Panel smells rat in banning traffic movement on Shiradi Ghat
Sakaleshpura, August 24: Protect Shiradi Ghat Action Committee president Sanjith Shetty smelt the rat in the decision of closing traffic movement on Shiradi Ghats making small incidents as big one.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Shetty said that there were few landslides and cracks on the Shiradi Ghats due to heavy rains and the mud covered on the road could be removed in a few hours and cracks could be closed. But colluding with the contractors, the elected representatives and the officials have planned to loot money in the name of repair works. There was no need to close the vehicular movement on the road for such a small work. They demanded Rs 6 crore for repairing the road and said that they would require five months to do it and thus, conspired to loot the money, he alleged.
In order to loot the public money, some officials and elected representatives joined hands together. So, the Hassan and Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioners should verify the spots and see to it that there should not be any misuse of money. If the repair work was not completed by September first week and open for traffic movement, the Committee would stage protest against this decision, he warned.
Railway Passengers Welfare Forum president Narayana Alva said that Shiradi road was the only route to link Bengaluru and Mangaluru. But it was closed with ulterior motive. The train service which was started because of the forums continuous efforts was also closed due to landslide. As a result, people were finding it difficult to take people who required medical treatment to Mangaluru. In fact, vehicular movement on Charmadi ghat was also critical. When this was the situation, the authorities should not mislead the people and it was condemnable. Traffic movement should start immediately. Otherwise, they would force them to protest, he warned.
Malnad Welfare Forum convener Kishore Shiradi, Yathish Kumar Gundya, Kumar and others were present.
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EAM Jaishankar holds talks with EU counterparts in Brussels, discusses Iran conflict
New Delhi (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his counterparts from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) in Brussels focusing on global flashpoints in Ukraine and West Asia as well as ways to deepen India's relations with Europe.
Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to the Belgian capital at the invitation of EU Foreign and Security Policy Chief Kaja Kallas to attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the bloc.
It is the first high-level visit from India to Brussels headquartered EU after the two sides firmed up a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in January.
The external affairs minister held separate meetings with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and his counterparts from Germany, Greece and Belgium.
"A new chapter in India-EU ties has opened up in 2026," Jaishankar said in an apparent reference to the outcomes reached by the two sides in their summit meeting in January in New Delhi.
"The Foreign Ministers coordinate translating the various agreements into outcomes. Our conversation today therefore covered trade, investment, technology, mobility and defence in particular," he said on social media.
"The stronger convergence between India and EU in a multipolar world is also expressed in closer consultations. Discussed the West Asia conflict, the Ukraine situation and the Indo-Pacific in today's gathering," he said.
Apart from the FTA, the India-EU summit produced a plethora of other outcomes including a security and defence partnership and a comprehensive framework for cooperation on mobility.
The Foreign Affairs Council discussed how to better protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including possible contributions by the EU's naval mission Aspides, and a European security strategy, Kallas told reporters.
Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran has virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
The West Asia region has been a major source of India's energy procurement.
The closure of the strait is hurting the global economy and it is helping Moscow fund its war, Kallas said, days after the US temporarily lifted sanctions on procurement of Russian crude oil.
She said the focus on the Middle East should not take the focus away from the war in Ukraine, and the easing of US sanctions on Russian oil sets a "dangerous precedent".
Following his meeting with Von der Leyen, Jaishankar said her highly successful state visit to India in January marked a "turning point" in India-EU ties. "We are following up vigorously on it."
Von der Leyen said that the two sides had concluded a free trade agreement, "the mother of all deals", and signed the Security and Defence Partnership.
"Now we are focused on efficient implementation, to deliver for the people of Europe and India as soon as possible," she said.
"We also discussed developments in the Middle East and in Ukraine. De-escalation, stability and energy security are our shared objectives," she added.
After his talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar said they exchanged notes on the conflict in West Asia.
"A valuable exchange of notes on the conflict in West Asia. Also took stock of the progress of our bilateral relations following the State visit of @bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz to India," he said.
