Former Gujarat minister killed in road accident in Amreli
Amreli (PTI): Former Gujarat agriculture minister Vallabhbhai Vaghasiya died after the car he was driving crashed into a bulldozer near Savarkundla town in Amreli district of the state, police said on Friday.
The accident took place on Thursday night, an official of Vanda police station said.
Vaghasiya, 69, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Savarkundla assembly seat, had served as the agriculture and urban housing minister in the first term of the Vijay Rupani government.
He was returning to Savarkundla from a village when the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on a state highway near Vanda village. One person accompanying him in the vehicle sustained injuries, the police official said.
The former minister suffered injuries after the car he was driving rammed into a bulldozer. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead, the police said.
A large number of party leaders and his supporters gathered at the hospital after learning about the accident.
"Former MLA of Savarkundla seat and ex-minister V V Vaghasiya died in a road accident. The leader who worked as a skilled organiser and a mass leader, and served the people of Amreli is no more with us. We pray for his departed soul and strength to his family to bear the loss," said sitting BJP MLA from Savarkundla, Mahesh Kaswala.
Amreli MLA Kaushik Vekariya said that Vaghasiya will be remembered for his commitment to the welfare of the people of the region.
Vaghasiya had won the 2012 Assembly election as a BJP MLA from the Savarkundla seat, and was sworn in as a minister in the Vijay Rupani government in 2016.
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Poll preparations for multiple Bengaluru Corporations within 4 months: Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
Mysuru, May 16 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said with the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act having come into effect, preparations will be made for polls to multiple municipal corporations to be created to manage the city within four months.
Shivakumar, who is also in charge of Bengaluru Development, said a process will be initiated soon regarding the reservation list and the creation of multiple municipal corporations.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act allows for the creation of up to seven municipal corporations to manage the city, and there are indications that the government may decide to form three corporations.
The city has not had an elected municipal council since September 2020.
“We will initiate the process regarding the reservation list and division (of the city into multiple corporations) soon. We have to hold elections; there is no point in delaying them. We will make the necessary arrangements within four months,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said he will call an all-party meeting soon to seek suggestions on how to proceed with the division into multiple corporations.
“Taking everyone into confidence, we will move ahead, but it has been decided to hold elections as early as possible. We have to do it; there is no point in delaying. There was a plan to add new areas (to Greater Bengaluru), but that process would cause a delay, so we can add them later. Therefore, the notification has been issued with the area currently under the BBMP,” he added.
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024, came into effect on May 15, and the new Greater Bengaluru Area will be limited to the area now covered by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), according to the notification.
However, all functionaries will continue to have the same powers and duties as conferred under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Act, 2020, until the new law is fully implemented.
Until multiple corporations are created, the BBMP will continue to operate under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which is expected to be constituted soon, official sources said.
The Act provides 120 days to establish the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, which was recently passed by both houses of the state legislature despite opposition from the BJP, proposes restructuring the BBMP by splitting it into a maximum of seven city corporations within the Greater Bengaluru Area.
It also provides for the constitution of a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordination and supervision and sets 30-month terms for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The GBA will be headed by the Chief Minister as the ex-officio chairperson, while the minister in charge of Bengaluru development will be the ex-officio vice-chairperson.
