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Another jolt to INDIA, AAP to contest alone from all Lok Sabha seats in Punjab

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CHANDIGARH: In yet another setback to the Opposition INDIA bloc post Nitish Kumar’s somersault, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal announced that his party would contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and the lone seat of Chandigarh UT. It virtually closes all doors for the laboured projection of the Congress-AAP alliance in the state.

Kejriwal was addressing a rally at Khanna, a town known for the grain market in Ludhiana district, on the launch of the party’s free ration scheme. “Bless AAP with a victory on all 14 seats of Punjab and Chandigarh the way you did in the Assembly polls two years back by AAP victory in 92 out of the 117 Punjab Assembly seats,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal took a dig at the Congress and SAD, saying neither the Akalis nor Congress took any step for the well-being of the people in their party rules. “If I ask you today, in 75 years, the Congress ruled for so many years, tell me one good work the Congress has done. You will not remember. If I ask you Akali Dal ruled for so many years, tell me one good work the Akali Dal has done, you will not remember,” said Kejriwal.

Kejriwal’s announcement will add to the turmoil in the opposition bloc. TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has already said her party would go it alone in the state for LS polls.

Mann said the centre has adopted a hostile attitude against all non-BJP-ruled states. He blamed the Centre for the now-scrapped farm laws, adding that the BJP continues with the hostile attitude by stalling funds meant for various welfare schemes in Punjab.

Punjab CM Mann said that candidates for all the 13 Lok Sabha seats will be announced by month-end

Sakshi Malik attacks Usha, Mary Kom for not supporting women wrestlers’ stir against Ex-WFI chief

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Retired Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik has launched a scathing attack on the country’s iconic sportspersons PT Usha and Mary Kom for not extending support to the public protests by a group of female wrestlers over sexual harassment charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

Though Usha and Mary Kom were celebrated as “inspirations” by sportspersons like her, they did not speak up for the aggrieved woman wrestlers despite listening to their stories, Malik said.

The Olympic medal winner was speaking during a recent session held as part of the ongoing Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) 2024 at Kanakakkunnu here.

Expressing shock over the response of the legendary sports stars towards their agitation, she said both of them had assured all support to wrestlers but did nothing to find any solution.

“P T Usha madam had visited our protest venue. We told her in detail about our issues. She could have supported us. But she remained silent despite assuring us that she would stand by us and extend all help,” Malik said.

The decorated wrestler slightly turned emotional while speaking about legendary Mary Kom.

Kom was a member of the oversight committee formed to probe into the sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and submit a report.

Malik recalled that the boxing icon turned “very emotional” when the complainants narrated the shocking details.

She also said that Kom heard the stories of each woman wrestler as she was in the panel.

“After listening to the stories, she became very emotional like I am sorry feel so bad she also said she would stand by us,” she said.

But, there was no solution even after months had passed, she pointed out.

The wrestler said she was deeply anguished over Kom’s silence as she was considered an “inspirational” figure by her.

“Even she didn’t speak for us and remained silent,” Malik said on Saturday at the fifth edition of MBIFL where over 400 speakers from around the world have been invited to participate and share their views and experiences.

Top grapplers such as Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik had staged a sit-in protest in New Delhi demanding the arrest of Bhushan after accusing him of sexual harassment against female grapplers.

Later, Punia had returned his Padma Shri award to the government in protest over Bhushan’s aide, Sanjay Singh, being elected as the WFI chief.

Malik too had quit wrestling for the same reason.

The MBIFL which began on February 8 would be concluded on February 11.

The theme for this year’s edition of the literary event is ‘Exploring Plurality’ — a 360-degree attempt at understanding diverse perspectives, cultures, and identities.

Karnataka HC sets timeline for auction of abandoned vehicles

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BENGALURU: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday fixed a timeline for auction of abandoned/unclaimed vehicles parked on public roads and footpaths.

