Dinesh Gundu Rao seeks more Vande Bharat trains between Mangaluru-Bengaluru; Writes to Centre
Says Mangaluru has potential to emerge as strong alternative to Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging the Centre to introduce additional Vande Bharat train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru to improve daily connectivity.
In his letter, Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Karnataka government is focusing on developing tier-2 cities into modern work and industry destinations to ensure balanced growth across the state and generate employment opportunities. He noted that Mangaluru has the potential to emerge as a strong alternative to Bengaluru, citing its strengths in education, commerce and culture, but pointed out that inadequate fast transport links have limited the city’s growth.
The minister said that the absence of quick daily travel options forces professionals and businesspersons to spend nights travelling for short-duration work, resulting in loss of productive time. He described this as unfair to the people of Dakshina Kannada, many of whom regularly commute between the two cities.
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To address this, Dinesh Gundu Rao requested the introduction of Vande Bharat trains from Mangaluru to Bengaluru at 4 am, 10 am and 6 pm, with return services on the same day on all weekdays. He said such services would significantly benefit working professionals and business communities and provide a major boost to economic activity in coastal Karnataka.
The minister added that improved high-speed rail connectivity would facilitate exchanges in healthcare, banking, commerce and industry, as both cities complement each other. He also said better connectivity would attract travellers from other parts of India and abroad to Mangaluru, given the city’s existing infrastructure and facilities.
Stating that passenger occupancy would not be a concern for these services, Dinesh Gundu Rao said the proposal reflects the aspirations of both the Karnataka government and the people of coastal Karnataka. He expressed hope for a positive response from the Union Railway Ministry.
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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.
