MONDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR UNWISE OPTIONS 'MY HINDU FAITH GIVES ME MY FREEDOM' P9 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Rain or thundershower likely to occur in some area. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 34 °C and 28 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % Min. 63 % Max: 33.6°C (+1) SUN RISES 05:52 hrs MOON RISES 11:24 hrs Min: 27.5°C (+1) SUN SETS 16:53 hrs MOON SETS 22:34 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 27 November THUMBNAILS Jagaddhatri pujo at the Patuli Mela ground on Sunday in Kolkata.SNS Six cops on way for PM's rally killed in road accident in Raj: Six policemen who were assigned for VIP duty for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Churu district of Rajasthan died and one more was severely injured when their vehicle collided with a truck on NH 58 early Sunday morning. The injured was rushed to a government hospital in Jodhpur, the Superintendent of Police, Nagaur, Narayan Togas said. According to the police, the team from Khinvsar police station of Nagaur was going to Jhunjhunu in the early hours for the security of PM’s meeting to be held in Jhunjhunu in the afternoon when their vehicle collided with the heavy vehicle on National Highway 58. P6 P4 P12 Stage set for 7th Bengal India suffer heartbreak yet again as Travis ‘Heads’ Global Business Summit Australia’s 6th WC title win Top business leaders, industrialists expected to attend meet STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 19 NOVEMBER he stage is ready for the 7th edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) which is scheduled to be inaugurated on 21 November at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be present along with her Cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats headed by the Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi. The programme will start at 3 p.m. The two-day BGBS will be held at three venues, namely the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan and the Dhana Dhanya auditorium, where the concluding programme will be held on 22 November. The capacity of the main auditorium at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre is the biggest in the country. Business leaders including Mukesh Ambani, Niranjan Hiranandani, Sajiv Goenka, Sajjan Jindal, Sanjeev Puri, Purendu Chatterjee, Harvardhan Neotia are likely to be present at the function along with a host of industrialists. There will be delegations from the United King- T Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee offers prayers at Dahi Ghat on the occasion of Chhath Puja, in Kolkata.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL dom, Poland and several other countries. Chief Economic Advisor Amit Mitra is likely to attend the conference. There will be interactive sessions between the senior state government officials and foreign delegates, presentation by various state government departments and B2B meetings. Senior bureaucrats led by the Chief Secretary, Debbashis Sen, managing director Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) and senior police officers oversaw the final arrangements for the summit on Sunday. Pavements and railings in New Town, Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and those near Dhana Dhanya auditorium have been spruced up. Elaborate police arrangements will be made in the vicinity of the venues to ‘Our cooperation with India is to ensure Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive’ TRIDIB BAPARNASH avoid traffic jams and ensure smooth movement of the guests. The guests will be put up in the star hotels in New Town and in the city. One of the major thrust areas at the BGBS will be the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises and Textile ( MSME). Bengal occupies the second position in MSMEs in the country and the effort is to make it the Number 1 state. Miss Banerjee is expected to brief foreign delegates in detail about why Bengal is the ideal business destination in India. Among other points, Bengal is the gateway to the North East and has a huge hinterland. The state government has set up land bank and no man day was lost in the past one decade. The state government is investment friendly and will provide all necessary to the in investors. Tourism has been given the status of an industry and Bengal is coming up in the tourism sector in a big way. The money spent by the state government and the Centre to improve the coast line is likely to increase the volume of tourists in the coastal areas. Digha has been developed and there is scope for investment in the tourism sector in Digha, Mandarmani and Sunderbans. Mamata slams Centre over rising rail fare AHMEDABAD, 19 NOVEMBER It’s been a 10-year-long wait for an ICC silverware, 12 for a 50-over World Cup... and the wait continues as Australia braved a partisan crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium to make light work of India when it mattered the most and walk away with the 2023 World Cup champions title – their sixth in the 50-over format. For those cricket fans in their mid-30s, who were in their teenage years and cried themselves to sleep the night of 23 March 2003, Travis Head rubbed salt to India’s wounds with a match-winning century to take the Kangaroos home by six wickets, bringing back memories of Ricky Ponting’s feat in Johannesburg two decades back. India’s performance on Sunday was only a pale