Have taken up challenge to restore rain-battered Bengaluru: CM Bommai
‘Maladministration of Cong governments has led to deluge in capital city’
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday blamed the previous Congress governments' 'maladministration' and unprecedented rains in the capital city for the deluge.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, despite all odds, his government has taken it up as a challenge to restore the rain-battered city, and ensure that such things don't recur.
Owing to the torrential downpour that lashed the state capital for the last couple of days, several areas are still under water with houses and vehicles partially inundated, thereby affecting normal life.
"Karnataka, especially Bengaluru, has not received unprecedented heavy rain. For the last 90 years, such rain has not been recorded. All the tanks are overflowing; some of them have breached. There have been continuous rains, every day it is raining," Bommai said.
He said, a picture is being portrayed that the entire city is facing difficulties, which is not the case. "Basically, the issue lies in two zones, particularly the Mahadevapura zone, for reasons such as the presence of 69 tanks in that small area. Almost all the tanks have either breached or are overflowing. Secondly, all establishments are in low lying areas, and the third is encroachments," he listed out.
Blaming the "maladministration and unplanned administration" of the previous Congress governments for the present day misery, Bommai said that they had given permissions for construction activities "right-left-centre" in the lake areas, on the tank bunds and buffer zones. They had never thought of maintaining the lakes, he said.
Stating that his government has taken overcoming the situation as a "challenge", the CM said, officers, engineers, workers and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are working round-the-clock. "I have given Rs 1,500 crores for development of storm water drains, I have yesterday released Rs 300 crore to remove all encroachments and do a pucca structure along the storm water drains and for the infrastructure, so that there are no impediments and bottleneck in the flow of water,” said Bommai.
"We have cleared lots of encroachments and will continue to do so. We are installing sluice gates by the tanks so that they can be managed better. I have instructed officials to ensure that the control room staff work for longer hours. We have started dewatering in most of the areas. Other than one or two areas, almost all areas have been dewatered," Bommai said, adding that there is no respite from rain for such work to continue properly.
Observing that the T K Halli pump house in Malavalli taluk of Mandya, which pumps Cauvery water to Bengaluru, is affected due to overflowing of the Bheemeshwara River and water from the surrounding lakes, the CM said, two pump houses were affected. “Flood water is being drained out, but it will take two days to drain out water and to resume work in full capacity,” he added.
An alternative plan has been formulated for water supply to Bengaluru, he said. “Around 8,000 bore wells are under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and 4,000 under Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be activated and they would supply water during the disruption in Cauvery water supply to areas. Water in tankers will be supplied on behalf of the government to the areas where there are no bore wells, he added. "I request cooperation from the people for the next couple of days,” Bommai stated.
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Ex-Army officer assaulted, robbed at gunpoint by woman he met through matrimonial website
Mathura(UP), Apr 5 (PTI): A retired Army colonel from Haryana has filed a police complaint here, alleging that he was held hostage, assaulted, looted and forced to participate in an "obscene video" at gunpoint with a woman he met through a matrimonial website, police said on Saturday.
The woman from Mathura, who was allegedly in on the plan to rob him, was working with other accomplices, the ex-armyman said in his complaint filed on Thursday.
According to Barsana Station House Officer (SHO) Raj Kamal Singh, Colonel Rajneesh Soni (retired), a resident of Gurugram, reported that he was contacted by a woman from Barsana on a matrimonial website in January. The woman allegedly agreed to marry him, and they began communicating.
The woman allegedly persuaded the colonel to visit Barsana on January 25, requesting that he visit the Radharani temple. When he arrived, she arranged for his stay at a guest house and took him on a tour of the area, including a visit to the temple, the complainant said.
After returning to the guest house, the woman and her accomplices allegedly told the colonel that her brother had been involved in an accident and they needed to leave immediately. They then led him to a waiting car.
"Once outside the town limits, the colonel alleges that he was attacked by the occupants of the car. They seized his phone, physically assaulted him, and forced him to contact relatives and friends to transfer money," the SHO said.
"He was then taken back to the guest house, where he was allegedly forced to participate in obscene videos and photographs at gunpoint. He was threatened that the videos would be made public if he reported the incident," the officer said.
The colonel has alleged that his purse, bag, gold chain, debit card and Rs. 12,000 in cash were stolen from the guest house.
After an unsuccessful attempt at locating the perpetrators himself, the colonel finally reported the incident to the Barsana police two days ago, he said.
"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and all facts are being investigated. Further action will be taken as per facts found in the investigation," the SHO said.
