vishrambaug policehad registered the FIR on thebasis of a complaint lodged alocal builder Tushar Damgude,who had alleged the membersCPT (Maoist) and Kabir KalaManch had spread hatredthrough provocative songs,plays and speeches delivered atElgaar Parishad held onDecember 31, 2017, which ledto violence following the inci-dent at Bhima-Koregaon.

The FIR, originally regis-tered u/s 153(A), 505 (1)(b),117 and 34 of the Indian PenalCode (IPC), had made out aconspiracy case in March 2018and relevant sections of theUnlawful Activities PreventionAct (UAPA) were added to thecase latter.

The investigators havebeen claiming right from dayone that the evidence gatheredby them had shown that theCPI (Maoist) had hatched con-spiracy to form an all Indiaunited front “to overthrow thegovernment established by thelaw” and that the ElgarParishad had been organised inPune on December 31, 2017 aspart of this conspiracy.

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India’s largest examinationcentre complex with a seat-

ing capacity of about 25,000candidates at one go will comeup in Bihar during the nextcouple of years.

The state of the art facilityequipped with CCTV cam-eras, jammers and webcastnetworks, the project willensure proper transport con-nectivity including that bymetro for the convenience ofexaminees, examiners,guardians and other relatedstaff. A police contingent bar-rack will also be built in thecomplex to ensure round theclock vigil.

The examination hall is thebrainchild of Bihar StateExamination Board (BSEB)Chairman Anand Kishore andwill be developed in the Statecapital Patna. Besides BSEB’smandate of conducting sec-ondary and higher schoolexaminations the mega hall willbe monetized to use it for aca-demic purposes like holding ofentrance and examinations bybig establishments like UPSC,BPSC, SSC, Banking Servicesetc. “This project is very closeto my heart due to encourage-ment received from the ChiefMinister (Nitish Kumar). Theexamination complex will haveall international standards tech-nology to ensure a fair exami-nation,” Kishore told ThePioneer.

Credited with changingthe secondary examination sys-tem in Bihar which was earli-er marred by rampant cheat-ings and unfair means, Kishorewas here to inaugurate BSEB’sfirst Regional Centre in Delhi.

Millions of students whocome to Delhi-NCR to pursuehigher education every yearwill be benefited as the facili-ty of collecting migration,duplicate mark sheet, alter-

ation in certificates and cer-tificate verification can be doneat the regional office.

Not only this, millions ofpeople working in Delhi-NCRwill not have to go to Bihar forthe above mentionedworks.

Talking about the BiharExamination complex, a seniorBSEB official present at theDelhi RO said it will have 40halls with an equated seatingcapacity of 21000 examineesand an another set of 20 hallswith a seating capacity of about4000 candidates for takingonline examinations likeGMAT, GRE, SAT.

The complex will havefacilities for examiners andinvigilators like guest rooms,canteens etc. A presentation tothis effect has been made by theBSEB Chairman to ChiefMinister last week.

Inaugurating the Delhioffice, Kishore said theRegional office will help in bet-

ter coordination with Delhi-based educational institutionsincluding Ministry of HumanResource Development andthe Central Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE).

Kishore was brought asChairman BSEB three yearsago after an image of peoplehelping their wards in cheatingwent viral and at a time whenthere were reports that studentspassed their class 10thand 12th examinations evenvisiting the examination centreand obtain their pass certifi-cates.

Recently Nepal EducationBoard and Chhattisgarh SchoolBoard sought tips and mecha-nism by BSES in conductingfair examinations.

Ever since the 1996 batchBihar cadre IAS, took over asBSES Chairman he hasenforced strictness by makinguse technology in the conductof entire examination processand simultaneously mass sus-pensions of corrupt officialsand action against peopleinvolved in corrupt practices.

Now Kishore is popularlyknown as the Bihar’sTurnaround Man as he in hisposting In Patna ensured com-plete cleansing of the city.Besides BSEB boss, AnandKishore also heads the StateUrban Development depart-ment and Patna Metro.

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In a development that hasbrought the differences

between the ruling Shiv Senaand Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) on a crucial issue out inthe open, NCP chief SharadPawar on Friday expressed hisdispleasure over Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray’s decision tolet the NIA take over the inves-tigations into the 2018 BhimaKoregaon-Elgar Parishad case.

A day after State HomeMinister Anil Deshmukh of theNCP said that he had been“overruled” his stand by with-drawing objections to the NIAtaking over the investigationsinto the Bhima Koregaon-ElgarParishad case, Pawar voiced hisunhappiness over Uddhavagreeing to hand over the caseto the central investigatingagency.

Talking to media persons atKolhapur in westernMaharashtra, Pawar said:“Under the Constitution, main-taining law & order is a Statesubject. In the first place, it wasimproper on the Centre toencroach upon the rights of the

state and take over the casefrom the Pune police. It wasmuch more improper on thestate government’s part to sup-port the Centre’s move (to askthe NIA to take over the case).

Alluding to the ChiefMinister’s decision to with-draw the State Government’sobjections to NIA taking overthe Bhima Koregaon-ElgarParishad case, Pawar said: “TheChief Minister has powers todecide on whether or not tohand over the case to the NIA.But, our stand on the issue hasthat in the Bhima-Koregaoncase, the conduct of state homedepartment officials was objec-tionable. …Meetings took placebetween 9 am and 11 am (inMumbai) and the Centre tookthe decision (to hand over thecase to the NIA) at 3 pm (onJanuary 25)”.

On his part, State HomeMinister Anil Deshmukh hadsaid on Thursday: “The Bhima-Koregaon case earlier beinginvestigated by theMaharashtra police After theCentre handed over the case tothe NIA, as the Home Ministerof the state I had taken a stand

that if the Union Governmentwanted to hand over the probeto the NIA, it should have takenthe State Government intoconfidence. We had taken thesame stand, while fighting thecase in Pune court. All I can sayis that the chief minister has thepower to overrule my stand”.

It may be recalled that onJanuary 25 —a day after theUnion Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) handed over theinvestigations in the BhimaKoregaon-Elgar Parishad caseto the NIA, a miffed Pawar hadcharged that the ruling BJP –with an acute fear of beingexposed in the case – had hur-riedly handed over the investi-gations to the NIA. He haddemanded that an independentpanel to set up to hold com-prehensive probe into the man-ner in which the Pune police

had investigated the case. “Onlyan independent probe willbring out truth in the case,” hesaid.

“The re-investigations arenecessary in the case, becausethe Centre’s move has arousedsuspicions. The Centre’s deci-sion to hand over the case tothe NIA within hours after theState’s deputy chief ministerand Home Minister reviewedthe case with the state’s policeofficials. Under theConstitution, powers of dealingwith law and order have beenvested with the States. TheCentre might have apprehend-ed that if a re-investigation isordered into the case, the pre-vious BJP gove3rnment and itshand-picked officials might beexposed,” Pawar had said.

“Prima facie it appears thatthe Pune police misused theirpowers during the investiga-tions. The Centre may havehanded over the case to theNIA, but there is a need for thestate government to investigateif the Pune police misusedtheir powers to frame theactivists in the case,” Pawarsaid.

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Aday after the Maharashtragovernment agreed in

principle to let the NIA takeover investigations into thethe 2018 Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, a PuneSessions Court on Fridayordered that all the recordsrelating to the case be trans-ferred to the Special NIA(National InvestigationAgency) court inMumbai.

Pune Sessions Court’sSpecial judge SR Navandarruled that though theMaharashtra Governmenthad not made a formal sub-mission that it had no objec-tion to the NIA taking overthe case, his court did nothave powers to continue withthe case.

The Judge directed allaccused to be present beforethe NIA court in Mumbai onFebruary 28.

The investigations hand-ed over to the NIA relate tothe cases registered against 23activists in connection withthe violence that erupted onJanuary 1, 2018 at a gatheringof thousands of Dalits atBhima-Koregaon in Pune dis-trict who were celebrating200th anniversary of January 1, 1818 victory ofBritish troops over Peshwa

Bajirao at Bhima Koregaon inPune district, and theprovocative speeches deliv-ered by the activists at anElgaar Parishad held in Puneon December 31, 2017, a daybefore the celebrations atBhima Koregaon.

Nine of the accused harebeen booked for their allegedlinks with the CPI-Maoistlinks.

It may be recalled that thepolice had arrested ten CPI(Maoist) activists in twobatches in connection withthe Elgar Parishad-cum-Bhima-Koregaon riots case.They were among the 15activists against whom thepolice had registered cases.The five are still absconding.

The activists againstwhom charge-sheets havebeen filed for serious offencesare: Sudhir P. Dhawale, RonaJ. Wilson, Surendra P.Gadling, Shoma Sen, MaheshS. Raut, Varavara Rao, VernonGonsalves and Arun Pereira,Sudha Bharadwaj andGautam Navlakha.

They have been bookedfor their association with theElgaar Parishad held in Pune a day ahead ofthe January 1, 2018 Bhima-Koregaon riots and theiralleged links with the Maoists.

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Post-independence, public imagi-nation, political passions andadministrative prioritisation in the“Crown of India” were fronted bythe Kashmir Valley, followed by the

uber-strategic Ladakh (literally, the “land ofthe passes”) and thereafter by the DuggarJammu region. This hierarchy of importancewas recalibrated in the revised status of theUnion Territory (UT) to retain “normalcy”in the Valley (the foremost concern), addressthe Kashmiri Pandit issue (a matter ofurgency) and relegate the Jammu region (thelast priority). This hierarchy sustains still. Thiscontinued diminishment of the erstwhile landof the Dogra Kingdom in the pre-indepen-dence era, which held sway in swathes ofJammu & Kashmir, including Ladakh andexpansive reaches of Western Tibet, Hunza,Gilgit-Baltistan and Nagar, is an ironic turnof fate. The largest princely State in the BritishRaj to accede to the dominion of India is aforgotten and twisted footnote in history. Asa corollary price paid for delayed accession,it was deliberately suppressed by new polit-ical forces and impulses, which were whole-heartedly endorsed by “New Delhi”, to decre-ment the Jammu region.

If Pakistan was externally vilified for itsrole in the first Kashmir War of 1947-48, inter-nally, Maharaj Hari Singh was convenientlypainted as the dilly-dallying monarch underwhose rule a situation was allowed to devel-op. Allowing such a narrative facilitated inde-pendent India’s first public rejection of theabhorred two-nation theory when politicalforces from Kashmir were allowed to system-atically dismantle the primacy of “Jammu” andthereby ride the moral high horse of a demo-cratic and non-discriminating “India.”Unnecessary allusion of “plebiscite” was a fur-ther display of ostensible statesmanship thatsought to demonstrate fair-play for Kashmirbut at the cost of “Jammu” sensitivities as con-textualised to the fate of former Dogra roy-als. The Maharaja was forced into abdicationand died a broken man. Jammu had no voicein Delhi to argue for its rightful share in India’simmediate aspirations. The iron-fencing ofArticle 370 predicated Jammu’s fate within theoverall pie of Jammu & Kashmir, whereaswithin the State itself, Kashmir emerged as theepicenter of all subsequent focus.

Two distinct dynamics dominated theState’s affairs. First, the political machinationssurrounding Sheikh Abdullah’s ambitionsand his oft-competing relations with “Delhi”,which led to a cat-and-mouse game of out-witting each other. Here, “Jammu” played aninsignificant role of a supporting cast.Second, from the national perception of theIndian citizenry, the recurring wars (1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999) and the armedinsurgency (early 1990s onwards) kept thelens firmly on Kashmir and at best on safe-guarding Ladakh, which holds out proudlyin the face of Pakistani-Chinese dimensions.Even though there’s a perennial strategic vul-nerability in the “chicken’s neck” of the

Sambha-Pathankot corridor ofJammu region, which hostedone of the fiercest tank battles incombat history, it remains sole-ly a matter of military records.This is rarely appreciated in thesame breath as the other “chick-en’s neck” in the Siliguri corri-dor. Recognising this threat per-ception, the Jammu region is lit-tered with garrison towns in vir-tual rows to safeguard the“integrity” and “sovereignty” ofIndia. It has done so since timeimmemorial. It remains the firstin line of defence against foreigninvasions and marauders.

This institutionalised taskof burying Jammu’s sense ofpurpose, relevance and sensi-tivities simmers in the region,though this remains consistent-ly unaddressed. The socio-cul-tural debasement soonassumed political-religiousundertones that got coined asthe “Jammu-Srinagar divide.”While such simplistic “divides”served an invaluable purposefor peddling partisan politics,they do incalculable harm infurther distorting the secular,multi-cultural and glorious tra-ditions of the Dogra Kingdom.

The Jammu region itself isnot a homogeneous composition.Reducing it to a “Hindu” identi-ty militates against the profoundreality of the Dogra rulers, whoseprogressive moorings, cultur-alised secularism, equality andvarious other societal freedomsgot enshrined in the Constitution.

The 10 districts of Jammuregion host a religio-ethnic-cul-tural diversity that epitomisesthe majesty and travesty of“India” in equal measure — theregion hosts the Dogra Hindus,Sikhs and Muslims (distinctfrom Muslims in the Valley)with their own distinctions asalso the nomadic Gujjar-Bakarwal tribes that were in thenews for the horrific rape caseof a little girl in Kathua. Thereductive oversimplification ofthe “Jammu-Srinagar divide”afforded a factually wrongcommunal attribution on per-ceptions even though theGujjar and the Bakarwals areethnically distinct from theKashmiri Muslims. Sadly,Jammu’s unheard frustrationsmorphed into assuming anunwarranted and communallybinary reaction.

The societal, multi-culturaland martial traditions of theJammu region and history areunmatched and unrecognisedoutside the realm of the Indianarmed forces and the people ofJammu themselves. Tellingly,Dogra soldiers are known as“gentleman soldiers” owing totheir finest soldiering instincts,ethos and bearing that behovescivilisational sophistication. Notonly does the region populateregiments like the Dogras,Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, Jammu& Kashmir Light Infantry, Punjaband many others — unbe-knownst to a larger India — it

also has the highest number ofgallantry awardees in service ofthe nation. This would undoubt-edly accrue to the compositeDogra identities. Jammu’s digni-fied silence and sacrifice — inallowing the more pressing firesin Kashmir to take the cen-trestage and the abandonment byunscrupulous politicians of allparties — has left it to be conve-niently ignored and taken forgranted.

The wholly political exerciseof abrogating Article 370 and thelooming delimitation exercisein the UT was received withlatent and instinctive excitementin Jammu but that mirage hasgiven way to despondency again.If anything, it has only strength-ened the historically-irrelevant“Jammu-Srinagar divide” andcarved out space for political har-vest, nothing more.

Jammu needs historicalacknowledgement and correc-tion besides development. All ofthis needs national intent andnot necessarily more legislativemembers (though that helps,too) as that is again a politicalminefield. Jammu has alwaysguarded India with its bloodand to imply that it can only berecognised at the cost ofKashmir is further diminishingof the Dogra identity and nobil-ity of yesteryears and short-changing it politically, yet again.

(The writer, a military veter-an, is a former Lt Governor ofAndaman & Nicobar Islands)

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Sir — This refers to the article,“The big picture” (February 12) byFarah Bookwala Vhora. Driven byavarice, the Government’s telecompolicies tend to chip away the baseoperators built over years at anenormous cost. Relying on a ratrace between telcos, the Indiantelecom regulatory trifecta, com-prising the Ministry ofCommunications and InformationTechnology, the Department ofTelecommunications and theTelecom Regulatory Authority ofIndia, is out-doing one another.

Signs of excessive debt stresson the operators are all too pro-nounced. The Government for-gets that its own avowed goal isto create an all-pervasive digitalIndia. Having milked the telecomrevolution with a spectrum feebonanza, it is out to get more rev-enue. The gap between policy-making and regulation in Indiantelecom is choking operators. Ata time when subscribers increas-ingly need to transact with speed,reliability and at low cost, theGovernment seems fixated onextracting its pound of flesh.

R Narayanan Navi Mumbai

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Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “AAP ki Dilli” (February 12).The Delhi Assembly electionswere meant to be local butturned into something like a

national referendum. But intimes of hate politics and toxicrhetoric, sensibility of what pub-lic life and politics should be hasbeen reclaimed. At the begin-ning of his second term, DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwalhad a confrontationist attitude

and was into rabble-rousingways over matters that were oflittle concern to the public. Heaccused the Prime Minister ofnot letting him work. But ulti-mately, he realised the futility ofit all and turned to minding hisown business of bijli, paani,

sadak, siksha and swasthya.The BJP made many devious

plans to drag the AAP intodebates on the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA) andArticle 370 but the latter refusedto get swayed away. Kejriwalfocussed his campaign on wel-fare and good governance. Thisis why his party emerged as thebig winner. The Delhi pollscarry lessons for the top leader-ship of the BJP and its foul-mouthed leaders.

MC JoshiLucknow

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Sir — Looks like instead of dis-tributing cash and liquor to theelectorate before elections, AAPhas changed the format by dis-tributing its surplus in the formof affordable power, water,healthcare and quality educa-tion. The aim of everyGovernment must be to ensureservices to win the hearts ofpeople.

AditiVia email

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RK Pachauri, former Chairman ofThe Energy and ResourcesInstitute (TERI), who passed

away on February 13, was India’s pre-eminent expert on sustainable develop-ment, climate change and environment.He received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prizeon behalf of the Inter-governmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC) forraising awareness on the issue. Duringhis eminent career, he also served as amember of the Prime Minister’s Councilon Climate Change that was constitut-ed in 2007. India’s National Action Planon Climate Change was finalised in2008 under his advice and he wasawarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001and Padma Vibhushan in 2008, thecountry’s third and second-highestcivilian awards, respectively.

