HYDERABAD SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2024 `12.00 PAGES 24 LATE CITY EDITION VOTE DAY PEACEFUL IN SRI LANKA, TURNOUT ESTIMATED TO BE 75% A largely peaceful voting concluded at 4 pm on Saturday in the island nation’s first presidential poll since its worst economic meltdown in 2022 Anura Kumara Dissanayake EIGHT-HOUR NATIONWIDE CURFEW IMPOSED DISSANAYAKE TAKES EARLY LEAD The voter turnout is estimated to be around 75%, an election official said in the evening. Polling concluded with no violence or security breaches. But, the police imposed a curfew from 10 pm on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incidents during the counting. The people were urged to remain indoors | P9 ■ ■ Early results on Saturday night showed Marxist-leaning National People’s Power party’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake leading. Postal ballots were initially counted, which put him ahead of the rest Dissanayake has pledged to renegotiate the IMF’s economic rescue package, which has been unpopular for its austerity measures 38 THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES WHO CONTESTED IN THE ELECTION 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 India, US closer than ever: Biden Atishi takes oath as Delhi CM, thanks political guru Kejriwal A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi ATISHI on Saturday took oath as the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. At 43, she became the youngest CM of Delhi and is the second woman CM after Mamata Banarjee in India at present. Along with her, five cabinet ministers were sworn in — Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Imran Hussain, and Mukesh Ahlawat. After taking oath, Atishi took AAP supremo and her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal’s blessings by touching his feet at Raj Niwas. In her first press conference after the ceremony, she profusely thanked him. “I thank my elder brother and political guru Arvind Kejriwal for entrusting me with the responsibility of looking after the people of Delhi. He is the one who shaped the future of millions of children, provided free bus travel to women, gave free electricity to the people, free medical treatment so that people do not have to mortgage their house or land for any of their family members,” she said. The new CM said her only job till the assembly poll would be to complete the work that has been stopped due to the conspiracies of the BJP and the Lt Governor. US president hosts PM Modi at his private residence in Dalaware ahead of Quad meet Y ES HI SEL I @ New Delhi Former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik and TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla in conversation on the first day of the Odisha Literary Festival, in Bhubaneswar on Saturday | DEBADATTA MALLICK NAVEEN NON-COMMITTAL ON ‘ONE NATION, ONE POLL’ EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar Femininity “Divinity without the feminine form is incomplete in Hinduism. One cannot have Jagannath temple without the presence of Devi Subhadra and other goddesses,” mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik said at the fest FORMER chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Saturday adopted a non-committal approach on ‘one nation, one poll’ proposal of the Centre and said details will have to be studied before taking a stand on it. In an interaction with editorial director of The New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla at the 12th edition of the Odisha Literary Festival (OLF) organised by this newspaper, Naveen said the party will wait for the details before taking a stand. “Let the details come forth, we will study and take a stand,” he said. Asked how he rates the BJP government in the state and the Centre on their performance on completion of their first 100 days in office, the BJD boss quipped: “It is too early to start counting.” “Elections to several states will be held in the near future. Let us wait for the results,” he added. The BJD chief also lashed out at the BJP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “We can all see how the law and order situation in the state has declined with the incident of Governor’s son at Puri. Recently, an Army Major and his fiancée were harassed in a violent manner at a major police station in the capital city This is not a good record,” . he added. Chawla thanked the former CM for supporting the OLF for the last 13 years since it was launched. Celebrated Koshali poet and Padma Shri awardee Haladhar Nag inaugurated the OLF and said literature guides people on the path of truth, and true poets are Yugajanmas (born in ages) who take society on the right path. “There may be different castes, but every human being is one,” Nag said. KTR: CM Revanth Will quit if KTR has role in `8.8K cr proves charges on CM: Ponguleti AMRUT scam BRS working president KT Rama Rao speaks during a press meet on Saturday E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his family of being involved in a `8,888-crore scam related to the AMRUT 2.0 scheme. Alleging that Revanth exploited his position to benefit his family and close associates, Rama Rao said that the fraud involved mismanagement and fraudulent allocation of contracts to underqualified companies linked to CM’s family . Speaking to reporters on Saturday Rama Rao , alleged that within three months of assuming office, Revanth orchestrated a massive fraud by misusing his authority over the urban development department. He stated: “The CM awarded contracts worth `1,137 crore to Shodha Infrastructure Ltd, owned by Soodhini Srujan Reddy, Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law, despite the company reporting a mere `2 crore in profits. Its only qualification seems to be its connection to the CM.” The Sircilla MLA further alleged that Indian Hume Pipe Ltd, a publicly listed company, was coerced into forming a joint venture with Shodha Infrastructure. While Indian Hume Pipe was assigned just 20% of the project work, Shodha Infrastructure received 80%, “which is a foul play he ,” CONTINUED ON P4 said. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad CONDEMNING BRS working president KT Rama Rao’s allegations against Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy I&PR Minister Ponguleti Srini, vasa Reddy threatened legal action against the former. Asserting that Sudini Srujan Reddy was not Revanth’s brother-in-law, Srinivasa Reddy said: “Srujan is in fact very close to Rama Rao and the son-in-law of former MLA Upender Reddy ,” Stating that he would resign as minister if Rama Rao proves his allegations, Srinivasa Reddy challenged the Sircilla MLA to step down from his post if he failed to substantiate his claims. He said: “Rama Rao is crying foul because his close benami friends, who cartelised and tried to loot government money lost , out in a transparent bidding process. The MLA tried to secure tenders through his benamis before the elections, but lost the opportunity to benefit from government funds. The total tender value is `3,602 crore. After being a minister for 10 years and being involved in the tender process, the BRS leader should know the numbers.” The minister pointed out that the government granted administrative approval on September 20, 2023, for `5,385 crore for 98 water supply and nine sewerage projects in three packages under AMRUT 2.0. The last date of submission was November 14, 2023 and the tenders were opened on November 29, 2023, during the Assembly elections, without EC’s approval. CONTINUED ON P4 EXPRESS READ TG to amend GHMC Act, to empower HYDRAA PRIME Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the US on Saturday for a three-day visit, met US President Joe Biden at his residence in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden welcomed Modi with a warm hug and held the Indian PM’s hand as he led him into the house. While the US side termed the meeting ‘private’, sources said the two leaders discussed the ways to strengthen the bilateral ties and also shared their views on some of the important global issues including the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “Discussions focused on ways to further deepen the IndiaUS bilateral partnership in areas of mutual interest. Leaders exchanged views on global and regional issues, including the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The meeting lasted about an hour. “The United States’ partnership with India is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history Prime Min. ister Modi, each time we sit down, I’m struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation. Today was no different,” Biden wrote on X. Modi and Biden will have formal bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Quad summit. According to sources, some key pacts are likely to be signed. The PM was accompanied by foreign minister S Jaishankar, foreign secretary Vikram Misri and India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The US team included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs T H Jake Sullivan, and US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti. Modi has a packed schedule in the US, with the first day dedicated to meetings with Biden and other Quad leaders. On Sunday, Modi will travel to New York to attend an Indian community event at Long Island. He will also hold an interaction with the CEOs of leading US-based companies working on new technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductors. On Monday, the PM is scheduled to attend the the Summit of the Future at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Earlier in the day after land, ing in Philadelphia, Modi said his meeting with Biden, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and Japanese premier Fumio Kishida at the Quad Summit would contribute to the betterment of the world. “I am sure the discussions will contribute in making our planet better and address global challenges,” he said. The four-member Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, advocates upholding a free, open, and inclusive IndoPacific. Beijing sees it as an anti-China grouping. UKRAINE ON TABLE Hyderabad: A day after the Cabinet decided to grant statutory status to HYDRAA, the state is likely to promulgate an ordinance amending the GHMC Act in this regard | P3 US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the Ukraine war and Modi’s recent visit to Kyiv would figure prominently in the bilateral meeting WITH THIS ISSUE Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by US President Joe Biden at the latter’s residence for a meeting, in Wilmington, Delaware, US, on Saturday | PTI THE PARTITION OF PAKISTAN PLUS 12 PAGES Rain water harvesting pits made mandatory S B A C H A N J E E T S I N G H @ Hyderabad TO recharge depleting groundwater table and prevent rainwater from going into storm water drains, Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) have been made mandatory for all houses in the city From Jan. uary 2025, houses that do not comply will be charged double for water tankers. The timeline fixed to implement these measures is from October to December, 2024 (three months), with a special drive by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) starting on October 2. The Water Board will gather data on water tanker users from February to May, targeting those households to ensure RWHS construction. Eighteen NGOs will assist in surveying which homes have RWHS pits, focusing on residences of 300 sq yards and above, entering the data into a dedicated app. CONTINUED ON P5 INSIDE INDIA ON COURSE AS GUKESH, ARJUN WIN I P11 OLYMPIC 2036 BID Ahmd? Selected region not sent to IOC I N D R A N E E L D A S @ Chennai TWO TO TANGO Rishabh Pant & Shubman Gill celebrate their hundreds against Bangladesh on the third day of the first Test in Chennai on Saturday | ASHWIN PRASATH | P11 IT is almost close to one year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would be bidding for the 2036 Olympics, but the name of the host city is yet to be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Since last October, when the announcement was made during the IOC Session, there have been multiple reports that Ahmedabad would be one of the host cities. The IOC, however, is yet to receive any confirmation. “The IOC has not been informed by the IOA of any se- lected region,” the IOC said in an email to this daily Interest. ingly, countries like Indonesia and Turkey nations considered , as serious bidders for the 2036 Games, have selected the hosts/ region. Though the IOC doesn’t reveal the number of interested parties, its president Thomas Bach had reaffirmed that it was in double digits. However, the infighting in the IOA too seems to be a sour point. What needs to be more troubling is that the IOA is yet to formally announce a bid commit- tee, which will deal with the IOC. Even for the 2030 Youth Olympics IOA would need to open dialogues with the IOC. In reply to this newspaper’s query whether the present unsavoury stand-off between the IOA president and the EC would affect the bidding process the IOC said: “IOC is happy to see interest in hosting from India, with its huge passion for sport and youthful population. To move forward, any project from India would need the official support of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).”
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