'No bulldozer allowed': Mamata Banerjee stalls move to demolish illegal hotels on sea beach
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stalled the move of the Purba Medinipur district authorities to demolish 140 hotels built illegally on the sea beach of Mandarmani, a well-placed source said.
The CM, who was unhappy since the state secretariat was "not informed" of the order beforehand, said no bulldozers would be allowed, according to the source.
The directive of the district authorities was issued following a National Green Tribunal order regarding the violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone by these hotels.
Banerjee, the bureaucrat said, gave strong instruction that "bulldozers will not be allowed anywhere in the state".
"The CM is very very unhappy with the development at Mandarmani beach. She has directed that no such activity will be allowed there. The notice was issued by the district administration without consulting or informing the state secretariat. In fact, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was also not informed," he told PTI.
The Purba Medinipore district administration recently issued a demolition notice to 140 hotels in Mandarmani, a popular seaside destination.
"Regarding Coastal Regulation Zone violation by hotels/resorts and homestays in Mandarmani, Purba Medinipur, all stakeholders are hereby directed to demolish and clean your illegal construction by November 11, otherwise legal action will be taken,” the notice, a copy of which is with PTI, read.
The order, however, is yet to be executed.
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Binny Bansal steps down from board of PhonePe
New Delhi, Nov 22: Flipkart's co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down from the board of PhonePe, the fintech company said on Friday.
PhonePe also announced the appointment of Manish Sabharwal as an Independent Director and Chair of its Audit Committee.
In this role, Sabharwal will be instrumental in upholding the integrity and effectiveness of PhonePe's financial reporting, internal controls, and risk management practices, he company said in a release.
"PhonePe also announced that Flipkart's co-founder, Binny Bansal has stepped down from its Board of Directors. Binny acquired PhonePe in 2016 and has been on its Board since then," the release said.
Commenting on the board rejig, Sameer Nigam, CEO and Founder of PhonePe said, "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of PhonePe's earliest and staunchest supporters. His active engagement, strategic guidance, and personal mentorship have profoundly enriched our discussions. Binny will be missed!"
Nigam further said that Sabharwal's depth of understanding of India's macro economy, coupled with his leadership in shaping India's policies for education, employment, and employability will be invaluable as PhonePe continues to work ahead towards shared vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Sabharwal is Vice-Chairman of Teamlease Services, India's largest staffing and human capital firm.
Bansal played an instrumental role in Flipkart's acquisition of PhonePe way back in 2016 and had been on its board since then (the payments firm separated from Flipkart in 2022).
