20122021 first india ahmedabad

HC grants conditional bail to Takshashila builder
ACCOUNTABLE
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Single
bench Justice Vipul
Pancholi of the Gujarat
High Court granted
conditional bail to Su-
rat’s Takshashila Ar-
cade developer Har-
sukh Vekariya. He also
asked him to deposit
Rs35 lakh to the trial
court within three
months,; the amount
will be paid to family
members of 22 students
who died in the fire that
broke out in 2019.
On May 24, 2019, a
blaze in the Takshashila
Arcade --located in Sart-
hana area of Surat—had
engulfed the fourth floor,
where students were at-
tendingcoachingclasses.
Whileatotalof 22young-
stersdiedintheincident,
a few of them lost their
lives after jumping from
the fourth floor to save
themselves. Police filed
charges against 13 ac-
cused including coach-
ing class owner Bhargav
Butani, builders Har-
sukh Vekariya, Dinesh
Vekariya, Ravindra Ka-
har and others.
HarsukhVekariyahad
moved a bail application
and while granting bail
the Court noted, “The ap-
plicant has shown will-
ingness to deposit an
amount of Rs35,00,000
beforetheconcernedtrial
court, without prejudice
to his rights and conten-
tions, within a period of
three months from the
date of his actual release
bywayof compensation.”
Justice Pancholi also
noted that there was no
dispute about the charg-
es framed against most
of the co-accused in
June, 2021. “As per the
chargesheet, there are
251 witnesses and thus,
the trial of the present
case will not be over in
the near future,” he ob-
served. The court also
considered the punish-
ment prescribed for the
alleged offense and the
fact that the applicant
has been in jail for ap-
proximately two years.
Orders Harsukh Vekariya to deposit
`35 lakh to trial court as compensation
to kin of deceased in 2019 fire
High Court of Gujarat
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 26
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
As many as 43 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested and six boats seized
by Sri Lankan Naval personnel. Demanding their immediate release, the fisher-
men association here said it would stage a protest on Monday and announced
an ‘indefinite strike’ as well. Fishermen departed on December 18 from Ramesh-
waram in over 500 boats and were fishing off Katchatheevu island when held.
Five more people were on Sunday confirmed as being infected with the Omicron vari-
ant of the novel coronavirus. These include a 45-year-old NRI and a teenage boy, who
recently arrived in Gujarat from the United Kingdom, a 23-year-old Tanzanian student of a
Rajkot university who recently returned to the city after in-person classes resumed, and a
middle-aged couple who arrived in Ahmedabad from Tanzania, officials said. MORE ON P3
43 TAMIL NADU
FISHERMEN HELD, 6
BOATS SEIZED BY
SRI LANKAN NAVY
STATE ADDS 5 MORE
CASES OF OMICRON
INFECTION; TOTAL
TALLY NOW AT 12
CORONA CATASTROPHE
GUJARAT
INDIA
7,145
new cases
145
Omicron tally
51
new cases
00
new fatalities
‘Centre to establish university for
courses on cooperative trainings’
Pune: Union Home
Minister Amit Shah on
Sunday said that a uni-
versity for courses on
cooperative training
will be established by
the Centre with its col-
leges in several loca-
tions across India.
Shah on his last day of
visit to Maharashtra,
said that to expand the
cooperative business, a
cooperative plan for the
next25yearsisnecessary
.
He added that to ex-
pand the cooperative
business, a plan for the
cooperative formation
for the next 25 years. The
Cooperation Ministry
has started to work on
the same and a new poli-
cy related to it will be in-
troduced at the earliest.
Earlier in the day,
Amit Shah inaugurated
the camp of 5th Battal-
ion of the National Dis-
aster Response Force
(NDRF) and a new
building of the Central
Forensic Sciences Labo-
ratory (CFSL) facility
in Pune.
Speaking about the
CFSL facility in Pune,
he said, as of today,
there are seven CFSLs
in India, and Pune is
the seventh addition.
He said that more ef-
forts in the same line
are required to ensure a
robust internal securi-
ty environment.
Mohd Fahad
Kapurthala: A second
manwasbeatentodeath
in Punjab today over an
alleged instance of sac-
rilege, stoking tension
in a state that has barely
recovered from the
shock of a similar inci-
dent in Amritsar’s Gold-
en Temple less than 24
hours before.
Residents of Nijam-
pur village in Kapurtha-
la district said they
caught the man from a
gurdwara early this
morning. They alleged
that he was seen “disre-
specting” the Nishan
Sahib (the Sikh flag)
around 4 am.
Though the police
team reached the spot
and took the man into
custody
, Sikh groups in-
sisted that he be ques-
tioned in front of them.
The man was killed by
the locals after a scuffle
with the police.
Cellphone videos
from the spot showed
the man being beaten
up with sticks. The po-
lice later took him to the
hospital where he was
declared dead.
On Wednesday last, a
man had thrown a holy
book ‘gutka sahib’ into
the sarovar at the Gold-
en temple.
MAYHEM, LAWLESSNESS OUT IN THE OPEN IN POLL-BOUND STATE
Goa would have been free earlier had
Sardar Patel lived longer: PM Modi
Our phones tapped, ‘anupyogi’ CM Yogi
himself listens to conversations: Akhilesh
Panaji: Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi on
Sunday said that Goa
would have been liber-
ated from the Portu-
guese rule much earli-
er had the country’s
first home minister
Sardar Vallabhbhai Pa-
tel lived for some more
time.
He also said that al-
though India got inde-
pendence much before
Goa became free, peo-
ple of the country
could not enjoy at that
time as they felt uneasy
thinking that one part
was the country was
still under foreign rule.
Modi was speaking
at an event to celebrate
the Goa Liberation Day,
observed on December
19 every year to mark
the day Indian armed
forces freed the coastal
state from the Portu-
guese rule in 1961.
Patel, deputy PM in
the Nehru cabinet, died
on December 15, 1950.
He is credited with the
liberation of Marath-
wada region in Maha-
rashtra from erstwhile
Nizam’s rule.
In the past, several
BJPleadershadblamed
the then prime minis-
ter Jawarhalal Nehru
for the delay in libera-
tion of Goa.
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Partychief AkhileshYa-
dav on Sunday accused
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath of getting his tel-
ephones tapped and lis-
tening to the conversa-
tions every evening.
Interacting with re-
porters a day after some
SP leaders’ offices and
residences were raided
by the Income Tax De-
partment, Yadav
claimed the BJP was
wary of its impending
defeat in the upcoming
assembly polls.
The BJP government
would be increasingly
misusing various en-
forcement agencies to
persecute his party’s
leaders in the coming
days, he alleged.
“All our telephonic
conversations have
been heard. This ‘an-
upyogi’ chief minister
himself listens to the
recordings of some peo-
ple every evening,” the
Samajwadi Party chief
alleged.
He also asked report-
ers to “remain alert, if
you are speaking to
me”. The Yogi Adity-
anath government is
running a WhatsApp
University in the state,
Yadav said derisively
.
“The BJP is following
the Congress’ way
. Like
the Congress, it is rear-
ing to use the central
agencies to instil fear
(in rival political par-
ties),” Yadav added.
I have taken serious
note of the unfortunate
incidents in Amritsar and
Kapurthala. Any attempt
to violate the communal
harmony in the state
will be dealt with a firm
hand. Stern action will
be taken against all
those disturbing the law
and order in Punjab.
DGP Punjab Police
@DGPPunjabPolice
CHARGES PRESSED AGAINST DEAD
MAN IN GOLDEN TEMPLE INCIDENT
Amritsar: The police have booked the youth,
who was beaten to death Saturday at the Golden
Temple in Amritsar, under sacrilege and attempt
to murder charges. The 20-year-old was caught
by the staff of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parband-
hak Committee and devotees at the Darbar Sahib
on Saturday after an alleged sacrilege attempt. His
body was later placed outside the main gate of the
SGPC headquarters. Case was registered based
on the statement of SGPPC staff Sucha Singh.
PUNJAB FORMS
SIT, REPORT
IN TWO DAYS
New Delhi: Terming
the alleged sacri-
lege bid as a “most
unfortunate” incident,
Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhjinder
Singh Randhawa said
that a Special Inves-
tigation Team (SIT)
has been constituted
under DCP (Law
Order). The SIT would
submit its investiga-
tion report within
two-days, he added.
the man involved in
the incident has not
been identified yet,
said the Deputy CM.
BJP, SDPI leaders
killed within hours in
Kerala’s Alappuzha
Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala on Sunday woke
up to the murder of two
state-level leaders of the
BJP and Social Demo-
cratic Party of India
(SDPI), the political arm
of PopularFrontof India
(PFI), within 11 hours of
eachother,inwhatlooked
like tit-for-tat political
killings.
SDPI state general sec-
retary K S Shan (39) was
attacked at Mannanch-
eryinAlappuzhadistrict
onSaturdaynight.While
riding a two-wheeler, a
car-borne gang hit him
from behind.
After Shan fell from
thetwo-wheeler,thegang
hacked him, inflicting
multiplewounds.Hewas
rushed to a local hospital
and later to a Kochi hos-
pital, where he died
around 11.30 pm.
Around 6.30 am Sun-
day
,deathcameknocking
at the door of BJP OBC
Morcha state secretary
advocate Ranjith Sreeni-
vas (41) in Alappuzha
municipality
, which is 10
km away from Man-
nanchery
, where the
SDPI leader was killed.
SP: PROHIBITORY
ORDERS IN PLACE
FOR NEXT 2 DAYS
MIN: ISLAMIC
TERRORISTS
BEHIND MURDER
Alappuzha district
police superintendent
G Jaidev said police are
looking into whether
the killings are re-
lated and retaliatory in
nature. The SP said that
prohibitory orders are
in place in the district
for two days. Police
deployment has been
strengthened on the
premises of Medical
College in Kochi, where
the bodies are kept.
Union minister V Mu-
raleedharan on Sunday
demanded that the
Kerala government take
strict action against
the perpetrators of the
murder of Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
leader in Alappuzha dis-
trict earlier in the day.
Muraleedharan said an
Islamic terrorist group
is behind the murder of
the BJP OBC Morcha
leader Renjith.
PM Narendra Modi seeks blessings of a Goan freedom fighter
during a programme in Taleigao on Sunday. Goa CM Pramod
Sawant and Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar are also seen.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
BJP OBC Morcha state
secretary advocate Ranjith
Sreenivas.
Punjab Chief Minister
Charanjit Singh Channi along
with Deputy CM Sukhjinder
Singh Randhawa visited the
Golden Temple on Sunday.
TENSION
GRIPS
PUNJAB
After Golden Temple lynching,
‘mob’ kills youth in Kapurthala
over‘sacrilege’incops’presence
Siddharth Chattopadhyaya

