tirupati l wednesday l september 11, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION All-civilian crew blast off into space for 1st private spacewalk SpaceX on Tuesday launched its Polaris Dawn mission, carrying a 4-member civilian crew, for the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts U.S. billionaire bankrolling the mission ■ 2 years High-risk spacewalk to last 20 minutes The mission, whose total cost is not known, is jointly funded by US billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX. Isaacman, the CEO of US firm Shift4 Payments, is accompanied by SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, and retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott ‘Kidd’ Poteet. The spacewalk is scheduled for late Wednesday or Thursday, midway through the flight | P9 ■ ■ The spacewalk will bet at 700 km altitude, lasting about 20 minutes The entire cabin will be depressurised and the four astronauts will rely on SpaceX-built spacesuits for oxygen. Isaacman and Gillis will exit the spacecraft while Poteet and Menon will stay in the cabin to monitor it It is very risky mission as the quartet can be exposed to cosmic radiation The quartet underwent rigourous training for 24 months for the mission 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 blames YSRC leaders for prakasam barrage damage E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Over 50 students hurt, Net banned in Imphal valley Squarely blaming the previous YSRC re gime for the Budameru disaster that jeopardised the lives of more than six lakh people, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said YSRC has resorted to vengeful action against people for defeating it and released three boats, each weighing more than 30 tonnes, towards Prakasam Barrage when it was experiencing a record surplus water discharge of 11.43 lakh cusecs. Speaking to mediapersons after inspecting the Budameru Rivulet on Tuesday, he said, “The boats collided with counterweights of the 170-year-old barrage. As a result, two of the counterweights, each weighing 15 metric tonnes, broke. Had the boats collided with columns of the barrage, the damage would have been unimaginable. Now, those (YSRC) people claim they do not own the boats. If they do not own those boats why are they having their party colours? All those responsible will be punished irrespective of their stature. Such act is nothing but betraying the country .” Demanding the YSRC to apol- ogise to the people, Naidu claimed, “Though aware of the ferocious nature of Budameru, the previous government did not bother to strengthen the bunds. Roads to the bridge we are standing on were also not laid. Such negligence is reflected everywhere in the State.” Commending the efforts of the Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Rama Naidu, Minister Nara Lokesh and officials for their efforts in successfully plugging the breaches, the Chief Minister recounted that at one point of time even the Indian Army said it was very difficult to plug. “Local contractor Venkateswara Rao and other people chipped in and latest technologies like geo membrane P4 and others were used.”  Protests in Manipur for second successive day in the wake of the fresh spurt of violence Students clash with security personnel during their protest over the recent violence, in Imphal on Tuesday | PTI Two more battalions of CRPF in Manipur The Centre is deploying two fresh CRPF battalions comprising about 2,000 personnel in Manipur. While one is being moved from Warangal, the other will come from Latehar in Jharkhand. One battalion will be based in Kangvai (Churachandpur) while the second will be around Imphal Joint team to probe drone bombing A joint team of officers drawn from the CRPF, the BSF and some independent technical experts will reach Manipur later this week for an analytical study of the drones and improvised rockets that have been used to launch attacks in some regions of the state over the last few days Hi-tech rocket tails recovered: police “There is evidence of drone and hi-tech missile attacks. Drones have been recovered. Tails of sophisticated rockets fired on civilian areas have been found,” Manipur IGP (Administration) K Jayanta Singh said. He did not elaborate from where these rockets and drones were procured P r a s a nta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati Over 50 protesting students were injured in Manipur on Tuesday when the police used force to thwart their attempt to march to Raj Bhavan even as the state government imposed a five-day ban on internet services in five Imphal valley districts. The government also ordered the closure of all colleges till Thursday. Curfew was reimposed in Imphal East and Imphal West districts while prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS were clamped in Thoubal district. One of the injured students, a girl, sustained grievous injuries, a senior government official said, adding she was admitted in the ICU of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal. For the second straight day on Tuesday, the students attempted to march to Raj Bhavan but they were stopped by security personnel. This led to scuffles and the personnel dispersed the protesters by firing tear gas shells. The students of Manipur University also took out another protest march. The protests on Monday had turned violent when the students pelted stones outside Raj Bhavan. The students are on the streets demanding the removal of state’s security advisor and director general of police for failing to protect the lives and properties of citizens. Hundreds of them have been camping at Khwairamband Women Market since Monday . In an order, the home department said internet services had been suspended “to thwart the design and activities of antinational and anti-social elements, maintain peace and communal harmony and prevent any loss of life or danger to public/private property .” Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who held a meeting with the representatives of students and women groups at around 6 pm on Tuesday called , for peace. “In the wake of the sudden spurt of violent incidents, Governor Shri Lakshman Prasad Acharya expressed deep concern. The Governor has said that violence is not the solution to any problem. Everyone will have to contribute and find ways to overcome this problem,” a statement issued by Raj Bhavan said. It further stated that the governor was constantly speaking to public leaders, students and people in general. “In view of the present situation, the Hon’ble Governor has appealed to all sections of the society, student organizations and public leaders to work together to establish peace and help Manipur to scale a new height of growth and development,” the statement added. Surplus water was discharged at Polavaram project at the rate of 10 lakh cusecs; Boulders rolled down a hill in Vijayawada on Tuesday | Express / Prasant Madugula Flood alert sounded in Godavari districts E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Rajamahendravaram/Kakinada First flood warning was issued at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Rajamahendravaram