Bengaluru (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in poll bound Karnataka's northern districts of Yadgiri and Kalaburagi on Thursday to lay foundation stone and inaugurate projects worth more than Rs 10,800 crores.

This will be the second such visit by the Prime Minister to Karnataka this month. He was in Hubballi on January 12 to inaugurate the National Youth Festival, during which he had held a massive road show.

According to an official release, at around 12 noon, in Kodekal, Yadgiri district, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various developmental projects related to irrigation, drinking water besides a National Highway development project.

Later, at around 2:15 PM, Modi will reach Malkhed, Kalaburagi District, where he will distribute title deeds (hakku patra) to the eligible beneficiaries of newly declared revenue villages and also lay the foundation stone for a National Highway project.

The visit also gains significance, as the ruling BJP prepares for assembly polls in Karnataka and has set a target of winning a minimum of 150 out of total 224 seats which will go for polls by May.

Aimed at providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households, Modi will lay the foundation stone for Yadgir multi-village drinking water supply scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission at Kodekal in Yadgiri District, also a Water Treatment Plant of 117 MLD will be built under the scheme.

The project, which costs more than Rs 2,050 crore, will provide potable water to about 2.3 lakh households of more than 700 rural habitations and three towns of Yadgiri district.

During the programme, the PM will also inaugurate Narayanpur Left Bank Canal Extension Renovation and Modernisation Project (NLBC ERM).

The project, with a canal carrying capacity of 10,000 cusecs, can irrigate 4.5 lakh hectares of command area. It will benefit more than three lakh farmers in 560 villages of Kalaburgi, Yadagir and Vijaypur districts. The total cost of the project is about Rs 4,700 crores.

Later, he will also lay the foundation stone of the 65.5 km section of NH-150C. This 6-lane Greenfield road project is part of Surat Chennai Expressway. It is being built at a cost of about Rs 2,000 crore.

Further pointing out that about 1,475 unrecorded habitations have been declared as New Revenue villages in five districts of Kalaburagi, Yadgiri, Raichur, Bidar and Vijayapura, the release said, at Malkhed village of Sedam Taluka of Kalaburagi district, the Prime Minister will distribute title deeds (hakku patra) to the eligible beneficiaries of these newly declared revenue villages.

The issuance of title deeds to more than 50,000 beneficiaries, who are largely from the marginalised and vulnerable communities from the SC, ST and OBC, is a step to provide a formal recognition from the government for their land, and will make them eligible for receiving government services like drinking water, electricity, roads etc.

During the programme, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the 71 km section of NH-150C. This 6 lane Greenfield road project is also part of Surat Chennai Expressway. It is being built at a cost of more than Rs 2,100 crore.

Surat Chennai Expressway will pass through six states- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. It will reduce the existing route from 1,600 Kms to 1,270 Kms.

The PM after finishing with his engagements in Karnataka will leave for Mumbai.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court has quashed an FIR against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in a case stemming from the February 2020 northeast violence observing the existence of a similar case against him.

Justice Subramonium Prasad observed the existence of a prior FIR registered for the same incident that took place on February 24, 2020, and said the chargesheet filed by the Delhi police in the present FIR would be treated as a supplementary chargesheet in the first case.

While the quashed FIR was registered on February 27, 2020 on a complaint by the aggrieved party for the alleged commission of offences, including rioting and mischief on the first floor of a building, under the IPC and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the first FIR was registered on February 25, 2020 on the basis of a complaint by a policeman for similar offences on the ground floor.

"A perusal of the two FIRs show that the rioters first broke open the shutters of Pradeep Parking and set fire to the vehicles parked there and then they went to the first floor of the building in question where food was being prepared for the marriage ceremony. It is stated that the rioters set fire to the goods and destroyed the items which were present on the first floor of the building in question... both the incidents are a part of the same incident," the court said on November 26.

The court, however, noted the trial had begun in both the cases and since victims in both the cases were different, completely quashing the subsequent FIR would cause injustice to the victims in the case.

The court therefore said there were about nine common eye-witnesses in both the FIRs and 23 witnesses were also common in both the FIRs and, no prejudice would be caused to them if the chargesheet in the subsequent FIR was directed to be considered in the first FIR and the trial could proceed accordingly.

"The mistake of the prosecution in filing two FIRs for an incident which has occurred in the same building cannot result in injustice to the victims in FIR 116/2020, who will have no remedy in law if FIR 116/2020 is quashed," the court stated.

"In view of the above, this court is inclined to quash FIR 116/2020, dated February 27, 2020, registered at Police Station Khajuri Khas, with a direction that the chargesheet in FIR 116/2020 be treated as a supplementary chargesheet in FIR 101/2020," ordered the court.

Violence broke out in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 700 injured.

Hussain was represented by advocate Tara Narula.