Accordingly, vehicles older than 15 years should be auctioned in 30 days. Vehicles that are 1 to 5 years old can be auctioned after three months. Vehicles that are 5 to 15 years old can be auctioned after two months.

A division bench of Chief Justice PS Dinesh Kumar and Justice TG Shivashankare Gowda passed this order after hearing Advocate General (AG) Shashikiran Shetty’s submission to a petition filed by Prashanth Rao on the issue of encroachment of footpaths.

Meanwhile, an affidavit filed by MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru, stated that a meeting was held on January 31 with BBMP officials on identifying and disposing of abandoned/unclaimed vehicles and identifying places where such vehicles could be kept. It stated that vehicles which have not been moved from footpaths for more than 15 days will be treated as abandoned. Later, they will be taken to places identified to keep them.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath also filed an affidavit and informed the court that palike officials will conduct periodical special drives to clear encroachments on footpaths of 609.89 km arterial roads and 734.45 km sub-arterial roads.

The chief commissioner submitted that town vending committees have been formed in eight zones of the BBMP to conduct a survey of street vendors and identify vending zones, restricted vending zones and no-vending zones. ID cards will be provided to street vendors identified by the BBMP.

He submitted that the BBMP will make efforts to ensure that vending zones and restricted vending zones are not far away from residential areas. Till such zones are identified, it will ensure that street vendors are given space to sell their goods without disturbing people’s movement.

Traffic to be allowed in Bengaluru’s Cubbon on all Saturdays

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BENGALURU: The Horticulture Department, in an order on February 8, has permitted vehicular movement inside Cubbon Park on second and fourth Saturdays on a trial basis for three months. Previously, traffic was prohibited on these days. While the city traffic police view this as a solution, citizens expressed outrage at the decision’s unilateral nature, advocating for a vehicle-free park.

“To ensure public convenience and facilitate smooth traffic flow, vehicles will be permitted to enter Cubbon Park from the High Court to Siddalingaiah Circle and vice versa on the second and fourth Saturdays, as a trial measure for three months,” the order stated.

During a meeting convened on January 24 by the Chief Secretary, MN Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), suggested that permitting traffic within Cubbon Park would alleviate congestion on surrounding roads, as there is sufficient space within the park for vehicular movement, the order said. Priya Chetty Rajgopal, founder, Heritage Beku, a citizens group that aims to preserve Bengaluru’s culture and heritage said, “Cubbon Park serves as a vital lung space within the city. While Lalbagh, another comparable green area, can operate without vehicular traffic, why can’t Cubbon Park enjoy the same privilege?”

With officials focus on promoting ‘Brand Bengaluru’, prioritising vehicles over citizens contradicts the very essence of this concept as this decision has been made without consulting the citizens, she added. Divye Karde, a member of Bengaluru Skaters, said “Cubbon Park remains the sole place in the city where urban skating, serving as an eco-friendly mode of transport, thrives.” While the park has an existing prohibition on photography and camera usage, this new order is controversial and poses an even graver threat, potentially jeopardising the park’s air quality and delicate ecosystem, he added.

7 arrested over electrocution of 10-year-old in Bengaluru

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BENGALURU: The Varthur police, investigating the electrocution of 10-year-old Manya Damerla in the swimming pool area of Prestige Lakeside Habitat, off Varthur-Gunjur Road, have arrested seven persons, including the president of the flat owners’ association. It may be recalled that Manya was reportedly electrocuted, when she came in contact with a live wire in the swimming pool area, between 7.40 pm and 7.50 pm on December 28 last year. She was immediately rushed to hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

Manya’s father Rajesh Kumar Damerla, Founder Director and CEO of DLK Megamart Private Limited, had filed a complaint, seeking action against the concerned. The Varthur police have registered a case of culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, under Section 304 of the IPC against the seven accused.

The accused are identified as Debashish Sinha, the president of the flat owners’ association, and Javed Safiq Rao, Santosh Maharana, Bikas Kumar Forida, Bhaktha Charan Pradhan, Suresh Sambandan, and Govind Mandal.

