We are beyond CAG’s jurisdiction: discoms

A Division Bench of the High Court, while allowing the writ petitions of discoms challenging the Delhi government’s decision to get their accounts audited by CAG, said: “Such populist measures, without considering the ultimate advantage thereof, not only end up being contrary to public interest but also put unnecessary burden on the courts.”

The Bench said once by law a regulatory body, Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, had been constituted with the powers to audit the accounts of discoms, there could be no other audit at the instance of the government. Setting aside the government’s order of January 7, 2014, the court ruled that the CAG’s audit process carried out so far as well as its draft report would have no bearing any more.

In their writ petitions, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited and BSES Yamuna Power Limited had challenged the AAP government’s decision with the contention that they were not the government entities and were beyond the CAG’s jurisdiction in their capacity as private companies. The discoms also raised a plea that the Delhi government had violated the principles of natural justice and failed to give them preliminary hearing. The Court also dismissed a public interest litigation moved by a non-government organisation, United RWAs Joint Action (URJA), which had sought an audit of the discoms’ accounts by the CAG.

The AAP government had ordered CAG audit of the three discoms amid allegations that they had shown inflated expenses. The government argued before the court that the discoms, working as joint venture between private companies and the government in the ratio of 51:49, were discharging public function.

The CAG in its draft report had reportedly indicted the discoms for allegedly inflating dues from consumers to the tune of a whopping Rs. 8,000 crore, besides committing other irregularities, including suppressing knowledge of revenue earnings in August this year. Even though the court disagreed with the discoms’ contention that since they were not State entities, they could not be subjected to CAG audit, it affirmed that what was sought to be achieved by the government could have very well been achieved by invoking the powers of DERC under the Reforms Act and under the terms and conditions of the licence issued to the discoms.

“Audit...for determination of tariff is not expedient in public interest as it is in the sole domain of DERC, which is well empowered to itself conduct the same. The report of CAG of audit of discoms has no place in the regulatory regime brought about by the Electricity Act and the Reforms Act,” said the Bench.

“We, thus, hold that once a specialised body (DERC) constituted by law has been created to determine a particular issue, the said issue is no longer open for adjudication in another fora,” the court added while dismissing the PIL filed by URJA.

The court also held that though the proposal for audit given to the discoms by the Delhi government could not be faulted on the ground of insufficiency of time to represent against it, it was not reasonable as it was given without disclosing the public interest and before finalisation of audit terms and conditions with the CAG.

The CAG in its draft report had reportedly indicted the discoms for allegedly inflating dues from consumers to the tune of a whopping Rs. 8,000 crore

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The toxic blend that pollutes Delhi

 

In this file photo, a truck belches out smoke as it drives past a car in New Delhi. —PHOTO: AP

Delhi is one of the largest population centres in the world.

Delhi, the world’s most polluted city, suffers a toxic blend of geography, growth, poor energy sources and unfavourable weather that boosts its dangerously high levels of air pollution, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.

A team of researchers led by the University of Surrey in U.K. assessed how Delhi’s landscape, weather, energy consumption culture, and growing urban population combine to elevate concentrations of air pollutants, including ultra-fine particles, the most harmful to human health.

Top 10 health risks

“Air pollution has been placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally. Delhi has the dubious accolade of being regularly cited as the most polluted city in the world, with air pollution causing thousands of excess deaths in a year in this growing megacity,” said Prashant Kumar of the University of Surrey.

“While it might be easy to blame this on increased use of vehicles, industrial production or a growing population, the truth is that Delhi is a toxic pollutant punchbowl with myriad ingredients, all of which need addressing in the round,” said Dr. Kumar.

Delhi is one of the largest population centres in the world. Classed as the world’s fifth ‘megacity,’ it has a population of 25.8 million, which continues to grow. With this growth, the study predicted that the number of road vehicles will increase from 4.7 million in 2010 to nearly 26 million by 2030. The total energy consumption in Delhi has risen 57 per cent from 2001 to 2011, researchers said.

As a landlocked megacity, Delhi has limited avenues for flushing polluted air out of the city. Coastal megacities such as Mumbai have at least a chance to ‘replace’ polluted air with relatively unpolluted sea breezes, whereas Delhi’s surrounding regions are sometimes even more polluted than the city.

For example, most of the brick kilns are not located in the city, but in predominantly upwind surrounding industrial areas, researchers said. These outside pollutants can be attributed to use of low-quality fuels such as raw wood, agricultural and plastic waste in industrial settings, cow dung for cooking stoves and widespread use of diesel generators due to unreliable infrastructure. These sources release fine particle pollutants, the most dangerous to human health. In Delhi, fine particle pollution rates are ten times higher than in Chennai, which has ten times more cars but is coastally located, without the surrounding industrial areas.

