The Karnataka government made a strong case of increasing the height of the Almatti dam on Monday and pointed out that the dam’s water-holding capacity had been reduced due to silt formation.
Replying to objections raised by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, Karnataka explained that it had constructed the dam within the guidelines given by the Bachawat Tribunal.
Presenting its views before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal in New Delhi, Karnataka pointed that the state had been given permission from concerned authorities in 1970. It showed the approved design of the dam and clarified that the same had been presented in the Supreme Court.
The state said that the 1970 design, prepared for 524.256 metres, had been agreed upon by the then governments of AP and Maharashtra. Denying the charges made by AP that it had increased the height of the dam after the Supreme Court judgment, Karnataka made it clear that it had not violated any rules laid down by the earlier Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
Karnataka also requested the Tribunal to set up a supervising authority on river Krishna as inter-state disputes were on the rise.
It argued that distribution of water among the three riparian states should be monitored by the authority. It also requested for re-sharing of surplus water among the three states in such a way that more drought-prone areas would get higher quantity.
Karnataka argued that most of its areas down the Almatti were drought-prone and needed higher water allocation to sustain cultivation. AP will present its reply on the objections raised by other states on Tuesday and Wednesday. With that the final hearings of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal will conclude and a judgment will be pronounced in August or September. Meanwhile, the Tribunal is also waiting for the Centre’s permission to extend the term till September.
Showing posts with label Karnataka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karnataka. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Old city arsonists are from Karnataka: Cops
The conspiracy behind the sudden clashes in Old City started unravelling with police discovering that outsiders from Bidar area of Karnataka and Maharashtra and had been brought in to stir up violence in the past three days. Sleuths are also hunting for the Telugu Desam corporator of Mangalhat, Mr Raju Singh, who is alleged to have deliberately whipped up communal tensions in the area.
Senior police officers have informed the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, on the involvement of outsiders in the clashes during the briefing on law and order on Wednesday evening.
The home minister, Mrs P. Sabita Reddy, also hinted at the involvement of outsiders in the riots, but she refused to elaborate further.
"As outsiders are indulging in violence the locals are not able to identify the culprits," she pointed out. “In all the places where violence broke out people of different religions have been living cordially.”
The Chief Minister asked the director general of police, Mr R.R.Girish Kumar, to speedily identify culprits and arrest them as early as possible.
He asked the district collector, Mr Navin Mittal, and the civil supplies commissioner, Mr Sanjay Jaju, to ensure that milk and other essential commodities were made available in adequate quantities during the relaxation of curfew on Thursday.
The Chief Minister also directed officials to urge religious leaders to appeal for peace and harmony, particularly on Friday.
The Central Crime Station Special Investigation Team has taken up 67 criminal cases registered in various police stations in connection with the clashes and also took into custody 186 persons arrested while resorting to violence.
Meanwhile, corporator Raju Singh, who is in hiding, told a TV channel that he was in no way connected with the clashes.
“MIM is responsible for the clashes,” he said. “I am only working for strengthening of Hindu Vahini. All the political parties are playing a double game on this,"
The corporator was an accused in the murder of a pastor and is now involved in cable network business.
“We will arrest all who participated in the communal riots and will also unearth conspiracies behind it,” said the commissioner of police, Mr A.K. Khan. “We will not spare anyone whether he is a corporator or not.”
He added that special teams have been formed to look into all facets of the riots including the conspiracy angle.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Ban on night traffic: Kerala calls for all-party meet
The Kerala Government will soon convene an all-party meet to discuss the legal and political steps to overcome difficulties caused by the ban on night traffic in Mysore-Wayanad route by a recent order of Karnataka High Court as a wildlife conservation measure.
Replying to a calling attention by P. K. Krishna Prasad, who represents the border segment Sulthan Bathery, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthandan said the State cabinet has already decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the order.
The ban on night traffic on NH 121 and 67 passing through Bandipore wildlife sanctuary has caused inconvenience to passengers, as well as freight movement between Bangalore and Wayanad has been affected, he said.
This route has been used for travel by people and transportation of goods for about three centuries, he added.
Since the National Highways come under Union Ministry of Highways, intervention of the Centre has also been sought. An all-party delegation would be sent to Delhi to apprise the central authorities of the difficulties the ban has caused, he said.
Replying to a calling attention by P. K. Krishna Prasad, who represents the border segment Sulthan Bathery, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthandan said the State cabinet has already decided to appeal in the Supreme Court against the order.
The ban on night traffic on NH 121 and 67 passing through Bandipore wildlife sanctuary has caused inconvenience to passengers, as well as freight movement between Bangalore and Wayanad has been affected, he said.
This route has been used for travel by people and transportation of goods for about three centuries, he added.
