NEW DELHI 15 MAY 2022 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  twitter.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Southywood Slam! To Try or Knot PLUS: 12 PAGES MAGAZINE The Dosa Millionaire EXCLUSIVE VOICES TJS George Kaleeswaram Raj K Jayakumar Pushpesh Pant OF PEOPLE, FOR PEOPLE Ravi Shankar Anuja Chandramouli Rohtash Mal Sathya Saran The Original Anokhi Turns 50 MUNDKA FIRE: 32 STILL MISSING Lal Dora building had no fire safety certificate, MCD clearance; had only one entry and exit Massive fire at Amritsar hospital, no casualty NDRF personnel during rescue work at the gutted building near Mundka Metro Station, in West Delhi, on Saturday | PTI I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi CBI ACTION Seven booked for IPL betting with Pak links E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi SEVEN suspected cricket punters were on Saturday booked by the CBI which began a country-wide investigation in connection with alleged match fixing in the 2019 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). While there have been allegations of widespread match-fixing in a few of the previous IPL editions, this is the first time that the CBI has actually booked punters suspected of betting with the aim to turn the outcome of the cricket matches. CBI sources were tightlipped when asked whether they suspect the involvement of any cricketer from among the teams that took part in the 2019 edition. “That depends on the evolving evidence,” a CBI officer said. According to two FIRs filed after Saturday actions, CBI investigators received information that a network of individuals involved in cricket betting were influencing the outcome of IPL matches based on tips that they received from Pakistan. The CBI has named one Dileep Kumar, based in Rohini, Delhi, and Gurram Vasu and Gurram Satish based in Hyderabad in its first FIR as accused, while Sajjan Singh, Prabhu Lal Meena, Ram Avtar and Amit Kumar Sharma, all from Rajasthan, have been named in the second. A day after a devastating fire at a three-storey building in west Delhi’s Mundka killed at least 27 people, the authorities were back to blaming the familiar culprits — the building had no fire safety certificate, it had single entrance and exit gates and it had no design clearance from civic authorities. In terms of casualties, Friday’s fire at the commercial building was the largest since the blaze at a factory in the Anaj Mandi area in 2019 and the second largest since the Uphaar Cinema tragedy in 1997. At least 32 people remain missing in the Mundka tragedy fire , officials said. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police Sameer Sharma, most of the missing are women. The firefighting operation concluded on Saturday morning. Sources said the building built on Lal Dora (village) land was supposed to be residential, but was functioning as a commercial building. Fire extinguishers and fire safety alarms were absent in the building, which was being used as a space for offices, factory and godowns. An FIR has been registered under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide),120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). The police have arrested two Those found responsible in the probe will not be spared and stringent action will be taken. The Delhi government will give compensation of J10 lakh to the families of the deceased — Arvind Kejriwal, CM CHECK INSIDE persons – Harish Goel and Varun Goel. Manish Lakra, identified as the owner of the building, is currently absconding, said the DCP . Fire officials on Saturday told the media that the death toll is expected to rise. Of the 27 killed in the fire, bodies of seven were identified on Saturday said the DCP They , . are: Tania Bhushan, Mohini Pal, Yashoda Devi, Ranju Devi, Vishal, Drishti and Kailash Jyani, said the DCP . Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the site and described the fire as “massive”, said he has ordered a judicial probe into the incident. “Those found responsible in the probe will not be spared and stringent action will be taken,” he said. It is difficult to identify whether the human remains were of one person or multiple persons. The building, which did not have a fire safety certificate, had a single entry and exit point — Atul Garg, Fire Service Director SURVIVORS SHARE HORRIFYING TALES KEJRIWAL ORDERS INQUIRY INTO TRAGEDY Blundering Biplab out, Saha to be Tripura CM P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati TRIPURA BJP chief and recently-elected Rajya Sabha member Manik Saha will be the state’s next chief minister. He was elected the BJP legislature party leader on Saturday, hours after Biplab Kumar Deb’s resignation from the post. The shake-up comes months ahead of elections in the