Bengaluru: Expressing his government’s commitment to implement the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai while ruling out negotiations with neighbouring Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday said, he will be calling an all party meeting soon, to discuss the legal repercussions and going ahead with the work.

He was reacting to objections raised by Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah in the legislative Assembly, to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s recent statement that the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project.

Citing Shekhawat’s statement, Siddaramaiah expressed apprehensions about the Government of India granting clearances for the project.

Tamil Nadu is vehemently opposed to the project.

“Regarding the Mekedatu project there have been discussions, though the factual position is known to everyone, its repercussions need to be discussed with the legal team,” Bommai said.

Noting that the task before Karnataka is to begin the work after getting the Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved and environmental clearance from the Centre, he said, he has already had two rounds of discussions with the legal team regarding the legal repercussions, and will be calling an all-party meeting, probably this week itself.

“Our stand is very clear that our responsibility is to give Tamil Nadu the due water which has been allocated by the tribunal, other than we don’t have any other responsibility. They (TN) have put a miscellaneous application, in this background, let’s all come to one decision to go ahead and begin the Mekedatu work at the earliest, after getting to know the legal point of view from experts,” he added.

The DPR of the project is before the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA), also the matter is before the Environment Ministry, for environmental clearance, for which terms of reference have to be fixed.

The Chief Minister said, a miscellaneous application from Tamil Nadu is before the Supreme Court regarding the project, also there was a Chennai Green Tribunal’s stay for the project on the basis of some farmers visiting the proposed dam site, though it was quashed by the Central Green Tribunal, it has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

Highlighting that Tamil Nadu is opposed to any project by Karnataka in connection with Cauvery water, as it has got political importance there, he said, “they oppose even for drinking water, so we too have objected to some of their projects.”

Earlier, pointing to Shekhawat’s statement that the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project, Siddaramaiah said, “he should not have said it, and I condemn it.”

As he said, the Chief Minister who was present with the Union Minister did not object to the statement, Bommai clarified that Shekhawat made the statement at a press conference much later and it was not in his presence.

The Chief Minister also made it clear that there are no plans of negotiations regarding the Mekedatu project before the state government, as mentioned by the Union Minister. “Getting the DPR approved and environmental clearance is the only agenda before us.”

Noting that the Congress had organised a padayatra demanding for the implementation of Mekedatu project, Siddaramaiah said, after the 2018 Supreme Court ruling regarding Cauvery river water, there is no dispute and Tamil Nadu has no right to object to Mekedatu project.

In addition to 177.75 tmc water in a normal year, during the last 7 years 582 tmc of surplus water has flown to Tamil Nadu, he said, “the surplus water that flows to Tamil Nadu and then to sea, is our water.”

Intervening, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy pointed out that there is a quantum of water allocated to Karnataka too, and the Supreme Court has not said that surplus water belongs to Karnataka.

“Regarding surplus water and what has to be done in distress, there has been no decision so far. They (TN) have disputed the surplus water and a case is going on in the court, so there is a dispute and we (state govt) are fighting out,” he said.

Rejecting it Siddaramaiah said, but there is no stay from the Court for the project. “According to me Tamil Nadu is opposing the project for the sake of politics and votes. Legally, constitutionally they have no right.”

Senior Congress leader and former Irrigation Minister H K Patil too said, according to Karnataka there is no dispute other than the state’s liability to release certain quantum of water to Tamil Nadu.

“We will not accept any type of negotiation, because the issue is already over. There is no issue now. That should be the stand of the state,” he said.

Patil also urged the Chief Minister to write to the Government of India regarding its objection to the central Minister’s statement and clarifying the state’s stand.

To which Bommai said, Karnataka’s stand on Mekedatu has been made clear again and again by him and his predecessor B S Yediyurappa in several letters to the centre, and he will be writing once again informing the decision of the all party meeting.

“I will also go to Delhi and make all efforts to get DPR approved and to begin the work,” he added.

The state budget presented by Bommai last week, has provided a grant of Rs 1,000 crore in the current year for implementation of the Mekedatu project.

The Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district.

The estimated Rs 9,000 crore project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and it can also generate 400 MW power.

Karnataka has maintained that the project within its territory will benefit both states as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during a distress year, and its implementation will in no way affect the interests of Tamil Nadu’s farming communities, as there will be no impact on its share of water.

However, the neighbouring state is of the view that the project would “impound and divert” the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams.

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Women Police have arrested four more accused in the prostitution racket case after two minor girls registered a complaint against people. The four arrests are followed by two arrests earlier made by the cops based on the complaint.

Six accused were arrested earlier under five sections of the POCSO Act.

According to a complaint given by a minor girl, cases were registered and ten people were arrested under POCSO Act. Based on another complaint filed by a minor girl, four more people have been arrested.

