HYDERABAD SATURDAY JUNE 29, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 16 LATE CITY EDITION DEEPLY BIASED: INDIA SLAMS U.S. REPORT ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the report cherry-picked incidents to push a preconceived narrative against India DRIVEN BY VOTEBANK CONSIDERATIONS: MEA “As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks an understanding of India’s social fabric and is visibly driven by votebank considerations and a prescriptive outlook,” Jaiswal said. “We therefore reject it. The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of issues,” he added 253 ‘QUESTIONS INTEGRITY OF JUDICIAL VERDICTS’ ■ While releasing the report in Washington on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had flagged a ‘concerning increase’ in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolition of homes and places of worship in India ■ The MEA spokesperson said the US State Department’s annual report appears to challenge the integrity of certain judgments by Indian courts CHURCHES WERE BURNED DOWN IN MANIPUR IN 2023, SAYS THE U.S. REPORT 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 CM gets AICC nod to induct more BRS MLAs Cong tally in House at 71 after Yadaiah’s entry; berths only for ‘original’ leaders, nominated posts at best for migrants I R E D DY S R I N I VAS R E D DY 3 in TPCC chief race @ Hyderabad BY all accounts, the five-day Delhi tour of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was a fruitful one, with the Congress high command giving him carte blanche, as it were, on Operation Akarsh. A highly-placed source confirmed that the high command made it very clear to the CM that there should be no scope for the Telangana government to feel threatened, let alone collapse, and that Revanth should do all he can to strengthen it — more or less a green signal that the TPCC president could proceed with welcoming more BRS MLAs into the Congress fold. If sources are to be believed, the high command indicated to the CM to send to Delhi whoever opposes the entry of BRS MLAs into the party and that the AICC would deal with them. The high command also made it clear that only “origi- SC MLA, ST MP and a BC MLC, all hailing from North Telangana, shortlisted FRONT-RUNNERS FOR CABINET POSTS Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy P Sudharshan Reddy V Srihari G Vivek Venkataswamy Malreddy Ranga Reddy AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge & CM A Revanth Reddy in New Delhi with Chevella MLA Kale Yadaiah on Friday. Yadaiah is the sixth BRS legislator to join the Congress | P4 nal” Congress leaders would be in contention for Cabinet posts while those who joined the party recently will have to be content with nominated posts. The AICC leadership also deliberated on the next TPCC chief and other important appointments. Legislators from the erstwhile Nizamabad, Adilabad, Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts, which are currently unrepresented in the Cabinet, will be given berths, according to sources. Eligible aspirants for berths may also be considered for posts like chief whip Rammohan Reddy and deputy speaker in the Assembly, both of which are of Cabinet rank and are accorded the same protocol. The process of finalising the PCC chief is nearly complete, with the appointment hinging on Cabinet expansion to ensure a balanced social equation, the sources said. They said that if Opposition stalls Parl to make NEET point, Kharge enters Well of House PREETHA NAIR & RAJESH KUMAR T H A K U R @ New Delhi BIG HIT India’s Shafali Verma hit the fastest double century (off 194 balls) in the history of women’s Test cricket on Friday. She achieved the feat on day one of the ongoing Test against South Africa in Chennai | P RAVIKUMAR BOTH Houses of Parliament witnessed dramatic scenes and multiple adjournments on Friday with Opposition parties led by the Congress pressing for a debate on alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam. In the Lok Sabha, Opposition members sought suspension of all other matters to discuss the NEET fiasco but Speaker Om Birla ruled that a discussion on the President’s address be taken first. In the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded a ‘respectful’ discussion on the NEET issue to show solidarity with the students. “We wanted to give a joint message to the students of India, on behalf of the Opposition and government, that we consider this an import a n t i s s u e. S o, we thought that to respect students we will have a discussion on NEET today, a dedicated discussion,” he said. The Opposition benches erupted in uproar when Rahul Gandhi claimed his microphone was switched off. In response, Birla said he had no control over microphones. Centralised transport, carpooling: Cops’ new plan to tackle IT corridor gridlock “The discussion should be on the President’s address. Other matters will not be recorded,” the Speaker said. Noisy scenes unfolded in the Rajya Sabha as well. At one point, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge too entered the Well of the House to join the protest. This triggered a sharp comment from Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who