IAS officer Munish Moudgil transferred after survey reforms in Karnataka

Bureaucracy

The decision to transfer Munish was taken after he implemented an interim measure to tackle the problem of clearing pending property survey requests.

TNM Staff

IAS officer Munish Moudgil, who was recognised by the Central government last week with the national award for e-governance, was transferred out as Commissioner of Survey, Settlement and Land Records on Thursday. Munish was posted as Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms. KV Trilok Chandra, who was previously Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamps will replace him.  As per reports, the decision to transfer Munish was taken after he implemented an interim measure to tackle the problem of clearing pending property survey requests. With 1.31 lakh survey requests pending for years and just 1,937 surveyors to work with, Munish deputed 97 surveyors to work for three months in different districts where the number of cases were higher. Sixty of them were sent to neighboring districts while others were posted in districts that were far from their homes and this appears to have made the government employees' association unhappy, Deccan Herald reported. Munish was looking for a solution to ease the waiting time for citizens to get their land records surveyed. Typically, a surveyor is handed 23 cases in a month. But if cases are pending, new applicants have to wait through a system in which a waiting queue number is generated. Currently at Hangal in Haveri, the waiting queue number is 1279 and in Athani it is 1064. In and around Bengaluru, the number is between 221-532. However, the IAS officer's solution to deputise personnel for three months in areas where waiting queue numbers are higher did not go down well with the state's government employees association. CS Shadakshari, President of the State Government Employee Association, met the Chief Minister to appeal for Moudgil’s transfer, Times of India reported. Munish was honoured just last week with the national award for e-governance for his over-the-counter issuance system for caste, income and residence certificates. He served in the post for four-and-a-half years.

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Bengaluru witnesses protest demanding more jobs for Kannadigas

Protest

The group had called for a bandh across Karnataka to support the bandh, however, only a few unions responded to the call.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Taxi drivers and members of various Kannada groups came together for a protest rally from the Bengaluru City Railway station to Freedom Park on Thursday. This was part of the 12-hour Karnataka bandh, called for by a coalition of pro-Kannada organisations demanding the implementation of the Sarojini Mahishi report. The report recommends job reservations for Kannadigas in the state. Initially, the police said that they had not granted any permission for the rally, however, the people began gathering at the City railway station. When enough numbers had gathered, the rally began at around 11.30 am towards Freedom park. The people walked all the way, shouting slogans, waving the Karnataka flag. Also among the crowd was a group of traditional Karnataka drummers, Dolu Kunitha. They played drums and danced to the beat as others joined in with the dancing. When the rally finally reached the Freedom park, they began speaking about their demand for the reservations, and played music. Speaking to TNM, Salim, a B.Com graduate who runs a water treatment plant in the city, says “I recently went to a private bank in the city, and they can’t speak Kannada and asked me to speak in English. I can’t speak English. What is the meaning of this? I don’t understand. I can’t use the services of the bank in my own language, in the capital city of my state? This just shows how other state people have taken jobs in the city. Whether it is Muslims, Dalits or others, Kannadigas are not getting jobs in Bengaluru. We demand that the jobs in the city are reserved for Kannadigas, or else where will we go for jobs? This is our hometown,” he adds. “I am a cab driver, and the people who take my cab  are 90% people who cannot even speak Kannada. This means that people from other places are coming here to work, and not picking up the language. There needs to be more Kannadigas working here, and we can only get that through reservations,” said Raghavendra, a driver who didn’t take any passengers and instead joined in the protest.

