‘Not moving operations from Karwar’: Indian Navy on media reports

Navy

There were reports that the acute water crisis in coastal Karnataka has forced the Indian Navy to consider shifting some of its operations away from its Karwar base

Soumya Chatterjee

Facebook/IndianNavy

The Indian Navy has rubbished media reports claiming that the acute water crisis in coastal Karnataka has forced the Indian Navy to consider shifting some of its operations away from its Karwar base. Speaking to TNM, Indian Navy Spokesperson, Captain DK Sharma said, “That is absolutely wrong reporting. We will face the crunch as everybody else will.” He added, “Yes, there is a water crisis and the river has dried up but so what? We are managing it with water from borewells and bowsers. Status quo will be maintained and we hope that the first shower will bring reprieve.” The Karwar facility, which is India’s third largest naval base, houses India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and other sophisticated war machinery, including submarines. It also hosts ship lift facility, harbour and anchorage, jetties, berthing facilities and the naval ship repair yard. Rain in the coastal Karnataka has been sparse this year in the pre-monsoon period leading all streams, rivers and other natural sources of water to dry up. According to the latest data compiled by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, the Uttara Kannada district, where the base is located, has had 76% deficient rainfall. Rainfall in surrounding districts has also been very deficient – Udupi (86%), Shivamogga (78%), Haveri (63%), and Belagavi (71%). The groundwater situation in the district is also bad with more than 10 taluks in the district having water 33 m below ground level, according to April 2019 figures. The groundwater level in the area has also been depleting 2m every year over the last decade, according to data by the Ground Water Directorate in  Bengaluru. Water for the base is sourced from Ganagvali river originating from the Western Ghats and flows into the Arabian Sea. According to The New Indian Express report on the same, the base is now getting only 1 MLD of water compared to its requirement of 6 MLD. Weathermen have forecast that monsoon will arrive on the Karnataka coast on June 12.

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As BBMP plans more shelters for homeless ahead of monsoon, how do existing ones fare?

Infrastructure

While BBMP says 10 new shelters will be set up by the end of this month, a visit to a few of the existing BBMP-run shelters highlights the reality.

Anisha Reddy

Nived Uthaiah

Beds at a homeless shelter

As the city gets ready to tackle the upcoming monsoon, the impoverished and the homeless in Bengaluru have it even worse during the season. These are usually migrants to the city in search of job opportunities and primarily hail from a poor background. Desperate to improve their quality of life, they tend to take up manual labour and rag-picking jobs, often leaving them unable to afford a house for rent and rendering them homeless. Apart from the lack of a roof over their heads, the rains cast a bleak shadow over their lives. The monsoon season also sees an increase in mosquitoes, making the homeless more prone to diseases. Consuming food in such unhygienic conditions can also contribute to ill-health. In order to deal with the situation, the BBMP has taken up an initiative to conduct a survey to identify places that are heavily populated by the homeless, according to Nagendra Naik, Assistant Commissioner of BBMP’s Welfare department. These include areas around the city bus stand, railway station and KR Market. BBMP has also identified vacant buildings which it owns, in and around the Majestic area, which can be converted into temporary shelters. Nagendra also said, “Especially for the monsoon season, 10 new homeless shelters will be set up with a deadline of June 30. These shelters will accommodate 800 to 1,000 people.” The shelters will be established in the vicinity of Indira Canteens and primary health centres run by the BBMP. This will give the homeless easy access to food and health services. Meanwhile, a visit to a few of the existing BBMP-run shelters highlights the reality. At the shelter on Goods Shed Road, Gandhinagar, the garbage dump and the area where the homeless wash their clothes and bathe are in close proximity, thereby creating an unsanitary environment. The caretaker of this shelter, S Yogesh, said that they have two rooms with bed and blankets that can accommodate up to 100 people. Indira Canteen coupons are provided every evening for dinner. However, lack of adequate number of toilets creates problems like long queues, he added. At the destitute night shelter at Murphy Town, which is run by NGO Sparsha Trust, the funding is sufficient, but according to shelter in-charge Narayanaswamy, the roof of the eating area in the premises is damaged. He added, “During the monsoon season, rain water can seep in through the damaged roof and stagnate, which can lead to unhealthy eating conditions. The windows also lack mosquito mesh, which creates further problems.” He also said that there was a shortage of good quality blankets. According to a TOI report earlier this year, the Murphy Town shelter gets 40 people every day while the one on Goods Shed Road sees 20-25 people walk in. Currently there are six operational shelters in the city, said Nagendra Naik, but according to the SC order, cities should have permanent 24/7 working shelters for the homeless under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM). There should be at least one shelter for every lakh of urban population. So hypothetically Bengaluru needs 120 homeless shelters. The current working protocol of the shelters is to go out and look for homeless people and bring them to the shelters. But a vast majority of the homeless are unaware of the existence of these shelters. When contacted, the BBMP control room seemed unclear about the location of the shelters. However, the BBMP does have plans of setting up more shelters at Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, and Dasarahalli. They are also awaiting response from the state committee regarding 10 proposals for refurbishment of buildings that will be converted into shelters.

