Prioritise improvement in human development index in Kalyana Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jun 14: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said priority should be given to the implementation of complementary projects to improve the Human Development Index of the Kalyana Karnataka region.
The suggestion came as he reviewed the progress of Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board at his home office Krishna here.
He said emphasis should be laid on areas in which we are lagging behind. Emphasis should also be on infrastructure development at hostels, anganwadis and residential schools.
In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Siddaramaiah said the available grants should be spent on a priority areas. Roads, drinking water, irrigation and other infrastructure should also be prioritised.
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"It is our responsibility to give the necessary approvals from the finance department. The district in-charge minister should review the progress once a month and send the report to the board. District in-charge secretaries should also conduct progress review. Anganwadis, hostels, schools, hospitals should be visited and inspected," he said.
Siddaramaiah also pointed out the need for coordination between district in-charge ministers and secretaries.
He told officials that tenders should be called immediately for the approved works for which tenders have not been called and said they (works) should be evaluated.
According to officials, for the year 2023-24, the largest grant of Rs 3,000 crore has been released to Kalyan Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB). A sum of Rs 2009.53 crore including initial charges have been spent during this period.
Chairman of the board Ajay Singh said this is the highest expenditure incurred till now since the formation of the board.
He further said Rs 2,885.9 crore is currently available with the board. Since the formation of the board, till now, 35,724 works have been approved and 26,418 works have been completed. In the year 2023-24, out of 6,468 works, 136 works were completed and 3,226 were in progress.
He explained that 3,106 works are to be started. Regular progress review of pending works should be done and any bottlenecks in implementation should be removed.
The Chief Minister has directed that the pending 3,528 works should be started by July-end.
In the meeting with KKRDB officials, which was also attended by some Ministers, Siddaramaiah suggested more emphasis should be given to education, health and job creation.
Singh said there is a demand for primary health centres and added that it has been decided to focus on this.
The Chief Minister has directed to submit a proposal for setting up primary health centres as per prescribed norms.
The CM has also suggested focus should be on development of schools in Kalyana Karnataka region under the corporate social responsibility and the administrative departments should sanction the establishment of high school, undergraduate and graduate colleges, he directed.
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B'luru: "Least priority, shifted late," says brother of patient who died in Ramaiah hospital fire
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Bengaluru: Hours after a fire broke out at the Critical Care Unit (CCU) of the MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital on New BEL Road on Thursday, a 34-year-old patient, Sujay Sujathan Panicker, tragically passed away. His family has accused the hospital authorities of negligence, which they claim led to his death.
The fire at Ramaiah Memorial Hospital is believed to have been caused by a short circuit. Initial reports suggested that there were no casualties in the incident.
Sujay, originally from Kollam in Kerala, had been residing in Bengaluru with his family since 2004. He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and H1N1 since September 1 at the hospital.
Sujay's wife and father released a video accusing the hospital of negligence. In the video, his wife, Rohini Jayan, alleged that the hospital authorities took no action against those responsible for the fire.
Sujay’s brother, Sujin Sujathan Panicker, speaking to Vartha Bharathi, detailed the family’s ordeal. He said that despite his sister-in-law requesting assistance during the chaos, the hospital staff pushed her away, assuring her that all patients had been safely evacuated to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). However, Sujin claims that his sister-in-law did not see Sujay being shifted.
He further stated, “Sometime later, when a doctor arrived, she (Rohini) inquired about Sujay. It was only after the doctor questioned the staff that they rushed to evacuate him.”
Sujin added that by the time his brother was evacuated, 50 minutes had already passed since the fire broke out. "He was still inside, while all the other patients were taken out first. He was admitted to the hospital with a respiratory illness, yet he was given the least priority during the chaos. He was the last one to be evacuated."
He also claimed that Rohini had already noticed that Sujay’s condition had deteriorated and believed he had passed away, though the hospital authorities did not officially declare his death.
Sujin further stated that the hospital authorities called him and his father to the board room at the 8th floor of the hospital, where senior executives and doctors who had treated Sujay were present “During the interaction they (hospital authorities) claimed that Sujay was still alive and that his condition had worsened amid the smoke and that his chances of survival were less, which was not true.”
"Despite staff being present to evacuate my brother, they remained negligent. The fire broke out at 1:00 p.m., so why did it take 50 minutes to get him out? He was in a corner bed in the CCU, and it seemed they either overlooked the room or ignored it. Even after repeated requests, it took them 50 minutes to evacuate him," Sujin added.
Sujin also expressed concerns that the hospital authorities might attempt to influence the investigation. "They can influence anyone—any hospital, any report."
At the time of the interview, Sujin stated that neither anyone from the government nor from the health department had contacted the family.
A complaint has been filed in connection with the incident at the Sadashivanagar police station. "The statements of the family members have been recorded, and an investigation into the matter is underway. An FIR has been lodged under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Section 106 (causing death due to negligence)," said Sadashivanagar police station Sub-Inspector.
Meanwhile, officials from Ramaiah Memorial Hospital were unavailable for comment.
