‘Want to create a unique model’: NGT panel on Bellandur-Varthur lakes rejuvenation

Civic Issues

The Bellandur-Varthur lakes are expected to regain their past glory in two years’ time.

Soumya Chatterjee

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The infamous Bellandur lake which had attracted headlines nationally for catching fire twice in less than five years will be a model for lake rejuvenation in the country after 18-24 months, according to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) panel. “We want the cooperation of all residents so that we can give a model which is unique to the country,” veteran scientist and member of the committee TV Ramachandra, said.  The NGT-appointed committee, which is monitoring the lake rejuvenation process, apprised the public about the future course of action to restore the Bellandur and its downstream Varthur lake. As reported earlier, the dewatering of the lakes has started and at the same time, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has started the de-weeding and dredging process. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has also been tasked with stopping the ingress of sewage as the BDA has readied alternate channels on either side of Bellandur to transport the flow downstream. From next June, a sewage treatment plant (STP) is expected to be readied which will solve the problem of untreated sewage entering the water bodies. “After the STP is ready, we will only take 20 MLD of treated water into the lake to maintain it, the rest of the treated water will be diverted elsewhere,” Professor TV Ramachandra told the gathering. He also assured that all encroachment will be removed going by the revenue record of 1887. Sonali Singh, a resident-activist closely following the developments, said, “We had concerns about the quantum of desilting and where it will be dumped. As per some recent studies by IISc, there is upto 10-12 feet of silt. We were very happy to note the response that desilting will be till the lake bed which will allow for groundwater recharging.” She added, “The committee informed that no more than 5% of the lake land will be lost for the beautification process which will include creation of a park and walking tracks.” The two lakes, once full of life, have been reduced to a cesspool of sewage and sludge due to the increased flow of untreated sewage. While not much was done by the authorities despite much noise from civil society, it was the NGT which took suo motu notice of the matter and indicted the state and local authorities like BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), BWSSB and the KSPCB (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board).  Even then, with them failing, the NGT had recently fined the state government and ordered another Rs 500 crore to be put in an escrow account for the lakes’ restoration and appointed a committee headed by former SC judge Justice Santosh Hegde and comprising Professor TV Ramachandra of the IISc. Suresh NR, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, which impleaded in the NGT case, said, “The meeting went very well today. The committee also took the farmers into confidence about the restoration plan. They were also happy that the lost lake will be back to its old glory.” He added, “The committee also told them that the silt to be used in their farmlands should be free of any harmful contaminants and also educated the farmers on the issue. The committee also welcomed suggestions from the public and the farmers for the process and highlighted the importance of local knowledge and ancient practices.”

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Biden's stands on abortion remain a mystery after Hyde flap

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Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy kicks off village stay campaign: First stop, in Yadgir

Politics

CM Kumaraswamy made big promises for the village – from ensuring top-notch infrastructure for government schools to constructing a 300-bed district hospital.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday kick-started his village stay campaign ‘Grama Vastavya 2.0’ from Gurmitkal in Yadgir district. Kumaraswamy had announced that he will be starting his programme soon after the party suffered a major setback in the Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, Kumaraswamy announced a slew of developmental programmes for Yadgir district. From ensuring top-notch infrastructure for government schools to constructing a 300-bed district hospital, Kumaraswamy said that he had directed the district administration and concerned ministers to ensure that the work is completed in a speedy manner. “Grama Vastavya is not a political gimmick. I had started this programme 12 years ago in a bid to develop rural areas by obtaining information from the people itself. This is not just a one-night stay at a village for me. This is a way for me to learn about the problems people in Gurmitkal are facing. The district officials and gram panchayat officials have briefed me about the problems in Gurmitkal,” Kumaraswamy said. The Chief Minister promised to ensure that every household in the district would have drinking water taps within the next year-and-a-half. “The district administration had informed me that there is no veterinarian in Gurmitkal and Chandargi village some time ago. They said that many people were complaining that their cattle were dying as there was no doctor. The veterinary hospital will open tomorrow and we have also appointed doctors there so the cattle do not die,” Kumaraswamy said. Kumaraswamy held talks with the people of Gurmitkal at the government school between 1 and 6 pm. Kumaraswamy announced that a 300-bed district hospital would be constructed for Yadgir. Until now, the people had to depend on the PHCs and the Kalaburgi district hospital. “There is no ICU facility and barely any beds in the taluk hospital. I promise you that the 300-bed hospital will be constructed within a year. We will also ensure that the roads leading to the hospital are laid properly so that people do not have to struggle to reach the hospital,” Kumaraswamy added. The CM also announced that the district administration has been directed to issue tenders for a detailed project report to construct an underground drainage system in Yadgir district. “12-years-ago, when I was the CM, I wanted to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of swaraj. He had said that the country will achieve freedom only when each and every village in the country has the basic necessities to improve livelihood. Grama Vastavya is what I believe would be a way to realise Gandhiji’s dreams. By the evening, I will review all the problems – short term and long term. Those issues which can be sorted out today will be done so,” he said. Embarrassed by JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s defeat in the general elections, the Chief Minister had vowed to “show the people of Karnataka” that voting against the JD(S) was a “regrettable decision.” Speaking to the media, CM Kumaraswamy on Thursday had said, “I have taken it as a challenge. I will change gears and make Karnataka the number one state in the country in terms of development. I will win back people’s confidence so much so that they would repent for not voting for us in the Lok Sabha elections.”    