Coupled with Delhi’s densely packed architecture and varying building heights, the ‘breathability’ of the city is inhibited by its weather conditions.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released in May last year, Delhi was ranked as the most polluted city in the world.

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Modi pays tribute to Sardar Patel, flags off 'Run for Unity'

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  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Members of Parliament pay floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the occassion of his 140th birth anniversary at the Central Hall of Parliament. Photo: V. Sudershan.
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  "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's ideology and heritage cannot be forgotten," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Nearly 15,000 people ran the distance between Vijay Chowk and India Gate on Rajpath as part of the ‘Run for Unity’ on the occasion of 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The day is being celebrated as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ (National Unity Day).

The run was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at around 8.15 a.m. on Saturday and present on the dais with him were Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung. Before flagging off the run, Mr. Modi offered floral tributes at Sardar Patel’s statue at Patel Chowk in Delhi’s Parliament Street.

A new scheme

Addressing the huge gathering, Mr. Modi said the government is planning to start a scheme ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’, for which a small committee has been formed. He said that once implemented, it will help states recognising and learning about the culture and language of another state, giving the example of Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

Pays tribute to Sardar Patel

“I bow to Sardar Patel. May his blessings always be with the nation and inspire us to scale newer heights,” he said.

He also pointed out that Sardar Patel was the biggest inspiration against ‘Parivarvaad and bhaibhatijavaad’ (dynastic rule and nepotism) as none of his family members are linked to his legacy.

Mr. Modi also mentioned that Sardar Patel had started a ‘Swachchta Abhiyaan’ that went on for 222 days and the effort was appreciated by Mahatma Gandhi. He said that after Chanakya, it was Sardar Patel who strung India together with unity. “Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's ideology and heritage cannot be forgotten. He contributed immensely to India's unity,” Mr. Modi said.

Mr. Modi also paid his tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary. October 31 is observed as National Integration Day.

Most roads leading to the venue were closed from early in the morning, for which the Delhi Traffic Police had already issued an advisory. Thousands of participants, many wearing t-shirts with Sardar Patel’s picture on it, ran the nearly 2.5 km long distance. The participants included school and college students, government officials, personnel of paramilitary forces, school teachers etc. People had also come from as far as Gurgaon and even Sonepat in Haryana to take part in the event.

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Not liable to pay property tax to Delhi govt: DDA

Hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s full page letter to the common man appeared in a national daily on Friday, appealing to the Delhi Development Authority to pay Rs.1,500 crore property tax due to the fund-starved civic bodies, the land agency issued a statement denying the claims while maintaining that it will take a step only after the High Court order on November 19.

Mr. Kejriwal stated in the letter that while the Delhi government has paid its dues to the three corporations, the DDA has not done so. He urged the Centre to make sure the land agency makes the payment in time so that the safai karamcharis on strike can resume duty.

The DDA said in a statement that it has, through a semi-official letter to the Delhi Chief Secretary, informed that as DDA lands are Union lands, it does not make the agency liable to pay property taxes to the municipal corporations on such lands. It also maintained that the Delhi High Court is seized of the matter, which will come up for hearing on November 19 and the agency will follow the court’s order.

“The DDA also clarified that in respect of properties [permanent office buildings, staff quarters and rented properties], where property tax is due to the corporations, the DDA has been paying such tax regularly. To date, the DDA has paid Rs.328.26 crore to the corporations on this account. The DDA also pointed out that the corporations owe it Rs.500 crore on account of reimbursement of maintenance charges incurred by the DDA in respect of various colonies since around 2004, as such maintenance jobs are the responsibility of the corporations and not the DDA,” it added. About five days back, Mr. Kejriwal had written to Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, who is also the chairman of the DDA, to direct the civic agency to immediately clear its dues running up to Rs.1,500 crore to the municipal corporations of Delhi, which are facing financial crisis.

Then too, the DDA had junked the claims and asserted that it was the corporations that were liable to pay charges for maintaining parks and colonies.

The DDA claims that once it develops any colony, the same is handed over to the corporations for maintenance, but the corporations refuse to take them over forcing the land agency to maintain it and incur expenses.

In a late night development on Friday, Mr. Kejriwal directed the Chief Secretary to immediately convene a joint meeting of the DDA and Commissioners of three corporations after the DDA, in a letter to Delhi government, admitted that it owes service charges to the civic bodies, the amount of which can be mutually worked out

The DDA said as its lands are Union lands it does not make the agency liable to pay property taxes to the civic bodies on such lands

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Potential trouble in mosque thwarted by the elderly

The Hindu

A view of the Shahgul mosque in Sadar Bazaar. A senior police officer said all angles including the possibility of a planned conspiracy to trigger a riot were being probed. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

An empty liquor bottle was allegedly thrown inside a North Delhi mosque during Friday prayers, causing tension. However, restraint shown by the Namazis ensured that the situation remained peaceful.

