Begin comprehensive development of Anjanadri Hills in a month: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Jun 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday instructed officials to complete the land acquisition process and start the work within a month for comprehensive development of Anjanadri Hills, considered to be the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, at Kishkinda in Koppal district.
The instructions were issued at a meeting chaired by Bommai to review the implementation of Anjanadri Hills Comprehensive Development project.
Stating that about 60 acres of land is required for the project, of which about 58 acres is currently held by private owners, the Chief Minister asked the Deputy Commissioner of Koppal district to acquire the land through direct negotiation with the farmers or through the KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board) land acquisition process.
In the first phase of the project, connecting roads to Anjanadri should be developed, and alternative roads too should be identified and built, he said.
According to his office, the Chief Minister also wanted the officials to widen the State Highway from the National Highway to Gangavathi in the district.
He instructed the officials to prepare a detailed project report and develop parking and other amenities for the pilgrims at the base of the foothills.
Referring to the proposal for building a 430-metre ropeway to reach the top of Anjanadri Hills, Bommai instructed the state tourism department to complete the tender process for the work within two months.
He wanted the officials to create tourist amenities and parking facilities at the base of the ropeway. "I will personally visit Anjanadri Hills before July 15 to inspect the progress of the works," Bommai said.
Ministers Anand Singh, Halappa Achar, Koppal MP Karadi Sanganna and others were present.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
