chennai l monday l september 21, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION Need community participation to tackle climate change: President A well-structured framework of policies and actions is needed to address the challenge of climate change, President Droupadi Murmu said health, livelihood facing risks: Murmu puts Emphasis on traditional knowledge President Murmu said climate change is having serious repercussions on food security, health, and livelihoods. She said the framework to tackle climate change must ensure the participation of communities most affected by it, with special sensitivity towards needs of rural and forestdwelling communities, small farmers, women, and vulnerable sections ■ ■ Addressing the valedictory session of the international conference on ‘The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’, Murmu highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge systems She called for people-centric and community-based climate adaptation approaches rooted in traditional knowledge 17 countries sent representatives to the Conference held in Delhi 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 Tata boardroom Bang on target: Shooting stars sparkle tussle headed for courtroom Indraneel Das Express @ asian games Nagoya Tata Trusts hires Abhishek Manu Singhvi as counsel; Harish Salve to advise Tata Sons B ENN K O C H U V EE D A N @ Mumbai file pic: Express Power cuts take `30-cr toll on Kovai industries M S a r ava n a n @ Coimbatore Unannounced power cuts over the past three days have severely disrupted industrial production in Coimbatore, with thousands of small and micro industrial units reporting damage to raw materials, tools and machinery spare parts. Local industrial sources pegged the cumulative loss due to production disruptions and material damage in three days at nearly `30 crore. Industrialists said unscheduled outages, which were limited to one or two a day over the past month, have now increased to between seven and 10 interruptions daily . Industrial sources said a minimum operating loss of `2,000 per machine per day is incurred due to raw material wastage and damage to machinery and spare parts. A unit operating five machines, therefore, incurs losses of at least `10,000 per day MSMEs . in Coimbatore collectively incur a minimum loss of `10 crore per day due to such disruptions, they added. J James, president of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprises (TACT), said around 50,000 small and micro industrial units in Coimbatore operate on a job-order basis. Though power shortages have affected consumers and industrialists across Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore had remained relatively less affected until recently he said. , “Ministers and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) had claimed that the power shortage issue had been resolved. However, over the past two days, unannounced cuts through certain substations have occurred more than 10 times a day James said.  ,” P7 Noel Tata-led Tata Trusts on Sunday doubled down on its challenge to N Chandrasekaran’s reappointment as executive chairman of Tata Sons, reiterating that the resolution passed at the company’s September 17 board meeting violated the firm’s rules and bylaws. The matter now appears headed for a legal showdown as Tata Trusts, which owns 66.6% in Tata Sons, roped in noted Supreme Court lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi to represent it in the corporate dispute. According to reports, senior advocate Harish Salve is advising Tata Sons. In a detailed statement issued on Sunday, Tata Trusts said that under Tata Sons’ Articles of Association (AoA), the board meeting requires affirmative support from a majority of Trust-nominated directors to pass a resolution. But this condition was not met in the case of Chandrasekaran’s reappointment, rendering it void ab initio (legally void from the outset). In the crucial board meeting held last week, Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata voted against Chandrasekaran’s reappointment while Venu Srinivasan, the other Tata Trusts nominee, supported the resolution. “Whether the result of the vote was 4:1, or any other figure, is irrelevant. A condition is either met, or it is not. In this case the condition was not met,” the Trusts said. The Trusts questioned the argument that Noel Tata’s opposition created a deadlock that needed to be removed through a casting vote. “It is now being suggested that a refusal of support amounts to a deadlock which would paralyse the Company and that the Chairman of the meeting was therefore entitled to resolve the position by a casting vote. There was no paralysis and there was no deadlock. The Board put a question, and the AoA answered it in the negative,” it said. In its latest statement, the Trusts also pointed out that Tata Sons had defended the same AoA during the litigation surrounding the removal of former chairman Cyrus Mistry . Noel Tata There are two Tata Trusts nominees on the Board of Tata