Protests in Shirali against National Highway widening; Local BJP MLA extends support
Bhatkal: Hundreds of locals on Friday morning gathered and staged dharna on the National Highway 66 of Shirali in Bhatkal Taluka against the NH widening work that began yesterday.
On Thursday, when the IRB officials began the NH widening work after it was halted for few weeks owing to protests by the locals, the locals along with Shirali Gram Panchayath officials once again started protesting the widening of NH only to 30m, against 45 meters which was initially decided.
But under the protection of local police, the IRB officials began the work as per the orders from the Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada District SS Nakul.
The protesters then had turned to Bhatkal-Honnavar MLA Sunil Naik, who despite being in Bengaluru for budget session, tried to intervene and stop the work by making calls to Bhatkal Assistant Commissioner Sajid Ahmed Mulla, who refused to stop the work, citing orders from DC.
Followed by which, the locals had announced Dharna and protests on Friday, to which BJP MLA Sunil Naik had also extended support but had excused himself from being present at the protest as he was in Bengaluru for assembly session.
On Friday morning, security was beefed up in Shirali, under the supervision of Bhatkal DySP Valentine D’Souza and CPI Ganesh KL.
Amidst protests and Dharna, the IRB officials continued their work.
Bhatkal CPI Ganesh KL, while speaking to Vartha Bharti, said “The road work is going on smoothly, meanwhile the dharna of locals is also going on, they have said they will continue the dharna until their demands are met, daily till 6.pm in the evening. We have adequate security in place, and we believe their will no untoward incident during the whole issue”.
Why protests?
The locals of Shirali and Gram Panchayath officials have long stood against the widening of NH in Shirali to 30mtrs while it was initially proposed to be widened to 45mtrs.
The locals alleges that a few businessmen, whose properties would have been demolished for the widening of the work, used their political powers and influence to restrict the widening to 30mtrs, whereas the poor people in the outskirts of the city had already lost their properties as in the outskirts of the city the widening will be 45mtrs, even when widening of 45mtrs is mainly required inside the town limits as the town has a very much potential of developing in years to come.
MLA Sunil Naik was also quoted by local media Bhatkallys.com as saying “There is a need of widening the NH to 45 meters as Shirali in future days has great potential to get developed. Though for the past 6-7 months I have contacted the district in-charge minister, District Administration and all the concerned departments, it did not yield any results. So, I extend my support to the protest on widening of the road”.
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Correspondents' dinner firing: World leaders say political violence has no place in democracy
Washington (PTI): World leaders expressed relief that US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania and other guests were unharmed after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner here on Saturday night and asserted that political violence has no place in a democracy.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was relieved that President Trump, First Lady Melania and Vice President J D Vance were safe and unharmed after a security incident at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington.
Modi said violence has no place in democracy and must be unequivocally condemned.
"Relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed following the recent security incident at a Washington DC hotel. I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi said in a post on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has had frequent run-ins with Trump, described the shooting incident at the Washington Hilton hotel as a “disturbing event”.
“I am relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe following reports of gunfire at the White House correspondents’ dinner in Washington tonight. Political violence has no place in any democracy, and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event,” Carney said in a post on X.
President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae Myung asserted that political violence “can never be justified under any circumstances.”
“The Government of the Republic of Korea firmly opposes all forms of violence and extremism that erode the values of democracy and the rule of law,” he said in a social media post.
Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi said, “Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world”
“I am relieved to hear that President Trump is safe following the terrifying gunfire. Violence must never be tolerated anywhere in the world,” she posted on social media.
Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “an attack on all the democracies.”
"This wasn't just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies,” he posted on social media.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said it was “good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events”.
“We send them our respect. Violence must never be the way,” she said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to hear all attendees were safe. “We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action,” he said in a statement.
Delcy Rodriguez, the acting President of Venezuela following the capture of Nicolas Maduro by US forces, condemned the attack against Trump.
"We extend our best wishes to them and to all attendees of the Correspondent’s dinner. Violence is never an option for those who uphold the values of peace," she wrote on X.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also took to social media to condemn the incident, stating he was "deeply shocked" to hear the news.
"Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe," Sharif said.
Trump has survived two assassination attempts over the past two years – first at a presidential election campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and later in Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15, 2024.
