Lakshya Sen HYDERABAD  THURSDAY  AUGUST 1, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION LAKSHYA AND KUSALE VICTORIES HEADLINE INDIA’S DAY AT THE GAMES Shuttler Lakshya Sen overpowered Indonesia’s world number 3 Jonatan Christie while Swapnil Kusale entered 50 m rifle 3 positions final CHANCE FOR ANOTHER MEDAL IN SHOOTING LASKHYA, SINDHU ENTER ROUND OF 16 India’s third medal at Paris Olympics could also come in shooting with Swapnil Kusale qualifying for the finals of 50m rifle 3 positions. While Aishwary Pratap Tomar missed out, Kusale has a chance to add to India’s tally in the final on Thursday. Meanwhile, boxer Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) advanced to the quarterfinals and is one win away from securing a medal ■ ■ Despite being in a must-win position, Lakshya Sen was not flustered. That he was up against World No 3 Jonatan Christie didn’t matter. In a contest that lasted less than an hour, Sen cruised past the reigning All England and Asian champion 21-18, 21-12 to enter the pre-quarters P V Sindhu, beat Kristin Kuuba 21-5 21-10 to reach last 16 | P11 2nd CONSECUTIVE GOLD FOR NEW ZEALAND WOMEN IN RUGBY SEVENS EVENT 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 Infy gets `32K cr GST notice U M A K A N N A N @ Bengaluru INFOSYS, the second largest IT services company in the country has been slapped with , `32,403 crore GST evasion notice by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). The pre-show cause notice is for non-payment of GST from July 2017 to March 2022 towards expenses incurred by its overseas branch offices. The company in a BSE filing said Karnataka State GST authorities first issued a notice. Subsequently, Infy received a notice from DGGI. According to the notice viewed by this paper, “Infosys Thankachan sits on top of what is left of his brother’s house and watches the rescue operations at Chooralmala on Wednesday. His brother and sister are missing | E GOKUL 249 AND COUNTING 1,500 RESCUED SO FAR; 240 PEOPLE STILL MISSING ALMOST 90% OF HOUSES IN MUNDAKKAI DESTROYED ARMY’S 190-M BAILEY BRIDGE TO BE READY TODAY M A N O J V I S W A N AT H A N @ Chooralmala FLATTENED houses, mangled vehicles, boulders, huge uprooted trees, and mud an slush everywhere. The twin Wayanad villages of Chooralmala and Mundakkai resembled graveyards on Wednesday . According to reports, the toll has touched 249 (official tally 167) while 240 are missing (official figure 191). In Mundakkai, 90% of the houses have been destroyed, filled with mud up to 10ft high. Relatives of the missing persons waited in anguish as rescue workers from the Army Navy National Disaster , , Response Force, Coast Guard, Fire and Rescue Services, Police, Civil Defence Force and volunteers of various NGOs waded through knee-deep slush searching for survivors. Meanwhile, 19 people who were stranded at a resort in Mundakkai were rescued and brought to a relief centre. Five bodies were recovered from Mundakkai. The rescue workers had to brave inclement weather and hostile terrain to search for survivors. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said over 1,500 people were rescued so far. “My wife Sheeja and eight other family members are missing. There is no information about them,” said Soman of Mandapathil house in Mundakkai. ADGP M R Ajithkumar said rescue workers had reached every remote area of Mundakkai and saved all stranded residents. “Since the bridge has been washed away, we couldn’t take heavy machinery to the area. We are using cutters, ropes and small equipment to cut concrete slabs. Dogs from the K9 squad helped identify four spots and we are removing the debris to find the missing people,” he said. Fire and Rescue Services personnel managed to take an earthmover to Mundakkai after crossing the river on Wednesday morning. “There are chances of people being stuck under the debris in various houses. We have rescued all survivors but cannot rule out the possibility of there being more,” said Ajithkumar. The Army said it will build the 190-m-long Bailey bridge by Thursday evening, which will help it carry heavy excavators P5,7 to Mundakkai. Wayanad received 7% of its seasonal rainfall on July 30 J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi KERALA GOVT IGNORED OUR ALERTS: SHAH The Centre had sent multiple warnings about floods and landslides, starting as early as July 23, but the Kerala government ignored them, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday in Parliament THERE WAS NO WARNING: PINARAYI Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said only an orange alert was issued and the actual rainfall was much higher than forecast. He said a red alert was issued after the landslides WAYANAD received extreme rainfall in the few days prior to Tuesday’s landslide, according to data released by India Meteorological Department. An analysis of the data shows that the district received as much as 7% of its entire seasonal rainfall in 24 hours (from Monday morning to Tuesday morning) and 21% of the total seasonal rainfall in the past two weeks. The district, which had been facing deficient rainfall since the arrival