PROBABILITY FORECAST OF MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR APRIL TO JUNE 2024 ABOVE NORMAL NORMAL BELOW NORMAL 35 45 55 65 75 White colour over land area indicates climatological probability Enhanced rainfall likely to continue over Northeast India till April 7 KALABURAGI TUESDAY APRIL 02, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 14 CITY EDITION EXTREME HEAT PREDICTED ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM APRIL TO JUNE IMD expects Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, west MP, AP & north Karnataka to be worst affected by the heat wave from April to June WHEAT CROPS NOT TO FACE BRUNT OF HEAT HEAT WAVE COINCIDING WITH LS ELECTIONS Harvest-ready wheat crop may not be impacted by the heat wave. There is no warning for wheat producing states, except Madhya Pradesh, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. About 90% of wheat harvest is over in Madhya Pradesh. This year, wheat production is expected to be around 114 million tonnes, according to government data ■ ■ Union minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju said all stakeholders, including state governments, are preparing in advance for the Lok Sabha polls to go smoothly taking into account the heat wave El Nino conditions are weakening and La Nina conditions are likely to set in by second half of monsoon season, Mohapatra said 150 BIG RESERVOIRS HAVE SEEN STORAGE DROP BELOW 10-YEAR AVERAGE THIS YR 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 Relief for Cong, Cong’s ‘Star’ Chandru declares assets worth `223 cr ‘Mysuru Maharaja’ doesn’t govt puts off tax own car, house, has 1L cash recovery till July B K L A K S H M I K A N T H A @ Mandya I-T dept tells SC that it won’t take coercive action against the party till LS polls are over matter is heard after the election, we will not take any action for recovery of `1,700 IN a major relief to the Con- crore,” he said. gress, the income tax departThe SC bench recorded the ment on Monday informed the SG’s undertaking and posted Supreme Court that it would the matter to the second week not take any coercive action of July for further hearing. against the cash-strapped party According to the Congress, it with regard to tax dehas received multiple mands till the Lok Sabnotices from the tax au‘LEVELha elections are over. thorities for a total dePLAYING Solicitor General mand of `3,567 crore FIELD’ Tushar Mehta, appear(including penalties Congress ing for the tax departand interest) for disleader Vivek ment, made the undercrepancies in income taking before a bench Tankha, who is tax returns for previalso fighting of Justices B V Nagarous years. It also acathna and Augustine the case for the cused the BJP governparty before George Masih, which ment of resorting to was hearing an appeal the income tax ‘tax terrorism’ to finanby the Congress against authorities and cially cripple the prina 2016 judgment of the the Delhi High cipal opposition party Delhi High Court. In Court, said the ahead of the crucial the appeal, the party party can now Lok Sabha polls. had moved an interim expect a levelThe unexpected stateplaying field application seeking a ment by the SG took stay of the recent deCongress’ counsel senmand notices by the tax ior advocate A M Singhvi by department. surprise, who acknowledged Mehta told the SC that the re- the gesture as ‘gracious’. cent tax demand for `1,700 “You (Congress) should not crore is based on the 2016 perceive negative about somejudgement, which is one all the time,” Justice Naunder challenge. garathna orally “Since the election remarked. is going on, we “I am rendered would not like any speechless and problem to arise very few times I for any party and am,” Singhvi therefore, till the responded. S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Bug invasion: Contaminated water triggers cholera in B’luru R I S H I TA K H A N N A @ Bengaluru AMID heat waves and water crisis, cases of cholera triggered by contaminated water have surged by 40% in Bengaluru, as reported by government and private hospitals. Many private hospitals in the city, which used to record one or two cases of ch o l e r a i n a month, recorded six to seven cases in less than two weeks in March. Health experts said people who tested positive for cholera ate food in small eateries. With the city facing a severe water shortage, eateries might have compromised with the quality of water. Dr Ramesh GH, Head of Emergency