BHUBANESWAR  THURSDAY  AUGUST 14, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  JEYPORE EDITION INDIAN REFINERY SHIPS DIESEL TO CHINA FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2021 CARGO LOADED FROM VADINAR, GUJARAT According to reports, Nayara Energy loaded the cargo at Vadinar terminal on July 18 and the shipment departed hours before the European Union announced new restrictions on the refinery. The vessel was initially bound for Malaysia but made a U-turn in the Strait of Malacca and was anchored for 12 days. It has since updated its destination to Zhoushan, China Indian refiner Nayara Energy, backed by Russian oil giant Rosneft, has shipped diesel to China amid European Union sanctions over its Russia link INDIA-CHINA RELATIONS ON THE MEND? ■ ■ After facing backlash from the US and European Union, India has taken various steps toward re-engagement with China. It has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals after a five-year suspension, and is set to resume direct flights between the two countries soon For its part, China has eased curbs on urea shipments to India | P14 4,96,000 BARRELS OF ULTRA-LOW SULFUR DIESEL IN NAYARA’S CARGO BOUND FOR CHINA 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 Amid pushback, spl bench to hear stray dogs issue S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi CHIEF Justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday evening constituted a special bench comprising justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria to hear the stray dogs issue, after a two-judge bench’s order for blanket removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR led to a nationwide uproar. The larger, threejudge bench will hear the matter on Thursday . Earlier in the day the CJI said , he would look into it after a pending Special Leave Petition that also dealt with the stray dogs issue was mentioned before him by lawyer Nanita Sharma. Referring to a May 2024 order passed by an SC bench relegating petitions relating to stray dogs to the respective high courts, the laywer said the stray dogs issue needs clarity because two benches of the apex court passed conflicting orders in the matter. “There is an earlier judgment of this court, of a bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, which says there cannot be indiscriminate killing of canines and that compassion for all living beings has to be there,” Model mandis in all dists to end farmers’ paddy sale plight EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE cooling chambers, electronic weigh bridges, bank branches with ATMs, vehicle parking IN a significant move that space, farmers’ rest sheds with would resolve the problems toilets, separate facilities for faced by farmers during paddy women farmers, eateries and procurement, the state cabinet canteens, vending zones, retail chaired by Chief Minister Mo- outlets relevant to the farming han Charan Majhi on Wednes- community and waste disposal day approved the proposal for unit. establishment of 38 model The existing mandis under mandis across all districts in the Cooperation department the first phase. have been revisited in terms of The state-of-the-art mandis scale and type of marketing opwill be designed to provide erations in paddy and other agseamless and efficient riculture produce for setplatforms for farmers, ting up need-based traders and other quality infrastructure stakeholders by intefor farmers to address grating all essential the marketing need of marketing activities the locality he added. , under one roof, with The main objective upgraded infrastrucof the scheme is to deture and digital sysvelop an efficient agritems, chief secretary marketing ecosystem Manoj Ahuja told meby providing integratThirty eight diapersons in the posted and modern inframodel mandis cabinet briefing. structure, promoting will be set up Ahuja said, the first transparency in agriacross all phase development of cultural trade and fadistricts in the mandis will entail a first phase. The cilitating direct marcapital cost of `300 state-of-the-art ket linkages so that crore out of which `150 facilities will be farmers can fetch betcrore will be mobilised established at a ter prices for their capital cost of from the resources of produce. `300 crore regulated market comAhuja said the 38 mittees (RMCs) under mandis identified in Manoj Ahuja, Odisha State Agriculthe first phase after a Chief secretary ture Marketing rigorous groundwork (OSAM) Board and include 14 large, 17 me`150 crore will be provisioned dium and seven small market from state plan scheme. The yards. It has been proposed to Cooperation department has establish these mandis within already made a provision of two years time. The Odisha `50 crore under this scheme in Bridge and Construction Corthe current financial year. poration (OBCC) will be the exThe chief secretary said the ecuting agency . model mandis will have modIn the next phase, another 62 ern storage space, raised con- mandis will be developed and crete drying platforms, cover the process of identification sheds, quality testing kiosks, has already started, he said. @ Bhubaneswar 100 STREET DOGS RELOCATED: MCD The Municipal Corporation of Delhi said it has picked up 100 stray dogs so far and converted 20 animal birth control centres into shelters Sharma, appearing for the Conference for Human Rights (India), told the CJI-led bench, also comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran. The lawyer brought to the court’s attention the overlapping The 2026 Glasgow CWG is a scaled down Games because of circumstances. If we get 2030 CWG, it will be full fledged one just like we did in 2010 PT Usha, IOA president The Special General Meeting was short but very fruitful. Now that we have the go ahead of the General Body, we will be putting in the proposals R Iyer, IOA CEO nature of these matters and the p o s s i b i l i t y o f c o n fl i c t i n g directions. The recent order to permanently relocate all stray from streets to shelters was passed by a bench comprising Justice J B IOA