thursdAY 22 august, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Iran House approves new cabinet Parliament on Wednesday approved all members of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Cabinet, in what could be called as an early win for the reformist. Page 9 Modi meets Indian diaspora in Warsaw A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Amazon hurting small retailers in country: Goyal D I PA K M O N D AL @ New Delhi UNION commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday hit out at US e-commerce giant Amazon for its predatory pricing practices that hurt Indian retailers. Speaking in an event, Goyal said Amazon’s billion-dollar investment in India is no cause for celebration as the company is only making good for the losses it made by indulging in predatory pricing. “They made a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet... They have to fill in that loss,” he said. In FY23, Amazon India’s marketplace business Amazon Seller Services reported net losses of `4,854 crore, up from `3,649 crore a year ago. Amazon has pledged $15 billion additional investment in India by 2030, taking its total investments in the country to $26 billion. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made this announcement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit in 2023. Unimpressed by this, Goyal said the company paid thousands of crores to professionals. “I don’t know who these professionals are. I am a chartered accountant, and I have When Amazon done law; I would love to know which char- invests a billion tered accountants, professionals, lawyers get dollar, it is not for `1,000 crore unless you are paying all the top great service or lawyers to block them so that nobody can investment to support the Indian fight a case against you,” he said. Goyal was probably referring to claims economy made by the Confederation of All India Trad- Piyush Goyal, ers in 2021 that Amazon paid $1.2 billion Union minister (`8,456 crore) towards legal expenses during FY19 and FY20. However, Amazon had clarified that its total legal and professional expenses in FY20 stood at `1,967 crore. An Amazon spokesperson said the company has no comments on Goyal’s charges. According to Goyal, half of India’s market could become part of the e-commerce network by the next decade, which is a matter of concern. He said the growth of e-commerce is at the cost of local businesses and employment, particularly in pharmacies and mobile phone repair shops. no truce deal as blinken ends west asia tour US Secretary of State ended his ninth visit to the West Asia since the war in Gaza began without securing any major breakthrough for a ceasefire deal | P9 l New Delhi l J8.00 The fear of crime on Delhi roads is so overwhelming at times that an innocent—completely unrelated to an incident—falls victim. Here’s a case reported a week back: Place: Alipur area of north Delhi. Two men, whose phone was taken away by a thief from their car, catch a wrong person and try to bundle an innocent 22-year-old man into their car. He is dragged for nearly 50 metres before being handed over to the police. A couple driving right behind them, unaware of what is going on, takes a video clip that shows the youth falling on the road. DCP (outer-north) RK Singh told this newspaper that a PCR call was received at the Alipur police station on August 14 about a man managing to jump off a running car near Bakoli crossing, GT Road, Alipur. The police men rush to the spot and meet the man, named Roushan. The man is too shocked and nervous that he is unable to give a statement. The matter is kept pending. Some days later, when Roushan visited the police station and recorded his statement in which he stated that he was a student and had come to meet his father in Alipur on the day of the incident. “Around 6pm when he was RG Kar gets CISF cover; govt tries damage control Singh told reporters, “We have come here for some assignA day after the Supreme Court ment. Let us finish our work, ordered CISF protection for the then senior officers will brief RG Kar Medical College and you. I am doing my job.” Hospital in Kolkata where a Nivedita Sarkar, a student of trainee doctor was recently RG Kar, said, “If we feel safe afraped and murdered, the para- ter the CISF taking charge of military force with 150 person- the hospital security we would , nel was deployed there, while request the Central governprotests against the horrific ment to retain it on the campus crime continued across the city for a few months more.” on Wednesday . The SC on Tuesday Stung by the Suhad pulled up the state preme Court questiongovernment and quesing the haste with tioned the Kolkata Powhich RG Kar’s prinlice’s response when a cipal Sandip Ghosh rampaging mob vanwas appointed as head dalised the hospital of another instituearly August 15. tion, the West Bengal Earlier on Wednesgover nment on day, junior doctors Wednesday cancelled and medical students it to limit damage. It took out a march to I have listened to had appointment him both the parents. I Swasthya Bhavan principal of the Calasking why the govwill be writing to cutta National Medi- the chief minister in ernment failed to take a closed envelope. cal