KALABURAGI l sunday l november 02, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l CITY EDITION city of Nawabs goes global as unesco high-fives its cuisine Lucknow has been inducted into UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network under the ‘Gastronomy’ category, a testimony of its culinary heritage lucknow is a haven for food, says u.n. Make a trip for its uniqueness: pm modi UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay designated 58 cities as new members of the CCN “for their commitment to championing creativity as a driver of sustainable urban development”. The UN in India in a post on X said, “From mouth-watering Galouti Kabab to Awadhi Biryani, desserts like Makhan Malai and so much more — Lucknow is a haven for food...” ■ ■ Lucknow isn’t just about its kebabs. If the ever-inviting, rather demure, creamy “Malai Gilori” is an all-time favourite, the mouth-watering “paani puri” or “paani ke batashe”, are favourites too “I am glad UNESCO recognised this aspect of Lucknow. I call upon people to visit it to discover its uniqueness,” PM Modi said on X | P10 408 cities in the world are part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network 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 Women among nine killed in AP temple crush No police permission sought for the event U s h a Pe r i @ Srikakulam Nine devotees, eight of them women and a 13-year-old boy died , in a stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Srikakulam district, on Saturday. The crush occurred when a large number of people thronged the temple for darshan on the first Ekadasi of Karthika Masam, considered auspicious. Two persons are reportedly in a critical condition, while about 15 others suffered minor injuries. All the victims hailed from nearby villages and mandals. Srikakulam district Superintendent of Police KV Maheswara Reddy said the temple was built recently on a private land without proper permissions. “The structure, including the gate and stairway was com, pleted only 3-4 months ago. The crowd tried to enter through an exit gate with a seven-foot drop. The grill at the spot was weak, and collapsed due to the pressure, leading to the fall of several devotees,” he explained. Rescue efforts on after the stampede at No permission was sought the temple in Kasibugga | Express from local police for crowd management. “A case has been registered against the temple Probe committee owner, Hari Mukunda Panda, A three-member probe panel under various sections of culhad been constituted. It pable homicide,” the SP said. comprises Tekkali RDO M Prime Minister Narendra Krishnamurthy, ASP KV Modi expressed grief over the Ramana, and Endowments tragedy, and announced an exAssistant Commissioner gratia of `2 lakh to each of the Prasad Patnaik families of the deceased, and `50,000 to those injured in the incident. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to ensure immediate medical aid and relief. The state government said the temple was not under the control of the endowments department. Harimukund Panda acknowledged that they were unprepared for the surge in devotees. “We rarely get more than a 1,000 even on special days. Today several , thousands arrived for darshan. We did not anticipate the crowd, and did not alert the police,” he admitted. Woman slits throats of two daughters, kills self in Mys dist E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Mysuru A 25-year-old woman allegedly killed her two daughters -- including an eight-day-old infant -- before ending her own life in Bettadapura village of Periyapatna taluk on Saturday . The police said that the woman, identified as Arabia Banu, slit the throats of her two-yearold daughter Anam Fathima and her newborn daughter before taking her own life in a similar manner. The incident occurred around 10 am at her parents’ house in the Muslim Block area of the village. Banu was married to Masabir of Arehalli village in the same taluk, around three years ago. Masabir, who works at a private mall in Bengaluru, had left his wife and children at her parents’ home after the recent delivery so that they could be cared for. Their older daughter, Fathima, was physically challenged, and their second child was born just eight days ago. Preliminary investigation suggests that Banu was reportedly distressed over her elder child’s disability and the birth of another girl. The police clarified that there was no evidence of harassment or domestic pressure from her husband or in-laws regarding the birth of girls. ASP Mallik said, “Their first child was born with a disability , which caused some emotional strain in the family When she . became pregnant again, Banu returned to her parental home and gave birth to another girl. It is suspected that she was deeply upset over the situation.” A view of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s house in Kalyan Bigha in Nalanda district | Rajesh Kumar thakur Former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav’s ancestral home in Fulwaria in Gopalganj | Special arrangement 2005 fallout on Lalu, Nitish villages RA J E SH KUMAR THAKUR @ Nalanda/Gopalganj IN Bihar’s political heartland, two villages—Kalyan Bigha in Nalanda and Fulwaria in Gopalganj — stand as contrasting portraits of their most illustrious sons, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. Kalyan Bigha, Nitish Kumar’s ancestral village, mirrors the CM’s focus on development and order. T he once-slee py hamlet now gleams with smooth roads, solar-lit lanes, and uninterrupted electricity. On the spectrum’s far-end, former CM Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Fulwaria reflects the fading imprint of a political era long past. Once popularly referred to as a “mini-secretariat” during the RJD’s rule from 1990 to 2005, Fulwaria is now lost in the tedious warp of time, with whatever once built now slowly withering away . In Kalyan Bigha, where Nitish Kumar is affectionately called as “Munna”, villagers speak with pride and gratitude. “Our Munna has made this village immortal with development works,” said 70-year-old Girendra Singh, sitting under a tree near the market that’s buzzing with evening chatter. The village has round-the-clock electricity, high speed internet, a referral hospital, a high school upgraded to the 10+2 level, an ITI, a shooting range and a spacious guest house. Nitish’s ancestral doublestorey home remains locked for most of the year, except during his visits to the Smriti-sthal, a memorial built in memory of his parents and wife. Nearby, the restored Devi-sthal — where he reportedly prays before major political moves — serves as the village’s spiritual heart. Every corner echoes the villagers’ affection for both Nitish and his son, Nishant Kumar. Their only worry— why the NDA hasn’t formally projected Nitish again as chief ministerial face. About 200 km away, in Ful- waria, the once-busy helipad is in ruin, the railway station silent, and battered link roads carry the scars of neglect. “Samay ka chakra hai. Jo kal chamakta tha aaj murjha raha hai (It’s the wheel of time. What once used to shine has now lost its glitter),” says Parmeshwari Singh, watching cattle