MONDAY www.thestatesman.com 08 FEBRUARY 2021 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ABBAS’ PATH TO POLLS FRAUGHT WITH PERILS HOST FARMERS LIKE YOU DID OBAMA: OWAISI TO PM P5 P9 P10 P12 SECTION OF NANDA DEVI GLACIER BREAKS OFF, TRIGGERING AVALANCHE, FLOOD HYDEL PROJECT SWEPT AWAY AT LEAST 7 DEAD WEATHER Mainly clear sky. Shallow fog in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 24 and 08 degrees Celsius respectively. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max: 100% 150 missing after U’khand flash flood RAJU GUSAIN DEHRADUN, 7 FEBRUARY Min: 53% TEMPERATURE Max: 22.8°C (0) SUN RISES 07:04 hrs MOON RISES 05:11 hrs ANKITA IN GRAND SLAM MAIN DRAW N-DEAL: IRAN INSISTS USA MUST LIFT SANCTIONS Min: 08.3°C (-1) SUN SETS 18:06 hrs MOON SETS 14:38 hrs THUMBNAILS Farmers during their protest over the Centre’s farm reform laws at Delhi’s Singhu border on SNS Sunday. Comedian released: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui walked out of Indore central jail late on Saturday night, a day after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a case for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Faruqui was released from the jail after the prison authorities received the order of the Supreme Court, an official said. Faruqui was in Indore jail since January 1. On Friday, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail. Fake Netaji relic: Netaji Research Bureau chairperson Sugata Bose has shot off a letter to the Victoria Memorial authorities, claiming that one of the relics at an ongoing exhibition at the museum, commemorating the 125th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter, is fake. In the letter, the leader's grandnephew said the museum authorities had never asked for a copy of Netaji's resignation letter from the Indian Civil Service and what has been put P4 on display there is a fake exhibit. HIMALAYAN DISASTER 2019 study had warned Himalayan glaciers were melting at alarming pace A t least seven persons were killed and over one hundred and fifty workers of two power projects are missing after a glacier burst, causing an avalanche and creating flooding in river Rishiganga in district Chamoli on Sunday. The flooding caused massive damage to the under-construction Rishiganga and Tapovan hydro projects. The toll could go higher, with the Uttarakhand chief minister saying that 30 persons were working at the Rishiganga power project site and 176 others at the Tapovan project site. A high alert was sounded in villages and towns located on the bank of the Ganga river in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Many workers engaged in the power projects were trapped in tunnels. Sixteen trapped workers were rescued from a tunnel at Tapovan by late evening. The process of evacuating workers from another tunnel was underway. ITBP teams conducted the rescue operation in the tunnel to evacuate the trapped labourers. The disaster hit the remote location of district Chamoli at about 10.45 a.m on Sunday. A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off, triggering an avalanche and flooding in the Alaknanda river system, which comprises the Dhauliganga, Rishiganga and Alaknanda rivers. Authorities said the 13.2 MW small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Chamoli district, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system, that caused large-scale devastation in the high mountain areas, including massive damage to NTPC's TapovanVishnugad hydel project and the Rishiganga Hydel Project. swept away in the glacier burst. Homes along the river banks were also swept away as the waters rushed down the mountainsides in a raging torrent. As the disaster hit the valley, the state government launched a massive search and rescue operation. Teams of the State Disaster Relief Force and National Disaster Relief Force were dispatched to the affected area. People living on river banks were shifted to safer locations. A high alert was sounded in downstream towns like Nandprayag, Karanprayag, Ruderprayag, Srinagar, Rishikesh, Haridwar, etc. Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “Six hundred personnel from Army and ITBP are on standby for dealing with the emerging situation. All the rescue teams are doing their best to save the lives of missing workers at NTPC and Rishiganga sites.” In his interaction with the media in Dehradun after returning from Chamoli, the CM said that 30 persons were at work at the Rishiganga hydro-electric project and 176 others at the NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad project site when the disaster occurred. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Uttarakhand chief minister and reviewed the situation in Chamoli. The damaged site at Chamoli after the flood receded. SNS Around 30-35 people, including workers and employees of the 480 MW Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project on the Dhauli Ganga river are believed trapped inside one of the tunnels of the project following the avalanche triggered by the glacier burst. Current rescue efforts are focussed on extricating them. In a tweet, Mr Modi said: “Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there. Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations." Videos of the water rushing downstream, taken with smart phone by villagers, instantly became viral on social media. The videos also prompted people living on river banks downstream to move to safer locations. The water level returned to normal after about six hours of the disaster. Uttarakhand Police DGP PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI, 7 FEBRUARY Ashok Kumar said, “The situation is under control. The water has reached Srinagar and its level is stable and there is no danger of flooding taking place downstream.” Uttarakhand chief minister Rawat visited the affected area and inspected the disaster site. The CM, who is said to have initially got information about the disaster through social media, interacted with workers and local people. The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, held an emergency meeting in New Delhi in the evening in the wake of the disaster. A 2019 study had warned about the dangers of climate change and said Himalayan glaciers have been melting twice as fast since the start of this century. The glacier collapse at Joshimath led to a massive flood in the Alaknanda river system and caused devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas. Two years earlier in June 2019, a study spanning 40 years of satellite observations across India, China, Nepal and Bhutan, indicated that climate change is eating away at the Himalayas' glaciers. The study, published in the journal Science Advances in June 2019, shows that glaciers have been losing the equivalent of more than a vertical foot and half of ice each year since 2000 ~ double the amount of melting that took place from 1975 to 2000. While not specifically calculated in the study, the glaciers may have lost as much as a quarter of their enormous mass over the last four decades, said Joshua Maurer, lead author of the study. The study synthesised data from across the region, stretching from early satellite observations to the present. The data indicates that the melting is consistent in time and space, and that rising temperatures are to blame, the researchers said. Researchers analysed repeat satellite images of some 650 glaciers spanning 2,000 kilometres from west to east. They found that from 1975 to 2000, glaciers across the region lost an average of about 0.25 metres of ice each year in the face of slight warming. Following a more pronounced warming trend starting in the 1990s, starting in 2000 the loss accelerated to about half a metre annually. ‘Quad’ leaders may hold first Just 78 Covid-linked fatalities reported in last 24 hours meet amidst China’s posturing STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 FEBRUARY The four ''Quad'' countries ~ India, Japan, Australia and the USA ~ propose to hold the first meeting of their leaders against the backdrop of growing Chinese assertiveness on maritime issues, according to the Japanese media. If it fructifies, the meeting could also provide a platform for detailed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and America's new President Joe Biden on growing Indo-US ties. A report in The Japan Timessaid the Biden administration appeared eager to build on the grouping of the four major Indo-Pacific democracies. It said the US had already proposed to other countries the idea of holding an online meeting of the “Quad” leaders. It NEW DELHI, 7 FEBRUARY Officially known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the ''Quad'' is an informal strategic forum of the four nations which regularly hold dialogue at the ministers' and senior officials' level and also conduct joint military drills. quoted US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan calling the “Quad" a “foundation upon which to build substantial American policy in the IndoPacific," in recent remarks. However, there was no immediate confirmation available from the foreign office in New Delhi on whether such a meeting would take place any time soon. Whether the talks would materialise soon would depend on India, which is known for its relatively cautious stance on the framework. It is the only “Quad” member that shares a land border with China and operates outside the US-led security alliances. During the proposed meeting, the four nations are expected to discuss cooperation for the realisation of a free and open Indo-Pacific amid concerns over China’s aggressive posturing in the region. China may react with displeasure, as it sees the framework as an attempt to contain its rise. Officially known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the “Quad” is an informal strategic forum of the four countries which regularly hold dialogue at the ministers' and senior officials' level and also conduct joint military drills. Even as the number of beneficiaries vaccinated against Covid-19 in India crossed 58 lakh, daily Covid-19 fatalities fell below 80 in the past 24 hours, the lowest in nine months. There were also no Covid19 death in seventeen states and Union territories during the last 24 hours, said a senior officer of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. Just 78 fatalities linked to the coronavirus were recorded for the country as a whole for the same period, the lowest recorded after nine months. The figure took the total death toll increased to 1,54,996. The ministry said 12 states have vaccinated more than two lakh beneficiaries each and the highest number of vaccinations were reported in Uttar Pradesh with 6,73,543 vaccinations. In the vaccination drive, India is now only next to the United States and the United Kingdom in terms of coverage, the Ministry said. The cumulative number of healthcare workers and frontline workers vaccinated against Covid-19 is 58,03,617 till 6:40 p.m. on Sunday. The cumulative vaccination coverage includes 53,17,760 healthcare workers and 4,85,857 frontline workers, the officer said. There has been a sustained increase in the number of beneficiaries being vaccinated every day. The country, meanwhile, added 12,059 new Covid-19 cases over the previous 24 hours, according to health ministry data updated at 8 a.m on Sunday. India’s tally of Covid-19 infections now stands at 1,08,26,363, while the active caseload is 1,48,766, which is just 1.37% of India’s total positive cases. Further, India’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1.05 crore with a recovery rate of 97.19%. While the situation has improved remarkably in many states, 81.5 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 6 States/UTs. Kerala has reported the maximum number of singleday recoveries with 6,178 newly recovered cases. 