hyderabad l tuesday l february 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION India’s MAIDEN TRIALS FOR DEEP SEA EXPLORATION successful India’s fourth generation deep-ocean capsule Matsya-6000 has successfully completed its wet testing at the L&T harbour near Chennai Matsya-6000 First step towards manned deep sea mission to reach 6,000 metres below ocean by 2026 The first manned harbour trial of Matsya-6000 was conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, between Jan 27 and Feb 12. It is the first step towards manned deep ocean exploration. In the next stage, the submersible will undergo shallow-water demonstrations at depths of up to 500 metres by the end of this year ■ ■ The fortnight-long harbour trials, at a depth of two metres, assessed Matsya-6000’s performance across various parameters Matsya-6000 is expected to reach a depth of 6,000 metres in the Indian Ocean by 2026. It is a part of the Centre’s Samudrayan project to study underwater resources and biodiversity Three persons can be accommodated inside matsya-6000 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 foot-in-mouth bjp, Congress lock horns over Sam Pitroda’s ‘China’ view Immediate measures to regulate passenger flow at 60 busy rly stations across India Holding areas, new SOPs to ease crowding at stns P r e e t h a N a i r & RA J E S H K U M AR THA K U R @ New Delhi AMID sharp criticism from the BJP, the Congress on Monday distanced itself from its leader Sam Pitroda’s remarks on China, and said his views do not belong to the party China remains . India’s foremost external security and economic challenge, Congress said. Pitroda, chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, in an interview to IANS news agency, said the perception of China as a threat to India is being blown out of proportion and that New Delhi should stop considering Beijing as an enemy . Clarifying the party’s stand, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary (communications) said on X, “The views expressed by Sam Pitroda on China are most definitely NOT the views of the INC ... China remains our foremost foreign policy exter, nal security, as well as economic challenge. The INC has repeatedly raised questions on the I don’t know what Modi Govt’s apis the threat from proach to China, inChina. China is cluding the PM’s around... China is public clean chit to growing .. you got it on June 19, 2020.” to respect that At a press conference, BJP national Sam Pitroda in an spokesperson and interview to IANS MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Pitroda’s remarks symbolise the mindset of the Congress and are in line with its leaders’ statements in support of China. “The ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ of the Congress is for anti national forces, be it George Soros or China,” Trivedi said. In the past too, Pitroda’s controversial comments have put Congress in a spot. In May last year, he resigned from his post for allegedly making racist comments during a podcast. However, he was reinstated after the 2024 elections. Congress had to scramble for cover after Pitroda endorsed a US model inheritance tax law in India last year. On the eve of Ram temple inauguration, Pitroda had said that unemployment and inflation are more real issues than Ram temple. The Congress party had distanced itself from his statement. The state government is planning to conduct a comprehensive survey of agricultural lands using cuttingedge technologies to address persistent land-related issues. The survey is also expected to help the authorities verify and root out bogus claims under the Rythu Bharosa scheme. According to sources, a pilot project is set to be launched in the near future. It is learnt that the Revenue department has requested allocations in the upcoming Budget to implement the project, requesting not less than `1,000 crore. Sources revealed that the government has indicated to the authorities to procure the infrastructure required for conducting the survey . However, official orders are yet to be issued, they said. They added that the government may reassign staff from allied departments to meet manpower re- Patna: Prayagrajbound passengers at Patna railway station on Monday faced a tall order while boarding trains. Eye-witnesses told local newspapers that passengers forced open bolted doors of Vikramshila Express and Magadh Express and occupied toilets, while many were seen hanging by the doors Vaishnaw rules out conspiracy Passengers try to board an overcrowded train amid a huge rush owing to Mahakumbh Mela, at Patna railway station on Monday | PTI RA J E S H K U M AR THA K U R @ New Delhi IN the wake of the stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday, the Ministry of Railways on Monday announced a slew of measures to prevent untoward incidents as it identified 60 railway stations across the country that experience high footfalls. To begin with, the railways will develop ‘permanent holding areas’ in these busy stations to manage crowds especially during peak times and strictly regulate their flow to platforms. Passengers will have to wait in the holding areas and allowed to enter the platform only as per the departure timing of their respective trains. 196.9% increase in GSDP of Telangana from `5.05 lakh crore in 2014-15 to `15.01 lakh crore in 2023-24, says Statistical Abstract 2024 released by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka | P4 Telangana plans high-tech survey of agricultural lands B K a r t h e e k @ Hyderabad devotees struggle at patna station quirements for conducting the survey . The recently enacted BHU Bharati Act, 2024 mandates the submission of survey maps during land transactions, aligning with the objectives of the proposed survey . The government is considering multiple technologies for the exercise, including the Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) surveying method, which offers centimetre-level accuracy, and the global positioning system (GPS). The primary objective is to enhance transparency and minimise land disputes, the sources added. The state government is also looking at neighbouring Karnataka, which has successfully digitised about 95% of its land records. If implemented effectively, the survey could significantly and positively affect land administration and agricultural policies. However, the fate of the project depends on budgetary approvals and resource allocation. This is to avoid overcrowding of station areas. In response to a query from this newspaper, Union Railw ay M i n i s t e r A s h w i n i Vaishnaw said railway experts will design access routes from holding areas to platforms in such a way that there is no scope for overcrowding. One such holding area was set up at the New Delhi station on Monday itself. The same will be extended to key stations in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other states that re g u l a rly w i t n e s s l a r g e crowds. The 60 stampede-prone stations have been identified based on the number of departing and originating passengers. They include Patna, Ara, and Buxar in Bihar; Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh; and Surat in Gujarat, besides New Delhi, Bangalore, and Coimbatore. The rail ministry is in the process of developing a comprehensive manual on crowd management by consolidating existing provisions and a standard operating procedure would be developed to manage passenger surges during festivals and special events. Also on the cards is a nationwide campaign to educate passengers on the dangers of sitting on stairs, which often leads to stampede-like situations during crowded times. “Feedback from all stakeholders, including vendors, would be taken into account, and related problems would be resolved within six months,” Vaishnaw added. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Monday ruled out any conspiracy behind the New Delhi stampede and claimed there was also no extraordinary rush at the platforms at the time of the incident. “No conspiracy looks at the moment,” he said while interacting with mediapersons Curbs on platform tickets The Northern Railway on Monday announced that platform tickets would not be sold between 4 pm and 11 pm for the next one week at the station to ensure proper crowd management. Over 10 trains were diverted from Delhi owing to the restrictions on the New Delhi Railway Station Gyanesh Kumar picked as CEC, Vivek Joshi is EC P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday picked Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner. A 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, Gyanesh Kumar will replace Rajiv Kumar, who demits office on Tuesday . Haryana Cadre IAS officer Vivek Joshi has been appointed Election Commissioner. The announcement came shortly after a meeting of the selection committee also comprising Union home minister Amit Shah and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. During the meeting, Rahul asked the government to defer the decision on the new CEC till February 19 when the Supreme Court will take up a petition challenging the constitution of the selection committee. He questioned the composition of the committee and the numerical advantage enjoyed by the ruling party . According to sources, Rahul left the meeting after submitting his dissent note and was not present when the shortlisted names were discussed. The meeting lasted 30 minutes and was held at the South Block office of the prime minister. The appointment of the new CEC has become a political flashpoint between the ruling party and the Opposition. Gyanesh Kumar Congress slams govt Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said by removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee, the government has made it clear it wants to control, and not preserve the credibility of the EC. AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, said, “When the SC has indicated that they will hear the case on the constitution of the committee on the February 19, this meeting should have been postponed.” As per Section 7 of the Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 to the law, the President will appoint the Chief Election Commission and other Election Commissioners on the recommendation of a selection committee headed by the prime minister and consisting of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and a member of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the prime minister. Kumar is the first CEC to be appointed under the new law. His term will run till January 26, 2029. CM to Centre: Stop AP from drawing excess water Exp r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e Deal with illegal sand mining with an iron hand, Revanth orders officials @ Hyderabad Asserting that the Centre should take responsibility for stopping Andhra Pradesh from utilising water in excess of what it has been allocated, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday directed Irrigation officials to lodge a complaint with the Union government against the unilateral drawing of water by the neighbouring state. The chief minister also made it clear that the responsibility of allocating the water share between the two states and calculating the quantum lies with the Central Water Commission. Chairing a review meeting with officials of the Irrigation department and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the chief minister referred to the exploitation of water resources by Andhra Separation pangs CWC responsible for allocating the water share between the two states AP not paying for installation of telemetry system, Telangana bearing the entire cost Pradesh and instructed the officials to be more alert in utilising Krishna water from the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects. He asserted that the telemetry system was the only solution to prevent AP from utilising water in excess of the prescribed quota. The offi- All funds required for installing telemetry system being paid by Telangana cials brought to the attention of the chief minister that the AP government was not coming forward to pay its share of the funds required for the installation of the telemetry system. Responding, the chief minister instructed Irrigation department principal secretary Hyderabad: Expressing his anger over rampant illegal sand mining in the state, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday instructed officials to deal with the matter with an iron hand. The chief minister ordered district collectors and SPs to personally inspect sand reaches while directing vigilance officials to regularly check for overloading and illegal transportation of sand. Briefing newsmen, Mining department principal secretary N Sridhar asserted that measures to curb illegal sand mining and transport were in place and regular inspections and checking were being done. He disclosed that from February 1 to 12, officials checked 1,222 vehicles and booked 136 cases. The officials seized 111 vehicles and 21 driving licences were suspended while `14.28 lakh was collected in fines.  continued on P4 Rahul Bojja to write to the KRMB immediately, informing that all the funds required for the implementation of the telemetry system were being paid by the Telangana government and to take necessary steps for the telemetry . The chief minister also instructed Chief Secretary San- places of worship act case posted to april S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi Shaken and Uprooted An uprooted tree at Jheel Park in Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan, the epicentre of the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Delhi-NRC on Monday morning | Express THE Supreme Court on Monday deferred hearing to the first week of April on a batch of petitions in connection with the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The CJI-led bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar expressed its displeasure that far too many intervention applications had been filed in the case. “We will not take up the Places of Worship Act matter today... Too many petitions filed. List sometime in April. There is a limit to interventions being filed. Enough is enough,” the bench said, making it clear that the top court would not entertain any new petitions on the matter. The case will now be heard by a three-judge bench. Introduced during the Ayodhya movement, the Act seeks to protect status quo of all religious structures as they stood on August 15, 1947, and prohibits courts from entertaining cases which dispute the character of places of worship. The Congress, the RJD, CPI (M), and IUML sought intervention pleas. BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay had challenged the law in 2021. thi Kumari to finalise the agenda for a teleconference with district collectors to issue necessary directives. Irrigation officials were asked to remain alert while managing Krishna River water from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar to prevent any supply disruptions. Express Read Protests in KIIT over suicide Bhubaneswar: A 20-year-old Nepali student’s suicide after being harassed by a fellow student on Sunday evening sparked protests here at KIIT University. The university on Monday asked all Nepali students to vacate the campus but revoked the decision after a diplomatic intervention from Nepal. The victim was a third year B Tech student. The man who harassed her was nabbed by police from Bhubaneswar airport | P5 suicide PREVENTION helpline 040-66202000 & 66202001 (Call between 11 am and 9 pm)