Election Commission replaces Kolkata police commissioner, 3 other Bengal top cops
Kolkata: The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday night removed Kolkata Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in a major shake-up in the police establishment of the state.
The announcement comes days after BJP leaders had alleged that free and fair elections would not be possible in the state under these officers.
Dr Rajesh Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Pollution Control Board, was made the new Kolkata top cop, while Natarajan Ramesh Babu, ADG and IGP, Operations, was named the Bidhannagar police commissioner, an ECI notification about the decisions said.
The poll body also named Avannu Ravindranath, DC (Airport Division) of Bidhannagar, as the new superintendent of police (SP) of Birbhum and appointed Srihari Pandey, DC KAP, 3rd Battalion, as the SP of Diamond Harbour.
The EC wrote to West Bengal Chief Secretary Malay Dey, directing an immediate implementation of the directives and seeking a compliance report in respect to the joining of the transferred officers within 24 hours.
The commission also directed that the present incumbent officers being shifted should not be involved by the state government in any election-related duty.
Both Sharma and Singh were present with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when she started her dharna to protest a CBI action against the then Kolkata police commissioner in connection with its probe in the Saradha scam.
Sharma had replaced Kumar in mid-February.
Incidentally, after Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira was allegedly found carrying gold at the Kolkata airport, the BJP had lodged a complaint with the EC against Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Gyanwant Singh.
The party had demanded that Singh be held "responsible" for the alleged police interference, if "prima facie any such incident happened".
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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.
