Border row: Karnataka suspends bus services to Maharashtra owing to protests
Belagavi (K'taka), Dec 7: The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) on Wednesday suspended its services to Maharashtra after reports emerged of some buses being defaced and damaged in the regions bordering Belagavi district.
Both states have voiced out concerns regarding Belagavi with Maharashtra staking claim that the region should be merged with it while Karnataka has reiterated its jurisdiction over the area.
"We are operating our buses only up to Nipani (in Belagavi district) due to tension, which has been there since morning," an officer in the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation told PTI.
According to him, a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation bus that was coming from Maharashtra to Ranebennur was also damaged.
"The glasses of the bus were damaged. Other than this incident, some buses were defaced," the officer added.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike again held agitations in the border regions following the defacement of buses. The activists said that they will also retaliate with similar vigour if the buses were targeted.
In view of the tension resurfacing in the border region, the police on both sides tightened security. Buses were provided extra security to protect the vehicles and the passengers.
The row over the region started after two Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, who have been appointed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to coordinate with the legal team dealing with the border dispute, announced their visit to Belagavi on December 6.
Following vehement protests by the pro-Kannada organisations in Maharashtra, the duo postponed their trip. In reaction, there were protests in the western state as well.
Maharashtra has been demanding the merger of Belagavi on the ground that there is a substantial Marathi-speaking population in the border district. However, the Karnataka government rejected their claim.
The neighbouring state has approached the Supreme Court as well.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
