FRIDAY 27 JUNE, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard TEHRAN DELIVERED A SLAP ON FACE OF U.S., SAYS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER NORTH KOREA TO OPEN MAJOR TOURIST SITE In his first comments since a ceasefire with Israel after 12 days of war, Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday warned US of any further attacks It will open a coastal tourist site that it says will usher in a new era in tourism industry, though there is no word on when it will reopen to foreign visitors. RECORDED SPEECH FULL OF WARNINGS A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9  NEW DELHI  PAGES 12  J8.00 Khamenei spoke in a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television, his first appearance since June 19. The 86-year-old looked and sounded more tired than he did only a week ago, speaking in a hoarse voice and occasionally stumbling over his words. The 10-minute speech was filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel | P9 COMING, FARM WATER TAX Rajnath refuses J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi TO reduce wastage and misuse of groundwater, the Union Government now plans to impose a tax on water usage for agricultural purposes. In collaboration with the state governments, the Union government will soon launch 22 pilot projects across different states. Under this initiative, farmers will receive sufficient water and would be taxed based on its usage. “We are in the process of finalizing pilot projects,” said C R Paatil, Union Minister for Jal Shakti. “These will provide adequate water at a central loca- tion with enough pressure so that different farmers can utilize it according to their needs. Users will be taxed based on the quantity of water they consume,” he explained. According to the Annual Groundwater Extraction report, the farm sector accounts for 87% of 239.16 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water extracted. Indiscriminate extraction has led to severe depletion of groundwater. The Centre has allocated `1,600 crore for this scheme. States would determine the tax. “It is a must to prevent misuse. Local water user associations, rather than the state, should levy taxes to control water wastage,” said Ashok K Meena, additional secretary, Departm e n t o f D r i n k i n g Wat e r and Sanitation. When asked about India’s stance on the Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire next year, Paatil stated that a decision would be made in the country’s best interest, as it is an international treaty. “The political situation in Bangladesh is not conducive to discussing another river treaty Paatil said while interacting ,” with mediapersons. AI black box data in, being analysed: Govt Dragon spacecraft EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday that the black box data of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 has been successfully retrieved and it’s being analysed at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau lab in Delhi. The Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder of the ill-fated plane were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi on Tuesday in an Indian Air Force aircraft with full security, the ministry said. “On the evening of 24 June, the team led by Director General, AAIB with technical members from AAIB and the USbased National Transportation Safety Board began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab,” the ministry said. It added that the analysis of the data is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident. Boeing 787 aircraft has two black boxes, each having a CVR and an FDR. 2 1. ISS crew greet Shubhanshu Shukla (C) and other astronauts after the docking of their spacecraft | PTI 1 2. Screengrab of the docking Shux scripts history, first Indian in ISS B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru GROUP Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS) as he floated into the space lab at 5.54 pm IST on Thursday The . Axiom-4 mission’s spacecraft capsule, Grace, carrying three other astronauts, docked with the space lab at 4.01 pm, 29 minutes ahead of schedule. Upon docking, mission commander Peggy Whitson of the US, who is a former NASA astronaut and current director of Axiom Space (human space flight), sent a message to Mission Control Hus- SOFT CAPTURE AND HARD LOCKING After the ‘soft capture’ of the spacecraft by the ISS, the two were connected with 12 sets of hooks. A pressurised vestibule was created between the orbiting bodies and then hatches were opened to allow the Ax-4 crew to float into the ISS ton ground station and to the 11-astronaut team already on the ISS: “Grace happy to be on Harmony”. Harmony is the module on the ISS that provides international docking adapters. Shukla was the second to enter the ISS after Peggy The . entire docking exercise, in slow capture mode, was completed autonomously by Grace, with mission pilot Shukla’s services required only if any maneuvering glitches had occurred. All the four Ax-4 