Pachauri assumed responsibilitiesas TERI’s Chief Executive in 1981 andled the institute for more than threedecades. He had become synonymouswith TERI before he demitted office asthe Executive Vice-Chairman in March2016. One of his flagship projects,Lighting a Billion Lives, that beganwith distributing solar-powered lampsto rural homes in remote parts of thecountry that did not have access to gridelectricity, resulted in lighting homes in12 countries. Pachauri was a regularcontributor to The Pioneer and hereare a few excerpts of his articles thatwe are publishing as a tribute to theenvironmental crusader:

Blowing in the wind: (PublishedJanuary 8)

Wind energy can not only helpachieve a sustainable future but alsomeet economic and social objectives.India must make the best use of thisopportunity. Recent developments,with the US having targetted anIranian General located in Baghdad,would lead to a hardening of globaloil prices. There is a valid fear that anyfurther escalation of conflict in theMiddle-East could lead to furtherprice increases, which would impactunfavourably on India’s already unsat-isfactory rate of economic growth.Earlier concerns related to energysecurity and the objectives of bring-ing about energy independenceappear to have been given low prior-ity as a result of a glut in the global oilmarket in recent years. At the sametime, the negative externalities ofcoal production and consumptionremain understated, with an expan-sion of supply, essentially to maintaincoal as the major fuel for power gen-eration in this country. There is aneed, therefore, to articulate a long-term renewable energy strategy, whichwould also meet the objectives of theGovernment’s “Make in India” initia-tive. Wind energy developments willbe an excellent candidate not only forIndia to achieve a sustainable energyscenario in the future but also as ameans to meet a large range of eco-nomic and social objectives. It isinevitable that the world would moveaway from fossil fuels largely for mit-igation of carbon dioxide emissions,which are resulting in climate changeworld over. Hence, there would be agrowing demand and a major marketopportunity for nations, which inno-

vate and produce equipment for har-nessing renewable sources of energy.India has a growing opportunity toplay a role in this market.

Preventable reality: (PublishedJanuary 22)

The comprehensive listing ofthreats that can emerge this year, pub-lished by the Astana Club, is specificto Eurasian countries but has lessonsfor the entire world. With respect toclimate change, we need to come upwith scenarios on how we may be ableto bring about a transition from fos-sil fuels to low carbon sources of ener-gy. Far more immediate is the issue ofimpacts of climate change, whichwould pose increasing risks across theglobe. Projections of extreme events,which the IPCC had clearly broughtout 11 years ago, is the increase inintensity and frequency of disastersand extreme events. A typical butunfortunate example of this is provid-ed by the raging forest fires, whichrecently affected several parts ofAustralia, followed immediately byextreme precipitation events which ledto flooding and excessive damage. Allin all, it is important that the AstanaClub has come up with a comprehen-sive listing of threats, which canemerge during 2020 and, therefore,extending into this decade as a whole.Kazakhstan and several Eurasiancountries may lie beyond theHimalayan range but in terms of prox-imity, they are in some cases very closeto us in terms of geographical dis-tance. India should, perhaps, engagefar more closely with countries of theregion and exercise its soft power,including the flow of knowledge,education and research on issues thathave a bearing on the region. The

threats for Eurasia apply equally toIndia as well.

Anatomy of a heat shield:(Published January 21, 2019)

The impact of climate changewould leave a large part of the popu-lation vulnerable in India. It needs todevelop its industrial strengths in atechnology of the future. It is impor-tant to remember that for India as asociety, the impacts of climate changewould leave a large part of the popu-lation vulnerable. If global action isneglected, in which India has highstakes, then we cannot blame othersas a nation, which many developedcountries have been responsible for asa measure of neglect for much toolong. In particular, quite apart fromthe economic merits of large-scalerenewable energy production, whichthe Government of India has nowcommitted itself to, what is perhapsof even greater priority is to electrifythose villages which are as yet un-elec-trified, and which may have majorconstraints in supply of grid basedpower. The TERI launched a majorprogramme in 2008 called “Lightinga Billion Lives,” which focussed on theprovision of lighting in the homes ofthese villages, using renewable ener-gy, mainly through supply of PV basedpower. India had a great opportuni-ty to not only complete this task with-in its own borders, but perhaps makethe experience available to homes inAfrica and other parts of the develop-ing world. There is, of course, a sig-nificant benefit in exploitingeconomies of scale both through anapproach such as the programme on“Lighting a Billion Lives” as well aslarge-scale supply of grid-based powerusing renewables.

India can become a leader in mit-igation of emissions of GHGs and seta path for growth with significantlylow carbon emissions. It may thusdevelop its industrial strengths in atechnology of the future, with signif-icant commercial benefits and reachacross other regions of the world. This,of course, would also have majorimplications for action at the globallevel for meeting the provisions of theParis agreement and maintaining thelimit of 1.5 °C.

In the worst of times: (PublishedApril 3, 2019)

It is necessary for national govern-ments to put in place safety measuresso that vulnerable sections can be pro-tected from the ill-effects of a down-turn in economic activity. WhenCharles Dickens wrote the followinglines for his epic creation, A Tale ofTwo Cities, he obviously gave expres-sion to the state of society as it exist-ed in that period: “It was the best oftimes, it was the worst of times, it wasthe age of wisdom, it was the age offoolishness, it was the epoch of belief,it was the epoch of incredulity...”. If thesame author were to write similar linestoday, it is likely that he would dropthe words “best of times”, given theextent of uncertainty and the lack of“feel good” that we see before us.Perhaps every generation feels somehelplessness at what they perceive asthe decline in standards, opportuni-ties — and most importantly, hope —in comparison with yesteryear. Yet,today, the confusion that definesglobal affairs and the state of the worldseems more compelling in mappingthe human condition as, say, in com-parison with what existed just a fewyears ago. The global economy has

reached unprecedented levels, whichshould normally have resulted in theelimination of poverty, hunger andmalnutrition, and a reduction ininequalities but the growing differencebetween the richest members of soci-ety and those at the bottom rung hasnever been sharper than it is today.

Leaders with hubris: (PublishedApril 17, 2019)

A large number of leaders, bothat the global and the national levels,today appear to be victims of self-pride when they should be more hum-ble and modest personalities. Thequestion is whether these leaders areseen by their followers as larger thanlife and measuring up to the dimen-sions of a superman, to be idealisedand admired by them. It is hoped thatdistinguished leaders in the futurewould show a certain level of humil-ity and shed the hubris that theyappear to have acquired in recentyears. It is relevant to recall that thebrightest scientist in history AlbertEinstein is reported to have said, “Iprefer an attitude of humility corre-sponding to the weakness of our intel-lectual understanding of nature andof our own being.” Could it, therefore,be that those leaders with hubris lackan intellectual understanding of theirown being and most certainly that ofnature, which takes the form ofremoteness from reality and basichumility? We urgently need leaders inthis mould before those with hubriscan impose untold harm on societyand distort the finest attributes ofhuman nature. But in recent times,leaders with hubris have strutted thestage in the US, the UK, thePhilippines, Indonesia and manyother countries. Will they be succeed-ed by more humble and modest per-sonalities?

The desecration of democracy:(Published January 21, 2019)

The gun control issue and oppo-sition to restrictions on tobacco useare symptomatic of how democracy isbeing desecrated by abandoning ourresponsibilities towards the welfare ofthe people. As the world’s largestdemocracy, it is important for Indiato learn the lessons from the flaws anddistortions of other countries, such asthe US, or else we would also becomemajor desecraters of democracy withdevastating consequences. The one rayof light which appears now is the enor-mous effort being made by the youthof the school in Parkland, Florida,where a shooting spree took place. Itis particularly important that they usetheir moral power to not only influ-ence the state legislature and theGovernor of Florida, but also createpublic opinion for action to introducegun control. It is important that on allsuch issues, whether it is banning oftobacco consumption or action to dealwith climate change, youth powershould come to the fore. It is after alltheir future which is at serious risk,and clearly it is for them to take lead-ership, as indeed they are doing withthe authorities in Florida. If the cur-rent tragedy leads to youth succeed-ing in imposition of gun control, thenperhaps such carnage won’t happen.

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The Union Budget 2020 on agri-culture sends one very clearmessage: The Modi Government

is committed to sustainable agriculture.Through poetry, Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman spelled out a planto increase the area under organic farm-ing to four lakh hectares by 2020-21.Under the Green revolution budget, theParamparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana(CSS) has been allotted �500 crore forincreased coverage of the area underorganic certification and additionallyhas got 0.51 lakh hectares (Ha) fororganic certification.

In total, the Government has given�687.5 crore through three schemes topromote agro-ecological farming in the

country. Not only would this increasethe production of more organic food forlocal consumption and exports but itwould also ensure that India stridestowards sustainability and climate mit-igation.

On the export front, theAgricultural and Processed FoodProducts Export DevelopmentAuthority (APEDA) approximatedIndian organic exports at �5,151 crorein 2018-19, a 49 per cent jump from2017-19.

Other commendable stepsannounced by the Finance Minister toensure that agro-ecological practicesreturn to Indian farms were the creationof an online portal on jaivik kheti to bol-ster the organic market and the villagestorage scheme to empower DhaanyaLakshmi. All these steps are consistentwith Piyush Goyal’s Budget Speech of2019, which made organic food pro-duction the eighth dimension of theModi Government’s vision for 2030.

The current Budget is also in linewith the BJP’s manifesto promise andcomes as a relief to millions of senten-tious environmentally-conscious con-sumers and swadeshi supporters alike.

Meanwhile the APEDA projectsorganic export to increase to $50 bil-lion by 2025. However, many veteransof the organic and grain sector wonderwho will seed organic India? Do weeven have enough certified organicseeds? Exports of this magnitude can’trely on landraces or traditional varietiesof grain alone. We need more efficientmechanisms for breeding organic seedsto support this growth. Indian farmersneed superior quality even in organicgrain to sustain this boom.

Four lakh hectares are a humon-gous area. To put things in perspective,one hectare is roughly the size of twofootball fields. So imagine about7,50,000 football fields, spread acrossIndia. Many of these areas are in theremote parts of the country and inac-cessible to the formal seed sector.

While most people in India,including farmers, confuse untreatedseeds (pre-soaked in fungicide orchemicals) as organic, the fact remainsthat they are misinformed.

A seed can only be called organicif it is grown in organic soils with agro-ecological practices and an organic cer-tificate. And truth be told, the options

of buying high performing organicgrain are very limited as the organicseed industry is still very primitivewhen compared to the competitive andresearch and development-based indus-try of the USA or Germany.

With the emergence of greaterdemand for organic food, regulationsand standards will only become stricter.The consensus between all organic cer-tification mechanisms is that all seedsused to grow organic foods need to becertified too.

The current level of the technolo-gy enables organic certifying agenciesto trace residues in the seed. And fur-ther, this may be a critical point in thefuture of organic trade, especially to theEU and the US.

Even today Indian food exportedto the EU and the USA are rejected atrespective ports, due to toxic residuesfound even in certified organic produce.This can only be corrected once seedto the final produce, in fact the wholeorganic supply chain, is developedand there are no gaps anywhere inbetween.

As per reports, the global organicseed market will be worth $5.4 billion

by 2024. Hence, India needs to swervetowards not just more organic foodyields but also become an organic seedproduction hub.

The Government and plant breed-ers should create a policy for organicseed production in consultation withglobal certifying agencies and so on.This may be followed by a push to cre-ate organic seed production clusters inSikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal and theNorth-eastern States. Sikkim, an organ-ic State, can be most suitable for thisendeavour. The Union Budget needs tohave a special concession for tax breaksand easier land leasing terms in organ-ic zones to have a discernible effect onthe incomes of farmers and plantbreeders.

India, especially in the biodiversi-ty-rich zones, is a treasure trove for seedproduction. By harmoniously workingwith nature, farmers can producegreater yields and resistance in theirseeds, while also conserving waterand their habitats. The National Bureauof Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR),through a novel programme and per-haps some funding from theGovernment, can encourage organic

seed entrepreneurs in these zones. Other organisations such as

Biodiversity International, ICAR andState agricultural universities canstrengthen this drive. New modulesneed to be created for advanced levelsof evolutionary participatory breeding(EPB) that are available to plant breed-ers and farmers in regional languages.This programme should be implement-ed with the assistance of theGovernment. Food ProductionOrganisations can play an importantrole, too, in this.

To sum up, the Modi Governmentmust prepare to remove any impedi-ments to make India the largestexporter of organic food. Organic seedsare not only vital for this vision but ifpursued with determination, may ful-fil the Government’s aim of increasingseed exports to 10 per cent and enrichIndian farmers four times over. Thequestion only remains, will India makehay when the sun shines on Indianorganic produce or nip the buddingorganic seed sector?

(The writer is Director, policy andoutreach, National Seed Association ofIndia)

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The order of the Departmentof Telecommunications that

had asked for no coercive actionagainst telecom companiesdefaulting on statutory duespayment was issued without theconsent of Telecom MinisterRavi Shankar Prasad and DoTsecretary, sources said.

The Government has takena serious view of the matter anda stringent action is being con-sidered against those foundguilty, the sources said.

A senior Government offi-cial privy to the developmentsaid the January 23 order wasissued by the DoT without theconsent of the TelecomMinister or DoT secretary.

Earlier on Friday, the tele-com department withdrew itsorder that asked for no coerciveaction against telecom compa-nies defaulting on statutorydues payment after theSupreme Court took a strong view of non-compli-ance with its order.

On Friday, the DoT also

directed field offices to take“immediate necessary action” incompliance with the Octoberjudgment of the Supreme Court.The direction by the DoT saysits previous order dated January23, 2020, “stands withdrawnwith immediate effect”.

“It is directed to takeimmediate necessary action incompliance with the judge-ment dated October 24, 2019,of the Supreme Court,” said thefresh order issued by the DoTsoon after the apex court madeits observations on Friday.

The department’s urgentmove came after the Supreme

Court on Friday directed themanaging directors and direc-tors of telcos and other firms toexplain why contempt actionbe not taken against them fornon-compliance of its order topay adjusted gross revenue(AGR) of �1.47 lakh crore tothe DoT.

Taking strong note of thenon-compliance of its order, abench of Justice Arun Mishra,Justice S Abdul Nazeer andJustice MR Shah expressedanguish over the order passedby the DoT’s desk officer, stay-ing the effect of its verdict inAGR matter.

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel onFriday offered the Departmentof Telecom to pay �10,000crore by February 20 and therest of the dues before the nextdate of hearing on the adjust-ed gross revenue case in theSupreme Court. After facing ireof the Supreme Court, theDepartment of Telecom onFriday directed all telecomoperators to clear their dues bythe end of the day.

“Nevertheless, in compli-ance with the judgement of theHon’ble Supreme Court andtheir direction today, we shalldeposit a sum of �10,000 crore(on account) by 20th February,2020, on behalf of the BhartiGroup companies,” Airtel saidin a letter to Member (Finance)at the DoT.

Airtel owes nearly �35,586crore, including licence feeand spectrum usage charge, tothe Government. Airtel saidthat as directed by the Member(Finance), the company is inthe process of completing theself assessment exercises. PTI

Mumbai: It is incumbent on the telcos to find money and will besafe to presume that they would have made some arrangementsfor it by now, SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar said on Friday. He alsosaid that the bank will be passing on all the benefits of the cashreserve ratio (CRR) reliefs on small ticket loans to the borrowersand a decision on the same will be done before April 1. The com-ments on telecom companies come on a day when the SupremeCourt made it clear that they will have to cough up the �1.47 lakhcrore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and also questionedwhy contempt proceedings should not be initiated against thosewho are coming in way of implementing its order. PTI

New Delhi: As the sword ofDamocles hangs over VodafoneIdea, uncertainty continues tomire the Indian telecom sectorwhich has seen fall of severaltelcos such as Etisalat DB,Reliance Communications,Sistema Shyam and Aircel.

The Supreme Court onOctober 24, 2019, ruled thatstatutory dues need to be cal-culated by including non-tele-com revenues in AGR of telcos,leading to huge liabilities of�1.47 lakh crore for telcosalready hit by falling revenuesdue to fierce competition.

After facing the ire of theSupreme Court, the Departmentof Telecommunications askedtelecom licence holders to clearentire AGR dues totalling �1.47lakh crore by the end of Friday.

Vodafone Idea Ltd, whoseliability is estimated to be around�53,038 crore including �24,729crore of spectrum dues and�28,309 crore in licence fee, hasalready warned of shutdown ifno relief is given. BofASecurities, in a note, noted“overhang on VIL” and ques-tioned if India is inching towardsa two-player market. PTI

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New Delhi: The Confederationof Indian Alcoholic BeverageCompanies (CIABC) has writ-ten to Maharashtra Governmentagainst any plans to lower exciseduty on imported liquor in thestate as it would adversely affectIndian companies and thoseemployed in it. It has demand-ed that excise duty should belowered on Indian made liquor

to support domestic industry.The apex body of the Indian

alcoholic beverage industry haswritten to Maharashtra ExciseDepartment stating that anydecision to lower excise duty onimported liquor to make theirMRPs competitive with otherIndian states would prove to becounterproductive.

“We welcome any move

which aims to make consumerprices more affordable as it alsoinvariably benefits the industryby way of higher sales and thegovernment by way of highertax collection. At the sametime, we fail to understand whyduty should be reduced only onimported liquor and not onIndian made liquor” CIABCsaid in its letter. PNS

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Wholesale prices-basedinflation accelerated to a

10-month high of 3.10 percent in January mainly due tocostlier food articles, particu-lary onion and potato, officialdata showed on Friday.

The wholesale price index(WPI) based inflation was at2.59 per cent in December2019, and 2.76 per cent inJanuary 2019, as per the datareleased by the Ministry ofCommerce and Industry.

The earlier high wasrecorded in April 2019, whenthe WPI inflation stood at 3.18per cent. During January thisyear, the rate of price rise forfood articles stood at 11.51 percent as against 13.24 per centa month earlier.

