BHUBANESWAR  TUESDAY  MAY 27, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION HAMAS AGREES TO U.S. PROPOSAL ON GAZA CEASEFIRE, RELEASE OF HOSTAGES The proposal for a Gaza ceasefire was mooted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Reuters reported quoting a Palestinian official close to the group ISRAEL REJECTS TRUCE PLAN, SAY REPORTS ‘PARTIAL WITHDRAWAL OF ISRAEL FROM GAZA’ Under the new proposal, 10 living hostages will be released in two groups and a 70-day ceasefire will be observed. There was no immediate official comment from Israel, but local media reported that Israel has rejected the proposal outright. “The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,” Times of Israel reported quoting an official ■ ■ ■ “Hamas is setting impossible conditions and an inability to release the hostages,” the official was quoted as saying by Times of Israel According to reports, the formula proposed by the US includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip Israel’s position is that war will end only when Hamas is eradicated 52 PEOPLE WERE REPORTEDLY KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES IN GAZA STRIP ON MONDAY 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 MUMBAI ON ITS KNEES AFTER EARLY MONSOON ONSET S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai MUMBAI Pedestrians wade through an inundated road amid rains, in Mumbai, on Monday | PTI KERALA Acharya Atre Chowk underground metro station inundated due to heavy rainfall on Monday | PTI To avoid protesters, Manipur guv flies 7 km to Raj Bhavan P R A S A N TA M A Z U M D A R @ Guwahati AMID stepped up protests, Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla was forced to travel a distance of barely 7 km in a chopper to go to Raj Bhavan from the Imphal airport on Monday. After he landed in Imphal from Delhi where he attended the Rising Northeast Investors Summit, an army chopper took him to the historic Kangla Fort. From there, he covered the reA K Bhalla maining 300 metres to the Raj Bhavan by road amid heightened security . Hundreds of protesters had formed a human chain on the airport road following a call by a Meitei outfit to hold mass protests against the alleged instruction by security personnel to conceal the words ‘Manipur State Transport’ displayed on a state-run bus in which a media team was travelling recently . TAMIL NADU A rescue official helps residents of Kanjiramattam in Kerala cross a swollen river across a check dam | SHIYAMI Heavy rains trigger mini landslip at Anbu Anna colony near old Manjanakorai in Nilgiris on Monday | EXPRESS Waited for 15 days after Pahalgam to see if Pak acts on terror, says PM Says India’s fight is with cross-border terrorism and its support structures, not Pakistani masses D I L I P S I N G H K S H AT R I YA @ Ahmedabad PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday revealed he waited 15 days after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, hoping Pakistan will go after the assailants. “But it seems it (terrorism) is their bread and butter,” he remarked. Modi said India’s fight is with cross-border terrorism and those who fuel and fund it, and not with the Pakistani masses. He slammed Pakistan’s rulers for turning terrorism into a money spinner, contrasting India’s rise as the world’s fourth-largest economy with Pakistan’s downfall. Calling out the army’s terror links, Modi warned of dark days ahead for Pakistan if its youth don’t break free from this path. His remarks came Foreign Secy to visit US from May 27-29 Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will visit the US from May 27 to 29 for meetings with senior officials of the Trump administration. It is a follow-up to the PM’s trip to the US in February last while launching development projects worth `53,400 crore, highlighting India’s growth amid regional threats. “India’s fight is against terror from across the border, not against the people of Pakistan,” he said while addressing a public rally at Bhuj. “I want to ask the people of Pakistan—what have you gained? Today, India is the world’s fourth-largest economy . Where are you? Who destroyed the future of your children? Who forced you to wander from place to place?” Modi asked. He accused the Pakistani establishment of exploiting terrorism for profit. “The masterminds of terrorism and the people of Pakistan must listen—your government and army are promoting terrorism. For them, terrorism has become a source of income,” the prime minister said. Calling on Pakistan’s citizens to reflect on their nation’s path, he stated, “You must now decide—does this path benefit you? Will the power games your leaders are playing help your children’s future?” Modi also issued a stern warning: “To rid Pakistan of terrorism, its people and youth must rise. Choose a life of peace and prosperity—or else face Modi’s bullet.” EXPRESS READ Majhi invites PM, Shah to 1st anniv of govt Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah to attend the celebrations marking one year completion of the first BJP government in the state | P3 POCSO CASE AGAINST BHUSHAN OFF A Delhi court on Monday accepted police closure report to cancel the sexual harassment case against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan | P7 THE south-west monsoon announced its early arrival in Mumbai on Monday with a bang, throwing normal life out of gear by inundating low areas and disrupting suburban and metro train services. According to the weather department, this is the earliest onset of monsoon in Mumbai in the past 75 years. Officials said the metropolis on Monday experienced the heaviest rainfall in the month of May since 1918, with the Colaba observatory recording rainfall of 295 mm. Apart from Mumbai, heavy rains were reported in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, and Nasik districts of Maharashtra on Monday . Early arrival of the monsoon also disrupted farmers’ harvesting activities. The weather department has predicted more rain in Mumbai over the next 24 hours, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to remain on high alert. Municipal authorities, the fire brigade, police, and other emergency services are on standby, while five NDRF teams have been stationed across the city for any emergency response, the CM’s office said. Family members of Col Sofiya Qureshi shower flower