kochi l wednesday l November 06, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Pawar, 83, hints at retirement from parliamentary politics The NCP (SP) chief on Tuesday said that he was contemplating whether to seek another Rajya Sabha term after his current tenure ends in 2026 ‘one Has to stop, step aside at some point’ Will continue to work for the people Speaking at a campaign rally for grand-nephew Yugendra Pawar at Supa in Maharashtra’s Baramati assembly constituency, Sharad Pawar said that he has to stop at some point for the new leadership to take over. The veteran leader, who has won 14 elections in his political career, entered the Maharashtra assembly in 1967 and became the chief minister in 1978 ■ ■ The decision not to seek Parliamentary position does not mean a complete retirement from the social sphere, Pawar clarified | P8 “I will not be in power, but will continue to work for the people, work for the drought-affected regions, marginalised segments of society,” he said, adding that he will now focus on installing a new leadership SEVEN times Pawar won the Lok Sabha polls; he entered Rajya Sabha in 2014 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 US votes to elect its 47th President A g en c ies Republican vice presidential nominee J D Vance and his wife Usha Vance arrive to vote at the St Anthony of Padua Maronite Catholic Church on Tuesday | AP/PTI MILLIONS of Americans on Tuesday headed towards polling stations across the United States to elect the 47th President between Republican leader Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in an election billed as one of the most consequential contests for the White House in decades. Voting across the country began at 6 am local time. New Hampshire was the first state where polling started. According to US media reports, the early hours of voting were smooth with scattered reports of extreme weather, ballot printing errors, and technical problems causing delays. The early votes included record numbers in Georgia, North Carolina and other battleground states that could decide the winner. Over 82 million voters across the US had already voted before the main election day. These Results could take several days Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign chief Jen O’Malley Dillon said results may take several days, as vote tallies will come in at different times across states, and close results could delay a final call. “We may not know the results of this election for several days,” she said vada, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. The race remained stubbornly deadlocked for weeks, with some of the election forecasters giving 60-year-old Vice President Harris an edge over former President Trump, 78, in some of the key battleground states like Pennsylvania. After casting his vote in Florida, Trump said said if he lost the elections, he would be the first one to acknowledge it if it’s a “fair election”. This is the first presidential vote since Trump lost to Joe BiP9 den four years ago. Right to take over pvt property not total: SC CPI stood in the way of Left unity: CPM report Not all pvt property can be taken over for common good: 7:2 verdict A N I L S @ T’Puram S u c h i t r a K alyan M o h an t y The CPI turned its back on Left unity apparently due to Parliamentary aspirations, feels big brother CPM. In what could create fissures in the ruling LDF in the state, the CPM observed that the CPI had stayed away from a joint Left platform at the national level as it was more keen on the INDIA Bloc. The CPM’s draft Political Review report, presented before the three-day central committee meet that concluded on Monday, has been highly critical of the CPI being more inclined towards the INDIA bloc than a Left platform. The CPM accusation comes at a time when the CPI has been advocating for Left unity. Despite its tall claims, the CPI appears to have prioritised winning Lok Sabha seats over the building of a broad Left platform, the CPM felt. The draft report pointed out that the CPI showed no interest in being part of the LDF in Tamil Nadu. “In states like Tamil Nadu, during the process of identification of forces that could be part of the LDF, the CPI, when approached, curiously showed no interest,” the report said. Though it was taken up with the CPI national leadership to arrive at a common understanding, the same could not be pursued to a satisfactory conclusion. The report stressed on the necessity of having an understanding with CPI and the imperative need for a Left and Democratic Front at state levels. Referring to efforts towards the building of Left unity -- discussed in the 23rd Party Congress -- the draft report said CPI and CPI(ML) showed no interest to initiate joint actions. “A major reason for the failure to initiate joint actions and activities at the national level was the glaring disinterest of the CPI and the CPI(ML) for a joint Left platform, ever since the moves to bring in a wider Opposition unity began,” the re● More on P4 port said. votes were sent in either by mail or by visiting the polling station in person. According to an Associated Press report, Republican voters were casting early ballots