FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 121 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 8, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Deepti’s form will make sides very nervous P.14 System needs complete surgery, not medicines By Nitendra Sharma COMMENT S ubstandard cough syrup has claimed the lives of 19 children. Many are battling for life at various hospitals in Nagpur. The government swung into action soon after the tragedy. It is mulling over testing medicines. The agencies are raiding the distributors of medicines and medical stores to seize adulterated drugs. Ironically, checking the quality of medicines has become the government’s priority. Whenever there is a fire in a hospital, the government begins to check the NOC of the medical centre concerned. Whenever a bridge falls, a probe into bridges begins. Similarly, if the roof of a school caves in, the government starts repairing all schools. If a lift falls, the authorities begin to check whether the buildings have any permission for a lift. The arrest of a drug mafia leads to a campaign against drugs. In the same way, if a girl is raped, the police of the area where the incident has taken place become active. If the mobile phone of an IG is looted, the police remain sleepless for 72 hours. Such is our system. Our fp Briefs system comes back to life only when a tragedy occurs. The government is organising a conference of collectors and commissioners. The first thing the participants of the conference should have been told is that they should not wake up after the tragedy, but they must take concrete measures to avoid such incidents. We wait for potholes to come up on the roads to fill them, but we avoid repairing them before they become death traps. The system is gasping for breath, and it needs an oxygen cylinder. Parasia, where the cough syrup tragedy occurred, is just 26 km away from Chhindwara, which has a medical college, but it lacks facilities for treatment. This is the reason that the parents and relatives are taking the ailing children to Nagpur. The government should take lessons from the tragedy that the facilities for treatment should be available in the state itself. The government’s job is to set right the system, and the officers are responsible for answering to the administration. In case of an emergency situation, instead of working on one front, the officers should make the system flawless. The system does not need medicines, but it requires a surgery. Such an action will prove that we have learnt a lesson from the tragedy. INDORE UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Missing voters, missing trust P.6 Cinema Tabu eyed for Chandni Bar 2 P.16 COUGH SYRUP CASE | No methodology in state to check all drugs; Responsibility of product guarantee lies with firms Market brims with drugs, govt tests 6K samples per yr  Rajan Raikwar BHOPAL The medicine market in Madhya Pradesh is teeming with thousands of pharmaceutical products, from common syrups to specialised drugs. However, the capacity of government labs authorised to test these syrups and drugs is only around 6,000 samples per annum.  3 labs in state Madhya Pradesh has drug test lab facilities in Bhopal, Indore, and Jabalpur. One more is coming up in Gwalior. A senior from the Office of the Controller, Food and Drugs Administration, on the condition of anonymity, said to the Free Press that so far, there is no methodology to determine how many kinds of syrups and drugs are prevalent in the medical market of the state. 4Continued on | P8 4-5 drug samples failed last year in Bhopal One of the drug inspectors said that last year, around four to five samples of different drugs failed to clear the mandatory test and were put in the NSQ category. One drug test process requires 12 to 18 hours. 18 dead as landslide hits bus in Himachal PIL in SC seeks CBI probe A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a CBI investigation into the deaths of children in MP and Rajasthan after the consumption of toxic cough syrup. The PIL filed sought a retired SC judge to monitor a probe and inquiry into the manufacture, regulation, testing and distribution of contaminated cough syrups. The petition by Advocate Vishal Tiwari called for the constitution of a National Judicial Commission or Expert Committee TOLL MOUNTS TO 19 FP News Service CHHINDWARA The cough syrup-related death toll in the Parasia area in Chhindwara and Betul mounted to 19 after three more children died during treatment on Tuesday. The three children were Dhani from the Junapani area, Jayusha from the Junnardev area, and Bedansh Pawar from Righaura. All of them were undergoing treatment in a hospital in Nagpur. Reacting to the deaths of children because of the consumption of adulterated cough syrup, the district Congress committee president, Vishwanath Okte, said the BJP government has lost all sensitivities. Okte said although the death toll continued to mount, the government did precious little to stop it. The Chief Minister and BJP leaders are busy making statements, he said. Okte wanted to know whether the government was trying to save the health minister. Tata group crisis brewing? Top guns meet Shah S Balakrishnan & Agencies MUMBAI/NEW DELHI Govt to bear treatment cost of ailing kids due to cough syrup: CM Three teams set up for treatment