Have asked Centre to increase allotment of coal to Karnataka, says CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Oct 10: In view of a possible power crisis in the State due to the shortage of coal, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he has asked the Centre to increase the coal supply.
"I have already stated that we have requested the Centre to increase the supply of coal by four racks," he said.
He said Karnataka has got an allotment of coal from mines in Chandrapur in Maharashtra and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited in Odisha and both the projects need clearances.
"I have met the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav, who, too, has assured me that once the letter from Maharashtra reaches him, he will expedite the process," Bommai said.
Regarding Mahanadi Coalfield, Bommai said a number of clearances have been obtained but a few more are needed.
The Chief Minister was optimistic that once the coal from the two mines was allotted, the production cost would reduce.
He said he has made the request to Yadav, and Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal and Mines, to speed up the allotment process. He said he has also asked Joshi to increase the coal supply.
To a query on reduction in petrol and diesel prices, Bommai said the decision would be taken keeping in mind the financial condition of the State.
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'I am being framed', claims convict Sanjay Roy in court ahead of sentencing in RG Kar case
Kolkata (PTI): Sanjay Roy, convicted of the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Monday claimed in a court here that he was innocent and had been "wrongly held guilty".
Roy was on Saturday held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.
"I am being framed and have not committed any crime. I have not done anything, and still, I have been held guilty," Roy told the court ahead of sentencing in the case.
"I was beaten up in the prison and was forced to sign papers," he added.
Roy was convicted by Judge Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court, Sealdah under Sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.
During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict, calling the crime "rarest of the rare".
"We pray for the highest penalty to maintain people's faith in society," the agency's counsel told the court.
The defence lawyer of Roy argued that the prosecution must provide evidence, which can prove that there is no possibility of reform of the convict.
The defence lawyer prayed for “an alternative punishment other than the death penalty” to allow his reformation.
The lawyer representing the parents of the deceased doctor prayed for the maximum punishment, arguing that Roy, being a civic volunteer, was entrusted with the security of the hospital, but had himself committed the heinous crime on the victim he was supposed to protect.
The hearing of the convict's self-defence and other stakeholders concluded at around 1 pm, and the Judge stated that the sentence would be pronounced at 2:45 pm.