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New Karnataka minister accused in many cases of illegal mining, says it’s ‘not a problem’

Environment

The appointment of Anand Singh has drawn criticism from the opposition, including former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

TNM Staff

Anand Singh, a four-time MLA from Ballari district of Karnataka, was appointed as the Minister of Forest, Environment and Ecology, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Tuesday. But just days after the appointment, the decision was criticised by the opposition since Anand Singh is accused in as many as 15 illegal mining and forest crimes since 2012.  Anand Singh also has business interests in mining. He was initially made the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies on Monday but a day later he was handed a change in portfolio.  "Our family has been into mining for a long time. There will be cases of small violations, it is not a problem. If you own a motorbike, you will have cases against it. I am content with this portfolio," Anand Singh told reporters when he was questioned over his appointment on Thursday.  However, opposition is growing against the newly appointed minister. Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also objected to Singh's appointment as Forest Minister and termed the decision as "not right". "Modi ji and BJP again come to the rescue of ‘Bellary Gang’! S.C says give reasons for giving tickets to tainted Netas or contempt! Modiji says make tainted Netas not MLA’s alone but Ministers of the ministry, which has been allegedly looted! Will SC issue contempt of PM & Karnataka CM?," tweeted Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala. "Forest minister facing 15 cases under Forest act. @BSYBJP allotting forest ministry to Anandsingh is illegal since he has over dozen cases pending against him, including serious offenses under Karnataka Forest Act. How can a person charged with serious offences head the ministry?" the Karnataka Congress tweeted. Even a petition was posted on Change.org calling for the minister to be replaced immediately.  As per Anand Singh's latest election affidavit, there are 15 cases pending against him. The offences are under the Indian Penal Code and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act to be read with violations of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1969. He was, at one point, closely associated with infamous mining baron Janardhana Reddy, who is also from Ballari. Anand Singh was arrested twice for his involvement in the 2009 Ballari mining scam which rocked the then BJP government in power. In the mining scam, he is accused of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, criminal trespass and forgery. The case is currently under trial before a special court in Bengaluru.  He was arrested by CBI in 2013 connection with alleged illegal export of iron ore from Belikeri port in Karnataka. Singh was arrested in 2015 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Lokayukta on charges of illegal transportation of iron ore. In another case, a range forest officer in Hospet in Ballari accused Anand Singh of violating laws in reserved forest areas including altering boundary marks. Eleven of the fifteen cases are being prosecuted by a Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Lokayukta.  Anand Singh is accused of criminal conspiracy, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and dishonesty, and transport or movement of forest produce without permits and licences. Two of Singh's cabinet colleagues Laxman Savadi and C T Ravi had on Wednesday come out in his defence, stating that cases against him were still being probed and not proven. As per sources in the BJP, Anand Singh asked for a change in the portfolio after he was allocated the Food and Civil Supplies Department. Although he had his eye on the Energy Ministry, he was instead made the Minister of Forest, Environment and Ecology. Anand Singh left the Congress and joined the BJP in 2019 along with other rebel leaders to pave the way for the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy to fall and for the BJP to take power in the state.  With PTI inputs

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Sec 144 order issued by Bengaluru top cop ahead of anti-CAA protests illegal: HC

Court

Chief Justice of Karnataka HC Abhay Oka said that there was no indication of application of mind by the Police Commissioner of Bengaluru.

