visakhapatnam l monday l october 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION S.I.R. ‘Purified’ bihar’s voter list, says chief election commissioner Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has ‘purified’ Bihar’s voter list after 22 years, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Sunday Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar (C) with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during a meeting in Bihar | PTI 17 initiatives taken in bihar to go pan-india Elections to be completed before nov 22 “The voters list in Bihar has been purified. This cleansing exercise has taken place after a gap of 22 years and will now be carried out across the country,” Kumar told reporters in Bihar. The CEC added that 17 new initiatives are being implemented for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, which will also be replicated across the country in due course within 15 days of registration, a cap of 1,200 voters per booth, and mandatory VVPAT slip verification in case of mismatch complaints ■ Kumar, who is in Bihar to take stock of poll preparations, said the election process in the state will be completed before November 22 ■ The 17 initiatives include a new SOP to ensure EPIC cards are delivered 100% webcasting at all booths is among the initiatives listed by CEC 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 Call on Manipur government formation likely this week RA J E SH K UMAR THA K UR @ New Delhi Rescue operation underway in Darjeeling in West Bengal after a bridge collapsed following heavy rainfall; Nepal Army personnel help surivors in flood-hit Jhapa| PTI Landslides triggered by rain kill 20 in Darjeeling, 51 in eastern Nepal West Bengal’s Mirik bears the brunt; rescue operations on; Modi, Mamata offer condolences E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi AT least 20 people, including children, were killed and several others injured as relentless rain unleashed landslides across the Mirik and Darjeeling hills in West Bengal on Sunday sweeping away homes, sev, ering road links, battering villages, and leaving hundreds of tourists stranded. According to NDRF and the district administration, fatalities were reported from Sarsaly , Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Nagrakata and Mirik Lake area. Mirik was the worst affected, with at least 11 people killed, and seven injured, the NDRF said. In Darjeeling, seven people died due to a massive landslide triggered by heavy rain. Rescue operations are under- IMD issues red alert for more rain in Bengal Damage by rain in Nepal distressing: PM The IMD on Sunday issued a red alert for parts of Darjeeling, Coochbehar and Alipurduar districts, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, and yellow alert for most places in north Bengal covering other parts of Darjeeling Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the tragic loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal is distressing and asserted that as a friendly neighbour and first responder, India remains committed to providing any kind of assistance that may be required way to evacuate the injured, Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer Richard Lepcha said. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said the situation is “alarming.” “As of now, the death toll is 20. It is likely to go up. I am on my way to the area,” he said in the evening. Hundreds of tourists, who had flocked to the Darjeeling hills to enjoy Durga Puja and post-Puja festivities, have been left stranded as heavy rainfall triggered massive landslides. Many of them, including families and groups from Kolkata and other parts of Bengal, were visiting popular spots such as Mirik, Ghoom, and Lepchajagat when the rains yarada beach US blanks India, Hikaru causes a stir 62-year-old engineer from Russia drowns during swim Hikaru NakamUra celebrated checkmating D Gukesh By throwing one of the Indian’s pieces into the crowd. In the end, a one-off exhibition was comprehensively won by the U.S. team. A look... E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam In a tragic incident, a Russian national drowned and died at Yarada Beach, while another Russian was rescued by Marine Police and GVMC lifeguards in Visakhapatnam on Sunday evening. Sergei Akulenko (62), a Russian national and helicopter maintenance engineer, was declared dead despite rescue efforts. The other individual was successfully rescued and reported to be in stable condition. Speaking to TNIE, New Port Police Inspector T Kameswar Rao said that a group of 16 Russians visited the beach around 2 pm. While they were bathing in the sea, Marine Police and GVMC lifeguards warned them not to venture too deep due to strong currents and dangerous depths, he added. Inspector Rao stated that they ignored the warnings and proceeded into the water. He said that soon after, two individuals were swept away by the waves. On-duty Port Marine Police and GVMC lifeguards responded swiftly and managed to pull both victims from the water. CPR was administered to the unresponsive person, but he could not be revived. Later, he was shifted to the INHS Kalyani Hospital in Visakhapatnam, where he was declared dead. The New Port Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation. lashed the hills since Saturday . Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced compensation for the victims without specifying the amount and the number of deaths. She said she would visit north Bengal on October 6 to assess the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the deaths and said the situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas is being closely monitored. In neighbouring Nepal, at least 51 people were killed till Sunday morning due to landslides and floods triggered by rain, an official of the Armed Police Force said. A red alert was issued for areas around the Bagmati and East Rapti rivers. domestic flights from Tribhuvan International Airport have been paused. A screengrab of the video showing Hikaru Nakamura throwing Gukesh’s King piece to the crowd after the American’s win | X US 5 - 0 India In front of a live crowd, the US team dominated the Indian outfit, headlined by world champion D Gukesh and women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh. From the get go at Arlington, Texas, the crowd cheered on as the concept of chess as a spectator sport gained more traction. Fabiano Caruana beat Arjun Erigaisi in the first game under quick time control and it was the theme of the evening RESULTS Caruana bt Erigaisi, Carissa bt Divya, Rozman bt Sagar, Nakamura bt Gukesh, Tani bt Ethan Nakamura steals headlines For the last game, Nakamura took centrestage against Gukesh, the teen world champion. After the World No 2 fought past a losing position, he outfought Gukesh before checkmating him. In the end, he threw Gukesh’s king into the crowd before lapping up the cheers THE Centre is expected to take a call this week on government formation in Manipur, which has been under President’s rule since February 13 this year. Several Manipur BJP leaders, including former chief minister N Biren Singh, are currently in the national capital to push for government revival in the ethnic strife-torn state. MLAs H Dingo, Th Robindro, S Ranjan, former minister Govindas Konthoujam, and Hill Areas Committee chairman Dinganglung Gangmei are also camping in Delhi. According to sources