BHUBANESWAR  WEDNESDAY  JULY 16, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION DGCA DATA SHOWS 641 BIRD/ANIMAL HITS AT 20 AIRPORTS IN 5 MONTHS A whopping 2,000 bird and animal hits on aircraft have been recorded annually in last two years across 20 busiest airports in the country DELHI AIRPORT MOST HIT, AHMEDABAD SECOND DGCA data shows 1,633 bird/animal strikes in 2022 in these airports. It soared to 2,269 in 2023 and dipped to 2,066 in 2024. Delhi bore the brunt and averaged 400-plus incidents annually in the last three years. It had 442 strikes in 2022, 616 in 2023 and 419 in 2024, data shows. In 2025, it has recorded 95 hits. Ahmedabad is the second most affected airport | P7 ■ 201 CONSISTENCY IN REPORTING HAZARDS NEEDED ■ To tackle the menace, the first meeting of the National Wildlife Hazard Management Committee was recently held in New Delhi where representatives from all airports and airlines took part The meeting called for enhancing efforts to identify wildlife species and urged operators and ATCs to consistently report wildlife hazards CASES OF BIRD HITS WERE RECORDED AT AHMEDABAD AIRPORT LAST YEAR 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 JUSTICE FOR FM COLLEGE STUDENT Probe to be expanded, more action to follow, assures govt EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar From left: Parachutes of the Dragon Grace spacecraft carrying crew members of the Axiom-4 mission deploy before splashing down off California; the Dragon Grace spacecraft; astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla greets as he reaches Earth | PTI SPLASHDOWN Axiom-4 Space Mission successful, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla back after 20 days B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru THE Axiom-4 Space Mission’s Dragon spacecraft, Grace, with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (call sign Shux) as its mission pilot, made a textbook splashdown at 3.02 pm (IST) on Tuesday off the US’ Pacific coast of California near San Diego, marking the end of a 20-day space sojourn, of which 18 were spent on board the International Space Station (ISS). The Ax-4 crew traversed 12 million km while making 282 orbits around Earth while aboard the ISS during their stay there. With the Ax-4 Space Mission, Shux is the first Indian to visit and safely return from the ISS and the second to go to space after Sqdn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, 41 years ago as a part of Soyuz T-11 crew in April 1984. The splashdown happened after Grace’s Earth-orbiting free flight lasting nearly 22 hours and 30 minutes. Grace had undocked from the ISS at 4.50 pm IST on Monday before , the crew embarked on the deorbiting procedures to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Tuesday afternoon to position itself for a safe splashdown at the predetermined location. The capsule was recovered by SpaceX’s recovery teams, and Shux and his crewmates— mission commander Peggy Whitson from the US, and mission specialists Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary—were extracted. After de-orbiting procedures began at 2 pm, the final speed of Grace was reduced from 563.27 km/ hour to 24.14 km/hour before when two Drogue parachutes opened 2.55 minutes before splashdown to stabilize the capsule hurtling towards Earth. Its four main parachutes opened 2.30 minutes before the splashdown. Amid cheers, Shux slid out of the capsule at 3.52 pm, helped by NASA members, and took his first steps in gravity after 20 days, walking towards the medical centre on the Shannon ship, on which the capsule was carried after the four crew members exited the capsule. Shux and his crewmates were checked for their vital health parameters before being put into a seven-day quarantine, during which they will undergo a series of tests to ensure their well-being. Medical experts will assess their physical and mental stability, and changes in biomass and bone density . “Shux was checked for dizziness, orientation, consciousness, and stability. His pulse and cardiovascular tests were also done. ISRO will take no chances in assuring his health and safety,” a senior ISRO scientist told this paper. Shubhanshu’s parents Shambhu Shukla and Asha | PTI I am speechless. My son has safely returned. I thank God – Asha Shukla, mother of Shubhanshu Shukla SPLASHDOWN AFTER 5-MINUTE ‘BLACKOUT’ Around seven minutes before splashdown, there were a few tense moments during ‘blackout’ —a five-minute period during which the spacecraft loses communication with the command centre due to intense heat and high velocity re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere STAGE NOW SET FOR GAGANYAAN MISSION Shubhanshu Shukla’s space odyssey has set the stage for India’s own ambitions of human spaceflight ‘Gaganyaan’ in 2027 on a home-built rocket and a crew capsule that is at an advanced stage of preparedness MOMENT OF PRIDE AND JOY: FAMILY Shubhanshu Shukla’s mother Asha Shukla and father Shabhu Dayal Shukla said they were happy and relieved that their son returned safely. They are now eagerly awaiting his return