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Friday, March 29, 2019
Thursday, March 28, 2019
'Income Tax Dept DG is corrupt, working as a BJP stooge': CM HD Kumaraswamy
The CM and several Congress leaders staged a protest outside the I-T Dept’s office on Thursday alleging that the BJP was misusing constitutional agencies for political gains.
On Thursday, the Income Tax officials went knocking on the doors of several influential politicians, businessmen and government officials in Karnataka. Late on Wednesday night, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy told the media that Income Tax officials would raid the homes of JD(S) leaders and their associates. Within a few hours, the I-T officials conducted search and survey operations across 28 locations in Bengaluru, Mandya, Hassan, Shivamogga and Kanakapura. The Congress-JD(S) coalition has dubbed the raids as a political move by the BJP, which was indulging in “revenge politics” in order to “scare away” opposition parties. In order to express their outrage, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Congress legislative party chief Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao, Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar held a protest outside the Income Tax Department’s office in Bengaluru. Dubbing the DG and IG of the Income Tax Department of Goa and Karnataka — Balakrishna as a BJP stooge, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy alleged that the chief of the I-T Department was corrupt. “The director who is here is not an honest officer. I know how many flats he owns in Mumbai and how he misused his power for personal gains. I am asking him not to be BJP’s agent… The leaders at the Centre have held backroom talks with him and promised him governorship after retirement,” Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy alleged. Kumaraswamy also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah were using the state machinery and constitutional institutions to target opposition parties. Kumaraswamy also alleged that PM Modi and Amit Shah were on their way to change the Constitution of India. “Ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre, Narendra Modi has been misusing constitutional agencies. They are on their way to change the Constitution of India framed by Ambedkar and establish a dictatorship. We are not against Income Tax raids. We are against the fact that the purpose of the raids is to target opposition parties. That is what we are protesting,” Kumaraswamy added. Speaking to the media during the protest, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned why the CRPF was brought in for the raids and why the state police force was not intimated about the I-T Department’s search operation. “When I-T raids are conducted, the state police protection is requested. Why was CRPF brought in? The country’s institutions are under threat. When a month ago, BJP leaders tried to bribe legislators with crores of rupees, did the I-T officers take note of it? Were they sleeping? Has it not come to their notice? Why have they not questioned how these leaders are getting the money to offer bribes? How many BJP leaders’ homes have been raided? A local BJP leader sends lists to Amit Shah. That list is forwarded to the I-T department, which conducts raids,” Siddaramaiah added. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy also stated that the EC had seized Rs 2 crore in Shivamogga last week and had handed over the case to the I-T Department, which has not announced the leaders who were being investigated. Hinting that the money belonged to a BJP leader, Kumaraswamy said, “In Hosanagar, election officers seized Rs 2 crore cash and handed over the case to the Income Tax Department. Why have you not publicised whose money it was? EC seized Rs 1.5 crore near Vidhana Soudha last week right. Why is I-T Dept not investigating whose money it was? They are indulging in petty politics to cow down the opposition parties.” Recalling the illegal mining scam involving Janardhana Reddy and BJP leaders, which had shaken the state in 2011, Kumaraswamy said that “time and again” BJP leaders have “indulged in corrupt practices”. “Everyone knows how corrupt BJP leaders in the state are. We all know how the BJP looted the state. They flew in officials in airplanes and booked 300 Ola cabs for them to conduct raids. The media is saying that Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is scared. My door is always open. Send anyone. I will welcome them,” Kumaraswamy added.
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Bengaluru’s Namma Metro raises minimum balance for smart card to Rs 50
“People were misusing the minimum balance,” said BMRCL justifying the hike in the minimum balance.
