KOCHI l saturday l july 02, 2022 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Ban on Single-use plastic items comes into effect The nationwide ban kicked in on July 1. Single-use plastic means items that are used only once before they are thrown away Plastic cutlery items proscribed Violators face up to 5-year jail term The banned plastic products include cutlery items such as plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, trays, straws etc. The other products that come under the ban are earbuds, balloon sticks, cigarette packs, sweet boxes, candy and ice cream sticks, invitation cards, polystyrene used for decoration, and PVC banners measuring under 100 microns ■ ■ The Union environment ministry has asked states to close down units that produce, distribute, stock and sell such items People found flouting the ban can be fined under the Environment Protection Act 1986, which permits jail of up to five years, or a penalty of up to I1 lakh, or both 2.4 lakh tonnes Volume of single-use plastic items generated in India in a year currently 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 13-member team to track down AKG Centre attacker Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday checking the spot on the boundary wall of AKG Centre where an explosive was thrown the previous night. Minister P A Mohamed Riyas and MLA T P Ramakrishnan are also seen | Vincent Pulickal E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram A 13-member special team led by District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB) assistant commissioner J K Dinil has been formed to probe Thursday night’s attack on AKG Centre, the CPM state headquarters. The probe will be directly monitored by a senior officer and will be assisted by cyber experts as it warrants analysis of phone call details and retrieval of data from mobile towers located in the vicinity of AKG Centre. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury and the LDF condemned the attack on Friday, with the CM vowing to bring those behind the incident to book. Protests were also held across the state against the incident. State Congress president K Sudhakaran, however, alleged the entire incident was scripted by LDF convener E P Jayarajan. Though the suspect who hurled the explosive that struck the gate of the building remains unidentified, the police said they have managed to trace the route he took after the attack, through Kunnukuzhy up to the Medical College junction. The suspect stuck mostly to sub routes, which, investigators felt, was aimed at avoiding the powerful surveillance cameras. One of the night vision cameras installed near Pottakkuzhi captured a vague image of the number plate of the suspect’s two-wheeler, it is learnt. Efforts are on to decipher it.  ● More on P4 Export levy up on transport fuel to increase domestic supply R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi IN a bid to tax the windfall gains by domestic refiners who import cheap crude oil from Russia and export the refined product at much higher prices, the Centre on Friday imposed special additional excise duty on export of petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) with effect from July 1. The cess for petrol and ATF is `6 per litre, while it is `13 for diesel. In addition, a cess of `23,250 per tonne has been imp o s e d o n c r u d e p ro d u c e d domestically . “Domestic crude producers sell crude to domestic refineries at international parity prices. As a result, domestic crude producers are making windfall gains,” a finance ministry release said explaining the rationale behind the move. However, there will be no cess for import of crude, the ministry clarified. “Further, small producers, whose annual production of crude in the preceding financial year is less than 2 million barrels will be exempt from this cess,” it said, adding that the new cess will have no adverse impact on domestic fuel prices. The decision will directly impact domestic refiners Jio-BP, Nayara Energy and ONGC which, in turn, could tighten their global oil product supplies. Analysts believe the move to make export of fuel expensive is to ensure sufficient availability of petroleum products for domestic consumption but it may not achieve the desired result. “With product prices expected to remain elevated in the international market, we believe unless domestic retail prices are revised upwards, there still exists substantial incentive for the private players to export a larger share of their product, albeit at reduced margins,” Crisil said. The culprits and those behind them will be identified. AKG and the office named after him are close to people’s hearts. The attack is aimed to hurt this emotion and create provocation. Party workers should not fall into such traps — Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister The attack was scripted by LDF convener E P Jayarajan and aimed at shifting focus from Rahul Gandhi’s Kerala visit. It is not the style of Congress to attack the offices of other parties — K Sudhakaran, Congress state president SC tears into BJP’s Rahul forgives SFI, later attacks CPM Nupur for her hate speech & fallout E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kalpetta Windfall tax anger, allegation Raps TV channel for holding the controversial debate, accuses it of promoting an agenda fallouts was the butchering of a tailor in Udaipur, it said. The Supreme Court on Friday “She actually has a loose lit into suspended BJP spokes- tongue and has made all kinds of person Nupur Sharma, saying irresponsible statements on TV her “loose tongue” had “set the and set the entire country on fire. entire country on fire”, alluding Yet, she claims to be a lawyer of to the riots that followed her hate 10 years standing. She should speech against Islam have immediately apoloduring a TV debate. gised to the whole counRefusing to entertain try,” the bench said. Sharma’s plea for clubSenior advocate bing of FIRs against her, Maninder Singh, apthe court allowed her to pearing for Shar ma, withdraw it. The court said she had apologised said her remark was for her remarks. made either for cheap On this, the bench publicity political agen, said, “Her apology came Nupur Sharma da or nefarious activitoo late and that too conPolitical ditionally saying if relities. It was hearing her clout plea for clubbing and gious sentiments are transfer of all FIRs reg- “When an FIR is hurt and so on.” The istered against her in court said her plea registered and various states following smacks of arrogance you are not her offensive remark, to and that she thinks that arrested, this Delhi. shows your clout. the magistrate of the “These remarks are country is too small for She thinks she very disturbing and her. “If you are a spokeshas back up smack of arrogance. person of a party, it is power and What is her business to not a licence to say such makes make them? They have things,” the judges said, irresponsible led to unfortunate inci- statements,” the adding, “If there was a dents. These people are misuse of the debate, bench said not religious. They do the first thing she not have respect for othshould