chennai l wednesday l february 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION Breakthrough elusive amid Heavy flow of water, silt into tunnel Despite relentless efforts by Army, Navy, NDRF, and GSI, rescue workers could not reach those trapped inside the collapsed Srisailam tunnel ‘Tunnel collapsed due to tectonic shift’ Experts looking at alternative ways Terming it one of the world’s most complex rescue operations, Telangana’s irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Tuesday that there is only one entry or exit to the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel, which is now partially collapsed. He said the collapse might have taken place due to a slight tectonic shift and as some geological fault lines have given way ■ ■ The minister said experts from 11 agencies including the Army, Navy, NDRF, SDRF, GSI, besides rat miners were working round the clock to save the eight workers trapped inside since Saturday morning Experts are now assessing the feasibility of drilling from the top and side of the tunnel — though vertical drilling is a very risky operation 40 metres Of heavy debris, silt & water separate rescue workers and the trapped men 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 CM calls all-party meet on delimitation threat Rahul calls EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai Terming the impending delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies in 2026 as a major threat to Tamil Nadu as it is expected to reduce the state’s representation in the Lok Sabha, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday called for an all-party meeting on March 5 to chalk out strategies to safeguard state’s interests. While mostly political parties with representation in the Assembly had been invited for such all-party meetings in the past, Stalin said that considering the urgency of the issue and the need to put up a united fight, 40 anti-sikh pogrom Ex-Cong leader Sajjan Kumar gets life term in 1984 riots case parties that are registered with the Election Commission of India have been invited to the meeting. He appealed to all the parties to rise above political differences and take part in the meeting. Tamil Nadu was facing the “threat” of losing eight (Lok Sabha) seats as the state has successfully implemented family planning programmes which led to drop in population, Stalin said while addressing reporters after chairing a cabinet meeting at the secretariat. He said, “In the name of delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, a sword is hanging above the heads of the southern states.” The chief minister said Tamil Nadu, which is at the forefront of all growth indicators, would be severely affected. In his letter to the parties, the CM said that while two approaches are being discussed for the exercise, TN stands to lose under both the methods. He said the number of Lok Sabha MPs from Tamil Nadu would reduce from 39 to 31 if the exercise is done as per the present population or get only 10 additional seats instead of 22 if the total number of Lok Sabha seats is increased to 848 from 545 (as per the second approach). “Ultimately, the voice of Tamil Nadu will get strangulated. This is not just about the number of MPs but also about the state’s rights,” he said. Continued on p7 Tamil Nadu is facing the “threat” of losing eight (Lok Sabha) seats as the state has successfully implemented family planning programmes which led to drop in population, said Stalin, after chairing a cabinet meeting at the secretariat on Tuesday. “In the name of delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, a sword hangs above the heads of the southern states,” he said Kejri didn’t want you CBSE to know: L2K cr loss Class X boards twice from next year CAG finds revenue drain after excise policy revamp S h e k h a r S i n g h @ New Delhi A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Tuesday sentenced former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for orchestrating the killings of a father-son duo during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. While delivering the verdict, special judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court underscored the brutality of the crime but stopped short of awarding the death penalty citing , Kumar’s age and health conditions. The prosecution sought the harshest punishment, arguing Kumar instigated a mob that looted, bur ned homes, and killed innocent Sikhs following the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The case against Kumar was revived decades later when a Special Investigation Team was formed in 2015 to re-examine the riot cases cases that had been closed without justice. Kumar’s first life sentence came in December 2018, when the Delhi HC found him guilty of five murders. Since then, multiple appeals have been filed against his conviction in the HC and the Supreme Court. The defence team argued that Kumar is an old man with deteriorating health, while the prosecution said mass killings can’t be ignored. A report of the national auditor the Kejriwal government failed to table in the Delhi assembly faulted it for a , cumulative loss of `2,002.68 crore to the exchequer between November 2021 when the new excise policy was rolled out and September 2022, when it was scrapped. This newspaper was the first to report the Delhi excise policy scam. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) that was finally tabled in the House on Tuesday, said the AAP government lost `1,890 crore because of its failure to re-tender surrendered licenses. Losses under various other heads included revenue slip of `941.53 crore since retail shops were not opened in non-conforming wards; `144 crore hole due to fee waiver to zonal licencees citing Covid-19 despite the excise department’s advice to the contrary; and `27 crore loss due to the failure to collect proper security deposits from zonal licencees. The report established that the failure to enforce Rule 35 of the Delhi Excise Rules, 2010, resulted in the grant of licences to wholesalers having interests in manufacturing and wholesalers having relationships with retailers. It polluted the entire liquor supply chain with common beneficial ownership across licensees in manufacturing, wholesale and retail. Enabling monopolies AAP’s policy forced manufacturers to tie up with a few wholesalers, allowing them to dominate the supply chain. 