FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 203 | INDORE | MONDAY | DECEMBER 30, 2024 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Aussie tail wags after Bumrah magic P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MONEY MUMBAI E-paper Edit Of Accidental PM, FM and Reformer P.8 India’s increasing oil demand attracting global players World Trump backs visas for skilled workers P.9 Clean-up of 337 MT UCC chemical waste begins India ‘not lucky’ on Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL REEL container at UCC plant for loading chemical waste fp Briefs China’s high speed train A prototype of the CR450 EMU high-speed train, China's latest bullet train model, debuted in Beijing on Sunday. When operational, it is expected to reach a speed of 400 km per hour, making it the fastest high-speed train in the world, according to the country's railway operator. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department (BGTRRD) started clean-up at the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) plant to remove the 337 MT chemical waste lying for the last 40 years on Sunday morning amidst tight security. Heavy police force was deployed at the UCC plant. Masked handlers have been pressed for removal of the chemical waste under the guideline of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Madhya Pradesh High Court, principal bench of Jabalpur, had ordered the state government on December 3, 2024 to dispose off that CRIPPLED | Early theories suggest bird hit could have caused landing gear to malfunction, experts doubt it could cause loss of airplane Puzzling ‘bird hit’ crash 179 2 Hyung-Jin Kim And Kim Tong-Hyung SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA) A passenger plane burst into flames on Sunday after it landed on its belly off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence, killing 179 people on board, in one of the country's worst aviation disasters. The plane’s front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. The airport control tower had issued a bird strike warning to the plane shortly before it intended to land. The bird is believed to have caused the jet's landing gear to malfunction. A news agency reported a passenger even sent a text message to a relative saying a bird was stuck in the wing. The heartbreaking final message read: 'Should I say my last words?' But experts have raised doubts about the theory with Australian airline safety expert Geoffrey Dell telling Daily Mail: ‘‘I've never seen a bird strike prevent the landing gear from being extended.’’ 4Continued on | P6 DEAD SURVIVE Fire and smoke rise from the tail section of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport Air Canada flight catches fire How many such Boeings? An Air Canada flight coming from St John's city on Newfoundland Island had a rough landing at the Halifax airport in Goffs in Nova Scotia province that saw the aircraft skid down the runway and part of it catching fire. A statement issued by the airport said the incident involved Air Canada Flight 2259, which was operated by PAL Airlines. Jeju Air plane that crashed was a Boeing 737800, a model that is used widely around the world. There are about 28,000 passenger planes in service globally, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. About 15% or 4,400, are Boeing 737-800s. The plane is popular in Asia, Europe and North America, and Boeing has delivered about 5,000 to customers since 1998. Bumrah 2nd fastest to bag 200 wickets MLA Preetam demands DNA test of Sharma Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI Jasprit Bumrah produced another magical spell on Sunday to demolish Australia’s top order and give India a fighting chance of pulling off a special Boxing Day Test win. The pacer had Australia crawling at any abysmal 4-11 in 21 balls. With that, he has become the joint second fastest Indian to bag 200 wickets in Test cricket and the first bowler ever to get to the landmark with a sub-20 average. The Boxing Day Test is tantalisingly poised and India is likely to be set a target 330 plus runs; the task looks challenging but achievable thanks to the iconic Bumrah, after the exploits of Nitish Kumar Reddy with the bat. The Indian pace spearhead Encore for Indian chess scalped his 200th victim when he saw the back of Travis Head caught by Nitish for 1. What has made the Ahmedabad man’s milestone moment extra special is the fact that he has also become the first bowler with a sub-20 average as he reached 200 Test wickets with an average of 19.56. Bumrah will also be the fastest Indian pace bowler to achieve the feat, going past the legendary Kapil Dev, who reached the milestone in 50 Test matches. Bumrah and Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja took 44 Tests to bag 200 wickets in the longest format of the game. 4See also | P10 India’s Koneru Humpy created an encore for Indian chess as she clinched the FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship. This was Humpy’s second title