cmyk cmyk

THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIA

CHENNAI I SATURDAY 17 I JULY 2021

WEATHER SPORT | 8
Max: 35OC
CITY | 3 WORLD | 7
Min: 27OC Health dept fully prepared ‘Hasty withdrawal’ put India, Pakistan in same
Rainfall: 1.8 mm group for World T20
to tackle third wave: Min Afghan at risk: Russia
ASTROGUIDE
deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle, google.com/+deccanchronicle Vol. 17 No. 112 Established 1938 | 8 PAGES| `3.00
Pilava: Aadi 1

No clearance for Mekedatu dam Rajnath updates

Tithi: Ashtami
Star: Chithirai BORDER STAND-OFF
Rahukalam:
9 am to 10.30 am

until K’taka gets TN nod: Centre Antony, Pawar

Yamagandam:
1.30 pm to 3 pm
PRAYERS
Fajar: 4.32 am
Luhar: 12.20 pm
Asar: 3.38 pm ■No permission given yet, Jal Shakti minister tells all-party delegation DC CORRESPONDENT
Maghrib: 6.39 pm NEW DELHI, JULY
Isha: 7.57 pm
G. BABU JAYAKUMAR, Karnataka cal parties explained the Since the chief of the tri-
D. SEKAR | DC need not to allow the new bunal should hail from any Just before the monsoon
CHENNAI, JULY 16 needs to get dam as the DPR had failed of the states other than session of Parliament,
CORONA permision from to adhere to any norms. those involved in the dis- Defence minister Rajnath

C UNT
It was 'mission accom-
plished' for the all-party
delegation from the state
that called on the Union
Jal Shakthi minister
CASES DEATHS Gajendra Singh Shekawat
(+35,775) (+534) in New Delhi on Friday to
prevail upon him to not let
3,10,61,653 4,13,097 Karnataka build a dam
across River Cauvery at
Mekedatu, state minister
covid19india.org for water resources
Duraimurugan said.
STATE GOVERNMENT BULLETINS Karnataka would not be
given permission to imple-
(+2,312) (46) ment its detailed project
report (DPR) on the dam
TN:25,31,118 33,652 scheme until it obtained
permission from the lower
riparian states of Tamil
WORLD CONFIRMED CASES Nadu, Kerala and Pudu-
cherry, besides the Cau-
19,07,75,727 very Water Management
Authority and the Central
DEATHS
40,87,371
Water Commission, Mr
Shekawat assured the dele-
gation, Mr Duraimurugan
told the media.
Moreover, the Union gov-
ernment had not given any
assurance to Karnataka on
granting permission for
the dam project, the Jal
Shakthi minister made it
clear to the delegation,
whose prime objective was
Tamil Nadu, Kerala
and Puduchery as
well as CWMA to
implement DPR.
—DURAIMURUGAN,
Water resources
minister
to explain to him the
adverse effects Mekedatu
would have on the liveli-
hood of Tamil Nadu farm-
ers.
Mr Duraimurugan,
under whose leadership
the delegation met the
Union minister, said the
meeting lasted for 45 min-
utes when the members
belonging to various politi-
The Union Minister
reportedly agreed with the
delegation on its charges
against Karnataka and had
told them that permission
would not be granted as
long as the requirements
were not met.
The decision to send the
delegation to Delhi was
taken at the all-party meet-
ing, presided over by Chief
Minister M.K. Stalin, at the
secretariat a few days
back.
The delegation also urged
him to appoint a full-time
head for the Cauvery River
Water Tribunal that has
been lying vacant. The
minister told the delega-
tion that they had not been
able to find a right candi-
date for the job.
pute, there was some diffi-
culty in finding the right
person but it would be sort-
ed out soon, the delegation
was told.
A.K.S. Vijayan (Tamil
Nadu's resident represen-
tative in New Delhi), R.S.
Bharati (DMK), D. Jaya-
kumar (AIADMK), A.
Goppana (Congress), G.K.
Mani (PMK), Vaiko
(MDMK), Thol Thiruma-
valavan (VCK), R.C. Paul
Kanagaraj (BJP), N. Peri-
yasamy (CPI), K. Bala-
krishnan (CPM), M.H.
Jawaharuillah (MMK), D.
Velmurugan (TVK), A.K.P.
Chinnaraj (Kongunadu
Makkal Desiya Katchi) and
M. Jaganmoorthy (Purat-
chi Baratham), besides
officials.
Singh on Friday is report-
ed to have held a meeting
with former defence min-
isters A.K. Antony and
Sharad Pawar on the cur-
rent military stand-off
with China.
This is seen as an out-
reach to the opposition
before the July 19
Parliament session.
Chief of Defence Staff including Mr Pawar and
Gen. Bipin Rawat and former prime minister
Army chief General Manmohan Singh.
Manoj Mukund Naravane The Congress's parlia-
gave a briefing to the two mentary strategy group
former defence ministers on Wednesday had identi-
on the ongoing conflict
with China at Ladakh and
fied India-China border
stand-off as one of the
counter-measures taken issue to corner the gov-
by Indian defence forces. ernment during the forth-
Gen. Rawat and Gen. coming Parliament ses-
Naravane reportedly
answered queries and
sion.
Congress leader Rahul
gave clarification on the Gandhi, along with other
issues raised by the two party MPs, on Wednesday
former defence ministers. had walked out of a meet-

COUNTRIES,
219
AREAS WITH
CASES
T-SERIES MD
BOOKED FOR Take proactive steps against third Mr Antony served as
defence minister from
October 2006 to May 2014
while Mr Pawar held the
ing of the parliamentary
standing committee on
defence, as he was alleged-
ly “not allowed to speak”
worldometers.info

Sidhu as PCC chief may harm

RAPING ACTOR
Mumbai, July 16:
Mumbai police have regis-
Cong: Capt to Sonia
Amristar: Punjab Chief Minister
tered a case against T-
Series managing director
Bhushan Kumar, son of
wave, PM tells 12 high-tally states post from June 1991 to
March 1993.
Earlier in the day,
leader of House in Rajya
on the border situation
with China.
The parliament session
beginning on Monday
New Delhi, July 16: Sabha Piyush Goyal met would conclude on
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi said on Friday that
rising Covid-19 cases in
Cancel Neet, supply VACCINE TRIAL FOR
CHILDREN TO BE
opposition leaders, August 13.

vax, Stalin tells PM

Amarinder Singh has written to
Congress president Sonia
Gandhi, expressing reservation
over Navjot Singh Sidhu's possi-
ble appointment as the state
party chief. The Punjab CM is
learnt to have mentioned that
there could be an adverse
impact on the party's prospects
music baron late Gulshan
Kumar, for allegedly rap-
ing a woman on the
promise of providing a job
to her, an official said on
Friday.
Police sources said the
complainant, a 30-year-old
woman, who is an actor,
some states remain a mat-
ter of concern as he asked
them to take proactive
measures to rule out a
third wave by moving for- DC CORRESPONDENT allocate more resources to
OVER SOON: GOVT
New Delhi, July 16: The
Review Kanwar
ward with the strategy of
test, track, treat and “tika
(vaccine)”.
In a video interaction
CHENNAI, JULY 16

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin

in the upcoming assembly polls
by ignoring the old guard,
according to Congress sources.
PM to inaugurate revamped
rly station where he sold tea
Gandhi Nagar: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will on Friday vir-
tually inaugurate a revamped
Vadnagar railway station where
he used to sell tea during his
childhood. Vadnagar in Gujarat's
Mehsana district is Modi's home-
town.
COUNTER POINT
knew Kumar for the last with chief ministers of
few years and he allegedly
sexually exploited her
Tamil
Pradesh,
Nadu, Andhra
Karnataka,
between 2017 and 2020. He
has been booked under
Odisha, Maharashtra and
Kerala, where many dis-
IPC sections 376 (rape), 420
(cheating), 506 (criminal
tricts have been reporting
a high number of cases,
intimidation). — PTI Mr Modi said the country
stands at a point in its bat-
tle with the pandemic
ED ATTACHES where apprehensions
about a third wave are
being continuously
EX-MAHA HOME expressed.
These states have
MIN’S ASSETS accounted for 80 per cent
of new Covid-19 cases last
New Delhi/Mumbai, week and 84 per cent of
July 16:
Enforcement Directorate
on Friday said it has
The deaths, he noted in his
closing remarks, specifi-
cally mentioning the rise
urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to cancel
all national level examina-
tions like National
Entrance-cum-Eligibility
Test (Neet) at a time when
schools and colleges are
closed as holding the
examinations could lead
to the spread of Covid-19.
Addressing the review
meeting of six states on
Covid-19 management ac-
tivities, chaired by the
Prime Minister, on Fri-
day, Mr Stalin appealed to
the Union government to
Slow decline in daily caseload
the state.
Making it clear that the
state was making all
preparations to manage a
probable third wave, he
said, “I assure that Tamil
Nadu will take all neces-
sary steps to effectively
handle this pandemic and
stand firm with you to
overcome this challenge.”
Thanking the partici-
pants of the meeting for
sharing their experiences
in Covid management act-
ivities, Mr Stalin said “ou-
rs is the only major state
where a new government
faced a tough task of tack-
ling Corona pandemic.”
Union government on
Friday told the Delhi high
court that clinical trials
for Covid-19 vaccines for
children under 18 years of
age are going on and on the
verge of completion.
A policy will be formed
by the government and
children will be vaccinated
when experts give permis-
sion, the government said.
A bench of Chief Justice
D.N. Patel and Justice
Jyoti Singh observed, “Let
the trials be done, other-
wise it would be a disaster
if vaccines are adminis-
tered without trials that
too in case of children.”
yatra decision: SC
PARMOD KUMAR |DC
WITH AGENCY INPUTS
NEW DELHI, JULY 16
SC TO DIGITALLY
The Supreme Court on
TRANSMIT BAIL
Friday gave the Uttar
Pradesh government one ORDERS TO JAILS
last opportunity to call off
the “symbolic Kanwar New Delhi, July 16: The
Yatra” amid Covid pan- Supreme Court on Friday
demic while observing
that right to life is para-
said it would implement a
system for safe digital
mount, and all other senti- transmission of its bail
ments, including reli-
gious ones, are sub-
orders to jails across the
country as despite the
servient to it.
Leaving no space for
grant of such relief,
authorities wait for
guesswork about which authentic orders to
way the court was mov-
ing, Justice Rohinton Fali
Nariman said, “State of
release prisoners.
A bench headed by Chief
Justice N.V. Ramana

