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HYDERABAD, WEDNEDAY MAY 5, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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Page 11

ALLU ARJUN TOWORK NEXT

WITH MAHARSHIDIRECTOR?

2

Post-poll violencein Bengal reminiscent

of Partition: BJP

5

Soulful, meaningful

tunes to vibe to

9

Will ejection of Eatelabring BC matters to a

head for KCR?

Bill and Melinda Gates, who fordecades have overseen one ofhistory's greatest fortunes and

philanthropic operations, said theyplan to divorce.

The announcement Monday thatthe couple is splitting after 27 yearsof marriage has the power to ripplethrough the technology industry, avast portfolio of business and realestate holdings and into the realms ofglobal health, climate change policyand social issues including equality for

women. The pair, who command anestimated $146 billion, according tothe Bloomberg Billionaires Index,made no public hint of their finan-cial plans, though they emphasizedthat they will cooperate on continu-ing their philanthropy.

There is no tougher taskthan writing the obituaryof a colleague, especially

one who had his heart in theright place, who worked hardand was always popular with hisco-workers due to his friendli-ness and kindness.

On Tuesday, Sumit KumarOnka, reporter with ThePioneer based at Vizag lost hisfight against Covid-19, leavinghis family and colleagues dev-astated. He was 34.

Sumit was a native of Jeyporein Odisha and had shifted toVizag in 2015 to pursue a careerin journalism. Before his stint injournalism he had brieflyworked in a BPO at Delhi.

His first job as a reporter waswith the Deccan Chronicle andlater he joined The Pioneerteam in Visakhapatnam. He wastested positive for Covid onApril 22 and was admitted to aCovid Care Centre.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A barrage of COVID-19 casesforced the IPL's indefinite suspen-sion on Tuesday, a move that waswelcomed by the franchises even asthe league's jittery foreign recruitswaited for BCCI's plan of action toensure their return amid somestrict travel restrictions.

The decision to postpone theleague was announced afterSunRisers Hyderabad batsmanWriddhiman Saha and DelhiCapitals spinner Amit Mishrajoined the infected players' list,which already had Kolkata KnightRiders' Varun Chakravarthy andSandeep Warrier.

Chennai Super Kings' bowlingcoach L Balaji was among theprominent non-playing staff totest positive.

"The Indian Premier LeagueGoverning Council and BCCI in anemergency meeting has unani-mously decided to postpone IPL2021 season, with immediateeffect," a statement from the IPLread after the development wasconfirmed by its chairman BrijeshPatel to PTI.

"The BCCI does not want tocompromise on the safety of theplayers, support staff and the otherparticipants involved in organisingthe IPL. This decision was takenkeeping the safety, health and well-being of all the stakeholders inmind," it added.

ANUSHA PUPPALAn HYDERABAD

In all, 549 Ola/Uber drivers, 311Swiggy/Zomato/Amazon deliveryboys tested positive for COVID-19and five among the drivers lost theirlives due to the virus in TelanganaState in the second wave.

Members of Telangana's app-baseddriver and rider communities, whohave been reeling under rising fuelprices, are now experiencing the dev-astating impacts due to the second

wave of COVID-19. However, no helphas been provided by either the gov-ernment or app-based companies, theApp-based Drivers Association said.With no restrictions on movement ofindividuals, gig and platform workers,app-based companies running theiroperations in various parts of India

have ignored the safety of their driv-ers/delivery partners, the associationalleged.The Telangana Gig AndPlatform Workers Union and theTelangana State Taxi and DriversAssociation Joint Action Committee(JAC) has demanded that the govern-ment must provide health and acci-dent insurance for drivers as well asdeath compensation of Rs 25 lakh todrivers' next of kin, in case of his/herdeath due to Covid.

Companies like Ola, Uber, Swiggy,Zomato, Rapido, Dunzo have simplyasked their drivers/delivery partners

to ensure their own safety and thesafety of the customers they interactwith, while forgetting to provideadequate PPEs to them so that theycould protect themselves and theirfamilies from COVID-19.

Shaik Salauddin, founder StatePresident of Telangana Gig AndPlatform Workers Union, said, "Thepromise of providing vaccines forfrontline workers like Gig andPlatform Workers has been forgottenagain.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana High Court hasfound fault in the manner inwhich the government surveyedthe lands of former minister EtalaRajender. The court heard theurgent petition filed by family offormer minister Etala Rajender andsaid that the Collectors report onenquiry in achampet assignedlands is invalid and not acceptableas it is not according to law

Justice Vinod Kumar conduct-ed the hearing at the residence onTuesday. He Expressed dissatisfac-tion at not being given noticebefore conducting the survey andOutraged that the authorities hadseriously violated natural laws.Court issued interim orders not tointerfere in lands and businesses of

Jamuna Hatcheries. It ordered thegovernment not to take coerciveaction against the company.

Senior advocate Desai PrakashReddy appeared for the Eatala fam-ily and explained to the court thatthey had not been given noticebefore conducting the survey andthat authorities had infiltratedinto their lands. They said that thecollector did not even give thereport of enquiry to them.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Eight Asiatic lions housed in theHyderabad Zoo have been diag-nosed with respiratory distressafter contracting the SARS-CoV2virus. All eight have been isolatedand are responding well to treat-ment, the Forests and EnvironmentMinistry said Tuesday.

The virus detected in the lions isnot of concern to humans, andthere is no evidence of transmissionfrom animals, the centre added, asit urged media to remain cautiouswhile reporting on the matter. "OnApril 24, with an abundance of cau-tion, Nehru Zoological Park inHyderabad shared samples (collect-ed from nose, throat, and respira-tory tract, under anaesthesia) fromeight Asiatic lions housed in the zoo

that had showed signs of respirato-ry distress," the release said.

"Based on detailed diagnostictests it has now been confirmed thatthe lions have tested positive forSARS-CoV2 virus," it added.

Further analyses revealed theinfection was not due to any "vari-ant of concern" to human beings.

The lions are behaving normal-ly and eating well. Preventive meas-ures are already in place for all staff,with the zoo being closed to min-imise external contact, the centreexplained.

The Central Zoo Authority hastaken pre-emptive measures, andissued guidelines and advisories tozoos in light of the increasingnumber of SARS CoV-2 case.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana ForestDevelopment Corporation hasdecided to provide 1,000 tonnesof firewood to COVID-19 specif-ic crematoriums free of cost, anofficial release said on Tuesday.

Vanteru Pratap Reddy, chair-man of the Forest DevelopmentCorporation, said the decisionwas taken following reportedhigh number of deaths and short-age of timber available for crema-toriums.

The timber would be suppliedthrough local bodies in the cityand elsewhere, the release said.

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

The Telangana government onTuesday allowed private Covidvaccination centers to conductinoculation only for the cohort ofthose aged 45 years and above.

The subsidized vaccines thatthe Central government is allottingwill be administered only throughgovernment centers, while privatecenters will charge new rates decid-ed by manufacturer.

TS Director of Health Dr GSrinivas Rao said: "The beneficiar-ies shall be vaccinated by 100 percent registration and prior bookingof slots on the CoWIN portal. The

private vaccination centers arerequired to procure vaccine ontheir own, directly from the man-ufacturers".

However, there is no word fromofficial quarters about when thevaccination drive would be taken

for the 18-45 age group. There is nocap as yet on the price of the vac-cine to be taken at private vaccina-tion centers.

The DPH reiterated that Covidvaccination for the first and seconddose shall be administered to allthose in the cohort of 45 yrs plusby 100% prior registration andbooking of online slots on theCowin Portal. For booking of slots,the portal may be accessedwww.cowin.gov.in.

The DPH said: "Vaccinations willnot be administered to walk-ins.Beneficiaries will not be enter-tained offline".

So far, 48,14,784 have beenadministered vaccine.

ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

Quick on the uptake, TRSMinisters and leaders, after keep-ing mum for three days followingthe ejection of Eatela Rajenderfrom the state cabinet, on Tuesdaygave a strong counter to his alle-gations against Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao.

According to them, it is Etela"who has the mindset of feudallord", and who opposed welfareschemes for BCs and weaker sec-tions. He never strove for theiruplift. Eatela claimed to be a BC inhis constituency (Huzurabad) andan OC in Hyderabad, allegedMinister Gangula Kamalakar.

Individuals would come andgo, but the party would be perma-nent and persons like Eatela, whocared only for self interest, wouldbe taught a lesson by people,Kamalakar added.

Addressing a media conferenceat Telangana Bhavan here onTuesday, Kamalakar launched adiatribe against Eatela, along withMinister Koppula Eswar and StatePlanning Board Vice ChairmanVinod Kumar. They warned thatthey would not tolerate Eatela's'loose talk' against the ChiefMinister. They said they wouldsoon go to Huzurabad and meetparty leaders as well as cadre there.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has recov-ered completely from Covid-19. KCR, who has been in iso-lation at his farmhouse sinceApril 19th after testing posi-tive, tested negative in RT-PCR test today.

The Chief Ministers' person-al physician, Dr MV Rao, and histeam conducted the Covid testson Tuesday. The Chief Minister'sblood reports were also normal.The doctors confirmed thatKCR has recovered completelyfrom Covid-19 infection.

Bill and Melinda Gates to divorce

DMK president M K Stalinwas on Tuesday unani-mously elected as legisla-

ture party leader and he is to besworn-in as Chief Minister on May7.

"Party president @mkstalin waselected leader of the DMK legisla-ture party," DMK said on its offi-cial twitter handle. The party saida resolution was adopted unani-mously electing Stalin as the leg-islature party leader.

The meet to elect him was heldat headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam'and it witnessed participation of133 DMK MLAs, which includeseight from alliance parties like theMDMK.

DMK chief Stalin to be sworn in on May 7

Twitter on Tuesday permanent-ly suspended Bollywood actorKangana Ranaut, saying she

had repeatedly violated its rules onhateful conduct and abusive behav-iour . The 34-year-old actor's handle@KanganaTeam now displays themessage: account suspended.

A Twitter spokesperson said in astatement that Ranaut's account hasbeen "permanently suspended forrepeated violations".

It, however, did not specify the

tweet(s) that triggered the action.Ranaut, known for her often

inflammatory tweets, had posted sev-eral messages following the MamataBanerjee-led Trinamool Congress'win over the BJP in West Bengal andincidents of post-poll violence.

Kangana's Twitter acct blocked permanently

SNCN ACHARYULUn HYDERABAD

Tumultuous political developmentsoften throw up new combinationsamong those heading or capable ofheading splinter groups withinexisting parties. A new politicalparty of this ilk is now shaping upin Telangana with BC and Reddycombination, spurred by the ejec-tion of former health ministerEatala Rajendar from the statecabinet.

According to sources, the newpolitical outfit's name is likely to be"Telangana Nava Samaj" party. Thenew party is going to helmed byformer health minister EatelaRajendar and Lok Sabha memberA Revanth Reddy. The other pillarsbehind the new outfit are formerMP Konda Visweshwar Reddy andTelangana Jana Samithi president

Kodandaram. In the absence of a strong oppo-

sition party that can fight theTelangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS),the new political party will positionitself as an alternative to the TRSin the state.

According to sources, the suddendecision taken by Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao to sack Eatela

Rajendar from the cabinet wasprompted by a meeting of Eatala,Revanth Reddy, Kodandaram,Visweswar Reddy and others to dis-cuss the contours of the new party.Sources said that KCR got the windof it and removed Eatela from theCabinet.

Govt nudges pvt centers toprocure vaccine for 45 plus

‘KCR empoweredBCs, Dalits’: Ministers

CM recoversfrom Covid

Hyd Zoo Lions haveSARS-CoV2, not Covid

FDC to supply freefirewood to Covidcrematoriums

Covid downs IPL 2021League suspended after multiple cases; BCCI assures safe return to foreign players

HC faults survey ofEatala’s land, seeksfresh probe as per law

BC-REDDY COMBOPARTY SHAPING UP

The Pioneerloses its shiningstar to Covid

549 cab drivers, 311 delivery boys test positive

n Eatela and Revanth to lead n Did KCR get the wind of it?

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021

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` -2220

Will the image ofTelangana ChiefMinister K.

Chandrasekhar Rao take abeating because of the cal-culated, timed ejection ofHealth Minister EatelaRajender? Will Eatela'ssocial background as a pop-ular Backward Class leader pro-pel his plans? What are the reac-tions of Telangana protagonistson the removal of Eatela, whohas played a vital role in the stateadministration while holdingkey portfolios like finance andhealth? These are some of thesearching questions in the pub-lic domain.

Telangana's social fabric com-prises sizeable backward andweaker sections. Due to lack ofpolitical representation anddearth of strong leaders withincommunities, power has notgravitated to these sections. Still,some representatives of theBackward Classes have managedto get plum posts, though they

are largely at themercy of their politicalbosses who value their'leadership' quality on thebasis of their hold on BC

communities.

If anything goes wrong onthe part of such representative,he or she has to pay a heavyprice, which includes beingstripped of their post withoutnotice. This explains why Eatelahad to go.

In his first innings as ChiefMinister of Telangana, KCRsacked then health minister &pediatrician by profession Dr. T.Rajaiah of the combinedWarangal district for reasonswhich were not perceived byothers as serious. The grapevinehas it that KCR considered set-ting up a University of HealthSciences at Warangal. However,before KCR could himself makea formal announcement, Rajaiahjumped the gun and revealed theCM's plans. So, KCR got rid of

him, while people thought thatRajaiah was being taken to taskfor the high number of swine fludeaths recorded then. In politi-cal parties, particularly in region-al outfits, the fate of ministersand legislators can changeovernight.

The sacking of Rajaiah did notaffect KCR as the head of thegovernment, though he hadreneged on his promise of mak-ing a Dalit the chief minister ofIndia's youngest state. Thispromise rallied the community

and brought them under theTRS umbrella during the move-ment for statehood to Telangana.The talk of a 'dalit CM' is now aclosed chapter.

For KCR, things may not beso easy with regard to Eatela'sejection because of the latter'ssocial background. Eatela isbelieved to be in touch with var-ious sections of BackwardClasses.

Eatela has previously spokenabout his being among thosewho 'own' the Telangana state-

hood movement as well as theTelangana Rashtra Samiti, whilecharacterizing people of TS as'shareholders' of the movement.This comment singularly dis-turbed KCR's mind. So, despitebeing a staunch follower ofKCR for over two decades,Rajender got distanced.

Perhaps, the overall outcomesof elections for ULBs and RLBs,

including the bye-election for theNagarjunasagar Assembly con-stituency, may have emboldenedKCR to take on those flexingmuscles within the party.

Eatela, one among them, hascreated a sensation by statingthat he would not hesitate toresign from the Assembly afterhaving consultations with hisconstituents in Huzurabad -- hishome turf since 2004. Should heresign from the Assembly, itwould necessitate a bye-electionat Huzurabad. In such eventu-ality, the split, if any, amongTelangana forces that had foughtto achieve statehood for T-region would be wide open.

Eatela's removal would havea tremendous impact on thosewho had worked for separate T-state under the leadership ofKCR. Persons like Prof.Kodandaram, of course, havealways described it as 'collectiveleadership'. Prof. Kodandaramsteered T-joint action commit-tee and KCR himself followed its

line, particularly during theperiod he weathered 'continuousdisturbances' created by thethen Congress governmentheaded by Dr.YS RajasekharaReddy. On one occasion, YSRridiculed Rajender, who wasfloor leader of TRS then, for hisclaims of public support inTelangana region. Pointing outthat TRS had won only 10 seatsout of the 50 it contested then,YSR suggested that Eatela shouldfeel ashamed! This high-voltagepolitical scene unfolded on thefloor of the House, andTelangana protagonists, includ-ing KCR, came down heavily onYSR's remarks.

In a way, Eatela has beenhumiliated by two chief minis-ters on two separate occasions.If it was 'arrogance' of YSRthen, how can it be 'not arro-gance' of KCR now? Is it accept-able for Telangana protagoniststo set aside the humiliation of ason of soil?

Eatela has good rapport with

the Reddy community. He ismarried to a Reddy woman andgot alliances for his two childrenfrom the same community.Naturally, he could get supportfrom the powerful Reddy com-munity. The Congress party,which granted Telangana State,had faced electoral debacles atthe hands of KCR in two succes-sive elections - 2014 and 2018.The grand old party needs con-siderable support from BC com-munities. The Congress may beweighing the pros and cons ofthe emerging political situation!

It would be a gripping polit-ical drama if, in the days to come,the Eatela episode paves the wayin Huzurabad for a situation akinto the 2006 Karimnagar bye-election!

Remember that KCR's TRSgot rejuvenated following theresounding victory in theKarimnagar Lok Sabha con-stituency in 2006. That winaltered the course of T-move-ment!

M D RATNA KUMAR

Senior Journalist

In a way, Eatela has been humiliatedby two chief ministers on twoseparate occasions. If it was'arrogance' of YSR then, how can itbe 'not arrogance' of KCR now? Is itacceptable for Telanganaprotagonists to set aside thehumiliation of a son of soil?

PIN

POINT

Will ejection of Eatela bring BC matters to a head for KCR?

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

The people and the politicalparties might have heaved asigh of relief after theNagarjuna Sagar by-poll think-ing that there would not be anymore by-poll in near future.However, things took a differ-ent turn on the day theNagarjuna Sagar by-poll resultcame out. Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao’s actionagainst Health Minister EtelaRajender has created anotherelection atmosphere in thestate. The developments takingplace for the last four days havebeen paving way for anotherby-poll. The by-poll series,which started in Huzurnagar,is looking at the Huzurabadconstituency now.

The dismissal of HealthMinister Etela Rajender fromthe Cabinet heated the politi-cal atmosphere in the state,

which is already experiencinghigh temperature and fear ofcorona. Eatela Rajender, whois now only an MLA, has beencontemplating contesting anelection from his own con-stituency Huzurabad after bid-ding adieu to the ruling TRS toshow his strength. Etela hasalready been discussing thematter with his followers in hisconstituency for the last two

days.On other hand, though the

TRS leadership is too preoccu-pied with other developments,yet they are getting ready forthe by-poll. Already, CivilSupplies Minister GangulaKamalakar stated that the partyleaders would go to theHuzurabad constituency with-in a day or two to protect theparty there. He said that theparty will win easily inHuzurabad with the photo ofKCR as has been the case in theNagarjuna Sagar by-poll.

Both Eatela and TRS sidesare indicating that anotherbypoll will take place shortly inthe state. However, the bypollwould take place within sixmonths after Eatela’s resigna-tion. The High Court interimverdict came on Tuesday giv-ing some relief to Eatela, whois discussing with his followersthe opportune time to tenderhis resignation as an MLA.

Another bypoll may be in the offingML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

In what appears to be a shot inthe arm for former healthminister Eatela Rajender,dropped from the state cabineton Sunday under a cloud,scores of NRIs from Telanganahave thrown their weightbehind him, saying he should"lead the fight for restoring theself-respect of people ofTelangana".

Over 60 NRIs, who partici-pated in a Facebook chat withEatela Rajender from the USon Tuesday, said many of themwere associated with theTelangana DevelopmentForum and had contributedfor the Telangana statehoodmovement. "Did we achieveTelangana State to restore prideand self-respect of people orestablish family rule," theyasked.

Terming the charges againstEatela as a political conspira-cy to send him out, they saidtime had come to agitate againfor "Telangana which valuesself-respect of people".

"You are a Telangana fight-er and we stand with you foryour contribution to theTelangana movement and nowfor establishing democraticTelangana," they told Eatela.

The NRIs, with individualaffiliations to TRS, TDP, BJPand Congress, urged otherTelangana fighters in the TRSto stand up for self-respect,and requested Ministers not tostick to their protocol positionsand extend their support toEatela.

An NRI said, "We started

losing our respect for TRS asa party after 2014 when it start-ed buying MLAs from otherparties."

Some of them advised Eatelanot to position him as BCleader alone, but as a leader ofall sections, and continue withhis liberal values. They said heshould contest as anIndependent to garner supportfrom all forces. They motivat-ed him to have faith in judicia-ry and said law would take itscourse. Some others urgedhim not to join hands with'communal forces', saying bothKCR and Modi were of thesame mindset. A feudal mind-set was prevailing both in theState and at the Centre, doingharm to people.

Eatela said people wereaware of his track record ofpast 19 years and recalled thatthe Telangana movement wasfought on the plank of self-respect and against oppressionand inducements offered bythe then Andhra rulers toweaken the movement. "Eventoday I bank on people, justiceand my self-respect. Weexpected Telangana State to begoverned with people's partic-ipation, but what we got washighly centralised rule.Development was not con-structing projects alone. EvenBritishers constructed pro-jects," he said.

He said he wished democra-cy functioned in the State andwithin the party, with theleadership being accessible topeople and respecting theirviews. However, there was noatmosphere in the State forpeople to live with self-respect.

"This is not good for any Stateor country. Democratic aspira-tions and traditions are impor-tant forever. It is not leadersbut people who make history.Individuals with autocratictraits may gain an upper handtemporarily," he said.