after she had won it in 2019 in Georgia; the India No 1 is only the second player after China’s Ju Wenjun to clinch the title more than once. The triumph capped a brilliant year for the Indian chess fraternity after the sensational win by D Gukesh in the classical format. offgrid 50% drop in student suicides in Kota PTI KOTA The Kota district administration has claimed that there has been a 50 per cent decline in the number of suicides by students this year as compared to 2023 in this coaching hub of Rajasthan known for preparing students for IIT-JEE entrance tests. However, no specific breakdown of the numbers has been provided by the officials. "In comparison to last year, the suicide rate among coaching students has decreased by 50 per cent this waste in four weeks. It was a writ petition of Zehreeli Gas Kand Sangharsh Morcha (“Zehreeli”)’s Alok Pratap Singh Vs Union of India in MP High Court, principal bench— WP2802/2004. The waste will be transported for incineration in Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited (REEL), Pithampur. The HC directed the year, which is a significant figure in terms of the efforts yielding results. We expect this trend to continue in the future," Kota Collector Ravindra Goswami told PTI in a brief interview. Kota witnessed 17 cases of suicides by coaching students in 2024, compared to 26 such cases in 2023, as per reports. According to Goswami, the decline in suicide cases can be attributed to strict compliance with guidelines for coaching institutes and hostels under the vigilance of the district administration. Other measures, such as gate-keeper training for hostel wardens based on WHO norms and the implementation of SOS Help services, have also contributed to the reduction in suicide cases. Regular interactive sessions with coaching students through events like 'Dinner with Collector' and 'Samwad,' as well as the deployment of the Kalika Squad for women's safety and the safety of girl aspirants, have played a role in this change, Goswami added. The district collector said he interacted with over 25,000 coaching students this year through events like 'Dinner with Collector' and 'Samwad,' where he addressed their concerns. However, industry stakeholders have pointed out that business has slowed down for coaching centres and hostels in Kota following negative publicity over student suicides, new guidelines regulating coaching centres, and the expansion of coaching brands to other cities. The number of students in Kota has fallen to 85,000 to 1 lakh this year, down from the usual 2-2.5 lakh, leading to a reduction in annual revenues -- from Rs 6,500-7,000 crore to Rs 3,500 crore, they said. His mother threatens to file defamation suit against MLA Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The raid against former transport constable Saurabh Sharma has taken a new twist after BJP MLA from Pichore, Preetam Singh Lodhi demanded DNA test of Saurabh. He even demanded that investigation be done that what kind of relations are between Saurabh’s mother and KP Singh. Saurabh Sharma’s mother has taken strong umbrage over the assertion made by Preetam Singh Lodhi and threatened him to sue with a defamation case. She even appealed to PM Narendra Modi and CM Mohan Yadav to take action against Preetam Singh Lodhi for questioning her character. Expressing utter shock over the objectionable statement of Preetam Singh Lodhi, she told that she could not believe that in politics, one can stoop so low. The matter (raid against her son) is something else and what kind of things are being spoken. ‘I don’t have any enmity with him (Preetam Singh Lodhi). I want to appeal to PM Narendra Modi and CM Mohan Yadav that one BJP MLA killed my character and soul, spoke baseless things against my son. If he wants DNA test of my son, I am ready. 4Continued on | P6 Principal Secretary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department to fulfill statutory obligations and warned that failure to comply would lead to contempt of court proceedings. The Central government has sanctioned Rs 126 crore for the clean-up. See Page 3 security front, can't sit quiet: Rajnath 4Continued on | P6 Guna borewell claims 10-yr-old boy's life FP News Service/PTI GUNA A 16-hour rescue operation ended in tragedy as 10-yearold Sumit Meena, who fell into a borewell while flying kites in Guna district's Raghogarh area, could not be saved. The child was found trapped 39 feet below ground, with his body submerged in water. According to CMHO Dr Rajkumar Rishishwar, when Sumit was finally retrieved and brought to the hospital, his clothes were wet, his mouth was filled with mud and his organs had stopped functioning due to prolonged exposure to cold. The incident occurred on Saturday evening in Pipliya village when the boy was flying kites and accidentally fell into the open borewell. 