Police Commissioner N Shashikumar said that the investigation is being led by ACP Mahesh and necessary measures are being taken by the police to track down the rest of the accused.

He also said that they are tracking the cellphones and gadgets of the suspects.  

Washington: US President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy to US and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion.

Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.

Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before an announcement.

The White House said Biden would speak on Tuesday morning to announce actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.

The US will be acting alone, but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. Natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe’s consumption of the fossil fuel. The US does not import Russian natural gas.

Mumbai: Alleging that Enforcement Directorate officers were acting as an “ATM” for the BJP, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Mumbai Police were probing extortion charges against four officers of the central agency and some of them will go to jail.

Addressing a news conference here, Raut said whenever there has been an Enforcement Directorate raid on any company, it has transferred money to firms belonging to one Jitendra Navlani.

The ED and some of its officials have become an ATM (automated teller machine) for the BJP, Raut said, maintaining he has shared details of the same with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The Mumbai Police were probing extortion and corruption charges against four ED officials. The Mumbai Police are capable of that. And mark my words….some ED officials will go to jail, the Rajya Sabha MP claimed.

Raut, however, did not reveal the names or designations of these ED officials.

His remarks came on a day when some Shiv Sena office-bearers, including a leader considered close to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, were raided by the Income Tax Department.

Kolkata: Suspended BJP leader Jaiprakash Majumdar, who has been attacking the state leadership of the saffron party for the last few months, on Tuesday joined the Trinamool Congress.

He was appointed as the state vice-president of West Bengal’s ruling party.

Majumdar joined the TMC in the presence of Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee during its organisational meet at Nazrul Mancha here.

He was handed over the party flag by senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim.

“Jaiprakash Majumdar will be the TMC state vice-president,” Banerjee said.

Majumdar and Ritesh Tiwari were suspended from the BJP in January for anti-party activities.

New Delhi: The government has decided to restart scheduled international flight services from March 27 after a two years hiatus due to COVID-19, according to civil aviation ministry officials.

Scheduled international flight services have remained suspended in India since March 23, 2020.

However, special international flights have been operating between India and about 35 other countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements.

After deliberation with stakeholders &keeping in view the decline in the #COVID19 caseload,we have decided to resume international travel from Mar 27 onwards.Air Bubble arrangements will also stand revoked thereafter.With this step,I’m confident the sector will reach new heights!

Devendra Fandavis

Pune : Police have registered a case against an unidentified person for allegedly hurling a slipper at the convoy of Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fandavis in Pune, an official said on Tuesday.

The incident took place on Sunday when Fadnavis had come to inaugurate the Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee garden at Purna Nagar in Pimpri Chinchwad area, he said.

Minutes before the arrival of former chief minister Fadnavis, some BJP and NCP workers clashed at the venue, prompting police to resort to a mild lathicharge.

As per the police, when Fadnavis reached the venue, a person from the crowd allegedly hurled a slipper at the convoy.

“We have registered a case against an unidentified person under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code,” an official from Chikhali police station said.

The NCP workers had come to the spot alleging that the BJP leader was inaugurating the garden though its work was incomplete.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Mumbai: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday launched a new service, which will enable over 40 crore feature phone users to undertake digital payments in a secure way.

The service christened UPI (unified payments interface) ‘123PAY’ is a three-step method to initiate and execute services for users which will work on simple phones which do not have an internet connection.

Das said, as of now, the multifaceted features of UPI are mostly available only on smartphones, which excludes people from the lower rung of the society from an economic perspective, especially in the rural areas, from accessing the popular service, even though the smartphone prices are going down.

He said, the UPI volumes have touched to Rs 76 lakh crore in FY22 so far, as against Rs 41 lakh crore in FY21, and added that the day is not far when the overall volumes will touch Rs 100 lakh crore.

There are an estimated 40 crore mobile phone users who possess feature phones.

At present, UPI services are available for such users through the USSD-based services, but the same has been found to be cumbersome and all the mobile operators do not allow such services, Deputy Governor T Rabi Shankar said.

Feature phone users will now be able to undertake a host of transactions based on four technology alternatives. They include calling an IVR (interactive voice response) number, app functionality in feature phones, missed call-based approach and also proximity sound-based payments, the RBI said.

Such users can initiate payments to friends and family, pay utility bills, recharge the FAST Tags of their vehicles, pay mobile bills and also allow users to check account balances, it said, adding customers will also be able to link bank accounts, set or change UPI PINs.

A 24×7 helpline for digital payments was also launched by Das on Tuesday, which has also been set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

The helpline christened ‘Digisaathi’ will assist the callers/users with all their queries on digital payments via website and chatbot.

Users can visit www.digisaathi.info or call on 14431 and 1800 891 3333 from their phones for their queries on digital payments and grievances.