said it is the first time a person occupying the post has engaged in such a conduct. In the Upper House, the disruptions were marked by intense sloganeering, leading to the suspension of proceedings three times. VIKRAMSECRETARY MISRI NEW FOREIGN Dy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri, a renowned expert on China, will succeed incumbent Vinay Kwatra on July 15 | P7 A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad WHENEVER there is a downpour in Hyderabad’s Hitec City and surrounding areas during the peak hours, visuals of massive traffic snarls in the IT corridor start flooding social media. A similar situation prevailed on Thursday with the Cyberabad traffic police sharing an aerial view of vehicles moving at a snail’s pace on the flyover beside IKEA in order to alert commuters. While the police have deployed more personnel on rainy days to ensure smooth movement of traffic, they blame the huge volume of vehicles for the gridlock. “The volume is very high, which needs to decrease. It rises immediately after a shower of rain around evening as the employees leave for their homes,” Joint CP, Cyberabad Traffic, Joel Davis told TNIE. As per police, a new plan is in the offing to tackle the gridlock with suggestions including a centralised transport system, carpooling and staggered timings made to building owners as well as IT firms. Citing an example of a centralised system, Davis explained, “At present, all companies are sending different pickup vehicles for employees. But what we are suggesting is that suppose there are 100 companies in Raheja Mindspace with around 30 coming from a simi- EXPRESS READ Soren out of prison on bail after 5 months After nearly five months behind bars, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Friday walked out of jail after the Jharkhand HC granted him regular bail in a money laundering case | P8 Traffic snarls are a regular sight during peak hours on rainy days on the Durgam Cheruvu-IKEA stretch in Hitec City, Hyderabad lar venue, say Manikonda and travelling to the same office (for instance, Mindspace), then instead of separate vehicles, a bigger vehicle or bus can be sent for pickup to avoid duplication as well as for optimum utilisation.” He added, “Nothing is mandatory as of now, but after consultation with the stakeholders, it might be turned into a regulation.” Meanwhile, regular commuters working in Hitec City and nearby areas, most of them employed in IT firms, pointed out probable reasons for the congestion. They also recalled harrowing experiences of being stuck in traffic for hours. “A prominent reason is waterlogging. The drainage sys- tems should be improved,” said KV Santosh, an IT professional, adding, “When it rains, it takes around 45 minutes to reach Raidurg from my office in Gachibowli that is just two km away .” Notably, some companies have adopted a hybrid work model, while others have made it a necessity for employees to travel to the office every day. Most employees work in the general shift (between 9 am and 6 pm) and hit the roads concurrently . “All of them log out at almost the same time. People in the subsequent shift also arrive at the office then. This adds to the traffic as many vehicles are on the road at the same time,” said P Sai, a cab driver ferrying IT professionals daily . BC and ST leaders make it to the Cabinet, an SC leader will be appointed as PCC chief. Conversely, if the expansion includes SC and ST leaders, a BC leader will be picked to succeed Revanth. Sources said the AICC and senior state leaders have shortlisted an SC leader, an ST leader and a BC leader for the TPCC president’s post. The final decision will depend on who makes it to the Cabinet. They said that an SC MLA, an ST MP and a BC MLC, all from north Telangana, have been shortlisted Meanwhile, among the frontrunners for Cabinet posts are P Sudharshan Reddy (erstwhile Nizamabad district), G Vivek Venkataswamy (Adilabad), Malreddy Ranga Reddy and Rammohan Reddy from Rangareddy, Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy (Nalgonda), V Srihari (Mahbubnagar) and several leaders from Hyderabad. CONTINUED ON P4 TG Houses prorogued, ordinances in the offing V V B A L A K R I S H N A @ Hyderabad THE Telangana Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council were prorogued on Friday. The government is likely to bring in two or three ordinances this week. Governor CP Radhakrishnan issued separate notifications proroguing the Assembly and the Council. “I, The Governor of Telangana, hereby prorogue, with effect from June 27, the second session of the third Telangana Legislative Assembly, which commenced on February 8, 2024”, the notification said. The vote-on-account budget was presented in the Legislative Assembly in February for four months. The full Budget has to be approved by the Assembly before July 31. However, the government is in a hurry to increase market values of lands and is also planning to introduce a new Revenue Act. If the House is in motion, ordinances cannot be promulgated. The gover nment has now decided to bring in ordinances to increase the state’s revenues from July 1 itself. According to sources, an Ordinance may