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UPCL: Plea to go for underground cables

[email protected] (DHNS)
July 24, 2011

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Mangalore, July 24: Kuduremukh Wildlife Foundation coordinator Niren Jain has urged the Minister for Energy Shobha Karandlaje to undertake Under Ground High Tension Power Transmission cabling system for the Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL) transmission line from Nandikur to Hassan, passing through high density forests of Western Ghats.

In a press release, he said the proposal of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) to run the 400kv D/C high tension power transmission line through the forests of Charmadi Ghats for UPCL thermal power generating station at Nandikur to the receiving station at Shantigrama (Hassan) involves cutting of thousands of trees in the Western Ghats which will irreversibly damage one of the most sensitive forest ecosystems of the region.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) while granting forest clearance for laying the transmission lines has clearly stated that “the project proponent shall explore the possibility of laying underground cable transmission system through the corridor (wildlife corridor)........”

The proposed alignment of transmission lines falls in eco-sensitive area of the Western Ghats involving 76.37 acres and 89.29 acres of forest land in Chikmagalur and Mangalore division respectively totalling 165.66 acres of forest land.

Use technology

He said the Foundation is urging the State government to use the already available advanced technologies for laying underground cables along the road side of Charmadi Ghats for the transmission line outside the forests of Western Ghats as overhead lines.

“The total difference in cost will be marginal if we offset the amount of Rs 20 crores, the Net Present Value (NPV) of the forests earmarked for felling which is already deposited by KPTCL for forest clearance and additional amount for compensatory afforestation elsewhere.”

There is also a need to look into the economics of maintaining the watershed catchment of river Nethravathi where the transmission line is proposed to cut across which is presently not taken into account while calculating the difference in cost for laying overhead transmission line Vs Under Ground Cabling.

The high tension underground transmission cables have been developed for the purpose of avoiding damage to high density forest areas and to avoid other environmental hazards.

The underground cable technology is widely used and has been time tested, he said.

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News Network
February 24,2020

New Delhi, Feb 24: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting raids at more than 20 locations in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The latest raids are being carried out in connection with ISIS conspiracy cases.

More details are currently awaited regarding the cases.

Meanwhile, NIA had on February 15 filed a charge sheet against two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists before the agency special court, Jammu. The two terrorists are identified as Khalil Ahmad Kayani (34) and Mohammad Nazeem (23), both residents of Haveli Farwad Kahuta district in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The case is related to the arrest of the two accused near Nilkanth Nala, approximately 700 metres inside the Indian side of LoC, in Gulmarg Sector of Baramulla district.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 16: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan today said that if former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, being a law-abiding citizen, does not follow guidelines then action will be taken against him.

The Deputy CM made this comment when he was asked about Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil's marriage, which has been fixed on April 17 at a farmhouse near Bidadi in Ramnagar.

Narayan said: "Any violation of the guidelines will not be tolerated. We will ask the concerned authority to film the entire event and document it."

He said that so far Kumaraswamy has made public statements that guidelines will be followed.

"HD Kumaraswamy is a people's representative. He has been in public life for a long time. He should abide by the guidelines," Narayan said.

"Since he has been in a responsible position for a long time and he was the Chief Minister, guidelines must be followed in his son's marriage as per the rules amid COVID-19 scare.

After the marriage, there must not be any excuses. He cannot say that people came without an invitation," the Deputy Chief Minister added.

Kumaraswamy clarified that only his family members will attend the marriage and that there will be around 60 to 70 people.

"All guidelines will be followed as per the central government directives," he said.

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News Network
August 9,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 9: Swollen rivers and flood-like situation continue to threaten lives and property in several parts of Karnataka that have been ravaged by torrential rains over the last few days.

Though there has been a respite from the downpour in some parts, rivers continue to flow above the danger mark, inundating low lying areas in several parts of Malnad, coastal and interior Karnataka.

There are also reports of continued landslides in hilly areas of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru.

In Dakshina Kannada, heavy rains have submerged several areas in Bantwala and Belthangady, among others, with the Netravati river overflowing and also water being released from nearby dams.

Officials said incessant rains in Cauvery river catchment areas have led to increased inflow in the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya district. Water is being released from it and people living in low lying areas have been warned, they said.

There is also a flood-like situation in Najanagudu and nearby areas of Mysuru as the swollen Kapila river has inundated roads connecting Ooty in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, with water being released from Kabini dam.

There has been some respite from heavy rains in certain parts of Kodagu, which has been ravaged by floods and landslides. However, several areas of the district continue to be in deluge with the Cauvery and Lakshmana Tirtha rivers overflowing due to rains in the hilly areas.

There are also reports of landslides in some parts of the district.

Meanwhile, continuing rains are hampering the search operation by NDRF and authorities to locate five people, including the priest at Talacauvery, the origin of the river Cauvery, who had gone missing due to massive landslides at Bramhagiri hills on Wednesday night.

There are also reports of landslides at a few places in Charmadi ghat region of Chikkamagaluru and the road connecting to Dakshina Kannada has been closed temporarily.

Though Belagavi district has had some respite from the heavy rains, flood like situation continues to persist as the Krishna river and its tributaries are swollen due to continued inflows because of rains in neighbouring Maharashtra.

Inflow has also increased to the Tungabhadra dam of Ballari district due to rains in the catchment areas of Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru.

Authorities have alerted people living in low lying areas about opening dam gates to release water anytime with rising inflow.

There is a similar flood like situation in parts of Yadgir, Raichur and Bagalkote districts with water being released from various dams.

The state government has released ₹ 50 crore for emergency relief and has announced ₹ 10,000 as immediate relief each to affected families.

An amount of ₹ 5 lakh has been announced for completely damaged houses, while in the case of partially damaged ones, relief will be distributed considering the extent of damage.

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