College and Hospia ny s t e p a g a i n s t They told me tal hours after he had Ghosh despite serious certain things, put in his papers. allegations of corrupconfidential now The state governtion against him. ment had appointed Governor Ananda Bose Opposition parties Dr Suhrita Pal as the too hit the streets. new principal of RG The Congress held a Kar in place of Ghosh. But she march to Lalbazzar, the police was working from the Swasthya headquarters, seeking to know Bhavan, the health depart- why the personnel in khaki ment’s headquarters, instead tried to pass off the murder as of coming to the college. Her suicide and seeking speedy jusappointment, too, was can- tice for the victim. Some Concelled late night. gress leaders were arrested and Besides, RG Kar superintend- later released. Led by Bengal ent Bulbul Mukhopadhyay and BJP president Sukanta Majumthe head of the department of dar, saffron party leaders held the hospital’s chest medicine a sit-in in Shyambazar, demanddepartment, Arunava Dutta ing justice for the victim and Choudhury were removed. , the resignation of Chief MinisSenior CISF officer K Pratap ter Mamata Banerjee. P3 & 7 Massive hunt on Two men trying to chase a thief running away with a mobile phone catch hold of a wrong person and drag him by the car. Police come into picture after a video clip of the chase. Later, the cops find they have the wrong man; the youth is set free. But the real thief remains at large. The youngster has suffered bruises and is too shocked to give a statement. waiting for a bus at a stop near Bakoli crossing, one black car rushed in with two boys who forced him inside the vehicle,” the DCP said. Roushan jumped out some distance away. The whole struggle was recorded by Yeshi Seli @ New Delhi Geetanjali Barua, principal of a college in Dhaka, tied to a tree | Special Arrangement trying to go to France. As for Hindu teachers, nearly 70 of them have allegedly been forced to resign, according to a source. These include Geetanjali Barua, principal of Azimpur Government Girls School RG Kar’s new principal chucked out E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kolkata two passersby . Based on his statement, the police registered a case. With the help of the video clip, the police traced the vehicle and contacted its owner. The said the car was being driven by his brother Gurmeet. When asked by cops, Gurmeet revealed that on that day , while he was talking with a friend, he saw a person stealing his mobile phone placed on his car’s dashboard. Gurmeet went on to give him a chase. Around 50 metres away , he saw a man, whom he thought was the thief and immediately caught him. The police got it all, though the real thief remains untraceable. B’desh journos hounded, Hindu teachers sacked While the interim government in Bangladesh claims that the current situation there is close to normal, well-placed sources in the country said journalists considered close to the erstwhile Sheikh Hasina regime are being viewed as criminals and hounded out or and arrested. Hindu teachers, too, are losing their jobs. Sources also said students have set up vigilante groups and are sermonising citizens on how to conduct themselves. Shakil Ahmed, former editor of a private channel, and his wife (also a journalist) Farzana Rupa, were arrested at Dhaka airport along with their daughter on Wednesday. They were PAGES 12 Hasty appointment of Ghosh as National Medical College head cancelled ‘Thief’ on run, car chase, mistaken identity U j w a l J a l a l i @New Delhi l Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with members of the Indian diaspora during his visit to the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino and Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, Poland to pay tributes on Wednesday. Modi is in Poland on a two-day visit | PTI and College in Dhaka. Students tied her to a tree with a rope. The army had to rescue her. Similarly, Sonali Rani Das was forced to resign. She was an assistant professor of Holy Red Crescent Nursing College. “In a real sense, normalcy hasn’t returned. There is tension although people are slowly returning to their earlier routine,’’ Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kallilmullah, a political commentator, told this newspaper. Student vigilante groups are are pulling up smokers and asking them to abstain, with a warning. They are also telling businessmen not to take more than 5 taka as profit on their sale, which is in sync with the radical Islam. “There are many names circulating for replacing Sheikh Hasina as president of her Awami League. Elections will not be announced for a long time and there are talks of even banning the Awami League,’’ source said. Doctors raise slogans during a protest rally over the rape and murder of a PG student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata, on Wednesday. (Inset) CISF Inpector General Shikhar Sahai, left, after a meeting at RG Kar | PTI Akhtar Ali: Had blown whistle on Ghosh Former RG Kar deputy superintendent Akhtar Ali claimed he had written to the state vigilance department two years ago flagging serious cases of corruption by then principal Sandip Ghosh. Ali said he was threatened by senior officials