Gurugram: Property dealer arrested for stealing flower pots kept for G20 event, GMDA official sacked
Gurugram, March 1: A 50-year-old property dealer was arrested and a local authority official sacked on Wednesday over the theft of flower pots kept for beautification of the area for a G20 event here, officials said.
Police also recovered 10 stolen flower pots and an SUV, which was used in the crime, from the arrested accused, they said.
An official of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has been sacked after his name was revealed by the arrested accused, GMDA said.
Gurugram police on Tuesday lodged an FIR into the theft of flower pots after a purported video clip of two men stealing them went viral on social media.
The arrested accused, identified as Manmohan, is a resident of Gandhi Nagar area in Gurugram, police said, adding a GMDA official has also come under the scanner as the accused revealed that he had called him at the spot to pick the plants.
"The GMDA official has been identified as Nawab Singh, who is manager in the urban environment division. We will also arrest him soon. The main accused, Manmohan, was let off on police bail after he joined the investigation," DCP (east) Virender Vij said.
Police said the suspect was traced with the help of his vehicle's registration number which was visible in the viral video. The vehicle, a Kia Carnival, which is registered in the name of the accused's wife, has also been seized, they said.
"During interrogation, the accused revealed that Nawab Singh is his friend who had called him at the spot to pick the plants," the DCP said.
A GMDA official said that Nawab Singh was a contractual employee of the authority.
"In view of the incident (flower pots being picked up by a citizen) which has been captured on camera, the concerned staff on duty during the occurrence of the incident has been terminated from his service," said a spokesperson of GMDA.
The complaint in the case was lodged after District Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav took cognisance of a viral tweet and asked the Gurugram police to intervene and investigate the matter.
The incident took place Monday in front of the Ambience mall on the Delhi-Gurugram expressway. The man in the video clip can also be seen putting those pots in the boot of an SUV.
A number of flower pots were set up here ahead of G20 meetings that are scheduled to take place from March 1 to 4.
An FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by Metropolitan Green Planner, Urban Environment Division of GMDA.
"It has been observed that some passersby/thieves are stealing flower pots placed on the roadside. A video of the theft of flower pots is also going viral on Twitter, in which the registration number of the car used in the theft is HR 20 AY 0006," the FIR said.
However, there is no record of the vehicle bearing registration number HR 20 AY 0006 on the government's 'Vahan' website. Instead, the site shows a Haryana-registered vehicle having number HR 20 AB 0006.
An FIR was registered against unidentified accused under Section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code at DLF Phase 3 police station.
A video of two men in a Luxury car (Kia Carnival) seen allegedly stealing flowerpots arranged for the upcoming G20 summit in Haryana’s Gurugram has gone viral on Social Media. pic.twitter.com/ZoXkGYXpxs
— Gagandeep Singh (@Gagan4344) February 28, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
