Four rebel Cong MLAs have responded to notices; Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru, Mar 8: Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Friday said that the four rebel Congress MLAs have responded to notices he issued to them on a petition by the party, seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law.
He said he would give a verdict after hearing both sides.
Official sources said the hearing is scheduled for March 12 in the afternoon.
"After hearing both sides, I will have to give my verdict...I cannot reveal things to the media beforehand," Kumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that notices were given to all the four MLAs, based on the petition given and all of them had given an explanation.
"Hearings need to happen in accordance with the law, for it (case) to be decided," Kumar said.
Referring to rebel MLA Umesh Jadhav quitting his assembly membership, the Speaker said the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business book were clear on how to deal with a resignation.
Also the the Constitution and 10th schedule (anti-defection law) are clear on the matter, he said.
"...We have sought some clarification, we have written a letter to him (Jadhav)...to which he will need to give us an explanation," he added.
Jadhav had on Monday had submitted his resignation to the Speaker and subsequently joined BJP on March 6 at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Kalburgi, from where he is is tipped to be the saffron party's candidate for Lok Sabha polls, against Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress has petitioned the Speaker, seeking disqualification of Jadhav along with Ramesh Jarkiholi, B Nagendra and Mahesh Kumathali under the anti-defection law.
The four MLAs had kept the party on tenterhooks for several weeks, defying its whip twice to attend the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings on January 18 and February 8 and had skipped the early part of the budget session.
During the recent political turmoil that engulfed the state, following BJP's alleged attempts to topple the Congress-JD(S) coalition government by poaching their MLAs,the four MLAs had gone incommunicado and were said to be camping in Mumbai, with a plan to jump ship to the saffron party.
After they refused to fall in line, the Congress had petitioned the Speaker to disqualify them under the Anti-Defection Law.
However, the four MLAs subsequently attended the session and voted in favour of the finance bill, with an intention not to violate the whip and avoid any stringent action.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
