COIMBATORE l thursday l august 28, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE city EDITION 2030 Mega Event gets cabinet approval, paves way for bid Days after the Indian Olympic Association general body approved 2030 CWG bid, Union cabinet gave its endorsement on Wednesday Narendra Modi Stadium aHMEdabad will be CWG’s host city The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, okayed sports ministry’s proposal for submission of the bid. According to a PIB statement, “the cabinet gave its approval to sign the Host Collaboration Agreement (HCA) along with required Guarantees from concerned Ministries, Departments and Authorities and sanction of required grant-in-aid to Gujarat” ■ 72 ioa to submit the bid papers before aug 31 ■ This paves the way for IOA to submit the bid papers before the August 31 deadline. It is expected to do so in the next 48 hours Ahmedabad is an ideal host city offering world class stadiums, cutting-edge training facilities. India to host disciplines like hockey, shooting, wrestling, archery not included by Glasgow in 2026 | P11 Number of countries expected to participate in 2030 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 Will address theaterisation dissonance in best national interest: CDS M AYAN K SING H @ Mhow Amid apparent dissonance in the armed forces regarding creation of integrated theatre commands, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the seniormost Indian military officer, on Wednesday said it will be addressed keeping the best national interest in mind. While Air Chief Marshal A P Singh opined at the Ran Samwad here that the armed forces shouldn’t come under any pressure to roll out theatre commands, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said the opposite: “We are committed to synergising our command control communications and combat capability with the Indian Army and Indian Air Fo rc e. F u l l stop, period.” In his closing address, Gen Anil Chauhan said, Navy Chief Adm “A s a C D S Dinesh Tripathi (Chief of Deand Air Chief fence Staff), I Marshal A P Singh actually set out to promote jointness among the three services. And today, I can say with some kind of pleasure and confidence that we can speak about our differences in a very conducive environment, and with openness to different views without temperatures being risen,” he said. “There could be a difference among the three services, but yet we are able to listen to that point. I think that thing is very important,” he added. Chief of Air Staff A P Singh had on Tuesday argued against creating an entirely new structure at this stage. “There is no need for another layer of command. We can begin with joint planning mechanisms and see how they function. If additional structures are truly required, they can be considered later. But disrupting everything to create something entirely new at once isn’t advisable,” he said. Afghan foreign minister to arrive in Sept India is finalising plans for the first visit by an Afghan minister since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is expected to arrive next month | P7 Outreach in 40 nations to ease textile sector stress in darbhanga stalin joins rahul’s Voter Adhikar Yatra Bid to cushion it from US tariff blow as it employs 45 million people D i pa k M o n d a l @ New Delhi With textiles emerging as the worst-hit sector under the US’s reciprocal tariff regime, the government is moving in “war mode” to cushion the blow to the industry that employs over 45 million people. Government sources told this newspaper that 40 key importing countries have been identified as part of efforts to diversify India’s textile exports. These markets, spread across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania, together account for nearly three-fourths of global demand for textiles and apparel. “Dedicated outreach programmes are being designed to expand India’s modest 5-6% market share in these economies, with particular emphasis on apparel, home textiles, technical textiles, and handicrafts,” a government source said. The diversification exercise began a few months ago, and exports to these countries have already shown an uptick. Russian oil not the lone deal-breaker: US Russian oil purchase was not the only India-US dealbreaker, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said as he hinted that India’s delaying tactics in the trade deal may have resulted in the 50% tariff. He, however, said: “I think at the end of the day, we’ll come together.” According to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCIS), textile exports touched $3.10 billion in July 2025, a 5.37% rise yearon-year. Between April and July 2025, cumulative exports stood at $12.18 billion, up 3.87% over the same period last year. Special focus is being placed on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with partner nations, including the recently signed India–UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Export