graze where choppers once landed. Fulwaria’s old hospital still functions but in a ramshackle state. Lalu Yadav’s two-storey ancestral home, with a statue of his mother inside, serves as a reminder of his past glory . Villagers hope for a revival under Tejashwi Yadav. “When he comes to power, Fulwaria will bloom again,” says Nityanand, a youth. Collective security key to sovereignty, says Rajnath Hosabale slams Kharge’s RSS ban remarks RSS Gen Secy says society has accepted the organisation as one that works for national unity, security and culture | P10 m aya n k s i n g h @ New Delhi App to book appointments with mins at Soudhas soon E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru In the coming days, getting an appointment with the chief minister, ministers or officials whose offices are located in Vidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha will just be a fingertip away. The state government is set to develop a mobile application that will help people check the availability of ministers and officials on any particular day . The two Soudhas house most of the government departments and offices, and have 600 rooms. Speaker UT Khader told TNIE that a dedicated mobile application is being developed that will have details of offices at the Soudhas to help visitors. “People can check room numbers or floors of any minister or official they want to meet. The Soudhas are vast and they can be confusing. The app will work like a navigator and will be launched soon,” he added. Khader said they are trying to design the app in such a way that it can be used to book appointments. The concept of a mobile application for a government building that houses important offices, including those of CM and ministers, is said to be first of its kind in the country . He said it is possible to include details like the availability of a minister or official on a particular day “If ministers or officials . are travelling, those details can be uploaded and people coming from different places can plan their visit accordingly P6 .’’ Actors Prakash Raj and Vijayalakshmi Singh receive the Rajyotsava award in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar during the 70th Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations in Bengaluru on Saturday | EXPRESS CM says Centre ignoring Kannada, promoting only Hindi & Sanskrit up with different policies and schemes to impose Hindi on us, and has been giving grants to develop only Hindi and Sanskrit.” He was addressing teachers, students and education department officials on Kannada Rajyotsava Day at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday “The Centre is ignoring . all other languages, including Kannada. Despite Kannada being recognised as a classical language, the Centre is not giv- E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @Bengaluru Chief Minister Siddaramaiah again raised the issue of lack of funds from the central government, and this time to develop Kannada. “The central government has been giving Karnataka stepmotherly treatment over the past few years. The state contributes Rs 4.5 lakh crore to the Centre in taxes, but receives a low share of grants. The Centre comes ing sufficient grants to develop it. Kannada has not received enough financial and institutional support like other languages,” he said. He stressed that mother tongue should be the medium of instruction in schools. “Children read, write, think and dream in their mother tongue. However, only English and Hindi are promoted, hindering the progress of learning among children,” Siddaramaiah said. CONTINUED ON P4 I C C W o m e n ’ s w o r l d cu p Harmanpreet & Co set to take a shot at immortality G o m e s h S @ Navi Mumbai Captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Laura Wolvaardt with Worl Cup trophy | PTI IT doesn’t get any bigger than this — India team is set for the final of the home ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup here on Sunday Their final obstacle before . getting their hands on their first-ever ICC Trophy are South Africa — a team and country chasing a history of their own. One just needed stroll along the roads around the DY Patil Stadium to understand what the final meant to the teams. With more than 24 hours to go, thousands of fans had flocked the gates and lanes of the ven- ue, trying their luck to get tickets for the game. The official ticketing partner had gone from ‘coming soon’ to ‘event closed’ overnight, leaving the fans disappointed. Excitement was palpable as myriad emotions g ripped the fans. The pressure of ‘availability of tickets’ did not spare the India captain either. Though it was an avoidable nuisance for players, Harmanpreet Kaur understood the gravity of it. She rather cheekily welcomed it. “I think it’s good that not only for cricket on the field but there is pressure for tickets also,” she said during the press conference on Saturday This daily has . reported how ticket prices on resaling websites have shot the roof. As much as Kaur had an offthe-cuff reply, the enormity of the occasion had not gone past her. Leading the country in a home World Cup for first time, she knew how crucial the final will be for women’s cricket. Despite the high points of the 2005, 2017 and 2020 World Cup finals (two ODIs and one T20), the silverware has remained elusive. With Sunday offering the chance to reshape history it , is understandable why Kaur called the home WC final the biggest thing in their lives. “We know how it feels to lose, but we are really looking forward to seeing how it feels after we win. Hopefully, this day tomorrow (Sunday) will be special for us,” said Kaur. If they manage to win, they will change the course of women’s cricket in India forever.  P13 LIVE 3 pm on Jio/Hotstar; Star Sports Networks DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reaffirmed India’s stance in the Indo-Pacific, stressing that its emphasis on the “rule of law” does not target any country but seeks to protect re gional interests collectively . Speaking at the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting — Plus (12th ADMM-Plus) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singh underscored that India’s advocacy of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and freedom of navigation reflects a commitment to i n c l u s i v i t y, openness, and stability in the region. “India’s emphasis on the rule of law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and its advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight in the IndoPacific, are not directed against any country but are meant to safeguard the collective interests of all regional stakeholders,” said Singh on Saturday . Singh asserted that India’s strategic engagement with ASEAN is not transactional but long-term & principle-driven, and it rests on a shared belief that the Indo-Pacific should remain open, inclusive, and free from coercion. “India is ready to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest to promote dialogue, and to strengthen mechanisms that ensure peace and stability .” WITH THIS ISSUE As spaces shrink and eco-awareness rises, urban Indians are embracing minimalist design PLUS 12 P AGES