hyderabad l Monday l October 06, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION S.I.R. ‘Purified’ bihar’s voter list, says chief election commissioner Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has ‘purified’ Bihar’s voter list after 22 years, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Sunday Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar (C) with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi during a meeting in Bihar | PTI 17 initiatives taken in bihar to go pan-india Elections to be completed before nov 22 “The voters list in Bihar has been purified. This cleansing exercise has taken place after a gap of 22 years and will now be carried out across the country,” Kumar told reporters in Bihar. The CEC added that 17 new initiatives are being implemented for the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, which will also be replicated across the country in due course within 15 days of registration, a cap of 1,200 voters per booth, and mandatory VVPAT slip verification in case of mismatch complaints ■ Kumar, who is in Bihar to take stock of poll preparations, said the election process in the state will be completed before November 22 ■ The 17 initiatives include a new SOP to ensure EPIC cards are delivered 100% webcasting at all booths is among the initiatives listed by CEC 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 Ahead of SC hearing on BC quota, Cong honchos huddle E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Rescue operation underway in Darjeeling in West Bengal after a bridge collapsed following heavy rainfall; Nepal Army personnel help survivors in flood-hit Jhapa| PTI Landslides triggered by rain kill 20 in Darjeeling, 51 in eastern Nepal West Bengal’s Mirik bears the brunt; rescue operations on; Modi, Mamata offer condolences E x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ New Delhi AT least 20 people, including children, were killed and several others injured as relentless rain unleashed landslides across the Mirik and Darjeeling hills in West Bengal on Sunday sweeping away homes, sev, ering road links, battering villages, and leaving hundreds of tourists stranded. According to NDRF and the district administration, fatalities were reported from Sarsaly , Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gaon (Mechi), Nagrakata and Mirik Lake area. Mirik was the worst affected, with at least 11 people killed, and seven injured, the NDRF said. In Darjeeling, seven people died due to a massive landslide triggered by heavy rain. Rescue operations are under- IMD issues red alert for more rain in Bengal Damage by rain in Nepal distressing: PM The IMD on Sunday issued a red alert for parts of Darjeeling, Coochbehar and Alipurduar districts, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours, and yellow alert for most places in north Bengal covering other parts of Darjeeling Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the tragic loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal is distressing and asserted that as a friendly neighbour and first responder, India remains committed to providing any kind of assistance that may be required way to evacuate the injured, Darjeeling Sub-Divisional Officer Richard Lepcha said. North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said the situation is “alarming.” “As of now, the death toll is 20. It is likely to go up. I am on my way to the area,” he said in the evening. Hundreds of tourists, who had flocked to the Darjeeling hills to enjoy Durga Puja and post-Puja festivities, have been left stranded as heavy rainfall triggered massive landslides. Many of them, including families and groups from Kolkata and other parts of Bengal, were visiting popular spots such as Mirik, Ghoom, and Lepchajagat when the rains Call on Manipur govt formation likely this week US blanks India, Hikaru causes a stir RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR Hikaru Nakamura celebrated checkmating D Gukesh By throwing one of the Indian’s pieces into the crowd. In the end, a one-off exhibition was comprehensively won by the U.S. team. A look... @ New Delhi THE Centre is expected to take a call this week on government formation in Manipur, which has been under President’s rule since February 13 this year. Several Manipur BJP leaders, including former chief minister N Biren Singh, are currently in Delhi to push for government revival in the ethnic strife-torn state. MLAs H Dingo, Th Robindro, S Ranjan, for mer minister Govindas Konthoujam, and Hill Areas Committee chairman Dinganglung Gangmei are also in the capital. According to sources, the state leaders are scheduled to meet the BJP’s central leadership on Monday . Manipur Gover nor Ajay Bhalla is also reportedly in Delhi, further fuelling speculations of an imminent political development. “The final decision after the meetings with central leaders, Union home minister, and finally the Prime Minister, would be taken in the next few days, perhaps a week or longer,” said a senior BJP leader. A party insider said that since the Assembly remains in suspended animation, there are no major legal obstacles to forming the government. This makes reinstallation of a BJP-led government a more straightforward process if the central leadership gives its approval. The development comes seven months after the imposition of President’s rule following the resignation of Biren Singh on February 9. Since then, no party or coalition has staked a claim to form the government, resulting in the continued imposition of Central rule. lashed the hills since Saturday . Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced compensation for the victims without specifying the amount and the number of deaths. She said she would visit north Bengal on October 6 to assess the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the deaths and said the situation in Darjeeling and surrounding areas is being closely monitored. In neighbouring Nepal, at least 51 people were killed till Sunday morning due to landslides and floods triggered by rain, an official of the Armed Police Force said. A red alert was issued for areas around the Bagmati and East Rapti rivers. domestic flights from Tribhuvan International Airport have been paused. A screengrab of the video shows Hikaru Nakamura throwing Gukesh’s King piece into the crowd after the American’s win | X US 5 - 0 India In front of a live crowd, the US team dominated the Indian outfit, headlined by world champion D Gukesh and women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh. From the get go at Arlington, Texas, the crowd cheered on as the concept of chess as a spectator sport gained more traction. Fabiano Caruana beat Arjun Erigaisi in the first game under quick time control and it was the theme of the evening RESULTS Caruana bt Erigaisi, Carissa bt Divya, Rozman bt Sagar, Nakamura bt Gukesh, Tani bt Ethan Teachers in Nalgonda unite in refusing to obey transfer orders A Se s ha c ha r y u l u @ Nalgonda In what could be described as an unusual show of professional solidarity a large number of , teachers in Nalgonda district have quietly ignored the district collector’s “temporary” transfer orders, which were, at least on paper, meant to improve the quality of education. The orders were a follow-up to the state government’s plan to balance the student– teacher ratio to one teacher for every 30 students in primary schools and no more than a headmaster plus one teacher per subject in high schools. Acting on the state government’s directions, the district collector issued Order No. 4683/ B2/2025 on September 18, trans- ferring 121 Secondary Grade Teachers and School Assistants across various mandals. The teachers were to be relieved the same day and join their new schools “immediately”. That was over a fortnight ago. Many teachers, apparently unmoved by the administrative enthusiasm, are yet to turn up at their new postings. Sources say those sent from towns to remote villages have displayed a particularly deep attachment to their old workplaces. This attachment seems immune even to official reminders. Some teachers have reportedly shown equal resistance to joining schools with large student strength, which the government had hoped to turn into “model” institutions.  continued on p4 Nakamura steals headlines For the last game, Nakamura took centrestage against Gukesh, the teen world champion. After the World No 2 fought past a losing position, he outfought Gukesh before checkmating him. In the end, he threw Gukesh’s king into the crowd before lapping up the cheers Senior leaders of the ruling Congress, including Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, AICC Telangana incharge Meenakshi Natarajan and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, are learnt to have held separate meetings a day before the Supreme Court hears a plea challenging the validity of a GO granting 42% reservation to Backward Classes in local body elections. Later in the day Deputy Chief , Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar left for Delhi to consult legal counsel. TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud told TNIE that the party and the state government had resolved to present a strong case to uphold BC reservations. He added that he too would travel to Delhi to consult legal experts. “The court will give a favourable decision as the Congress government has issued the GO in accordance with all legal provisions,” Mahesh asserted. Sources said senior officials named as respondents in the case have also travelled to Delhi with relevant documents, including the caste survey and the one-man commission report. Senior advocates, including Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek MP govt doc held for cough syrup deaths A nu r aa g s i n g h & K a v i ta Baje l i Datt @ Bhopal/New Delhi India captain Harmanpreet Kaur (R) and her Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana during the toss at Colombo on Sunday | afp Ind-Pak handshake gate