Rs 115 cr released to Kodagu: Minister SR Mahesh
Relief and rehabilitation works
Madikeri, August 29: District Minister SR Mahesh said that the state government has so far released total Rs 115 crore to take up relief works in the ravaged district.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, the Minister said that in the first phase, Rs 5 crore was released and in the second phase Rs 20 crore and in the third phase, the government has released Rs 85 crore. Now, following the direction from the Chief Minister, he was releasing Rs 25 crore from Tourism department. For all the 1,736 flood-affected people, Rs 3,800 each was given to them. So far, 16 persons died in the flood-related incidents and compensation was issued to the family members of 14 people, he said.
The meeting held under the chairmanship of the district minister opined that the houses should be constructed for the affected people near their places. Special additional deputy commissioner Jagadeesh said that in order to put up temporary sheds for the victims, the district administration has identified 7 acres of land near Garagandur, 4.80 acre of land near RTO office and 3.70 acre of land near Biligeri. There is a land belonging to the Horticulture department and sheds could also be put up temporarily, he said.
MLA KG Bopaiah advised the district administration to construct the houses for the affected people in their places. Most of the affected people had own houses constructed at a cost of minimum Rs 40-50 lakhs and those would not come forward to live in sheds. So, they should be given at least 10 cents of land, he said.
Minister Mahesh said that among affected people, there were people who were living in line houses and there were others who were living in good houses. So, such people would be identified and houses would be constructed in their respective gram panchayat limits, he said.
Because of the floods and landslides, there was huge damage in six gram panchayat limits and all the families in those gram panchayats should be distributed food kits through fair price shops without leaving scope for any misappropriation or lapses, the minister directed to Food and Civil Supplies department deputy director.
Deputy Commissioner PI Srividya said that total 2,108 km rural roads were damaged due to flood. The children of the affected families should be admitted to the nearby schools and distribute the textbooks and notebooks and uniforms, she directed DDPI.
MLA MP Appachu Ranjan said that a hostel should be started at Hattihole. He also directed the KSRTC officials to issue bus passes to those who have lost their passes in the incident and asked the KSRTC to run minibuses immediately to Hattihole, Surlabi, Garvale, Shantalli and other routes.
The Minister said that as there was a chance to spread contagious diseases due to flood situation, the authorities should take care to contain any such diseases. Health and family welfare department officials should take precautions, he said.
MLCs Sunil Subramani, Veena Achhaiah, district secretary Anbu Kumar, SP Suman D Pannekar, ZP CEO Prashanth Kumar Mishra, Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza, Charulata Somal and others were present at the meeting.
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US SC rejects 26/11 attack accused Tahawwur Rana’s plea seeking stay on his extradition to India
New York, Apr 7 (PTI): The US Supreme Court has rejected 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana's appeal seeking a stay on his extradition to India, moving him closer to being handed over to Indian authorities to face justice.
Rana, 64, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently lodged at a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles.
He is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. Headley conducted a recce of Mumbai before the attacks by posing as an employee of Rana’s immigration consultancy.
Rana had submitted an ‘Emergency Application For Stay Pending Litigation of Petition For Writ of Habeas Corpus' on February 27, 2025, with Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and Circuit Justice for the Ninth Circuit Elena Kagan.
Kagan had denied the application earlier last month.
Rana had then renewed his ‘Emergency Application for Stay Pending Litigation of Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus previously addressed to Justice Kagan’, and requested that the renewed application be directed to US Chief Justice John Roberts.
An order on the Supreme Court website noted that Rana's renewed application had been “distributed for Conference” on April 4 and the “application” has been “referred to the Court.”
A notice on the Supreme Court website Monday said that “Application denied by the Court.”
Rana was convicted in the US of one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist plot in Denmark and one count of providing material support to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashker-e-Taiba which was responsible for the attacks in Mumbai.
New York-based Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra had told PTI that Rana had made his application to the Supreme Court to prevent extradition, which Justice Kagan denied on March 6. The application was then submitted before Roberts, “who has shared it with the Court to conference so as to harness the entire Court’s view.”
The Supreme Court justices are Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
In his emergency application, Rana had sought a stay of his extradition and surrender to India pending litigation (including exhaustion of all appeals) on the merits of his February 13.
In that petition, Rana argued that his extradition to India violates US law and the UN Convention Against Torture "because there are substantial grounds for believing that, if extradited to India, the petitioner will be in danger of being subjected to torture."
"The likelihood of torture in this case is even higher though as petitioner faces acute risk as a Muslim of Pakistani origin charged in the Mumbai attacks,” the application said.
The application also said that his “severe medical conditions” render extradition to Indian detention facilities a “de facto" death sentence in this case.
The US Supreme Court denied Rana's petition for a writ of certiorari relating to his original habeas petition on January 21. The application notes that on that same day, newly-confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington on February 12 to meet with Trump, Rana’s counsel received a letter from the Department of State, stating that “on February 11, 2025, the Secretary of State decided to authorise” Rana’s "surrender to India,” pursuant to the “Extradition Treaty between the United States and India”.
Rana’s Counsel requested from the State Department the complete administrative record on which Secretary Rubio based his decision to authorize Rana’s surrender to India.
The Counsel also requested immediate information of any commitment the United States has obtained from India with respect to Rana’s treatment. “The government declined to provide any information in response to these requests,” the application said.
It added that given Rana’s underlying health conditions and the State Department’s findings regarding the treatment of prisoners, it is very likely “Rana will not survive long enough to be tried in India".
During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi in the White House in February, President Donald Trump announced that his administration has approved the extradition of "very evil" Rana, wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, "to face justice in India”.
A total of 166 people, including six Americans, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 10 Pakistani terrorists laid a more than 60-hour siege, attacking and killing people at iconic and vital locations in Mumbai.