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‘Disappearance’ of farm loan waiver money: K’taka CM blames cooperative banks

Politics

The DCC banks had to pay back loans to Apex Banks and they have used the loan waiver money to return it, Kumaraswamy said.

TNM Staff

In the beginning of June, over 13,000 farmers in Kalaburgi and Yadgir woke up to the reality that the money they had received from the loan waiver scheme was returned to the government. Over three weeks after the incident came to light, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who visited Gurmitkal in Yadgir said that the district co-operative banks and Apex banks had made a mistake and that the state government had not taken away the farmers’ money. Read: Karnataka farm loan waiver money ‘disappears’ from accounts of over 13,000 farmers Speaking to the people of Yadgir during his village stay campaign, CM Kumaraswamy said, “The DCC (district cooperative central banks) have made mistakes. The DCC banks had to pay back loans to Apex Banks and they have used the loan waiver money to return it. This was not an error on behalf of the government. We will make sure your money is returned,” Kumaraswamy said. The Chief Minister said that the government had released Rs 320 crore to DCC banks to waive loans and that 72,000 farmers’ loans worth Rs 199 crore had been waived. “The remaining money was returned as the DCC banks owed Apex Banks money. They were not supposed to use the loan waiver money. However, I have directed officials concerned to release extra Rs 100 crore so that farmers will get their money on time,” Kumaraswamy added. Prior to May 23 (Lok Sabha results), the state government had announced that loans in commercial banks worth Rs 4,830 crore had been waived for 7.49 lakh farmers till April 2019; and loans in cooperative banks worth Rs 3,488 crore were waived for 8.1 lakh farmers. The CMO had specifically stated that Kalaburgi district had the maximum number of beneficiaries from the co-operative bank sector (72,654), followed by Haveri (62,915) and Raichur (49,280). In commercial banks, Belagavi district had recorded the highest number of farmers whose loans have been waived (87,276), followed by Tumkur (82798) and Mandya (78,167). When the issue came to light, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had said that the discrepancy was noted in the bank accounts of 13,988 farmers in the state and had promised to probe the matter. A meeting was held with representatives of various banks on June 14. However, Kumaraswamy had blamed the nationalised banks at the time and not the DCC banks. “Since this morning (Tuesday), news is being circulated that the state government had deposited the money ahead of the elections only to win votes. What will you (the media) benefit from this? The discrepancies have occurred in nationalised banks. You (the media) praise Modi every day. Why not question him about this?” Kumaraswamy said.    

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IMA investment scam: Did government agencies neglect I-T warning in 2017?

Crime

The SIT on Friday took four men believed to be tasked with promoting IMA's scheme into custody.

TNM Staff

The Special Investigation Team probing the halal investment scam perpetrated by IMA’s Mohammed Mansoor Khan on Friday took four of the company’s marketing representatives into custody. The SIT detained Mohid Idrees, Fousal, Shahdaab Khan and Irshan Khan. SIT sources say that the four men were appointed by Mohammed Mansoor Khan, the founder of IMA, to lure in more people to invest money into the scheme. “Mohid, Fousal, Shahdaab and Irshan were equivalent to marketing representatives. Their job was to promote IMA’s investment scheme and bring in more people. They were also given generous commissions once a new investment bond was issued,” the source said. Investigators suspect that the four men may have clues regarding the disappearance of gold, silver, diamonds and other ornaments from IMA jewellery stores in Jayanagar and Shivajinagar. “There are also several documents related to the business, which is missing. We are also questioning them to see if they know of Mansoor Khan’s whereabouts,” the SIT source added. Meanwhile, investigators have learned that the Income Tax Department had notified several government agencies including Department of Commercial Tax, Company Registrar, Revenue Department, Co-operation Department, Bengaluru Police Department, CID, Enforcement Directorate and Customs Department of the search and seizure operations on IMA offices and Mansoor Khan’s home in 2017. On September 7, 2017 the issue of IMA’s suspected fraud was raised at the Regional Economic Intelligence meeting, where several policemen and bureaucrats were present, SIT sources say. “We are trying to find out why no action was taken despite the intimation from Income Tax Department that Mansoor Khan’s IMA had misappropriated around Rs 1,000 worth assets,” the SIT source added. “The Income Tax Department too has certain probative limitations and hence it had intimated other agencies to look into the issues relevant to their respective departments. The other agencies were supposed to carry out a probe into various dealings of the firm,” an I-T source said.    

