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RN-1127/57 TECH/GH – 103/2018-2020, VOL. 82, NO. 217 GUWAHATI, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

82 years of service to the nation

www.assamtribune.com Pages 12 Price: 6.00

p2 p9Desiltation of BondajanBeel resumes

p6 People rush to get tested forCovid-19 in Jorhat

Protests, clashes overBeirut blast

R DUTTA CHOUDHURY

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: TheGovernment of India is planningto complete the peace talks withmilitant groups of Nagaland bySeptember this year and thenext round of talks between theCentre’s interlocutor RN Raviand leaders of the National So-cialist Council of Nagalim (I-M)is scheduled to be held in NewDelhi next week. Senior lead-ers of the militant outfit are al-ready in New Delhi and Ravi,who is the Governor of Naga-

Centre planning to complete Naga peace talks by SeptCOVID spike

NEW DELHI, Aug 9:With a highest single-dayspike of 64,399 cases,India’s COVID-19 tallywent past 21 lakh today,while death toll climbed to43,379 with 861 morefatalities. The number ofrecoveries neared 15 lakhwith record 53,879 morepeople recuperating in thepast 24 hours. – PTI

Fire mishapAMARAVATI, Aug 9: As

many as 10 patients diedat a star hotel converted toa coronavirus treatmentcentre here today whenpanic-stricken inmatestried to flee a fire likely tohave been caused by ashort circuit, officials said,adding 32 people havebeen rescued. – PTI

Flood sceneGUWAHATI, Aug 9: The

flood situation in the Stateremained unchanged inthe past 24 hours even asthe number of affectedpeople increased to 8,456.The situation is likely todeteriorate as the Metoffice has forecast heavyrainfall in the next 72hours. – Staff Reporter

Cong chiefNEW DELHI, Aug 9:

The Congress today saidSonia Gandhi will continueas interim president tillsuch time a “properprocedure” is in place toelect a party chief. SoniaGandhi’s tenure as interimchief comes to an end onAugust 10. – PTI

RajapaksaCOLOMBO, Aug 9:

Mahinda Rajapaksa wastoday sworn in as SriLanka’s Prime Minister ata centuries-old Buddhisttemple after his party wona landslide victory inparliamentary electionsthat allowed the influentialfamily to consolidatepower for the next fiveyears. – PTI

nnnnn Also see page 2

Sushant probeMUMBAI, Aug 9: The

Enforcement Directorate(ED) questioned ShowikChakraborty, brother ofactor Rhea Chakraborty, forabout 18 hours inconnection with a moneylaundering case linked tothe death of actor SushantSingh Rajput, officials saidon Sunday. – PTI

PM launches Rs 1 lakh crAgri-Infra Fund

lllll Creation of post-harvest infrastructurelllll Generation of jobs

land, is scheduled to reach onTuesday.

Highly placed sources in the

Government of India told The As-

sam Tribune that the talks are in

the final stage and outbreak of COV-

ID-19 pandemic delayed the proc-

ess. The Government is of the view

that the talks should not drag on

any longer and the process should

be completed by September.

Sources said that the process of

talks with the Naga National Polit-

ical Groups (NNPG), an umbrella

body of seven militant groups, is

complete. But some minor issues

are yet to be settled with the

NSCN (I-M). “Most of the major

issues have been settled with the

NSCN (I-M) and drafting of the

formal agreement may take some

time. The Government has re-

fused to accept the demand of the

NSCN (I-M) to give separate flag

and Constitution. But at the same

time, the Government has made

it clear that those issues can be

discussed further peacefully even

after the signing of the agreement,”

sources added.

On the decision to hold the next

round of talks in New Delhi, sourc-

es said that in recent times, NSCN

(I-M) general secretary Th Muiv-

ah has not been keeping good

health and it is difficult for him to

come out of camp Hebron, which

is the headquarter of the outfit, fre-

quently for talks. Muivah is now in

Delhi for treatment and that is

why, the decision was taken to hold

the next round of talks in the na-

tional capital. Other senior lead-

ers of the outfit have been sent to

Delhi last week as they have to

follow the COVID protocol of quar-

antine after inter-state travel.

Replying to a question on wheth-

er it would be possible to sign the

agreement before the Independ-

ence Day, sources admitted that it

might be difficult to do so though the

Government is keen on completing

the process as soon as possible.

Some formalities have to be com-

pleted and the agreement will have

to be drafted meticulously. This may

take some time, sources added.

Sources said that there would

be only one accord with all the

Naga militant groups. Before the

signing of the agreement, the out-

fits would have to submit detailed

list of cadres so that proper reha-

bilitation package can be drafted.

Moreover, the outfits would have

to submit inventory of weapons at

their disposal to pave the way for

surrender of weapons before the

signing of the formal agreement.

Government of India sources

further said that as the talks dragged

on for a long time since 1997, some

“vested interest circles have de-

veloped and they want to maintain

status quo for their own benefit.

Such groups are desperate to de-

lay the process, but the Govern-

ment is determined to complete

the process by September.”

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: As-

serting that the govern-

ment’s agri-reforms are fo-

cussed on empowering small

farmers, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on Sunday

launched a financing facility of

Rs 1 lakh crore under the

Agri-Infra Fund that will help

create post-harvest infra-

structure in villages and gen-

erate jobs.

He also said the country

does not face problems in farm

production but in post-harvest

losses, and therefore efforts

are being made to strength-

en post-harvest infrastructure

facilities and ensure better

income for farmers.

Legal hurdles are being

removed and major push for

agri-reforms are being given

to encourage investment in

rural India for creating post-

harvest linkages, he added.

Modi launched the Agricul-

ture Infrastructure Fund

through a video conference on

the auspicious occasion of ‘Bal-

ram Jayanti’, a day when farm-

ers worship plough. Agricul-

ture Minister Narendra Singh

Tomar and farmers from some

states also participated in the

video conference.

“On this auspicious occa-

sion, a special fund of Rs 1

lakh crore has been launched

to create agriculture-related

infrastructure facilities in the

country. This will help in cre-

ating better storage facilities

and modern cold storage

chains in villages. Many em-

ployment opportunities will

get created in villages,” Modi

said after the launch.

The Prime Minister reit-

erated that India has a huge

opportunity to invest in post-

harvest management solu-

tions like warehousing, cold

chain and food processing,

and build a global presence

in areas such as organic and

fortified foods.

He also mentioned that this

scheme provides a good op-

portunity for startups in ag-

riculture to avail the benefits

and scale their operations,

thereby creating an ecosys-

tem that reaches farmers in

every corner of the country.

Under the Agri-Infra Fund,

about Rs 1 lakh crore will be

sanctioned under the financ-

ing facility in partnership

with multiple lending insti-

tutions as loans to PACS,

farmer groups, Farmer Pro-

ducer Organisations (FPOs),

agri-entrepreneurs, startups

and agri-tech players. – PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: In a

major push to promote the

domestic defence industry,

Defence Minister Rajnath

Singh on Sunday announced

restrictions on import of 101

weapons and military plat-

forms including light combat

helicopters, transport aircraft,

conventional submarines and

cruise missiles by 2024.

Making the announcement

on Twitter, the Defence Min-

ister estimated that the do-

mestic defence industry would

receive contracts worth al-

most Rs four lakh crore with-

in the next five to seven years

as a result of the decision to

prune the import list.

Singh said the Defence

Ministry is now ready for a

“big push” to boost indige-

nous defence manufacturing

in tune with Prime Minister

Narendra Modi’s call for ‘At-

manirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Re-

liant India).

According to officials, the

list of 101 items includes

towed artillery guns, short

range surface to air missiles,

cruise missiles, offshore pa-

trol vessels, electronic war-

fare systems, next generation

missile vessels, floating dock,

anti-submarine rocket launch-

ers and short range maritime

reconnaissance aircraft.

The list also includes basic

trainer aircraft, lightweight

rocket launchers, multi-bar-

rel rocket launchers, missile

destroyers, sonar systems

for ships, rockets, ASTRA-

MK I beyond visual range air-

to-air missiles, light machine

guns and artillery ammuni-

India restricts importof 101 defence items

Major push to promote domestic defence industry

CM orders landsurvey to detectencroachments

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9:

Chief Minister Sarbananda

Sonowal today asked the

revenue and disaster man-

agement department to

conduct a detailed survey

on the government land

across the State to map al-

leged encroachments.

This direction was given

in a meeting that Sonowal

held in his official residence

here today which was at-

tended among others by

Chief Secretary Kumar

Sanjay Krishna.

The deputy commission-

ers of all the 33 districts will

be asked to carry out an ex-

haustive survey to figure

out government lands that

are under encroachment.

They will submit the report

to the government based

on which the department

will initiate next course of

action.

tion (155 mm) and ship-borne

medium range guns.

Singh’s announcement

came a week after a draft

defence procurement policy

of the Defence Ministry pro-

jected a turnover of Rs 1.75

lakh crore (USD 25 billion)

in defence manufacturing by

2025.

India is one of the most lu-

crative markets for global

defence giants. The country

figured among the top three

importers of military hard-

ware in the world for the last

eight years. According to es-

timates, the Indian armed

forces are projected to spend

around USD 130 billion in

capital procurement in the

next five years.

SEE PAGE 3

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The State Health

Department will provide oximeters to

COVID-19 patients opting for home isola-

tion in Guwahati city.

“From tomorrow, we will provide pa-

tient preferring to stay in home isolation a

pulse oximeter and first-line supportive

medicine completely free in Guwahati city.

We have also activated the tele-medicine

service for them through 104,” Health Min-

ister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The facilities are likely to be extended to

other places as well. There are around 580

COVID-19 patients who have opted for

home isolation in the city till date.

The number is increasing by around 50

everyday. Only asymptomatic patients are

being allowed home isolation. Sarma further

said COVID-19 cases in Guwahati have

shown a decreasing trend in the last few days.

“Positivity rate has come down from 18

per cent (on July 25) to 4.5 per cent as on

Saturday. The number of positive cases per

day is also slowing down. We need to main-

tain this trend for a few more weeks,” he

Govt to provide oximeter forpatients in home isolation

Facility in Guwahati initiallysaid. Yesterday, the city recorded 299 COV-

ID-19 positive cases, the lowest in last six

days. The number of COVID-19

cases now stands at 57,714,

while the total number of dis-

charged patients is

40,591.

Meanwhile, in Assam 396 cured patients

have registered for plasma donation.

“After initial screening at GMCH lab,

more than 267 willing people were called

for donation out of which 124 were able to

donate so far in Guwahati. In other govern-

ment medical colleges, 15 have donated their

plasma,” officials said.

Meanwhile, till Saturday, 2,205 Assam

Police personnel have tested positive for the

virus and 1,659 have recovered. Six police

personnel have succumbed to their infection.

RITURAJ BORTHAKUR

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The biorefin-

ery at Numaligarh, which will produce

ethanol and other platform chemicals

using bamboo as feedstock, is likely to

commence commercial production

from 2022.

Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL),

Finland’s Chempolis Ltd and Finnish

energy company Fortum 3 BV had es-

tablished a joint venture Assam Bio

Refinery Private Limited (ABRPL) in

2018 for building and operating the bi-

orefinery.

Chempolis has granted a non-exclusive

and non-transferable technology licence

to ABRPL to use Chempolis’ technology

‘Formicobio’ for the purpose of construct-

ing and operating the biorefinery.

The construction activities started

Biorefinery likely to start production in 2022Bamboo to be sourced directly from farmers

from December 2018 after getting all

formal clearances from statutory bodies.

“The construction activity at the site

was stopped during lockdown from

March 25 to April 20. Construction at

the site has again started since April 21

following all necessary guidelines by the

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the

State authorities. Currently, around 450

workers are engaged at the construction

site and all necessary arrangements are

being done to bring project back to its

schedule,” an official source said.

The project will utilise 300,000 tonnes

of dry bamboo annually and shall pro-

duce 49,000 tonnes of ethanol along with

other chemicals – acetic acid, furfural

and combustible residue in the form of

bio-coal and stillages. The bio-coal and

other residue of the plant will be used

as fuel to produce sufficient steam and

electricity required for the plant.

The project cost is estimated at Rs

1,750 crore. The project has received sanc-

tion of Rs 150 crore from the Central gov-

ernment under viability gap funding.

Draft EIA 2020 notification opposedby organisations, individuals

SIVASISH THAKUR

GUWAHATI, Aug 9:

Strongly criticising the EIA

2020 draft notification, a

number of organisations and

individuals, including envi-

ronmental activists, of the

State and the Northeast have

submitted their suggestions

before the Union Ministry of

Environment, Forest and

Climate Change.

The protesting bodies and

individuals point out that the

notification by weakening the

environmental protection

laws, legitimising violations,

and compromising on public

hearings, would push to the

brink the region’s last sur-

viving forests and their bio-

diversity.

They have also vehemently

opposed the exemption of a list

of projects under the ambit of

the EIA, including projects la-

belled as ‘strategic’ by the gov-

ernment and linear projects

such as roads and pipelines in

border areas falling within a

100-km aerial distance from

the Line of Actual Control with

bordering countries, effective-

ly covering much of the North-

east. Stating that the notifica-

tion severely weakens various

guidelines, restrictions and

safeguards which legally exist

for the wilderness and local

people, Kaziranga Wildlife So-

ciety, the oldest NGO of the

region, said that it was in stark

contrast to the scope and spirit

of Section 3 of the Environ-

mental Protections Act

(1986) itself.

“While there has been

some streamlining with re-

spect to the categorisation of

projects, the public consulta-

tion step which is an impor-

tant democratic process ensur-

ing the welfare of stakehold-

ers, has been severely under-

mined in the project areas.

There are other such exemp-

tions given for industries and

relaxation of restrictions that

we feel would dilute legal safe-

guards against destructive de-

velopment,” KWS said in its

memo to MoEFCC.

Stating that the draft noti-

fication by according post fac-

to clearance of violations

would trigger a spurt in high-

ly-damaging industries and

infrastructure development

projects in forest areas, KWS

secretary Mubina Akhtar

said the draft notification fun-

damentally defeats the pur-

pose of environmental clear-

ance (EC) and related proc-

esses which include public

hearing and makes the entire

process of EC redundant.

SEE PAGE 3 SEE PAGE 3

A worker prepares the Tricolor ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, in New Delhi on Sunday. – PTI

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TOKYO, Aug 9: The Japa-nese city of Nagasaki hasmarked its 75th anniversary ofthe US atomic bombing, withthe mayor and dwindling sur-vivors urging world leadersincluding their own to do morefor a nuclear weapons ban.

At 11:02 am, the momentthe B-29 bomber Bockscardropped a 4.5-tonne (10,000-pound) plutonium bombdubbed “Fat Man”, Nagasakisurvivors and other partici-pants stood in a minute of si-lence to honour more than70,000 dead.

The August 9, 1945, bomb-ing came three days after theUnited States dropped itsfirst atomic bomb on Hiro-

Nagasaki urges nuke ban75th anniversary of US A-bombing Sunday's ceremony was

scaled down because of a risein coronavirus cases in Japan.

Nagasaki Mayor TomihisaTaue read a peace declarationin which he raised concernabout a growing global opin-ion supportive of nuclear de-terrence. Taue also urged Ja-pan's government and law-makers to quickly sign theTreaty on the Prohibition ofNuclear Weapons, saying thethreat of nuclear arms is grow-ing more than ever.

Japan has not signed the trea-ty, saying it seeks a role tobridge gaps between nuclear-and non-nuclear states so theyhave a common ground for di-alogue. – AP

shima, the world’s first-evernuclear attack that killed140,000. On August 15, Ja-

pan surrendered, endingWorld War-II.

Many survivors developed

cancer or other illnesses dueto their exposure to radiationand suffered discrimination.

BEIRUT, Aug 9: Public fury over thisweek’s massive explosion in Beirut took anew turn on Saturday night as protestersstormed government institutions and clashedfor hours with security forces, who respond-ed with heavy volleys of tear gas and rubberbullets.

One police officer was killed and dozens ofpeople hurt in the confrontations, which playedout in streets that were wrecked from Tues-day’s blast at the port that devastated much ofthe city and killed nearly 160 people. Dozenswere still missing and nearly 6,000 peopleinjured.

The disaster has taken popular anger to anew level in a country already reeling from anunprecedented economic and financial crisisand near bankruptcy.

Activists who called for the protest set upsymbolic nooses at Beirut’s Martyrs’ Squareto hang politicians whose corruption and neg-ligence they blame for the explosion.

The blast was fueled by thousands oftonnes of ammonium nitrate that had beenimproperly stored at the port for more thansix years. Apparently set off by a fire, theexplosion was by far the biggest in Leba-non’s troubled history and caused an esti-mated $10 billion to 15 billion in damage,according to Beirut’s Governor.

It also damaged 6,200 buildings and left hun-

Protests, clashes over Beirut blast

BEIRUT, Aug 9: Lebanon’sInformation Minister re-signed on Sunday as the coun-try grapples with the after-math of the devastating blastthat ripped through the capi-tal and raised public anger tonew levels.

The resignation comes aspublic anger is mountingagainst the ruling elite,blamed for the chronic mis-management and corruptionthat is believed to be behindthe explosion in a Beirut Portwarehouse.

Hundreds of tonnes of high-ly explosive material wasstored in the waterfronthangar, and a blast sent ashock wave that killed at least160 people, wounded nearly6,000 and defaced the coast-line of Beirut – destroyinghundreds of buildings.

BEIRUT, Aug 9: Hospitalsand schools, then shattered andbent water pipes, then the cra-ter that once was Lebanon'sport.

The rebuilding needs of Leb-anon are immense, but so is thequestion of how to ensure themillions of dollars promised ininternational aid is not divert-ed in a country notorious formissing money, invisible infra-structure projects and its re-fusal to open the books.

And the port – the epicentreof the explosion that shatteredBeirut, the centre of Lebanon’simport-based economy, and asource of graft so lucrative thatLebanon’s political factions werewilling to divide its control so

Beirut blast bares pitfalls of sending aid to Lebanon

everyone could get a piece – sitsat the heart of the fears.

Sunday's donor teleconfer-ence is hosted by French Pres-ident Emmanuel Macron, whowas mobbed last week by tear-ful victims of the Beirut am-

monium nitrate explosion beg-ging him to ensure the corrup-tion they blame for the blastthat devastated the capital doesnot profit from its destruction.

International diplomacy usu-ally calls for careful language.

Rigged votes are “irregular”.The response to furious pro-

tests should be “measured”.Disappearing funds require“transparency”.

But Macron's response tothe crowd, and later in a speechin Beirut, was unusually blunt:The aid “will not fall into cor-rupt hands” and Lebanon’s dis-credited government mustchange. Germany, Lebanon'ssecond-biggest bilateral donor,made similar demands.

“That’s precisely what theLebanese people have rightlydemanded: individual interestsand old lines of conflict must beovercome and the welfare ofthe entire population must beput first,” German Foreign

Ministry stated.In the short-term, the aid

streaming into Lebanon ispurely for humanitarian emer-gencies and relatively easy tomonitor. France, Britain, Can-ada and Australia, among oth-ers, have been clear that it isgoing directly to UN agenciesor the Lebanese Red Cross.

But actual rebuilding re-quires massive imports of sup-plies and equipment. The con-tracts and subcontracts thathave given Lebanon’s rulingelite its wealth and power, leftthe country with crumblingroads, regular electricity cuts,trash that piles on the streetsand intermittent water sup-plies. – AP

dreds of thousands of people homeless.“Resignation or hang,” read a banner held

by protesters, who also planned to hold a sym-bolic funeral for the dead. Some nooses werealso set up along the bridges outside the port.

Khodr Ghadir, 23, said the noose was foreveryone who has been in power for the last30 years. “What happened was a spark forpeople to return to the streets.” A placardlisted the names of the dead, printed over aphoto of the blast's enormous pink mushroomcloud. “We are here for you,” it read.

Dozens of protesters stormed the build-ings of government ministries and the head-quarters of the banking association, turningtheir rage to state and financial institutions.

Earlier Saturday, the protesters entered theempty buildings of the Foreign Ministry, de-claring it a headquarters of their movement.Others then fanned out to enter the economyand energy ministries, some walking awaywith documents claiming they will reveal theextent of corruption that permeates the gov-ernment. Some also entered the environmentministry.

Many protesters said they now had onlytheir homes and even those are no longersafe. They blamed the government’s ineffi-ciency and political division for the countryills, including the recent disaster that hit al-most every home. – AP

Lebanon InformationMinister resigns

Manal Abdel-Samad said inher resignation letter thatchange remained “elusive”and she regrets failing to ful-fill the aspirations of the Leb-anese people.

“Given the magnitude ofthe catastrophe caused by theBeirut earthquake that shookthe nation and hurt our heartsand minds, and in respect forthe martyrs, and the pains ofthe wounded, missing and dis-placed, and in response to thepublic will for change, I resignfrom the government,” shewrote.

The disaster fueled angrydemonstrations on Saturdaywhere protesters set up gal-lows and nooses in centralBeirut and held mock hang-ing sessions of cut-out card-board images of top Lebaneseofficials. – AP

COLOMBO, Aug 9: Sri Lanka’sformer President Mahinda Rajapak-sa was sworn in on Sunday as thecountry's new Prime Minister at ahistoric Buddhist temple, days afterhis party won a landslide victory inthe General Election.