Those present at Masjid Shahgul in Sadar Bazar at the time of the incident said that there were a large number of devotees at that point of time and an instant appeal for calm by the elderly managed to pacify those enraged. The matter was reported to the police soon after.

Recounting the incident, Zuheb who was also performing the prayer said as soon as the prayers started and the Namazis had occupied their slots in three different floors including the open area on the ground floor, an empty liquor bottle landed from one of the bordering multi-storeyed buildings and shattered taking everyone by surprise. No one was, however, injured.

A senior police officer said all angles including the possibility of a planned conspiracy with an attempt to trigger a riot were being probed.

Mohammad Naqim, who lives in the mosque, told The Hindu the timing makes him suspicious. Mr. Naqim’s uncle Javed is the general secretary of a committee managing it.

“Friday is the day when we hold the congregational prayers. Even within the day, afternoon prayers are the ones for which maximum number of Namazis come. The main prayer area was the target and it is a well-known fact that liquor is forbidden in Islam,” he said, explaining the grounds his suspicion was based on.

A police team, including senior officers from North District, visited the spot and assured the community members that investigations would be carried out and security will be provided for next week’s Friday prayers, they said.

According to the police, no case has been registered so far, but security has been beefed up.

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Now Satyendra Jain, L-G trade allegations

Updated: October 31, 2015 07:39 IST

Alleges “pressure” by L-G to grant parole to ex-Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala

Minister for Home Satyendra Jain on Friday formally complained to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about being “pressured” by Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung to grant parole to incarcerated Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala.

This, even as the Delhi government picked holes in a press statement from Raj Niwas on the topic accusing Mr. Jung of hiding facts and levelling “incorrect allegations” against it regarding the said application in addition to a request filed on behalf of the 84-year-old former Haryana Chief Minister to be moved to a prison facility in that State and rejected the allegation that Mr. Jain had sought the dropping of criminal charges against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators, including Mr. Kejriwal.

“Since October 21, when Mr. Jung summoned Mr. Jain for what he sought to portray as an ‘official matter of significance’, we have consistently maintained that the Delhi Home Minister was not only subjected to pressure by the L-G but even threatened to do his bidding and continue to do so,” said a senior government official.

A day later, The Hindu had reported on the episode during which, according to the government, Mr. Jung is alleged to have “asked Mr. Jain to look the other way in relation to the Prison Manual” so as to grant parole to Chautala, who is currently undergoing a decade-long stint behind bars at West Delhi’s Tihar Jail after being convicted in a scandal involving recruitment of Junior Basic Teachers (JBT) in Haryana, on account of his “advanced age”.

In response to Mr. Jung, according to the government official, Mr. Jain argued against the move citing Prison Rules, the gravity of the charges against Chautala and the fact that the government had already rejected a similar plea on behalf of Chautala earlier this year, “but to no avail”.

On Friday, the government questioned how Mr. Jung was privy to Chautala’s bail application well a week in advance of a file related to it having been moved to Raj Niwas from the Chief Minister’s Office.

“According to the latest press release issued by the office of the honourable L-G, it has been now admitted that he did mention to Mr. Jain about the pending parole request of Chautala on October 21. However, the question that has not been answered is how did he know that another parole application had been filed by him when the file had not even reached him?” the government said in a statement.

In response to the L-G’s allegation that Mr. Jain had sought the dropping of compoundable criminal cases against AAP MLAs, the government not only claimed that it was false but also pointed out that the very committee empowered to take decisions to this effect had, as per procedure, remained out of the purview of politicians since 2008.

L-G is alleged to have “asked Satyendra Jain to look the other way in relation to the Prison Manual” so as to grant parole to Chautala, who is in Tihar Jail after being convicted in a scandal involving recruitment of Junior Basic Teachers in Haryana, on account of his “advanced age”

Compoundable cases against political leaders or activists are never withdrawn on executive orders, but through a screening committee comprising only members of the bureaucracy

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This Halloween, are you game for ‘Vampire’s blood’?

If you head out tonight and bump into the devil, or think you saw a ghost drive past, don’t rub your eyes.

You probably did see right as youngsters in the city, cheered on by restaurants, are planning to dress up in the wildest of costumes and head out to Halloween parties.

From allowing only those in costumes to enter bars and working on the presentation of food by coming up with spooky themes, it promises to be a night where nobody will give you a second look if you walk up to the bar and order for some ‘Vampire’s Blood’.

While lavish buffets and food courts at malls are making an attempt to create an environment where children have fun, it is the bars in town that are pulling out all the stops to get people to do something out of the ordinary.

Varsha Malik says: “Last year, I walked up and down the street at Hauz Khas Village with a long tail. I thought I would attract a lot of attention, but I was surprised to see how many people had dressed up for the occasion and I fit right in. I could not believe that I was in Delhi and people had put in effort to choose costumes. It was not just about wearing devil horns and makeup. People actually took the trouble to style themselves. It was a visual treat.”

