K'taka ecology Min. orders stern action against illegal establishments in Western Ghat region
Bengaluru: Amid rising public calls for protecting ecologically sensitive zones in the Shayadri Ranges, and frequent landslides, Karnataka Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday issued orders taking stringent actions against illegal establishments including homestays and resorts in the Western Ghat regions of the state within a month.
The Minister directed stern measures against illegal layouts, plantations, homestays, and resorts encroaching on forest areas in Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, and Hassan. He suggested immediate action to clear all forest encroachments since 2015.
The recent landslide near the Shiroor in Ankola district claimed 11 lives, while a landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, resulted in 250 deaths and over 200 missing persons. "Experts attribute these disasters to unscientific deforestation and construction, the government is taking this issue seriously," read the order.
Heavy vehicular traffic and weekend travel and trekking in ranges and Ghat areas also pose dangers, according to the minister.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
