SAMBALPUR l Monday l October 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Cyclone montha to hit Andhra coast tomorrow, says met office The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada on Tuesday evening, it said pic: Prasant Madugula Expected to become severe cyclonic storm odisha, Bengal brace for heavy rainfall “Yesterday’s depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression at 0530 hrs IST today, October 26, 2025, over the same region,” the meteorological department said on Sunday. The system is expected to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28 and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast by evening, it said ■ Heavy rain is expected in south Bengal districts of North and South ■ The IMD warned of ‘extremely heavy rainfal’ in south Odisha on 28th and 29th. The Odisha government has put all 30 districts on alert 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah, Purulia, Purba and Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad 110 km/hr is the maximum windspeed expected when the storm hits the coast 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 8 Odisha dists in admin focus as ‘Montha’ begins to take shape B i j ay C h a k i @ Bhubaneswar As Montha, post-monsoon season’s first cyclone over the Bay of Bengal region, began to take shape off Andhra Pradesh coast, Odisha focused its disaster preparedness in eight districts likely to bear the brunt of the storm. Hilly districts have prepared in the event of rebeen put on landslide alert. currence this time. Rescue Revenue and disaster man- teams have already been deagement minister Suresh Pu- ployed in advance in both the jari reviewed the administra- districts, he said and added tive readiness on Sunday and that collectors have been said eight districts such as asked to identify other vulMalkangiri, Koraput, Na- nerable regions and take prebarangpur, Rayagada, Gajap- cautionary measures. ati, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Pregnant women, those exKalahandi could receive pecting delivery during the heavy to very heavy rainfall next seven days, would be givfrom tomorrow evening till en priority during the evacuOctober 30. ation process. Administration of MalkanMeanwhile, the Women giri, Gajapati, Nabarangpur and Child Development deand Koraput which would partment ordered closure of face direct impact of the cy- anganwadi centres in the clone and rains have eight districts on been asked to be preOctober 28 and 29 in pared for evacuation view of the storm of people from vulwhile asking disnerable areas from trict authorities to Administration t o m o r r o w, h e take call on their opof Malkangiri, informed. eration on October Gajapati, While directing all Nabarangpur and 27 and 30. In the sevKoraput which 30 districts to reen coastal districts, main alert to deal would face direct collectors have been with any situation, impact have been authorised to decide asked to be Pujari said, several closure of anagnwaprepared for coastal districts indi centres basing on evacuation of cluding Jagatsinghthe emerging people from pur, Khurda, Nayasituation. tomorrow garh, Bhadrak, Puri, Stating that deSuresh Pujari, Ke n d r a p a r a a n d ployment of rescue R&DM minister Balasore are likely and fire services to be affected due to teams have already heavy rains. been started, Pujari said that With the cyclone likely to the administration is prepared dump huge rainfall, the gov- to deal with the requirement ernment readied 127 rescue of drinking water, medicines and relief units - 99 fire serv- and other exigencies during ices, 24 Odisha Disaster Rap- the period. He warned that id Action Force and four Na- hoarding of essential comtional Disaster Response modities will attract strong acForce (NDRF) squads - to be tion from the government. deployed in the districts The minister said that fishwhich are likely to be affect- ermen have been asked not ed. Since landslides have venture in sea from October 27 emerged as a major concern to October 31. According to induring heavy rainfall, collec- formation received by the govtors were asked to take pre- ernment, he said, all fishercautionary measures in hilly men have returned from sea regions. In Gajapati and by evening. Special relief comKandhamal districts which missioner Deoranjan Kumar recorded landslides in recent Singh said rainfall will start weeks, Pujari said, adminis- from tomorrow and increase P3,4 tration has been asked to be on October 28 and 29. 21st century belongs to India and ASEAN: PM Reaffirms the bloc as a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy; 2026 declared ASEAN-India year of maritime security US ties with Pakistan not at India’s expense: Rubio JAYAN T H JA C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 21st century “belongs to India and ASEAN”, asserting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a vital partner in shaping an inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific. Delivering his opening remarks at the India-ASEAN summit in Malaysia virtually, Modi said India and ASEAN together represent nearly onefourth of the world’s populat i o n , b o u n d n o t j u s t by geography but also by “deep historical ties, shared values, and a common vision for the Global South”. “We are not only commercial partners but also cultural companions,” Modi said, reaffirming India’s support for ASEAN centrality and its Indo-Pacific outlook. “Even amid global uncertainties, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress and is emerging as a strong foundation for global stability and development... The 21st century is our century — the century of India and ASEAN,” he said. “The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and India’s goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will together shape a bright future for humanity .” The prime minister highlighted that the summit’s theme, Inclusivity and Sustainability, mirrors India-ASEAN JAYAN T H JA C O B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addresses the ‘India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Annual Summit’ via video conferencing, in New Delhi | pti priorities, from digital inclusion and resilient supply chains to food security and green energy . “India fully supports these priorities and is committed to advancing them together,” Modi added. Talking about the growing collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and East Timor admitted as new member The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday welcomed East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, as its newest member. It was ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand signed a pact expanding a ceasefire on their borders maritime security, Modi announced that 2026 will be celebrated as the ‘ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation’, marking