PAGES 15,16,17 THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE eye SUGAR & SPICE & ALL THINGS NICE Christmas is incomplete without a laden table and the conviviality of family, friends NEWDELHI, LATECITY DECEMBER19,2021 22PAGES, `6.00 (`8BIHAR&RAIPUR,`12SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA Course Details: Date: 20th JANUARY 2022 Time: 11 AM TO 1:30 PM Centre: Old Rajinder Nagar Detailed Brochure available on the website and at the Old Rajinder Nagar office Admissions Open From 1st January 2022 SRIRAM’s IAS Towers, 10-B, Pusa Road, Bada Bazaar Marg 01142437002, 9811489560 www.sriramsias.com BEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOK BEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOK BEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOK FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT. FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT. FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT. Prelim cum Main Comprehensive and in- depth Personal Attention Building from Basics Senior Faculty Prelim and Main Test Series Built-in Study Material Specifically Authored for Civil Services Exam Previous Years’ Question Papers Covered Hindu Plus News and Views Video Daily MCQ/Writing Practice EMI Facility Available upto 18 Months CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION 2020 OUR RESULT 120+ TOTAL SELECTIONS 17 IN TOP 60 25 IN TOP 100 IAS 2023 IAS 2023 ASAD REHMAN & DEEPTIMAN TIWARY LUCKNOW, NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 THE INCOME Tax Department conducted searches Saturday at the houses of a SP leader and three others considered close to SP president Akhilesh Yadav. The searches, conducted at different places in Uttar Pradesh, drew an angry response from the SP and its leaders who ac- cused the I-T department of act- ing at the behest of the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls in the state. In New Delhi, officials of the I-T Department confirmed that searches were underway, but did not provide details. SP national general secretary and spokesperson Rajiv Rai’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PREMISES SEARCHED ACROSS UTTAR PRADESH During the I-T raid at ex-OSD Jainendra Yadav’s residence in Lucknow. Vishal Srivastav MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 A 47-YEAR-OLD DRDO scientist has been arrested for the recent blast inside the Rohini district court complex in Delhi, with po- lice accusing him of planting the bomb to kill his neighbour, an advocate. Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said they had CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RITIKA CHOPRA NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 18 ACKNOWLEDGING THAT the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) had expressed “displeas- ure” over its letter about a meet- ing on the common electoral roll, as reported by The Indian Express on December 17, the Ministry of Law and Justice, in a statement Saturday, said that it was “clari- fied” that the letter was for “Secretary or a representative of the CEC familiar with the sub- ject” to attend the meeting. The statement of the Law Ministry — the administrative Ministry for the poll panel — is the first official response after The Indian Express reported that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra and the two Election Commissioners, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, despite expressing reservations, did join an online “interaction” called by the PMO on November 16. This was a day after the EC re- ceived a letter from a Law Ministry official that the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P K Mishra, will “chair a meeting” on a common electoral roll and “ex- pects CEC” to be present. The Law Ministry statement CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CEC expressed displeasure on letter… interaction informal, on reforms: Law KAMALDEEP SINGH BRAR AMRITSAR, DECEMBER 18 A YOUTH was beaten to death Saturday at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after being accused of a sacrilege attempt. The man in his 20s, not yet identified, was caught by staff of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee and devotees at the Darbar Sahib. His body was later placed outside the main gate of the SGPC headquarters. Calling it a matter of “great sorrow”, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said: “During the recitation of Sodar Rehraas Sahib (evening prayers) today, a man jumped over the safety grill and entered the sanctum sanctorum and picked up the sword kept in frontof SriGuruGranthSahib,but he was apprehended by the se- wadars on duty, and died due to beatingbythesangat(devotees).” DCP Parminder Singh Bhandal said: “The unidentified man was thrashed before he was brought to the SGPC headquar- ters. It is matter of investigation CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Youth beaten to death after alleged sacrilege bid at Golden Temple DRDO scientist held, police say neighbour target Inpollrun-up,I-Tsearches fourclosetoAkhilesh LALMANI VERMA LUCKNOW, DECEMBER 18 STEPPING UP his party’s cam- paign in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh where the BJP hopes to retain power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Opposition parties Saturday and praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying “UP+Yogi bahut hai upyogi (very useful)”. He said the “double engine” wasworkingforthedevelopment CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PM attacks Opp, says ‘UP+Yogi bahut hai upyogi’ (very useful) SACRILEGE ATTEMPTS have been a very emotive issue in Punjab and the SAD paid a heavy price at the hustings in 2017 for its perceived failure to get to the bottom of such inci- dents. Now, as the state gears for Assembly elec- tions, political parties will be hard pressed to take a stand on this issue. Polls & pressure E● EXPLAINED DELHI COURT BLAST NOVEMBER 16 MEETING Legislative Secy clarified letter was for EC Secy: statement Houses of SP spokesperson, ex-OSD searched; Akhilesh says BJP scared Sunday Story P AGE 11 PROJECT VARANASI SPORT PAGE 22 SRIKANTH BEATS SEN, ENTERS WORLD FINAL New Delhi
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PAGES 15,16,17
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
eyeSUGAR
& SPICE & ALLTHINGSNICEChristmas is incomplete
without a laden table and theconviviality of family, friends
NEWDELHI,LATECITY
DECEMBER19,202122PAGES,`6.00
(`8 BIHAR&RAIPUR, ` 12 SRINAGAR)
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMD A I L Y F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , C H A N D I G A R H , D E L H I , J A I P U R , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O W , M U M B A I , N A G P U R , P U N E , V A D O D A R A
Course Details:Date: 20th JANUARY 2022Time: 11 AM TO 1:30 PMCentre: Old Rajinder Nagar
Detailed Brochure available on the website and atthe Old Rajinder Nagar office
BEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOKBEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOKBEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOKBEWARE OF FAKE INSTITUTES WITH SIMILAR NAMES. LOOK
FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT.FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT.FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT.FOR THE SRIRAM'S IAS LOGO BEFORE ENROLMENT.
Prelim cum MainComprehensive and in- depthPersonal AttentionBuilding from BasicsSenior FacultyPrelim and Main Test Series Built-inStudy Material Specifically Authored for Civil ServicesExamPrevious Years’ Question Papers CoveredHindu Plus News and Views VideoDaily MCQ/Writing PracticeEMI Facility Available upto 18 Months
THE INCOME Tax DepartmentconductedsearchesSaturdayatthe houses of a SP leader andthreeothersconsideredclosetoSPpresidentAkhileshYadav.The searches, conducted at
differentplacesinUttarPradesh,drew an angry response fromthe SP and its leaders who ac-cusedtheI-Tdepartmentofact-ingatthebehestoftheBJPaheadoftheAssemblypollsinthestate.InNewDelhi, officials of the
A 47-YEAR-OLDDRDO scientisthasbeenarrested for the recentblast inside the Rohini districtcourtcomplexinDelhi,withpo-liceaccusinghimofplantingthebomb to kill his neighbour, anadvocate.Delhi Police Commissioner
Rakesh Asthana said they hadCONTINUEDONPAGE2
RITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
ACKNOWLEDGING THAT theChief Election Commissioner(CEC) had expressed “displeas-ure”overitsletteraboutameet-ingonthecommonelectoralroll,asreportedbyTheIndianExpressonDecember17, theMinistryofLaw and Justice, in a statementSaturday, said that itwas “clari-
fied” that the letter was for“Secretaryorarepresentativeofthe CEC familiar with the sub-ject” toattend themeeting.The statement of the Law
Ministry — the administrativeMinistry for the poll panel — isthe first official response afterThe IndianExpress reported thatChief Election Commissioner(CEC) Sushil Chandra and thetwo Election Commissioners,Rajiv Kumar andAnupChandra
Pandey, despite expressingreservations, did join an online“interaction” calledby thePMOonNovember16.ThiswasadayaftertheECre-
ceived a letter from a LawMinistryofficialthatthePrincipalSecretary to PrimeMinister, P KMishra,will“chairameeting”onacommonelectoralrolland“ex-pectsCEC”tobepresent.TheLawMinistry statement
CONTINUEDONPAGE2
CEC expressed displeasure on letter…interaction informal, on reforms: Law
KAMALDEEPSINGHBRARAMRITSAR,DECEMBER18
A YOUTHwas beaten to deathSaturday at the Golden Templein Amritsar after being accusedof a sacrilegeattempt.Theman in his 20s, not yet
identified,wascaughtbystaffofthe Shiromani GurudwaraParbandhak Committee anddevoteesat theDarbarSahib.His body was later placed
outside the main gate of theSGPCheadquarters.Calling it amatter of “great
sorrow”, SGPC chief HarjinderSinghDhami said: “During therecitationofSodarRehraasSahib(evening prayers) today, amanjumpedover the safety grill andentered thesanctumsanctorumandpickedup the swordkept infrontofSriGuruGranthSahib,buthewas apprehended by the se-wadars onduty, anddieddue to
beatingbythesangat(devotees).”DCP Parminder Singh
Bhandal said: “Theunidentifiedmanwasthrashedbeforehewasbrought to the SGPC headquar-ters. It ismatterof investigation
CONTINUEDONPAGE2
Youth beaten to deathafter alleged sacrilegebid at Golden Temple
DRDO scientistheld, police sayneighbour target
Inpoll run-up, I-TsearchesfourclosetoAkhilesh
LALMANIVERMALUCKNOW,DECEMBER18
STEPPING UP his party’s cam-paign in poll-bound UttarPradeshwhere theBJPhopes toretain power, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi attackedOppositionpartiesSaturdayandpraised Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, saying “UP+Yogibahuthaiupyogi (veryuseful)”.He said the “double engine”
wasworkingforthedevelopmentCONTINUEDONPAGE2
PM attacks Opp,says ‘UP+Yogibahut hai upyogi’(very useful)
SACRILEGEATTEMPTShavebeenaveryemotiveissue inPunjabandtheSADpaidaheavypriceatthehustings in2017 for itsperceived failure toget tothebottomof such inci-dents.Now,as thestategears forAssemblyelec-tions,politicalpartieswillbehardpressed to takeastandonthis issue.
Youth beaten todeath afteralleged sacrilegebid at GoldenTemplehowhedied.”Cutting across party lines,
leaders condemned the at-temptedsacrilegeandcalledforathoroughprobe.Punjab Chief Minister
CharanjitSinghChanni,theCMOsaid, “strongly condemned themost unfortunate and heinousact to attempt sacrilege of SriGuruGranth Sahib in the sanc-tumsanctorum”.It said the CM directed the
statepolice to thoroughlyprobethe entirematter to zero-in onthe“motive”and“conspirators”.Healsospoketo theSGPCpresi-dent and assured his govern-ment’sfullsupportandcoopera-tion to get to the bottomof thecase.The incident took place at
5.50 pm andwas captured oncamera because the RehraasSahib is telecast live by aprivatechannel.Later,theSGPCreleasedCCTVfootageof theincident.According to sources, the
youthwas first questioned in aroom inside theGolden Templepremises, and then taken on awheel chair to the SGPC head-quarters. All thiswhile, hewasbeingbeaten.Meanwhile,policealsoreachedthespot.Sources said police officers
and SGPC staff questioned theyouth but he did not reveal anyabouthimself.Hewasnotcarry-ing any identity card, sourcessaid.Meanwhile, some Sikh ac-
tivists and devotees sat on adharna, demanding custody oftheyouth.TheSGPClaterplacedhisbodyoutsideitsheadquarters.Itwasthesecondsacrilegeat-
tempt at the Golden Temple
withinfourdays.Apersonthrewagutka(abookcontainingversesfrom the Gurbani) into thesarovar(holytank)oftheGoldenTempleWednesday.SGPCsewadarsapprehended
themanandhandedhimovertopolice. He was identified asRanbirSingh.Following this, SGPC chief
Dhamisaid:“Thisisnotastrayin-cident. It isaconspiracyhatchedto provoke the sentiments ofSikhsandvitiatetheatmosphereofPunjab.”Akal Takht Jathedar Giani
Harpreet Singh, in a statement,said: “History tells us that theSikhsnevertoleratedanykindofattack on Sri Harmandir Sahib,evenwhenpowerful foreign in-vaders did so. They always gavethemabefitting reply. Therearesomeagencieswhicharebehindthese incidents in the season ofelections.”“Ifanysuchincidenthappens
anywhere and the sangat pun-ishes the culprit on its own, thegovernmentortheculpritwillberesponsible for it. The govern-mentmustexposetheforcesbe-hind theseconspiraciesbecauseSikhswill not tolerate theseactsanymore,”hesaid.Punjab BJP president
Ashwani Sharma condemnedtheGoldenTemple incidentandslammed the Congress govern-mentoveritsallegedfailuretoactincasesofsacrilege.Hecalledfora probe into the Saturday inci-dent.Inavideoaddress,Shiromani
AkaliDalpatronandformerChiefMinister Parkash Singh Badalsaid: “It’sunbelievable thatsucha painful and brazen crime iscommittedat ‘theholiest shrineofhumanity’byasingle individ-ual. The possibility of deep-rooted conspiracy cannot beruled out. This needs to beprobed.”Attempts at sacrilege have
been a sensitive issue in Punjab.Such incidentsduring theAkali-
traction in the last fewmonthswithCongress state chiefNavjotSingh Sidhu raising it to targetCaptainAmarinder Singh who,untilrecently,wasChiefMinister.Sidhuevenresignedbrieflyin
PM attacks Opp,says ‘UP+Yogibahut haiupyogi’ (veryuseful)ofthestateandwelfareofitspeo-ple,buildingpuccahousesforthepoor and ensuring regular elec-tricity supply across the state:“Modi aur Yogi din raat kaamkarte hain aur karte rahenge”(Modi and Yogi work day andnightandwillcontinuedoingso).”Addressing a rally in
Shahjahanpur after laying thefoundation stoneof the594-kmGanga Expressway, stretchingfromMeerut to Prayagraj, thePrimeMinisterattackedthepre-viousSPgovernment, saying thelaw and order situation in thestate, before theYogiAdityanathgovernment tookcharge,was sobad that men carrying kattas(countrymade pistols) wouldthreatenpeopleonthestreetsaf-ter sunset and girls faced prob-lems ingoing toschoolsandcol-leges.“Due to that situation, there
was often news of exodus fromvillages. But in the last four-and-half years, theYogi governmenthasworkedveryhardtoimprovethe situation. Today,whenbull-dozers run over themafia andbring down illegal buildings, ithurts thosewhosheltered them(mafia),”hesaid.He cited the example of
SotiganjinMeerutwherescrapofvehicles stolen fromacross thecountrywastraded.Thepreviousgovernments, he said, did nothave the courage to act againstthose behind the trade, but the“dumdaar”(strong)Yogigovern-mentandthelocaladministrationshutitdown.“Thosewholikethecompany
of themafiawill speak the lan-guage of themafia. Butwewillglorifythosewhobuiltthisnationwith passion and sacrifice,” hesaid, adding that amartyrs’mu-seum was being built inShahjahanpur.Targeting rival parties,Modi
said: “Theyhaveproblemswiththe country’s heritage becausethey aremore concerned abouttheir votebank.Theyhaveprob-lemswithdevelopmentbecauseitmakes the poor and ordinarypeople less dependent on themeachday.”The PrimeMinister,who in-
auguratedtheKashiVishwanathDhamCorridorinVaranasiearlierthisweek,said:“They(Oppositionparties)haveaproblemwiththebuildingofagranddhamofBabaVishwanath in Kashi, and alsowiththebuildingofagrandtem-pleofLordRaminAyodhya.Theyhave a problemwith theGangacleaning campaign. They raisequestions over Army actionagainstthemastersof terror,andhave put in the dockMade-in-India Corona vaccines,madebyIndianscientists,”hesaid.OntheGangaExpressway,the
PrimeMinistersaiddevelopmentalong theroadwillhelp increaseincomeoffarmersandopennewdoorsofprogressforUP.He said itwill be a source of
five boons for the state: savingpeople’stime;increasingconven-ienceforpeople;ensuringproperuse of resources; increasing thecapabilities of UP; andbringingall-roundprosperityinUP.
Inhis address, ChiefMinisterAdityanath said the politics oflinking areas or regions throughexpresswaysstartedinthecoun-tryafter2014,andPrimeMinisterModihadhonouredissuesrelatedto farmers, labourers, youths,women,villagesandfaith.
DRDO scientistheld, police sayneighbour targetrecovered a robe of the kindworn by advocates, as well asother “incriminating” evidencefrom Bharat Bhushan Kataria,whohasbeenwiththeDRDOfor20years.Police said Kataria andAmit
Vashisht,hisallegedtarget,livedin the same building in AshokVihartillthreeyearsago,andhadarunningdisputeoveruseofthecommon terrace. Initial investi-gation has shown that Vashishthad filed a criminal complaintagainst Kataria and, the day theblasthappened,thecourtwastohear framing of chargeswhich,Katariafeared,woulddestroyhiscareer.Marriedwith two children,
KatariawasalsotheDRDO'sliai-son officerwith other agencies,officials said.“HeandVashishthavealong-
standing dispute, going backover10years,andhavefiledovera dozen civil and criminal casesagainsteachother,”DCP(SpecialCell)RajivRanjanSinghsaid.On
the day of the blast, he added,“KatariaplacedabagcontaininganIEDbehindVashishtandtrig-gered the IED from a safe dis-tancewitharemote”.The low-intensity blast
causedminor injuries toaDelhiPolice Constable but not any fa-talities or much damage.Forensic experts and theNational Security Guard (NSG)found that the circuit of thebomb kept in a tiffin had notbeenassembledproperly,duetowhich only the detonatorwentoffandnotthehalfkilogramam-monium nitrate-based explo-sives.Singh said the findings also
indicated that the attacker hadusedeasilyavailablematerialstofabricate the IED. “Componentsof the IEDwere identified fromthedebris, andthebag inwhichthe IEDwas placedwas trackedto amedical equipmentmulti-national company. Its distribu-tors were examined,” the DCPsaid.Asthana said they recovered
fromKataria'shouse“severalfilecovers, identical to thosewhichwerepresentintheIEDbag,sim-ilar screws that were used asshrapnel in the IED, and rem-nants of a black adhesive tapeused in fabricatingthe IED”.A team led by ACP Ved
Prakash scanned more thanhundred CCTV cameras andchecked around a thousand ve-hicles that entered the courtcomplex the day of the blast.
“Kataria’name cropped up as apersonof interest,andwefoundthathiscasewas listed forhear-ing on the day of the blast. Hisopposite party, Amit Vashisht,was sitting in the row next towhich the IEDexploded,” Singhsaid.CCTVfootageshowedKataria
entering the court complex at9.33amonDecember9wearingablackcoatandtrousers,resem-blinganadvocate's.“Hewascar-ryingabaginhishandandalap-topbagonhisback.HewasseenenteringthecourtfromGateNo.7 and concealing the bags out-sideafoodoutletinsidethecourtpremises and leaving withinsomeminutes from the samegate. After fiveminutes, he en-teredfromGateNo.8andpickedthe two bags from outside theoutlet. Hewas seen in variouscameras inside themain courtbuilding and he left at around10.35 am fromGate No. 8withthe laptop bag on his back, butwithout the other bag,” Singhsaid.Duringinterrogation,sources
said, Kataria said that heman-agedtoconvincethesecurityof-ficials thathedidn'twant toputthe bag containing his tiffin (inwhichthebombwasreportedlyplaced) through the X-rayma-chine.Investigations also showed
thatKataria'sbrother-in-lawwasDirector,SalesandMarketing,inamultinationalmedical equip-ment company,which had dis-
tributedbagsidenticaltotheoneinwhichtheIEDwasconcealed.Singh said the brother-in-lawhadgiventhebagstoseveralrel-atives, includingKataria.TheDCPsaidKataria carried
out the attack ashewas “highlyfrustrateddue to theprotractedlegal battle” with Vashisht. “Itwas causingproblems inhis ca-reeraswellasprolongedmentalharassment andmonetary losstohimandhis family.”
CEC expresseddispleasure onletter…interactioninformal, onreforms: LawsaidthattheNovember16meet-ingwas to finalise the Cabinetnote on some long-pending re-forms and was held virtually.“The subsequent interactionwith the Chief ElectionCommissionerandtwoElectionCommissionerswasaninformalone andmeant for ironing outtwoorthreeaspectsforthefinalproposal,” thestatementsaid.The LawMinistry said that
theoriginalmeetingnoticefromthe PMO dated November 12was addressed to the CabinetSecretary, Law Secretary andSecretary, LegislativeDepartment,andnottotheCEC.
TheMinistry further said ithad sent a letter inviting repre-sentatives of the EC to the PMOmeetingsincethepollpanelhasthe “necessary expertise andmandate regarding Electoralroll.”According to the statement,
theLawMinistry'sletterwasad-dressedtoaSecretary-leveloffi-cer in the Commission and thatthe“finaloperativeparagraphofthe letter also requestedSecretary, Election Commissionof India toattendthemeeting.”However, the subject line of
theletterdatedNovember15,asreviewedbyTheIndianExpress,reads: “Video Conference onCommon Electoral Roll withPMO - interaction with CEC -reg.”The letter states: “I am di-
rected to enclose a Note dated12.11.2021 received from PMOand to state that PrincipalSecretary to PM will chair ameeting on Common ElectoralRoll on 16.11.2021 at 4 pmthroughvideo-conferencingandexpectsCECtobepresentduringtheconference.”TheLawMinistrysaidthataf-
terreceiptoftheletterbytheECI,“the Chief ElectionCommissioner spoke toSecretary, LegislativeDepartment expressing his dis-pleasure over the expression inthe middle part of the letterwhichgaveanimpressionthatitwas expected of the CEC to at-tend the meeting. Secretary,LegislativeDepartment,clarifiedthat the letterwas for SecretaryorarepresentativeoftheCECfa-miliarwiththesubjecttoattendthemeeting.”The Ministry further said:
"Thismeetingon16.11.2021wasa virtualmeeting and no physi-calmeetingwasorganizedinthePMO. The said virtual meetingwas attended by theOfficials ofGovernment of India and offi-cials of Election Commission ofIndia. After themeeting of offi-cials,certainissuesrequiredfur-therfine-tuning.Theseissuesin-clude the number of qualifyingdates for updation of electoralroll, some aspects of Aadhaarlinkageandrequisitionofprem-ises."After the officialmeeting, a
separate informal interactionwasheldvirtuallywiththeChiefElection Commissioner and thetwo Election Commissioners. Itmaybenotedthatthediscussionwasheld togetherwithall threeCommissionersofECI,andvirtu-ally."The Indian Express had
quotedaseniorECofficialashav-ingsaidthat the interactionwas“informal.”The LawMinistry said that
the November 16meetingwasheld to discuss the electoral re-forms in The Election Laws(Amendment)Bill2021thatwasrecently approvedby theUnionCabinet.The statement said that sev-
Commissioner (CEC) has ad-dressedseveralletters(February2011,May2013andJuly2020)totheLawMinister that thepend-ing reformsmay be consideredexpeditiously. LegislativeDepartmentisthenodaldepart-ment regardingmatters relatedtoElectionCommissionandreg-ular interaction takes place be-tween officials of ECI andLegislativedepartment…Previously,severalmeetings were held by theCabinet Secretary and the PMOregarding Common Electoralroll.”At least five former Chief
Election Commissioners (CECs)havetoldTheIndianExpress thatthe LawMinistry’s letter to theElection Commissionwas “un-acceptable”.Andthatthesubse-quent informal discussion be-tween the full Commission andthe PMO could erode the EC’simageof independence.
I-T searches target 4 close toAkhilesh, he hits back at BJPhousewas searchedby the I-TinMaudistrict. SP leaderssaidthe I-T searches also targetedthe premises of Manoj Yadavin Mainpuri and Agra,Jainendra Yadav ‘Neetu’ inLucknow’s Gomti Nagar area,andRahulBhasininLucknow’sMahanagararea.While Manoj Yadav and
Rahul Bhasin are consideredclose to Akhilesh Yadav,JainendraYadav‘Neetu’wasanOfficeronSpecialDutyduringthe2012-17ruleof theSPgov-ernment.Reacting to the searches,
Akhilesh Yadav said thesearches were being con-ducted to target Rai becausethe “BJP is scared” that “theyare going to lose the UP elec-tions”.AtapressconferenceinRae
Bareli aheadof hisVijayYatra,the SP chief said: “I have toldyou before too that since thedefeatofBJPhurtsthemmore,big leaders will come fromDelhi. So far, wewerewaitingfor Income Tax people tocome…I-Tpeoplehavecome.Inthecomingdays,EDandCBIwillcomewithotheragencies.Conspiracies will be spread,but the BJP will be removedfromUP.”“RajivRaiisaspokesperson
of ourparty.Heworkshard tostrengthentheparty.Whywashis house raided before theelections?If theyhadinforma-tion,theyshouldhavedonetheraid earlier. As the electionshave come close, this depart-ment has also come to fightelections inUP,”hesaid.He also spoke on “fake
cases”againstseniorSPleaderAzamKhan and those lodgedagainst farmer leaders duringtheir protest against the threefarmlaws.“This is not a new thing.
This is an old trick. The BJP isfollowing the path shown bythe Congress. Check theCongress’shistoryandyouwillsee they toousedsuch intimi-dation tactics,”hesaid.
Meanwhile, Rajiv Rai toldreporters:“They(I-T)cameforraids,andIsaidtheyshoulddoit…Theprocedure isongoing.They have told me they areholdingraidsinBengalurutoo,andathousesofpeopleknowntome. I would like to say thatif thisisnotpolitical,thenwhatis. I have not committed anycrime. I have a clean record,and I have no business in UP.Theyare lookingatmymobilephone.”“Iappealtomyworkersnot
todoanythinghere,sothey(I-T)canbookyouandlodgecases. Ihave nothing to hide and I amnot scared. I challenge themtodo raids at other placeswhere(UnionHomeMinister) AmitShah’speople live,”Raisaid.SP spokesperson Juhie
Singh said the searches werebeingdonebecause“theBJPisscaredafterseeingthecrowds”atAkhileshYadav’srallies.“Thesame thingwas done inWestBengal. Now, they are doing itinUP.But theywill losetheUPpolls like they lost the Bengalelections, no matter whattricks theyuse,” Singhsaid.In the past, Rai has been
credited for helping AkhileshYadavwin the2012Assemblypolls.In 2014, Rai (52) contested
the Lok Sabha elections fromGhosi but lost by 2.13 lakhvotes to BJP’s HarinarayanRajbhar. Rai came fourth, be-hindBSP’sDaraSinghChauhanandQuamiEktaDalleaderandstrongmanMukhtarAnsari.FromSurahivillageinBalia,
Rai is chairman of the AVKGroup of institutions inBengaluru.Afterbecomingthechairman, Rai helped thegroupgrowbyacquiringestab-lished schools, nursing andpharmacyschoolsandcollegesanddegreecolleges.Accordingtohiselectionaf-
‘Neetu’wasOSDbetween2012and2017,ManojYadavischair-person of the RCL Group thatenters into contracts for gov-ernmentworks.Yadavisoneofthe highest tax payers inMainpuri district. Bhasin is aLucknow-basedbusinessman.Opposition parties, espe-
ciallyinthestatestheycontrol,have accused theBJP-led gov-ernment at the Centre of tar-geting them through law en-forcementagencies.Lastmonth,theEDarrested
Congress leader and formerPunjab MLA Sukhpal SinghKhaira in a 2015 drug smug-gling case. In September, EDalso summoned AAP nationalsecretaryPankajGuptaincon-nectionwith the case. Punjabisslatedtogotopollsearlynextyear.DaysbeforetheTamilNadu
polls in April this year, the I-Tsearched premises of DMKchief MK Stalin’s daughterSenthamarai in Chennai. TheDMKsaidthiswasdoneinpur-suitof “politicalobjectives”.Similarly, in the last week
of February, CBI summonedRujira Banerjee, wife ofMamata Banerji’s nephewAbhishek Banerjee, for ques-tioning in connection with acase of alleged corruption in acase of coal pilferage inWestBengal.ThestatewenttopollsonMarch2.In themiddle of theWest
Bengal elections, the NIA ar-restedChhatradharMahatoina2009casewhilehewascam-paigning for theTMC.In the run-up to theKerala
AssemblyelectionsinAprilthisyear, theNIA registeredanFIRofterrorfundinginconnectionwith a case of alleged goldsmugglingwhich had the of-fice of Chief Minister PinarayiVijayaninthecrosshairs.Threemonthsbeforethepolls,itevenfiledachargesheet inthecase.The ED arrested Vijayan’s
former principal secretary inthecase.ItalsoarrestedthesonofCPM’sKeralastatesecretaryKodiyeriBalakrishnaninasep-arate case of alleged moneylaundering.In July 2020, as the Ashok
Gehlot government inRajasthan faced a rebellionfrom Deputy Chief MinisterSachin Pilot, the ED searchedpremises linked to Gehlot’sbrotherAgraseninconnectionwith its probe into alleged di-version of fertilisers during2007-09. On July 22 that year,the ED conducted searches at13 places including inRajasthan, West Bengal,Gujarat and Delhi in connec-tionwith thecase.In 2017, Congress leader D
K Shivakumar had arrangedthe stay of 44 CongressMLAsfromGujaratinaKarnatakare-sort when senior Congressleader Ahmed Patel was con-testing for a Rajya Sabha seat.I-T searches were conductedagainsthimandachargesheetwasfiled.Thiswasfollowedbythe ED filing a case againstShivakumar in September2018 and arresting hima yearlater. Karnatakawent to pollsinearly2018.In March 2018, days after
being ousted from office fol-lowingAssemblypolls, formerNagaland Chief Minister T RZeliangwassummonedbytheNIAforquestioninginacaseofalleged terror funding. Theagency had summoned hisOSD and two office staff forquestioning just before theelections. Zeliang, who headsthe Nagaland People’s Front(NPF),ranthepreviousgovern-ment in Nagaland in alliancewiththeBJP.Butjustbeforetheelections in February, the BJPentered into an alliance withNPF breakaway NationalistDemocratic Progressive Party(NDPP), led by Neiphiu Rio.Though NDPP secured lessseats than NPF, it formed thegovernment with help fromtheBJP.
IN TAIPEI, INDIAN FOODMAKES FORGOODBUSINESSSanaHashmi,avisitingfellowattheTaiwan-AsiaExchangeFoundation,saysthatthepopularityofBollywoodfilms,particularlythosestarringAamirKhan,mayjusthavecontributedtoincreasingcuriosityandawarenessof IndianfoodinTaiwan.
VISUALSTORIES I DAILYBRIEFINGCUSTOMISEDNEWSEXPERIENCE
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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
WITHSTRONGERwinds,Delhi’sair quality saw slight improve-mentonSaturdaywithanAQIof291, while the national capitalalso recorded the first ‘coldday’of this season.On Friday, the AQI was 329,
in the ‘verypoor’ category.The India Meteorological
Department (IMD) predicted a‘cold day’ for Delhi on Saturdayand Sunday. A ‘cold day’ isrecorded when the minimumtemperature at a station in theplains is less thanor equal to 10degrees Celsius, and themaxi-mumtemperatureatthestationis 4.5 to 6.4 degrees less thannormal.On Saturday, themaximum
temperature at the Safdarjungweather observatory was 17.8
degreesCelsius,5degreesbelowthe normal of 22.5 degreesCelsius. Theminimum temper-ature recorded on Saturday atSafdarjung was 6 degreesCelsius,thelowestsofarthissea-son, and twodegreesbelowthenormal for this timeof the year.TheweatherobservatoriesattheRidge and Aya Nagar bothrecorded aminimum tempera-ture of 5 degrees Celsius onSaturday.According to the IMD, parts
of Delhi-NCRwitnessed strongnorthwesterly cold winds onSaturdaywithaspeedofaround10-20kmphduringthefirsthalfoftheday.Windspeedincreasedtoaround25kmphand later40kmph in theafternoon.The Delhi airport saw shal-
low fog on Friday morning,though strong winds and lowmoisture have not beenfavourable for dense fog
episodes,accordingtoscientistsat the IMD.Theminimum temperature
on Sunday is predicted to be 5degreesCelsius,while themax-imum is likely to be 18 degreesCelsius.Coldwaveconditionsarelikely to persist over Punjab,Haryana and north Rajasthanoverthenextthreedays,theIMDforecast said.Along with an increase in
wind speed recorded at mostmonitoringstationsonSaturday,theconcentrationofparticulatematter fell. At the JawaharlalNehru Stadiummonitoring sta-tion, thewind speed increasedfrom 2.3m/s at 9 pm on Fridayto 5.2m/s at 2 pm on Saturday,going by data from the DelhiPollution Control Committee.ThePM10levelatthestationfellfrom 259 µg/m3 at 9 pm onFriday to172µg/m3by3pmonSaturday.ThePM2.5concentra-
tion sawasteeper fall, from182µg/m3 at 9 pm on Friday to 81µg/m3by3pmonSaturday.The24-hourstandardforPM2.5is60µg/m3, while the standard forPM10 is100µg/m3.The Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium monitoring stationrecordeda24-houraverageAQIof 291 at 5 pmonSaturday. AQIbetween201and300 isconsid-ered ‘poor’. Themonitoring sta-tions at Chandni Chowk, LodhiRoad, Mandir Marg and AyaNagarrecordedAQI inthe ‘poor’categoryonSaturday.AtITOandRKPuram,thestationsrecordedAQI in the ‘verypoor’ category–between301and400.TheSAFARforecastissuedon
Saturday indicates that the AQIis likely to remain in the ‘poor’category on Sunday, but coulddeteriorate to ‘very poor’ onMondayduetoreducedventila-tion.
3THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,DECEMBER19,2021
THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,DECEMBER18
THE VASANT Vihar sub-divi-sionalmagistrate (SDM)has di-rected Andaz Hotel in Aerocityto cancel the concert of Punjabisinger A P Dhillon, citing viola-tion of Covid guidelines issuedby the Delhi DisasterManagement Authority. Theevent was to be held Saturdaynight.“TheDDMA is satisfied that
the NCT of Delhi is threatenedwiththespreadofCovid-19epi-demic, which has already beendeclared as a pandemic by theWHO,andhasconsidereditnec-essarytotakeeffectivemeasurestoprevent its spreadand issuedvariousorders/instructionsfrom
time to time to all authoritiesconcerned to take all requiredmeasures to appropriately dealwith the situation in NCT ofDelhi,” SDM Ankur PrakashMeshramsaid inanorderdatedDecember 17, sent to NareshMadanofAndazHotelaswellasVijayMalhotra, the director of
securityat thehotel.He referenced a DDMA no-
tice dated December 15 on “re-stricted activities fromDecember 16 to January 1 thatprohibits all social/ political/sports/entertainment cultural/religious/festival related ringsand congregations throughoutNCTofDelhi”.“VideletterdatedDecember
13, youhad informedabout thelaunch of your restaurant onDecember 18, 2021, in AndazHotel, Aerocity; expecting 400-500 guests for the evening... Ithasbeenbroughttothenoticeofthe undersignedwebsites likebookmyshow.com and othersourcesthatamusicshowbyShAPDhillonisbeingorganisedonyourpremises…from10pmon-wards,” the order said. “You are
hereby directed to cancel themusic show and the relatedgathering/congregation since itis in violation of the DDMA or-der…Incaseyouare foundvio-latingtheaforesaidinstructions,you shall be proceeded againstas per the provisions of section51 to 60 of the DisasterManagementAct,2005,IPCsec-tion 188 and other applicablelaws," it added. The hotel hasbeendirectedto“submitareplyforconcealingfactsandsubmit-ting false information” withinonedayof receiptof thenotice.OnSaturday,theticketprices
for the concert onbookmyshow.comwerebetweenRs 18,000 and Rs 55,000. Onlyone category of tickets (Rs30,000)was available, with therestbeingsoldout.
Aerocity hotel told to cancel AP Dhillonconcert, SDM cites Covid norms
Four travelling in autorickshaw dead astruck overturns, falls on them; 2 arrestedEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
FOUR PEOPLE died after a con-tainer truck overturned and fellon an autorickshawnear IndiraGandhiStadiumincentralDelhiearlySaturdaymorning.Police identified the dead as
Surender Yadav (40), the autodriver; his nephew Jai Yadav(32); Komal Singh (35) and 13-year-oldTataPrakash,whoweretravelling as passengers. Thedriver of the truck PratishChaudhary (29) and his helperNitish (24) have been arrestedfromTughlakabad.“Informationwasreceivedat
6.50 am Saturday that a large
truck container crushed an au-torickshaw, causing a fatal acci-dent. Rescue operations were
initiatedasthepersonsintheau-torickshaw had been trappedunder the container. The three-
wheelerwas cut open and fourmen were found inside,” DCP(Central district) ShwetaChauhan.AnFIRhasbeenregisteredat
IP Estate police station and aninitial probe has revealed thatthe truckwas loadedwith riceandwas heading from SonepattoTughlakabad.“The four people were
crushed severely andwere de-clared dead on arrival at LokNayak Hospital. The containerweighednearly35tonnes;ithassincebeenshiftedfromthemainroadtowardsthecurb,” theDCPsaid. The driver and his relativehailedfromMadhubaniinBiharwhile the passengers belongedtoUttarPradesh.
