BELAGAVI  FRIDAY  MAY 31, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION T20 WORLD CUP: NEW YORK TO BEEF UP SECURITY FOR INDIA-PAKISTAN GAME With the arch-rivals set to play their first match on June 9, the NY state has said that security will be beefed up for the high-profile encounter INCREASED MEASURES FOR NASSAU COUNTY As Nassau County gets ready, ‘elevated’ security arrangements have been made to ensure safety of fans. This comes after reports of threats linked to the ISIS in April and more specific threats on the event now. “In preparation for @cricketworldcup, my team has been working with federal & local law enforcement to keep attendees safe,” Hochul wrote on X 34,000 EXPECT LARGEST SECURITY FOR MATCH ■ Nassau County police acknowledged the threat and reportedly said this is “largest security we’ve ever had to do in this county’s history and the safest place will be inside the stadium” ■ While the governor wrote that “there is no credible threat at this time”, security measures have been elevated to ensure safety of all CAPACITY OF STADIUM WHERE EIGHT MATCHES WILL BE HELD FROM JUNE 3-12 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 MONSOON ARRIVES IN KERALA; NORTH CONTINUES TO BAKE RED HOT DAY PUNJAB DELHI Ludhiana 45.6 Patiala 46.2 Safdarjung Palam Ridge Ayanagar HARYANA Rohtak Narnaul 47.5 47.5 ODISHA 45.6 46.4 46.7 47.0 Jharsuguda 47.0 Sambalpur 46.2 BIHAR Gaya 45.2 Dehri 46.0 UTTAR PRADESH RAJASTHAN Ganganagar Bikaner Jaipur Churu Jaisalmer 48.3 46.8 45.3 47.0 46.1 VIDARBHA Brahmpuri 46.9 Wardha 45.0 MADHYA PRADESH Sidhi Datia Khajuraho Gwalior Satna Damoh Figures in oC Shivpuri 48.2 45.8 47.0 45.1 45.7 45.0 46.0 Lucknow Bareilly Bahraich Varanasi Hardoi Orai Hamirpur Jhansi Moradabad Sultanpur Churk 45.1 45.1 45.4 47.8 45.5 46.4 45.2 47.4 45.0 45.0 45.6 UNBEARABLE HEAT IN THE NORTH, WEST Heat wave to severe heatwave conditions prevailed over many parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, East MP; parts of UP and Odisha. Many parts of Punjab, West MP, Chhattisgarh, parts of Bihar, Gujarat and Vidarbha and isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, too, witnessed heat wave TO EASE GRADUALLY Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions over parts of Northwest and Central India are likely to reduce gradually, the Met office said A woman carries a pipe to fetch water from a tanker amid the ongoing heat wave, at Chanakyapuri in New Delhi on Thursday | PTI J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi WHILE most of India continued to bake in the ongoing extreme heat wave, the Southwest monsoon arrived at in Kerala two days ahead of schedule on Thursday the , Indian Meteorological Department announced. The monsoon set in over Kerala and Mahe and advanced into most parts of the Northeast. The normal day for the monsoon’s arrival in Kerala is June 1. The earliest arrival of the monsoon in Kerala were on May 18 (1990), May 22 (1999) and May 23 (1974). The IMD forecast this monsoon season (June-September) is likely to be above normal — 106% of the Long Period Average (LPA). It will be above normal over Central India and South Peninsular India, normal over Northwest India and below normal over Northeast India. Experts say the monsoon’s progression is likely to be on the slower side due to unfavourable Madden-Julian Oscillation – an oceanic-atmospheric phenomenon defined as eastward moving clouds, rainfall, winds and pressure at regular intervals. However, it will accelerate over eastern and northern parts after June 15. “Slow progression of monsoon towards north India may lead to further extended heat wave period,” said Dr Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science. Above normal rainfall is good news for agriculture and food security. Around half of the workforce in the country is still dependent on farming for their livelihood. Last year’s deficit (6% of LPA) and uneven monsoon had impacted food production and the overall agrarian economy. The acreage and production of kharif crops such as pulses, oilseeds and cotton was reduced, which pushed agricultural growth below 1% and raised food inflation. Experts expect better monsoon this year would address the challenge. 22 killed in J&K bus accident F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar AT least 22 pilgrims were killed and 57 others injured after a bus carrying them fell into a 150 ft deep gorge in Akhnoor area of Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday . The accident took place when the driver of the bus, which was on its way to Shiv Khori shrine in J&K’s Reasi district, lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a blind curve. District Magistrate Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishya, said the passenger bus was carrying pilgrims from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives while the local administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry to ascertain the Rescue workers at the accident site near Chouki Choura area of Akhnoor | PTI cause of the accident. A joint rescue operation launched by the locals, police, and army men immediately after the accident helped save several trapped passengers. The injured persons were evacuated to a nearby hospital, where from 36 were further referred to the Government Medical College in Jammu for specialized treatment. Doctors termed the condition of six as ‘life threatening’. “Pained beyond words to learn about the loss of lives in a bus accident in Akhnoor near Jammu. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery of the injured,” President Murmu said in her condolence message shared on X. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of `2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and `50,000 to the injured passenges. J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha announced an ex-gratia of `5 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and `50,000 for those injured in the accident. Prajwal on flight to B’luru, SIT lies in wait sonnel and immigration officials on taking the accused MP into their custody in a smooth manner. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru SLEUTHS of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and police personnel were camping at KIA on Thursday night to take JDS MP Prajwal Revanna into custody on his ar rival from Munich. Prajwal, who flew to Germany on April 27, was expected to land at KIA at 12.39 am on Friday. The Munich-Bengaluru flight, which was supposed to take off at 12.05 pm (3.35 pm India Time), took off after a delay of 23 minutes (3.58 pm India time). The business class flight ticket in the name of Prajwal was booked for Thursday . In a video message on Mon- Arresting accused in foreign country not easy: Dr G Pressmen wait for the arrival of Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, by flight from Munich, at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Thursday night | ALLEN EGENUSE J day, Prajwal stated that he would appear before the SIT on Friday at 10 am. Since then, the Final chance to protect Constitution, former PM tells Punjab voters Campaign ends, Modi holds over 200 rallies PM Modi at Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari on Thursday | PTI PM’s 45-hr ‘dhyanam’ at rock memorial begins EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Kanniyakumari PRIME Minister Narendra Modi began his 45-hour-long ‘dhyanam’ (meditation) scheduled to go on till June 1 at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari district around 7 pm on Thursday . The PM’s helicopter from Thiruvananthapuram landed at the helipad at the Tamil Nadu state guest house at 5.10 pm. After staying for a brief while at the guest house, the PM visited the Bhagavathi Amman temple located 200 metres from the guest house and offered worship. Clad in a white dhoti and shawl, Modi prayed at the temple and circumambulated the ‘garbhagriha’. Priests performed a special ‘arthi’ and he was given temple ‘prasad’ that included a shawl and a framed photograph of the pre- siding deity of the temple. Later, he reached the rock memorial by a ferry service operated by the Tamil Nadu governmentowned shipping corporation. Immediately after entering the memorial, the PM showered flowers on the portraits of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and mother Sri Sarada Devi. He also paid floral tributes to the life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda kept on a pedestal at the mandapam before commencing his meditation. Following the culmination of the hectic Lok Sabha election campaign in which he addressed a multitude of rallies and after vociferous protests by the opposition, the PM will be meditating in an ambience of quietude. Over 2,000 security personnel have been deployed in the district and fishers of three villages have been barred from fishing for three days. EXPRESS READ Over 74k violations on B’luru-Mysuru highway Water row: Delhi govt to move SC against Haryana BENGALURU: Over 100 traffic violations were recorded every hour on the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway. In the last 28 days, a total of 74,915 traffic violations were captured by 22 cameras installed on both sides of the 118-km stretch. The highest number of violations were for drivers and co-passengers not wearing seat belts. NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will approach the Supreme Court on Thursday over Haryana not releasing the national capital’s share of water, which has led to a crisis situation, Water Minister Atishi said. She added that Delhi is staring at an “emergency situation” and announced a slew of emergency measures to tackle the crisis. DKS: 21 goats, 3 buffaloes, 21 sheep, 5 pigs sacrificed to shake govt EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru DEPUTY Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday alleged that “tantriks” in Kerala had performed black magic against him and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to destabilise the Congress government in the state. Addressing reporters here, Shivakumar said the “tantriks” perfor med “shatru bairavi yaga” against him and Siddara- maiah. “I have credible information that black magic rituals were performed at an isolated place near a temple in Kerala to destabilise our government in Karnataka. They performed ‘raja kantaka’ and ‘marana mohana sthambana’ yagas. People privy