CM Kumaraswamy demands Centre for immediate coal supply to Raichur Thermal Power Station
New Delhi, Dec 27:Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday here and demanded the Centre to ensure immediate supply of coal to Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS).
RTPS, Yermarus Thermal Power Station and Ballari Thermal Power Station are facing coal shortages for quite some time.
"During the meeting, the chief minister requested him (Goyal) to allot coal blocks for RTPS, BTPS and Yaramaras plants," said an official statement issued by the Karnataka government.
Kumaraswamy also requested the Centre to direct state-run Coal India and its subsidiary Western Coalfields to supply coal immediately to RTPS which has low stock.
Besides coal, the chief minister also discussed a railway-related project with Goyal, who also holds the charge of the railways ministry.
Kumaraswamy sought the Centre to take up construction of a new railway line from Bidar to Naded.
Bidar is one of the most backward districts in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and it also a pilgrimage place for Sikhs and included under the Nanded pilgrimage circuit.
A survey on the 154-km new railway line is complete and submitted to the Railway Board. The chief minister sought to implement the project soon.
Kumaraswamy has lined up a couple of meetings with Union ministers to discuss pending state issues. Earlier during the day, he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and sought extension of GST compensation period beyond 2025.
He is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later during the day to discuss drought relief fund.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
