‘No dispute with in-laws’: Wife of slain CRPF jawan from Mandya refutes media reports

Pulwama Attack

Reports earlier suggested that Kalavathi had approached the police after she was pressurised to marry her brother-in-law so that the donation money gifted to them would stay in the family.

TNM Staff

Kalavathi, the wife of CRPF soldier, H Guru who was killed in the terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month, clarified that there is no dispute going on between her and her in-laws, as reported by sections of the media. "I am distraught for the last two weeks ever since the death of my husband and also about reports that there is a dispute within the family between me and my in-laws. I am living in the same house with my in-laws at the moment and we do not have any disputes. We are still figuring out how to move on with our lives," Kalavathi told TNM.   Reports suggested that Kalavathi had approached the police after she was pressurised to marry Guru's brother to ensure that the generous donations sent to them would stay within the family. She however denied that she had filed a police complaint and claimed that media reports had misquoted her.  "I have not been asked to marry again nor have I been asked about the money yet. I am slated to meet the Chief Minister on Friday and we will decide on the future course of action then,” she added.  Kumaraswamy had earlier instructed Kalavathi to come and meet him regarding a government job. Kalavathi is a BA graduate who is pursuing an MA degree through correspondence. She married Guru around six months ago and moved into their newly built house in Gudigere in Mandya.  A relative of Kalavathi reiterated that there were no discussions about Kalavathi marrying again and that if she were to marry, it would be to the person of her choosing. "It has been a sensitive time for her and we are together with Kalavathi. This is an issue left to the girl. We have just finished the funeral activities and we have not discussed this issue at all. It is true that a lot of donations have been sent from all over the world to this family," Siddasakhi, a relative of Kalavathi said.  Family members did not confirm the amount of money they have received in the last two weeks but agreed that it is in crores. Generous donations have been given to both the parents of the slain soldier and his wife.   

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The weed that fueled the Bandipur fire may be tough to eradicate, say experts

Environment

Lantana, a weed that was brought to India about 250 years ago, now has widespread growth in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Soumya Chatterjee

Screengrab/ Lantana maps by Shola Trust

It took five days of tireless efforts by nearly 400 forest officials, firefighters, volunteers and close to 49,000 litres of water bombing by two IAF helicopters to douse the fire in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. While the Forest Department deemed the fire an act of sabotage, the abundance of a foreign weed proved to be a catalyst in addition to other natural factors. Lantana camara, commonly referred to as lantana, is a weed native to South America and is being touted as the primary cause for the quick spread of the fire. The plant, which was alien to the land probably 300 years ago, now has widespread growth in the forest according to ecology experts. Nakul M Dev, a volunteer who worked for two days to douse the flames in GS Betta range said, “If it wasn’t for lantana, the fire would have been 50%-60% less intense. It acts as fuel to fire. About 80% of the entire forest floor has been taken over by it.” Another naturalist, Rahul Taranath, who was part of the firefighting efforts, said, “Since it has creepers which can grow over trees, the fire affected bigger trees, which are otherwise unaffected during small forest fires.” Siddappa Setty R, Fellow, Programme Leader at the Centre for Environment and Development at ATREE and expert on community and biodiversity conservation, explains that lantana came to India as a decorative plant about 250 years ago. “Since then, it has had a highly negative impact on biodiversity.  Even the grass cover in the forest has fallen significantly because of it,” he told TNM. While experts agree on how harmful lantana is, there does not seem to be a consensus on how to eradicate it. How lantana can be dealt with IISc professor TV Ramachandra says that the larger issue is deforestation and the reckless import of plants from other countries. Foreign species like lantana, parthena or eupatorium do not allow regeneration of native species as they grow even in non-fertile and open areas, he adds. The “obnoxious weed”, as Siddappa calls it, spreads quickly due to its fast growth and ready pollination in dry deciduous forests. Lakshminarayana, a retired IFS officer from Karnataka, said, "Phased timely action can see some success against lantana. Just before the monsoon, if we can remove lantana from the roots, and plant native species in its place, maybe we can eradicate it completely." However, a senior official within the Forest Department told TNM, “We cannot simply uproot lantana, this will create more proliferation of parthena or eupatorium (other invasive weeds) without proper followups. Further, some animals have adapted to these weeds now and a few, like deer and black-faced langurs, have even started feeding on them,” he said. Nakul and Rahul advocate dedicated de-weeding to deal with it. While the process is resource intensive, they say that the weed can be commercially used. It can be used in making furniture or as bio-fuel, which is being done in Australia, Rahul says. “However, But we cannot use machinery to remove it as a lot of native species will be lost in the process,” he added.   Activists say that some experiments are already being conducted to turn lantana into plywood and paper among other things. As recently as in 2017, at the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary, the Soligas, the local tribal population were employed to make carvings and products like baskets out of lantana plants under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme. “They tried very different methods of clipping, cropping, uprooting and mechanised methods as well but nothing worked. Lantana grew back. Even in Nagarhole in certain patches they are trying to do other experiments but with little success,” said Joseph Hoover, a conservationist. “More recently around six months ago, the forest department has brought a species of beetle from Mexico which feeds selectively on these weeds and it was working well both in Nagarhole and Bandipur. They are studying it in a measured way and figuring out if there are any side-effects,” he added.