The 74-year-old Sri Lanka People’sParty (SLPP) leader was adminis-tered the oath of office for the ninthParliament by his younger brotherand President Gotabaya Rajapaksa atthe sacred Rajamaha Viharaya in Ke-laniya, a north Colombo suburb.

Mahinda Rajapaksa completed 50years of parliamentary politics in July

Rajapaksa takes oath as Sri Lankan PMthis year. He was elected as a Mem-ber of Parliament at the young age of24 in 1970. He has since been elect-ed President twice and has been ap-pointed Prime Minister thrice.

The SLPP, led by Mahinda Ra-japaksa, registered a landslide victo-ry in the August 5 general election,securing two-thirds majority in Par-liament needed to amend the Con-stitution to further consolidate thepowerful Rajapaksa family’s grip onpower.

Mahinda Rajapaksa polled over500,000 individual preference votes– the highest-ever recorded by a can-

didate in the history of elections.The SLPP won in 145 constituen-

cies, bagging a total of 150 seats withits allies, a two-thirds majority in the225-member Parliament.

The Cabinet ministers, state anddeputy ministers are expected to besworn in on Monday.

The Rajapaksa family – includingSLPP founder and its National Or-ganiser 69-year-old Basil Rajapaksa,who is the younger brother of Gota-baya Rajapaksa, 71, and Mahinda Ra-japaksa – has dominated Sri Lankanpolitics for two decades.

Mahinda Rajapaksa previously

served as the President for nearly adecade from 2005 to 2015.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa hadwon the November presidential elec-tion on the SLPP ticket.

In the parliamentary election, hewas seeking 150 seats mandatory toexecute constitutional changes, in-cluding to repeal the 19th Amend-ment to the Constitution which hadcurbed the presidential powers whilestrengthening the role of Parliament.

Activists, already alarmed by the di-minishing space for dissent and criticismin the island nation, fear such a movecould lead to authoritarianism. – PTI

LOS ANGELES, Aug 9:Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonassays she is counting herblessings in quarantine as sherealises that she is in a “goodspot” compared to so many

Quarantine time has been a blessing: Priyankapeople around the world.

The Baywatch star, who iscurrently in Los Angeles withher husband, singer Nick Jonas,said she is “doing ok”.

“I have to say, I feel veryblessed to be in such a good spotcompared to so many people inthe world. We’re healthy, friendsand family are healthy, and I’vehad time to really be creative.So I have to say this has been ablessing,” Priyanka toldEntertainment Tonight.

Helping one another duringthe ongoing coronaviruspandemic is the need of thehour, she added.

“What’s important right now

is to do something, and anyonecan do something. The point is,the world is breaking,everywhere in the world. Soeven if you do a little bit, it goesreally far.

“Food shelters, donations,sponsoring education... all ofthose things are important. Ithink everyone needs to bethinking of that individually andtogether.”

The 38-year-old actor saidthe world is facing an “insane,intense” time, but the crisis isan opportunity for people toshow their humanity.

“It’s almost been six, sevenmonths, we’re in August

already, and that’s crazy. Youlook back and see how adversityhas affected so many parts ofthe world and so many peoplein the world who had to dealwith poverty, hunger, more thaneven COVID,” she said.

“It’s an insane, intense timebut this is the time to show ourhumanity I feel. This is the timefor humanity to come together,and in 10 years, we’ll look backat this time and really questionand wonder, who reacted andhow. This is a testament towhat the human spirit can do. Ithink it’s really great to steerin the direction of helping andpositivity,” she added. – PTI

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 3

NATIONAL

Wife Sushma Sathe and younger son Dhananjay Sathe paying tribute to the mortal remainsof Captain Deepak Sathe in Mumbai on Sunday. Sathe died in the Air India Express flightcrash after it overshot the runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport recently. – PTI

People queuing up near a COVID-19 mobile testing facility at Jafarguda near Karwan in the oldcity of Hyderabad on Sunday. – PTI

India records over 64,000 casesin one day, tally now at 21,53,011

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: India,

the third worst COVID-hit

country globally, recorded a

single-day spike of 64,399

coronavirus cases, pushing its

total tally to 21,53,011.

Out of the total 21,53,011

cases, 6,28,747 are active cas-

es, 14,80,884 have recovered

from the deadly virus, while

43,379 people have died.

A total of 53,879 persons

recovered and were dis-

charged in the last 24 hours,

while 861 others lost their

lives while battling the virus

in just one day.

The Government has car-

ried out tests on 7,19,364 sam-

ples in the last 24 hours to

check the infection. The cumu-

lative total samples tested up

to August 8 are 2,41,06,535.

So far, total operational lab-

oratories reporting to the In-

dian Council of Medical Re-

search are 1,402. There are

940 government laboratories

and 462 private laboratories.

Out of the total 1,402 labo-

ratories, real-time RT-PCR

for COVID-19 is being carried

out in 713 laboratories.

Maharashtra remained the

worst-hit State in India with

the total number of cases

climbing to 4,90,262. Howev-

er, the good news is that in the

last 24 hours, the active cases

went down by 723 and a total

of 10,906 people recovered

from the virus in the State.

Following Maharashtra is

Tamil Nadu which has a total

of 2,85,025 cases. However,

the State reported 727 less

cases in the last one day, while

6,488 people recovered from

the virus. The State has re-

corded 4,690 deaths so far, in-

cluding 119 which occurred in

the last 24 hours.

Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra

Pradesh and Telangana record-

ed their highest single-day

spikes of 2,618, 2565, 2,488

cases and 1,151 cases respec-

tively. On the global front, a

total of 19,571,989 have been

infected with the deadly virus,

while the deaths have climbed

to 725,914 with 162,422 in the

United States alone.

The United States and Bra-

zil remained the worst-hit na-

tions with a total tally of

49,97,705 and 30,12,412 cases

respectively. Brazil has record-

ed 100,477 deaths so far. – IANS

MUMBAI, Aug 9: The

mortal remains of Captain

Deepak Sathe, who was pilot-

in-command of the ill-fated Air

India Express plane that

crashed in Kerala, were

brought here in a flight on Sun-

day afternoon.

The funeral of Sathe (58),

who was a resident of subur-

ban Chandivali in Mumbai, will

take place on Tuesday, a sen-

ior Air India official said.

One of two sons of the

Sathes will reach India from

the USA on Monday night, he

said.

The mortal remains were

kept at the Air India facility near

Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati

Shivaji International Airport

here for some time before

being taken to the Bhabha hos-

pital this afternoon.

Sathe’s wife, Sushma, and

one of their sons accompanied

the body.

Pilots, crew of Air India and

ground staff paid tribute to the

late captain at the airport.

The flight from Dubai with

190 people on board, includ-

ing a six-member crew, over-

shot the tabletop runway on

Friday night while landing at

the Kozhikode airport in heavy

rain, fell into a valley 35 feet

below and broke into two, kill-

ing 18 people, including both

pilots.

Meanwhile, family mem-

bers of late Sathe based in

Nagpur, have asked the media

to respect their privacy in this

hour of grief.

Captain Sathe’s father, Brig-

adier Vasant Sathe (retired),

and his wife live in Nagpur.

A close relative on Sunday

said the entire Sathe family

stands together in this hour of

grief.

“In the present situation,

we are not interested in re-

plying to any queries. Accord-

ingly, do not force us to re-

spond,” reads a message sent

by a family member when

asked about the schedule of the

funeral. – PTI

Mortal remains of Captain Sathereach Mumbai; funeral on Aug 11

12 Naxalssurrender

RAIPUR, Aug 9: Twelve

Naxals, five of them collec-

tively carrying a reward of

Rs 6 lakh on their heads, sur-

rendered in Chhattisgarh’s

Dantewada district on Sun-

day, the police said.

The cadres turned them-

selves in before the police

and CRPF officials in Dante-

wada town, saying that they

were impressed by the re-

habilitation campaign being

run by the local police and

disappointed with the hollow

Maoist ideology, Dantewada

Superintendent of Police Ab-

hishek Pallava said.

Dantewada MLA Devti

Karma was also present on

the occasion, he said.

Of these ultras, Chanduram

Sethiya, who was active as a

member of Platoon No. 26 of

Maoists, was allegedly in-

volved in three Naxal attacks,

including in Bhusaras-Chinga-

varm in 2008, wherein 23

policemen and two civilians

were killed. – PTI

11 membersof Pak migrant

family found deadJAIPUR, Aug 9: Eleven

members of a family that had

migrated from Pakistan were

found dead on Sunday morn-

ing at a farmhouse in Lodta

Achlawata village in Dechu

Police Station area in Jodh-

pur district, officials said.

Police officials said that the

incident came to light when

they received information

around 10 am from the villag-

ers. “While 11 persons were

found dead, one was alive.

However, he was clueless

about the incident. He

claimed that he was sleeping

outside and did not know

what had happened. He said

when he went inside his

house, he saw bodies of his

family members and shout-

ed for help,” the police said.

District Superintendent of

Police (Jodhpur Rural) Rahul

Baruth and other officers

were at the site and investi-

gating. – IANS

Death toll in Kerala districtlandslide rises to 28

KOCHI, Aug 9: The death

toll in the massive landslide

that destroyed a row of 20

houses of tea estate workers

in the high-range Idukki dis-

trict of Kerala, rose to 28 on

Sunday with two more bod-

ies being retrieved from the

debris.

“Three days after the set-

tlements were swept away

by devastating landslides at

Pettimudi near Rajamala, au-

thorities have now decided

to take help of sniffer dogs to

trace the persons buried un-

der the debris,” officials said.

According to the Govern-

ment, 78 people were stay-

ing at the spot where the

tragedy occurred.

While 12 were rescued, 28

bodies were found. Officials

said efforts were on to find

the rest. The picturesque

landscape of Pettimudi was

flattened into a rough patch

of boulders and mud with

parts of asbestos and tin

sheets seen scattered

around.

The incident is said to have

occurred in the wee hours of

Friday when a huge mound

of earth fell on the “row of

houses” and two children and

five women were among the

deceased, most of whom

were plantation workers

from neighbouring Tamil

Nadu. NDRF chief in charge

of the south Indian State,

Rekha Nambiar is leading the

55-member team which is

entrusted with the search

and rescue mission.

Meanwhile, the India Me-

teorological Department

(IMD) has issued a red alert

for Idukki, Malappuram and

Wayanad districts today.

Incessant rains, landslides

and opening of shutters of

dams across rivers have

caused a rise in the water

level of rivers and streams

in central Kerala.

Normal life of people liv-

ing in low-lying areas of Ko-

ttayam and Alappuzha has

been affected with flood wa-

ters entering their homes.

Low-lying areas in Kot-

tayam and Alappuzha dis-

tricts are heavily impacted

due to flooding. Hundreds of

families have been shifted to

relief camps from low-lying

areas including Kumarakom

and Kuttanad regions of Ko-

ttayam and Alappuzha dis-

tricts, they said.

A car with a man was

washed away in floodwaters

at Manarcad area in Kot-

tayam district in the wee

hours of Sunday. The NDRF

team has launched a rescue

operation for the missing

person identified as Justin, a

native of Angamaly. – PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 9:

Delhi’s own school educa-

tion board is expected to be

operational by next year.

However, unlike other

States, it will not be imposed

on government schools, ac-

cording to Deputy Chief

Minister Manish Sisodia.

Giving details of plans for

setting up the State education

board, Sisodia said the board

would be in sync with the re-

forms proposed in the new

National Education Policy

(NEP) and the focus would be

on continuous evaluation and

not year-end exams.

“We have recently set up two

committees for working on the

proposed board as well as cur-

riculum reforms. An ideal situ-

ation would be that we make it

operational by next year. Ini-

tially, around 40 schools will be

affiliated to the board, which

could be either government or

private,” Sisodia told this news

agency in an interview.

“What happens in other

State boards is that the private

schools are free to make their

choice whether they want to

opt for CBSE, ICSE or State

board, while government

schools follow the State board.

We will have no imposition. It

will be optional for both gov-

ernment and private schools.

We want to make the board so

enriching and useful that there

is demand for it,” he added.

The Delhi Government

had last month constituted two

committees to prepare the

scheme and framework for the

formation of the education

board and curriculum reforms.

The AAP dispensation had

announced the plan to set up a

separate board of education for

the national capital in its annu-

al budget in March.

Sisodia, who is also Delhi’s

Education Minister, said his

Government is studying the

recently announced new edu-

cation policy in detail.

“We are studying the policy

in detail. We have already been

working on some of the re-

forms proposed in it. There

are a few anomalies, but there

are a few good things too. I

have told the two committees

that our board will be in sync

with the NEP because as a

nation we are together, but the

focus will not be on evaluating

students once a year and en-

couraging rote learning in the

process,” he said.

Asked about teaching in the

mother tongue or regional lan-

guage as proposed by the NEP,

Sisodia said, “I totally agree

that the medium of instruction

should be the home language

in the initial years so that the

foundation is strong but I be-

lieve it should be limited to

foundation years or pre-prima-

ry stage. Taking it up to Class

V is not a good idea.” – PTI

Delhi’s education board to beoperational by next year: Sisodia

Man’s wallet lost in local trainfound by cops after 14 years

MUMBAI, Aug 9: A

man, who lost his wallet

containing Rs 900 in a local

train here in 2006, was in

for a pleasant surprise

when the police informed

him that they have found it

after 14 years.

Hemant Padalkar had lost

his wallet while travelling in

a Chhatrapati Shivaji

Maharaj Terminus-Panvel

local train in 2006, a Gov-

ernment Railway Police (GRP)

official said today. In April this

year, he received a call from

the GRP, Vashi, informing that

his wallet was found. However,

he could not then go to collect

his wallet due to the lockdown.

After easing of restrictions,

Padalkar, a resident of Panvel in

neighbouring Navi Mumbai

township, recently went to the

GRP office at Vashi where he

was given part of the money

that was in the wallet.

“My wallet at that time

contained Rs 900, including

a Rs 500 note which was later

demonetised (in 2016). The

Vashi GRP returned Rs 300

to me. They deducted Rs

100 for stamp paper work

and said the remaining Rs

500 would be returned after

exchanging the scrapped cur-

rency note with a new one,”

Padalkar told PTI.

MLA bookedfor tweeting

tampered imageof Modi

INDORE, Aug 9: A case was

registered against Madhya

Pradesh Congress working

president and MLA Jitu Patwari

for allegedly posting a doctored

image of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, which the rul-

ing BJP claimed hurt the digni-

ty of the PM as well as reli-

gious sentiments of Hindus.

In the image uploaded by

Patwari, Modi is seen wear-

ing a mask and holding a bowl

during the Ram Temple bhoo-

mi pujan ceremony in Ayod-

hya on August 5.

Accompanying the image

was a tweet in Hindi which

said, “The country’s economy,

business and income, declin-

ing economic status of farm-

ers, jobs and unemployment,

decline of economy, labourers

and their struggle. These are

not subjects of television de-

bate. Because (we) will walk

with the bowl.”

Chhatripura Police Station

in-charge Pawan Singhal said

Patwari was booked under

Sections 188 (disobedience to

order duly promulgated by

public servant) and 464 (mak-

ing false electronic record) of

the IPC on the complaint of

city BJP president Gaurav

Randive.

Singhal said, at first glance, it

seems the image uploaded on

Patwari’s Twitter handle was a

“tampered” one, adding that

Section 188 of the IPC was in-

voked as the district adminis-

tration had already banned pro-

vocative social media posts.

Indore Lok Sabha member

Shankar Lalwani and local lead-

ers expressed displeasure on

Patwari’s tweet and gave a

memorandum and complaint to

Deputy Inspector General of

Police Harinarayanachari

Mishra. They said Patwari had

“not only hurt the dignity of the

Prime Minister, but also reli-

gious sentiments of Hindus”.

While Patwari, MLA from

Rau, deleted the image later, it

did not stop BJP leaders from

ridiculing him for spelling er-

rors in his Hindi tweet. – PTI

Out of the total 21,53,011cases, 6,28,747 are

active cases, 14,80,884have recovered from the

deadly virus, while 43,379people have died

Biorefinery ...(Contd from page 1)

The sourcing model envis-

ages direct procurement of

bamboo from the growers to

eliminate the risk of exploita-

tion of farmers and growers

by middlemen. Also, a robust

and digitally-enabled bamboo

supply chain is being devel-

oped to ensure transparency,

reliability and efficiency in the

sourcing process.

“ABRPL is in the process of

finalising a long-term bamboo

supply agreement with pro-

spective growers from entire

North East India, which is like-

ly to be announced soon once

plant commissioning and sup-

ply chain process are fine-

tuned,” officials said.

The biorefinery project

aims to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions, reduce crude oil

import dependency and

achieve forex savings, provide

remunerative income to farm-

ers, and create employment

opportunities by way of en-

gagement of the local popula-

tion in the region.

The bamboo sourcing mod-

el envisages development of

several clusters which are rich

in bamboo population and are

in proximity to the project.

A component of the project

is development of more than

50 small-scale chipping units

along with local-level entre-

preneurs for storage and chip-

ping of bamboo before being

supplied to the refinery.

“It is expected to provide

direct employment to some

2,000 people during con-

struction and 150 during op-

erations. Indirect employ-

ment will be generated for

about 50,000 people in bam-

boo plantation and supply

chain,” they added.

(Contd from page 1)

“This is a big step towards

self-reliance in defence. It also

offers a great opportunity to the

Indian defence industry to rise

to the occasion to manufacture

the items in the negative list by

using their own design and de-

velopment capabilities or

adopting the technologies de-

signed and developed by the

DRDO,” Singh said. In anoth-

er relevant step, he said the

Defence Ministry has bifurcat-

ed the capital procurement

budget for 2020-21 between

domestic and foreign capital

procurement routes. – PTI

India restricts import of ...

(Contd from page 1)

“It also means we are le-

gitimising violation and pro-

viding window to get clear-

ance by adding punitive claus-

es, which itself has no mecha-

nism to monitor. We, there-

fore, urge the MoEFCC to

drop this provision in its en-

tirety,” she added.

Pointing out that the ‘gener-

al conditions’ have been re-

moved from the draft notifica-

tion, KWS said several river

valley projects are in eco-

sensitive areas, besides form-

ing part of water catchments

or source in protected areas,

and as such general conditions

should be reapplied in the draft.

On public consultation which

the draft notification exempts

in a number of cases, KWS said

that it must be made mandato-

ry for respective project pro-

ponents to take appropriate

preventive/mitigation meas-

ures and address wildlife/eco-

logical issues. Online public

consultation should also be con-

sidered in case of any pandem-

ic-like situation, it added.

KWS also voiced concern

over the removal of the earlier

provision on the handling of

hazardous waste and demand-

ed its restoration in the draft

EIA 2020 to mitigate the grave

threat pose by hazardous chem-

icals to the environment.

Environmental activist Sur-

jya Kanta Dutta, who has been

campaigning against opencast

mining in the Dehing Patkai

rainforest for four decades, said

that the border area (exemp-

tion from EIA) clause of the

draft notification would ad-

versely affect vast stretches of

pristine forests across the

North Eastern States.

“These forests are very rich

in biodiversity, fauna and flora.

The entire belt of the Patkai

range stretching up to Nam-

dapha National Park in Arunachal

bordering Myanmar is a rain-

forest belt constituting the larg-

est rainforest stretch of the

country. The very existence of

many indigenous tribes of the

North East also depends upon

the evergreen Patkai forests.

These will now be subjected to

wanton destruction,” he said.

Stating that the draft EIA

would legitimise the illegalities

committed by environmental

criminals, Dutta urged the

Government of India to heed

the recommendations of the

various committees and com-

missions, and verdicts of the

law courts before going ahead

with the notification.

“Rampant opencast coal

mining, both legal and illegal,

has already done irreparable

damage to the Dehing Patkai

rainforests. Any weakening of

the environmental laws as has

been sought by the draft EIA

would completely destroy the

remaining forests,” he said.

Draft EIA 2020 ...

4 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

MESSAGE FOR TODAY

Where there is no vision, the people perish....

– THE BIBLE

Remaining openOfficial figures can be deceptive. The daily Covid-19 cas-

es updates, whether global, national or regional, may be

taken as examples. By now it has been established that this

particular coronavirus is highly contagious, but it is not a

killer disease in the sense that, say cholera or plague, had

been in the past. According to medical experts when nor-

mally healthy, relatively young people get infected from it,

they are either mildly affected or remain asymptomatic.

The concern has been with the vulnerable segment of the

population, the elderly or individuals with comorbidity con-

ditions, who account for over 90% of the fatalities caused by

Covid-19. An equal concern has been that mildly infected or

asymptomatic persons might not be under personal threat,

but they remain carriers of the disease and thus can be a

threat to vulnerable segments of society. This had been one

rationale behind the prolonged imposition of lockdown, as

also to keep the numbers of infected people under control

so that our medical system is not overwhelmed. Obviously,

official figures do not reflect these nuances; for instance,

they simply give the numbers who test positive, but do not

differentiate between those who are mildly impacted and

those who require actual medical intervention. Such a lacu-

na, in fact, makes the emphasis on ‘recovery rate’ some-

what meaningless since a majority of infected recover on

their own without much medical intervention.

