HYDERABAD l sunday l june 15, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late cITY EDITION J&K to reopen Destinations closed after Pahalgam attack in phases Jammu & Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said closed parks at tourist places will be reopened in a phased manner starting June 17 8 parks in jammu to reopen in first phase Sinha said the tourist spots that would be reopened include Beetab Valley and the parks near Pahalgam market. In Srinagar, Badamwari Park, Duck Park and Taqdeer Park will be reopened. Sarthal and Dhaggar in Kathua, Devipindi, Siyad Baba, and Sula Park in Reasi, Guldanda and Jai valley in Doda, and Pancheri in Udhampur—all in Jammu—will also be reopened reports from districts and then some more places will be reopened in consultation with the tourism department, the L-G said | P8 ■ Security has been beefed up for the Amarnath Yatra starting July 3, the L-G said, adding that he expects a large number of pilgrims 48 Tight security for Amarnath yatra ■ The committee comprising divisional commissioners and IGPs will take out of 87 tourist spots in Kashmir closed after April 22 Pahalgam attack 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 Dangerous escalation Iran threatens to hit US, UK bases in West Asia; Israel vows to destroy Tehran’s nuclear infra AGENCIES @ Jerusalem / Dubai united by cricket South Africa captain Temba Bavuma with the World Test Championship mace after beating Australia in the final. This is SA’s first ICC trophy in 27 years | AP | P11 Toll 270, probe panel formed D i l i p S i n g h K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad The death toll in the Air India flight tragedy here went up to 270, even as a body was extracted from the tail of the crashed aircraft on Saturday The Lon. don-bound flight had rammed into the BJ Medical College hostel moments after takeoff on Thursday . As of Saturday night, DNA matches of 19 crash victims with their families have been established. Since many bodies were charred beyond recognition, authorities are depending almost entirely on DNA testing for accurate identification. “This isn’t something we can afford to rush. Every case must be verified with clinical precision,” said Dr Rajnish Patel, surgery professor at B J Medical College. Gujarat Revenue Secretary Alok Pandey said many of the victims hailed from 18 of the state’s 33 districts. He said 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with families of the victims. “A grief counsellor has been assigned to every fam- `25L interim relief Air India will make interim payment of `25 lakh to the families of the deceased and survivors of the plane crash — in addition to its `1 crore compensation ily to deal with mental trauma,” Pandey added. Gandhinagar Forensic Science Lab (FSL) Director H P Sanghvi said, “We’ve begun profile matching. Tests are ongoing in batches, each taking 36–48 hours. A team of 36 experts is working round-theclock with the National Forens i c L ab t o e x p e d i t e t h e process.” In a related development, the Centre constituted a multi-disciplinary panel headed by the Union home secretary to probe the cause of the air crash. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the government to fix accountability “Let . the black box reveal the truth. The government must then fix accountability,” he said after visiting the crash site. P8,10 IRAN and Israel on Saturday carried out waves of deadly attacks at each other, ignoring pleas from various countries including India for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities. Reports said Israeli drones struck the South Pars—the world’s largest natural gas oil field co-owned by Qatar—forcing Iran to halt production. Israel’s attacks on Iran’s military and nuclear sites on Friday and Saturday killed 78 people. Israel said it eliminated 20 army and Revolutionary Guard commanders. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s top advisor Ali Shamkhani was also killed, according to reports. Iran’s retaliatory strikes in the wee hours on Saturday killed three persons and injured 80 others in Israel. The developments come amid talks between Iran and the US seeking to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme. A sixth round of negotiations scheduled in Oman on Sunday was cancelled after Iran said it was ‘meaningless’. Destroyed residential buildings in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel, hit by a missile fired from Iran on Saturday | ap/pti Israel said it has destroyed Iran’s air defence systems claiming its jets flew for nearly two hours over Iranian airspace, hitting targets. “Tehran is no longer immune; the capital is exposed to strikes,” an IDF spokesperson said, adding Israel plans to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities. ENS @ Hyderabad Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan secured All India Rank (AIR) 1 while Avika Aggarwal achieved AIR 5 and emerged as the female topper in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) UG-2025, the results of which were released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on Saturday . From Telangana, Kakarla Jeevan Sai Kumar sequalified. cured the 18th rank, beCompared to the coming the state previous year, Telantopper. gana