tirupati l tuesday l april 06, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Fight against maoists will be intensified, says Shah Union Home minister Amit Shah reached Chhattisgarh on Monday and visited the 31 jawans injured in Bijapur ambush fight has reached a decisive turn Shah also chaired a high-level meeting at Jagdalpur on the Left Wing Extremism situation. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, senior officials of the state police and the CRPF were present in the meeting. Later, he said the assault has brought the fight to a decisive turn. After paying homage to the 22 fallen personnel, he said their sacrifices will never be forgotten | P8 ■ 1 missing attack indicates rebels’ desperation ■ Shah said the assault indicated the desperation of the rebels in the face of security forces making inroads into their strongholds He said there will be no let up in the intensity of the fight, but the government will take into account the representations of tribal leaders and temper security presence with regional development some journos informed by Maoists that the jawan is in their captivity CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Busiest election day today Third phase voting in Assam and Bengal, single-phase poll in Kerala, TN and Puducherry E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Tuesday will mark the busiest day of the election season with Assam, Kerala, Puducherry Tamil Nadu and Bengal going to polls. , Assam will witness the third and final phase of voting, while it’s a single-phase for Kerala, TN and Puducherry For Bengal, it’s the 3rd of . the 8th-phase voting that will end on April 29. The results will be declared on May 2. In West Bengal, 205 candidates are fighting for 31 seats. Among the prominent contestants are Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee and journalist Swapan Dasgupta. In Assam, 337 candidates are vying for 40 Assembly constituencies. The Congress-led grand alliance may have an edge as most of the constituencies going to polls on Tuesday are dominated by Bengali-speaking Muslims, who are known to support the grand old party . In Kerala, 957 candidates are contesting in 140 seats. The ruling CPM-led LDF hopes to retain power by breaking the state’s famed ‘incumbency jinx’, while the Congress-led UDF is confident of winning a comfortable majority . Meanwhile, the NDA is eyeing the kingmaker position by bagging seats in double-digits. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former CM Oommen Chandy and Metro Man E Sreedharan are among the big names in the fray . Tamil Nadu is where the largest number of candidates — 3,998 — vying for 234 seats. The main fight is between the ruling AIADMK-BJP alliance and the DMK-Congress coalition. In Puducherry, 324 candidates including 35 P7 women are vying for 30 seats.  Krishnapatnam Port under full control of Adani group now E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) on Monday announced the acquisition of the residual 25 per cent stake in Krishnapatnam Port for `2,800 crore. This will result in APSEZ, India’s largest private ports and logistics company and the flagship transportation arm of the diversified Adani Group, increasing its stake from 75 to 100 per cent in Krishnapatnam Port. Together with the 75 per cent ownership acquired in October 2020, the acquisition implies an enterprise value of `13,675 crore. Krishnapatnam Port is located in Nellore district, close to the border between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The all-weather deep water port has multi-cargo facility with a current capacity of 64 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA). With a waterfront of 20 km and 6,800 acres of land, Krishnapatnam Port has a master plan capacity of 300 MMTPA and a 50year concession. The Krishnapatnam Port is expected to have volumes of 38 MMT, revenues of `1,840 crore and Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of `1,325 crore in the financial year 2021. Since the acquisition, Krishnapatnam Port has focused on business process re-engineering, which has resulted in EBITDA margins improving from 57 per cent in the financial year 2020 to 72 per cent in 2021, a statement by the Adani Ports P4 and Logistics said.   If your name is not on the voters list, there is no way you can cast your ballot  90 voters in a booth, 181 votes cast In Assam, 181 votes were cast in a Haflong booth that had just 90 eligible voters in phase II of polling. Five poll officials suspended E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Mumbai Hours after the Bombay High Court ordered a CBI probe into the damning allegations of extortion against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, the minister finally put in his papers. Till now, Deshmukh had brazened it out though he was locked in a bruising controversy, with former Mumbai Police commissioner Parambir Singh alleging the minister had set a monthly target for police officers to extort `100 Did you know? But if you find that someone has already cast your vote, then ask for a ‘tender vote’ and exercise your voting right after satisfactorily establishing your identity with the presiding officer HC orders CBI probe, Deshmukh quits Middleman in rafalE deal kicks up new row A polling booth gets ready for voting at Ice House in Chepauk Assembly constituency of Tamil Nadu on Monday | P Jawahar M AYA N K SI N G H @ New Delhi Glass symbol row: BJP-JSP