a warning, says NITI Aayog

attached assets worth Rs
4.20 crore in connection
with its money launder-
ing probe in a case against
former Maharashtra
home minister Anil
Deshmukh and his fami-
ly.
A provisional order has
been issued under the
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act attaching
a residential flat worth Rs
1.54 crore in Mumbai’s
Worli, and 25 land parcels
valued at Rs 2.67 crore in
Dhutum village in Raigad.
— PTI
in infections in Kerala and
Maharashtra as a matter
of grave concern for the
country. A similar trend
was witnessed in January
and February before the
second wave started, he
said.
“It's very important that
states with a rising num-
ber of cases take proactive
measures to rule out any
possibility of a third
wave,” Mr Modi said in
his remarks, adding that
special attention needs to
be paid to micro-contain-
ment zones. ■ P7
New Delhi, July 16:
Forty-seven districts
across 12 states and Union
territories reported over 10
per cent Covid-19 positivity
rate for the week ending
July 15, the government
said on Friday.
Just 73 districts recorded
more than 100 cases daily
in the week ending on July
14, it said.
The slow decline in num-
ber of coronavirus daily
cases is a warning for the
country that the situation
is currently under control
but it can deteriorate if
Covid appropriate behav-
iour not followed, the gov-
ernment said.
“Our vaccines are effec-
tive and hugely safe and
people with comorbidities,
pregnant and lactating
women must also take
them. However, we cannot
be fully dependent on vac-
UP cannot go ahead with
this. 100 per cent,” but
gave the state government
one last chance to recon-
cines, need to mask up as sider its decision and stop
well,” NITI Aayog member the Kanwar Yatra or it
(health) Dr V K Paul said. will have to pass the
The 12 states and UTs order.
which reported over 10 per During the course of the
cent positivity rate for the hearing of a suo motu mat-
week ending July 15 were ter taken up by the top
Manipur, Kerala, court, Justice Nariman,
Rajasthan, Meghalaya, heading a bench also com-
Mizoram, Arunachal prising Justice B.R.
Pradesh, Nagaland, Gavai, said, “We are of
Sikkim, Tripura, Assam, prima facie view that it
Maharashtra and concerns all of us and is at
Puducherry. — PTI ■ P7
directed the secretary-
general of the apex court
to submit a proposal on
the scheme and said this
may be implemented in a
month.
It asked the states to
respond on availability of
internet connection in
jails as without this facili-
ty transmission of such
orders to prisons will not
be possible. It also
appointed senior advo-
cate Dushyant Dave as an
amicus curiae for assist-
ing it implementing the
scheme. — PTI

More than 100 people die in floods in Germany and Belgium

Photojournalist Siddiqui killed in Af war Berlin, July
Emergency workers in
16:

SRIDHAR KUMARASWAMI remains. western Germany and

| DC
NEW DELHI, JULY 16
Pulitzer award-winning
Indian photo-journalist
with Reuters Danish
Siddiqui was killed on
Thursday night in
Kandahar in Afghanistan in
a terror attack by the
Taliban when he was
embedded with the Afghan
security forces, Afghan
Ambassador to India Farid
Mamundzay said on Friday,
in a tweet.
According to reports,
Siddiqui was killed in the
Spin Boldak area of
Kandahar which is seeing
very heavy fighting.
The Reuters news agency
meanwhile cited a state-
ment of an Afghan comman-
der that Siddiqui had been
killed while covering a
clash between Afghan secu-
rity forces and the Taliban
near a border crossing with
A file photo from Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui
covers the monsoon floods and landslides in the upper
reaches of Govindghat. — PTI
Pakistan. New Delhi till Friday
“Reuters journalist @dan- evening did not confirm the
siddiqui was killed while death but only said the
covering a clash between Indian Ambassador in
Afghan security forces and Kabul is in touch with
Taliban fighters near a bor- Afghan authorities and that
der crossing with Pakistan, the MEA is keeping
an Afghan commander Siddiqui's family informed
said,” the global news of developments. It is under-
agency tweeted. stood that New Delhi is
However, the ministry of awaiting further informa-
external affairs (MEA) in tion including on the mortal
Mr. Siddiqui was an alum-
ni of the Jamia Millia
Islamia university in the
capital and was in his early
forties, according to media
reports.
Government sources said
the Indian Embassy in
Kabul is in touch with
Afghan authorities to bring
back the mortal remains of
Danish Siddiqui and that
New Delhi has been
informed that the body has
been handed over by the
Taliban to the Red Cross
(ICRC). Sources said the
Indian embassy is “actively
facilitating the return of the
body in coordination with
Afghan authorities and the
ICRC” and is “in regular
touch” with family mem-
bers of Siddiqui.
Siddiqui had tweeted just
a few days ago of his narrow
escape during a Taliban
attack on Afghan security
forces. ■ P7
Belgium rushed Friday to
rescue hundreds of people
in danger or still unac-
counted for as the death
toll from devastating floods
rose to more than 125 peo-
ple.
Authorities in the
German state of Rhineland-
Palatinate said 63 people
had died there, including
12 residents of an assisted
living facility for disabled
people in Sinzig who were
surprised by a sudden rush
of water from the nearby
Ahr River. In neighboring
North Rhine-Westphalia
state officials put the death
toll at 43, but warned that
the figure could increase.
A harrowing rescue effort
unfolded In the German
town of Erftstadt, south-
west of Cologne, where peo-
ple were trapped when the
ground gave way and their
A woman looks at cars and rubble piled up in a street after the floods caused major homes collapsed.
damage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany, on Friday. — AFP — AP
DECCAN CHRONICLE | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021 | CHENNAI pg 2
 CITY
DECCAN CHRONICLE | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021 | CHENNAI
pg 3

IN

Sick elephant dies

BRIEF
Corpn imposes `2L Tamil Nadu gang held for
kidnapping Gujarat teen

fine on contractors
DC CORRESPONDENT
unable to eat food CHENNAI, JULY 16

DC CORRESPONDENT A four-member Tamil Nadu gang that

KRISHNAGIRI, JULY 16
A six-year-old male elephant
died on Friday despite the best
efforts of the forest depart-
ment officials to save the sick
animal.
According to the forest
department, the wild animal
was found writhing in pain by
the local villagers two days
ago.
A forest team along with
a veterinarian reached the
spot and started treatment.
It was found that the jumbo
avoided food due to a mouth
infection causing pain while
consuming food.
The elephant became weak
and could not travel with its
family in migration, eventual-
ly falling down.
The veterinarian tried to
cure the elephant, but it died
without responding to the
treatment.
TN adds 2,312
new infections,
kidnapped a 19-year-old boy from Gujarat
DC CORRESPONDENT According to the GCC, the waterways having 48.80 km. was arrested by the Gujarat cyber crime
CHENNAI, JULY 16 contractors failed to get the Apart from this, works of police with the help of Kanchipuram
`64.93 crore Mambalam canal watershed projects in police on Friday morning.
The Greater Chennai works done on Kosasthalaiyar and Kovalam According to police , Lanki (19), a resi-
Corporation (GCC) has time despite employing are also underway. dent of Gujarat, was kidnapped by the
imposed a fine of `2 lakh on three contractors. The The GCC imported sophisti- gang on July 11, as the former’s employ-
contractors who delayed contractors were given five cated amphibian machines to er owes one of the gang members
stormwater drainage projects. projects relating to the clean up water bodies with the `20 lakh.
The decision was taken after Mambalam canal works. But help of earthmoving machines. Police said Sebastain Raj (29) of
a review meeting of stormwa- the works were delayed A detailed review of the clean- Devakottai in Sivagangai , had invested
ter drainage projects chaired due to the negligence of ing up works with this `20 lakh in Shahil’s business a few years
by GCC commissioner contractors. Currently, the machine was also carried out back. When Sebastan Raj demanded his
Gagandeep Singh Bedi. GCC is maintaining 30 during the meeting, he said. share, Shahil allegedly refused to pay
back the money. To get the money back
from Shahil , Sebastain Raj , his brother
John Arokyaswamy (32) , friends
Johnson (25) and Mohammed Pattani (29)
, went to Gujarat on July 11. Police said
the gang phoned Shahil and asked him to
meet them at a hotel in Gujarat .
However, Shahil sent his employee Lanki
to meet Sebastain Raj and gang.
Frustrated over this , the gang allegedly
kidnapped Lanki and came back to Tamil
Nadu.
They stayed in a hotel in
Missing man found dead,
Sunguvarchatram near Sriperumbudur.
Police said Sebastain Raj called Shahil
and demanded `20 lakh as a ransom to
police suspect murder
release his employee. Meanwhile, Shahil
approached the Gujarat cyber crime
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, JULY 16
The family on Thursday
night lodged a missing com-

