17022021-TT-01.qxd 2/16/2021 11:08 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.47 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  haryana ASHWIN STARS AS INDIA THRASH ENGLAND BY 317 RUNS SPORT /thetribunechd CAIRN MOVES US COURT TO MAKE INDIA COUGH UP $1.2-BN AWARD BUSINESS LAWS TO BENEFIT SMALL FARMERS: PM BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com wednesday | 17 february 2021 Pangongpullbackwithinweek HCrelief for Muluk; Verification teams on the job | Commanders to meet after Feb 24 Disha can meet kin Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Tribune News Service IN BRIEF 5 test +ve for S Africa, Brazil Covid variants CHANDIGARH: The Centre is mulling mandatory RTPCR tests to rule out Covid in returnees from South Africa and Brazil after five persons from these nations tested positive for mutant strains. BACK PAGE LPG cylinder up ~50; petrol at ~99.8 in Raj NEW DELHI: Petrol price soared to Rs 99.87 a litre in Rajasthan on Tuesday, the highest in the country. With a hike of Rs 50, LPG cylinder now costs Rs 769 in Delhi. — PTI OTT platforms to be regulated, SC told NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the SC it was contemplating measures to regulate OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. BACK PAGE New Delhi, February 16 India and China have started the process to physically verify each other’s military positions on the Pangong Tso banks following the disengagement process which kicked in on February 10 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. “The first phase of disengagement will be a two-week process and is expected to be over between February 22 and 24,” said sources, hinting that commanders of both sides could meet any time after February 24. The verification process is being done using permissible means like physical visits as well as drones and cam- The disengagement process is nearing completion at the Pangong lake area in eastern Ladakh. PTI DISMANTLING BUNKERS, HELIPADS PART OF DISENGAGEMENT ■ In addition to physical visits, ■ De-induction of troops, tanks, drones being used to verify the disengagement artillery guns is going as per schedule, sources say ■ Pullback includes dismantling all infra like bunkers, helipads, created after April last year eras, sources said, adding that the de-induction of troops, tanks, artillery guns, etc, was going as per schedule. The teams for verification on either side are sub- mitting detailed reports to their respective commands. continued on page 9 New Delhi, February 16 A Delhi court today allowed environmentalist Disha Ravi access to her family and lawyers and to warm clothes and books. It also directed the police to furnish a copy of the FIR to Disha's family along with a copy of the remand application. Disha, who is in police custody till February 19 in the toolkit case, will be allowed to meet her lawyer for 30 minutes and family for 15 minutes daily. Beed (Maharashtra)-based engineer Shantanu Muluk got 10-day relief from arrest from the Bombay HC even as the court reserved orders until tomorrow on Jacob's plea. Delhi cops seek info from Zoom app NO LAPSES IN ARREST was ❝ Disha’s arrestThe law made as per law. doesn’t differentiate between a 22-yr-old and a 50-yr-old. The claim of lapses in her arrest is false SN Shrivastava, DELHI POLICE COMMISSIONER INDIAN MISSION’S OPEN LETTER TO UK MP ON FARM STIR CAN’T USE SEDITION LAW TO QUITEN DISQUIET: DELHI COURT REPORTS ON WORLD, BACK PAGE The Delhi police have cast the net wide and are investigating, among others, a foreigner continued on page 9 ED chargesheet against Hooda Chandigarh, February 16 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint (PC) against former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, four retired IAS officers and 16 others in a money laundering case linked to the allocation of over a dozen industrial plots worth more than Rs 30 crore in Panchkula in 2013. INSIDE 45 killed as bus plunges BediremovedasPuducherryL-G Nearly2,800treestogofor HP four-laning project into canal in MP’s Sidhi BJP woos turncoats as Tribune News Service Sidhi/Rewa (MP), February 16 At least 45 persons, including 20 women, were killed when a bus skidded off the road and plunged into a canal in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on Tuesday morning. The accident took place near Patna village, 80 km from the continued on page 9 NDRF team carries out rescue operation in Sidhi, MP. PTI New Delhi, February 16 Hours after the Congress government lost majority in Puducherry following the resignation by an MLA, President Ram Nath Kovind removed Lieutenant-Governor Kiran Bedi and gave additional charge of the post to Telangana Governor Cong loses majority on eve of Rahul’s visit Tamilsai Soundararajan. The change of guard is being seen as the ruling BJP tactic to placate turncoat Congress MLAs, some of who wanted Bedi replaced. Local Congress leaders had long been accusing Bedi of hampering the development of Puducherry, an agenda the BJP wants addressed as continued on page 9 Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service Solan, February 16 As many as 2,793 trees will be axed for the Paonta SahibHatkoti four-laning project as the apex court has allowed the diversion of forest land for 138 projects in the state. The total road length is 149 km out of which 45-km stretch falls in Uttarakhand. The 104-km stretch of the road that falls in Himachal will be four-laned at a cost of Rs 1,351.62 crore. “As many as 2,793 trees will be axed for four-laning continued on page 9 edit: SC nod for hp projects