As he could not adjust in theparty with no value for an indi-vidual's self-respect, he was tar-geted with wild allegations inK Chandrasekhar Rao's fami-ly-owned media organisations,Eatela said, adding that hisdemand for an inquiry by a sit-ting judge into all his proper-ties was not considered.

Thanking the NRIs fromTelangana for their supportand advice, Eatela, who iscamping in Huzurabad, said,he would take a call after dis-cussions with all sections ofpeople. The fight for self-respect will continue withrenewed vigour, he asserted.

NRIs throw their weight behind Eatelan Fight for restoring self-respect

of Telangana, they say

The developmentstaking place for thelast four days havebeen paving wayfor another by-poll.The by-poll series,which started inHuzurnagar, islooking at theHuzurabadconstituency now.

Continued from page 1

Advocate General (AG)Prasad on behalf of the gov-ernment explained to thecourt that the trial was beingheld because of serious alle-gations against Eatala. Afterhearing the arguments, theHigh Court asked “isn’t it nec-essary to give notices to con-duct the survey? how thesurvey was completedovernight? Can I go to any-one’s house and investigate ifthere is a complaint? ''.

The High Court comment-ed that the officers seeming-ly created the report “sitting ina car”. Responding to this, theAdvocate General explainedthat a full inquiry had nottaken place and only a prelim-inary inquiry had been con-ducted. Government said thatthe Collector's report statedthat the next steps would be

taken up as per the law.Court ordered that the

enquiry of May1-2 shouldnot be considered and afresh enquiry duly issuingnotices should be done. Courtasked the government to Givenotices and give time as perrules and said it should not begiven on Friday and seekreply on Monday. Courtadvice to take straight routeinstead of taking back gateduring the enquiry. The HighCourt commented that theauthorities could act in accor-dance with the law in thismatter. The AG sought todirect the petitioners to co-operate in the investigation, towhich the court clarified thatthey could be dealt with legal-ly if they did not co-operate.Court adjourned the nexthearing to July 6, ordering thegovernment to file a counter-claim with full details.

Continued from page 1

The new political party, withthe combination of BC andReddy, will become a majorpolitical force in Telangana tofight the TRS, politicalobservers feel. At present, theTelangana Congress has nofuture. The Bharatiya JanataParty does not have cadrestrength to fight the TRS, theysay. So, if the present situationcontinues till the nextAssembly elections, retentionof power by TRS is certain.

At this juncture, if a newpolitical party is floated,prominent leaders from otherpolitical parties will join thenew party, apart from dissi-dents in TRS, said a seniorpolitical leader who is involvedin launching the new politicalparty.

In Telangana, BackwardClass and Reddy leaders willcome on one platform andleaders of other castes andanti-TRS forces will join the

new political party. In someareas, the Communists havesome strength and they arealso opposing the TRS govern-ment; so, they may also extendsupport to the new politicalparty.

Telangana Jana Samithi(TJS) president Kodandaramcommented two days ago thatif Etala floats a new politicalparty, ouster of Chief MinisterK Chandrasekhar Rao is cer-tain.

It may be recalled that for-mer MP Konda VisweswarReddy recently said that he wasplanning to float a new polit-ical party. He also said thatshould TRS chief KChandrasekhar Rao makeEatela Rajendar or T HarishRao as the Chief Minister, hewould join TRS.

When contacted, KondaVisweshwar Reddy told ThePioneer:" The era of caste pol-itics in India is over; the poli-tics are now emotion-, senti-ment- and religion-based".

The Pioneer loses its

shining star to CovidContinued from page 1

As his condition deteriorated,Sumit was shifted to VIMS,where the virus claimed onemore noble soul.Remembered by his friendsand colleagues as an affableand down-to-earth person,Sumit had a keen interest inphotography, reading andtravelling. He studied at JELCHigh School in Jeypore andgraduated in BSc from VDCollege. He also got a mastersdegree in journalism fromCentral University at Koraputin Odisha.

His last post on Facebookon April 25 read ‘In His serviceforever and ever..”. His friendswere shocked to know thenews about his sudden demise.Media fraternity, officials andpeople’s representatives ofVisakhapatnam expressedtheir condolences over theuntimely demise of Sumit.

He has been working fromhome since last March due toCovid induced situation. Hisclose associates will alwaysremember Sumit as a kind-hearted soul who was passion-ate about journalistic ethicsand values.

Continued from page 1

Kamalakar said that, rightfrom 2001, TRS party had seencommitted ZPTCs, MPTCs,sarpanches and cadre in everyvillage in Huzurabad con-stituency. Eatela entered theconstituency that had beenstrengthened by party workers.He won six times as MLA onlyon the strength of TRS flag,party symbol car and withKCR's photo. Yet, Eatela wasunder the mistaken impres-sion that he had won polls onhis own merit and strengthand was speaking beyond hislevel.

It was KCR who had beenhelping BCs, SCs and STs for

their empowerment with sev-eral welfare schemes,Kamalakar said. Citing anexample, he said Eatela did notdo anything for the Mudirajcommunity (to which Eatelabelongs) but KCR, underMission Kakatiya, gave fishponds to members of thecommunity.

Telangana people werethankful to KCR for supplyingpiped drinking water andquality power supply. TRS, byvirtue of its schemes, hadbecome a household name inthe State.

Kamalakar alleged that itwas Eatela who did not allowBC leaders in the constituen-cy to grow at local and State

level, since he saw them asthreat to his own growth andposition. Now, he had theaudacity to claim that theparty was trying to crush him.He also charged Eatela withworking to defeat BC candi-dates in the 2018 elections. Hewas conspiring to split theparty by conspiring with oppo-sition parties, he alleged.

It was Eatela who haddeceived KCR, Kamalakarsaid. Eatela had amassedwealth with the help of postshe got through TRS andresorted to misuse of power.After encroaching on assignedand endowment lands, how hecould ask BCs to support him,he asked.

Continued from page 1

The IPL said BCCI will do allit can to ensure that players inthe event get back to theirhomes safely.

IPL features cricketers fromEngland (11), Australia (14),South Africa (11) and NewZealand (10) among othercountries. The event also fea-tured nine West Indians, threeAfghans and two players fromBangladesh. Several formerforeign players, especially fromAustralia, were also a part ofthe support staffs and com-mentary teams.

"These are difficult times,especially in India and whilewe have tried to bring in somepositivity and cheer, however,it is imperative that the tour-nament is now suspended andeveryone goes back to theirfamilies and loved ones inthese trying times," the IPLstated.

"The BCCI will do every-thing in its powers to arrangefor the secure and safe passageof all the participants in IPL2021."

The cricket boards ofAustralia, New Zealand andSouth Africa backed the deci-

sion and expressed confidencein BCCI's planning for theirplayers' safe return. ButAustralia made it clear that itwon't seek exemption from thetravel ban which is in place tillMay 15 for flights from India.

"Cricket Australia and theAustralian CricketersAssociation respect the deci-sion of the AustralianGovernment to pause travelfrom India until at least May15 and will not seek exemp-tions," a joint release from CAand ACA stated.

The Board, apart frommulling the way forward, wasalso counting its losses, whichcould run into Rs 2200 crore,according to a senior official.

The 52-day 60-match tour-nament would have conclud-ed in Ahmedabad on May 30.However, only 24 days ofcricket was possible with 29completed games before thevirus halted proceedings.

"We would be losing any-thing between Rs 2000 to Rs2500 crore for the midwaypostponement of this season.I would say something in therange of Rs 2200 crore will becloser to accurate estimation,"the BCCI official said.

Hyd Zoo Lionshave SARS-CoV2,not CovidContinued from page 1

"Based on experiencewith zoo animals else-where in the world thathave experienced SARS-CoV2, there is no factu-al evidence animals cantransmit the disease tohumans," the CZA said.

"Media is thereforerequested to exerciseextreme caution whilereporting..." it added.

Although the termshave become intertwinedover the course of thepandemic, SARS-CoV2refers to the virus thatcauses the COVID-19disease.

There are a few docu-mented cases of animals- large felines - contract-ing coronavirus. In Aprillast year four tigers andthree lions at a zoo in theUnited States tested pos-itive. All of them recov-ered.

Continued from page 1

Reddy said with the increaseof timber prices becoming aburden to the poor, the cor-

poration has come forward toprovide timber worth Rs 20lakh free of cost. The FDCwould also supply bamboofor the funerals, the FDC said.

Covid downs IPL 2021BC-Reddy comboparty shaping up

‘KCR empowered BCs,Dalits’: Ministers

HC faults survey of... FDC to supply free firewood...

Continued from page 1

We demand to provide vaccinesto all the Gig and PlatformWorkers and app-based workersworking with companies likeOla, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato,Dunzo, Porter etc. Companiesshould provide proper and ade-quate personal protective equip-ment (PPE), sanitizers, disinfec-tants etc. and also plasticscreens/shields between the dri-ver and passenger in all app-based vehicles as has been pro-vided by the companies forleased vehicles only". "In a call ofsolidarity, the Indian Federationof App- based Transport work-

ers (IFAT) and the TelanganaGig and Platform WorkersUnion with app-based transport,delivery and logistics workersacross India, we demand thegovernment to advise app-basedcompanies to provide healthinsurance coverage to all its dri-vers/riders. We request the gov-ernment and app-based compa-nies to immediately act on ourdemands so that we win in ourunited fight against theCoronavirus and also ensure thatthe lives and livelihoods of Gigand Platform Workers, app-based drivers, and food deliveryriders in the country are protect-ed," he added.

549 cab drivers, 311 delivery...

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021hyderabad 03

Hyderabad : With the rise in the Covid across the country, theNational Testing Agency (NTA) on Tuesday postponed the JointEntrance Examination (JEE) Main 2021 May session, which wasscheduled from May 24 to 28. The NTA had earlier postponedthe JEE Main April session, which was to be conducted on April27 to 30 due to the pandemic. The rescheduling of the April andMay sessions will be done subsequently and registration for theMay session will also be announced at a later stage, the NTAsaid in a public notice. To support the student community theNTA had drawn out plans for organising the JEE Main in foursessions this year. Two sessions were completed in February andMarch. A total of 6,20,978 candidates for the February sessionand 5,56,248 for the March session had appeared.The NTA hasadvised candidates to use the time to prepare themselves betterfor the examination. They can also take practice tests on the NTAAbhyas app from the comfort of their homes, it said. It alsoadvised candidates to visit the official website of the NTAwww.nta.ac.in and https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/ for the latestupdates. For further clarification related to JEE Main 2021,candidates can contact on 011-40759000 or email atjeemain@nta.ac.in.

CITY LIGHTS

PNS n HYDERABAD

Covid patients at King Kotihospital here are not beingmonitored effectively due toshortage of doctors, staff nurs-es, attendants and class fouremployees. Therefore, someof the recovered patients havebeen going out for coffee or totake shelter under the treesincreasing the risk of the virusspreading to others.

Allegations are levelled thatthe patients are going out attheir will, thanks to the poormonitoring of the patients'movement.

In one instance, one of thepatients who left the hospital inthe morning did not turn upeven by 7 pm recently. The hos-pital had to lodge a complaintwith the police. The incidentwas reported in a section of themedia too.

In fact, the patients aregoing out, informing thepatients of their next beds, andhaving a cup of coffee or teaand relaxing under the shade

of trees for sometimes withoutthe knowledge of the hospitalsuperintendent, nodal officer,staff nurses or any otheremployee. This reflects thepoor state of monitoring of thepatients' condition.

The hospital has 350 beds,including 50 ICU beds and 33ventilator beds. The rest ofthem are oxygen beds. In theICU, there should be at least

one doctor for every five beds.But the situation in the hospi-tal is different.

In fact, the hospital has only28 doctors, including superin-tendent, assistant superinten-dent, nodal officer, senior doc-tors, junior doctors and thosewho are posted in the hospitalon deputation basis.

Because of this monitoringof patients is apparently absent.

Some of the senior doctorsopenly say how some of therecovering patients are goingout, unable to say in the wards,to have a beverage or two andpassing time before they returnto the ward.

Even though the incident isbrought to the notice of thepolice, the police express theirinability to identity who is apatient and who is not.

The hospital conducts 350-400 RT-PCR tests and rapidantigen tests at the out patientdepartment. In phases, over 35hospital staff tested positive forthe virus. However, they haverecovered from the virus andreporting for work. Meanwhile,

some more staff have testedpositive for the virus.

When the incident wasbrought to the notice of thehospital superintendent DrRajendranath, he said that hehad experienced incidents likeattendants of the patients areasking the hospital authoritiesabout the whereabouts of thepatient. A week ago, a patientcalled Sankar left the hospitalin the morning around 7 amand returned to hospital bynight. A complaint has beenlodged with Narayanagudapolice. The hospital is con-templating measures to preventrecurrence of such incidents infuture.

Covid patients at King Kothihospital violate protocol

In one instance, one of the patientswho left the hospital in the morningdid not turn up even by 7 pm recently.The hospital had to lodge a complaintwith the police. The incident wasreported in a section of the media too.

JEE Main session deferred

Hyderabad : Skill development is an integral part of achild's overall development. Before closing for thevacation, the Pre-Primary, Delhi Public School, Nacharam,organised a four-day skill development boot camp tonurture the kids with experience, enjoyment and the skillsthey deserve. A well-planned curriculum is designed tokeep our children engaged given the difficult times we areliving in. On Day 1, the session was started on a high notewith action rhymes, followed by a virtual trip to experiencethe underwater aquatic life. During the session kids alsoenjoyed the 'Penguin Zumba' and the Oyster making craftactivity which in turn helped them in developing fine motorskills and eye-hand coordination and show their creativity.The skill development programme was very fruitful andkids were all excited for being part of event.

SBTET declares summer vacationHyderabad: In view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation,the State Board of Technical Education and Training(SBTET) has announced summer vacation for allgovernment, aided and private unaided polytechniccolleges, including second shift polytechnics inengineering and pharmacy institutions from May 5 to 31. Arevised academic schedule will be intimated in the duecourse, the SBTET said in an order issued on Tuesday.

Skill development anintegral part of kids' growth

Woman who drank sanitiser succumbs

PNS n HYDERABAD

A scene in reel life has creat-ed a problem for a person inreal life. According to police, aman approached the policecomplaining that he was flood-ed with phone calls as hisphone number was flashed ina scene in the Pawan Kalyanstarrer 'Vakeel Saab'.

Sudhakar, a resident of theman, lodged a complaint withthe Punjagutta police allegingthat the producers of the moviehad used his mobile phonenumber 'illegally' during ascene in the film followingwhich he was getting numer-ous phone calls causing men-tal agony.

Sudhakar said that in themovie during a scene, hisphone number was mentioned

below an image. "People whowatched the movie are notingdown the phone number andcalling me. It is resulting in alot of inconvenience. Thecallers are also abusing me invulgar language," he stated inthe complaint.

He also alleged that the pro-ducers used his mobile phone

number without seeking hispermission and demanded acase be registered against themfor allegedly defaming him.The Punjagutta police accept-ed the complaint from him.

"We have sought legal opin-ion and will decide on furthercourse of action after that," saidM Niranjan Reddy, SHO(Punjagutta).

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Petbasheerabad policearrested a person belonging toRamakrishna Nagar for havingdefrauded a private companyemployee to the tune of severalthousands of rupees by offer-ing to sell Play Station-5through Olx.in.

According to the police,the person was identified asRanjit, who on April 20 offer-ing to sell the play station byplacing an advertisementOlx.in. Responding to it, a res-ident of Krishnamurty Nagarin Suchitra Junction shared hisphone number. Ranjit calledhim up on his mobile andoffered to send the equip-ment if the customer sends Rs15,000 to his bank account. Healso shared his Aadhaar cardphoto. Therefore, Raju sent themoney to the advertiser. Later,he asked the customer to sendRs 6,500 towards transporta-tion costs. Raju complied withthe request transferring moneyonline. Ranjit, later sent aphone number as the mobile

phone number of the deliveryboy.

Raju realised that he wasduped by the seller since theplay station is not being deliv-ered in spite of waiting forlong. He lodged a complaintwith the police on April 25.On the basis of the phonenumber and Aadhaar card, hewas identified as Ranjit andwas taken into custody. Later,he was produced before themagistrate on Monday whoremanded him in judicial cus-tody.

PNS n HYDERABAD

A constable working inMadannapet police stationwas found dead in a room ofhis house in Musrarambaghwith his throat and wrist slit.His body was found lying ina pool of blood, reports saidon Tuesday.

He was identified asAbhilash who is living withhis family in Musarambagh.Two days ago, he left his wifeand two children in his in-laws house in Kodad.

According to reports,Abhilash went inside hisroom and bolted it frominside. His family memberssuspected something fishyas he did not come out of theroom and broke open thedoors only to find Abhilash'sbody was found lying in apool of blood.

The family membersinformed about it to thepolice, who rushed to thescene of offence. Accordingto the preliminary investiga-tion report, Abhilash com-mitted suicide by slitting histhroat and wrist. His bodywas sent to OU for autopsy.

Constablefound dead athis residence

A woman, who allegedly drank a sanitiser after a heatedargument with a pal three days ago, died while undergoingtreatment on Monday. The victim was identified as K Pratyusha, aresident of Dattatreyanagar under the Petbasheerabad policestation limits, who worked at a private company. She was into afriendship with one Jagadeesh for the last couple of years.According to the police, on Friday, the two had an argument overa petty issue and after returning to her residence, she consumedsanitiser. Family members rushed her to a hospital where shedied on Monday. The Petbasheerabad police registered a caseand are probing.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The medical and healthdepartment insisting on slotbooking to administer Covid-19 vaccine has caused muchindignation multitudes of peo-ple who are yet to receivetheir first dose of the vaccine.Currently, the slot is not easi-ly available and if booked nowone will get a slot only after 20days. Only 15 lakh peoplehave received their first dose inHyderabad, Rangareddy andMedchal districts out of the1.20 crore. Over three lakhhave been waiting eagerly toreceive their second dose.

Hitherto, the medical per-sonnel administered the vac-cine to people approaching theCVC with Aadhaar card dulyregistering their names.

Because of the shortage ofthe vaccine, the vaccinationprogramme has been sus-pended for three days in thecity. The medical and healthauthorities have adopted anew system in administeringthe vaccine. They want thepeople to open the CoWINlink and register their detailsand book slot to receive thevaccine. Upon registering,

message is generated in theirmobile phones indicating dateand time. Accordingly, peopleshould get themselves vacci-nated. People complain of therelevant link not working inCoWIN application. Even ifgets opened, there are manytechnical issues. To get oneselfregistered in the mobile appli-cation one should have amobile phone. But the poor inthe city did not own a mobile.So, they are registering the

name in the application isruled out.

If anyone goes to Mee Sevacentres, one should pay money.Nearly, three lakh people areapproach their date to receivethe second dose. To registername online, there is no slotavailable before 20 days. If thetenure expires, the first dosewill become useless. Moreover,there are not enough doses forall those who booked slot ona given day.

n Sudhakar, a resident ofthe man, lodged acomplaint with thePunjagutta police allegingthat the producers of themovie had used hismobile phone number'illegally' during a scene inthe film following which hewas getting numerousphone calls causingmental agony.

Reel-life scene creates problemfor a man in real life

Police arrest Olxfraudster in city

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU) andTelangana Union of Working Journalists(TUWJ) have expressed concern overdeath of many journalists in Telanganadue to Covid and termed it as unprece-dented in the country and wanted thestate government to regard journalists asfrontline warriors on the lines of theCentre and extend them necessary finan-cial support.

In a joint statement issued here onTuesday, IJU president K Srinivas Reddyand Secretary Y Narender Reddy andTUWK president Nagunuri Sekhar andsecretary K Virahat Ali said that over 55journalists, including 29 in April, weredead due to Coronavirus in the first aswell as the second wave in Telangana.

Since the outbreak of the corona virus,so far 3,800 journalists and their familymembers contracted the virus so far.They said that only a few journalists, whoare under isolation, are getting financialsupport and delaying extending assistanceto journalists applying from time to timeis not advisable.

They said that the Rs 2 lakh assistancebeing paid to the bereaved families ofjournalists, who died due to Covid isinsufficient and wanted the governmentto increase the assistance to at least Rs 10lakh.

They urged the government to treatjournalists as frontline warriors like gov-ernments of Punjab, West Bengal, Biharand Odisha and sought special medicaltreatment facilities for journalists andtheir families. They sought a life cover ofRs 50 lakh for journalists. Further, theywanted the district authorities to conductspecial camps at constituency level toadminister vaccine to journalists.

Rat snakes rescued at CP’s residence

PNS n HYDERABAD

Two rat snakes were rescued from the CPLGround near City Police CommissionerAnjani Kumar’s residence in Amberpet hereon Tuesday. The non-venomous snakeswere spotted by the staff, who further alert-ed Venkatesh Naik, a constable from theMalakpet Traffic police station, who is alsoan expert in handling snakes.

Naik immediately rushed to the spot andcaught the snakes and handed them over tothe zoo authorities. Anjani Kumar, whoappreciated Naik, honoured him with amemento and announced a cash reward tohim.

