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The Star
6 days ago
- General
- The Star
Big plans to expand sun bear conservation centre, but funding, manpower remain challenges, says CEO
KOTA KINABALU: There are big plans to see the expansion of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) which currently houses 42 rescued sun bears, but funding and manpower continues to be their biggest challenge. BSBCC founder and chief executive officer Dr Wong Siew Te said that since its inception in 2008, the centre had come from a small sanctuary depending on public funding, government assistance to sales of tickets and souvenirs to sustain operations. Among their biggest supporters were the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, he said, adding that the ministry even helped them raise funds for the Centre to get off the ground in 2008, and gave them a grant for operational costs in 2013. On his future plans, he envisions a third observation platform, an interpretation centre and new office building, and a captive breeding enclosure. 'I hope the ministry will continue to support our work in the future,' Wong said, adding that for the BSBCC, these construction plans need financing. Separately, they also need to raise RM1mil to build the Field Office and staff house for the Tabin Sun Bear Project, he stated. According to him, all the sun bears at the BSBCC had been rescued from illegal pet keeping after their mothers were brutally killed by poachers. Over the past 17 years, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) had rescued 70 sun bear orphans and sent them to the conservation centre, Wong disclosed. Sun bears are a Class 1 Protected Species under the state's Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Other than the ministry, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), an agency under the ministry, has also assisted BSBCC in many ways to promote the Centre to local and international tourism markets as well. Earlier, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said the ministry has nurtured the growth and development of BSBCC since its inception in 2008. She said BSBCC, the only one of its kind in the world for protection of this endangered species, is a partnership project with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), an agency under the ministry, and Sabah Forestry Department. "Last year, we (allocated RM228,420 for the construction of Phase 1 of the Entrance Foyer, which has since been completed. 'This year saw an additional allocation of RM250,000 for construction of Phase 2 of the Entrance Foyer. Work is expected to start this year," Liew said. She noted that this 17-year-old tourist attraction, which is home to 42 rescued sun bears, draws local and international visitors like a magnet. "I was informed by Wong that the Centre received 79,362 visitors in 2024, with an average of 6,613 visitors per month. 'That year, international visitors from 115 countries visited, with the top three coming from United Kingdom, Australia and Italy,' Liew said. She said the peak season is from July to October, generating the most number of visitors with more Malaysian visitors during the school holidays. She said educationists, researchers, school children and teachers, wildlife conservationists, animal lovers, and the like make up the composition of visitors and tourists, the majority being nature lovers and nature-based tourists. 'Many may not be aware that the BSBCC is also the main implementing agency for the 10-year State Sun Bear Action Plan,' Liew said. According to Wong, the main attraction to visitors at BSBCC is watching the sun bears' natural behaviour in their natural habitat, the rainforest. He said visitors can sometimes see the bears climbing and sleeping high on the trees while random feedings enable the visitors to see them eating as well. "We try our best to take good care of the bears and rehabilitate them. Thirteen rescued sun bears were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild so far,' he said. 'In addition, the latest two rescued sun bear cubs have been sent to Tabin Wildlife Reserve to undergo the 'soft-release' programme,' Wong said.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Time of India
Mumbai court finds prima facie evidence of tender manipulation in Mithi River desilting scam
Mumbai: In its detailed rejection order, the sessions court stated that prima facie evidence indicates Prashant Tayshete, along with other BMC officers, played a role in manipulating the tender terms and conditions to ensure the use of two specific machines for the Mithi River desilting work. While the anticipatory bail plea of the deputy chief engineer of the stormwater drains department (operation & maintenance) was rejected on Saturday in the Rs 65 crore scam, the detailed order was made available on Monday. The judge further said that the terms and conditions were prepared in a manner to give an advantage to Matprop Technical Services Pvt Ltd at such a rate that caused wrongful loss to BMC. "It is an economic offence involving public money. Considering the nature of the offence, the post held by the applicant in the process of the project, and the wrongful loss of public money to the local body, the applicant is not entitled to the discretionary relief of anticipatory bail," Judge NG Shukla said. The judge, however, granted him interim protection from arrest for two weeks after he sought time to file an appeal in the Bombay High Court. Tayshete submitted that he was consistently employed within the solid waste management (SWM) department and held no responsibilities in the storm water drain (SWD) department. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The judge, however, said this claim lacked documentary support. The judge further said that reports dated Nov 4 and 23, 2020, indicated his involvement or charge within the SWD department. The judge further noted that Tayshete, along with other BMC officers, visited Kerala and Delhi between Sept 25 and 28, 2020. While co-accused Prashant Ramagude, and he claimed to have paid for hotel bills in Kerala, flight tickets and hotel booking records indicate that these expenses were covered by Ketan Kadam, CEO of M/s Virgo Specialties Pvt Ltd, a company that subsequently leased machines to contractors at inflated rates. Crucially, at the time of this visit, the terms and conditions for using these specific machines in the desilting work had not yet been approved by higher BMC authorities. The fact that Ketan Kadam bore the expenses for the BMC officers' visit and stay prima facie suggested a "hand-in-glove" arrangement between the BMC officers and Ketan Kadam. This arrangement, the judge said, appeared to have been designed to insert specific terms and conditions for machine usage into the tenders, ensuring future benefits for Ketan Kadam and other contractors. "The criminal element of cheating lies here. It is unbelievable that the applicant, who was working as the officer of high rank, i.e., Executive Engineer, was not aware of who was bearing the expenses of their visits and stay at Delhi and Kerala," the judge said. The judge further observed that following the visit to Delhi and Kerala, three reports were submitted to incorporate specific terms and conditions into the tender for the use of specific machines, which were to be supplied by M/s Matprop Technical Services Pvt Ltd. *Meanwhile, on Monday, the court granted the anticipatory bail pleas of Deepak Mohan (56) and Kishore Menon (54) of Matprop Company, who were also named in the case. Calling the allegations concocted, their plea said that with over 30 machines deployed to government and private agencies, the company has proven its expertise and reliability. It said that given a strong track record, including projects like the Parvathy-Puthanar rejuvenation, the current case is unwarranted. Implicating the reputable applicants risks severe reputational damage, harassment, and hardship, which would harm the company's goodwill and disrupt ongoing national projects, the plea said.
Hans India
20-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
GHMC chief orders swift action on Durgam Cheruvu drainage issue
Hyderabad: GHMC Commissioner R V Karnan has instructed officials to promptly address the drainage issue at Durgam Cheruvu. On Thursday, the Commissioner inspected the situation alongside the Zonal Commissioner and other relevant officials. During the inspection, the GHMC Commissioner directed the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to regularly desilt the sewer lines and take full ownership of their maintenance. This, he stressed, is crucial to prevent sewage overflows onto walking tracks and to eliminate the entry of sewage into the lake, thereby ensuring a clean and hassle free environment for visitors. He further directed the Executive Engineer of the Lakes division to expedite the diversion of the sewage pipeline. The Raheja CSR team was advised to enhance park amenities to improve the overall aesthetics of the lake area. During the visit, the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was also reviewed, with a recommendation to conduct NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) water testing in addition to existing third party checks. The inspection also included a review of the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) stormwater drain (SWD) works. Officials were instructed to complete this work by September. The Zonal Commissioner was requested to review the progress weekly and ensure that any issues are addressed promptly.
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
ED questions actor Dino Morea: What is the alleged multi-crore Mithi river scam?
Bollywood actor Dino Morea appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (June 12) as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged Mithi river desilting scam. The agency also raided his Bandra residence last week. Probe agencies claim to have uncovered financial irregularities worth crores in the desilting of the Mithi river, indicating large-scale corruption in the functioning of Asia's biggest and most cash-rich municipal corporation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). What are the allegations, and why was Morea questioned? Here is what to know. What work was the BMC engaging in? The Mithi river is one of the four rivers flowing through Mumbai, originating from Vihar Lake and Powai Lake and meeting the Arabian Sea (in Mahim). Nearly 18.64 km long, the seasonal river has both residential slum pockets and industrial areas along its banks. It acts as a natural stormwater drainage channel for Mumbai during the monsoons. However, over the years, the dumping of garbage, sewage, and industrial waste has hampered its flow. After the 2005 Mumbai floods, civic authorities began efforts to clean the riverbed. The BMC was tasked with cleaning an 11.84 km-long stretch, and the remaining area fell under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). In August 2024, the government announced in the State Legislative Council that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai police's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) would probe the desilting works, after BJP MLCs raised questions about it. The SIT started scrutinising the spending of around Rs 1,100 crore between 2005 and 2021. Dozens of contractors, middlemen and BMC officials were questioned, and the SIT on Tuesday registered the first FIR against 13 people accused of causing wrongful loss of over Rs 65.54 crore to the civic body. The probe team also carried out raids at seven locations. The SIT registered an FIR against the BMC Storm Water Drains (SWD) department's assistant engineer, Prashant Ramugade, two deputy chief engineers, people associated with Matprop Company and Virgo Specialities Pvt Ltd (both providing technical services), Vodar India LLP and a contractor. The directors of five contractor companies have also been booked. All are accused of financial irregularities related to desilting, transporting and dumping sludge between 2021 and 2023. How was the alleged fraud committed? The FIR states that the accused contractors, middlemen and BMC officials conspired to include favourable terms and conditions in the contracts. The accused companies submitted fake Memoranda of Understanding of dumping sites to the SWD division. The officials allegedly accepted the documents for the land where silt was supposed to be dumped without due verification. The SIT claims that the accused BMC officers aided the contractors, with the SWD department paying Rs 45.50 crore to the contractors between 2013 and 2021, falsely claiming that the sludge was removed. 'Some contracts don't have proper signatures, some have bogus signatures, in some cases, signatures of owners of (sludge dumping) lands are missing, and in some cases, landowners don't know that their identities are being misused for bogus contracts. In one instance, they used the name of a landowner who died 20 years ago,' said SIT member EOW DCP Sangramsinh Nishandar. The SIT has also found that the accused BMC officers pushed to rent machines from a Kerala-based supplier in exchange for wrongful gains, and that the accused BMC officers told contractors to use machinery from certain middlemen. What irregularities did ED find? The ED's investigation is based on the predicate offence (the illegal act through which an unaccounted sum of money is generated) case filed by the EOW. Prima facie, the accused contractors, middlemen, desilting machine companies, and others colluded to form a cartel with the intent to manipulate BMC tenders. The said action effectively conferred a monopoly and caused payments at inflated rates for desilting works, resulting in undue gains and causing financial loss to the public exchequer. These gains were concealed through certain shell companies/firms. The amount of silt removal has been repeatedly increased annually, without any scientific investigation, ultimately benefiting the contractors, the EOW stated. It has also impacted the quality of work. Currently, only around 60% of the desilting has been done, with the number as low as 35-40% in some previous years. Two accused middlemen, Ketan Kadam, 50, of Vodar India LLP, and Jay Joshi, 49, of Virgo Specialities Pvt Ltd, were arrested last month. Police have also received notes of entries of money received from the contractors, indicating commissions. Morea is reportedly a close associate of Kadam. According to the probe agencies, Kadam allegedly acted as a middleman for Vodar India Ltd. and has been associated with the company for 25 years. EOW official sources said there are five to seven monetary transactions worth Rs 14 to 18 lakh between Morea and Kadam. Kadam's wife and Morea's brother are also directors in the same company. The SIT probe revolves around these transactions. Last month, the EOW also questioned Morea and his brother. Probe agencies are trying to ascertain if Morea was acting on any politician's instructions, but he has not been named as an accused in the case. He is also a close friend of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray, whose party controlled the BMC for over two decades. His questioning also assumes significance as the alleged scam could become a big talking point during the upcoming civic polls, likely to be held in the next four months.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Shortage of funds leaves Vij's 460 cr SWD project in limbo
1 2 Vijayawada: One year after the storm water drainage (SWD) project works resumed in Vijayawada, the civic body has so far completed the construction of storm water drain canals along a mere 3.42-kilometre stretch at a cost of 4.35 crore, out of the total 48.47 kilometres planned in the city. After the change of guard in the state, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) took up the construction of the storm water drain canals (minor canals) under the SWD project in June 2024. The SWD project, worth nearly 460 crore in central funds, was launched in Vijayawada in 2016 to create robust storm water drain canals during the previous govt. However, due to lack of payment to the contracting agency, the project has almost been stalled. The civic body has now readied proposals to construct minor drain canals spanning around 48.47 kilometres. In 2016, the SWD project works were awarded to L&T firm during the previous TDP-led NDA govt; however, L&T abandoned the project reportedly due to delays in the release of bills during the previous govt. However, the municipal administration and urban development (MAUD) department, under minister P Narayana, laid special emphasis on completing the stalled storm water drain works. Against this backdrop, the civic body readied plans to take up the construction works on a total stretch of 47.27 kilometres, filling leftover gaps primarily focusing on major junctions besides constructing minor drains across 64 wards in three circles in the city. It is learnt that the dearth of funds is the main reason behind the slow execution of works. According to the civic body authorities, the municipal corporation requires about 173.05 crore to complete the storm water drain canals remaining on the 47.27-kilometre stretch, which were grounded last year. CPM state secretariat member Ch Babu Rao squarely blamed the state govt and municipal corporation for failing to effectively utilise the central funds sanctioned for the SWD project in 2016 for the city. "While the SWD works were executed in an unplanned manner, leaving gaps along the constructed stretches without proper outlets for the outfall drains, even at places where storm water drain canal construction was completed, it has been creating a chaotic situation during rains in the city," he observed. A senior VMC official told TOI that the civic body would hire a private contracting agency to identify and assess the total pending works pertaining to the SWD project 2016 and funds required to complete those works. "After the agency subimits a report to the civic body regarding the total extent of storm water drain canals remaining under the SWD project and the total outlay required to complete; the civic body would submit a report to the state government to seek the requisite funds," the VMC added. As per the preliminary estimiates of the civic body, a whopping 500 crore would be required to complete the remaining construction of the storm water drain canals in the city.