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2021
02
TAKING CHARGE
When a collector threw the
rulebook at a defence officer
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Usually
it is the officers don-
ning uniforms that get
all the glory of serving
the nation. The task of
civilian executive offic-
ers—to ensure citizen
welfare—is further
made difficult by uni-
formed officers believ-
ing that they have im-
munity from all norms
and guidelines. Howev-
er, First India has heard
of a case where an IAS
officer threw the rule-
book in the face of a de-
fence officer and con-
vinced him to fall in
line with a proposal.
As the nation braces
for the COVID-19 pan-
demic’s third wave
amid rising cases of its
Omicron variant, state
health department and
central health ministry
have begun preparing
for such an eventuality
.
Officials have been
checking whether
health infrastructure
and medical teams are
ready to handle an in-
flux of cases, if there is
a sudden surge. This is
reminiscent of how a
bureaucrat handled the
pandemic’s second
wave in his district. In
order to overcome
shortage of hospital
beds and medical sup-
plies, he had to con-
vince defence officers to
share their infrastruc-
ture with civilians dur-
ing the crisis.
In April 2021, the city
falling under the dis-
trict collector’s jurisdic-
tion was facing a severe
shortage of medical in-
frastructure; people
were running from pil-
lar to post for beds and
medicines for their
loved ones. When the
collector realized that
there was a defence hos-
pitalinthecity
,hecalled
its administrative offic-
er and requested that
they admit civilians.
Initially, the defense of-
ficer was reluctant to
open doors to civilians
due to security issues.
However,thecollector
pleaded his case politely
for almost 10-15 min-
utes, and the officer re-
mained non-committal.
Finally, the collector
took over the reins of
the conversation and
firmly told the defence
officer,“Sir,thenationis
also facing various chal-
lenges within its bor-
ders, which us civilians
fight on a daily basis.
This is a national crisis
and you have to cooper-
ate with the civilian
wing to fight the pan-
demic. If you voluntari-
ly do not extend your
help and cooperate, the
Epidemic Diseases Act,
1897 and Disaster Man-
agement Act, 2005, em-
powermetotakecontrol
of the defense hospital.”
These words did the
trick and convinced the
defence officer to extend
his cooperation and ad-
mit civilians to the de-
fense hospital.
GSSSB paper leaked from
private printing press?
Four more persons,
including press
head, arrested in
head clerk exam
paper leak case
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar/ Him-
matnagar: In a major
breakthrough, Gujarat
police on Sunday
nabbed four persons,
including the head of a
Sanand printing press,
in connection with the
Gujarat Subordinate
Service Selection
Board (GSSSB) head
clerk paper leak case.
Gandhinagar Range
Inspector General of
Police Abhay Chu-
dasama informed me-
dia persons, “After un-
covering very specific
information, police
had picked up Dipak
Patel of Singarva Hos-
pital for questioning.
He had bought the ex-
amination question
paper from his col-
league Mangesh
Shidke. Mangesh had
bought it from a per-
son named Kishor
Acharya, who is the
printing department
head of a private
printing press located
in Sanand.”
During questioning,
Kishor is said to have
admitted before the
police that he had sto-
len the paper from the
press and sold it to
Mangesh for nine lakh
rupees. Police have re-
covered seven lakh ru-
pees cash from Ma-
gesh’s residence.
Kishor is the master-
mind behind the paper
leak, said an official.
Sources have con-
firmed that the police
will now conduct a
search of the printing
press to collect evi-
dence. So far, it has not
received any informa-
tion or evidence to es-
tablish that the private
printing press owner
was involved in the
crime. Police have ar-
rested Kishor, Man-
gesh, Dipak and one
more person, in con-
nection with the leak.
Officials also plan to
investigate the con-
tract between the
GSSSB and the private
printing press.
Jayesh Patel, the
accused named in the
First Information Re-
port (FIR) of the case
approached a region-
al news channel and
gave an interview, de-
spite the fact that he
is evading arrest. He
claimed that he had
bought the paper
from Dipak Patel for
Rs30 lakh for his
nephew Deval Patel,
who is already in po-
lice custody.
Late on December
18 evening, Himmat-
nagar court granted
nine days remand—
till December 27-- of
the eight accused ar-
rested by Sabarkan-
tha police. GSSSB had
held a competitive
exam for the post of
head clerk on Decem-
ber 12. Accusations of
a paper had surfaced
the next day after
Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) Yuvrajsinh
Jadeja had levelled al-
legations.
Kishor Acharya and Dipak Patel in police custody.
Jayesh Patel, who passed on the GSSSB
question paper to aspirants.
—FILE
PHOTO
Convincing him
of his power, he
enlisted the help
of a defence
hospital for
civilians during
the pandemic’s
2nd wave
GRAM PANCHAYAT POLLS SEE 47%
VOTER TURNOUT TILL EVENING
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Polls to
8,690 gram panchayats
in Gujarat ended peace-
fully on Sunday with an
average voter turnout
of 47% till evening, an
official said.
The average voter
turnout for 48,573 wards
stood at around 25.11%,
with districts such as
Gandhinagar, Anand
and Porbandar witness-
ing high turnout while
areas such as Dahod,
Dang, Devbhumi Dwar-
ka, Narmada and Khe-
da seeing tepid num-
bers, data from the
State Election Commis-
sion showed.
A total of 27,200 can-
didates are in the fray
for the post of sar-
panch, while 1,19,998
are vying to become
panchayat members.
As many as 1,165 vil-
lage panchayats and
9,613 wards have been
declared as totally un-
contested, where rep-
resentatives were elect-
ed unopposed, as per
the Gujarat State Elec-
tion Commission. An-
other 473 sarpanches
have been elected in a
partially uncontested
process, it said.
A gram panchayat
election is fought by a
candidate in his person-
al capacity and not on
political party symbols.
The candidate, however,
remains affiliated with
one party or another.
In gram panchayat
polls, each voter is re-
quired to cast two votes,
one to elect a sarpanch
and another for electing
a panchayat member
for their ward.
Polling was held in
23,112 booths, of which
over 10,000 were de-
clared sensitive or ex-
tremely sensitive, using
37,451 ballot boxes in-
stead of EVMs due to a
very high number of
wards, the state elec-
tion body said.
More than 1.81 crore
people are eligible to
cast votes, including
93.6 lakh men and 88.3
lakh women.
The election, results
of whichwillbedeclared
on December 21, is seen
as the last major test for
politicalpartiesaheadof
the state Assembly elec-
tions scheduled in De-
cember next year.
First India Bureau
Chhota Udepur: Hav-
ing exercised his fran-
chise at Jamli village,
Leader of the Opposi-
tion Party in the state
Assembly Sukhram
Rathva said that other
elections should also
use ballot papers like
the Gram Panchayat
elections held on Sun-
day, rather than elec-
tronicvotingmachines
currently in use.
He joins a long list
of opposition party
members who have
come out in favour of
ballots--since they say
these are less likely to
be manipulated--for
major elections in-
cluding the Assembly
elections slated to be
held next year.
Rathva also ex-
pressed satisfaction
that the voter turnout
was high on Sunday
.
“Elections are a fes-
tival of democracy
and I am happy that
people are taking part
in it in large numbers.
I was very happy to
use ballot paper for
the election,” he said,
adding, “I feel that
other elections like
the Lok Sabha elec-
tion and state assem-
bly elections should
also use ballot papers
rather than voting ma-
chines since these are
more reliable.”
He then condemned
Education Minister
Jitu Vaghani’s com-
ments--that it was
okay for students to
study outside in the
winter--when he was
asked about the dilap-
idated condition of
the school in Chhota
Udepur’s Waghalwa-
da district.
“The minister
seems frustrated. The
matter of classroom
and school buildings
will be sorted out by
June. Along with par-
ents and other donors,
we will raise funds
and construct school
rooms,” he added.
Otherelectionsshoulduseballotpapertoo:LOP
NOTES FROM
THE FIELD

z There were allegations
of rigging at one booth in
Gandhinagar, and a clash
between candidates at a
booth in Surendranagar
that led to the suspension
of voting.

z Bhavesh Tandel, the can-
didate of Ward number 5 of
Valsad taluka’s Bhadeli Jag-
alala village, posted a photo
of the ballot paper on social
media. His opponent Bharat
Tandel then filed a com-
plaint of code-of-conduct
violation and demanded that
he revoke his candidature
nomination.

z In another incident, which
was captured on camera, a
police constable thrashed
a voter after he insisted on
taking his mobile phone
inside the polling booth. The
man was detained.

z Despite cold conditions
in several places, people
queued up to vote early in
the morning, among them
being a centenarian who
showed her inked finger
outside a booth in Aravalli.

z In Mathal village of Nakhtra-
na, Bhuj, people walked 5km to
Kathak village to cast their vote
since their village of 310 voters
did not have a booth.

z Villagers of Shivnagar in
Morbi boycotted the election
for the Panchasar panchay-
at. They said Shivnagar split
from Panchasar village 57
years ago, and are demand-
ing a separate panchayat.
Villagers line up to vote in Bhavnagar.
In Dahod, Mansing Ravat, the sarpanch of Zunsa village hired 20 bouncers, at
a reported cost of Rs20 lakh, for his personal security after receiving several
threats. He also informed the local police about the same.
Authorities in Rapar Taluka administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to
unvaccinated voters at 113 booths of 44 panchyats, thus hitting two birds
with one stone.
Several senior citizens made the effort to cast their votes.

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Amid ris-
ing panic over the ever-
increasing Omicron
tally and fears of a third
wave of COVID-19 infec-
tion, many parents are
expressing concern for
their children’s safety—
particularly in the wake
of Minister of State for
Health Nimisha Su-
thar’s insistence on Sat-
urday that schools
would continue to re-
main open.
On Friday, four
schools in Rajkot were
shut down for a week
after three students and
a teacher tested positive
for COVID-19. That
same day, four students
also tested positive for
the novel coronavirus
in Ahmedabad. On Sat-
urday, a 15-year-old boy
from Gandhinagar was
also detected with the
Omicron variant after
returning from the UK.
“The US and several
European countries
have started vaccinat-
ing children back. So
there are vaccines
available for kids. Why
are they not in the In-
dian market, or availa-
ble to us? In-person edu-
cation had been re-
sumed, but none of our
kids is vaccinated. The
government said Jab
Tak Davai Nahi,
Dheelai Nahi. But there
is no Davai for kids,”
Maulin Shah, a parent
of a student at Udgam
School for Children,
where a Class II student
tested positive for COV-
ID-19 on Friday, told
First India.
“My daughter is un-
der medication for a
cough and cold. Al-
though her symptoms
are not serious, we are
veryworried,”headded.
Many
, like Vastrapur-
residentRoshniJoyhave
decided not to send their
kidstoschoolforthefore-
seeable future. “I have
opted for online educa-
tion, only because I am
worried for my daugh-
ter’s safety
,” she said.
Others, like Priya Ara-
vind, are simply waiting.
“The school wants us
to fill a consent form in
advance for on-campus
classes. But there is no
form of medical protec-
tion available for kids
like my son. So, we’re
waiting till February to
decide,” she said.
Speaking at an event
in Vadodara on Satur-
day, Mos (Health) Su-
thar said, “There is no
decision to close
schools. The focus
should be on children’s
education. As far as
cases are concerned,
health teams reached
the schools immediate-
ly and isolate the child
and give necessary
treatment. Measures
are being taken to stop
the spread of the infec-
tion to other students.”
First India Bureau
Surat: In a shocking in-
cident, two youths were
murdered by a duo of
assailants in Pandesara
area of the city on Sat-
urday. The crime took
place in the middle of
the road and the ac-
cused attacked the vic-
tims 15 times, before
fleeing the spot.
Speaking on condi-
tion of anonymity, one
of the victims’ friends,
said, “The incident oc-
curred on Saturday
night when Bhola alias
Shiv Shankar Subhash
Chandra Jeswal (32),
resident of Pandesara’s
Radhe Shyam Nagar
and Praveen Babulal
Solanki (22), resident of
Gayatri Nagar, were
chatting with their
friend Bunty Shukla.
Suddenly, two youths
came on a bike and at-
tacked Praveen. When
Bhola tried to inter-
vene, the assailants at-
tacked him with a knife
and stabbed him in his
back and chest.
Bhola sustained mul-
tiple stab injuries and
died on the spot while
Praveen was rushed to
a hospital. He had a
puncture wound in his
liver and died on Sun-
day morning.
Pandesara police sus-
pect that this was an act
of rivalry. Officials
have collected CCTV
footage of the incident
and begun a probe.
—FILE
PHOTO
2 stabbed to death
in Surat, police
suspect rivalry
HAIL LORD SWAMINARAYAN!
A world record feat was attempted at the Shree Swaminarayan Temple Kundal Dham in Botad
district on Sunday. Aiming to display the highest number of Lord Swaminarayan idols in one
location, temple authorities showcased a total of 7,070 idols of the Lord. Documentation and
other details of the feat will be sent to the Guinness World Records committee. Marking the
occasion, priests also performed an aarti of Lord Swaminarayan at the temple.
LACKOFVAXFORKIDS
HAS PARENTS WORRIED
‘GovtsaysJabTakDavaiNahi,DheelaiNahi,butthereisnoDavaiforkids’
A medic collects a sample from a child to test for COVID-19 in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Gujarat
reported another 51
cases of COVID-19 on
Sunday, even as five
people were con-
firmed to be infected
with the Omicron
variant of the virus.
With this, the total
COVID-19 tally has
reached 8,28,546
since March 2020.
With no fresh fatali-
ties, the death toll re-
mains steady at 10,101.
At least 55 patients
were discharged dur-
ing the day, taking the
total number of recov-
eries to 8,17,874 since
the pandemic first hit
the state.
Of the day’s addi-
tion, Ahmedabad had
the most, with 18.
The state now has
571 active cases, in-
cluding four on venti-
lator support.
Meanwhile, in Surat,
even the civic body’s of-
fer of a litre of free
cookingoilhasnotbeen
enough to draw people
to the vaccine. While
3,24,572 people took ad-
vantage of the free oil
scheme to take the sec-
onddosein23days,city
officialssayawhopping
4.41lakhwhohavebeen
putting off taking the
second jab.
571
18 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE
CASES
8,17,874
55 RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,101
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,28,546
TOTAL CASES
51 CASES
IN A DAY
TOTAL DEATHS
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL
RECOVERED
With 51 new cases,active tally at 571
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A
45-year-old NRI and a
teenage boy
, who re-
cently arrived in Gu-
jarat from the United
Kingdom, have been
found infected with
the Omicron variant
of the novel coronavi-
rus, officials said on
Sunday
.
Rajkot also report-
ed its first such case-
onSunday—a23-year-
old Tanzanian stu-
dentof RKUniversity
,
who recently re-
turned to the city
from his home coun-
try after in-person
classeswereresumed.
Similarly
, two cases
were confirmed in
A h m e d a b a d — a
47-year-old man and a
55-year-old woman
who returned from
Tanzania recently
and are being treated.
Withthis,Gujarat’s
totaltallyhasreached
12 case of Omicron.
The NRI tested pos-
itive for COVID-19 in
the RT-PCR test car-
ried out at the
Ahmedabad interna-
tional airport soon
after his arrival from
the UK on December
15. He was scheduled
to reach Anand from
Ahmedabad.
“
Afterhetestedpos-
itive for COVID-19, he
was taken from the
airport to the
Ahmedabad civil hos-
pital, where he is re-
covering. The man’s
sample was later
found infected with
the Omicron vari-
ant,” Anand district
health officer Dr MT
Chhari said.
His co-passengers
and other contacts
have tested negative
for the viral infection.
On Saturday, a
15-year-old boy from
Gandhinagar was
also detected with
the Omicron variant
after returning from
the UK, Gandhina-
gar Municipal Com-
missioner Dhaval
Patel said.
Omicron tally
12 as Guj sees
5 more cases
2 UK-returnees,
1 Tanzanian
student, and a
Tanzania-
returned couple
found infected
—FILE
PHOTO

Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
The brutal murder of OBC Morcha State
Secretary Adv. Renjith Sreenivasan
by ‘fundamentalist elements’ is
condemnable. Such cowardly acts cannot
be tolerated. Kerala is turning into an
unlawful state under CM@vijayanpinarayi.
They can’t scare us with their cruelty.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
This is what the land of Tagore has
been reduced to. Here the mind is
neither without fear, nor the head
held high.Hurling crude bombs,
rigging polling booths, threatening
candidates, Didi and goons of TMC
have left no stone unturned to violate
the spirit of democracy.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
“Those who are motivated
only by desire for the fruits of
action are miserable, for they
are constantly anxious about
the results of what they do.”
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
WITH OMICRON
CASES DOUBLING,
EUROPE STARES AT
A GRIM FUTURE
he Netherlands went
into lockdown once
again as Omicron
was spreading at a
frightening pace.
Denmarkhasclosedcinemahalls
and new restrictions have been
imposedinotherEuropeancoun-
tries. The World Health Organi-
sation says the variant is dou-
blingin1.5-3daysandhasalready
spread to 89 countries. Going by
the rapid doubling of cases, the
British government is mulling
strictermeasurestodealwiththe
spread of the virus. Most Euro-
pean countries have banned en-
try of travellers from Britain in
view of the surge in cases there.
In several European countries
people who are fed up with the
curbs are taking to the streets.
Cases are rising in India too
but not at the same pace as in Eu-
rope and the US. The fear of in-
creased hospitalisation, curbs on
socialising and slowing down of
economicactivityhasagaincome
to haunt people. All this amidst
highpricesof medicinesandfood
items is making them jittery as
they watch Omicron multiply
TOP TWEETS
T
s the COVID-19
pandemic wreaks
havoc across the
globe, it leaves a
multitude of long-
lasting consequences in its
wake. Among them, a host of
mental health issues includ-
ing an uptick in depression,
anxiety and stress-related
disorders. One of the less fre-
quently discussed, however,
is eating disorders.
A new study published by
JAMA Network reveals that
the number of hospitaliza-
tions for eating disorders in-
cluding anorexia, bulimia
and binge-eating disorders,
among others, increased dra-
matically during the pan-
demic. According to Dr Kelly
Allison, one of the research-
ers on the study and the di-
rector of the Center for
Weight and Eating Disorders
at the Perelman School of
Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania, the results
“suggest that disordered eat-
ing became more severe in
disorders of extreme restric-
tion, as well as in those with
loss of control eating.”
What’s even more troubling
is that the average age of the
patients has decreased over
time.
Eating disorders are men-
tal health conditions typified
by significant persistent
disturbances in eating behav-
iors, accompanied by dis-
tressing emotions. These dis-
orders can affect people of all
ages, although they are more
common in girls women.
People are particularly vul-
nerable during the adoles-
cence and teen years and are
most often diagnosed be-
tween the ages of 12 and 35.
Regardless of the reason,
the pandemic has driven a
rise in eating disorders and,
like with COVID-19, a lot de-
pends on everyone doing
their bit to make sure those
at risk are protected.
EATING DISORDERS
RISE DURING COVID-19
There are many reasons
why COVID-19 pandemic
created a breeding
ground for eating
disorders. For many
people, eating habits
changed significantly.
Shopping at a grocery
store was already
incredibly stressful
A
WHY NAGA KILLINGS
PUT GOVT IN A SPOT?
hen was the last time that the
Indian Army expressed re-
gret over a military opera-
tion gone wrong, especially
in areas where the Armed
Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA) is in force. The na-
ture of this law, originally
named as Armed Forces (As-
sam and Manipur) Special
Powers Act, has always left
the scope of such botched up
operations due to special
powers owned by the forces.
Rarely, a unit of the Army,
that too special forces, ex-
presses regret over ‘mistak-
enly’ killing of civilians. But
it did when 14 villagers died
in an ambush firing in the
Mon region of Nagaland.
Activist Irom Sharmila
with her 16-year-long hunger
strike is the epitome of re-
sentment by civil society
against eradication of AFS-
PA, especially from Manipur,
where it has been functional
since the last 60 years.
The Army’s note was fol-
lowed by regret expressed by
leaders from all across party
lines, which indicates the
possible severe implications
in the North-East region after
this incident. The region has
been marred with militancy
and tribal conflicts since last
several decades and very re-
cently the central govern-
ment in far-flung Delhi was
able to reach out to various
organisations and get them to
sign a peace accord, thereby,
signalling peace in the re-
gion. This peace is at stake
now. The stakes that are too
high and dwindling.
One of the statements in
Parliament by the Home Min-
istryinDelhimentioningthat
‘thevehiclecarryingvillagers
was asked to stop but it tried
to flee, hasn’t gone too well
with the people in Nagaland.
Two massive marches in the
last ten days in Mon and other
parts of Nagaland have ex-
pressed displeasure over the
speech. More bad news came
in the following days in terms
of theKonyakUnion(KU),the
apexbodyof theKonyakNaga
tribe that resides in Naga-
land’s Mon district, announc-
ing “non-cooperation” with
the armed forces.
The Centre’s biggest worry
is now in the open and taking
the shape of a rebellion. The
village labourers that were
killed in the incident be-
longed to the Konyak tribe,
the biggest in Nagaland with
a population of over three
lakh fifty thousand. The gov-
ernment just can’t afford to
make them unhappy
.
Therefore, the central gov-
ernment was immediately
active after the incident. But
the various groups involved
in talks with the Centre may
be under civil pressure to ex-
press public anger or even
opt out of any deal to bring
about peace in the region.
The reason for this is that
these killings have not hap-
pened due to the operation of
Nagaland Police for which
the state government can be
held responsible or the in-
volvement of local police per-
sonnel. This is an Indian
Army operation that botched
up enormously
. This may un-
dermine the credibility of
peace talks.
The Centre has been trying
to negotiate with various fac-
tions of the National Social-
ist Council of Nagaland i.e.
NSCN (the state’s largest ex-
tremist organisation) since
long. With the efforts made
by various government agen-
cies in the last several years,
the government made it pos-
sible to bring various mili-
tant groups to the negotiat-
ing table. These include
groups led by Khango Kon-
yak and Niki Sumi, that pos-
sess considerable influence
in the region of Nagaland
that borders Myanmar.
During the course of time,
the government in Delhi also
entered into a ceasefire
agreement with a militant
group for peace. While the
groups signed a draft agree-
ment with the central gov-
ernment in 2015, they de-
manded separate constitu-
tion and flag at the time of
the final agreement, which
created a deadlock that was
under process since then to
avail any resolution.
So far, only the NSCN has
been the biggest hurdle in the
finalisation of the Naga peace
accord.AllotherNagagroups,
which jointly form Naga Na-
tional Political Groups
(NNPG), want a peace accord
to be achieved. However, due
to this incident, the rest of the
groupcanalsowithdrawfrom
the talks for some time.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
W
MOHD FAHAD
The writer is a Jaipur-based journalist and
alumnus of Mass Communication Research
Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia University
These killings have not
happened due to the
operation of Nagaland
Police for which the state
government can be held
responsible or the
involvement of local
police personnel. This is
an Indian Army
operation that botched up
enormously. This
may undermine the
credibility of peace talks
The Centre’s biggest
worry is now in the
open and taking the
shape of a rebellion.
The village labourers that
were killed in the incident
belonged to the Konyak
tribe, the biggest in
Nagaland. The
government just can’t
afford to make them
unhappy
l Vol 3 l Issue No. 26
l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita Hada
Sangwan on behalf of First Express
Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Published at
D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium
Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka,
Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Haresh Jhala
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
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INDIA
05
India welcomes interest of Central
Asian countries to use Chabahar Port
Central Asian countries emphasised on optimum usage of INSTC and Ashgabat pact on international transport
New Delhi: India on
Sunday welcomed the
interest of Central
Asian countries to uti-
lise the services of Sha-
hid Beheshti Terminal
at Chabahar Port for
facilitating their trade
with India and beyond,
said the joint statement
after the India-Central
Asia Dialogue here in
New Delhi.
The dialogue saw
participation from For-
eign Ministers of Turk-
menistan, Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan
and Uzbekistan. It as-
sumes importance due
to the ongoing humani-
tarian situation in Af-
ghanistan.
The Foreign Minister
of India and five other
Central Asian coun-
tries emphasised on op-
timum usage of the In-
ternational North-
South Transport Corri-
dor (INSTC) as well as
the Ashgabat Agree-
ment on International
Transport and Transit
Corridor to enhance
connectivity between
India and the Central
Asian countries. —ANI
Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries in a group photo at the third meeting of the two-day India-Central Asia Dialogue in New
Delhi on Saturday. —PHOTO BY ANI
‘Central Asia
should enrich
cooperation in
development’
New Delhi: Turkmeni-
stan Foreign Minister
Rashid Meredov on
Sunday said that the
30th anniversary of In-
dia and Central Asian
countries next year will
create a good opportu-
nity to rethink and en-
rich the cooperation in
the spirit of modern
global development.
In his opening re-
marks at the 3rd meet-
ing of the India-Central
Asia Dialogue here,
Meredov said, “We re-
gard today’s meeting as
key preparation for the
upcoming Central Asia-
India Summit in Janu-
ary next year.”
Jaishankar is host-
ing the third meeting of
this dialogue aiming to
further strengthen ties
between the member
countries. —ANI
INDIA STRATEGIC PARTNER
IN REGION, SAYS KYRGYZ FM
New Delhi: High-
lighting that India
and Central Asian
countries share deep-
rooted relations, Kyr-
gyzstan Foreign Min-
ister Ruslan Kazak-
baev said that India
is the strategic part-
ner of all countries.
In his opening re-
marks at the 3rd
meeting of the India-
Central Asia Dia-
logue here, Kazak-
baev said his country
is very grateful for
having diplomatic re-
lations with India.
“I’m very happy to
say that we are hav-
ing good relations
and talks with India
in the Central Asia
region, which pro-
vides the dynamics
of relations,” he said,
adding that dialogues
in such meetings are
fruitful. Ruslan said
that being in Central
Asia, at the center of
the world, it has very
warm relations with
the Indian side.
—ANI
EAM S Jaishankar meets with his Kyrgyzstan counterpart
Ruslan Kazakbayev on Sunday —PHOTO BY ANI
CENTRAL ASIAN STATES HAVE SIMILAR
CONCERNS IN AF, SAYS JAISHANKAR
New Delhi: The impact
of the Taliban takeo-
ver of Afghanistan on
regional security,
post-pandemic recov-
ery and steps to boost
regional connectivity
and trade were in focus
as the Foreign Ministers
of India and the five
Central Asian States
held their third dialogue
on Sunday. EAM S Jais-
hankar set the stage for
the discussions, saying
in his televised open-
ing remarks that India
and the Central Asian
States have similar
concerns and objectives
in Afghanistan, includ-
ing the formation of an
inclusive Government,
the fight against terror-
ism. Jaishankar called
for diversified supply
chains and regional so-
lutions to overcome the
impact of the Covid-19
pandemic. —ANI
Governor’s autonomous powers and a parallel Government!
Anita Hada
New Delhi: These
days, a parallel govern-
ment of governors is
being run in many
states of the country
and especially in states
where there is a non-
BJP government. How-
ever, Bihar is an excep-
tion here as even
though BJP is a part of
the coalition govern-
ment in the state, yet
the Governor has au-
tonomous power, due
to which there was a
dispute between the
government and the
governor in the recent
past. Interestingly, in
Bihar, Nitish Kumar
has definitely become
the Chief Minister
with the help of BJP,
but BJP leaders are
treating him like the
Chief Minister of an
Opposition party. It is
perhaps due to this
that recently, a BJP MP
from the state and a
Union minister ex-
posed the failures of
the Bihar government
in Parliament.
However, Bihar Gov-
ernor Phagu Chauhan
is embroiled in contro-
versies regarding the
appointment and ex-
tension of service of
Vice Chancellors of
universities. After as-
suming the office of
Governor, he brought
Surendra Pratap Singh
from Faizabad his
home state, Uttar
Pradesh, and Rajendra
Prasad from Gorkhpur
and appointed them as
vice-chancellors of dif-
ferent universities of
Bihar. Many more peo-
ple brought by him be-
came VC and several of
these people have been
accused of taking
bribes and many other
wrongdoings.
Despite these allega-
tions, one VC got exten-
sion from the Gover-
nor’s office and also got
the charge of another
university. When the
Bihar government
came to know about
this, it kept three new
universities out of the
governor’s jurisdic-
tion. The governor was
so annoyed by this that
he stopped the bills of
all the three universi-
ties.
The controversy
over the appointment
of vice-chancellors in
universities is also go-
ing on in Kerala, where
Arif Mohammad Khan
is the Governor. The
Governor of Kerala is
deeply displeased with
the role of the state
government in the ap-
pointment of Vice
Chancellors. He op-
posed the appointment
of VC in Kannur Uni-
versity, Kalady San-
skriti Vishwavidya-
laya etc. and has asked
the government to stop
interfering in the func-
tioning of universi-
ties. The governor is
so miffed with the gov-
ernment that he has
even said that the
higher education of
the state has gone into
the hands of dogs.
On the other hand,
the Governor of Maha-
rashtra has been sit-
ting for more than a
year withholding the
file of nomination of
12 members of the Leg-
islative Council. Even
after the ‘strictly word-
ed’ remarks were made
by the High Court, the
Governor is not ap-
proving the 12 names
sent by the govern-
ment.
In West Bengal, the
state government’s
conflict with Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar is
well known and the lat-
est case is of Howrah
Municipal Corpora-
tion Amendment Bill,
the file of which had
been forwarded to the
Governor for approval,
after being passed by
the assembly, however,
prior to giving his ap-
proval the Governor
has sought more infor-
mation. In fact, Gover-
nor Dhankhar even
had a verbal tussle
with the Assembly
Speaker in this matter.
Hindus believe every person’s DNA is unique,
Hindutvavadis say all have same DNA: Rahul
New Delhi: Continuing
the Hindu versus Hin-
dutvavadi debate, Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi on Sunday said that
Hindus believe that
every person’s DNA is
unique and different
while a Hindutvavadi
believes that all Indians
have the same DNA.
The Wayanad MP
said, “Hindus believe
that every person’s
DNA is different and
unique. Hindutvavadi
believes that all Indians
have the same DNA.”
Earlier on Saturday, he
said that a Hindutvava-
di could be described as
someone bathing alone
in the Ganga while Hin-
du takes crores along.
The Congress MP
said the true meaning
of a Hindu is that one
follows only the path of
truth and never con-
verts his fear into hate
and anger. —ANI
Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi wave to the supporters.
Capt will get his candidates
from Congress itself!
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: In Punjab,
the Congress party has
decided the names of
candidates for several
Assembly seats. Even
before the formation of
the Sorting Committee
under the chairman-
ship of Ajay Maken,
the names of the candi-
dates were fixed on
many seats and it was
also decided on which
seats the candidates
would be changed.
The Congress party
will cut the tickets of
some MLAs and word
is that a couple of min-
isters may also not be
given tickets. After be-
coming the chairman
of the Sorting Commit-
tee, Ajay Maken held a
meeting recently, in
which the names of
possible candidates
were considered. The
Congress has 80 MLAs
in the state assembly
and not a single MLA
has accompanied for-
mer Chief Minister
Captain Amarinder
Singh to his newly
formed party after he
left the party. However,
the MLAs whose tick-
ets are to be cut are
aware of this.
It seems that the
MLAs are also waiting
for the Congress to cut
their ticket, so that
they decide to move to
another party. It seems
that Captain Ama-
rinder Singh is also
waiting for the Con-
gress to decide on the
tickets, after which he
will decide the candi-
dates accordingly.
The MLAs whose
ticket Congress will
cut, will go with Cap-
tain as their first prior-
ity will be the Captain’s
party as Akali Dal and
BSP have started an-
nouncing their candi-
dates. The Aam Aadmi
Party has also decided
the names of the candi-
dates. Interestingly,
Captain will get good
candidates from Con-
gress only.
Despite all the other
parties, the Congress
ticket is the most
sought after right now,
so it has more claim-
ants on every seat.
From there the disap-
pointed candidates will
also go with Captain.
Congress says that if
such candidates go
with the Captain, then
it will not harm the
Congress because the
anti-incumbency of
the Captain’s four-and-
a-half-year term will be
tied to Captain and his
candidates.
Captain Amarinder Singh
Cong backs
Sangma,TMC
calls it a‘great
betrayal’
Shillong, Megha-
laya: The Megha-
laya Congress’s
move to offer “is-
sue-based support”
to the state’s BJP-
Conrad Sangma al-
liance has been
called out by Trina-
mool Congress. “A
great betrayal” was
how the state’s for-
mer Chief Minister
Mukul Sangma -
who recently joined
Trinamool - termed
the offer by the Con-
gress.
The Congress,
weakened after 11
of its MLAs, led by
Mukul Sangma
joined the Trina-
mool Congress, has
admitted to its
“identity in that op-
position is already
very blurred and
confusing”. Earlier
this week, after a
meeting of the Con-
gress Legislature
Party meeting, they
made the move that
blurred lines be-
tween the govern-
ment and the oppo-
sition. —Agencies
Just trying to show difference:
Priyanka on Rahul’s remark
New Delhi: Speaking
to reporters, Priyanka
Gandhi said Hinduism
teaches honesty and
love among people,
while the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) and the BJP in-
dulge in politics in the
name of religion. Con-
gress leader Priyanka
Gandhi on Sunday said
that her brother and
senior party function-
ary Rahul Gandhi’s re-
cent remarks on ‘Hindu
versus Hindutvavadi’
was aimed at bringing
the difference between
the two terminologies.
Speaking to report-
ers, Priyanka said Hin-
duism teaches honesty
and love among people,
while the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak (RSS)
and Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) indulge in
politics in the name of
religion. —Agencies
BJP eyes superior role with fledgling party in Punjab
Ludhiana: With the
Bharatiya Janata Party
sealing its alliance with
former Chief Minister
Capt Amarinder Sin-
gh’s fledgling Punjab
Lok Congress Party for
the upcoming Punjab
Assembly elections, the
BJP, which had always
played second fiddle to
its former ally Shiroma-
ni Akali Dal (SAD), is
now looking forward to
playing the role of a sen-
ior partner in its new
coalition in the State.
The BJP is gearing up
to negotiate with Capt
Amarinder for the sen-
ior ally’s position in
their partnership, aim-
ing to contest more
seats than his newly-
floated party in the elec-
tions to the 117-member
Punjab Assembly. The
Akalis were the domi-
nant partner in their
erstwhile coalition, and
they used to give the
Bharatiya Janata Party
barely two dozen seats
for the Assembly polls.
In the 2017 Assembly
elections, the BJP had
contested 23 seats and
won 3. — Agencies
SEAT SHARING!
Amit Shah
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO
—FILE PHOTO

