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Vijayan hand in glove with TN on Mullaperiyar dam issue: Congress

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (File Photo: IANS)

 In a scathing attack on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the manner in which he is handling the vexed issue of the leaking Mullaperiyar dam, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday remarked that Vijayan is hand in glove with Tamil Nadu, which is aiming to raise the water level to 152 feet.

Satheesan attacked Vijayan at the 24-hour fast protest launched by Idukki Lok Sabha Congress member Dean Kuriakose, near the dam site at Cheruthonni, demanding that permission be granted to build a new dam in place of the leaking one which is now 126 years old.

Satheesan, inaugurating the 24-hour fast, recalled a protest of the then Left Democratic Front opposition on December 8, 2011 when Oommen Chandy was the chief minister.

“Vijayan along with then Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan was part of human chain that was formed which saw lakhs taking part in the 208 km stretch from near the Mullaperiyar dam site to the Arabian sea at Kochi and took a pledge demanding a new dam at Mullaperiyar replacing the then 116 years old leaking Mullaperiyar dam. And see what’s he saying now, he says the dam is safe and is hand in glove with Tamil Nadu, who are demanding raising the water level to 152 feet,” said Satheesan.

“We all saw on what happened when permission was granted to cut trees to strengthen the baby dam at Mullaperiyar. We have two State Ministers (Water Resources Minister, Forest Minister) who have no clue of what’s happening in their department, as all decisions are taken by Vijayan. We are also seeing the way Tamil Nadu is opening the shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam without following the rules and none in Kerala government is bothered about it and we all heard a statement that Vijayan has written a letter to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu. Is this the way this serious issue has to be tackled?” asked Satheesan.

Incidentally this protest is taking place when in the Lok Sabha the other day Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu said in a written reply that there is a report titled ‘Ageing Water Storage Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk’ published in the 11th Series Report of the United Nations University-Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) which has mentioned certain safety concerns of the Mullaperiyar dam.

He however, sought to allay fears about the safety of the dam, stating that through inspections, investigations, tests and studies, the health of a dam can be evaluated. Various instruments, which are installed in the dam, provide relevant information on the safety conditions of a dam. Pre and post-monsoon inspections are generally carried out by the dam owning agencies every year.

The dam has been a bone of contention between Kerala – where the dam is located – and Tamil Nadu, which owns the dam as per the old lease agreement.

Crime

Punjab Police arrest man for sharing sensitive information with Pak on Op Sindoor

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Chandigarh, June 3: Acting swiftly, Punjab Police have arrested Gagandeep Singh of Tarn Taran for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor, Director General of Police Guarav Yadav said on Tuesday.

The accused had been in contact with the Pakistan’s ISI and Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla.

Investigations have revealed that he was engaged in sharing classified details, including troop deployments and strategic locations, posing a threat to national security, DGP Yadav wrote on the social media platform X.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Singh had been in touch with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Chawla for the past five years, through whom he was introduced to the Pakistani intelligence operatives.

He also received payments from operatives via Indian channels, the DGP said.

The police have recovered a mobile phone containing intelligence that Singh shared with Pakistan, as well as details of over 20 ISI contacts.

“Thorough financial and technical investigations are underway to trace other linkages and establish the full scope of this espionage network,” the DGP added.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered under the Official Secrets Act at the police station (city) in Tarn Taran town, and further investigation is in progress.

Earlier, Punjab Police arrested two people, including a 31-year-old woman, for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to an official posted at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Those arrested were identified as Gazala and Yameen Mohamad, both residents of Malerkotla in Punjab.

Police teams had recovered two mobile phones from their possession. Their arrest came days after Amritsar (Rural) Police arrested two people, Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih, for their alleged role in leaking sensitive information and photographs of army cantonment areas and air bases to Pakistan’s intelligence agency.

DGP Yadav had said that the preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for sharing classified information. They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions.

Accused Gazala was arrested for leaking sensitive information regarding Indian Army movements to a Pakistan-based handler.

