FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS VOL. XXXX NO. 254 | INDORE | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | PAGES 16 r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; `3 r RNI No. 38281/83 QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in - ‘YEAH AAJKAL KE BACCHE’: ROHIT LAUDS YOUNGSTERS OVER INDIA'S RECORD WIN AGAINST ENGLAND NATION WORLD NAVALNY'S WIDOW VOWS TO CONTINUE HIS FIGHT WEATHER EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE 32.40c. 18.10c Sunrise : 06.56 Sunset : 06.25 A BIOPIC UNMATCHED CINEMA INDORE'S SARAFA TO LOSE ITS CULTURAL MIDNIGHT CHAUPATI SHOCK! HARDA’S FEB 6 BLAST THAT KILLED 12 & INJURED AROUND 200 FORCES A RETHINK OUR STAFF REPORTER Indore Indoreans get ready for the biggest cultural shock. Period. The famous Sarafa market of Indore is set to lose its midnight sheen - a tradition which is almost 127 years old. There will no more be hustle bustle during night hours, no calls asking visitors to try their dishes and satiate their taste buds. In fact, the entire Sarafa market will fall silent and shrouded in darkness after Sun set. And, the Sarafa chaupati would walk into the pages of history . On Monday, Sarafa Association and Sarafa Chaupati Association sounded a death knell for the midnight food street as both consented to the proposal of shifting it to some other place. They gave their consent in a meeting of the committee constituted to decide chaupati's fate apprehensive of a repeat of Harda like incident due to extensive use of LPG cylinders. A blast in firecracker factory in Harda on February 6, 2024 had left 13 dead and around 200 injured. The panel is likely to submit its recommendation to higher officials of Indore Municipal Corporation and the final call will be taken by its who's who. During the meeting, committee members suggested that the Sarafa Chaupati be shifted to Lalbagh, Harsiddhi, Gandhi Hall or Sanjay Setu. The committee chairman and members suggested changing the location of Chaupati, out of which places like Lalbagh, Harsiddhi, Gandhi Hall, Sanjay Setu could be selected. Space would be allotted to registered chaupati shopowners. The IMC would take care of parking and other facilities at the new location. By shifting to a new location, Sarafa shops can also be kept open even during the night hours. Sources said that in the past, food was prepared outside and then brought and sold in Sarafa Chaupati. Currently, the situation has witnessed a sea change. Now, the food is prepared on the spot in Sarafa Chaupati. LPG cylinders are installed and removed raising the threat of gas leakage. Besides, most of the shop owners use three-mouth nozzles to connect different burners with one cylinder TIMING A BIG ISSUE The timing of Sarafa Chaupati is after 9 pm. However, shopkeepers start preparing their shops from 7 pm, even though the Sarafa traders down their shutters for the day at 9pm. This clash of timing leads to unnecessary crowd and hap-hazard parking in the area.Besides, closing time too has extended from 11:30 pm to 2 am resulting in heavy crowd till the wee hours of the day causing inconvenience to local residents. 200 SHOPS UNAUTHORISED It is noteworthy that only 80 shops are registered for Sarafa Chaupati. The remaining 200 shops are unauthorized. The initial traditional food has been outnumbered by Chinese and fast food items. With Sarafa & Sarafa Chaupati Assns agreeing to shifting, Indore set to lose date with around 127-yr-old tradition thus heightening the threat of a mishap. During the meeting, officials cited narrow chaupati street, huge crowd and plying of two-wheelers as major hurdles in case of any tragedy. Besides, owing to narrow lanes, fire brigade too would not be able to reach the chaupati owing to narrow lanes and bylanes. Besides, possibility of laying Avantika Gas Company's pipeline for chaupati too has been ruled out. However, pipeline would be laid for artisans making jewellery in the market behind the Sarafa market. NATH’S DEAL WITH KAMAL WILTS, TO STAY WITH CONG NEWS BRIEF Shanties in Outer Delhi gutted NEW DELHI: Nearly 130 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in a slum area near Shahbad Dairy in outer Delhi, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said on Monday. No casualty was reported in the blaze that broke out on Sunday night. Fire officials said they received a call regarding the fire at 10.17 pm on Sunday. "A total of 15 fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was doused completely. No one was injured in the incident. Nearly 130 shanties were gutted," the official said. Priyanka discharged from hospital NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi who was admitted to Sir Gangaram Hospital in New Delhi after a complaint of dehydration and stomach infection has been discharged after the treatment, sources said on Monday. FOLLOWERS DEVELOP cold feet at the eleventh hour NITENDRA SHARMA city.bhopal@fpj.co.in BHOPAL: Former chief minister Kamal Nath’s deal with the BJP has fallen through. So he had to step back from switching over to the ruling party . The terms and conditions, put up by Nath before the BJP