New tree park honoring Salumarada Thimmakka to be built in North Bengaluru: Eshwar Khandre
Bengaluru: Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre stated that a stone laying ceremony would soon be held for 'Salumarada Thimmakka Sasyodyana' in the model of Cubbon Park at the 153-acre forest land in Madappanahalli near Yelahanka RTO office. This would aid in remedying the lack of 'lung space' in the northern part of Bengaluru city, he said. He was addressing the valedictory ceremony of 'Wildlife week' at Aranya Bhavana in Bengaluru on Monday.
"The 153-acre forest land had been leased to the State Forest Development Corporation. As the contract period is over now, the forest department will develop a Cubbon Park style tree park, with the aid of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund. Bengaluru has grown far and wide around Yelahanka. So if we build the Salumarada Thimmakka Tree Park here to benefit people, this will be a top level attraction", he said.
Citing a recent Indian Forest Survey report, Khandre said that Bengaluru, the third largest city in India, had about 89 sq. km of forest which amounted to 6.81% tree cover. However, around 5 sq. km of tree cover was lost in the last ten years, he said.
"The fast growing Bengaluru city needs to reclaim its legacy of being a 'garden city'. The department must collaborate with the public to conduct more and more tree planting events. Along with this, we need to recover the encroached forest land in the capital city", Khandre stated.
Referring to how people throng zoos and jungle safaris to be enchanted by the wildlife in weekends, the Minister for Ecology said that all of us had the responsibility to protect and conserve these wonderful creatures which made us happy. This was why the department conducted a wildlife week from October 2 to 8 of every year, he said.
School children who won various competitions held during the Wildlife Week were awarded prizes during the occasion. A wild life photography and postal stamps exhibition was also held at the event.
Forest Department Additional Chief Secretary Manjunath Prasad, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Task Force Brijesh Kumar Dixit, Chief Wildlife Warden Subhash Malkhede and others were present.
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Ex-CJI Chandrachud removed fear of law from political defectors, claims Sanjay Raut
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday slammed former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, alleging that he had removed the fear of the law from politicians who defected from parties in Maharashtra.
Raut claimed that by not deciding on the disqualification petitions, Chandrachud kept doors and windows open for defections.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader's statement comes after his party faced a severe drubbing in the state assembly elections, as it managed to clinch only 20 out of 95 seats it contested as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The performance of the party's alliance partners was no better, with the Congress winning only 16 out of 101 seats and NCP (SP) getting only 10 out of 86 seats it contested.
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged, "He (Chandrachud) has removed the fear of the law from defectors. His name will be written in black letters in history."
Following the split in the undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, the party's faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray filed petitions in the Supreme Court on the disqualification of party MLAs who defected along with Eknath Shinde. The apex court put the onus on the assembly Speaker to decide on the disqualification petitions, which he did earlier this year, declaring the Sena bloc led by Shinde as the “real political party”.
Raut alleged that the results of the assembly election were pre-decided. If the then CJI had decided on the disqualification petitions on time, the outcome would have been different.
"We are sad but not disappointed. We will not leave the fight incomplete. Division of votes was also a factor, and the RSS played an important role in the election. The poisonous campaign impacted us negatively," he said.
He said the swearing-in ceremony for the new government should be held in neighbouring Gujarat.
Meanwhile, in his weekly column "Rokhthok" in the party mouthpiece "Saamana", the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader claimed that it was time to offer condolences to the Election Commission, which turned a blind eye to the use of money power.
"The courts have been in the ICU for a long time," he alleged.