Promotion Councils, in coordination with Indian missions abroad, will spearhead targeted promotion drives to position India as a reliable source of quality sustain, able, and innovative textiles while reducing overdependence on a handful of traditional markets, officials said. The US, India’s largest textile export market, accounted for $10.8 billion or 35% of shipments last year. But with apparel exports now facing a 63.9% duty, Indian exporters are at a 30-35% price disadvantage compared to competitors such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Mexico, and Central American nations. Industry insiders have warned that if the tariffs persist, the apparel sector alone could witness to 15-20 lakh job cuts. To counter this, four industry-led committees have been formed to recommend timebound measures covering fiscal, banking and credit support, structural reforms in the value chain, and cost competitiveness through innovation. R a m a s h a n k a r @ Darbhanga Rahul Gandhi with TN CM M K Stalin during the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar | pti Even those with valid identity cards are being struck off as if they do not exist. What can be more treacherous than this? M K Stalin, TN Chief Minister Gujarat model is about vote chori: Rahul ‘This march is to protect the Constitution’ Speaking at the gathering, Rahul said, “The Gujarat model is about vote chori.” He also accused the BJP of stealing votes in 70 to 80 constituencies in the previous Lok Sabha election DMK leader Kanimozhi, in a social media post after the march, said, “This is a march to defend democracy, protect the Constitution and uphold people’s mandate” Signalling the DMK’s continued support for the INDIA bloc’s campaign ahead of key state elections, party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra from Darbhanga to Muzaffarpur in Bihar on Wednesday Speaking at a gathering, accom. panied by DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi, Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Stalin accused the BJP of undermining democracy through large-scale ‘vote theft’. The yatra is part of the opposition’s efforts to mobilise public opinion against the alleged electoral malpractice in Bihar. Stalin travelled in an open vehicle along with Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders and the group received a rousing welcome from locals at different sites along the route. Addressing the gathering at the Jarang High School in Muzaffarpur, Stalin, who spoke in Tamil, said the deletion of nearly 65 lakh names from the voters’ list amounted to a “massacre of democracy” which was “more dangerous than terrorism”. “I have travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres to stand in solidarity with the people of Bihar. Even those with valid identity cards are being struck off as if they do not exist. What can be more treacherous than this,” he asked. Recalling the political legacy of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, Stalin noted that he had consistently resisted the BJP despite legal and political pressures, and described Tejashwi as continuing that tradition.  P5 Landslide toll on Vaishno Devi route reaches 34 A week before marriage, man, parents die in accident Express News Service @ Kallakurichi 1 2 3 1) Aerial view of an area affected by heavy rainfall in Jammu; 2) An army helicopter rests on a rooftop during a rescue operation near Madhopur Headworks; 3)students trapped at a school in Punjab being rescued | Pti F aya z w a n i @ Srinagar The toll in the landslide on a route to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra in Jammu’s Reasi district, rose to at least 34 people, with 23 others being reported missing. Most of the dead were pilgrims. Days of heavy rainfall have battered Jammu, causing landslides and flash floods that damaged roads, bridges, houses and vital infrastructure. The latest landslide struck near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at the Ardhkuwari cave temple en route to the shrine on Tuesday evening. The Army, National and State Disaster Response Forces, along with the local police and civil agencies, launched rescue operations soon after. Officials confirmed 34 people had died and 23 were injured. The injured were shifted to different hospitals for treatment. 