Forest official suspended in Kodagu for allowing 890 trees to be axed

Environment

On June 5, 890 trees was axed without the knowledge of the district administration in 80 acres of private land in Galibeedu in Kodagu.

Prajwal Bhat

A forest official in Karnataka's Kodagu district was suspended a week after the issue of 890 trees being axed on private land came to light. Deputy Conservator of Forest, Madikeri division, ML Manjunath, was suspended on Friday. Until a replacement for Manjunath is announced, Maria Christu Raju, DCF, Virajpet division will take up the additional responsibility of acting DCF in the division. On June 5, 890 trees were axed without the knowledge of the district administration on 80 acres of private land in Galibeedu in Kodagu.  The private land is owned by a businessman from Andhra Pradesh. No conversion or axing of trees is allowed in these lands without the permission of the Forest department. The land was also 'bane' land or forest land where only the growth of trees are allowed. However, despite the rules, the district administration found that the businessman had colluded with Manjunath to obtain permission for axing the trees. Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy confirmed that permission was not given for cutting the trees. "We ordered a revenue inspector to inspect the site and prepared a report after information about the tree cutting was published in media outlets. The axing of trees in Galibeedu area has now been stopped," the DC confirmed. Two days after the issue came to light, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy also ordered a report to be prepared on the incident and confirmed that no trees would be axed without permission. *ಕೊಡಗು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ:ಮರ ಕಡಿಯುವುದನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಲು ಸೂಚನೆ* ಕೊಡಗು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ 800 ಮರಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡಿಯುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿತ್ತರವಾಗಿರುವ ವರದಿಯ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅವರು ಇಂದೇ ಮರಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡಿಯುವುದನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸಿ, ವರದಿಯನ್ನು ನೀಡುವಂತೆ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅರಣ್ಯ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಣಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 7, 2019 Manjunath had come under fire in recent weeks after the farmers from the Karnataka Raita Sangha held a protest singling him out for releasing an elephant captured in Somwarpet taluk of the district at Nagarahole forest range in Mysuru. The protesting farmers were up in arms about the decision to allow the elephant to be released in areas close to where crops were being grown.  The news of the axing of trees comes amid a ban on conversion of land for commercial purposes in the hilly district. The ban has been in place since November 2018 and was imposed in the district following the floods and landslides last year. Since the start of 2019, the district administration has rejected over 700 applications to convert land for commercial purposes. Only small landowners with up to 20 cents of land in non-vulnerable areas of the district have been allowed to convert land for building individual houses. 

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Stalker shoots 50-year-old woman, kills self in Kodagu

Crime

Two years ago, the police had lodged a case of sexual harassment against the suspect, 60-year-old Jagadish Machimada, and the case was being heard at a local court.

Mubarak

In a shocking incident, a stalker shot a woman dead at a bus stand before turning the gun on him and killing himself in Virajpet in Kodagu district on Friday morning. According to the police, two years ago, the 50-year-old victim, Lalitha*, had lodged a case of sexual harassment against the suspect, 60-year-old Jagadish Machimada. She also accused him of rape, following which Jagadish was arrested. He was out on bail. The incident took place at the bus stand in Virajpet taluk of the district on Friday. Lalitha, a resident of the village, was waiting for her bus when Jagadish, who was waiting for her at a nearby plantation, fired at her with a gun. The police confirmed that Lalitha died on the spot. Jagadish is a resident of Balle Madooru, which is near the victim’s village. He is now living in a rented accommodation in Ponnampet in the district. On hearing the gunfire, two local residents tried to save the woman. However, Jagadish fired shots and injured them. "When he saw more people were arriving at the spot, Jagadish immediately fled to a nearby plantation and shot himself,” a police official in Ponnampet told TNM. Meanwhile, both the two residents who were injured are undergoing treatment. The police officials added that a few years ago, Lalitha had acquainted with Jagadish. However, after she lodged a complaint of sexual harassment and rape, Jagadish was arrested. "Despite being out on bail, Jagadish continued to stalk and threaten Lalitha,” a police official said. The victim is survived by two children. (*Name changed to protect identity) Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)  

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BJP stages protest in Bengaluru against state government over JSW land deal

Politics

Even as the Karnataka government has re-examine the Jindal land deal, the BJP has warned to continue the protests for the next two days.

