We know B'luru well, keep off K'taka's affairs, Cong leaders tell Vijayan on eviction row
New Delhi/Bengaluru (PTI): Leaders of the ruling Congress in Karnataka on Saturday reacted sharply to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's criticism of "bulldozer action" to evict minorities from a locality in Bengaluru, insisting they cannot allow squatters to set up slums in the city and asked the Marxist veteran to focus on his state.
While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the eviction drive at Fakir Colony saying it was necessary against illegal occupation of government land, his deputy D K Shivakumar asked Vijayan to refrain from "interfering in Karnataka's affairs," remarks that were echoed by his cabinet colleague Ramalinga Reddy.
Vijayan had slammed the alleged "bulldozer action" in Bengaluru in a Facebook post on Friday. He strongly criticised the reported demolition of structures in minority residential areas in Karnataka's capital, calling the action "shocking and painful".
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said that since 2019, people were living unauthorised on a five-acre plot designated for solid waste management.
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"... there is no safety there. So officials served notice to the illegal occupants asking them to vacate. As they failed to vacate, they were evicted," he said.
The CM said he has asked the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department to make alternative arrangements for those evicted "because most of them are migrants".
"They have come here from other places, but from the human point of view, we have to make alternative arrangements and provide them a dwelling," he added.
Deputy CM Shivakumar called Vijayan's remarks a "political statement," and advised Vijayan not to interfere in Karnataka's affairs.
"Without knowing the facts, Pinarayi should not interfere in our state's affairs. These are all political gimmicks at the time of the elections," Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, told reporters in Bengaluru. His "elections" reference seemed to be about the Assembly polls scheduled in Kerala a few months from now.
He said it was unfortunate that senior leaders like Vijayan commented on the matter without knowing the facts of the issues in Bengaluru.
The Congress government in Karnataka knows humanity and will give an alternative space as per the rules to the eligible people. According to Shivakumar, the slum dwellers came and "captured" the land overnight. Barring a few, most of the encroachers are outsiders.
Asking Vijayan not to interfere in such affairs, Shivakumar said the Congress government knows Bengaluru well, and it does not want to entertain the slum created by land mafias.
"We tried to protect our land, and we are ready to give houses to those who are eligible, under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana. Our chief minister Siddaramaiah and I have directed officers to submit a report, which they did. Our leaders from Kerala have also spoken to me," he added.
He clarified that no bulldozers were used in the eviction drive. Instead, the government tried to protect the public place, which is in the heart of the city.
"We can’t encourage slums like this. It is a site meant for waste management," Shivakumar said.
He added that he would give a reply to the Kerala CM and would send him and also the Congress leaders in Kerala. a report on the incident. According to him, slum clearance was a routine exercise.
"It is a routine thing that takes place in Bengaluru. You know that Bengaluru is not like Mumbai or any other city. We don't have many slums in Bengaluru, and we don’t want to create slums in Bengaluru," he underlined.
Shivakumar said the place where the slum had come up falls under the Byatarayanapura Assembly segment, represented by Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.
The Deputy CM said Gowda is a very learned senior leader of the Congress party and the government who was aware of the fact regarding the status of the site. He was the one who directed officers not to allow any land grab attempts.
"No one should come and put up huts there. It is not a question of minorities or other people. We don't want to hurt anyone but if anyone wants land and are eligible, we will definitely give houses," Shivakumar said.
He added that the Congress government has planned for lakhs of houses in the city.
"Our CM and our Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan are in talks with the officers to find out how to rehabilitate them. Only genuine will be rehabilitated, not those who try to occupy government land without any reason."
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Shivakumar said the land in question was notified nine years ago for solid waste management, where people built slums in the quarry pit overnight.
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy too advised Vijayan to look after his own state first.
"Let him look after his state, we will look after ours. However, I don't know why those dwellings were evicted because I was not in the city. I will react after getting the details," Reddy said.
In his post, the Kerala Chief Minister had said the incident reflected a form of minority-targeting politics seen earlier in north India and warned that such practices were now spreading to the south.
He alleged that entire families were forced out of their homes in harsh winter conditions and pushed onto the streets, leaving them with no choice but to flee.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
