Latest news with #KCVenugopal
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress urges Odisha CM to set up SIT to probe assault against Catholic priests
The Congress on Sunday demanded to set up a special investigation team to probe the alleged assault on two Catholic priests, including a 90-year-old Keralite, in Sambalpur district of Odisha . AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal sent a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urging him to set up a SIT to probe the reported incident. The assault allegedly happened in the early hours of May 23 at a boys hostel in that state. This is the latest incident in a series of attacks against Christians in BJP-ruled states , Venugopal alleged in a statement issued here. The Alappuzha MP said it is unfortunate that such violence is becoming a recurring story in the state. Live Events The incident of the priests being brutally assaulted in a boys hostel was a blow to human conscience, he alleged. Urging the Odisha government to take stringent action against the culprits in the incident, the AICC general secretary said such violence not only violates the fundamental rights of individuals but also threatens the communal harmony and peace that our country values. In a letter to the Odisha CM , K C Venugopal also requested that the constitutional rights of Christian priests and employees be protected. Immediate steps should be taken to prevent such incidents in the future, he urged in the letter. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan also strongly condemned the incident. He also visited the assaulted priests at a private hospital in Manjummel in Ernakulam district on Sunday. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PAC voices worries about FASTags and highway toll hikes
FASTags not properly working, extra money charged by toll plazas and the quality of roads being constructed were some of the issues that drew concern from the members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee , its chairperson and Congress MP K C Venugopal said Thursday. The recent collapse of a part of a national highway in Kerala was also flagged at the meeting, and a high-level committee will be travelling to the southern state to look into the matter, he added. The National Highways Authority of India chairperson and the Transport secretary appeared before the committee, which discussed "levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities". "The committee was very concerned about these issues," he said, referring to the complaints over FASTags, tolls and quality of roads. The committee, sources said, suggested rationalisation of money being charged to commuters and also proper auditing. Transport ministry officials said they are devising a programme that will allow frequent highway users to pay tolls once a year to reduce the hassle of repeated payments every time they travel, sources added. Concerns over traffic at toll plazas with commuters forced to spend a long time despite having FASTags have often been raised in the past.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Cong Madiga MLAs rush to Delhi to mount pressure on party top brass
Hyderabad: Upping their ante, the four Madiga MLAs have reached Delhi to meet party top brass to stake claims for cabinet berth, as the Cabinet expansion is on cards. A day after the meeting AICC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, they met party secretary K C Venugopal to further their objective. Led by Adluri Laxman Kumar, the Dharmapuri MLA, the delegation consisted of Manakondur MLA Kavvampally Satyanarayana, Thungathurthi MLA Mandula Samuel and Jukkal MLA T Laxmikantha Rao. They urged the AICC leader to provide a berth in the Cabinet reflecting the proper representation of the community. Earlier during the day, the MLAs said that they were visiting the national capital after representing the matter to the State leadership. They cited this as their fair demand and held that the Madigas should definitely be given a berth in the cabinet. The MLAs said that the Madiga community has been supporting the Congress from the beginning and emphasised that they have no objection to giving Malas a place in the cabinet.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PAC flags concern over FASTags, highway tolls; seeks rationalisation: Venugopal
NEW DELHI: FASTags not properly working, extra money charged by toll plazas and the quality of roads being constructed were some of the issues that drew concern from the members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, its chairperson and Congress MP KC Venugopal said Thursday. The recent collapse of a part of a national highway in Kerala was also flagged at the meeting, and a high-level committee will be travelling to the southern state to look into the matter, he added. The National Highways Authority of India chairperson and the Transport secretary appeared before the committee, which discussed "levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities". "The committee was very concerned about these issues," he said, referring to the complaints over FASTags, tolls and quality of roads. The committee, sources said, suggested rationalisation of money being charged to commuters and also proper auditing. Transport ministry officials said they are devising a programme that will allow frequent highway users to pay tolls once a year to reduce the hassle of repeated payments every time they travel, sources added. Concerns over traffic at toll plazas with commuters forced to spend a long time despite having FASTags have often been raised in the past.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Parliament panel flags concern over FASTags and highway tolls, seeks rationalisation
NEW DELHI: FASTags not properly working, extra money charged by toll plazas and the quality of roads being constructed were some of the issues that drew concern from the members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, its chairperson and Congress MP KC Venugopal said Thursday. The recent collapse of a part of a national highway in Kerala was also flagged at the meeting, and a high-level committee will be travelling to the southern state to look into the matter, he added. The National Highways Authority of India chairperson and the Transport secretary appeared before the committee, which discussed "levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges etc. on public infrastructure and other public utilities." "The committee was very concerned about these issues," he said, referring to the complaints over FASTags, tolls and quality of roads. The committee, sources said, suggested rationalisation of money being charged to commuters and also proper auditing. Transport ministry officials said they are devising a programme that will allow frequent highway users to pay tolls once a year to reduce the hassle of repeated payments every time they travel, sources added. Concerns over traffic at toll plazas with commuters forced to spend a long time despite having FASTags have often been raised in the past.