If you’re a citizen of Bengaluru and use the metro regularly, you most probably have a smart card that you use. However, commuters now need to have a minimum balance of Rs 50 on their cards when they enter a station, according to new rules which came into effect on Wednesday evening. “In order to avoid inconvenience to the metro commuters for topping up the contactless smart card at the destination stations, the minimum balance on the card henceforth has to be a minimum of Rs 50 at the originating station. This has come into effect from the evening of 27th March 2019,” the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which runs the Namma Metro, said in a press release. It also asked commuters top up their cards online. The minimum balance was earlier at Rs 8.50. “People were misusing the minimum balance. There was a recurring problem as some people always used to travel with low balance and claim that ‘I don’t have money’ or ‘I don’t have cash or card’ at the destination station. Often there would be altercations between the metro staff and commuters. This would also cause inconvenience to other metro users,” Yashwant Chavan, BMRCL’s chief spokesperson told TNM. “Daily we would get minimum 22-25 complaints about these at our customer care centres. Now with Rs 50 you can travel without any hassles. Often, we would allow customers to go without paying on humanitarian grounds but this started being a daily affair. Even metro staff often would pay on customer’s behalf,” he added. The announcement, which caught many commuters unaware, also did not go down well on social media. Commuters wanted to know what would happen to the last Rs 50 on their metro card, and why the minimum balance was so high when a ride to the next station costs only Rs 8.50, with one person even calling it a “daylight robbery”. Many were also annoyed with the metro for not being informed about the change earlier and landed up at the metro station with a smart card balance which was less than Rs 50. @cpronammametro this is utter nonsense y we citizen to keep balance of min 50 rupees where minimum 1 station to another station charge is 8.5 rupees. — Naveen (@Naveensnayaka) March 27, 2019 This is nothing but forceful imposition. What's the strategical reason ehind this?? I condemn and oppsoe tis move from @cpronammametro if you need funds it's better to make RS.100 for the cards @CMofKarnataka sir plz look into this and request to give instructions to the concerns — Deepak Gandhadagudi (@deepakgudi) March 28, 2019 Wait, what logic is this? How do i use the last ₹50 in my metro card? — Sea Star, The Chowkidar (@echino_derm) March 27, 2019 This move is not acceptable. You already had charged Rs.50 for the smart card and now keeping our Rs.50. This is daylight robbery. I protest and demand immediate withdrawal of this misstep — Murlidhar (@murlibhat) March 28, 2019
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I-T raids on K'taka Minister CS Puttaraju: CM Kumaraswamy calls it revenge politics
I-T sources say that the officials had received concrete information that Puttaraju had stashed away crores of rupees at his ancestral home in Mandya.
In the early hours of Thursday, Income Tax officials conducted a search and seizure operation at the homes of Minor Irrigation Minister CS Puttaraju and his relatives. The operations were carried out just hours after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that over 300 I-T officials along with CRPF jawans were en route to Mandya to conduct raids on JD(S) leaders. I-T sleuths who came in several vehicles during entered CS Puttaraju’s ancestral home at his home town Chinakurali in Mandya’s Pandavapura. They also conducted search and seizure operations at the home of Puttaraju’s nephew Ashok located in Mysuru city’s Vijayanagar area. Ashok is a contractor for national and state highway works. Income Tax sources say that Puttaraju’s close aide Ramesh, another class 1 contractor, may also face search operations due to his close proximity with the minister. Income Tax department sources said that the raids were conducted based on concrete information that huge amounts of cash were being kept at the homes of Puttaraju and his supporters. “The department gathered information that over Rs 40 crore cash was being kept at Puttaraju’s house, which was being used for election purposes. The search operations were conducted to see whether the money is accounted for, and how the minister procured the cash. We also received information that the money was brought in to distribute it to voters,” the I-T source said. Search and Seizure operations are underway at the homes of several class one contractors and close associates of Public Works Department Minister HD Revanna in Hassan, too, sources said. The sleuths conducted raids on the Public Works Department office and the homes of PWD officials in Hassan district. The I-T searches sparked protests by Puttaraju's followers who had gathered at Chinakurali and shouted slogans against the BJP government. Speaking to media, Puttaraju said that the raids were political and targeting JD(S) leaders. He also blamed independent candidate from Mandya LS seat, Sumalatha Ambareesh. “The BJP believes that