Israel destroys cross-border tunnel from Gaza
Jerusalem, April 15: The Israeli Army on Sunday claimed to have discovered and destroyed a tunnel allegedly extending tens of metres into Israel from Gaza and that belonged to the Islamist movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus confirmed the destruction of the tunnel, the fifth such tunnel to have been found in the last five months, which the Army said started from Jabalia in northern Gaza and ended near the Israeli community of Nahal Oz, Efe news agency reported.
"The route of the terror tunnel was identified by security forces early on and monitored thereafter," the Israel Army said on Twitter.
Israeli Army also claimed that "violent riots that have been taking place in the area of the security fence are an attempt to mask the terror attacks intended to take place above and below ground".
Since March 30, thousands of peaceful Palestinian demonstrators have set up protest tent camps along the Gaza-Israel border, and the Israeli military has killed at least 33 demonstrators during marches that have taken place near the border each Friday.
According to the United Nations, over 3,700 Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli forces during the Friday marches; 969 Palestinians on April 13, another 1,350 people on April 6 and 1,416 people on March 30.
The protests are calling for the right of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, who according to the United Nations make up around two thirds of Gaza's population, to return to their homeland inside what is now Israel.
The route of the terror tunnel was identified by security forces early on & monitored thereafter. In recent months & especially over the last two weeks, Hamas has turned the area near the security fence into an area of terror & fighting pic.twitter.com/6bJlbpgbmk
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 15, 2018
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka to introduce new affordable housing policy with EWS mandate for private developers
Bengaluru: Karnataka is drafting a new Affordable Housing Policy that may require private real estate developers to allocate a portion of their projects for economically weaker sections (EWS). This initiative is part of preliminary discussions aimed at addressing the state’s housing challenges.
The policy is being developed by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), an urban-focused research organization co-founded by Nandan Nilekani and Deepak Parekh. IIHS was chosen for this task without a tender process.
Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan's office has confirmed that discussions are underway to include a clause mandating private developers to reserve inventory for EWS buyers. At present, residential layouts are only required to allocate spaces for civic amenities such as parks and playgrounds.
The policy is a key component of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's agenda for affordable housing. It aims to streamline procedures in the housing sector while ensuring inter-departmental coordination. It will replace the 2016 housing policy and is expected to help Karnataka secure additional funding from union government housing schemes.
Funding challenges have hindered the state's housing programs, such as the Chief Minister’s One Lakh Housing Scheme, where the per-unit cost of ₹11.2 lakh places a significant financial burden on beneficiaries. With banks reluctant to lend, the government faces an estimated ₹3,700 crore shortfall.
The state is evaluating two affordable housing models proposed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The first model, the Land Sharing Model, involves the government providing land to private developers, who would dedicate 30-50% of the land to affordable housing. Once the housing units are completed, they would be handed over to the government for distribution, while the developers would monetize the remaining land.
The second model, the Interest Subsidy Model, suggests offering a 3-5% subsidy on home loan interest, which would reduce monthly installments for beneficiaries from ₹8,700 to ₹5,500-6,800. This approach is expected to cost the government ₹60-170 crore annually.
