Oppn slams Cong govt as ministers skip Legislative Council for protest
Belagavi (PTI): Labelling the Congress government in Karnataka "irresponsible", the opposition BJP and JD(S) on Wednesday accused the ruling party members of skipping the Legislative Council proceedings to participate in a protest here and wasting valuable House time.
As the House commenced for the day, the treasury benches were vacant, with Minister Satish Jarkiholi being the sole representative of the government present.
This irked the opposition members, who accused the Congress government of "insulting" the House and also the people of the state, especially those from north Karnataka, as the issues concerning the region are under discussion during the Winter session in Belagavi.
The ruling Congress on Wednesday morning staged a protest against the central government's move to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, and alleged "hate politics" against the party leadership in the National Herald case, in front of Gandhi state at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha premises here.
Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy questioned the government's ethics.
"Look at the irresponsibility of the government, the ruling party members including Ministers and the leader of the House are not present. If this is their conduct, will they do justice to the north Karnataka region?"
JD(S) MLC Saravana said the opposition has requested for the session to be continued for one more week to discuss key issues concerning north Karnataka.
"The session had to convene at 10 am. No minister is present in the House, who will answer? Who do we have to question? Why is the session called?" he asked.
Narayanaswamy too said the opposition has requested to continue the session for one more week, as no issues including those relating to north Karnataka have been discussed properly in the House.
"But the government is wasting the time. It is showing irresponsibility. Neither the leader of the House, nor Ministers or ruling party members are present in the House. What kind of conduct is this? Such conduct puts politicians in a bad light. Do we need this? The situation is such that we have to face the ire of the people having come for the winter session in Belagavi," he said.
Noting that about Rs 30 crore is spent for the session, the opposition leader said, "this is public money. Should it be wasted like this? Doesn't this government have responsibility? For trivial issues this (protest) is being done. Will the government protest? If the government behaves this way, what will others do? We condemn this conduct of this government."
Opposition chief whip and MLC N Ravi Kumar termed the conduct of the government a "betrayal" of north Karnataka. "The government lacks seriousness when issues concerning north Karnataka are being raised and discussed. This is an irresponsible government."
BJP MLC Bharathi Shetty said the House was convened 30 minutes late, still no one is present from the government side. "Down Down for this government. They are wasting public money and time."
JD(S) MLC Bhojegowda said, everyone has the right to protest, but the ruling party and the government is well aware that the House has to convene at 10 am, but still they are protesting outside.
"You could have protested at 8 am... But, wasting the time of the House in the name of protest is not right. The session has been called in Belagavi to discuss development and issues concerning north Karnataka. Forgetting all this, they are sitting there. Only one Minister (Satish Jarkiholi)is present in the House, another Minister (Ramaling Reddy) is coming now. What is important for you-- session or protest?" he questioned.
Bhojegowda and Ravi Kumar called the government's conduct "irresponsible and insulting" the House and the Chair.
Intervening, Narayanaswamy said, "this government is lost. We have to give advertisements in the papers saying the government is lost, please search or find it."
"We will also boycott the House in protest against the conduct of this government. We will walk out. This is an insult to the House, the chair and the people of north Karnataka. This government has betrayed the people, it (the government) is dead," he said.
Defending the government, Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "we had a protest... Prime Minister himself doesn't go to parliament, but goes abroad when Parliament is in session."
As this led to strong objection from BJP members, leading to chaos, Deputy Chairman M K Pranesh adjourned the House for some time.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