and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, said, “Consumption of street food such as “panipuri”, juice and other items is the reason for such diseases. Contamination of drinking water is another significant factor.” P5 EXPRESS READ Supreme Court notice on full VVPAT slip count New Delhi: The apex court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and ECI on a plea seeking a complete count of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips in polls as opposed to the current practice of verification of only five randomly selected EVMs through VVPAT paper slips. The petition filed by activist Arun Kumar Agrawal challenged the EC’s guideline that mandates that VVPAT verification be done sequentially, causing undue delay. CONGRESS candidate for Mandya LS seat Venkataramane Gowda aka ‘Star’ Chandru is one of the richest candidates in Kar nataka with assets worth Rs 223 crore. Congress’ Bengaluru Rural candidate DK Suresh has declared assets worth Rs 593.04 crore. Gowda and his wife Kusuma Krishne gowda own eight commercial buildings and nine residential buildings worth Rs 190 crore in Bengaluru. Gowda, 59, is a BSc graduate from Bangalore University He owns Star Infratech . and has declared Rs 29.94 crore worth movable assets, Rs 149 crore worth immovable assets and developed property with a cost of Rs 44.22 crore. Gowda has only Rs 1.80 lakh in cash and has no jewelry and valuables. He has Rs 29.94 crore in his bank accounts. He has bank loans of Rs 15.66 crore and Rs 15.71 crore. Gowda owns land worth Rs 99.36 crore, commercial buildings worth Rs 80.72 crore and residential buildings worth Rs 57.03 crore. P4 YATHINDRA GETS EC NOTICE OVER SHAH COMMENT Mysuru: The Election Commission has served notice to former MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah for making derogatory remarks against Home Minister Amit Shah. At a Congress workers’ meet at Hanur on March 28, Yathindra had called Shah a “gunda”. Legislative council members Ravikumar and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy had lodged a compliant with the Election Commission. KARNATAKA is seeing a steady rise in the number of electric vehicles’ (EV) registration. From 2020-21 to 20232024, the registration of electric vehicles witnessed a whopping 1,275% growth. According to transport officials, Karnataka ranks third in the country in the number of CONTRARY to the expectations of opulent estates and fleets of vehicles, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of erstwhile Mysuru royal family , doesn’t even have a house, car, or a bike in his name. In his 22-page election affidavit, the BJP candidate for Mysuru-Kodagu LS CM SAYS EXCISE SCAM ACCUSED VIJAY NAIR HAD LIMITED INTERACTION WITH HIM Kejriwal evasive, claims ED; sent to Tihar by court U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at a city court in New Delhi on Monday | PTI LODGED IN JAIL 2, ACCESS TO VISITORS TWICE A WK U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi DELHI Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Monday lodged at Tihar’s Jail No. 2 where 90% of the inmates are convicted criminals. Of the 650odd inmates in Jail No. 2, nearly 600 have been convicted, well placed sources said. There are around 650 CCTV cameras in the central jail where Kejriwal has been lodged. He can watch television — except during designated prison activities — about 18 to 20 channels covering news, entertainment and sports. There will be no specialised services for the CM. He will have to sleep in his barrack either on the floor or a cemented platform. Technically, Kejriwal is not barred from functioning as CM. But how he would be able to do so remains to be seen as he can have visitors only twice a week. A former Tihar official said it would be extremely challenging for Kejriwal to run the government from jail. “There needs to be a dedicated support system for the CM. Currently, none of the 16 jails has the necessary infrastructure to accommodate a chief minister’s office,” he said. Prison routine Kejriwal will have to follow the prison routine of breakfast at 7 am for which the menu is tea, biscuit, daliya (porridge) and bread. Lunch around 11 am. From 12 pm to 3 pm, the ward remains closed. Dinner around 6.30 pm usually comprises a dal and one vegetable, roti or rice DELHI Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Monday placed under judicial custody for 15 days by a city court and lodged in Tihar jail. The order came after the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody ended. It did not seek further remand but pressed for Kejriwal’s judicial custody in its application. Describing him as a highly influential person, the ED said there is every likelihood that he would influence the witnesses and tamper with evidence if he is released. Speaking to reporters before entering the court, the chief minister said, “Whatever the prime minister is doing (referring to his arrest) is not good for the country .” The ED’s lawyer S V Raju claimed that Kejriwal was not cooperating and was giving evasive replies. “Kejriwal did not also give the passwords of digital devices,” Raju said. In its application for judicial custody the probe agency , cited Kejriwal’s claim on Vijay Nair, ex-communications in-charge of the party, to assert that he was evasive and giving misleading replies. Kejriwal claimed he had “limited interaction” with Nair, Requests special diet, medicines, books Kejriwal’s counsel moved applications seeking permission for the CM to have a special diet, medicines, books and a religious the locket while at Tihar. He sought three books — Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, and How Prime Ministers Decide by senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury adding the latter used to report to AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj and not to him. But the ED said Nair stayed in a Cabinet minister’s bungalow and worked from the Camp Office of the CM. “It was also put to the arrestee to explain why would someone who reported to other leaders of the AAP, work from his Camp Office, which anyways is meant for the work of the CM of Delhi and not for the party the ED said. But Kejri,” wal claimed he was unaware of who all work at the CM’s Camp Office. During the ED’s custody, the CM was confronted with different WhatsApp chats showing the involvement of Nair in the excise policy scam. But Kejriwal questioned the authenticity of the digital evidence shown to him. seat has revealed that he has only Rs 1 lakh cash in hand, while his wife has Rs 75,000. He has deposits and investments through shares in several companies and trusts and foundations, including Bherunda Foundation, Mahisuru Royal Heritage Hotels Palaces, Resorts and Spas Private Ltd., amounting to Rs 1.36 crore. P4 26% GROWTH With Rs 13K cr, K’taka ranks 2nd in GST collection EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru KARNATAKA’S Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection has crossed Rs 13,000 crore, second only to Maharashtra. Its impressive 26% growth is the highest among the five largest states. Karnataka’s nearest comp e t i t o r s G u j a r at , Ta m i l Nadu and erstwhile Andhra Pradesh consisting of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, lagged far behind in overall collection and g rowth percentages. In GST collection, Karnataka ranks second in the country, next only to Maharashtra with Rs 27,688 crore. However, Maharashtra is double the size of Karnataka. Gujarat’s GST collection stood at Rs 11,392 crore, Tamil Nadu at Rs 11,017 crore and the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh with Rs 9,481 crore. A n d h r a P r a d e s h ’s c a s e proves the adage that divided they fall. Experts said that united Andhra Pradesh used to be a more formidable economic force. Kar nataka GST for the year ended March 31 stood at Rs 13,014 crore. The comparison with last year’s GST collection, which was only Rs 10,360, showed a steep 26% growth. Katchatheevu: Jaishankar blames Nehru, Indira, MK Cafe blast: NIA in hot RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi THE BJP on Monday continued to keep the pressure on the Congress and the DMK over the ceding of Katchatheevu in the palk Straits. External Affairs minister S Jaishankar accused Congress prime ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi of being indifferent towards Tamil Nadu fishermen’s rights and giving it away to Sri Lanka. At a media interaction in the BJP headquarters, Jaishankar said, “For Pandit Nehru, Katchatheevu was a ‘little island of no importance’. That’s why he considered the Katchatheevu issue a “nuisance’ and never wanted the issue being raised on the floor of Parliament again and again.” Jaishankar quoted Nehru as having said, “I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it. I don’t like matters like this pending indefinitely and being raised again and again in Parliament.” As for Indira Gandhi, the island was a little ‘rock’, he