Latest news with #BhamyV.Shenoy
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
MGP flags concerns over footpath encroachments, delay in Kukkarhalli lake rejuvenation
The city-based NGO Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has raised serious concerns about the growing footpath encroachments in the city and the delay in rejuvenation work at Kukkarhalli lake and Poornaiah canal. The civic group has called for a coordinated and transparent approach from the district administration, pointing to legal, administrative, and safety challenges. The recent fatal accident of a senior citizen who was run over by a KSRTC bus near Vivekananda Circle, has reignited the debate on pedestrian safety, with MGP questioning the ability of authorities to ensure unobstructed footpaths in the face of rising street vending. The MGP pointed out that the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which allows licensed vendors to operate, and a more recent Supreme Court directive from May 2025, which directs governments to remove encroachments to uphold the right to safety under Article 21, seemed to be contradictory in nature. In a letter addressed to Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, MGP stated the legal contradiction between the central law and the Supreme Court order could hamper enforcement to clear footpath encroachment. Bhamy V. Shenoy founding working president of the MGP, and S. Shobana, working president of the NGO, raised apprehensions whether the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has the capacity to provide alternate vending locations to all 7,000 licensed vendors in the city. Mr. Shenoy and Ms. Shobana also wondered whether there is a system in place to verify the authenticity of vendor permits and how MCC plans to prevent corruption in issuing or overlooking licenses. It urged authorities to act against the many unlicensed vendors from footpath encroachment. In a bid to address the issue in an accountable manner, MGP has proposed the formation of a Pedestrian Safety Committee with representation from elected leaders, vendor associations, NGOs, police, urban planners, and MCC officials. The MGP said while pedestrian safety and removal of footpath encroachment was necessary, one could not overlook the economic imperatives of the vendors and hence mooted the idea of offering incentives to those who relocate to new areas. This was necessary given the difficulty of replicating foot traffic and business opportunities that some streets currently provide, said the MGP. The attention of Mr. Reddy was also drawn to Kukkarhalli lake rejuvenation project and the MGP underlined the imperatives of restoring the lake and the canal system by removing the encroachments obstructing the natural flow of water. Urging the Deputy Commissioner to expedite the tendering process, the MGP said there was sufficient local expertise with extensive knowledge of the lake and the feeder canal and it should be tapped while drawing the new DPR for the project.
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Imposition of pension cess by CESC violates spirit of power sector reforms, says MGP
The Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has said that the Pension and Gratuity cess being imposed by Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) since May was a violation of the spirit of power sector reforms. It places an unfair burden on consumers who had no role in agreements between the government and power sector employees. In a release, Bhamy V. Shenoy, founding president of the MGP, criticised the P&G cess, calling it legal but unethical. He said consumers using more than 200 units or those who opted out of free power have been charged an additional 36 paise a unit as the Pension and Gratuity cess. 'Though it was too late to reverse this charge without a massive public protest which is unlikely, registering dissent could deter future imposition of such levies in other forms in future,' said Mr. Shenoy. The Karnataka Electricity Reform (KER) Act, 2002, was enacted to separate power generation, transmission, and distribution, with the State government responsible for funding pensions and gratuities. However, in 2022, the BJP government amended the Act, permitting power companies to recover pension contributions through tariffs, said Mr. Shenoy. Though the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) initially rejected this move, citing the Act's original provisions, the Karnataka High Court upheld the amendment in March 2024, dismissing a challenge by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Shenoy added. He pointed out that the move, while legally sanctioned, amounts to the government reneging on its commitment. 'While the power sector reform took place, the government had agreed to pay its share of pension contribution. Once an agreement is reached, breaking a solemn promise, though legal by amending the law, is unethical and highhanded,' he said. This precedent undermines the KERC's autonomy, the very body established to protect consumers from political interference in tariff decisions, according to the MGP. It also criticised all major political parties for their role in the issue and pointed out that the BJP amended the Act, the Congress government exploited the amendment to offset the cost of its free power scheme, one of its five guarantees. Underlining the imperatives of safeguarding the independence of the KERC to prevent misuse of tariff mechanism for political ends, Mr. Shenoy warned that future governments might impose similar levies for unrelated causes.
