BHUBANESWAR SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 12 LATE CITY EDITION SC BLASTS DELHI AIR QUALITY PANEL FOR FAILURE TO CURB POLLUTION The Supreme Court noted that the Commission for Air Quality Management has not taken steps to stop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana NO PENAL ACTION, ORDERS REMAIN ON PAPER PANEL DIRECTED TO FILE COMPLIANCE REPORT A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih observed that no punitive action has been taken against those who burn crop stubble. “There has been total non-compliance of the Act,” the bench said, expressing its dissatisfaction. “If there is no penal action, the prohibitive directions against farm fires will remain only on paper”, Justice Oka orally observed ■ ■ The panel must immediately ensure the equipment given by the Centre for avoiding stubble burning are actually used by farmers, the bench said “We are of the view that though the Commission has taken steps, it needs to be more active,” the bench said while directing the panel to file a better compliance report and posted the matter for October 3 82 NO. OF DIRECTIONS ISSUED BY THE PANEL, BUT NO ACTION TAKEN AGAINST VIOLATORS 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 Curfew clamped BJD govt gone, work sincerely for people: CM to DMs in Bhadrak after mob attacks cops EXPRESS NEW SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar Agitators damage tehsildar’s vehicle while city DSP and a sub-inspector sustain injury A S I S H M E H TA @ Bhubaneswar VIOLENCE erupted in Bhadrak after members of a particular community resorted to heavy stone pelting at police and vandalised government vehicle over a social media post on Friday evening, prompting the administration to impose curfew in parts of the district headquarters town to prevent communal tension. The agitators damaged the tehsildar’s vehicle while city Video grab of a policeman injured DSP as well as a sub-inspector during stone pelting in Bhadrak of police sustained injuries in the stone pelting by the violent lice unprepared. Purunabazar mob. The curfew was imposed police subsequently stopped in Purunabazar police station the illegal rally and asked the jurisdiction. demonstrators to lodge a comIn the curfew order, Bhadrak plaint against the youth for reSDM Manoj Patra said portedly hurting their an old social media religious sentiments post left members of b u t t o n o av a i l . the community irked Though the protestors in Purunabazar and did not continue with Trouble started other nearby areas. the bike rally, they over a social media post by a Trouble started over a blocked the road and youth which social media post by a refused to leave. Soon drew ire of the youth which drew ire their number grew. community. A of the community. Police intimated member of the Soon, a member of the tehsildar about the community community mobilised mobilised support unlawful assembly support on social meand requested him to and asked dia and asked people i n t e r v e n e. W h e n people to take to take out a bike Khuntia arrived on out a bike rally rally . the spot, the protesManoj Patra, Even as tension was tors resorted to stone Bhadrak SDM building up, Bhadrak pelting. Police police had no clue. launched a crackdown Meanwhile, the community and chased away the protestors members took out the bike ral- from the spot later in the CONTINUED ON P5 ly at 4.30 pm, catching the po- evening. EXPRESS READ Minor girl gangrape culprits identified: Cops Rourkela: As Rourkela is yet to recover from the shocking spate of sexual assaults, police on Friday said five culprits in the minor girl’s gangrape case have been identified. So far, seven suspects have been detained in connection with the incident and efforts are on to nab the culprits soon. Police have analysed CCTV footage of the pub. Police teams have visited the crime scenes several times and are gathering more information from the local areas. The pub where the victim was served alcohol has also been sealed, DIG Brijesh Rai who is officiating as Rourkela SP said | P4 SENDING a clear message to the state administration that the model of governance adopted by the previous BJD government was no more acceptable, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday asked the district collectors to work sincerely and diligently to meet the aspirations of the people and address their problems. Inaugurating the two-day district collectors conference at Lok Seva Bhavan here, Majhi cautioned them against laxity, indifference to people’s issues and problems, delays in work execution, and corruption. The government will not tolerate corruption in any form. There is no room for compromise on it, he said. The chief minister highlighted the inefficiency and failures of the BJD rule and said expectations of the common people from the new government is very high. “In the last three months, I have become aware of numerous irregularities from the previous government’s tenure. If you notice any such irregularities, investigate and take necessary action. You have the authority, use it to ensure proper implementation. I trust you. This is as clear a message as possible from me,” he said. Outlining the priorities, Majhi said district collectors are the government’s last-mile con- AS efforts to end the RussiaUkraine conflict continue, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remarked that some are attempting to broker peace with an eye on Nobel Prize and not real peace. A comprehensive peace formula is already in place but some countries are proposing alternative settlement plans aimed at pausing, not ending, the war; such a move will only give Russian president Vladimir Putin more room to continue the war and bring more damage to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday . “As a global initiative, the peace formula has already existed for the past two years. And maybe somebody wants When some propose halfhearted plans, it not only ignores Ukrainians interest but also helps Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy a Nobel Prize for their political biography for frozen