4Continued on | P6 FP News Service MHOW Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited Bhim Janm Bhoomi, a memorial dedicated to Dr BR Ambedkar, and paid floral tribute to the architect of the Constitution at his birthplace. Singh also visited three premier training institutes of the Indian Army—Army War College (AWC), Infantry School and Military College of Telecommunication & Engineering (MCTE). He was accompanied by Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi and other senior officers of the Indian Army. While addressing the Army personnel at the Mhow cantonment, Singh said, “India is ‘not very lucky’ nation on the security front and urged sol- diers to keep a sharp eye on internal and external foes who he said are always active.” "Taking security scenario into account, India is not a very lucky country because our northern border and western border continuously face challenges," Singh said. "We also face challenges on the internal front. In the backdrop of this, we can't sit quiet, unconcerned. Our enemies, whether internal or external, always remain active. In these circumstances, we must keep a close eye on their activities and take appropriate and timely effective steps against them," he further added. Addressing Armymen, he said that to make the country a developed and self-reliant nation by 2047, the role of the Army is very crucial. 4Continued on | P6 Duo who robbed Indore bizman caught by Delhi cops after shootout Our Staff Reporter INDORE Two wanted criminals, who committed a bike theft and two armed robberies in the city, were arrested by the Delhi police after a brief encounter on Sunday. It is said that the criminals were involved in 80 cases in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and other states. According to the Delhi police, the duo’s location was found in Madipur. Multiple teams were formed to cover all possible exit routes in the area before the shootout. The suspects were seen around 4.30 am. They reportedly opened fire when the police asked them to stop, hitting bulletproof jackets of some police personnel though no one was injured. The accused sustained gunshots on their legs in counter firing by the police. The accused are undergoing treatment in a Delhi hospital, the police said. The accused were identified as Rohit Kapoor, a known criminal from Dwarka district and Rinku, a history-sheeter from Khyala in West Delhi. Together, they were involved in nearly 80 criminal cases, including that of armed robbery, in Delhi and MP. Amit Singh, Additional CP (law and order) also confirmed the incident and he in- Former MP arrested for assault at paddy procurement centre FP News Service BALAGHAT Police arrested former MP from his residence on Friday for allegations of assault and disruption at paddy procurement centre in Dhapera Mohgaon, Lalbarra tehsil. An FIR was registered against Kankar Munjare and four associates based on a complaint by the centre incharge and a computer operator, who accused them of assault and obstructing operations on December 27. The incident, reportedly captured on CCTV, began when a farmer named Ramlal was refused permission to sell his paddy due to sub-standard quality. Angered by rejection, Ramlal called Munjare, who arrived with his companions and allegedly engaged in a heated argument and assault. A police team led by sub divi- sional police officer(SDOP) Abhishek Chaudhary arrested the accused, drawing a large crowd outside his house. The accused denied allegations, claiming his arrest was a conspiracy to silence him for raising farmers’ issues. He criticised the administration for refusing farmers' paddy without valid reasons and ignoring theft complaints. The case is under investigation, with police examining CCTV footage and other evidences. Further developments are awaited. formed Free Press that the accused will be taken to the city for their involvement in three incidents here after the investigation by the Delhi police. It is noteworthy that, a businessman, his son and nephew were robbed of their gold ornaments worth Rs 18 lakh on Roshan Singh Bhandari Marg under the Tukoganj police station jurisdiction in the city on November 11. The businessman along with his son and nephew and a neighbour was standing in the parking lot of their residential apartment when the accused had robbed them in the morning at knife-point. 4Continued on | P6 Fishing trawler ‘hit’ by Chinese vessel, sinks Dharmesh Thakkar MUMBAI A fishing trawler, which sank off the Mumbai Coast early on Sunday after being hit by a Chinese vessel, was subsequently rescued, without any casualties. The vessel belonged to a Madh Koliwada resident, Hemdeep Harishchandra Tipri. The Chinese cargo vessel, Zhu Cheng Xin Zhou, had left Nhava Sheva on Saturday evening for Mundra Port when the collision occurred off the Versova coast in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.  According to the Maharashtra Coastal Police, the cargo vessel struck the fishing trawler, Tisai – from Madh Koliwada, Malad – off the Versova coast in Mumbai around midnight. Fishing vessels in the vicinity rushed to the rescue of the trawler on getting its distress call. 4Continued on | P6