Theja Ram

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday held that the order issued by Bengaluru Police Commissioner imposing section 144 on December 18, 2019 ahead of the anti-CAA protests is illegal. Chief Justice Abhay Srinivas Oka, who passed the order, said that the Commissioner’s order does not stand the test of judicial scrutiny laid down by the Supreme Court in 2018. Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Rajeev Gowda, Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy, and others had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court on December 19 seeking the quashing of the order passed by the state government on December 18 that imposed Section 144 (prohibitory orders) ahead of massive anti-CAA protests in Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka. Section 144 was imposed just hours after permissions were given to hold the protests, leading many to question whether it was done deliberately to stifle freedom of expression. Ahead of issuing the order, Chief Justice Abhay Oka posed a number of questions to the Attorney General Prabhuling Navadgi, who filed objections to the petition on behalf of the state government: “Can an order under Section 144 cancel an already granted permission? Can the state go under the assumption that every protest will disturb the peace? When permission for carrying out protests was given to certain organisations, how can it be cancelled overnight?” “There is no indication of application of mind by the district magistrate, in this case, the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru. Exercise of power under Section 144 sub section 1 while passing the order was not at all legal. Whether the district magistrate had grounds to pass the order is not of concern in the matter but whether the order in itself stands to pass trial in a court of law,” he said. “The order is illegal and does not stand scrutiny in the court as per the parameters prescribed by the Supreme Court in the case of Anuradha Bhasin v/s the Union of India 2018,” CJ Oka added. The Attorney General representing the state government said that the Commissioner of Police had received reports from 11 Deputy Commissioners of Police stating that “anti-social elements” could create a ruckus during the protests planned on December 19, 2019, which is why Section 144 was imposed. Chief Justice Oka said that the reports from the 11 DCPs were not enough grounds for the Commissioner to pass the order as it violated Supreme Court orders. In the Anuradha Bhasin case, the Supreme Court had stated that the district magistrate must conduct an inquiry and also stipulate the material evidence and reasons or material particulars in the order while imposing section 144. He said that in the current case the Police Commissioner had not conducted an inquiry and had not mentioned material facts and neither were the Commissioner’s reasons for imposing Section 144 stated. “There is no indication of application of mind by the district magistrate in this instance. The reports submitted by the DCPs alone are not enough,” he added.

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Karnataka minister R Ashoka’s son was allegedly in car that mowed down a man

Crime

R Ashok neither confirmed nor denied that his son was involved in the accident, while the police said that his son was not at all involved in it.

TNM Staff

A Mercedes Benz car crashed into a tea stall on Monday near a petrol pump in Karnataka’s Hampi killing two people and injuring three others. Pictures of the red Mercedes’ hood in a completely mangled state went viral on Thursday after media reports emerged that the car was driven by Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka’s son, Sharath.  According to a report by Kannada newspaper Prajavani, the local police did not mention Sharat’s name in the FIR though he was driving the car, in a clear bid to shield him. The report also stated that Sharat fled the scene of the crime soon after the accident occurred in another car.  The car with license plate number KA05MW0357 was speeding along the national highway at around 2.45 pm on Monday. Ravi Nayaka had gone to the puncture shop located near the Durga petrol pump in Mariyammanahalli village. Ravi and Laxman Nayak were waiting for the punctured wheel of a two-wheeler to be repaired and were drinking tea at the Tippa Nayak Tea Stall when the speeding car rammed Ravi.  The Ballari police have denied this allegation, however eyewitnesses have told news channels that Sharath was in the car. Two men who witnessed the crash told Public TV, “The car tried to maneuver around a lorry that was parked on the side of the road but the driver lost control and rammed into Ravi. It dragged him for some distance and also toppled a board. An ambulance came later and took Ravi’s body. The car passenger’s body was taken by a new SUV that came to the scene later.” The reporter showed the men a picture of Sharath, and they both identified him as one of the people in the car.  The FIR, which TNM has a copy of, states that Rahul, a 29-year-old resident of Bengaluru’s Jalahalli was behind the wheel. The impact of the accident has grievously injured fellow passengers Shivakumar, Rakesh and Varun. Another passenger in the car, who was sitting in the front seat named Sachin died while he was being taken to the hospital at around 3.30 pm.  Soon after the allegations were made, Congress in Karnataka demanded that action be taken against Sharat. Congress National campaign in-charge Srivatsa said in a tweet, “This 18-yr old Dalit boy Ravi Naik was killed in the accident which is being hushed up by the Karnataka BJP to protect the Minister's son. Why is a VIP’s son being protected?” The Ballari police too are denying Sharath was in the car. Ballari Superintendent of Police (SP), CK Babu said that the investigators visited the scene of the accident and that Sharath was not involved in the crime. “There were only four people in the car. The minister’s son was not in it. We conducted a preliminary probe too when there were allegations but it is not true,” he added.  The car is registered to National Public School in Bengaluru. However, TNM was unable to get a response from the school.  R Ashoka, who spoke to the media after the photos of the car went viral, neither confirmed nor denied his son’s role in the accident. “There is no one above law and let the investigation continue. Whoever is wrong here, let action be taken,” he said. Speaking about the allegations that the police are shielding Sharath, Ashoka said,“The fact that I am a minister has no connection to this. Law is the same for all. As a minister, I should not react that that the incident happened in this way or that, when the investigation is still on. It is not respectful of the law and action will be taken on whoever it may be. The innocent people who died in the accident died between 3:30 and 4 pm.” When R Ashoka was asked why his son’s name came up with regards to the accident, he gave no clear answer. “I don’t want to intervene during an investigation. There is no connection between the car and me. There is no connection between that organisation and me. Investigation is on and I should not say “for” or “against”. If my son is hurt, it will be clear upon investigation.” Reporters repeatedly asked R Ashok whether his son was there during the accident, and where he is now, but he refused to disclose his whereabouts, or comment on whether his son was involved in the accident. “Repeatedly I am saying: when the investigation report comes, we will know. The media is saying my son is involved, let me not comment on it. Investigation is on. FIR has been registered from the family of the deceased. But it does not have my son's name. I have not claimed to any media person that my son is involved. That is not true,” he said. A video of the distraught grandmother of Ravi Nayak was shared on social media. In the video, she is heard wailing and asking “Ravi, where did go? When will you be back?” Grandmother of Ravi Nayak who was killed in Ballari accident on Monday. Revenue min R Ashoka refused to confirm or deny if his son was present when the accident took place pic.twitter.com/2kDjIdhSZ3 — Pooja Prasanna (@PoojaPrasanna4) February 13, 2020

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After commuters object, new parking fees at Bengaluru’s KSR Station to be reviewed

Transport

Passengers now have to pay Rs 232 to park their two-wheelers for a whole day, compared to the earlier fee of Rs 70 for parking for 24 hours.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/ Pixcy.com

A new parking fee structure at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station (Majestic) in Bengaluru marking a steep increase in fees has prompted unhappy reactions from commuters. The Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) which looks over the parking facility in the station has hiked the parking fees starting from January 25. Now, passengers have to pay Rs 232 to park their two-wheelers for a whole day, compared to the earlier fee of Rs 70 for parking for 24 hours. Parking for the first two hours is Rs 12 and every additional hour after that will cost Rs 10 per hour. Passengers who misplace their parking receipt will now have to shell out Rs 500. While the monthly pass for parking two-wheelers is Rs 1,000, the same for cars is Rs 3,000. The fee for car parking for the first two hours is Rs 25 and Rs 20 for every next hour for single users. New Parking Tariff including access control system at KSR Bengaluru Station w.e.f 00:00 hrs of 25.01.2020. https://t.co/E2TvkC2Wuf pic.twitter.com/88zB9Qw8i9 — IRSDC KSR Bengaluru (@IRSDC_Bangalore) January 28, 2020 The steep increase in fees has evoked sharp reactions from the public and has forced the authority to take note. IRSDC has assured that the fees will be reviewed in a week’s time. In a statement, it said, “IRSDC is working to rationalise the rates for parking at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station so as to promote short term parking and discourage long term parking through higher parking fee. This has been done with a clear intention of letting passengers find a parking place easily at the station as more than 90% of the users of parking facility has also been developing 'Drop & Go lanes with no charges for initial 5 to 15 minutes depending upon locations so that access to the station is made congestion-free are requiring parking only for short term use IRSDC.” It added, “The existing issues concerning public at KSR Bengaluru Railway Station, including that of parking rates, will be resolved within this week.” IRSDC is a joint venture company of Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways and Ircon International Limited (IRCON) (A Govt. of India Undertaking, under Ministry of Railways). Reacting to this, Sanjeev Dhyamanavar, a transport policy expert, said that due to a lack of stringent uniform policies for parking and unabated parking on the roads, this move by the Railways will not help much. “Since the facilities are the same, there is no way people will be convinced to pay more for the same facility. So people will gradually move to private facilities or even the nearby KSRTC/ BMTC bus stations if that offers more competitive pricing,” he said. He added, “If the railways provide additional facilities like CCTV surveillance or proper sheds, then people might see some merit in paying the increased fee. Moreover, in general, long-distance trains are usually late, so it does not make sense to penalise a railway user further.”  Sandeep Anirudhan, an activist also criticised the new fees. He said, “There seems to be a racket that goes on in Railways. Every now and then, they give out contracts to private parties to manage the parking, and the tickets are priced so high that it becomes unaffordable for people who use the facility. Very often, the parking tickets cost much more than the train fare. Who will use it then? If the Railways wishes to be popular, they should allow parking at nominal charges.” He added, “The Railways is not paying rent for the land, so they should not be interested in making profits out of this. And the private operator-officials nexus needs to be probed.”