of the Southwest monsoon, dramatically jumped to the ‘normal rainfall’ category due to the extreme rainfall in the 24 hours between July 29 (Monday) and July 30 (Tuesday). For example, on July 28 (Sunday), the district received only 9 mm rainfall, which was 73% lesser than that day’s normal (32.9 mm) rainfall. In contrast, the next day on , July 29 (Monday), it received a whopping 141.9 mm of rainfall, which was 493% above the daily normal rainfall. Wayanad’s annual average rainfall is 2,800 mm while the Southwest monsoon’s seasonal average rainfall (June-September) in the district is 2,464.7 mm. It means, the total precipitation from July 29 morning to July 30 morning was 6% of the annual precipitation and around 7% of the seasonal precipitation. The unusually high rainfall in such a short span of time could have contributed to the landslide. Mucherla to be Hyd’s ‘4th city’: Revanth NOD FOR ‘MAHA HYD’ EXPECTED TODAY The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation is all set to become “Maha Hyderabad”. The Cabinet, which will meet on Thursday, is expected to approve the creation of a ‘unified single urban local body’ by extending GHMC’s jurisdiction to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The new entity, likely to be named the “Hyderabad Greater City Corporation” (HGCC), will include several municipal corporations, municipalities and villages up to the ORR | P3 GROUP-I POSTS FOR SIRAJ, ZAREEN To promote sports and steer the youth away from intoxications, Revanth announced that Group 1 positions would be awarded to Mohammed Siraj, a member of the T20 World Cup-winning team, and Nikhat Zareen, a world championship gold medalist E X P R E SS N E WS S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad CHIEF Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday announced plans to develop Mucherla as the “fourth city” in the capital region after Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Cyberabad. Stating that it will be a destination for investments, entertainment, sports and academia, he claimed that the “fourth city” would be the future of Hyderabad. Speaking during a discussion in the Assembly , Revanth said, “We will establish a wonderful city by constructing a world-class skill development university and sports university building , an international cricket stadium and developing medical facilities to convert Mucherla into a health hub. It will become a destination for investment, health, education, skill training, international cricket tournaments, employment opportunities and golf clubs.” The government will relocate the National Academy of Construction to Mucherla, the chief minister said, adding that the administration would extend Metro Rail and MMTS connectivity to the “fourth city”. While Hyderabad and Secunderabad have evolved gradually , the Cyberabad region experienced an IT boom. Along the same lines, the Congress government is planning to expand and develop Mucherla. The chief minister said his government will bring a comprehensive policy for agriculture, industry, excise, energy and various other sectors. He said they are working on connecting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to agriculture for better results. Emphasising the apathy toward sports excellence at the international level, he noted that despite India’s vast population of 140 crore people, the country’s Olympic aspirations are limited to a single bronze medal. He said that he has already spoken to the BCCI about setting up an international cricket stadium in the city . Later in the day, the HCA president thanked Revanth for making the announcement to set up an international stadium in the city on 100 acres of land. Ltd, Bengaluru is liable to pay IGST (Integrated Goods and Services Tax) under reverse charge mechanism on supplies received from branches located outside India to the tune of `32,403.46 crores for the period 2017-18 (July 2017 onwards) to 2021-22.” In its filing, Infosys said, “The Company believes that as per regulations, GST is not applicable on these expenses. Additionally, as per a recent Circular issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs on the recommendations of the GST Council, services provided by the overseas branches to Indian entity are not subject to Hamas’ political chief Haniyeh assassinated ‘ISIL handlers in India recruiting lone actors’ on two regional capitals have heightened fears of a wider IN the most significant blow conflict. “We consider it our to Hamas since the start of the duty to seek revenge for his ongoing war in Gaza, its po- blood,” Iran’s supreme leader litical chief Ismail Haniyeh Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. was assassinated in There are also conT e h r a n o n cerns that the attack Wednesday . m ay d e r a i l G a z a Iran said Israel was ceasefire talks. Israeli behind the predawn Prime Minister Benairstrike that killed j a m i n N e t a nya h u him. Israel is yet to held a meeting of his comment. Just a day security cabinet on earlier, Haniyeh had Wednesday to discuss attended Iranian potential blowbacks, Ismail Haniyeh President Masoud The Times of