DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PATNA, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2025, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `6.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM CBC 15502/13/0012/2526 SINCE 1932 PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED INDIA, CHINA WORK ON FIRST STEPS Nepal gets its first woman Prime Minister, Sushila Karki More reliance on surveillance among measures to reduce trust deficit at LAC Monitoring infra being strengthened in eastern Ladakh to reduce additional patrolling deployment in the long run NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 INDIAN TROOPS deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh are working onreducingthetrustdeficitwith Chinese troops on the ground by implementing additional confidence-buildingmeasures,which include greater reliance on the technicalsurveillanceinfrastructure that has been put in place over the last five years. According to sources, since 2020 when the military standoff began in eastern Ladakh, India hasestablishedacomprehensive surveillance network to extensively monitor the LAC and surrounding areas round the clock. This is being further upgraded andstrengthened,withthelongterm aim of reducing additional patrolling effort. ‘Loss for India’s democracy’: ADR co-founder Jagdeep Chhokar dies at 80 Jagdeep S Chhokar P4 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 JAGDEEP S Chhokar, a cofounder of the Association for DemocraticReforms(ADR)anda strong advocate for electoral reforms, died after a heart attack early Friday. He was 80. Chhokar, a retired professor of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, had founded ADR along with colleagues in 1999, and led its efforts to increase transparency in politics. In a statement posted on X, ADR said Chhokar passed away at 4am on Friday. He donated his body to Lady Hardinge Medical College. “A respected academic, civic activist, lawyer, engineer and conservationist, Prof Chhokar’s life was distinguished by his commitment to strengthening democratic governance and CONTINUEDONPAGE2 E EXPLAINED AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA ● India welcomes new interim govt, says hope it brings peace and stability Moving to repair ties A SERIES of meetings over the last 10 months, including one between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO recently, have signalled efforts by India and China to repair ties after a five-year military standoff. The next steps involve border management mechanisms and discussions on de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. Currently, Indian patrols go out at regular intervals to dominate the LAC and conduct CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Newly elected Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan with former V-Ps Jagdeep Dhankhar, M Venkaiah Naidu and Hamid Ansari during his swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. Renuka Puri Radhakrishnan takes oath as 15th V-P, tells Opp he will ensure ‘fair justice’ Says his uncle was Cong MP, grandfather Communist: ‘Know how it is being in Opp’ MANOJ CG NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 CPRadhakrishnanwasswornin as the country’s 15th VicePresident in a brief ceremony at theRashtrapatiBhavanonFriday. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to the 67-year-old at an event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, and other dignitaries. Hours later, Radhakrishnan met the floor leaders of political parties in the Rajya Sabha — the V-P is the ex officio Chairman of the Upper House — and the Opposition's representatives were in for a pleasant surprise. Radhakrishnan’s predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resignedinasurprisemoveonJuly 21, often had run-ins with the Opposition.Somuchsothatthey had given a notice to bring a motion for his removal last year. Given the past rancour, Opposition leaders were keen to urge the new V-P to ensure that the Opposition is given equal space and dignity in the House Dhankhar present, aide jots down names of MPs who want to call on him MANOJ CG NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 HE CHATTED with his predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu, indulged in a chit-chat with MPs who walked up to him to exchange pleasantries, and surprised many by staying back for a customary high tea. On Friday, Jagdeep Dhankhar made his first public appearance since stepping down as VicePresidentalmosttwomonthsago at the swearing-in ceremony of hissuccessorCPRadhakrishnan. Dhankhar was seated alongside his predecessors Naidu and Hamid Ansari. “He was engaged in a discussion with Naidu,” said aleaderwhoattendedtheevent. Dhankhar had not been seen in public since his July 21 resignation, despite speculation Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel administers the oath of office to Sushila Karki as interim PM in Kathmandu. Reuters YUBARAJ GHIMIRE & SHUBHAJIT ROY KATHMANDU, NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 ENDINGTHEpoliticalvacuumin Nepal following the fall of the K P Sharma Oli government after violentprotestsearlierthisweek, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki was sworn in as the interim Prime Minister on Friday night, making her the first woman to lead the country. Karki, 73, was administered the oath of office by President Ramchandra Paudel who also dissolved the House of EXPRESS NETWORK ‘FELT LIKE WARZONE’: RELIEF AS NEPAL BORDER REOPENS P7 Representatives. The interim government has been asked to hold elections to Parliament