Karnataka cabinet approves formation of separate Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a formation of separate Dharwad city corporation. Alongside, a 15% hike in fares across the four state transport corporations was also approved. The revised fares will come into effect on January 5.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, addressing the media at the Committee Hall of Vidhana Soudha, provided details about the decision. He explained that the last fare revision for BMTC was a decade ago when diesel cost Rs 60.98 per litre. Since then, operational costs have risen significantly.
Diesel expenditure for the four corporations has increased from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, and personnel costs have grown from Rs 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. The daily operational burden now stands at Rs 9.56 crore. The fare hike is expected to generate an additional Rs 74.85 crore in monthly revenue without burdening the state exchequer, as Rs 5,015 crore has already been allocated for the Shakti Yojana this fiscal year.
Minister Patil announced that the Cabinet has decided to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation into two independent municipal bodies.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a fishing port in Hejamady village, Udupi, with a revised estimate of Rs 209.13 crore. Additionally, Rs 84.57 crore has been sanctioned for the modernization and dredging of fishing ports.
In a move to strengthen cow shelters, Rs 10.50 crore has been allocated for projects in 14 districts. The Cabinet also approved constructing a building for Visvesvaraya Technical University in Chikkaballapur district at Rs 149.75 crore.
The Cabinet sanctioned a state-of-the-art bus stand in Bannimantap, Mysuru, at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Spread over 14 acres, the facility will include a divisional office, bus units, and commercial shops.
Approval was also granted to utilize Rs 137.85 crore, provided by the Union Finance Ministry under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, for capital expenditure.
The Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board will use Rs 56.92 crore from its SCP/TSP scheme to supply bed sheets, mosquito nets, and clothing to government residential schools and hostels.
The Cabinet approved Rs 100 crore to construct new buildings for 200 veterinary institutions currently housed in rented or dilapidated structures, using NABARD assistance.
In Davangere, a site was allotted to the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association for constructing a civic facility. A plot in Avaragere village was also leased for 30 years at a concessional rate to Nayaka Vidyarthi Nilaya.
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'You invented new law': SC dismayed over MP HC refusing bail
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has expressed anguish over an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which held a convict's plea for the suspension of sentence could be allowed only when they had served half of their sentence.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan granted bail to a man and said a convict should be granted bail if there was no chance of appeal against conviction being heard in near future in high courts due to huge pendency of cases.
"We are surprised that the high court invented a new proposition of law that has no basis," the bench said on April 17.
The top court said the high court should have applied the law as it exists and the petitioner should not have been forced to move before it for bail.
The high court order said, "In view of the fact that tainted currency notes have been recovered from the pocket of pant of the appellant and there is no explanation for the same, no case is made out for grant of suspension of sentence and grant of bail
It added, "Second application has been filed... just less than two months of rejection of first application. Accordingly, it is clarified that appellant may revive his prayer for suspension of sentence after undergoing half of the jail sentence including remission."
The apex court also took exception to trial courts and high courts denying bail to the accused in cases involving ordinary violation of law despite its several rulings.
