THE HINDU MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2015

IRANSHAH UDVADA UTSAV

For country to grow we need

more Parsis, says Arun Jaitley
The community strives to achieve excellence in an ethical way
SATISH NANDGAONKAR
UDVADA (GUJARAT): Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
on Sunday said India needs
more business leaders from
the Parsi community emulating Ratan Tata and Dr. Cyrus
Poonawala, if it wants to
emerge as the fastest growing
economy in these adversarial
global conditions.
You mentioned about India trying to grow faster than
any other country. The global
situation is adverse. India is
trying to grow and for that, we
need a lot more of you (Parsis), he said.
Paying rich tributes to the
community at the concluding
ceremony of the three-day
Iranshah Udvada Utsav in
coastal town of Udvada, Mr.
Jaitley said, The most remarkable aspect of the community is the desire to strive
for excellence and achieve it
in an ethical way. He said the
credit of throwing up role
model leadership squarely
belonged to the community.
He mentioned former Solicitor General of India Soli Sorabjee as his ethical guru for
his sense of fairness and
ethics.
Jaitley felicitated Tata and
Dr. Poonawala, chairman of
the Serum Institute of India,
for their contributions amid
applause from more than

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley being felicitated by Ratan Tata and Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla at
the Iranshah Udvada Utsav in Udvada Gujarat on Sunday. PHOTO: PTI

3,000 Parsis.
Dressed in the traditional
Zoroastrian attire of white
dagli and red topi, Mr. Tata
said he was overwhelmed by
the communitys decision to
honour him. It only humbles
me when I am in the midst of
all of you. It is an honour I
shall not forget, said an emotional Tata.
The Parsi community has
a tradition of success, leadership and contribution to the
society. I look forward to the
community continuing to be a
contributor to the development of the country, he said.
Replying to his felicitation
for sponsoring the three-day

festival that brought Parsis

from across the world to Udvada, Dr. Poonawala broke
down with the memory of his
wife Viloo to whom he dedicated the festival. Viloo kept
asking me for more money,
and I thought she was blowing it at the racecourse. I later
learnt that she was involved
in philanthropic work in Udvada, and thats why when
Dasturji (the high priest of
Udvada fire temple) asked me
for sponsorship, I readily
agreed, said Dr. Poonawala.
His Serum Institute of India is
one of worlds largest suppliers of vaccines for tetanus, flu,
meningitis, hepatitis B, rota-

virus, and has been accredited by the World health

Organisation.
Zoroastrian high priest
Khurshed Dastur Kekobad
said the Gujarat government
had assured the community
that the Iranshah Udvada Utsav would be organised biennially, and the second such
festival will be held on December 23-25, 2017. In 2011,
Narendra Modi became the
first ever Chief Minister to
visit Udvada, and now Arun
Jaitley has become the first
Union Cabinet Minister to
visit us. I am sure Prime Minister Modiji will visit soon,
he said.

Combing teams lie low in Seshachalam

K. UMASHANKER

When our lives are

in threat and when
we face criminal
cases, how can we
protect the trees?

CHITTOOR: Combing operations

by the forest officials and the

Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling
Task Force (RSASTF) in the
Seshachalam biosphere an
undulating terrain from Talakona in Chittoor district to
Lankamala sanctuary in Kadapa district are no longer
what it used to be.
After the April 7 encounter
at the foot of Tirumala hills in
which 20 loggers were shot
dead, the personnel have become cautious, despite the
continued felling of trees.
Even the forest officials of
the Tirupati wildlife circle
admitted that over 150 woodcutters had given the combing parties a slip, leaving behind about 100 logs near the
Tirumala hills in recent days.
A couple of months ago,
about 150 loggers were arrested from forest locations
crisscrossing Chittoor and
Kadapa.
Furore after encounter
A senior forest official told
The Hindu: The combing
forces are utterly confused
and are afraid of a confrontation with the woodcutters
and smugglers inside the forest. He said the reason was

A task force team of just two members on a combing operation

in the Seshachalam forests on the Chittoor-Kadapa border.