APDhillon
Season’s first ‘cold day’ incity, Sundaywill be chilly too
For 50 years you played a key rolein creating the IT networkingmarket and the surroundingchannel ecosystem in India. Couldyou trace your personal journeyin the IT industry?50 years ago, we used to have largesized mainframe computers, themost well-known of which wasIBM. Back then, the IBM India plantused to manufacture card-punchingmachines, namely the IBM 029 andIBM 129 models, at its Andheriplant in Mumbai. You might besurprised to know that back then weused to export these ‘Made in India’machines to Europe, Japan and 10-15other countries worldwide. We hadover 400 vendors supplying partsfrom all over India
I joined the IBM manufacturingplant in 1969. Initially, IBM usedto re-condition large mainframecomputers. Then around 1973,we started manufacturing IBMMachines by sourcing detailparts from all over India as wellas complicated importing fromIBM vendors outside India. Butdue to government policy, IBMclosed its operations in 1978. Thenin 1986, I started my own venturecalled Virtual Computers Pvt Ltd.,manufacturing personal computers(PCs) by sourcing detail parts
from Singapore. I used to assemblemotherboards and add-on cardsat the Mumbai factory. The dutydifference in detail parts importsand finished products import was ashigh as 60% initially. Hence, at thattime, many companies sprung up allover India, manufacturing PCs.
When networking products startedappearing in India, I convincedD-Link Taiwan, a multinationalcompany, to start manufacturingin India by taking advantage of theduty difference. In 1993, I shifted thefactory to Goa as we needed a largearea to use SMT lines. I formed a newcompany, Smartlink, and offered asmuch as 51% stake to D-Link Taiwan.In 1995, the name changed to D-LinkIndia from Smartlink. Unfortunately,the Taiwanese Chairman KenKao felt sick and moved to the US.The new management was moresceptical, and invested only 19%.After two years, they raised it to 40%.It was only when they realised thelatent potential that they raised thestake to 51%.
D-Link products were all activenetworking products. However,as I had lots of experience in thepassive range of products, I wantedto introduce SCS products. But KenKao was not comfortable using theD-Link brand for this, and asked
me to use my own brand. Thus theDigilink brand was conceived.
In 2005, D-Link Taiwan chose tobecome a brand products sales &marketing company. All R&D andmanufacturing operations ceased,and a new company called AlphaNetwork Ltd was formed. Sinceimport of detail parts from D-LinkTaiwan was also stopped, we inIndia started sourcing detail partsfrom China and Taiwan suppliers.This ensured a huge advantagein price. Meanwhile, our passiveproducts continued to be 100%manufactured here under theDigilink brand. Because we had alarge manufacturing base, we startedmanufacturing other products aswell. We entered into a JV withGigabyte and began manufacturingmotherboards. The business ofD-Link and Digilink became 50:50.
As the D-Link Taiwan parentcompany became a brand productstrading company worldwide, bothKen Kao and I felt it was better to splitthe business for future growth, withone company in manufacturing withme holding the majority stake withthe Digilink brand; and one producttrading company - the D-Link brandwith D-Link Taiwan holding themajority. So in 2008, D-Link Indiade-merged by changing its name
back to Smartlink and continuedmanufacturing Digilink SCSproducts and all other products usingSMT lines. All the stock of D-Linkbrand products were transferred toa newly formed products tradingcompany, D-Link India.
Business continued in Smartlinkvia manufacturing of Digilinkpassive brand products. Having6 SMT lines in active products,Smartlink introduced the Digisolbrand in 2009. Having a largemanufacturing base, Smartlinkalso introduced tablets andmotherboards. The SCS businessbecame No 1 in channel sales in Indiaas it had a large manufacturing basebesides having its own patents.
In 2011, Schneider Electric, arenowned French company in SCSproducts acquired the Digilink brandwith all manufacturing, sales &marketing operations. We continuedmanufacturing all kinds of activeproducts in the Digisol brand alongwith other products. As we partedoff the Digilink brand’s SCS businessto Schneider, D-Link India TradingCompany entered the SCS marketby importing finished products fromChina. In five years, the Digilinkbrand lost its channel business toD-Link. So we decided to enter thefray after a five-year hiatus. Instead
of getting China products andtrading, we chose to manufacture thelatest patented products by forminga joint venture with a companyhaving the latest patents. Then inthe fourth quarter of 2016, we re-entered the SCS products spaceagain by manufacturing highergrade patented products. A newmanufacturing company was formedby taking a foreign partner having alot of latest patents in SCS products.To simplify operations, Smartlinkbecame a Holding company withassets and cash. The business splitin three independent units offeringscope to expand – Digisol Systems(a brand products company);Telesmart SCS (for SCS products incopper and fiber having a foreigncompany as partner); and SynegraEMS (for all kinds of active productsmanufacturing, and with large spacefor SMT lines, soldering lines, andassembly lines). Digisol, our brandproducts company, sources productsfrom Synegra and Telesmart, as wellas worldwide suppliers.
Tell us about your passion forpassive product manufacturingAfter the JV with D-Link Taiwan,we started manufacturing activeproducts in India. But I was also inpassive products, having a JV withSapphire, the UK-based company.After introducing active products,I introduced passive products bymanufacturing under the D-Linkbrand, as had prior experience. KenKao was not happy to use the D-Linkbrand for passive products. As such,D-Link Taiwan is a multinationalwith more than 14 offices and withworldwide sales in more than 50countries in only active productseven today. Therefore, I introducedDigilink, my brand of SCS products.
Until the Government of Indiaannounced the second editionof production-linked incentives(PLI) schemes across 10 keysectors, Indian manufacturerswere losing out to traders whowere simply importing finishedproducts or SKD from countrieslike China. Your comments…We all know that Indianmanufacturing is nothing butimporting majority of detail partsfrom up countries, manufacturingsome parts locally, assembling &testing of products, and offeringafter-sales support to customers. Thecosts for test equipment in case ofsome products like fiber runs intocrores of rupees. It doesn’t benefitmanufacturers like us at all. Onsome products like switches, thebasic custom duty being 10% is netsaving. You’re better off importing asthe manufacturing cost is quite low.Once said that, the Government’s PLIscheme is fairly encouraging. Butonce manufacturing of large volumesstarts, and volume of consumption ofdetail parts increases, manufacturingof detail parts will happen in India
automatically, as large volume oflocal requirement helps detail partsmanufacturing. We too will startmanufacturing some detail partsinstead of importing.
Why did a reputed multinationalcompany like Schneider Electric,which acquired a successfulbrand like Digilink fail to impactthe market? What caused the fallof such a big multinational?After Schneider Electric acquiredthe Digilink brand in SCS products,manufacturing in India almost allproducts from components level,D-Link India’s new managementdecided to enter the passive productsline in India by importing from China(China produces outdated patents.It’s worth noting that once a patent is20 years old, anyone can manufactureit, even in India). Schneider, havingacquired our patents, continuedto manufacture here. Schneidercould not compete with D-Link’spricing, and exited from the networkconnectivity structured cablingbusiness (Digilink) in India.
Is that why you decided to re-enter the market after five years?Since I possessed expertise inmanufacturing, I decided to re-enter the passive products line bymanufacturing. As I had offeredmy products patent to SchneiderElectric while parting with theDigilink business, I decided to takea Taiwan ODM supplier as ourpartner, having many patents of SCSproducts in Taiwan. We establisheda new company, Telesmart SCS Ltd.,and invested in tooling, moulds,test equipment, etc., and startedmanufacturing in Goa.
To what extent (if any) hasthe PLI scheme helped Indianmanufacturers such as yourselfnegate the impact of importers.The PLI scheme will help allmanufacturers. Today, we are gettingmore enquiries to manufactureproducts and so we are expandingand getting the latest SMT lines totake care of detail parts of very smallsize. This is the best support we havereceived from the Government. Let’swait for a year or two years to see theresults.
The Government’s failure toimpose heavier import duty musthave been a mitigating factor inthe industry’s predicament…After the WTO agreement on ITproducts, importing became dutyfree, and it became difficult for theGovernment to impose duty. I feelat least the recent products suchas FTTH routers and WiFi mobilephones should have attracted duty inorder to encourage manufacturingin India. I must admit here that Ihave not gone through the details ofthe agreement.
Continued on next page...
NOBODY NEEDS ANExPLANATION as to whyIT networking productshave become an essentialfeature in today’s fast-
paced business landscape. Withthe advent of the internet andmanagement information systems(think computers, phones andsoftware), businesses have beenable to transform from small localoutfits to international householdnames. In order to keep up withcompetition as a result of internetcommercialisation, companies areincreasingly turning to informationtechnology, or hardware, softwareand telecommunications networks,to streamline services and boost
performance. In a developingcountry like India, it’s ever so morethe case.
Even so, consider this. The ITrevolution in India was signaled bythe arrival of computer networkingand the impact it made on manyaspects of our lives. It was part ofsomething bigger – electronic anddigital revolution that broughtus computers and a plethora ofcommunication facilities.
Recalls K.R. Naik, ExecutiveChairman, Smartlink HoldingsLtd., and Chairman & Founder,Digisol Systems, an IT industryveteran, who is largely consideredas the Father of India’s informationtechnology networking industry:
“Back in the 1970s, mainframecomputers in market weredeveloped by IBM-USA, ICL-UK,and maybe one or two Europeancompanies. India was nowhere.Personal computers (PCs) startedappearing in the 1980s, whencustom duties on import was ashigh as 100%.”
In order to encourage localmanufacturing of PCs, the IndianGovernment reduced detail partsimport duty below 40%, makingit attractive to manufacturer toassemble in India. Many companiesentered the fray, but duty differencein finished products and detail partsreduced every year. By 2003, due tothe WTO agreement, all finished
products in the IT sector becameDuty Free. This resulted in almostall manufacturing companiesclosing down.
“Despite suffering losses, mycompany Smartlink somehowmanaged to weather the storm,”says Naik. “No matter what, wecannot compete with cheap importsfrom China. But now that theGovernment is beginning to takea great deal of interest in makingIndia aatmanirbhar (self-reliant),by encouraging manufacturing inthe country and by implementingduties on finished products fromoverseas, we can hope for betterdays. It’s a step forward for theMake in India movement.
K.R. Naik, Executive Chairman, Smartlink Holdings Ltd., and Chairman &Founder, Digisol Systems, traces the story of IT networking products in the
country as well as his own story
www.digisol.com
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HoPe on tHe Horizon The debate of manufacturing versus trading is one for the ages. Encouraging
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Technicians at work at Smartlink’s Telesmart factory in Goa
K.R. Naik iK.R. Naik is widely regarded as the Father of India’s ITs widely regarded as the Father of India’s IT networking industry, and for good reason. Read on to
discover more about the man and the legend…
Meet the Master!
Kamlaksha Rama Naik,better known as k.R. Naik, is anindianindustrialengineer,andan
iT networking industry veteran withclose to five decades of experience.he is widely regarded as the Fatherof india’s iT networking industryfor playing a key role in creatingthe iT networking market and thesurrounding channel ecosystemin india. Over the years, he haspioneered several new businessesand distribution models as early as1990, when iT was a nascent industry,and the concept of an iT distributionchannel was just conceived.
he is credited for giving indiaits first indigenous iT networkingcompany – smartlink Network
for over three decades, Naik hasbeen instrumental in introducingglobal iT brands like Cisco, D-link,Foundry, lanner, and Gigabytein india, besides having hismanufacturing and R&D operations.
in 1993 he started a newmanufacturing unit in Goaunder smartlink. Then in 1995 heentered into a joint venture with amultinational – D-link Corporationand the name changed to ‘D-linkindia’, with a manufacturingfacility in Goa and a corporate officein mumbai.
Further, he introduced theDigilinkbrandof passivenetworking(structuredCablingsystems).Ridingon the back of a strong domesticgrowth curve in 2008, and a formaldemerger with the JV partner, hechanged the company name back tosmartlink and sharpened its focusfurther on its indian brand Digilinkand other businesses. in 2009, heintroduced the Digisol indian brandunder active networking products.
Naik was born in karwar,karnataka on 19th November 1947.he completed his schooling inkarwar and later shifted to mumbai.he is a mechanical engineerwith a P.G. Diploma in industrialEngineering and licentiate inPlastic Engineering. he did aBusiness management course fromthe Jamnalal Bajaj institute inmumbai, which was sponsored byiBm.
he began his iT career at iBm’smanufacturing plant in 1969 at
mumbai, starting as a mainframePeripheral assembly Engineer,and thereafter worked in variousdepartments, including productdesign and development. in 1977,he contributed significantly to thedevelopment of an indigenous lineprinter at the ‘Big Blue’ center.he worked to develop indigenouscomputer peripheral parts of plasticand metal until iBm closed itsindian operation in 1978. after iBmclosed down, he joined ORG systemltd. wherein he was one of the 6team members who developed thefirst indigenous line printers with aspeed of 1000+ lines per minute.
in 1984, Naik founded his owncompany, Virtual Computer Pvt.ltd., and was among the first toimport a wave-soldering machineto manufacture printed circuitboards of PCs. Then he formed thenew company smartlink in Goato expand manufacturing usingsmT lines in 1993, later, smartlinkhad a joint venture with D-linkCorporation Taiwan in 1995, andthe name changed to ‘D-link india’.When D-link parted ways as aseparate products trading company,his company name changed backto smartlink, and has remainedever since. Naik holds the positionof Executive Chairman in thecompany. he is also the Chairmanand Founder of his own brandcompany Digisol systems.
Naik is a former President ofthe manufacturers’ association forinformation Technology (maiT).
systems ltd., which has been alocal manufacturing success story
K.R. NAIKExecutive Chairman,Smartlink Holdings Ltd.Chairman & Founder,Digisol Systems
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SMARTLINKHOLDINGS LTD.
smartlink is a BsE|NsE listedcompany with expertise of iTnetworking products marketing.Established in 1993 in Goa,it is a forerunner in the fieldof iT networking productsmanufacturing, having a largemanufacturing base in Goa.smartlink played an instrumentalrole in introducing the globaliT brand Cisco systems in indiathrough distribution, besideshaving joint ventures withleading brands like D-link (inNetworking Products), sapphireUk (in structured cablingproducts), Foundry (in high-endswitching), lanner (in industrialproducts), and Gigabyte (inmotherboards), by manufacturinglarge volume products at its GoaFactory. Nonetheless, followingthe WTO agreement, all thesepartner companies that were wellestablished in india lost theirmanufacturing benefits, and had topart ways with smartlink.
smartlink, however, had a largemanufacturing base and expertisein manufacturing all kinds of iTproducts. it continued introducinglocal brands in motherboards,tablets, and networking in theactive products line like routers,switching, Wi-Fi, and all kindsof products in copper and fiberin sCs. Recently, smartlink hasbecome a holdings company withassets and cash, by splitting alloperations into three independentunits and giving scope ofexpansion individually. The threecompanies – synegra, Telesmart,and Digisol – are independent ofeach other.www.smartlinkholdings.com
SYNEGRA EMS LTD.synegra is a 100% owned Ems/ODm products manufacturingcompany of smartlinkholdings limited. it has a largemanufacturing setup of smT lines,soldering lines, assembly & testinglines. it manufactures all kinds ofproducts – from PCB assemblieslike motherboards, add-on cards,the latest FTTh and WiFi products,telecom products, mobile phones,automotive electronic productsand defense applications products.synegra sources detail parts fromlocal suppliers as well as from well-known companies worldwide.
synegra offers locallymanufactured active range ofnetworking products by sourcingdetail parts from Taiwan andChina to Digisol systems, as madein india products.www.synegra.com
TELESMART SCS LTD.Telesmart is a subsidiary ofsmartlink holdings limitedwith a Taiwan partner havingseveral patents in sCs products incopper connecting parts with highbandwidth applications engaged inthe manufacturing of a wide rangeof structured cabling systems(sCs) products to supply Ems/ODm products to brand companies.as of now, it supplies the Digisolbrand to Digisol systems.
Telesmart also has assemblyand testing equipment in the fiberrange of products. Fiber productsare manufactured and suppliedto brand companies like Digisolsystems ltd. The company is alsolooking for contract manufacturingfor its fiber products.
Telesmart’s sCs productsportfolio includes end-to-endcabling solutions in copper fromCat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6a, sTP, FTP, patchpanels, patch cords, and face plates.The fiber range includes all kindsof fiber patch cords, pig tails withperformance certificates, and liUs.www.telesmartscs.com
DIGISOL SYSTEMSLTD.
Digisol systems came intoexistence after smartlink’s JVwith the Taiwanese companyD-link ended in 2009. With a largemanufacturing base, an all-indiadistribution line, and two decadesof experience in manufacturing &marketing, it made perfect sense tointroduce a new local brand calledDigisol.
Today, Digisol is a trusted madein india iT networking brand forall large volume products in theactive range, including FTThand WiFi products, routers, andswitches. in the passive range, ithas copper and fiber products. itis a wholly owned subsidiary ofsmartlink holdings ltd.
Digisol systems is the onlyindia-based iT networking brandproducts company that has astrong pan-india presence, withsales representatives in 50 cities,10 branch offices, 45 distributors, 63service support centres, and over1,000 partners. Digisol’s endeavouris to consistently offer innovativefuture-ready products that aim tomeet consumer expectations in theiT networking space, by sourcinglocally from smartlink subsidiariessynegra Ems and Telesmart sCsor by sourcing low volume productsfrom worldwide.www.digisol.com
Understanding sMartlinkR
R
...Continued from previous page
Can you shed some light onDITT? Empowerment of the nextgeneration must be somethingyou feel deeply about…in a bid to empower our partners andsystem integrators across india, welaunched a certification and traininginstitution, DiTT - Digisol institute ofTechnical Training. The institutionaims to create value for all ournetwork engineers, channel partners,and isPs by consistently deliveringquality training programmes whichare always in sync with the marketdemands. DiTT comprises of 8+online training programmes thatcover industry-trending topics likeFTTh, structured cabling solutionsfor tomorrow, switching and wirelesssolutions, etc. it comprises both freeand paid training. The objective ofthese training programs is to enhancethe knowledge of our T2 partners onthe latest technological trends andto introduce them to a wide rangeof products that Digisol offers.Digisol has been on the forefrontof empowering partners, systemintegrators, and isPs/msOs acrossindia by conducting various training
programmes under DiTT. Evenduring the time of unprecedenteduncertainty, the company tookthe responsibility to empower allthe partners by conducting onlinetraining programmes.
Tell us about your recent productdevelopments and offerings inmanufacturing for your brandcompany Digisol?The demand for FTTh productshas grown enormously in recentyears considering the increasingdemand for high-speed internet.Our endeavour is to offer the best-in-class wireless products that offerhigh performance, connectivity,and are manufactured in india. Weintroduced our bestselling FTThproducts - DG-GR1321 & DG-GR6010XPON ONU routers as ‘manufactured
in india’ by assembling detail parts.DG-GR 1321 is designed to fulfil FTThand triple play service demands ofnetwork operators, while the DG-GR6010 ONU modem is designedto fulfil FTTh ultra-broadbandaccess request of home and sOhOusers. We are also launching ourbestselling switches that are madein india. We have introduced manymade in india products previouslyunder the passive networking rangeof products, and with the launch ofthese GEPON products, we aim tostrengthen our foothold and increaseour market share.
Such A Long JourneySmartlink House in Verna Industrial Estate
DG-GR6821AC Dual Band WiFi ONU
DG-FS1008DGDG-FS1008DG
www.digisol.com
New Delhi
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS,DECEMBER19,2021
THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
ABHINAYAHARIGOVINDNEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
THESTRIKEby resident doctorsat several Centre-run hospitalsin Delhi has left patients in thelurch.Neartheemergencyblockat
Safdarjung Hospital on Friday,PraveenKumarsaton thepave-ment,leaningagainstawallwithhisleginacast.Afteranaccidentlast month, a procedure wasscheduledforhislegonSaturdayand hewas required to get ad-mittedonFriday.“Wemet a doctor who said
the surgerywill not happenbe-causeof thestrike.Wewere toldtowaittillMonday.Thisisthesec-ondtimethatitisbeingresched-uled. It was supposed to havehappened earlier thismonth,”said Praveen, a resident ofFaridabad,whoplans on spend-ingtwodaysoutsidethehospitalwith hiswife, rather than travelthelongdistancebackhome.“Thedaywillpass,butit’sgo-
ingtogetcoldatnight,andthereisnohallorroomtowaitin,”saidPraveen, who is onmedicationforthepain.Hewasamongsev-eral people camped out at thehospital,wrapped inblankets.
Krishna,aresidentofBareilly,arrived at Safdarjung with hisbrother on Friday morning.“Theyhaverefusedtoadmithim.They asked us to come back onDecember 30. Itwas nearly im-possible togetanambulanceallthe way from Bareilly to Delhi.Nowthatwearehere,wheredowego?”hesaid.His brother, who was on a
stretcher outside the hospital,has been sick with abdominalproblems, and they tried AIIMSthe previous night, where theycould not get him admitted, hesaid.Thefamilywasconsideringmoving the patient to Ram
Manohar Lohia (RML) HospitalorGuruTegBahadurHospital.The situationwas no differ-
ent at RMLHospital. Zairuddinandhis familywere outside theemergency block for his six-year-old nephew. “We broughthimherelastnight,butareyettoreceive treatment. They told usthere are no doctors and askedus to go to another hospital.Where do we go?We are fivebrothers,alllabourers.Evenifwepoolinmoney,wewon’tbeable
to afford even the tests in a pri-vatehospital,”hesaid.Thechildhaddengueandtyphoidinitially,and now seems to have devel-opedan infection,hesaid.Resident doctors have been
protestingthedelayinNEET-PG2021 counselling. Dr Manish,president of the Federation ofResident Doctors’ Association(FORDA) India, said that morethan 5,000 resident doctors atSafdarjungHospital, RML, LNJP,LadyHardingeHospitalandGTBHospitalhadparticipated in thestrike,boycottingalltheirduties.“Thestrikewascalledoff last
week after the doctors were
givenaverbalassurancethatthecounselling schedulewill be re-leasedinaweek.Butthathasnothappenedandwehadtoresumethestrike,”hesaid.At Lok Nayak Jai Prakash
NarayanHospital (LNJP), whichis associatedwith theMaulanaAzadMedical College, a patientwaitedinane-rickshawoutsidetheemergencywing,alongwithher son. Her family said sheneeded a neurologist and wasreferredtoLNJPfromnearbyGBPantHospital.Theywererefusedentry into the emergency blockat the hospital and had to leaveafterawait.
AtSafdarjungHospital.AbhinavSaha
OVER DELAY IN NEET-PG COUNSELLING
No end to strike by capital’s resident doctors, patients bear the brunt
OBSERVINGTHATtheapproachof theinvestigatingagencywithregardtotheexaminationof theroleof policeofficers inamulti-crore theft case is “quite inertandsoft”,aGurgaoncourthasdi-rectedtheHaryanaPoliceSpecialTask Force (STF) to examine theroleofallofficerswhohavedealtwith the case. The court furtherdirected the STF to trace thesource of themoney as well asthe purpose for which it wasstored, and to unravel all “mys-teriousaspectsof thecase”.Remanding five accused to
judicial custody till December30,GurgaonAdditionalSessionsJudge Jasbir Singh, in an orderdated December 16, said,“Circumstances of the case asunfolded by investigatingagency (STF) so far suggest that
DCP Dheeraj Setia might havetriedtocoverupthemulti-crorestheft with the active concur-renceofhissuperiorofficersandwith the active involvement, bywayofarmtwisting,ofhisjuniorofficersof crimebranch.”Setia, the thenGurgaonDCP
at the time of the theft, againstwhom the Prevention ofCorruption Act has been in-voked, was suspended onDecember10afterthecourthadhighlighted the allegationsagainsthim,basedonthedisclo-surestatementof anaccused.Onthecourt’slatestobserva-
tions, Satheesh Balan, DIF STF,told The Indian Express:“Whatever observations thecourt hasmade, we shall give areply to thecourt.”HesaidSetiais yet to join the investigationand isabsconding.Policesourcessaidaraidwas
ducted at his residence but hewas not found there.” Earlier, araidwasconductedathishouseinGurgaontoo.Hintingattheinvolvementof
more police officers, the court
said, “Circumstancesof thecasesuggest that in his supervisorycapacity, he (Setia) might haveexerted his influence upon hissubordinates to twist the inves-tigation in away tomake it ap-
pearacaseoftheftofRs50lakhs.Meaning thereby that hemighthaveinvolvedthejuniorlevelof-ficersof therankofACP,SHO,etcto twist the investigation in away to confine it to the theft ofRs50 lakhs.”“When such arm twisting
was being done by Setia, thensome junior level officer(s)mighthavebrought it totheno-tice of superior officers of theDCP.When information aboutthis theft of multi crores of ru-pees aswell as the role of localpolice in covering up the thefthas come into the notice of thehigher officers of the police de-partmentandGovernment,thenwhy it has not come to the no-tice of superior officers of DCPSetia, isbeyondthecomprehen-sion of this court and is also amootpointtobeinvestigated.Ingeneral, in the District Police,nothing happenswithout con-sent and concurrence of theSuperintendent of Police,” thecourt said.
Thecourtsaidthattheinves-tigating agency has neither in-vestigatedtheroleofSetia’s jun-iornorseniorofficers.“Fromthecircumstances, as unfolded bythe investigating agency (STF),theperceivedcommitmentandsincerity in carrying out the in-vestigationquatheinvolvementofpublicpersonsisverywellre-flected and same is commend-able, but needle of lurking sus-picion isalsonoticeablewhenitcomestotheinvestigationoftherole of local police officer(s), in-cludingSetia, incoveringupthemulti-croresheist.”The court also granted per-
missiontore-arrestVikasGulia,the Delhi Police ASI, who is outonbail.Theprosecutionhadfiledan
application to re-arrest him onthegroundthatasperdisclosureof another accused, DrSuchender Jain Nawal, Gulia al-legedly gave Gurgaon Police Rs2.5 crore to get thematter cov-eredup.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
CHIEFMINISTERArvindKejriwalSaturday said theDelhi govern-mentwill be sendingsenior cit-izens to Velankanni in TamilNadu on free pilgrimage undertheMukhyamantri Tirth YatraYojnaonJanuary7nextyear.Thechurchisanotedpilgrimagespotfor Christians, especiallyCatholics.The announcement was
made during the annualChristmas celebrations on theDelhiAssemblypremises.As part of the pilgrimage,
passengers going fromDelhi toVelankanni will be providedwith a seat in an AC three-tiertrain by the government. Thefirst train carrying passengersfrom Delhi to Velankanni willleaveon January7.TheeventsawChristmascar-
ols and traditional Konkani car-ols being performed by churchchoirs along with Hindi andEnglishchoirs.On the occasion, Kejriwal
said, “I extend my heartfeltgreetings to all the people ofDelhi andthewholecountryonthe occasion of Christmas andNew Year. I pray that the newyear is abundantly prosperousfor all of us. This is the 7th con-secutiveyearof Christmas cele-brations in the Vidhan Sabha.When we came to power in2015, we had decided that ourcountry is a bouquet of all reli-
gions and cultures.We decidedto celebrate this unique aspectand started celebrating all festi-valsontheVidhanSabhaprem-ises. In that direction, this is the7th annual Christmas celebra-tion.We couldn’t celebrate lastyear due to the Covid-19 out-break.” The CM further said thegovernment iswell prepared todealwithanotherCovidwaveincase it strikes and urged peoplenot toworry.He concluded by saying, “I
would like to take today’s occa-siontoprayforhealth,happinessand peace for everyone in thiscountry. I pray for the feeling ofbrotherhoodtogrowamongourpeople.Thisisourmotto: ‘Insaanka insaan se ho bhaichara, yahipaigaamhumaara’.”Archbishop His Grace Anil
Jospeh T Couto said, “I whole-heartedly thank the CM for re-specting all religions and cele-brating festivals in such a grandmanner.ThisChristmascelebra-tionhasbroughtalotof joyintheChristiancommunity."
Gurgaon heist: Courtwantsmore officersprobed, former DCP’s residence raided
BACK AND FORTHSchoolsreopenedforstudentsofClass VIonwardsFridayaftertheCommissionforAirQualityManagementandtheDelhigovernmentgaveago-aheadinthisregard.SchoolshadbeenshutbecauseofrisingpollutionlevelsinDelhi-NCR.PraveenKhanna
Pray for brotherhood,says CM at Christmasevent in Assembly
CAG report flags howNoida Authority lethomebuyers down
Day before exam, class 12student commits suicideEXPRESSNEWSSERVICEGURGAON,DECEMBER18
A 17-YEAR-OLD girl studying inclass XII allegedly jumped infront of a train in Haryana’sChaumavillageonFridaynight.Police said they recovered a
suicide note, purportedlywrit-tenbyher,whichstates thatshewastakingtheextremestepduetostressfromexams,scheduledfor Saturday, forwhich shewasnotprepared.Accordingtopolice, the inci-
dentwas reported around 8.30pm, following which a teamfrom the government railway
police (GRP) station rushed tothespot.Sub-inspector Ramphal, in-
charge, GRP station, said, “Hersistersaidshehadaneconomicsexam on Saturday and she hadbeenworriedaboutfailingit.Shelefthomeonthepretextofgoingto a friend’s house. A note hasbeen recovered. Her bodywashanded over to the family afterthepost-mortemonSaturday.”Police said the minor was
studyinginagovernmentschoolatCarterpuriandusedtopartic-ipate in school-level footballtournaments.Police have initiated inquest
proceedings in thecase.
ChristmascelebrationsontheAssemblypremises
THETHEFT, reportedonAugust21,was initiallysuspectedtobeofRs50 lakh. In the initialFIRregisteredatKherkiDaulapolicestation, thecomplainant,SantoshSingh,anemployeeofAlphaGCorpManagementServicesPrivateLtdwhichmaintains thehousingprojectGurgaonOne,hadnotmentionedthestolenamount. InasupplementarystatementonAugust26, thecomplainantstatedthatRs50 lakhwasstolen.TheSTFhavesofarrecoveredRs5.8crore, includinggoldandUSdollars, in thecase.POLICEHAVEarrestedat least16people, includingthreedoctors,aidesof gangsterLagarpuria,andaDelhiPoliceASI.ONDECEMBER10,whiledismissingthebailapplicationsof twoaccused inthecase, thecourthadsaid, “Thefacts…suggest thatacasewhichwas initiallya theftofRs50 lakh, subsequently, turnedout tobeacaseofmorethanRs30-40croreanditmaybeofbiggermagnitude if investigation iscarriedoutwithduecareandcaution. It isacasewhereanattempthasbeenmadebytheaccusedpersonstocoveruptheheistbywayofgivingahugeamountofbribetoDCPSetia.”
T H E C A S E
86newCovidcases,highestinfivemonthsNewDelhi:DelhiSaturdayrecorded 86 fresh Covidcases in aday, thehighestinoverfivemonths,asthepositivityratestoodat0.13per cent. On July 8, Delhihadreported93caseswithapositivityrateof0.12percent,andthreedeaths.Therise in cases is being seenamidtheomicronscareasthenumberofpatientsin-fected with the straintouched 22 on Friday.Three private hospitalshavebeendirectedbytheDelhi government to setup isolation units for pa-tientscomingfrom‘atrisk’countries.
ClosecallforcopsinNuhGurgaon:Apolicemanwasinjuredafteradumpercar-rying stones allegedlyrammed into a police ve-hicleduringanightdomi-nationexercisetocheckil-legalmining in Nuh. TheSuperintendent of Police,Nuh, underwhose super-vision the inspectionwasgoing on, and his teamjumpedout of the SUVasthe dumper tried to runovertheofficersinabidtoescape.
Firingincity,2arrestedNewDelhi: Twomen al-legedlyinvolvedinseveralincidents of carjackingwerearrestedSaturdayaf-ter an exchange of fire inCentralDelhi’sRaniJhansiRoad. DCP (Central)Shweta Chauhan said,“The accused have beenidentified as Ishtiyaq andAkil.”Theformerwasshotin the leg in exchange offirewithpolice.ENS
BRIEFLY
AMILBHATNAGARNEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
FROMINACTIONagainstbuildersto irregularities in schemes, theComptrollerandAuditorGeneralaudithasfoundseverallapsesbythe Noida Authority that led tothenon-completionofprojects.A performance audit report
by the CAG on land acquisitionand allotment of properties inNoida between 2005-06 and2017-18 highlighted manyanomaliesanddiscrepanciesre-sulting in loss to the exchequer.Asper the report, in24schemesinwhichallotmentsweremadefrom2005to2018,1,30,005flatswere sanctioned for construc-tion, againstwhich only 72,697were completed as ofMarch 31,2020:“Asaresult,thehomebuy-ersaresaddledwith incompleteprojects wherein they have in-vestedtheir lifesavings.”“Instead of monitoring and
regulatingtheallottees,thecon-ditions were watered down insuccessivebrochurestothedetri-mentofNoidaandtothebenefitoftheallotteebuilder,”thereportsaid. In several cases, schemeswere not submitted before theBoard,thehighestdecision-mak-ingunit of theAuthority, the re-port found.The audit observed that lay-
ing down the terms and condi-tions of the scheme and allot-ment is a crucial function of theBoard of Noida. Non-considera-tion entails a control failure onpartoftheBoard,thereportread.The audit also found that al-
lotmentsweregiventothosein-capable of completing the proj-
ect. “The allotments made byNoidatothegrouphousingallot-teesduringtheperiodcoveredbytheauditisonemarkedbytheut-ter disregard for the conditionsfor allotment, allocationof plotsto a number of ineligible allot-tees,alongwithsubsequentper-mission to transfer,mortgageorexit from the project; inmanycaseswhere large outstandingswere due to Noida,” the auditsaid.Theauditobservedthatapart
from shortcomings in thebrochure conditions, theAuthority also diluted existingstipulations in the brochures tofurther facilitate thebuilders.TheNoidaAuthoritychanged
the eligibility criteria for allot-mentwhichreducedtheonusonthe allottees to complete theproject and “also compromisedthepositionofhomebuyers”,thereport read. It furthernotedthatfor the successful execution of aproject, the consortiumconsist-ing of different companieswasrequired towork in unison butNoida’srelaxationsofconditionsserved to weaken the consor-tiums.IntwocasesconcerningLogix
Builders, allotmentsweremadeto entities that did not possesstherequiredturnoverinrelevantfieldsof business. Thoseentitiesshouldhavebeendisqualifiedatthetechnicalbidstage, theauditsaid. Further, the Authority pro-posedallotmentoflandthattheydid not possess and resultantlyhadtoprovideazeroperiodtoal-lottees.Theyalsofailedtocancelallotmentofplotswhichresultedin the non-realisation of poten-tial revenueofRs869.76crore.
6
MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
GETTINGFINED for not appear-ing before court; hiswife beingdetectedwith cancer; having topayRs50,000rent;andthepos-sibilityof facingcriminalcharges—thesearesomeof thekey fac-tors that, police believe, drove a47-year-oldDRDOscientistoverthe edge and prompted him toallegedly plant a bomb insideRohinicourttokillhisneighbour.Police found that scientist
BharatBhushanKataria’sneigh-bour had filed a criminal case
againsthimandduringthehear-ings on November 1, the courtfined Kataria Rs 1,000 for “un-necessaryadjournment”.Sources said the legal battle
between Kataria and his neigh-bour, lawyer Amit Vashisht,started10years agoover the is-sue of installing a lift in theirthree-storeybuilding.“Itturnedugly facewhen they started fil-ing cross-complaints. Katariaalso faced a legal suit by hisneighbour over installing awa-ter tank, as well as several RTIsand complaints filed with hisworkplace,”saidapolicesource.Kataria told police that he
was fed up and left his house
threeyearsagotoshifttorentedaccommodationinthesamelo-cality.“HewasgivingarentofRs50,000.Hegrewmorefrustratedashewasnotgettingleavesfromoffice to attend court hearings,”said thesource.He also told police that after
discovering his wife’s medicalcondition, he feared incarcera-tion,andallegedlydecidedtogetridofVashisht.“Heallegedlyor-dered several devices from e-commercewebsitesandammo-niumnitrate from a local shop.HespentaroundRs5,000onthisand allegedly learnt how tomake a bomb online, includingonYouTube,” said thesource.
Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 13,534 13,314ICU BEDS 2,788 2,749
Chaduni launches party, 32farm unions meet to talk polls
SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
AMID CONCERNS over humanrightsaswell as thehumanitar-ian situation in Afghanistan,New Delhi and Islamabad areengaging, eachon itsowntrack,with key partners in the regionandbeyondwithaconferenceineachcapital Sunday.External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar will host the 3rdmeetingoftheIndia-CentralAsiaDialogue in NewDelhi Sunday.ForeignMinistersofKazakhstan,Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistanwill participate. Their previousmeetingwasorganisedby Indiain October 2020 via video-con-ference. Three of these five,Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan andTajikistan, share a border withAfghanistan.In Islamabad on Sunday,
Pakistan will host the 17th ex-traordinary session of theOrganisation of IslamicCooperation's (OIC) Council ofForeignMinisters,withPakistanForeign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi saying hehopedtheywill“reachaconsen-susonmeasures to improve thesituation inAfghanistan”.
Significantly, ForeignMinisters of the five CentralAsian countries are alsomem-bers of the OIC grouping andthey will skip the meeting inIslamabadtoattendthedialogueinNewDelhi.Sunday’s conference here
will also set the stage for thepresence of the leaders of thesefiveCentralAsiannations at theRepublic Day celebrations nextmonth, Covid situation permit-ting: Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; Uzbekistan’sShavkatMirziyoyev;Tajikistan’s
active engagement betweenIndiaandthesefiveCentralAsiancountries. India considers themas part of India’s “extendedneighbourhood”. Jaishankarvis-ited Kazakhstan, KyrgyzRepublic, Tajikistan andUzbekistan this year and metwith Foreign Minister ofTurkmenistan inOctober2021.At Sunday’s meeting, the
ministersareexpectedtodiscussfurther strengthening of rela-tions with India focusing ontrade,connectivityanddevelop-mentcooperation.Theywillalsoexchangeviewsonregionalandinternational issues of mutualinterest, theMEAsaid inastate-ment. ThefiveForeignMinistersareexpectedtopayajointcour-tesy call on Prime MinisterNarendraModi.Jaishankar, who met
Tajikistan’sSirojiddinMuhriddinon Saturday, said: “…As neigh-bours of Afghanistan, we havebeen very concerned at the de-velopments there. And the par-ticipation of the Secretary of(Tajikistan’s)SecurityCouncil inthe Regional Security Dialogue,whichwe hosted in November,issomethingwhichisdeeplyap-preciated.”Hepublicly thankedhim for Tajikistan’s support toIndia during the evacuation ofIndians--andsomemembersofminority communities -- fromAfghanistan in August andSeptember.Sunday’s meeting also fol-
lows theNovember 10 regionalsecuritydialogueonAfghanistanforwhich theNSAsof these fivecountries were in Delhi alongwiththosefromRussiaandIran.At thatmeeting, hosted byNSA
AjitDoval,allexpressedconcernat the current situation inAfghanistan.Incidentally, the same day,
Islamabad had hosted specialenvoys from US, China andRussiatodiscussthesituationinAfghanistan. This time, too,Pakistan’s Afghan diplomacy isinparallel.BesidesOICmembersand observers, the PakistanForeign Office said, the UN sys-tem, international financial in-stitutions, international and re-gional organisations andnon-OICmembers, includingP-5countries,EuropeanUnionandcountries like Japan, andGermanyhavealsobeeninvited.Taliban’s ForeignMinister AmirKhan Muttaqi arrived inIslamabad on Saturday for themeetingaswell.SourcessaidthatDelhi’sout-
reach is to the fiveCentralAsiancountrieswhohavedeepstakesin the stability of Afghanistanwhile Pakistan is trying to rallythesupportof Islamiccountriesin favourofAfghanistan.OIC Secretary General
Hissein Brahim Taha, who ar-rivedinPakistanonFriday,saiditwas high time to think howMuslim countries could helptheirAfghanbrethrenatthiscrit-ical juncture.
HARYANA-BASED farmer leaderGurnam Singh Chaduni onSaturdaylaunchedhisownpolit-ical party, announcing that hewouldcontestall the117seats inthe coming Punjab Assemblyelections.One of themost prominent
faces in the farmeragitation thatwentonforayear,Chaduniprom-ised that his Sanyukt SangharshParty would be “secular”, andworkforallsectionsofsociety,un-like current political leaderswhomhe accused of “framingpoliciesinfavourofcapitalists”.Soon after Chaduni’s an-
nouncement,Punjab’s32farmerunionsheldameeting todiscussparticipation in the polls, butcould not reach a decision. TheBKU(Ugrahan), the largestof theunions,stayedaway,asithadan-nouncedearlier,sayingitwantedto focusonfarmer issuesanddidnotwantanythingtodowithpol-itics.The leader of the BKU
(Chaduni) and amember of theSamyukt KisanMorcha (SKM)which spearheaded the farmers’agitation, Chadunihasbeenask-ing farmer unions in Punjab tofight the polls. To a query onSaturday, he said he himselfwould not be contesting, norwouldhealignwithanyparty.The Punjab farmer unions
held theirmeeting atMullanpurin Ludhiana. Discussionswere
heldonwhethertheyshouldforma joint political front, or separateoutfits,extendsupporttoaparty,orsteerclearofpolitics.However, the talks remained
Balbir Singh Rajewal, presi-dent of the BKU (Rajewal), onSaturdaydeniedrumoursthathehadbeenapproachedbyAAP.PremSinghBhangu,president
of theAll IndiaKisanMahasabhaFederation(Punjab),saidtheyex-pectChaduni to jointhemif theyfloat a political party. HarmeetSingh Kadian, president of theBKU (Kadian), said, “We don'twanttobepartofthepoliticalsys-tembutwearegettingmessagesfrommassesthatweshouldbe...”BKU (Ugrahan) leader
Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan toldTheSundayExpress:“Bybeingpartof the political systemyou can’tactasastrongpressuregroup.”Chaduni said he expects at
leastninefarmeroutfitsofPunjabtosupporthisplantojoinpolitics.Earlier, an industrialists’body
from Punjab had announced anew partywith Chaduni as itschief ministerial face. Chadunisaidhewas“neitheraCMfacenorwouldcontestpollsinPunjab”.
WHILENOWrepealed,the farmlawsandthelongprotestover themareset todominate thecomingPunjabAssemblyelections.At this time,theentryof the farmunions that spearheadedtheprotests in the racewillupsetpoll calcula-tionsof parties.
Tofightornot to fightE●EX
PLAINED
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,DECEMBER18
SENIORCONGRESS leaderRahulGandhi on Saturday visitedAmethiwithpartyleaderandhissisterPriyankaGandhiVadra,hit-ting out at the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) government and say-ing that nothinghad changed inhis former Lok Sabha con-stituencyinthelasttwoyears.ThiswasRahul’s secondvisit
toAmethi, a parliamentary con-stituency he represented for 15years, since his defeat to BJP’sSmriti Irani in the 2019 generalelection.“Every lane in Amethi is the
same. Theonlydifference is thatpeople’s eyeshave anger againstthe government. Even today,wehave the sameplace in people’shearts…weare together against
injustice,” Rahultweetedafterlead-ing amarchwithPriyanka fromJagdishpur to vil-lage Harimau inAmethi.At the Pratigya
Padyatra heldaheadofAssemblyelection in thestate, the seniorCongress leadertargeted UttarPradesh ChiefMinister YogiAdityanath andPrime MinisterNarendra Modiover inflation andunemployment.“You can see
the condition to-day.Thecountryisfacing two ques-tions–unemploy-ment and pricerise. Neither does
thePrimeMinisteranswer thesequestions, nor does the ChiefMinister…Youmust have seenthe PM bathing in the Ganga(river)alone.ButthePMcan’ttellthecountrywhy jobsarenotbe-ingcreatedinthecountry…whypricesaregoingup,”hesaid,refer-ringtoPMModi’svisittoVaranasiearlierthisweek.Rahul reiterated his “Hindu
versusHindutvawadi” jibe at PMModi. “Onone side isHindu. OntheotherisHindutvawadi,”RahulsaidholdingapublicgatheringinHarimau.On Saturday, Rahul also in-
vokedtheCongress’stieswiththeconstituency—once aCongressbastion—andsaid that this “this
relationshipwillneverbreak”.“In2004, I joinedpolitics and
fought the firstelectionhere,”hesaid.Priyanka too tweeted, “There
isanoldrelationshipwithAmethi–oneof loveandtruth. It isnotofpolitics, but of emotions. ThankyouAmethi for the love and forraisingyourvoiceagainstBJP’sbadpolicies.”There are five assembly seats
intheAmethiparliamentarycon-stituency. Out of these, Amethi,Jagdishpur, Salon, Tiloi arepresentlyheldbytheBJP,andtheGauriganj seat is with theSamajwadiParty.TheCongressistryingtoregainlostgroundaheadofassemblypollsearlynextyear.
Rahul, Priyanka march in Amethi,target BJP: ‘Every lane is the same’
Polls in hill-state: Naddalaunches yatra in Haridwar
RahulGandhiandPriyankaGandhiVadra inAmethi.PTI
After PM’s ‘upyogi’ praisefor Yogi, Akhilesh counter:UP CM very ‘un-upyogi’
PTI&ENSLUCKNOW,DECEMBER18
SAMAJWADI PARTY (SP) chiefAkhilesh Yadav on Saturdaytermed Chief Minister YogiAdityanath “unupyogi”, or use-less, citing incidents of crimesagainstDalitsandwomenunderhis rule.The comments came on a
day Prime Minister NarendraModi laid the foundation stoneof the 594-km GangaExpressway in Shahjahanpurdistrict, and praised the chiefminister.In a tweet inHindi, Akhilesh
used a pun on the Hindi wordupyogi(useful)usedbyModiforAdityanathearlierintheday.InapublicaddressinShahjahanpur,Modi coined a new slogan “UPplus Yogi bahut hai upyogi” topraiseAdityanathfor“eliminat-ingmafia” and undertaking de-velopmentalwork in thestate.In his tweet, Akhilesh said,
“The daughter of Hathras, thefarmersofLakhimpur,thetraderof Gorakhpur, womenwho arefeeling insecure, unemployedyouths, theDalits,andtheback-wardclass[people]aresayingforUP, the current government isnot useful, it is ‘un-upyogi’ (use-less).” He added, “UP is todaysaying that it does notwant theBJP.”InRaeBareli,duringthesev-
enthlegof theVijayYatra, theSPchief sought to equate theLakhimpur Kheri violencewiththe Jallianwala Baghmassacre.“InUttarPradesh,theincidentofa jeep being run over farmerstookplace.If thepagesofhistoryare turned back, then one is re-minded of the Jallianwala Baghmassacre,whentheBritishfired
[at people] from the front. But,theBJPranoverthejeeponthemfrombehind.Noactionhasbeeninitiated against the accusedpersons. The UnionMinister ofStateforHome[AjayMishra]hasnot been removed so far. Forthosewhoareaccused,bulldoz-ershavenotbeenrunover theirhouse.Thisgovernmentiswork-inginadiscriminatorymanner,”theSPchief told reporters.Akhilesh,whoisinRaeBareli
on a two-day visit, said the BJPwill be wiped out in the 2022Assemblyelections.Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) chiefMayawati alsohit out at the BJP, SP, and theCongress, accusing themof ob-structing the expressway proj-ect when her government wasin power. She said her govern-menthadtriedtoconnectDelhiwith Purvanchal (eastern UP)with the eight-lane GangaExpresswayfromNoidatoBalliato give people relief. “But theCongress, BJP and SP— each ofthem—hadthenobstructedandopposed it,” she tweeted.
MAYURAJANWALKARPANAJI, DECEMBER18
AFTEROVERa fortnight of hesi-tating to use theword ‘alliance’,theCongressonSaturdayformallyannounced an alliancewith theGoa ForwardParty (GFP) for theupcomingAssemblypollsinGoa.“Iamveryhappytoannounce
thattheIndianNationalCongressandGFPhaveentered into anal-liancefortheforthcomingGoaas-semblyelections,”AICCGoadeskin-chargeDineshGunduRaosaidSaturday. The announcementcomes18daysafterGFPpresident
VijaiSardesaimetseniorCongressleaderRahulGandhiinDelhiandextended his support to theCongressinGoa.Days later, even as Sardesai
maintainedthatan“alliance”hadbeenforgedbetweenthetwopar-ties, Congress leaders refrainedfrom using the word. OnDecember 9, AICC’s senior elec-tion observer for Goa PChidambaram had said, “Thiswordalliance is used indiscrimi-nately. So far, we have had oneparty leaderMr Vijai Sardesai,whocametoDelhiandsaidinor-dertodefeattheBJP,mypartyof-fers its support to the Congress
party...”Rao said on
Saturday, “Subsequently, aftercoming toGoa thereweremoreinteractions between us, stateleadership,ourPradeshCongressCommittee president and otherleaders andwehave ironed outwhatever small issues thatwerethereandwearelookingforanewbeginning.”“On the eve of Goa’s 60th
LiberationDay,wegiveyouanal-liance to re-liberate Goa fromtheseelectedautocrats,”Sardesaisaid.Agreements on sharing of
seatshavetobediscussedandwillbeannouncedinafewdays,bothRaoandSardesaiadded.Sardesaisaid that theCongress is the “bigbrother”inthealliance.
Congress irons out ‘small issues’,announces alliance with GFP in Goa
THE BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra,whichintendstocoverallthe70Vidhan Sabhas in Uttarakhand,was launched by the party na-tional president, Jagat PrakashNadda,inHaridwaronSaturday.As part of the yatra, which
will conclude on January 5, thepartyplans to informthevotersabout thework done as part oftheir central and state “doubleenginegovernment”.OnSaturday,Naddainaugu-
ratedtheyatraheldaroadshowinHaridwar.UttarakhandChiefMinister Pushkar Singh Dhamiand BJP state president MadanKaushikalsoparticipatedintheevent.Nadda said the “double en-
excitement and gathering ofpeople, it tellsmethatpeopleofUttarakhandandHaridwarhavemade up theirmind to give BJPtheir blessing again. If we talkabout the development of thestate,thestatementbyPMModi,that wewill use double enginegovernmenttotakeUttarakhandtowards development, hasturned true,” said the BJP na-tionalpresident.TheVijaySankalpYatrabythe
partywill be completed in twophases.While Nadda launchedthe first phase for GarhwalMandal fromthepilgrimagecityofHaridwaronSaturday,UnionMinisterAnuragThakurwillbe-gin the Vijay Sankalp Yatra ofKumaon Mandal fromBagheshwaronSunday.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
THENARENDRAModi-ledBJP government is not punish-ingMoSHomeAjayMishra Teni,whose carwaspart of aconvoy thatmoweddown farmers in LakhimpurKheri inOctober, only toappease theBrahmincommunity,AIMIMchiefAsaduddinOwaisiallegedonSaturday,urgingMuslimsinUttarPradeshto“unite”forprotectingtheirowninterests.“Ihaveonlyonemissioninthisstate.Ihavecometoyou
with folded hands... Muslims in Uttar Pradesh muststrengthentheirleadership,”theAIMIMchiefsaidatarallyinMeerut. “If youwant education, jobs, respect, and free-domfrompolicetorture,youmustuniteyourself intoapo-liticalpower,”headded.Withelections totheUPAssemblyslatedforearlynext
year,theLokSabhaMPfromHyderabadhasbeencampaign-inghardinthestateaspartofhis ‘Mission22’,withthekeypitch of organising theMuslim community as a politicalforce. “ThereisaBJPleaderTeni.Aconspiracywashatchedandhis son’s vehicle crushed fourpeople.Modiwhocallshimselfaleader,doesn’twanttoupsetBrahmincommunityandthatiswhynoactionhasbeentakenagainsthim,”Owaisialleged,referringtoLakhimpurKheriviolence.
Muslims in UP mustunite, says Owaisi
Five Central Asian ForeignMinistersto discuss Afghanistan at Delhi table
4 Floor, Jeevan Tara Building, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001Notice under Section 19(4) of the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act.1993 read with Rule 12 & 13 of the Debts Recovery Tribunal (Procedure Rules) 1993).In the matter of OA NO. 82/2021/DRT-IIIPUNJAB NATIONAL BANK Vs SAVITA GUPTA & ORS.Applicant DefendantsTo,D-1 SMT. SAVITA GUPTA ,W/O- SH. VIPIN GUPTA PROP OF M/S VISAKOJE INC,173, SITE-II,
VIKAS PURI West, DELHI-110018 Also At. 19, 1ST FLOOR, PUNJABI BAGH EXT, DELHI-110026. Also At. B- 5, SHANKAR GARDEN, VIKASPURI, DELHI-110018. Also At. 805,8TH FLOOR, PEARLS OMAXE, NETAJI SUBHASH PLACE, PITAMPURA, DELHI-110034.Also At. VILLAGE BAYEN, TEHSIL GANAUR, DISTT SONEPAT, HARYANA-131101.Also At. NEAR RADHA SWAMI SATSANG BYAS, OPP MUBARAK OVERSEAS PVT LTD,VILLAGE BAI TEHSILGANAUR, SONEPAT, HARYANA-131101.
D-2 SH VIPIN KUMAR GUPTA S/0 SH JAI KISHAN GUPTA, R/0 B- 51 A, VIKASPURI, DELHI - 51AlsoAt.PLOTNO403,VIRATCOOPERATIVEGHS,PASCHIMVIHAR,WESTDELHI-110087
Whereas the above named applicant has instituted a case against you and whereas it has beenshown to the satisfaction of the Tribunal that it is not possible to serve you in ordinary way.Therefore, this notice is given by advertisement directing you to make appearance in this Tribunal10/01/2022 at 10.30A.M.
Take notice that in case of your failure to appear on the above mentioned day before this Tribunal,the case will be heard and decided in your absence.
Due to ongoing Pandemic Situation, all the matters will be taken up through VideoConferencing and for that purpose:-
(i) All theAdvocates/Litigants shall download the Cisco Webex application/Software;
(ii) Meeting ID and Password for the next date of hearing qua cases to be taken byRegistrar/Recovery Officer-l/ and Recovery Officer-II shall be available one day prior to thenext date at DRTOfficial Portal i.e. drt.gov.in under the Public Notice Head.
(iii) In any exigency qua that, theAdvocates/Letigants can contact the concerned official at Ph. No23748469.
Given under my hand and seal of the Tribunal on this 10th day of December., 2021.
By Order of the Tribunal
A “Walk-in-Interview” has been scheduled to beheld at Division of LPT, ICAR-IVRI,
thIzatnagar, Bareilly on January 5 2022, at11.00 AM for engagement of One JRF/JFFan inFSSAI funded NetSCoFAN project. Theengagement is purely temporary on contractualbasis and co-terminus with the project. NoTA/DA will be provided and no separateinterview letter will be issued for appearing in theinterview. For details, please visit ICAR-IVRIwebsite http://ivri.nic.in.
Walk-in-InterviewIZATNAGAR-243122 (UP)
ICAR-INDIAN VETERINARY RESEARCH INSTITUTEDivision of Livestock Products Technology
9THESUNDAYEXPRESS,DECEMBER19,2021
EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
NAVJEEVANGOPALCHANDIGARH,DECEMBER18
SIXYEARSafterincidentsofsac-rilegeandsubsequentpolicefir-ing at Behbal Kalan in Faridkotdistrictwheretwoanti-sacrilegeprotesters were killed in 2015and was a prominent factorwhichledtoahumiliatingdefeatof erstwhile SAD-BJP alliance in2017Punjabelections,thesacri-legesagacametocentrestageinpoll-boundPunjab again after amanwasbeaten todeath for anact of “desecration” in the holi-estofSikhshrines,DarbarSahib(theGoldenTemple).Ina setof three tweets, Chief
MinisterCharanjitSinghChannisaid “strongly condemned themost unfortunate and heinousact to attempt sacrilege of SriGuru Granth Sahib in the sanc-tum sanctorum of SriHarimandir Sahib during thepathofSriRehras Sahib; stronglycondemned themost unfortu-nate andheinous act to attemptsacrilege of Sri Guru GranthSahib;andcalledupSGPCpresi-dent and assured government’sfull support and cooperation toget intothebottomof thecase".AkaliDalpatronandfive-time
chief minister Parkash SinghBadaldescribed“theheinousat-tempt to commit sacrilege at
Sachkhand Shri HarmandarSahibasdeeplyshockingandex-ceedinglypainful”.He said that “thewhole con-
spiracy needs to be probed, ex-posed and those behind it begivenexemplarypunishment”.Badal’ssonandSADpresident
Sukhbir SinghBadal in awrittenstatementexpressed“shockanddisbeliefatthemostheinousout-rage of the attempt to commitsacrilege at our highest and theholiest shrine Sachkhand ShriHarmandarSahib”.Former chief minister Capt
Amarinder Singh tweeted,“Strongly condemn the horrificincidentofattemptedsacrilegeofSriGuruGranthSahibJiatDarbarSahib. Govtmust get to the bot-tomofwhatledthismantoactinsuchadespicablemanner!”Punjab BJP chief Ashwani
Sharma said, “It is most con-demnable act. It shouldbe thor-oughlyinvestigated.”SharmaalsoblamedtheCongressgovernmentinPunjabforfailingtotakeactioninthepastcasesofsacrilege.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, who has been cam-paigning in Punjab, tweeted,“People are in shock. This couldbe a very big conspiracy. Themost strict punishment shouldbemetedout to theculprits.”Akali leader Virsa Singj
Valtohasaidthatasperinforma-
tionwith him, the behaviour ofthemanwho committed dese-crationwas“normal”intheCCTVfootage and he was “alone”.Valtohaaddedthathadthemannotbeenoverpowered,hecouldhave committed “blasphemy ashe had entered the sanctumsanctorum and picked up thesword ofMaharaja Ranjit SinghlyingnexttoGuruGranthSahib”.Deputy Chief Minister
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa,who holds home portfolio,termed the incident "very con-demnable”.Randhawasaid,“Hadthe sacrilege accused not beenkilled,informationaboutthecon-spiracybehindtheactofsacrilegecould have been extracted fromhimandthetruthcomeout."Theminister,however,addedthatonsacrilege issue,membersof Sikhcommunityacton“emotions”.OntheBJPallegationsthatthe
Congressgovernmenthad“failed”to takeaction in thepast casesofsacrilege,Randhawasaidtheinci-dent on Saturday happened inGoldenTemplewhere thepolicewerenotallowedtoenter.This is thesecondincident in
about twomonthswhen some-one accused of desecrationwaslynched. In October, duringprotests over three farm laws, aman,LakhbirSingh,waslynchedatSinghuborderoverallegationsof sacrilege.
SUSHANTKULKARNIPUNE,DECEMBER18
INTHEongoing trial in the2013murder of anti-superstition ac-tivistandrationalistDrNarendraDabholkar, his son Dr HamidDabholkar(46),whowasexam-ined as a witness on Saturday,told a Pune court that his fatherhad submitted a file regardingtheactivitiesofSanatanSanstha,aradicaloutfit, tothestateAnti-TerrorismSquad.He also told the court that
throughSanatanPrabhat,adailypublished by Sanatan Sanstha,Dr Dabholkar had receivedthreats that said “you will bemadethenextGandhi”ifhecon-tinuedhisworkinthefieldofsu-perstitioneradication.Dabholkar(67)wasshotdead
by twopersonsonabridgenearOmkareshwar temple in PunecityonAugust20,2013.Thetrialofthecaseisbeingconductedbythe Special Court of AdditionalSessions JudgeSRNavandar.TheCBI,which tookover the
murderinvestigationfromPuneCity Police in 2014, haschargesheetedfiveaccused,allofthemallegedlylinkedtoSanatanSanstha. These are ENT surgeonDrVirendrasinhTawade,thetwoallegedassailantsSachinAndureand Sharad Kalaskar, Mumbai-basedlawyerSanjeevPunalekarand his aide Vikram Bhave. Ofthese, Tawade, Andure andKalaskar are currently in jail
while Punalekar and Bhave areoutonbail.On Saturday, Hamid, a prac-
tisingpsychiatristbasedinSatara,appeared before the court as awitness.Duringhisexaminationby the prosecution lawyer, DrHamid said, “Because of my fa-ther’swork in the fieldof super-stition eradication, there weremanyoccasionsonwhichheandoffice-bearers of organisationslike Sanatan Sanstha, who op-posedhiswork,hadarguments.“Sanatan Sanstha published
a daily newspaper namedSanatan Prabhat, which on sev-eraloccasionshadpublishedar-ticles againstmy father and hiswork. Those contained threatssaying if he continued theworkof superstition eradication, hewill bemadethenextGandhi.”OnwhatDabholkardid after
receiving these threats, Hamidsaid, “My father, through theMaharashtra AndhashraddhaNirmoolanSamiti,submittedafileagainstSanatanSansthatotheATSinMumbai. ...He continued hisworkdespitestrongopposition.”
SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,DECEMBER18
THE EXIT of “Metroman” ESreedharan from active politicsis a setback for the Kerala BJP,whichhascomeata timewhenit has been in dire straits. ThepartyunithasbeenonaslipperyslopesincetheKeralaAssemblypolls,heldinApril2021,inwhichit faredpoorly.In thewakeofwhatwasone
of its worst electoral perform-ances,thefissuresinthestateBJPhavewidened,withonesectionledbyPKKrishnadasandSobhaSurendran now staying awayfrom even its core committeemeetings. sulking over the “au-
tocratic style of functioning’’ ofthedominantfactionledbystatepartypresidentKSurendran.Several leaders have
switched to an “inactivemode”after Surendran, UnionMoS VMuraleedharanandstatesecre-tary (organisationalmatters)MGaneshgainedanupperhandinthe party affairs. Sreedharan'sbid to quit active politics hascomeatajuncturewhentheBJPhas beenwitnessing the exit of
workers from several districts,mainly insouthernKerala.“AftertheAssemblyelections,
around7,000partyworkershavequitBJPfromacrossthestate...ThespaceoftheBJPinKeralaisshrink-ing as no corrective steps havebeentaken,’’apartysourcesaid.Sreedharan'sexithasstarted
a debate in the BJP circles overwhetherthepartyhasbenefitedfromtheinductionofcelebritiesaswell as turncoats from otherparties. Sreedharan paid a pricein his home state, where he isreckonedas the lastwordon in-fradevelopment.Keralaassignedthe constructionof KochiMetrotoDMRCoverSreedharan'sasso-ciationwithit.ButafterhejoinedtheBJP,theCPI(M)unleashedanattackonhim.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
THE DEFENCE Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO)onSaturdaysuccessfullytested the new-generation nu-clear-capable ballistic missileAgni Prime from APJ AbdulKalam Island off the coast ofOdisha.This is the second time the
surface-to-surfacemissile wastested thisyearafter June.The government said in a
statement that various teleme-try,radar,electro-opticalstationsand down range ships posi-tioned along the eastern coasttrackedandmonitoredthemis-sile trajectory and parameters.Themissile “followed text booktrajectorymeeting all missionobjectiveswithhigh level of ac-curacy”, it said.Agni Prime is a newgenera-
tionadvancedvariantoftheAgniclass of missiles with range ca-pability between 1,000 and2,000km.Themissile is a “two-stage
canisterisedsolidpropellantbal-listic missile with dual redun-dant navigation and guidancesystem”, the statement said,adding that this “second flight-testhasproven the reliableper-formance of all the advancedtechnologiesintegratedintothesystem”.Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh congratulated DRDO forthe trial, thestatement said.DRDO Chairman Dr G
Satheesh Reddy too applaudedappreciated the efforts of theagency in the second flight trialfor themissile.
INDIAHAStoldfriendlycountrieslike the US, Russia and Francethat defence equipment for thecountry should bemadewithinIndia now, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh said on Saturday.Hementionedthat Indiacannotremain dependent on other na-tions for its securityneeds.Speaking at the annual con-
vention of the Federation ofIndian Chambers of CommerceandIndustry,Singhsaid,“Becauseof India’s stature, geographic lo-cationandthesecuritychallenges
facingthecountry,wecannotre-maindependentonothernationsfor defence technologies.We allunderstandthistruth.”Singh said that “most of the
countriesintheworldareIndia’sfriends”andmentionedthatre-centlyseniordelegatesfromtheUS, Russia and, a day ago,France’s DefenceMinister hadvisited. “I have told all thefriendlynations, thatkeepinginmind India’s security, wewantto manufacture all defenceequipmentwithin Indianow.”Singh said, “We are asking
theworldtocomemakeinIndia,make for India and tomake fortheworld.”
‘You will be made thenext Gandhi,’ Dabholkarwas told, says son in court
NarendraDabholkar
Exit of ‘Metroman’ from activepolitics big blow to Kerala BJP
PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
PRIME MINISTER NarendraModi onSaturday called retiredLieutenant General DS Hoodaand assured him that a requestofhissisterSushmaHooda,whois suffering from breast cancer,to help expedite the approvalandpurchaseof anewdrugwillbe considered, after the siblingsappealed tohimonTwitter.On Saturday afternoon,
SushmaHoodahadtweetedsheisrequestingthePrimeMinister“with great hope” to interveneand ensure early approval andpurchase of the drug TrodelvyfortheIndianmarketasitwouldgrant her and several others a“leaseof life”.Quotinghissister’stweet,for-
mer Lt Gen DS Hooda said onTwitter: “SushmaHooda ismysister, acancerpatientof severalyears with dwindling hope.Keeping sentiments aside ap-provalofthenewdrug(Trodelvy)maygiveafightingchanceofsur-vival to many like her.” A fewhours later, he tweeted again tosay he received a call from thePrimeMinister'sOfficeandspokewith PMModi, who expressed
hisconcernover thecase. “Trulyhumbled and honoured on re-ceivinghiscallandhiswordsthatthe casewould be looked into.Proud to be an Indian and evenprouderof thePM'spersonal in-tervention,”hewrote.LtGenHoodawastheGeneral
OfficerCommanding-in-Chiefofthe Indian Army's NorthernCommandwhenthe2016surgi-cal strikes tookplace. In2019,heheadedataskforceformedbytheCongress onnational security toprepareavisionpaper.In her appeal posted on
Twitter,Sushma,wifeofaretiredsenior armyofficer, said, “I havetriplenegativemetastaticbreastcancer which has very limitedtreatment options. But there ishope for us nowas theUS FoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)has tested andapproved as firstlinetreatmentanewdrugcalledSacituzumab Govitecanor(Trodely) inApril 2021.”Sushma said the European
medicinesAgencyhasapprovedthis drug for medical use inNovember2021.AfterIndianreg-ulator DCGl approves it and itreachestheArmyhospital, it cantake several months and costlives,whichcanbesavedthroughyourinterventiononly,shewrote.
PM calls retiredArmy officer overcancer drug request
MetromanESreedharan
Sacrilege returns toPunjab centre stage
ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI, DECEMBER18
AT LEAST six police teams aresearching for Rajenthra Bhalaji,formerTamilNaduministerandseniorAIADMKleaderwhoisac-cusedinajobscamestimatedatRs 3 crore and is reportedly ontherun.Bhalaji,whoheld theportfo-
lio of milk and dairy develop-ment in the previous AIADMKgovernment in the state, is ac-cused of cheating several job-seekersbyallegedlytakingbribesafterofferingthemjobsinAavin,thestate-runmilkproducer.The High Court rejected his
ment in two cheating cases tothe tune of Rs 3 crore. The firstcase is based on a complaint byone Raveendran who allegedthathepaidRs30lakhtoBhalaji,then aminister, for amanager’sjob in Aavin. He alleged he paidthrough former AIADMK func-tionary, Vijay Nallathambi. Theother complaint was filed byNallathambihimself,alleginghehadcollectedRs1.60crore fromdifferentpeople,asallegedlyin-structedbyBhalaji.
Job scam: Searchon for accusedTN ex-minister
New Delhi
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, DECEMBER18
LAL SALAAM, the debut novel ofUnionMinister forWomen andChildDevelopmentSmriti Irani,was formally launched in DelhiSaturday.Inadiscussionwithjournal-
ist Vir Singh at the launch,hosted by the Jaipur LiteratureFestival, Iranispokeof leavingaverysuccessfulcareer intelevi-sion to enter politics, living lifeon her own terms and how asearly aswhen shewas 10 or 11,she knew she wanted to dosomethingdifferent.“I recognised that the only
thing I wanted to do was livewithout preconditions. I recog-nised very early that there areconsequences for anydecision Itake.ButwhenIlefthome,Itoldmy parents I would rather beartheconsequencesofmyownac-tions thanyours,” shesaid.ThefaceofBalajiTelefilms’hit
series Kyunki Saas Bhi KabhiBahuThi(2000-2008), Iranihadbeenmade aminister by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi aftercoming to power in 2014. “Istepped out to livemy life andthenhistoryhappened,”shesaid.Published by Wetland, Lal
Salaam revolves around aSuperintendent of Policeposted in Chhatisgarh’sAmbuja village, who is in pur-suitof justice for themurderofhis friend and fellowpolice of-
ficer. Iranihassaidshedrewin-spiration from the April 2010MaoistambushnearChintalnar
village in Chhatisgarh’sDantewada district that killed76 CRPF personnel.
THE TELANGANA HigherEducation Department is re-viewing the effectiveness of itsonline classes after more thanhalf the Intermediate students(Classes 11 and 12) failed thefirst-year or Class 11 exam, re-sultsforwhichweredeclaredonThursday.Thestudentsarenowin Class 12 or second year, hav-ing beenpromoted enmasse inAprilasthefinalexamcouldnotbeheld inApril due toCovid.Only 49% of the students
cleared the exam, held by theTelangana State Board ofIntermediate Education (TSBIE)between October 25 andNovember3.Students frompri-vateinstituteswithbetteraccessto the Internet and digital de-vices fared better compared tothoseingovernmentones.Manyintheseinstitutes,knownasjun-ior colleges, in rural areas failedinall thesubjects.
Thestudentswhohavefailedhave to clear the subjects theycouldnotpassin,alongwiththefinal exam for second-year orClass12 tobeheldnextyear.The Students Federation of
India has been holding protestssaying the students should notbe made to pay a price for thelackof effective teachingduringonlineclasses.Syed Omer Jaleel, Secretary,
TSBIE, told The Sunday Expressthat they will hold a review oftheironlineclassesprogramme.“Idonotthinkthereisanyprob-lemwiththecontent,butthereissomeproblemwithhowitisbe-ing grasped by students,” Jaleelsaid,addingthatapartfromtele-casting classes onDoordarshanand over the TSBIE YouTubechannel, teachers held Zoomclasseswithstudents.Oneof the students toldThe
SundayExpressthattheydidnotexpect the “harsh evaluation”.“Wewere given the impressionthat itwasenoughtoappear forthe exam and the Boardwould
give passmarks,” said the stu-dent, adding that he failed inPhysics,andthatallofhisfriendsfailedat leastonesubject.A total of 4,59,242 students
appearedfortheexam–4,09,911inthegeneralstreamand49,331in vocational. While 1,99,786students passed in the generalstream, 24,226 vocational stu-dents passed. Girls fared betterin both streams, with 56% oifthem passing. An official said:“1,15,538 students secured Agrade,which isagoodsign.”
Education Minister SabitaReddysaidtheyviewtheresultspositively. “In spiteof all thedif-ficultiesduetothepandemic,thestudentshavedonewell.Wewillreevaluateallthis.Manystudentswant to get their answer sheetsreverified, and I have directedthat the reverification fee be re-ducedby50%. Students canalsotaketheexamagain,”Reddysaid.T Nagaraj, Secretary of the
SFI, which is sitting on protestoutside the TSBIE headquartersinHyderabad, said: “Amajorityof the students who failed arefromgovernmentjuniorcollegesliving in rural areaswhodidnothave proper access to Internetand digital devices. Many com-plainedthatonlineclasseswerenotenough.Theysaidtheycouldnot focus during these classes,anddidnotgraspmuchofwhatwas taught. We were floodedwithcomplaintsfromhundredsof studentswhen theBoard an-nouncedtheexam.”Nagaraj saidmany students
also took the exam lightly, as
theyhadalreadybeenpromotedto thenextclass.N Naryana, the president of
the Telangana Parents'Association, said they wantedthegovernmenttopassallthosewhohadfailed.“Wearesubmit-ting a memorandum to theEducation Minister that theyconduct reverification and givepassmarks.Otherwise, itwillaf-fect themorale of the studentsand theywill face theburdenofclearing the first-year backlogwith thesecond-yearexams.”TheTSBIE said its counsellors
havebeenapproachedbystudentstalkingaboutthecircumstancesoratmosphereattheirhomenotbe-ing conducive for online classes.Theyhavealsocomplainedaboutteachersnotintroducingsubjectsproperly andnot giving enoughopportunitiestocleardoubts.Aspartofthereviewexercise,
the EducationDepartmentwilllookattheneedtore-trainlectur-ers, tomonitor students' atten-dance, and to keep awatch onhowmuchtheyweregrasping.
THEEXAMSwere the firstserious test aftereduca-tional institutionsclosedonMarch25 lastyear. Theresults indicateaseriouslossof learningamongasectionof thestudents.