41 killed in J&K amid record 380 mm rains The total toll due to heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir climbed to 41 on Wednesday. Jammu received a record 380 mm rainfall in 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, breaking the previous record of 270 mm rainfall recorded in 1988, an official said “My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected. My prayers for everyone’s safety and wellbeing,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. Chief minister Omar Abdullah said, “We are sad that about 29-30 people have lost their lives in Katra.” He, however, ques- tioned why officials had not stopped pilgrims despite warnings. “We had been warned about inclement weather days in advance. Why were pilgrims allowed on the track? Why weren’t they stopped and kept safe?” Abdullah asked. While Jammu has taken much of the beating from incessant rains, Kashmir is also facing flood threats as water has begun flowing over the danger mark in Jhelum in south Kashmir and Srinagar. In Anantnag, water entered houses in many areas, while a locality in the Rajbagh area of uptown Srinagar was submerged. All educational institutions in Jammu and Kashmir will remain closed on Thursday and all exams have been postponed. The mobile and internet services in the Valley remained erratic. 380 pupils trapped by flood at Punjab school rescued H a r p r e e t b a j w a @ Chandigarh The flood situation remained grim in eight districts of Punjab—Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, and Fazilka— on Wednesday, with the key rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej in a furious spate, and water levels at key reservoirs breaching the danger mark. Rescue works progressed at a rapid pace. In Gurdaspur, more than 380 students and 70 staff trapped by rising floodwaters at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya were rescued by the district administration teams, with the support of BSF and the NDRF. The school premises were submerged under 4 to 5 feet of water from the Ravi river. The rescue operation was delayed as vehicles could not reach the school due to floodinundated roads. In Pathankot, the Army rescued 22 CRPF personnel and 53 civilians, including 50 staffers of Madhopur Headworks. Three floodgates at the barrage were washed away by the gushing waters. Meanwhile, the water level at two major dams Pong and Ranjit Sagar—has breached the danger mark, while at Bhakra it was just nine feet short of the maximum level. 6 of Bawaria poaching gang sentenced to 3 yrs RI S V K RIS H NA C H AITANYA @ Chennai The gang is believed to have entered TN years ago posing as petty traders | express A Judicial Magistrate Court in Sathyamangalam has sentenced six members of a notorious Bawaria poaching gang to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a landmark tiger and leopard poaching case, the first conviction secured by the Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (TNFWCCB) since its inception in 2023. The accused — Krishan (59), Ramchandar (50), Ratna (40), Bimala (51), Sunita (35) and Mangal (28) — hail from Punjab and Rajasthan, and belong to the nomadic Bawaria community They were arrested in . February 2023 after forest officials and police, acting on intelligence from the non-profit Wildlife SOS, carried out a covert joint operation in the Sath- caught with 10-foot tiger skin with nails A raid of the accused’s camp in 2023 uncovered a 10-foot tiger skin with nails intact, four carapace shells, four jaw bones with teeth, eight limb bones with claws, two tail bones with fur and 100 other bones yamangalam Tiger Reserve. According to court records, the gang had been camping inside the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, operating from temporary tents, and is believed to have entered Tamil Nadu years ago under the guise of being petty traders. On February 19, 2023, they trapped a female tiger and a male leopard in the Avalanchi forest near Ooty  . P5 In a tragic incident, a 22-yearold bridegroom and his parents — who were on their way back from distributing wedding invites — died after a car collided head-on with their two-wheeler in Kallakurichi on Tuesday . According to Pagandai police, all three deceased — identified as Narayanan (22), his father Arumugam (44) and mother Chellaiammaal (40), from Madampoondi village — were returning from Tirukoilur on a two-wheeler on Tuesday evening. As they reached the Pagandai junction on the Tirukoilur-Sankarapuram Road, an oncoming car driven by one Sundaramurthy the Kallakurichi East , district treasurer of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, collided head-on with their twowheeler, police said. All three sustained grievous injuries. Bystanders and police rushed them to the Kallakurichi Government Medical College and Hospital. Police said that despite doctors’ efforts, Arumugam and Chelliammaal succumbed to their injuries the same night. Narayanan, who was in a critical condition, was later referred to the Salem Government Medical College Hospital. However, he too died early on Wednesday while under intensive care, they added. Pagadai police have filed a case in this regard and further probe is under way . According to sources, Narayanan’s wedding was scheduled to take place on September 4. The accident has sparked concerns over the increasing number of fatal crashes on the Tirukoilur–Sankarapuram stretch, where reckless driving is allegedly commonplace. Only last month, a family of nine died on the route while on their way to Tirupathi from Tirukoilur.