Why buy a new car before wedding, can’t you use public transport?: Shivakumar’s dig at Tejasvi Surya
Bengaluru: The political confrontation over the state government’s ambitious tunnel road project has intensified, with Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar taking a swipe at Bangalore South MP L.S. Tejasvi Surya, questioning his decision to apply for a new car before his wedding while urging citizens to reduce car usage.
“He asks people not to travel by car but he had applied for a new car before his wedding. We can release his application if you want. Why did he need a new car? Why can’t he travel by metro or bus as he advocates?” Deccan Herald quoted Shivakumar as saying.
Responding to the BJP’s signature campaign against the tunnel road project, Shivakumar said the Opposition should make constructive suggestions instead of resorting to political attacks.
Shivakumar maintained that the tunnel road project is a public initiative, not a personal one, asserting that if Bengaluru can have an underground metro, there is no reason it cannot have a tunnel road. He added that all necessary studies had been conducted before finalising the project.
Shivakumar reiterated his readiness to form a committee under Opposition Leader R. Ashoka, comprising members nominated by the BJP, to review the tunnel project.
“I am not a fool to destroy Lalbagh. I know its history and what areas are being used. The BJP opposes every development project. They even opposed the steel flyover during (then Bengaluru development minister) K.J. George’s time,” he said.
Addressing questions on expanding metro and suburban rail networks, Shivakumar challenged BJP leaders to secure additional funds from the Centre. He also ruled out the possibility of a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Bengaluru, citing a failed experiment in Hubballi-Dharwad and a lack of space in the city.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Sunday that the tunnel road project would benefit not only car users, but also bus commuters, two-wheeler riders and pedestrians. He described the BJP’s opposition to the project as politically motivated.
"The BJP is opposing it for political reasons. Why should there be opposition to a project aimed at resolving traffic problems? Similar tunnel projects have been implemented in many countries, and people there have not opposed them," Siddaramaiah said.
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14 India-bound ships in Strait of Hormuz stopped by Iran; 1 hit by bullets, 1 crosses: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): A convoy of 14 India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas were stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by firing at two of them while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leading to 13 of the vessels returning to different locations in the Persian Gulf, official sources privy to the development said.
An Indian-flag carrying ship, which was hit by bullets fired by the IRGC while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, was carrying crude oil and a window pane was broken, forcing it to stop the journey and return. The extent of damage to the second vessel was not immediately known but it also had returned.
However, another ship, which was Indian flagged and loaded with crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, sailed through the Strait and is now heading towards India, the sources said.
Two Iranian gunboats approached the targeted tanker and fired at it without warning. Gunboats approached the vessel 37 kilometres northeast of Oman, causing other vessels to return without completing the crossing, the sources said.
The incident was reported in waters between the Qeshm and Larak islands, they said.
Out of the 14 India-bound vessels, seven are carrying the Indian flag, four have the Liberia flag, two are of the Marshall Islands and one of Vietnam.
Six of them are loaded with crude oil, three have LPG and four are loaded with fertilisers. Among the ships, five are bulk carriers. All 14 vessels were sailing in a row.
Thirteen of them were stopped by the Iranian Navy and were instructed to wait. Out of the 13 stranded vessels, seven vessels are drifting south of Larak Island, waiting for clearance from the Iranian Navy, the sources said.
The Indian government is understood to have been coordinating with the Iranian authorities for the safe voyage of the stranded India-bound ships, they said.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz reportedly escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass. This came as the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
Confusion over the Strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes, threatened to deepen the energy crisis.
The ceasefire between Iran and the US is due to run out by mid-next week.
Iran's joint military command said Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces."
It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
