Chandan Mitra set to leave BJP
New Delhi, July 17: Two-term Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra is set to leave the BJP. Sources said Mitra, Editor and Managing Director of The Pioneer, has resigned. However, there is no official confirmation on whether Shah has accepted his resignation.
When contacted by The Indian Express, Mitra declined to comment.
A senior party leader said he was aware of Mitra’s resignation but added that he did not know the contents of the resignation letter.
Mitra was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from August 2003 to 2009. In June 2010, BJP got him elected to the upper house from Madhya Pradesh. His term ended in 2016.
Although he was a prominent face of the BJP in Delhi circles and often defended the party on crucial issues, Mitra, considered to be close to party veteran L K Advani, has been sidelined under the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah leadership.
A party leader said the new leadership saw Mitra as a key member of the “Advani camp”, which has been marginalised since 2014 when the BJP came to power.
Of late, Mitra has started criticising the party. When the BJP was defeated in the Kairana bypoll in May, Mitra was quoted as saying that the party did not pay adequate attention to the issue of sugarcane farmers. Terming the defeat as a “serious setback”, Mitra told NDTV that the BJP would have a serious fight on its hands in the run-up to the 2019 general elections if the Opposition unites.
Courtesy: indianexpress.com
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
