The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Our offices and press will remain closed today, and there will be no issue of the paper on Monday visakhapatnam l sunday l march 30, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 28 l late city EDITION Former Nepal king fined by civic body for inciting vandalism Former King Gyanendra Shah was issued a fine by Kathmandu’s civic body following damage to public property during pro-monarchy protests loss of public property on king’s call Parts of Kathmandu witnessed a tense situation after pro-monarchy protesters pelted stones, attacked the office of a political party, set fire to vehicles and looted shops. As the protest was organised on the call of the deposed king, Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s mayor Balendra Shah asked him to pay Nepali Rupees 7,93,000 as ‘damage compensation’ | P9 ■ 110 ‘agitation subverts nation-building’ ■ Durga Prasai, who was the convener of Friday’s agitation, had met Gyanendra Shah a day before and received instructions to stage the agitation demanding reinstatement of monarchy and a Hindu state “Gyanendra Shah’s descent into political activism subverts nationbuilding efforts and weakens the country,” civil society leaders said people have been injured and two died in the agitation in nepal 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 India rushes to Myanmar’s aid as earthquake toll tops 1,600 All eyes on NDA’s allies as Waqf Bill set for reintroduction After speaking to the Myanmar leader, Modi said on X: “Spoke with Senior General PRIME Minister Narendra Min Aung Hlaing of MyanModi on Saturday spoke to Min mar... As a close friend and Aung Hlaing, the leader of My- neighbour, India stands in solianmar’s military-led govern- darity with the people of Myanment, reaffirming India’s un- mar in this difficult hour.” wavering commitment to Two Indian naval ships, INS Myanmar in the wake of the Satpura and INS Savitri, carrydevastating 7.7-magnitude ing 40 tonnes of humanitarian earthquake that has claimed aid, have been dispatched to the over 1,600 lives and left more port of Yangon and two more than 3,400 injured. ships are set to sail As a first reshortly . sponder, New Del“If additional rehi ramped up relief materials are lief and rescue required, there are efforts under ‘Opextra ships staeration Brahma’, tioned at Visakhaplaunched in the atnam, Sri Vijaya early hours of Sat- Narendra Modi, Min Aung Hlaing Puram, and Andaurday, with the man Islands ready first aircraft carrying 15 tonnes to be deployed,” said Captain R of relief material taking off Raghu Nair of the Indian from Hindon Air Force Base at Navy , 3 am for Yangon. A field hospital with 118 perShortly thereafter, two air- sonnel, including doctors and craft carrying search and res- medics, is set to be airlifted cue personnel, equipment, and from Agra late Saturday Total . canines departed for Myanmar, aid sent to Yangon by air sorfollowed by additional ship- ties and Naval ships equals 137 ments of relief material and tonnes, sources said. NDRF personnel to support the exten- personnel have also been sive operation. deployed. P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi Modi speaks to junta govt head Min Aung Hlaing, rushes over 137 tonnes of relief material E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi SP: Praveen’s 4-hour stay in Vijayawada being probed E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Rajamahendravaram Police are tracing the movements of pastor Pagadala Praveen Kumar in Vijayawada on March 24, focusing on his activities between 4 and 9 pm. Authorities are scrutinising CCTV footage from various locations to determine if he met anyone or spent time in specific areas during his four to five-hour stay . Giving details of the four-day probe into the death of Praveen to media here on Saturday, Eluru Range Inspector General GVG Ashok Kumar and East Godavari District Superintendent of Police D Narasimha Kishore revealed that the CCTV footage was obtained from multiple locations. “Efforts are underway to collect private CCTV footage from Hyderabad and Vijayawada,” he said. The police officials made it clear that four cars that passed the accident site have no connection with the incident. P4 Today’s issue includes a 4-page Supplement on ugadi panchangam Ye Aung (top) accompanies his wife on their way to a hospital after she was rescued from the rubble of an apartment building in Mandalay | AFP Why frequent quakes in SE Asia? Myanmar’s geographical position between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates makes it a high-risk zone for seismic activity. Friday’s earthquake occurred due to the horizontal movement of these plates, a phenomenon known as “strike-slip faulting,” according to the US Geological Survey. The boundary between the two plates — the Saigang Fault— runs through Mandalay and Yangon, placing millions at risk TDP will remain as long as Telugus exist: Naidu S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said the very emergence of Telugu Desam is a big sensation in Indian politics, and that the party had taken birth only to uphold the self-respect of the entire Telugu community . Exuding confidence that the TDP will remain