PHOTO: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

that the Chandragiri police

had registered criminal cases
against the combing forces
(under Section 302 of the IPC
and SC/ST Atrocities Act)
who were part of the April 7
shooting.
Plus, there was a furore
over the killings, with politicians and human rights groups
accusing the Task Force of
unleashing terror on the poverty-stricken woodcutters.
Prior to the encounter, the
combing parties were spread
out in large numbers in the

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NATION

HYDERABAD

biosphere simultaneously.
Post the encounter, the teams
move in small contingents, of
a dozen personnel or even
less.
The surveillance is also
limited to a couple of regular
beats, that too on the forest
fringes rather than deep inside the jungles.
We are helpless
Says a Task Force official:
When there is no protection
to our lives, and when we are
facing threat of criminal

cases, how can we protect the

red sanders?
Task Force guards admit
that they avoid combing operations in areas prone to regular felling.
We [armed personnel and
woodcutters] just see each
other from long distances.
The loggers will flee, some
carrying logs and others leaving them behind. During the
last one month, more than
300 trees were felled. We
were helpless. Now, the trespassers are openly challenging us, an official said, adding
that 95 per cent of the woodcutters were from poor ST
families in the hilly northwestern districts of Tamil Nadu.
Majority of the forest and
Task Force officials feel that
until the woodcutters and
their families are rehabilitated in their respective hamlets, it would be impossible to
protect the red sanders in the
Seshachalam hills.

Wildlife activists reach out to

tourists at Bandipur reserve
R. KRISHNA KUMAR
MYSURU: Wildlife activists have
launched an extensive awareness campaign in Bandipur on
the alternative routes for
tourists and the imperatives
of complying with the ban on
motoring through the national park at night.
This is an ongoing attempt
to mitigate the high volume of
traffic that flows through Bandipur during the extended holiday season, and to help tourists avoid being stranded on
the outskirts of the forests
past the deadline (9 p.m. to 6
a.m.), when the forests are
closed to traffic.
Bandipur is bisected by two
national highways NH-212
connecting to Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu and NH-67
linking Wayanad in Kerala.
But the traffic on the roads
cutting through Bandipur
tends to be chaotic during holiday seasons.
Vanya Let the Wild be Wild
an NGO advocating wildlife conservation launched
the drive after noticing violations of the ban order.
The last such incident took
place in Bandipur during
Deepavali when irate motorists drove through the forests
in a convoy, roughed up
guards and violated the forest
law.
Praveen Ramaswamy, founder of Vanya, said the campaign will continue past the
New Year. Volunteers have
put up informative posters on
road closure at night at vantage points, in addition to
tourist resorts.

We have covered about 35

resorts around Masinagudi,
Gudalur and surrounding
places, and will focus on Gundlupet and Wayanad in the
days ahead, he said.
Volunteerswho drafted the
information material for distribution made a random survey of traffic passing through
Bandipur and recorded the
movement of nearly 60 vehicles per minute during peak
hours, which raises questions
on the carrying capacity of
the national park.
The second phase of the
campaign will commence on
Monday and will last till the
holiday crowd ebbs.

Wild elephants cross a road on the Kerala-Karnataka border.

FILE PHOTO: K. K. MUSTAFAH

A popular pit stop

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MYSURU: Located close to

three major tourist

destinations in south
India Mysuru, Ooty
and Wayanad Bandipur
has emerged as a pit stop
for those visiting these
destinations.
Incidentally, Bandipur
was ranked the most
popular tiger reserve in
the country due to the
high density of tigers, in a
recent survey.
Spread over 874 sq km,
Bandipur abuts the
adjoining Nagarahole in
Karnataka, Mudumalai in
Tamil Nadu and Wayanad

in Kerala and the entire

landscape has been
ranked the best tiger
habitat in the world by the
National Tiger
Conservation Authority.
Enumeration
The last tiger
enumeration in 2014
pegged the numbers at
Bandipur to a maximum
of around 110, besides an
elephant population in the
range of 1,600 to 1,800
with a density of 1.8 per sq
km, as per the 2011-12
estimation.
In view of its
popularity, there tends to
be a bumper-to-bumper

Youth killed as
car occupants
open fire

Bengaluru man held for

clicking photos of women

MALDA (WB): A youth was shot

dead and another critically
injured when unidentified
persons, fleeing in a car t fatally hit a cyclist, opened fire
on mob chasing them at Kulipara in Malda district on
Sunday, police said.
A senior police officer said
while 18-year-old Asim Mondal died on the spot after being hit by a bullet his teenaged friend Rahul Paswan got
seriously injured in the
firing.

