Negligence in constructing pure drinking water unit: Contractor asked to complete it by July 15
Zilla Panchayat general body meeting
Mangaluru, July 02: The issue of neglecting construction of pure drinking water units by the contractors- KRIDL and Pan Asia Company rocked the zilla panchayat general body meeting held here on Monday.
In the continued ZP general body meeting which was ended abruptly on March 27 due to the enforcement of election code of conduct, member Manjula Madhava Mave said that most of the pure drinking water units were not functioning properly. The companies, which got the contract, have handed over the units in haste to the gram panchayat without completing the work. There was no clear picture on who should maintain those units in future, she said.
Members of both ruling and opposition parties supported Manjula and urged the chairperson to take this issue seriously.
Earlier, it was decided to set up 227 pure drinking water units. Later, the construction of 77 units in the list was dropped. But the company has constructed 150 units and of them, 73 are under construction. It was already discussed in the meeting of the higher officers. The companies were directed to complete the work by July 15. Otherwise, they would be held responsible and erring officials would face the music, said ZP CEO Dr MR Ravi.
However, ZP president Meenakshi Shantigodu said that action would be taken after getting the House Committee report on the issue.
GP members are opposing
Garbage is being dumped on either side of the national and state highways. Though the local gram panchayats have installed CCTV cameras to trace the persons who dump the garbage, they were unable to trace the people doing it. When they complained about it to the Haleangadi gram panchayat, no action was taken, alleged some members.
Responding to it, Mangaluru taluk panchayat EO said that some gram panchayat members have been encouraging the garbage dumping by obstructing to take action against those who dump the garbage. Taking it seriously, the meeting asked the officer to give the list of such gram panchayat members.
The ZP CEO said that the national highway is passing through 51 gram panchayats and in these places, penalty was imposed on those who dump garbage, asked the RTO to cancel the registration of the vehicles and asked the assistant commissioner to book cases . Notices were served to 26 gram panchayats and action was taken against PDOs. Apart from this, total 11 clusters were created to dispose the waste scientifically and presently, such unit was set up in Subramanya gram panchayat limit, he said.
Proposal to demolish 187 school buildings
Around 187 school buildings were in dilapidated condition in the district and a proposal has been submitted to the government to demolish the buildings instead of repairing them and construct total 276 classrooms where the buildings would be demolished. A meeting was conducted in Bengaluru and decided to verify the proposal from the PWD and prepare a technical report, said the DDPI.
When some members raised objections about the RTC of the government schools and said that the education department officials did nothing to correct them, the ZP president asked the DDPI to submit a report on the conservation of the school properties within a month.
ZP vice president Kasturi Panja, standing committee presidents Janardhan Gowda, UP Ibrahim, Anitha Hemanath Shetty were present at the meeting.
Verbal duels between BJP-Cong members
Members of both BJP and Congress engaged in verbal duals for a petty issue at the ZP meeting on Monday.
Mid-day meals is being supplied to Kalladka Sri Rama High School and Sridevi high school of Punacha, which caused confusion during election, under the Akshara Dasoha programme. Efforts of the Education Department officials in solving the problem was commendable, said member Mamatha Gatti which was supported by other members Prakash Shetty, MS Mohemmad.
But ZP president Meenakshi Shantigodu also hailed the contribution of local MLA Rajesh Naik in solving the problem. This has led to verbal duels between the Congress and BJP members.
When BJP member Tungappa Bangera raised objection over the mistakes in the meeting agenda, Mamatha Gatti said that “let the president answer this question. Before coming to general body meeting, she should conduct the meeting with the officials to avoid such mistakes”. Enraged by this, Meenakshi said to Mamatha that “do not to interfere in my constituency. Do your duty. Who are you to tell me? Sit down.” Countering it, Mamatha also took Meenakshi into task and engaged in verbal duals.
Meanwhile, Congress members supported Mamatha Gatti saying that the ruling party members were telling that the agenda was not good and you should consider it. This was opposed by the ruling party members. When the verbal duals reached its peak, some members dispersed from the scene saying that the discussion could be continued later after lunch and thus, they tried to pacify the issue.
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Not having memorial for Manmohan Singh deliberate insult to India's 1st Sikh PM: Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi, Dec 27: The Congress on Friday said that not finding a location for the cremation and memorial for Manmohan Singh is a deliberate insult to the country's first Sikh prime minister.
