Karnataka Dy CM rejects BJP claim that potholes caused student’s death
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday dismissed BJP allegations that the death of a college student in Bengaluru during a road accident was caused by potholes, calling the claims a "hoax".
The remarks come a day after 20-year-old Dhanushree, a final-year B Com student, died after being allegedly hit from behind by a tipper truck near Budigere Cross.
Reacting to the BJP’s claims, Shivakumar said, “It is all false. They are only spreading a hoax. Because of them (the saffron party), all this has been created.”
Following the incident, the BJP alleged that 60 per cent of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, has turned “into a death trap due to misrule by the Congress government.”
The party’s official Karnataka handle on ‘X’ said, “It is unfortunate that a student has lost her life because of a pothole on the roads of Silicon City. The roads of Bengaluru, which were supposed to facilitate smooth traffic, are instead endangering the lives of commuters every day. This exposes the poor performance of D K Shivakumar.”
The BJP also questioned Shivakumar on a recent deadline given to contractors to fill potholes and the utilisation of Rs 750 crore allocated for the purpose.
“What happened to the deadline you had given to officials? Whose pocket has the Rs 750 crore gone into? How many more innocent lives will your government claim?” the party said.
According to police, the accident occurred around 8.10 am when Dhanushree was riding her two-wheeler from Byappanahalli to her college in K R Puram. A senior police officer said preliminary investigations showed her vehicle was allegedly hit from behind by a tipper truck, causing her death on the spot.
While some alleged she lost control after abruptly changing direction to avoid a pothole, police said they were examining CCTV footage to ascertain the exact sequence and cause of the accident. “The accident took place on a section of the road in relatively good condition, though potholes were present nearby on the opposite side,” the officer said.
The truck driver fled the scene, and police are working to trace him.
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Gross GST collections rise 6.2 pc to over Rs 1.93 lakh cr in January
New Delhi (PTI): Gross GST collections rose 6.2 per cent to over Rs 1.93 lakh crore in January, mainly on higher revenues from imports, sources said on Sunday.
Total refunds declined 3.1 per cent to Rs 22,665 crore.
Net Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues, however, grew 7.6 per cent to about Rs 1.71 lakh crore in January.
Cess collection (from tobacco products) in January stood at Rs 5,768 crore. This compares to Rs 13,009 crore in collections in January last year when a cess was levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods such as cars, and tobacco products.
Effective September 22, 2025, GST rates on about 375 items were slashed, making goods cheaper. Also, a compensation cess is levied only on tobacco and related products, as opposed to luxury, sin and demerit goods earlier. The lowering of GST rates has impacted revenue collections.
Gross tax collections from domestic transactions grew 4.8 per cent to Rs 1.41 lakh crore, while import revenues were up 10.1 per cent to Rs 52,253 crore in January.
