vijayawada l saturday l october 26, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Centre asks states to discourage firecrackers to curb pollution With air pollution levels soaring in many cities, the Union health ministry has shot off a letter to all states, urging them to take preventive steps stop stubble burning, reduce gensets use Check air quality before venturing out In the letter, Director General of Health Services Dr Atul Goel advised state authorities to discourage stubble and waste burning and spread awareness among people about reducing firecrackers during festivities, promoting public transportation, limiting reliance on diesel-based generators, and curbing smoking. The letter noted that air pollution has become a health hazard ■ ■ ■ The advisory said people in polluted cities must minimise their exposure to polluted air and check the air quality indices before venturing out The other preventive measures include avoiding congested areas, and opting for cleaner fuels at home for cooking, heating, and lighting Those with pre-existing health conditions must take extra care, it added 0-50 Healthy Air quality index (aqi) range. Anything above this is deemed harmful 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 Realty boom? Land prices at all-time high in Amaravati B a n d h a v i Ann a m @ Guntur A week after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu relaunched works in Amaravati, prices of land have shot up to record highs. According to local realtors, land prices in the region have surged by 60% to 100% to `50,000 to `60,000 per sq. yard. The boom in land prices has triggered a debate on whether it is artificial or if it will sustain in the long run. Over the past 10 years, Amaravati has seen a V-shaped recovery in the real estate segment. Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, N Chandrababu Naidu, the then Chief Minister, had announced Amaravati as the capital of the residual State, triggering a surge in land prices. As a result, real estate in the greenfield city spanning 217 , square kilometres, became a subj e c t o f m u ch d e b at e a n d speculation. However, when YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took charge in 2019 and announced the three-capital proposal, land prices in the region crashed, reportedly by 70%. According to a realty agent, land prices in Amaravati were around `25,000 to `40,000 per sq yard in 2019 and dropped to almost `9,000 to `18,000 per sq yard under the 60-100% rise seen in land prices According to local realtors, land prices in the capital region have surged by 60% to 100% to `50,000 to `60,000 per sq. yard. In 2019, land prices in Amaravati were around `25,000 to `40,000 per sq yard. They dropped to almost `9,000 to `18,000 per sq yard under the Jagan government Jagan government. With the TDP-led NDA coming back to power in the State and Naidu asserting that Amaravati will be the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh, the prices shot up to `3 crore to `6 crore per acre in prime areas in all 29 villages of the capital region. Realtors in Amaravati opined that the sharp rise in land rates reflects the investors’ interest in Amaravati and confidence in Naidu. “We are seeing a huge rise in prices for both commercial and residential projects in Velagapudi, Kondampalem, and localities near educational institutes like VIT, and SRM,” said Kondaveeti Srinivasa Rao, chairman of Kondaveeti Developers. With Amaravati gaining positive traction, real estate players and investors in Hyderabad are keen on returning to Andhra Disengagement of troops to be complete by Tuesday Regular patrolling along Line of Actual Control likely to resume on Wednesday Commanders was inked on Monday troops , pullout and dismantling of the temporary The disengagement of troops from the structures started on Wednesday. The two remaining friction points in eastern whole process is expected to complete by Ladakh—Depsang and Demchok—is in next Tuesday and coordinated patrolling full swing and is likely to be complete by f ro m t h e n e x t d ay a f t e r g ro u n d October 29, sources said. Giving clarverification. ity on its progress on the ground, “Both sides will inform each othArmy sources told this paper on er about their patrols to ward off Friday that patrols are likely to any faceoff and unsavoury inciresume from October 30. dents. Also, surveillance mechaBoth sides are moving fast on nisms will be set to keep an eye on the recently reached agreement everything,” said sources. to de-escalate tensions on the Officials said the current batch Line of Actual Control (LAC), of agreements is exclusively for where Indian and Chinese troops the disengagement of Depsang were locked in a face-off since Tents and shades and Demchok and does not talk 2020. Explaining the process, about patrolling limits and buffer are being removed. The sources said temporary struczones in the areas where disentures are being knocked down. vehicles are also gagement has already taken Adhering to agreements between being shifted back place. in batches the two sides, Indian troops have The agreement on Depsang and begun to pull back equipment to Demchok is expected to lead to Army sources rear locations in these areas. the forces reaching their pre-Gal“The tents and shades are bewan positions of April 2020. ing removed with continuous verificaThe ties between India and China had tions being done. The vehicles are also be- nosedived following a fierce clash in the ing shifted back in batches,” sources Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked said. the most serious military conflict between