Avalanche in Gulmarg kills one Russian skier Gulmarg: A Russian skier on Thursday was killed when an avalanche hit Gulmarg. Seven others including the local guide were rescued, police said. The skiers had gone to a non-ski zone in the Khilanmarg area where an avalanche warning was out. It struck at 2 pm trapping all skiers under its debris, following which they were rescued | ANI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l friday l February 23, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION 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 Stir gets bigger as SKM steps in Tractor marches to be held on highways on Monday, Mahapanchayat in Delhi on March 14 New headache for Centre H A RPR E E T B A J WA @ Chandigarh THE Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body of farmer unions that spearheaded the 2020-2021 agitation against the three contentious Central farm laws that have since been repealed, on Thursday decided to put its weight behind the ongoing protests by Punjab farmers. After its meeting in Chandigarh to discuss the situation at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on the Punjab-Haryana border, where a protester was killed during clashes with police on Thursday the SKM lead, ers announced a series of protests across the country starting Friday. Leaders from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal also participated in the meeting, which formed a six-member panel to chalk out a bigger, united protest strategy to put pressure on the Centre. The panel includes Balbir Singh Rajewal, Joginder Singh Cong-AAP to tie up for Delhi p r eetha na i r @ New Delhi After stitching an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in UP, the Congress reached a seat-sharing deal with Aam Aadmi Party for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. Of the seven seats in Delhi, AAP will contest four and Congress three. Both parties agreed to share seats in Gujarat, Goa, Chandigarh and Haryana as well. Their joint statement is expected on Friday . Though seat-sharing talks have been through ups and downs, a Congress leader said the situation changed after the intervention of the party’s top leadership on Wednesday . According to the latest formula, the Congress may contest from East Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North East Delhi while AAP may enter the fray from New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, and North West Delhi. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express SKM is not part of the Dilli Chalo march, which is spearheaded by a the breakaway ‘non-political’ group, and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. Its demands include India’s withdrawal from WTO, which has no easy solution. SKM’s entry may make matters complicated for the Centre, which was till now negotiating with those leading Dilli Chalo march A ‘Nihang’ Sikh stands near police barricades at the Shambhu border on Thursday | PTI Ugrahan and Darshan Pal. “To ensure that far mers come together to get their rights, a six-member coordination committee has been formed,” said Rajewal. He and SKM leader Rakesh Tikait said Haryana’s CM Manohar Lal Khattar, home minister Anil Vij, and police officials be booked for the killing of the 21-year-old farmer. They also demanded judicial inquiry into the incident and `1 crore compensation for the deceased farmer’s family . On Friday, which will be observed as a ‘black day’, the protesters will burn the effigies of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Haryana CM Khattar and home minister Vij. The nationwide protest plans include tractor marches on highways on February 26. Also on the cards is a Mahapanchayat on March 14 at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. SKM leaders claimed the tractors will ply on one side of the highways so as not to disturb traffic. from may 1 Landing a Driver’s licence set to get more demanding E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram Securing a driver’s licence is set to become tougher with the motor vehicle department (MVD) deciding to introduce more stringent norms from May 1. In a move to ensure driver proficiency, Transport Commissioner S Sreejith has mandated angular and parallel parking, zig-za g driving and gradient tests as part of the ground test for getting a light motor vehicle licence (car). These assessments will be conducted one after the other as applicants navigate designated tracks on a 20m x 20m space, in a departure from the simpler ‘H’ track method currently in State has adequate powers, why not use them, asks Union min E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kalpetta Squarely putting the blame on the state government for failing to contain the human-wildlife conflicts in Wayanad, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, questioned the delay in exercising the powers vested with the state. On the second day of his trip to Wayanad to take stock of the situation in the wake of the rising wildlife attacks, he said the Union government has given specific legal exemptions to contain wildlife attack issues and the state government should utilise them. “Under Section 11 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, adequate powers have been vested with the chief wildlife warden of the state to issue an order to cage, trap or kill the problematic animal. In some cases wherein a tiger has to be killed, the state should consult with the Union government. However, the Centre has been responding promptly even through a phone call when such necessities arise,” said Bhupender Yadav while addressing a press conference after a meeting with department officials in Kalpetta on Thursday . “I urge the Kerala government to diligently and cautiously use the power of the chief wildlife warden to protect the HUMAN-WILD LIFE CONFLICT Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore — functioning under the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) — will coordinate with Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts. Centre, through WII, will assist in preparing corridor management plans for movement of animals in the forests coming under Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Centre has sanctioned J15.82 cr during 2023-24 under various schemes to Kerala, the minister said farming community,”the Union minister said. The minister’s comments have triggered heated discussions related to the power of the state government and its limitations in handling human-wildlife ● More on P4 conflicts.  C a l c u tt a H C o r d e r Secular roar? Big cats to get new names P r anab M o n d a l @ Kolkata A naming dispute of a ‘couple’ that became a national talking point ended up in the Calcutta High Court on Thursday directing the West Bengal government to change their names. Trouble began after people got to know the names of two big cats, housed in the same enclosure at the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri as part of an animal exchange programme from Tripura, as ‘Akbar’ and ‘Sita’. T h e Vi s h w a Hindu Parishad moved the court demanding the name change of the lioness saying it w a s Lion Akbar disrespectful to Hindus. Justice Saugata Bhattacharya asked the state government’s lawyer whether he would name his own pet Govt consents Additional advocate general Debjyoti Choudhary assured that the lions would get new names but urged the court to dismiss the petition. But the court ordered VHP’s plea be classified as PIL Lioness Sita after a Hindu God or a Muslim Prophet. “Will you yourself name your own pet after some Hindu God or Muslim Prophet? I think, if any of us would have been the authority, none of us would have named them as Akbar and Sita. Can anyone of us think of naming an animal after Rabindranath Tagore?” he wondered. Justice Bhattacharya also advised changing the name of lion Akbar on his own though it was not sought by the VHP. “Sita is worshipped by a larger section of this country I also . oppose naming the lion after Akbar. He was an efficient, successful and secular Mughal Emperor,” he observed. “You are a welfare and secular state. Why should you draw controversy,” he asked. The government said the naming was done by the Tripura zoo authorities in 2016 and 2018 before their transfer to Bengal. Janasanyog No. D/18258/23/23-Feb-2024 use. To align with Central Motor Vehicles Rules, only vehicles with manual gear shifts will be permitted for LMV licence evaluation, according to a circular issued by the commissioner. The department has found out that tests featuring automatic gear and electric vehicles do not adequately test the driving capabilities of applicants as prescribed in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, and it would create serious safety issues. To ensure efficiency and effectiveness, driving tests conducted by motor vehicle inspectors (MVI) will be limited to 30 applicants a day, with a mix of new and previously unsuccessful appli● More on P4 cants.  Pannian, Sunil Kumar & Annie Raja among CPI probables K S SR E E J I T H @ T’Puram Taking a cue from its lead partner in the LDF, the CPM, the CPI has decided to rely on its veterans to regain its lost glory in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. Old warhorse Pannian Ravindran, ministers K Rajan and G R Anil, former ministers V S Sunil Kumar and K P Rajendran, and Deputy Speaker Chittayam Gopakumar are among the probables the party has zeroed in on for the four seats it’s contesting in the state. National Federation of Indian Women general secretary Annie Raja and former MLA Sathyan Mokeri are being considered for Wayanad seat, where sitting MP Rahul Gandhi is expected to try his luck again. AIYF leader C A Arun Kumar is the favourite to take on seventime MP Kodikunnil Suresh in ● More on P4 Mavelikkara.