These and other factors make it essential that the admin-

istration’s response to the news that the Union Health Min-

istry has identified Kamrup (Metro) as being among the

high caseload districts along with 12 others in the country

be a balanced one. No doubt that the State Government

must follow the Union Health Ministry’s advice on the mat-

ter “to follow all Ministry protocols for effective manage-

ment of containment and buffer zones along with seamless

patient and clinical management of patients with special

focus on critical cases,” among other suggestions. But it will

have to resist any temptation to use such an identification to

take the easy way out and stop the easing of lockdown meas-

ures or discontinuing the process of opening up the urban

economy. At the time of writing the infection figures for

Assam is around 56,000, 39,000 recovered with 140 fatali-

ties, which makes for a huge recovery rate and a low death

rate. As for Kamrup (Metro), the figures are just over 16,

000, with around 11, 000 recovered and around 50 deaths,

implying that the death rate is less than 0.4%! These are

not alarming numbers and do not provide any grounds for

fresh imposition of restrictive measures. On the contrary,

the economy must be further opened, and segments which

had suffered losses during the prolonged lockdown offered

incentives, even as stress is laid on wearing of masks, social

distancing and other preventive precautions.

Guwahati water supplyIt is regrettable that the taxpaying public is being taken

for a ride by the authorities concerned through their whim-

sical, unprofessional and anomalous implementation of the

mega water supply project for State capital Guwahati. While

the much-vaunted project developed cold feet for over a

decade before one of its several components could be com-

pleted, the breaking down of the newly-installed machin-

ery of the Satpukhuri water treatment plant run by the

GMC has been giving a harrowing time to the consumers.

Worse, the developments raise legitimate and disturbing

questions over the entire procurement process of machin-

ery worth crores of rupees. That such supposedly state-

of-the-art machinery should develop repeated technical

snags within a few months of installation and commission-

ing is strongly indicative of corruption in procurement.

Several former mayors and other officials of the GMC

have rightly demanded an inquiry into the alleged anom-

alies and the Government would do well to institute a

probe immediately. One may recall that the mega water

supply scheme was sanctioned under JNNURM way back

in 2008 but a poor and unprofessional approach by suc-

cessive governments has resulted in slack progress. The

developments also lay bare the lack of adequate planning

and coordination amongst the various departments, hin-

dering smooth execution of project. While missed dead-

lines have resulted in cost escalation and corrupt practic-

es, the quality of the completed portions too has raised

questions. All this has multiplied the sufferings of the

citizens with 70% of the households not having any ac-

cess to potable supplied water.

Governments come and go but the residents of the cap-

ital city have been compelled to endure the ordeal of acute

scarcity of potable water for years. This is despite the tall

talks of different political parties that have formed govern-

ments over the past two decades. Ahead of the 2016 As-

sembly polls, the BJP had talked big about completing a

much-touted mega water supply project that was started

by the Congress several years back. Now the BJP Gov-

ernment is on the verge of completing its five-year term

with the water supply project nowhere near materializing.

Worse, the existing water supply that used to cover a little

segment of the populace has deteriorated manifold, mak-

ing life miserable for the masses. As for the mega water

supply project, all the citizens have got so far are missed

deadlines, which have also caused cost escalation. Not just

water supply, all tall talks of transforming Guwahati into a

smart city have been ruling the roost for quite some time

now even as many of the basic needs of the citizens have

remained largely unaddressed. To rid the city of its myriad

civic ills, the Government needs to be sensitive to the

legitimate needs of the citizens and devise an innovative

approach. Regrettably, the mounting water woes of the

citizens exemplify how our authorities entrusted with the

upkeep of the health and hygiene of the city are making a

mess of their mandated responsibilities.

large silver brick

marked the symbolic

laying of the founda-

tions of what we are

promised will be a grand temple

to Lord Ram at the spot in Ayod-

hya where the disputed Babri

Masjid once stood. Some will see

it as the culmination of a long bat-

tle to reclaim the site or to protect

it, depending on the point of view.

One side lost, the other won.

There are many who will say that

both sides, and all those in-between

lost; such have been the wages of

using religion to divide the people.

The honours from the winning side

were led on August 5 by the Prime

Minister in Ayodhya. But did this

mark the end of a battle or merely

a milestone, albeit an important

one, in a battle that continues to

rage in the hearts and minds of

many citizens?

“Since man is a moment in as-

tronomic time, a transient guest of

the earth… a composite of body,

character and mind…,” as the his-

torians Will and Ariel Durant

wrote, we must ask not only of the

celebrations or frustrations of to-

day but equally of how the act of

today might stand in the light of a

latter-day assessment. That will of

course depend on who makes that

latter-day assessment, or when it

is made, and that may well depend

on which way India goes from here.

This is significant because the

events of today carry the colour of

a conquest, not the mark of concil-

iation or cooperation. It is not in-

significant (though it may well be a

A

Lettersto the

EDITOR

UPSC civil service exam and Assam’s poor show

Sir, – Out of the 829 UPSC civil

service qualifiers for 2019, there

are only five from Assam. The

AASU and some organizations/

political parties which speak of

regionalism never thought of how

our students be equipped with to

compete with the students of other

States in the all-India services

exams. These organizations instead

of finding fault with every noble

endeavour of the government

should press for large-scale free

coaching centres to make our

students eligible to compete for the

all-India services exams. Their

agitations should be for innovative

and advanced courses in our

universities and colleges so that for

every specialized course of study,

our students need not go outside

the State. Yours etc., SATYADHAR

MATAK, Khanapara, Guwahati.

(II)Sir, – It is a matter of joy that five

candidates from Assam have

cleared the UPSC civil services

examination, 2019. We feel that not

only five, but many more candidates

from Assam should also be capable

of clearing the UPSC civil services

examination. There is no dearth of

coincidence) that August 5, the day

of the shilanyas also marked the

first anniversary of the writing

down of Article 370 in the troubled

State of J&K. There were barri-

cades across J&K and a curfew was

announced a day earlier. In Ayod-

hya, laddus were being distribut-

ed. The imagery was just too stark

to be missed. But what we do tend

to miss in the midst of all this is

that China has crossed the line.

The Prime Minister’s

party can now say they

met the electoral prom-

ise as outlined in the 2019

manifesto: “We reiterate

our stand to explore all

possibilities within the

framework of the Consti-

tution to facilitate the

construction of a Ram

Temple in Ayodhya.”

With the electorate hav-

ing given the BJP a man-

date, and a robust one to

boot for a second time

running, the story had to

be drawn to a close. The

long running serial had to

end. And for the BJP, it’s

all in good time as well.

This function was as close to the

important Assembly elections in

Bihar as it could get. The inaugura-

tion of the temple itself is set for a

time that will be close to the next

national elections.

In the longer term, the dynamic

that the colour of a conquest un-

leashes cannot be easily fathomed.

To understand this, we can look

back to ask how and why is it that

the Indian cultural ethos, the belief

systems, the philosophical base of

the most fundamental of inquiries

into the nature of the universe – all

of this has taken birth, grown root,

flowered, survived, even thrived

through millennia without any hint

of a conquest from the side gener-

ating this mighty body of knowl-

edge? This is the knowledge that

has informed generations on the

path to good living. So, do we now

need militant Hindutva to ‘protect’

what the most violent of invaders

could not destroy? Or will this va-

riety of ‘protection’, mixed with a

generous amount of naked political

self-interest and a lot of prejudice,

be the exact kind of attack that will

undermine this heritage?

It is well said that “no civiliza-

tion anywhere in the world, with

the probable exception of China,

has been as continuous as that of

India. While the civilizations of

Egypt, Babylonia and Assyria have

disappeared, in India the ideas em-

anating from the Vedic times con-

tinue to be a living force.” That

comes from the official Indian Gaz-

etteer recordings on Hinduism,

which also notes: “Receptivity and

all-comprehensiveness, it has been

aptly stated, are the main charac-

teristics of Hinduism. Since it has

no difficulty in bringing diverse

faiths within its ever-widening fold,

it has something to offer to almost

all minds.”

The strength of Hin-

duism, said Monier-Wil-

liams, lies in its “infinite

adaptability to the infi-

nite diversity of human

character and human

tendencies”. He wrote:

“It has its highly spiritu-

al and abstract side suit-

ed to the philosopher, its

practical and concrete

side congenial to the man

of the world; its aesthet-

ic and ceremonial side

attuned to the man of

poetic feeling and imagi-

nation; and its quiescent,

contemplative aspect

that has its appeal for the

man of peace and the

lover of seclusion.” There is peace,

not violence; poetry, not militancy.

That is the way the story has often

been told, and it offers a sense of

pride, and gives cause for celebra-

tion. That is also the secret of long-

haul survival and growth in an ev-

erlasting inquiry into the human

condition.

Who should understand this bet-

ter than the RSS, not only at the

top but across the line with some

of the acclaimed professionals and

high achievers among its ranks –

officially as members or the many

who offer unofficial support from

the outside? A story helps illustrate

this well. This is from the time the

RSS was banned by the PV Nar-

asimha Rao Government after the

violent 1992 demolition of the Babri

Masjid. In Nagpur, in an interview

around those days with this writer,

a functionary of the RSS was com-

pletely unperturbed. He said it did

not matter that the RSS was

banned; the organization could well

take another name and continue

with its work. What he understood

quite correctly was that an organi-

zation is not about outward struc-

tures and forms, which can be

banned, but about the thought that

cannot be banned. It is the thinking

that will continue to exert and gen-

erate its own energy and action.

The question therefore is: what

are we thinking today? How do we

look at the rich heritage of Indian

thought that has enlightened the

path for so many for so long? Will

militant Hindutva, marked as it is

by violence, pushed by power, and

driven as an agenda at the cost of

goodwill and togetherness, make

for a nation that modern day Indi-

ans would want?

Some will say this week, just as

the foundations of a temple have

been set, is probably not the best

time to rake up some troubling

questions. Or maybe it is! And if

we do ask them, the answers might

tell us that August 5 may not be the

greatest day in the history of India.

(The Billion Press)

The exam imbroglio and UGC’s latest reviewmidst the outbreak of the

Covid-19 virus all over

the world, the education-

al institutions have been

kept closed since the middle of March

2020. Due to the shutdown of educa-

tional institutions across India, the

higher educational institutions had to

stop the ongoing process of internal

assessment, regular classes of theo-

ry and practical components, field

studies and project report prepara-

tion, seminar presentation, and the

process of filling up of end-semester

examination forms.

Considering the academic calen-

dar of most of the universities, hold-

ing of all the examinations and the

process of enrolment into new batch-

es of undergraduate and postgradu-

ate courses which were supposed to

be completed within July and subse-

quently start the new academic ses-

sion in August, the loss of an aca-

demic session is appearing eminent

in the existing pandemic situation.

The University Grants Commis-

sion (UGC) has been keeping a con-

stant vigil and issued guidelines to

the universities, colleges and higher

educational institutions from time to

time. The UGC, in its guideline is-

sued on April 29 last, advised that

the final year and terminal semester

examinations be held between July

n Dr Debahari Talukdar

1 and July 15, 2020. But with the pas-

sage of time, the situation got pro-

gressively worse in the middle of

June and a worrying situation is still

prevailing. In this backdrop, the Min-

istry of Human Resource Develop-

ment (MHRD) asked the UGC to

revisit the guideline of April 29, 2020.

On July 6, 2020, the UGC came out

with a set of revised guidelines which

stated that, instead of holding final

year and terminal semester exami-

nation in July, those can be held till

the last day of September 2020 with

the flexibility of holding examinations

either through online, offline or by

the blended model. The guideline of

April 29, 2020 was advisory where-

as the revised guideline of July 6, 2020

has been issued as mandatory for all

the institutions under its purview.

In accordance with the earlier

guideline, some universities and high-

er educational institutions have al-

ready completed the examination

process, some are in the prepara-

tion stage, while a section of univer-

sities and other institutions accepted

the guideline and followed accord-

ingly. On the other hand, the revised

mandate of the UGC has triggered

opposition by some students’ organ-

izations who filed petitions in the apex

court asking for the latter’s interven-

tion in the matter.

Several students’ organizations of

Assam have also strongly opposed

the move of holding the examination

in the existing situation. Citing the

worst situation created by devastat-

ing flood almost in every part of the

State and the continuous rise in the

number of Covid-19 positive cases,

and academic loss suffered by the

students’ community during the

State-wide agitation against the CAA,

the students’ bodies have submitted

memoranda demanding for viable al-

ternatives. The State Government

of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi,

Odisha, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have

also opposed the latest guideline of

the UGC and demanded interven-

tion of the Prime Minister.

Given the ongoing pandemic situ-

ation still worrying throughout the

country, the UGC had mentioned

certain standard operating proce-

dures to be followed in the examina-

tion centres during the entire proc-

ess holding the examinations. The

UGC has strongly emphasized the

safety and security of students’ health

and life and authorized the institu-

tions to add more safety measures

as per the necessity and the demand

of the situation.

As reported by the UGC authori-

ty, 219 out of 946 universities and

higher educational institutions have

already conducted examinations

while 394 are under the process.

There are 35 newly-established in-

stitutions that have not yet reached

the final year or terminal semester

level. Taking cognizance of the oppo-

sition the UGC, sticking to its gun,

reiterated its firm stand on the latest

direction in its report submitted to

the apex court. Now everyone’s eyes

are fixed on how the court proceeds

with the matter.

At this critical juncture, one needs

to be pragmatic rather than being

emotional and too anxious about an

unpredictable situation. Where are

the better alternatives for opposing

the latest guideline for holding the

examination in September in the

colleges and universities in Assam?

If holding the examinations is further

delayed, students will get their de-

grees lately and this will push back

their employment prospects. On the

other hand, if students are awarded

their degrees based on the result of

an earlier year/semester examina-

tion, there lie two negative implica-

tions. One is depriving the meritori-

ous and sincere students of getting a

reasonable probability of more suc-

cess in the final semester examina-

tion, and the other being the nega-

tive tag to be associated with their

degrees which will have an impact

on their professional career in the

future. The stigma of a compromised

assessment might carry a sense of

self-defeating trauma in the minds of

students. After years, these certifi-

cates and grade sheets might be

treated as ‘averaged out’, ‘post Cov-

id-19’, or by any other label while

considering in selection for further

career or employment at home and

abroad.

The venues for undergraduate

examinations centres are still the

matter of prime concern in Assam as

most of the colleges and the part of

universities have been requisitioned

for use as Covid-19 quarantine cen-

tres. If the examinations are to be

held in September, the whole cam-

puses of colleges and universities in-

cluding the classrooms, laboratories,

offices, libraries, hostels, toilets and

washrooms will have to be properly

sanitized well in advance before al-

lowing the students to enter. The

wherewithal for strict maintenance

of standard operating procedures in

the examination centres and at all the

touch points of hostels and other plac-

es of the institutions will have to be

arranged compulsorily. For the move-

ment of the students and the officials

during the examination days, the

UGC has laid down certain instruc-

tions in the guideline.

Above everything all, a synchro-

nized effort of everyone concerned

and a strong preparedness in all fronts

at the examination centres will be

instrumental in making smooth con-

duct of the examinations possible.

A

Articles (within 1000-1100 words) and

Letters to the Editor for publication in

the editorial page may be sent to the

email ID: editor@assamtribune.com.

Ayodhya: The colour of a conquest

We must ask not only of the

celebrations or frustrations of

today but equally of how the act

of today might stand in the light

of a latter-day assessment.

That will of course depend on

who makes that latter-day

assessment, or when it is

made, and that may well

depend on which way India

goes from here.

n Jagdish Rattanani

meritorious students in Assam.

Then, why can’t a good number of

candidates from Assam clear the

UPSC civil services examination? It

is due to the fear factor. In general,

most of the students find the UPSC

civil services examination tough.

So, many meritorious students dare

not to appear for the UPSC civil

services examination. If a candidate

prepares properly and handles the

UPSC civil services examination-

related stress and fear, then the

candidate can easily succeed in the

examination. Unlike the past,

nowadays, there are various facilities

such as good study materials,

coaching, etc., for candidates

appearing for the UPSC civil

services examination. Importantly,

the aspirants for the UPSC civil

services must have a correct study

plan and they must prepare with a

determined mind. Yours etc.,

MAHESWAR DEKA, Rangiya.

(III)Sir, – The announcement of the

UPSC results has shown a gloomy

picture of Assam from which only

five aspirants have cleared the

exam. We should find out the root

causes of such a poor show. The

candidates must have a strong

determination to crack the exam.

They should get a favourable

environment to do so. Financial

support is another requirement.

The libraries across Assam should

provide relevant reading materials

which are not adequate in Assam.

The State Government should

provide quality training for those

who are qualified in the UPSC

preliminary exam. Yours etc.,

ANUP TALUKDAR, Nagarbera,

Kamrup.

School reopeningSir, – The State government is

considering the idea of imparting

education in open place for the

students of Class V to VIII from

September 1. In this hot and humid

weather, will it be possible for the

students to avail education in open

space? The students as well the

teaching staff may get infected with

the Covid-19 virus on their way to

school. Who will be responsible for

any infection among the students and

the school staff? Every day they will

have to test for the virus before

attending class in order to ensure

that they are not spreaders of the

virus. That the reopening of schools

will give the students herd immunity

is a myth. Schools whether informal

or formal should reopen only when

there is no positive case reported at

least for a month. Yours etc.,

ANJAN CHOUDHURY, Pathsala.

Poor road conditionSir, – For the past few years,

the New Amolapatty Road (now

the Swami Vivekananda Road),

Tezpur has been almost impassa-

ble. The road surface is badly

broken up by the heavy rains, and

especially in the night hours, it is

dangerous for the motor vehicles

to ply on the road. This road is the

address for several schools –

government girls’ school, Silver

Jubilee School, Harijan School and

LOKD School. The road also

connects the northern part of

Tezpur to Padum Pukhuri, which

is a popular tourist spot, thereby

making it one of the busiest roads

of Tezpur. It is scandalous that we

should be inconvenienced in this

way for years, and I hope the

public will bring pressure to bear

on those responsible so that the

road may be put in through repair

without further delay. Yours etc.,

KHUSHI PANDEY, Tezpur.

Teachers and tuitionSir, – A couple of years ago, the

Education Department of Assam

prohibited the teachers of the

government schools from

engaging themselves in private

tuition. As everyone knows, there

was a time when these teachers

had to spend their days in penury.

So, they had to engage them-

selves in private tuition in order

to supplement their meagre

income as teachers. But, the

Government has not only ensured

regular payment of salaries to

them, but also considerably raised

their salaries from time to time.

Now, they draw ‘fat’ salaries

every month.

Even now when these teachers

have a pretty decent monthly

income, many are still engaged in

private tutoring. The Government

must have deliberated on the

negative impact of private tutoring

and then concluded that prohibition

on the practice needed to be

imposed. But, why it is mute on this

issue now is beyond anyone’s

understanding. It will always be a

welcome step if these teachers

privately teach the underprivileged

students and those as well who are

unable to follow classroom

teachings. Hope, they would do

their utmost to maintain the dignity

of this noble profession and

contribute to the building of a

society everyone can be proud of.

Yours etc., DIPEN GOGOI, Teok.

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 5

6 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

CITY

Commissioning ofNFR bio-methane

plant soonSTAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Work is going on for setting up a bio-

methane plant at the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Cen-

tral Hospital, Maligaon here, and it is expected to be com-

missioned shortly.

“The plant is being installed with an aim to contribute

towards the Swachh Bharat Mission. It is designed and fab-

ricated based on the technology from the Council of Scientif-

ic & Industrial Research-National Institute for Interdiscipli-

nary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST).

The process of dry digestion will be used in the plant.

Highly active thick microbial culture or sludge in the reactor

tank will be mixed with mechanically ground waste and suf-

ficient retention time will be provided for an efficient bio-

methanation process,” Subhanan Chanda, NFR’s Chief Pub-

lic Relations Officer (CPRO), said.

“The plant will be able to treat all kinds of food waste,

including oil and fat, lemon, onion peel and bones. This elim-

inates the practical difficulty of sorting certain food fractions

from bulk waste,” he said.

The average biogas generation per day will be 9 cubic

metres for 50-kg capacity.

Cong on reorganisationalmode for Assembly polls

PRANJAL BHUYAN

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: With

the next Assembly elections

only months away, the Con-

gress has set in motion a

Statewide exercise to ‘reor-

ganise’ its units at the ground

level.

The party is also working

on formulating a separate

policy document targeting

the youths and another one

on ways to revive Assam’s

economy.

“We have started a proc-

ess of reorganising our units

at the booth level. We have

26,000 booth committees in

Assam and we intend to

complete the exercise by

September 10. Our aim is to

weed out non-performers,

give more representation to

active workers, as well as to

women, youths and stu-

dents,” a senior office-bear-

er of the Assam Pradesh

Congress Committee

(APCC) told this newspaper.

The party is focusing on what

it termed ‘micro-manage-

ment’.

“After all, at the end of the

day, it is the booth-level work-

ers who move among the

masses, disseminating the par-

ty’s plans and policies and en-

couraging the voters to come

to the polling booth. That is

why the revamp is happening

from the grassroots. Barring

the 14 Assembly segments in

the BTAD region, where we

face some organisational weak-

nesses, our foundations are

solid in the rest of Assam.

However, successive elector-

al defeats had some effect on

our workers. With this latest

exercise, we are looking at not

only rallying our workers once

more, but also encouraging the

active ones by giving them

more responsibility,” said the

leader.

In addition, the party is also

making changes at the block

and district levels as well by

changing office-bearers.

“Some non-performing

senior office-bearers at the

block and district commit-

tees have been replaced.

With elections only months

away, there is no room for

complacency,” the senior

leader added.

