Forget 50,000 Dalits, BJP's Yatra fails to attract 500; Amit Shah escapes

Bengaluru, Jun 15: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a Rs 220 crore airport project in his political bastion of Shivamogga, as he expressed confidence that it will give a boost to tourism, industries and economic activities in the region.

"The long cherished dream of people of Shivamogga about having an airport is finally becoming a reality.

The project that was planned when I was Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister in the past was shelved due to contractor issues and lack of interest by the governments that came later," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking at the foundation laying event for the airport, which he attended virtually via video conference, he said, now the government is once again taking up the project through infrastructure development and PWD departments.

The project to construct the well-equipped airport at Sogane in Shivamogga taluk at the cost of Rs 220 crore in about 662.38 acre land area has been initiated, he said, adding that the project will be taken up in two phases.

He expressed hope that it will be completed in a year's time.

The first phase consists of runway, taxiway, apron, approach road, peripheral road and compound wall construction, while the second phase consists of terminal building, ATC tower, fire station building, among others, a release said.

Noting that under the Udan scheme the project has been envisaged to provide affordable air travel to people, the Chief Minister expressed confidence about tourism, industries and economic activities in the region getting a boost, with the small airport coming up at Shivamogga.

He also directed officials to complete the airport work on time without compromising on the quality.

Highlighting various developmental works that is being implemented in Shivamogga, the district which is regarded as his political turf, Yediyurappa said, with the cooperation of the central government various railway projects have also been taken up in the district including Shivamogga- Shikaripura rail route.

Shikaripura is the constituency represented by the Chief Minister, while his son B Y Raghavendra represents Shimoga constituency in Lok Sabha.

Yediyurappa, who also inaugurated the divisional office of National Highway authority in the district, said a bridge project across river Sharavati at Singndur in Sagara taluk will be taken up.

Conceding that developmental work has taken a backseat due to the COVID-19 situation, the Chief Minister said the challenge is to overcome it and achieve development.

Bengaluru, Jan 21: A massive protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), and National Population Register (NPR) was witnessed at Shivajinagar's Chandni Chowk area on Tuesday.

Scores of people came together carrying national flags and placards to register their protest in the city.

Speaking to ANI, a protester said, "People of all religious community have assembled here in Chandni Chowk to protest against CAA, NRC, and NPR. We the people of India are against this law."

Terming the law as anti-constitutional, he said that we support all the states who oppose the CAA. We demand the revocation of CAA and the government should remove conditions in NPR which lead to NRC.

CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Mangaluru, June 28: In his apparent bid to win the hearts of the people of Tulu Nadu while leaving this coastal city, Dr P S Harsha, the outgoing Mangaluru city police commissioner, today took to social media and thanked the people. The language he chose for his prolonged Facebook post and one paragraph tweet was Tulu.

“Loveable people of Kudla! I have received the transfer order after serving as the Commissioner of Police of Mangaluru City for 11 months. (During this period) I worked with utmost honesty and pro-people approach with the complete cooperation of my department. I wholeheartedly thank all those who supported me,” tweeted Dr Harsha, who is now posted in Bengaluru as the Deputy Inspector General and Commissioner of Information and Public Relations.

In his Facebook post, Dr Harsha claimed that thanks to his initiative “My Beat My Pride”, the policing in the coastal city has strengthened. 

“My only intention was to put an end to rowdyism and illegal activities. I had given priority to curb the drug mafia. ‘My Beat My Pride’ became a successful initiative thanks to public support,” he said. 

The IPS officer went on to claim that with the with the co-operation of the senior officers, the police department managed to efficiently handle situations during anti-CAA and pro-CAA agitations in the city, detection of explosives at Mangaluru International Airport and also during the covid-19 pandemic. 

However, he did not mention about the death of two people in random police firing following a baton charge during anti-CAA protests in the city on December 19.

ಕುಡ್ಲದ ಮಾತ ಮೋಕೆದ ಬಂಧುಲೇ, 11 ತಿಂಗೊಳುರ್ದ್ ಕುಡ್ಲದ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಆಯುಕ್ತೆಯಾದ್ ಸೇವೆ ಮಂದಿನ ಎಂಕ್ ಇತ್ತೆ ವರ್ಗಾವಣೆ ಅವೋಂದುಂಡು.ಇಲಾಖೆದ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಸಹಕಾರದೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಮಸ್ತ್ ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕ ಬೊಕ್ಕ ಜನಪರವಾದು ಎನ್ನ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ಮಲ್ತೊಂದು ಬೈದೆ.ಎಂಕ್ ಸಹಕಾರ ಬೆಂಬಲ ಕೊರ್ನ ಮಾತೆರೆಗ್ಲಾ ಉಡಲ್ ದಿಂಜಿನ‌ ಸೊಲ್ಮೆಲು. pic.twitter.com/y7rgQMoOwm

— Harsha IPS CP Mangaluru City (@compolmlr) June 28, 2020