TUESDAY VISTARA MAKES ITS LAST FLIGHT AHEAD OF MERGER WITH AIR INDIA 12 NOVEMBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard UK CHURCH HEAD UNDER PRESSURE FOR ABUSE COVER-UP The head of the Church of England is under pressure to resign after a probe found he failed to inform cops about sexual abuse by a volunteer. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 The airline operated its last international and domestic flights as an independent airline on Monday night ahead of its merger with Air India 208 THE SIZE OF AIR INDIA’S AIRCRAFT FLEET POST THE MERGER WITH VISTARA DELHI-SINGAPORE FLIGHT WAS AIRLINE’S LAST Vistara’s last domestic flight departed Mumbai for Delhi around 11.15 pm on Monday. Almost half-an-hour later, its last international flight, bound for Singapore, took to the skies from the Delhi airport. Vistara commenced its flight operations in January 2015. The airline, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, will merge with Air India on Tuesday | P10 For the women by the women bike taxi Ten suspected E X P R ESS N E WS S E RV I C E @ New Delhi IN a welcome development for women travelling on Delhi metro, the DMRC on Monday introduced an option to avail ‘bike taxis driven by women’. These bike taxis can be booked directly through the Delhi Metro’s official mobile app. Now, the commuters can avail two types of bike taxi services: SHERYDS-for women by women and RYDR-for all. The SHERYDS has been designed to meet the needs and preferences of female metro commuters who can travel safe- ly to their destination. These environment friendly electric bikes ridden by trained and verified female riders will help reduce carbon footprint. A nominal charge of `10 will apply followed by `10 per , kilometre for the first 2 kms and thereafter `8 per km. Operating parallelly with SHERYDS, the RYDR will focus on optimizing rider routes and ensuring shorter, more efficient travel times. Unlike traditional models where drivers may travel long distances, RYDR keeps riders within a specified radius, which ensures both safety and reduced travel time. The bike taxi service, introduced by DMRC in partnership with the First And Last Mile Connectivity India Pvt. Ltd. is currently made available from 12 Metro stations: Dwarka Sec-21, Dwarka Sector-10, Dwarka Sector-14, Dwarka Mor, Janakpuri West, Uttam Na g ar East, Rajouri Garden, Subhash Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Millennium City Centre Gurugram and Palam. SHERYDS & RYDR TO FERRY COMMUTERS Passengers can avail two types of services — SHERYDS-for women by women and RYDR-for all. A total of 50 SHERYDS and 150 RYDR will be operating from metro stations. SERVICE TO 100 METRO STATIONS IN 1 MONTH To begin with, over 100 stations will be covered in a month’s time and remaining in the next three months. The total count of SHERYDS and RYDER will go up to around 1,000 each. HC approves counting of votes in DUSU polls with rider S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi THE Delhi High Court on Monday gave the green light for counting of votes for the 2024 Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, conditional on satisfactory cleanup efforts across the campus. A bench, comprising Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, had previously halted the process after observing defacement of university and public property due to election campaigning. The bench directed the university to resume counting on or before November 26, provided that all remaining campaign material and graffiti are cleared from the vicinity . “The matter is closed with a direction to DU to undertake the counting process... if it is satisfied that the [remaining] sites... are cleaned,” the bench said, emphasising that the intent behind the proceedings was corrective rather than punitive. The counsel representing the candidates assured the court of their commitment to removing any lingering campaign materials from affected areas. Most colleges and faculties in the North and South campuses were cleaned, but images submitted to the court revealed campaign-related posters and graffiti still lingering on properties near the campus. The court proceedings were initiated by advocate Prashant Manchanda, who filed a plea seeking accountability from candidates and student organisations for allegedly defacing public spaces. NEW CJI SWORN IN President Droupadi Murmu administers oath to Justice Sanjiv Khanna as the 51st Chief Justice of India, in New Delhi on Monday | PTI Clean air part of fundamental rights, SC reminds Delhi govt S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court said on Monday that it is a fundamental right of every citizen to live in a pollution-free atmosphere, adding no religion encourages any activity that creates pollution. Pulling up the Delhi authorities over their failure to enforce firecracker ban during Diwali, a bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said if firecrackers are burnt in this fashion, it will also affect the fundamental right to health of the citizens. “The right to live in a pollution-free atmosphere is a fundamental right of every citizen which is protected by Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Prima facie we are of the view Call on firecracker ban across the year The Supreme Court asked the Delhi government to take a call by November 25 on whether to extend the ban on firecrackers throughout the year that no religion encourages any activity that creates pollution or compromises with the health of the people,” the bench observed. The Delhi government issued an order banning the use of firecrackers on October 14. “We wonder why the Delhi government delayed the promulgation of order till October 14. It is quite possible users by that time must have acquired the stock of firecrackers,” the bench said. Noting that the ban order has not been taken seriously by the police, the bench directed the commissioner of Delhi Police to form a special cell to ensure the effective implementation of the ban. “There is nothing filed in the affidavit that the order imposing ban was communicated to those who have been permitted to manufacture, store and sell crackers,” the bench noted. The court ordered the commissioner to file a personal affidavit by November 25 on the steps taken to enforce the ban. It was hearing a case related to pollution in Delhi-NCR. In an earlier hearing on November 4, it had asked the Delhi government and the police why the ban on firecrackers was flouted during Diwali. militants shot dead in Manipur Kuki-Zo Council says its ‘volunteers’ killed by CRPF, calls for total shutdown in state today P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati TEN militants were killed and a CRPF jawan was injured in a gunfight in restive Manipur’s Jiribam district on Monday. Manipur police said in a statement that the incident occurred at around 3 pm when armed militants attacked the CRPF post located at the Jakuradhor and Borobekra Police Station, located nearby . “The security forces retaliated strongly Due . to the attack, one CRPF constable namely Sanjeev Kumar sustained bullet injury and has been evacuated to Silchar Medical College, Assam and is under