vijayawada l saturday l september 13, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city 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 history pose decades of corruption. once again. The counBorn on 7 June 1952 in Birattry’s first female Chief nagar, Karki is no stranger to Justice, Sushila Karki, challenges. She became Nepal’s has now become its first female Chief Justice in first female Prime Min- July 2016 and served until June ister. She was sworn in 2017. During her tenure, she by President Ramchandra Pau- faced a no-confidence motion del at his office, Sheetal Niwas, from the Nepali Congress but on Friday It followed the disso- remained steadfast in her com. lution of the elected government m i t m e n t t o j u s t i c e a n d headed by K P Sharma Oli. transparency . Karki and the Gen Z protestThroughout her career, she ers had made it clear that she refused to bow to political preswould step in only after Parlia- sure or corruption — a reputament was dissolved — a demand tion that made her the natural that has now been fulfilled. The choice to lead the country House was dissolved with effect through this transitional from 11 pm, the Presiperiod. dent’s Office said. The Gen Z protest, Former PM Baburam which began on SepBhattarai and a clutch tember 8, quickly esof diplomats, includcalated into a nationing from India, China wide uprising. Streets and the US, attended across Nepal saw the swearing-in event. widespread vandalSeptember 12, the Namrata Sharma ism, with both public fifth day of the Gen Z and private property Senior journalist and protest, will be redamaged. Daily life membered as a defin- women rights advocate. came to a standstill, Sharma can be reached at ing moment in Nepal’s hitting daily wage namrata1964@yahoo.com political history — a earners particularly @NamrataSharmaP day when the youth, hard. In the process, united and resolute, the hidden wealth of toppled a government, dis- top political leaders was exsolved parliament, and helped posed. Reports of sacks of cash elevate a woman known for her found in the homes of Nepali anti-corruption crusade to the Congress president Sher Bahahighest executive office. dur Deuba and Foreign Minister This unprecedented move- Arzoo Rana Deuba have shocked ment inspired young people the nation. Enraged citizens — globally, proving that when not just Gen Z protesters — vanyouth unite, they can disman- dalised the houses of several actle entrenched regimes and ex- cused leaders. Continued on P9 Vij Diarrhoea Outbreak: 194 cases registered E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ 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 N a r aya n a , M P Ke s i n e n i 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. 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. Teams are distributing medicines and ORS P4 packets door-to-door.  Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel administers the oath of office to Sushila Karki (top) as PM on Friday; and people celebrate outside the president’s residence | PTI/AP Snap polls on March 21 President Ramchandra Paudel fixed March 21, 2026, as the date for holding fresh Parliamentary elections, the President’s office said 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 @ Vijayawada 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, `71,850 crore worth and resettlement. projects in 5 states Ask anyone in ChurachApart from Manipur, the andpur and they will say the PM will also visit Mizoram, Kukis expect the PM to offer Assam, Bengal, and Bihar a political solution to their from Sept 13-15, and will problem — a separate adunveil projects worth a ministration in the form of total of `71,850 crore a Union Territory . “We don’t consider it (development package) as something 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. 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 U s h a Pe r i @ Visakhapatnam 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, is a notified National Geo-heritage Monument 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. The site contains dendritic drainage patterns and sediment layers that record fluctuations in sea level and climatic changes over the late Quaternary period. 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 e x p r e s s ne w s s e r v i c e @ Mumbai P r a s a n ta M a z u m d a r @ Imphal Tirumala Hills and ‘No privatization of Medical Colleges’ Erra Matti Dibbalu eye World Heritage tag E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Major scare as plane loses rear wheel, lands safely ensures efficient operations without privatisation. “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.  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. Only two months ago in July , a window frame of a SpiceJet aircraft to Pune from Goa came off mid-air. express read Turakapalem deaths: Min seeks report Vijayawada: Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has directed officials to submit a detailed report on the causes of deaths in Turakapalem village, Guntur rural mandal, within a week | P4 Tribal girl in India’s Blind T20 Squad Visakhapatnam: Pangi Karuna Kumari, a 15-year-old student from ASR district, has made history by earning a spot in India’s Women’s T20 World Cup for the Blind squad | P5 India vs Pak At `12 L/10 secs, marquee tie tops advertisers’ bill AP’s natural wonders, Tirumala Hills and the Erra Matti Dibbalu | EXPRESS 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 Geoheritage Monument in 2016. However, experts note that the site faces threats from tourism and filming activities, highlighting the need for stronger P4 conservation measures. Swa r o o p Swa 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 India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Agha | file pics Pictures Networks India (SPNI), has 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. It also kind of paints a picture as there has been 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 “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 because 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 tie has become bigger than the game because ‘of the sentiment involved’.