Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on wednesday tirupati l tuesday l january 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION India summons Bangladesh envoy amid Border fencing row India on Monday summoned Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner Nural Islam amid row over India’s construction of fencing on the border No violation of protocol, agreement: India 5 arrested by BSF for smuggling attempt With regard to security measures at the border, the Bangladesh envoy was told India observed all protocols and agreements between the two governments. Barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices are meant to secure the border, the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the focus is on tackling cross-border criminal activities ■ ■ The Bangladesh diplomat was summoned a day after Dhaka conveyed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma its deep concerns over India’s border security measures | P9 Security forces on Monday arrested five people, including two from Bangladesh, for trying to smuggle goods across the border 535 Bottles of Phensedyl, a narcotic drug, were seized from smugglers 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 Will keep promise on J&K statehood: Modi maha kumbh opens flowing waters and faith: 1.5 cr take holy dip Pa r a m i ta G h o s h @ Prayagraj E arly in the morning at the Kumbh, Vedic chants and Ram bhajans can be heard from every direction, as the faithful, towels on shoulders, make their way to the banks of the Ganga for a holy dip. This morning, a light fog sits above the water; by mid-morning, it is all clear as if it were the fog of unreason. As the first light of dawn broke over the Sangam on Monday, a sea of devotees, undeterred by the chilly breeze and cold waters of the Ganga took the holy dip on ‘Paush Purnima’, marking the commencement of Maha Kumbh 2025. More than 1.5 crore pilgrims took the dip on Monday, the UP government said. For octogenarian Bhabani Bhowmik, a retired schoolteacher from Siliguri, the dip was a transformative experience. “I took Ganga ji’s name and when I came out, I felt no chill,” she says. As the day stampede row No differences between us, say TTD chief, EO & Addl EO E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu on Monday condemned the rumours of differences between the Board and officials, dismissing them as baseless.   He stressed that collective efforts are being made to ensure transparent services for devotees. His statement was significant in light of recent doubts over the coordination between the TTD Board and officials following the tragic Tirupati stampede, which claimed six lives. Speaking at a press conference alongside TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao and Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, Naidu urged devotees not to believe the false propaganda being spread about Tirumala on social media. Acknowledging that there may have been some delay in executing the Board’s decisions due to technical reasons, the temple Trust Board Chairman emphasised that allegations of a lack of coordination between himself and Syamala Rao were entirely false. He requested the media to cross-check facts before publishing reports related to Tirumala, as these matters concern the sentiments of millions of people. Naidu dismissed reports suggesting that the stampede occurred due to a lack of coordination between the TTD Board and officials, emphasising, “We are progressi n g w i t h eve r yo n e ’s coordination.” He highlighted the elaborate arrangements made for devotees to have a smooth darshan during the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, which runs from January 10 P4 to 19.  Omar heaps praise on PM, thanks him for fair polls unfolds, the rhythms of the Kumbh come alive. Boatman Nandkumar, from a neighbouring district, gazes longingly at the Sangam, hoping to bag a permit to ferry passengers. Brothers Gopal and Amit Mishra, meanwhile, tend to the spiritual needs of the bathers, applying sandalwood mark on their foreheads. In this vast, swirling tapestry of humanity individ, uals from all walks of life converge, each with their own story of spiritual seeking. Sabra, a Brazilian seeker, says, “I was born into a Catholic family, but did not practice it. For the last year, I’ve been chanting and g etting my f aith back.” Out of the blue, the bhule bhatkey shivir (lost-andfound camp) where a human being reinforces his faith in another, springs to life. A mother looks for her son, another seeks her ‘Sushila mausi’, and a stranger appeals to an Ashokda to return. As the day wears on, these names are replaced by others. F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar Devotees at the Ganga in Prayagraj. The Maha Kumbh commenced on Monday after a gap of 12 years | PTI ` sinks to lowest level in 2 years B enn K o c h u v ee d a n @ Mumbai THE rupee on Monday logged its steepest single-day decline of 58 paise (0.67%) in nearly two years, closing the session at a historic low of 86.62 to the dollar. The fall is attributed to the stronger American currency, surging crude prices, and the volatility in the equity markets. The last time the Indian currency took such a plunge was on February 6, 2023 when it shed 68 paise. The latest decline also suggests that the Reserve Bank of India’s measures to arrest the Inflation eases to 5.22% in December Retail inflation fell to a 4-month low of 5.22% in December 2024 due to slower growth in food prices in the month compared to the year-ago period. In November 2024, the inflation was at 5.48% rupee fall may not be as effective as they should be. Since March 2024, the banking regulator had sold over $115 billion to prop up the local currency In . October alone, RBI sold a whopping $38 billion. According to traders and express read No reduction in LAC troop deployment: Army chief Rooster fights: Transactions exceed `300 crore on day 1 of Sankranti New Delhi: The situation in Eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), remains stable but sensitive, with an existing “degree of standoff”, said Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi in an interaction with media on the eve of the Army Day 2025 on Monday | P7 Vijayawada: As Sankranti festivities commenced across the State on Monday, rooster fight arenas came alive, with punters in areas such as Tadepalligudem placing bets as high as `1 crore per fight. On Bhogi, the banned sport saw transactions exceeding `300 crore. Large arenas, spanning 5-10 acres in farmlands, were set up, each with investments of around `2 crore | P4 currency analysts this newspaper spoke to, the unprecedented fall is due to the high demand for the dollar, which also led to a massive withdrawal of foreign capital from equities. Since October, foreign funds have pulled out close to `2 lakh crore from equities. “The risk averse sentiment across the globe ahead of Donald Trump taking charge as the 47th President of the US and worries over higher inflation can further weigh on the rupee,” said Dilip Parmar, senior currency analyst at HDFC Securities. Inaugurating the strategic 6.4-km Z-Morh tunnel in Sonamarg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will keep promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, an apparent reference to the demand for the restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “There is a time for every work. And the right work is going to happen at the right time,” Modi said. In his address, Abdullah, whose National Conference party is a member of the Opposition INDIA bloc, heaped praise on Modi, saying his heart says the PM would soon fulfill the promise of restoring statehood to J&K. Omar’s statement comes days after he wondered if the INDIA bloc should be wound up if it was cobbled together only for the Lok Sabha polls. “My people, my cabinet colleagues and media ask me when will J&K get statehood again. I tell them the PM fulfilled his promise to hold elections in four months and my Narendra Modi (2nd from left) after inaugurating Z-Morh tunnel | PTI heart says that he would also fulfil his promise to restore J&K statehood,” he said. He also credited Modi for fair elections in J&K. “Not a single polling station needed re-polling. The credit for this goes to you, your associates and Election Commission,” he said. Through these infra projects, the PM kept his promise to bridge ‘Dil ki doori and Delhi ki Doori’ (distance between hearts and Delhi), he added.