treatment,” the statement said. It added that the CRPF and civil police personnel fiercely retaliated and the situation was brought under control after 40-45 minutes of heavy exchange of fire. Police said they searched the whole area after the firing ceased and found the bodies of 10 militants along with arms and ammunition. The weapons recovered included three AK series rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles, one RPG, one Pump Action Gun besides bulletproof helmets and magazines. “Accordingly a criminal case has been regis, tered and is being investigated into. Operations in and around Jakuradhor, under Borobekra Police Station, Jiribam District continued to flush out armed militants. Reinforcement teams consisting of Assam Rifles, CRPF and Civil Police have been rushed there,” the statement added. Reacting to the gunfight, the Kuki-Zo Council said its ‘volunteers’ were killed and announced a total shutdown on Tuesday — from 5 am to 6 pm. It said the protest is “in honor of the victims and to express our collective grief and solidarity who were brutally shot dead”. In a statement, the Council demanded an immediate and thorough investigation “to bring the perpetrators to justice”. CURFEW IMPOSED Following the incident, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS were imposed in the area. An order issued by the district magistrate said prohibitory orders were clamped due to “apprehension of widespread disturbance to peace and public tranquility or a riot or any affray in the area” We condemn in the strongest terms the violence and call for thorough investigations to bring perpetrators to justice Kuki-Zo Council TEAM TRUMP President-elect Trump said he was bringing back hardline immigration official Tom Homan to oversee borders in the incoming administration. He also named his longtime advisor Stephen Miller to be the deputy chief of policy | P9 POLL HEAT Uddhav fumes as ECI officials inspect his bag, personal stuff S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai SHIV Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday trained his guns on the Election Commission of India (ECI) claiming its officials are selectively targeting opposition leaders. He said his bags and personal belongings were searched when he arrived in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal to campaign for the November 20 assembly elections. Thackeray wondered if the poll body personnel would likewise inspect the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis . Disclosing this incident at a rally at Wani Thackeray asked his party workers to check the identity cards of the searching ECI officials and search their pockets as well. According to a video footage of the incident shared by his party, when ECI officers approached him for search, Thackeray first asked them to introduce themselves and then fired a volley of questions. “The way you inspected my bag, did you inspect the bags of Modi and Shah?” he asked. He further wanted to know if the bags of Shinde and his deputies Ajit Pawar and Fadnavis will also be checked. “All these useless things are going on. I don’t consider it democratic. In a democracy no , one is big or small,” he said, adding that the voters also have the right to check the bags of the leaders of ruling parties. Clarifying that he has nothing against the ECI officials, he said: “You are following your responsibility and I will perform my responsibility P8 .” EXPRESS READ DTC staff plan indefinite strike from November 13 Was framed on false charges: RG Kar accused ‘Antariksha Abhyas’ to tighten space security EAM bats for steps to cut Russia trade imbalances Public bus service is likely to be hit from November 13 as DTC employees will begin an indefinite strike demanding regularisation of contractual staff, timely disbursal of salary and specified duty hours among others. | P3 Sanjoy Roy, the prime accused in the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar hospital, on Monday accused former police commissioner Vineet Goyal and deputy commissioner (central) of framing him on false charges. A first of its kind exercise, ‘Antariksha Abhyas — 2024’, began in New Delhi on Monday to help secure national strategic objectives in space and integrate the country’s space capability in military operations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called for “urgent” measures to address the issue of widening trade deficit between India and Russia. The high trade deficit is mainly on account crude imports. REFINERY FIRE Smoke fills the sky after an explosion at an IOCL refinery in Vadodara on Monday | PTI | P8 A 32-yr-old worker killed in the fire in a benzene storage tank triggered by a blast in the refinery The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained while the operations at the refinery are normal COP29 OPENS India must adopt more robust multi-hazard early warning system: WMO chief SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA EXPRESS IN BAKU I NDIA has to enhance its meteorological infrastructure and adopt a more robust multi-hazard early warning system to avoid loss of lives and minimise the impact of climate change, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-Gen- eral Celeste Saulo told this newspaper on Monday . The WMO State of the Climate 2024 was released during the United National Climate Conference (COP29), which began in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier in the day. The report issued a red alert as 2024 is on the track to be the warmest year on record. From January to September this year, the average global temperature was 1.54°C above pre-industrial level. However, seen from a long-term perspective, the average warming is below 1.5°C. Saulo said WMO works very closely with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), whose Director General of Meteorology Mrutyunjay Mohapatra is one of the three vicepresidents of WMO. “India is very active and making good investments to enhance meteorological services. But, India being such a large country, there is a lot of scope for improvement. Especially in bring, Celeste Saulo, World Meteorological Organization secretary-general, speaks during a session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit on Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan | AP ing the Met services into the value chain. Active engagement between the Met department and other ministries like agriculture, health and disaster management is vital,” she told this newspaper on the sidelines of the WMO presser. When asked about events like the Wayanad landslide disaster, which killed over 400 people, the WMO chief said this is where multi-hazard early warning system will come in handy “There are many things . happening at the same time. We need to analyse and react in a holistic way We need the Met . services as well as other agencies to work closely so as to understand the risks.” India is also facing a serious threat of sea level rise, given its its long coastline and dense population near the coasts. Saulo said, in March, the WMO will release a more detailed report, which would look at the region-wise impact due to sea CONTINUED ON P9 level rise.