tadepalligudem l thursday l january 09, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Bombay HC grants bail to wilson, Dhawale in elgar parishad case The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Rona Wilson and Sudhir Dhawale arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case Rona Wilson Sudhir Dhawale Trial unlikely to conclude soon: high Court Bail granted so far to 10 of 16 arrested The Bombay High Court noted the two had spent more than six years in jail as under-trial prisoners. “Even the charges in the case are yet to be framed,” a division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata observed, adding the trial is unlikely to conclude in the near future. The court clarified it was not dealing with the merits of the case at this stage ■ ■ The NIA said Wilson was an urban Maoist leader and Dhawale a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). The NIA didn’t seek a stay to the order. So far, 10 have gotten bail in the case The case pertains to provocative speeches delivered at 2017 Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune, triggering violence at Koregaon-Bhima 2018 when rona wilson and sudhir dhawale were arrested 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 JPC begins with BIE proposes removal of robust exchange first-year inter of ‘1 poll’ views examination Five women among 6 dead in Tirupati stampede major reforms E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Tirupati Six devotees, including five women, tragically lost their lives in a stampede during the distribution of Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshan tokens at Ramanaidu Municipal School in the Bairagi Patteda area of T i r u p a t i o n We d n e s d ay evening. A total of 40 people were injured and rushed to SVR Ruia Government General Hospital and the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS). A large crowd of devotees gathered at several token distribution centres, causing a chaotic situation. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had set up nine centres with 94 counters for token distribution, which was scheduled to begin at 5 am on Thursday. However, devotees started arriving in large numbers on Wednesday evening, overwhelming the arrangements. Chaos erupted at the Bairagi Patteda centre when a staff member fell ill, prompting officials to open a queue for his evacuation. Mistaking this for the commencement of token distribution, devotees surged forward, resulting in the stampede. Eyewitnesses have alleged that security measures at the queue lines were inadequate. District Collector S Venkateswar and TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao visited Ruia Hospital to monitor the treatment of the injured. Additional police and vigilance teams were deployed to manage the situation, and city authorities confirmed that the situation was eventually brought P4 under control.  Chaos during the distribution of Vaikuntha Dwara Sarvadarshan tokens in Tirupati on Wednesday | Express Express News Service Oppn members say it’s an attack on basic structure of the Constitution and federalism P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan greet the public during a road show en route to AU Engineering College Grounds in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday | G SATYANARAYANA Modi emphasises Andhra’s role in nation’s development u s h a p e r i @ Visakhapatnam Emphasising that Andhra Pradesh is full of possibilities and opportunities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that the State and, subsequently the nation will develop only , when these possibilities are realised. Addressing a public gathering at the Andhra University Engineering College Grounds on Wednesday, Modi stressed the importance of the State’s growth in achieving national development. “The development of Andhra Pradesh is our vision. Serving the people of the State is our commitment,” he asserted. Further more, the Prime Minister acknowledged the State’s ambitious goal of becoming a $2.5 trillion economy by 2047 under the ‘Swarna Andhra Vision’, spearheaded by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. During the event, Modi launched several development projects worth over `2 lakh crore, aimed at improving connectivity and driving industrial growth in the State. `2 lakh crore boost to State Major projects launched  NTPC  Green Energy Limited’s Green Hydrogen Hub in Pudimadaka  South  Coast Railway (SCOR) Headquarters  Development  of Bulk Drug Park at Nakkapalli, Anakapalli  Krishnapatnam  Area - KRIS City Industrial Highlighting India’s push for renewable energy, Modi laid the foundation stone for the NTPC Green Energy Limited’s (NGEL) Green Hydrogen Hub at Pudimadaka in Anakapalle district. This state-of-the-art project, part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, involves an investment of approximately `1.85 lakh crore. The hub will include 20 GW of renewable energy capacity making it one of , the largest integrated green hydrogen production facilities globally . It will produce 1,500 tonnes per day (TPD) of green hydrogen and 7,500 TPD of green derivatives such as methanol, urea, and sustainable aviation fuel, primarily targeting export markets. Highlighting that the project will generate significant job opportunities and foster a manufacturing ecosystem in the State, Modi pointed out, “Visakhapatnam will become one of the few cities globally with large-scale green hydrogen production facilities.” The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a bulk drug park in Nakkapalli, Anakapalle district. The park, one of only three in the country, aims to strengthen pharmaceutical manufacturing and reP4 search capabilities.  The development of Andhra Pradesh is our vision. Serving the people of Andhra Pradesh is our commitment. It is now time for Andhra Pradesh to become a centre for futuristic technologies Narendra Modi, Prime Minister The first meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) bills on Wednesday saw strong exchanges of opinion from both the opposition and ruling NDA’s members on simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. According to sources, several opposition MPs including Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, DMK’s P Wilson and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee questioned the claim that simultaneous polls cut expenditure. The 39-member committee is headed by former Union minister P P Chaudhary . Priyanka asked if the Election Commission has any estimate on the cost of a general election after the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, when electronic voting machines (EVM) were used for the first time in all 543 parliamentary seats. She and DMK’s Wilson sought evidence to establish the claim that ONOE would cut cost. The opposition said the bills are an ‘attack on the basic structure of Constitution as well as federalism’. Defending the bill, BJP MPs, including Anurag Thakur, argued that a continuous cycle of elections disrupts development and is a drain on the exchequer. NDA ally JD(U)’s Sanjay Jha recalled incidents of booth capturing in Bihar when ballot papers were in play to pushback on demands , to revert to that mode. However, Jha also expressed apprehensions, including whether a government elected for a short term would have the required governance focus that an incumbent with a five-year term has. Earlier, in a letter to the panel chairman, DMK’s Wilson shared a slew of suggestions and concerns regarding the need for a rigorous, transparent and inclusive approach in the deliberations on the bill. “Extensive hearings should be conducted across all states and Union Territories, and the committee must prepared and share a detailed schedule outlining a systematic and inclusive consultation process,” he said. Chaudhary earlier said, “We will make an effort to listen to all stakeholders.” @ Chennai When Mansukh Mandaviya took office, he was one of the few sports ministers to visit the Indian Olympic Association Bhawan in Delhi last year. He met IOA president PT Usha and had the sports secretary and other officials along with him.   Just about six months down the line, the IOA and ministry seemed to be at loggerheads. All this over the recognition of Indian Golf Union — both ministry and the IOA have recognised different IGUs. The controversial elections of the IGU that was held in December last year saw two different factions claiming to be legitimate. While IOA recognised Harish Kumar Shetty-led faction and the ministry backed Brijinder Singh, who was reelected as president. The ministry took exception and shot a letter questioning the action of the IOA. What seemed to have irked the IOA president was the tone and tenor of the letter and that it was sent by an under-secretary. The sports ministry had pulled up PT Usha and the IOA P T Usha and Mansukh Mandaviya on January 2 for recognising Shetty faction. One must also take into consideration that Usha and the executive council members are caught in a bitter in-fighting and most of the decisions are being taken by Usha. In her strong worded reply, Usha said, “The manner in which this letter has been issued appears procedurally incorrect and reflects a lack of verification of the facts on record and a complete non application of mind by the Under Secretary. Sir, since I have assumed office in the lOA, it has become more and more apparent that the staff of the Ministry deliberately never appraises the true and correct facts to the Hon’ble Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports.” Copies of the letter have also been marked to the Interna- tional Olympic Committee and International Golf Federation. Usha also claimed that the ministry’s concerns that the IOA recognition of the IGU elections violates the National Sports Code ‘unfounded’. In fact, she gave examples of several NSFs which have failed to conduct elections even after completion of their terms. Usha also said selective application of norms undermines credibility of sports governance. Usha said, “While the recognition of this IGU faction has been expedited based on an incomplete report, the elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), conducted in December 2023 under the orders of the Apex Court and duly recognized by International Federation of Wrestling i.e. United World Wrestling (UWW) and also by the Indian Olympic Association (IA), continue to face delays in recognition by the Ministry . “In light of these issues, I urge the Ministry to take corrective action to compliance with the NSDC 2011 and recall More on P11 its letter.” An opposition MP told this paper that adequate time was given to members to express their views irrespective of the political affiliation. “The chairman gave a patient hearing,” the member said YSR cong changes stance Vijayasai Reddy (YSR Congress) argued that ONOE will marginalise regional parties, dilute diversity of representation and focus on local issues. YSRCP had earlier backed ‘one poll’ The Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh (BIE) has proposed a slew of reforms, including the removal of first-year inter mediate board exams, realigning examination mark patterns, revising syllabi and textbooks, and introducing new subject combinations from the next academic year. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday BIE Secre, tary Kritika Shukla said the reforms are slated for implementation in the 2025-26 academic year. She emphasised that the public is welcome to share their suggestions on the proposed reforms on www.bie. ap.gov.in until January 26, 2025. The reforms align with the recommendations made by the committees of academics appointed on October 1, 2024, she added. The key proposals include revising syllabi and textbooks, introducing new subject combinations, realigning examination mark patterns, and removing first-year board exams. The syllabus revisions aim to align with NCERT guidelines and the National Cur riculum Framework (NCF) 2023, addressing gaps in competitive exam preparation. The current syllabi for science, humanities, and language subjects have seen minimal updates over the years, prompting the introduction of NCERTbased textbooks for Science in 2025-26 and for Arts, Humanities, and Languages in a phased manner through 2026-27.  P4 express read Film ticket price hike only for 10 days ‘AP poised to transform into tech hub’ Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the State government to limit the enhancement of cinema ticket fares to 10 days instead of 14 for upcoming films Daaku Maharaj and Game Changer. It may be recalled that the government had issued two memos on January 4, directing officials to allow the theatres to screen additional shows and also hike ticket prices | P6 Visakhapatnam: IT Minister N Lokesh emphasised that improving innovation and deep tech skills can help in achieving economic growth & social progress. Inaugurating the AP Digital Technology Summit2025 at Children’s Arena in Visakhapatnam, he expressed confidence that the State would transform into a global digital technology hub under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership | P6 Race against time IOA chief PT Usha at loggerheads with Ministry on sports governance to save trapped Express News Service All get patient hearing @ Vijayawada miners in Assam P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Guwahati The body of one of the nine miners trapped inside a flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao was retrieved on Wednesday even as hopes of rescuing the others began fading. The deceased was identified as Ganga Bahadur Srestho from Nepal. The state government had on Tuesday stated that three bodies had been seen in the mine. Rescue efforts by a joint team comprising the Army, Navy and disaster response forces are on, but senior officials said that the murky and acidic water has made the task of rescuers Herculean. Special DGP Harmeet Singh said the Navy’s remote underwater vehicle has recceed the shaft but didn’t find anything. He said efforts were on to drain the mine. “It seems the well is connected below with some water source because of which even though we are pulling out water, its level is not receding,” he said. The BJP-ruled North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, under which Dima Hasao district falls, and the state’s BJP government are facing the heat after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the mine appeared to be illegal. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, while demanding an investigation, said, “It is shocking that rat-hole coal mining continued unabated in Assam despite a ban by the National Green Tribunal.”