villupuram l wednesday l May 01, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION DGCA suspends Vistara vice-prez for lapses in training of pilots Vikram Mohan Dayal, vice-president (training), suspended for violating rules while providing training for pilots to switch from A320 to B787 Airline ordered to appoint new trainer Pilots flunked third stage: dgca PROBE The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s move is after a detailed inquiry into alleged lapses in conversion training for pilots. Conversion training is extremely critical as it equips pilots who fly the narrow-body A320 aircraft to efficiently and safely operate the wide-body B787 plane. The regulator has asked Vistara to replace Dayal with another individual, reports said ■ ■ DGCA probe found that 12 ‘trained’ pilots did not clear the third stage Conversion training involves four stages. In the first stage, pilots train on a simulator, followed by skills testing in the second stage. The third stage involves actual takeoff and landing on a B787 plane. The fourth stage involves flying a plane full of passengers under supervision `10 lakh Fine on Vistara in June 2022 for letting an untrained pilot land plane at Indore 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 Drought in K’taka grim, no more water to TN: CWRC 3 women among J i t en d r a Ch o u b e y @ New Delhi The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on Tuesday rejected Tamil Nadu government’s demand to release the backlog of its share of Cauvery water, stating there will be no further release of water from Karnataka’s reservoirs as the state’s drought situation has turned grim. The committee said both states have enough water stored up to meet the drinking water needs of their respective Dube, Samson in; KL, Rinku overlooked for T20 World Cup S w a r o o p S w am i nat han @ Chennai THE Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) erred on the side of caution as they named the 15-member squad tasked with ending a 11-year ICC title drought. Both Rohit Sharma (as captain) and Virat Kohli, two of the ever-presents in the last five T20 World Cups since 2012, kept their place for the upcoming event in the US and West Indies. Interestingly, the squad is a mix of people who have performed admirably at the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and a few who have been below par. KL Rahul was expected to be in the reckoning as a back-up opener and keeper but Sanju Samson has been preferred instead. Samson, who bats in that critical No. 3 position for Rajasthan, will probably be asked to finish games if he’s selected on match day. All said, the top seven could be a carbon copy of the line-up that featured at the World Cup in the UAE in 2021, with the only change being Yashasvi Jaiswal for KL Rahul. That being the case, one wonders how they will make room for the likes of Shivam Dube and Samson in the line-up. Rishabh Pant, who last played for India in December 2022, is expected to be the starting keeper while Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain, and Ravindra Jadeja will be the two starting all-rounders. Among the bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj may be expected to start but on spinning surfaces, one of Arshdeep or Siraj could make way for Yuzvendra Chahal. Rinku Singh, Kolkata’s designated finisher and somebody who was groomed in that role by the national selectors, didn’t make the cut. P11 populations. “There is not enough water to even maintain environmental flow in the Cauvery basin. Barely 150 cusecs reach Biligundulu, as opposed to the 1,000 cusecs per day mandated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT),” CWRC chairman Vineet Gupta told TNIE after the panel’s 95th meeting. The Karnataka government, in its submission to the committee, had said that the water available in the state’s four designated reservoirs is just enough to meet its critical requirements of drinking water, industry and standing crops. Amid this situation, the committee refused TN’s demand to direct Karnataka to ensure the release of the water backlog and maintain environmental flow as per the final award of the CWDT, modified by the Supreme Court. As per CWDT’s order, Karnataka needs to ensure a flow of 1,000 cusecs per day at Biligundulu from February to May . The CWRC noted that the water available in the designated reservoirs in the Cauvery basin in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is sufficient to meet domestic drinking water requirements for the remaining period of the current water year (2023-24) and the initial months of the next water year (2024-25). This year, southern India is facing an excruciatingly hot summer along with a severe water crisis. As many as 43 reservoirs in the region are only 17% full; a far cry from the 29% at the same time last year, and the 10-year average storage for the same period of 23%. The next meeting of the CWRC is scheduled to take place on May 16. Will expel if found guilty, says hdk; bjp asks why cong govt ‘delayed’ probe Political slugfest as JDS suspends Prajwal Revanna E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hubballi AS the alleged acts of sexual exploitation of women by Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna threatened to become a major poll issue ahead of the third phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 7, the regional party on Tuesday swung into damage control mode by suspending him from the party . The decision to suspend the young MP the , grandson of ex-PM and JDS national president HD Deve Gowda and the JDSBJP candidate from Hassan, was taken at the party meeting in Hubballi on Tuesday with the approval of Deve Gowda. Former Karnataka CM and JDS state president H D Kumaraswamy said Prajwal stands suspended till the Special Investigation Team sub- mits its report. If found guilty , he would be expelled from the party and prosecuted as per law, Kumaraswamy added. Union home minister Amit Shah said the BJP doesn’t tolerate harassment of women. He, however, sought to turn the tables on the Congress accusing the ruling party in Karnataka of failing to act on time and delaying investigation. “The Congress is trying to put the blame on us. But I want to ask whose government is it in Karnataka? The fake video must have come to your notice because it was released on time. Why has the Congress not taken action so far? Law and order is a state subject,” he said while speaking to reporters in Guwahati. Slamming Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi for questioning BJP, he said the Congress gover nment in Kar nataka NSUI members protesting at Maharani College in Bengaluru | Shashidhar Byrappa Our stand in this case is clear and we will not tolerate women’s harassment. If the Congress leaders knew about it before, why didn’t they take action earlier? — Amit Shah, Union home minister should have taken action earlier. “Why didn’t Priyanka question the Congress government (in Karnataka)?” he asked. Karnataka deputy CM D K Shivakumar said neither the state government nor any Congress leader have any prior information about this alleged sex scandal “If we had prior information, we would have acted immediately he said. ,” The JDS and its alliance partner BJP had come under persistent attack from the Congress, which targeted the BJP’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for sharing dais with Prajwal. All three seats contested by the JDS went to the polls on April 26, and in the remaining 14 seats in the state there will be a direct contest between the BJP and Congress. The stakes are higher for BJP as the issue could impact its prospects in Karnataka as well other states where voting is pending. Police had on Sunday booked Prajwal and his father H D Revanna on charges of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation based on a complaint from a woman, who worked in their household. 10 Maoists killed in C’garh encounter E J A Z K A IS E R @ Raipur The banned CPI (Maoist) on Tuesday suffered fresh reverses, with the elimination of 10 fighters, including three women, in yet another encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh. The gunfight was on when last reports came in. The encounter happened at the Tekmeta-Kakur forested terrain along the borders of the Narayanpur and Kanker districts in south Chhattisgarh. This was the second major blow to the Maoists within 15 days. On April 16, as many as 29 of them were killed. In all, 58 were eliminated this month alone in the state (see box). As many as 91 Maoists have been killed this year in the Bastar region so far. “It was an intelligence-based operation strategically carried out by security personnel. The gun battle ensued in Abujhmad area where a joint team of Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on a anti-Maoist operation around 6 am. Ten bodies, including those of three women cadre of the banned outfit, have so far been recovered besides automatic weapons and ammunition,” Prabhat Kumar, Narayanpur district police chief, told 58 killed in Bastar this year April 1 1 killed in Sukma district Apr 2 13 killed in Bijapur district Apr 6 3 killed along C’garhTelangana border Apr 16 29 Maoists killed in Kanker Apr 21 1 killed in Bijapur district Apr 29 1 killed in Sukma district Apr 30 10 killed in Narayanpur this newspaper. The bodies are yet to be identified. The operation was carried out around 45 km away from the district headquarter of Narayanpur. The DRG took control of the core area of the exercise while the fringe locations close to Kanker border were under the command of STF from different directions. State home minister Vijay Sharma said the forces also recovered a cache of arms, explosives and ammunition, including one AK-47 assault rifle. No jawan was injured. In recent months, security forces have carried out aggressive anti-Maoist operations, targeting them in areas considered to be the latter’s strongholds in the Bastar zone. Guj Crackdown on peddling deepfake Amit Shah video The Gujarat Police have arrested Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani’s aide Satish Vansola and an AAP worker for sharing a deepfake video of Union home minister Amit Shah on quota for SCs, STs and OBCs | P8 near thadagam Private bus loses control, falls Youth beaten off yercaud hairpin bend, 5 dead for refusing to e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Salem The bus veered out of control, careening off the road from the perilous 13th hairpin bend before flipping over onto the 11th bend on Tuesday | Express five people were killed after the private bus in which they were travelling from Yercaud to Salem veered