Lakshman Singh appointed as K-RIDE MD
Bengaluru (PTI): The Centre on Thursday approved the deputation of Lakshman Singh, Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), to the post of Managing Director of Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-RIDE).
K-RIDE is presently undertaking the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) – the work that is going on at a snail’s pace in the absence of a technocrat to head the organisation, sources said.
"The appointment comes after several years of demand for a technocrat for the post since the job involves high technical expertise," a source said.
Currently serving as Chief General Manager (Civil) at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), Singh will assume the new role on deputation terms, retaining his parent pay plus deputation allowance.
The appointment is for a period of three years starting from the date Singh takes charge or until further orders, whichever comes first, the order said.
His total deputation tenure will be calculated from his initial deputation date with BMRCL, it said.
The Railway Ministry has requested BMRCL to relieve Singh for this assignment and to inform the date of his relief.
According to sources, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya pursued the matter with the Railway Board that an expert in the domain is appointed as the MD.
While laying the foundation stone for the BSRP on June 20, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the project would be completed in 40 months. The project should have been completed by the end of December, but it has not made any headway till now.
Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil had also set a deadline of December 2027.
"Given the pace of work, it is highly unlikely that it will ever be possible. Now that we have a technocrat as MD, we feel that the work would gain momentum," a government officer said.
The project has seen many hiccups. An IAS officer Vasanthi Amar B V, who served as Special Deputy Commissioner at K-RIDE, was raided by the Karnataka Lokayukta on July 23. She was responsible for the land acquisition for BSRP.
Due to inordinate delay in the land acquisition, the project had come to a grinding halt.
The project hit another roadblock when the Indian multinational conglomerate Larsen and Toubro (L&T) terminated two contracts for Corridor-2 and Corridor-4 of the BSRP on July 31.
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RSS man's defamation case against Rahul: Key witness unavailable, hearing adjourned to Dec 20
Thane (PTI): A court in Bhiwandi in Thane district on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the criminal defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker to December 20 due to non-availability of a crucial prosecution witness.
Advocate Narayan Iyer, counsel for Rahul Gandhi, confirmed the adjournment, stating that the witness, Ashok Saykar, currently Deputy Superintendent of Police in Barshi in Solapur, could not remain present due to personal reasons.
Saykar's evidence is now likely to be recorded on December 29.
His testimony is considered key because he, as police sub inspector in 2014, conducted the preliminary inquiry into the private defamation matter under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
It was on the basis of Saykar's submitted report that the court subsequently issued process (summons) against Rahul Gandhi under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The criminal defamation case was filed by local RSS worker Rajesh Kunte following a speech given by Rahul Gandhi at an election rally near Bhiwandi on March 6, 2014.
The case stems from the Congress leader's alleged statement that "the RSS people killed (Mahatma) Gandhi."
The matter is being heard by Bhiwandi Joint Civil Judge, Junior Division, P M Kolse.
The hearing had previously been adjourned on November 15 after the complainant's counsel, Advocate Prabodh Jaywant, moved an application seeking permission to examine Saykar, who had submitted the probe report to the court.
The matter was originally scheduled for November 29 but was deferred to December 6 after Rahul Gandhi's legal team sought an adjournment citing their non-availability. The proceedings will now resume on December 20.
