chennai l tuesday l september 08, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION LPG refill booking gap cut to 25 days for domestic consumers The Centre has directed oil marketing companies to revise inter-refill booking interval for domestic LPG consumers in rural areas to 25 days Move follows dip in refill backlog The earlier interval for refill booking for rural consumers was 45 days. Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said on Monday that the decision follows an improvement in LPG supply situation and a reduction in refill backlog. He shared a copy of the letter issued by Petroleum Ministry to OMCs to immediately implement the decision ■ 63,810 U.S. now largest supplier of lpg imports ■ Owing to the West Asia situation, LPG was the worst-hit fuel as India imports nearly 60% of its domestic requirement, with around 90% of those imports sourced from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait Recently, India significantly diversified its LPG imports, with the United States emerging as the country’s largest supplier tonnes a day is india’s daily lpg production 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 Defence ministry Vijay fires graft salvo; DMK dubs it ‘cinema script’ clears purchases worth `1.1 lakh cr e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai Forces to get advanced choppers, radars; Su-30MKI fighter jets to get major upgrades J A V A RI A R A N A @ New Delhi THE defence ministry on Monday cleared military hardware purchases worth `1.1 lakh crore for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Approximately 98% of the procurement by value will come from Indian industry . The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), or inprinciple administrative approvals, for the defence acquisitions. For the Air Force, the DAC cleared “various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports and helicopters”. Sources said these include the overhaul of 40 Su-30MKIs by Hindustan Aeronautics, twice the number the PSU had earlier proposed. IAF operates around 260 Su-30MKIs, its mainstay fighter fleet. The DAC had earlier cleared the overhaul of Su-30 aero-engine aggregates. The approval seeks to address a gap in the IAF’s long-range beyond-visual-range capability with Operation Sindoor underscoring the , requirement. The overhaul covers modifications to allow the Sukhois to fire the RVV-BD, the export version of Russia’s R-37M missile. Weighing 510 kg and carrying a 60-kg warhead, the missile has a range of 200 km and is designed to engage AWACS aircraft, aerial refuellers and other high-value airborne assets. For the Navy, the DAC cleared the design, development and subsequent procurement of a marine gas turbine in the 24-28 MW class, with the ministry saying the propulsion system “will reduce dependency on foreign vendors”. India currently imports turbines for several frontline destroyers and frigates. The Navy will also get Arudhra radars, which “will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various Naval Air Stations”. Developed by the DRDO, Arudhra is a four-dimensional active phased-array radar with an instrumented range of 400 km whichis able to detect a two-square-metre target at up to 300 km. The Army stands to get more HAL-built advanced light helicopters, or Dhruv, to “execute complex missions across all terrains and operational situations”. A `8,073 crore deal for 34 ALH Mk-III was signed with HAL in March 2024. DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity to various acquisition proposals at an estimated cost of `1,10,000 cr Defence ministry CBRN recce vehicles The Army is set to get Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear recce vehicles, high mobility vehicles, self-propelled mechanical mine layers, advanced light helicopters, and trawl tanks Acceptance of Necessity AoN is the first step in defence acquisition. The process involves tech evaluation, trials as well as negotiations. Big acquisitions will require more govt approvals Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday launched a broadside against the opposition DMK, invoking the Enforcement Directorate (ED) letters and the 50-year-old Sarkaria Commission report to accuse the party of indulging in “scientific corruption” during its stints in power. Responding to the allegations outside the House, Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin called the CM’s address a “memorised cinema script” that sought to deflect to decades-old issues without responding to his pointed questions on the state’s law and order. In his 45-minute reply to the debate on the Home Depart- In a veiled reference to the recent comments made by Udhayanidhi Stalin in the context of an actor, Vijay said politics could not be an excuse to demean people, particularly women. Law would take its course against those making such remarks, he added | P4 ment, Vijay targeted DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, current party president MK Stalin, and LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin as alleged beneficiaries of corruption, triggering loud protests from DMK members, who later staged a walkout from the CM C Joseph Vijay speaks in the Assembly in Chennai on Monday during his reply to the opposition’s allegations regarding the home department | Express Assembly . Citing ED documents, the CM listed out alleged corruption during the DMK regime in the municipal administration department and in Tasmac. ‘Malpractice, fraud, manipulation, abuse