BHUBANESWAR l tuesday l april 28, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Long queues at fuel outlets amid fears of post-election price hike Motorists thronged petrol bunks in parts of the country on Monday, amid buzz of a fuel shortage and a sharp price rise after the West Bengal polls Panic buying sparks shortage in andhra over 30% surge in fuel demand: ministry Rumours of an imminent price rise sparked panic buying in Andhra Pradesh, resulting in shortages and more than 400 petrol pumps running dry over the weekend. Long queues of vehicles were seen at many outlets across the state. “We are receiving information that diesel is getting exhausted everywhere from our dealers,” a fuel retailer’s association member in Guntur told reporters ■ ■ “We have observed... 30-33 per cent (growth) in demand for fuels like diesel. That is why certain retail outlets faced issues,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said “Citizens are advised to avoid panic purchase of petrol, diesel and LPG as the government is making all efforts to ensure availability,” she said Wednesday When the last phase of west bengal elections would be held 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 FTA inked, India to get Forces to stay after Bengal poll: Shah duty-free access to NZ Post-poll violence in the past has resulted in loss of lives and In what appeared to be an as- destruction of property . surance to West Bengal voters Addressing an election rally who had normalised in Behala, on the post-poll violence, Unsouthern fringes of ion home minister Kolkata, he said, Amit Shah on Monday “Brothers and sisters, Don’t get announced that the go and vote on the Central Armed Para- influenced by BJP. 29th, do not worry After first phase military Force (CAPF) about Didi’s (Mamata poll, BJP has will remain deployed Banerjee) goons. The realised that TMC in the state for 60 days Election Commission will be back in after the second and fi- power for 4th term of India has deployed nal phase of polling. CAPF at every nook The announcement Mamata Banerjee, CM and cranny, and I am came on a day when telling you that even campaigning for 142 seats in though the BJP will come to the final phase ended. Shah has power after the elections, cenbeen camping here for over a tral forces will remain here for week to oversee the BJP’s poll 60 more days.” preparations. He added that if voted to SU B HENDU M A ITI @ Kolkata Wellington commits $20 billion investment in India over 15 years P USH P ITA DE Y @ New Delhi iNDIA and New Zealand on Monday signed a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) that offers duty-free access for 100% Indian exports to the island nation, which will get market access for 70.03% of the tariff lines covering 95% of the bilateral trade value. The remaining 29.97% tariff lines have been excluded to protect India’s sensitive sectors such as dairy and agriculture. New Zealand has also committed to invest $20 billion in India over 15 years. The pact is expected to be implemented by the end of this year after New Zealand Parliament’s approval. “The investment commitment of $20 billion by New Zealand will further strengthen our cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, innovation and technology paving the way for , a more prosperous and dynamic future for both countries,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media post. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said that New Zealand has committed market access in 118 sectors and most favoured nation status in 139 sectors while opening dedicated work, study, and holiday visa pathways for Indian professionals, students, and young travellers. An official statement noted that the FTA will significantly boost MSMEs and enhance competitiveness in labour intensive sectors such as textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal with New Zealand trade minister Todd McClay during the signing of the free trade agreement in New Delhi Monday | PTI Key takeaways $20 billion investment commitment over 15 years Special emphasis on strengthening MSMEs and women-led enterprises India offers market access in 70.03% of the tariff lines, which covers 95% of New Zealand’s bilateral trade India protects key interests in dairy and agriculture; benefit for labour-intensive sectors like textile and leather India’s current tariffs on sheep meat, wool and coal from New Zealand will be scrapped immediately while duties on seafood and hor ticulture items—including cherries and avocados—will be phased out over seven years. India has cut tariffs on New Zealand wine by 66-83% over 10 years. Tariffs on New Zealand facilitates health and traditional medicine services for the first time Student mobility and post study work visa for STEM graduates, skilled professionals; opens new visa pathway for 5,000 skilled occupations bulk infant formula and peptones will be phased out in seven years. “We have committed to