Meanwhile, the Congress

will bring out a separate doc-

ument highlighting its poli-

cies for the youth segment.

“The BJP came to power on

the back of the support from

youths, but the saffron party

later betrayed them. Youths

of Assam are now looking for

an alternative. We will for-

mulate a separate policy for

that segment of voters. Be-

sides, we are also working

on another such document

which will explain in detail

what we intend to do to re-

vive Assam’s economy if we

manage to capture power at

Dispur in 2021,” said anoth-

er leader of the grand old

party.

The Congress will also un-

dertake agitations on a

number of issues in coming

weeks. “So far we have only

held public protests against

the ‘betrayal’ by the BJP on

the flood and erosion issue.

Now, we will go among the

public to highlight other un-

fulfilled promises of the rul-

ing party, like granting of ST

status to six communities,

growing unemployment and

cuts in Central funds and

schemes,” he added.

Freedom fighter Surendra Nath Kalita during the felicitation ceremony organised by theKamrup Metro district administration on behalf of the office of the President of India, at hisChandan Nagar residence in Guwahati, on Sunday. – UB Photos

Desiltation of Bondajan Beel resumesCITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Desiltation and

cleaning activities have resumed in the

Bondajan Beel here after the works

were hampered due to the lock-

down and floods for a month.

Removal of water hyacinth, gar-

bage and silt was started on June 11

from the Maria’s Public School

bridge point to the outfall in the riv-

er Brahmaputra. During the first

phase of work, the Water Resourc-

es department covered 2.8 km out

of the 3.5 km long water-body.

The Mechanical Division of the

Water Resources department has

been carrying out the desiltation

work for the last three days un-

der a Guwahati Development De-

partment (GDD)-sponsored

scheme.

“Due to flood, we have to restart the

work from the beginning. It will take 15

days more to complete the work. Alto-

gether 32 daily wage labourers have

been engaged and two iron barge-

mounted chain excavators have been de-

ployed for desiltation and cleaning of the

water-body,” said a Water Resources

department (WRD) official on Sunday.

The desiltation and cleaning of

the beel have been carried out under

‘Mission Flood Free Guwahati’ project.

The official further added that the gar-

bage thus generated has been dumped

at a low-lying area near the water-

body�and it will be destroyed later by

using some medicines or by burning it.

The water from the southeastern part

of Guwahati falls into the Silsako Beel

first and then runs into the Brahmapu-

tra through the Bondajan channel.

Guwahati has long been suffering due

to urban floods caused by heavy rainfall

in its catchment areas and this year, too,

the city witnessed waterlogging in many

areas. The government has taken sev-

eral major schemes to mitigate

the disaster caused by artificial

floods in the city.

The Guwahati Development

Department (GDD) has, during

the current year, come up with

six major schemes, including

cleaning and desilting of the

Pamohi channel, Borsala Beel,

Silsaku Beel, Bondajan Beel,

Deepor Beel and the NBCC

drain, to mitigate the intensity

of artificial floods. Moreover, the

State government identified 39

areas of Guwahati vulnerable to

waterlogging.

The areas were identified at

a joint survey conducted by the GMC,

Public Works department, National

Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and

NF Railway, among others. GMC Com-

missioner Devajyoti Hazarika said the

Corporation has started cleaning of the

drains and other construction works as

proposed during the survey.

Freedomfighter

felicitatedSTAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: On

the occasion of the 78th anni-

versary of Quit India Move-

ment, the Kamrup Metro

district administration on

behalf of the President of In-

dia today felicitated veteran

freedom fighter Surendra

Nath Kalita here.

Additional Deputy Com-

missioner Manoj Kumar

Sikaria and Assistant Com-

missioner Hemanta Kumar

Dutta felicitated Kalita at his

residence in Chandan Nagar

area of the city.

Illicit liquordestroyed

CITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The

Maligaon Police Outpost de-

stroyed 150 litres of illicit liq-

uor during a raid at Maligaon

here today.

A police source said the

raid was conducted after get-

ting public complaints re-

garding it. However, no one

was arrested.

Cigarettes,foreign liquor

seizedCITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Con-

ducting a raid, the city police

last night seized a huge

amount of foreign liquor, cig-

arettes and tobacco at Gopal

Nagar in Noonmati here.

Police arrested one Amit

Kalita in this connection and

also seized a vehicle.

Incentive toplasma donorsGUWAHATI, Aug 9: Lions

Club of Gauhati Greater is

looking for persons who can

become plasma donors for

saving the lives of serious

COVID-19 patients, stated a

press release.

It will give a cash incen-

tive of Rs 5,000 and a certifi-

cate to the plasma donors.

Blood donatedCITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Alto-

gether 73 donors donated

blood during a blood donation

camp organised by Helping

Hand Blood Donors, Guwa-

hati, at Maligaon today.

OBITUARY

Joyram SaikiaSTAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Joy-

ram Saikia, a resident of Ajan-

ta Path,

S u r v e y,

B e l t o l a ,

p a s s e d

away at his

residence

in the wee

hours today.

He was 84 and had been

ailing for some time.

Saikia, who had retired as

a Joint Commissioner in the

Assam Transport depart-

ment, also practised at the

bar after retirement.

A man with an amiable dis-

position and helpful nature,

he was loved and respected

by one and all.

He leaves behind his wife

and two sons, besides a host

of relatives.

He was cremated at the

Navagaraha crematorium.

His demise has been widely

mourned. A health worker getting ready to take a COVID-19 patient to a hospital, at Chenikuthi in Guwahati on Sunday. – UB Photos

Online discussionon ecologicalissues held

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The North

East Students’ Forum of JNU on Sat-

urday hosted ‘Northeast Against

Draft EIA 2020’, an online panel dis-

cussion on the Draft Environmental

Impact Assessment (EIA) Notifica-

tion, 2020, ecological issues and its

long-term consequences in the con-

text of the North East region, stated

a press release issued here today.

The discussion included five speak-

ers selected from diverse fields while

Niborna Hazarika, the convenor of

North East Students’ Forum, mod-

erated the event.

The panel introduced and explored

themes of biodiversity protection,

rights of indigenous communities and

the large-scale exploitation of re-

sources in the North East with a spe-

cial focus on Baghjan oil well disaster,

coal mining in the Dehing Patkai for-

est and construction of the Etalin Hy-

droelectric Power Project in the

Dibang Valley, added the release.

It is being widely feared that the

EIA, if implemented, will have a dis-

astrous effect on the North East.

CITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The

All Assam Goriya Moriya

Deshi Jatiya Parishad staged

a protest on the bank of the

Dighalipukhuri on Sunday

demanding arrest of BJP

legislator Shiladitya Dev for

his derogatory remarks on

the literary icon and former

president of Asam Sahitya

Sabha, Syed Abdul Malik.

Criticising Dev, who is an

MLA from Hojai constitu-

ency, for maligning the

image of the late author, the

Parishad members said,

“Shiladitya Dev should be

arrested for damaging the

image of Syed Abdul

Malik.”

The members also

alleged that the legislator

tried to fuel communal

clashes in the State several

times earlier by repeatedly

Stir against Shiladitya’s remarksagainst Syed Abdul Malik

saying hateful statements

against the Muslim

community.

Meanwhile, sources in

the State BJP said Chief

Minister Sarbananda

Sonowal has directed Dev

to tender a public apology.

Meanwhile, an FIR has

been filed today against

Dev at the Jalukbari Police

Outpost for his derogatory

remarks.

Condemning Dev for his

derogatory remarks

against the noted littera-

teur, leader of the

opposition in the Assam

Legislative Assembly,

Debabrata Saikia today

called for legal

action against ruling party

MLA.

Saikia said Dev has

shown his own “moral and

intellectual bankruptcy

and cheap mentality” by

making such kinds of

statement.

Saikia called upon the

Chief Minister to direct

Assam Police to take legal

action against the legislator.

State BJP leader Mu-

minul Aowal has also

condemned Dev’s com-

ments and asked

the legislator to tender a

public apology.

Aowal said Syed Abul

Malik is a highly respected

figure in Assam’s literary

history and warned that

Dev will have to face

serious consequences for

his derogatory utterance.

The Asam Sahitya Sabha

also condemned the

derogatory remarks made

by Dev on Syed Abdul

Malik.

However, Shiladitya Dev

in his Facebook page post

apologised for his comment.

Probe demandedinto scribe death

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The Journalists’ Forum Assam

(JFA), while expressing shock over the mysterious death

of Tinsukia-based scribe Bijendeep Tanti, demanded a high-

level probe into the incident.

Engaged with a private channel (NewsTimeAssam), Bijend-

eep was found dead at his rented office room on Saturday.

He ran a Facebook portal named DinPratidinNortheast.

He leaves behind his wife and two children.

“Bijendeep, 32, was away from his residence for two

days. Family members thought he was staying at his of-

fice, as he used to do so occasionally, but his mobile phone

was switched off. The people nearby his office at Tinsukia

town saw it was closed for two days and a foul smell came

out of it. When the door was opened in presence of the

police, Bijendeep was seen lying with injuries on his neck.

The police started investigation and picked up two indi-

viduals for interrogation,” JFA said in a statement.

“Bijendeep Tanti is the 11th Assam-based media person

we have lost during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown,”

said JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria

while mourning his death.

GMC removes35 cattle fromdumping groundCITY CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: The

Guwahati Municipal

Corporation (GMC) today

lifted 35 cattle from the

Boragaon dumping ground

due to inconvenience

caused in the movement of

GMC waste dumping

vehicles.

A notification of GMC

issued today stated that

many cattle are found

wandering on the dumping

ground.

The lifted cattle were

taken to the Animal Pound

at Jalukbari. These cattle

will be released after the

owners pay a fine. The

cattle will be auctioned if no

claims are made within

seven days.

L O C A L F O R E C A S T :

Generally cloudy sky withone or two spells of rain/t h u n d e r s h o w e r s .Maximum and minimumtemperatures are mostlikely to be 33°C & 26°Crespectively on Monday.

TEMPERATURE:

Max 37.4° C

Min 26.4° C

WEATHER

GUWAHATI

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Assam

today got its first paid and fully

vegetarian COVID care centre

at Hotel Rituraj here. At this

centre, the health department

has deployed medical staff on

round the clock basis and a

COVID patient has to pay an

amount as food and room

charges on per day basis.

The centre has a capacity to

accommodate around 120 per-

sons at a time and the facility is

available only for the asympto-

matic COVID-positive pa-

tients. Director of Health Serv-

ices Dr Rathindra Bhuyan in-

augurated the centre today.

Talking to The�Assam�Trib-

une, Dr Bhuyan said the de-

partment has arranged all

COVID-related health facili-

ties at the centre along with

round the clock ambulance

service to shift patients devel-

oping complications to Gauha-

ti Medical College and Hospi-

tal or Mahendra Mohan

Choudhury Hospital.

This centre will be a choice

for asymptomatic COVID-

positive patients of the city to

avail the medical facilities. Ac-

cording to a source, in Assam,

5 to 10 per cent COVID-posi-

tive patients were found to be

vegetarians.

Basant Surana, the owner of

the hotel, stated that although

there will be a common menu

for all patients at the centre,

one can order additional items

by making an additional pay-

ment. Moreover, to minimise

contact with patients, the ho-

tel management has intro-

duced an online system for

making payments.

During the inaugural cere-

mony, Kamrup Chamber of

Commerce president Mahavir

Jain expressed his gratitude to

Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Pi-

jush Hazarika and Dr Rathin-

dra Bhuyan for opening the

centre.

COVID care centreopened at city hotel

Security personnel patrolling ahead of IndependenceDay celebrations, in Guwahati on Sunday. – UB Photos

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 7NORTH EAST

AIZAWL, Aug 9: Among five

airports in the country having

tabletop runways, Mizoram’s

Lengpui airport is safe for land-

ing of passenger aircraft like

Airbus A320 and mid-size car-

go planes, an official said. The

official’s assertion came in

the backdrop of an Air India

plane crashing at Keralas

Kozhikode airport, killing at

least 18 people Friday.

J Lalhmingliana, Principal

Consultant in the Civil Avi-

ation wing of the General

Administration department,

told PTI that the runway

having 2,500 metres length and

whose breadth is 45 metres,

has enough space and is strong

enough for safe landing.

Lengpui airport, the lone

one in Mizoram, is located

about 32 km northwest of cap-

ital Aizawl.

Four airports having table-

top runways at Kozhikode,

Mangalore (Karnakata), Shim-

la (Himachal Pradesh) and Pa-

kyong (Sikkim) are operated

Mizoram’s Lengpui airportsafe for landing: official

by the Airports Authority of

India (AAI), while the Mizo-

ram’s Lengpui airport is with

the state government.

Tabletop runways are con-

structed on hilly or elevated ter-

rains. Also, there could be low

lying areas adjacent to such run-

ways and there could be gorges

at the end of such runways.

Lalhmingliana said that the

airport has almost all the re-

quired safety features like In-

strument Landing System

(ISL), runway lights and Dop-

pler Very High Frequency Omni

Range (DVOR), among others.

He said that the two-decade-

old airport is fit for landing of

passenger aircraft like Airbus

A320 carrying 190 to 200 pas-

sengers and cargo planes and

transport aircraft like C-17

Globemaster, Il-76 and super

hercules, among others.

“Unless there is human error,

plane crash and other accidents

are unlikely to happen,” he

said. He said that the air-

port had witnessed a mi-

nor incident 10 years ago,

when a charter airline-

North East Shuttle- car-

rying around 15 passen-

gers fell off to not so a deep

gorge due to wrong land-

ing by an inexperienced

pilot. However, there were no

casualties, he added.

Lalhmingliana said that the

runway of the airport is nor-

mal though it has been classi-

fied as tabletop. According to

the official, renovation and ex-

tension of the airport- its build-

ing and terminal- is in progress

during Covid-19 period. He

said two airlines-Air India and

IndiGo are currently operat-

ing from the airport. – PTI

IMPHAL, Aug 9 : A crucial one-day

session of the Manipur Assembly will

be held on Monday when a confidence

motion would be moved by Chief Min-

ister NBiren Singh, officials said here

on Sunday.

A notice issued by Manipur Assembly

secretary M Ramani Devi said that the

Chief Minister would move a motion on

Monday seeking the confidence of the

House on the council of ministers.

The spokesperson of the Opposi-

tion Congress in Manipur, Ningom-

bam Bupenda Meitei, said that instead

of accepting the no-confidence motion

Forecast for North Eastern

States : Rain/thundershowers is

very likely to occur at most

places over Arunachal Pradesh,

Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland,

Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura.

Warning: 1) Thunderstorm with

lightning is very likely to occur

at isolated places over

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,

Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,

Mizoram & Tripura. 2) Heavy to

very heavy rain is very likely to

occur at isolated places over

Arunachal Pradesh. 3) Heavy

rain is very likely to occur at

isolated places over Assam,

Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,

Mizoram.

Temperatures :

Max (°C) Min (°C)

Dibrugarh 29.6 26.4

Tezpur 31.8 25.4

Silchar 33.6 27.1

Dhubri 33.8 28.4

Jorhat 31.7 24.8

N Lakhimpur 29.4 23.8

Shillong 27.6 19.0

Cherrapunjee 25.0 18.0

Aizawl 26.3 NA

Kohima 25.6 18.3

Pasighat 26.7 24.6

Itanagar 30.6 25.1

Imphal 29.0 23.0

Agartala 35.1 26.8

WEATHER

NORTHEAST

Manipur Assembly to holdone-day session today

moved by the Congress, the Manipur

legislative Assembly has accepted the

motion of confidence moved by BJP

government.

“The Congress is confident to de-

feat the motion. The Congress has al-

ready issued whip to all its 24 MLAs to

be present in the house and vote against

the confidence motion. We would de-

feat the trust vote moved by the gov-

ernment. We would convert the peo-

ple’s true mandate of 2017 into reali-

ty,” the Congress spokesperson said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party led coa-

lition government in Manipur plunged

into a serious political crisis on June

17 after the four-member NPP (Na-

tional People’s Party), the sole Trina-

mool Congress MLA, and an Inde-

pendent MLA withdrew their support

while three BJP MLAs quit the party

and joined the Congress.

The nine-day-long political crisis

ended with the intervention of Home

Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P.

Nadda, Meghalaya Chief Minister and

NPP national President Conrad K.

Sangma and Assam Minister and North

East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) con-

venor Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In the 2017 Assembly elections, the

Congress emerged as the single larg-

est party securing 28 seats, but the

BJP, which bagged 21 seats, stitched a

coalition government with the sup-

port of four NPP members, four Naga

People’s Front MLAs, the lone TMC

MLA and an Independent member.

Seven Congress MLAs also joined the

BJP subsequently.

Demanding disqualification of the sev-

en MLAs, the Congress in January this

year had filed a petition in the Supreme

Court, which had asked the Speaker to

take appropriate steps. – IANS

The members of CITU, Ganamukti Parishad and Krishak Sabha organising a protest rally in Khowai district, Tripura on

Sunday. – Correspondent

CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, Aug 9: Four more COV-

ID-19 patients, including two BSF per-

sonnel, succumbed to the disease in

Tripura in the last 24 hours, taking the

toll of dead to 41.

Moreover, 147 new cases were de-

tected in the State during this period.

One of the deceased BSF personnel

was from its 80th battalion while the other

one was from the 133rd battalion.

Around 700 BSF jawans posted at dif-

ferent areas of the State have contracted

the infection.

According to a medical bulletin, the

Four more COVID-19 deaths in TripuraState has total 5,999 COVID-19 cases,

including 1,780 active and 4176 recov-

ered cases. The positivity rate in the State

has increased to 3.4 percent due to a

spurt in positive cases.

Even though the State has a low mor-

tality rate of 0.63 percent, the Health

Department is all set to introduce plas-

ma therapy for better treatment of the

patients.

A protocol report has been submitted

to the ethical committee of Agartala Gov-

ernment Medical College (AGMC) for

approval to ask for permission from the

Indian Council of Medical Research

(ICMR), said Dr Tapan Majumder, HoD

of Microbiology, AGMC today.

“In Tripura, the mortality rate is un-

der one percent. Moreover, those who

died of COVID-19 are mostly elderly

persons suffering from life threatening

diseases,” he said.

On the other hand, the All Tripura

Government Doctors’ Association (AT-

GDA) appealed to the cured persons to

come forward to donate plasma.

“There is no side effect of donating

plasma. It is like blood donation. Dona-

tion of plasma is necessary for introduc-

ing plasma therapy. We want the recov-

ered COVID patients to come forward

to donate plasma,” the association said.

NagalandCOVID-19

tally at 2,781CORRESPONDENT

DIMAPUR, Aug 9: Naga-

land on Sunday recorded 93

COVID-19 positive cases, tak-

ing the state’s tally to 2,781.

In his routine briefing,

Principal Secretary (Home)

Abhijit Sinha said, “A total of

93 COVID-19 positive cases

have been detected today and

the total number of positive

cases in the state now stands

at 2,781.”

He said the positive peo-

ple are receiving medical

care at the designated COV-

ID-19 hospitals and COVID-

19 care centres while active

surveillance and contact trac-

ing is also in progress to pre-

vent further spreading of the

infection.

Out of the 2,781 positive

cases, 1,866 are active and

there are eight deaths. As per

the severity of symptoms,

1,863 active cases are asymp-

tomatic, one active case is mild

and two active cases are mod-

erate, Sinha said.

Of the total positive cases

till date, 1,226 are from armed

forces, 1,072 are returnees,

196 frontline workers, 233 of

traced contacts and 54 others.

He said altogether 28,722

samples have been sent for

testing through RT-PCR till

date and results of 26,962 sam-

ples have been received. Be-

sides, 18,659 samples have

been sent for testing on

Truenat. He added that 2,032

persons are presently under

facility quarantine.

2,117 virus cases inArunachal

ITANAGAR, Aug 9: At least 68 more people, including 36

security personnel and a healthcare professional, have tested

positive for coronavirus in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the State’s

total count to 2,117, a Health Department official said on Sunday.

Of the fresh cases, 10 were reported from the Capital Com-

plex region, 20 from East Kameng district, 12 from West

Siang, five each from Tirap and Lower Siang, four each from

West Kameng and Namsai, three each from East Siang and

Tawang, two from Papumpare and one from Changlang, State

Surveillance Officer Dr L Jampa said.

“Thirty-six security personnel of paramilitary forces are

among the fresh patients. A healthcare worker from West

Kameng district has tested positive for COVID-19,” he said.

All, barring five, are asymptomatic and have been shifted to

COVID Care Centres, Jampa said. A total of 104 coronavirus

patients were discharged from hospitals on Saturday. Arunach-

al Pradesh now has 684 active cases, while 1,430 people have

recovered from the infection and three died of it, he said.

The Capital Complex region, comprising Itanagar, Naha-

rlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has 118 active COV-

ID-19 cases, followed by Namsai (103), Changlang (100),

East Kameng (92), East Siang (67) and Lohit (37), the offi-

cial said. – PTI

ManipurCOVID-19 tallyclimbs to 3,753

IMPHAL, Aug 9: with the

detection of 118 fresh cases,

the COVID-19 tally in

Manipur has touched 3,753.

Till Saturday, the total death

due to COVID-related cases

in the state rose to 11.

Of the 118 fresh cases, 90

were detected from

Churachandpur, Chandel,

Thoubal, Imphal West,

Imphal East, Kangpokpi,

Jiribam, Senapati and

Ukhrul.

