DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES & ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 PROTESTS OVER RAPE-MURDER OF JUNIOR DOCTOR AT RG KAR HOSPITAL Junior doctors reject Mamata’s invite for talks, stay put in front of Health Dept office Month after rape-murder of doctor, Kolkata is a city at the barricades Say language of invite ‘insulting’, defy SC order to resume work PREMANKUR BISWAS KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 10 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, SEPTEMBER 10 IGNORINGTHESupremeCourt’s order asking them to resume duty by 5 pm Tuesday, junior doctors in West Bengal, protesting over the rape and murder of their colleague at state-run RG KarMedicalCollegeandHospital, rejected Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's invitation for talks to resolvethemonth-longimpasse. Junior doctors, who have been on strike since the August 9 incident and are demanding Doctors protest near Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata Tuesday, declining to resume work. Partha Paul the removal of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and several top state health department officials, expressed dissatisfaction with the government puttingarestrictiononthenumberof representativesallowedto attend the meeting with the chief minister. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EVERYWHERE IN Kolkata, there are barricades — the mini barricades that can easily be jumped over in markets and street corners, the formidable 7-foot-tall barricadesinfrontofgovernment buildings,andthebamboobarricadesthatnoonetakesseriously. Butduringmajorrallies,even themostformidableof thesebarricadescomedown—ashashappenedseveraltimessinceAugust 9, when the city rose in protest against the rape and murder of a doctor at R G Kar Hospital. FULL COVERAGE ED LISTS PROPERTIES OF SANDIP GHOSH: FLATS IN KOLKATA, MURSHIDABAD PAGE 3 The city has seen more than 300 major rallies over the last month, many of these midnight events organised by women, for whom the incident of August 9 hadrudelychallengedtheirfaith in their city. Kolkata now is a city that’s standing vigil, pushing against the barricades. On September 9, Chief MinisterMamataBanerjeechastised the protesters for not going home. “If you are out on the roads every night protesting, a lot of people get disturbed too…It has been more than a month, I would urge you to return to festive spirit,” she said at a meeting. The irony of the Chief Minister’sremarkswasn’tloston anyone,comingastheydidfrom someone whose road to power was paved with protests and demonstrations, from Singur to Nandigram and Lalgarh. Though Kolkata has reclaimed the protest tag it earned CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Israel jobs scheme needs reboot, with inputs on skills, better monitoring Meanwhile, NSDC says Israel has again approached India to recruit another 10,000 construction workers Police fire teargas shells to disperse students protesting after a fresh wave of violence in Imphal on Tuesday. AP Manipur on the boil again: Protests after fresh violence, Internet snapped in valley districts RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 10 THEFIRSTdistresscallMritunjay Srivastava made was to the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv. The 39-year-old had been selected for a construction job in Israel underanewbilateralschemeafter passing a skill test. Lured by average salaries of Rs 1.5-2 lakh, and undeterred by the Gaza war, Srivastava soon flew to Israel in May. Within a month, however, he was back in his village in Bihar’s Siwan with the Embassy’s help. On Tuesday, The Indian Express reported how the jobs scheme — launched to plug the labour shortage in Israel’s construction sector following the ban on Palestinian workers — hasbeguntounravel,mainlydue toglaringgapsintheassessment and selection process that often led to skill mismatch: a case of over-promise and under-delivery at work sites. Srivastava is among the around 500 workers in the scheme who are said to THE WORLD have already returned home. Given how both sides have thrown their weight behind the programme, the task ahead is cut out, say Israeli construction executives and Indian manpower agencies who spoke to The Indian Express. Someof thempointtotheSri Lankan model of providing additional training in skills for a couple of weeks before departure. And there are suggestions from Indian agencies to send foremen and supervisors along withworkersforbettercommunication and efficiency. These suggestions assume significance given that Israel has approached India again to carry out another recruitment drive for10,000constructionworkers, according to a statement issued by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on Tuesday. As The Indian Express reported yesterday, NSDC said the second round of recruitment for constructionworkersisslatedto take place in Maharashtra. A team of assessors from Israel's CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DHEERAJ MISHRA NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 10 PAGE 14 Bid to increase people’s participation DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 10 JIMMY LEIVON & SUKRITA BARUAH IMPHAL, GUWAHATI, SEPTEMBER 10 INTERNET SERVICES have been snapped for five days in the valley districts of Manipur and indefinitecurfewimposedinthree of these districts amidst protests following a renewed escalation of violence in the state since September 1. Through an order, the ManipurHomeDepartmenthas snappednotjustmobileinternet services but also lease lines, VSATs, broadbands and VPN services for five days in the valley districts of Imphal West, ImphalEast,Thoubal,Bishnupur and Kakching. Significantly, the Home After defence dialogue, Muizzu of Maldives set to visit Delhi next week SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 10 MALDIVIAN PRESIDENT Mohamed Muizzu is likely to travel to India on an official visit nextweek,TheIndianExpresshas learnt. He is expected to come to Delhi mid-week, sources said. This comes days after New Delhi and Male held a defence dialogue in New Delhi lastweek, where they discussed “ongoing defence cooperation projects” and “forthcoming bilateral mil- Department had initially issued an order for suspending internet services in the entire state and then issued an amended order in the evening, restricting the move to these five districts. It states, “There is apprehension that some anti-social elements might use social media extensively for transmission of images, hate