RP Singh Retires From All Forms Of Cricket
New Delhi : Former India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 32-year-old bowler posted a heartfelt message on his official Twitter account. "13 years ago, on 4th September 2005 was the first time I donned the Indian jersey. It was the stepping stone to what would become the most cherished moments of my life. Today as I hang my boots and call it a day, I wish to remember and give thanks to each and everyone who made this journey possible. Even as I write this, there are conflicting emotions inside me. No matter how much one prepares for the day, there is no easy way to bid goodbye. But somewhere inside there is the voice that tells you - it's time", he posted.
"And that for me is today. My heart and soul will always belong to that young boy who debuted at Faisalabad, Pakistan, who wanted nothing more but to feel the leather in his hand and keep playing but my body reminds me I am an old man who needs to make way for the young", he added.
Left-arm pacer Singh, who made his international debut against Zimbabwe in 2005, played 14 Tests for India where he took a total of 40 wickets with best figures of 5/59 against England in 2007.
Singh represented India in 58 ODIs clinching 69 wickets at an average of just under 34. In the shortest format of the game, Singh played a total of 10 games, registering best figures of four wickets for 13 runs.
The highlights of RP Singh's career was his five-wicket haul against England during the 2007 Lord's Test where he played a prominent role in the second innings registering career figures od 5/59. India later, went on to win that series in England after a gap of 21 years.
Singh was also a part of the Indian side that won the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007, where he took 12 wickets in seven matches, finishing as his side's highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