In the past 24 hours, 117

persons were discharged

from CRPF, RIMS, JNIMS

and other COVID care

centres, a press release said.

So far 3,26,463 people

were screened at various

entry points of the State . –

Correspondent

AIZAWL, Aug 9: With the

detection of 43 new cases in the

last 24 hours, Mizoram’s COV-

ID-19 tally has reached 608.

The new cases included 18

truckers stranded on National

Highway 306 in Mizoram’s Ko-

lasib district due to poor road

condition, besides 17 BSF per-

sonnel and eight civilians. In the

last 24 hours, samples of 497

truck drivers and handymen

were tested, of which 18 were

found to be positive. All of them

underwent Rapid Antigen Test.

Mizoram’s tallycrosses 600-mark

“Three of the newly con-

firmed cases contracted the

virus from other positive per-

sons,” an official statement

said today. This included a doc-

tor who was in a medical team

involved in collection of swab

samples and two Mizoram Po-

lice personnel who were on

duty at a BSF quarantine fa-

cility, it added.

Several localities in Aizawl

imposed complete lockdown

from today fearing community

spread. – Correspondent

Temple damagedin Sikkim

A CORRESPONDENT

GANGTOK, Aug 9: The

swelling waters of the Rangit

river partially damaged Ki-

rateshwar Mahadev temple in

Sikkim.

State Agriculture Minister

and local MLA Lok Nath Shar-

ma visited the temple at Leg-

ship to access the

damage.Sharma inspected the

temple premises lining the

riverbank and also erosion-hit

areas nearby.

He deliberated on the pro-

tection measures and reno-

vation work need to be tak-

en up with the government

officials and members of the

temple management com-

mittee.

He handed over a sum of Rs

30,000 to the temple commit-

tee as immediate relief .

PM urged to create twodepartments in NEHU

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Aug 9: Congress MP from Shillong Vincent

Pala has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging

him to create two additional departments at North Eastern

Hills University (NEHU) to complete the formation of School

of Planning and Architecture (SPA).

According to Pala, NEHU has sought creation of Trans-

port Planning, and Town and Country Planning departments.

He said once these departments are created, the Central

university’s Architecture department would constitute a

School of Planning and Architecture.

“The two departments may kindly be started in the

university immediately by providing the necessary in-

frastructure, manpower, syllabi, etc., with the approval

from the All India Council for Technical Education and

recognition by the Institute of Town Planners India,”

Pala wrote.

He said the setting up SPA in the State capital on the lines

of SPA in New Delhi “is the need of the hour” for the people

of the Northeastern region.

8 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020STATENEWS IN BRIEF

Help from Indian ArmyMUSHALPUR, Aug 9: A unit of Red Horns Division of

the Indian Army resolved a problem faced by SangitaMedhi, daughter of Havildar Surjya Kanta Medhi ofBaksa who passed away in 1995. The havildar’s familyhad stopped receiving family pension since 2011 due tocertain document-related issues and were finding itdifficult to make ends meet. The army camp at Baramacame to know about the issue at a rally. A team wasformed to resolve the issue, which assisted Medhi inpreparing her documents. The issue was resolved andMedhi started getting her family pension, as well as Rs3 lakh in pension arrear. – ANN Service

Fake notes seized, 2 heldMORIGAON, Aug 9: A police team led by Morigaon SP

Nanda Singh Borkola conducted an operation at Lautoliarea under Mikirbheta PS on Saturday and seized fakecurrency of face value Rs 13.4 lakh from Sirajul Hoqueand Nurul Amin. A case has been registered. In aseparate operation under Dharamtul PS, police seized1,117 tins of inedible molasses, 588 quintals of sugar,and 21 packets of artificial food colour from a truck (AS-01-GC-1869). – Correspondent

Body foundJAGIROAD, Aug 9: Police on Saturday found an

unidentified body from a pond at Daipora near Jhargaonunder Jagiroad PS, sources said. – Correspondent

Sainik School alumniGUWAHATI, Aug 9: Two former students of Sainik

School Goalpara – Mukund Kumar and Satyam – havecleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2019,securing 54th and 169th ranks respectively, stated apress release. Mukund passed class XII in 2015, whileSatyam passed class X in 2006. Mukund is a graduate inEnglish literature from Delhi University, while Satyamdid his BTech in civil engineering from NIT, Jamshedpur.

Cooperative society meetGOSSAIGAON, Aug 9: A meeting of the Board of

Directors of Gossaigaon Sub-Divisional WholesaleConsumers’ Cooperative Society Ltd was held onSaturday. The meeting led by Puranjit Narzary andsecretary Binoy Brahma discussed workers of SamobaiSamitis are also providing services like supply of food toconsumers, but their services are not recognised. Thesecretary said that since 2017, a sum of Rs 20 lakh isdue to the Gossaigaon Sub-Divisional WholesaleConsumers’ Cooperative Society Ltd by the State Foodand Civil Supplies department. – ANN Service

Online quiz contestRANGIYA, Aug 9: Ahead of Independence Day, the

Rangiya Quizzing Circuit will organise an online all-Assam quiz contest on the theme ‘Bharat Quiz’. Thecontest will be held in two rounds – prelims on August12 and mains on August 14 at 7 pm. Scribe MustafaKamal Ahmed will conduct the quiz. – Correspondent

Independence Day progGOSSAIGAON, Aug 9: Independence Day will be

celebrated by the Gossaigaon civil administration atGossaigaon HS School playground. There will be nocultural function, and security personnel will take partonly in a marchpast. Corona warriors would be felicitatedby the administration. – ANN Service

Man killed by neighbourDHUBRI, Aug 9: One Sahinur Islam (38), was stabbed

multiple times while he was sitting at his courtyard inIrongjongla village on Saturday. Islam was stabbed by hisneighbour Jalal Sk alias Bhola, who was caught by localsand handed over to police. Islam was taken to the DhubriCivil Hospital, but he could not survive. The residentssaid Jalal Sk is a drug addict and has been creatingdisturbance in the area. – Correspondent

Kaziranga varsityGUWAHATI, Aug 9: The Jorhat district administration

has removed the quarantine centre established atKaziranga University campus for institutional quarantineof people, stated a press release. The district adminis-tration sanitized the entire campus. People of fivedistricts who returned from other states, were screenedat Barsha Resort of Kakodunga and then shifted to thequarantine centre at Kaziranga University.

No officer at Dhubri DIPROGAURIPUR, Aug 9: The office of the Dhubri District

Information and Public Relations is running without anofficer. After transfer of the former officer in July 2019,the post has been lying vacant. This absence has causedproblems not only for mediapersons but also for thecommon people. The office is running with only one UDAssistant. The post of LD Assistant and some Grade IVposts are also lying vacant. – Correspondent

COVID-hit mothers give birth

NALBARI, Aug 9: Doctors and nurses at SwahidMukunda Kakati COVID hospital successfully conductedCaesarean section on two COVID-19 positive pregnantwomen who delivered two female babies. Superintend-ent Dr Arun Barman said Namita Deka of Budrukuchiand Dipali Barman of DaKauniya were admitted withCOVID-19. As the babies were not COVID-19 positive,they were kept in a separate intensive care unit. Theteam which conducted the operation included gynaecolo-gist Dr Dipul Das, and anaesthesia doctor Ratul Das. DCPurabi Konwar, ADC (Health) Abhijit Singha congratulat-ed the team for their services. – Correspondent

CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR, Aug 9: The Bodoland

Territorial Council (BTC) authority has

sacked 29 Transport Department em-

ployees appointed during the Hagrama

Mohilary-led regime of the Bodoland

People’s Front (BPF) just before decla-

ration of the BTC election, on the ground

of faulty selection process.

BTC Principal Secretary Siddharth

Singh, in an order issued on Friday, ter-

minated eight assistant enforcement in-

spectors and 21 enforcement checkers,

following an inquiry by a special team

and the department. The BTC Joint

Commissioner of Transport had issued

engagement order of those employees.

In the order, the BTC Principal Sec-

retary stated that during investigation,

the inquiry team found that the appoint-

ments did not follow the government

rules, and the entire process leading to

appointments of the persons was totally

arbitrary as there was no advertisement

or publicity, and no public notice was

published for the purpose.

CORRESPONDENT

HAFLONG, Aug 9: At a

time when people in the

modern-day society are los-

ing trust on one another, La-

CORRESPONDENT

DOOMDOOMA, Aug 9:

On the occasion of the 78th

anniversary of the Quit India

Movement, the Tinsukia dis-

trict administration on Sun-

day felicitated 91-year-old

freedom fighter Satyalata

Gogoi at her residence at

Phillobari Gauripur here.

On behalf of the govern-

ment, Assistant Commission-

er and Executive Magistrate

Aparupa Borgohain visited

the residence of the freedom

fighter and felicitated her with

a gamosa, a shawl and an ang-

abastra, in recognition for her

contribution towards the free-

dom struggle.

The octogenarian freedom

fighter expressed concern

over the coronavirus pan-

demic spreading across the

country. She urged all to fol-

low the guidelines of the gov-

ernment to contain the

spread of the virus and ex-

pressed hope that the coun-

try would be able to get rid

of this crisis very soon.

Morigaon Correspond-

ent adds: Along with the

CORRESPONDENT

DHUBRI, Aug 9: The

naamghar and manikut of the

historic Ramrai Kuti Satra,

which was demolished so as

to be reconstructed, remains

in a ramshackle state since

March.

Under the project ‘Pres-

ervation and Development

of Sri Sri Ramrai Kuti Sat-

ra’, at Satrasal an amount of

Rs 1.36 crore was allotted

by the State government for

the renovation of this most

sacred site of the

Vaishnavites, where the his-

toric marriage of Bir Chila-

rai with the daughter of

Srimanta Sankaradeva’s

cousin brother Ramrai, Bhu-

baneswari Devi was conse-

crated in the 16th century.

After the marriage, Sanka-

radeva established the Sat-

ra to promote and propagate

Satriya culture in the area

with the help of the Koch

king Naranarayan, who was

Chilarai’s elder brother.

OBITUARY

Paban KalitaANN SERVICE

TIHU, Aug 9: Eminent

social worker,

retired assist-

ant librarian of

Tihu College, an

active BJP

member and a

resident of Tihu town, Paban

Kalita passed away on Sun-

day at his own residence. He

was 68 and was suffering

from cancer.

He was the vice chairman

of the Tihu Town Commit-

tee and was closely associat-

ed with many socio-cultural

organisations like Tihu Hari-

mandir, Tihu Lakshmi Puja,

Tihu Durga Puja Samiti and

several others.

His body was brought to

Tihu College and tributes

were paid by several digni-

taries and organisations. His

last rites were performed at

the Tihu public crematorium.

He leaves behind his wife, a

son and a daughter and a host

of well-wishers.

29 Transport departmentemployees sacked in BTC

Singh also mentioned that the engage-

ments have been made in an illegal and

arbitrary manner by violating Article 14

and 16 of the Constitution of India.

The terminated assistant enforcement

inspectors are Kiuti Narzary (Kokrajhar

DTO office), Bhaskar Swrang Basuma-

tary (Chirang DTO office), Nicholas

Basumatary (Baksa DTO office), Ronel

Robinson Mushahary (Udalguri DTO of-

fice), Hayed Rajbongshi (Baksa DTO

office), Sonali Mohilary (Udalguri DTO

office), Deep Jyoti Bora (Udalguri DTO

office) and Kajib Basumatary (Baksa

DTO office).

The enforcement checkers are Mwnt-

hat Brahma, Bhaskar Mushahary, Kama

Basumatary, Bob Boro, Dwihung Brah-

ma, JJwngma Basumatary, Utpal

Bhadra, Krishna Deb, Pinku Narzary,

Rubungsha Basumatary, Menoka Basu-

matary, Samir Shill, Sonoj Kumar Roy,

Banendra Basumatary, Naishrang Islary,

Lwngkwl Basumatary, Abhijit Debnath,

Bishal Kumar Brahma, Rousay Flower

Basumatary, Dhurbajyoti Brahma and

Kapen Narzary.

UPPL leader Rajkumar Prithviraj

Narayan Dev Mech, who was the main

complainant against the illegal appoint-

ments, on Sunday appreciated the ini-

tiative and action taken by the BTC au-

thority and hoped that the authority will

also take legal action against the offic-

ers and others involved in the illegal

appointments.

Inquiry finds 8

assistant

enforcement

inspectors and 21

enforcement

checkers were

appointed in an

arbitrary manner

with advertisement

or public notice

Quit India Movementanniversary:

Freedom fighter feted

rest of the country, the Quit

India Movement Day was

observed at the historic Bar-

apujia in Morigaon district,

where three freedom fight-

ers sacrificed their lives in

1942.

The historic Barapujia vil-

lage, located in the eastern

part of Morigaon district, has

many legends. Mahatma

Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru,

Acharya Vinoba Bhave came

to this place in 1939 and or-

ganised events related to the

fredom movement. The

place became the centre of

the freedom struggle, during

which the British shot dead

three freedom fighters – Ti-

lok Deka, Hemoram Pator

and Gonabhiram Bordoloi.

On Sunday, the Quit India

Day was observed at Bara-

pujia by the Assam Freedom

Fighters’ Sons and Daugh-

ters’ Association in collabo-

raton with Assam Sambadik

Sangha. Speaking on the oc-

casion, Asom Mukti Yojaru

Santan Sanmilan general sec-

retary Bhaben Mahanta paid

glowing tributes to the mar-

tyrs of the freedom struggle.

Freedom fighter Satyalata Gogoi being felicitated by AssistantCommissioner Aparupa Borgohain. – Photo: Abhijit Khataniar

Honesty is the best policy:A shop without shopkeeper

lphairem, an ex-serviceman

and now a successful agricul-

turist has come up with a new

method to spread the mes-

sage of honesty.

Lalphairem has started a

‘shop without a shopkeeper’

at Lower Retzawl village

near Calvary Prayer Point,

Dima Hasao, on the Haflong-

Silchar road. The shop works

on the principle “Where

trust is reciprocated, hones-

ty flourishes”.

Customers coming to the

shop can take whatever they

want and keep the money in

a box.

S Tuolour, the gaonburha

of Retzawl, said that the own-

er believes in the policy of

mutual trust and wants to

spread the message of trust

in humanity.

He said that with the in-

spiration of such shops, many

more others are being read-

ied by the youths of Retzawl.

Though the shop was put

up very recently, it has gath-

ered appreciation through

social media.

Historic Ramrai Kuti Satra in dilapidated state

However, under this

project while the ‘rath ghar’,

‘bharal ghar’ where the fa-

mous Akshay Banti is estab-

lished currently, the ‘bhaka-

tar baha’, ‘baatchora’ and a

mini museum has already

been constructed, the most

complicated task was the re-

construction and preserva-

tion of the naamghar and

manikut. “The reconstruc-

tion work of this place of

worship, which remained

standing in the same place

since the time of Sankarade-

va, started in the month of

March. The contractor had

stripped off all the old con-

struction of the historic

naamghar and since then it

has remained as it is”, said

the satradhikar of the Satra,

Jitendranath Prodhani.

Prodhani explains that this

naamghar is a historic struc-

ture, which was built by the

Vaishnavite saint and was

maintained by many historic

figures across generations

including the family of Koch

King Naranarayan and the

family of the Gauripur Za-

mindary Estate.

However, due to the lock-

down the reconstruction

work of the naamghar has

remained suspended till the

filing of this report, harming

the original structure and the

Manikut. “If the State can

restart the construction ac-

tivities of different ongoing

projects, then why is this re-

ligious institution, of such

historical and cultural value

ignored”, said the Satra-

dhikar. He also added that the

construction work of this his-

toric building needs to

resume immediately.

“If it remains exposed for

a few more days, it will cost

an irreparable loss to the re-

ligious structure”, said Prod-

hani, who informed them

that they are currently un-

dertaking their religious ac-

tivities from a temporary ar-

rangement.

(Left) The historic Ramrai Kuti Satra naamghar before it was demolished in March for reconstruction and (right) its state now asthe reconstruction work has not yet started even after the lockdown has ended. – Photos: Irfan Khondker

CORRESPONDENT

DOOMDOOMA, Aug 9: A public meeting

convened at Hoonlal HS School opposed the

temporary construction of the proposed new

Bir Raghav Moran (BRM) Govt Model Col-

lege on a vacant plot of Hoonlal HS School.

The meeting, chaired by school manage-

ment and development committee president

Prasad Sonowal adopted a resolution, where-

by it was intimated to the president of the

BRM Government Model College, who is

also the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner, that

while there was consensus in allowing the

proposed model college to start functioning

from the school premises as per their own

time schedule and without any clash with the

school’s regular routine, the temporary con-

struction on the vacant land was not accepta-

ble, even if it was verbally assured to the

school authority to hand over the land once

Row over construction ofcollege building in school land

GoalparaCollege

foundation dayCORRESPONDENT

GOALPARA, Aug 9: The

65th foundation day of Goal-

para College was observed

on Saturday. Principal Dr

Subhash Barman unfurled

the flag and recalled the con-

tributions of the teachers

which led to turning Goal-

para College into a leading

college of lower Assam.

Goalpara College Teachers’

Association president Dr

Santosh Kumar Mishra car-

ried out a plantation drive. An

online lecture was delivered

by Cotton University Vice

Chancellor Prof Bhabesh

Goswami where he dwelt on

the National Education Poli-

cy 2020. Dr Siddhi Nath Sar-

ma, GCTA secretary Mojbul

Hoque Choudhury, and gov-

erning body president Dr BK

Nath were present.

the college shifts to its permanent site.

The proposal also resolved that in view of

National Education Policy, 2020, further con-

struction might be necessitated to accommo-

date new subjects as per the choice of the

students under the curriculum. So the school

authority was urged to keep its available va-

cant land intact for future use of the students.

Principal Alip Khan, and former principal

Seema Chaudhury narrated the circumstanc-

es under which the proposal was placed by

the Inspector of Schools, Tinsukia in pres-

ence of Director, Higher Education and some

other departmental personnel who were on

a visit to find out a suitable plot of land for the

model college.

The meeting was organised after a delega-

tion of the Doomdooma Press Club had dis-

cussed the matter with the school manage-

ment committee following public concern

about the future of the school.

CORRESPONDENT

NORTH LAKHIMPUR,

Aug 9: The North Lakhim-

pur Municipality Board

(NLMB) raided commercial

installations in an area of the

town in compliance with the

Municipal Solid Waste Man-

agement (MSWM) Rules,

2016, ordered by the Nation-

al Green Tribunal (NGT).

The NLMB raided com-

mercial establishments, shops

and kiosks and fined them Rs

500 each for not keeping seg-

regated garbage bins required

under the rules. The rules as

suggested by the Ministry of

Housing and Urban Affairs asks

municipal bodies to conduct

door-to-door collection of seg-

regated solid waste from all

households, including slums,

commercial, institutional and

other non-residential premis-

es, transportation in covered

vehicles to disposal facilities,

segregation of waste by house-

holds into biodegradable, non-

biodegradable and domestic

hazardous, installation of twin-

bins and segregated litter bins

in commercial and public are-

as at every 50-100 metres.

The NLMB conducted the

raids following failure by

business owners in keeping

twin-bins and segregated lit-

ter bins for biodegradable

and non-biodegradable waste

in their place of business.

The NLMB collected fines

from street vendors to big

business houses alike in a

stretch from Apex Bank to

CD Road in North Lakhim-

pur on Friday. Many small-

scale traders complained that

the NLMB collected fines of

Rs 500 each, uniformly from

big business houses to street

vendors, like cobblers.

The NLMB officials said

they were following the or-

ders passed by the NGT and

clarified that the drive was

conducted after non-compli-

ance of repeated instructions

by the business establish-

ments. The NLMB collect-

ed Rs 31,000 as fines from

the drive.

On NGT directive, shopsraided in North Lakhimpur

THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 9MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

STATE

CORRESPONDENT

DOOMDOOMA, Aug 9:

The Doomdooma regional

committee of All Adivasi Stu-

dents’ Association Assam

(AASAA) in collaboration with

its Hanhsara primary unit ob-

served International Day of the

World’s Indigenous People to-

day at Hanhsara Girja Line LP

School.

On the occasion, the

AASAA insigne was hoisted by

Doomdooma regional com-

mittee president Sawan Bag

while the secretary of the

International Day of World’sIndigenous People observed

committee Angat Benia initi-

ated the Smriti Tarpan pro-

gramme.

Later, a meeting was held

which was chaired by Prahlad

Nayak, adviser of the Doom-

dooma regional committee of

AASAA.

Addressing the meeting, the

vice president of Tinsukia dis-

trict committee of AASAA

Suresh Bhumij, Doomdooma

regional committee adviser Bi-

joy Tanti, Hanhsara primary unit

president Philip Tirkey and sec-

retary Ajoy Munda explained

the significance of the day.

It may be mentioned here

that International Day of the

World’s Indigenous People is

observed on August 9 each

year to raise awareness and

protect the rights of the

world’s indigenous population.

This event also recognises

the achievements and contri-

butions that indigenous peo-

ple make to improve global

issues such as environmental

protection.

The day was first commem-

orated by the United Nations

General Assembly in Decem-

ber 1994.

CORRESPONDENT

DOOMDOOMA, Aug 9:

Even after 75 days of the blow-

out at BGR-5 in Baghjan oil-

field of Oil India Limited (OIL)

under Doomdooma Revenue

Circle of Tinsukia district, the

oil major of the country has

failed to cap the well.