LossoflearningE●EX
PLAINED
Over50%fail Class 11 test, Telenganato revieweffectiveness of e-classes
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU,DECEMBER18
SIXMOREcases of theOmicronvariantofcoronavirushavebeendetectedinKarnataka,takingthestate’s tallyto14onSaturday.Ofthese, one is a passenger fromthe UK, while five others havebeen detected in two educa-tional institutions in DakshinaKannadadistrict.In one institution in the
Bantwalregionofthedistrict,fourteenagestudentswithno imme-diaterecordof foreigntravelhavebeenfoundtohavebeeninfectedwith the Omicron variant. Asmanyas13students—outof the282primaryandsecondarycon-tactsofthefourgirlsinfectedwithOmicron—havetestedpositiveforCovid, theKarnatakadiseasesur-veillanceunitreported.Thestatehealthdepartment
saiditwasaclustercasewiththeinfectedteenagersisolatedinthehostel and all the positive sam-ples “sent for genome sequenc-ing”. Theteenagersareunvacci-
nated and symptomatic with“fever, lossof tasteandsmell,” itsaid.Thestudents,allaged13-14years, tested positive onNovember22before their sam-ples were sent for genome se-quencing tocheck forOmicron.The fifth case, emerging out
ofanothercluster, inthatofa19-year-oldstudentataMangalorecollege.Sheisdoublevaccinated,is “asymptomatic andher vitalsare stable,” the state health de-partment said.A sixth person reported to
have been infected by theOmicron variant is an 18-year-old, doublevaccinated, interna-tionaltravellerfromtheUKwhoarrived with a Covid negativetest report onDecember 10 buttestedpositive at theBengaluruairport. “She is asymptomaticand her vitals are stable,” thehealthdepartment said.“IfyoucompareittotheDelta
variant, Omicron seems to bespreadingmorerapidly.Wehaveto be cautious inpublic spaces,”Karnataka healthministerDr KSudhakarsaidonSaturday.
Six fresh cases takeKarnataka tally ofOmicron cases to 14
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,DECEMBER18
A 29-YEAR-OLD man with atravelhistorytotheUShasbeendiagnosedwith the new CovidvariantOmicron inMumbai.Hehas been vaccinatedwith threedoses of Pfizer, according to theBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC).Theman landed inMumbai
onNovember9 fromNewYork.Later,theBMCtrackeddowntheflierandcollectedhisswabsam-plesfortheRT-PCRtestwhichre-turned positive for the virus.Followingwhich samplesweresent for genome sequencing toNational Institute of Virology(NIV), Pune, which confirmedthat he was infected with theOmicronvariant.According to the BMC, the
patientwasfullyvaccinatedwiththetwodosesofPfizer-BioNTechCovid-19vaccine,soldunderthebrand name Comirnaty, in theUS. Later, he also took a boostershotofPfizerwhichissupposedtoprovideadditionalprotectionagainstCovid-19.“Assaidearlier, thisvariant is
expected to causemore cases ofreinfectionandbreakthroughin-fections. But vaccination andboostermay help in decreasingthe severity of the infection. Butwewillhavetowaitfor3-4weeksto get a better understanding,”said National Covid task forcememberDrRahulPandit.The man is asymptomatic
andtwoofhishigh-riskcontactstested negative for coronavirus,theBMCsaid.Intotal,thecityhasrecorded14casesofOmicrontillFriday,includingthefivewhoarefrom outside Mumbai. Out ofthis, 13havebeendischarged.
Over 20,000 staffin J&K protestdecision ofmerging statepower gridsARUNSHARMAJAMMU,DECEMBER18
FROMLINESMEN to engineers,around 20,000 employees ofJammu and Kashmir’s PowerTransmission andDistributionCorporationswent onan indefi-nite strikeonSaturday toprotestagainsttheadministration’sdeci-sion to merge the Jammu andKashmirdivisionswiththePowerGridCorporationof India.The strike began after two
roundsof talksfailedtobreakthestalemate. Theprotesters—whosaid theywill ensure supply ofpowerforessentialservices--areopposed to themergerwith thecentralgovernmententity. ItwasannouncedbytheJ&Kadministra-tiononDecember4.Protesterspointedout that in
2019,aftertheerstwhilestatewasbifurcatedintoUnionTerritoriesofLadakh,andJammuandKashmir,the J&K Power DevelopmentDepartment was divided intoPowerTransmissionCorporationLtd. and Power DistributionCorporationLtd.forbothKashmirand Jammudivisions.While thePTCLsmaintaintransmissionlinesabove33KVintheirdivisions,thePDCLs take care of transmissionlinesupto33KVandthegridsta-tions,peopleawareof themattersaid.“Wehadalreadywarnedthegovernmentofsuchsituation(in-definitestrike),”aprotestingengi-neer said on the condition ofanonymity.Employeeleadersalsosaid that since the initial divisionof the Power DevelopmentDepartment in2019, staffmem-bers have not been paid theirsalariesontime.
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU,DECEMBER18
ASERIESofretaliatoryskirmishesover the last week betweenKannada andMarathi languagechauvinistsinBelagaviregionandparts of Karnataka andMaharashtraresultedinanattackonKarnatakapolice andgovern-mentvehiclesbyagroupof van-dalsinBelagaviaftermidnightonFriday, leading curfewbeing im-posedinBelagavicityonSaturdaytopreventfurtherincidents.AbustofarenownedKannada
warrior and freedom fighterSangolli Rayannawasdamaged,onepolicevehiclewasseton fireand several Karnataka govern-ment vehicleswere stoned in abrief spell of violence inBelagavicityearlySaturday.Noonewasre-portedinjured.Stating that “a few arrests”
havebeenmade,KarnatakaChiefMinister Basavaraj Bommai saidonSaturday,"OurDGPwillspeaktohiscounterpartinMaharashtraaboutsecurityforKannadigasandattacksonbusesandprivatevehi-cles fromKarnataka. OurHomeMinister will take up the issuewith hisMaharashtra counter-part. If necessary, Iwill speak totheMaharashtraCM.”Ontheallegeddesecrationofa
statue of Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj in Bengaluru earlier,Maharashtra Chief Minister
UddhavThackeray,inastatement,demanded immediate interven-tionof PrimeMinisterNarendraModiintheissuetostop“Kannadaatrocities”, and to instructKarnataka government to takeimmediate action against thoseinvolvedintheincident.Shiv Sena workers held a
protest outside theBJP’s office inMumbai’sNarimanPoint.The violence in Belagavi oc-
curredafterthewintersessionofKarnatakaAssembly—beingheldinBelagavi sinceDecember13—closedfortheweekendonFriday.On Saturday, the office of
Belagavicitypolicecommissionerstated in a release, “In view ofnight activities in Belagavi city,prohibitoryorder is imposedun-der section 144 CrPC fromSaturday8amtoSunday6pm,forBelagavipolicecommissionerateareawhich comprises Belagavitaluka.”Fourseparatecaseshavebeen
registered over the violence,whichwassimmeringbelowthesurfacesinceDecember13,whenMaharashtra Ekikaran Sangh(MES),a localpro-Marathipoliti-cal party, was prevented fromholdingaMahaMelavarallyout-sidetheAssemblyvenue.The rally has beenorganised
outsidethesamevenueinthepastby MES to seek unification ofMarathi areas of Belagavi withMaharashtra. OnDecember 13,Belagavi district administration
canceledpermissionfortherally,fearing clashes between pro-Marathi and pro-Kannada ac-tivists.Even after itwas cancelled a
Devani, from neighboringKolhapur inMaharashtra, whowas traveling to participate inMES’s rally, was sent back byBelagavi police on the groundsthattherallyhadbeencanceled.The MES, which has in the
past won seats in KarnatakaAssembly,subsequentlycalledfora Belagavi bandh onDecember14. The bandh call evoked onlypartial response inMaharashtrian-dominant areasof thecity.AKarnataka flagwas report-
edly burnt in protests held inKolhapuraroundthetimeoften-sion and this issuewas raised inKarnatakaAssemblybyJD(S)MLAMAnnadani,whomoveda cen-suremotion.ThecensuremotionwasadoptedbytheAssembly.Pro-Marathi activists subse-
quently allegedly damaged abustofKannadawarriorSangolliRayanna in Angol, southBelagavi, onFriday.
Curfew in Belagavi as govt carsattacked over desecration of bust
Booster shotin US, mantests positivefor Omicron
SOHINIGHOSHAHMEDABAD,DECEMBER18
JUSTICEGIRISHTNanavati,there-tired SupremeCourt judgewhoheaded the inquirycommissionsinto the1984anti-Sikh riots andthe 2002 Gujarat riots, passedawayathishomeinAhmedabadonSaturday.Hewas87.MaulikNanavati, his younger
sonwho is aGujaratHighCourtlawyer, saidNanavati had beensuffering from lung fibrosis anddiedfollowingaheartattack.In his inquiry report in the
2002riots,submittedintwoparts-- one in2008on theSabarmatiExpress fire; andanother in2014on the riots that followed,whichwasmadepublicin2019--JusticeNanavatigaveacleanchittothenGujarat chiefministerNarendra
Modi,andhiscouncilofministers.Terming JusticeNanavati as
“one of the finest judges” and a“great humanbeing”, AdvocateGeneral of GujaratKamalTrivedisaid, “Hewasamanwitha lot ofwarmth,notonlyforhisfamilybuteach and everyone, particularlythelargerfraternityoflawyers.Hewasverystraightforward.”SeniorGujaratHighCourtad-
vocate Yatin Oza saidNanavati“hadnobiasorfavoritism”.“Therewas nothingwhich could influ-ence him, and even under themostdifficult situations, hekepthisbalance.”Oneof the toughest episodes
ofNanavati'slifewasinvestigatingthe Gujarat riots. He was ap-pointedtoheadtheinquirycom-missionin2002.Trivedi said he “rendered a
great service” in theprobe. “The
NanavatiCommissionwentonfora very long time because, after2001, the state of Gujarat sawarollercoaster ride, andwhatwasright,whatwaswrong,was notknown tomanypeople... His re-port threw lighton the function-ingof thepolicedepartment, ap-proachofthestategovernmentas
well as the responsibilityof peo-pleatlarge.”Whenappointed tohead the
2002probe, JusticeNanavatiwasalready leadingaone-mancom-missionintothe1984riots.Hewaspicked in2000 to investigate theanti-Sikhviolence, threemonthsafterheretiredfromtheSupremeCourt, by theNDAgovernmentheadedbyABVajpayee,andsub-mittedhisreportin2005.Comparisonsweremadebe-
tweenthetwoprobes,particularlythefact thatwhile inthe1984in-vestigation,JusticeNanavatiexam-inedtwoformerprimeministersNarasimha Rao and I K Gujral,apart from several formerCongressministers, he did notsummonModiinthe2002probe.The terms of reference of theNanavati Commissionhadbeenexpanded in2004 to includeex-
amination of the role of the CMandhisCouncilofMinisters.Askedwhy the commission
thattherewasnoconspiracyinthepost-Godhrariots. "Theanger, to-getherwith hatred and resent-menttowardsMuslims,developedasaresultofpastevents...Theydonot appear tohave acted in thatmanner becauseof any induce-mentorinstigationbyothersorbe-causeofanyassuranceofbeliefthatpoliceorthegovernmentwillnottakeanyactionagainstthem...Themobs...werepreparedtodefylawandthepolicemen.Theywereouttopunish theMuslims forwhathappened toHindusatGodhra,”
thecommissionsaid.In the Sikh riot probe, Justice
Nanavaticlearlylinkedtheattackson Sikhs to the assassination ofthenPMIndiraGandhi.However,heclearedher successorandsonRajivGandhi,saying,“Thereisab-solutely no evidence suggestingthatShriRajivGandhioranyotherhigh rankingCongress(I) leaderhad suggested or organized at-tacksonSikhs.Whateveractsweredone, were done by the localCongress(I) leaders andworkers,and theyappear tohavedone sofortheirpersonalpoliticalreasons.Theydonotappear tohavedonesopurelyforpersonalreasons.”JusticeNanavati’sfatherwasa
practising lawyer at Jambusar,Bharuch,andhedidhisschoolingin theGujarat beforemoving toBombay forgraduationand thenlawstudies.Heenrolledasanad-
vocateat theBombayHighCourtin1958,andservedintheGujaratHighCourt,andasChief JusticeintheOrissa and KarnatakaHighCourts. JusticeNanavatiwas ap-pointed judge of the SupremeCourt inMarch1995, and retiredin2000.In his short stint of five-odd
months as the Karnataka ChiefJustice,JusticeNanavatileftan“in-deliblemark”,KarnatakaAdvocateGeneralPrabhulingNavadgi said.He recalledNanavati as “a strictdisciplinarian”. “Young lawyerstrembledtoenterhiscourtroom.”Mauliksaidthatinhislastdays,
“He (JusticeNanavati)was tryingtodetachhimself from the legalsystem, involvinghimself inphil-anthropic work.” Apart fromMaulik, JusticeNanavati is sur-vivedbyhiswifeandanotherad-vocateson,Dhaval.
GIRISH T NANAVATI
1935-2021
Head of panels that probed 1984 and 2002 riots, Justice Nanavati dead
I stepped out of my life andhistory happened, says Irani
PRO-MARATHA,KANNADAACTIVISTSFACEOFF
KERALA
CopdiesasboatcapsizesduringsearchformurderaccusedVarkala: A 27-year-oldpoliceconstabledrownedafter a country boat car-ryinghimandafewotherofficialscapsizedinback-waters here while look-ing for amurder case ac-cused on Saturday. Acircle inspector and an-other policeman, whowere on the boat, wererescuedbythelocals,po-lice said, while S Balu, aconstableattachedtotheSAP Battalion diedwhenthree-member policeteamwentforasearchina nearby area to nabOttakam Rajesh, one ofthe accused in amurderinPothenkode. PTI
PUNJAB
Cashexchangescam:ArmymanconvictedChandigarh: A GeneralCourt Martial atChandimandir militarystation has convicted aLieutenantColonel of theArmy Postal Service in acurrency exchange scamthattookplaceafterthede-monetisationofRs500andRs1,000notesin2016.Thescam,which tookplaceat1CentralBasePostOfficeinNewDelhi,involvedasumof Rs 2.47 crore. Lt ColSudhir Kumar Singh hasbeen foundguilty on twochargesoffalsifyingofficialdocuments andmakingfalse statements. He hasbeen sentenced toapun-ishment of forfeiture oftwo years of service forpensionarypurposes. Theverdictofthecourt-martialand the punishment,whichhas beenawardedwill nowhave to be con-firmedby the conveningauthorityofthecourt-mar-tial.~ ENS
BRIEFLY
SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD,DECEMBER18
THEMUSLIMshopkeepersoftheSri BhramarambaMallikarjunaSwamy Temple complex inKurnool district in AndhraPradesh have hailed theSupremeCourt’sorderdirectingthatpeople fromother faithsal-ready holding shop licences inthetemplepremisesmustnotbebarred fromparticipating in theauction for shops.Theauctioningprocessinthe
premisesof thistemple—popu-larlyknownastheSrisailamtem-ple — had been put off by thestategovernmentinAugust2019after some Hindu groups op-
posed participation of non-Hindus in it citing the APCharitable andHindu ReligiousInstitutionandEndowmentsAct,1987, which bars non-Hindusfromoperatingnear temples.An apex court bench of
JusticesDYChandrachudandBV
Nagarathnadirected that “noneofthetenants/shopholdersshallbe excluded from participatingin the auction or from the grantof leasessolelyonthegroundoftheir religion”.ThedirectionwasgivenFriday
in two petitions—one filed by agroupof21Muslimshopkeepersof Srisailam, and another, a con-temptpetition, filedbyownerofa shop outside Kanaka DurgatempleatVijayawada.Thebenchcombinedbothpetitions.InJanuary2017,theSrisailam
temple administration hadtaken up widening of the twomainapproachroadstothetem-ple, for which at least 50 shopshad to be demolished. The ad-ministration had assured shop
owners that new shops wouldbe allocated to them nearby.Among the 50 shop owners are21Muslims.The temple administration
built the Sri LalithambikaShopping Complex for newshops,butwhentheauctionwastobeheldin2019,severalHindugroupsledbyBajrangDalandlo-cal BJPmember SrikanthReddyobjectedtoparticipationbynon-Hindus, citing theAPCharitableandHindu Religious InstitutionandEndowmentsAct,1987.While the state government
halted the auction,Minister forEndowments VellampalliSrinivasa transferred the tem-ple’s Executive Officer (EO) tocooldowntempers.
MANISHSAHULUCKNOW,DECEMBER18
TENSIONPREVAILEDatavillageinBareillyonSaturdayafterpeo-ple from two communitiesclashedoverallegedharassmentof a schoolgirl by threeyouths.After the incident, two com-
munities peltedeachotherwithstones andopened fire, said po-lice.Three youths— identified as
Majid, Sajid and Faheemwhowork as labourers — have beenbooked under charges of mo-lestationandrelevantsectionsofthePOCSOAct,saidapoliceoffi-cer. Police said theywere carry-
ingoutraidstotracetheaccused.In a second FIR, one
Himanshuandtwounidentifiedpersons have been booked ontheattempt tomurdercharge.Policesaidwhenthegirlwas
returningfromschool, thethreeyouths, intheir20s,passedlewdremarks and tried to get hold ofherhandnearherhouse.Thegirl’sparentsreachedthe
houseofoneoftheaccused,whodeniedtheallegation,policesaid.Afterinterventionofvillagers,thegirl’s family returned home. Ontheirway, the family spotted thethreeyouths.Seeingthecommo-tion,members of both commu-nities gathered there. The alter-cationsoonturnedugly.
Srisailamtemple
‘Harassment’ of girl sparksclashes in Bareilly village
SRISAILAMTEMPLE
Muslim shopkeepers of temple complex hail SC order
Rakesh Tikaitrules outcontestingUP electionsMeerut: I have no intention ofcontesting the upcomingAssembly elections in UttarPradeshnorthe2024LokSabhapolls, Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) spokesperson RakeshTikait – one of the prominentfaces of the farmers’ year-longagitation–saidonSaturday.Tikait, a Jat leader fromwest
Uttar Pradesh,made the remarkafter Samjawadi Party chiefAkhileshYadavsaidonDecember16hewouldwelcomeif thefarmleader fought the state electionsfromanSPticket.ThankingYadavfortheinvitation,Tikaitsaidhewillnotcontestpolls."Wewillkeepaneyeonworkingofthegovernmentbyremainingoutside,"hetoldre-porters inUP’sShamli. "Iwillnei-ther contest upcomingUPelec-tionsandnortheLokSabhapollsin2024,"hesaid. ENS
New Delhi
THESCALEisstriking.TheKashiVishwanath temple, with itsrefurbishedgoldendomeandflanking spires, stands in thenewly built sandstone court-
yard. The arches of the viewing gallery andshopping arcade — part of the 330-metreKashi Vishwanath corridor that stretchesfrom the temple complex to the Ganga’sLalita Ghat — are still adorned with themarigoldflowersthatwerestrungforthein-auguration of the Rs 800-crore KashiVishwanath Dhamproject, covering 5,000hectares. The architecture is splendid in itssymmetry.And in its isolation.Outside, the throbbingcity—with itsal-
leys anda temple at every turn, its tea stallssupplyingchaiandendlessgupshup—looksdistant. The adjacentGyanvapimosque ap-pears now visuallymuch smaller. This is anewVaranasi, anewproject.
■ ■ ■
EversincethecorridorwasinauguratedbyPrimeMinisterNarendraModionDecember13, thecityhasn’thadabreather.MinistersoftheYogiAdityanathCabinet, their families intow,have startedvisiting.Meanwhile, anen-tourageof 100mayors toucheddownfor theAllIndiaMayors’ConferenceonDecember17.Forafortnight,amusicalextravaganzawill
wide, has been the talk of the temple town,thoughitwillbeawhilebefore it’sopenedtothepublic.OnaThursday afternoon, the red carpet
rolledout a couple of days ago for PMModihasbeenrolledbackin,whilethetemporarysteps,where labourers sat as the PMshow-eredthemwith flowerpetals, arebeingdis-mantled.With Phase 1 inaugurated, menandmachinesarebacktoworkingroundtheclock tocomplete therestof theproject.VaranasiCommissionerDeepakAgrawal
toldTheSundayExpress:“Thereisa330-me-tre distance between Lalita Ghat and thetemple. That has been redeveloped as a di-rect corridor between theGanga and KashiVishwanath temple. That’s Phase 1 of theproject,which thePMinaugurated."Thefirstphaseentailedamassiveexpan-
sionof thetemplecomplex—from3,500sqft to5 lakhsqft.Oneithersideof thecentralcourtyard, called the Mandir Chowk, arepublic conveniences, handicraft andsouve-nier shops. The larger Kashi VishwanathDhamcomplexalsohasa resthouse forpil-grims, a gallery featuring the “spiritual tra-ditions” of India, museums, a food court, a‘spiritualbookshop’, abookshopandahos-pice. Besides, thereareviewinggalleries forapanoramicviewof thecityandtheriver.Phase2of theprojectmovestotheother
end—theriverside—andwillfeatureamas-sive jetty station, and 82 sandstone stepsleading from the ghat to the corridor en-trance. There will also be escalators and arampforeasyaccess.Oncethisphaseiscom-plete, devotees can, purportedly like in an-cient times, takeadip in the river, andcarryholywater to the temple.Speakingafter inauguratingtheproject,
thePMsaid, “VishwanathDhamis a testa-ment to India’s cultureandancienthistory.It is a testament tohowour ancient valuesareguidingus towardsour future.”Hethenadded, “Whenyoucomehere, youwillnotonlysee faith.Youwill also feel thegloryofyourpasthere.Youwill seehowpracheenta(ancient) and naveenta (modern) comealive together.”Bimal Patel, Director, HCP Design, the
Ahmedabad-based firmthat is implement-ing the project, points out, “It is possible tocreate an architectural vocabulary that jux-
taposesthemodernwiththetraditional.ThekeylearningfromPhase1hasbeenthateveninadenseurbansetting,itispossibletobringabout a transformative change. And seem-inglyimpossiblelogisticalchallengescanbetackled in a straightforward manner if aproblem-solvingapproach isapplied.”The logistical challenges that Patel refers
to include razing of asmany as 300 smallbuildingsthatcameinthewayoftheproject.OutoftheRs800croreearmarkedfortheproj-ect,Rs450crorehasbeenspentonpurchaseand rehabilitation, says CommissionerAgrawal. Itwas not dealt like a “typical landacquisition”,hesays,butwasauniquemodelwhere deals were carried out individuallywiththeownersof theseproperties.So,formorethanayear,Agrawaladds,of-
ficials of the administration satwith houseandshopowners, tenants, evenencroachersorthosewhodidn’thavelanddeeds,andne-gotiated amutually agreeable price, whichwas paid and a proper ownership transferdeedwas executed. “We have been able toamicablysettle1,400peoplewithoutanylit-igation;everyonewasgivenaone-timereha-bilitation grant,” he says, adding that theprocess of rehabilitation is over. “We don’tneedtodealwithasinglepersonorpropertynow;onlytheconstructionpart ispending.”Patel adds, “In the second phase, the
sewagetreatmentplantinfrontofLalitaGhatwill be relocated... New facilitieswill be cre-atedforManikarnikaGhat,andacaféwillbeadded atop LalitaGhat. Therewill beno fur-therdemolitiononsiteforthisproject.”Around 22,000 people visit the temple
on a daily basis, which goes up to a lakh onfestivedays,Agrawalsays,adding,somethinghadtobedone.
■ ■ ■
Padampati Sharma, in his 50s, a veteransports journalistwho also describes himselfasasocialworker,sayshishouseatLahoriTolawasdemolishedtomakewayforthecorridor.Hewasamongthefirsttoprotest.Adayafter
officialsvisitedhisplace,hewroteaFacebookpostthreateningtocommitsuicideifthegov-ernmentputtheplanintoaction.“Wehadour ancestral house in the area.
officialsofferedadealhecouldn’trefuse.“WegotmorethanRs4croreforourhouse,whichwedividedamongallclaimants.Themoneyisuseful.Itwillhelpinsecuringthefutureofourchildren,”hesays.Henowliveswithhisfam-ily in an apartment complex around 4 kmfromthetemple.Buthemissesacertainwayof life thatde-
finedthecityanditscrampedneighbourhood.“Welivedinthatmohallaforgenerations...Theneighbourswereourfamily.Atthesmallestofproblems,200peoplewouldconvergetohelpeachother out,” he says, before adding, “Butwhathascomeupisalsosignificant.”HarvardUniversityprofessorDianaLEck
alsoexpressesacertainsenseof loss.Eck,au-thorofBanaras,CityofLight (AlfredKKnopf;1982),whowasa student at BanarasHinduUniversity in the late ’60s, says, “There arehundredsof temples, largeandsmall, someareinsidehomes...onthewayside.Andnoneis neglected. It is this density of the sacredthat isespecially important. InelevatingtheKashiVishvanathTempletothesupremepo-sitionand imagining that theGanga shouldbevisiblefromthecorridor, theplancreatesa fiction thathasneverbeenpartof thehis-toryofKashi.”Agrawal, however, counters, “We have
restoredseveralhistoric temples thatwerediscoveredwhen thebuildingswerebeingremoved.Also,wehavebuiltaDevDarshangallerywhereartefactsandreligiousobjectsdiscovered from the homes of people willbedisplayed.”At Kashi Tea Stall, in one of the cramped
lanes near Dashashwamedh Ghat, GauriShankar Yadav, a resident of Varanasi, is sip-pingchaiwithhistwofriends,bothpriestsatsmallertemplesnearby.Yadavclaimstohave
beenaCongressvoteroncebutnowbackstheBJPbecauseofModi’splansfor“Hinduregen-eration”. He ismore accommodating of thecorridoranditsplaceinVaranasi.“It’s likewemovefromdhoti to trousersandsari to jeanstosuitthetimes.Butandarhiandar (deepin-side),don’tweremainthesame?”
■ ■ ■
GateNo.4,themainentrypointtothetem-ple,isnearGodowliaChowk,banginthemid-dleofacrowdedbazaar.OnaThursdaymorn-ing,asdevoteesthrongthegateinthemidstofthemarket chaos, VijayGoswami, a residentof theneighbouringManikarnikaGhat area,who teaches at a local school, turns upwithfoldedhands.“Upar jao tomeramessage le jana, please
(Please pass on amessage fromme to thehigher-ups). The roads here are so crowdedthroughout the day...What if an ambulancehastopass?Theproblemisnot thedevotees,but thisunendingstreamofVIPvehicles,”hesays,beforedisappearingintothecrowds.Metresawayfromtheheavingmassofpeo-
pleatthegate,SabiurRahman,whosellstow-elstotouristsatDashashwamedhGhat,says,“Idon’tthinkthiscrowdisanythingnew.Thecityhasalwayshadvisitors.Basabsiyasataurhuku-matkekaaranmandir-masjidkibaatkuchzyadahone lagi hai (It’s just that there ismorecom-munaltalknowbecauseofpowerandpolitics)."Nirmala Devi, who sells flowers outside
thelaneleadingtotheoldentrance,says,“Wehave heard the corridor is good but haven’tseen it. But Idon’t think itwillmakeanydif-ference toour lives.Corridor is forVIPs.Yatrito isi puraane raaste se phool le kar jayenge(Pilgrimswill take this same old route andtakeflowers tooffer tothedeity).”Santosh Majhi, a boatman, is excited
abouttheproject—andtheprospectsfortheBJPasitpreparesforacrucialAssemblyelec-tion. “The temple complex can now house60,000-70,000people...Thesepeoplewouldotherwise have been crowding our roads.Thecityhaschangedsomuchinthelastfiveyears. IfYogijicomesbackin2022, itwillbe-come even better. And if Modiji returns in2024,Kashiwill becomeKyoto.”ClosetoLalitaGhat,amidthegrowlofJCBs
and other heavy equipment, tourists fromKolkataaretakingaleisurelyrideontheGanga.Atonepoint,theboatmandropshisoar,slowsdownandannounces:“ThisisthespotwhereModiji took a dip onMonday.” The groupshoutsout:“JaiSriRam!”
Ashe inauguratedtheRs800-croreKashiVishwanathDhamcorridor,PMModicalled it “thebridgebetweenthepastandfuture”.DIVYAAvisitsVaranasi, oneof theoldest livingcities in theworld,wherethecorridorhasshapednewlinks, thougha fewothershavesnapped.PhotographsbyRENUKAPURI
Eternal, with layers ofhistory, maze of politicsRAKESHSINHA
ONANOctobermorningin1990,hundredspackedthenarrowlanesofAyodhya,cheer-ingmenwho had scaled thewalls of thethen disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-BabriMasjid siteandraced to thedomes, carry-ing a saffron flag. “Ayodhya toh sirf jhaankihai, KashiMathura baaki hai (Ayodhya is atrailer, Kashi andMathura still remain)”was their chant.To reporters onwhat had become the
‘Ayodhya beat’, Kashi andMathurawereports of call, the disputes there linked to amovementgatheringsteam,changingpoli-tics,andthecountry.TheBabriMasjid’sdays,youcouldtell,werenumbered.A little over 200kmaway, Vishwanath
Galibustledwithlife.Shopkeeperscalledouttopilgrims,andself-styledguidespromiseda touranddarshanofKashiVishwanath for“whateveryouthinkisright”.Aware of the events unfolding in
Ayodhya, a guidewould leadpilgrims to astatueofNandistaringinthedirectionoftheadjacentGyanvapimosque. “Nandi alwaysfacestheLord, sonowyouknowwherethereal garbhagriha (sanctumsanctorum) is,”theguidewouldsaytogaspsandnodsfromthosearoundhim.Kashi is timeless, more eternal than
Rome,andranksamongtheoldestcontin-uously inhabited cities of theworld. Linesthat separate fact and fiction, history andmyths,folkloreandtextsalwaysgetblurredhere.Sonooneblamedtheguides,orcon-testedtheiraccountsofhowthetempleatKashi came into being,was destroyed, re-built overcenturies.To thedevout, it is theholiest of places,
oneofthe12jyotirlingasiteswhereShivaap-pearedinhisinfiniteformasacolumnoflightwithnobeginningorend.Anotheraccount— and this findsmention in a petition onwhichaVaranasicourt,inAprilthisyear,or-deredanarchaeological surveyof theKashiVishwanathTemple-GyanvapiMosquecom-plex,laterstayedbytheAllahabadHighCourt—saysthetemplehasexistedsincetimeim-memorial, andKingVikramaditya recon-structedit2,050yearsago.Mostaccountssaythetemplewasrazed
ontheordersofMughalEmperorAurangzeband theGyanvapimosquewasbuilt at thesiteinthe17thcentury.Historian Audrey Truschke, in
Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth, too,notes: “Aurangzeb brought the bulk ofBenares’s Vishvanatha Temple down in1669. The temple had been built duringAkbar’s reign by RajaMan Singh, whosegreat-grandson, Jai Singh,many believedhadhelpedShivajiandhissonSambhajiflee
from the Mughal court in 1666... TheGyanvapi Masjid still stands today inBenareswith part of the ruined temple’swall incorporated intothebuilding.”The temple that is Kashi Viswanath to-
daywas built on an adjacent site in 1776-1780bytheHolkarruler,AhilyabaiofIndore.In 1991, as theAyodhya templemove-
ment pickedpace, theKashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapidisputeendedupinthecourtroom.Asuitsoughtrestorationofthetempleatthesitewhere the Gyanvapimosque stands.Fearful, Muslims filed petitions in theAllahabadHighCourtoverthemaintainabil-ityof thesuit.Itwas the year the PVNarasimhaRao
governmentbrought thePlacesofWorship(SpecialProvisions)Actwhichmandatesthatthenatureofallplacesofworship,excepttheone inAyodhya thatwas thenunder litiga-tion,willbemaintainedasitwasonAugust15, 1947, and that no encroachment of anysuchplacepriortothedatecanbechallengedincourts.TheActshieldedKashiandMathura,but
BabriMasjidwas torndownayear later. Toleaders of theRamtemplemovement, thelawwas a stumbling block. The SupremeCourt, in its November 2019 ruling on theRam Janmabhoomi-BabriMasjid title suitwhichwent in favour of theHinduparties,called the Act “a legislative interventionwhichpreservesnon-retrogressionasanes-sential featureofoursecularvalues”.But thisMarch, nearly 30years after its
enactment, the SupremeCourt sought theCentre’s response on a PIL challenging theconstitutionalvalidityof theAct.Lessthanamonthlater,aVaranasicourt,
noting that “thematter indisputepertainstohave connectionwithourdeephistory”,ordered the Director General ofArchaeologicalSurveyofIndiato“getacom-prehensive archaeological physical survey”done of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-GyanvapiMosquecomplexand“findoutastowhetherthereligiousstructurestandingatpresentat thedisputedsite isasuperimpo-sition, alteration or addition or there is astructural overlappingof anykind,with orover,anyreligiousstructure”.The judge rejected the argument that
steppedin.ItstayedtheVaranasicourtorder,sayingaHighCourt“caninterfereinordertokeepthetribunalsandCourtssubordinatetoit‘withintheboundsoftheirauthority’”and“theCourtbelowshouldwaitfortheverdictinthepetitionspendingbeforethisCourtandnot toproceed further in thematter till thetimeajudgmentisdelivered”.
THEWINTERSessionofParliamentcom-mencedonNovember29,2021.TheLokSabha is debating Bills, motions, etc.everyday.Discussiononseveralsubjectshastakenplace.ButtheRajyaSabhaisinturmoil. The issue that hangs as a darkcloudovertheRajyaSabhaisthesuspen-sion,onthefirstdayof thesession,of12membersof theHousebelongingtodif-ferentOppositionpartiesfortheremain-derof thesessionuntilDecember24.The entire Opposition is agitated,
somemore,someless.AlltheOppositionparties protested together,marched to-gether and addressed the media to-gether. InsidetheRajyaSabha,however,whilesomerefusedtoparticipateinanymanner, some asked questions duringQuestion Hour or made SpecialMentions. In the lobbies and in theCentralHall, thereareconflictingviews.Outside the House, the 12 suspendedmembers, sittingonadharnaat the footof Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, are in-censed.It isanunprecedentedsituation.
THE ORIGIN, THESURPRISE
The genesis of the dispute is whathappenedonthe lastdayof theprevioussession—August 11, 2021. According tothe Parliamentary Bulletin Part I of thatday,certainmembers“enteredthe‘well’oftheHouse,displayedplacards,shouted
slogansandpersistentlyandwilfullyob-structed the proceedings of theHouse.”TheBulletinlistedthenamesof33mem-bers.Noactionwastakenorhintedat.Whathappened— if true—wasun-
fortunate but not unprecedented. ArunJaitley,aformerLeaderoftheOpposition,had once declared that obstructing thebusiness of the Housewas a legitimateparliamentarytactic. Inanyevent,thein-cidenthadoccurredonthelastdayoftheprevious session and at 7.46 pm onAugust11theHousehadbeenadjournedsinediewithout takinganyaction.WhatstartedonNovember29wasa
new session. Theproceedings startedat11 am. After obituary references, theHouse was adjourned for an hour as amark of respect, it reconvened at 12.20pmandnormal businesswas resumed.Afterthelunchrecess,at2pm,theFarmLawsRepealBillwastakenupandpassedwithoutadiscussionat2.06pm(onthat,Ishallreservecomment).TheHousewasadjournedandre-assembledat3.08pm.Outof theblue, aministermovedamo-tion to suspend 12members for the re-mainingpart of the session, themotionwas adopted, members protested, buttheHousewasadjournedat3.21pm(ac-cording to the Parliamentary BulletinPart IdatedNovember29.)
CONTENTIOUS RULEOn the next day, the suspended
membersbeganadharna. It has contin-ued for threeweeks. Thegovernment isnotwillingtobudge;theChairmanisnotwillingtonudgethegovernmenttoyield.TheRule that applies to suspension
of amember is Rule 256 (see box). TheRule isclear.Theverbatimrecordof theRajya Sabha does not show that anymember was named on August 11. Itwas only when the Rajya Sabha re-as-sembled at 3.08 pm on November 29that the Minister of ParliamentaryAffairsmovedamotion to suspend the12members, and the Bulletin says themotionwas adopted. Therewas no at-tempt to put the motion to the Houseortakeavote.Oppositionmembersareunanimous that a vote was not taken.TheTreasuryBenchesdonotrefutethatposition.Several questionswere sought to be
raised in the House. Canmembers besuspended in a new session for allegeddisorderly conduct in the previous ses-sion?Canmembersbesuspendedwhennoneofthemwas‘named’onAugust11?Canmembersbesuspendedonamotionthatwas not voted uponby theHouse?While33memberswereaccusedofdis-orderly conduct,whywereonly12 sus-pended?WhywasMrElamaranKareem,who did not figure in the list of 33, sus-pended? These questions were not al-lowed to be raised in the House, andhencethereisnooptionbuttoraisethemin thepublicdomain.