state. Saha, a 67-year-old dentistturned-politician, was elected to Rajya Sabha on March 31. He took over as the state BJP chief last year. BJP sources said a section of ministers and MLAs had been livid with Deb for the past two years for his alleged autocratic style of functioning. He allegedly gave them no freedom to take decisions independently . The problem started in 2019 when he sacked health minister Sudip Roy Barman. Barman was the first to raise the banner of revolt along with 8-10 MLAs. They had met the central leaders several times to complain against Deb. In due course, three MLAs ditched the BJP with Barman returning to the Congress. Several other MLAs had also petitioned the central leadership against Deb. BJP sources said the central leadership was not happy over the manner in which Deb was running the government that saw people starting to repose their faith again on the Left and the Trinamool Congress. During his first two years as CM, Deb had embarrassed the BJP with his bizarre remarks. In 2018, he had set tongues wagging by claiming that Internet and satellite existed since the time of the Mahabharata and that ducks raise the level of oxygen in water bodies when they swim. He had also said that only civil engineers should sit for civil services exams. AMRITSAR: A massive fire broke out at the government-run Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here on Saturday. However, no casualty was reported. Nearly ten fire tenders were pressed into service to put out the fire. A blast took place in the transformer near the hospital OPD that led to the fire, which engulfed cardiology, X-ray and dermatology departments. The hospital is run under the supervision of Government Medical College. Principal Rajiv Devgun told reporters that due to oil leakage, the transformer caught fire and thereafter a blast took place. 6 rescued from blaze in Gurugram apartment GURUGRAM: Six people were rescued after a fire broke out in a high-rise residential building here, fire officials said on Saturday. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot, they said. The fire broke out on 10th and 11th floors of Residency Grand Apartment in Sector 52 here around midnight. Six people were trapped and it took over four hours to rescue them, the officials said. A call about the fire was received around midnight, said Senior Fire Officer Narendra Kumar. “Seven fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was extinguished,” he said. NOC’S TO BE ISSUED IN SEVEN DAYS P3 Love in the Time of Bigotry ‘We Don’t Reveal Our Real Selves’ SADHGURU SPEAKS Ishtadevata: Reality or Hallucination? Jakhar parts way with grand old party ’Good luck and goodbye Congress’, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said on Saturday as he announced his decision to quit the party which had last month removed him from all positions for alleged anti-party activities. HALF OF PARTY POSTS TO WEAKER SECTIONS: CONG S H A H I D FA R I D I @ Udaipur THE Congress has decided to undertake a major social re-engineering by reserving 50% of all party posts for SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities, and demanding a nationwide caste-based census. It also sought reservation in private sector for SCs, STs and OBCs, and quota for SC and ST women in the Women’s Reservation Bill. The proposal has been made by the party’s panel on social justice and empowerment. It would be placed for approval at the Congress Working Committee that is scheduled to meet on Sunday . The party has also decided to set up a social justice advisory council for the Congress president. This council would examine issues concerning the above-mentioned weaker sections and give recommendations to the party president. To start with, the council would collect demographic data to help the party implement quota in the party organisation. It has been decided that a special CWC session would be called every six months to exclusively discuss and address issues facing these sections. Member of the social jus- tice committee Kumari Selja said the political landscape has changed and the party needs to change accordingly . She said the committee has also recommended job reservation in the private sector for the SCs, STs and OBCs. Another member K Raju said the party’s task is cut out. “We have to include in the decision-making process all those sections that have so far been unrepresented.” The party has decided to launch a campaign to pass the women’s reservation bill for quota in Parliament and state legislatures. Salman Khurshid said the party also wants a quota within the women’s reservation bill for women belonging to all castes and religions. Khurshid said the party panel is examining all aspects of the proposed reservation in order to make sure it passes