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'Making comments without proper information': K'taka CM slams Union minister's remarks

Politics

Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda had blamed the state government for delays in two projects involving the Central government.

Soumya Chatterjee

A war of words has broken out between the Centre and the Karnataka government just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office for the second term. In a series of tweets, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday rebutted statements given by Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda blaming the state government for slowing down two projects involving the Centre. The two projects are the Mekedatu water project and the long-awaited suburban rail project. “We are here to give it a push. We do not want to indulge in politics on any issue -- be it Mekedatu or the suburban rail project. We are willing to work with the state government for the implementation of these projects. But when there are allegations against us, we have to respond,” Sadananda Gowda told reporters on Monday. He added, “The state government is yet to submit a plan of action for the suburban rail project despite Centre assuring all cooperation… From the Central government, we have done everything, but the project is still not moving forward.” In his retort on Tuesday, the CM tweeted, “Union Minister DV Sadanada Gowda making comments about projects involving the state without proper information is not ideal. The Mekedatu plan had already been submitted to the Centre. Not only the DPR (detailed project report) but also the feasibility report has been sent.” In the next tweet, Kumaraswamy said, “In February, we had discussed the issue with Piyush Goyal (the Railway Minister) and following that meeting we passed a resolution in the state cabinet to that effect.” He added, “According to the letter dated 28 may, we are taking measures to implement SPV. Those who say ‘no politics in development’, should support us by providing assistance.” Suburban rail The long-elusive suburban rail service like that of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata for Bengaluru has been put on the back burner for decades by successive state and Central governments. While public pressure has restarted the conversation, little has moved in reality. One major advancements took place on February 22 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, with a meeting being held between Rail Minister Piyush Goyal and Kumaraswamy. Following the meeting, the duo held a joint press conference endorsing the detailed project report prepared by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES). Read: Suburban rail project for Bengaluru costing Rs 23,000 cr finally approved by Centre and state However, in a major development in April, the PMO backtracked on the conditions assured by Piyush Goyal which included free railway land for the project. The PMO also suggested that the entire project be broken into smaller projects in a Public-Private Partnership. Mekedatu The controversial project involves building a multi-purpose balancing reservoir, the Mekedatu gorge, located about 100 km from Bengaluru, at the Kanakapura taluk in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district. Apart from the stiff opposition from lower riparian neighbour Tamil Nadu, the project has seen opposition on environmental grounds as it involves encroachment of forest land, including an elephant corridor. Despite the objections from Tamil Nadu, the Central government has given its preliminary nod to the controversial Mekedatu project's detail project report and pre-feasibility report. However, in the midst of the Lok Sabha elections, the Centre did not respond to Karnataka’s demands. Meanwhile, the Cauvery Water Management Authority recorded Tamil Nadu's objections to the project in December 2018.

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Bengaluru police shoot at rowdy-sheeter accused of abducting, robbing techie

