Kundapur: Lokayukta arrest Forest Dept employee while accepting bribe to release seized vehicle
Kundapur: Lokayukta Police on Wednesday arrested an employee of the Kundapur Forest Department for allegedly accepting a bribe related to the release of a vehicle under the custody of the Forest Department.
The accused, B. Manjunath Pujari, who works at the Kundapur Deputy Forest Conservator's office, was taken into custody. Pujari was accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 15,000 for the release of a vehicle belonging to Aditya of Alur, which was impounded by the Forest Department.
Aditya, unwilling to succumb to bribery, reported the incident to the Udupi Lokayukta police. Responding to the complaint, the Lokayukta police orchestrated a successful operation resulting in the arrest of Manjunath Pujari while he was allegedly accepting the bribe.
The operation, conducted under the supervision of Lokayukta SP Simon and DySP K.C Prakash, involved the coordinated efforts of police inspectors Manjunath and Rafiq, along with personnel Nagesh Udupa, Nagaraj, Raghavendra, Rohit, Prasanna Devadiga, Abdul Jalal, Ravindra Ganiga, Ramesh, Suraj, and Sudhir.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
