COIMBATORE l thursday l july 10, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE city EDITION India buoyed by Bumrah’s inclusion in third Test India, after a pulsating win in the second Test, are high on confidence and are buoyed by the inclusion of pacer Jasprit Bumrah at Lord’s Archer recalled, Gill form key for visitors The hosts, as is customary these days, named the XI for the Lord’s game. They opted to recall Jofra Archer, whose last Test was in 2021. For India, Shubman Gill is the star performer so far. With three 100s in four outings to the crease, he has compiled over 570 runs. If he continues the dream run, India will have a good chance to make further inroads into a fragile England bowling unit lord’s Pitch could have more life in it ■ ■ The first two Tests have not had a lot in it for the seamers but the strip at Lord’s may assist seamers. The wicket did sport some live grass on it a day before the game An unusually dry start to the summer is set to continue this week as well with temperatures set to hit 30°C | More on p11 Three matches India have won at Lord’s so far out of the 19 played 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 Moving cars, trucks plunge into river on day of accidents 11 dead as 40-yr-old Guj bridge collapses D I L I P S I N G H KSHAT R I YA @ Ahmedabad AT least 11 people were killed and five others injured when their vehicles plunged into the Mahisagar River after a dilapidated-but-operational 40-yearold Gambhira Bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district on Wednesday morning. Visuals from the site showed that a big chunk of the slab between two piers gave way caus, ing a number of vehicles including trucks to plunge into the river. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel directed an immediate investigation into the bridge collapse. The Gambhira Bridge at Mujpur in Padra taluka was a critical lifeline linking central Guj a r at t o S a u r a s h t r a a n d connecting key regions including Vadodara, Anand, Bharuch, and Ankleshwar. The tragedy has reignited concerns over administrative negligence with the Opposition slamming the state government for ignoring warnings. Built in 1985, the bridge had long shown signs of deterioration. Among those killed are three from a family—Ramesh Padhiyar, Vedika Padhiyar, and Naitaik Padhiyar—hailing from Dariyapura village. “I was in the pickup van when the bridge suddenly collapsed. The driver shouted ‘get down’ and we jumped just in time,” said Razakbhai from Borsad, who survived. Ashok Chavda, who lives near the bridge, said he and others rescued four persons. Eyewitness Rajubhai Athiya from Dwarka said, “Two or three trucks were on the bridge. I somehow swam to safety, but my colleague is still missing.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed deep sorrow over the incident. The PMO has announced ex gratia of `2 lakh each for the next of kin of each deceased. A day before the Supreme Court is slated to hear a batch of petitions challenging the special poll roll revision in Bihar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was trying to replicate the Maharashtra model in Bihar by tampering with the electoral rolls ahead of the assembly polls due in October-November. Addressing workers of the opposition INDIA bloc near the Vidhan Sabha gate here on Wednesday, Rahul warned the ECI that it would face legal consequences if it attempted to repeat the ‘Maharashtra episode’ in Bihar. He said though the ECI had wide powers, it was not above the law. Accompanied by INDIA bloc leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, CPI (ML)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI’s D Raja, CPI (M)’s M A Baby and VIP’s Mukesh Sahani, Rahul participated in a chakka jam agitation against Jaguar on training mission crashes in Raj, two IAF pilots killed Bridge won’t last: Official said in 2022 R A J ESH ASNAN I @ Jaipur In an video clip that has now gone viral, a Gujarat Roads & Buildings Dept officer tells social activist Lakhan Darbar and the Gambhira Bridge was structurally weak and “would not last long” | P10 Failure of govt, says Gujarat Congress The Congress termed the tragedy a failure of governance. “Gujarat has several old, damaged bridges. But the state government is not taking any concrete steps,” said Congress MLA Amit Chavda Five vehicles plunge into river Five vehicles—two trucks, two vans and an autorickshaw—fell into the river after the portion of the bridge collapsed on Wednesday morning, Vadodara Collector Anil Dhameliya said Smoke billows out after IAF’s Jaguar fighter jet crashed near Churu in Rajasthan on Wedensday | pti Rescue operation underway after Gambhira Bridge collapsed on. Inset: A truck stranded on a dislocated slab | pti TN train crash: rly staff failed to shut gate at level crossing B A n b u s e lv a n @ Chennai A section of railway staff, who appeared before the inquiry panel led by Senior Divisional Safety Officer (SDSO) of the Tiruchy Railway Division on Wednesday informed