to the black magic rituals performed in Kerala gave us information about those behind the yagas,” he claimed. Shivakumar said that he is a believer and people’s blessings will protect him and Siddaramaiah. “These yagas were performed by aghoris and we have information that ‘pancha bali’ We know who had done these yagas. Those who are politically active will be targeted. Let them do it. I only believe in god and I don’t believe in black magic DK Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister SIT sleuths were on high alert. On Thursday they coordinated , with the local police, CISF per- Meanwhile, Dr Parameshwara told reporters on Thursday that arresting an accused in a foreign country is not easy. Even the Centre has no powers to do so. The Interpol coordinates with the member countries in this regard. Since the court has issued an arrest warrant against Prajwal, he will be arrested at the airport. “We have written to the Centre to cancel the MP’s diplomatic passport. Even the Centre has confirmed it,” Dr ParaP4 meshwara said. rituals were performed. Twenty-one goats, three buffaloes, 21 black sheep, and five pigs were sacrificed. Let them do whatever they want. The forces which we believe in will protect us. I always offer prayers before leaving home,” he added. “We know who had done these yagas. Those who are politically active will be targeted. Let them do it. I only believe in god and I don’t believe in black magic,” the DCM said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his Lok Sabha poll campaign with a rally in Hoshiarpur. The count of his rallies and roadshows reached 206, going past the close to 145 such events in the 2019 polls The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery and service is only four years. This shows their fake nationalism Manmohan Singh’s swipe at the Agniveer scheme P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi IN an emotional appeal to Punjab’s voters ahead of the final phase of the Lok Sabha elections, former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday said it’s their final chance to ensure that “democracy and Constitution are protected from the repeated assaults of a despotic regime trying to unleash dictatorship in India”. In a three-page letter shared on X by the Congress, Singh came down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “indulging in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature”. “People of India are seeing through all of this. This narrative of dehumanization has now reached its peak. With folded hands, I appeal to each one of you to give love, peace, fraternity and harmony a chance in In, dia,” he said. Mounting a sharp attack on the PM, he said that Modi is the first prime minister to lower the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of his office, adding no PM in the past had targeted a specific section of the society or the opposition in this manner. In his first response to Modi’s allegations of Singh’s politics of Muslim appeasement, the former PM said that he never singled out one community from the other. “No prime minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target ei, ther a specific section of the society or the opposition. He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP said the senior Con,” gress leader, who led the UPA government for two consecutive terms from 2004-2014. As for Modi, he kept up his attack on the Congress at his rally in Hoshiarpur, rebuking it for ranting about the Constitution when it was the one that ‘strangled’ it during Emergency He also . blamed it for the anti-Sikh pogrom in 1984. Dry days between June 1 & 6: No cheers for F&B players R I S H I TA K H A N N A @ Bengaluru SALE of liquor will be affected for five days across the state. There will be no sale of liquor on June 2, 4 and 6. Partial sale of liquor will be allowed on June 1 and June 3. This is in view of MLC elections and counting of votes of Lok Sabha and Council polls. Those in the food and beverage (F&B) industry said that it is a big blow to them. They have already been affected by a ban on liquor sale from April 24 to 26 for Lok Sabha elections in the state. An operational head of one of the biggest restobars at Marathahalli in the city told The New Indian Express that dry days in the beginning of the month will have harsh consequences on the business. “The ban starts on Saturday evening when we organise corporate par ties and other events. This will result in a loss of over Rs 30 lakh a day,” he said. Owners of restobars in the city claimed that they are among the top tax contributors. However, they are being frequently singled out and the ban on sale of liquor will be a major setback to them. They derive approximately 40% of their profits from liquor sales that go up to 60% during weekends. Representatives of the National Restaurants’ Association of India (NRAI) said they had requested the authorities to allow pubs and restobars to serve food. However, the authorities have not taken a decision yet. They have also moved the court in this regard. “At least, orders should be issued to allow us to offer food service to minimise the losses,” Shiva, a representative, said. CONTINUED ON: P5