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Activists to stage hunger strike against UPCL plant

[email protected] (CD Network)
August 23, 2012

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Udupi, August 23: The Nagarajuna Virodhi Horata Samiti remembers will go on a hunger strike foer the entire day against government's decision to consent the second unit of coal based Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) thermal power plant on August 27 at Deputy Commissioner's Office complex near End Point.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, president of the samiti Vijaykumar Hegde said the first unit of the coal-based thermal plant of UPCL had created environmental and health problems to people living in the villages surrounding it.

He alleged that the assurances made during the setting up of UPCL power plant by the government has remained mere a lip service. The power generated in the plant is supplied to the areas in and around Udupi and Dakshina Kannada only because there is no 400 kv lines to transfer the power through Hassan region.

The plan to install electric poles all through 30 kms to transmit the power generated in the second unit passes through Western Ghats.

The height of the poll will be detrimental to the trees in Western Ghats which may lead to forest fire. The assurance of giving employment to people remains a false pledge, he ridiculed.

He said the MESCOM has to bear the burden of the additional charges incurring through the transmission of power that is generated by the second unit of UPCL as there is no consumer all through 400 kv lines connecting Hassan. In turn, the burden of distribution loss will be transferred to the public by charging extra for each unit.

Both central and state government should take the responsibilities of the loss suffered by the people in the area.

He urged the people in power to be accountable to the expectations of the people. People's representatives including Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Jayaprakash Hegde, District-in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Zilla Panchayat President Katpadi Shankar Poojary, Udupi taluk Panchayath President Devdas Hebbar and Deputy Commissioner Dr M T Reju should come out with the statements clarifying their stand over the project. Hegde also urged Union Corporate Power Minister Veerappa Moily and State Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje to clarify their stand.

He said the plant will also prove detrimental to the safety of MRPL, Mangalore harbour and to Bajpe airport. He urged the existing 600 MW unit should be converted into gas based power plant. The Government should take back the decision to commission the second unit.

Measures should be taken to prevent environmental problems incurring to Western Ghats. Sea water should be used by installing desalination plant. Besides government should also ensure Rs 200 crore as security funds, he said and added that if government is incompetent of fulfilling all these demands, it should immediately shift the plant from this area.

Hussain Kodibengre, leader of Udupi unit of the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Prashanth, leader of Bharatiya Christa Okkoota, Janardhan Thingalaya, president of the Traditional Boat Fishermen's Association, and Sadashiva K., secretary of the association, were present.

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News Network
March 9,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 9: The political crisis faced by Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh appears to have accentuated with 13 party MLAs and six ministers reported to be in Bengaluru.

The developments have come amid factional differences in the party unit and at a time the party has to finalise its Rajya Sabha candidates from the state.

Sources said the number of Congress MLAs who were in Bengaluru had gone up to 19 and one more MLA expected to reach Bengaluru by Monday night. They said the MLAs have come in batches and include six ministers from Madhya Pradesh.

The developments came on a day state chief Chief Minister Kamal Nath met party chief Sonia Gandhi and discussed the political situation in the state.

The sources said that MLAs are likely to be shifted to a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

According to the sources, BJP Mahadevpura MLA Arvind Limbavali has been in touch with the Congress MLAs. They said 16 MLAs were brought at HAL airport Bengaluru by a special flight and were staying in a hotel at present.

The session of Madhya Pradesh assembly will begin on March 16 and the BJP may bring no-confidence motion against the Kamal Nath government.

Kamal Nath had said after his meeting with Gandhi that Congress MLAs who were reportedly missing have returned and had informed him that they were on 'tirth yatra'.

"Congress MLAs came back and said to me that they went on' tirth yatra (pilgrimage)".

The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to topple the party government. Party leader Digvijaya Singh had earlier alleged that BJP leaders Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Narottam Mishra were offering bribes of Rs 25-35 crore to Congress MLAs in order to bring down the Congress government in the state. The BJP had refuted the allegations.

