Sweden’s PM Magdalena Andersson tadepalligudem l tuesday l may 17, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION after finland, now sweden confirms bid to join nato Citing threats from Russia, Sweden said on Monday it will seek to join NATO, reversing two centuries of military non-alignment Best thing for our security: Swedish PM Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said NATO membership is “the best thing for Sweden’s security”, a day after neighbouring Finland confirmed its plan to seek a berth in the alliance. The historic shift in Stockholm’s security policy comes amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has led to a rise in public support in Sweden for joining NATO 51% putin warns of consequences ■ President Vladimir Putin warned that the expansion of NATO military assets to these countries will provoke a Russian response ■ It may take about one year for the alliance’s 30 members to ratify Sweden’s application. NATO has assured Sweden of support in case it faces Russian aggression in the meantime | P9 People in Sweden support nato membership, as per a poll 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 Shivalinga? Gyanvapi area sealed Supreme Court to hear plea today challenging a Varanasi court-mandated survey of the mosque N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow Pricey fuel set to make flights costly A r s h a d K h a n @ New Delhi Airfares are likely to soar further as the government has hiked jet fuel prices by 5.29%, its 10th hike in the year so far. Fares have already shot up by 25-40% this year. The latest jump would only make flying costlier. Jet fuel rates account for about 40% of an airline’s running cost. Fares in many sectors have nearly doubled in the last two years or so. A quick search on any travel portal shows that a one-way flight in the busy Delhi-Mumbai sector is priced between `6,550-7,850 (May 23, non-stop, economy) while in the Delhi-Bengaluru sector it is `8,400-9,850. In the early 2020s, before Covid struck, a one-way DelhiMumbai economy class flight booked a week in advance was priced roughly at `3,500. For the Delhi-Bengaluru sector at that point in time, it was about `5,000. Multiple ticketing agents this newspaper spoke to said airfares in 2022 alone have shot up by up to 40% for tickets booked for flights that would take-off in 15 days, while it went up by up to 2530% if booked after 15 days. Rajiv Mehra, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators, told this newspaper, “5-10% hike is absorbable but when the fares go up by 30-40%, it dents the tourism sector. After the pandemic we were now hoping for good tourists’ arrival but these high fares have poured water on all our hopes.” The price of jet fuel, also called aviation turbine fuel, was increased by `6,188.25 per kilolitre, or 5.29%, to `1,23,039.71 per kl (`123 per litre) in Delhi. The fuel cost has been raised by a cumulative 61.7% from January to May 16 this year. The controversial court-mandated videography of the Gyanvapi mosque complex on Monday took a dramatic turn with a Varanasi court ordering the sealing of a pond after claims of having spotted a ‘Shivalinga’ in it, though the other side said it was just a defunct fountain. The pond is used by Muslim devotees for wuzu or purification rituals before offering namaz. The ongoing drama will shift to the Supreme Court on Tuesday where a bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and P S Narasimha will hear a plea filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid that manages the affairs of the Gyanvapi mosque, challenging the courtmandated survey . The Varanasi court’s order came even as the videography was on, as one lawyer Harishankar Jain, representing a plaintiff, left the survey team midway and filed an court application about the ‘Shivalinga’. “As it is a very important piece of evidence, the area should be sealed immediately for its safety,” he Policemen stand guard during the third and last day of the controversial videographic survey at the Gyanvapi mosque complex, in Varanasi on Monday | PTI Report to be out today Varanasi District Magistrate Kushal Raj Sharma and courtappointed Advocate General Ajay Kumar Mishra neither confirmed nor denied the presence of the Shivalinga, saying it might be someone’s personal claim. Having concluded the three-day survey on Monday, they said the report will be submitted to the court on Tuesday said in his application. Jain also sought a ban on the entry of Muslims in that area besides allowing not more than 20 people to offer namaz at any given time. Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar, while directing the district administration to seal the area of the wuzu pond, ordered restricted entry of people into that part of the mosque premises, but did not put a figure to it. The judge, however, made the state chief secretary and director general of police responsible for the supervision of the sealing process and Over 50L farmers get aid under YSR Rythu Bharosa E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada THE State government credited a financial assistance of `5,500 each into the farmers’ accounts under the YSR Rythu Bharosa PM Kisan scheme on Monday . Disbursing the amount at a function held at Ganapavaram in Eluru, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said the remaining central government component of `2,000 would be credited by this month-end. This is the first tranche of the scheme in the fourth year. A total of `3,758 crore would be credited into the accounts of 50.10 lakh farmers as part of the scheme. While crediting the amount, the chief minister castigated the Opposition TDP for ignoring the farmers when it was in power, and indirectly criticised Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan for shedding “crocodile tears” over the farmers’ plight after remaining silent when TDP acted against their interests. Saying that the Almighty had blessed Andhra with abundant rainfall during the past three CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy disbursed `3,758 crore into the accounts of 50.10 lakh farmers in Eluru district | Express years, Jagan said no mandals were declared drought-hit during the period. “The groundwater levels increased and all reservoirs were filled to the brim in these three years,’’ he pointed out. The production of food grains, too, showed a marked increase during the three years, compared to N Chandrababu Naidu’s fiveyear tenure, the chief minister said. While the previous regime had ignored the families of farmers who had committed suicide, the present government has been committed to their welfare.  P4 Jagan takes jab at PK While we are extending welfare measures to farmers transparently, Naidu’s foster son is touring the State, consoling the families of farmers who had ended their lives. Protests rage over govt stadium fee hike B a n d h a v i Ann a m @ Guntur The hike will be a loss for the city as it might lose athletes who have the capability to win medals to pay `1,000 admission fee and `500 monthly fee whereas those above 14 years have to pay `2,000 as admission fee and `1,000 monthly fee. Approximately 1,600 children take coaching for various sports at the BR Stadium. They have to pay a fee to practice the sport of their choice under proper guidance of certified coaches. Stating that majority of the kids who train at the stadium are poor and cannot afford coaching at private institutions, AP National Athletic Association (Guntur) president Sk Lal express read TTD to continue Padmaradhana seva Tirupati: The TTD, which had announced cancellation of some sevas in view of summer rush, has decided to continue the Astadala Pada Padmaradhana seva every Tuesday as devotees have booked tickets till June this year. It has also decided to offer break darshan tickets instead of Tiruppavada seva for those who have already booked tickets. Alternatively, they will refund the money 8 interstate betting gang members held foul play The decision of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) to hike user fee at government stadiums in the city has not gone well with the parents as well as some sports associations.   Recently, SAAP had initiated a scheme, ‘Pay and Play’, under which it increased the annual fee of `150-`200 to `1,500-`3,000 on select sports including badminton, cricket, skating, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and yoga reportedly due to the rise in maintenance cost as well as to provide better facilities to the athletes. The annual fee includes admission and monthly fee. Opposing the scheme, various sports associations, parents, and athletes have been staging protests at BR Stadium, which comes under the management of SAAP demanding the author, ities to revoke the new order. As per the revised prices, children below 14 years of age have the work done by the district magistrate, commissioner of police and the CRPF for the execution of the order. The Muslim side was shocked that the court ordered the sealing without hearing it. “The other side is misguiding the nation by calling a defunct fountain a Shivalinga,” said Raees Ahmad Ansari, the lawyer of Anjuman Intenzamia Masjid. Abhay Nath Yadav, representing the Muslim side, said everyone should wait for the submission of the survey report and subsequent court verdict without jumping to conclusions. District Magistrate Kushal Raj Sharma said after receiving the order, the wuzu pond area was isolated and sealed, adding alternative arrangements for wuzu were being made to ensure that Muslims did not face any problem in offering namaz. Other lawyers accompanying the court commission during the survey termed it a ‘historic day’ saying the evidence they collected would play a key role in all cases related to Gyanvapi in different courts. Vazeer told TNIE, “Several children who have been training in this stadium have won medals at the national and international level.” He further explained, “The main reason so many children had chosen to get trained at the BR Stadium was due to its affordable prices. The hike will not only be a disadvantage for children as their parents might stop them from practising sports, but it will also be a loss for the city as it might lose athletes who have the potential to P4 win medals.”  