villupuram l tuesday l may 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Telangana’s financial situation dire, unable to raise funds: cm Financial situation is pretty bad and the state is unable to raise funds as bankers don’t trust govt, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said on Monday Banks looking at govt reps as ‘thieves’ union says 37 key demands remain unmet He also said bankers are looking at Telangana representatives as “thieves”. The comments came in response to demands from government employees for revision of the Old Pension Scheme and reimbursement of medical bills. “Nobody is giving appointments in Delhi also. Nobody believes in us. Self control (financial discipline) is the only solution,” he said at an event ■ ■ The Telangana Employees’ Joint Action Committee submitted a memorandum of 37 demands to the state govt last month. They urged early resolution of these long-pending issues “The government’s fiscal position is akin to a family that has gone bankrupt. If anybody has doubts, I’ll give them accounts,” Reddy said `22,500 cr Income per month is needed to meet needs, against `18,500 cr at present 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 Russian President accepts Modi’s invitation to visit India for annual high-level meeting Putin calls PM, supports fight against terror J aya n t h J a co b @ New Delhi Japan on same page Visiting Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani met his Indian counterpart Rajnaand offered “full support” to India’s war against terror Par panel seeks info A parliamentary panel sought details from two ministries on the action they planned against social media platforms that “seem to be working against national interest” stop fund, adb urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a strong pitch to ADB to stop giving funds to Pakistan as it backs terror activities Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday expressed full support to India in its fight against terror, emphasising during a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that those responsible for the heinous attack in Pahalgam —and their supporters— must be brought to justice. The conversation took place ahead of a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting requested by Pakistan. “He (President Putin) conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice,” Exter nal Affairs Ministry s p o ke s p e r s o n R a n d h i r Jaiswal said. “Both sides emphasised the need for an uncompromising fight against terrorism in all its forms,” said the Relations with India are not readout from Russia. Highsubject to lighting the “strategic naexternal ture of Russian-Indian relainfluence and tions as a special and continue to privileged partnership,” develop President Putin reiterated dynamically that the relationship is not “subject to external influence and continues to develop dynamically across all areas.” Modi invited Putin for the annual summit to be held in India later in the year which was accepted by the Russian leader. Pakistan, currently serving as a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council, called for the meeting amid rising tensions with India. Greece, which holds the Council presidency for May has scheduled the session for the , afternoon of May 5. The meeting is scheduled to start at 12.30 am IST, Tuesday . No interim order on Waqf Act, matter transferred to next CJI S u c h i t r a K a lya n Mo h a n ty @ New Delhi File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting | ANI U.N. urges maximum restraint UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday expressed grave concern about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, saying that the relationship between the two countries has reached a “boiling point” and that tensions are at their “highest in years”. He warned that “military confrontation can spin out of control”. In a statement, he urged both nations to exercise maximum restraint. “Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,” he said hold mock drills, govt tells states RA J E S H KUMAR T HAKUR @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a series of high-level meetings with senior government officials after an earlier meeting with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh amid indications that a military response to the Pahalgam massacre is around the corner. The government has already weaponised the Indus Waters Treaty by shutting a couple of dams on the Chenab after flushing out their silt. The Union home Ministry issued an advisory to several states asking them to conduct mock drills on May 7 for effective preparedness of the civil defence system. The meeting Modi had with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Govind Mohan and senior military officials is learnt to have focused on the final stages of preparedness against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack and their ecosystem. It went on for over an hour. Earlier in the day Modi had , a 40-minute meeting with the defence secretary. Defence chiefs have already briefed the PM individually and jointly on their preparedness for retaliation against rogue elements fostering terror. The home ministry’s advisory to hold mock drills with students and civilians as part of emergency preparedness, indicates India has firmed up some military action against Pakistan that could be executed after May 7, remarked a source. The mock drills include crash blackout measures, evacuation plans, early camouflage of critical installations and plants, and the operation of air raid sirens. Action could happen any day between May 7 and May 23,” said another source, hinting at the likely window for retaliation. The Supreme Court on Monday said that a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act will now be taken up by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India-designate Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai on May 15. During the hearing on Monday the court said that the Cen, tre has raised some points on registration of Waqf properties, which would require detailed hearing. “I do not want to reserve any judgment, or even interim order, at this stage. This matter will have to be heard on a reasonably early date and this will not be before me. If you all agree, we post it before a bench of Justice Gavai,” said, the CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who is set to retire on May 13. All the parties accepted the The water level in Chenab river at Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir has dropped to record lows due to closure of the gates of Salal and Baglihar power projects to stop water flow to Pakistan. “I have never seen such a situation. The Chenab river has dried up. Even our elders have never seen such a situation. It is the first time we are realising that river Chenab’s water can be stopped,” said a resident of Akhnoor. He said he managed to cross the river on foot, which was unthinkable in the past. Official sources said all gates of Salal power project dam on Chenab River in Reasi district have now been closed. They said due to closure of the gates of the dam, the downstream flow into Pakistan has come down drastically as the Chenab river is fast drying up. “The closure of dam gates has resulted in significant drop in water levels in Chenab in Akhnoor and other parts All gates of Salal Dam on the Chenab river in Reasi district, J&K, closed | pti of the Reasi district,” official sources told this newspaper. Chenab has dried up barely three days of witnessing a flood-like situation in Akhnoor and Jourian areas on May 2, when the water level had risen after a heavy rainfall. A large number of locals including men, women, and children visited the Chenab in Akhnoor to see the water dropping to record low. Many crossed the river on foot. “History has been made. We are seeing such a situation for the first time. We have always seen Chenab water flowing very fast and now it has dried up,” the locals said. court’s suggestion to fix May 15 as the next date to hear the batch of petitions. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior law officer for the Centre, assured the court that it would neither denotify waqf properties, including ‘waqf by user’, nor make any appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards till further hearing. The Centre had in its last hearing also had assured the court not to denotify waqf 4-men gang that robbed Chennai jeweller of `20cr gem held in Thoothukudi sc Panel submits report E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Chenab water flow to Pakistan down to a trickle FAYA Z WANI @ Srinagar Senior advocate Salman Khurshid addresses the media in New Delhi | pti (From top to bottom) R Rathish Kumar, S Vijay, G Arun Pandiyarajan, L John Loyd | EXPRESS A four-member gang that hoodwinked and robbed a Chennai jeweller of a diamond worth `20 crore on Sunday afternoon by tying him up at a hotel room in Vadapalani landed in police net 600km away after it created ruckus at a toll booth in Thoothukudi around 2am on Monday According . to the Vadapalani police, the victim, S Chandrasekhar, was approached by the gang that feigned interest in buying antique diamond. According to police sources, the four suspects, L John Loyd (34), S Vijay (24), R Rathish Kumar (28), all from Chennai, and G Arun Pandiyarajan (32) of Paramakudi, were involved in selling second-hand cars. To execute the robbery plan meticulously, they even purchased diamond testing kits online and learned gem evaluation techniques through YouTube videos. The deal was facilitated through two intermediaries, Arogyaraj and Rahul Subhakan, who introduced the suspects to Chandrasekhar, police said. After preliminary discussions at his residence, the gang invited him to a hotel in Vadapalani to finalise the deal on Sunday police said. , On Sunday afternoon, Chandrasekhar arrived at the hotel with his daughter Janaki, his driver, and a friend named Subramani. While Janaki and the driver waited outside, Chandrasekhar and Subramani entered the suspects’ room. The gang allegedly tricked Subramani into leaving the room, isolated Chandrasekhar, and then assaulted and tied him up in a chair before fleeing with the diamond, police said. When Janaki was unable to reach her father by phone after several hours, she rushed to the room and found him tied up.  P5 academic outreach Australian university comes calling, likely to open Indian campus in TN C S h i v a k u m a r @ Chennai A tree brought down by heavy rain and strong wind on Sunday night on the old Collectorate premises in Tiruchy | MK Ashok Kumar Unusual gale upends trees, trips power E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Coimbatore/Thanjavur Rain accompanied by unusually strong gale and thunderstorms uprooted banana trees on several acres, upended electric poles, and snapped power lines in Coimbatore and delta districts on Sunday, leaving thousands of houses without power till Monday afternoon. In Coimbatore city and neighboring areas alone, at least 400 localities reported power out- age, sources said. Senior electricity board officials said the damage to power infrastructure in Coimbatore city was the worst in the last 40 years. In Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai districts, harvestready banana plantations on at least 100 acres were damaged. Ten villages in Mayiladuthurai district, including Alli Vilagam, Sembathaniruppu, Kathir uppu, Ponsei, and Keezhaiyur near Sirkazhi were badly hit. In Thanjavur, har- vest-ready crops at Thillaisthanam, Perumpuliyur, Sathan u r, K o n e r i r a j a p u r a m , Achanur, and Vadugakudi were affected, sources said. M Mathiyazhagan, a banana farmer from Vadugakudi in Thanjavur, said banana trees have either been completely uprooted or damaged. “Farmers spent up to `1.5 lakh per acre for cultivating banana trees. The government should give us a compensation of `50,000 per acre,” he said.  P5 The University of Western Australia (UWA), one of Australia’s renowned institutions, is planning to establish a branch campus in Tamil Nadu — a decision poised to deepen educational and diplomatic ties between the two countries. The move follows high-level discussions held between UWA Chancellor Diane Smith-Gander and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on Monday The campus proposal . also includes Maharashtra, with both states identified as high-performing economies ripe for international academic partnerships. “Subject to University Grants Commission (UGC) and UWA Senate approval, the University of Western Australia intends to establish branch campuses in both Maharashtra and Tamil properties, including “waqf by user”, nor make any appointments to the Waqf bodies till further hearing. The court was hearing five petitions—out of more than 100 filed before it—after noting that it was impossible to hear all the pleas in the matter, as more or less, the prayers were strikingly similar. The Centre on April 25 defended the Waqf Amendment Act, 2025, as valid, lawful exercise of legislative power. While filing a detailed reply in the Supreme Court, the Union requested it to dismiss the batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of it. “It is a settled position in law that the constitutional courts would not stay a statutory provision, either directly or indirectly, and will decide the matter finally,” said, the Centre, in its reply filed before the top court. The university’s main campus is located in the Australian city of Perth Nadu, which are among the topperforming state economies in India,” said Smith-Gander. Once it materialises, UWA will become the first international university to set up its campus in Tamil Nadu. UWA’s Indian campuses are expected to offer a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, particularly in STEM, business, and creative fields, with the latter led by UWA’s Conservatori- um of Music. The initiative complements Tamil Nadu’s ambitious ‘Knowledge City’ project, which aims to transform the state into a hub for global education and cuttingedge research. At the seventh Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) Smart Datacenters and Cloud Infrastructure Conclave 2025 here on Monday, IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan highlighted the state’s discussions with international universities. Rajan, who spearheaded the Knowledge City vision during his tenure as finance minister, described the recent dialogue with UWA officials as a “significant step forward”. A government release confirmed that Smith-Gander was accompanied by UWA Pro-Vice Chancellor Jennifer Howell during the meeting with Stalin.  P5 on cash haul The three-judge panel probing the cash recovery at Justice Yashwant Varma’s Delhi residence on March 14 has submitted its report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna | P7 express read Stop attack on TN fishers by Lankans: CM to centre Chennai: Referring to the attack of 23 Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan nationals on Saturday, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take steps to ensure that attackers are deterred from indulging in such acts in the future Works of five Tamil writers nationalised Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday provided compensation of `10 lakh each to two writers and legal heirs of three other writers whose works have been nationalised by the state. The five writers are Kavikko Abdul Rahman, Mervin, A Pazhani, Ko Ma Kodhandam and Pulavar Ilama Tamilnavan | P4 Aadheenam rejects cops’ clarification on ‘murder’ Madurai: Madurai Aadheenam on Monday rejected the clarification issued by Kallakurichi police on the road accident involving his car, and accused the police of acting in a “biased” manner. Police had rejected the seer’s claim of attempt to murder him during his travel to Chennai on May 2 | P4 One Year To Go As DMK regime enters its final year, TNIE takes a look at how the govt took on the centre on policies and funds, and endeared itself to people with pioneering schemes unrelenting fight | P4