hyderabad l sunday l july 20, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE City EDITION Monsoon mayhem: 18 dead in uttar pradesh, alert for kerala Rain-related incidents in UP claimed 18 lives on Saturday while IMD issued alerts for heavy rain in U’khand, Himachal Pradesh, Bengal and Kerala landslides in arunachal pradesh, sikkim red alerts for u’khand, parts of kerala While torrential rain caused a flood-like situation in parts of Rajasthan, heavy rainfall and landslides in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim affected normal life and disrupted traffic movement. In Uttar Pradesh, of the 18 people who died due to rain-related events, eight died of drowning, while two died of snakebites, officials said ■ ■ In Uttarakhand, a ‘red alert’ for heavy rain on Sunday in parts of the Kumaon region has been issued by the meteorological department In Kerala, IMD has issued a ‘red alert’ for rain in five northern districts — Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod — where incessant rains lashed several areas, causing inundation 23.4 cm of rain was recorded in Nainwa of Bundi district in rajasthan 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 New road to Daulet Beg Oldie near LAC by next yr-end M AYANK SIN G H @ New Delhi China Daulet Beg Oldie Saser Murgo Sasoma Ladakh Shyok Leh India Durbuk Map not to scale A new road to the strategically significant Depsang and Daulet Beg Oldie (DBO) near the Line of Actual Control along the China border in Ladakh is expected to become fully operational from November 2026. The new road, which runs almost parallel to the existing Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg-Oldie (DSDBO) road, follows the alignment of Sasoma-Saser LaSaser Brangsa-Gapshan-DBO. The under-construction road is Plans afoot to make it an all-weather road about 130 km long and has nine Plans are on to make it an all-weather road. The BRO is working on a bridges of 40 tonne capacity . At present, the DSDBO is the 8-km-long tunnel at Saser La. Currently it is at the detailed project report stage. It will take 4-5 years to complete the tunnel project only road link to DBO. But parts of the road are under the direct observation of Sources said, “We Sunday have completed every- ber-November next year.” road the Chinese forces. BeFor the forces, the new Special thing from Sasoma to will facilitate faster troop-arsides, it has around 37 bridges of various lengths Saser Brangsa and mament movement away from and widths, making it that ahead of it towards east- the enemy’s line of sight. “Almuch more vulnerable. The 255ward — Murgo and Gapshan. most all artillery weapons, inkm DSDBO road ends at DBO, Over 70% work is done. We are cluding Bofors howitzers, were which is about 20 km away from certain that the entire stretch moved on this axis till Saser the Karakoram Pass. will be operational from Octo- Brangsa to test its load carry- Worrying rise in violence against women; private university’s student blames teachers for death Miscreants set 15-yr-old girl on fire in Odisha A s i s h M e h ta / R a j K u m a r M o h a n t y @ Bhubaneswar/Puri Accused won’t be spared: CM Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said stringent action will be initiated against perpetrators of the crime. “Her health condition is being monitored. If needed she will be airlifted to Delhi Criminals have become emboldened under this government and are not worried about punishment Naveen Patnaik, Former CM THE horror run of atrocities against women continued as Odisha woke up to the shocking attack on a 15-year-old girl who was set on fire by a group of miscreants in Puri district on Saturday morning. The minor girl, who suffered over 70 per cent burn injuries, was rescued by locals and shifted to AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. Preliminary investigations suggest the attack was premeditated. The girl was on her way to a friend’s house in a village under Balanga police station limits, 37 km from Bhubaneswar, when three youths gagged her with a handkerchief and abducted her on a bike, police said. They took her to the bank of Bhargavi river where she was doused with inflammable substances. In a bid to save her life, the girl ran towards nearby houses and cried for help, when a local resident came to her rescue and doused the flames before alerting police. The girl belonged to a minority community . The girl’s parents lodged an FIR with Balanga police station, police said, adding she was a Class 8 dropout and her father works at an automobile repair workshop. The incident comes close on the heels of the self-immolation by a 20-year-old student in Balasore. Executive director of AIIMS-Bhubaneswar Dr Ashutosh Biswas said the girl suffered 70 per cent burn injuries. “She is in ICU but without ventilator