mission crew members, also including Ax-4 mission specialists Stawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, were warmly greeted with hugs and cheers by the astronauts of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Roscosmos already aboard the ISS. Incidentally, soon after docking, Ax-4 astronauts experienced a minor technical glitch with their communication system, needing five extra minutes before commencing the hatch opening procedures to enter the ISS. The entire docking exercise was completed in 13 minutes. The docking took place when the ISS was over the North Atlantic at an altitude of 400 km. Over the next two weeks, the Ax-4 mission crew members will undertake 60 listed experiments. to sign draft SCO joint statement Pak blocked inclusion of Pahalgam, mention of cross-border terror attacks in document M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi INDIA on Thursday declined to sign a joint declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao, China, as it failed to address the country’s concerns on terror. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who represented the country at the meet, sought the inclusion of explicit language condemning terror, particularly cross-border terrorism. However, the proposal was blocked by “one particular country Pa,” kistan. Also, there was no mention of the recent Pahalgam terror attack in the draft. Sources said that Pakistan wanted to include Balochistan in the joint statement, which was not acceptable to India. As the draft failed to address India’s core concerns, Rajnath refused to put India’s name on the document. In his address, Rajnath called on all SCO members to unite in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He reiterated that the perpetrators, organisers, financers and sponsors of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, need to be held accountable and brought to justice. He emphasised that there can be no double standards in the global fight against terror. “I understand that the defence ministers could not adopt a joint statement. Certain member countries could not reach con- Pak wanted inclusion of Balochistan India demanded mention of the Pahalgam terror attack where 26 people were killed after religious profiling, but the proposal was blocked by ‘one particular country’. Sources said Pak wanted to include Balochistan in the joint statement, which was not acceptable to India. sensus on specific issues, and hence the document could not be finalised. India wanted concerns on terrorism to be reflected in the statement, which was not acceptable to one particular country said Randhir Jaiswal, ,” spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Rajnath mentioned Operation Sindoor and asserted that it was launched in response to the heinous ter ror attack in Pahalgam. “During the Pahalgam terror attack, 26 people were shot dead after they were profiled on religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.” ‘NOT VERY SMART’ TRUMP COMES DOWN HEAVILY ON MAMDANI US President lashed out at Zohran Mamdani after his win in Democratic primary in NYC mayoral race. “He looks terrible, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart,” said Trump | P9 Shah will talk to Yogi for AFTER TMS REPORT, VIGILANCE PROBE ORDERED sharing Ganga water to clean Yamuna, says Centre it’s exploitation,” Sood said, pointing to a case where a sick man was being made to work as TEN days after this newspaper- a cleaner for `5,000 a month. reported the plight of the home- “Funds and facilities meant for less and the crumbling infra- the homeless are being sistructure of night shelters, phoned off in collusion with Urban Development Minister NGOs and corrupt officials,” he Ashish Sood paid a suralleged, stating that prise visit to five such complaints had been shelters at Sarai Kale pouring in through letKhan and confirmed I M P A C T ters and public many of the issues memorandums. flagged in the story . The minister’s visit Calling the revelations “deep- comes after The Morning ly troubling”, Sood announced Standard report, ‘Delhi’s that complaints of large-scale homeless struggle to find space corruption and mismanage- for survival in overcrowded ment would be investigated by shelters’, published on June 16 the vigilance department, and highlighted severe shortcomif needed, the state government ings in night shelters—ranging will recommend a CBI probe. from lack of hygiene, over“This isn’t just negligence— crowding, and insufficient staff ANUP VERMA & IFRAH MUFTI @ New Delhi J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi THE Centre has announced that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will consult the Uttar Pradesh government to create a mechanism for bringing Ganga waters to Delhi to clean the Yamuna river. The project is under evaluation. Union Minister of Jal Shakti CR Paatil told this newspaper, “Home Minister Amit Shah will discuss this matter with UP CM Yogi Adityanath to persuade him to divert some water to clean the Yamuna.” “We will utilise any source to clean and rejuvenate the Yamuna River. We are assessing the economic feasibility of how Ganga water can be brought in for this purpose,” he stated. The BJP had promised to clean the Yamuna during the Assembly poll campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also made a similar commitment. To enhance the Yamuna flow and maintain its environmental health, the Central Water Commission found the need for additional water from the Ganga river. However, the Uttar Pradesh government is hesitant to share the Ganga canal water, citing a lack of surplus. In April, a meeting attended by Modi, Shah, and Delhi’s Chief Secretary Dharmendra outlined a plan to bring additional water to Yamuna. A proposal was then shared with the UP government outlining how to divert water from the Upper Ganga Canal through its branch channels to Delhi for at least three years. One of these branch channels connects to the Yamuna approximately 20 km upstream of Wazirabad barrage, located on the outskirts of Delhi. After receiving a negative response to the proposal, the Centre shot off another letter through the Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga, Rajeev Kumar Mittal. Mittal stated that sharing a certain amount of water with Delhi will not impact UP’s riparian rights. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 EXPRESS READ 3 to exploitation of residents and absence of records. Sood said, “These shelters are meant to protect the poorest, not become sites of profit and neglect.” He warned the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board that such conduct would not be tolerated. Y MONDA 04 16 06   hit tempo y after a injuries are underwa RS d serious area. Efforts Sunday. NUMBE said on one sustaine in Bawana CITY IN riding on killed while police officials men were cle they were tempo driver, the motorcy absconding the to arrest ard in rningstand NEGI epaper.mo PICS: PARVEEN 2025 NEW DELHI es with grappl S Delhi e summ er extrem the city’s heat, r homes shelte ing are becom singly d increa helme r overw numbe urising by the ess individ Miof homel g refuge. g to the als seekin flockin l in grants al capita nation of work often its search living on s, r flyover end up —unde or in make- a streets ents thout rs—wi on pavem shelte their heads. t, shift comfor over real roof it’s not about For them, al. but surviv ERS by the PED QUART , run t CRAM vemen r homes r Impro s shelte Shelte various NGOs, Delhi’ the Urban Delhi (DUSIB) and respite to Board to offer with the growand are meant However, migration s e ess. the homel of urbanu s i n g , ling strugg ing crisis a t e h o sing strain, equ i n a d s are under an increa ally e shelter modat nts, especi to accomof reside r heat. area r g numbe the peak summe in a bustlin during i Gate, y Station of Railwa At Lahor l, one , Old Delhi the capita the city of in near l part homes centra seek refuge. shelter the largest to 500 people , who overhary 400 the Chaud around ns that ker AK Careta facility, explai to the point d g sees the often crowde to sleepin is even shelter residents resort space, can findwinter. where the ere they these anywh s soar, ary beds, during under as temperature a sanctu of space. e less But, s becoma survivalist whole shelter their of spend them work more lly and of . e genera “Peopl and only 10% Chaudharyof r day here areas,” says numbe , the in nearby g winter many who sleep as escape “Durin ses here to increa people streets come r, it gets more owdon the In the summe overcr e the the cold. to manag lt difficu adds. ing,” he RCES , essenRESOU shelter short SCANT of the in e the size water are in good Despit ces like toilets are s cooler the tial resour . While the water the oversupply varids of . ion here, across condit the deman Chaudhary overs spread to meet , says enough e fail shelter they are still le to get extrem d facility durDUSIB but crowde ents strugg l need lly during ous zones, “Resid drink, a cruciaave. We try d, especia to crowde r conditions. water ongoing heatwbut it often e, S weathe ing the to manag hary adds. proven AVE DEATH simple lt, Chaud by our best year has HEATW ed—a foldifficu ve this ss. A report proves s are provid biscuits, for The heatwa homelec Development “Meal of tea and i, and dal 11 for the Holisti ges ast n June u. “Durdeadly for chapat challenr of breakf betwee the shelter are so by rice, . But the d that the Centre s ss individ numbe lowed reveale shelter homele causes in than inside and dinner a large (CHD) 19, 192 rather summer, the inside is suffolated lunch ions don’t aw, ing such of life addand June ing the d, and the airon my ricksh opfrom heat-re of manag harsh condit hary, of ring lossthe Nain Chaud als diedThis stagge nts better the safest from ission crowde I sleep notes nt incide people both Delhi. ted action Comm it’s not overcrowding cating. tions, stop there,” freque lt the The suo motu alterca has promp n Rights tion aren’t even though ing that drunken already difficu e taken Huma s says Singh. ventila Delhi’ tional ), which has mor tion,” theft and make the had of proper facing issue. eve n safe(NHRC of the which i t u a t i o n DUSIB and lack problems Theft and of ance to the bodies othg s cogniz nse, t many the only population. le civic earlil iv i n ging. spend their ss with each to promp risk of exIn respo multip ments homele only up generally challen e often fight ched . We try ns also the at depart People day here and approa ment them to ramp , despite ts. One man “Peopl they are drunk strict acty concer homes in nearby and govern urging whole also take heed to while sleep outside elemenons that when and er had s at shelter to the them work er, it’s pay any them er in April, posure Gate menti is unavailable, The board 10% of During summ the pacify they don’t of them don’t. ial service the i only if essent the capital. Jal Board (DJB), Lahor the shelter to sleep on il tions ts. Most time here that areas. lt to manage in across to the Delhi ipal Councof their space no choice but work g our reques difficu spend are ation people Munic written he has h. rs, too, work and per cent season as waitovercrowdin shelter and Delhi ipal Corpor curd 10 g New Gate footpat kers of shelte ges. ), Munic Aroun the Health weedin Due to the gory, Lahori challen , and to ensure meas(NDMC Careta atoo during odd jobs. are also not the AK Chaudha caretaker NT (MCD) their own just outother Delhi Departmentprotect vulner PAYME facing stand ers or season, they from this, e dual AWAIT to elated n Kuthe bus off indivi sub- Welfar in place Apart are also very heat-r AKERS rent ere. around al. One e the and Rosha Gate, CARET ures are at and nts from lly comhary to theft s hospit ing anywh s’ outsid himl, the genera their Chaud kers at Lahori related ble reside month side the his scarf toward Both r hospita issues n here. People er, the shelter stolen careta eight air four premie pronounced.- even ties ng the wind some sleep. risks. ne has while they mar, the waiting forsalari es VED, RELIEF commo s get In the summ ed and the , Delhi’s , APPRO that someo things month way directieffort to n is on the main AIIMS is even more ive accom crowd really are stillof unpai d plain or other NT an larly FUNDS g on le are so and four ment apsays. self in the locatio feel particu Yet, STILL DISTA strugg to afford expens sleepin worth from 2023 2025. This delay, g,” he money govern upgrade inside getssleep better er, t s abilend up al. Sunil I to Howev doesn’ the Delhi month ng 2024 and s their the Unable ons, many the night. were sleepin GLES hospit crore r Luchomes This year, road, which lly during only option suffocating. aw, even spanni , severely impactand run re- modati near the from near a smalle be over `19 old age STRUG es s the Gate, DAILY proved homes and funding willwacame seeking medisafe, especiaremain on my ricksh the safest e expens“We’ve not It’s the streets they say it Lahori i Park houses , r , e , who manag from it’s not . shelte the city “The ioners for many relativ had hoped ity to s effectively. for months. Not far near Shastr but its condir Kumar though option le. condit machines, with a says, “We s shelter ISES r availab g t regula know shelter our salarie - across install air ent, has fewer shelte 15 individuals, in the T PROM puller withou n faciligovern treatm be space ’t find any. used to s and washin NMEN Rickshaw ceived to manage . kitche sanitaThe shelter nal coolaround on cal mic, the shelters GOVER Singh, would differ. nly one functio Careter cooler improve pande Ramesh there , but we couldnin the open, s and ary , tough they say , the situati as tions e g the up tempor conr situonally nts,” city ces—o fans and toilets. even outsid as well safety system Durin main near Kashpayme ere in the that resour re. Additirecreain homes sleep . The it’s hard fire had set those in simila of the broken explains others ment Elsewh At the shelter ts live tion wafor Now, we ed for sports m er and re- ties, infrastructu many but ent, but AIIMS the popula residen allocat Mujee like food and as tion rise, the is no better. elderly conditions, are like so the treatm al .” e near es taker will be ies such but as ues to is Gate, physic shelter outsid faciliti short. ations, mere cient. basic Sore- funds facilitimprove the ely better s, the toilets the cern t propernight hours ess contin r of s at fall tional ent to Gupta homel remain insuffi relativ withou g the shelter Many of numbe nts,” Delhi Inter often 10 benche s Rekha ers DUSIB like other nt issue. Durin equipming of resideer Ravinder al, a large in the open. source Minister labour “We haver home and of the g hospit ce of a constants work as return to Chief ted one Chowk flyowell-be e Minist AIIMS are seen sleepin entran the shelte to 16 people nia inspec Kiran Welfar at the said. 15 reside the day and evening red the people shelter station , where The rest the around g cently s near Britan reassu work- cial Singh had the plan, Nav Rohier, seek during r in in here. draj shelter her visit, she ment is Howev metro breeze comin Many g ing