tirupati l monday l august 19, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION FSSAI project to study microplastic contamination of food products The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched a project to assess microplastic contamination in food products aim is to generate data specific to India 12% spices sold in India fail safety tests The project aims to develop standard protocols for the analysis of micro and nanoplastics in food products and generate data on exposure levels among consumers in India. “This project will help understand the extent of microplastic contamination in Indian food and guide the formulation of effective regulations and safety standards,” the food regulator said ■ ■ Close to 12% of spices tested in India failed to meet quality and safety standards set by FSSAI, Reuters news agency reported citing the data it obtained under India’s Right to Information Act The data shows 474 of 4,054 samples tested by FSSAI between May and July didn’t meet quality and safety parameters, Reuters reported 14.5% shipments of a popualr Indian spice brand rejected by U.S. since 2022: Reuters 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 SC takes suo motu cognisance of Kolkata case CJI-led bench to hear matter on Tuesday; protests against rape-murder of trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital get bigger S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi AMID widespread outrage over the brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the case and decided to hear the matter on Tuesday . Meanwhile, junior doctors in several states remained off-duty on Sunday disrupting healthcare services. According to the cause list of August 20 uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website on Sunday a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chan, drachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the matter titled ‘In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issue’. Several letter petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court urging it to take up the case on a suo-motu basis, given the “brutal and horrific nature” of the incident. One such letter petition was filed by Dr Monica Singh of Army College of Dental Sciences, Secunderabad, Telangana, seeking the SC’s urgent intervention following a series of alarming incidents of brutal attacks on medical professionals, the latest one being the RG Kar hospital incident. The letter petition, accessed by this newspaper, filed through advocate Satyam Singh, said the rape-murder and subsequent attacks on the RG Kar Medical College on August 14 “ severely disrupted hospital operations and created an atmosphere of fear among medical staff. There must be immediate deployment of Central Forces to protect R.G. Kar Medical College and its staff ”. Football fans clash with police during protest Doctors summoned Kolkata Police issued summonses to renowned doctors Kunal Sarkar and Subarna Goswami and former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee for allegedly spreading false information. The police summoned Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy Ghosh grilled for third day In Kolkata, Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, appeared before the CBI on the third consecutive day and was asked to furnish details of the phone calls he made before, and after the incident at the hospital, an officer of the central probe agency said. E x p ress N e w s ser v ice @ Kolkata PROTESTS against the horrific rape and murder of a medic at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital spilled on to the streets on Sunday after the police clamped prohibitory orders and cancelled the much-anticipated football match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium. The police action united supporters of traditional arch rivals of the two century-old clubs. In a rare show of solidarity, the supporters— men, women, young and old—of both clubs gathered at the stadium, with the slogan ‘We want justice’ reverberating in the air. Around 4pm on Sunday the fans , started assembling in front of the VIP Gate of the Saltlake Staidum where the Durand Cup derby match was scheduled but called off by the administration, fearing security concerns. Outside the Saltlake Stadium, India defender and Mohun Bagan captain Subhasish Bose, accompanied by his wife Kasturi Chetri, and All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey joined the protest march. A huge contingent of police per- Doctors protest at Shyambazar area of Kolkata on Sunday against alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital | PTI sonnel was present to handle law and order. Soon, chaos erupted with the police forcing the supporters to retreat. The police resorted to baton charge and made some arrests. Protestors questioned why the match was cancelled when there was such a large number of police force available. They alleged that the police had failed to control rampaging mob at RG Kar. Chaubey who is also a BJP lead, er, said: “Football is beyond politics, religion or any colour. The match should not have been cancelled. If the fans are arrested, it’s a shame for the state’s law and or- der.” Earlier, the Durand Cup Organising Committee said: “This office has been informed by the police that they are unable to provide security cover for the 133rd Indian Oil Durand Cup Group A fixture between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal scheduled at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday August 18, 2024.” , Some distance away from Salt Lake Stadium, several celebrities, theatre personalities, intellectuals held a protest march from Shyambazar towards RG Kar Medical College & Hospital raising slogans. Tribal kids’ edn hit as NRSTCs yet to reopen U sha Peri @ Visakhapatnam Despite the academic year starting two months ago, 81 children from several hilltop tribal villages in Anakapalle district have remained without access to formal education due to the delayed renewal of the Non-Residential Special Training Centres (NRSTCs) for 2024-25. The affected hilltop villages include Buddepadu in Golugonda mandal, Anuku in Kotauratla, Mitrasi Colony in Mungapaka, and Pitrugedda in Rolugunta. The NRSTCs, crucial for providing primary education to children living in remote villages, are normally renewed annually However, the training centres have not . been reopened yet this year, leaving the tribal children P4 without regular classes.