Shivamogga: Areca plantation burnt into ashes
More than Rs 25 lakh worth loss incurred
Shivamogga, Jan 07: An areca plantation burnt into ashes when it caught fire accidentally at Veerapura village of Agrahara hobli in Thirthahalli taluk on Monday.
The incident happened in the plantation belonging to Hoovamma. As soon as the news spread, locals and fire brigade tried their level best to douse the fire.
But thousands of areca saplings were burnt into ashes in the fire. It is estimated that areca saplings worth more than Rs 25 lakh were damaged. A case was registered at Malur police station.
The areca plantation was developed on an area of 3.25 acre of land around four years ago. Total 1200 areca samplings and banana plantation was raised. Drip irrigation facility was made pending lakhs of rupees and a pipeline was laid for water supply. Sprinklers and pipeline was also gutted in the fire incident.
“We have developed the plantation spending lakhs of rupees with hard work. Now the entire plantation was gutted in the fire. The government and the concerned authorities should come to our rescue and help us with suitable compensation”, Hoovamma family members demanded.
MLA Araga Jnanendra, former MLA Kimmane Rathnakar, DCC Bank president RM Manjunath Gowda and other elected representatives, Tahsildar, and horticulture department officials visited the place and reviewed the situation. They assured of getting the compensation from the government.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Misuse of power, money to control election mechanism seen during Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed the misuse of power and money to control the entire election mechanism, which was never before seen in any state assembly or national polls, was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Pawar made the statement when he visited senior activist Dr Baba Adhav, who is protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the recent state polls in Maharashtra.
Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), have been alleging manipulation of EVMs in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a landslide victory by the Mahayuti.
The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls, while the MVA managed just 46 seats.Talking to reporters, Pawar said elections were conducted recently in the country, and there is a restlessness among the people about these.
Baba Adhav's agitation represents this restlessness, he said.
He said, "There is a murmur among the people that the recent polls in Maharashtra saw 'misuse of power' and 'floods of money', which was never seen in the past. Such things are heard of in local-level polls, but taking over the entire election mechanism with the help of money and misuse of power was not seen before. However, we witnessed it in Maharashtra, and people are restless now."
He added that people were recalling late socialist ideologue Jaiprakash Narayan and felt somebody should take a step forward.
"I heard Baba Adhav has taken a lead into this issue and is agitating at Phule Wada. His protest gives hope to the people, but it is not enough. A mass revolt is necessary, as the danger of the parliamentary democracy getting destroyed looms," Pawar said.
The former Union minister said those who have reins of the country in their hands are least bothered about this.
"Despite widespread discussion over it (alleged misuse of EVMs) in the country, whenever the opposition tries to raise the issue in the Parliament, they are not allowed to speak. Opposition leaders have been seeking an opportunity to speak on these issues for six days, but their demands have not been accepted even once. It shows they want to attack parliamentary democracy," he claimed.
He said Dr Adhav's protest is a fine example of someone revolting against the issue and expressed confidence that his protest will create a ripple effect.