Israel Pezeshkian’s inaugureported. ration in Tehran. The assassiAs political head, Haniyeh nation follows an Israeli at- played a key role in shaping tack on Beirut targeting a Hamas’ foreign policy, but was Hezbollah commander, who is less involved in its military afsaid to have ordered a rocket fairs, Michael Milshtein, a Haattack that killed 12 children mas expert, told AFP. FULL COVERAGE: P9 in Golan Heights. The attacks 21 parks in central Hyd to be theme-based AGENCIES EXPRESS NEWS SERVI CE @ Hyderabad Telangana High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe administers the oath of office to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma in Raj Bhavan on Wednesday JISHNU Dev Varma assumed charge as the governor of Telangana on Wednesday Telan. gana High Court Chief Justice Alok Aradhe administered the oath of office to Varma in Raj Bhavan. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Union Coals and Mining Minister G Kishan Reddy, state ministers and other dignitaries attended the oath-taking ceremony. Later, Revanth introduced his Cabinet col- BRS MLAs stormed the Well of the House on Wednesday after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy told BRS working president KT Rama Rao that his party would end up “like the Jubilee bus stand” if he kept listening to the “elder sisters” behind him. Incidentally, Sabitha Indra Reddy and Sunitha Laxma Reddy were sitting behind the Sircilla MLA | P4 REVANTH UNFIT TO BE CM: KTR United Nations: Terror group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Khorasan (ISIL-K) seeks to recruit lone actors through their handlers based in India, despite not being able to conduct large-scale attacks in the country, a UN report has said. It added that the ISIL-K remains the most serious threat in the region | P9 Hyderabad: As many as 21 important parks in the Central zone of Hyderabad are set to be transformed into theme-based parks. The aim is to enhance these public spaces with beautification works, designated areas for walkers, tree plantation, paver block pathways and recreational facilities including yoga | P3 Dy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said Sabitha switched loyalties when he was appointed the Leader of the Opposition. “I requested her not to leave the party... We even pointed out to her that I would lose the status of the Leader of the Opposition if she left the party. She was only bothered about power.” leagues to the new governor. Born on August 15, 1957, Varma, a senior BJP leader from Tripura, scion of the erstwhile Tripura royal family . He joined BJP in 1990 and participated in the Rama Janmabhoomi movement. Meanwhile, it may be recalled that President Droupadi Murmu appointed the former Tripura deputy chief minister by replacing CP Radhakrishnan, who held the additional charge of governor to the state along with Jharkhand. WEAVERS LAMENT Our issues not discussed in Assembly: JAC EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Rajanna-Sircilla Rama Rao said that Revanth insulted all Telangana women. “He is unfit to be the CM. There are very few women leaders in our country and such inhuman remarks about women leaders should be condemned,” he said. Sabitha Indra Reddy, BRS MLA EXPRESS READ Jishnu Dev Varma takes charge as TG guv PANDEMONIUM IN ASSEMBLY Why do you have animosity against me? Why are you targeting me every time? Why are you insulting me?... I have been attending Assembly sessions for 24 years. I have worked along with several CMs. But no CM has made such remarks against women GST.” Infosys paid all its GST dues, the company added. It cited a June 26, 2024 CBDT circular, which said that in cases where full input tax credit is available to the recipient, if the invoice is not issued by the related domestic entity with respect to any service provided by the foreign affiliate, the value of such services may be deemed as nil. Former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai, in a post on X said, “If this notice is correct this is Outrageous, a case of TaxTerrorism at its worst. Service exports from India are not subject to GST. Can officials interpret anything they want?” When the grand old party asked me to contest from the Malkajgiri constituency in the 2018 Lok Sabha elections, she (Sabitha) betrayed me by joining the BRS despite promising to support me in the elections A Revanth Reddy, chief minister WHILE a large part of the Assembly sessions has been spent on political mudslinging, the Powerloom Units and Allied Industries Joint Action Committee (JAC) lamented that MLAs did not take up their issues for discussion during the Budget session. With the JAC’s relay hunger strike entering the 10th day on Wednesday, powerloom workers’ association district president Kodam Ramana accused the government of failing to address the issues of the Sircilla powerloom workers in the ongoing Assembly session. Additionally, the protesters alleged that police personnel forced the tent house owners to remove them from the area on Tuesday night. It may be recalled that 10 powerloom weavers died by suicide in Sircilla CONTINUED ON P5 recently .