HYDERABAD l saturday l may 17, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late 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 Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mumbai will host the remaining 12 matches, with venues for the play-offs yet to be decided ■ 17 DEPLETED SQUADS FOR SEVERAL TEAMS ■ 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 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 Preetha Nair and rajesh K um a r T h a ku r @ New Delhi AIG Chairman and MD Dr D Nageshwar Reddy shows Miss World contestants around the Gachibowli branch of the hospital in Hyderabad on Friday Muttaqi-Jaishankar call fresh Taliban attempt to normalise ties with India J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi THE Taliban-led government in Afghanistan is making a fresh push to normalise relations with India as part of its broader campaign for international legitimacy, sources familiar with the development 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 re-engaging India on critical bilateral issues,” said a source. These in- REvanth orders a 3-year comprehensive ‘Electricity Plan’ to address the future needs of the state and achieve a $1 trillion economy | P4 Army officer falls prey to cybercriminals, loses `55 lakh E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad A technical officer from Khammam, currently serving in the Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir, lost `55 lakh to cybercriminals who lured him with promises of high returns on stock market investments. While he lodged a complaint on Thursday, the cybercriminals first set a trap for the officer in January by sending him WhatsApp messages and luring him with promises of high returns on investments in an IPO. Initially he ignored the , messages, but as they persisted, he responded in February seeking further details. On February 10, he was added to a WhatsApp group “BVIP29 BN Rathi Internal Group”. He searched for “BN Rathi Securities Ltd.” on Google and found a Hyderabad-based address along with contact numbers. Upon calling those numbers, the officer was informed that the company was legitimate and based in Hyderabad. He became convinced that the firm was genuine.  continued on P5 Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi clude trade facilitation, visa processes, the repatriation of Afghan prisoners, and strengthening collaboration on the strategic Chabahar port — a key project that 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 re, cent 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.” These efforts are part of a broader Taliban effort to distance itself from regional instability and present a more responsible image on the world stage. Beyond India, Muttaqi is expected to visit Tehran and Beijing in the coming weeks. Voda’s SOS to govt: Need timely help on AGR dues, else will have to shut shop RA K E S H K U M AR @ 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. According to sources, the telecom company has sought the government’s intervention to meet AGR obligations and mitigate insolvency risk. Vi also warned that the value of the gover nment’s equity stake could fall to zero, resulting in no recovery on the `1.18 lakh crore of spectrum dues. Currently, Vi’s total liabilities 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%. Meanwhile, the beleaguered firm has filed a fresh petition in the Supreme Court seeking waiver of `30,000 crore in AGR dues, pertaining to interest, penalty and interest on penalty , components. Vi’s fresh petition comes in the wake of the SC’s ruling in February rejecting a batch of pleas by several telcos against the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)’s formula to calculate AGR. The SC upheld the DoT’s calculation, which included telcos’ revenue from non-telecom businesses as well and not just core telecom operations. According to Vi, timely support from the Government of India is needed on AGR relief, otherwise the ongoing discussions with banks regarding funding will stall. If the situation leads to operational disruption, approximately 200 million users could be affected. 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. @ Ahmedabad Union home minister Amit Shah with others during the inauguration of an upgraded multi agency centre for intelligence sharing, in New Delhi on Friday | 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 Erratic spells of rain do little for groundwater levels S B a c h a n J e e t S i n g h @ Hyderabad While the recent spells of rain across Hyderabad did offer some relief from the sweltering heat, groundwater levels in the city remain largely unaffected. The reason? Widespread concretisation that hindered rainwater infiltration, causing most of the runoff to drain into stormwater systems rather than replenishing underground aquifers. Between May 1 and 15 this year, over 1.14 lakh water tankers were booked by consumers through the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), with a daily average exceeding 7,610 bookings — similar to previous years. Officials confirmed that the rains had minimal impact on groundwater recharge, with most water flowing into drains instead of soaking into the soil. The groundwater in Hyderabad is classified as overexploited. Authorities have pointed to the lack of rainwater percolation due to urban development and inadequate implementation of Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS). Though about 45–50% of houses and apartments have RWHS pits, many have become defunct due to poor maintenance. As borewells dry up during summer, the dependency on tankers continues. Officials said that any noteworthy recharge would require 10 to 15 consecutive days of rainfall. This means that occasional spells of rain are insufficient to restore groundwater levels. Recharge wells, or injection wells, are also being considered as a solution for direct percolation into deeper aquifers. HMWSSB has been promoting RWHS and public awareness on their benefits. The HMWSSB has urged the Water level fluctuations (April 2024 vs April 2025) Mandal Bandlaguda Marredpally Saidabad Tirumalagiri Alwal RC Puram Quthbullapur Maheswaram Ameerpet Khairatabad Musheerabad Himayatnagar Shaikpet Kapra Asifnagar Bahadurpura Balanagar Kukatpally April 2024 (mbgl) 13.95 13.68 8.53 7.99 9.90 17.04 12.73 14.03 9.52 10.41 9.32 4.14 3.34 8.40 9.52 2.53 11.21 25.68 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to enforce stricter compliance under the WALTA Act, particularly by verifying RWHS construction before Dangerous liaisons Another reptilian surprise at MGM Hospital, Warangal U M a h e s h @ Warangal A cobra made a guest appearance at the radiology department of the state-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Warangal on Friday morning, sending patients and attendants scrambling for safety . The snake slithered onto the scene right as patients and their families had assembled for medical procedures — because who wouldn’t want their X-ray accompanied by a touch of wildlife adventure? On spotting the cobra, panic predictably ensued, with people bolting out of the room, presumably deciding that untreated ailments were preferable to sharing space with the reptile. Hospital security and sanitation staff were alerted — because they’re clearly the go-to team for anything from mopping floors to managing unexpected zoological events. The Animal attacks at MGM not so uncommon Friday’s episode of “Wild Encounters: Hospital Edition” was not an isolated incident— on October 14, 2022, a snake had slithered into the female patient ward of the hospital. On March 31, 2022, rodents had bitten a 42-year-old critically ill patient in the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit security team called in a snake catcher, and the reptile was safely removed. Hospital staff then coaxed the shaken public back in, presumably with assurances that the next creature encounter wasn’t scheduled until next week. For those keeping count, this isn’t the hospital’s first serpentine or rodent incident. A snake was previously seen in the female ward — a charming precedent that somehow failed to result in meaningful preventive action. In March 2022, a critically ill 42-year-old patient was left to his fate as rodents crawled over him and bit off pieces of flesh from his legs. Patients and attendants have raised complaints about snake sightings, but say the hospital’s response has hovered somewhere between mild indifference and hopeful inaction that the reptiles might just leave on their own.  continued on P2 April 2025 (mbgl) 15.30 15.85 10.46 17.58 14.79 21.98 12.82 14.40 7.24 7.73 7.32 3.53 2.27 6.93 7.24 1.16 10.27 25.02 Fluctuation (m) -1.35 -2.17 -1.93 -9.59 -4.89 -4.94 -0.09 -0.38 2.28 2.68 2.00 0.61 1.07 1.46 2.28 1.37 0.95 0.66 granting Occupancy Certificates for buildings over 200 square metres. HMWSSB has also offered technical assistance for RWHS installation.  continued on P5 Express Read Rithvik confirms spot in Chess World Cup 2025 Hyderabad: Grandmaster Raja Rithvik from Hyderabad has earned a coveted spot in the Chess World Cup 2025, which is likely to be hosted by India this November. His selection comes after his strong performance at the Asian Individual Chess Championship 2025 held in Al Ain, UAE from May 6 to 16 | P2 inside 90.23 m: NEERAJ’S NEW LANDMARK I P11