to India HOURS after the death of the girl student of FM (Autonomous) College at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, his ministers and officers went into a huddle to chart out a Body of the student being sent to her course of action to tackle the native place from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar fallout on Tuesday . The chief minister, who ac- by arresting the principal and companied President Droupa- the assistant professor of the di Murmu to Cuttack in the college and provisioning best morning to attend several pro- of treatment for the victim. grammes, returned to the state While endorsing the action of capital in the afternoon and the government, there was held a series of high-level unanimity on expanding the meetings. Again, after seeing scope of the investigation to off the President at the airport bring each and everyone inin the evening, he rushed to volved in the incident and its the state BJP office and held a run up under its purview. meeting with top parThe meeting at the t y f u n c t i o n a r i e s, BJP state headquarwhich lasted for more ters was attended by than two hours. two deputy chief minEarlier in the mornisters, KV Singh Deo The authorities ing, Majhi announced and Pravati Parida, are gathering an ex gratia of `20 Reve n u e m i n i s t e r details about lakh from the Chief Suresh Pujari, Law persons who M i n i s t e r ’s Re l i e f minister Prithiviraj allegedly failed in their duties, Fund to the next of Harichandan, Steel contributing to the kin of the victim. and Mines minister the student’s The 20-year-old girl, Bibhuti Jena, state who set herself ablaze death, and who BJP president Manmomay have been on July 12 outside the han Samal, general negligent or principal’s office on secretary (organisacomplicit the college campus, tion) Manas Mohanty Suresh Pujari, was declared dead and four senior MLAs. Revenue min late on Monday night Speaking to mediaby the authorities of persons after the meetAIIMS-Bhubaneswar. ing, Suresh Pujari said the Expressing grief over the case has now been upgraded to student’s demise, the chief abetment of suicide based on minister assured the family the preliminary findings of that the accused in the case mental harassment. “The auwill be given strictest of pun- thorities are gathering details ishment. “I have personally about persons who allegedly instructed the officials con- failed in their duties, contribcerned on this. The govern- uting to the student’s death, ment stands firmly with the and who may have been neglifamily,” he said. Union Educa- gent or complicit. The evidence tion minister Dharmendra indicates harassment, which Pradhan also expressed deep has led to a change in the nagrief. ture of charges,” Pujari said. Meanwhile, sources said the The minister also said the meetings held by the CM took scope of the probe is expandCONTINUED ON P5 note of the quick action taken ing. Murmu presents Kalinga PARTIAL RELIEF AS EXECUTION Ratna Award to Pradhan OF NURSE IN YEMEN PUT OFF J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday paid rich tributes to Adikabi Sarala Das, a 15th century poet and scholar of Odia literature on his 600th birth anniversary, and presented the Kalinga Ratna Award-2024 to Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Addressing the birth anniversary celebrations of Das, organised by the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, Murmu said Adikabi enriched Indian literature by composing the Mahabharata. Stating that the Indian epics have been written in many languages, Murmu said, “Our diversity is like a rainbow. Our unity has been very strong for ages. We have many languages but the sentiment is one. The world remains amazed at how India remains united and integrated amidst so many languages and so many religions.” She further noted that Indian languages have contributed immensely towards enriching the Indian educational tradition. “It is a matter of happiness that in the National Education Policy-2020, emphasis has been laid on imparting education in the mother tongue,” she said. Stressing that education in Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan receiving Kalinga Ratna Award from President Murmu | EXPRESS the mother tongue could help children connect to their culture and tradition, Murmu said one should also focus on learning other languages. The President congratulated Pradhan on receiving the Kalinga Ratna Award. She also lauded Bijaya Nayak, noted short story writer, for receiving ‘Sarala Samman’, a prestigious literary award of the state. Expressing gratitude to the Sarala Sahitya Sansad for considering him worthy of the Kalinga Ratna Award, Pradhan said, “It is a great pride and honour for me to receive the award from President Murmu. This recognition is not just mine but belongs to every Odia.” “We need to strive to take our Odia language to new heights. Using artificial intelligence and digital platforms, we must make personal efforts to enrich our language and literature,” Pradhan added. THE execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, scheduled