NEW DELHI 22 JUNE 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in The Four Pillars of Delhi’s Heritage PLUS: 12 PAGES The Book that Breathes Truth MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE VOICES Let’s get Personal India on the High Seas Anand Neelakantan S Vaidhyasubramaniam Ravi Shankar Anu Aggarwal Govt presses B’desh on review of Ganga treaty AFTER the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the government has now decided to renegotiate the Ganga River Water Treaty with Bangladesh, which is set to expire next year. India has communicated to its counterpart that it requires more water to meet its developmental needs. The new treaty will likely to be shorter, lasting 10 to 15 years. The shorter duration will foster flexibility and adaptability for both nations moving forward. The Ganga Water Treaty was signed on December 12, 1996 on sharing of water, particularly around the Farakka Barrage during the lean season. “Before Pahalgam, we were inclined to extend the treaty for another 30 years, but the situation changed drastically afterward,” stated a senior officer at the Ministry of External Affairs who participated in a meeting with the Bangladeshi counterpart earlier in May . “It was a routine meeting, held twice a year, but it also provided an opportunity to express our concerns regarding the increasing need for water to support domestic development, which will influence the terms of the new treaty,” the officer explained. According to internal documents for discussions, seen by this newspaper, the Farakka Share of India 50% 50% 70,000 cusecs-75,000 cusecs Balance of flow 40,000 cusecs WARY of assassination, Iran’s supreme leader mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him, three Iranian officials familiar with his emergency war plans say, The New York Times reported on Saturday . Ensconced in a bunker, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed. And in a remarkable move, the officials add, the leader has named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, as well. The extraordinary series of steps are being seen as an attempt to preserve the Islamic Republic ever since Israel launched a series of surprise attacks last Friday . In normal times, Ayatollah lives and works in a highly secure compound in central Tehran called the “beit rahbari” — or leader’s house — and he seldom leaves the premises. His retreat to a bunker shows how furiously Tehran has been struck in a war with Israel. Iran’s top officials are also quietly making preparations for a wide range of outcomes as the war intensifies and as President Trump considers whether to enter the fight, according to the Iranian officials, who insisted on anonymity . “It is clear that we had a massive security and intelligence breach; there is no denying this,” said Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran Parliament’s speaker, Gen Mohammad Ghalibaf, in an audio recording analysing the war. “Our senior commanders were all assassinated within one hour.” P7 35,000 cusecs 75,000 cusecs or more Balance of flow * SUBJECT TO THE CONDITION THAT INDIA AND BANGLADESH EACH SHALL RECEIVE GUARANTEED 35,000 CUSECS OF WATER IN ALTERNATE THREE 10-DAY PERIODS FROM MARCH 11 TO MAY 11 Barrage was built to continuously divert 40,000 cusecs of water into a feeder canal for the Kolkata Port Trust (now known as Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata). “The 1996 treaty has disrupted this arrangement, leading to issues such as slope failure, bed erosion, and heavy siltation in the KPT, which has reduced its navigational efficiency. Additionally, the NTPC plant there PRESS CLUSIVE is facing water crisis,” the officer added. The current arrangement provides 35,000 cusecs of water alternately for 10 days each to both countries during the lean season, which lasts from March 11 to May 11. India is seeking 30,000 to 35,000 cusecs more during the same period to meet its emerging requirements. The Centre has the support of the West Bengal government, which is the primary beneficiary of the additional water. During internal discussions, Bihar too emphasised the need for extra Ganga water to meet its drinking and irrigation needs. An internal meeting, which included a senior officer from West Bengal, has confirmed this requirement. The emerging sense of distrust following the coup in Bangladesh last year, has put Indian diplomacy in a challenging position. In early May following the , Pahalgam attack, Indian delegates visited Bangladesh and communicated to their counterparts that the treaty needs to be re-discussed due to India’s increasing water needs. In the past, the West Bengal government has expressed concerns that the treaty compromised India’s requirements. “For any treaty made in good faith, it is the duty of the lower riparian state to respect the upper riparian state to maintain that good faith. How long can we continue to show generosity to support our neighbour when they don’t value our contribution?” remarked an official. An Indian student reunites with parents after returning from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu on Saturday | PTI J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi AS tensions between Israel and Iran entered their ninth day India intensified its evacuation , efforts under Operation Sindhu, bringing home over 800 Indian nationals stranded in the conflict zone. A special evacuation flight from Mashhad, Iran, landed in New Delhi at 4.30 pm Saturday carrying 310 Indian citizens. Earlier , in the day another flight from Ashgabat, Turk, menistan, repatriated evacuees who had transited from Iran. “This brings the total number of Indians evacuated to 827,” confirmed Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, adding that the mission is on. “Operation Sindhu continues,” he said. In a gesture of regional solidarity India also , facilitated evacuation of Sri Lankan and other South Asian nationals. Sri Lanka’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra expressed gratitude for India’s assistance in evacuating its citizens. Among the evacuees were 256 Indian students, mostly from J&K, who arrived in Delhi early Saturday. Many of them described days of anxiety and disruption in Iran before being flown to safety This is the second . evacuation flight from Iran in 24 hours after the first on Friday with 290 Indian students. Vande Bharat sleeper trains hit a roadblock DGCA asks AI to shift three officials due to serious lapses B A N B U S E LV A N @ Chennai EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi AVIATION regulator DGCA has ordered the removal of three top personnel of Air India in its flight operations department from all roles related to crew scheduling and rostering due to their serious and repeated lapses. After the DGCA chastened the airline for not taking strict action against them, Air India said it had complied with the directive. The DGCA named Choorah Singh, Divisional Vice President, Pinky Mittal, Chief Manager, Daily Operations, Crew Scheduling and Payal Arora, Crew Scheduling, Planning for continued non-compliance with scheduling rules. These officials did unauthorised and non-compliance crew pairings, violated mandatory licensing and recency norms and were responsible for systemic failure in scheduling protocol and oversight. Recency refers to the number of take offs and landings a pilot must have within a timeframe to operate an aircraft safely . The violations were voluntarily disclosed by Air India. “The voluntary disclosure, while noted, points to systemic failures in crew scheduling, compliance monitoring and internal accountability. Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible for these operational lapses,” the regulator said. It ordered immediate internal proceedings against them, adding they need to be re-assigned to non-operational roles until corrective reforms are initiated in scheduling practices. FORWARD BEND Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu take part in a mass yoga session to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga in Visakhapatnam on Saturday | PTI | P3 & 8 EXPRESS READ IndiGo flight low on fuel, makes Mayday call Rlys to take on board retd staff amid demand Filmmaker’s body handed over to family An IndiGo flight from Guwahati to Chennai made an unscheduled landing at the Kempegowda International Airport on June 19 evening after the pilot issued a Mayday call. The airline clarified that the call was related to ‘low fuel’ and not an emergency. The Mayday call sent jitters among the regular air travellers. | P4 Amid moutning shortage of manpower, the railways ministry has decided to re-engage many retired employees against existing vacancies. The ministry has empowered all divisional railway managers to hire retired employees for vacant posts in levels 1 to 9 (non-gazetted posts), the ministry said. | P7 Gujarat’s film fraternity has come under severe shock as the mystery surrounding filmmaker Mahesh Jirawala ended in tragedy. Jirawala had been missing since Ahmedabad plane crash. The mortal remains of the 34-year-old have been handed over to his grieving family, according to police. | P7 IT has been over six months since the prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper version was dispatched from the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) for trials and testing, but it is yet to receive clearance for operation. The 16-coach prototype, designed by ICF and manufactured by BEML, was built at a cost of `120 crore. Following its production, commissioning of the rake was delayed for a few months after ICF flagged several manufacturing defects, which BEML later addressed. Although the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) successfully completed speed trials at 160 kmph in January, the train is still awaiting approval from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS). Sources said the CRS has objections regarding the design and safety features incorporated in the train. However, the Railways has asserted that there are no issues with the electrical or mechanical components. ICF General Manager U Subba Rao told TNIE that the queries raised by the CRS concerning the prototype have already been addressed. “A detailed response has been sent. The clarifications pertained to minor technical aspects. There were no major flaws in the prototype,” he said. After receiving the prototype from BEML, ICF identified more than 73 design and technical issues, particularly related to safety. These included concerns about crash buffers, fire barrier walls, and the hooks connecting the middle and upper berths. These issues led to the project missing its initial rollout deadline. Rao said all concerns raised by ICF had been resolved. “It’s just a matter of time before the 16-coach sleeper version is cleared for operation,” he said. THY NAME IS DIDI ‘As father, I’ve earned; as mother, I’ve fed my children’ S H I BA P R A SA D SA H U @ New Delhi IN the “masculine realm” that is Ghazipur sabzi mandi, the name ‘Didi’ has stuck. “Baap banke kamaya, maa banke bachon ko khilaya (as father, I’ve earned; as mother, I’ve fed my children),” Suman, better known as ‘Didi’, says, hurriedly gathering her belongings as she starts her e-rickshaw. She must make two more trips today—ferrying a variety of produce from suppliers to shopowners and retailers in the bustling Ghazipur Sabzi Mandi— before she can return home with her day’s earnings. As business in the mandi moves in full swing, a sea of men move in and out of the frame—touting, shouting, buying, bickering, haggling, AMMA SPEAKS Is Anger Good or Bad? A G E N C I E S @ Tehran Share of Bangladesh 70,000 cusecs or less Unravelling Her Vulnerable World Ayatollah names his Operation Sindhu: successors, army 310 Indians brought brass replacements back from Iran GANGA WATER TREATY, 1996 Availability at Farakka ‘I can Never Abuse Anyone’ WEST ASIA CRISIS In post-Pahalgam squeeze, India says it needs more water for growth J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi Debashis Chatterjee Prabhu Chawla Shankkar Aiyar Namrata Joshi Get Shorty and cursing. In the predominently male bastion, one can miss the 12odd women rickshaw drivers. But they are very much present, towing the weight of the magnanimous enterprise on 2-inchwide wheels as they keep mandi operations running. Suman, a 46-year-old widow, was once the first woman erick driver in the mandi. Re- calling how she came upon the livelihood, his face tur ned grim. “After my husband died in an accident, I worked at a factory to make ends meet. But my back failed to keep up. My father and brother helped me set up a small vegetable stall. It was during this time, I began lear ning to drive father’s auto,” Suman says. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 RISHABH TON BEFORE INDIA LOSE MOMENTUM After Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant centuries, India suffered a mini collapse with Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes taking four wickets each. India lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs as they were dismissed for 471 on Day Two | P11 54-yr-old held for murdering daughter-in-law in Faridabad EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi A 54-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his daughter-in-law and burying her near their house in Faridabad. The in-laws filed a missing person’s complaint and managed to hide the crime for two months, before the police found the body on Friday police said. , The woman, Tannu Rajput, got married to one Arun Singh of Roshan Nagar area of Faridabad in 2023. According to Tannu’s father, the police paid no heed to his complaint, even after he raised suspicions about the freshly covered pit, which he had seen while visiting his brother-in-law. On April 25, Arun filed a complaint stating that his wife had left home without informing anyone. Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Palla police station, and an investigation was initiated. ACP Sarai Rajesh Kumar said the police grew suspicious of the in-laws’ involvement in the woman’s murder and burial on their property . On June 20, in the presence of a duty magistrate, the police excavated a pit in front of the house and recovered Tannu’s body .