This year, Varsha says, she will dress as a “self-styled godwoman”.

Even the Embassy of Mexico, where Halloween is the first day of the Mexican Day of the Dead, has joined in for some fun.

The embassy is helping the Piano Man Jazz Club turn into a giant ‘dead-themed bar’.

Monkey Bar in Vasant Kunj plans to be the spookiest place in town with visitors getting an opportunity to party among tombstones, spider webs, fog and glowing pumpkins.

Hang Out in Saket, meanwhile, will offer kids a chance to savor uncanny dishes prepared specially for Halloween and get spooked at the 3D/4D theatre.

Many places are also offering prizes to those who are the best dressed and have come up with innovative names for drinks and dishes. Event organisers are also organising Halloween crawls in HKV and Connaught Place and participants will go from one venue to another to sample all the parties.

In fact, makeup artist Lavanya Kumari said a group of college children had fixed an appointment with her, asking her to dress them up for their night crawl.

According to her, Halloween bookings have become a regular affair in the past few years.

Lavish buffets and food courts at malls are making an attempt to create an environment where children have fun, while it is the bars in town that are pulling

out all the stops to get people to do something out of the ordinary

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Zubin charms Delhi with a baton

PTI

Maestro Zubin Mehta with soprano Greta Bradman, granddaughter of Australian cricket legend Sir Don Bradman, in New Delhi on Friday.

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Delhiites were treated to a mesmerizing evening of western classical music as maestro Zubin Mehta took to the stage to conduct the Australian World Orchestra, which was joined by soprano Greta Bradman (granddaughter of cricketer Don Bradman) at a concert held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday evening. A second performance will follow on Saturday evening.

The concert was the first among various cultural exchanges arising from the Memorandum of Understanding on Arts and Culture that India and Australia signed last year.

Speaking before the concert, Zubin said that he was happy to be back in Delhi after 10 years with a world-class orchestra that comprised 90 superb musicians. But he said that he was upset to learn that the national Capital did not have a concert hall to enjoy the “mystical” performance, and a stadium (the Weightlifting stadium) had to be converted into a hall. “Indians have achieved tremendous success across the world and the country is rising like a rocket, but it is a shame that there is no proper concert hall that can be used for western as well as Indian classical music.” Listening to this, Minister for Tourism and Culture Kapil Mishra said they would definitely take up the suggestion and build a concert hall in Delhi.

Responding to a question about intellectuals and artists returning State awards, Zubin called it a major movement. But he did add that he failed to understand why the awards were being returned. He said that he would like to speak to some of them and understand why they were doing so. “I respect them for what they are doing since they are intellectuals. On the other hand, I read what the government ministers are saying. I think both parties should meet and talk about their grievances. There should not be a gap inCOMMUNICATION,” Zubin said.

Speaking about how music can build bridges between India and Pakistan, he said he had conducted concerts in many areas of conflict and seen the power it wields in getting two conflicting sides to forget the difference and smile, even if it is for a while. “It may not alter history, but I wait for the day I can go, maybe with an Indian orchestra, and play in Pakistan and do something symbolic,” Zubin said.

The exchange will continue next year with the Indian government organising a Festival of India in Australia, which will provide the Australian audience an opportunity to engage in the best of classical and contemporary Indian culture.

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World Of Magic for feature event

World Of Magic may score in the Ettukudi Plate (1,000m), the feature event of the races to be held here on Saturday (Oct. 31).

MADURAI PLATE (Div. I), (1,000m), maiden 2-y-o only (Terms), 1-00 p.m.: 1. Classic Solitaire (2) Ross 55, 2. Power Of Liberty (1) Shahar Babu 55, 3. Silver Medallion (7) Rajendra Singh 55, 4. Supreme Asset (3) Kabdhar 55, 5. Crown Of Stars (4) Prem 53.5, 6. Ever So Special (6) N. Rupa 53.5 and 7. Song To Remember (5) M. Venkatesh 53.5.

1. Silver Medallion, 2. Ever So Special, 3. Supreme Asset

MADURAI PLATE (Div. II), (1,000m), maiden 2-y-o only (Terms), 1-30: 1. King Dazzler (2) Prem 55, 2. Regimental Hero (6) Rajendra Singh 55, 3. Spartacus Supreme (4) Ross 55, 4. Gift Of Knowledge (3) N. Murugan 53.5, 5. Queen Of Queens (7) N. Rupa 53.5, 6. Splash Of Love (1) Kabdhar 53.5 and 7. Star Destination (5) M. Venkatesh 53.5.