shadow of their dominant self throughout the sporting extravaganza, that started with a six-wicket win against the same opponents in Chennai and went on to win 10 games on the bounce before falling short on the big stage. On the eve of the encounter, Australia skipper Pat Cummins had famously said: “Nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent.” He walked the talk on D-Day by restricting India for a sub-par 240 to seize the momentum right after the first powerplay! While India pulled the strings in the second innings by reducing Australia to 47 for 3, the joy was shortlived as Travis Head anchored the India's Jasprit Bumrah tries to console Mohammed Siraj after losing the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final match. ANI chase with a calculative century. India’s initial change in tactic worked well as Mohammed Shami, used as a first change till Sunday’s final, was employed to operate with the new ball, and he delivered with the key wicket of DavidWarner before Jasprit Bumrah pegged back the Kangaroos with the wickets of Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith to loud chants of the crowd. Finding Australia in a spot, Kohli started goading the crowd to pile up the pressure but Head held his nerves to bring up his half century off 58 deliveries, and found the perfect second fiddle in Marnus Labuschagne to steer the team out of a precarious position. A couple of boundaries off left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav got Head to 97 before he crossed over for a double to reach 99 and one ball later sprinted for another single to complete his fifth ODI century – one he may never top! Immediately after, Head mounted the pressure on the Indians, launching Ravindra Jadeja for a flat six even as Labuschagne satisfied himself labouring between the 22 yards to bring up a sedate unbeaten 58 off 110 balls, as the fourth wicket partnership of 192 runs eventually took the Aussies to the finish line. KOLKATA,19 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 NOVEMBER Ahead of the ‘2+2’ ministerial dialogue between the two countries on Monday, Australia has said its cooperation with India is at the heart of its approach to ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive and resilient. “India is a top-tier security partner for Australia and our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is one of practical, tangible actions that directly benefit the IndoPacific region,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said. “This year has seen a number of firsts in our defence relationship, including an Indian submarine visit to Perth and Australia’s hosting of Exercise Malabar, demonstrating the ATP FINALS: DJOKOVIC BEATS ALCARAZ IN SEMIS ‘KCR SPEAKING LIKE SEEMANDHRA LEADERS’ growing closeness of our defence and security partnership,” he said. Mr Marles and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong will hold the '2+2' ministerial dialogue with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Exter- nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi tomorrow. In a statement, the Australian government said the Australia–India relationship has never been more consequential. “We are working together through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as Quad partners and beyond to promote a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” it added. Canberra said the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship and an opportunity to progress their work together to shape the type of region the two nations want. The ministers on the two sides will advance cooperation on their shared regional interests, including in defence, security, renewable energy and technology. They will also discuss deepening trade and investment ties. The two sides will discuss ways to continue driving forward the Australia–India defence relationship and discuss the shared challenges facing the region. Australian Foreign Minister Wong will also meet her counterpart Jaishankar for the long-standing annual Australia~India Foreign Ministers' Framework Dialogue. Ms Wong, meanwhile, said: “The India–Australia partnership is central to the stability and prosperity of our shared region.” “Along with our deepening defence and security cooperation, Australia is committed to partnering with India more closely for the benefit of our region, in the Indian Ocean, in Southeast Asia and in the Pacific.” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came down heavily on the Centre for increasing the railway fares. She demanded that the increased fare should be brought down and attention should be given on safety issues of the passengers. Miss Banerjee tweeted: “ Sad to find that railway passenger fares are steeply increasing and even in Suvidha trains the fares are sometimes higher than the air fares!! Fare hike must be curbed and reduced and attention must be given to safety and security issues.” She further tweeted: “Where will common people go in case of emergencies?. During my tenure as Railway Minister , I had introduced anti-collusion devices and other anti accident measures! Why are they not being used to avert the increasing number of train accidents, while anti people fare regimes continues unchecked?SNS FESTIVE MOMENTS Devotees perform rituals during Chhath Puja at ITO Chhath ghat, in the Capital on Sunday.  