APPROVES 2030 CWG BID EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai TWENTY years after 2010, India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. The Indian Olympic Association formally approved the bid during its Special General Meeting on Wednesday . With Canada, the other contender, backing out, the possibility of India hosting the event brightens. This will also help elevate its image as a capable host for multi-discipline events and improve its chances of hosting Olympic Relationship with India, Pakistan unchanged: US J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi AMID its deepening strategic salience with Pakistan, the US on Wednesday said there is no change in its relationship with either India or Pakistan. “Our relationship with both nations remains unchanged, and our diplomats are committed to both countries,” said US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce while responding to questions about the growing US-Pakistan security engagement. The comments came in the wake of Pak Army chief Asim Munir’s recent visit to the US and concerns over his reported nuclear rhetoric Tammy Bruce, US during closed-door meetings. Department of State Munir’s trip, his second in less than two months—featured a series of highlevel meetings with senior US military and political officials. It followed a private luncheon with President Donald Trump in June and reflects growing US-Pakistan security alignment, particularly in counter-terrorism. Referring to the conflict between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the State Department spokesperson said: “We had an experience with Pakistan and India. When there was a conflict that could have developed into something quite horrible.” Bruce added it is good news for the world that the US is working with the two nuclear-armed nations. Poll rolls can’t be static, says SC bench S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday said the electoral rolls cannot be static and were bound to be revised periodically, disagreeing with the submission of a petitioner that it had no basis in law, while hearing challenges to the validity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, in his submission, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had surprisingly invented a new document requirement for eight crore voters. “Even if I’m in jail, I can’t be removed from the roll without due process. Here, 65 lakh removed voters were not disqualified on any such grounds. The ECI has carried out mass exclusions. Who gave the ECI the authority to do this?” he asked. A bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, said, “But the electoral list cannot RESIDUAL POWERS OF ECI ON SPECIAL ROLL REVISION The bench pointed to the ECI’s residual power to conduct any exercise as it deemed fit. It referred to Section 21(3) of the RP Act, which says “the EC may at any time, for reasons to be recorded, direct a special revision of the electoral roll for any constituency or part of a constituency in such manner as it may think fit.” remain static. A one-time exercise is only for preparing the original list and it must be revised.” Sankaranarayanan added that the ECI has begun the process in West Bengal, too, without consultation. “I appear for the state and for main petitioner ADR. Four constitutional provisions on electoral rolls haven’t been addressed yet. The right to be on the roll is sacrosanct.” To this, the court observed that the expansion of the number of documents by the ECI is voter-friendly . “Look at the number of documents by which you can prove your citizenship — up from seven to 11,” the bench said. Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan on August 11 on a suomotu case. The order said dog shelters would have to be augmented over time and directed civic authorities in Delhi and NCR to start with creating shelters of around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks. The two-judge bench also warned of strict action against individuals and organisations that may try to create any obstruction in the relocation drive. It said contempt proceedings would be initiated against those concerned, in case of any such move. The bench added that despite arguments that non-acceptance of Aadhaar was exclusionary, it appeared the large number of documents was “actually inclusionary”. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for a petitioner, alleged malafide intent on the part of the ECI, alleging it removed the searchable feature of draft rolls just a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Karnataka elections. But the court refused to entertain it saying it was are not aware of any such press conference. The arguments were inconclusive and would continue on Thursday . Games in 2036. The nod from the IOA general body was required because IOA is the governing body of the Commonwealth Games Association in India with IOA president PT Usha as its chief. As reported by this newspaper in March, the CGA president had sent a formal letter of intent showcasing India’s strong ancient cultural and historical heritage and technology-driven future to reimagine the Games for a new generation. The expres- sion of interest was supported by letters from various ministries of the Gujarat government. Usha confirmed the news after the meeting at the IOA Bhavan in New Delhi and said that the house approved the bid unanimously at the SGM which met after the CEO’s appointment was ratified last month. However, unlike the letter of intent that said Ahmedabad would be the host city, she said that there are places like Bhubaneswar and Delhi. August 31 is another deadline by which India should submit various documents for bidding. The letter of intent submitted in March specified Ahmedabad as the host city and a delegation from the Commonwealth Sport had visited Gujarat last month where the IOA Chief Executive Officer too was present. If India gets to host the CWG, it will be bigger than the Glasgow Games next year. IOA CEO Raghuram Iyer said that SGM was very cordial and decision unanimous.