Ratna Bhandar KOZHIKODE l wednesday l july 10, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Reopen Puri Jagannath temple’s Ratna Bhandar on July 14: panel The recommendation was made during a meeting on Tuesday, said the high-level panel’s chairman Justice Biswanath Rath Valuable items in treasury to be audited Locks to be broken if key doesn’t work “We have unanimously decided that the committee would request the government to reopen the inner chamber of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ on July 14,” said Justice Biswanath Rath, a retired judge of the Orissa High Court. The high-level panel was set up by the Odisha government to supervise the making of an inventory of valuable items stored in the Ratna Bhandar ■ The temple’s chief administrator was asked to produce the duplicate key but he could not because the temple authority was busy with the Rath Yatra, Justice Rath said, adding that he has now been asked to submit it on July 14 ■ The meeting also decided to force open the treasury by breaking the locks if the duplicate key would not function for some reason, said Justice Rath 1978 The last time puri Jagannath temple’s treasury was opened was 46 yrs ago 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 After Kathua ambush, fresh gunbattle in J&K’s Doda Putin promises early release of Indians working in Russian military; ambitious bilateral annual trade target of $100 bn set for 2030 Ta s k s ahead  Aspiration for elimination of non-tariff trade barriers on bilateral trade. Continuation of talks to liberalise bilateral trade, including possibility to establish EAEUIndia Free Trade Area. Raising mutual trade volume to over $100 bln by 2030 F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar A fierce gunfight broke out between militants and security forces in the mountainous Doda district on Tuesday, a day after the deadly ambush by terrorists on an Army convoy in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. A security official said an encounter broke out between militants and a joint contingent of Army and police at Ghadi Bhagwah forest area in upper reaches of Doda district. “The security men had launched a search operation in the forest area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there,” the official said, adding: “We have got inputs that a group of 2-3 militants are hiding in a forest area.” Additional troops were rushed to the forest area to tighten the siege. According to reports, two militants were hit in retaliatory fire by the security personnel. Meanwhile, officials said the National Investigation Agency will be assisting police in the probe on the Kathua ambush, which killed five soldiers — all of them from Uttarakhand. A security official said a joint team of police, CRPF and Army is conducting massive searches in the forest areas of Machedi and adjoining areas in Kathua district to trace and neutralise the terrorists responsible for Monday’s ambush. Officials said the elite para commandos, who were air dropped in the area on Monday evening, are assisting the troops in the search operation. The Army is using drones to track down the movement of militants responsible for the attack. “No fresh contact has been established with the hiding militants. The search operation is going on,” said a security official. He added that the search operation has been extended to Basantgarh forest area of neighbouring Udhampur district. Sources said during initial investigation it was found that three or four militants were involved in the attack on the Army convoy in Kathua. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami pays tribute to the soldiers martyred in Kathua, in Dehradun | pTI Russian President Vladimir Putin confers the award of the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ on visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday | AP/PTI PM: Bombs, bullets stymie peace push Ye s h i Se l i @ New Delhi Visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised in his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow that a solution to the Ukraine war cannot be found in the battlefield, adding efforts for peace do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets. The talks came amid reports of a Russian cruise missile bombing a children’s hospital in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. Modi said in his televised opening remarks at the summit talks on Tuesday, “Let’s take war, any conflict or terrorist acts: any person who believes in humanity feels pain when people die, and especially when innocent children die. When we feel such pain, the heart simply explodes, and I had the opportunity to talk about these issues with you yesterday Modi told Putin. He said both ,” discussed Ukraine and other matters extensively for over 4-5 hours. For his part, Putin said, “I appreciate the attention India has paid to pressing issues, which includes efforts to finding ways to resolve the Ukraine crisis primarily through peaceful means.” Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry THE Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday suspended six officials, including a local subdivisional magistrate (SDM), in connection with the July 2 stampede in Hathras during a satsang (prayer meeting), which claimed 121 lives. The action came soon after the special investigation team (SIT) submitted its report to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, holding the event’s organisers and the local administration responsible for the mishap. The suspended officials  Increase of cargo turnover with India through the launch of new routes of the North-South International Transport Corridor, the Northern Sea Route and the Chennai-Vladivostok Sea Line  Increase of bilateral trade in agri products, food and fertilisers  Cooperation in energy sectors like nuclear energy, oil refining, petrochem. Facilitation of energy security amid