Move to take builders' help draws flak

October 1, 2011

mccm

Mangalore, October 1: The concept of beautification of Mangalore with the help of the builders was opposed by the MCC Council opposition members at a meeting here on Friday.

Corporator Lancelot Pinto asked why should the MCC give all the materials for the construction of road? “If the builders come forward to develop a road in their money, then we do not have any problem. Why have we asked only the builders help. We should seek the help of the entrepreneurs, bankers in the region and involve them in the process of beautification. The builders should lay roads in the interior places and not in those areas where their buildings come up.”

The opposition members also flayed District-in-Charge Minister Krishna Palemar and Mayor Praveen for not inviting them for the meeting to discuss on the beautification of Mangalore.

Corporator Shashidhar Hegde said that all the 60 wards should be developed by the builders. “Let the private persons build road in their own money and not from the MCC money,” he said.

Corporator Harish said: “We have development cell in the MCC with engineers. Inspite of the government releasing funds for the development of Ashrya colonies, the Nirmithi Kendra has not taken up the work.”Chief Whip Sudheer Shetty said that 17 roads have been concreted in the MCC limits. However, the footpaths and drains have not been laid.

To get additional funds from the State government, the MCC has to utilise Rs 100 crore released by the State government.

MCC Commissioner Dr Harish said that the district-in-charge minister has convened two meetings with the builders and engineers on the development work in the city. “The builders help was sought to take the work up at war footing basis. One builder has come forward to develop a road in the city. KMC has also shown interest in the development of two roads. A committee has been formed with District-in-Charge Minister, MLA, MLC, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Commissioner as its members to discuss on the utilisation of Rs 100 crore. The Engineers Association has come forward to give their technical opinion on the work without any fee. Majority of the builders in the meeting had said that they would give their labourers to carry out the work. However, no final decision has been taken yet.”

Corporators Tour

The Council also approved the study tour for all the 60 corporators to visit Surath City Corporation. A sum of Rs 3 lakh will be utilised for the purpose.

Action plan

The Council also okayed action plan for 28 works at the estimated cost of Rs 428.40 lakh under 13th Finance Commission fund. Mayor Praveen and Deputy Mayor Geetha Nayak were present.

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News Network
May 1,2020

May 1: India on Thursday called as "propaganda" certain social media posts from the Arab world alleging harassment of Muslims in several parts of the country in the name of containing the spread of coronavirus.

Strongly rebutting the charges, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Gulf countries are deeply committed to friendly relations with India and they are even seeking bilateral talks on the post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Talking about India's close and traditional ties with the Arab countries, he said New Delhi is ensuring uninterrupted supply of food and essential commodities to the region during Ramzan as part of its deep-rooted friendship.

Srivastava said the countries in the region do not support any interference in India's internal affairs.

"Much of what you see is propaganda by interested parties. Stray tweets can not be used to characterise our bilateral ties with these countries. The real picture of these relations is very much different," he said during an online media briefing.

There has been a wave of angry reactions on Twitter by leading citizens and rights activists from various Arab countries following allegations that Muslims are being blamed for spreading COVID-19 in several parts of India.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, a powerful bloc of 57 countries, recently accused India of "Islamophobia". India rejected the charges as regrettable.

"We have been making special efforts to ensure uninterrupted supply of food and essential commodities which are required during the Ramzan period in these countries, and this is something which has been greatly appreciated. These countries also want a priority discussion with India on the post-COVID-19 economic recovery," Srivastava said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have been in regular touch with their counterparts from the region in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In these discussions, there have been requests for sending medicines and medical teams to these countries. We already deployed a Rapid Response Team in Kuwait. There is also a request to send doctors and nurses from India," said Srivastava.

"What comes out clearly is that these countries are deeply committed to friendly relations with India. They also do not support any interference in internal matters of India. It is, therefore, important that the friendly and cooperative nature of our relations is accurately recognised and the misuse of social media is not given credence," he added.

Asked about reports of an order issued by Oman's Finance Ministry asking all state-owned companies to replace foreign workers with qualified local Omanis, Srivastava said it is not aimed at Indians working in the Gulf nation.

"The policy is a decades-old one and not specific to India. It does not target the Indians in any way," he said.

There have been apprehensions that the order will render thousands of Indians working in state-run firms in Oman jobless.

"They greatly value relationship with India. Government of Oman is taking special care of Indians which included free testing for coronavirus, its treatment, providing food," the MEA spokesperson said.

Oman government is also extending certain categories of visas of Indians.

Srivastava said India has been in touch with its friends and partners across the world as part of the collaborative approach to dealing with the pandemic.

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News Network
August 1,2020

Gadag, Aug 1: A woman in Gadag district of Karnataka mortgaged her 'mangalsutra' to buy a television set for her children following the Karnataka government's decision to continue the classes through TV amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A resident of Radder Naganur village, Kasturi, who is also a mother of two, purchased a television set against her 'mangalsutra' for Rs 14,000. She bought the TV after her children's school teachers asked them to attend classes via the television set.

Kasturi said, "I can not send the children to the neighbours' house every day and it was necessary for them to study. We had no other option but to buy a TV set."

She said, "Both, my husband and I are daily wage workers and during coronavirus, we do not have work or money."

"I sold my 'mangalsutra' for Rs 20,000 and bought a TV for Rs 14,000," said Kasturi while happily adding, "Now, my kids can study at home itself."

Kasturi's daughter, Surekha said, "We did not have the TV for several months but now when we have it, we will study and get a bigger 'mangalsutra' for my mother."

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News Network
March 13,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 13: Google said on Friday that an employee at its Bengaluru office has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus and the firm has directed all its employees in that office to work from home today as a precautionary measure.

"We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then," Google said in a statement.

The firm has asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are asking employees in that Bangalore office to work from home on Friday. We have taken and will continue to take all necessary precautionary measures, following the advice of public health officials, as we prioritize everyone's health and safety," it added.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan city of China, has so far spread to more than 100 countries infecting over 1,20,000 people. India has confirmed 73 cases of the lethal infection.

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