DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA J&Kiscrownofcountry, needstobeprosperous: PMopensnewgateway Right thing at the right time, he says on Omar reference to statehood for J&K Claims police annoyed after he backed protest against land deal DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, JANUARY 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration of the Z-Morh tunnel in J&K on Monday. PMO via PTI saying “the right thing will happen at the right time”. “This is Modi. If he makes somepromises,hefulfillsthem… Everything has a time, the right things will happen at the right time,” Modi said, apparently in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On table after Australia Test series loss: Performance-based variable pay captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar. The Indian Express understands that the thinking behind the move is to ensure that players are more “accountable” and, ifwarranted,faceapay-cutbased ontheirperformance.Thesystem is said to be formulated on the linesofhowcorporatehousesappraise their employees annually. According to the suggested system,if theperformanceisnot up to the mark, it would impact a player’s earnings. “It was one of the suggestions given that players should be held accountable and if their performance is deemed not fit as per expectations, they should face variable pay-cuts,” a source said. Itwasonlylastyearwhenthe BCCI introduced an incentive CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 STATING THAT Indian and Chinese troops are still locked in a “degree of standoff” along the Line of Actual Control, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said Monday that the Indian Army is looking at diplomatic negotiations to resolve the situation and “restore trust” between the two sides. Addressing a press conferenceinNewDelhiaheadof Army Day on January 15, General Dwivedialsospokeonterroremanating from Pakistan. He said only four youth from J&K had joined militant ranks last year, and that 60% of all terrorists killed, and 80% of those active, werefromPakistan.This,hesaid, showedthatviolenceinJ&Kwas entirelyorchestratedbyPakistan. In the backdrop of tensions over fencing at the border between India and Bangladesh, he E CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED SONAMARG (GANDERBAL), JANUARY 13 ONE OF the suggestions mooted atameetingtoreviewtherecent debacle of India’s Test team in Australiawastheintroductionof a performance-based variable pay structure for the players, The Indian Express has learnt. Present at the meeting to review the 1-3 series defeat were Balyan writes to UP CM: My security cover withdrawn, threat to life Army chief on LAC: Degree of standoff, looking at talks to restore trust SHYAMLAL YADAV Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Monday. PTI BASHAARAT MASOOD MUMBAI, JANUARY 13 `6.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 ALL-WEATHER SONAMARG TUNNEL DEVENDRA PANDEY POSTAL REGN. NO. JAIPUR CITY/001/2024-26 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025, JAIPUR, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi Monday inaugurated the strategic Sonamarg tunnel in Kashmir which is crucial to the government’s all-weather connectivity plan for the Valley and Ladakh, including for security reasons. Earlier called the Z-Morh tunnel due to its shape, the 6.4kmpassage,nowtobeknownas Sonamargtunnel,isthefirststep towards the connectivity plan, with the next being the completionof theZojilatunnelconnecting Sonamarg in Kashmir with Drass in Ladakh. Thepublicrallyfollowingthe inauguration of the tunnel saw striking bonhomie between PM Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday. At the same time, to Abdullah’s prodding on the awaited return of statehood toJammuandKashmir,Modirefrainedfrom giving atimeframe, ● Dialling down the ● tension SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES Ajit Doval and Wang Yi held talks in Beijing last month following a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi. Both sides now want to dial down the tension and work to restore trust along the boundary. NEW DELHI, JANUARY 13 THE MAHA KUMBH BEGINS Devotees at the Triveni Sangam on the first day of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj Monday. Over 2 crore people are likely to take part in the Amrit Snan Tuesday. Vishal Srivastav REPORT,PAGE5 DAM TO CUT RANTHAMBHORE INTO TWO SECTIONS Rajasthan river-link lifeline could submerge 37 sq km in tiger reserve All care will be taken to minimise impact... if unavoidable, double, triple forest land will be integrated: Top official JAY MAZOOMDAAR NEW DELHI, JANUARY 13 THE flagship river-link irrigation project,whichwillprovidealifeline to 23 districts in Rajasthan, envisagesthesubmergenceof 37 sqkmintheRanthambhoretiger reserve effectively cutting it into two sections, according to project documents reviewed by The Indian Express. The submergence will be caused by the largest dam proposed under the ParbatiKalisindh-Chambal-Eastern WHAT THE PROJECT ENTAILS Proposed submergence area PROPOSED DOONGRI DAM CHAMBAL RIVER BJP LEADER Sanjeev Balyan, formerUnionMinisterof Statewho represented Muzaffarnagar twiceintheLokSabhabeforehis defeat in the 2024 elections, claimed Monday that his “Y-category” security detail was suddenly withdrawn by UP Police Sunday,posingathreattohislife. InalettertoUPChief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Balyan wrote: “You are aware that during the recent Lok Sabha polls I was attacked.If thereisanysuchattack infuture,itwouldbetheresponsibilityof thestategovernment.If the police are behaving in this manner with a former Union Minister,whatwillbetheconditionof ordinaryworkersof BJP?” He told The Indian Express: “I was on a party programme in Delhi on Sunday and around 4.30 pm, my security personnel got a call from Muzaffarnagar Policetoreturn.Theyleftmeimmediately. Now I have no UP CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BANAS RIVER Sawai Madhopur ECONOMY Ranthambhore tiger reserve RAJASTHAN MADHYA PRADESH Parbati river CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Smart RELATED REPORT PAGE 4 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY Indian killed fighting for Russia, had made pleas to return home Binil T B (right) and Jain T K, both from Kerala, travelled to Russia in April last year SHAJU PHILIP THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JANUARY 13 A MAN from Kerala was killed while fighting for the Russian Army in the country’s war with Ukraine, and his relative was seriously injured, The Indian Express has learnt. Thefamilyof32-year-oldBinil T B, a resident of Wadak-kancheryinKerala’sThrissurdistrict,received a message a few days ago that he and his relative Jain T K (27) had been injured in a drone attack.Thefamily,however,could CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Jaipur RUPEE BREACHES 86 MARK AGAINST DOLLAR FOR FIRST TIME PAGE 13