Kargil is a living lesson in patriotism and leadership: Rajasthan CM

Kolkata, Nov 17 (IANS) West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose’s son-in-law, on Monday, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers in connection with the municipal recruitment scam case.

Bose’s son-in-law Rahul Singh appeared at the ED’s Eastern headquarters located in the CGO Complex in Salt Lake area of Kolkata in the afternoon.

There was tight security outside the office since Monday morning.

Rahul Singh was present inside the ED office for nearly an hour.

ED sources said that several documents of huge financial transactions in the municipal recruitment scam have recently come into the hands of investigators.

The Central investigation agency collected those documents by conducting searches in various places in the state.

After analysing several documents, bank transaction papers and electronic information recovered during the searches, it is believed that the money from this recruitment scam was used in several businesses of the Minister’s family members.

In a bid to verify that information, ED sleuths summoned Rahul Singh on Monday.

Coming out of the ED office, Rahul Singh told a section of media persons, “Today I came here after being summoned by the officers. I brought the documents that were asked for.”

However, it may be noted that not only Rahul Singh, the ED has also summoned the state Fire services Minister’s wife, son and daughter separately this week.

The investigators will also question them at the given date.

According to ED sources, notices have already been sent to them.

According to sources, they will appear at the CGO complex by this week.

The investigating agency said that it is not possible to understand the entire money flow without questioning the State Minister’s family members. Therefore, it is important for the investigators to question each family member separately.

The ED has been probing the municipal recruitment scam case for a long time.

Several people, including businessman Ayan Sil, have been arrested in connection with the case.

Based on the information obtained after interrogating them, ED sleuths are gradually getting closer to the root of the scam.

Following the investigations, Sujit Bose’s name had surfaced in the municipal recruitment scam case.

It was alleged that the Minister’s name was involved in the recruitment corruption in the South Dum Dum Municipality.

Last year, ED officials raided the house and office of the State Minister.

In October this year, ED officials raided the Minister’s office again.

The ED went to the office of Minister Sujit Bose in Salt Lake, the house of a lawyer in New Alipore and Nagerbazar, and the house of Trinamool Congress Councillor Nitai Dutta.

It was learned that the raids were carried out in two separate cases, including the municipal recruitment scam case.

During the search, some important diaries, digital data, transaction documents and information related to suspicious financial transactions were found.

According to the investigators, the decision to question the Minister’s family was taken after examining these documents in detail.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) In his latest edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted an inspiring grassroots effort from Biora of Rajgarh district, where local women have transformed plastic waste into a powerful tool for environmental conservation and urban beautification.

Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister urged citizens to reflect on cleanliness and the often-overlooked individuals who shoulder the responsibility of maintaining it.

“Dear countrymen, we all want our villages to be clean and our cities to look beautiful, but we hardly ever stop and think about who is cleaning the garbage around us,” PM Modi said.

He pointed out that while many assume it is someone else’s duty, a group of determined women in Biaora of Rajgarh has set a remarkable example through their innovative thinking and relentless action.

The story began modestly when these women seized an opportunity to clear plastic waste from their surroundings. Initially, they did not anticipate the scale of impact their small steps would create. What started as a simple clean-up drive soon gained momentum. Discarded plastic, once a major pollutant choking the local environment, was systematically collected and repurposed.

“Through creative recycling techniques, the group constructed a bridge made entirely from processed plastic waste — a pioneering feat that demonstrated the potential of circular economy principles at the community level. Today, this plastic bridge stands not just as infrastructure but as a beacon of sustainability,” PM Modi said.

In the last few months, the initiative has expanded significantly, making better use of what the Prime Minister described as “per century cycle” resources — turning long-lasting waste materials into assets with renewed purpose.

The same plastic that once spread pollution across the city is now being used to beautify public places, creating aesthetically pleasing parks, pathways, and community spaces.

PM Modi particularly commended “these sisters” for their dedication, noting how their efforts have converted an environmental challenge into an opportunity for civic pride. Their work has not only reduced plastic pollution but also fostered a sense of collective responsibility among residents.

The initiative aligns with national missions like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, emphasising waste management, women empowerment, and sustainable development.

Local authorities in Rajgarh have expressed support, with plans to replicate the model in nearby areas. Environmental experts view this as a scalable solution for smaller towns facing similar waste management issues.

By transforming waste into wealth, these women have shown that individual resolve, when multiplied through community action, can drive meaningful change.

The Prime Minister’s mention of this story in Mann Ki Baat serves as a call to action for citizens across India.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 4 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Saturday claimed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration has allegedly fallen into the hands of corrupt elements, leading to a complete collapse of civic life in the city following the initial spells of monsoon rain.

In a scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Thackeray camp said Mumbai’s crumbling civic infrastructure has already claimed two innocent lives.

In Chembur, a young schoolboy was killed after a tree fell onto a school bus, while in the Sakinaka area, a 60-year-old man met a tragic end after falling into an open and unguarded manhole.

“Public outrage is mounting, with demands that instead of merely seeking the resignation of BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, cases of culpable homicide should be registered against the political rulers governing the civic body. Those who routinely criticised the Shiv Sena are now realising the party’s importance in managing the BMC,” it said.

The editorial said that the ongoing crisis has exposed the alleged hypocrisy, cruelty, and corruption of the ruling BJP and its allies. Under the previous Shiv Sena administration, local corporators held significant influence and maintained strict vigilance over their respective areas.

However, the resurgence of an unaccountable system has reportedly given rise to a culture of kickbacks, where commissions from private contractors are being actively distributed among corrupt functionaries, it added.

The crisis has triggered severe infighting within the ruling alliance. Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, belonging to the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, sparked controversy by demanding the BMC commissioner’s resignation, holding her solely responsible for the city’s plight.

“Critics have labelled this demand as intellectual bankruptcy, pointing out that Eknath Shinde himself heads the Urban Development Ministry. While the rampant corruption and high-handedness of contractors are directly blamed for these fatal accidents, Commissioner Bhide is also criticised for failing to curb the brokerage and corruption, thereby bearing the responsibility for the two fatalities,” said the editorial.

Furthermore, the Thackeray camp claimed that amid the governance vacuum, political distractions have emerged.

A BJP leader from Mulund, mockingly referred to as ‘Popatlal’, has been frequenting the BMC headquarters to pressure the commissioner into evicting Bangladeshi immigrants — a task that legally falls under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Instead of playing political games in the BMC, he should question Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, as these political stunts have stalled essential civic amenities, resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” it said.

According to the editorial, the pre-monsoon preparedness of the BMC has come under severe scrutiny. The civic body failed to clean drains, repair roads, or trim dangerous tree branches in time, leading to widespread uprooting of trees and massive traffic gridlocks across the city.

“Mayor Ritu Tawde had officially declared that 104 per cent of the drain desilting work had been completed before the monsoon. Critics have questioned the mathematical logic behind a “104 per cent completion” figure, asking where the extra 4 per cent came from, noting that the city remains at the mercy of the government’s favoured contractors,” it noted.

While the commissioner is widely known as Mumbai’s “Metro Woman” for overseeing the construction of underground metro tunnels, her tenure has come under intense scrutiny over the civic body’s failure to tackle potholes and carry out effective desilting.

Amid mounting criticism, Bhide directed the police to register cases against negligent contractors whose alleged lapses resulted in the loss of lives, the editorial said.

–IANS

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