Heavy rains lash coastal, south Karnataka
Bengaluru, Aug 11: Heavy rains of up to 15 cm lashed coastal and southern Karnataka, causing rivers to overflow and creating a flood-like situation in villages and towns in the region, said an official on Saturday.
"Heavy rains are being received in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi, along with south interior districts of Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Shivamogga," the Director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) G.S. Srinivasa Reddy told IANS here.
Dakshina Kannada received a maximum of 14.9 cm over the last 24 hours, Uttara Kannada 10.5 cm, Udupi district 7.8 cm, Shivamogga district 9.4 cm, and Kodagu 10.2 cm.
Schools and colleges in Dakshina Kannada remained shut on Saturday owing to the heavy rains, an official said.
Heavy rains are likely to continue in the region over the next three days, a weather advisory from the Bengaluru centre of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
With the state's reservoirs in the Cauvery basin being filled to their maximum capacity due to bountiful rains over the last two months, any additional rains are causing the rivers to overflow, Reddy said.
In the Cauvery basin, Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir across Cauvery river in Mandya district, Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district across Kabini river, one of the major tributaries of Cauvery, have been filled to their full capacity.
"Due to excessive rains in Wayanad district in north Kerala, Kabini reservoir has received excess water which had to be released with the dam already being full," Reddy added.
About 80,000 cusecs of rain water was released from Kabini reservoir, and 59,000 cusecs from KRS reservoir since Friday, Mysuru district Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Shankar said.
"People in the low-lying areas in the nearby villages and towns of the reservoirs have been shifted to safe locations with the water being released. Police, fire services and other district officials are on duty day and night to assist people," Shankar told IANS.
The released water has flooded several farmlands and roads in the villages and towns of Mysuru district.
There were reports of several houses being submerged in the district and roads being damaged as a result of the water flow.
The IMD, while advising farmers to be prepared for heavy rains in coastal and south interior districts over the next few days, has asked fishermen not to venture into the Arabian Sea due to heavy winds along the Karnataka coast.
Northern Karnataka, which continues to face deficit rainfall, is likely to receive rains over the next few days, according to the weather office.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
