vijayawada l monday l december 30, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Constitution has stood every test of time, says prime minister MoDi The Constitution has stood every test of time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat on Sunday Calls the document ‘our guiding light’ Urges people to banish hate from society “It is a matter of immense pride for all of us. The Constitution which its makers gave to us has stood every test of time. It is our guiding light,” the prime minister said, adding that he reached “this position in life” because of the document. He asked the people to visit www.constitution75.com and learn about India’s constitutional heritage and legacy ■ ■ He described the upcoming ‘Maha Kumbh’ as the ‘mahakumbh of unity’ and asked the people to resolve to banish hate from the society Modi also spoke about the growing global resonance of Ayurveda. He said in Paraguay, a large number of local people are reaching out to the Indian embassy where Ayurveda consultation is offered | P7 80% fall in number of malaria cases in india between 2015 and 2023: Modi 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 179 killed as South Korean plane crash-lands, erupts into fireball Two crew members of Bangkok-Muan flight survive; landing gear glitch, bird hit suspected Narrow escape for passengers as Air Canada jet catches fire Age n c i e s Rescue team members carry the body of a passenger at the crash site at Muan International Airport, South Korea on Sunday | AP/Pti A G E NCI E S IN one of the worst aviation disasters in recent times, all but two of 181 people on board a passenger flight were killed after it skidded off the runway while landing at South Korean’s Muan international airport on Sunday and burst into flames. Horrific visuals of the accident showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed after its landing gear failed to deploy, overshooting the runway, ramming a concrete wall, and exploding. The Korean transport ministry said the Jeju Air plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that had arrived from Bangkok and landed at Muan, 290 km south of Seoul, around 9 am. South Korean officials said the airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land. The pilot reportedly sent out a distress signal shortly before the plane touched down without using its wheels or any other landing gear. The flight had 175 passengers and six crew members on board. According to officials, 85 wom- How it happened The Boeing 737-800 with 181 people on board approached to land at South Korea’s Muan International Airport around 9 am local time Pilots aborted the first landing attempt due to bird strike, which reportedly damaged the jet’s landing gear Soon, the pilots issued a “mayday” call and tried to land the plane again, this time without the landing gear deployed A bird strike is a collision between a bird and an aircraft in flight en, 84 men, and 10 others whose gender could not be immediately identified, died. Emergency workers managed rescue two crew members. Officials described their condition as ‘not life-threatening’. Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, said the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly remaining recognisable among the wreckage. The two persons who survived the crash were rescued from the tail section. Lee said investigators were looking at various possibilities for the crash, including whether the express read ISRO to demonstrate docking of sats in space New Delhi: ISRO is set to launch two satellites on Monday night from the Sriharikota spaceport to demonstrate docking and undocking of spacecraft in orbit, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the feat. plane was struck by birds. South Korean authorities deployed 32 fire trucks and several helicopters to contain the blaze. Over 1,500 firefighters, police officers, soldiers, and other officials were also rushed to the site to manage the situation. Footage of the crash aired by local television channels showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the plane, which was still engulfed in flames. The passengers were predominantly South Korean. Thailand’s foreign ministry said two Thai passengers were among the fatalities. Open contest set for India not very lucky on security front: Rajnath Mhow (MP): Addressing Army personnel at Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow cantonment, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that India is a ‘not very lucky’ nation on the security front and urged soldiers to keep a sharp eye on internal and external foes Upon touchdown, the plane skidded down the runway and hit a concrete barrier before bursting into flames Another aviation tragedy was averted on Saturday night after an Air Canada flight suffered a suspected landing gear failure and a part of it caught fire as it skidded down the runway of Canada’s Halif ax airport. All 73 passengers and crew members are safe, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said. He added that there was a suspected landing gear issue as the plane arrived to land. A spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which responded to the incident alongside paramedics, said some passengers suffered minor injuries. The people on board were evacuated, and then taken to a hangar to be checked out by paramedics, AP reported. A passenger told a local television channel she heard a loud noise when the plane landed. “We heard a pretty loud—what almost sounded like a crash— sound as the wing of the plane started to skid along the (runway), along with what I presume was the engine,” she said. She said the plane then skidded down the runway for a “decent” distance as the pilots worked to stop the plane. “The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows,” she said. The Air Canada Express flight operated by Pal Airlines was arriving from St John’s, Newfoundland. Flight operations at the Halifax airport were temporarily suspended. thrilling climax Lyon, Boland stand firm After reducing Australia to 91/6 in the second innings, India had a real chance to bowl the hosts for cheap. However, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins survived some scares to add to their first innings lead of 105. To add to India’s woes, Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland added 55 runs for the last wicket, taking Australia to 228/9 and more importantly, putting them ahead by 333 Day Four of the ongoing Boxing Day Test in Melbourne was a gripping contest. Indian bowlers ripped through the Australia top-order before being frustrated by the tailenders. All three results are possible on Day 5. A look... Record attendance It began with a little over 87,000 fans on Day 1, but as the Test enters Day 5, it has already become the most-attended Boxing Day Test at the historic venue (2,99,329), surpassing 2017-18 Ashes (2,71,855) Milestone man Bumrah It’s been a happy series for Jasprit Bumrah, 29 wickets in eight innings at 13.24—12 more than Cummins. On Sunday, Bumrah became the first-ever bowler to take 200 wickets at a Test average of less than 20 New intel Tax dept to tap Digi yatra data to go after evaders DI PA K MONDAL @ New Delhi If you are a frequent user of Digi Yatra app but don’t file income tax returns, don’t be surprised if you get a notice from the tax department. According to sources, the tax department has accessed the entire passenger data captured on the Digi Yatra app, and the same is being reconciled with tax filings to check for discrepancies in the declared income. The tax department would start issuing notices in 2025 based on the Digi Yatra data, said sources. Digi Yatra app is a civil aviation ministry-led initiative to make air traveller’s journey seamless and paperless. It uses facial recognition technology, and collects passengers ID, biometrics, and details of air tickets to give easy access at airports. It is, however, not mandatory for fliers to download or use the app. According to sources, the tax department will first go after those who don’t file tax returns, and then target those who under-report their income to avoid paying taxes. The department is perusing the data of both international and domestic air travellers. Frequent or high-value travel, particularly international trips, could flag individuals whose reported earnings do not justify such expenditures, prompting further scrutiny . “Data provided by Digi Yatra is inherently clean, relia- Globetrotters under the lens According to sources, the financial records of frequent international fliers could be subjected to scrutiny to check for any income suppression in their I-T returns ble, and verifiable, making it a robust source for government use in tax administration. Once integrated and reconciled with income tax filings, it can effectively identify non-filers, placing them at the forefront of scrutiny Sub. sequently taxpayers engaging , in income suppression or under-reporting could also be systematically targeted,” said a source. According to tax experts, Digi Yatra data holds immense potential as an alternative to the government’s earlier attempts to gather travel data through loyalty programmes of air travel companies—a move constrained by privacy concerns. “By leveraging such data, authorities can achieve greater transparency and precision in tracking high-risk taxpayers, provided that appropriate safeguards for data privacy and proportionality are in place,” says Rajat Mohan, seni o r p a r t n e r, A M R G & Associates. Questions sent to the tax department and Digi Yatra on the issue remained unanswered till the time of filing of this report. It must be recalled that air travellers have raised privacy concerns over the collection data on the app. However, the authorities have maintained that data is not stored in any central repository, and that it is stored locally in the phone of the passenger. Curb unbridled NY revelry: DGP to SPs P h a n i n d r a Pa pa s a n i @ Vijayawada Tribals of Chalisingam hamlet in Anakapalle district stage a novel protest on Sunday highlighting their woes due to lack of road connectivity | Express Tribals stage ‘horseback protest’ for road project E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Visakhapatnam Tribals of Chalisingam hamlet in Cheemalapadu panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalle district have demanded immediate forest clearance for the construction of a road. They staged a unique protest on horseback and with dolis (makeshift stretchers) on Sunday