tirupati l saturday l september 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l anantapur EDITION sc: firecracker ban can’t be applicable for delhi-ncr only The Supreme Court on Thursday said if clean air was a right for “elite” residents of the capital, the same must extend to citizens across the country same rule should be used for pan-india eye on air quality commission report A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing pleas on regulation of firecrackers in Delhi-NCR. “If NCR is entitled for clean air, why not people of other cities?... I was in Amritsar last winter and pollution there was worse than in Delhi. If firecrackers are to be banned, they should be banned throughout India,” the CJI said ■ ■ The two-judge bench asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, to get a detailed report on the issue from the Commission for Air Quality Management The bench remarked that there would be status quo with regard to the cancellation of firecrackers’ licences by the authorities Sept 22 is when the matter will be heard next by the supreme court 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 Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice’s demand to dissolve Nepal’s parliament accepted Gen Z pick Sushila Karki sworn in as interim PM N epal has made his- pose decades of corruption. tory once again. The Born on 7 June 1952 in Biratcountry’s first female nagar, Karki is no stranger to Chief Justice, Sushi- challenges. She became Nepal’s la Karki, has now be- first female Chief Justice in come its first female July 2016 and served until June Prime Minister. She 2017. During her tenure, she was sworn in by President Ram faced a no-confidence motion Chandra Poudyal at his office, from the Nepali Congress but Sheetal Niwas, on Friday It fol- remained steadfast in her com. lowed the dissolution of the m i t m e n t t o j u s t i c e a n d elected government headed by transparency . K P Sharma Oli. Throughout her career, she Karki and the Gen Z protest- refused to bow to political presers had made it clear sure or corruption — that she would step in a reputation that only after Parliament made her the natural was dissolved — a dechoice to lead the mand that has now country through this been fulfilled. Former transitional period. PM Baburam BhattaThe Gen Z protest, rai and a clutch of dipwhich began on Seplomats, including from Namrata Sharma tember 8, quickly esIndia, China and the calated into a nationSenior journalist and US, attended the swearwide uprising. Streets ing-in event. The first women rights advocate. across Nepal saw cabinet is expected to Sharma can be reached at widespread vandalnamrata1964@yahoo.com meet later in the day . ism, with both public @NamrataSharmaP September 12, the and private property fifth day of the Gen Z damaged. Daily life protest, will be remembered as came to a standstill, hitting daia defining moment in Nepal’s ly wage earners particularly political history — a day when hard. In the process, the hidden the youth, united and resolute, wealth of top political leaders toppled a government, dis- was exposed. Reports of sacks solved parliament, and helped of cash found in the homes of elevate a woman known for her Nepali Congress president anti-corruption crusade to the Sher Bahadur Deuba and Forhighest executive office. eign Minister Arzoo Rana DeuThis unprecedented move- ba have shocked the nation. Enment inspired young people raged citizens — not just Gen Z globally, proving that when protesters — vandalised the youth unite, they can disman- residences of several accused Continued on P9 tle entrenched regimes and ex- leaders.  Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel administers the oath of office to Sushila Karki as prime minister on Friday; and people celebrate outside the president’s residence | PTI/AP Snap polls in six months President Ramchandra Paudel said the new caretaker government is mandated to hold fresh parliamentary elections within six months Married a revolutionary Karki is the eldest of seven siblings She grew up in a simple farming family in Biratnagar Karki married Durga Prasad Subedi, an erstwhile popular leader of Nepali Congress. They had met during her days at the BHU Subedi was a youth revolutionary member of Nepali Congress during the 1970s * He was part of the group that hijacked a Royal Nepal Airlines aircraft to get INR 3 million to fund the party’s armed revolution against King Birendra Shah in 1973 The hijacked plane carrying Nepal Rastra Bank’s money landed at Forbesganj in India After retirement, Karki wrote two books, including ‘Nyay’, her biography Modi in Manipur today Yearning for justice, political solution on eve of PM’s visit Manipur’s Imphal and Churachandpur have been decked up with the posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his visit on Saturday—the PM’s first trip to the state since ethnic violence broke out two years ago. One of the posters put up overnight by the state government, captioned Viksit Bharat Viksit Manipur, says the PM will lay the foundation stone for development projects worth over `7,300 crore in Churachandpur and inaugurate projects of `1,200 