Frontline warriorstatus sought for journalists

Authorities insist on slot booking

to administer vax, anger citizens

US fiat to studentson classes

PNS n HYDERABAD

The United St atesC onsulate G enera lHyderabad on Tuesday saidstudent visa holders wouldbe able to enter the US iftheir classes start on orafter August 1 this year.

“Under t he c ur rentPresidential Proclamation,student visa holders areable to enter the United

States if their classes starton or after August 1, 2021.We are unfor tunate lyunable to approve excep-tions for F visa holderswith a program start datebefore August 1, 2021,” saida tweet from the officialhandle of the US ConsulateGeneral in Hyderabad.

The US Consulate askedthe students to contacttheir respective education-al institutions to discuss

options if their start date isbefore August 1, 2021 andasked students to checkt he l ink ,https://rb.gy/q78s8u

The US Consulate askedthe students to contacttheir respective education-al institutions to discussoptions if their start date isbefore August 1, 2021 andasked students to checkt he l ink ,https://rb.gy/q78s8u.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Congress Loyalists’ Forumhas decided to write a detailedletter to the party high com-mand highlighting the pre-sent state of the party affairs inthe state where no correctivesteps have been taken after aseries of defeats--Assemblyelections in 2018, Lok Sabha in2019, ZPTC and MPTC,Cooperative Societies, munic-ipal, Assembly byelections andGHMC elections--the latest

being the defeat in theNagarjunasagar byypoll andmini-municipal polls.

It has also been decidedthat they would suggest thatimmediate remedial measuresbe taken to save the party in thestate.

Leaders of CongressLoyalists' Forum on Tuesdaymet via Zoom app to take stockof the present political situationin the state and the prevailingdisappointment among theCongress cadre after one more

round of electoral loss inNagarjunasagar byelection andmini-municipal elections.

The Forum thanked seniorleader K Jana Reddy for puttingup a brave fight following hisvigorous campaign, irrespec-tive of his age and prevailingCovid situation. The Forumleaders congratulated him forgetting 70,932 votes despite themisuse of power and distribu-tion of money on a large scaleby the ruling TRS.

The leaders also congratulat-

ed Daripally Rajasekhar Reddy,a Congress candidate fromLingojiguda in GHMC forwresting the seat from the BJPand said this was a good sign.Congress leaders urged theCongress cadre to observe thepresent ongoing politicaltrends in the country andrecent political developmentsin the state and not to losehope as the Congress partywould certainly come out of itsbad patch and will revive itspast glory.

Jeevan Reddy, VH demand probe into encroachments

hyderabad 04HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021

P ANAND KUMAR

n NARSAPUR

Several youth and employeesare in indulging in gamblingand losing money in the nameof playing Ludo in their mobilephones in Narsapur, Sivvampet,Hatnura, Koudipalli, Veldurti,Kolcharam mandal of Medakdistrict.

People have been placingbets in the game, which in sev-eral parts of the district becamea craze for the youth.

The game is played in hotelsand play grounds. Generally,people throng hotels to sip acup of tea. But by evening alarge number of two-wheelers

are parked near hotels as thepunters congregate there.

Police are well aware of theunlawful activity, but for rea-sons best known to them haveignored.

Not only the highly educat-ed, but also the employed andchildren of businessmen areindulging in the activity, whichis prohibited by law.

Several have appeal to thepolice to stop the activity asthose who have lost moneymight indulge in crimes toearn back the lost money.

In Narsapur Assembly con-stituency, cricket bettingthrough mobile phones hasassumed feverish pitch. Now,the ball is in the police courtto take remedial action.

PNS n JAYASHANKAR BHUPALAPALLY

District AdditionalSuperintendent of Police VSrinivasulu on Tuesday askedthe people to observe precau-tions in the wake of spurt inCovid cases under the impactof the second wave.

He was supervising the spe-cial drive conducted by thepolice at Ambedkar Centre inthe town.

He warned people of stern

action if found not wearingmasks. He counselled the peo-ple roaming around by notwearing masks.

Stringent measures havebeen put in place in contain-ment zones in the district, hesaid advising the peopleagainst venturing out, spittingin public places and not wear-ing masks.

Bhupalapally DSP A SampatRao, CI Vasudeva Rao, SIAbhinav and others were pre-sent on the occasion.

Appoint new HealthMinister, demandsKomatireddy

Youth place bets on Ludo game using mobilesn The game is played in hotels and play grounds. Generally,

people throng hotels to sip a cup of tea. But by evening alarge number of two-wheelers are parked near hotels asthe punters congregate there.

n Police are well aware of the unlawful activity, but forreasons best known to them have ignored.

Man attacks parents, sister; mother diesWARANGAL URBAN: In a shocking incident, a man attacked hisparents and sister with a knife in an inebriated condition on Mondayat Vikas Nagar in Parkal town in the district. While the mothersuccumbed to the injuries, the father and sister suffered seriousinjuries, and have been shifted to the MGM hospital for treatment.The deceased was identified as Rokandla Padma (48) and the injuredRokandla Ramchander and Neeraja. According to police, Neeraja,who is five months pregnant, came to her parents’ home for delivery.It is said that the accused, Rajesh nee Ramesh, who works as a vandriver, committed the crime due to alleged dispute on handing overthe house to him. Rajesh, who lives in a rented house, has beenallegedly demanding that his parents vacate the ancestral house andhand it over to him. The Parkal police registered a case and shiftedthe body to a local government hospital for post-mortem. InspectorMahender Reddy and his team visited the spot and collectedevidence.

No meetings in Sangareddy district till further orders

SANGAREDDY: Orders have been issuedto the officers of all the departments inthe district to cancel the meetings andconferences held under the auspices ofvarious departments as per theinstructions of the government, DistrictCollector Hanumantha Rao said. He saidpublic meetings, Gram Sahas wherepeople gather, Gram Panchayat meetings,MPP meetings, Zilla Praja Parishadplenary session, Standing Committeemeetings, Municipal Council meetings

and public hearings will not be conducted. The Collector directed thatthe House and the relevant meetings are adjourned till further ordersare issued. He clarified that officials of all the departments in thedistrict, revenue divisional officers, municipal commissioners,MPDOs, tahsildars and other officials should not hold any publicmeetings.

Birdipur panchayat imposeslockdown till April 15ZAHEERABAD: The Birdipur village in Jharasangam mandal ofSangareddy district resolved to impose a 12-day lockdown in thevillage till May 15, said sarpanch Sivalakshmi Krishna and panchayatsecretary Prabhakar. The lockdown came into effect from Tuesdayevening, they said adding that the resolution was adopted in thepresence of the villagers. If anyone found violating the lockdown,stern action would be initiated against them, they said. They advisedvillagers to stay indoors following the precautions. Advising thevillagers to wear masks, the panchayat asked people to not to ventureout unless it is absolutely essential. The panchayat has beenimplementing preventive measures like spraying of sodiumhypochloride at various places in the village. However, the villagerscan take part in agricultural operations as usual.

Burglar arrested HYDERABAD: A property offender, who entered a house in Meerpetand attempted to steal, was arrested by the police on Monday.According to the police, Gundla Raju (32), a painter from Addaguttain Secunderabad, entered the house of one Renu Kumar Reddy atBalapur on Sunday. Reddy’s wife Prasanna, who was cooking, sawthe intruder and alerted her husband. “She rushed outside and triedto bolt the main door from outside, but Raju saw this and pushed heraside before running away,” police said, adding that he was nabbedlater.

SHORT TAKES

PNS n HYDERABAD

Congress MP from BhongirKomatireddy Venkat Reddyflayed Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao forremoving Health MinisterEatala Rajender, who wasalways available to the HealthDepartment officials.

He opined that KCRremoved Eatala from theMinistry in a vengeful manneras he had stated he was also theowner of the TRS. He said thatthe Health and MedicalMinistry will be destroyed ifthe Ministry is in the hands ofKCR, who stays 24-hours inthe farmhouse.

He said that the ChiefMinister has to protect the livesof people by appointing a newMinister within 24-hours tocontain further spread of the

Corona and provide treatmentto those who tested positive forthe virus.

Speaking to the media atBhongir on Tuesday,Komatireddy alleged that theTRS has been doing pettypolitics when people are suf-fering from Corona.

Questioning the ChiefMinister to tell as to whythere were no actions againstother TRS leaders, whoencroached assigned lands,Komatireddy warned thatCongress will not keep mumif the Chief Minister doesinjustice to Deverayamjalfarmers.

He questioned the govern-ment to tell whether it is right,or wrong to hand over 19,000acres to private companies inthe name of Pharma City inthe Rachakonda area.

Cops launch drive toenforce Covid protocol

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

After TPCC working presidentand Malkajgiri MP A RevanthReddy’s attack on the govern-ment regarding Deverayamjaltemple lands, the Congressleaders- -MLC T Jeevan Reddyand former PCC chief VHanumantha Rao- - launchedtheir attack on the governmentregarding Devarayamjal tem-ple lands and land encroach-ments done by TRS leaders.

On Tuesday, T JeevanReddy alleged that all theDeverayamjal temple landsencroachers were TRS leadersonly. However, the govern-ment had taken up an inquiryinto the assigned land issueonly to show former MinisterEatela Rajender as a culprit, healleged. He demanded that thegovernment ordered aninquiry into all the assignedland encroachments.

Stating that the assignedland beneficiaries were poor,hence they had failed to holdon to their lands, Jeevan Reddysaid that the assigned landsexchange had been takingplace after the introduction ofthe new Pattadaar policy in2018. He alleged that the gov-ernment had given a wordthat it would appoint a com-

mittee on the assigned landsissue, however, not a single stephad been taken in that direc-tion even though years passed.Jeevan Reddy demanded thatthe government identify theencroached assigned landsdetails and handed over thesame to the real pattadaars.

Demanding that the govern-ment order an inquiry into allthe Endowments lands, JeevanReddy asked the governmentto provide judiciary powers toWakf Board. He demanded

that Chief Minister ordered aninquiry into all the assignedlands if he was sincere aboutsolving the problem.

On the other hand, formerPCC Chief and former MP VHanumatha Rao expressedhappiness over the speedyinquiry on corruption, butquestioned why the govern-ment was not ordering aninquiry in the same manner asthere were many allegationsagainst several ministers,MLAs and other TRS leaders.

Speaking to the media at hisresidence, VH said that therewas no action taken againstMinisters Ch Malla Reddy andPuvvada Ajay Kumar andMLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddythough they had been facingland encroachment allegations.Whether justice was differentfor different people, he asked.

VH asked the Chief Ministeras to why the latter initiatedaction only against formerminister Eatela Rajender, whowas the only minister workinghard to control theCoronavirus and let others offthe hook. VH said that hewould be addressing a letter tothe Chief Minister seekingaction against other Ministers,MLAs and MLCs who werefacing land encroachment alle-gations.

VH warned that Congresswould wage a movementagainst the government if theChief Minister failed to initi-ate the same action against theother Ministers, MLAs andMLCs as the action takenagainst Eatela. VH also madeit clear that it didn’t mean thatCongress was backing EatelaRajender. He said that thegovernment had to punish notonly Eatela Rajender but alsoothers if they had committedwrongs.

Former PCC chief V Hanumantha Raoasked the Chief Minister as to whythe latter initiated action only againstformer minister Eatela Rajender, whowas the only minister working hard tocontrol the Coronavirus and let othersoff the hook.

PNS n PEDDAPALLY

The Ramagundam policearrested a member of the nine-member gang, that looted theGunjapadugu SBI branch inMarch this year, in UttarPradesh and recovered fromhim 20 tolas of gold. While fivemembers are in the custody ofMaharashtra police for theirinvolvement in bank robberiesthere, three others are at large.

The arrested was identifiedas Adesh Sharma, a hamali invegetable market and residentof Hasanpur village of Badayudistrict of UP. The policesearch party that went to UPproduced him before the mag-istrate there and obtained atransit warrant to produce himbefore the Manthani first-classmagistrate here on Tuesday.

It maybe recalled that thegang members removed thewindow grills in the rear of thebank and cut the bank lockers

using gas cutters anddecamped with six kg of goldand Rs 18 lakh cash in the rob-bery that took place on March24 this year.

The RamagundamCommissioner of Police andsenior officials visited thecrime scene and suspected it tobe the handiwork of the UPand Maharashtra gangs.

On a tip off that similarmodus of operandi inMaharashtra, three teams havebeen constituted and one teamwas sent to Maharashtra andtwo teams to UP.

The Maharashtra police,upon questioning the gangmembers, they put the totalnumber of gang membersinvolved in the heist at nine.The police there recoveredsome of the ornaments stolenfrom the SBI in Gunjapadugufrom the arrested.

According to the police, inMarch, gang members

Nawabul Hasan, Danveer,Adesh Sarma, Guddu, Bhure,Jahangir of UP and Raju VasantRao Warbhe , DevadasRoopchand kapgate andSanket Tejram Urke(Maharashtra gang members)took shelter in the house ofVasant Rao in MIDC industri-al area of Chandrapur for 15days in March.

Later, they have stolen a gascylinder, regulator and gas

cutter from a welding shop inGondia district ofMaharasthra. Afterwards, theytargeted banks located on high-ways for robbery.

On March 24, seven mem-bers Nawabul Hasan, Danveer,Adesh Sharma, Guddu, Bhure,Jahangir and Sanket commit-ted the robbery while the twoothers were waiting in a Boleroat some distance.

Around midnight, theyentered the bank throughbreaking the doors of the win-dow in the rear and removingthe grills. They cut the CCTVcamera wires, opened the lock-er and looted 6 kg of gold orna-ments and Rs 18 lakh and leftthe bank around 2 am.

Around 4.30 am, theyboarded the Bolero vehicleand left for Chandrapur andwhere they distributed thebooty among themselves. Later,six gang members left for UPby bus.

PNS n MAHBUBNAGAR

Minister for Excise V SrinivasGoud sought the cooperationof people to rein in the secondwave of the Coronavirus in thedistrict on the lines of control-ling the virus first wave withteamwork.

Addressing DistrictCollector S Venkata Rao andrevenue and health authoritiesthrough a video conferencehere on Tuesday, he appealedto the district officials to workwith a humanitarian perspec-tive.

Last year, an oxygen plant,RT-PCR testing centre and a250-bed hospital for Covidpatients were set up. This yearthe government sanctionedanother hospital with 250 bedsand asked the officials to startwork on the hospital in aweek completing tender for-malities. The number of bedsin ICU is going to be increasedsoon.

Advising the officials toincrease the bed strength inthe government hospital andalso in SVS Hospital, he direct-ed them to take over SVSDental Hospital and makearrangements for oxygen bedsin various function halls. Hetold them to recruit doctors ifnecessary.

He wanted people not toneglect symptoms and getthemselves checked up ifsymptoms of fever or cough

exist. He wanted private hos-pital doctors to sensitise peo-ple to get treatment in casethey have fever, cough andcold.

He asked officials to submithim a report on bed strengthin SVS, Mallika, Navodaya,Neha, Sunshine and other hos-pitals about the total numberof beds and oxygen beds andother amenities.

The district administrationmade arrangements for pro-viding treatment at thedoorstep of non-Covidpatients through mobile clin-ics. He asked officials to recruitnurses and lab technicians. Heasked them to gather informa-

tion about people havingsymptoms, those who testedpositive for the virus and thosewho died due to Covid-19.

Later, the minister askedofficials to speed up landacquisition for completing thefly-over at Appanapalli in fivemonths and told them to clearhurdles for the widening of theroad in the town especially atAshok Theatre crossroads,Ambedkar crossroads, R and Bcross ads, Pillalamarri cross-roads in the town.Furthermore, he asked them tohasten up Bharat Mala projectworks and groundworks on thedevelopment of the secondby-pass road. He asked the

District Collector to name theairport sanctioned to the dis-trict after Manyamkonda.

Earlier, District Collector SVenkat Rao told medical andhealth authorities to see to itthat government and privatehospitals work with a humanface to wriggle the districtfrom the pandemic. He warnedof initiating measures underDisaster Management Act andthe Epidemics Act against pri-vate hospitals if foundindulging in irregularities. Hesaid that people ofMahabubnagar living in otherdistricts also might come herefor receiving treatment forCovid. Therefore, he told theauthorities to purchase hospi-tal cots to increase bed strengthin the Mahbubnagar district.

ZP CEO and Drug inspec-tors are saddled with theresponsibility of maintainingoxygen stocks. Covid treatmentfacilities are provided at BalaNagar, Koilkonda andDevarakadra. Services of para-medical staff employed in res-idential schools and KVGBschools are being used to treatCovid. There is no shortage ofRemedisivir and oxygen in thedistrict.

Additional collector TejasNandlal Pawar, Medical collegedirector Putta Srinivas, DMHODr Krishna, district govern-ment hospital superintendentDr Ramkishan and others werepresent.

Minister seeks cooperation of people

BREAKTHROUGH IN SBI GUNAPADUGU BRANCH ROBBERY CASE

Police nab one of the gang members Steps sought for revival of Congress

CLP’s virtual meeting today

2 sarpanches,two deputysarpanchessuspended

Ryots agree togive lands toKondapochammaSagar canal

PNS n SIDDIPET

Farmers of Upparapalli,Guvalegi, SherpalliBandharam, Mubharaspurand Surampalli villages haveagreed to part with theirlands for the construction ofUpparapalli distributarycanal of KondapochammaSagar and conveyed the sameto District CollectorVenkatrami Reddy at a meet-ing held at the latter’s campoffice here on Tuesday.

The Collector impressedon the farmers the benefitsthat would accrue to thefarmers by the constructionof the distributary canal. Toconvert the parched lands inthe district into fertile soil, thestate government contem-plated the execution of irri-gation projects. Currently,the construction of canalswould be implemented inphases to provide an irriga-tion facility.

The collector thanked thefarmers and offered to helpthem to get the compensationand other assistance payableto them by the state govern-ment. Several governmentofficials, including the tah

HYDERABAD: The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has decided toconduct an emergency meeting to discuss the prevailing Coronapandemics severity and on the issue of encroachment of assignedlands and Endowments lands. The meeting will be held through theZOOM app on Wednesday. According to sources, the CLP may chalkout an action plan to exert pressure on the government demanding thatit control the spiking Coronavirus cases. The CLP would discuss how tomount pressure on the government in regard to lack of beds, oxygen,Remedesivir injections and vaccines. The CLP would also discuss howto make the government to order an inquiry into all encroachedassigned and temple lands, it is learnt.

TO REIN IN SECOND WAVE OF CORONA

PNS n PATANCHERU

Sangareddy DistrictCollector Hanumantha Raoon Tuesday ordered placingtwo sarpanches and two upa-sarpanches under suspen-sion for encouraging illegalconstruction activity. Thecollector ordered Indresamvillage sarpanch Narsimlu,upa-sarpanch SivakumarGoud and KistareddypetSarpanch Krishna and upa-sarpanch Faheem for failureto stop illegal constructionsin their village.

The officials identified con-struction of 120 structureswithout any permission and arebeing demolished for the past15 days. He asked the peoplenot to purchase houses andhousing plots which have nonecessary clearances.

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021 nation 05

Agroup of Muslimyouth helped

cremate a 60-year-old Hindu man, whodied of COVID-19here, as his familymembers werehesitant to go aheadwith the ritual forfear of contractingthe disease.Mukund Mohan Pandey (60) died on Monday but his familymembers were hesitating on his cremation as his elder brother,Lalit Pandey, too succumbed to the virus on April 30, local peoplesaid. Nagar Palika chairman Shaban Ali said when he came toknow about this, he had some of his friends, Tariq, Anas, Gudduand Shafiq, make all the arrangements and take the body to thecremation ground.After the arrangements were made, Pandey'sson consigned him to flames, Ali added.

An encounter broke outbetween militants and

security forces in Baramulladistrict of Jammu andKashmir on Tuesday, policesaid. Security forceslaunched a cordon andsearch operation atNathipora in Bomai area fol-lowing information about thepresence of some militantsin the area, a police officialsaid. He said the searchoperation turned into anencounter after militantsopened fire on the security forces who retaliated. "One foreign terror-ist involved in killing of two councillors and a policeman is trapped inthe encounter," Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vijay Kumar saidin a tweet. No casualties have been reported so far from either side,police said.

INDIA CORNER

With the spike in COVID-19cases, museums, planetar-

ium, zoos, national parks havebeen closed in West Bengal toavert contamination. TheAlipore Zoological Gardens inthe city had recorded 400 visi-tors on an average in April andonly 150 people on April 30before closing down indefinitely from May 1, Director Asis Samantatold PTI on Tuesday. "As decided by the state government, all forestdepartment run zoos in state, national parks and sanctuaries remainclosed for public from May 1 till further notice. We had recorded over1,000 visitors on an average in February which gradually went downto 400 in April with report of spread in infection," Samanta said.Director of M P Birla Planetarium and well-known astrophysicistDebiprasad Duari said the popular spot for students and others inter-ested in cosmic world had to be closed since April 17 for fear of cont-amination of the pathogen despite taking all Covid control measuresand reducing the audience capacity to one third.

