FRIDAY 03 JANUARY, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard PROFESSOR DEBAPRATIM DAS (LEFT) WITH A RESEARCH STUDENT X.com/TheMornStandard 8,00,000 BANGLADESH COURT DENIES BAIL TO ISKCON MONK A court on Thursday rejected a bail plea by jailed monk and Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu in the sedition case for organising ‘minority’ march. PAGE 9 Punjabi Bagh flyover opened ahead of polls I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi AHEAD of Delhi assembly election, CM Atishi inaugurated the six-lane Punjabi Bagh Flyover on Thursday. She said the flyover is expected to save 11 lakh litres of fuel annually re, duce pollution equal to planting 65,000 trees, save commuters 40,000 hours daily and ease traffic for over 3 lakh people in Najafgarh and Raja Garden. The CM said the 1.12-km -long stretch will bypass three red lights, bringing relief to commuters travelling between Azadpur, Raja Garden, Paschim Vihar, Najafgarh, and ESI Hospital and around 3.45 lakh people will use it every day . “The Punjabi Bagh Flyover is not just a gift for the residents of Punjabi Bagh, Madipur, and Moti Nagar, but also for all Delhiites. This section of Ring Road, connecting Azadpur to Najafgarh via Punjabi Bagh, Basai Darapur, and Paschim Vihar, has long been a source of frustration due to traffic jams. People stuck in traffic for hours dreaded taking these routes. Now, millions of Delhiites will get relief from traffic jams,” Atishi said after inaugurating the flyover. She pointed out that this flyover is part of a larger project, complementing the Moti Nagar Flyover, which was converted from a single-lane to a doublelane one in March 2024. She claimed that the AAP government has been working tirelessly to decongest roads in the national capital. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI Modi to hand over EWS flats, launch infra projects today R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a series of mega development projects, including two urban redevelopment initiatives to provide housing to the underprivileged in the national capital. Delhi will go to polls in February The . PM will hand over keys of over one thousand newly constructed flats to eligible beneficiaries and lay the foundation stone for several other projects in Delhi on Friday . A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said 1,675 flats were built for the economically weaker sections at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Nagar. “In line with his commitment to ‘Housing for All’, the PM will visit these flats for the dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopari (JJ) clusters. The construction was taken up under the ‘In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Project at Swabhiman Apartments,” the PMO said and highlighted the project’s objective, saying it provides residents with a better living condition with proper amenities and facilities. The government spent `25 lakh on constructing each flat, with beneficiaries paying less than 7% of the total cost. That includes a contribution of `1.42 lakh and `30,000 towards five years’ maintenance. In addition, the PM will also inaugurate two urban redevel- IN CAPITAL 1,675 flats or EWS at Swabhiman Apartments in Ashok Nagar `25L spent on constructing each flat, with beneficiaries paying less than 7% of total cost, including a contribution of `1.42L and `30,000 towards five yrs’ maintenance 2 urban redevelopment projects — World Trade Centre at Nauroji Nagar and General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA)-Type-II quarters at Sarojini Nagar WTC project replaces over 600 dilapidated quarters, with providing approximately 34 lakh sqft commercial space with green building practices GPRA project has 28 towers with 2,500 residential units CBSE’s office complex at Dwarka Foundation stone for 3 DU projects opment projects — World Trade Centre (WTC) at Nauroji Nagar and General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA)-TypeII quarters at Sarojini Nagar. The WTC project replaces over 600 dilapidated quarters with state-of-the-art commercial towers, providing approximately 34 lakh sqft space equipped with advanced green building practices. The GPRA project has 28 towers with 2,500 residential units. It inte g rates eco-friendly measures such as rainwater harvesting, sewage and water treatment plants. MP town protests over MALDIVES LOOKS TO BOLSTER Union Carbide waste, TIES WITH INDIA CM says it’s not harmful A N U R A A G S I N G H @ Bhopal PROTESTS erupted at Pithampur industrial town in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district on Thursday, hours after truckloads of toxic waste was brought from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. The hazardous waste collected from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site is scheduled to be disposed at the treatment, storage and disposal (TDSF) facility located at Tarapura village in Pithampur Industrial Area. Pithampur, which has a population of 1.75 lakh, on Thursday witnessed massive protests by various groups against the planned incineration of the chemical waste. Some groups have called for a total shutdown on Friday . “Send the waste generated by the American company back to the US. We don’t want it here. The bandh call is to save our future generations and agricultural crops,” read a pamphlet distributed by the protesters. According to local activists, 10 tonnes of toxic waste from Union Carbide was incinerated at the Pithampur TSDF in 2015 on a trial basis. The disposal contaminated the soil, groundwater, and water sources in the nearby villages; so, incinerating 337 tonnes of waste could inflict greater harm on the environment, they claim. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav sought to reassure people that the waste is not dangerous as its harmful effects have weakened over 40 years. He said the government is mindful of public sentiments and will take extra care while handling the waste. “Over 60% of the 358 tonnes of waste is local soil, while the remaining 40% comprises 7-naphthol, reactor residues, and semi-processed pesticides. The 7-naphthol residue is basically a co-product of the process of making methyl isocyanate and pesticides. Experts believe its toxic effects will end after 25 years,” Yadav claimed. MEA S Jaishankar will meet Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Khaleel to review economic and maritime partnerships between the two countries on Friday during the latter’s 3-day India visit from Jan 2-4 | P7 J8.00 PAGES 12 FOUR persons, including two Bangladeshi nationals, have been arrested and a racket involved in facilitating the illegal transportation and immigration of people from neighbouring country by forging Aadhaar, PAN and other documents has been uncovered, an officer said on Thursday . The accused have been identified as Aminur Islam (37), a TARGETED DRUG RELEASE CAN CUT SIDE EFFECTS Hydrogel is a water-based, three-dimensional polymer network that can absorb and retain fluids. It can act as a stable reservoir for anti-cancer drugs. It responds to high glutathione (GSH) levels, a molecule found in cancer cells. Upon encountering high GSH levels, it releases the drug in a targeted manner, not affecting nearby cells, leading to fewer side effects RESTED? G O M E S H S @ Sydney WITH less than 24 hours to go for the Sydney Test, the India team did not know who would come out for toss. Or so it seems. “The answer remains the same.” That was what India team head coach Gautam Gambhir had to say when he was asked whether Rohit Sharma will be in the playing XI for the fifth and final Test between India and Australia that begins on Friday “We are . going to take a look at the wicket and probably announce our playing XI tomorrow,” Gambhir said moments earlier. Probably for any other player this would have been an apt answer but for a captain who has been appointed for a series this seemed little ambiguous. Whether resting was the decision of the team management or Rohit’s was also not clear. India begin their last match of the tour amid speculation of dressing room drama and Gambhir’s stern warning to players over not performing well. Even before a ball was bowled there seemed to be intrigue over Sharma’s position in the team. There were multiple indications, including his time in the nets, that suggest he is all set to be replaced. In fact, there are indications that he has told the team about his decision to opt out. This could be one of those rare instances when a captain has been dropped on poor form and for India this could be one of the first instances when a captain has been dropped or opted out. Gambhir made it clear during the briefing that performance alone matters. “Indian cricket’s transition is in safe hands as long as there are honest people in the dressing room. Only criteria to be in that dressing room is performance,” he said. In that case, Shubman Gill WHAT NEXT FOR ROHIT? Rohit Sharma’s future, with England visiting India for a whiteball series (five T20Is and three ODIs) in January before the Champions Trophy, depends on him and what he decides. His ODI numbers have been exceptional and he could lead the team against England after a possible meeting with selectors. BUMRAH LIKELY TO CAPTAIN INDIA Jasprit Bumrah, the vice captain, has been the team’s top performer with 30 wickets in four outings at an astonishing 12.83 average, is expected to take over if Rohit sits out. Under Bumrah’s captaincy that India won the first Test in Perth. is set to walk in at No 3 and in-form Jasprit Bumrah will lead in the absence of Sharma, who has been out of form, scoring only 31 runs at an average of 6.2 from five innings so far. He lost two Tests after joining the team in Australia. With the home series loss against New Zealand, pressure was mounting on the Indian captain. If nets were any indication, Sharma, who was not much involved for the better part while India were training. He could be seen chat- ting with Washington Sundar, Bumrah, Gill before batting briefly along with the backup batters towards the end. It was not until most of the drill was over that Sharma and Gambhir were seen together alongside Bumrah. If Sharma gets dropped, which is most likely as of Thursday evening, MCG Test could be his last as a Test player. For India, a win in Sydney would help retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and keep World Test Championship hopes alive. P11 TOP HONOUR Manu, Gukesh among four Khel Ratna awardees EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai THIS being an Olympic year, there were exceptions to the number of Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees and also the Arjuna Awards list. As expected the list is dominated by Olympic and Paralympic medal winners. What seems interesting is that D Gukesh who