Since the National Highways come under Union Ministry of Highways, intervention of the Centre has also been sought. An all-party delegation would be sent to Delhi to apprise the central authorities of the difficulties the ban has caused, he said.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
2 newspaper offices attacked in Karnataka
The offices of two newspapers here were attacked by masked men on Tuesday night.
At 9 p.m., four masked men forced their way into the office of Kannada Prabha and set fire to the furniture in the lobby. They also damaged five computers, printers, and glass panels.
About 30 minutes later, the office of eveninger Jaykirana in an apartment complex was attacked by four men. Computers and furniture were damaged and an employee sustained minor injuries. Apartment residents said a large number of men on motorcycles waited outside during the attack. Offices of some newspapers claimed they received threat calls.
Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao told reporters the attacks appeared to have been carried out by the same gang.
Shimoga and Hassan, which witnessed widespread violence on Monday, remained calm but tense on Tuesday.
Monday’s violence followed protests by Muslim organisations against the publication of an article in a Kannada daily.
The article is a translation of an essay by Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on wearing of “burka” by Muslim women, and contains remarks that could be considered religiously insensitive and provocative.
On Tuesday, shops, hotels, business establishments, petrol bunks, schools and colleges remained closed and autos did not ply in Hassan.
Although the Sri Rama Sene had given a bandh call, its activists stayed away. However, the KSRTC operated its services and banks were open.
Entry points to Shimoga city sealed
Entry points to Shimoga in Karnataka, where curfew was extended to Tuesday following violence on Monday, were sealed.
The funeral of Sadiq (23) and Abdul Lateef (35), killed in Monday’s violence in the city, were held under tight police security.
Sadiq, a labourer from Tipu Nagar, died in a police firing on the MKK Road, while Lateef, a push-cart vendor of Vidyanagar, died in an assault by a mob at Tank Mohalla.
Shimoga is Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s home town.
Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Pandey told reporters that 45 injured people were undergoing treatment at the McGann Hospital.
Police kept in dark
Shimoga Superintendent of Police S. Murugan said that at a meeting on Sunday evening, Muslim leaders reportedly decided to protest against an article published in a Kannada daily. He invited the leaders for a discussion, but “none of them turned up.” The Police were kept in the dark about the plan to take out a procession to present a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. The procession went directly to the Ameer Ahmed Circle where a large number of people had assembled. Subsequently, Mr. Pandey came to the Ameer Ahmed Circle to receive the memorandum. It was from here that the trouble started.
PTI reports from Delhi:
Shocked: Taslima
Ms. Nasreen, in a statement made available to PTI, said: “the incident in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life.”
At 9 p.m., four masked men forced their way into the office of Kannada Prabha and set fire to the furniture in the lobby. They also damaged five computers, printers, and glass panels.
About 30 minutes later, the office of eveninger Jaykirana in an apartment complex was attacked by four men. Computers and furniture were damaged and an employee sustained minor injuries. Apartment residents said a large number of men on motorcycles waited outside during the attack. Offices of some newspapers claimed they received threat calls.
Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao told reporters the attacks appeared to have been carried out by the same gang.
Shimoga and Hassan, which witnessed widespread violence on Monday, remained calm but tense on Tuesday.
Monday’s violence followed protests by Muslim organisations against the publication of an article in a Kannada daily.
The article is a translation of an essay by Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on wearing of “burka” by Muslim women, and contains remarks that could be considered religiously insensitive and provocative.
On Tuesday, shops, hotels, business establishments, petrol bunks, schools and colleges remained closed and autos did not ply in Hassan.
Although the Sri Rama Sene had given a bandh call, its activists stayed away. However, the KSRTC operated its services and banks were open.
Entry points to Shimoga city sealed
Entry points to Shimoga in Karnataka, where curfew was extended to Tuesday following violence on Monday, were sealed.
The funeral of Sadiq (23) and Abdul Lateef (35), killed in Monday’s violence in the city, were held under tight police security.
Sadiq, a labourer from Tipu Nagar, died in a police firing on the MKK Road, while Lateef, a push-cart vendor of Vidyanagar, died in an assault by a mob at Tank Mohalla.
Shimoga is Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s home town.
Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Pandey told reporters that 45 injured people were undergoing treatment at the McGann Hospital.
Police kept in dark
Shimoga Superintendent of Police S. Murugan said that at a meeting on Sunday evening, Muslim leaders reportedly decided to protest against an article published in a Kannada daily. He invited the leaders for a discussion, but “none of them turned up.” The Police were kept in the dark about the plan to take out a procession to present a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. The procession went directly to the Ameer Ahmed Circle where a large number of people had assembled. Subsequently, Mr. Pandey came to the Ameer Ahmed Circle to receive the memorandum. It was from here that the trouble started.
PTI reports from Delhi:
Shocked: Taslima
Ms. Nasreen, in a statement made available to PTI, said: “the incident in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life.”
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Karnataka CM welcomes Railway Budget
The Railway budget won appreciation from unexpected quarters when Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Wednesday hailed it for sanctioning some projects for the State, saying it would help improve rail connectivity.
“I am happy that the Railway budget presented today sanctioned a number of projects for the State”, Mr. Yeddyurappa, heading the BJP government, told reporters here on Wednesday.
“I take the opportunity to thank Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for sanctioning eight new railway projects based on cost sharing by the state”, he said in contrast to the BJP’s strong criticism of the budget at the national level.
He also welcomed the Budget for sanctioning four new railway lines. “Five projects under the PPP which are very important to the state have been accepted”, he said.
After independence, Karnataka had been neglected as far as railway projects were concerned, he said. He said the state would be committed to its promise of contributing Rs. 600 crore as its share of contribution in cost sharing for early completion of projects. Karnataka was the first State to have come forward to contribute 50 per cent of the railway project cost, he said.
Survey of seven new railway lines and approval of new trains and extension of trains would also be beneficial, he said, adding if all projects were implemented, railway connectivity in the State would improve.
“I am happy that the Railway budget presented today sanctioned a number of projects for the State”, Mr. Yeddyurappa, heading the BJP government, told reporters here on Wednesday.
“I take the opportunity to thank Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for sanctioning eight new railway projects based on cost sharing by the state”, he said in contrast to the BJP’s strong criticism of the budget at the national level.
He also welcomed the Budget for sanctioning four new railway lines. “Five projects under the PPP which are very important to the state have been accepted”, he said.
After independence, Karnataka had been neglected as far as railway projects were concerned, he said. He said the state would be committed to its promise of contributing Rs. 600 crore as its share of contribution in cost sharing for early completion of projects. Karnataka was the first State to have come forward to contribute 50 per cent of the railway project cost, he said.
Survey of seven new railway lines and approval of new trains and extension of trains would also be beneficial, he said, adding if all projects were implemented, railway connectivity in the State would improve.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
T-issue may hit Krishna water report
The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal report is likely to lose importance amidst ongoing Telangana agitation and the appointment of Srikrishna Committee.
The tribunal — formed to resolve water sharing dispute among Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh — is expected to present its report before November, almost around the same time when the Srikrishna Committee is planning to submit its report on the state bifurcation issue.
There are chances of the Krishna Water Tribunal report becoming null and void or it may require a rework, if the panel recommends bifurcation of the state.
The state irrigation depar-tment has requested to the Tribunal to hold its report until the Srikrishna panel report is tabled. However, they are uncertain whether their request would hold any importance if the panel decides for bifurcation. The Justice Brijesh Kumar-led second Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal has been hearing the arguments of the three states since 2005.
“We have completed our arguments and waiting for the recommendations, which we feel would take four to six months. But with the present turmoil over Telangana, we are not sure of implementing the tribunal order,” said a senior official in the government.
In fact, the state government had given top priority to the tribunal in the backdrop of the prestigious Jalayagnam programme.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Two mosques and NGO stoned by miscreants in Mangalore
Unidentified miscreants hurled stones at two mosques and a Christian NGO here, injuring a boy and damaging a statue of Mother Mary, a week after attacks on two churches in the State.
Canara Organisation for Development and Peace, a Christian NGO situated at Nanthura Padavu area was stoned on Sunday, causing damage to the portrait of Mother Mary, police said. The Father of the NGO Onilla D’ Souza has lodged a complaint.
Miscreants also threw stones at two mosques and a boy housed in one of them received minor injuries, they said.
Police have stepped up security following the incidents.
The incidents come after two churches were stoned at Mysore and at Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on January 25.
Coming under attack, Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa had blamed an “organised group” for twin attacks on churches, saying it was an attempt to tarnish the BJP government’s image.
But, Governor Dr. H. R. Bhardwaj had reminded the State government that it was its constitutional duty to deal with heavy hand forces disturbing communal peace and harmony.
Canara Organisation for Development and Peace, a Christian NGO situated at Nanthura Padavu area was stoned on Sunday, causing damage to the portrait of Mother Mary, police said. The Father of the NGO Onilla D’ Souza has lodged a complaint.
Miscreants also threw stones at two mosques and a boy housed in one of them received minor injuries, they said.
Police have stepped up security following the incidents.
The incidents come after two churches were stoned at Mysore and at Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district on January 25.
Coming under attack, Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa had blamed an “organised group” for twin attacks on churches, saying it was an attempt to tarnish the BJP government’s image.
But, Governor Dr. H. R. Bhardwaj had reminded the State government that it was its constitutional duty to deal with heavy hand forces disturbing communal peace and harmony.