46 fatalities
Chennai, July 16: Tamil
Nadu reported 2,312 new
COVID-19 cases, pushing the
caseload to 25,31,118, the
health department said on
Friday.
The number of fatalities
mounted to 33,652 with 46
more people succumbing to
the virus in the last 24 hours.
Recoveries outnumbered
new infections with 2,986 peo-
ple getting discharged, aggre-
gating to 24,68,236 leaving
29,230 active cases, a health
department bulletin said.
Three returnees from
Andhra Pradesh and West
Bengal were among those who
tested positive for the virus
today. As many as 31 districts
reported new infections in
double digits, while there were
no fresh deaths in 17 districts.
Chennai added 144 new infec-
tions, taking the total count to
5,35,902, while the death toll
mounted to 8,286 with seven
more deaths. —PTI
Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency workers renovating and beautifying Semmozhi
Poonga.
Health dept fully prepared to tackle third wave: Min
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, JULY 16
Health minister
Ma. Subramanian said here on
Friday that his department
was fully prepared to deal
with a possible third wave of
Covid-19.
Talking to reporters after
inaugurating the inoculation
drive for barbers and taxi driv-
ers at Vasudeva Nagar in
Jafferkhanpet, the minister
said the department had
increased the number of oxy-
gen beds at hospitals across the
state giving special focus on
children as they will be vulner-
able if the third wave hits.
“The work of improving the
medical infrastructure is still
underway. The production of
oxygen has been stepped up.
Special wards have been set up
in medical college hospitals
and district hospitals to treat
Mucormycosis patients keep-
ing the third wave in mind. The
UK is currently reporting over
30,000 cases every day in the
third wave. However, the mor-
tality rate is very less in the lat-
est wave. The reason for the low
mortality rate is the ramping
up of vaccination. Realising it,
we have asked the Centre to
provide more vaccines. So far
1.73 crore doses of vaccines
have been inoculated while the
—DC
state received 1.77 crore doses.
We had a stock of 7,77,910 doses
till Friday morning,” he said.
Saying that at least 4,000
Mucormycosis cases were
reported in the state so far, the
minister said providing
more vials of Amphotericin
B was taken up with the Union
health minister during a recent
meeting.
Subramanian said no case of
Zika virus was reported in the
state so far. “Kerala has report-
ed as many as 20 cases. As a
result, the department tested as
many as 3,000 people in the bor-
der areas with Kerala. None of
the tests found Zika virus
cases,” said the minister.
police and lodged a complaint.
A team from the cyber crime branch ,
Gujarat, reached Kanchipuram on
Friday to track the mobile phone of
Sebastain.
With the help of Kanchipuram police ,
the team from Gujarat rounded up the
hotel room. However , Lanki was not
there. Police however, secured John
Arokyaswamy and Johnson , staying
there. Based on their inputs , Kanchi
police caught Sebastain Raj and Pattani
on Chennai- Bengaluru National
Highway after a cinematic chase.
The police also rescued Lanki from
them.The accused were handed over to
the CCB, Gujarat , the police said.
Reduce fuel prices significantly,
rationalise GST: Tharoor
Chennai, July 16: Accusing the
Narendra Modi-led dispensation of
"using the tax on fuel as a means to fill
the Centre's coffers," Congress
leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday
demanded the government to
significantly reduce taxes and cess on
fuel and import duty on essential com-
modities. Besides, he also wanted the
Centre to rationalise and simplify the
GST rates on household items. —PTI
The body of a 24-year-old
man who had been missing
since Thursday was found
with stab wounds near
Amur lake in Thiruporur
on Friday morning.
The deceased R. Ajith
Kumar (24) of Amur in
Thiruporur in Chengalpet
district was a contract
worker at a private compa-
ny in Semmenchery.
Police said Ajith Kumar
on Thursday morning went
to work as usual. However,
he did not come home till
late that night. Ajith’s
father Ravi went in search
of his son but couldn’t find
him anywhere.
Man claims to be Union min’s aide,
dupes BJP ticket aspirant of `50L
Chennai, July 16: A BJP
office-bearer has lodged a
complaint alleging that a
man claiming to be an assis-
tant of union minister
Kishan Reddy duped him of
Rs 50 lakh by falsely promis-
plaint with the Thiruporur
police.
Meanwhile, on Friday
morning, the Manampathy
police got an alert from the
locals that a body of a man
was found near Amur lake.
A police team rushed to
the spot and recovered the
body. Police called Ravi to
identify if the body
belonged to his missing son.
After he confirmed it was
his body, the police sent the
body of the deceased to
Chengalpet Government
hospital for post-mortem. A
case has been registered
and further investigations
are underway.
on the veracity of the com-
plaint and if Narothaman
had been Reddy's assistant
or if he is presently associat-
ed with the minister.
“We sought legal opinion
too before registering this

District collector S. Aneesh Sekhar and officials at
Saravanapoigai, Thiruparankundram
temple tank, discuss measures to be taken to keep
the tank clean.
HC frowns over acquittal of rape accused
over a typo, reverses lower court order
Wild jumbos stray into Nilgiris slopes
B. RAVICHANDRAN I DC
OOTY, JULY 16
The straying of wild ele-
phants into the human settle-
ments in Coonoor, Burliar,
Kotagiri and Geddai slopes in
the Nilgiris during the south-
west monsoon has triggered a
scare of man-elephant con-
flict.
Dr B. Ramakrishnan, assis-
tant professor of zoology and
wildlife biology at the
Government Arts College
here, a respected name in the
field of research on ele-
phants, said that in the
Coonoor, Burliar and Kotagiri
slopes there is a large forest
range interspersed with pri-
vate farmlands full of jack-
fruit trees. As the jackfruit
—K.Manikandan season is continuing, wild
jumbos, which have a liking
for jackfruits, stray into these
slopes to relish the jackfruits.
This apart, the fresh sprout-
ing of bamboo shoots and
bamboo canes in the forest
fringes of Coonoor-Kotagiri
slopes is also a reason for the
jumbos to stray in search of
bamboo crops, he noted.
“The movement of wild
jumbos in the Geddai slopes is
also due to the migratory ele-
phant herds returning from
Upper Bhavani limits
after spending the summer
there due to good availability
of fodder and grass in
summer. Once the SW mon-
soon commences in Upper
Bhavani, the weather turns
hostile for the jumbos and
they return to their home turf
in the lower reaches of the
hills. When they move down
from Upper Bhavani, they
stray into the human settle-
ments along the Geddai
slopes in the foothills of
Upper Bhavani,” Dr Ramak-
rishnan pointed out and
added that people in these
areas should be cautious to
avoid man-elephant conflict.
Think of structures to keep crops closed: HC to TN
DC CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, JULY 16
The Madras high court has
asked the State government
to think of permanent struc-
tures in future to ensure that
crops are not left in the open
for them to be washed away
or affected by unseasonal
rains.
The first bench compris-
ing Chief Justice Sanjib
Banerjee and Justice Senth-
ilkumar Ramamoorthy pa-
ssed the order while dispos-
ing of a suo motu petition,
which sought a direction to
the authorities to open the
paddy procurement centres
where the cultivation is on a
larger scale, without the
farmers making representa-
tion for procuring their prod-
ucts, as they fear that due to
lack of proper storage facili-
ties, the paddy bags will start
sprouting if the rain contin-
ues and to submit a report
before the court.
The bench said a report
has been filed by the Special
Secretary to government,
Agriculture and Farmers
Welfare Department. The
report was dated July 14,
2021. The report indicates
several measures taken
across the State, including
by the Tamil Nadu Civil
Supplies Corporation
Limited, at the direct pur-
chase centres. In view of the
comprehensive measures
that appear to have been
taken by the State and the
interest shown by the
Minister concerned in
accompanying officials to
inspect several places, this
petition appears to have
served its purpose. “The
State government would do
well to think of permanent
structures in future to
ensure that crops are not left
in the open for them to be
washed away or affected by
unseasonal rains”, the bench
added.
ing party ticket to contest
the April 6 Assembly polls
and an FIR has been regis-
tered, police said on Friday.
The complainant, Bhuvan-
esh Kumar, Arani town pres-
ident said that he gave `50
lakh before the party decid-
ed on nominees to
Narothaman, who claimed
that he was Reddy's aide and
promised him a party ticket
to contest polls.
He, however, did not get a
party ticket to contest from
any Assembly constituency.
Reddy was the party elec-
tion incharge for Tamil
Nadu Assembly polls.
“We have filed an FIR
(cheating) against four men,
Narothaman, his father
Chittibabu, Vijayaraman
and Siva Balaji,” a police
inspector said, adding
Narothaman and Chittibabu
were said to be residents of
Hyderabad and others
hailed from here.
A senior police officer con-
firmed the registration of
FIR but declined to elaborate
FIR,” he told PTI.
When asked if Bhuvanesh
Kumar was indeed a party
functionary, a BJP state-
level office bearer confirmed
that he was a party office-
bearer based in Arani.
Asked if he was aware of the
complaint, he answered in
the affirmative.
On what action the party
contemplated against him,
he said,”we were surprised
and shocked when we got to
know about this claim of
giving money to get a party
ticket.”
“Such a thing cannot hap-
pen in this party. Bhuvanesh
was a recent entrant to the
BJP. He was previously with
another party. As an initial
action, we have recommend-
ed that he be removed from
his party post.”
On the claim that
Narothaman had been
Reddy's “assistant” during
the run up to polls, he
said,”we have never heard of
this name. We don't know
who he is.” —PTI

Chennai, July 16: Turning down the other

Holding a typographical
error in recording the
word “semen” as Tamil
word “semmann”, mean-
ing red soil, cannot con-
tribute to the acquittal of a
man booked under POCSO
Act for sexually assaulting
a child, the Madras High
Court has reversed a trial
court order setting him
free.
Justice P Velmurugan,
before whom the appeal
from the victim's mother,
challenging the September
2018 orders of the Mahila
Court in Tiruvarur, came
up recently, also pulled up
the trial court judge and
the investigating officer
for their lacunae. The
typographical error had
led the trial court judge to
treat the semen found in
the genitals of the child as
“semmann”, which was
not uncommon on a child
playing on the floor out-
side a house. In her com-
plaint, the mother had
stated that there was liq-
uid in white colour in her
daughter's genitals. The
police official had written
it as white colour fluid,
like semen. The trial court
typist typed it as “sem-
mann”, which became
wrongly interpreted as red
soil. It totally turned the
case of the prosecution
and admittedly, the
defence side had taken
advantage of this flimsy
ground, the judge said. He
also cited the doctor's
report, which clearly
stated that the three year-
old victim was sexually
assaulted.
reasoning of the trial
court that there was delay
in filing the complaint, the
judge pointed out that the
mother was an illiterate
woman living in a remote
village in Tiruvarur dis-
trict. Her working hus-
band was far away in
another village when the
offence took place in
September, 2017. So it is
natural for a hapless
woman to not file the com-
plaint in time as she would
have been unaware of
where to go and how to
deal with the matter, the
court said. Moreover, sen-
timents and stigma were
attached to the issue. The
culprits arrested under
the POCSO Act are escap-
ing over technical reasons
and unfortunately the
Investigation Wing was
also not up to the standard.
Due to the defect or fault in
investigation, in most of
the cases, the culprits go
scot-free, the judge added.
The trial courts also,
sometimes not applying
their minds, don't exercise
their inherent or discre-
tionary power either to
order re-investigation or
summon relevant records.
They only search for proof
beyond reasonable doubt,
and taking advantage of
the flaw in the investiga-
tion, the accused were
acquitted by giving the
benefit of doubt.
“But in cases like this,
we cannot give much
importance to the techni-
cal ground of proof,” the
judge said and set aside
the trial court order. —PTI
 STATE
DECCAN CHRONICLE | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021 | CHENNAI
pg 4