the com, mittee that the level crossing (LC) gate at Semmankuppam, located between Cuddalore Port and Alapakkam stations, was not closed by the gatekeeper at the time of the accident on Tuesday in which three schoolchildren died. This lapse led to the Villupuram-Mayiladuthurai passenger train hitting the school van carrying four children at the crossing, resulting in the three deaths and injuries to one more student, van driver, and a local resident who rushed to help the victims. TNIE has learnt that the SDSO-headed panel was informed during the inquiry that gatekeeper Pankaj Shar- Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Attacked the ruling alliance, Rahul said, “In Maharashtra, the mandate was stolen, now in Bihar, the target is the right to vote — a new method to deprive the poor of their right to franchise. We will expose these antiConstitutional forces.” He blamed the alleged manipulation of the voter list for the landslide victory of the BJP-led coalition in Maharashtra. “INDIA bloc got the majority in the Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra, but after a few months in the assembly election, the bloc suffered a defeat. When we analysed the outcome, we found that one crore additional voters were added to the rolls in the assembly election,” he alleged. Tejashwi echoed Rahul, saying, “The Election Commission of India has become a puppet of the BJP. With the Election Commission’s support, the BJP government will first cut the votes of the poor and then end their ration, pension and quota.” ma exchanged a two-digit ‘private number (PN)’ with the Station Master (SM) of Alapakkam — an essential safety protocol followed at non-interlocked LCs to ensure that the gate has in fact been closed — without actually closing it. A total of 13 persons — including the station masters of Cuddalore Port and Alapakkam, the passenger train’s loco pilot and goods guard, two senior section engineers (permanent way), two chief loco inspectors and traffic inspector — were summoned for questioning at the Tiruchy divisional office. P5 tHIRD jaguar mishap in 2025 Wednesday’s was the third incident involving Jaguar aircraft. On March 7, a Jaguar fighter jet crashed following a system malfunction shortly after taking off from Ambala. The pilot ejected. On April 2, another jet crashed at Jamnagar, killing one pilot France, UK RETIRED Jaguars LONG BACK Jaguar is a British-French fighter aircraft. India started inducting the jet in the late 1970s. The French Air Force flew the jet until July 2005, while the British Royal Air Force used it till the end of April 2007. The Indian Air Force still flies the fighter jet A Jaguar trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed during a routine sortie near Bhanuda village in Rajasthan’s Churu district on Wednesday, marking the third Jaguar crash in the last five months and raising fresh concerns over the ageing fleet and recurring technical failures. According to preliminary information, the Jaguar had taken off from the Suratgarh Airbase in Sri Ganganagar and was on a training mission. Sources said a technical malfunction appeared to have prevented the pilot and co-pilot from ejecting out of the jet. While the exact reason is yet to be officially determined, initial reports indicate a likely technical fault as the cause of the crash. Officials said more details will be shared after a thorough investigation. The IAF said a court of inquiry has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the accident. “An IAF Jaguar trainer aircraft met with an accident during a routine training mission and crashed near Churu in Rajasthan today. Both pilots sustained fatal injuries in the accident. No damage to any civil property has been reported,” its statement read. Churu SP Jay Yadav said the aircraft went down in Bhanuda village under the jurisdiction of Rajaldesar police station. “Two bodies, badly mutilated, have been recovered from the wreckage,” he said. The loud crash triggered panic in Bhanuda and nearby villages. Local authorities rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area, and asked residents not to approach the crash site to ensure smooth rescue and investigation operations. Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet designed for lowaltitude ground attack and maritime strike missions and was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1979. 