kollam l tuesday l september 30, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION India to build two cross-border rail links to Bhutan for K4,000cr Under the project, the two Bhutanese cities of Gelephu and Samtse would be connected with Kokrajhar in Assam and Banarhat in West Bengal ‘relationship of trust, mutual respect’ Vaishnaw: big push for bhutan’s economy The details of the project was made public by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday. Under the two projects, 89 kms of railway lines will be laid and work is expected to be completed in the next four years. “India and Bhutan share a relationship of exceptional trust, mutual respect, and understanding,” Misri said ■ ■ India’s announcement of the railway projects have come amid efforts by China to increase its geo-strategic influence over Bhutan Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it is crucial to have a good seamless rail connectivity for the Bhutanese economy to grow as most of the trade of Bhutan is done through Indian ports | P7 A10K Cr is india’s assistance to bhutan for its ongoing 13th five year plan 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 Economy, defence, diplomacy, AI pose existential threats. New NSS is needed NSS will provide provide guidance to all organs of the govt on policy directions AP Maheshwari, ex-CRPF chief Canada lists Bishnoi gang as terror outfit It is encouraging that the National Security Doctrine is likely to be finalised by year-end Prakash Singh, ex-DGP Lt Gen (Rtd) D S Hooda Comprehensive security doctrine on its final leg Ha r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh CANADA on Monday listed the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity for creating a “climate of fear and intimidation”. A terrorist listing means anything owned by that group in Canada — property , vehicles, money — can be frozen or seized, and gives law enforcement power to prosecute terrorist offences, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment. “The Bishnoi Gang is a transnationLawrence Bishnoi al criminal organization.. engages in murder, shootings and arson, and generates terror through extortion and intimidation,’’ read a statement by Canadian government. The Bishnoi gang, which was implicated in Baba Siddique’s murder in Mumbai, has grown into a transnational crime syndicate with footprints in Canada and the US and active presence in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP and Rajasthan with over 700 sharp shooters. S u m i t K u ma r S i n g h @ New Delhi India’s first comprehensive security doctrine — the National Security Strategy (NSS) — is expected to be completed by December this year. The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has almost finalised the doctrine, which provides multidimensional understanding on external and internal security challenges and threats together with real-time preparedness. “Last-minute deliberations are on. The secretariat has received all the relevant inputs from stakeholders. Once approved, the draft will be placed before National Security Council (NSC) — chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approval,” said a senior government officer. Defence modernisation, technological advancement, cyber resilience, internal security, hybrid threat management, economic stability and strategic diplomacy will be interlinked pillars of the holistic security doctrine so as to anticipate, respond and mitigate threats comprehensively . The process to formulate the NSS and the National Defence Strategy began under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s watch in 2018. The NSCS was made the nodal body responsible for drafting the NSS. Deputy NSAs, domain experts, and retired military and senior police officers were drafted for the exercise. India has not had a security doctrine 26 years since the Kargil war. It’s not that India has never attempted such a doctrine before. Prakash Singh, former member of the National Security Advisory Board, said governments at different periods constituted committees that drafted them. “But they were never approved by the political establishment as they did not want to be bound down by any welldefined policy. Instead, they wanted to retain the discretion to deal with matters in the most politically convenient matter.” Major General (Rtd) Ashok Kumar said, “NSS is one of the most sought after documents by most countries. While its predictability is good, it also puts a strain for countries like India where emerging threats taking a different shape with every passing day Lt General (Rtd) .” Deependra Singh Hooda, said, “The formal articulation of NSS is a very welcome step.” Leh Apex Body to pull out of October 6 discussions F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar THE Leh Apex Body (LAB) said on Monday that it would stay away from talks with the Centre till peace and normalcy is restored in Ladakh. “Dialogue cannot be held under the shadow of fear and repression,” said LAB chairman Thupstan Chhewang. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which along with LAB is spearheading the protests for special rights to Ladakh, also supports the decision to suspend talks, a KDA leader said. HC calls for list of Sabarimala valuables E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Kochi The Kerala High Court on Monday appointed retired HC judge Justice K T Sankaran to oversee the preparation of a complete inventory of the valuables in the strongroom and those recorded in the Thiruvabharanam (sacred ornaments) register at Sabarimala, saying the lack of details on the same was a “serious discrepancy .” It requested the judge to appoint a “highly-reputed and trustworthy jewel appraiser” for the purpose and submit a press Intake No words: FM NIrmala after meeting stampede affected families | P5 House passes resolution against SIR | P4 Will Asia Cup drama spill State govt to honour Mohanlal at gala event over to Women’s WC? E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai The Asia Cup, perhaps, ended in the most apt manner possible. After three weeks of back and forth, multiple handshakegates, geopolitical intrigue, ugly verbals, and press conference point scoring, the posttournament ceremony finished in farcical circumstances. India refused to take the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council chair Mohsin Naqvi (also Pakistan’s interior minister), Naqvi refused to cede ground and India celebrated with an imaginary one to end the night. While the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia promised a strong protest against Naqvi’s act, the focus now shifts to what happens when India and Pakistan’s women’s teams face each other in the World Cup tie on October 5 in Colombo. Will Har manpreet Kaur shake hands with Pakistan’s Fatima Sana? Will the mood be more congenial? Will the current toxicity touch that game too? Only time will tell but the Indian captain wouldn’t be dragged to commenting on that game yet. On Friday, she said the focus is on the tie versus Sri Lanka on Tuesday. “Our main focus is on that because that game is going to set the tone,” Kaur said. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram A galaxy of film personalities, politicians and sociopolitical and cultural icons will gather at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on October 4 to honour and celebrate the achievements of superstar and Dadasaheb Phalke award recipient Mohanlal. ‘Malayalam Vanolam, Lalsalam’, organised by the state government, will see Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan honour the actor. Actors Urvashi, Shobhana, Manju Warrier, Parvathy, Karthika, Meena, Nithya Menen and Lissy will share their experiences working with Mohanlal, while singers Sujatha Mohan, Shwetha Mohan, Sithara Krishnakumar, Arya Dhayal, Manjari and Jyotsna Radhakrishnan, will sing popular songs in which he acted. Akkulam-Chettuva Nat’l Waterway stretch set for Dec opening S h a i n u M o h an @ T’Puram Kerala’s ambitious inland navigation project is edging closer to reality , with the Akkulam-Chettuva stretch of the National Waterway set to open soon. The nearly 250km link, part of the Kovalam-Bekal West Coast Canal (WCC) project, will be commissioned in December, offering a new lifeline for transport, tourism and cargo movement. According to sources, the chief minister is expected to dedicate the section from Akkulam, in Thiruvananthapuram to Chettuva, in Thrissur in a ceremony proposed to be held in the 330m tunnel at Chilakkoor in Varkala. A `3 crore electric boat is being manufactured for the Chilakkoor tunnel commissioning. Expected to pave the way for new economic and tourism opportunities, the work is being implemented jointly by the Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation (CSIN) department and Kerala Waterways Infrastructure Ltd (KWIL) — a special-purpose ve- The next meeting of the High Powe re d C o m m i t t e e ( H P C ) , through which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) holds talks with the Ladakhi groups, is scheduled on October 6. LAB demanded a judicial probe into the violence in the September 24 protests, in which four persons were killed and 80 injured, and the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and others detained in connection with the protests. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay accused the police and CRPF of using excessive force against the protesting youth. hicle of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) and the state government. “CIAL’s CSR fund is bankrolling the design and manufacture of the boat meant for commissioning the project. A high-quality projector will be installed in the 20-seater boat, which will cost around `3 crore. The tunnel will host the official commissioning,” a KWIL official said. KWIL carried out beautification of the Arivalam-Thottilpalam area for `24 crore. “T he seven-minute jour ney through Varkala tunnel will feature a light-and-sound infotainment show. It will deal with the history of Travancore and Sree Narayana Guru’s legacy the official added. ● More on P4 ,” report while ensuring that strict confidentiality is maintained. The HC bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar also directed the chief vigilance and security officer to conduct a “diligent and independent” probe into all lapses by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in connection with the dwarapalaka idols row, not limiting it to Unnikrishnan Potti who sponsored their gold plating. Only items offered to the deity by devotees are entered in the register, maintained physically. “In the case of the kodimaram, dwarapalakas, peedams, etc, there are no details in the register regarding their installation, the quantity of gold used, or their value. This is a serious discrepancy,” the court remarked. “A proper inventory and authentic valuation statement must be prepared and preserved,” it observed. On the missing gold, it directed the TDB vigilance officer to pursue the investigation and bring out all discrepancies, including lapses by the officers themselves. The bench noted that the valuables were entrusted to Potti in a casual manner, with no registers maintained. The investigation, which must be conducted in strict confidence, must not be limited to one individual, it said. “We want you to conduct the investigation flawlessly Whoever is . responsible should be unearthed,” it told the officer. P4