the raids will help the candidate they are supporting. If the BJP believes this, then they are just dreaming,” CS Puttaraju said. Puttaraju is one of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s most trusted lieutenants and is also a member of Kumaraswamy’s coterie of advisors. Puttaraju was put in charge of handling the election campaign of Nikhil Gowda, the Chief Minister’s son, who is the Congress-JD(S) coalition’s candidate for Mandya. “Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi is misusing the Income Tax Department to threaten the political leaders of Karnataka from JD(S) and Congress during election time. They have planned to conduct I-T raids on our important leaders. This is nothing but revenge politics. We will not be cowed down by this,” Kumaraswamy had tweeted on Wednesday night. The Chief Minister on Thursday dubbed the I-T raids surgical strikes by the Prime Minister and accused Income tax officers of corruption. “PM Narendra Modi’s real surgical strike is out in the open through I-T department raids. The Constitutional post offer for I-T officer Balakrishna helped the PM in his revenge game. Highly deplorable to use govt machinery, corrupt officials to harass opponents during election time,” he alleged, referring to the DG of Income Tax departments for Karnataka and Goa, who was promoted during the Modi regime. The Chief Minister had Wednesday warned that he would follow what his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee did to counter the alleged 'misuse' of central agencies. Mamata Banerjee had staged a "Save the Constitution" dharna between February 3 to 5 in Kolkata after the CBI's failed bid to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with chit fund cases. Congress and JD(S) party workeres also announced that they would stage a protest outside the Income Tax Department's office in Bengaluru later in the day.
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K’taka MPs utilised 79.3% of MPLADS funds, Sreeramulu who resigned early spent most
BJP's Sreeramulu who resigned to contest in the Assembly polls emerged at the top by utilising 96.52% of allotted funds.
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Karnataka's 28 lawmakers of the 16th Lok Sabha on the average utilised 79.3% of the funds released to them under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) during their five-year term from 2014 to 2019, said the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. "Of the Rs 452.50 crore cumulative funds released by the Central government for the 28 parliamentary constituencies, Rs 358.70 crore was spent, which is 79.3%," said the Ministry in a report. As each member has entitled to Rs 25 crore for five years at the rate of Rs 5 crore per year, the cumulative entitlement for 28 of them was Rs 700 crore. Cumulative funds, including the interest available with the respective districts, were Rs 465.40 crore, the cumulative amount recommended by the members for various works was Rs 500.83 crore and the cumulative amount sanctioned by the respective districts was Rs 438.31 crore. "Of the Rs 465.40 crore cumulative funds with the 30 districts in the state, Rs 106.71 crore was the cumulative unspent amount," said the report. Under the scheme, as the members role is limited to recommending the works, the respective district is responsible to sanction, execute and complete the works within the stipulated period. Of the 28 MPs elected in May 2014, 17 belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 9 to the Congress and 2 to the JD(S). BR Sreeramulu of the BJP emerged at the top by utilising 96.52 per cent (Rs 16.89 crore) of the funds (Rs 17.80 crore) released, with Rs 91 lakh as unspent amount in his Bellary constituency. JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda utilised 95.49 per cent (Rs 11.94 crore) of the funds (Rs 12.69 crore), with Rs 76 lakh as unspent amount in his Hassan constituency. Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadannda Gowda of the BJP utilised 86.08 per cent (Rs 17.22 crore) of the funds (Rs 20.30 crore), with Rs 3.08 crore as unspent amount in his Bangalore North seat. Union Minister of State for Skill Development Ananth Kumar Hegde of the BJP utilised the least -- 62.73 per cent (Rs 7.84 crore) of the funds (Rs 12.76 crore) -- with Rs 4.92 crore as unspent amount in his Uttara Kannda constituency on the state's west coast region. BJP members BS Yeddyurappa from Shimoga and BR Sreeramulu from Bellary (ST) and JD(S( member C Puttaraju from Mandya resigned on being elected to the state assembly in the May 12, 2018 elections. As a result, bye-election was held in November 2018, in which the BJP lost the Bellary seat to V.S. Ugrappa of the Congress, while Yeddyurappa's son BY Raghavandra won for the BJP to retain the Shimoga seat. JD(S) too retained the Mandya seat with its candidate LR Shivarame Gowda winning. The scheme was formulated in December 1993 to enable elected members of Parliament to recommend development works in their constituencies with a view to creating durable assets based on locally felt needs. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been administering the scheme since October 1994.