Lal Vazeer, AP National Athletic Association The user fee is for middleclass kids and those who can afford to pay the fees so that all the athletes can have better facilities Muralidhar, chief coach Visakhapatnam: Eight members of an interstate cricket betting gang, all natives of Chhattisgarh, were arrested under Duvvada police station limits at Gajuwaka in the city on Monday. The police seized two laptops, 20 mobile phones and 23 SIM cards from the accused. Duvvada CI Lakshmi said the kingpin operated from Delhi | P4 PM uses buddhism to strengthen Nepal ties Y e s h i Se l i @ New Delhi Connected by the noble thread of Buddhism, India and Nepal are deepening ties in many spheres, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a day-long visit to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. “Today’s meeting with PM @SherBDeuba was excellent. We discussed the full range of relations between India and Nepal,” Modi tweeted. He also laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage besides visiting the famous Mayadevi temple along with his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba. Both sides signed six pacts. Modi’s visit as cheered up Tibetans, many of whom hope it will help reduce China’s influence in Nepal. “China uses Buddhism for political reasons. We are glad that India and Nepal ties are strengthening again. Nepalese leaders need to be mindful of Chinese political manoeuvres,” said Tenzin Lekshay spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration. For long China has sought to develop Lumbini and recently offered $3 billion to make it a World Peace City through the Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. But China’s interest in Nepal through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is making people wary . ‘Corruption rife in MAUD dept’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kurnool Admitting that corruption was rampant in the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department, minister Audimulapu Suresh directed the officials to mend their ways. Suresh, who was the Education Minister in Jagan’s previous cabinet, was recently given the MAUD portfolio. Speaking to reporters in Kurnool after laying a stone for several development works in the town on Monday , he noted, “Corruption is rampant in the municipal adminstration department and the 16,000-odd illegal layouts identified in the State only make it more evident.” Elaborating, he said the files pending in the vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau also indicate there is corruption in the department. Pointing out that officials of town planning department need to change their attitude, he directed them to ensure there is no scope for corruption in their sections of the municipalities. Suresh bats for Kurnool “Kurnool, in a way, can be considered as the judicial capital of the State,’’ Suresh said, even as the High Court had made it clear that the State cannot have 3 capitals. He was speaking at a session on decentralisation Rains lash Rayalaseema, 2 killed, 1 missing E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirupati Two people died in Kadapa and one is feared missing in Nellore district after heavy rains lashed Rayalaseema region on Monday . While several parts of Kadapa district experienced heavy downpour coupled with strong gales, normal life in Badvel was disrupted as the town received the highest rainfall of 8 cm. Commuters had a tough time as water from the drains choked Badvel Road and Mydukur Road. The RTC depot garage in the town was waterlogged for sometime. Rainwater also entered into low-lying areas in the town causing much inconvenience to the residents. In Duvvur mandal, two farmers, Nallabothula Hanumanthu (55) and Settipalle Munirao (32), were killed as lightning struck them while they were rearing the animals in their agriculture fields. In Tirupati, moderate rains brought relief to the citizens from the sweltering heat. A farmer, Bandla Suresh, is feared missing after he was washed away in the Chippaleru stream at Battle Dinne in Kavali rural mandal, Nellore district. The stream had been overflow- Normal life in Badvel was disrupted as the town received the highest rainfall of 8 cm | Express ing due to the cyclone-induced rains that battered the region last week. Police and local residents have taken up search operations to trace Suresh. The cotton farmer reportedly fell into the stream while he was trying to cross it to reach his agriculture field on Monday morning. He has two children. when it rained woes Region Rainfall Region Rainfall Puttur 6 cm Renigunta 2 cm Jammala madugu 5 cm Punganuru 2 cm Chandragiri 4 cm Chagalamarri 2 cm Nagari 3 cm Porumamilla 2 cm Krishnagiri 3 cm Allagadda 1 cm Madanapalle 3 cm Adoni 1 cm Vayalpadu 3 cm Tadipatri 1 cm