‘Release 4 TMC drinking water to K'taka’: DK Shivakumar writes to Maharashtra CM

Lok Sabha 2019

The Water Resource Minister said that Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburgi and Yadgir are facing severe water shortage.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting him to release water to Karnataka due to severe drinking water shortage. 156 out of Karnataka's 176 taluks are reeling under drought, with many of the northern districts suffering from massive water shortage as well. “On January 16, we met in the Aurangabad at the Micro Irrigation Conference and discussed the issue of drought in Maharashtra and Karnataka. I hope you remember it. The effects of such the drought are widely known to everyone. The northern Karnataka districts of Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburgi and Yadgir are suffering from severe water shortage,” DK Shivakumar’s letter reads. The minister further stated that the early onset of summer this year has resulted in the higher temperatures in these districts, causing shortage of drinking water. Shivakumar urged Fadnavis to released 2 TMC water from the Koyna Dam to the Krishna river and 2 TMC water from Ujjani Dam to the Bhadra river in Karnataka to help with drinking water requirements in north Karnataka. “In the past, when Karnataka has faced such a situation, Maharashtra has released water to meet the drinking water needs of the people of Karnataka and I request you to do the same this time, on humanitarian grounds,” the letter adds. On February 28, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said that Karnataka has witnessed 15 years of drought. “We are already supplying water in private tankers to 800 Gram Panchayats. The underground water table is going down, and at some places, even after drilling 1,500 feet, water is not traceable. We can supply fodder to cattle, supply drinking water in tankers, but all these are temporary arrangements,” Krishna Byre Gowda had said. Over 370 villages are being provided drinking water through 706 tankers, and 401 villages through hired private borewells. In urban areas, 181 wards are being provided drinking water through tankers currently. Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) had also said that the rain received between September 1, 2017 and February 20, 2018 was 40-60%  less than what was expected, which has led to severe water scarcity. In February this year, the state government had estimated that loss of crops owing to natural calamities, including floods/landslips and drought during both kharif and rabi seasons was worth Rs 32,335 crore. The Centre so far has released RS 949.49 crore as drought relief as opposed to the state’s demand of Rs 4,460 crore.    

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Lok Sabha elections: Will SDPI's entry harm Cong-JD(S) prospects in Dakshina Kannada?

Lok Sabha 2019

The SDPI, which banks on the votes of the Muslim community, on Sunday announced that they will contest from the Dakshina Kannada.

