hyderabad l saturday l march 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Oppn MPs submit notices seeking a motion for removal of CEC Opposition MPs have submitted notices in both Houses seeking a motion for removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar 130 lok sabha mps, 63 rs mps sign notices As many as 130 Lok Sabha MPs and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs are said to have signed the notices. The signatories include members from all the INDIA bloc parties, including AAP. Some Independent MPs have also signed the notice while several others have evinced interest. This is the first time a notice has been moved for the removal of the election commission head ■ Art 324(5) seven charges against gyanesh kumar ■ The notice lists seven charges against Kumar, including alleged partisan conduct in office, deliberate obstruction of investigation of electoral fraud and mass disenfranchisement The process for removing the CEC is similar to that of a Supreme Court or a high court judge, for “proven misbehaviour or incapacity” of the constitution provides the process for the cec’s removal CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI M a n d a R a v i n d e r R e d d y @ Hyderabad The state government on Friday outlined plans for Phase 1 of the Musi Riverfront Development Project, estimated to cost between `6,500 crore and `7,000 crore. The phase includes the development of Gandhi Sarovar at Bapu Ghat and covers two river stretches converging at the proposed reservoir. A consortium comprising Meinhardt Group, RIOS and Cushman & Wakefield has recently submitted the DPR for Phase 1.Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited MD EV Narasimha Reddy gave a PowerPoint presentation on This project isn’t the project in the presence of Chief Minister against anyone. . It will become a A Revanth Reddy on Friday According to the presentation, the governgrowth engine for the state. Will ment has proposed a special grey water manhistory forgive us agement system. As part of this, three major if we fail to balancing grey water reservoirs will be conaccomplish even structed within the Musi buffer zone near ma10% of what the jor STPs at Attapur, Amberpet and Nagole. Nizam achieved? These reservoirs will store treated wastewaA Revanth Reddy, ter generated by STPs across Hyderabad. A ring bund along the Outer Ring Road corChief Minister ridor is proposed to facilitate conveyance and utilisation of treated grey water for multiple purposes, including landscaping, irrigation, construction and industrial use. Within the riverfront zone, the plan includes approach roads, cycling tracks, open spaces and parks. The proposed Gandhi Sarovar master plan includes a Statue of Peace, a handloom training centre, an education and knowledge hub, public recreation spaces, a meditation and wellness village, and a national museum.  another report on p4 Artistic rendition of Gandhi Sarovar that was rebuild in the PPT on Friday SAFE PASSAGE FOR INDIA Pindivantalu hit hardest, on verge of closure Iran promises safety for India-flagged vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz J AYAN T H J A C O B @ New Delhi with India intensifying diplomatic engagement with Iran amid escalating tensions in West Asia, Tehran has signalled the possibility of safe passage for India-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The development came after Exter nal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday night, building on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call with President Masoud Pezeshkian hours earlier. Jaishankar said he and Araghchi discussed bilateral issues as well as coordination through BRICS. Sources said two India-bound LPG tankers were given permission to pass through the Strait. Confirming the news, Iran’s Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said: “Yes, because India is our friend.” When reporters pressed him specifically if Indian vessels would be able to transit the Strait safely the envoy said pos, itive developments were expected soon. “Yes, you can see that in the future. I think after two or three hours,” he said. The security of sea lanes is a key concern for India as a large number of its seafarers operate across the Gulf. Indian officials estimate around 23,000 Indian seafarers are currently on merchant ships and offshore vessels in the wider Gulf region. According to a statement from Iran’s foreign ministry, Araghchi briefed Jaishankar on the latest developments and implications for global security “The Iranian Foreign Minis. ter stressed the necessity for regional and international organisations to condemn the military aggression against Iran,” the readout said. Araghchi also stressed the importance of BRICS as a platform for coordination during the current crisis. He urged the grouping to play “a con- From weaning the nation away from fossil fuel by offering free LPG connections to over 10 crore households since 2019, the West Asia crisis has forced the govt to go back to coal and kerosene as stop-gap measures For example, the Madhya Pradesh Hotel Association has advised eateries to shift from ‘tawa’ rotis on gas to traditional ‘tandoors’ fired by coal or wood States have been given 48,000 kilolitres of additional kerosene, over and above the regular monthly quota of about 1 lakh kilolitres, for household cooking needs Regulators told to permit biomass, refusederived fuel pellets, and coal as alternative fuels for hotels and restaurants for one month ditional Tra ta nd