MADURAI  MONDAY  AUGUST 24, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION SPURT IN SWINE FLU CASES NOT DUE TO NEW STRAIN, SAYS ICMR No new strain of H1N1 has been identified and there is no cause for panic, sources at the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Sunday DELHI GOVT ISSUES HEALTH ADVISORY The clarification comes amid an increase in swine flu cases in Delhi and other parts of the country. The Delhi government has issued a health advisory urging people to follow respiratory hygiene, avoid crowded places and seek timely medical advice. The national capital has recorded over 2,300 Influenza-A cases this year, including over 1,777 H1N1 cases till Friday ■ 114 CURRENT VACCINES OFFER GOOD PROTECTION ■ The strains currently circulating are “well matched with the vaccine strains recommended for the Northern Hemisphere”, ICMR sources said Seasonal influenza, including H1N1, is mostly self-limiting. However, young children, elderly persons and individuals with underlying medical conditions may be at greater risk of complications H1N1 CASES REPORTED IN DELHI ON AUG 20, ONE OF THE HIGHEST IN A SINGLE DAY 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 Doval heads to Beijing ahead of Xi’s India visit NSA to reach China on Monday to take part in crucial border talks J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi NATIONAL Security Advisor Ajit Doval is set to travel to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday for the 25th round of talks between India and China’s Special Representatives on the boundary question, ahead of a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Delhi next month for the BRICS summit and bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines. Doval, India’s Special Representative for the boundary negotiations, is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Tuesday. Beyond the long-running border issue the talks are expected to take stock of the broader bilateral relationship, the efforts by both sides to stabilise ties and the likely visit of Xi to India next month. The timing is significant. Doval’s Beijing visit EXPRESS READ TN begins eviction process in MTR Theni: TN government has commenced the process of evicting encroachers from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve area, with Theni collector issuing an order forming a team to hold a survey and demarcate forest boundaries | P2 Ex-captains call for Imran’s treatment New Delhi: Over 20 former cricket captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar, have written to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for proper medical treatment to jailed former Pak PM and cricketer Imran Khan MV Ocean Winner remains untraceable Bhubaneswar: The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have stepped up search for the Panama-flagged cargo ship MV Ocean Winner, which is feared to have sunk off Paradip coast. Two crew members were rescued from life rafts on Saturday Boundary question Doval’s meetings with Wang will help advance dialogue on the unresolved boundary question and create the political space for a broader reset ahead of the BRICS summit. Both countries have set in motion a series of measures to rebuild trust, which includes improving connectivity, people to people ties and other measures comes just weeks before India hosts the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. While Beijing and New Delhi have not officially confirmed Xi’s participation, officials are hopeful that the Chinese president will at t e n d t h e m e e t , which will provide an opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Modi, possibly on the day of Xi’s arrival for the BRICS summit itself. This would be Xi’s first trip to India in seven years and would carry considerable diplomatic weight following years of strained ties after the 2020 military confrontation in eastern Ladakh and amidst efforts to normalise and stabilise the relationship between the two neighbours. The Special Representatives’ mechanism was established in 2003 to pursue a political framework for resolving the boundary dispute along the approximately 3,488-km India-China border. Several rounds of talks have yet to produce a final settlement, but the mechanism remains an important channel for managing one of the most sensitive aspects of the relationship. The discussions are particularly relevant as both countries seek to consolidate the easing of tensions along the Line of Actual Control and restore broader engagement. Progress on the border, however, remains central to any sustained improvement in ties. PADI-THIRUNINRAVUR STRETCH Elevated road to shorten Tirupati trip by 90 mins B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai TRAVEL time to Tirupati from Chennai (Padi flyover) could be halved to just 90 minutes if the Tamil Nadu government’s plan to build a four/six-lane elevated corridor along the congested PadiThirunindravur stretch of the Chennai-Tiruvallur Highway comes to fruition. Nearly 13 years since roadwidening plans on the section were abandoned, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjun recently announced the project in the Assembly When . completed, the roadway which , would become the longest elevated corridor in the state, is expected to slash travel time across the 22-kilometre stretch