on Tuesday as water in the River Godavari swelled for the fourth time this year. Subsequently the State government , has declared a high alert in Alluri Sitarama Raju, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, Kakinada, Eluru, East and West Godavari districts. Polavaram project and Dowleswaram Barrage have been receiving heavy inflows from Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Odisha as the tributaries of the River Godavari are in spate. Water-level at the Cotton Barrage reached 11.75 feet with 9.5 lakh cusecs of water being discharged into the sea, according to Dowleswaram flood control room. The flood levels are expected to rise fur- ther within the next 24 hours, with the discharge rate likely to exceed 13 lakh cusecs by Tuesday night. Following the breach to the Yeleru Canal, which resulted in inundation of several villages in Kakinada district, In- Arrangements for idol immersions Konaseema Collector Mahesh Kumar directed Tahsildars, MPDOs, & ERDs to identify suitable docks for Ganesh idol immersions to ensure the programmes are conducted efficiently dian Army has stepped in to take up relief and rehabilitation measures. Pithapuram, Kirlampudi, and Gollaprolu were among the worst-affected mandals. Around 1,351 people living in flood-hit villages of Junior docs defy SC directive, reject Didi’s call E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kolkata PROTESTING junior doctors in West Bengal on Tuesday defied the Supreme Court’s directive to resume work by 5 pm, saying they would continue with their ‘ceasework’ protest till their demands are fulfilled and the rape-murder victim of the RG Kar Hospital gets justice. The agitating doctors also rejected an email invite from a state government official for talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resolve the impasse, taking exception to the conditions for talks. An email sent by Health Secretary N S Nigam to the protesters on Tuesday evening read: “Your small delegation (maximum 10 persons) may visit Nabanna now to meet government representatives.” During the day, the protesti n g d o c t o r s m a rc h e d t o Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the health department, and staged a sit-in outside the office. One of the protesters said the official could have come out and spo- Sandip Ghosh in judicial custody A special CBI court on Tuesday sent Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, to judicial custody till September 23 in a financial irregularities case ken to them in person, instead of sending an email. Dr Debasish Halder, who organised a sit-in, said the language of the communication is not only disrespectful to doctors but downright insensitive, adding: “We find no reason to reply to this mail.” Another medic said: “We got the mail from the health secretary, whose resignation we seek. This is an insult.” The medics, whose protest entered the 32nd day said they , are open to talks with the authorities but the agitation will continue till all demands are met. The SC had on Monday directed the resident doctors to join duty by 5 pm, warning them that its protection from adverse action by the state government may be lifted in case of non-cooperation. Following the SC’s tough talk, the junior doctors on Tuesday morning set a similar deadline for the state government to remove the Kolkata Police Commissioner and several top officials of the health department by 5 pm. As the deadlock continued, authorities of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital issued notices to 51 doctors, including senior residents and professors, accusing them of intimidation and disrupting the institution’s democratic atmosphere. They have been asked to appear before an inquiry panel on Wednesday . If you (doctors) have anything to say, you are always welcome. You can form a team of 5 to 10 members and meet me — Mamata Banerjee Kandriga and Rajupalem were evacuated. An additional 11,867 people are likely to be shifted too. Other areas such as Peddapuram, Samalkot, Tuni, Yeleswaram, and 14 other mandals, including Kakinada rural, also experienced some level of damage due to the floods. The recent heavy rainfall in Gollaprolu and Pithapuram has inundated the National Highway, causing inconvenience for commuters. The overflowing irrigation canals and completely submerged crop fields have added to the chaos. Peddapuram MLA and former Home Minister Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, along with Jana Sena Party district president Tummala Ramaswamy distributed food , and groceries to the flood victims in Samalkot of PedP4 dapuram constituency  . E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada One man was killed and two others sustained serious injuries in a rockslide at Machavaram in Vijayawada on Tuesday .  A daily wage worker, identified as Ijjada Ramu (55) from Karmikanagar, died when boulders rolled over the house of G o p i Ku m a r o n G u d a Venkataswamy Street. Two other workers, Kamayya, and Hussain, were seriously injured. Machavaram police said the house owner had hired three workers to clear waste and trees near his compound wall, which P4 is very close to the hill.  IAF Wing Commander booked for rape in J&K F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar Junior doctors march towards Swasthya Bhawan during a protest over RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident, in Kolkata on Tuesday | PTI Worker dies, 2 hurt in rockslip in Vijayawada The J&K police have registered a first information report (FIR) against a Wing Commander at the Air Force station here after a woman flying officer accused him of rape and mental harassment. The FIR was lodged at the Budgam Police Station under Section 376(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to aggravated rape by persons in positions of authority . An Inspector-rank police officer is overseeing the probe. The complainant alleged that she was sexually assaulted on December 31, 2023 during a New Year’s party held at the Officers’ Mess at the Air Force station in Srinagar. Both officers are posted there. “On the guise of giving me a gift, the Wing Commander asked me to collect the gift from his room. Once I went inside the room, the Wing Command- er forced himself on me and sexually assaulted me. I tried to resist it in all possible ways and managed to run away from the room after pushing him,” the survivor alleged. She said while she was afraid to report the incident, when the accused officer visited her office, she did not find any no signs of remorse on his face. The victim approached a few women officers who suggested she file a internal complaint. She did and a Colonel-rank officer was assigned to probe the assault, the FIR states. “The Wing Commander was made to sit down with me twice in January this year to record the statements. I objected to his presence,” she said and alleged that the probe was later closed. She then filed a fresh internal complaint. “However, the committee did not perform its duties properly Everyone was . aiding the sexual offender,” hence her police complaint.