crore in Imphal. Officials said the `8,500 crore worth of projects are for the entire state. On the ground, though, not many seem bothered about any development package. They are interested in other pressing issues — peace, normalcy, security, and resettlement. Ask anyone in Churach`71,850 crore worth andpur and they will say the projects in 5 states Kukis expect the PM to offer a political solution to their Apart from Manipur, the problem — a separate adPM will also visit Mizoram, ministration in the form of Assam, Bengal, and Bihar a Union Territory . from Sept 13-15, and will “We don’t consider it (deunveil projects worth a velopment package) as sometotal of `71,850 crore thing important. Separate administration is the people’s voice. We hope that the PM delivers justice,” said Kenedy Haokip, a Churachandpur-based civil society leader. There is subdued excitement about the PM’s visit but it is more among Kukis than Meiteis. Reason: it’s after 4 decades that a PM is visiting the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur. “Our foremost expectation is peace and a clear roadmap for the restoration of normalcy,” said Sonny Chungkham, an Imphal-based independent policy analyst. Robert Singh, also an internally-displaced person, is relying on the PM for resettlement. “Modi ji, please take us to our village,” said Singh, who had a drinking water plant in Moreh. “My life’s savings have got exhausted,” he added. Vij Diarrhoea Outbreak: 194 cases registered Express News Service @ Vijayawada Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav clarified that no deaths due to diarrhoea have occurred in Vijayawada and urged people not to believe rumours. The Minister explained that the situation is fully under control in New Rajarajeswari Peta, where the diarrhoea outbreak was reported. Satyakumar Yadav, along with Minister for Municipal Administration Pongur u Narayana, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, District Collector Lakshmisha, and Municipal Commissioner Dhyan Chandra, visited the affected area on Friday, interacted with patients, and assured them of continued medical support. Speaking on the occasion, the Health Minister asserted that samples from drinking water and groundwater sources were sent for testing, and reports so far have come back negative. He reiterated that the government has taken all precautionary measures. As a preventive step, the regular drinking water supply has been stopped, and households are being provided with mineral water cans. Medical teams are distributing medicines and ORS packets door-to-door.  P4 Tirumala Hills and Erra Matti Dibbalu eye World Heritage tag Express News Service Andhra Pradesh’s Erra Matti Dibbalu (Red Sand Dunes) and the Natural Heritage of the Tirumala Hills, including the Eparchaean Unconformity , have been included in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites. Being on the Tentative List is a significant step, as it is the mandatory first stage for any site to be nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The inclusion indicates the state’s intent to protect and preserve these natural heritage sites. Erra Matti Dibbalu, also known as the Red Sand Dunes, located along the coast near Visakhapatnam. Spread over 1,500 acres, the formations are composed of sand, silt, and clay with their distinct reddish , hue resulting from natural oxidation over thousands of years. @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated categorically on Friday that the state government will not hand over any medical colleges to private entities, countering criticism over new medical colleges in PPP mode. Speaking at a conclave in Vijayawada, Naidu stressed these institutions are being constructed under a strict PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) framework, guaranteeing no financial losses to the state while keeping full control under government oversight. “Just providing land doesn’t mean the medical college is built – some are propagating this falsehood,” Naidu remarked, underscoring that the PPP approach ensures efficient operations without privatisa- CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu during the swearing in of vice president designate Radha Krishnan in Delhi | Express tion. “We are not handing over any college to private entities. This is a well-thought-out decision, to guarantee no injustice to medical students or healthcare services,” he added. Naidu maintained that OP services will be provided free, NTR Vaidya Seva will be fully implemented, and 50% medical seats in the general category P4 will be implemented.  