30092020-TTB-01.qxd 9/30/2020 12:07 AM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | jammu | srinagar | vol.5 no.271 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881  jammu & kashmir EXTREMISTS POSE THREAT TO ELECTIONS: US INTEL WORLD /thetribunechd RBI GIVES STATES SIX MORE MONTHS FOR ADDITIONAL BORROWING BUSINESS 5 STATES TO MEET TOMORROW ON POLLUTION: JAVADEKAR BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com wednesday, september 30,2020 India rejectsChina’s1959 claim line Slams unilateral interpretation of border, says it flouts agreements Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 29 India on Tuesday again rejected a Chinese statement affirming a “1959 claim line’’ as the border between the two countries in Ladakh and asked the neighbouring country to refrain from advancing an “untenable unilateral” interpretation of the de-facto border. New Delhi has been consistently rejecting the Chinese offer to settle the border in Ladakh according to the line espoused by then Chinese Premier Chou en-Lai in 1959. A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson said India had never accepted the “so-called unilaterally defined 1959 Line of Actual Control (LAC)”, a position that is consistent and well known, including to the Chinese side. India also pointed out that the Chinese furtherance of the so-called 1959 line proposal ran counter to several agree- Assembly bypolls to 56 seats in Nov NEW DELHI: The Election Com- mission on Tuesday announced byelections to one Lok Sabha (Balmiki Nagar, Bihar) and 56 Assembly seats on November 3 and 7, while deciding not to conduct polls in seven Assembly seats across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal "at this stage" after specific request from the states concerned. — TNS Shekhar Kapur is president of FTII PUNE: Noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur was on Tuesday appointed president of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and chairman of the institute's governing council, an official said. The 74-year-old filmmaker's tenure would be till March 3, 2023, the official said. — PTI BABRI VERDICT TODAY TWISTS AND TURNS ■ 1959: Then Chinese Premier Chou en-Lai proposes a border line in Ladakh, but India says no ■ ■ An Army convoy moves towards Ladakh on the Manali-Leh highway. ‘NO WAR, NO PEACE’ MEA PROTESTS GILGIT POLL The present security scenario along our northern frontiers is at an uneasy no war, no peace status. Air Chief Marshal New Delhi: India has protested Pakistan’s plan to hold elections for the so-called “GilgitBaltistan legislative assembly” on November 15. The MEA said J&K and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, were an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947. ❝ RKS Bhadauria ments that were framed to reach a common understanding of the LAC alignment. After engaging in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC, the process could not proceed after 2003 as the Chinese side did not show a willingness to pursue it, the MEA regretted. It pointed out that at the last high-level meeting between the two Foreign Min- 1993: Pact on maintenance of peace is inked and efforts begin to confirm the LAC 2003: Process stalled as Chinese side doesn’t show willingness to pursue it ■ 2017: China again harps on 1959 line after troops scuffle along Pangong Lake in Aug isters in Moscow on September 10, China had reiterated its commitment to abide by all the existing agreements. continued on back page edit: chinese duplicity again Ajay Banerjee TEMP ALREADY -5°C Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 29 As New Delhi and Beijing brace for winter showdown along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, a review conducted by the Indian security establishment has found that sheltering troops in extreme cold and ensuring continued potable water supply are the two issues that require greater attention. A list of immediate essentials has been shared with the Army headquarters as some 45,000 troops have to be accommodated compared to 10,000 in peacetime. Normally, patrolling is done as per fixed schedule while majority of troops are at fully furnished bases where heated accommodation with bunker-type beds exists. With additional troops, ■ Some 45,000 troops have to be accommodated along the 826-km LAC in Ladakh ■ The count is much higher compared to 10,000 troops stationed in peacetime ■ Additional habitat is being created on a war footing; arctic tents are being provided ■ Minimum temp has already touched -5°C and will plunge up to -20 in some days ■ Potable water is an issue as most of the rivers freeze during winter months habitat is being created on a war footing and arctic tents are being provided. Sources said the review was done to assess what all was needed. The cold desert of Ladakh has military deployments at an altitude of 13,000 feet. In summer months, ample water flows in Indus, Shyok, Galwan, Chang Chenmo and Chip-Chap rivers, but all barring Indus freeze in winter. The drinking water in places like Siachen is sourced from natural snow. But unlike Siachen, eastern Ladakh doesn’t have abundant snow. Clothing and boots have been sourced in multiple pairs as these tend to get wet in snow. The other task is to feed the troops. The calorie intake has been calculated as per a study by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences. The daily