Puttur: The Karnataka government has granted administrative approval for the construction of an Automated Driving Test System (ADTS) track under the Puttur regional transport office in Dakshina Kannada district.
The project, estimated to cost Rs 7.88 crore, will be built on 5.4 acres of land in Mundoor village, located around 10 km from Puttur town, as reported by The Hindu on Wednesday.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Bengaluru, will oversee the construction of the ADTS track, designed for two-wheelers and light motor vehicles. This facility is expected to streamline the process for driving licence applicants in Puttur, Belthangady, Sullia, Kadaba taluks, and Vittla hobli.
Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai hailed the government’s decision, noting that this will be the second ADTS track in the district, with the first one located at Mudipu near Mangaluru. Rai further emphasised that the new ADTS would significantly boost economic activity in the region, as it would cater to a larger population of aspiring drivers, added the report.
Rai mentioned that the 2024-25 State Budget had proposed to establish ADTS tracks in several locations, including Udupi, Chikkaballapura, Nelamangala, Madikeri, Madhugiri, and Hunsur, along with seizing yards at Devanahalli and Tumakuru. However, the land designated for the Udupi track was classified as a deemed forest, preventing the Transport Department from acquiring it for non-forestry purposes.
Thus, Rai approached the Transport Department with a proposal to establish the ADTS in Puttur, instead of Udupi. The MLA visited Mundoor village to identify suitable land to establish the track.
The upcoming ADTS complex in Puttur will include test tracks for light motor vehicles (LMVs) and two-wheelers, an administrative block, a toilet, a control room, and necessary infrastructure such as compound walls, water and power supply, and landscaping, the report noted.
Rai further expressed hope that construction would begin soon, now that the project has received administrative approval.
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Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip) (AP): The Israeli military said Sunday it would pause fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery to desperate Palestinians, launching a series of steps meant to address a surge in hunger in the territory as Israel faces a wave of international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war.
The military said it would begin a “tactical pause” in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to “increase the scale of humanitarian aid” entering the territory.
The pause would begin every day at 10:00 am to 8:00 pm local time until further notice, beginning Sunday.
The military also said Sunday that it carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food.
Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule.
Images emerging from Gaza in recent days of emaciated children have fanned global criticism of Israel, including by close allies, who have called for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has spawned.
Israel said the new measures were taking place while it continues its offensive against Hamas in other areas.
The local pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt. On Friday, Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks with the militant group.
After ending the latest ceasefire in March, Israel cut off the entry of food, medicine, fuel and other supplies completely to Gaza for 2 ½ months, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas to release hostages.
Under international pressure, Israel slightly eased the blockade in May. Since then, it has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for the UN and other aid groups to distribute. The average of 69 trucks a day, however, is far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed for Gaza. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks.
As a way to divert aid delivery away from the UN, Israel has backed the US-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which in May opened four centers distributing boxes of food supplies. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food, mostly near those new aid sites, the UN human rights office says.
Israel has railed against the UN throughout the war, saying that its system allowed Hamas to steal aid, without providing evidence. The UN denies that claim and says its delivery mechanism was the best way to bring aid to Palestinians.
The military said the new steps were made in coordination with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups.
Much of Gaza's population, squeezed by fighting into ever tinier patches of land, now relies on aid.
The war began with Hamas' Oct 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The U.N. and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties.