BMC Loses Rs. 100 Crore:The BMC may have lost around Rs.100 Crore because developers weren’t being charged extra taxes for water and sewage disposal at under construction sites.
Following an RT I query from a city based activist, municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte has now ordered an enquiry. Officials began collecting the levy from builders three months ago, but they were supposed to start collections in June, 2012.
For most of the past two years, the BMC didn’t ask builders for these taxes, even though water was supplied for projects, according to responses to activist Anil Galagali’s RT I query. BMC sources said around Rs. 100 crore may have been lost because these taxes weren’t collected. Meanwhile, officials recently began recovering the charges from builders, and in three months have collected Rs.19.6 crore from ongoing projects.
Sheila Dikshit’s appointment as Governor:
Files moved at breakneck speed for the appointment of the former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit as Kerala governor. In a bid to beat the election code of conduct, sitting Kerala governor Nikhil Kumar resigned, Karnataka governor HR Bharadwaj was handed interim charge and finally Dikshit appointed as Kumar’s successor all in the space of few hours on March 4. The code of conduct was to come into effect a day later.
The information disclosed by the home ministry was in response to an RTI plea filed by activist SC Agarwal. According to the documents made public, home minister Sushil Kumar Shine recommended appointment of Dikshit as Kerala governor following a one line resignation from Kumar. In his letter dated March 4 to President Pranab Mukherjee, Kumar said, “I resign as governor of Kerala with immediate effect.” He did not ascribe any reason for his resignation.
Not only was Kumar’s resignation accepted the same day but in the next few hours, President’s secretary Omita Paul shot off a letter and warrant to Bharadwaj asking him to take additional charge. A few hours later, Paul issued a warrant under the hand and seal of the president and a letter appointing Dikshit as Kerala Governor.
Thane Badlapur CR Stretch has Just two ambulances:
Central Railway (CR) authorities are under the spotlight for failing to provide basic transport facility to ferry the injured to the hospitals. Responding to a Right To Information (RT I) query by city advocate Suyash Pradhan about the availability of ambulance services outside each station on the CR line, the authorities said that private ambulances are parked round-the clock only at Thane and Dombivali stations between the Thane-Badlapur stretch. “At other stations, ambulances are on call basis and the list of private ambulances service providers is circulated to all stations to be summoned as and when required,” said senior divisional commercial manager Narendra Patil. “Commuters between Thane-Kalyan contribute in crores to the CR from the purchase of season tickets and monthly pass. The safety of the commuter should ideally be paramount. In the last one year alone 546 accidents were reported close to Kalyan station. The frequency of the fatalities due to commuters falling off trains between Diva and Thane is scary and there is a direct need to have a 24/7 ambulance outside these stations,” Said Pradhan.
