Karnataka to build another 300 kms of railway barricades to prevent man-elephant conflict
Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Thursday said the government plans to construct an additional 300 kms of railway barricades at a cost of Rs 500 crore in the forest areas of the state, to address the human-elephant conflict.
Replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Harish Poonja during the Question Hour, the Minister indicated that it may take 2 years to complete the work.
"Along with protecting wildlife, preventing human-wildlife conflict is important. There are elephants outside the forests, in coffee estates. There is no difference between forests and coffee estates for elephants. About 214 elephants are outside forests in Kodagu, 60-70 in Hassan. This is leading to loss of lives," Khandre said.
He noted that the government has already installed 3,807 km of tentacle fencing and 2,711 km of elephant trench.
Apart from this, the Minister said, "Before the Congress government came to power, only 300 km of railway barricades was constructed, now 428 km has been completed. Rs 150 crore additional allocation has been made for 103 km, which has been approved." "There is a demand for another 300 kms for places like Mangaluru region. Wherever railway barricading is necessary, I have asked officials to prepare a list. It will take 2 years for barricading and it will cost Rs 500 crore. The Chief Minister has assured it (amount)," he added.
Khandre attributed the rising man-animal conflict to forest degradation and rapid urbanisation. He also said the implementation of Wildlife Protection Act has led to an increase in animal population.
Citing the 2022 census, the Minister highlighted that Karnataka has the highest number of elephants in the country at 6,395, a number that is likely even higher now. The state also has the second-highest tiger population, with 563.
"There are thousands of leopards," he said and emphasised that developmental works like national highways, electricity connections contribute to the problem by causing fragmentation of elephant corridors.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