OUR STAFF REPORTER BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said the government will bear the cost of those children who are suffering from kidney infection after consuming cough syrup. The children down with kidney infections are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Nagpur. The Nagpur Government CHEATING CASE SC transfers trial against Cong MLA from MP to Delhi Medical College, AIIMS, Colours Hospital, New Health City Hospital, and Get Well City Hospital are treating the children. According to a government press release, at present, nine children are undergoing treatment in these hospitals. The collector of Chhindwara set up three teams in connection with the treatment of children. The teams consist of deputy collectors and doctors. Besides looking after the treatment of the children, they will send reports about their health to the Chhindwara district administration. A crisis seems to be brewing in the highly-respected Tata empire. Reports indicate that the tension is mainly between Tata Sons and a section of Tata Trust over board appointments and governance issues. Top honchos of the Tata group, including Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, along with Tata Trusts vice-chairman Venu Srinivasan and trustee Darius Khambata on Tuesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also present at the meeting. The Tata group did not offer any comment. Collectors must leave imprint on people’s memory in districts: CM The Central government, reportedly keen on maintaining stability within the $180 billion corporate behemoth, has decided to step in to stave of a crisis. Incidentally, the crisis is threatening to escalate on the eve of the first death anniversary of Rata Tata, who took the empire to great heights with several major acquisitions in the West. It is learnt that in 2017 itself friction had developed not only between Tata Sons and Tata Trust, but within the Trust itself. 4Continued on | P8 Nobel prize for three quantum physicists Two-day conference begins with thrust on answerability OUR STAFF REPORTER BHOPAL PTI Agencies NEW DELHI FP News Service MUMBAI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the states and Union Territories to frame road safety rules within six months by regulating the movement of non-motorised vehicles and pedestrians in public spaces. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan directed all the states and UTs to frame such rules under Sections 138 (1A) and 210D of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. "We direct all the states and UTs to formulate rules under Section 138(1A) of the Motor Vehicles Act within a period of six months.” EDITIONS: MONEY Modi wishes Putin on b’day Pedestrian safety focus iii QUALITY @ VALUE FM SAYS SEVERAL DEEPFAKE VIDEOS OF HER CIRCULATING NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday even as the two leaders vowed to further deepen India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership. Modi dialled Putin and warmly congratulated him on his 73rd birthday and conveyed best wishes for good health and success, according to an Indian readout. It was the fourth phone call between the two leaders since early August. Putin had also called up Modi on September 17 to greet him on his birthday. ESTD-1983 At least 18 people lost their lives when a major landslide struck a private bus in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday. The disaster occurred near Bhallu Bridge in the Barthin area around 6:30 pm as the bus, carrying an estimated 30-35 passengers from Marotan to Ghumarwin, was suddenly engulfed in debris and rocks due to the landslide. The landslide was triggered after a spell of heavy rains. When the mountainside collapsed, the roof of the bus was torn off, and the vehicle was buried under rubble. Rescue teams struggled to clear the debris and reach the victims. Rescue efforts began immediately, with local authorities, police, and emergency responders working together. So far, 15 bodies have been recovered from the site. There were a few survivors, including two young girls and a boy, but several survivors lost family members in the tragedy. With the bus almost entirely buried by rubble, chances for additional survivors remain slim, and rescue teams continue to search for those missing. The Supreme Court on Tuesday transferred the trial in a cheating case against Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi after taking note of the claim that efforts were made to intimidate defence witnesses. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the order while hearing a plea filed by Bharti, who said there was an attempt to intimidate the defence witnesses in the case. During the hearing, the counsel appearing for Madhya Pradesh said the state was willing to provide police protection to the witnesses and the trial should not be transferred. The bench emphasised that justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done. It allowed the petition and transferred the trial from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi. While hearing the matter in February this year, the apex court had said prima facie, it appeared that there was enough material placed on record before the trial court containing an allegation that defence witnesses were tried to be intimidated. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has told collectors to work in such a way that the people of the districts remember them even after they leave their places of work. Yadav made the statement during the inauguration of a two-day collector-commissioner conference in Bhopal on Tuesday. Yadav said he had set up a system in which everyone is answerable, and the officers, too, must follow it. “Developing confidence among people that the government is with you is the aim of good governance,” Yadav said. He appealed to the officers to meet the ordinary people and to improve the public hearing system. 4Continued on | P8 STOCKHOLM Chief Secretary Anurag Jain welcomes CM Mohan Yadav VC TWICE A MONTH: CS Chief Secretary Anurag Jain has said there will be virtual conferences twice a month. Good outcomes will emerge from districts only when officers and employees work in tandem, Jain said. The officers can find solutions to any problem by holding talks with the common man, he said. The Chief Secretary advised the officers to tour a place for two days, and the collectors make night halts in villages. The collectors should also interact with the officers working under them to easily understand the districts, Jain said. The CS said the officers should pay attention to the CM Helpline complaints. 3.66L omitted Bihar voters under SC lens FP News Service MUMBAI The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the EC to provide details of 3.66 lakh voters who were part of the draft voter list but were excluded from the final electoral roll prepared after Bihar's Special Intensive Revision exercise, saying there is "confusion" over the matter. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing petitions challenging the Bihar SIR, which concluded on September 30. The court asked the EC to furnish details on the issue and adjourned the matter till October 9, Live Law and Bar & Bench reported. See Nation offgrid Langda to Khallas: UP’s bullet blitz Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW If you thought Operation Khallas and Operation Langda were the kind of names cooked up by a struggling Bollywood screenwriter holed up in a dingy Versova café, you’d be forgiven. It’s the very real, very state-sanctioned anti-crime crackdown unleashed by the Uttar Pradesh Police. Under direct orders from CM Yogi Adityanath, UP cops have pulled off what can only be described as a high-octane justice marathon: 20 police encounters in 48 hours. From Meerut to Muzaffarnagar, criminals across the state either found themselves limping or, well, no UP Police turn Bollywood-style into real-world justice with 20 encounters in 48 hrs longer finding anything at all. That’s the basic philosophy behind these two oper- ations: Langda (make 'em limp), and Khallas (make 'em disappear — permanently). Operation Langda involves shooting the accused in the leg, presumably to ruin their sprinting careers and their appetite for crime. Operation Khallas? The name says it all. If you’re a serial offender with a rap sheet longer than a Diwali grocery list, you’re headed straight to Yamraj’s guestbook. In Firozabad, a gangster named Naresh — accused in a `2 crore loot — tried a Houdini act during a recovery operation. He was intercepted, bullets flew, and the police walked away. 4Continued on | P8 The 2025 Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H Devoret, and John M Martinis for their groundbreaking research on quantum tunnelling -- a once “seemingly obscure” phenomenon that has now become central to the advancement of digital and quantum technologies. Clarke, 83, conducted his research at the University of California, Berkeley; Martinis at the University of California, Santa Barbara; and Devoret at Yale University and the University of California, Santa Barbara. 4Continued on | P8 MP among 4 states to get multi-tracking railway projects Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Union Cabinet has approved four railway multitracking projects for four states, including Madhya Pradesh. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Modi, approved the four multi-tracking projects at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Cabinet Committee approved 237 km fourth line between Itarsi-Bhopal-Bina in the state. In MP, the project section will enhance rail connectivity to major sites such as Sanchi, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Bhimbetka rock shelters (noted for prehistoric human remains and ancient rock art), Hajra Waterfall, and Navegaon National Park. The route will also serve the transport of coal, cement, containers, fly ash, food grains, and steel. These projects, formulated under the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, aim to enhance multi-modal connectivity and logistics efficiency through integrated planning and stakeholder consultation. They will provide seamless connectivity for citizens, goods, and services. The approved multitracking projects will improve connectivity in Vidisha. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the expansion of railway line would increase mobility, operational efficiency, and reliability of railways. Multitracking (increasing the number of railway tracks) will ease train operations and benefit passengers. Yadav expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the projects.