1. King Dazzler, 2. Regimental Hero, 3. Queen Of Queens

ETTUKUDI PLATE (1,000m), rated 80 & above, 2-00: 1. Sky's The Limit (1) Venkatesan 60, 2. Blushing Romeo (4) Babul 59, 3. Exclusive Dancer (3) Rajendra Singh 59, 4. Flames Of Desire (5) Prem 59, 5. Flash Of Genius (2) M. Venkatesh 59 and 6. World Of Magic (6) Ross 59.

1. World Of Magic,

2. Blushing Romeo

MALWA STUD PLATE (1,200m), rated 40 to 65, 2-30: 1. Master Act (3) Bopanna 61.5, 2. Classy Lassy (9) M. Venkatesh 60.5, 3. Apache Summit (2) Venkatesan 60, 4. Compromise (6) Ross 56.5, 5. Majesterian (7) Rajendra Singh 56, 6. Her Royal Empress (10) Kabdhar 55, 7. Phoenix Force (8) N. Rupa 53.5, 8. The Ministerian (5) Prem 52.5, 9. Appalache (4) K.V. Baskar 51, 10. Steely Dan (1) Anzar Alam 50.5, 11. Theology (11) Manikandan 50.5 and 12. Admiral (12) N. Murugan 50.

1. Majesterian, 2. Classy Lassy, 3. Phoenix Force

BOBBILI CUP (1,000m), 3-y-o only, which have won three or more races are only eligible (Terms), 3-00: 1. Baratheon (1) Babul 62.5, 2. Razzle Tazzle (5) Rajendra Singh 62.5, 3. Call Me Classy (4) Ross 61, 4. Flash Of Elegance (2) M. Venkatesh 61 and 5. Princess Empress (3) N. Rupa 61.

1. Princess Empress,

2. Call Me Classy

RATHANAGIRI PLATE (1,000m), rated 60 to 85, 3-30: 1. Supreme Regime (9) Md. Hesnain 62.5, 2. Forest Flair (7) N. Rupa 60, 3. Hall Of Glory (4) C.A. Brisson 60, 4. Sweety Girl (8) Hari Krishnan 55, 5. Rajsamman (3) Bopanna 53, 6. Lady Pimpernel (1) Prem 52, 7. Speedy Girl (2) Kabdhar 51, 8. Alerio (6) Shahar Babu 50, 9. Star Craft (10) Noorshed Alam 50 and 10. Transonic (5) Tanveer Alam 50.

1. Hall Of Glory,

2. Forest Flair, 3. Star Craft

CHEPAUK PLATE (Div. I), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45, 4-00: 1. Maracana (16) Stephen Raj 60, 2. Front Line (4) Anzar Alam 59, 3. Trump Card (1) S. Manohar 58.5, 4. No One Like Me (7) K. V. Baskar 57.5, 5. Chamak Challo (17) Sham Kumar 55, 6. Schumii (11) Manikandan 54.5, 7. She's No Angel (5) C. Murugan 54.5, 8. Ancient Warrior (14) S.S. Azad 54, 9. Fantastic Strike (9) Md. Hesnain 54, 10. Prince Vailiant (3) C.A. Brisson 53, 11. Pride N Glory (15) Kabdhar 52.5, 12. Bernabeu (8) Mukesh Kumar 51.5, 13. Aflame (6) Hari Krishnan 50.5, 14. Aviator (12) N. Murugan 50, 15. Colourful Prince (10) Noorshed Alam 50, 16. Emerald Star (13) M. Venkatesh 50, 17. Patriotic (2) Shahar Babu 50 and 18. Sweet N Smart (18) Tanveer Alam 50.

1. Pride And Glory, 2. Sweet N Smart, 3. Prince Vailiant

CHEPAUK PLATE (Div. II), (1,200m), rated 20 to 45, 4-30: 1. Flash Dance (16) Ayaz Ahmed 60, 2. News Wings (18) C. Murugan 58, 3. Ashwa Prayag (10) S.S. Azad 55, 4. Establish Predator (9) Anzar Alam 54.5, 5. Samburu (6) K.V. Baskar 54.5, 6. Touch And Go (15) Manikandan 54.5, 7. The Phenomena (8) Zulquar Nain 54, 8. Always A Dot (14) Stephen Raj 53.5, 9. Dancing Duke (3) Md. Hesnain 53, 10. Star Excelsior (12) C.A. Brisson 53, 11. Baby Darling (5) S. Manohar 52.5, 12. Secret Weapon (11) B. Ananda 51.5, 13. Ashwa Prajot (13) Kabdhar 51, 14. Bourbon Rock (4) Tanveer Alam 50.5, 15. Indispensable (7) N. Murugan 50.5, 16. Mars (2) Shahar Babu 50.5, 17. Pride Of The Hills (17) N. Rupa 50.5 and 18. Splendid Light (1) Noorshed Alam 50.5.