team approaches Election Commission The newly inducted Rafale fighter jets flew into a fresh storm with a French online journal claiming that manufacturer Dassault Aviation paid 1 million euro to an Indian middleman as gift after the `58,000 crore government-to-government deal in 2016 for 36 jets for the Indian Air Force. The suspect payment was detected by French anti-corruption agency, Agence Française Anticorruption (AFA), during audit, revealed Mediapart. It identified the recipient as Defsys Solutions, a group run by a Gupta family in, cluding Sushen Gupta, who has Tirupati: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotting a glass symbol to a regional party, the BJP is getting nightmares that it may lead to possible cross voting in the byelection to Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency. A team of BJP and Jana Sena leaders, led by BJP State in-charge Sunil Deodhar, CM Ramesh, Sujana Choudary and Jana Sena leader Nadendla Manohar, visited Delhi recently to file a complaint in this connection with the ECI. “We will approach the court if the glass symbol is allotted to Navataram Party. YSRC ministers and leaders are behind the nominations of Independents and other small regional parties. Based on certain technical loopholes, YSRC is trying to divert the attention of voters,” BJP State secretary P Vishnuvardhan Reddy said. Sakhamuri Murali Krishna of Guntur Rowthu Jagadish of Vizianagaram SP B Rajakumari consoles the family members of CRPF jawan Rowthu Jagadish, who was killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, at Gajularega Eguva Veedhi village in Vizianagaram district on Monday | Express Rowthu Jagadish (27) was the son of Simhachalam and Ramanamma. He got selected as a jawan in CRPF in 2010 and was posted as a leader of Cobra team. Two days ago, he called me and said he would be coming on Monday (April 5). His marriage was scheduled on April 22,’’ Simhachalam said. Sakhamuri Murali Krishna from Gudipudi village in Sattenapalle mandal of Guntur district got selected to CRPF in 2010. According to his parents Ravi and Vijaya, Murali Krishna visited home two months ago and assured them that he would get married when he visits home next time. `30 lakh ex gratia for two martyrs E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday announced an ex gratia of `30 lakh each for the two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans from Andhra Pradesh, who were martyred in a Maoist attack at Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. Routhu Jagadish from Vizianagaram and Sakhamuri Murali Krishna from Guntur were among the 22 CRPF men killed in the attack. Expressing grief over the death of the two young jawans, the Chief Minister said there is no place for violence in democracy . Conveying his heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families, the Chief Minister directed the dis- trict administrations of Vizianagaram and Guntur to provide the ex gratia to the families of the two jawans at the earliest. Jagadish (27), who hailed from Gajularega Eguva Veedhi village in Vizianagaram district, was the son of Simhachalam and Ramanamma. A degree graduate, he wanted to join the defence forces and serve the country . He got selected as a jawan in CRPF in 2010 and was posted as a leader of Cobra team. “Two days ago, he called me and said he would be coming on Monday (April 5). His marriage was scheduled on April 22,’’ Simhachalam said, adding that ever since the news of the killing of CRPF men in the Maoist attack at Bijapur on Saturday , they tried to contact the CRPF officials to know about the well-being of their son. We tried to get some information from the morning itself. Finally, we received the tragic news around 2 pm,” he said. Meanwhile, local people and youngsters recalled their association with Jagadish. They took out a rally in Gajularega Eguva Vee- Routhu Jagadish made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the nation. His martyrdom is an inspiration to all of us to serve the nation Youth of Gajularega Eguva Veedhi village trict. The demand for lemons has also doubled with import orders from northern parts of the country . Lemon is cultivated in about 43,000 acres in the district. Podalakur, Venkatagiri, Jayampu and Gudur are major markets for lemons. About 25 truck loads of lemon are exported to several parts of the country from these markets a day on an average during the season. Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are major dhi village hailing the sacrifice of their hero. “He is an inspiration to all of us. He made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the nation,’’ his friends said. Vizianagaram district Superintendent of Police B Rajakumari visited the slain jawan’s family and offered her condolences. Murali Krishna (34) hailed from Gudipudi village in Sattenapalle mandal of Guntur district. He got selected to CRPF in 2010. His parents Ravi and Vijaya recently constructed a house and they planned to perform the marriage of their son soon. According to his family members, Murali Krishna visited home two months ago and assured his parents that he would get married when he visits home next time. After the court order, Deshmukh rushed to meet his party president Sharad Pawar. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar joined them later. “It was decided that the Bombay High Court order is serious. Hence, it will not be right for Deshmukh to continue as home minister. Once he steps down, he can approach the Supreme Court,” a source said. It emerged that NCP Member of Parliament Supriya Sule and party’s state president Jayant Patil were not in favour of sacking Deshmukh, but Sharad Pawar overruled them to limit damage to the party’s image. AP COVID TRACKER 30,678 Samples tested FIVE Deaths 10,710 1,326 911 New cases New Recoveries 5.96% 7,244 Covid toll Positivity rate Active cases 2,85,377 Tests per million 9,09,002 7,244 Total cases Total deaths 8,91,048 Total recoveries 1,52,39,114 Total samples tested Missing Yanam contestant found in Kakinada E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kakinada An independent candidate contesting the election from Yanam Assembly constituency who went missing , on April 1, was found lying in an unconscious state on the banks of Godavari at Samalkot road on Monday . Pemmadi Durga Prasad who worked as Yanam BJP president, filed his nomination for the election as an independent as he was denied the party ticket. On April 1, he left his house at Anyam Gardens Apartment in Yanam stating that he was going on some urgent work. He did not return home till late night and his family members failed to contact him over his mobile phone. Prasad’s wife Santhi lodged a complaint with the police suspecting that her husband might have been abducted. In her complaint, she stated that Gollapalli Ashok, another independent candidate, and some followers of former minister Malladi Krishna Rao, had called her husband several times for talks and suspected their hand in the abduction. The police constituted 13 special teams to trace Prasad. Four days after he went missing, Prasad was found at Achampet Junction late Sunday night. Locals who found him in an unconscious state, called 108 ambulance and he was shifted to Kakinada GGH. The police said injuries were found on Prasad’s body . express read Lemon price at `100 a kg brings cheer to Nellore ryots Soaring temperature from March itself may not be a good news for majority of people, but it has proved to be a boon for lemon farmers of Nellore as they started getting a better price for their produce. The lemon farmers incurred heavy losses last year due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown. Lemon prices have spiralled from `50 a kg to `100 in the last two weeks in the dis- been under investigation over his role in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. The report kicked up a political storm with Congress demanding a thorough probe and the BJP rejecting charges of corruption as completely baseless. AFA inspectors came across the suspect payment of 508,925 euros under the head gifts to clients, for which Dassault produced an invoice from Defsys. Mediapart, citing the AFA report, said, “This invoice, which related to 50% of the total order (1,017,850), was for the manufacture of 50 (mega sized) models of the Rafale C, with a price per unit of €20,357.” The duo scheduled to get marred soon Heat wave D S u r end r a K u ma r @ Nellore crore from various businesses on his behalf. With the Bombay High Court observing that the charges against Deshmukh were serious, warranting a thorough probe, his party the NCP realised his continu, , ation in the gover nment was untenable. “There is a legitimate public expectation of a free, fair, honest and impartial inquiry into such allegations which have surfaced in the public domain,” the court observed. The CBI will submit its report in 15 days. importers of lemon from Nellore. Normally, the prices of lemon start increasing from mid-April. The demand for lemon has increased from mid-March this season due to prevailing heat wave conditions in several parts of the State. “We dumped the produce on roads last year due to lack of remunerative price. The increase in lemon prices has brought cheer to Nellore farmers,” said S Meera Reddy, a ryot from Gudur rural mandal. The prices of lemon are hovering between `90 and `100 per kg now. We are hopeful of further rise in the prices of lemon in the coming days,” said K Mastanaiah, a farmer from Podalakuru. Exports from Eluru lemon market in AP and Nakrekal market in Telangana to northern States have declined this year, which resulted in rise demand for Nellore lemon this year. Hence, the lemon farmers are hopeful of reaping good profits this season. SEFI urges Centre to merge steel PSUs Visakhapatnam: Even as the agitation opposing strategic sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has been gaining strength, the demand for forming a single mega steel giant merging SAIL, RINL, NMDC and NINL has come into focus again. The RINL strategic sale plan is currently before the inter-ministerial group comprising Nirmala Sitaraman, Debendra Pradhan and Nitin Gadkari. The Steel Executives Federation of India (SEFI) national executive council has passed a resolution seeking merger of the steel PSUs Arch of world’s highest railway bridge completed Srinagar: The Indian Railways achieved a major milestone by completing the arch closure of the world’s highest railway bridge over river Chenab in J&K. The 5.6-metre last piece of metal was fitted at the highest point on Monday. Coal scam: SC appoints 2 judges for pending cases New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed two special courts to try the cases related to the coal scandal, which are pending trial for quite some time with the Patiala House sessions court in Delhi.