Shivakumar slams BJP leader for moving HC over Dasara festival
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday hit out at former BJP MP Pratap Simha for moving the High Court against the state government's invitation to writer Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Dasara festival, calling it an effort to remain politically relevant.
Dasara celebration will begin in Mysuru from September 22 and culminate on 'Vijayadashami', which falls on October 2.
Mysuru district administration on Wednesday formally invited Mushtaq despite objections from some sections, including the opposition BJP.
Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar said, "Pratap Simha has been ignored by his own party. He needs to be relevant in politics and hence he is doing such things. The court will hear the case and take a decision."
Mushtaq, a prominent Kannada writer, is the author of 'Edeya Hanate'. Its English translation 'Heart Lamp', translated by Deepa Bhasthi, won the Booker Prize.
Simha, a former MP from Mysuru, on Saturday accused the Congress government of making a "unilateral decision" without consulting key stakeholders, including the erstwhile Mysuru royal family.
He had requested the High Court to issue directions to withdraw the invitation extended to Mushtaq, citing public outrage and the potential to disrupt communal harmony.
Criticising the BJP, Shivakumar said: "They don't have anything else to do politics. If they are so concerned about the state, let them go to Delhi and bring funds for many irrigation projects and Bengaluru development. They can also get approvals for the Mekedatu, Mahadayi and Upper Krishna projects."
Referring to the Dharmasthala issue, he alleged that the BJP was misusing the matter to cover up its own infighting.
"We brought out the truth in the Dharmasthala case. The BJP is making it a scapegoat to hide its internal feud. It is the BJP which is conspiring against Dharmasthala. The masked man is a BJP worker. If Dharmasthala has been insulted, it is by the BJP and its leaders," he said.
A controversy erupted after a complainant, later identified as C N Chinnaiah and arrested on charges of perjury, claimed burying a number of bodies, including those of women with signs of sexual assault, in Dharmasthala over a period of time.
On criticism of the government's decision to use ballot papers in local body elections, Shivakumar countered, "In a couple of days, I will place before you a law which the BJP introduced. The law introduced by the BJP itself states that either the EVMs or ballot papers can be used for elections. What is wrong in following the law?"
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
