Puneeth Kerehalli arrested under Goonda Act
Bengaluru (PTI): A 32-year-old cow vigilante has been booked under the stringent Karnataka Goonda Act for allegedly extorting money from cow slaughterers and cattle transporters, and subsequently arrested by the Central Crime Branch, police said.
Puneeth Kerehalli, a resident of Bengaluru and native of Hassan district, was booked and arrested late on Friday night.
According to police, there are 10 cases registered against him in various police stations in the state.
In its order to book him under the Goonda Act, police said: "This person has repeatedly been involved in criminal activities with the objective of extortion in the name of 'Rashtra Rakshana Pade' (Nation Protection Force)."
"He used to target cow slaughters/transporters threatening business people, thereby committing breach of peace and communal harmony, thus adversely affecting peace and public order," police said.
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Karnataka govt seeks agency to manage rural drinking water units: Minister
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said the state government is working to appoint an agency to manage clean drinking water units in rural areas.
The state Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister was responding to a question by Hirekerur MLA U B Banakar in the legislative assembly.
"In the rural areas of the state, many clean drinking water units have been set up under corporate social responsibility (CSR) grants, including contributions by MLAs and MPs, and handed over to gram panchayats. After the maintenance period, problems have arisen in keeping these units operational," Priyank said.
He added that a proposal has been made to award a maintenance contract to one of the country’s reputed drinking water unit manufacturing companies, but so far, no companies have come forward to take up the work.
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"The government is continuing its efforts and will resolve this problem soon," he said.
On a query regarding fluoride content in water, the minister said water quality testing is being conducted monthly in all zilla panchayats.
"Laboratories have been opened for this purpose. Around 6.5 lakh water samples have been tested across the state, and water testing kits have been provided to villages," he added.