Manya was studying at an international school near Dommasandra on Varthur Road. Her mother, Vinay Yepuri, is the Director of DLK Megamart Private Limited. The family resides in Tower-17 of the complex. Manya is the only daughter of the Damerla couple, who belong to Andhra Pradesh.

The girl had come down alone to play. The lift’s CCTV footage showed Manya coming down from her flat by the lift at 7.29 pm. Around 7.45 pm, she was found in the pool. By 7.55 pm, she was rushed to hospital. However, there was no CCTV near the place where the incident occurred.

After the death of his daughter, Rajesh had said that she fell inside the pool due to the electric shock. Alleging negligence on the part of those looking after the maintenance, apartment residents staged a protest.

Congress expels Acharya Pramod Krishnam for indiscipline making statements against party

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Congress leader and spiritual Guru Acharya Pramod Krishnam.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday expelled Acharya Pramod Krishnam from the party for “indiscipline” and making repeated statements against the party.

Krishnam, who had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow on a Congress ticket but lost, had recently praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya and criticised the Congress’ stance of its leadership skipping the event.

“In view of complaints about indiscipline and repeatedly making statement against the party, Congress president has approved the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s proposal to expel Shri Pramod Krishnam for six years with immediate effect,” a statement issued by Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said.

Krishnam had also met Prime Minister Modi earlier this month and invited him to the foundation stone laying ceremony of Shri Kalki Dham in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on February 19.

Of late, he has been criticising some of the decisions of the Congress leadership, including that of not participating in the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22.

Bhadra emerges at KG HALLI after tunnelling for 1185.8m

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DCM DK Shivakumar witnesses the breakthrough of Tunnel Boring machine TBM Bhadra at KG Halli Metro station on Thursday

BENGALURU: After tunnelling for 356 days, Bengaluru Metro’s Tunnel Boring Machine ‘Bhadra’ emerged at the ground level at 6.08pm on Thursday.

The breakthrough was meant to happen in the morning but was delayed twice, and finally took place by evening so that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who was in Delhi for a protest on Wednesday, could witness the event.

the challenges encountered, chief engineer of this underground stretch Dayanand Shetty said, “The uneven geology of having a mixture of hard rock and soil definitely played a role in delaying the tunnelling process. We have had a total of 106 interventions on the cutter head of the machine.”

Interventions refer to stoppages whenever the cutter discs suffer damage and need to be replaced. “We have 42 cutter discs carrying out the drilling job. Whenever the damage suffered crosses a certain limit, we need to stop the tunnelling, carry out repairs and restart them all over again.

Sometimes, it gets rectified in a day, but sometimes it takes even a week to be set right,” Shetty explained. In Bhadra’s case, drilling had to be stopped 106 times.

With no alert about an abandoned well inside a house along the route, work had to be stopped for a week as the machine caved in while passing through this area, he explained.

TBM BHADRA OMPLETES SECOND RUN

  • Feb 8: Second leg breakthrough at KG Halli
  • Tunnelled route: Venkateshpura to KG Halli
  • 1185.8 m: Distance covered
  • Feb 16, 2023: Begins tunnelling work
  • 1066.8 metres: First leg tunnelled
  • Contractor: ITD Ltd

ON THE PINK LINE

  • Underground corridor of R6 line or Pink Line: 13.76km Dairy Circle (South Ramp) to Nagawara
  • 20.99km: Total tunnelling length
  • 91% Tunnelling completed
  • 7 of 9 TBMs carried out job
  • TBMs still drilling: ‘Bhadra’ and ‘Tunga’ along same route
  • August 2024: Tunnelling deadline
  • 12 UG corridor stations
  • 75% Work on stations done
  • 2025: Reach-6 line commissioning deadline

THIRD LEG TO START ON APRIL 7

  • Venkateshpura to Shadi Mahal shaft
  • To start from KG Halli on April 7
  • Reach 6 line: 21.26km, Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara

Road-cum-Metro flyovers along Airport Line Pink Line ops from 26: DKS

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BENGALURU: In a bid to reduce traffic woes, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday announced that two levels would be built along the Airport Line (KR Puram to Kempegowda International Airport) wherever Metro pillars have not been cast. Without specifying any exact deadline, he reiterated the Pink Line (Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara) or Reach-6 would become operational in 2026.

