DHARMAPURI l wednesday l april 29, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Terror epicentres not immune to ‘justifiable punishment’: Rajnath Targeting Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor demonstrated statebacked ‘terror epicentres’ are no longer safe havens ‘End double standards in terror fight’ Need consistency, not selective response Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek in the presence of Pak Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Singh called on the influential regional grouping to not lose sight of “state-sponsored” cross-border terrorism, stressing that there is no place for any “double standards” or ambiguity in combating the global menace ■ ■ Without naming Pakistan, Singh said “terrorism has no nationality and no theology”, adding that the credibility of regional groupings such as the SCO would depend on consistency, not selective responses He urged the SCO not to hesitate in seeking appropriate action against those who “abet, shelter and provide safe havens” to terrorists | P7 2001 When the grouping was founded. India and Pakistan became members in 2007 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 Aviation industry SOS Decisive poll phase in West Bengal today as jet fuel prices zoom Operations unsustainable, warn Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet UAE exits oil cartel, Don cold to Iran proposal A r shad K han @ New Delhi a G E N C I E S @ Dubai/Washington Alarmed by the steep rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet have warned of shutting down operations unless the government intervenes to save the aviation sector, which is already bleeding due to the frequent airspace closures amid the war in West Asia. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents the three airlines, have written to the civil aviation ministry seeking its urgent intervention to set the same fuel pricing mechanism unifor mly across both domestic and interday national operations. The letter pointed out that this was done in 2022 through the establishment of the ‘crack band’ mechCrack anism (pricing framework band linked to fair refining margins, FIA has called or ‘crack spread’, between for a pricing crude oil and ATF). This was framework set at $12–22/barrel in 2022. based on the As global jet ATF prices more ‘crack band than doubled to $180-190/barrel mechanism’ since the war broke out in West ($12–22/bbl), Asia on February 28, the Indian which was government last month limited implemented in the hike to `15 per litre for doOctober 2022, mestic operations. However, for claiming this international operations, the leaves room for price rose by `73 per litre. a reasonable ATF prices account for and fair margin around 40% of an airline’s for oil marketing overall operating cost. Followcompanies ing the April hike, this percentage band increased to 55-60%. The letter said the ‘irrational increase’ in ATF prices will result in ‘insurmountable losses’ for airlines, grounding of aircraft and cancellation of flights. “In order to survive, sustain and continue operation, we request your urgent intervention for immediate and meaningful financial support to tide over the current situation,” said the letter dated April 26. The airlines are also seeking a temporary suspension of excise duty (currently set at 11%) on ATF and VAT rates in key states. THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday announced its exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC+ alliance. A longtime member of OPEC, the UAE’s membership ends on May 1 and will not be renewed. The announcement came on a day when oil prices climbed again as the prospects of reopening the Strait of Hormuz appeared dim with the Trump administration not showing interest in Iran’s latest offer to reopen Hormuz after the US blockade is lifted. The UAE said the decision follows careful consideration of its national interest and its stature in the global energy market. OPEC and “This reflects the UAE’s longterm strategic and economic OPEC+ vision and evolving energy OPEC was profile... and reinforces its comformed in 1960 mitment to a responsible, reliby Iran, Iraq, able role in global energy marKuwait, Saudi kets,” it stated. Arabia, and The move comes amid the Venezuela to Emirates’ frosty relations with break the cartel neighbour and OPEC heavyled by Western oil firms. OPEC+ weight Saudi Arabia. UAE has been trying to leverage its own is a broader alliance formed foreign policy amid pushback from Saudi Arabia under an asin 2016 to sertive Crown Prince Mohaminclude nonmembers to set med bin Salman. The UAE is one of the world’s oil production top oil producers and its exit policies from Vienna-based OPEC could weaken the oil cartel which controls global oil prices through production cuts. However, the withdrawal won’t necessarily have any immediate effects in markets as oil supplies are already constrained by the Iran war. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed that Tehran “has just” informed Washington that it is in a “state of collapse”. “They (Iran) want us to “Open the Hormuz Strait,” as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation,” Trump posted on social media. 60 Singham vs Pushpa side show Amid fears of widespread violence, a side show played out with the EC’s police observer Ajay Pal Sharma warning potential troublemakers of “appropriate treatment”. The TMC called out the Prayagraj ACP, who earned the moniker Singham for his crackdown on criminals, for voter ‘intimidation’. TMC’s Jahangir Khan retorted, “If he is Singham, I am Pushpa,” alluding to the award-winning Telugu action film by the same name where the protagonist’s most popular dialogue is “Pushpa will not bow, damn it.” S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata After weeks of rhetoric, roadshows, and a political temperature that rose in tandem with the summer heat, it’s time for the real thing. As West Bengal goes to polls for the second and final phase on Wednesday , appellate tribunals upheld the appeals of just 1,468 of the over 20 lakh voters who were removed from the supplementary list following the controversial special intensive revision of poll rolls. The final phase, covering 142 assembly constituencies, is widely seen as the decisive one. It is here, in the traditional stronghold of the Trinamool Congress in south Bengal, that the party’s decade-long dominance faces its sternest test. At the centre of attention is Bhabanipur, where the contest has Polling officials check election crystallised into the materials for voting in the most closely watched second phase in Kolkata | PTI face-off of the phase: Mamata Banerjee versus Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari— once an insider in her political circle, now her most prominent challenger. Their battle is as much personal as it is political, emblematic of the broader struggle playing out across the state. Around them, an array of senior leaders and emerging figures are in the fray—ministers such as Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Sobhandeb Chatterjee, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Sashi Panja; BJP’s Swapan Dasgupta; Left leaders including Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya; and younger candidates like Meenakshi Mukherjee and Dipsita Dhar. E x p r e s s Re a d Nilgiris forest fire doused; 1,000 acres gutted Nilgiris: After nearly two weeks, the intense blaze that ravaged nearly 1,000 acres of reserve forest in Nilgiris Forest Division was doused on Tuesday. Over 450 forest department personnel worked in shifts to put out the flames that were aggravated by strong winds and scorching heat. There was no major disturbance to wildlife movement and the fire primarily affected invasive species, an official said. The fire, which broke out on April 15, was severe in the Parsons Valley range | P2 NHRC asks TN to save people from heatwaves Chennai: The NHRC has directed Tamil Nadu and 20 other states to take measures to protect vulnerable populations from intensifying heatwaves. In a communication to chief secretaries, the commission flagged rising risks to marginalised groups, workers, the elderly and children. Citing NCRB data, it noted 3,712 heat-related deaths between 2019 and 2023, and urged strict adherence to NDMA guidelines | P4 TN logs double-digit growth riding on agri sector e x p r ess ne w s se r v ice @ Chennai Tamil Nadu has clocked a double-digit economic growth for the second year in a row by recording 10.83% expansion in 2025-26. The state’s agriculture and allied sector, which saw a minor contraction of -0.09% in 2024-25, has recorded a robust growth of 9% in 2025-26. Referring to the report of the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday said the accomplishment was “just the beginning” and more achievements would follow with people’s support. Although comparable data for other states are not available, the 10.83% growth is almost 3.5 percentage-points higher than the national average of 7.4%. In 2024–25, Tamil Nadu had re gistered a growth of 11.19%. Tamil Nadu, the second-largest state economy in the country, reported a Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of `35.29 lakh crore in 2025–26, as against `31.19 lakh crore in 2024-25. Per capita income stood at `4.08 lakh. In a post on X, Stalin said the state had built the foundation over three years and delivered two consecutive years of double-digit growth. “Thanks to the people of Tamil Nadu for supporting our excellent administration and hard work. This is just the beginning. With your support, we are sure to reach many more heights,” the CM said in his post. “In its pursuit of excellence, Tamil Nadu’s competi- Dalit youth’s death in TN: Girlfriend, dad, brother booked Judge quashes ED case on minister Periyasamy in housing plots scam R S I V A K U M A R @ Chennai The Madras High Court has quashed a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2022 based on a 2011 FIR by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) against