KC Venugopal says government should have acted with “sensitivity” in B’luru demolition drive
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal has expressed regret over the manner in which the Karnataka government’s demolition drive in Kogilu village was carried out, saying the action should have been undertaken with greater caution and “compassion,” according to a tweet on Friday.
The demolition operation, led by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) in Yelahanka’s Kogilu village, razed more than 200 homes and structures in Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout in the early hours of December 20 as part of an anti-encroachment drive. Authorities say the land was illegally occupied and has been earmarked for public infrastructure purposes, including waste management facilities. Residents and activists, however, allege that the action was executed without adequate notice or rehabilitation plans, leaving hundreds of families homeless and sparking protests in parts of the city.
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In his social media post, Venugopal said he had spoken to Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, and D. K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister, regarding the demolition. He conveyed the All India Congress Committee’s “serious concern” that the operation should have been conducted with more sensitivity and that the human impact on affected families should have been central to planning.
Venugopal quoted the assurances he received from both leaders that they would “personally engage with the affected families,” establish a mechanism to address grievances, and “ensure rehabilitation and relief” for those impacted by the clearances.
Local residents and advocacy groups had criticised the drive for a lack of prior notice, claiming they were not given adequate time or information to vacate, despite living in the area for many years. Some said they held official identity documents and had invested significant resources in building their homes.
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Rupee hits all-time low for second time in a week
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 31 paise to settle at 91.99 against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching the lowest closing level for the second time in less than a week, amid increased month-end demand for the greenback.
Forex traders said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe offered quiet reassurance. However, increased month-end demand for the American currency as well as the ongoing geopolitical tensions dented investors' sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.60 and touched an early high of 91.50, but pared all the gains to touch an intra-day low of 91.99 against the greenback.
The domestic unit settled 31 paise down, revisiting its lowest-ever closing level of 91.99 against the greenback. The Indian currency previously ended at this level on January 23 when it also hit its all-time intraday low of 92 against the US dollar.
On Tuesday, the rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and gained 22 paise to close at 91.68 against the US dollar.
Analysts said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe bolstered investor sentiment.
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA), under which a number of domestic sectors such as apparel, chemicals and footwear will get duty-free entry into the 27-nation bloc, while the EU will get access to the Indian market at concessional duty for cars and wines, an official said.
The deal has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" as it will create a market of about 2 billion people.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at 96.14.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.43 per cent lower at USD 67.28 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 487.20 points to settle at 82,344.68, while Nifty surged 167.35 points to 25,342.75.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth Rs 480.26 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
