thrissur l saturday l may 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION IPL RESUMES AFTER BREAK DUE TO BORDER TENSIONS Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru today. The league was temporarily suspended on May 8 RCB’s Virat Kohli during a practice session on Friday | Vinod Kumar T Matches in six venues, Final on June 3 DEPLETED SQUADS FOR SEVERAL TEAMS ■ Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai will host the remaining 12 matches, with venues for the play-offs yet to be decided ■ ■ Due to forecast of rains in Southern India, IPL decided against hosting matches in Chennai and Hyderabad, with Bengaluru hosting two matches | P11 ■ Several IPL teams will have depleted squads in the home stretch because of important assignments like the WTC final. South African players, for example, will not feature in the playoffs However, sides have been allowed to name ‘temporary’ replacements to supplement their roster. Mumbai will be one of the hardest hit side 17 NO OF REMAINING TIES (12 LEAGUE, FOUR PLAY-OFF FIXTURES & FINAL) 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 Teams to visit 40-50 countries, many of them Islamic, to expose Pak terror footprint Mega diplomatic push via multi-party teams rajnath: Pak using IMF money for terror P r e e t h a Na i r a n d raj e s h K umar T h akur @ New Delhi D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya With the Centre set to send nearly a dozen multi-party delegations to various important countries to exert diplomatic pressure on Pakistan, it was learnt that the lists of Opposition and ruling coalition’s MPs were prepared by the Prime Minister’s Office and conveyed to respective political parties. While MPs from various political parties were consulted by Union minister Kiran Rijiju, sources said the selection was done based on certain parameters, such as domain knowledge, articulation skills and representation of women and Muslims. The delegations will brief the hosts on Pakistan’s role in perpetrating cross-border terror in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor and the efforts by some countries to hyphenate India and Pakistan. “There will be a briefing by the MEA before we leave. We may also present dossiers on Pakistan’s links to the terror attacks,” said an MP . The delegation may travel to 40-50 countries and are likely to start from May 22 or 23 for a period of 10 days. The focus will be more on Islamic countries, said an MP. The government is considering 7-8 eight delegations with 5-6 members each, said a source. The likely representatives from Congress will be Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Salman Khurshid and Amar Singh, while DMK’s Kanimozhi, CPI (M)’s John Brittas and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi are likely to be part of the INDIA on Friday called upon the International Monetary Fund to reconsider its $1 billion assistance to Pakistan, stressing that Islamabad can use it for funding terror. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who arrived at the Bhuj Air Force station Friday morning to review the overall security situation, said India does not want funds it gives to the IMF to be used to create a terror infrastructure in Pakistan. “India would like the IMF to reconsider its assistance of $1 billion to Pakistan and refrain from g iv i n g a ny kind of assistance in future,” he said. He lauded Rajnath Singh the Air Force for spearheading the campaign against terrorism effectively . “The current ceasefire is not a peace agreement — it’s probation,” Singh declared. “If Pakistan’s behaviour improves, good. If not, the harshest punishment will follow ...” he said. Singh further said Pakistan has started rebuilding its destroyed terror infrastructure, and has collected taxes from its citizens to lend it to Masood Azhar, head of Jaish-e-Mohammed and a UN-designated terrorist. “Pakistan plans to divert public funds — roughly `14 crore — to Masood Azhar of JeM,” Singh said. Pakistan has announced financial aid to LeT and JeM in Muridke and Bahawalpur, he said. SOS call Need timely help, else will have to shut shop: Vi to govt R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Vodafone Idea (Vi) has said it will be forced to shut shop if the government doesn’t help. India’s third-largest telecom operator urged the Centre to waive its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, warning that it may not be able to continue operations beyond FY26. Sources said the company has sought the government’s intervention to meet AGR obligations and mitigate insolvency risk. Vi also warned that the value of the government’s equity stake could fall to zero, resulting in no recovery on the `1.18 lakh crore of spectrum dues. Currently Vi’s total liabil, ities are pegged at `2 lakh crore, including `1.19 lakh crore in spectrum usage charges and `83,400 crore in AGR dues. The company is required to pay `18,000 crore annually in AGR dues over the next six years. According to Vi, this figure exceeds its operating cash flows, which have averaged between `8,400 crore and `9,200 crore over the past three years. The gover nment had in March converted `36,950 crore of the firm’s dues into equity, increasing its stake to 49%. The beleaguered firm has filed a fresh plea in the Supreme Court seeking waiver of `30,000 crore in AGR dues, pertaining to interest, penalty and interest , on penalty components. @ Ahmedabad Union Home Minister Amit Shah with others during the inauguration of an upgraded multi-agency centre for intelligence sharing, in New Delhi | PTI delegations. While former Union minister Anurag Thakur, Aparajita Sarangi and Samik Bhattacharya and V Muralidharan are among the BJP MPs, TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay , JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha, BJD’s Sasmit Patra and NCP-SP’s Supriya Sule and J&K’s Ghulam Nabi Azad are also likely to be part of the delegations. Several Opposition parties welcomed the move. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Rijiju contacted party chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the matter, adding the latter will decide which MPs are to be sent. Such diplomatic initiatives have been taken in the past as well. In 1994, the then PM Narasimha Rao deputed a team comprising opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Farooq Abdullah, Salman Khurshid, and India’s then ambassador to the UN, Hamid Ansari, to a UN session in Geneva to present India’s case on the Kashmir problem and to defeat a Pakistan resolution to censure New Delhi. After the Mumbai attack in 2008, PM Manmohan Singh sent a multi-party delegation to various countries with dossiers on Pakistan’s links to the terror attacks. 10-day mission by multiple teams Each multi-party group of 5-6 MPs from both the LS and RS is expected to leave by May 22-23 on its 10-day diplomatic mission. These teams will visit the US, UK, and several Islamic nations to share India’s stance on Pak-sponsored terror Official details expected today A senior government source said that the MPs will be thoroughly briefed and equipped with evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. Official details on the mission are expected to ne announced on Saturday Owaisi may lead team to S Arabia Asaduddin Owaisi, who sharply condemned Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, is likely to lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In all, over 35 MPs are expected to participate in the diplomatic outreach ‘Ente Bhoomi’ promises to make land transactions swift & error-free DIgital push ‘Ente Bhoomi’, or the Integrated Land Information Management System, is a comprehensive digital land information system. Only a few countries have comprehensive digital land record systems, according to the survey department. The portal offers services like land transfer, template for land registration, pre-mutation sketch, encumbrance certificate, land tax payment, fair value information, auto mutation, location sketch and re-categorisation of land. Kerala leads the country Several states and union territories have consulted Kerala for emulating the ‘Ente Bhoomi’ initiative. Kerala has agreed to offer software support to Assam besides guidance. Recently, a team from Puducherry visited Kerala, while an online session was conducted for Rajasthan. M S V i d ya n a n d a n @T’Puram For long, bureaucratic bottlenecks and compliance-related hassles have been dragging procedures related to land deals in Kerala. This is set to change, if a state government initiative is any indication. Billed as a one-stop solution for land transactions the government’s ‘Ente Bhoomi’ integrated land management system is expected to ensure speedy disposal of files and accuracy of documents. The success of its trial run at Ujar Ulvar, a village in Kasaragod, has prompted the government to include at least one village from each district in the ‘Ente Bhoomi’ single-window portal, within a month. Details of only digitally surveyed villages – 300 as of now – are available in the portal. The rest of the villages are being covered under the statewide digital survey in phases. At present, land transactions at Ujar Ulvar are now performed through the ‘Ente Bhoomi’ portal. The process starts with the buyer or seller applying for thandaper certificate and survey sketch of the proposed land via the portal. These are uploaded to the portal by the village office and survey office, respectively. The land owner then fills in the template of the transaction deed available on the portal. The land details appear automatically and the seller can list any specific condition regarding the transaction. It is then submitted to the registration department online.  ● More on P4 Safe travels A pilgrim bids farewell to her grandchild before embarking on the first Haj flight from Kochi airport on Friday morning. Operated by Saudia, the flight took off at 6.25 pm with 289 pilgrims — 143 women and 146 men — on board | A Sanesh Setback for Blasters, AIFF refuses club Premier 1 licence M a n i s h a V C S @Kochi There’s bad news for Kerala Blasters fans. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has refused Premier 1 club licence to Blasters this year, hindering the club’s chances of participation in the 2025-26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) unless the management goes for an appeal or pays a penalty . Besides Blasters, Mohammedan Sporting, Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC and Hyderabad FC are the other clubs denied the licence over “failures across criteria A or B” of licensing. In their statement, the Blasters cited “compliance requirements beyond club’s control” as the reason. They also said they were in active discussions with the relevant authorities and were working to avoid any issues for the upcoming season. The club was denied licence earlier too. It then paid penalties to secure its spot in subsequent ISL editions. While the exact reason behind the latest snub is not officially known , sources said fitness issues with the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor – the Blasters homeground since the team’s inception in 2014 – has been a major contributing factor. The operation of a number of restaurants and eateries in the stadium complex might be one of the issues. Earlier this year, a steamer blast in one of the restaurants in the stadium complex had left one dead. “The issue of shops storing explosive LPG cylinders was raised by the GCDA earlier. Plans to set up CNG supply to the shops is being implemented with the Indian Oil Corporation,” said K Chandran Pillai, the chairperson of Greater Cochin Development Authority, which owns the stadium. On match days, hundreds of vehicles parked around the stadium was also pointed out as a hindrance for evacuation during emergencies, but the practice continues. The club had earlier accused the GCDA of breaching NOC norms by hosting a mega dance programme, which it said damaged the turf. E X P RESS READ Alappuzha man dies in suspected cholera case Ivin death: Accused’s act intentional, say police Alappuzha: A 48-year-old resident of Thalavady in Kuttanad, who was under treatment in a private hospital in Thiruvalla with symptoms of cholera, died in the early hours of Friday. The deceased is Raghu P G. He was admitted to hospital with fever and diarrhoea. Authorities noted that he had pre-existing health issues. Kochi: Police have deemed two Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel ramming a 25-year-old youth with their car in Nedumbassery an intentional act of murder. The accused, both Bihar natives, had claimed the death was an accident. However, the police said CCTV footage, mobile phone videos, and forensic evidence paint a different picture. Taliban makes fresh push to normalise ties with India J aya n t h J ac o b @ New Delhi THE Taliban-led government in Afghanistan is making a fresh push to normalise relations with India as part of its campaign for international legitimacy, sources said. Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s phone call with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday was the highest-level contact between New Delhi and Taliban since the group seized power in August 2021. “The phone call ahead of Muttaqi’s scheduled visits to Iran and China signals Kabul’s growing interest in reengaging India on critical bilateral issues,” said a source. These include trade facilitation, visa processAfghan Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi es, repatriation of Afghan prisoners, and strengthening collaboration on the strategic Chabahar port — a key project India has backed to enhance regional connectivity and helping landlocked Afghanistan get sea access bypassing Pakistan. “There is a consistent conversation between Indian and Taliban officials,” a source said. This includes a meeting between Muttaqi and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in Dubai in January, apart from a visit to Kabul by an Indian diplomat overseeing Afghanistan relations, shortly after the Pahalgam terror attack. Taliban officials strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack and dismissed Pakistani military reports alleging Indian missile strikes on Afghan soil as “baseless.” Tales from Idukki Muthuvan family battles ‘wild’ odds to stay connected to its land N e jma S u l a i ma n @Idukki Like all members of the Muthuvan tribe, Amrita Raj and his family also share a deep connection with their land. Despite umpteen challenges, including frequent raids on their crops by wild elephants and birds, and water scarcity, the family of four – Raj, his wife Santhi and two daughters Sangeetha and Sneha – religiously carry out farming on their five acres of land close to the forest at Kundala near Munnar in Idukki. For them, the land is their mother and source of livelihood. “Ever since I settled at Kundala (Kundala Muthuvan Kudi) in 2001, farming has been our source of livelihood. While the Kundala reservoir is nearby we , use its water only for drinking purposes. Water that flows down from the nearby shola During day time, my family members guard the crops on our land from birds. At night, I stay awake to keep the wild animals, including elephants, away Amrita Raj, farmer forest is used for irrigation purposes,” he said. During summer, Raj manages to store the water from the stream in an artificial pond that he built in the middle of his farmland. On the land, he largely cultivates butter beans, owing to their high demand, besides other varieties, including bush and red beans. In the past, in addition to the selection of crop suitable to their soil and weather, collaborative farming and direct marketing helped tribal farmers in Kundala earn good dividends from vegetable cultivation. Back then, the families worked together in the fields to cut down on labour expenses. Moreover, sale of their produce used to be car ried out via ‘Krishithanal’, a collective of tribal farmers, which sold the beans directly in mar● More on P4 kets.