be brought for Telangana Revenue Record of Right Act, 2024. This will replace Dharani. The government may also set up Revenue Tribunals in every district to resolve land-related disputes. Parked vehicles are damaged following the collapse of a canopy at Terminal 1 of the airport amid heavy rain in New Delhi on Friday | PTI Cabbie killed in canopy collapse at Delhi airport U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi ONE cabbie died while six others sustained injuries after a portion of the canopy at the Delhi Airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed amid heavy pre-dawn rains on Friday Deputy Com. missioner of Police (IGI-A) Usha Rangnani said the shed outside Terminal 1 of the domestic airport, from Departure Gate 1 to Gate 2, collapsed around 5 am with its beams crashing on parked cabs. The deceased was identified as Ramesh Kumar (45). Iron beams from the roof crashed on his parked cab with him in- side. The injured were rushed to Medanta Hospital. “Around four vehicles were damaged and six persons were injured. All the injured persons are stable,” Rangnani said. The Delhi Police later registered a case of death due to negligence under the Indian Penal Code. New Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu took stock of the situation. His ministry ordered a probe into the incident. The rains disrupted flight services for a few hours. As many as 11 IndiGo flights between Hyderabad and Delhi were cancelled. Record rain in 88 yrs brings capital to its knees After record heat, it poured like there was no tomorrow on the first day of monsoon in the national capital, drenching Delhi with the highest one-day rainfall in 88 years. It rained cats and dogs from about 4 am to 8.30 am and left major parts of Delhi and the adjoining national capital region flooded. 5 dead, 10 hurt in blast at Shadnagar glass factory E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad AS many as five workers died on the spot and 10 others were injured after a blast in a glass factory in Shadnagar on Friday . The condition of one injured person is said to be critical. Most of the deceased and injured are workers from Odisha. The incident took place at South Glass Private Limited, located in Budurgul under Shadnagar police station limits. The incident occurred when the lid of an air compressor was unable to withstand the pressure. The lid was not closed properly . The sudden release of pressure caused the lid to burst, causing severe injuries to workers. As it was the last shift, most workers had left. Only 20 were present within the factory and around 50 were outside at the time of the incident. The impact of the blast was so powerful that workers were lifted off the ground and flung at least two to three metres from the factory The body parts of the deceased . were found strewn all over the area. At least five workers died in a blast at a glass factory in Shadnagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Friday T20 WC FINAL Bridge-tone: It’s all blue for now S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai A World Cup final in the last week of June? If Indian fans are looking for some signs from up above, this one is right there, staring you in the face, front and centre. June 25, 1983, was when India won it for the first time (in one dayers), slaying the two-time and defending champions, West Indies. Fortyone years and a few days later, they have the opportunity to end a decade-old drought for global gold. They came close to ending it in the longer formats last year but lost on both occasions to familiar foes, Australia. Standing between them and a second T20 World Cup title (fifth if you want to include the OG version) is South Africa, whose men’s team are in unchartered territory Man for man, the Indian . team come out on top, especially in Caribbean conditions where the strips have been low, slow with some grip. But the final in Bridgetown, Barbados, promises to be close for a variety of reasons. There are multiple similarities (a toporder with an out of form opener, one batter who will look to break open the powerplay one , left-arm wrist-spinner, one future Hall of Famer seamer, one decent left-arm pacer...) but the biggest factor is that the South India will be looking to capture their 2nd T20 World Cup title on Saturday African batters match up well to the Indian spinners. Zooming out, they are both units so driven by the idea of success for different reasons. For India, with multiple generational talents in various points of their career, they want to add a title to further embellish their body of work and to repay the faith their employers have in them. Individual records are great but the primary currency in sport is finishing first in big tournaments. India have let themselves down in this regard. For the Proteas, it’s to show the cricketing world this is the beginning of a new dawn, free of the baggage most of their teams have had since readmission. Have your dinner nice and early and stock the fridge with a beverage of your choice. For Saturday night could be a very long and a special one. Live on Star Sports/Hotstar from 8 PM
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