A few rakes are stuck in Karnal, Haryana, and others near Jalandhar in Punjab due to the agitation.

CHANDIGARH: The farmers’ protest in Punjab has led to the fuel supply shortage in J&K and Ladakh. The union territories bordering Pakistan and China are reportedly getting 70% supply via road as the goods trains have been cancelled due to the agitation.

Rahul Gupta, general secretary of J&K Petroleum Dealers Association told this paper over phone that prior to the agitation, petrol and diesel reached Jammu by rakes from refineries at Panipat in Haryana and Bathinda in Punjab. The supplies were then taken onward through tankers to the 675 petrol filling stations.
“As much as 1,200 kilolitre of petrol and 1,500 kilolitre of diesel are being consumed daily across J&K. But we are getting around 70% of the supply. As of now, around 200 trucks arrive at Jammu depots with fuel from various oil companies, but we need at least 300 trucks daily,” said Gupta. These oil tankers in Jammu take a lot of time in clearing the paperwork. “It is a time consuming process,’’ says Gupta.

A few rakes are stuck in Karnal, Haryana, and others near Jalandhar in Punjab due to the agitation. In Ladakh the fuel stocks have to be stored due to the winter season, he said, adding around 3,000 trucks are coming daily to Kashmir from Delhi to take apple consignments.Gupta says the supply situation can turn critical as fuel is supplied to the Army and other security forces. Kerosene is also used in a large quantity in J&K in the winters.ADVERTISING

Top court issues notice to Centre on two petitions
The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre on two petitions challenging the three farm laws recently passed by Parliament. A bench headed by CJI S A Bobde asked the Attorney General K K Venugopal, who was present for the virtual hearing along with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to file a response on the petition. The petitions were filed by Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress’ Rakesh Vaishnav and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva. However, the bench refused to entertain the plea of advocate M L Sharma to quash the legislations, and asked him to withdraw his petition.

JDS president H D Deve Gowda on Monday dissolved the party unit in Kerala and appointed former minister Mathew T Thomas as the new president.

BENGALURU: JDS president HD Deve Gowda on Monday dissolved the party unit in Kerala and appointed former minister Mathew T Thomas as the new president. In a statement, Gowda said he has dissolved the Kerala Pradesh JDS unit with immediate effect as the unit president C K Nanu has not taken any steps to strengthen the party.

“On the contrary, he has acted to destabilize the party and has not consulted the core committee,” he said. Nanu was issued notice by B M Farooq, JDS national working president on September 24, but he had not replied to it. Gowda said he has appointed Mathew Thomas as president of the ad-hoc committee of the Kerala Pradesh JDS and also appointed other members of the committee. Jose Thettayil has been appointed as vice president.

New Delhi: The Peace and Harmony Committee of the Delhi Assembly will resume its hearing of witnesses on complaints against social media giant Facebook on Monday.

The committee has called Prabir Purkaystha, editor of online portal NewsClick, and Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, for examination, it said in a statement.

“The Delhi Legislative Assembly’s committee, after careful deliberations of the allegations in the complaints levelled against Facebook, has taken prompt cognizance of the issue and set its mechanism in full swing,” the statement said.

The committee had summoned Facebook India vice president and managing director Ajit Mohan at its previous meeting on September 23, which was deferred after the panel was stopped by the Supreme Court from taking any “coercive” action.

The top court had directed the committee not to take any coercive action against Mohan till October 15 in connection with its summons asking him to depose before it with regard to the northeast Delhi riots.

Chennai: Popular actor-turned politician Khushbu Sundar is likely to join the BJP today, in a big catch for the ruling party in Tamil Nadu ahead of polls next year. She has been with the Congress close to six years since 2014. While she had recently denied such reports, she chose a “no comment” response on Sunday as she took off to Delhi. To a specific question if she’s still in the Congress, Ms Sundar said, “I don’t wish to say anything”. With the Congress out of power since 2014, her political career graph was appearing somewhat stunted of late.

The BJP may also rope her in for the 2021 assembly elections to break new ground in Tamil Nadu, a state that has been elusive for the party. “Khushbu will change the perception of the BJP in Tamil Nadu,” said sources in the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit.

The popular star has hopped parties in the past. She had joined the DMK in 2010 when DMK was in power, particularly after she took up the role of late rationalist leader Periyar’s wife Maniammai in a biographical film largely funded by the Tamil Nadu government. At that time, she had said, “I think I made the right decision. I love to serve people. I want to work for the betterment of women.”

However, four years later, when she left the Dravidian party, she had said, “Hard work for the DMK had been a one-way path.” The same year in 2014 she joined the Congress after meeting Sonia Gandhi. The actor had then said, “I finally feel I am home. Congress is the only party that could do good for the people of India and unite the country.” But Ms Sundar was not given a ticket for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which the DMK-Congress alliance swept in the state, nor was she chosen for the upper house.

Such was the popularity she enjoyed, that when she was a star, fans had even built a temple in her honour. But she faced bitter criticism and protests for her comments on chastity. With state elections eight months away in Tamil Nadu, the BJP with its limited reach in the state could see Ms Sundar’s star power as quite a catch. The party doesn’t have any charismatic leader in the state yet.

This also comes at a time the ruling AIADMK is uncomfortable about continuing its alliance with the BJP following its collapse in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and speculation that the national party could tacitly back superstar Rajinikanth who is likely to launch his party ahead of the polls.

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday directed officials to get the killing of a temple priest in Karauli district probed by the CID-CB.

He also condemned the BJP’s “attempt to give a communal colour” to a land dispute between two families, which led to the death of the priest.

“It is condemnable that the BJP gave a communal colour to the tragic incident between the Meena and Vaishnav communities of a land dispute case between two families in Bukna villlage of Sapotara. This has undermined the image of Rajasthan unnecessarily,” Gehlot said in a statement.

He said the priest’s death was not the result of a caste conflict, neither a pre-planned incident. The dispute between the two families over taking the possession of a piece of land resulted in the tragic incident.

On October 6, a day before the incident, the panchayat had agreed in favour of priest Babu Lal Vaishnav, in which a majority of people of the Meena community were present.

Directions have been issued to get the case investigated by the CID-CB. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Sharma has been assigned the task, the statement said.

Gehlot said the Congress government has always been striving to give protection to priests and the land that comes under various temples.

Owing to the land dispute, Vaishnav was allegedly set on fire and he died at the SMS Hospital here on Thursday. It is alleged that five people, trying to occupy the cultivated land near the temple, set ablaze the priest by spraying petrol. Two have been arrested.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the prestigious Blue Flag certification for eight Indian beaches as a wonderful feat, and said it showcases the importance India attaches to protecting such spots and furthering sustainable development.

Eight beaches in India have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag certification, the environment ministry said on Sunday.

“Eight of India’s serene beaches get the prestigious Blue Flag Certification. This showcases the importance India attaches to protecting such spots and furthering sustainable development. Truly a wonderful feat!” the prime minister tweeted, tagging a report in this regard.

Terming it a “proud moment” for the country, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the certification is a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts.