BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l february 09, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Tesla’S $1.5BN PUSH SENDS bitcoin VALUE BEYOND `32l Bitcoin rises 16% to $44,795 after Tesla Inc pumps in money, signals its intent to accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment lends legitimacy to cryptocurrency fears of market manipulation The California-based manufacturer said on Monday that it made the bet after updating its investment policy to allow it to invest in digital assets as well as bullion and gold exchange-traded funds. The massive investment lends increased legitimacy to electronic currencies, fast becoming a mainstream asset, despite skepticism in various quarters ■ In India, the bullish run is unlikely to trigger a ‘buy’ spree because a Crypto Bill is in the pipeline, as is a govt’s digital currency plan ■ Tesla’s massive fund infusion raises concerns of market manipulation. Prior to pumping in the money, its CEO maverick Elon Musk had been teasing the market with tweets on Bitcoin 35% Surge in Bitcoin since the start of 2021 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI chamoli calamity 20 bodies found, 202 still missing V i neet U pa d h yay @ Raini A massive operation was launched on Monday to save 37 labourers trapped in a tunnel following a flash flood that devastated the Tapovan area in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district a day earlier. So far, 20 bodies have been found and 202 are still missing. Armed forces and disaster response units are involved in rescue work. A team of scientists from Delhi reached the spot to find out the cause of the disaster. Joint teams of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Indian Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and others had a tough time making their way through a sea of mud and debris. They also recovered dismembered body parts. The missing include 188 labourers (mostly from eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand), 11 locals and two police personnel. “We are doing everything we can to save them. We rescued 15 men trapped in the other end of this tunnel yesterday,” said Aparna Kumar, DIG of ITBP. The force of water was enormous and bodies were swept around 160 km downhill, to places like Srinagar (Uttarakhand), Rudraprayag, Kaleshwar and Karnprayag. The rescuers have progressed about 100 metres into the 180-metre tunnel of the 520 MW power project on Dhauliganga that was swept away by the flood. The other unit damaged is the 13.2 MW project on Rishiganga. Both sites are still under heavy slush. Many workers and officials associated with them were on leave on Sunday which , minimised the loss of lives. The state government has released `20 crore for Chamoli district. Total monetary losses are estimated to be in the region of `1,500 crore. The impact was such that the water level of Dhauliganga rose 80-100 ft above normal, engulfing the entire project and other structures, including the tunnel. “The debris is 20-30 feet high inside the tunnel which makes it difficult,” said Sanjay Kumar, deputy commandant of ITBP . How 12 got the kiss of life from mobile network V i neet U pa d h yay @ Raini Trapped in a tunnel filled with water for nearly six hours, he thought it was going to be the end of his life. K Sriniwas Reddy a geologist from Hydera, bad, couldn’t think of anything else after hearing a deafening noise followed by a sudden gush of water. But when all seemed over, the mobile network on a colleague’s phone saved their lives. Reddy is one of the lucky 12 rescued on Sunday . “I thought we are not going to survive this,” said Reddy, who found himself locked in a tunnel which is part of the Tapovan hydel power project. “We tried frantically to reach the mouth of the tunnel and then realised that it was blocked. But there was light coming through a small opening and a colleague of ours had signal on his phone. I feel blessed as I am safe now.” It was local worker Rajesh Bhatt, whose call made the difference between life and death. “We were panicking and suddenly I felt my phone vibrate. I , called up my boss to say we were inside the tunnel. He informed authorities and the men in uniform saved our lives. We thank them. They are our gods,” said Bhatt, a resident of Dhak village in Chamoli. “We were cautious about using heavy machinery which could have hurt them,” said Sanjay Kumar, ITBP officer. P7 We were towards the higher end of the tunnel. After a thundering noise, there was a sudden gush of water. Before we could understand, we were knee deep in water. We ran towards the end of the tunnel Suraj, a survivor Rescue operations underway at the Tapovan tunnel of a power project, a day after flash floods wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand, on Monday | Shekhar Yadav Power point in Uttarakhand Developer Cuttack: The Board of Secondary Education on Monday announced that the annual High School Certificate examination-2021 will be conducted from May 3 to May 15 | P2 Capacity Ministry vs ministry over future of 6 hydel projects R i c h a S h a r m a @ New Delhi Given the fragile nature of the Uttarakhand ecosystem, should hydel power projects be permitted in the region? The question became m ore acute after the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy that killed over 4,000 people. However, two ministries at the Centre are banging their heads unable to take a call on the way forward. The latest face-off between the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and Jal Shakti ministry is over a draft policy framework drafted by the former over the impact of hydel power projects in the