18082024-TTC-01.qxd 18-08-2024 00:28 Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 8 NO. 228 | 24 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 WON’T PUT NEEDY UNDER DEBT: PM ON HELPING GLOBAL SOUTH NATION /thetribunechd ANNOUNCEMENT OF ELECTIONS SPARKS CROSSOVERS J&K GULZAR REFLECTS ON 17 PALESTINIANS KILLED LIFE, WRITINGS AS HE IN ISRAELI STRIKE IN TURNS 90 SPECTRUM CENTRAL GAZA WORLD sunday | 18 august 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com K’taka Guv grants nod to try CM Siddaramaiah in land allotment ‘scam’ Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 17 Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Saturday granted sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment ‘scam’. Terming the decision unconstitutional, Siddaramaiah accused the Governor of acting as the Centre’s puppet and said the decision would be challenged legally. Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi is accused of getting compensatory sites with higher value allotted in an upmarket area of Mysuru in lieu of her land “acquired” by MUDA. The Governor’s decision triggered a political slugfest with the Congress alleging attempts to destabilise the government and the BJP pushing for the CM’s resignation. The BJP top brass called for Siddaramaiah’s ouster to enable a fair probe, while the Congress, led by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, said “BJP-appointed Governors were creating trouble, UNCONSTITUTIONAL ❝ This is an unconstitutional move and we will challenge it legally. Siddaramaiah, KARNATAKA CM MUDA ROW ■ Under 50:50 scheme, Mysuru Urban Development Authority acquired land for residential projects and compensated owners with land elsewhere ■ CM’s wife Parvathi accused of getting 14 sites of higher value in prime South Mysuru locality in lieu of 3.1 acres she owned at a village in 2021 ■ Scheme was introduced in 2009, but BJP govt scrapped it in 2020; it is alleged Parvathi became beneficiary even after the scheme was scrapped and that the CM would stay”. Without commenting directly on the Governor’s decision, Kharge claimed the NDA government had been “misusing the Governor’s office against non-BJP governments, such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Karnataka”. “There is a conspiracy to misuse the Governor’s office to destabilise the government in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah is our CM and he will continue to be so. The INDIA bloc has also expressed solidarity with the CM,” said Shivakumar. BJP chief JP Nadda took the opportunity to attack the Congress, saying its “legacy of corruption continues!” “From National Herald to MUDA scam, Congress’ history with corruption is welldocumented. Time and again, they have betrayed the trust of the people. While the party portrays itself as the guardian of Dalits and minorities, one of their own CMs is involved in grabbing land from a Dalit family,” he added. Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said CM’s resignation would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation. “The Governor has exercised his constitutional powers. Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favoritism within the Congress government, it is continued on page 7 Net off in Udaipur as stabbing by Class X boy triggers tension JAIPUR: Mobile Internet was suspended for 24 hours in several areas of Rajasthan’s Udaipur and all schools were ordered to remain shut after a Class X student allegedly stabbed another boy at a government school, triggering communal violence in the city, officials said. The house of the accused boy had been razed by the district administration using JCB machines, the officials said. The demolition was carried out in the presence of police personnel on Saturday. INSIDE Vinesh Phogat accompanied by Congress MP Deepender Hooda and wrestler Bajrang Punia at IGI Airport in New Delhi on Saturday. ANI Grand homecoming for ‘fighter’Vinesh Cong’s Deepender takes centre stage, BJP slams ‘politicisation’ of sports Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, August 17 Vinesh Phogat returned home to a rousing welcome on Saturday. With the BJP leadership missing — understandably so as Vinesh was part of the wrestlers’ protest over the WFI row — the Congress took the lead by sending Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda to receive the wrestler at the IGI Airport in New Delhi. Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, boxer Vijender Singh and family members were among those who joined her. Heavily garlanded, Vinesh stood up in a convertible vehicle to thank her supporters. Deepender presented a mace, a symbol of victory, to the wrestler. Praising her fighting spirit, Deepender said 140 crore countrymen considered Vinesh an Olympic gold medallist. “The whole country is proud of its daughters,” he said. He also accompanied her during the Delhi stretch of the roadshow, organised from the airport to her native Balali village in Charkhi Dadri. It took over two hours for the roadshow to reach Haryana via the Badli border in Jhajjar district. As Deepender left for Pundri to attend a political event, with the EC announcing October 1 Assembly poll in Haryana, Congress’ Badli MLA Kuldeep Vats joined the roadshow in his Assembly segment. Later, party MLA Geeta Bhukkal welcomed the wrestler on reaching Jhajjar town. Though Deepender avoided any political statement, Vats demanded the Congress should field the wrestler in the Assembly elections. “She has struggled continued on page 7 Gurugram, Mumbai malls receive hoax bomb threat mails GURUGRAM/MUMBAI: Ambience Mall in Gurugram was evacuated on Saturday after it received an email claiming that a bomb had been planted on the premises, the police said. The threat turned out to be a hoax. The mall management received the threat email at 9.27 am from hiddenbones101@gmail.com. In Vashi area of Navi Mumbai, InOrbit mall was evacuated after receiving a similar bomb threat email, which too turned out to be a hoax as no suspicious object was found during the search operation. — TNS/PTI Strike hits OPDs; govt vows security panel 26/11 accused Rana can Tribune News Service be extradited: US court New Delhi, August 17 Days after the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Union Government on Saturday promised to set up a committee to propose safety measures for healthcare professionals. This was announced by Health Minister JP Nadda during a meeting with representatives of various associations of doctors. OPD services were hit across the country as doctors joined the 24-hour nationwide strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest the incident. Health services were severely impacted across country, from Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab in the North to Kerala in the South as well as across Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. The CBI, meanwhile, continued questioning of Sandip Ghosh, former principal of the medical college, for the second day on Saturday. The Washington, August 17 In a huge setback to Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a US court has ruled that the Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman could be extradited to India where he is wanted for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack carried out by Pakistanbased Lashkar terrorists. “The (India-US extradition) treaty permits Rana’s extradition,” the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said in its ruling on Thursday. Ruling on an appeal filed by 63-year-old Rana, a panel of three judges affirmed the District Court in the Central District of California’s denial of his habeas corpus petition. Rana had challenged a magistrate judge’s certification of his as extraditable to India for his alleged participation in terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Rana, currently lodged in a jail in Los Angeles, faces charges for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attack and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main con- DOC’S RAPE-MURDER CBI grills principal again, 30 suspects under scanner In HP, enrolment in government schools is on continuous decline. FILE Himachal shuts 99 govt schools with no students Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, August17 The Himachal Pradesh Government today denotified 99 government primary and middle schools with zero enrolment. It also ordered merger of 419 schools, including 361 of the primary wing, with five or less students with the nearest schools. Among the 99 schools shut today, 89 are primary schools. A related notification was issued by Joint Secretary (Education) Sunil Verma. The Directorate of Elementary Education has accordingly ordered its Deputy Directors to complete the formalities as the denotification order comes into immediate effect. The teachers from the schools being closed or merged will be posted in the ones having vacancies. It is after a series of meetings and deliberations that the Education Department finally decided to take action. The decline in enrolment in government schools remains a major cause for concern for the government. Several initiatives have been taken to check the migration of students to private institutes. The total enrolment in government schools from Class I to Class XII, which was 10.50 lakh 20 years ago, has now dipped to 7.50 lakh. Similarly, Orders merger of 419 others with low strength the number of students in Class I, which was 1.32 lakh, now stands at a mere 49,000. Of the 10,500 primary schools, 322 are without any teacher and 3,400 are being run by a single teacher. In its meeting on July 25, the Cabinet had approved the merger of government primary schools within a twokm radius and of middle schools within a three-km radius, if these have five or less students. Education