as long as the Telugu community exists, Naidu said, “We are all heirs of the party but not leaders. Several parties have come and gone, but the TDP has stood out because we function in a totally different manner from other parties. If anyone pens the history of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, the entire focus will be on pre and post formation of the TDP . Addressing the TDP rank and file on the occasion of the 43rd Formation Day at the party headquarters on Saturday, Naidu said the party had overcome several challenges only because of the staunch support of the cadre. Those who vowed to eliminate the TDP had disappeared into oblivion, he observed. In the entire world, it is only the TDP that has got the whole credit of coming to power within nine months of the formation, Naidu said and recalled that NTR announced the formation of the party in Hyderabad after closely observing the political situation in AP then. Maintaining that the TDP is not a regional party, he mentioned how it played a crucial role at the national level.  P4 CM Naidu takes part in the 43rd TDP Formation Day celebrations at the central office | Prasant Madugula Several parties have come and gone, but the TDP has stood out because we function in a totally different manner from other parties Naidu, CM Party posts: Major organisational reforms in TDP should start from me, says Lokesh E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Nominated posts to be filled soon @ Vijayawada TDP national general secretary and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh has come up with a major organisational reform to strengthen the party As per the reform, . TDP leaders continuing in the same post for three consecutive terms should either go to the next level or take a break. “The reform should start right from myself as I have been continuing as the TDP national general secretary for the fourth term,” he said. Addressing the TDP rank and file at the party headquarters on the occasion of the 43rd Formation Day Lokesh made it , clear that he will fight for the cause of cadre both within the party and outside as his sole aim is to get proper identity for those who work hard for the party. “Fresh blood should be injected to make the TDP survive for another 40 years, for which the cooperation of all HRD Minister Lokesh said all the nominated posts will be filled soon, and the committed TDP activists will be duly rewarded leaders is needed,” he observed. Mentioning that the ‘Red Book’ is doing rounds everywhere, he said some erred people are suffering heart attack, and some others are falling in bathrooms thinking about it, and the consequences in store for them. “Power should not reach one’s head. No one should feel egoistic. Let us all work for the people, and that we can survive only if we have people’s blessings. Everyone should keep this in mind, and all should strive to win the hearts of the people” he asserted. Describing the yellow flag as an emotion for the TDP rank and file, Lokesh said the party witnessed several victories and crises during its journey of over four decades. “The exact time NT Rama Rao formed the TDP 43 years ago is so great, and the foundation is so strong that within nine months of the formation of the party it came to power in , the State to make New Delhi rulers to be aware of the real strength of a Telugu man,” Lokesh remarked. I wish that the village-level leader should rise to the State-level. Fresh blood should be injected to make the TDP survive for another 40 years, for which the cooperation of all leaders is needed Lokesh, HRD Minister With the government set to reintroduce the contentious Waqf Bill (amendment) in Parliament next week for passage, the focus has shifted to four NDA allies who have a strong support base among Muslims in their respective states. Amid protests by Muslim bodies, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the Waqf Bill will be introduced in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, which concludes on April 4. The firm stance by several Muslim organisations against the Waqf Bill has put the NDA allies — Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) — between a rock and a hard place. Muslim groups have told them to either ‘withdraw support to the bill or risk losing their support’. Significantly Muslim or, WITH THIS ISSUE ganisations boycotted an Iftar party hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his support to the bill. However, the JD (U) maintained that the party held wide consultations with Muslim bodies, adding the changes suggested by it have been accepted by the JPC scrutinising the bill. Congress sources said that the Opposition is on a ‘wait and watch mode’ on the stand of the NDA allies. “JD (U) and TDP will be exposed if they support the Bill in Parliament,” said a leader. In a sign of ‘all is not well’ is the NDA camp in poll-bound Bihar, Union minister and LJP chief Chirag Paswan expressed dismay over ally BJP’s communal rhetoric. “I have always maintained that religion is a p e r s o n a l ch o i c e a n d we shouldn’t interfere in it. We are in alliance with the BJP, but I am against playing Hindu-Muslim politics,” he said. The Great Visa Imbroglio PLUS 12 PAGES