kottayam l tuesday l march 10, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Why No job scheme for acid attack victims, SC asks states, UTs The Supreme Court on Monday sought to know why a scheme for rehabilitation of acid attack victims through govt jobs has not been formulated Pay allowance, if jobs can’t be given: SC Stringent punishments for perpetrators The court said if logistical issues arise in providing such employment, the state governments could formulate a policy to pay subsistence allowance to the victims. The court was hearing a plea by Shaheen Malik, an acid attack survivor, seeking appropriate directions to states to implement proper measures for the well-being of acid attack survivors ■ ■ The court granted one final opportunity to states and Union Territories to comply with its Jan 27 order directing strong punishment for perpetrators and effective rehabilitation measures for victims That order proposed, among other things, seizure of assets of those found guilty of carrying out acid attacks to compensate the victims 2-judge Bench headed by cji Surya Kant was hearing the case CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI The BIG 33.1cr 50% 18% 1.6cr Household LPG consumers in India Imports make up Commercial LPG usage constitutes Piped natural gas PIPED GAS Restaurants hit While no restriction has been put on piped gas supply as of now, analysts warn some disruption is likely if the war lingers on With commercial cylinders in short supply, Bangalore Hotels Association said restaurants in the city will remain shut from today LPG SHOCKER PICTURE active connections of total domestic LPG consumption of total LPG sold domestic connections OMCs told to meet household demand first; several states report shortage EAM: Focus is on peace, $119 protecting nat’l interest R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi Amid fears of an imminent shortage of cooking gas due to import disruptions triggered by the Iran-Israel war, the Union petroleum ministry on Monday directed state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) to prioritise the supply of LPG cylinders to domestic consumers over commercial users. The ministry also increased the waiting period for LPG booking from 21 days to 25 days to prevent hoarding and black marketing. In the order dated March 9, the government directed all oil refineries and petrochemical complexes in India to utilise propane and butane streams (C3 and C4 gases) to produce only LPG, instead of using them for other petrochemical products. Refineries have also been barred from diverting these gases for the manufacture of petrochemical deriva- Oil breaches $100-mark for 1st time in 4 years Crude oil prices on Monday crossed the $100/barrel mark for the first time in four years with Brent crude touching an intraday high of $119 before cooling to around $102.1 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate also soared above $119.48 per barrel but fell back closer to $100 | P10 tives such as plastics. The move comes at a time when India’s LPG imports have been affected due to supply disruptions in West Asia amid the conflict. With supplies from the Gulf region impacted, the government is now diversifying its import sources. A petroleum ministry official said India is in talks with Australia, Norway and Algeria to secure additional LPG supplies. New Delhi recently signed contracts to import 2.2 million tonnes per annum of LPG from the US. Supplies under the contracts began in January 2026. Meanwhile, several states including Bihar, Maharashtra and Punjab have reported LPG and fuel shortages. However, the government has clarified that petrol pumps and gas stations are functioning normally and there is no fuel shortage. The latest ministry decision has drawn concern from businesses. Several industry bodies have written to the government seeking urgent intervention. The National Restaurant Association of India on Monday warned that any disruption in commercial LPG cylinder supply could lead to widespread closure of restaurants. The Bengaluru Hotels Association also said many restaurants in the city may not be able to operate from Wednesday due to shortage of commercial LPG. Jayanth j a c o b @ New Delhi Khamenei’s son chosen successor Iran named the hard-line Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his late father as supreme leader, a decision that is likely to annoy the US | P7 Iran ships in India Iran had sought permission to dock ships at Indian ports and approval was granted the next day, Jaishankar said. CM apologises to Mammootty for cyber attack E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram hero’s homecoming India cricketer Sanju Samson waves at fans waiting at Thiruvananthapuram airport on Monday, a day after India beat New Zealand by 96 runs to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Sanju, who scored 89 runs off 46 balls in the final held in Ahmedabad, was named Player of the Tournament | B P Deepu | p11 Most parties in Bengal for 1-2 phase of polls, ECI told S U B H E N D U M A I T I @Kolkata Almost all political parties in West Bengal on Monday suggested to the Election Commission of India that the upcoming assembly polls in the state be held in one or two phases. The full bench of the ECI met representatives of political parties separately at a private hotel in Kolkata’s New Town as part of its review of the preparations for the polls likely in April. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, met representatives of the TMC, BJP CPM, Con, gress and AAP among others. , The ruling Trinamool Congress and CPM expressed concerns about ‘unbearable’ harassments faced by common citizens during SIR hearings and categorising more than 60 lakh voters as ‘under adjudication’ status. The TMC delegation, comprising ministers Firhad Hakim and Chandrima Bhattacharya and Rajeev Kumar (retired DGP), urged the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday publicly apologised to actor Mammootty, who was targeted by left-leaning social media users for allegedly disrespecting Wayanad CPM district secretary K Rafeek during a visit to the model township built for landslide victims last week. At a government event in Thiruvananthapuram, the CM said the actor had visited the venue without informing the government or political parties. He said the actor had gone there with a good intention, and while visiting the houses, Rafeek joined him. He said it was a personal talk and Mammootty may have made the remarks (to Rafeek) to avoid any controversy. “If the great Malayalam actor felt bad and thinks some CPM workers had any role in this (the cyber attack), I publicly apologise to ● More on P4 him,” he said. Bengal minister claims CEC asked him to shut up West Bengal Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya alleged that the CEC didn’t want to hear their objections. “He told me ‘shut up’ when I wanted to convey grievances on voter deletion ECI not to conduct the poll without addressing the discrepancies in the voters’ lists. However, the BJP was non-committal on the issue of SIR but demanded that polls be held in one to three phases and in a peaceful environment. “We sought the active deployment of 400 companies Central forces already present in the state,” they later told reporters. Officials said the excise department was asked to ensure production and distribution of intoxicants do not increase in the run-up to the polls. The RBI was asked to ensure cash is not used to influence voters. April 26, 1936—March 09, 2026 PanikkaR reshaped modern Indian history K N Panikkar stands alongside the generation that transformed modern Indian history from political narrative to social history; from nationalist teleology to structural analysis, writes Rajan Gurukkal | P6 Briefing Parliament on the situation in West Asia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said India is in favour of peace and urges a return to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. “We advocate de-escalation, restraint and ensuring the safety of civilians,” he said. In his suo motu address to both houses, Jaishankar said, India’s response to the conflict is guided by three core principles—peace and a return to dialogue and diplomacy, the well-being and security of the Indian community in the Gulf, and safeguarding India’s national interests. There are almost one crore Indian citizens who live and work across the Gulf. The region is key to India’s energy security The Gulf is also a major trade partner, . accounting for $200 billion annually, he said. “The well-being and security of the Indian community in the region is our overriding priority We will . continue to work with the governments of the region towards that end,” he said, adding “our national interest, including energy security and trade flows, will always be paramount.” No-confidence motion against CEC in offing PR E E T H A N A IR @ New Delhi IN signs of heightening friction between the Opposition and the Election Commission of India (ECI), several parties are mulling a notice to move a motion seeking ouster of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, sources said on Monday . The issue was discussed at an INDIA bloc meeting chaired by Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, on Monday said a TMC leader. , Congress sources said they would support the notice and that other INDIA bloc parties are on the same page. The notice has been drafted collectively said the leader. , As per rules, signatures of at least 100 MPs from Lok Sabha and at least 50 MPs from Rajya Sabha are required to move the notice.