Inflation in the vegetablecategory stood at 52.72 percent, while onion prices spurt-ed by a whopping 293 per cent,followed by potato at 87.84 percent. In the manufactured foodcategory, wholesale inflation

was recorded at 0.34 per centagainst a negative print of 0.25per cent in December. Likewisefor fuel and power category, itwas at 3.42 per cent against (-) 1.46 per cent.

Meanwhile, ICRAPrincipal Economist AditiNayar said the WPI inflationcould go up further in the com-ing months mainly because ofhigher import duties.

“Higher customs dutieswould push up the inflationrelated to imports to someextent going forward. However, the impact of thespread of the coronavirus onrisk sentiment and commodi-ty prices, including crude oil, isexpected to exert a substantialmoderation on the wholesale inflation in February2020,” she said.

Nayar attributed the uptickin inflation for manufacturedfood items to a spike in variousedible oils as well as dairyproducts, which she said isexpected to sustain in the com-ing months.

New Delhi: The Governmentexpects to complete sale ofnational carrier Air India in thefirst half of the next fiscal,Department of Investment andPublic Asset Management(DIPAM) Secretary TuhinKanta Pandey said on Friday.

During an interaction withfinancial sector experts to dis-cuss the Union Budget, Pandeyalso said disinvestment strate-gy has shifted from minoritystake sale in public sector unitsto strategic sale, and a lot of pri-vatisation would happen inthe next fiscal.

In November, he said theGovernment decided on bigticket disinvestments whilereferring to sale of stakes inBPCL, CONCOR, andShipping Corporation of India.

“I think our movementhas been very swift. Even theExpression of Interest (EoI) forAir India is in the publicdomain... We intend to com-plete these transactions in thefirst half of financial year 2020-21,” he said.

The next financial yearstarts from April 1.

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Adani Group on Fridayinked agreements with

state-owned Airports Authorityof India (AAI) for the man-agement, operations and devel-opment of Ahmedabad,Mangaluru and Lucknow air-ports. The concession period is50 years from the commercialoperation date, AdaniEnterprises said in a filing tostock exchanges.

“Today, as we sign the con-cession agreements forMangaluru, Lucknow & A’badwith the AAI, its the beginningof another historic journeycatering to India’s exponentialairport infra demands,” AdaniGroup chairman GautamAdani said in a tweet.

Three subsidiaries of thegroup — Adani Ahmedabad

International Airport Ltd, AdaniLucknow International AirportLtd and Adani MangaluruInternational Airport Ltd —have signed concession agree-ments with AAI.

In 2018, the governmentdecided to privatise airports atLucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur,Mangaluru, Thiruvanantha-puram, and Guwahati. It wasfor operation, managementand development of these aero-dromes through public-pri-vate partnership model.

Adani Enterprises had wonthe rights to run these six air-ports after competitive biddingprocess. In a tweet, the AAIsaid the concession fee wouldbe utilised for the maintenanceand development of brownfieldairports along with RCS-UDAN and other greenfieldairports.

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Friday said

that if required, the govern-ment would take more stepsbeyond the announcementsmade in the Union Budget2020-21 to boost economicactivities.

At an interactive session on‘Budget and Beyond’ with pro-fessionals from asset manage-ment, wealth advisory, tax con-sultancy and other relatedindustries, the minister alsosaid the Budget 2020-21 was abudget where the impact onequity, bond and currencymarkets was positive.

“If more has to be donebeyond the Budget 2020, we arewilling to do that,” Sitharamansaid at the session, where the par-ticipants made several sugges-tions to boost economic activi-ties in the country. The govern-ment announced a host of stepsin the Union Budget, presentedon February 1 in Parliament, toexpand the economic activitiesat a time when the country isfaced with demand slowdowndue to several reasons.

The country’s GDP growthis estimated to slow to an 11-yearlow of 5 per cent in the currentfinancial year.

During the interactive ses-sion, participants made sugges-

tions for increasing consump-tion, giving more money into thehands of consumers, measuresrequired to boost liquidity andhosts of suggestions for the cap-ital markets.

Several suggestions werealso made on the ‘Vivad seVishwas’ scheme to deal with thedisputes related to the directtaxes. It was announced in theBudget 2020-21.

She said the finance min-istry would provide details of thescheme soon. However,Parliament approval will berequired before the scheme isimplemented. The UnionCabinet has approved certainamendments to the scheme.

“In a day or two, we shall becoming with a clear non-paper(on the scheme) becauseParliament is yet to pass it,” shesaid. To a suggestion regardingPAN card, the minister said theissuance process would be sim-plified further. She assured theparticipants that her ministrywould look into the suggestions.

The finance minister hadsimilar interactive sessions inMumbai, Chennai and Kolkatalast week.

The meeting was alsoattended by Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar andCEO Amitabh Kant, besidessecretaries of the finance min-istry.

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Markets spiralled lower forthe second straight day on

Friday as banking sharesslumped after the SupremeCourt took a strong note of tel-cos not complying with itsorder to pay �1.47 lakh crore instatutory dues.

The 30-share BSE Sensexfell by 202.05 points or 0.49per cent to end at 41,257.74,with 22 of its constituentsclosing with losses. Thebroader NSE Nifty shed 61.20points or 0.50 per cent to set-tle at 12,113.50 as banking,auto, FMCG and energy coun-ters retreated.

The Supreme Court onFriday directed the top eche-lons of telecom firms to explainwhy contempt action shouldnot be taken against them fornon-compliance of its order topay adjusted gross revenue(AGR) dues of �1.47 lakh croreto the telecom department.

The order raised concernsover banks’ exposure to AGR-hit telcos, mainly VodafoneIdea which reported morethan �6,000 crore loss for theOctober-December quarter.

IndusInd Bank was thetop loser in the Sensex pack,dropping 4.38 per cent, fol-lowed by PowerGrid, SBI, HeroMotoCorp and NTPC.

On the other hand, Bharti

Airtel was the top gainer, spurt-ing 4.69 per cent, with analystssaying the Indian telecom sec-tor could turn into a duopoly.

Vodafone Idea, which isstaring at statutory dues worth�53,000 crore, plummeted23.21 per cent.

“Supreme Court ruling ontelecom players instructingthem to pay dues by March17th will impact the asset qual-ity of banks having decentexposure in the sector.

Banks stocks will be underpressure given high inflationand RBI being unlikely to cutrates in the near-term. Indianmarket is impacted due to fallin global market due toincrease in coronavirus cases,”said Vinod Nair, head ofresearch at Geojit FinancialServices.

Rate-sensitive auto stocks

dropped as official datashowed wholesale inflationrising to 3.1 per cent inJanuary, further reducingprospects of a rate cut by RBI.

Hero MotoCorp droppedby 2.24 per cent, Mahindra &Mahindra by 1.91 per centand Maruti by 1.24 per cent.

FMCG major ITC fell 1.98per cent and HUL by 1.20 percent following concerns overrising costs due to pick up ininflation.

HCL Tech rose 1.42 percent, ICICI Bank 0.9 per cent,RIL 0.86 per cent and TechMahindra by 0.72 per cent, lim-iting the fall in the Sensex.

On a weekly basis, theSensex climbed 115.89 pointsor 0.28 per cent, while the Niftygained 15.15 points or 0.12 percent.

Globally, Asian markets

reeled under the coronavirusthreat after a dramatic spurt inthe number of deaths and newcases fuelled suspicion thatChina might be concealing thetrue scale of the epidemic.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 indexclosed 0.59 per cent lower, butShanghai recovered from earlylosses to end up 0.38 per cent.

London’s FTSE 100 fell0.42 per cent in opening tradewhile the Paris CAC 40 indexshed 0.19 per cent.

On the currency front, theIndian rupee on Friday fell by6 paise to close at 71.37 (pro-visional) against the US dollartracking heavy selling indomestic equities and strength-ening of the American curren-cy in the overseas market.

Forex traders said therupee consolidated in a narrowrange as strengthening of theUS dollar, rise in crude oilprices and heavy selling indomestic equities weighed onthe local unit.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the localcurrency opened on a positivenote at 71.29. During the day,it lost ground and touched alow of 71.41 and finally settled6 paise lower at 71.37 againstthe US currency. The domes-tic unit had settled at 71.31against US dollar on Thursday.

On a weekly basis, therupee has gained 3 paise.

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0�6�� >��$�� ?,��New Delhi (PTI): The National Stock Exchange (NSE) hasdeclared three stock brokers — Vrise Securities, Kaynet Financeand BMA Wealth Creators — as defaulters for non-compliancewith the regulatory provisions of the bourse. In addition, theyhave been expelled from the membership of the exchange, theNSE said in three separate circulars. The move effective fromFebruary 13 has been taken as these brokers failed to comply withthe NSE guidelines, they added. Under the guidelines, stock bro-kers are required to fulfill their obligations and should not involvein any misconduct, or unprofessional conduct among others.

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Script Open High Low LTPGODREJAGRO 555.45 558.45 516.00 520.30RELIANCE 1477.85 1501.00 1453.30 1486.65DMART 2444.00 2499.00 2336.85 2401.25IDEA 4.15 5.25 3.25 3.44BHARTIARTL 543.60 567.40 534.50 565.10SBIN 327.10 331.90 318.50 319.55SUDARSCHEM 459.40 475.70 458.00 467.30INDUSINDBK 1230.00 1246.55 1171.55 1176.35ICICIBANK 542.00 548.70 536.70 545.85HDFC 2400.00 2426.10 2389.00 2400.75TATAMOTORS 170.30 176.10 168.40 169.10YESBANK 37.70 40.20 37.55 38.90IBULHSGFIN 329.05 334.35 318.90 320.75INFY 794.90 799.00 785.00 786.20HDFCBANK 1243.20 1249.00 1215.00 1219.25ORIENTELEC 253.65 267.85 250.75 253.75SPICEJET 84.75 93.40 81.55 89.60TATASTEEL 442.00 445.40 432.50 434.05PAGEIND 22500.00 22754.80 21650.00 22422.45BPCL 470.55 485.30 470.55 476.40DLF 233.40 234.50 224.60 226.25POWERGRID 190.90 191.50 183.50 184.15APOLLOHOSP 1720.00 1748.00 1677.70 1703.70JINDALSTEL 193.00 197.60 189.60 190.55AUROPHARMA 527.00 532.75 512.25 514.45PRSMJOHNSN 64.80 66.25 62.15 63.50BAJFINANCE 4794.00 4815.00 4768.55 4783.25IRCON 530.00 572.40 530.00 553.00INFRATEL 246.55 251.05 227.95 235.25TITAN 1303.20 1311.10 1288.15 1292.25HEROMOTOCO 2412.15 2437.35 2352.10 2356.75MARUTI 6997.00 7085.70 6901.00 6913.85AXISBANK 749.85 752.85 733.00 736.40TCS 2181.00 2211.55 2170.95 2183.80RBLBANK 326.00 328.70 315.20 316.40ITC 212.80 212.90 206.85 207.75WIPRO 243.75 245.20 242.15 243.00NIITTECH 1828.00 1869.80 1825.45 1833.30LT 1296.00 1305.00 1291.00 1294.90CANBK 183.00 185.40 179.55 180.15ULTRACEMCO 4480.00 4539.00 4395.15 4432.40BRIGADE 230.85 232.30 226.00 227.30TATAGLOBAL 395.40 400.30 390.65 396.90NESTLEIND 16520.00 16753.45 16246.50 16350.75HINDUNILVR 2269.90 2297.35 2247.00 2254.85ZEEL 238.00 242.40 237.00 238.70GRASIM 752.20 770.80 737.35 743.50UPL 575.50 601.00 575.50 591.35DRREDDY 3318.00 3332.25 3277.05 3307.50ONGC 105.90 106.10 103.05 103.25PFIZER 4635.00 4649.40 4151.00 4188.70KAJARIACER 541.50 544.25 538.00 539.35DEEPAKNI 431.15 465.00 424.30 459.40WOCKPHARMA 354.80 359.90 342.00 344.55ADANIENT 252.95 258.50 252.65 256.25ESCORTS 890.90 891.80 880.00 882.90IPCALAB 1420.40 1507.95 1412.40 1436.35JUSTDIAL 520.95 520.95 505.55 507.40TRENT 740.00 764.25 713.00 757.55HONAUT 36932.90 37798.85 36200.00 36711.55EICHERMOT 19348.00 19348.00 18550.00 18705.45GAIL 130.40 131.40 122.05 122.60SRTRANSFIN 1255.25 1295.05 1255.25 1286.50ASHOKLEY 81.10 81.60 79.75 80.25PFC 127.00 130.55 126.05 126.60COALINDIA 179.80 179.80 174.15 174.70JSWSTEEL 291.70 296.65 288.10 289.00KOTAKBANK 1693.00 1702.70 1663.75 1681.70GRAPHITE 293.00 294.10 275.80 283.00SRF 4140.00 4230.00 4140.00 4191.85SUNTV 505.50 505.50 486.00 496.45PIDILITIND 1590.00 1609.00 1578.15 1582.95FORCEMOT 1298.75 1380.00 1297.35 1306.20ABBOTINDIA 14810.20 14950.00 14750.00 14768.60MOTHERSUMI 125.40 125.90 122.80 123.90BAJAJ-AUTO 3147.95 3205.00 3138.80 3144.10CIPLA 444.05 448.55 441.55 446.95IDFCFIRSTB 40.80 41.55 39.50 39.60STAR 525.00 547.35 525.00 530.85RECLTD 141.00 143.80 139.10 139.55UNIONBANK 48.55 48.90 47.40 47.60PEL 1540.65 1547.15 1520.10 1528.65GRANULES 171.00 179.55 168.15 175.65M&M 533.60 536.55 520.60 523.05FRETAIL 378.30 380.00 368.50 376.25BANKBARODA 88.10 88.90 86.20 86.35MINDTREE 940.00 973.10 940.00 959.55ASIANPAINT 1883.95 1900.00 1870.30 1877.20HDFCAMC 3360.00 3378.15 3316.75 3326.00PARAGMILK 105.85 109.95 101.70 102.60SBILIFE 931.95 931.95 906.00 912.50ACC 1446.00 1457.60 1431.45 1440.25CGCL 219.60 230.00 218.05 221.55BAJAJFINSV 9737.00 9795.00 9661.00 9681.15L&TFH 129.00 129.00 125.45 126.25LICHSGFIN 424.70 431.05 408.65 412.05SUNPHARMA 419.05 424.55 416.75 418.55TVSMOTOR 445.35 447.55 436.95 439.50TECHM 827.65 837.70 826.65 833.95DIVISLAB 2161.00 2189.00 2135.50 2146.60TATAELXSI 1094.00 1096.00 1027.65 1034.50NAVINFLUOR 1169.95 1239.80 1156.35 1215.95RITES 317.20 327.85 314.35 318.20ICICIGI 1341.60 1355.50 1340.00 1352.65JUBLFOOD 1850.00 1860.00 1801.90 1812.95HINDPETRO 235.00 238.30 233.25 233.80NAM-INDIA 398.90 404.70 392.00 393.85

BHEL 37.20 37.45 36.00 36.20MGL 1187.00 1194.50 1158.00 1160.10IGL 496.00 498.25 486.05 487.40SAIL 44.65 45.75 43.70 43.95PNB 55.90 56.05 54.00 54.20DIXON 4740.00 4750.00 4433.60 4487.15HCLTECH 613.00 623.00 612.45 621.40IOC 114.80 115.65 113.85 115.15BRITANNIA 3140.00 3158.70 3090.10 3096.10GLENMARK 330.95 337.20 328.10 333.65

BANKINDIA 63.00 63.50 62.70 63.00TORNTPHARM 2085.00 2119.20 2063.30 2112.30NCC 48.10 48.65 46.45 46.95HDFCLIFE 578.95 581.25 572.20 573.90LUPIN 706.50 721.35 705.65 717.85BIOCON 306.90 309.35 301.65 307.70LTI 2025.00 2049.40 2022.30 2032.40RAJESHEXPO 719.95 719.95 703.20 705.55ADANIPOWER 60.30 60.50 58.85 59.55INDIACEM 74.00 76.50 73.50 74.15PCJEWELLER 19.00 20.00 18.60 18.75HEG 1050.00 1054.00 1017.45 1025.45NMDC 110.80 111.10 105.80 106.40MARICO 305.20 305.20 301.00 302.10DCAL* 95.25 96.80 95.20 95.20IDBI 35.95 36.00 35.20 35.40PVR 2080.00 2095.05 2065.70 2075.20BALKRISIND 1140.00 1161.00 1135.55 1157.05IBREALEST 92.45 93.15 88.65 89.95CEATLTD 1023.00 1042.00 1002.35 1014.40CASTROLIND 156.70 162.05 156.70 158.00VEDL 142.30 143.85 140.65 141.05SHREECEM 24674.00 24900.00 24223.90 24412.75ADANIGREEN 204.30 209.70 201.40 206.95LAXMIMACH 3265.00 3289.00 3250.00 3254.20BATAINDIA 1816.00 1828.20 1774.10 1783.25MANAPPURAM 166.95 166.95 160.15 160.70INDIGO 1445.00 1464.05 1432.00 1440.50AVANTI 613.80 619.80 602.40 608.85LALPATHLAB 1644.00 1665.05 1632.00 1647.30FEDERALBNK 89.75 89.90 86.85 87.15BANDHANBNK 454.00 463.60 448.80 452.40HEXAWARE 369.70 380.75 369.70 372.25GODREJCP 633.10 639.00 622.25 626.20HINDALCO 196.80 197.00 193.50 193.85INFIBEAM 57.95 57.95 56.90 57.25MIDHANI 183.60 187.35 178.45 180.25GMRINFRA 24.00 24.00 22.90 23.15MUTHOOTFIN 744.65 750.00 740.85 746.60NTPC 115.25 115.40 112.00 112.80MRF 72199.00 72421.10 71188.25 71730.15TORNTPOWER 325.80 327.95 319.90 321.55MCX 1265.00 1279.40 1253.70 1272.90JINDALSAW 82.15 89.20 82.10 88.60GNFC 187.90 189.50 180.60 182.95OIL 134.85 135.00 129.85 130.25BEL 85.50 85.50 82.75 83.00AKZOINDIA 2275.00 2445.00 2275.00 2378.50AEGISLOG 229.00 251.55 227.00 244.55UBL 1304.00 1306.00 1281.40 1284.50ABCAPITAL 92.65 93.80 89.55 89.90CARERATING 548.00 558.75 523.70 526.40SUNTECK 395.00 419.00 388.15 392.90NILKAMAL 1445.00 1524.40 1445.00 1486.75CANFINHOME 508.60 517.55 508.20 509.90JSL 41.00 42.30 40.60 41.05M&MFIN 385.00 391.10 381.55 385.05UJJIVAN 395.80 395.80 383.20 385.50ERIS 523.00 523.00 452.00 466.00TATAPOWER 55.80 55.80 53.55 53.75BHARATFORG 485.80 496.35 484.00 485.35INOXLEISUR 465.50 483.00 457.70 473.20ADANIPORTS 371.15 372.05 365.95 366.80JAICORPLTD 105.75 105.90 100.00 100.50OMAXE 157.60 157.60 154.95 155.55NATIONALUM 41.80 41.80 40.55 40.75COLPAL 1350.75 1358.00 1333.10 1337.95AMBUJACEM 208.35 212.10 204.90 205.60TATACHEM 759.40 770.00 758.40 765.90SANOFI 7410.00 7472.35 7220.00 7367.55NAUKRI 2865.50 2965.00 2820.85 2856.70ASTRAZEN 2785.00 2940.45 2760.00 2865.70STRTECH 116.55 119.40 115.35 116.90AJANTPHARM 1400.05 1456.55 1397.55 1410.50MFSL 492.10 492.10 481.60 486.95DABUR 518.00 518.00 503.70 505.70HAVELLS 620.55 623.20 609.05 611.75SPARC 169.40 170.80 164.05 165.75