Minister Rohit Thakur had himself admitted that Himachal, which once ranked among the top three states in the education sector, had slipped to the 18th position. Of the 89 primary schools that have been shut, the highest number — 30 — falls in Shimla district, followed by 18 in Kangra and 15 in Mandi. Of the 10 middle schools whose closure was ordered, five are in Mandi district, two in Kullu and one each in Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. Of the total 361 primary schools being merged, 70 are in Kangra, 63 in Mandi, 60 in Shimla, 27 in Chamba and 23 in Hamirpur district. Besides, 58 middle schools have been merged with nearby schools. Healthcare professionals hold placards during a protest at a hospital in Mumbai on Saturday. REUTERS agency has prepared a list of 30 persons, including doctors, interns, police officials and victim’s friends. “We have 30 suspects who will be questioned. The victim’s parents have also given us names of some suspects. They believe that multiple persons were behind the rape and murder. Victim’s colleagues are also being questioned. The police officials who were part of the initial investigation were also summoned,” a CBI official said. The Ministry of Health has requested the protesting doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in view of the rising cases of dengue and malaria. “The associations have put forth their demands regarding their concern over the safety of healthcare workers at workplace… It was observed that 26 states have already passed legislation for the protection of healthcare workers in their respective states. continued on page 7 Tahawwur Hussain Rana spirators of the terror incident that hit India’s financial hub in 2008. Rana has the option of appealing against the ruling. In its ruling, the panel also held that India provided sufficient competent evidence to support the magistrate judge’s finding of probable cause that Rana committed the charged crimes. Rana was tried in a US district court on charges related to his support for a terrorist outfit that carried out the Mumbai attacks. A jury convicted him of providing material support to a foreign terrorist outfit and conspiring to provide material support to a foiled plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Denmark. continued on page 7 Chaiwalla-turned-druglord Chhabra to cool heels in Dibrugarh jail Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, August 17 The law has finally caught up with chaiwalla-turned-druglord Akshay Chhabra, who will now cool his heels in Assam’s Dibrugarh Jail. He, along with his accomplice Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, was on Saturday sent to one-year detention by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act. From a chaiwalla to the owner of over Rs 100-crore properties in just three years, Chhabra, who hails from Ludhiana, would often hang out with the who’s who of Punjab’s wealthiest town. As his luck ran out and he landed in the NCB net, the huge fortune he made in a short time, allegedly with ill-gotten gains, has been attached and will soon be auctioned. According to NCB officials, Chhabra is accused of running an international drug syndicate. He had allegedly smuggled close to 1,400 kg of heroin from the ICP Attari; , Mundra Sea Port, Gujarat; and Jammu and Kashmir. His syndicate never dealt in small quantity of drugs like ~100-cr assets, amassed in just 3 yrs, to go under hammer Tea kiosk of Akshay Chhabra at Ludhiana grain market that he ran till 2019 before becoming a druglord. the ones dropped via drones in Punjab’s fields along the Pakistan border. Instead, he sourced heroin from Today’s issue is of 24 pages, including six-page Spectrum and four-page Jalandhar Tribune. Afghanistan in cans of tomato sauce or bottles of pomegranate juice imported by Indian traders from Iran, official sources said on condition of anonymity. The NCB found heroin hidden in 612 cans of tomato sauce imported from Afghanistan, officials added. These had special markings to distinguish them from other cans. The NCB also found heroin in 350 bottles of juice imported from Iran. Chhabra used to run a tea stall at the Ludhiana grain market with his parents until 2019. Then he came in contact with some smugglers and never looked back. Giving him company in his detention in Dibrugarh is his aide Goldy, a carpenter whose expertise in creating cavities for hiding drugs has become legendary. Evidently, Goldy built closets and cupboards within closets and cupboards in houses and commercial establishments owned by Chhabra, a feat which has left investigating officers dumbfounded. “The cavities he created were far more creative than what we see in films,” said an official. The NCB, rather than the Punjab Police, has taken the lead in launching a tough action against the “big fish” of the drug trade. On the other hand, the Punjab Government continued on page 7