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Narrow escape for passengers in Bengaluru as BMTC bus topples on flyover
Thirteen of the 30 passengers in the bus were injured in the incident.
Passengers in a BMTC bus had a narrow escape after it toppled on its left side on a flyover in Rajajinagar on Wednesday. Thirteen of the 30 passengers in the bus were injured in the incident. The incident took place when the bus operating on route number 180A was travelling on the flyover on West of Chord Road in Rajajinagar and hit the ramp of the flyover. Those injured in the incident included 72-year-old Mohana VN from RT Nagar. She was kept under observation in the ICU where she is reported to be out of danger. The bus driver Ninje Gowda reportedly lost control of the bus and the front wheel went up the divider causing the bus to fall. “We have taken up a case against him. But as he too is injured and admitted to hospital, we are waiting for him to recover before we arrest him and investigate further,” an officer said speaking to The New Indian Express. Meanwhile, it was also reported that the incident happened after the bus driver tried to save the life of a biker in his path. “Initial statements from the bus crew indicate that the incident happened when the driver tried to save the life of a biker. However, an investigation is on. The bus crew were injured and are undergoing treatment,” said a BMTC official speaking to The Hindu. The accident halted traffic on West of Chord Road, especially since it occurred at the start of the flyover.
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Parking ban around Chinnaswamy Stadium during IPL matches in Bengaluru
The ban on parking begins at 2 pm and extends up to 11:30 pm on Thursday ahead of the Royal Challengers-Mumbai Indians match.
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Bengaluru traffic police have banned parking all kinds of vehicles on the roads around Chinnaswamy Stadium ahead of the Indian Premier League match on Thursday. As per a report in Times of India, parking will not be allowed on Queens Road (from Balekundri Circle to Queens Circle), MG Road (from Anil Kumble Circle to Queens Circle), Link Road (from MG Road to Cubbon Road), Rajbhavan Road, T Chowdaiah Road and Race Course Road, Central Street, Cubbon Road (from CTO Circle to Dickenson Road). The ban on parking begins at 2 pm and extends up to 11.30 pm. In addition, all vehicles other than BMTC buses are prohibited on Cubbon Road (from Kamaraja Road to Dickenson Road), St Marks Road (from Cash Pharmacy to Anil Kumble Circle), Museum Road (from MG Road to St Marks Road), Ashirvadam Circle, Kasturba Road (from Queens Circle to Hudson Circle), Mallya Hospital Road (from Siddalingaiah Circle to RRMR Circle), inside Cubbon Park, Kings Road, in front of Press Club, Balbhavan Road up to Fountain Junction, Lavelle Road (from Queens Circle to Vittal Mallya Road), Vittal Mallya Road (from Siddalingaiah Circle to Bishop Cotton Girls' School), the newspaper reported. Auto rickshaws will also be barred from 5 pm to 11.30 pm on Queens Road, from Traffic Headquarters Junction to Queens Circle, Cubbon Road, from BRV Junction to CTO Circle and MG Road from Anil Kumble Circle to Queens Circle. People arriving to watch the cricket match at Chinnaswamy Stadium can park vehicles at St Joseph's Indian School Ground and UB City Parking Lot, first floor of BMTC depot, Shivajinagar bus stand. Parking for KSCA members is at St. Joseph's European School, as per the paper. Metro services have already been extended to 12:30 am for matchdays in the city. Royal Challengers of Bangalore (RCB) take on Mumbai Indians in its second game of the IPL season on Thursday.
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