KOttayAM l thursday l june 12, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION tatkal tickets only for Aadhaar authenticated users from july 1 Only Aadhaar authenticated users will be able to book tickets under Tatkal scheme from July 1 onwards, Railway Ministry said on Wednesday aadhaar-otp needed to book from july 15 agents can’t book for first 30 minutes The ministry informed all zones that the decision was made to ensure that the benefits of the Tatkal Scheme are received by common end -users. Subsequently, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication shall also be made compulsory for Tatkal bookings from July 15, 2025, onwards. Wide publicity will be given to these modifications, the Ministry said ■ ■ Authorized ticketing agents will be restricted from booking Tatkal tickets for AC classes from 10 am to 10.30 am and for non-airconditioned classes from 11 am to 11.30 am, a circular read Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and IRCTC have been directed to make the necessary modifications from July 1 6.6 crore registered users on irctc portal and app as of JUne 11, 2025 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 India hopes for trade fair and square with US Samastha urges govt to roll back new school timings; CM non-committal E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @T’Puram After Trump’s breakthrough deal with China, nation eyeing to wrap 1st phase of deal in July trade, and tariff on agriculture and allied goods. The two teams EVEN as India is racing against reportedly discussed the issue time to clinch a trade deal with of a 50% tariff on steel and aluthe US before expiry of the July minium. India has threatened 9 deadline, when the 90-day ex- retaliatory action against the emption period for implemen- US over doubling tariffs on tation of reciprocal tariff gets steel and aluminium. over, sources say that the first India has so far resisted givphase of the deal would only ing easier access to agriculture address the low-hanging fruits. and dairy imports. But the gov“The trade talks will be in mul- ernment hinted it might relent tiple phases, but the first phase on the issue with the US. should end before July 9,” said A Niti Aayog report recently an anonymous argued that the US government is expected to resource. main a big market With US presifor export of surdent Donald plus food from InTrump announcdia, and all efforts ing a deal with need to be made to highlights China on Wedneskeep a favorable enUS, China finalised a day, India would vironment for extrade deal Wednesday, be in a hurry to ports to the US. The with China agreeing to conclude the first report, while arguphase before July cut export restrictions on ing for protecting rare earth minerals 9. The US has also sensitive products finalized a trade like dairy and poulIndia wants to seal a deal deal with the UK. try makes a case for , with US before reciprocal India was the lowering tariffs on tariffs kick in first country to imports of comstart negotiating modities in which a trade deal with the US. In an India enjoys supply advantage. interview with French newspa- The two countries have also per Le Figaro on Tuesday For- discussed non-tariff barriers , eign Minister S Jaishankar had with the US raising concerns said he is hopeful of reaching over India’s quality control an agreement with US before measures and local procurethe reciprocal tariffs kick in. ment conditions for manufacA US delegation which visit- turing. The US has raked up ed India had a four-day meeting India’s famr subsidy too. with Indian negotiators. The A top commerce ministry ofmeeting ended on Tuesday The ficial told this newspaper that . talks veered from tariff rates, the negotiations are on and it is better market access, digital not fair to divulge details. d i pa k m o n d a l @ New Delhi At ‘confluence’ launch Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan are all smiles as Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama president Sayyid Muhammed Jifri Muthu Koya Thangal welcomes them at the launch of Confluence, a coffee table book brought out by TNIE, at Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday | B P Deepu | P4 Hours after the general education department brought out a revised timetable adding 30 minutes to class timings in state schools, the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to reconsider the move. Samastha president Sayyid Muhammed Jifri Muthu Koya Thangal made the request to the CM while delivering the presidential address at the launch of Confluence, a coffeetable book brought out by The New Indian Express on the history of Samastha, at Mascot hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. “The government should understand the difficulties the move will cause about 12 lakh students in the religious sector. We know the government will act accordingly,” he said, in an apparent reference to madrasa students. He also submitted a memorandum to the CM. However, speaking after releasing the book, the CM chose to be non-committal to the request. Pinarayi said the government has always listened to Samastha’s demands. “He (Thangal) made certain remarks about Samastha’s relevance. All those who live in Kerala know about Samastha and its relevance. Going by Blaze contained, ship