FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 262 | INDORE | FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 28, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN SPORTS World I never comment on Taiwan: Trump P.10 PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Tharoor: A lone wolf P.6 RAIN RUINS PAK’S HOPES Cinema Michelle Trachtenberg passes away NO LIFELINE FOR INDORE BRTS: HC 5-yr rape victim Bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and justice Vivek Jain orders removal of corridor on expert panel’s report Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL After dismantling Bhopal BRTS, High Court, Jabalpur bench ordered to dismantle Indore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). Rs 350 crore was spent for construction of 11.8 km long Indore BRTS. A bench of chief justice Suresh Kumar Kait and justice Vivek Jain ordered the removal of the corridor following the report of an expert committee. The HC ruling came months after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced in November last year, that the government would scrap BRTS corridor in Indore that was built at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. The government had previously scrapped the BRTS corridor built in Bhopal. Challenging the BRTS project, social activist Kishore Kodwani had filed two petitions in Indore bench of the High Court. In 2013, the Indore bench constituted a 5member expert committee headed by senior advocate PK Saxena to examine the utility of the BRTS corridor. The committee had said in its report that no other vehicle should be allowed in the BRTS lane. The Indore High Court constituted a new committee in September last year and issued instructions to submit a report regarding whether the BRTS project of about 11.8 km from Niranjanpur to Rajiv Gandhi statue in the city is practical in the current situ- the petitions were transferred to the main bench in Jabalpur for hearing. During the last hearing, the division bench headed by Chief Justice of the High Court had found that a meeting of the committee was held while the petition was pending in Indore bench. After the transfer of the petition to the main bench, no meeting of the committee has been held. ation or not. For this, the High Court had provided eight weeks to the committee. After this, in November 2024 both UCC WASTE DISPOSAL | SC refuses to interfere with MP HC directives TRIAL RUN TODAY Incineration process likely to start at around 12 noon at Ramky plant in Pithampur Our Special Correspondent INDORE/MHOW The countdown to the disposal of Union Carbide Corporation’s Bhopal plant waste on Friday has begun. As a trial run, 10 tonnes of waste will be incinerated at the plant of Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited located in Pithampur Industrial area of Dhar district at 800 to 1200 degree Celsius. The process of incineration is likely to start from around 12.00 noon. Divisional commissioner Deepak Singh informed the Free Press that following the green signal from the Supreme Court, the waste would be disposed of as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).“Myself along with IG Anurag will personally present in the Ramki plant at the time of the incineration of UCC waste and trial and test report will be prepared,” he said, adding that elaborate security arrangements were made in and outside the plant. UCC SIN OF CONG: CM YADAV Briefs SpaceX Moon launch SpaceX’s IM-2 mission, featuring the ‘Athena’ Nova-C lunar lander, successfully launched towards the Moon’s South Pole at 5:46 AM (Indian Time). This milestone mission, led by Intuitive Machines, is a key component of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and Artemis program to build a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Around 377 tonnes of hazardous waste from the now defunct UCIL factory was shifted to Pithampur industrial area, about 250 km away from Bhopal and 30 km from Indore, for disposal at the plant. Our Staff Reporter INDORE On the eve of the incineration of UCC waste in Pithampur, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said here on Thursday that the UCC was the sin of the Congress which it was throwing around others’ neck. Talking to the media, the CM said that the Supreme Court cleared the way for trial burning of the waste in Pithampur. Yadav, who arrived here to participate in a marriage reception, said that the UCC was the sin of the Congress. Lakhs of people died due to gas leakage from the factory during Congress. Clarifying the burning of the waste in Pithampur, the CM said that during UPA government’s tenure, Pithampur was selected for burning the waste. PM Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government gave the license. PITHAMPUR BACHAO SAMITI member Sandeep Raghuvanshi said that they would follow the court order. “But will present our views in HC once again,” he said and added that samiti will continue the fight for the people of Pithampur. fp 377-TON WASTE THE HISTORY 500 COPS DEPLOYED ighly toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from the Union Carbide factory during the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killing 