CPI(M) lodges police complaint against BJP for laying foundation stone for Ram temple in Tripura
Agartala, Oct 21: The opposition CPI(M) in Tripura has lodged a complaint against the ruling BJP and the Sanatan Sena for laying the foundation stone for a Ram temple on a plot of land in a tribal area of South Tripura district, where a plaque was put up by the Left party a year ago, police said Sunday.
Confirming the receipt of the complaint, South Tripura Superintendent of Police (SP) Jal Singh Meena said the foundation stone for the temple was laid at Matai, a tribal hamlet, on October 5 and the complaint was lodged on October 15.
The case was being investigated, he said, adding that no one was arrested in connection with the incident.
CPI(M) South Tripura district committee secretary Tapas Datta said the plaque was put up in 2017, when the party was in power in the state, in the memory of Mohini Tripura, who tried to stop jhum cultivation on forest land and was martyred in the 1967 movement against the then Congress government.
Jhum cultivation, which is slash and burn agriculture, is the process of growing crops by first clearing the land of trees and vegetation and then burning them.
Datta said the plaque was put up on a private land and was uprooted by the Sanatan Sena, a right-wing organisation, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists.
"This is an attempt to erase the history of Tripura's Left movement," he added.
Meena said the owner might have agreed to donate the land to the Left party for putting up the plaque earlier, but might have changed his mind later and decided to donate the land for the Ram temple.
State BJP vice-president Subal Bhowmik said Communist Party of India (Marxist) activists had forcibly occupied the land of a local person to build their memorial.
"They (CPI-M) were autocratic and the common people had no voice in the Left regime. This land was grabbed by CPI-M activists when they were in power. The owner of the land was on the dais when we laid the foundation stone for the Ram temple at Matai," he added.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
