Olympics: Sharath Kamal reaches third round with hard-fought win

by Argus News

Tokyo, July 26: India's Achanta Sharath Kamal reached the third round of the men's singles table tennis competition, fighting back from a game down to beat Tiago Apolonia of Portugal 4-2 in 49 minutes at the Tokyo Olympics on Monday.

The 39-year-old Kamal, who had a bye in the first round, started off slowly as the Portuguese player raced away with the first game. Sharath got into his rhythm in the second game and went on to win 2-11, 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 in a well-fought encounter.

The Indian, playing in his fourth Olympics, runs into reigning Olympic and world champion Ma Long of China, the top seed, in the third round.

Kamal, who made his Olympics debut at Athens in2004 and reached the second round, found Apolonia's serve difficult to handle in the first game. The Portuguese jumped to a nine-point lead and won the game 11-2.

The paddler from Chennai found his rhythm in the second game and unleashed his trademark forehand attack as he won it 11-8. The Indian, who partnered Manika Batra in the mixed doubles but lost in the first round, continued with the momentum in the third, taking a seven-point lead before closing it out 11-5 to take a 2-1 lead.

In the closely-fought fourth game, scores went neck and neck before Kamal netted a forehand to lose 9-11. He recovered well to win the next two games, the fifth using his deceptive forehand shots to win it 11-6 and take a 3-2 lead.

The sixth game was also closely fought as Apolonia made strong attempts to win and take it to the decider. However, Kamal kept his nerve, repelling his opponent's attacks as he overcame an early deficit to win the game 11-9 and advance to the next round.

Kamal won 30 points on his serve as against 27 by his Portuguese opponent. He lost only 23 points on serve as against 25 by the 34-year-old Apolonia.

It was a good win for Kamal, who won the Oman Open last year just before all sports activities were brought to a standstill by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kamal prepared well for the Asian Olympic Qualifying event despite being confined to his home in Chennai during the nationwide lockdown. And the results are there to see as he registered a crucial win to reach the third round at the Olympics for the first time.

He had lost in the second round in both Athens and Beijing. He did not play in the London Olympics and had lost in the first round in Rio de Janeiro.

(IANS)

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Delhi's Air Quality Remains In Very Poor Category

by Manisha Das

New Delhi, Dec 9: The Air Quality Index (AQI) remains in the 'Very Poor' category in parts of Delhi, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Visuals from the area around Akshardham, shot at 6:55 am showed smog engulfing the city.

The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Friday. As per the Central Pollution Control Board, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at Anand Vihar, Delhi, stood at 374 on Friday morning.

Earlier on Thursday, the air quality in the national capital continued to remain in 'poor' category. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi, as per SAFAR-India (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), was recorded at 276 on Thursday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no rainfall in the National Capital till December 11. There will be clear skies with shallow to moderate fog in the morning across the city. Delhi has been experiencing air quality in the range of 'severe' to 'very poor' over the last few weeks.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh hit out at Union Minister Bhupender Yadav saying that he gave a "gol mol" reply to pointed questions on public health and air pollution inside Parliament.

The Congress MP was referring to the reply he received from the Union Minister during Question Hour on 'air pollution in NCR and the country' in Rajya Sabha on the fourth day of the ongoing Winter Session.

Jairam Ramesh asked a question about whether the Centre was considering a review of the Pollution Control Act that was passed in 1981 and the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

To this Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "In view of the problem of air pollution in the country, a provision of Rs 19,711 crore was made by the Central government. And to define the standards that were set, 131 cities in the country were also identified. Schemes were implemented by the central government to identify these cities, all provisions were made keeping in mind the toxic emissions that spread in the air, especially PM 2.5 and PM 10. And I would like to say that the standards which were made in these 131 cities, progress was made quite satisfactorily."

"Rather, I would like to tell Jairam Ramesh that the municipalities that did good work and contributed in these 131 cities were also given awards in a positive manner. Because this topic is related to the lives of all of us, and especially the local municipalities, we should participate in it as much as possible, and those who have done good work should be specially compensated," he added.

The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'.

(ANI)

CJI Chandrachud Inaugurates New Office Of Central Administration Tribunal In Mumbai

by Manisha Das

Mumbai, Dec 9: The Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud inaugurated the new office of the Central Administration Tribunal in Maharashtra's Mumbai district on Thursday.

During the inauguration, Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed a gathering and emphasised the significant stride toward gender diversity within the judiciary in the recent recruitment processes for civil judge junior division positions across various states.

Highlighting the findings of the "State of the Judiciary" report, Chief Justice Chandrachud revealed, "Out of 16 states, which recently conducted the civil judge junior division recruitment process, 14 states had more than 50 per cent selection of women judicial officers."

The Chief Justice commended the progress made by these states in promoting gender balance within the judicial system, emphasizing the importance of creating an inclusive and representative judiciary that reflects the diversity of the society it serves.

"In some states, even in the absence of a horizontal 30 per cent reservation, the number of women being recruited at the lowest level of the Indian judiciary has gone up to 70-80 per cent," he added.

The CJI further said that the tribunals in the country play a significant role in assisting to unclog delays in courts and in aiding the overall dispensation of justice.

"One of the objectives of tribunals was to combat and battle the delays faced by our courts and it was hoped that these tribunals, which are untethered by strict rules of evidence and procedure, would help unclog the courts and aid overall in the dispensation of justice," the CJI said.

He further said that there is a constant tussle about who will get ultimate control over the appointment of judges even as vacancies arise and appointments are kept pending for a long period.

"There is this constant tussle about who will get ultimate control over the appointment of judges," CJI Chandrachud said.

The CJI also emphasised the need to make courtrooms more accessible to differently-abled persons.
"Technology cannot become the sole medium to access justice, and physical access to courts can never be understated and hence must be constantly improved," he added.

The CJI further said that infrastructural advances must be guided by the objective of accommodating people with diverse needs from diverse segments of our society.

"A well-maintained and accessible infrastructure can enhance the public's confidence in the state's ability to meet not only their legal needs but also account for their comfort as they navigate through the complexities of these daunting legal journeys," he added.

(ANI)

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel Reviews Progress On Metro Rail Phase-2 Project

by Manisha Das

Gandhinagar, Dec 9: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel conducted a comprehensive inspection of the ongoing operations related to the 6.5 km stretch of the C-2 project on the Metro Rail Phase-2 route from Motera to Gandhinagar.

This crucial phase of the project holds significance for the state's transportation infrastructure, aiming to enhance connectivity between Motera and Gandhinagar.

Accompanied by Chief Advisor Hasmukh Adhia, Chairman of Metro Rail Corporation SS Rathore, and other senior secretaries, CM Patel meticulously examined various aspects of the railway route and stations currently under construction.

During the inspection, the Chief Minister's visit covered a span from Bhaijipura to Ch-2, focusing on key areas including Dholakuwa, Randesan, Gift City, and other strategic locations along the route.

In addition to assessing the Metro Rail developments, CM Patel extended his scrutiny to the construction work underway on the Visat to Narmada to Koba Circle road.