POLYCAB 1086.30 1087.95 1065.00 1078.10AUBANK 1151.00 1163.35 1133.65 1144.50SIEMENS 1418.00 1438.40 1393.05 1397.85CONCOR 565.05 566.20 558.00 561.10EQUITAS 111.00 111.95 107.30 108.00VENKYS 1494.70 1494.70 1442.00 1451.95IRB 106.45 108.00 99.15 100.50ITDC 328.20 330.75 312.60 319.10BOMDYEING 87.65 88.30 85.50 85.75ICICIPRULI 480.00 484.00 478.10 481.05BERGEPAINT 580.40 587.60 576.70 579.60WELCORP 208.05 213.80 205.85 207.10NBCC 31.60 32.65 31.60 32.00WELSPUNIND 47.80 48.40 46.30 46.60DCBBANK 173.70 175.00 172.15 173.80BBTC 1184.00 1213.35 1144.65 1155.00ADANIGAS 167.40 168.45 164.10 164.95TATAMTRDVR 69.45 72.75 69.45 70.20PNBHOUSING 414.90 422.85 413.70 416.85EXIDEIND 182.20 182.60 177.80 178.65VIPIND 470.25 478.80 463.50 466.90METROPOLIS 1838.00 1881.95 1755.00 1772.45ADANITRANS 342.10 345.00 324.00 327.75RVNL 23.30 23.70 22.85 22.95ENGINERSIN 86.00 86.55 84.20 84.70PETRONET 264.50 265.15 260.30 260.80BEML 947.10 957.20 926.25 934.55RADICO 436.80 436.80 418.65 421.65CROMPTON 280.90 284.55 273.70 282.15WESTLIFE 476.90 487.00 471.00 475.20NOCIL 90.40 91.90 89.45 89.65KTKBANK 80.80 82.50 77.35 78.00LUXIND 1618.95 1649.80 1550.45 1638.65RAYMOND 601.00 612.70 592.85 600.00NHPC 23.95 24.10 23.35 23.50INDIANB 88.20 89.05 84.80 84.95RALLIS 230.95 236.80 230.95 231.70DELTACORP 166.00 166.00 160.25 161.15ISEC 483.95 484.30 472.15 474.35WHIRLPOOL 2338.00 2338.00 2221.00 2226.05IFCI 7.07 7.07 6.13 6.17AMARAJABAT 763.25 774.00 752.00 755.65CUMMINSIND 550.45 552.25 535.90 537.40IIFL 209.95 212.80 201.70 209.05RELAXO 813.00 813.00 783.05 794.35GODFRYPHLP 1398.00 1408.40 1370.00 1374.85PHILIPCARB 128.00 129.70 126.00 126.55GUJGAS 299.65 301.00 296.60 299.70BALRAMCHIN 171.15 171.60 168.10 169.15KRBL 296.75 310.85 294.80 303.70BAJAJHLDNG 3930.00 3942.35 3730.35 3757.85RELINFRA 21.20 21.20 19.25 19.50HINDCOPPER 39.50 39.50 37.70 38.00INTELLECT 153.00 153.00 142.75 144.10GODREJPROP 1131.20 1158.00 1123.00 1140.50DISHTV 12.29 12.29 11.76 11.82VOLTAS 688.25 692.10 683.90 688.10CHENNPETRO 115.70 124.00 115.70 118.30RPOWER 1.85 1.85 1.71 1.72GODREJIND 426.55 426.55 405.50 409.90RAIN 107.75 109.05 107.20 107.80EMAMILTD 288.10 288.60 272.50 275.35ABFRL 275.90 277.80 264.00 265.50GSPL 237.05 244.70 235.95 241.35HSCL 55.00 57.00 55.00 55.15FORTIS 157.00 159.05 155.40 156.05PGHL 4298.40 4309.70 4249.80 4291.90CADILAHC 270.00 271.65 265.95 269.85MPHASIS 894.45 910.50 892.65 906.35KEI 540.00 540.00 530.80 534.40GICRE 230.50 230.90 216.40 217.95JBCHEPHARM 587.00 599.00 580.15 583.85TV18BRDCST 27.15 27.20 25.70 25.85TIMETECHNO 54.05 54.95 52.25 52.553MINDIA 22910.00 22910.00 22200.00 22300.95UFLEX 232.80 236.45 223.50 229.20DEEPAKFERT 102.00 103.85 99.20 99.85SUZLON 2.33 2.48 2.28 2.33APOLLOTYRE 162.75 163.20 158.50 159.00GILLETTE 6397.00 6411.55 6236.00 6253.50CREDITACC 870.00 880.00 844.00 847.10TAKE 99.80 106.75 99.80 105.45NATCOPHARM 674.55 684.25 668.50 676.05TATAINVEST 956.00 982.35 953.00 963.40GLAXO 1350.00 1351.00 1326.00 1332.55MASFIN 1245.00 1267.00 1103.90 1132.45SHANKARA 583.00 583.00 540.70 540.70GSFC 75.00 75.00 72.50 73.00ORIENTBANK 46.35 46.60 45.45 45.65CHAMBLFERT 160.50 165.45 157.25 161.85CHOLAFIN 337.90 338.85 330.80 332.75SJVN 25.80 25.85 25.05 25.10IDFC 35.00 35.50 34.50 34.60APLLTD 646.95 651.85 639.00 642.75ITI 82.50 84.00 82.00 82.70CUB 223.00 223.60 218.00 220.40SCHNEIDER 100.05 104.95 99.50 100.90INDHOTEL 133.95 134.90 133.00 133.95SHILPAMED 471.05 488.20 448.65 455.80CAPPL 337.45 355.00 333.00 335.40BLUESTARCO 814.90 843.00 807.10 837.45SYMPHONY 1343.75 1377.90 1333.05 1354.40BOSCHLTD 14694.00 14810.80 14540.35 14601.15TIMKEN 1019.70 1049.25 1014.00 1041.25THYROCARE 602.90 628.00 602.90 610.00BLISSGVS 143.05 143.05 134.10 137.15RELCAPITAL 7.34 7.62 7.01 7.06EDELWEISS 90.40 91.55 88.05 88.40

GESHIP 286.00 293.00 280.50 285.00KEC 345.00 348.70 335.90 339.70NLCINDIA 54.00 54.00 51.85 52.40TATACOFFEE 95.45 96.00 93.50 94.00SUPREMEIND 1392.00 1408.90 1389.00 1404.50RESPONIND 89.75 91.00 88.05 90.30DBL 381.00 383.70 371.05 375.10APLAPOLLO 2029.45 2031.50 1995.00 2000.55WABAG 212.55 216.35 209.65 212.40MEGH 57.50 58.30 56.30 56.55RCF 43.80 44.15 42.85 42.90ATUL 5020.95 5020.95 4950.00 4970.20PIIND 1550.15 1551.90 1532.00 1549.05FINEORG 2259.30 2315.50 2218.05 2231.25J&KBANK 19.75 19.75 17.95 18.10CESC 729.05 730.00 710.50 713.85DHFL 10.00 10.03 9.41 10.03QUESS 594.50 604.75 584.00 590.70VBL 828.90 834.00 815.90 819.75PNCINFRA 203.00 204.90 200.90 202.65KNRCON 281.00 281.75 259.05 276.70JUBILANT 532.70 534.80 522.15 525.45BASF 888.60 890.00 870.35 874.70SCI 58.60 59.45 57.05 57.20DALBHARAT 876.75 876.75 851.00 853.15ALLCARGO 110.50 115.95 106.25 111.05GREAVESCOT 136.65 142.80 136.45 139.70JMFINANCIL 114.35 114.85 112.00 113.70ALKEM 2626.00 2651.10 2607.00 2649.40REPCOHOME 320.15 321.90 311.55 313.90ASHOKA 105.45 105.45 101.90 102.55JCHAC 2850.00 2911.95 2821.50 2856.65DHANUKA 538.50 543.00 522.60 532.05AMBER 1615.00 1625.00 1550.00 1570.35EIDPARRY 221.30 223.05 214.85 215.15LTTS 1694.00 1695.00 1670.10 1672.70PTC 54.00 54.00 51.50 51.70COROMANDEL 630.00 636.00 624.50 633.05JKTYRE 70.65 71.75 69.40 69.95PHOENIXLTD 900.00 900.00 856.90 865.50NIACL 142.80 143.40 136.50 136.90KALPATPOWR 398.15 400.35 383.85 385.20RAMCOCEM 788.00 799.00 781.60 792.65SOUTHBANK 9.80 10.13 9.80 9.95TRIDENT 5.79 5.79 5.64 5.69GSKCONS 9768.00 9830.00 9651.50 9696.40JSLHISAR 78.05 78.10 76.25 76.40VINATIORGA 1002.15 1006.65 975.00 981.05BAYERCROP 4393.75 4414.95 4338.10 4357.40MMTC 20.65 21.30 20.25 20.40HUDCO 34.80 35.00 34.15 34.30ASTERDM 179.90 179.90 168.05 172.70SWANENERGY 135.10 135.30 130.50 131.50HFCL 16.85 16.95 16.75 16.90FSL 42.40 42.60 41.60 41.75OFSS 2844.55 2915.40 2844.55 2890.75BAJAJELEC 429.90 430.90 407.25 413.80

JAMNAAUTO 42.05 43.00 41.50 41.95NH 349.50 354.60 344.00 346.25KANSAINER 502.75 508.95 497.85 500.65ASTRAL 1191.70 1210.90 1187.45 1197.30HEIDELBERG 198.00 199.90 196.20 197.15OBEROIRLTY 520.00 520.25 506.00 507.05SYNDIBANK 23.80 24.00 23.25 23.40JKLAKSHMI 348.00 353.20 342.20 344.65MAHINDCIE 170.05 171.35 166.55 168.85IEX 190.00 190.00 185.55 189.30COCHINSHIP 359.50 361.10 350.05 352.10NESCO 755.00 758.35 745.30 747.30VGUARD 203.00 205.50 202.65 203.80FCONSUMER 22.20 22.75 21.40 21.60LEMONTREE 57.50 57.50 54.50 56.10IOB 9.53 9.62 9.32 9.35SOBHA 380.75 397.40 371.20 381.60CYIENT 460.35 461.55 453.25 455.65PRESTIGE 360.15 367.95 358.65 365.15CCL 247.75 251.75 239.95 242.55GPPL 83.80 83.80 80.10 80.80SCHAEFFLER 4592.35 4600.00 4500.00 4505.70GALAXYSURF 1709.85 1709.85 1640.00 1649.85LAURUSLABS 442.25 444.05 436.00 437.10PGHH 11548.60 11562.75 11480.00 11499.95JSWENERGY 65.00 65.00 62.50 62.85JKCEMENT 1420.00 1435.85 1420.00 1424.75BAJAJCON 202.00 202.75 195.10 197.60GMDCLTD 58.10 58.85 55.25 57.25BIRLACORPN 746.25 759.15 738.10 747.05BLUEDART 2922.90 2950.00 2872.20 2876.60VAIBHAVGBL 1104.50 1106.90 1088.60 1089.95MAXINDIA 86.00 87.50 84.50 84.85

SFL 1664.00 1686.35 1631.10 1647.20AIAENG 1860.00 1882.95 1841.50 1875.90WABCOINDIA 6859.60 6859.60 6595.05 6748.10MAHSEAMLES 353.65 356.00 348.80 352.60HINDZINC 191.30 192.10 190.30 190.75MINDACORP 116.90 117.00 110.90 111.30AAVAS 1915.00 1915.00 1857.25 1888.20REDINGTON 120.05 123.45 119.00 119.60GICHSGFIN 134.50 134.50 129.10 129.60HIMATSEIDE 107.70 108.70 104.20 105.15TEJASNET 76.90 76.90 71.10 71.70ITDCEM 62.80 62.80 60.00 60.20ESSELPRO 190.30 191.65 183.00 185.75GHCL* 181.85 183.70 178.75 179.10RATNAMANI 1320.60 1320.60 1300.05 1303.20TTKPRESTIG 5881.70 5981.85 5859.45 5906.65CRISIL 1607.35 1620.40 1550.00 1578.85MOIL 149.00 149.00 144.00 144.50SOLARINDS 1177.65 1187.45 1165.20 1181.40IFBIND 525.05 550.00 522.35 529.30TIINDIA 504.00 505.60 500.00 502.65GUJALKALI 377.25 377.70 370.00 375.30JYOTHYLAB 137.60 137.60 131.80 135.30DCMSHRIRAM 354.60 361.25 345.35 358.00LAOPALA 199.95 199.95 192.05 193.20MRPL 43.00 43.60 42.10 42.20HAL 761.00 761.00 744.90 749.70SUPRAJIT 191.60 203.40 190.35 200.30TCIEXP 921.15 935.00 905.75 911.55BALMLAWRIE 113.90 114.85 112.00 112.50SYNGENE 309.90 312.70 305.50 306.55ARVINDFASN 388.60 392.80 386.75 388.10ALBK 15.35 15.45 15.05 15.15CENTURYPLY 162.15 164.95 158.75 159.90UCOBANK 14.95 14.95 13.95 14.15FDC 252.00 252.00 246.35 247.00MINDAIND 377.85 381.25 375.85 379.35ENDURANCE 1077.00 1084.50 1061.95 1065.30IBULISL 109.25 110.45 107.30 108.45TNPL 175.15 178.50 174.00 175.35VMART 2302.00 2302.65 2232.80 2247.60GET&D 148.00 150.05 143.70 144.05VARROC 432.00 438.65 419.90 424.50MAHSCOOTER 4740.00 4782.50 4740.00 4771.65SADBHAV 104.00 104.00 98.80 99.90CERA 2405.00 2533.55 2405.00 2455.90TVSSRICHAK 1648.95 1661.10 1615.00 1629.05SONATSOFTW 338.50 340.50 335.00 335.90SKFINDIA 2028.00 2042.00 1975.45 1999.80FINOLEXIND 544.35 546.50 539.00 539.70GRINDWELL 625.90 634.90 619.70 631.10ZENSARTECH 153.05 153.55 146.00 149.80HERITGFOOD 339.40 343.90 330.00 332.00ECLERX 627.00 640.70 612.05 615.45LINDEINDIA 740.85 754.20 731.85 735.70MAHLOG 399.00 405.50 384.00 397.75JISLJALEQS 6.95 7.10 6.90 6.99GAYAPROJ 30.95 30.95 30.95 30.95CENTRALBK 17.50 17.65 17.10 17.15MOTILALOFS 778.35 785.95 769.60 782.75ZYDUSWELL 1467.45 1515.45 1467.45 1475.95CORPBANK 23.20 23.35 22.50 22.60BDL 284.80 284.80 273.55 274.25ADVENZYMES 167.70 171.50 166.00 166.45ANDHRABANK 15.70 15.70 15.50 15.55VRLLOG 262.05 262.05 252.45 257.00GEPIL 803.95 810.70 765.00 769.15DBCORP 129.55 129.55 125.20 126.40CHOLAHLDNG 543.25 543.90 534.00 540.95KPITTECH 95.00 95.00 88.00 89.65SUNDRMFAST 474.60 477.15 467.05 471.05FINCABLES 387.65 387.70 378.90 380.90THERMAX 1001.60 1006.60 986.05 991.20MAHABANK 12.13 12.20 11.90 12.00INOXWIND 37.35 37.90 36.65 36.80CENTRUM 21.15 21.45 20.50 20.65TCNSBRANDS 560.00 593.00 560.00 585.95TVTODAY 250.00 253.70 242.50 252.55CARBORUNIV 341.95 342.05 334.20 337.65SIS 571.25 581.05 569.05 572.60HATHWAY 18.45 18.75 18.45 18.55MAHLIFE 393.70 393.70 382.20 385.95TEAMLEASE 2444.60 2444.60 2349.00 2359.30INDOSTAR 289.00 289.00 281.15 283.90GARFIBRES 1498.15 1498.25 1481.60 1494.05PERSISTENT 699.65 702.00 698.00 701.50EIHOTEL 140.10 140.10 137.75 138.05GULFOILLUB 789.80 789.80 775.50 779.45VSTIND 4353.15 4361.85 4338.40 4354.55TATAMETALI 600.75 600.80 590.25 594.10ORIENTCEM 80.90 80.90 79.50 80.10MHRIL 226.85 226.85 223.20 223.80SHK 118.85 122.00 118.55 120.35UNITEDBNK 8.11 8.11 7.98 8.02NETWORK18 30.00 30.00 28.95 29.20LAKSHVILAS 18.95 18.95 18.95 18.95JAGRAN* 69.00 69.00 66.40 67.80SHRIRAMCIT 1448.20 1470.00 1445.00 1450.35SOMANYCERA 212.20 212.25 210.05 210.10GDL 125.80 127.25 124.25 124.65KPRMILL 639.80 641.85 629.70 633.70CHALET 348.55 349.70 336.85 340.40FLFL 393.00 394.50 386.00 387.00VTL 997.80 997.80 975.00 992.40NBVENTURES 70.00 70.20 68.35 69.30SHOPERSTOP 388.00 390.25 377.10 380.55MAGMA 54.20 55.15 52.00 53.75STARCEMENT 88.00 88.35 87.80 88.00