Neet is a boon to rural Just a couple of relaxations to lockdown

students, says BJP
G. BABU JAYAKUMAR & D.
SEKAR | DC
CHENNAI, JULY 16
Neet, the all-India admis-
sion test for medical cours-
es, was a boon to rural and
poor students who were
able to join medical col-
leges in large numbers by
taking it unlike the earlier
times when aspirants had
to pay Rs 10 to 15 crore for
a medical seat, BJP state
president K. Annamalai
said on Friday.
Addressing the media at
the party headquarters in
Chennai, where he took
charge as the new state
chief of the party, he said
only around 19 students
from rural and poor back-
grounds went to medical
colleges in the state before
the introduction of Neet.
Neet facilitated around
430 students from impover-
ished homes to realize
their dreams of becoming
doctors, Annamalai, a for-
mer IPS officer of the
Karnataka cadre, said,
adding that during the
regime of Edappadi K.
Palaniswami the school
syllabus was modified to
enable students take the
Neet questions with ease.
Of the 180 questions
asked in the Neet papers,
the modified syllabus had
at least answers for 173, he
said, wondering why a big
fuss was made over the
entrance exam. The state
BJP would take the bene-
fits of Neet to every nook
and cranny of Tamil Nadu
to sensitize people on the
issue, he said.
When asked about his
reported statement on
soon taking full control of
the media that landed him
in a controversy,
Annamalai denied it. He
said that he did not refer to
the main stream media, for
which the BJP had great
respect, but only the online
channels.
Annamalai, whose
speech taking pride in
being a Kannadiga during
his tenure as police officer
that went viral after he
joined the BJP in Tamil
Nadu, made it clear that he
was opposed to the
Mekedatu project.
On Covid-19 vaccination,
the State BJP head said
that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi was man-
aging the situation
extremely well and had
even placed an order for 96
crore doses of vaccine. The
Prime Minister’s dream
was to vaccinate everyone
in the country, he said.
However, the DMK was
bungling with it in the
state but not regulating the
administration of vaccines
properly, he alleged and
DC CORRESPONDENT industrial schools and type- Minister had a meeting with colleges would remain
CHENNAI, JULY 16 writing and short-hand top officials and experts on closed. Opening of
training institutes with 50 Friday was allowing teach- bars,swimming pools and
Extending the present lock- per cent attendance on rota- ers to attend schools for zoos and holding of public
down till July 31 morning, tional basis, taking into con- engaging in administrative meetings, both political and
Chief Minister M K Stalin sideration the career work like admissions, book social, and other events
added that he and the announced just a couple of prospects of the students. distribution, preparing syl- related to entertainment,
newly appointed Union relaxations, one of them The other relaxation labus and so on. sports and culture are total-
minister of state for infor- being the opening of ITIs, announced after the Chief Otherwise, all schools and ly banned.
mation and broadcasting
L. Murugan, would seek
more allotment of vac-
cines for the State.
Annamalai also cleared
the air on the Kongu Nadu
controversy by saying that
the BJP was not seeking
the division of the state.
When pointed out that a
district unit of the BJP
had passed a resolution to
that effect, he said that
notices had been sent to
the concerned district
unit, seeking explanation.
Earlier, Annamalai, who
drove down from
Coimbatore, was accorded
a grand welcome.
Murugan, who had come
down from New Delhi
ahead of Annamalai’s
arrival at the party office,
welcomed him and escort-
ed him to his office.

Protect Tamils in Murugan reviews media divisions

Chennai: Union minister of state platforms such as FB, WhatsApp,
South Africa: Stalin for information and broadcasting
L. Murugan urged all media divi-
sions under the ministry of infor-
Twitter and Instagram to take to
the people details about the bene-
fits of government's schemes. He
DC CORRESPONDENT mation and broadcasting to publi- said information about the efforts
CHENNAI, JULY 16 cise the details about the various being made by the Union govern-
people welfare schemes of the ment to provide free vaccines to
Chief Minister M. K. Stalin wrote to Union government. all and to improve medical infra-
Union external affairs minister S. On his maiden visit to Chennai structure in the country should
Jaishankar requesting him to take ade- after assuming charges as Union reach the people.
quate measures to safeguard the Indian Minister of state, also in charge of He said AIR and DD Podhigai
community, including persons from fisheries, animal husbandry and should air their news bulletins
Tamil Nadu, in South Africa. dairy, Murugan interacted with and programmes to carry people
Referring to the recent reports of the officials of the ministry and oriented news.
riots in South Africa and the concerns urged them to use social media — DC
voiced by the Indian community living
there, Stalin said, 'the Indian communi-
ty including a large section of Tamil
population have suffered economic
losses.’
Since there were apprehensions of
further escalation of tensions, which
was a matter of great concern and
urgency, Stalin requested him to once
again take up the matter with the
Government South Africa through
diplomatic means to impress upon the
need for restoration of peace
and harmony at the earliest.
He also wanted Jaisankar to take ade-
quate measures to safeguard life and
property of the Indian commu-
nity.

Saddened by Indian
journo’s killing in
Afghan, says CM
Chennai, July 16: Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister M K Stalin on Friday said he
was deeply saddened by the killing of
Pulitzer Prize winning Indian photo-
journalist Danish Siddiqui in
Afghanistan and praised his stellar
work. In a tweet, Stalin said, "I am
deeply saddened by the untimely death
of @dansiddiqui who, through his cam-
era lens, had brought to us the devasta-
tion of pandemics, pogroms and
humanitarian crises. His death gives a
message to the world once again to
shun violence and terrorism in any
form. #DanishSiddiqui."
A Pulitzer Prize winning Indian pho-
tojournalist, Siddiqui worked for
Reuters news agency. He was killed on
Friday in Afghanistan covering the
fierce fighting between Afghan troops
and the Taliban militants.
— PTI
DECCAN CHRONICLE | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021 | CHENNAI pg 5
 EDIT
DECCAN CHRONICLE | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021 | CHENNAI
pg 6

17 JULY 2021

Scrap sedition, other laws Subhani

that impede civil liberties
T
he anguish expressed by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana over
the presence of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (sedition
law) in the statute book, and its misuse, is shared by most democ-
ratically-inclined Indians. The three-member bench of the court
headed by the Chief Justice, while examining petitions filed by the Editors
Guild of India and Maj. Gen. S.G. Vombatkere (Retd), has listed the short-
comings of the law, starting with its colonial pedigree and its historic
abuse against leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
The Chief Justice minced no words when he said people are scared to
speak their mind, especially against acts of authorities, because they fear
that the sedition law will be invoked against them.
The stinging comments emanated from the bench had the attorney-gen-
eral suggest that the court frame guidelines to meets its legal purpose
instead of striking it down. The attorney-general may be right in his legal
angle but such nuances often do not get translated into action on the
ground. The CJI himself said the situation there is grave and that if a

Population: Will ‘solution’ LETTERS

police officer wants to fix anybody in a village for something, he can use
Section 124A. It is only recently that the apex court expressed its shock
over people being hauled up under Section 66A of the Information
Technology Act, which it had scrapped way back in 2015. The apex court
has issued an elaborate set of guidelines to the police to follow when they
arrest a person, but they are observed more in their breach than adher-
ENDLESS DEMANDS

make our problem worse?

ence. In the Lalita Kumari case, the court has ordered that the police reg-
ister an FIR when it gets information on a cognisable offence, but in real- There is no merit and
ity, people, especially those from the weaker sections, have to run pillar to virtue in Stalin claiming
post to get an FIR registered even for heinous crimes such as rape.
Experience does not inspire confidence in the suggestion the A-G has ‘Victory’ for his Neet pol-
made. icy by the report given
And it is not the sedition law that alone makes a mockery of the idea of seems different. According shown, far from a crisis,
India as a democratic republic. It is only two days ago that Justice D.Y. to NFHS-4 its TFR is 2.7. the situation is steadily by retired HC judge who
Chandrachud of the Supreme Court warned against the misuse of terror However, I’m told the 2019- and significantly improv- was purposely appointed
laws to threaten citizens. Section 43D(5) of the Unlawful Activities Karan Thapar 20 NFHS-5 figure for UP — ing. And not just nation- to give opinions toeing
(Prevention) Act, 1967, which practically stops a judge from granting bail which is yet to be released wide but specifically in
to a person charged with offences under the law, turns the very idea of a — is 2.5. More important, Assam and Lakshadweep, the official line of the rul-
citizen’s liberty on its head. The last appeal moved by Fr Stan Swamy, the population projections whilst it’s heading in the ing party. He says that
84-year-old priest who died a martyr’s death owing to a vengeful investi- As I See It done by the National right direction in UP.
the majority of people
gating agency and unsympathetic judiciary, was to repeal this section. Commission on Popu- In these circumstances
Section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2005, with simi- lation, a part of the health the Population Foundation are against Neet. How
lar features had been struck down by the Supreme Court, but the govern- and assistance in securing ministry, says UP’s TFR of India (PFI) believes the

