Issue over pay for bus crew will end soon: Karnataka Deputy CM
Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi on Saturday said the issue of non-payment of salaries to the state-run transport corporations would be resolved in the next three or four days.
Though important festivals are lined up this month, the KSRTC and the BMTC employees have not received the salary as the corporation has been running in huge losses due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and the limited passengers allowed to maintain social distancing.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, Savadi, who holds the transport portfolio, said, "There were some issues related to the payment of salaries but it will be resolved in the next three or four days."
Savadi said the department has incurred massive losses due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
The salaries were borne by the state government for the next two to three months but after that it was agreed upon by the state government and the transport department to share the burden of salaries of employees at a ratio of 75 and 25 respectively.
"With that arrangement, we paid four months' salary but this month is a big challenge because our revenues have dried up and we are running in loss. When we sent the proposal to the Finance Department to bail us out as per the agreement, they returned it," Savadi said.
According to him, the proposal has been sent to the finance department again.
Sources in the transport department said the annual spending on salaries is around Rs 325 crore.
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Karnataka records 274 springs in first statewide census, majority located in Western Ghats
Hubballi: In its first-ever comprehensive census conducted during 2023-24, Karnataka has identified 274 natural springs across the State with 144 classified as perennial, 114 as seasonal and 16 reported to have dried up.
The enumeration was carried out by the Karnataka Minor Irrigation and Groundwater Development Department in association with the Groundwater Directorate as part of a Union government initiative, according to a Deccan Herald report. Officials were quoted as saying that the nine-month exercise involved field visits to nearly all identified springs. These springs were digitally mapped using a dedicated mobile application.
Belagavi district recorded the highest number of springs at 59, followed by Uttara Kannada with 31, while Chamarajanagar and Kodagu reported 23 each. Dharwad, Ramanagar, Bengaluru Rural, Davangere and Kolar districts have one spring each.
Bendru Teertha in Dakshina Kannada is the only hot spring documented in the State, which is attributed to a distinct hydrological formation. Springs in Talacauvery in Kodagu, Javali in Chikkamagaluru and Ambutheertha in Shivamogga, are the source points of major rivers such as the Cauvery, Hemavathi and Sharavathi.
According to the directorate, springs are natural discharge points where groundwater flows to the surface through openings in the earth’s crust, which occur when the water table intersects with the ground surface or when groundwater is forced out through fractures, faults or permeable rock layers.
The Western Ghats and Malnad regions, covering districts like Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi and Shivamogga, account for a significant share of the springs due to high rainfall and favourable geological conditions.
K B Rajendra, Director of the Groundwater Directorate, was quoted by Deccan Herald as saying that nearly 80 per cent of the springs are located in rural areas. He noted that apart from those associated with religious or historical sites, most springs remain open and lack protective measures.
Noting their vital contributions to drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, especially in areas with hills and mountains, Rajendra said that these springs help maintain the flow of rivers and streams when the weather is dry, thereby supporting ecological balance and promoting biodiversity.
He added that the census findings would serve as a database for conservation, rejuvenation efforts, groundwater management and long-term water resource planning in the State.
