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 ■ ■ HYDERABAD l tuesday l november 25, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE CITY EDITION Dharmendra: 8 December 1935 - 24 November 2025 A life lived king-size N a m r ata J o s h i @ Mumbai D harmendra made a soft landing in Hindi cinema singing Mukesh’s “Mujhko is raat ki tanhai mein awaaz na do” in Arjun Hingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), a sad, star-crossed love story about the poor and disempowered in Mumbai, who are unabl e t o r i s e ab ove t h e i r circumstances. The film also showcased a facet of Dharmendra’s personality that he came to be identified with for the rest of his life—his unquestionable handsomeness. The audience could not take its eyes off the chaste good looks and trim body he sported as a young street salesman-turned-boxer. A few years down the line, the screen caught fire, metaphorically in O P Ral, han’s Phool Aur Patthar (1966) when Garam-Dharam, as he later came to be called, loomed over a sleeping Meena Kumari and took his shirt off to thoughtfully shield her from the cold. At a time when fitness was not quite the characteristic of a Hindi film hero, Dharmendra rang in a new paradigm of robustness. A legacy carried forward by the likes of Vinod Khanna and Salman Khan, and practically every single contemporary male star. However, there has been a significant difference: Dharmendra’s was not about sculpted, gym-toned, six-pack abs but a rugged, healthy male ideal. His mascu- linity before getting taken over by the action and stunts and loudness in the 80s was also underlined with a quiet tenderness, overwhelming romance and playful humour. Dharmendra remained impervious to the superstardom of his contemporaries, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, but didn’t get celebrated as much for his own. Despite the diversity of roles in over 300 films and 65 years in the film industry dotted with innu, merable hits, being the He-Man ended up defining Dharmendra and confining him as well. But for every action entertainer like Raj Khosla’s Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), and Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), there was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s hilarious Chupke Chupke, and the same filmmaker’s poignant Satyakam. And of course, there was Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Through the 80s, 90s and 2000s, his career began sliding, and his own children and nephew—Sunny, Bobby, Esha and Abhay Deol—took to showbiz. He later retired to his farmhouse in Lonavala. It took Sriram Raghavan to celebrate the Garam-Dharam magic in Johnny Gaddar (2007). And, ironically it’s Raghavan’s , Ikkis, a few weeks away from release, that’d perhaps be his last, and posthumous, performance. From a mar tyr in Haqeeqat to the father of one in the Raghavan film, hopefully it , would be the fitting finale for the multi-layered person and actor Dharmendra was.  P8 He was iconic, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role. The manner in which he played diverse roles struck a chord with people — Narendra Modi, prime minister He never forgot his roots. He was a man of the earth and he remained very close to his real self... I didn’t see any change in him with stardom and popularity — Sharmila Tagore, actor Farewell, my friend. I will always remember your golden heart and the moments we shared. Rest in peace, Dharam ji — Rajinikanth, actor Halt ops, give us Hyd envisioned as ‘Midnight Metropolis’ Hyderabad as a 24x7 city 3-mth window: Maoists to govt M a n d a R a v i n d e r Re d d y @ Hyderabad 53 CJI rd On his first day as CJI, Justice Surya Kant set a new norm on mentioning cases for urgent listing, saying they must be made in writing. Oral requests only under extraordinary circumstances Page 7 Bulk of household spending goes to durables: Study DIPA K MO N DA L @ New Delhi THE consumption pattern of Indian households has changed dramatically over the past decade with the share of monthly per capita expenditure on food falling below 50% for the first time and a larger portion going to nonfood items such as durable goods, a new study reveals. The study compares data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys of 2011-12 and 2023-24, household spending is shifting from basic necessities to asset-building items such as domestic appliances. The findings are part of a working paper released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. The paper says the gap in asset ownership between the bottom 40% (B40) and the top 20% (T20) of households is narrowing. M o b i l e p h o n e s h ave emerged as the primary medium for information, entertainment and communication, with near-universal ownership across both urban and rural areas and all consumption groups. Among B40 rural households, mobile phone ownership rose from 66.5% in 2011-12 to 94.3% in 2023-24, it noted. Television ownership in rural areas, too, increased from 49.6% recorded in the 2011-12 survey to 61.1% in 2023-24. Letter to CMs of MP, Maha and Chhattisgarh seeks time for collective call on surrender E J A Z K AIS E R @ Raipur THE Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zonal Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has sought time until February 15, 2026, to arrive at a collective decision on surrendering arms and accepting the government’s rehabilitation package. The MMC committee operates in the dense tri-junction forest region of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — a strategically