'Transfer business' going on in a big way under Cong govt, alleges HD Kumaraswamy
Ramanagara (K'taka), June 28: JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday alleged that "transfer business" is going on in a "big way", under the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka.
Pointing at ministers and the chief minister's repeated statements regarding conducting inquiry into alleged irregularities of the previous BJP regime, he said, to cover up their failures, new statements are being issued every day.
"Have you ever seen a Chief Minister's office issuing five orders for one post? After issuing a transfer order the Chief Minister's office would have records with orders numbered. Who has created an atmosphere, where orders are being issued for appointing five people to one post is clear....transfer business is going on in a big way," Kumaraswamy said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, on one side open statements are being made from stage during events and in front of the media, stating that they will not take bribes, but the business of transfer is rampant every day.
"Also, the government is treating officials in a bad way in every department, compared to the previous BJP government. On getting power one should not lose control over his mind and should learn to work with respect. It is better if those in power learn how to behave in public," he added.
Responding to a question, the former CM said, "there should be no doubts about commission business continuing in this government too, and to fix the rate, all works have been stopped".
"It is laughable that a Minister says that inquiry will be conducted on developmental works taken up during the last four years. How and from where will they do it? " he said.
Noting that every day in newspapers one can find that all ministers, including the chief minister, are issuing statements regarding conducting inquiry into alleged irregularities of the previous regime, Kumaraswamy said, it looks like this government along with five 'guarantees' has also decided to give another scheme called "Thanika Jyothi" (Inquiry Jyothi) on previous government.
"Inquiry into any of the irregularities or scams will not be taken to a logical end, nothing will happen from it," he said, adding that to cover up their failures new statements are being made every day by CM and ministers. "They are creating an illusion of providing a clean administration by doing all this."
Alleging that Congress and BJP are two faces of the same coin, Kumaraswamy called both the national parties like 'British East India Company' in a free India and in a democracy, as they too are looting the country's resources, the way the company did in the past.
Hitting out at Siddaramaiah government for pointing fingers at the Centre for everything including on the rising vegetable price raise, in response to a question, he said, "then why are they (Congress in government) here? During the election they gave full page publicity in newspapers with Siddaramaiah on one side and D K Shivakumar (state Congress chief and Deputy CM) on other side, promising to bring down prices."
"What will the state government do to bring down the prices of vegetables like tomatoes?" he asked, pointing out that the Centre has already said that they will bring down the prices of pulses by letting imported lots into the market.
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Ahmedabad plane crash: Six months on, college hostel lies in ruins, sans bustle of students
Ahmedabad (PTI): Six months after the AI-171 plane crash, the B J Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad stands as a haunting reminder, with its charred walls and burnt trees replacing the once lively chatter of students with an eerie stillness.
Scattered across the crash site are grim remnants of daily life - burnt cars and motorcycles, twisted beds and furniture, charred books, clothes and personal belongings.
The Atulyam-4 hostel building and the adjoining canteen complex stand abandoned, with entry strictly prohibited.
For residents near the site, memories of the incident still linger, casting a lasting shadow on their lives, with some of them saying they are still afraid to look up at the sky when an aircraft passes overhead.
On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 persons.
The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar, turning a lively student neighbourhood into a landscape of ruin and grief.
"The area now lies very silent, only a few birds chirp here," Sanjaybhai, a security guard deployed at the premises by authorities to prevent trespassing, told PTI.
Mahendrasingh Jadeja, a general store owner whose shop is just 50 metres from the point where the aircraft struck, described it as an unimaginable calamity. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this."
Pointing to a tree behind his shop, the 60-year-old said the aircraft first struck there before crashing into the hostel building.
"It was a scorching summer afternoon. Not many people were outside. When I heard a loud crashing sound, I ran out of my shop. We were all terrified," he recalled.
"Even today, we instinctively look up whenever a plane passes overhead," he added.
Another local, Manubhai Rajput, who lives barely 200 metres from the site, said he witnessed the horror unfold on June 12.
"The plane was flying unusually low. Before I could understand what was happening, there was thick black smoke and a deafening crash," he said.
For over three decades, Rajput and his neighbours lived close to the airport without giving much thought to the aircraft overhead.
"We never looked up at the sky. But that day is etched in my mind. The plane hit a tree first, and then there was a loud sound," he said.
Rajput recalled how hundreds of locals rushed to the site even before police, fire services or the Army arrived.
Tinaben, another resident of Meghaninagar, said she never imagined something like this could happen in Ahmedabad.
"Despite being close to the airport, this area always felt safe," she said.
As an aircraft roared overhead during the conversation, Tinaben paused, looked up nervously and said, "It's still scary."
A senior official of Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the state government has yet to decide what to do with the damaged site.
Currently, investigations are going on and the site is strictly prohibited for people, he added.
