Vol. 68 No. 26 | Saturday, November 2, 2024 | 32+8=40 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in NATION Congress slams Election Commission of India on Haryana complaints EDITIONS: MUMBAI INDORE PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK KONKAN E-paper Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (Jan to June 2024) GAMES Cinema Bhool Bhulaiya 3 or Singham Again? Check out our review! India hand New Zealand control after Jadeja fifer in the Third Test NEW LOW | FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s MP from south Mumbai, Arvind Sawant, for referring to Shiv Sena (Shinde) candidate Shaina NC as ‘imported maal’. HOLIDAY NOTICE The Free Press Journal offices will remain closed on November 2 on account of Diwali and there will be no edition on November 3. The e-paper can, however, be accessed. fp Briefs Migrants shot at in Budgam Two migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh were shot at in Budgam area of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, the police said. Both were taken to a hospital, where the doctors said they were out of danger. The two injured workers were identified as 25-year-old Sofiyan and 20-year-old Usman Malik, both from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.This was the fourth terrorist attack on migrant workers in Kashmir valley in the last two weeks. Another Gandhi is off the block Congress leader Rahul Gandhi released a Diwali video on Friday and presented his nephew, Raihan Rajiv Vadra, which is being seen in some quarters as a ‘soft launch. Raihan made his first public appearance when his mother filed her nomination papers from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. In the nineminute video shared by Rahul Gandhi on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is seen interacting with workers sprucing up his mother Sonia Gandhi's residence for Diwali and lending them a hand by scraping away old plaster while perched on a stepladder. He is also seen acquainting his nephew with the role of the unseen workers who make houses shine bright for Diwali. However, Raihan does not speak much and mostly acknowledges his uncle's remarks with a nod. Made to clean hubby’s blood A woman who was five months pregnant was allegedly made to clean the blood from the hospital bed on which her husband had died after being shot at in Madhya Pradesh. A video of the man's wife cleaning the bed has emerged, sparking outrage, but the hospital has claimed she had asked to be allowed to wipe the blood with a cloth to collect evidence, reports NDTV. Four men - a father and his three sons - were shot at in Lalpur village in the tribaldominated Dindori district on Thursday over a longstanding land dispute. While the father and one of the sons died on the spot, two others, Shivraj and Ramraj, were rushed to the Gadasarai Health Centre for treatment. Blushes for UBT-Sena after ‘imported’ jibe at Shaina   FPJ News Service  MUMBAI The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was left red-faced on Friday, with the Nagpada police registering an FIR against the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s MP from south Mumbai, Arvind Sawant, for referring to Shiv Sena (Shinde) candidate Shaina NC as ‘imported maal’. Shaina is the state treasurer of the BJP but is contesting the Mumbadevi assembly seat on a Shiv Sena (Shinde) ticket against sitting Congress MLA Amin Patel. The BJP had originally planned to field Shaina against Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) from Worli, but at the last moment, shifted her to Mumbadevi. Incidentally, Amin Patel’s mentor – the late Murli Deora’s son -- Milind Deora, is the Shiv Sena (Shinde) nominee in Worli.  At Nagpada Police Station, a case has been registered against MP Arvind Sawant under Sections 79 (insult to modesty of woman) and 356(2) (defamation) of the BNS. On November 1, at 4pm, Shaina NC visited Nagpada police station and lodged her complaint and a case was filed by the police.  According to the statement by Shaina NC, 51, she had submitted her nomination for the Mumbadevi constituency on October 29, as a candidate from the Mahayuti alliance. On November 1, around 8am, her personal assistant Yadav informed her over the phone about a video circulating on social media. In the video, Arvind Sawant could be seen talking to the media, saying, 4Contd on | nation Cong poll promises KAMALA, JOE IGNORED a pipedream: Modi HINDUS, SAYS TRUMP FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Congress stands "badly exposed" in front of people for promising them what the party knows it will never be able to deliver. The fierce attack came as PM Modi seized on party president Mallikarjun Kharge's comments that the Congress' state units should make promises that are properly budgeted and do not lead to financial troubles. Kharge had made the statement in the backdrop of the fiscal problems the partyruled states are facing. On Thursday, Kharge had pulled up Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar over a statement he had made on withdrawing a poll guaran- FPJ News Service Attack comes after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge advices Karnataka not to go overboard while making promises that are not budgeted for tee Congress had made. Kharge said, "You have given some guarantees. After seeing them, I too said in Maharashtra that there are five guarantees in Karnataka. Now you (Shivakumar) said you will withdraw one guarantee." The Congress chief said Shivakumar's statement about reviewing the Shakti scheme had given the BJP a chance. 