07102024-TT-01.qxd 10/6/2024 11:02 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 278 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH MUSK JOINS TRUMP AT ASSASSINATION BID SITE WORLD /thetribunechd 3-TIER SECURITY IN PLACE AT COUNTING CENTRES J&K HC ORDERS SECOND AUTOPSY OF BENGAL RAPE VICTIM NATION HINDU SOCIETY MUST UNITE FOR ITS SECURITY: BHAGWAT BACK PAGE monday | 7 october 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Bystander: EAM questions UN role in Israel, Ukraine conflicts IAF alerts govt as Chinese spy balloons sighted Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Terms W Asia situation concerning| Says AI as dangerous as N-arms Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 6 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday questioned the efficacy of the United Nations in the face of the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia saying it was “essentially a bystander”. Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave, Jaishankar underscored the threat posed by artificial intelligence and said it was “as dangerous as nuclear weapons”. This comes in the backdrop of thousands of radio pagers exploding simultaneously in Lebanon two weeks ago. “The AI is here to stay and impact the world profoundly in the next decade. It is the next big thing and countries should be ready to deal with its after-effects,” Jaishankar warned, adding “AI is just as dangerous for the world as nuclear weapons once were”. He used an economic analogy to target the UN, saying: “It is like an old company, which is not entirely keeping up with the market, but occupying the space.” The EAM referred to the Ukraine-Rus- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu during a meeting in New Delhi. PTI MALDIVES PREZ ARRIVES ON 5-DAY STATE VISIT New Delhi: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived on a fiveday state visit on Sunday. He is scheduled to meet PM Narendra Modi on Monday. EAM S Jaishankar later posted on X: “Pleased to call on President Muizzu today.... Appreciate his commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM Modi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties.” BACK PAGE sia war and Israel-Hamas conflict and suggested that the UN was not able to do anything to resolve the crisis. “Now you have two conflicts going on in the world today. Where is the UN on them, essentially a bystander,” Jais- hankar remarked. During Covid, he said, the UN did not do much either. He termed the West Asia conflict concerning, and said “a bunch of people sitting in Yemen can now disrupt global sea trade”. Jaishankar, while addressing an event in the UN Headquarters last month, had said “without reforms, including expansion in both categories of the United Nations Security Council membership, the lack of effectiveness of the 15-nation body will only continue”. “Expansion and proper representation in the permanent category is a particular imperative. Asia, Africa and Latin America — the Global South — cannot continue to be short-changed,” he had said, adding they must be given their legitimate voice. Jaishankar expressed his optimism on the expansion of BRICS and Quad, and how countries were excited to develop and forge new ties with their international partners through these new-age alliances. On the shadow of uncertainty looming over the diplomatic continued on page 8 edit: Jaishankar’s pak trip Haryana reported 66.97 per cent turnout, marginally lower than the last elections, in polling. PTI Higher polling in hot seats, holidays hit urban turnout Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service HARYANA ELECTIONS Chandigarh, October 6 Keenly contested seats as also the rural segments saw increased polling in the Haryana Assembly elections yesterday. Four holidays close to the day of polling seem to have put a dampner on the turnout in urban pockets. A turnout of 66.97 per cent, marginally lower than that of the last elections, was recorded in the 90 Assembly segments. In Ambala Cantt, witnessing an interesting contest between BJP leader and former minister Anil Vij and Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara, 64.65 per cent votes were polled. Former minister Aseem Goyal’s seat, Ambala city, too record- ed 63 per cent voter turnout. Gurugram with 51.5 per cent turnout, Karnal with 56.37 per cent, Hisar with 61.44 and Badkhal as also Faridabad with just 47.29 and 53 per cent turnout, respectively, were “poor” in comparison to rural seats. The two seats in Panchkula district saw contracting voter turnout with the urban Panchkula seat recording a polling percentage of 59.37 while Kalka, essentially rural, saw a turnout of 72.07 per cent. The primarily rural seats of Mullana and Naraingarh within Ambala district saw 71.04 and 73.10 per cent voter turnout; Loharu, the seat TariffsameasPunjab’s,HP units suffer power pangs tariff, the HP industry will lose its viability. Many industries, especially the high-power consuming units, will be forced to shut down,” Kaushal said. Giving the data of change in the financial burden, the Una Industries Association claimed that for Sukhjit Agro, a unit in Una, the annual power bill would increase by Rs 1.89 crore. For Nestle India Ltd, the rise would be Rs 2.53 crore, for Pritika Autocast Rs 2.63 crore, for Modulus Cosmetics Rs 90 lakh, for RRD Oils and Fats Rs 1.02 crore and for Young Man Synthetics Rs 33 lakh, it claimed. For the Una’s single steel unit — Vardhman Ispat Udyog, the power bill would increase by Rs 9 crore annually, the association claimed. Kaushal said in case the industries move out of the state, the loss would be irreparable for Himachal. Of the about 165-MW power demand in Una, 100 MW is being consumed by the industry. “It is in the interest of the electricity board to retain its cash-earning cows by keeping the tariffs lower,” he said. Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service After Delhi, huge drug bust in Bhopal, ~1,814-cr mephedrone seized Ahmedabad, October 6 Close on the heels of the ~5,600crore Delhi drug bust, the authorities have seized mephedrone (MD) drug valued at Rs 1,814 crore and its raw materials from a factory on the outskirts of Bhopal and arrested two persons in this connection, officials said on Sunday. A total of 907.09 kg of both mephedrone, in both solid and liquid forms, was seized in the raid carried out jointly by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Delhi, at the factory located in Bagroda industrial estate, near Bhopal, on Saturday, they said. This is the largest illegal factory ever busted by the Gujarat ATS. The unit had the capacity to manufacture 25 kg of MD drug per day, the ATS said. A process was underway to manufacture a large amount of the contraband when the raid was carried out, it said. Two persons, identified as Amit Chaturvedi (57) and Sanyal Prakash Bane (40), were arrested. During their preliminary interrogation, it came to light that Bane was earlier arrested in 2017 in an MD drug seizure case at Amboli in Maharashtra and served five years in jail. “After his release, he conspired with Chaturvedi to illegally manufacture and sell MD to earn substantial financial profits. and decided to rent a factory on the outskirts of Bhopal,” the ATS said. They took the factory on rent six-seven months ago, it said. Three-four months back, they collected the raw material and equipment and started manufacturing MD and selling it, the ATS said. In addition to the contraband, around 5,000 kg of raw materials, comprising chemicals and equipment, used for the production of MD, including grinders, motors, glass flasks, heaters and other apparatus, were also found. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi lauded efforts of the law enforcement agencies in combating drug-trafficking. — PTI SAY WILL LOSE COMPETITIVE EDGE ■ The cost of transportation and labour in HP is already higher than the adjoining states ■ Cheaper power was the only advantage that the industry enjoys in Himachal Pradesh ■ Power tariff now almost on par with Punjab, and more than the rates in Haryana and J&K, said an association from Rs 6.46 to 6.76 per unit. In Jammu and Kashmir, the tariff is Rs 4.42-5.19 per unit, and in Punjab, it is between Rs 7.26 and 7.58 per unit. “If the government does not roll back the increase in power Refused Jantar Mantar nod, Wangchuk begins fast at Ladakh Bhawan Tribune News Service Arvind Kejriwal holds a packet of ‘revdi’ at a programme in Delhi. PTI Will root for BJP: Kejri dares Modi to give free power New Delhi, October 6 AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide free electricity in all NDA-ruled states before the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, stating that he would campaign for the BJP if this demand is fulfilled. Addressing a public gathering at the second ‘Janta ki Adalat’, Kejriwal criticised the BJP’s “double engine” governments, predicting their ouster from Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the crowd, Kejriwal said, “Today I say, let’s do at least one thing: Before the Delhi elections in February, continued on page 8 New Delhi, October 6 Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike at Ladakh Bhawan on Sunday after protesters were denied permission to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here. Among other things, Wangchuk and activists are demanding the inclusion of Ladakh into the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Posting the rejection letter from the Delhi Police on X, Wangchuk said, “Another rejection, another frustration. We received a letter this morning denying us permission for the officially designated protest site. If Jantar Mantar is off-limits, please let us know where we can go.” He further said, “We want to comply with all laws while still expressing our grievances peacefully. Why is it so challenging to follow Gandhi’s path in his own country? There must be a solution.” Around 18 supporters joined Wangchuk at Ladakh Bhawan, where they sang the Sonam Wangchuk Hindi version of “We Shall Overcome”. They also raised slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” “Jai Ladakh” and “Save Ladakh, Save Himalaya.” The police’s letter