Based on disclosures made by her during interrogation, a second conduit identified as Yameen Mohamad was also identified and taken into custody.

Accused Gazala admitted that she was doing it in lieu of money, and the accused official has sent her Rs 30,000 in two transactions – Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 – via UPI.

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Crime

16 Bangladeshis, including 7 minors, apprehended in East Delhi

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crime

New Delhi, June 2: In a drive against Bangladeshis illegally living in Delhi, the city police rounded up 16 persons, including seven children, from the Seemapuri area, an official said on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), Prashant Gautam, said the apprehended Bangladeshi nationals revealed that they had crossed into India approximately 18-19 years ago under the cover of darkness.

“They illegally entered India due to extreme poverty and a lack of livelihood opportunities in their native villages, located 40-50 km from the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal,” he said.

The DCP said the arrests were made by a joint team of the Foreigner Cell and special staff of Shahdara after receiving a tip-off last month.

Those arrested include four men and five women, he said, adding that after entering India they initially stayed in the Cooch Behar area.

DCP Gautam said that from there, they travelled by train to New Delhi in search of better employment opportunities.

“Eventually, they moved to Haryana and began working in the rural areas, particularly at brick kilns, where they were involved in brickmaking,” he said.

These kilns are located away from main villages and residential areas, which allowed them to live in hiding without attracting attention, he said.

“No government agency had conducted any verification or background checks on them during this time. The brick kiln owners, driven by the motive of engaging low-cost labour, employed them without documentation,” he said.

Over time, they settled in the area, raised families, and continued to live and work without legal status or scrutiny, he said.

DCP Gautam said that on May 30, the Foreigner Cell of the Shahdara District received information regarding the presence of illegal Bangladeshi nationals attempting to enter the Seemapuri area.

“The tip-off indicated that a group of individuals was moving across the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border near Shaheed Nagar,” he said.

The arrests were made by a joint team of Foreigner Cell and Special Staff comprising SI Shaji John, ASI Gajender, ASI Johar, ASI Nazir, Head Constable Arun, Head Constable Siddharth, Head Constable Yoginder, Head Constable Amit, Head Constable Vijay, Head Constable Anuj, Woman Head Constable Geeta, Woman Head Constable Manju, Woman Head Constable Renu and Constable Aman led by Inspector Munish Kumar I/C Special Staff & Foreigner Cell under the supervision of Gurudev Singh, ACP/Operations.

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National News

SC refuses to stay demolitions in Delhi’s Batla House, next hearing in July

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suprim court

New Delhi, June 2: The Supreme Court on Monday did not pass any interim orders on staying the proposed demolitions in the national capital’s Batla House.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma told the residents, who had received 15-day eviction notices and apprehended imminent demolition, that they are free to avail remedies available under the law.

The Justice Karol-led Bench directed that the matter be listed before the regular Bench for hearing in July.

The litigants claimed that they were “genuine residents” and “property owners” of Khasra Nos. 271 and 279 in Batla House. They stated that their homes fall within the area now sought to be demolished on the purported ground of being outside the PM-UDAY Scheme coverage, despite having valid title documents, proof of continuous possession since before 2014, and eligibility under the Recognition of Property Rights Act, 2019.

Any blanket demolition drive initiated without affording affected residents an adequate and meaningful opportunity of being heard would amount to a gross infraction of the principles of natural justice and a direct violation of fundamental rights enshrined under the Constitution of India, said the plea filed through advocate Adeel Ahmed.

Underscoring the need for a fair, humane, and judicious approach before any coercive action is undertaken, the plea stated that applicants have been residing peacefully in the area in question for several decades, forming a stable and law-abiding community.

It added that the 15-day eviction notices were mechanically applied to residents and properties which are neither part of Khasra No. 271 nor identified in any report as being outside the scope of regularisation.

In spite of their legitimate claims, these residents have been denied an opportunity to be heard, and are now at imminent risk of displacement, said the application filed before the top court.

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