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 12190.15 12246.70 12091.20 12113.45 -61.20YESBANK 37.50 40.20 37.50 39.20 2.00BHARTIARTL 544.90 567.55 534.25 563.60 23.65UPL 579.60 601.40 578.10 593.00 14.25BPCL 471.00 484.50 469.90 477.05 8.05HCLTECH 612.45 623.25 612.25 622.15 9.70ICICIBANK 541.25 548.65 536.55 545.80 4.80ZEEL 238.50 242.40 237.20 239.10 1.95RELIANCE 1477.25 1501.45 1453.10 1485.85 11.70TECHM 827.00 838.00 825.05 833.00 5.00BAJAJ-AUTO 3145.00 3205.00 3136.80 3152.60 16.20IOC 114.70 115.70 113.70 115.20 0.45CIPLA 444.00 448.90 441.50 445.10 1.70ASIANPAINT 1876.50 1899.65 1870.00 1877.90 3.85TATAMOTORS 172.00 176.20 168.30 169.65 0.15LT 1295.00 1304.95 1290.60 1293.20 0.95WIPRO 243.80 245.35 242.00 243.50 -0.25HDFC 2402.00 2425.85 2389.40 2400.25 -3.40BAJFINANCE 4800.00 4815.00 4768.00 4785.00 -10.35ULTRACEMCO 4469.00 4538.95 4393.05 4437.65 -12.85SUNPHARMA 420.00 424.75 416.50 417.60 -1.35NESTLEIND 16500.00 16782.40 16250.00 16345.10 -67.10TCS 2188.00 2212.00 2171.00 2183.00 -8.95KOTAKBANK 1696.00 1703.00 1663.60 1682.50 -7.30BAJAJFINSV 9735.00 9795.00 9653.05 9673.00 -44.20TITAN 1306.95 1310.70 1290.00 1291.00 -7.10DRREDDY 3305.20 3333.00 3277.00 3302.30 -22.30INFY 794.50 799.20 784.60 786.30 -5.95HINDALCO 195.50 197.00 193.45 193.75 -1.50ADANIPORTS 370.30 372.00 366.00 366.10 -3.00VEDL 142.70 143.90 140.75 141.00 -1.50BRITANNIA 3116.00 3159.00 3090.30 3095.00 -40.20HINDUNILVR 2273.00 2297.60 2246.25 2254.00 -29.40MARUTI 7000.05 7088.95 6901.00 6915.00 -90.05GRASIM 754.50 770.85 737.10 741.05 -11.20AXISBANK 748.10 752.55 732.10 736.50 -11.30TATASTEEL 441.00 445.55 433.35 434.50 -6.75JSWSTEEL 291.60 296.75 288.30 288.50 -4.85ONGC 105.55 106.30 103.00 103.60 -1.75NTPC 114.80 115.50 111.90 113.20 -1.95HDFCBANK 1243.20 1248.40 1215.00 1219.45 -21.95M&M 535.25 536.95 520.65 524.10 -9.50COALINDIA 178.00 178.90 174.20 174.50 -3.30HEROMOTOCO2424.00 2437.80 2351.10 2361.90 -47.05ITC 212.25 212.90 206.80 207.60 -4.30SBIN 328.10 331.90 318.55 319.90 -7.55POWERGRID 190.50 191.40 183.40 184.90 -5.65EICHERMOT 19270.00 19350.00 18505.00 18760.00 -595.30INDUSINDBK 1233.90 1241.10 1171.20 1185.00 -45.75INFRATEL 246.00 251.00 227.70 231.50 -13.35GAIL 130.00 131.50 121.95 123.15 -7.15

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 28790.40 28894.65 28453.50 28501.05 -306.55LUPIN 704.50 721.45 704.50 719.50 16.10SRTRANSFIN 1270.25 1295.50 1259.05 1289.35 26.95ICICIGI 1347.35 1356.00 1340.00 1354.00 6.65PFC 126.40 130.70 126.00 126.65 0.60CADILAHC 270.30 271.50 265.85 269.90 1.10ICICIPRULI 479.10 484.15 477.10 481.00 1.90BIOCON 306.50 309.25 301.55 307.70 0.65PIDILITIND 1582.10 1607.00 1578.60 1581.05 3.05BANDHANBNK 454.30 463.50 448.60 452.50 0.45ACC 1448.55 1458.00 1429.55 1440.00 0.35HINDZINC 191.00 192.00 190.20 190.50 -0.25PEL 1547.00 1547.00 1520.80 1526.00 -5.80L&TFH 126.70 128.55 125.45 126.20 -0.50INDIGO 1434.80 1464.80 1429.70 1438.30 -6.10DIVISLAB 2169.25 2190.00 2135.70 2146.45 -9.35MARICO 304.40 305.40 300.90 301.90 -1.50UBL 1289.90 1306.95 1281.45 1282.30 -6.65BERGEPAINT 578.00 587.75 576.65 578.55 -3.15CONCOR 565.00 566.95 558.05 562.50 -3.50COLPAL 1347.10 1358.75 1332.80 1337.00 -8.40MOTHERSUMI 124.90 125.90 122.70 124.00 -0.90BOSCHLTD 14700.95 14770.00 14530.00 14574.35 -108.60HDFCAMC 3363.40 3378.00 3318.00 3322.00 -24.65OFSS 2711.00 2920.15 2711.00 2881.00 -22.00HAVELLS 618.10 623.50 608.85 612.75 -4.80HINDPETRO 235.40 238.35 233.15 233.15 -1.90NHPC 23.90 24.10 23.30 23.50 -0.20HDFCLIFE 578.90 581.50 572.00 572.10 -5.10MCDOWELL-N 711.90 715.45 699.00 703.50 -6.90PGHH 11596.00 11600.00 11450.40 11500.00 -130.15PETRONET 264.30 265.40 260.10 261.10 -3.20SHREECEM 24750.00 24913.05 24178.65 24316.90 -299.20DABUR 515.00 516.95 503.45 506.00 -6.70ASHOKLEY 81.40 81.55 79.70 80.40 -1.15SBILIFE 932.40 932.40 907.00 912.95 -14.60AMBUJACEM 208.40 212.25 205.00 205.25 -3.30GODREJCP 637.00 639.45 622.40 626.00 -10.35SIEMENS 1427.40 1436.95 1393.00 1395.00 -25.30BANKBARODA 88.15 88.95 86.10 86.40 -1.65IBULHSGFIN 329.00 334.45 318.70 320.70 -6.30PNB 55.70 56.05 54.00 54.20 -1.20DLF 232.40 234.45 224.45 226.20 -5.15AUROPHARMA 528.35 532.95 512.40 514.05 -13.30NMDC 110.00 111.10 105.65 106.60 -3.40BAJAJHLDNG 3906.05 3939.75 3726.00 3766.00 -138.90NIACL 142.10 143.40 136.40 136.40 -5.60GICRE 229.95 230.70 216.30 217.80 -10.75PAGEIND 22655.00 22749.00 21609.00 22400.00 -1116.30DMART 2440.00 2499.00 2373.00 2380.20 -163.95IDEA 4.35 5.45 3.25 3.50 -1.00

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Permanent Account Number(PAN) will become

inoperative if it is not linkedwith Aadhaar by March 31,2020, the Income Tax depart-ment has said.

The deadline for linking ofPAN and Aadhar has beenextended several times and thecurrent deadline ends onMarch 31, 2020. Till January27, 2020, over 30.75 crorePANs have already been linkedto Aadhaar. However, 17.58crore PANs are yet to be linkedwith the 12-digit biometric ID.

“Where a person, who hasbeen allotted the permanentaccount number as on July1,2017, and is required to inti-mate his Aadhaar numberunder sub-section (2) of sec-tion 139AA, has failed to inti-mate the same on or beforeMarch 31, 2020, the permanentaccount number of such personshall become inoperativeimmediately after the said datefor the purposes of furnishing,intimating or quoting underthe Act,” the Central Board ofDirect Taxes (CBDT) said.

Through a notification, the CBDT amended IncomeTax rules and inserted Rule114AAA, stipulating the “manner of making per-manent account number inoperative”.

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The unprecedented shutdownin China following the coro-

navirus pandemic will lead toglobal price correction andaffect Indian companies withhigh exposure to the Chinesemarkets, according to a report.

Global shrimp prices areexpected to face pressure overthe next few months, as glob-al trade adjusts to the changingdemand dynamics in China, akey importer and consumer offarmed shrimp, which willaffect the entire value chain,rating agency Icra said in areport.

The sizable domestic pro-duction (estimated at over 10.0lakh tonne) and consumption ofshrimp in China, makes it a keyprice-mover in global markets.In fact, China was a market sta-biliser during 2019, when glob-al demand from the US, EU andJapan went down, it said.

China and Vietnam togeth-er now account for 25 per centof shrimp exports from India (invalue terms), while 45 per centplus of India’s exports areshipped to the US.

In terms of global trade, theUS has traditionally been thelargest importer of shrimp, withimports of 6.98 lakh tonne offrozen shrimp in 2019, closelyfollowed by China with importsof 6.5 lakh tonne.

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Washington: Democratic pres-idential candidates hoping torevive their flagging campaignsincreasingly took aim at MikeBloomber, blasting their bil-lionaire rival for trying to buy hisway into the White House andraising questions about his com-mitment to racial equality.

Struggling to recover frompoor showings in the Iowa cau-cuses and the New Hampshireprimary, Elizabeth Warren andJoe Biden took the lead inattacking Bloomberg.

Biden, the former vice pres-ident, said on ABC’s “The View”that “I don’t think you can buyan election,” while Warren tookBloomberg to task for his 2008comments that ending redlining,a discriminatory housing prac-tice, helped trigger the eco-nomic meltdown.

Biden and billionaire TomSteyer also joined forces inslamming Bernie Sanders afterthe Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialistwon New Hampshire and essen-tially tied for the lead in Iowawith Pete Buttigieg, the former

mayor of South Bend, Indiana.Biden said Sanders hadn’t

done enough to explain how he’dpay for his “Medicare for All”proposal to replace private insur-ance with a government-runprogram.

Steyer said that “refusal totell us how he will pay for hisplan adds unnecessary financialrisk to achieving health care asa right for every person.”

Voters, Steyer said, “shouldhave all the facts.”

The sniping reflects theremarkably fluid state of theDemocratic race even after twostates that typically winnowpresidential fields have alreadyvoted.

The White House hopefulsare trying to blunt Bloomberg,who gained attention by flood-ing the national airwaves withhundreds of millions of dollarsin advertisements and is on theverge of being admitted into nextweek’s presidential debate.

And the lagging candidatesare trying to prove that they stillhave the mettle to stay in therace, even if their path is becom-

ing increasingly difficult.Warren told The Associated

Press on Thursday that she hasraised USD 6 million since theFebruary 3 Iowa caucuses, a haulthat could silence questionsabout whether she will soonleave the campaign because ofher disappointing showings sofar.

She called the race “wideopen.” “There’s a lot of froth,” shesaid. “It’s going to be a longprocess.” That’s especially true asmoderates are struggling to coa-lesce around a candidate.

Biden has long argued thathe’s the most electable, in partbecause his centrist approachhas broad appeal and couldmake it easier for Democrats todefeat President Donald Trumpin the fall. That’s at risk of beingundermined by his middlingfinish in Iowa and NewHampshire.

He’s now staking his cam-paign on success in theFebruary 29 South Carolinaprimary, which is the first racein a state with a significant blackpopulation. AP

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Beijing: China on Friday reject-ed US allegations that it is nottransparent enough in sharingthe details about the coron-avirus outbreak, saying it wasworking with the internationalcommunity in an “open andhighly responsible manner” tocontain the global crisis.

China’s comments cameafter Larry Kudlow, the directorof President Donald Trump’sEconomic Council, said that theUS is little disappointed over notbeing invited in the medicaloperations and the lack of trans-parency coming from theChinese over coronavirus out-break.

Stressing that unansweredquestions were mounting andthere was no sign of thepromised cooperation, Kudlowsaid: “We’re more than willing towork with the WHO onthis(coronavirus) and they won’tlet us”.

“I don’t know what theirmotives are. I do know thatapparently, more and more peo-ple are suffering over there,”Kudlow said in Washington.

The death toll in China’snovel coronavirus outbreak hasspiked to nearly 1,500 with 121new fatalities reported mostlyfrom the worst-affected Hubeiprovince while the confirmed

cases of infection jumped tonearly 65,000, health officialssaid on Friday.

State-run CGTN reportedthat 505 cases of the virus wereabroad, including 15 cases of thevirus in the US. Ever since thecoronavirus outbreak that shookChina and the world, Beijing hasnot acceded to requests by theUS to permit American spe-cialists to visit the country totake part in the medical opera-tions to counter the virus.Instead, China has permitted ateam of the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) specialiststo visit the country and assist itto contain the virus. PTI

Beijing: The death toll inChina’s novel coronavirus out-break has spiked to nearly 1,500with 121 new fatalities report-ed mostly from the worst-affect-ed Hubei province while theconfirmed cases of infection

jumped to nearly 65,000, healthofficials said on Friday.

The hard-hit Hubeiprovince, the epicentre of theoutbreak, has reported 116 newfatalities and reported 4,823new confirmed cases onThursday, the provincial healthcommission said on Friday.

The death toll in China’scoronavirus epidemic has goneup to 1,488, the health officialssaid on Friday.

The National HealthCommission said, with 5,090

new cases the total number ofconfirmed coronavirus casessoared up to 64,894 as ofThursday.

The commission said itreceived reports of 121 deathson Thursday with 5,090 newconfirmed cases of novel coro-navirus infection from 31provincial-level regions.

Among the deaths, 116 werein Hubei Province, two inHeilongjiang, and one in Anhui,Henan and Chongqing respec-tively, the commission said. PTI

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Beijing: Six health workershave died from the new coro-navirus in China and morethan 1,700 have been infect-ed, health officials saidFriday, underscoring the risksdoctors and nurses havetaken due to shortages ofprotective gear.

The figure comes a weekafter public anger eruptedover the death of a whistle-blowing doctor who hadbeen reprimanded andsilenced by police after rais-ing the alarm about the virusin December.

Zeng Yixin, vice ministerat the National HealthCommission, said at a newsconference that 1,716 healthworkers have been infected inthe country as of Tuesday.

The majority, 1,102, havebeen diagnosed with theCOVID-19 illness in Wuhan,the central city at the epi-centre of the crisis, Zengsaid.

Another 400 were infect-ed in other places in Hubeiprovince. PTI

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.Yokohama: Japan on Fridaybegan allowing elderly passen-gers who test negative for thenew coronavirus to leave aquarantined cruise ship and fin-ish their isolation in govern-ment-designated lodging.

Japan’s government hasgiven passengers aged 80 orolder in poor health or confinedto windowless inner cabins onthe Diamond Princess thechance to move from the shipto accommodation on land.

But only those who testnegative for the virus that hasso far infected more than 200people on board the ship havethe option to move.

The first of them departedthe massive cruise ship onFriday afternoon, travelling inbuses with blacked out win-dows.

At the wheel, one driverwas dressed in a head-to-toewhite protective suit, completewith goggles and mask. AFP

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The United States said on Friday it wouldrefuse entry to Sri Lanka’s army chief over

“credible” evidence of human rights violationsin the bloody 2009 finale to the civil war.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, whoseappointment last year drew wide internationalcriticism, will be ineligible to visit the UnitedStates, as willhis immedi-ate family,Secretary ofState MikePompeo said.

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Beirut: Israeli strikes onDamascus airport killed sevenfighters, a war monitor saidFriday, the latest in a string ofattacks targeting Iran’s militarypresence in Syria.

Syrian state media saidonly that its air defences inter-cepted missiles over the capi-tal overnight while Israel didnot immediately comment onthe strikes.

Israel routinely fires mis-siles at what it says are Iraniantargets in Syria, where eliteIranian forces and allied mili-tia play a key role.

According to the SyrianObservatory for HumanRights, the strikes launched lateThursday hit military targets in

the area of the international air-port.

Rami Abdel Rahman, thedirector of the Britain-basedObservatory, said the deadwere three Syrian soldiers andfour members of Iran’sRevolutionary Guard.

A Syrian army source quot-ed by SANA said the attacktook place at 11:45 pm (2145GMT), when an AFP corre-spondent in Damascus heardloud blasts.

“Our air defences inter-cepted hostile targets over theskies of Damascus,” SANAsaid.

It said the “missiles werelaunched from over the occu-pied Golan Heights”. AFP

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#D�1�� (� �� Pathein (Myanmar): Nearly50 Rohingya Muslims havebeen detained at sea byMyanmar’s navy, a local officialsaid Friday, the latest from thepersecuted minority to becaught trying to flee camps inBangladesh and Myanmar’srestive Rakhine state.

