Water emptied from tankers to prevent dust during Siddu's drought tour

April 19, 2016

Bagalkot, Apr 19:A controversy has erupted over two water tankers being emptied to prevent dust from rising from a road ahead of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's programme at Bilagi in the district during his ongoing visit of drought-hit areas.

The two tankers containing about 5000 litres of water were emptied before Siddaramaiah was to garland the statue of saint Kanakadasa (1509–1609 AD) as the road where it is located was dusty.

Siddaramaiah was scheduled to visit Badagandi village in Bilagi taluk as part of his current state wide tour of the areas reeling under drought.

"I will ask the Deputy Commissioner to look into it," said Siddaramaiah when asked by reporters about the incident yesterday.

Local legislator J T Patil, however, maintained that there was no drinking water scarcity in Bilagi.

The incident drew criticism from state BJP President and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

He said when the state is facing drought situation and water shortage, "for the Chief Minister himself to do this for his own purposes...people will mock at it."

Comments

By the grace of God we have plenty of water in the coastal region. As bjp AND Cheddiyurappa are so concenred about shortage of water in the urban and northern karnataka, they should arrange supply of water from coastal region to the needy people instead of wasting money on tour and other waste programmes.

Regardless there was water scarcity in a place or not, unnecessary waste of water is a crime, it is crime at least to people who have gone through the droughts.
The person initiating this should be sent to prison or impose heavy fine.

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Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

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