FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 165 | INDORE | FRIDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2024 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Habits shape heroes, and discipline defines destiny P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Democracy owes it to the poor P.8 Price stability bedrock for sustained growth: RBI Guv Cinema ‘I am very possessive’ P.14 Your wish is granted; BRTS to be scrapped Our Staff Reporter INDORE A thorn in Indore’s flesh is finally going to be out as Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday announced that the state’s commercial capital is going demolish Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor to address growing traffic congestion. The announcement reflects an identical move last year to dismantle the BRTS corridor in Bhopal, which Yadav said had significantly eased traffic flow in the state capital. "There is a lot of convenience in terms of traffic after fp Briefs BHOPAL State’s first digital univ Madhya Pradesh is set to establish its first Digital University in Bhopal in collaboration with the Central Government, with the initiative being part of the Sankalp-2023 vision. A meeting regarding the project was chaired by Technical Education and AYUSH Minister Inder Singh Parmar on Thursday. The university will be located in Bhopal. Kenya nixes Adani airport deal NAIROBI Kenyan President William Ruto said on Thursday he had ordered the cancellation of a procurement process which was expected to hand over control of the country's main airport to Adani Group. The decision follows the indictment of the company's founder in the United States. "I have directed agencies within the ministry of transport and within the ministry of energy and petroleum to immediately cancel the ongoing procurement," Ruto said in his state of the nation address, attributing the decision to "new information provided by investigative agencies and partner nations". Ruto said he had also directed the cancellation of a 30-year, $736-million public- private partnership deal the energy ministry had signed with a unit of the Adani Group last month to construct power transmission lines. However, the agreement was suspended by a court later that same month. the BRTS corridor was removed in Bhopal. Whatever method we have to adopt, we will remove the BRTS corridor in Indore as well," Yadav told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Indore. The Chief Minister, who also serves as guardian minister of Indore, revealed that local public representatives had raised concerns about the 11.5-km long corridor during recent development meetings. Yadav stressed on the need for flyovers at critical squares to alleviate traffic bottlenecks stating that the construction of these structures would necessitate the Only 2% commuters use BRTS Before BRTS became operational, social activist Kishore Kodwani had moved HC alleging that the dedicated road for the public transport bus will cripple the traffic on the busiest road of the city. “This road reserved 47 per cent space for i-buses, while commuters on the BRTS corridor were just 2 per cent. I had filed petition in the court in 2013 which is under consideration till date. More than 180 hearings have been held in the matter,” he said. removal of the BRTS corridor. "Most of the intersections in the city are facing traffic problems. These will be resolved by constructing a flyover there," he said. Currently, around 60 ibuses operate on the BRTS corridor between Niranjan- TOPSY-TURVY | Indicted in US on bribery charges; net worth declines by `2.19L crore TRIAL AND TRIBULATION OF MR ADANI FP News Service NEW YORK Billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by the US prosecutors for allegedly paying more than $ 265 million (about Rs 2,200 crore) in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain solar energy contracts worth billions of dollars for group company Adani Green Energy. It is understood that arrest warrants have been also issued for the tycoon and his nephew Sagar; prosecutors plan to hand over those warrants to foreign law enforcement agencies. The Adani Group has denied the prosecutors’ claims, calling the allegations “baseless.” 4Continued on | P6 MAIN CHARGES Bribes paid Conspired to bribe Indian officials to secure energy contracts – a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Securities fraud Conspired to defraud investors by issuing bonds based on manipulated and misleading financial information CM and others flag off vehicle carrying 1.11 lakh laddu prasad FP Photo FP News Service On Thursday afternoon, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav flagged-off a vehicle rally carrying Laddu Prasad from near Mahamrityunjay Gate, organised by Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee. The vehicle, carrying 1,11,111 laddus was dispatched to Ayodhya’s Shri Ram Jan- If Charges Hold It could lead to seizure of assets derived from criminal proceeds What Now The tycoon, his nephew and others now face trial Wire fraud conspiracy Allegedly used false promises and fraudulent representations to secure loans and investments from lenders and investors 1.11 lakh laddus from Mahakal sent to Nepal UJJAIN Bond offering rigged Knowingly engaged in a scheme to inflate attractiveness of their bond to investors, employing deceptive tactics and omitting critical details mabhoomi Trust for distribution during Shri Ram-Janaki Vivah Mahotsav in Mithila, Nepal. The programme began with resonating sounds of damru, shankhnaad and Vedic chants. Chief Minister Yadav remarked that the religious, cultural and friendly ties between India and Nepal are very old. 4Continued on | P6 Beneath the divine aura of Badrinath, where Lord Vishnu is worshiped in a penitent form, an intriguing tale unfolds every year during the pilgrimage season. Saints and sages, clad in saffron robes and emanating an air of detach- Riches of renunciation ment, gather in the sacred towns. As the doors of Badrinath Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL UPSC selection committee held a meeting in Delhi on Thursday over the appointment of a new Director General of Police (DGP) for the state. The present DGP Sudhir Saxena is retiring on November 30. UPSC has set up a panel consisting of three names on the basis of their seniority. UPSC HOLDS DPC BJP: A hit at India’s core S oon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought the arrest of industrialist Gautam Adani and accused PM Modi and a “network” of shielding him, the BJP hit back, accusing the Congress of trying to harm the markets. BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra, while speaking at the party headquarters, also accused Gandhi of being part of an “international structure” which had US politician Ilhan Omar and businessman George Soros as key players”. The panel consists of the names of 1988-batch officers Arvind Kumar and Kailash Makwana and 1989-batch officer Ajay Sharma. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will appoint one of the three officers as DGP of the state. According to sources, Yadav may appoint the DGP before his foreign trip. Chief Secretary Anurag Jain, DGP Sudhir Saxena, UPSC and Central Government representatives were present at the meeting. 4Continued on | P6 FPJ News Service Russia fired an intercontinental ballistic missile during an attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, Kyiv's air force said. "Today there was a new Russian missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an) intercontinental ballistic (missile). An expert (investigation) is currently underway," Ukrainian Presi- ICC arrest warant against Netanyahu The world's top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for the leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their war. For six months, they sit on the Aastha Path, stretching from the steps of Badrinath Dham to Vijayalakshmi Chowk, collecting alms from devotees. But far from leading ascetic lives of poverty, these holy men amass substantial wealth, often earning lakhs of rupees in a single season Dham swing open, heralding the start of the pilgrimage, hundreds of sadhus descend C ongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded the “immediate arrest” of industrialist Gautam Adani for breaking both Indian and American laws. Addressing a press conference, Gandhi, who is also Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said, “I am wondering why Mr Adani is still a free man in this country.’’ Seeking to buttress his contention, Gandhi said, “Other chief ministers have been arrested in the past; recently, the Jharkhand CM was arrested.’’ Will make Ujjain high-tech medical hub of region: CM Panel has names of Makwana, Kumar, Sharma CM performs for DGP’s post bhoomi-pujan KYIV Sadhus amass lakhs during Badrinath pilgrimage DEHRADUN Rahul at his usual Ra Ga CM Mohan Yadav performs bhoomi pujan of Medicity and Government Medical College in Ujjain on Thursday of Medicity and Govt Med College FP News Service UJJAIN Chief Minister Mohan Yadav performed Bhoomi Pujan  of state’s first Medicity and Government Medical College in District Hospital premises on Thursday afternoon. The project, incorporating construction of medical college for education, super-speciality and multi-speciality hospitals and high rise residential complexes, etc, would cost around Rs 592 crore. Later, addressing a public programme attended by more than 15,000 people from rural areas of neighbouring districts at Samajik Nyay Parisar, CM Yadav said that the initiative would not only elevate Ujjain’s healthcare landscape but also make it a high-tech medical hub of the region. The Medicity Medical College would also include a Homeopathy College, he said announcing that efforts were being made to transform Uj- DID PUTIN USE N-CAPABLE ICBM? offgrid Biswajeet Banerjee Political Fodder pur and Rajiv Gandhi Squares, serving around 60,000 passengers daily. A public interest litigation on the BRTS is pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court and Yadav assured that the government would present its stance before the court. upon the town. 4Continued on | P6 dent Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video statement. If confirmed it would be the first use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes. The Ukrainian air force said the missile was fired from the Russian region of Astrakhan, more than 700 km (435 miles) from Dnipro. It did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile it was. There was no suggestion it was nucleararmed. Ukraine's air force did not say what the ICBM targeted or whether it had caused any damage, except setting off fires in Dnipro. Russia also fired a Kinzhal hypersonic missile and seven Kh-101 cruise missiles, six of which were shot down, the Ukrainian air force said. 4Continued on | P6 Dhirendra Shastri advocates singing National Song in mosques School education minister backs statement FP News Service CHHATARPUR Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri of Bageshwar Dham has said that the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ should be sung in temples and mosques. Shastri said that this practice would help identify those who genuinely love the motherland and those who do not. He made the remark while launching his unity march from Bageshwar Dham to Orchha on Thursday. State Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh extended his support to Shastri’s statement. While talking to the media Singh said, ‘We should feel proud while singing the national anthem of the country we live in, be it on the ground, in the forest, in the temple, or in the mosque; it is not a matter of discussion’. Before the march, Shastri hoisted the national flag and sang the national anthem. Thousands of devotees participated in the event. 4Continued on | P6 The march saw participation from several spiritual leaders and politicians, including BJP State President VD Sharma, Minister of State Dilip Ahirwar, Congress MLA Jaivardhan Singh, BJP District President Chandra Bhan Singh Gautam, MLAs Arvind Pateria, Lalita Yadav, and Rajesh Shukla CMSPEAK n Medicity Medical College would also include a Homeopathy College n Efforts afoot to transform Ujjain’s Dhanvantari Ayurvedic College into AIIMS in 2025. n 39 new medical colleges, including 17 in government sector, had been established in the last 20 years n Plans afoot to construct 12 more colleges in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model starting December 2024 n Airports, airstrips, and helipads were being connected to the healthcare network to strengthen air services for emergency medical assistance n Every government hospital would be equipped with Shav Wahans (mortuary vehicles) jain’s Dhanvantari Ayurvedic College into AIIMS in 2025. 4Continued on | P6 Cancel flights delayed beyond 3 hrs: Govt IANS NEW DELHI The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed airlines to immediately inform passengers of any delay in flights and to cancel flights delayed beyond three hours in order to avoid inconvenience to passengers as the winter intensifies and dense fog is expected to disrupt flying schedules. The guidelines were issued after a review meeting on fog preparedness chaired by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday. The Minister emphasised a passenger-first approach aligned with the 'Ease of Flying' vision, prioritising convenience and safety. Airlines have also been told to use CAT II/III compliant aircraft and trained pilots for operations at airports such as Delhi which are prone to low visibility during winter, especially in December. Airlines have also been directed to maintain fully staffed checkin counters to reduce inconvenience and record accurate contact details of passengers while booking tickets to facilitate communication. Delhi airport operator DIAL has been directed to install LED screens to provide real-time updates on visibility conditions and increase the number of 'Follow Me' vehicles to guide planes during low-visibility situations. 4Continued on | P6