have done was to er religions. The remarks were file an FIR against the anchor.” made for cheap publicity or for Criticising the TV channel, it political agenda or some other said, “What is the business of the nefarious activities,” said a vaca- TV channel to discuss the matter tion bench of justices Surya Kant which is sub-judice, except to and J B Pardiwala. One of the promote an agenda?” E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @New Delhi Taking the wind out of the Congress’ protests, Rahul Gandhi struck a high moral posture on Friday saying he had no hostility towards SFI workers who ransacked his MP office. But after a few hours, he launched a tirade against CPM for its faith in “violence”, apparently to assuage the hurt feelings of Congress workers. “It’s unfortunate...they are students and they had done this irresponsibly...my MP office is the office of the people...no issue can be resolved through violence,” he told reporters after visiting the office. However, at a public function later, he lashed out at the CPM and BJP, saying violence was deeply rooted in their ideology . “BJP and CPM believe in violence. It is deeply embedded in their ideology. They think they can change people’s behaviour by violence. While the Union government and PM think I will change my behaviour after sitting (through) five days of questioning before the Enforcement Directorate, CPM thinks by breaking my office, I will change my behaviour,” he said. Rahul was speaking at a massive UDF rally organised against the ecosensitive zone demarcation at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad. He was accompanied by former CM Oommen Chandy, Leader of Opposition V D Satheeshan, state Congress chief K Sudhakaran, MP Benny Behanan and IUML leader M K Muneer during his visit to his office eight days after the attack. Medisep scheme comes into effect Medisep, the cashless health insurance scheme for Kerala government employees and pensioners came into effect on Friday. The scheme covers 11.34 lakh beneficiaries and their dependents, together 33-35 lakh people | P5 Manipur toll touches 20, 43 still missing circle of tradition A craftsman readying a traditional interior decor item for a restaurant in Kozhikode to match the establishment’s aesthetics | E Gokul Imphal: Rescue teams on Friday recovered 12 more bodies from the debris at Manipur’s Noney district, which was hit by a landslide, pushing the toll to 20. Fortythree people are still missing, officials said | P8 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Deaths post jabs put rabies vaccine under cloud Now, Pawar’s election affidavits under I-T lens Year Rabies deaths 2022 June- 14 2021 11 2020 5 2019 8 2018 9 2017 3 2016 2 2015 7 Rise in dog bite cases due to: Uncontrolled growth in stray dog population Poor vaccination of pets Unn i k r i s h n a n S @T’Puram The death of a college girl in Palakkad from rabies despite taking the full course of the vaccine has triggered concerns even as cases of dog bites are reported in the state regularly . Though anti-rabies vaccines available in the market have saved thousands, a few off deaths this year have sparked doubts regarding the quality of vaccines supplied and the effectiveness of their administration. The state has reported 14 rabies deaths so far this year. What is concerning is that three had completed their vaccination schedule. The very high fatality rate of the rabies and the fact that it can mani- fest even six years after a dog bite also have people worried. The health department has vouched for the quality of the shots and immunoglobulin given to Sreelakshmi, 19, who died on Thursday. Palakkad DMO K P Reetha said proper cold chain storage was maintained and doses from the same batch were given to others without issues.  ● More on P4 Separated at 6, a son longs to meet his biological mother After working for two years in Sharjah, Hashim T E, 23, is back home for a vacation. His umma Razia feels he should build a house and get married. But Hashim has never been more unsettled. He has to return to Sharjah in a month. However, on his mind is plotting another jour- They (BJP and CPM) lack courage. Hence they believe they can shape people’s behaviour through fear. They cannot change my behaviour as it is shaped by the affection towards the people of this country — Rahul Gandhi EXPRESS READ ag o n i s i n g w a i t G e o r ge P o i k ay i l @Kasaragod MP Rahul Gandhi at his office in Wayanad. Former chief minister Oommen Chandy, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and other Congress leaders are also seen | Express ney to plug the hole in his life. Hashim wants to find his biological mother and sisters, says Razia, who found him as a sixyear-old Hindi-speaking boy . “Whenever he thinks of her, his hands start trembling and he shuts us out,” says the homemaker. “We do not know how to help him.” Seventeen years ago, on November 1, 2005, Hashim got Hashim when he was six (L) and now down from a private bus at Moonam Mile near Ambalathara, 9km from Kan- hangad. He had a note in Malayalam that read: ‘He is an orphan. Please take him to the orphanage.’ Near the stop is Parappally Valiyullahi Memorial Orphanage, run by Parappally Jama-ath Committee. But Hashim got down in front of Razia’s eldest son Shajeer Palat, then 14. It was raining and Shajeer brought him home. “He wore black shirt and black jeans. I had never seen such a well-dressed boy here,” says Razia. Hashim spoke only Hindi. None could get any details out of him. Hashim says he cannot remember where he came from. “Someone put me on a train during a riot or disturbance. There was a mosque, a temple and railway tracks near my ● More on P4 house,” he says.  Aarey row back E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Mumbai New CM Eknath Shinde is already stepping on his predecessor Uddhav’s toes as he reversed the govt’s position on the controversial Metro car shed project in Mumbai. Shinde directed the advocate general to inform the court that the Metro car shed will be built at Aarey Colony as planned in 2019 by the then BJP govt led by Fadnavis Days after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in Maharashtra, the man who was instrumental in keeping it afloat, NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar, got what he called was a love letter from a Central enforcement agency . The income tax department, he said, had issued him a notice in connection with his 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections affidavits. “I am surprised that Central agencies are sifting through old records and sending notices now. It shows how these agencies are working overtime to target political opponents. They want to suppress dissent. The same strategy was used against Shiv Sena MLAs, forcing them to revolt against their leadership,” Pawar alleged. He sarcastically said before the BJP came to power at the Centre, no one knew about the ED (Enforcement Directorate). “Now, ED has become a family name,” Pawar said. It was the ED that got two NCP MLAs Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh arrested earlier on money laundering charges. P7