Smart City development works accelerated: Minister Khader
Bengaluru, July 18: Urban Development and Housing Minister UT Khader said that a meeting of higher officers of the Urban Development department and officers of the cities selected for the much ambitious Smart City Project of the central government was held here on Wednesday to give a boost to the development works.
Speaking to reporters at the KUIDFC office here, the Minister said that total seven cities were selected under the Smart City Project of the central government and this year, Bengaluru city was also included. The projects would be completed in five years with 50:50 sharing between the central and state governments. It was decided to take up the projects worth Rs 14,798 crore, he said.
In order to implement the project, managing directors were appointed for all the Smart Cities. They would discuss with the respective deputy commissioners and manage the works. For the effective implementation of the project, a committee comprising of six corporators and an officer was constituted in each city and it would take up the complete responsibility of the project. The officers were already warned of taking action against them if they failed to conduct monthly review meeting about the works and submit the report to the department Secretary, he said.
For the first time, a website was developed to observe the works of the Smart Cities by general public and officers concerned and it would be launched shortly, he added.
Bengaluru Smart City works were already taken up. Total 17 roads would be developed at a cost of Rs 190 crore. It was also planned to develop KR Market and Russel Market at Shivaji Nagar in Bengaluru, he said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