Consequently, the affected

people in the vicinity of the

well are still passing their days

in utter misery, holed up in

relief camps.

Around 600 affected people

today came out of the relief camp

situated at Baghjan Dighaltar-

rang ME School and marched

towards the Deputy Commis-

sioner’s Office at Tinsukia.

Police and civil administration

personnel tried to prevent the

affected people from moving

forward by putting up barricades

on the road just in front of the

Baghjan Police Station. A large

posse of security personnel, in-

cluding Assam Police Battalion,

Baghjan blowout-hitpeople register protest

Woman hurt during caning by security personnel hospitalised

Promila Chetia, who was injured in the baton charge, being taken in an ambulance formedical attention. - Photo: Abhijit Khataniar.

CRPF and Army was deployed

at the place to check forward

movement of the protesters.

As the irate public tried to

go ahead by breaching the bar-

ricade, a tussle between the

protesters and security per-

sonnel took place. To bring the

situation under control, the se-

curity forces used baton charge

following which a woman

named Promila Chetia was

badly injured. She was imme-

diately taken to a private nurs-

ing home at Doomdooma.

Later, the Deputy Commis-

sioner of Tinsukia held a dis-

cussion with the leaders of the

protesters and assured them

that their demands would be

considered on priority basis.

Earlier, the irate public hand-

ed over a memorandum ad-

dressed to the Deputy Com-

missioner of Tinsukia to the

magistrate on duty and re-

turned to their camp.

Martyr journalistKamala Saikia

rememberedCORRESPONDENT

SIVASAGAR, Aug 9: As-

sam’s first martyr journal-

ist Kamala Saikia was re-

membered today by the

people of Dikhowmukh, his

birthplace and Aaikya in as-

sociation with Sivasagar

District Journalists’ Asso-

ciation at Muktinath Chari-

ali here.

Jorhat MP Topon Kumar

Gogoi laid the foundation

stone for installing a lifesize

statue of the martyr journal-

ist at Dikhowmukh to be built

at a cost of Rs 10 lakh from

the Chief Minister’s Fund.

Dhananjay Saikia, son of

the slain journalist thanked

the MP for his initiative in

installing a lifesize statue of

the ‘Swahid Xambadik’

which was a long-standing

demand of Assam Press

Correspondents’ Union.

It may be recalled that

martyr Kamala Saikia was

dragged out of his Sivasagar

Melachakar residence by

gun-toting ULFA cadres on

this day in 1991 and was bru-

tally killed near Amguri.

Dhananjay Saikia said

that their family has lost

confidence on Assam Police

as it has failed to arrest the

culprits in around three

decades.

Drugs seized,two arrested

CORRESPONDENT

DHUBRI, Aug 9: A four-

wheeler bearing registration

number AS 17 G 5709) was

intercepted at Gauripur near

PB College during routine

frisking operation from where

about 12,000 R-7 tablets (Yaba

tablets) in 60 packets contain-

ing approximately 200 tablets

each, was recovered.

The tablets along with the

vehicle was seized and two

persons, namely Anarul Sk and

Ajijul Islam, were arrested in

this regard. The intoxicating

tablets were being carried

from Chagolia to Dhubri dis-

trict and is valued at approxi-

mately Rs 8 lakh.

Meanwhile in another oper-

ation, one Monjur Ali, a veter-

an dealer in contraband drugs

was nabbed by Gauripur Police

while Kofsar Ali, another al-

leged veteran in dealing with

the intoxicating drugs was ap-

prehended by Chagolia OP un-

der Golakganj Police Station.

Body of youthrecovered

A CORRESPONDENT

NAGAON, Aug 9: After be-

ing informed by some local

people, Nagaon Police and

SDRF personnel recovered

the decomposed body of an

unidentified youth from Ko-

long river near Nagaon Ciruit

House here this morning.

The body was first seen by

some locals while going for

morning walk. The body was

subsequently sent to the Nagaon

Civil Hospital for postmortem.

While police suspect that the

youth might have been mur-

dered and his body dumped into

the river, investigation into the

case is under way.

STAFF CORRESPONDENT

JORHAT, Aug 9: In a bid to

get COVID-19 test done be-

fore the August 12 deadline set

by the Jorhat district adminis-

tration, heavy rush of people,

mostly shop-keepers and em-

ployees, was witnessed since

morning at the Rapid Antigen

Test Screening Centre at the

Marwari Thakurbari beside

the AT Road here today.

People were seen making

serpentine queues without

maintaining any physical dis-

tancing and other COVID-19

norms with people jostling for

space before the entrance of

the testing centre.

It may be mentioned here

that the district administration

vide an order issued on Fri-

day stated that shops/business

People rush to get tested forCOVID-19 in Jorhat

establishments will be allowed

to open daily from August 10

from Monday to Friday per

week and also cautioned of not

allowing to operate from Au-

gust 13 if owners and employ-

ees did not undergo the man-

datory COVID-19 test.

The order seemed to have

created panic among thousands

of shop-owners and staff lead-

ing to people coming out in

large numbers and creating a

chaotic situation which forced

policemen to intervene by way

of announcement on loudspeak-

ers to maintain distance and

subsequently physically tried

to control the test-seekers.

Several people waiting in

queues told this newspaper

that as the Jorhat district ad-

ministration had set a deadline

to get COVID-19 test done by

August 12 or else face closure,

triggered panic among the

traders.

They said that in view of

shops earlier permitted to

open only on two or three days

a week during the past two

weeks, and imposition of total

lockdown from the night of July

9 till 22, caused huge losses to

the traders, hence now eve-

ryone wants get the test done

before the deadline in order

to avoid closure.

The president of Upper As-

sam Chamber of Commerce

Dulichand Agarwal told the

The Assam Tribune today that

he spoke to the Speaker of the

State Legislative Assembly

and Jorhat MLA Hitendra

Nath Goswami seeking their

intervention for revision of

the deadline by the district

Members of All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam, Bansbari anchalik committee, takesout a rally on the occasion of World Adivasi Day, at Fatemabad Tea Estate in Baksa district,on Sunday. – UB Photos

People queue in front of a COVID-19 Screening Centre in Jorhat, on Sunday. – UB Photos

CORRESPONDENT

DIPHU, Aug 9: Karbi Students’ Asso-

ciation’s Kaziranga district committee re-

cently conducted a field enquiry in Dolo-

mara area located within the general area

of Duarbagori Member of Autonomous

Council constituency of Karbi Anglong au-

tonomous district in connection with fi-

nancial anomalies by beneficiaries of job

card holders.

The students’ organisation claimed that

all the bank passbooks against respective

bank accounts are not with the benefici-

aries.

Further, they were paid less than half

by certain manipulators and the trans-

ferred amounts are withdrawn from the

beneficiaries’ accounts by some other

people and pay the actual beneficiary only

a meagre amount without accomplishing

any productive work against the job card.

“Certain political workers have warned

the villagers that beneficiary names will

not be listed in the job card if they do not

hand over their bank passbooks to them.

With no option left, the poor people have

KSA alleges job card anomaliesto do accordingly,” the Karbi Students’

Association Kaziranga district committee

alleged.

Simeon Rongphar, president of Karbi

Students’ Association has appealed to the

Chief Executive Member of Karbi An-

glong Autonomous Council Tuliram Rong-

hang and local MAC Richard Tokbi to take

strict action against the offenders involved

in this crime.

Discrimination alleged: In the

meantime, alleging prolonged depriva-

tion from government subsidies and oth-

er basic amenities granted from time to

time at the behest of the elected repre-

sentative of Dhansiri Member of Auton-

omous Council constituency, the gaon-

burha, government recognised village

headmen and social workers of the area

submitted a memorandum to the Karbi

Anglong Autonomous Council Chief Ex-

ecutive Member Tuliram Ronghang and

demanded implementation of the

schemes, on Friday.

The memorandum, signed by gaon-

burhas Khoyasing Hanse, Rajen Hanse,

Government Recognised Village Head-

man Bura Hanse, former chairman of

Village Devlopment Council, Dhansiri,

Krishna Hanse, social workers Samsing

Hanse and Prodip Hanse mentioned that

almost all Karbi villages under Dhansiri

area have been deprived from proper

implementation of developmental

schemes.

Basic requisites and infrastructure like

roads, drinking water, medical facility,

cooperative societies, etc., were conven-

iently denied, the memo stated. It add-

ed that a number of villages established

on or before 1900 have also been denied

basic conveniences due to complete and

constant neglect by the elected repre-

sentatives.

The memo further alleged that the

Karbi villagers had been denied land com-

pensation due to them for acquisition of

their private land for implementation of

public projects like road construction and

oil exploration by ONGC.

Additionally, the village leaders de-

manded halting issuance of land pattas

(periodic lease) or land mutation without

their knowledge.

ANN Service

BAIHATA CHARIALI, Aug

9: Following serial protests by

AASU and members of the lo-

cal public against setting up of a

toll plaza in front of Madartola

Vidyapeeth High School over

National Highway-31, a public

hearing was held today at

Madanpur.

During the public hearing,

AASU activists and members

of the local populace, includ-

ing representatives of other

organisations under Pub-

Kamrup unit of AASU opined

that the toll plaza should be

shifted to some other site as

it would definitely harm the

normal academic environ-

Public hearing onMadanpur toll plaza held administration.

Agarwal said he urged Gos-

wami to intervene and do the

needful so that there was no

deadline for getting COVID-19

test done so that opening of

shops along with testing could

be carried out in a simultaneous

manner. He said that the Speak-

er assured to look in the matter.

Expressing concern over

the situation at the RAT cen-

tre today, AICC secretary and

former Jorhat MLA Rana Gos-

wami said that setting a dead-

line for testing will only lead

to more spread of the novel

coronavirus.

He said he would instead

suggest the district adminis-

tration to open up more RAT

screening centres to ease the

pressure on two such centres

in the town.

ment of the educational insti-

tutions in the area.

Moreover, they also stated

that since opening of the toll

plaza, the general public, emer-

gency servicemen and even

ambulances have to wait for a

long time to cross the road

stretch as a long queue of vehi-

cles is seen every day, thereby

leading to regular traffic snarls.

The local public informed

that a number of ambulances

too were stranded for an indef-

inite period following which the

drivers were often compelled

to take torturous village roads

in order to reach ther respec-

tive destinations on time.

All the participants in the

public hearing today expressed

their opinion against installation

of the toll plaza and claimed that

it was unscientific and harmful

for the students.

Besides members of the

public and representatives of

other organisations,

Dharnewar Das, office secre-

tary of AASU, Dhiraj Rajbong-

shi and Pradup Kumar Deka,

adviser and vice president re-

spectively of Kamrup district

committee of AASU, Son Jyoti

Baruah, president of Rangiya

sub-division of AASU, Javed

Akhtar Choudhury and Mrinal

Deka, president and secretary

of Pub Kamrup unit of AASU

were present.

The commissioner and spe-

cial secretary to the Govern-

ment of Assam (PWD), regional

director of National Highway

Authority of India (NHAI),

project director of NHAI, Dep-

uty Commissioner of Kamrup,

superintendent of police, Kam-

rup, SDO (C) and SDPO Rang-

iya and Circle Officer of

Kamalpur, among others, at-

tended the proceedings.

After soliciting opinions of

the public, the officials said that

a discussion would be held re-

garding the toll plaza at the

higher level and a final decision

would be taken thereafter.

The AASU representatives

then demanded the government

officers present to stop further

activities at the toll plaza until a

final decision was taken.

ANN Service

GORESWAR, Aug 9: A

week-long behaviour change

campaign titled ‘Gandagi Mukt

Bharat’ which is scheduled to

be held from August 8 to 15

was launched at the video con-

ference room of Baksa Depu-

ty Commissioner’s office on

Saturday evening via e-ratri

chaupal by Baksa DC Ranjan

Sarma.

As per the official agenda, on

August 9, single use plastic

collection and segregation, on

‘Gandagi Mukt Bharat’prog launched in Baksa

August 10, shramdaan across

Gram Panchayat, on August 11,

wall painting activities across

villages, an August 12, shram-

daan and tree plantation across

villages, on August 13, online

painting competition and essay

writing competition on Gand-

agi Mukt Mera Gaon among

students, on August 14, clean-

liness and sanitization drives

in PHCs and on August 15,

celebration of Independence

Day and ODF plus declaration

of villages in Gram Sabhas will

be performed through the

aforementioned programmes.

Prabir Kumar Adhikari,

Executive Engineer of Baksa

Division (PHE), Nodal Offic-

er Rituraj Choudhury, Nirmal

Nath, AEE ( PHE), Bandana

Sarma, DA, Detsung Basum-

atary, HRD consultant, Gitika

Muchahary, IEC consultant,

gaonburhas, teachers, social

workers, swachhgrahis and

NGO members were

present in the programme

which was organised by Bak-

sa District Water and Sanita-

tion Committee.

Udalguri Covidscenario slightly

better than beforeUDALGURI, Aug 9: The COVID-19

situation in Udalguri district seems to

be improving slightly since yesterday.

The health bulletin published by

the district administration informed

that with the discharge of 23 persons

yesterday, the tally of total discharged

persons reached 417 from the overall

infected 682 persons, with only two

positive cases detected yesterday. –

Correspondent

1,600 COVID-19cases in Dhubri

DHUBRI, Aug 9: After detecting 76

new cases today, the total number of

COVID-19 cases in Dhubri district

stands at 1,600, out of which 1,162 per-

sons have recovered and been dis-

charged.

Till today, 4 deaths due to COVID-

19 have been registered. – Corre-

spondent

Youths in Biswanath toundergo fishery training

CORRESPONDENT

BISWANATH CHARIALI, Aug 9: The state gov-

ernment has undertaken a special initiative to develop

the fishery sector in Biswanath district.

In this regard, 60 unemployed youths will be impart-

ed a ten-day training on fish farming which will be fol-

lowed by a three-day field study programme at Pabhoi.

The information as above was disclosed before me-

diapersons today by Ranjit Dutta, Minister for Hand-

loom and Textile. He had visited a fish farm at Pabhoi,

around 20 kms from Biswanath Chariali.

He further said that those local youths who had re-

cently returned to Assam from other states due to the

COVID-19 pandemic, would be given preference and

20 youths each from Biswanath, Behali and Gohpur

legislative constituencies are to be selected for the

training programme.

He was accompanied by Gohpur MLA Utpal Borah

and others. It may be mentioned here that a good

number of fish farms have been developed as private

ventures at Pabhoi and the owners have been able to

generate employment among a sizeable number of

local people.

12:15 Blood Diamond

14:30 Jack Reacher

16:35 Shooter

18:45 Speed Racer

21:00 Forrest Gump

23:20 After The Sunset

12:45 Fantastic Four

14:30 Avengers: Endgame

17:30 The Jungle Book

19:15 Rio

22:40 Iron Man 2

14:00 Biyolir Headline

16:00 Abelir Khabar

16:30 Superfast Prime Time100

17:00 City18

18:00 Prime Time18

19:00 Dintur Shironam

20:00 Porjyobekhyon

21:30 Aparadh Nama

22:00 North East Scan

22:30 Noixo Xironam

15:00 Chah Gachar Maje Maje

15.30 Yuba Darpan

16:00 Abelir Batori

16:05 Tezaswini (Epi-65)

16.30 Geetmala

17:00 Nimishote Batori

17:02 Rong Birong

17:30 Rupali Dhou

18:00 Dharabahik

18:30 Batori

18:45 NE News

12:00 Bandbudh Aur Budbak

12:30 Kris In Desh Nirala

13:30 Oggy Special - Billa...

15:00 Oggy And The Cock...

15:30 Oggy Special:Super...

17:00 Oggy And The Cock...

19:30 Bandbudh Aur Budbak

21:00 Oggy And The Cock...

12:30 Chhota Bheem Aur...

13:30 Chhota Bheem

14:30 Chhota Bheem Aur...

15:30 Chhota Bheem

16:00 Grizzy And The Lemm...

18:00 Chhota Bheem

18:30 Bheem Vs Aliens

19:30 Chhota Bheem

20:30 Chhota Bheem Movie...

21:30 Chhota Bheem

22:00 Mighty Raju Ka...

23:30 Grizzy And The Lemm...

LOCKHORNS

THE PHANTOM ® By Lee Falk

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

BLONDIE

Know your DAYBy JACQUELINE BIGAR

HAPPY BIRTHDAY for Monday, Aug. 10, 2020:

Vocally seductive and fun, this year proves to be an ambitious one with massive

successes at its end. You require an audience, so social distancing is challenging,

and so many people need you. If single, you need to look for more than approval

to be really happy – and to find your true mate. If attached, you give unreservedly

of yourself, and your partner loves it. VIRGO will never let you down.

The Stars Show the Kind of Day You’ll Have: 5-Dynamic; 4-Positive; 3-Average;

2-So-so; 1-Difficult.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)HHH Today’s trend favors financial matters. It can make youoverly generous or vulnerable to faulty advice. Seek bargains

regarding major purchases. Hesitate before allowing others to influ-ence your financial decisions. Heed your own better judgment first.Tonight: A sigh of relief.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)HHHHH Today’s pace is quick and interesting. You communicateexceptionally well, winning over the hearts and minds of others with

your eloquence. Social connections are promising. In fact, great happinesscomes your way. Tonight: Whatever you want to do. Real Taurus-style.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)HHHH Your dreams can be especially meaningful. Record impres-sions upon awakening and study the symbolism. Dreams might

offer valuable insights concerning impending situations. You will appreciatesome solitude and be more reserved than usual. Tonight: Start a dreamjournal — marked “private.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22)HHHHH Your thoughts and words are creating your reality.Repeat positive affirmations and keep an attitude of gratitude.

Today is an excellent day to learn new things. Consider joining a bookclub, class or discussion group. Tonight: Write a wish list to help mani-fest desirable situations.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)HHH Elements of the unexpected are afoot. Observe repeat-ing patterns while making career plans. Heed a sense of deja

vu: the past will reveal the future. A co-worker might have a personalsituation arise that impacts your daily schedule. Tonight: Be flexibleand adapt to changes.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)HHHHH Long-distance travel, an interesting new field of studyor a broader spiritual perception captivates you. New ideas are

presented. Your opinions are shifting. Fresh concepts inspire you. Ex-pressing creative ideas will bring you recognition. Tonight: Write downwhat you want.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)HHHH Be receptive to growth and change. This whole year willbe memorable. Don’t be surprised by the magnitude of changes

brewing. It is a time of turning points. There are opposing viewpoints toconsider. Tonight: There might be a debate to settle.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)HHHH Of all the birth signs, the specter of aloneness loomslargest. Today can mean letting go of an old love for one

reason or another. Be receptive to a void. Future happiness is to come.Tonight: A long-lost family member reaches out to you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)HHHH The Sagittarius cell salt is silicon dioxide. This cell salt hasbeen used to relieve blood sugar and blood pressure levels and

to promote good vision and teeth, strong bones and hair growth. To-night: Good food sources include oats, chicory and pepper.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)HHHHH Today a favorable trend begins, drawing kindness andempathy your way. You will encounter creative new ideas from others.

You also will be able to spend more time with children or a favorite project orhobby. Tonight: A focus on joy and revelry.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)HH Today focuses on residence and family life. An issue that hasbeen brewing for some time might have to be faced. This could

involve a residential move, maintenance of the home or the needs of arelative. Tonight: Bless and clear your living space.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)HHH Prepare for a great deal of coming and going today. Aneighbor or sibling can contact you with a valuable invitation or

suggestion. Short journeys, meetings and many conversations set abusy pace. Tonight: Stay well-informed. Read or watch the news.

H H H

Thought for the day

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow – if I fail, or if Isucceed, at least I did as I believe.

– WHITNEY HOUSTON

As for me, except for an occasional ___

___, I feel as young as I ever did – Robert

Benchley (5,6)

Words: Aware, trawl, intact, shrank.Answer: As for me, except for anoccasional heart attack, I feel as youngas I ever did – Robert Benchley

Given below are four jumbled words. Solvethe jumbles to make proper words and movethem to the respective squares below. Selectthe letters in the shaded squares and jumblethem to get the answer for the given quip.

JUMBLED WORDSHEALTH CAPSULES®

by Bron Smith

Health Capsules is not intendedto be of a diagnostic nature.

CROSSWORD - 6968

Across: 3 Atlas, 8 On tap, 10 Swarm, 11 Jay, 12 Loose,

13 Roomier, 15 Iambi, 18 Era, 19 Agreed, 21 Unknown, 22

Vent, 23 Asia, 24 Antigua, 26 Seeing, 29 Nat, 31 Oddly, 32

Egghead, 34 Ewers, 35 Oat, 36 Papua, 37 Error, 38 Synod.

Down: 1 Enjoy, 2 Payment, 4 Thor, 5 Assign, 6 Swear, 7

Tribe, 9 Tao, 12 Leaning, 14 Irk, 16 Mensa, 17 Ideas, 19

Awnings, 20 Aviso, 21 Unwed, 23 Authors, 24 Anyway, 25

Gag, 27 Edgar, 28 Ileus, 30 Baton, 32 Ergo, 33 Ear.

SOLUTION

12:00 North America

12:55 Animals Unleashed

13:10 Jeremy Wade’s Dark Waters

14:00 Jewels Of The Natural World

14:25 Coyote Peterson: Brave...

14:45 How Do Animals Do That?

15:05 Wild Frank

16:00 AP Exclusives: The Great...