at a higher rate than in recent previous elections. Both Harris and Trump are fighting for every vote, especially in the seven key battleground states of Arizona, Ne- @ New Delhi Postulating rigiD economic theory The Supreme Court in a 7:2 ruling on Tuesday held that states were not empowered under the Constitution to take over all privately-owned resources for distribution to serve the “common good”. A nine-judge bench of headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, however, said states can stake claim over private properties in certain cases. With this, the court settled the Property Owners Association vs State of Maharashtra case, which is one of the oldest pending before the court. While Justice B V Nagarathna partially concurred with the majority, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia wrote a dissenting verdict. The question before the court was whether “material resources of the community” in Article 39(b) could include privately owned property . The case also involved chal- “In Bhim Singhji, Justice Krishna Iyer cited Karl Marx to observe that taking over large conglomerations of land is necessary to make Article 39 a ‘constitutional reality’... (It) amounts to endorsing a particular economic ideology for our economy,” the CJI said lenges to Chapter VIIIA of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Act, 1976 introduced in 1986. The chapter allowed the Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board to acquire certain “cessed properties” for restoration with the consent of 70% of the residents. The majority verdict authored by the CJI criticised the opinion of Justice Krishna Iyer in a 1978 case, where the latter ruled that all privately owned resources can be acquired by the state for distribution under Article 39(b). “The doctrinal error in the Krishna Iyer approach was, postulating a rigid economic theory, which advocates for greater state control over private resources, as the exclusive basis for constitutional governance,” the verdict said. However, Justice Nagarathna found the observations against Justice Krishna Iyer harsh and unwarranted. The bench said the vision of the framers of the Constitution to establish economic democracy and trust the wisdom of the elected governments was the “backbone of the high growth rate of India’s economy... To scuttle the constitutional vision by imposing a single economic dogma which views the acquisition of private property by the state as the ultimate goal would undermine the values and principles of our Constitutional framework,” the verdict said. SC upholds U.P. Board of Madarsa Edu act, nullifies HC order Wrong call The court said the HC had ended up throwing the baby out with the bathwater by striking down the entire law on the ground that conferment of higher edu degrees were not constitutional S u c h i t r a K alyan M o h an t y @ New Delhi In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004, and set aside the Allahabad High Court’s order declaring the Act unconstitutional. “We have upheld the constitutional validity except for a small extent. , The HC erred in holding that the statute is bound to be struck down if it violates secularism,” a threejudge bench led by the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said. The court, however, held that the Madarsa Act, to the extent it regulates higher education, including the degrees of Fazil and Kamil (bachelor and postgraduate level degrees given by madrasas), is in conflict with the UGC Act and hence unconstitutional. The court said a statute could be declared ultra vires only on two grounds — being beyond the legislative competence or violating fundamental rights or any other Constitutional provision. As for regulations relating to the quality of the education, the state is empowered to enforce them. The Act does not directly interfere with the day-today administration, the bench pointed out. Govt to sell 2.5% in HZL to raise `5K cr M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi THE Centre on Tuesday announced its plan to divest up to 2.5% of its stake in Hindustan Zinc through an offer for sale (OFS) set to commence on November 6. The floor price for this offering has been set at `505 per share. The government is likely to raise `5,000 crore through the OFS. The government plans to sell approximately 5.28 crore shares amounting to 1.25% of the equity, with an option to add another 1.25% of equity The offer . will be available for non-retail investors starting November 6. These investors will have the opportunity to express their interest in carrying forward any unallocated bids to the following day November 7. , Retail investors will have the opportunity to submit their bids on November 7. According to OFS regulations, only retail investors and employees will be permitted to place their bids on Thursday Non-retail investors . who place their bids on Wednesday and opt to carry forward any unallocated bids to the following day will also have the option to revise their bids. Hindustan Zinc, a subsidiary of Vedanta, is a major producer of zinc, lead, and silver. Based in Udaipur, the company operates various mines and smelters. The government holds 