Vijayawada: Minister for water resources Nimmala Ramanaidu has called for the completion of Handrineeva and Polavaram Left Main Canal works by June, in line with the deadline set by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

The minister held a review meeting on Tuesday with the chief engineers and superintending engineers of the Handrineeva, Polavaram and Veligonda projects, in the presence of engineer-in-chief M. Venkateswara Rao.

Expressing concern over delays in the execution of Handrineeva and Polavaram LMC works, which he had inspected personally, the minister directed officials and executing agencies to expedite completion of the first phase of the Handrineeva project’s main canal.

Regarding Polavaram LMC, the minister noted that the works were progressing at a sluggish pace. He directed the contract agencies to deploy all necessary equipment such as dumpers, excavators, rollers, and other machinery immediately. He warned that action would be taken against officials concerned if deadlines were not met.

He further informed that an expert committee would visit the Polavaram project between May 4 and 8, and instructed officials to obtain the necessary designs for the ECRF dam, including gap-1 and gap-2 sections. He also emphasised the need to secure requisite permissions to commence the works.

With regard to the diaphragm wall, the minister said that 217 metres had been completed so far. He called for the buttress dam works to be completed by the end of May to ensure the stability of the upper coffer dam before the onset of the rainy season.

On the Veligonda project, the minister expressed displeasure with the officials and contractors over the prolonged delays. He instructed that tenders be called within 10 days for the feeder canal and retaining wall lining works, and insisted that the project be completed by June 2026.

Governor of the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, Mohammad Ashouri Taziani, refuted on Tuesday the hypothesis that an act of sabotage was behind a deadly blast at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran. 

He made the remarks while elaborating on the likely causes of the explosion that occurred on Saturday and its subsequent fire, in which at least 70 people were killed and over 1,200 others injured, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Ahsouri Taziani said some foreign media raised the speculation that the incident had probably been the result of an act of sabotage, but preliminary investigations showed that the sabotage hypothesis failed to be of “sufficient strength.”

He added that according to a statement by the provincial crisis management headquarters, a failure to properly observe safety and passive defense measures had been among the main causes of the incident.

On Monday, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni identified “certain negligence” as one of the reasons behind the deadly explosion, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the fire at Shahid Rajaee Port has been completely contained, while the rescue and relief operations were still ongoing, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported citing the provincial governor.

On Monday, Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni identified “certain negligence” as one of the reasons behind the deadly explosion in the provincial capital Bandar Abbas, where this port, the country’s largest maritime hub, is located.

He made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV, elaborating on the ongoing investigations to determine the cause of the incident.

Momeni said that during an earlier meeting held in Bandar Abbas to discuss the explosion’s cause, several individuals whose negligence had been confirmed were summoned. He noted that a failure to observe safety regulations and passive defence measures properly contributed to the disaster, urging the relevant authorities and investigative committee to accelerate efforts to determine the full cause accurately.

Following the deadly blast, Hossein Sajedinia, head of Iran’s National Disaster Management Organisation, told the IRIB on Sunday that some of the containers at the port contained flammable materials, such as pitch, and some others carried chemicals.

Despite the incident, the port’s wharfs have resumed operations and cargo handling, according to the official news agency IRNA.

NEW DELHI: As the country seethes to avenge the killing of 26 civilians by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dropped a big hint on the government’s preparedness to thwart terrorism and its backers.
Addressing the YUGM Conclave, PM Modi said: “We have set a time frame of the next 25 years for the goal of a developed India. We have limited time; the goals are big. I am not saying this for the present situation. That is why it is important that the journey of our idea from prototype to product is also completed in the shortest possible time. When we reduce the distance from lab to market, the results of research start reaching people faster. This also motivates the research.”

The remark comes at a time of heightened tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Sunday, PM Modi, during the 121st episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ paid tribute to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, condemning the loss of lives and reiterating India’s resolute commitment to fighting terrorism.
“Once again, I assure the victims’ families that they will get justice. The conspirators and perpetrators of this attack will face the harshest response,” PM Modi said.
Earlier, in Bihar’s Madhubani, PM Modi issued a stern warning to terrorists, pledging to “identify, track, and punish” those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
Addressing his first public gathering since the attack, PM Modi expressed the nation’s grief and assured decisive action against the perpetrators.
“Today, on the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world, India will identify, trace and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism,” Prime Minister said.
“Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to make sure that justice is done. The entire nation is one in this resolve. Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank the people of various countries and their leaders who have stood with us,” he added.