Soumya Chatterjee

Theja Ram

The Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Sunday announced that they will contest from the Dakshina Kannada segment for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The SDPI, which is the political wing of Popular Front of India, banks on the votes of the Muslim community. With the party entering the fray, the larger question is – will the Congress-JD(S) alliance lose out on the votes of the Muslim community? SDPI predominantly contains members from the Muslim community and is active in Kerala and parts of coastal Karnataka. The party has managed to break through Muslim dominant pockets in the state and has elected leaders in local civic bodies both in urban and rural Karnataka, especially in the coast. And for the Lok Sabha elections, SDPI has named Ilyas Mohammed Thumbay, the party’s State President, as its candidate for Dakshina Kannada. Will SDPI’s presence affect the Congress-JD(S) coalition? In the civic polls held in September 2018, the party had an encouraging result in the Dakshina Kannada district. It managed to win 11 out of 25 seats in the Bantwal Town Municipality, which is part of the Congress heavyweight and former Minister, Ramnath Rai’s home constituency. In neighbouring Ullal municipality, too, SDPI managed to win six out of the nine seats. However, political analysts say that SDPI’s prospect of winning a Lok Sabha seat looks bleak. Traditionally, in a fight between the Congress and the BJP, members of the Muslim community have voted for the Congress and the votes of the Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities, are split between two parties. With SDPI deciding to contest the elections, it is likely to affect the vote share of the Congress-JD(S) alliance, as the votes of the Muslim community would largely be taken away by SDPI.   “There is no doubt that this will affect the Congress. The SDPI will only get the Muslim and some Dalit votes. This will split the Congress vote bank, giving BJP a clear advantage,” political analyst Mahadev Prakash said. The Dakshina Kannada constituency, located in coastal Karnataka, was once a Congress fortress. The political situation changed in the early 1990s after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. The coastal belt became a region for the right-wing groups to test the idea of polarisation on religious grounds in order to gain popularity. This has largely worked for the RSS in the region and ever since then, the segment has been a BJP bastion. Sitting MP of Dakshina Kannada, an RSS strongman, Naleen Kumar Kateel had won both the Parliamentary elections in 2009 and 2014 with a comfortable margin. The SDPI candidate Haneef Khan Kodage had scored a third place in the last two Parliamentary elections. Congress insiders say that the SDPI can never win the elections as the only guaranteed votes they obtain are those of the Muslim community. “Dalit, Adivasi and OBC votes are getting split between us and the BJP. The Christian votes are with the Congress but the Muslim vote bank, which is crucial for the Congress, is being split because of SDPI. If we have to win, SDPI must refrain from contesting,” the Congress source said. ‘Won’t back down this election’: SDPI Sources in the Congress say that the party’s leaders in Dakshina Kannada had approached SDPI leaders and asked them to collaborate with the party instead of fielding a candidate. “SDPI did not agree. We are still trying to convince them,” the source told TNM. Speaking to TNM, Riyaz Farangipete, the SDPI state general secretary, explained why the party decided to contest this General election. “Muslims, Christians and Dalits have been mistreated in the district many years. There has been unabated violence, too. And the so-called secular parties have failed to safeguard our interests. We will definitely win with the combined votes of Dalits and minorities alone. In the last three decades, the BJP has been winning and the Congress has been unable to do anything about it,” he said Riyaz believes that there is no question of a division of votes this time around, while claiming that the electorate in Dakshina Kannada needs an alternative to the BJP and Congress. “We will show what secularism is. There is no question of dividing votes. We kept ourselves away (from politics) for 28 years. If the Congress loses, it’s because of infighting. Even by now, they have failed to decide a candidate. There is a clear necessity to find an alternative to the Congress and BJP in the district,” he added.

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2 days after Dharwad building collapse which killed 7, cops on lookout for owners

Crime

Hubbali-Dharwad Police Commissioner MN Nagaraja told TNM that no arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon.

Soumya Chatterjee

Two days after an under-construction building collapsed in north Karnataka’s Dharwad killing at least seven people, police have launched a manhunt for five partners who owned the commercial structure. The accused include Gangadhar Shintry, the father-in-law of former Congress Minister Vinay Kulkarni. Basavaraj Demappa Nigadi, Mahabaleshwar Shivappa Puradagudi, Ravi Basavaraj Sabarad and Vivek Pawar are the other accused who are absconding. Hubbali-Dharwad Police Commissioner MN Nagaraja told TNM that no arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon. “We are soon going to arrest them. We have already formed a team under the leadership of DCP Nagesh. The team is looking for the accused and we will shortly arrest all the five accused. All of them have been booked under 304 IPC,” Nagaraja told TNM. Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code pertains to punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and is a non-bailable offence. The other sections mentioned in the FIR include 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life). DCP Nagesh could not be reached for a comment. Rescue and relief operations are continuing for a third day, with three teams of the National Disaster Response Force on the ground along with state emergency response personnel. As of Thursday morning, 54 people had been rescued. One team from Bengaluru was rushed to the spot immediately on a special flight, and two more teams were airlifted from Ghaziabad. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy who had earlier instructed Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar to personally monitor the rescue and relief process is set to visit the accident site on Thursday. On Wednesday, Revenue Minister RV Deshpande visited the accident site and took stock of the situation. A Magistrate level enquiry has also been initiated.      

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Dharwad building collapse: 61 people rescued so far, 30 still trapped under debris

Accident

The death toll stands at seven.