per-person energy requirements in high altitude (over 12,000 feet) vary between 4,270 and 4,550 calories. The ration list allows the battalion commander to get what his troops may like to eat as culinary tastes vary across India. Rising air pollution to adversely affect Covid patients, claim experts AIR QUALITY DIPS FROM ‘GOOD’ TO ‘MODERATE’ IN A MONTH Tribune News Service Patiala, September 29 The health authorities in Punjab are a worried lot. Over 600 cases of stubble burning in the last 10 days have adversely affected the air quality in the state. Officials are concerned about its impact on Covid patients since the virus attacks lungs and leads to breathing problem. Sources say if immediate steps are not taken, the smoke from Punjab would soon reach the neighbouring Beijing, September 29 China on Tuesday voiced its opposition to India undertaking infrastructure development for military purposes in the border areas of Ladakh. It said both countries should avoid any activity that might complicate the situation upsetting the consensus reached between them to ease the situation. “China has not recognised Ladakh Union Territory (UT) ‘illegally’ set up by the Indian side,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press briefing while replying to a question by a journalist that India was prioritising construction of high-altitude road network on its border with China in the Ladakh region. “We are opposed to conducting infrastructure development for military purposes in the border area,” Wang said. — PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 29 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today lashed out at the Congress for having made it a “habit” to oppose Centre’s reforms, including the three agricultural laws enacted by Parliament during the monsoon session. They do not want welfare of any section of society, be it youth, women, poor, farmers or armed forces. He accused them of challenging everything, including GST, ‘one rank, one pension’, Rafale deal, Statue of Unity, 10 per cent reservation for the poor and celebration of November 26 as Samvidhan Diwas. Doubling down on the Congress, Modi said its government did nothing to strengthen the Army and the Indian Air Force, in spite of the latter raising concerns periodically. Attacking those opposing the new farm laws, the PM AUGUST SEPTEMBER 130 103 89 50 JALANDHAR 80 41 PATIALA 53 50 MANDI LUDHIANA GOBINDGARH 104 94 51 KHANNA 54 AMRITSAR AQI INDEX 0-50 good| 51-100 satisfactory| 101-200 moderate | 201-300 poor| 301-400 very poor| 401-500 severe states and even Delhi. Information gathered by The Tribune reveals that the air quality in Punjab deteriorated suddenly from “good” or “satisfactory” in August to “moderate” in September. An analysis of data from air quality monitoring stations in six cities shows the pollution has doubled in less than a month, with three districts recording high pollution levels soon after the paddy harvest season began. The air quality index (AQI) in Jalandhar has now risen to continued on back page Congress activists participate in a candlelight march to protest the death of the Hathras gang-rape victim, in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI Tribune News Service Hisar, September 29 Haryana has barred the farmers of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan from bringing paddy and bajra crops for sale in the state’s markets, much against the “one nation, one market” spirit of the new agriculture laws. Though the three contentious farm laws cleared by Parliament recently are yet to ❝ Congress leaders are peeved as the govt has plugged one more avenue to amass black money Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER THE TRIBUNE INTERVIEW ‘EXPLORING ALL LEGAL OPTIONS’ Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, in an exclusive interview with The Tribune, has said his government is exploring all legal avenues to oppose the contentious farm laws. DETAILS INSIDE be notified, the state government’s action is being viewed as contrary to what the Centre has been propagating: farmers can sell their produce anywhere in the country. As crops fetch lower rates in their home states, Uttar Pradesh farmers have been trying to sell their produce in Karnal and Panipat markets. Police personnel manning barricades at these two places claimed they had “orders from Deputy Commissioners A paddy farmer awaits procurement in Karnal. SAYEED AHMED that PR varieties of paddy shouldn’t enter the state”. In Hisar, Divisional Commis- sioner Vinay Singh has issued directions to check the entry of outside bajra for sale New Delhi, September 29 In a grim reminder of the December 16, 2012, Delhi gang rape that shook the national conscience, a 19-yearold victim of brutal sexual assault at Hathras in UP died in a government hospital here this morning, sparking protests across the Capital. The girl, first admitted to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh, after the gang rape on September 14, was brought to Safdarjung Hospital last night with spinal injuries, paralysis and cuts in the tongue. She died at 3 am, according to the Hathras ‘poor’ law and order police. Although the four men identified for the crime have been arrested, civil society activists and political leaders cutting across party lines attacked the BJP government over the “lax” law and order situation in the state and sought justice for