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Trouble for K'taka solar park: Bank asks govt to persuade farmers to clear dues

Solar Park

An official from Vijaya Bank, raised the issue that the Pavagada branch of the bank was financing loans of a large number of farmers in the region.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government's land-leasing model implemented to develop the solar park in Pavagada taluk of Tumakuru district has come under scrutiny. This after it emerged that the farmers who leased the land for the project had earlier already mortgaged the same land as security for loans. An official from Vijaya Bank, in a letter to the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), stated that the Pavagada branch of the bank was financing loans of a large number of farmers in the region. "Our Pavagada branch had been financing a large number of farmers in Vallur and Thirumani Gram Panchayats of Pavagada taluk in Tumakuru district for past several years," reads the letter. According to the same official, farmers with loans amounting to more than Rs 16 crore have mortgaged lands in Pavagada as security. "Of the lands taken on lease, 874 farmers having loans amounting to Rs 16.52 crore and 11 farmers having agriculture term loans amounting to Rs 0.44 crore at our Pavagada branch mortgaged their lands to our bank as security for their loans prior to the corporation entering into lease agreements with the farmers," reads the letter. Pavagada, like nine other taluks in Tumakuru, is currently classified as drought-hit by the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA). The state government identified areas in the taluk as the ideal spot for generating solar power but faced resistance from farmers in the region who refused to give up their land.   The state government struck a compromise with farmers in the region to take their lands on lease for 28 years instead of buying it from the farmers. The solar park is being built by leasing land for a price of Rs 21,000 per acre per year. It is touted as one of the biggest solar parks in the world. Read: Towards an uncertain future: Why farmers are unhappy with Karnataka’s big bet on solar After 25 years, the state government will decide whether to renew the existing land lease agreement or dismantle the panels, which will take up to three more years. The state government is now facing questions about its land-leasing agreement, which it wants to implement in other areas of the state for developmental projects.  Venkatesh Pavagada, an activist with the Safai Karamchari Kavalu Samiti from Balasamudra village in Pavagada, reiterated that farmers in the region were forced to take loans from banks due to crop losses suffered after years of drought. "Due to lack of rain in the last decade, almost all farmers here had taken loans from banks. The farmers also refused to give their land to the state government for the construction of the solar park because many feel that without their land, they have nowhere to go. Eventually, the land was leased by the state government for a small price," he says.  Officials at Vijaya Bank also pointed out that the lands were leased by the state government without obtaining 'no objection certificates' from the bank. This has meant that the bank is unable to review/renew these accounts resulting in huge additions of accounts to nonperforming asset (NPA). The officials are now urging the SLBC and the state government, particularly the Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Limited (KSPDCL), an entity formed in 2015 that is tasked with developing the park, to discuss this issue in their next meeting. The officials want the corporation developing the park to persuade farmers to clear their dues with the bank. The SLBC has recommended the same to the government.  Officials of the KSPDCL further said that banks should bring issues like this to their notice. “Initially, we did get such complaints and we asked those farmers to clear the dues first. The bank should bring this to our notice for us to act. And we are not purchasing land for us to obtain NOC from the bank,” KSPDCL chief executive officer G Bhimsha said speaking to Deccan Herald.

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BMTC woman conductor attempts suicide due to alleged harassment by depot manager

Harassment

A protest broke out following the incident which led to the cancellation of more than 80 trips.

TNM Staff

An attempted suicide by a female colleague triggered protests by more than 100 Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) drivers and conductors working out of the Sumanahalli Depot on Thursday afternoon. According to the woman’s colleagues, alleged harassment by the depot manager and other senior staff was the reason that drove her to taking the extreme step.    The 33-year-old conductor had attempted suicide by consuming poison inside the depot premises and is currently undergoing treatment at a depot hospital, where her condition is reported to be stable.  Reports suggest that she was working with the BMTC for the last 14 years and was posted in the same depot for the last six years. For the last six years, she had been doing the 6am-1pm shift but on Thursday, she was reportedly told by the Depot Manager, Prashanth to be on a 12-hour shift from 8am-8pm as she was purportedly not bringing enough revenue. “Jyothi had come to work for the first shift even on Thursday but the manager did not assign her duty and asked her to report for the general shift. Jyothi told him that she had a three-year-old child and requested him not to change her shift timings. However, the manager did not pay heed. After waiting for a few hours, Jyothi consumed poison in the depot around 1.30pm. The depot staff rushed her to a nearby hospital. Other drivers and conductors boycotted work and staged a protest demanding suspension of the manager,” a conductor told The New Indian Express. Protesters alleged that the depot manager was harassing other employees as well for not bringing enough revenue. They accused the depot manager of not granting leaves and also of tweaking the shift timings of employees. The protests led to the cancellation of around 80 trips, reports said. The protests were called off only at 9pm after senior BMTC staff came to the station and assured swift action.  

