hyderabad l saturday l june 28, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION Govt won’t enforce 20-28°C AC temperature norm in a hurry Union minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday said the government is unlikely to implement the new AC temperature range anytime soon ‘climate targets must be met under rules’ Asked at the India Climate Summit when the new AC temperature range would be implemented, Yadav said any such situation “may arise only after 2050”. “I do not think it will happen immediately; capacities will be gradually built for it over time,” he said. Achieving climate targets must be done in line with national circumstances and the CBDR-RC principles ■ 6% developed nations have more to do ■ The principle of CBDR-RC (Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities) means all countries must fight climate change, but developed nations should do more Earlier this month, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar said ACs will soon be required to operate between 20-28 degrees Celsius of electricity can be saved just by raising ac temperatures by 1°C 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 Let’s avoid new After US-China deal, Trump complexities, hints at ‘big one’ with India India to China Express News Service @ New Delhi Rajnath flags trust deficit, stresses need for permanent solution to border demarcation A defence ministry readout highlighted Singh’s concern India and China should build about trust deficit remaining a on the fresh momentum in the major barrier to progress. bilateral relations and avoid Singh reiterated India’s posinew complexities, Defence tion that the Chinese People’s Minister Rajnath Singh said on Liberation Army must return Friday, a day after he met his to its deployment positions as Chinese counterpart Admiral they stood in April 2020, prior Dong Jun on the sidelines of to violent clashes at multiple the Shanghai Cooperation Or- friction points such as Finger 4 ganisation Defence Ministers’ on the north bank of Pangong c o n c l ave i n Tso, Hot Springs, Qingdao, China. Gogra, Galwan, “It is incumand Depsang. bent on both The 2020 standsides to maintain off breached sevthis positive moeral agreements mentum and and confidenceavoid adding new building meascomplexities in ures, underminthe bilateral relaing decades of On border issues tionship,” Singh peace and stabilposted on X, addity efforts. Rajnath Singh told ing that he exAlthough disChina’s Admiral Dong Jun changed “conengagement the border issues may be s t r u c t ive a n d from all standoff addressed through a forward-looking points was com“structured roadmap of views” with Dong pleted in October permanent engagement on Thursday . 2024, over 1,00,000 and de-escalation” During the troops with talks, Singh emheavy military phasised the need for a struc- equipment still remain detured and permanent approach ployed near the LAC, indicatto de-escalation and peace ing that challenges persist. along the Line of Actual ConBeyond border issues, Singh trol. He outlined a roadmap for also briefed the Chinese deeffective border management, fence minister about the April achieving a permanent solu- 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack tion to border demarcation and India’s Operation Sindoor through established mecha- aimed at dismantling Pakinisms, bridging the trust defi- stan’s terror infrastructure. He cit stemming from the 2020 underlined India’s right to selfEastern Ladakh standoff, and defence and urged shared recreating good neighbourly con- sponsibility in combating ditions to foster cooperation. terrorism. Maya n k S i n g h @ New Delhi Chariots crawl The annual Rath Yatra at Puri on Friday was chaotic. None of the three chariots could even be pulled for half the distance from Shree Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple amid heavy crowds and gross mismanagement | Ranjan Ganguly | P5 New panel to recommend tech colleges’ fee structure E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad The state government has decided to constitute a committee to review and recommend revisions to the engineering college fee structure. A final decision on fees will be made after the committee submits its report. According to sources, the government plans to adopt a rational approach in determining the fees. Any fee hike will be based on factors such as available staff, quality of coaching, laboratories, buildings, and other facilities. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has stated that engineering colleges in the state should meet international standards, particularly as courses like Artificial Intelligence are increasingly impacting the technology sector. The aim is to design a system under which colleges progress in a planned manner, in consultation with the government and in line with market demands. As part of this, it wants all engineering colleges to have the required faculty laboratories and other facilities , as per AICTE guidelines. The fee structure for individual colleges will be determined based on these parameters.  Continued on P2 US President Donald Trump on Thursday said India and the US would soon sign a major trade agreement. He did not divulge more information. Trump also disclosed that he had signed a new trade agreement with China the previous day. The White House later clarified that the US has reached an agreement with China for exports of rare earth elements, a key raw material for auto and electronics manufacturing. Trump’s remarks on a deal with India came as an Indian delegation led by chief negotiator Rajesh Agarwal arrived in Washington for the latest round of trade talks. Agarwal, special secretary in Department of Commerce, is leading discussions to finalise an interim pact ahead of Trump’s July 9 deadline to slap reciprocal tariffs. The Trump administration had on April 2 announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on several countries, including India. However, those tariffs have been suspended until July 9 to allow room for negotiations. The US is seeking tariff concessions from India on a range of products, including industrial goods, automobiles, electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, dairy items, and agricultural products such as apples, tree nuts, and genetically modified crops. In return, India is pushing for duty reductions on its labour-intensive exports such as textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, g ar ments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas. Earlier this month, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that a deal between India and the US could be finalised soon, with both countries finding common ground that suits their interests. We are having some great deals. We have one