to be towed away M a n o j V i s w a n at h a n @Kochi Three days after the blast that triggered a major fire on board Singapore flagged container vessel MV Wan Hai 503, the Coast Guard managed to contain the blaze on Wednesday. Sources said the fire is persisting inside the cargo hold and hoped it will be doused completely on Thursday An Mi hel. icopter of the Indian Air Force will take off from Kozhikode on Thursday morning with fire retardant dry chemical powder to aid the operations. Meanwhile, salvage team members along with the Coast Guard landed on the ill-fated ship with the help of a helicopter and tied a towline. Once the fire is doused, the ship will be towed away to deep sea with the help of a tug, said an officer. The vessel carried 1,754 containers and an unspecified number of those have fallen into the sea. With no informa- A Coast Guard ship engaged in containing the fire on board container vessel MV Wan Hai 503 on Wednesday 143 containers with dangerous cargo Vessel was carrying 1,754 containers 143 of those were carrying dangerous cargo, including flammable liquids and solids No confirmation yet on number of containers that fell into the sea tion on the fate of dangerous cargo, experts said retrieving the containers from the seabed is impossible as the depth is more than 1,000 m. “In a daring operation...a Coast Guard helicopter managed to winch five members of Experts say retrieving the containers from the seabed is impossible as the depth is more than 1,000 m the salvage team and an aircrew diver on the deck of the burning vessel to facilitate the towing process at 3 pm on Thursday. Rough sea conditions are posing a challenge to the fire fighting operations. Containing the fire and tow- ing the vessel to a safer location remain top priority the Coast ,” Guard said in a release. The Director General (DG) Shipping has released the complete cargo manifest of MV Wan Hai 503, confirming that it carried 1,754 containers of which 1,083 were in the cargo hold under deck and 671 on the deck. As per the report, 143 containers carried dangerous cargo, including flammable liquids and solids, substances that can emit flammable gases, and toxic substances. Efforts are on to retrieve and identify any containers lost overboard. “Two Coast Guard vessels are involved in firefighting operations while the other vessels are engaged in border cooling and search for the four missing crew members. The fire on the deck has been contained but dark smoke is billowing from the vessel. There is fire inside the cargo hold,” said an ● More on P4 officer.  Leak in rocket delays Axiom-4 mission launch Questioning in hills: Himalayas facing heat with higher temp prediction Sonam reaches Shillong B o s k y K h a n n a @ Bengaluru A n u r a g S i n g h & P r a s a n ta M a j u m d a r @ Bhopal/Guwahati The Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station, has been postponed again due to a Liquid Oxygen (LOx) leak in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Earlier, bad weather pushed the launch from June 10 to 11. A new launch date is yet to be announced. ISRO, collaborating with NASA, invested `550 crore and assigned Group Captain Shukla as mission pilot, who is the first Indian to pilot a spacecraft. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said, “LOx leakage was detected during the booster’s hot test, and we decided to fix the issue and complete validation before proceeding with the launch.” The crew also includes Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), plus a plush swan toy named Joy . As the special investigation team (SIT) of Meghalaya police probing the May 23 honeymoon killing of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi started quizzing the five arrested accused, including Raja’s wife Sonam, there were a series of unanswered points that seemed to hold the key to investigations. A court in Shillong on Wednesday sent Sonam Raghuvanshi and four others, including prime accused Raj Kushwah, to eight-day police remand. Though there were reports of Sonam confessing to the crime, the Meghalaya Police urged the media to not jump to any conclusion. One unanswered point seems to be Sonam’s trolley bag? “Why was she carrying a trolley bag while going with Raja to the monsoon tourism hotspot Sohra (Cherrapunjee) on a short visit? Have you seen any couple carrying a trolley bag on a short trip riding a scooter?” a source part of the ongoing probe told TNIE. “Where are Sonam’s multiple cell-phones she was carrying during the trip? There were at least two iPhones, one of which seemed to have been destroyed after the alleged murder. All others are switched off. Their data hold the key,” the source added. ing hot tt e 0.5 to 2˚c r te Sonam Raghuvanshi’s brother Govind breaks down while hugging Raja’s mother in Indore on Wednesday | PTI Brace yourself for a more intense monsoon this year as hotter temperatures, heavier rains, and a spike in climaterelated risks are forecast for India and its Himalayan neighbours, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, which includes India, Nepal, Pakistan, and parts of China, may see temperatures climb up to 2ºC above nor mal along with widespread above-average rainfall. ICIMOD utilised data from global and national meteorological agencies to