state. While the Jal Shakti ministry has categorically said it is express read Matriculation exam from May 3 to 15 Hydel projects Under operation in Uttarakhand 37 3,971 MW Being developed by private players 33 1,360 MW Being developed by Uttarakhand govt 32 2,723 MW Being developed by Central PSUs 22 5,801 MW Total 124 13,855 MW Large hydel projects (above 25 MW): 53 | Small hydel projects (1-25 MW): 71 These projects are in six basins: Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Ganga Sub basin, Ramganga, Sharda and Yamuna. Most of them are on Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Fresh woes for Pathak father-son duo Bhubaneswar: Fresh trouble awaited suspended IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak and son Akash on Monday as the duo was slapped three more criminal cases by Berhampur Police| P4 Fresh survey for Puri-Konark rly line: Goyal Bhubaneswar: The Ministry of Railways has ordered a fresh survey to realign the proposed rail line from Puri to Konark. Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal told the Rajya Sabha that the survey for PuriKonark (33 km) new line was completed in 2015-16. As the proposed rail line was passing through Balukhand-Konark wildlife sanctuary, a fresh survey has been sanctioned to explore feasibility of another alignment to avoid damage to the sanctuary | P3 not in favour of any hydel projects in the region, the MoEFCC draft has not cleared the air on the future of six projects sanctioned by it before 2013. The draft was prepared based on the Supreme Court directions to review the impact of 24 hydel power projects given the go-ahead. The apex court had taken up the case suo motu and directed the authorities not to sanction any new projects in the state. While Jal Ministry wanted all the projects to be scrapped, the power ministry was in favour of the projects, a Jal Ministry official said. Due to the delay by the MoEFCC in filing an affidavit, the matter was listed for hearing in February 2020 after a gap of four year. neet to be held twice a year The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has given its nod for the test to be organised on the lines of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main). The schedule for the entrance exam for medical, dental and several other related institutions, however, is yet to be finalised Give reforms a chance, says PM, urges farmers to resume talks Lauds Sikh community; assures minimum support price mechanism will continue; cites Manmohan Singh’s push for agri sector reforms; takes a swipe at professional protesters E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the farmers to give agri reforms a chance even as he reiterated that the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism would continue. Urging the farmers to call off their protest, the prime minister said the government was open to changes in the law. “Let us sit together and talk,” he said. In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in Rajya Sabha, the prime minister said MSP was, is being, and would continue to be provided. He wanted the farmers to be open minded about the reforms that aim to modernise the mandi system all the while ensuring continued availability of affordable ration to the poor. “The laws are aimed at empowering the small and marginal farmers, who make up for more than two-thirds of the farming community but cannot avail of government scheme benefits,” he added. Claiming that some protestors and foreign players were misleading the agitators, he lashed out at the opposition for its U-turn from advocating reforms during its rule to bashing it now. Reading ex- cerpts from a statement issued by former prime minister Manmohan Singh on the need for farm reforms and one national market, Modi said, “I am implementing what he (Manmohan Singh) wanted, you should appreciate this. At least, you (opposition) listen to him,” he said. Later, Modi said a new crop of andolan jivi (professional protesters) has emerged in the country. “These are like parjeevi (parasites) and are always on the lookout for protests. When they are not in the forefront, they operate from backstage,” he said. Perhaps alluding to tweets by pop star Rihanna and Swedish activist Greta Thunberg supporting the agitation, Modi said, “I see that a new FDI has come. We have to protect the nation from this FDI. We need Foreign Direct Investment but the new FDI is Foreign Destructive Ideology he said. ,” Apparently distancing himself from statements referring to a section of protestors as Khalistanis, he cautioned against forces trying to destabilis e India. “India is very proud of the contribution of Sikhs. This is a community that has done so much for the nation. The words and blessings of the Guru Sahibs are precious,” he said. Rise above partisan lines, Modi to Opposition camp On a conciliatory note to the opposition, Modi said the issues miring agriculture should be solved and invited all to move forward for the welfare of farmers by rising above partisan lines Kisans reciprocate gesture, ready for fresh dialogue H a r p r eet B a j w a @ Chandigarh Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to end their agitation and return to the dialogue table, farmers’ leaders said they have never shied away from talks and would resume discussions once the Centre sends a fresh proposal and fixes the date and time. President of Krantikari Kisan Union Punjab Dr Darshan Pal said they have had 11 rounds of talks with three Union ministers, and were ready to continue engaging with the Centre. Dr Pal is a senior member of the umbrella organisation of multiple farmers’ unions. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait sought to reiterate the farmers’ position, saying they wanted a legal guarantee on MSP, cushioning the farmers from the vagaries of demand-supply defined rates for their produce. “If the government wants to hold talks, we are ready he said. The previous 11 rounds ,” had failed to end the deadlock with the farmers sticking to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws, too. Meanwhile, Dr Pal hit out at the prime minister’s andolan jivi (professional protestors) remark, saying: “We are proud of being andolan jivi. Without andolan, nothing changes. The British left our country only due to andolan,’’ he said. Tikait also sought to dismiss the remark saying that a protest that was earlier branded as Punjab’s, and later described as Jat-Sikh agitation, has managed to unite farmers across the country. “This is a protest by farmers across the country united for a cause,’’ he added. Centre withdraws heritage bylaws for Jagannath temple E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e The notification on heritage bylaws was released without the knowledge of the NMA Chairman and is withdrawn with immediate effect @ Bhubaneswar/Puri The Centre on Monday announced withdrawal of the draft heritage bylaws for Sri Jagannath temple at Puri. The bylaws notified by the Nationa l M o nu m e n t Au t h o r i t y (NMA), proposing restrictions on constructions and developmental works along the temple periphery had triggered a Statewide outrage. The announcement was made by Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel after delegations of BJP and BJD leaders met him separately de, manding withdrawal of the draft rules. “The notification on heritage bylaws was released without the knowledge of the NMA Chairman and is withdrawn with immediate effect” Patel tweeted after his meeting with the BJP delegation, which included Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Dairy, ing and Fisheries Pratap Chandra Sarangi. The BJD MPs led by Bhatruhari Mahatab also met the Prahlad Patel, Union Culture Minister Minister soon after. Patel informed the MPs that decision to withdraw the draft notification has already been taken and any further work on it will be done after consultations with all stakeholders. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the Sri Jagannath temple, his first after the outbreak of coronavirus, and of fered prayers to the Holy Trinity . “No one can stop the work of Lord Jagannath. I thank the people of Puri who have sacrificed their lands for development of Srimandir. The sacrifices will not go waste,” he said after having darshan, while asking the Centre to withdraw the draft bylaws. In the evening, the NMA released a notification stating that the draft bylaws for Sri Jagannath temple has been withdrawn brisbane done, chennai? Less than a month after demolishing the myth around Brisbane, India need to climb Mt. Everest again on the final day against England... Local boys excel Both Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin performed admirably on the fourth day. While the southpaw finished unbeaten on 85 early on Monday, the off-spinner finished with figures of 6/61 to help bowl out England for 178 in their second innings due to “technical glitches.” The TNIE first reported on the notification of the draft bylaws by NMA seeking objections and suggestions on them by February 18, which evoked strong criticism from all quarters with political parties cutting across party lines decrying the move. Union Minister Pradhan had stepped in, calling upon Patel to scrap the move while the ruling BJD had termed it an attempt to derail the developmental works being undertaken by the State government around Srimandir. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration had also dashed off a letter to NMA seeking withdrawal of the bylaws. The BJP MPs from Odisha in their representation to the Union Minister on Monday said the Odisha government, authorities of Srimandir, A n a n t a Va s u d e v a n d Brahmeswar temples have certain genuine issues and concerns which need to be addressed before finalisations of such bylaws. They called for proper consultation with all stakeholders before taking any decision. Highest chase ever 418/7 Antigua by West Indies vs Australia 2003, Highest chase in Chennai 387/4 by India vs England 2008 Hosts need record chase Needing 420, a world record in Tests, the hosts are 39/1. On a pitch taking spin and showing wear, the team have to produce another backs to the wall display Covid warrior memorial to be inaugurated on August 15 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Odisha is set to inaugurate the Covid warrior memorial in Bhubaneswar on Independence day this year. The memorial will be established at the Biju Patnaik Park in the Capital city . Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on January 1 announced the decision to construct the memorial to honour a n d recogn i s e t h e sacrifice and selfless service of the frontline workers, who lost their lives fighting the pandemic. The names of those who were martyred will be inscribed in the memorial to keep their memory live, he had said. Additional Chief Secretary in Health department PK Mohapatra said the memorial will be completed in the next five months and be ready for inauguration on August 15. The Works department has been made the nodal department for construction. It will engage architect to finalise the design and structure of the memorial. The construction cost will be met from the budgetary provisions of Works department, Mohapatra said. More than 100 Covid warriors have lost their lives in the battle against coronavirus.