Ready to resign if views not in sync with Byrathi Suresh: KUWSDB Chairman Vinay Kulkarni
Dharwad Congress MLA and Chairman of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, Vinay Kulkarni on Monday stated that he would not hesitate to resign from the board if his views are not in sync with Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh. He made these remarks while addressing media representatives at the KPCC office in Bengaluru on Monday.
"I am not discontent with the work tender and fund allocation under Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh's leadership in the board. If such situation arises, I will not hesitate to resign," Vinay Kulkarni stated.
Highlighting what he described as mismanagement within the board, the Dharwad MLA accused the board of lacking a proper system under the current administration. He also claimed that despite holding the position of board’s chairman, he was denied the right to inspect its operations. "We have witnessed irregularities similar to those in the Valmiki Development Authority, and I am determined not to let this situation worsen. That's why I have formally requested action to be taken," Kulkarni added.
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Asserting the need for accountability, Kulkarni called for the blacklisting of companies involved in irregular practices. "It has been two months since I requested an investigation into 10-15 companies implicated in these irregularities. I am concerned that companies disfavored by the Minister might be unfairly targeted while those associated with his close aides secure tenders," he emphasized.
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'Low-quality' catheters supplied to West Bengal govt hospitals at high price, probe ordered
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal health department has launched a probe into the supplies of allegedly low-quality and locally made catheters at a high price to several government hospitals, posing a risk to the lives of patients undergoing treatment in these facilities, officials said.
Such central venous catheters (CVCs) were allegedly supplied to at least five medical colleges and hospitals in the state, defying allocation of international standard-compliant CVCs, they said.
The distribution company, which has been accused of supplying these catheters to government hospitals, admitted to the fault but placed the blame on its employees.
"We started checking stocks some time back and found these locally made CVCs in my hospital store. These catheters are of low quality as compared to those allocated by the state. We have informed the state health department," a senior official of the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital told PTI.
Low-quality catheters were also found in the stores of other hospitals, which indicates "possible involvement of insiders in the scam", a health department official said.
The low-quality CVCs were supplied by a distributor in the Hatibagan area in the northern part of Kolkata for the last three to four months, he said.
"Such kinds of local CVCs are priced around Rs 1,500 but the distributor took Rs 4,177 for each device," the official said.
A CVC is a thin and flexible tube that is inserted into a vein to allow for the administration of fluids, blood, and other treatment. It's also clinically called a central line catheter.
"An initial probe revealed that the distribution company Prakash Surgical had supplied the low-quality and locally manufactured catheters to several government hospitals instead of the CVCs of the government-designated international company.
"All the units will be tested and a proper investigation is on to find out who benefited from these supplies," the health department official said.
The distribution company blamed its employees for the supply of inferior quality catheters.
"I was sick for a few months. Some employees of the organisation made this mistake. We are taking back all those units that have gone to the hospitals. It's all about misunderstanding," an official of the distribution company told PTI.
According to another state health department official, a complaint was lodged with the police in this connection.
Asked about how many patients were affected by the usage of such low-quality CVCs, the official said, "The probe would also try to find that out".
According to sources in the health department, some of the staff of the hospitals' equipment receiving departments and some local officials of international organisations might be involved in the alleged irregularities.
