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Bekal airstrip project remains a pipe dream

[email protected] (expressbuzz)
January 9, 2012

bekal

Bekal, January 9: The proposal for an airstrip that can receive 50-seater aircraft at Bekal in Kasargod, mooted by the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC) to promote tourism, is likely to turn into a pie in the sky for various reasons.

According to top sources in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, an airstrip is not feasible at Bekal due to the proximity of the land, claimed to have been identified for the project, to the existing Mangalore Bajpe International Airport and forthcoming Kannur International Airport.

The 80-acre land is in Periya village.

“The proposal for an airstrip has to get clearance from the Union Ministries of Home, Defence and Civil Aviation. When Bekal can be reached within two hours from Mangalore or Kannur airports, the chances of getting clearance for the project are highly unlikely. As per the regulations, Civil Aviation Ministry never gives approval for an airport within a radius of 100 miles of another airport,” sources maintained.

More importantly, there are certain security concerns as well. “For an aircraft to land at an airport or airstrip, the facility has to be created from an aerial distance of at least 40 km. For instance, if an airplane has to land at Kozhikode Airport, the facility has to be done from Kozhikode beach if the plane is coming from the Gulf.

The aerial distance from the proposed Bekal airstrip is equi-distant from Mangalore and Kannur airports but only a little over the landing facility. The risks involved will be proportionally higher when the volume of flights taking off and landing increases at Mangalore, Kannur and also at the proposed Bekal airstrip,” officials pointed out.

The whole project mooted four years ago appears to be a claim of bureaucrats to hoodwink the Centre.

Even when the BRDC officials claim that the land acquisition process has begun and the airstrip would be commissioned by 2013, the fact is that the BRDC is yet to enter into a contract with the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) to prepare a detailed project report.

“We have received a proposal from the BRDC to prepare a detailed project report for the airstrip. In reply, we have informed the terms and conditions to the BRDC but they are yet to respond,” CIAL DGM Thankachan K P said.

Kasargod Additional District Magistrate Dineshan, who also holds the charge of Land Acquisition Deputy Collector, said the BRDC has not given a request for acquisition of land for the airstrip.

“But,as per a government request, we have recommended 80 acres of land in Periya village, of which 54.12 acre is revenue land and remaining is private land. So far, BRDC has not officially communicated about the land acquisition for the project,” he said.

When contacted, BRDC Manager (Land Acquisition) C Kumaran confirmed that they are yet to ent er into an agreement with CIAL. “As per the terms and conditions of the CIAL, the fee would be remitted and the work for preparing the project report will start soon. The requests for acquiring land for the project and obtaining clearances from the Unions Ministries could be forwarded only after receiving the detailed project report,” he said.


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News Network
February 18,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 18: Deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi was elected to the legislative council on Monday and although it was a done deal that he would win, a vote from across the aisle spiced up the election.

Counting was conducted soon after ballots were cast and Savadi polled 113 of the 120 votes cast, including the vote of disgruntled JD(S) legislator GT Devegowda. Seven votes were declared invalid. Members of the two opposition parties — Congress and JD(S) — abstained from voting.

The election was necessitated following the resignation of Rizwan Arshad of the Congress. Rizwan resigned after he was elected to the legislative assembly from the Shivajinagar constituency in the assembly bypolls held for 15 seats in December last year.

BR Anil Kumar, who was initially promised the support of both Congress and JD(S) was supposed to contest as an independent candidate. However, as both parties refused to support him at the last minute, he withdrew, paving the way for Savadi’s victory.

The BJP has 117 members in the 225-member assembly, but N Mahesh of the BSP and two independents, H Nagesh and Sharath Bachchegowda, besides GT Devegowda also voted, taking the total electorate to 120 (including the speaker). BJP’s SA Ramadas did not turn up because of health reasons.

“I would like to thank all those who were responsible for my victory. Special thanks to leaders of my party and chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who gave me the opportunity to be the BJP candidate,” said Savadi.

Winning this council election was crucial for Savadi to retain his ministry as he was not an elected member of either of the houses. Rules mandate that a non-member must get elected either to the assembly or council within six months after taking over as minister. February 20 was the deadline for Savadi, who had lost 2018 assembly polls from Athani, to get elected.

