kochi l sunday l october 25, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION travel insurance for railway counter bookings from Tuesday Passengers booking reserved train tickets through offline counters can purchase the optional travel insurance policy starting Tuesday follows recent supreme court order only digital payment accepted It comes days after the Supreme Court directed the Railways to extend the optional travel insurance facility to those booking tickets through the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters at railway stations. The Railway Board has instructed zonal railways to ensure that all PRS counters are suitably equipped to offer the facility from October 27 ■ ■ Only digital payment is applicable for those opting to buy the coverage. “The applicable premium shall be collected along with the ticket fare through digital means only,” the Railway Board said As per IRCTC, the premium is 45 paise per passenger. The insurance company is responsible for issuing policies and settling claims 11% of reserved tickets are bought via counters, according to railways 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 Sets NHPC office on fire, vandalises homes of three politicians, including two MLAs p r a s a n ta m a z u m d a r @ Guwahati WITH THIS ISSUE Married to Menace PLUS 12 P AGES THE proposed 11,200-MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) turned a massive flashpoint on Saturday as anti-dam protesters in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district set fire to an office of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and scores of vehicles parked on the premises of a police station, then vandalised houses of three politicians, including two MLAs, and later clashed with security forces that left several injured. The incident took place around 11 pm on Friday after a 12-hour bandh to protest ag ainst the hydropower project was over, Pasighat Deputy Superintendent of Police Tony Tatak said. The agitators vandalised the residences of BJP state unit president and former MLA Kaling Moyong, and Pasighat West le gislator Ninong Ering, he said. The office of the Adi Bane Kebang, the apex body of the Adi community, was also ransacked, the officer said. Later in the night, violence broke out again in Pasighat town and adjoining Mebo in East Siang district, where clashes left several people injured. Pasighat remained shut on Saturday . The violence erupted hours after a bandh in Siang, Upper Industrial effluents from Surat’s textile hubs to be dumped into Arabian Sea km from the landfall point to the marine diffuser locations. THE empowered committee of Under chairmanship of M S Ministry of Environment and Negi, chief of Expert AppraisClimate Change, as part of In- al Committee on Coastal Regudia’s largest deep-sea disposal latory Zone, the proposal has project, has recommended been recommended for cleardumping 650 milance in line with Threat to marine lion litres per day the CRZ Notificaecology (MLD) of treated tion of 2019, at a industrial wastemeeting on OctoMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change water from the texber 8, 2026. In its tile and chemical approved India’s largest deep- recommendation, sea disposal project in Surat hubs in Surat in the committee deep sea near the The project aims to manage highlighted the Gulf of Khambhat saturation of ex650 million litres per day of in Arabian Sea. treated industrial wastewater isting effluent disfrom Surat’s textile and The effluents are posal systems from chemical sectors and proposed to be carCETPs into local ried through pipe- discharged into deep sea in the creeks. of Gulf of Khambhat lines to the landfall Environmentallocated near Danti Environmentalists criticise ists have criticised Village in Navsari, the lack of a zero-waste policy t h i s a p p r o a c h . and extend to out- instead of deep-sea dumping, “T hey are conwhich may damage marine fall point offshore cerned that releasecology in Ubharat and ing such huge daiVansi of the Aral y vo l u m e s o f bian Sea. The project vehicle, industrial wastewater will decGujarat Industrial Develop- imate fish populations and ment Corporation, said the on- push thousands of fishing famshore pipeline network will ilies into financial hardship,” extend approximately 67.5 km, said MSH Sheikh of Brackish while offshore pipelines will Water Research Centre, a Surat range between 15 km and 17.9 based non-profit. J i t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi A damaged police station in Pasighat | ANI CM’s appeal Chief Minister Pema Khandu, expressed concern over the vandalism, looting and damage to property. “The government’s doors are always open,” he said Siang and East Siang districts to protest against the proposed hydropower project was over, a senior police official said. The Union government had proposed SUMP expected , to generate 11,000 MW power, as a counter to a 60,000 MW Chinese project. The protesters are demanding scrapping of the hydro power project, withdrawal of armed forces from the region, deployed allegedly in connection with pre-feasibility report (PFR) or survey, release of 10 arrested activists and reinstatement of some suspended village chiefs. The protesters fear displacement, loss of livelihoods and environmental and seismic risks. E X P RESS RE A D Lee friend’s statement likely against Gyanesh T’Puram: In what could be a fresh turn in the ongoing vigilance probe against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, the police are likely to record the statement of a person said to be a friend of Lee See Been, the Malaysian engineer who died by suicide in 2006. There are indications that the statement would be against Gyanesh. P4 Sindhu in pristine touch, storms into french final i n d r a n e e l d a s @ Chennai AT 31, badminton players usually start thinking about sipping a hot beverage within the confines of their homes watching their favourite movie or sport. The challenges of courts would not be as enticing as it would have been five years ago, especially if one is a multiple Olympic and world championships medallist. P V Sindhu is one such player who has a cabinet full of medals; most players would be envious of. She has won Olympic medals, Worlds gold and different medals and numerous other BWF Tour titles. Yet, when she should be slowly walking into the sunset, she is still conjuring wins like a regular top player. There is no sign of age slowing her down or mental f atigue due to a long career. At the French Open on Saturday, post a middling Asian Games campaign, she again showed vintage Sindhu signs. She had been struggling in the final games but not against Hina Akechi as she won 21-10, 20-22, 21-16. She