Mumbai hoarding collapse: Key accused arrested from Lucknow
Mumbai (PTI): Mumbai Police have arrested a key accused in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as businessman Arshad Khan (42), was on the run for the last seven months after being called to record his statement in connection with the case, an official said.
As many as 17 persons were killed and more than 80 injured after the gigantic illegal hoarding crashed on a petrol pump in Ghatkopar area here amid gusty winds and rain on May 13.
During the investigation, it came to light that Ego Media Private Limited, which installed the hoarding, had transferred Rs 82 lakh to the bank accounts of some people linked to Arshad Khan, the official said.
Khan was a business associate of the wife of former Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Quaiser Khalid, he said.
After recording his initial statement, Khan did not turn up before the Mumbai Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been conducting the probe into the case.
The police were searching for Khan for the last couple of months, but he kept changing his location, the official said.
Khan was finally apprehended from Lucknow on Sunday, he added.
Khalid, who was the Government Railway Police commissioner when the hoarding was sanctioned on the GRP land, has been suspended for alleged lapses.
There were several transactions from the bank accounts of Ego Media Private Limited to the accounts of people linked to Khan.
Most of these transactions took place when Khalid was GRP commissioner, police earlier claimed.
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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.
