City Buzz: Badlapur boils over | Government’s plan for water management… and more

In other news: CBI continues probe into doctor's murder case in Kolkata; 15.8 million jobs created thanks to online commerce finds report.

Cops push back protestors of Badlapur rape case

The police custody of a 23-year-old school janitor, arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two kindergarten girls in a school’s toilet at Badlapur town was extended till August 26. A special investigation team (SIT) has registered an FIR against the school authorities, for not complying with the provisions of Section 19 of the POCSO Act. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a Maharashtra bandh for August 24.

Meanwhile, the police said that many WhatsApp groups were created and appeals to join the Badlapur railway station protest on August 20th were circulated. Protestors gathered at 11 am, shouting slogans against ‘Ladki Bahin Yojna’ and many vandalised the school. The police said that the printed banners and other indicators suggested that it was a planned protest by political parties.

The commissioner of Railway Police agreed that a case of rioting was registered against those who stopped local train movement and 26 were detained. At 6.10 pm the crowd was finally dispersed by the police after lathicharge amid stone pelting from protesters.

Meanwhile, the parents of the accused claimed that their son was innocent and he had been framed.

Source: LiveMint, Business Standard, Indian Express, Business Standard, The Hindu


Read More: Tampered evidence, delayed lab reports: Why forensics isn’t leading to convictions in rape cases


CBI probe into Kolkata’s murder case

On a call by the Supreme Court, doctors of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Indira Gandhi Hospital and several others ended their strike protesting the Kolkata rape and murder case of August 9. Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud had rapped the West Bengal government for “unleashing” its might on protestors.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) got the Sealdah court’s permission to conduct polygraph tests on former RG Kar Hospital Principal Sandip Ghosh and four other doctors. It filed a progress report in its SC hearing on August 22. It submitted the 3D scan of the crime scene, documents and video footage to the top court. The crime scene was recreated several times and samples were collected with experts. CCTV footage showing the accused was analysed.

Akhtar Ali, earlier the Deputy Medical Superintendent at RG Kar, said that Sandip Ghosh had last year been charged with corruption and trafficking in bodies and biomedical waste. He had filed complaints with the Vigilance Commission and the Anti-Corruption Bureau and had also tried to file a police case, but it was refused.

Source: The Hindu, Indian Express, NDTV.com

Urban flood response: Govt outlines Rs 30-cr plan for flood management

In about two years, almost Rs 30 crore ($300 million) will be spent to expand water bodies, such as lakes and improve drains, mitigate floods and conserve water in seven cities, including Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, said a central government official.

In every city, due to speedy urbanisation, flooding has become common every monsoon, following severe water shortages, especially in Delhi and Bengaluru, where water storage spaces are reduced. Recently, a ratings agency Moody’s said that the increasing water stress in India could impact its growth.

Floods in Mumbai
Water logging and floods are a chronic problem in Mumbai during the monsoon. Pic:CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=547079

The first flood control measure emphasising water bodies was recently given the green signal and is also expected to integrate early-warning systems, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. While working on storm water drainage to reduce the runoff, it is also important to concentrate on nature-based solutions to improve the storage capacity of rivers and lakes.

Of the Rs 2,500 crore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata would each receive Rs 500 crore, while Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune would be allocated Rs 250 crore each. Long-term measures were also stressed, as the country is experiencing huge volumes of rain in a short time.

Source: Business Standard


Read More: Blog: In Delhi’s Yamuna Khadar, a daily race for two bottles of clean water


E-vendors created 15.8 mn jobs

Online vendors have created 15.8 million jobs in the country, including 3.5 million for women and about 1.76 million retail e-commerce enterprises, according Pahle India Foundation (PIF) in a report released by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.

Titled ‘Assessing the Net Impact of e-Commerce on Employment and Consumer Welfare in India’, the report assessed that online vendors employ 54% more people and almost twice the number of female employees, compared to offline vendors. E-commerce in the retail sector has triggered growth in employment and improvements in consumer welfare. Moreover, e-commerce, instead of displacing physical markets, is expanding into new territories like Tier-3 cities.

E-commerce integration has also benefitted vendors from smaller cities and micro-enterprises

Source: Business Standard, Economic Times

[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]

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