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K’taka cabinet clears formation of 12 more taluks, including two in Kodagu

Administration

The state government and Survey of India will conduct a re-surveying exercise of land and properties in the state.

TNM Staff

  The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday cleared the proposal of carving out 12 new taluks in 10 districts including Kodagu, as proposed by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy in his budget speech. The new taluks were formed on grounds of better and effective administration and some of the new taluk formations were proposed by the Siddaramaiah government. The 12 taluks include two new taluks in the hilly tourist district of Kodagu. The two new taluks carved out will be Kaveri from Kushalnagar taluk and Ponnampet taluk in the south. TIll now, Kodagu was divided into Madikeri, Somwarpet and Virajpet taluks. And people for long had been demanding for these new taluks in addition to another in Napoklu, which was not accorded by the state government. According to The New Indian Express, the revenue department has been authorised to open its offices for the new taluks while rest of the departments will open their taluk level offices in the newly formed district after approval from the Finance Department.   . Harohalli in Ramanagara  . Cheluru in Chikkaballapur . Teradala in Bagalkot . Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru . Ponnampet and Kushalnagar in Kodagu . Alamela in Vijayapura . Mulki and Ullal in DK . Saligrama in Mysuru Shantigrama in Hassan . Yaragatti in Belagavi   Speaking on this, Revenue Minister RV Deshpande said the state government will resurvey lands and properties in the state using advanced technologies including drones, along with the Survey of India.  The first phase of the re-surveying process will cover five districts— Tumakuru, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Ramanagara as well as Bengaluru city and will take two years. The surveying process will cost Rs 110 crore to be borne by the central government while Rs 15 crore will be spent by the state government to survey the capital city of Bengaluru.    

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After protests, vehicles registered in Dakshina Kannada exempted from toll at Surathkal

Controversy

After a new contractor took Surathkal toll gate, he announced that vehicles registered in Dakshina Kannada won't be exempted from toll fee from March 1.

Soumya Chatterjee

In November 2018, a new company took over toll collection at the Surathkal booth on National Highway 66. The new contractor announced that from March 1, they will not follow the old rule of exempting vehicles with registrations beginning with ‘KA 19’ from toll fees. Consequent protests by residents of Mangaluru and surrounding areas for the last four months have now finally born fruit. The Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil on Thursday agreed to the protesters’ demands and held talks with officials of the National Highway Authority of India to that effect. ‘KA 19' registration number denotes the vehicles are registered in the Dakshina Kannada district itself. The protestors, especially those who commuting daily between Mangaluru and Padubidri in Udupi district said it would be unfair for them to pay Rs 75 at the toll booth in Surathkal and Rs 50 at the toll booth in Hejamady, which is 11.2 km south of Surathkal. They also pointed out that according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) rules the distance between two adjacent toll booths should be at least 60 km. “We were demanding a status quo and today the Deputy Commissioner said he has already spoken with the relevant authorities. We also saw the National Highway Authority of India officials coming to his office,” Yathish Baikampady, a Mangaluru resident and a leader of the fishermen community, who led the earlier protests, told TNM. He added that on Thursday, the protestors were spread out in three places simultaneously — one held a meeting with the DC, while the other two were in the NHAI office and the toll gate on the highway respectively, since 10 am. Sensing the popular sentiment, Mangaluru North MLA Bharath Shetty of the BJP even threatened violence against the private contractor opposing the exemption. In a press release on Wednesday, Shetty said, “If toll is collected from smaller vehicles, I will not hesitate to damage the plaza. The plazas are at various locations on NH 66. There are no alternative roads for locals. The authorities have not completed the service road as well.” “Earlier, vehicles were exempted from paying the toll, with an understanding between the district administration and the NHAI. The unilateral decision to collect toll cannot be accepted. The contractor collecting toll will be held responsible if any untoward incident takes place after the start of toll collection from all local vehicles from March 1,” he added.       

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House Democratic leaders seek to change the subject on ‘Medicare for All’

But progressives are amping up the pressure for hearings as they push to enshrine single-payer health care in the 2020 agenda.

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