FREE PRESS VOL. XXXVIII NO. 223 | INDORE | TUESDAY | JANUARY 18, 2022 | PAGES 14 - Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE `3 RNI No. 38281/83 QUALITY AT VALUE WEATHER 22.60c. 9.50c SUNRISE : 07.09 SUNSET : 06.04 NOW, PANCHAYATS TO CARRY OUT DEVPT WORKS WWW.FREEPRESSJOURNAL.IN FOR 24X7 UPDATES EDIT ELECTORAL POLITICS IS NOT FARMERS’ CUP OF TEA Pg- 8 AWESOMELY AFFABLE! Pg-14 PANCHAYAT RAJ INSTITUTIONS have to pay attention to duties and rights. They will be fully utilised for welfare of the state: CM GOVT INITIATES PROCESS TO LEGALISE UNAUTHORIZED COLONIES IN FIXED TIME FRAME OUR STAFF REPORTER Bhopal Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced to return necessary administrative powers to all the three tiers of panchayats in the state. The chief minister was addressing members and office bearers of panchayats through a video conference here. “Panchayat Raj institutions have to pay attention to duties and rights. Panchayats will be fully The state government initiated the process for legalising unauthorised colonies in the state close on the heels of amendment in rules regarding development of colonies, as per official statement. Minister for urban administration and development utilised for welfare of the state. They will execute development and construction works in rural areas, offer employmentoriented works to needy and prevent spread of third Covid wave,” Chouhan said. He further said that panchayats should play an active role in public welfare. “Make sure that development works go smoothly at all places. Wherever necessary, the ponds, step wells should be repaired, revived. This is a right time to execute such works. Panchayats should also keep an eye on ration distribution Bhupendra Singh instructed the authorities concerned on Monday to take action to legalize unauthorised colonies in a time frame. In this regard, said the minister, Madhya Pradesh Nagarpalika (Colony Development) Rules-2021 have been issued. and ensure that beneficiaries of housing schemes get installments on time,” he added. He said water conservation, implementation of water-augmentation schemes and motivation of self-help groups should also be priorities of pan- NEW C-PEAK EVERY DAY chayats. Chouhan called for cooperation in controlling Covid. If someone has cold, fever, he should get himself tested immediately Cooperate in vaccina. tion. It is your responsibility that no one is left out,” he said. CONTD. ON P6 Punjab poll postponed to Feb 20 in view of ONE DEATH TOO REPORTED Ravidas Jayanti POSITIVITY RATE AT 19.46%; Active cases at 11,925 as administration struggles to check the surge 123 REPEAT POSITIVE OUR STAFF REPORTER Indore Covid cases have continued their upward trend as city logged 2,106 fresh cases on Monday It is the . highest rise in a single day ever since the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. A death too was reported during the day . Officials said that the city was likely to report a new peak soon. According to bulletin issued by the health department, 10,820 samples were put to test during the day and 2,106 of News Brief Jabs to 12-14 yrs group from March NEW DELHI: The Covid vaccine inoculation drive for children in age bracket for 12 to 14 years may begin from March this year, sources said on Monday. As per the Health Ministry report, over 45 per cent of adolescents of 15 to 18 years have received their first dose of vaccines. Spurious liquor kills 3; 7 cops suspended BHIND: Three persons died after they allegedly consumed spurious liquor in Indurkhi village under Roun police station limits in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind, an official said on Monday. The incident took place on Sunday night when siblings Manish Jatav (25) and Chotu Jatav (22), after working in an illegal liquor unit situated in Swatantra Nagar, consumed liquor from a bottle they had carried on the way back home, he said. Two teens held in UK over synagogue siege LONDON: Police in the UK said on Monday that they are questioning two teenagers as part of an ongoing investigation into the siege at a synagogue in the US state of Texas, which ended in the death of British hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram. Manchester Police confirmed that the suspect shot dead by the FBI during the standoff at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville was 44-year-old Akram, originally from the Blackburn area of Lancashire in northwest England. Inching close to community spread in MP, warn medicos As many as 123 samples were found to be repeat positive. These samples were found positive earlier and reported positive again. TWO DEATHS IN THREE DAYS A 52-year-old woman succumbed to the disease on Monday. She was suffering from neurological problem and was admitted to a private hospital for treatment. Earlier, a 62-year-old man died due to Covid on January 15. them returned positive. With this the positivity rate also jumped to 19.46%. Total number of positive patients has now gone up to 1,69,120. A death during the day took Gwalior and Jabalpur is not far behind. Health commissioner Dr Sudam Khade said it is up to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to assess whether it is spreading in communities in Madhya Pradesh. “We have to provide medical facilities for proper treatment and implement corona protocol,” he added. Gandhi Medical College dean Dr Arvind Rai said, “Earlier, we attributed the rise of corona cases to travel but things have changed. The way corona cases are being reported, it shows that it is almost community spread in four major cities - Bhopal, Inand Jabalpur dore, Gwalior.” CONTD. ON P6 BHOPAL, INDORE, JABALPUR, GWALIOR CONTINUE TO BE HOTSPOTS MITHILESH PANDEY BHOPAL The positivity rate of corona shows that it is very community to close spread in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior, experts say. Indore has reported almost 20% positivity rate while Bhopal followed same pattern. The positivity rate of UJJAIN REPORT: 117 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 113 FROM UJJAIN CITY, TESTED POSITIVE ON MONDAY THIS WILL BE MUSIC TO DJOKOVIC’S EARS NO FORCED JABS IN INDIA: CENTRE FP BUREAU New Delhi The Narendra Modi-government on Monday told the Supreme Court that India’s Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry do not envisage “forcible vaccination without obtaining the consent of an individual”. The Health Ministry in an affidavit filed before the top court submitted that India's vaccination programme is the largest in the world and as on January 11, 2022, a total of 1,52,95,43,602 doses have been administered. It said that 90.84% of the eligible adult population has received its first dose of the vaccine and 61% has received their second dose as well. “Furthermore, a total of 23,768 doses have been administered to disabled persons who have voluntarily chosen to be identified as such by using their ID Disability Unique Citizens can't be forced to get vaccinated against their wishes, SC TOLD; Not issued any SOP that makes it mandatory to carry C-certificate: Govt Card/Disability Certificate for registration at the time of their vaccination,” it said. On the issue of exempting persons with disabilities from producing vaccination certificates, the Centre told the apex court that it has not issued any SOP that makes it mandatory to carry the vaccination certificate for any purpose. The Centre said this in its affidavit filed in response to a plea by NGO Evara Foundation seeking door-to-door, priority Covid-19 vaccination for persons with disabilities. CONTD. ON P6 Imran praises Putin for 'emphatic statement' against Islamophobia Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan to spoke Monday on Vladimir Putin and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues and also appreciated the Russian President's "emphatic statement" that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse the Prophet. During a telephonic conversation with President Putin, Prime Minister Khan said he has regularly toll to 1,399, so far. Number of active cases also increased to 11,925 as 493 patients were discharged on Monday. Total 1,55,796 patients have been discharged so far. highlighted the appalling rise in Islamophobia and associated hatred in his addresses to the UN General , Assembly pointing towards its serious ramifications, the Foreign Office said in a statement. He "appreciated President's Putin statement that insulting Holy Prophet Muhammad does not count as an expression of artistic freedom", it said. Khan in a tweet said he spoke to Putin "primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet". "He (Putin) is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Prophet," said Khan, who frequently faces the wrath of hardline Islamists in the country over offensive caricatures of the Prophet in some western publications. CONTD. ON P6 Two Indians among three killed in likely drone attack in UAE AGENCIES/Dubai Two Indians and a Pakistani national were killed and six suffered injuries on Monday after a fire caused by “small flying objects”, possibly drones, triggered an explosion that hit three petroleum tankers in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi. Another minor fire broke out in the new construction area of the Abu Dhabi International Airport, according to the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM). It said that the fire that broke out in the Musaffah ICAD 3 area near the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company resulted in the explosion of three petroleum tankers. “Preliminary investigations suggest that the cause of the fires are small flying objects, possibly belonging to drones, that fell in the two areas,” it said, adding that the fire has been brought under control. The Abu Dhabi police identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. Another six persons sustained mild and moderate injuries, the police said, without disclos. ing their identity CONTD. ON P6 OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI The Election Commission on Monday revised the polling in Punjab to February 20, instead of February 14, in view of representations from the state government and parties to change the date in lieu of movement of a large number of devotees from Punjab to Varanasi to participate in celebrations of Sri Guru Ravidas Jayanti on February 16. Ravidas, a mystic poetsant, who was born in Varanasi in 1450 and died in 1540 there, is venerated by the people with his temples across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and mainly Punjab and Haryana. Instead of notification on January 21, it will be now issued on January 25 and as per the revised calendar, February 1 is the last date for nomination, February 2 for scrutiny and withdrawals allowed up to February 4 and polling on February 20. Counting of votes remains unchanged on March 10 when the counting also Uttar in place takes Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. CONTD. ON P6 IIT-B student from MP jumps to death from hostel roof PRIYANKA NAVALKAR Mumbai A 26-year-old post-graduate student at IIT-Bombay died by suicide after jumping from the terrace of