HYDERABAD  WEDNESDAY  SEPTEMBER 11, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  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 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 2 years 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 COMPLETE BC ENUMERATION WITHIN 3 MONTHS: HC TO TG T G N A I D U @ Hyderabad Over 50 students hurt, Net banned in Imphal valley 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 N TA 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 IAF Wing Commander booked for rape in J&K F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar 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. 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. EXPRESS READ THE Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to complete within three months the enumeration of Backward Classes (BCs) for the purpose of reservations in local body elections in compliance with Supreme Court orders. The direction came after Advocate General A Sudershan Reddy informed a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao that the enumeration of BCs in Telangana, as mandated by the Supreme Court in the Vikas Kishanrao Gawali v. State of Maharashtra case, would be carried out within the stipulated time frame. The Supreme Court judgment in the Gawali case outlines the process for providing BC reservations in local body elections, a matter that has been a subject of debate in the state. It may be recalled here that the Congress, while releasing the Kamareddy Declaration in November 2023 before Assembly elections, assured reservations for BCs proportionate to their population after conducting the caste census. Directing the respondents to implement the SC guidelines Arekapudi Gandhi has said he is BRS MLA, says Sridhar CM seeks 16th Finance panel help to restructure loans, free up resources E N S @ Hyderabad EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad BRUSHING off criticism from the BRS over the appointment of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu on Tuesday said that the Assembly Speaker made the appointment in accordance with established procedure. Sridhar Babu said: “Arekapudi Gandhi has made it clear that he is a BRS MLA and has not joined the Congress. If there are any differences among BRS leaders, it has nothing to do REPORT ON PG 4 with us.” INSIDE TG GETS NOD FOR 4 MORE MEDICAL COLLEGES I P2 THREE BOOKED FOR OBSTRUCTING HYDRAA DEMOLITIONS I P3 S DWARAKANATH FROM TG APPOINTED ASG I P5 THE Telangana government has sought the support of the 16th Finance Commission for restructuring loans and for providing additional assistance to help free up resources for further development. A delegation led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met members of the Commission at the Praja Bhavan on the second day of its two-day visit to the state. In its presentation, the state government said: “Telangana is at a critical juncture. While the state has made rapid strides in economic development, we are currently grappling with a debt burden exceeding `6.85 lakh crore, as of the end of the previous financial year. This is the result of significant investments in infrastructure, but a large por- We had a frank and open discussion with the state govt on various issues. State govt was very upfront about its finances – Arvind Panagariya, 16th finance panel chairman tion of our resources is now being diverted toward debt servicing. We request the Commission’s support in either restructuring this debt or providing additional assistance to help free up resources for further development.” During the meeting, the CM pointed out that Telangana was an economically growing, rapidly transforming state that has made immense contributions to the country “De. spite strong advantages and a good economy, we are facing huge challenges,” he said. Expressing concern over the debt burden, he said that huge loans taken over the last 10 years have now created a situation where a significant part of the revenues is used just to repay debt. “If we don’t manage loans and interest payment, it will slow down progress,” the CM said. He added: “I strongly place my demand and I speak for all states — increase allocation of Central funds to states from 41% to 50%. If you can do this, I promise you that I will take huge responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to make India a $5 trillion economy. I will make Telangana a $1 trillion economy. Help Telangana so we can in turn help India become the third largest economy of the CONTINUED ON P4 world.” Medics defy SC fiat, reject Didi’s call 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 Yechury critical in AIIMS, says CPM statement New Delhi: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s condition is “critical” and he is on respiratory support at AIIMS here, his party said on Tuesday. The 72-year-old Yechury is being treated for acute respiratory tract infection at the ICU in AIIMS, it said in a statement. HC rejects contempt plea on immersion of idols Hyderabad: The High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking the revival of a contempt case from 2014 regarding the immersion of PoP idols in the Hussainsagar, saying that it was “not maintainable”. The court asked the petitioner to file a fresh PIL | P3 In 5 months, TG cancels 7,000 driving licences The Transport Department on Tuesday announced the suspension of 6,916 driving licenses between April 1 and August 31 this year for ‘punishable offences’ such as speeding, drunken driving, ferrying passengers in goods vehicles, wrong-side driving etc. | P2 within three months from the date of the order and submit a compliance report, the bench adjourned the hearing of the three petitions on the matter. These writ petitions were filed in 2019 by State BC Welfare Association president Jajula Srinivas Goud, Telangana BC Welfare Association president Yerra Satyanaraya and politician Dasoju Sravan Kumar, seeking a stay to elections to ZPTCs, MPTCs and local bodies, including the GHMC until the BC enumeration was completed. The petitioners had requested the court to bar the Election Commission from issuing election notifications until the process was finalised. Nagula Srinivas Yadav presented the arguments on behalf of Yerra Satyanarayana. Junior doctors march towards Swasthya Bhawan during a protest over RG Kar Hospital rape and murder incident, in Kolkata on Tuesday | PTI E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kolkata tors but downright insensitive, adding: “We find no reason to PROTESTING junior doctors reply to this mail.” in West Bengal on Tuesday deAnother medic said: “We got fied the Supreme Court’s direc- the mail from the health secretive to resume work by 5 pm, tary, whose resignation we saying they would continue seek. This is an insult.” with their ‘ceasework’ protest The medics, whose protest till their demands are fulfilled entered the 32nd day on Tuesand the rape-murder victim of day said they are open to talks , the RG Kar Hospital gets jus- with the authorities but the tice. The agitating doctors also agitation will continue till all rejected an email invite from a demands are met. state government official for The SC had on Monday ditalks with Chief rected the resident Minister Mamata SANDIP GHOSH doctors to join duty IN JUDICIAL Banerjee to resolve by 5 pm, warning CUSTODY the impasse, taking them that its protecexception to the con- A special CBI court on tion from adverse ditions for talks. Tuesday sent Sandip action by the state An email sent by government may be Ghosh, former Health Secretary N lifted in case of nonprincipal of RG Kar S Nigam to the procooperation. Medical College and testers on Tuesday Unimpressed by Hospital, to judicial evening read: “Your custody till September the Supreme Court’s small dele gation tough talk, the jun23 in a financial (maximum 10 perior doctors on Tuesirregularities case sons) may visit Naday morning set a banna now to meet government similar deadline for the state representatives.” gover nment to remove the During the day, the protest- Kolkata Police Commissioner ing doctors had marched to and several top officials of the Swasthya Bhavan, the head- health department by 5 pm. quarters of the health departAs the deadlock continued, ment, and staged a sit-in out- authorities of the RG Kar Medside the office building. One of ical College and Hospital isthe protesters said the official sued notices to 51 doctors, incould have come out and spo- cluding Ssenior residents and ken to them in person, instead professors, accusing them of of sending an email. intimidation and disrupting Dr Debasish Halder, who or- the institution’s democratic atganised a sit-in, said the lan- mosphere. They have been guage of the communication is asked to appear before an innot only disrespectful to doc- quiry panel on Wednesday .