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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Vadodara car crash: FSL report reveals accused smoked marijuana, was not drunk
Vadodara: The main accused in the March 14 car crash in Vadodara, Rakshit Chaurasia, had smoked marijuana but was not under the influence of alcohol, according to the primary report from Gandhinagar’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Chaurasia, a 20-year-old law student, was driving a speeding car that rammed into two-wheelers near Muktanand crossroads in Karelibaug, killing a woman and injuring several others.
The FSL’s findings, as cited by police officials, revealed that Chaurasia’s blood sample tested positive for marijuana. Two others who were in the car with him—Praanshu Chauhan and Suresh Bharwad—also tested positive for the same. All three have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Chaurasia has also been booked under s. 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which deals with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He is currently lodged in Vadodara Central Jail. Chauhan has also been arrested, while Bharwad remains absconding.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, Panna Momaya, the blood reports confirmed drug consumption. "They were driving the car after smoking marijuana," she said.
CCTV footage showed the car speeding before taking a sharp turn and hitting the two-wheeler. In the moments before the crash, Chaurasia was seen behaving erratically, shouting "another round, another round," followed by chanting “Om Namah Shivay” and calling out a girl’s name, “Nikita.”
Later, Chaurasia told reporters that a pothole caused the accident and claimed he was driving at 50 km/hr. He also said the airbag deployment had obstructed his view.
