Stability check of new Kali river bridge ordered after old structure collapses
Panaji (PTI): Authorities in neighbouring Karnataka on Wednesday ordered the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to check stability of the new Kali river bridge after an old bridge on the water body collapsed.
The old bridge on the river collapsed at around 1.30 am on Wednesday, resulted in heavy traffic on national highway no. 66 connecting Goa to Karnataka, officials said.
A truck crossing the bridge at the time fell into the river. Local fishermen later rescued its driver, a police official from Karwar in Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka told PTI.
The old bridge which collapsed was used for Goa-bound traffic after the construction of a new one a decade back, the official said.
Uttar Kannada District Magistrate Lakshmi Priya K said it has been brought to the notice that the old Kali river bridge connecting Karwar and Sadashivgad collapsed at 1.30 am on Wednesday.
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She ordered the NHAI officials concerned to verify and report stability of the new Kali river bridge connecting Karwar and Sadashivgad.
A stability report must be submitted by 12 noon on Wednesday, she said.
Traffic on the new bridge was stopped for some time in the wee hours of Wednesday following the incident. Later, vehicles, except heavy ones, were allowed to pass through, the Karwar police said.
Traffic movement on the new bridge was restricted as the Karnataka authorities were checking its stability after the collapse of the old bridge, Goa's Canacona police station in-charge Harish Raut Desai said.
The Goa police were coordinating with their counterparts in Karwar to monitor the situation on the highway, he said.
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Telangana govt rejects Adani's Rs 100 cr donation for skills university
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday announced that the state government will not accept the Rs 100 crore CSR donation committed by industrialist Gautam Adani for the Young India Skills University being set up in the state.
The CM's announcement came days after the indictment of the Adani Group chairman in a US court.
In a letter to Priti Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, the state government's Special Chief Secretary (Industries) Jayesh Ranjan said he has been "instructed by the chief minister not to seek the transfer of funds in view of the present circumstances and arising controversies".
While thanking Priti Adani for committing Rs 100 crore to the skills university, the official said the state government has so far not asked any of the donors for physical transfer of funds since the university had not received the IT exemption under Section 80 G. However, the IT exemption order has now been received recently.
Addressing a press conference here, Revanth Reddy said the decision was taken as the Congress government does not want to find itself in any unwarranted controversy amid the allegations against the Adani Group.
He said so far the Telangana government has not accepted a single rupee into its account from any organisation, including Adani Group, for the skills university being established to promote employment avenues for youth.
"I and my Cabinet colleagues do not want to be involved in unnecessary discussions and situations that would dent Telangana's image or my own," Reddy said.
Gautam Adani met the chief minister here on Octrober 18 and symbolically handed over a cheque for Rs 100 crore towards donation to the skills university.
Asked about the comments of BRS that the government should cancel the Adani Group's investment proposals in the state, Reddy said the government will have to take legal opinion for cancellation of any agreements as the other party can go to courts against unilateral termination of pacts.
On BRS working president K T Rama Rao's comments that the previous BRS regime did not allow Adani Group into the state, Reddy displayed photographs of former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and Rama Rao with Gautam Adani to the mediapersons.
He also read out a list of Adani Group's investment proposals reportedly approved by the BRS government.
"Is he (Rama Rao) ready for a probe on these," Reddy asked.
When pointed out that the state government discussed investment proposals with the Adani Group though Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been raising questions on Adani for several years now, he said Congress is not against any investment proposal or corporate house but crony capitalism and violation of rules.
It is his responsibility to follow his leader when the latter is raising his voice on an issue, Reddy said.