coming up, maybe with India, a very big one, where we’re going to open up India —Donald Trump, US President Allotment of 3.7 acres of prime land to IAMC illegal, rules HC T G Na i d u @ Hyderabad The Telangana High Court on Friday set aside a Government Order (GO) dated December 26, 2021, issued by the previous BRS administration allotting 3.7 acres of prime land in Raidurg to the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC). The court, however, upheld related GOs providing financial support to the IAMC and requiring referral of certain disputes to the centre. The market value of the land is around `350 crore, according to sources. The then government also sanctioned a grant of `50 crore for the construction of the IAMC. The foundation stone for a permanent building was laid on March 11, 2022, by the then-Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana in the presence of the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. A bench of Justice K Lakshman and Justice K Sujana was hearing PILs filed by advocates Koti Raghunatha Rao and A Venkatrami Reddy questioning the legality of the GOs granting land, funding and arbitra- tion referrals to the IAMC. The PILs said that the IAMC was a private entity receiving state support without a legal basis. The bench held that the allotment was in breach of the 1975 Rules on alienation of state land. It ruled that land cannot be allotted free of cost to a private body unless it is for a public purpose and with the collection of market value. The bench also noted that the IAMC was not registered under the Companies Act at the time of allotment, making the process invalid.  Continued on P4 Bogus ‘award’ India categorically rejected a “supplemental award” issued by what it described as an “illegal” Court of Arbitration purportedly set up under the Indus Waters Treaty | P7 Three held for Bengal law student’s gang-rape Ka u s h i k P r a d h a n @ Kolkata Days after the horrific gangrape a law student inside a college campus at Kasba in South Kolkata, the city police arrested three suspects, including a for mer student of the institution. Alumnus Manojit Mishra (31) is allegedly a local leader of the students’ union of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The other two are third semester law students of the college and are allegedly associated with the TMCP . According to the survivor’s complaint, the incident took place between 7.30 pm and 10.50 pm on Wednesday at the South Calcutta Law College. On his Facebook profile, Mishra claimed he was the organisational secretary of TMCP’s South Kolkata district. He is also a practicing lawyer in Alipore court. The other two accused were identified as Zaib Ahmed (19) and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20). All three accused were produced before the Alipore court and remanded in police custody till July 1. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cut short her stay at Digha and returned to Kolkata after participating in the Rath Yatra there. She was originally scheduled to come back on Saturday . A thing of beauty The Shilpa Layout Phase-2 flyover in Hyderabad is ready for inauguration by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday Manjeera dam safe: Bojja ri s k y b u s i n e s s Water traders supply poison in tankers S Ba c h a n J e e t S i n g h @ Hyderabad Thousands of residents of Madhapur face a serious health hazard as illegal water traders supply highly contaminated water from unauthorised borewells drilled near the heavily polluted Sunnam Cheruvu. This water, laced with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals, is being delivered to hostels, educational institutions, hotels and eateries in the area. Many residents are consuming this water daily un, aware of the long-term harm to their health. Locals say the situation is dire. The stench from Sunnam Cheruvu is so strong that even standing near the lake has become unbearable. Yet, water from borewells around this toxic lake is being passed off as drinking water, entering homes and businesses. Experts war n that the health implications are severe. Long-ter m consumption of such contaminated water can lead to permanent damage to the brain, kidneys, heart and other vital organs. Children are especially vulnerable, with exposure linked to developmental delays and reduced cognitive ability. Doctors point to increased risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, bone weakness, skin disorders, liver damage and fertility problems. Authorities have described the findings from recent tests as alarming. HYDRAA and the Pollution Control Board (PCB), which examined borewell samples from the area, found that the water contains toxic substances far above safe limits. Despite these dangers, illegal suppliers continue to draw and distribute this hazardous water. HYDRAA has announced a restoration project for Sunnam Cheruvu and `10 crore has been allocated for cleaning and protecting the 32.6-acre lake. Officials say urgent action is necessary to prevent further harm to public health. HYDRAA officials collect samples of water from Sunnam Cheruvu to send them to a lab Express News Service @ Sangareddy pollutant Safe limit Lead (Pb) 0.01 mg/litre Found Risks 0.073 to 0.122 mg/ litre (7 to 12 times higher) Brain damage in children, memory loss, kidney damage, high blood pressure, heart disease, reduced fertility Kidney damage, bone weakness, protein loss through urine 0.007 to 0.010 mg/ litre (2 to 3 times higher) 0.02 mg/ 0.038 to 0.046 mg/ Skin disease, Nickel (Ni) litre (nearly twice litre liver damage the limit) Note: Safe limit defined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer Cadmium (Cd) 0.003 mg/litre Principal Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja, who inspected the Manjeera dam on Friday following apprehensions that cracks had developed in its piers, ruled out any danger to it. The State Dam Safety Organisation had recently submitted a report to the government after visiting the dam. The report highlighted issues, including damage to the earth bund. In this context, Bojja inspected the dam. Speaking to reporters, he said the Manjeera dam was not in a danger zone. He said there was no truth in reports claiming cracks in the piers. Bojja confirmed that the apron of the dam had been washed away and said that it would be Irrigation Principal Secretary Rahul Bojja inspects the Manjeera dam on Friday repaired at a cost of `3.5 crore. The dam supplies drinking water to several parts of the twin cities as well as to villages and mandals along the route. On the Jurala project, Bojja said the gate rope had been damaged and would be repaired soon. He added that construction of the Sangameswara and Basaveswara twin reservoirs was not a priority at present.