Minister I Periyasamy over alleged irregularities in the allotment of housing plots under the government’s discretionary quota. The order to quash the Enforcement Case No direction to register FIR against Nehru: HC The Madras High Court during a contempt petition hearing in the cash-for-jobs case against Minister K N Nehru noted that there was no specific direction in the high court’s February 20 order to register an FIR against the minister | P2 Infor mation Re por t (ECIR) registered on June 22, 2026 was passed by the first bench of Chief Justice Sush- rut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan on Tuesday based on the petition filed by the minister who is currently holding the portfolio of rural development. The minister prayed for quashing the ECIR on the ground that the predicate offence case against him and other accused and ECIR against the co-accused were already quashed by the courts. Advocate Mutha Ganesa Pandian appeared for Periyasamy. The ED had proceeded on the DVAC FIR booked against Periyasamy for alleged offences committed during his tenure in 2007-11.  P5 e x p r ess ne w s se r v ice @ Pudukkottai AI hub in the making Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in conversation with Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during the foundation-stone laying ceremony of the Google Cloud India AI Hub, in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday | PTI South panchayats outperform North on multiple parameters: Govt data J itend r a C h o ube y @ New Delhi A new study has revealed that the South outperformed northern states in rural local governance across various parameters, including health, education, poverty alleviation, water and sanitation, and developments focused on women and children. West Bengal did not participate in the study . Most of the panchayats in the ‘Achiever’ category are from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. In the Northeast, Tripura leads the charts. On the flip side, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan are at the lower end of the ranking table. The report, titled the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 for 2023–24, documents rural and social development based on 112 indicators aimed tion was not with other Indian states. TN should rise as a leading state in south Asia,” he said. Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said in a post on X, “Not noise. Not propaganda. Just plain factual numbers...While some are busy dividing people, TN is busy multiplying prosperity. This is what happens when governance is driven by industry-first policies, social justice and state leadership under CM MK Stalin.” Let this be clear: the Dravidian Model does not just speak; it delivers, the minister added. at strengthening grassroots governance. Released by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the report covers a total of 3,313 panchayats that fall under the ‘ chiever’ category for poverty A reduction and livelihood gen- Record participation in the evaluation PAI 2.0 saw record nationwide participation, from 27 states and 6 on 8 UTs. Works out to 97.30%, compared to 80.79% of the 2.67 lakh panchayats in PAI 1.0. All panchayats were told to display their scorecards outside their offices for transparency and accountability eration. Additionally 1,015 pan, chayats are recognised for exemplary achievements in promoting healthy living. The report offers a detailed analysis of more than 250,000 panchayats across the country . Each one is assessed based on over 150 parameters. However, the previous report, PAI (1.0) for 2022-23, was based on a much larger set of 516 parameters, making a direct comparison difficult. “We considered 112 parameters. While data for seven parameters was questioned, and the rest overlapped with other indicators,” said Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary at the ministry. This report is claimed to be the first nationwide framework for measuring rural development progress using verifiable indicators. It has also been presented to the UN as part of efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. After a 20-year-old Dalit youth was found dead in a quarry near a forested area in Pudukkottai district, the police have booked four persons — including a woman with whom the youth was allegedly in a relationship — on charges of abetment of suicide and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The deceased was identified as R Hariharan, R Hariharan a resident of Nadupatti in Kulathur taluk in Pudukkottai district. Apart from the 19-year-old woman, the other suspects booked are her father Rajendran, brother Shanmugasundaram, and another individual, Krishnan. The police said Hariharan was in a relationship with the woman who was from caste Hindu community They had alleg. edly eloped around five months ago to get married. They, however, got separated later due to caste differences after both families were counselled at the Keeranur police station.  P5