MONDAY 05 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00 SINCE 1818 X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR JAGAN MOHAN REDDY’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER CHANDRABABU NAIDU ‘TIME TO WORK ON REVIVING SANSKRIT, NOT LAMENT ITS DECLINE’ P4 P5 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Thunderstorm with light to moderate rain likely. Maximum and Minimum Temperature likely to be around 35˚C and 25˚C respectively. RAINFALL: NIl RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87% TEMPERATURE Max: 34.2˚C (-1.2) SUN RISES 05:01 hrs MOON SETS 00:39 hrs Min. 45% Min: 25.7˚C (-0.4) SUN SETS 18:05 hrs MOON RISES 12:01 hrs Full Moon on 12 May THUMBNAILS Children play on a Kolkata street during a lazy Sunday afternoon. n BISWAJIT GHOSHAL DRDO tests airship platform: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the first flight-trials of a 'Stratospheric Airship Platform' from its trial site located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. According to officials, the trial was carried out at around 5.30 a.m. on Saturday. The airship, developed by the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, Agra, was launched carrying an instrumental payload to an altitude of around 17 km. PARAG'S 95 IN VAIN AS KKR BEAT RR BY ONE RUN WARREN BUFFETT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT P9 P12 Chenab flow to Pak hit Amid surging tensions with Pak, IAF chief meets PM Modi as Baglihar gates shut Similar action is being planned at the Kishanganga dam on the Jhelum in the Kashmir valley which flows into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 4 MAY PakistanÊs Defence Minister Khawaja Asif earlier warned India that it would strike any structure that is built on the Indus River in „violation of the Indus Waters A fter the government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan following the killing of 26 tourists by Pakistan backed terrorists in Pahalgam, the authorities on Sunday shut the sluice spillways on the Baglihar hydroelectric project dam in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, affecting the flow of the Chenab waters to Pakistan. Sources said that after opening the dam gates for two days to flush out the waters for desilting, the gates were shut on Sunday and it might take at least three days for the dam to fill up to the required height. As the IWT stands suspended, the authorities have reportedly started the annual desilting process in the summers instead of waiting for the monsoons. Desilting of other key hydroelectric projects is also expected to be conducted during the sum- mers, sources said. The 900 mws Baglihar is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project on the Chenab. After construction of the project began in 1999, Pakistan repeatedly raised objections that its design violated the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. The IWT provides that India can establish runof-the-river projects with limited reservoir capacity and limited control over the flow for feasible power generation. The Baglihar dam offers India the ability to regulate the timing of shutting and releasing water. Closing gates of the dam during the summers is seen a part of the diplomatic measures initiated against Pakistan after the terror attack on 22 April. Similar action is being planned at the Kishanganga dam on the Jhelum in the Kashmir valley. The waters of the Jhelum flow to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Like the Baglihar Dam, the Kishanganga Dam has faced legal and diplomatic scrutiny, especially regarding its impact on the Neelum River, a tributary of the Jhelum. Due to last week’s heavy rains that caused significant rise in the water level of the Chenab, the gates of the Baglihar dam were opened to prevent structural damage to the dam. Other major hydro- electric projects on the Chanab include Salal in the Reasi district and Dul Hasti in Kishtwar. Besides, several other power projects are being built on the river waters. India has taken several punitive measures against Pakistan following the cold-blooded killings of 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, downgrading diplomatic ties, banning Pakistani ships from Indian ports and stopping imports. Pakistan had objected to India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring that any attempt to stop waters flowing into the country would be deemed an act of war. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 MAY Amid surging tensions with Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, a source said. Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi had also met the prime minister on Saturday and briefed him on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea. The series of meetings the PM had with armed forces heads assumes significance against the backdrop of India’s national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism. PM Modi had last week also had a meeting with the chiefs of all three armed forces, when he said that the armed forces have his full confidence and “complete operational IAF chief Marshal Amarpreet Singh leaves after meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (unseen) on Sunday. n ANI freedom to decide on the mode, targets and timing” of India’s response to the terror attack at Pahalgam that left 26 people dead. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is unlikely to attend Russia’s 9 May Victory Day parade in Moscow to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II, amid the tensions between India and Pakistan. Fresh ceasefire violation: The Indian Army said that it has responded appropriately to unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Pakistani Army in several areas along the Line of Control (LoC) during the intervening night of 3 and 4 May, including in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajauri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor areas of Jammu and Kashmir. AI stops flights to Tel Aviv after missile attack AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 4 MAY Air India announced on Sunday that it has suspended all its flights to and from Tel Aviv, with immediate effect, till 6 May, following the missile attack near the city's airport in the morning. “Consequent to developments in Tel Aviv this morning, our operations to and from Tel Aviv will remain suspended with immediate effect till 6th May 2025, to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. Our colleagues on the ground are assisting customers and helping them with alternative arrangements," Air India said in a statement. Air India flight AI139 from Delhi to Tel Aviv was on its way to Israel when a missile, launched by the Houthi rebels from Yemen, landed near Ben Gurion Airport. The attack occurred less than an hour before the flight was scheduled to land. The Air India plane, which was flying over Jordan’s airspace, was diverted to Abu Dhabi and flew back to Delhi.