Rain fury: No dearth of funds for relief & rescue works, says Karnataka CM Bommai
Mysuru(PTI): The Karnataka government is with the people at this hour of crisis when many parts of the state are reeling under floods, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.
District in-charge ministers have involved themselves in relief works taking everyone into confidence, said Bommai, who has embarked on a tour of the rain-affected districts.
Ministers S Angara in Udupi, V Sunil Kumar in Mangaluru (Dakshina Kannada district), Kota Srinivas Poojary in Uttara Kannada and S T Somashekar in Mysuru have already visited the flood-hit areas to take stock of the situation.
Revenue minister R Ashoka has just returned from his visit to Kodagu. The entire government is engaged in it, the Chief Minister said.
"I too am visiting the affected areas today and will issue necessary instructions for rescue and relief works," Bommai said.
Efforts are on to convince the people residing in seismic sensitive zones and in areas which are prone to landslides to shift to safer places, he said.
Road connectivity is snapped in many places due to incessant rains. Landslides and mild tremors have occurred in a few places in Kodagu, sea erosion has affected the people in coastal region, and houses along the river banks have been damaged in many parts of northern Karnataka, Bommai noted.
In some places crops have been damaged due to high discharge from the reservoirs. Survey has been conducted on the damages. Exact details would be shared soon.
Replying to a query on funds for relief works, Bommai said Rs 730 crore is available with the NDRF (National Disaster Response Fund). There is no shortage of funds for undertaking relief and rescue works. Central assistance would be sought, if needed, after estimating the losses.
Reacting to recurring floods in many villages, Bommai said 63 flood-prone villages along river banks have been relocated. But the people are reluctant to relocate in some villages. Expert opinion has been sought on safe relocation of such villages. Special project would be formulated in this regard.
Meanwhile, replying to a question, the CM said it has been decided at the core committee meeting to replace heads of various state-run Boards and Corporations who are serving in their posts for over one and a half years to give an opportunity for others.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
