Chennai l wednesday l april 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Offensive and condemnable : Assam CM on Yunus’ comments Muhammad Yunus’ comments on northeastern states kicks up a row, with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calling it “strongly condemnable” yunus had urged chinese cooperation ‘b’desh inviting china to encircle india’ Calling Bangladesh the “only guardian of the ocean” in the Northeastern region, Yunus had urged China to extend its economic influence to his country, mentioning that India’s seven sisters being landlocked is an opportunity. Yunus apparently made the comment during his recent fourday visit to China. A video of it surfaced on social media and led to furore ■ ■ Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh also joined in, accusing the neighbouring country of using the region as a strategic pawn Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the attitude of Bangladesh government is “very dangerous for the security of our North East region.” “Bangladesh is inviting China to encircle India.” | P8 20 km is the width of Siliguri Corridor, also called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ 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 SC’s conscience USTR lights into India ahead of tariff rollout shocked over ’21 UP demolitions D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi Orders `10 L relief to all petitioners in 6 wks S u c h i t r a K alyan M o h an t y @ New Delhi The Prayagraj Development Authority in Uttar Pradesh was at the receiving end of the Supreme Court’s wrath on Tuesday, as it slammed the “inhumane and illegal” demolition of houses of six individuals in 2021, saying it had shocked its conscience. The court directed it to pay a compensation of `10 lakh each to the six individuals within six weeks, after the appellants said they did not have the means to rebuild their homes. “These cases shock our conscience,” the court said. Warning it for flouting the due process of law, a two-judge bench comprising justice Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, said, “The Prayagraj Development Authority must remember that the right to shelter is also an integral part of Article 21 of the Constitution.” The court’s whiplash came after hearing a joint plea by advocate Zulfiqar Haider, professor Ali Ahmed and others whose houses were demolished. The appellants approached the top court after their plea to stop the demolition was rejected by the high court. Various other states have also flouted the court’s earlier ruling barring illegal demolition of houses without following the rule of law. In the Prayagraj case, showcause notices were first issued in 2020, and pasted on the six houses the same day. On January 8, 2021, a demolition notice was pasted on the same houses but not sent by registered post. “The first registered post communication was sent on March 1, 2021, received on March 6, 2021, and the demolition was carried out the next day leaving the appellants with , no opportunity to appeal under Section 27(2) of the UP Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973,” the bench observed. Ahead of the expected rollout of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) raised concerns over India’s trade policies. In its 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the USTR cited India’s high tariffs, restrictive digital trade rules, weak intellectual property enforcement, and unfair procurement practices as key obstacles for US businesses. The 397-page report devotes 15 pages to highlight the tariff and non-tariff barriers that skew trade in India’s favour. It says India’s average MFN (most-favoured-nation) applied tariff rate of 17% in 2023 was the highest among major economies, with agricultural products averaging 39%. The report accuses India of keeping high tariffs on a wide range of goods, including vegetable oils (45%); apples, corn, and motorcycles (50%); automobiles and flowers (60%); natural rubber (70%); coffee, rai- MSP, farm subsidy distort global prices The report highlights India’s agricultural subsidies, particularly the MSP system for rice and wheat crops, claiming that these distort global prices and put US farmers at a great disadvantage sins, and walnuts (100%); and alcoholic beverages (150%). In addition, India maintains high basic customs duties on drug formulations, including lifesaving drugs, it notes. USTR alleges India’s high Don in mind, India and China mark 75th year of diplomatic ties J ayan t h J aco b @ New Delhi Deadly blast Debris of a firecracker warehouse after a blast in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Tuesday that killed at least 21 people | pti | P8 Sparks to fly as LS debates Waqf bill Annamalai may P r e e t h a N ai r @ New Delhi Oppn to demand division of votes during passage Setting the stage for a major showdown between the government and the Opposition, the Lok Sabha will take up the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill for discussion and passage on Wednesday, with an eighthour-long debate allocated for its deliberation. While the government is deter mined to push the bill through, the Opposition condemned it and called it “unconstitutional”. The government requires a simple majority of 272 votes, which should be smooth for the NDA with 293 MPs. Major BJP allies like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), and Chirag Paswan-led LJP (Ramvilas), who had initial reservations, have now extended support after the joint parliamentary committee adopted some of their suggestions. The BJP The opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday unanimously decided to participate in the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and seek a division of votes during its passage. The decision was arrived at a meeting attended by all Opposition parties | P7 has 240 MPs, JD(U) 12, and TDP 16. The BJP and several Opposition parties have issued whips for their MPs to be present in the House for the next three days. Despite the numbers favoring the BJP the Opposition has , vowed to fight the bill. After a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, Congress MP K C Venugopal said, “This bill is fundamentally against Constitutional provisions. We are going to oppose this bill.” CPI(M) MP John Brittas said they would fight tooth and nail and seek a division of votes while coordinating with parties like YSRCP and Biju Janata Dal. The Congress and other INDIA bloc members walked out of the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee meeting, accusing the government of stifling their voice. Minorities and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Speaker Om Birla chaired the meeting and agreed on an eight-hour debate, extendable based on the House’s consensus. However, the Opposition had demanded 12 hours. e x p r e ss r e a d TN trying to obstruct Tasmac probe, says ED CM: No discrimination in implementing projects Gang that stole mobiles from fans during IPL held Chennai: The ED has accused TN of attempting to “obstruct a lawful money laundering investigation” involving Tasmac officials. The allegation was made in an affidavit filed by the agency against the state and Tasmac before Madras HC| P2 Chennai: Refuting AIADMK’s charge, CM M K Stalin said the state is implementing developmental works without discrimination, and proposals from legislators of various parties are being accepted depending on their financial viability | P4 Chennai: The Chennai police on Monday busted a gang of eight, including four minors, all from Jharkhand and West Bengal, that targeted the IPL fans at Chepauk stadium on Friday and stole dozens of mobile phones during the CSK-RCB match | P2 bow out, likely to get a ‘better post’ Bala C h a u h an @ Chennai If the BJP leadership decides to remove K Annamalai, president of Tamil Nadu BJP to make way for someone who can , help sew up an alliance with the AIADMK, it will be done in a manner that will recognise his efforts and not demoralise the supporter base he has built for himself and the party Sources . in the national party said given the track record of Annamalai in Tamil Nadu, he is unlikely to be demoted. A senior party leader said the removal of Annamalai was one of the key conditions put forth by AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palanisami when he met Home Minister Amit Shah last week. When contacted, Annamalai told TNIE that he had shared his views with the reporters at the Coimbatore airport after his Delhi visit last week that whatever Amit Shah says will be the last word on the matter. “I am a party worker, and the party comes first. As I already said in Delhi, there will be no trouble for anyone because of me,” he said, giving a broad indication of his ‘ease’ at the alliance with the AIADMK. Yashwant Deshmukh, founder of CVoter, told TNIE that the BJP would not demote Annamalai to stitch an alliance with the AIADMK. “He is BJP’s best bet in Tamil Nadu,” Deshmukh said. P5 India’s longest Ennore-Poonjeri sea bridge may help Chennai skip traffic B A N BUSE LV A N @ Chennai After multiple unsuccessful attempts over the past 30 years to construct an expressway along Chennai’s coastline— from Ennore to Kottivakkam— due to stiff resistance from fisher men and environmental activists, the state government has now proposed to build a 65km-long sea bridge from Ennore to Poonjeri near Mamallapuram on East Coast Road (ECR). The bridge is expected to ease congestion on Chennai’s arterial roads and reduce transportation cost. The 21.8-km-long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Highways Minister E V Velu displays a copy of TNIE’s ‘Pride of Tamil Nadu’ edition in the TN Assembly| Express (MTHL), also known as Atal Setu, is currently India’s longest sea bridge. State Highways Minister E V Velu told the Assembly on Tuesday that a Detailed Feasibility tariff rates present a big barrier to trade in other agriculture and processed foods such as poultry, potatoes, citrus, almonds, pecans, apples, grapes, canned peaches, chocolate, cookies, frozen French fries, and other prepared foods used in fast-food restaurants. The report cites other nontariff barriers as well such as quality control measures, and local procurement conditions for manufacturing in India. The USTR has also flagged India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act for restricting cross-border data transfers and mandating data localisation. US president Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the reciprocal tax would be imposed on all countries without any exception. Report (DFR) will be prepared to assess the bridge’s viability . He made the announcement during the Demands for Grants of the state highways and minor ports departments. The Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TNSHA) will execute the project to be funded through external sources. After evaluating several potential routes—including Lighthouse to Neelankarai or Uthandi—the highways department has decided to build the fourlane sea bridge. The bridge aims to improve traffic flow in Chennai by connecting all major junctions along the route.  P5 65 KM total length Ennore Chennai The Ennore-Poonjeri bridge may ease traffic on arterial roads A Detailed Feasibility Report (DFR) will be prepared to assess the bridge’s viability. The project will be funded through external sources E V Velu, State Highways Minister Poonjeri tiger memon property to be handed over to the Centre following a Mumbai court orders | P8 UNDER the shadow of the reciprocal tariffs set to be imposed by US President Donald Trump on April 2, India and China on Tuesday sought to work together as they marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, said bilateral ties should resemble a “dragon-elephant tango”. Responding to a letter from Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that advancing bilateral relations would enhance global stability and prosperity, while supporting the emergence of a multi-polar world. Modi noted that India and China are two ancient civi- Ready to step up imports: Envoy Ahead of the US tariffs from April 2, China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, said, “We are willing to work with India to enhance cooperation in trade and to import more Indian products” lizations that have shaped human history, and it’s their responsibility to promote peace and development. “Progress in our bilateral relations will contribute not only to global stability and prosperity but also to the emergence of a multi-polar world,” Modi said. “The development of ChinaIndia relations demonstrates it is the right choice for China and India to be partners of mutual achievement,” Xi said in a letter to President Murmu.