said the request to hold demonstrations on October 5 and 6 was submitted too late and lacked necessary details about the timing and expected number of participants. “Applications for protests at Jantar Mantar must be submitted at least 10 days in advance,” it said. The police also mentioned that the proposed hunger strike appeared to be openended, which was not permitted under current laws. “Your application suggests a continued on page 8 Checkmate Amritsar! Chess industry falters as wars rage Production down 80%, jobs cut as export orders from West dry up Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR The Gujarat ATS and NCB have seized mephedrone and its raw material worth ~1,814 crore from a factory in Bhopal. PTI Dharamsala, October 6 Industrial units in Himachal Pradesh are reeling under escalating costs following the recent hike in power tariff by the state government, bringing it on a par with that of Punjab. Industrial associations say the move will take away the advantage they have enjoyed over counterparts in the neighbouring states. With the cost of transportation and labour in HP already more than the adjoining states, cheaper power was the only advantage that the industry had, said Rakesh Kaushal, president, Haroli Block Industries Association, Una. “But it is gone now,” he said. The Una Industries Association alleged the power rates now were almost on par with Punjab. In fact, these were more than the rates in Haryana and J&K, it claimed. Kaushal said after the recent increase, the power tariff in HP ranged between Rs 5.45 and Rs 7.58 per unit for the small and large industry. In Haryana, it ranges of former minister JP Dalal, recorded a poll percentage of 79.30; Tohana, JJPturned-BJP leader and former minister Devender Babli’s Assembly segment, recorded 77 per cent, Tosham had a turnout of 72 per cent while Barwala and Narnaund in Hisar had a poll percentage of 73.56 and 74.14 respectively. With holidays on October 2 and 3 for Gandhi Jayanti and Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti respectively, a weekend on October 5 and 6 and one working day in between, the urban voters failed to show up on polling day rescheduled for October 5. “By taking one leave, you could get continued on page 8 edit: advantage congress New Delhi, October 6 The Indian Air Force (IAF) has informed the government about sightings of Chinese spy balloons over Indian skies. One such balloon – hovering at an altitude of almost 55,000 ft — was shot down by an IAF jet on the eastern front with China recently. An IAF Rafale fighter jet, based at Hasimara, in the northern part of West Bengal, was used to shoot down the spy balloon which was carrying a payload. The Rafale used one of its onboard missiles. A standard operating procedure is being devised to tackle similar threats. Another balloon had been sighted over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal. It was not shot down. The US had also faced such balloons launched by China in 2023. One such balloon had been shot down. The IAF has held discussion with its US counterpart on the matter. A report of the US Department of Defense titled ‘Military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China 2023’ warned about this threat. “Military and commercial entities in China have been researching and developing continued on page 8 An artisan polishes chess pieces at a manufacturing unit in Amritsar. Amritsar, October 6 Ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Palestine besides recessionary trends prevailing in developed countries have meant that orders for chess pieces manufactured by small and medium enterprises in Amritsar have fallen by as much as 80 per cent this year. It’s being called the checkmate Amritsar — of the approximately 500 highly c m y b skilled artisans plus another 1,000 semi-skilled artisans involved in the trade, about half have lost their jobs, while daily working hours are down from 12 to 8 hours. Worth about Rs 20 crore annually, the industry has been struggling badly for the last several months. Rishi Sharma, a third generation chess manufacturer, told The Tribune that there has been a steep decline in export orders from key clients in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. “Winter is the busiest season for us manufacturers,” he said, “but many of us hardly have enough work anymore”. Amritsar-made wooden chess pieces are highly valued abroad for their exquisite craftsmanship, yet successive governments have ignored its promotion. It’s a small and highly specialised cottage industry with only 35 units engaged in this work. It’s master craftsmen painstakingly carve the chess pieces using simple implements. The wooden chess pieces are among the most soughtafter gift items during Christmas in the Western world. The price of a complete chess set ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 20,000, depending on the quality. Only 12 manufacturers are engaged in its export. Sharma, whose ancestors once engaged in carving ivory bangles worn by Punjabi brides, rued that successive Punjab governments continued on page 8