DEMOCRACYDIMINISHEDOn December 16, the Opposition
moved amotion under the proviso toRule256(2),whichallowedamotion tobemoved“atanytime”toterminatethesuspension of the members. ThePresidingOfficerrejectedthemotionontechnical—andquestionable—grounds.If thosewhohave the right to speak
(the Opposition) are not allowed tospeak,andif thosewhohavethedutytohear (the government) plug their ears,democracy isdiminished.
RULE256SUSPENSIONOFMEMBER1. The Chairmanmay, if he deems it
necessary, name amemberwho disre-gardstheauthorityoftheChairorabusestherulesoftheCouncilbypersistentlyandwilfullyobstructingthebusinessthereof.2. If a member is so named by the
Chairman, he shall forthwith put thequestion on amotion beingmade, noamendment,adjournmentordebatebe-ing allowed, that themember (naminghim) be suspended from the service ofthe Council for a period not exceedingtheremainderof thesession:Provided that the Council may, at any
time,onamotionbeingmade,resolvethatsuch suspensionbe terminated.3. Amember suspended under this
ruleshall forthwithquit theprecinctsoftheCouncil.
Right to Speak, Duty to Hear
The Rule is clear. Theverbatim record of the Rajya
Sabha does not show thatany member was named on
August 11. It was only when itre-assembled on November29 that a motion was movedto suspend the 12 members.There was no attempt to putthe motion to the House ortake a vote. The Opposition
is unanimous that a vote wasnot taken. The Treasury
VETTING SCRIBES?ThePress InformationBureauhasnotyetbeguntheprocesstorenewaccreditationof journalists for next year. Normally ac-credited correspondents are asked toap-ply for renewal of passes for the comingyearbyearlyNovember.Apparently,anex-ercise to revise press accreditation rulesandmake themmorecontemporaryandweed out “undeserving journalists” —which started under former Informationand Broadcasting minister PrakashJavadekar — is still underway. Journalistbodiesapprehendthat theright todefinewho is entitled to aPIB card andhaveac-cess to government offices smacks of anattempttocontrolthemediabycuttingoffthose hostile to the regime. The exampleset in drastically curbing the number ofnewspersons permitted to enterParliament during the sessions does notinspire confidence. Journalists now gainentry toParliament’s press galleryon thebasisof a lotterysystem,eventhoughtheCovidthreathasabatedandmostrestric-tivemeasures in Parliament lifted.Withthe scrutiny of the list of accredited jour-nalistsstillon,2021PIBpassesmightstayvalid tillMarchnextyear.
WRONG DIVERSIONSonia Gandhi appointedDigvijaya SinghtoheadaStrategyCommitteetoconsiderhow best to highlight inflation, theCongress’skeycampaignplank.Sinceper-mission was denied to hold a rally inDelhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the venuewasshifted to Jaipur, where Ashok Gehlot isChief Minister. (A tactical mistake sincepeoplenormally blame the state admin-istration for rising prices.) However, theCongressbrainstrustdidnotbargainthatRahul Gandhi would completely divertfrom themain issue and launch into anearnestexplanationof thedifferencebe-tween Hinduism and Hindutva. His re-markswere toophilosophical for theav-eragelistenerandheplayedintotheBJP’shands since the rulingparty, fearing thatit isonaweakwicketonprices, iskeentoexploit the Hindutva card in UP. In the2019generalelections, too,Gandhidrewattention away from the issue of prices,focusinginsteadontheslogan“Chowkidarchorhai’’,whichdidnotgodownwellwithvoters. The de-facto Congress presidentoftenactsspontaneouslywithoutconsult-ing advisers. Incidentally, the Jaipur rallywasorganisedbyGehlot,whowas taken
abackwhenhisarchrivalSachinPilotgotthe maximum applause when Gandhimentionedhisname.
JUDICIAL INDISCRETIONInhisautobiography,formerChief JusticeRanjan Gogoi counters thosewho ques-tion the lack of transparency in judicialappointments by explaining that if thenegative information against a bypassedjudge was disclosed, it would cause“avoidable embarrassment”. However,Gogoi isnothimself coyaboutdisclosingconfidential notes on the basis of whichcertain Justices were denied SupremeCourtappointments.Healsoattempts tosettlescoreswithformercolleagueswhoaccused him of impropriety, by allegingthat Justices J Chelameswar andMadanLokur“barteredtransfersoftheirfavouritejudges fromonehigh court to another inthe collegiummeetings’’. He rakes up an11-year-old FIR implicitly concerning aformer SupremeCourt colleague to sug-gest “double standards’’!
PATERNAL PATA video of UP Chief Minister YogiAdityanath plodding on foot behindModi’scavalcadeinSaharanpurwasglee-fully tweeted byAkhilesh Yadav tomockthewaytheCMistreatedbyhispartyboss.AdityanathmaynothavebeenModi’sfirstchoiceasCM,butinthiscrucialAssemblyelection, thePMis, in fact,goingoutofhisway to demonstrate his regard forAdityanath,praisinghimandgettingpho-tographed with him regularly. At theVaranasi railway station, he put his armaround the ChiefMinister for the benefitofphotographers.
AI’S MANY SECRETSCaptain Shakti Lumba, whowas closelyassociated with Indian Airlines fordecades,hasmanysecrets toshare inhisbook The Old Bold Pilot, explaining whythe national carrier went downhill.Lumba recalls the power of the pilots’union. For instance, in 1992, then PMNarasimha Rao acceded to the union’sdemand that the minister concerned,Madhavrao Scindia, and the airlinesChairman and Managing Director besacked.TheauthorexplainshowtheCivilAviationMinistry circumvented the AirCorporation Act, which did not permitanyscheduledairlinebesidesthetwona-tional carriers, by turning a blind eye tothe so called air-taxi operators placinghoardings at the airport and at their of-fices displaying own flight timings andfare.Another interestinginsidertale isoftheminister whosewife was employedbyIndianAirlines,andwhousedthePMOtogethiswifemadeinchargeofAllianceAir’s in-flightdepartment.
THE UNION Cabinet has cleared a pro-posal to increase the minimum age ofmarriageforwomento21years.Thewell-intentionedmove,however,mayhaveun-intendedconsequences.Ifsocialproblemscouldbesolvedsoeasily, Indiawouldnotbeoneof themostmalnourishednationsin theworld, itswomenamongthemostanaemic, its sex ratio skewed.The proposal can be faulted on two
counts — one, that it does not focus onwhatreallymatters toensure it;andthatit ignores theharmsof such legislation.The minimum age of marriage has
been 18 years since 1978. Clearly law byitself has not solved the problem. About
23%ofgirlsinthe20to24agegroupweremarriedunder the ageof 18 as perNFHS5 (2019-21) — a steep fall from 47% inNFHS 3 (2005-06) and 27% in NFHS 4(2015-16). There is now substantial evi-dence that the two factorswhich led or-ganicallytothisisaccesstosecondaryed-ucationforgirlsandreductioninpoverty.Girlswith 12ormore years of educa-
tion,marryonanaverage five years laterthan girls with no education. We haveseen that disruption in both these —schoolingofgirlsandaccesstolivelihoods—duringCovid led toearlymarriages.Our experience show that girls drop
outofschoolsforvariousreasons,suchasunavailability of secondary schools, lackof separate toilets in schools, no facilitiesformenstrualhygiene,andsexualharass-ment,making travelunsafe.
Reasons forearlymarriagesof girls inthecasestudiesOxfamIndiadocumentedrangefrompovertyandschooldrop-outs,toelopementorfearofelopementofgirls,andboys’familieswantingfreelabourforhousehold work. Patriarchal norms fo-cused on a girl’s chastity, come togetherwithpoverty,lackof incentivesforschool-ing and lack of income opportunities forgirls, tomakesure thatmarriageandun-paidcareworkareheronlydestiny.NFHS4datashowsthat63%ofgirlsgot
married before the age of 21. This is theproportion of marriages which will berendered illegal if the amendmentwerepassed. Criminalising only ensures thatthe phenomenon of early marriages isdrivenunderground,unlessthecausesareremoved. It alsoputs aquestionmarkonthe rights married girls are entitled to,
suchaspropertyrights,compensation,in-surance, if theywere tobewidowed.When18-year-oldscanvote,signcon-
tracts,work,thenwhyshouldtheynotde-cidewhentomarry?Infact,empoweringtheyoungwithinformation,sexualhealthservices,highereducationandlinkagestoincome can delay the age of marriagewithoutanycoercion.Thishashappenedglobally,withnochange in the law.Criminalisationofyouthsexualityhas
alreadywreakedhavoc in the livesof theyoung.Makingallsexundertheageof18years a crime only denies recognition ofyouthsexuality, contraception,maternalhealthcareandsafeabortion.Thereisampleevidencethat10-12%of
policingofunder-agemarriagesisgettingmore andmore aggressive. Parents areknowntouselawssuchastheProhibitionof ChildMarriageAct (PCMA), 2006, andProtection of Children from SexualOffences (POCSO), 2012, to oppose self-chosenrelationshipsof youngpeople.The current PCMA law prohibits a
marriage under the age of 18, withoutmaking it void. However, state-levelamendments in Karnataka andHaryanaensure that under-18marriages becomevoidrightfromthebeginning.Whathap-pens to the rights of girlsmarried under18 in thesestates?Increasing the age of marriage to 21
yearsappears tobeonemorestep in thisslipperyslope.
Thewriter is LeadSpecialist,Gender Justice, atOxfamIndia
THE ONGOING Winter Session ofParliament startedonanexplosivenote.The Rajya Sabha suspended 12 of itsmembersfortheentiresession.Theirsus-pensionmeant that theseMPscouldnotparticipateinRajyaSabha’sdeliberationsor themeetings of parliamentary com-mittees. Since then, the suspendedMPshavebeenprotestinginfrontof thestatueof Mahatma Gandhi inside theParliamentcomplex.Forthelast29years,the 16-foot-tall bronze statue has beenthe site forMPs across ideologies to ex-press theirdisagreement.TheParliamentHousecomplexhas50
statues/busts of national figures. In1941,threebustsoftheIndianroyaltymadeittotheChamberofPrincesintheParliamentbuilding. These busts were of theMaharajaMadhavraoScindiaofGwalior,MaharajaBhupindraSinghofPatiala,andMaharajaRanjitsinghofNawannagar.Allthreewerethechamber’sfoundingmem-bers, and the latter twohad also been itspresiding officers. But it was only afterIndependencethattheplacementofstat-ues in the circular building came up forconsideration. The Parliament HousecomplexcomesunderthepurviewoftheSpeaker of Lok Sabha. In 1951, its firstSpeaker, G VMavalankar, set up a com-mittee to propose ascheme for decorating thenation’slegislature.Aspartof itsdiscussions,thecom-mittee considered placingthe statues of nationalleaders in the 50 ormoreniches on the ground andfirst floorof Parliament.Followingthecommit-
tee’s reports in1953,workstartedonpaintingmuralson the ground floor wallsofParliament. Itwasonlyadecade later that the firststatuewasunveiled in theParliament Estate — a 12-foot-tall statue of MotilalNehru. A bust of Gopal KrishnaGokhalewould follow in 1966, followed by an-other 12-foot-tall statue, of B RAmbedkar, in1967. In the1970s,astatueof Lala Lajpat Rai and a bust of SriAurobindowould be the only additionsto theParliament complex.After an 18-year lull, in 1993,
President Shankar Dayal Sharma un-veiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.The unveiling occured during the termof the minority government of P V
Narasimha Rao, who earlier in the yearhad survived a controversial trust vote.The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shivraj Patil,revived the earlier plan of placing stat-
ues in Parliament. He an-nouncedthatacommitteeof seniorparliamentarianshadrecommendedthein-stallationof statuesof “thegreat sons and daughtersof India”. The first statue,hestated,wouldbethatofMahatmaGandhi.For a long time, there
hadbeendiscussionaboutinstalling a statue ofMahatma Gandhi at aprominent location inDelhi. In1965,politicalac-tivistsvandalisedthemar-blestatueofKingGeorgeVthat occupied the canopy
behind India Gate. After the authoritiesrelocated the vandalised statue toCoronationParkinnorthDelhi,theemptycanopywas considered a possible loca-tionforaGandhistatue.However,theplannevermaterialised and, in the Nineties,the ideagotboggeddownin litigation.Oneartistwhowasinthefrayformak-
ing theGandhistatueforthislocationwasRamVSutar.Aftertheplansforthestatueat the India Gate canopy did not fructify,the government approached him for
sculpting the Gandhi statue for theParliamentcomplex.Sutarhadstudiedatthe J JCollegeofArts,Mumbai, and inthe1950s,hadhelpedintherestorationworkat Ellora caves. He had extensive experi-ence in immortalisingMahatmaGandhiincopperandstone.OvertheyearshehadmadeGandhibuststhattheGovernmentof Indiahadgiftedtomorethan60coun-triesaroundtheworld.TheGandhi statue—of theMahatma
inameditativepose—wasgoingtobehisfirst creation inside theParliament com-plex. In numerous interviews, Sutar saidthatrecreatingthepeacefulexpressiononMahatmaGandhi’sfacewasanimmensechallenge.He isalso theartistwhomadethe statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel(StatueofUnity) inGujarat.Since the installation of the Gandhi
statue, 43more (14 of themsculptedbySutar) have foundaplace in Parliament.Over the years, deciding on the person-alitieswhosestatuesandportraitswouldbeplacedinParliamenthasrequiredpo-litical parties to arrive at a consensus. Itis their spirit of dialogueandaccommo-dation that has resulted in theParliament Estate being filled with theiconography of leaders from across theideological spectrum. And perhaps it isthe same spirit that parties need to tapinto to foster debate in the two Housesof Parliament.
THEPRIMEMinister’svisittoVaranasilastweekwas like a Bollywood film in slowmotion.Themelodrama,theexaggeratedcolours,thebrightlightsandreligiosityre-minded me of Ramanand Sagar’sRamayana. And itwas asmesmerizing. IfoundmyselfgluedtomyTVfromModi’smorning dip in the Ganga in a saffrontracksuit, to that late night stroll on theneon-lit platform of the railway stationwith Yogi Adityanath by his side. Everynews channel covered everymoment ofthetripasifnothingelsewashappeningintheworld. Channels of bhaktibentbegantheircoveragebeforehelandedinVaranasiwithbreathless,sycophanticcommentaryonthecorridortotheVishwanathMandirthathehadcometo inaugurate.So, what did I conclude at the end of
thisdayinwhichreligiositymixedseam-lessly with politics and hyper-national-ism?What did the people of Varanasimake of it? To get a sense of this I rang aMahantoftheVishvanathaMandirwhosefamily homewas requisitioned and torndown for the corridor. Two years ago,when wemet, he was angry about themeagre compensation his family got inexchange for a home that was centuriesold.Hewasnot a fanof the corridor, so itsurprisedmewhen he said, “Letme tellyouthat theyhavebuilt somethingwon-derful. But, also let me say that peopleheredonot like theway religion is beingmixedwith politics. This iswrong... peo-ple say that this will cost them the elec-tion.AkhileshYadavwillwin.”The political nature of this ostensibly
religiousprojecthasescapednobody,norhas the inauguration’s timing. AttentiontothiswasdrawnevenbytheTVreportersinBenareswhopassedoffpaeansinpraiseof Modi as journalism. The Chief Justicewas rightwhenhesaid lastweek that in-vestigativejournalismhaddisappearedinthe Indianmedia, but rarely has theme-diaturneditself intoapropagandatoolofthe government the way that it did onModi’svisitthatday.Havingdealtwithof-ficialsof thePress InformationBureaufora long, long time, I can tell you that noteventhey,whosejobisgovernmentprop-aganda, would have turned themselvesinto cheerleaders in the way that cele-brated anchors did in Varanasi. So, noquestionswereasked,notevenwhenthePrime Minister himself broughtAurangzeb up in his speech to remindeveryonewatchingofwhoitwaswhohaddestroyedtheVishwanathMandirandde-filed itbybuildingamosqueonits ruins.The Prime Minister has usually re-
frained fromdogwhistles. But, the elec-tions inUttarPradeshdrawcloserbythedayandpollsbypoliticalpartiesappeartoshow that Yogi is not as popular as hismassiveadvertisingcampaignindicates.So, the BJP needs to bring into play theirultimateweapon:creatinguglydivisionsbetween Hindus andMuslims. The LokSabha election in 2019 was a definingmoment for the BJP. It taught them thatitwaspossibletowinafullmajoritywith-out needing a single Muslim vote. ThisexplainswhyModinolongerhesitatestoremindHindusthatAurangzebdestroyedmany temples and that the wounds ofhistory must never be forgotten. Theproblemisthatwhensemi-literate,ahis-torical Hindus are reminded of thesewounds, themessage they take home isthat every living Indian Muslim is toblameforwhathappenedcenturiesago.And, that all Muslims are Pakistanis intheirheartsanddidnotleavein1947onlybecause they could not afford to. It isthesedivisionsthattheBJPhopestoplayon inUttar Pradesh.This brahmastra is needed because
people have not forgotten the total col-lapseofgovernanceduringCovid’sawfulsecond wave. Nor have they forgottenthatdespitetheChiefMinister’svauntedclaimsofhavingbroughtlawlessnessun-der control in this notoriously lawlessstate, it was not long ago that a teenagegirl was cremated without proper ritesbythepoliceinHathras, therebydestroy-ingevidenceofherrape.Thereareotherhorrors they find hard to forget.Expressways and airports are inaugu-rated almost daily these days in UP, butthepeoplewhose landandhomeswereappropriatedfortheseprojectscontinuetolive inextremepoverty. Inanexcellentreport on NDTV recently, reporterstalked to people whose land was ac-quired for the new Jewar airport. Theyfound them living in flimsy shacks andhalf-built houses because the compen-sation theywere given allowed them toaffordnomore.The truth is that not much has
changed in any real way in UP since the‘double-engine government’ came intoexistencein2017,anditisthisreasonwhyit is important to divide Hindus andMuslims for Yogi to win a second term.The damage this will do to the fabric ofthe state is incalculable, but for themo-ment therewill continue to be religiousevents lit with disco lights. In Varanasithat day they reflected off Modi as hecruised on the Ganga. Incidentally, thewaters of ourmost sacred river remainfilthy,asdomostof thestreetsofVaranasiwhosenamecomesfromtworivers thatusedtoonceexist.TheVarunahasalmostdisappearedandtheAssiriverisapitiabledrain. It is the erasure of such ugly reali-ties that is now being sought with reli-giosity andhyper-nationalism.
Give themcircuses
insideTRACKCOOMIKAPOOR
In 1951, the first LSSpeaker, G VMavalankar, set up apanel to propose ascheme fordecorating thenation’s legislature.The committeeconsidered placingstatues of nationalleaders in the nichesacross Parliament
New Delhi
13THESUNDAYEXPRESS,DECEMBER19,2021
THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
USA
JuliusScott,groundbreakinghistorianoftheCaribbean,diesJULIUSSScott,whobecamesomethingof a cult figureamong scholars for hisgroundbreakingdisserta-tion on the 18th-centuryHaitian slave revolt,whichhecompletedasagraduatestudentbutwasrejectedbymainstreampublishersforthreedecades,diedonDec6 inAnnArbor,Michigan.He was 66. Inspired byFernandBraudel’scompos-ite history of theMediterranean, Scott pro-duced what PublishersWeekly called “a sweepingintercontinental disserta-tion on how slaves, freeBlacks, sailors, marketwomenandothers spreadword”aboutthesuccessfulHaitian Revolution andemancipation.Hismeticu-lous, imaginative researchrevealed a previouslyundiscovered18th-centuryintercontinentalcommuni-cationnetwork. NYT
JuliusScott in2018.NYT
TOPOFTHEWORLD
CHINA
OldestpersoninChinadiesat135CHINA’SOLDEST person,Alimihan Seyiti, has diedat the age of 135 inXinjiang UygurAutonomous Region, lo-cal authorities said onSaturday. Hailing fromKomuxerik township ofShule County in KashgarPrefecture, Seyiti wasbornonJune25,1886,ac-cording to the county’spublicity department. In2013, she topped the listof China’s oldest livingpersons issued by theChina Association ofGerontology andGeriatrics, Xinhua newsagencyreported. PTI
PHILIPPINES
Typhoondeathtollhits31A POWERFUL typhoonleft at least 31 peopledead, knocked downpower and communica-tions in entire provincesandwroughtwidespreaddestructionmostlyinthecentral Philippines, offi-cialssaidSaturday.Agov-ernor said her island hasbeen “leveled to theground”. Typhoon Raiblew away Friday nightinto the South China Seaafterrampagingthroughsouthern and central is-land provinces, wheremore than300,000peo-ple in itspathwereevac-uated to safety in ad-vance in a pre-emptivemove officials say mayhave saved a lot of lives.
ITMAYhave seemed like anob-scureUNconclave,butameetingthisweekinGenevawasfollowedintentlybyexpertsinartificial in-telligence,militarystrategy,disar-mamentandhumanitarianlaw.The reason for the interest?
Killerrobots—drones,gunsandbombsthatdecideontheirown,withartificialbrains,whethertoattack and kill — and whatshould be done, if anything, toregulateorban them.Once the domain of science
fiction films like the TerminatorseriesandRoboCop, killerrobots,moretechnicallyknownasLethalAutonomousWeaponsSystems,havebeeninventedandtestedatan accelerated pacewith littleoversight.Someprototypeshaveevenbeenusedinactualconflicts.The evolution of thesema-
chinesisconsideredapotentiallyseismicevent inwarfare.This year, for the first time, a
majorityof the125nations thatbelong to an agreement calledthe Convention on CertainConventionalWeaponssaidtheywanted curbs on killer robots.Buttheywereopposedbymem-bers that are developing theseweapons, most notably the US
andRussia.The group’s conference con-
cluded Fridaywithonly a vaguestatementaboutconsideringpos-siblemeasures acceptable to all.The Campaign to Stop KillerRobots,adisarmamentgroup,saidtheoutcomefell“drasticallyshort”.
ConventiononCertainConventionalWeaponsSometimes known as the
Inhumane WeaponsConvention, it is a frameworkofrules that ban or restrictweapons considered to causeunnecessary, unjustifiable andindiscriminatesuffering,suchasincendiary explosives, blindinglasersandboobytrapsthatdon’t
What exactly arekiller robots?Opinions differ on an exact
definition, but they are widelyconsidered to beweapons thatmakedecisionswith little or nohuman involvement. Rapid im-provements in robotics, AI andimage recognition aremakingsucharmamentspossible.Thedrones theUnited States
has used extensively inAfghanistan, Iraq andelsewherearenotconsideredrobotsbecausethey are operated remotely bypeople,who choose targets anddecidewhethertoshoot.
does amachinedifferentiate anadultfromachild,afighterwithabazooka from a civilianwith abroom,ahostilecombatantfromawoundedorsurrenderingsoldier?“Fundamentally,autonomous
weapon systems raise ethicalconcernsforsocietyaboutsubsti-tutinghumandecisionsaboutlifeanddeathwith sensor, softwareandmachine processes,” PeterMaurer, president of theInternational Committee of theRedCross andanoutspokenop-ponent of killer robots, told theGenevaconference.
TheGeneva conferenceThe conferencewaswidely
consideredbydisarmamentex-
perts tobe thebestopportunitysofartodevisewaystoregulate,if not prohibit, the use of killerrobotsunder theconvention.It was the culmination of
years of discussions by a groupof expertswho had been askedto identify the challenges andpossibleapproachestoreducingthethreatsfromkillerrobots.Buttheexpertscouldnotevenreachagreementonbasicquestions.Some, like Russia, insist that
anydecisions on limitsmust beunanimous—ineffectgivingop-ponents a veto. The US arguesthat existing international lawsare sufficient and that banningautonomousweapons technol-ogywouldbepremature. NYT
A UN CONFERENCE MADE LITTLE HEADWAY THIS WEEK ON LIMITING DEVELOPMENT, USE OF KILLER ROBOTS
Killer robots aren’t science fiction; a push to ban them is growing
16 DIE IN BLAST ‘TRIGGERED BY GAS LEAK’ IN KARACHIAtthesiteoftheblastinKarachionSaturday.Atleast16peoplewerekilledand15othersinjuredwhenapowerfulblast,believedtohavebeentriggeredbyagasexplosioninacoveredsewagechannel,rippedthroughthebuildingofaprivatebank,policesaid.MostofthecasualtieswerecustomersandstaffpresentinsidetheHBLbankbranch,reportssaid.Reuters
KATHYGANNONISLAMABAD,DECEMBER18
PAKISTAN IS rallying Muslimcountries to help Afghanistanstave off an economic and hu-manitarian disaster while alsocajoling the neighboring coun-try’snewTalibanrulerstosoftentheir imageabroad.Severalforeignministersfrom
tion in Kabul has been sanc-tionedbytheinternationalcom-
munity,reelingfromthecollapseof the Afghanmilitary and theWestern-backedgovernmentinthe face of the insurgents’takeover inmid-August.TheOICmeetingisanengage-
ment thatdoesnotconstitutean
official recognitionof theTalibanregime, said Pakistan’s ForeignMinisterShahMahmoodQureshi.He said themessage to the
gathering on Sunday is: “Pleasedo not abandon Afghanistan.Please engage.Weare speaking
for the people of Afghanistan.We’renotspeakingof aparticu-lar group.We are talking aboutthepeopleofAfghanistan.”Qureshi saidmajorpowers—
includingtheUnitedStates,Russia,ChinaandtheEuropeanUnion—willsendtheirspecialrepresenta-tives onAfghanistan to theone-day summit. Afghanistan’sTaliban-appointed ForeignMinisterAmirKhanMuttaqiwillalsoattendtheconference.Afghanistanisfacingaloom-
ingeconomicmeltdownandhu-manitariancatastropheintheaf-termathof theTalibantakeover.Billions of dollars’ worth of thecountry’s assets abroad,mostlyin theUS, have been frozen andinternational funding to thecountryhasceased. AP
STEPHANIENEBEHAYGENEVA,DECEMBER18
THEOMICRONcoronavirusvari-anthasbeenreportedin89coun-tries and the number of cases isdoubling in1.5 to3days inareaswith community transmission,theWorld Health Organisation(WHO)saidonSaturday.Omicronisspreadingrapidly
in countries with high levels ofpopulation immunity, but it isunclear if this isduetothevirus'abilitytoevadeimmunity, itsin-herent increased transmissibil-ityoracombinationofboth, theWHOsaid inanupdate.The agency designated
OmicronavariantofconcernonNov.26,soonafteritwasfirstde-tected, and much is still notknown about it, including theseverityof the illness it causes.“There are still limited data
on the clinical severity ofOmicron,”theWHOsaid.“Moredata are needed to understandthe severity profile and howseverity is impactedbyvaccina-tionandpre-existingimmunity.”It added, “Thereare still lim-
itedavailabledata, andnopeer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine
efficacy or effectiveness to dateforOmicron”.TheWHOwarned thatwith
cases rising so rapidly, hospitalscouldbeoverwhelmed in someplaces. REUTERS
TOMHALS&MIKESCARCELLADECEMBER18
AUSappealscourtonFridayre-instatedanationwidevaccine-or-testing Covid-19 mandatefor largebusinesses,whichcov-ers 80millionAmericanwork-ers, prompting opponents torush to the Supreme Court toask it to intervene.The ruling by the 6th US
moreOSHAcoulddoorrelyontojustify its finding that workersface a grave danger in thework-place,” said theopinion. “It isnotappropriatetosecond-guessthatagencydetermination consider-ing the substantial evidence, in-cludingmanypeer-reviewedsci-entificstudies,onwhichitrelied.”US President Joe Biden un-
veiledinSeptemberregulationstoincreasetheadultvaccinationrateasawayof fightingthepan-demic, which has killed morethan 750,000 Americans andweighedontheeconomy.Therulingcoincideswithpub-
lic health officials bracing for a“tidalwave”of coronavirus infec-tionsintheUSastheOmicronvari-antspreadsworldwide.REUTERS
CLAREJIM&JAMESPOMFRETHONGKONG,DECEMBER18
HONGKONGofficials arework-ing toboost turnout inSunday'slegislativeelection,accordingtodiplomats and people familiarwith theeffort.Aspartof thoseactions, two
Chinese state-owned bankshave appealed to workers tovote, said two people familiarwith the matter and an emailseenbyReuters.After a major rewriting of
electoral law inMarch,with thegovernment saying that only“patriots” may administer thecity,HongKongisholdingitsfirstLegislativeCouncilelectionwiththe city’smain democratic par-ties fieldingnocandidates.Hong Kong’s leaders — and
China’s leadership in Beijing,which pledged tomaintain thefinancialhub’sautonomywhenBritain returned control of itscolony to China in 1997 — arekeentoensurethatthevotedoesnot appear to lack popular sup-portandfeara lowturnout, twodiplomats toldReuters.Senior officials have made
high-profile appeals to voters,and public transport operatorssaid they would provide freetransportationonelectionday.Authorities also have issued
warnings, including to interna-tionalmedia, that inciting aper-sonnottovoteortocastaninvalidvoteis illegal.The office of Hong Kong’s
leader, Chief Executive CarrieLam,andBeijing’sLiaisonOfficein the city did not respond toReuters requests for commenton efforts to mobilise voterturnout.Aheadoftheelection,thetwo
state-ownedlenderssentemailstostaffencouragingthemtovote,according two people withknowledgeof thematterandanemail reviewedbyReuters.
REUTERS
ADITIKHANNALONDON,DECEMBER18
THE UK government is report-edly drawing up plans onSaturday for a short two-weekcircuit breaker lockdown laterthis month, after Christmas, totry and keeppacewith the rap-idly spreading Omicron variantof Covid-19.Themeetings remain ongo-
ingasLondonMayorSadiqKhandeclared a “major incident” intheUKcapitalasCovidinfectionssurged and began impactingpublic services in the city. Heconfirmed that London re-mained the UK regionwith thelargest number of Covid cases,withover26,000dailyinfectionsrecordedonFriday.“Hospitaladmissionsaregoing
up,butalsostaff absencesarego-ingupbyamassivelevel,”hesaid.“So I’ve takenthedecision in
gencywhichrequirestheimple-mentation of special arrange-ments by one or all of the city'semergency services, indicatingthat emergency services andhospitalscannotguaranteetheir
normal levelof response.AccordingtoTheTimes, draft
regulations are being preparedwhich would ban differenthouseholdsmeetingindoorsex-ceptforworkpurposesandpubsandrestaurantsbeinglimitedtooutdoor serviceonly.Meanwhile, The Financial
Times reported that BritishPrime Minister Boris Johnsonhasbeenpresentedwithanum-berofoptionsunderaso-calledPlanC,rangingfrom“mildguid-ance to nudge people, rightthrough to lockdown”.Leaked minutes from the
government’sScientificAdvisoryGroup for Emergencies (SAGE),
seenbytheBBC,revealscientistswarningministers that toughermeasuresneed tobebrought in“verysoon”totryandkeephos-pitalisationswithinmanageablelevels for the National HealthService (NHS).The reports of further lock-
down restrictions come as theUK recorded another highestdailytotalof93,045Covid-19in-fections on Friday, up 4,669 onthepreviousrecordof88,376setonThursday.While the Delta variant re-
mainsdominantinmostpartsofthe country, Omicronhas takenover in London and Scotlandamidamassivesurge. PTI
Omicron in89countries,casesdoubling in 1.5-3days inmanyareas:WHO
PARISCANCELSNEWYEAR’SEVEFIREWORKSParis: Paris has cancelledplanned fireworks aswell asfestivities on the ChampsElyseesavenueonNewYear’sEve in linewithnewgovern-ment rules to prevent thespreadof theOmicroncoron-avirus variant, BFM TV re-portedonSaturday.REUTERS
Vaccine mandatefor businessesrevived in US,Supreme Courtfight looms
Pakistan seeks to rally Muslim countries tohelp Afghanistan avert humanitarian crisis
United Nations: The formerAfghangovernment’sambassa-dortotheUnitedNationshasre-signed after the country’s cur-rent Taliban rulers sought toreplacehimwiththeirownen-voy.GhulamIsaczaitoldtheUNon Thursday that he steppeddown the day before, UNspokespersonFarhanHaqsaid.
Afghanistan’s UN Missiontweetedthatanotherdiplomat,Naseer Faiq,would lead it as achargéd’affaires. The termcandenote someone filling in be-tween ambassadors. Themis-sion said it would continueworking“tosharetheconcernsandlegitimatedemandsofourfellowcitizensattheUN”. AP
Afghanistan’s envoy to UN resigns
VOTINGUNDERNEWRULESTODAY
Hong Kong officials seek to boostturnout in first ‘patriots’ election
Man gets 5 yearson US Capitol riotcharges, longestsentence so far
ALANFEUERDECEMBER18
A FLORIDAmanwho hurled afire extinguisher at police offi-cersduringsomeof themostfe-rociousfightingattheUSCapitolonJan6wassentencedonFridaytomorethanfiveyearsinprison,the longest term handed downso far to any of the more than700peoplechargedintheattack.Thedefendant,RobertPalmer,
madehisway to theCapitol thatday in a distinctive red-white-and-blue flag-styled jacket afterlistening to former presidentDonald Trump address a hugecrowd at the Ellipse, a park justsouth of the White House.Prosecutors say hemilled aboutinthecrowdoutsidethebuildingasviolenceincreasinglybrokeoutbetweenthepoliceandrioters.Byalittlebefore5pm,Palmer
foundhimself amid themost se-verefightingatthelowerwestter-race,where analmostmedievalformofhand-to-handcombathaderupted.There,prosecutorssay,hethrewawoodenplank-likespearat thepolice, sprayeda fireextin-guisheratofficersandthenhurledtheemptycanisteratthem. NYT
Crude WatchOILPOSTSWEEKLYLOSSNew York: Oil prices fell on the week on Friday as surging Omicroncases raised fears that new restrictions may hit fuel demand. Onweekly basis, Brent crude futures settled down 2.6% at $73.52 abarrel, while US WTI crude fell 1.3% to reach $70.86. REUTERS
OVER430BIDSFOR11THCITYGASLICENSINGROUND
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,DECEMBER18
THE LATEST licensing round forsettingupofcitygasinfrastructresawasmuchasRs80,000croreofinvestmentbeingproposedfor61geographical areas (GAs) thatwere put on auction, includingJammu,Nagpur, Pathankot andMadurai,oilregulatorPNGRBsaid.Bids for the65GAsoffered in
the11th city gas licensing roundcame inonDecember15,Petrol-eumandNaturalGasRegulatoryBoard (PNGRB) said in a state-ment. Bidswere received for 61GAs, itadded.The65GAs,spreadover215districts in19statesandoneUnionTerritory,cover26percent of the country’s populationand33percentof itsarea.“Thisroundattractedanover-
whelming response from in-vestorswithmore than430bidsagainst61GAswithnosinglebidin theseGAs. The technical bidswould be opened betweenDecember17to22,”PNGRBsaid.“This initiativewouldhelp in
creatingarobustCGDinfrastruc-tureandplaya significant role in
authorisedbyPNGRBin27statesandUTs covering approximately53per cent of the country’s geo-graphical areaand70per centofitspopulation.Inthelastcitygasdistribution
gaveout licences to retail CNGtoautomobiles andpiped cookinggas tohouseholdkitchens in136GAs. This extended coverage of
the city gas network to 406dis-tricts and around70per cent ofthecountry’spopulation.The push for city gas expan-
sion is part of the government’splanforraisingtheshareofnatu-ralgasinthecountry’senergybas-ketto15percentby2030fromthecurrent6.3percent.The65GAstobebidoutinthe
11thCGDbidding round includeJammu,Udhampur, Samba andKathua districts in the UnionTerritoryof JammuandKashmir.Nagpur in Maharashtra,
Madurai in Tamil Nadu andRajasthan’s Bikaner and Churudistricts areamong theareasbe-ingofferedforbidding.
Nizamabad inTelangana, theNilgiris in Tamil Nadu, EastMedinipur inWest Bengal andPauriGarhwalinUttarakhandarealsoonthelist.Kurnool, Guntur and
Prakasam districts in AndhraPradesh, Assam’s Kokrajhar andDhubri districts, Darbhanga andMadhubani in Bihar andChhattisgarh’s RajnandgaonandKankerdistrictswillbeoffered.InHimachal Pradesh,Mandi,
Kullu,KinnaurandLahaul&Spitidistricts have been clubbed intooneGAforthebiddingandKangraandChambaintoanother.Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur,
Kerala’s Idukki and Kottayam,MadhyaPradesh’sHoshangabad,SagarandVidishadistricts,Jalgaonand Amravati inMaharashtra,KoraputinOdisha,PathankotandTarn Taran in Punjab andTiruvannamalaiinTamilNaduareothergeographicalareasbeingof-feredforbidding.While86GAs,madeupof174
districts,wereofferedforbiddingin the9th round that concludedinAugust2018,50GAs,compris-ing124districts,were offered inthe10throundin2019.WITHPTI
BRIEFLYAuctionbySebiNewDelhi:SebiwillauctioneightpropertiesofVishwa-mitra International Infranext month for a reservepriceofRs2.8crore, locatedinWestBengal. PTI
SpaceXsatellitesCalifornia:ASpaceX rocketcarried52Starlink internetsatellites into orbit fromCalifornia early Saturday.The two-stage Falcon 9rocketliftedoff fromcoastalVandenberg Space ForceBase at 4:41 amand arcedoverthePacific.
