SATURDAY 26 OCTOBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR REVANTH ACCUSES PM OF STALLING T’GANA PROJECTS CANADA TO REDUCE IMMIGRATION TARGETS P10 SENSEX 79,402.29q662.87 WEATHER Morning showers. Skies clearing late. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30°C and 25°C respectively. ‘EXTRA EFFORT NEEDED FOR YAMUNA’ P6 NIFTY 24,180.80q218.60 SANTNER, LATHAM PUT NEW ZEALAND ON CUSP OF HISTORIC SERIES WIN P9 ` vs $ 84.08 P16 SILVER 1,07,000 GOLD 80,290.00 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 75.47p1.09 Cyclone ‘Dana’ causes minimal damage in Odisha RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY By the grace of Lord Jagannath, cooperation of all, we achieved zero casualty: Odisha CM Max. 88% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BHUBANESWAR, 25 OCTOBER Min. 80% TEMPERATURE Max: 30.1˚C SUN RISES 05:37 hrs MOON RISES 00:18 hrs Min: 25.2˚C SUN SETS 17:03 hrs MOON SETS 13:40 hrs City lashed by Dana’s tail; Mamata reviews situation O New Moon on 1 November THUMBNAILS A shutdown in Uttarkashi called by the Gangaghati and Yamunaghati Provincial Industries Trade Association after a scuffle and stone-pelting broke out during a protest rally on Friday. n ANI Varanasi court rejects Hindu sideÊs plea for survey of entire Gyanvapi complex: A district court has rejected the plea of the Hindu side for survey and excavation of the entire Gyanvapi complex. Civil Judge (Senior Division Fast Track) Yugul Shambhu gave the judgment on Friday after hearing the arguments of the Muslim and Hindu sides. The court's decision pertains to a 1991 case. (Page 5) disha’s coastal residents breathed a collective sigh of relief as Cyclone Dana, forecasted to be of severe intensity, caused minimal damage as it made landfall near Bhitarkanika National Park early Friday morning. The landfall commenced at 1.30 a.m. and continued till 8 a.m. Prompt and efficient government action was credited for ensuring zero casualties and a swift return to normal life. More than 600,000 people, including 6,000 pregnant women, were moved to safety before the cyclone hit. Remarkably, over 1,600 women delivered their babies in secure shelters. “Through the grace of Lord Jagannath and the cooperation of all, we have been able to protect lives with zero casualties,” stated Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, who monitored the situation from the state control room. Cyclone Dana made landfall between Bhi- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 25 OCTOBER tarkanika and Dhamra, initially bringing strong winds and heavy rain, but the storm’s impact was nowhere near the scary predictions. While some trees were uprooted, causing temporary disruptions, road clearance teams swiftly restored access by Friday evening. Electrical and communication services were rapidly reinstated in affected areas, with rail and air services resuming. Despite a few flooded agricultural fields and minor tidal surges in lowlying villages, the cyclone’s damage was much lower than expected. “No lives were lost, and property damage was minimal. Life is already returning to normal,” noted Kendrapara Collector Smruti Ranjan Pradhan. Meanwhile, the Bhitarkanika National Park, the primary landfall zone, too escaped major harm, preserving the rich biodiversity in the area. Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari highlighted that the restoration process is already underway, with full assessments of minor damage expected soon. Thanks to advanced planning, prompt evacuations, and the dedication of Odisha's response teams, Cyclone Dana's impact was managed with remarkable effectiveness. Even as Cyclone Dana largely spared West Bengal and particularly Kolkata, it did leave a trail of inundated roads, lanes and bylanes in the city today. Lashed by Dana’s tail, several pockets of the city were pounded by heavy downpours, registering as high as 163 mm of rainfall within a 10-hour period today. Other than Kolkata, the affected districts included East Midnapore, West Midnapore, South 24-Parganas, Jhargram, Howrah and Hooghly. One person died after being electrocuted at Patharpratima in South 24-Parganas. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed at the control room in Nabanna, the state administrative headquarters, on Thurs- day night to monitor the situation and this morning held a meeting to take stock of the situation. She asked the district officials to open medical camps and ensure that snake anti-venom was available. She said a survey should be conducted to find out the number of houses that were partially or totally damaged due to the heavy rain. Miss Banerjee said 2.16 lakh people had been evacuated. She thanked the administration and people's representatives for their tireless work to combat the aftermath of Dana. (See Pages 2,3 & 4) India, Germany legal assistance pact will boost efforts to combat terror : PM ASHOK TUTEJA NEW DELHI, 25 OCTOBER Adding a new dimension to their ties, India and Germany on Friday signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in Criminal Matters which, Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi said, will strengthen their resolve to combat terrorism and separatist elements. The two countries also inked over a dozen other pacts, including those on the exchange and mutual protection of classified infor- mation and their intent in the field of employment and labour, after talks between PM Modi and visiting German Chancellor Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the 7th India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations. Both sides, it is learnt, are also seriously No de-induction of troops in Depsang & Demchok, India-China pact only on disengagement, patrolling PARWINDER SANDHU NEW DELHI, 25 OCTOBER The agreement between India and China to disengage forces along specific sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, does not include the de-induction of troops from the contested areas of Depsang and Demchok, but merely returning to positions held prior to April 2020 and undertaking patrolling of the area, according to military sources. This recent accord addresses only the disengagement and resumption of patrolling, with both nations aiming to complete the withdrawal of any temporary or permanent installations along the LAC by this month-end. Following this, patrols will restart with a defined number of personnel from each side, who will coordinate to avoid miscommunication and reduce potential confrontations. “A particular strength of troops in the patrols from both sides has been