KOZHIKODE l friday l march 14, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION Spadex Mission Achieves Maiden Undocking, next docking in april Indian Space Research Organisation recorded its first successful undocking as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission paves way for crucial future missions The two light weight satellites, SDX-01 (the chaser) and SDX-02 (target) successfully separated almost a month-and-a-half after it was scheduled to be achieved. With this success, ISRO is now bracing for its future missions — Chandrayaan-4, Bhartiya Antriksh Mission, manned space mission Gaganyaan, and Man on Moon mission ■ 460 km announcement After 3-Hour Assessment ■ Although the undocking happened around 9.20 am, ISRO announced on ‘X’ only at 12.21 pm, after assessing all parameters ISRO monitored operations from Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Mauritius. Satellites’ independent ops, sensors, and components are being analysed, said ISRO Chairman V Narayanan above Earth, the two mini satellites were successfully separated 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 Unwavering faith Thousands of women offered pongala on the Attukal Temple premises and the streets leading up to the temple in the capital city The rituals at the temple began with thantri Thekkedathu Parameswaran Vasudevan Bhattathiri handing a lighted lamp to melsanthi V Muraleedharan Namboodiri The latter lit the hearth in the thidappally, the temple kitchen, and his co-priest lighted the pandara aduppu. At 1.15 pm the ritual ended with priests sprinkling holy water over the pots | P2 Devotees offer pongala on Thursday as part of the Attukal Pongala festival in Thiruvananthapuram | B P Deepu Stalin emerges 503 new bus routes identified as the anchor of for first and last mile connect Opposition unity E x press N e w s S er v i c e @Kochi Telangana & Karnataka govts, BRS, YSRCP, BJD to attend Chennai meet on delimitation P reetha N a i r @ New Delhi Revanth to consult party brass Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said he would attend the Chennai meet after taking permission from the high command. A DMK delegation led by minister K N Nehru met him in Delhi on Thursday and extended an invitation Siddu to send DKS for event With several political parties extending support to the DMK government in Tamil Nadu in its fight over the proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, Chief Minister M K Stalin appears to be emerging as the voice that binds the non-BJP parties on the issue. Congress-ruled Telangana and Karnataka governments, opposition BRS in Telangana, former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s BJD, and former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP are some of the parties that have confirmed their participation in a meeting convened by Stalin on March 22. Spearheaded by Stalin, the coming together of political parties is widely seen as a show of Opposition unity against ‘delimitation’. On Thursday, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said he would attend the Chennai meeting after taking permission from the Congress high command. “I welcome M K Stalin’s stand. I have to get permission from the Congress high command to attend the meeting. In principle, I have agreed to attend,” Reddy told reporters. Earlier this month, Stalin had written to the chief ministers of seven states, including Reddy to , form a joint action committee against the delimitation exercise. The Chennai meeting is seen as a first step towards ‘unified action’ against any move by the Centre to implement delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies in a manner that will cut down the representation of states that have implemented population control. Though the BRS in Telangana keeps a distance from both the Congress and the BJP BRS leader K T Rama Rao on Thurs, day confirmed it will attend the meeting. Delegations of DMK leaders met K’taka CM Siddaramaiah, former AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and BJD’ s Naveen Patnaik, who assured their support. Siddu deputed Deputy CM D K Shivakumar for the Chennai meeting Rupee symbol axed Intensifying the language showdown, the TN govt on Thursday replaced the Devanagari rupee symbol with a Tamil letter in its logo for Friday’s TN budget mini buses hold key Soon, mini buses will operate on a majority of 503 new routes identified across the state, providing first and last mile connectivity especially in rural are a s . T h e m o t o r ve h i c l e department (MVD) identified these “virgin” routes during the route rationalisation exercise it carried out in recent months. “We carried out the route rationalisation exercise by conducting ‘Janakeeya Sadas’ across the state with the help of MLAs. From the numerous suggestions, we finalised 503 new bus routes. The move is mainly intended to help people in rural areas and on the city’s outskirts avail adequate transportation facilities,” said Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar. A minimum of two buses will be given the “licence” to con- Mini buses will operate on a E X P RE S S REA D Dalit writer and thinker K K Kochu passes away Kottayam: Dalit writer and thinker K K Kochu passed away on Thursday at the age of 76. He was under treatment for cancer at Govt Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. A social activist, he dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of the Dalit community. He was known for his writings that shed light on the struggles and experiences of Dalits and backward communities. P5 UV index high in Pkd, Malappuram Palakkad: With the state recording high ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels on Thursday, the KSDMA has cautioned people against direct exposure to the sun between 11am and 3pm. A red alert was issued for Palakkad and Malappuram districts on Thursday after the UV index rose to 11. P5 majority of 503 new routes A minimum of two buses will be given the “licence” to conduct services on each of the routes Both the KSRTC and private buses will conduct the services Once fixed, no additional permits will be given duct services on each of the identified routes. Both KSRTC and private carriers will conduct the services. The KSRTC will mainly conduct services on routes having “overlap” -- where some stretches pass through na- tionalised routes. “Once fixed, no additional permits will be given. This is to avoid competition and ensure that the operators find the routes viable. We will basically give the permits to small buses, those that cost maximum `25 lakh and do not require heavy vehicle licence. The move will also provide job opportunities to at least 2,000 people, including women,” Ganesh Kumar said at a function held to flag off direct city services from the Goshree region in Kochi. The minister also said that KSRTC will start rolling out new buses from April. “The new additions to the fleet include 36 luxury sleeper AC buses, which will be deployed on interstate routes, and also mini buses,” he ● More on P4 said.  