work closely with India to help Prime Minister Modi meet his ambition of increasing the earnings of Indian farmers and growers by 50%,” New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said. Iran offers to open Strait of Hormuz if US lifts blockade, defers N-talks A g e n c i e s @ Washington/ Cairo Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports and ends the war, two regional officials said on Monday But there will be no . negotiations on its nuclear program for now. The proposal was passed on to the Americans by Pakistani officials. US President Donald Trump is expected to hold high-level talks with top security advisors to discuss it, reports said. The Strait’s closure has put pressure on him, as oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections. However, analysts are skeptical about Trump accepting the Iranian proposal. They point out that lifting the US blockade and ending the war would remove Trump’s leverage in any future talks with Iran. Sources told CNN that Trump will also weigh his options during the meeting, including whether or not to resume day the US bombing campaign. In a related d eve l o p m e n t , Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin at St Petersburg. He blamed “excessive demands” from the US for the failure of talks. “The US approaches caused the previous round of nego- 59 tiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” he said. Meanwhile, under a proposed Iranian law, the country’s armed forces would become the authority responsible for managing the Strait of Hormuz. The draft legislation also provides that financial gains from the Strait would be paid in Iran’s rial currency . Reports said Iran tried to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait. Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear. M U K ESH R A N J A N @ New Delhi THE Intelligence Bureau (IB), India’s premier internal security agency, is facing an acute shortage of IPS officers especially in the mid-level ranks that are vital for operational effectiveness and coordination on the ground. The latest official data on sanctioned posts and vacancies in central police organisations and central armed police forces point to a sharp imbalance in the IB’s staffing structure. Senior leadership roles such as Director General, Special Director and Inspector General are adequately filled. But, the situation changes drastically at the levels of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and Superintendent of Police (SP), where vacancies have reached nearly 50% of the sanctioned strength. Out of a total of 203 sanctioned IPS posts in the IB, as many as 81 remain unfilled, indicating an overall shortfall of around 40%. The DIG rank alone accounts for 36 vacancies against 63 sanctioned posts, while at the SP level, 45 positions are vacant out of a total strength of 83. These mid-level officers play a critical role in the intelligence agency as they supervise field operations, handle sensitive inputs and coordinate with other agencies. The absence of these officers, therefore, directly impacts the IB’s operational efficiency . Pointing to structural challenges behind the shortage, officials said the IB relies heavily on deputation from state cadres, but state police forces themselves are grappling with manpower constraints and rising law-andorder responsibilities. This has reduced the pool of officers available for central postings. Additionally short, er tenures and frequent transfers hinder continuity in intelligence operations, while state-Centre dynamics further complicate deputation processes. The staffing crunch comes amid an increasingly complex internal security environment, marked by evolving threats such as terrorism, extremism, cyber espionage and organised crime, underscoring the urgency of addressing the gap. The distinctiveness of the species within the genus raises broader questions about lineage dispersal, parallel evolution of colour polymorphism and independent evolution of species in montane forests Devi Priyadarshini, scientist-D and head of office, RMNH 32 different morphs that exhibit patterns of a smiling face with dots in colours of red, black and white arranged differently . A similar looking species, Hawaiian happy-face spider (Therid- joint inquiry reports are received can the reasons be confirmed,” sources added. As Odisha reeled under blistering hot conThe alleged sunstroke deaths came ditions, three more persons, including two amidst an intense heat spell across Odisteachers, have died of sunstroke, taking ha. On Monday, 14 places in the state rethe unofficial death toll to eight in the corded 40 deg C or more. Jharsuguda was state. the hottest at 44.7 deg Celsius. The latest deaths were reported from In fact, the excruciating conditions seem Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts to be driving wildlife out of forest areas where the temperature has been in search of water. In Angul