TNM Staff

Soon after HD Kumaraswamy-led Karnataka government inducted two independent MLAs into the cabinet in a bid to further stabilise the government, the BJP staged a massive protest in Bengaluru’s Maurya Circle in the city centre. Led by its state president BS Yeddyurappa, Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and key functionaries along with party workers joined the protest against the state government’s role in the Jindal land deal (JSW Steel Ltd) primarily. The BJP has warned that the protests will continue for the next two days, even as the state government has hit a pause button on its decision to give land to Jindal group’s JSW Steel Ltd in Ballari for iron ore mining. The BJP has said that the protestors will march from Maurya Circle to the Chief Minister’s residence to make their issues heard. At the protest on Friday, former CM Yeddyurappa was flanked by some of the major party leaders, including former Deputy CM KS Eshwarappa, senior BJP MLAs R Ashoka, CT Ravi, Bengaluru South MP Tejassvi Surya and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP KS Eshwarappa among others. Speaking at the protest, BJP MLA R Ashoka alleged a nexus between the Congress party and the JSW company. He said, “Congress and Jindal's groups have a close nexus and it’s an open secret. I am not surprised that the Congress has sold lands across the nation at a cheap price to Jindal. It is all a kickback game.” “We are demanding the decision to sell the 3,700 acres of iron-ore land at such a cheap price must be reconsidered,” Tejasvi Surya said. When told that the land deal was penned by the state government when the BJP was in power, MP Shobha Karandlaje said, “If there were any wrongdoings then, the present government must rectify it.” At the protest, the BJP also pointed out the lack of measures to tackle drought and even urged the government to hand over the investigation in the IMA scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Read: Karnataka govt to reassess Jindal land deal, what the controversy is all about  

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Plan to pipe water from Bhadra river to Bengaluru may not be viable, experts say

Environment

Experts say the government should be looking at sustainable alternatives to battle Bengaluru’s water crisis.

Theja Ram

Once a city brimming with lakes and rivers running across its boundaries, Bengaluru has now become a city of concrete. Rapid urbanisation, increasing population and inefficient management of resources has resulted in the city growing parched day after day. In order to solve the crisis of water shortage, the Karnataka government has proposed a new infrastructure project to bring 18 TMC of water from the Bhadra river, located in Bhadravati in Shivamogga, to Bengaluru, about 290 kilometres away. B Shamasundar, the superintendent engineer of the Water Resource Department, says that a week ago, the department received a direction from the Chief Minister’s Officer asking them to ascertain the viability of the project. The ambitious plan is to construct pipelines from the Bhadra Dam in Shivamogga’s Bhadravati to Bengaluru city. “The plan is just in the proposal stage and may cost around Rs 7,000 crore. But the actual cost estimation will take place only after the proposal is approved by the state government and a feasibility report is obtained,” Shamasundar said. Why not look for sustainable solutions? Speaking to TNM, Dr Sharadchandra Lele, distinguished fellow in Environmental Policy and Governance with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), says that the state government must focus on sustainable solutions to tackle the issue of water scarcity in the city. Dr Lele maintains that the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board must plug leakages in the Cauvery Water pipelines, which would save about 40% of the 1,400 MLD the city draws from the river every day. “40% of the Cauvery water is currently going to waste simply because the BWSSB is unable to plug the leakages in the pipelines. If these are maintained and leakages are plugged regularly, there will be more water to drink,” Dr Lele says. In addition, the water supply and civic authorities in Bengaluru have failed to reuse wastewater effectively, resulting in poor groundwater recharge. “Recycled wastewater can be used for construction and other purposes that are not meant for drinking. This is the second option where the administration fails. If the properly treated water is used to recharge lakes, the groundwater tables will be stabilised. Why do we have to look at big infrastructure projects when there are sustainable solutions. Disrupting water supply of people living in the Badhra catchment is not fair to the locals,” Dr Lele says. The proposal has drawn flak from farmers in the Malnad region, who fear they will not have adequate water for irrigation. According to Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha’s Shanthakumar, the project will create an ecological imbalance in addition to lower the prospects of good yields for farmers in Shivamogga and surrounding areas. “Generally, after the monsoon, the Bhadra river would be filled to the brim. The government cut down so many acres of forest land and the water levels began receding. People living in the catchment area had never seen the river bed dry. Although water levels decreased during summer, there would be water enough for a shallow stream. It’s not so any more,” Shantakumar says. The farmers in the catchment area were shocked when the river had run dry in November of 2015, he says. Since then, the water level has decreased due to excessive pumping. “If they take 18 TMC from here, what will we have?” Shantakumar questioned. The farmers in Malnad region have already been affected by the Upper Bhadra Project, which aims to lift 17.4 TMC water from Upper Tunga river and 29.9 TMC of water from the Bhadra river to irrigate an extent of 2,25,515 hectares via micro-irrigation in drought-prone districts of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru and Davanagere and to fill up 367 tanks in drought-prone taluks of the three district through Chitradurga branch Canal and Tumkur branch canal. “As it is so much water is being diverted to other areas. If an additional 18 TMC water is diverted to Bengaluru, we will end up creating a water crisis in the Malnad region. Besides, sustainable solutions are less expensive and the diversion proposal is going to cost more. There will be capital costs and maintenance costs, and the government will end up spending so much money when there is a cheaper and sustainable option available,” Dr Lele adds.