of power, and or- Moving From co-operation to co-creation US market open for Indian space startups, says Sergio Gor PA D M INI D H R U V A R A J & B O S K Y K H A NN A @ Bengaluru US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Monday said that the American market is open for Indian space startups as the two countries move towards ‘co-creation’ from ‘cooperation’ and data-sharing. Stressing that NASA and ISRO will work together on the Moon Base Programme, he said: “Make no mistake: we are going back to the Moon, and we want India by our side.” Gor said the US-India space relationship is moving towards joint technology development, investment in startups and future space missions. “We are no longer just sharing data; we are co-designing instruments, co-funding startups, and co-authoring the future of human discovery he ,” said, referring to discussions between the two countries on expanding their civil space partnership. Pixxel raises $100 mn Bengaluru-based planetaryinfrastructure company Pixxel on Monday announced the close of its $100-million Series C funding round, marking the single-largest funding round organised by a spacetechnology company in India. The round brings Pixxel’s total funding to $195 million “The American market is open to you. Our investors are watching. Our ecosystems welcome you. We are here to help you make that leap,” he said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Bengaluru Space Expo. India’s space sector reforms have ignited a commercial awakening. Innovators like Pixxel and GalaxEye are redefin- ing Earth observation. Digantara is leading the way in space situational awareness. Bellatrix is propelling space forward. Pioneers like Skyroot and Agnikul are building next-generation launch capabilities, he said. He said the US wants to build a direct commercial corridor between American industry and Indian innovators. “The US and India are working together on multiple sectors and at unthinkable working levels.” Gor’s remarks come as India seeks to expand the role of private firms in its space programme. The government opened the sector to greater private participation in 2020, and companies have since increasingly entered rocket manufacturing, satellite development and spaceb a s e d services. ganised crime syndicate’ were the words used by ED on graft during the DMK regime, the CM said. Citing the ED report, Vijay alleged that 7.5% to 10% of the project cost of developmental projects was collected as com- DVAC books Nehru, 2 bros in tender corruption case Chennai: The DVAC has booked former minister KN Nehru, his two brothers, and 10 others, in a corruption case involving alleged manipulation of tenders under MAWS department. The FIR alleges a wrongful gain of `1,020 crore and illegal collection of 7.5%-10% of contract value | P2 I f r ah M u f t i & U daya n K i s ho r e @ New Delhi in a first National film awards in gujarat Candle light vigil People light candles and pray during a day of mourning for those killed in the August 26 floods in Kathmandu, Nepal on Monday. The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal surged to 1,356 on Monday as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas. At least 4,994 people remain missing | AP/PTI A day after seven persons were killed when a multi-storey paying guest accommodation collapsed in Satya Niketan, its alleged owner Hariram Gupta was arrested in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, on Monday. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court ordered a one-week audit of PGs and hostels across the city . Gupta, the 81-year-old retired Indian Air Force Sergeant, was apprehended by Delhi Police teams following a case registered against him for culpable homicide and negligence in maintaining the structure and endangering the safety of others. A lookout notice had also been issued against Gupta. PG-owner Hariram Gupta (left) with his son after their arrest on Monday | X Gupta, a long-time resident of Gurugram, allegedly owns several properties and a hardware shop. Police said the collapsed property was registered in the name of his 75-year-old wife, Ur mila Gupta, while e x p r e s s n e w s s e r v i c e @ Chennai The Tamil Nadu government has selected a 26.36-acre site at Pattinapakkam in Chennai to construct a new 15-storey, `1,200-crore integrated secretariat-cum-assembly complex spanning 20 lakh sq ft. The identified land parcels total 25.16 acres and include the Foreshore Estate residential complex and playground, besides other areas earmarked for roads. Another 1.2 acres, for which revenue records were allegedly unavailable, has also been identified, taking the total land available to 26.36 acres. The site is located between Santhome/Mylapore to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Adyar estuary to the south. It is also about 350 metres from the apartment on South Canal Bank Road at Mandavelipakkam in R A Puram, where CM Vijay’s officecum-residence is located. The state highways department has sanctioned a 3.5-km elevated corridor from the Light- Gupta and their 52-year-old son, Mahesh Gupta, were managing and running the premises. Gupta reportedly had electricity connections for two floors of the building in his name, police said. Police also arrested his son and his wife. Police are now searching for the PG operators and the labour contractor. Their roles in the construction and operation of the premises will be examined and action taken accordingly . Meanwhile, the MCD suspended five officials of its South Zone, including Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four building department officials, with immediate effect, with disciplinary proceedings pending against them. SC judge shoots off 4th letter to CJI against Rajasthan HC’s Justice Sharma S U C H ITR A K A LYA N M O H A NT Y @ New Delhi THE internal war in higher judiciary has intensified with Supreme Court’s Justice Sandeep Mehta writing his fourth consecutive letter to Chief Justice Surya Kant against Rajasthan High Court’s acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, levelling fresh charges of interfering in an internal judicial enquiry and misconducts. Quoting CJI Surya Kant’s earlier remark that judges should not try to “hit sixes” before retirement, Justice Mehta in his fourth letter on August 30 wrote in a reference, “Justice Sharma seems to be possessed of a licence to hit sixes ever since he took over as Acting Chief Justice.” According to sources in the Supreme Court registry, the said internal judicial enquiry relates to allegations that a Judicial corruption at HC In his fourth letter dated August 30, Justice Mehta said he has “material” against Justice Sharma regarding arbitrary rule changes, judicial interference and corruption and administrative breakdown at Rajasthan HC High Court judicial officer displayed indecent photographs of a lady judicial officer on his phone. A committee was formed, but Justice Sharma allegedly interfered and leaked confidential proceedings. “Justice Sharma has made direct intervention in the enquiry proceedings, hampering the independence of the c o m m i t t e e. . . ” Justice Mehta wrote. He alleged Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma that the committee, comprising three female judges of the Rajasthan High Court, recorded the minutes and refused to proceed with the enquiry . Justice Mehta had earlier also written similar letters on August 2, 10 and 17 accusing Justice Shar ma Justice Sandeep Mehta mission in the name of party funds by the DMK leadership. Vijay also targeted “Karur gang”, and accused V Ashok Kumar, brother of former minister Senthil Balaji, of orchestrating fraud, bid manipulation, and illicit money transfers linked to state transport department and other contracts. Speaking to reporters after the DMK staged a walkout from the House, Udhayanidhi called Vijay a “dummy” whose rise to power was an “accident”. Alleging that three CM associates — Vishnu Reddy, Anil Reddy and Suji Reddy — were in full control of the mining activities, Udhaya said he would release evidence supporting his allegations in phases.  FULL REPORTS ON: P4 Beachfront site to house TN’s new secretariat Owner of deadly Delhi hostel held from Rajasthan; 5 officials suspended E x p r e s s Re a d For the first time in its 72year history, the National Film Awards ceremony will be held outside New Delhi, in Kevadia in Gujarat on September 22 | P 7 ‘Politics not excuse to demean women’ of serious misconduct and of “maladministration, malpractices, nepotism and favouritism.” Justice Sharma, however, termed the allegations as baseless and proceeded on leave. Justice Mehta said he received several complaints on Sharma’s integrity . On August 31, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended Justice Sanjay K Agrawal as Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. house to the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge in Adyar to manage anticipated traffic congestion. Its alignment, either along Kamarajar Salai/ Santhome High Road or Pattinapakkam Loop Road, will be finalised after a detailed study . In 2021, the then DMK government had proposed developing the 25-acre site as Marina Business Centre. The project failed to take off due to litigation over eviction of residents. The cases were disposed of by the Madras High Court in May this year. Sources told TNIE that Pattinapakkam emerged as the most suitable of three locations considered for the project, owing to the ready availability of government land and the relatively easier approval process. The Greater Chennai Corporation and the Tamil Nadu Housing Board, which own portions of the land, have granted NOCs for using their respective parcels. Administrative approval for the project is expected within the next few days.  FULL REPORT ON: P2 Bypolls on Oct 6 for two seats in TN and one in Puducherry Express News Service @ Chennai/Puducherry The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced bye-elections to the reserved Assembly constituencies of Madurantakam and Dharapuram in TN and Thattanchavady constituency in Puducherry on October 6. The TN seats fell vacant after AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned and subsequently joined the ruling TVK. Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy had resigned as MLA of the Thattanchavady constituency in May and retained the Mangalam seat after winning both the constituencies in the April 9 Assembly polls. The filing of nominations will begin on September 9, with September 16 being the last date. Scrutiny will be held on September 17, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till September 19. Counting will take place on October 9. Seven Assembly constituencies in TN are currently vacant. A senior ECI official said election petitions are pending in five constituencies — Tiruchy (East), Perundurai, Ambasamudram, Viralimalai and Karur — and hence bypolls have not been announced there.  P5