Drug case: NCB may summon Deepika if needed; Jaya Saha quizzed
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), probing the alleged Bollywood-drug nexus, might summon actress Deepika Padukone if needed, while it again questioned actor Sushant Singh Rajput's talent manager Jaya Saha on Tuesday, officials said.
NCB sources said some WhatsApp conversations purportedly discussing drugs are on the radar of the agency.
Some of these chats were purportedly between Padukone's manager Karishma Prakash and one "D", they said.
An official said the NCB might also summon actors Rakul Preet Singh and Sara Ali Khan, and designer Simone Khambatta this week.
The central anti-drugs agency has already summoned Karishma Prakash and KWAN talent management agency's CEO Dhruv Chitgopekar, but the former could not appear before the agency on Tuesday due to ill-health.
"The NCB will first question Karishma Prakash and might summon actor Deepika Padukone if needed," the official said.
During the NCB's investigation into the drugs angle in Rajput's death case, a wider drug nexus in Bollywood surfaced.
Meanwhile, Rajput's talent manager Jaya Saha was questioned by the NCB for the second consecutive day on Tuesday and has been called again on Wednesday, another official said.
She was quizzed by the NCB in connection with alleged Bollywood-drugs nexus and later allowed to go home, he said.
Padukone's manager Prakash, who was summoned to join the investigation, did not appear before the NCB on Tuesday due to ill-health, the official said.
Prakash has been exempted from appearance before the anti-drug agency till Friday, he said.
Rajputs former manager Shruti Modi will be called for questioning on Thursday, the official said.
The drug law enforcement agency has so far arrested more than 12 people, including Rajput's girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, in connection with its probe linked to the case of the actor's death.
Rajput (34) was found hanging at his home in suburban Bandra on June 14.
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BWSSB to extract biogas from sewage sludge
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is set to roll out a major biogas initiative to extract compressed biogas from sewage sludge, aiming to generate over Rs 120 crore in additional revenue over the next two decades.
The project approved by the state cabinet is expected to be the largest of its kind in the country, utilising about 550 MLD of sewage across five major sewage treatment plants, according to an official release.
"This brilliantly structured PPP model allows us to generate over Rs 120 crore in fresh revenue without investing a single rupee in capital or operations," BWSSB Chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said in the statement.
Under the project, raw biogas currently used for in-house power generation or flared will be upgraded to CBG meeting national standards for injection into the city gas distribution network or use as a clean transport fuel, the release said.
The initiative will be executed on a public-private partnership model, with the private concessionaire bearing the entire Rs 85 crore capital expenditure and operational costs, while BWSSB will provide land within treatment plant premises.
Describing it as a step towards energy security and the circular economy, officials said the project could serve as a national model for similar urban initiatives.
