State govt's power purchase deal with UPCL illegal, expensive'

March 9, 2011

HGD

Udupi, Mar 9: Executive President of Jana Jagruthi Samithi, Nandikooru, Balakrishna Shetty accused the Yediyurappa Government of purchasing power from Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) without fixing the unit price and without an approved Power Purchase Agreement ratified by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, as per the applicable laws.

In a press release, Shetty said that without the power purchase agreement between the power project and the government and without such agreement duly approved by CERC and ratified by the KERC the UPCL has no right to produce power and the plant should immediately shut down on this ground as well.

He said that information received by the Samithi from both the regulatory authorities - Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, New Delhi (CERC) and Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, Bangalore (KERC) - reveal that neither the tariff has been approved by the CERC nor the KERC ratified the Power Purchase Agreement. The purchase of power obviously is made illegally at a high price by the government utility, the Power Corporation of Karnataka Limited and KPTCL.

The project is approved as the mega-power project and qualifies for various benefits like custom duty exemption and certain tax holidays etc. As the project is to supply power to more than one State the tariff is required to be decided by the CERC. It may be recalled that CERC had granted in-principle approval of the capital cost at Rs 4299.12 crores in October 2006 based on the equipment supply by BHEL. The UPCL terminated the agreement with BHEL and purchased far cheaper and perhaps reconditioned equipments without any guaranteed life span from Dong Fang of China.

The cost of the project based on other projects that used Chinese equipments should not be over 3720 crores for the increased capacity of 1200mw. The former Managing Director of KPTCL Bharat Lal Meena has stated that the company should reduce the project cost by at least 600 crores so that cheaper power is made available to the consumers. The Company on the contrary has been claiming increase of 600 crores in the project cost in the name of increase in the capacity.

In the background of the district in-charge Minister Dr VS Acharya's press statement that the State has released Rs 583 crores to the company, the basis of such release of funds becomes highly questionable. While the State is virtually being blackmailed in the name of power shortage large scale embezzlement of State funds on account of this project cannot be ruled out, he alleged.

Samithi demanded the authorities including the Governor and the Judiciary to take the matter suo-motto to get to the bottom of the issue and punish the culprits.


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December 2,2025

DKSsiddu.jpg

Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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