in the party, the state leaders are scheduled to meet the BJP’s central leadership on Monday . Manipur Gover nor Ajay Bhalla is also reportedly in Delhi, further fuelling speculations of an imminent political development. “The final decision after the meetings with central leaders, Union home minister, and finally the Prime Minister, would be taken in the next few days, which may take a week or longer,” said a senior BJP leader. Another party insider said that since the assembly has not Crackdown on PLA Security forces have arrested 15 cadres of the banned People’s Liberation Army in connection with last month’s ambush on a convoy, which killed two soldiers MP govt doc held for cough syrup deaths An u r a a g s i n g h & K a v i ta B a je l i D at t @ Bhopal/New Delhi India captain Harmanpreet Kaur (R) and her Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana during the toss at Colombo on Sunday | afp Ind-Pak handshake gate spills over to women’s world cup g o m e s h s @ Colombo NO customary handshakes, no acknowledgement or conversation while sharing the field. That seems to be the new normal when it comes to India-Pakistan and sports. What started as a one-off gesture at the men’s T20 Asia Cup — the first time two countries met in the sporting field after the Pahalgam terror attack and the cross-border tensions that followed — is now being followed by the Women in Blue at the ICC Cricket World Cup on Sunday . No one went on record and said they would not shake hands with the Pakistan captain or team in as many words in the lead-up to the Pakistan match. No questions were permitted on the eve of the match. However, it was expected as much, especially after the fact that the BCCI had directed them before leaving for Sri Lanka. On a bright, yet cloudy Sunday, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her counterpart Fatima Sana stood side by side at the toss; there were no pleasantries exchanged or handshakes. Drama continued in the second innings when Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali was run out amidst the Indian team’s appeal for an LBW Lat. er, India won the tie by 88 runs. Toss confusion There was confusion after the toss. While it seemed like Sana called tails, the match referee said heads and the toss went in favour of Pakistan, who opted to field. Neither Kaur nor the presenter objected to it, adding to the confusion. There was no official word yet either from the team or the ICC. PHC Doctors reject govt Srisailam temple master plan: State proposal, strike continues requests 2k hectares of forest land E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The talks between the Andhra Pradesh Primary Health Centre doctors association and the government failed on Sunday. Association leaders announced that they will continue the strike and intensify their agitation. Despite the state government’s decision to increase the PG medical in-service quota from 15% to 20% for this year, the ongoing strike by Primary Health Centre (PHC) doctors shows no signs of ending. Commissioner of Medical Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr. Veerapandian, announced on Sunday that the government had agreed to the key demand of the agitating doctors and urged them to resume duties immediately . Speaking after discussions with the leaders of the Andhra Pradesh PHC Doctors Association at the Director of Public Health office in Vijayawada, Dr. Veerapandian said the government is positive about addressing other demands, including time-bound promotions, tribal allowance, and service-related benefits. “Orders will soon be issued to allocate 20% PG in-service quota in all clinical departments. However, the government cannot immediately assure continuation of the same P4 till 2030,” he clarified.  S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that a master plan will be prepared to develop Srisailam as Divya Kshetram, and the issue will be discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Srisailam on October 16. Chief Minister said that plans should be formulated to provide better amenities to pilgrims, similar to those at Tirumala. As Modi is scheduled to visit the Srisailam temple for a darshan of Sri Mallikharjuna Swamy on October 16, Naidu said that issues related to temple development will be discussed with him. Chief Minister conducted a review of Srisailam’s develop- been dissolved and remains in suspended animation, there are no major legal obstacles to forming the government. This technical status makes reinstallation of a BJP-led government a more straightforward process if the central leadership gives its approval. The development comes seven months after the imposition of President’s rule following the resignation of Biren Singh on February 9. Since then, no political party or coalition has staked a claim to form the government, resulting in the continued imposition of Central rule. However, with the law and order situation improving, political observers expect a BJPled government may soon come to power in Manipur. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu interacting with Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan through video conference during the review meeting on Sunday | Express ment with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, and officials at his camp office on Sunday . He directed officials to send proposals for allotment of 2,000 hectares of forest land to Srisailam devastanam to provide additional facilities for devotees from neighbouring Karnataka, Maharashtra, and TelanP4 gana states.  Following the deaths of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, the police have arrested a government doctor who had prescribed the cough syrup suspected to have caused the fatalities. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Madhya Pradesh Police has registered an FIR against paediatrician Dr Pravin Soni and the Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the Coldrif syrup. Dr Soni was arrested late on Saturday night. Of the 10 deaths mentioned in the FIR, in at least nine cases, a combination of medicines, including Coldrif cough syrup, was prescribed by Dr Soni at his private clinic in August and September. Two parents who lost their children told this newspaper that Dr Soni had prescribed a combination of medicines, including the syrup. “The medicines were prescribed by Dr Soni, and his staff asked us to buy from the pharmacy inside his clinic. The medical shop appears to be run by people close to him,” one of them said. Dr Soni who was posted at the Parasia Civil Hospital has been suspended by the state government and attached to the office of regional director (health services) in Jabalpur. Both Dr Soni and Sresan Phar maceutical have been charged under sections 276 (adulteration of drugs) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Meanwhile, in the wake of the cough syrup deaths, the Union health ministry on Sunday held a high-level meeting with states and Union Territories. Discussions were held on ensuring compliance with statutory quality standards in drug manufacturing, the rational use of cough syrups, especially among children, and strengthening the regulation of retail pharmacies. Bhagwat exhorts taking back PoK RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday referred to the partition of India, and said that “a room in our home” that has been usurped by someone has to be reclaimed | P8