Lobby group to meet MPs for lifting ban on e-cigarettes
New Delhi: Undeterred by the vaping ban, e-cigarette trade body TRENDS would now meet all the Members of Parliament (MPs) and convince them against the government’s move which has brought the curtains down on the Rs 350 crore business. “Our Members of Parliament are enlightened people. They will definitely be concerned with the health of the citizens. In the next part of campaign we are going to meet every MP,” said Praveen Rikhy, convenor, TRENDS (Trade Representatives of ENDS). Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) refers to various vaping devices such as e-cigarettes, Heat-Not-Burn devices, vape, e-Sheesha and e-nicotine flavoured hookah, among others. Citing health issues especially among the youth, the Union Cabinet had last month imposed a blanket ban on ENDS and all activities involving it through an ordinance. The decision came as a setback for the ENDS traders. TRENDS had termed the decision ironic and erratic saying the ban had been imposed on the basis of “selective sourcing of scientific and medical opinion.” “More than the impact on the industry, I think the impact is going to be more on the citizens of India,” Rikhy said noting that ENDS is less harmful alternative to smoking. (IANS)
Security forces recover IED
Sukma: Security forces in Chhattisgarh on Saturday thwarted a possible naxal attack when they recovered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) planted along a main road in Sukma district, police said. A team of CRPF’s 150th battalion and local police was out on a search operation when it unearthed the IED, weighing 5 kg, packed in a steel tiffin box, a senior official said. The IED was buried close to a tree on the side of the road near Penta village in the Errabor police station area. This route that goes through dense forests connects Sukma town to Hyderabad (Telangana). The explosive was immediately defused by the bomb disposal squad, he said. Maoists plant explosives close to trees and wells to target security personnel, as they often take shelter under trees and use the water resources during their long search operations in jungles, the official explained. (PTI)
Two Pak fishing boats seized
Bhuj: The Border Security Force (BSF) seized two Pakistani fishing boats abandoned in Sir Creek area near Kutch district in Gujarat on Saturday morning, an official said. A team of BSF jawans, patrolling the area, found the boats at Lakshman Point in Sir Creek, an estuary along the Indo-Pak border, around 8.25 am, the official said. The boats were carrying fishing equipment, but nobody was found on board, the official added. Following the seizure, the BSF launched a search operation along the border area, he said, adding that nothing suspicious was found so far. In a release, the BSF said, “A thorough search operation of the area has been launched. It is still underway, but so far nothing suspicious has been recovered from the area.” Security agencies have reported several cases of Pakistani fishing boats lying abandoned in the area in the last couple of months. (PTI)
31 booked for adulteration
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has booked 31 persons over the last two-and-a-half months under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly indulging in adulteration of food, milk and dairy products, an official said on Saturday. Apart from this, 87 cases have been registered against other people for adulteration of food products, the official said. “Starting July 19, total 31 people have been booked under the NSA and charged with adulterating food, milk and dairy products as part of the drive being run in the state to check the malpractices,” a deputy director of Madhya Pradesh public relations department said. “Besides, 87 cases have been registered against people adulterating food products under the drive so far. Total 6,463 samples of milk and milk-based products, food and pan masala were collected since July 16,” he added. The State Food Testing Laboratory has released the test reports of 1,484 samples. Of them, 803 samples were found to be healthy, the officer said. (PTI)
Man-eater leopard shot dead
Pithoragarh: A man-eater leopard was shot dead early on Saturday by a forest department hunter at Chandak village here, a district forrest officer said. “The leopard which had killed a woman in Papdeo village in the district on September 3 and injured several others over the past few weeks was killed by hunter Joy Hukil at Chandak village when it appeared near a raised platform at 3 am,” DFO Pithoragarh Vinay Bhargav said.The leopard was declared man-eater on September 25 and a team of forest department hunters led by Hukil deputed to eliminate it, the DFO said. (PTI)
Ganga canal closed for cleaning
Muzaffarnagar: The closure of Ganga canal till October 24 for clearing silt and routine annual maintenance will affect the water supply in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. The annual closure of the canal has been enforced from Friday midnight. The affected districts include Aligarh, Bullandshar, Eta, Firozabad, Ghaziabad, Hathras, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar, a Uttar Pradesh irrigation department official said. Farmers are advised to use private water sources like tube-wells and pumping sets to irrigate their fields, he added. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ajay Kumar said, sand mining will not be allowed during the canal closure and strict action will be taken against the offenders. Every year around this time, the Ganga canal is closed by the UP irrigation department and during the time of the closure, various social organisations and academic institutions also engage themselves in cleaning the river bed. (PTI)
Gold worth Rs 1.84 cr seized
Hyderabad: Gold worth Rs 1.84 crore has been seized and three people, including a customer service officer of a private airlines, have been arrested at the international airport here, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said on Saturday. Based on specific intelligence, officials stopped the customer service officer for a check which yielded 42 pieces of gold in two packets,a press release from DRI said. When asked about the source of the gold, the officer said he had received the packets from two passengers, who had arrived by a flight from Dubai, the release said. On examination, the gold weighed 4.9 kg, it said. When quizzed, the two passengers and the officer of the private airlines admitted that the precious metal was being smuggled into the country and that they did not have any supporting document, it said. The three people have been arrested and further investigation has begun, the release added. (PTI)