29.5% in the company . E X P RE S S REA D ‘Restrict jumbo parades to religious festivals’ Kochi: The High Court-appointed amicus curiae has recommended that parading of elephants should be restricted to festivals associated with temples, churches and mosques. The amicus curiae suggested that no elephant should be used for private functions, inaugurations, etc. P5 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express As mUnambam land controversy intensifies, Waqf Board clarifies stand Issue will be dealt with legally: Waqf Board head E x p r ess N e w s S e r vi c e @ Kochi bumpy ride Motorists have a tough time negotiating the inundated Mosque Lane at Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram following a downpour on Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department has forecast that the rain/thundershower is likely to continue in the state, with its intensity set to increase from Friday | B P Deepu Waqf Board chairman M K Sakeer has finally spoken out on the Munambam land issue, stating that it will be h a n d l e d t h ro u g h l e g a l channels. “Nobody will be evicted from Munambam suddenly ,” he emphasised, highlighting that the matter needs to be resolved in court, as Waqf activities are governed by specific rules and regulations. Speaking to the media, Sakeer pointed out that investigations are ongoing in the courts and the board regarding Waqf properties. He said the organisation will act according to the final result of that investigation. “The Waqf Board will not act on the decision of resettlement today or tomorrow. Notice has been given to 12 households. They are allowed to present their case. They can produce documents. Others can also apply the chairman said. ,” According to him, around 400 properties that have been mentioned in the Waqf documents of 1950 are the ones in discussion now. “Once the property is deemed as that of Waqf, the board has the responsibility to protect it,” he ● More on P4 said.  Javadekar asks state govt to publish Waqf land data E x p r ess N e w s S e r vi c e @ Kochi Former Union minister and Kerala BJP Prabhari Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday demanded that the Kerala government publish the latest data on Waqfowned lands in the state. He said the LDF government should also give details of how much government, private, farmers and other-religion properties are claimed by Waqf. “All the records are there with the state government itself. It has to just collate and declare in a week’s time,” he said. Speaking to reporters during his visit to Palakkad to coordinate and monitor the campaigns for the by-election, Javadekar said: “If you have a property dispute about a temple or gurudwara or church, you can approach courts. But, if there is a dispute about Waqf lands, you cannot approach the c o u r t s. H ow c a n there be two laws in one country?” “The duplicity of the LDF and the UDF and the politics of appeasement of extreme elements do not stop here,” ● More on P4 he said.  workacation Tourism dept looks to attract techies, entrepreneurs to Kerala with ‘workpods’ S h ain u M o h an @T’Puram Work on your laptop, in the lap of nature. This is what the tourism department is promising techies and entrepreneurs with its ambitious ‘workacation’ plan. In partnership with the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), the department is planning to set up an array of innovative workpods, equipped with a slew of facilities, at popular tourist destinations to let visiting IT professionals and entrepreneurs work remotely while be, ing enveloped by the scenic, calming beauty of God’s Own Country . The officials said the pods will act as a ‘test bed’ to attract tech investment and foster an ecosystem of innovation and remote working. “Our attempt is to devise innovative products that offer new tourism experiences, to attract visitors with the help of startups. At present, tourists come to enjoy our beaches or visit a pilgrim spot and for vacations. We are trying to design products and packages that can offer more than our traditional tourism offerings. Workpods or startup pods is one such idea,” said KSUM CEO Anoop P Ambika. Since the pandemic and lockdown, remote working and staycations have become the new trend in the travel and tourism industry. The tourism department and KSUM are planning to pilot the work-pod project in Varkala, a favourite spot of techies. The officials said an expression of interest will be floated immediately in, viting startups to come up with ideas for setting up the pods. KSUM technical officer Varun G said Varkala is one of the first locations where they are planning to launch the initiative. “Many companies in India and abroad are exploring such options for their employees for brainstorming ideas and working. Like Varkala, Wayanad is a potential location for launching the initiative,” he told TNIE. Varun said all amenities required for remote working, along with a relaxing stay will , be ensured. “The tourism department will provide the space to set up the startup/work pods and a plan will be drawn up based on proposals from the startups. We will have a clear picture within a week or two,” he said.