HYDERABAD l wednesday l april 02, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late cITY EDITION Offensive and condemnable : Assam CM on Yunus’ comments Muhammad Yunus’ comments on northeastern states kicks up a row, with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calling it “strongly condemnable” yunus had urged chinese cooperation ‘b’desh inviting china to encircle india’ Calling Bangladesh the “only guardian of the ocean” in the Northeastern region, Yunus had urged China to extend its economic influence to his country, mentioning that India’s seven sisters being landlocked is an opportunity. Yunus apparently made the comment during his recent fourday visit to China. A video of it surfaced on social media and led to furore ■ ■ Former Manipur CM N Biren Singh also joined in, accusing the neighbouring country of using the region as a strategic pawn Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the attitude of Bangladesh government is “very dangerous for the security of our North East region.” “Bangladesh is inviting China to encircle India.” | P8 20 km is the width of Siliguri Corridor, also called the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ 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 USTR lights into India ahead of tariff rollout DIPAK M O N DAL @ New Delhi Ahead of the expected rollout of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) raised concerns over India’s trade policies. In its 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, the USTR cited India’s high tariffs, restrictive digital trade rules, weak intellectual property enforcement, and unfair procurement practices as key obstacles for US businesses. The 397-page report devotes 15 pages to highlight the tariff and non-tariff barriers that skew trade in India’s favour. It says India’s average MFN (most-favoured-nation) applied tariff rate of 17% in 2023 was the highest among major economies, with agricultural products averaging 39%. The report accuses India of keeping high tariffs on a wide range of goods, including vegetable oils (45%); apples, corn, and motorcycles (50%); automobiles and flowers (60%); natural rubber (70%); coffee, rai- MSP, farm subsidy distort global prices The report highlights India’s agricultural subsidies, particularly the MSP system for rice and wheat crops, claiming that these distort global prices and put US farmers at a great disadvantage sins, and walnuts (100%); and alcoholic beverages (150%). In addition, India maintains high basic customs duties on drug formulations, including lifesaving drugs, it notes. USTR alleges India’s high tariff rates present a big barrier to trade in other agriculture and processed foods such as poultry, potatoes, citrus, almonds, pecans, apples, grapes, canned peaches, chocolate, cookies, frozen French fries, and other prepared foods used in fast-food restaurants. The report cites other nontariff barriers as well such as quality control measures, and local procurement conditions for manufacturing in India. The USTR has also flagged India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act for restricting cross-border data transfers and mandating data localisation. US president Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the reciprocal tax would be imposed on all countries without any exception. SC’s conscience shocked over ’21 UP demolitions Orders the Prayagraj Development Authority to pay `10 lakh to each of the six petitioners whose houses were demolished. The appellants approached the top court after their plea to stop The Prayagraj Development the demolition was rejected by Authority in Uttar Pradesh was the Allahabad High Court. at the receiving end of the SuVarious other states have preme Court’s wrath on Tues- also flouted the court’s earlier day, as it slammed the “inhu- ruling barring illegal demolimane and illegal” demolition tion of houses without followof houses of six individuals in ing the rule of law. 2021, saying it had shocked its In the Prayagraj case, showconscience. cause notices were The court directfirst issued on Deed it to pay a comcember 18, 2020, pensation of `10 and pasted on the lakh each to the six six houses the individuals within same day On Janu. six weeks, after the ary 8, 2021, a demoappellants said lition notice was they did not have pasted on the same ‘Wrongly tied the means to rehouses but not sent to Atiq Ahmed’ build their homes. by registered post. “These cases “The first regisThe petitioners had shock our contered post commuclaimed that the science. Residential nication was sent state government premises of the apon March 1, 2021, had wrongly linked pellants have been received on March their properties to high handedly de6, 2021, and the gangster-politician molished. It is a demolition was Atiq Ahmed and very serious affair,” carried out the next demolished them the court said. day leaving the ap, Warning it for pellants with no opflouting the due process of law, portunity to appeal under Seca bench comprising justice Ab- tion 27(2) of the UP Urban hay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan Planning and Development Act, said, “The Prayagraj Develop- 1973,” the bench observed. ment Authority must remem“This affixing business must ber that the right to shelter is be stopped. They have lost their also an integral part of Article houses because of this,” Jus21 of the Constitution.” tice Oka said. He was referring The court’s whiplash came to the practice of pasting noafter hearing a joint plea by ad- tices