FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 207 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | JANUARY 8, 2026 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Indian presenter denies BPL ‘Drop’, calls it personal opt-out P.12 RELIEF TO ALL, irrespective of statistics, declares CM Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said the death of any person is painful for him. Yadav made the statement at a press conference in Bhopal on Wednesday over deaths because of contaminated water at Bhagirathpura in Indore. When Yadav was asked a question about the differ- BHAGIRATHPURA WATER TRAGEDY ence in the number of deaths mentioned in the affidavit submitted by the administration and the actual figure of deaths, he said he was not going by the statistics. From the administration’s point of view, what generally happens is that those who have conducted the postmortem of the bodies have some other statistics, he said. The government decided to give relief to those whose deaths were registered within that circle of Nagar Nigam where the incident occurred, he said. 4Continued on | P8 fp Briefs GDP to grow at 7.4% in FY26 India is likely to grow at a faster pace of 7.4 per cent during 2025-26, compared to 6.5 per cent in the previous year, driven by a strong performance in the services and manufacturing sectors, thus retaining its position as the world's fastest growing major economy. ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Our Staff Reporter The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Central Zone Bench, has expressed serious concern over worsening air quality in Madhya Pradesh, declaring eight major cities — Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Sagar and Singrauli — as “non-attainment” cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). During a hearing on Wednesday, an application filed by Rashid Noor Khan highlighted that these cities have failed to meet air quality standards for years, amounting to a violation of fundamental right to clean air under Article 21 of the Constitution. 4Continued on | P8 MUMBAI E-paper Edit SC stresses right to speedy trial P.6 Cinema Hrithik’s fitness food mantra P.14 NEW JOINT PANEL FORMED BHOPAL alling the issue a “serious environmental concern,” NGT issued notices to state government and relevant departments. It also formed a joint committee with senior officials from the Environment Department, Urban Development, Transport Department, State Pollution Control Board, MoEF&CC, and a former CPCB official to examine the issue and submit a detailed action report within six weeks. C FILE PIC 8 CITIES EXCEEDED NAAQS FOR 5 YEARS n its order dated January 7, 2026, NGT stated that Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Sagar and Singrauli have consistently exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) for over five consecutive years, leading to their official “non-attainment” status under NCAP. I CITY OF LAKES CHOKING IN SMOG GT observed that Bhopal, once celebrated as “City of Lakes,” now faces chronic air pollution instead of occasional smog episodes. Causes include vehicular emissions, stubble burning in Raisen, Sehore and Vidisha, construction and demolition dust, firecracker use, open waste burning and landfill emissions from sites like Bhanpur. N Lokayukta police nab PHE SE taking `1.5 Lakh bribe in Sagar Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Special Police Establishment (SPE) Lokayukta police caught in-charge superintendent engineer of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department while taking a bribe of Rs 1.50 lakh in Sagar on Wednesday. DG Lokayukta Yogesh Deshmukh said complainant Shailesh Kumar, a PHE contractor, has been executing works under Jal Jeevan Mission since 2022. After being asked to complete pending works, he gave consent and waited for government orders to resume execution. In-charge SE Santoshi Lal Batham allegedly demanded a 3.5% commission on revised work order bills and clearance of old bills, totalling Rs 6 lakh, in lieu of releasing payments amounting to Rs 2.16 crore. 4Continued on | P8 US military action an option to acquire Greenland: White House IANS WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump believes that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, the White House said, a stance that has triggered sharp pushback from Democrats and bipartisan con- cern on Capitol Hill over the risks such rhetoric poses to NATO and global stability. “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal,” she said. 4Continued on | P8 No construction within 200 mts of Kshipra in Ujjain, says HC Our Staff Reporter INDORE Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday issued a stern warning to the Ujjain district administration and the Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) over non-compliance with its earlier directions concerning construction near the Kshipra River. Hearing writ petition by Satyanarayan, a division bench comprising Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi granted the State government a final opportunity of two weeks to submit a compliance BCB HOLDS ITS GROUND ON T20WC to apply. Following the HC order, nursing colleges have opened recruitment to male candidates. MP Employee Selection Board (MPESB) issued the revised advertisement, and informed High Court’s principal bench at Jabalpur on Wednesday. The petition, filed by male candidates, was resolved after today’s hearing. Previously, 100 percent of positions were reserved for women. This condition has now been removed. Male candidates can apply until January 13. Earlier, a recruitment advertisement issued on December 16, 2025, announced direct recruitment of 286 academic positions in government nursing colleges, including 40 Associate Professors, 28 Assistant Professors and 218 Sister Tutors. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 PTI DUBAI/DHAKA With the T20 World Cup less than a month away, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday said the ICC has expressed willingness to “work closely” with it to address security concerns over playing in India, even as Dhaka’s demand for a venue shift remains undecided. Details on sports canine menace ‘Keep streets clear of dogs’ People dying not only due to dog bites but also because of road accidents caused by strays, says top court PTI NEW DELHI Flagging non-compliances of rules and directions by civic bodies, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that people were dying not only due to dog bites alone in the country but also because of accidents caused by stray animals on roads. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta NASHIK Chronic air pollution: NGT flags 8 MP cities HC OPENS NURSING COLLEGE JOBS TO MALE CANDIDATES The High Court has taken on record a revised advertisement for recruitment to Madhya Pradesh’s nursing colleges on various teaching and other posts, allowing male candidates to participate. Justice Vishal Dhagat disposed of a petition challenging the original advertisement, which permitted only women INDORE TOXIC SKIES | AQI data shows Bhopal frequently remains in ‘Very Poor category during day & crosses into ‘severe’ at night During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner alleged that despite interim orders of the court, authorities were continuing to grant permissions for construction of resorts and other structures within 200 metres of the Kshipra River, in violation of the Ujjain Master Plan 2025. BHOPAL/JABALPUR PUNE Tax collection to rise, fiscal consolidation to continue report, which had earlier been directed to be filed by December 8, 2025. The court noted that despite sufficient time, the report had not been placed on record. The court made it clear that if the report is not filed on or before the next hearing date, it will order the personal appearance of the Ujjain collector and municipal commissioner. Our Staff Reporter UJJAIN Animal rights activists and dog lovers hold placards during a protest against Supreme Court order on stray dog relocation at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi (file pic) and N V Anjaria, which was hearing pleas for modification of its earlier orders of the apex court filed by dog lovers and those seeking stringent compliance of orders, said it is conducting the hearing as many lawyers and animal activists claimed that they were not heard before passing of the order on November 7. "The roads should be clear of dogs and stray animals. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Venezuela to send 50mn barrels of oil to US’ S President Donald Trump said interim authorities in Venezuela will hand over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of sanctioned oil to the United States, calling it a move that will benefit both Venezuelans and Americans. In a social media post, Trump said the oil will be sold at market price and that he will personally oversee how the revenue is used. He wrote on Truth Social that the funds will be directed to benefit "the people of Venezuela and the United States." U DUAL-SEA CRACKDOWN US seizes 2 oil tankers linked to Venezuela in Atlantic & Caribbean U.S. European Command shared this image of a U.S. Coast Guard officer monitoring an oil tanker on Wednesday (pic: X/@US_EUCOM) ONE TANKER WAS UNDER A RUSSIAN FLAG AP WASHINGTON The US has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back actions in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean, officials said Wednesday. The US military seized the Bella 1 and subsequently handed over control of it to law enforcement officials, said a US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations. The ship was sanctioned by the US in 2024 for allegedly smuggling cargo for a company linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The US Coast BELLA 1 US European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for "violations of US sanctions" in a social medial post. The US had been pursuing the tanker since last month after it tried to evade a US blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela. TANKER SOPHIA Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that US forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean. Noem said in a social media post both ships were "either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it." Guard attempted to board it in the Caribbean in December as it headed for Venezuela. 4See also | world