to Griha floor. We sleep the shelte ions at Accord Ashadeep and washin and rest. the chalgovern for on the ver. In the nearby the cool . condit sleep and lentils and for food that the get ACs Ambedkar s on the too face Home public improve the one in Delhi they catch the station -3 will get rice, but the cool- they of limited space. the will be their scarveer space ni Sector Baba Saheb rs. “No sleep on ing to from inside Colony . lenge dinner work proper ES spread nes. whatev also rest to shelte Others , finding machi in Geeta system er, winter night be forced ion hasn’t TS’ FAMILI a ers don’t Home People summ on soa year televis PATIEN ground IN HEAT fire safety in Dwarkn, Open should during the they can. ly. The ned for over with a she wrote tion. y Grih LEFT OUT kitche always streets seasons,” her inspec g to fitted s of g. a Ashra a moder n functio fans don’t . Mahil after get or rainy workin all ed floorinof For familie a t and the says Mujeem 1 will nts uously part cial media like Sector and upgrad patie ions of contin work,” reside nts The des are “We are the condit LED lights a naPlan. the For ve e upgra assurh, s.” ob Alam, impro er Action soon,” shelter despite these n de- “Thes Mehbo Uttar Prades a Summ be released night es er, c- the tive of will provid Howev the gap betwee a funds er said. le resour after he the shelter ances, and availab widen . er, to sleep minist ion place work. Howev mand ues to has 190 the sanitat day of es contin Delhi and someout that ntly, subpar their monpoints Curre es are ts pool for faciliti residen filtered water bad is in se times, purcha “The toilet ined sevey to sers. compla clean it, the dispen we have e to and shape They promisnt issue.” ineral times. s a consta er, manydue remain of summ rs but it outdoo peak In the opt to sleep overcrowded h als of dividu discomfort puller Rames to the s. Rickshaw finds it more aw le, shelter for examp on his ricksh Singh, table to sleep comfor A MELESS CITY’S HO GGLE STRUIN PACKED TO COPE LTERS SHE i, ss Delh ing acro harsh s soar g perature s are facin Limited With tem s homeles ded shelters. te the city’ overcrow and inadequa n s in nt for conditionpoor ventilatio places mea etimes ed som water, le, and have turn nowhere facilities uncomfortab e with at thos into es for Nitin Raw refuge s, spac rts dangerou to go, repo else TMS reported on June 16, 2025 He said during the previous AAP government, hundreds of officials were appointed to oversee these shelters, but “on the ground, neither are they visible, nor are basic services reaching those in need”. “Leaders of the previous government, officials under them, and several NGOs seem to have been part of this nexus. Public money meant for the most vulnerable has been looted. Those responsible will be held accountable,” he said. Sood promised regular monitoring of night shelters. “The quality of services must improve or strict action will be taken.” The minister debunked reports of demolition of some shelter homes, calling them “malicious lies”. ASI finds leakage at Taj Mahal main dome Case against Bharadwaj, Jain in health infra scam Jaishankar, Qatari FM talk regional issues N A M I TA BA J PA I @ Lucknow The Delhi government’s AntiCorruption Branch (ACB) has lodged a case against former AAP ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain in connection with alleged corruption in health infrastructure projects, officials said on Thursday. The case was lodged days after MHA gave nod to conduct an ACB probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Bharadwaj and Jain. | P3 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic discussion with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar. Calling it a “warm call,” Jaishankar said that he appreciated Al Thani’s assessment of the regional situation and discussed key aspects of the bilateral agenda between India and Qatar. THE dome of Taj Mahal has been detected with a water seepage point at a height of 73 metres during thermal scanning by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). As per sources, the dome is currently encased in scaffolding for ASI to continue the inspection, which is likely to go on for 15 days. After this, experts will start the repair work on the dome, which will take about six months to complete. The sources claimed that three factors emerged in ASI’s Light Detection and Ranging investigation of the monument of love. First, the mortar between the stones on the main dome of the monument was found deteriorated, secondly, the door and floor of the dome’s roof have weakened and thirdly the finial (pinnacle) mounted , on the dome is supported by an iron rod that has eroded due to rusting leading the surrounding mortar to expand. According to Taj Mahal’s Senior Conservation Assistant Prince Vajpayee, the light detection inspections have nearly been completed. “Now physical inspection will be done. In view of the height of the main dome and pinnacle mounted on it at 73 metre, it will take around six months to complete the repair work.”