FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 195 | INDORE | SUNDAY | DECEMBER 21, 2025 | Pages 18 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports WORLD SAREE DAY Gill didn’t mix in ‘combination’ P.16 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE WORLD Staff recall ‘gasping for air’ moment UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Readers’ Corner Is convenience of... P.12 Cinema Saree styles that inspire P.15 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 launched Bhopal to compete with Indore in Super Swachh League Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday launched the 10th edition of Swachh Survekshan 2025–26 at the Regional Meeting of Urban Development Ministers of Northern and Central States, held at Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Center in Bhopal. The edition brings major reforms to strengthen citizen participation, improve sanita- PRIDE OF UJJAIN AWARD Winners of Pride of Ujjain Award pose with Director-in-Charge, Free Press, Pravin Nagar, Executive Director, MPIDC, Rajesh Rathod, Social Worker Nandlal Yadav, Mayor Mukesh Tatwal, SVV V-C Prof Arpan Bhardwaj, Pt Pramod Sharma 'Guruji' and Business Head, Omaxe, Yogesh Goyal at a ceremony organised in Hotel Ashray in Ujjain on Saturday See page 6 CAPITAL CONNECT | City becomes 26th in country to have metro train; to be available for public from today BHOPAL FINALLY CHUGS IN METRO MP’s devpt speed has doubled: PM During the inauguration, a message from PM Narendra Modi was played. PM said that after the arrival of double-engine government, development speed in MP has doubled. The state benefitted from infrastructure growth. By 2014, Metro trains operated in only four cities. Now, there is more than 1000 km of Metro track, making it the thirdlargest country in the world in terms of Metro network. With the launch of 7-km Metro in Bhopal, a new dimension has been added to city's development. Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief minister Mohan Yadav, UAD minister Kailash Vijayavargiya, Sport minister Vishvas Sarang, Bhopal Mayor Malti Rai enjoy Metro ride on Saturday Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL After a long wait, Bhopal city saw launch of Metro train on Saturday evening. With this, the state capital has become the 26th city in the country to have a metro. It will be available for public from Sunday onwards at reasonable rates, offering a comfortable journey and helping passengers avoid traffic congestion. NAGAON/ GUWAHATI Train mows down 7 jumbos Seven elephants were killed, and one was injured after a herd of jumbos was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai district early Saturday, officials said. Five coaches and the train's engine also derailed, they said. Union Minister for Urban Affairs and Home, Manohar Lal Khattar and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated Bhopal Metro by flagging it off at Subhash Nagar station. They also enjoyed a ride from Subhash Nagar to AIIMS station. The distance between the eight Metro stations of the priority corridor is around seven kms. On reaching AIIMS station, CM Mohan Yadav told media that wherever a Metro Khattar okays underground Metro in Indore CM Mohan Yadav said Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has provided consent for an underground Metro in Indore and sanctioned the railway line between Indore and Manmad. Madhya Pradesh will benefit from this, with Rs 18,500 crore allocated for the project. He said that Ujjain-Jawra Greenfield Highway and Agra-Gwalior High-Speed Corridor projects will also benefit the state. The announcements were made during the inauguration programme of Bhopal Metro at Kushabhau Thakre Convention Centre on Saturday. train starts, development receives wings. He described Metro as a big gift in terms of urban transport and said Bho- pal city looks beautiful from the Metro. ‘Deshdrohis trying to protect infiltrators’ Newborn dies, 3 critical after vaccination PTI GUWAHATI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for "neglecting" Assam and the northeast during its rule, and asserted that the BJP government was correcting "mistakes" the grand old party kept making in the region for decades. Addressing a rally after inaugurating a new terminal of the Guwahati airport, Modi alleged that the development of Assam and the northeast was never a part of the Congress agenda. "The Congress gave protection to infiltrators who grabbed forests and land, threatening the security and identity of Assam... The BJP governemnt has been correcting mistakes the Congress kept making for decades in the northeast," the PM asserted. Modi said the Election Commission started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure infiltrators are kept out of the poll process, "but 'deshdrohis' (traitors) were trying to protect them". Agencies ISLAMABAD Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years in jail each by a court on Saturday in the Toshakhana 2 corruption case. Khan, 73, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces multiple cases launched against him since his ouster from power in April 2022. The Toshakhana 2 case involves alleged fraud in state gifts that the former first couple re- Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL/DATIA ceived from the Saudi government in 2021. Khan served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022 The case pertains to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set, gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, at a throwaway price. A 55-day-old baby died after vaccination while three other newborns remain critical in Kakrua village, Datia district. District administration has ordered an inquiry and sent viscera for testing. Considering seriousness of the matter, Datia Collector Swapnil Wankhede said the incident will be thoroughly investigated, and anyone found guilty will not be spared. Administration has sought a detailed report from the health department, and the body of the deceased child has been sent for post-mortem. Actual cause of death will be known after post-mortem report is received. District Immunisation Officer Dr DK Soni told Free Press, “Child was 55 days old and received five vaccines as per schedule on Friday. After death, due to panic in village, three other kids were kept under observation, but later discharged. Viscera has been sent for testing. Since April, around 10,400 doses have been administered in the district and all were safe. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Imran Khan, wife get 17-yr jail terms TOSHAKHANA 2 4Continued on | P8 Bhopal metropolitan area to be 12,099 sq km Six districts, 12 municipal areas, and 30 tehsils will be included Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The city’s metropolitan area was announced after the inauguration of metro rail on Saturday. The Bhopal Metropolitan area (BMR) will be 12,099 square kilometres, which include six districts, 12 urban areas, 30 Tehsils, and 2,524 villages. The areas of Bhopal, Vidisha, Raisen, Narmadapuram, Rajgarh and Sehore have been included in the BMR. Mandideep, Sehore, Ashta agro processing, and Mohasa industrial areas have been included in it. Besides, the IT Park in Bhopal and Govindpura will be part of the metropolitan area. 4Continued on | P8 Citizen voices matter The 10th edition significantly enhances citizens’ role in assessment. Public feedback will now be collected round the year through digital platforms such as Vote For My City app, MyGov app, Swachhata app, and QR codes. Weightage of citizen feedback in city rankings has been increased from around 32% to 35%, making public participation a decisive factor in determining city performance. Tailored urban assessment Survey framework has been widened to address diverse urban challenges. Ganga towns have been expanded to River towns, while a sep- tion outcomes and recognise consistent performers. A key highlight for Madhya Pradesh is Bhopal’s first-ever entry into the Super Swachh League, where it will compete with India’s top-ranked clean city, Indore. The Super Swachh League (Million Plus Cities) has been expanded in this edition. Ahmedabad, Bhopal and Lucknow have been added to the existing list of Indore, Navi Mumbai, Surat and Vijayawada, highlighting sustained excellence in urban cleanliness. arate evaluation matrix has been introduced for coastal cities. New indicators include prevention of open defecation and open urination, special focus on tourist, heritage, religious and highfootfall areas, and behaviour change programmes in schools to promote cleanliness awareness among students. Swachh Shehar Jodi To encourage peer learning and replication of best practices, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched Swachh Shehar Jodi (SSJ) under SBM– Urban. Introduced in September 2025, the initiative includes 72 mentor cities and 200 mentee cities. 4Continued on | P8