‘Bengaluru bandh’ if BBMP division decision is not withdrawn: Vatal Nagaraj
Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj on Saturday warned that a ‘Bengaluru Bandh’ would be called if the state government does not withdraw its decision to divide the city into five municipalities under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Act. He termed the move “fatal to the existence of Kannadigas” and claimed it would increase the influence of non-Kannada speakers in the city.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Press Club in Bengaluru, Nagaraj said that the decision to split the city would damage its prestige and dignity. “Reducing Bengaluru to the level of a taluk is unacceptable. Appointing five mayors and placing the Chief Minister at the helm of the GBA is against the spirit of decentralised local governance,” he stated. “This move paves the way for political domination by non-Kannada speakers,” he added.
He demanded that, instead of forming five separate municipal corporations, elections should first be held for the unified city corporation. He also criticised the collapse of the city’s civic infrastructure. “Garbage is piling up across the city, roads are riddled with potholes, and lakes are being polluted due to encroachments. Yet, the authorities remain indifferent. Basic civic services are being ignored while the government continues to impose garbage collection taxes,” he alleged.
Vatal Nagaraj announced that a public awareness campaign will be launched from August 14 to expose what he called the government's betrayal of Kannadigas. He also revealed plans to hold discussions with writers, film actors, and artists on the issue. “If our demands are not fulfilled, we will be forced to call for a Bengaluru Bandh,” he reiterated.
Leaders Parthasarathy, Girish Gowda, Narayanaswamy, and others were present at the press meet.
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Pune airport runway restored after IAF aircraft snag; ops resume
Pune (PTI): The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday.
The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday, a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked.
As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.
Earlier on Friday night, the Air Force had stated that the runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving one of its fighter aircraft. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.
"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.
