1. Congress-JD(S) Deadlock Over LS Seats Continues
Coalition partners Congress and JD(S) appear to be struggling to seal a seat-sharing deal for the forthcoming general election after a brief discussion on the issue during the coordination committee meeting on Thursday, 24 January failed to yield meaningful results.
The coordination panel, which comprises key leaders from the two parties, decided to hold another meeting involving JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda sometime next week. While the Congress is pitching for 24 of the total 28 seats, the JD(S) is insisting on 8-10 seats, sources say.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. CCB Seizes Rs 5.2 Crore, Documents in Ajmera Fraud Case
Investigating into the multi-crore Ajmera group fraud case, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths have seized Rs 5.2 crore cash from various bank accounts along with documents of immovable properties that runs into several crores recently.
According to the sleuths, as many as 950 investors have submitted their proof of investments so far. And based on this, the estimated amount of investment runs up to Rs 26 crore, the CCB sources said. Property documents of 3.2 acres of a residential layout built by the accused in Mysuru worth Rs 20 crore have been recovered.
Tabrez Pasha, one of the founders of the firm and his associates Tabrez-Ullah Shariff have been so far arrested. Efforts are on to arrest Dastagir Shariff, the prime accused, and other accused who are on the run.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
3. Campaign Against Proposed 125-Feet Statue on River Cauvery Gets 10k Signatures
Nearly 10,000 people have signed an online campaign against the proposed construction of a 125-feet statue of Mother Cauvery near the KSR dam on the bank of the river in Karnataka’s Mandya district. The river itself is worshipped as goddess Mother Cauvery for sustaining the lives and livelihoods of three states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The proposed statue is that of the goddess holding a pot which is being tipped over, with water pouring out of it continuously. Estimated to cost around Rs 1,200 crore, the state government is reportedly looking at private investments for the project.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Spread of Monkey Fever Linked to Deforestation: Study
Environmental degradation is one of the reasons for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), popularly known as monkey fever, spreading in parts of Karnataka, a recent study shows. It also highlights that newer areas of human habitations are getting affected by the disease which was once seen only among wild animals.
N Balakrishnan from National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (NIVEDI) said: “Though some forest-dwelling small mammals maintain the natural enzootic cycle of the KFD virus, blackfaced langurs and red-faced bonnet monkeys get virus infection by tick bites. In fact, humans are only incidental dead-end host of the virus and cattle play a role in maintaining the tick bite that spreads the virus,” he said.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Villagers Say No to Garbage
A flash protest by villagers around the Bellahalli quarry — BBMP’s landfill on the outskirts of Bengaluru — for the last two days has pushed the city closer to a major garbage crisis. A complete blockade of the road by villagers leading to the quarry has not only stranded more than 250 garbage trucks on the streets, but has also affected door-to-door garbage collection across the city.
Unable to bear the stink and fearing environmental hazards stemming from the landfill, the villagers have been protesting since Monday, 21 January, night. Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Bellahalli, told DH that the BBMP has been illegally dumping mixed waste at the quarry for the past three years.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
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