the victim. The protests were held outside the hospital as well as at Vijay Chowk. — TNS edit: another reprehensible rape How long will you detain 1st in a month: Cases Mehbooba, SC asks J&K below 75K, deaths 1K New Delhi, September 29 With PDP leader and former J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti remaining under continued detention for almost 14 months, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought to know from the government how long it wanted to keep her under preventive detention. “How long do you propose to continue the detention,” a Bench headed by Justice SK Kaul asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Noting that detention could not be forever, the Bench said “some via media” should be explored. It sought to know the maximum period for which a person could be detained. The stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) had been slapped on former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti and former IAS officer Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Mehbooba Mufti SHOPIAN CASE: 4 ARMY MEN PRIMA FACIE GUILTY Srinagar: Four Army men, including an officer, have been prima facie found guilty of exceeding powers vested under the AFSPA in the controversial Shopian “encounter”, a top defence official said. INSIDE and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement leader Shah Faesal and several others. Abdullahs and Faesal have been released. — TNS Haryana ban on outside crops negates Centre’s free market policy Deepender Deswal CHECK ON BLACK MONEY said they wanted only the middlemen to thrive and referred to the burning of a tractor in Delhi by Congress workers as an insult to farmers. “They are opposing the freedom of farmers and want their problems to continue forever. By torching farming equipment, which the agriculturists worship, these people are now insulting farmers,” he said without naming the Congress. He said the government would not be deterred by the opposition and the reform process would continue. Referring to the farm laws, he said they would emancipate the farmers. The MSP regime would remain. Regarding the stir against the laws, he said the Congress leaders were peeved as the government had “plugged one more of their avenues to amass black money”. The PM was speaking after inaugurating six sewage treatment plants in Uttarakhand. As Army gears up for long LAC Hathras rape victim’s death sparks protests Political leaders target winter, focus on water, bedding Yogi government over Punjab sees 600farm fires in 10 days Aman Sood Don’t recognise UT status for Ladakh: Beijing Oppn wants middlemen, not farmers, to prosper: PM Modi in Hisar, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri markets. Paddy is procured in Haryana by central agency FCI under a decentralised system where the state government’s expenditure is reimbursed by the Centre. The MSP for grade-A paddy variety this time is Rs 1,888 a quintal. However, crops like bajra, maize and moong are purchased by the state government at a support price on the condition that the entire stock will be consumed in the state itself. An official said the ban on the sale of outside crops could also be due to an illegal practice adopted by unscrupulous traders. “The traders purchase bajra outside the state at a lower price (around Rs 1,400 a quintal) and get it procured in Haryana at a higher MSP — Rs 2,150 per quintal. The neighbouring states don’t offer any support price,” he said. continued on back page New Delhi, September 29 In a positive sign for India’s Covid-19 response, daily new cases dropped below 75,000 and daily new deaths below 1,000 for the first time in a month. Besides, 24-hour recoveries outstripped 24-hour infections on all days barring two since September 19. On Tuesday, the country reported 70,589 new cases and 84,877 new recoveries, with the national caseload reaching 61,45,291. The recovery rate rose to 83.01 per cent. Daily new deaths fell below 1,000 to 776. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said India’s recoveries of more than 51 lakh were the highest and deaths per million (70) the lowest. “Daily recoveries are now outnumbering daily new cases despite high levels of testing. We hope this trend will hold,” Bhushan said. The government, however, warned people against laxity and asked everyone to wear masks in the festive and winter seasons, which would present fertile conditions for the Covid spread. The warning followed ICMR’s launch of the second sero survey findings that estimate around 6.6 per cent of people over 10 years (one in 15 people) had likely been exposed to the virus by August. “Disease prevalence in 18 years plus population is estimated at 7.1 per cent, up from 0.73 per cent in the first survey,” ICMR chief Balram Bhargava said. SERO SURVEY FINDS ANTIBODIES IN 6.6% PEOPLE 15.6% INFECTED IN URBAN SLUMS 8.2% IN URBAN NON-SLUMS 4.4% IN RURAL AREAS 90% PEOPLE STILL VULNERABLE 29,082 BLOOD SAMPLES COLLECTED 70 DISTS IN 21 STATES COVERED ‘HAVE FUNDS FOR VACCINE COST’ Countering Serum Institute,Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said: “We do not agree with the ~80,000 crore vaccine math, but the government has funds.” VICE PREZ M VENKAIAH NAIDU TESTS POSITIVE COVID-19CASES INDIA COUNT RECOVERED 51,01,397 FRESH FATALITIES 776 TOTAL DEATHS 96,318 61,45,291 TOTAL RECOVERED DEATHS WORLD 3,36,43,548 2,49,51,119 10,08,093