Muslim youth help cremateHindu man who died of Covid

Museums, planetarium, zoos,national parks closed in Bengal

Encounter between securityforces and militants in J&K

PNS n KOLKATA

BJP president J P Nadda onTuesday said the widespreadpost-poll violence in WestBengal is reminiscent of theatrocities people had to faceduring the country'sPartition, and exhorted partyworkers in the state to demo-cratically fight the "savagery".

Nadda, who arrived on atwo-day visit to Bengal, saidBJP workers across Indiahave expressed solidarity withtheir activists in the state,who are "facing violentattacks".

"We are committed todemocratically fight this ide-ological battle and the activ-ities of the TMC, which is fullof intolerance," he toldreporters at the NSC BoseInternational Airport here.

"I had heard of theimmense atrocities commit-ted during the Partition, butI have never seen such post-poll violence that is occurringin West Bengal after the dec-laration of election results (onMay 2)," the senior BJP leadersaid.

Nadda said he will visit theresidences of BJP workers"killed" in attacks in South 24Parganas district and speak totheir kin.

"We want to give this mes-sage that crores of BJP work-ers across the country arewith them," he said.

The BJP has claimed atleast six of its workers andsupporters, including awoman, were killed in vio-lence allegedly unleashed bythe Trinamool Congress fol-lowing its victory in theassembly elections.

Post-poll violence in Bengalreminiscent of Partition: BJP

KOLKATA: A 54-year-old TMC worker was stabbed to death in WestBengal's Purba Bardhaman district, police said on Tuesday. SrinivasGhosh (54), a TMC panchayat member of Ketugram's Agardhangaarea, was stabbed alleged by members of the BJP on Monday nightwhen he was returning home, they said. Ghosh was declared broughtdead when taken to a nearby hospital, they added. Three people were

also injured in the incident and are undergoing treatment, apolice officer said. BJP denied the charges and said

their members were in no way connected to theincident. Tension was palpable in the area

after the incident. Police said a huge con-tingent of personnel was deployed to pre-vent any further flare-ups. Four per-sons were detained in connection withthe incident, they said. Incidents ofviolence were reported from other partsof the state as well. InCoochbehar district, the house of BJPactivist Bharati Nandy in Dinhata wasset on fire allegedly by TMC supporters,

a police officer said. Incidents of violencewere also reported from Tufanganj where

houses of several BJP workers were van-dalised, he said. At least 15 houses of BJP

workers were vandalised in Howrah, police said.A probe has been started into the matter, they said.

TMC worker stabbed to death inKetugram, three injured: Police

KOLKATA: The BJP's West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh on Tuesday saidthat the party is with the workers who, he claimed, are facing atrocities atthe hands of goons owing allegiance to the Trinamool Congress after theannouncement of assembly election results two days ago. The state is inthe grip of post-poll violence that allegedly left several BJP workers deadand injured, prompting the Centre to seek a report from the state govern-ment on the incidents of attack on opposition workers. "I havenot done the politics of running away in adverse situa-tions. We have fought a daunting battle," Ghosh toldreporters here. Ghosh said that the BJP has wonrecord seats in the West Bengal election, bag-ging 77 constituencies. The TMC, on theother hand, emerged victorious in 213 seatsand will form the government for the thirdtime in a row. Claiming that attacks aretaking place at places where the TMC wonwith a huge majority, Ghosh said that theBJP leadership is with the workers whohave fought the election risking their lives."We are fighting and will continue to do soin future. Today or tomorrow, Bengal willwitness change at the hands of the BJP," theparty's state president said. BJP national sec-retary Rahul Sinha said that it is time for theparty to stand by the workers who are facingattacks. "We can analyse the results later.

PNS n NEW DELHI

After the BJP and the CPI-M, theCongress also condemned thepost-poll violence in West Bengalby TMC cadres, saying suchincidents were unacceptable andpeople of the state have not votedfor lawlessness. Congress' WestBengal incharge Jitin Prasadaalleged on Tuesday that his partycadres were attacked by TrinamoolCongress workers and evenwomen and children were notspared. "The post-poll violence that

has been unleashed by the TMC onthe Congress workers isunacceptable. Even women andchildren are not spared. I'm surethe people of West Bengal did notvote for this lawlessness," Prasadsaid on Twitter. He said the duty ofevery politician or public servant isto speak up against "all wrongsand stand by their cadreirrespective of which ideology onebelongs to". Asked about the post-poll violence taking place in WestBengal after the TrinamoolCongress' victory in the state,

Congress spokesperson ShaktisinhGohil said his party nevercondones such violence."Congress has never supportedany kind of violence. TheCongress party never condones orsupports any kind of violence.There is no place for violence in ademocracy," he said. "We expectthat if Mamata Banerjee hasreceived so much love and votes inBengal, she should control theviolence," he said. The Congressleader said, "Even if those whohave died are BJP workers, our

condolences are with theirfamilies". The BJP has charged thatthe state is burning due to state-sponsored violence and several ofits workers have been assaultedand murdered. The Left has alsoclaimed that its workers have beentargeted. "Are these reports ofgruesome violence in Bengal TMC's‘victory celebrations'?Condemnable."Will be resisted & rebuffed. Insteadof focusing on combating thepandemic TMC unleashes suchmayhem," CPI(M) leader hadSitaram Yechury tweeted.

No place for violence in democracy, Mamata should control it: Cong

Party is with workers facing atrocitiesby ‘TMC goons': BJP Bengal chief

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Health Ministry onTuesday said that aid receivedfrom other countries has beendistributed in different states tohelp deal with the rising num-ber of COVID-19 cases.

Based on the criteria andprinciples laid out by the min-istry, depending on each state'srequirement, 24 different cate-gories of items numbering near-ly 40 lakhs were distributed to86 institutions in different states,the ministry said in a statement.

Major categories of equip-ment include BiPAP machines;oxygen (concentrators, cylin-ders, PSA Oxygen plants andpulse oximeters); drugs(Favipiravir and Remdesivir);and PPE (coveralls, N-95 masksand gowns).

Since grant in aid is limitedin quantity, it has to be optimal-ly utilized by allocating it to highburden states [states with high-er number of active cases],where the requirement for suchequipment/medicines is more,according to the StandardOperating Procedure (SOP) forallocations.

Spreading such aid thinlyeach time over a large numberof states may not bring forth thedesired results, the ministrysaid, adding it will also lead tosmall packages travelling largedistances, high turnaroundtimes and possible wastage ofresources.

The requirement of the highburden states in the context ofnumber of persons admitted inhospitals and prior distributiondone by the central governmentresources would also be consid-ered.

Special focus can also be onstates considered as medicalhubs of the region, which havea patient in-flow from neigh-bouring states/cities.

In some cases, resource low

states such as North Eastern andhill states where tankers etcdon't reach, can also be coveredto shore up their needs, the min-istry said.

The 31 states and UTs whichhave either received or wherethe equipment has been dis-patched include -- Delhi,Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,Punjab, Rajasthan,Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, WestBengal, Assam, Kerala andKarnataka.As the differenttranches are coming in, the restof the states and UTs will alsobe covered in the coming days.

For all consignments receivedvia MEA and coming as dona-tions from foreign countries, the

consignee is the Indian RedCross Society (IRCS). Uponreceipt of the papers outlined inthe process flow chart, IRCSissues the necessary certificatesimmediately to HLL for pro-cessing customs and regulato-ry clearances at Airports.

IRCS also ensures liaisonwith MoHFW and HLL sothat delays are reduced andquick turnarounds areachieved, the ministry said.TheHLL Lifecare Limited (HLL) isthe customs agent for IRCS, andthe distribution manager forMoHFW.

The consignments areprocessed at airport and trans-ported for distribution by HLL.In case of consignments arriv-ing at military airports, or bogitems like oxygen plants, Deptof Military Affairs (DMA)assists HLL.

"Accessibi l ity and theimmediate use of resources tosave the lives drives the needfor immediate allocation ofshort-notice incoming con-signments. The materialsfrom abroad are currentlycoming in different num-bers, specifications and atdifferent times,” the state-ment said. "Hence there is aneed to reconcile the distrib-ution logistics with the need toreach the materials as expedi-tiously as possible to thestates," it added.

‘Foreign aid allocated to states,UTs for Covid management’

“Accessibility andthe immediate useof resources tosave the livesdrives the need forimmediateallocation of short-notice incomingconsignments. The materials from abroad arecurrently coming indifferent numbers,specifications andat different times”

PNS n NEW DELHI

A more virulent strain of coro-navirus, insufficient infrastruc-ture to handle critical cases andhoarding of essential drugs hasled to more deaths in Delhi,experts said on Tuesday.

They also said the number ofdeaths could be more as manypatients die outside hospitalswaiting for a bed.

Dr Jugal Kishore, the head ofcommunity medicine atSafdarjung Hospital, said the"insufficiency of infrastructure"to handle critical patients is lead-ing to more deaths.

"The virus is not causing somany deaths, it is the insufficientresources and facilities. This is the

major reason," he said.Critical cases are piling up but

there are no beds available forthem. Many patients have diedon the way to hospitals or outsidehealthcare facilities waiting for abed, while many have died dueto unavailability of oxygen, DrKishore said.

Critical patients spend 10 to 20days in ICU or on oxygen sup-port. So, the beds remain occu-pied for this period, even as thenumber of critical cases keepincreasing every day, he said.

Black-marketing and hoardingof essential drugs being used totreat critical patients is anotherreason.

"This has limited the people'saccess to these drugs," he said.

Sudhanshu Bankata, theExecutive Director of BatraHospital in TughlakabadInstitutional Area, said a criticalpatient succumbs to the virus

after 14 to 15 days of testing pos-itive.

"So, if there are more casestoday, the number of deaths willbe high on the 14th or the 15th

day," he said.Bankata also saidthat a large number of patientsare being treated at home, as hos-pital beds are full.

"In many cases, patientsrequire high oxygen flow whichcan only be provided at hospitalsand not through concentrators orcylinders. By the time a bedbecomes available, their situationhas already deteriorated sharply,"he said.

Dr D K Baluja, medical direc-tor of Jaipur Golden Hospital,said, "The quantum (of infec-tions) is very high. The numberof cases has increased from 8,000to 25,000. So, the absolute num-ber of deaths will be three timesmore."

"Your logistics, manpower,

everything crashes in such a sit-uation. The way the load isincreasing, your capacity is notable to match up to it," he said.Of the 17,414 COVID-19 deathsin Delhi since the pandemicbegan, more than 5,050 haveoccurred in the last two weeks.

Delhi logged 448 deaths due tothe deadly coronavirus onMonday, the highest in the citysince the pandemic began rav-aging countries.

The capital reported 407deaths on Sunday, 412 onSaturday, 375 on Friday, 395 onThursday, 368 on Wednesday;381 on Tuesday, 380 on Monday,350 on last Sunday, and 357 onSaturday last week, according togovernment data.

Insufficient infra caused more deaths in Delhi: Experts

PNS n MUMBAI

All tankers carrying liquidmedical oxygen (LMO) in thestate are being fitted withGPS devices in order to tracktheir movement and ensurebetter management of supplyof the life-saving gas toCOVID-19 patients, a seniorofficial said on Tuesday.

Speaking to PTI, statetransport commissionerAvinash Dhakane said cur-rently, 250 tankers are beingused for the supply of LMO,demand for which has surgedwith the rise in COVID-19cases.

"Nearly 50 per cent of the250 tankers are already fittedwith GPS, while the remain-ing will be fitted with it with-in a few days. Once all thetankers fitted with thesedevice, their movement canbe tracked from the controlroom," Dhakane said.

A control room has beenset up for monitoring themovement of tankers supply-ing oxygen across the stateand officials from the RoadTransport Offices have beendeputed to get the GPSdevices fitted, he said, addingthat LMO is being suppliedfrom 19 different plantsthrough tankers.

The Federation ofAutomobile DealersAssociation (FADA) hasfunded the work of installingGPS on oxygen tankers, theofficial said.

NEW DELHI: AAP MLARaghav Chadha on Tuesdaysaid 41 hospitals with around7,000 people on oxygensupport sent SOS calls to theDelhi government on May 3. He also said that the nationalcapital received an average of393 metric tonnes (MT) ofoxygen a day last weekagainst the requirement of976 MT. “Forty-one hospitals,with 7,142 people on oxygensupport, sent SOS calls to theDelhi government onMonday,” Chadha said, addingthat ‘Team Kejriwal' promptlyresponded to all the SOS callsand delivered 21.3 MT ofoxygen to these hospitals. TheAAP leader also rued that“Delhi received an average of393 MT of oxygen a day lastweek against the requirementof 976 MT”. He noted that 393MT is just 40 per cent of thetotal demand. Chadha said thecity got 433 MT of oxygen,just 44 per cent of the totalrequirement, on Monday.Several hospitals herecontinue to grapple with theshortage of medical oxygen,as coronavirus cases continueto spike every passing day.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Former Union minister andJammu and Kashmir governorJagmohan, whose tough mea-sures as an administrator invarious roles won him manyadmirers but also drew criti-cism from some quarters,passed away following a spellof illness.

He was 93.President Ram Nath Kovind

and Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday paid tributesto Jagmohan and describedhim as an exemplary adminis-trator and devoted politician.He passed away on Monday.

The Jammu and Kashmiradministration has announcedthree days of state mourning

from Tuesday to Thursday onthe demise of the former gov-ernor.

"Saddened to hear aboutthe demise of Shri Jagmohan Ji,former governor of J&K. Hewas a great visionary, dynam-ic and effective administrator.Jagmohan Ji will be remem-

bered for his great contribu-tions, reforms in J&K anduntiring efforts to serve thesociety," the office of theJammu and KashmirLieutenant Governor tweeted.

A civil servant who made hisname as a town planner whileserving as the DelhiDevelopment Authority's vicechairperson in the 70s,Jagmohan steered the contro-versial beautification drive inDelhi as the trusted man ofSanjay Gandhi during theEmergency but his image as ano-nonsense officer and doerendured, earning him key posi-tions, including of governorand Union minister, in the laterdecades.

"In the demise of

Jagmohanji, the nation haslost a unique town planner,able administrator and man ofletters. His administrative &political career was marked byunparalleled brilliance. Hisdeath leaves a void that will befelt forever. My condolences tohis family and friends," Kovindtweeted.

Prime Minister Modi said inhis tribute, "Jagmohan ji'sdemise is a monumental lossfor our nation".

"He was an exemplaryadministrator and a renownedscholar. He always workedtowards the betterment ofIndia. His ministerial tenurewas marked by innovative pol-icy making. Condolences to hisfamily and admirers.

Oxygen tankersfitted with GPS totrack movement

‘Delhi got 393 MToxygen last weekagainst requirementof 976 MT’

Ex-J&K Guv Jagmohan passes away

Matuas choose to split votesdespite wooing by BJP,TMCPNS n KOLKATA

The Bharatiya Janata Party in itselectoral mathematics for Bengalhad counted on the 3 millionstrong Vaishnavite Matua com-munity spread over the districtsof Nadia, South and North 24Parganas as a major vote bank,with the Prime Minister takingtime not only to pay repeated vis-its to Matua dominated con-stituencies but even to a Matuashrine in neighbouringBangladesh.

However actual voting patternsshowed that the Matuas did notvote en-bloc for any one party andpreferred to split their votebetween both the ruling TMCwith which many in the commu-

nity had good relations them aswell as BJP which had launcheda charm offensive aimed at thecommunity. The saffron partyhad left no stone unturned to winthe Matua community's favour.Besides Prime Minister NarendraModi, Union Home MinisterAmit Shah and other seniorleaders held a series of publicmeetings in Matua areas.

The community has the high-est concentration in North 24Parganas and Nadia, along withsome places in South 24 Parganasdistrict, but has adherents inother districts and in large partsof western Bangadesh too. Hailingfrom the Namashudra, a sched-uled caste, adherents of thisVaishnavite sect are followers of

Harichand Thakur a 19th centu-ry Vaishnavite reformer. Whilethe original seat of the MatuaMahasangha was in Oraikandi inBangladesh where Thakur wasborn, Indian Matuas have set uptheir sects inner sanctum in a newtownship called Thakurnagar, inNorth 24 parganas, near the bor-der with Bangladesh.

However, despite the BJPlaunching a campaign blitzkriegin North 24 Parganas, with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andUnion Home Minister AmitShah holding public meetings towin the hearts of the Matuas, theparty could win only five seats outof 33 seats in North 24 Parganas,with TMC accounting for anoverwhelming 28 seats.

Security forNandigramconstituency ROPNS n NEW DELHI

The West Bengal governmenthas informed the ElectionCommission that it has provid-ed security to the returning offi-cer of the Nandigram assemblyconstituency which saw acliffhanger between TMC chiefMamata Banerjee and BJP'sSuvendu Adhikari, sources saidon Tuesday.

Banerjee lost by 1,956 votesto former protege-turned-BJPadversary Adhikari. OnMonday, the TrinamoolCongress (TMC) leader hadalleged that the returning offi-cer of Nandigram did notorder recounting of votes evenafter she demanded it as hefeared for his life.

modus vivendi through amediated political dialogue.Aung San Suu Kyi’s NationalLeague for Democracy hadwon a clear and outright polit-ical victory trouncing the mil-itary-backed USDP. It seemsinconceivable that the NLD’svictory can be set aside by themilitary on grounds of fraud-ulent voting. It will be uncon-stitutional. Can the clock beset back to January 31?

Hlaing is from the Army’selite 77 Light Division. He wasthe mastermind of the ruthlessoperations against theRohingyas in Rakhine in 2017where this Division wasemployed. In the 1988 coup,77 LID was used and 3,500protestors were killed. Butthat was 30 years ago. TheGeneral’s aim is for Myanmarto return to 2011-16 when theUSDP was in power and whenhe took over as the C-in-C in2011. He does not have muchtime if he is to returnMyanmar to his vision of a dis-ciplined democracy. This goalis a bridge too far even for theTatmadaw to achieve, especial-ly in 2021. The General has toweigh in the consequences ofthe coup and preserving thegains the military has securedin the 2008 Constitution. By

travelling out of Myanmar,attending the Asean summit,meeting UN envoy ChristineBurgene and returning to hiscitadel, Hlaing has scored adiplomatic victory. Neverbefore has a coup leader beentreated with such respect andcircumspection. Had he beenin Europe, he would havebeen arrested for alleged geno-cide against the Rohingyas.

The widespread violencehas threatened the economyand encouraged criminalactivity. In the 1950s, Burma’sper capita income was higherthan Thailand’s and Malaysia’sbut today it is at the bottom ofthe Asean GDP. People havebeen fleeing from townshipslike Mandalay, Bago andYangon into the interiors. Anew transnational criminalactivity hub — comprisingsmall arms, narcotics andwildlife, coupled with anunderground financial sys-tem reminiscent of the GoldenTriangle of yore — has comeup. It is a shame that a coun-try which was the hot favouriteof foreign investment andgrowth is suddenly moving inreverse gear. It is estimated theeconomy will shrink by 20 percent in 2021-22. The latestUNDP report paints a grim

picture: That 12 million peo-ple could fall into dire eco-nomic strait as businessesremain shuttered in a standoffbetween the junta and theCDM. The hardest hit will bethe poor urban populationsand the female heads of house-holds will be the worst hit.

India has learnt to play ballwith more than one power cen-tre in Myanmar. It has wel-comed the Asean initiative andwill continue to play a construc-tive role in resolving the currentsituation through steadfast sup-port of the democratic process.The end of this political process— when it is started, and a UNCivil Protection Force is accept-ed by the General — will marka political milestone in conflictresolution. Some Asean leadersare privately suggesting keep-ing Myanmar out of the group-ing till the coup is undone. Theconsensus brief is either the firststep towards reining in theGenerals or, more likely, lettingthem buy time.

(The writer, a retiredMajor General, wasCommander, IPKF South, SriLanka, and founder member ofthe Defence Planning Staff,currently the IntegratedDefence Staff. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

So, the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended indef-initely. Officially, they tell us, the reason is that the bio-secure bubble was inexplic-ably breached and then, before we knew it, the cricketers and support staff started

falling prey to the accursed virus one after another. Since the Board of Control for Cricketin India (BCCI) is quite concerned about the “health and wellbeing” of the IPL players, itwas left with no option but to suspend the matches. Well, cutting clear of all the jargon

that is being thrown at us, and more of it will come ourway in the coming days, here’s a simpler, possible nar-rative. The greed of the cricket authorities managing theshow — namely the BCCI, the various State cricketBoards and the IPL governing council — is mainlyresponsible for the current fiasco. Remember, even whenthe situation wasn’t dire last year, they arranged for thematches to be held in the UAE and even roped in a com-pany, renowned globally for its expertise in creating andmaintaining bio-secure bubbles.

