Chairperson of Seventh State Finance Commission calls on Chief Minister Stalin
Retired IAS officer K. Allaudin, Chairperson of the recently constituted Seventh State Finance Commission, called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday at the Secretariat in Chennai. The State government had constituted the Seventh State Finance Commission to review the financial position of various urban and rural local bodies and make appropriate recommendations on the distribution of funds to be provided by the State government. Prominent textile industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami, who recently received the Padma Bhushan, also called on the Chief Minister at the Secretariat.
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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Karnataka government seeks action against two serving IFS officers for allowing Bengaluru land worth Rs 14,000 crore to be declared ‘not a forest'
The Karnataka forest ministry has sought legal and disciplinary action against two serving Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers for allegedly facilitating the handover of forest land worth approximately Rs 14,000 crore – held by the public sector company Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru – to third parties, including private entities. Forest and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced this week that the government had recommended action against two serving IFS officers, one retired IFS officer, and one retired IAS official for facilitating the filing of an application in the Supreme Court 'seeking permission for denotification of HMT forest land worth over Rs 14,000 crore.' The controversy pertains to 599 acres of land in a plantation in the Peenya Jalahalli region, which was declared a forest in 1896 and was later transferred to the public sector HMT in the 1960s to create industrial infrastructure through a donation deed by the Bengaluru district collector. In recent years, large portions of the land given to HMT by the forest department for industrial purposes have allegedly been used to facilitate major real estate projects through the connivance of state and central government officials. Over the last year, a dispute has arisen over the land between the Union heavy industries ministry headed by former Karnataka CM and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy – who is looking at monetising the land to resuscitate the fortunes of HMT – and the state forest department which is trying to recover the HMT land by arguing that it remains a forest land. 'This plantation is owned by HMT. It is illegal for the organisation to sell to government departments/organisations and private individuals. However, the fact that forest officials did not make any attempt to recover the land and, without even drawing the attention of the Cabinet, submitted an Interim Application (IA) to the Supreme Court seeking denotification in 2020 is a cause for doubt,' the Karnataka forest minister had stated earlier this year. Last year, in November, the state government had issued notices to the forest officials concerned over the filing of the IA in the SC on the HMT forest land. In January this year, the state government had ordered that since 281 acres of the 599 acres of land donated to HMT is vacant land 'without any building', the forest department must take possession of the vacant forest land. Among the forest officers against whom action has been sought by the state government is IFS officer R Gokul, who was whistle blower in the illegal mining scam in Karnataka in 2009-11 – when as deputy conservator of forests he reported the large scale exports through the Belekeri port of iron ore illegally excavated from the forests of Bellary by a mining mafia. The other officers are former forest secretary Sandeep Dave, a retired IAS officer, retired IFS officer Vijay Kumar Gogo, and serving senior IFS officer Smita Bijoor. The state government has also taken umbrage over the fact that IFS officer Gokul – who is a chief conservator – has written to the CBI saying he is being targeted by the Congress government for bringing evidence in the illegal mining cases being prosecuted by the CBI against some political leaders in Karnataka. The land granted to HMT 'is alienated, real estate companies have built hundreds of flats. Shooting of serials and films is going on. The land is being used for commercial purposes. How this was allowed is the question,' Forest Minister Khandre said this week. 'The forest land in the possession of HMT is the property of seven crore Kannadigas, and a few officials have applied for denotification without even bringing this to the attention of the then forest minister and without seeking prior approval of the Cabinet,' Khandre added. 