KOLLAM l Wednesday l march 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Airtel, Elon Musk’s SpaceX join hands for satcom service airtel gains heft versus rival eutelsat Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said it signed an agreement with Musk’s SpaceX to offer high-speed internet services under Starlink to its customers in India The development assumes significance as Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel was at loggerheads with Starlink over licence fees and spectrum pricing for satellite-based internet service providers. Airtel is also the single-largest shareholder with a 21.2% share in Starlink’s rival firm Eutelsat OneWeb, which has got the nod to start operations in India ■ 8% deal set to benefit both companies ■ The agreement will enable Airtel and SpaceX to explore how Starlink could complement and expand Airtel’s offerings Airtel said that its agreement with SpaceX is subject to receiving authorisations to sell Starlink’s satellite communications-based services in India. The deal will be symbiotic in nature | P10 of adjusted gross revenue is what telecos are charged as licence fee 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 morning madness 1 Attackers blew up railway tracks between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar in Sibi district of Balochistan in Pakistan 2 Armed men stormed the train, taking over 100 passengers, including security men, women and kids, hostage 3 Security forces have launched an operation to rescue the hostages, with local media reporting a fire exchange late in the night Peshawar Railway Station Islamabad Railway Station afghanistan Quetta Railway Station Bolan Pass illustration: sourav roy Balochistan Liberation Army said it seized control of the train when it was minutes away from the Mashkaf tunnel on the Pehro Kunri route in Sibi district pakistan india Provisions to deny foreigners’ entry, restrict their movement; harsh penalty for violators T h e ta k i n g o f J a f f ar E xp Pak train hostage drama with 500 aboard QUETTA: Suspected Baloch insurgents opened fire at a passenger train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region on Tuesday and shot dead 20 soldiers while taking hundreds of passengers, including women and children, hostages. Pakistan’s media reported late Tuesday that 80 hostages had been rescued and 13 terrorists eliminated after an operation by special forces. The insurgents bombed the track before storming the Jaffar Express, headed from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar stations in a remote, mountainous area of Sibi district in Balochistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran. Balochistan gover nment spokesperson Shahid Rind termed it as a “terrorist attack.” The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for the attack, and warned “all hostages would be executed” if Pakistan army intervened. BLA is fighting for independence and accuses outsiders of profiting from the region’s vast mineral wealth.The group is banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US. Controller of Railways Muhammad Kashif said that the train, comprising nine coaches, has around 500 passengers on board. There are 17 tunnels in the area on the railway line and due to the difficult terrain, trains move at a slow speed, Kashif said. The train was ambushed near Mashkaf tunnel in Sibi district. Dawn.com said security forc- es had surrounded the area and launched a clearance operation that would continue till the aggressors were eliminated. An emergency has been declared at local hospitals, and rescue teams are on their way to the site. However, the rocky terrain is making it difficult for officials to reach the area. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, and said: “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.” The siege comes amid a surge in terror attacks in Balochistan, with over 1,600 people killed in attacks in 2024. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed in a suicide blast at Quetta railway station.  AP/AFP Centre will raise incentive of ASHA workers: Nadda Ex p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ T’Puram In what could provide a welcome relief for the protesting ASHA workers, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said on Tuesday that the government has decided to raise their incentive. Hours after Nadda made the announcement in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister Suresh Gopi made a dramatic entry into the protest venue of the ASHAs in Thiruvananthapuram and said the Centre has done everything it was supposed to do for them. During question hour, Nadda lauded the work done by ASHA workers across the country and said the Mission Steering Group, the highest policy-making and steering institution under the National Health Mission (NHM), has given permission for the hike in their incentive. In response to another question on the Kerala government’s claim that the Centre is yet to pay pending dues, Nadda said the Union government has disbursed the full amount. He also accused the state of failing to provide the necessary utilisation certificate for the funds. However, Kerala Health Minister Veena George challenged Nadda’s statement. “The Centre has not provided a single rupee Union minister Suresh Gopi interacting with ASHA workers who are on an indefinite strike in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday | Express from the cash grant for the last financial year, which was withheld under the pretext of cobranding. The utilisation certificate for this amount was sent to the Centre earlier,” she said. Veena said the state had raised the issue of pending dues with Union ministers and officials on three occasions, and their responses confirmed the outstanding payments. “Out of the total due amount of Rs 826.02 crore, the Centre has released only Rs 189.15 crore for infrastructure maintenance and in-kind grants. The remaining Rs 636.88 crore, including the ASHA workers’ incentives, has not been allocated,” she added. During his visit to the protest site, Gopi criticised the state ministers for spreading misinformation and misleading the public. “I have personally met Nadda. What he said in Parliament is the truth. We have provided what we are supposed to,” he said. Taking a jibe at Veena, he said her claim that the state has not received anything might be due to “her lack of understanding of the language”. The protesting ASHA workers welcomed the Union government’s announcement of wage hike. KAHWA president V K Sadanandan said the decision was a direct outcome of the ongoing protests. However, the agitation will continue until all demands are met, he added. Expert panel suggests overhaul of PDS, reducing ration shops to 10k R a j e s h R a v i @Kochi An expert committee formed by the Kerala government to study the issues faced by Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers has proposed significant changes to the state’s public distribution system (PDS). The committee has recommended reducing the number of ration shops from 13,872 to 10,000, increasing the retail price of non-priority (subsidy) rice and sugar, and enforcing stricter controls on opening new ration shops. The three-member committee’s report, submitted to the food and civil supplies department by the end of 2024, is yet to be discussed or acted upon. However, it has validated the ration traders’ demand for a timely revision of their wage system, which has remained unchanged since 2018. As per the report, simply increasing wages to secure financial assistance from the government is not a sustainable solution and may lead to a major crisis in the future. Instead, it suggests diversifying ration shops and providing more services through the K-Store scheme that aims to revamp conventional fair price shops by leveraging modern technology The pan. el suggests that by increasing the retail price of rice in the Non-Priority Subsidy from `4 to `6 per kg and that of Non-Priority Non-Subsidy rice from `10.90 per kg, the state can raise the commis● More on P4 sion of dealers.  Immigration law has more teeth in new bill in LS M UKESH RANJAN @ New Delhi Security forces later surrounded the tunnel and began flushing out ops Reports suggested that the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgents used women and children as human shields before issuing a warning that any interference from the Army would lead to the death of the hostages Ministry lifts suspension of wrestling federation F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai Months of uncertainty gave way to hope as the sports ministry through an order dated March 10 revoked suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The suspension was imposed on December 24, 2023, days after the elections of the executive committee following which Sanjay Kumar Singh was elected as the president. The sports ministry after much deliberation and evaluation took this decision in the interest of the wrestlers. There was ambiguity over selection and participation in international competitions was also getting affected. The development meant the Indian wrestlers, who had to miss two Ranking Series last month, could now compete at the Asian Championships this month. Had they missed this, they would have rendered ineligible to compete at the World Championships. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the decision was taken keeping in mind the welfare of wrestlers. While WFI chief thanked the prime minister, home minister and sports minister for lifting suspension. `17,804 to `1.23L: CSK match tickets on resell website s w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Chennai CHENNAI Super Kings (CSK) are yet to announce ticket sales for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season but that hasn’t stopped tickets for their matches from appearing in a prominent ticket reselling website. When this daily last accessed the pages of viagogo, the current asking price for one KMK Lower ticket is `123,593 for the team’s opener against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on March 23. Tickets, at this point in time, are listed across 12 price bands, with the cheapest at `17,804. According to the website, one KMK Lower ticket was grabbed for `123,593 two days ago. Right now, there are 84 tickets available for the marquee clash against Mumbai. Interestingly even the lower stand , tickets (without hospitality and on the square of the wicket) are selling for 10 times its original price. For example a D lower cost `1700 last season and for the same Mumbai match the price has touched `20,600. Right now, tickets are available on viagogo for six of the seven home matches. Tickets are also available across venues including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad but there are no tickets available for the season opener between Kolkata and Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22. Not yet anyway In all, tickets are avail. able for over 50 games. The government on Tuesday introduced the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, seeking to overhaul existing immigration laws and streamline various services related to foreigners’ entry, exit, and stay in the country . Introducing the bill on the behalf of Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of State Nityanand Rai said that once the proposed law is passed, it will replace the colonial-era Foreigners Act, 1946; Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. According to the bill, the objective is to enhance national security, control immigration procedures, and introduce stricter penalties on foreigners who violate visa rules. It says any foreigner posing a threat to national security, sovereignty or the integrity of the nation “will not be allowed into the country or will be denied the permission to stay in India”. It further mandates registration for foreigners upon arrival. The bill proposes heavy penalties for violations. Those overstaying, violating norms, or trespassing in restricted areas face three years imprisonment and fine of up to `3 lakh. Transport carriers carrying foreigners without valid documents face up to `5 lakh fine. If a foreigner is denied entry the , carrier will be responsible for their removal from India. The bill also empowers immigration officers to arrest individuals without a warrant. Meanwhile, the opposition Key provisions  Mandatory registration of foreigners  upon arrival; restrictions on their movement, name change, and stay in protected/restricted areas  Mandatory for universities, hospitals  and accommodation providers to report about foreign nationals  Burden of proof on individuals to  establish they are not foreigners  International transport carriers must  provide passenger data Punitive charges  Entry without valid documents:  Up to 5 yrs in prison or L5 lakh fine  Use of forged documents: 2-7  years in jail and L1-10 lakh fine  Overstaying Visa: Up to 3 years in  jail or L3 lakh fine Enforcement powers  Immigration officers empowered to  arrest without warrant  Authorities can remove foreigners  violating the law  No appeal provision in proposed law  dubbed the bill as violative of constitutional provisions. Briefly intervening during the introduction of the bill, Congress MP Manish Tiwari said it doesn’t even have the right to appeal. He said the government should withdraw the bill or send it to JPC. TMC MP Sougata Roy also opposed the bill, saying: “I beg to oppose the Immigration and Foreigners Bill. There are already four laws in the country for the entry and exit of foreigners.” EXPRESS READ Half-price scam: CB arrests Anandakumar T’Puram: The crime branch has arrested K N Anandakumar, chairman of National NGO Confederation, in connection with the half-price scam in which money was swindled from customers after promising to supply two-wheelers at half the market price. P4