rather than making efvocate Zulfiqar Haider, profes- forts to serve them in person or sor Ali Ahmed and others by registered post. S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi express read YTDA allocates land for Vedapathashala Yadadri Bhuvanagiri: The Yadagirigutta Temple Development Authority (YTDA) has allocated land for the construction of a Vedapathashala at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy shrine in Yadagirigutta. It has also expressed willingness to relocate the 70-student Sanskrit school to the same site as the Vedapathashala | P2 Politics not full-time job: Yogi on PM talks Lucknow: Dismissing claims about his prime ministerial ambitions, UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed politics is not his full-time job as he is a ‘Yogi’ and that he will lead to the state with responsibility. Yogi rejected the buzz about his ‘differences’ with the Centre, saying he would not have been in the post if there were differences | P8 Deadly blast Debris of a firecracker warehouse after a blast in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district on Tuesday that killed at least 21 people | pti | P8 The Vigilance and Enforcement department has launched an investigation into allegations that the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been blackmailing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) IPL team management. Following an order from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Vigilance Director General Kothakota Srinivas Reddy formed a seven-member team. On Tuesday Vigilance officials , questioned HCA officials at Uppal Stadium. Sources said that HCA Secretary R Devraj was among those questioned. The investigation team is also likely to interrogate HCA President A Jagan Mohan Rao. Meanwhile, SRH General Manager Srinath TB on Tuesday afternoon responded to an email from the HCA sent on Not taken an inch of UoH land: Govt E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The state gover nment on Tuesday strongly refuted allegations that it has encroached upon land belonging to the University of Hyderabad. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and IT Minister D Sridhar Babu made it clear that the government has not taken an inch of land belonging to UoH. “The 400 acres in Survey No. 25 of Kancha Gachibowli belong to the government,” they reiterated, adding that the government had secured the land after winning a legal battle against a private firm. In response to protests from various quarters and claims by UoH authorities and students that the land belongs to the university, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy convened a meeting at the Integrated Command and Control Centre on Tuesday. Sources indicated that the CM provided a factual briefing on the land and shared the details with the ministers. Kodandaram, Haragopal meet Deputy CM MLC M Kodandaram and Prof Haragopal led a civil society delegation to meet Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka over the land issue. The deputy chief minister briefed them on the land details during the meeting. Speaking to reporters, Sridhar Babu accused the opposition of spreading misinformation. “This land was under litigation for over two decades. In 2024, the courts ruled in favour of the government. We have not taken a single inch of university land. Political groups and affiliated associations are misleading the public and obstructing government initiatives,” he stated. He further revealed that a week ago, the government consulted UoH’s vice-chancellor regarding land demarcation. “We infor med university authorities that no official records exist proving their ownership of the land. We decided to resolve this issue and informed the university Sridhar ,” reiterated. Continued on P4 Sparks to fly as LS debates Waqf bill today P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Oppn to demand division of votes during passage Setting the stage for a major showdown between the government and the Opposition, the Lok Sabha will take up the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill for discussion and passage on Wednesday with , an eight-hour-long debate allocated for its deliberation. While the gover nment is determined to push the bill through, the Opposition condemned it and called it “unconstitutional”. The government requires a simple majority of 272 votes, which should be smooth for the The opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday unanimously decided to participate in the debate on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and seek a division of votes during its passage. The decision was arrived at a meeting attended by all Opposition parties | P7 NDA with 293 MPs. Major BJP allies like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), and Chirag Paswanled LJP (Ramvilas), who had initial reservations, have now extended support after the joint parliamentary committee adopted some of their suggestions. The BJP has 240 MPs, JD(U) 12, and TDP 16. CM in Delhi to to take part in ‘BC Poru Garjana’ protest on Wednesday. It aims to urge the Centre to approve Bills recently passed by the state legislature, which seeks to enhance BC reservations to 42% | P4 Vigilance team launches probe; HCA-SRH shake hands after email spat E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka addresses the media at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Tuesday During the discussions, SRH proposed strictly adhering to the existing tri-party