Karnataka to seek special grants from Centre for rain havoc in Bengaluru: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Sep 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government will seek special grants from the Union government as compensation for the damages caused in rain-battered Bengaluru.
He held a meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) headed by Home Ministry's joint secretary Ashish Kumar, which is visiting Karnataka to take stock of the flood havoc in the State.
We have shared details on damages caused during three stages of rainfall - July, August and the first week of September, Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said another meeting would be held with the IMCT after it visits various districts, including parts of Bengaluru.
"IMCT will be given a final memorandum then, which will be an updated version of the one we had submitted last week, he added.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka last week said the government has estimated rain related losses since June to the tune of Rs 7,647.13 crore, and will be sending a proposal to the Centre seeking a relief of Rs 1,012.5 crore as per National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms.
Bommai said the new memorandum would highlight problems that Bengaluru faced due to overflowing lakes and flooding in low-lying areas.
We will ask for a special grant. River-based floods happen for 2-3 days and then recede, but this has become a daily occurrence, which must be considered as a special case, he said, noting that he asked the IMCT to visit Mahadevapura, one of the worst rain-hit areas in the city.
Further highlighting the state's need for special grants to compensate fisherfolk who lost their boats, which is not covered under the NDRF guidelines, the CM said, "we will also seek compensation to shops and commercial establishments that have suffered due to floods as they are presently not covered under NDRF.
Also, losses caused due to landslides also deserve a special grant, he said.
The IMCT is scheduled to visit Chitradurga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag, Bidar and Kalaburagi districts.
Bommai said he suggested that they also visit Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts that were worst affected due to rains, landslides and sea erosion, and also to take stock of the flood situation in Mandya and Ramanagara districts.
He also told them that Karnataka has a coastal area of 330 km and works worth Rs 350 crore have been taken up to prevent sea erosion, and central assistance was required as erosion has taken place in new spots.
The CM also explained that Rs 500 crore was released twice to take up restoration of damaged infrastructure, and another Rs 600 crore was released earlier this week.
The state is giving an additional input subsidy for crop loss and Rs 2,452 crore has been disbursed among 18.58 lakh farmers. Out of this, Rs 1,160 crore has been borne from the state exchequer, he added.
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Lakhimpur Kheri violence case: SC expresses disappointment over non-production of witnesses in trial
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday expressed disappointment over the non-production of witnesses in the ongoing trial against Ashish Mishra, son of former Union minister Ajay Mishra, and others in the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence case.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the status report filed before it by the Uttar Pradesh government has not assigned any reason whatsoever for the non-production of witnesses.
It noted that no witnesses have been examined in the trial for the last two months.
"We direct the presiding judge to take lawful measures to secure the presence of witnesses," the bench said.
It asked the trial judge to make an endeavour to conclude the trial in a time-bound manner, and also to file a status report before it.
The trials in two cases related to the incident are going on before a court in Uttar Pradesh.
The bench noted that in the first case, out of 131 witnesses to be examined, 44 have been examined, 15 have been discharged and 72 are still to be produced.
In the second FIR, out of 35 witnesses, 26 have been examined and nine were left, it said.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ashish Mishra, said that as per the latest status report filed by Uttar Pradesh, 44 witnesses have been examined so far in the first FIR.
"No witnesses have been examined in the last two months," Dave said.
He argued that the last status report filed by the state in March also said that 44 witnesses had been examined.
"What have you done from March till today?" the bench asked the counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh.
The state's counsel said that 3-4 witnesses were summoned for the recording of their deposition during the trial.
The bench said at least 7-8 witnesses should be summoned instead of three or four for a day, so that even if some of them do not turn up, the trial court could proceed with the recording of statements of those appearing before it.
The top court also wondered how official witnesses can remain absent during the trial.
"We are disappointed to note that the so-called status report does not assign any reason whatsoever for non-production of witnesses...," the bench said.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the relatives of the farmers who were allegedly mowed down in the incident, said the apex court will have to do something regarding the manner in which the trial was going on.
The bench noted that besides the two FIRs, another FIR was registered in October last year concerning alleged witness intimidation.
It said that, as per the state's status report, the chargesheet was filed against the main accused in that case.
The bench noted that the status report reveals that, as far as Ashish Mishra is concerned, his alleged role in the third case is still being investigated.
The top court directed the investigating officer of the third case to conclude the pending probe and ensure that the appropriate report is filed before the concerned court within four weeks.
The bench posted the next hearing in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case for July.
On October 3, 2021, eight people, including four farmers, were killed in Tikunia in Lakhimpur Kheri district during a protest by farmers against Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to the area.
Four farmers were mowed down by a sports utility vehicle. A driver and two BJP workers were then allegedly lynched by angry farmers. A journalist also died in the violence.
In one of the cases, the trial court in December 2023 framed charges against Mishra and 12 others for alleged murder, criminal conspiracy and under other penal laws in the case of the farmers' deaths, paving the way for the trial.