BENGALURU: A man was arrested

for allegedly clicking pictures
of women on his cellphone in
Commercial
Street
on
Saturday.
Manoj Roy (40), a private
firm employee, who is allegedly under medication for depression, has been booked under Section 92 (Punishment
of certain street offences and
nuisance) of the Karnataka
Police Act. He was later released on bail.
According to the police, the
accused was caught by a
woman journalist while he attempted to click her picture.
She noticed the flashlight of
the camera and confronted
him. When the victim asked
him to show the pictures, Manoj said that he had forgotten
the phone password.
Soon, onlookers gathered
and forced him to show the
photo gallery where they
found pictures of around 25
women walking on Commercial Street.
The police said that Manoj
was from West Bengal and
was living with his sister in

Bullet still stuck in brain

Paswan was being rushed
to a Kolkata Hospital from
Malda Medical College hospital as the bullet is still stuck
in his brain.
The car was fleeing after
knocking down a cyclist, who
died on the spot.
As some locals, including
the two youths, gave them a
chase they opened fire, the
officer said.
A local Trinamool Congress leader was arrested for
the firing incident.
PTI/IANS

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

queue of vehicles trying

to beat the night closure
deadline.
Tourists unaware of
timings
Many tourists from
other States driving
through Bandipur are
unaware of the night
closure timings.
Based on their
experience with public
interaction, the Vanya
activists said a majority of
them are more than eager
to do their bit for wildlife
and welcome such
information of which they
were not aware in the
past.

Devadasi system:
Home Ministry
asks States to
take strong action
NEW DELHI: Surprised by find-

Manoj Roy was caught by a

woman journalist.

Kamakshipalya. He worked as
a salesman in a private
company.
The police summoned his
family members, who said
that Manoj was unmarried
and was suffering from depression.
They produced a medical
certificate to corroborate
their claim.
The police suspect that Manoj clicked pictures of women
randomly and uploaded them
on Facebook.
The police returned the
mobile after deleting all the
photographs and released
him with a stern warning.

ings that the ancient Devadasi system continues to exist in some parts of the
country, the Home Ministry
has asked all States to take
strong action against those
involved in the heinous
practice which is against dignity of women.
In a letter to all States and
Union territories, the Home
Ministry has said the Devadasi system is inhuman and
one of the most heinous
practices against women degrading them to the lowest
level.
It directed that the laws
against it be implemented
in letter and spirit and
steps taken to ensure that the
victims are rehabilitated.
The Ministry said it has
come to notice through various PILs and media news
that the Devadasi system
still existed in certain parts
of the country, especially in
Beriya and Nat communities in the name of religious practices. PTI

Miffed Akhilesh gives Saifai Mohotsav a miss

E-commerce becomes popular in this Karnataka village

OMAR RASHID

P.M. VEERENDRA

LUCKNOW: The conspicuous absence of Uttar Pradesh Chief

Minister Akhilesh Yadav from
the ongoing Saifai Mahotsav,
after the unceremonious expulsion of his three close
aides, has given fuel to internal tensions within the ruling
party.
Mr. Yadav did not attend
the inaugural two days of the
17-day annual jamboree of the
Yadavs in their native village,
despite scheduled arrangements.
All members of the Yadav
family have traditionally attended the inaugural ceremony of the annual show in
Etawah.
While there was no official

The Uttar Pradesh Chief

Minister is believed to be upset
over the dismissal of his top
lieutenants. PHOTO: PTI

word from the Samajwadi Party, Mr. Yadav is believed to be

upset over the dismissal of his
top lieutenants and decided to
stay put in Lucknow.
His wife and MP from Kan-

nauj, Dimple Yadav also missed the Mahotsav, triggering

speculations of family strife.
Youth leaders Sunil Singh
Yadav, better known as Sunil
Sajan , Anand Bhadauria and
Subodh Yadav were expelled
for indulging in anti-party
activities. Part of Mr. Yadavs
core team, the three were instrumental in his winning
campaign in 2012.
While Sunil Sajan and Mr.
Bhadauria are former presidents of the party's youth
wing , Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, Subodh Yadav is the son of
senior MLA from Etah, Ramaeshwar Yadav.
Sunil Sajan enjoyed the status of a Minister of State,
while Mr. Bhadauria was the

only youth leader to get a party ticket during the 2014 Lok
Sabha elections. He fought
from Dhauraha, and stood
third.
The three allegedly worked
against party candidates during the Panchayat elections,
party leaders said. Cabinet
Minister Pandit Singh was also given a strong warning.
While party sources said
the expulsions were to send a
strong message to dissenters, observers say it could be a
surfacing of the internal strife
within the party as the announcement was made by
Shivpal Singh Yadav, Akhileshs uncle and cabinet minister, even as the CM is the
partys State president.

