tadepalligudem l wednesday l march 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Airtel, Elon Musk’s SpaceX join hands for satcom service airtel gains heft versus rival eutelsat Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said it signed an agreement with Musk’s SpaceX to offer high-speed internet services under Starlink to its customers in India deal set to benefit both companies The development assumes significance as Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel was at loggerheads with Starlink over licence fees and spectrum pricing for satellite-based internet service providers. Airtel is also the single-largest shareholder with a 21.2% share in Starlink’s rival firm Eutelsat OneWeb, which has got the nod to start operations in India ■ ■ The agreement will enable Airtel and SpaceX to explore how Starlink could complement and expand Airtel’s offerings Airtel said that its agreement with SpaceX is subject to receiving authorisations to sell Starlink’s satellite communications-based services in India. The deal will be symbiotic in nature | P10 8% of adjusted gross revenue is what telecos are charged as licence fee 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 morning madness 1 Attackers blew up railway tracks between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar in Sibi district of Balochistan in Pakistan 2 Armed men stormed the train, taking over 100 passengers, including security men, women and kids, hostage 3 Security forces have launched an operation to rescue the hostages, with local media reporting a fire exchange late in the night Peshawar Railway Station Islamabad Railway Station afghanistan Quetta Railway Station Bolan Pass Balochistan Liberation Army said it seized control of the train when it was minutes away from the Mashkaf tunnel on the Pehro Kunri route in Sibi district illustration: sourav roy pakistan india Provisions to deny foreigners’ entry, restrict their movement; harsh penalty for violators The taking of Jaffar Exp Pak train hostage drama with 500 aboard QUETTA: Suspected Baloch insurgents opened fire at a passenger train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region on Tuesday and shot dead 20 soldiers while taking hundreds of passengers, including women and children, hostages. Pakistan’s media reported late Tuesday that 80 hostages had been rescued and 13 terrorists eliminated after an operation by special forces. The insurgents bombed the track before storming the Jaffar Express, headed from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar stations in a remote, mountainous area of Sibi district in Balochistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran. Balochistan gover nment spokesperson Shahid Rind termed it as a “terrorist attack.” The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for the attack, and warned “all hostages would be executed” if Pakistan army intervened. BLA is fighting for independence and accuses outsiders of profiting from the region’s vast mineral wealth.The group is banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US. Controller of Railways Muhammad Kashif said that the train, comprising nine coaches, has around 500 passengers on board. There are 17 tunnels in the area on the railway line and due to the difficult terrain, trains move at a slow speed, Kashif said. The train was ambushed near Mashkaf tunnel in Sibi district. Dawn.com said security forc- es had surrounded the area and launched a clearance operation that would continue till the aggressors were eliminated. An emergency has been declared at local hospitals, and rescue teams are on their way to the site. However, the rocky terrain is making it difficult for officials to reach the area. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, and said: “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.” The siege comes amid a surge in terror attacks in Balochistan, with over 1,600 people killed in attacks in 2024. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed in a suicide blast at Quetta railway station.  AP/AFP M UK E S H RAN J AN @ New Delhi Security forces later surrounded the tunnel and began flushing out ops Reports suggested that the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgents used women and children as human shields before issuing a warning that any interference from the Army would lead to the death of the hostages CRDA clears 59 tenders Ministry lifts suspension, WFI calls trials worth `37,702.15 crore, works to begin soon F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai works, 22 in the CRDA limits cost `22,607.11 crore, while 37 other works under the purview The Capital Region Develop- of Amaravati Development ment Authority (CRDA) meet- Corporation Limited are worth ing has cleared 59 tenders to `15,095.04 crore, he explained. take up infrastructure developNarayana said the CRDA ment works worth `37,702.15 meeting also cleared the land crore in the capital city of Am- allotment to 31 organisations. aravati. The works The date has been exwill be taken up soon tended for the change Work for after the approval of of location of the al20k people the State Cabinet, lotted lands to 11 othMAUD Minister P which is scheduled to ers organisations. It Narayana said over accepted the proposal meet on March 17. 