INDIA
06
New Delhi: IMD in its latest
weather bulletin said that a
low pressure lies over the
Southeast Bay of Bengal and
the adjoining Equatorial In-
dian Ocean with an associated
cyclonic circulation extend-
ing upto 5.8 km above mean
sea level. It is likely to move
east-northeastwards and may
bring rainfall in the Nicobar
Islands on Dec 19 and 20.
As per IMD severe cold
wave conditions will prevail
in several north Indian states
such as HP, Uttarakhand, Har-
yana, and union territories
Delhi and Jammu and Kash-
mir for next two days. The
Safdarjung Observatory re-
corded a minimum tempera-
ture of 4.6 degrees Celsius,
three notches below normal
lowest this season so far. —ANI
COLD SNAP GRIPS NATION
WEATHER UPDATES...
10 NIGHT SHELTERS SET
UP IN CHANDIGARH
Chandigarh: As
harsh winter ap-
proaches with the
mercury dipping with
each passing day,
the administration
has set up at least
10 night shelters
throughout Chandi-
garh. “The 10 night
shelters have been
set up near PGI,
GMCH32, GMSH16,
Sector 19, Sector 20,
Sector 22, ISBT43
and other imp places.
Each night shelter
can accommodate
150 people includ-
ing 100 men and
50 women. Though
there are no charges
for availing this
facility, people have
to show their identity
cards including voter,
Aadhaar, to ensure
security. 10 night
shelters costs around
Rs 1.82 crore. These
shelters have been
set up for three
months. The timing
can be increased
based on the weather
conditions,” XEN,
MC, Devinder said.
Dept forecasts light
cloud prevails for 3
days. —PTI
Cold wave to continue in North India till Dec 21: IMD
CRUCIAL READ
Hong Kong: Hong Kong govt efforts and last-ditch
campaigning by candidates were struggling on
Sunday to boost turnout in an overhauled “patriots”-
only legislative election, first under a sweeping new
security law. After 8 hours of voting, turnout was
more than 10% points below previous Legislative
Council election five years ago. The polls - in which
only candidates screened by the govt as “patriots”
can run - has been criticised by some activists.
Srinagar: Joint security forces of the Indian armed
forces and Jammu and Kashmir (JK) police on
Sunday gunned down a terrorist in the Harwan area
of Srinagar, officials said in an update later in the
day. According to the Jammu and Kashmir (JK)
Police, the slain terrorist has been identified as one
Saifulla alias Abu Khalid, who was a resident of
Pakistan’s Karachi and affiliated with the proscribed
terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).
Chennai: More than 150 employees at a Foxconn
India factory that makes iPhones for Apple Inc
were hospitalised for food poisoning this week but
almost all have now been discharged, the district
government said. “There was an outbreak of acute
diarrhoeal disease reported among the Foxconn em-
ployees,” the statement from the Thiruvallur district
administration said. It said 256 workers were treated
as out-patients and 159 were hospitalised, of whom
155 have already been discharged.
New Delhi: The DRDO’s RD lab conducted a flight
demonstration of Con-
trolled Aerial Delivery
System of 500 kg
capacity (CADS-500) on
Saturday, the Ministry
of Defence said. The
system, developed by
Aerial Delivery Research
and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra, was
para-dropped from an AN32 aircraft and then steered
to predesignated landing point in autonomous mode.
Kolkata: Sporadic incidents of violence including hurl-
ing of bombs at 2 booths
marred an otherwise
humdrum polling to KMC
as 63.37% of nearly 40.5
lakh voters exercised
their franchise till 5 pm
on Sunday, when voting
ended. 2 incidents of hurl-
ing of crude bombs were reported in Kolkata’s Sealdah
and Khanna. Police contingents were rushed to bring
the situation under control, a SEC official said.
Jhansi: Ahead of UP Assembly polls next year, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
on Sunday slammed the
Opposition and said that
the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) does not do politics
by lying to the people.
Rajnath Singh flagged off
BJP’s Jan Vishwas Yatra
commencing from Jhansi and concluding in Kanpur.
Rajnath Singh said, “We do not do politics by lying to
the public. We do whatever we say.”
HONG KONG’S FIRST POLLS SINCE NEW
SECURITY LAW, ONLY ‘PATRIOTS’ CAN VOTE
SRINAGAR: SECURITY FORCES GUN
DOWN LeT TERRORIST IN ENCOUNTER
150 WORKERS OF IPHONE MAKER FOXCONN
IND HOSPITALISED AFTER FOOD POISONING
DRDO TEAM CONDUCTS FLIGHT DEMO OF
CONTROLLED AERIAL DELIVERY SYSTEM
KOLKATA CIVIC POLLS: 63.37 PC VOTER
TURNOUT TILL 5 PM; VIOLENCE REPORTED
BJP DOESN’T DO POLITICS BY LYING TO
PEOPLE, SAYS MINISTER RAJNATH SINGH
First India Bureau
Indore: A three-day lit-
erary conference, Lit
Chowk, organized by
Dainik Prajatantra
Group, was organized
at Yashwant Club of In-
dore wherein eminent
writers and journalists
participated. On Sun-
day
, Sahara India Media
Network CEO Upendra
Rai was the keynote
speaker. Rai said that
journalism has to de-
cide whether it has
been properly dissemi-
nating information be-
tween govt and people.
“I have no hesitation in
saying that today the
media has failed to ful-
fill its responsibility,
he said, adding, “jour-
nalism should not
leave side of truth.
Truth can be disturbed,
not defeated.”
Truth cannot be defeated: Rai
LIT CHOWK
NoresponseyetonaidforCovid-hitlawyers:CJI
New Delhi: CJI NV Ra-
mana on Sunday said
the central government
has not yet responded to
issues like setting up a
judicial infrastructure
corporation and provid-
ing financial help to
lawyers who lost liveli-
hood due to Covid-19.
Justice Ramana, who
inaugurated a court
complex at Warangal in
Telangana said even the
proposal of setting up
mobile internet facili-
ties in rural areas was
sent earlier this year,
nothing has been done
yet, even as he ex-
pressed hope that the
Centre would bring in a
legislation in ongoing
winter session of Parl
for creating Judicial In-
fra Corporation. —ANI
Isolation beds arranged for Covid-19 patients as a precautionary
measure at Commonwealth Games Village isolation centre in Delhi.
I asked Centre
to financially
help families
of lawyers who lost
their livelihood due to
Covid. Over creation of
infra there is no re-
sponse too. I raise is-
sues whenever I get a
chance at forums when
PM, Prez are present.
—NV Ramana, CJI
Omicron scare
in UK: Bigger
Wave ahead
London: Britain reported
a surge in cases of the
Omicron variant which
government advisors said
could be just the tip of
the iceberg, and London’s
mayor declared a “major
incident” to help the
city’s hospitals cope. The
number of Omicron cases
recorded across the coun-
try hit almost 25,000 as
of 1800 GMT on Friday,
up by more than 10,000
cases from 24 hours
earlier, the UKHSA said.
Seven people believed
to have had the Omicron
variant had died as of
Thursday.