TNM Staff

As of Thursday morning, a total of 61 people have been rescued following the building collapse in Dharwad, police officials confirmed to TNM. Further, it was reported that a total of 30 people, including 12 girls are currently trapped in the rubble, and officials are working towards rescuing them. The 12 girls were in a cyber cafe in the eastern part of the building when it came crashing down. The death toll rose to seven on Wednesday evening, a day after the incident. Rescue operations picked up pace on Wednesday after three teams of 11 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) members each arrived with special equipment to carry out rescue operations. In addition, 80 officials from the Fire and Emergency Services were also flown in to Dharwad from Bengaluru to assist in the operations. On Tuesday alone, 10 ambulances and five fire tenders were deployed. On Tuesday, at around 3.40pm, a building which was under construction in Dharwad’s Kumareshwara Nagar collapsed. Rescue efforts began on Tuesday evening to locate people who are trapped under the debris and are ongoing. The Chief Minister’s Office confirmed that three people who were rescued remain critical as of Wednesday. The injured people were shifted to Civil Hospital in Dharwad. It was reported that Gangadhar Shintry, one of the owners of the building, is a relative of Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni. A partial completion certificate had been issued to the building owners who obtained the same from the Hubbali-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. A case was filed under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the building owners. A special team is expected to be constituted to investigate the case and arrest those responsible for the accident. 

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West Nile Fever: K’taka Health Dept issues alert for border districts

West Nile Virus

Following the death of a young boy in Kerala due to the West Nile virus, border districts in Karnataka are on high alert.

TNM Staff

Image for representation.

The death of a 7-year-old boy from Kerala’s Malappuram region due to West Nile Fever has put officials from the Karnataka state health department on high alert. Districts which are on the border of Karnataka and Kerala are being placed under observation. Officials have issued alert for the districts of Mysuru, Chamrajnagar, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada. “There is no need to panic as there are no such cases in Karnataka. However, as Kerala is an adjacent state, we have taken up preventive strategies,” health officials said. Following the confirmation of the fever in the Kerala boy, a team of experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) visited Malappuram to help authorities gain a better understanding of how to manage the disease. The state health department is also taking necessary precautions and is stepping up mosquito prevention and control measures in order to reduce any possible transmission of the virus, according to reports. “We have asked the district health and family welfare officials to screen patients with symptoms of acute encephalitis syndrome for WNV. We are yet to get guidelines from the Centre on this. However, we have sounded an alert in the four districts of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, and Dakshina Kannada as they are bordering Kerala,” Joint Director of Communicable Diseases Dr Sajjan Shetty reportedly said. West Nile fever is caused by the West Nile virus which is a member of the flavivirus group. The fever is contracted from infected culex mosquitoes, which in turn contract the virus from infected birds. Though a few sporadic cases have been reported in the country in the past year, it is still a relatively unknown disease in the region. Symptoms of the fever include fever, vomiting, nausea, skin rashes, myalgia (muscle pain), and swollen lymph nodes. If there is a severe infection, it can aggravate into West Nile meningitis or encephalitis, which is when the brain and surrounding tissues become inflamed. This can result in neck stiffness, headache, convulsions, and even paralysis, which can lead to a coma. 

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Death toll rises to 7 in Dharwad building collapse, 15-20 people still trapped

Accident

The under-construction building in Kumareshwara Nagar in Dharwad collapsed on Tuesday afternoon at 3:40pm.

TNM Staff

The death toll in the building collapse in Dharwad rose to seven on Wednesday. A day after the incident, operations are ongoing to rescue around 15-20 people trapped under the debris. Among those who are still stuck under the rubble are a group of 10 students who were in the building to get a photocopy from a cyber cafe, an eyewitness said.  The others who are trapped were working on the ground floor of the building, which has sunk beneath the ground after the crash. There were five floors in the building, including a basement and a ground floor.  On Wednesday, the rescue operations were intensified after the arrival of three teams of 11 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel along with specialised equipment like breathing apparatus, life detectors. The NDRF personnel have arrived from Ghaziabad and Bengaluru.  Eighty officials from the Fire and Emergency Services were also flown in from Bengaluru to help with operations. They will be bolstering the 10 ambulances and five fire tenders deployed on Tuesday.  The under-construction building in Kumareshwara Nagar in Dharwad collapsed on Tuesday afternoon at 3:40pm.  Officials began rescue operations on Tuesday evening to locate the people trapped under the debris. The operations continued on Wednesday morning and the CM Office confirmed that as many as 53 persons had been rescued and that three among them were critical.The injured persons are being treated at Civil Hospital in the city.  One of the owners of the building is Gangadhar Shintry, a relative of Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni. The owners of the building had obtained a partial completion certificate from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. A case has been filed under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC against the owners of the building and a special team will be constituted to investigate the case and arrest the culprits.     

