Ratna Bhandar BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l july 10, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late CITY EDITION Reopen Puri Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar on July 14: panel The recommendation was made during a meeting on Tuesday, said the high-level panel’s chairman Justice Biswanath Rath Valuable items in treasury to be audited Locks to be broken if key doesn’t work “We have unanimously decided that the committee would request the government to reopen the inner chamber of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ on July 14,” said Justice Biswanath Rath, a retired judge of the Orissa High Court. The high-level panel was set up by the Odisha government to supervise the making of an inventory of valuable items stored in the Ratna Bhandar ■ The temple’s chief administrator was asked to produce the duplicate key but he could not because the temple authority was busy with the Rath Yatra, Justice Rath said, adding that he has now been asked to submit it on July 14 ■ The meeting also decided to force open the treasury by breaking the locks if the duplicate key would not function for some reason, said Justice Rath 1978 The last time puri Jagannath temple’s treasury was opened was 46 yrs ago CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI After Kathua ambush, fresh gunbattle in J&K’s Doda Putin promises early release of Indians working in Russian military; ambitious bilateral annual trade target of $100 bn set for 2030 Ta s k s ahead  Aspiration for elimination of non-tariff trade barriers on bilateral trade. Continuation of talks to liberalise bilateral trade, including possibility to establish EAEUIndia Free Trade Area. Raising mutual trade volume to over $100 bn by 2030 F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar A fierce gunfight broke out between militants and security forces in the mountainous Doda district on Tuesday, a day after the deadly ambush by terrorists on an Army convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. A security official said an encounter broke out between militants and a joint contingent of Army and police at Ghadi Bhagwah forest area in upper reaches of Doda district. “The security men had launched a search operation in the forest area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there,” the official said, adding: “We have got inputs that a group of 2-3 militants are hiding in a forest area.” Additional troops were rushed to the forest area to tighten the siege. According to reports, two militants were hit in retaliatory fire by the security personnel. Meanwhile, officials said the National Investigation Agency will be assisting police in the probe on the Kathua ambush, which killed five soldiers — all of them from Uttarakhand. A security official said a joint team of police, CRPF and Army is conducting massive searches in the forest areas of Machedi and adjoining areas in Kathua district to trace and neutralise the terrorists responsible for Monday’s ambush. Officials said the elite para commandos, who were air dropped in the area on Monday evening, are assisting the troops in the search operation. The Army is using drones to track down the movement of militants responsible for the attack. “No fresh contact has been established with the hiding militants. The search operation is going on,” said a security official. He added that the search operation has been extended to Basantgarh forest area of neighbouring Udhampur district. Sources said during initial investigation it was found that three or four militants were involved in the attack on the Army convoy in Kathua. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pays tribute to the soldiers martyred in Kathua, in Dehradun | pTI Russian President Vladimir Putin confers the award of the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ on visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday | AP/PTI PM: Bombs, bullets stymie peace push Ye s h i Se l i @ New Delhi Visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised in his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow that a solution to the Ukraine war cannot be found in the battlefield, adding efforts for peace do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets. The talks came amid reports of a Russian cruise missile bombing a children’s hospital in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Modi said in his televised opening remarks at the summit talks on Tuesday, “Let’s take war, any conflict or terrorist acts: any person who believes in humanity feels pain when people die, and especially when innocent children die. When we feel such pain, the heart simply explodes, and I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with you yesterday Modi told Putin. He said both ,” discussed Ukraine and other matters extensively for over 4-5 hours. For his part, Putin said, “I appreciate the attention India has paid to pressing issues, which includes efforts to finding ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis primarily through peaceful means.” Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Modi is not claiming to be a mediator” on Ukraine. The Indian PM, he informed, suggested proposals to end the war. But he doubted if the NATO grouping would consider Modi’s peace initiatives. In his opening remarks, Putin reaffirmed that Russia and India have a special and privileged partnership and that trade between the two countries grew by 66% last year and by 20% in the first quarter of 2024. Putin also conferred on Modi the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ for his outstanding services in developing the strategic partnership between Russia and India. The award was announced in 2019. In their bilateral talks, Putin agreed to Modi’s strong demand for the early release and return of the Indian nationals working in the Russian military as support staff. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian Army . Modi also expressed concern over delay in the shipping defence spare parts. Meanwhile, India will be opening two new consulates in Russia — at Kazan and Yekaterinburg.  Development of a bilateral settlement system using national currencies  Increase of cargo turnover with India through the launch of new routes of the North-South International Transport Corridor, the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Sea Line  Increase of bilateral trade in agri products, food and fertilisers  Cooperation in energy sectors like nuclear energy, oil refining, petrochem. Facilitation of energy security amid global energy transition  Strengthening interaction in infra development, transport engineering, automobile production and shipbuilding, space and other industrial sectors  Promotion of investments and joint projects across various sectors of digital economy, science and research, educational exchanges and internships for employees of hightech companies  Studying possibility of opening branches of Indian medical institutions in Russia UP govt suspends six officials after SIT report on Hathras stampede flags lapses N AMITA B AJPAI @ Lucknow THE Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended six officials, including a local subdivisional magistrate (SDM), in connection with the July 2 stampede in Hathras during a satsang (prayer meeting), which claimed 121 lives. The action came soon after the special investigation team (SIT) submitted its report to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, holding the event’s organisers and the local administration responsible for the mishap. The suspended officials are Sikdanararau SDM, circle officer, SHO Sikandrarau, tehsil- ‘Conspiracy angle can’t be ruled out’ The SIT report said ‘a big conspiracy’ leading to the tragedy can’t be ruled out, adding only a thorough probe can bring out the truth. Earlier, Bhole Baba’s lawyer had claimed some people sprayed ‘poisonous substance’ into the crowd dar, and police outpost in charge of Kachora and Pora. The SIT report recommended action against these officers saying they did not take the event seriously and also failed to inform higher officials. It said the SDM granted permission without inspecting the venue or seeking the advice of higher authorities. As for the event’s organisers, the SIT report faulted them for understating the number of devotees who would be attending the event and also flouting conditions on which the approval was granted. It found that some members of the organising committee acted recklessly and misbehaved with local police. It also noted that the preacher, Bhole Baba, was allowed to meet the crowd without any security arrangement, which added to the chaos. Seven servitors injured after rare slip of Lord Balabhadra R a j k u m a r M o h a n t y @ Puri Seven servitors were injured during the ‘pahandi’ rituals when the ropes to control Lord Balabhadra’s movement loosened, causing the deity to fall on the slanting ladders, in what was a rare mishap, here on Tuesday . The incident took place when the holy Trinity was being taken out of the chariots parked in front of Gundicha temple to the Adapa Mandap. According to eye witnesses, the ‘pahandi’ rituals began at 7 pm. The servitors unfastened the ropes and were escorting the deity to ‘charamala’ (slanting ladders fixed to chariots to facilitate pahandi). However, the ropes on the back to control movement of the deity on the ladder came undone causing Lord Balabhadra to fall on the servitors on duty towards the front. After much effort, the deity was straightened and ‘pahandi’ rituals resumed. Volunteers found seven Lord Balabhadra slipping on charamala at Gundicha temple on Tuesday | Express daita servitors injured and rushed them to the DHH where doctors attended to them. X-ray and ultra sound tests were being conducted. Injuries, however, are not fatal, a duty doctor said. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his regret over the incident and dire c t e d L aw M i n i s t e r Prithiviraj Harichandan to rush to Puri to take necessary measures. Deputy CM Pravati Parida was also asked to head to Puri. Devotees were also in shock as they saw the mishap live on television channels. Earlier on the day, the priests performed the daily rituals and dry bhog was offered to the deities on their respective chariots. Servitors dressed the holy Trinity in new attire. When pahandi rituals began, Sudarshan was escorted into the sanctum sanctorum of Gundicha Temple where ‘goti pahandi’ system is followed. Under this system, servitors escort one deity at a time. After placing one on the ‘Ratna Simhasan,’ they return to take another. NDA vs INDIA in first bypolls to 13 seats after general elections Ratna Bhandar panel sets date of July 14 for its reopening P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Express News service Poll time With the bypolls for 13 assembly constituencies to be held on Wednesday, the stage is set for another face-off between the NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc in seven states. The states that go to the polls are Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Coming on the heels of the 2024 Lok Sabha results, the contest is significant for both sides. The results, which will be declared on July 13, will also be a curtain raiser for important state elections later this year. The election to the four seats in West Bengal will be keenly watched as three seats fell vacant after BJP MLAs jumped ship to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While the BJP is trying to leverage its Lok Sabha election leads in three of these segments, the TMC is