Crime

The rowdy sheeter Sushank is a resident of Banashankari in the city and he has multiple cases filed against him including two for murder, two attempts to murder, and two robberies.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru police opened fire on a 24-year-old rowdy sheeter after he assaulted a constable with a razor in an attempt to evade arrest on TVS Road on the outskirts of Attibele late on Monday night. As per Deccan Herald, Anekal police sub-inspector Balaji fired in the air and asked Sushank to surrender. Sushank however assaulted a constable by slashing a razor,  prompting Balaji to shoot at his leg and immobilise him.  The rowdy sheeter Sushank is a resident of Banashankari in the city, and he has multiple cases filed against him including two for murder, two attempts to murder, and two robberies. Sushank along with his associates Raki, Revanth and Salman abducted software engineer Kinkar Kumar Thakur, stabbed him and fled with his wallet, gold and an ATM card on May 13. Kiran alleged that he was left bleeding profusely by the accused after attempts to make him withdraw money from his ATM card did not go as planned due to lack of money in the ATM kiosk.  Police in Attibele were searching for Sushank when they received a tip-off about him. Police put up barricades on TVS Road to catch him.   Police officials are now looking for three of Sushank's associates. “Shashank is an accused in two murder cases - one in Hulimavu and another in Bannerghatta - and three robbery cases. His three associates in the Thakur robbery case are still at large and efforts are on to nab them", said VJ Sajeeth, additional superintendent of police, Bengaluru Rural speaking to the Times of India.   

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JD(S) leader blames Congress for ‘strains’ in Karnataka's coalition govt

Politics

Horatti had recently called for dissolution of Assembly and a mid-term poll in the state.

IANS

Ruling Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) legislator Basavaraj Horatti on Tuesday blamed ally Congress for the strains in the functioning of their year-old coalition government. "A section of the Congress leadership has been interfering in the functioning of our government from day one and straining the relations between the alliance partners," he told reporters here. Horatti, a member of the Legislative Council and former minister, had recently favoured dissolution of Assembly and a mid-term poll, ending uncertainty over the survival of the coalition government, which has a slim majority in the house. "Instead of straining the ties further, it is better to dissolve the assembly and go for fresh polls as our party cannot be a mute witness to the dissident activity in the Congress affecting governance and day-to-day administration," he asserted. Horatti's diatribe against the Congress came hours after JD-S state President A.H. Vishwanth resigned from the post, owning moral responsibility for the rout the party faced in the recent Lok Sabha elections.  "Vishwanath's resignation is unfortunate but inevitable as party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy failed to rein in Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah from interfering in the government working and letting down the allies in winning more than one Lok Sabha seat each," Horatti alleged. Though the ruling allies fielded joint candidates - 21 Congress and 7 JD-S, they only won two seats with the JD(S) winning just one in Hassan. 

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‘Pay us our dues’: Karnataka sugarcane farmers launch fresh protests against factories

Protest

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy held talks with the protesting farmer leaders and promised to hold a meeting with district level officials on June 11.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday met with sugarcane farmers protesting against the state government over unpaid bills of sugar factories in the state. The protesting farmers had staged an agitation earlier on Tuesday outside the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, highlighting 67 sugarcane factories in the state that were yet to pay for crushed cane procured from farmers. "We are here demanding the unpaid dues of factories for the last six months. The government has held meetings with factory owners but the payment is yet to be released," Kurubhara Shantakumar, president of the All India Sugarcane Growers Association told TNM. The Chief Minister, once again forced on the defensive by sugarcane farmers, hastened to set up a meeting with the farmer leaders and agreed to consult with district officials in a meeting on June 11. He further promised to settle the issue and ensure that the unpaid bills are paid to the farmers.  ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಹೆಚ್ ಡಿ ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅವರು ಇಂದು ರೈತ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಿದರು. ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಕಾರ್ಖಾನೆಗಳಿಂದ ಕಬ್ಬಿನ ಬಾಕಿ ಹಣ ಕೊಡಿಸುವಂತೆ ಆಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟನೆ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ರೈತ ಸಂಘಟನೆಗಳ ಒಕ್ಕೂಟದ ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಿ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇತ್ಯರ್ಥ ಮಾಡುವ ಭರವಸೆ ನೀಡಿದರು. pic.twitter.com/ePefpVNbdg — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 4, 2019 In November 2018, sugarcane farmers stormed the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi protesting over the same issue. CM Kumaraswamy was later criticised for describing the protesting farmers as 'people pretending to be sugarcane farmers' which further angered the protesting farmers. The protests were backed by the BJP, the main opposition in Karnataka.  In the last few months, over 100 out of 175 taluks in Karnataka have been declared drought hit. The lack of pre-monsoon rainfall in the state has particularly affected sugarcane growers who are still waiting for their fixed remunerative prices to be paid by factories. The farmers are now exploring legal avenues to ensure that they receive their payment. For instance, in Mandya, over 100 sugarcane growers recently approached police officials with complaints against NSL Sugars and Chamundeshwari Sugar Mills demanding payment of over Rs 100 crore, Shantakumar adds. The farmers were persuaded by the police to drop their complaints and assured that their money would be paid.  The remunerative price to be paid for crushed cane is fixed at Rs 2612.5 per tonne. Sugar factories are also required to pay the price within 14 days of procuring the crushed cane, according to the Karnataka Sugarcane Act 2013. 

