No confidence motion: Will go by rules, says K'taka Legislative Council chairman
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Amid speculation about the ruling Congress planning to move a no-confidence motion against him, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti on Monday said he will abide by the decision of the House, and go by rules regarding the matter.
Horatti also clarified that he has resigned from the primary membership of the BJP, as soon as he was elected as the Chairman in 2022.
According to sources, Congress wants to have its own member as the Chairman, with the numbers now stacked in its favour in the upper house of the legislature.
In the 75-member Council, there are 37 Congress members, an equal number for the NDA (including the Chairman) and an independent Lakhan Jarkiholi, who is believed to be inclined towards Congress.
"Whether there is majority support or not, it is a matter left to the government and the House. It is not related to me. What is decided in the House is final, as the House is supreme. I cannot say anything about that. I will have to abide by the decision of the House. I will abide by it," Horatti said.
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Speaking to reporters here, he said, "if the matter comes for discussion, there are rules for it -- whether to discuss or not. I will go by those rules."
The House has to decide on the matter and he cannot say anything on this, Horatti added.
"Depending on the rules under which the matter comes, I will have to bow to the rules and the decision of the House. I will do that," he added.
Meanwhile, according to official sources, the Chairman left for Bengaluru on Monday.
Congress MLC Nagaraj Yadav has accused Horratti of partisan conduct and alleged irregularities in connection with recruitment to council.
Speaking to reporters, he said the BJP-JD (S) and Congress' numbers are equal, and there is one independent, who is close to CM Siddaramaiah. "So, we have the majority."
Rejecting Yadav's allegations of irregularities in connection with direct recruitment to the Legislative Council secretariat as it was allegedly in violation of rules, Horatti said he would not occupy the chair even for a minute if they are proved.
"Recruitment for the posts were conducted through the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA,) based on examination and merit list," he said.
Regarding allegations of him being partisan, Horatti said, though he was elected from the BJP, he had resigned from the party on his election to the Chairman post.
Regarding allegation relating to his handling of a tussle between Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar and BJP MLC C T Ravi during the session in Belagavi last year, the Chairman said he had formed a committee to look into it, which had met twice, and based on its report, action will be taken.
A controversy had erupted when Ravi allegedly used a derogatory word against Hebbalkar in the Legislative Council, during an altercation between them, when the House was adjourned for a while.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