1. Splendid Light, 2. Ashwa Prajot, 3. Pride Of The Hills

KRISHNA PLATE (1,000m), rated 00 to 25, 5-00: 1. Casanova (3) Zulquar Nain 62.5, 2. Starstatus (7) Anzar Alam 62, 3. Two Oceans (8) Mainikandan 61.5, 4. Deck Of Cards (14) C. Murugan 61, 5. Domain Anna (12) Shahar Babu 61, 6. Entertainer (18) Kalyan Singh 60.5, 7. Legendary Warrior (1) K.V. Baskar 60.5, 8. Royal Turn (5) N. Murugan 60.5, 9. Specialist (15) Sham Kumar 59.5, 10. Boogie Woogie (11) Tanveer Alam 59, 11. Christmas Cake (16) Md. Farhan Alam 58.5, 12. I Love You (17) S. Manohar 58.5, 13. Blazing Berry (9) Akbar 58, 14. Land Of Kings (2) B. Ananda 58, 15. Saphira (4) Bopanna 57.5, 16. Morals (10) Noorshed Alam 55, 17. King Of Rhythm (13) Md. Hesnain 54.5 and 18. Capable Guest (6) Md. Shoaib Alam 54.

1. Starstatus, 2. Legendary Warrior, 3. Royal Turn

Jkt: 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9; Mini Jkt: 6, 7, 8 & 9; Tr: 7, 8 & 9.

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Rajat Paliwal struck his eighth Ranji Trophycentury

GOING STRONG:Rajat Paliwal's resolve to convert good starts helped him this time against Saurashtra.– File Photo

Rajat Paliwal struck his eighth Ranji Trophycentury to enable Services score 254 in its first innings on the opening day of the Group C match against Saurashtra at the Palam ground here on Friday.

Saurashtra, 19 for no loss from 10 overs, was well served by seamers Jaydev Unadkat (six for 80) and Saurya Sanandiya (three for 62) after the visiting side opted to bowl.

Paliwal, 23, has been Services’ principal run-getter since his debut four years ago. He had warmed up this season with scores of 92 against Goa and 70 against Jammu & Kashmir.

“I had missed those hundreds and was keen not to mess it up today. I was fortunate to have the company of Yashpal (Singh) who guided me during a crucial phase,” said Paliwal.

Coming together at 59 for three, Paliwal and Yashpal (55 not out, 155b, 7x4) added 112 runs for the fourth wicket before the former was caught in the slips when attempting a cut.

His 121 was compiled off 142 balls with 19 fours and a six.

THE SCORES:

SERVICES — 1ST INNINGS: Anshul Gupta b Sanandiya 1, Soumik Chatterjee c Aarpit Vasavada b Sanandiya 16, Ravi Chauhan c Sagar Jogiyani b Unadkat 5, Rajat Paliwal c Vasavada b Unadkat 121, Yashpal Singh (not out) 55, Vikas Hathwala c Avi Barot b Unadkat 7, Shashank Sharma c Jogiyani b Unadkat 11, M. Khalid Ahmed c Mohsin Dodia b Unadkat 16, Shadab Nazar lbw b Unadkat 0, Raushan Raj lbw b Sanandiya 1, Diwesh Pathania c Punia b Makwana 4; Extras (b-1, lb-10, nb-4, w-2): 17; Total (in 69.1 overs): 254.

FALL-OF-WICKETS: 1-3, 2-8, 3-59, 4-171, 5-183, 6-199, 7-219, 8-219, 9-226.

SAURASHTRA BOWLING: Jaydev Unadkat 23-4-80-6, Saurya Sanandiya 17-0-62-3, D.S. Punia 7-1-30-0, Ravindra Jadeja 9-2-29-0, Kamlesh Makwana 3.1-0-14-1.

SAURASHTRA — 1ST INNINGS: Mohsin Dodia (batting) 5, Avi Barot (batting) 14; Total (for no loss in 10 overs): 19.

SERVICES BOWLING: Pathania 5-3-10-0, Nazar 4-2-5-0, Raj 1-0-4-0.

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Paliwal hits century

GOING STRONG:Rajat Paliwal's resolve to convert good starts helped him this time against Saurashtra.– File Photo

Rajat Paliwal struck his eighth Ranji Trophycentury to enable Services score 254 in its first innings on the opening day of the Group C match against Saurashtra at the Palam ground here on Friday.

Saurashtra, 19 for no loss from 10 overs, was well served by seamers Jaydev Unadkat (six for 80) and Saurya Sanandiya (three for 62) after the visiting side opted to bowl.

Paliwal, 23, has been Services’ principal run-getter since his debut four years ago. He had warmed up this season with scores of 92 against Goa and 70 against Jammu & Kashmir.

“I had missed those hundreds and was keen not to mess it up today. I was fortunate to have the company of Yashpal (Singh) who guided me during a crucial phase,” said Paliwal.