5,479 people and maiming more than five lakh. It is considered to be among the worst industrial disasters in the world Authorities have increased security in Pithampur, deploying nearly 500 policemen and officers from 24 stations. Senior officials are also present. Barriers were installed at many places in the town and police forces were deployed at various places. H Our Staff Reporter The Supreme Court declined to intervene in the disposal of UCC chemical waste as directed by the HC. The Court granted parties concerned the liberty to raise their griev- ances before the High Court. A bench of Justice BR Gavai and JusticeAG Masih heardthe petition challenging Madhya Pradesh High Court's direction regarding the transportation and disposal of 337 metric tonnes (MT) of UCC chemical waste from the site of the Bho- FP News Service PM DEGREE DISCLOSURE pal gas tragedy to Pithampur. Following the issuance of a notice by the SC on February 17, the High Court on February 18 ordered a trial run of 10 metric tonnes starting from February 27. 4Continued on | P8 should override the right to know, asserting that personal information unrelated to public office should not be disclosed. The controversy stems from an RTI application filed by activist Neeraj Kumar in 2016, which sought details of all students who completed their BA in 1978, the same year Modi graduated. The Delhi University (DU) informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that it was willing to present records concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bachelor's degree for judicial review but would not release them publicly under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, DU argued that although the records could be shown to the Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China from Mar 4 MEA takes up with US visa issue of family of injured Indian student President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that his proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada will go into effect on March 4. Additionally, China will face an extra 10% tariff on the same date. The tariffs, initially delayed for one month on February 3, had sparked confusion over whether they would resume after the pause. DU willing to show Delhi High Court Prime Minister Modi degree record but says it should not be made public PTI NEW DELHI The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has taken up with the US a request for an urgent visa by the family of an Indian student who is battling for life following a road accident in California, sources said. Neelam Shinde from Maharashtra's Satara was critically court, they should not be subjected to public scrutiny. Mehta stressed that the right to privacy injured in the accident on February 14 and has been in a coma at a hospital since then. Shinde reportedly suffered severe injuries to her head, hand and chest. Her family has sought an urgent visa to travel to the US to be by her side. The MEA has taken up the matter with the US. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Emergency visa interview The United States has scheduled an emergency visa interview for the father Indian student who has been in a coma at a California hospital. The interview will take place at 9 am on Friday. offgrid Gene Hackman, wife, dog found dead IANS LOS ANGELES Iconic US actor Gene Hackman, renowned for his Oscar-winning role as an American drug enforcement agent in thriller "The French Connection", Superman's archenemy Lex Luthor, and the FBI agent investigating the death of civil rights activists in the American South in "Mississippi Burning", was found dead at his home in Santa Fe in New Mexico. He was 95. His wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their dog were also found dead with him, as per local law enforcement authorities."We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail," the Sante Fe County Sheriff's office said in a statement." This is an active investigation - however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.""On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45 pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his SC safeguards on GST Act arrests FP News Service Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL MUMBAI The Supreme Court has ruled that an arrest under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act cannot be made solely on suspicion. Authorities must have substantial evidence and a justified belief that a cognizable and non-bailable offence has been committed before making an arrest reports Live Law.Arrests under GST cannot be made just to investigate if a crime has taken place. The Supreme Court made it clear that officials must first confirm through material evidence that the conditions outlined in Section 132(5) of the GST Act are met. A five-year-old-girl was brutally raped by her neighbor ‘Bhaiya’ when she was alone at home in Shivpuri district. Gwalior doctors gave 28 stitches on her private parts to save her life, police said on Thursday. Shivpuri district’s Karera police station in-charge Amit Chaturvedi said that the incident occurred on February 22, when the girl was playing in her house