Implement SC/ST promotion order or face the music, Dalit leaders warn Deve Gowda family
Bengaluru, Feb 25: Dalit leaders warned the Deve Gowda family of teaching a lesson in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections if the SC/ST promotion order was not implemented immediately.
Speaking to reporters, Dalit leader Mavalli Shankar said that as per the decision taken in the last Cabinet meeting, the government should withdraw the demotion order for SC/ST employees based on reservation. Otherwise, Dalits would cast their votes against the JDS in the Lok Sabha elections and defeat the Deve Gowda family members.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has no faith on social justice. The Cabinet should take the positive order. If the Congress has faith in social justice, it should sever the alliance with the JDS, he demanded.
Instead of cancelling all the demotions by implementing the Cabinet decision and publishing the seniority list after revising it, the government has included the order of filling backlog posts of 1999 and thus delayed the implementation of the order.
In the draft order prepared by the Chief Secretary of the government, efforts were made to consider all 3,799 SC/ST promotion posts as supernumerary posts.
All seniority lists revised in the BK Pavithra case were cancelled and all promotions and demotions given based on this seniority should also be cancelled. The demotion orders of all officers and employees should be withdrawn with effective as on prior date, he demanded.
If the government failed to cancel all the demotion orders and publish the revised seniority lists, the dalit organizations would stage protest across the state, he warned.
Dalit leaders R Mohan Raj, Guruprasad Keragodu, Gopalkrishna Aralahalli and others were present.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
