Forest Minister Khandre inspects Hesaraghatta area for development of reserved grasslands
Bengaluru: Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Saturday visited and inspected the 5,678-acre grassland area including the Hesaraghatta Lake, which has been declared a reserved grassland by the state government a few months ago.
The minister warned against pollution of River Arkavathy and the Hesaraghatta Lake, which provides water to more than 10 lakh people in a year.
“Conservation of the natural grass on the site is important, along with ensuring its growth on a further. Cooperating with the families living in the neighbourhood areas, especially the shepherds and the cowherds, is also important. The area can be further developed with the help of the local gram panchayats too,” Khandre said.
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Stressing on the fauna in the grassland, the minister said pointed out that it was a breeding ground for several species of birds. “In addition, there are sources of several water bodies here. Various species of local tree, fruit trees for food and sedges for birds to nest in must be grown in the area,” he directed the officials.
Khandre instructed Meenakshi Negi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Forest Force Chief, who was present at the spot to formulate an action plan to utilize CSR funds for the comprehensive conservation and development of the Hesaraghatta area in cooperation with the Minor Irrigation Department, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the local bodies. The plan will include allocation of funds from the Forest Department.
APCCF Kumar Pushkar, Bangalore DCF Ravindra Kumar N and others were present on the occasion.
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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.