Musi riverfront Phase 1 to cost about `7K crore r o o structive role at the current juncture in supporting regional and global stability and security”. The statement described the call as the fourth conversation between the two foreign ministers since tensions escalated. During the conversation, Jaishankar conveyed India’s readiness to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation through regional and international forums. U M a h e s h @ Hanamkonda Life for nearly 500 families in the tri-cities of Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet has become tougher over the past week due to the nonavailability of commercial LPG cylinders. Many of these families run home food kitchens, locally known as ‘pindivantalu’, which they say are now on the verge of closure. With no supply of commercial cylinders, several small kitchens that depend on them for daily operations have halted or scaled down work. These kitchens serve as a primary source of income for hundreds of families, particularly women running small-scale food bu s i n e s s e s f ro m t h e i r homes. Many families said their livelihoods had already been affected earlier when overseas orders declined due to disruptions in exports, including those linked to the war abroad. Orders from local event managers also fell, leaving these kitchens heavily dependent on festival demand and local customers. The current shortage has disrupted production across the tri-cities. Several BPL workers employed in these home kitchens have temporarily lost work as some units have shut down. Families said the stoppage has brought daily earnings to a halt and created uncertainty about their income. Some operators have begun using domestic LPG for commercial cooking in the absence of commercial cylinders. District civil supplies authorities have been conducting raids and seizing such cylinders, leading s e ve r a l o r g a n i s e r s t o suspend operations temporarily  . continued on P2 y pla in Coal supplies are also being made available for small and medium consumers such as hotels and restaurants to enable them to shift to alternative fuels if required —Sujata Sharma, joint secy, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas day 14 Day’s developments FM Nirmala Sitharaman says `1 lakh crore Economic Stabilization Fund created to deal with West Asia crisis Two Indian nationals killed and several others injured in an attack in Sohar in Oman on Friday US aerial refueling aircraft KC-135 crashes in Iraq, kills all six on board Nepal selling half-filled cooking gas cylinders to curb panic buying Starting Saturday, IndiGo to levy fuel charge for domestic and international fliers from `425 to `2,300 US lets all countries buy crude from Russia for a month China to provide $2L for victims of bomb attack on Iranian school Govt asks restaurants to switch to coal, households to PNG as LPG crisis deepens R A K ESH K U M A R @ New Delhi with LPG shortage deepening amid escalation in the war between Iran and US-Israel, the government on Friday admitted that the situation remains a matter of concern. The disruption in supply of cooking gas has particularly impacted commercial establishments such as restaurants and hotels. To address the issue, the government has suggested commercial users switch to coal and kerosene. Coal India has issued orders to ensure that coal is made available to small, medium, and other commercial consumers so that alternative fuel options remain accessible. Briefing reporters on Friday Sujata Sharma, joint sec, retary in the petroleum ministry, said LPG is a matter of concern for the government but there is no dry out at any of the 25,000 distributors. Sharma said the real issue is panic buying rather than an actual disruption in supply for domestic consumers. On normal days, 50 lakh LPG cyl- inder bookings are made, but the number has now shot up to 75 lakh bookings per day . To address the shortage, the government has sanctioned an additional allocation of 48,000 kilolitres of LPG over and above the regular quota. According to the government, there is no shortage of piped natural gas (PNG) and households that have access to PNG infrastructure may shift to it to conserve LPG. Official data shows that around seven lakh LPG customers have the option to switch to PNG. MLA hosts dinner, with berth on menu SC rejects PIL on menstrual leave for women Ir e d d y Sr i n i v a s R e d d y @ Hyderabad A recent dinner hosted by a senior MLA has sparked a flurry of conversation in political circles — not for what was on the menu but for what was part of the dinner-table talk. While the spread, according to sources, was elaborate, the discussion was anything but light, with legislators spending hours speaking about Cabinet aspirations, constituency issues and the functioning of the state government. The dinner, hosted in Hyderabad on Thursday by this senior Congress MLA who has been expecting a berth in the Cabinet headed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has once again , triggered debate within the ruling party. The legislator, who has been waiting for Cabinet expansion, has in recent months raised issues publicly and has also objected to the chief minister’s remarks about continuing in office in the next term. Sources said around 15 MLAs were invited for the dinner, though only nine attended. The meeting, held at a private venue in the city, reportedly lasted nearly five hours. According to sources, the legislators discussed a range of matters including constituency-related issues, party affairs, funds and other developments in the government. Highly placed sources indicated that the host MLA sought the support of colleagues present at the dinner in his bid for a Cabinet berth. The attempt, they said, was aimed at conveying to the party high command that he deserved to be accommodated in the Cabinet based on assurances allegedly made by the AICC leadership ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections. Interestingly, among those present were two MLAs with their own expectations from the government.  CONTINUED ON P4 s uc h i tr a k a lya n mo h a n t y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a nationwide policy providing paid menstrual leave for women students and workers, observing that no one would hire them, adding such a provision would unintentionally reinforce gender stereotypes. The court, however, asked the Centre and competent authorities to consider the representation of the petitioner and examine the possibility of framing a policy on menstrual leave after consulting all relevant stakeholders. The bench was hearing a PIL Deeply rooted PILs, says top court The bench said the petitions are “deeply rooted”. “You are not a bona fide petitioner. This is to create impression in young women that you are not at par with males and you cannot work like them during a particular time.” filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi. At the outset, the bench raised the issue of locus of the petitioner and pointed out that no woman herself has approached the court. It was the third petition filed by Tripathi on the same issue. “These pleas are made to create fear, to call women inferior and that menstruation is something bad happening to them. No one would give them jobs in such a scenario. This is projected as an affirmative right. But one must also think about the employer who has to grant paid leave,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi. Senior advocate M R Shamshad, appearing for Tripathi, sought and pleaded for certain guidelines, giving examples of certain states and institutions that have taken steps to accommodate men- strual leave. He said the Karnataka government has formulated a policy to allow menstrual leave and some private organisations are also providing the facility . The CJI said, “Voluntarily they are giving, then it is excellent.But the moment you introduce it as a compulsory condition in law, you do not know the damage it will do to career of women.” Justice Bagchi echoed these concerns from a business perspective, noting that affirmative action is constitutionally recognised but must be balanced a g ainst market realities. Obituary HJ Dora: A legend of modern policing ex-DGP Dora passes away Hyderabad: Former DGP of undivided Andhra Pradesh HJ Dora passed away on Friday while undergoing treatment for agerelated ailments at NIMS. He was 83. Dora was among the longestserving DGPs, holding the post from November 1996 to February 2002. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, his AP counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, DGP B Shivadhar Reddy, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar and others expressed grief at Dora’s passing. Report on P4 Anjani Kumar Former Director General of Police D ouglas MacArthur, the famous American army commander, had said, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away .” This sums up the life and legacy of H J Dora. Police officers who were in the field in the 1990s and 2000s combating the menace of Leftwing extremism, popularly known as Naxalism, would recall the dynamics of leadership of Dora, who became a legendary police officer not only of undivided Andhra Pradesh but of the country. The initial spread of Naxalism was from Srikakulam (inspired by the Spring Thunder of Bengal), where officers like BN Yugandhar, IAS (father of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella), brought about a new perspective in government policies towards Naxalism, to North Telangana where many select target killings were carried out, including the murder of Hayagrivachary, close friend of the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao. It engulfed the districts of south Telangana where many police stations were attacked and weapons looted, and found a haven in the Nallamalla. The circle became complete when it again infested the AOB (Andhra–Odisha Border). The swath of Naxal spread was mythically represented by the ultra ideolo gues as from Tirupati to Pashupati (Pa- HJ DORA October 4, 1943 l March 13, 2026 shupatinath in Nepal). Dora and his team saw the spread and fought the menace in every district and police station limits. For the first time, Naxalism was addressed as something beyond a law and order issue. Dora gets the credit for convincing the then political dispensation to adopt a multi-pronged approach, as a result of which every vertical of the administration was involved. A Hot-to-Hot and Cold-to-Cold approach took shape. The armed dalams had to be neutralised, but those coming forward to surrender and join the mainstream were encouraged with the best rehabilitation scheme in the country Many states fol. lowed the undivided Andhra model in this regard. During a visit to Guntur, where I was posted as the Superintendent of Police, he observed: “A man is not finished when he is defeated; he is finished when he quits.” When I asked him why it had taken so long for us to contain Naxalism, he said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  continued on P4