bengaluru l friday l november 29, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 42 l late city EDITION TRAI assures no delay in OTP delivery as new rules to kick in The regulator said the new regulations meant to improve message traceability and combat fraud will not affect the delivery of bank OTPs New regulations to take effect on Dec 1 The new norms, likely to take effect on Sunday, will require telecom service providers to trace the origin of bulk messages, including one-timepasswords. Some reports had said this would delay delivery of messages, including OTPs. “This is factually incorrect. It will not delay delivery of any message,” the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in a post on X ■ TRAI Oct deadline pushed on telecos’ request ■ TRAI has directed telecom providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, to implement traceability in their systems October 31 was initially fixed as the date for the new regulations to kick in. But this deadline was extended amid concerns raised by telecom operators about potential for service disruptions | P13 had proposed to increase scrutiny of users sending over 50smses a day 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 Bangladesh Buzz on tough talk as EAM meets Modi PR E E T H A N A IR @ New Delhi AMID escalating tensions in Bangladesh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation. There is speculation that Jaishankar may make a statement in both Houses of Parliament on Friday, if there are no disruptions. In response to this newspaper’s query on the possibility of the government making a statement on the issue, Jaishankar said, “We haven’t decided anything yet”. Sources said Jaishankar’s meeting with Modi lasted for 30 minutes. The meeting comes in the wake of the recent arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and rising attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, MoS for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said it is the responsibility of the Muhammad Yunus-led administration to protect the minorities. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, he said New Delhi has expressed its concerns to Dhaka. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said officials of the foreign ministry will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on Bangladesh on December 11. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concerns over the situation in Bangladesh but said she will go by the Centre’s decision. In a relief to ISKCON, the Bangladesh High Court rejected a petition seeking its ban. The plea was moved after a lawyer was killed in a clash between security personnel and supporters of Chinmoy, who was earlier with ISKCON. WITH THIS ISSUE CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 42 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Mahayuti leaders discuss Maha power-share formula with Shah Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar hold talks with the Union home minister Su d h i r Su r ya w an s h i @ Mumbai Eight days after the ruling Mahayuti’s thumping victory in Maharashtra, its leaders Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar held talks with Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi amid indications that the final call on chief ministership could be made in a day or two. The meeting is also expected to discuss cabinet berths. Highly placed sources said out of total 42 ministerial slots in the outgoing government, the BJP wants to retain at least 50% while giving the Shiv Sena 30% and the NCP 20%. Sources said the RSS wants a senior party leader elevated as chief minister, adding the message has been conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “RSS was silent in Lok Sabha polls, therefore BJP’s tally crashed from 23 to 9 in Maharashtra. But in the state polls, its cadre was active and that changed the final outcome. We have to promote a strong and young leader, therefore this is the best time to elevate Fadnavis as CM and later project him as the face of the BJP at the Centre,” said sources requesting anonymity . However, the BJP top brass is considering other names as well. “Fadnavis is a Brahmin. In the state elections, OBCs voted unitedly for the Mahayuti as did Marathas in large numbers. So, the BJP leadership is evaluating if they have a suitable OBC or Maratha candidate in the party for the top post, hence the delay in the final call,” said top sources. Ajit Pawar is certain to retain his position as deputy A mild-intensity explosion at the entrance of a park near Delhi Police’s Crime Branch office in Rohini on Thursday cocked a snook at the security apparatus in the national capital at a time when Parliament is in session. This was the second blast in Rohini’s Prashant Vihar area in the past 40 days. On October 20, a mysterious blast had taken place near Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) school in Rohini. Its probe is still underway . Thursday’s blast took place just 2 km away from the site of the earlier explosion outside the CRPF school. It left the driver of a milk distribwution van injured. He was identified as Chetan Khushwaha, 27. There was no damage to his van, though. “He was taken to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital from where he was dis- BJP proposes a 50:30:20 formula for portfolio sharing with Shiv Sena and NCP Ajit Pawar hoping to keep all plum portfolios he had in the outgoing government BJP uneasy with Shinde’s proposal on promoting his son as deputy chief minister chief minister (DCM) and wants to keep the weighty portfolios he held in the previous government. He is pushing for finance, agriculture etc. Shinde express read Newborn’s body found flushed down hospital toilet Bengaluru: A premature baby was found flushed down the toilet of a hospital in Harohalli, Ramanagara. The newborn’s body was found in the ground floor toilet in the Neurology department of Dayananda Sagar Hospital, part of Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education & Research on Wednesday morning. Police suspect that the accused may have attempted to conceal the baby’s birth. P3 SC to hear plea against mosque survey today New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday a plea challenging the November 19 order of a district court, which directed that a survey be undertaken of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka makes debut Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi takes pictures of sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after she took oath as a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, holding a copy of the Constitution, on Thursday | PTI | P9 Mild intensity blast in Delhi’s Rohini area, second incident in forty days U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi 50:30:20 wants Home and Urban Development if he is not made the chief minister. “Shinde proposed that his son Shrikant Shinde be elevated as DCM but the BJP is lukewarm, as it would weaken its campaign against dynasts. Shinde, however, argues that it is for the Shiv Sena to decide its DCM candidate, not the BJP. The flux has prompted many senior Sena leaders to enter the DCM ring,” said sources. Sources said many senior NCP and Sena ministers in the last government are unsure whether they will be part of the new dispensation. “Keeping everyone happy this time around will be tough because the number of MLAs is more. The massive mandate is good for stability but it is not easy to keep everyone in good humour,” said a senior NCP leader requesting anonymity . charged after first aid,” a senior officer said. A Delhi Fire Service officer said a call regarding an explosion near Bansi Sweet Shop, Prashant Vihar, Rohini was received at 11.48 am following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Senior police officers also reached the site followed by multiple security agencies, including the bomb disposal squad of the National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigative Agency (NIA). Investigators gathered fragments of ‘white powder’ from the site and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). They also recovered small wires, which indicate that they could have been used to detonate the bomb. NSG personnel at the site of the blast in Delhi’s Rohini on Thursday | Parveen Negi 5- member panel to probe Pamban bridge Delhi: Railway Ministry has set up a five-member panel to address the safety concerns raised by the commissioner for railway safety about the new Pamban Bridge built at a cost of B531 crore. CCI launches probe against Google E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi THE Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday launched an investigation into Google after online gaming firm WinZo accused the US tech giant of anticompetitive practices. In the order, the regulator asked its director-general to wrap up the probe and submit a report in 60 days. WinZo, an online gaming platform, has alleged that Google’s policies for hosting apps on the Play Store are unfair. It says Google’s Developer Distribution Agreement and Developer Program Policies are one-sided, adding that Google restricts hosting of gaming applications that offer Real Money Games (RMP) in India. As a result, customers are forced to download the WinZo app from its website. Additionally when users down, load the app on Android devices, misleading warnings are displayed, which WinZo claims tarnish its reputation. The CCI has taken notice of these allegations and ordered an investigation into Google’s business practices, citing concerns over discriminatory conduct. The regulator noted that exclusion from the Play Store is tantamount to denial of market access. As for the disclaimer that pops up while downloading the app, the CCI said the warning is peculiar to the Google-operated Android OS and is completely illegal. Ex-teacher accuses KPCC gen secy of sexual harassment E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru A 38-year-old woman who used to work in an educational institution run by a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary, has accused the latter of sexually harassing several female staff working at the school. Accordingly the CK Achukattu , police have registered an FIR against KPCC general secretary Gurappa Naidu, who is also the chairman of a private school in Thyagarajanagar. Following a complaint from a former schoolteacher, the police registered a case of sexual harassment (IPC 354A) against Naidu on Tuesday . The complainant, who worked at the school for two years since 2021, claimed she quit her job unable to bear his alleged harassment. The teacher, in her complaint, stated that when she was working at the school, there were 75 female staff, and she accused Naidu of harassing them by recording their obscene videos. He is alleged to have also threatened them to make their videos public, if they did not comply with him. She has further alleged that Naidu used to call her to his chamber and repeatedly harass her for sexual favours. She also accused him of verbally abusing her for not cooperating with him. In her complaint, she stated that on the last day of her work, she went home crying and was consoled by her mother. It was due to her inability to tolerate his harassment that she reportedly quit her job.  CONTINUED ON P5 Social Welfare Minister Dr HC Mhadevappa and Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar arrive at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday | Nagaraja Gadekal Shut defunct borewell or face a year in jail E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru To put an end to children falling into open borewells, the State government is amending the law and bringing in stringent measures, including a one-year jail term for those who fail to close them. Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Law Minister HK Patil said the cabinet has given approval to the Minor Irrigation and Ground Water Development Department’s proposed Karnataka Groundwater (Regulation and Control of Development Management) Amendment Bill, 2024. He said at many places, borewells were left open and safety measures were not taken, like closing them with a cap. Explaining, Patil said a few years ago, a child fell and got stuck inside a borewell in Bagalkote. Since then, there have been discussions on safety measures. “If the owner digs a borewell and it fails, they have to fill it. the Bill has been proposed to bring in stringent action and avoid such incidents. The land owner who digs the borewell, the agency which takes up borewell drilling will be held responsible if the borewell is not closed.  P4 CM to be RDPR varsity chancellor E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The State government has proposed to make the chief minister the chancellor of Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Unive r s i t y ( K S R D P RU ) . T h e Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Draft Bill, 2024, was approved by the cabinet on Thursday. The draft bill proposes transfer of the Governor’s powers to the CM. Law Minister HK Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting that with the amendment, the CM will be the Chancellor. They decided to amend the bill to take decisions and execute works quickly. Many states have a similar system, he said. “All powers vested with the Governor will get transferred to the Chief Minister,” he said. The KSRDPRU is related to government administration, rural development and panchayats, and in order to manage it academically, they proposed to make the CM the Chancellor, he said.  CONTINUED ON P4