Coming together at 59 for three, Paliwal and Yashpal (55 not out, 155b, 7x4) added 112 runs for the fourth wicket before the former was caught in the slips when attempting a cut.

His 121 was compiled off 142 balls with 19 fours and a six.

THE SCORES:

SERVICES — 1ST INNINGS: Anshul Gupta b Sanandiya 1, Soumik Chatterjee c Aarpit Vasavada b Sanandiya 16, Ravi Chauhan c Sagar Jogiyani b Unadkat 5, Rajat Paliwal c Vasavada b Unadkat 121, Yashpal Singh (not out) 55, Vikas Hathwala c Avi Barot b Unadkat 7, Shashank Sharma c Jogiyani b Unadkat 11, M. Khalid Ahmed c Mohsin Dodia b Unadkat 16, Shadab Nazar lbw b Unadkat 0, Raushan Raj lbw b Sanandiya 1, Diwesh Pathania c Punia b Makwana 4; Extras (b-1, lb-10, nb-4, w-2): 17; Total (in 69.1 overs): 254.

FALL-OF-WICKETS: 1-3, 2-8, 3-59, 4-171, 5-183, 6-199, 7-219, 8-219, 9-226.

SAURASHTRA BOWLING: Jaydev Unadkat 23-4-80-6, Saurya Sanandiya 17-0-62-3, D.S. Punia 7-1-30-0, Ravindra Jadeja 9-2-29-0, Kamlesh Makwana 3.1-0-14-1.

SAURASHTRA — 1ST INNINGS: Mohsin Dodia (batting) 5, Avi Barot (batting) 14; Total (for no loss in 10 overs): 19.

SERVICES BOWLING: Pathania 5-3-10-0, Nazar 4-2-5-0, Raj 1-0-4-0.

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'Surprised’ Bhambri beats Ward

TENNIS / Granollers-Menendez-Maceiras duo wins title

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and Gerard Granollers came back from a set down to beat Divij Sharan and Maximilian Neuchrist.— PHOTO: N. SUDARSHAN

The transition from the junior to the senior tour in tennis is akin to that of a caterpillar into a butterfly. It’s a time for growth. Ever since Yuki Bhambri won the junior Australian Open in 2009, he has been in this stage of metamorphosis.

Friday’s straight-set win over James Ward, which sent him into the final of the $50,000 KPIT ATP Challenger, will give him a chance to define another reference point in that journey.

The top seed beat the 28-year-old Brit 7-6(6), 6-3 to set up a Saturday evening meeting with Russian World No. 100 Evgeny Donskoy, who beat compatriot Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

After his quarterfinal victory over Ti Chen, Bhambri had confessed his inability to keep up consistently high levels of play and was even a tad surprised as to how “he was still in the tournament”.

Against Ward too he had such phases. Presented with multiple break-point opportunities in the very first game and then in the fifth, he squandered all. After having been up 5-1 and then 6-2 in the first set tie-breaker he let the Brit claw his way back and only won 8-6.

However, as he pointed out later, he never let them slip out of hand.

“I came back very quickly,” he said. “He was hitting close to two aces a game. He tried to shorten points; he sliced, hit drop shots. But it was one of the better matches I played.”

After having taken the first set, Bhambri went ahead 4-1 in the second. In his three service games, he lost just two points. Ward too wasn’t as consistent as he would have liked to. He was constantly moved around by Bhambri so that he got less time to unleash the murderous forehand of his.

He struggled with his concentration also. Twice he remonstrated with the umpire about the crowd making a noise mid-point and even asked them if they could “shut up”.

Even amidst this, he managed to get back on serve at 3-4, before three backhand errors in the very next game handed Bhambri the advantage again. The 23-year-old Indian finished off the match by redirecting a fierce return down the line for a forehand winner.

Earlier in the doubles final, the Spanish duo of Gerard Granollers and Adrian Menendez-Maceiras came back from a set down to beat the Indo-Austrian pair of Divij Sharan and Maximilian Neuchrist 1-6, 6-3, 10-6.

After being neck and neck for most part, a streak of five straight points early in the 10-point match tie-breaker swung the match for the Spaniards.

THE RESULTS:

SEMIFINALS: Yuki Bhambri bt James Ward (GBR) 7-6(6), 6-3; Evgeny Donskoy (Rus) bt Alexander Kudryavtsev (Rus) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

DOUBLES: FINAL: Gerard Granollers & Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (Esp) bt Divij Sharan & Maximilian Neuchrist (Aut) 1-6, 6-3, [10-6].

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Rathore takes top two spots

MS Rathore won both the first and second positions, astride Lancelot and Savanah respectively, ahead of Sehaj Virk on Christy, in the World Dressage Challenge, judged by Carlos Lucas Lopes and Freddy Leyman, at the Army Equestrian Centre (Delhi Cantonment) on Friday.

