Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected calls for his resignation amid allegations involving his daughter’s IT firm, which is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). Vijayan termed the probe politically driven and stated that neither he nor the CPI(M) is concerned about the allegations.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Vijayan said, “I know you want my blood, but you won’t get it easily,” responding to criticism and speculation about his resignation. He asserted that the case is before the court and would be dealt with legally. “You can keep hoping for my resignation,” he added.
The controversy centres on alleged illegal payments made by a private mining company, CMRL, to Vijayan’s daughter’s firm. Reports indicate that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may also register a case soon, following the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ reported nod for prosecution.
Vijayan maintained that all payments received by the firm were taxed. “The media is conveniently ignoring the fact that income tax and GST were paid on those payments,” he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which is organizing a 10-day cleanliness drive from April 21 to 30, collected up to 3,570 tonnes of waste as well as construction debris from 458 sites in the state capital in two days.
The campaign is being held in all eight BBMP zones. The BBMP has identified 1,533 locations where various types of waste, from construction and demolition debris to roadside logs and garbage, have accumulated, according to a report in The Hindu.
Zonal commissioners are overseeing the operations of the Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) personnel, who are working at clearing the sites of waste. In addition, more than 13 earthmovers, 10 tippers, 60 tractors and 170 personnel have been deployed for the work.
Thirty per cent of the identified sites are learned to have been cleared of the waste so far.
The BBMP has urged citizens of Bengaluru to not dump waste in public areas but hand it over to the door-to-door auto tippers of the BBMP. The authorities, further, have asked citizens who find illegal dumping to report it to the BBMP on the helpline number 1533 or Sahay 2.0 mobile phone app.