SAFF Championship: India-Pakistan match set to be played on schedule
Bengaluru (PTI): After several anxious moments, the SAFF Championship 2023 football match between India and Pakistan is all set to be played as scheduled on Wednesday here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
Uncertainty had shrouded the arrival of Pakistan team from Mauritius after the delay in processing their visa.
But on Monday night the Indian Embassy cleared all the pending applications, paving way for the smooth travel of Pakistan squad to India for the tournament.
Pakistan team was in Mauritius to take part in the Four-Nation tournament, which was clinched by Djibouti.
"The Pakistan is expected to land in the City by late evening or in the night and the match on Wednesday is set to be played on schedule at 7.30 PM IST. The AIFF is constantly monitoring the situation and we are confident that a rescheduling of the match will not happen at this stage," a Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) official told PTI.
Pakistan team's departure from Mauritius was delayed after the Indian Embassy was closed for the previous weekend, and visa clearance did not take place.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had blamed the country's National Sports Board for issuing the NOC to play in India late for the imbroglio.
The sports board, however, returned the favour saying the federation submitted the documents essential for the NOC at the last minute, leading to an inevitable delay.
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Authorities prepare 50 master trainers to dispel fears about disposal of Carbide waste in Dhar
Dhar (PTI): Authorities in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Monday started coaching 50 master trainers about 337 tonnes of Union Carbide factory waste brought to Pithampur for incineration before they set out to spread awareness that the waste is not hazardous.
The state government has gone on the backfoot after the public outcry against waste disposal and two self-immolation bids in the Pithampur industrial area, which witnessed protests earlier this month.
Talking to PTI, Dhar Collector Priyank Mishra said, "We are preparing 50-odd master trainers, including science teachers, professors and officials. They will be informed about the exact status of the waste before they reach out to people to dispel misinformation."
On January 6, the principal bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur granted the state government six weeks to act on the Union Carbide factory waste disposal as per the safety guidelines. The authorities had sought time to educate people and dispel their fear about waste disposal following protests in Pithampur.
Mishra said the master trainers will start their outreach on Tuesday, and 50 more master trainers will be roped in.
"We will give presentations via video with content and other mediums to master trainers," he said.
On January 2, the waste, packed in 12 sealed containers, was shifted from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal to the disposal site at Pithampur, located 250 km from the state capital.
It has 700 factories in three sectors.
Hours after it reached Pithampur, protests commenced in the industrial town, around 50 km from the Dhar district headquarters.
The agitators had claimed that the disposal would harm humans and the environment.
On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious injuries and long-lasting health issues.
During a hearing on December 3, 2024, the high court pulled up the authorities for failing to dispose of the waste at the defunct Union Carbide factory.
The court had asked the government to remove and transport the waste from the site within four weeks and warned of contempt proceedings if it failed to act on the directive.
