HYDERABAD  TUESDAY  NOVEMBER 26, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION 6,000 KG METH SEIZED OFF ANDAMAN COAST IN ‘BIGGEST HAUL’ The Coast Guard seized a fishing vessel carrying 6,000 kg of Methamphetamine near Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an official said on Monday TRAWLER WITH 3K PACKETS OF DRUG STOPPED The pilot of a Coast Guard aircraft noticed a fishing trawler making suspicious movements near Barren Island, 150 km from Port Blair and alerted the Andaman and Nicobar Command. The Coast Guard ships arrived and towed the trawler to Port Blair. Around 3,000 packets, each containing 2 kg of meth, were seized during a search SIX MYANMARESE NATIONALS ARRESTED ■ ■ “We have arrested six Myanmarese nationals and it is believed the Meth was meant for India and neighbours,” a defence official said, adding it was likely the biggest-ever drug haul by the Coast Guard In 2019 and 2022 too, large quantities of drugs were seized from foreign ships on Indian waters near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands `18,000 cr APPROXIMATE VALUE OF THE CONTRABAND BASED ON ESTIMATES FROM PAST SEIZURES 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 Call taken on BJP leading the new Mahayuti govt Name of the chief minister to be announced in Mumbai; Shinde camp keeps up pressure MUKESH RANJAN AND SUDHIR S U R YA W A N S H I @ New Delhi/ Mumbai THE leadership jigsaw of the new Maharashtra government remained unsolved on Monday though sources said the call on the BJP leading it had been made. The name of the new chief minister will be announced in Mumbai, they said. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis continued to lead the race but incumbent Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was in no mood to yield. Both along with the third element in the Mahayuti trinity, breakaway NCP’s Ajit Pawar, flew into Delhi to attend the marriage reception of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter. While sources said no formal meeting of the trio has been scheduled with Union home minister Amit Shah, there was speculation that it could happen late on Monday night. With the tenure of the last assembly ending, Shinde is expected to submit his resignation on Tuesday and continue as caretaker CM till the final decision is taken. Though Ajit tried to tilt the scales in favour of Fadnavis, Shinde remained adamant. For, Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar Shinde’s demotion as deputy CM would give the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray he just decimated in the assembly polls, breathing space to revive itself. “Shinde should at least be made CM for the first 2.5 years of the new tenure. The next half can go to Fadnavis. After the big defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Shinde took several cabinet decisions, including the Ladli Bahena scheme and changed the entire political landscape of the state. Therefore, the BJP should seriously consider him again as CM for at least the first half of the tenure. Else, it will send a wrong message to the allies,” said a close aide of the CM. On the other hand, the RSS and the state BJP are pitching for Fadnavis as CM, with one foot soldier threatening mass self immolation if it is decided otherwise. EXPRESS READ Telangana BJP on a high with 36 lakh new members Hyderabad: At a time when local body elections loom, the Telangana unit of the BJP is riding a wave of confidence, having added 36 lakh new members in the state, marking the highest membership figure ever in the state. Naturally, BJP seniors believe that the bolstering of its ranks has given it ammunition to aggressively take on the Congress and BRS in the state and even ride to power in the next Assembly elections. The party high command had fixed a target of 40 lakh members and the Telangana unit has come within striking distance of this goal | P4 Food poisoning victim student passes away A A R T I K A S H YA P @ Hyderabad C Shailaja, one of the 64 girl students from Ashram High School in Wankidi mandal in Kumurambheem Asifabad district, who fell victim to food poisoning, passed away on Monday while undergoing treatment at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). The 16-year-old was admitted to NIMS on November 5 with acute gastroenteritis. This led to kidney issues (increased serum creatinine secondary to dehydration) and lung infection. She was put on ventilator and dialysis from November 5 to 9. Shailaja’s condition improved and she was taken off the ventilator on November 8. However, on November 11, her condition deteriorated and she had a respiratory arrest, forcing the doctors to again put her on ventilator and dialysis. After 20-odd days, Shailaja succumbed to intracranial bleeding (bleeding in the brain) and other complications. The official health records says that Shailaja was diagnosed with hypotension with acute kidney injury and dehydration due to gastroenteritis. Shailaja’s mother Meera Bai told reporters at the Gandhi Hospital: “She was my only daughter. The doctors did not inform us about her health even when her condition deteriorated. I was told only today that she will not survive.” SC trashes petitions against inclusion of ‘secular’, ‘socialist’ to the Preamble S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a batch of pleas challenging the 1976 amendment