kannur l tuesday l february 18, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION India’s MAIDEN TRIALS FOR DEEP SEA EXPLORATION successful India’s fourth generation deep-ocean capsule Matsya-6000 has successfully completed its wet testing at the L&T harbour near Chennai Matsya-6000 First step towards manned deep sea mission to reach 6,000 metres below ocean by 2026 The first manned harbour trial of Matsya-6000 was conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, between Jan 27 and Feb 12. It is the first step towards manned deep ocean exploration. In the next stage, the submersible will undergo shallow-water demonstrations at depths of up to 500 metres by the end of this year ■ ■ The fortnight-long harbour trials, at a depth of two metres, assessed Matsya-6000’s performance across various parameters Matsya-6000 is expected to reach a depth of 6,000 metres in the Indian Ocean by 2026. It is a part of the Centre’s Samudrayan project to study underwater resources and biodiversity Three persons can be accommodated inside matsya-6000 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 foot-in-mouth bjp, Congress lock horns over Sam Pitroda’s ‘China’ view Immediate measures to regulate passenger flow at 60 busy rly stations across India Holding areas, new SOPs to ease crowding at stns P r ee t h a Na i r & R A J E S H K U M A R TH A K UR @ New Delhi AMID sharp criticism from the BJP, the Congress on Monday distanced itself from its leader Sam Pitroda’s remarks on China, and said his views do not belong to the party China remains . India’s foremost external security and economic challenge, Congress said. Pitroda, chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, in an interview to IANS news agency, said the perception of China as a threat to India is being blown out of proportion and that New Delhi should stop considering Beijing as an enemy . Clarifying the party’s stand, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary (communications) said on X, “The views expressed by Sam Pitroda on China are most definitely NOT the views of the INC ... China remains our foremost foreign policy exter, nal security, as well as economic challenge. The INC has repeatedly raised questions on the I don’t know what Modi Govt’s apis the threat from proach to China, inChina. China is cluding the PM’s around... China is public clean chit to growing .. you got it on June 19, 2020.” to respect that At a press conference, BJP national Sam Pitroda in an spokesperson and interview to IANS MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said Pitroda’s remarks symbolise the mindset of the Congress and are in line with its leaders’ statements in support of China. “The ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ of the Congress is for anti national forces, be it George Soros or China,” Trivedi said. In the past too, Pitroda’s controversial comments have put Congress in a spot. In last May he resigned from his , post for allegedly making racist comments during a podcast. However, he was reinstated after the 2024 elections. Congress had to scramble for cover after Pitroda endorsed a US model inheritance tax law in India last year. Patna: Prayagrajbound passengers at Patna railway station on Monday faced a tall order while boarding trains. Eye-witnesses told local newspapers that passengers forced open bolted doors of Vikramshila Express and Magadh Express and occupied toilets, while many were seen hanging by the doors Vaishnaw rules out conspiracy Passengers try to board an overcrowded train amid a huge rush owing to Mahakumbh Mela at Patna railway station on Monday | PTI R A J E S H K U M A R TH A K UR @ New Delhi IN the wake of the stampede at the New Delhi railway station on Saturday, the Ministry of Railways on Monday announced a slew of measures to prevent untoward incidents as it identified 60 railway stations across the country that experience high footfalls. To begin with, the railways will develop ‘permanent holding areas’ in these busy stations to manage crowds especially during peak times and strictly regulate their flow to platforms. Passengers will have to wait in the holding areas and allowed to enter the platform only as per the departure timing of their respective trains. This is to avoid overcrowding of station areas. In response to a query from this newspaper, Union Railw ay M i n i s t e r A s h w i n i Vaishnaw said railway experts will design access routes from holding areas to platforms in such a way so that there is no scope for overcrowding. One such holding area was set up at the New Delhi station on Monday itself. The same will be extended to key stations in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other states that regularly witness large crowds. The 60 stampede-prone stations have been identified based on the number of departing and originating passengers. They include Patna, Ara, and Buxar in Bihar; Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh; and Surat in Gujarat, besides New Delhi, Bangalore, and Coimbatore. The rail ministry is in the process of developing a comprehensive manual on crowd management by consolidating existing provisions and a standard operating procedure (SOP) would be developed to manage passenger surges during festivals and special events. Also on the cards is a nationwide campaign to educate passengers on the dangers of sitting on stairs, which often leads to stampede-like situations during crowded times. “Feedback from all stakeholders, including vendors, would be taken into account, and related problems would be resolved within six months,” Vaishnaw added. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Monday ruled out any conspiracy behind the New Delhi stampede and claimed there was also no extraordinary rush at the platforms at the time of the incident. “No conspiracy looks at the moment,” he said while interacting with mediapersons Curbs on platform tickets The Northern Railway on Monday announced that platform tickets would not be sold between 4 pm and 11 pm for the next one week at the station to ensure proper crowd management. Over 10 trains were diverted from Delhi owing to the restrictions on the New Delhi Railway Station Panel meets to pick new CEC, Cong asks govt to defer its call P r ee t h a Na i r @ New Delhi The selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met on Monday to pick the next Chief Election Commissioner. During Monday’s meeting, Rahul demanded that the government defer the decision on the new CEC till February 19 when the Supreme Court hears a petition challenging the constitution of the selection committee. He questioned the composition of the committee and the numerical advantage enjoyed by the ruling party. The meeting lasted 30 minutes and was held at the South Block office of the prime minister. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar is set to demit office on Tuesday . The appointment of the new CEC has become a political flashpoint between the ruling party and the Opposition. As per Section 7 of the Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 to the law, the President will appoint the Chief Election Commission and other Election Commissioners on the recommendation of a selection committee headed by the prime minister and consisting of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and a member of the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the prime minis- Decision taken, name sent to prez: Sources The government presented a list of five names shortlisted by a search committee chaired by Union law minister Arjun Meghwal. Sources said the selection committee made a decision and recommended the name to President Droupadi Murmu. ter. Home Minister Amit Shah is the third member of the selection panel. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said by removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee, the government has made it clear it wants control, and not preserve the credibility of the EC. “It is necessary that a transparent, balanced, impartial decision should be taken, which is in the public interest, and in the interest of democracy Singhvi said. ,” AICC treasurer Ajay Maken, said, “When the SC has indicated that they will hear the case on the constitution of the committee on the 19th, this meeting should have been postponed.” ‘Missing’ 7-km hill highway stretch sparks row P o o j a Na i r @Kozhikode E XPR E SS R E A D Protests in KIIT over Nepali student’s suicide Bhubaneswar: A 20-year-old Nepali student’s suicide after being harassed by a fellow student on Sunday evening sparked protests here at KIIT University. The university on Monday asked all Nepali students to vacate the campus but revoked the decision after a diplomatic intervention from Nepal. The victim was a third year BTech student. The man who harassed her was nabbed by police from Bhubaneswar airport. devotees struggle at patna station Shaken and Uprooted An uprooted tree at Jheel Park in Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan, the epicentre of the 4.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Delhi-NRC on Monday morning | Express On February 15, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan officially opened the 34-km KodencheryKakkadampoyil road in Kozhikode district — the first phase of the much-anticipated Hill Highway project. However, much to the shock of the local residents, a 7.217-km stretch (Anakkulampara-AkampuzhaThazhekakkadampoyil) that was originally included in the hill highway plan was “missing” in the completed work. And, while the CM announced the completion of the 34-km highway, Thiruvambady MLA Linto Joseph said only 27-km stretch had been completed, triggering confusion and widespread discontent. Saithalavi, a human rights MLA defends modifications Thiruvambady MLA Linto Joseph said the 7-km stretch was a village road that did not meet the gradient requirements for a hill highway. KodencheryKakkadampoyil Hill Highway activist from Kozhikode, accused the officials of altering the project alignment against the 2018 Detailed Project Report and government order. He had also filed