KEY HIGHLIGHTS
OMICRON CASES MAY OUTPACE COVID
New Delhi: Health experts
in India believe that due
to Omicron high trans-
missibility rate, cases of
new variant may outpace
speed at which Delta vari-
ant surged during dev-
astating 2nd wave earlier
this year. As per experts
a likely 3rd wave in
country projected to peak
in February 2022, will be
milder. Dr Deshdeepak,
Senior Chest Physician
said, ‘Omicron has been
labelled as a Variant of
Concern by WHO. Almost
90 countries have been
affected by now. As of
now, Delta variant is most
prevalent strain in the
world but with high trans-
missibility, Omicron may
take over Delta variant.’
For 40K yrs DNA of all people
in Ind has been same: Bhagwat
Dharamshala (HP):
RSS chief Mohan Bhag-
wat said there is no con-
trol of the Sangh on the
BJP-led government at
the Centre.
Mohan Bhagwat’s re-
marks came while ad-
dressing an event of ex-
servicemen in Dharam-
shala.
He expressed grief
and condolences on the
demise of the Chief of
Defence Staff (CDS)
General Bipin Rawat,
his wife Madhulika
Rawat and 12 armed
forces personnel who
lost their lives in the
chopper crash in Tamil
Nadu’s Coonoor and ob-
served one-minute si-
lence. About one thou-
sand ex-servicemen at-
tended the event in
Dharamshala. —ANI
They have dif-
ferent execu-
tives, policies,
workings. Thoughts
and culture are of
Sangh and that is ef-
fective. There is only
such relation and
nothing like the media
says ‘Direct Remote
Control’, no such
control.
—Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
GOA LIBERATION DAY: Prez salutes
soldiers who fought colonial rule
Panaji: On the occa-
sion of Goa Liberation
Day, President Ram
Nath Kovind on Sunday
paid homage to soldiers
who laid down their
lives to liberate Goa
from colonial rule.
“On Goa Liberation
Day, the nation pays
homage to martyrs and
freedom fighters who
fought to liberate Goa
from colonial rule. We
also salute exemplary
courage of our armed
forces. I will cherish
memories of Goa@60
celebrations I attended
last year,” he tweeted.
Congress backs
Munawar’s
Mumbai show
Mumbai: Stand-up co-
median Munawar
Faruqui, who has been
facing a tough time late-
ly after facing many
show cancellations
amid controversies per-
formed in Mumbai - the
performance was host-
ed by AIPC, a Cong unit.
Stand-up comedian
Munawar Faruqui is set
to perform in Kolkata
and Pune in Jan. —ANI
President Ram Nath Kovind pays homage to the martyrs.
Admin seeks Army help: Power emp on strike in JK
Jammu: The Jammu
and Kashmir adminis-
tration sought the Ar-
my’s help on Sunday as
a strike by employees of
the power department
affected essential ser-
vices, including a hospi-
tal, and plunged large
parts of the Union Ter-
ritory into darkness
amidst a harsh winter.
More than 20,000 em-
ployees, including
linesmen and engi-
neers, of the UT’s pow-
er transmission and
distribution corpora-
tions are on a strike
since Saturday against
the administration’s de-
cision to privatise as-
sets and delay in pay-
ment of salaries. Divi-
sional Commissioner,
Jammu, Dr Raghav
Langer wrote a letter to
the Ministry of De-
fence, the General Offic-
ers Commanding of 9
and 16 Corps, and
sought personnel.
Tourists walk near the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at
Heritage street amid dense fog on a winter day in Amritsar.
 Northwest India records
lowest temperature on
Sunday
 Delhi shivers as mercury
drops to 4.6 degrees, sea-
son’s coldest so far
 Dense fog in isolated
pockets over Uttarakhand,
Punjab for next two days
 Srinagar freezes at minus
6 degrees Celsius again,
records 2nd coldest night
of season
 Cold wave hits parts of MP,
mercury plummets to 4
degrees in three places
 Fatehpur in Rajasthan
records min temp of -4.7
degrees Celsius; breaks
record.
IP, tariffs, data protection to dominate
UK-India FTA negotiations
New Delhi: Intellectu-
al Property (IP) protec-
tion and enforcement,
standards, tariffs on
several products, and
data protection are
among the key issues
that would dominate
the Free Trade Agree-
ment (FTA) talks be-
tween India and the
United Kingdom (UK),
which are set to being
early next year.
Talking to ANI,
Managing Director of
UK India Business
Council Kevin McCole
said there is a strong
political will and de-
sire from the two coun-
tries to conclude a
comprehensive free
trade agreement as
soon as possible.
McCole said UK In-
dia Business Council
has identified key areas
of concern of the busi-
ness community that
needs to be addressed
during the talks. “Dur-
ing the last summer, we
conducted a round ta-
ble. We engaged with
around 200 business
leaders. A number of
priority areas came
up,” McCole said in a
virtual interview from
London.
Upendra Rai, Kailash Vijayvargiya and others at the event.