RiviansharesfallBengaluru: Rivian Auto-motive Inc shares skiddednearly15percentonFridaytohit a record lowafter theelectricvehiclemaker’sfirstresult as a listed companyhighlightedthechallengesitwaslikelytofaceinrampingupproductiontotakeonEVleader Tesla Inc. Rivian’ssharesslumpedto$92.62inearlytrading. REUTERS
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,DECEMBER18
REPRESENTATIVESOFvariousso-cial sectors and tradeunions im-presseduponthegovernmentonSaturdaytofurtherbolsterhealthspending amid the unprece-dentedCovidcrisis, introduceanurbanemploymentprogrammeandenhanceoutlay for the ruraljobguaranteescheme.Aspartofthepre-Budgetcon-
sultation meeting, FinanceMinisterNirmala SitharamanonSaturdaymetexpertsfromsectorsincludinghealth,education,ruraldevelopment,andwaterandsan-itation.Someof thestakeholdersare learnt tohave suggested thatthe government keepup the fo-cus on creation of health infra-structureandtakestepstoensurethatthecountryisadequatelypre-pared to tackle any Covid-likehealthemergencyinfuture.In the previous Budget, the
governmenthadraisedoutlayforthe Department of Health &FamilyWelfare bynearly 10percentfromayearagotoRs78,866crore.Similarly, theallocationforhealth research and the AyushMinistrywasraisedby34percentand 28 per cent, respectively.Outlayfornutritionanddrinkingwater&sanitationwasenhancedby asmuch as 350per cent and253per cent, respectively, to Rs2,700croreandRs60,030crore.The health Budget also in-
cluded a Covid-related specialprovision involvinganallocationofRs35,000croretocovervacci-nationcosts.TheBharatiyaMazdoorSangh
(BMS) has submitted to theFinanceMinistry that an urbanemployment guarantee pro-grammebeintroducedwithade-quatefundallocation,giventhatalargenumberofmigrant labour-erswork in various cities acrossIndia. It alsowants theCentre tosubstantially raise allocation fortheMGNREGAschemeto “avoidspreadofpoverty”duringthepa-ndemic.Italsosuggestedthatsup-port under this rural job schemebeextendedfor200daysperfam-ilyperyear,against100daysnow.Urbanjoblessnessrateroseto
its11-weekhighof8.75percentintheweekendedNovember28,asper thedata compiledbyCentreforMonitoring IndianEconomy.The rate in towns and citieswas8.14percentinthepreviousweekand 9.2 per cent for the weekendedSeptember12,thehighestlevel inrecenttimes. FE
New Delhi: The government isworking on providing enablingenvironmentandmarketaccesstothegemsandjewellerysector,Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyal said onSaturday.Speaking at the foundation
stone laying ceremony for amegacommonfacilitycentreatSantacruz Electronic ExportProcessing Zone Special Econo-micZonehere,theministersaid,“Weneed tomake this industrynot a $40 billion industry alonebut have a muchmuch biggerambition.Weonourpartwilldoeverything to reach those trulyoutstanding numbers that youhadshowntoraiseasthepoten-tialof thistrade.” ENS,WITHPTI
Goyal: Needgems, jewellerysector to havebigger ambition
DAVIDLAWDERWASHINGTON,DECEMBER18
THE INTERNATIONALMonetaryFund’sExecutiveBoardonFridaysaidithasformedasteeringgrouptoleadareviewtoimproveinsti-tutional safeguards ondata andgovernance after clearing IMFManaging Director KristalinaGeorgieva of wrongdoing in aWorldBankdata-riggingscandal.The IMFboardsaid inastate-
ment that it aims to present thereview by the next SpringMeetings in April 2022. The re-viewhas“theobjectiveofhelpingtoensurethestaff,Management,andExecutiveBoardmaintainthehighestpossiblestandardsaroundinternal governance, useof data,andaccountability.”Georgieva was accused in
September of putting “unduepressure” onWorldBank staff in2017,when shewas the lender’s
CEO, to alter data in its flagship“DoingBusiness” report toboostChina’sranking.The allegations, which
Georgieva stronglydenied,werecontainedintheinvestigationre-port of a law firm hired by theWorldBank’sboardtoprobedatairregularities in thenow-discon-
tinuedreportoncountrybusinessclimates.After saying ithadcon-ducted a thorough reviewof thematter, the IMFboardexpressedits confidence inGeorgieva andIMF staff in October, but said itwould consider additional stepsto“ensurethestrengthofinstitu-tionalsafeguards.”
US Treasury Secretary JanetYellenalsohadcalled for “proac-tive steps” to reinforce the IMF’scredibility. Georgieva told theReutersNext conference in earlyDecember that the Fund waslooking at all of its researchprocesses in order to ensure thedata integrity and using inde-pendentevaluationstofindareasforimprovements.The IMFboard saidonFriday
that thenewsteering groupwillworkwithIMFmanagementandtwostaffworkinggroupsfocusedon internal governance and en-suring staff voices are heard aswellasdataanalysisandintegrity.“Aspartof thiseffort, theBoard’ssteeringgroupandthestaffwork-inggroupswill take stockof cur-rent procedures and systems inplace, assess their effectiveness,and recommend improvementsasneededtoensurethatarrange-ments reflect best practices,” theIMFboardsaid. REUTERS
■The65GAs, spreadover215districts in19statesandoneUnionTerritory, cover26%of India’spopulationand33%of itsarea. In thelastcitygasdistribution(CGD)biddinground,50GAswereauthorisedfordevelopingCGDnetwork
RECEIVEDONDECEMBER 15
DAVIDSHEPARDSONWASHINGTON,DECEMBER18
THE BIDEN administration onFridayrecommendedAlphabet’sGoogle and Facebook parentMeta Platforms get permissiontouseanunderseacablesystemtohandlegrowing internet traf-ficwithAsia.Theadministrationurgedthe
Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) to grant li-censesforthecompaniestosendand receivedataon the existing8,000-mile Pacific Light CableNetwork.Theundersea fiber-optic ca-
ble system connects the UnitedStates, Taiwan, the PhilippinesandHongKong.Underseacablestransmit nearly all the world’sinternetdatatraffic.Metasoughtpermission to use thePhillipines-to-UnitedStatespor-tion,whileGooglehasasked forpermissiontoconnecttoTaiwan.The companies committed
toprotect theprivacy and secu-rityof Americans’ data, particu-larlyagainstChina’sintelligence
operations.TheplanbyGoogleandMeta
abandoned aprevious proposalto use the network’s cable toHong Kong,which is controlledby Beijing.Multiple US govern-ment agencies recommendedblocking thatplan in2020.The JusticeDepartment said
thenationalsecurityagreements
with Google and Meta wereneededgivenChina’s“sustainedefforts to acquire the sensitivepersonal data of millions of USpersons.”The Chinese Embassy in
the data connections to handlegrowingtrafficbetweenitsdatacentersinTaiwanandtheUnitedStates.A Meta spokesperson said
the “cable system increases in-ternet capacity” between theUnitedStatesandPhilippines“tohelppeople stayconnectedandsharecontent.”The cables are secure and
data is protected through ad-vancedencryption,itsaid.Underthe agreements, Google andMetamust conduct annual as-sessments of risk to sensitivedata, andtheyhavetobeable torestrictorstopdatatrafficonthecableswithin24hours.Around 300 subsea cables
form the backbone of the inter-net, carrying 99 per cent of theworld’sdata traffic. REUTERS
ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,DECEMBER18
THEGOVERNMENThasreceivedanundisclosednumberof finan-cial bids for sale of its stake inPawanHans,moving the disin-vestmentprocessoftheailinghel-icopteroperatortothelaststage.TuhinKantPandey,Secretary,
Department of Investment andPublic AssetManagement (DI-PAM),tweeted,"Thefinancialbidsfor PawanHans disinvestmenthavebeen receivedby the trans-action advisor. Theprocess nowmovestoaconcludingstage."He,however, did not disclose thenumberofbidders.TheCentre is selling itsentire
51percent stake inPawanHans.State-run Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation(ONGC),whichownstheremaining49percent,toohasoffereditscompleteshareholdinginthecompanyforsale.Established in 1985, Pawan
Hanshasafleetofover40helicop-tersandover900employees,lessthanhalf of themonpermanentroles. It provideshelicopter serv-ices for the exploration activitiesofONGCandtoIndia'snortheast.For 2019-20, the company
ported a net loss of Rs 28 crore,lowerthanRs69croreinthepre-viousyear.AsonMarch31,2020,its authorised capital stoodatRs560croreandpaid-upsharecap-italatRs557crore.In 2018, the governmenthad
invited bids to sell its stake inPawan Hans. However, theprocess was withdrawn afterONGCdecided to sell its 49 percent stake in the companyalongwiththegovernment's.In2019,asecondattemptwasmadetosellthe company but it failed to re-ceiveinvestorresponse.Last year, the government
sweetened the terms, reducingtheminimumnetworth for po-tentialbiddersandthelock-inpe-riodof investment andallowingthesuccessfulbiddertosellassetsafterayear.WITHPTI
Financial bids received forPawan Hans: DIPAM Secretary
KARUNJITSINGHNEWDELHI,DECEMBER18
THE COMPETITIONCommissionofIndia(CCI)haswithdrawn its approval forAmazon’s investment inFuture Coupons Private Ltd(FCPL) that was granted in2019. The unprecedentedmoveby the regulator coulddeal a blow to Amazon’s at-temptstothwartatakeoveroftheFutureGroup’sretailassetsby Reliance Industries Ltd(RIL).TheCommission’sorderwill also impact the ongoinglitigation between AmazonandFutureGroup.
WhydidtheCCIwithdrawapprovalforAmazon’sinvestmentinFCPL?TheCCI, in itsorder, said it
has concluded that Amazon“misled” the reg-ulatoraboutitsin-tentions regard-ingitsinvestmentinFCPL.Theordernoted thatAmazon had“misled theCommission tobelieve, through false state-ments and material omis-sions, that the combinationand its purposewere the in-terest of Amazon in thebusi-nessofFCPL”andsuppressed“the purpose of establishingstrategicalignmentandpart-nership between AmazonGroupandFRL (FutureRetailLtd)aswellashavea ‘foot-in-the-door’ in the India retailsector.”Amazon’s investment in
FCPLgavetheformeracallop-tion on acquiring the pro-moter stake of FCPL, FutureRetailwithin3-10years.Amazonhasreliedonthis
aspect of the agreement inwinninga stayonanacquisi-tion the FutureGroup’s retailbusinesses by RIL from theSingapore InternationalArbitrationCentre(SIAC).TheCCIordersaidthat in-
ternalemailsfromAmazonre-vealed that the company in-tendedtoacquireFutureRetailonceforeigninvestmentlawsarerelaxedandnotjustthein-vestmentopportunityinFCPL.“Whenforeigninvestment
laws are relaxed and higherstakeor acquisitionofmulti-brand retail assets is permit-tedbeyond today’s possibili-ties, we would have afoot-in-the-door to acquiremore in this strategic asset,should we so desire at thetime,” read an internal emailbyAmazonregardingthedeal.TheCCI kept theapproval
it hadgranted for the invest-ment in abeyance and di-
rectedAmazontofile informationregarding the in-vestmentwithin60dayswhichtheCCIwill examineafresh.
theSIACandwonastayontheproposed sale of the FutureGroup’s retail assets to RIL,whichwaslaterupheldbytheSupremeCourt. Amazonhadcited covenants in the FCPLshareholders agreement andsharesubscriptionagreementthatgaveit“specialandmate-rial rightsavailablewithFCPLwithrespecttoFRL’sbusinessanditsRetailAssets.”TheorderbytheCCIcould
easethepathforRILtoacquireFutureGroup’sretailassetsasit may void the investmentmadebyAmazoninFCPLanditsrightsunderthesharehold-ersagreementsandsharesub-scriptionagreement.Experts, however, noted
thattheorderwaslikelytobechallenged. Amazonhad ar-gued in submissions beforetheCCI that the regulator didnothave thepower to revokeapproval for a combinationundertheCompetitionAct.“CCI order suspending its
approval granted forAmazon’s strategic invest-mentsintheFutureGroupisawelcome, though belated,step, since the competitionconcerns ought tohavebeenexamined in the first place .However, its legalvaliditybe-forehighercourtswillhavetobe tested for sure,” saidMMSharma, headof competitionlaw practice at VaishAssociatesAdvocates.
NewDelhi: For the third straightweek, thenation’s forex reservesrecorded a fall, this time by $77million to reach$635.828billionduring the week ended Dece-mber 10, as per RBI data. In thepreviousweekendedDecember3, the reserveshadslidby$1.783billionto$635.905billion.During the reportingweek,
thedipintheforeignexchange—orforex—kittywasonaccountofa decline in foreign currency as-sets (FCA), a vital component oftheoverallreserves.TheFCAdroppedby$321mil-
lion to $572.86billion, accordingtodata fromtheReserveBankofIndia(RBI)releasedFriday.
Expressedindollarterms,theforeign currency assets includethe effect of appreciation or de-preciationofnon-USunitsliketheeuro,poundsterlingandJapaneseyenheld in the foreignexchangereserves.Thevalueof thegoldreserves
roseby$291millionbyto$38.709billionduringthereportingweek.The special drawing rights
(SDRs) with the InternationalMonetaryFund(IMF)postedade-cline of $37 million to reach$19.089billion.Thecountry’sreserveposition
withtheIMFalsoincreasedby$10million to $5.17 billion, the RBIdatashowed.
Forex reserves stemdecline, down forthird straight week
‘Family offices, UHNIs preferprivatemarket investments’Privatemarket investments have been the preferredalternative investment for family offices and UNHIs in2021, as per the PrivateMarketMonitor report
T H E S U N D A Y E X P R E S S M A G A Z I N EDECEMBER 19, 2021 | WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM | PAGE 15
RECIPES FORLIFE
Abhijit Banerjee
VIEWS FROM THE TOP(Clockwise from top) All set for good times;
Nutty Himalayan Cookies at LandourBakehouse; the old settlement of Landour;
set for a silent night
eyePLUS
Feed the CakeNothing can match a mother’s discerning tastebuds, especially for dark, moist, spicy, fruityand boozy Christmas cakes
ALSO
’Tis the SeasonWhen unexpected culinary cheer arrives
at the doorstep of a writer aheadof Christmas
Ganesh Saili
“WHERE’STHEBaconHouse?”It does notmatterwhere youhappen to
be.Thearomaof theirChristmascakefullofcinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, wafting inthe air, will drag you to the LandourBakehousethatvisitorsrefertoastheBakery,theBaconHouseoreventheBreadHouse.TothoseofustowhomLandourishome,
Rakesh,whohadarationshop,calledMunshiMull Radhey Lal General & Provision Store(estd.1872), visitedus,” recalls entrepreneurSanjayNarang,whoalongwith hisgiftedsis-ter Rachna, had once set up one of Asia’sbiggest on-flight catering business. “Couldyourentourrationshop?”askedRakesh.“What on earth will we dowith ration
shop?”wonderedthebrotherandsister,ex-changing glances. “We could start a bakery.Butthere’sa limitonhowmuchflour,sugar,milk and baking powder one could sell!”Narangremembersthinking,andadds,witha laugh, “Or so I thought!”Rakeshagreed tolower the rent. In exchange, the siblings of-feredhimapercentageof theprofits.“Who could have predicted what was
waiting to happen?” reminisces Narang.Thoughrestorationdidtaketime,whatwiththeancientlime-coatedhessianceilingsag-gingunder theweightof ahundredyearsofdust,cobwebsandrat-droppings,everythingchanged when Rachna waved her magicwandtocreate theLandourBakehouse.Therestwasapieceof cake.Over a hundred years — from 1850 to
1950— themissionary community in Indialoved thehills andenjoyedagreat standardof living.Theycertainlydidnotundergoanyculinaryhardships,asanyonereadingtheserecipeswill realise. Landourhadan incredi-blemix of military doctors, nursing sisters,Landour Language School students, andWoodstock School parents and staff, whomet at the Landour Community Book Clubandexchanged international recipes.Whoknewthattheirrecipeswhenputto-
getherandspiral-boundwouldgoontobakeLandour a better place? First published in1930, the typescript of the recipeswere up-
dated, revised andpublished as The LandourCookbook, throughfiveeditions.LandourBakehouseisatributetothein-
genuity and effort of these pioneers. Manyof itsdesserts andpuddingshavebeenbor-rowedfromTheLandourCookbook .Sowhat’s
different?Youmightwonder. It’s thegrand-standviewof theHimalayamixedwith thescentof pine trees.Landour’smilkmenhavehada tradition
ofwateringtheirmilk.NormanVanRooy,anoldWoodstock alumnus, who grew up at
RedburnCottageinthe1960s, tellsme:“Mymother brought back a lactometer fromAmerica. The solidproof, shocked themilk-menthoughbriefly.Theysoon learnt toaddflourtoincreasethedensityofwateredmilk.”Nevertheless, we are grateful to our dood-
hwalas, for their milk of varying textures.Withouttheircontribution,half thesedisheswouldnothavebeenpossible.Ourlocalbakerswereacommonsightup
until the 1970s, carrying tin-trunks full ofbreads and confectionery; fudge, stick jaw,marzipan andmeringues, on their heads.Most of themcame fromGhogas, a tiny vil-lage40miles fromTehri; theirancestorsar-rived in Garhwal with the refugee prince,Sulaiman Shikoh, Dara Shikoh’s son in thesummerof 1658.As I write, Abha, the lady-of-the-house,
remindsme of the cookbook’smysteriouspowers, especially its tips on baking: “Forleavening with baking powder or soda at6,500 feet, reduce from four tablespoons tooneatsea level.Neverreducethesugar.Usethemaximumamountof eggsand increaseflourbyonetablespoonforeveryincreaseof1,500 feet.Likeme,youtoowill learnthat if youare
downie, eat a brownie! For life is too short!Eat all the cake youwant andwash it downwith the special coffee brewed at theLandourBakehouse.
Christmascakesstartweeksbeforewithcakemixing, where you soak plenty of finely-choppeddriedfruitsandspicesinavarietyofalcohol. For the less adventurous, youmaysubstitute orange juice for a citrus flavour;pineapple for a tang of sunshine and applejuice for a tilt towards a neutral flavour. Ifyou’reusing fruit juice, youwill have tomi-crowave the soaked dried fruit. Remembertoaddalittledicedorangepeelrindtoavoidablandcake.Foragoodbatter,onemustnotuse toomuchbakingpowderasacake isnocakeunlessit’s fluffy.Togetthatdarkbrowncolour, use dark-brown sugar. For extramoistness,usebothoilandbutter.Beat italluptill it’s smooth.Bakeveryslowly inapre-heated oven. Usually, at 7,000 ft in the sky,thiscantakeuptothree-and-ahalfhoursbutthe result isworthwaiting for.
If youcouldprepareameal for anyone,whowould it be for andwhatwouldyoumake?Ican’tanswerthatquestion—ameal isa
narrative,andtheguestisthecentralcharac-
ter.Forme,Iwouldmakearoastedmungdalkhichriwithcauliflowerandpeaswithsomefried baigan and onion fritters on the side,and eat it with a panoply of achars, fromsweetchhundotogreenchillies inmustard.
Christmas cakeThis is my favourite kind of Christmas
cake, a bunch of rum-soaked dried fruitsbarely held together by a few grains of al-mond flour. The downside is that it is a bitextravagant, but it is Christmas only once ayear (though then there is Durga Puja andDiwali, and birthdays, and any number ofotherexcuses togowild).
INGREDIENTS●200gmraisins●200gmorangeand lemonpeel●200gmdried figs●200gmdrieddates● 100 gm glâcecherries● 100 gm pittedprunes●250gmwalnuts● 1 cup of rum(orbrandy)● 1½ cups (roughly175 gm) almondflour●3tbspregularflour(maida)●1tspbakingpowder●¼tspgroundnutmeg(beverycareful,nut-meg can completely dominate the dish, soerron thesideof less rather thanmore)●¼tspgroundmace (javitri)●¼tspgroundcloves●1tspgrounddriedginger●1 tsp ground cinnamon (mywife doesn’tlovecinnamonindesserts, so Iskipthisone.Ingeneral,youshouldfeelfreetoskipanyorall of the spices. The rum and the fruits areenoughbythemselves)●Pinchof salt
● 150 gm (three-quarters of 200 gmpack-age)unsaltedbutter,softenedbyleavingout-side the fridge●¾cup (150gm)dark-brownsugar (or thesameamountofwhiteorlight-brownsugar)●5eggs●Morerum(brandy) to “feed” thecake
MethodStart this about aweek before you plan
to eat it. The day before you plan to bake,chop the dried fruits and nuts into raisin-sizedpieces (orcloseenough).Don’tbothercutting the raisins, of course. Pour the rumover it, coverand leave for12-24hours.Nextmorning, preheat the oven to 150
degrees Celsius and set the butter out tosoften. Mix together the flours, the bakingpowderandthespices(includingsalt).Drain
the fruits and mixinto the flour mix-ture. Creamthebut-terwiththesugartillit’s light enough toeasilyfalloffaspoonthat is facing down(use a beater or giveyourarmaworkout).Mixintheflourmix-ture, making surethat everything issmoothlyintegrated
(but no further). Pour in to 8x8 inch bakingtin(ora9x5inchloafpan)thatyouhavebut-tered and linedwith parchment paper (orsubstitute). Bake for two hours (or until atoothpickstuck into it comesoutclean.Let cool and invert pan to get it out. Peel
off the parchment, and invert on to a sheetof foil.Makeholesonthesurfaceof thecakewith a toothpick and pour 2-3 tbsp of rumoverit,makingsureitgetseverywhere.Covertightlywithfoilandleaveinacoolplace(butunless it is very hot, not the fridge). Repeatthe “feeding”with rum, every day until thedaybeforeyouwill serve it.
Table TalkEconomist and 2019 Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee,who recently released his cookbook, Cooking to Save
Your Life, does a rapid-fire on all things food
SUGAR & SPICE & ALL THINGS NICEChristmas is incomplete without a laden table and the conviviality of family and friends. In this special issue that celebrates the
upcoming festival, we bring together stories redolent of good times and the joy of shared meals. First up, how Landour has nurturedits legacy of community recipes through a bakery that feels like home
GETTYIMAGESCOURTESY:JUGGERNAUTBOOKS
GETTYIMAGES
PHOTOS:GANESHSAILI
New Delhi
DARK SECRETSThe citrusy tang andthe bitter edge of the
marmalade, thegentle heat of the
cloves and ginger, thefruit steeped in theneon-orange dodgywhisky — all comes
together brilliantly inthe Christmas Cake
SweetBeginningsThe shared heritage of two colonialcousins along India’s western coast
brasscookingvessel) inwhichtheChristmas-Cakebatterwouldbepreparedusingabigwoodenspoon,madeandkeptespecially for thispurpose,” shesays,adding, “myparentsandoldersiblingswouldtaketurnsmixingthebatterwhile theyoungerones,mybrotherBennoandI,wouldholdtheurli inplace.Wewerethengiventhespoonto lickclean inreturnforourefforts”.SittinginherhouseinFarrukhnagar,Haryana,where
sheliveswithherhusband,sonand18rescueddogs,sherecallstheChristmasgiftingofconsuada—“alargetraywithsamplesofsweetsmadeespeciallyforthefestivesea-son”—toneighboursandfriends.“MysiblingsandIwouldtakebitsfromallthetraysthatcametoourhousetofigureoutwhichfamilymadethebestones,”shechuckles.Partof theconsuadawerewell-knownsweets like
neurio,doce,kulkulanddodol.CommonlyassociatedwithGoanCatholiccuisine, thesetreats—alsomadebyKerala’sAnglo-Indians—tracetheirdescent tothePortuguese,whodockedinCalicut (nowKozhikode) in1498beforeclaimingcontroloverGoa,anddrasticallychangedtheregion’s food.Alongwithpapaya,custardappleandredchillies, they introducedcookingmethodssuchassteamingandbaking—thuscontributingtotheKeralabreakfastessential,puttu(steamedricecakes)—andtheuseof vinegarandwineascooking ingredients.Amongtheconsuada treats is thenownearly-forgot-
tendessertbeveca,orbebink,asFernandescalls it. “NottobeconfusedwiththeGoanbebinca(alsoknownasbibik),which isbakedin layers,” shesays, “thoughthetwooftengobythesamenameinsomepartsofKeralaandGoa.”Unlikebebinca, theghee-and-coconut-milk-infusedundisputeddoyenneofGoandesserts,beveca ismadewithnendrapazham, an indigenousKeralabanana.“Manyofourdishes, thoughsimilar to theonesmadeinGoa,use localproducesuchasnendrapazham. This
remembersyetanother traditionthathas,withtime,fallenoutof favour—makingone’sownChristmastrin-kets. “We’dcutoutcrepepapertomakehollies, fill itwithcotton,put it throughawireandcover itwithclothbe-foredipping it intowax,”shesays. “Whohasthetimetodothisnow?”sheasks, shrugging, “it iswhat it is.”Asshecutsthebevecaintotinybits,onecan’thelpbut
likenit tothepandemic’smostpopular food—bananabread,orat leastagluten-freeversionof it.Thecrumb,thoughnottootender, is lightwiththesweetnessofba-nanasandcoconutintensifyingwitheachbite.Therecipecouldincorporateroughlychoppednutsandchocolatebut it’ssumptuousas it is. “BebinkexemplifiesthelostsimplicityofChristmas,”shesays,“Whymustyourgener-ationtinkerwitheverything?”Well, it iswhat it is.
Beveca or BebinkINGREDIENTS●250gmrice flour●3eggs,yolksandwhitesseparated●150gmsugar●150gmbutter●2½cupsoverripebananas,mashed●½cupcoconut,grated●1½cupthickcoconutmilk●¼bakingpowder●½tspgratednutmeg
derandnutmegandsift.Beat thebutterandsugar to-gether till thesugarmelts.Addeggyolksandbeatwell.Addthemashedbananas,groundcoconutandrice flouralternately tillwell-blended.Addthecoconutmilk.Themixtureshouldbeofdroppingconsistency. If it seemstoothick,addtheeggwhitesbeatenstiff. Pourthebatterintoabakingtin linedwithgrease-proofpaperandbakeinapreheatedovenat150degreesCelsius for30-35min-utesor till a toothpickcomesoutclean.Transferontoaservingdish, cool, cut intoslicesandserve.
DaminiRalleigh isaDelhi-basedfoodwriter
C H R I S T M A S S P E C I A L16EYE , THE SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 19, 2021
JOY TO THE WORLDDon’tconfuseKerala’sbeveca(pictured)withGoa’sbebinca
ABHINAVSAHA
ONEOFmy favourite childhoodmemoriesis a smell, a most haunting scent — thesweet, alcohol-laced fragrance of this in-credible fruitcake made by Shashi Gupta,who lived next door to our home in Delhi.EveryNovember,Auntywouldbeginsoak-ing dried and candied fruits in rum orbrandy to make kilos of fruitcakes, to begiven away to friends and neighbours asChristmas gifts. I wouldwatch Auntywith
raptattention,andsometimeswas luckytohelphermake the cakes.Robin, her son, and I were best friends.
Hiswas a homewith a Baniya father and aSyrianChristianmother fromKerala.Minehad a UP Kayastha father and a PunjabiBrahmanmother. Both mothers had cho-sen to be homemakers and did that withinimitable grace. We adored each other’smoms,andenjoyedtheircompany,watch-ing, learning, findingshelter—enjoyingde-licious foodandlearningabout familial loreand legend.WhenImovedtoNewYorkCity,assoon
asthetemperaturedroppedandthe leavesbegantofall, Idevelopedaninsatiablecrav-ing for Shashi Aunty’s fruitcake. The coldtemperature and equally cold way peoplein theUS liveandshare, for themostpart, asharp contrastwithhowwedo so in India,mademehomesick.Of course, Charlie andhis family tookme inas their own, andourfriends always opened hearth and home.But something was never quite the same.Despite the much richer festive look thatourChristmasdecorationsandcelebrationshad inNewYork (NY), Imissed thesimplerfeel of the Gupta household’s marking oftheholiday.I got Shashi Aunty to share her recipe
andwhenCharlie and Imoved to our farmin Upstate NY, Aunty’s fruitcake charmedneighbours and strangers alike. Now backinNewDelhi,CharlieandIstartsoakingthefruits in the fall so that comeholiday time,we can make delightfully decadent high-spirited fruitcakes to eat, give, and servethroughout the season.
Cognac-cured Fruitcakemakes three loavesINGREDIENTS●455gmmixeddriedand/orcandiedfruits●225gmmixed toastednuts● 420 ml cognac (brandy or rum can bealternatives)● 570 gm unsalted butter at roomtemperature●720gmall-purpose/plain flourplusextrafor dustingpan●¼tspeachcinnamon,cloves,ginger,nut-meg, all ground●1½ tspbakingpowder●½tsp salt●8 large eggs●1orange, zested and juiced●1 tbsp dark or Blackstrapmolasses/trea-cle●1 tbsporangemarmalade●¼tspeachalmondextract,orangeflowerwater, vanilla extract●1¼cups/250glight-ordark-brownsugar●1¼cups/250ggranulated sugar●3 tbsp superfine/caster sugar
MethodPlace the dried fruits, nuts, and 240ml
cognac in a bowl or resealable plastic bag.Set aside at room temperature for at leastoneweek ormore (continue to top off the
amount of cognac so the fruits continue tosweeten in their alcohol brine).Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
ger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt to-gether in a largebowl and set aside.Whisktheeggswiththeorangejuiceandzest,mo-lasses/treacle,marmalade,andalmond,or-ange, andvanilla extracts, and set aside.Beat the remaining butter with the
brownsugarandgranulatedsugarinastandmixer (or in a large bowl if using a handmixer) on low speed until combined.Increasethespeedtomedium-highandbeatuntil light and creamy, for about twomin-utes.Reducethespeedtolow.Addone-thirdof theflourmixturefollowedbyhalf theeggmixture. Repeat, endingwith the last one-thirdof theflourmixture.Mixinthecognac-soaked fruit and nuts (leave any excess liq-uid behind), then scrape the batter into thepreparedpan.Place thepan intheovenandbake the cake for onehour. Rotate the cake,reduce theheat to150degreesCelsius (300degrees Fahrenheit), and continue to bakeuntilacaketester insertedintothecentreofthe cake comes out clean and the centre ofthecakeresistslightpressure.Checkthecakeoccasionally— if it looks like it is browningtoo quickly, loosely tent it with aluminumfoil.Removethecakefromtheovenandcoolthecakecompletely in thepan.Place three largepiecesofmuslin (large
enough to completely wrap around thecake; you can also use several layers ofcheesecloth instead) inabowlandpourtheremaining180mlcognacover it.Runapar-ing knife around the edges of each pan toloosen the cake. Turn the cake out on to aplate. Wrap the cognac-soaked muslinaroundthecakesoall surfacesandsidesarecovered. Sprinkle the cake’s top with su-perfine/caster sugar and wrap tightly incling filmfollowedbya layerof aluminiumfoil. Let the cake cure in the refrigerator fora week (or up to a year).
SuvirSaranSuvir Saran isachef, author, educator
andworld traveller
SLICEOFLIFE
In the richer, festive decorations and celebrations inNew York, one missed the simpler feel of
a Delhi-household Christmas
In Good Spirits
SUVIRSARAN
Vatsala Mamgain
INTHEdark ages,whenwewere chil-dren,withnoNetflixorindoorplumb-ing, Christmashadn’t yet become theDecember kiDiwali that it is today.However, a steadydiet of EnidBlyton,
trillingChristmascarolsnon-stopatschoolandtheoptimism forwhich I amworld-famous,meant that oneChristmas Eve, I hung somestockings onmyheadboardhoping for pres-entsfromSanta.OnChristmasmorning,Iwokeexcitedlytomymotherboxingmyears—“Isabed, that too, right next to your pillow, anyplacefordirtysocks?”sheyelled. Inherview,Goddess Saraswati (who lived in bedhead-boards and every book and piece of paper)wouldpakkafailmeinmyexamssinceI’dsul-liedherlivingspacewithfilthy,stinkysocks.WehadbetterluckwithotherChristmassy
things. Thenunsat school taughtus tomakepomanders—orangesstuddedwithclovestillnopeelwasvisible—tobeusedasnaturalaro-matic ornaments for the Christmas tree andthentobehungincupboards,suffusingthemwiththeircitrusyspicyaroma.Mawasnotatall impressed byhowmany cloves it took tostud an orange. She thought it was a giantwaste of money, but, eventually, became aconverttotheresults.But, theoneChristmastradition she adopted enthusiastically, andwithoutreservation,wasthemakingandeat-ingofChristmascake.Weall lovedplumcake— the fact that it
wassoaked inalcohol and, sometimes, flam-béedextravagantly—theblueflamelickingatthe edges of the cake, aswewatched gobs-macked—meantitwasalwaysaspectaclenotjustatreat.Andtheinherentboozinessandso-phisticationmade it doubly attractive to uschildren—weusedtoreelaboutafterconsum-ing it, pretending tobedrunk.Ma loved it somuchthatsheinventedarecipeforacakewecouldeateveryday,notjustatChristmas—herrum-and-raisin-cakerecipewonheraSumeetmixie.Andso,forme,aChristmascakewillal-waysbedearlybeloved—butsimplyaposherboozierversionofhereveryday“mixiecake”.Aswegrewolder,wetriedtointroduceher
tootherChristmascake/breadversions—thepanettonesandstollensof theworld, butMawashavingnoneofit.“Bekaar!”washersingle-word pronouncement on the wonderfulstollen my friend would get me everyChristmasfromGermany.“WhenIwantbread,Iwilleatbread,whenIwantChristmascake,itbetterbecake!”wereherfightingwords.Lastyear,everythingwasbittersweet, in-
cludingChristmas.Mawas battling stage IVcolon cancer; itwas going tobeher last. Butwemanaged to arrange a Christmas caketaste-off for her to judge. So, there was apetha-rich plum cake from Bushy’s inAllahabad,Moddy’sdamp,darkversionfromtheNilgiris,theexcellentTheobromaoneandmy sister’s homemade version. She lovedthemallwithsomereservations(“Lovely,butnotenoughbrandyflavour”,“Excellenttaste,but thecakecouldbemoister”,etc.)—butof
use this whisky I’d been gifted, FireballCinnamonWhisky,whichlookedlethalenoughtobeperfect inaplumcake.WhenI realised Ididn’thaveenoughof the fruit I needed, I de-cided to improvise by adding a fatwodgeofmarmaladeinwiththefruitandsteepingit inFireball.Thismarmalade,whichanauntmakesfromherhomegrownmandarins,issomethingthatIalwaysuseasamarinadeforroastchicken—that’softenbeenapartofChristmasespast—tohelpcarameliseandcrisptheskintotheper-fectburnishedcrackle.In the cake, too, itwasdivine. The citrusy
tangandthebitteredgeofthemarmalade,thegentleheat of the cloves andginger, the fruitsteepedintheneon-orangedodgywhisky—itall came together brilliantly.Mummy,whoepitomised culinary inventiveness, hatedwasteandenjoyedthecitrusyspicyaromaofthepomanderswemademanyChristmasesago,wouldhavelovedthiscake,too.
