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By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Hostage City

For a city that prides itself on never stopping, Mumbai has been brought to a grinding halt by the stoppage of one of its most indispensable services. The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has effectively paralysed the city’s bus network, leaving millions of commuters stranded and exposing deep fissures in the management of one of India’s largest urban transport systems. BEST ferries around 25 lakh passengers daily through a...

Hostage City

For a city that prides itself on never stopping, Mumbai has been brought to a grinding halt by the stoppage of one of its most indispensable services. The indefinite strike by employees of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has effectively paralysed the city’s bus network, leaving millions of commuters stranded and exposing deep fissures in the management of one of India’s largest urban transport systems. BEST ferries around 25 lakh passengers daily through a fleet of nearly 2,800 buses. Yet over the past three days, the city has witnessed the near-total collapse of this network. On the first day of the strike, only a few dozen buses operated. By the weekend, not a single BEST-owned or wet-lease bus was on the roads. Local trains, Metro services, taxis and autorickshaws have been forced to absorb the shock and are predictably straining under the burden. The strike may be illegal under the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), and the industrial court may have ordered employees back to work. Yet laws and court orders cannot substitute for sound governance. When a public utility reaches the point where thousands of workers are willing to risk disciplinary action and legal consequences, it signals a failure that predates the strike itself. The demands raised by the unions are hardly new. Employees have long sought implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, settlement of retirement dues, an end to contractualisation and the merger of the BEST budget with that of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Whether one agrees with every demand is beside the point. What is striking is that these issues have been allowed to fester for years without a credible roadmap for resolution. Equally troubling is the government’s reactive approach. Ministers and officials rushed into negotiations only after services collapsed and public inconvenience reached intolerable levels. Such crisis management has become a familiar feature of governance. The unions, too, must recognise the wider consequences of their actions. Public transport is the bloodstream of a city. Every day the strike continues, daily wage earners lose income and ordinary citizens bear higher travel costs. The disruption disproportionately hurts those who can least afford alternatives. Holding Mumbai hostage may attract attention to legitimate grievances, but also risks eroding public sympathy. Mumbai has spent years celebrating new Metro corridors, coastal roads and grand infrastructure projects. Yet the humble bus remains the most affordable and accessible mode of transport for millions. Policymakers often treat BEST as an ageing institution to be managed rather than a vital public service to be strengthened. The increasing reliance on contract workers and wet-lease operations may reduce immediate costs, but also weakens institutional stability and labour relations. A city of Mumbai’s scale cannot afford a public transport system perpetually balanced on the edge of financial distress, labour unrest and administrative uncertainty. Nor can it depend on emergency measures whenever disputes arise.

An Inconvenient Murder

Updated: Feb 24, 2025

The killing of a whistleblower in Telangana revives scrutiny of KCR’s rule and the murky politics of the Kaleshwaram project.

Kaleshwaram
Telangana

The murder of Nagavelli Rajalingamurthy in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally town has sent political shockwaves across the state. A little-known activist, Rajalingamurthy had filed a complaint in 2023 against former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and his nephew, T. Harish Rao, alleging large-scale corruption in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. His sudden and brutal killing has sparked accusations that it was an assassination designed to silence a whistleblower. The ruling Congress government has openly pointed fingers at the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), while the police maintain that his death resulted from a personal land dispute. Whatever the truth, his murder has cast a shadow over Telangana’s largest infrastructure project, reinforcing suspicions that the rot of corruption runs deep.


The Kaleshwaram project, once hailed as the world’s largest lift irrigation scheme, was supposed to be the crown jewel of KCR’s administration. The project was a symbol of Telangana’s rise as an independent state after its separation from Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Launched with much fanfare, the Rs. 1.2 lakh crore ($14.4 billion) initiative promised to transform Telangana’s agrarian economy by supplying water to drought-prone areas. Instead, it has become a symbol of mismanagement, poor engineering, and alleged financial irregularities. Last year, a section of the Medigadda barrage, the centrepiece of the project, sank, raising concerns over faulty construction and prompting an inquiry into how public money was spent.


Rajalingamurthy was among those who sought legal intervention. When police refused to register an FIR, he approached a local court, which directed that his petition be considered. But BRS leaders swiftly acted to neutralize the legal threat, securing a stay from the Telangana High Court in December 2023. That did not deter Rajalingamurthy, who continued to speak out, earning powerful enemies in the process.


On the night of February 19, two assailants attacked Rajalingamurthy while he was riding his motorcycle, hitting him with an iron rod and fatally stabbing him. He died en route to the hospital. While the police initially dismissed political motives, the victim’s wife, Sarala, has claimed otherwise. She alleges that just days before his murder, her husband was threatened and offered Rs. 10 lakh to withdraw his corruption complaint against KCR. The Congress, quick to seize the opportunity, has echoed these claims, with state ministers accusing the BRS of orchestrating the killing to cover up its alleged financial crimes.


For its part, the BRS has denied any involvement, arguing that the murder stemmed from a land dispute. Gandra Venkataramana Reddy, a former BRS MLA whom the victim’s family has implicated, has refuted the allegations, insisting that Congress is politicizing the tragedy. The police have registered cases against four individuals based on Sarala’s complaint but have yet to establish a political link.


Telangana has seen its share of political vendettas. The Congress’s accusations against the BRS follow a familiar script, one that KCR himself used when he was in power. The BRS, now in opposition, claims it is being unfairly targeted. Yet the party has provided little clarity on the corruption allegations against it. The Medigadda barrage collapse remains a damning indictment of its governance, and the Congress-led government’s inquiry into the project’s irregularities is expected to reveal more in the coming weeks.


For now, the murder of Rajalingamurthy remains unresolved. If it was indeed a politically motivated assassination, it would not be the first time a whistleblower has been silenced in India. Either way, the ruling Congress must ensure a thorough and impartial investigation. The Kaleshwaram project deserves scrutiny, and those responsible for any wrongdoing must be held accountable. If the BRS has nothing to hide, it should welcome the probe. Until then, suspicions will linger, and so will the fear that in Telangana, those who challenge the powerful do so at great personal risk.

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