It was not immediatelyclear where the group startedtheir boat journey but they werelikely aiming for Malaysia orIndonesia, predominantlyMuslim countries with largeRohingya diasporas.

Thousands of Rohingyahave taken to the sea over theyears in high-risk attempts toescape sprawling refugee campsin Bangladesh and oppressive

conditions in Rakhine.Village administrator Myint

Thein told AFP by phone thenavy had picked up 48Rohingya men, women andchildren, as well as five “traf-fickers”, at sea on Wednesdayevening.

An AFP reporter saw thegroup arrive Friday morning atPathein township police station.

“We don’t know howauthorities in Pathein town will proceed,” MyintThein said.

Some 7,40,000 Rohingyafled Myanmar’s Rakhine toBangladesh to escape a brutalmilitary crackdown in 2017and now languish in sprawlingrefugee camps. AFP

Indian weddings are extravagant and thecouples are always on a lookout for des-tinations that offer an immersive and cul-

turally rich experience.Abu Dhabi is a convenient and viable

option due to its proximity to India. Besidesthat, the city offers everything from pristinebeaches to beautiful landscapes and palaces.There is an impressive list of venues for theperfect destination wedding. There is a ded-icated team of wedding planners who pro-vide tailor-made settings and facilities fora wedding which are difficult to match else-where.

The Fairytale Wedding: EmiratesPalace — to rephrase Jane Austen, it’s a truthuniversally acknowledged that every bridewho dreams of a fairy-tale wedding wantsto marry in a palace. The team at EmiratesPalace help you craft the perfect Indian wed-ding experience with sophisticated décorand luxurious Swarovski chandeliers Fromthe sangeet to saathphere and the bidaai, the

place has the perfect setting for a tradition-al ceremony.

The Beach Wedding: Rixos SaadiyatIsland — The Saadiyat Island, with its pow-der-white beach and private gardens, canplay host in a variety of settings — from anintimate sunset ceremony with the sandbeneath your feet to a moonlit gala undera canopy of trees in a garden oasis. Indoors,the resort offers a choice of venues fromexquisite restaurants to opulent ballrooms.

The European Wedding: Ritz CarltonAbu Dhabi, Grand Canal — set against thebackdrop of the canal with views of theSheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, this Venetian-inspired hotel, with its palatial grounds andprivate beach, is the ideal location for cou-ples seeking a setting for their special day.Couples can choose from wedding andreception venues like the Pool Garden andthe Roma Ballroom with its striking foun-tain at the entrance, chandeliers, upholsteredwalls and lightning.

The Elegant Wedding: Grand HyattAbu Dhabi Hotel and Residences EmiratesPearl — whether looking for a spaciousvenue or an intimate banquet, Grand HyattAbu Dhabi Hotel and Residences Emirates

Peal offers several options. The hotel’s AlBateen ballroom has a private entrance, onepre-function space, bridal suite and VIPlounge. The team at Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabican ensure a hassle-free special day.

The City Wedding: Four SeasonsHotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island —this five-star hotel sits on Al Maryah Island— Abu Dhabi’s newest business andlifestyle destination. Located betweendowntown Abu Dhabi city and SaadiyatIsland, the hotel’s function spaces open outtowards the water and can host weddingsfor up to 530 guests. This modern, urbanvenue has two ballrooms with floor-to-ceil-ing windows and openings onto watersideterraces and promenades is perfect for pre-wedding events. The executive chef canhelp to create your own custom menu.

The Island Wedding: Zaya NuraiIsland — picture a private island withsugar-white-beaches — a paradise wheredolphins frolic in turquoise waters. Addvillas that are private havens and you havethe dream-like wedding destination ofZaya Nurai Island. Take in the sea bare-foot on the rolling beach and tie the knotin the sublime privacy of your own estatevilla. Dance to the beat of your own drumwith a show-stopping wedding partyamid Smokin’ Pineapple’s electric al fres-co atmosphere.

The Cultural Wedding: FairmontBab Al Bahr — ‘happily-ever-after’ beginsin style at this 5-star, waterfront hotel.Whether you desire an intimate ceremo-ny or a grand wedding, each option is pos-sible. Each of the hotel’s venues is a dis-tinct space. The hotel’s wedding team willguide you every step of the way. From per-sonalised dining to innovative designoptions and floral arrangements, FairmontBab Al Bahr will ensure your dream dayis everything you imagined and more.

Exploring the hinterlands ofRanchi is best done on a bicycleas it takes just 10-15 minutes toget out of the chaotic city andland in middle of unexplored

and untouched nature. Each one of thesetrails are special and will take you throughwild forests, beautiful valleys, waterfalls,narrow village roads, archeological siteswhile at the same time allowing you toindulge in some really delicious local food.Here are some of my favourite trails in andaround the capital of Jharkhand.

The Snake Charmer (Ride to thePatratu Valley) — This trail is a dream forevery cyclist in the city. It is once in a life-time where you ride through the steeploops. Certainly not for those whose fit-ness levels have dipped as the road is at asix-10 per cent incline over three-four km.But the spectacular view as you push for-ward every mile more than makes up forall the hard work and sweat. Do stop at thebeginning of the second set of loops to sipinto coconut water being sold by local vil-lagers selling.

PRO TIP: Go slow and stay hydrated. Thesun always takes a toll on your body whileclimbing back. DISTANCE: 75 km from city centre andback. Difficulty Level: High

�� !��Who would believe that there is a

beautiful dense forest merely five-eightkm away from the city’s centre? Horapused to be home to some wild animalsback in days but now it is a green lungfor the city. The tree-lined roads are beau-tiful while the view of the valley from thetop of the Horap hill is best described as

magical. It is a great place to catch the sunrise as the early morning light touches thestretch of green cover. In the distance,one can see a train looping its waythrough the hills every hour. There ishardly any motorised traffic which makesthe stretch a much sought after by cyl-cists. For those who love to take thingsto the extreme, there are plenty of trailsfor offroading in the forest.

PRO TIP: Once you cross the HanumanMandir Chowk, take a right turn and fol-low the course of road for some 200 mt andthen take a U turn. Few metres ahead youwill see a Banyan tree which appears to bemagical as it keeps on becoming largerwith time. DISTANCE:- 50 km from city centre andback. Difficulty Level: Moderate

��"��#��$�%!�$%��$��$�This is one of the most popular routes

for cyclists in Ranchi. The terrain isalmost flat with wide roads and minimaltraffic. The shops and small restaurants onthe highway are friendly. There are tworoutes to Pithoria — one, a straight line onKanke Road which is great for those look-ing at maxing speed and endurance. Theother is via Tagore Hill Road which is way

more scenic, has less traffic and has somerock formations on the route with archae-ological importance. Puthoria, the endpoint of the circuit is the starting point toPatratu Valley.DISTANCE: 40-45 km from city centreand back. Difficulty Level: Easy

!&%! �'!&%�$! ��$( ��(�&��(�#Dhurwa Dam is a beautiful location on theoutskirts of city and is popular withcyclists. Chase sunsets or sunrises at theplace. You won’s forget the experience. Theview is mesmerising and there is a senseof calmness all around. PRO TIP: This is place good for stargazing.

We once saw 34 shooting stars in one night. DISTANCE: 35 km from city centre andback. Difficulty Level: Easy

!&%! ��%��$%)��(If big wide roads and distance is what mat-ters to you? Ring road is your place. Thestretch of Ring Road starts at Rampur onTata Road and ends at Ormanjhi on NH33, covering a distance of more than 100kms in what is almost a straight line. Theroad is wide and has almost no pot holeswhich makes it conducive to cycling. Thering road also offers the option of detoursleading to waterfalls, parks and otherroutes around the city. PRO TIP: Keep your self hydrated as there

is no shade on this road and the heat willinstantly take a toll on your body.DISTANCE: More than 100 km from thecity centre and back. DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate

!&%! ��(�!�#��**One of my all-time favourite routes

around Ranchi is the ride to Dasam. Takethe road to Dasam from Khuti Road viaTaurian World School and believe meyou won’t be disappointed. The roadtakes you through the green valley ofRanchi, crossing beautiful lakes andbridges, and ends at the mighty DasamFall. You will have to carry water andsome food as there are limited optionsavailable on the route. Make sure to carrya camera as the view is extremely scenic.While the route to Dasam is mostlydownhill but while returning, there aresteady climbs.PRO TIP: Make sure you leave Dasam by4 pm as the route becomes very dark postsunset. I prefer going to the top of thewaterfall as there are trails which wouldtake you to some unknown lagoons. DISTANCE: More than 100 km from citycentre and back. DIFFICULTY Level: High

�&%(�&��**The direct route to Hundru is via NH

33 but I prefer to avoid the highway andtake the smaller and less crowded BoriyaRoad to reach Ormanjhi and then enter theHundru Fall Road. The road fromMorabadi to Ormanjhi takes you throughsome really beautiful scenic stretches andthe famous Orange Forest which is bestexperienced during spring.

�� %) �� !�The ride from Ormanjhi to Hundru

Fall is beautiful, the roads are covered withtrees throughout and have some reallygood dhabhas. There are two ways to reachHundru Falls — one from the top andanother from bottom. I have always pre-ferred the one leading to the bottom of thefall as the trail is much more beautiful andwe don’t have to climb the 500 stairs. PRO TIP: Do make sure you take thebamboo boat and go right under the water-fall. The experience is magical. DISTANCE: More than 100 km from citycentre and back. DIFFICULTY LEVEL: High

) ��*!&(�(�#��$( Not one of my favourite routes but it

is still very scenic and beautiful. The bestroute to go is via Tatisilwai and then takeleft from Angara and later exit fromOrmanjhi to head back to city. The damin itself is huge and gorgeous. DISTANCE: More than 100 km from citycentre and back. DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate

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McCluskey Ganj is a famous AngloIndian settlement 60 km from the city.Anglo Indians do not live here any morebut they have left behind some beautifulbungalows, bakeries and homestays for usto experience. Unlike the other undulat-ing routes, this one is pretty flat. DISTANCE: 120 km from city centre andback. Difficulty level: High

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It could not have been morerelevant than in the times welive in. This is a very strong

indictment of hate while beinga powerful message and celebra-tion of love. The latter has to tryharder in the times of hatred.And this is a trying time,” saystheatre and film director FerozAbbas Khan about his latestoffering, Raunaq & Jassi. Theplay is about youngsters fromfeuding families falling in love,a theme that has been exploredsince time immemorial andmade famous in the Bard’sRomeo & Juliet.

Mention the comparisonwith William Shakespeare’s playand Feroz points out, “There arebasically only seven stories justthe way there are only sometunes around which composersmake music. What makes a dif-ference is the telling, how itrelates to the times we live in andhow it is woven together. In thatsense, it is not a translation oran adaptation but rather areimagined version of the orig-inal. Here, we have extended theimagination in telling it.” Plus,it is a musical as the entire playis in verse.

So how much time does areimagining of an existing clas-sic take? Feroz tells us that thejourney started from writing. “Iam fortunate to have had a won-derful collaboration in creatingthis original work with Iqbal Raj.He started writing an year agoduring which it evolved. Theactual production took about alittle over three months. Theactors had to learn to speak inverse without making it soundthat it has been written so. Yetit is colloquial and accessiblethus affecting you by its ideasand emotional intensity. Thiswork will be celebrated for along time to come,” says thedirector who had enrolled incollege to become a CharteredAccountant or a managementguy before an encounter withiconic director Peter Brook inBhopal changed his life.

To execute this play perfect-ly, there were certain qualitiesthat Feroz had to sift for in hisactors. “Besides being goodactors, I also needed goodsingers. They also had to have apersonality. Interestingly, I hadmore options in women than Ihad in men. Then, I needed acommitment for six months,”says Feroz who became a direc-tor by chance when someonewho was supposed to direct aplay did not turn up and hehelmed the project.

He has taken Punjab as thebackdrop for telling this tale asit is the place where all the tra-ditional tales of love, like HeerRanjha, Soni Mahiwal are set.There is something about theland which lends itself to thesestories, he feels. Moreover, it isset in the 1950s which Ferozsays, “have a certain charm andinnocence.”

However, one wonders ifthe story and the setting wouldresonate with the millennials,

given as they are to making theirown choices whether it becareers or life partners? ButFeroz avers, “When we talkabout millennials, we becomevery narrow in our thinking andbelieve that all of them have thechoice. How many millennialscan marry out of their caste, reli-gion or social set? Freedom tolove exists within certain bound-aries. And these are more pro-nounced for women than men.This play has a strong womanwho says, ‘why can’t I love theperson that I want to love?Why do I have to be in love withthe person that you decide? Thiscan’t be anybody else’s decision.’”To Feroz, Jassi, the woman pro-tagonist’s strong voice was veryimportant. “I wouldn’t want totake up anything that doesn’thold any meaning for me or theaudience,” he insists.

Since his last play wasMughal-e-Azam, a Broadway-style musical based on the 1960eponymous Bollywood film,directed by K Asif, where thecanvas was huge, the directorhas set the bar very high. “Thereis a visual canvas and an emo-tional one. The latter is as hugeas can be in Raunaq & Jassi. Thevisual canvas might not be ashuge as Mughal-e-Azam butthis too is not a small produc-tion,” says Feroz who cut his the-atrical teeth at Prithvi Theatrewith Jennifer Kapoor.

However, this change intack was more by design thanchance as he didn’t want torepeat himself. “I am challeng-ing myself. Repeating is a deadend and stunts growth. I haven’ttaken a comfortable path butpreferred the difficult and chal-lenging one. This is what makesthe journey of Raunaq & Jassithe most beautiful one that I’vehad in theatre,” he says as hisvoice ebbs and flows with emo-tion over the phone.

However, one can’t help but

go back to the magnum opus.“People asked what will he dowith Mughal-e-Azam that isn’tthere already? Everyone thoughtit would be a disaster. They feltthat I was being audacious andthey believed that in saying so,they were being polite. I wasengrossed in trying to save myreputation and protecting thereputation and legacy of K Asifso I completely switched off andconcentrated on my work. I wasthrown into the deep end and Ihad only two and a half monthsto put up the production. TheFull Circle on Amazon PrimeVideo shows how people react-ed before and after it was staged.The result was heartwarming,”he recalls.

Another of his popular pro-duction was Mahatma VsGandhi which was later made asa film Gandhi, My Father. Whiletalking about the Mahatma inthe less than favourable light canoften be seen now, portraying

him as a human being withflaws in popular culture wasunheard of in 1998 when theplay was staged. “What I hadwritten was within the realm offacts. Gandhi was his ownstrongest critic, which comesthrough in his letters, articlesand autobiography. But thisdidn’t stop two play sponsorsfrom backing out because therewas an article which said that itwas anti-Gandhi. I had theMahatma’s entire family onboard for it as were humanisinghim and Harilal, his son,” he saysand adds, “Neither the film northe play takes sides. The familyknew I was speaking the truthand at the same time ensuringthe idea of Gandhi was neverdamaged.”

However, he points out thatpopular culture today is going ina different direction. “To destroythe idea of Gandhi or to dam-age it are wrong. When you aregoing to celebrate (Nathuram)Godse, the killer of MahatmaGandhi, then we understandwhere the discourse is going,” hesays about a line that many ofthe sections of the right-wingorganisations in the countryhave taken.

When one laments thatFeroz didn’t direct more filmsafter Gandhi, My Father, hesuggests that one should watchDekh Tamasha Dekh, which,“despite being a terrific piece ofsocial and political satire got lost.It is relevant today,” he says butdoes acquiesce that he shouldmake more films even thoughtheatre is the place where heactually belongs.

Having dabbled in both themedia, he points out that cine-ma is realistic where abstractionis difficult to capture. “Theatrehas the power of suggestion. Incinema, the camera can take youwherever the imagination goesor wherever I can, physically. Intheatre, stage is a restriction but

there is none on imagination.The great advantage of cinemais its reach. Gandhi, My Fatherhas been screened as an accom-paniment to RichardAttenborough’s Gandhi in theUS, for instance. The otheradvantage is that films remainthe same forever. Madhubalaji(in Mughal-e-Azam) looks thesame even now,” he says wistful-ly and prefers to close the argu-ment with, “Not all subjects canbe made in cinema and not allcan be adapted to theatre. Thesubject, language and gram-mar of both are different. Eachhas to be treated in a complete-ly different way.”

Feroz hit big time in 1992with Tumhari Amrita, a story ofunrequitted love which hadactors Shabana Azmi andFarooq Sheikh take to the stage.With the latter having passedaway in 2013, Feroz has nowcome to terms with reviving it.“It will be completely new asShabana has said she cannot doit without Farooq. She proddedme to do this as it is a great pieceof work and the audience can-not be deprived of its power,beauty and grace,” says thedirector who started his careeras an actor.

Salesman Ramlal, one ofthe first plays that he adaptedfrom the English Death of aSalesman is his favourite work.“It affects me deeply and Iwould never have done it if Icouldn’t adapt it to the Indiancontext. Theatre needs it as itis immediate and present. It isthe most alive and powerfulexperience. I need to contextu-alise the place where I am liv-ing, the air that I breathe, thesocial and political conditions.If I can’t relate to it, how will theaudience?” he questions.

Another of his works, MainKuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hun, a showon family planning, genderand women empowerment onDoordarshan has become aglobal study on how effective-ly you can use entertainment topropagate a message. It hasbeen dubbed in 12 languages.

With the advent of digital,entertainment is increasinglybecoming insular. How wouldthat affect theatre? “You can puta film in your pocket and carryit around but to see a play youhave to take that walk fromyour house to the theatre seat.People want to see live humanbeings. How much can you seeon a TV or laptop? That is whyworld over, live performancesare getting more audience asfootfall is increasing.”