4Contd on | nation WASHINGTON Will protect them from anti-religious agenda of radical left Donald Trump, Former President FESTIVE SPARKLE Nearly 13,000 properties registered in Oct ’24, says realty consultant  Even though surveys show that Indians settled in the US are inclined to vote for Republican Party nominee Donald Trump, the former President further reached out to this section by condemning the "barbaric violence" against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. While conveying his Diwali greetings, he took a dig at Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. In a post on Truth Social, he accused his rival and her boss Biden of "ignoring Hindus" across the world and in the US. "I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos," he tweeted. "It would never have happened on my watch. Kamala and Joe have ignored Hindus across the world and in America. They have been a disaster from Israel to Ukraine to our own Southern Border but we will Make America Strong Again and bring back peace through strength," the post further read. Trump also promised to strengthen his ties with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he called a "good friend", if he was elected again. "We will also protect Hindu Americans against the anti-religious agenda of the radical left. We will fight for your freedom. Under my administration, we will also strengthen our great partnership with India and my good friend, Prime Minister Modi," Trump said. 4Contd on | nation PTI DHAKA MUMBAI Mumbai city is expected to have recorded  approximately 12,929 property registrations in October 2024, contributing over Rs 1,099 crore to the state exchequer. This reflects a 22 per cent year-on-year increase in property registrations and a 32 per cent year-on-year rise in revenue from property registration. The ongoing festive period, beginning with Navratri and Diwali, is considered auspicious for property purchases and has played a role in the current rise in registrations, Knight Frank said. Additionally, the surge in year-on-year (YoY) terms could also be partly attributed to the base effect; in October 2023, the first 14 days were ‘pitrupaksha’, a period in which buyers generally avoid big-ticket investments, whereas this year, the ‘pitrupaksha’ period ended on October 2, impacting only the first two days of the month. In October 2024, residential units constituted 80% of the total registration, underscoring strong housing demand in the city. In the first ten months of 2024, Mumbai recorded 118,329 property registrations, marking a 13 per cent YoY increase, with revenue collections rising eight per cent YoY. This sustained activity in property transactions reflects a growing inclination toward homeownership among Mumbai’s residents. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in demand for high-value properties, with properties priced at Rs 2 crore and above comprising 22%of the registrations in October 2024, up from 18 per cent the previous year; there were 2,876 transactions in this segment. Bibek Debroy, an economic adviser to the PM, whose prolific work included economic theory, income inequality, and infrastructure financing, died on Friday at age 69. Debroy, who had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and a blockage in the heart for which he had a pacemaker, was admitted to the AIIMS emergency late on October 31 and died around 7 am on Friday. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Adani Power Jharkhand Limited (APJL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Power, has stopped half of its power supply to Bangladesh because of outstanding bills of USD 846 million, according to a local media report. Bangladesh reported a shortfall of more than 1,600 megawatts (MW) on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday as the 1,496 MW plant is now producing 700 MW from a single unit, the Daily Star has reported. Earlier, the Adani company wrote to the power secretary asking the Bangladesh Power Development Board to clear its outstanding dues by TRIBUTE Nichola Marie J ust last month, the iconic Rohit Bal brought the house to its feet, as he pulled off an incredible grand finale in collaboration with the House of Lakme. His collection ‘Kaaynaat’ (universe), inspired by the “vast, ethereal beauty of the cosmos and the delicate bloom of flowers”, was eyewateringly good. Of course, the real reason behind the tears Dressing men in skirts and noserings, even sindoor, Bal set about liberating the Indian man from the drab wardrobe choices made for them by their women. filling eyes at the show was his triumphant return after a challenging year of health battles. A resurrection, no less, as he joined showstopper Ananya Panday on the ramp, grooving to the beats of Madonna’s Vogue! That he was visibly frail, had