Hospital bed scam: Searches at Bengaluru corporation COVID war rooms
Bengaluru, May 6: Searches were carried out by police at the city corporation's COVID war rooms and data collected, in the backdrop of allegations of a scam in booking hospital beds for COVID-19 patients.
The development comes two days after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya alleged that hospitals here 'blocked' beds in fake names to make money, at a time when COVID-19 cases were rising in Karnataka.
Surya said officials of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike 'colluded' with private nursing homes and hospitals to block beds and reserve it for exorbitant fees.
"Searches were conducted on Wednesday at eight zonal war rooms of the BBMP.
Lots of data has been collected," the city police said in a statement.
Eight teams were scrutinising all the data collected from the zones. Further action will be taken based on information taken out of the data, they said.
Police are also investigating the hospitals where four people were arrested for allegedly blocking beds in fake names for COVID-19 patients paying bribes.
So far seven people have been arrested in connection with the bed scam.
The Karnataka government has ordered reservation of 80 per cent of beds for COVID patients in private hospitals, in the wake of increase in cases.
With the spurt in coronavirus cases, the demand for hospital beds with ICU and ventilators have gone up.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
TN polls: TVK pushes DMK behind with leads in 83 seats, AIADMK ahead in 54
Chennai (PTI): New entrant TVK, led by actor-politician Vijay, was leading in as many as 83 constituencies on Monday when counting of votes polled in the April 23 Assembly polls was on across Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK was leading in 58 seats while the ruling DMK was ahead in 34, EC data showed.
About two hours after the postal ballots were counted and EVMs opened for multi-round counting, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam surged ahead of its Dravidian rivals-- the DMK and the AIADMK, with the ruling party struggling to catch up.
If the trends maintain, Vijay could as well ensure the biggest electoral upset, something in lines with the "1967,1977" wins he had referred to in his campaign speeches.
While the Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai brought the first non-Congress government in Tamil Nadu post-independence in 1967, the charismatic MG Ramachandran (MGR) installed the maiden AIADMK government 10 years later, unseating then DMK government under M Karunanidhi. TVK was leading in most Chennai segments, all considered DMK strongholds and currently represented by the party in the 234-member House.
A poor show by DMK could belie most exit polls giving an edge to it, riding on the number of populist measures Chief Minister M K Stalin had implemented in his five year "Dravidian model," inclusive governance.
According to EC and TV reports, 15 cabinet ministers, including Stalin were trailing. His son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi was also behind in his incumbent Chepauk-Tirvuvallikeni seat, according to a number of reports.
Stalin was trailing behind TVK's VS Babu by 1234 votes in Kolathur segment. Vijay was ahead in Tiruchirappalli East by over 3,000 votes at the end of two rounds of counting, according to EC data.
BJP is trailing in 26 constituencies and it is ahead in Thali segment alone. TVK is ahead in constituencies including Ponneri, Tiruvallur, Poonamalle, and Avadi.
AIADMK is leading in segments including Katpadi, and Guidyattam and party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami is ahead in Edappadi segment by 7003 votes.
DMK was leading in segments including Vellore, Anaikattu and Rishivandiyam.