2 years after withdrawal of general consent, CBI cases in TN down 50% Day before SC hearing, Rahul sees ECI’s bid for ‘Maha rerun’ in Bihar R a m a s h a n k a r @ Patna key link between Central Guj, Saurashtra cut off Si d d h a r t h Pr a b h a k a r @ Chennai Uproar over assault by shinde sena’s MLA The Maharashtra legislative council witnessed uproar over Shinde Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad assaulting canteen staffers for serving stale food | P8 Two years after the Tamil Nadu government withdrew its general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the number of cases registered by the agency in the state has reduced by more than half, as per official data. General consent refers to the broad authorisation given by a state government to the CBI to probe cases within its territory without requiring specific permission for each case. According to the data, CBI’s four investigative units in TN, some with additional jurisdiction over Puducherry had reg, istered more than 50 cases every year since 2020-21. The 58 cases registered in 202223 were the highest since 2017-2018 when the agency started uploading all its FIRs on its website. The number, however, drastically reduced to just 23 in 2023-24 coinciding with the withdrawal of the general consent by TN in June 2023. The number went up marginally to 31 in 2024-25. While CBI did not respond to an official email seeking response for the drop in numbers, a senior state official said that TN has not denied consent to CBI even for a single case, at least in the past year. Once a state government withdraws its general consent, CBI can register cases only after obtaining consent from the state on a case-bycase basis or if directions are issued by high courts or the Supreme Court to the agency to probe a case.  P5 parandur In first deal, 17.52 acres of land bought for airport S V K R I SHNA CHA I TANYA @ Chennai The acquisition of the first batch of land parcels for the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur has been completed. A total of 19 landowners, who government officials said included eight locals and 11 non-locals from five villages, transferred 17.52 acres of their land to the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) on Wednesday . At a direct negotiation meeting chaired by the Kancheepuram District Collector, a total compensation of `9.22 crore was credited to the owners’ bank accounts for transferring the land. The move comes days after the Tamil Nadu government notified the compensation package for acquiring land for Chennai’s second airport. The state has approved rates varying from `35 lakh to `2.58 crore per acre based on Guideline Value (GLV), prevailing market rate, and private negotiation with landowners. A total of 3,774.1 acres of patta land and 1,972.17 acres of government land are set to be acquired for the project.  P5 express read NGT forms 2 panels to audit TN cracker units Chennai: To end the recurring explosions at firecracker units, the NGT has constituted two committees to inspect all such units in Tamil Nadu to check for operational violations and compliance with various protocols. The teams have been directed to submit their reports within 10 days | P4 Don’t follow Godse’s supporters, says CM Chennai: Exhorting students to follow ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Periyar, Stalin on Wednesday warned them not to follow Godse’s supporters. “Education is a permanent asset and if TN comes together no one can trounce it,” he said | P4 Remove lewd videos of lawyer in 48 hours: HC Chennai: The Madras HC on Wednesday asked the centre to “detect and remove” within 48 hours the surreptitiously recorded, intimate videos of a woman lawyer shared online, and submit a plan of action to address issues faced by women in such cases across India | P2 Pegged to inflation Ugly side of big, beautiful Act: US visa fee to take 2.5X hike J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The United States has introduced a new $250 “Visa Integrity Fee” for non-immigrant visa applicants under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, effective from fiscal year 2026. It applies to nearly all non-immigrant visa categories, including B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), F and M (students), H-1B (workers), and J (exchange visitors). Only diplomatic applicants in categories A and G are exempt. Described in the legislation as a recurring surcharge, the amount is indexed to inflation and will adjust annually based on the Consumer Price Index. “During fiscal year 2026, and during each subsequent fiscal year, the amount… shall be equal to the sum of… the most recently concluded fiscal year [amount] and… the percent- age… by which the Consumer Price Index… exceeds [that of] the preceding calendar year.” While the fee may be refund- ed, reimbursement is conditional. Applicants must demonstrate lawful compliance with visa conditions and provide sufficient documentation such as timely departure. In addition, the bill introduces a suite of non-waivable travel-related surcharges. These include a $24 I-94 fee, a $13 Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee for Visa Waiver Program travelers, and a $30 Electronic Visa Update System fee for Chinese nationals with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas. This will make the visa fees go up. For example, a US tourist or business visa (B-1/B-2) for Indian nationals costs around $185. With the new surcharges—$250 Visa Integrity Fee, $24 I-94 fee, and $13 ESTA fee, the total cost is projected to rise to $472, nearly 2.5 times the current amount.