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 HYDERABAD TUESDAY APRIL 02, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 18 LATE 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 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 ■ 150 HEAT WAVE COINCIDING WITH LS ELECTIONS ■ 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 the second half of monsoon season | P9 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 In relief for Cong, Worked to ensure BRS hat-trick: Task Force ex-OSD govt puts off tax recovery till July S W E T H A V I M A L A M @ Hyderabad I-T dept tells SC that it won’t take coercive action against the party till LS polls are over department over the demand of 3500 crores approximately till the next date of hearing,” IN a major relief to the Con- Mehta 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 “Issues which arise in these the gesture as ‘gracious’. appeals are yet to be adju- di“You (Congress) should not cated upon. But having perceive negative about someregard to the prevailone all the time,” Justice Naing situation, the garathna orally department does remarked. not wish to precip“I am rendered itate matter inasspeechless and much as no coervery few times I cive steps shall am,” Singhvi be taken by the responded. S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi FORMER Task Force OSD Radha Kishan Rao, who is named A-4 (Accused No. 4) in the phone-tapping case, has reportedly confessed to having conspired with the other accused with a common goal of ensuring that the BRS returned to power for the third consecutive time in the 2023 elections. To accomplish this, former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau T Prabhakar Rao (the then IGP of SIB) chose D Praneeth Rao to head a newly cre- 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. CONG ADDS 1 MORE TO LIST Grand old party finalises one more candidate for Telangana while keeping on hold its list of nominees for the remaining three of 17 LS seats in the state HYDERABAD Hyderabad DCC president Sameer Waliullah is leading the race for the prestigious seat KHAMMAM Ponguleti Prasad Reddy, Mallu Nandini and Thummala Yugandhar, among others are lobbying hard for the ticket surveillance over the targeted political leaders and their associates... and dissidents within the BRS”. Radha Kishan said that Pra- 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, EXPRESS READ KARIMNAGAR Days after she resigned from the BRS and joined its ranks, the Congress on Monday announced the name of Dr Kadiyam Kavya as its candidate for Warangal LS seat ated Special Operations Team at SIB. In his confessional statement, Radha Kishan revealed that the team was exclusively formed “for the sole purpose of U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Notice on full VVPAT slip count Dr Kadiyam Kavya Radha Kishan said that Prabhakar was chosen as Intelligence Department DIG based on ‘caste equations’. He then handpicked Praneeth Rao from Nalgonda, Bhujanga Rao from Rachakonda, Venugopal Rao from Cyberabad & Thirupathanna from Hyderabad as they either belonged to his community or were well acquainted with him State likely to issue new ration cards after elections Revanth star campaigner for Congress in four states Hyderabad: The state government has in principle decided to issue food security cards (FSC) to all eligible applicants. The process of sanctioning new ration cards would commence after the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections is lifted | P2 Hyderabad: The AICC has appointed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy as one of the star campaigners for the party in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Elections in these four states will be held in the first phase | P5 KCR-Jagan friendship left TG districts high & dry: Uttam E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Hyderabad REELING off statistics to blow holes in the charges levelled by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that the drought situation in the state was not natural, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday noted that a significant decline of water availability in reservoirs due to lack of rainfall when BRS was in power. The Irrigation minister categorically dismissed as “baseless” the allegations levelled by KCR during his inspection of crops in erstwhile Nalgonda district that the Congress government was responsible for the farmers’ plight. He stated that as an MP he raised , a question in the Lok Sabha last year on crop insurance and came to know that Telangana was the only state among 29 states that neeth’s team also reportedly focused on inducing leaders from other parties to join the BRS, which was clearly against the SIB mandate. Speaking of the prime accused Prabhakar Rao, Radha Kishan said that after the formation of the TRS (later BRS) government in 2014, Prabhakar was in 2016 chosen as DIG of the Intelligence Department on ‘caste equations’. Prabhakar then handpicked his subordinates — Praneeth Rao from Nalgonda, Bhujanga Rao from Rachakonda, Venugopal Rao Kejriwal evasive, claims ED; sent to Tihar by court New Delhi: the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission of India on a plea seeking a complete count of VVPAT slips in polls as opposed to the current practice of verification of only five randomly selected EVMs through VVPAT paper slips. The petition challenged the EC’s guideline that mandates that VVPAT verification be done sequentially, causing undue delay Algireddy Praveen Reddy and Velchala Rajender Rao are in contention for the ticket Prabhakar handpicked team: Kishan IRRIGATION MINISTER CORNERS BRS CHIEF In BRS rule, Telangana only state with no crop insurance scheme for farmers that covers natural disasters Friendship between KCR and Jagan resulted in diversion of Krishna waters to Andhra Pradesh Despite NTPC willing to bear cost, BRS govt failed to provide land, water in time for 4,000 MW plant promised under the AP Reorganisation Act had no crop insurance scheme for far mers that covers natural disasters. Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan along with MLC Bomma Mahesh Kumar Goud, Uttam said that 1,229 tmcft was available in 2023 in Jurala, 895 tmcft in 2022, against just 154 tmcft this year. Similarly he said, the , water availability in SRSP dropped from 590 tmcft to 205 tmcft this year. He asserted that the “friendship” between KCR and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy resulted in a major diversion of Krishna waters to AP , depriving the erstwhile Khammam, Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts of their rightful share. Uttam also rejected KCR’s accusation of transferring Telangana projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), saying that it was the former chief minister who signed the papers handing over the projects to the river Board. Stating that KCR lacks the authority to comment on the power supply situation in Telangana, Uttam referred to his interaction with NTPC chairman Gurdeep Singh during his tenure as a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy . He spoke of the previous BRS government’s failure to cooperate with NTPC in providing land and water in time for the establishment of 4,000 MW power plant promised by the AP Reorganisation Act, despite the NTPC willing to bear the remaining project costs. He also criticised the previous BRS government for taking up the construction of the Bhadradri Power Plant using “outdated subcritical CONTINUED ON P4 technology .” Kavitha’s bail petition deferred to April 4 New Delhi: Abhishek Singhvi, seeking bail for K Kavitha, on Monday told a court here that the ED was acting as a “persecuting agency”. “There is no fairness or impartiality. A summon a day keeps the ED happy much like an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” he said. The hearing was adjourned to April 4 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. from Cyberabad and Thirupathanna from Hyderabad — as they either belonged to his community or were well acquainted with him. On the recommendations of Prabhakar Rao and due to his caste, Radha Kishan was posted as DCP of Task Force in 2017 by the BRS government so that he could “maintain a hold on Hyderabad city for political and other reasons”. Radha Kishan then recommended inspector Gattu Mallu to be posted in Task Force and later in SIB. CONTINUED ON P4 KATCHATHEEVU It’s Jaishankar’s turn to blame it on Nehru, Indira 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 Bay in 1974. 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 here, 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 it raised on the floor of Parliament again. Jaishankar quoted Nehru’s file noting in May 1961 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’, Jaishankar said. Responding to opposition barbs on the timing of the controversy, Jaishankar said it is an ongoing issue.
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