
BBMP commissioner directs strict action against illegal OFCs
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao directed officials to remove unauthorised Optical Fiber Cables (OFC). During an inspection of a 2.5 km stretch of road from Guttahalli flyover to Cantonment Railway Station, Mr. Rao observed OFC hanging loosely over pedestrian pathways and instructed immediate removal.
He said that despite providing ducts to lay cables underground in TenderSure and white-topped roads, certain service providers have laid cables along roadsides, footpaths, electric poles, and even on trees, causing inconvenience to the public. He directed officials that strict action should be taken against any unauthorised OFC laid where ducts are already available.
Use vacant BBMP-owned lands
Mr. Rao also directed officials to use BBMP-owned vacant plots for public use. He said that BBMP is currently identifying designated zones for street vendors and directed that suitable BBMP-owned land be earmarked for this purpose.
Cleanliness
Mr. Rao also directed officials to ensure cleanliness around transformers and said fencing should be installed around transformers. He also directed officials to remove wall posters that were unauthorised.
He also visited Indira Canteen on Miller's Road, where he had breakfast.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Facing cases, fake docs back in biz; booked again
Hyderabad: In a disturbing trend, fake medical professionals in Telangana, previously booked for running illegal clinics, are found restarting their 'businesses' — often within months of them being shut down by authorities. At least two such cases have come to light since Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) started cracking down on quacks. In both instances, cops filed fresh FIRs following complaints from TGMC. The first case was reported from Vanasthalipuram. V Sridhar Rao, who was first booked in Nov 2024 for impersonating a doctor and running an unlicensed polyclinic — Sri Venkateshwara Medical and General Stores — resumed his illegal practice earlier in 2025. According to TGMC officials who had raided the place and shut down the facility alleged that Rao restarted the clinic under a new name: Sri Venkateshwara Clinic. "This came to light during our inspection in April 2025. He was running the facility with multiple beds and even prescribing allopathic injections, IV-fluids, and other drugs to patients. These injections can be detrimental if administered unsupervised," said a TGMC member, who was part of the inspection team. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Based on the council's complaint, Vanasthalipuram police booked a second case against him under Section 318(4) and 319 (2) (cheating), Section 22 of the Telangana Medical Practitioners Registration (TMPR) Act (punishment for contravention), and Section 34,r/w 54 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act (ban to practise on unregistered medical practitioners). "We have filed a charge sheet in both cases and the cases are now before the Rangareddy court. We have also brought it to the notice of the judge that Rao is a repeat offender," said an official from the Vanasthalipuram police station. Similarly, in the second case TGMC found an unqualified practitioner, G Suresh, running a clinic — Laxmi Clinic — in Mancherial. "Despite being booked under multiple sections for cheating and forgery, Suresh returned to his practice within three months under a new name, Laxmi First Aid Centre," said a TGMC member who registered the complaint. He added: "Even after the second FIR in 2024, he continues to run a single bed facility and has even hired an unqualified nursing staff. " The second FIR against Suresh was filed under similar sections at the Mancherial town police station. 'Enforcement of Act a challenge' Incidentally, while as per the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines practising medicine without an MBBS degree — which amounts to quackery — is punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh, the state rule is much more lenient. As per the TGMPR Act, such offenders face only three months in jail and a fine of Rs 500. Dr K Mahesh Kumar, chairman of TGMC, says this loophole is exploited by many fake doctors, and admits to enforcement of the state Act still being a challenge. "It is the responsibility of the DMHO (district medical and health officer) and district registration authority (DRA) to crack down on quacks, seal clinics and conduct regular follow ups to check whether they are practising again," said Dr Kumar, adding, "We have been writing to them in this regard and sending FIR copies too. But no follow ups are being conducted. Few months ago, a DMHO sealed a quack's clinic in Medchal but after four months the clinic reopened. " Since TGMC's formation in 2024, the council has filed about 170 FIRs about quacks. Of these, charge sheets have been filed in 135 cases and trials are underway in 40. "But the problem is much deeper. Our estimate is there are around 55,000 quacks operating across Telangana, with nearly 75% concentrated in urban centres such as Hyderabad and its peripheries," said a council member Don't have authority: DMHO According to health officials, lack of coordination among enforcement bodies is a concern. A senior DMHO, on condition of anonymity, claimed their department only intervenes in serious cases like illegal abortions or medical negligence. "We are not the regulatory authority for quackery," said the official, claiming that the govt is, in fact, considering regularising quacks by issuing medical certificates. "There are about 3,000 to 4,000 such practitioners in every district. If the govt wants us to act, why wouldn't we?" he said. The official also pointed to the gaps in public healthcare infrastructure, stating how these quacks often refer patients to hospitals and take commissions, acting as unofficial intermediaries. "Many of them are well-established in their localities. They are seen as accessible healthcare providers, especially in underserved areas." QUOTE Unless a dedicated, autonomous body is created to deal with quackery and expedite legal proceedings, the situation will only worsen. We have only 19 members across the state for inspections, with most of them practising doctors themselves. Without systemic changes and strong political will, this menace will continue. — Dr K Mahesh Kumar, chairman, TGMC GFX: Cases where individuals were caught with fake MBBS certificates of real doctors -- In March this year, an individual at Ankura hospital, Madinaguda was found practising with forged medical registration documents by the medical council. The accused, identified as Kalapala Bharat Kumar, edited the original certificate of a doctor by altering his name, address and other credentials. An FIR was registered at Miyapur police station. The hospital dismissed him immediately. -- In Feb a govt doctor from Nizamabad medical college and TGMC filed two separate complaints against a man for allegedly running a clinic in Turkayamjal, Rangareddy using a forged MBBS degree of the govt doctor. Vanasthalipuram police filed an FIR against Chandrashekhar and initiated a probe -- In a surprise inspection on Dec 31 2024, TGMC caught a person named V Rambabu for illegally running a hospital (Vijaya Hospital), in Kothur, Rangareddy. As per the council, Rambabu had illegally obtained a certificate from a qualified doctor and submitted it as a proof of registration to the DMHO. A case was registered at Kothur police station All these FIRs were registered under Sections 318 (cheating) and 319 (cheating by impersonating), 338 (forging documents) of BNS and other relevant sections of NMC and TMPR Act.