So, especially this year when the situation has rapid-ly worsened in terms of the exponentially rising casesand the healthcare personnel and equipment are stretched

thin, what was the need to organise the tourney in India? And that, too, without re-engag-ing the bio bubble firm which had performed its duties last year with aplomb and finesse.Only because the cricket authorities wanted to save cheap pennies, even though it wascrystal clear even before the start of the tournament that COVID-19’s second wave, withits more virulent and burgeoning strains and mutants, was a definite risk to everybody asso-ciated with the cash-rich league. Another point: Just as they now started contemplatingmoving all the machinery and paraphernalia from Ahmedabad and Delhi back to the Wankhedeand DY Patil stadia in Mumbai, why weren’t the authorities content to host all the match-es in Mumbai and Pune in the first place; something that would have helped the teamsavoid air travel and significantly cut their exposure risk? But, no, the State cricket associ-ations also needed to be kept in good humour with a slice of the profits’ pie! Hopefully, thecricket authorities won’t plan to resume the IPL in a hurry. In this hour, when our nationneeds all possible help from all quarters, let’s not get busy listening to the tinkle of silverand neglecting human life. Basically, let it not boil down just to the lure of lucre.

The political wind blowing across Uttar Pradesh (UP) may not be very soothingfor the ruling BJP. The results of the recent panchayat elections give the firstindication of the emergence of a challenge for the saffron outfit in rural UP. The

Opposition, led by the Samajwadi Party and Independents, has made significant inroadsin the village politics of the State. Though Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath still remainswell-entrenched and the BJP continues to enjoy enormous appeal among the mass-es, one has to keep a close eye on the change in popular perception about theGovernment in the wake of the COVID-19 surge as it can pose a serious challengeto Yogi’s bid to retain power in 2022. Both the BJP and its rivals are claiming vic-

tory in the polls, but reports trickling in from thecounting booths clearly indicate that the saffron out-fit has not done as well as its leaders might haveplanned while plunging the State into such a mas-sive exercise in the dreaded Corona era. The pan-chayat elections were being treated as a referen-dum on the Yogi Government’s work. These elec-tions are not contested on any party symbol, butthe BJP named its candidates. This was done withthe belief that its candidates would win the elec-tions and then the party would go to town claim-ing its hegemony in rural politics. Sadly for the BJP,the Independents stole the march in the gram sabha

polls while the SP exceeded expectations in the district panchayat elections. Many relatives of the BJP leaders lost to the SP or Independents. Take the case

of Lucknow where Sarita, the daughter-in-law of BJP MP Kaushal Kishore lost thedistrict panchayat election in Mohanlalganj. Kishore’s wife Jaya Devi is the MLA fromMalihabad. Vijay Laxmi, the wife of SP MLA Ambrish, won this segment. The reportsfrom other districts like Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Kanpur and Kannauj, too, donot augur well for the BJP. In Ayodhya, of the 40 District Development Council seats,the SP won 22, the BJP eight, the BSP four and the rest of the seats went toIndependents. In Varanasi, the BJP failed to reach double digits while the SP won17 seats. In Etawah, the SP swept the polls, winning 18 seats. In Mainpuri, SandhyaYadav, the niece of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav who contested on the BJP’sticket, lost to the SP-backed candidate by 1,905 votes. In Mathura, the BJP-support-ed Chanda Devi lost to Devati, an Independent, by over 12,000 votes. The panchay-at elections are important as they help gauge the influence of political parties in therural areas. It is believed that a gram pradhan can sway 10-15 per cent votes in anygram sabha while the BDC and DDC members can influence the block and districtvoters, respectively. The DDC chairman is considered the ‘first person’ of the dis-trict. The poll outcome shows that the BJP will have to revise its political strategywhile Akhilesh Yadav needs to strengthen his party organisation to replicate this suc-cess in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Sticky wicket

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021

06

The bubble burstsFinally, COVID-19 has breached the IPLfranchises’ ‘safe and secure’ bio bubble

The General has to decide whether to escalate the conflict orseek a temporary pact through a mediated political dialogue

PICTALK

The Alster Swans are accompanied by boats towards the Outer Alster area in Hamburg, Germany PTI

THE AIM OF SENIOR GEN

MING AUNG HLAINGIS FOR MYANMAR

TO RETURN TO2011-16 WHEN

THE USDP WAS INPOWER AND WHEN

HE TOOK OVER AS THE C-IN-C

IN 2011. HE DOESNOT HAVE MUCHTIME IF HE IS TO

RETURN MYANMARTO HIS VISION

OF A DISCIPLINEDDEMOCRACY

ASHOK K MEHTA

The SP, and even the Independents, are breaching the BJP’s citadel in rural UP

The Myanmarcrisis lingers on

The most effective meansof foiling a coup is acountercoup. InMyanmar, that will not

happen as the military is rock solidand led by an officer corps thatconsiders itself elite and theguardian of Myanmar’s core values.

As the coup in Myanmarenters its fourth month withmultiple centres of resistance tak-ing root, it will take more thanan Asean summit and its five-point consensus agreement tounlock the impasse. Senior GenMing Aung Hlaing will not rideinto the sunset anytime soon.Signs of a third front, afterKachins in the north and Karensin the east have battled centralforces, are developing at Meiktillain the central plains after rock-et attacks struck the military basethere. Meanwhile, the protestorshave taken to flash marches thatwill enable people to disappearbefore confrontation with thepolice. The Civil DisobedienceMovement (CDM) activists areasking people to start non-coop-eration campaign by stoppingpayment of electricity, taxes andrepayment of loans.

In its 73-year history, theMyanmar Army has neverfought foreigners but its ownpeople in internal wars. Thecoup has marked the battle linesbetween an Army led by theBurman-dominated officercorps and a range of oppositionforces — the CDM consisting ofyouth aged 20 or below whohave tasted a decade of democ-racy: the Committee represent-ing National Parliament thathas morphed into a NationalUnity Government. This organ-ised resistance has the potentialto explode into a civil war whensome of the 20 Ethnic ArmedOrganisations (EAOs) like Karenor Kachin join the NUG to chal-lenge the Tatmadaw, the prima-ry centre of power. A call hasbeen made by a Karen, GeneralBaw Kyaw Heh, to all ethnicgroups to unite to fight theBurmese military dictatorship.This could be a game changer.

The General has to decidewhether to escalate the conflictinto a bloodier phase or seek a

A murder case shouldbe initiated againstArvind Kejriwal andhis Government fornot giving Delhi arobust healthcaresystem. They even did not completethose hospitals which were initiatedby the previous Government.

Former Congress MP

— Sandeep Dikshit

SOUNDBITEKARNATAKA HAS LOST THE COVID BATTLE Sir — Karnataka’s fight against COVID-19has faced many pitfalls right from the start,with Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa failingto rein in his warring Ministers during theinitial days. Then his inability, along withthat of the Ministers concerned to evolve astrategy to counter the second wave,explains the lack of strong political leader-ship in this hour of crisis. Authorities insistthat the deaths in Chamarajanagar were notlinked to non-availability of oxygen and thatthe deceased had comorbidities. But the factremains that all the dead were on oxygensupport and it is unlikely that they all suc-cumbed to ailments within 24 hours.

The Government has repeatedly assuredthat there is no scarcity of medical oxygen butthe ground reality is completely different.Many deaths are being reported from acrossthe State due to oxygen shortage, and the hos-pitals and common man face immense dif-ficulty in procuring oxygen cylinders andconcentrators. While Kerala exports surplusoxygen to other States, it is baffling thatKarnataka lacks basic facilities like ICU beds,COVID Care Centres, vital medicines or vac-cines. The States like Karnataka are respon-sible for the worsening of COVID-19 crisis— the deaths have become mere numbers forthe insensitive politicians.

N Sadhasiva Reddy | Bengaluru

BENGAL VIOLENCE IS UNFORTUNATESir — It’s quite unfortunate that violenceerupted in West Bengal in the aftermath ofthe announcement of the Assembly electionresults in which at least eight people havedied. The BJP said that six of its workerswere among those killed and that the TMCgoons attacked and vandalised several of itsoffices, including one in Nandigram.Political animosity is the cause of this blood-shed and it’s shameful, to say the least. Suchincidents are a blot on our democracy andmake us wonder whether we are living ina civilised democratic society or a lawlessState ruled by barbarism.

That deadly weapons were used in theclashes is a cause for concern. The goon-da raj should not be re-established since

many more innocent people could lose theirlives in the coming days. At a time whenthe pandemic has devastated the country,political parties should set aside their differ-ences and help the people win the war againstCOVID-19. We must not fight among our-selves but against the virus. Further, asMamata Banerjee has been given a freshmandate , she should take the State towardsdevelopment and shun violence. All polit-ical parties should join hands to mitigate thesufferings of the people.

Sravana Ramachandran | Chennai

STOP BLACK MARKETEERING OF DRUGSSir — During the ongoing second wave ofthe pandemic, the non-availability of COVIDdrugs and oxygen is the main issue the coun-try is facing. Mainly due to the hoarding ofdrugs like Remdesivir, their prices have sky-rocketed in the black market. Long queues

can be seen at the places selling these inblack. Black marketeers are charging exor-bitant prices from hapless citizens. Thoughthere are contradictory opinions on the effi-cacy of this drug, hospitals do prescribe itdue to its purported benefit on improvingmortality.

It is inhuman and criminal if interme-diaries exploit the patients at such criticaltimes. The Government should curb it bypromulgating an ordinance immediately, cat-egorising hoarding of any medicine or oxy-gen as culpable homicide amounting to mur-der, and make the applicable punishmentvalid for these offences. Considering thegravity of the situation, the Supreme Courtmay also consider passing suo moto orders.

M Raghuraman | Mumbai

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

In the absence of a regulated vaccine policyby the Government, the country is in chaosand uncertainty. The Centre should have

framed a national policy on vaccine procure-ment and pricing that should have been applic-able across India so as to effectively managethe vaccination drive. Currently, the bulk ofthe responsibility of vaccination has beenpassed on to the States and private players.Further, procurement of vaccines from a lim-ited number of manufacturers can result in con-fusion and conflict of interest among the Statesand private players. The manufacturers will belured into maximising the profits by selling the

vaccines to the highest bidder rather than theState Governments. The bigger States may getpreference over the smaller ones.

Further, the Supreme Court has calledupon the Centre to revisit its vaccine procure-ment policy, stating it would “prima facie resultin a detriment to the right to public health whichis an integral element of Article 21 of theConstitution”. In early 2020, it was well knownto Indian manufacturers that excessive depen-dence on a single source could prove to be dis-astrous. But we have failed to learn valuablelessons. Sadly, our active pharmaceuticalsingredients and raw materials still come fromChina and America, due to which Indian drugmanufacturers are facing adverse circum-stances. The idea of allowing other vaccinemanufacturers to expand the productioncapacity by invoking compulsory licence of vac-cine technology can cater to the needs of alarge and populous country like India. Forinstance, countries like America, England andIsrael have successfully rolled out vaccinesin a short span of time are a case in point.

Vijay Singh Adhikari | Nainital

Make vaccine prices uniform

The SenateRepublicans will notsupport the mega $4.1trillion spendingpackage proposed

by President Joe Biden.US Senate minority leader

— Mitch McConnell

We have sent arequest to theMaharashtra CM toallow us to purchaseCOVID-19 vaccines for30,000 registeredmembers of the film industry'sfederation in Mumbai at the earliest.

Filmmaker— Aditya Chopra

I urge all panchayatsand municipalities toopen essentialservices 100 per centor, else, they will facetrouble and so will thepeople of the State. The people willindulge in panic buying.

Goa Chief Minister

— Pramod Sawant

Our focus will be on maintaining our

fitness levels andavoiding any injuries inour practice sessions.

Indian hockey player

— Lalit Upadhyay

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

Fallout of the US troopdrawdown will be big

AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH THE ASSOCIATE MINISTERS

AND OFFICIALS, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT

THE LOCKDOWN IN BIHAR TILL MAY 15.

—BIHAR CHIEF MINISTER

NITISH KUMAR

AT LEAST ONE ORDER HAS BEEN COMPLIED WITH. WE

HAVE ALL FAILED. ALL OF US FEEL ASHAMED FOR

WHAT WE HAVE DONE.

—ADDITIONAL JUDGE, PATNA HIGH COURT

JUSTICE CHAKRADHARI SHARAN SINGH

US President Joe Biden has announcedSeptember 11 as the final cut-off date forthe complete withdrawal of the US troops

from war-torn Afghanistan. Earlier, he haddenounced his predecessor Donald Trump’s deci-sion for a complete drawdown by May 1 as“impractical.” As per the new blueprint the pull outwhich began on May 1 must terminate bySeptember 11 this year. Significantly, September11, 2022 will mark the completion of two decadesof invasion of Afghanistan codenamed ‘OperationEnduring Freedom’ (when the twin objective ofoverthrowing the ruling Taliban regime and dec-imating Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda was partial-ly achieved) and ‘Operation Freedom’s Sentinel’thereafter, the longest-running war in Americanhistory. At a time when the US and allies are leav-ing, Afghanistan is in turmoil due to the internalwar for control over the country continuingbetween the elected Government of PresidentAshraf Gani and the insurgents led by the Taliban,who already control more than 40 per cent of thecountry.

A Pakistan-brokered peace agreement betweenthe US and the Taliban reached in February 2020succeeded only to the extent that the Talibanstopped attacking the foreign troops. It failed toachieve the main purpose of a negotiated settle-ment and permanent ceasefire with the AfghanGovernment. The Taliban had also agreed to ensurethat its soil would not be used as a launch pad forthe global jihadi terror groups, which also has beenviolated many times. In fact, the violence has surgedin Afghanistan ever since the beginning of peacetalks, with the deaths of civilians and the securi-ty forces recording an upward trend as deadly ter-ror attacks increased.

In a nutshell, Afghanistan continues to be ina quagmire and the melting pot for global jihaditerror. The question arises, what did the US achieveeven after spending over $2 trillion and losing 2,216precious lives? Billions in “aid” are said to have gonedown the drain, with the bulk invested in the Dubaiproperty market. The cost to Afghan civilians hasbeen equally appalling, put at between 50,000 and1,00,000 deaths over the last two decades. Manyanalysts believe that the present regime in Kabulis unlikely to hold on for long after the Americansleave. It could hardly govern with American helpand is unlikely to succeed without the US.

Come September, Afghanistan is likely to beback with the Taliban, a scenario dreaded not onlyby the Afghans, particularly the women, but Indiaas well. Afghanistan has once again lived up to itsreputation of “the graveyard of the Empires.” Yetanother power is leaving Afghanistan in ruins andwithout ushering peace in the war-torn nation. Thisis straightforward abandonment. Kabul faces athreat not only from the Taliban but from theIslamic State (IS) as well, which is reported to haveformed an affiliate IS in Khorasan province.

The country has witnessed a sea change withregards to infrastructure development under the‘Reconstruction of Afghanistan’ programme, towhich India is a major contributor. Will it have anyvalue for the radical Islamists for whom the ruleof Sharia is ultimate, even if it means a return tothe Medieval Era? The Taliban have alreadyannounced themselves as the winners. “We havewon the war, America has lost,” they say. That the

Taliban see themselves as a govern-ment-in-waiting, speaks volumes oftheir plans to overthrow the currentregime after the Americans leave.They have already decided torename the country as the ‘IslamicEmirate of Afghanistan.’

“This is jihad, it is worship. Wedon’t do it for power but for Allahand His law. To bring Sharia to thiscountry. Whoever stands against uswe will fight against them,” says HajiHekmat, Taliban’s shadow mayor inBalkh District. The statementreflects the mindset of the Talibanleadership. However, some elementsfeel that with the passing of time andchange of mindset among manyMuslim countries, a group of mod-erates has also emerged among theTaliban. How much they would beable to influence the newGovernment or how the new IslamicGovernment will accommodatethem, only time will tell.

India has both, strategic andinternal security issues with theAmerican abandonment ofAfghanistan. While India’s arch rivalin the region, Pakistan seems to bein a win-win situation, India willhave to face many challenges.Though,

New Delhi has been included, atWashington’s insistence, in theUnited Nations’ supervised talks forensuring intra-Afghan peace, it isnot going to make much of a differ-ence, as any positive outcome of thetalks is almost ruled out. As andwhen the Taliban assume power,Pakistan would emerge as a major

player.While Pakistan will not like any

Indian influence in Afghanistan,New Delhi can ill-afford to lose allthe goodwill and strategic leverageit has gained through huge invest-ments in its economic uplift.Afghanistan is as strategically impor-tant to India as it is to Pakistan.

The major threat that wouldemerge to India, is the likelihood ofthe situation as it prevailed in the1990s and early 2000s in relation tojihadi terror. A pliant Governmentin Afghanistan will allow Pakistanto continue to adhere to its policyof using terror as an instrument ofState policy. To avoid internationalpressure and the fear of watchdogs,it is likely to shift the terror infra-structure to the badlands ofAfghanistan.

Jihadi terrorists who wouldbecome surplus to the internal needin Afghanistan may well be divert-ed across the border by Pakistan, asin the past. The security of the infra-structure built by India, includingthe alternate road route via the SistanBaluchistan of Iran and, the Indianpersonnel deployed there, would beanother major concern.

To ensure that the gains madeby India are not buried along withthe anticipated change in regimepost-September, New Delhi needs toformulate and put in place a robustresponse based on a long- term strat-egy. Without losing time theGovernment must appoint a specialrepresentative for Afghanistan rec-onciliation with the mandate to

open communication channels andnegotiations with all stakeholders,including the Taliban and the IS.Putting boots on the ground hasbeen opposed by India till now andhopefully New Delhi will stick to itsstance hereafter. A greater outreachto strengthen the Afghan forces,including training and equippingthem, must continue with increasedemphasis on capacity-building.

India would need to leverage itsgood relations with Iran and Russiato keep Pakistan and Turkey awayfrom harming our interests. Theemerging threat from radicalIslamists will have to be highlight-ed to China, since it is very sensi-tive to such threats in its Xinxiangprovince.

The goodwill of the Afghansearned by India should also beexploited by New Delhi to soften theTaliban approach to us. The emerg-ing situation in Afghanistan woulddefinitely test our political anddiplomatic mettle in the days tocome.

While the Afghans will have toprepare themselves for a possiblecivil war, the global communitymust get ready for a renewed andmore vigorous threat from extrem-ist Islam. The epicentre of the newglobal ‘Great Game’ may be shiftingto the Indo-Pacific or the SouthCaucasus, but Afghanistan will con-tinue to be the epicentre of globaljihadi terror, rejuvenated and resur-rected. The US may abandonAfghanistan but it would not be ableto abandon its war on terror.

While the Afghans will have to prepare themselves for a possible civil war, the global communitymust get ready for a renewed and more vigorous threat from extremist Islam

ANURADHA PRASAD

THE GOODWILL OF THE

AFGHANS EARNED BY

INDIA SHOULDALSO BE

EXPLOITED BY NEW DELHI

TO SOFTEN THE TALIBAN

APPROACH TO US. THEEMERGING

SITUATION INAFGHANISTAN

WOULD DEFINITELY TEST OUR

POLITICAL ANDDIPLOMATIC

METTLE IN THEDAYS TO COME

Philanthropy is not a novel concept in India as Indians most oftenpart with wealth in the name of faith, charity or nation-building.A 2020 Charities Aid Foundation report recounts that “the most

popular causes for donation remain the same as previous years: Helpingthe poor (54 per cent), supporting religious organisations (51 per cent)and supporting children (49 per cent),” in India. Unfortunately, chari-ty in our nation is largely either faith-based, or is a response to a nat-ural disaster or relief effort like the current COVID-19 pandemic. However,it remains insufficient for addressing the longstanding social issues.

In this context, philanthropic capital from the private sector hasbecome a lifeline for the development sector over the last few years.According to a 2021 Bain-Dasra Report, private-sector funding wasabout `64,000 crore in 2020, which is almost 23 per cent more thanthe previous year. The money primarily comes from foreign donors,corporate entities, retail (or crowdfunding), high-net-worth individuals(HNWIs) and families. The report highlights that HNWI contributions

account for a quarter of all funding, Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) donations account for 28 per cent and retail investors or every-day charity account for another 28 per cent. The remaining 20 per centcomes from family philanthropy — the biggest source of growth —that accounts for nearly two-thirds of the increase in funding since 2019.With these numbers in place, it’s not surprising that non-profits in Indiahave directed their energies into unlocking philanthropic capital com-ing from HNWIs and families. After all, the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) in India will grow 73 per cent in the nextfive years. It is estimated that the number of UHNWIs will double by2024. While India prides itself on being home to more than 200 bil-lionaires, the country has also been in the news for topping the world-wide income gap indices.

So, where does philanthropy feature in the larger scheme of things?The easy answer would be that the growing wealth (of a few) in Indiashould automatically translate into more charity. Unfortunately, the real-ity is not so simple. India still ranks very low on philanthropic givingin comparison to other countries. As per the ‘World Giving Index 2019’,“India was the least generous of the seven South Asian countries inthe index, behind its neighbours Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.”

In India, particularly, the concept of giving is an altruistic and value-driven act, rather than an obligation or economically-incentivised.Interestingly, the developed world — particularly the US, has seen arise in demand for a progressive tax regime by the HNWIs and UHNWIs.Walt Disney and Co heiress Abigail Disney, former BlackRock Inc. man-aging director Morris Pearl, and Danish-Iranian entrepreneur DjaffarShalchi are petitioning for higher taxes on the rich to help pay for thebillions in new Government programmes made necessary by the pan-demic. Alternatively, in India, there has been a shortfall in the overallcollection of taxes by the Indian Government.