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Deve Gowda says mid-term polls in Karnataka imminent, but clarifies it’s for local body

Politics

Reporters were asking HD Deve Gowda questions pertaining to the Assembly elections when one of them asked him about mid-term polls in Karnataka.

TNM Staff

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JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, during an interaction with the media on Friday, claimed that mid-term polls are imminent in Karnataka as he is unsure how long the JD(S)-Congress coalition government will continue in the state, given the internal conflicts. The former Prime Minister was interacting with the media after performing yoga at his residence in Bengaluru, to mark the 5th International Yoga Day, when he made the statement. The reporters were asking questions pertaining to the Assembly elections when one of them asked Deve Gowda about mid-term polls in Karnataka.   "There is no doubt that there will be mid-term polls. They (the Congress) said they will be supporting us all along but we are watching the developments. Our people are smart and this is not something you (the media) have to tell us about. We have seen so much, all that has happened in this country," Deve Gowda said.   However, he later clarified this statement, stating that he was referring to mid-term polls for local body elections and not the Karnataka Assembly.  Deve Gowda further added that he had suggested that Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge should have become the Chief Minister of the state last year. “Why did they (the Congress) come to us? Because (BS) Yeddyurappa had taken oath (as the Chief Minister) and then they came to us asking my son to become the CM. I suggested Mallikarjun Kharge should be CM," he said, speaking to reporters about the frantic circumstances in which HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in May 2018. After the results threw up a hung verdict, JD(S) and Congress joined forces to form the government in the state. But a year later, in 2019, the future of the coalition government is uncertain, particularly after both parties faced a humbling defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Deve Gowda’s statement on Friday comes just days after he met Congress President Rahul Gandhi and requested him to ensure that Congress leaders in Karnataka refrained from publicly discussing the coalition government in the state. The meeting came in the wake of reports that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had suggested that the Congress is better off withdrawing support to the coalition government in Karnataka.  CM HD Kumaraswamy even bemoaned the internal conflicts affecting the functioning of the coalition government. Recently, two independent MLAs, R Shankar and H Nagesh, were inducted into the Karnataka cabinet, overlooking senior Congress leaders. The decision had not gone down well with several Congress leaders, who were expecting to be part of the cabinet. Read: How Congress's weak national image makes it unlikely to leave Karnataka’s coalition govt

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Kohli on verge of beating Tendulkar, Lara to be fastest player to achieve this record

Sport

He could become the fastest batsman to score 20,000 international runs when he takes strike against Afghanistan in the World Cup tie on Saturday.

IANS

India skipper Virat Kohli will have the chance to add another feather to his cap by becoming the fastest batsman to score 20,000 international runs when he takes strike against Afghanistan in their World Cup tie at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday. Kohli currently has 19, 896 runs to his name and is just 104 runs short of the record that legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar holds together with West Indies great Brian Lara.If Kohli manages to score 104 runs against Afghanistan, he will reach the 20,000-international run milestone in 415 innings (131 in Tests, 222 in ODIs and 62 in T20Is). Tendulkar and Lara, both had reached the milestone in 453 innings, followed by former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting who scored 20,000 runs in 468 innings. The 30-year-old run-machine has been in great form in the ongoing tournament. After getting out cheaply against South Africa in the World Cup opener, Kohli scored 82 runs against Australia and 77 against Pakistan. Interestingly, during the innings against Pakistan at Old Trafford on June 16, Kohli also became the fastest batsman to score 11,000 ODI runs. Kohli is currently leading India at the World Cup in England. He earlier won the World Cup in 2011 contributing with the bat. He scored a century against Pakistan in the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Australia/New Zealand. He has been in good form in the current world cup scoring 77 and 82 against Pakistan and Australia respectively. However, a century has so far eluded him in the ongoing World Cup

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