Responding to the media, after witnessing the breakthrough achieved by Bhadra at KG Halli, Shivakumar said, “The Airport Metro line is progressing at a fast pace. We have instructed them to build two levels wherever pillars have not been cast yet. One level will be used for the road and the other for Metro. The BBMP and BMRCL will work on this. The cost of the flyover will be borne by the BBMP while BMRCL will take care of Metro costs. IT is likely to help resolve the traffic crisis in Bengaluru.” He added that he had seen such projects in Nagpur and future Metro projects will have metro plus road lines.

When asked about the 2024 deadline for the airport line and the possibility of meeting it, the DCM said, “About 98% of land acquisition is complete. 53% of construction work is done and work on 17 elevated stations is in progress.” To a query if new Metro lines would be announced in the State budget, he said, “We have already instructed BMRCL to prepare a detailed project report for Tumakuru, Anekal and Bidadi routes.” The Centre had to be taken into confidence in all metro projects, he added.

Pakistan election results are delayed, but wins are reported for independents backed by Imran Khan’s party

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LAHORE, Pakistan: The results of Pakistan’s elections were delayed Friday a day after the vote that was marred by sporadic violence, a mobile phone service shutdown and the sidelining of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his party.

Early results indicated that Jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party-backed independent candidates seemed to have sprung a surprise as the results of the started trickling in on Friday following unusual delays, leading to allegations of rigging.

Votes are being counted in Pakistan after Thursday’s general election which was marred by allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown.

Local media reported victories by independents backed by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party after the imprisoned Khan was disqualified from contesting the vote because of criminal convictions he contends were politically motivated.

PTI candidates ran as independents after the Supreme Court and Election Commission said they couldn’t use the party symbol — a cricket bat. In Pakistan, parties use symbols to help illiterate voters find them on the ballots. PTI couldn’t hold rallies or open campaign offices, and its online events were blocked, steps it contended were unfair.

The chief election commissioner had previously said the results would be communicated to the oversight body by the early hours of Friday and released to the public after that. But that hasn’t happened. The Interior Ministry attributed the delay to a “lack of connectivity” resulting from security precautions.

Many Pakistani news channels reported that PTI-backed independents were giving the other big parties, led by three-time former premier Nawaz Sharif and political dynasty scion Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a run for their money by striding ahead in dozens of constituencies.

Senator Mushahid Hussain, a member of Sharif’s party, called the media tallies “probably the biggest election upset in Pakistan’s political history” in the last 50 years. Withheld results were a recipe for disaster, he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

There are 266 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly, with a further 70 reserved for women and minorities. If no party wins an outright majority, the one with the biggest share of the seats can form a coalition government.

There were no results from the Election Commission about the National Assembly vote and no information about the count appeared on its website more than 15 hours after polls closed. A commission spokesman was not available for comment at midmorning Friday.

Sharif struck a confident and defiant note on polling day, brushing off suggestions his Pakistan Muslim League party might not win an outright majority in the parliament. But the mood outside his headquarters was different by nightfall, with sparse crowds and no festivities.

He returned to the country last October after four years of self-imposed exile abroad to avoid serving prison sentences. Within weeks of his return, his convictions were overturned, leaving him free to seek a fourth term in office.

The polling ended at 5 pm on Thursday but the first official result was announced 10 hours later at 3 am on Friday, irking many about the delay and giving fuel to the rumour mills to indulge speculation of foul play to manipulate the outcome.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so far officially uploaded only four results of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assembly, which all were won by the PTI-backed independents. The commission has not uploaded even a single result of the National Assembly (NA) or other provinces.

