CPI(M) to add 'live-in' option in Party Congress form
The issue came up as the 'Credentials Committee' of the Party Congress in Madurai earlier this month was encountered with one who did not fit into the 'traditional understanding of relations' as he is in a 'live-in' relationship and was reported in the Credentials Report placed before the Party Congress and later approved by it.
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The Hindu
02-06-2025
- The Hindu
Medigadda Barrage collapse: 17 officials to face criminal charges and 33 disciplinary action
The State Vigilance Commission has advised the government to initiate criminal proceedings against some 50 serving and retired officials, as well as the contracting agency L&T Precision Engineering Systems (L&T-PES) blaming them for the collapse of the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. The suggestions were based on the Vigilance Report dated March 5, 2025, submitted by the DG, Vigilance & Enforcement (V&E), Hyderabad, highlighting lapses in design, supervision, quality control, and execution of the Medigadda barrage works. The sinking of Block No. 7 of the barrage resulted in massive financial losses to the State exchequer and also political slugfest. The Commission directed the Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD) department to initiate major disciplinary proceedings against 33 officials, including engineers and Finance department officials, for procedural and supervisory lapses. They include Bhupathi Raju Nagendra Rao, Todupunoori Srinivas, V. Phanibhushan Sharma, Mohd. Ajmal Khan, Kotte Sudhakar Reddy, Sudagoni Sathyanarayana, B. Venkata Ramana Reddy, Sardar Omkar Singh, Ch. Thirupathi Rao, Banothu Nanda, Ajmeera Suresh Kumar, P. Shravan Kumar, K. S. S. Chandra Sekhar, H. Baswaraj, Thoutam Hemalatha, Ankilla Ravikanth, R. Vijay, G. Gangadhar, G. Saicharan, M. Prasad, Merugu Raju, B. Ganesh, Md. Ismail Sajid, P. A. Venkata Krishna, K. Devender Reddy, M. Raghu Ram, B. Kiran Kumar, A. Krishna Mohan, G. Krishna Reddy, E. Sukumar, P. Shravan Kumar, L. Bheema Raju, Vali Shaik and Boge Srinivas. Penalty proceedings should be initiated against seven retired senior officials under the Telangana Civil Services (Conduct and Appeal) Rules, the Commission said. They include Cheeti Muralidhar, Engineer-in-Chief (General) (I&CAD), N. Venkateshwarlu, Engineer-in-Chief, Kaleshwaram Project, Gajjela Hari Hara Chary, Deputy Chief Engineer, Kaleshwaram Project, B. Venkateshwarlu, Chief Engineer, Quality Control & Inspection, I&CAD, Chatla Gangadhar, V. Ajaya Kumar and A. Narender Reddy. Criminal proceedings were suggested against 17 officers and the Agency L&T-PES, whose action led to the sinking of the Medigadda barrage, as well as causing huge financial loss to the Government exchequer. The 17 are among the 33 already picked up for disciplinary and penalty proceedings. The contractor, L&T-PES, has also come under scrutiny for violating key terms of the supplemental agreement and for faulty execution of secant pile foundations, which directly led to the sinking of the barrage structure. The Commission said that the L&T-PES agency will be liable to bear the full cost of replacing Block No. 7. The agency was also accused of claiming project completion despite glaring deficiencies, and failure to meet safety and structural norms. The Commission also called for accountability of higher officials, including Principal Secretaries of the I&CAD and Finance departments, who approved deviations and financial proposals during the period of redesign and execution from April 2015 to October 2023. Suggesting reforms for such dealings in the future, the Commission issued directives to the I&CAD, Finance department, and GAD. They include scrupulous adherence to norms and contract conditions, mandatory joint inspections, revision approvals for design changes, comprehensive model studies by third-party experts, record-keeping on contractor equipment deployment to counter false claims and enforcement of work insurance provisions aligned with updated estimates.
