1. Ballari Bifurcation Proposal Rankles Reddy Brothers, Aide
The proposal of the BS Yediyurappa-led government on bifurcating Ballari district, to carve out a new district called ‘Vijayanagara’, has not gone down well with the Reddy brothers and their close aide and Minister B. Sriramulu, who hold considerable sway over the northern district.
Even as Mr. Yediyurappa has directed the Chief Secretary to table the proposal in the next Cabinet meet, it is expected to raise a storm within the ruling party. The development is being seen as a tactical move by Mr. Yediyurappa to promote Anand Singh (now disqualified MLA) as a counterweight to the Reddy brothers and Mr. Sriramulu in the Ballari region.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Class 10 Boy Crashes Car Into Parked Auto, Kills Driver
A class 10 student allegedly crashed a Maruti Swift into a stationary auto-rickshaw in northern Bengaluru on Friday, killing its driver and injuring his friend.
The accident that occurred at Bhoopasandra around 1.30 pm created panic and fear among local residents. The jurisdictional RT Nagar police have taken the boy into custody and are questioning him. A preliminary investigation revealed that his parents were not home when he took the car keys and got at the wheel. The family lives in Mathikere.
The boy first drove to Sanjaynagar to meet friends. On his return home, he lost control of the car and crashed it into the auto-rickshaw which was parked on the roadside. While Nagaraj, 45, the auto driver, died on the spot, his friend Rudranath, 38, sustained grievous injuries
(Source: Deccan Herald)
3. Bengaluru Man Held for Toppling Pillars at Hampi World Heritage Site
In the second similar incident this year, two stone pillars at the Vijaya Vittala temple at World Heritage site Hampi were found allegedly vandalised. A Bengaluru-based chef, who visited Hampi, has been sent to judicial custody in connection with the incident.
The incident came to light after officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) noticed Nagaraj, a 45-year-old resident of Yelahanka in Bengaluru, near the pillars.
While Nagaraj maintains that he accidentally toppled the pillars while taking a selfie, officials informed security personnel who immediately nabbed Nagaraj and turned him over to the police. He was charged under sections of the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, The Times of India reported.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Laxmi Hebbalkar Questioned for Second Day
Congress MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar on Friday said she had provided all documents related to her financial dealings to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Laxmi, the Belgaum Rural MLA, appeared before the ED officials for questioning for second day in connection with probe into money laundering case against former minister D K Shivakumar. Sources in the ED said that she will be called for questioning again later. The ED officials are analysing her answers and documents Speaking to reporters, Laxmi, "The ED officials did not ask me to appear again. I have replied all their questions and submitted all documents to them,” she said.
She also said that she did not have any financial dealings with Shivakumar.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
5. Levy Environmental Cess on Kaiga: MoEF to State
The expansion project of the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant in Uttara Kannada for its fifth and sixth unit seems to have come at a cost for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) as the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has laid down stringent conditions besides levying an annual environmental cess on the NPCIL for conservation and management of wildlife.
The NPCIL had proposed to set up pressurised heavy-water reactor-based nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1,400 Mw, including two units of 700 Mw each. As the expansion project site is located just 1.30 km from the boundary of the Kali Tiger Reserve, the same was recommended to the NBWL for consideration.
The apex wildlife body has directed the NPCIL to ensure that the temperature of the water released into the reservoir should be same as water temperature above the release site. The power plant must also develop an appropriate holding facility for cooling.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
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