Bengaluru cops step up drive against illegal Bangladeshi migrants
Bengaluru, Oct 28: The drive against illegal Bangladeshi migrants has been intensified following a tip from the NIA that terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh is setting up base in South India, especially in Bengaluru, and some other parts of the State, police said on Monday.
As many as 60 illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in shanties around Bengaluru and doing menial jobs, were recently detained, they said.
They were nabbed from Marathahalli, Ramamurthy Nagar, HAL, KR Puram, Bellandur and other places, police said, adding that these people will be deported.
"Our drive is going on. We had information about the 60 people whom we detained day-before-yesterday," Additional Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil told PTI.
When asked how many illegal Bangladeshi migrants could be staying in the city, Patil said he cannot speculate.
"As and when we get information, we will act," he added.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had recently busted one of the modules of the JMB in and around Bengaluru and seized many materials including improvised explosive devices.
The NIA during its national conference had sounded an alert against growing activities of the JMB, which was involved in the Burdwan bomb blast in West Bengal, and asked the southern states to be cautious about the outfit's operations.
Following this, the Karnataka government decided to set up a Bengaluru-specific Anti-Terror Squad.
While making an announcement about the ATS, Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said there was a possibility of more than 20 such groups being active in the state and ordered a crackdown on illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Bengaluru.
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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.
