'Yogi model' govt in Karnataka if situation demands, says CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Jul 28: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said, if the situation demands, the "Yogi model" government that exists in Uttar Pradesh will come into force in the southern state too to deal with anti-national and communal elements that are trying to create unrest.
As he completed one year in office on Thursday, the Chief Minister also gave a hundred out of hundred score for his government's performance.
"For the situation in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi (Adityanath) is the right Chief Minister. Similarly, there are different methods to deal with the situation in Karnataka and all of them are being used. If the situation demands, Yogi model government will come in Karnataka too," Bommai said.
He was responding to a question on demands by a section of BJP and Sangh Parivar supporters, who have turned their angst against the state government accusing it of not standing up to protect the lives of Hindu workers, calling for a "Yogi model" of governance in Karnataka, following the murder of a party Yuva Morcha member in Dakshina Kannada.
According to them, the 'Yogi model' refers to strong measures reportedly taken by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to control anti-national activities in the northern state, which include the use of bulldozers against such elements and mafia.
In the wake of the murder a party activist in Dakshina Kannada district, Bommai had cancelled events organised today to mark his government's one year, and BJP's three years in office, that included 'Janotsava', a mega rally at Doddaballapur that was scheduled to be attended by BJP national President J P Nadda.
Praveen Nettar, a zilla BJP Yuva Morcha committee member, was hacked to death in front of his broiler shop in Bellare in the coastal district by three bike-borne men on Tuesday night.
Noting that the government has taken the murder case seriously and an inquiry is on, Bommai said, "Five teams have been formed and teams have been sent to Kerala and officials are on their job. We are confident that culprits will be arrested and punished soon as it happened in the Harsha murder case in Shivamogga earlier this year."
There will be no compromise with regards to maintaining law and order, and we have announced a war against organised crime by anti-national and communal forces, and the results of it will be known to people, he said, as he appealed to people for peace.
Stating that there are certain challenges before the government with respect to maintaining communal harmony and in eliminating forces that want to disturb it, Bommai said this challenge exists in states across the country and such forces have raised their heads in Karnataka in the last 10 years.
"Their activities significantly began in the state in 2014-15 and have continued till now. Our police officers have managed to identify 'sleeper cells' and those involved in such activities or give support to such elements have been sent to jail with the help of NIA," he said pointing out various such arrests that have taken place recently.
Asked whether the good work of his government was overshadowed by such communal issues amid a growing feeling among some sections about the administration's alleged inaction in handling them, the Chief Minister pointed at quick and strong measures taken during such incidents in the past, and said similar measures will follow in this case too.
He also said his government has effectively and efficiently dealt with communally sensitive issues and challenges in the recent past and have been marching on the path of development.
To a question regarding banning organisations like PFI and SDPI, Bommai said it has to be done by the central government, and when the state governments attempted to do it in the past, it was stayed by the courts.
"We have sent required reports and evidence necessary for banning such organisations to the Centre, the process has begun, and at the earliest you will hear a decision on this from the Centre. The ban has to be done across the country," he said.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