3 wholesalers (Indospirit, Mahadev Liquors, Brindco) controlled over 71% of supply. So, prices could be artificially inflated 192 brands Supplied by just three wholesalers. It gave them power to decide which brands to push The report pointed out that the wholesaler margin was hiked from 5% to 12%, claiming it was necessary to compensate them for setting up a quality checking system through government-approved labs at warehouses. However, no such labs were set up. So, profit margin of wholesalers shot up, while revenue tanked. The AAP government awarded retail liquor licences without proper checks on solvency, financial statements, and criminal records. Running a liquor zone required an initial investment of over `100 crore, yet no qualifying financial criteria was set. As a result, licenses were given to financially weak entities, with multiple bidders reporting minimal to zero income in the last three years. They indicated proxy ownership and possible favouritism. express read Govt staff go on mass leave, stage protests in all TN dists CM inaugurates `4,000-cr data centre park in Chennai Kovai MLA, wife booked in disproportionate assets case Chennai: JACTO-GEO members, who went on a mass leave on Tuesday, organised protests in all district headquarters across Tamil Nadu in support of their demands, including the restoration of old pension scheme | P6 Chennai: CtrlS Datacenters launched its data centre park in Ambattur Industrial Estate on Tuesday. CM M K Stalin inaugurated the facility set up at a cost of `4,000 crore. The data park is expected to create 9,500 jobs | P4 Coimbatore: The DVAC has filed a case against AIADMK’s Coimbatore North Constituency MLA Amman K Arjunan and his wife on the charges of amassing `2.75-crore disproportionate assets, and searched his house in Selvapuram | P6 ICMR green light Coming up, first of its kind research centre on addictive behaviours K a v i ta B a j e l i - D at t @ New Delhi Concerned with the excessive and problematic use of technology, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the setting up a Centre for Advanced Research on Addictive Behaviours (CAR-AB). The first of its kind centre in the country has been mandated to develop evidence-based intervention targeted at excessive and problematic use of technology, especially among the children and the youth. “The centre shall address various addictive behaviours in a comprehensive manner. The interventions shall be aimed at prevention, screening, early detection and intervention for internet and technology related ‘TN may lose eight Lok Sabha seats’ addictions among children and youth,” according to Prof Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, faculty in-charge of the Behavioral Addictions Clinic (BAC) at AIIMS, New Delhi, who is the lead on this project. The centre will also be tasked to develop resources for education and health sector workers to strengthen their capacity on prevention and management of these problems. The interventions shall also help reduce the stress, depression, anxiety addic, tion associated with use of the internet and technology . “Also, the centre aims to develop AI-based predictive models to detect vulnerability to excessive and problematic use of technology among the youth,” Prof Balhara said. “Excessive and problematic use of technology has been recognised as a major public health problem. The Economic Survey of India (2024-25) has linked increase in mental health issues in children and adolescents to overuse of the internet and highlighted the urgent need for school and family-level interventions,” he added. From 2026, Class 10 students can take CBSE boards twice in an academic session — one in FebruaryMarch and another in May, according to the draft policy approved by the board | P11 Meet to ease Tharoor row PREETHA NAIR @ New Delhi AMID the row over Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s opinion piece in this newspaper hailing the development initiatives of the CPM-led government in Kerala, the Congress’ central leadership has summoned senior leaders from the state for consultation. According to sources, as many as 27 leaders—including Tharoor—have been called for the meeting, which will likely discuss ways to douse the infighting ahead of the crucial local body and assembly elections in the state. The meeting, to be held on Friday will be chaired by party , chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi at Indira Bhawan, the new headquarters of All India Congress Committee in New Delhi. Congress Working Committee members from the state Kodikunnil Suresh, Ramesh Chennithala, KPCC president K Sudhakaran, and Opposition leader V D Satheesan will attend the meeting. Senior leaders Mullappally Ramachandran, UDF convenor M M Hassan, and V M Sudheeran will also attend the meeting. It is not clear if Tharoor will attend. Sources said it will be known only on Thursday If he at. tends, it will be Tharoor’s second meeting with the central leadership after his TNIE column sparked a controversy Last week, Rahul Gandhi . had called for a one-on-one meeting with the Thiruvananthapuram MP . This week, Tharoor again ruffled Kerala leaders’ feathers by saying there is a leadership vacuum in the state and hinting that he could fill it. 3-yr-old victim TN minor rapes girl, smashes her head with stone Express news service @ Mayiladuthurai A three-year-old girl suffered grievous injuries after a 17year-old boy allegedly sexually assaulted her and smashed her head with a stone for trying to resist his attack near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district on Monday afternoon. The accused has been arrested under the Pocso Act, and the child, who had stepped out of her anganwadi when the horrendous attack happened, is undergoing treatment for critical injuries at the JIPMER hospital in Puducherry . According to sources, the suspect — a Class 8 dropout — on Monday afternoon visited the anganwadi centre attended by his relative’s children and the victim. The suspect lured the child, who had stepped out of the centre during lunch to attend nature’s call, to an isolated area behind the child care centre and sexually assaulted her, said Mayiladuthurai superintendent of police G Stalin. As the child attempted to resist the assault and raise an alarm, the suspect took a stone and smashed her face, causing grievous injuries to her head and eyes, the SP added. P7