COIMBATORE 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.  MP town protests over no plans Union Carbide waste, to privatise govt schools: TN MIn 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 the government is 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. Minister Poyyamozhi on Thursday denied allegations that TN is planning to allow private schools to ‘adopt’ 500 govt schools and condemned those making ‘unverified’ statements | P4 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 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. Gambhir made it clear during the briefing that performance alone matters. “Indian cricket’s transition is in safe hands as long as there are honest people in the dressing room. Only criteria to be in that dressing room is performance,” he said. In that case, Shubman Gill 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. Bumrah likely to captain India Jasprit Bumrah, the vice captain, has been the team’s top performer with 30 wickets in four outings at an astonishing 12.83 average, is expected to take over if Rohit sits out. Under Bumrah’s captaincy India won the first Test in Perth. is set to walk in at No 3 and in-form Jasprit Bumrah will lead in the absence of Sharma, who has been out of form, scoring only 31 runs at an average of 6.2 from five innings so far. He lost two Tests after joining the team in Australia. With the home series loss against New Zealand, pressure was mounting on the Indian captain. If nets were any indication, Sharma, who was not much involved for the better part while India were training. He could be seen chat- @ Ramanathapuram The accident took place when a lorry in front made a sudden right turn | Express Three people died and five others sustained severe injuries after the ambulance they were travelling in rammed a lorry from behind near Valantharavai village near Kenikarai along the RameswaramMadurai National Highway in Ramanathapuram district late on Wednesday. According to police, Varusaikani (64) of Maraikayar 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 his second medal after Tokyo 2020 in 2021 too feature among the four chosen for country’s highest sports awards. Para-athlete high jumper Praveen Ku m a r i s t h e fourth name. There were reports that suggested Manu’s named was not on the list but the ministry’s official announcement included her name. What seems to be interesting is that Manu did not apply. It is not clear whether Gukesh’s name was added after his world championship match that he won on December 12. It is learnt that the national awards committee met a couple of days after the chess final. It is understood that the committee had taken cognisance of applications but the final list was made after sports ministry included two more names as per latest rules. Work not over yet, Waqf JPC could miss Budget session deadline as well P r eet h a N a i r @ New Delhi 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 3 dead, 5 injured as ambulance rams lorry in TN E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e ting with Washington Sundar, Bumrah, Gill before batting briefly along with the backup batters towards the end. It was not until most of the drill was over that Sharma and Gambhir were seen together alongside Bumrah. If Sharma gets dropped, which is most likely as of Thursday evening, MCG Test could be his last as a Test player. For India, a win in Sydney would help retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep World Test Championship hopes alive.  P11 top honour Pattinam in Mandapam was being rushed to a hospital in the private ambulance. She was accompanied by six of her 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 village, a lorry in front carrying logs took a sudden turn to the right without any signal, police Fire accident in Ramnad Medical College Hospital Ramanathapuram: A fire broke out due to a short circuit in the inverter room of the new block in Ramanathapuram Medical College Hospital on Wednesday midnight. Over 250 inpatients were moved to safety and the fire was put out in an hour. No casualty was reported | P2 said. The driver attempted to stop the ambulance, but it rammed the lor ry, police added. Sathik, who was seated in the front, suffered fatal injuries and died on the spot. Varusaikani and Fathima were rescued, but both died on the way to the Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital. Five others sustained injuries and were admitted to a private facility. 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 as the committee will not be able to complete its work by the stipulated deadline, said people aware of the developments. Another key reason, according to sources, is the strong opposition from NDA allies Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (United) over the proposed legislation. Several Muslim groups in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have been opposing most of the amendments, including the appointment of non-Muslims as members of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards. “The government has not given any assurance to TDP or JD (U) on bringing any changes in the contentious proposals. The JD(U) does not want to risk its electoral prospects in view of the impending assembly elections in Bihar,” said a party leader, adding that the TDP and JD(U) enjoy a strong support base of minorities in their states. Though the government had listed the Waqf bill for passage during the winter session, the panel sought an extension after a showdown with the Opposition. Speaking to this paper, a panel member said it is impossible for the committee to meet the deadline as it will take a long time to record the concerns of lakhs of witnesses. “The chairman is under pressure from the Opposition to hear out stakeholders who have real concerns. The committee has not followed due process till now,” said an Opposition member.