speech and hate video messages inciting the pas- BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CommissionersGyaneshKumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu told officials while visiting J&K last month that preventive action should not be taken in a partisan CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 10 WITH DAYS to go for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a petitioninaspecialcourtinSrinagar, urging it to take cognizance of fresh allegations against National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) case. A positive order from the court could open the doors for HC quashed chargesheet against Abdullah, others last month the central agency to register a fresh case against Abdullah and prosecute him, despite the recent relief he got from the J&K High Court. Last month, the J&K HC quashedthechargesheetfiledby the ED under the Prevention of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 FRESH ALLEGATIONS AGAINST SEBI CHIEF Buch got crores via Agora, claims Cong; 3 firms say husband hired for expertise NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 10 RESEARCH PUSH: GOVT INVITES TOP INSTITUTES TO TIE UP WITH VARSITIES 10 THE CONDUCT of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir is in line with the undertaking given to the Supreme Court. The high turnout during the Lok Sabha elections in the UT has raised expectations of participation in the electoral process by both candidates and the electorate. ED goes to court with fresh charges against Farooq in JKCA case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Was in Delhi on June 9 for swearing-in of new govt itary exercises”. “The President is scheduled tovisitIndiaverysoon.Asyouare aware, such trips are scheduled for a time of maximum conveniencetoleadersof thetwocountries. Discussions regarding this sions of the public, which might have serious repercussions for the law-and-order situation in the State of Manipur.” It goes on to cite an “imminent danger of loss of life and/or damage to public/private property, and widespread disturbances to public tranquillity and communal harmony, as a result of inflammatory material and Turnout in LS polls showed way STEPPING UP its attack on SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch, the CongressTuesdayallegedthatshe held 99 per cent shares in a company “actively providing advisory/consultancy services till date” and that her husband Dhaval Buch received Rs 4.78 croreasincomefromMahindra& Mahindra while she “as a Whole Time Member of SEBI was adjudicatingcasesofthesamegroup”. SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch GOVT & POLITICS SEBI ON COMMITTEE AGENDA, BJP FLAGS POWER TO REVIEW ONLY IF FUNDS MISUSED PAGE 9 As the Congress levelled these new charges against Buch, three listed companies — Mahindra & Mahindra, Pidilite Industries, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories — disclosed that they had hired Dhaval Buch as consultant or leadership coach during various periods and paid remunerations. MarketregulatorSEBIdidnot respond to an email from The Indian Express for comments. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Pawan Khera of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 20 km daily free travel each way on NH for vehicles with satnav system PAGE 1 ANCHOR DOZENS KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES ON GAZA CAMP UKRAINE STRIKES MOSCOW IN BIGGEST DRONE ATTACK Ahead of polls, EC to J&K: Don’t shift booths or cancel rallies, no preventive detentions INANattempttoincreaseparticipation in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the Election Commission is learnt to have instructed the administration and security officials not to undertake unnecessary preventive detentionof political leaders and workers,notto DECISION merge or shift polling booths 2024 citing security J&K concerns, and not to cancel rallies at the last minute – all of whichwereseeninpastelections. According to EC sources, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election AN EXPRESS SERIES PART-2 Workers at a manpower agency in Delhi’s Dwarka, some ready to fly out. Ritu Sarin A PDP poll campaign underway at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Tuesday. PTI MOREREPORTS,PAGE7 THEMINISTRYof RoadTransport andHighways(MoRTH)Tuesday issuedanotificationthatwillenable free journey of up to 20 km a day in each direction on national highways and expressways for vehicles equipped with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Through the notification, the ministry amended the National HighwaysFee(Determinationof Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 to include provisions related to GNSS-based electronic toll collection. The objective of themoveistoreducecongestion athighwaytollplazasandcharge the toll on the basis of actual distance travelled. “Adriver,ownerorpersonincharge of a mechanical vehicle other than National Permit Vehicle who makes use of the same section of national highway, permanent bridge, bypass of tunnel, as the case may be, shall be levied a zero-user fee up to 20 km of journey in each direction in a day under Global Navigation Satellite System based user fee collection system and if the distances travelled is more than 20 km, the fee will be charged for actual distance travelled,” reads the notification. Effectively, this means if one is taking a National Highway to office, there will be no toll to pay if the distance is less than 20 km aday--oneway--inaGNSS-enabled vehicle. The GNSS will provide dis- Move aims to reduce congestion at toll plazas tance-based tolling where users will pay only for the stretch they have travelled on a National Highway. Also, vehicles equipped with the GNSS will be allowed to pass through toll plazas without stopping for toll payment or FASTag scanning. They will use exclusive earmarked lanes that will not have boom barriers at toll plazas. TheGNSSdevice—calledthe on-board unit — will be nontransferrable and firmly fitted in the vehicle for user-fee collection.However,if vehiclesthatare not equipped with GNSS enter the GNSS-exclusive lanes, they will have to pay double the toll as penalty. GNSS will have advance reading, identification, and enforcement equipment for vehiclessothatvalidvehiclesget a free-flow pass. On July 2, Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), issued a global tender for construction of freeflow GNSS lanes at toll plazas to implement GNSS-based electronic toll collection. The tender has not been finalised yet. Kolkata