SHIVAMOGGA: If you thought

the reach of e-commerce is
restricted to bigger towns,
a rural start-up venture
here is trying to change
that perception. The startup launched by two
youngsters in
Shiralakaoppa hobli
(cluster of villages) works
as an intermediary between
e-commerce companies
and rural customers.
Unlike most rural
educated youth who prefer
to migrate to urban centres
in search of jobs, Naveen
Kumar M. and Siddeshwar
C., after completing their

polytechnic diploma
course in Electronics,
decided to remain in their
native place Shiralakoppa
and start something
innovative.
Mr. Kumar told The
Hindu that the idea was to
ensure that villagers were
able to connect with ecommerce companies. A
strong supply chain
between e-commerce firms
and rural customers is yet
to be evolved, he said.
The office of the start-up,
named Enet Informatics,
functions from a building
measuring 1,000 square
feet that has a front office, a
visitors lounge, a helpline

Wasting no efforts at garbage management

AABHA ANOOP
KOZHIKODE: Huge events cause

Green Worms has been taking up waste management at events

and has seen huge participation.
CM
YK

huge amounts of waste, be it

conventions, festivals or
weddings. But most event
managers tend to neglect
the fact that waste management is as important as
proper event management.
Waste is merely misplaced resource, believes
Jabir Karat, an enterprising
young man from Kozhikode,
who has been on a mission
for the past few years to
minimise waste production

through
multiple
interventions.
Green Worms, an organisation formed by Jabir, has
been taking up waste management at events having
huge participation and has
been able to prove that a little bit of thinking and effort
could make our surroundings cleaner.
Minimise waste generation; maximise recycling;
dignify people working
with waste has been the
motto of the organisation.
Jabir has two years of ex-

perience working for Unicef in Mumbai.

He decided to come back
to Kerala with a desire to
eliminate at least a few of
the social problems in his
native land.
People are not ready to
spend on waste management. We lack waste literacy. Most of us do not know
the basic use of a dustbin,
Jabir says.
He has been undertaking
training and consultancy
work in the area among
schoolchildren,
peoples

representatives and other

organisations for more than
a year.
Waste management is
really simple. Just think of
the flex boards. Cloth printing in the latest technology
is much cheaper than flex.
But most people do not
know about it. At weddings,
we use disposable plates
and glasses. Why not go for
ceramic or steel? he asks.
Banana leaves and areca
nut plates are also good alternatives as they are biodegradable, he says.

centre and a warehouse.

Information regarding the
product a customer wants
to buy is displayed on a
50-inch LED screen,
including its specifications,
colour, size and the price.
The customers are also
explained the different
prices for which the
product is sold by different
e-commerce firms.
After a customer books
the product online, an
acknowledgement slip is
offered.
As rural areas are not yet
covered by courier
services, the product is
received by Enet
Informatics on behalf of the

customers and is delivered

to their doorstep for a
charge of Rs. 100.
At present, through Enet
Informatics, bookings to
the tune of around Rs. 15
lakh are being done per
week. Interestingly,
bookings are done for not
only home appliances,
electronic gadgets and
mobile phones but also
spare parts for automobiles
and agriculture
implements, Mr. Kumar
said.
We are planning to
extend the business and
establish similar outlets at
other hobli centres in
Karnataka, he added.

Gang-raped girl commits

suicide in Mirzapur
MIRZAPUR (UP): A 16-year-old girl
allegedly committed suicide
after being kidnapped and
gang-raped by two men, who
held a grudge against her
mother after their defeat in
the recently-concluded panchayat polls in the district.
Unable to bear the humiliation of gang-rape and subsequent apathy of the police,
which had allegedly refused
to register a case, the Class 11
girl had hanged herself on December 25.

Police registered a case after the suicide and arrested

the two accused on Saturday.
The family members alleged that the police refused
to file an FIR against the accused which forced the girl to
commit suicide.
Two arrested
Pappu Bahelia and Bindu
Bahelia were arrested by the
police under various sections
of IPC and POCSO Act 2012,
the police said. PTI
HY-HY