Properties in Bengaluru to get digital ownership document: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will embark on an ambitious project of digitising property tax records of all 20 lakh properties in Bengaluru and issue digital e-Khata (legal document issued to property owners) from fiscal year 2024-25, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in his budget speech on Friday.
Noting that the state capital was headed towards a record' tax collection of Rs 4,300 crore in the current fiscal, which is Rs 1000 crore more than 2022-23, Siddaramaiah said the target in 2024-25 will be Rs 6,000 crore.
This target of Rs 6,000 crore revenue will be achieved by preventing leakages in the tax collection system, he said.
Siddaramaiah said additional non-tax resources of Rs 2,000 crore will be mobilised through revised advertisement policies and premium Floor Area Ratio (FAR) policy from this fiscal year.
FAR is a formula based on the building's construction area and total floor area that is usable.
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The Chief Minister said augmentation of resources, reducing traffic congestion, construction of quality roads and supply of clean drinking water in Bengaluru are the areas of focus for the Karnataka government in 2024-25.
The government has conceptualised 'Brand Bengaluru' to improve the quality of life of people and attract investors to develop the state capital into a world-class city, he said, adding that major reforms in various sectors have been introduced.
To reduce traffic congestion on a priority basis, the government will ensure that the white-topping or cement road construction of 147 km long major roads will be completed by December 2025, Siddaramaiah said.
The Chief Minister noted that widening of existing roads was difficult due to scarcity of land and problems in land acquisition.
"In this backdrop, the state government has decided to resolve traffic congestion in the city by constructing underground tunnels. On a pilot basis, a tunnel will be constructed this year at Hebbal Junction, where there is high traffic congestion," Siddaramaiah said.
He proposed to reposition the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) as Bengaluru Business Corridor to address traffic congestion and to promote large scale economic activities in Bengaluru.
"Under this project, a Request for Proposal has been invited to construct a 73 km road at a cost of Rs 27,000 crore under PPP model. It is proposed to start the project this year itself," the Chief Minister said.
The government has also planned to construct a 250-metre high Skydeck in Bengaluru to make it a "landmark" tourist destination in the city.
In addition, captive solar parks will be established in various institutions under the Urban Development Department such as Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Bangalore Development Authority, the Chief Minister said.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
