kottayam l monday l december 22, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION BJP emerges the largest party in maharashtra local body polls The BJP on Sunday said it won 133 out of 288 nagar parishads in the Maharashtra local body polls, even as the Opposition alleged foul play poor show by Maha vikas Aghadi continues The BJP’s alliance partner Shiv Sena won 46 nagar parishads, while the NCP secured 35. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won just 48, with the Congress accounting for 34 and the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) winning eight and six, respectively. “Grateful to the people of Maharashtra for blessing the BJP and Mahayuti,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X ■ 2-phase BJP leading in 2,801 councillor seats ■ The BJP said its candidates are leading in 2,801 councillor seats with the Election Commission declaring results for 3,935 councillor seats The latest results, coming months after Mahayuti’s decisive victory in the state Assembly elections, will be a further jolt to the Opposition, which has accused the Election Commission of aiding BJP’s win | P8 local body elections in Maharashtra were held on December 2 and 20 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 seeks action on B’desh lynching Suspends visa operations at Chattogram until further notice, says it’s closely monitoring the situation J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Adieu, legend Filmmaker Sathyan Anthikad, a close friend and collaborator, places a pen and a note with the message Ennum Ellavarkkum Nanmakal Mathram Undavate (May only good things happen to everyone, always) on the funeral pyre of Sreenivasan on Sunday. The last rites of the writer-actor-director were performed with full state honours at his residence in Kandanad, Udayamperoor, near Kochi | A Sanesh | P2 HC sets aside Sabarimala airport land acquisition E x p ress N e w s S er v i ce @Kochi/Pathanamthitta The Kerala High Court has nullified key stages of the land acquisition process for the proposed Sabarimala greenfield airport, ruling that the state government failed to determine the minimum extent of land required for the project as mandated by law, and directed the authorities to restart the process after a fresh assessment. On December 30, 2022, the state government issued an order granting sanction for the acquisition of 2,570 acres of land, comprising the Cheruvally Estate and an additional 307 acres located outside it. Justice C Jayachandran, delivering the judgment on a writ petition filed by Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia) and its managing trustee Dr Siny Punnoose, ruled the decisionmaking process under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, was legally flawed. Questioning the land acquisition of 2,570 acres of land, the court also noted that “even for the highest type of aircraft, in an airport contemplating IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operations, the land required in the ideal scenario is 1200 acres.” On the petitioners’ allegation of fraud on power and colourable exercise of authority the court did not give , a final finding. It held that this issue is closely linked to determining the minimum land required and can only be examined after that exercise is properly completed. “It is not ripe for this Court to conclude that the acquisition proceedings are vitiated by fraud on power,” the order read.  ● More on P5 EXPRESS READ Accounts linked to jail DIG got F1.5 cr in last yr T’Puram: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has sought tougher action against prisons DIG M K Vinod Kumar, accused of receiving kickbacks from inmates for facilitating their illegal acts from within prisons. The vigilance report said the accounts of Kumar and his wife received about D1.5 crore in last one year | P5 INDIA on Sunday expressed deep concern over the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh and urged Dhaka to ensure swift justice as escalating unrest prompted New Delhi to suspend visa operations in the port city of Chattogram. Reacting to a question related to the killing of 27-year-old Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it is closely monitoring the situation and has taken up the matter with Bangladeshi authorities. “Our officials remain in touch with Bangladesh authorities and have conveyed to them our strong concerns at the attacks on minorities,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The killing of Das, a garment factory worker, occurred amid widespread violence that erupted after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of last year’s student uprising and a candidate in the February 12 general election. Hadi’s shooting earlier this month sparked protests, vandalism and attacks across several parts of Bangladesh. Das’s father Ravilal Das said his son was beaten, tied to a tree, and set on fire by a mob. Against the backdrop of rising tensions, India has suspended visa operations at the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Chattogram until further notice. The decision follows a security incident involving stone-hurling at the residence of the Assistant High Commissioner of India in the city . “Due to recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the IVAC said. 12 arrested so far With 2 more arrests on Sunday, police have so far detained 12 for the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, media reports said No breach at B’desh HC: MEA Students during a silent protest to condemn the lynching of a Hindu man, at Dhaka University. Inset: Dipu Chandra Das | AFP / x Shell out more for train travel New rural jobs law gets Prez assent from Dec 26; 2nd hike this year e x p ress ne w s ser v i ce @ New Delhi R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi THE Ministry of Railways on Sunday announced its second fare hike this year, expected to generate approximately `600 crore in additional revenue by March 31, 2026. Under the revised structure effective December 26, rail fares will increase by one paisa per km in ordinary class for journeys exceeding 215 km, two paise per km in mail and express non-AC classes, and two paise per km in AC classes. Passengers travelling 500 km in non-AC coaches will pay `10 extra. No increase will apply to suburban services or monthly season tickets. This follows the first hike announced on June 30 and implemented from July 1, which has generated `700 crore so far. The last hike in July came ahead of Bihar elections, while the second hike announced on Sunday comes ahead of As- Passenger 651 cr frequency 553 cr 609 cr 270 cr 99 cr 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 sembly elections in West Bengal. Railway officials justified the fare revision citing rising operational costs. Manpower expenses were `1,15,000 crore, pension costs `60,000 crore, and total operations `2,63,000 crore in 202425. The ministry said the railways is focusing on higher cargo loading alongside fare rationalisation. With a record of 1,617 MT freight till October 2025, the Railways is now the second largest freight network in the world. PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new Act, passed amid fierce Opposition protests, guarantees 125 days of employment annually to rural households—25 days more than MGNREGA. Under a revised cost-sharing formula, states will contribute 40 percent while the Centre bears 60 percent. According to a Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué, the legislation establishes a rural development framework aligned with the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision. The Rural Development Ministry stated it “strengthens income security mod, ernises governance and links wage employment with creation of rural assets”. MEA said on Sunday that reports of security breach at Dhaka’s mission in Delhi are “misleading propaganda”