KHATI CORNER

Low turnoutOdisha Congress chief Bhakta Charan Das recently had a public rally in the city. Despite posters being put up across the city days ahead of the event held at IDCO Exhibition Ground, the crowd was very thin. People quickly took to social media to poke fun. One social media user joked, "Congress Odisha chief Bhakta Charan Das's Bhubaneswar rally had so little public presence, even the empty chairs looked uncomfortable."Challan challengeA social media user recently posted a photo of a policeman in official uniform riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet. The complainant tagged transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, commissionerate police, state transport authority and others to the post, urging them to look into it. He challenged the officers to issue a challan to the policeman. After four hours, regional transport office, Cuttack posted a photo of a challan receipt issued to the policeman for violating traffic rules. Energy championsThe PM's call to use less fuel, followed by CM Mohan Charan Majhi trimming his convoy size gave rise to an energy conservation movement. People were so inspired, many discovered their environmental conscience and, in some cases, their long-forgotten bicycles. Social media users rushed to share their sudden transformation from solo travellers to sustainability champions. One user posted on X, "Inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi towards sustainable mobility and energy conservation, we adopted carpooling and travelled to office in an EV today." Hoarders beware Last week, Cuttack witnessed panic buying of edible oil. Fearing a sharp hike amid supply concerns, residents rushed to grocery stores and wholesale market at Malgodown over the last few days, with some reportedly stocking enough edible oil to last months. However, as fresh supplies arrived on Saturday and the market stabilised, prices began falling, catching hoarders off guard. Traders said demand has now slowed significantly, with many consumers staying away from the market.(Contributed by Team TOI)