BHUBANESWAR l sunday l december 28, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l LATE CITY EDITION Gone in two days: eNGLAND WIN Boxing Day ASHES tEST As Ben Stokes and Co beat Australia in the fourth Test within two days, Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch has come under the scanner visitors end 18-match winless streak in Oz Having already lost the series, England ended an 18-match winless streak in Australia and beat the home side by four wickets in the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG on Saturday. After Perth, where the visitors lost in two days, this was yet another two-day finish in the series. It was the first time since 1912 that multiple two-day results have occured in a series | P11 ■ 4th Not a good look for Test cricket ■ Both Ben Stokes and Steve Smith expressed concern over the quality of the pitch, which had about 10 mm grass at the start of the match. As many as 20 wickets fell on Day 1 and another 16 on Day 2 Only 852 balls were bowled in the Melbourne Test - the tenth fewest in a completed match - only five more than the Perth Test Two-day Test ever in AUSTRALIA so far CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Cong to launch nationwide ‘save Green sticker norm for vehicles from Feb: Min MGNREGA’ movement from Jan 5 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar At CWC meet, first after Bihar drubbing, Rahul hopes the entire Oppn would join campaign p r ee t h a n a i r @ New Delhi Allu Arjun 11th accused in Pushpa 2 stampede E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Telugu star Allu Arjun has been named as the 11th accused in the chargesheet filed by the Hyderabad Police in the Sandhya Theatre stampede case. The incident, which occurred on December 4, 2024, claimed the life of 35-year-old M Revathi, while her nineyear-old son, Sritej, sustained critical injuries. Sritej continues to remain under treatment more than a year after the stampede. The chargesheet filed on December 24 says the incident was due to “serious lapses in planning, crowd control and security arrangements during the event”. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar confirmed that the chargesheet lists 23 accused, including Allu Arjun, his manager Josya Bhatla Santosh Kumar, another manager Sharath Chandra Naidu, fans’ association incharge Tatipamula Vinay Kumar, and his personal security guards Cheruku Ramesh and Sriramula Continued on P5 Raju.  The Congress on Saturday announced it will launch a nationwide mass movement from January 5 against the Centre’s attempts to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), drawing parallels with the pushback that led to the repeal of the three farm laws. The decision was taken at a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here, which also resolved to oppose any move to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural job scheme and to convert workers’ legally guaranteed rights into what the party termed a government dole. In a resolution, the CWC said the Congress would “protect MGNREGA and the rights of India’s workers” and would take the issue to “every last village” across the country . After a nearly three-hour CWC meeting, the first one after the Bihar poll debacle, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will lead the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Abhiyan’ from January 5, and a detailed plan will be announced soon under which rallies will be held across the country . In cryptic post, Digvijaya hails BJP Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, ahead of the CWC meeting in New Delhi on Saturday | Sekhar yadav Addressing a press conference, Kharge said MGNREGA was a visionary UPA legislation appreciated globally. The scheme was named after Mahatma Gandhi due to its impact, he said. “Repealing MGNREGA is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi,” he added, calling it an attack on the Right to Work. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP government, alleging that “the PM carried out a devastating attack on states and the poor, much like demonetisation.” He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “single- 20 injured in mob attack on popular rock band in B’desh A G E N CI E S @ Dhaka AT least 20 students were injured in a mob attack in Bangladesh that forced the cancellation of a concert by popular rock singer James, who has sung several hit Hindi film songs, organisers said. The incident occurred late on Friday night in Faridpur, amid a recent spate of attacks on cultural institutions. In recent weeks, organisations such as Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi in Dhaka have been vandalised. James’ concert was to mark the closing of Faridpur Zilla School’s 185th anniversary celebrations. The programme was scheduled late at night on a temporary stage within the school premises, news portal tbsnews.net reported. However, just before it was due to begin, a group of outsiders tried to force entry after being turned away, throwing bricks and stones and attempting to seize the stage. Students resisted the attackers, and at least 20 were injured by flying debris, according to organisers. However, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Azmir Hossain said the exact casualty count Congress MP Digvijaya Singh triggered a row Saturday after publicly praising the organisational strength of the BJP and RSS. In a post on X, Singh shared PM Narendra Modi’s old picture seated near L K Advani, and said “... the grassroots ‘swayamsevak’ of RSS and worker of Jan Sangh @ BJP4India sat on the floor at the feet of leaders and became the CM of a state and PM? This is the power of the organization.” | P7 A videograb of the mob attack in Faridpur of Bangladesh that left fans injured at a rock concert was yet to be confirmed. “The number of injured in the attack is not yet known. We are trying to gather detailed information,” he said. Amid the volatile situation, organising committee convener Mustafizur Rahman Shamim cancelled the show on orders from the Faridpur district administration, The Daily Star reported. James, lead singer of Bangladeshi rock band Nagar Baul, has sung in several Bollywood films, including Gangster, Woh Lamhe, and Life in a... Metro. Rajibul Hasan Khan, convener of the programme’s publicity and media sub-committee, said the attack’s motives remained unclear. handedly destroying” the MGNREGA scheme without consulting his Cabinet or states and without studying the matter, terming it an attack on the democratic structure that will ruin the rural economy . The Congress, Rahul said, has vowed to resist the government’s action and expressed confidence that the entire Opposition would join the movement. He linked the