visakhapatnam l tuesday l november 26, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION 6,000 kg meth seized off andaman coast in ‘biggest haul’ The Coast Guard seized a fishing vessel carrying 6,000 kg of Methamphetamine near Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an official said on Monday trawler with 3K packets of drug stopped The pilot of a Coast Guard aircraft noticed a fishing trawler making suspicious movements near Barren Island, 150 km from Port Blair and alerted the Andaman and Nicobar Command. The Coast Guard ships arrived and towed the trawler to Port Blair. Around 3,000 packets, each containing 2 kg of meth, were seized during a search six Myanmarese nationals arrested ■ ■ “We have arrested six Myanmarese nationals and it is believed the Meth was meant for India and neighbours,” a defence official said, adding it was likely the biggest-ever drug haul by the Coast Guard In 2019 and 2022 too, large quantities of drugs were seized from foreign ships on Indian waters near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands `18,000 cr Approximate value of the contraband based on estimates from past seizures 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 Call taken on BJP leading the new Mahayuti govt Name of the chief minister to be announced in Mumbai; Shinde camp keeps up pressure M u ke s h R a n j a n a n d S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ New Delhi/ Mumbai The leadership jigsaw of the new Maharashtra government remained unsolved on Monday though sources said the call on the BJP leading it had been made. The name of the new chief minister will be announced in Mumbai, they said. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis continued to lead the race but incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was in no mood to yield. Both along with the third element in the Mahayuti trinity, breakaway NCP’s Ajit Pawar, flew into Delhi to attend the marriage reception of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter. While sources said no formal meeting of the trio has been scheduled with Union home minister Amit Shah, there was speculation that it could happen late on Monday night. With the tenure of the last assembly ending, Shinde is expected to submit his resignation on Tuesday and continue as caretaker CM till the final decision is taken. Though Ajit tried to tilt the scales in favour of Fadnavis, Shinde remained adamant. For, Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar Shinde’s demotion as deputy CM would give the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray he just decimated in the assembly polls, breathing space to revive itself. “Shinde should at least be made CM for the first 2.5 years of the new tenure. The next half can go to Fadnavis. After the big defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde took several cabinet decisions, including the Ladli Bahena scheme and changed the entire political landscape of the state. Therefore, the BJP should seriously consider him again as CM for at least the first half of the tenure. Else, it will send a wrong message to the allies,” said a close aide of the CM. On the other hand, the RSS and the state BJP are pitching for Fadnavis as CM, with one foot soldier threatening mass self immolation if it is decided otherwise. express read State Legislature to go paperless soon Rainfall alert in State for next four days Vijayawada: With an objective to implement paperless transactions, AP Legislature has entered into an agreement with Parliamentary Affairs Ministry to be part of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) | P4 Visakhapatnam: The IMD issued a heavy rainfall alert for isolated areas of Andhra Pradesh for the next four days. On Tuesday, heavy rain is expected in isolated places over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh (SCAP) | P3 Police launch manhunt to trace RGV E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Prakasam district police launched a manhunt to trace film director Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) after he failed to appear before the police for questioning in connection with a case pertaining to social media abuse. Searches were conducted at RGV’s office and residences in Hyderabad on Monday A team . of Maddipadu police visited RGV’s office in Navanirman colony Jubilee Hills. Cops also , carried out searches at his Shamshabad and Shadnagar far mhouses. Based on his tweet, a team was also sent to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. “Since he failed to appear before the investigation officers twice, Prakasam SP instructed Maddipadu police to arrest him following due procedures,” said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity . In a complaint, TDP mandal secretary Muthanapalli Ramalingaiah accused the film director of allegedly posting photographs of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and their family members in an “indecent” manner on social media. Subsequently Maddipadu po, lice booked a case against RGV and served notices on him to appear for investigation on NoP4 vember 19.  SC trashes petitions against inclusion of ‘secular’, ‘socialist’ to the Preamble S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a batch of pleas challenging the 1976 amendment to the Constitution, which added the terms ‘socialist’, ‘secular’ and ‘integrity’ to its Preamble. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had on November 22 reserved its verdict on the pleas filed by politician Subramanian Swamy and advocate Ashwini Updhayay . “We do not find any legitimate cause or justification for challenging this Constitutional amendment after nearly 44 years,” the bench said. Disposing of the pleas, the court said the writ petitions did not need further deliberation and adjudication. “The amending power of Parliament over the Constitution extends to Preamble,” the CJI said. “This stems from the fact that these terms have achieved widespread acceptance, with their mean- ings understood by ‘We, the people of India’ without any semblance of doubt. The additions to the Preamble have not restricted or impeded legislations or policies pursued by elected governments.” Wondering why the challenge was made after over 44 years, the court said terms like socialist and secular were integral to the Preamble. “While it is true that the Constituent Assembly had not agreed to include the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble, the Constitution is a living document... with power to amend,” it said. Manipur, Adani row paralyse Parliament Kakinada govt unveiling today T’gana declines school drafts `100 crore from constitution Adani Foundation for students P r ee t h a n a i r @ New Delhi The winter session of Parliament was off to a stormy start on Monday with both Houses adjourned till Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition demanding discussions on Gautam Adani’s US indictment and the Manipur situation. Opposition members of Parliament including K C Venugopal, Manickam Tagore and Manish Tewari moved a motion in the Lok Sabha seeking suspension of the day’s listed business to hold a discussion on Adani indictment. But the Speaker declined, leading to protests and adjournment. In Rajya Sabha, chairman Jagdeep Dhankar rejected seven notices served under Rule 267, seeking a discussion on the billionaire’s indictment. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed dismay over the Chair in both Houses disallowing the opposition to raise the Adani issue under Rule 267 and said the government should “let the truth come out” as the matter is affecting the country’s image. “Rule 267 is made only to raise such important issues. Else, that rule should not have B K ARTH E E K @ Hyderabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the media on the first day of the winter session of Parliament in New Delhi on Monday | PTI Oppn trying to control parliament: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition on the issue of disruptions, saying those rejected by people “80-90 times” were trying to control Parliament by resorting to hooliganism. “Certain individuals are trying to control Parliament for their own political gains...” | P7 been there. We want to be allowed to raise this issue under this rule,” he said. Kharge also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spoiling the country’s image by “helping” some key businessmen get contracts abroad, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. The BJP slammed the Opposition saying it was stalling Parliament proceedings in retalia- t i o n fo r t h e i r d e f e at i n Maharashtra elections. During a meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla asked political parties to avoid a ruckus in the House in the name of protests. He also flagged the issue of disruptions and urged Opposition leaders to convey their dissent in a constructive manner. The winter session of Parliament, which began on Monday, will run till December 16. Telangana will not accept `100 crore donation offered by the Adani Foundation for the Young India Skills University, a skill development university being set up by the state government, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Monday amid controversy over billionaire Gautam Adani’s indictment in the US on bribery charges. “The Adani Foundation came forward with a proposal to donate `100 crore. In light of the recent controversies, the state government is not ready to accept the `100 crore donation,” the chief minister said at a press conference. “We do not want the skills university, started with a noble intention, to become controversial,” he said. His statement comes amid demands by the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party that the government cancel Adani Group’s investment proposals in the state. foster+partners to design iconic towers E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Ponguru Narayana announced that Foster + Partners, the globally-renowned architecture firm of Norman Foster, has bagged tenders for designing the five iconic towers, including the buildings for the Assembly and the High Court, in Amaravati. Speaking to mediapersons on Monday he clarified that , the architectural fir m bagged the tenders for the projects after they were reissued. Elaborating on the matter, he said, “The tenders for designs bagged by Foster + Partners were cancelled by the previous dispensation, forcing the firm to file an arbitration case. As a result, the State had to pay `9 crore in compensation at the International Arbitration Centre. The re-tendering process was initiated to address the situation. Subsequently the , company once again secured the contract.” The Minister asserted that orders for the final designs would be issued soon, paving the way for construction to commence in the capital region. He also stressed that there are no issues concerning the World Bank loan for Amaravati’s development. The World Bank has already agreed to release funds in a phased manner to support the construction of projects in the capital city he pointed out. , Highlighting the government’s commitment to Amaravati, Narayana stated that the Centre has reaffirmed in Parliament that Amaravati will remain the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh. Steps are being taken to issue an official gazette formalizing this status, he added. A model of the iconic towers designed by Foster+Partners for Amaravati | EXPRESS K K a lya n k r i s h n a K u m a r @ Vijayawada IN a bid to foster an inclusive and well-structured environment for students, the Zilla Parishad High School at P Donthamuru in Pithapuram constituency Kakinada district , has successfully drafted a constitution similar to the Indian Constitution. The document will officially be unveiled on Tuesday (November 26) to mark the 75th Constitution Day. The school constitution will be adopted on January 26, 2025. The primary purpose behind drafting the school constitution is to create a well-defined framework that ensures transparency accountability and ef, , fective governance within the school. The school constitution aims to safeguard the rights of students, teachers, and staff, promote a harmonious school environment, and establish clear guidelines for various operational aspects. It has been designed to make students aware of the significance of structured governance, thus preparing them to become responsible citizens of the future. The idea was the brainchild of School Assistant (English) and chairman of the constitution drafting committee GV Prasad. He is also known for his work in training students of the ZP High School in Bendapudi to speak English with an American accent. The drafting committee has 30 members, including 13 teachers, six parents, and numerous students. The process, which began on October 2 and completed on November 14, spanned over 52 days, involving 10 intensive meetings where ideas were shared, discussed, and P4 refined.  dominating time Test of character Down Under: India celebrate happy Perth-day G o m e s h s @ Chennai Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah leads from the front at Perth | AFP The Aussies are not invincible after all. In cricketing parlance, the first Test is done and dusted and India would be heading into the second with heads held high, very high. The beauty, however, was the manner in which the victory was enacted on the drop-in pitch of the Optus Stadium in Perth where Australia hadn’t lost a Test until now. This definitely has the potential to be part of cricketing folklore. The 295-run win in the first Test on Monday was a clear indication of India’s intent this summer Down Under. After a hammering they got against New Zealand at home — a humiliating 0-3 whitewash — this was the perfect antidote. Bowled out for 150 runs on the first day all seemed ruined. But , they came back, through some incisive bowling led by Jasprit Bumrah, who is equally lethal with the red as with the white ball. A little assistance from the pitch, he reaped through the top order like a scythe; the home side crumbled to never rise again. Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana chipped in. Like they say, Monday was just like going through the motions. Set a 522-run target, Aussies had already lost three wickets and India had Bumrah — the name batters across the globe fear. What would seem even more welcoming would be the steady batting of the top order. Especially after the jolt they got ahead of the first Test. Rohit Sharma was out, Shubman Gill injured and the side had two debutants and two batters in the top six with a cumulative experience of four Tests. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Bumrah were under pres- sure. Inspired by the bowlers, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Nitish Reddy stepped up and bludgeoned the Aussie bowlers. This victory is monumental not just for the lead or the World Test Championship, but also because Indian cricket needed it. They also showed why the two series wins earlier were no fluke. “I was trying to put myself in that tough scenario to make the job a bit easier for the new guys coming in. It’s not very easy in the first tour to take a lot of responsibility,” Bumrah said. P11 Over to Adelaide now.  At 13, Vaibhav becomes IPL’s youngest player Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest-ever player to be signed by an IPL franchise at 13 years as Rajasthan Royals bought the prodigy for `1.10 crore in the mega auction. His base price was Rs. 30 lakh and Delhi Capitals made the opening bid. RR entered the fray at ` 35 lakh and eventually got the better of DC to get the player on board. Suryavanshi made his T20 debut for Bihar in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Rajasthan on Saturday.