Karnataka to get Rs 900 cr more for afforestation, conservation of forests

July 30, 2016

New Delhi, Jul 30: With Parliament passing the Compensatory Afforestation Bill, Karnataka is set to receive more than Rs 900 crore from the Union government to create and conserve forests and ecology.

forests
Karnataka's share (Rs 917 crore) is more than Tamil Nadu's (106 crore) and Kerala's (Rs 76 crore), but less than that of Andhra Pradesh (Rs 2,223 crore) and Maharashtra (Rs 2,435 crore) which had diverted large tracts of forest land over the years for infrastructure and industrial projects.

The biggest beneficiaries of the new green fund would be Odisha, Chhattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, all of whom would receive more than Rs 3,000 crore. Odisha would be the biggest gainer with close to Rs 6,000 crore flowing into its kitty.

The bill would pave the way for creating a Compensatory Afforestation Fund and a Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority at the national and state levels.

The fund would receive money from project proponents, who would use forest land for their projects. The coffers already have Rs 42,000 crore under the supervision of the Supreme Court and may receive Rs 6,000 crore every year.

As the Rajya Sabha cleared the legislation late Friday evening, several members wondered whether the bill would protect the rights of the forest dwellers or trample them while favouring industrialists and big corporates.

Non-governmental organisations too raised concerns. “For 150 years, forest dwellers fought a criminal and oppressive colonial system for their rights. The (CFA) bill now essentially gives carte blanche to forest officials to spend gigantic amounts of money without any accountability to the people whose forests, lands and lives will be damaged or destroyed by their activities,” said Campaign for Survival and Dignity, an NGO.

Environment minister Anil Dave, however, assured the House that necessary safeguards would be put in place through the rules to empower the Gram Sabhas.

“If there are concerns on the rules, we will review them after one year,” he said, before the legislation was passed through voice vote. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in May, 2016.

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News Network
March 18,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 18: The rising temperature has become a growing concern for residents of coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, as the issue of drinking water shortage continues to worsen in several parts. 

Though the water supply of Mangaluru city has not been affected much, nearby urban local bodies, including Ullal, Kotekar, Bajpe and other parts on the outskirts of Mangaluru have been facing an acute shortage of drinking water.

Though the water level in the Thumbe vented dam across Nethravati River has started going down in the last few days, officials have ruled out possibility of rationing the water supply in the city.

According to officials, the water level at Thumbe dam of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) stood at 5.8 m as against the maximum storage capacity of 6m height on March 16. The water level at the dam during the same period last year was 5.3 metres. The water level reduced from 5.9 m on March 15 to 5.8 m on March 16 due to the scorching heat, causing evaporation.

The MCC has been drawing 160 MLD of water from the Thumbe vented dam. According to officials, without inflow, the maximum water stored in the dam will be sufficient for only 50 days. Meanwhile, the MCC has already started pumping backwater from downstream of the Thumbe vented dam back to the dam using pumpsets. Water from Thumbe dam can be drawn only if it has more than 1.5m of water in it.

DC Mullai Muhilan MP said that the district administration is closely monitoring water levels in all the dams that supply water.

The AMR dam located upstream of Thumbe dam has 18 m of water from sea level. If the water level in the Thumbe vented dam recedes, then water from the AMR dam will be released into the Thumbe dam. There is water in a dam at Biliyoor, which is located upstream of the AMR dam, the DC said.

“Drawing water for irrigation purposes from Thumbe and AMR dams has been banned,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that an order in this regard has already been issued. Some of the pockets in rural areas too have started facing water crisis.

“We have made arrangements to supply water through tankers in Ullal, Kotekar and Bajpe areas. We will not introduce water supply rationing in MCC limits for the time being,” he said and appealed to citizens to use water judiciously.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Mangaluru: A man from Dakshina Kannada was duped of Rs 2.5 lakh after he was promised a Poland visa.

In a complaint, a resident of Belthangady, stated that the accused, Manoj, had promised a job for his son in Poland. 

Between May 22 of last year and March 19, he handed over Rs 2.2 lakh in various phases, citing different reasons.

However, since the accused failed to provide a visa or return the money, a case was registered at the Dharmasthala police station under IPC sections 417 and 420.

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News Network
March 14,2024

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Udupi: In a freak mishap, a 65-year-old man lost his life after being hit by his own bus which was being repaired at a garage at Athrady in Udupi district on Wednesday, March 13.

The deceased has been identified as Dayanand Shetty, the owner of a private bus.

It is learnt that the bus had been kept for repairs at the garage and Dayanand had gone there to inspect the repair works.

At this time, the mechanic started the engine and the bus moved ahead. Dayanand, who was standing in front of the bus, came under its wheels.

He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he died without responding to the treatment. A case is registered at jurisdictional Manipal police station.

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