Probe ordered into armed disruption at PMC meeting
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Referring to the commotion at the ninth board meeting, Parashar alleged that armed people were brought in to create chaos. "In Friday's meeting, criminals were brought from outside Patna with weapons. Bouncers and arms were brought to commit hooliganism. Such things cannot be tolerated in govt meetings. No one can scare me with guns and bouncers. This is Gandhi's country. Weapons have no place in a democratic society," he said.
Though he did not name Patna mayor Sita Sahu's son, Shishir Kumar, the commissioner said a letter had been issued barring him from PMC activities. "Many types of criminal cases are also going on against him. Therefore, his presence in all the activities of the civic body is banned," the letter read. A request for prohibitory orders against Shishir has also been sent to the Patna district magistrate.
Parashar added, "Security breaches are being addressed, and CCTV footage from the venue is being examined."
Despite the controversy, the commissioner highlighted the corporation's ongoing efforts under its 'Chakachak Patna' drive and its hope for a three-star rating in the garbage-free city category. "Patna has been invited for the award. We will know the scoring and the city's ranking on July 17," he said.
He also cited several achievements like elimination of 658 garbage-vulnerable points, launch of a 'manhole ambulance' service, real-time chatbot support and initiatives like 'Sadak Shatru' and 'Mera Shehar, Meri Jawabdehi'. Patna, he added, had ranked fourth in public feedback and previously earned one-star certification and a water plus tag.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Ganesh mandals want traffic chaos-free roads, more toilets
Pune: Office bearers of several Ganesh mandals on Monday demanded that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and police ensure better traffic management, pothole-free roads, more toilets for women, and adequate safety measures for devotees during the 10-day Ganeshotsav next month. Speaking at a joint meeting held at the civic headquarters, they welcomed govt's announcement to declare it a state festival and the allocation of funds. The representatives said there was no clarification on how much fund govt sanctioned for this year, but a share from the amount should be utilised for the welfare of mandal workers. Former corporator Ravindra Malvadkar said, "There is no clarity if govt has allocated Rs100 crore or more for the festival. The mandals should get financial assistance from this fund, and money should be spent on welfare schemes for the workers." You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune More money should be utilised to provide toilets for women at various locations, said Pushkar Tuljapurkar of Nehru Tarun Mandal. "Cleaning and crowd management are big challenges authorities face every year. We want proper planning to address both issues to ensure better movement of devotees," Tuljapurkar said. Sources from various Ganesh mandals said the festival is expected to be grand this year ahead of the civic polls, but there is no clarify if the mandals will be kept open and the loudspeakers will be allowed round the clock. "Political workers and ticket aspirants are looking to reach out to maximum voters during the festival," a mandal worker from Shukrawar Peth, who attended the meeting, said. Citizens and representatives of various organisations demanded that the authorities restrict the use of speakers, Dolby and laser lights during the festival and immersion processions. "These are troublesome. Awareness should be created among mandals in this regard," said Vilas Lele of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat. PMC commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the ongoing Metro and other works at Baba Bhide Bridge in the Deccan Gymkhana area will be completed by Aug 20, ahead of Ganeshotsav. "A survey of all the areas will be held to improve the condition of roads, and steps will be taken to repair potholes and make provision for adequate streetlights. The Metro administration is planning to operate trains until 2am and at an increased frequency," Ram said, adding that the civic body will approach the district collector on the mandals' demand of keeping the liquor shops shut during the festival. DCP Krushikesh Rawale said that a comprehensive plan will be finalised for traffic movement and crowd management to avoid rush and a stampede-like situation. "A meeting will be held with the mandals in the next few days," he said.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Pune: Citizens and mandal representatives begin discussion over 10-day Ganesh festival
As the plan gains momentum to make the ten day Ganesh festival free of restrictions, citizens and environmentalists on Monday engaged in discussions at the meeting with Ganesh mandals called by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to discuss efforts of all to make it a smooth event. The annual ten day Ganesh festival is a mega event in Pune and this year it starts on August 27. The festival is a major tourist attraction for the decoration of pandals and the procession on the first and immersion day. The noise limit during the ganesh procession has been set at 80 decibels by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The pandals have been restricted to use loudspeakers only during the ten day festival period. 'There was no chaos in the meeting but citizens and environmentalists expressed their opinion on the sound pollution affecting them. We heard them as well. Actually, the meeting was for Ganesh mandals so it was not required for citizens and environmentalists to attend it,' said municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. He said there was demand from ganesh mandals to make it a restriction free event but there cannot be anything without restriction. 'The PMC would only follow the government directions and court orders. We will cooperate with Ganesh mandals in all possible ways,' said Ram. He appealed to the Ganesh mandals to clean up the roads after removing the pandals immediately after the festival and create public awareness on cleanliness during the festival. Ram said that the PMC has decided to make city roads pothole free by August 20, as the Ganesh festival is a mainstay cultural event in the city and should be made successful for everyone. Meanwhile, BJP legislator Hemant Rasane said that he was making efforts to make the Ganesh Chaturthi free of restrictions and keeping the pandals open for 24 hours. 'The Maharashtra government has already declared Ganesh festival as a state festival and would be relaxing the norms for its celebration,' he said. Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Nainar Nagenthran flays DMK government over poor cleanliness in cities
BJP Tamil Nadu president Nainar Nagenthran on Sunday said the DMK leaders should be ashamed of boasting about governance over the past four years, when the State government has failed to contain the growing problem of garbage accumulation in cities. In a statement, Mr. Nagenthran said it was deeply shocking that in the national-level cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Chennai ranked 38th and Madurai 40th among the 40 cities in the country having a population of more than 10 lakh. 'When not a single city from Tamil Nadu finds a place in the top ten, what happened to the Dravidian model government's claims of spending thousands of crores every year on sanitation work? Is the DMK government incapable of managing the garbage crisis in the State, just as it is unable to control rising crime?' Mr. Nagenthran asked. 'It is tragic that Tamil Nadu has been turning into a hotspot for diseases due to ineffective administration. Poor conditions in government hospitals, major cities becoming garbage dumps, and large-scale corruption under the guise of maintenance all pointed to the incompetence of the ruling DMK government,' he alleged.