a petition with the vigilance department in this regard. The complaint alleged that the original alignment of the Kodenchery-Kakkadampoyil Incorporating the stretch in the hill highway project would have required six hairpin bends, which was technically unfeasible under state highway regulations, he said. road was arbitrarily modified by officials and contractors, despite land owners surrendering their land free of cost based on the original 34.35-km plan. It stated that despite the exclusion of the 7.217-km stretch, the total project cost increased from the estimated `144 crore (2018) to `198.35 crore in 2024, pointing to financial mismanagement. The contract for the road was initially awarded to ULCCS with a 10% increase over the original estimate. Instead of reducing the cost for the excluded stretch, the contractor, allegedly raised the project estimate multiple times. An amount of `26.5 crore was separately sanctioned for the 7.217-km segment under another project, an action deemed inappropriate at the official level, the petition alleged. It also cited Section 3 of 13(1) (d)2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, arguing that the officials involved abused their positions for personal or exter nal gains, leading to financial loss and erosion of public ● More on P4 trust. Places of Worship Act School to wells, Malayali couple quenches Malawi villagers’ thirst case posted to April improving lives A n u K u r u v i l l a @Kochi Far away from God’s Own Country in a South-Central African na, tion called Malawi, which ranks among the world’s least developed and poorest countries, a young Malayali couple is helping villagers deprived of facilities like proper school buildings and wells for drinking water. Arun C Ashokan, who hails from Nilambur in Malappuram, came to Malawi in 2019. His journey as a philanthropist began two years later. “And it continues,” says Arun, who now has his wife Sumi supporting him in his cause. Until now, the couple has dug up seven wells in various villages in Malawi where harsh summer conditions made life difficult and brought agricultural activities to a halt. But what made Arun take this path? “Everything happened by chance. My mater nal uncle brought me to Malawi and I joined a company as a warehouse manager. It was in the city and everything was perfect. However, it was my present job with a construction company that made me face the harsh reality of life in Africa,” says the 33-year-old. He recalls: “As part of my job with the construction company, I have to visit remote villages as we are mostly into building dams and other big projects. During one such visit to the village, Chisasila, I came across children sitting under a dilapidated structure. When I enquired, the villagers told me it was a school. Four poles with a grass roof made up the structure. The villagers told me that when it Arun and his wife Sumi along with villagers near a ‘Kerala model’ well in Malawi, Africa rained, a holiday is declared for the school.” After getting more information from the villagers, Arun decided to get the children studying in classes I to IV a new building. “My first thought was to build a shed with tarpaulin sheet for the roof. But when the teachers and villagers urged me to get them a perma- nent building, I decided to do so. I talked to my colleague Kenneth, an engineer, to draw a blueprint. Upon learning about the project, he joined the endeavour. The villagers agreed to make bricks. They were so enthusiastic that within two weeks they made 20,000 bricks, more than enough for a building that could house all the classes,” he says. Arun also roped in another of his friends, Ashique, who worked in Dubai. “I told Ashique about the project and that I would require some financial help. He readily agreed. It took us one-anda-half years to build the school. We never opted for crowdfunding. All the required funds were sourced from a portion of our salaries that we had set aside for the ● More on P4 purpose,” he says.  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 Monday deferred hearing to the first week of April on a batch of petitions in connection with the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. The CJI-led bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar expressed its displeasure that far too many intervention applications had been filed in the case. “We will not take up the Places of Worship Act matter today Too many petitions filed. List sometime ... in April. There is a limit to interventions being filed. Enough is enough,” the bench said, making it clear that the top court would not entertain any new petitions on the matter. The case will now be heard by a three-judge bench. Introduced during the Ayodhya movement, the Act seeks to protect status quo of all religious structures as they stood on August 15, 1947, and prohibits courts from entertaining cases which dispute the character of places of worship. The Congress, the RJD, CPI (M), and IUML sought intervention pleas. BJP’s Ashwini Upadhyay had challenged the law in 2021.