in six months. Karki is likely to expand the Cabinet on Saturday with Kul Man Ghising as the new Energy Minister. An engineer, Ghising, as Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Electricity Authority, was CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Regulator eases entry Why cracker ban only IN FIRST VISIT AFTER CLASHES, WILL MEET DISPLACED PEOPLE norms for foreign in elite Delhi, why not PM in Manipur today, officials roll investors, relaxes IPO across India, protect out red carpet, navigate red flags rules for large firms HITESH VYAS industry workers: CJI Fullycommittedto inclusive,all-round CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 12 development:Modi ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 12 ENQUIRING IF the ban on firecrackers in Delhi NCR was because its people were “elite citizensof thiscountry…entitledto pollution-free air”, Chief Justice of IndiaBRGavaisaidFridaythat if polluted air had become “a national problem”, any policy to deal with it should be “on a panIndia basis”. “If firecrackersaregoingtobe Chief Justice of India B R Gavai banned, let them be banned throughoutthecountry,”hesaid. Hearing an application by a group of Haryana firecracker manufacturers seeking modification of the Supreme Court’s April 3, 2025 order completely CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 SUKRITA BARUAH CHURACHANDPUR, IMPHAL, SEPTEMBER 12 FOR DAYS, the government in Manipur had been preparing for a “VVIP visit”, but both the Centre and state government had refrained from any official confirmation on Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the strife-tornstate,hisfirstsincethe ongoing conflict began in May Banners welcoming the PM in Churachandpur. Sukrita Baruah 2023. However, on Friday morning, residents found posters CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 RELATED REPORTS PAGE 10 INORDERtoenhanceeaseof doing business for foreign portfolio investors(FPIs),theSecuritiesand Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Friday announced a proposal to introduceasingleautomaticwindow for foreign investors. The board also proposed to relax initial public offering (IPO) norms for large issuers and extended timelines to meet the minimum public shareholding for issuers. “The Board approved the introductionof theSingleWindow SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey in Mumbai. PTI Automatic & Generalised Access for Trusted Foreign Investors (SWAGAT-FI) framework for FPIs and Foreign Venture Capital Investors(FVCIs),”SEBIChairman CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 3 months on, life, livelihoods slowly limping back around AI 171 crash site PAGE 1 ANCHOR BRENDAN DABHI AHMEDABAD, SEPTEMBER 12 ON A desolate dirt road on the sprawling IGP Compound in Ahmedabad, Ranchhod Makwana waits listlessly by his modest handcart. After 15-20 minutes,acustomeronascooter stops by, buys a packet of tobacco, and leaves. Wiping sweat off his brows, septuagenarian Makwana watches him leave. It will be a while before he finds anothercustomeronthismuggy afternoon. This was not always the case, though. A little over three months ago, Makwana's handcart,functioningasaminisnackcum-provisions store, used to swarm with people. Around 100 metres away from its present location, the handcart stood near Atulyam 1-4, the group of BJ Medical College hostel buildings where the London Gatwickbound AI 171 plane came crashing down on June 12 afternoon, leaving 260 people, including 19 on the ground, dead. The area, which included Makwana's cart, was cordoned off. Traumatised by the incident, Makwana did not think much aboutitforalongtime.Butafew weeks ago, he went to the site and took permission from the police personnel posted there to retrieve his cart and restart his life. “There are no sales here...” Makwana admits. “But at least we don't sit at home and think about all this (the plane crash).” Makwana's previous work location is cordoned off by mobile iron barricades, announcing “workinprogress”,putupbythe Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to keep peopleawayfromenteringthedam- Traffic makes its way past the charred shells of Atulyam hostel buildings; (Right) Ranchhod Makwana. Bhupendra Rana aged hostel buildings. Remembering his past customers, Makwana says, “Aakash Patni was my regular. He used to come to me daily with a Rs 20 note, demanding a chocolate.” Aakash, 13, was one of those on the ground who lost their lives in the blaze that ensued af- ter the crash. A police outpost has now replaced the tea stall runbyAakash'sfamily.“Theoutpost is more to stop passersby from making reels,” says a senior police officer. For a month after the crash, the site was closed for investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). It has now been returned to the Gujarat health department, and regular traffic has resumed. Makwana's family escaped Aakash's fate, but only by a whisker. His son Hasmukh was handlingtheshoponthescorching afternoon of June 12 when the massive passenger airlines crashedintothefrontsideof one of the hostel buildings. The explosionwassohugethatitthrew Hasmukh and the kachori seller next to him on the ground. “Iwasabouttoleavehometo take over the shop when Hasmukh called me and asked metostayput.Whenhereached home, his face was ashy. He could not eat anything for two days because of what he had seen there,” says Makwana. Hasmukh chimes in: “The wind and noise was so great that it knocked me to the ground and all my goods were scattered. After I recovered, I saw the CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Ahmedabad