New Delhi: The
country’s largest air-
line IndiGo is work-
ing with other indus-
try players and the
civil aviation minis-
try to address the
“long standing prob-
lem” of high indirect
tax rate, which cur-
rently stands at 21 per
cent, according to its
chief Ronojoy Dutta.
His views also
come at a time when
the civil aviation sec-
tor is slowly on the
recovery path after
being battered by the
coronavirus pandem-
ic. “We pay over 21
per cent of our reve-
nues as indirect taxes
to the government.
We think it is uncon-
scionable that a criti-
cal infrastructure in-
dustry such as avia-
tion, with its large
multiplier effects in
employment, should
be taxed at such a
high rate.
“We are working
with other players in
the industry and the
civil aviation minis-
try to address this
long standing prob-
lem,” Dutta said. —PTI
New Delhi: CSC e-
Governance Services
India and IT giant In-
fosys have collabo-
rated to impart digi-
tal skills among six
crore students of the
age of 10 to 22 years,
mainly in rural areas
in the country.
“Common services
centres (CSCs), an
SPV under the Minis-
try of Electronics and
IT, has tied up with
leading IT company
Infosys to empower
students in the age
group of 10 to 22 years
with digital skills
through Infosys
Springboard, a digital
platform that helps
accelerate reskilling
and improves em-
ployability,” accord-
ing to a statement.
Through this en-
gagement, CSC and
Infosys will work to-
gether to upskill stu-
dents and learners
from underprivi-
leged communities
in rural and semi-
urban areas across
India and help them
develop vocational
and professional
skills. —PTI
New Delhi: State-owned NHPC has plans to
set up new hydro and solar projects of more
than 27,000 MW capacity in nine states and
neighbouring country Nepal, the company’s
CMD Abhay Kumar Singh said.
The new capacities would come up in Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh
and Odisha. NHPC is in talks with some of
these states which have shown interest in the
projects. Others will also be engaged for the
purpose, the CMD said.
Singh said that Nepal has also shown inter-
est in hydro projects in joint venture with
NHPC. When asked about fund availability
for the projects, he said, “At present NHPC
will not have a problem in making a capital
expenditure of `10,000 crore. We are in profit
of about `3,500 crore and it will increase fur-
ther to `5,000 crore substantially helping us
to increase our capex to `13,000 crore.”
—PTI
New Delhi: Central public sector enterprises
(CPSEs) have registered 45 per cent growth
in investment on capital expenditure over the
previous year, the power ministry has said.
For FY2021-22, the capital expenditure
(capex) target of the CPSEs, under the Min-
istry of Power, is Rs 50,690.52 crore, a power
ministry statement said.
Power sector CPSEs incurred a capex of Rs
22,127 crore till November 2020, which was
49.3 per cent of the total expenditure for the
fiscal.
However, it stated that during 2021-22, the
CPSEs have so far invested capex of Rs 32,137
crore, which is 63.4 per cent of the annual
capex target.
Thus, the capex performance of the min-
istry in absolute as well as relative terms is
better compared to the previous year. In
absolute terms, it has shown a growth of 45
per cent over last year’s performance, it
stated. —PTI
New Delhi: India’s
coal import registered
a decline of 26.8% to
15.75 million tonnes
(MT) in October over
the same month a year
ago. The country had
imported 21.50 MT of
coal in October 2020,
according to data com-
piled by mjunction
services.
“India’s coal and
coke imports in Octo-
ber 2021 through the
major and non-major
ports are estimated to
have decreased by 26.8
per cent over October
2020,” it said.
However, coal im-
port in October was up
6% as compared to
14.85 MT imported
during September
2021, the data show.
Of the total import
in October 2021, non-
coking coal was at 9.47
MT, against 14.46 MT
imported in October
last year.
Coking coal import
was at 4.05 MT, lower
than 4.92 MT imported
in October 2020.
During the April-
October period of the
ongoing fiscal, total
coal import stood at
123.09 MT, about 5.4
per cent higher than
116.81 MT in the year-
ago period. —PTI
New Delhi: There is a strong intent to pur-
chase a vehicle among a majority of consum-
ers in the next 12 months, in what would be a
good news for the auto industry, according to
a survey
.
As many as 83% of respondents confirmed
the intent to purchase a vehicle in the next 12
months, while another 13% indicated they
may buy and just 4% said no to buying a ve-
hicle, as per the survey by Mobility Outlook
-- which sought responses from nearly 2.7
lakh customers across India.
The strong intent to purchase a vehicle re-
flected a healthy recovery in overall spending
habits, it added. While the intent to
purchase new vehicles is strong,
used vehicles also seem to enjoy
increased interest, it added.
As many as 52% of respond-
ents wanted to buy a new per-
sonal car and 33% were look-
ing for a new scooter or mo-
torcycle. 13% of the respond-
ents said they intended to
buy a used personal car,
while 3% were inclined to-
wards the purchase of a used
scooter or motorcycle. —PTI
New Delhi: Foreign portfolio investors
(FPIs) have pulled out `17,696 crore from the
Indian markets in Dec so far amid uncertain-
ty due to a new coronavirus strain, Omicron,
and expectations of faster tapering by the US
Federal Reserve. According to the deposito-
ries data, FPIs took out `13,470 crore from
equities, `4,066 crore from the debt segment
and `160 crore from hybrid instruments be-
tween Dec 1-17. In Nov, FPIs were net sellers
to the tune of `2,521 crore in Indian markets.
There continues to be uncertainties on the
global as well as domestic fronts, said Himan-
s h u Srivastava, Associate Director,
Morningstar India. The
concerns over the highly
transmissible Omicron
variant of coronavirus
persist and have impact-
ed global growth out-
look, he added.
“Also, the economic
growth has also
been relatively
slow, and India’s
earnings have not
grown much,” he
added. —PTI
New Delhi: After staging a
strong recovery from COV-
ID-induced slowdown in
2021, India’s exports are
likely to extend the growth
story to the New Year also
on increased demand in the
global markets, boost in do-
mestic manufacturing due
to production-linked incen-
tive schemes and imple-
mentation of some interim
trade pacts.
Expectations of positive
growth in the country’s ex-
ports are also backed
up by the outlook
of the World
Trade Or-
ganisa-
tion (WTO)
which predicts
a 4.7% expansion
in the global merchan-
dise trade volume in 2022.
Exporters believe that
the outbound shipments
would cross $400 billion
mark in this fiscal going by
the current momentum
and may reach $475 billion
in 2022-23.
However, the growth and
global demand will also de-
pend on whether the coun-
tries would be able to con-
tain Covid-19 and the new
variant Omicron through
massive vaccination world-
wide, they suggest.
According to a Reserve
Bank of India survey, re-
leased in September, ex-
ports of software services,
including services deliv-
ered by foreign affiliates of
Indian companies, stood at
$148.3 billion in the fiscal
year to March 31, 2021.
Commerce Secretary
BVR Subrahmanyam said
that the world respects In-
dia as a trusted global busi-
ness partner now and the
country’s exports are grow-
ing in regions including
the Middle East, Arica and
South American nations,
besides India’s traditional
destinations.
The recently in-
troduced PLI
schemes
w i l l
also
s u p p o r t
growth in the
New Year, particu-
larly in mobile, electronics
and drugs and pharma sec-
tors as incremental pro-
duction will push addition-
al exports as well.
Since Jan 2021, exports
are mostly recording dou-
ble-digit growth on account
of a low base. In 2020, ex-
ports were hit hard by the
impact of the pandemic.
BIZ BUZZ
07
FLY HIGH
India exports likely to
in New Year
Majority consumers
intend to buy vehicle
in next 12 months
NHPC plans clean
energy projects in
9 states, Nepal
Power CPSEs
register 45% growth
in capex investment
India’s coal import declines 27% in Oct
FPIs withdraw `17,696
crore from Indian
markets in Dec so far
IndiGo working
to address high
indirect taxes
CSC,Infosys tie
up to upskill 6
crore students
good news for the auto industry, according to
As many as 83% of respondents confirmed
the intent to purchase a vehicle in the next 12
months, while another 13% indicated they
may buy and just 4% said no to buying a ve-
hicle, as per the survey by Mobility Outlook
-- which sought responses from nearly 2.7
The strong intent to purchase a vehicle re-
flected a healthy recovery in overall spending
habits, it added. While the intent to
purchase new vehicles is strong,
used vehicles also seem to enjoy
As many as 52% of respond-
ty due to a new coronavirus strain, Omicron,
and expectations of faster tapering by the US
Federal Reserve. According to the deposito-
ries data, FPIs took out
equities, `4,066 crore from the debt segment
and `160 crore from hybrid instruments be-
tween Dec 1-17. In Nov, FPIs were net sellers
to the tune of `2,521 crore in Indian markets.
There continues to be uncertainties on the
global as well as domestic fronts, said Himan-
s h u Srivastava, Associate Director,
Morningstar India. The
concerns over the highly
transmissible Omicron
variant of coronavirus
persist and have impact-
ed global growth out-
added.
Expectations of positive
growth in the country’s ex-
ports are also backed
up by the outlook
of the World
Trade Or-
ganisa-
tion (WTO)
which predicts
a 4.7% expansion
in the global merchan-
dise trade volume in 2022.
destinations.
The recently in-
troduced PLI
schemes
w i l l
also
s u p p o r t
growth in the
New Year, particu-
EXPORTERS
BELIEVE THAT
THE OUTBOUND
SHIPMENTS
WOULD CROSS
$400 BILLION
MARK IN THIS
FISCAL
Ronojoy Dutta

First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A notifi-
cation declaring a few
locations in the city
cattle-free was issued
by Ahmedabad Police
Commissioner Sanjay
Srivastava on Sunday.
If domestic animals are
found in these areas,
their owners will face
criminal charges and
FIRs will be filed
against them.
Srivastava has de-
clared the western part
of Sabarmati River-
front --from Usmanpura
to Parimal Garden—in-
cluding Navrangpura,
Ashram Road and also
the stretch from Us-
manpura to Town Hall,
cattle-free.
If cattle are found
on the streets in these
areas, police person-
nel ranking from a
constable to commis-
sioner can wield au-
thority and lodge a
complaint against
their respective own-
ers. The Cattle Nui-
sance Control Depart-
ment (CNCD) has also
been asked to take ac-
tion against domestic
cattle owners, as per
the notification.
The order comes af-
ter the Gujarat High
Court heard a public
interest litigation on
cattle menace and
pulled up local civic
body Ahmedabad Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(AMC) for its failure to
curb it. It also slammed
AMC for not imple-
menting its previous
orders on the issue.
How much the world and
responsibilities might bind you -
your imagination helps you to fly.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Mormu-
gao, Indian Navy’s sec-
ond indigenous stealth
destroyer of the P15B
class, planned to be
commissioned in mid-
2022, proceeded on her
maiden sea sortie on
Sunday.
“December 19 is per-
haps the most befitting
date for the ship to put
to sea as the nation cel-
ebrates 60 years of
Goa’s liberation from
Portuguese rule on Sun-
day. The Indian Navy
played a pivotal role in
the liberation and dedi-
cating the ship’s name
to the maritime state of
Goa will not just en-
hance the bond between
the Indian Navy and the
people of Goa, but also
link the ship’s identity
permanently to the cru-
cial role the Navy
played in nation-build-
ing,” the Indian Navy
said in a statement.
Mormugao is being
built at Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Ltd
(MDSL) as part of Pro-
ject 15B destroyers.
The ship incorporates
several niche indige-
nous technologies and
is a shining example
of Atma Nirbhar
Bharat. She has pro-
vided thrust and impe-
tus to the ‘Make in In-
dia’ initiative.
Mormugao will add
significantly to the In-
dian Navy’s combat ca-
pabilities. With the re-
cent commissioning in
November 2021 of INS
Visakhapatnam and the
fourth P75 submarine
INS Vela, the com-
mencement of sea trials
of Mormugao is testi-
mony to the cutting-
edge capabilities of
MDSL and the strong
indigenous shipbuild-
ing tradition of a mod-
ern and vibrant India.
Navy’s 2nd indigenous stealth destroyer begins maiden sortie
The Mormugao is being built by
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd
as part of the Project 15B destroyers
MAKE IN INDIA
A’bad police commissioner
declares cattle-free areas
‘Partner selection fair’ held for elderly people
A map of areas under the cattle-free zone.
The P15B-class stealth destroyer is slated to be
commissioned in mid-2022.
LOVE
MARRIAGE
With the start of the
month-long ‘kamurta’
(inauspicious season)
having pressed
pause on weddings,
horse-drawn
carriages are seen
taking a break from
baraat duties, near
NID in Ahmedabad on
Sunday. The horses
will be rested at
farms until Jan 14,
when the wedding
season will resume.
First India Bureau
Surat: People above the
age of 50 had a unique
chance to find a life
partner for their second
innings at a “partner
selection fair” organ-
ised at a residential so-
ciety in the city’s Var-
achha area on Sunday
.
The event, held at
Suryakiran Society
, saw
participation from 75
women and 200 men,
most of whom were
widows and widowers.
PS Sutariya, who or-
ganized the event, said,
“No matter how old you
are, you need a compan-
ion—someone with
whom we can talk and
express ourselves. Hav-
ing a good partner also
makes the difficult path
of life easier to navi-
gate, and the long jour-
ney of old age can be
passed quickly if your
partner is with you.”
He added that loneli-
ness was cited as one of
the biggest struggles
faced by the people who
signed up to attend the
fair. “Even at the event,
where most of the el-
ders came on stage and
shared their life story,
loneliness was the big-
gest problem. It doesn’t
matter if you are finan-
cially stable if you are
lonely, as is the case
with many partici-
pants. We are very
pleased to be able to
give these elders a
chance at finding a life
partner,” he said.
Participants at the event.
480LAND-GRABBINGCASES
INONEYEAR,20FIRSFILED
First India Bureau
Surat: With the number
of COVID-19 cases re-
maining relatively low,
the city’s infrastructure
development has picked
up pace again. Not just
the urban area, but the
rural areas are also pro-
gressing at a decent
pace, following the ex-
pansionof thecitylimit.
However, the city is
also seeing a large num-
ber of complaints being
registered under the Gu-
jarat Land-Grabbing
(Prohibition)Actof 2020.
In the time since the
Act first came into ef-
fect, the Surat collector-
ate has received around
480 such complaints;
with as many as 20 First
Incident Reports filed
in related cases.
Those familiar with
the issue say instances
of land-grabbing have
gone up in recent times
as the value of land
near the Outer Ring
Road has increased 10-
foldinthepastsixyears.
While 244 of these
complaints have come
in from within the city-
circle range, 236 are
from outside the city
.
According to official
sources, 61 of the 81
complaints from Olpad
have been inspected, as
have 36 of the 47 from
Kamrej, 50 of the 77
from Mandavi and 21 of
the 31 from Bardoli.
Even as the collectorate
continues to investigate
the other claims, police
cases have been filed in
20 of these complaints.
Asked why so many
cases were still incom-
plete,anofficialfromthe
collectorate explained:
“The process of investi-
gating cases under the
Land-Grabbing Act is a
lengthy one. As soon as
the complaint is lodged,
we first call for the old
and new records and all
other documents. Some-
times the applicant fails
to provide all the docu-
ments and in some cases
theytaketimetoproduce
it. We have also come to
some incidents where
the applicant did not
haveanyevidencetosup-
port their appeal. So far,
we have found around 20
peoplewhohavegrabbed
land from farmers or in-
dulged in making fake
documents for land. We
have asked the police
commissioner to file an
FIR against them.”
‘EXPLODING LAND RATES NEAR OUTER RING ROAD LIKELY CAUSE FOR HIGH NUMBERS’
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Madhu-
pura police have
booked two cousins
for raping and cheat-
ing a woman. Officials
are searching for the
brothers, who alleg-
edly dumped her and
are now absconding.
The 21-year-old victim
has been sent for med-
ical examination.
According to the
complaint lodged
with Madhupura po-
lice station, the vic-
tim Sazia (name
changed), resident of
Shahpur area, had
come in contact with
one of the accused
Sarfaraz (name
changed) around
three years ago. Ini-
tially, they were
friends and later fell
in love and began a
relationship. The, she
came in contact with
his cousin Shahrukh.
Gradually
, Sazia start-
ed meeting Shahrukh
as well and the two
began dating.
Around three
months ago, Shah-
rukh proposed to Sa-
zia and asked her to
marry him. As Sa-
zia’s parents did not
consent to the alli-
ance, the couple
eloped to Rajasthan
and got married.
They stayed in Mount
Abu for four days and
returned to
Ahmedabad, where
they rented a house
in Madhupura area.
However, Sazia con-
tinued seeing Sarfar-
az secretly.
Six days ago, Sar-
faraz abandoned her
and fled, and Sazia felt
humiliated and hurt
by his actions. She
consumed phenyl on
December 18 and was
taken to Civil Hospi-
tal for treatment. Af-
ter she gave her state-
ment to the medical
officer and police, an
official complaint was
lodged the next day
.
Two cousin bros booked
for rape, cheating woman
ONGOING PROCESS
—PHOTO
BY
HANIF
SINDHI
Includes western
part of Sabarmati
Riverfront from
Usmanpura to
Parimal Garden