global energy transition  Strengthening interaction in infra development, transport engineering, automobile production and shipbuilding, space and other industrial sectors  Promotion of investments and joint projects across various sectors of digital economy, science and research, educational exchanges and internships for employees of hightech companies  Studying possibility of opening branches of Indian medical institutions in Russia HIV+ woman ostracized by kin, Brutalised at Care home P RA M DAS @Kochi A 21-year-old woman, infected with HIV at birth, was ostracized by relatives and forced to stay in a care facility in Ernakulam, far away from home. However, her suffering worsened as the caregivers at the facility assaulted her brutally . They allegedly tied her to a window and beat her with a wooden log, causing multiple fractures, in November 2023. The incident came to light when the four accused persons sought anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court. The woman, who lost her parents during childhood, endured immense suffering due to so- Hathras stampede: UP govt suspends six officials N A M ITA B A J PAI @ Lucknow Peskov said, “Modi is not claiming to be a mediator” on Ukraine. The Indian PM, he informed, suggested proposals to end the war. But he doubted if the NATO grouping would consider Modi’s peace initiatives. In his opening remarks, Putin reaffirmed that Russia and India have a special and privileged partnership and that trade between the two countries grew by 66% last year and by 20% in the first quarter of 2024. Putin also conferred on Modi the ‘Order of St Andrew the Apostle’ for his outstanding services in developing the strategic partnership between Russia and India. The award was announced in 2019. In their bilateral talks, Putin agreed to Modi’s strong demand for the early release and return of the Indian nationals working in the Russian military as support staff. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the Russian side promised early discharge of all Indian nationals from the service of the Russian Army . Modi also expressed concern over delay in the shipping defence spare wparts. Meanwhile, India will be opening two new consulates in Russia — at Kazan and Yekaterinburg.  Development of a bilateral settlement system using national currencies are Sikdanararau SDM, circle officer, SHO Sikandrarau, tehsildar, and police outpost in charge of Kachora and Pora. The SIT report recommended action against these officers saying they did not take the event seriously . It said the SDM granted permission without inspecting the venue or seeking the advice of higher authorities. As for the event’s organisers, the SIT report faulted them for understating the number of devotees who would be attending the event and also flouting conditions on which approval was granted. Court denies bail The High Court denied anticipatory bail to the four accused citing the seriousness and gravity of the accusations. cial stigma attached to HIV. Subsequently, she was shifted to a care home run by an NGO. Though was sheltered at several care homes, the incident pertaining to the case happened at a facility in Ernakulam. The Binanipuram police registered the case after the authorities at the hospital where the woman was taken for treatment informed them about her injuries. The police, which registered an FIR on January 5, booked the accused persons under section 341 (wrongful restraint), 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons), and 326 read with section 34 (causing grievous hurt by multiple people) of the IPC. In a statement recorded on July 3, 2024, a doctor who treated the woman confir med that the fractures were due to assault and not other afflictions. A consultant psychiatrist from the Government Mental Health Centre, Thrissur, also stated that the victim said she was brutally assaulted by the ● More on P4 accused. NDA vs INDIA in first bypolls to 13 seats after general elections P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi With the bypolls for 13 assembly constituencies to be held on Wednesday the stage is set , for another face-off between the NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc in seven states. The states that go to the polls are Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Coming on the heels of the 2024 Lok Sabha results, the contest is significant for both sides. The results, which will be declared on July 13, will also be a curtain raiser for important state elections later this year. The election to the four seats in West Bengal will be keenly watched as three seats fell vacant after BJP MLAs jumped ship to the Trinamool Congress (TMC). While the BJP is trying to leverage its Lok Sabha election leads in three of Poll time State West Bengal Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand Bihar Tamil Nadu Madhya Pradesh Punjab Seats 4 3 2 1 1 1 1 these segments, the TMC is harping on its recent electoral success. The fourth seat became vacant after the death of the sitting TMC MLA. Stakes are high in Himachal Pradesh as the election to the three seats — Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh. It was necessitated after three independent MLAs joined the BJP . The BJP is going all out to win them though the Congress is in the majority with 38 MLAs while the BJP has 27. In Dehra, One dies of suspected cholera in T’Puram, hostel mate tests +ve E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @T’Puram Days after the death of a youth with symptoms of cholera, his hostel mate was on Tuesday tested positive for the highly contagious disease. Fifteen other inmates of the Sree Karunya Mission Charitable School Society hostel in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, are hospitalised with the symptoms of cholera. “Cholera has been confirmed on the (10-year-old) student admitted at SAT hospital. The report has been handed over to the government. Other inmates of the hostel have been admitted to the Government Medical College hospital and government hospitals at Parassala and Nemom with the symptoms of cholera,” Thiruvananthapuram DMO Bindu Mohan said. Earlier on Thursday hostel , inmate Anu, hailing from Vithura, had a bout of vomiting and diarrhoea. The school authorities first thought he had food poisoning. He was admitted to the Neyyattinkara General Hospital the same day. But he died the next day. The last death due to cholera in Kerala was reported in 2017. Samples of four students who have shown New trend More Muslims turning to Special Marriage Act GAUTAM Gambhir has been appointed as the new head coach of the senior men’s cricket team. The opener, who played the role of mentor during Kolkata Knight Riders’ march to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title this year, will link up with the side for the first time during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka, which begins in three weeks. Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), announced the ap- to steer Indian Cricket forward...” Having represented India with distinction in all three formats, the southpaw will be expected to build on the successes of the last regime, signposted off with global gold in the shortest format. Apart from leading the transition in red-ball cricket (as many as five automatic starters are 35 or over), he will be under pressure to deliver two ICC titles as early as next year (Champions Tro- Gautam Gambhir Smart meter project to be executed under CapEX model @ T’ Puram 15 hospitalised Fifteen other inmates of the Sree Karunya Mission Charitable School Society hostel in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, have been hospitalised with cholera symptoms symptoms, but have not started the treatment, were sent for testing, health department sources said. Those who had gone home before cholera was tested positive have been tracked, and if they or their family members show any symptoms, their samples will be tested and treatment provided. With 65 students residing in the hostel, the school authorities have advised parents to take their children home. The school has been closed for a week. Health Minister Veena George said the isolation wards in Iranimuttom would be utilised if the patient number increases. The state has reported 11 suspected and 9 confirmed cholera infections ● More on P4 this year.  The move is to overcome certain conditions imposed in the Muslim inheritance law, and thereby ensure property to daughters | P2 Gambhir appointed India team head coach pointment on X (formerly Twitter). “It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Mr @ GautamGambhir as the new Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team,” Shah, whose post interestingly preceeded the press release, posted. “Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly , and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person No TOTEX Cynthia Chandran new role E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai the Congress has fielded Kamlesh Thakur, wife of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu against the BJP’s Hoshiyar Singh, who switched sides. The Vikravandi Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu is also witnessing a fierce contest between the ruling DMK, NDA ally PMK and NTK. The two seats in Uttarakhand — Manglaur and Badrinath hold significance to both the Congress and the BJP The . Badrinath seat fell vacant after the Congress MLA joined the BJP. The Congress has fielded Qazi Nizamuddin from Manglaur, a traditional Congress constituency . While Bihar’s Rupauli is witnessing a contest between the RJD and the JD(U), in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP is taking on the Congress in the tribaldominated constituency of Amarwara. phy followed by the WTC final, if India qualifies). The BCCI release said: “... his focus will be on developing a culture of excellence, discipline, and teamwork, while also nurturing young talent and preparing the team for future challenges on the global stage.” The 42-year-old will also be given carte blanche with respect to key support staff as the release thanked Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), T Dilip (fielding coach) and Vikram Rathour (batting coach) for a ‘highly successful tenure’. The prepaid smart meter project, which has been delayed inordinately, has got the Centre’s nod to have it implemented under CapEX (capital expenditure) model, as demanded by the trade unions. The KSEB had earlier planned to install smart meters in the TOTEX (total expenditure) model. However, the intervention of the chief minister has forced the state electricity board to get it implemented under the public sector. With this, the consumers will have to pay `60 in their bi-monthly electricity bill, instead of `200-`300 under the T O T E X model. The KSEB management revised its plan after it drew flak from all the trade unions, including CITU. Earlier, the power department remained firm on its stand to execute the project under TOTEX model though the board will get only 7.5% subsidy from the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. But under CapEX model, the board will get the full 15 % subsidy envisaged by the Centre. This shows that the state power department was unnecessarily lobbying for TOTEX model pushing the consumers into financial doldrums. S Harilal, general secretary KSEB Workers’ Associa, tion (CITU) told TNIE that under the CapEx model, it had been decided to develop 3 lakh meters at ● More on P4 `750 crore.  EXPRESS READ CBI arrests 2 more over NEET paper leak Patna: The CBI on Tuesday arrested two more suspects, including a candidate and father of another candidate, from Bihar’s capital in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case. The number of arrested persons in the case has gone up to 11. P10