W
hile I am not
ment tinkered with the law and ensured that it is alive. an expert on
A proper, well-meaning answer by the Union government to the question population
the Chief Justice has asked it will settle all these issues. “Your govern- concerns, I
ment has repealed many stale laws; I do not know why your government am intrig-
is not looking into repealing Section 124A of the IPC.” Let all draconian ued by the recent obses-
laws go and India live up to its original idea of being a republic. sion of the ruling authori-
ties in Uttar Pradesh,
Assam and Lakshadweep
Sidhu trouble in Punjab with limiting families to
two children. They’re con-
sidering measures, includ-
ing legislation, to incen-
M
onths before the Assembly election, the all too visible turmoil in the
Punjab unit of the Congress Party seems to flow less from the anti-party tivise parents who adhere
activities of Navjot Singh Sidhu — no matter how damaging — than the to the two-child norm
rank ineptitude of the Congress party top leadership, namely the Gandhi parivar, whilst penalising those
not to put too fine a point on it. who don’t. Is this a hint
Captain Amarinder Singh became chief minister after he led the party to a spec- their prospects of develop-
tacular victory over the Akali Dal-BJP combine in the last poll, no thanks to the ment are so poor that our
central Congress leadership. much-vaunted demograph-
If Mr Sidhu, who joined the Congress barely five years ago after being shown the ic dividend is in danger of
door by the BJP, is sought to be foisted as the state Congress president as state polls transforming into a disas-
near, as seems to be the thinking in Delhi, the clearest meaning is that the party’s ter? Or have they become
top shots are remote-controlling anti-CM factionalism and undermining their own converts to a cause Sanjay
party’s interest. This is a terrible all-India message for the Congress, with ques- Gandhi championed dur-
tions already being raised about the quality of the Congress leadership. ing the Emergency over 45
Since the nomination papers of Congress candidates for the Assembly poll will years ago?
have to be signed by the state party chief, Mr Sidhu, should he be elevated to PCC Uttar Pradesh’s draft
chief, this will ensure that his nominees rule the roost. It can only be at the cost of Population (Control, Stab-
overlooking the bulk of the party, which appears to be with the CM and against the ilisation and Welfare) Bill
cricketer-turned-politician. 2021 is the best example of
What has drawn the Gandhis to the loud-talking, cantankerous, ace anti-CM fac- what is proposed. The
tionalist in Punjab, as the moth is to the flame, is not unclear. But it is hardly a penalties include debar-
good omen for Punjab’s ruling party. In the circumstances, Capt. Amarinder can ment from government-
hardly be blamed if, as CM, he accepts the advice to take off his Gandhi cap, as it sponsored welfare schem-
were, and strike out on his own. He is likely to do very well in the election, leaving es, contesting local auth-
government jobs. I find
this package particularly
strange because children
who are denied these bene-
fits are being disadvan-
taged for what their par-
ents did or, rather, refused
to do. How on earth do you
justify that?
Now, I first asked myself,
what’s the need for all of
this? Justice A.N. Mittal,
chairman of the UP Law
Commission, who pro-
posed the bill, says:
“Resources are already
over-stretched due to the
increasing population. Be
it medical facilities, food-
grains and jobs, every-
thing is under stress due to
the rising population.” But
is this Malthusian anxiety
justified or contrary to
well-known facts?
The truth is that India’s
census data confirms our
population growth is slow-
ing. The decadal growth
rate declined to 17.7 per
cent in 2001-2011 from 21.5
per cent in 1991-2001. In
fact, the year when India
will surpass China’s popu-
lation has been pushed
will be 2.1 by 2025. The con-
clusion seems obvious —
UP’s TFR may be high but
it’s steadily falling. There’s
no need for drastic mea-
sures.
So, if secular facts don’t
justify what these govern-
ments are proposing, are
they, surreptitiously, tar-
geting a particular com-
munity? Actually, that’s
pretty obvious in
Lakshadweep’s case
because 96 per cent of the
archipelago’s population is
Muslim. The answer is
equally clear when you
come to Assam’s 34 per
cent Muslim minority. The
state’s chief minister has
admitted to PTI that one of
his aims is to “check the
growth of (the) Muslim
population”.
Ironically, UP’s Yogi
Adityanath has been
guarded in admitting this.
“Every section of society
has to be associated with
the awareness of the cam-
paign”, he has said. I
assume that’s code for the
state’s 19 per cent
Muslims.
proposed incentives and
penalties might well lead
to undesirable outcomes.
Several states have tried
something similar but
failed to bring down the
fertility rates. Instead, they
saw a rise in sex-selective
and unsafe abortions, men
divorcing wives so they
could stand for elections
and families giving chil-
dren for adoption to avoid
penalties.
If there really is a need to
reduce the fertility rate,
PFI’s executive director
Poonam Muttreja suggests
that India could learn from
Sri Lanka as well as
Indonesia and Bangladesh,
two Muslim countries.
They reduced theirs by
increasing the age of mar-
riage, ensuring high levels
of female education and
greater employment
opportunities and, of
course, “a bigger basket of
contraceptive choices”.
Incidentally, the Assam
chief minister’s statement
that Muslims must adopt
“decent population control
measures” is belied by the
did he conclude that?
What is his own opinion
as an ex-Judge of HC
about the good or bad
of Neet? What were the
reasons and arguments
given by that ‘majority’
to ‘object for the con-
duct of Neet? There are
many unanswered ques-
tions on the acceptabili-
ty of the view of the
retired Judge. The issue
of holding Neet or not
can just be decided by
the Rajan Report alone.
If this is accepted there
will be further demands
for appointment in IAS,
IPS, etc without any
competitive examination.
Such demands will be
endless.
Kooduthuraiyan,
Coimbatore

NEED JOINT EFFORT

the AICC — not just Mr Sidhu — high and dry. It will be a repeat of the story of the ority elections, applying back by the UN from 2022 Now, finally, let’s come to facts. Ms Muttreja points
Congress in West Bengal and Maharashtra in the late 1990s. for state government jobs to 2027. the moral issue and then out that the use of modern
and promotion in govern- More important, the ask whether such incen- contraception is the high- This has reference to the edit page
ment service. Also, ration national Total Fertility tives or penalties work. est among married report, Step up vaccination, don’t
cards will be limited to Rate (TFR), which is the How many children par- Muslim women. It’s 49 per blame it all on the people. The gov-
DECCAN CHRONICLE four persons. The fact that number of children likely ents choose to have is, I cent. For Christians it’s ernment is speaking of a fivefold
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR some of this would deny to be born to a woman in believe, their prerogative. 45.7 per cent and for strategy for effective management
Editor Printer & Publisher constitutional or legisla- her lifetime, is down to 2.2, My grandparents had ten, Hindus 42.8 per cent. So, if of Covid, that is, Test, Track, Treat,
R. MOHAN tive rights hasn’t been just above the replacement my parents four, my sis- encouraging contracep- Vaccinate and adhere to Covid
Resident Editor addressed. level of 2.1. In fact, in 25 out ters two each and one. I tion is his intention, it appropriate behaviour. The first
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: have none. We weren’t seems he has the wrong
Chennai: SP 3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600032. Phones: (044) 22254747, The incentives include a of 28 states and six out of three folds are in the hands of the
22254748 three per cent increase in eight Union territories it’s pushed towards a particu- community in mind! government and the adherence to
Coimbatore: 77 Vivekananda Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore 641009. Phone: (0422) 2231255, 2231256 the employer’s contribu- already down to 2.1 or less. lar number. We decided for Before I end, let me men- Covid protocols is in the hands of
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad 500 003. Phone: (040) 27803930-4. Fax: (040) tion to pensions, two addi- In 18 states it’s at 1.8 or ourselves. And so it should tion one other matter. This the people. With respect to vaccina-
27805256. be. Except in critical situa- time it’s a genuine prob-
Bengaluru: 5th Floor, BMTC Commercial Complex, 80 Ft. Road, Koramangala, Bangalore-560095. Ph: tional increments during lower. In Sikkim it’s just tion, the drive is with the govern-
08043460500; Fax: 080-22960551/52/55 the entire service tenure, 1.2. tions, the State has no busi- lem: the sex ratio at birth. ment partly and to be vaccinated is
Visakhapatnam: Survey No. 1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony, subsidies to help purchase So, the next question is: ness to influence this deci- After improving to 909 in with people partly. Step up vacci-
Visakhapatnam - 530 017. Phones: (0891) 2552333/2552334, Fax (0891) 2755285 plots of land or build hous- do we have a specific prob- sion. And as I have just 2013, it’s fallen to 899 in nation is the appropriate solution
Vijayawada: No. C 3 & 4, Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.). Phones: (0866) es, soft loans and rebates lem in Uttar Pradesh, 2018. As Ms Muttreja sums
2555284/ 2555287, Fax (0866) 2555234 in order to improve the gains.
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry 533125. Phones: (0883) 2417208, 2417618 on utilities such as water, Assam and Lakshadweep? up: “Indians want less chil- Crowding of markets and tourism
Anantapur: Thapovan Colony, Bangalore Bye-Pass Road, Anantapur 515004. Phones: (08554) 276903, electricity and house tax. Again, the facts suggest So, if secular facts dren now but want them as spots could be an invitation for a
Fax: 08554-276904 There are also special not. The TFR in don’t justify what sons.” That’s a very differ- possible third wave and gross vio-
Nellore: Survey No. 527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemudugunta Panchayat, Nellore. benefits for the children of Lakshadweep is 1.4 and, ent problem to the one UP, lations of Covid appropriate behav-
Phone: (0861) 2348581/ 82, Telefax (0861) 2348580
parents who only have one according to the National these governments Assam and Lakshadweep iour could cancel the gains.
Karimnagar: Survey No. 1341, Vavilalapally Colony, Jagityala Road, Karimnagar 505 001.
Phone: (0878 ) 2228908; Telefax (0878) 2220433 child. These include free Family Health Survey are proposing, are intending to address. Though it is the responsibility of
Kochi: No. 3-B, 3rd Floor, DD TRADE TOWER, Kaloor-Kadavanthara Road, Ernakulam, healthcare and insurance (NFHS-5), in Assam it’s 1.9. are they, In fact, what they propose the people to follow the Covid pro-
Ph: 0484-4039408 upto the age of 20, free edu- This is well below the could make it worse.
Kozhikode: No 6/1002 E, First Floor City Mall, Opp. YMCA Kannur Road, Kozhikode - 673 001 surreptitiously, tocols, step up vaccination by the
cation upto graduation, replacement level of 2.1. In government is the suitable solution
Fax : 0495 4019018
Thiruvananthapuram: St Joseph Press Thycaud post, Cotton Hills, Thiruvananthapuram-14, Ph: 0471- preferential admission in fact, in these two states, the
targeting a The writer is a to retain the achieved gains.
2735105/6/7, Fax: 0471-4016112 Gram: CHRONICLE Postal registration no: No. H/SD-348/2006-08ss educational institutions, populations are shrinking. particular television commentator V.V. Suresh,
including IIMs and AIIMS, At first Uttar Pradesh community? and anchor Email

“Moths commit suicide in my wine For some viewers in that room, the To them it wasn’t just a game. Yes, played and the teams sing their had gathered in their thousands,
Farrukh — do they mistake its glow for a
flame?
game had turned into a metaphori-
cal political war.
there were skirmishes between
Indian and Pakistani troops in
hearts out as the band plays it. In
every game, in England at least, a
ugly scenes broke out. England fans
began to physically assault Italians
Dhondy Beware Bachchoo — it may be a
sign
Twice Darryl rose from his seat
and using his authority as a respect-
Kashmir. There were real battles
with lives at stake and in those cir-
section of the English fans jeered
and booed when the opposite team’s
as they left the stadium. Italian fans
were attacked on the tube and in
Of who, intoxicated, is truly to cumstances one would expect patri- anthem was played. Yes, gentle read- Trafalgar Square.
Cabbages blame.
ed member of the club asked these
dissenters to pipe down, even saying ots to take sides and express their er, “the beautiful game”! Rashford, who comes from a sub-
& Kings The subtle temptation Saki pours
Has lured the moth who lives on
this wasn’t war or a political contest,
it was a game. For a few moments
extreme antagonisms as nations
have done throughout history. But
The final national disgrace fol-
lowed the defeat of England on
urb of Manchester, became a nation-
al hero when he campaigned for the
wool after he spoke there was silence, but why elevate a game, especially one penalties. Three of the players cho- government to maintain the schools’
And like the moth my thirst endures soon the mood turned as more which is supposedly dedicated to the sen by England’s manager Gareth free-lunch programme for poor chil-
We both drink fatally and full.” Indian wickets began to fall. The ethic of fair play, to the status of Southgate to take these penalties dren through the Covid epidemic.
abusive racket which now burst into mortal armed combat? All may be were Marcus Rashford, Jadon The population of Withington in
— From Limbo Pani by futile abstract threats and even took fair in love and war, but isn’t there Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Rashford gratitude dedicated a wall with a
Bachchoo a nasty religious turn, resumed and something called sportsmanship? shot towards the left of the goal and mural of a portrait of their hero.

