Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 177 helps Australia thrash Bangladesh in WC
Pune, Nov 11: Mitchell Marsh smashed his way to an unbeaten 177 off 132 balls as Australia warmed up nicely for their semi-final against South Africa with an easy eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their final World Cup league game on Saturday.
Australia thus finished their league engagements with seven wins on the trot. They ended third due to inferior net run-rate compared to South Africa despite having same number of points (14) with the Proteas.
Put in to bat, Bangladesh made 306 for 8 in 50 overs. In reply, Marsh hit 17 fours and nine sixes to end the match in 44.4 overs. He added 120 for the second wicket with David Warner (53) and 175 for the unbroken third wicket stand with Steve Smith (63 not out).
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh: 306 for 8 in 50 overs (Towhid Hridoy 74, Najmul Hossain Shanto 45; Adam Zampa 2/32, Sean Abbott 2/61).
Australia: 307 for 2 in 44.4 overs (Mitchell Marsh 177 not out, David Warner 53, Steve Smith 63 not out).
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NGT halts Karnataka govt plan to divert ₹400 crore from KSPCB
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s move to divert over ₹400 crore from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for non-environmental works has hit a legal hurdle, after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo motu cognisance of the issue.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald, the state government had sought ₹100 crore as a grant, a ₹126 crore interest-free loan, and an additional ₹200 crore loan at an interest rate of 7.5% from the KSPCB. The funds were proposed to be used for projects related to preventing man-animal conflict and for coastal resilience works.
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The principal bench of the NGT, while issuing notices to Karnataka and other states, observed that pollution control boards are already facing severe staff shortages and increasing responsibilities. It noted that while boards are not allowed to fill vacancies to carry out their statutory duties, their funds are being sought for activities not covered under the Air Act or Water Act, which govern their functioning.
Of the total ₹426 crore sought by the state, ₹300 crore was proposed for constructing railway barricades to prevent man-elephant conflict, while ₹126 crore was earmarked for coastal protection works under a climate change mitigation programme.
The report also pointed out that diverting KSPCB funds lacks legal backing under the Water and Air Acts. It referred to a 2023 NGT order that questioned a similar attempt by the Punjab government to divert ₹250 crore, following which Punjab withdrew its proposal.
Officials within the KSPCB have raised concerns over the move, stating that the board requires greater autonomy and urgent reforms. They also flagged acute staff shortages, which have affected the board’s ability to effectively carry out environmental monitoring and regulatory functions.