1,739 people recovered in Maharashtra in the past 24 hours followed by 503 in Tamil Nadu, the ministry stated. As regards new cases, 84.83% of the daily new cases are from 6 States and UTs mainly Kerala (5,942 new cases, followed by Maharashtra with 2,768, and Kar- Time for people of Bengal to show TMC ‘Ram Card’: Modi SOUMYADIP MULLICK/ BISWABRATA GOSWAMI HALDIA, 7 FEBRUARY The Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually set the ball rolling for the BJP’s campaign for the West Bengal Assembly polls during his visit to Haldia today where he asserted that once the BJP forms a government in Bengal, the first cabinet meeting will seek to bring relief measures for all the farmers of the state who have been deprived of the benefits of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme by the 'Ma Mati Manush' (Trinamul Congress) government. With the BJP and the TMC engaged in what is expected to be a tight fight in the Assembly election, Mr Modi launched a scathing offensive against the Trinamul government, which he alleged took one retrograde measure after another, leading to Bengal taking a backseat in terms of development. Addressing lakhs of supporters from the podium in his first public rally in the state before the polls, the PM asked, "How many factories have come up in Bengal in the last 10 years? Mamata promised change in 2011 and people who believed in it today feel dejected. The state government didn't even spare the poor farmers of the state who are still waiting to avail the Centre's Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme. Once BJP wins the polls, the first cabinet meeting will not just address the issue but also create provisions to clear the earlier funds which Bengal farmers couldn't avail." Further taking a dig at Mamata Banerjee, the Prime Minister said: "Mamata Didi gets bamboozled when Bengal asks her about development and feels scared when Jai Shri Ram slogans are hurled. It isn't unusual since her government has only institutionalised corruption and politicised government institutions but made no effort to resuscitate Bengal. TMC is a party of extortionists." “You even looted the funds sent by the Centre as relief for all those whose lives were devastated by cyclone Amphan,” the Prime Minister charged the Trinamul Congress. He said people expected “mamta” (affection) from Miss Baner- jee but got “nirmamta” (cruelty) instead. Recalling the zest among Bengalis for football, he said: “Trinamul is busy committing foul after foul and it’s about time the people show her the red card." He likened the Mamata Banerjee government to a second version of the Left Front government in Bengal and said there has been a “rebirth of communism” under her rule. The indicator, he said, was that politics has been criminalised and administration has been politicised in the state. The state's politics is the “biggest reason for its condition,” he said. Referring to the Left - Congress alliance in the state, he said "The Trinamul, Left and the Congress are now busy match fixing behind closed doors. Voting for this alliance is also voting for TMC. Voters must not be fooled by this since Bengal needs 'Poriborton' (change). Trinamul turncoats Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee today shared the dais with the Prime Minister. Mr Modi inaugurated a slew of projects today in Haldia, including an LPG import terminal built by Bharat Petroleum at an approximate cost of Rs 1100 crore and which is expected to generate employment of 15 lakh man-days. The second project is DobhiDurgapur natural gas pipeline built by GAIL at a cost of Rs 2400 crore, generating employment of 11 lakh man-days. A four lane ROB-cum-flyover at Ranichak built at Rs 190 crore was inaugurated while the PM also laid the foundation stone of the second catalytic iso-dewaxing unit at the Haldia Refinery. nataka (531) new cases. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 20,13,68,378 samples have been tested up for the coronavirus till February 6, with 6,95,789 samples being tested on Saturday. Delhi sees 119 cases, 2 deaths: Delhi today recorded 119 new coronavirus infections (Covid19) and 2 Covid-linked deaths, according to the Delhi government’s latest health bulletin. These 119 fresh coronavirus cases were detected out of 54,247 tests. The positivity rate stood at 0.22 per cent. The national capital’s cumulative Covid tally rose to 6,36,035 and its coronavirus toll climbed to 10,879, the health bulletin said. Delhi’s tally of active Covid cases dropped to 1,112 from 1,174 the previous day, the bulletin stated. The patients who remained hospitalised 1,08,26,363 1,48,766 12,059 11,805 1,54,996 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. SUNDAY 07 FEBRUARY 2021 numbered 528 while 465 were under home isolation. (SEE P2) India calls out NY’s Kashmir resolution PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW YORK, 7 FEBRUARY The New York State Assembly has passed a resolution calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare February 5 as Kashmir American Day, drawing a sharp reaction from India which denounced attempts to misrepresent Jammu and Kashmir's rich cultural and social mosaic to divide the people. The resolution, sponsored by Assembly member Nader Sayegh and 12 other lawmakers, states that the Kashmiri community has overcome adversity, shown perseverance and established themselves as one of the pillars of the New York immigrant communities. It adds that the State of New York endeavours to champion human rights including the freedom of religion, movement and expression for all Kashmiri people, which are embedded in the US Constitution, through the recognition of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious identities. Commenting on the resolution, a spokesperson of India's Embassy inWashington said: “India celebrates its diversity and rich cultural mosaic, including in Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. We note with concern the attempt by vested interests to misrepresent the rich cultural and social mosaic of Jammu and Kashmir to divide the people.”