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Federal officers in tactical gear went into a Latino community in Minneapolis. A protest followed
MINNEOLIS — Dozens of protesters converged in the heart of the Latino community in Minneapolis on Tuesday after a large force of federal and local authorities wearing tactical gear conducted what they called a law enforcement action. The protesters flocked to the area near a Mexican restaurant and other Latino-owned businesses after seeing livestreams that claimed an immigration raid was underway, reflecting opposition to such raids in a city that has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants. However, statements from local authorities said it was not an immigration enforcement matter, but a criminal case. 'While we are still gathering details, this incident was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement,' Mayor Jacob Frey said in a Facebook post soon after the police action. 'No arrests were made.' But several dozen protesters remained at the intersection occupied by federal agents hours earlier, using cars to block traffic. A few held signs saying 'abolish ICE' and 'stop the deportations.' A driver went through the crowd. At least one person appeared to have been knocked to the ground but got up and said they were OK. Protesters deflated the car's tires; police moved in to take the driver away, and a scuffle ensued. At least one man was taken into custody. Bystander video showed officers wearing logos from local agencies but also federal ones, including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. An armored vehicle at the scene bore the initials of Homeland Security Investigations. Minneapolis' police chief also was present. Michelle Gross, president of the local Communities United Against Police Brutality group, said the show of force appeared designed to 'terrorize people into submission.' 'This is jackbooted thuggery, and we aren't having it in our city,' she said. Onlooker Jennifer Davila, who works in the community, said it already had been on edge because of raids. It's tight-knit, and 'if something happens, we know about it," she said. 'They had a white van, a black van and a tank. For a raid, that's pretty excessive,' Davila said. 'And then coming into a brown community and doing this, because we have all kinds of immigrants, not just Latinos.' While the mayor said there were no arrests, a few protesters were at least temporarily detained as tensions grew between the crowd and the law enforcement officers. A Minnesota Public Radio photographer was pepper-sprayed and had his camera broken. A Facebook post from the sheriff's office said it 'partnered with federal agencies on a criminal investigation and part of that investigation included the execution of multiple search warrants at multiple locations in the metro area.' Frey said the police department's only role was helping with crowd control, and that the department was not involved in 'anything related to immigration enforcement.' Both the police department and sheriff's offices have policies against cooperating with immigration enforcement actions. The sheriff's office said that in conducting criminal investigations, 'We work with federal partners regularly.' A local FBI spokesperson, Diana Freedman, declined in a text message to provide details about the operation. Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, contributed reporting.


NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Victoria's Secret Says Cyber Incident Led To Temporary Website Shut Down
Victoria's Secret on Tuesday disclosed that a security incident relating to its information technology systems had led it to temporarily shut down its website for a few days last week. The company said it shut down corporate systems and e-commerce website on May 26 and immediately enacted response protocols to contain and prevent unauthorized network access. Its website was restored on May 29. The lingerie maker said the breach did not impact its financial results for the first quarter or cause a material disruption to its operations, but the second quarter could be hit by the additional expenses incurred following the incident. It even said it expects first-quarter sales and adjusted diluted earnings per share to meet or exceed the higher-end of its previously issued forecast. Victoria's Secret, however, delayed its first-quarter results, scheduled on June 5, saying the restoration process of its website prevented employees from accessing certain systems and information needed for the release of the results. The cyber incident at Victoria's Secret follows several such incidents at fashion and retail brands including Richemont-owned Cartier as well as Marks & Spencer. Cartier told customers on Tuesday it had its website hacked and some client data stolen, according to an email seen by Reuters. The incident at Victoria's Secret also affected some functions in its namesake and PINK stores, the company said, adding that these have now been restored. Shares of the company were up about 2% in early trading on Tuesday.