and pressured to withdraw his complaint Shinde blames outsiders as Oppn calls Maha bandh over Badlapur on Aug 24 S ud h i r S u r ya w a ns h i @ Mumbai Even as CM Eknath Shinde dubbed Tuesday’s protests in Thane’s Badlapur against the sexual assault on two minor girls “politically motivated”, the Opposition MVA gave a statewide bandh call on August 24 against the alleged failure of law and order in the state. The MVA, comprising Uddhav-led Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Congress, decided on the bandh after a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday . Shinde blamed outsiders for the protest, saying, “Everything is recorded in CCTV. When a minister assured the protestors of action, they were unwilling to move. That means they wanted to defame the government,” he said. On the other hand, Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress MLA and Police remand till Aug 26 A court extended police custody of the 23-year-old accused till August 26. The man was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur. NGT slams, fines DJB over Yamuna pollution S h e k h a r S i ng h @ New Delhi The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has rebuked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and fined it for failing to appear in a case assessing the performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) along the river Yamuna. The NGT has taken suo-motu cognizance of the matter, highlighting concerns over the pollution levels in the Yamuna and the efficiency of STPs managed by the DJB. As per NGT, despite notices, the DJB neither filed a response nor appeared before it. This led the NGT to impose a fine of `10,000 on the DJB CEO, to be deposited with the Registrar General of the Tribunal within two weeks. The NGT’s stated, “In spite of issuance of notice to the DJB, neither any reply has been filed by the DJB nor is DJB represented.” The case involves a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report showing alarming water quality at 38 STPs. The report shows high counts of fecal coliform, indicating deficient treatment and inadequate disinfection before the release of treated wastewater. In several instances, the Biochemical Oxygen Demand levels failed to meet the required standards, raising environmental and public health concerns. The NGT has expressed reservation over the lack of action from DJB. The CPCB, in its August 5, 2024 report, highlighted the use of chlorination and ultraviolet disinfection methods at the STPs but noted that their efficacy was not properly assessed. The NGT also criticised CPCB for not taking swift action against the violations. Express read 17 killed in Andhra pharma factory blast At least 17 workers were killed and over 30 injured after a fire broke out following a reactor blast at the Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd factory in Atchutapuram SEZ in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalle district on Wednesday. Officials said the casualty count could go up as rescue operations are on. P5 Census exercise may begin next month The Centre is likely to start the long-delayed census exercise from September, Reuters reported quoting two government sources. A final nod from the PM’s office is awaited. Once it starts, the exercise will take about 18 months to be completed, the report said. Leader of the Opposition, said that all MVA allies would participate in the statewide bandh on August 24. He said that the allies have taken note of the failure of the MahaYuti government on all fronts. “We discussed women’s security and the failure of the MahaYuti government. The state’s law and order is deteriorating. No one feels safe,” he said. He said that the government rather than meting out harsh punishment to the culprits was arresting people who participated in the protest. No HC stay on demolition of farmhouse linked to KTR T G N a i du @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued strict directives to the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRAA), emphasising the need to follow due legal procedures before demolishing structures deemed illegal. The judge’s order came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Pradeep Reddy Badvelu, who sought to prevent the demolition of his farmhouse in Rangareddy district. BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday said that Pradeep Reddy was his friend and that he has taken the farmhouse on lease from him. The farmhouse, a two-storey structure built on 1,210 square yards of land in Janwada village, was flagged for demolition by HYDRAA. T he a g ency claimed that the property falls within the boundaries of Osman Sagar Lake, a restricted zone. Justice Lakshman questioned Additional Advocate General Imran Khan regarding the legal basis for HYDRAA’s demolition actions. The AAG clarified that while HYDRAA does not issue notices directly, notices are issued by GHMC or the local municipality to property owners. The judge expressed concern over the lack of due process, pointing out that homeowners, who legally purchased properties and obtained per mits, should not be blindsided by demolition actions.
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