and was alone. The accused who is 17years-old, is the neighbour of the family and they know each other very well and she calls her Bhaiya. On the day the boy boozed and reached the girl’s house and asked the girl to play with him and took the girl on the roof of the house. As soon as they reached there, the boy caught hold of the girl and started the act. The girl opposed on which the accused banged her head on the wall. The girl became frightened and unconscious. The boy bit her private part. The act was so brutal that her private part had broken and she was severely injured. When the boy was doing the act, someone in the family came to know and they rushed to the roof. They caught him and called the police. The police detained the accused and sent him to juvenile home. The girl first was taken to nearby hospital and after primary treatment she was referred to Gwalior. 4Continued on | P8 Nehru policies are Hindikaran of western principles: Shah Delhi HC reserves judgement MUMBAI Girl under treatment in Gwalior, protests erupt in Shivpuri 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 SC stays off waste disposal case BHOPAL/MHOW gets 28 stitches on her private parts wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased," the Sheriff's office said.Apart from Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle in "The French Connection", Eugene 'Gene' Allen Hackman, whose film career lasted over six decades, also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Clint Eastwoodhelmed Westen "Unforgiven". Takes part in a function held on birth anniv of Nanaji Deshmukh Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government led by Jawaharlal Nehru made the policies for the country through ‘Hindikaran’ of western principles. He made the statement on the 15th death anniversary of Nanaji Deshmukh on Thursday when he also unveiled a statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay in Chitrakoot. Shah said Upadhyay had spoken about ‘Ekatma Manawatavad (integral humanism)’ at that time and saw the model of development in the form Antyodaya. Indira Gandhi destroyed freedom during the Emerg- Union Minister Amit Shah unveils a statue of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay in Chitrakoot . CM Yadav was also present ency, Shah said, adding that people raised their voice against her within 19 months. Shah said Deshmukh had played an important role in forming the Janata Party, and afterwards, any government could barely think about imposing an emergency in the country. The public forces many leaders to bid farewell to politics, but Desmukh had left politics after he attained 60 years of age. From 60 years to 100, Deshmukh continued to serve the people, but today, if a politician is asked to sit in the second number chair, he feels bad, Shah said.Similarly, whenever some other person comes in the way in a photo session, it causes problems for him, but Deshmukh stuck to his principles throughout his life, Shah said. According to Shah, Deshmukh was without any enemy, and even the opposition parties were scared of criticising him. 4Continued on | P8 Russia Cabinet clears Waqf slams US Bill as JPC proposed oil pressure on India Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI FP News Service MUMBAI Russia has condemned the United States for pressuring India to halt the unloading of Russian oil tankers, calling the demand “inappropriate and counter-productive.” The US had reportedly set a February 27 deadline for India to comply. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stressed that India has not officially joined Western-led sanctions against Moscow. She reaffirmed Russia’s opposition to unilateral coercive measures, particularly in the energy sector. “We have noted recent US demands for India to stop unloading Russian oil. India has not officially supported the illegitimate restrictive measures imposed by the West,” Zakharova said. 4Continued on | P8 The Union Cabinet is learnt to have approved 14 changes to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill at a meeting on February 19. Though no official statement has been released by the Cabinet till date, as per sources it accepted 14 of the 23 changes to the Bill which had been proposed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee. The revised Bill is now expected to be placed before both Houses in the second half of the Budget Session that would commence from March 10. The 14 changes that have been approved to the Bill include provision for distinguishing between the mandatory two non-Muslim members -- as specified in the original draft of the bill -- and a nominated ex-officio member (Muslim or non-Muslim); and having a state ap- pointed officer determine if a property is 'waqf' as against the original draft’s proposal to leave this to to the District Collector. Another proposal that has been approved is for ensuring that the law does not apply retrospectively if a property is registered. Congress MP Imran Masood had told the JPC that nearly 90 per cent of Waqf properties are not registered. The new Bill has also incorporated the suggestion that anyone who wants to donate land must 4Continued on | P8