Deputy CM DK Shivakumar slams Tejasvi Surya for opposing Tunnel Road project
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday slammed BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for opposing Tunnel Road project. He sought to know Tejasvi Surya and his party's contribution in easing traffic problem in Bengaluru.
"Let anyone oppose (tunnel road). I am least bothered. I know that they (BJP) have put a PIL. They don't want the government to flourish and get a good name," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Wondering why the BJP was opposing the tunnel road project, Shivakumar said the state government is not acquiring any land but using only a small parcel of land near Christ College or University.
He also made it clear that he is open to the idea of alternative solution.
In a bid to allay fear that the historic Lalbagh will be destroyed, Shivakumar said there will be no problem to Lalbagh as it will only pass through it underground.
"It (tunnel road) will go inside. At one side, we will utilise a portion of land temporarily. We will neatly convert it into park (once the project is over). We have to dig it inside. It cannot be done outside, the DCM explained.
Shivakumar asserted that he will not yield to Tejasvi Surya at any point in time. Alleging that the.BJP could not do any good work during their tenure the Deputy CM called Surya an 'empty trunk'. "Tejasvi Surya is like empty trunk," he said.
On Surya's statement that this road is meant only for rich people, Shivakumar Kumar said, "Yes this is for rich, those who have money." He even demanded a plan of action from Tejasvi Surya to ease Bengaluru traffic.
"Let him give us a plan of action. What is his plan of action for Bengaluru?" Shivakumar asked. He alleged that despite being an MP, Surya could not get even Rs 10 sanctioned by PM Narendra Modi for Karnataka.
"What has he done with the MPLAD funds? What was his plan of action when his party's government was there? Why couldn't he sort out traffic problem? Why he couldn't call tender for waste management? Why couldn't he widen the road, build flyover? He couldn't do anything," Shivakumar alleged.
Pointing to the cables hanging overhead menacingly across Bengaluru, the DCM asked Surya, "Why couldn't they (BJP) remove them? They joined hands with mafias and spoilt Bengaluru. Because of them Karnataka was ruined, so people gave us 140 seats (in the 224-member assembly)."
Stating that the Congress government is committed to develop Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, "We will do our work. We are committed. We will do whatever we can to save this 'global city' (Bengaluru)."
On Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy criticising the state government's move to convert B-Khata properties to A-Khata (genuine one) Shivakumar said he been challenging Kumaraswamy to come for debate in any news channel on A-Khatha and B-Khata issue and on what he (Kumaraswamy) had done.
Explaining the state government's initiative to convert their B-Khata property to A-Khata property, the DCM said, "We are asking people to correct their property documents so that they can get loan from banks, so that we can provide good facilities to people. We discussed on this in detail."
He termed giving proper property documents was the Congress party's sixth guarantee. "People have appreciated our initiative and are submitting applications. Why they (BJP) couldn't scan the properties in Bengaluru? It's only us we are going to do. They (BJP) didn't have any such ideas," Shivakumar said.
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Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
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This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
