visakhapatnam l thursday l november 28, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Guns silent as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes effect in lebanon The ceasefire, brokered by the US and France to end 13 months of fighting, appeared to be holding on Wednesday Lebanese army moves to hezbollah’s turf Hundreds of refugees head home to south The ceasefire deal, which calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting, requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. With the deal taking effect, the Lebanese military started reinforcing its presence in the country’s south, where Hezbollah fighters have long held sway | P9 ■ ■ Hundreds of displaced south Lebanon residents headed home from Beirut and other cities, ignoring warnings from the Lebanese military that Israeli forces were yet to complete withdrawal from some areas With its ally Hezbollah silencing the guns, Hamas on Wednesday said it is ready for ceasefire and prisoner-exchange talks with Israel 3,760 people killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months 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 Maha power end game in sight Oppn, BJP on same page Waqf Bill JPC to seek extension till Budget Session Shinde drops out of the CM race, says any call by Modi, Shah will be acceptable to his party Talks with Shah S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday appeared to withdraw from the leadership race of the new gover nment in Maharashtra, claiming he was not an obstacle, adding any decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah will be acceptable for him and his Shiv Sena. The statement came after the BJP top brass in Delhi requested him to yield. “Shinde was told that they cannot disappoint the BJP rank and file who want to see their leader as chief minister, since the party was just 13 short of a simple majority in the assembly Shinde was . Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar persuaded to look at the larger picture,” a source said requesting anonymity . Clearing the air at a press meet in Thane, Shinde said, “I spoke with the prime minister and Union minister Amit Shah and informed them that whatever decision is taken by them will be acceptable to me and my party Even if I am not made ... CM, I will not be unhappy .” Reacting to Shinde’s an- Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are expected to fly to Delhi to meet Shah to discuss modalities of government formation. The new CM may continue to have two deputy CMs nouncement, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, “We in the Mahayuti have always made decisions together. A few people had doubts, which Shinde ji has clarified. Soon we will meet our leaders and make the decision.” Shinde, Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are expected to fly to Delhi to meet Shah. While Fadnavis is the frontrunner for heading the government, it might not be done deal, claim sources. Consider this: NCP and Shiv Sena have elected Ajit Pawar and Shinde as their legislative party leader respectively, but BJP has yet to take that call. “The top brass is exploring other options as they want to break the Vidarbha versus Western Maharashtra matrix. They are looking to promote an alternative leadership from North Maharashtra,” the source said. Its dark horses from North Maharashtra include Girish Mahajan and Radha Krishna VikhePatil. While Mahajan is close to Fadnavis, Vikhe-Patil has a good equation with Shah. “The names of some women leaders are also in circulation.” P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi With BJP members of a Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the Waqf Amendment Bill joining the extension chorus, the panel will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to extend its tenure until the Budget Session, 2025. The panel was scheduled to submit its report by the first week of the ongoing session of Parliament. This paper was the first to report on November 10 that the Modi government, under pressure from allies Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and JD(U), may buy more time to table the revised Waqf Bill in Parliament and that the panel may seek more time to submit the report. On Wednesday, amid Opposition protests, BJP members Nishikant Dubey and Aparajita Sarangi urged panel chairman Jagadambika Pal to request the Speaker to postpone the submission of the committee report until the Budget Session. This came after the Opposition members boycotted the meeting saying the chair man w a s ke e n t o close proceedings by the November 29 dead- Stormy session Oppn steps up heat on Adani row, disrupts Parliament PR E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi THE Adani row continued to rock Parliament on Wednesday as neither the Lok Sabha nor the Rajya Sabha could transact any business. Both Houses were adjourned till Thursday . As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members were on their feet demanding discussion on bribery charges against the Adani conglomerate, Manipur unrest, and the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. Several Opposition members including Congress’ Manickam Tagore K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari moved adjournment motions to discuss the Adani controversy As the mem. bers resorted to sloganeering, Speaker Om Birla asked them to allow the Question Hour, adding they can discuss their issues later. With the Opposition refusing to relent, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon amid the ruckus. As the protests continued after the House was reconvened, the Chair adjourned it for a day . Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged the government is protecting Adani, and reiterated his demand that the industrialist be arrested. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Opposition will furnish evidence against the Adani group if the government demands it. Speaking to this newspaper, Congress MP Suresh Kodikunnil said his party will demand a JPC probe into Adani’s indictment in the US. The Upper House also witnessed sloganeering after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar rejected 18 notices under Rule 267 of the House. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for the day . Ministers N Lokesh, Vangalapudi Anitha & Satya Kumar Yadav at the Cabinet Sub-committee meeting on Wednesday | Express Govt will stop extending schemes to those involved in ganja trade: Lokesh E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The five-member Cabinet Subcommittee met at the Secretariat on Wednesday and approved the proposal to rename the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) as Elite Anti-Narcotic Group fo r L aw E n fo rc e m e n t (EAGLE). Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha chaired the meeting to review various issues and measures to control ganja smuggling and cultivation. Besides DGP Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao, Intelligence Toll-free no. soon Home Minister Anitha said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will soon launch EAGLE toll-free number 1972 chief Mahesh Chandra Laddha and IG rank officer chief A Ravi Prakash, other members of the panel — Ministers Nara Lokesh (HRD), Kollu Ravindra (Excise), Satya Kumar Yadav (Health) and Gummadi Sandhya Rani (Women and Child Welfare) — attended the meeting. Stating that the government will stop extending schemes to those involved in ganja smuggling and peddling activities, HRD Minister Lokesh explained, “By stopping schemes to those involved in ganja crime, the government hopes to increase chances of achieving the goal of freeing the State from drugs. We will study the modalities in implementing the decision.” He announced that committees of EAGLE will be formed in schools, colleges, universities and villages to reach out to more public and educate them on the negative effect of mariP4 juana. line in a hurry . Later speaking to the media, Pal said, “Nishikant Dubey and others said since we have to invite and hear some other stakeholders and state officials, we need an extension. I will consider this and then we will bring a resolution before Lok Sabha tomorrow or the day after.” Earlier, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s A Raja, AAP’s Sanjay Singh and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee said the panel chairman was keen to wrap up the proceedings by the November 29 deadline without following due process. “The Speaker had indicated the committee could be given an extension, but it appeared that some “big minister” was directing Pal’s actions,” alleged Gogoi. Sanjay Singh said the panel hasn’t heard the governments of Delhi, J&K, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. “States that have maximum Waqf property weren’t called, including Delhi. Seven people died in Sambhal for Waqf property They are . not taking things seriously said ,” Kalyan Banerjee. You read it first here on November 10 e x p r e ss r e a d One dead after toxic gas leak in pharma unit Visakhapatnam: One worker died, and two others are in critical condition following a hydrochloric acid (HCL) leak at Tagoor Laboratories Private Limited Unit-III, located in Parawada’s Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in the Anakapalle district | P3 IITian dies as research pit in Lothal caves in Ahemedabad: A IIT-Delhi researcher who went to collect soil samples from the ancient Harappan civilization site of Lothal in Gujarat died after the cliff of a pit, dug to collect the samples, collapsed and buried four persons in a pile of soil on Wednesday | P8 Retired CID Additional SP Vijay Paul being escorted to a court in Guntur on Wednesday | express Paul remanded to 14 days in judicial custody P h a n i nd r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada Guntur police on Wednesday evening produced retired CID Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl SP) R Vijay Paul in Guntur court, which remanded him to 14-day judicial custody . Following a complaint from Deputy Assembly Speaker K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju (RRR) alleging custodial torture during the previous YSRC regime, Nagarampalem police registered a case against Paul. Former CID chief PV Sunil Kumar, former intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu, Superintendent of Guntur Government General Hospital Dr Prabhavati, and YSRC president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy were also named in the FIR. In the remand report submitted to the court, Prakasam SP R Damodar said Vijay Paul, who was investigating a case filed against the then Narasapuram MP Raghu Rama Krishna Raju in 2021, used third degree treatment on him, allowed others during interrogation and also tried to kill him by sitting on his chest to portray it as a natural cardiac arrest. “Based on statements from duty constables, it is confirmed that Paul committed the crime and violated police conduct rules by allowing private persons during interrogation and caused harm to the complainP4 ant,” the report read.  Orange alert for S Coastal & R’seema districts E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Gukesh hits back D Gukesh converted his advantage with white pieces to restore parity at the ongoing chess World Championship in Singapore on Wednesday. The Indian teen controlled the game from start to finish. His opening preparation was more extensive than the Chinese world champion and it paved the way for the Indian’s first win | Pti | P11 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued an orange alert for South Coastal and Rayalaseema districts with heavy to very heavy rains likely to lash the region for the next three days under the influence of a cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal. ‘Number 1’ warning has already been issued for all ports in the State. The Deep Depression over the Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards at a speed of three kmph and Waves crashing against the rocky shore at Kasimedu fishing harbour in Chennai on Wednesday | Ashwin prasath lay centred about 320 km southeast of Nagapattinam, 420 km southeast of Puducherry, and 500 km south-southeast of Chennai at 17.30 am IST on Wednesday It is very likely to . continue moving north-northwestwards and intensify further into a cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours. Thereafter, it will continue moving northnorthwestwards towards the Tamil Nadu coast, skirting the Sri Lanka coast during the subsequent two days. State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) CMD R Kurmanath, who is closely monitoring the deep depression, said isolated parts of Nellore, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, and Chittoor districts are expected to receive moderate to heavy rains on Thursday , while isolated parts of Kakinada, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, Godavari, and Eluru districts are likely to experience P4 light to moderate rains.  agricultural heritage Efforts expedited to secure GI tag for ‘exceptional’ Madanapalle tomatoes D S u r end r a K u m a r @ Chittoor Madanapalle, renowned for its premium-quality tomatoes, is advancing efforts to secure a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its distinct produce. Known for their exceptional taste, texture, and aroma, Madanapalle tomatoes are a hallmark of the region’s agricultural heritage. The Madanapalle Tomato Growers Association is leading the initiative, highlighting the GI tag’s role in protecting the legacy of the product and opening avenues in domestic and global markets. This recognition is anticipated to benefit over 20,000 farmers cultivating tomatoes on one lakh hectares of land, generating an agricultural turnover worth hundreds of crores annually . A meeting at the Madana- QUICK SIGNIFICANCE OF GI TAG GLANCE 20,000: Farmers stand One lakh to benefit hectares: Establish Madanapalle Total tomatoes as a unique acreage product in a competitive 190-240 market metric Protect farmers’ interests tonnes: Daily Boost the regional produce economy palle Institute of Technology & Science (MITS) recently deliberated on the GI application process and its benefits. Experts stressed the importance of securing the tag to safeguard the product’s identity and enhance its value. MITS Associate Dean (R&D) Dr P Sivaiah said, “Obtaining the GI tag will establish Madanapalle tomatoes as a unique product in a competitive mar- ket. This step will protect farmers’ interests, boost the regional economy, and elevate the global reputation of Madanapalle tomatoes.” Madanapalle region produces 190–240 metric tonnes of tomatoes daily, sourced locally and from areas such as B Kothakota, Tamballapalle, and Punganur in Andhra Pradesh and Rayalpadu and SrinivasP4 apuram in Karnataka.