Modi government minister sentenced in limestone mining case

Rajkot (Guj), Jun 15: A senior minister in the Narendra Modi government was today sentenced to three years imprisonment by a court in Porbandar in the Rs 54-crore illegal limestone mining case of 2006.

Gujarat Water Resources minister Babu Bokhiria was convicted by Chief Judicial Magistrate C V Pandya.

Bokhiria along with former Congress MP Bharat Odedara, alleged gangster Bhima Dula Odedara, who is behind the bars in a murder case, and his son Lakshman Dula Odedara, who is chairman of Porbandar marketing yard, were sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 each.

In 2006, manager of Saurashtra Chemical Company Umesh Bhavsar had registered a complaint against the four alleging that they had illegally mined limestone from the land where the company holds mining rights.

The complaint also mentioned that they had to face a loss of Rs 54 crore due to the illegal mining done by the four persons. Porbandar is around 180 Kms from here.

Porbandar Police had arrested Bokhiria in 2007 from city airport as after the complaint, he left the country and was declared as an absconder. However, the high court had later released him on bail.

In the last state assembly elections held in December 2012, Bokhiria had defeated state Congress president Arjun Modhwadia. Bokhiria was made cabinet minister in the Modi government which took over the reins on December 25 last year.

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Heading to Karavali Utsava? Check traffic changes and parking rules in Mangaluru

News Network

December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•   Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•   Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•   Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•   Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•   Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•   Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•   Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•   Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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