Former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi appears in Gokak
Bengaluru, January 2: Former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi who was ‘not reachable’ after dropping him from the Cabinet and created ‘panic’ to the existence of the coalition government, finally appeared in Gokak on Wednesday.
Ramesh was dropped from the Cabinet during the Cabinet expansion of the coalition government on December 22.
Since then, he was not reachable. But on Tuesday late night, he came to his residence at Gokak and left home on Wednesday morning, it is said.
Ramesh who went to Mumbai, Delhi and other places, has been planning to increase the number of MLAs. Though former chief minister Siddaramaiah, minister Satish Jarkiholi and others tried to contact him, he was unavailable to contact.
Amidst this, BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa has created curiosity by saying that ‘if BJP formed the government, Siddaramaiah has to sit in Opposition’. Responding to it, Siddaramaiah accused the ‘BJP of indulging in horse trading’.
Now the sudden appearance of Ramesh Jarkiholi has created suspicions. It is said that he has gone to Belagavi from Gokak.
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Nigeria confirms at least 27 people died, more than 100 missing after boat capsized
Abuja (AP): At least 27 people died and more than 100, mostly women, were missing on Friday, after a boat transporting them to a food market capsized along the River Niger in northern Nigeria, authorities said.
About 200 passengers were on the boat that was going from the state of Kogi to neighbouring state of Niger when it capsized, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu told The Associated Press.
Rescuers managed to pull 27 bodies from the river by Friday evening while local divers were still searching for others, according to Sandra Musa, spokeswoman for the Kogi state emergency services.
No survivor was found about 12 hours after the incident occurred, she added.
Authorities have not confirmed what caused the sinking but local media suggested the boat may have been overloaded. Overcrowding on boats is common in remote parts of Nigeria where the lack of good roads leaves many with no alternative routes.
According to Justin Uwazuruonye, who is in charge of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency operations in the state, rescuers had trouble finding the location of the capsizing for hours after Friday's tragedy struck.
Such deadly incidents are increasingly becoming a source of concern in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, as authorities struggle to enforce safety measures and regulations for water transportation.
Most of the accidents have been attributed to overcrowding and the lack of maintenance of the boats, often built locally to accommodate as many passengers as possible in defiance of safety measures.
Also, authorities have not been able to enforce the use of life jackets on such trips, often because of lack of availability or cost.
