All those who benefit from nature have a responsibility to protect it: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Sep 11: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that everyone who is benefiting from nature has a responsibility to protect it and that afforestation should increase since the state does not have adequate forest cover.
He paid floral tributes at the Martyrs' Memorial at Aranya Bhavan on the occasion of National Forest Martyrs' Day.
"It is a good thing that the number of elephants and tigers in the state is increasing. But more effective work needs to be done to avoid animal-human conflict and protect human and animal wealth."
He called for the use of modern technology available for this purpose.
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Siddaramaiah said the compensation amount given to the families of forest martyrs has been increased from Rs 30 to 50 lakh.
Emphasising that forest martyrs are the saviours of mankind, he wished that their sacrifice would be an inspiration for forest conservation.
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PWD, Google Maps officials booked in Bareilly bridge death case
Budaun (UP), Nov 25: Police here have booked officials of the Public Works Department and Google Maps in connection with the death of three men whose car rolled over an under-construction bridge while following directions on the navigation app, an officer on Monday said.
The car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge in Dataganj Police Station area early Sunday.
Nitin and Ajit, aged 30, both brothers from Farrukhabad district, and Amit, 40, from Mainpuri district, were on their way from Noida to Faridpur in Bareilly to attend a wedding.
According to police, the driver was led by Google Maps into taking the unsafe route.
The incident took place on the Bareilly-Budaun border.
Dataganj Police Station SHO Gaurav Bishnoi said an FIR on charges of laxity in duty and others was filed against four engineers of the PWD, along with some unknown people.
The regional officer of Google Map has also been brought under the scope of investigation. His name is yet to be included in the FIR.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Google in a statement said, "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families. We're working closely with the authorities and providing our support to investigate the issue."
On Sunday, Faridpur Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said, "Earlier this year, floods caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse onto the river, but this change had not been updated in the system."
He said the bridge had no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach.
