Bengaluru, Jun 9 (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said that a proposal will soon be submitted to the government to include Tumakuru under the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

He also said that the Tumakuru which is located around 70 km from Bengaluru is growing rapidly.

"We have developed an industrial hub (at Tumakuru) in an area of 20,000 acre. Many are demanding that Tumakuru should be expanded. A study is being conducted on this. If Tumakuru is included in Greater Bengaluru, it will benefit us in terms of development. We will submit a proposal regarding the same," he told reporters here.

He said that the Karnataka government will also take a call on extending metro services to Tumakuru.

Referring to his Monday's meeting with Union Minister V Somanna, who represents Tumakuru Lok Sabha constituency, he said, "Somanna has said that Tumakuru requires metro connectivity. Let there be both metro and suburban rail connectivity."

Parameshwara, who is also in-charge minister for the Tumakuru district, said, "We are proposing to build an arch on the National Highway in Tumkuru and have requested Union Minister Somannna to get a permission from National Highway Authority. I have given a representation to Gadkari ji (Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways). Somanna has assured me that he will talk to Gadkari and get permission."

The home minister said that he requested Somanna to get approvals for many project proposals related to drinking water that come under the purview of the Central government.

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Bengaluru, Aug 14 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said there was a “conspiracy” to tarnish the image of Dharmasthala.

His comments come amid an ongoing investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into serious allegations of mass burials in the revered temple town in Dakshina Kannada district.

“A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy hundreds of years of legacy. It is not correct to tarnish someone just like that. It has all happened due to one complainant,” he said.

Noting that some Congress MLAs have called for action against those involved in the slander campaign at the legislature party meeting, he said, “ I have told them that action must be taken against those who are indulging in a slander campaign. The CM has also said that action must be taken against such people.”

“I have information on this case. Religious feelings should not be hurt in any manner. Culprits must be punished,” he told reporters, according to a release from his office.

Responding to a question, Shivakumar said the Congress party will not allow the image of any religious place to be tarnished.

“We see everyone equally when it comes to religion,” he added.

The SIT, formed by the state government, is probing claims of mass murder, rape, and mass burials in Dharmasthala over the past two decades.

The complainant, a former sanitation worker whose identity has not been revealed, alleged that between 1995 and 2014 he was forced to handle bodies—including women and minors—and that some showed signs of sexual assault. He has given a statement before a magistrate.

As part of the probe, the SIT has been conducting exhumations at multiple locations identified by the complainant-witness in the forested areas along the banks of the Netravathi River in Dharmasthala, where some skeletal remains have been found at two sites so far.

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