HYDERABAD l tuesday l april 08, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION LPG cylinder to be costlier by `50, CNG price up `1 per kg from today Hike comes amid crash in crude prices The price hike comes amid a drop in crude prices—from $70 to about $60 per barrel. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said oil firms are incurring losses and prices could be cut only if international rates stay at low levels. LPG will now cost `553 per cylinder in Delhi for Ujjawala users and `853 for general users. The rates vary from state to state depending on local taxes The increase in cooking gas price, effective April 8, will be for the Ujjawala—poor beneficiaries who got LPG connection free of cost—and general users ■ Mar 2024 Excise duty hiked on petrol, diesel ■ The government also hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by `2 per litre each to raise about `32,000 crore additional tax revenue However, there will be no change in retail prices of either petrol or diesel as the increases will be adjusted against the price cut that was warranted because of falling international oil prices LPG prices were last revised a year ago, when prices were cut by `100 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 ASIAN MARKETS CRUMBLE -13.22% -9.7% -7.83% -7.34% -3.24% Hang Seng Taiwan Weighted Nikkei 225 Shanghai Composite ■ 75,364.69 ■ sENSEX Previous close BLOODBATH ON D-STREET NIFTY (22,161.60) BSE marketcap shrinks to `390 L cr Realty and Metal Indices fall 6-7% ■ Trent shares down 15%, highest in Nifty50 pack How Don spooked global investors 0% -5% 73,137.90 Suchitra Ka lyan Mohanty 73,325 -10% 3:30 PM 73,105 9:33 AM 72,794 10:52 AM 72,830 72,760 11:37 AM 2:33 PM Dow -13% -15% 72,378 12:48 PM -20% 72,124 9:20 AM S&P U.S. STOCKS on a free fall in Trump era Feb 1 Mar 1 Panic Monday -16.1% Nasdaq -21.1% APR 1 Sensex, Nifty crash 3% each; investors lose `14 lakh crore A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi Indian stock markets on Monday witnessed one of the worst trading sessions in recent times as fears of an escalating trade war and a global economic slowdown—sparked by recent US tariff hikes— rattled investors. The crash is attributed to the reciprocal tax imposed by US President Donald Trump last week. The market tremors are likely to escalate as Trump late on Monday threatened to slap an additional 50% tariff on China and halt trade negotiations if Beijing does not withdraw its 34% retaliatory tariff by Tuesday . Investors’ panic was palpable during early trading hours on Monday as the BSE Sensex plunged 4,000 points to 71,725 while the Nifty 50 tumbled 1,150 points to 21,744. At closing, the Sensex and NSE Nifty50 were down by about 3% each. Investors lost a whopping `14 lakh crore as the total market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms fell from `404 lakh crore on Friday to `390 lakh crore on Monday . The sell-off echoed across Asian markets. Taiwan’s exchange operators halted trading to pause panic selling. Abhishek Jaiswal, fund manager at Finavenue, said the crash in India is due to global concerns. “The real worry lies in how such policy moves could fuel inflation, disrupt supply chains, and trigger a slowdown or even recession over the coming years,” Jaiswal added. Trivesh, COO of Tradejini, said that the steep correction was sparked by China’s announcement of a 34% import tax on all US goods. Govt withdraws cases against UoH students, rejects demand for survey E x p re s s N e w s Ser v ice @ Hyderabad Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed the police to withdraw all cases registered against University of Hyderabad (UoH) students who participated in the agitation against the auction of 400 acres of land in the Kancha Gachibowli area. The Group of Ministers (GoM) held a meeting with the UoH Teachers Association and civil society groups on Monday to discuss various issues. During the discussions, the withdrawal of cases was taken up. The deputy chief minister, along with ministers D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, stated that the government was sympathetic to the students. Following this, Vikramarka instructed police officials to withdraw the cases against the students. Two students are currently in judicial remand, and cases against them will also be withdrawn. Vikramarka advised Law department officials to ensure that no legal complications arise from the withdrawal and to guide the police accordingly . Intelligence DG Shivadhar Reddy and Cyberabad Police Com- Anand K Rathi, co-founder of MIRA Money said it is chal, lenging to predict how each country would respond to tariffs. The market is declining, assuming a global recession, but circumstances can change quickly depending on how and when the tariffs are implemented, added Rathi. Investors are now keenly waiting for the RBI’s monetary policy action. A rate cut may provide short-term support to equities, particularly in rate-sensitive sectors such as banking, NBFCs, real estate, and auto. on AI-generated fake clips E x p re s s N e w s Ser v ice @ Hyderabad The state government on Monday petitioned the Telangana High