leadership for joining the party, were right away turned down. Because the BJP leadership did not consider his demands, the legislators supporting Nath also backpedalled. THE STUMBLING BLOCKS Sources said that Nath wanted tickets for Lok Sabha seats for some former ministers and tickets for assembly seats for legislators with whom he was going to join the BJP SECOND BIG BLOW IN POLITICAL CAREER Former chief minister Kamal Nath has received the second big jolt in his political career after 27 years. Before this, when he was found involved in Jain Hawala case in 1996, Nath fielded his wife Alka Nath from Chhildwara Lok Sabha constituency. After he had been acquitted of the case, he asked his wife to resign, and he fought the Lok Sabha by-election from Chhindwara. Although the Congress was ruling the state Nath lost to Sunderlal Patwa. This was his first political defeat. Nath has crafted a difficulty for himself by creating an atmosphere that he was going to join the BJP And this is palpable in . Chhindwara. Against this backdrop, Nath had no other alternative but to stay put with the Congress. The statements of Nath and his close aides in the past two days hinted at Nath’s talks with the BJP . Immediately after the deal failed, Nath said the party high command had prevented him from defecting to the BJP So gave up the idea of . quitting his parent party. According to sources, Nath was holding talks with the senior leaders of the BJP, craving for some assurances from the BJP’s top leadership as Jyotiraditya Scindia did before defecting to the ruling dispensation. Apart from giving a ticket to Nakul Nath from Chhindwara, the BJP leaders rejected his demands. CONTD. ON P8 CHANDIGARH MAYORAL POLL Horse trading is taking place: SC SEEKS ballot papers, video of counting day WANTS RO to be prosecuted NEW DELHI: Observing that "horse-trading is taking place", the Supreme Court has said it would peruse on Tuesday the ballot papers of the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the entire video-recording of the counting day, and directed the registrar general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to depute a judicial officer to bring the records safely to Delhi. The top court, on February 5, rapped Returning Officer Anil Masih, who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that Anil Masih it was obvious that he had defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to "murder" and a "mockery" of democracy A bench headed . by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed the Chandigarh administration on Monday to provide security to the judicial officer, to be appointed by the high court, to ensure the safety of the officer and the records. CONTD. ON P8 3 AAP COUNCILLORS SWITCH TO BJP CHANDIGARH: In a dramatic turn of events, while the newly elected Chandigarh mayor Manoj Sonkar, who belonged to BJP resigned from , the post, three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors switched to BJP here late Sunday night. The three councillors were Neha Musawat, Poonam and Gurcharan Kala who hopped over to BJP in the presence of party general secretary Vinod Tawde at his residence in Delhi, while Sonkar’s resignation amply suggested, the developments aimed at paving the way for fresh polls. ‘Nakul to contest LS poll from Chhindwara on Cong ticket’ OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Former chief minister Kamal Nath is not leaving the Congress party and his son Nakul Nath is going to contest Lok Sabha election from Chhindwara constituency on a Congress ticket, said former minister Sajjan Singh Verma to media, in New Delhi on Monday. Verma’s remarks came amid growing speculation that Kamal Nath and his member of parliament son, Nakul Nath, may cross over to the ruling BJP. Talking to reporters after meeting Nath at his residence in New Delhi, Verma said he had a detailed discussion with Nath, who told him that he would soon hold a meeting in Bhopal to ensure the success of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. "He (Nath) told me; “I will call all the in-charges of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee and discuss the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. I asked about the media speculation about him, to which he said why should I answer an imaginary question'," Verma said. "I do not think I need to answer such imaginary questions. I did not tell any media person that I was quitting (the Congress) or compromising with the BJP. In that case, I would have given a reply, but why should I answer an imaginary question?" said Verma, quoting Nath. He said the question of Nath leaving the grand old party does not arise. WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS 2024 India stands below Maldives, Saudi Arabia NEW DELHI: France, Germany , Italy Japan, Singa, pore and Spain have the world's most powerful passports. Allowing visa-free entry to 194 global destinations, these nations have occupied the top slot on the latest Henley Passport Index. These nations are followed by Finland, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, which have visa-free access to 193 nations.