Adieu fair play: drowned out the commentary from

the screen. Darryl got up and decid-
Not in Britain and not for what the
British have labelled “the beautiful
hit the goal posts. The other two
tries were fielded by the Italian goal-
Following England’s defeat, the
mural was daubed with abusive

S
ome years ago, my late friend
Darryl D’Monte invited me to ed to leave. I followed. game”. Since last Sunday, when keeper. graffiti. But here’s the redeeming
the Bandra Club in Mumbai Outside the room he said he was England lost the football European All three players are black. news. When word of this defacement

Sportsmanship to watch the telecast of a cru-

cial cricket match between India
and Pakistan. The television room of
going to get the TV set turned off.
One of his fellow board members,
who had walked out with us, advised
Cup final to Italy, the last straw in
nastiness was loaded on to this
camel’s shame-laden back.
They took the brunt of the blame
for the loss of the European Cup. A
Sargasso Sea of racist abuse and
got out, thousands of tributes to
Rashford were posted on and at the
foot of the mural. Flowers, messages,

under threat in the club was packed. As Darryl was

a life and board member of the club,
we were given prime reserved seats.
The match began and India’s wick-
Darryl against any such thing.
There would be a riot. We watched
the rest of the game in Darryl’s flat.
The rowdies in the club were not
The nastiness began when the
players in the European Cup teams
began to “take the knee” before each
game — a gesture which stands for
threats broke over the social media.
I could, gentle reader, have used the
cliché of a storm of abuse — but
storms are just clean wind and
notes of support and regret over-
flowed onto the street below the
wall.
Rashford himself said he could