vital corridor used by Maoist cadres to move between different areas of the Dandakaranya Special Zone. In a signed press release issued in the name of Anant, spokesperson of the MMC Special Zonal Committee, the outfit addressed Chief Ministers of the three states — Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh) and M o h a n Ya d av ( M a d h y a Pradesh) — requesting a halt to anti-Maoist operations. The letter released to the media claimed that the proposal has the approval of Politburo member Sonu Dada and Central Committee members Satish and Chandranna, all of whom have reportedly renounced armed struggle and surrendered. Acknowledging the lack of Request to convey message on radio Maoist leader Anant requested that his message be run on radio to ensure it reaches cadres soon. “Allow us to meet representatives and journalists, so that we can declare a date on laying down arms,” he said secure and rapid communication channels within the underground network, the statement said: “Since we do not have a fast mechanism to contact one another, the requested period till February 15, 2026, is required. This is well within the March 31, 2026, deadline set by the government.” Reacting to the development, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police P Sundarraj said, “The remaining Maoist cadres and their depleted leadership now have no option except to shun violence and join the social mainstream. Such a press note has emerged when the organisation has crumbled... They are now leaderless, directionless and demoralised. As per directives of governments and desire of the native population, troops are committed to bring an end to the left-wing extremism as early as possible.” The state government plans to position Hyderabad as a “Midnight Metropolis” by 2047, by allowing businesses to operate round the clock. The proposal forms part of the Telangana Rising Vision Document, set for release on December 9. The final draft promises a shift from permission-based controls to a model described as “freedom-based governance”. Under this system, businesses operating responsibly would not require new licences, NOCs or permits to function 24x7. The final draft notes: “By 2047, Hyderabad will stand as South Asia’s night-time capital — a free, open, human-scale 24x7 global city where culture, Major proposals for IT sector n Decentralising IT growth to Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam n Launching a platform for Telugu NRIs to co-invest in T-Hub and incubated startups through matched-funding models n Starting a T-Ambassador Fellowship for Telangana founders or their nominees to work in global innovation hubs, while international founders are hosted in the state n Creating a joint export facilitation and market intelligence platform to help SMEs access ASEAN, European and African markets n Opening T-Hub extensions in Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv and Singapore to link Telangana startups with global partners and investors enterprise and innovation continue through the night, supported by inclusive mobility and urban design.” The draft proposes the creation of a “Night Commission- Economic Projections n Nominal GSDP: $1.21 tn by ’46-47 n capita GSDP: $28,800 Per n Average real GDP growth n (2025-30) 8% n (2031-39) 7% n (2041-47) 5.3% er”, a single coordinating office for safety sanitation and mobil, ity to provide quicker decisions and clearer accountability . Municipal authorities would identify Night Time Economy India went from 95/1 to 105/5, losing four wickets for ten runs. This is the worst collapse for these wickets for India at home since 1984 jansen-sational spell Marco Jansen (C) took six wickets to help South Africa gain a massive 288-run lead against India in the 2nd and final Test | pti | P11 n Integrated safety programme n Expanded pink patrols n lighting and AI surveillance Smart n Gender-friendly infrastructure Mobility Night shuttles Metro, RTC and private e-mobility services extended till 2 am Upgrades to roads, parking and waste systems zones in Gachibowli, Madhapur, Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Tank Bund, the Old City RGIA , area and the Financial District before a phased citywide expansion.  Continued on P4 GP POLLS NOTIFICATION IN NEXT 2-3 DAYS says Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy after launching various developmental works in Kodangal | P4 E x p r e s s Re a d Aim is to triple our space presence: ISRO chairman Hyderabad: Stating that ISRO plans to triple its space presence from the existing 57 satellites, the space organisation chairman V Narayanan said on Monday that focus currently is on the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission | P5 Level up: PMO to babus on cabinet notes Kokapet plot fetches s u m i t k u m a r s i n g h @ New Delhi onus on pulling together in same direction IN a sharp message to the bureaucracy the Prime Minister’s , Office (PMO) has ordered all ministries to stop working in silos, drop blame games and prepare only “high quality” cabinet notes that match Indian policies and projects with global standards. The strongly worded directive, issued last week, asks secretaries to shed “routine bureaucratic mindset” and focus on “value addition” while drafting or commenting on cabinet notes — proposals which ministers submit before the government for approval on major policy decisions. A senior officer said that currently each secretary optimises for his/her own ministry’s interest rather than the country’s interest. When a major infrastructure