Cong to hold Padayatra from Nelyadi to BC Road from Jan 14-16: Ramanath Rai
Demand for resuming NH works from Addahole-BC Road
Mangaluru, Jan 3: Former minister Ramanath Rai said that the District Congress would take out a padayatra from January 14 to 16 demanding the government to resume the works of national highway from Addahole to BC Road on Bengaluru-Mangaluru road.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Rai said that party senior leaders would participate in the padayatre. On January 14, the padayatre would start from Nelyadi and reach Uppinangady where it would stay. The next day, it would resume its journey and conclude at Mani and on January 16, it would converge at BC Road. In all the three places, public rallies would be conducted, he said.
Bengaluru-Mangaluru national highway was like a lifeline. It would connect the two cities. Then UPA government had approved the works from Hassan to BC Road and then union minister Oscar Fernandes had sanctioned for the 63 km road from Hassan to Marenahalli-Gundya. After first round of works, NLT Company had taken up the second phase work. As the company was bankrupt, the work was suspended, he said suspecting that the company might have bankrupted due to wrong economic policies of the Narendra Modi government.
The NHAI had to clear dues worth crores to the company which stopped the works due to paucity of funds. The incomplete work has been causing inconvenience to the people. So, the road works should be completed before rainy season. In order to draw the attention of the central government, the Congress has organized the padayatre, he said.
The district had seen lot of development works during the tenure of Srinivas Malya. But during the BJP government at the centre, the development works have come to grinding halt in the district. Airport and the port were facing the threat of privatization, he said.
MLC Harish Kumar, former MLA JR Lobo, Mayor Bhaskar K, Party leaders Shashidhar Hegde, Shalet Pinto, Naveen D’Souza, Venkappa Gowda, Dhananjay Addangaya, Shahul Hameed and others were present.
‘I won’t politicize Sabarimala issue’
Responding to a question Sabarimala issue, Rai said that he would not comment on the Supreme Court order and its pros and cons. When he was young, he had visited Sabarimala for more than 18 times. He had visited the temple with devotion, confidence, belief and harmony.
But now, he would not speak about the issue and its impact. He would not politicize the Sabarimala issue, Rai clarified.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