from 90 minutes to 25 minutes and, to Tirupati by half the three hours it takes now. Although the road forms part of the Chennai-Tirupati National Highway, the PadiThirunindravur stretch was handed over to the state gover nment by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2012, following stiff opposition from local traders to the six-laning works and the resulting land acquisition. Congress smells special session plot Smriti’s poser to Rahul P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi THE delay in the formal closure of Parliament’s Monsoon Session set off fresh speculation on Sunday that the government may be keeping the door open for a special sitting to push through the Constitution amendment linked to delimitation and women’s reservation bill. The Congress pointed out that though the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die on August 13, the Presidential notification proroguing the two Houses has not been issued yet. Questioning the 10-day delay Congress general secretary , Jairam Ramesh said that pro- Former Union minister and BJP’s national general secretary Smriti Irani on Sunday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to back his recent statements with action. She asked if Rahul Gandhi could translate his support for women by backing the implementation of the women’s reservation Bill rogation ordinarily follows within two to four days of a House being adjourned sine die. In several instances, he said, the formal termination of a session has come on the day of adjournment itself. “What explains the abnormal delay now? Is the Union Home Minister still in search of his tainted 2/3rd majority to get the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Delimitation passed in a special session?” he wrote on X. “It is true that the gap for the Monsoon session in 2015 was 28 days and in 2021 it was 20 days. But there were no diabolical moves afoot then.” JeM’s Bahawalpur HQ, destroyed in Op-Sindoor, rebuilt after 15 months M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi THE Jaish-e-Mohammed’s key base, Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, has been substantially rebuilt 15 months after it was destroyed in India’s Operation Sindoor, intelligence sources here said on Sunday . The sources said the Pakistan government, allegedly with ISI assistance, provided Rs 25 crore in instalments for reconstructing the JeM facility of which around Rs 11 crore , was spent for restoring the central hall. “The renovated hall has undergone major refurbishment. Walls have been freshly plastered and painted, new marble flooring installed, and the premises thoroughly cleaned. The restoration suggests the facility is again being prepared for regular activity,” a source said. Institutional support The reconstruction at Bahawalpur has renewed concerns in India over the restoration of terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan despite the military action carried out during Operation Sindoor. Intelligence officials view this as institutional support for JeM According to intelligence officials, signs of reconstruction emerged in early 2026, when heavy machinery bricks, steel , and other material were reportedly moved to the site. Work progressed rapidly, and by later in the year the complex had regained the look of an operational facility . Also known as the Jamia Subhan Allah complex, the site lies along Pakistan’s N-5 National Highway in Bahawalpur, southern Punjab, and has long been an important ideological and training centre for JeM. Bahawalpur was among the sites targeted during Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, Indian forces struck nine locations in Pakistan and PoK identified as terror infrastructure. JeM chief Masood Azhar had claimed 10 family members, including his sister and five children, and four associates were killed at the facility . Azhar, arrested in India in 1994 and freed in 1999 during the IC-814 hijacking, has since been linked to the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot, and 2019 Pulwama attacks, and is wanted for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan denies knowledge of his whereabouts. Vehicles plying on the stretch, where the project is planned | MARTIN LOUIS Gridlock at junctions The existing four-lane road, which carries 1.5 lakh vehicles daily, faces severe congestion. At times, vehicular snarl-ups extend for up to two to three kilometres in the Ambattur Industrial Estate-Padi section Thus, the proposal to widen the stretch up to 150 ft was shelved. Currently, the road has an average width of 45-50 ft. State highways officials told TNIE that `153 crore was allocated a few years ago for land acquisition, and the process has been completed in Thirumullaivoyal and some other locations. Land acquisition is also under way to convert the existing two-lane road overbridge (ROB) near Ambattur railway station into a P5 six-lane structure. WEDDING RUSH A newly-married couple prays at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple amid heavy rush. The temple witnessed a record 416 weddings in seven hours on the auspicious occasion of the first Sunday of the Malayalam month of Chingam | EXPRESS During the just-concluded Monsoon Session, there was talk that the government could reintroduce the Delimitation Bill, which