Karnataka govt accused of violating norms while giving nod for Yettinahole

coastaldigest.com news network
July 25, 2017

Mangaluru, Jul 25: Green activist K N Somashekar has accused the Karnataka government of violating all norms while granting permission to Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project near Sakleshpur in Hassan district.

The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), chaired by Abdul Raheem, started the final hearing of a batch of petitions opposing the controversial project.

Mr Somashekar challenged the forest clearances granted by the ministry of forests and environment for the project. He raised the alleged violation of the National Forest Policy and a deliberate attempt by the officials concerned not to go for a cost benefit analysis, when the matter came up for hearing on Monday in New Delhi.

The Yettinahole project is intended to supply water to parched areas of Tumakuru, Kolar, Ramanagar, and Chikkaballapur districts, among others in the east side of the state by diverting water from west-flowing streams in Sakleshpur of Hassan.

The project has been given forest clearance in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, claimed Somashekar. His contention is that forest clearance was accorded by the Regional Empowered Committee (REC) of the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoEF) going against the National Forest Policy as the officials did not explore alternatives before granting clearance.

He argued that the REC had committed a blunder in giving clearance when any clearance for projects above five hectares in forest areas should be granted only by the Forest Advisory Committee of the Union government. Later, petitioner Somashekar told DC that though forest officials claim that permission to fell trees has been given only in 13.94 hectares of forest land in Sakleshpur, if surveyed properly, the forest land for the project would exceed this figure several times.

He asserted that the Cost Benefit Analysis which is mandatory for the project was not done by Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam Limited. The NGT has posted the hearing to Tuesday.

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News Network
June 15,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 15: A father and his four-year-old son were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a lorry from behind at Bakampady junction on the outskirts of the city.

The Police said the deceased has been identified as Abdul Bhasheer, a resident of Krishnapura and his son Shayan. 

On Sunday evening, Bahseer was going from Mangaluru to Krishnapura by the motorcycle along with wife and son when a speeding lorry "dashed into the motorcycle from behind and knocked them down''.

The four-year-old son died on the spot while Basher and his wife were rushed to the hospital. However, the husband succumbed to injuries at the hospital on Monday. Local police registered a case in this connection.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 14,2020

Bengaluru, May 14: As many as 22 new cases have been reported in Karnataka taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 981. 

The new cases include five in Bengaluru Urban - all with a contact history, four each in Gadag - with history of travel to Ahemadabad, Mandya with travel history to Mumbai, Maharashtra and Bidar - with three from containment zone and one with travel history to Mumbai, three from Davangere and one each from Belagavi and Bagalkote.

Meanwhile, two more deaths have been reported in the state on Thursday morning taking the total toll to 35. This is apart from a non-COVID-19 death.

An 80-year-old resident of Dakshina Kannada, got admitted at private hospital following a stroke. She was shifted to the icu on confirmation for Covid-19 at a designated hospital on April 26. She died on Thursday due to septic shock.

Another 60-year-old male, resident of Ananthapur in Andhra Pradesh, admitted at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru with severe pneumonia and respiratory distress died due to cardiac arrest on Thursday morning. He had hypotension and Diabetes Mellitus, according to the morning health bulletin.

Sources in Victoria Hospital said this person was the first patient to undergo clinical trial for plasma therapy. He was infused plasma on Monday. However, his condition continued to remain the same.

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News Network
May 10,2020

May 10: Azaan is an integral part of the faith, not the gadget, says veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, asking that the Islamic call to prayer on loudspeakers should be stopped as it causes "discomfort" to others.

In a tweet on Saturday, Akhtar wondered why the practice was 'halaal' (allowed) when it was, for nearly half a century in the country, considered 'haraam' or forbidden.

"In India for almost 50 years Azaan on the loud speak was Haraam. Then it became Halaal and so halaal that there is no end to it, but there should be an end to it. Azaan is fine but loud speaker does cause of discomfort for others. I hope that atleast this time they will do it themselves (sic)," Akhtar tweeted.

When a user asked his opinion on loudspeakers being used in temples, the 75-year-old writer said everyday use of speakers is a cause of concern.

"Whether it's a temple or a mosque, if you're using loudspeakers during a festival, it's fine. But it shouldn't be used everyday in either temples or mosques.

"For more than thousand years Azaan was given without the loud speaker. Azaan is the integral part of your faith, not this gadget," he replied.

Earlier in March, Akhtar had supported the demand to shut mosques amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country, saying even Kaaba and Medina have been closed due to the pandemic.

He had also appealed to the Muslim community to offer prayers from home in the holy month of Ramzan, which began on April 24.

"I request all the Muslim brothers that now that Ramzan is coming, please say your prayers but make sure that this doesn't cause problems to anyone else. The prayers that you do in the mosque, you can do that at home. According to you, the house, the ground, this all has been made by Him. Then you can do your prayers anywhere," he had said.

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