MANGALURU  TUESDAY  APRIL 28, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 14  CITY EDITION LONG QUEUES AT FUEL OUTLETS AMID FEARS OF POST-ELECTION PRICE HIKE Motorists thronged petrol bunks in parts of the country on Monday, amid buzz of a fuel shortage and a sharp price rise after the West Bengal polls PANIC BUYING SPARKS SHORTAGE IN ANDHRA OVER 30% SURGE IN FUEL DEMAND: MINISTRY Rumours of an imminent price rise sparked panic buying in Andhra Pradesh, resulting in shortages and more than 400 petrol pumps running dry over the weekend. Long queues of vehicles were seen at many outlets across the state. “We are receiving information that diesel is getting exhausted everywhere from our dealers,” a fuel retailer’s association member in Guntur told reporters ■ ■ “We have observed... 30-33 per cent (growth) in demand for fuels like diesel. That is why certain retail outlets faced issues,” Sujata Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said In Andhra, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed state officials and OMC officials to work in tandem to restore normalcy in fuel supply Wednesday WHEN THE LAST PHASE OF WEST BENGAL ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD 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 FTA inked, India to get Forces to stay after Bengal poll: Shah duty-free access to NZ S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata Wellington commits $20 billion investment in India over 15 years P U S H P I TA D E Y @ New Delhi INDIA and New Zealand on Monday signed a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) that offers duty-free access for 100% Indian exports to the island nation, which will get market access for 70.03% of the tariff lines covering 95% of the bilateral trade value. The remaining 29.97% tariff lines have been excluded to protect India’s sensitive sectors such as dairy and key agriculture. New Zealand has also committed to invest $20 billion in India over 15 years. The pact is expected to be implemented by the end of this year after New Zealand Parliament’s approval. “The investment commitment of $20 billion by New Zealand will further strengthen our cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, innovation and technology paving the way for , a more prosperous and dynamic future for both countries,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a social media post. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said that New Zealand has committed market access in 118 sectors and most fa- IN what appeared to be an assurance to West Bengal voters who had normalised post-poll violence, Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) will remain deployed in the state for 60 days after the second and final phase of polling. The announcement came on a day when campaigning for 142 seats in the final phase ended. Shah has been camping here for over a week to oversee the BJP’s poll preparations. Post-poll violence in the past Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal with New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay during the signing of the Free Trade Agreement in New Delhi on Monday | PTI voured nation status in 139 sectors while opening dedicated work, study, and holiday visa pathways for Indian professionals, students, and young travellers. An official statement noted that the FTA will significantly boost MSMEs and enhance competitiveness in labour intensive sectors such as textiles, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods. India’s current tariffs on sheep meat, wool and coal from New Zealand will be scrapped immediately while duties on seafood and hor ticulture items—including cherries and avocados—will be phased out over seven years. India has cut tariffs on New Zealand wine by 66-83% over 10 years. Tariffs on bulk infant formula and peptones will be phased out in seven years. A S H W I N I M S R I PA D @Bengaluru THE Karnataka government has introduced a Litigation Management System (LMS) with a standard operating procedure (SOP) to streamline handling of court cases, improve accountability and reduce delays by government departments in dealing with legal cases. The system features a digital case tracking module integrated with e-office for real-time monitoring. Departments must upload case details within 48 hours of receiving court orders. The system mandates complete digitisation of litigation records and minimisation of physical file movement, stated the notification, issued by the principal secretary to the Law, Justice and Human Rights Department. The notification, issued recently, pointed to the Karnataka High Court Key accused sentenced to 10 yrs of RI E N S @ Bengaluru ISIS member Mohammed Shariq, 27, the prime accused in the 2002 Mangaluru pressure cooker blast case, has been sentenced to undergo 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 92,000 by a Special Court for National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases in Bengaluru on Monday . A native of Shivamogga, Shariq is the key accused in the November 19, 2022 blast case. Shariq suffered severe burns when the pressure cooker IED he was taking in an autorickshaw to plant at Kadri Manjunatha Temple in Mangaluru accidentally detonated around 4.30 pm. He has been convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He has also been sentenced for attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing grievous hurt to auto driver Purushotham Poojary, and also under the provisions of the Explosive Substances Act. P5 Home Minister Amit Shah at Kapil Muni Ashram in Gangasagar, West Bengal | PTI Shah also reiterated the party’s intention to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the state if it forms the government. He further asserted that after May 4, the practice of polyga- my would not be permitted in the state. After wrapping up his campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an open letter to the state, said: “Serving and securing West Bengal is my responsibility Turning every challenge . before West Bengal into an opportunity is also part of my destiny I won’t back down from this . responsibility .” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a 6 km roadshow in south Kolkata, which is part of the TMC’s fortress along with North and South 24 Parganas and Howrah. They account for 91 of 294 seats in the legislative assembly . Iran offers to open Hormuz if US lifts blockade A G E N C I E S @ Washington/ Cairo IRAN has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on Iranian ports and ends the war, two regional officials said on Monday. But there will be no negotiations on its nuclear program for now. The proposal was passed on to the Americans by Pakistani officials. US President Donald Trump is expected to hold high-level talks with top security advisors to discuss it, reports said. The Strait’s closure State rolls out digi litigation mgmt system COOKER BLAST has resulted in loss of lives and destruction of property . Addressing an election rally in Behala, on the southern fringes of Kolkata, he said, “Brothers and sisters, go and vote on the 29th, do not worry about Didi’s (Mamata Banerjee) goons. The Election Commission of India has deployed CAPF at every nook and cranny, and I am telling you that even though the BJP will come to power after the elections, central forces will remain here for 60 more days.” He added that if voted to power, the BJP would initiate action against political violence and illegal immigrants. (Writ Appeal No. 20277/2025, Kalaburagi Bench) observation that highlighted delays, poor coordination and lack of accountability in government litigation. The new system, developed in response to the high court’s order, will have a streamlined SOP to ensure timely action, clear responsibility and effective coordination, which will be monitored continuously . The SOP states that a dedicated digital case tracking module will be developed that will capture and track issues like court orders received by each department, date of receipt, limitation period for filing appeals, stagewise movement of files within the department, tracking of cases, officer-wise responsibility mapping and more. The SOP stresses on appointing a litigation nodal officer who will monitor all litigation and coordinate with the panel of advocates. Each case will be fixed on concerned advocates. These advocates must apply for a certified copy of the order/judgment within 48 hours of its pronouncement or disposal. Later, they should provide an opinion within seven days overseen by the Litigation Conducting Officer and Supervisory Officer. “Any delay shall be recorded and attributed to specific officers,’’ it warned. has put pressure on him, as oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed ahead of crucial midterm elections. However, analysts are skeptical about Trump accepting the Iranian proposal. They point DAY out that lifting the US blockade and ending the war would remove Trump’s leverage in any future talks with Iran. Sources told CNN that Trump will also weigh his options during the meeting, including 59 whether or not to resume the US bombing campaign. In a related development, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian P r e s i d e n t Vladimir Putin at St Petersburg. He blamed “excessive d e m a n d s ” f ro m the US for the failure of talks. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” he said. Meanwhile, under a proposed Iranian law, the country’s armed forces would become the authority responsible for managing the Strait of Hormuz. The draft legislation also provides that financial gains from the Strait would be paid in Iran’s rial currency . Reports said Iran tried to persuade Oman to support a mechanism to collect tolls from vessels passing through the strait. Oman’s response wasn’t immediately clear.