was defeated in the previous session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi twice to seek Congress support for the twin legislations. The Congress, however, sought an all-party meeting before proceeding with the Bills. In the recently held Congress Working Committee meeting, the party called for freezing the current strength of Lok Sabha at 543 seats for 25 years, and demanded 33 percent reservation for women be implemented from 2029 polls. CBI books former DGCA director, others in graft case EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against former director of flying training at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Anil Gill, and several aviationrelated companies for alleged abuse of official position, extending undue favours to select flight training organisations, and suspicious aircraft transactions, officials said on Sunday . The FIR, registered on August 21, names Gill, Bluethroat Aero Global Pvt Ltd, Redbird Aviation Academy Pvt Ltd, Sabres Corporate Solutions Pvt Ltd, and Sandhills Aviation IFSC Pvt Ltd, among others. Gill allegedly extended undue favours to select F lying Training Organisations, causing “detriment and pecuniary loss” to rival operators. According to the FIR, Gill facilitated procurement of training aircraft at nominal prices through “benami/shell entities managed by his close relatives” and subsequently arranged to lease them back to favoured flying training organisations at exorbitant rates, generating “massive kickbacks, illicit pecuniary advantage”. The FIR was registered on a complaint by Captain J S Dhillon, managing director of Global Aeronautics Ltd. The FIR alleged that Bluethroat Aero Global, incorporated in 2016 with Gill’s mother and maternal aunt as directors, acquired a Cessna aircraft in 2020 for `10 lakh, and another in 2021 for `37.5 lakh, well below the market price of upto `1 crore. ‘No’ to protest in colleges: Joint director gets notice Tiger attack: Political parties call for 2-day general strike across Gudalur B I N I TA J A I S W A L @ Chennai DAYS after the Tamil Nadu higher education department withdrew its controversial circular restricting student participation in Left or Cockroach Janata Party-led protests, the Commissioner of Collegiate Education P Ponniah has issued a show-cause notice to the joint director of the department in a move that has raised allegations of scapegoating of an intermediate-level official for an order that originated from the chief secretary . In proceedings dated August 21, Ponniah issued the notice to Joint Director of Collegiate Education P Cynthia Selvi, stating that she had circulated a “potentially sensitive and very important” communication capable of creating tension, without routing it through him or getting his approval, giving her a week’s time to respond. A senior official in the higher education department confirmed that Selvi has since submitted her reply detailing the chain of events and that it was being looked into. However, the instruction itself, originated from a chain of official communications beginning with a law and order meet- The circular issued to the joint director of Collegiate Education | EXPRESS ing chaired by Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar on July 28 and subsequently conveyed by Higher Education Special Secretary Rashmi Siddharth Zagade. During the meeting, the chief secretary reportedly directed coordinated action by the Higher Education and School Education departments, police and district administrations to prevent students and youth from participating in protests organised by Left parties and CJP . Based on the meeting minutes, Zagade on August 14 issued directions to the Commissioner of Collegiate Education, Director of Technical Education and registrars of state universities, seeking Action Taken P5 Reports by August 20. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Nilgiris FOLLOWING the deaths of two men in tiger attacks at Lauriston in O-Valley Town Panchayat, several political parties and traders have called for a twoday general strike on August 27 and 28 in the Gudalur Assembly constituency, urging the forest department to take steps to prevent such wild animal attacks in the region. Representatives of major political parties, including BJP, Congress, VCK, CPI, CPM, NTK, DMDK, and SDPI, took part in a meeting on the same, Jumbo damages house Nilgiris: A wild elephant, searching for food, damaged the compound wall of a house at Lauriston in O-Valley on Sunday. Three persons, including house owner Poomani, escaped unhurt. Poomani urged the forest department to provide compensation for the damage held at the DMK’s Gudalur MLA of fice on Saturday evening. The parties sought the cooperation of traders, autorickshaw and taxi drivers across the constituency for the strike. They also passed a resolution demanding the release of VCK and DYFI functionaries, who were arrested during the protest held on August 21 after the death of one of the tiger attack victims, K Ravikumar in Lauriston. Subsequently, traders have extended their support by deciding to shut grocery shops, while auto and call taxi operators too will stay off the roads. Similarly, resorts and cottages in Masinagudi, a major tourist destination in the Nilgiris district, are also likely to remain P5 closed during the strike.