for July 16 in Yemen, has been temporarily halted, providing a crucial lifeline for the 37-yearold Kerala resident. The reprieve comes after intense behind-the-scenes efforts involving humanitarian activists, legal representatives, and a timely intervention by Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. Official sources confirmed the postponement, saying: “Local authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution scheduled for July 16, 2025.” Nimisha Priya, a trained nurse, was convicted in 2017 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Mohammed Mehdi, whom she allegedly injected with a sedative. Her fam- Rahul questions PM’s silence; Odisha Bandh on July 17 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar AMID widespread grief and outrage over the death of the 20-year-old girl student of FM (Autonomous) College following self-immolation, politics has taken centrestage with Cong ress giving an Odisha Bandh call on July 17 and the BJD announcing Balasore Bandh and state secretariat gherao on Wednesday . Senior Congress leader and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday led the c h a r g e against the BJP on the issue and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the incident. In a post on X, the former Congress president said, “Modi ji, be it Odisha or Manipur - the daughters of the country are burning, breaking down, dying. And you are sitting silent. The country does not want your silence, it wants answers.” He said, the student had raised her voice against sexual harassment, but instead of getting justice, she was threatened, harassed, and repeatedly humiliated. “The BJP’s system protected the accused and forced the innocent girl to take her own life. The death of the girl student is a systematic murder, not a suicide,” Rahul CONTINUED ON P5 said. TIME TO CHECK OUT THE TESLA ily insists she acted in self-de- yar’s intervention helped esf e n c e, c i t i n g a b u s e a n d tablish the long-needed contact confinement during Yemen’s with the victim’s immediate civil unrest. Human rights ad- family .” vocates have also raised conAccording to those familiar cerns about the fairness of her with the negotiations, the next trial, which was conphase hinges on securducted entirely in Araing a collective statebic, without the aid of ment from the victim’s a translator. heirs expressing their The stay of execuwillingness to accept tion also follows Musliblood money. Without yar’s efforts to reach this consent, the execuout to the victim’s famtion could still go forNImisha Priya ily, a necessary step unward at a later date. der Yemeni Sharia law, The nurse was senwhich allows clemency through tenced to death in 2020, and her the payment of blood money, a final appeal was rejected in legally-sanctioned for m of 2023. She remains jailed in restitution. Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Sourc“It’s a big relief,” Subhash es said Indian government has Chandran, Nimisha Priya’s made concerted efforts to seek lawyer and a member of the ac- more time for the nurse’s famtion council working for her ily to reach a mutually agreerelease told this paper. “We able solution with the other worked tirelessly, and Musli- party . Tesla drove into India via the import route on Tuesday with its Model Y ready to compete against high-end EVs from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi | P10 EXPRESS READ Aim to become employers: Prez 3 leopard hides seized, teacher among 7 held EAM prods SCO for tough terror stand Cuttack: Instead of just being jobseekers, aim to become job providers, President Droupadi Murmu advised the graduating students of Ravenshaw University here on Tuesday. Addressing the 13th annual convocation of the university, the President urged students to drive India’s progress through innovation, a strong sense of responsibility and commitment for inclusive growth | P2 Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown against smuggling of wildlife items, forest officials in Mayurbhanj on Tuesday seized three leopard hides in Baripada forest division close to Similipal, and detained seven persons including a school teacher in the connection. The hides were seized from Khunta and Betnoti range of Baripada following a joint crackdown | P2 New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries to adopt an uncompromising position against terrorism. At the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tianjin, he termed terrorism, separatism, and extremism the core threats the bloc was created to fight and warned against any complacency | P7 Tesla makes India debut with mid-sized electric SUV Model Y at its first experience centre in Mumbai Comes as a completely built car from its Shanghai unit in China MODEL Y WAS ONCE THE WORLD’S BESTSELLING CAR BASE PRICE OF TWO VARIANTS `59.89L REAR-WHEEL DRIVE (500 km range on single charge) `67.89L LONG-RANGE REAR WHEEL DRIVE (622 km range) Deliveries to start in the third and fourth quarter of 2025 respectively for the two variants Initial registration, delivery at Delhi, Mumbai, Gurugram