The elimination rounds had witnessed 90 prominent riders on October 25 and 26.

The top 40 had qualified for the final stage.

THE RESULTS: Advance dressage: 1. MS Rathore (Lancelot), 2. MS Rathore (Savanah), 3. Sehaj Virk (Christy).

Medium dressage: 1. Rohit Dagar (Arjuna), 2. Mahbub Khan (Flirt), 3. Jitender Singh (Winner).

Elementary dressage: 1. Rajesh Pattu (Cleo), 2. Rohit Dagar (Arjuna), 3. Rakesh Kumar (Victory Lap), 4. Mahbub Khan (Dancer).

Senior preliminary dressage: 1. Girdhari Singh (Aryan), 2. Rajesh Pattu (Gabbar), 3. Pradeep Jindal (Henobal), 4. Sangram Singh (Suleman).

Children preliminary dressage: 1. Samarah K. Malaney (Cleo), 2. Anchita Puri (Sound), 3. Pranay Khare (Basanti), 4. Lakshya Dhingra (Taraka Power).

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Kyra moves into semifinals

Kyra Shroff beat Kassandra Davesne of France 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the $10,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in El Kantaoui (Tunisia).

In the semifinals, the 23-year-old Kyra will face third seed Yana Sizikova of Russia. The Indian made it to the doubles semifinals as well, partnering Daiana Negreanu of Romania.

Sasi Kumar Mukund was beaten in straight sets in the pre-quarterfinals of the $10,000 ITF Futures in Egypt.

In the ITF grade-4 junior tournament at Nonthaburi (Thailand), National junior champion Zeel Desai reached the singles final and won the doubles title along with Napharat Sawangkaew of Thailand.

The Indian boys — Vasisht Cheruku, Alex Solanki and B.R. Nikshep — lost early in the ITF grade-2 junior tournament at Incheon (Korea).

However, Nikshep and Christian Alvin Edison of Indonesia reached the doubles semifinals where they were beaten 10-8 by Yu Hsiou Hsu of Chinese Taipei and Vorachon Rakpuangchon of Thailand.

THE RESULTS:

$10,000 ITF women, El Kantaoui, Tunisia: Quarterfinals: Kyra Shroff bt Kassandra Davesne (Fra) 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles (quarterfinals): Daiana Negreanu (Rou) & Kyra Shroff bt Claudia Cianci (Por) & Hana Mraz (Slo) 6-1, 6-3.

$10,000 ITF men, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt: Pre-quarterfinals: Andrea Vavassori (Ita) bt Sasi Kumar Mukund 6-3, 6-4.

ITF grade-4 juniors, Nonthaburi, Thailand: Girls (semifinals): Zeel Desai bt Pichayatida Jandaeng (Tha) 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Doubles (final): Napharat Sawangkaew (Tha) & Zeel Desai bt Maia Bernadette Balce (Phi) & Viktoria Morvayova (Svk) 6-1, 4-6, 10-7.

ITF grade-2 juniors, Incheon, Korea: Boys doubles (semifinals): Yu Hsiou Hsu (Tpe) & Vorachon Rakpuangchon (Tha) bt Christian Alvin Edison (Ina) & B.R. Nikshep 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

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Sania and Hingis ease into the semifinals

The world’s top women’s pairing of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis continued its rampaging form and extended its monster winning streak to 20 matches in a row after reaching the semifinals of the WTA Finals here on Friday.

The top-seeded Indo-Swiss pair took just 90 minutes to get past the challenge of fourth-seeded Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-4, 7-5 in their final round-robin match and finish on top of their group with a 3-0 record.

By virtue of this win, Sania and Martina had avenged their loss to the same pair the last time they played in Rome this year.

Saina and Martina lifted their game just at the right time and made full use of the only two breaks of the match they got. They got break point opportunities at 4-all in the first set and 5-all in the second, and grabbed the chances.

Muguruza, Kvitova make it

Meanwhile in singles, Garbine Muguruza continued her dream debut by completing round robin playwith a perfect 3-0 record to advance to the semifinals after a hard fought 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Petra Kvitova.

By topping the White Group, the Spaniard set up a showdown against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska while Kvitova (1-2) received a huge boost from her Czech Fed Cup teammate Lucie Safarova (1-2), who beat Angelique Kerber to help her advance. Germany's Kerber (1-2) only needed to win a set in Friday’s second match to move on but the already-eliminated Safarova (1-2) found her best form of the week to blast the German off the court.

THE RESULTS: White Group: 2-Garbine Muguruza bt 4-Petra Kvitova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5; 8-Lucie Safarova bt 6-Angelique Kerber 6-4, 6-3.

Doubles: 1-Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza bt 4-Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 7-5. — Agencies

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