Border row: Karnataka suspends bus services to Maharashtra owing to protests
Belagavi (K'taka), Dec 7: The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) on Wednesday suspended its services to Maharashtra after reports emerged of some buses being defaced and damaged in the regions bordering Belagavi district.
Both states have voiced out concerns regarding Belagavi with Maharashtra staking claim that the region should be merged with it while Karnataka has reiterated its jurisdiction over the area.
"We are operating our buses only up to Nipani (in Belagavi district) due to tension, which has been there since morning," an officer in the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation told PTI.
According to him, a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus that was coming from Maharashtra to Ranebennur was also damaged.
"The glasses of the bus were damaged. Other than this incident, some buses were defaced," the officer added.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike again held agitations in the border regions following the defacement of buses. The activists said that they will also retaliate with similar vigour if the buses were targeted.
In view of the tension resurfacing in the border region, the police on both sides tightened security. Buses were provided extra security to protect the vehicles and the passengers.
The row over the region started after two Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, who have been appointed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to coordinate with the legal team dealing with the border dispute, announced their visit to Belagavi on December 6.
Following vehement protests by the pro-Kannada organisations in Maharashtra, the duo postponed their trip. In reaction, there were protests in the western state as well.
Maharashtra has been demanding the merger of Belagavi on the ground that there is a substantial Marathi-speaking population in the border district. However, the Karnataka government rejected their claim.
The neighbouring state has approached the Supreme Court as well.
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Eggs safe for consumption, cancer risk claims unfounded: FSSAI
New Delhi (PTI): The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has categorically dismissed recent claims linking eggs to cancer risk, terming them "misleading, scientifically unsupported and capable of creating unnecessary public alarm".
In a statement issued on Saturday, the food safety regulator clarified that eggs available in the country are safe for human consumption and that reports alleging the presence of carcinogenic substances in eggs lack a scientific basis.
The clarification comes in response to media reports and social media posts claiming detection of nitrofuran metabolites (AOZ) -- substances purportedly linked to cancer -- in eggs sold in India.
FSSAI officials emphasised that the use of nitrofurans is strictly prohibited at all stages of poultry and egg production under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
The regulator explained that an Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit (EMRL) of 1.0 µg/kg has been prescribed for nitrofuran metabolites -- but solely for regulatory enforcement purposes. This limit represents the minimum level that can be reliably detected by advanced laboratory methods and does not indicate that the substance is permitted for use.
"Detection of trace residues below the EMRL does not constitute a food safety violation nor does it imply any health risk," an FSSAI official said.
FSSAI said India's regulatory framework is aligned with international practices. The European Union and the United States also prohibit the use of nitrofurans in food-producing animals and employ reference points for action or guideline values only as enforcement tools.
Differences in numerical benchmarks across countries reflect variations in analytical and regulatory approaches, not differences in consumer safety standards, the authority noted.
On public health concerns, FSSAI cited scientific evidence indicating that there is no established causal link between trace-level dietary exposure to nitrofuran metabolites and cancer or other adverse health outcomes in humans.
"No national or international health authority has associated normal egg consumption with increased cancer risk," the regulator reiterated.
Addressing reports related to the testing of a specific egg brand, officials explained that such detections are isolated and batch-specific, often arising from inadvertent contamination or feed-related factors, and are not representative of the overall egg supply chain in the country.
"Generalising isolated laboratory findings to label eggs as unsafe is scientifically incorrect," the statement said.
FSSAI urged consumers to rely on verified scientific evidence and official advisories, reiterating that eggs remain a safe, nutritious, and valuable component of a balanced diet when produced and consumed in compliance with food safety regulations.