his hostel in Powai in the early . hours of Monday The second-year Masters student was purportedly battling depression for a long time and was under treatment. The police have recovered a note from his room, which said that nobody should be blamed for his action. The Powai Police have registered an accidental death reportnd the probe is . under way According to the police sources, the incident occurred around 5.15 am on Monday, when the hostel's security guard heard a noise and saw the victim lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead. A preliminary probe has revealed that the stuMadhya from dent, Pradesh, was battling de- Farmhouse of man accused of wife's gang-rape demolished OUR STAFF REPORTER Indore The illegal farmhouse of a real estate businessman accused of raping and touring his wife was demolished by a joint team district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation and police in Mangalia on Monday . Armed with JCB and proclain machines, removal gang accompanied with heavy police force and senior administrative officers reached the farmhouse owned by builder Rajesh Vishwakarma. The farmhouse was spread on an area of one lakh square feet, of which about 27,000 square feet is illegally constructed. Following the orders by collector Manish Singh, the farmhouse filled with luxurious items was razed. It also had a bar. The removal gang members found objectionable material also at the farmhouse. “It appears that this farmhouse was being used for immoral activities,” administrative officers said. "The demolition of the farmhouse is a clear mes- The 26-year-old was under treatment for depression and has left behind a suicide note pression even before securing admission in the IIT, and was being counselled by the in-house faculty as well as other doctors. “The student stayed on fourth floor of the hostel. He jumped from the terrace of the building,” said SenBudhan Inspector ior Sawant from Powai Police Station. The IIT-Bombay management and the police informed the victim's family who are on their way to the . city The police said that the student's younger brother, who studies in Bengaluru, arrived in Mumbai yesterday and told the investigators that his sibling never displayed suicidal tendencies. INCIDENTS LIKE INDORE PUT HUMANITY TO SHAME: CM OUR STAFF REPORTER Bhopal REMAND TILL JAN 31 Vishwakarma was sent on judicial remand till January 31. His advocate Neeraj Soni said that Vishwakarma’s wife had demanded Rs 1 crore from him. “As he denied giving money to her, she got him and his friend implicated in a false case,” Soni added. FIRST WIFE REACHES FARMHOUSE SEEKING JUSTICE While administration was in the process of demolishing the farmhouse, Vishwakarma’s first wife reached there seeking justice. The first wife urged the administration to stop the proceedings but to no avail. The woman told officers that she and her husband are not divorced so she also has a right on the property. The officers told her that they were only demolishing the illegal structures and assured her of helping her to get her rightful share in the property. Some relatives of Vishwakarma objected to the demolition saying that they too have a share in the property but to no avail. sage to criminals having a crooked mentality," Indore collector said. Manish Singh CONTD. ON P6 BIRJU MAHARAJ: FEB 4, 1938-JAN 17, 2022 Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan instructed authorities on Monday to take strictest action in crimes against women. The CM’s instructions came during a review meeting over the crime situation held in view of certain gruesome incidents reported in some parts of the state. Terming the incident that took place in Indore as one that puts humanity to shame Chouhan said property of criminals involved in such crimes should be confiscated. He asked authorities to take action through the fast track courts in such heinous crimes particularly in four cases that took place in Indore, Sehore, Gwalior and Shivpuri. “Follow-up of such cases should be done continuously to take those who have committed such inhuman and heinous acts of crimes to the gallows”, said the CM. CONTD. ON P6 A life dedicated to dance and pursuit of classical excellence FP BUREAU New Delhi He romanced Kathak like few others ever did, his mastery over the classical dance form writing him into lasting fame as one of India's greatest performing artistes. Birju Maharaj lived as he died. He grew up with the ghungroo, tabla and harmonium striking rhythms of harmony, and as took his last breath in the early hours of Monday, his home was quite fittingly alive with the sound of music – this time old songs he so loved. “He had his dinner and we were playing antakshari because he loved old his Suddenly music. breathing became uneven. We think it was cardiac ar- rest as he was also a heart patient. He was laughing and smiling in his last moments,” said his granddaughter Ragini recalling the last moments of a life dedicated to dance. The legendary dancer, a guru in the traditional sense who not just took Kathak to the world but also passed on his craft to genstudents, of erations would have been 84 on February 4. CONTD. ON P6 The demise of renowned dancer Pt Birju Maharaj is a big irreparable loss. He also had authority on the tabla pakhawaj. During his visit to Nathdwara, he made a program memorable with his exceptional performance. The entire artistic world is shocked to know about his demise. May God grant eternal peace to the departed soul. -- Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Acharya Goswami Gokulotsavji Maharaj