COIMBATORE l thursday l august 29, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l LATE CITY EDITION Govt to set up 12 new industrial cities to boost manufacturing The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved 12 new industrial cities in 10 states with an estimated investment of `28,602 crore Projects expected to create 40 lakh jobs Three new railway projects greenlighted New industrial areas will come up in Kerala’s Palakkad, Andhra Pradesh’s Orvakal and Kopparthy and Telangana’s Zaheerabad and across eight more locations in seven states. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the projects would be completed by 2027 and would create about 10 lakh direct and 30 lakh indirect job opportunities | P9 ■ ■ The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved three railway projects worth `6,456 crore covering Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to boost connectivity and line capacity The Centre also expanded the scope of Agricultural Infrastructure Fund to strengthen the farm-related infrastructure in the country 234 more cities to get private FM Radio as govt to hold third batch of ascending e-auctions 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 Reports of clashes in various districts; attendance thin at govt offices, schools, colleges Amid sporadic violence, bandh response mixed ED slaps `908-cr fine on DMK MP, family members e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai S u l a gn a Seng u p ta @ Kolkata IMA suspends ex-principal’s membership The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday suspended the membership of former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Dr Sandip Ghosh. The suspension came upon requests from the IMA’s West Bengal unit Security measures Security audit of district hospitals, night patrolling and regulated access at large health facilities were among the slew of measures the Centre asked states to implement to prevent violence against medical professionals Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from across the state on Wednesday during the 12-hour bandh called by the BJP against the police action on students who took part in a march to Nabanna, the state secretariat, the previous day . They were protesting against the horrific rape and murder of a PG trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Augest 9 and demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. While the bandh evoked mixed response, reports of BJP workers clashing with the police and the ruling Trinamool Congress activists poured in from several districts. Shots were fired at a local BJP leader at Bhatpara in North 24-Parganas, triggering violence. Former Barrackpore MP and BJP leader Arjun Singh and his TMC counterpart Somnath Shyam were involved in a showdown, with both leaders and their supporters standing face to face in altercation. A BJP supporter was later admitted to a hospital with bullet injuries. In Kolkata, councillor Sajal Ghosh was arrested from his residence after clashes between BJP and TMC supporters. DC (Central) Indira Mukherjee said Ghosh was arrested for making provocative comments. At Baguihati in the northern fringes of the city Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, , accompanied by former MP Debasree Choudhury and senior state party leaders, had an altercation with the police when they tried to stop him. Later, the Union minister blocked CR Avenue outside the state BJP headquarters along with party workers. Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari led a march in Nandigram. In Hooghly’s Konnagar, TMC and BJP workers clashed in the presence of the police. Tension erupted when BJP workers allegedly asked traders to down their shutters and TMC men prevented them, leading to a fight. Most offices, schools and colleges had thin attendance. fema violations A clash between the police and BJP activists during the 12-hour Bengal Bandh, at Bowbazar in Kolkata on Wednesday | ANI enough is enough, says prez, asks nation to protect women RA J E S H KUMAR T H AKUR @ New Delhi Droupadi Murmu Rapists to get death in toughened law: Didi West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said an amendment to existing laws will be passed in the state assembly next week to ensure capital punishment to convicted rapists. Expressing shock and anguish over the alleged rapemurder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital, President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said, “enough is enough”. No civilised society must allow its daughters and sisters to be subjected to such atrocities, she added. “The nation is bound to be outraged, and so am I,” the President wrote in an exclusive signed article for news agency PTI. This is the first time that the President is sharing her views on the incident in Kolkata. Murmu said the time has come to introspect. “Where have we erred? And what can we do to remove the errors? Without finding out the answer to that question, the half of our population cannot live as freely as the other half,” she wrote in the article titled Women’s Safety: Enough is Enough. Murmu blamed a ‘deplorable mindset’ for fuelling crimes against women. “Social prejudices as well as some customs and practices have always opposed the expansion of women’s rights. This is a rather deplorable mindset. This mindset sees the female as a lesser human being, less powerful, less capable, less intelligent.” Those who hold such views see women as an object and it is this objectification that is behind the atrocities, she wrote. She concluded the article saying, “We owe it to our daughters to remove the hurdles from their path of winning the freedom from fear.” The Chennai zone of the Enforcement Directorate has slapped a penalty of approximately `908 crore on DMK Member of Parliament (MP) S Jagathrakshakan and his family members for alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), the agency said on Wednesday Prop. erties worth `89.19 crore, seized under FEMA in 2020, were also ordered to be confiscated, the ED said. “This is an outcome of adjudication proceedings under the Act during which the violations were clearly proved after careful examination of the alleged violations vis-a-vis written replies filed by the noticees (the MP and his kin),” the directorate said. The ED has charged the MP, his family members, and a related company of violating FEMA provisions in an investment of `42 crore in a Singapore-based shell company, Silver Park International Pte Ltd, in 2017 made without the approval of the Reserve Bank of India and acquiring and holding 90 lakh foreign shares. They were also charged with FEMA violations regarding the `9-crore investment made by the MP in a Sri Lankan entity . Properties worth `89.19 crore in the form of immovable assets such as agricul- SIT to record statements before magistrate S H A N A S @ T’Puram THE special investigation team (SIT) probing the allegations of sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry will record the confidential statements of the complainants before a magistrate to ensure that they have evidentiary value, which will prove crucial during the trial. The SIT has so far identified 16 incidents of harassment