Officials in the assembly secretariat said seven votes were invalid because voters had wrongly marked their choices on ballot paper. According to norms, a voter has to mark numerical one, two and three against the names of the candidates in order of preference. Marking only numerical one is allowed. However, six ballots had a tick mark, while a voter had registered a cross mark. Since it was a secret ballot, it was not known who the MLAs were whose votes were invalid.

“The ballot papers bear serial numbers and they are randomly distributed. It is virtually impossible to say who a voter cast his or her vote for,” said assembly secretary MK Vishalakashi, the retuning officer for the bypoll.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 5: Amulya Leona, the 19-year-old woman who captured a nation’s attention by shouting full-throated slogans, allegedly in support of Pakistan, at a rally in Bengaluru, has reportedly held her composure under grilling by the Special Investigating Team (SIT).

The woman was arrested after her speech to an audience of protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act on February 19, and was slapped with sedition charges.

Sources in the police said Amulya Leona seemed to be absolutely normal during interrogation by senior cops, unlike most other persons in such circumstances.

Not once throughout the grilling nor in judicial custody did she break down.

Amulya is said to have defended herself on charges that she shouted pro-Pakistan slogans. She made it clear that by speaking out at the rally at Freedom House, she did not mean to support the enemy country and that she was not against India.

Lower-rung officers said Amulya Leona seemed to be considerably influenced by the late firebrand activist Gowri Lankesh, who was shot dead in 2017.

In fact, the policewomen to whose charge she was entrusted right after she was arrested are said to have heaved a sigh of relief when she handed over to custody of prison staff.

An urban legend going around in lower-rung police circles is that Amulya Leona attended the funeral of Gowri Lankesh and fainted near where the late activist was buried. “It’s impossible for a 19-year-old to show such grit. We have seen hardcore criminals breaking down in custody. Forget about breaking down, Amulya Leona is becoming stronger,” they explain.

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News Network
August 2,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 2: Bengaluru based Centre for Advanced Research and Development (CARD), the research wing of organisation De scalene has come up with a device called "SHYCOCAN" (Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon) which neutralizes the coronavirus.

Speaking to news agency Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, Chairman, Organisation De Scalene said that the device will not kill any bacteria or fungus, however, neutralizes the coronavirus particles.

"The device was tested for its safety and efficacy and is soon going to be manufactured and marketed in the US under the Enforcement Discretion policy of USFDA and in Europe as the device is CE compliant and is CE marked," said Kumar.

He also added the device will cover a volume of 10,000 cubic feet.

The device Scalene Hypercharge Corona Canon (SHYCOCAN) is intended to be used in the residential, industrial and commercial environment and is designed for active containment by attenuation of Corona family of viruses. (Laboratories de Especialidades Immunological S.A. de C.V, Virucidal Activity concludes 99.9 per cent virus elimination), Kumar asserted.

"SHYCOCAN operates on regular 110/240V - 50/60 Hz wall socket and is a plug and play device, that delivers the necessary signals to a photon mediated electrons emitters (PMEE), that produces hypercharge high-velocity electrons by photon mediation that interacts with the negative seeking S-protein of Corona family of viruses thus reducing infectivity and prevent air and surface borne transmission of corona family of viruses," said Kumar.

The device does not use any chemicals, or any other consumables and does not produce harmful ozone gas or any other substances and is completely safe for use in any environment, he added.

"The attack mechanism of the Virus starts with the initial attachment of the virion to the host cell, it is initiated by interactions between the S-protein and its receptor on the "negative" cell membrane. The sites of receptor binding domains (RBD) within the S1 region of a coronavirus S-protein vary depending on the virus. 

The S-protein/receptor interaction is the primary determinant for a coronavirus to infect a host species and governs the tissue tropism of the virus. However, the end result is the fusion and release of the viral genome into the cytoplasm," said Kumar.

He continued saying that the counter mechanism by the device SHYCOCAN is that if negative seeking is the guidance mechanism of the S- Protein, attracted by the transmembrane potential of the host cells, then breaking this mechanism would block the Coronavirus infectivity and spread.

"The device has been in use for more than a year at the S-CARD campus, the headquarters of Scalene," said Kumar.

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