Lokayukta summons Yediyurappa over land grabbing allegations
Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has been summoned by the Lokayukta in connection with a denotification scam. Minister Krishna Byre Gowda accused Union Minister and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, along with Yediyurappa, of illegally acquiring government land in Bengaluru’s Gangenahalli area. Byre Gowda presented documents during a joint press conference with Revenue Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, outlining the allegations.
The controversy surrounds the denotification of 1 acre and 11 guntas of land, originally acquired by the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) in 1976. By 1978, the acquisition process was completed. In 2007, a benami applicant, Rajasekharaiah, allegedly with Kumaraswamy's support, sought to have this land denotified. Despite officials clarifying that the land had already been acquired, Kumaraswamy reportedly continued pushing for legal action on the request.
Byre Gowda also claimed that after Yediyurappa became Chief Minister, he ignored departmental objections and approved the denotification. The land, valued at hundreds of crores and meant for housing projects, was allegedly transferred to Kumaraswamy’s housemaid through fraudulent means.
In response to these revelations, the Lokayukta has intensified its investigation into the matter.
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Pilikula zoo to welcome penguins, Asiatic lion, yellow anacondas under animal exchange initiative
Mangaluru: Pilikula Biological Park is preparing to welcome a range of new species, including an Asiatic lion, penguins, and yellow anacondas, as part of an animal exchange program.
H. Jayaprakash Bhandary, the park's director, stated that the zoo will receive a male Asiatic lion, wolves, exotic birds, and gharial crocodiles from Nandankanan Biological Park in Odisha. In return, Pilikula will send dhole (wild dog), reticulated pythons, Asian palm civets, and Brahminy kites to Nandankanan.
Additionally, penguins native to South America will be brought from Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo in Mumbai, with Pilikula providing marsh crocodiles in exchange.
Yellow anacondas will be brought from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai, in return for Indian cobras and other venomous snakes from Pilikula.
Exotic birds from S.V. Zoological Park (Tirupati zoo), Andhra Pradesh will be exchanged for Asian palm civets and other animals.
Bhandary noted that the penguins will require a special enclosure to provide a supportive environment, which will be created with the help of CSR funds or donors. He added that the introduction of penguins will lead to an increase in the number of visitors to the zoo.