Sons. Majority amongst two is two and not one Tata Trusts ‘Entering fray with sadness’ Sr advocate Abhishek Singhvi said he is entering the fray with “sadness and regret” adding the dispute should have been amicably solved. Calling for protecting the fundamental rights of shareholderowners, he said such “rights cannot be nullified” T he bus journey to the Toyota highlands itself is quite fascinating as the road winds up the hills through lush green coniferous forest and gushing streams all along. For Indian athletes and coaches, these are the ‘ghat roads’. It had been quite an ordeal for the shooters right after they landed in Nagoya for the Asian Games. They were made to wait at the airport, then at the hotel and finally when they came to the venue, they realised it was not 70 minutes as the Games organising committee had indicated. It was almost two hours. Not ideal for the shooters. No screen time or games on mobile phone, neck pillow for support during journey and light food before leaving. These were some of the logistical decisions the coaches and support staff took. On Sunday, three shooters managed to win India their first shooting medal in the team event and later, Elavenil Valarivan won her second in the individual silver. Two medals in a day. She will compete in the mixed team events next. Among the three, Elavenil was the most experienced and that was visible during the competition. The shooter with roots in Tamil Nadu was in pristine form throughout and managed to exorcise the ghosts of Paris Olympics. For the other two members, Advani, Jaishankar, Kejriwal, CBI chief get notices for SIR discrepancy A n u p V e r m a @ New Delhi BJP veteran L K Advani, Union Minister S Jaishankar and his wife Kyoko S Jaishankar, CPM MP John Brittas’ wife, former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot are among a list of 33 lakh people being issued notices for “discrepancies” in their details under SIR. The list includes CBI Director Praveen Sood and his family former Army Chief General , Upendra Dwivedi and his wife, and former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai and members of her family Foreign Sec. retary Vikram Misri, Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Principal Scientific Lal Krishna S Advani Jaishankar Praveen Sood Adviser to the Prime Minister Ajay Kumar Sood and Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava are among those listed as “unmapped with last SIR”. Former economist and Padma awardee Bibek Debroy who , passed away in November 2024, figures in Delhi’s draft electoral roll and has been flagged for “no mapping” with the previous SIR roll. The list includes several prominent political and public figures. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his family, former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and wife Sudesh Dhankhar, former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur, former Union Minister Kapil Sibal and wife Promila Sibal, former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy and historian Romila Thapar figure in the list. Cong ress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi is also on the list, though the column against his name specifying the reason for the discrepancy is blank. The Delhi CEO office said “issue of notices does not mean that their names will be deleted from the electoral rolls.” TN overseas scholarship: Endorsement letter to be must for research funds K r i t h i ka S r i n i vasa n @ Villupuram waves of faith Nearly 2,500 Vinayagar idols, including those from Chennai, Avadi and Tambaram City Police limits, were immersed at designated places in and around Chennai on Sunday. No untoward incidents were reported | Martin Louis Treasure trove Korkai underwater exploration likely next year B i n i ta J a i s w a l @ Chennai Exposed brick structures at an excavation trench at Korkai in Thoothukudi district | file picture (From left) Vidarsa K Vinod, Sonam Maskar & Elavenil Valarivan rejoice after winning the women’s 10m air rifle team silver | PTI The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department will submit the underwater sonar survey report on the ancient Korkai port and the detailed underwater exploration report on Poompuhar to the state gover nment by February next year. Once the Korkai report is submitted and the required approvals are obtained, the department is likely to begin diving exploration at Korkai to search for archaeological evidence of the ancient port. Officials said a detailed side-scan sonar survey has already been completed in the Korkai-Azhagankulam region, and the department is now collating and interpreting data collected during the underwater reconnaissance survey. Speaking to TNIE, Joint Director of the State Archaeology Department V P Yathees Kumar said the third phase of underwater exploration at Poompuhar is currently under way. After the work is completed, the department expects to submit both the Poompuhar exploration report and the Korkai sonar survey report to the government by February next year. The geographical identification survey at Korkai was carried out about two years ago in collaboration with the Indian Maritime University. The reconnaissance used advanced equipment, including multi-beam echo sounding, side-scan sonar and a subbottom profiler, to identify potential underwater archaeological features.  P7 Following a recent controversy over the delay in release of funds under the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship for a Dalit PhD scholar from Tamil Nadu studying at the National University of Malaysia, the Tamil Nadu Social Justice Department has proposed to tweak the guidelines to prevent funding delays from the next academic year. Speaking to TNIE, department secretary K Senthil Raj said to get research funds, beneficiaries must now submit an official endorsement letter signed and sealed by their university authority department head, or , guide to verify all bills. “Research funds will not be paid until the endorsement letter is submitted,” the official said. The scholarship is capped at `36 lakh for students doing postgraduation and doctoral degrees abroad under the scheme. The scholarship fund covers visa charges and tickets, living expenses (including food, lifestyle), tuition fees and cost of research materials. Official sources said that research funds require an endorsement letter for the bills while other funds will be released to the students’ account on the basis of bills produced by the students. Tuition fees will be paid directly to the university, sources said. Students usually present bills for research materials, which include project models, chemicals, and other materials used for research during that academic year. “The endorsement letter is for the sole purpose of keeping it in the audit report of the department,” Raj said. Students pursuing any course under the scholarship must also provide an undertaking that they won’t file research bills in their individual capacity for reimbursement, officials said.  P7 battleground Madurantakam bye-election to witness five-cornered contest Twenty-seven candidates are in the fray in the reserved segment. The absence of a dominant local issue appears to be working in favour of TVK, at least among a section of voters who are willing to give the new govt more time | P4 this is their first Asian Games. If Vidarsa K Vinod became the first from Keralam to win a shooting medal, Sonam Maskar repaid the sacrifices made by her father — he had to sell land for her to pursue the sport. Vidarsa is another fascinating story. She did not have a personal rifle until about recently. According to her coach Manoj Kumar, she bought it just a few months ago. Being part of the Asiad has been a surreal experience for her. “Let alone winning a medal, that I am part of the Asian Games team is a dream,” she told this daily after the win. For Elavenil, it was cathartic. On the day she ensured that the , process she trusted bore fruit. “I’m grateful that I was selected in the first place and this medal means a lot to me,” she said. Mixed Martial Arts gave India its first medal but it’s shooting that India would be banking on for a rich medal haul.  P13 IIT bombay Prof booked for abetment of suicide over student’s death S u dh i r s u r ya w a n sh i @ Mumbai An IIT Bombay professor was on Sunday booked for abetment of suicide over the death of a second-year engineering student on the campus. Sahil Ravindra Wakode was found dead at the Powai campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. Professor Suryanarayan Dulla and two other unnamed persons were booked on Sunday . Sahil’s father alleged that the professor was responsible for driving his son to take his own life. He alleged Sahil faced caste-based abuse, threats and harassment at the campus for three months before his death. A case of abetment of suicide and joint liability has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. A case has also been registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for intentionally insulting or intimidating a person with intent to humiliate a member of a SC/ST community The case . was registered based on a complaint filed by Sahil’s father. Meanwhile, a video of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh B Kedare has gone viral on social media, in which he is seen announcing his resignation, effective Monday . E x p r e s s Re a d Iran conveys conditions on opening St of Hormuz TEHRAN: Iran’s top negotiator parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday in an interview that Tehran had laid down three conditions to US for ending its Hormuz blockade. “Our conditions are an end to the war, release of our frozen funds and an end to the naval blockade.” | P11 Wife burns SI to death in Chennai, arrested Chennai: The wife of an Armed Reserve SI was arrested for allegedly murdering him by dousing him with petrol and setting him ablaze at their house in Nungambakkam, with the help of an accomplice. Selvarani (58) was arrested, while her accomplice Deva remains at large | P3