DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2024, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `5.00 ● WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 UAVs ALSO BEING USED FOR VERIFICATION AT DEPSANG PLAINS, DEMCHOK 103 131 162 78 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Disengagement completed at 2 points, stage set for resumption of patrolling Relations at new starting point, China ready to work with India, says envoy SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30 SETTING THE stage for resumption of patrolling in the Depsang Plains and Demchok areas of eastern Ladakh, India and China have completed the process of disengagementatthesetwofriction points along the Line of Actual Control. Confirming the completion of the disengagement process, Army sources said Wednesday that patrolling will commence soon and talks will continue at the level of local commanders. It is expected that there will be an exchange of sweets between the two sides Thursday, also the Diwali day. Xu Feihong, China’s AmbassadortoIndia,inaposton X about his speech at a special session of the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) in Kolkata, said, “China-Indiarelationsarestanding at a new starting point, fac- FIVE DAYS TO GO: HARRIS AND TRUMP STEP UP ATTACKS U.S. WORKING FOR A 60-DAY TRUCE IN LEBANON: OFFICIALS PAGE 14 Burtse 11A 12 Dharti Leh Darbuk 13 JivanNala Bottleneck (Y-junction) Pangong Tso Chushul Demchok LineofActualControl(LAC) ing new development opportunities. China stands ready to work with India to lift bilateral economicandtradecooperation to a new height.” According to news agency CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Improve Ease of Living for citizens, Modi tells young civil servants SHIMLA, OCTOBER 30 THE WORLD Raki Nala Roadto DBO Daulat Beg Oldie Depsang Plains Ladakh Hot Springs Galwan Patrolling Hospital to walkways: PM flags off projects at Statue of Unity site SAURABH PARASHAR CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 11 Limitof PP10 PTI, Ambassador Xu, responding to a question on the disengagement process, said, “I hope that under the guidance of this consensus, relations will be moving forward smoothly in the future and not be restricted and interrupted by specific disagreements between the two sides. Themostimportantthingishow to handle the differences.” Army sources said the verification of disengagement is in progress and the patrolling modalities are to be decided between ground commanders. Theverificationisbeingdone physically as well as with SARDAR PATEL BIRTH ANNIVERSARY TODAY Czech woman paraglider dies in Himachal, second death in two days IN THE second death of a paragliderinHimachalPradeshin two days, a 43-year-old woman fromtheCzechRepublicdiedafter she crashed into a mountainside at Marhi near Manali on Wednesday, officials said. On Tuesday, a 65-year-old paraglider from Belgium, identifiedas Patrice Feyaerts,diedafter he collided mid-air with another paraglider at Bir-Billing in Kangra district. Thedeathscomedaysbefore the hill state hosts an international paragliding event at BirBilling. A total of 130 paragliders from 50 countries are expected tocompeteinthechampionship which is being organised from November2to9.Officialsidentifiedthesoloparagliderwhodied onWednesdayasDitaMisurcova. “Initial reports suggest that she THE DEPSANG PATROLLING POINTS A local train in Mumbai is being adorned with paper lanterns for Diwali. Ganesh Shirsekar Nomination drama: many-cornered, messy fight, last-minute jitters ALOK DESHPANDE MUMBAI, OCTOBER 30 BETWEEN 2019 and now, the numberof nominationformsreceived for the Maharashtra Assembly elections has doubled –from5,543to10,905,asperthe state Chief Electoral Officer. Perhaps no surprise then that the last day to file nominations Congress rebel Anees Ahmed in the state on Tuesday was missed the deadline to file marked by high drama, includ- nomination by minutes. PTI ing a chopper flying in to make form delivery, a missing leader, a mad scramble, here,asmanyas255did and atleastoneprospecso on Tuesday. tive candidate who was The leader who got inexplicably delayed. late and hence missed Nashik district’s stafilinghisnomination“by tistics deserved a speminutes” was former DECISION Maharashtra minister cialmention:of the361 2024 candidates who have AneesAhmed.AGandhi MAHARASHTRA filed nominations from CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CANADIAN PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau’s National SecurityandIntelligenceAdviser Nathalie Drouin and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison have acknowledged leaking information to The Washington Post which first reported that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the campaign of targeting Khalistan separatists in Canada. Morrison told Parliament members of the national securitycommitteethathehad“con- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates development projects at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat Wednesday. ANI Elephant toll in MP reserve climbs to eight, wildlife staff probe cause ANAND MOHAN J BHOPAL, OCTOBER 30 THEDEATHtollof wildelephants at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve climbed to eight on Wednesday, after the Madhya Pradesh wildlife department informed that four more tuskers who had fallen ill on Tuesday had died. OnTuesday,patrollingstaff at Canada security adviser claims Trudeau’s office aware of ‘strategy’ CHANDIGARH, NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30 VADODARA, OCTOBER 30 ON THE eve of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated projects worth Rs 284 crore during his visit to the Statueof UnityatEktaNagar,formerly known as Kevadia, in Gujarat’s Narmada district. Theprojectsincludea50-bed sub-district hospital, 10 smart bus stops, a 4 MW solar project and two walkways with sprinklers at the statue site for the comfort of tourists. Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, also interacted with officer trainees of the 99th Common Foundation Course, and addressed the gathering on Canada minister says he ‘confirmed’ Shah behind campaign against separatists MANRAJ GREWAL SHARMA & SHUBHAJIT ROY ADITI RAJA LIGHTS ON LIFELINE LEAK TO WASHINGTON POST BTR had found four dead elephantsattheprotectedforestreserve located in the Salakhaniya Beat of Khitauli and Pataur core ranges.Fiveotherelephantswere lyingonthegroundinacritically unwell state. On Wednesday, fourof thoseelephantsdiedduringtreatment.Theaffectedherd, officials said, had 13 members — fourarehealthyandoneremains under treatment. Sources in the wildlife department told The Indian Express that the investigation is focusing on whether the deaths were accidental or intentional. “Thereisaninvestigationinto whether this was a case of poisoning. There are some signs but we can only say for sure when the post-mortem report comes in. We are also assessing if this CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison; Nathalie Drouin, NSIA to PM firmed” Shah’s name to The Washington Post which first reportedtheallegations.“Thejournalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told the committee. He did not say how Canada CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ottawa dials up the offensive, casts a longer shadow on bilateral ties SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30 BY NAMING Union Home Minister Amit Shah in connection with its case related to the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Ottawa has significantly dialled up its diplomatic offensive on the issue. Sources said there’s a sense in Delhi that naming Shah in the case — wherecourtsubmissionsareexpected — makes a climbdown harder and will only lengthen the shadow over bilateral ties. Canada is due for elections next year and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is sliding in domestic polls facing a restive caucus within his party. However, even if there’s a change of guard — polls say Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is ahead — it will be a challenge to walk back for whoever replaces Trudeau. “Trudeau’s plan ● looks like a scorchedearth policy,” said an official. “On this issue, his political rivals have not been very harsh on him except calling out his E EXPLAINED 31/10/2024 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 With feedback from 5,000 girls, officials work to make Nainital dist safe PAGE 1 ANCHOR LALMANI VERMA NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 30 UNIFORMS AND identity cards for auto drivers, crackdown on “eve-teasing” and action against property owners whose abandoned plots are being used for “unlawful” gatherings — these are among measures that the Nainital district administration has taken over the last month in anattempttomakethecitysafer for girls. In Haldwani, a city grappling with rising public safety concerns, the Nainital district administration is undertaking an innovativeprogrammetoensure the security of schoolgirls. Based on their discussions with over 5,000 girl students from 41 schools over the month of September, the district administration has identified 480 “vulnerable”locationsinthecitythat they consider most unsafe. These areas include auto stands, parks,abandonedplotsandeven shopping malls. Of these, 89 spots were listed as “highly vulnerable” for reasons such as their seclusion and the lack of adequate street lighting there, making them particularly prone to crimes against women. This drive is significant following a recent viral video from Haldwani that purportedly showed some men harassing some girls who were returning homelateinthenight.According to officials, the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata furtherencouraged theNainital administration to run such a “sensitisation” programme under the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. Last week, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi issued orders to At a sensitisation workshop in Haldwani. Express have the administration’s drive replicated across Uttarakhand. “A total of 102 people have been arrested under the Uttarakhand Police Act during this drive. Periodic police patrolling is being done at the locations that the girls identified. Feedback has also been received from schools,” city magistrate A P Bajpai told The Indian Express, addingthatwhilesomeareasare stillunattended,“rigorousaction will be taken there too”. According to the district administration, in the first week of September, Nainital District Magistrate Vandana Singh constituted a team of five female of- ficers from various departments — including the police — to hold gendersensitisationworkshops. The team, helmed by nodal officer Richa Singh, Uttarakhand’s additional director, training and employment, was tasked with holding workshops in schools and asking girl students about the areas that they felt unsafe. “Beingawoman,Icanunderstand when girls go out, parents have so many apprehensions and it affects the children’s educationandcareer.So,wethought of making a team of women officers to directly talk to the girls and ask them where they feel unsafe and how we can make that area safer,” Singh said. According to officials, the girl students reported being groped at auto-rickshaw stands and inside autos, and being harassed outside their schools and even shopping malls. On the basis of these reports, the district administration has drawn up a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Under this, raids were conducted, with police also arresting those drinking atroadsideeateries.Likewise,action was taken against people who gathered without reason near schools and coaching centres, vacant plots and also on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2