Karnataka govt approves purchase of new cars for 33 ministers for 10 crores; BJP reacts
Bengaluru: In a move that has drawn criticism, the Karnataka government has decided to purchase 33 hybrid vehicles of the Toyota Innova Hycross model for its ministers. Each of these multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) costs approximately Rs 30 lakh, resulting in an expenditure of around Rs 10 crore for the exchequer.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah approved the purchase of these hybrid vehicles, which are claimed to be the world's first fully ethanol-powered cars equipped with flex-fuel engines. The government placed the order shortly after the model's launch on August 29.
This decision has come under scrutiny from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has accused the Congress-led government of prioritizing the acquisition of high-end vehicles for ministers while the state grapples with severe drought conditions.
Notably, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had already been allotted a Toyota Fortuner about two months ago. To procure the new cars for ministers, the government has invoked the 4G exemption clause, as per an order issued on August 17.
The order states: "Toyota Kirloskar motor company, Bengaluru, will be approached directly with exemption under section 4G of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act of 1999 through the department of personnel and administrative reforms (DPAR). For good quality services under acceptable rates, DPAR is vested with the powers to procure them."
According to the KTPP Act, the 4G exemption can be sought by the government whenever there is a "natural calamity or emergency declared by the government...in respect of specific procurements, as may be notified by the government from time to time."
Government sources have indicated that the decision to purchase new vehicles is based on a norm stipulating that the vehicle should either have covered 1 lakh kilometers or completed three years on the road. "Since three years, no vehicle has been purchased for ministers. The last one was bought in 2020 during the tenure of former CM BS Yediyurappa," explained government officials.
Officials from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) noted that procuring new vehicles is a "convention" when a new government assumes power. "When we have new ministers, it is a convention that the CM authorizes the purchase of new vehicles for comfortable travel of ministers across the state," said a DPAR official.
BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan criticized the move, stating, "The government is facing problems related to funds and should be more responsible when it comes to such expenses. The government has completed 100 days but is still struggling to arrange funds to take up development works," he alleged.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
