Angry farmers resort to vandalism after chilli prices fall in Haveri district
Haveri (Karnataka), Mar 11: A group of angry farmers gathered in front of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) office in Byadgi in Haveri district and allegedly resorted to vandalism expressing their anger over the sudden fall in chilli prices.
They allegedly also set ablaze at least three vehicles including a fire engine and ransacked and vandalised the APMC office.
When police personnel and a fire engine arrived at the spot to control the situation, they blocked the entry to the market and prevented them from entering the area.
Later, the police managed to disperse the crowd and brought the situation under control.
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Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters that chilli prices had gone down from Rs 20,000 per quintal to Rs 8,000 per quintal in a single day and that led to a commotion in Haveri APMC market. It is being checked whether this kind of price fall has happened in all the APMC markets or only in the Haveri market.
The APMC office in Haveri district was broken into and furniture was destroyed.
The Chief Minister has asked for a report to be submitted to find out the reasons behind the fall in prices. He informed that further action will be taken based on the report.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
