TIRUCHY l friday l january 03, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION IIT-Guwahati develops injectable hydrogel for cancer treatment Researchers developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for localised cancer treatment with fewer side effects than conventional treatments Professor Debapratim Das (left) with a research student Targeted drug release can cut side effects Tumour shrinks 75% within 18 days Hydrogel is a water-based, three-dimensional polymer network that can absorb and retain fluids. It can act as a stable reservoir for anti-cancer drugs. It responds to high glutathione (GSH) levels, a molecule found in cancer cells. Upon encountering high GSH levels, it releases the drug in a targeted manner, not affecting nearby cells, leading to fewer side effects ■ ■ “In preclinical trials, a single injection of the hydrogel, loaded with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin, resulted in a ~75% reduction in tumour size within 18 days,” professor Debapratim Das of IIT-G said The research was conducted in collaboration with Bose Institute, Kolkata. It has been published in the journal Materials Horizons 8,00,000 New cancer cases in india each year, according to govt estimates 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 Head coach Gambhir’s ambiguous reply gives new twist to Rohit not figuring in the playing XI for Sydney Test saga rested? g o m e s h S @ Sydney The tribunal also directed Tamil Nadu to enhance border surveillance by setting up a dedicated task force | v karthikalagu Illegal dumping: Is Kerala aiding violator, asks NGT S V K r i s h n a C h a i ta n ya @ Chennai The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday questioned the Kerala government as to whether it is colluding with the alleged violator in the illegal dumping of biomedical waste in Tamil Nadu and directed the secretary of Kerala’s environment department to submit a detailed report on the issue. The tribunal also directed Tamil Nadu to enhance monitoring along the border by setting up a dedicated task force to track vehicular movement. Criticising the Kerala authorities for their failure to take decisive action, the tribunal flagged inaction and lack of accountability in addressing this serious environmental and public health issue. The bench, comprising Jus- IMAGE at Kerala’s high-level meeting NGT expressed surprise and concern that IMAGE, the only agency authorised to handle biomedical waste in Kerala and an alleged violator, had participated in a high-level meeting chaired by the Kerala Chief Secretary on December 19 tice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, expressed displeasure with the report submitted by Kerala, which did not specify the quantity of waste removed from the border villages in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district. The tribunal found Kerala’s response inadequate and vague. Kerala State Pollution Con- trol Board (KSPCB) informed the tribunal that it had issued a show-cause notice on December 19, 2024, to the Regional Cancer Centre, Credence Multispecialty Family Hospital, and Leela Kovalam resort. However, apart from Credence, none of the entities responded, and the KSPCB failed to take any further action. The counsel of Credence Hospital, in its defence, stated that it had handed over its biomedical waste to IMAGE, the only agency authorised to handle such waste in Kerala. The hospital argued that it could not be held liable for any illegal dumping. The tribunal expressed surprise and concern that IMAGE, despite being an alleged violator, had participated in a high-level meeting chaired by the Kerala Chief Secretary on December 19.  P5 With less than 24 hours to go for the Sydney Test, the India team did not know who would come out for toss. Or so it seems. “The answer remains the same.” That was what India team head coach Gautam Gambhir had to say when he was asked whether Rohit Sharma will be in the playing XI for the fifth and final Test between India and Australia that begins on Friday “We are . going to take a look at the wicket and probably announce our playing XI tomorrow,” Gambhir said moments earlier. Probably for any other player this would have been an apt answer but for a captain who has been appointed for a series this seemed little ambiguous. Whether resting was the decision of the team management or Rohit’s was also not clear. India begin their last match of the tour amid speculation of dressing room drama and Gambhir’s stern warning to players for not performing well. Even before a ball was bowled there seemed to be intrigue over Sharma’s position in the team. There were multiple indications, including his time in the nets, that MP town protests over Union Carbide waste, CM says it’s not harmful A N URAAG SI N GH @ Bhopal PROTESTS erupted at Pithampur industrial town in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Thursday, hours after truckloads of toxic waste was brought from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. The