While the agreement between the Corps the two sides in decades. M aya nk S i ng h @ New Delhi Patrolling troops to carry weapons For better coordination and smooth operations, each side will inform the other about the size of the patrolling team and the schedule. The patrolling troops will carry weapons including rifles, sources said Both sides back to pre-2020 sites Under the recent agreement, Indian and Chinese troops will fall back to the positions they had held before April 2020. They will resume patrolling the same areas they used to Canada slashes immigration target by 20% M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi The muddled Trudeau government has decided to slash its immigrant intake by about 20% from the next year so as to right-size its population. While Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had earlier announced he would allow 5 lakh immigrants each in 2025 and 2026, he admitted that after the pandemic, “between addressing labour needs and maintaining population growth, we didn’t get the balance right.” As per the new plan, 3.95 lakh new permanent residents will be allowed in 2025, down from 4.85 lakh in 2024. The revised targets for 2026 and 2027 are 3.8 lakh and 3.65 lakh, respectively The an. nouncement comes months after student visas were cut by almost 35%, as compared to the previous year. Besides, student visas were capped at 3,60,000 for two years. Cumulatively, Trudeau’s announcement is expected to affect Indians in a big way. India had around 3,19,000 students studying in Canada in 2023. The cut in student visas primarily impacted Indians, who constitute more than 41% of Canada’s international student population. In a post on X, Trudeau said, “We’re going to have fewer temporary foreign workers in Canada. We’re bringing in stricter rules for companies to prove why they can’t hire Canadian workers first.” This move is expected to complicate job opportunities for immigrants settling in Canada. As per Statistics Canada, the country had 2.8 million temporary residents, including workers and students, in the second quarter of 2024. Charm offensive Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a joint press conference at the Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on Friday | Shekhar yadav | P7 Over 39 lakh MNREGA workers deleted in 5 months extended deadlines, 27.4% of all MGNREGA workers and 4.2% of Over 39 lakh registered workers active workers are currently ineliwere deleted from the Centre’s Ma- gible for the Aadhaar-based Payhatma Gandhi National Rural Em- ment System (ABPS). ployment Scheme (MGNREGA) in In January 2023, the Centre manthe current financial dated the nationwide year (from April to Sepi m p l e m e n t at i o n o f Concern in tember), according to a ABPS. Following public Bengal report by civil society outcry and pressure organisation LibTech The report highlighted from civil society orthe suspension of India, released on Friganisations, the deadMGNREGA works in day. As per LibTech’s line for ABPS impleWest Bengal since previous year’s report, mentation was extended December 2021. “The over eight crore workmultiple times. Howevongoing legal case in ers were removed from er, since January 1, the Calcutta High the MGNREGA regis2024, ABPS has been Court further try during FY2022-23 made mandatory . complicates the issue” and 2023-24. While Assam has the In another worrying highest percentage of trend, the data showed that over 6.7 active workers (22%) ineligible for crore workers have become ineligi- ABPS, Kerala has the lowest. As for ble to seek work under the rural job all workers, Maharashtra has the scheme for not complying with the highest ineligible percentage of mandatory Aadhaar seeding. The workers (66.3%) while Andhra data points out that regardless of Pradesh has the lowest. P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Pradesh, Rao said and further predicted that the prices might further increase in the next few years as more promising projects are likely to come up in the capital city . On the other hand, CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India) State president YV Ramana Rao predicted that prices might not increase. He pointed out that investors are still waiting for development of basic infrastructure, including construction of roads, proper sewer system, and electricity. This will also enable to develop more residential projects P4 in the region, he said. Tirupati on alert after four hotels get hoax bomb threats D S u r e n d r a K u m a r @ Tirupati A series of bomb threats sent by email to four hotels in Tirupati on Thursday triggered widespread panic in the temple town. The threats targeted three hotels along the Tirumala bypass road and another at Ramanuja Circle, leaving residents and pilgrims anxious. Under the supervision of Tirupati DSP Venkata Narayana, police teams launched an intensive search operation at the targeted hotels. Special teams, including bomb squads and sniffer dogs, were de- ployed to inspect each hotel thoroughly No explosives or suspicious . items were found. DSP Narayana on Friday said vigil in the city has been stepped up. He explained that teams have been mobilised to car ry out searches. The police officer also assured the public that no explosives were found during their inspections. Hotels in the city have been advised to remain vigilant for suspicious activity or unclaimed items. Thousands of people travel to Tirupati every day to offer prayers at the Srivari temple in Tirumala. The DSP said a case has been registered at the Tirupati East Police Station as efforts continue to track P4 down those responsible.