THURSDAY SPECIALIST TEAM FROM UK EXAMINES AILING KHALEDA ZIA 04 A four-member UK specialist medical team arrived in Bangladesh on Wednesday to assist in the treatment of the former prime minister DECEMBER, 2025 WILL HELP CHART ADVANCED TREATMENT PLAN epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard PA K I S TA N Three Pakistan’s jailed ex-PM Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that Field Marshall Gen Asim Munir is deliberately ‘igniting tensions’ with Afghanistan THE NUMBER OF TIMES ZIA HAS TAKEN OATH AS BANGLADESH PRIME MINISTER MUNIR FUELLING TERROR: IMRAN A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 WORLD-CLASS INFRA 400-km road redevelopment by March next year, says govt A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi THE Delhi government has approved a major infrastructural plan to redevelop 402 kilometres of city roads by March next year. Spearheaded by the Public Works Department (PWD), the initiative aims to upgrade the city’s road network with modern engineering standards, reduce congestion points, and enforce strict accountability mechanisms. The plan accommodates the road projects spanning 301 kilometres operating under the Central Road Fund (CRF) and 101 kilometres the state fund. PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said that Delhi deserves world-class roads built with honesty speed, and zero tolerance , for corruption. “This is not just road construction. This is about setting new standards for mobility in the capital,” he said. The CRF component focuses on high-traffic corridors and arterial routes critical to interstate and intra-city movement. The key stretches under the CRF component include Eastern Approach Road, Wazirabad; Road No 68, North East Delhi; old GT Road; Road No 59, Loni Border; Narela-Alipur Road; Bhajanpura-Yamuna Vihar Main Road; SeelampurShastri Park corridor; and Karawal Nagar Road. The sources said that tenders for several CRF projects have already been floated and the completion targets have been set for February and March. On the other hand, the state-funded road projects will cover primary roads, neighbourhood connectors, institutional corridors, and dense residential stretches. The projects under this category include Bipin Chandra Pal Marg to CR Park; Kali Mandir Road, South East Delhi; Surajkund Road; Press Enclave Road: Sheikh Sarai-Panchsheel Road: Khel Gaon Marg; Mandir Marg-Karol Bagh Road; New Friends Colony Link Road: and RajokriNH 48 service lane corridor. The PWD minister has made categorical assertions about quality control and time-bound delivery for these projects. CITY UPGRADES The new plan includes both centrally funded roads as well as the roads being managed by the Delhi government 301 KM 101 KM of centrally funded roads will be upgraded by March of statefunded roads will be brought to global standards PWD deploys real-time monitoring teams and a zonal tracking system for measuring daily progress  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 Rupee breaches 90-mark for the first time B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE rupee’s freefall deepened on Wednesday, breaching the 90-per-dollar mark for the first time, hitting a new low of 90.29 in the morning trade after opening flat at 89.96. It closed the day’s session at an all-time low of 90.15. Wednesday marks the sixth consecutive day of fall for the rupee as traders bet the subdued trade and portfolio flows will keep Asia’s worst perform- ing currency under pressure, while analysts project the next level for rupee at 92-93. However, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran sought to downplay the currency slide, saying the weakness has had no impact on inflation and the currency will recover in 2026. “Right now, it’s not hurting our exports or inflation. I am not losing my sleep over it. If it has to depreciate now probably Massive chaos as over 200 IndiGo flights cancelled Insiders attribute it to Emirates’ hiring spree S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THOUSANDS of fliers across airports in the country on Wednesday had a harrowing time as crew shortage at IndiGo resulted in cancellation of at least 200 flights besides delaying many others. This was the second consecutive day that IndiGo failed to operate a large number of flights. A massive recruitment drive by an international airline at Delhi and Mumbai this week is a key reason for it, said multiple sources. IndiGo attributed the disruption to multiple reasons, including unforeseen operational challenges. The shortage is of both the cockpit and cabin crew, the sources stressed. At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport alone, 67 flights were cancelled, of which 37 were departures. Flights to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Srinagar were among those that were nixed. Over 70 flights were cancelled from Mumbai and Bengaluru air por t until Wednesday evening. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad witnessed irate scenes after 13 flights were cancelled to various cities apart from 18 incoming flights. Airline sources said, “Emirates has been having a recruit- Irate fliers at the Delhi airport | X ment roadshow in Mumbai and Delhi the last two days and IndiGo crew have been making a beeline for it.” An aviation source blamed it on IndiGo mismanagement, which, however, attributed part of the problem to the DGCA’s revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that kicked in from November 1. Increased weekly rest for pilots from 36 hours to 48 hours and limiting night landings by pilots to two instead of six are part of the revised FDTL mandate. Later in the day, the DGCA said IndiGo had cancelled 1,232 flights in November, of which 755 were due to FDTL. “A large share of cancellations arose from crew/FDTL compliance and airport/airspace/ATC-related factors, many of which lie beyond the operator’s direct control,” the DGCA said citing IndiGo reports, adding it is probing the current cancellations. is the right time,” he said at an event in Mumbai. With Wednesday’s fall, the rupee’s value eroded 5.7% so far this year, putting it on track for its steepest annual decline since 2022, and making it the worstperfor ming Asian currency . The fall also underscores a divergence in the domestic and external macroeconomic position of the nation. While GDP growth has been stronger-than-expected, punitive US tariffs and weak capital flows have piled pressure on the rupee. “Every day that we do not have a trade deal, the forex demand from trade deficit and outflows keep pushing the dollar, while forex supply is relatively thin and inconsistent,” HSBC said in a note. “We had one month of net inflows in October, but without any more trade deal headlines since then, net flows have become flat.” THE government on Wednesday withdrew its order directing phone makers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app, following strong backlash from opposition parties, digital rights activists, and manufacturers including Apple and Google. This reversal came a day after the telecom ministry clarified that the state-run cybersecurity app is not mandatory and that users may activate or deactivate it. “Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” a statement by the ministry read. Sources said this is the first time phone makers have been asked to pre-install a government-owned app. The mandate also meant operational difficulties for phone makers. Earlier in the day commu, ADITI RAY CHOWDHURY BJP wins 7, AAP 3, Cong 1 in MCD bypoll; Left party opens account ‘Footpath damaged, gate installed’ Municipal officials said the damage is substantial, saying “The whole footpath and green belt have been damaged, and a new gate has been installed on the main road by breaking a boundary wall.” NDMC has acknowledged the incident and said an enquiry is in progress. Potholes to be fixed in 72 hours to combat pollution: Delhi govt Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered all departments to identify and fill potholes within 72 hours and ensure that no stretch of road remains broken. The Public Works Department has been directed to repair potholes across its 1,400-kilometre road network on a priority. | P4 Urban greening improves air quality SERIES GOES TO DECIDER Virat Kohli scored 53rd ODI ton, but South Africa hunted down 359, the 3rd highest successful ODI chase in India, with Aiden Markram hitting a 100 | PTI/AFP | P11 Anantha Nageswaran Russia’s MAX Russia is the only country where smartphone makers are mandated to pre-install a state-run app. MAX, a statebacked messaging service, must be installed by default on all phones and tablets IN a relief for the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal ahead of the assembly elections, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday set aside a singlejudge order that had cancelled the appointment of 32,000 primary school teachers. “After being in service for nine years, if they are removed now, there could be an adverse impact on their families,” observed the division bench of justices Tapobrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra. “For cancellation of the entire exam, there must be a finding on systemic malice as borne out by the evidence on record. That is not the case,” the bench said. It noted service cannot be terminated due to ongoing criminal proceeding. “A group of unsuccessful candidates should not be allowed to affect the entire system when it cannot be ruled out that untainted teachers may suffer greater ignominy and stigma,” the court said. Following the Teachers’ Eligibility Test held in 2014, a total of 42,500 primary school teachers were appointed. The appointments of 32,000 of them were cancelled by a single bench of Justice Abhijit Ganguly over alleged manipulation in the recruitment process. Ganguly is now a BJP MP from Tamluk in East Midnapore. “The judges have seen the issue with humanity It’s not jus. tified to move the court every now and then to cancel someone’s job. We give jobs, we don’t take them away,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. Capital green breached on Africa Avenue without approval, NDMC to begin probe EXPRESS READ The BJP on Wednesday eased to victory in seven of 12 seats in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) bypolls, adding to its dominant win in the February Assembly election. It secured a vote share of 45.09%, while AAP and the Congress managed 34.97% and 13.44%, respectively. | P3 Now, it’s not hurting exports or inflation. I am not losing my sleep over it GOVT BLINKS, NIXES SANCHAR SAATHI FIAT nications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia sought to dispel privacy concerns saying the Sanchar Saathi app neither enables nor allows snooping. Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, he said that the ministry is open to revising the installation order based on feedback. In the original order on November 28, the telecom ministry had directed every manufacturer and importer of mobile handsets to ensure the Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup. Phone makers were given 90 days to preinstall the app. The order raised concerns with critics cautioning that pre-installation of gover nment apps, even if removable, could pave the way for routine state intrusion into personal devices and undermine online privacy . HC sets aside its order sacking 32,000 teachers in West Bengal S U B H E N D U M A I T I @ Kolkata LETTER WITHDRAWN A R S H A D K H A N @ New Delhi The UK team led by Dr Richard Beale of King’s College London reviewed 80-year-old Zia’s condition and assessed the treatment by the local medical team. The foreign doctors will work with the local team to help formulate an advanced treatment plan. Zia was admitted to a private hospital in Dhaka on November 23 with infections of heart and lungs | P9 NDMC’s green belts form a network of gardens, parks, and public green spaces, including iconic locations such as Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park, and Central Park in Connaught Place. The corporation has been promoting urban greening through planting more trees to improve air quality. A D I T I R AY C H OW D H U RY @ New Delhi A private firm reportedly uprooted a green belt stretch and damaged an adjacent footpath on Africa Avenue in Sarojini Nagar on Wednesday, officials claimed. The stretch is maintained by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC). The site is located on the main road opposite Shaheed Sudhir Tyagi Marg in the Sarojini Nagar area. According to sources, the firm allegedly installed a gate in the area and created a path to allow vehicular entry. NDMC authorities have been notified, and a detailed enquiry into the incident is underway . “Without permission, the firm uprooted the green belt and broke the footpath on Africa Avenue and installed a big gate there,” said a source. Officials confirmed the ex- tent of the damage, saying, “The whole footpath and green belt have been damaged, and the new gate has been installed on the main road by breaking the boundary wall.” The civil department has acknowledged the incident and said an enquiry is in progress. NDMC’s green belts form a network of gardens, parks, and public green spaces across the city, including iconic locations such as Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park, and Central Park in Connaught Place. The corporation has been promoting urban greening through initiatives to plant more trees to improve air quality . Earlier this year, the NDMC was awarded the top position in the “Super Swachh League” of t h e S w a ch h S u r ve k s h a n Awards, in the category of cities with populations between 50,000 and three lakh. 19th century ‘Wicked Queen’ rerun in Panipat: Woman kills 4 kids for their good looks H A R P R E E T BA J WA @ Chandigarh HARYANA Police has solved the mystery of killing of a sixyear-old girl in Panipat’s Naultha village, and, with it, unearthed the shocking details of a “wicked aunt”, whose crimes matched the deeds of “Wicked Queen” in the 19th century German fairy tale Snow White. Like the Wicked Queen, Panipat’s wicked aunt wanted to be the “fairest in the land” and al- legedly ended up killing three young children for taking attention away from her. The police have arrested Poonam, in her mid-30s, who is accused of murdering her sixyear-old niece by drowning her in a tub of water on Monday when the entire family had gathered for a wedding function in the village. Sources say she killed the child because she did not want anyone to look more beautiful than her. The accused had allegedly killed three other children earlier, including her own son in 2023, whom she had murdered the same way as her niece, said the police. Poonam is the paternal aunt of the six-year-old child, who lived in Panipat and had gone to Naultha with her grandparents, parents and 10-month-old brother. The police said that on the day of wedding, everyone got busy when the procession arrived and the little girl went missing. Her parents and All 4 children found drowned in shallow water In each case, the death took place in a similar manner, with the children found drowned in shallow water. She targeted three girls she thought as more beautiful than her and, reportedly, celebrated after each murder. grandparents started searching for her in the relative’s house where they had gone for the weeding. They found the child’s body in a tub on a first floor room. At first sight, it looked an accident. However, the police cracked the case in 36 hours, which found the accident theory suspicious. Upon relentless questioning, Poonam confessed to killing the child, and, more shockingly, she confessed to killing four other children, which included three girls and her own son. The police said that Poonam allegedly killed her sister-in-law’s daughter in the nearby Bohad village in 2023 and later drowned her own son to avoid attracting suspicion. Subsequent murders occurred at her maternal home. In August this year, Poonam allegedly murdered another girl in the Siwah village.