BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  MARCH 12, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 14  JEYPORE EDITION AIRTEL, ELON MUSK’S SPACEX JOIN HANDS FOR SATCOM SERVICE AIRTEL GAINS HEFT VERSUS RIVAL EUTELSAT 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 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 ■ 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 | P12 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 A screen grab of Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati attempting to climb the Speakers podium in the Assembly Bahinipati suspended by Speaker following scuffle in Assembly Congress, BJD term the action by Speaker partisan and undemocratic; urge withdrawal EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar WITH no let up in the Assembly chaos, Speaker Surama Padhy on Tuesday wielded the axe on the Opposition, suspending senior Congress legislator Tara Prasad Bahinipati from the House for seven days following a scuffle with the ruling BJP members. Bahinipati was suspended for his alleged “misconduct and unruly behaviour” after a notice was moved by government chief whip Saroj Kumar Pradhan in the afternoon session. The Jeypore MLA had been leading the Congress protests in the last two days. He had broken the microphone on the Speaker’s podium on Monday. Earlier in the day he attempted , to climb the Speaker’s podium again and then rushed to the seat of Urban Development minister KC Mahapatra during the question hour. The House then witnessed unprecedented scenes leading to a scuffle between the BJP and Congress members in the well during which BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra is alleged to have grabbed the collar of Bahinipati and pushed him. The situation escalated when Congress members rushed towards the seat of Mahapatra and Parliamentary Affairs minister Mukesh Mahaling. The Congress members were protesting over increasing crime against women in Odisha. The BJD members were also in the well of the House protesting against Mishra’s statement that the decision to merge Koshal with Odisha was a historical blunder. However, they stayed away from the melee. Condemning the action against him, Bahinipati alleged that the Speaker acted illegally . “I was assaulted by BJP members, but she has not taken any action against them. The Speaker has acted in a partisan manner,” he told mediapersons outside the House. The BJD also termed the Speaker’s action undemocratic and walked out from the House. Senior BJD MLA Arun Sahoo said that senior MLAs of the party will meet the Speaker tomorrow and request her to withdraw the suspension of Bahinipati. The Congress MLAs sat on a dharna in the well of the House in protest after the suspension was announced by the Speaker. Later, they shifted to the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises. The members withdrew the dharna after OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das visited the place and persuaded them to call it off. Criticising the decision as a sign of autocratic behaviour of BJP, Das announced that the Congresss MLAs will boycott the Assembly on Wednesday He . has also called a meeting of the MLAs and other senior members of the party to discuss the CONTINUED ON P7 incident. 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 @ Bhubaneswar BJD president and leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Naveen Patnaik has given his consent to attend the meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin against Centre’s plan for delimitation of constituencies, in Chennai on March 22. A two-member delegation from DMK comprising MP Dayanidhi Maran and Tamil Nadu Industries minister TRB Rajaa called on the former Odisha chief minister at Naveen Niwas on Tuesday and invited him to the meeting to discuss the issues related to the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies proposed by BJP at the Centre. They requested the BJD president to participate in the deliberations to chart a collective course forward and be part of the Joint Action Committee (JAC). Speaking to mediapersons, Maran said Naveen shared the concerns and Maran hands over the invitation letter to Naveen on Tuesday fears that unfair delimitation will not be good for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Punjab. He said these states will be directly affected by delimi- Quetta Railway Station PAKISTAN INDIA BOLAN PASS 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 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 Immigration law has more teeth in new bill in LS M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi 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 ob- tation. These states will lose substantial number of seats in the Lok Sabha while the northern states will gain. “These states will pay the price for development and successful population control. The BJD president said he will attend the meeting and join our fight against the move,” Maran said. Senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra also confirmed that Naveen has given his consent to attend the meeting. “The DMK leaders invited the BJD president to the meeting in Chennai. Patnaik has also expressed BJD’s concern on the matter,” Mishra said. The senior DMK leaders also met the president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Bhakta Charan Das. They are also expected to meet more political leaders and others during their two-day visit to the state. These states will pay the price for development and successful population control. The BJD president said he will attend the meeting and join our fight against the move Dayanidhi Maran, DMK MP Security forces have launched an operation to rescue the hostages, with local media reporting a fire exchange late in the night Islamabad Railway Station AFGHANISTAN 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 THE TAKING OF JAFFAR EXP Naveen to attend delimitation meet convened by Stalin on March 22 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 3 Peshawar Railway Station jective 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 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 the Joint Parliamentary Committee. 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.” WFI suspension lifted by Ministry, calls trials 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. Due to the suspension and an order of the single bench of the Delhi High Court, the WFI was not able to hold selection trials. The WFI is planning to hold trials on March 15. Hours after the suspension was revoked, the Delhi HC division bench disposed off an appeal challenging single bench order over P13 IOA’s ad hoc committee. 1. KEY PROVISIONS 2. PUNITIVE CHARGES  Mandatory  Entry 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 without valid documents: Up to 5 yrs in prison or `5 lakh fine  Use of forged documents: 2-7 years in jail and `1-10 lakh fine  Overstaying Visa: Up to 3 years in jail or `3 lakh fine 3. ENFORCEMENT POWERS  Immigration officers empowered to arrest without warrant  Authorities can remove foreigners violating the law  No appeal provision in proposed law