Court to issue directions against AI-generated content used to spread false narratives in the issue of 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli. During the hearing of a clutch of PILs against the state government’s proposal to auction the land (which was subsequently stayed by the Supreme Court), the Government Pleader (Forests) informed a bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara that certain fake videos were being circulated on social media platforms to malign the state government’s image. In a review meeting on Saturday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had taken a serious view of the alleged false narratives and directed officials to approach courts for a probe into the creation of misleading AI content with regard to the 400 acres at Kancha Gachibowli.  Continued on P4 missioner Avinash Mohanty were also present at the meeting. Later, Vikramarka wrote to the UoH vice-chancellor, stating that the government proposes to withdraw the general police presence from the vicinity of the main university campus. During the talks, the GoM maintained that police presence to safeguard the 400 acres of land was required, in accordance with the recent Supreme Court order. Owing to the court’s directive to maintain status quo and prevent any activity on the land, the government stated it was unable to allow a land survey as sought by , the protesters.  ontinued on P4 C Dilsukhnagar bomb blast case verdict today Telangana to produce two lakh AI engineers The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s appeal seeking a stay on his extradition Hyderabad: Over 12 years after the twin blasts rocked the crowded Dilsukhnagar area on February 21, 2013, claiming the lives of 18 people and leaving over 130 injured, the Telangana High Court is set to pronounce its verdict in the case on Tuesday | P2 Hyderabad: The state government has set an ambitious goal of producing two lakh AI engineers, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu told a delegation from Singapore, led by Consul General Edgar Pang, at the Secretariat here on Monday | P2 express read The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh police for converting multiple civil disputes into criminal cases, calling it a “complete breakdown of rule of law in Uttar Pradesh”. “Converting a civil matter into a criminal case is not acceptable. There is a complete breakdown of the rule of law in Uttar Pradesh. It’s strange that it’s happening day in and day out in UP. Lawyers have forgotten there is some civil jurisdiction also,” a threejudge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan said. The remarks came after hearing a plea filed by accused Debu Singh, who said that his civil case — of cheque dishonour and allegedly failure to return money to the complainants — was illegally converted into a criminal one by the UP police. The appalled bench said, Suchitra Ka lyan Mohanty @ New Delhi “This is wrong. What is happening in UP? Everyday civil suits are being converted to criminal cases.” The court directed the DGP and the station house officer of a Gautam Budh Nagar police station to file affidavits on the case details in two weeks. It warned that it could initiate c o n t e m p t p ro c e e d i n g s against the probe officer. In an earlier Sharif Ahmad vs State of UP case, the Supreme Court had held that the investigating officer must complete entries of all columns in the chargesheet so that it is clear which crime has been committed by which accused and what is the material evidence available in the case. “This is missing in this case,” the bench pointed out. The court directed the compliance of the Sharif Ahmad case order in the present one. It asked the DGP to explain what steps had been taken towards compliance of the Sharif Ahmad order, and fixed the matter for further hearing in May . clean-up act New rules to make builders pay for debris HC asked to issue direction disposal 26/11 accused Rana’s appeal rejected SC rap: Complete breakdown of the rule of law in UP @ New Delhi mONDAY’S close SC declines urgent hearing of petitions on Waqf Act Turning Civil cases into criminal J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi in a bid to mitigate construction dust, a byproduct of building activities and a major air pollutant, the Union environment ministry has notified the Environment (Construction and Demolition) Waste Management Rules, 2025. The new rules, which will become effective on April 1, 2026, will replace the extant regulations and put the onus of collecting, storing, and transporting debris on the bulk waste generators including builders. The rules provide detailed guidelines for the management, utilisation, and monitoring of processed waste, as well as procedures for the storage of processed construction and demolition waste. Notified on April 4, the new norms aim to bring environmentally sound management of construction and demolition waste throughout the country through proper segregation, collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal practices. In a first, the notification also introduces a financial mechanism to support extended producer responsibility. This means, waste generators will now be accountable for paying recyclers to provide tradable credits as set by the Central Pollution Control Board. Under the guidelines, credits gained from in-situ (on site) disposal will carry more weight than those from ex-situ (off site) management. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday declines urgent hearing in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the recent Waqf (Amendment) Act, saying it will be listed for hearing in due course. “There’s a robust system of listing in place. The matter will come up in due course,” the CJI told senior lawyers Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others appearing for various petitioners. These senior advocates had mentioned the matter and sought early hearing. At least 10 petitions have been filed so far challenging the Act. When Sibal, appearing for Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulemai-Hind, sought early hearing, the CJI asked why he was making an oral mention when there is a robust system in place to seek urgent listing through email. Sibal said the email has already been sent. The CJI then assured Sibal that he would do the needful after examining the plea in the afternoon. In a related development, the DMK and Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi on Monday filed petitions challenging the constitutionality of the new Act. In his plea, Madani said the Act were destructive of wakf administration and jurisprudence in India and an effort to redefine the nature of waqfs existing in the country. Madani not only challenged the various provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act but also filed an interim petition to prevent the law from coming into effect. Prohibitory orders after arson attack faith matters Governor Jishnu Dev Varma carries silk clothes to be presented for Pattabhishekam at the Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam on Monday Liquor sales bring `34.6K crORE, cheers to state For the cash-strapped Telangana government, liquor continued to be the primary revenue generator, with sales in the state growing by 7% in 2024–25 A day after a mob attacked the house of BJP’s state Minority Morcha chief Askar Ali, setting it on fire, prohibitory orders were imposed in entire Lilong Assembly constituency of Manipur. The attack happened in Muslimmajority Lilong, a day after he supported the Waqf Act. n  lakh cases of beer 548 sold in 2023–24 n  lakh cases of beer sold 531 in 2024–25 (3% drop) n  state earned The n  lakh cases of liquor 362 `7,000 crore by sold in 2023–24 earned in 2024–25 from way of excise tax in liquor sales n  lakh cases of liquor 369 2024–25 sold in 2024–25 (2% n  Liquor shop tenders `34,535.5 crore earned increase) were invited in early in 2023–24 from sales, plus Beer 2023–24 by the `264.5 crore from liquor n  prices were hiked towards the end of 2024–25 previous BRS regime shop licence applications `34,600 cr AP’s Banakacherla project illegal: TG VV B a l a k ri s hna @ Hyderabad Telangana Irrigation officials opposed the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla (G-B) scheme by the government of Andhra Pradesh at the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting held here on Monday . Irrigation Secretary Rahul B o j j a , E n g i n e e r- i n - C h i e f G Anil Kumar and Godavari Basin deputy director S Subramanyam Prasad presented strong arguments before the GRMB against AP for taking up the Godavari-Banakacherla project without approvals and for violating Tribunal orders. Telangana has been opposing the project and has written several letters to the Union government expressing concerns over the proposal. However, AP officials stated AP’s Proposals n proposed expansion to AP draw 40,000 cusecs from the Right Main Canal (RMC) head sluice n Improvements planned for the head regulator, off-take regulator, RMC widening, new structures and lining Telangana’s Concerns n opposed the expansion, stating it TG contravenes the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award & affects its riparian rights n Changes in gate operation schedules could cause backwater submergence in upstream areas n Co-riparian states were not informed about the expansion plans in Monday’s meeting that the project was still in the formulation stage and they would share the Detailed Project Report (DPR) once it was prepared. Telangana officials insisted that, before moving to other agenda items, the GRMB should first discuss the G-B link project. They also gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation opposing AP’s project. “As per media reports, the G-B link scheme is a major project proposed by the AP gov- ernment with an estimated cost of `80,112 crore. The plan involves diverting more than 200 tmcft from the Godavari river at Polavaram to Rayalaseema through the Bollapalli reservoir and Banakacherla head regulator. The proposal seeks to interlink the Godavari, Krishna and Penna rivers by expanding the Polavaram Reservoir Head Works against the GWDT Award,” Telangana officials said in their presentation.  continued on P5