petals on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a Vadodara roadshow | PTI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefs a parliamentary panel, in New Delhi on Monday | PTI Jaishankar clears the air, says Islamabad told 30 mins after op J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday firmly denied allegations that India had warned Pakistan ahead of Operation Sindoor, asserting that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) informed Islamabad only after the air strikes on terrorist camps were completed. In a briefing to a parliamentary panel, Jaishankar clarified the timeline: Pakistan was notified about the strikes on terror camps in the early hours of May 7 — roughly 30 minutes after the operation concluded, he said. The remarks came in response to repeated allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who accused Jaishankar of tipping off Pakistan prior to the strike. The government had earlier dismissed the claim as “misrepresentation of facts”. “The Foreign Secretary was briefed on the 1.30 am operation, which was followed by a Press Information Bureau statement. Thereafter, the DGMO told his counterpart in Pakistan about the operation,” Jaishankar said. Words central to Jagannath temple to be legally protected: SJTA E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Puri/Bhubaneswar THE Jagannath Temple administration has decided to seek legal protection of words central to the 12th century shrine to prevent their misuse by any other temple across the country and abroad. At a high-level meeting of the temple administration, presided by Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb on Monday, it was decided to seek legal and intellectual protection of words like Shree Jagannath Dham, Srimandir, Purushottam Kshetra, Purushottam Dham, Mahaprasad, Srikshetra, Neelachakra and the logo of the shrine. The decision of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to seek legal protection comes in wake of the controversy surrounding the naming of Jagannath temple at West Bengal’s Digha as Jagannath Dham. Chief administrator of the shrine Arabinda Padhee said certain words which are linked to the Srimandir and its various rituals should not be used by any other temple for any purpose. “Hence, we have decided to legally protect these words. Trademarking or copywriting them will be an important move in this direction,” said Padhee. The meeting also took a decision to regulate the height of new buildings coming up around the Srimandir and Gundicha temple to maintain the visual prominence of the two ancient shrines. Not just the height, design of buildings coming up around Srimandir Parikrama and Gundicha temple will also be regulated. The National Monuments Authority (NMA) regulates the height of buildings around prohibited and regulated zones of centrally-protected temples and monuments under the Archaeological Sites and Remains Act to preserve the heritage and visual landscape of the sites. However, an increasing number of tall buildings, both commercial and private, are coming up around the two shrines. “Beyond the Srimandir Parikrama and Gundicha temple, several buildings are coming up in many designs. We will discuss with the local civic bodies and state government to draw up guidelines on construction and height of new buildings near the shrines,” he said. The meeting also deliberated on smooth conduct of Rath Yatra. The temple chief administrator informed that a ‘pahandi’ team for each chariot will be formed by the SJTA. “The number of servitors required for each pahandi will be ascertained after discussions with sevayat nijogs,” he added. Strict action will be taken against non-sevayats found on the three chariots. The meeting also decided to initiate criminal cases against servitors carrying mobile phones on the three chariots, besides seizure of the devices. Close shave for Sourav Ganguly’s brother, sister-in-law as speedboat overturns EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar FORMER BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s brother Snehashish and his wife Arpita had a narrow escape when their speedboat overturned, throwing the couple into the sea off Puri beach on Saturday evening. The Ganguly couple was enjoying water sports when their boat was reportedly hit by a huge tide and overturned. The incident took place near the light house, over 20 metre inside the sea at about 6 pm within Baliapanda police limits. Videos of the cap- sized speedboat that went viral showed lifeguards rushing to rescue the tourists using rubber tubes. Sources said the boat had a carrying capacity of 10 water sport enthusiasts but the operators apparently allowed only three to four people on board. It was also the last boat to go into the sea for the day . Arpita alleged that the boat overturned as it had less number of passengers and the sea was rough. “I have decided to write to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Puri SP requesting them to stop water sports as Puri has a very rough sea,” she told PTI. In deep shock after the incident, Arpita said timely intervention of the lifeguards saved their lives. Sources said the Tourism department provides contracts to private water sports operators after obtaining clearances from various state agencies. “We are verifying whether the operator has licence, was working legally and by following due procedures or not. Further action will be taken accordingly,” said Puri SP, Vinit Agrawal. Puri police have reportedly written to the Tourism depart- ment requesting to share information whether the operator had a licence or not and if they were given permission to carry out water sport activities in the specific area. The department has also been urged to conduct an inquiry to ascertain if the accident was due to rough sea condition, technical glitch or any lapse on part of the operator. Meanwhile, in view of the incident and anticipated bad weather and rough sea condition due to the likelihood of formation of a low pressure area over Bay of Bengal on Tuesday the operator , has suspended all operations. We are verifying whether the operator has licence, was working legally and by following due procedures. Further action will be taken accordingly Vinit Agrawal, Puri SP Snehashish Ganguly and his wife Arpita with the lifeguards at Puri beach | EXPRESS