Adani row storms Parliament; Oppn demands JPC, SC-monitored probe

N EW DELHI, FEB 2 (AGENCIES/PTI): Opposition parties Thursday sought a debate in Parliament and a probe by a joint committee into the fraudallegation-triggered rout in Adani group company stocks, forcing adjournment of proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the pre-lunch session. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition parties also demanded that there should be day-to-day reporting of the Joint Parliament Committee (JPC) or the SC-monitored probe into the issue which concerns public money.

“Keeping public interest in mind, we want a thorough probe into the Adani issue either by a Joint Parliamentary Committee [JPC] or a Supreme Court-monitored Committee. There should also be day-to-day reporting of the investigation on the issue,” Kharge told reporters.

The Congress, Shiv Sena, the Left, Aam Aadmi Party and other opposition parties tried to raise in both Houses of Parliament the issue of allegations levelled by a US short seller against the Adani group and the subsequent mayhem on company stocks but were disallowed by the chair.

Unhappy with the ruling, they raised slogans, forcing the adjournment of

Adani crisis deepens as stock rout hits $108 billion

MUMBAI, FEB 2 (AGEN-

CIES): Gautam Adani’s businesses have lost $108 billion in a week, one of the biggest wipeouts in India’s history, after an explosive report by short-seller Hindenburg Research forced him to pull a stock sale and led some lenders to reject his securities as collateral for client trades, reports Bloomberg.

Adani, who last year became the world’s secondrichest man with a $147 billion fortune, has seen his own personal wealth plummet by around $57 billion since Hindenburg accused his companies of fraud to inflate revenue and stock prices. After drawing money from the Middle East and other Indian billionaires to shore up a $2.4 billion share sale, he then abruptly pulled it late Wednesday. proceedings till 2 pm without transacting any official business.

Adani, who last year became the world’s secondrichest man with a $147 billion fortune, has seen his own personal wealth plummet by around $57 billion. The big worry looming over the conglomerate is that lenders and other counterparties start to pare their exposure, while contagion fears spread to other parts of the markets.

Earlier, leaders of likeminded parties met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and discussed the issues that are to be brought up during the session which began on January 31. Sources said the parties decided to jointly raise the Adani Group crisis in Parliament and demand a discussion on it.

AAGBA threatens indefinite bandh

DIMAPUR, FEB 2 (NPN): Ato Area GBs’ Association (AAGBA) has threatened to impose indefinite bandh within its jurisdiction three days from publication of its notice if work to improve road from NH-29 Central Jail to Dzubza river, Niuland (phase-2) was not started by the contractor immediately.

In a press release, association stated that the decision to impose indefinite bandh on the highway in the entire Ato area was taken during a meeting held on January 23.

Alem quits as NDPP working president Cong questions UDA govt on non-utilisation of shopping complex and parking plaza

Staff Reporter

DIMAPUR, FEB 2 (NPN): Coming out strongly against BJP-NDPP combine, Congress questioned the Neiphiu Rio-led government why the shopping complex and parking plaza at Forest Colony here were not being utilised even after the building was completed three to four years back.

Addressing the media from Congress Bhavan on Thursday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) media coordinator Sujata Paul asked why the State government was not ready to utilise the building after spend- ing around Rs 43 crore in its construction.

“The building constructed at a cost of Rs 43 crore had been simply allowed to go waste. It was a criminal wastage of public money,” she remarked.

She pointed out that the structure wore a dilapidated look now and asked why the State exchequer was made to bear this expense causing extra burden.

As per an RTI reply, she claimed that the State Planning Board in a meeting held on June 9, 2011 at the chief minister’s office decided to construct the structure with the intention of making it into a shopping complex. She mentioned that funds were brought in from the Union Ministry of Urban Development and HUDCO and construction of the building started in 2011 and completed in 2018-2019.

Staff Reporter/Correspondent

DIMAPUR/KOHIMA, FEB 2 (NPN): I n a surprising political development founder-member and working president of NDPP and former chief secretary and IDAN chairman Alemtemshi Jamir resigned from the party.

In a letter addressed to president of NDPP, Alemtemshi stated that he helped form NDPP with a vision to bring about change but was disheartened that instead the party “disregarded all the visions, dreams and aspirations upon which it was founded.”Alemtemshi said despite having made contributions in establishing NDPP as a regional political party in Nagaland, all these were disregarded when the party denied him ticket to contest the forthcoming