decision to scrap MGNREGA to the decimation of Indian labour, saying it guaranteed a minimum floor below which labour could not fall. “It is going to cause tremen- dous pain to the weaker sections, to Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, poor general castes, and minorities,” Rahul alleged. In his opening remarks, Kharge alleged collusion between the BJP and the Election Commission of India and accused the government of misusing the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax department, and the CBI. Xmas decorations at Ahmedabad mall vandalised D i l i p S i ngh K s h at r i ya @ Ahmedabad @ Puri/Bhubaneswar In two incidents that shocked Puri, a servitor of a satellite temple of Srimandir was charged with misconduct with a women devotee while a 21-year-old differently-abled woman was allegedly raped at a village in Brahmagiri. In the first case, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, after a preliminary inquiry, directed the temple supervisor to file an FIR against the servitor of Nishanrusingh temple with Simhadwar police. The incident allegedly took place in the evening of December 24 when the woman visited Nishanrusingh temple and the young servitor misbehaved with her. The lady lodged a complaint with the temple administration. The temple administration conducted a preliminary inquiry and found that the original servitor of the satellite temple had deputed a express read GRIDCO moves OERC for amnesty scheme to settle old arrears Bhubaneswar: Faced with legacy arrear dues amounting to `6,425 crore receivable from erstwhile power distribution companies before takeover by Tata Power, the bulk power supplier GRIDCO has proposed the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) for introduction of an Amnesty Arrear Clearance Scheme (AACS) to give an opportunity to genuine consumers to settle long-pending dues in a transparent and equitable manner | P3 In the latest attack targeting Christmas celebrations in India, workers of a Hindu outfit vandalised decorations at a prominent shopping mall in Ahmedabad on Saturday . According to the police, four to five workers associated with a Hindu outfit entered the mall, located near Thaltej on Ahmedabad’s SG Highway, headed straight to the central atrium, and pulled down Christmas trees, causing panic among visitors. “They demanded that all Christmas trees and related decorations at the mall be removed immediately a police officer said. ,” The mall authorities tried to calm them and explained that the decorations were part of the year-end festivities. “Despite repeated requests, they vandalised the decorations, following which the police were informed,” the officer said. Those involved were detained on the spot and security inside the mall was briefly tightened. The incident comes amid reports of widespread attacks on Christmas celebrations in various parts of the country . Earlier this week, the Federation of Parents’ Associations, along with a saffron outfit, protested against Christmas celebrat i o n s a n d h o l i d ay s i n s ch o o l s i n Ahmedabad. W I T H T H I S I SS U E India’s Luxe Pilgrimages PLUS 12 PAGES Puri shocker: Divyang woman raped; devotee misbehaved E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e In a bid to strengthen enforcement of the amended Motor Vehicles Act and curb vehicular pollution, the Odisha government on Saturday announced that green stickers displaying compliances will become mandatory for all vehicles across the state from February . The Transport department will issue green stickers certifying that the vehicles have complied with the Motor Vehicles Act which include valid pollution under control certificate (PUCC), insurance, registration and fitness certificates, etc. Commerce and Transport minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena said the initiative is aimed at ensuring vehicles on the road comply with statutory requirements. While making it clear that action will be taken against vehicles found violating the prescribed norms from February 11, Jena said, “Pollution certificate, insurance and fitness certificate are mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act. These provisions are not new. It is unfortunate that people are panicking and resisting a rule that is meant to control pollution and protect public health.” The minister clarified that the government’s intent behind introducing green stickers is envi- ronmental protection and better compliance, not revenue generation. He urged all vehicle owners to ensure that all required documents are in place well before February, when the sticker will be enforced statewide. Raising serious concer ns about the manner in which pollution certificates are being issued, Jena said PUCCs are now being granted to both new and old vehicles without adequate scrutiny, which defeats the purpose of the system. “I have asked the officials for a detailed examination. If required, more number of PUCC centres will be opened to reduce rush and ensure accountability in the issuance of pollution certificates,” he said. On concer ns over heavy penalties, Jena assured that the state government would review the fines imposed since 2019. “The government does not want to collect fines from citizens unnecessarily We will dis. cuss the enhanced penalty being collected. The system will improve with the support of the public,” he said. Meanwhile, the State Transport Authority (STA) declared that vehicle owners can pay traffic e-challans both online and offline. Considering the difficulties faced by people with non-updated mobile numbers or limited access to the internet, RTOs have been instructed to accept cash payments as well. young man to perform his service who allegedly committed the crime. The temple is situated within the premises of the Shree Jagannath temple. The temple administration condemned the heinous crime and initiated actions through the police. It also issued an order that no devotee would be allowed to go to the Nishanrusingh temple until further orders. It also took a strong view of servitors deputising others to perform services on their behalf. In a press release, it said the matter would be addressed through the Nijogas (servitor associations). In the second incident, the victim lodged a complaint on Friday. Initial investigation revealed that the differently-abled woman was raped in her house by her neighbour. “The accused involved in the crime was arrested. A case was registered and a probe launched into the matter,” said Puri SP Prateek Continued on P5 Singh.  PADMA VIBHUSHAN RATAN N TATA 28.12.1937 - 09.10.2024 Remembering Ratan N Tata, an icon of industry and a humanitarian, on the occasion of his 88th birth anniversary. TATA SONS & TATA GROUP OF COMPANIES