So, yes, as the directorpointed out at the start, there isa context and time for every-thing.

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What was the idea behindstarting Tahiliani

Homes?The concept is to create

beautiful homes while respect-ing our tradition and keeping italive with our philosophy of “allthat we were and more.” Thegoal is to formalise our interiorsand architectural division. It isvery gratifying to watch a con-cept turn into a finish product.The brand Tarun Tahiliani,since its inception, has set out tocreate the ultimate “IndiaModern.” Tahiliani Homes striveto be a brand that is muchsteeped in the Indian traditionsand techniques that millions ofcraftsmen imbibe with love.You can see traditional Goanhomes, ultra modern glass andwooden ones, too, that tran-scend you in to the 21st centu-ry in our body of work. Our soleobjective is to recreate a serenefeeling inside homes withnature-inspired decor.

The works are a fusion of con-temporary and local architec-ture. What inspired the blend?

Our design approach is in acontinuous state of progressionthat has been channelledthrough many media andrefined by experimentation. Justlike Tarun’s acumen for couture,penchant for tonalist oil oncanvas and fluency as a classi-cal pianist, the need for creatingspaces and designing interiorsemerged from an insatiablecuriosity. These expressiveavenues are a bridge to his out-look for exquisite interiors.

The designs look unusual.They are not very common inIndia...

Tarun was his own clientfirst. This foundation ensuresdesign is functional and eachdecision has a purpose. The aimis to cultivate an aesthetic charm— one that is shaped by utilityand by those who use it. Givenour clime and how extreme itcan be, comfort is key.Therefore, design is not just fornewness or statement.Exuberance comes from activ-ity and action.

A secondary layer of thisapproach comes from actually

living in the homes that onedesigns, which allows you tounderstand how a home evolveswith the balance between anindividual and his shared iden-tity. It maintains a balancebetween private and communalspaces, one that is particular toeach Indian family structure.

Goa is certainly a favourite.Why did you choose this loca-tion?

There are so many beauti-ful locations in India. However,I personally find Goa wonder-ful. I have stayed at a remote out-post in Coonoor. It was just pris-tine for the views and the seren-ity of the environment, in addi-tion to the long views. Goa hasamazing restaurants, beachesand places to explore and havefun. Also, it is a sanctuary forcity dwellers who want a breakfrom the routine to get back intonature and re-connect withthemselves. We believe themicro-markets may shift but theoverall location will continue todo well for decades to come.

Design seems to be flowinginto the minutest aspect of our

everyday life, from dressing tothe household utility. Wouldyou say that we are now con-scious consumers of everydayart? Or have we finally beenable to incorporate luxury inour lives?

I think there is a fine linebetween luxury and every dayart. People are quite brand-conscious in today’s time. Ithink the crossover hasn’t hap-pened entirely and neither do Ibelieve it should. Individualsshould be comfortable in theirspace. If it’s luxury for some andjust beautiful every day art forothers — to each his own. Tostay true to oneself is important.

How important it is to incor-porate sustainability into suchdesigns?

Our aim is to create a homewhich brings together the ele-ments of the natural outdoorsinto the premise of the indoorsvia a water body in the centralcourtyard, multiple layeringson the floor using differentmaterials and column-design-ing. Enormous space, high ceil-ings, wall to wall glazing and tex-tured walls with the use ofmoldings accentuate the overallnatural, organic and luxuriousessence of the house. Inspirationfor the design has come fromGoa, courtyards, Geoffrey Bawaand our own experience.

What would you say about thedesign trends of this year?

Strong lobby for green andeco-friendly brands will contin-ue to rule. The conversationamong builders and buyers bothhas gravitated towards this.People are becoming more con-scious of their decisions and thelarger implications it has on thecommunity. This is a goodtrend and I hope we continue it.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury-timepenalty grabbed Juventus a 1-1 draw at AC Milan in their

Italian Cup semi-final, first leg onThursday as his incredible scoringrun continued.

The 35-year-old has now scored12 goals in his last eight games in allcompetitions after the Portugueseultimately got the better of old rivalZlatan Ibrahimovic despite beinglargely anonymous for much of thematch.

Milan paid for Theo Hernandez’s71st-minute red card as they failed toclose out a game they had dominat-ed for long periods and led throughAnte Rebic.

Juve will now be favourites to fin-ish the job in the second leg at theAllianz Stadium next month, with afinal against either Inter Milan orNapoli up for grabs.

The hosts started strongly, withIbrahimovic heading over the cross-bar inside the first minute.

He continued to be a threat to hisformer club early on, but could onlydirect an ambitious backheel flickbeyond the far post, before pickingup a booking which will see him missthe second leg through suspension.

Juventus finally produced theirfirst shot in anger nine minutes

before half-time, as Juan Cuadradosaw his low strike well saved by Milangoalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Milan started the second half asthey did the first, on the front foot,

but Rebic was denied an opening goalby Gianluigi Buffon.

Samu Castillejo also calledBuffon into action seven minutesafter the break, with the 42-year-old

goalkeeper able to make a comfort-able save.

Stefano Pioli’s side finally madethe breakthrough in the 61st minute,though, as Castillejo’s clipped cross

was volleyed home at the back postby Rebic.

Juventus were gifted a way backinto the game with 18 minutesremaining as Hernandez was hand-ed a second yellow card for a latechallenge on Paulo Dybala.

That prompted the 13-time win-ners to belatedly pile some pressureon the home goal, and Donnarummahad to be alert to keep out Matthijsde Ligt’s header.

Dybala curled wide with fiveminutes remaining, but Juve wereawarded a spot-kick in the finalminute of normal time as VAR spot-ted a handball by Davide Calabria.

Ronaldo stepped up andslammed the ball down the middleto score his 24th goal of the season.

Six minutes of injury-time gavethe visitors hope of clinching anunlikely victory, but Milan at leastheld on for a draw to keep their bidfor a first Cup crown since 2003alive.

On Wednesday, Napoli struckfirst blood in their semi-final asGennaro Gattuso’s men downedSerie A leaders Inter Milan 1-0 at theSan Siro, with Fabian Ruiz scoringthe winner.

The last-four second legs willtake place on March 4 and 5, with thefinal on May 13 at the StadioOlimpico in Rome.

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The first ever PremierLeague mid-season break

pleased Liverpool coachJurgen Klopp as it allowed therunaway leaders to rest theiraches and pains following thehectic festive period.

The 52-year-old Germantakes his players to bottom-placed Norwich today holdinga 22 point lead over two-timedefending championsManchester City.

Klopp said the break willhave done his squad the worldof good as he knew from hisown playing experience.

“I was a player myself.When I look back it feels likeI played through 80% of thetime with pain,” he said at hiseve of match press conference.

“Nobody appreciated thatbecause I played bad so it did-n’t help. Nobody asked then. Itis completely normal for a pro-fessional football player toplay through pain.

“After that long period inDecember-January, there wasno player in the squad whohad no pain. Everybody had

something.”Klopp — whose

Champions League holderstravel to Atletico Madrid nextweek in their last 16 first legclash — has also been boost-

ed by the return to fitness fromhamstring injuries of Senegalattacker Sadio Mane and vet-eran James Milner.

Sane has missed the lastfour matches while Milner

has been out since January 5.“Millie (Milner) and Sadio

are back. When they are backyou consider them immediate-ly,” said Klopp.

“Apart from (Xherdan)Shaqiri, (Nathaniel) Clyne and(Paul) Glatzel, all the playersare in training.

“We have some goodoptions. Hopefully it stays likethis for the rest of the season.”

Klopp says Norwich maybe struggling at the bottom —they are seven points adrift ofsafety — but he is full ofrespect for their adventurousstyle of play.

“I really admire thatNorwich stick to their princi-ples. It’s really good football,super coaching,” Klopp said.

“You can see all the pat-terns on the pitch, all themovements — that’s from thetraining ground. They’vecaused 95% of all teams realproblems.

“They’ve lost a lot of thesegames, that’s why they’re in thesituation they are, but for me,on the outside, it looks like aclub that really sticks togeth-er.”

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Real Sociedad edged second divi-sion Mirandes 2-1 in their

Copa del Rey semi-final first leg onThursday, taking a tentative stepcloser to a potential all-Basque finalagainst Athletic Bilbao.

Sociedad had knocked outReal Madrid 4-3 in the quarter-finals and they were in control earlyon at home against Mirandes, theonly second-tier side to make the

last-four.Captain Mikel Oyarzabal gave

them a ninth-minute lead from thepenalty spot after a foul by OdeiOnaindia on Portu.

Mirandes were on level termson 40 minutes thanks to MatheusAias but Sociedad restored theiradvantage through Norwegianprodigy Martin Odegaard just twominutes later.

Mirandes, however, will not becowed by the challenge in the sec-ond leg next month as they bid tobecome the first second divisionside to make the final in 40 years.

They have already knocked outthree top flight teams to get to thisstage having seen off Celta Vigo,Sevilla and Villarreal.

On Wednesday, captain IkerMuniain scored the only goal asAthletic Bilbao defeated Granada 1-0 in their first leg clash.

With 23 titles, Athletic Bilbaoare second on the all-time list toBarcelona who have triumphed 30times.

However, their most recentsuccess was back in 1984 after a 1-0 win over Barca.

�#�� .01%��6�0

Allan Nyom took a yellowcard, scored a goal and was

substituted before half-timeand in those 16 minutes it waspossible to understand whyGetafe sit third in La Liga.

Nyom celebrated his firstgoal for the club like it was thefirst of his life, racing one wayand then the other, not quitesure where he was going untilsuddenly deciding where hehad to end up.

He found the Getafe fans inthe corner, who celebratedNyom putting them two upagainst old rivals, Leganes,whom Nyom had left last sum-mer, and firing them withintouching distance of new ones,Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, ina remarkable challenge for thetop four.

“This year I‘m playing likea right winger and I want toscore goals,” Nyom said. “Ieven try to do tricks now.That’s this team, I’m loving it.”

Six minutes before, Nyomhad been booked and 10 min-utes later, in the 31st minute ofthe January 17 game at Leganes,he was taken off. On show allat once, Getafe’s mean streak,their unity and the ruthlessnessof their coach, Jose Bordalas, toput team above all else.

“When people think ofGetafe they think of hard work,”says Nyom. “We play together,work together, run together,that’s the most important thing.”

Bordalas took over inSeptember 2016 with Getafe21st in Segunda. Instead ofgoing down, they went up andthen instead of scrapping forsurvival, they finished eighth.

Last year, Bordalas tookthem to the brink ofChampions League qualifica-tion, missing out to Valencia onthe last day, and this season theyare challenging again.

“There are still a lot ofgames left but we have achance,” said Nyom. “I thinkthis year it will be even harderbecause the teams around thosepositions are strong and gettingstronger. But we will try.”

Today, they play Barcelona,whose 11 starting players lastweekend cost 340 millioneuros. Getafe’s cost 21 million,four of them free and one onloan. Barcelona’s salary capthis season is 671 million euros,comfortably 10 times morethan Getafe’s 56 million.

But Bordalas has instilledbelief. Jorge Molina, whoscored twice against Valencialast weekend, is 37, older than

the club itself.Nyom, at 31, once of

Watford and West Brom, is inthe form of his life, dreamingof the Champions League anda starting spot at next year’sAfrica Cup of Nations, whenhis country Cameroon will behosts.

“Bordalas is a great manag-er, he demands a lot,” Nyomsaid. “That’s his style. His bigthing is we are a team, a fami-ly. He tells us to run, to fight,to never give up and believeme, we run a lot.

“It was the hardest pre-sea-son of my career, run, run, run.But it means we can be 100 percent all the time. At someclubs there is training andthere are matches. Here the twoare the same.”

There may not be a coachin Europe doing a better jobthan Bordalas and his successhas brought speculation, withAtletico Madrid mentioned asa possible next step.

“Of course he could do it ata bigger club,” says Nyom. “It’sharder, not easier, with lowerteams. With better players hecould do even better.”

But there are reservationsabout Getafe’s style, anunashamedly direct approachthat looks for territory, relies ondefence and relishes confronta-tion.

In La Liga this season,they have completed the fewestpasses, collected the most yel-low cards and committed thehighest number of fouls.

Barcelona have four play-ers in the league’s top 10 forpasses made while Getafe’shighest, Marc Cucurella, is74th, and he is on loan fromBarcelona.

“People can think whatthey want,” Nyom said. “But wehave good players too, skilful,technical players. It’s just theseplayers can defend so it's theperfect combination for us.”

After Barcelona, Getafeplay Ajax in the Europa Leaguenext week, two opponents unit-ed in their veneration of JohanCruyff and unerring in thebelief there is one way the gameshould be played.

Yet Getafe have their ownstyle and their own convictiontoo.

“Style is important becauseit’s your identity but there aredifferent styles,” Nyom said.

“Barcelona want posses-sion, we want to press. We playdirect and they play with theball. But one style is not betterthan the other. For us, it's allabout the result.”

�#�� 16��1�0!

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ slow start to the year con-tinued as the Greek star suffered a second-

round defeat by Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene inRotterdam on Thursday.

The world number six, who was knockedout of the Australian Open last month byMilos Raonic in the third round, slumped toa 7-5, 6-4 loss in the Netherlands.

Bedene saved five break points beforesnatching the opening set courtesy of a breakin the 11th game, before easing through thesecond to set up a quarter-final againstCanada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“He was probably the better player inmost of the first set, he was serving reallywell,” Bedene, the world number 52, told atp-tour.com after beating second-seededTsitsipas.

“I stayed focused and it was goodtowards the end.”

Tsitsipas, who won the season-endingATP Finals last year, now has a 3-4 losingrecord in 2020.

In-form Russian Andrey Rublev andGael Monfils, who plays fellow Frenchman

Gilles Simon later on Thursday, are the onlytop-eight seeds remaining in the draw.

Top seed Daniil Medvedev lost to VasekPospisil in the opening round, while Italianteenager Jannik Sinner saw off Belgianfourth seed David Goffin 7-6 (9/7), 7-5.

Sinner, who won last year’s NextGenFinals in Milan, claimed his first victory overa player ranked in the world’s top 10.

“I feel great, especially now in thismoment,” said Sinner.

The 18-year-old will take on Spain’s PabloCarreno-Busta for a place in the semi-finals.

�#�� =615

Australian Jordan Thompson upset UStop seed John Isner 7-6 (7/2), 6-7

(3/7), 6-3 on Thursday to reach the ATPNew York Open quarter-finals.

Thompson, who will face Italy’s AndreasSeppi for a berth in the semi-finals,avenged a loss to Isner in last year’s New Yorkquarter-finals.

The world number 63 took his first vic-tory in four meetings with the big-serving

American.“Pretty stoked with that,” Thompson

said. “It was a tough match. Didn’t get muchof a look at his serve. I got one break andmanaged to hold on somehow.”

The 25-year-old from Sydney surgedahead 5-0 in the first tie-breaker, then fellbehind 4-1 in dropping the second only totake the lone break of the match in the finalset.

“I just told myself to keep going and Iwould get a look,” Thompson said. “Andluckily I pulled it off.”

Defending champion Reilly Opelkabeat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-4,sending the US third seed into a quarter-final against Taiwan’s Jason Jung, who upsetBritish seventh seed Cameron Norrie 6-4,6-4.

British eighth seed Kyle Edmund defeat-ed Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 6-2, 6-4 tobook a last-eight date with South KoreanKwon Soon-woo.

The other quarter-final sends Frenchfourth seed Ugo Humbert against Serbiansixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic.

�#�� 65=6

Olympic chiefs admitted onFriday they face a “very big

communications job” to sootheconcerns over the coronavirusepidemic in the run-up to thissummer’s Tokyo Games.

The head of theInternational OlympicCommittee (IOC) coordinationcommission insisted there wasno danger of Tokyo 2020 beingcancelled or moved, despite fearsover the fast-spreading viruswhich has killed nearly 1,400 andinfected around 64,000 — mostof them in China.

But he said the IOC willsend out information packs toreassure athletes that it’s safe tocome into contact with competi-tors from China.

“The advice we havereceived from the World HealthOrganization (WHO) is that

there is no case for a contingencyplan to cancel or move theGames,” John Coates toldreporters after a project reviewmeeting.

“Certainly it’s a very bigcommunications job that needsto be undertaken,” he added,noting that China is set to sendmore than 600 athletes to Tokyo.

“But we hear that most ofthe Chinese athletes are now outof China. I don’t know howmany were to be involved in testevents here, but I don’t see aproblem if they’re coming fromanother country.”

Coates promised lessonswould be learned from Rio fouryears ago, when concerns overthe mosquito-born Zika virusled to several top athletes pullingout of the Olympics, includinggolfers Jason Day and RoryMcIlroy.

“The WHO pointed out the

likelihood of Zika being a prob-lem at the time of the Games wasvery low,” he said.

“But we did lose some ath-letes — Jason Day’s wife waspregnant. We didn’t communi-cate the information wellenough.”

Tokyo organisers haveslammed “fake news” and scare-mongering over the coronavirusoutbreak for causing panic aheadof the Games, which open onJuly 24.

More than 25 countries haveconfirmed cases of the flu-likedisease, which the WHO hasdeclared a global health emer-gency.

Japan, which registered itsfirst fatality on Thursday ofsomeone who had tested positivefor the virus, is one of the worst-hit countries outside of mainlandChina.

There have been 33 cases on

land and more than 200 positivetests of people quarantined on acruise ship f loating offYokohama since last week.

Coates conceded that therecould be fear among athletesabout facing competitors fromChina.

“We did talk about that,” saidthe Australian.

“The IOC is going to ensure(information) kits are sent to allnational committees to explainwhat’s happening around theworld where Chinese athletes arecompeting,” he added.

“But I can confirm Tokyo2020 remains on track," insistedCoates, who revealed IOC pres-ident Thomas Bach will lay awreath at the Hiroshima PeaceMemorial Park on the sidelinesof the May 19-20 executive pro-ject review.