20,000 workers Briefing the media to change the location will take part in on the CRDA decio f l a n d f o r t wo development sions after the end of organisations. the meeting chaired works. The Letter The development of Intent will be by Chief Minister N of Amaravati Capital issued for the Chandrababu Naidu City is estimated to works soon. The on Tuesday, Minister cost `64,000 crore. for Municipal Admin- CRDA meeting also However, taxes colcleared the land istration and Urban lected from the people allotment to 31 Development (MAUD) will not be spent for P Narayana said over organisations, the the development of 20,000 workers will MAUD Minister said capital. Of the total take part in developextent of land acment works. quired from farmers for the Tenders were invited for 73 capital, the CRDA has an excess works worth `48,012 crore as of 6,203 acres, and of it 1,900 the Cabinet had already cleared acres will be allotted to various them. Of these, 59 work tenders organisations, he elaborated. worth `37,702.15 crore were The amount generated either cleared by the CRDA. The Let- by mortgaging or selling the ter of Intent will be issued for surplus land will be used to the works soon. Of the total 59 construct the capital, he said. E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Vijayawada Months of uncertainty gave way to hope as the sports ministry through an order dated March 10 revoked suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The suspension was imposed on December 24, 2023, days after the elections of the executive committee following which Sanjay Kumar Singh was elected as the president. The sports ministry after much deliberation and evalua- Immigration law has more teeth in new bill in LS tion took this decision in the interest of the wrestlers. There was ambiguity over selection and participation in international competitions was also getting affected. T h e d eve l o p m e n t meant the Indian wrestlers, who had to miss two Ranking Series last month, could now compete at the Asian Championships this month. Had they missed this, they would have rendered ineligible to compete at the World Championships. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the decision was taken keeping in mind the welfare of wrestlers. While WFI chief thanked the prime minister, home minister and sports minister for lifting suspension. Due to the suspension and an order of the single bench of the Delhi High Court, the WFI was not able to hold selection trials. The WFI is planning to hold trials on March 15. Hours after the suspension was revoked, the Delhi HC division bench disposed off an appeal challenging single bench order over IOA’s ad P11 hoc committee.  The government on Tuesday introduced the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, seeking to overhaul existing immigration laws and streamline various services related to foreigners’ entry, exit, and stay in the country . Introducing the bill on the behalf of Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of State Nityanand Rai said that once the proposed law is passed, it will replace the colonial-era Foreigners Act, 1946; Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. According to the bill, the objective is to enhance national security, control immigration procedures, and introduce stricter penalties on foreigners who violate visa rules. It says any foreigner posing a threat to national security, sovereignty or the integrity of the nation “will not be allowed into the country or will be denied the permission to stay in India”. It further mandates registration for foreigners upon arrival. The bill proposes heavy penalties for violations. Those overstaying, violating norms, or trespassing in restricted areas face three years imprisonment and fine of up to `3 lakh. Transport carriers carrying foreigners without valid documents face up to `5 lakh fine. If a foreigner is denied entry the , carrier will be responsible for their removal from India. The bill also empowers immigration officers to arrest individuals without a warrant. Meanwhile, the opposition dubbed the bill as violative of 4.18 kg of gold worth `3.38 cr seized in Nellore  Mandatory registration of foreigners  upon arrival; restrictions on their movement, name change, and stay in protected/restricted areas  Mandatory for universities, hospitals  and accommodation providers to report about foreign nationals  Burden of proof on individuals to  establish they are not foreigners  International transport carriers must  provide passenger data Punitive charges  Entry without valid documents:  Up to 5 yrs in prison or `5 lakh fine  Use of forged documents: 2-7  years in jail and `1-10 lakh fine  Overstaying Visa: Up to 3 years in  jail or `3 lakh fine Enforcement powers  Immigration officers