MethodSteep, at least overnight, all the fruit and
marmaladeinthewhisky.Preheattheovento150degreesCelsius.Creambutterandsugar,addineggsonebyone.Addthetreacle.Then,siftthedryingredientstogether,andmixthesoakedfruitalternatelywiththedryingredi-ents into the creamedmixture, combiningthoroughly.Foldinthechoppednuts.Putbat-ter into a lined tin and bake for two/threehours till a skewer inserted in themiddlecomesoutclean-ish.Whencakeisdone,add2-3tbspwhisky,wrapimmediatelyindoublefoilandkeepintin.Feedthecakeeveryweekwith a few teaspoons ofwhisky till ready toeat.The flavourmaturesover time,butkeepthecake inacooldarkspot.
containersandhiddenaway, tobeservedoncewegotbackfrommidnightmassalongwithhotcoffeeormulledwine.KulkulswouldalwaystakethecentrestageinourplatterofChristmassweetsorkuswaraswecall it inGoa
children,aswell. InaworldwhereChristmasgoodiesareincreasinglygettingorderedfromcaterersandhomecooksandthemoretedious-to-makesweetsaredisap-pearingfromthekuswarplatter, I insist thatweallgetto-getherforadayofkulkulmaking.Therearegood-naturedgrumblesandsomedisappearingacts,buteveryoneagreesthat it isaworthycause. Istillusemymom’shand-writtenrecipethat Iamsharinghere:
When it comes to the curlyvanilla-dipped wonders, you can’tstop at one
TOGETHER WE FEASTKulkuls take centrestage in Christmas sweet platters
All I want forChristmas iskulkuls
Sanhita Dasgupta Sensarma
SCHOOLBREAKSmeantBhai and I exploredthevastMaharajaBirBikramCollegecampusin Tripura, cyclingwith our friends. The col-lege (nowMBBUniversity) campus situatedon a hillock namedCollege Tilla, flanked bytheHowrah on one side and a huge naturallake,wasfilledwithpurplelotus-shapla(wa-ter lilies).We lived in beautiful tin-roofedEnglish-stylebungalowsconstructedaroundthe1940s, for collegeprofessorsby thegreateducationistMaharaja Bir BikramKishoreManikyaDebbarmanofTripura.Eachbunga-lowhad large spaces around it. Our gardenoverlookedabeautifulslope,whereBabacutterraces for growingvegetables.Myparents,whoarefondofgardening,hada“name-itandyou-gotit”rangeofplants—cauliflower,peas,pumpkins, lemons,chillies,bananas,custardapple,mangoes, jamun,guava,andwhatnot.Christmas, calledBoroDin (GrandDay in
Bangla),wouldbetrulycelebratory.Morningtoearly afternoonwas spentwith friendsbythelakeside.Wewouldthenbepackedoff toGrandma’shome,toallowMaandBabatimeforthemselvesandsomepeacetoarrangetheChristmasdinnerandprepareforBhai’sbirth-dayparty the next day. Around sunset,Mejomamawouldarrangeaprojectorforscreeningmovies.Grandpa’sspotlesswhitedhotiwouldbecomethescreen.Movietimemeantcakes,pastries,puffs,chopsandBhai’sbirthdaycamewith bonus cakes and double the fun,withcousins and friends, sleepovers and feasting.Our housewould be the “it” place for socialgatherings. The food thatmyparents put onthetableisstilllegendary;nooneevermissedaninvitation.
Cakes at homewere almost always car-damom-gheebundt cakes, thatMamadeona stovetop sand oven. But bakingwas neverwithoutitschallenges.Unlikecooking,itisn’tforgiving. Precisemeasurements, tempera-ture and timings are three non-negotiables.Theelectricalsituationinthe’80swasmostlyunpredictable,withfrequentoutagesthroughthe day. So, anOTGhad zilch utility, unlikesandovensthatwerealwaysreliable.It was also the timewhen Tripura wit-
nessed a milk crisis. The newly-formedGomatiCooperativeMilkProducers’Union,though functional, wasn’t churning outenoughforlocalrequirements.Toovercomethe shortage, locals depended heavily onpowdered milk — Red Cow (Dutch) andAnchor(NewZealand). Inthepre-liberalisa-tion era, thesewould reach our grocers viaBangladesh, through an extremely porousinternationalborder.Given theunavailability of ingredients in
the tiny landlocked state,Mawisely substi-tutedwith available ingredients. For her fra-grant,moistcake,butterwassubstitutedwithghee, vanillawith cardamompowder,milkwithmilk powder and reconstitutedmilk,whilecountryeggswerethebasicingredients.It was never easy to find vanilla essence,chocolatepowder,butterorevengranulatedsugar in grocery stores.Mahad to grind thesugar on a stone slabwith amuller, becausethemixiewouldmake it too fine. Sugar sup-plywasregulatedthroughrationquotas.Eachfamilycouldonlygetaspertheirallotment.These geographical challenges led to in-
terestingoff-beatitemsonourtable.Onesuchwas savoury cakes,with every kind of veg-etable from our kitchen garden andGrandma’sweeklysupplyofmushroomsand
carrots.But,it’stheghee-cardamomcakethatwasunique toMa. Evennow,my friends re-member its unique flavour pairing.Cardamomand ghee, each have strong fra-grantnotesbutwhenblendedwithmilk,flourandeggscreateamellowyetpotentaroma.In sand ovens, these slow-cooked cakes
were quite the stunner.Mawould pour thebatter into the bundt pan linedwith paper,greasedwithghee.Oncethelidwasshutfirm,theovenwasplacedonaniron tawa levelledwithsand.BhaiandIwouldaffixourselvesatthekitchendoor.Wewerenotallowedtoen-terthekitchenbecausefoodusedtobecookedoverwoodfireandcoals.Wecouldbarelywait for thecake tocool.
Eatingwarmcakesonwintereveningswitha
glassofmilkarewhat childhooddreamsaremade of. Neat sliceswould be toasted on atawawitha touchof butter to crisp it up likebread. Itwouldbeourfavouritesnackforthenext few days. Nearly 40 years later, whenpandemiclockdownshavetestedouringenu-ity, I have fondly recalledmy growing-upyears,whereparentsandcookshadingenioussubstitutions to feed their families. Even to-day,Ma’sghee-cardamomcakehasthepowertoteleportmehome.
Ghee-Cardamom CakeINGREDIENTS●3cupsflour●1½cupsgranulatedsugar●3tspbakingpowder●4eggs●3 tbsp skimmedmilk to be reconstitutedwithhotwatertofor2½cupsmilk●1/2tspfreshfinegroundcardamomseeds●3-4tbspghee●Apinchof salt
MethodPreheatovento180degreesCelsius.Combineandshiftthedryingredientstogetherinamix-ingbowl.Combineghee (leavealittleasidetogreasethebakingpan),cooleddownreconsti-tutedmilk,andgranulatedsugarinabowl.Mixwell. Pourwet ingredients into thedry onesslowly, to avoid forming clumps. Add thebeaten eggs one at a time in a slow steadystreamtothemixandblenduntilwell-incor-porated. Pour the batter into a bundt pangreasedwithgheeand flour, tonomore thanthree-fourthfulltoavoidoverflowduringbak-ing. Bake for35-40mins. Insert a skewer, if itcomesoutclean,thecakeisdone.Takeitoutoftheovenimmediatelyandletitcool.
Ishallhaveyouknow,isdistinctfromthelifeofwriterlypovertythathasbeeninsinuatedby well-meaning people back home inCalcutta: profound coughing, sheafs of un-published poems, liver disease, leaky roof,death, theend.)Our roof, to be sure, does have a leaky
patch.Butit isabarsati inDelhi,ariteofpas-sage, full of light, and if our parents find itprecarious, our friends find its weather-beaten charm decidedly edgy. Let’s face it,the barsatimight not be aswell-known asthe Parisian garret in the history of letters,but it is no less atmospheric; even AmitavGhoshhad lived inone. (Or so I expound, tounsuspecting peoplewho have committedthemistakeof askingwhere I live.)We have just submitted the long-over-
duemanuscript of our joint travelmemoir.S has returned to his PhD and spends longhoursonintricatemath,andlongerhoursondefencetechnology.AndwhileIwriteaboutbooks and thewriting life for a provocativenewwebplatform, I spendmostofmytimereading, and dreaming, of all the booksweareyet towriteon the longnightswhenweshiver in our little parlour, tapping away atourkeyboards.Our eating habits are as eccentric as the
hourswekeep.Whenthebankaccountsarelean,astheyoftenare,weeatwhatwecallour“Delhimenu”—kadhi-chawal,rajma-chawal,tinda sabzi with parathas, chhole-chawal;somenightswerelyonsattuparathas,accom-paniedbyfieryaloochokha,fromaJNUdhaba,orcheapChinesetakeout.Whentheaccountsare less lean,wearepukkaBengalis: chickencurrywith potatoes andmaachher jhol andmutton kosha.When there arewindfalls, Iwalk determinedly to the local magazinestandandbuyanewissueofGoodFood Indiatocookfrom:seafoodpaella,thatremindsusofasaltydayinMonaco;fishcookedinparch-
basically nothing but our bed fits in, with adresserjammednexttothewindow—butitdoes have a large kitchen.Our octogenarianlandlady,SantoshAunty,likestojokethatitislargerthanherownkitchenonthefirstfloor.When we moved in, I’d had the shelvespainted red, shocking against the white-washedwalls, tomatch the crackedmosaicfloor,ourredsingle-doorKelvinatorandourtiny red OTG, inwhich said red velvet cakewasbaked.Itisacheerfulkitchen,withyellowcurtains,andifwedon’tcookasmuchasweshould,thedécorisatleastonpoint:oldwinebottleswithmoneyplantcurlingout,Frenchrecipesonpostcardsstuckonthefridgewithsassymagnets,yellowmeasuringcups.Andthisbringsusto2014,leanDecember.We don’t buy tickets to Calcutta, where
weusually spendChristmas break, eating afantastic amount of food.My father shareshisbirthdaywithJesus,sothepanoplyofgas-tronomicdelights flowsfromtwinfountsofinspiration: one, the goodies of Calcutta-Christmas,andtwo, thegoodiessourcedforhim by the extended clan— family, friendsand fans. (Myparentsare terriblypopular.)AsChristmasnears,Ibecomeinsufferably
grumpy.S,meanwhile,beginstosufferfromastrange hunger that simplywill not be sati-ated.Wefightforhoursovernothing,thenwemakeup lavishly.Wedance around the ter-raceatnight andsulk in corners in theafter-noons.Wepitcharticlesandgoonlongwalks,pausingtobuysecond-handbooks—anErmaBombeckformeoraRaviBatra forS—atthelocal newsagents.We enjoy the Christmaslights at KhanMarket and the hampers atModernBazaar, all froma stoic distance.Weareoutsiderstothemirthandjoy,andwefeelvery grown-up about it. Sometimes,we arebitter. Other times,we are giddily sanguineaboutourchoice:thelifeof themind.Eventually, we crumble and begin to
frommygrandmother—bebetterwithherchicken-in-coconut-milk orwith themelt-in-your-mouth mutton invented by myyoungcousinRibhu?If itwasourlastdayonEarth, thenwouldwe choose the rabri thatmyfather-in-lawbringsformyfather’sbirth-day every year, or, would we choose theNizambiryaniinstead?Nahoum’smarzipanor rose cookies fromHoggMarket: whichweremoreauthentictoCalcutta’sChristmas?Thetemperatureplummets,thedaysare
hardandbrittleinthecold,mostdaysthefogpersists into theafternoon.OnChristmasday,myfriendAneelaBabar,
once of Rawalpindi, decides to do a MrsMarch.AsweHummelsareabout toeatoursadlittlechanabhaturas,orderedinfromthelocal halwai, Aneela sends over a pot of hotfragranthaleem.WethrowoutthechickpeaswhenitturnsoutthatfatroundbhaturaswithhaleemandadollopofbuttermakesthemostcharmingChristmasdishafterall.Later, on the phone, the parents sound
wistful. I assure them there is nothing toFOMO about, I shall acquire the recipe andmakeitforthebirthdaylunchinCalcuttanextyear.Wewillbethere.Of course,wewill.(Many thanks to Aneela Babar, writer,
raconteurandBollywood-encyclopaediaforsharing her recipe. One can only hope shehasn’tomittedhersecretingredient.Itis,inall
probability, playing theChandni soundtrackwhile thehaleemissimmering inthepot.)
riceifyouareusingit)forthreetofourhours.Fry the ginger, garlic and onions till goldenbrown.Stir-frythemeatandboneswiththegarammasala,curryandbayleaves.Addsalt.Now, rinse the dal-and-barleymix and addthat to the pot, too. Add 10 cups of water,coverthepotandletitsimmer.Youwillhavetooccasionallycheckif itisnotstickingtothebottom.Twohours in,addthewheatdaliya.If themixture is thickeningand thewater isdryingup,youmayaddhalfacupofwateronoccasion. The aim is to let it simmer for fiveto six hours and constantly check on it andkeepstirring.Whenyouareexhaustedwiththeprocess, take itoff thestoveandremovethe bones. Now, fry the onions for temper-ing ina cupof oil. Add it to thehaleem, cov-ering the pot. Stir in a tablespoon of chaatmasala, return to stove and let it simmeragain for30minutes.Checkforsalt.Addthelemon juice. Garnish with coriander, splitgreenchilliesandginger juliennes.
Roy isaDelhi-basedwriter.HermostrecentbookisCatPeople,aneditedanthologywith
On this day 5033984X Lnk Than BahadurThapa of 5/1 Gorkha Rifles made the supremesacrifice during 'OP CACTUS LILLY-1971'Eastern Sector in Dec 1971 in a true act ofvalour and courage. The brave soldier willalways be remembered for his enthusiasm. Tothis brave heart we pledge that we shall alwaysbe guided by his immortal spirit and make hisname proud.
CO AND ALL RANKS,
5/1 GORKHA RIFLES
LNK THAN
BAHADUR
THAPA
CASTENOBAR
RAJPUT
BRAHMIN
BRAHMIN
ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL
PPRROOPPEERRTTYYFFOORR SSAALLEE
''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.
II,,SSuuddhhiirr kumar,S/o-Shri karanSingh,R/oO-27/A5, DilshadGarden,Delhi-110095,havechangedmyname,fromsunilkumar to sudhir kumar,for allfuturepurposes. 0040596180-2
II,,NNiiddhhiiAroraW/oDheeraj AroraR/o-2834/1 F/FGali No.2A,Bihari Colony,ShahdaraDelhi-110032,have changedmynametoNeetuArora,for all futurepurposes. 0040596175-7
II,,MMoonniikkaa Singh,W/oTwinkleKumar SachchanR/o-E-18,Third-Floor, Kalkaji,NewDelhi-19, have changedmyminor son’s name,fromHitansh (DOB.13-07-2018)toRaghavSingh,for all purposes.
0040596180-5
II,,MMaahhrreeeennYousufD/oMr.TariqYousuf R/o.K-133, AzadAppt.Patparganj, IP Extension, NewDelhi-92,have changedmyname toMehreenYousuf,for allfuturepurposes. 0040596175-6
II,,GGyyaanneennddrraaKumarMishra S/o-RamAshcharyaMishraR/oKH.N-151,Rithala,NorthWestDelhi,Delhi-110085doherebydeclare thatmy real name isGyanendraKumarMishraandin abbreviation iwriteGKMishra.I say thatGyanendraKumarMishraandGKMishraareoneand the sameperson.
0040596166-10
II,,CC..GGAANNEESSAANN S/oSh.Chinnagurusamy,R/o-11,Type-IV, President’s-Estate,NewDelhi-110004, have changed thenameofmyminordaughterfromG.VAISHNAVI toVAISHNAVIGANESAN, for allfuturepurposes. 0040596180-1
II,,AArrvviinnddKumar,S/o-Sh. NorangLal,R/o-287,First Floor,Pkt-4,SunviewApartment,Sec-11,Dwarka,N.D.-75,have changedmyMinorDaughter namePriyaMeena toPriya for allpurposes. 0040596180-3
II,,SuchitaKumari,w/o JitendraKumar, r/o 201 S2 SaraswatiApartmentD6VasantKunjNewDelhi-110070have changedmyminor Son’s name fromPrathamKumar toVardhanRoyfor all futurepurposes.
0050189013-1
II,,SubrataKumar SinghS/o LateSh. NibaranChandraSinghR/oBhabha-204, Grihapravesh,Sector-77, Noida, Distt.GautamBudhNagar, UttarPradesh-201301havechangedmyminor son’s name fromSHIVANSH to SHIVANSHSINGHfor all futurepurposes.
0040596159-1
II,,SreekalaW/oSh. ThalapillyMadhavanSivashankaranR/oF-100,MedhaApts,MayurVihar, Phase- 1 Extension, Delhi- 91, have changedmydaughter name fromShreya toShreyaSivashankaran for allpurposes. 0040596193-1
II,,Prashant Shukla S/oKaushalKishore ShuklaR/o 2005, AjnaraGen-X, CrossingRepublik,Ghaziabad, UP-201016havechangedmyson’s name fromPrayanShukla toPaarth Shuklawho is approx. 7 Years and 9Monthsold. 0040596206-1
AAlllliiaannccee invited fromofficers ofAll India /Central/StateServices/Doctors /Engineers/Lawyers/ManagementProfessionals ofKshatriya/Rajput communityfor beautiful BhriguvanshiKshatriya (Savarni gotra)girl,BA(Hons) philosophy fromMirandaHouse, Delhi andpursuing Law fromJaipur.28yrs/5.6 ht.FatherSr.IAS(ACS rank) Rajasthancadre. Interestedpersonsmaysend their biodataonemail:[email protected]
0110026651-1
DD’’dduunnbased status Jat Sikhfamily looking for adecentwellsettledSikh/Hindumatch fortheir daughter 82born,5-4,homely, v beautiful,widelytraveled. Boymust be fromsamestatus,upper castenobar.biodataandpicsmail [email protected]
II,,AnushaGoswamiD/O.SanjeevKumarR/O.54/19, third-floor,Ashok-Nagar, Tilak-Nagar, NewDELHI-110018, have changedmyname toAnusha for allpurposes. 0040596175-4
IIMahabir SinghS/o Late Sh.PremSinghR/oK-468, K-Block,Jahangir Puri, N.S.Mandi, NorthWestDelhi, Delhi-110033havechangedmyname toMahavirSingh for all purposes.
0040596149-3
PPlloott--4444Gunthanear Pune Loni,(Manjarituch, ) near ReaverviewsProject, Solapur Road(on 1km)Tollnaka, R-zone, Twoside roads 1500/-Sq ft, Owner9921213785. 0090295860-1
PUBLIC NOTICEWe, Ankit Panthri S/o D. N. Panthri &Vidhika Panthri W/o Ankit Panthri bothR/o Flat No.1005, Hamlin Apartment,Plot No.16, Sector-43, Gurgaon,Haryana have lost our OriginalAllotment Letter dated 02/01/2007 atLajpat Nagar, Delhi on 01/12/2021 ofour Flat No. PR-608, 5th Floor,Supertech Icon, Presidency Heights,Plot No. E, Nyay Khand-1,Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, UP whichwas issued to the original allottees Mr.Biswajeet Guha & Rupa Guha by M/sSupertech Limited. The Said Flat gotregistered in their favour on13/10/2009. We had purchased theabove flat from the original allotteesvide Book No.1, Volume 16812 frompages 1 to 50 at Serial No.741 dated13/01/2011 at the office of Sub-Registrar (Fourth), Ghaziabad. Iffound contact at 9953680810.
PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for general information that ISUKHDEV KUMAR S/O KUNWARBAHADUR, residing at H. NO. B-14,GALI NO. -3, SHAKTI VIHAR, D KMOHAN GARDEN SO, D K MOHANGARDEN, WEST DELHI, DELHI-110059 declare that name of minehas been wrongly written asSUKHDEV in my minor son’sDIVYANSH aged 16 years schoolrecords and birth certificate. Theactual name of mine is SUKHDEVKUMAR, which may be amendedaccordingly.It is certified that I have compliedwith other legal requirment in thisconnection.
My clients Sh. Anil Goyal andSmt. Charu Goyal both R/o H.No.976/65,Gali No.65, Tri Nagar, Delhi-110035 have disowned/debarredhis son Ankit Goyal and his wifeSmt. Vaishali R/o A-3, Pink CityLakho Begu Sarai, Bihar from his/their movable and immoveableproperties because both are not inour control, any body dealing withthem by any one herself/himselfshall be responsible for the same.
ANIL KUMAR, ADVOCATECH.NO. P-9A, Post Ofice Lane, Tis
Hazari Courts, Delhi
PUBLIC NOTICE
General public is hereby informed that my
clients (1) Sh. Sant Lal Chhabra S/o Late
Sh. Bhoj Dutt Chhabra and (2) Mrs. Anju
Bala Chhabra W/o Sh.Sant Lal Chhabra
both R/o M-93/ M- 80, Second Floor , Street
No.10, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 ,
hereby severed all their relations from their
son and daughter-in-law namely Mr Akash
Chhabra and Mrs Gunjan Chhabra W/o Sh.
Akash Chhabra,due to their disobeying,
misbehavior and hereby disowned and
debarred them from their all movable and
immovable properties forever. Any person
dealing with them shall be doing so at his
own risk and responsibility in future my
clients will not be responsible for any act
and deeds done by them.
Sd/- B.B.N.Deo, Advocate,
SR-II,B.Coumpus,Janak Puri,ND-58
PUBL IC NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for general information that I, SimranBhateja W/o Sh. Surinder Kumar BhatejaR/o D-63, D-Block, Near Lal Mandir, EastUttam Nagar, Uttam Nagar, West Delhi,Delhi- 110059 declare that name of mineand my husband has been wrongly writtenas Simran Batheja and Surinder Batheja inmy minor son Laksh Bhateja aged 17years 10th class marksheet and certificateand name of mine, my husband and myminor son has been wrongly written asSimran Batheja, Surinder Kumar Bathejaand Laksh Batheja in my minor son LakshBhateja Passport No. J5418566. Theactual name of mine, my husband and myminor son are Simraj Bhateja, SurinderKumar Bhateja and Laksh Bhateja, whichmay be amended accordingly.
“It is to inform to the public at large that Mrs.Sajida acquired Property No. RZ-H-53,measuring 26 sq. yds. Khasra No. 21/21,situated at Village Dabri, colony H-Block WestSagarpur, New Delhi vide Sale Deed dated18.01.2016 executed by Mrs. ParamjeetKaur, duly Regd. as Doc. No. 472 and nowMrs. Sajida is the undisputed owner ofthe above said property. Any person / firm /institution / company having any claim orright in respect of the said Property by wayof inheritance, share, sale, agreement, lease,license, gift, possession, legal heirs, partnersor encumbrance howsoever or otherwise ishereby required to intimate in writing to theundersigned within 07 days from the date ofpublication of this notice of his/her/their shareor claim, if any, with all supporting documentsat belowmentioned address.After expiration ofnotice period, the claims, if any, of such personshall be treated null and void and also treatedas waived and not binding on our client.
PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for general public at largehereby that my client HashikaAshok Spouse of WingCommander BN Ashok (28760-T) resident of Kumbalagodu,Mysore Road, Bangalore-560074 have changed hername from Hashika Ashok toHashika Appachu vide affidavitdated 17.03.2021 beforeHon’ble High Court of Delhi.
NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING THROUGH e-TenderingIdentification No. 42 Dt. 11.12.2021
The Executive Engineer, RWS&S Division, Balasore on behalf of theGovernor of Odisha invites bids from bidders of eligible class registered withthe Odisha State Government and bidders of equivalent Grade / Classregistered with Central Government / MES / Railways for the works detailedin the table below to be eventually drawn up to P1 contract with design andexecution of the following Piped Water Supply Projects.
O-1386
1. Nos. of Work : 46 Nos RPWS schemes in Balasore district (Clubbed-up)
: Dt. 20.12.2021 at 10.00 hours to 29.12.2021 up to 17.00hours through online.
5. Seeking of Clarification : Dt. 20.12.2021 at 10.00 hours to Dt. 18.12.2021 up to15.00 hours
6. Date of opening of Bid : Dt. 31.12.2021 at 11.00 hours in the O/O EE, RWSSDivision, Balasore.
7. Name and address of theOfficer Inviting Tender
: Executive Engineer, RWS&S Division, Balasore
Bid Cost & Bid Security will be receipt through electronic payment byNEFT/RTGS.Further details can be seen from the e-Procurement Portal:http://tendersodisha.gov.in
kkQû ¦fªf IYe QcSXe, ¸ffÀIY W`X ªføYSXellG-10385/21
GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU & KASHMIR
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEERMECHANICAL HOSPITAL AND CENTRAL HEATING DIVISION SRINAGAR
Telefax: 0194-2496089, E-mail ID: [email protected] of e-tender (Short Term)
NIT No: MHCHD/TS /2021-22/245/e-tendering Dated: 17.12.2021For and on behalf of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state, e-tenders, valid for 180 days, are invited from
the Original equipment manufacturers of Lifts or their authorized dealers/ representatives or Registered/ reput-ed and experienced firms for the following works
AA accorded vide:-CD-2nd:-16535-37 Dt:-08.12.2021, Technical sanction vide: 163 of 12/211. Downloading of Bids:- The NIT Consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Bill of
quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other details can be seen from the depart-mental website www.jktenders.gov.in from 17.12.2021 (18.00 hrs) and can be downloaded from17.12.2021 (18.00 hrs).
2. Uploading: The bidders shall deposit their bids in electronic format on the above web site from 18.12.2021(10.00 hrs) to 29.12.2021 (15:00hrs) in two (02) covers.
1. Opening of Bids:- The bids received upto due date and time shall be opened on 30.12.2021 (15.00 hrs) orany date convenient to the department in the office of Executive Engineer, MHCHD, Srinagar.
Sd/-Executive Engineer,
MHCHD, Srinagar
Name of Work Est. Cost. Cost of Earnest Time of Position(Rs. in Lacs) T/Doc. Money Completion of Fund
(in Rupees) (Lacs of Rs.) (in Days)
1 2 3 4 5 6
25.52 1000 51000 2.00 AvailableSupply, Installation, Testing and Commissioningof one No. Passenger Cum Goods Lift (G+1) ofCapacity 500 Kg along with allied works andAMC for two years post two years normal warran-ty period at Govt. Press Sempora , Srinagar
DIPK-15153/21
PR 259707 Jharkhand Zoo Authority(21-22).D
Sd/-Member Secretary
Jharkhand Zoo AuthorityOrmanjhi, Ranchi
Bidders, who have applied in the earlier round of this bidding process are requested not to participate in thisround of bidding as all technically responsive bids during the earlier round remains valid for this round.
JHARKHAND ZOOJHARKHAND ZOOAAUUTTHHOORRIITTYYBBHHAAGGAAWWAANN BBIIRRSSAABIOLOGICAL PBIOLOGICAL PARK, ORMANJHI, RANCHIARK, ORMANJHI, RANCHI
The NIT Published Vide PR No. 259145 dated 14 December 2021 is being modified as under:ndNOTICE INVITING TENDERS (2 Call)
Bids are invited for Construction of Butterfly Conservatory, Pond and Entrance Gate forButterfly Park- Phase IIatBhagwan Birsa Biological Park Ormanjhi, Ranchi, from eligible andexperienced reputedCivil Contractors / Contracting firms.
1. (a) NAME OFWORK “Construction of Butterfly Conservatory, Pond, Entrance Gate for ButterflyPark- Phase II, Ormanjhi, Ranchi.”
2. CLIENT MEMBER SECRETARY, Jharkhand Zoo Authority, OrmanjhiRANCHI – 835219.
3. Estimated PROJECT COST 2.00 Crores4. E.M.D Rs. 4 Lakhs6. Cost of the Bid Document Rs. 10000/-5. TIME OF COMPLETION SIX MONTHS6. Bid Submission Start date and Time 27.12.2021 (10:00 am)7. Pre Bid Meeting Date and Time 18.12.2021 (11:30 am)8. Bid Submission Deadline 30.12.2021 (11:00 am)9. Date and Time of Bid Opening 30.12.2021 (11:30 am)
10. AVAILABILITYOF TENDERDOCUMENT
Interested bidders may download the tender document from Tender Section ofthe official website of JZA i.e. https://birsazoojharkhand.in/
11. SUBMISSION OF TENDER and Placeof Opening of Bids
The tenders, complete in all respect, shall be submitted sealed with coverlabeled on top as “Construction of Butterfly Conservatory, Pond, EntranceGate for Butterfly Park- Phase II, Ormanjhi, Ranchi.”This cover shall also
include the demand draft towards the Earnest Money Deposit and cost of biddocument.
7. Cost of tender document:- 5000/- (Rupees Five Thousand Only) Itwill be submitted online through official website www. jharkhandminerals.gov.in Other & Services e Payment Paymentoffice (Directorate ofGeology) Head of Payment (Cost ofTenderDocument) Description Type of Depositor (Other) DistrictName (Directorate of Geology) DDO Code (PRJOTH002) andTender Document will also available in our Government websitewww.jharkhand.gov.in
8.Cost ofTenderDocument is non - refundable.
Government of JharkhandGovernment of JharkhandDepartment of Mines & GeologyDepartment of Mines & Geology
DirDirectorate of Geologyectorate of GeologyndndEngineers' Hostel No-2, 2Engineers' Hostel No-2, 2 floorfloor, Dhurwa, Ranchi-834004, Dhurwa, Ranchi-834004
SHORT TENDER NOTICEShort Tender Notice No. 15/2021-22
Directorate of Geology invites sealed tender on plain paperfrom manufacturers/ authorized agents/ distributors of repute havingtheir registered offices in India for the purchase of Gray King LowTemperature Furnace (GKLT) for State Geological Laboratory,Hazaribag as laid down in theTenderDocumentName of the Department :-Directorate of Geology, Department ofMines&Geology, Jharkhand,Ranchi1. Name of the advertiser :- Director, Geology Department ofMines&
Geology Jharkhand,Ranchi2. Period ofTenderDocument 17.12.2021 to 06.01.20223. Last date and time of receipt of Tender Document 06.01.2022 till
1.00P.M.4.Dateand timeofopeningofTenderDocument06.01.2022at3.30PM5. Place of receipt of Tender Documents: Office of the Director,
For and on behalf of the Lt. Governor, J&K UT e-tenders are invited from Authorized dealers ofSuggested makes of Split ACs or Registered/ Reputed and experienced firms for the below mentionedwork:-
Name of Work
Est. Cost(Rs. inLacs)
Cost ofT/Doc.
(In rupees)
Time ofcompletion
(in days)AAA
TS.NO Positionof
Funds
EMDAmount
(Rs)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Supply, Installation, TestingCommissioning of Hotcold (reversible acs) atUPHC Nishat Labour Roomof SDH Hazratbal
7.66 500 1068 MCSof2021 Dt:-
16.11.2021
146 of11/21
Available 15500
The Tender document Consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Bill ofquantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms and conditions of contract and other details can beseen/downloaded from the departmental website www.jktenders.gov.in from 16.12.2021 (18.00 hrs).
1._The bidders shall deposit their bids in electronic format on the above web site from 16.12.2021(18:00hrs) to 22.12.2021 (14:00 hrs) in two (02) cover.2._The bids uploaded on the website up to due date and time will be opened on 22.12.2021 (17.00 hrs)or any date convenient to the department in the office of Executive Engineer, MHCHD, Srinagar.
The Chief Executive Officer, RSCL invites bids from eligiblecontractors for the following projects:
Tender Fee is Rs. 7,100/- to be deposited with the bid which is Non-refundable. The complete BID documents can beviewed/downloaded from official portal of Rourkela MunicipalCorporation (https://www.rmc.nic.in or e-procurement portal ofOdisha https://tendersodisha.gov.in from 18.12.2021 to31.12.2021 (up to 17:00 Hrs. IST). Pre-Bid Meeting will be held on24.12.2021 at 12.30 A.M. in the Conference Hall of RSCL. Forqueries, intending bidder may contact General Manager-MIS videPhone No. 7008285260 and Email ID: [email protected].
Sd/-Chief Executive Officer
Rourkela Smart City LimitedOIPR-13080/11/0020/2122
C-1637
SL.No
Name of the Projects Estimated Cost ofthe Project Rs.
Lakhs.
1 Supply, Installation, Commissioning ofComputers and Other Peripherals for E-Sushrut Project
Issued in the public interest by the State Government
Ex-Gratia assistance of Rs. 50,000/- to nextof kin of the deceased who died due to
COVID-19 in the StateGovernment is providing Ex-Gratia assistance of Rs. 50,000/- perdeceased, to next of kin of the deceased by COVID-19 in the State as perthe guidelines of Government of India. All application claims will be set-tled within 30 days of submission of required documents and assistanceshall be disbursed into the bank account of beneficiary.
Process of Application:Applicant can submit their claim application through online service "Ex-Gratia assistance to next of kin of the deceased by COVID-19" availableat Antyodaya SARAL Portal. By clicking on Antyodaya SARAL Portal(https://saralharyana.gov.in/ ). Scheme of 'Ex-Gratia assistance to next ofkin of the deceased by COVID-19' is available on left side on the home-page of the portal. Online application can be made from https://saral-haryana.gov.in/directApply.do?serviceld=1674 link.An application has to be made by generating OTP from Mobile/computeron the portal and by uploading the following documents.• Copy of report diagnosing deceased as COVID-19 positive (RT-PCR/
Rapid Antigen/ Molecular Test/ Document Supporting the medicaltreatment/diagnosis of Covid-19/ Form-4/Form-4A)
• Copy of death certificate of the deceased.
The followings are also eligible under the scheme:-• The deaths occurring within 30 days from the date of testing or from
the date of being clinically determined as a Covid-19 case are alsotreated as "Deaths due to Covid-19", even if, the death takes placeoutside the hospital/in-patient facility;
• Also, the Covid-19 case, while admitted in the hospital/in-patient facil-ity and who continued to be admitted beyond 30 days and died subse-quently, are also treated as a Covid-19 death;
• A family member of the deceased, who committed suicide within 30days from being diagnosed as Covid-19 positive, is also entitled toavail of the financial help/Ex-Gratia assistance of Rs. 50,000/-.
Grievance Redressal mechanism:-For resolving grievances of the public in the matter, Government has alsoconstituted two Grievances Redressal Committees at the district level.Aggrieved person can submit their grievances to the concerned DeputyCommissioner or Additional Deputy Commissioner in their offices for thegrievances as follows:-> If any family member/kin of the deceased died due to Covid-19 has
any grievance with respect to non-receipt of the Ex-Gratia paymentof Rs. 50,000.
> If any hospital and/or the place where the deceased had taken treat-ment, refuses to furnish such documents, as required for the purposeof establishing that the death was due to Covid-19.
> In cases of the death certifications already issued and any family mem-ber of the deceased is aggrieved by the cause of death mentioned inthe death certificate already issued, it will be open for the aggrievedperson to move the appropriate authority, who issued the death certifi-cate to modify/amend such death certificates on production of the nec-essary documents such as, positive RT-PCR/ Molecular Tests/ RAT ORclinically determined through investigations in a hospital/ in-patientfacility by a treating physician, while admitted in the hospital/ in-patientfacility. If the person is still aggrieved, it will be open for the aggrievedperson to approach the Grievance Redressal Committee.
For any queries regarding online application related to the portal,Antyodaya SARAL Helpline- 0172-3968400 can be contacted.
Revenue and Disaster Management Department,Government of Haryana
6305/HRY
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
JAL SHAKTI MECH. G.W.D DIVISION JAMMU
Sub: Installation, Testing and Commissioning of SubmersiblePump Motor Pump set including allied electro-mechanicalworks at Patti Panchayat of Vijaypur Block (03 Nos) inVijaypur Constituency of District Samba under DistrictCapex Budget 2021-22 (PRI Grants).
Ref: This office e-NIT No. GWD/150 of 2021-22 Dated:- 02.12.2021EXTENSION NOTICE-II
1. Due to poor response, the above mentioned subject e-NIT on thewebsite http: jktenders.gov.in is extended upto 20.12.2021 till 6PM.
2. Similarly the opening of technical bid online is extended upto22.12.2021 or any other working day convenient to tender open-ing authority.
All other terms and conditions shall remain un-changed as uploaded/advertised earlier.
Sd/-Executive Engineer
Jal Shakti (M) G. W. D DivisionJammu
No. GWD/7090-93Dated: 14.12.2021DIPK-10751/21
KARNATAKA FOREST DEPARTMENTOffice of The DeputyConservator of Forests,
Mysuru Division, Mysuru – 570008.Ph:0821- 2483853, Email:[email protected] .A3 / S an d a l / e - a u c t i o n / CR - 1 2 / 2 0 2 1 - 2 2Date: 16.12.2021
BRIEFSALENOTIFICATIONIt is hereby notified for the general information of thepublic that the Sandal logs and pieces stored atGovernment SandalwoodDepot, Sandal Koti, Mysuru– 570 008. spent sandalwood powder located atJarakabande godown, Bengaluru division, Bengaluru.As mentioned below will be sold by e-tender-cum-auction mode through MSTC Ltd., on the online platform“www.mstcecommerce.com’’. The sale conductingauthority is Deputy Conservator of Forests, MysuruDivision, Mysuru. The e-tender-cum auction is subjectto terms and conditions uploaded on the websitewww.mstcecommerce.com. by e-tender-cum auctionNotice No:MSTC/BLR/Karnataka Forest Department /1/Aranya Bhavana, Ashokapuram /21-22/25511Date of e-tender-cum-auction: 13th January 2022.Mode:Online-www.mstcecommerce.com. Time: 11.00AM to 02.00 PM. Quantity of Material: 45 Lots ofApproximately 88.87 MT Sandal wood of Different kinds.Approximate value: Above Rs.6.00 Crores. Inspectionof logs by the bidders: 27.12.2021 to 12.01.2022 (Bothdates inclusive) 10:30 AM and 04:00 PM (On workingDays) at Government Sandalwood Depot, Sandal Koti,Mysuru – 570008. And Jarakabande godown, Bengalurudivision, Bengaluru-560015. Pre Bid Meeting: 6th
January 2022 at 4.30 PM at the office of The DeputyConservators of Forests, Mysuru Division, Mysuru.Conditions:1) Interested bidders should get themselvesRegistered with MSTC well in advance. 2) Intendedbidders are advised to inspect the material to theirsatisfaction. 3) The Quantity notified adjacent to eachclass kept for sale is approximate. 4) Every Registeredbidders shall pay an Earnest money deposit (EMD) ofRs.10,00,000/- (Ten Lakh only) for all lots/or any lot.5) The black listed bidders, defaulters, Minors, insolventpersons will not be Permitted to participate in the sale.6) Detailed Sale Conditions to be downloaded fromwww.mstcecommerce.com.
