Shivakumar assures contractors to solve their issues
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday assured the KSCA that he and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi would facilitate a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to resolve their issues.
Addressing members of the Karnataka State Contractors' Association (KSCA) who are protesting at Freedom Park in Bengaluru demanding the release of pending bills, Shivakumar said, "I and Jarkiholi will together arrange a meeting of contractors with the Chief Minister during this legislative session. We must all come together to find a solution to your problems."
He concurred with the contractors that they are also helping the state.
"We are aware that you brought our government to power. It is not our intention to withhold the payment. I have been watching your president Manjunath, who gives different sets of statements to the media once every three months.
"You should all get him a seat in the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. Just as representation is given in the Council to teachers, graduates, and those from the cinema and arts sectors, a seat must be given to contractors as well. That could help resolve your problems. A way must be found for this," he said.
Shivakumar said there are pending bills of around Rs 13,000 crore in the water resource department and Bengaluru Municipal Corporation, while there are Rs 3,000 crore in the minor Irrigation department, totalling to Rs 16,000 crore.
"We know your pain. Six months before the elections, I had warned you not to take up any contract work in departments where there is no money. The then BJP Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai kept awarding contracts whether or not there were funds. You took up that work and now you are suffering. This needs to be resolved," the Deputy CM said.
He said there was a need to find bonds worth around Rs 50,000 crore. Only then will this problem be solved.
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Iran attacks oil tanker near Dubai; Trump warns of strikes on energy sites if Hormuz remains shut
Tel Aviv/Washington: Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Monday after US President Donald Trump warned that Washington would target Iran’s energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
According to a Reuters report, the Kuwait-flagged tanker Al-Salmi is owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and was capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of crude. . It was struck in what authorities later described as a drone attack. The company said the incident occurred early Tuesday, causing a fire and hull damage. No injuries were reported and the fire was brought under control, Dubai authorities said .
Oil prices rose briefly following the attack and added to volatility in global energy markets. In the United States, retail gasoline prices crossed $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years, according to data from GasBuddy, as crude prices moved above $101 per barrel.
Israel said it carried out missile strikes on military infrastructure in Tehran and on sites linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut. Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran, with Iran’s Tasnim news agency saying power outages occurred in the eastern Pirouzi district following the blasts.
The Israel Defense Forces said four soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon. In recent days, three peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon were also killed in separate incidents in the same area.
Iran’s military spokesperson said Tehran’s latest wave of missile and drone strikes targeted US military positions at five bases in the region and sites in Israel. Thousands of troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have begun arriving in the Middle East, according to US officials, expanding Washington’s military options even as diplomatic efforts continue.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Reuters Trump wants an agreement with Iranian leaders before a revised April 6 deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, adding that talks were progressing, while public statements from Tehran differed from private communications.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said proposals received through intermediaries were “unrealistic” and maintained that Iran was focused on defending itself.
In a social media post, Trump said that if a deal is not reached soon and the strait is not reopened, the US would strike Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island. However, a report in The Wall Street Journal said Trump had told aides he may be willing to end the military campaign even if the strait remains largely closed and address reopening it later. The White House referred to earlier remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the strait would be opened “one way or another.”
The administration has also requested an additional $200 billion in funding for the conflict, a proposal that faces opposition in the US Congress.