hazardous waste collected from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site is scheduled to be disposed at the treatment, storage and disposal (TDSF) facility located at Tarapura village in Pithampur Industrial Area. Pithampur, which has a population of 1.75 lakh, on Thursday witnessed massive protests by various groups against the planned incineration of the chemical waste. Some groups have called for a total shutdown on Friday . “Send the waste generated by the American company back to the US. We don’t want it here. The bandh call is to save our future generations and agricultural crops,” read a pamphlet distributed by the protesters. According to local activists, 10 tonnes of toxic waste from Union Carbide was incinerated at the Pithampur TSDF in 2015 on a trial basis. The disposal contaminated the soil, groundwater, and water sources in the nearby villages; so, incinerating 337 tonnes of waste could inflict greater harm on the environment, they claim. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav sought to reassure people that the waste is not dangerous as its harmful effects have weakened over 40 years. He said t h e g ove r n m e n t i s mindful of public sentiments and will take extra care while handling the waste. “Over 60% of the 358 tonnes of waste is local soil, while the remaining 40% comprises 7-naphthol, reactor residues, and semi-processed pesticides. The 7-naphthol residue is basically a co-product of the process of making methyl isocyanate and pesticides. Experts believe its toxic effects will end after 25 years,” Yadav claimed. The accident took place when a truck in front made a sudden right turn | Express 3 dead as ambulance rams lorry in TN E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Ramanathapuram Three people died and five others sustained severe injuries after the ambulance they were travelling in rammed a lorry from behind near Valantharavai along the Rameswaram-Madurai National Highway in Ramanathapuram late on Wednesday. According to police, Varusaikani (64) of Maraikayar Pattinam was being rushed to a hospital in the private ambulance. She was accompanied by relatives Jaffer Sathik (42), Anis Fathima (42), Dhaga Aayisha (26), Syed Arsath Rahman (30), Noorul Hadeejarani (33) and Mohammed Nibhas. Riyas Khan (24) was driving the vehicle, police said. When the ambulance was near Valantharavai, a lorry in front carrying logs took a sudden turn to the right without any signal. The driver attempted to stop the ambulance, but it rammed the lorry, police added. Sathik, who was seated in the front, died on the spot. Varusaikani and Fathima died on the way to hospital. P5 E x p r e s s Re a d Waqf JPC could miss Budget session deadline New Delhi: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Waqf Amendment Bill may miss the next deadline of the Budget session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on January 30, according to sources. The committee headed by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal is scheduled to present its report on the last day of the Budget session after missing the first deadline of the just concluded winter session of Parliament. The Budget session is expected to conclude on February 12. The Centre may now push the report for the Monsoon session. royal ride Sadhus of Shree Mahanirvani Akhada take part in the Chavni Pravesh , the royal entry procession for Maha Kumbh Mela, towards Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. The mela is set to take place from January 13 to February 26 | PTI What next for Rohit? Rohit Sharma’s future, with England visiting India for a whiteball series (five T20Is and three ODIs) in January before the Champions Trophy, depends on him and what he decides. His ODI numbers have been exceptional and he could lead the team against England after a possible meeting with selectors. suggest he is all set to be replaced. In fact, there are indications that he has told the team about his decision to opt out. This could be one of those rare instances when a captain has been dropped on poor form and for India this could be one of the first instances when a captain has been dropped or opted out. top honour Manu, Gukesh among four Khel Ratna awardees E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai This being an Olympic year, there were exceptions to the number of Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees and also the Arjuna Awards list. As expected the list is dominated by Olympic and Paralympic medal winners. What seems interesting is that D Gukesh who became the youngest world champion in December too has been included in the list the sports ministry released on Thursday . Speculation over Manu Bhaker not being considered for Khel Ratna for not applying too has been laid to rest. India men’s hockey team captain Har manpreet Singh who won bronze medal at this year Olympics too feature among the four chosen for country’s highest spor ts awards. Para-athlete high jumper Praveen Kumar is the fourth name.