out of control while navigating a hairpin bend on Tuesday evening. As many as 64 of the surviving passengers sustained injuries. According to sources, the bus, which regularly plies between Yercaud and Salem town, veered out of control at a critical juncture, careening off the road from the perilous 13th hairpin bend before flipping over onto the 11th hairpin bend on Tuesday at 6 pm. As many as 64 of the passengers sustained injuries | Express The deceased were identified as C Munishwaran (10) from Tir uchengode, S Karthick (37), K Hariram (57) and R Madhu (60) from Salem. Identity of the fifth victim is yet to be ascertained. Swift rescue operations Battle of a different kind in saffron citadel Vidisha A N U R A A G SI N G H @ Bhopal Illustration: M andar Pardikar IN Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency, nobody bothers to debate who will win this time. All discussions are about the victory margin of the BJP candidate, former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Vidisha has been a saffron citadel right from its formation, electing Pandit Shiv Sharma of the erstwhile Jan Sangh in its first election in 1967. Since then, the constituency has always chosen rightwing candidates, except in 1980 and 1984 when Congress’ Pratap Bhanu Sharma triumphed. The Congress warhorse is now back in the race to challenge Chou- han, who has won five times from Vidisha. The contest is keenly watched because Sharma, now 77 years, is the only Congress leader to have won the seat in the past 57 years. “Ask anyone from any of the eight assembly segments of the Vidisha constituency , the one liner reply will be Chouhan’s win is a foregone conclusion. The only thing to be seen is how big will Chouhan’s margin be,” says Vidisha-based political analyst Ajay Jain. For BJP workers, the primary goal is to increase voter turnout and give Chouhan a resounding win. “We’re trying to get 80-90% turnout in the constituency, which houses 19.38 lakh voters. Out target margin is 8-9 lakh votes, which will be a record in the country,” says Atul Verma, a BJP worker. BJP supporters in Vidisha believe a record margin will give new wings to Chouhan to begin his stint in national politics. Adding to their hope is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promise at a recent poll rally about ‘the big role’ awaiting Chouhan in Delhi. As for the Congress, party insiders concede that Chouhan has a clear edge. So, the strategy is to reduce his margin. Chouhan’s margin was 2.6 lakh votes in 2004, the last time he contested from Vidisha. Eyeing a massive win this time, Chouhan has been campaigning aggressively . Sharma is also travelling extensively braving his advanced , age and rising mercury . Sitting MP Ramakant Bhargava had won by 5 lakh votes in 2019. Ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s margin was 1.04 lakh votes in 1991, while former Union minister Sushma Swaraj won Vidisha by 3.89 lakh votes in 2009. The New Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka had won the seat as a Bharatiya Jana Sangh candidate in 1971 by 32,000 votes. were launched soon after the accident was reported, with emergency responders and medical teams working tirelessly to provide aid and support to the injured. Salem District Collector R Brindha Devi visited the accident spot and said only experienced drivers would be allowed to operate vehicles on this road. Police and road transport authorities would only allow vehicles to ply after checking drivers’ credentials, she said. She added that a stringent speed limit of 30 km/h would be implemented for vehicles navigating the Yercaud hills. e x pr e ss r e a d Rockwell Automation to set up shop in Chennai Chennai: American industrial automation giant Rockwell Automation is set to establish a new facility in Oragadam in Chennai, further solidifying TN’s position as an emerging global manufacturing hub, said Industries Minister TRB Rajaa | P4 OR On int’l labour day, in a series of stories, TNIE takes a look at workers toiling in the sun P4 wed minor dies e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Coimbatore Two days after being thrashed by five of his friends for refusing to marry the minor sister of one of them, a 23-year-old fuel pump operator succumbed to his injuries at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital on Monday night. The deceased, identified as S Jayachandiran who was employed at a Vellalore petrol bunk, had impregnated the 16year-old sister of the main suspect and refused to marry her, police said. Three special teams were formed and the suspects, including a 16-year-old boy and the girl’s elder brother, were arrested on Tuesday . Police said the gang had taken Jayachandiran to an isolated place near Thadagam on Friday to war n him against cheating the girl and allegedly assaulted him with logs. Then they brought him back to the city and Jayachandiran went back to his home at Mahaliamman Kovil Street near Irugur and did not tell anyone about the assault. However, due to complications from a head injury he allegedly sustained during the assault, he had to be rushed to a private hospital in Irugur on Sunday before being , shifted to CMCH. Based on information from the hospital, Podanur police had filed an attempt to murder case. P5
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