Vol. 65 No. 308 | SATURDAY | APRIL 30, 2022 | 20 Pages | EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Konkan, E-paper CASE FILED BY CBI INTO 26% HZL STAKE SALE IN 2002: CENTRE TO SC Coolest cut: AC local fare slashed 50% CURRENT AC LOCAL FARES Churchgate-Virar: Churchgate-Vasai: Churchgate-Bhayandar: Churchgate-Borivli: CSMT-Kalyan: CSMT-Dombivli: CSMT-Ghatkopar: `220 `210 `190 `180 `210 `205 `135 CSMT-Kurla: CSMT-Dadar: CSMT-Vashi: CSMT-Andheri: CSMT-Goregaon: CSMT-Wadala: CSMT-Bandra: `135 `65 `185 `135 `180 `65 `90 EDIT DOUBLE WHAMMY: HEAT & POWER CUTS Non-AC local first-class fare also cut KAMAL MISHRA MUMBAI Union Minister of State for Railways Raosaheb Danve has announced a 50 per cent cut in the fares of air-conditioned local trains in Mumbai. The existing minimum fare of Rs 65 for a distance of 5km will be reduced to Rs 30, Danve said. He made the announcement at the inauguration of the restored heritage building of Byculla railway station on Friday . Apart from this, first-class fares of non-AC locals too have been reduced, the railway ministry has announced. The revised fares will come into effect from May 5. Currently , passengers of AC locals pay Rs 210 for a single journey from Churchgate  Virar or Churchgate to to I AM SO NERVOUS TO DEBUT ON OTT SINCE IT IS SO DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE DO IN MOVIES: SHAHID KAPOOR Vasai. On CR routes, the current AC local fare for a single journey from CSMT to Dadar is Rs 65,  the Main line and  on on the Harbour line, it costs Rs 185 from CSMT to Vashi and  135 Rs from CSMT to Andheri. However, there will be no change in the prices of the season tickets for AC locals or firstclass non-AC locals. Under the revised fare structure, the single-journey fare for a non-AC local will be less than the singlejourney fare of the AC local. “The ministry of railways has decided to rationalize the single-journey basic fare of AC and ordinary services running over suburban sections from May 5. In addition to the above, the single-journey basic fare for first-class of ordinary train services over the suburban section has also been rationalized. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE 2.6 yrs Will take a decade to overcome Covid losses Becker gets in prison ONLINE REPORT LONDON Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker was on Friday jailed for two years and six months for flouting the terms of his bankruptcy by hiding £2.5million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts. The former world number one tennis player was led to the cells as his girlfriend blew him a kiss, after being blasted by a judge for showing no remorse. The judge told the fatherof-four: I take into account what has been described as your fall from grace. You have lost your career and reputation and all of your property as a result of your bankruptcy. But you have not shown remorse, acceptance of guilt…While I accept your humiliation as part of the proceedings, there has been no humility. CONTD. ON P15 FPJ NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI The Indian economy is likely to take over 12 years to overcome the losses inflicted by COVID-19, according to a report released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday . The report has projected that India lost more than a whopping Rs 50 lakh crore in output in the last three years. “The output losses for individual years worked out to Rs 19.1 lakh crore, Rs 17.1 lakh crore and Rs 16.4 lakh crore for 2020- 21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively .” India is expected to overcome these losses in 203435, the report states. In its report on currency and finance for the year 2021-22, the RBI research team also states that the pandemic is not over yet, especially in view of the recent surge in China and South Korea and parts of Europe. The report further says that price stability is a necessary precondition for strong and sustainable post-Covid AS DARK AS COAL growth. But only a series of structural reforms can nurture a durable recovery "Time. ly rebalancing of monetary and fiscal policies will be the first step in this journey the ," report says. The structural reforms suggested by the report include enhancing access to litigation OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI The Delhi government on Friday sounded a note of caution, warning of an impending "acute shortage" of coal, claiming that many power plants have only one day’s stock in reserve. The severity of the looming crisis can be gauged from the fact that normally power plants are expected to have at least 21 days of reserve coal. In a panic mode, the Delhi government fears that the supply disruptions could lead to blackouts and impact services like the Metro and government hospitals. The Delhi government’s grim outlook was reinforced by the fact that some 42 passenger trains have been cancelled across India to allow faster movement of coal. These trains have been cancelled indefinitely Railways officials said. The , Railways is trying to take steps on a warfooting to transport coal and also cut down the time it takes to move coal to power plants, officials said. About 70 per cent of India's electricity Threads soaked in heroin worth crores syndicate had used a unique modus operandi in which threads were soaked in a solution containing heroin, which were then dried, made into bales and packed in bags, he said. The bags were shipped along with other bags having bales of normal threads to avoid detection. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE The Mumbai police have opposed the bail pleas of member of Parliament Navneet Rana and member of the legislative assembly Ravi Rana, saying that the couple had orchestrated the Hanuman Chalisa row, to use it as a ploy to plead the collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. This, in turn, was to become a ruse for seeking the dissolution of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The police filed an 18-page affidavit in reply on Friday op, posing their bail pleas and further alleged that the issue was raked up to create an impression in the minds of the general public that the state government, of which the Shiv Sena is a part, is hostile towards Hindus and it is difficult for Hindus to practise their religion freely . The Ranas have been charged under section 124A of the Indian Penal Code for sedition after they declared that they would recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside Matoshree, the residence of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray . The affidavit read: “The plan to read the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ at the private residence of the Chief Minister at Matoshree is a big plot to create a challenge to the law and order situation and to the maintenance of law and order by the Government established by the rule of law, Death row convicts to enroll in open varsity URVI MAHAJANI MUMBAI Welcoming the move of two death row convicts to pursue education, the Bombay high court has asked prison authorities to “to extend all necessary assistance by adopting humanitarian approach to the desire of the petitioners”. A division bench of Justices P B Varale and S M Modak recently allowed the petition filed by Jitendra Shinde alias Pappu and Nitin Bhailume, who have been sentenced to death for their role in the gruesome Kopardi rape and mur- der case of 2016. They are at present lodged at Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. The HC said: “We further observe that as the petitioners have expressed their desire to pursue academic courses in Open University such desire , be treated as welcome steps and the prison authorities extend all necessary assistance by adopting humanitarian approach to the desire of the petitioners.” Shinde and Bhailume expressed desire to pursue academic careers at open universities – Yashwantrao Chavan CONTD. ON NATION PAGE In 2016, three men brutally raped and murdered a 14-year-old girl in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. The Class 9 student was so brutally tortured that her hair had been pulled out, her limbs and teeth had been broken and there were bite marks on her body. THE CASE LAST WORD The price of CNG has been hiked yet again, for the fourth time this month. Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) has increased the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by Rs 4 per kg, effective from the midnight of April 29-30. This essentially means that motorists using CNG will have to shell out Rs 76 per kg from today With that, au. torickshaw and taxi unions are in overdrive, demanding the state government’s immediate intervention. Among other demands, they want an increase in the percentage of domestic gas supplied to gas pumps, to control the rising cost. On Friday the MGL stated , that the selling price of domestically produced natural gas had been increased by 110 per cent by the Union government with effect from April 1. The MGL claimed that the cost of re-gasified LNG which is being blended to offset the shortfall in the availability of domestic gas for the CNG and domestic piped natural gas (DPNG) segments, are at historically high levels. This combination has resulted in a significant increase in the cost of gas being procured by it. “However, since the increase in input gas price is significantly high, MGL has decided to progressively recover such increased gas cost. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE is generated by coal. The lack of carriages makes it difficult to carry coal over long distances. Routes congested with passenger trains often delay shipments. According to the Central Electricity Authority's daily coal stock report, 56 of the 165 thermal power stations are left with 10% or less coal. At least 26 have less than five per cent stock left, reports NDTV . Last year, a similar crisis saw coal stocks plunge to an average of four days, which led to blackouts in several states. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Chalisa was a Rana ruse to seek MVA ouster: Cops Kagiso Rabada struck four times as Punjab Kings upped their game in the bowling department to restrict Lucknow Super Giants to 153 for eight in the Indian Premier League. SHASHANK RAO MUMBAI Trains cancelled for priority coal delivery STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence have recovered nearly 90 kilogram of heroin worth Rs 450 crore from a shipping container that arrived at Pipavav port in Amreli from Iran, the state DGP said on Friday . To dodge the authorities, the free low-cost land; raising the quality of labour through public expenditure on education and health and the Skill India Mission; and scaling up R&D activities with an emphasis on innovation and technology . It has also made a case for creating an enabling environment for start-ups and unicorns; rationalisation of subsidies that promote inefficiencies; and encouraging urban agglomerations by improving the housing and physical infrastructure. The report adds that the pandemic is a watershed moment and the ongoing structural changes catalysed by the pandemic can potentially alter the growth trajectory in the medium-term. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE CNG hiked for 4th time this month `76/kg from today The three culprits -- Jitendra Babulal Shinde, 26, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal, 30, and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume, 28 -- were held guilty of rape, murder and conspiracy and were punished to be hanged to death by the Ahmednagar District Sessions Court in November 2017. Since the victim belonged to the Maratha community, silent marches were taken up by the Marathas across the state against the three culprits who belonged to the Dalit community. They demanded a quick investigation and a speedy trial in the case. The case had rocked the Maharashtra Assembly during the monsoon session at that time. The then chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, had said the accused had been arrested and the matter would be heard in a fast-track court. to such an extent that the collapse of law and order can be pleaded and the recommendation can be made for dissolution of the present government by the Governor of Maharashtra.” It further added that the reading of a religious text like the Hanuman Chalisa at a private residence without prior permission of the owner would amount to “trespass”. It further states that one cannot threaten or challenge the government that s/he will act against the procedure established by law; instigate and incite other persons and at the same time dare the government to stop such an act, even “when the same is under the guise or veil of a chanting of religious book”. Also, the reply stated that the words spoken by Ranas “were not within the reasonable limits of the CONTD. ON NATION PAGE BETWEEN THE LINES CHINESE NOD TO STUDENTS: China on Friday announced plans to permit the return of "some" Indian students stranded in India for over two years following the visa and flight restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing that "China attaches high importance to Indian students' concerns about returning to China for studies. We have shared with the Indian side the procedures and experience of other countries' students returning to China". "Actually, the work for Indian students' return has already been started. 330c. 270c. Sunrise: 06:11 am Sunset : 07:00 pm NAVI MUM BIRD ON LONG-HAUL RUSSIA FLIGHT Greens aflutter as a common redshank tagged by BNHS is spotted in Russia ABHITASH SINGH MUMBAI A bird tagged by the 139-yearold Bombay Natural History Society the common red, shank, has been found 5,100 kilometres away in Russia, setting off a flutter of excitement among nature lovers. The BNHS has confirmed the finding of the bird tagged by researchers at the T S Chanakya wetland in Navi Mumbai. ‘‘The bird, just about 30cm long, flew at least 5,100km, from Mumbai to Altai in Russia, where it was spotted by Alexey Ebel of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU). On seeing the tag, Alexy sent an e-mail to the BNHS and after due process, we could confirm that the bird was tagged by us,” BNHS scientist Mrugank Prabhu said. In a tweet, the BNHS said: “From Mumbai to Altai - this Common RedShank, tagged by the BNHS team, has covered a distance of at least 5,100 Km”. The common redshank nests in wet meadows in Iceland, Britain, much of continental Europe, the Middle East and temperate Asia (to 4,500 metres in the Himalayas), and it winters from Africa to the Philippines, according to britannica.com. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), but is protected by the Agreement on the Conservation of AfricanEurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) under the UNEP scientists say , . CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Sena, Khalistan supporters clash RAJESH MOUDGIL CHANDIGARH The Punjab government clamped curfew till Saturday 6am in Patiala city on Friday afternoon, following a clash between the Shiv Sena and Sikh radicals over an antiKhalistan march taken out by the former. The local Shiv Sena unit said that the march was taken out in protest against the calls by the banned "Sikhs for Justice’’ to mark the foundation day of Khalistan on April 29. The supporters of both the groups pelted stones at each other and brandished swords near the local Kali Devi Temple, compelling the police to fire in the air to bring the situation under control. As many as 15 shots were fired by the police to disperse the mobs. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said the state government was closely monitoring the situation and called the violence extremely unfortunate. Meanwhile, a curfew has been imposed till 6 am Saturday citing "incidents of breach of peace and disputes between certain different groups... which can result in further CONTD. ON NATION PAGE