elebrating the
beginning of
theInternation-
al pageant
Queen of Cos-
mos, an initia-
tivebyJagdeesh
Chandra to be held on
March 10, 2022 in Dubai
and Fashion Connect
Season 11 curated by
brand ambassador Rish-
ee Miglani which is also
marking its second in-
ternational venture in
March 2022 in Dubai, a
pre-launchbrunchparty
was held at Blackout Re-
loaded on Sunday
.
Jagdeesh Chandra
gracedtheeventwithhis
presence and unveiled
the trophy of the First
India Luxury Lifestyle
Awards on the occasion.
The sumptuous lunch
which was enjoyed by
the who’s who of the
glamourindustryaswell
as ingenious entrepre-
neurs was hosted by the
owners of Blackout Re-
loaded, JP Choudhary
and Rahul Jon-
wal and GM
Garv Khura-
na.
Rajiv Aro-
ra, Raj
Bansal, Pri-
yatamSogani,
Deepak Gup-
ta, Dr Puneet
Saxena among
other guests
were present on
the occasion who
enjoyedthemerry
eve which also
marked the begin-
ning of Christmas
as the theme for
the day was White
with a touch of Red.
Along with the
sumptuous food, the
melodies by the
band,Nisvawerecer-
tainly enjoyed by
each and all.
Watch this space
tomorrow for more
glimpsesfromthePre
Launch Brunch!
AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
DECEMBER 20, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
A PRE-LAUNCH BRUNCH PARTY FOR FIRST INDIA QUEEN OF COSMOS’22 AND FASHION
CONNECT SEASON 11 WAS HELD AT BLACKOUT RELOADED ON SUNDAY! CITY
FIRST BRINGS TO YOU EXCLUSIVE GLIMPSES FROM THE DAZZLING NOON.
BrunchatBlackoutReloaded
SUSHMITA AIND
sushmita.aind@firstindia.co.in
C
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R): Ashwin, Abhishek, Vania Chaudhary, Anita Hada, Balveer Singh, Khushi Sonkhiya,
Manmeet Singh, Rahul Jonwal, Garv Khurana, Rishee Miglani, Deepak Gupta, Veerransh, Farha Ansari and Shalini Narukaa
Rajiv Arora and
Rajesh Ajmera Jagdeesh Chandra greeted by Rahul Jonwal
Rishee Miglani
Shivani Joshi
Mayuri Sogani
Pallavi Jaipur
Anticlockwise:
Vania Chaudhary
and Shreya Gupta
—PHOTOS BY MUKESH KIRADOO
The dazzling trophy of
First India Luxury
Lifestyle Award

Sagittarius
NOVEMBER 23 - DECEMBER 21
Financial worries evaporate
as new avenues of earning
open up. You will put in
extra efforts to complete a
task entrusted to you. Your academic
aspirations may take some time to get
realised. A contentious property issue
may not show any signs of getting
sorted out, so have a backup plan ready.
Capricorn
DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 20
Sticking to workout routine
may benefit you on the
health front. Meeting
relatives at a marriage or
party cannot be ruled out. Support from
the family may seem most encouraging
for those aiming an academic pursuit. A
passion-filled evening is foreseen, as
romantic front brightens.
Aquarius
JANUARY 21 - FEBRUARY 18
Sticking to workout routine
may benefit you on the
health front. Meeting
relatives at a marriage or
party cannot be ruled out. Support from
the family may seem most encouraging
for those aiming an academic pursuit. A
passion-filled evening is foreseen, as
romantic front brightens.
Pisces
FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20
Homemakers will get a
chance to implement their
ideas. You are likely to be
recognised for your efforts
on the professional front. Chance of a
raise is possible for some. Timely and
correct decision will help you in saving
a lot of money. You will be able to
de-stress yourself completely today.
10
ETC
YOUR DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
Aries
MARCH 21 - APRIL 20
A major purchase may
make a dent in your
savings, but will help in
keeping up with the flow .
Speculation may not be profitable and
you can very well burn your fingers.
Some of you may get hard pressed to
find a good match for someone eligible
in the family.
Taurus
APRIL 21 - MAY 21
A profitable day for
entrepreneurs is envisaged.
You may be played upon
for spending on someone
else’s needs and desires. Homemakers
are likely to enjoy the day in the
company of neighbors and friends.
Fatigue threatens in a long journey, but
adequate breaks will keep you going.
Gemini
MAY 22 - JUNE 21
Satisfaction is foreseen for
the image conscious
people trying to achieve
perfect physique. Your
efforts on the academic front will keep
you in contention. You are likely to
spend an enjoyable time with a close
relation today. Your helping hand to
someone in need will be appreciated.
Cancer
JUNE 22 - JULY 22
A lot of time may be
wasted in socialising, but
you will love every moment
of it. You will succeed in
surmounting the odds to get a stalled
job back on the tracks. Something
concerning property will work out in
your favour. A romantic outing is on the
cards and promises much fun.
Leo
JULY 23 - AUGUST 22
A rethink is in order for
those going in for a heavy
investment. Recovering a
loaned amount will not
pose difficulty. You will manage to
defuse tensions prevailing at home by
your tactful ways. A work trip is on the
cards for some. You manage to weave
your magic on the one you love.
Virgo
AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22
Spirituality will have a
special allure for you. Your
innovative ideas on the
professional front are likely
to be well received. Good health will
keep you fit and energetic. You are likely
to expand your social circle. You are
likely to get immense fulfillment in your
current romantic relationship.
Libra
SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22
Homemakers can exceed
budget in doing up their
homes. An old friend or a
relative is likely to pay you
a visit. You succeed in putting an
ambitious project on the tracks and
cross all hurdles in making it a success.
Love beckons and promises to give
immense joy and fulfillment.
Scorpio
OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 22
It is one of those days
when you will feel satisfied
with whatever you do on
the social front. Those
seeking love may not get lucky, but
persistence will pay! A friend can touch
a sensitive nerve and get you all upset.
A job switch needs to be considered
taking all aspects into consideration.
s we started our
journey through
the hot and hu-
mid highways
outside Jaipur, I
had no idea what
adventures were
in store for me. Thinking
about the long car ride to
Mount Abu at the heart of
the oldest mountain range
of India was no picnic for
me. Being car-sick, I have
always particularly hated
drivingthroughtheslopes:
each time, the same old
bumpy roads with small
stones and rocks falling
around here and there,
enoughtomakeonesickto
the stomach. The begin-
ning of this ride was more
or less the same – sick and
spiritless, but by the time
we crossed Pali, I had
hardly any time to focus
on my sickness. It had re-
cently rained, and the
view aroundwasoneIhad
not seen before. Nature, in
its raw beauty
, lay as far as
my eyes could reach –
hugemountainsandfierce
chasms filled up with
green flora of varying
shades and forms. It
amazed me how the plants
and trees here ranged
from anywhere between
ones found carelessly
growing around streets
back home and ones that I
won’tencounteranywhere
else on the planet.
According to the ‘Skan-
da Purana’, Varanasi is
Lord Shiva’s capital, and
Mount Abu is his sub-cap-
ital.TheAchaleshwarMa-
hadev temple located in
the hill ranges of Achal-
garh, some 11 kms from
MountAbu,isaround2500
years old. It is the only
temple in the world where
Lord Shiva’s toe-thumb is
worshipped. It is said that
the entire Abu Mountain
issustainedonthisthumb,
and the day this thumb-
print disappears will be
the day the mountain
comes down.
A little outside the tem-
ple premises were the ru-
ins of the ‘Mandakini
Kund’ – an ashram for
sages and scholars from
the around. The story goes
that three demons came
each night disguised as
bulls to drink up all the
ghee for the havan offering
and hence disrupt the
prayer services. At that
time, the sages requested
Parmar Raja Dharawarsh,
thebravewarriorandthen
king, to rid them of their
plight. The king shot all
threeof themwithasingle
arrow in their bull form
and they immediately
turned into stone. The
stone statue of the 3 bulls
with pierced backs still re-
mainsatthatplace.Wealso
saw the ruins of the Acha-
lgarh fort built by the Par-
mar dynasty and later re-
constructed and renamed
by Maharana Kumbha,
back in 5 century AD. By
the time we left the fort
premises,eveningbloomed
and it began to drizzle.
The morning of our sec-
ond day
, we set out for
Guru Shikhar, the highest
peak in the hill range. The
place is highly commer-
cialized, and I have to ad-
mit, has lost its beauty
.
There were little tea stalls,
and juice shops every-
where, to the point where
there was little space for
people to climb and cer-
tainly none to sit and rest,
for it was all completely
filledwithgarbage,thanks
to careless shopkeepers
andinconsideratetourists.
So after the short but
seeminglyverylongclimb,
we finally reached the
peak. As far as nature is
concerned, it was totally
worth the effort to get a
view from here and feel
the strong breeze gush to
our faces and fill us up
with the spirit of the
mountain. Personally, I
feel that we do visit the
templesandshrinesallthe
time on level ground, but
the feeling of climbing
hills, feeling the breeze
and then visiting a shrine
on the peak hits different
each time. Our way back
was lovely as now that the
sun was shining bright
and it was afternoon time,
nature seemed to be in its
full majesty
. We spent the
rest of the day calmly
walking around Lake Na-
kki and explore the mar-
ket. We took several
rounds, and I highly rec-
ommend the chocolate
brownie ice-cream from
there. We also went boat-
ing,andlaterthatevening,
climbed the nearby hill to
meet a sage, an ‘aghori’
who lived in a rock cave.
He told us about how he
left home at the age of 6 to
liveinanashram,andthat
he had been living in that
cave for around 9 years,
travelling around every
now and then.
Trevor’s Tank is huge
man-made lake and wild-
life sanctuary built in the
British era. It is not a very
crowded place but none-
theless worth watching.
The place is named after
the British engineer, Col.
G.H.Trevor,whobuiltitin
1897. It was previously
owned by the Rajputana
state and was gifted to Col.
TrevorbyhisfriendMaha-
rao Kesari Singhji baha-
dur of Sirohi. The tank
was around 2 kms inside
the forest, led towards by a
narrow and dense path
and what a perfect spot it
was, like the centre of a
fairyland with the lake
perfectly reflecting the
clouds, as if the sky had
come down on earth. A
crocodile was lazily bask-
ing on the edge, taking no
notice of its visitors.
The hill top was fenced
due to its steep nature. It
even had a nice, sheltered
table on the top. We stayed
on the top for a while, en-
joying the gentle breeze
and admiring the flora.
That evening, we went
back to walk along the
banks of Lake Nakki, re-
flecting how wonderful
our few days here turned
out to be and how many
lovely memories we were
takingbackhome.Iatean-
other chocolate ice-cream
as we left for the circuit
house. The next morning,
we left early for Jaipur,
saying goodbye to the Ara-
valli hills and to their
heart, Mount Abu.
A JAUNT TO THE HEART OF THE
YASHSVI VYAS
Student; keenly interested in
travelling, music and fine arts
A