In 2018 assembly elections, Congress won 114 seats in the 230-member Assembly and formed the government with the support of four Independent MLAs and two BSP MLAs and a legislator from the Samajwadi Party (SP). The BJP had secured 109 seats in the state assembly.

Last week,Madhya Pradesh Labour Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia had warned that the state government will face a crisis if it "ignores or disrespects" party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Scindia had said last month that he will not hesitate to hit the roads if promises made in a manifesto by Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh were not fulfilled.

Kamal Nath had responded to the remarks saying, "To utar jayein" (Let him hit the streets if he wants to).

Congress MLA Bisahulal Singh, who was "missing" for the past few days, returned to Bhopal on Sunday and said he had gone on a pilgrimage.

Independent MLA Surendra Singh said on Monday that he was hoping to become a minister in Madhya Pradesh government soon.

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coastaldigest.com news network
August 2,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 2: All the seven Airports in Karnataka have seen poor traffic even after the restoration of domestic flight services post covid-19 lockdown. Interestingly, Mangaluru International Airport, the second biggest in the state, has slipped to third position in number of number of passengers and flights. 

Of all the seven airports in State-- Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Hubballi, Belagavi, Mysuru, Kalaburagi and Vijaynagara (Hosapete)-- it was the Sambra (Belagavi) airport which saw the highest number of passengers and flights after Bengaluru. 

According to Airports Authority of India report released on their website recently, the Sambra airport outperformed the Managluru international airport in June. 

As many 10,224 passengers travelled to or from Belagavi airport in June, whereas Mangaluru airport saw a footfall of only 8,608 passengers including 3,726 international and 4,882 domestic passengers. Belagavi airport handled 391 flights whereas Mangaluru airport handled 190 flights.

Even the Bengaluru international airport saw a decline in the number of passengers and flights in June. Only 3.69 lakh domestic and 10,654 international passengers arrived or departed from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru in June as against 27.59 lakh total passengers in June 2019. 

Between April-June 2020 the Bengaluru airport saw only 4.54 lakh total passengers (domestic and international) as against 84.11 lakh total passenger during the same period last year. The number of flights to and from Bengaluru also saw a huge dip in June with only 731 international (2,582 in June 2019) and 4290 domestic (16,216 in June 2019) flights.

Though the Mysuru domestic airport handled a higher number of flights compared to last June, the number of passengers either arriving or departing saw a decline. Last year June 4,775 passengers travelled in 96 flights, whereas in June 2020 the airport handled 3,158 passengers and 330 flights.

Hubballi airport saw the least number of passengers or flights among the seven airports in Karnataka in June. It saw only 55 passengers either arriving or departing from the city's airport in 14 flights in the month of June. In the same month last year, Hubballi airport, which was third busiest before the pandemic, had facilitated 45,973 passengers and handled 604 flights.

Since April 2020 to June, the Hubballi airport has handled only 18 flights (as against 1,958 during the same period last year) and 122 passengers (1,50,416 between April-June 2019).

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 11,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 11: A youth was run over by a lorry after a speeding car knocked his two-wheeler down on Netravati Bridge near Thokkottu on the outskirts of the city today.

The deceased has been identified as Ubaid (28), a resident of Bandikotya in Ullal. According to sources, he was recently engaged and was supposed to get married on July 23.

Shakir, who was with Ubaid on the two-wheeler suffered serious injuries. He was shifted to a private hospital for treatment. 

The car hit the two-wheeler when the two were heading back to Ullal from Mangaluru. 

The impact of the collision was such that Ubaid was thrown on to the road. Within a second a speeding lorry crushed him to death on the spot. 

The car driver sped away after the mishap instead of stopping to help the accident victims. However, local residents chased the car and waylaid it near Thokkotty flyover. 

The car was reportedly driven by Krishna, who works at Someshwar municipality office. He had reportedly purchased the car just two days ago. Police have taken him into custody along with another person who was also on board the car.

Traffic south police have registered a hit-and-run case and investigations are on.

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