will face World No 1 An Se Young in the final. There was some criticism when she lost the Asian Games in the quarterfinal but she can be excused for losing in her third match in less than 24 hours. The gruelling schedule was cruel. Despite such a long career, one big positive was her fitness. She has remained relatively injury-free. Something which she said was because she understood her body and played I have to give my best: PV “I have to give her a good fight, a tough fight. Every point matters. I know we’ve played a lot of times and she’s been doing really well. But I think tomorrow is a different day. Every day is a new day. I just have to go out there and give my best. I’m ready to give a fight” P V Sindhu Anti-dam stir: Arunachal mob on the rampage 2nd Her second BWF Tour Super 750 final after 2026 Japan Open which she won accordingly “It is important . to know your body,” she had said at the Asian Games. “We use gadgets and know where we are straining, and when we need to take it easy and when we can give more than 100 per cent. Sometimes one may not be able to give 100 per cent. We need to preserve ourselves.” At World No 11, she is the best shuttler in the country even now. , With LA28 less than one and half years away, it augurs well. But for Sindhu it’s one tournament at a P11 time.  Multiple mudslides bring Nilgiris to knees; bus buried, driver killed Cyclone Arnab effect: Red alert in 3 dists today S S e n t h i l K u m a r @ Coimbatore S h a i n u M o h a n @ T’Puram The driver of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus was killed after being trapped for more than eight hours when a landslide buried the vehicle at Burliyar on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam ghat road in the Nilgiris in the early hours of Saturday. The conductor, who was also on board, was rescued. All passengers had alighted earlier after the bus developed a flat tyre. The landslide debris buried the bus when the driver, Janagaraj, and conductor, Kesavan, were looking for a suitable place to stop after the tyre went flat. The bus was severely damaged, with debris entering the vehicle and trapping the two occupants. Rescue teams could not reach the spot immediately as fallen trees and landslide debris blocked the road. According to IMD data, Burliyar recorded 250 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 7am on Saturday, the highest in Nilgiris district during the period. The rain triggered landslides at 19 locations across the district. Keralam is on high alert as ‘Cyclone Arnab’ that is gathering strength in the Bay of Bengal is set to influence the movement of a low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy rain in the state for two days. A red alert has been issued for Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts on Sunday, and for Idukki and Palakkad on Monday . IMD director Neetha K Gopal told TNIE that the state is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till Monday. “There is a low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast, and it is interacting with Cyclone Arnab in the Bay of Bengal that is expected to intensify by October 26. Under its influence the lowpressure area is now expected to move eastward, cross Kerala, pass through Tamil Nadu, and dissipate,” she said.  ● More on P4 Rescue workers inspect a TNSTC bus after it was caught in a landslide near Burliyar on the ghat road in Coimbatore district on Saturday | S Senbagapandiyan 241 stranded Keralam students rescued A group of 241 students and 25 teachers from Keralam, who were on a trip to Ooty, were stranded in seven buses due to the disruption of traffic on the Mettupalayam-Coonoor ghat road. Personnel from the TNDRF, Fire and Rescue Services and the police helped them reach safety, using minibuses and ropes to negotiate stretches affected by slush. Meanwhile, tour operators in Keralam have suspended trips to Ooty and nearby destinations, while tourists already in the hill station are returning home via the Kotagiri route. “The Mettupalayam-Ooty road is completely blocked and no vehicles are being allowed through the route. The Kotagiri route is open only for vehicles leaving Ooty and entry is restricted,” said Sharath G Nair of Surya Travels, who owns a property in Ooty. He said tourists from Keralam were being transported back to their respective destinations. G aga n y aa n a s t r o n a u t - d e s i g n a t e India well poised to help realise affordable space travel: Angad A s w i n A s o k K u m a r @ T’Puram Affordable space travel is a key aim of India’s space programme, and the country’s growth trajectory in the sector could make it a reality in the coming decades, said Gaganyaan astronaut-designate Angad Pratap. Speaking to TNIE on Saturday the 44-year-old from Praya, graj, Uttar Pradesh, described the participation of private firms in building space infrastructure ‘inevitable’. “It is one of our underlying aims to make human space flight affordable, something that other countries are also in- Over the next three to four decades, we can shape opportunities for the general public to at least take a sub-orbital flight. — Angad Pratap terested in. Just like how commercial aviation, which was not conceivable over a century ago, has now become commonplace, I believe this will also become a reality. Over the next three to four decades, we can shape opportunities for the general public to at least take a sub-orbital flight. A normal sub-orbital flight would cost you close to `3 crore in America. I can already see those costs declining in the coming years. And who better than us to do that!” he said. Amid discussions on the impact of the involvement of private enterprises in the space sector, Angad stressed that their participation is critical to the development of infrastructure. “Participation of the private sector in building human spaceflight infrastructure and ecosystem should be seen as essential in India, something without which we cannot go forward. Even ISRO is taking all possible measures to empower the private ecosystem,” he said. Angad, who is undergoing training for India’s first human spaceflight programme, was in Thiruvananthapuram to attend the 39th National Convention of Aerospace Engineers as a key speaker. Embarking on a journey that only a handful of Indians have experienced, Angad talked about how his years in Indian Air Force became the foundation of his training and upcoming space voyage. “My journey with the Air Force has helped me greatly, particularly with stress management. Another attribute has been my diverse flying experience. Around 70% of astronautics involves aviation, and that is my strength,” Angad said, recalling his days flying ● More on P4 MiG fighter jets.