S
ara took to her Instagram
story to share the news
with her fans. She wrote
on the picture of the bill-
board, which has been lighting
up NYC’s skyline since 1996:
“Had my dream in this city
and now seeing it actual-
ise here.” She added the
location of ‘Times
Square New York, USA’
with Jay-Z’s ‘Empire
State of Mind’ playing
in the background.
—Agency
‘Atrangi Re’ on
NYC’s Times Square
V
ishal Choudhary, a
stunning actor and
model, hailing from
the Pincity is
spreading his charm. The
young talent has already
many prominent shows, ad-
vertisements, shoots under
his belt - that is what I call
‘extraordinary talent’. He
recently starred alongside
famous television actress,
Ashnoor Kaur in Pari Hun
Main, a wow original se-
ries. Vishal is very ami-
able with a lot of charisma
and a calm, relaxed pres-
ence. His skills include play-
ing different accents and
longbow. Vishal came into
the limelight after he par-
ticipated in a pageant titled
Peter England Mr India
2017, and he stood up as the
finalist of the event. One of
the leading channels Zee TV
is known for bringing shows
on varied subjects. The
channel is now gearing up to
launch a new historical dra-
ma based on the lives of
Kashi Bai and Vishal is play-
ing one of the most
p[rominent roles in this.
When asked about his expe-
riences so far, the talented
model and actor said, “It
still gives me
s h i v e r s
when I
l o o k
back and see how far I have
come. Coming from a medi-
cal background, dropping it
and opting for a career that
ain’t easily acceptable, the
journey was quite challeng-
ing. But I also believe that
with true dedication and im-
mense hard work, one can
achieve everything. Each
day inspires me, teaches me
multiple things. I still wake
up with a desire to learn
more. This is a huge indus-
try and with so much talent
around, it sometimes gets
difficult to keep up with eve-
ryone’s pace, but then I re-
mind myself again, that be
so strong that nothing can
disturb your peace of mind.
Vishal also bagged the
Times of India Best Actor
2017-18. He has been a thea-
tre artist and has been a part
of various plays.
K
aty Perry is feeling old al-
ready, thanks to rising art-
ists. In a new interview
with Out Magazine,
The 37-year-old ‘Teenage
Dream’ singer admitted
that she feels ‘old’ hear-
ing new songs referenc-
ing lyrics from some of
her greatest hits. Perry
was told that her work “in-
spires a new generation of
artists,” and she was asked
how she felt. “Honestly, old! And
grateful that I survived it and grate-
fulI’mnotdeadinaditchsomewhere.
P
riyanka Chopra
Jonas is all set
for her next Hol-
lywood film,
The Matrix Resurrec-
tions. Keeping up with
this trajectory, Priyanka
has been sharing a lot of
glimpses from the promo-
tions of The Matrix Resur-
rections as well, leaving
fans excited to watch her
in the popular franchise.
—Agency
ETC
11
s we are nearing the release
date of Ranveer Singh star-
rer sports drama 83, the ex-
citement around this film is
increasing. Recently, we
saw Ranveer, Deepika
Padukone, Kapil
Dev, his wife
Romi Dev and
others in
D u b a i
cherishing the moment when the
trailer of the film was played on
Burj Khalifa. According to a source,
“We will get to see the real hero of
the 83 World Cup-winning team Mo-
hinder Amarnath in the movie too.
But he will play the role of his fa-
ther in this movie. He will be seen
smoking a cigar and appreciating
his son’s game from the stands.” In
the movie he would not be portray-
ing himself but his father Lala Am-
arnath. The ravishing actress is al-
ways loved by the fans for her
crazy work and
her stardom.
—Agency
83’s new revelation
A
Sizzlin’browndress
K
hushi Kapoor is a very
stylish star kid. On Sun-
day, she left her fans in
awe when she shared an-
other picture. Janhvi Kapoor’s
sister is wearing a brown color
mini dress with her hair in the
center partition. Talking about
her makeup she has
surely opted for a soft
one and went for bold
eye makeup. While
sharing the picture,
she also gave a sneak
peek of her bedroom.
The bed is not made
and a furry friend can
be seen seated. Then
going on another side
one can see a huge
collection of sandals
with almost all col-
ours. —Agency
Katy Perry feels old
THE MATRIX
Resurrections
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
Vishal..Young Talent..Big Dreams
Deepika Padukone
Priyanka Chopra
Sara Ali Khan
Khushi Kapoor
Katy Perry
Vishal Choudhary
KIM’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
K
im Kardashian has re-
portedly made holiday
plans with Pete David-
son. She has invited
him over for a Christmas party
at mom Kris Jenner’s house.
After the Halloween weekend,
this will be Kim and Pete’s
second-holiday celebration. As
per a source, “She’s really ex-
cited about having him around
and Kris is already obsessed
with him. The whole family is
a fan of Pete’s and would love
to spend a holiday with him.”
The source further also added
that the duo have plans to
spend the New Year’s together
as well and that Kim may be
going to Miami for New Year’s
to support Pete who will be
hosting NBC’s special, Miley’s
New Year’s Eve Party with Mi-
ley Cyrus. —Agency
Kim Kardashian

12
CITY BUZZ
POWER OF DEVI
n art exhibition
titled ‘Devi’ was
inaugurated by
Dana Purcares-
cu, at the Ka-
maladevi Com-
plex in IIC, in
NewDelhi,onFriday
.The
exhibition showcased
folk and tribal art, calen-
dar art, and lobby cards
which were curated by
SeemaBhalla.Thewhole
exhibition depicts vari-
ousmanifestationsof the
goddess, which is repre-
sented in art from differ-
ent periods, regions and
mediums.
Astrikingwoodensculp-
ture, representing the
‘Village Devi’, a wooden
bust of the ‘Devi’ as the
protector from snakes,
both from Karnataka,
and an early Bengal
school oil on canvas, de-
picting ‘Mahishasur
Mardini’, are just a few
among many other ex-
hibits representing the
goddess. The exhibition
showcasedacollectionof
women as Devi coming
from Kalighat Pattachi-
tra,Madhubani,FolkArt
from Assam, Bengal
Scroll Paintings,
Raghurajpur Pattachitra
from Odisha, Mata ni
Pachedi (Gujarat), Pich-
wai, Shadow puppet,
Bhoota Wooden sculp-
ture from Karnataka,
Calendar Art Master-
works, Lobby Cards and
Movie posters, and Jain
Paintings. Artist Sakti
Burman , Maite Delteil
LauraAmalie,Stéphane
Amalir, Neeraj Gupta,
Shovin Bhattacharjee,
Siddarth Togore and
Priya Paul graced the
event with their pres-
ence.
UTTKARSHA SHEKHAR
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
A
MAKEWAYFORMAKEUP!
T
ouchwood Enter-
tainment Ltd, re-
cently announced
the release of
MakeMeUp, a reality
web series to find the
Makeup Artist of the
Year. The series will be
available on Hungama
Play
, Hotstar, Ama-
zon fire TV stick, Mi
LedTvanddifferent
OTT platforms.
MakeMeUp - is an ini-
tiative cultivated by the
leadership of Touch-
woodEntertainmentLtd
tocreateacommunityof
professionals and aspir-
ing Makeup Artists
across the country
.
Fromthousandsof en-
tries,16contestantswere
finalised and after 10
challenges,1winnerwas
announced. The Winner
andrunnerupreceiveda
scholarship from the
prestigious London
School of Makeup.
The show also fea-
tures prominent
makeup artists as
the Judges including
Chandni Singh as the
main judge. The show is
produced by Touchwood
Entertainment Limited
and is directed by Karun
Punchhi. —CITY FIRST
CITY FIRST
T
he road races
point-to-point
were conducted
at the 59th Na-
tional Roller Skating
Championships at GR
International School,
Rohini, Delhi on Sun-
day. In the 10,000 me-
tres race-men, Anand-
kumaar V of Tamil-
nadu nailed the Gold
position on the podium
with Jasmeet Singh
Sehgal, of Chandigarh
securing the Silver
while Amitesh
Mishra of
Chhatisgarh took
the Bronze posi-
tion. The medals were
given away by Bhagi-
rath Kumar, Deputy
Director, Roller Skat-
ing Federation of In-
dia (RSFI), and was
accompanied by Vinod
Sheravat of the Organ-
ising Committee.
Anandkumar V.
had earlier secured
India’s first-ever
medal in World
Championships– a
Silver at the World In-
line Speed Skating
Championships held
at Ibague, Colombia
from November 6 to 13.
SKATING CHAMPIONSHIP
CITY FIRST
S
omyaKhuranacel-
ebrated Christmas
Event with the
Trunk Show at IT-
SOMBYSOMYA at
Mehrauli Gurgaon
Road, Delhi, on Fri-
day with collections
of designers like IT-
SOM, Monisha Jaising,
Estera, Bespoke Vintage
Jewels, Ramona Narang,
amongothers.TheTrunk
Show was graced by the
presence of well-known
personalities such as Na-
misha Gupta, Archana
Aggarwal, Garima Nag-
pal, Simran Arya, Anjali,
Preeti Ghai and others.
Namisha Gupta gave a
small talk about
women empow-
erment, she of-
fered Free ser-
vices to women
who can’t accord
legal advice in a
divorce as they
might not know
their rights.
BHAJJI IN TEARS!
Kaun Banega Crorepati 13 hosted its finale episode with cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan
sitting on the hot seat on Friday. Host Amitabh Bachchan welcomed them warmly on the show and
had loads of fun. In the episode, Bhajji was seen fighting back his tears after watching his daughter’s
surprise message for him. He shared “Jab wo bolti hai, meri ankhon se aansu aate hai.
Christmas Celebration
—PHOTOS
BY
SHAZID
CHAUHAN
Rashmi Malik
Laura Amalir
Stéphane Amalir
Seema Bhalla and Dana Purcarescu
Maite Delteil and Sakti Burman
Dana Purcareesecu, Seema Bhalla Siddartha Tagore
Poster of the web series
During the ceremony
Irfan Khan and Harbhajan Singh with Big B on the set of KBC
Somya Khurana with Payal Sen Bahaar Dhawan Rohatgi Namisha Gupta
Designer Preeti Ghai Designer Anjal with Nidhi Bagheria
CELEBRATIONS
The wedding of Ankit, son of Rajasthan Cabinet Min of Revenue, Ramlal Jat and
Sangeeta Devi with Pooja, daughter of Shankar Lal Jat and Prem Devi was held on
Sunday at Kanchan Resort, Bhilwara, Rajasthan.
Raj CM Ashok Gehlot with Ankit and Pooja The newly weds with (LtoR) Krishna Poonia, Deepender Hooda, Sachin Pilot Ramlal Jat
Randeep Surjewala and Jagdeesh Chandra with Sandeep Chaudhary,
Ramlal Jat, Ankit and Pooja, Ravindra Matru and Adarsh Sandhu
A STARRY WEDDING NIGHT!
Prajay Patel, the son of
former aviation minister
and Rajya Sabha MP Praful
Patel recently tied the knot
with Shivika, daughter of
Shirish Pungalia. Their
wedding reception was held
on Sunday in Jaipur at Taj
Rambagh! Many dignitaries
reached to bless the couple
and congratulate the Rajya
Sabha MP including Raj CM
Ashok Gehlot, former Raj CM
Vasundhara Raje, Sachin Pilot,
Dushyant Singh and others.
Raj CM Ashok Gehlot and former Raj CM Vasundhara
Raje with Praful Patel, the newly weds Shivika Prajay and others
Shivika Prajay greet the guests
Praful Patel Prajay
—PHOTOS
BY
SANTOSH
SHARMA

20122021 first india ahmedabad

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