BJP stages protest against JSW land sale, financial fraud
Bengaluru, Jun 13: The BJP Thursday took out a protest rally in the city accusing the state government of being lenient towards financial fraudsters and selling precious land to JSW Steel at a throwaway price.
Holding placards and waving party flags, hundreds of BJP workers thronged the Maurya Circle and staged a demonstration.
They raised slogans against the state government accusing it of being insensitive to people's problems.
Leading the protest, former deputy chief minister R Ashok referred to the IMA Jewellers' case.
The firm's owner Mohammed Mansoor Khan is reportedly absconding following emergence of an audio clip, purportedly of him, in which he is heard threatening to commit suicide.
"They (fraudsters) decamped with the money of 30,000 Muslims... the owner of the firm has escaped," Ashok said, addressing the gathering.
Seven directors of the firm at the centre of an alleged financial fraud that left thousands of investors in the lurch have been apprehended.
The state government has formed an 11-member special investigation team to probe the case.
BJP MLC N Ravi Kumar said "...broad daylight robbery is happening here. Muslim brethren are being exploited right under the nose of the Congress-JDS coalition government by one after another fraudster companies."
The protesters also raised the JSW Steel land sale issue.
They accused the government of being hand in glove with JSW Steel as it allotted the land to the company at a "throwaway price."
While welcoming the government's decision to review the land sale, they said the government should make sure that every inch of the land is recovered.
Caught in a bind over the controversial land deal, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday said the government's decision on sale of 3,667 acres to JSW Steel will be reconsidered and placed before the cabinet once again for discussion.
After the protest rally, the BJP leaders and workers proceeded to stage a sit-in at Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat complex, when they were arrested.
Later, they were released, police said.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