The virus has alreadyimpacted sporting events in

Asia, including Olympic quali-fiers for boxing and basketball —both in China.

Formula One’s ShanghaiGrand Prix, scheduled to takeplace in April, has been post-poned with the inauguralVietnamese Grand Prix alsounder threat.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’sgovernment has come underfire for its handling of the infec-tion, especially quarantine mea-sures seen as too lax in the earlystages of the epidemic.

“We don’t yet know who willbe competing at test events so wecan’t say anything for sure,” saidTokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto,when pressed to specify mea-sures being taken to tackle theepidemic.

“But we will have informa-tion from the qualifiers that areunder way and take the neces-sary steps.”

��

Ace Indian boxer Amit Panghal, whohas been ranked number one by the

Boxing Task Force of the InternationalOlympic Committee (IOC) ahead of thenext month Olympic Qualifiers, insiststhat he will have to keep putting in thehard yards to remain on course for amedal in the Tokyo Games.

Panghal, who won the historic Silvermedal at the World Championships in the52-kg weight category, is at the top spotwith 420 points, according to the listreleased by the IOC’s Boxing Task Force,which is in charge of administering thesport right now.

“I am very happy about attaining thenumber one rank for the qualifiers. Thiswill motivate me even more to performin the future competitions,” Panghal said.

“I have to remain confident about mygame and keep putting in the hard yardsand after following a good trainingmethod hopefully I will be able to pro-duce good results for my country,” headded.

*+��(0 SouthAfrica have ruled out par-ticipation in a proposedT20 series in Pakistan fol-lowing their India tournext month, citing players’workload.

The tour will berescheduled at a later datesuitable to both thePakistan Cricket Board(PCB) and Cricket SouthAfrica (CSA).

PCB Chief ExecutiveWasim Khan said herespected the decisionmade by its South Africancounterpart.

“While we were keen-ly looking forward to host-ing South Africa nextmonth, we respect CSAreason for not sendingtheir side next month.Managing player work-load is a top priority forany cricket board, and

from that perspective,their decision is under-standable.

“We are pleased thatthe CSA remains commit-ted to rescheduling thisshort series as soon aspractically possible. Asthere is a strong willing-

ness and commitment,both the boards are nowexploring their FTPs tofind gaps so that we canagree on the dates,” Khansaid.

South Africa playthree ODIs in India fromMarch 12 to 18 and thetour of Pakistan for threeT20s in Rawalpindi wasplanned after that.

They are currentlyplaying T20s againstEngland after competingin four Tests and threeODIs.

After the three T20sagainst England, theProteas will host Australiafor three ODIs and asmany T20s with the lastmatch ending on March 7,leaving less than a week inbetween for the series-opener in India atDharamsala. AFP

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*�� -�� +��"�10�India’s Rohan Bopanna andhis Canadian partner Denis Shapovalovadvanced to the men’s doubles semifinalsof the ABN Amro World TennisTournament with an impressive win overfourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and HoriaTecau here.

The unseeded Indo-Canadian com-bine beat the Romanian-Dutch pairing ofTecau and Rojer 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 in a quar-terfinal played on Thursday.

Bopanna and Shapovalov had a decentfirst serve percentage of 67 and won threeof the seven break points on offer.

They next meet the winners of thequarterfinal between Henri Kontinen andJan-Lennard Struff, and, Jamie Murray andNeal Skupski. PTI

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Hanuma Vihari’s gutsyhundred and the sea-soned Cheteshwar

Pujara’s 92 were the bright spotsin an otherwise dreadful battingperformance by India on the firstday of their warm-up gameagainst New Zealand XI atSeddon Park.

All the three designatedopeners — Mayank Agarwal(1), Prithvi Shaw (0) andShubman Gill (0) — failed theseam and bounce test, fallingcheaply.

With skipper Virat Kohliopting for an intense net sessionover the warm-up game, Indiamanaged only 263 with noneapart from Vihari (101 retired)and Pujara able to score even 93runs on a track that had liberalgrass covering.

What would worry theIndian team management wasfailure of all the three openers.

Shaw and Gill were undoneby the extra bounce whileAgarwal failed to counter toseam movement.

New Zealand pacer ScottKuggeleijn (3/40) got the ball torear up awkwardly from lengthduring his first spell and Shaw’sdismissal was the ugliest one.

Kuggeleijn, who was hittingthe deck hard, got one intoShaw’s rib-cage leaving the bats-man in no position to duck. Theeyes were not on the ball withthe bat face closed. The awkwardhit ballooned up and was takenby Rachin Ravindra at shortleg.

Agarwal, who has been inhorrible form of late, then edgedan away going delivery to keep-er Dane Cleaver behind thestumps.

Another classic Test matchdismissal was Gill, who wasgiven the No 4 slot in absence ofskipper Kohli.

The snorter from Kuggeleijngrew big on Gill, who trieddefending but the thick edge flewto gully making it 5 for 3 in notime.

Ajinkya Rahane (18) was

out by the end of the first hour,edging one to the slips, beforeVihari and Pujara stemmed therot and got a 195-run stand.

Once they saw ofKuggeleijn’s first spell and theskiddy Blair Tickner, battingbecame easy in the second andthird session.

Once the spinners were inoperation, Pujara pulled Ish

Sodhi over long leg for a sixwhile Vihari also hit three downthe ground off left-arm spinnerRavindra.

Pujara was finally out in thefinal session trying to hookGibson even as Vihari got to thethree-figure mark.

India lost the last six wick-ets for 30 runs but what stuck outlike a sore thumb was another

shot selection by Rishabh Pantwhen he tried an ugly hoick offIsh Sodhi’s bowling only to becaught by the man at extracover.

Not getting a single match inthe limited-overs series musthave dented Pant’s confidence ashe threw away his wicket whenhe could have scored a good 35to 40 runs without any pressure.

��1�2�+�0 Former New Zealand skipperGlenn Turner is quite surprised that hiscountry has its “nose ahead” in the ongo-ing bilateral series against India and the rea-son, according to him, is the underwhelm-ing performance of the Jasprit Bumrah-ledvisiting pacers.

However, Turner expects Bumrah andMohammed Shami to lift their game in theupcoming two-Test series, which begins onFebruary 21.

“I have no time at all for T20 cricket. It’sa blot on the game. 50-over cricket, you canhave a game. Technically, I felt bowling fromboth sides have been way below than whatI had expected at international levels in bothformats,” Turner said.

Turner believes Bumrah and Shami’sability to swing the ball will work to India’sadvantage during the Test series.

“At the moment, New Zealand havetheir nose ahead but I have been rathersurprised, that has been the case. Indiahave shown in three-match series theyhave several whats and I am surprisedthat they have not performed better thanthey have,” he said.

He feels India’s problem in Testscould be the excessive white ball cricketthey have played.

“Shami has shown he is a talent and hasgreat stamina. It’s almost in my mind, onceTest matches start, theory of how you shouldbowl under certain circumstances in limit-ed overs cricket tends to be sidelined. Thatbeing the case, I would expect the Indianbowling to be better than what we have seen,”opined the former New Zealand skipper.

Bumrah is coming back from aninjury and Turner hoped that the spear-head will have the capacity to bowl 25overs in a red-ball game.

“....He has got natural talent despitebeing unorthodox in his bowling action.He tends to come off the pitch quickerthan you would expect and has accuracy.

“He has had a good warm-up bowl-ing 10 overs in ODIs but then limited oversdoesn’t help in building stamina for bowl-ing 25 overs a day,” he explained. PTI

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Senior New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor haslearnt to live with his imperfections as he stands

on the cusp of a coveted 100th Test of his career.Only Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum

and Daniel Vettori has played more Tests thanTaylor who will only enter an elite club by play-ing his 100th Test in the series opener, beginningin Wellington on February 21.

“No one has a perfect career and you fail atsome stage especially as a batter. Mistakes and sce-narios make you grow as a person,” Taylor toldreporters on Friday.

Asked what does 100 Tests mean to him, hecheekily replied: “Probably getting older! But no,I think I have been happy with what I haveachieved to date.”

“Test cricket and cricket in general as a bat-ter, you go through a lot of upsand downs and that’s definite-ly what I have been through,and as a team as well.

“But Wellington holds aspecial place in my heart and

I am sure having a lot offamily and friends

there will besomething that I

will be proud ofand look back

on at theend ofm yc a r e e r

with fondmemories,”

said the 35-year-old Taylor.

On emotionsplaying a distractingrole in the first Test,

Taylor downplayedthat factor.

“I guess at the endof the day, it is anothergame of cricket and you

try and contribute in anyway that’s possible. But atthe same time, you got toenjoy it for what it is.

“But I am sure onceyou get into the game,you can enjoy it and justplay cricket like you wantto. Wellington can do a lit-tle bit early on, so I amsure batting or bowling, itis going to be an interest-ing contest,”he added.

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Australia opener DavidWarner is braced for a

hostile reception but hopesfans will show “respect” as heand Steve Smith return toSouth Africa for the first timesince the Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal that rockedworld cricket.

The last time the pairplayed in South Africa, almosttwo years ago, they were senthome in disgrace for attempt-ing to alter the ball with sand-paper during a Cape Town Test.It cost them 12-month suspen-sions and for Warner, a lifetimeleadership ban.

They have since resurrect-ed their careers and are all butforgiven at home, with Warnerthis week winning a vote byplayers, officials and media to

claim Australian cricket’s high-est honour, the Allan BorderMedal — with Smith placedsecond.

But both players were con-stantly booed and jeered dur-

ing last year’s one-day WorldCup and Ashes series inEngland, and they are expect-ed to receive similar treatmentin South Africa.

The batsmen are both in

the Australian squad for threeTwenty20s and three ODIsbeginning February 21. TheirT20 on February 26 will markthe tourists’ first match atNewlands since the 2018 scan-dal.

“For me personally, it won’tbe hard at all,” Warner toldSydney radio station 2GB thisweek. “I just go there and I’vegot a job to do and that’s toscore runs and win games forAustralia and put us in a goodposition.”

But he added that “obvi-ously, it’s going to be very hos-tile”.

“I copped it in England; Iactually enjoyed that andplayed along with it.

“Hopefully, we’re showedsome respect when we go overto Africa and the things thathappen in the past stay there.”

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India star Smriti Mandhana on Friday rosethree rungs to fourth but Jemimah

Rodrigues dropped to seventh in the latestICC women’s T20 International rankings forbatters.

Harmanpreet Kaur has remained sta-tic at ninth in the same list.

Among the bowlers, Poonam Yadavdropped six places to fall out of the top 10and take the 12th position.

Although Suzie Bates, New Zealand’sNo 3, retained her top spot, there were othermovements in the top 10, with Bates’ team-mate and captain Sophie Devine rising fourspots to No 2.

Australia opener Beth Mooney andMandhana, who made two half centuriesduring the tri-series, both made upwardmovements, while Meg Lanning, despitedropping three position, hung on to the topfive.

Among the bowlers, Ellyse Perry’sgolden run with the ball gave her a jumpof four places into the top 10, to No 7.

England fast bowler Anya Shrubsoletumbled six places to fall out of the top 20.Anuja Patil and Delissa Kimmince lost outbig as well, falling 11 places to 31, and 14places to 33 respectively.

Among all-rounders, Devine claimedthe top spot after gaining one position, whileNat Sciver also jumped one place to roundout the top three.

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The Indian men’s team assured itselfof a medal after progressing to the

semifinals with a thrilling 3-2 win overThailand at the Badminton Asia TeamChampionships here on Friday.

After star shuttlers KidambiSrikanth and B Sai Praneeth facedreversals in the first two singles ties,India fought back to win the next threeties, which included a single and twodoubles rubbers, to prevail overThailand in the quarterfinals and setup a last four meeting with two-timedefending champions Indonesia.

The men’s team had last won aBronze after losing 1-3 to Indonesia inthe semifinals of the 2016 Hyderabadedition.

World Championships Bronzemedallist B Sai Praneeth started theproceedings, but his gallant effortended in a 14-21, 21-14, 12-21 loss to

world No 12 Kantaphon Wangcharoen,as India lagged 0-1.

In the second singles, formerworld No 1 Srikanth went down 20-22,14-21 to Kunlavut Vitidsarn, a three-time world junior champion, as Indiaslipped to 0-2.

The pairing of MR Arjun andDhruv Kapila kept India in the huntwith a 21-18, 22-20 win overKittinupong Kedren and TanupatViriyangkura in the first doubles.

Young Lakshya Sen, who had astellar run in 2019 with five titles, thenregistered a 21-19, 21-18 win overworld No 45 Suppanyu Avihingsanonto bring India back on level terms.

It then all boiled down to themakeshift pair of Chirag Shetty andSrikanth and the Indian duo dished outa superb game to outwit the pairing ofManeepong Jongjit and NipitphonPhuangphuapet 21-15, 16-21, 21-15 inthe deciding second doubles tie.

�� 30�0�0

Bengal and Karnataka scriptedcontrasting wins over Punjab

and Baroda respectively to quali-fy for the Ranji Trophy quarterfi-nals on Friday.

The results on day three of thefinal round of Ranji Trophy alsoknocked Delhi out of the tourna-ment.

Punjab, needing 190 runs forvictory, fluffed their run chase tobe bowled out for 141, handingBengal a 48-run victory.

Spinners dominated the gamewith Bengal left-arm spinnerShahbaz Ahmed picking up fourwickets in the second innings totake his match-haul to 11.

Resuming day three at 199 fornine, Bengal scored only threeruns to set Punjab a 190-run tar-get.

It turned out to be enough ina low-scoring game with Punjabgetting bowled out in 47. 3 overs.Ramandeep Singh (69 not out off104) ran out of partners in the end.Bengal gained six points from thewin, pushing them on the top ofthe standings.

In Bengaluru, Karnatakaadvanced to the quarterfinals withan eight-wicket win over Baroda.

It was an improved battingeffort from Baroda in the secondinnings after being shot out for 85on day one. They ended their sec-ond innings at 296 all out, settingKarnataka a 149-run target, whichthe hosts reached in 44.4 overswith the loss of just two wickets.

Karnataka skipper Karun Nairtook the team over the line with

an unbeaten 71 off 126 balls.At the Feroz Shah Kotla,

Delhi made Rajasthan follow-onafter bowling them out for 299 inthe first innings in response totheir mammoth 623.

Rajasthan captain AshokMenaria scored a gritty 119 but hedid not get support from theother batsmen.

Following-on, Rajasthan were128 for two in their secondinnings, trailing Delhi by 196runs.

SAURASHTRA FIGHTBACK�*-+�0�Senior pro Arpit Vasavadacame up with a gritty unbeaten126 to lead Saurashtra’s fightbackon the third day of their EliteGroup B match against TamilNadu.

The result of this matchwould not affect Saurashtra’s for-tunes as they have already quali-fied for the knock-outs.

With Karnataka and Bengalwinning their respective finalleague matches, Tamil Nadu areout of the reckoning.

As a result of Vasavada’s res-olute century, Saurashtra endedthe third day at 346/6, adrift by 76runs.

Wicket-keeper Avi Barot (82)and Vasavada (126 not out)stitched together a 108-run standfor the fourth wicket as theytried to rebuild the innings aftertop-order collapse on the secondday.

Barot missed his hundred by18 runs as he edged to wicket-keeper Jagadeesan off right-arm

medium pacer K Vignesh.The 31-year old Vasavada

notched up his sixth first- classhundred and then found an ableallay in number eight Chirag Jani(47 not out) as the two forged anunbroken 104-run stand for theseventh wicket.

Vasavada hammered 13 foursand one six so far and his first tar-get would be to secure the first-innings lead for the home team asan outright result looks difficult.

Meanwhile in Mumbai, thehosts who are already out of thetournament, took the first-inningslead against Madhya Pradesh.

Opener Hardik Tamoreslammed his maiden first-classhundred as Mumbai set an impos-ing 408-run target for MP, whoended the third day at 44/2.

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Hanuma Vihari on Fridaysaid he won’t mind taking

up the opener’s role if the teammanagement asks after India’sinexperienced opening optionswere technically exposed by asecond-string New Zealandattack on the opening day ofthe warm-up game.

Coming in at No 6, Vihariscored a hundred but MayankAgarwal, Prithvi Shaw andShubman Gill were dismissedearly, undone by the extrabounce and seam movement.

The trio’s performanceraised doubts about its abilityto face the likes of Neil Wagner,Trent Boult and Matt Henry.

“As a player, I am preparedto bat anywhere. As of now, I’venot been informed anything.As I said before as well, if theteam requires me to bat wher-ever, I am ready to bat,” saidVihari, who retired after scor-ing 101.

The Andhra player hasdelivered whenever given achance and he was surprised bythe extra bounce on offer onFriday but is happy to havecountered the challenge in thewarm-up game which provid-ed him with an opportunity toprepare well.

“Initially, I thought theextra bounce surprised us. (In)the couple of matches I playedagainst New Zealand A, thepitch didn’t do as much as whatit did in the morning today.

“Once we adjusted, me andPuji (Pujara’s nickname), wegot our eye in, then we knewwe had to bat long and that’sexactly what we did,” Viharisaid after the end of day’s play.

If the Seddon Park track isany indicator, New Zealand,

with a pace-heavy line-up, will be offeringseamer friendly tracksat both Wellington andChristchurch.

“Maybe we will getpitches like these becauseNew Zealand’s strength is theirfast bowling. They have a veryexperienced bowling attack butit’s good that we got some timein the middle and we experi-enced these conditions.

“They were tough and it’sgood to experience tough con-ditions before the series andwe’re happy with the way theday went,” he said.

For the Test series, NeilWagner’s short ball is some-thing that the top order needsto be cautious of, feels Vihari.

“When the wicket flattensout, they (New Zealandbowlers) try to experimentwith the short balls and I amsure even Neil Wagner willcome up with the same ploy.We are prepared for it.”

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