16:50 Fierce 5

17:40 Animals Unleashed

18:05 Wildest Survival

19:00 AP Exclusives: The Great...

19:50 Little Giants

20:15 Jewels Of The Natural World

20:45 Animals Unleashed

21:05 Jeremy Wade’s...

21:55 Wild Frank

22:45 Icons Of The Wild

23:35 How Do Animals Do That?

12:35 Ancient Aliens

13:25 Pawn Stars

13:45 Storage Wars

14:15 Modern Marvels

15:05 OMG! Yeh Mera India

15:55 Forged In Fire

16:45 Counting Cars

17:10 Storage Wars

17:35 Shipping Wars

18:00 OMG! Yeh Mera India

18:30 Extraordinary Humans

19:00 Counting Cars

11:00 Assamese news

11:30 Assamese news

12:00 Mid Day Live

13:00 Assamese Feautre film

16:30 Discussion Show (R)

17:30 Guwahati Bisesh

18:00 Guwahati Live

18:30 Breaking @ 6:30

19:00 Assamesse Prime Time

20:00 Discussion Show (R)

21:00 Kotha Barta

21:30 Talk Time

22:00 Live at 10

22:30 Noixo Guwahati

23:00 Noixo Batori

16:00 Upasona

17:00 Devotional Slot

1730 B2B Music

18:00 North East Diva GF

20:00 Rang Blockbuster

23:00 B2B Music

13:30 WWE BB15:30 UCL 2019/20 HLs16:00 WWE SmackDown18:00 WWE BB19:00 Strongman Champions...20:00 WWE BlockBusters23:00 Strongman Champions...

18:30 IPL 2017 HLs

19:00 Hindustan Zindabad

20:00 Vivo IPL 2018 HLs

21:00 Hindustan Zindabad

22:00 Football United Special 2020

22:30 Vivo IPL 2018 HLs

23:00 Asia Cup 2016 HLs

23:30 Football United Special 2020

13:00 Retro India

14:00 Sports Stars Uncovered...

14:30 Eng vs Pak 2020 Test HLs

15:30 Great Centuries

16:00 Eng vs Ireland 2020 ODI HLs

17:00 Eng vs Pak 2020 Test HLs

18:00 Eng vs WI 2020 Test HLs

20:00 Eng vs Pak 2020 Test HLs

21:00 Men In Blue Victorious

22:00 Monster Knockout

22:30 Whacked Out Sports

23:00 Eng vs Pak 2020 Test HLs

15:00 UEFA Europa League...

17:00 UCL 2019/20 HLs

18:00 NBA HLs

19:00 UFC Classics

20:00 UCL 2019/20 HLs

21:00 UEL 2019/20 HLs

22:00 Impact Wrestling

23:00 The Immortals

23:30 UEL 2019/20 HLs

18:30 IPL 2017 HLs

19:00 Hindustan Zindabad

14:10 R... Rajkumar

17:35 Maseeha

19:55 Veerta

23:05 Sangharsh Aur Vijay

12:00 Sabse Badhkar Hum 3

14:30 Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

18:10 Dum Biriyani

20:55 Bhairava

12:00 Coach Carter

14:10 Pain & Gain

16:05 Footloose

18:00 The Devil Inside

19:10 House of Wax

21:00 Paycheck

22:55 Kiss The Girls

ZEE ACTION

19:45 Gupt

STAR GOLD

12:05 Singham

UTV MOVIES

14:10 R... Rajkumar

STAR MOVIES

22:40 Iron Man 2

12:00 Khiladi 420

15:00 Gabbar Sher

18:00 Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke

21:00 Commando - A One Man

Army

13:40 Saugandh

16:50 Run

19:45 Gupt

22:40 Ghayal Once Again

12:00 Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana

15:00 Pavitra Rishta

17:00 Banoo Main Teri Dulhann

18:00 Yahan Main Ghar Ghar

Kheli

19:00 Punar Vivah

20:00 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil

Champs 2020

23:00 Pro Music Countdown

12:00 Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain!

15:00 Laal Ishq

19:00 Kahani Ab Tak Raat Ka

Khel Saara

20:00 Raat Ka Khel Saara

21:00 Laal Ishq

23:00 Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain!

12:00 Khatra Khatra Khatra

13:45 Kitchen Champion

14:45 Naagin

17:00 Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan

18:00 Swaragini

19:00 Tere Naal Ishq

20:00 Naagin

22:00 Bepannaah

23:00 Naagin

12:30 Best Of The Kapil Sharma

Show

14:50 India’s Best Dancer

18:15 The Kapil Sharma Show

20:00 India’s Best Dancer

21:30 The Kapil Sharma Show

12:00 Pete’s Dragon

14:00 The Lodge

16:00 Community

19:00 BattleBots

22:00 Starry Nights Gen Y

23:00 The Late Late Show With

James Corden

SOLUTION TO TRIBUNE CROSSWORD – 6968

12:05 Singham

15:05 The Jungle Book

17:10 MCA Middle Class Abbayi

19:55 Home Alone

22:05 The Mermaid

12:30 Ba’al: The Storm God

14:30 Help, I Shrunk My Teacher

16:40 Arthur And The Minimoys

18:55 Terror Birds

20:55 Iron Man 2

23:30 NYC: Tornado Terror

Across

3 Book of maps

(5)

8 Ready for imme-

diate use ? (2,3)

10 Body of honey-

bees (5)

11 Songbird (3)

12 Slack (5)

13 More spacious

(7)

15 Metrical feet (5)

18 Historical period

(3)

19 Consented (6)

21 Obscure (7)

22 Outlet (4)

23 Our continent (4)

24 West Indian is-

land (7)

26 Inasmuch as (6)

29 __ King Cole: fa-

mous singer of

Mona Lisa ? (3)

31 Peculiarly (5)

32 Intellectual (7)

34 Large pitchers (5)

35 Grain morsel (3)

36 ___ New Guinea:

island north of

Australia ? (5)

37 Mistake (5)

38 Ecc les ias t i ca l

council (5)

Down

1 Experience (5)

2 Requital (7)

4 Hammer wielding

god of thunder (4)

5 Designate (6)

6 Vow (5)

7 Clan (5)

9 Path for Confu-

cians (3)

12 Propensity (7)

14 Annoy (3)

16 High-IQ society (5)

17 Notions (5)

19 Sunshades or

sunblinds (7)

20 Dispatch boat (5)

21 Single (5)

23 Writers of books

(7)

24 Regardless (6)

25 Joke (3)

27 Candice’s father

(5)

28 Intestinal obstruc-

tion (5)

30 Wand (5)

32 Therefore (4)

33 Auditory organ (3)

LEISURE & LIFESTYLE10 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

20:00 Vivo IPL 2018 HLs

21:00 Hindustan Zindabad

22:00 Football United Special 2020

22:30 Vivo IPL 2018 HLs

23:00 Asia Cup 2016 HLs

23:30 Hero Indian Super League...

14:00 India’s Finest

14:30 UFC 250

15:30 India’s Finest

16:00 WWE SmackDown

17:00 WWE NXT

18:00 Ashes Rewind

19:00 BBL Rewind

19:30 India’s Finest

20:00 WWE BlockBusters

20:00 Destination India

21:00 Dynamo Beyond Belief

21:50 Pawn Stars

22:15 Storage Wars

22:40 Battle Factory

23:05 Escape

12:00 Animal Fight Club

12:40 Kenny And Zoltan’s...

13:30 Crocs Of Katuma

14:15 Extreme Animal Babies

16:00 Zeb’s Big Fish

17:00 Snakes In The City

18:00 Monster Fish

19:00 Animal Fight Club

20:00 Hunt For The Kill

21:00 Built For The Wild

22:00 Animal Fight Club

22:55 Hostile Planet

12:00 India’s Jungle Heroes

13:00 Primal Survivor

13:40 Out There With Jack...

14:25 Snakes In The City

17:00 Science Of Stupid

18:00 Weird But True

18:30 Street Genius

19:00 Snakes In The City

20:00 Running Wild With Bear...

21:00 Primal Survivor

22:00 Spotlight: Lost Cities With...

23:00 Banged Up Abroad

23:45 Monster Fish

Actor Robert Pattinson said he lied to

filmmaker Christopher Nolan to make it

to the screen test for superhero film,

The Batman.

In an interview to Irish Times, Pattinson

recalled his attempt to sneak away from Tenet

set for his The Batman audition. He said that

he cited “family emergency” for his absence

from the sets of Tenet, but the filmmaker was

quick to figure out the truth.

“It’s funny because Chris is so secretive about

everything to do with his movies,” Pattinson

said, adding: “And then I had to be really

secretive about Batman stuff. So I had to lie to

Chris about having to go for a screen test... I said

I had a family emergency. And as soon as I said

‘it’s a family emergency’, he said: “You’re doing

the Batman audition, aren’t you?’”

Nolan is known for putting his own spin on

Batman with the Dark Knight trilogy.

The support cast for The Batman includes

Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Kenneth

Branagh, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-

Johnson and Clemence Poesy. The film has

been shot across seven countries – India, the

US, the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, and

Norway.

Pattinson is aware about the Batman legacy

The Batman legacyRobert Pattinson speaks on the anticipation

around the new version

and the anticipation around the new version,

and says all the buzz makes taking on the

avatar of the caped crusader a “little spicy”.

In a GQ profile, the actor opened up on the

upcoming version of The Batman. The

shooting of Matt Reeves’s The Batman was

suspended in March due to the coronavirus

pandemic.

“I kind of like the fact that not only are there

very, very, very well-done versions of the

character which seem pretty definitive, but I

was thinking that there are multiple definitive

playings of the character,” Pattinson said.

“You’ve seen this sort of lighter version,

you’ve seen a kind of jaded version, a kind of

more animalistic version. And the puzzle of it

becomes quite satisfying, to think: Where’s

my opening? Also, it’s a legacy part, right? I

like that. There’s so few things in life where

people passionately care about it before it’s

even happened. You can almost feel that

pushback of anticipation, and so it kind of

energizes you a little bit. It’s different from

when you’re doing a part and there’s a

possibility that no one will even see it. Right?

In some ways it’s, I don’t know… It makes

you a little kind of spicy,” he added.

(Source: IANS)

12:00 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata

Hai

15:00 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya

18:00 Anupamaa - Kahani Ab

Tak

18:30 Mahabharat

20:00 Dil Bechara

22:00 Anupamaa

16:35 Balika Vadhu

20:00 Naagin

21:00 Fear Factor: Khatron Ke

Khiladi Made In India

12:25 Koffee With Karan13:15 Monster University15:00 The Wonder Years18:00 Black-ish

19:00 Devs23:00 American Horror Story

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATI 11BUSINESS & ECONOMY

AS per the latest auction (Sale No31) of Guwahati Tea Auction Centre(GTAC) held on August 5-7, the totaltea offerings were 1,36,707 out ofwhich 87 per cent was sold in the mar-ket. There was good demand for bestquality Assam teas selling at firm rates.Other teas were in line with quality asper last sale levels. Big packeteerswere fairly active. The auction average

price this week stood at Rs 288.68, up Rs 9.30 from last sale.

Dinesh Bihani

Secretary, Guwahati Tea Auction

Buyers Association (GTABA)

Top garden prices

BOP Price BOPSM/BP Price OF/PF Price

HALMARI 523 DUBBA 497 HOOKHMOL 436

DUBBA 471 HOOKMOL 477 SOTAI 404

HOOKMOL 465 SOTAI 446 BANAMALIE 396

KHONGEA 445 BANAMALIE 445 GELAKEY 391

HIRAJULI 441 HIRAJULI 440 BISHNUPRIYA 391

PREMIUM

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: India is an attrac-tive proposition for UK businesses lookingfor alternatives to China, in view of the pre-vailing sentiments globally, the UK-IndiaBusiness Council (UKIBC) has said.

In an interview to PTI, UKIBC’s firstIndian Group CEO Jayant Krishna said heexpects to see growth in UK-India tradeas both countries come out of the corona-virus crisis, asserting that UK businessesare very keen to support India’s ‘Aatmanir-bhar Bharat’ mission.

UKIBC says India attractive proposition for UK businessesThe bilateral trade between the two coun-

tries stood at $15.5 billion in 2019-20 asagainst $16.87 billion in the previous fiscal.

“UK and India have started looking atopportunities emanating from the busi-ness sentiments worldwide to exploremanufacturing supply chain possibilities asalternatives to China,” Krishna said.

He observed that UK industries havelong investments in India across sectorsand the country is an increasingly attrac-tive proposition for businesses looking to

explore alternate destinations for theirglobal supply chain.

“Moreover, UK businesses are and willlook to India as an incremental base for

manufacturing and research and develop-ment,” the UKIBC Group CEO said.

He said there are great complementari-ties between India’s needs and the UK’sofferings and it was very positive to hear

that Prime Minister Narendra Modi high-lighted the centrality of sectors such as man-ufacturing, infrastructure, energy, pharma,space and defence, to global cooperation.

“These are all areas ripe for India-UKcollaboration in creating ‘AatmanirbharBharat’, underpinned by both nations’strong track record in technology and in-novation,” Krishna said.

With the UK forging a new trading re-lationship with the world into 2021 andIndia establishing itself as a major global

player, India is a key priority for trade andinvestment of the UK government andbusinesses, the UKIBC Group CEOstressed.

He said the introduction of the UK’snew point-based immigration system andGraduate Immigration Route will make iteasier for Indians to come to work andstudy in the UK.

“Accordingly, we expect to see growth inUK-India trade as both countries come out ofthe coronavirus crisis,” Krishna said. – PTI

Alternative to China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during the launch of the financing facility under Agriculture Infrastructure Fund through video-conferencing, in

New Delhi on Sunday. – PIB/PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: The demandfor small warehouses within city lim-its is expected to rise over the nextone year as e-commerce firms aretargeting to ensure same-day deliv-eries of food and grocery items tocustomers, according to a report.

The demand is likely to be for ware-housing of 5000-10,000 sq ft size,property consultant Colliers Interna-tional said.

“E-commerce companies are fo-cussing on same-day delivery with thepandemic-influenced lockdowns plac-ing greater dependency on e-com-merce for food and grocery items,”the report said.

The consultant said that e-com-merce companies are now trying tostock a larger proportion of invento-ry closer to their customers’ loca-

A vendor sells tricolour flags and accessories ahead of the upcoming Independence Day, during Unlock 3.0, at Sadar

Bazar in New Delhi on Sunday. – PTI

In-city warehousing demand may rise as e-commercefirms target same-day deliveries: Report

tions for efficiency and to improve thequality of products upon delivery.

“Over the next 12 months, we be-lieve in-city warehouses will gain trac-tion, to be used as small distributionhubs. We expect occupiers to scoutfor in-city warehousing space in therange of 5,000-10,000 sq feet in ma-jor demand hubs such as Mumbai,Bengaluru and Chennai and theNCR,” the report said.

Even the older and lesser utilisedground-level office spaces and serv-ice centres are being considered toset up small warehouses.

Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri saide-commerce was flourishing in Indiaeven before COVID-19, and lock-downs and closure of malls have ac-celerated this growth.

Recognising the potential of online

sales, he said many businesses are nowtaking omni-channel business modelsseriously and scrambling for addition-al warehouse capacity across cities.

“In terms of new trends, multi-lev-el warehouses within city limits couldsee higher demand,” Puri said.

Currently, warehouses in top Indi-an cities are largely restricted to theperipheries, quite far away from alarger customer base.

In-city warehouses will help com-panies to minimise transportationcosts and execute faster deliverytimelines – the key to success formany businesses in today’s competi-tive era, Puri said.

E-commerce companies and third-party logistics are major drivers ofwarehousing demand in the country.

As per Anarock, $2 billion of PE

investments came in the warehous-ing, industrial and logistic sector(2017-Q1 2020). Nearly $7-billionworth platforms have been createdfor warehousing since 2015.

Sachin Chhabra, founder of Mumbai-based start-up Peel-Works, which is intoB2B grocery e-commerce business,said: “With B2B fulfilment moving to-wards just-in-time service levels, prox-imity to warehouses for companies likeours helps corner stores free up theirspace, and working capital.”

“This additional space will get add-ed as a storefront enabling the storeto increase its assortment and mod-ernise itself. The reduction in work-ing capital will allow the retailer tocompete with e-commerce and or-ganised retail on both assortment andprices,” Chhabra added. – PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: In-dian Railways is committedto integrate with the govern-ment e-marketplace (GeM)portal to move all its pro-curement to the platform,Union Minister Piyush Goy-al said today.

The Railways’ direct pro-curement of goods for its op-erations or its public sectorundertakings or productionunits stood at about Rs 70,000crore - Rs 75,000 crore, theCommerce and Industry andRailways Minister said.

“I am happy to share thatGeM and Indian Railways areburning the midnight oil,working day and night to en-sure this entire Rs 70,000-crore procurement on theGeM platform,” Goyal said atthe GeM-CII National PublicProcurement Conclave 2020.

“Our own belief is that it

Railways committed to integratewith GeM portal, says Goyal

the requirement on the GeMportal, and it will be availablefor the whole world to see andmore and more people willbe enticed to register on GeMas suppliers,” Goyal said.

He added that if any suppli-er or vendor provides bad qual-ity goods, it will be blacklistednot only on GeM, but through-out the government system.

“We will ensure that theentire government systemdoes not entertain that com-pany anymore,” he said, add-ing that at a later stage, GeMwill move from goods andservices to contracts.

The minister said the gov-ernment’s public procurementwould be in the range of $100-150 billion (about Rs 7.5-lakhcrore-Rs 11.25-lakh crore), andprobably more if one combinesall the PSUs, State governmentand local bodies. – PTI

Defence reforms tosteer India towardsself-reliance: India IncNEW DELHI, Aug 9: India Inc today said the Centre’s

decision to impose restrictions on import of 101 weapons andmilitary platforms, and creation of a separate budget for do-mestic capital procurement in the current financial year are‘path-breaking’ reforms towards becoming self-reliant andwill boost indigenous defence manufacturing.

In a major reform initiative to boost the domestic defenceindustry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today announcedrestrictions on import of 101 weapons and military platforms,including artillery guns, assault rifles and transport aircraft.

“The Ministry of Defence is now ready for a big push to#AtmanirbharBharat initiative,” Singh said on Twitter whilemaking the announcement.

Welcoming the initiative, CII Director General ChandrajitBanerjee said the Defence Minister’s announcement of nega-tive import list of defence systems and platforms marks thelaunch of a new glide path for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

“Announcement of Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capitalprocurement coupled with the list of 101 items for importembargo gives a tremendous boost to Atmanirbhar Bharatand indigenous defence manufacturing,” he added.

Terming it a “path-breaking announcement”, the Confed-eration of Indian Industry (CII) said, “Today is a historic dayfor Indian industry in the defence and aerospace. Can assurethe Defence Minister that the Indian defence and aerospaceindustry will rise to the challenge and opportunities therein.”

SP Shukla, Chair, FICCI Defence Committee, said the moveis a great leap forward towards building a self-reliant India.

“FICCI applauds the announcement of 101 #defence itemsfor embargo on imports. A great leap forward for #Atmanir-bharBharat in RakshaUtpadan,” Shukla tweeted.

“Great move to earmark Rs 52k cr for domestic capitalprocurement. It fulfils a request by FICCI Defence Commit-tee to provide long-term visibility on defence procurementplans. Industry can now plan its capex & production capacity,”he said in another tweet.

Assocham Secretary General Deepak Sood said with In-dia being amongst the largest importers of weapons, ammu-nition and high technology systems for the armed forces,self-reliance in defence production is the most desired poli-cy initiative.

“Increased capabilities in defence production not only offera great economic opportunity for the domestic industry, butalso give an immense strategic advantage to the country in afast evolving geo-political situation,” he added.

The list of 101 embargoed items comprises some high-technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles,corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircraft, light combat hel-icopters (LCHs), radars and many other items. – PTI

will save Railways not lessthan 10-15 per cent and thatcould be a saving of as high asRs 10,000 crore,” he added.

Railways buys more than98 per cent of its goods andservices in India and movingthis purchase to the GeM plat-form in the next “probably 8-12months” will help in mak-ing procurement processmore transparent, seamless,efficient and faster, Goyal said.

“The Railways has com-mitted itself fully to integratewith GeM and move all pro-curement there (GeM)...Imagine we will save 1000sand 1000s of man-hours ofprocurement time.

“The amount of elaboratetendering, advertisements,bids, bids opening, reverseauction, all of that become soseamless that our digital sys-tem of the Railways will flag

Renault expands sales,service network

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: Auto-maker Renault India today saidit added 17 new sales and service touchpoints in April-Julyperiod in order to increase its reach across the country.

The new touchpoints include 14 showrooms and threeworkshops, Renault India said in a statement.

The network expansion is part of a strategic business focus togrow the brand across existing and emerging markets, it added.

The new facilities have come up in Himachal Pradesh (4),Telangana (3), Rajasthan (2), Uttar Pradesh (2), Delhi, Punjab,Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, theauto-maker said.

With the addition of these facilities, the company’s salesnetwork has expanded to more than 390 sales and 470-plusservice touchpoints, which includes over 200 workshops-on-wheels locations across the country, it added.

“India is an important market for Renault’s global growthplans, and we have a thorough business strategy for this dy-namic automotive market. This is reflected by our robustproduct enhancement strategy, our rapid network expansionand fervent efforts to ensure customer delight,” Renault In-dia Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Venka-tram Mamillapalle said.