support... The next 72 hours are very crucial,” he said. Odisha Director General of Police Y B Khurania said special teams have been formed to nab the perpetrators. ing capacity sources said. ,” The new road will also beef up the Siachen battlefield as it branches off from Sasoma in the Nubra Valley, which is on the route to the Siachen Base Camp from Leh. The route will converge with the DSDBO at Murgo, reducing the distance from Leh to DBO by 79 km — from 322 km via DSDBO road to 243 km via the new road. It will also reduce the travel time from two days to 11-12 hours. Expert panel submits report, ranks BC backwardness survey’s findings would help direct resources towards those in need. The Independent Expert WorkHe noted that the analysis ing Group (IEWG), led by Jus- was conducted by an independtice B Sudarshan Reddy and ent panel of intellectuals, seconstituted by the Telangana lected for their experience and government, on Saturday sub- objectivity . mitted its report on the state’s “The committee consists of Social, Educational, Economic, distinguished individuals Employment, Political and known for their integrity,” he Caste (SEEEPC) survey to said.Vikramarka added that Chief Minister A Revanth the state Cabinet was involved Reddy . in preparing for the The 300-page report survey by developing includes a caste-wise questionnaires, overranking and scoring seeing enumeration system based on a Comand setting up blockposite Backwardness level teams. When Index (CBI), aimed at asthe survey was presessing the relative sented in the Assembackwardness of varibly, several queries ous social groups in the were raised, but no state. fundamental flaws We will take Speaking to members were identified, he necassary steps of the group, the chief said. to ensure that all minister said the data The deputy chief eligible people collected through the minister also exreceive welfare SEEEPC survey served plained that followschemes as a comprehensive asing the availability A Revanth Reddy, sessment of Telangaof caste census data, chief minister na’s social structure. the gover nment He stated that the formed a high-level caste census was conducted as committee that included Juspromised by Leader of the Op- tice Sudarshan Reddy, Prof position Rahul Gandhi and Kancha Ilaiah, Praveen Chakrawould be instrumental in ad- varty and Sukhadeo Thorat to vancing social justice and tar- recommend future action. geting welfare schemes to dis“The panel worked with a advantaged groups. sense of duty, irrespective of Revanth said the state had caste background. Even though asked the expert committee to there are many people from the examine disparities between Reddy community—Justice urban and rural areas and Sudarshan Reddy CM Revanth , identify community-specific Reddy and Caste Census Com, needs. mittee Chairman Uttam Kumar Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Reddy there was no bias,” Bhatti Vikramarka said the Vikramarka said. WITH THIS ISSUE Express News Service @ Hyderabad Congress activists raise slogans after the girl’s suicide in Greater Noida | PTI BDS student dies by suicide, faculty held N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Lucknow A second-year BDS student died by suicide due to alleged harassment by faculty members at Sharda University in Greater Noida on Friday . Soon after the university suspended two faculty members, both were arrested by police on Saturday since Jyoti Sharma, 21, had named them in her suicide note. The student from Gurugram took the extreme step in her hostel room inside the university . A suicide note was recovered from the scene in which the student accused her teachers, from PCP and Dental Materials department, of harassment and humiliation, and held them responsible for her extreme step. “If I die, Mahendra Sir and Sherry Mam will be responsible for my death. They tortured me mentally and humiliated me. I have been in depression because of their behaviour for a long time. I want them to suffer the same The two teachers named by the student in her suicide note | PTI way as I am. …Sorry I cannot .. bear it anymore,” the student wrote in her note. Dr Ajit Kumar, director, PR, Sharda University, assured that the guilty would be punished. “Two teachers named by the victim have been suspended and a probe committee has been set up,” he said. The matter is currently under investigation, said Sudhir Kumar, additional DCP Great, er Noida. The student was found hanging by her roommates who alerted the hostel warden after receiving no response at her door, following which police were alerted. Holidays in Hell PLUS 12 P AGES express read Technical snag forces Air India flight return to Hyd Hyderabad: An Air India Express flight bound for Phuket was forced to return to Hyderabad on Saturday morning due to a technical snag. The flight