spills over to women’s world cup g o me s h s @ Colombo NO customary handshakes, no acknowledgement or conversation while sharing the field. That seems to be the new normal when it comes to India-Pakistan and sports. What started as a one-off gesture at the men’s T20 Asia Cup — the first time two countries met in the sporting field after the Pahalgam terror attack and the cross-border tensions that followed — is now being followed by the Women in Blue at the ICC Cricket World Cup on Sunday . No one went on record and said they would not shake hands with the Pakistan captain or team in as many words in the lead-up to the Pakistan match. No questions were permitted on the eve of the match. However, it was expected as much, especially after the fact that the BCCI had directed them before leaving for Sri Lanka. On a bright, yet cloudy Sunday, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her counterpart Fatima Sana stood side by side at the toss; there were no pleasantries exchanged or handshakes. Drama continued in the second innings when Pakistan’s Muneeba Ali was run out amidst the Indian team’s appeal for an LBW Lat. er, India won the tie by 88 runs. Toss confusion There was confusion after the toss. While it seemed like Sana called tails, the match referee said heads and the toss went in favour of Pakistan, who opted to field. Neither Kaur nor the presenter objected to it, adding to the confusion. There was no official word yet either from the team or the ICC. Six-car pile-up jams traffic on ORR E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Traffic on the Outer Ring Road came to a standstill on Sunday afternoon after a multivehicle pile-up involving at least six cars near Exit 7, close to the Rajendranagar Toll Gate on the Airport to TGPA stretch. Manu Singhvi and Siddhartha Dave, are expected to represent the Telangana government in the apex court. The chief minister is understood to have directed ministers Vikramarka and Prabh a k a r t o e n s u re t h e government’s position is strongly presented before the Court. The petition, filed by Vanga Gopal Reddy chal, lenges GO Ms No. 9 issued by the BC Welfare department, which provides 42% reservation to BCs in local bodies. The petitioner contends that the order breaches the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations and violates Section 285A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act.  continued on p4 The collision occurred when vehicles travelling at high speed rammed into each other in a chain reaction, commonly known as a rear-end collision. Though several cars were damaged, police said there were no serious injuries. Motorists stuck in the ensuing jam complained of delays of over an hour as the access-controlled road remained blocked. The Cyberabad police arrived at the spot, coordinated with the toll staff, and moved the damaged vehicles to the shoulder lanes. Normal traffic flow was restored after the debris was cleared to ensure safe passage for commuters. Following the deaths of 14 children in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, the police have arrested a government doctor who had prescribed the cough syrup suspected to have caused the fatalities. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Madhya Pradesh Police has registered an FIR against paediatrician Dr Pravin Soni and the Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the Coldrif syrup. Dr Soni was arrested late on Saturday night. Of the 10 deaths mentioned in the FIR, in at least nine cases, a combination of medicines, including Coldrif cough syrup, was prescribed by Dr Soni at his private clinic in August and September. Two parents who lost their children told this newspaper that Dr Soni had prescribed a combination of medicines, including the syrup. “The medicines were prescribed by Dr Soni, and his staff asked us to buy from the pharmacy inside his clinic. The medical shop appears to be run by people close to him,” one of them said. Dr Soni who was posted at the Parasia Civil Hospital has been suspended by the state government and attached to the office of regional director (health services) in Jabalpur. Both Dr Soni and Sresan Phar maceutical have been charged under sections 276 (adulteration of drugs) and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Meanwhile, in the wake of the cough syrup deaths, the Union health ministry on Sunday held a high-level meeting with states and Union Territories. Discussions were held on ensuring compliance with statutory quality standards in drug manufacturing, the rational use of cough syrups, especially among children, and strengthening the regulation of retail pharmacies. Telangana DCA issues alert on cough syrup The cars involved in the rear-end collision on the ORR on Sunday The Drugs Control Administration (DCA) of Telangana has issued an advisory, directing people to immediately stop using a specific batch of Coldrif Syrup following reports of child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. | p2