CMYK SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2023 www.thestatesman.com Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR THAROOR SAYS HE HASN’T STITCHED COAT FOR CM’S POST TASTELESS ESSAY P6 WEATHER Mainly clear sky with Fog/Mist in the morning. Temperature likely to be in the range of 27-18 degrees Celsius. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.92% TEMPERATURE Max: 26.9 °C (+1) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES 23:30 hrs P4 Min: 19.7 °C (+5) SUN SETS 17:13 hrs MOON SETS 10:51 hrs Full moon on 22 January THUMBNAILS Devotees take part in a ritual at Gangasagar Mela on Makar Sankranti on Saturday. SNS First G-20 IWG meeting in Pune on 16-17 Jan: 2 1 The first G-20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) meeting under India's G20 Presidency is scheduled to be held on 16-17 January in Pune. The forum will bring together the IWG member countries, guest countries and international organisations invited by India to discuss the 2023 Infrastructure Agenda under the Indian G20 Presidency. The meeting will be hosted by India's Finance Ministry along with Australia and PG4 Brazil as the co-chairs. NDMA bars sharing info on Joshimath SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 14 JANUARY he National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has asked all government authorities and scientific departments not to share details regarding the ground subsidence in Joshimath till a final conclusion is drawn.The office memorandum came following widespread media coverage on data released by ISRO on the ground subsidence at Joshimath in Uttarakhand. The memorandum released by the NDMA said that the data released by government institutions are creating confusion among residents. “It is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter on social media platforms and they are also interacting with the media with their own interpretation of the situation. It is creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the T A view of the affected area in Sunil village after the recent land subsidence, in Joshimath on Saturday.  ANI country,” said the NDMA. The development came after an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) report was released saying that Uttarakhand’s Joshimath sank 5.4 cm in just 12 days.The letter, issued on 13 January, further said that the issue was highlighted during a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 12 January.An expert group has been formed for the assessment of ground subsidence at Joshimath, it noted. “You are requested to sensitise your organisation about this matter and refrain from post- ing anything on media platforms until the final report of the expert group is released by NDMA,” it noted. The Centre has already formed a team of experts from the NDMA,Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute to study and give recommendations on the situation in Joshimath. Reacting to the NDMA move , Congress leader Jairam Ramesh commented on Twitter: “They make one Constitution- Gadkari gets death threats, security tightened SNS & AGENCIES NAGPUR, 14 JANUARY Security around the office and home of Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari was tightened following extortion-cum-death threats, officials said here on Saturday. At least three calls were received by Mr Gadkari's pri- P13 Move comes after widespread coverage of ISRO reports of subsidence Min. 40% vate office in the city ~ between 11.30 a.m. - 12.32 p.m. ~ and the caller purportedly uttered the name of absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. The unknown caller reportedly made extortion demands and issued death threats targeting Mr Gadkari ~ who is currently in Nagpur for the Makar Sankranti festival ~ before disconnecting abruptly. The Minister's office staff immediately informed the THERE'S HISTORY BETWEEN MESSI & TEVEZ UK TO SUPPLY TANKS TO UKRAINE AS RUSSIAN MISSILES HIT KYIV local police and senior officers have reached the office to investigate. According to the police, the office received three calls at 11.25 a.m, 11.32 a.m, and 12.32 p.m at the landline number of Mr Gadkari's office from a BSNL network-registered number. The call records are being obtained, it added. AI peegate: Complainant rubbishes accused’s claim SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 14 JANUARY After Shankar Mishra, the accused in the Air India urination case, claimed that the complainant had soiled her own seat, the latter on Saturday rubbished the allegation saying that it was“completely false and concocted”. “The said allegation is also in complete contradiction and a complete volteface of the statements and the pleaded case of the accused in his bail application,” she said. Mr Mishra's claim came after a sessions court issued a notice on an application by the Delhi Police requesting his custody. The victim said that her intention has all along been of ensuring that institutional changes are made so that no individual has to go through the “horrendous experience” she went through. “Instead of being remorseful for the utterly disgusting act committed by him, he has adopted a campaign of spreading misinformation and falsities with the intent of further harassing the victim," she said. On 13 January, Mr Mishra told the court that he is not the accused. “There must be someone else who peed or it must be her who urinated," he had said. He further claimed that the woman was suffering from some prostate-related disease. “Her seat was such that it could only be accessed from behind and in any case, the urine could not reach the seat's front area. Also, the person sitting behind the complainant did not make any such complaint,” he had said. CMYK al institution attack another. Now, the National Disaster Management Authority tells ISRO to shut up. But how can satellite images lie? This is New India where only one man knows everything, and will decide who will speak on anything.” Several houses collapsed at Singhdhar in the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand in the midnight hours of January 2 and 3, sources said. However, no lives were lost in these incidents, they added. According to sources, cracks at several houses and a nearby temple started widening, to the point where they eventually collapsed. Speaking to ANI, Harish, a local, said, "It happened on January 2. It was around 2.30 am when we were sleeping. We heard a noise as the cracks on the walls opened up and big chunks of concrete started falling off." “We were scared and spent the night under an open sky. We were shifted to a government school nearby the day after,” he said. P12 All set for The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally Delhi on Sunday NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 14 JANUARY The wait is over for all those who are fascinated by grand old beauties of automobile history as the 56th edition of the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally will be held in the National Capital on Sunday. A 1964 Fiat, owned by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is participating in the rally for the first time and it will be one of the centres of attraction of the rally. A 1914 John Morris fire engine, owned by the Rail Museum, smaller vintage and classic cars and outstation cars will be among the other highlights of the event. The Rally in Delhi will be flagged off from the Statesman House on Barakhamba Road in the heart of the national capital at 10 a.m. The participating vintage and classic cars will head to JP Hospital, Greater Noida via Mahamaya overbridge and then they will take a U-turn to reach the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near the India Gate at 12 p.m. The prize distribution ceremony will be held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at 3 pm. The Statesman has been organising this prestigious Rally since 1964 in Delhi. The Rally was not held in 2021 and 2022 due to Covid19.On 6 March last year, A 1964 Fiat owned by former PM owing to Covid-19 restric- Lal Bahadur Shastri will be one tions, The Statesman held of the centres of attraction a vintage car 'display' instead of a full-fledged car rally. Over 100 vehicles are participating in the 56th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally. Major attractions of the event are assembly of egories, Mr Mitvintage and classic cars, followed by a drive tra said. through the city, There where cars are are also assessed for women paroriginality and ticipants in performance on the Rally. the road section, dis“Former prime minister play of period and fancy Lal Bahadur Shastri bought dress, grand parade and live a Fiat car in 1964 and it is parmusic. ticipating in the Rally for the During the second day first time in other categories,” of the prejudging session on Mr Mittra informed. Saturday, Aniruddha Mittra, He said apart from the marshal from the panel of stoppage due to the panjudges of the Rally, said that demic, earlier, the Rally was this year for the Rally, there called off in 1991 due to the was entries of a total of 124 Gulf war due to fuel shortage vehicles. These vehicles are in India. The Rally was also categorised into vintage, clas- not held in 1965 due to the sic, post-war and other cat- India-Pakistan war that year.