harping on its recent electoral success. The fourth seat became vacant after the death of the sitting TMC MLA. Stakes are high in Himachal Pradesh as election will be held in three seats — Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh. It was necessitated after three independent MLAs joined the BJP. The BJP is going all out to win them though the Congress is in the majority with State West Bengal Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand Bihar Tamil Nadu Madhya Pradesh Punjab Seats 4 3 2 1 1 1 1 38 MLAs while the BJP has 27. In Dehra, the Congress has fielded Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, against BJP’s Hoshiyar Singh, who switched sides. The Vikravandi Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu is also witnessing a fierce contest between the ruling DMK, NDA ally PMK, and NTK. The two seats in Uttarakhand — Manglaur and Badrinath — hold significance to both the Congress and the BJP . The Badrinath seat fell vacant after the Congress MLA joined the BJP. The Congress has fielded Qazi Nizamuddin from Manglaur, a traditional Congress constituency . While Bihar’s Rupauli is witnessing a contest between the RJD and the JD(U), in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is taking on the Congress in the tribal-dominated constituency of Amarwara. @ Bhubaneswar/Puri THE Justice Biswanath Rath Committee has proposed to reopen the Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath temple on July 14 with approval of the state government. The 16-member committee constituted under chairmanship of retired judge of Orissa High Court, Justice Rath, for supervising the inventorisation of jewellery and other valuables stored in Ratna Bhandar met for the second time in Puri on Tuesday . It was decided that both the Bahara (outer) and Bhitara (inner) enclosures of the Ratna Bhandar can be opened on July 14 for both inventorisation and conservation works. The proposal will be moved to the state gover nment for approval. As per Shri Jagannath Temple Rules, 1960, the Ratna Bhandar locks can only be opened under special orders of the state government and subject to such conditions and limitations as it may decide. “Complying with the rules, we have submitted the proposal of opening the Ratna Bhandar to the temple management committee which will discuss and send it to the state government for approval,” Justice Rath told mediapersons after the Continued on P7 meeting.  Staines murder convict Dara Singh seeks remission, SC issues notice to state govt Gambhir appointed India team head coach new role S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Dara Singh, the convict who has served 24 years in prison for the murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Stuart Staines, moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking remission. Singh argues that if Rajiv Gandhi’s killers were granted mercy, he should also be released prematurely . A two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice S.V Bhatti, is.N. sued a notice to the Odisha gov- Charges against him The prosecution stated that Singh burned alive Staines and his two sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, as they slept in their jeep in a forest clearing in Manoharpur on the night of January 21-22, 1999. ernment, requesting a detailed reply to Singh’s plea. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing in six weeks. Vishnu Jain, Singh’s lawyer, cited the judgment that granted mercy to the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. “I am seeking a direction to be released from jail on this ground,” Jain stated. The prosecution stated that Singh burned alive the 58-year-old Staines and his two sons, Philip, 10, and Timothy, 6, as they slept in their jeep in a forest clearing in Manoharpur on the night of January 2122, 1999. Singh alleged he is being discriminated against in the matter of consideration of premature release as similarly situated persons who have been incarcerated for the same or lesser period have been released prematurely . E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai GAUTAM Gambhir has been appointed as the new head coach of the senior men’s cricket team. The opener, who played the role of mentor during Kolkata Knight Riders’ march to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title this year, will link up with the side for the first time during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka, which begins in three weeks. Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced the ap- pointment on X (formerly Twitter). “It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @ GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team,” Shah, whose post interestingly preceeded the press release, posted. “Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly , and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward...” Having represented India with distinction in all three formats, the southpaw will be expected to build on the successes of the last regime, signposted off with global gold in the shortest format. Apart from leading the transition in red-ball cricket (as many as five automatic starters are 35 or over), he will be under pressure to deliver two ICC titles as early as next year (Champions Tro- Gautam Gambhir phy followed by the WTC final, if India qualifies). The BCCI release said: “... his focus will be on developing a culture of excellence, discipline, and teamwork, while also nurturing young talent and preparing the team for future challenges on the global stage.” The 42-year-old will also be given carte blanche with respect to key support staff as the release thanked Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), T Dilip (fielding coach) and Vikram Rathour (batting coach) for a ‘highly successful tenure’.