kottayam l tuesday l January 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION India summons Bangladesh envoy amid Border fencing row India on Monday summoned Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner Nural Islam amid row over India’s construction of fencing on the border No violation of protocol, agreement: India 5 arrested by BSF for smuggling attempt With regard to security measures at the border, the Bangladesh envoy was told India observed all protocols and agreements between the two governments. Barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices are meant to secure the border, the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the focus is on tackling cross-border criminal activities ■ ■ The Bangladesh diplomat was summoned a day after Dhaka conveyed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma its deep concerns over India’s border security measures Security forces on Monday arrested five people, including two from Bangladesh, for trying to smuggle goods across the border 535 Bottles of Phensedyl, a narcotic drug, were seized from smugglers 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 Will keep promise on J&K statehood: Modi maha kumbh opens flowing waters and faith: 1.5 cr take holy dip Pa r a m i ta G h o s h @ Prayagraj E arly in the morning at the Kumbh, Vedic chants and Ram bhajans can be heard from every direction, as the faithful, towels on shoulders, make their way to the banks of the Ganga for a holy dip. This morning, a light fog sits above the water; by mid-morning, it is all clear as if it were the fog of unreason. As the first light of dawn broke over the Sangam on Monday, a sea of devotees, undeterred by the chilly breeze and cold waters of the Ganga took the holy dip on ‘Paush Purnima’, marking the commencement of Maha Kumbh 2025. More than 1.5 crore pilgrims took the dip on Monday, the UP government said. For octogenarian Bhabani Bhowmik, a retired schoolteacher from Siliguri, the dip was a transformative experience. “I took Ganga ji’s name and when I came out, I felt no chill,” she says. As the day ` slips 0.67%, logs steepest one-day drop in two years B e n n K o c h u v ee d a n @ Mumbai THE rupee on Monday logged its steepest single-day decline of 58 paise (0.67%) in nearly two years, closing the session at a historic low of 86.62 to the dollar. The fall is attributed to the stronger American currency surging , crude prices, and the volatility in the equity markets. The last time the Indian currency took such a plunge was on February 6, 2023 when it shed 68 paise. The latest decline also suggests that the Reserve Bank of India’s measures to arrest the rupee fall may not be as effective as they should be. Since March 2024, the banking re gulator had sold over $115 billion to prop up the local currency In Oc. tober alone, RBI sold a whopping $38 billion. According to traders and currency analysts this newspaper spoke to, the unprecedented fall is due to the high demand for the dollar, which also led to a massive withdrawal of foreign capital from equities. Since October, foreign funds have pulled out close to `2 lakh crore from equities. “The risk averse sentiment across the globe ahead of Donald Trump taking charge as the 47th President of the US and worries over higher inflation can further weigh on the rupee,” said Dilip Parmar, senior currency analyst at HDFC Securities. Inflation eases to 5.22% in December Retail inflation fell to a 4-month low of 5.22% in December 2024 due to slower growth in food prices in the month compared to the yearago period. In November 2024, the inflation was at 5.48% Omar heaps praise on PM, thanks him for fair polls unfolds, the rhythms of the Kumbh come alive. Boatman Nandkumar, from a neighbouring district, gazes longingly at the Sangam, hoping to bag a permit to ferry passengers. Brothers Gopal and Amit Mishra, meanwhile, tend to the spiritual needs of the bathers, applying sandalwood mark on their foreheads. In this vast, swirling tapestry of humanity individ, uals from all walks of life converge, each with their own story of spiritual seeking. Sabra, a Brazilian seeker, says, “I was born into a Catholic family, but did not practice it. For the last year, I’ve been chanting and g etting my f aith back.” Out of the blue, the bhule bhatkey shivir (lost-andfound camp) where a human being reinforces his faith in another, springs to life. A mother looks for her son, another seeks her ‘Sushila mausi’, and a stranger appeals to an Ashokda to return. As the day wears on, these names are replaced by others. F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar Devotees at the Ganga in Prayagraj. The Maha Kumbh commenced on Monday | PTI Anvar resigns as Nilambur MLA E x p r e s s New s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram In a bid to stay relevant in the state’s political landscape, P V Anvar on Monday made a slew of precarious moves, including resigning as the Nilambur MLA. The development comes on the heels of Anvar joining hands with the Trinamool Congress. The former LDF-backed independent MLA made his intentions to join the UDF evident and announced that he would not contest the by-election from Nilambur. Anvar submitted his resignation to speaker A N Shamseer P V Anvar at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram | Vincent Pulickal on Monday mor ning. The speaker accepted it in the evening. In an obvious move to placate Congress and the UDF leadership, Anvar tendered an unconditional apology to Lead- express read Sabarimala temple all set for Makaravilakku Sexual abuse of teen: 42 arrested so far, 29 more cases registered Sabarimala: The Sabarimala temple and surrounding areas are teeming with thousands of devotees ahead of the Makaravilakku ceremony and Makarajyothi darshan on Tuesday. The devotees are camping at Malikppuram, Pandithavalam, Sabaripeedom and Saramkuthy. P5 Pathanamthitta: The number of people arrested in connection with the sexual abuse of a teenager in Pathanamthitta has gone up to 42, with 29 more cases registered in four police stations in the district, the police said on Monday. According to district police chief V G Vinod Kumar, a total of 58 accused are involved in the case. One of the accused is reportedly abroad. P5 er of Opposition V D Satheesan for raising corruption allegations against him. Anvar alleged that he raised the charges as directed by CM’s political secretary P Sasi. Announcing his resignation in Thiruvananthapuram, Anvar said he will not contest the by-election that will be necessitated by his decision. He also declared his support to the UDF candidate in the bypoll. However, Anvar said he has a ‘request-demand’ to the Congress to field Malappuram district Congress president V S Joy in ● More on P4 the by-election.  Inaugurating the strategic 6.4-km Z-Morh tunnel in Sonamarg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will keep promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, an apparent reference to the demand for the restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “There is a time for every work. And the right work is going to happen at the right time,” Modi said. In his address, Abdullah, whose National Conference party is a member of the Opposition INDIA bloc, heaped praise on Modi, saying his heart says the PM would soon fulfill the promise of restoring statehood to J&K. Omar’s statement comes days after he wondered if the INDIA bloc should be wound up if it was cobbled together only for the Lok Sabha polls. “My people, my cabinet colleagues and media ask me when will J&K get statehood again. I tell them the PM fulfilled his promise to hold elections in four months and my Narendra Modi (2nd from left) after inaugurating Z-Morh tunnel | PTI heart says that he would also fulfil his promise to restore J&K statehood,” he said. He also credited Modi for fair elections in J&K. “Not a single polling station needed re-polling. The credit for this goes to you, your associates and Election Commission,” he said. Through these infra projects, the PM kept his promise to bridge ‘Dil ki doori and Delhi ki Doori’ (distance between hearts and Delhi), he added.