HYDERABAD l thursday l june 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION aadhaar-authenticated users can only book tickets from july 1 Tatkal tickets through IRCTC is only for users who have completed their Aadhaar authentication, Railway ministry announced on Wednesday aadhaar-otp needed to book from july 15 agents can’t book for first 30 minutes The ministry informed all zones that the decision was made to ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by common end-users. Subsequently, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication shall also be made compulsory for Tatkal bookings from July 15, 2025, onwards. Wide publicity will be given to these modifications, the Ministry said ■ ■ Authorized ticketing agents will be restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for AC classes from 10am to 10.30am and for non-airconditioned classes from 11am to 11.30am, a circular read Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been directed to make the necessary modifications for the general public 6.6 crore registered users on irctc portal and app as of JUne 11, 2025 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 India hopes for trade fair and square with US KCR points fingers at KLIS engineers VV B a l a k r i s h n a @ Hyderabad After Trump’s breakthrough deal with China, nation eyeing to wrap 1st phase of deal in July trade, and tariff on agriculture and allied goods. The two teams EVEN as India is racing against reportedly discussed the issue time to clinch a trade deal with of a 50% tariff on steel and aluthe US before expiry of the July minium. India has threatened 9 deadline, when the 90-day ex- retaliatory action against the emption period for implemen- US over doubling tariffs on tation of reciprocal tariff gets steel and aluminium. over, sources say that the first India has so far resisted givphase of the deal would only ing easier access to agriculture address the low-hanging fruits. and dairy imports. But the gov“The trade talks will be in mul- ernment hinted it might relent tiple phases, but the first phase on the issue with the US. should end before July 9,” said A Niti Aayog report recently an anonymous argued that the US government is expected to resource. main a big market With US presifor export of surdent Donald plus food from InTrump announcdia, and all efforts ing a deal with need to be made to highlights China on Wedneskeep a favorable enUS, China finalized a day, India would vironment for extrade deal Wednesday, be in a hurry to ports to the US. The with China agreeing to conclude the first report, while arguphase before July cut export restrictions on ing for protecting rare earth minerals 9. The US has also sensitive products finalized a trade like dairy and poulIndia wants to seal a deal deal with the UK. try makes a case for , with US before reciprocal India was the lowering tariffs on tariffs kick in first country to imports of comstart negotiating modities in which a trade deal with the US. In an India enjoys supply advantage. interview with French newspa- The two countries have also per Le Figaro on Tuesday For- discussed non-tariff barriers , eign Minister S Jaishankar had with the US raising concerns said he is hopeful of reaching over India’s quality control an agreement with US before measures and local procurethe reciprocal tariffs kick in. ment conditions for manufacA US delegation which visit- turing. The US has raked up ed India had a four-day meeting India’s famr subsidy too. with Indian negotiators. The A top commerce ministry ofmeeting ended on Tuesday The ficial told this newspaper that . talks veered from tariff rates, the negotiations are on and it is better market access, digital not fair to divulge details. d i pa k m o n d a l @ New Delhi express read State-run schools to now offer pre-primary classes Hyderabad: The Director of School Education, has approved a proposal to introduce pre-primary classes — nursery, LKG and UKG — in government schools across the state from the 2025–26 academic year. Until now, government-run schools in Telangana did not have pre-primary sections | P2 Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday made it clear that all technical decisions related to the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme were taken by engineers and had nothing to do with politicians. He stated that all approvals for the project were granted by the state Cabinet. Deposing before the Commission of Inquiry on Kaleshwaram, headed by former Supreme Court judge PC Ghose, at BRKR Bhavan here, KCR explained the genesis of the project and the subsequent decisions taken. KCR, the first chief minister of Telangana, appeared before the Commission as witness number 115. Before the commencement of the cross-examination, which began at 12.02 pm, KCR held a meeting with the Commission chairman. Stating that he was unwell, he requested a one-on-one crossexamination, which the Commission allowed by passing an order. Though this raised many eyebrows, sources in the Commission said that as KCR was ‘unwell’, the order was passed. “That liberty has to be given to him,” a source in the Commission stated. In his 50-minute deposition before the Commission, the former chief minister answered 18 questions.  ontinued on p4 c Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao reaches the BRKR Bhavan to depose before the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry, in Hyderabad on Wednesday | Vinay madapu The very purpose of the barrages is to lift water. For lifting water, certain water levels are required. The decision was taken by the technical team. It was not a political decision K Chandrasekhar Rao, former chief minister allocated Hyderabad: The state government on Wednesday allocated portfolios to the three newly inducted ministers. Accordingly, G Vivek has been given charge of Labour, Employment, Training and Factories and Mines and Geology, while Adluri Laxman Kumar has been allocated SC Development, Tribal Welfare Development, Minorities Welfare and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens and Transgender Persons portfolios. Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries and Sports and Youth Services will be handled by Vakiti Srihari. Orders to this effect were issued by Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao on Wednesday. Incidentally, all these eight portfolios allocated to the three new ministers were held by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Now that KCR has appeared before Justice PC Ghose Commission, I would soon hold a press conference to place the facts before the public. There is no entry for KCR’s family into Congress. The Kalvakuntla family is the real enemy and betrayers of Telangana. Kavitha’s letter to KCR is a film-style drama to gain public attention. KCR did not respond to her accusations A Revanth Reddy, Chief Minister Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday stated he would make public all facts on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme within two days. “Now that KCR (former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) has appeared before Justice PC Ghose Commission to present his views, I would soon hold a press conference to place the facts before the public,” Revanth told reporters during an informal interaction in Delhi. The chief minister also rejected reports of a discussion with the Congress high command regarding allocation of portfolios to the newly inducted ministers. “Without the PCC chief, deputy chief minister and other senior leaders in Delhi, how can such discussions happen?” he asked. Revanth made it clear that if any minister claimed to be overburdened with wo rk , h i s p o r t fo l i o s wo u l d b e reallocated. He stated that the purpose of his Delhi visit was to explain Telangana’s caste survey model to Karnataka’s chief minister and deputy chief minister. “AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also attended the meeting,” Revanth pointed out.  continued on p4 ACB nets Kaleshwaram engineer with assets worth `200 cr E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Karimnagar / Hyderabad Nune Sridhar, an executive engineer in the Irrigation department, was on Wednesday arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a disproportionate assets case and sent to judicial remand. Sridhar has been serving as in-charge of the Gayatri and Nandi Medaram pump houses under the Kaleshwaram Lift Ir rigation Scheme (KLIS). Sridhar’s arrest came after the ACB conducted searches at 14 locations, including his residence in Karimnagar and properties belonging to his relatives. Officials said the EE amassed assets “through unlawful practices and dubious means” while serving in vari- ous capacities, including his current post in Division No-8, SRSP Camp, Choppadandi, Karimnagar. The searches revealed that the accused had acquired these movable and immovable properties by abusing his official position, the ACB said. The searches are still going on. The unofficial estimate put the market value of the assets seiz ed at around `150 crore to `200 crore. “The market value is expected to be much higher than the official value,” the ACB release stated, adding that further investigation is in progress. Sridhar resides in a flat in Karimnagar city ACB carried . out searches at his relatives’ houses in Jyothinagar in Karimnagar. Liquid Oxygen leak holds up Axiom-4 launch Properties unearthed during the searches ACB sleuths conduct searches at the Karimnagar residence of a relative of Nune Sridhar (inset), an executive engineer in the Irrigation department, on Wednesday to 2˚c r te G An u r a g S i n g h & P r a s a n ta M a j u m d a r @ Bhopal/Guwahati ing hot tt e 0.5 The entire Himalayas, from the Hindu Kush, will have more than normal this summer Precipitation pattern Perilous outcome It will vary across the ranges with wetter monsoon predicted for Tibetan Plateau, India, Nepal and Pakistan Above-normal monsoon precipitations across much of South Asia leaves Himalayas vulnerable to hazards like floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods Himalayas facing the heat with higher temp prediction, floods & more J i t en d r a C h o u be y @ New Delhi Brace yourself for a more intense monsoon this year as hotter temperatures, heavier rains, and a spike in climaterelated risks are forecast for India and its Himalayan neighbours, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Hindu kush Himalayan (HKH) region, which includes India, Nepal, Pakistan, and parts of China, may see temperatures climb up to 2ºC above normal along with widespread above-average rainfall. ICIMOD utilised data from global and na- WMO sees more wet monsoons till 2029 The World Meteorological Organisation says South Asia has had wetter than average monsoons in recent years, except in 2023 due to El Nino, and expects the trend to continue until 2029 tional meteorological agencies to compile its predictions and concluded that it could lead to an increase in heat stress, outbreaks of waterborne diseases like dengue, and a surge in floods, landslides, and glacial hazards. “The forecasts are unanimous in predicting hotter conditions and more rainfall across much of the HKH,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, senior advisor at ICIMOD. Floods remain the leading cause of disaster-related deaths in the region, with over 72 percent occurring during the summer monsoon. Meanwhile, water-scarce Afghanistan may receive less rainfall, worsening food and water insecurity. “We need impactbased early war nings and stronger support to prepare for these growing risks,” said Saswata Sanyal, ICIMOD’s Disaster Risk Reduction Manager. n One villa in Tellapur n One flat in Shaikpet n Three flats in Karimnagar n Commercial space in Ameerpet Three independent houses in Hyderabad, Karimnagar and Warangal acres of agricultural land 19 residential prime open plots across Hyderabad, Warangal and Karimnagar n Two four-wheelers n Gold ornaments n Bank deposits n Estimated market value of the seized properties: `150 crore to `200 crore 16 Grilling in hills: Sonam brought to Shillong B o s k y K h a nn a @ Bengaluru The Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed again due to a Liquid Oxygen (LOx) leak in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX confirmed the postponement via X. This is the second delay after bad weather pushed the launch from June 10 to June 11. A new date is yet to be announced. ISRO, collaborating with NASA, invested `550 crore and assigned Group Captain Shukla as mission pilot, who is the first Indian to pilot a spacecraft. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said, “LOx leakage was detected during the booster’s hot test, and we decided to fix the issue and complete validation before proceeding with the launch.” The crew also includes Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), plus a plush swan toy named Joy . The astronauts have completed quarantine and training. The 14-day mission will conduct 60 experiments from 31 countries, focusing on human physiology, AI, biology, materials science, and endurance. Portfolios CM vows to make public facts on KLIS As the SIT of Meghalaya police probing the May 23 honeymoon killing of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi started quizzing the five arrested accused, including Raja’s wife Sonam, there were a series of unanswered points that seemed to hold the key to investigations. A local court in Shillong on Wednesday sent Sonam Raghuvanshi and four others, including prime accused Raj Kushwah, to eight-day police remand. Though there were reports of Sonam confessing to the crime, the Meghalya Police urged the media to not jump to any conclusion. In a dramatic development, Sonam’s brother Govind visited the home of Raja on Wednesday and broke into tears after hugging his slain brother-in-law’s mother Uma Raghuvanshi. One unanswered point seems to be Sonal’s trolley bag? “Why was she carrying a trolley bag while going with Raja to the monsoon tourism hotspot Sohra (Cherrapunjee) on a short visit? Have you seen any couple carrying a trolley bag on a short trip riding a scooter?” a source part of the ongoing probe told TNIE. “Where are Sonam’s multiple Boom time KPHB plot sold at `2.98 lakh per sq yard E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Sonam Raghuvanshi’s brother Govind breaks down while hugging Raja’s mother in Indore on Wednesday | PTI cell-phones she was carrying during the trip? There were at least two iPhones, one of which seemed to have been destroyed. All others are switched off. The data is key the source said. ,” “Raja rented a scooter to go from Shillong to Sohra (Cherrapunjee) on May 23. The scooter was found abandoned some distance from the place where he was murdered. Who took that scooter there? Also, CCTV grabs of nearby areas a short while after the killing show Sonam on a scooter (possibly the same rented scooter) probably accompanied by Vishal, the man who actually attacked Raja with the machete.” “They attacked Raja, but he resisted. The third attacker Vishal attacked Raja on his head with the Dao (machete),” said the source.  P8 A record price of `2.98 lakh per sq yd was bid for an open plot in Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) Phase-7 during an auction conducted by the Telangana Housing Board on Wednesday . As many as 18 open plots, ranging from 198 to 987 sq yd were auctioned, with plot No. 22 fetching the highest bid of `2.98 lakh per sq yd. A total of 84 bidders participated in the auction. In January this year, plots at KPHB were auctioned for up to `1.85 lakh per sq yd. In August 2023, a 3.6-acre parcel at the Neopolis layout in Kokapet was sold for `362.7 crore, or `2.08 lakh per sq yd. Housing Board vice-chairman VP Gautham stated that Wednesday’s auction generated a total revenue of `142.78 crore. “We auctioned a total of 6,232 sq yd, with an average price of `2.38 lakh per sq yd,” he said. Successful bidders must pay 25% of the amount within two days. This will fetch the KPHB an immediate income of `35.34 crore, Goutham added.