Locals plant banana sapling in pothole on Katapady-Shirva road to protest poor road conditions
Udupi: Frustrated by the long-standing neglect of the Katapady-Shirva State Highway, locals took an unusual step on Tuesday by planting a banana sapling in one of the numerous potholes that have made the road almost unusable. The highway, which connects Kurkalu Shankarapura in Katapady to Shirva, has been in a severely deteriorated state for months, causing immense difficulty for daily commuters and vehicle users.
Residents of the area have expressed their anger towards the authorities, accusing them of ignoring repeated requests to repair the road. Despite multiple complaints to government officials and local representatives, the condition of the road has only worsened. In a bid to draw attention to the problem, the locals had previously created and shared a song on social media about the poor state of the road. However, their efforts yielded no results.
On Tuesday morning, as a symbolic protest against the apathy of the Public Works Department (PWD), residents planted the banana sapling in one of the deep potholes along the highway near Shankarapura. This act of protest, they added, serves as a message to the authorities, urging them to repair the road immediately before the sapling grows and starts bearing fruit.
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2 detained after comment over wedding procession to Dalit house sparks clash in UP's Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur (UP) (PTI): Two persons have been detained after a clash broke out allegedly over remarks targeting a Dalit family's wedding procession in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Lai Kheda village under Tilhar police station area, where a wedding procession from Bareilly had arrived at a Dalit household on April 20.
According to SP Saurabh Dixit, when the procession was near the house of Rajpal Yadav, he allegedly made a remark saying "Now, Dalits will also take out wedding processions riding a buggy", leading to an argument. Yadav's side allegedly turned aggressive, escalating the conflict further.
Police said a scuffle ensued between the two sides. Upon receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and ensured that the procession was conducted peacefully after the incident.
An FIR was registered on Friday against Rajpal Yadav, Sumit, Amit, Surendra, Avdhesh Yadav and five unidentified persons based on a complaint. Rajpal Yadav and his son Sumit have been taken into custody and are being questioned, Dixit said.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.
Dixit said preliminary findings suggest that Yadav, too, was hosting a function and processions from both sides had arrived around the same time. A dispute may have initially arisen due to a narrow passage and attempts to move the processions quickly.
Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS and initiated further probe, officials said.
