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NGOs oppose Netravati diversion

[email protected] (The Hindu)
March 22, 2011

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Mangalore, March 22: Karavali Mahila Jagruti Vedike, Krishikara Vedike-Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada Parisaraskthara Okkoota, Nagarika Seva Trust and Dalit Abhivruddhi Samiti of Belthagady taluk have opposed the State Government's move to divert the west-flowing Netravati to provide water to Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural, Tumkur, Chickballapur, Kolar and Chitradurga districts.

In a statement issued here on Monday, they said the project would affect farmers, fishermen and people of Mangalore (who depended on the river for drinking water), besides destroying evergreen forests.

It would also affect fish breeding in the sea.

The project envisaged formation of two canals at 850 metres and 925 metres above the sea level in the Western Ghats – one from Naravi Gadikallu Gudda and another from Galibidu in Madikeri. The project to form canals, one passing through the Yelaniru area and the other through the Shiradi area creating 38 artificial lakes en route, was nothing short of a misadventure, they said.

Machines and equipment used for the project would destroy the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, already under huge pressure owing to development activities.

They sought to know why the State Government had not taken note of the Centre forming a panel of experts headed by ecological scientist Madhav Gadgil and recommendations of its own task force for protection of the ghats.

Noting that the State Government had earmarked Rs. 200 crore and Union Minister for Law M. Veerappa Moily had promised Rs. 400 crore for the project, they said this development had led to anxiety among the people.

Experts had proved that the project was unscientific, anti-environment and impractical and that there were many pragmatic alternatives, they said.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had announced the project in his February 24 budget speech. Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya on Sunday defended it saying only 10 per cent of the water flowing into the sea would be diverted, they said.

They alleged that the BJP and the Congress, which overtly opposed the project, were not against it.

They urged the Government to conduct a field visit for the legislators of parched districts to show why the project could not be undertaken. The project estimation now was Rs. 70,000 crore and it could go beyond Rs. 2 lakh crore when it was implemented.

Effective alternatives could be provided for a mere Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1,000 crore, they said.


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News Network
August 5,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 4: Deputy Chief Minister Dr.CN Ashwathnarayan instructed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Manjunatha Prasad to set up a separate high-level committee to ascertain the exact cause of coronavirus-related deaths in the state.

He spoke to reporters after a meeting with Prasad on Tuesday.

"The committee, headed by senior officials will audit the reason for the increase in death cases. Has there been a death due to treatment delay? Or are there any shortcomings in the treatment process?" the deputy chief minister said.

He pointed out that based on the report, the committee should try to correct the deficiency and reduce the death rate.

"How many beds are in which hospital? How many patients are on a ventilator? How many have gone home from the hospital? Etc. All information needs to be updated online at the moment. He suggested that this information should be made available to the public online," Ashwaththanarayana said.

Stating that some hospitals are not giving details about the number of beds correctly, he instructed the commissioners to take legal action if differences in their data are found.

He said that there is a shortage of ASHA workers in the city and it needs to be hired immediately.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 74,477 active COVID-19 cases in Karnataka and the death toll in the state is at 2,594. 

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News Network
January 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 28: The state government is set to allow investors who bought farmland for industrial and other purposes to sell it off if they fail to use it within seven years. The new buyers, however, must utilise the land parcel for the same purpose for which it was allotted.

An amendment bill in this regard will be tabled during the joint session of the assembly, which begins on February 17.

Currently, investors remain tied to unused parcels. Law and parliamentary affairs minister JC Madhuswamy said the amendment to Section 109 of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, which deals with the purchase of farmland for non-agricultural purposes, would remove hurdles for disposal of such plots. “To prevent misuse of land, the bill makes it mandatory for the new buyer to utilise it for the purpose for which the land was purchased by the first investor,” he said.

The government will also table a bill which seeks to regulate the affairs of religious and educational trusts. It will empower the government to intervene in the affairs of the trusts when irregularities come to light.

“Currently, the government has no role to play when allegations of irregularities and mismanagement crop up against trustees. The bill seeks to address this,” Madhuswamy said. He clarified the government didn’t want to interfere in trusts’ affairs. But some issues, he added, were of concern: trustees illegally selling off the trust property.

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News Network
July 11,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 11: Karantaka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Friday raised questions over claims that Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project Madhya Pradesh was "largest in Asia" and said a 2000 MW had been built in the state.

"BJP central government is claiming today that it inaugurated Asia's largest solar plant of 750 MW at Rewa, MP. What then is the 2000 MW Solar Plant in Pavagada, Karnataka which was built in just 3 years by Karnataka Congress government and has been operational since 2018?" Shivakumar said in a tweet.

The Congress leader further said that the most unique thing about the solar project set up in Karnataka was that the farmers were being paid yearly rents for the land upon which it was constructed as it had been leased and not purchased from them, helping them retain ownership.

"The unique thing about the 2000 MW Pavagada Mega Solar Park was that not a single acre of land was acquired from the farmers. All 13,000 acres have been leased from the farmers who are being given yearly rent. Karnataka model of renewable energy was accepted as the best in India," he said.

"Union power minister must answer as to how the Central Government can claim that the Rewa Solar Park (750 MW) opened today is Asia's largest when clearly the Pavagada Park in Karnataka is much larger (2000 MW) and was opened two years back!" he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Power Project to the nation on Friday. 

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