today’s Britain ets began to fall. The perhaps three-

hundred-strong throng in the club-
room began to yell foul slogans and
filthy epithets against the Pakistanis
— not the individual skilled bow-
lers, not the team that was playing
that day, but the nation of Pakistan.
street or slum “taporis”. They were
prosperous upper-class Indians who
had the pedigree or wherewithal to
be members of the club or their
guests. Such though was the
deviant, misguided pseudo-patrio-
tism of the moment.
their opposition to racism in the
game and in society. Several
England fans in the stands began
their routine “booing” of this anti-
racist stance.
Before each European game, the
national anthem of each team is
water. This was nasty enough for
BoJo, the Prime Minister himself,
intervening to condemn it and
proposing new rules to trace and
ban the trolling racists.
At the stadium in Wembley, and in
other parts of London where fans
take criticism for his footballing
slips which contributed to England’s
last-minute, narrow defeat, but
never for who he was and where he
came from.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria
mori.
 NATION
DECCAN CHRONICLE | CHENNAI | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021
IN
ED attaches
BRIEF
Deshmukh’s assets
Mumbai: The Enforcement
Directorate on Friday
attached assets worth nearly
`4 crore of former Maharas-
htra home minister Anil
Deshmukh in a money laun-
dering case. The ED had
booked Deshmukh after for-
mer Mumbai police commis-
sioner Param Bir Singh lev-
elled corruption charges
against him, alleging the lat-
ter had given cops a target
to collect at least `100 crore
in bribes each month.
Deshmukh had rejected
the charges. He has skipped
at least three summons sent
by ED for questioning.
Trainer aircraft
crashes in Jalgaon
Mumbai: One occupant was
killed and another was injur-
ed as a small trainer aircraft
crashed on Friday afternoon
in the Jalgaon district of
north Maharashtra, a senior
police official said. Earlier,
another official had said that
it was a helicopter, but as
per the updated information
given by district superinten-
dent of police Pravin Mund-
he, it was a trainer aircraft.
The incident took place near
Wardi village in the district’s
Chopda area which is part of
the Satpura mountain ranges
around 4.30 pm.
10 bodies found
after well collapse
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY | DC
BHOPAL, JULY 16
At least ten people were killed
and three more feared trapped
under the rubble as the wall of
a well in a Madhya Pradesh
village caved in late on
Thursday evening.
Bodies of ten people have
been retrieved till the last
reports came at 9.45 pm on
Friday.
The toll may mount further
since chances of people buried
under the rubble of the wall of
the well for the last 26 hours
appear remote, police said.
Take proactive steps against third wave: PM
FROM PAGE 1
Emphasising on the need to
prevent crowds from gather-
ing at public places, the
Prime Minister said there is
a need to be aware, alert and
strict in this regard.
To highlight the possible
dangers of another wave of
the pandemic, he noted that
positive cases have been on
the rise in Europe and the
US with a fast pace, and a
similar worrying trend is
being witnessed in countries
to the east of India like
WORLD
TAKES
SHORT
EVACUATIONS START
AS WILDFIRE IN
OREGON EXPANDS
Portland (US): Firefighters
scrambled on Friday to control
a raging inferno in southeast-
ern Oregon that’s spreading
miles a day in windy condi-
tions, one of numerous confla-
grations across the US West
that are straining resources.
Authorities ordered a new
round of evacuations on Thur-
sday amid worries the Bootleg
Fire, which has already destr-
oyed 21 homes, could merge
with another blaze that also
grew explosively amid dry and
blustery conditions.
POPE REIMPOSES
RESTRICTIONS
ON LATIN MASS
Rome: Pope Francis cracked
down on Friday on the spread
of the old Latin Mass, revers-
ing one of Pope Benedict XVI’s
signature decisions in a major
challenge to traditionalist
Catholics who immediately
decried it as an attack on them
and the ancient liturgy.
Francis reimposed restric-
tions on celebrating the Latin
Mass that Benedict relaxed in
2007, and went further to limit
its use. The pontiff said he was
taking action because Ben-
edict’s reform had become a
source of division in the chu-
rch and been exploited by Cat-
holics opposed to the Second
Vatican Council, the 1960s
meetings that modernised the
church and its liturgy.
Right to life paramount, says Photojournalist
Siddiqui killed
SC, issues ultimatum to UP in Afghan war
Court says we can’t allow UP to hold 100 per cent physical Kanwar Yatra
FROM PAGE 1
the heart of the funda-
mental right to life. The
health of citizenry of
India and right to life is
paramount, all other senti-
ments whether be reli-
gious is subservient to
this basic fundamental
right… One thing is clear,
we cannot allow the Uttar
Pradesh government to
hold 100 per cent physical
Kanwar Yatra in view of
Covid. We are all citizens
of India. This suo motu
case is taken as Article 21
applies to all of us. It is to
safeguard all of us”.
Assuring that the con-
cerns expressed by the
court would be conveyed
to the authorities in
Lucknow, senior lawyer
C.S. Vaidyanathan,
appearing for Uttar
Pradesh government, said,
“Total ban is not practical.
We have allowed the
Kanwar Yatra in a symbol-
ic manner, with limited
number of devotees under
stringent conditions.”
“We are planning to
allow only a few number of
people. State Disaster
Management Authority
(SDMA) deliberated upon
this and stated that for
compelling religious rea-
sons if someone wants to
undertake the Kanwar
Yatra, they should seek
permission and they
should have negative RT-
PCR test and be fully vac-
cinated,” Mr
Vaidyanathan told the
court.
Saying that the state gov-
ernment thinks a total ban
will be “inappropriate”,
Mr Vaidyanathan said the
SDMA thought to conduct
it in a symbolic manner
with an option to be given
to 'Kanwariyas' to get to
spots where Ganga Jal will
be made available through
tankers.”
Solicitor-general Tushar
Mehta, appearing for the
Union government, told
the court that as far as the
Bangladesh, Indonesia, needs.
Thailand and Myanmar. Recently, the Union govern-
“This is a warning and big ment released an emergency
alert to the world and to us. Covid-19 response package
We have to keep reminding of more than Rs 23,000 crore,
people that the coronavirus Mr Modi pointed out.
has not gone,” Mr Modi said, Noting that out of 332 PSA
reiterating his concern oxygen plants allocated to
about scenes of crowds at states represented in the
many places across the meeting, 53 plants have been
country. commissioned, he asked the
He said funds are being chief ministers to expedite
made available to all states the completion of the plants.
for making available new He made special mention of
intensive care unit (ICU) the need to protect children
beds, increasing testing from being infected and
capacity and for all other make all possible arrange-
Afghanistan fights Over 126 dead in Europe floods
to control border
Over 2,000 massed near its gate on Pak side
Kandahar, July 16:
Afghan forces clashed on
Friday with Taliban fight-
ers in an operation to
retake a key border cross-
ing with Pakistan, as the
insurgents tightened their
grip in the north and bat-
tled for the stronghold of
an infamous warlord.
The fighting at Spin
Boldak follows weeks of
intensifying clashes
across Afghanistan, with
the Taliban capitalising
on the last stages of the
US troop withdrawal to
launch a series of light-
ning offensives, overrun-
ning districts at a stagger-
ing rate.
The group have also
taken other vital border
crossings in the north and
west.
A senior official on the
Pakistan side of the fron-
tier said heavy fighting
could still be heard late
Friday afternoon, and
noted the Taliban's white
flags remained flying over
the crossing.
Following fierce skir-
mishes overnight, dozens
of wounded Taliban fight-
ers were brought across
the border and were being
treated at a Pakistan hos-
pital, an correspondent at
the scene reported.
“We have suffered one
death and dozens of our
Shopkeepers selling flowers wait for customers at K.R. Market after some ease in
restrictions in Bengaluru on Friday.
Kanwar Yatra is con- government, however, said
cerned, state governments that considering age-old
“must not” permit the customs and religious sen-
movement of 'Kanwariyas' timents attached with this
for bringing Ganga Jal pilgrimage, states must
from Haridwar for develop a system to make
“Abhishekam” at Lord “Ganga Jal” available
Shiva temples in their through tankers at desig-
respective localities. nated locations.
Having favoured the The top court, after
stalling of the physical perusing the affidavit of
movement of UP government which
'Kanwariyas’, the Union explained how the symbol-
ments in this regard.
The Prime Minister high-
lighted the expert view that
if cases keep on rising for a
long time, then chances of
mutation of the coronavirus
will also increase and dan-
gers of new variants will
also rise.
He asked the chief minis-
ters to focus on districts
with large numbers of cases.
Mr Modi had on Tuesday
interacted with chief minis-
ters of eight North-Eastern
states, another region of
concern, through video con-
‘Hasty withdrawal’ put
Afghan at risk: Russia
Moscow, July 16: Russia news agencies.
on Friday blamed the “In light of the hasty
“hasty withdrawal” of US withdrawal of the US and
and Nato troops for a Nato troops, there is huge
rapid deterioration in uncertainty around the
Afghanistan’s security future of the political and
and warned of instability military situation in this
spreading to neighbour- country,” he said at a con-
ing countries.
Taliban insurgents in
Afghanistan have capi-
ference in the Uzbek capi-
tal Tashkent.
Russia hosted Taliban
talised on the last stages
of the withdrawal of for-
representatives in Mos-
cow last week, where the
eign troops to launch
offensives, capturing a
insurgent group claimed
to have control over some
swath of districts and bor- 85 percent of Afghanistan.
der crossings, and encir- Moscow is closely watch-
cling provincial capitals. ing the Taliban's advance
“In recent days we have and concerned about the
unfortunately seen a potential for instability
rapid deterioration of the reaching neighbouring
situation in Afghanistan,” Central Asian countries of
Russian Foreign Minister the former Soviet Union
Sergei Lavrov said in com- where Russia maintains
ments carried by Russian military bases.
fighters have got injured,” der.
Mullah Muhammad Reuters news agency
Hassan, who identified said one of its photogra-
himself as a Taliban phers had been killed in
insurgent, said near Friday’s Spin Boldak
Chaman in Pakistan, fighting, citing an Afghan
about five kilometres army commander.
(three miles) from the bor- —AFP
— PTI
ic Kanwar Yatra will take
place in the state, noted
that it has pointed out to
Mr Vaidyanathan that
given the Covid pandemic
and the fear that looms
over all the citizens of
India of a third wave of
the pandemic whether the
authorities would be in a
position to reconsider
holding or the allowing,
for compelling religious
ferencing, and had said the
vaccination drive needs to
be continuously ramped
up to deal with the pandem-
ic.
He had also said that it is a
matter of concern that big
crowds are thronging hill
stations and market areas
without masks and social
distancing.
Home Minister Amit Shah
shared Covid figures of
these states in the meeting
in which the health secre-
tary also spoke.
— PTI
Schuld, Germany, July
16: The death toll from
devastating floods in
Europe soared to at least
126 on Friday, most in
western Germany where
emergency responders
were frantically
searching for missing peo-
ple.
Unsuspecting residents
were caught completely
off guard by the torrent
dubbed the “flood of
death” by Germany's top-
selling daily Bild.
Streets and houses were
submerged by water in
some areas, while cars
were left overturned on
soaked streets after flood
waters passed. Some dis-
tricts were completely cut
EU PREDICTS COVID SPIKE BY AUGUST
Stockholm, July 16: The
EU’s disease agency said
Friday it was predicting a
sharp increase in coron-
avirus cases, with nearly
five times as many new
infections by August 1.
The expected rise in
cases was linked to the
highly-transmissible
Delta variant, first identi-
fied in India, along with
the relaxing of measures
in European countries.
In its coverage area —
which includes the
European Union, Norway
and Iceland — the
European Centre for
Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC) expected
to see 420 cases per
1,00,000 inhabitants for
the week ending on
35 JAWANS TEST
+VE IN POLICE
TRAINING SCHOOL
IN CHHATTISGARH
RABINDRA NATH
CHOUDHURY | DC
RAIPUR, JULY 16
As many as 35 jawans have
tested positive for
Coronavirus at the police
training
Rajnandgaon
school at
in
Chhattisgarh, sending the
local administration in a
tizzy.
Rajnandgaon district
collector Taran Prakash
Sinha declared the entire
area as containment zone
as soon as the report was
received.
He has also ordered con-
tact tracing of these
jawans. The jawans who
have tested positive for
Coronavirus hailed from
the districts of Sukma,
Kondagaon and
Kabirdham.
Around 650 jawans from
various parts of
Chhattisgarh have report-
ed to the police training
school for training.
They were tested for
Covid as part of the stan-
dard operating procedures
(SOPs).
Of them, 35 jawans have
tested positive. Other
jawans have been kept
under medical supervi-
sion, Sinha said.
reasons, of this yatra in
physical form at all.
It noted in its order that
Mr Vaidyanathan
responded positively to
the court’s suggestion and
asked for time to come out
with an additional affi-
davit by July 19, to apprise
this Court as to whether
there can be a reconsidera-
tion of holding the physi-
cal Kanwar Yatra at all.
PUNJAB CONG. CRISIS: SIDHU MEETS SONIA
DC CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, JULY 16
The Congress high com-
mand on Friday sum-
moned the disgruntled
legislator Navjot Singh
Sidhu to Delhi. The sum-
mon comes after Punjab
Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh
expressed his displeasure
over rumours indicating
that Sidhu is likely to be
appointed the state unit
chief. Captain Amarinder
Singh also shot off a let-
ter to the Congress
off from the outside world.
“Everything was under
water within 15 minutes,”
Agron Berischa, a 21-year-
old decorator from Bad
Neuenahr in Rhineland-
Palatinate state, said.
“Our flat, our office, our
neighbours’ houses,
everywhere was under
water.” Residents were
shocked by the damage as
floodwaters continued to
rise overnight.
“We rushed home and
found ourselves waist-
deep in water. And
overnight another 50 cen-
timetres were added,” said
Christoph Buecken in
Eschweiler in North
Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
Adding to the devasta-
August 1, up from just
under 90 last week, it said
in a weekly report.
By the week after, the
number of new cases is
expected to rise above 620
per 1,00,000 inhabitants.
“The current continuing
deterioration of the epi-
demiological situation in
many countries is expect-
ed to continue given the
rapid increase in the
Delta variant,” the ECDC
said in the report.
Hospitalisations and
deaths are also expected,
although at a slower pace,
according to the ECDC,
thanks to the rollout of
vaccination campaigns.
Currently, hospitalisa-
tions remain stable in
most countries but the
FROM PAGE 1
Forces, the elite fighters
are on various frontlines
across the country. I
tagged along with these
young men for some mis-
sions,” his tweet read.
“Deeply disturbed by
the sad news of the
killing of a friend, Danish
Siddiqui in Kandahar last
night. The Indian
Journalist & winner of
Pulitzer Prize was embed-
ded with Afghan security
forces. I met him two
weeks ago before his
departure to Kabul.
Condolences to his family
& Reuters,” the Afghan
Ambassador tweeted.
This comes even as a
verbal spat broke out
between Pakistan and the
Afghan Government
which had alleged that
the Pakistan Air Force
was providing air-support
to the Taliban which has
been engaged in fierce
fighting against the
Afghan security forces.
Islamabad denied the alle-
gations.
Afghan Vice-president
Amrullah Saleh tweeted,
“Pakistan air force has
issued official warning to
the Afghan Army and Air
Force that any move to
dislodge the Taliban
from Spin Boldak area
will be faced and repelled
by the Pakistan Air
Force. Pak air force is
now providing close air
support to Taliban in cer-
t a i n
areas. ... Afghan aircraft
as far as 10 kilometers
from Spin Boldak are
warned to back off or
face air to air missiles.
Afghanistan is too big to
be swallowed.”
On the Pakistani
denial, the Afghan Vice-
president further said,
“For over twenty years
Pakistan denied the exis-
tence of Quetta Shura or
presence of Talib terror-
ist leaders in its soil.
Those familiar with this
pattern, Afghan or for-
President Sonia Gandhi
clearly stating that
Sidhu’s appointment as
state unit chief will cause
problems for the party in
the upcoming elections.
He added that the pro-
posed appointment if it
happens will lead to deep
fissures in the state unit.
The trouble in Punjab
Congress has been brew-
ing for two months now.
The meeting between
Sonia Gandhi and Sidhu
was also attended by Ra-
hul Gandhi and Incharge
of Punjab Harish Rawat.
tion, several more people
were feared dead in a land-
slide in northern
Germany on Friday trig-
gered by floods.
Hundreds were unac-
counted for in the country,
while the death toll in
Belgium jumped to 23 with
more than 21,000 people
left without electricity in
one region.
Luxembourg and the
Netherlands were also
hammered by heavy rains,
inundating many areas
and forcing thousands to
be evacuated in the city of
Maastricht.
In Germany's hard-hit
Ahrweiler district in
Rhineland-Palatinate, sev-
eral houses collapsed com-
number of deaths associ-
ated with Covid-19 is
expected to exceed 10 per
1,000,000 inhabitants
again, compared with 6.8
last week, the agency
noted.
The ECDC said it was
forecasting increasing
cases in 20 countries and
increased deaths in nine:
Cyprus, Greece, Lithu-
ania, Luxembourg, Malta,
the Netherlands, Portu-
gal, Slovenia and Spain.
“In the most affected
countries, the steepest
increases and highest
notification rates were
reported among 15 to 24-
year-olds, with limited
increases in persons aged
over 65 years,” the ECDC
said in a statement.
pg 7
THREE UAVs SEEN
FLYING OVER
SENSITIVE AREAS
IN JAMMU, SAMBA
DC CORRESPONDENT
SRINAGAR, JULY 16
A fresh security alert has
been issued in Jammu
region
Unmanned
after three
Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs) or drones
were seen flying over the
strategically vulnerable
Jammu and Samba
districts on Thursday
night.
The police sources in
Jammu said that locals
reported spotting these
UAVs, some of these with
blinks of light, flying
over several areas of the
twin districts bordering
Pakistan. Some of the
residents made videos of
the flying objects and
reported the matter to the
security forces including
the Army.
The sources said that as
the flying of aerial devic-
es were reported from, at
least, five places in Jam-
mu and Samba, the ‘Qui-
ck Reaction Teams’ of va-
rious security forces we-
re issued a fresh alert, as-
king them to shoot down
any such object if seen fl-
ying over any military ar-
ea or installation or any
other sensitive location.
Officials said the Indian
Army, BSF and other Cen-
tral security forces and
J&K police have already
been on high alert.
eign, know exactly that
issuing a statement of
denial is just a pre-writ-
ten paragraph.”
Meanwhile, the
Pakistan Foreign Office
said it “rejects the
Allegations Made by
the Afghan Vice
President”.
Both Captain Amarinder
Singh and Sidhu have
met senior leaders of the
party. Insiders claim that
a formula is being worked
on that will satisfy all sec-
tions of Punjab Congress.
Several leaders and leg-
islators from Punjab have
spoken against the idea of
Sidhu as the state unit
chief. They claim that
both Captain Amarinder
Singh and Sidhu are both
Jat Sikhs, if Sidhu is
named state unit chief,
both the top leaders will
be Jat Sikhs.
pletely, drawing compar-
isons to the aftermath of a
tsunami.
At least 24 people were
confirmed dead in
Euskirchen, one of the
worst-affected towns just
to the north.
“I fear that we will only
see the full extent of the
disaster in the coming
days,” Chancellor Angela
Merkel said late Thursday
from Washington, where
she met with President
Joe Biden.
“My empathy and my
heart go out to all of those
who in this catastrophe
lost their loved ones, or
who are still worrying
about the fate of people
still missing.” — AFP
PIO NANDA IS
U.S. LABOUR
DEPT. SOLICITOR
Washington, July 16:
The US Senate has con-
firmed Indian-American
civil rights lawyer Seema
Nanda as the solicitor for
the Department of
Labour.
A former CEO of the
Democratic National
Committee who also
served in the Department
of Labour during the
Obama Administration,
Ms Nanda, 48, was con-
firmed by the Senate with
53-46 votes on Wednesday.
Congressional Asian
Pacific American Caucus
chair Judy Chu applaud-
ed the Senate vote.
 GAMES
DECCAN CHRONICLE | CHENNAI | SATURDAY | 17 JULY 2021
pg 8