identified and it has also been agreed to inform each other before undertaking the patrolling, to avoid any miscommunication and face-off. The two sides will have surveillance over the area. Patrolling points in the Depsang and Demchok areas will be the same points where we had been patrolling traditionally pre-April 2020,” a source said. Addressing troop reduction timelines, sources confirmed that a full de-induction is not yet on the table. The agreement currently covers only disengagement, with the decision on further troop withdrawal to be made later, depending on evolving conditions. “As of now we talked about disengagement. We will get back to our areas where we were initially, sit down and watch. Post that a call on deinduction of the troops would be taken,” the source noted. considering signing a military logistics support agreement in the near future. “The growing cooperation in the defence and security sectors is a symbol of our deep mutual trust. The agreement on the exchange of classified information is a new step in this direction. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty concluded today will strengthen our joint efforts to combat terrorism and separatist elements,” the PM said at a press conference which was also addressed by the German Chancellor. (See also Page 7) Need for balanced approach by G20 between devp priorities, climate action: Sitharaman STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 OCTOBER Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stressed upon a balanced approach between development priorities and climate action during her address at the G20 meet. The Finance Ministry in a statement on Friday said: “Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs FM Smt.@nsitharaman sought for a balance between developmental priorities and #ClimateAction, vis-a-vis channeling of global effort by providing greater access to financial resources and technologies for developing countries at a reasonable cost.” The minister was speaking during her address at the G20 Joint Meeting of Finance, Climate and Environment, and Foreign Affairs Ministers, as well as Central Bank Gov- Over 25 flights receive bomb threats NEW DELHI, 25 OCTOBER Over 25 flights of various airlines received bomb threats on Friday afternoon, the Civil Aviation sources said. There has been a spate of such threatsinrecentdays,disrupting operations on both domestic and international routes as authoritiesandairlinesscramble to ensure passenger safety. Around seven flights each of IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet and at least six flights of Air India received bomb threats on Friday. Over the last 12 days, more than 275 flights operated by the Indian carriers have received bomb threats, most of which were issued through social media. SNS The Statesman is looking for the most beautiful and best-dressed women in Indian and Western attire. And you could be the lucky one to win the coveted prize! ess r If Canada wants them, give them space, call it Khalistan: Recalled Indian envoy's blunt retort to Trudeau government AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 25 OCTOBER The Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, on Friday, in an exclusive conversation with ANI, said that only a small percentage of Canadian Sikhs supported the Khalistani cause and if Canada cared about that then they should "give a place to them and call it Khalistan". “These are Canadian citizens challenging Indian territorial integrity and sovereignty. As long as these people, these Khalistani extremists and terrorists keep talking ab o ut Canada, I have no issues. That's their domestic issue. They can do whatever they want. As soon as they look at dividing India, then it is my problem. And that problem, I will certainly take to the Canadian authorities to say that listen, you have to resolve this," Mr Verma said "They want a country for themselves. I would say if Canada wants them to be there and they are so kind to them, Canada is a huge country. Give a space to them, call it Khalistan," Mr Verma said. Mr Verma said the Khalistani elements had managed to build a narrative that they represented the Sikh community in Canada which was not true. “Indo-Canadian community is those people who are Canadian citizens of Indian origin. 98 per cent of them go about doing what they do living peacefully, taking care of the family, contributing to the Canadian economy, etc. But others are very vocal... And somehow they have been able to build a narrative that these 10,000 of the Khalistani terrorists and extremists represent the Sikh community, which is absolutely incorrect... And these narratives which had been built over a period of time tells the regime of the day that they are important," he said. “Secondly, what they have been able to achieve is to put their own people in the parliament, in positions of authority in various departments, including at the lower levels and the upper levels. So they have been able to influence not only the political dimension, but also the executives in Canada. So the institutions in Canada, most of the institutions, they also have got recruitments done... But amonst them, there are many who side with the Khalistani terrorists and extremists and therefore propagate the narrative in the organisations there," he added. Mr Verma reiterated that no evidence had been shared by Ottawa on the alleged inv- ernors, during the Annual Meetings 2024 in Washington, D.C. Mrs Sitharaman said while climate action is essential, it should not come at the expense of the growth of developing nations. She stressed the importance of formulating a New Collective Quantified Goal for climate finance that addresses the unique needs of developing countries without imposing restrictive conditions that hinder their growth. olvement of Indian citizens in the killing of NIA designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar. "Zero zilch. Nothing. So, so far what I have heard is what they keep saying in the media. That India, credible allegations are there. No, come on. We are also an English speaking country in a way. So, what is credible allegations? Either they are credible or they are allegations. So no evidence present, shared with us, no evidence, nothing which is judicially, legally acceptable presented to us," he said. Mr Verma was recalled from Canada after the Trudeau government said he was a person of interest in the Nijjar murder case; however, he has denied all the charges levelled against him by Ottawa. 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