candidates perA total of 22,76,609 formed better, with five candidates registered — four boys and for the medical one girl — securing entrance examination, places in the top 100 of whom 22,09,318 apthis year. Kakarla Jeevan peared and 12,36,531 Sai Kumar (AIR) 18 Among the top 100 qualified. In Telangana, rankers from Telan72,094 candidates registered, gana were Shanmukha Nis70,259 appeared, and 41,584 hanth Akshintala (AIR 37), PLUS 12 P AGES Mangari Varun (46), Yandrapati Shanmukh (48) and Bidisha Majee (95). In fact, Bidisha Majee was among the top 20 performers among girls across India. Speaking about his preparation strategy that helped him bag AIR 18, Sai Kumar said, “I maintained consistent focus over the last four years, which helped me secure a place in the top 20. It feels great to see my long-standing dream come true. I have aimed to crack NEET since Class 9.” Nishanth Akshintala, who achieved AIR 37, said, “Having clarity in basic concepts and fundamental ideas about the subjects is crucial for success in competitive exams. I studied for around 10 to 12 hours a day . Like many medical aspirants, I dream of securing a seat in AIIMS Delhi.” GITAM ADMISSION TEST (GAT) Arjun Reddy Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy presents the best actor award to Allu Arjun as Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka looks on, during the glittering inaugural Gaddar Film Awards ceremony held at the HITEX Exhibition Centre, in Hyderabad on Saturday.  Report: P5 LAST DATE TO REGISTER 19 June th 2025 Unpaid rents EXAM DATE Promises aside, schools struggle to keep doors open M e g h n a N at h @ Hyderabad Students attend classes in a government school functioning from a rented building at Shaheenagar in the Old City on Saturday across the city mostly in areas , like Bahadurpura, Charminar, Asifnagar, Tolichowki and Shaken & Stirred TAKE YOUR FIRST STEP TOWARDS TRANSFORMATION C h i t h a l u r i R e v a n t h @ Hyderabad While the academic year kicked off with promises of quality education and worldclass infrastructure for government schools, in Hyderabad, some schools are struggling with a more basic problem — keeping their doors open. For over three years now, rent worth approximately `6 crore has reportedly remained unpaid to owners of private buildings housing government primary and secondary schools. A total of 105 such schools, 87 primary and 18 high schools, operate from rented premises WITH THIS ISSUE Five students from TG make it to top 100 in NEET UG Op Sindoor showcased IAF: CAS Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Saturday said that the Indian Air Force amply demonstrated its prowess during the recent Operation Sindoor through swift, precise and decisive action against the enemy . “The success of Operation Sindoor is evidence of the operational capabilities of the IAF,” the CAS told the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal on Saturday . A total of 254 Flight Cadets graduated during the parade. In addition to the IAF cadets, nine officers from the Indian Navy, seven from the Indian Coast Guard and one trainee from a friendly foreign country were awarded ‘Wings’ upon the successful completion of their flying training.  Report: P2 As for Iran, it threatened to attack the regional military bases of Israel’s allies US, UK, and France if they helped Tel Aviv. The warning came after reports said US shot down Iranian missiles. With Israel and Iran hardening their positions, it could become a protracted, full-fledged war that could disrupt global economy by making the Red Sea more unsafe. P9 1,595 Indian students are stranded in Iran, including 140 medical students at Tehran University. Additionally, 183 Indian pilgrims are stuck in Iraq. I’ve contacted JS (PAI), Mr. Anand Prakash, and shared details of those stranded. Urgent evacuation is needed, @DrSJaishankar. I request @TelanganaCMO to ensure their safe return to Telangana – Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM president Golkonda in the Old City . While the Education department did sanction `50 lakh in March, this money remains stuck somewhere in the labyrinth of the Finance department’s approval process. Repeated appeals from building owners have so far only generated fresh paperwork, not payments. Simmering tensions came to the fore recently when the owner of the Telangana Minority Residential School building at Bagh Lingampally locked the premises temporarily, a cautionary signal that unpaid dues can have very real consequences. While that school was reopened, teachers and parents are now wondering which school gate might be bolted next.  CONTINUED ON P3 We are tired of visiting the Education department and the collectorate, requesting the release of pending rent. Some owners haven’t been paid for three to four years. Many of us depend on this rent for survival —Jahangir, building owner 22 June nd 2025 Engineering Humanities Law Management Medicine Architecture Nursing Paramedical Pharmacy Physiotherapy Public Policy Sciences MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE UP TO 100% THAT ALSO COVER FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION BENGALURU | HYDERABAD | VISAKHAPATNAM 8884984000 www.gitam.edu Scan the code to schedule your test