The success story written by Nitish Kumar in Bihar has not gone unnoticed in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh where his counterpart chief minister Mayawati appears to be getting serious about governance.
With state elections in sight, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is focusing on providing good governance for which she has sought the repatriation of Indian Administrative Service officer of UP cadre Desh Deepak Verma from the Centre to don the mantle of the state's new chief secretary.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta has tendered a 'sincere and unqualified apology' to the Supreme Court for allegedly going ahead with the construction of the Rs 2,600-crore memorials and statues of Dalit icons, including Chief Minister Mayawati, in Lucknow. In a 51-page affidavit, Gupta, while strongly denying any defiance of the SC's directions, said he has the highest respect for the apex court and was 'duty bound to comply' with its orders.
The Central team is here to review the drought situation in the state, where 58 districts have been declared drought-hit.
In a meeting chaired by state chief secretary Atul Kumar Gupta yesterday, the ETF recommended invitation of fresh bids for setting up the power plants at Bara and Karchhna in the Allahabad district. However, this has to be ratified by the state Cabinet first to take effect. This would be the third time that the state government would invite bids for the two power plants, which have failed to take off in spite of much fanfare with which they were initially announced.
Nithari serial killer Surinder Koli, who has been sentenced to death for the brutal killing of a 14-year-old girl, will be hanged here on September 12, Jail Superintendent S H M Rizvi said.
In a fresh development in the Nithari serial murder cases, Ghaziabad sessions court has issued death warrant against Surinder Koli in connection with the brutal killing of 14-year-old Rimpa Halder. Central Bureau of Investigation sources said that a death warrant was issued by additional sessions Judge Atul Kumar Gupta in the name of Koli that he should be hanged to death after the convict exhausted all his legal remedies in this case.