HYDERABAD  THURSDAY  NOVEMBER 28, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION GUNS SILENT AS ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH TRUCE TAKES EFFECT IN LEBANON The ceasefire, brokered by the US and France to end 13 months of fighting, appeared to be holding on Wednesday LEBANESE ARMY MOVES TO HEZBOLLAH’S TURF The ceasefire deal, which calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting, requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. With the deal taking effect, the Lebanese military started reinforcing its presence in the country’s south, where Hezbollah fighters have long held sway | P9 HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES HEAD HOME TO SOUTH ■ ■ Hundreds of displaced south Lebanon residents headed home from Beirut and other cities, ignoring warnings from the Lebanese military that Israeli forces were yet to complete withdrawal from some areas With its ally Hezbollah silencing the guns, Hamas on Wednesday said it is ready for ceasefire and prisoner-exchange talks with Israel 3,760 PEOPLE KILLED BY ISRAELI FIRE IN LEBANON THE PAST 13 MONTHS 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 Maha power end game in sight Shinde drops out of the CM race, says any call by Modi, Shah will be acceptable to his party TALKS WITH SHAH S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai CARETAKER Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday appeared to withdraw from the leadership race of the new gover nment in Maharashtra, claiming he was not an obstacle, adding any decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah will be acceptable for him and his Shiv Sena. The statement came after the BJP top brass in Delhi requested him to yield. “Shinde was told that they cannot disappoint the BJP rank and file who want to see their leader as chief minister, since the party was just 13 short of a simple majority in the assembly Shinde was . STORMY SESSION Oppn steps up heat on Adani row, disrupts Parliament P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE Adani row continued to rock Parliament on Wednesday as neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha could transact any business. Both Houses were adjourned till Thursday . As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members were on their feet demanding discussion on bribery charges against the Adani conglomerate, Manipur unrest, and the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. Several Opposition members including Congress’ Manickam Tagore K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari moved adjournment motions to discuss the Adani controversy As the mem. bers resorted to sloganeering, Speaker Om Birla asked them to allow the Question Hour, adding they can discuss their issues later. With the Opposition refusing to relent, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon amid the ruckus. As the protests continued after the House was reconvened, the Chair adjourned it for a day . Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged the government is protecting Adani, and reiterated his demand that the industrialist be arrested. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition will furnish evidence against the Adani group if the government demands it. Speaking to this newspaper, Congress MP Suresh Kodikunnil said his party will demand a JPC probe into Adani’s indictment in the US. The Upper House also witnessed sloganeering after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar rejected 18 notices under Rule 267 of the House. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for the day . Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar persuaded to look at the larger picture,” a source said requesting anonymity . Clearing the air at a press meet in Thane, Shinde said, “I spoke with the prime minister and Union minister Amit Shah and informed them that whatever decision is taken by them will be acceptable to me and my party Even if I am not made ... CM, I will not be unhappy .” Reacting to Shinde’s an- Are the district education officers sleeping? If food meant for children turns into poison, isn’t it inhuman? Division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, of Telangana HC Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are expected to fly to Delhi to meet Shah to discuss modalities of government formation. The new CM may continue to have two deputy CMs nouncement, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, “We in the Mahayuti have always made decisions together. A few people had doubts, which Shinde ji has clarified. Soon we will meet our leaders and make the decision.” Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are expected to fly to Delhi to meet Shah. While Fadnavis is the frontrunner for heading the government, it might not be done deal, claim sources. Consider this: NCP and Shiv Sena have elected Ajit Pawar and Shinde as their legislative party leader respectively, but BJP has yet to take that call. “The top brass is exploring other options as they want to break the Vidarbha versus Western Maharashtra matrix. They are looking to promote an alternative leadership from North Maharashtra,” the source said. Its dark horses from North Maharashtra include Girish Mahajan and Radha Krishna VikhePatil. While Mahajan is close to Fadnavis, Vikhe-Patil has a good equation with Shah. “The names of some women leaders are also in circulation.” Two cases of food poisoning in a week  Nov 20: Students fall sick after eating upma. Corrective measures implemented immediately.  Nov 24: 27 students fall ill allegedly after eating Kurkure. Administration says only 27 of the 400 students, who had Kurkure, fell sick while others were unaffected HC raps officials for food poisoning case; AAG blames it on ‘Kurkure’ T G N A I D U @ Hyderabad EXPRESSING anger at the officials over the recurring food poisoning cases in the Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS) in Narayanpet district, a division bench of the Telangana High Court criticised took officials to task over their inaction, asking them whether they would intervene only after HC orders. The government, meanwhile, asserted that it has taken action against a few officials based on a preliminary report and blamed ‘Kurkure’, a spiced snack, for repeated instances of food poisoning in the school. The court granted the government two days to submit a detailed report and adjourned the hearing to December 2. Making it clear that such negligence in handling children’s welfare was unacceptable, the bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Sreenivas Rao, asked, “ Are the district education officers sleeping? If food meant for children turns into poison, isn’t it inhuman?” The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Keetinidi Akhil Sri Guru Teja, president of Help the People Charitable Trust. It alleged that mid-day meals (MDM) in government schools were of the prescribed quality and nutritional standards as defined by the National Food Security Act, 2013. The PIL also sought the formation of a committee to regulate private school fees. Advocate Chikkudu Prabhakar, representing the petitioner, highlighted multiple instances of food poisoning in government schools, including Maganoor, where 100 students reportedly fell ill on November 20, followed by another 30 on November 26. Similar incidents were reported in Burugupally village, Gangadhar mandal, where a child died, he added. Directing officials to act with urgency, the division bench questioned the absence of a res p o n s e d e s p i t e re p e at e d incidents. The court warned that it might suspend the District Educational Officer if immediate action was not taken, adding, “In this age of technology why , is there no detailed report even after a week?” CONTINUED ON P5 OPPN, BJP ON SAME PAGE Waqf Bill JPC to seek extension till Budget Session P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH BJP members of a Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the Waqf Amendment Bill joining the extension chorus, the panel will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to extend its tenure until the Budget Session, 2025. The panel was scheduled to submit its report by the first week of the ongoing session of Parliament. This paper was the first to report on November 10 that the Modi government, under pressure from allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JD(U), may buy more time to table the revised Waqf Bill in Parliament and that the panel may seek more time to submit the report. On Wednesday, amid Opposition protests, BJP members Nishikant Dubey and Aparajita Sarangi urged panel chairman Jagadambika Pal to request the Speaker to postpone the submission of the committee report until the Budget Session. This came after the Opposition members boycotted the meeting saying the chair man w a s ke e n t o close proceedings by the November 29 dead- line in a hurry . Later speaking to the media, Pal said, “Nishikant Dubey and others said since we have to invite and hear some other stakeholders and state officials, we need an extension. I will consider this and then we will bring a resolution before Lok Sabha tomorrow or the day after.” Earlier, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s A Raja, AAP’s Sanjay Singh and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee said the panel chairman was keen to wrap up the proceedings by the November 29 deadline without following due process. “The Speaker had indicated the committee could be given an extension, but it appeared that some “big minister” was directing Pal’s actions,” alleged Gogoi. Sanjay Singh said the panel hasn’t heard the governments of Delhi, J&K, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. “States that have maximum Waqf property weren’t called, including Delhi. Seven people died in Sambhal for Waqf property They are . not taking things seriously said ,” Kalyan Banerjee. You read it first here on November 10 EXPRESS READ Govt stops ethanol factory works in Nirmal district Adilabad: Nirmal Collector Abhilasha Abhinav, on the directions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, issued an order on Wednesday to halt construction of the ethanol factory between Undampally and Dilawarpur villages | P2 State mulls reintroducing VRO, VRA system Hyderabad: The state government is planning to reintroduce the village-level revenue administration system by absorbing former village revenue officers/assistants, albeit after a departmental test to ascertain their competence | P4 Rescue works underway at the ancient site of Lothal after a pit dug to collect soil collapsed | SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT IITian dies as research pit in Lothal caves in D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahemedabad A IIT-Delhi researcher who went to collect soil samples from the ancient Harappan civilization site of Lothal in Gujarat died after the cliff of a pit, dug to collect the samples, collapsed and buried four persons in a pile of soil on Wednesday . A team of researchers from IIT-Delhi and IIT-Gandhinagar descended into a 15-foot-deep pit dug using an excavator near an under-construction maritime museum at the archeological site, about 80 km from Ahmedabad. As they were collecting the samples, the cliff of the pit caved in burying them in soil. Surabhi Verma, a 23-year-old PhD scholar at IIT-Delhi died on the spot. Yama Dixit, a 45-yearold geologist, also from IIT-Delhi, sustained serious injuries and is under treatment at Bagodra government hospital. Bagodra police have launched an investigation into the incident. Situated near Sargwala village in Dholka taluka of Ahmedabad district, Lothal was a port town and a significant centre of the Indus Valley civilisation. This historical site was discovered in November 1954, and extensive excavations have since been conducted. Work to bring BJP to power: Modi to TG leaders M A N DA RAV I N D E R R E D DY @ Hyderabad GUKESH HITS BACK D Gukesh converted his advantage with white pieces to restore parity at the ongoing chess World Championship in Singapore on Wednesday. The Indian teen controlled the game from start to finish. His opening preparation was more extensive than the Chinese world champion and it paved the way for the Indian’s first win | PTI | P11 CLAIMING that the people of Telangana were fed up with the Congress government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed state unit leaders to work proactively so that the BJP comes to power in the state. He also asked them to ensure the implementation of the Union government’s schemes in Telangana. Saffron party MPs, MLAs and the sole MLC from Telangana met the prime minister in New Delhi on Wednesday. Addressing them, Modi asked the BJP legislators from Telangana with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday legislators to bring people’s issues to the fore and work to resolve them by bringing them to the notice of the state government. After the meeting, Modi post- LEFT OUT IN THE COLD ed on X (formerly Twitter), “I had a good meeting with legislators and MPs from Telangana BJP. Our party’s presence in the state is growing rapidly. The people of Telangana are already fed up with Congress and have absolutely horrid memories of BRS’ misrule. They are looking towards the saffron party with great hope. The BJP will continue to raise a strong voice against the antipeople policies of the Congress and BRS. Our karyakartas will keep elaborating on our development agenda.” Speaking to the media after the meeting, Telangana BJP president and Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy said the prime minister enquired about the progress of works initiated by the Centre in the state. CONTINUED ON P5 OFFICIAL APPEAL Shunned by sons, 80-yr-old rescued from crematorium Call ‘1908’ to report drug sale, abuse N A V E E N K U M A R TA L L A M @ Jagtial AN octogenarian woman, suffering from several health issues, was found abandoned at a crematorium in Jagtial on Wednesday . The woman, Rajavva (80), was unable to walk due to a leg injury and other health conditions. The chilly temperature only exacerbated her issues. According to locals, Rajavva used to live in Chilukawada. Her sons had reportedly abandoned her, leaving her homeless and forc- ing her to seek shelter at the crematorium. It was alleged that one of her sons had harassed her over her pension and forcibly evicted her from the house, during which she sustained an injury on the leg. For the last 10 days, she had been living at the crematorium, the locals added. Upon learning of her situation, women development & child welfare officials, led by district officer B Naresh, rushed to the site and rescued her with the help of Sakhi Centre staff. Initially, the team bathed her, changed her clothes and treated her injured leg. She was then shifted to the Sakhi Centre, where she is taking shelter. District welfare officer B Naresh said the woman’s condition was stable. Once she recovers, her sons will be summoned for counselling, he added. CONTINUED ON P5 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad TELANGANA Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) Director Sandeep Shandilya on Wednesday urged people to share information related to drug manufacturers, suppliers, transporters, receivers, peddlers and consumers to its tollfree number ‘1908’ to initiate action against them. He was addressing a threeday awareness programme titled ‘Drug Abuse in Youth, Intervention Strategies for Prevention, Awareness & Rehabilitation’ at the Marri Channa Reddy Human Resource & Deve l o p m e n t I n s t i t u t e (MCRHRDI), Jubilee Hills. Representatives from private high schools, universities, col- le ges and IT companies, among others, took part in the event. Shandilya highlighted that drug abuse remains a significant issue among the youth despite the establishment of Prahari Clubs in government and private high schools and anti-drug committees (ADCs) in other institutions. CONTINUED ON P3