30052025-TTB-01.qxd 5/30/2025 12:16 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 148 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HARYANA ISRAEL ANNOUNCES NEW WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS WORLD /thetribunechd SHAH IN UT, WILL MEET SHELLING VICTIMS IN POONCH TODAY J&K THAROOR ‘PART OF CONG FAMILY’: MP ON ‘ZEALOTS’ JIBE NATION GOVT REFUTES YUNUS’ ‘INDIA DESTABILISNG B’DESH’ CLAIM BACK PAGE friday | 30 may 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Not a single defence project completed on time: IAF Chief flags systemic delays Contractors can’t use sector as get-rich-quick option, says Secretary RK Singh Can’tdowithoutair power: IAF Chief Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Class X student shot dead by former classmate in Hisar HISAR: A Class X student of a private school was shot dead allegedly by his former classmate near Satrod village in the district on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Dixit of Mastnath Colony. His father, an ex-servicemen, is a guard at a local godown of the FCI. The police have taken the suspect, a teenage boy, into custody. He used his grandfather’s licensed firearm in the crime. Old enmity is believed to the reason behind the murder. INSIDE Tribune News Service MUKESH AGGARWAL New Delhi, May 29 Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Friday pointed to systemic delays in defence projects. “Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time,” he said, adding that even while signing contracts, the IAF anticipated delays and still proceeded with signing contracts. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit, he called for greater emphasis on indigenous design and development, stressing the need for industry to allocate a portion of revenue to R&D, drawing inspiration from the Sikh principle of “dasvandh” (donating 10 per cent of earnings). “In Punjabi culture, there’s the concept of ‘dasvandh’, giving 10 per cent of earnings back to society. Something similar should apply here. Every industry should earmark a portion of revenue for R&D,” he said. He suggested the need for domestic design and development, followed by mass production. “We need to start Defence Secretary RK Singh with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi & Air Chief Marshal AP Singh in New Delhi. Often while ❝never come.signing defence contracts, we know those systems will The IAF still signs the contracts. — Air Chief Marshal AP Singh designing in India and when it comes to producing in numbers, the capacity has to come in,” he added. The IAF Chief raised concerns over brain drain, stating, “We are not getting the best people for the job. They’re going abroad to work. We need to retain them with good pay, incentives, work environment and may be some recognition.” He pushed for urgent action, suggesting “quick Make in New Delhi, May 29 Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has for the first time publicly admitted that the Indian armed forces pre-empted Islamabad’s planned offensive on the intervening night of May 910 when his nation’s key military bases, including Rawalpindi, were targeted using BrahMos missiles. The Tribune was the first to report in its edition dated May 11 that the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 MKI jets TRADE, TERROR CAN’T GO TOGETHER: MEA BACK PAGE had attacked Pakistan’s airbases with BrahMos, making it the first operational firing of the long-range missile. to remain the fastest growing major economy in the world even in FY26, the RBI said on Thursday. The benign inflation outlook and a “moderation” in GDP expansion warrant the monetary policy to be supportive of growth going forward, the RBI said in its annual report. “...the Indian economy is poised to remain the fastest-growing major economy in 2025-26...,” the RBI said in the latest report. INSIDE Aditi Tandon SHOCKED AT TIMING Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 29 Principal rivals in West Bengal sounded an early poll bugle on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that the people of the state were keen to oust a ruthless dispensation and ruling TMC chief Mamata Banerjee hitting back with a dare, “We are ready for elections tomorrow.” Speaking in Bengal’s Alipurduar, where he laid the foundation stone for a city gas distribution project, the PM unveiled the BJP’s poll slogan for the 2026 Assembly elections and declared that Operation Sindoor was not over yet. “The peo- Speaking at the PakistanTurkey-Azerbaijan trilateral summit in Lachin (Azerbaijan), Sharif said the Pakistani military, led by Field Marshal Asim Munir, had planned to attack India on May 10 at 4.30 am after the morning prayers. “On the night of May 9-10, we decided to respond in a measured way to Indian aggression. Our armed forces were prepared to act at 4.30 in the morning after Fajr prayers to teach (India) a les- son. But before that hour could arrive, India again launched a missile attack using BrahMos, targeting various provinces of Pakistan and the airbase in Rawalpindi,” said Sharif. Sharif said India destroyed Noor Khan (Rawalpindi) and Murid (Chakwal) bases before Pakistan’s planned attack. India had unleashed its BrahMos supersonic missile as part of Operation Sindoor in retaliatory strikes on Pakistani bases. — TNS Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 29 The Centre on Thursday notified the appointment of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice NV Anjaria, Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Atul S Chandurkar of the Bombay High Court as judges of the Supreme Court. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal took to X to announce it. continued on page 8 Trade didn’t figure in talks: MEArebuts Trump claim in NY court on truce bait Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service A house damaged in shelling by the Pakistan forces in Poonch. FILE 3 weeks on, fear keeps Poonch residents away Arjun Sharma MUMBAI: The country is poised In early Bengal push, Modi slams Mamata; she fires ‘poll ready’ dare Centre notifies appointment of In first public disclosure, Sharif says BrahMos missiles were used three SC judges NEW DELHI: Over 40,000 troops RBI: India poised to be fastest-growing economy in FY26 PM Narendra Modi being greeted by supporters at a public meeting in Alipurduar, West Bengal. ANI India pre-empted strike, admits Pak PM Over 40,000 troops to be deployed for Amarnath Yatra under 581 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces will be deployed for the Amarnath Yatra, which will start on July 3 and continue till August 9, as part of heightened security arrangements in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Sources said the CRPF would send the highest number of 219 companies for deployment, followed by 143 companies of the BSF INSIDE . India programmes” to accelerate progress. Defence Secretary Raj Kumar Singh, speaking at the same event, said the Indian industry could secure better prospects continued on page 8 New Delhi, May 29 Making his first public comments since Operation Sindoor, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Thursday said the skirmish with Pakistan had proven “we can’t do it without air power”. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, he said, “Any kind of operations (whether on land or at sea) cannot be conducted without air power, and this has been proved very well during Operation Sindoor.” His remarks come in the backdrop of the proposed theatre command, which aim at integrating all war-fighting elements in a defined geographical area under a single commander. The IAF has consistently maintained that the air force was inherently dynamic and should not be constrained by the limits of a theatre command. continued on page 8 Poonch, May 29 Amid continuous sound of sirens from vehicles of VIPs echoing through the air, auto drivers await customers in the heart of Poonch town. This is the same area where multiple bomb shells were fired by the Pakistani side on May 7. Many local residents who had fled on that day to safer areas like Mandi (in Poonch) and Jammu have since not returned home. Even three weeks after the shelling took place, the business community, especially shopkeepers, are still feeling the heat of the conflict Had fled after being hit by Pakistan shelling between the two countries as they are facing severe losses. At the auto-rickshaw stand in the town, owners said while earlier they used to earn anywhere between Rs 500 and Rs 600 a day, the earnings had now come down to Rs 250 to Rs 300. “From May 7 to May 14, auto owners did not earn even a penny as a majority of the people had fled Poonch while the remaining were confined to their homes. continued on page 8 New Delhi, May 29 After the Trump administration claimed in a New York court that India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire under a “tariff and trade threat”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today firmly rejected the claim, saying that at no point during Operation Sindoor was trade discussed between India and the US. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated this while answering queries from mediapersons. He said during Operation Sindoor, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. “The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions,” Jaiswal said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also made it clear that the cessation of firing continued on page 8 We are what ❝PM saidshocked atwhen the at a time all parties are representing the country abroad… I challenge them (BJP), if they have guts, they should go for elections tomorrow. We are ready Mamata Banerjee, WEST BENGAL CM ple of Bengal have lost faith in TMC’s governance. Courts are being forced to intervene in every matter because the state government has failed to uphold justice. The voice of Bengal is loud and clear, ‘Banglar chitkar, lagbe na nirmam shorkar’ (Bengal’s war cry is: We reject a ruthless government),” he said in the Bengal’s strategic city, which has the Chicken Neck corridor on one side and northeastern states on the other. The PM, visiting Bengal for the first time since the 2024 LS elections, criticised the TMC government for “fomenting communal violence in Malda and Murshidabad in the aftermath of the Waqf Amendment Act passage” and said the state was simultaneously grappling with multiple crises. continued on page 8 Punjab gives nod to try revenue officerin ~140-cr guava scam Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 29 The Punjab Government on Thursday granted sanction to prosecute a revenue officer in the Rs 140-crore Mohali guava orchard scam involving several senior bureaucrats and high-profile people. Additional Chief Secretarycum-Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Anurag Verma ordered the prosecution of Naib Tehsildar Jaskaran Singh, paving the way for his trial in the court. Jaskaran was allegedly instrumental in the disbursement of over Rs 123 crore compensation to 101 beneficiaries, including the wives of two senior IAS officers, for “guava orchards” on the land acquired for a new township close to the Chandigarh airport in Mohali in 2022. Taking cognisance of complaints that no such guava orchards existed on the ground, the Vigilance Bureau had registered a case of corruption, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy in May 2 IAS OFFICERS’ WIVES AMONG BENEFICIARIES ■ Naib Tehsildar disbursed over ~123 cr to 101 beneficiaries ■ The wives of two senior IAS officers were among the beneficiaries in the 2022 scam ■ Seven govt employees and 16 private persons already arrested in the case 2023. Confirming the development, Verma told The Tribune that action was taken following the government’s “zero tolerance against corruption” policy. This is the third prosecution sanction in the case in which seven government employees and 16 private persons have already been arrested even as investigation is underway. In January, sanction was granted to prosecute Horticulture Development Officers Jaspreet Singh Sidhu and Vaishali. The four-page prosecution order said Jaskaran, as Naib Tehsildar in the office of the Land Acquisition Collector continued on page 8 Punjab okays1st wildlife corridor in ~2,000-cr Zirakpur bypass plan Rajmeet Singh BALANCING ECOLOGY, INFRA DEVELOPMENT Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 29 In a first-of-its-kind project, Punjab will have a wildlife corridor to preserve a protected forest that was obstructing the proposed six-lane Zirakpur bypass road recently approved by the Union Cabinet. A 3-kmlong elevated road will now be constructed over the protected forest to provide safe passage to leopards, sambars and other wildlife frequenting the area near the Ghaggar. The Forest Department manages nearly 400 acres of protected forest in Peer Muchalla (Zirakpur), As part of the project, a 3-km elevated road will be built over a protected forest to preserve wildlife movement while constructing the Zirakpur bypass, balancing ecology and infrastructure. SUSTAINABLE MEASURES ❝ This will be the state’s first urban wildlife corridor. Once completed, additional afforestation and conservation measures will be carried out. Punjab Govt official MAP NO TO SCALE adjacent to the river. The project had been hanging fire for over two years as the forest c m y b land posed a hurdle. The matter was to be processed under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA). Following consultations with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the elevated road was proposed. Constructing the six-lane road through the forest would have affected a 50-acre patch, but with the Forest Department approving the elevated alternative, wildlife movement will remain undisturbed while ensuring smooth traffic flow. Officials involved in the project said the 19.2-km Zirakpur bypass project in Punjab and Haryana would be built at a cost of Rs 1,878.31 crore, with an additional Rs 200 crore estimated for the elevated stretch. Last month, the Cabinet Committee on continued on page 8