an intensified push for joint work in the blue economy and ocean governance. He said that the partnership now extends across education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cyber security, while also emphasising shared efforts to preserve cultural heritage and deepen people-to-people ties. The 10-member ASEAN bloc, with a population of about 680 million and a combined GDP of over $3.9 trillion, is the world’s fifth-largest economy if treated as a single entity Timor-Leste . became the 11th member of ASEAN on Sunday . India counts ASEAN among its top trading partners, alongside China, the US, the EU, Japan, and South Korea. THE US is looking to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan but not at the cost of its ‘deep’ relationship with India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, in an apparent bid to calm concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s renewed outreach to Islamabad. Speaking to reporters, Rubio stressed that both India and the US maintain independent relationships with different nations, terming it “part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy .” “Just like India has ties with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice-versa applies,” Rubio said, adding: “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.” Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. It will be the fourth in-person meeting between the two leaders this year, a sign of high-level engagement Election Commission to release schedule of pan-India roll revision today M u k e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi CM Majhi in Mumbai to participate in IMW 2025 CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday left for Mumbai to attend the India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025 where the state government plans to showcase Odisha’s growing port infrastructure and potential to national and international investors | P3 The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Monday, sources said. The ECI is holding a media briefing on Monday afternoon, which will be attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to ECI sources, the poll panel will announce the schedule during the brief- ing. The exercise will be conducted in two phases, sources said. The first phase will cover more than 10 states and one Union Territory, including the election-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry, they said. “The SIR is likely to be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will include Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, where Assembly elections are due in 2026,” a source said, adding: “The second phase will cover states that are holding local body elections and where se- vere winter weather may create challenges for the electoral revision process.” The sources said the first phase will begin on 1 November, and all the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the states and the Union Territory covered in this phase have been told to remain alert, as work may start at any moment. The ECI recently reviewed the readiness of all states and Union Territories for the nationwide SIR during a two-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), which concluded in New Delhi last Thursday. nature’s cut Uttarakhand to greet out-of-state vehicles with green tax from December NAREN D RA SE T HI @ Dehradun Tourists and pilgrims driving into Uttarakhand will soon be greeted not just by its scenic mountains, but also by a new ‘green cess’. The state government has finalised plans to roll out a mandatory fee on all vehicles entering the hill state from other regions from December. The decision aims to generate revenue specifically for environmental protection and infra- structure improvement within the ecologically sensitive Himalayan state. The objective is to balance booming tourism with fragile mountain ecology . “Starting December 2025, a Green Cess will be collected from vehicles entering Uttarakhand from other states,” said S K Singh, Additional Commissioner of the Transport Department. He added that the fee collection will be automated, deducted directly via the vehicle’s existing FASTag system. continuing despite friction over trade and energy issues. The Jaishankar–Rubio meeting is expected to cover trade negotiations and India’s continued imports of Russian oil, a major friction point for the Trump administration. The Secretary of State’s comments come amid Washington’s efforts under US President Donald Trump to recalibrate ties with Pakistan including deals on critical mineral mining and energy cooperation, a move that has raised eyebrows among the policy makers in New Delhi. Trump’s administration has also maintained high tariffs of 50% on key Indian exports, while Islamabad continues to enjoy preferential treatment in some sectors. Rubio defended the US engagement with Pakistan as an attempt to “rebuild a strategic partnership,” citing past cooperation on counterterrorism. “We’re fully aware of the challenges with regard to India and everything else,” he said. “But our job is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible,” he added. proposed daily rates K80 K250 K140 K120 Cars Delivery vans K140-700 Trucks Buses Heavy vehicles To ensure seamless monitoring of the collection process, the state has installed Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at 16 strategic entry points. The Transport Department anticipates that the cess could yield an estimated annual revenue ranging between `100 crore and `150 crore. The entire automated system is being managed through a contract with a private firm to maintain transparency . However, not all vehicles will be subject to the new tax. Exempted vehicles include twowheelers, electric and CNG vehicles, gover nment vehicles, ambulances and fire brigade trucks. Furthermore, vehicles re-entering the state within a 24hour window will not be charged the Green Cess a second time. According to the department, the revenue generated will be utilised for “air pollution control, road safety improvements and urban transport development”. express read Pilots warn of fatigue as DGCA extends duty time NEW Delhi: The pilots’ body on Sunday urged the DGCA to withdraw the flight duty time extension for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliners, warning it could lead to fatigue-induced errors. The duty time was extended from 13 to 14 hours due to the need to reroute flights because of closed Pakistani airspace | P7 5 thalassemia-affected children test HIV +ve Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered the suspension of the West Singhbhum Civil Surgeon after five children suffering from thalassemia tested HIVpositive following blood transfusions. The CM ordered the health department to conduct an audit of the blood banks in state | P8