Concrete road asphalted in Somwarpet; locals call it election gimmick, misuse of funds
Somwarpet: The work of asphalting a concrete road in town as a part of the Nagarothana project is drawing criticism from the locals.
The people, who witnessed a round of asphalting of the concrete road leading to the Someshwara Temple on Sunday, questioned the need for it, as the road is in excellent condition.
“Farmers have been struggling for two decades to use the pothole-filled roads in villages. Thus far, those in power did not grant funds to improve the state of the roads,” the citizens pointed out.
They added further, “Now, however, just as the rural voters decide to boycott the elections for this very reason, we find that a concrete road situated in an urban area being asphalted.”
The locals also said that Rs 2.26 crore was released under the Nagarothana project four months ago, for the works of the Town Panchayat. “Work under the project, however, is being undertaken only at the threshold of elections. The asphalting work is nothing but an election gimmick,” they said.
“A decade ago, several roads in town were concreted using Rs 5 crore. A concrete road, after all, is long-lasting and will not wear out for about 10 years. Following the asphalting work, however, the tax payer will have to provide the funds once in two years to close the potholes,” the people said.
Nachappa, chief officer of the Town Panchayat, who spoke on the matter, stated that the concrete road had worn out. “The concrete road was not in good condition. The residents in various wards of the town approached and requested us to get the stretch asphalted. The work has made it easier for the people to use it,” he added.
HA Nagaraju, president of the Niveshana Rahitara Horata Samiti, said that any sort of developmental work should be undertaken wherever needed, and not randomly.
Citing examples, the president said, “Houses in some wards do not have compound walls and are in bad shape. A house in Ward 7, belonging to families from financially weaker sections, has the problem of leakage,” and added, “The funds granted should be utilized to provide solutions in such cases. It is shameful that a concrete road is being asphalted.”
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