Another effective method to increase charity is by incentivising iton a tax and individual level. For larger philanthropic donations, theGovernment can offer tax deductibility. For instance, in the face of theCOVID crisis, the US Government increased their allowance for deductibledonations of any individual’s annual gross income to 100 per cent from60 per cent the previous year. Creating a national charity platform oroffering major tax breaks for donations is an effective impetus for char-ity. Perhaps a crucial step would be Government-supported recogni-tion and honour for citizens, incentivised charity, changing the cultureand a progressive tax regime.

(The writer is founder and director, India Leaders for Social Sector.The views expressed are personal.)

The World HealthOrganisation (WHO) hasstipulated certain public

health and social measures tocontain the spread of theCoronavirus after taking intoaccount the levels of COVID-19 transmission. One of themajor measures stipulated is tomaintain social distancing andavoid congregations.

There is an obligation onthe State to adhere to the mea-sures stipulated by the healthwatchdog which has also playeda vital role in eradicating smallpox, polio and so on. As theworld, particularly India, wit-nesses an unprecedented healthemergency, it is vital to adhereto the COVID-protocols.Historically, the second wave ofany pandemic has proven to bemore intensive and dangerousthan the first one and India islearning this bitter truth thehard way.

The State has an obligation

to protect the health of the peo-ple. In this context, the State hasto regulate all social and reli-gious events which involvecongregations so as to preventthe spread of the virus. Apartfrom the State, every individualhas an obligation to regulatehis/her conduct and see to itthat their behaviour does notresult in any adverse impact onsociety. We Indians have failedin both these aspects.

Permitting road shows andmassive rallies during the con-duct of the Assembly electionsin various States, particularlyWest Bengal and allowing theconduct of the Kumbh Mela atHaridwar in the middle of theCoronavirus outbreak clearlydemonstrates the same.Consequently on April 15,Uttarakhand recorded its high-est upsurge in COVID-19 cases.The Centre was fully consciousof the fact that such large con-gregations would definitely

spread the virus, but failed toprevent the same. The Stateought to have realised that the“Right to Life” guaranteedunder the Indian Constitutionoverrides the rights conferredby the Constitution in relationto a religious activity.

Article 21 of theConstitution mandates that noperson shall be deprived of lifeor personal liberty exceptaccording to procedure estab-lished by law. The SupremeCourt has held that the “Rightto Life” guaranteed underArticle 21 includes within itsambit the right to health andmedical care. Article 47 a direc-tive principle of State policystresses on the improvement ofpublic health and so on.

The apex court hadexpanded the concept of “Rightto Life.” It was held that itderives its life breath from thedirective principles of Statepolicy. When the constitution-

al right to manage religiousaffairs came up for discussionbefore the drafting committee,the Chairman had proposed tomake the said right, subject topublic order, morality andhealth. It was accepted withoutany debate. This proves thevision of the founding fathers ofthe Constitution. But we arefailing miserably to act in aproper perspective to protectthe constitutional rights beingenjoyed by us. Lack of preven-

tive measures and the callous-ness of the general citizensreflect the same.

The State cannot remain asilent spectator when massivecongregations, either political orreligious, are being organised,which will result in exacerbat-ing the health emergency thatwe are currently facing. In thiscontext it’s also relevant toexamine Article 26 of theConstitution. It contemplatesthat the freedom to managereligious affairs is subject topublic order, morality andhealth. Therefore, it is not anabsolute right. It is conditionedby Article 21 of the Constitutionwhen it relates more particular-ly in relation to the aspect ofpublic health.

We failed in adhering to thesocial distancing norms whichis a major cause for the spreadof the virus. Mahatma Gandhihad said on the aspect of a per-son’s duty towards society that

“the true source of right is duty.”If we all discharge our duties,rights will not be far to seek. Ifwe neglect our duties and runafter rights, they will elude us.

The Supreme Court, too, inthe Minerva Mills Vs Union ofIndia case, held that there maybe a rule which imposes anobligation on an individual orauthority and yet it may not beenforceable in a court of lawand, therefore, not give rise toa corresponding right in anoth-er person. But it would still bea legal rule because it pre-scribes a norm of conduct to befollowed by such an individualor authority.

The law may provide amechanism of enforcement. Arule imposing an obligation orduty would not cease to be arule of law because there is noregular judicial or quasi judicialmachinery to enforce its com-mand. Such a rule would existdespite any problem relating to

its enforcement. Otherwise theconventions of the Constitutionand even rules of internation-al law would no longer beliable to be regarded as rules oflaw.

This shows that an individ-ual plays a vital role in a Stateand its welfare. Fundamentalduties were introduced in partIV A by the 42nd amendmentand were based on the recom-mendations of the SwaranSingh Committee.

The Supreme Court in theJaved Vs State of Haryana case,held that fundamental rights arenot to be read in isolation. Theyhave to be read along withdirective principles of Statepolicy and fundamental dutiesenshrined in Article 51A. Thetop court also asserted thatunder Article 47, the State shallregard the improvement ofpublic health as among its pri-mary duties. Here, it seems tohave failed us.

The top court has asserted that under Article 47, the State shall regard the improvement of public health as among its primary duties. Here, it seems to have failed us

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021

07

www.dailypioneer.com facebook.com/dailypioneer | at the rate ofTheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

FIRSTCOLUMN

CHARITY IS NOT A ONE-STOP SOLUTION

India can encourage philanthropy by incentivising it ona tax and individual level and offering tax deductibility

ANIL GUPTA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The author is a Jammu-based veteran,political commentator,columnist, security andstrategic analyst. The

views expressed are personal.

Breach of fundamental duties led to the spread of Corona

CHITTARVU RAGHU

The writer is a senioradvocate in the

Andhra Pradesh andTelangana High Courts.

The views expressed are personal.

HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Leading stock exchangeBSE on Tuesday said its

mutual fund distributionplatform StAR MF hasprocessed a record 1.11crore transactions worth Rs33,735 crore in April. Itsurpassed its monthly

record of 1.10 crore transactions achieved in March 2021, theexchange said in a statement. In spite of the nationwide pandemicand lockdown, BSE StAR MF has helped asset managementcompanies (AMCs) members and their clients in smooth paperlesstransactions. The platform has clocked 1.11 crore transactions inApril 2021, a sharp increase of 75 per cent from 63.17 lakhregistered in April 2020. Overall, the platform achieved 9.38 croretransactions in the financial year 2020-21. Besides, the platformregistered 4.99 lakh new systematic investment plans (SIPs)amounting to Rs 129.95 crore in April 2021, the exchange said.

BSE StAR MF registers 1.11 crtransactions worth `33,735 cr

Gold gained Rs97 to Rs 46,758

per 10 gram in thenational capital onTuesday, accordingto HDFC Securities.In the previoustrade, the preciousmetal had closed atRs 46,661 per 10gram. Silver also

jumped Rs 1,282 to Rs 70,270 per kilogram from Rs 68,988per kilogram in the previous trade. In the international market,gold was trading marginally lower at USD 1,788 per ounce andsilver was flat at USD 26.90 per ounce. "Gold prices tradedmarginally down with spot prices at COMEX (New York-basedcommodities exchange) trading at USD 1,788 per ounce onTuesday," according to HDFC Securities, Senior Analyst(Commodities), Tapan Patel.

Gold gains Rs 97; silver jumpsRs 1,282

Rising for the second day ina row, the rupee closed 10

paise higher at 73.85 againstthe US currency on Tuesdayon dollar selling by traders. Astronger dollar in the globalmarkets, losses in thedomestic equities and highcrude oil prices, however,restricted the gain in the local

unit. "The Indian Rupee appreciated for the 2nd successive sessionagainst the US Dollar this Tuesday as traders trimmed their dollarlong positions," said Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at RelianceSecurities. At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 73.83,and hit an intra-day high of 73.76 and a low of 73.97. On Monday,the rupee had settled at 73.95 against the American currency.Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strengthagainst a basket of six currencies, surged 0.42 per cent to 91.33.

Rupee gains 10 paise to end at73.85, rises for second day

Tech giant Samsung onTuesday said it has pledged

USD 5 million (Rs 37 crore),while Paytm Foundationintends to set up oxygen plantsin 12-13 cities as part of effortsto support India's battle against

the COVID-19 pandemic. Samsung will donate USD 3 million to theCentre and states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and provide USD2 million worth of medical supplies, including 100 OxygenConcentrators, 3,000 Oxygen Cylinders, and one million LDSsyringes, a statement said. LDS or Low Dead Space syringes min-imise the amount of drug left in the device after injection, optimisingvaccine usage. The technology has demonstrated up to 20 per centgreater efficiency and if existing syringes were to deliver one milliondoses, LDS syringes could deliver 1.2 million doses with the sameamount of vaccine. Samsung has helped the manufacturer of thesesyringes increase production capacity, the statement said.

Covid: Samsung pledges $5mn,Paytm to set up oxygen plants

PNS n MUMBAI

Market benchmark Sensex sur-rendered early gains to finish inthe red for the third consecutivesession on Tuesday followingbrisk selling in frontine stocks.

The grim COVID-19 situa-tion and continued selling byforeign funds has sapped riskappetite, traders said.

After a gap-up opening, the30-share BSE index succumbedto profit-taking in afternoontrade to finish at 48,253.51,down 465.01 points or 0.95 percent.

On similar lines, the broad-er NSE Nifty slumped 137.65points or 0.94 per cent to closeat 14,496.50.

Dr Reddy's was the top loseramong the Sensex constituents,retreating 2.26 per cent, fol-lowed by Reliance Industries,Sun Pharma, HDFC twins,Infosys, M&M and BhartiAirtel.

On the other hand, ONGC,Bajaj Finance, TCS, SBI, KotakBank and Nestle India wereamong the gainers, climbing up

to 1.86 per cent. "Indices lost a per-

centage on Tuesday asthe street pun-ished earningsdisappoint-ment in sever-al high-qualitym i d c a p s .Afternoon tradewitnessed profit-taking in metalsand pharmanames as thestreet exhibitednervousness onregional lock-downs whichaccentuated theweakness.

"In the broader market,paper stocks were sought aftertoday on hardening pulp priceswhile coffee producers sawinvestor appetite," said SRanganathan, Head of Researchat LKP Securities.

Binod Modi, Head Strategyat Reliance Securities, said themounting uncertainty led byrise in second wave of COVID-19 cases weighed on investor

sentiment. While a persistent

increase in daily case-load in several statesis still a matter of

concern, visiblemodest decline in

n e w

casesin many partslike Maharashtra and Delhioffers comfort, he added.

The total tally of coron-avirus cases in the country

mounted to 2,02,82,833 with3,57,229 new infections beingreported in a day, while thedeath toll increased to 2,22,408with 3,449 new fatalities,according to the Union HealthMinistry data updated onTuesday.

Sectorally, BSEhealthcare,ener-

gy, telecom,consumer durables, auto andbasic materials indices lost asmuch as 1.50 per cent, while oiland gas, utilities and capital

goods ended with gains.Broader BSE midcap and small-cap indices fell up to 0.57 percent.

Global markets were mixedas investors wagered on astrong economic rebound evenas many countries see anunabated rise in COVID-19cases.

Elsewhere in Asia, bourses inHong Kong and Seoul endedon a positive note. Stockexchanges in Shanghai andTokyo were closed for holidays.

Equities in Europe gave upinitial gains to trade mildlylower in mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oilbenchmark Brent crude wastrading 1.79 per cent higher atUSD 68.77 per barrel.

The rupee gained for thesecond straight day andclosed 10 paise higher at

73.85 against the US dollaron Tuesday.

Foreign institutional investorswere net sellers in the capitalmarket on Monday as theysold shares worth Rs 2,289.46crore, as per exchange data.

Sensex skids for third day;Reliance, HDFC twins top drags PNS n NEW DELHI

All India Power EngineersFederation on Tuesday con-demned the central govern-ment's move to amend theNational Electricity Policy "tofacilitate privatisation".

According to a statement bythe AIPEF, the proposedchanges require extensive dis-cussions as such time for sub-mission of comments shouldbe six months.

When fundamental changesare being introduced by way ofprivatization of the power sec-tor, there is no basis to rushthrough more so underextreme distress caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic, it said.

"All India Power EngineersFederation (AIPEF) condemnsthe government of India'smove to amend the NationalElectricity Policy to facilitatethe privatization of the powersector," the statement said.

The body alleged that this isa clear attempt to introduceprivatization through the back-door and deserves to bescrapped.

The purpose of the centralgovernment is not to review or

revise the existing NationalElectricity Policy but the totalreplacement of existing policywith a new policy to be recom-mended by the expert group soas to achieve privatization, thebody alleged.

As per Electricity Act 2003,National Electricity Policy is tobe prepared in consultationwith the state governmentsand Central ElectricityAuthority, a statutory body.However, the body said that theCEA is not included in the pro-posed schedule of discussion.

Further, only 5 states havebeen included in an expertgroup instead of all the states,

it added. K Subramanian, Chief

Economic Adviser, has statedthat India is the only countrythat readily implemented a slewof reforms and used this crisisto herald a change in India'seconomic thinking, it said.

The strategy of governmentseems to be “never waste a cri-sis” and use the crisis of pan-demic to streamroll so-calledreforms by way of privatizing,it alleged.

The draft proposal is ofserious nature for which thepresent situation of a pan-demic is a serious constraint,it stated.

Move to amend NationalElectricity Policy criticised

PNS n NEW DELHI

Realty firm Godrej Properties'sales bookings grew by 14 percent to an all-time high of Rs6,725 crore during the lastfinancial year, despite a slow-down in the property marketdue to the pandemic. In an investor presentation, theMumbai-based company saidit has achieved sales bookingsof more than Rs 1,300 croreeach across its four majormarkets -- Delhi-NCR,Mumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR), Bengaluru and Pune. "Godrej Properties Ltd isamongst India's largest devel-opers by booking value. "Total booking value in FY21

grew by 14 per cent YoY(Year-On-Year) to Rs 6,725crore," the company said in thepresentation. The residential segment con-tributed Rs 6,663 crore, whilecommercial projects Rs 62crore in the overall sales book-ings during the 2020-21 finan-cial year. Of the total sales bookings,Godrej Properties said thesales from existing inventorystood at Rs 4,550 crore, whilesales from new launches stoodat Rs 2,175 crore. "Sold 9,345 homes (YoYgrowth of 27 per cent) with atotal area of 10.8 million sq ft(YoY growth of 23 per cent) inFY21," Godrej Properties said.

PNS n MUMBAI

Auto sales in April have start-ed showing the impact of lock-downs that has put the brakeson the recovery of the sector,a report said on Tuesday.

With more states announc-ing lockdowns and some moreOEMs expecting to go formaintenance shutdowns, asmany as 50 per cent of the deal-ers are likely to be impacted bythe move, it added.

However, the full-yearprospects remain positive if theCOVID wave recedes in theApril quarter and the vaccina-tion drive goes as planned, bro-kerage firm Centrum said inthe report.

The opportunity cost washigher in April as it had a mini-festival period and weddingsthat fell after Holi. Two-wheel-er sales were higher in thisperiod and hence channels

were stocked up. However, thelockdowns happened in thestates that contributed 25-30per cent of the sales, it added.

Centrum said the passengervehicles sales started in themonth with low inventory andhence stocked up before theproduction shutdowns in May.

The commercial segmentwas the worst hit and laggedthe registrations, indicatinglow channel inventory now,

while tractor sales have alsodeclined sequentially hinting atthe pandemic impact in thehinterlands, it said.

“We expect May to be sub-dued with more states takinglockdowns and as OEM's takemaintenance shutdowns,”Centrum Broking said.

Noting that April was antic-ipated to be a good month fortwo-wheelers on the back ofmini-festivals at the regional

level and marriage seasondemand in the rural areas, theOEM's had prepared theirchannels with stock.

However, with the risingCOVID cases, states likeMaharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,Jharkhand, and Delhi startedimposing lockdowns as a resultof which, the wholesales ofdomestic two-wheelers gotimpacted especially in thelower cc-segments, withmonth-on-month sales of HeroMotoCorp, Bajaj Auto andTVS Motors declining by 37per cent, 30 per cent and 35 percent, respectively, in thedomestic market.

Bajaj Auto's managementexpects 50 per cent of dealersto be shut in May as comparedto 30-35 per cent in April onthe back of lockdowns, thereport said, adding inventoriesare also higher than normal forthe industry.

Auto sales witness impact of lockdowns

Godrej Propertiesclocks record sales

PNS nSINGAPORE

Complimenting the Singaporegovernment's broader effortsto reinvigorate aviation andlocal hospitality sectors in asafe and calibrated manner, astate-funded COVID-prooffacility has expanded by four-fold to 600 guest rooms and160 meeting rooms for visitinginternational business execu-tives to manage their dealsthrough the city state.

Each in-person meeting atConnect@Changi, without theneed for quarantine uponarrival, represents a small butconcrete step towards theresumption of business andeconomic activities, AloysiusArlando, CEO, SingEx-SphereHoldings, one of the consor-tium partners led by the state-owned Temasek Group that isbehind the facility, said onTuesday.

"Connect@Changi is a pilotshort-stay facility built to sup-port the resumption of busi-ness and economic activitieswhile safeguarding the local

community," he said aboutthe facility, a 10-minute drivefrom Singapore's Changi inter-national airport.

It is uniquely designed tomeet the immediate needs ofbusiness travellers who have toconduct in-person businessmeetings and other engage-ments with their Singapore-based counterparts, whilebeing in a safe and containedenvironment, Arlando said.

It offers the same integrated‘test-stay-work-meet' experi-ence for inbound businesstravellers with the addition ofenhanced amenities to helpguests unwind during theirstay, he said.

"Connect@Changi is readyto host guests who are wel-come to use the facility for anybusiness activity that they see

fit, and they might includesmall-scale or side meetingsand presentations as part of alarger regional or internation-al event or conference," saidArlando.

The 150 guest room facilitystarted in February but hasbeen expanded to 600 guestrooms from this month,responding to over 100 con-firmed bookings from interna-tional guests.

In the three months of itsoperation, the facility facilitat-ed over 150 in-person meet-ings and hosted guests fromregional countries such asIndonesia and Japan, as well asguests from the Americas,Europe and the Middle East.

"The facility made possibleface-to-face business engage-ments like job interviews forsenior management, productdemonstrations, confidentialbusiness negotiations and con-tract signings from a diverseslate of business sectors andindustries such as manufactur-ing, finance and engineering,"it said.

Singapore expands facility torevive aviation, hospital sectors

PNS n NEW DELHI

Drug firm AlembicPharmaceuticals onTuesday reported an 11.60percent rise in consolidat-ed net profit to Rs 250.70crore for the quarter endedMarch 2021, mainly onaccount of robust sales.

The company had post-ed a net profit of Rs224.63 crore for the cor-responding period of theprevious fiscal, AlembicPharmaceuticals said in afiling to BSE.

Consolidated revenuefrom operations stood atRs 1,280.39 crore for thequarter under considera-tion. It was Rs 1,206.83crore for the same perioda year ago, it added.

For the fiscal yearended March, the compa-ny posted a net profit ofRs 1,178 crore as againstRs 829 crore in 2019-20,Alembic Pharma said.

Alembic Q4net profit upby 12 pc

PNS n NEW DELHI

Global IT and professionalservices company Accentureon Tuesday said it has pledgedUSD 25 million (about Rs 185crore) for pandemic reliefefforts in the country.

This is in addition to thecompany's ongoing invest-ments in people and commu-nities, Rekha M Menon,Chairperson and Senior MD ofAccenture in India, said in ablog post on LinkedIn.

Local and global efforts arealready underway includingproviding ventilators, oxygenconcentrators, and medicalkits, she added.

"Accenture stands in solidar-ity with India. We have made

a fresh pledge of USD 25 mil-lion (about Rs 185 crore) forpandemic relief efforts in addi-tion to ongoing investments inour people and communities...Additionally, we will be aug-menting existing hospitals withbeds and ICUs and setting upportable hospitals," she noted.

Menon - who was recentlyappointed as the Chairpersonof Nasscom - said Accenture isalso engaging with the govern-ment to support vaccinationcamps and provide local lan-

guage call-centre support. To support its over 2,00,000

employees and their families inIndia, the company has builtseveral resources including24/7 telemedicine, care-at-home services, enhancedinsurance coverage, virtualchildcare, mental health sup-port, and support for testingand vaccinations.

"Across the globe, our peo-ple have expressed their sup-port. In addition to their time,they are also donating funds,and Accenture will match 100per cent of our people's contri-butions for Covid relief efforts.Sharing gratitude for our ONEAccenture family - the 5,37,000people standing with us everyday," Menon said.

Accenture pledges $25 mn forCovid relief efforts in India

PNS n CHENNAI

Researchers at the IIT-Madras and hailing fromthe United Kingdom havedeveloped a paper-basedsensor that can detec tantimicrobial pollutantswhich induce antimicrobialresistance in water bodies.

According to IIT-M, thesensor works on a 'see andtell' mechanism that makesit logistically effective forw i d e i mpl e m e nt at i on .S c ient i f ic communit ieswere engaged in the studyof antimicrobial resistance(AMR) and the water bod-ies were the major sourcefor the dissemination and

transfer of AMR.Underlining the need for

periodic monitoring ofantimicrobial pollutants inwater bodies, antibioticresistant genes was the keyto assess the current situa-t i on of A nt i m i c ro bi a lResistance in the country.

The research on develop-ing the paper-based sensorto detect anti-microbialpollutants was funded bythe department of scienceand technology in collabo-ration with the UnitedKi ngd om ' s Natu r a lE nv i ron m e nt R e s e archCouncil under the Indo-UK Water Quality Researchprogramme.

IIT-M, UK researchersdevelop paper-basedsensor to detect AMR

PNS n MUMBAI

The Maharashtra unit of auto-mobile dealers body FADAhas raised Rs 10 lakh to sup-port the state's transportdepartment to procure 250oxygen tankers fitted withGPS devices.

Federation of AutomobileDealers' Association (FADA)Maharashtra chapter hasdecided to make its contribu-tion to strengthening thehands of the state administra-tion in battling the secondwave of Covid which is prov-ing more fatal and health carebattling to reach out to peoplein the state, a release said.

The federation said it hasraised the required contribu-tion of Rs 10 lakh and placed

the order, it said.The fitment of the GPS

devices in these tankers hasalready commenced fromMonday, FADA Maharashtrasaid, adding it has roped inMOBA Mobile Automation(India) for the necessary tech-nological know-how andexpertise to deliver the samein a time-bound manner.

“FADA got an opportunityto strengthen the hands ofMaharashtra state adminis-tration. We have tried to doour best as this is a small con-tribution towards enabling thetransport department to mon-itor oxygen tankers move-ment on a single dashboard.This will definitely help savethe lives of patients,” FADAPresident Vinkesh Gulati said.

FADA raises `10L toprocure O2 tankers

PNS n MUMBAI

With increasing Covidcases and the resultantrestrictions in movementsimposed by many states,the microfinance industryis likely to see an impacton their collections andmay witness asset quali-ty pressures in the nearterm, says a report.

However, good on-bal-ance sheet liquidity andsizeable provisions creat-ed by most of theMicrofinance Institutionsin 2021 will provide acushion for absorbingshocks, Icra Ratings saidin a report on Tuesday.

‘MFIs to witnessasset qualitypressures’

SHIKHA DUGGAL

hen Jaani Tere Naareleased, everydiehard fan ofPunjabi music wasasking one anotherwhether if they

heard this new bombardingtrack or not. That was thekind of effect of the popularactor and singer from thePollywood industry SunandaSharma.

With every new track thatshe releases, it’s bound to cre-ate ripples in the Punjabimusic industry! Things slowlyturned wild and frantic for herwhen she seized an opportuni-ty to be featured in a Hindimusic video opposite SonuSood — she couldn’t controlher excitement, it was waybeyond her. Pagal Nahi Honawith India’s new Covid herohad listeners hooked on somuch that there she was witha new music video havingpromising actor of our eraNawazuddin Siddique shakinga leg with her while goingthrough diverse nuances ofemotions in one single musicvideo!

Sunanda’s song Baarish KiJaaye sung by B Praak hasreceived a lot of love andpraise from fans. Inspired by atrue story, the music video forBaarish Ki Jaaye tells the taleof a gangster who falls in loveand marries a woman withmental health issues. BaarishKi Jaaye has received over 111million views on YouTubewith over 2 Million likes so farand Sunanda Sharma can’tcontain her elation anymore!Despite being restrictedbecause of a pandemic, thesinger came on board only toaccelerate the change to anamplifying benefit. It was nomusic video with a lavish pro-duction budget but only a newsensation coming from theland of five rivers which isalways spilling over withartists competing for livelinessand stardom.

“What’s the primary job of akalakaar (artist)? It’s to delvedeep into the character theyhave been asked to play orsing, regardless of whichfilm/music industry theybelong to. It’s a talent pool! It'sthe modern era, everyone isbusy collaborating either for aweb-show, music video ormovie and we all know, each

to its own, we are entitled toour own fan-base and wherev-er we go as a kalakaar, ourfandom will come along. It’s aworld of experiments andthere’s an increasing consensusof new normal changes, hencewe as artists are also adjustingto the novel norms. As far asrevenues are concerned, ‘muh-maange paise milte hai’ so whynot take it up!” she says.

Media reports quoted hertalking about playing a girlwith mental health issues —“It wasn’t the usual glamorousgirl showing how pretty she is.The character has this realside to it and a lot of peoplewill agree. It needed intensework and that became thedeciding factor for me. I play agirl who is a special child, hasno idea about the world. Shedoesn’t even know what love isbut is getting married to thisgangster played byNawazuddin, who cares forher.”

While one was a top-notchromantic track that she did,the new music video is a com-plete contrast to it, while bothof them bring two soulstogether. Adding to that shesays, “Everyone goes througha stage where they get attract-ed, fall in love and even get toexperience a heart-break,while what I have noticed isthat for every song there willdefinitely be a strata of peoplewho resonate with whatevertrack I come up with. If musiccan bring cultures together, socan it bring souls together!When we share music, it gets ameaningful glimpse intoanother way of life as you canalso witness in Baarish Ki Jaye.On a personal note, wheneverI am caught up with a hecticschedule on set, I turn onmusic for a while and loosenup. That's how it plays animportant element even in mylife because it takes me into ananother duniya. Music hasspirituality! When an interac-tion seems to be closed, musichelps.”

The moment Sunanda gotthe news that she’ll be collabo-rating with Sonu Sood for amusic video, as mentionedearlier, she couldn’t containthat moment of exhilarationbecause she could feel thetheth punjabi vibe already! Shealready knew the vibe on theset is going to be world classand more importantly, shebuilt an unspoken regard for

him as a philanthropist who’sgiving his blood and sweat forthe nation’s progress in thetimes of crisis where one can’teven take the risk of venturingout from their homes.Asserting firmly that ‘kalakaarko pehle kaam chaiye’, she as asinger certainly first associateswith how meaningful a songis, instead of who’s in thevideo.

The 28-year old self-taughtmusician further says, “Boththe actors are immenselyhumble! The kind of chivalrythey had shown was some-thing that clenched onto myheart. Punjabi music is on aheady rise these days becauseit’s being loved by the massesand how! The atmosphere,while shooting inMumbai, gets a tad bitauthoritarian andback in Punjab, it’sall slackening. Iwas literallyfollowing a9-5 shiftin

Mumbaibecausethey keepprofessionalisma priority!”

The state that shebelongs to has a long-standing tradition ofmusic and live performance!Punjabi music has a diasporaof its own that’s even far-fetched to overseas, one canimagine now. At the moment,Bollywood is also being deeplyinfluenced by Punjabi cultureand they can’t get enough ofthose songs. Music givesSunanda Sharma a sense ofemotional power! Like anyother individual, musicimpacts her in ways that othersounds don’t. Fond of listeningto Pakistani music wheneverhaving a dull moment around,the singing sensation finallydiscovered that music caninspire such strong feelingsand bind us so tightly to other

people! In today’s success, onething she has noticed is thatmusic industry has placed apathway for singers to be fea-tured in their own musicvideo! Sunanda doesn't wantto do a playback for any popu-lar actress but rather be theface of her own musicvideo as it providesmore dynamism."Nobody wouldbetter know onhow to act ona song sungby me butme! I

wouldbetterhave a hangof it on how toimpress my fan-base. And, I don’tlike remixes at all! Acertain track carries akhoobsurati of its own, wemustn't change that because attimes we over do it. Adding aninternational influence to afolk song famously known forits sounds of dhol may spoil it.Some music is legendary and

there’s no need to transformit!” she concluded.

Instagram reels are fillingthe gap of Tiktok these daysand Sunand’'s song Baarish kiJaye is one of the trending reel

trends on it,leave

behindall the

despair and makemerry on it!

This artist of Punjabi musicindustry is on the crest of agood wave right now and shewants to rise and dazzle inBollywood soon.

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

WednesdayMay 5, 2021

VISIT

ACCINATE

ACAY!here didmostIndiansescape to,once they

thought the Covidsurge has come down?Where did our celebsgo for a vacay in thepast few months, toput behind theirstress and tensions?The Maldives! Thistourist destination iseasily on everybody's'favourite list.' Butwith the increase inthe influx of tourists,came an increase inthe number of covidcases, to the point ofthe country having toshut its door on India!

Now, in a bid towelcome moretourists and to assurethem of their safety,the island nation ofMaldives haslaunched the ‘I’mVaccinated’ tourismcampaign, whichhighlights the archi-pelago’s intentions tohave the world’s firstfully vaccinatedtourism workforce inplace. According to areport in The

National News, ‘VisitMaldives’ has collabo-rated with the coun-try’s ministry oftourism for this cam-paign. The messagingis such that it comesacross as attractive forinternational touristslooking to travelsomewhere that theisland archipelago hasundertaken some ini-tiatives which make itone of the safest des-tinations in the worldfor tourists.

Maldives hadalready announcedplans to offer touriststhe Covid-19 vaccine.Its tourism ministerAbdulla Mausoom inan interview withCNBC hadannounced a ‘3V’plan that stands for‘Visit’, ‘Vaccinate’,‘Vacation’, as anincentive to visit thecountry.

“The main idea oftourism being open isto provide reasonablysafe tourism withminimum inconve-nience. So, once thecountry gets vaccinat-ed, then we will move

on to ‘3V’ tourism,”Mausoom had said.

Now, it wants visi-tors to feel a sense ofsafety and comfortamid the pandemic.For them to visit aplace where they cannot only socially dis-tance themselves butalso interact with thefirst fully vaccinatedtourism workforce. Asper the report, at pre-sent, 65 per cent ofeligible people in theMaldives have beenvaccinated and 90 percent of those eligiblein the tourism indus-try in the countryhave received theirdoses, too.Additionally, allmembers of thetourism industry, whohave been vaccinated,will wear a dedicated‘I’m Vaccinated‘badge. Maldives, atthe moment, isaccepting touristswith a negative PCRtest report, taken lessthan three days beforetravel, or those whoare fully vaccinatedwith no quarantinerequirements.

W

f you are, or knowa middle-agedman, you sureknow of the perilsof the mid-life cri-sis that they couldalready be going

through. And if the man grap-ples with feelings of loneli-ness, problems tend to getserious. But here’s worse news:Findings of a recent study by

the University of EasternFinland researchers suggestthat loneliness among middle-aged men is associated withan increased risk of cancer!

“It has been estimated, onthe basis of studies carried outin recent years, that lonelinesscould be as significant ahealth risk as smoking oroverweight. Our findings sup-port the idea that attention

should be paid to this issue,”Project Researcher Siiri-LiisiKraav from the University ofEastern Finland says.

According to theresearchers, taking account ofloneliness and social relation-ships should thus be animportant part of comprehen-sive health care and diseaseprevention. The findings werepublished in PsychiatryResearch.

The study was launched inthe 1980s with 2,570 middle-aged men from easternFinland participating. Theirhealth and mortality havebeen monitored on the basisof registered data up until thepresent day. During the fol-low-up, 649 men, i.e., 25 per

cent of the participants, devel-oped cancer, and 283 men (11per cent) died of cancer.

Loneliness increased therisk of cancer by about ten percent. This association with therisk of cancer was observedregardless of age, socio-eco-nomic status, lifestyle, sleepquality, depression symptoms,body mass index, heart dis-ease, and their risk factors. Inaddition, cancer mortality washigher in cancer patients whowere unmarried, widowed, ordivorced at baseline.

“Awareness of the healtheffects of loneliness is con-

stantly increasing. Therefore,it is important to examine, inmore detail, the mechanismsby which loneliness causesadverse health effects. Thisinformation would enable usto better alleviate lonelinessand the harm caused by it, aswell as to find optimal ways totarget preventive measures,”researchers say.

There’s hope: Increasedawareness helps to deal withproblems better. Researchershope the study will equipmore people to notice, identi-fy and address warning signsearly on.

I

W

Awareness key to tackling

mid-life crisis

SOULFUL, MEANINGFULSOULFUL, MEANINGFULSOULFUL, MEANINGFUL

TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO TUNES TO VIBE TO

alman Khan’s Radhe- Your Most WantedBhai has beencleared by theCentral Board ofFilm Certification

with no cuts. The actioner hasbeen given a U/A certificatewhich means it can bewatched by people of all agegroups but under parentalguidance. The board gave thecertificate to the film twoweeks ahead of its release.

Helmed by Prabhudheva,Radhe is scheduled to releaseon multiple platforms on theoccasion of Eid on May 13.While it will be screened incinema halls in over 40 coun-tries, it will have its digitalpremiere on ZEE5’s pay perview platform ZeePlex. It willalso be available to watch onDTH services, including DishTV, D2H, Tata Sky and AirtelDigital TV. The advancebooking for Radhe has alreadybegun in UAE, informedSalman.

Taking to Twitter, DabanggKhan wrote, “#Radhe kiadvance bookings ho gayihain shuru for the UAE. Miltehain theatres mein. Stay safe!(The advance booking ofRadhe has begun in UAE.Will meet in the theaters).”

Radhe’s CBFC certificatealso mentions that the film’sruntime is only 114.24 min-utes, making it the shortestSalman Khan film ever.

In a career spanning overthree decades, the actor hasnever acted in a film that hasbeen shorter that 120 min-utes.

Besides Salman, Radhe alsostars Randeep Hooda, DishaPatani, Jackie Shroff andGautam Gulati in prominentroles.

In an earlier statement,Shariq Patel, CBO, ZeeStudios had shared whyRadhe is releasing on multiplemediums. He said, “Theongoing pandemic forced usto innovate, and we are proud

to be the first to embark uponthis new distribution strategy.While we all love to catch thelatest movies at the nearesttheatres, we realized we’d bedoing a disservice to Salman’sfans nationwide if we aren’t

able to release theatrically inall Indian states. We sensedthe need for a pay per viewsolution along with theatres,which gives the consumersflexibility and convenience ofviewing the film.”

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

10

Hyderabad Wednesday May 5, 2021what’s brewing?

FUN

angana Ranaut’sTwitter account hasbeen permanentlysuspended after shecommented on thealleged violence in

West Bengal following the assemblyelection results. In a series ofprovocative tweets, the actor alsocommented on the victory of theMamata Banerjee-led TrinamoolCongress (TMC) for the third con-secutive term in West Bengal. HerInstagram remains functional.

Responding to the suspension,Kangana told a news agency,“Twitter has only proved my pointthey’re Americans & by birth, awhite person feels entitled to enslave

a brown person, they want to tellyou what to think, speak or

do. I have many plat-forms I can use to raisemy voice, including myown art in the form of

cinema.” She went on toadd, “But my heart goes

out to the people of thisnation who have been tor-

tured, enslaved, and censored forthousands of years, and still, there isno end to the suffering.”

Commenting on the development, aTwitter spokesperson said as per anews agency, “We’ve been clear thatwe will take strong enforcement actionon behavior that has the potential tolead to offline harm. The referencedaccount has been permanently sus-pended for repeated violations ofTwitter Rules specifically our HatefulConduct policy and AbusiveBehaviour policy.”

The spokesperson said that the ruleswere applied judiciously, “As explainedin our abusive behaviour policy, youmay not engage in the targeted harass-ment of someone, or incite other peo-ple to do so. We consider abusivebehavior an attempt to harass, intimi-date, or silence someone else’s voice.”

The actor retaliated with a video onInstagram titled, “Distressed, beyondwords, death of democracy. importantmessage for our government.” Sheasked for President’s rule in the statein the video. Kangana Ranaut is noto-rious for her outrageous, no-filter

posts on social media.Earlier, Kangana’s sister Rangoli

Chandel’s Twitter account was alsosuspended for violating the regula-tions of the platform. Kangana’saccount was also restricted for a fewhours earlier this year after the actor’sincendiary tweets against the webseries Tandav. The tweet was deletedlater.

“We take action on any account thatviolates the Twitter Rules. We wel-come people to freely express them-selves on our service, however as out-lined in our Abusive Behaviour Policy,you may not engage in the targetedharassment of someone, or inciteother people to do so,” Twitter hadsaid in a statement to a news channelat that time.

Responding to the move, Bollywoodactor Kubbra Sait of said the suspen-sion of the account was a permanentrelief. She wrote, “Amen! I was in amental state of tripping her with myleft foot if I ever met her. But, this isway better. I hope a permanent relief.Social media can be better withouther.” he star power is back.

When the Met Galareturns in September, itwill feature a heavy-hittingcontingent of celebrity co-chairs: Actor Timothée

Chalamet, musician Billie Eilish,poet Amanda Gorman and tennisstar Naomi Osaka.

Honorary chairs for the eveningwill be designer Tom Ford, sponsorInstagram’s Adam Mosseri, andVogue’s Anna Wintour.

The museum made theannouncement on the traditionalday of the Met Gala — the firstMonday in May. Those plans, ofcourse, were upended by the pan-demic. The September 13 gala willbe a more intimate affair, to be fol-lowed by a larger one on May 2,2022. Both will launch a two-partexhibition, a survey of Americanfashion to be on view for almost ayear.

In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,opening September 18, will celebratethe 75th anniversary of the muse-um’s Costume Institute and “explorea modern vocabulary of Americanfashion,” the museum has said. Parttwo, In America: An Anthology ofFashion, will open in the museum’spopular American Wing periodrooms on May 5, 2022, and willexplore American fashion, with col-laborations with film directors, by“presenting narratives that relate tothe complex and layered histories ofthose spaces.” Both parts will closeon Sept. 5, 2022.

Filmmaker Melina Matsoukas(Queen & Slim) has been commis-sioned to create an open-ended filmto project in the galleries, with con-tent changing during the course ofthe exhibition.

The gala, which was canceled lastyear, is a major fundraiser, providingthe Costume Institute with its pri-mary source of funding.

As always, the exhibits will be thework of star curator Andrew Bolton.In a video preview Monday, Boltonnoted how challenging the past yearhad been for the fashion communi-ty. “It’s been incredibly inspiring tosee how designers have responded tothe ongoing challenges of the pan-demic, how they’ve found new out-lets to express their creativity andnew ways to present their collec-tions,” he said.

Bolton added that many designershad been at the vanguard of the dis-cussion about diversity and inclu-sion: “The social justice movementsof last summer reinforced theircommitment to these issues and alsoconsolidated their leadership inadvancing the conversation.”

In addition to Matsoukas, otherconfirmed collaborators from thefilm world include cinematographerBradford Young, whose projectshave included Selma and WhenThey See Us; production designersNathan Crowley and ShaneValentino; and Franklin Leonard,film executive and founder of TheBlack List, a listing of top unpro-duced screenplays.

ctor Will Smith does thingsdifferently, even if it meansembracing the “worstshape” of his physique. Theversatile Hollywood star, inhis impeccable style, con-

fessed about his body shape throughan Instagram post on Monday. Smithposted a candid click where he’sflaunting his dad bod. In this cap-tion, he wrote, “I’m gonna be real wityall — I’m in the worst shape of mylife.”

Smith’s post received reactionsfrom several global celebs like JoelKinnaman, Ava DuVernay, DJ SteveAoki, Ludacris, Harry Hudson,Sonna, DJ Lana Michele Moorer andmany more.

They either laughed at his uniquecomic timing, or left fun emojis forhim. Will Smith’s co-productionmartial-arts comedy drama CobraKai is set to release its fourth seasonby the end of 2021, Netflix con-firmed recently.

K

SS

TWill Smith says he is in ‘the worstshape’ of his life,reveals dad bod

Met Gala to returnin September

Radhe gets U/A certificate, becomes shortestSalman Khan film with 114 minutes runtime

Kangana’s Twitter account

suspended permanently

11

Hyderabad Wednesday May 5, 2021 tollywood

tylish Star AlluArjun and Oopiridirector VamshiPaidipally’s possi-ble collaborationhas been in news

for a while now. However,things haven’t moved for-ward since then. Accordingto the latest news, it is beinglearnt that Bunny andVamshi are actively dis-cussing a story. If all goes asplanned, the film may soonmaterialise. Vamshiis said to be work-ing on the storyfurther andfine-tuningthe script tosuit AlluArjunand

his fans’ taste.Vamshi hasn’t done a

movie after his Nationalaward-winning filmMaharshi. Although he wassupposed to team up withMahesh Babu for a film, itdidn’t take off. With this,Vamshi has been working onstories and scripts.

An official confirmationabout the actor-

director collab isyet to be made.

Meanwhile,Bunny has aninterestingline-upof

projects with Prasanth Neeland Koratala Siva. AsKoratala Siva would beworking with NTR, AlluArjun is also keeping othercollaborations ready.

After Pushpa, Allu Arjunhas huge plans. He is aimingto work on pan-India filmsdepending on Pushpa’s suc-cess. Let’s see whereVamshi’s film fitsin!