truce instead of real peace, but the only prizes Putin will give you in return are more suffering and disasters,’’ said Zelenskyy . While the Ukrainian leader did not name any country while making this remark, in nectivity with the people and play a vital role in ensuring benefits of various welfare and development pro g rammes reach the most vulnerable. “Outside the state capital, people in general look up to the collector as their government as their problems are resolved at district-level. You are the ones who understand their aspirations and problems. It’s your responsibility to fulfill their expectations,” he said. Emphasising the importance of field visits by collectors to monitor progress and identify areas for improvement, Majhi Sharif plays K-card, Centre’s total debt shoots up 25% to `176L cr claims India altering its demography D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi A day ahead of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s address at the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday raked up the Kashmir issue and sought to draw similarities between the situation in Kashmir and Palestine. India normally uses its right to reply to give it back to Pakistan, adding Kashmir is an inalienable part of India. “Like the people of Palestine, the people of J&K, too, struggled for a century for their freedom and right to self-determination,” said Sharif in his UNGA address. He accused India of reneging on its commitments to implement the UN Security Council resolutions there. “India’s policy of brutal coercion and oppression in Kashmir has ensured that Burhan Wani’s legacy continues to inspire the struggle and sacrifices of millions of Kashmiris. Inspired by the legitimacy of their epic struggle, they remain defiant,’’ claimed Sharif. “In a classic settler-colonial project, India is seizing Kashmiri lands and properties and settling outsiders in J&K in their nefarious design to transform the Muslim majority into a minority he charged. ,” Sharif also alleged that India was expanding its military capabilities. He went on to accuse India of threatening to cross the Line of Control to seize Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The Pakistani PM said while the escalation of Islamophobia is a troubling global development, its “most alarming manifestation of Islamophobia is the Hindu supremacist agenda in India.” On the ongoing Gaza war, Sharif said, “This is not just a conflict. This is systematic slaughter of innocent people of Palestine...we must act now and demand an immediate end to this bloodshed.” He said humanity was diminished when the endless suffering of Palestinians was ignored. Significantly Turkiye President Recap Tayyip , Erdogan did not mention Kashmir in his UNGA address this year, the first time he has skipped it since Article 370 was read down in 2019. SOME PEACE MERCHANTS HAVE NOBEL DREAM, SAYS ZELENSKYY AT UNGA Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi CM Mohan Charan Majhi attending the two-day collectors conference in Bhubaneswar directed them to visit schools, healthcare centres and police stations regularly . This will help them understand the ground reality and take exemplary action against irregularities, he said. “On-time launching and completion of projects are crucial. Delays cause public inconvenience, irregularities, corruption, and increased project costs,” he said. He advised them to monitor the financial and physical progress of projects on a regular basis and conduct quarterly block-level reviews to identify the problems and address the issues as every rupee spent by the government is an income for CONTINUED ON P5 the people. his speech, he mentioned: “When the Chinese-Brazilian duo tries to grow into a choir of voices – with someone in Europe, with someone in Africa, saying something alternative to a full and just peace, the question arises – what is the true interest? Everyone must understand – you won’t boost your power at Ukraine’s expense.” The war between Russia and Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. Many world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jingping, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have tried to impress upon Ukraine and Russia to end the conflict. India has always maintained that the best way to end the conflict is through dialogue and diplomacy . MEETS TRUMP Zelenskyy met Donald Trump on Friday in New York. ‘I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can’t win,’ Zelenskyy said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin WILL END WAR: DON Trump said he will end the war if elected as US prez. “It’s a shame... This is a war that should have never happened... Too many people dead,” he said after meeting Zelenskyy THE Central government’s total debt at the end of June 2024 quarter has reached `176 lakh crore, up 25% from the previous year’s `141 lakh crore. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the debt rose 1.2%, much lower than 4.6% growth witnessed in the same period last year. As for the composition of the Centre’s total debt, external debt accounted for `9.78 lakh crore, up from `8.50 lakh crore in the same period last year. Of the `149 lakh crore internal loans, market loans (raised through government bonds) accounted for `104.5 lakh crore, `27 lakh was raised through securities against small savings, `10.5 lakh crore through T-bills, and `78,500 crore through gold bonds. It must be noted that the government has maintained the borrowing target in the current financial year at `14.1 lakh crore. The finance ministry on Thursday announced `6.61 lakh crore borrowing plan in the second half of the current financial year. Though the government has maintained its FY25 borrowing target of `14.01 lakh crore, analysts expect the government to cut down on borrowing this financial year. According to Nomura, spending does not appear to have picked up after the initial boost. “It is possible that the GOI will underspend this year and therefore IGB issuance can be reduced,” it CONTINUED ON P5 says.
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