SNS 2-2.5 days to rescue trapped workers: Nitin Gadkari India sends 32 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Palestine STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE DEHRADUN, 19 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 NOVEMBER A second Indian Air Force (IAF) C17 aircraft, carrying 32 tonnes of aid, on Sunday departed for the El-Arish Airport in Egypt to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine, who are caught up in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In a post on X, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed New Delhi's commitment to extend humanitarian assistance to Gazans, posting, "We continue to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine. Second @IAF_MCC C17 aircraft carrying 32 tonnes of aid departs for the El-Arish Airport in Egypt." Earlier, India sent 38 tonnes of humanitarian relief for civilians caught up in the ongoing ground offensive by the Israeli forces in the Strip. The aid package comprised fluids and painkillers. The disaster relief material, weighing approximately 32 tonnes, also included tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, basic sanitary utilities, and water purification tablets, among other items. Taking to X, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi posted after India shipped emergency aid for Gazans earlier,"India sends humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine! An IAF C-17 flight carrying nearly 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for the people of Palestine departs for El-Arish airport in Egypt. The material includes essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, and water purification tablets, among other necessary items." The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said recently that India was planning to send more humanitarian assistance to the affected civilians in the region. “This is not about one specific facility,” Mr Bagchi said, adding: “India has always underlined the need for civilian casualties to be avoided, for humanitarian law to be observed, and to encourage any effort to provide humanitarian relief to those caught in the conflict.” Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, who visited the site of the collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel on Sunday, said he hoped rescue teams will reach the workers trapped inside the tunnel in the next two to twoand-a-half days. Mr Gadkari reached the mishap site in the morning along with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and held marathon meetings with rescue teams on the actions taken so far to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel for the past week. (photo) “If the auger machine works properly, we will be able to reach the stranded workers in two to two amd a half days,” Mr Gadkari said, speaking to the media at the tunnel site after the meeting. “We are concerned for those trapped inside the tunnel... We are consulting with experts from US, Switzerland and other countries for their rescue, Mr Gadkari said, adding that private tunnel experts working for different organisations in the region have also been roped in. According to officials engaged in the rescue work, meanwhile, the entire exercise to rescue the trapped workers has been revised. Now the focus is on a five-point strategy to save the 41 lives trapped inside the tunnel for more than seven days. Escape passage CMYK drilling will be taken up from five sides. Union Road Transport and Highways Joint secretary Mahmood Ahmed will lead the revised plan. According to the new action plan, the rescue operation will be taken up by five central agencies with support from the state government. Drilling and excavation works will go on simultaneously from four sides including both ends of the tunnel, top of the tunnel as well as left and right directions. Agencies roped in for the renewed rescue plan include Central government PSUs National Highways and Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NHIDCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation(THDC) and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL). Apart from them, the Border Road Organisation (BRO) and the construction wing of the Indian Army have also been roped in the rescue operation as the Centre renewed its efforts on all fronts. NHIDCL Director Anshu Manish Khalko informed that a survey of the area surrounding the under construction tunnel has been done to explore the possibilities of drilling from the earmarked five directions. Nearly 100 metres vertical drilling will be taken up from top of the tunnel to smoothen food supplies path for the workers while 170 metres drilling from two sides will help evacuate trapped workers. Besides this, drilling of escape passage will be taken up at both extremes of the tunnel from Silkyara and Polgaom (towards Uttarkashi) village directions. Mahmood Ahmed, who is also MD, NHIDCL, will head the operation at Silkyara while Dr Neeraj Khairwal will be nodal officer for the Uttarakhand government. The decision to revise rescue efforts was taken after a visit of PMO team made up of Mahmood Ahmed, PMO Deputy secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal, former advisor of prime minister Narendra Modi Bhaskar Khulbe, along with two geological experts including senior geologist Varun Adhikari on Saturday. The under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the UttarkashiYamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of 12 November, trapping a total of 41 workers inside.