Although the company is cautious given the current situ-ation, it is encouraging to see that the auto-maker is attract-ing new dealers in these times, as well as getting moreinvestments and expansion requests by existing partners,he added. – PTI

IndusInd Bankpicks stake in

Eveready,McLeod Russel

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: In-dusInd bank has acquiredmore than 7 per cent stake inboth Eveready Industries In-dia and McLeod Russel Indiaby invoking pledged shares.

The bank invoked pledgeon more than 56.83 lakh equi-ty shares of Eveready Indus-tries to pick up 7.82 per centstake in the battery maker.

“The equity shares of Ev-eready Industries India Ltdheld by Williamson Magor andCo Ltd were pledged with thebank for securing the out-standing dues of Seajuli De-velopers & Finance Ltd (Sea-juli), the borrower company.The bank has invoked thepledge held on aforesaidshares for recovery of its duesfrom Seajuli,” IndusInd Banksaid in a regulatory filing.

The bank also invoked thepledge on more than 78.32crore equity shares for recov-ery of its dues from Seajuli.The shares of McLeod RusselIndia held by Williamson Ma-gor and Co Ltd were pledgedwith the bank for securing theoutstanding dues of SeajuliDevelopers & Finance Ltd, theborrower company.

IndusInd Bank has acquired7.50 per cent paid-up equityshare capital of the companyby invoking shares. – IANS

Shelf-life ofskills now only2-3 yrs, says

Nasscom chiefBENGALURU, Aug 9:

Chairman of IT-BPM indus-try body Nasscom, UBPravin Rao, said today thatthe shelf-life of skills is nowonly two to three years as hestressed the need for contin-uous, life-long learning.

As corporates are rein-venting themselves, individ-uals also need to reinventthemselves to stay relevant,said the Chief Operating Of-ficer of Bengaluru-headquar-tered IT major Infosys Ltd.

“Shelf-life of skills is be-coming short, 2-3 years”, saidRao, who was the chief guestat an online graduation cere-mony for approximately2,800 learners, hosted byonline higher education com-pany, upGrad, in partnershipwith the International Insti-tute of Information Technol-ogy, Bangalore (IIIT-B).

Machines and algorithmsin the workplace are expect-ed to create 133 million newroles, a joint statement quot-ed him as saying.

“People need to unlearn,learn new stuff and thereforecommit to life-long learning.

“This is critical to stay rele-vant and employable,” Rao said,according to the statement.

UpGrad and IIIT-B, thestatement said, celebratedthe successful completion ofPG diploma programs in datascience, machine learning(ML) and artificial intelli-gence (AI), and software de-velopment/blockchain.

These included workingprofessionals with a range of8-11 years of work experi-ence, it said. – PTI

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: State-owned Oil andNatural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has cut itsdebt by more than one-third but faces an uphillchallenge to meeting planned expenditure dur-ing current fiscal due to oil and gas prices fall-ing below sub-optimal levels, according tocompany officials and regulatory filings.

ONGC’s outstanding debt of Rs 21,593crore as on March 31, 2019 has come downto Rs 13,949 crore as on March 31, 2020, as itused revenue from better operations to re-tire some of the borrowings, according to thecompany’s regulatory filings.

Out of this debt, long-term borrowings ac-count for Rs 2,245 crore which are due formaturity in December 2029.

The company had cash and cash equivalent(including other bank balances) of Rs 968 croreas on March 31, 2020, up from a record low ofRs 504 crore a year back. Standalone debt-equity ratio at the end of March 31, 2020 isonly 0.07 which is considered comfortable.

Company officials explained that ONGC hasbeen working on bringing operational efficien-cies and financial discipline and used surplus

ONGC cuts debt to Rs 13,949 crrevenues to repay debt.

“While we ended the 2019-20 fiscal yearwith a comfortable financial position, we facean uphill challenge during the current 2020-21 financial year. The pandemic has playedhavoc on oil prices and government-mandat-ed gas price is way below cost of produc-tion,” a senior official said.

ONGC has planned a capex of over Rs26,000 crore and meeting that with currentoil and gas price will be a challenge, he said.

Another official said the company had takenan impairment loss of Rs 4,899 crore in Q4FY20 to factor into estimated future crude oiland natural gas prices. However, the companybelieves that oil and gas prices will recover infuture and in that case this impairment loss shallbe reversed as and when prices rise, he said.

ONGC once was India’s most profitable com-pany with a cash balance of over Rs 10,000 crore.But the fortunes reversed after the companybought the government’s 51.11 per cent stake inoil marketing company Hindustan PetroleumCorporation Ltd (HPCL) and the Gujarat gov-ernment’s GSPC in a KG basin gas block. – PTI

Desi app Chingariraises Rs 10 crin seed fundingNEW DELHI, Aug 9:

Home-grown short video-sharing app Chingari, whichcame into prominence as a Tik-Tok alternative amid anti-Chi-na sentiment in the country, hasraised $1.3 million (around Rs10 crore) in a seed round ledby AngelList India, Utsav So-manis iSeed, Village Global,LogX Ventures, and JasminderSingh Gulati of NowFloats.

The funding will be used tohire more talent to accelerateproduct development, rampup the platform and make itmore engaging and consum-er-focussed, and engage a larg-er consumer, the company saidin a statement today.

“We’re delighted that in-vestors saw the immensepotential in our vision andchose to join the Chingarijourney,” said Sumit Ghosh,Co-Founder and CEO, Chin-gari App. – IANS

12 THE ASSAM TRIBUNE, GUWAHATISPORTS

MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020

Originating from Japan,

‘su do ku’ is a mind game

and a puzzle that can be

solved with proper

reasoning and logic. Fill

the grid with digits in such

a manner that every row,

every column and every

3 x3 box accommodates

the digits 1 to 9 without

repeating any.

Solution of last problem

SU DO KU

Printed and published by Ganesh Ch. Das on behalf of Assam Tribune Pvt. Ltd. at the Tribune Press, Tribune Buildings, P.O.- Assam Tribune, M.R.D. Road, Chandmari, Guwahati-781003. Tel. 0361-2660102 (EPABX), 0361-2661360, 0361-2668807 (News Desk), FAX 0361-2666396.

E-mail: advt@assamtribune.com; news@assamtribune.com; atribunenews@gmail.com. Editor: Prafulla Govinda Baruah

BARCELONA, Aug 9: Just

when it looked like Lionel

Messi had nowhere to go, the

Argentine great bamboozled

half of Napoli’s team before

scoring from an exquisite solo

effort that helped Barcelona

reach the Champions League

quarterfinals in Portugal.

Messi netted Barcelona’s

second goal in the 3-1 victo-

ry that sent the Spanish side

past Napoli on a 4-2 aggre-

gate score on Saturday.

Messi’s goal in the 23rd

minute was arguably the pick

of the 31 he has scored this

season in all competitions.

Napoli appeared to have him

in check when Messi received

the ball all alone outside the

right corner of the area.

Barcelona’s all-time

record scorer, however,

dipped his head and took on

the well-placed defence.

He kept control of the ball

despite being knocked over

while going past three Na-

poli players. Three more

tried to intervene but Messi

found the angle to fire while

losing his balance to send the

ball past the goalkeeper and

inside the far post.

Clement Lenglet and Luis

Suarez also scored for Bar-

celona which advanced five

months after it drew 1-1 in

Naples before the pandemic

Messi unstoppable asBarca beat Napoli

stopped European soccer.

Barcelona will meet Bayern

Munich on Friday in the quar-

terfinals to be played in Lis-

bon in a “bubble” format of

tight security to prevent a coro-

navirus outbreak from derail-

ing the competition’s finale.

Bayern sealed its spot af-

ter beating Chelsea 4-1 with

two goals from Robert

Lewandowski to complete a

7-1 rout over two legs.

“We are more than satis-

fied with our first half,” Sua-

rez said.

“Bayern is a great rival and

is one of the favourites, along

with us, of the eight that will

be in Portugal.”

Messi’s beautiful goal dou-

bled Barcelona’s lead after

Lenglet headed in a corner in

the 10th. The opener settled

Barcelona down after Napo-

li’s Dries Mertens had given

the hosts a scare by hitting

the post shortly after kickoff.

Video review had a busy

night. It disallowed another

Messi goal for a handball by

the forward and then awarded

Messi a penalty after he slipped

in front of Kalidou Koulibaly

and was kicked in the lower

left leg by the defender.

Messi spent several min-

utes receiving medical atten-

tion, and Suarez stepped up

to convert the spot kick.

Barcelona coach Quique Se-

tien said that Messi, who played

the whole game, had a hard

knock but that “I don’t think he

will have a problem.” – AP

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring their second goal during the Champions Leagueround of 16 second leg against Napoli at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. – AP/PTI

MUNICH, Aug 9: The

coronavirus pandemic has

changed almost everything

about the Champions

League. Empty stadiums,

games in August and a tour-

nament in Portugal.

But Bayern Munich keeps

winning, and Robert

Lewandowski keeps scoring.

The Poland striker scored

twice and set up two more

goals as Bayern beat Chel-

sea 4-1 on Saturday for a 7-1

win on aggregate in Munich

to book a ticket to Lisbon.

Bayern cruise past Chelsea intoChampions League quarters

Bayern has won 18 straight

competitive games going

back to February and hasn’t

lost since December.

“We wanted to win the

game and show we were

picking up where we left off,”

Bayern coach Hansi Flick

told Sky, adding of Barcelo-

na: “As with any opponent,

we have the requisite re-

spect and we’re going to

prepare well.”

Lewandowski has 13 goals

in seven Champions League

games this season – putting

Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of

17 within reach – and 53 in

44 across all competitions.

Bayern started with a 3-0

lead from the first leg in Feb-

ruary and took the lead on

the night after 10 minutes

when Lewandowski scored

from the penalty spot after

he’d been tripped by goal-

keeper Willy Caballero when

through on goal.

It was a familiar story for

Chelsea after a season pep-

pered by goalkeeping blun-

ders. Caballero was starting

after Kepa Arrizabalaga was

dropped to the bench follow-

ing a string of errors.

Lewandowski was the key

man again for Bayern’s sec-

ond goal, holding up the ball

in the 24th and turning to play

in Ivan Perisic, who ran onto

the pass from the right and

hit the ball past Caballero.

Chelsea was left needing

five goals to win and nearly

started an improbable come-

back soon after when Callum

Hudson-Odoi put the ball in

the net, only to see his goal

ruled out for offside by Tam-

my Abraham in the buildup.

Abraham did get a goal for

Chelsea just before halftime

when Bayern keeper Manuel

Neuer gifted him the ball

when clearing a cross.

Corentin Tolisso added

another for Bayern in the

76th when he was left un-

marked to meet a cross

from Lewandowski. Then

Lewandowski headed in the

fourth off an assist from Al-

varo Odriozola eight min-

utes later.

Flick said Bayern’s players

can have breakfast with their

families before flying to Por-

tugal on Sunday afternoon

and entering the UEFA bub-

ble for the quarterfinals on-

ward. Bayern and Barcelona

play each other on Friday in

a single-game format. – APBayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski scores from the penalty spot during the ChampionsLeague round of 16 second leg against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

MANCHESTER, Aug 9: Pakistan cap-

tain Azhar Ali rued the missed opportu-

nities and lauded the Jos Buttler-Chris

Woakes partnership that helped England

snatch the first Test here.

He said Pakistan failed to match up to

the challenge thrown at them by Eng-

land on the fourth day at Old Trafford,

leading to their three-wicket defeat.

“It’s been a wonderful Test, disap-

pointing to be on the wrong side of it.

We had our opportunities to bat Eng-

land out of the game. We lost run-outs

which are a crime in Test matches, but

this total should have been enough,” Ali

said after the match.

“They took the game on and the pitch

started to do nothing. They changed the

momentum and we couldn’t reply what

they threw at us.”

Buttler (75) and Woakes (84 not out)

stitched a brilliant 139-run stand for the

sixth wicket to help England chase down

Credit to Woakes, Buttler: Pak captain Ali277 and win the first Test by three wick-

ets on Saturday.

“I would give credit to their partner-

ship, tough to keep the field up and the

boundaries dry. One of the best innings

of recent past was Stokes against Aus-

tralia and this one is not far behind be-

cause conditions were tough,” said the

35-year-old captain.

“Surprised there wasn’t reverse

swing, but there was enough there,

when we had five wickets we were hap-

py with our discipline, but the partner-

ship changed everything.”

Ali said playing in front of a packed

house would have been more enjoyable

for both the sides, which was not possi-

ble in view of the ongoing COVID-19

pandemic.

“But watching at home on TV, they

(fans) would have been entertained, and

we’re happy to be a part of it.”

England captain Joe Root said he knew a

special innings or a partnership would be

needed to chase down the target of 277.

“Couldn’t be more proud of the lads,

approach was outstanding and that part-

nership was magnificent. We knew it would

take something special but after last sum-

mer we knew not to stop believing. It’s a

real strong trait of ours,” Root said.

“Jos, it shows the mental strength, to

play that situation and manage different

passages of it, calculating risks, manipu-

lating the spinner, brilliant innings, and

Chris was magnificent too.”

Man-of-the-match Chris Woakes said

the condition of the pitch left him and

Buttler with no choice but to play a coun-

ter-attacking game.

“After that ball that Ollie (Pope) got,

we knew that was the way to go on this

pitch. It made up our minds for us, and

worked into our hands, take it to them

and put them under pressure,” Woakes

said. – PTI

Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler of England punch gloves duringday four of the 1st Test against Pakistan at the Old Trafford inManchester, England.

NEW DELHI, Aug 9:

BCCI President Sourav Gan-

guly has described the sus-

pension of the IPL title spon-

sorship deal with Chinese

mobile phone company Vivo

as just a “blip”, dismissing

talk that it might lead to a “fi-

nancial crisis”.

The BCCI and Vivo on

Thursday decided to suspend

their partnership for the 2020

IPL beginning on September

19 in the UAE amid the cla-

mour to boycott Chinese

products in the wake of the

Sino-India border stand-off.

The title sponsorship is a

significant part of the IPL’s

commercial revenue, half of

which is shared equally by the

eight franchises. Vivo won the

IPL title sponsorship rights

for five years from 2018 to

Suspension of IPL title sponsorshipwith Vivo just a blip: Ganguly

2022 for a reported sum of

Rs 2190 crore, approximate-

ly Rs 440 crore per annum.

“I wouldn’t call it as a finan-

cial crisis. It’s just a little bit

of a blip,” Ganguly said dur-

ing a webinar on Saturday,

organised by educational book

publishers S Chand Group.

“BCCI, it’s a very strong

foundation – the game, the

players, the administrators in

the past have made this

game so strong that BCCI is

able to handle all these blips.”

Ganguly said the BCCI al-

ways has a “Plan B” for these

kind of situations.

“You keep your other op-

tions open. It is like Plan A

and Plan B. Sensible people

do it. Sensible brands do it.

Sensible corporates do it,”

said the former India captain.

“And the only way you can

do it is by being profession-

ally strong over a period of

time. Big things don’t come

overnight. And big things

don’t go away overnight.

Your preparation for a long

period of time gets you

ready for losses, gets you

ready for successes.”

He also talked about the ICC

decision on Friday to retain

India as hosts for the 2021

men’s T20 World Cup. – PTI

Ganguly

LEXINGTON (US), Aug 9:

Serena Williams flexed and

then kissed a sinewy right bi-

cep to show down time well

spent in training even without

bench pressing.

“This is God given, thank

you very much,” the 23-

time Grand Slam champion

said as she thanked her

mother, Oracene.

Williams now looks to flex

her muscles on a tennis court

for the first time in six months.

She is preparing for the in-

augural Top Seed Open that

opens on Monday near Lex-

ington, a recently added hard

court tournament that serves

as a tuneup for this month’s US

Open in New York.

The WTA’s first event in the

US since March features a

spectator-free field that in-

Serena ready to playafter 6-month break

cludes sister Venus Williams, a

seven-time Grand Slam win-

ner herself, Victoria Azarenka,

Sloane Stephens and rising star

Coco Gauff.

Serena Williams, ranked

No. 9, is competing for the first

time since playing for the US

in the Fed Cup in February. The

pandemic quickly shut every-

thing down the next month,

forcing an extended layoff.

Williams has a history of

blood clots and pulmonary em-

bolisms that have affected her

lung capacity. She has been “su-

per, super careful in avoiding

exposure to COVID-19”.

The 38-year-old acknowl-

edged during Saturday’s virtu-

al news conference that she’s

been “a bit of a recluse,” in ad-

dition to owning 50 face masks

and taking social distancing to

an extreme.

“And everyone in the Sere-

na bubble is really protective

because at the end of the day,

yeah, it’s cool to play tennis, but

this is my life and this is my

health,” Williams said.

“I’ve been a little neurotic to

an extent, but that’s just what I

have to be right now.”

Williams and Azarenka en-

ter the tournament with open

minds, hungry to resume com-

petition. – AP

Serena

MANCHESTER, Aug 9: Pakistan head

coach Misbah-ul-Haq is not happy with his

side’s below-par batting effort in the first

Test against England here but more dis-

appointing to him was how the visitors let

England off the hook during their run chase.

Chasing 277, England were reduced

to 117 for five before under-pressure

Jos Buttler (75) and Chris Woakes (84

not out) stitched a brilliant 139-run stand

for the sixth wicket to notch up a mem-

orable three-wicket win on the fourth

day on Saturday.

“We are disappointed that we let Eng-

land off the hook after they were five

wickets down at one stage. The way

Buttler and Woakes counter-attacked

our bowlers it was very skilful,” Mis-

We let England off the hook, admits Misbah

bah said after Pakistan went 0-1 down in

the three-match series.

“Over all, we could have done better

with the bat in the second innings. It would

have been a different scenario if it was a

300 above target. It is very important to

put up decent score in the second innings

against England’s quality bowling attack

in their own conditions.”

Former captain and fast bowling great

Wasim Akram too felt that Pakistan

lacked flair, unpredictability and attack-

ing instinct while defending the target.

Akram felt with England reduced to

117 for five, the need of the hour was to

put pressure on Buttler, who was fight-

ing for his Test spot, and Woakes, who

averaged just 5.22 with the bat in his

previous six Tests.

Misbah, though, refused to comment

anything on this, only admitting that the

partnership between Buttler and Woakes

was the turning point of the game. – PTI

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 9: Dustin John-

son supplied the birdies, eight of them at

the PGA Championship, the most he has

ever made in his 157 rounds of major cham-

pionship golf for a 5-under 65 and a one-

shot lead. Brooks Koepka supplied the nee-

dle on Saturday.

Koepka recovered from three straight

bogeys to salvage a 69 and stay within two

shots of a leaderboard more crowded than

any of San Francisco’s congested highways.

At stake is a chance to become only the

seventh player to win the same major three

straight times. He surveyed the cast of con-

tenders, and focused on the guy at the top.

“I like my chances,” Koepka said.

“When I’ve been in this position before,

I’ve capitalised. He’s only won one. I’m

Dustin Johnson leads PGA Championshipplaying good. I don’t know, we’ll see.”

As he stepped away from the micro-

phone, Koepka smiled and said to Jason

Day, “How about that shade?” They

laughed.

Too bad this isn’t a two-man show.

The final round at Harding Park figures

to be wide open, just like it was on a Satur-

day so wild that eight players had at least a

share of the lead during the third round.

Johnson lost his yardage book and still

found his way through an enormous crowd

of contenders. He made a double bogey on

the ninth hole and still bounced back with a

31 on the tough, windy back nine.

He needed all eight of those birdies on a

day of low scores, long putts and endless

possibilities.

One possibility is Koepka hoisting the

Wanamaker Trophy for the third straight

year, which hasn’t happened since Walter

Hagen won four in a row in the 1920s when

it was match play. The last player to win

any major three straight times was Peter

Thomson at the British Open in 1956.

Koepka was two shots behind on a board

that features only two major champions

among the top six.

Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour rookie

from Texas, ran off three straight birdies

only to miss a 6-foot par putt on the final

hole. He still shot a 65 and was one shot

behind, in the final group at his first PGA

Championship. Cameron Champ, who has

the most powerful swing on tour, shot 67

and joined Scheffler one shot behind. – AP

KOLKATA, Aug 9: Former Indiadefender and Mohun Bagan cap-tain Manitombi Singh died at theage of 39 at his native village nearImphal in Manipur on Sunday, clubsources said.

Manitombi was suffering fromprolonged illness and breathed hislast in the early hours of Sunday.

He is survived by his wife andan eight-year-old son. “Mohun Bagan family is deeply saddenedby the untimely demise of former club captain Manitombi Singh,”the club posted on its Twitter handle.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during thisdifficult time. Rest in peace, Manitombi Singh,” it added.

Manitombi was a key member of the Stephen Constantine-coached India Under-23 side that lifted the LG Cup in 2003 bydefeating Vietnam 3-2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

It was India’s first international triumph since their victory atan eight-nation tournament in Singapore in 1971. Manitombi alsorepresented India in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

The former right back scored in his debut for Mohun Bagan atthe Calcutta Football League Premier Division in 2003 and wenton to lead the club in the All Airlines Gold Cup victory in 2004.

Having started out his playing career with Army Boys andServices, Manitombi also represented Air India and Salgaocarbefore making the big move to Mohun Bagan in 2003. – PTI

Former India playerManitombi dies

Misbah-ul-Haq