Ramanathi Dam in Tamil Nadu’s Tenkasi, which has a storage capacity of 84 feet, has completely dried up, exposing large areas of cracked land | V KARTHIKALAGU BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l april 14, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Southwest monsoon rainfall to be below normal this year: IMD This year’s southwest monsoon rainfall over the country is likely to be below normal, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday rainfall to be 92% of long-period average El Nino likely to emerge around June India is expected to receive 80 cm of rainfall during the season—the long period average (1971-2020) of the seasonal rainfall over India is 87 cm. “Quantitatively, the seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 92 per cent of LPA with a model error of +/- 5 per cent,” Dr M Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology at the IMD, said | P7 ■ ■ One of the reasons for below normal rainfall could be the emergence of the El Nino conditions, which cause less rainfall in the country Climate models indicate that El Nino conditions are likely to emerge around the month of June. Besides, positive Indian Ocean Dipole conditions can develop in the second half of the monsoon season Jun-Sep the period when the southwest monsoon covers the country 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 Shocking charges of conversion at TCS Nashik PA D M I N I D H R U V A R A J @ Bengaluru WITH the sexual harassment case at the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services taking a religious turn with allegation of forced conversion, the company said the matter would be probed by Chief Operating Officer Aarthi Subramanian. Calling the alle g ations “gravely concerning and anguishing”, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the matter was being treated with the utmost seriousness. In a statement, Chandrasekaran said action had already been initiated against the accused staff and the company was extending full cooperation to the ongoing investigation. “Appropriate and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty Any neces. sary process improvements or corrective measures will be promptly implemented and strictly enforced,” he added. Last week, police formed a special investigation team to probe the complaints lodged by eight employees, who said senior colleagues mentally and sexually harassed them, and the HR department ignored their complaints. Police have arrested seven persons, including the HR manager. The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES), an employees’ body representing IT sector workers, approached the Ministry of Labour and Employment seeking a detailed audit of Prevention of Sexual Harassment compliance (POSH) at TCS. NITES has also called for an examination of all sexual harassment complaints received, pending, or disposed of within the organisation over the past several years, along with the action taken in each case. It further sought an assessment of the role and accountability of the HR and senior management in handling complaints and ensuring a safe workplace. It also demanded a probe into whether workers were discouraged from reporting complaints or subjected to retaliation. Tehran warns of attacks as US block of ports begins, oil goes past $100 Iran warns it will hit all ports in Gulf; France-UK set to hold meet to get Strait of Hormuz opened A g en c i e s @ Dubai, Washington THE US on Monday walked the talk on blocking all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports from 7.30 pm IST, the deadline it had set for the exercise. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian attack boats that approach the naval blockade will be “eliminated”. The US Central Command said US forces would not impede vessels transiting the Strait to and from non-Iranian ports. Trump’s warnings set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that poses serious risks for the global economy and raises the spectre that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume. Talks aimed at ending the conflict, which began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, failed to reach an agreement this past weekend in Pakistan. Top-ranking Iranian officials threatened retaliation. Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, dismissed US warnings as bluster while warning that “Tehran was prepared to respond if the situation escalates militarily Iranian par. Bandar Abbas Iranian crude returns to India after 7 years Strait of Hormuz Two supertankers carrying Iranian crude have arrived at Indian ports on both the east and west coasts, marking the first such deliveries in nearly seven years, according to ship-tracking data. The shipments are the first Iranian crude cargoes to reach Indian shores in nearly seven years, following a sanctions waiver issued by the United States last month. The buyers of the cargoes reaching Indian coasts have not been formally disclosed. Iran Khasab Oman Sharjah Dubai Abu Dhabi Sohar Al Ain Oman United Arab Emirates Oil tankers (red) and cargo ships (green) stuck around the Hormuz at 7 pm IST. The US’ blockade of Iranian ports aims to force Iran to give up control of the strait | Marine traffic liament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, addressed Trump in a statement: “If you fight, we will fight... Tehran will not bow to any threats.” day Meanwhile, Russia said it stands ready to take in Iran’s highly enriched uranium as part of a future peace deal with the US, the Kremlin said on Monday . Globally, leaders urged re- 45 straint. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a ceasefire between the United States and Iran was “holding”. Qatar’s foreign minister and Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told his Iranian counterpart that Iran and US should engage positively . France and Britain will co-host a conference this week involving more than 40 nations to discuss a multinational mission to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. China, which is reliant on energ y supplies coming through the strait, called for “unimpeded” navigation through the waterway . Oil prices, meanwhile, are back above $100 per barrel. Pope Leo XIV said the Vatican’s appeals for peace are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration. No power disconnection for domestic users over unpaid bills: KV to discoms E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar In a major relief to the people battling soaring temperatures, deputy chief minister and Energy minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Monday directed all the four Tata Power-managed power distribution companies (discoms) not to disconnect electricity supply to domestic users over pending bills during the ongoing heatwave. Singh Deo also issued strict instructions prohibiting any unscheduled power cut across the state. “While maint e n a n c e - re l at e d S u c c e ss i o n p l a n Adi Godrej’s son Pirojsha to take over as group chairman B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai TWO years after the Godrej group split between Adi Godrej-led Godrej Industries Group and Jamshyd Godrej-led Godrej Enterprises Group, Godrej Industries Group on Monday announced a leadership transition. Adi Godrej’s younger brother Nadir Godrej will step down as chairman in August upon turning 75 and Adi’s son Pirojsha will take over. Nadir will assume the role of chairman emeritus, along with Adi. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Godrej Industries, the holding company of the Godrej Nadir Godrej Pirojsha Godrej Industries Group, along with Godrej Agrovet and Astec Lifesciences, announced the leadership transitions. “Nadir will step down from the boards of Godrej Industries, Godrej Agrovet, Godrej Consumer Products, and Godrej Properties by then... Nadir has also stepped down as chairperson and non-executive director of Astec,” it said. Pirojsha will take over as chairperson of Godrej Industries Group and Godrej Industries on August 14. He will continue to serve as chairperson of Godrej Properties, GoContinued on P5 drej Capital, and Godrej Ventures.  shutdowns may be unavoidable, they may be planned and communicated well in advance through SMS alerts and public announcements to minimise inconvenience to the general public,” he said. The directive to TP discoms from the deputy chief minister came following the warning by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi that power cuts during summer months will not be tolerated as state government is committed for uninterrupted and quality power supply to the consumers. Consumers have been expressing growing frustration over recurring power interruptions, often attributed to system maintenance and infrastructure upgrades. While utilities have maintained that such shutdowns are necessary to strengthen the grid and prevent larger breakdowns, the timing and lack of adequate prior intimation have drawn criticism. Many residents in the state capital have complained of prolonged outages duri n g p e a k a f t e r n o o n h o u r s, exacerbating discomfort amid rising temperatures. Continued on P5 While maintenance-related shutdowns may be unavoidable, they may be planned and communicated well in advance to minimise inconvenience to people – KV Singh Deo, Dy CM PM Modi says India on brink of Historic quota India is on the brink of making a big decision as Parliament will meet to end “decades of waiting” by amending the Women’s Reservation Act for its implementation in 2029, the PM said on Monday | P7 SC refuses relief for Bengal voters removed from roll 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 cannot hear people whose appeals against exclusion from the voter list are pending before the appellate tribunals to vote in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The court noted that about 34 lakh appeals filed by people challenging their non-inclusion in the voter list are pending before the tribunals. “We cannot create a situation where we burden the appellate tribunal judges,” a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said. “We need to protect due process rights. The voter should not be sandwiched between two constitutional authorities,” Justice Bagchi said. The bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by those whose appeals against their exclusions from the voter roll are pending before the appellate tribunals. The petitioners sought an order from the court directing the ECI to extend the date of freezing of electoral rolls so that they can vote in the elections, in the event their appeals are allowed. The electoral rolls are frozen as on April 9. Justice Bagchi clarified that those whose appeals were allowed by April 9 would be included in the voter list. Justice Bagchi also raised concerns about the ongoing SIR process in West Bengal and emphasised that there is a need to have a “robust appellate mechanism” to consider the appeals filed by persons whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls. He specifically noted that when it came to West Bengal, the ECI deviated from the process in other states and introduced a new category called ‘Logical Discrepancy’.