became the youngest world champion in December too has been included in the list the sports ministry released on Thursday . Speculation over Manu Bhaker not being considered for Khel Ratna for not applying too has been laid to rest. India men’s hockey team captain Har manpreet Singh who won bronze medal at this year Olympics his second medal after Tokyo 2020 in 2021 too feature among the four chosen for country’s highest sports awards. Para-athlete high jumper Praveen Ku m a r i s t h e fourth name. There were reports that suggested Manu’s named was not on the list but the ministry’s official announcement included her name. What seems to be interesting is that Manu did not apply. It is not clear whether Gukesh’s name was added after his world championship match that he won on December 12. It is learnt that the national awards committee met a couple of days after the chess final. It is understood that the committee had taken cognisance of applications but the final list was made after sports ministry included two more names as per latest rules. Work not over yet, Waqf JPC could miss Budget session deadline as well P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi ROYAL RIDE Sadhus of Shree Mahanirvani Akhada take part in the Chavni Pravesh , the royal entry procession for Maha Kumbh Mela, towards Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. The mela is set to take place from January 13 to February 26 | PTI B’desh infiltrators taking ‘donkey routes’, jungle trails resident of Gwalpara district in Assam, and Ashish Mehra (23) from Gurugram, along with Bangladeshi nationals Bilal Hosen (28) and his wife, who had been residing in city’s Rangpuri area since 2022. Mehra was responsible for creating forged Aadhaar and PAN cards for Bangladeshi nationals, while Islam facilitated their transportation from the border to Krishnai and New Bongaigaon railway stations in Researchers developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for localised cancer treatment with fewer side effects than conventional treatments Head coach Gambhir’s ambiguous reply gives new twist to Rohit not figuring in the playing XI for Sydney Test saga TRECHEROUS TREK S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi NEW CANCER CASES IN INDIA EACH YEAR, ACCORDING TO GOVT ESTIMATES IIT-GUWAHATI DEVELOPS INJECTABLE HYDROGEL FOR CANCER TREATMENT Assam. The illegal immigrants used “donkey routes,” including jungle trails and express trains, to enter India. The police recovered six Aadhaar, five PAN cards issued under Bangladeshi nationals’ names, two Bangladeshi IDs, 11 credit cards, seven debit cards, six cheque books, two bank passbooks, two QR codes, an Indian passport application with acknowledgment, and a rent agreement. How it worked Bangladesh nationals crossed the jungle route between Durgapur in Bangladesh and Baghmara in Meghalaya on foot Once in India, they were transported from Baghmara to Krishnai and New Bongaigaon railway stations in Assam Illegal migrants boarded a train to Delhi, where a B’desh national’s wife helped them settle down Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range), Sanjay Kumar Jain, said on December 6, 2024, 12 individuals, including five Bangladeshi nationals, had been arrested. The analysis of their call data records revealed the involvement of other suspects in the network. In a related development, the Delhi Police has nabbed and deported a Bangladeshi woman who had been staying illegally in Kapashera area. THE Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Waqf Amendment Bill may miss the next deadline of the Budget session of Parliament, scheduled to begin on January 30, according to sources. The committee headed by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal is scheduled to present its report on the last day of the Budget session after missing the first deadline of the just concluded winter session of Parliament. The Budget session is expected to conclude on February 12. The Centre may now push the report for the Monsoon session as the committee will not be able to complete its work by the stipulated deadline, said people aware of the developments. Another key reason, according to sources, is the strong opposition from NDA allies Telugu Desam Party and the Janata Dal (United) over the proposed legislation. Several Muslim groups in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar have been opposing most of the amendments, including the appointment of non-Muslims as members of the Central Waqf Council and state Waqf Boards. “The government has not given any assurance to TDP or JD (U) on bringing any changes in the contentious proposals. The JD(U) does not want to risk its electoral prospects in view of the impending assembly elections in Bihar,” said a party leader, adding that the TDP and JD(U) enjoy a strong support base of minorities in their states. Though the government had listed the Waqf bill for passage during the winter session, the panel sought an extension after a showdown with the Opposition. Speaking to this paper, a panel member said it is impossible for the committee to meet the deadline as it will take a long time to record the concerns of lakhs of witnesses. “The chairman is under pressure from the Opposition to hear out stakeholders who have real concerns. The committee has not followed due process till now,” said an Opposition member.
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