empowered to  arrest without warrant  Authorities can remove foreigners  violating the law  No appeal provision in proposed law  constitutional provisions. Briefly intervening during the introduction of the bill, Congress MP Manish Tiwari said it doesn’t even have the right to appeal. He said the government should withdraw the bill or send it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. TMC MP Sougata Roy also opposed the bill, saying: “I beg to oppose the Immigration and Foreigners Bill. There are already four laws in the country for the entry and exit of foreigners.” express read Population growth vital for stability: CM Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday underlined the need to shift from population control to population management, urging families to have more children to counterbalance ageing demographics and sustain economic growth | P4 E x p r ess Ne w s S e r v i c e @ Nellore Vigilance officials seized 4.18 kg of gold, valued at `3.38 crore, at the Venkatachalam toll gate in Nellore district on Tuesday, while it was being transported without proper documentation. Acting on a tip-off, a team comprising vigilance officials, transport department personnel, and Circle Inspectors B Narasimha Rao and Vishnu Ramulu, intercepted a car in the early hours. Upon inspection, they found the gold being illegally transported from Chennai to a jewellery shop in Nellore. Three individuals from Nellore – Harsh Jain, A Ram and Nallari Ranjith Kumar – were taken into custody in connection with the gold seizure. The seized gold and the vehicle have been handed over to GST officials for further investigation. A case has been registered. Key provisions Panel submits report on SC classification popular pots With the advent of summer, a vendor sells earthen pots on the roadside in Tirupati on Tuesday | Madhav K Vijayawada: The One Man Commission under the leadership of Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, appointed by the AP government to suggest the specific recommendations on Sub-Classification of SCs, submitted its report to Chief Secretary K Vijayanand. sales not open yet Use of advanced tech for policing will `17,804 to `1.23 lakh: CSK tickets on resell site ensure safer and happier AP: Naidu s w a r o o p s w a m i n at h a n @ Chennai CHENNAI Super Kings (CSK) are yet to announce ticket sales for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season but that hasn’t stopped tickets for their matches from appearing in a prominent ticket reselling website. When this daily last accessed the pages of viagogo, the current asking price for one KMK Lower ticket is `123,593 for the team’s opener against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on March 23. Screen shot of the webpage displaying price of CSK tickets | Express Tickets, at this point in time, are listed across 12 price bands, with the cheapest at `17,804. According to the website, one KMK Lower ticket was grabbed for `123,593 two days ago. Right now, there are 84 tickets available for the marquee clash against Mumbai. Interestingly , even the lower stand tickets (without hospitality and on the square of the wicket) are selling for 10 times its original price. For example a D lower cost `1700 last season and for the same Mumbai match the price has touched `20,600. Right now, tickets are available on viagogo for six of the seven home matches. Tickets are also available across venues including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad but there are no tickets available for the season opener between Kolkata and Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22. Not yet anyway. In all, tickets are available for over 50 games. Tickets bought off reselling websites come in with the inherent risks so the buyer ought to be aware of these risks. The caveats are usually mentioned on the back of tickets purchased off the official ticketing agencies. S G u r u S r i k a n t h @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu outlined a technology-driven approach to maint a i n i n g l aw a n d o r d e r, emphasising the use of drones and modern tools. Highlighting night-time drone patrolling, CCTV cameras, and 26 new cybersecurity stations, he vowed to ensure swift justice and deter crime. Intervening during a discussion on demands for a grant for the Home Administration on Tuesday, Naidu stressed that advanced technology would secure State borders against drug trafficking, and protect public and government assets, marking a shift towards a robust security framework. The integration of drones, technology, and proactive measures, he said, ensures a safer and happier Andhra Pradesh where law- breakers face accountability. He also said this is paramount for the State’s development and attracting investments. Naidu war ned that threats to peace and security would not be tolerated, with strict action promised against those targeting women. The previous YSRCP government’s failure on law and order front, left citizens fearful, and public properties P4 vulnerable, he observed.