Belthangady: MLA Harish Poonja surrenders before Police
Belthangady: Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja surrendered before the Belthangady police station around 9.30 pm on Wednesday, following high drama at his residence throughout the day.
Throughout the day, activists prevented the police from taking the MLA into custody. As a result, the police had to issue a summons notice for him to appear at the station. Finally, around 9:30 pm, MLA Harish Poonja voluntarily surrendered at the Belthangady Police Station.
Case was registered against Harish Poonja under IPC sections 143, 147, 34, 504, 506 and 149 at the Belthangady Police station for allegedly abusing and threatening the police personnel on Monday.
On May 18, Poonja along with his supporters sat on a dharna at the police station and also reportedly abused cops, condemning the arrest of a local BJP leader in an illegal stone quarry mining case on Saturday night.
In addition, the MLA had also led a protest in front of the Belthangady Vikas Soudha, allegedly without seeking any police permission. Poonja is also accused of threatening the police personnel by stating that the station (Belthangady) would meet the same fate as the police station at DJ Halli-KJ Halli in Bengaluru, which were attacked during a communal riots in 2020.
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Adani Group emerges lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s 16.75-km tunnel road project
Bengaluru: The Adani Group has become the lowest bidder for both packages of the proposed 16.75-km tunnel road project in Bengaluru, according to sources familiar with the bids opened by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE).
According to a report published by Deccan Herald on Monday, the government estimated the entire project to cost Rs 17,698 crore, while the Adani Group has quoted Rs 22,267 crore. The ports-to-power conglomerate’s bid is about 24% higher for the first package and 28% higher for the second than the government’s estimates, a gap that could prompt authorities to seek the state Cabinet’s approval on the tenders’ fate.
M Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who is also the Managing Director of B-SMILE, declined to comment.
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In all, four infrastructure companies had participated in the tenders for the project, which has been proposed under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model, with 40% funding from the government and the remaining investment to be raised by the private concessionaire.
During the technical evaluation, the Adani Group and the Hyderabad-based Vishwa Samudra Engineering Ltd qualified for the financial round.
According to the report, Dilip Buildcon was disqualified due to a clause that bars firms linked to collapsed bridges or tunnels, while Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was rejected because its joint venture (JV) partner did not meet technical requirements.
With only two companies left in the fray, the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder, ahead of Vishwa Samudra.
The tunnel project officially named the North–South underground corridor, is part of the Congress government’s ambitious to ease Bengaluru’s traffic congestion by building two major underground roads (totalling 40 km) along with 13 flyovers and elevated corridors.
The project is the brainchild of Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.
The proposal, however, has faced criticism and political opposition, especially from senior BJP leaders, who object to the alignment that requires acquiring six acres of Lalbagh Botanical Garden, a historic green space.
As per the report, Urban mobility experts have also warned that the tunnel corridor may clash with the alignment of Namma Metro’s Phase 3A, possibly affecting the metro expansion.