judicial scrutiny . The party, he said, would press for a nationwide caste census that the government is not conducting in spite of demand by almost all political parties. He also sought a law to implement the SC/ST sub plan introduced by Indira Gandhi to allocate a separate budget for these groups in all government departments. Wheat export banned to contain inflation, maintain food security IN Manik Saha E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ New Delhi OUT Biplab Deb Congratulations and best wishes to Manik Saha on being elected as the legislature party leader. I believe under PM Narendra Modi Ji’s vision and leadership Tripura will prosper. Biplab Deb, Outgoing Tripura CM BJP’S GAME OF MUSICAL CHAIRS Anandiben Patel steps down as Gujarat CM in 2016, one year before elections Successor Vijay Rupani quits in 2021, replaced by Bhupendra Patel before Gujarat poll that is due this year-end Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa forced to quit in 2021; Bommai successor Trivendra Singh Rawat vacates Uttarakhand CM seat in 2021; succeeded by Tirath Singh Rawat AMID concerns of lower-thanexpected production, the gover nment on Saturday announced a total ban on wheat export with immediate effect. It drew stinging criticism from the G7 nations, which said the global food situation would worsen if each country starts imposing export restrictions. Justifying its decision, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said it is prohibiting exports of wheat “in order to manage the overall food security of the country and to support the needs of the neighbouring and other vulnerable countries”. But exports will be permitted on special request from countries facing food security challenges. Also, exports will be allowed of shipments where Letter of Credit (LoC) has been issued on or before the export ban. A labourer shuffles wheat at a wholesale grain market in Amritsar | PTI DIVERTING TRADE “It is a balanced order...please interpret the order not as a prohibition or a ban but as an order which diverts trade to the needy, the poor and the vulnerable,” commerce secretary B V R Subramanian claimed Commerce secretary B V R Subramanian said the decision also comes in the wake of rising inflationary pressure in the country India exported 7.2 mil. lion tonne (MT) wheat in 202122. According to the commerce secretary the country has con, tracted 4.5 MT exports so far in 2022-23 of which 1.46 million tonnes has been exported in April itself. Wheat production is likely to fall due to early heat adversely affecting the crops. The production is likely to be around 105 MT in 2022-23, down from the earlier estimate of 111 MT. CHHATTISGARH Meet Class 10 toppers: Bala from Maoist zone, Anjum from poor family BOOKS UNIQUE LIBRARY IN ARUNACHAL This New Age Learning Centre in India’s easternmost Changlang district has many attractive features PAGE 5 E JA Z K A I S E R @ Raipur ADVERSITIES in life sometimes test a person’s mettle, just the way it did in two young girls from back of the beyond in Chattisgarh. They triumphed over the odds to excel in the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education, as the two topers. The Class X Board results were declared by the state school education minister Premsai Singh Tekam in Raipur on Saturday In all 74.23 . percent of students passed with the girls (at 78.84 percent) again outperforming the boys (69.07 percent). Among the girls who cleared the boards, Sonali Bala’s case is altogether stunning. Living under the shadow of terror at remote Gondahur in Maoistaffected Kanker district, she is topped her batch scoring 98.67 percent. Another girl Roshan Kahef Anjum, daughter of a poor welder mechanic from Gaurela-Pendra district secured 98.17 percent and stood second rank. Gondahur is considered a hotbed of Maoist activities and Sonali, who secured top spot, had to additionally face the problem of the power cuts in her village during night hours. “Perseverance and hard work pays only if we study through the year,” she said. Anjum’s father could barely afford to pay the school fees for his daughter but was always keen to get her enrolled in a good school. “Anjum from a very poor family, has consistently performed well academically. She remained calm and focused. We exempted her from the routine school fees. It’s a rare feat for her from a backward district,” said Shahid Zaman, director of GreensValley Convent School. “With firm belief in one’s potential and hard work, we can overcome any hurdle in life and achieve success,” asserted Anjum. Interestingly both the topper girls expressed their wish to pursue the medical profession and serve the needy . The results of the Class XII were also declared by the CGBSE on Saturday with a total pass percentage of 79.30 %.