said. Responding to opposition barbs on the timing of the controversy, he said it is an ongoing issue. The ceding of Kat- CONGRESS POSER The MEA under the watch of the then foreign secretary, S Jaishankar, said in 2015 in response to a RTI query on Katchatheevu, “This (Agreement) did not involve either acquiring or ceding of territory belonging to India since the area in question had never been demarcated. Under the Agreements, the Island of Katchatheevu lies on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line.” Is he disowning the 2015 RTI response now, asks Congress leader Jairam Ramesh chatheevu has resulted in more than 6,000 Indian fishermen being detained and 1,175 fishing vessels seized by Lanka in the last 20 years. Taking an aim at DMK, he said Congress had kept the regional party in the loop over giving the island away to Lanka. “The available records exist of the then foreign secretary keeping then TN CM M Karunanidhi fully informed of the talks between the two countries. Ironically, the same people who connived at all this are today standing up and trying to pretend to be champions of fishermen,” he charged. Karnataka ranks third in registration of electric vehicles A K N I S R E E K A R T H I K @ Bengaluru E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Mysuru electric vehicles. Uttar Pradesh tops the list, followed by Maharashtra in the second position. From 1,922 e-vehicles in 2017-18, the number increased to 1,59,428 in 2023-2024 (till March 25). The vehicles include two-wheelers, three-wheelers and cars. In all, there are 3.4 lakh e-vehi- cles in the state with 2.98 lakh two-wheelers, 23,516 fourwheelers and 18,246 threewheelers. “When e-vehicles were introduced, there were not many takers. People were not sure of the performance of e-vehicles and were also worried about charging stations. In 2017-18, there were only 1,922 e- vehicles. Of them, 97 were twowheelers, 1,589 three-wheelers and 236 four-wheelers. However, with the setting up of charging stations in towns and cities and many e-vehicle players in the market, the number of such vehicles increased in the state,” Gnanendra Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Transport, said. The other reasons for the jump in the number of e-vehicles are the Karnataka government is providing tax exemption to such vehicles (except the ones that cost more than Rs 25 lakh) and the environmental concern among the people. Among the electric vehicles registered in 2023-2024, twowheelers top the list with 1,40,327, followed by 13,667 cars and 5,434 three-wheelers. pursuit of conspirator thahalli. According to sources, he was radicalised by a hanABDUL Matheen Taha, 30, the dler, who is suspected to be fugitive terror accused and al- overseas. “He in turn allegedly legedly the key conspirator in radicalised around a dozen the Bengaluru cafe blast case, Muslim youth from Thirthais reportedly at the centre of halli. Taha is allegedly at the the conspiracy behind the centre of all terrorist activities March 1 IED blast.The Nation- in Karnataka since 2019, when al Investigation Agency (NIA) ‘Al Hind IS’ - an ISIS-inspiredlast weekend released photo- terror-group was reportedly graphs and details of formed by accused Mehthe main accused, Musboob Pasha of Bengalusavir Hussain Shazib, ru, Khaja Moideen alias 30, and Taha and also Jalal of Cuddalore, TN, announced Rs 10 lakh and their associates. The reward each for informodule is said to be inmation leading to their volved in the murder of arrest.This is the sec- Abdul Matheen the Hindu leader in Tamil ond time that the NIA Nadu. Taha has allegedly Taha has announced a bounty appeared as the common on Taha. In May 2020, the cen- thread in the subsequent tertral agency announced a re- rorist cases in Karnataka, from ward of Rs 3 lakh on informa- the Mangaluru terror graffiti tion leading to his arrest in the case in November 2020; stabAl-Hind IS Bengaluru module bing of Prem Singh in the comcase (RC-4/2020/NIA/DLI), munal clashes over the unveilwhich is said to be behind the ing of a poster of Savarkar in murder of a Hindu leader in Shivamogga on August 15, 2022; Tamil Nadu. burning of the national flag in Taha is a graduate and origi- September 2022 near the Tungnally from Chitradurga, but he abhadra river and the pressure moved from there to stay with cooker blast in an autorickhis mother, who is from Thir- shaw in Mangaluru. P5 B A L A C H A U H A N @ Bengaluru
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