express news service @ Mumbai P r a s a n ta M a z um d a r @ Imphal No privatization of Medical Colleges, CM Chandrababu clarifies Government stance A woman takes her child to the medical camp at the New RR Pet where diarrhoea broke out | Prasant Madugula Major scare as plane loses rear wheel, lands safely U s h a P e r i @ Visakhapatnam A SpiceJet Q400 aircraft carrying 75 passengers made a safe emergency landing in Mumbai on Friday after losing a wheel shortly after takeoff from Kandla airport in Gujarat. The aircraft landed at Mumbai airport’s Runway 27 at 3.51 pm with all passengers and crew safe, Mumbai airport operator MIAL said. Operations at the airport were briefly impacted. The flight departed at 2.38 pm against the scheduled time of 1.25 pm from Kandla and landed in Mumbai at 3.51 pm, as per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com. “On September 12, an outer wheel of a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating from Kandla to Mumbai was found at the runway after take-off. The aircraft continued its journey to Mumbai and landed safely the air,” line said in a statement. There were 75 passengers onboard the Bombardier Q400 plane, which is used for operating regional flights, officials said. One of the officials said that one rear right wheel of the aircraft was missing. Without naming the airline, MIAL said an aircraft from Kandla made an emergency landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after a technical issue. “A full emergency was declared as a precaution. The aircraft landed safely on Runway 27, and all passengers and crew are safe. Normal operations resumed shortly after,” MIAL said. Only two months ago in July, a window frame of a SpiceJet aircraft to Pune from Goa came off mid-air. express read Tribal girl in India’s Blind T20 Squad AP’s natural wonders, Tirumala Hills and the Erra Matti Dibbalu | EXPRESS The site contains dendritic drainage patterns and sediment layers that record fluctuations in sea level and climatic changes over the late Quaternary period. First documented by British geologist William King in 1886, these formations are regarded as rare coastal geomorphological features. Only two other similar sites exist in the world, one in Sri Lanka and another in Tamil Nadu. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared Erra Matti Dibbalu a National Geo- heritage Monument in 2016. However, experts note that the site faces threats from tourism, littering, highlighting the need for stronger conservation measures. The Tirumala Hills are equally significant for their geological, and cultural value. The region features the Eparchaean Unconformity, a geological boundary where rocks over 2.5 billion years old meet younger Proterozoic formations of the Cuddapah Supergroup, marking an important P4 gap in Earth’s history  . Visakhapatnam: Pangi Karuna Kumari, a 15-year-old Class 10 student from a remote Eastern Ghats village of Alluri Sitarama Raju district, has made history by earning a spot in India’s Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind squad | P3 Turakapalem deaths: Min seeks report Vijayawada: Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav seeks a report on the Turakapalem deaths within a week. Blood tests show melioidosis, abnormal cholesterol (59%) and anaemia (48%). New app feature to alert officials of excess deaths | P4 asia cup cricket At `12 L per 10 secs, India-Pakistan match tops advertisers’ bill S w a r o o p S w a m i n at h a n @ Bengaluru THE Indian cricketing economy continues to remain recession proof. Post the ban on real money gaming, it was looking at a hole but it’s on course to pass its first big test — ad rates for the group-stage encounter between India and Pakistan on Sunday as well as selling all available ad slots for the said game. Over the last few years, advertisements around live coverage of cricket’s marquee properties were fronted by real money gaming firms. But their exit hasn’t affected the market. Media planners have told this daily that the broadcaster, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), have sold ‘all ad inventory for the India - Pakistan match’. Ad inventory is basically the total space made available by the broadcaster to the advertisers to purchase. It’s expected that ad rates for the Sunday encounter has been sold for well over `12 lakh for a 10 second slot. With there being the potential of two more matches between the rivals, the interest may only rise. Tickets still available for Sunday contest While the ad inventory might have been sold off, ticket sales for the India vs Pakistan clash to be played on Sunday do not reflect the same. Per platinumlist, the Asia Cup’s ticketing partner, tickets can still be bought with less than 48 hours to go. Only two classes of tickets have been sold and the premium seats were available at the time of press India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Agha | file pic It also kind of paints a picture as there has been intermittent calls of boycotting the game (some Indian brands did actively become part of this post the Pahalgam tragedy in April). But that hasn’t translated into reality as some big companies have come on board. “It’s all a question of visibility,” says Prahlad Kakkar, an advertising guru, whose commercials came to dominate the cricketing ad space in the nineties and naughts. “It’s worth to pay `20 lakh for a 10 second slot for a game between India and Pakistan be- cause everybody is watching it,” he says. “Even your personal cabbie will take time off to watch it. People watch it because it becomes more than a game in their eyes.” Kakkar is of the opinion that this particular game has become bigger than the game because ‘of the sentiment involved’.