to be helped onstage, etc. made no difference to his spirit. For the moment, he was alive, jubilant and doing what he did best – what else could possibly matter? As news Outstanding bills of over US $ 846mn strains “working capital for making payment to coal suppliers and operations and maintenance contractors.” Rashme Sehgal Delhi’s air quality worsens every Diwali but this year it has reached the ‘very severe’ category a day prior to the festival of lights. The government conveniently blames these high pollution levels on stubble burning by farmers of Punjaband Haryana but in a report released on Wednesday, the Centre for Science and Environment has posed by the Supreme Court, has muddied our air even further. It has been stated ad nauseam that 22 out of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India with Ghaziabad enjoying the dubious distinction of being the most polluted. Let’s face it. Our cities are in a royal mess. A Niti Aayog report says that nearly 70 per cent of India’s water is contaminated, especially that coming from our main rivers.Water borne diseases are rampant and we continue 4Contd on | nation GST collections see 8.9% year on year growth FPJ Desk NEW DELHI to have more than 1.5 million children succumbing annually to diarrhoea. The water supplied in our cities is sub-standard with its quality is known to deteriorate as the water travels through the trunk mains to service reservoirs. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2022 “Global Liveability Index,” which looks at healthcare, environment, education and infrastructure in 173 cities around the world, highlights The goods and services tax (GST) collections stood at Rs 1.87 lakh crore in October, an 8.9 per cent rise; GST had mopped up Rs 1.72 lakh crore in revenue in the same month last year, government data showed on Friday. This is the eighth consecutive month that GST collections have stayed above the Rs 1.7 lakh crore-mark. According to the official data, CGST, SGST, IGST, and cess all increased in the last month. In October, Rs 33,821 crore was collected as Central GST (CGST) while State GST (SGST) collection stood at Rs 41,864 crore. The government also collected Integrated GST (IGST) at Rs 99,111 crore and cess amounting to Rs 12,550 cr. For the first seven months of this fiscal, collections were up 9.4 per cent at Rs 12.74 lakh crore, as against Rs 11.64 lakh crore mopped up in the corresponding period of 2023. The gross GST revenues from domestic transactions grew 10.6 per cent to about Rs 1.42 lakh crore, as revenues from import of goods were up 4 per cent to Rs 45,096 crore compared to the previous year’s figures. Refunds worth Rs 19,306 crore were issued by govt during the month, registering 18.2 per cent growth compared to the same period last year. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation October 30. The letter, dated October 27, said that if the bills are not paid, the company shall be constrained to take remedial action under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) by suspending the power supply on October 31. 4Contd on | nation Urban polluted mess – More visible than ever on Diwali come up with hard data to show that the contribution of farm fires to the rising PM2.5 levels in the capital region has been 16 per cent. Delhi’s 1.3 crore vehicles are primarily responsible for this pollution spike, especially because of the massive congestion on main arterial roads. The cities on the periphery of the capital such as Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Gautam Buddh Nagar must also take their share of the blame. The unrestricted use of fire crackers, despite the ban im- breaks of his passing on Friday, Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana rings afresh: ‘Your candle has burned out long before your legend ever will’. Bal wore the inevitable ‘Enfant Terrible’ crown on his golden locks with exquisite indifference, even nonchalant pride. No, he did not mind being called “India’s bad boy of fashion”. In fact, he accepted it—witha smirk on his fine-featured face—asa compliment. The term actually meant someone who rebels against set conventions, he would reason, and that’s who he was: the unruly one, leading his life his own way, both professionally and personally. The 63-year-old Kashmirborn Gudda, as he was called by family and friends, was always marked out for greater things. A first-class degree holder in History from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi, he found his raison d’etre learning fashion at the National Institute of Fashion. Starting off working for his brother’s export company, he soon began designing for his own line, launching a collection of traditional menswear in 1990. And fashion, as the country knew it, would change irrevocably. Debuting on the scene at a tipping point, he epitomised the naughty Nineties, an era of progressiveness, vision and hedonistic abandon. Rohit Bal, one of India's most renowned fashion designers, died at the age of 63 offgrid By invitation Happy Diwali Padwa Living life large, Rohit Bal way Eco advisor Adani halves its power Bibek Debroy supply to Bangladesh is no more Agencies NEW DELHI FPJ News Service Balipratipada