compile its predictions and concluded that it could lead to an increase in heat stress, outbreaks of waterborne diseases like dengue, and a surge in floods, landslides, and glacial hazards. “The forecasts are unani- G J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi The entire Himalayas, from the Hindu Kush, will have more than normal this summer Precipitation pattern It will vary across the ranges with wetter monsoon predicted for Tibetan Plateau, India, Nepal and Pakistan mous in predicting hotter conditions and more rainfall across much of the HKH,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, Senior Advisor at ICIMOD. Floods remain the leading cause of disaster-related deaths in the region, with over 72 percent occurring during the summer monsoon. Perilous outcome Above-normal monsoon precipitations across much of South Asia leaves Himalayas vulnerable to hazards like floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods Meanwhile, water-scarce Afghanistan may receive less rainfall, worsening food and water insecurity. “We need impact-based early warnings and stronger support to prepare for these growing risks,” said Saswata Sanyal, ICIMOD’s Disaster Risk Reduction Manager. 14 vacancies Mounted police to get first batch of trained riders via PSC soon S h a n A S @T’Puram Mounted police unit of Kerala Police | FILE PIC For the first time in its history , the Kerala Police’s mounted wing will be getting a batch of professionally trained horsemen to join its ranks. On June 4, the Public Service Commission (PSC) published the rank list of police constable (mounted police), from which candidates would be appointed within two to three months, sources said. Until now, police officers worked in the wing on deputation. This is the first time direct appointment to Kerala’s lone mounted police — deployed under the Thiruvananthapuram city police — is being done through PSC. The new recruits will undergo nine-month training at the police academy after , which they will be attached with the wing, said a source. A colonial legacy, the unit is primarily used for night patrols, parades and ceremonies. Currently there are 14 vacan, cies in the unit, which will be filled from the rank list featuring 19 names. Two of the aspirants are ex-servicemen, who were granted upper-age relaxation owing to their horse-riding experience in the armed forces. The PSC notification said candidates have minimum oneyear experience in horse-riding from a firm or sports club under the state or Union governments, State Sports Council, or Sports Authority of India. The PSC had issued a notification in September 2023 for 14 vacancies having a pay scale of ● More on P4 `31,100-`66,800.  your own experience, Samastha has not faced any negative experience from the state government. So, let’s go forward like that,” said Pinarayi. As per the revised timetable for Classes VIII to X, classes of high school section will start 15 minutes early at 9.45am and end 15 minutes late at 4.15pm from Mondays to Thursdays. According to the order by the Director of General Education, the new timings are to be followed by all government, aided a n d re c o g n i s e d u n a i d e d schools. This is to ensure 1,100 instructional hours or 220 working days for high school ● More on P4 students.  ‘Divisive’ NSS opposes caste Census, plans to take legal action ABHI L ASH C HANDRAN @Kottayam Asserting that the caste Census announced by the Union government would divide people on the basis of caste and religion, the influential Nair Service Society (NSS) is planning to challenge the move in court. The Centre had on June 4 announced that Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. The first phase will begin on October 1, 2026, and the second on March 1, 2027. On Tuesday, the Karnataka government too announced a fresh caste survey . The NSS’ move is expected to create significant political challenge for the BJP, which has been making all-out efforts to widen its political base in Kerala ahead of the local body elections this year and the assembly elections in 2026. NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair has written to the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, urging them to abandon the caste survey and confine the Census ex, ercise to gathering demographi c d a t a o n t h e n a t i o n’s population. The NSS has adopted an aggressive posture amid widespread criticism of its stand on the issue from various communities and social organisations, including the SNDP . In his letter, Nair said castebased Census contradicts the principles of the Constitution and risks dividing people on the basis of castes and religion. He drew parallels to the British colonial era, recalling the communal Census conducted in 1931, which aimed to separate electorates by segregating the constituencies on the basis of religion. E X P R ESS R EA D Indian detained at US airport to be deported New Delhi: A Haryana native is set to be deported from the US after being detained at Newark Airport, New Jersey, for entering the country illegally without a valid visa, people familiar with the development confirmed on Tuesday. The case gained national attention after a video showed US officials handcuffing the man and pinning him to the ground with his hands and legs tied. P7