Sharavathi River water project scrapped: MLA Gopalakrishna Beluru
Shivamogga: The project to divert Sharavathi river water to Bengaluru has been scrapped, announced MLA Gopalakrishna Beluru during a press conference today. The proposal, which had garnered significant attention across the state and district, faced strong opposition from several local organisations and environmentalists, leading to its cancellation.
The project was initially proposed during the BJP-led government under Basavaraj Bommai. However, the Congress government, after taking charge, estimated the cost to be around ₹20,000 crore. Gopalakrishna clarified that apart from this cost estimate, no further progress was made on the project under the Congress government.
He added that both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar sought his opinion on the matter, which eventually led to the decision to drop the project.
Gopalakrishna also highlighted the Congress government's support for those affected by the Sharavathi submersion, with multiple meetings held at the Vidhana Soudha under the leadership of District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa. A petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court, and lawyers have been appointed to present a strong case. He assured that there was no question of displacing farmers and reaffirmed the government's commitment to stand by them.
Criticising MP Raghavendra, Gopalakrishna said that the MP failed to raise his voice for the farmers affected by the Sharavathi submersion at the central level, questioning his effectiveness as a representative.
KPCC spokesperson Ayanuru Manjunath, and prominent leaders including Somashekhar Lavigere, Ramesh Shankarghatta, Balaji, Shiju Pasha, and Padmanabha were also present at the press conference.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