district, hovering in the range of 37 degree a bison came out of Tileipathara Celsius to 43 deg C. reserve forest in search of water In Mayurbhanj, a 50-year-old on Sunday night and reached teacher, identified as Rajkapur Manjor canal where it got trapped Hembram, died after returning and died. The incident was reportfrom Census work on Sunday. ed in Madhapur range of AthmalHembram was posted as an assistlik division. ant teacher in Kakharua BaidyForest officials learnt about the anath Government High School in incident in the morning and inThe eight Purinda village. He had visited formed the local fire department deaths are Khamari village and complained to rescue the animal. The rapid being of uneasiness after returning response team was also intimated. investigated. home. His family rushed him to However, before the teams reached Only after joint Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medithe spot, the animal had died in inquiry reports cal College and Hospital in Barithe water. are received pada. However, he succumbed durWith the sweltering conditions from the ing treatment. persisting, the peak energy derespective In Sundargarh, Gabriel Munda, districts can the mand has surged across the state. reasons be a daily wage worker, died on SunAccording to sources in Tata Powconfirmed day afternoon at Fakirmunda viler, power demand in the TPCODL lage under Koida block. He was SRC office sources region touched 2,281 MW on April engaged in tube-well digging work 24, marking a 3 per cent increase when he fell sick. over the peak requirement in A day earlier, another teacher, 34-year- April last year. old Anurag Ekka, died during treatment at The central region under TPCODL comSundargarh Government Medical College prises Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh, and Hospital (SGMCH). His family mem- Dhenkanal, Angul, Kendrapara and Jagbers alleged he died due to sunstroke. atsinghpur and parts of Jajpur district. Sources in the Special Relief Commis- Bhubaneswar too recorded a peak demand sioner’s (SRC) office said that the eight of 647 MW on April 24, surpassing last deaths are being investigated. “Only after year’s April peak by 7 pc. A s i s h M e h ta @ Bhubaneswar Odia scientists discover new happy-face spider species In a significant discovery, scientists from Odisha have profiled a new species of ‘happy-face spider’ in western Himalayas of India, adding to the rich Araneae diversity of the country . The new Himalayan spider species from the ‘Theridiidae’ family has been discovered by scientists Devi Priyadarshini and Ashirwad Tripathy from Makku, Tala and Jagpura region of Rudraprayag district, close to the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand. It has been named as ‘Theridion himalayana’. The species has been found to be polymorphic in both sexes and has power, the BJP would initiate action against political violence and illegal immigrants. Shah also reiterated the party’s intention to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the state if it forms the government. Shortage of IPS ‘Sunstroke’ tally touches 8 as 3 more officers cripples IB die, heat drives wildlife out of forest operations, 40% posts remain vacant biodiversity S u d a r s a n M a h a r a n a @ Bhubaneswar Home minister Amit Shah at Kapil Muni Ashram in Gangasagar, West Bengal | PTI He further asserted that after May 4, the practice of polygamy would not be permitted in the state. After wrapping up his campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an open letter to the state, said: “Serving and securing West Bengal is my responsibility Turning every challenge . before West Bengal into an opportunity is also part of my destiny I won’t back down from this . responsibility .” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a 6 km roadshow in south Kolkata, which is part of the TMC’s fortress along with North and South 24 Parganas and Howrah. They account for 91 of 294 seats in the legislative assembly . ion grallator) is endemic to the Hawaiian island in USA. The scientists, however, said a genetic variation of around 8.5 per cent has been observed in the Hawaiian happy-face spider which indicates that Theridion himalayana is a separately evolved species in Asia with multiple morphs. The spider also appears to be quite different in its evolutionary history from its close relatives found in Europe, Asia and North America, they stated in their research paper, ‘On the discovery of a new polymorphic happy-face spider (Araneae, Theridiidae) from the Western Himalayas, India, with notes on its natural history’, published in Pensoft’s Evolutionary Systematics journal recently . Although the new species closely resembles Theridion grallator in overall body shape and colour pattern, scientists said it can still be easily distinguished by its reproductive features. Theridion himalayana can be identified by the unique shape of its reproductive structures.  Continued on P5