BBMP Special Investigation Teams start inspecting quality of civic projects sanctioned in Bengaluru by BJP government
The Hindu
The Urban Development Department (UDD) had set up four SITs on August 5. The teams are headed by Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh (Solid Waste Management), Amlan Aditya Biswas (Road Development), P.C. Jaffar (stormwater drain) and Vishal R. (Lake Development).
The special investigation teams (SITs) formed by the Karnataka government to probe civic works sanctioned between 2019-20 and 2022-23, during the tenure of the BJP, have started inspecting the quality of works in Bengaluru.
According to a senior official in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic body has been transferring files pertaining to these projects to the teams. On September 15, a large tranche of files relating to the Road Infrastructure Department was handed over to the SIT team headed by Bengaluru Regional Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas.
The teams have asked more time to probe the matter.
The Urban Development Department (UDD) had set up four SITs on August 5. The teams are headed by Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh (Solid Waste Management), Amlan Aditya Biswas (Road Development), P.C. Jaffar (stormwater drain) and Vishal R. (Lake Development).
On August 18, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar held a close-door meeting with SIT heads, when they had sought more time.
According to a senior IAS official, besides going through files the teams have started visiting sites to inspect the work implemented on the ground. The probing officers are specifically looking into quality of work. The team was also tasked to look into generation of fake bills and illegalities during approval of works, if any.
“Writing, in general, is a very solitary process,” says Yauvanika Chopra, Associate Director at The New India Foundation (NIF), which, earlier this year, announced the 12th edition of its NIF Book Fellowships for research and scholarship about Indian history after Independence. While authors, in general, are built for it, it can still get very lonely, says Chopra, pointing out that the fellowship’s community support is as valuable as the monetary benefits it offers. “There is a solid community of NIF fellows, trustees, language experts, jury members, all of whom are incredibly competent,” she says. “They really help make authors feel supported from manuscript to publication, so you never feel like you’re struggling through isolation.”
Manoj Kumar, a talented artist with a disability, paints vibrant murals at Sabarimala, narrating the story of Lord Ayyappa.
Lieutenant General Karanbir Singh Brar assesses operational readiness and administrative effectiveness in Hyderabad and Secunderabad military facilities.
Supreme Court ruling on socialism, secularism
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.
Tamil Nadu rain weather LIVE updates: Follow The Hindu’s live coverage of the Tamil Nadu rains on November 27, 2024
Norway parliament apologises to Sami and other minority groups for assimilation policies
Nearly 50% of Dakshina Kannada’s shoreline has been eroded, the highest among the three coastal districts of Karnataka, according to a study for the period 1990-2018 by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
Sambhal mosque controversy
The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on November 27, 2024
Bengaluru publishers face backlash over new quality affidavit rule for pending dues, sparking demands for fairness and transparency.