We will basically give permits to small buses, those that cost maximum L25 lakh and do not require heavy vehicle licence. The move will also provide job opportunities to at least 2,000 people — K B Ganesh Kumar B’luru to host BJP nat’l executive council meet R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi the BJP is likely to hold its National Executive Council meeting in Bengaluru between April 18 and 20, sources said. According to party insiders, the decision to hold the meeting in Bengaluru carries significant symbolism for the BJP’s Mission South project. “This could indicate the party’s shift in electoral strategy towards Buzz on South India, with a focused effort on sonew prez lidifying its base in states like Karnataka, where the Congress is in power now,” a The meeting is expected to senior BJP leader told this paper. Also on the agenda is announcing a new pass a couple of resolutions, party president, sources said, adding that in addition to the new chief may be from South India, adding that female leaders may have an deliberating edge, in line with the party’s policy of proon and moting women’s participation in politics potentially — from organisational roles to announcing the new party governance. BJP’s Andhra unit chief Daggubati president Purandeswari is among the women leaders being considered. The other names doing the rounds include Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar, Bhupendra Yadav and Dharmendra Pradhan. Also in the race are Dr Sudha Yadav, Vinod Tawde, Tarun Chugh, and Arun Kumar. There is also speculation about Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju, along with Sanjay Joshi and Ram Madhav being considered for the top party post. Policy directive out to launch Nuclear Energy Mission Personnel, Public Grievanc@New Delhi es, Pensions and the PMO, said NEM necessitates caTHE Centre has issued a pacity building, and to fapolicy directive to launch cilitate active partnerships the Nuclear Energy Mission with the private sector, (NEM) as part of the coun- amendments to the Atomic try’s energy transition ef- Energy Act and the Civil Liforts. The mission ability for Nuclear focuses on research Damage Act are beand development ing pursued. of new reactor deDr Singh said a signs and task force has been technologies. set up to review these To achieve this, amendments. the gover nment “The task force is will allow private examining aspects Jitendra Singh i nve s t o r s a n d such as building, sectors to particiowning, and operatpate in large-scale deploy- ing nuclear power plants by ments of e x i s t i n g private sector; nuclear safetechnologies. ty security safeguards, fuel , , In response to a query in procurement/fabrication, the Lok Sabha, Dr Jitendra waste management, and Singh, Minister of State for spent fuel reprocessing,” RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR the minister added. The government also plans to partner with the private sector to set up Bharat Small Reactors (BSR), with NPCIL floating a Request-for-Proposal to private industries. These reactors will be commissioned and operated by NPCIL but set up with private capital. “With ... private investment, it is expected that the strategy for scaling up the nuclear sector will send a strong signal to participate and plan for capacity and infrastructure expansion for nuclear-related projects...,” he said. The government is also working towards making Nuclear Power Projects (NPPs) eligible for climate finance, Dr Singh said. call for change Mosques in state advocate healthy iftar to break Ramadan fast P o o ja N a i r @Kozhikode As the holy month of Ramadan progresses, religious scholars and community leaders have begun addressing concerns over excessive consumption of oily and unhealthy food items during Iftar. Mosques across different regions have taken up the responsibility of educating their communities about the importance of healthy eating after breaking the fast. During Ramadan, many people tend to indulge in deep-fried snacks, sugary beverages, and calorie-dense meals immediately after fasting for long hours. This often leads to digestive discomfort, sluggishness, and, in some cases, even health complications such as acidity, bloating, and an increased risk of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension. For years, the tradition of breaking fast with calorie-laden, oil-heavy foods has been deeply ingrained in Ramadan celebrations. Recognising the surge in lifestyle diseases, mosques across Kozhikode have started integrating healthconscious messages into their sermons. “Our food culture during Ramadan is slowly harming our bodies. Eateries focus on taste rather than health and we have fallen into the trap of indulgence,” says Ansar Nanmanda, a religious scholar known for his Friday sermons. “Sixty percent of the patients crowding medical colleges today are suffering from kidneyrelated diseases and other health complications due to unhealthy diets. Even medical experts warn against the exces- sive consumption of food additives like ajinomoto, especially among children and pregnant women, yet we continue to ignore these dangers,” says Ansar Nanmanda. The push for healthier eating is not just a response to medical concerns, it is deeply rooted in religious teachings. Shoukat Ali, a well-known advocate for clean eating, highlights the significance of Quranic verses that emphasise the importance of consuming only what is “halal” (lawful) and “tayyib” (pure and wholesome). “In Surah An-Nahl (16:114), Allah instructs us to eat from what is good and pure. This Ramadan, we are taking this command seriously by promoting healthier eating habits. I’m grateful that even religious communities are joining in this effort to shift our focus from indulgence to nourishment,” he says. “People are now thinking twice before indulging in unhealthy food. The change is happening, and it’s heartening ● More on P4 to see,” Ali adds.  Pricey Starlink to target niche customers R A K E S H K U M A R @ New Delhi ELON Musk-led Starlink may target niche customers in India due to its pricing, which is significantly higher than the services provided by Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. According to a report by Bernstein, Starlink’s satellite technology offers advantages in remote areas but its high cost and potential speed variability make it less attractive to consumers in urban and semi-urban regions, where Airtel and Jio provide affordable and reliable broadband services. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have recently announced separate partnerships with Starlink to offer broadband services in India. Both companies have clarified that services will commence only after Starlink receives approval from Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Sources say the DoT may grant a licence to the Musk-led firm soon. Meanwhile, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is yet to release its recommendations on the pricing and other modalities for satellite broadband. COSTLY AFFAIR Starlink Bharti Airtel Reliance Jio Speed (mbps) 50-200 100 200 100 200 Initial upfront 52,242 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 fees (J) Per month 10,469 799 999 699 999 fees (J) Tax and 30 18 18 18 18 levies (%) Total annual price (J) 2,15,600 12,314 15,146 10,898 15,146