BELAGAVI l sunday l october 25, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION travel insurance for railway counter bookings from Tuesday Passengers booking reserved train tickets through offline counters can purchase the optional travel insurance policy starting Tuesday follows recent supreme court order only digital payment accepted It comes days after the Supreme Court directed the Railways to extend the optional travel insurance facility to those booking tickets through the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters at railway stations. The Railway Board has instructed zonal railways to ensure that all PRS counters are suitably equipped to offer the facility from October 27 ■ ■ Only digital payment is applicable for those opting to buy the coverage. “The applicable premium shall be collected along with the ticket fare through digital means only,” the Railway Board said As per IRCTC, the premium is 45 paise per passenger. The insurance company is responsible for issuing policies and settling claims 11% of reserved tickets are bought via counters, according to railways 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 Sets NHPC office on fire, vandalises houses of three politicians, including two MLAs p r a s a n ta m a z u m d a r @ Guwahati WITH THIS ISSUE Married to Menace PLUS 12 P AGES THE proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned a massive flashpoint on Saturday as anti-dam protesters in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district set fire to an office of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and scores of vehicles parked on the premises of a police station, then vandalised houses of three politicians, including two MLAs, and later clashed with security forces that left several injured. The incident took place around 11 pm on Friday after a 12-hour bandh to protest against the hydropower project was over, Pasighat Deputy Superintendent of Police Tony Tatak said. The agitators vandalised the residences of BJP state unit president and former MLA Kaling Moyong, and Pasighat West legislator Ninong Ering, he said. The office of the Adi Bane Kebang, the apex body of the Adi community was , also ransacked, the officer said. Later in the night, violence broke out again in Pasighat town and adjoining Mebo in East Siang district, where clashes left several people injured. Pasighat remained shut on Saturday . The violence erupted hours after a bandh in Siang, Upper Siang and East Siang districts to protest against the proposed hydropower project was over, a senior police official said. The Union government had proposed SUMP , expected to generate 11,000 MW power, as a counter to a 60,000 MW Chinese project. The protesters are demanding scrapping of the hydro power project, withdrawal of armed forces from the region, deployed allegedly in connection with pre-feasibility report (PFR) or survey release of 10 arrested activists and re, instatement of some suspended village chiefs. The protesters fear displacement, loss of livelihoods and environmental and seismic risks. Joint protest The shutdown was jointly called by the Adi Bane Kebang United, SUMP Affected Area Youth Association, Siang Indigenous Farmers’ Wing and Adi Galo Welfare Society Sindhu in pristine touch, storms into french final i n d r a nee l d a s @ Chennai AT 31, badminton players usually start thinking about sipping a hot beverage within the confines of their homes watching their favourite movie or spor t. T he challeng es of courts would not be as enticing as it would have been five years ago, especially if one is a multiple Olympic and world championships medallist. P V Sindhu is one such player who has a cabinet full of medals; most players would be envious of. She has won Olympic medals, Worlds gold and different medals and numerous other BWF Tour titles. Yet, when she should be slowly walking into the sunset, she is still conjuring wins like a regular top player. There is no sign of age slowing her down or mental f atigue due to a long career. At the French Open on Saturday, post a middling Asian Games campaign, she again showed vintage Sindhu signs. She had been struggling in the final games but not against Hina Akechi as she won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16. She will face World No 1 An Se Young in the final. There was some criticism when she lost the Asian Games in the quarterfinal but she can be excused for losing in her third match in less than 24 hours. The gruelling schedule was cruel. Despite such a long career, one big positive was her fitness. She has remained relatively injury-free. Something which she said was because she understood her body and played accordingly “It is important to . know your body she had said ,” at the Asian Games. “We use gadgets and know where we are straining, and when we need to take it easy and when A damaged police station in Pasighat | ANI CM’s appeal Chief Minister Pema Khandu, expressed concern over the vandalism, looting and damage to property. “The government’s doors are always open,” Khandu said E x p re s s N e w s Ser v i c e @Bengaluru The state gover nment on Saturday has sanctioned the prosecution of senior IAS officer Gyanendr a Kumar Gangwar in connection with a corruption case linked to the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment process. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has issued the prosecution sanction under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The order states that prosecution sanction has been granted against Gangwar in connection with the corruption case. Gangwar, who had served as KPSC secretary, is accused of having a role in alleged irregularities in the recruitment of vet- erinary officers through the commission. The allegations include manipulation of marks during evaluation and favouring certain candidates in the selection process. Investigators have been examining allegations that deserving candidates were awarded lower marks while the scores of candidates who allegedly paid money were increased. Some subject experts and evaluators associated with the KPSC examination division have also been named in connection with the alleged irregularities, according to reports. Section 218 of the BNSS provides for prior sanction in specified cases involving judges and public servants before a court can take cognisance of alleged offences connected with the discharge of official duties. 