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Why some Congress leaders want Siddaramaiah out of state leadership

Politics

Sources say that the Congress High Command may clip Siddaramaiah’s wing within the party – however, this could lead to repercussions for the coalition in the state.

Theja Ram

The grim reality of poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections has hit the Congress and JD(S) hard in Karnataka, and has also raised questions of accountability of those in-charge. JD(S) State President Adagooru H Vishwanath resigned from his post on Tuesday, accepting moral responsibility for the party’s failure. However, Vishwanath placed the blame for the coalition’s failure squarely on former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s shoulder. And while Vishwanath was addressing the media at noon on Tuesday, another significant development in the state’s political scenario occurred parallelly. Former Karnataka Home Minister and a staunch Congress loyalist, Ramalinga Reddy openly accused the Congress leaders in-charge of the party and the coalition of greed. In a Facebook post, Ramalinga Reddy blamed state leaders of rendering veteran leaders powerless within the party. And he indirectly targeted Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao. “The inability to think about long-term repercussions, not taking into account the opinions of party veterans, and the placement of ineligible leaders as ministers and their inability to connect with the people are the main reasons why we lost the Lok Sabha elections in the state,” Ramalinga Reddy said. He also blamed the party leadership of allocating monumental responsibilities to newcomers, “with no knowledge about party affairs”, which he claims led to the party’s downfall. Reddy raised concerns about the inability of the leaders of the coordination committee (referring to Siddaramaiah) to quell the infighting and bring the leaders up to task. “Certain Congress leaders and party workers have no connect with each other. By neglecting the seniors and party workers, the cadre were not motivated to help win the elections and they have voiced their opinions with the veterans. If the party needs to buck up, ignoring seniors is not the way to go about it,” Ramalinga Reddy added. With this comment, Siddaramaiah is facing a full-blown revolt from veterans. Last week, veteran Congress veterans Kagodu Thimmappa, Motamma, Shamanur Shivashankarappa and SR Patil also accused Siddaramaiah, KC Venugopal, and Dinesh Gundu Rao for the party’s multiple failures. “Kagodu Thimmappa and Shamanur Shivashankarappa were against forging a coalition since the very beginning. They have been loyal to the party for decades and their opinions were not considered while forming the alliance. They blamed Siddaramaiah for the rebellion in the party cadre,” a Congress leader says. And with both AH Vishwanath and Ramalinga Reddy joining the bandwagon of leaders hassled with Siddaramaiah’s iron hold on party affairs, sources say that the High Command may be motivated to clip Siddaramaiah’s wings within the party. An unrivalled leader in the Congress, Siddaramaiah is also the most important and powerful one the Karnataka Congress has. Although the Congress leaders cannot remove Siddaramaiah from being in-charge of the party’s affairs in the state, sources say that the veterans are demanding that his responsibilities be reduced. Insiders in the grand old party are now pushing for uprooting Siddaramaiah from his post as the chief of the coalition’s co-ordination committee. Complaints about Siddaramaiah using the committee as his toy have been rolling in from both the Congress and JD(S) leaders. “They want Mallikarjun Kharge to replace Siddaramaiah as the co-ordination committee chief. If Kharge is the head, then the veterans will have a voice in the party. Siddaramaiah’s cronies will have to check their behavior and there may actually be a chance for the coalition to survive,” a senior Congress leader says. This could also backfire, the leader says, as there is a high possibility of Siddaramaiah orchestrating the break-up of the coalition in such a scenario. “He will ensure that at least 40 out of the 78 MLAs withdraw their support from the coalition. Right now, he wants to be the leader of the opposition and break away from the JD(S). Besides, AH Vishwamath may join the BJP and so will JD(S) leaders GT Devegowda, Narayana Gowda, HK Kumaraswamy and others. The BJP has not approached them but they will go and ask BJP for an offer soon,” the Congress leader claimed.    

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