as alleged by several persons before the media and on social media platforms. The allegations are being verified, said police sources. They said the police have so far received eight case against actor Siddique formal complaints, with cases based on the complaint filed by registered in two. a female actor. The case was Notably, the SIT registered after the will record the testiwoman mailed her monials of the comcomplaint to the plainants before a State Police Chief magistrate to rule on Tuesday, allegout chances of their ing that Siddique changing the statehad sexually asments during the saulted her at a hotrial stage and also tel in Thiruvananto safeguard them Siddique thapuram in 2016. from unwanted Siddique has been cross-examination. booked for raping and threatMeanwhile, the Museum po- ening the actor. Both the offenclice in Thiruvananthapuram es are non-bailable on Wednesday registered a rape Following the registration of The Madras High Court has ordered the special investigation team (SIT), which was constituted for probing the sexual assault of students at a fake NCC camp held in Krishnagiri district, to hold a thorough probe into the circumstances that led to the death of the prime accused Sivaraman and his father. The direction was issued by the first bench of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice P B Balaji on Wednesday when a public interest litigation petition, filed by advocate A P Suryaprakasam seeking CBI inquiry into the case, came up for hearing. The bench recorded the submission of Advocate General (AG) PS Raman that the prime accused died after consuming rat poison; and he had faced psychiatric issues, had suicidal tendencies, and attempted to end his life earlier once in July . Though the AG had earlier submitted that Sivaraman’s father died after falling off a motorcycle “in an inebriated condition”, he later told the court that the cause of death was not excessive consumption of liquor but “low level of blood sugar”. Pointing out the fact that Sivaraman had consumed rat poison “while under the custody of police” and “undergoing treatment at the hospital”, the high court bench wanted the SIT to get to the bottom of the issue.  P7 e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Tenkasi in the grip of nature A woman being evacuated from a flood-hit hospital in Vadodara on Wednesday | ANI Done deal Antitrust nod to mega RIL, Disney merger E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi THe Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Wednesday approved the $8.5-billion merger of Reliance Industries and Walt Disney Co’s Indian media assets, after the two parties offered to assuage concerns over their grip on broadcasting rights for cricket. The antitrust watchdog’s decision paves the way for the creation of India’s largest broadcasting empire in terms of reach and financial muscle. The CCI’s announcement came on the eve of RIL’s annual general meeting. Announced six months ago, the merger deal reportedly faced intense regulatory scrutiny. And the green signal has come after the parties proposed certain modifications to the original transaction structure. The CCI stated that its approval is subject to the compliance of tural land, plots and houses and movable properties like bank balances and shares were seized by the agency in 2020 when the investigation under Section 37A of FEMA was completed in the cases. However, this seizure order was later set aside by the Competent Authority (under FEMA) in 2021. ED’s appeal on this before the appellate tribunal is pending. Meanwhile, after the investigation, ED proceeded to the next stage of filing of complaint under Section 16 of FEMA before the Adjudicating Authority, charging the noticees for the violations and also praying for confiscation of the properties worth `89.19 crore for which seizure order was issued in 2020.  P7 Load auto turns turtle, 3 women dead, 14 injured the FIR, women police officers recorded the statement of the female actor. The investigation was then taken over by the SIT. The medical examination of the complainant was done on Wednesday and her statement before the magistrate will be recorded on Thursday . On Wednesday the SIT mem, bers travelled to Kochi to record the statement of a female actor who had accused actors Jayasurya Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju and Idavela Babu of sexual abuse. She had lodged a complaint with the police on Tuesday . This is a deviation from the convention of procuring both from handlooms and power looms. The state government has issued G.O. allocating `100 crore in the first phase | P4 The ED has charged the MP and entities related to him of violating FEMA provisions in an investment of `42 crore in a Singapore-based shell company in 2017 made without the approval of the RBI, and acquiring and holding 90 lakh foreign shares near surandai Fake NCC camp: HC asks SIT pongal order with power looms to probe death of suspect, dad tn places entiresaree, dhoti r s i v a k u m a r @ Chennai ‘`42 crore invested in foreign shell company’ the changes proposed by the parties. It, however, did not divulge the details. According to reports, Reliance and Disney proposed certain concessions, including assurances that they won’t jack up ad rates for streamed cricket matches. The merger will combine the entertainment businesses (along with certain other identified businesses) of Viacom18, part of Asia’s richest billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance group, and Star India Pvt Ltd, wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company . The JV expected to be com, pleted by the end of this year or early 2025, will be controlled by the Reliance group with Ambani holding 63% stake. Disney will have the remaining 37%. Nita Ambani will be the chairperson of the JV while former Disney executive Uday Shankar will come on board as vice-chairperson. Three female farmhands died and 14 others suffered injuries after a load auto carrying them overturned near Surandai on Wednesday. Sources said the workers were on their way to a farm in Anaikulam village. The auto driver, Devendran of Keezha Surandai, has been detained by police. The injured workers are under treatment at the District Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH). All the 17 workers, including the deceased women — Janaki (52), Valliammal (60) and Pitchi (60) — belong to Thiruchitrambalam village. “They were on their way to work when the auto took a sudden turn near Vadiyur, causing it to skid and overturn, killing three passengers and injuring 14 others. Surandai police sent the bodies to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital for autopsy. The injured workers were taken to GHQH for treatment. Tenkasi MLA S Palani Nadar and police officials inspected the accident spot,” sources said. Tenkasi SP V R Srinivasan told TNIE that the auto driver, who was also injured, was secured by police. GHQH Superintendent R Jesline said the 14 injured workers are stable. Pa Moorthy DIG, Tirunelveli , Range, warned that severe action will be taken against drivers who transport passengers using goods vehicles and those who carry passengers beyond the approved carrying limit in passenger vehicles.