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‘She is the daughter of Mandya’: Ending speculation, Cong workers back Sumalatha

Lok Sabha 2019

Disgruntled Congress party workers from all eight assembly segments of Mandya openly supported Sumalatha.

Theja Ram

Thousands of supporters had gathered at the Silver Jubilee Grounds in Karnataka’s Mandya on Wednesday as Sumalatha Ambareesh was all set to kick start her election campaign. Amidst such bountiful support, a stark and shocking shift was witnessed in Mandya’s political scenario. Congress party workers, including local Mandya district Congress strongmen Sachidananda Induvala and Ananth Kumar, took part in independent candidate Sumalatha’s the rally and addressed the gathering at Silver Jubilee Grounds. “I applaud all the self-respecting Congress party workers, who are here today,” Sachidananda said as he began his speech,”When Ambareesh had passed away, all the Congress party workers from the eight assembly segments in Mandya, and Ambareesh’s fans, had gone to meet Sumalatha and her son Abhishek. We asked her not to leave us in lurch.” Over a month ago, Sumalatha – wife of late legendary actor and three-time Congress MLA Ambareesh – had announced her aspiration to contest the election. And soon, she decided to tour Mandya and hold public consultations before making her decision. Sumalatha had also approached the Congress party, which her late husband was a part of. To her dismay, the Congress refused her a ticket as the party was bound to support the JD(S) due to the pre-poll alliance. The coalition is currently fielding Nikhil Gowda, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s, son as the candidate from Mandya. “So many people made distasteful comments against Suma akka,” Sachidananda said, “They said she was inhospitable, that she has political ambitions despite the fact that her husband died. ‘So what if she has the film industry, we will bring in more people,’ the opposition said. But she did not let the vitriol stop her. Because of the love she has shown us, all the self-respecting Congress leaders and fans of Ambareesh have come here willingly to support her.” Sachidananda said that the Congress party offered Sumalatha many alternatives. He claimed that the party had offered her a ticket to contest either in Bengaluru South or in Mysuru. When Sumalatha rejected these offers, she was allegedly offered an MLC post and was also promised a ministerial berth. “She did not give into greed and decided to contest from Mandya. Ambareesh resigned from his post as Union Minister for the cause of Mandya’s farmers. Today, Suma akka is a representative for everyone in Mandya, especially the women of this area. She is the daughter of Mandya. If we have to ensure that there is adequate representation for women and people of Mandya in Delhi, we must elect her,” he added. Although Sachidananda may be an ordinary member of the party and a local leader, whose influence does not stretch beyond a few taluks in Mandya, what is of significance is that the speculation regarding Congress party workers being disgruntled came to an end on Wednesday. By openly supporting Sumalatha, the rebel Congress party workers have made it clear that supporting a JD(S) candidate would mean the demise of the Congress party in the region. The rivalry between Congress and JD(S) is a historical one. For over two decades, the politics in Mandya has always surrounded Congress-JD(S) rivalry. Several villages in Mandya identify themselves as supporters of either Congress or JD(S). In such a backdrop, Congress and JD(S) forged an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and JD(S) was given a ticket to contest the polls from Mandya. All of a sudden, party workers of Congress and JD(S) were forced to unite. With decades of bitterness brewing between the two parties, Congress workers felt abandoned. Soon after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda was announced as the candidate from Mandya, Congress party workers began rebelling against the party’s decision. The disgruntled workers from all the eight Assembly segments have now come together to openly support Sumalatha, and Sachidananda’s statement could be seen as a reflection of the same. With the leaders unable to motivate their own party workers, the question is, will the pre-poll alliance cause untold damage to both Congress and JD(S)?

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