WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Thunderstorms. Rain likely in the afternoon. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29 °C and 26 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % Max: 29.2˚C SUN RISES 05:26 hrs MOON RISES 23:33 hrs AGENCIES It hardly matters if DVC shifts its headquarters from Kolkata, says Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BOLPUR, 24 SEPTEMBER Min. 91 % Min: 26.3˚C SUN SETS 17:29 hrs MOON SETS 12:50 hrs TEMPERATURE Water release by J’khand Siddaramaiah rules out resignation after Karnataka High Court setback culprit behind floods: CM I New Moon on 3 October THUMBNAILS Polling officials carry electronic voting machines as they leave for their respective polling stations on the eve of the second phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in Srinagar on Tuesday. n ANI Sri Lankan President appoints Harini Amarasuriya as PM: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake appointed Harini Amarasuriya as Sri Lanka's 16th Prime Minister, NewsWire reported. Amarasuriya of the National People's Power (NPP) party is an academic, rights activist, and university lecturer and is known for her work in education and social justice. (Page 13) t is unfortunate that West Bengal does not get floods just because of the rainfall (in the state). The state gets flooded because of the water released from Jharkhand,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday. “Dubrajpur, Rampurhat, Suri, Bolpur, Labhpur Sainthia blocks in Birbhum district have been heavily affected by the flood waters. Though the area has not dried completely, the water level is receding fast. Not only mud huts have been washed away, but even large parts of agricultural fields are also under water and we will set up pucca houses besides providing crop insurance to the farmers for the losses suffered due to the floods,” said Miss Banerjee today at an administrative meeting held in Bolpur. She said that the Jal Shakti Ministry of the government of India handles the release of water from the dams and barrages and it hardly matters if the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) shifts its headquarters from Kolkata. “What benefit have we got from their having their headquarters at Kolkata? The DVRRC never discusses with us about water release. That’s why two of our representatives have resigned,” she said. Miss Banerjee added that in the past twenty years no dredging and desilting work has taken place. “During the disastrous floods in Bengal in 2000, when I was the railway PM returns after ‘fruitful’ US visit STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 SEPTEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned from his successful three-day visit to the United States on Tuesday night, after attending the Quad Leaders’ Summit, an exuberant Indian diaspora event, and addressing the UN Summit of the Future, where he reminded the international community “success of humanity lies in our collective strength and not in the battlefield.” In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “This has been a fruitful USA visit, covering diverse programmes and focusing on a series of subjects aimed at making our planet better.” Mr Modi shared a video of his engagements from the Quad Summit to the bilateral meetings, including with US President Joe Biden. On the sidelines of the Summit of the Future, Mr Modi held a bilateral meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reiterating India’s clear, con- sistent and constructive approach in favour of a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue, as well as engagement between all stakeholders. This was Mr Modi’s third meeting with the Ukraine leader. He conveyed India remains open to provide all support within its means to facilitate a lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict. Mr Modi began his US visit with a meeting with the US President. In a special gesture, President Biden hosted the meeting at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. The two agree- ments signed during the meeting included the IndoPacific Economic Framework Agreement and the IndiaUS Drug Policy framework. In his address at the Quad Summit, the Prime Minister said Quad is committed for a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo Pacific. He said Quad is here to stay, to assist, to partner and to complement. Quad leaders appreciated the Prime Minister and India for its leadership role in the Indian Ocean. To take the Quad agenda forward, the Quad leaders adopted the Quad Wilmington Declaration. At the Cancer Moonshot event, the Prime Minister said that India will contribute 40 million vaccine doses for Indo-Pacific countries under GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance and QUAD initiatives. On the sidelines of the Quad summit, Prime Minister Modi also held bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. minister, the DVC released such a huge volume of water from its dams. At that time water had entered my home,”she said. Khanakul-1 and -2 blocks are still under water, so are Udaynarayanpur and Amta, Uluberia and Ghatal, the chief minister said, adding that she inspected the condition of the Durgapur barrage yesterday. The ministers and chief secretary have also visited the flood-affected areas, police and administration are distributing relief material and even the TMC is also distributing dry food packets. At the administrative meeting in Geetanjali Auditorium held in Bolpur today, Miss Banerjee gave directions to store ample anti-venom in government hospitals in view of the growing snake bite cases. “I have instructed all related departments to work together. In the next three days there is chance of heavy rainfall. The administration should be alert. The PWD has been instructed to repair the roads washed away in the floods. Eleven lakh houses will be set up and work will start from December. 65,000 houses will be set up by the minority department for destitute women,”she said. The power department has been directed to restore power after the water level recedes. “For the last three years, we have not received funds under PMAY. A total of Rs 1.70 lakh crore of Central funds are due to us. Still, we are trying to allot as many houses as possible from our limited resources,” Miss Banerjee said. India, Germany, Japan, Brazil call for urgent reform of UNSC STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 SEPTEMBER The “Group of Four” countries, which includes India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, have again called for an urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council through text-based negotiations. The four countries, which are all claimants for permanent seats in the UNSC, stressed that a comprehensive reform of the Security Council is an essential part of any endeavour to make the UN better reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and thus fit for the present and future. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock, Japan Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira met Monday on the margins of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the prospects for a reform of the UNSC. ''Glad to join the traditional #G4 Foreign Ministers Meeting along with colleagues@ABaerbock, @Kamikawa_Yoko and Mauro Vieira in New York today. G4 reaffirmed its commitment for an urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council through Text Based Negotiations,'' Mr Jaishankar wrote on social media platform X. The G4 ministers reiterated their call for the expansion of the UN Security Council in both permanent and nonpermanent categories of membership, which has been supported by a significant number of member states throughout the negotiation process, in order to increase the Council’s legitimacy and ensure its effectiveness, a statement issued by the four ministers said. End of an era: Kolkata’s trams ending commercial services STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata was the first city where trams were introduced, followed by Bombay (now Mumbai). The trams were abolished in Mumbai many decades ago. KOLKATA, 24 SEPTEMBER After a long run of 150 years, commercial services of Kolkata’s iconic trams are being discontinued. Trams were introduced in Calcutta (Kolkata), the then capital of the British Indian Empire, in 1874. Initially trams were drawn by horses. Electric tram cars were introduced in the early 20th century. Kolkata was the first city where trams were introduced, followed by Bombay (now Mumbai). Trams were abolished in Mumbai many decades ago. The tram network was unique in Kolkata. There were huge tram depots at Ballygunge, Tollygunge, Nonapukur, Shyambazar and Behala. But tram services were abandoned in Behala more than 30 years ago. Mr Snehashis Chakraborty, state transport minister, said that a single tram route, between Esplanade and Kidderpore, would be operated as a heritage route. The transport department is also discontinuing its Tram Puja Parikrama, and will not operate trams during the upcoming Durga Puja. The state government will place its decision before Calcutta High Court when a PIL currently before the court on the plying of trams in the city comes up for its next hearing. Kolkata Police had raised objections to the plying of trams in the city from the point of traffic management. For example, on College Street, one-way traffic management system has been introduced but it cannot be fully operational, as when vehicles ply from Bowbazar to Hatibagan, trams come from the opposite direction, creating traffic congestion. Once, there were tram services in Howrah but it had to be discontinued. There was a time when trams used to ply on Howrah bridge. During the construction of the Metro Railway from Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Station to Esplanade in the 1970s, tram services along SP Mukherjee road had to be discontinued. It did not come back once the road was reopened to traffic. Traffic jams became a regular feature on Chitpore road because of the trams. A senior police officer said road space in the city is fast shrinking and the volume of traffic has gone up over the years. To meet the situation the city has to abandon the plying of trams, he said. Already the Public Works department is removing the tram tracks from many areas. The tram tracks on a portion of Kalighat Road and Rashbehari Avenue have been removed. Trams were a major means of transport during the British period. During the Civil Disobedience movement, Indians boycotted travelling on trams. Douglas Jardin, and his cricket team were returning to England after the infamous Body Line series in Australia in 1930-32. Jardin issued an advertisement urging people to use trams. The advertisement read: "Jardin says the Calcutta Tramways Corporation is the best tramways company in the World." Tram cars were imported from England. Every tram depot had workshops where the coaches were repaired. The tram company had graded electrical engineers and staff to maintain the overhead electric line. BENGALURU, 24 SEPTEMBER Slamming the Opposition for demanding his resignation after Karnataka High Court dismissed his plea challenging the sanction given by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for conducting a investigation against him in the MUDA case, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that he is not guilty as the court has only ordered a investigation. “Kumaraswamy is on bail. Did anyone ask for his resignation? The court has only directed an inquiry into the MUDA case. That does not mean that I am guilty,” said the Chief Minister while addressing a press conference at his home office ‘Krishna’ in Bengaluru. He added that the court has given the verdict under 17 (A) of the PC Act, adding that the matter has been handed over to the investigation. “At this stage only an inquiry has been ordered against me. Why do you ask for a resignation at this stage? We will tackle it politically as it is a conspiracy,” the Chief Minister said. He said that the development would be challenged politically and legally. Earlier, Karnataka High Court while quashing Mr Siddaramaiah's petition, said the beneficiaries in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case were not outsiders but the petitioner's wife. The bench headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna passed the order upholding Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's decision. The order of the High Court stated: “The facts narrated in the petition would undoubtedly require an inves- tigation. In the teeth of the fact that the beneficiary of all these acts is not anybody outside, but the wife of the petitioner (CM Siddaramaiah)." Social activists Pradeep Kumar SP, T.J. Abraham and Snehamayi Krishna had filed petitions against CM Siddaramaiah in connection with the alleged MUDA land scam.They had claimed that Mr Siddaramaiah had misused his office to create fraudulent documents over 3.17 acres of land near Mysuru city and got 14 sites allotted from the MUDA in the name of his wife. “I am not afraid of conspiracy of the BJP and JD-S. The people of Karnataka are with our party and they are with me. It's not possible to dislodge our government through money power and Operation Lotus. They succeeded in 2008 and 2019. This time, the people of Karnataka have given us absolute majority to Congress. We have 136 MLAs on our side,” the Chief Minister said. (Another report on Pg 6) NRI quota business in education must stop now: Supreme Court PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 24 SEPTEMBER Expressing its misgivings over the Punjab government’s notification broadening the definition of the relatives of the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to include their nearest relations, the Supreme Court on Tuesday termed it as a “fraud” that undermined the quality of the country’s education system, stating that NRI quota system must come to an end. Dismissing the three petitions, including one by the Punjab government, challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order quashing a 20 August 2024, notification that broadened the definition of NRI relatives, a bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said: “We must stop this NRI quota business now! This is complete fraud and this is what we are doing to our education system! Judges know what they are dealing with. The High Court has dealt with the case threadbare.” The 20 August notification by the Punjab government broadened the definition to include uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins.