thursdAY 05 september, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard Ukraine Five cabinet ministers resign Harvinder Singh Mariyappan Thangavelu Harvinder creates history, 1st indian to win archery gold President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday reshuffled his cabinet to bring ‘new energy’ to the government amid intense Russian strikes. India won their fourth gold of the Paralympics thanks to Harvinder Singh’s brilliance in the men’s recurve archery on Wednesday | P11 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi Special arrangement l J8.00 l PAGES 12 Mariyappan is the 1st indian to win medals in 3 straight paralympics In Brunei, Modi takes jibe at China E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi 1,00,000 Thousands of uprooted trees in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Mulugu district after a gale last Saturday. (Left) Volunteers rescue a woman from a flooded area on Wednesday | Prasant Madugula trees uprooted in t’gana forest Freak weather at Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary produced tornado-like effect U M a h e s h & A a r t i K a s h ya p @ Mulugu/Hyderabad A rare weather phenomenon left waste thousands of trees — some estimates put the figure at over one lakh — across 200 hectares in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary between Medaram-Pasara and Medaram-Tadavi in Telangana. While there was no loss to fauna due to what was described by some environmentalists as a squall, the ecological damage was incalculable. Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka said they never expected around one lakh trees getting uprooted due to a heavy gale. According to forest officials, trees like neem, banyan, peepal and others bore the brunt of nature’s fury. Leopards were spotted in the sanctuary spread over 81,200 hectares though wild animals seldom venture to this area. Elusing Meru, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Protection and Vigilance) told this newspaper: “This is a very rare incident and very unlikely in a state like Telangana. This is probably the result of high winds and cloudburst.” Senior officials of the India Meteorological Department said, “This is a highly localised convective activity We are ex. amining the exact nature and cause. Our preliminary observations are that it was an effect of thunderstorm activity and strong pressure deficiency giv, ing it a tornado effect.” Experts concurred. Environmentalist and public policy expert Donthi Narasimha Reddy said: “What has happened in Mulugu seems to be a squall, a localised storm or sudden gusty winds, a very unusual weather condition, due to heavy rains and thunderstorms. Such occurrences are common in West Bengal and the Northeast but very rare in a geography like Telangana.” Mulugu District Forest Officer (DFO) Rahul Jadhav told reporters that the devastation occurred on August 31, possibly due to localised strong wind pressure and a cloudburst. He said the incessant rains appeared to have led to soil erosion, contributing to the uprooting of the trees. P5 New role for fire engines Fire engines from across Andhra parked at BRTS road to clean the accumulated silt in flooded Singh Nagar since the water is receding, in Vijayawada on Wednesday. It was among the worst affected areas due to the rains | Prasant Madugula diagonal wind flattened them? “From the extent of damage, the squall appears to be over 90 kmph. Besides, the winds must have been diagonal, unlike the regular horizontal winds. Horizontal winds do not have the potential to cause such massive destruction,” said environmentalist Donthi Narasimha Reddy drone survey confirms tree loss A drone survey confirmed massive devastation, with thousands of trees of various types being uprooted. Additionally, a field survey is being conducted by forest staff to obtain a more accurate assessment, District Forest Officer Rahul Jadhav said Single girl child quota violates right to equality: Stephen’s in HC S h ek h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi St. Ste phen’s Colle ge on Wednesday argued before the Delhi High Court that the “single girl child quota” imposed by Delhi University violates the constitutional right to equality . The college’s counsel contended that the quota, which reserves one seat in each programme me for a single girl child, infringes upon Articles 14, 15(3), 15(5), and 30 of the Constitution. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma questioned whether the college had previously raised objections to the policy. The college’s counsel, senior advocate Romy Chacko, responded that though they had agreed to allocate one seat per programme for a single girl child, DU is now imposing the admission of multiple students under the same quota. “Initially the agreement was , for one student per programme, but now DU is demanding the admission of 13 students under this quota, which is a significant departure from the original agreement,” Chacko said and added that this shift violates the principle of equality . The DU and the petitioning students opposed the college’s stance, arguing it had never challenged this policy before. PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a swipe at China, saying that India supports a “policy of development, and not expansionism” as he concluded his two-day visit to Brunei Darussalam. Modi’s comment, which did not name any country, at a banquet hosted by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah came at a time when China is engaged in territorial disputes with the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan. “A code of conduct should be finalised in this region,” Modi said, adding: “We support freedom of navigation and overflight under international laws like UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)”. According to a joint statement issued after the visit, India and Brunei have elevated their relationship. PM Modi with Singapore After concluding his Bru- PM Lawrence Wong | PTI nei visit, PM Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for a two-day official visit. This is Modi’s fifth visit to Singapore. His last visit to Singapore in 2018. The PM kicked off his Singapore visit by meeting members of the Indian diaspora and then having dinner with Singapore PM Lawrence Wong. “Happy to have met my friend, PM Lawrence Wong. Had an excellent discussion on a wide range of issues. India cherishes the friendship with Singapore,” he wrote on ‘X’. express read Peace pact signed with Tripura rebel groups A tripartite peace agreement was signed between the Central and Tripura governments, and insurgent groups National Liberation Front of Tripura and All Tripura Tiger Force on Wednesday. Home Minister Amit Shah, after signing the pact, said a milestone is set in Tripura’s journey towards peace. | P7 Potential forgery in certs by Khedkar: Cops The Delhi Police, in a recent status report to the HC, revealed that ex-IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who appeared in the 2022 and 2023 UPSC exams, is under suspicion of having forged one of the disability certificates she presented. Khedkar had submitted two separate disability certificates. | P4 haryana polls Cong tickets for Phogat, 3 ex-JJP men among Punia after Rahul meet? 67 nominees in BJP list h a r p r ee t b a j w a @ Chandigarh R a j e s h K u m a r T h a ku r @ New Delhi Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Thursday met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi amid speculation that the duo might be given party tickets to fight in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana. According to sources, Phogat might fight from either Julana in Jind or Charkhi Dadri, while Punia might be fielded from Badli in Jhajjar district. Deepak Babaria, AICC general secretary in-charge for Haryana, said that clarity will emerge in one or two days whether both sportspersons will be given Congress tickets. “I don’t know what discussions they had with K C Venugopal. But whatever a solution comes out, it will be acceptable to everyone. The ultimate goal is to defeat the BJP . If possible, they would contest elections,” he said. Sources in Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia Delhi said Phogat is likely to get ticket, while Punia may be rewarded in some other way An announcement is likely on Thursday . . It is learnt that by roping in high-profile sports personalities, the Congress wants to strengthen its position among voters in the Jat land state. Phogat has been supporting the farmers’ protest. She recently met the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border, describing herself as “your daughter”. Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023. Battling anti-incumbency and farmers’ anger, the BJP on Wednesday announced a list of 67 candidates for the 90-member Haryana Assembly elections. The party has nominated three former JJP MLAs. Key candidates include incumbent CM Nayab Singh Saini, who will contest from the Ladwa seat, and prominent figures such as Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt, Gian Chand Gupta from Panchkula, Kanwar Pal Gurjar from Jagadhri, Sunita Duggal from Ratia, Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur, and Tejpal Tanwar from Sohna. The party has also nominated Shruti Choudhary from Tosham seat, previously held by her mother Kiren Choudhary, who is now a BJP Rajya Sabha member. The BJP has taken into account factors such as winnaNayab Singh Saini, Anil Vij bility and caste representation. The party has ensured that significant castes, including Jat and Gurjar, are represented. The BJP has also prioritised gender diversity, fielding women candidates such as Sunita Duggal (Ratia) and Shakti Rani Sharma (Kalka). Notable candidates on reserved SC seats include Santosh Sarwan and Anoop Dhanak. The former JJP MLAs to figure in the list are: Devendra Babli for Tohana, and former Indian Kabaddi captain Deepak Hooda for Meham and Shakti Rani Sharma, mother of Manu Sharma, accused in the Jessica Lal murder case. BJP beats APP to gain control of key MCD panel Saffron surge Let there be light People gather at Shyambazar Five Point Crossing during a protest against the August 9 rape-murder of a trainee woman doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata, on Wednesday | PTI | P8 BJP claimed positions of chairman and deputy chairman in seven of the 12 zonal ward committees, and one member each on the Standing Committee PRABHAT SH U K L A @ New Delhi The BJP secured a decisive victory over the AAP in the MCD zonal ward elections on Wednesday, gaining control over the civic agency’s most influential body, the Standing Committee. The BJP claimed the positions of chairman and deputy chairman in seven of the 12 zonal ward committees, and one member each on the Standing Committee, leaving AAP with victories in only five zones. Held under tight security the , elections saw the BJP triumph in the Narela, Civil Lines, Keshav Puram, Shahdara North, Najafgarh, Shahdara South, and Central Zones. Meanwhile, AAP managed to win in the Karol Bagh, West, South, City SP and Rohini zones. , Notably, voting was not conducted in three zones—Karol Bagh, City SP, and Keshav Puram—because either the BJP or the AAP fielded candidates unopposed. Rahul more intellectual & strategist, Rajiv more doer: Pitroda E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Sam Pitroda, a close confidant of the Nehru-Gandhi family and a Rajiv Gandhi aide, on Wednesday claimed that Rahul Gandhi is more intellectual and more of a strategist than his father Rajiv. Pitroda, who heads the Indian Overseas Congress, de- scribed both as “custodians of the idea of India”. He made the remarks in an interview with a news agency ahead of Rahul’s visit to the US next week. Pitroda, who worked with exPMs Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh, V P Singh, Chandra Sekhar and H D Deve Gowda, said that Rajiv was a little more doer. “I had an opportunity to see many PMs from very close quarters but the difference between Rahul and Rajiv maybe is that Rahul is much more intellectual, and thinker, Rajiv was a little more doer. They have the same DNA, concerns and feelings for the people, genuinely believe in building a better India for everybody, and are genuinely simple people,” he said. “Rahul is a strategist, more so than Rajiv was. They are products of different times... Poor Rahul has gone through two big shocks in life, the death of his grandmother and father. So they have had dif- ferent paths to travel,” he said. When asked about Congress view that Rahul earned the right to assume the post of PM when the party comes to power, Pitroda said that he agrees with the view but ultimately it is for the party to decide. On whether he sees qualities of a future PM in Rahul, he said, “Absolutely, no question about it.” Among the notable winners were Pawan Sehrawat and Sugandha, two councillors who recently defected from AAP to BJP. They secured the chairman positions in the Narela and Central Zones, respectively . The election marked the first since the unification of the previously trifurcated MCD in 2022. The vote was delayed due to a political deadlock between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP, eventually becoming a matter of legal contention. pope calls for unity to counter terrorism Pope Francis appealed for religious unity to counter intolerance, as the longest tour of the papacy got into full swing in Muslimmajority Indonesia | P9
Express Network Private Limited publishes thirty three E-paper editions of The New Indian Express newspaper , thirty two E-paper editions of Dinamani, one E-paper edition of The Morning Standard, one E-paper edition of Malayalam Vaarika magazine and one E-paper edition of the Indulge - The Morning Standard, Kolkatta.