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Students' bus pass fare hiked by Rs 200 in B'luru, no more free rides for primary kids

Transport

According to the Transport Department, the fare hike was to drive revenue to state road transport corporations, which are reeling under losses.

TNM Staff

In an unexpected move, the Karnataka state road transport authorities have hiked the fees for student bus passes this year. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has added a processing fee of Rs 200 to the bus passes. Accordingly, the bus pass fare will increase by Rs 200 and will vary for student-passengers in high school, pre-university, engineering, medical and evening colleges. With this, the bus passes for primary school students, which was free until now, will cost Rs 200. For renewing smart card bus passes, the BMTC has added a processing fee of Rs 170 for all student passes. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is also slated to announce an increase in fare of student bus passes soon, Transport Department officials say. The BMTC has started issuing new smart card bus passes for students this year. The BMTC is expected to issue 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh smart cards this year, including renewal of the cards issued the previous year. Online applications for student bus passes for the 2019-20 academic year are now available on the BMTC website. The applications for renewal of smart cards is currently open for high school and PU students only. Notifications for smart card renewal for students in degree and professional courses will be issued shortly, BMTC said in a press release. While BMTC will give approval for students in Class 10 in state syllabus schools, the private schools and colleges will have to grant approvals for students in the respective institutions. Bus passes will be issued between 9 am to 5.30 pm at BMTC major bus stations and TTMC (bus depots). B Basavaraju, Principal Secretary of the Transport Department, said that the fare hike was to drive revenue to state road transport corporations, which are reeling under losses. “There has been no increase in fares since 2013 and the BMTC requires additional revenue. The revision is meant to reduce financial burden,” he said. Students bus passes have been subject to concessions every year as the government bears 50% of the total cost, while the transport corporations bear 25% of the cost and students will have to pay the remaining 25%.    

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Kumaraswamy expands his cabinet: R Shankar and H Nagesh sworn-in as ministers

Politics

The cabinet expansion comes in the wake of rebellion in the Karnataka Congress.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy expanded his state cabinet on Friday. KPJP MLA R Shankar and independent MLA H Nagesh were sworn in as ministers by Governor Vajubhai Vala on Friday at Raj Bhavan. In the 34-member cabinet, the Congress holds 22 berths while the JD(S) has 11 in its kitty. The Congress had three vacant posts, two of which were filled on Friday. CS Shivalli was the Minister of Municipal Administration and Local Bodies before he passed away in March this year. The position has remained vacant since then. The position of Primary and Secondary Education Minister is also vacant after N Mahesh, the lone BSP MLA in the Karnataka Assembly resigned from his position. The Congress is mulling over offering senior Congress leader Chivalli’s portfolio, sources say. However, the JD(S) has no plans of offering the post left vacant by N Mahesh. “Portfolios are not yet decided. The coalition coordination committee will convene and decide soon,” a senior Congress leader said. The expansion comes in the wake of Karnataka BJP’s attempts to topple the coalition. R Shankar, MLA from Ranebennur, had served as the Minister for Environment and Forests in Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s cabinet before being dropped during the reshuffle in December 2018. R Shankar’s portfolio was given to rebel MLA Satish Jarkiholi in a bid to stop him from defecting to the BJP. Soon after the reshuffle, R Shankar and Mulbagal MLA H Nagesh had withdrawn their support for the coalition and submitted a letter to the Governor on the same. They had sided with the BJP with the promise of casting votes in its favour in case of a trust vote. The two legislators were inducted into the cabinet in an attempt to stop the BJP from poaching disgruntled and dissatisfied legislators in the coalition.   

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