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Residents watch helplessly as Bengaluru hutments razed due to pvt land dispute

Eviction

The residents have been fearful ever since the Varthur Police Inspector allegedly warned them of eviction last week.

Theja Ram

Fear gripped the residents of Bengaluru’s Munekolala slum located near Marathahalli on Thursday morning. The residents of the settlement stood helplessly as earthmovers demolished their hutments. The residents of the settlement located near Vagdevi School have been fearful of eviction ever since Varthur Police Inspector Obala Reddy allegedly warned them of eviction last week. However, police say that the demolition did not take place on any order from either the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) or the city police and that it occurred due to a private land dispute. Around 20 hutments were demolished before the police intervened and stopped the process. Why residents fear eviction “There was one earthmover and a man who called himself the manager of the landowner’s affairs. He said that he had been instructed to raze the structure by the landowner. Since the Varthur Police Inspector had threatened to demolish the settlement last week, and had accused the residents of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, we thought that we were being evicted just like the settlement in Whitefield last month,” said 65-year-old Lakshmi Shutar, a daily wage worker from Odisha, who lives in the settlement. The residents immediately called activist Khaleem of Swaraj India Party and informed him about the demolition. “I called the police at around 10 am and informed them that someone was demolishing the hutments. Initially, the residents told us that it was the police who were demolishing the hutments. Hence, we were concerned as it is against the recent High Court order,” Khaleem said. Read: Who demolished migrant huts claiming Bangladeshi infiltration? BBMP says it didn't Earlier in January, around 300 hutments at a settlement in Whitefield were demolished after a BBMP Assistant Engineer issued an order for the eviction of the residents there, claiming that they were Bangladeshi nationals. The Karnataka High Court had taken the BBMP to task and had, on February 10, issued an order that those who were evicted must be resettled. On February 5, residents of the Munekolala settlement had said that the Varthur Police Inspector had threatened to evict all settlements, and had allegedly called them illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. When activists approached the police, they had assured them that no demolition would take place. Read: 'Cop called us Bangladeshi, asked us to vacate': Settlement in Bengaluru fears eviction The land dispute Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Whitefield subdivision, MN Anucheth, tasked the Marathahalli Police to stop the demolition immediately. The Marathahalli Police, who went to the spot, stopped the earthmover from demolishing more houses.  “There is a half-acre plot opposite Vagdevi School where the settlement is located. The land belongs to a woman named Jayamma, who holds the required documents to prove ownership of the agricultural land. However, a local builder named Narayana Reddy has been fighting for the plot and he hired people and the earthmover to raze the settlements,” DCP Anucheth said. Marathahalli Police said that Sandeep, the manager who was on site, was arrested. Police say that Narayana Reddy wanted to usurp Jayamma’s property and that in order to do so, he planned to evict the settlement dwellers and then take over the property. “We arrested Sandeep, seized the earthmover and questioned him. He said he was only carrying out orders and did not know what was happening. We are tracking down Narayana Reddy,” the police added. An FIR has been registered at the Marathahalli Police Station against Narayana Reddy and Sandeep under Sections 427 (mischief causing damage to property), 441 (trespassing) and 425 (wrongful loss to individual or individuals’ property) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

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