'Notices have been issued to four officials, including two retired and two serving officials, and a recommendation for action has been sent to the chief minister,' he further said. The forest minister said that the IA submitted by the state in 2020 (during the tenure of the BJP government in Karnataka) contained false information since it said that the land given to HMT had lost its forest nature. The information on the filing of the IA in the SC was not brought to the notice of even a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary, which was created in 2015 to resolve the issue of forest land held by institutions in Bengaluru, the forest minister claimed. He said that just 25 days after the filing of the IA in the SC, on July 15, 2020, it was decided that the denotification of forest areas can be recommended to the state cabinet by the additional chief secretary of the forest, environment, and biology department. The forest minister said that a file had been submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to suspend IFS officer Gokul and to conduct a departmental inquiry against the other serving officer. While the Karnataka forest department has withdrawn the June 2020 affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on the nature of the HMT land and has initiated measures to recover the land, Union Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy has indicated that there is no question of returning the land under the control of the HMT factory. Kumaraswamy has in the past questioned the state government's intentions in taking back the land granted to HMT. 'What do they plan to do with the land if they take it back from the factory, and which builder do they intend to give it to? 'Who gave permission to sell 200 acres of land formerly belonging to HMT? Who was in power in the state from 1999 to 2004 (Congress tenure)? In 2006, when I became chief minister, I ordered that even an inch of HMT land cannot be sold,' Kumaraswamy earlier stated.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Large crowd gathers to greet Chief Minister Stalin at roadshow in Madurai
A 20-kilometre roadshow by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin attracted a huge crowd, including a large number of women, in Madurai on Saturday. Accompanied by Ministers P. Moorthy and PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, the Chief Minister began his roadshow from the outskirts of the city. Travelling in a specially-designed vehicle, the Chief Minister chose to hop off and walk on the roads in select stretches, interacting with the crowds. While jubilant party cadre were seen waving DMK's red-and-black flags and cheering him, the women thanked the Chief Minister for the government's move to provide women ₹1,000 as monthly financial assistance under the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam. Several supporters of the DMK were upbeat as they felt their party supremo had signalled the start of the campaign for the 2026 Assembly election through the roadshow in Madurai. All through the route, he received petitions from elderly people, both men and women. He also readily posed for selfies with youngsters waiting for the Chief Minister with their mobile phones. 'The Chief Minister advised the young crowd to study well. He assured them of support for their higher education as well,' Kamala Devi, a mother of two children in Villapuram, said. Unveiling the newly-crafted life-size bronze statue of then Madurai Mayor S. Muthu in the city, Mr. Stalin hailed the role played by the late stalwart in shaping the party and the city about four decades ago. Thanks to CM Thanking the Chief Minister, Karuna Muthu, son of the late Mayor, told The Hindu that he was immensely happy that the DMK and the people of Madurai had showered affection on his father. After an overnight halt in the city, Mr. Stalin is scheduled to address the party's general council meeting scheduled at Uthangudi on the Madurai-Tiruchi highway on Sunday. About 3,000 general council members would be participating at the meeting and elaborate arrangements have been made on a sprawling 20-acre campus.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Pahalgam violence an attack on Indian democracy, social harmony: Ram Bahadur Rai
Haridwar: Veteran journalist Ram Bahadur Rai said on Friday that the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 was not just an act of terror but carried three significant meanings. "First, it was an attack on Indian values of democracy, coexistence, and social harmony. Second, it was an assault on religious freedom and confirmation of the artificial theory that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together as a nation. Third, it was an attempt to derail tourism and teerthatan (religious tourism)." He praised the country's media, especially print, for "fair coverage" of the Pahalgam attack and its aftermath. "The print media informed the public that following Pahalgam, the govt had no choice but to launch Operation Sindoor . This operation symbolises the unmatched prowess of our armed forces, projects the govt as powerful (parakrami), and underscores its steely resolve to end cross-border terrorism," said Rai, chairman of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and a Padma Bhushan awardee. Rai said Operation Sindoor's biggest success was in securing global support unlike earlier wars with Pakistan, when India had to explain its position. On the issue of "paid news," Rai questioned why the govt has not taken actions to curb it. He urged the creation of rules and a regulatory body to guide journalists on their responsibilities. "It should not be like the Press Council of Jawaharlal Nehru's era, which Arun Jaitley called 'a toothless tiger.' The body must regulate all media, from print to digital," he said. He called on chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to take initiative, as he did with the Uniform Civil Code. "This body should not control the media but show it the right path, its rightful duties, and what it must avoid," Rai said.
