Kumaraswamy hits out at BJP for not taking up Mekedatu issue
Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Friday hit out at the ruling BJP for not taking up the issue of Mekedatu reservoir project due to internal squabbling in the party.
In a series of tweets, he said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin recently initiated steps to block the project that is detrimental to the interests of Karnataka.
"The measure of the Tamil Nadu government with respect to Mekedatu reservoir as well as Cauvery river is detrimental to the interests of Karnataka," the JD (S) leader said.
"Unfortunately, the BJP government in the State, which is supposed to look into such issues, has been debilitated by internal squabbling," he tweeted.
According to Kumaraswamy, Stalin had recently appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to give permission to Karnataka to go ahead with the construction of Mekedatu reservoir.
"Such an important project is gripped by uncertainty though the BJP is in power both at the State and the Centre.
This has proved wrong the BJPs promise of creating a heaven by using the advantage of being in power at both the State and the Centre," Kumaraswamy said.
He appealed to Tamil Nadu government to allow the Mekedatu reservoir project saying that it would not harm the interests of Tamil Nadu.
"The Mekedatu project is not for irrigation, but taking care of only drinking water requirements. Stalin should realise this and co-operate with Karnataka with respect to the construction of reservoir," Kumaraswamy said.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