INDIAN SAMURAI
WORLD | T20
SHORT TAKES
Pragg, Adhiban
& Nihal advance
India, Pakistan
Sochi (Russia): Indian
Grandmasters R
Praggnanandhaa, B Adhiban
and Nihal Sarin sailed into the
third round of the men’s event
Swordswoman Bhavani blazes her way to Tokyo
NEHA SURANA I DC
CHENNAI, JULY 16
in same group
Dubai, July 16: Arch- Eight teams will contest
in the FIDE chess World Cup rivals India and Pakistan the first round including
here on Friday. The 15-year-old By achieving a rare were on Friday placed in automatic qualifiers Sri
Praggnanandha won the second Olympic qualification, CA the same group for the T20 Lanka and Bangladesh
game of the two-game mini Bhavani Devi has become World Cup as the ICC with the remaining six
match against the experienced the face of fencing in announced the pools for its who booked their spot
Armenian Gabriel Sargissian to India. From a school stu- flagship event, set to be through the ICC men’s T20
wrap up a 2-0 win. He will face dent who picked up the KNOW BHAVANI DEVI played in the UAE and World Cup Qualifier 2019.
Michal Krasenkow of Poland sword by chance to mak- Oman from October 17 to Ireland, Netherlands and
Age: 27 Namibia join Sri Lanka in
next. Adhiban got past Neuris ing it to the world’s grand- November 14.
Delgado Ramirez of Paraguay est sporting stage, the Fencing weapon: Sabre India and Pakistan are Group A, while Oman,
by a 2-0 margin. After having Chennai girl has come a World ranking: 42 placed in Group 2 along PNG and Scotland will face
romped to victory in 22 moves long way, pursuing a niche Coaches: Sagar Lagu (national) with World Test Bangladesh in Group B.
in the first game, the Indian GM sport. and Nicola Zanotti (personal). Championship winners The tournament was
had to fight hard before win- Bhavani’s entry into the New Zealand and originally scheduled to be
ning the second game in 58 Olympics is a shot in the Notable performances Afghanistan. held in India but was
moves. Nihal Sarin quelled the arm for Indian fencing. ■ Won a Satellite event in The Group 1 has defend- moved out of the country
challenge of Sanan Sjugirov 1.5- Ever since she booked a Reykjavik (Iceland) in 2016-17. ing champions West Indies, due to an expected third
0.5 to book a spot in the third Tokyo berth, the interest ■ Finished second in a Satellite former winners England, wave of the coronavirus.
round. P. Iniyan crashed out has been growing and event in Ghent (Belgium) in Australia and South “There are some great
after losing to Russian Evgeny more people are now 2019-20. Africa. match ups offered by the
Tomashevsky 0-2. — PTI aware of her exploits. ■ Reached Round of 16 in 2019 The Groups of Super 12s groups and it starts to
“It’s going to be a very World Championship in have been selected on the bring the event to life for
special day when I walk Hungary. basis of team rankings as our fans as our first multi-
Crivellaro extends into the hall for my first
round. I think this is going
of 20 March 2021, accord-
ing to the International
team event since the onset
of the global pandemic
stay at Chennaiyin to be the first time that
most of the Indians will account of herself in the
Cricket Council.
Two teams will join each
draws closer,” ICC acting
chief executive Geoff
Chennai: Attacking midfielder
Rafael Crivellaro on Friday
watch the sport. I just 2019 World Championship
want to give my best per- held at Budapest,
KNOW YOUR SPORT — FENCING of the groups from the
qualifying rounds.
Allardice said in a release.
— PTI
extended his stay at two-time formance in front of Hungary, by reaching the HISTORY Individual Sabre (Men/Women)
ISL winners Chennaiyin FC on a them,” said Bhavani round of 16. She had ● Fencing began the move from a form of
multi-year contract. The 32-year
old Brazilian, who captained
recently. defeated a Tunisian and a
Winning a medal would Canadian before going
military training to a sport in either the
14th or 15th century. Both Italy and
Team Foil (Men/Women)
Team Epée (Men/Women)
Team Sabre (Men/Women)
TENNIS PLAYER SUMIT
CFC in 2020-21, was ruled out be a tall order for Bhavani down to the eventual Germany lay claim to its origins, with
for almost half the season after
suffering an ankle injury during
— ranked 42 — in a world- bronze medallist Bianca
class field studded with Pascu of Romania.
German fencing masters organising the
first guilds in the 15th century, the most
notable being the Marxbruder of
● Individual events in foil and épée are
contested over three periods of three
minutes (or until time runs out), with the
MAKES CUT FOR TOKYO
a game against ATK Mohun big names of sabre fenc- Ably supported by the New Delhi, July 16: Yuki Bhambri, with his
Bagan. “I’m very happy to con- ing from Europe. government’s Target Frankfurt, formed in 1478. winner being either the first to reach 15 Indian tennis player Sumit protected ranking of 127,
tinue with Chennaiyin FC. Ever “For all the athletes, Olympic Podium Scheme ● Fencing has been featured in every points or whomever has the most points Nagal on Friday made the made the cut.
since I joined the club, I’ve had their dream is to win a (TOPS) and well-funded by modern Olympic Games since 1896, after the three rounds are complete. In the cut for the men’s singles However, since he recent-
a special bond with the fans, medal in the Olympics GoSports Foundation, known as the Games of the I Olympiad, case of a tie, the match goes to sudden- event of the Tokyo ly underwent a procedure
the city and the staff. I love games and to stand on the Bhavani competed in an starting with the individual men’s foil and death overtime. In sabre, two periods are Olympics as large-scale on his right knee in the US,
sabre. held with a break taking place when the
Chennai. For me, it always felt podium. My dream is no array of tournaments first fencer reaches eight points. withdrawals pushed him he has made himself
like home,” he said. “Last sea- different. I am just across Europe to TECHNIQUE inside the qualification unavailable.
son, injury kept me away, and waiting for the achieve her ● Team tournaments involve three mark. The All India Tennis The stringent protocols
● Fencing’s appeal lies in the tactical members (and one reserve member)
now I can't wait to get back match day and want Olympic qualifica- exchange of two athletes with precise Association (AITA) under which the Games
with the team and give it every- to give it my all.” tion. competing in a round-robin format with promptly paired him with are being held and the fear
movements and fast-changing duels. The each athlete on each team fencing one
thing on the field,” the Brazilian Fencing originated “I didn’t know if athletes’ splendid swordplay at close Rohan Bopanna for the of contracting the coron-
another one at a time. This means a total
said on his return for a third and then flourished it was okay or not distances are a thrilling highlight of any of nine sets of three-minute rounds are men’s doubles competition avirus has pushed many to
straight season. in Europe but the to participate in all match. Dynamic bouts of focused fencers held (each to a maximum of five points), by withdrawing Divij withdraw, forcing the
Asians and the competitions as I in the darkened atmosphere fill the venue with one team declared the winner after Sharan’s nomination. authorities to keep lower-
Americans, too, have didn’t want to miss with intense action and athleticism. scoring a total of 45 points or having the The International Tennis ing the cut-off mark.
Regd. No. TNENG/2010/35692 made significant out on anything. ● In fencing there are three different highest score after nine rounds finish. Federation (ITF) communi- Prajnesh Gunneswaran
strides in the 6 DAYS TO GO So, I tried my best events: foil, épée, and sabre. Weapons, TRIVIA cated to the AITA that was ranked 148 on June 14
Printed & Published by K. Sudhakar on Olympic sport and went to all target area and priority rules differ among Nagal was eligible for and it remains to be seen if
behalf of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited which offers a clutch of the competitions,” said those events. One of the main differences ● There are three fencing events: foil, men’s singles, hours before he also makes the cut.
and Printed at Deccan Chronicle Presses medals. In India, it’s still Bhavani, who is coached is the target area. epee and sabre. Do they all use the same the deadline for entries Since the ITF is giving pri-
situated at SP 3, Developed Plot, equipment and mask?
Industrial Estate, at its infancy. by Sports Authority of expires. Nagal was ranked ority to singles players for
Guindy, Chennai - 600 032. “It is still a developing India’s Sagar Lagu and No. The weapon and mask used are 144 on June 14, when ATP filling up the men’s dou-
RNI Registration No: TN ENG/2005/14987 EVENTS different for each event and therefore
Ph Nos: 22254747, 22254748, 22254750, sport in India. For us to Italian Nicola Zanotti. rankings were to be consid- bles draw, AITA sniffed a
22254751 reach that level, we have Bhavani will compete in Individual Foil (Men/Women) cannot be shared among different event. ered for direct entries. chance to get a spot by
Editor: KAUSHIK MITTER to work harder,” she said. the sabre category on July Individual Epée (Men/Women) (Source: Olympics.com) Till Thursday, the cut-off fielding Nagal with
Bhavani gave a good 26. was in the range of 130 as Bopanna. — PTI