Stop Karnataka from raising height of Almatti dam: Maharashtra to Centre
New Delhi, Aug 4 (PTI): Maharashtra government on Monday urged the intervention of the Centre to rein in Karnataka from raising the height of the Almatti dam on the Krishna River, contending that the backwaters of the river would cause flooding in Kolhapur and Sangli districts of the state.
In a memorandum to Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the Karnataka government's proposal to raise the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the dam from the present 519.60 metres to 524.256 metres will have serious and irreversible consequences for the flood-prone districts of Sangli and Kolhapur, located in the Krishna River basin.
"Our state has consistently articulated its objections, citing environmental and human impact concerns, and has presented data to support our position," said the memorandum handed over by Vikhe-Patil to the Union minister.
"We seek your kind intervention to terminate the approval of the height raising of Almatti dam," he said.
Members of Parliament, Members of the Maharashtra Assembly and ministers of the state government were present in the meeting with Patil.
They said severe floods occurred in Sangli and Kolhapur districts during 2019 and 2021 due to extremely heavy rainfall and Almatti dam backwaters.
Vikhe-Patil said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already written to the Centre expressing strong reservations regarding the proposed height increase of the dam.
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Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Phuket after tragedy, say police
Panaji (PTI): Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, fled to Phuket hours after the tragedy, Goa Police said on Monday.
"Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of the CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest," a senior police officer said.
A massive fire at the nightclub, some 25 kilometres away from Panaji, on late Saturday night killed 25 persons. The deceased comprised 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Five injured people were undergoing treatment at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
After registering an FIR against them, a Look Out Circular was issued against them by December 7 by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, and it was found that both the accused had taken the 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, immediately after the fire incident, which occurred around midnight, the officer said.
READ ALSO: Goa nightclub fire: Owner Saurabh Luthra expresses grief, assures management support
He said the Goa Police had immediately dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
"Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house. This shows their intent to avoid the police investigation", he said.
Goa Police have obtained transit remand of Bharat Kohli, an employee of the club, and are bringing him to Goa.
He also said that the postmortem on all 25 deceased has been completed and bodies handed over to their families.
