Formula E race case: Telangana HC refuses to quash FIR against BRS leader KTR
Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana High Court on Tuesday refused to quash the FIR against BRS working president KT Rama Rao in connection with the Formula E race case, removing the protection against the arrest given to him.
On December 31, the HC had reserved its orders over the petition after hearing the arguments from the state government as well as the defence in the case registered by the Anti- Corruption Bureau.
The court had earlier restricted ACB from arresting the former minister until the orders were pronounced and the present order removes that protection.
The ACB on December 19 registered a case against Rama Rao, also known as KTR, over alleged payments, some of it in foreign currency without approvals, to conduct the race in 2023 during the previous regime.
The case was registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC dealing with criminal misappropriation, criminal misconduct, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy that allegedly resulted in loss to the government exchequer to the tune of about Rs 55 crore.
Though the race was supposed to be held in February 2024 as well, it was cancelled after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023.
Rama Rao, who was Municipal Administration Minister during the previous BRS regime, was also summoned by the ED for questioning on January 7 over alleged irregularities in conducting the race in Hyderabad.
The FIR named Rama Rao, an MLA now, as prime accused, senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar and retired bureaucrat BLN Reddy as accused no 2 and 3 respectively.
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Thiruvananthapuram airport to undertake runway upgradation work from Jan 14
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The international airport here will be carrying out a significant upgrade of its main runway in order to prioritise passenger safety and enhance its overall operational efficiency.
The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL), managed by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) which is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, will carry out the recarpeting project from January 14, 2025.
The work will be carried out between 9 am and 6 pm everyday with the project scheduled to be completed by March 29, TIAL said in a release on Wednesday.
During the project work, airlines operating from the airport will schedule flights prior to 9am and after 6pm, it added.
"During this period, the airport will implement a comprehensive plan to ensure the continuity of services and to mitigate any potential inconveniences to passengers and airlines," TIAL said.
The existing runway -- which is 3,374 meter long and 60 metre wide -- was last recarpeted in 2017 and was due for an upgrade to maintain optimal performance and reliability, it said.
"A total area of 3.48 lakh square metres, including runway and taxiways, will be recarpeted. Upgradation of the Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) system to LED from Halogen, upgradation of airfield signage, and installation of a stop bar light are also included in the recarpeting project," the release said.
It further said that during the project work, the airport will facilitate 96 air traffic movements per day.
"Certain flight schedules may be adjusted, and passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for any updates or changes," it added.
