Latest news with #DepartmentofPersonnelandAdministrativeReforms


Hans India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Police Had Flagged Security Risks Hours Before Fatal RCB Stadium Stampede
Internal police correspondence reveals that law enforcement authorities had raised serious safety concerns just hours before the tragic crowd crush at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium during a Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebration event on June 4, 2025. The deadly incident, which claimed 11 lives and left approximately 56 people injured, occurred despite advance warnings from police leadership about potential crowd control problems and inadequate security arrangements. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Legislature Security) M.N. Karibasavana Gowda had sent an official communication on the morning of June 4 to senior government officials, including G. Sathyavathi, Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms. The letter outlined multiple security vulnerabilities that could compromise public safety during the high-profile cricket team felicitation ceremony. The police official expressed grave concerns about managing the anticipated massive turnout, writing that "with lakhs of cricket fans expected to gather at Vidhana Soudha and a shortage of security personnel, managing the crowd will be a major challenge." He emphasized that RCB's nationwide popularity would likely draw enormous crowds to the venue. Gowda's correspondence highlighted critical staffing deficiencies within the Vidhana Soudha Security Division, warning that the existing personnel would be insufficient to handle the expected crowd size safely. The letter specifically noted that hosting such a major event at the government complex would present unprecedented crowd management challenges. To mitigate risks, the police official had recommended several precautionary measures. These included temporarily suspending all public entry passes for June 4, both online and offline, to limit attendance. He also suggested preventing government employees from bringing family members to the Secretariat and implementing an afternoon holiday to reduce foot traffic around the venue. The communication also raised concerns about surveillance capabilities at Vidhana Soudha, describing the heritage building as a vital installation lacking proper monitoring infrastructure. Despite previous requests for comprehensive CCTV coverage, the surveillance system remained incomplete, hampering authorities' ability to effectively monitor the large gathering. Additional safety concerns mentioned in the letter included the need for structural and electrical inspections of the event stage by the Public Works Department. Gowda insisted on conducting anti-sabotage checks at least two hours before the event and emphasized the importance of having a functional anti-drone system operational. The police official stressed the urgent need to deploy additional personnel from outside Bengaluru, noting that coordination between various law enforcement divisions would be challenging given the short preparation time. Despite these concerns, he assured that his department would comply with the government's final decision while maintaining that strict security protocols were essential for protecting both the venue and attendees. The revelation of this advance warning has raised questions about whether adequate action was taken to address the identified security gaps before the event proceeded as planned.


The Hindu
23-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Arrangements in place for Civil Services preliminary exam to be conducted on Sunday
With the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) choosing Puducherry as one of the centres for the Indian Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025, the administration has put in place arrangements for conducting the examination across seven centres on Sunday. A press note from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms said a total of 2,254 candidates have chosen Puducherry as the exam centre. Special buses from the main bus stand will ply from 8 a.m. to the venues, with return services from 5 p.m., for the convenience of candidates. The examination is scheduled from 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. at the following centres: Annai Sivagami Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Mudaliarpet, Thiruvalluvar Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Laporte Street, Bharathidasan Government Girls College, Muthialpet, Women's Engineering College, Lawspet, Vallalar Government Girls' Higher Secondary School, Lawspet, Kanchi Mamunivar Postgraduate Studies and Research Centre, Lawspet and Vivekananda Higher Secondary School (Lakshmi Hall and Saraswathi Mahal), Sellaperumalpet (for the differently abled), the press note said.


New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CPI urge CM Rangasamy to rectify 'grave social injustice' in recruitment process of Assistant posts in UT
PUDUCHERRY: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged Chief Minister N Rangasamy to immediately intervene and rectify what it termed a 'grave social injustice' in the recruitment process for Assistant posts in the Union Territory. In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, CPI State Secretary A M Saleem alleged that the rights of Backward Classes (BCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Scheduled Castes (SCs) had been violated due to an irregular allocation of quota to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Saleem pointed out that recruitment rules notified on April 20, 2012 mandate that only 20% of Assistant posts are to be filled through direct recruitment. However, the EWS reservation system was introduced only in January 2019, making it inapplicable to vacancies notified prior to that date. Despite this, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms allegedly allocated 25 posts to the EWS category—17 more than what CPI claims is legally permissible. The party further argued that in the absence of a caste census in Puducherry, EWS candidates account for just 2% of the population, rendering the 10% quota unjustified. CPI called for immediate corrective action to uphold constitutional reservation norms.