vijayawada l monday l november 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION GST mop-up surges to `2.31 l- cr in October on festive demand October is the second consecutive month when monthly gross GST crossed `2 lakh crore, and 2nd only to the record `2.43 lakh cr mop-up in April Collections from DOMESTIC SALES up 16% GST collections jumped 23 per cent year-on-year. Gross GST collections from domestic sales rose 16 per cent to over `1.59 lakh crore, and revenues from imports climbed 42 per cent to `72,246 crore. The `2.31 lakh crore collection includes Central GST mop-up of `42,935 crore, State GST of `51,340 crore and Integrated GST of over `1.37 lakh crore, data showed ■ `27,934 cr Performance across key economic hubs ■ Manoj Mishra from Grant Thornton Bharat said October collections capture the festive demand cycle, which brings higher consumer spending, retail activity and movement of goods across sectors Performance across key states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, UP and MP points to continued strength in GST collections gst refunds in October showed a 6.5% year-on-year growth 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 Murasu landfall between Nellore & Narsapuram likely Police shoot at school attack accused in Atmakur forest E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Anantapur The police opened fire six times on M Hemanth, who attacked Mudaga Gopika, a Class X student, with a c h a i n s aw at t h e Z i l l a Parishad High School in Raptadu, when he allegedly hurled stones at police personnel in the Atmakur forest area, and attempted to attack them with a knife during a search operation. Disclosing this to newsmen on Sunday, Anantapur district Superintendent of Police P Jagadeesh said special teams were formed to trace the accused involved in the ghastly attack. Acting on specific information that Hemanth was hiding in the Atmakur forest area, police t e a m s launched an intensive search operation. On seeing the police personnel, the accused allegedly pelted stones and attempted to attack them with a knife. In retaliation, police fired six rounds. Hemanth sustained serious injuries in the firing, and was shifted to the Government General Hospital in Anantapur, the SP said. Lokesh visits hospital Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh on Sunday spoke with doctors at Bengaluru’s Manipal Hospital to review the health condition and ongoing treatment of the chainsaw attack victim. He said the next 48 hours would be critical, and appealed to people across Andhra Pradesh to pray for the schoolgirl’s recovery . Calling her “our daughter”, he said Gopika needed everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time. Assuring the girl’s family of complete government support, Lokesh said the incident was extremely unfortunate, and should not be P4 politicised.  Sen back on track Lakshya, who won the Australian Open & reached the finals at Hong Kong Open in 2025, came into the contest with a 3-4 record vs Jonatan Christie. He won 21-17, 21-10. “It’s been a couple of months since I have won a tournament or played backto-back matches. I was just really determined to just go out there & win,” he said. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada INDIA bloc leaders led by Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and others in New Delhi on Sunday | Sayantan ghosh CEC Gyanesh has to go: Oppn ‘Foolish drama’ on anniversary of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, says BJP INDIA bloc’s mega rally at Ramlila Maidan brings together all parties p r ee t h a n a i r @ New Delhi IN a show of strength at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan, a united Opposition on Sunday vowed to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and hold the Narendra Modi government accountable for alleged “vote theft”, as a massive crowd rallied behind the INDIA bloc’s call to defend democracy and the Constitution. The congregation saw a striking show of unity as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other alliance leaders rode together in an open canter from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction to Ramlila Maidan, where they addressed the gathering. Launching a diatribe against the government, Gandhi said removing Gyanesh Kumar would be the first step towards putting the country back on track, while asserting that “the CEC would face imprisonment for alleged ‘treason’ and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah would face legal action.” Calling the 2024 Lok Sabha elections “illegal”, he alleged that the Election Commission removed 15 percent of voters from the rolls, while the voteshare gap between NDA and INDIA bloc in the last general election was three percentage points. “Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this—after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you...,” he said. Invoking the Constitution, Gandhi said the gathering represented the voice of young people, farmers and workers determined to defend democracy . Addressing the gathering, SP’s Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of alleged deletions from electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and accused authorities of manipulating votes through SIR ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. “We, in the INDIA alliance, will not stop,” he said. Calling upon people across communities and political affiliations to unite against the BJP TMC , chief Banerjee said, “ We will fight this democratically We will fight with our lives.” ... Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby CPI general secretary D Raja , and CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were among the senior leaders present. Double delight for INDIa PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen secured titles at the Hylo Open tournament on Sunday. A look... PICs: badminton photo RA J E SH K UMAR THA K UR & H a r p r ee t B a j w a @New Delhi/Chandigarh The INDIA bloc rally marching towards Ramlila Maidan | Sayantan ghosh Over 4K cops keep a watch Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji, understand this—after Gyanesh Kumar, we will stand against you Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Sindhu’s domination Former world champion Sindhu displayed excellent control and precision in her strokeplay to register a commanding 21-12, 21-14 win over Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt of Denmark. With the win, the world No. 8 Sindhu earned 9,200 ranking points to strengthen her bid for a place in the seasonending World Tour Finals. “I know there were days when you’re absolutely low, but still your team is there to pump you up. It’s been an amazing week and I think it’s time to go back and celebrate now. It has been an amazing two weeks,” she said. The rally in central Delhi concluded peacefully on Sunday, police said. Over 4,000 police personnel were deployed, apart from drones, body-worn cameras, anti-riot vehicles and personnel from CAPF The ruling BJP on Sunday sought to dismiss the INDIA bloc’s rally as a “foolish drama”, accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of hurting sentiments on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing a gathering in Chandigarh months ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls, trained his ire on Rahul, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and alleged the rally could only “rub salt in the wounds of the victims’”. “If you want to become PM, stay in mock parliament your entire life. Your turn won’t come. Telling lies, spreading anarchy, not letting Parliament function, this is your true nature,” he charged. Shah said when the Modi government came to power in 2014, riot cases were reopened and relief was given to the kin of victims. “India has never witnessed, nor will it ever witness, riots of this kind, incited by a political party he claimed. ,” In Haryana, BJP national president Nitin Nabin led a counter march to ‘Save democracy, eradicate anarchy’. Calling for Congress to apologise for the riots, he accused the party of blaming constitutional institutions after failing to secure a mandate. In Delhi, Union Minister JP Nadda told media the rally was a “foolish drama of the defeated”. He claimed traders had suffered losses of nearly `3,000 crore due to protests and alleged Sunday’s rally could result in additional losses exceeding `10,000 crore in the crucial festival period. Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu, currently centred over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal, is likely to intensify further, and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapuram around Monday midnight or in the early hours of Tuesday, triggering heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and gale-force winds in several districts. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Sunday reviewed the cyclone preparedness with officials of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), and directed the State machinery to remain on high alert. She stressed the need for advance measures to prevent inconvenience to people, and ensure their safety in view of successive cyclonic systems affecting the State. APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain said the cyclone had moved at a speed of Polling peaceful AP records 60.96% voter turnout in ULB elections S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada Polling for the Urban Local Body elections was by and large peaceful on Sunday though around 40 incidents were reported , and 275 FIRs registered across the State. As many as 92 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and nagar panchayats went to polls in the State. Out of the total 96,89,061 voters, 59,06,255 exercised their franchise, registering a turnout of 60.96% in the civic polls. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said the SEC had taken complaints about polling seriously and directed , the police and district authorities to investigate every incident, and initiate action wherever violations were established. Addressing a press conference at the SEC office in Vijayawada on Sunday evening, along with Election Commission Secretary A Mallikarjuna and IG Rajakumari, Punetha said polling was peaceful in most parts of the State. The SEC had taken prompt action on complaints received from various political parties, and directed officials to probe reported incidents. P4 Litigants rush to SC for HC matters: CJI E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi CHIEF Justice of India Surya Kant on Sunday flagged the new trend of litigants approaching the Supreme Court for urgent listing or early hearing of matters already pending before high courts. “This is a new dimension of litigation which is now flooding the SC,” he said at the inaugural function of the celebrations held to mark 70 years of the Kerala High Court. The CJI said the SC has consistently respected the high courts’ autonomy, including their authority to regulate ros- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant speaking in Kochi on Sunday | PTI ter. “However, the frequency of such requests invites us to consider whether there is room to improve the responsiveness of our processes,” he noted. “We must ask: Can urgent matters be identified more ef- fectively? Can listing procedures be made more transparent and predictable? Can technology help prioritise cases where delay may cause irreversible prejudice? And can we ensure a litigant’s access to timely justice does not depend upon their ability to travel to the national capital?” he said. The CJI said constitutional justice in India does not begin and end in New Delhi as its strength lies in a robust network of 25 high courts in the country “Each entrusted with . the duty of protecting rights and upholding the rule of law,” he added. India’s first indigenous bullet train on track, undergoes ‘squeeze test’ RA J E SH K UMAR THA K UR @ New Delhi INDIA’s first indigenous bullet train, called B28, is taking shape at BEML’s ‘ ditya’ facilA ity in Bengaluru. Sharing the details on Sunday the railway ministry said: , “India is taking a major step towards indigenous high-speed rail technolo g y with the Bharat-made bullet train. It is being manufactured for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor.” Sources said the bullet train will be cheaper than the Japanese Shinkansen trains. “India was supposed to buy E5 Shinkansen sets. However, after high quotes and potential delays, the government decided to go Atmanirbhar. Japan will still give two Shinkansen sets (E5 and E3) free for testing.” Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspected the BEML B’luru-Pune corridor next Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday hinted that the proposed Bengaluru-Pune bullet train corridor could be among the next set of high-speed rail projects plant on Sunday and witnessed the ‘squeeze test’ — a critical safety assessment which includes applying controlled compressive/tensile forces on Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewing the manufacturing progress of the bullet train | X 27 kmph during the past six hours. It was located around 480 km from Chennai, 550 km from Nellore, 560 km from Machilipatnam, 600 km from Ongole, and 610 km from Visakhapatnam. The system was expected to move northwestwards after intensifying over the westcentral Bay of Bengal. Wind speeds at the time of landfall are likely to reach 100-110 kmph, with gusts up to 120 kmph. Strong winds of 80-90 kmph are expected along the Andhra Pradesh coast from Monday afternoon. Under its influence, widespread light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by heavy to extremely heavy showers at isolated places, is likely across South Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema over the next three days. On Monday, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is forecast in Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, Markapuram and Nellore districts, with extremely heavy rainfall likely P4 at one or two places.  the train car body to assess its structural strength, rigidity and dimensional stability . The B28 will have a maximum test speed of 280 km/h. It is expected to roll out by the year-end or early next year. The inaugural run is tentatively fixed for August 15, 2027 on the 97-km Surat–Vapi section. The entire Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is scheduled for completion around 2029–30. express read State posts 24% GST growth Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh recorded SGST collections of `1,504 crore in October 2026, up 21% from `1,247 crore in October 2025. Andhra Pradesh recorded highest growth among the southern States at 24% | P3 Naidu puts Delhi visit on hold Vijayawada: With another cyclone threat looming over Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has cancelled his scheduled visit to Delhi on Monday, and directed the officials to remain alert | P4 Power sector gears up for 2nd cyclone Vijayawada: With another cyclone threat looming over AP, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand directed power utilities to take all precautionary measures to safeguard electricity infrastructure | P4