Govt staff strike: Arrangements made to ensure key services are unaffected in Karnataka
Bengaluru (PTI): With government employees deciding to go on an indefinite strike in the state from Wednesday, transport, health and education departments have made arrangements to ensure that the services are not affected.
The employees have put forward their demands including, implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission report and implementation of at least 40 per cent of fitment facilities, and reverting to the Old Pension Scheme.
A senior education department official told PTI today that there are standing instructions to all the schools to remain open.
"We have given directions to keep the schools open. If the teachers do not turn up then they will be marked absent," the officer said.
He added that 10th class preparatory examinations are going on and teachers have been told that they should be conducted as per schedule.
The health department is also on the toes to ensure that the emergency services remain open during the strike.
A health officer told PTI that all the important hospitals in districts have been directed to ensure that the trauma and emergency health services are not disrupted.
"It is too early to say how the situation would be throughout the day but as of now, the services are as usual. We have made arrangements to ensure that the trauma and emergency healthcare services are not affected," the official said.
The Karnatska State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses were seen plying as usual in the morning.
The police department has also taken steps to make sure that no law and order situation is created due to the strike, a police officer said.
There are instructions to protect any damage to the government properties, especially buses, due to the strike.
A few government officers PTI spoke to said that the government offices may not function like normal days and most of them could remain shut.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had on Tuesday reached out to the employees, saying the administration was ready to seek Seventh Pay commission's interim report and implement it.
Most of the services, barring a few like transport, critical care at hospitals and crematoriums, are likely to be hit, as talks between the government and the employees' association to avert the strike have so far not yielded "positive results."
"Our senior officials are in touch with the government employees association and their President, holding talks. I have already made it clear in the Assembly that we are the ones who formed the seventh pay commission and it will be implemented in 2023-24 itself, and funds have been allocated for it in the budget," Bommai told reporters at Hubballi on Tuesday.
Karnataka State Government Employees' Association President C S Shadakshari, had said on Tuesday that there is no question of them withdrawing the call for strike at this point in time.
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BJP claims Kejriwal spent Rs 31 lakh monthly on maintenance of CM's bungalow from 2015 to 2022
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI): The BJP lashed out at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday citing an RTI reply that revealed Rs 3.69 crore was spent annually between 2015 and 2022 for the regular maintenance of the former chief minister's bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, quoting the RTI reply, said a total of Rs 29.56 crore was spent between March 31, 2015, and December 27, 2022, on general repairs, sewage, electricity and structural works of the bungalow that was occupied by Kejriwal when he was the chief minister.
While the BJP leader asked Kejriwal to "come forward and explain what exactly was lacking in his bungalow that required Rs 31 lakh to be spent every month on its maintenance", the AAP sought to know what the ruling party would achieve by abusing Kejriwal.
The opposition party pointed out that the bungalow was a government accommodation, not Kejriwal's private property.
Sachdeva said details obtained through a Right To Information (RTI) query have shown that Rs 3,69,54,384 was spent annually on regular maintenance of the bungalow.
Kejriwal, who came to power with promises of leading a government for the common man, was exposed by his "luxurious lifestyle" at the "Sheesh Mahal" constructed "secretively at a cost of Rs 52 crore", Sachdeva claimed.
The BJP has been targeting the AAP and Kejriwal over the reconstruction works at the bungalow, describing it as a "Sheesh Mahal" for its "expensive" interiors and household goods.
"We are presenting more evidence of Kejriwal's five-star lifestyle and corruption, and we demand an immediate response from him," Sachdeva said at a press conference here.
The Delhi BJP chief said a person from Maharashtra had filed the RTI query, seeking details of the maintenance expenses on the bungalow and added that the figures revealed Kejriwal's "extravagant lifestyle" and "corruption" in government works.
"In Delhi, where one can build a decent 250-300 square yard house spending Rs 3 to 4 crore, the cost of maintenance of Kejriwal's bungalow at Rs 3.69 crore annually is astonishing," he said.
The BJP leader said that Kejriwal has been avoiding answering the questions for a long time. The people of Delhi expect him to come forward and clarify what exactly was so deficient in his bungalow that Rs 31 lakh per month was needed for its maintenance, he added.
AAP hit back, saying the BJP "betrayed" Delhi and did not provide Rs 2,500 for women and free cylinders on Holi which proved that their poll promises were just gimmick.
While Delhi is suffering due to power cuts and arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, the BJP president is busy hurling abuses at Kejriwal, the opposition party alleged.