to highlight the challenges they face due to the lack of road connectivity to their hilltop hamlet. “Chalisingam is home to 110 tribal families with a population of 380. Even after 78 years of Independence, the hamlet lacks road connectivity, forcing people to depend on horses to transport essential supplies, including ration, from a depot in Chikayapadu at the foothill. The absence of a road has also made accessing healthcare and markets a daunting task,” said K Govind, a tribal leader. The tribals have decided to organise a rally using horses and dolis to the District Collectorate on January 8, 2025 to highlight their plight, if no action is taken in the meantime on their demand for road. Govind informed that `3 crore was sanctioned for a road project in 2018-19, but the work was halted. Subsequently `2.65 , crore was allocated in 202324 as per GO. RT NO. 726 to construct a 3 km BT road from Chikayapadu to Chalisingam under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Despite laying the foundation stone for the road project on January 24, 2024, the work could not begin due to pending forest clearance, he said. The Panchayat Raj Department submitted Form A to the Forest Department, but the crucial Form B clearance is still pending. This delay has halted the road project, leaving villagers in distress, he explained. With just two days left to welcome the New Year, Director General of Police Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao has directed all the district SPs and Vijayawada and Vizag Police Commissioners to impose strict restrictions on December 31 night to thwart any untoward incidents during the celebrations. The DGP said strict instructions should be given to all the event organisers that they must obtain police permission, regardless of venue type, and they should take all safety precautions. The event venues should be equipped with fire extinguishers and other safety devices with enough number of entry and exit gates to prevent overcrowding. Use of drugs and narcotics substances during the New Year celebrations is strictly prohibited, and event organisers should be held responsible for it, he said. “Andhra Pradesh State police will implement comprehensive security measures on the eve of New Year. More police personnel will be deployed to manage crowds on streets on December 31 night. Celebrations are permitted till 1 am with specific vehicular restrictions in high footfall areas in Vijayawada, Vizag, Tirupati, Guntur, Rajamahendravaram, Bhimavaram, Ongole, Nellore, Kadapa, Chittoor and other cities. Zero tolerance to drink and drive will be enforced,” the DGP said. grand finish Chess high on year-end as Humpy captures second world rapid title in USA a j ay t o m a r @ Hyderabad There is a different joy of being a mother. India’s Koneru Humpy had won the World Rapid Chess Championship on Saturday but when she spoke about the win a day later, she could not help but speak about her s eve n - ye a r- o l d d a u g h t e r. Humpy’s daughter was a thousand miles away in Vijayawada with her parents. “My daughter won a gold medal in abacus yesterday (Saturday), so she was having her own moment,” Humpy told this daily from New York on Sunday . For Humpy her daughter’s vic, tory seems to be as big as her second world rapid medal, a record she shares with China’s Ju Wenjun. “I spoke to my daughter just after the win.” The 37-year-old from Vijayawada last won the title in 2019. Sleep deprived, missing her daughter while playing against some of the stalwarts of the game, yet she remained unflustered and finished the event with 8.5 out of 11 points. The year 2024 was not as she would have liked it to be. There was a time when she was mulling quitting the sport. The win was cathartic. “It was a rough year for me. I started with Candidates (tied for second) but then in Norway Chess and the Tata Steel Chess, my performance was very bad. Koneru Humpy I was feeling very low at that time. I even thought of quitting professional chess. But I was not ready to accept the defeat and finish my career on a bad note,” she said, adding that she spent the whole of November training for the World Rapid and Blitz event. Chess could not have asked for a better end to the year. Men’s world champion in D Gukesh, Candidates, World Cup finalist, Chess Olympiad gold for men and women and now a world rapid woman champion. “There were a lot of spectators cheering considering it was being organised in the Financial District of New York (at Wall Street). I was ranked 10th at the start and lost the first round. I finished the day with only 2.5 points in four games. I did not imagine then that I could win. I was only looking to fight back after the first game’s loss. On Day 2, I won all the four games that helped me to climb to the joint lead. But after Day 3 ended in draws, I was expecting tie-breaks. I did not know that I had won and was preparing for tie-breaks. It was only when the arbiter told me I realised. I was surprised.” On winning the event for the second time, Humpy said, “With time, the younger generation is competing fiercely and it is not easy to repeat the feat. You are more poised and energetic to win something the first time. Winning for the second time is even tougher as many players are half my age.”