to the Constitution, which added the terms ‘socialist’, ‘secular’ and ‘integrity’ to its Preamble. A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar had on November 22 reserved its verdict on the pleas filed by politician Subramanian Swamy and advocate Ashwini Updhayay . “We do not find any legitimate cause or justification for challenging this Constitutional amendment after nearly 44 years,” the bench said. Disposing of the pleas, the court said the writ petitions did not need further deliberation and adjudication. “The amending power of Parliament over the Constitution extends to Preamble,” the CJI said. “This stems from the fact that these terms have achieved widespread acceptance, with their mean- ings understood by ‘We, the people of India’ without any semblance of doubt. The additions to the Preamble have not restricted or impeded legislations or policies pursued by elected governments.” Wondering why the challenge was made after over 44 years, the court said terms like socialist and secular were integral to the Preamble. “While it is true that the Constituent Assembly had not agreed to include the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble, the Constitution is a living document... with power to amend,” it said. Cong govt not to accept Adani’s `100 cr donation Manipur, Adani row paralyse Parliament B K A R T H E E K @ Hyderabad FOLLOWING the indictment of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani by prosecutors in the United States on charges of fraud and bribery involving governments of several states, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday announced his decision not to accept the donation of `100 crore promised by the Adani Foundation to the Young India Skill University . “Some companies have come forward offering to donate to the Telangana government’s flagship skill development university The Adani Foundation . also came forward with a proposal of donating `100 crore. As of today the state government , hasn’t accepted any donations from any companies. In light of the recent controversies, the state government is not ready to accept the `100 crore donation from Adani, though Telangana has nothing to do with the controversies of other states and countries. We do not want the Skill University which was , started with a noble intention, to become controversial. I request not to politicise this issue,” the CM said. He was addressing a press conference along with minis- PCB junks reports likening Hyd air quality to Delhi’s E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad DENOUNCING claims doing rounds on social media that Hyderabad’s air quality is deteriorating on par with Delhi, the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) on Monday advised citizens to use SAMEER, the official app launched by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for checking the AQI. It added that the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Hyderabad over the past three days (November 24, 23 and 22) has been “moderate” at 123, 123 and 120, respectively The TGPCB not. ed that the AQI in Hyderabad usually stays in the range of good to moderate, which is less than 200. “It varies, based on seasons, with the AQI being good in the rainy season and moderate during winter season,” TGPSB officials said. According to the TGPCB, the AQI should be calculated based on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. It said that most of the apps are calculating the AQI based on Europe and US air quality standards and hence indicate higher AQI that do not apply to Telangana. P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy addresses a press meet in Hyderabad on Monday ters N Uttam Kumar Reddy, D Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and MLAs. On Sunday November 24, Spe, cial Chief Secretary and Commissioner for Industrial Promotion Jayesh Ranjan wrote to Priti G Adani, chairperson of Adani Foundation, asking her not to transfer the funds in view of the present circumstances and arising controversies. “We are thankful to you for committing `100 crore to Young India Skill University on behalf of your Foundation vide your letter dated October 18, 2024. We have so far not asked any of the donors for physical transfer of funds since the University had not received the IT exemption under Section 80G. Though this exemption order has come recently I have been instructed by , Hon’ble Chief Minister not to seek transfer of funds in view of the present circumstances and rising controversies,” Jayesh Ranjan’s letter CONTINUED ON P4 said. THE winter session of Parliament was off to a stormy start on Monday with both Houses adjourned till Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition demanding discussions on Gautam Adani’s US indictment and the Manipur situation. Opposition MPs, including K C Venugopal, Manickam Tagore and Manish Tewari, moved a motion in the Lok Sabha seeking suspension of the day’s listed business to hold a discussion on Adani indictment. But the Speaker declined, leading to protests and adjournment. In Rajya Sabha, chairman Jagdeep Dhankar rejected seven notices served under Rule 267, seeking a discussion on the billionaire’s indictment. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed dismay over the Chair in both Houses disallowing the opposition to raise the Adani issue under Rule 267 and said the government should “let the truth come out” as the matter is affecting the country’s image. “Rule 267 is made only to raise such important issues. Else, that rule should not have been there. We want to be allowed to raise this issue under this rule,” he said. Kharge also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of spoiling the country’s image by “helping” some key businessmen get contracts abroad, and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. The BJP slammed the Opposition saying it was stalling proceedings in retaliation for its defeat in Maharashtra elections. During a meeting of the business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla asked political parties to avoid a ruckus in the House in the name of protests. He also flagged the issue of disruptions and urged Opposition leaders to convey their dissent in a constructive manner. Apex court quashes land allocations to legislators, AIS officers, journalists EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad THE Supreme Court on Monday quashed all GOs issued by the YS Rajasekhara Reddy government regarding allotment of house sites to MPs, MLAs, All India Service officers and journalists. The orders, by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjay Khanna said: “GO Nos. 419, 420, 422 to 425 dated March 25, 2008, and GO No 551 dated March 27, 2008, are declared to be bad in law, being violative of Article 14 of the Constitution, and are quashed by issuing a Writ of Certiorari”. The order also stated that the interim directions passed by the apex court in some of these cases now stand merged with the final direction. “Parties will be accordingly bound by the same,” it said. The interim orders allowed housing cooperative societies of MPs, MLAs, AIS officers and journalists — Indira Legislators Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society Limited, Adarshnagar Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society, Indian Revenue Service Officers and Jawaharlal Nehru Journalists Mutually Aided Cooperative Housing Society — to develop the land subject to the final judgment of the Supreme Court. The bench directed the state government to refund the entire amount deposited by them, including the stamp duty and the registration fee, along with inCONTINUED ON P5 terest. AP POLICE REACH RESIDENCE OF RAM GOPAL VARMA TO ARREST HIM as part of their investigation into a complaint filed by a TDP leader that the film personality’s posts on social media were abusive; film director not at home | P5 DOMINATING TIME Test of character Down Under: India celebrate happy Perth-day G O M E S H S @ Chennai Stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah leads from the front at Perth | AFP THE Aussies are not invincible after all. In cricketing parlance, the first Test is done and dusted and India would be heading into the second with heads held high, very high. The beauty, however, was the manner in which the victory was enacted on the drop-in pitch of the Optus Stadium in Perth where Australia hadn’t lost a Test until now. This definitely has the potential to be part of cricketing folklore. The 295-run win in the first Test on Monday was a clear indication of India’s intent this summer Down Under. After a hammering they got against New Zealand at home — a humiliating 0-3 whitewash — this was the perfect antidote. Bowled out for 150 runs on the first day all seemed ruined. But , they came back, through some incisive bowling led by Jasprit Bumrah, who is equally lethal with the red as with the white ball. A little assistance from the pitch, he reaped through the top order like a scythe; the home side crumbled to never rise again. Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana chipped in. Like they say, Monday was just like going through the motions. Set a 522-run target, Aussies had already lost three wickets and India had Bumrah — the name batters across the globe fear. What would seem even more welcoming would be the steady batting of the top order. Especially after the jolt they got ahead of the first Test. Rohit Sharma was out, Shubman Gill injured and the side had two debutants and two batters in the top six with a cumulative experience of four Tests. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and Bumrah were under pres- sure. Inspired by the bowlers, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Nitish Reddy stepped up and bludgeoned the Aussie bowlers. This victory is monumental not just for the lead or the World Test Championship, but also because Indian cricket needed it. They also showed why the two series wins earlier were no fluke. “I was trying to put myself in that tough scenario to make the job a bit easier for the new guys coming in. It’s not very easy in the first tour to take a lot of responsibility,” Bumrah said. Over to Adelaide now. P11 AT 13, VAIBHAV BECOMES IPL’s YOUNGEST PLAYER Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest-ever player to be signed by an IPL franchise at 13 years as Rajasthan Royals bought the prodigy for `1.10 crore in the mega auction. His base price was Rs. 30 lakh and Delhi Capitals made the opening bid. RR entered the fray at ` 35 lakh and eventually got the better of DC to get the player on board. Suryavanshi made his T20 debut for Bihar in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Rajasthan on Saturday.