agreement between SRH, HCA and BCCI, ensuring that 10% of the available stadium capacity across all sections is allocated accordingly. HCA, in turn, proposed maintaining the existing allocation of passes in each category – A joint statement by HCA and SRH Monday stating that the associa, tion’s president had asked for more than 3,900 complimentary tickets. “HCA President Jagan Mohan Rao sent us an email on March 4 requesting additional complimentary tickets in SRH’s owners lounge. Your claim that you did not request more than 3,900 complimentary tickets is clearly false,” Srinath claimed. He further alleged: “Locking the F3 Box, which was allocated to the away team owner, Mr Goenka, just hours before the match and only opening it after we pleaded with you is an act of blackmail. We fail to understand how this cannot be considered blackmail and coercion, especially so close to the game.” The SRH general manager also accused the HCA of taking more than 40% of the car passes, severely limiting access for SRH, BCCI, the away team, vendors, caterers and stadium management. Later on Tuesday, the HCA secretary convened a meeting with SRH officials at the stadium and clarified that the allocation of 3,900 complimentary passes to the HCA would remain unchanged. Both parties also reiterated their commitment to working together amicably to enhance spectator experience. Meanwhile, the state government has called a joint meeting with the HCA and SRH on Wednesday . The BJP and several Opposition parties have issued whips for their MPs to be present in the House for the next three days. Despite the numbers favouring the BJP, the Opposition has vowed to fight the bill. After a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders, Congress MP K C Venugopal said, “This bill is fundamentally against Constitutional provisions. We are going to oppose this bill.” CPI(M) MP John Brittas said they would fight tooth and nail and seek a division of votes while coordinating with parties like YSRCP and Biju Janata Dal. The Congress and other INDIA bloc members walked out of the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee meeting, accusing the government of stifling their voice. Minorities and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Speaker Om Birla chaired the meeting and agreed on an eight-hour debate, extendable based on the House’s consensus. However, the Opposition had demanded 12 hours. Don in mind, India and China mark 75th year of diplomatic ties J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi under the shadow of the reciprocal tariffs set to be imposed by US President Donald Trump on April 2, India and China sought to work together as they marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu, said the bilateral ties should resemble a “dragonelephant tango”. Responding to a letter from Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that advancing bilateral relations would enhance global stability and prosperity , while supporting the emergence of a multi-polar world. Modi noted that India and China are two ancient cultures and civilizations that have shaped human history and , it’s their responsibility to promote peace and development. “Progress in our bilateral relations will contribute not only to global stability and prosperity but also to the emergence of a multi-polar world,” Modi said. “The development of China- Ready to step up imports: Envoy Ahead of the US tariffs from April 2, China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, said, “We are willing to work with India to enhance cooperation in trade and to import more Indian products” India relations demonstrates that it is the right choice for China and India to be partners of mutual achievement and realise the ‘dragon-elephant tango’, which fully serves the fundamental interests of both countries and their peoples,” Xi said in his letter. Mur mu, in her response, said a stable, predictable and friendly bilateral relationship will benefit both countries and the world. “We have opportunity to rebuild India, China ties,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. “Let us join hands with clear vision, uphold correct mindset, and rise above and dissonance,” said Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong. German tourist raped in Hyderabad, one arrested E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad A 25-year-old German woman touring Hyderabad was raped inside a car in Mamidipally, under the Pahadishareef police station limits, on Monday evening. The incident came to light on Tuesday when the victim lodged a complaint with the police. The accused, Mohammed Abdul Aslam, was arrested on Tuesday evening. The German woman had arrived in Hyderabad to meet a friend. According to Rachakonda police, Mangalgiri Sharath Chandra Chowdhury (24), a resident of Meer pet in Balapur mandal, filed a complaint at Pahadishareef police station. Sharath, a bachelor’s student in data analysis at the University of Messina, Italy, had befriended the victim and another German national in May 2024. They arrived in Hyderabad on March 4 for sightseeing and had been staying at his residence in Meerpet. On March 31, around 6.30 pm, the victim and her friend left their residence to visit a nearby vegetable market. As they were walking, a Swift Dzire approached them. Six individuals, including the accused who was driving, were inside the car. The other five passengers were minor boys aged between 9 and 16, all from the Yakutpura area, police said.  Continued on P5