Allu Arjun to work next with Maharshi director?

asari Narayana Raowas undoubtedlyone of the prolificfilmmakers inIndia. He mademore than 150

films and many of them wereblockbusters at the box office.Dasari’s films had receivedmany national and interna-tional awards as well.

Sadly, many lamented thatdespite contributing so muchto the field of cinema, the cel-ebrated director was not con-ferred with a Padma award.

On the birth anniversary ofDasari, Megastar Chiranjeevirequested the government topropose Dasari’s name for theupcoming Padma Awards.Chiru tweeted,“RememberingDarshakaratna DasariNarayana Rao on his birthanniversary. His contributiontowards films and film indus-try will be remembered forev-er.”

“It is quitesad that aneminentfilm-makerlike

Dasari has not been conferredwith a Padma Award till now.I feel it would be great if thegovernment confers him withthe posthumous PadmaAward at least now.#RememberingALegend#DrDasari #PadmaForDrDasari,” added Chiru.

Many other celebrities andfans too joined the chorussupporting Chiru inamplifying this request.

opular Hindi webseries, The FamilyMan, needs nospecial introduc-tion as this action-thriller was binge-

watched by many in 2019.Season 1’s concept was anovelty with fast pace inci-dents, giving us a zeal towatch all episodes at a go.

Starring Manoj Bajpayee,Sharib Hashmi andPriyamani, The Family Man’sseason 2 is long-awaited by ahuge masses. The teaser forthe second season wasunveiled in January this yearand ever since then, fans arewaiting for the makers toannounce the date of therelease. The makers’ RajNidimoru and Krishna DKannounced that season 2 willbe unveiled in summer.

“We know you have been

eagerly waiting for thenew season of The FamilyMan. We are truly gratefuland humbled by all thelove! We have an updatefor you. The Family ManSeason 2 will premiere onAmazon Prime Video thissummer! We have beenworking super hard to getyou a kickass season. And weare pretty sure you will loveit. Can’t wait to bring it toyou,” the statement read.However, we now have a newupdate on this much-awaitedshow.

“The Family Man 2 isabsolutely ready and will bereleased in June. AmazonPrime Video along with Rajand DK will be announcingthe final release date soon,”informed a source close tothe development.

Samantha Akkineni,

who celebrated her birthdayrecently, is also an integralpart of the show. She is saidto be playing an antagonist inthe show. Raj and DK hadtaken to social media recent-ly to wish their ‘Raji’from The FamilyMan 2.

Family Man 2coming this June?

rinidhi Shetty is oneof the most popularKannada filmactresses who gainedfame in Tollywood aswell. The actress shot

to fame with the superhit filmKGF: Chapter 1 starring RockingStar Yash. The MissSupranational 2016 and formermodel is now all set to come upwith her next project KGF:Chapter 2 which is going to bethe much-awaited sequel ofKGF: Chapter 1. Directed byPrashanth Neel, the audience issuper excited about this project.

We know that Prashanth Neelis going to join hands withYoung Rebel Star Prabhas for hisnext movie titled Salaar. Toutedto be an action drama, the direc-tor is said to have recently

approached KGF beauty,Srinidhi Shetty, to shake her legin a special song in the film. Theofficial announcement regardingthe same is yet to be released.Shruti Hassan will be playing thefemale lead in this movie whichis gearing up for a grand releasein April 2022.

e already knew thatPower Star PawanKalyan and RanaDaggubati are all setto star in the much-awaited Telugu

remake of the Malayalamblockbuster movieAyyappanum Koshiyumm.Initially, sources say, that themakers of the film had ropedin Sai Pallavi to pair up withPawan Kalyan in the movie.But according to the latestreports, talent house, Nithya

Menen has replaced Sai Pallaviin the film.

A source from the unitreveals that Sai Pallavi hasapparently demanded a whop-ping amount of 3 crores asremuneration to play thefemale lead in the movie. Itwas then that the makersapproached Nithya Menenwho agreed to play the role,and that’s how the Fida actresswas replaced. However, therehasn’t been an official confir-mation on the same.

Rarely do we get tosee Power StarPawan Kalyan’s chil-dren with actressRenu Desai — AkiraNandan and Aadhya

in public. Both the children livewith their mother and nevermake any public appearances. Atleast, in the past few months,fans of the star actor have beenable to catch a glimpse of sonAkira at mega family functionsthese days. But Aadhya hasmanaged to never come in frontof the camera.

But looks like the wait is over!The little mega princess hasfinally made her first publicappearance on a television show.Akira participated as a special

guest in the TV show DramaJuniors, which airs on ZeeTelugu. Her mother, and formeractress, Renu Desai is also one ofthe judges of this show.

The promo of the episode fea-turing Aadhya was released ear-lier Tuesday morning by thebroadcasting channel. Renu waspleasantly surprised by Aadhya’sappearance on the show.

She is shown walking up tothe stage and hugging herdaughter and calling her thebest, to which Akira responds,“Mummy’s the best Mummy inthe world,” to a set full of cheers.

Fans are now eagerly waitingto witness them together on thesmall screen. The episode will beaired on May 9 at 8 pm.

Pawan Kalyan’s daughter's

first time on TV

KGF beauty to dance with Prabhas?

S

S

W

RP

D

Chiranjeevi demandsPadma award for Dasari

Nithya Menonreplaces Sai Pallavi

sport 12HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | MAY 5, 2021

HALEP KNOCKED OUTMADRID: World No 3 Simona Halep wasdumped out of the Madrid Open, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the round of 16 to Elise Mertens.

4 INDIANS IN ‘THE HUNDRED’ NEW DELHI: The BCCI has granted NOCs tofour Indian women cricketers, including T20captain Harmanpreet Kaur, to play in theinaugural ‘Hundred' tournament in the UK.

BFI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEAD NEW DELHI: The Boxing Federation of India'sExecutive Director R K Sacheti died onTuesday after battling Covid-19. He was 56.

INDIA’S MATCHES POSTPONEDLAUSANNE: India's upcoming FIH Hockey ProLeague away fixtures against Spain & Germanylater this month have been postponed due tothe international travel restrictions.

SEVILLA’S TITLE HOPES DENTEDSEVILLE: Sevilla's chances of winning La Ligacould be over after they suffered a 0-1 defeatby Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.

WEST HAM STAY IN TOP 4 HUNTLONDON: West Ham maintained their bid for aplace in next season's CL as Michail Antonioscored twice to beat Burnley 2-1.

26-PLAYER SQUADS FOR EUROS LAUSANNE: UEFA said on Tuesday it wouldallow expanded 26-man squads at Euro 2020.

PARMA RELEGATED TURIN: Parma were relegated from Serie A onMonday after a 1-0 defeat at Torino. Agencies

shortpasses

OT

HE

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PTI n NEW DELHI

The Indian Premier League was onTuesday suspended indefinitely aftermultiple Covid-19 cases were report-

ed in its bio-bubble, ending a month-longrelatively smooth run for cricket’s mostglamorous and cash-rich event in the mid-dle of a raging pandemic.

“The tournament has been suspendedindefinitely. We will try to conduct the eventin the next available window but thismonth is unlikely,” league chairman BrijeshPatel said.

The announcement came after SunrisersHyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batsmanWriddhiman Saha tested positive for Covid-19 along with Delhi Capitals’ veteran spin-ner Amit Mishra. Hours after the postpone-ment, CSK batting coach Michael Husseyalso tested positive for the dreaded virus.

“...We will take stock if we can find asuitable window later during the year. Itcould be September but these are all spec-ulations. As of now we are not conductingit any further,” BCCI vice-president RajivShukla said.

On Monday, Chennai Super Kingsbowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji alongwith Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers SandeepWarrier and Varun Chakravarthy had alsoreturned positive results.

The spread of infections had led to post-ponement of two IPL games earlier.

The league organisers also issued a for-mal statement and said that safety of its play-

ers and staff is paramount.“The Indian Premier League Governing

Council (IPL GC) and Board of Control forCricket in India (BCCI) in an emergencymeeting has unanimously decided to post-pone IPL 2021 season, with immediateeffect,” the statement read.

“The BCCI does not want to compro-mise on the safety of the players, supportstaff and the other participants involved inorganising the IPL. This decision was takenkeeping the safety, health and well-being ofall the stakeholders in mind,” it added.

The IPL said BCCI will do all it can toensure that players in the event get back to

their homes safely. IPL features stars fromEngland, Australia, and New Zealandamong other countries.

“These are difficult times, especially inIndia and while we have tried to bring insome positivity and cheer, however, it isimperative that the tournament is now sus-pended and everyone goes back to their fam-ilies and loved ones in these trying times,”the IPL stated.

“The BCCI will do everything in itspowers to arrange for the secure and safepassage of all the participants in IPL 2021.”

The tournament began on April 9 andran smoothly before KKR’s Covid-19 casescaused the initial jitters on Monday. Thetournament final was planned for May 30.

There was cause of concern in Delhi tooas a few groundsmen at the Feroz Shah KotlaStadium tested positive even though DDCAchief Rohan Jaitley asserted that “none of thegroundsmen on duty” were among theinfected.

REMAINING MATCHES IN SEPT?According to Cricbuzz, an official said

that the board could look at the Septemberwindow after England’s tour of India is com-plete and before the T20 World Cup sched-uled in India for October-November.

“A September window is being consid-ered. By then the England-India series wouldbe over and the foreign players would beready for the T20 World Cup. That smallwindow is being explored,” said a fran-chise official who is in know.

We’ll find way to send backforeign players: IPL chairman PTI n NEW DELHI

IPL chairman Brijesh Patel onTuesday said the BCCI will

“find a way” to send the league’sforeign recruits back to theirrespective countries after theevent was suspended indefi-nitely due to a Covid-19 out-break in its bio-bubble.

“We need to send themhome and we will find a way todo that,” Brijesh told PTI whenasked how will the foreignersreturn home but did not elab-orate beyond that.

The foreigners involved inthe lucrative league are con-cerned about returningto their respectivecountries due to trav-el restric-t i o n s

imposed in the wake of a dead-ly resurgence of the pandemicin India.

The BCCI had assuredforeign players of a safe returnearlier as well.

The IPL had 14 Australianplayers left, after three pulloutsa few days ago, along with 10from New Zealand and 11Englishmen. South Africa had11 players in the league, whichalso featured nine West Indians,three Afghans and two fromBangladesh.

In a joint statement,Cricket Australia and theAustralian CricketersAssociation said they respecttheir Government’s decisionto suspend flights operating outof India due to the Covid surgehere and will not seek exemp-

tions for its players stuck inthe country ravaged by adeadly second wave of thepandemic.

“CA is in direct con-tact with the BCCI asthey work through plansto ensure the safe accom-modation and repatria-

tion of Australian players,coaches, match officials andcommentators back home toAustralia.

“CA and the ACA respectthe decision of the AustralianGovernment to pause travelfrom India until at least May 15and will not seek exemptions.”

They further stated, “CAand the ACA thank the BCCIfor their efforts and coopera-tion for the safe repatriation ofall participants at the IPL.”

Reacting to the big BCCImove, Cricket South Africasaid it is in contact with its play-ers who will need to homequarantine on arrival fromIndia as per the World HealthOrganization recommenda-tions. “Those travelling back toSouth Africa will undergohome quarantine in line withthe current World HealthOrganization recommenda-tions,” it said in a release.

“CSA and the SouthAfrican Cricketers Association(SACA) are in contact with allplayers and are assured of theirsafety and comfort in their

respective locations.”CSA said it supported the

BCCI decision of suspend theleague keeping in mind the cur-rent situation and thanked theIndian board for looking afterits players.

“CSA supports the decisionto put the health and safetyinterests of all involved in thetournament first and foremostand has made contact with allof the relevant franchises toensure the expedited travel ofall South African players andsupport staff back to ourshores.”

New Zealand Cricketexpressed faith in BCCI’s abil-ity to handle the situation.

“The players are in a rela-tively safe environment andthose within affected teams arein isolation,” read an NZCstatement posted byESPNcricinfo. “We’ll continue toliaise with the BCCI, the ECBand New Zealand governmentauthorities in terms of manag-ing their situation — but at thisjuncture it’s too early to discusspotential options.”

PTI n NEW DELHI

This year’s T20 World Cup isset to be moved from India

to the UAE with the BCCIacknowledging that none ofthe participating teams wouldbe “comfortable” coming herebecause “a third wave” ofCovid-19 cases is expected atthe time of the event.

While a final decision willbe taken in a month’s time butit is understood that even theIndian cricket board is jitteryabout holding the 16-teamtournament in October-November after the ongoingIPL had to be suspendedbecause of multiple Covid-19cases inside the bio-bubble.

It is learnt BCCI officialshave had very recent discus-sions with some of the topdecision-makers in the centralGovernment and a shift to theUAE has been more or lessagreed upon. The dates of themarquee competition, whichwas planned across ninevenues, have not yet beenfinalised.

“The suspension of IPLwithin four weeks is an indica-tor that it’s not really safe tohost a global event of that mag-nitude at a time when the

country is fighting its worsthealth crisis in last 70 years,” asenior BCCI source privy todevelopment said.

“There is a chance of athird wave hitting the Indian

shores in November. So whileBCCI will remain the hosts, thetournament will probably shiftto the UAE,” he added.

Health experts havewarned of a third wave in India

in September.The dire situation in India,

where a daily addition of over3 lakh new cases has continuedfor the past many days, hasshaken most of the memberboards and the ICC is unlike-ly to take a risk with safety ofInternational cricket teams.

“You can be rest assuredthat most of the top nationswouldn’t like to tour Indiawithin next six months unlessthe situation comes to normal-cy. The players and their fam-ilies would be very wary totravel if they are in the middleof another surge.

“So expect BCCI to agreewith shift of tournament toUAE,” another source alsochipped in.

He said IPL’s suspensionafter a string of positive caseshas made the officialdom veryjittery of taking any morerisks.

“The IPL in India was aplatform to prove to the worldas well as participating nationsthat it is safe to host a tourna-ment even when the secondwave is hitting its peak.

“It was going well but thebio bubble has now becomeporous. What’s the guarantee itwon’t happen again in

October-November. Nationslike Australia, England andNew Zealand are almost cer-tain to have travel advisories inplace,” he argued.

One of the biggest reasonsfor conducting the tourna-ment in the UAE is that it canbe kept to three grounds —Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi— and there is no air travel.

“Look six venues for IPLwas always a dangerous propo-sition when they successfullymanaged with three during thelast edition,” the source said.

“In UAE, all of them werein one bubble from start to fin-ish while here each team wastravelling to three bubbles.Most of the positive casesemerged after bubble travel.

“Therefore even if youreduce the number of venuesfrom 9 to 5 in October, stillthere will be air travel unlikeUAE. Also for players, theywould not be mentally in aspace to play in India unlessthe situation drasticallyimproves,” he added.

There is an ICC meeting inJune where a final decision willbe taken but retaining thetournament in India after can-cellation of IPL seems far-fetched at this point.

T20 World Cup set for UAE shift

“CA is in direct contactwith the BCCI as theywork through plans toensure the safeaccommodation andrepatriation of Australianplayers, coaches, matchofficials andcommentators back hometo Australia.”

— CRICKET AUSTRALIA

“The players are in arelatively safe environmentand those within affectedteams are in isolation.We’ll continue to liaisewith the BCCI, the ECBand New ZealandGovernment authorities interms of managing theirsituation.”

— NEW ZEALAND CRICKET

“CSA has made contactwith all of the relevantfranchises to ensure theexpedited travel of allSouth African players andsupport staff back to ourshores. Those travellingback to South Africa willundergo home quarantinein line.”

— CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA

PTI n NEW DELHI

With their country shutfor all those flying from

India, the now suspended IPL’sAustralian contingent, com-prising players, support staffand commentators, is expect-ed to head to Maldives beforetaking a connecting flight forhome.

There are 14 Australianplayers along with coaches andcommentators who might nowtake a detour as the AustralianGovernment has imposed strictsanctions for people returningfrom India.

“A mass exodus ofAustralian players, coaches andsupport staff to the Maldives isthe expected remedy to adilemma created by the post-ponement of the 2021 IPL andthe current closure of theAustralian border to citizens

currently in India during itsrampant Covid-19 outbreak,”ESPNcricinfo reported.

“There are close to 40Australians in the IPL bubblecomprising players, coachingstaff and commentators,” itadded.

“The likes of Pat Cummins,Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell,

Ricky Ponting, Simon Katichand company are expected tojoin commentator MichaelSlater, who had already head-ed to the Maldives as a tempo-rary post...”

Premier pacer PatCummins, who is contractedwith KKR, called the situationunprecedented.

“Once we flew out ofAustralia we knew we’d signedup for 14 days quarantine com-ing home so you feel a bit fur-ther from getting home, butwhen the hard border shut noone has ever experienced thatbefore,” Pat Cummins told TheBack Page on Fox Sports.

“(It has) added a bit of anx-iety for the Aussies over herebut we signed up to play thetournament until the start ofJune so hopefully it all reopenson May 15 and we can getback,” Cummins added.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The BCCI stands to loseover `2000 crore of the

broadcast and sponsorshipmoney earmarked for thisyear’s Indian Premier Leaguewhich was indefinitely post-poned on Tuesday.

“We would be losing any-thing between `2000 to `2500crore for the midway postpone-ment of this season. I would saysomething in the range of`2200 crore will be closer toaccurate estimation,” a seniorBCCI official told PTI.

The 52-day 60-match tour-nament would have concludedin Ahmedabad on May 30.However, only 24 days of crick-et was possible with 29 com-pleted games before the virushalted proceedings.

The biggest loss for BCCIis the money it gets from StarSports for the broadcast rightsof the tournament.

Star has a five-year contractworth `16,347 crore which is`3269.4 crore per year. If thereare 60 games in a season, theper match valuation comes toapproximately `54.5 crore.

If Star pays per match,then the amount for 29 match-es would be `1580 croreapproximately out of whatwould have been `3270 crorefor a full tournament. This

means a loss of ̀ 1690 crore forthe Board.

Similarly, mobile manu-facturers VIVO, as tourna-ment’s title sponsors, pay ̀ 440crore per season and BCCI islikely to get less than half of thatamount because of the post-ponement.

Add to it, associate spon-sor companies l ikeUnacademy, Dream11, CRed,

Upstox, and Tata Motors, whopay in the range of `120 croreeach. Some subsidiary spon-sors are also there.

“Slash all the payments byhalf or a bit less and you willbe reaching a loss in the rangeof 2200 crore. The actuallylosses could be much morebut this is a back of the handcalculation for the season,” theofficial said.

The loss of a substantialamount of money will alsoreduce the central revenuepool for the season (the moneythat BCCI distributes amongeight franchises) to nearly half.

The official, however, did-n’t divulge how much eachfranchise would lose due to thesuspension of the tournament.

“It is difficult to say whatkind of sponsorship and co-sponsorship money theyearned this season as the eco-nomic climate has been prettyhostile,” he said.

In case players are availableonly for a part of the tour-

nament, the salaries are paidon pro-rata basis which means“assigning an amount to oneperson according to theirshare of the whole”.

However, a senior playersaid that pro-rata is only

applicable when a player vol-untarily makes himself avail-able for only a part of the tour-nament based on the match-es available.

In this case, the organis-ers have halted the event so thefranchises are likely to pay forat least half of the season.

Players’ payment wouldbe based on duration

Oz players, support staffmight fly off to Maldives

ONE THING I WANT TO MAKEVERY CLEAR — IPL HAS NOTBEEN CANCELLED. IT HASBEEN POSTPONED,SUSPENDED AND DEFERRED.THE REMAINING PART OF THISIPL WILL HAPPEN. IN DUECOURSE, WHEN THE COVIDSITUATION IMPROVES, ADECISION WILL BE TAKENABOUT IT.

— RAJEEV SHUKLA

(BCCI VICE-PRESIDENT)

Mourinhotakes Roma job

IPL CALLED OFF

Rome: Jose Mourinho is back.The Portuguese manager, who was sacked by

Tottenham Hotspur in late April, will return tothe touchline next season after being introducedas the new manager of AS Roma, the Serie A clubannounced on Tuesday.

Mourinho agreed to a three-year contractand will officially take charge ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

“After meetings with the ownership andTiago Pinto, I immediately understood the fullextent of their ambitions for AS Roma,”Mourinho said.

“It is the same ambition and drive that hasalways motivated me and together we want tobuild a winning project over the upcoming years.

“The incredible passion of the Roma fansconvinced me to accept the job and I cannot waitto start next season.”

Mourhino will replace Paulo Fonseca, whowill leave at the end of the season after two yearsin charge. AP

BCCI set to incur losses of over `2000 cr

‘Daddy, come home’New Delhi: Australia openerDavid Warner shared an emo-tional message sent to himfrom his family back homeafter IPL 2021 was postponedindefinitely on Tuesday. Warnertook to social media to share themessage with his followers.

“Please daddy, come homestraight away. We miss you anda lot and love you. Love fromIvy, Indi and Isla,” the messagein Warner's post read. PNS