The Congress raked up the issue after the Union home ministry said in a statement that Singh's last rites will be held at New Delhi's Nigambodh Ghat at 11:45 AM on Saturday with full state honours.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said party president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct Singh's last rites at a location where a memorial could be built to honour his legacy.
"The people of our country are simply unable to understand why the Government of India could not find a location for his cremation and memorial that is befitting of his global stature, record of outstanding achievements, and exemplary service to the nation for decades," Ramesh said in a post on X.
"This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh," the Congress leader said.
Kharge wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country.
"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India.
"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.
The Congress chief said Dr Manmohan Singh holds a highly revered place in the psyche of the country and the people of this nation, and his contributions and achievements were phenomenal.
He also said that Dr Singh's erudition on economic and fiscal matters came from his vast experience as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, chief economic advisor to the government of India and in various other capacities in several organisations, and the respect and regard that world leaders had for him bears testimony to this fact.
Kharge said Singh's wise counsel, leadership and contribution in mitigating the global economic financial crisis is well-acknowledged. He also recalled President Obama's words when as the US president, he mentioned that "whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him".
He also said that when the nation was in the throes of a grave economic crisis, it was Dr Manmohan Singh, along with former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who took India out of the crisis and also led the country towards economic prosperity and stability.
The nation today reaps the benefits of the robust economic foundations built by them, Kharge noted.
"Coming from a humble background and having experienced the pains and sufferings of the Partition, it is through his sheer grit and determination that he rose to become one of the leading statesmen of the world. I hope and trust that befitting stature of Dr Manmohan Singh, request to have the funeral of Dr Singh at a place where his memorial can be built, will be acceded," Kharge said in the letter.
Congress Legislature Party leader in Punjab assembly Pratap Singh Bajwa also separately urged Prime Minister Modi to have Manmohan Singh's funeral at a place where a memorial could be built later in his honour.
"I urge Prime Minister @narendramodi to honour Dr Manmohan Singh, one of the most towering Sikhs of modern times, with a memorial befitting his immense contributions to our nation. Rising from humble beginnings in a historic state, representing a community that has always stood steadfast for India's unity and progress, Dr Singh's life is a testament to intellect, integrity, and selfless service," he posted on X.
Bajwa said Punjabis across faiths and political lines unite in their heartfelt plea to recognise this son of Punjab, who played an instrumental role in shaping India's destiny, with the respect he deserves.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed the Centre has "declined" the request of Manmohan Singh's family for performing the funeral and last rites at a place where an appropriate memorial may be built.
There is no official word from the government on Kharge's request.
However, Badal took to X to post, "Shocking and unbelievable! It is condemnable in the extreme that Union Govt has declined the request of Dr Manmohan Singh Ji's family for performing the funeral and last rites of the highly distinguished leader at a place where an appropriate and historic memorial may be built to commemorate his unparalleled services to the nation."
He further said this place should be Raj Ghat.
"This will be in keeping with the settled practice and tradition followed in the past," Badal said.
He said it is "inexplicable" why the government is "showing such disrespect to the great leader who was the only member of the Sikh community to rise to become the Prime Minister".
"As of now, the cremation is slated to be performed at the common cremation ground at Nigambodh ghat. I am unable to believe that the BJP govt's bias would go to such extremes in utter disregard of the towering global stature which Dr Manmohan Singh ji enjoyed and will always enjoy," Badal further said in his post.
He said Singh took the country to great international heights.
"Our political differences with the Congress apart, we have always held Dr Manmohan Singh in the highest esteem as he transcends politics and political affiliations. He belongs to the entire nation.
"Dr Sahib showed great sensitivity and compassion in his dealings with Shiromani Akali Dal over Sikh and Punjab issues," said Badal urging Modi to "intervene personally to change this deplorable decision of the government".
Singh passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 92.
आज सुबह कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने प्रधानमंत्री को पत्र लिखकर प्रस्ताव दिया था कि पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री डॉ. मनमोहन सिंह का अंतिम संस्कार ऐसे स्थान पर किया जाए जहां उनकी विरासत का सम्मान करने के लिए एक स्मारक बनाया जा सके।
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 27, 2024
हमारे देश के लोग यह नहीं समझ पा रहे हैं कि भारत सरकार उनके वैश्विक…