2.9 quake hits Chikkaballapur’s Gauribidanur Bengaluru: An earthquake of 2.9 magnitude was recorded in the early hours of Saturday in Somasettyhalli village in Gauribidanur taluk of Chikkaballapur. The earthquake was recorded at 3.29am, and it lasted 7.40 seconds, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre | P5 Kashmir issue alive due to Pak, says Farooq Tragedy in the nilgiris Emergency and rescue personnel at the site where a Tamil Nadu State Corporation bus was buried in a lanslide at Burliyar on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam ghat road in the Nilgiris in the early hours of Saturday. The bus driver was killed and the conductor was rescued after being trapped for more than eight hours. All passengers had alighted earlier after the bus developed a flat tyre. Rescue teams could not reach the spot immediately as fallen trees and debris blocked the road | S Senbagapandiyan | P5 INDIA bloc to hold mock CEC impeachment Jammu: Pakistan’s continued raising of the Kashmir issue at international forums has helped protect Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday, accusing New Delhi of failing to do justice to the region | P8 New Delhi: The INDIA bloc is gearing up for a mock impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar on October 30, followed by a mammoth rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. It plans to invite legal experts for the mock session | P7 cause of concern Threat to marine ecology 1 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approved India’s largest deep-sea disposal project in Surat 2 The project aims to manage 650 million litres per day of treated industrial wastewater from Surat’s textile and chemical sectors and discharged into deep sea in the of Gulf of Khambhat si regions of the Arabian Sea. The project vehicle, Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, said the onshore pipeline network will extend approximately 67.5 km, while the offshore pipelines will range between 15 km and 17.9 km from the landfall point to 3 Environmentalists criticise the lack of a zero-waste policy instead of deep-sea dumping, which may damage marine ecology the respective marine diffuser locations. Under the chairmanship of M S Negi, chief of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ), the proposal has been recommended for CRZ clearance in line with the CRZ No- Representative image Surat’s industrial effluents to be dumped into Arabian Sea THE empowered committee of Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, as part of India’s largest deep-sea disposal project, has recommended dumping 650 million litres per day (MLD) of treated industrial wastewater from the textile and chemical hubs in Surat in deep sea near the Gulf of Khambhat in Arabian Sea. The effluents are proposed to be carried through pipelines to the landfall located near Danti Village in Navsari, and extend to the outfall point offshore in the Ubharat and Van- “I have to give her a good fight, a tough fight. Every point matters. I know we’ve played a lot of times and she’s been doing really well. But I think tomorrow is a different day. Every day is a new day. I just have to go out there and give my best. I’m ready to give a fight” 2nd Her second BWF Tour Super 750 final after Japan Open which she won KPSC recruitment scam: CM sanctions prosecution of IAS officer Gangwar e x p r e ss r e a d J i t en d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi I have to give my best: PV PV Sindhu Anti-dam stir: Arunachal mob on the rampage tification of 2019, at a meeting on October 8, 2026.In its recommendation, the committee highlighted the saturation of existing effluent disposal systems from the CETPs into local creeks. “The treated effluent is currently discharged into nearby creeks. Due to the limited carrying capacity of these creeks, further discharge of treated effluent is not permissible,” the committee said. Environmentalists have criticised this approach. Local fisherfolk in Navsari and Surat fear a loss of livelihood. “They are concerned that releasing such huge daily volumes of industrial wastewater (650 MLD) will decimate local fish populations and push thousands of fishing families into financial hardship,” said MSH Sheikh of Brackish Water Research Centre, a Surat based non-profit. “Our Government will not tolerate corruption or shield the guilty Prosecution sanction . has been granted against IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar in connection with the corruption case linked to the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam. Our government will not tolerate any wrongdoing that jeopardises the future of our youth or undermines their faith in a fair and transparent recruitment process,” the CM stated. He said every aspirant deserves a fair opportunity based on merit and hard work. The government is committed to ensuring transparency, integrity and accountability in public recruitment and governance, and to upholding the rule of law without fear or favour.  HDK SAYS STATE GOVT TRYING  TO BURY SCAM: P5 we can give more than 100 per cent. Sometimes one may not be able to give 100 per cent. We need to preserve ourselves.” At World No 11, she is the best shuttler in the country, even now. With LA28 less than one and half years away, it augurs well. But for Sindhu it’s one tour nament at a time. For her, right now it’s best to “enjoy where am I at right now, and I enjoy the f ame.” For now, she has final to take care of against someone she has not won before. “But I think tomorrow is a different day,” she said.  P11 Delhi man held for uploading sting op video E x p re s s N e w s Ser v i c e @Bengaluru Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) have arrested a man from Delhi for allegedly uploading videos related to the alleged sting operation against former CM Siddaramaiah. The accused has been identified as Ritesh Pandey, who hails from Uttar Pradesh and is in his early 20s. Pandey was arrested in Delhi and brought to Bengaluru for questioning. He was traced after the police digitally investigated the videos and found the source. He is said to have used a second-hand mobile phone and a wi-fi connection to upload the videos to avoid detection.  P4 Gadag engineer traced to Mumbai, brought back R a g h o t ta m K o p pa r @Gadag Gadag engineer Parve z Dharwad, who went missing after leaving a “death note” stating that the government had not released funds for projects, was found at the Bandra Railway Station in Mumbai after 40 days. The Gadag police, who traced him, took him into custody and brought him back to Gadag on Saturday morning. After formal interrogation, the police sent Parvez back home with his relatives. Parvez later went to his fatherin-law’s house in Haveri to meet his wife and child. His relatives said that during 40 days of his absence, Parvez visited many dargahs in Andhra Pradesh, Bhopal and Maharashtra. He had left Gadag on September 13, leaving the death note that had worried his family and the state government. In his note, Parvez had said 4,00,000 Protesters take to street across france he was being harassed by contractors who had not been paid by the government. The police had formed five special teams to trace him. Parvez’s relative said, “He travelled from Bengaluru to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and went to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. His movements were captured on CCTV cameras at the Bhopal railway station. From there, he went to Ujjain by a local train. The police searched near Mahakaleshwar temple and the Shahi Masjid in Ujjain, but could not locate him. Then he reached Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan, and later travelled via Miraj in Maharashtra towards Mumbai.” The police said as it is a missing person’s case and not kidnapping, they formally enquired Parvez and allowed him to go. “If anyone files a complaint, we will pursue the case further,” they added. Clashes erupted in Paris on Saturday as lakhs of people protested over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron’s government | P9