Sd/- DeputyConservator of Forests,Mysuru Division, Mysuru.DIPR/DDMYS/MCA/705/2020-21
Notice Inviting TenderNotice Inviting Tender in plain paper is herebyinvited for “Procurement/Supply of Web Camerafor use in the Agartala Govt. Medical College,Agartala” subject to certain terms & conditionsvide file No. F.6(1-37)-AGMC/P&P/College/WebCam/2021-2022.Last date of submission of offer to the Principal,Agartala Government Medical College & G.B.P.Hospital, Agartala on or before 4.00 pm of15.01.2022 by Speed post/courier/registered postonly.The Terms & conditions for the same may becollected free of cost from www.agmc.nic.in,A.G.M.C. Agartala prior to the last date ofsubmission of the NIT.
SHORT TERM E-TENDER NOTICEE-Tender (Rate contract) response invited from experienced agenciesto provide Frisking of candidates through HHMD on rental basisservices for VDO & Other examinations being conducted byRajasthan Staff Selection Board throughout the State.
Estimated cost of E-Tender (Rate contract) is Rupees 800 Lakhs onlyand last date of Bid submission is 20.12.2021 up to 03 P.M. Mode ofsubmission is online only.
Detailed E-Tender and terms and conditions of E-Tender can be seenon the Board website rsmssb.rajasthan.gov.in,https://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in and E-Proc.
Any information or clarification can be obtained from the Reception ofRSSB Campus in working hours of any working day or on telephoneno 01412552796
Eol No: E-6/Fert./GodhanNyayScheme/843/2021-22Under the Godhan Nyay Yojana program, Gothans are producing var-ious organic fertilizer products, which are being sold through theCooperative Societies (CS). As the nodal farmer welfare agency, theDirectorate of Agriculture (DAG), Chhattisgarh and the other allieddepartments / agencies are facilitating the Gothans to sell their organ-ic fertilizer products, Further, as the Licensing and Inspecting author-ity under the Fertilizer (Control) Order 1985, the DAG is releasingthis Eal to ensure that all norms of the Fertilizer (Control) Order 1985being followed. Interested firms/individuals may participate in thisempanelment process as per the conditions of the Eol.The detailed EOI and the Terms of Reference may be obtained fromthe website http://agri portal.cg. nic.in/. Eol publish date 19December 2021, and the last date for submission of proposals is 10January 2022. For more details contact by email or phone.
Director,65991 Directorate of Agriculture
Expression of Interest (EOI) to sell Organic Fertilizers inbulk to interested individuals/firms
BEFORE DEBTS RECOVERY TRIBUNAL-III, DELHIth
4 Floor, Jeevan Tara Building, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001Notice under Section 19(4) of the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act.1993 read with Rule 12 & 13 of the Debts Recovery Tribunal (Procedure Rules) 1993).In the matter of OA NO. 83/2021PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK Vs AMIT GUPTA AND ORSApplicant Defendants
D-1 AMIT GUPTA PROPRIETOR OF M/S SAUMYA FASHION HOUSE, 125, 1ST. FLOOR,ANAND NAGAR, INDERLOK, DELHI-110035 ALSO AT: HOUSE NO. 31, MANDIR WALLGALL,AZADPUR VILLAGE, JAHANGIRPURI, DLEHI-110009. ALSOAT: VILLAGE BAYEN,TEHSIL GANAUR, DISTRICT-SONEPAT, HARYANA-131101 AND AT: 805, 8TH FLOOR,PEARLOMAXE, NETAJI SUBHASH PLACE, PITAMPURA, DELHI-110034
D-2 MR VIPIN KUMAR GUPTA B/30, TEACHER COLONY, LUKMI DHARAM KANTA WALTGALL SAMAYPUR, DELHI-42 ALSO AT: HOUSE NO. 31, MANDIR WALT GALL,AZADPURVILLAGE, JAHANGIRPURI, DLEHI-110009.
Whereas the above named applicant has instituted a case against you and whereas it has beenshown to the satisfaction of the Tribunal that it is not possible to serve you in ordinary way.Therefore, this notice is given by advertisement directing you to make appearance in this Tribunal10.01.2022 at 10.30A.M.
Take notice that in case of your failure to appear on the above mentioned day before this Tribunal,the case will be heard and decided in your absence.
Due to ongoing Pandemic Situation, all the matters will be taken up through VideoConferencing and for that purpose:-
(i) All theAdvocates/Litigants shall download the Cisco Webex application/Software;
(ii) Meeting ID and Password for the next date of hearing qua cases to be taken byRegistrar/Recovery Officer-l/ and Recovery Officer-II shall be available one day prior to thenext date at DRTOfficial Portal i.e. drt.gov.in under the Public Notice Head.
(iii) In any exigency qua that, theAdvocates/Letigants can contact the concerned official at Ph. No23748469.
Given under my hand and seal of the Tribunal on this 13th day of December., 2021.By Order of the Tribunal
Government of RajasthanDIRECTORATE OF CIVIL AVIATION
State VIP Hangar, Sanganer Airport, Jaipur-302011Telefax: 0141-2550543 Email: [email protected]
Ref. No. F. 3(10)DCA/OPS/2020/ 2840 Dated: 16.12.2021
Notice Inviting BidE-Bid is invited for acquisition of twin Engine VFR and IFR capable Helicopter havingseating capacity of five passengers on short Term Contract basis for a minimum periodof 06 Months. Interested bidders may submit their bid online athttps://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in on or before 1200 hrs of 29.12.2021 under bid ID No.2021_CIVAV_251043_1. Bid documents may be seen and downloaded from(http://sppp.rajasthan.gov.in and https://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in).
Sd/-UBN- DCA 2122SLOB00017 (Rajendra Singh Shekhawat)DIPR/C/12862/2021 Director
NATHANLYONwashuncheddownundertheshower, absolutely numb. Even the tearswouldn’t come forhalf anhour. For themanwhosebiggestfearis“lettingpeopledown”andwhogetshigh-strungonmatchdays,especiallywhenhefeelsthematchhangsonhisperform-ance,hefelthehadlefttheteamdown.EnglandneededtwotowinatHeadingley
breakofourtimes,wouldstirhimselfuptotrylandinganothersucker-punchnextballbuttheumpire and absence of anymore referralswoulddenyhimandAustralia.Half an hour, headunder a towel, in the
dressing roomensuedbefore Lyon slumpedunder the shower inhishotel. Eventually, hispartnerEmmawoulddraghimout, andwillhimtogodowntohave somebeerswithhisteammates.“Shewasbrilliant.Shesaidit’sjusta game. Don’t put yourself downanddon’tmakeyourselfthinkthatyouletdownawholeAustralia,”LyonwouldtellNeroliMeadowsinher podcastOrdineroli Speaking. “It’s one ofthose thingswhere Iprobably careabout thegametoomuchbut I feel likethat’soneofmystrengths.”
Rising to theoccasionLyoncares.Hecouldn’tsleepthenightbe-
fore the finaldayof theEdgbastonTest in thesameAshes.HeknewAustralia’s triumph layinhis fingers.He tossedaroundbut couldn’tcatchawink.HehitupYouTubeandRainontheRoofandmemoriesofhischildhoodatYoung,the small townnearCanberra renowned forcherryorchardsandthenationalcherryfestival,soothed him to sleep. Next day, he spunAustraliatovictory.Hedidn’tletthemdown.Justashewould-
n’t onDayFourof the first Test in thecurrentAshes.Lyonhadsaton399wicketsfornearlyayear,andwasthwartedbyEngland’sbatsmenthroughoutthethirdday.Thenextmorning,hesnaredDawidMalanwith a loopyoff-breakfromaround the stumps. “It’s yet to sink in…beenahardtoil…Nodoubt I’ll getmyphoneandcallmyfamily,”hewouldsaylater.Notsurewhathisfatherwouldsaythistime.
WhenLyonhadcalledfromSriLankawiththenewsthathewouldbemakinghisTestdebut,thefatherwouldblurtout,“Oh,that’sgood.Youwill play one game!”And thenhungup thephone.“IhavesincefiguredoutthatDaddidn’tknowwhattosay’cosyougettooemotional,”
TheYouTubevideoofAdelaide2014,thelastday inparticularwhenhespunAustralia toafamous triumphagainst India, is somethingthat Lyon oftenwatches. “Whenever as re-quired.” At home, onhis phone, before abiggame,inthemidstofself-doubt,hewoulddialupthatandotherspellsofhis.Thatwas themostemotionalgameLyon
andCo.wouldhaveplayedasithadcomeonthe back of the death of Phil Hughes. TheAdelaide Oval would be emblazonedwith‘Remembering408’ on theoutfield, theTestcapnumberofHughesanditwaswheretheAussieswould congregate after the thrillingwin.Itwouldn’thaveoccurredwithoutLyon.M
looking for anewspinnerand (I) never reallyhadthesupportofsomepeoplewhomattered.Ithinkitfeltliketheselectorswerealwayslook-ingforastrongleg-spinner…Itprobablytookme a littlewhile coming out of the strongshadowofWarne.Andtobehonest,Iamprob-ablystill intheshadow,”hesaidlastyear.
Frequent fall guyThestoryofLyon’srisehasbeenwelldocu-
mented:fromacurator’sapprenticetobowlingto his heroes like Ricky Ponting andMikeHussey in the 2010Ashes preparation andbreakingintotheteamlater.It’sthedoubtsthatfascinate.Therewasnohighinhimwhenhegrabbed
That stockball indeed is a thingof beauty.Thewholepackagereally.Theshortsteps, thelittlejog,thehoptogetthatrightthighhighanddownashe settles intoa classic side-onpos-ture,theshoulderandarmrevvingupandoverbeforetherelease.Lyoncockshisbowlingwristin,towardshimself,twofingerswrappedwideapartontheball,andhelets it ripupandoverwithalotofoverspinthatmakestheballdropandbounce.Onhis gooddays, thedrift awayfromtheright-handerisnoticeable.Hisstockballistheloopydrifteroutsideoff,
in that 2014AdelaideTestwerequite some-thing. In the first innings, hehad luredRohitdownthetracklookingforthetypicalondrivewiththeturn.Butacoupleofskipsdown,Rohitrealised theballwasn’twherehe thought itwouldbe.Ithadstartedtodriftaway.Hisarmsbegantosearchforit,awayfromthebody,andhis‘shape’begantobeyankedaway.Hethrewinonelastattemptwithhiswristsbuttheballhaddropped, turned, andhecouldn’t controlhisdrive,andwaspouchedbyLyonhimself.Inthesecondinnings,Rohitwouldnotleave
the creasebut tried to stretch forward inde-fence.Aloopyrippingoff-breakonalengthout-sideoff drewhim forward. Theball gripped,kickedupoff the rough, crash-landedon theglovesandricochetedtobackwardshortleg.ThosedeliveriesarethesortLyonhascome
tobeknown forover theyears. The loop, therip, drift, overspin, and theunerringaccuracyballafterball,overafterover,havefetchedhimover400wickets.Clearly,Warne’sshadowhasreceded, and it’s thebatsmenwhoare grap-plingwithself-doubt.
SPORTLINE:Over a distinguished career, Lyon has battled setbacks to become a premier off-spinner
AGENCEFRANCE-PRESSEADELAIDE,DECEMBER18
ENGLANDWEREstaringdownthebarrelofanother chastening defeat Saturday, dis-missed for 236 then forced to watch asAustralia batted again and stretched theirlead in the day-night second Ashes Test atAdelaide.JoeRoot andDawidMalanhad survived
theopeningsessionofdaythreeunscathed,building a 128-run stand as they chasedAustralia’sfirst-innings473forninedeclared.But it all came crashing down after the
dinner breakwith both players removed inquick succession, Root for 62 andMalan for80, sparking a collapse that saw Englandslumpfrom150 for twoto236all out.Makingmattersworse,theydidsoagainst
asecond-stringattackwithPatCumminsandJoshHazlewoodbothmissing.Stand-inAustralian skipper Steve Smith
loss of DavidWarner for 13, needlessly runout after a disastrousmix-upwithMarcusHarris,whoremainsunbeatenon21.NightwatchmanMichael Neser was on
twoasAustraliareached45forone,buildingtheir lead to282.Hostile pace fromMitchell Starc and
NathanLyon’sdangerousspindid thedam-agetoEngland,complementedbyCameronGreen,whobaggedRootforthesecondcon-secutivetime. Starc—whobecamethefirstbowler toclaim5wickets inday-nightTests—claimed4-37andLyon3-58.England crashed by ninewickets in the
firstTestatBrisbaneandif theygo2-0downin Adelaide the Ashes are as good as gone,needing towinall three remainingTests.Australia bowled repeatmaidens at the
start of the second session andRoot lookedincreasingly uncomfortable against Green,whowasstartingtofindmovementwiththepinkball.Havingpassed1,600Testrunsinacalen-
daryear—onlythefourthplayerinhistorytodoso—hepokedataGreendeliveryandgotan edge to Smith at slip, leaving him stillsearchingforanelusivefirst-evercenturyinAustralia.Malansoonfollowed,slashingataStarcthunderboltthattookanick,againintoSmith’s safe hands. Malan has now scorednine Test 50s but only converted one into acentury.“Weletitmeanderalittlebitthroughthe
“He’saserioustalentforayoungkid,he’sagreatadditiontoourbowlingattack,hewasextremely good in that session after thebreak.”OlliePopesurvivedabat-padreviewbut
only lasted twomore balls, charging downthe wicket to Lyon and edging toMarnusLabuschagneat short legon five.Jos Buttler fell without scoring to Starc
the rest with Chris Woakes and OllieRobinson also undone by Lyon, andwhenBen Stokes was bowled by Green for 34, itwasall butover.Englandhadresumedat17 for twoafter
onone.Theyhadperfectearlybattingcondi-tionsonaflatpitchandRootsettledquickly,slamming a well-timed drive for four toboosthis confidence.Starcwas hit for 11 off his first over and
thepairquicklybroughtuptheir50partner-ship.Malan completed his 50with a singleoff Neser, while Root hit Richardson to theboundary to reachhis52ndhalf-century.BRIEFSCORES:Australia473 for9decand45for1(Harris21*,Warner13)leadEngland236 (Malan 80, Root 62, Starc 4-37, Lyon 3-58)by282runs
Starc’s milestone inday-night Tests leavesAustralia in command
Monday December20Nowisamoment toreorganiseyourpersonalandprofessionalaffairs.Besmartandaskotherpeople for theiropinion first.
Tuesday December21Lifeisgood.It'stimetomakeacome-backand scotch all those nasty rumours thatyou are being lazy and self-indulgent.
Wednesday December22Ratherthanjustfeelingpulledindifferentdirections, look at individual situationsand realise that you can makeimprovements in one while leavinganother for later.
Thursday December23Ifyouarepreparedforanythingtohappen,this might be a good time to let otherpeople know exactly what you think oftheirbehaviour,especiallyifyouapprove.
Friday December10There'samajoradvantageinyourcurrentSun-Moon alignment. For a start you'vegot all angles covered, which is a way ofsayingthatif lifedoesn'tgoyourway,youhave lotsof otheroptions.
Saturday December11Yourstarsarestill sociablebutduringthecourseof thenextmonth,many changeswill take place. Youwill be cutting downoncommitments.
However, ifyou'reunsureofyourground,youcouldgetinvolvedintheargumentswhichotherpeoplewillbeprovoking,oftenneedlessly.Whynotusethischancetodevelopyourskillsasapeacemaker.
West led the nine of clubs, taken by East's ace. East returned a spade,whichSouth ruffed. Justoneheart indummywouldhavebeennice. CanSouthcopewithNorth'sbeingheartless?
20. Mythicaldwarf holdsGeorgeinitially incheck(5)21. What's left inblackmaybeworn(9)25. Baseballplayerwho'sasuccessfuldetective? (7)26. Theheatof sincerity? (7)28. Goaroundwithaclergymandistributing love (7)29. Dance tooldhomerecording(3-4)
DOWN1. Adjustheighta fraction(6)2. Malicious toprecludetakinganeducationaldegree (6)3. Lastcharacter inahundredtoassist inmakingsomebrass (4)4. Chains itup,hidingat theoriginalplace (2,4)5. Place forbearding?(5,3)6. Kindofhatonthesmoker'shead, so tospeak(7-3)7. A little flowershe,albeitgrabbingeveryotherone in theEmirate! (3,5)8. Labelsdifficult toget ridof ? (8)14. It takes the fatherandmotherofamindtoproduce it ! (5-5)16. X-ratedcomplex forsoundcompany(4-4)
Westovercalled1SandafteraNegativeDoublebyNorthandaraiseto2SbyEast, South bid and finished the auctionwith3H.What shouldWestlead?TheSouthHand: S-Q104H-AKJ8D-974C-A102TheEastHand: S-952H-73D-QJ53C-KQ85Thebiggestdealwiththisopeningleadisnotto leadaspade. Leadingtheaceisterribleandunderleadingitisworse. Ihavewrittenabookonleadsandhaveanentirechapterdevotedtowhyleadingasuit likethisoneagainstasuitcontractisbad. Eventhoughyourpartnerhasraisedthesuit,leadingitisaseriouslybadidea.Sohavingrejectedaspadelead,youstillhavetofindsomething. Adiamondisrejectedforthesamereasonsasaspadeandaclubisrejectedbecauseleadingadoubletonintothebidder isalsoabadidea.This leavesyouwithatrumplead.Notabadchoice,actually. It issafeandmaydosomethinggoodforyoursideifdeclarerneedstoruffafewthingsindummy. South takes the lead in his handwith the ace, East playing theseven. ItisobviousthatEastdoesn'thaveanythinginheartssoyoucanbesurethatSouthhasthemissinghearthonours.AttricktwoSouth leadsaspadetowardthedummy.Doyoutakeitorduckit?Betterplaylow. ThekingwillwinbutonlyifSouthhasasingletonspadewillitcostyouatrick. SinceEastraisedto2Sandsoldoutto3H,itisunlikelythathehas five of them. In themeantime, it is possible that duckingwill keepSouthfromgettingasecondspadetrick.Youdidn'tthinkthatyourpartnerhadthequeenofspades,didyou?ItispossiblethatEastdoesnothavethequeenofspades. Heraised,buthedoesnotneedthequeenforthat. LookingatallfourhandsyoucanseethatSouthhasaspadeloser, twodiamondlosers,andtwoclublosers. Youwillget all of these tricks unless yougive declarer a place to put one of them.SinceSouthhasthreespadestothequeen,takingyouracewillprovidehimwithtwospadetricksandthatwillmeanadiamonddiscardfromdummyonthequeenofspades. Insteadoftwodiamondtricks,youwouldgetjustone.It is amazing howoften it is best for a defender not to take his acewhendeclarer leadstowarddummy'sking.
Dealer:South Vulnerable:None
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH1C♣
1S♠ dbl 2S♠ 3H❤pass pass pass
Dealer:South Vulnerable:None
New Delhi
VolXXNo.40Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt, ShivylyaRoad,PostKhagaul, Shahpur, Patna (Bihar) andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorial office:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor,ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha,Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha** **Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct.Copyright:The IndianExpress (P) Limited.All rights reserved.Reproduction inanymanner, electronicorotherwise, inwholeor inpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermission is
tain for the up-coming three-Test seriesagainst SouthAfrica, startingDecember 26,BCCI secretaryJayShahsaidonSaturday.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma was madedeputytoViratKohlifortheseriesbuthewas ruled out due to a recurringleft-hamstringinjury.The29-year-oldRahul has played 40 Tests so far andhasscored2321runsatanaverageof35.16, with six centuries under hisbelt. Importantly, he is being lookedat as a long-term potential leader."The All-India Senior selection com-mittee has named KL Rahul as vice-captain for the upcoming 3-matchTest series against South Africa. KLRahul replacesRohitSharmaasvice-captain,whowasruledoutof theTestseries owing to a hamstring injury,"Shahsaid inastatement.
IPL’sLucknowfranchiseappointsGambhirasmentorNew Delhi: Former India openerGautamGambhirwasonSaturdayap-pointedmentor of the newLucknowfranchiseaheadofIPL2022.Thesouth-paw,who is also amember of parlia-ment,hadcaptainedKKRtotwoIPLti-tles during his playing days. "The firetowin a contest still burns bright in-sideme, thedesire to leaveawinner'slegacystillkicksme24x7. Iwillnotbecontesting foradressingroombut forthe spirit and soul of Uttar Pradesh,"Gambhir said in a statement. The 40-year-oldplayed58Tests,147ODIsand37T20Isfor India.
ATKMBpartwayswithcoachHabasKolkata: Former champions ATKMohunBaganonSaturdaypartedwayswith their most successful coach,AntonioLopezHabas, the firstheadtorollamidaforgettableoutingintheon-going Indian Super League. TheSpaniard,whowasthefirstmanagerinISL towinthetitle twice,hasbeenun-der pressure after their star-studdedside slipped to bottomhalf followingtheir four-matchwinless steak -- thelatest beinga3-3drawagainst anun-der-performingBengaluruFC. PTI
MurraydownsrustyNadal inAbuDhabiAbuDhabi:FormerworldnumberoneAndyMurrayeasedpastRafaNadal6-3, 7-5 in the Spaniard's comebackmatch at the World TennisChampionshipexhibitiontournamentinAbuDhabionFridaytosetupasum-mitclashwithRussia'sAndreyRublev.Morethanfiveyearsonfromtheirlastmeeting, both playersmade impres-sive starts but the Scot'smatch prac-tice told as he saved a break point inthethirdgameof thematchandthenbrokehimselftoclaimtheset."MeandRafa have played so many toughmatches over the years... both of ushavegonethroughinjurytroublesandit's just great tohave theopportunityto bewith him on court again," saidMurray. REUTERS
BRIEFLY
FormerWorldno1outwitsyounggunSen inathrillingcontest toreachtheWorldChampionships final inSpain
SHIVANINAIKDECEMBER18
“OUW.SLIPPED.How.He’sokkk...”On either side of the elegantly alarming
sighs fromcommentatorsMorten Frost andSteenPedersenduringLakshyaSen’squarter-finalagainstChineseZhaoJunPengcameabio-mechanical boggler for 35-year-old AbdulWahidsittinginthestandsbehindtheIndian.Thiswasat20-20inthedecider,andSen’s
trustedphysiotherapistandtrainerwasn’tre-allylookingattheshuttler’slittleskid,butmoreatthefateof theshuttleacrossthecourt.“I don’t knowhowhedid it, all credit to
Lakshya. Iwas justveryhappy itwent inside.You knowhow it is whenwe arewinningagainst aChinese shuttler... slight extraprideand joy,”Abdulwoulddescribe the scenesasSen became the second Indian to ensure aHuelvaWorldChampionshipmedal.In fact, Abdul knewexactly howSenhas
beenpullingoffsomeofthoseoutrageousre-trievesthroughouttheweek,withbody-bend-ingMatrixarchesondefenceandunrealcross-hitsfromseeminglyunbalancedpositions.ThisoneonFriday evening thoughwasdifferent:Senwasmovingdiagonallyfromtherightnetcorner to the left backpocket. And itwashisdecision toaudaciouslygodown-the-line in-steadof theexpectedcross-courtthatcausedthehavoc inhis torque - the shoulder acrossthe torso swinging back before cocking thewristinsuddensnap,andthefeetstillheadedforward.(Imaginehittingfastforward&pauseinonegoonvideo).Itisforthesakeofsuchelasticityonabad-
fortournaments,it’snotlikeyouonlyplaythematch and the day is done. Everyminutemovement isworked on through the day,”Abdul says. “It’s themost high-impact sportI’veworkedin,andinjurieshappenbecauseoftheintensity.Myjobistokeephisbodyjointsin good shapeandcorrect posture,” adds theexpertfromCuttack.Abdul,thesonofasupervisorofatopho-
tel chain, had very little exposure to sportwheninschool,justsomecasualtabletennis.He’d pursue his Bachelor’s at Pune’s MARangoonwalaCollegeandMastersatDelhi’sGuru Gobind Singh College, after which hewould gain experience from stints in Delhitennis, basketball, football and evenwrestling.Badminton, though,wasadiffer-ent feather-game.“InPune,Ifirstinteractedwithbadminton
playerswhoplayedinter-universityandweremy friends. It was an eye-opener, the de-mandsofthatsport,”Abdulrecalls.He’sbeen
at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy(PPBA) since 2016, brought in by OlympicGoldQuest (OGQ), but this last oneyearhasbeen about accompanying Sen for top-tierevents. “Other sports are 3-4 months.Badmintontheyplayweekafterweek,everymonth. It’sverydemanding.”
hisgame-style:he’safrogprancingaroundthecourtwithnocareforlimborstrife.ItisAbduland the strength and conditioning staff’s jobto give him the freedomto gohopping afterthe shuttle. “My first prioritywith himwasthree areas - anklemobility and strengthen-ing, hips and shoulder,” Abdul recalls.WheninBengaluru-theweeksweredividedamongthesethreefocusareas.Assorted injuries that cropped up - first
shoulder,latelytheback,woulddemandquickchangesinplanstopatchupthemangledtis-sues. But itwas inpre-hab thatAbdulwouldstart investingmoretime, toprevent injuries.“Weworked on activating the loosening ofjoints and correct posture. As a right-hander,youareworkingyourrightlegmoreasalead,andmuscleimbalancewilldevelopononesidebecauseofunilateralmovements.Plus,twistsandturns.So,weworkonposturetominimisethat,”hesays.TherearedailyhealthquestionnairesSen
fills, and his mood is accounted for, plusbreathing exerciseswoven intowarm-ups.“Wecheckifhe’scomfortable.Evenrecoverydepends onwhat’s availablewherewe are.Rightnow,it’scoldinSpain,soit’shydrother-apy in the pool. There’ll be ice-baths inwarmer climate or compression therapywhenthat’s required,”hesays.Even the running, skipping, cycling en-
quick jumping and adjustments to pick theshuttlefromanyposition,meanevenhisland-ingonthecourtisbeingworkedupon,withaneyeonmaintainingalignment.“Lakshyaissu-per-agile on court and specific focuswill re-mainonthataspect,”Abduladds.Sen’s longmatches, like against Kenta
Nishimoto,arethebiggroundhogdayswhenthree-gamers comebunchedwithminimalrecovery. Badminton’s top echelons arewrackedbyinjuryduetoapunishingschedule,andSen’sbiggestchallengewillremainstayingfitwhileplayinginbigarenaswithslowshut-tles. Instinctively attacking, he’s bought intothenecessityofrallying.Butthatgame-style’salwaysawringeronthebody.“Longmatch days are hardwork for the
athlete.So,myresponsibility isalsotoensureninehours’ sleepwhichwe see as ‘recoverytime’, while the nutritionistworks on carbsloadingatdinner(it’sbeenchickenandpastaatthebuffetinSpain).Butasaphysio,itismyjobtoensurethatafterallthetiringexertions,theathletecanmaintainstrengthandgetthesoft tissuereleasethereafter,”heexplains.Abdul’s brief was clear: ensure Sen is al-
ways in with a chance in the third game.Against Zhao, the teamof coachDKSenandAbdul regroupedafterhigh-fivesandatwo-minute celebratory acknowledgement ofhow far Sen had come. “Having beaten aChinese player, we did a small jig. But thenimmediatelygotdowntorecovery.Therearetwomorematchestogo.Coaches likeVimal(Kumar) Sir have put trust inmewith elitetalent. Ihavetodomyjobwell,”hesays.Kidambi Srikanth has had his own bat-
tleswithinjuriesandemergedonthebrightside. “He’s a very good player, with greatskills, fitness and strokes,” Abdul avers.Breath-taking badminton demands the in-visiblesolidfitness,andAbdulreckonsSen’steamwill keep the Sen cruise-ship steady,working likepropellers.
SHIVANINAIKDECEMBER18
LOOKWITHIN, theysay, to find theburningembers of ambition. Kidambi Srikanth hadsearchedforthelastfewyearsandfoundnotevendyingflickersashiscareercareenedoffitsonce-promisingcourse.OnSaturday, theact of looking within acquired a larger di-mension, when Srikanth found the blazingfight staring him in the face with cool un-twinkling Lakshya Sen eyes. His youngercompatriotdrewoutthewinnerinhim,withchiselledstrikesandhammer-netshots,be-foreSrikanthwon17-21,21-14,21-18tobe-comethefirstIndianmantomaketheWorldChampionship finals.Therewasaroarintheend,amunificent
smilewithraisingofarmsandawarmhugatthe net, as the best person to celebrate thispath-breaking journeywith could be noneotherthanthemanfromacrossthecourt-afellowIndian,butmoreimportantly,afellowwarrioron thebadmintoncourt.Therewasnopretense toacoolhead,no
faking nonchalance. Srikanth left it all outthere,playinganauthenticbaregame,allhisbrillianceof strokesgleamingbutnohidingof thewartsandall.Ropes of clear nervousness had leashed
Srikanth intoabody-bindashe failed toex-presshimself intheopeninggame.Beingthesenior,moreexperienced shuttler, a formerWorldNo.1 toboot, thepressure tonot losewas on him. The older Indian looked flap-pable, jitteryandpronetoerrors.Therewerenine unforced errors in the opener, in fact.And no progressive discovery of perfectioneither -hekept spraying thesmashwide.Srikanthlackedsharpnesswhenhewent
for the lines.Buthekeptbackinghimself, ashetweezedoutwinnersfromSen’soctopuslikeall-reaching tentacles.Forced toplayoutof his comfort zoneof
blitzingattack,draggedintoascrap,Srikanthwas riddledwithmistakes. His confidenceshotisthethwacktapatthenet.Itstayedcoy.Instead,outcametheblisteringsmashfrommid-court.
Going for his shotsSen’s far fromamugindefence,andwas
retrieving an audacious number of returns.Whentheshuttlekeptcomingbackfromthemiddle, Srikanthwould go for the lines andbotch it up. But thenhewouldgetupagain,andstartfromscratch.Srikanthhastoomuchquality tobeoverpoweredbySen.OnSaturday,hefought.Onlyforthenext
point. There were long rallies he lost. Buttherewasalwaysa fresh ideabrewing tobetried.Senwastiring,butsowashe.Twogor-geousdown-the-linesmashes-thoseunfet-tered hits punctuated all these puddles ofpressure inwhich he splashed. Falling back8-11 in the opener, Srikanth let things driftin theopener.Hewould start the secondwith aggres-
sion and anger. There was a jaw-droppingbehind-the-backbackhandretrieve,andSenmatched him save-for-save. He can sleep-walkthroughhisnetgame-incidentallySenacesittoo-andthatwasdependable,butlifewasontheedgeinthebackcourt.4-8down,hewouldlevelat9-9andspendGame2get-tingSentomis-hitmorethanclaimhisownwinners,finallypocketingthesecondtoforcea decider. In the third, Senwas visibly tiredand Srikanth put the revs onhis smashes, alotof shoulderonthesteeplings.At7-9,Senplayed a casual flick parry - a no-look blindslash that showed the difference betweenfearless youth and pressured reputation.Srikanthwouldgetpastall that.At10-13 in thedecider though, Srikanth
had had enough. Hewould gleam out theswordandgoall-guns attack, rainingdownsmashes,manyacross,onestraightdown,tostamp his foot down. In the end, Sen didn'thave thegrowlinghunger inhis stomach todenySrikanth.
I couldn'twalk this golf course even right now,and it's flat. I don't have the endurance.My leg isnot quite right yet and it's going to take time. I'ma longwayaway fromplaying tournamentgolf.”
It isAbdulWahidandthestrengthandconditioningstaff's jobtogive LakshyaSenthefreedomtogohoppingaftertheshuttle. Express
Meet the man who keeps Sen fit and strong
Anotheronebites thedust
London: The Premier League lost anothermatchtoaCOVID-19outbreakinasquadwhenAstonVilla'shomegameagainstBurnleywaspostponedaroundtwohoursbeforekickoffonSaturday. Villasaiditdidnothaveenoughplay-erstofieldateamfollowingmorepositivetestsinitssquadthatwerereportedearlySaturday.The league approvedVilla's request to post-pone thematch "based on the number ofCOVID-19 cases, injuries and illness." Fivematches scheduled for thisweekendhadal-readybeen calledoff becauseof coronavirusoutbreaksinsquadsamidaworseninghealthemergency inBritain as theomicronvariantspreads. The league said the remaining fourgames — Leeds-Arsenal on Saturday andNewcastle-ManchesterCity,Wolverhampton-ChelseaandTottenham-LiverpoolonSunday— "are currently scheduled to proceed asplanned."
NFL latest casualtyNewYork: TheNFLonFridaypostponedgamesforthefirsttimeallseasonduetoCOVID-19,theNBAunveiled tighter protocols and theNHLshutdownthree teams throughDec. 26, fur-ther clouding their plans to send theworld'stopplayerstotheBeijingOlympics.Themoves
toahalt.TheClevelandBrownswereoriginallyscheduled to host the Las Vegas Raiders onSaturdaybutwith twoquarterbacks amongtheirroughly20playersonthereserve/COVID-19list,willnowplaythegameonMonday.
Holidayshave towait
Beijing:BeijingcitysaidonSaturdayitisadvis-ingresidentsnottoleavetownduringamajorholidayseasoninearly2022,partofeffortstolimit coronavirus risks while the WinterOlympicsGamesarebeingheld.China'scapi-tal is keen "to ensure zero local infection, thesuccessful hosting of theWinter OlympicGamesandtheWinterParalympicGames,andthatthepublichavejoyful,peacefulandtran-quil holidays," it said in a statement. In addi-tiontoencouragingpeoplenottotakeunnec-essarytripsoutsidethecity, itwillalsocall forsomegatheringstobeheldonline,accordingtothestatement..
Durant inNBAsafetyprotocolNewYork:BrooklynNets star KevinDurant,theNBA's leading scorer, entered theNBA'shealthandsafetyprotocols.Hebecomestheeighthmemberof theNetsintheCOVIDpro-tocols, joining James Harden, LaMarcusAldridge,PaulMillsap,BruceBrown,DeAndre'Bembry,JamesJohnson&JevonCarter.Duranthas carried theNets to a 21-8 record and athree-game lead over theChicagoBulls andBucksintheNBA'sEasternConference.Ontheseason, he is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 re-boundsand5.9assistspergame. AGENCIES
DISRUPTIONS
Covid plays spoilsportCovid cases indifferent sports across theworldareon the riseagain.While theEnglishPremier Leaguehas seen several postponementsdue toburgeoningcases,the effect seems tobeapparentacross thepondaswellwithAmerican sports feeling
thepinch.
StevenGerrard-managedAstonVillasaidtheydidnothaveenoughplayers to fieldateamforSaturday’smatch (L ).KevinDuranthasbecometheeighthmemberof theNets intheCOVIDprotocols. Agencies
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEDECEMBER18
BRIJ BHUSHANSharan Singh, a BJPMemberof Parliament andpresidentof theWrestlingFederationofIndia(WFI),wascaughtoncam-era slappingayounggrappler onstage during the Under-15NationalChampionshipinRanchi.The incident purportedly tookplace on Friday at Ranchi’sShaheed Ganpat Rai IndoorStadium after a wrestler fromUttar Pradeshwas disqualifiedfrom takingpart in the competi-tionafterbeingallegedlyfoundtobeoverage.Unhappywiththede-cision,thewrestlerlodgedacomplaintandde-mandedSingh’sintervention.Singh, a six-timeMP fromKaiserganj in
Uttar Pradesh, is a seasoned sports adminis-trator.ApartfromtheWrestlingFederationofIndia,whichhehasbeenheading for the lastnine years, he is also a vice-president of the
AsianWrestlingFederationandamemberofthegovernment’sMissionOlympicCell,whichidentifies athletes for the Target OlympicPodium Scheme, among his other assign-ments. Atwrestling tournaments across thecountry, Singhwields ahighdegreeof influ-enceonproceedingsandhashadthelastword
onallmattersinthesportinIndia.However, the 64-year-old
politician-cum-sports-adminis-trator chosenot to interferewiththedecisiontakenbythecompe-tition officials. He tried to pacifythewrestlerbutthosepresentsaythat an argument broke out be-tweenthetwo,afterwhichSinghlost his cool and slappedhimonstage.Somewrestlersandcoaches
demandedanapologyfromSinghbutthesit-uation was brought under control afterJharkhandWrestling Federation presidentBholaNathSinghsteppedin.Singhandofficialsfromthewrestlingfed-
erationdidnotrespondtophonecallsseekingcomments.
WFI chief slaps wrestler onstage ‘for being overage’