The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rajendra Babu to settle dispute between BWSSB and private company

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 27, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Rajendra Babu to settle dispute between BWSSB and private company

Staff Reporter

HighCourtRound-UP

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Friday appointed the former Chief Justice of India S. Rajendra Babu as an arbitrator to settle a dispute between the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and a private company.

In its petition, the company said that it was an engineering and construction firm engaged in implementing turnkey projects. It said the BWSSB had taken up with Japanese aid the 4th Stage Cauvery Drinking Water Project for Bangalore and that it had applied for undertaking the project. The company got the contract for fabrication and laying of water pipes to supply water from the Shiva Anekattu in T.K. Halli.

However, some disputes arose between the company and the BWSSB and the former wanted an arbitrator to settle them.

Approached

Nagarjuna Power Company Ltd of Bangalore has approached the High Court after the Udupi Taluk Panchayat issued a notice to it on July 13, 2005 suspending the licence given to it to build houses to its employees.

The company said it had obtained licences from the Centre and the State Government and other statutory bodies for setting up a 1015 MW water-based thermal power plant at Yellur, Santhur and Tenka in Udupi district.

The power plant, with a capacity to generate nearly 3,000 jobs, was estimated to cost Rs. 4,300 crores. The company said it had obtained 58 clearances, including those from the Department of Environment and Forests, the State Pollution Control Board and the Centre. It sought sanction from the Yellur Grama Panchayat (GP) for construction of houses to its employees. Though the licence was given, the newly elected president of the gram panchayat took objection to it and said the panchayat Secretary had no power to give such a licence. He approached the Udupi Taluk Panchayat (TP) and asked its President to cancel the licence. The taluk panchayat President initially cancelled the sanction, but suspended it later. The matter came up before the zilla panchayat. The company urged the court to direct the zilla panchayat to dispose of the petition and stay the July 13 order.

Notice

Justice B.S. Patil on Friday ordered issue of notices to the Registrar-General of the Karnataka High Court on a petition by Yashwanth Prabhu R., a second division assistant in the High Court.

The petitioner questioned the disparity in pay-scale and qualifications among second division assistants in the High Court and the State Government. While the minimum qualification for a second division assistant in the High Court was a degree, it was just SSLC in the State Government. The degree qualification norm was fixed for a first division assistant in the State Government. The petitioner said second division assistants in the High Court and the Government were drawing same salary though the second division assistants in the High Court were more qualified.

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