Kʼtaka: MLAs of coastal districts seek Rs 1,000-crore special package for infrastructure development
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Bengaluru: The BJP and Congress members have called on the state government to allocate Rs 1,000 crore for infrastructure development under the Karnataka Coastal Development Authority. The proposed funds would reportedly focus on rebuilding rain-affected roads, improving infrastructure, and promoting temple, beach, and eco-tourism across the three districts in a unified approach.
Additionally, the MLAs urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to declare Tulu as the official language of Karnataka by adopting a report submitted by a committee headed by Mohan Alva, founder of Alva’s Education Foundation, Moodabidri, in the State Cabinet, as reported by The Hindu.
The debate, started by V. Sunil Kumar, highlighted ongoing challenges faced by the coastal region, emphasising the need for annual funding from the state budget, akin to the allocations made for the Kalyana-Karnataka region. He criticised the government for neglecting the coastal region’s needs.
Kumar pointed out that no allocation has been proposed in the Budget for the Paschima Vahini project for construction of vetted dams and store water flowing in west-flowing rivers of coastal districts. He added that the project was formed following concerns that the Yettinahole project would diminish water supply to coastal areas. Furthermore, he urged the government to prioritise the merger of Konkan Railway with Indian Railways and allocate funds for the development of railway stations in the coastal region.
He also voiced concerns over restrictions imposed by wildlife sanctuaries in the region, such as Kudremukh, Mookambika, and Someshwara, which have hindered locals from building homes or earning livelihoods. “The government should take delegation to the Centre to relax norms in areas around these sanctuaries,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Ashok Rai demanded increased quotas for locals in public sector units like MRPL, NMPT, and Mangaluru International Airport, the report added.
Harish Poonja pressed for the establishment of a high court bench in Mangaluru and the development of beach tourism to combat unemployment. Other key issues raised included the drug menace near educational institutions, plantation efforts on bagar-hukum lands, expanded rural transport through KSRTC, and the provision of funds for tackling diseases affecting arecanut plants.
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Can't say when I'll return to India; legally barred from leaving UK: Mallya to Bombay HC
Mumbai (PTI): Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, facing multiple cases of fraud and money laundering, told the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that he cannot say when he will return to India as he is legally barred from leaving the UK.
In a statement submitted through his counsel Amit Desai to the high court, Mallya said he did not have an active passport after it was revoked and hence, he cannot give a definite date of return to India.
The statement was submitted after a bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad made it clear last week that it would not hear Mallya's plea against the order declaring a fugitive economic offender until he returns to India.
The court had then asked the former liquor to clarify whether or not he intended to return to India.
Mallya, based in the United Kingdom since 2016, has filed two petitions in the HC -- one challenging an order declaring him a fugitive economic offender and the other questioning the constitutional validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
The 70-year-old liquor baron is accused of defaulting on multiple loan repayments of several thousand crores and facing money laundering charges.
The businessman, in his statement to HC, said he cannot give a definite date for his return as he does not have his Indian passport, which was revoked by the government in 2016, and also because there are orders of courts in England and Wales that prohibit him from leaving the country.
"Mallya is not permitted to leave or attempt to leave England and Wales or apply for or be in possession of any international travel document. In any event, the petitioner is unable to precisely state when he will return to India," Desai read out the statement in the court.
The senior counsel reiterated that Mallya's presence was not required in the country for the court to hear his pleas against the fugitive tag and the provisions of the Act.
"If he (Mallya) were to appear in India, then all these proceedings would be rendered irrelevant as the statute says that once the offender appears in the concerned court of law, then all these orders would be set aside," Desai told the court.
The bench directed the Union government to file its reply to Mallya's statement and posted the matter for further hearing next month.
Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 by a special court hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The businessman left India in March 2016.