However, private media channels showed that PTI-backed candidates were in the lead.

According to the Express Tribune newspaper, PTI-Independents have won six NA seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with four and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with three.

However, BBC Urdu in its results showed that PTI-Independent and PML-N won four seats each and PPP three.

Dawn newspaper put PML-N in the lead with four wins, followed by PTI-Ind with three and PPP 2 seats.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has acknowledged a “huge” voter turnout in favour of its arch-rival PTI, however, it remains hopeful that its supremo Nawaz Sharif will get a record fourth term as the country’s prime minister.

Sharif was the favourite to win the election as he was being backed by the powerful Army.

So far among the major winners, former prime minister and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif has won the NA 123 seat from Lahore with 63,953 votes, according to initial results.

Similarly, Balochistan National Party leader Akhtar Mengal won the election for National Assembly constituency NA-261 Surab-cum-Kalat-cum-Mastung by securing 3,404 votes.

The partial results reported by various TV channels showed that PTI-backed candidates were ahead of other parties on several seats

The excruciating delay in announcing the results pushed parties to the edge, with allegations of fraud being hurled along with demands for early results.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Aurangzeb said that the results are changing as they come in, stressing that preliminary results cannot be relied upon to say who’s winning from a said constituency.

“We were in the lead [when] suddenly the results stopped coming in,” she said while calling on the ECP to announce the results as soon as possible.

She also claimed PML-N’s Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s victory on the PP-159 seat for the Punjab assembly.

The ECP said in a statement that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja “contacted the Chief Secretaries, DROs (district returning officer) and Provincial Election Commissioners and has issued strict instructions to ensure immediate declaration of results.”

“The heat of the electoral process has passed; it is time to allow the country to heal…The political leadership — Mian Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Imran Khan, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others — must rise above petty politics and work together to confront the immense challenges our country is facing; they need to recognise that history is not kind to selfish politicians,” he urged.

Earlier, the Returning Officers allegedly stopped issuing results to the media following an ‘apparent victory’ of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in most seats in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces.

The cellphone and internet services suspended before elections were gradually restored during the night.

In total 266 National Assembly seats were up for grabs in Thursday’s election out of 336, but polling was postponed on at least one seat after a candidate was killed in a gun attack in Bajaur.

Another 60 seats are reserved for women and 10 for minorities and are allotted to the winning parties based on proportional representation.

A party must win 133 seats out of 265 being contested to form the next government.

Another 593 seats of the four provincial assemblies, out of a total 749, were also open for contest but the ECP delayed polls on at least three seats, two in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and one in Punjab, after two candidates died and one was killed.

Rebuild Someshwara temple in Kalaburagi Fort: Hindu Jagruti Sene

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The dilapidated Someshwara temple at Kalaburagi fort

KALABURAGI: Encouraged by Varanasi Court allowing Hindu side to offer puja at Gyanvapi, the Hindu Jagruti Sene of Kalaburagi has decided to intensify its effort along with other pro-Hindu organisations to put pressure on the district administration to reconstruct Someshwara Temple situated in the Kalaburagi Fort.

president of Hindu Jaruti Sene Lakshmikant Swadi said the Nizams demolished the temple inside the fort while they ruled this part. “Though there is no Shivalinga inside the temple, there is ample evidence that the temple existed at that place. The dilapidated structure of the temple still exists in the fort telling the sorrowful story of that period,” he said.

Lakshmikant Swadi said that his organisation has been struggling hard and pressuring the government for over 2 years to reconstruct the temple inside the fort and install the Shivalinga in the temple with performing all the rituals. He said he has written letters to the government in this regard. If the district administration fails to reconstruct the temple, the Sene would install the Shivalinga on Shivaratri and allow the devotees to worship.

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