Indian Express
01-06-2025
- Indian Express
Protect whatever is left of Aravallis, combat illegal mining, environmental group urges Haryana government
The government needs to take immediate action to preserve what remains of the two billion-year-old Aravalli range, People for Aravallis, a collective of environmentalists and citizens, stated in a report on Friday. The report, forwarded to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, stressed that these forests have crucial 'ecological functions of being South Haryana's and Delhi-NCR's critical water recharge zone, only barrier against desertification, pollution sink, climate regulator and wildlife habitat'. Spread over 692 km, the Aravallis cover Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana. In Haryana, they are found in the southwest part of the state, covering five divisions: Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat, Mahendargarh, and Rewari. Extensively documenting the destruction and deforestation caused by illegal mining and other commercial activities in the Aravallis, the 70-page report makes a host of recommendations to alleviate the situation and salvage what remains. The collective sought to have the entire forest stretch designated a 'Critical Ecological Zone' and to commission independent studies to quantify the value and destruction of the ecosystem services provided by the Aravalli mountain region. It further called for laws against ecological crimes, specifically to penalise those indulging in illegal mining, encroachments, tree felling, poaching, and waste dumping in the Aravallis. The diversion of Aravalli land for real estate projects by the Haryana government should be halted, and the state should withdraw its appeal against the Supreme Court's ban on mining in the area, it said. 'Current ill health of the Aravalli range (as brought out in this Citizens' Report) cannot afford more extraction of natural resources for construction as it is jeopardising the principle of sustainability. To save what is left of the 2 billion year old Aravalli range and the ecosystem services it provides, it is crucial to mainstream alternatives for the use of virgin stone mined from the mountains across Haryana, Rajasthan & Gujarat. The real estate and infrastructure sectors should be directed to find alternative sources for meeting their requirements. Industry can commission independent studies and assessments to seek/source the building materials from alternative sources that they can use for the next 50 years,' it said. The report also sought compensation for those with serious illnesses resulting from mining-induced pollution in the region. It also sought that the government devise and implement an action plan to remove invasive plant species across the Aravalli belt, and undertake the planting of native species. It said the Haryana Forest Department should impose a complete ban on planting trees like papdi and kabli jikar in public places, near roads, and around ponds, as these trees release harmful gases that negatively impact the health of humans and animals. The collective also sought the revival of dried-up rivers and seasonal streams in Haryana, like Dohan and Krishnawati. It also proposed the removal of water-intensive factories near these areas and the Sabu River, as well as all other encroachments, to allow the groundwater to recharge naturally.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Time of India
What are Aravalis' main threats? Greens give Centre, state report
Gurgaon: Based on what they say is ground observations made over a year of visits, a group of environmentalists has submitted their findings to the central and state govts, seeking urgent measures to protect the Aravalis. Compiled as a 70-page report titled 'State of the Haryana Aravalis: Citizens' Report Part 1', the findings raise critical questions for water security, air quality and biodiversity of Delhi-NCR, which are intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the Aravalis. Copies of the report were handed over to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday. Rampant violations like construction of illegal farmhouses, colonies and commercial establishments on protected Aravali land have repeatedly come under Supreme Court's scrutiny. Last week, it rapped the state govt for an illegal road being laid at Basai Meo in Nuh with stones quarried from a hillock that led to its collapse. The report contains four main demands – a legal declaration of the entire Haryana Aravali range as 'no-go zones' for mining and stone crushing, introduction of a law that treats destruction of Aravalis as an ecological crime punishable with strict penalties, including action against negligent officials, implementation of strict enforcement and ecological restoration measures, compensation for communities suffering from pollution and displacement, and a policy shift that requires the real estate and infrastructure sector to adopt construction materials other than Aravali-sourced stones. Neelam Ahluwalia, founder member of People for Aravalis, the group that compiled the report, said, "We are hoping the demands for Aravali protection given in this report can act as a blueprint for govt to create and deliver policies and plans to protect what is left of India's oldest hill range. We hope our wildlife does not lose its home and our current and future generations can live with dignity without gasping for breath or being choked in the dust storms coming from Thar desert or fighting over water. " Rajasthan-based water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh said, "In 2009, Supreme Court banned mining completely in the Aravali hills in Gurgaon, Nuh and Faridabad. Time has now come to look at the 670km Aravali range spread across four states as one ecosystem critical for survival of millions of people living in north-west India." The report illustrates how licenced mining and stone crushing units across the Haryana Aravalis flouted rules, and how illegal mining continues despite a 16-year-old ban. It also states how out of the seven districts where the Aravalis are present in Haryana, licenced mining wiped out most of the range in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri.
