K'taka not to compromise in river linking projects; will take steps to get state's share: CM Bommai
New Delhi, Feb 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said his government has a "clear view" on the proposed river-linking projects related to the Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery, and that it will take all steps to get the state's share of water and not compromise.
Bommai, who is in the national capital on a two-day visit, also told reporters that the central government has asked the Karnataka government to discuss with the states concerned before finalising a detailed project report (DPR).
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her 2022-23 budget speech, had proposed five river linking projects in the country -- Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar, Pennar-Cauvery, Dharmaganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada. Of these, Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery projects are of concern to Karnataka.
Asked about the three projects related to the state, the Karnataka chief minister said, "In river linking projects, our view is very clear and will take all steps to take the share of Karnataka."
The state government has taken the matter seriously as Krishna and Cauvery are the main rivers that are the lifeline for the state, he said and noted, "We will not compromise on this issue."
Asked if the state government has demanded its share of surplus water, Bomai said the issue of surplus water and river linking are different.
"It is linking of Himalayan and peninsular rivers. We have clarity on this. The same wiil be conveyed," he added.
Bommai had at the recently held Southern Zonal Council meet at Tirupati said peninsular rivers should not be interlinked before the state's share of surplus water is finalised.
The interlinking of Himalayan and peninsular rivers as well as the linking of 37 inter-state rivers had been mired in controversy since it was first proposed by the British in the 19th century.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ahmedabad plane crash: Six months on, college hostel lies in ruins, sans bustle of students
Ahmedabad (PTI): Six months after the AI-171 plane crash, the B J Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad stands as a haunting reminder, with its charred walls and burnt trees replacing the once lively chatter of students with an eerie stillness.
Scattered across the crash site are grim remnants of daily life - burnt cars and motorcycles, twisted beds and furniture, charred books, clothes and personal belongings.
The Atulyam-4 hostel building and the adjoining canteen complex stand abandoned, with entry strictly prohibited.
For residents near the site, memories of the incident still linger, casting a lasting shadow on their lives, with some of them saying they are still afraid to look up at the sky when an aircraft passes overhead.
On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 persons.
The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar, turning a lively student neighbourhood into a landscape of ruin and grief.
"The area now lies very silent, only a few birds chirp here," Sanjaybhai, a security guard deployed at the premises by authorities to prevent trespassing, told PTI.
Mahendrasingh Jadeja, a general store owner whose shop is just 50 metres from the point where the aircraft struck, described it as an unimaginable calamity. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this."
Pointing to a tree behind his shop, the 60-year-old said the aircraft first struck there before crashing into the hostel building.
"It was a scorching summer afternoon. Not many people were outside. When I heard a loud crashing sound, I ran out of my shop. We were all terrified," he recalled.
"Even today, we instinctively look up whenever a plane passes overhead," he added.
Another local, Manubhai Rajput, who lives barely 200 metres from the site, said he witnessed the horror unfold on June 12.
"The plane was flying unusually low. Before I could understand what was happening, there was thick black smoke and a deafening crash," he said.
For over three decades, Rajput and his neighbours lived close to the airport without giving much thought to the aircraft overhead.
"We never looked up at the sky. But that day is etched in my mind. The plane hit a tree first, and then there was a loud sound," he said.
Rajput recalled how hundreds of locals rushed to the site even before police, fire services or the Army arrived.
Tinaben, another resident of Meghaninagar, said she never imagined something like this could happen in Ahmedabad.
"Despite being close to the airport, this area always felt safe," she said.
As an aircraft roared overhead during the conversation, Tinaben paused, looked up nervously and said, "It's still scary."
A senior official of Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the state government has yet to decide what to do with the damaged site.
Currently, investigations are going on and the site is strictly prohibited for people, he added.