project involves five ministries, the Prime Minister often gets five different agendas that pull in different directions. “This needs to end at the outset,” the officer told this newspaper E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Year Traps DPA Other Total 2020 61 9 14 84 2021 74 2 7 83 2022 72 18 17 107 2023 73 6 8 87 2024 129 11 12 152 2025 (till 86 8 14 108 July 10) Safety Measures 10 The PMO made it clear that these instructions reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal views and must be strictly followed by all. “Finalisation of cabinet notes should be monitored regularly to avoid delays. Ministries must focus on value addition rather than routine comments,” the note reads. It emphasises early inter-ministerial consultations and, if re- quired, face-to-face meetings to iron out differences instead of letting files gather dust in endless back-and-forth. The PMO said: “Proposals submitted to Cabinet Committees relating to various projects/ schemes/programmes and policies should, wherever possible, incorporate details of benchmarking with global standards with respect to that proposal.” T he PMO also war ned against the tendency to push files with narrow departmental views, and to keep in mind public interest while conceptualising a policy proposal. “Departments should not focus only on their limited turf but look at the larger national perspective,” it stated.To ensure speed and quality, the finalisation of every cabinet note will now be tracked closely Ministries have been told to . incorporate global benchmarking so that India’s policies match the best in the world. Officials say repeated logjams and inter-ministry turf wars in recent months have prompted the tough directive from the PMO. ACB’s traps work, but govt sanction delayed is justice denied Cases booked in last five years Governance n Commissioner to coordinate Night safety, sanitation and mobility n for new licences or NOCs for Need 24x7 operations to be removed The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been quite actively in the past few years, often registering two or three trap cases in a single day but a large share of , its work is losing momentum once files reach the sanction stage, according to the Forum for Good Governance (FGG). An RTI query filed by the forum revealed that the last five years have produced a steady rise in ACB action, with 621 cases booked. Yet an analysis shows that the real bottleneck is not investigation but the point where the state government must decide whether officials can be prosecuted. Out of 519 cases in which inquiries were completed, most remain in limbo, waiting for this approval. The FGG said trials move slowly even when sanction is granted. A routine trap case often takes close to a decade to reach judgment. Some files have remained open for 15 years, allowing officials to retire without a verdict. The forum argued that this prolonged cycle has eroded fear of punitive action. It said employees “are not bothered about ACB cases” because the system shields officials instead of pushing cases to their logical end. Earlier pleas to the chief minister and chief secretary on the rising pendency, it said, did not result in action. FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy has appealed to the CM to step in, warning that unchecked delays are affecting citizens and undermining confidence in the administration. He also sought clear instructions to speed up sanction and ensure ACB cases reach court without extended pauses. `137.25 crore per acre S B a c h a n J ee t S i n g h @ Hyderabad The Neopolis Layout in Kokapet continued to shatter records in Hyderabad’s real estate market, with two large parcels securing prices in e-auction that underline the area’s growing pull among developers. The first round of e-auction generated more than `1,356 crore for the Telangana government from just two plots measuring a combined 9.9 acres (5.31 acres and 4.59 acres). Plot 18, covering 5.31 acres in Survey Nos. 239 and 240, fetched `137.25 crore per acre from MSN Urban Ventures LLP This apart, Plot 17, . measuring 4.59 acres in the same survey numbers, went for `136.5 crore per acre to Vajra Housing Projects LLP . Both bids comfortably exceeded the HMDA’s upset price of `99 crore per acre in one of the strongest auction outcomes seen in Kokapet so far. Officials said the competitive bidding reflected consistent investor interest in Neopolis, which has been drawing attention since the auction notification and pre-bid meetings earlier this month. HMDA is auctioning six Ne- opolis parcels spread across 27 acres in phases. Monday’s auction covered the two largest plots. Two more parcels measuring 4.03 and 5.03 acres will be auctioned on November 28, 2025, followed by another two plots (4 and 4.04 acres) on December 3, 2025 between 11 am and 2 pm. The Golden Mile layout plot at Kokapet (1.98 acres) will be auctioned on December 5, 2025 between 11 am and 2 pm, after which the Moosapet parcels in Kukatpally (14.66 acres) will be auctioned from 3 pm to 6 pm the same day . Upset prices have been fixed at `99 crore per acre for Neopolis, `75 crore per acre for Moosapet and `70 crore per acre for Golden Mile. Last month, TGIIC secured `177 crore per acre at Raidurg in Hyderabad Knowledge City, raising `1,357.59 crore. In August 2023, a Neopolis plot measuring 3.6 acres sold for `100.75 crore per acre in an HMDA auction. HMDA officials told TNIE that Neopolis has been developed as a planned urban zone with housing, commercial buildings, shopping areas and offices.