carrying 98 passengers, reached an altitude of 10,000 ft before returning back to RGIA at 6:57 am. A replacement flight departed at 1.30 pm and arrived in Phuket at around 6.30 pm, ensuring passengers reach their destination. Resume SLBC tunnelling ops immediately: Uttam Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed officials to immediately resume the remaining tunnelling operations, including drilling and blasting, of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC). He emphasised that its completion must be treated as a top priority and executed with urgency. Around 10 kms of tunnel work remains to be completed | P4 Trump: 5 jets downed Kazipet unit on track to roll out export-ready train sets by 2026 in India-Pak conflict Express News Service @ Hanamkonda J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi After again claiming he brokered peace between India and Pakistan during the four-day standoff following Operation Sindoor, a claim repeatedly denied by the Indian government, US President Donald Trump has now said that “five jets were shot down” during conflict in May . He, however, did not clarify whether the losses were suffered by one side or both. Speaking at a White House dinner for Republican senators on Friday, Trump said: “We stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious, India and Pakistan that was going on. Planes were being shot out of there. I think five jets were shot down, actually These are two serious . nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other.” Trump again claimed that the US defused the situation using trade leverage. “But India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger, and we got it solved through trade.” New Delhi has consistently dismissed Trump’s repeated assertions, maintaining that the ceasefire on May 10 was achieved through direct communication between Indian and Pakistani military officials, without any foreign involvement. The brief conflict followed Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7 in response to a deadly terror attack in J&K’s Pahalgam. Trump has said that his administration played a key role in ending the standoff and preventing further escalation. Rail engines, wagons, and coaches will be manufactured at the upcoming Kazipet Railway Manufacturing Unit, which is expected to commence operations in 2026. Union Minister for IT and R a i lw ay s A s h w i n i Vaishnaw and his Cabinet colleague G Kishan Reddy reviewed the ongoing works at the site in Ayodhyapuram, Ka- zipet, on Saturday . Vaishnaw said that India is poised to become an export hub for railway coaches. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a promise to the Telangana people for the coach manufacturing factory and the dreams , were fulfilled,” he told the media. He added that modern, high-technology coaches will be manufactured at Kazipet, including export-ready trainsets. Vaishnaw pointed out that the Kazipet manufacturing unit is a major and highly advanced facility in the country, as the prime minister is interested in the manufacturing unit due to several countries placing orders for coaches and metro engines after witnessing the Vande Bharat trains. Kishan said that over 3,000 people will get employment through the manufacturing unit, which will benefit many families in Telangana. Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and G Kishan Reddy inspected ongoing works of the Railway Manufacturing Unit in Kazipet on Saturday Eatala, Bandi fight out in the open M a n da Rav i n d e r R e d dy @ Hyderabad assuming charge Governor Jishnu Dev Varma adminsters the oath of office to Justice AK Singh who took over as the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court on Saturday The rift between two senior BJP leaders in the state — Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender has widened further. Reacting to an indirect attack by Sanjay during his visit to Huzurabad two days ago, Rajender on Saturday launched a no-holds-barred counterattack against the Union minister. The controversy started when Sanjay indirectly referring , to Rajender, alleged that certain BJP leaders had conspired to dent his vote share in the Karimnagar Lok Sabha elections, in which he contested and won. “Should we give the party ticket to such candidate?” Sanjay asked. He added that in the upcoming local body elections, tickets would be given to “winnable” candidates only . Rajender, who represented the Huzurabad Assembly constituency multiple times before losing 2023 elections, later won the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha seat on a BJP ticket. He continues to have a following in Huzurabad, which falls under the Karimnagar LS constituency, currently represented by Sanjay . continued on p4
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