In a step that will ensure release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka legislature today adopted a unanimous resolution empowering the government to take an “appropriate” decision to provide water for irrigation to meet the state farmers’ demand.
The decision by both the Houses of the legislature at the second such special session in 10 days came on the day when the Supreme Court asked Karnataka government to apprise it by tomorrow afternoon whether it has released water to Tamil Nadu as directed by it on September 30.
Moved by the government, the resolution makes no mention about release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu or the Supreme Court orders, but it modified the September 23 resolution to draw water from the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin only for drinking purpose, to allow its use for irrigation also.
On September 30, the apex court had directed Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from October 1-6, warning that no one would know when the “wrath of the law” would fall on it.
In his reply in the Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave strong indications of complying with the order of the Supreme Court to release water to Tamil Nadu, while assuring the people that government would make all efforts to meet drinking water needs and to save standing crops.
Siddaramaiah said the state had never defied the court orders and noted that “we are in a federal set up”.
Farmers in the Cauvery basin had been demanding release of water as otherwise the crops would wither, he said, adding, once it is released for them, some quantum would flow naturally to Tamil Nadu, where it would be recorded in the Biligundlu gauging station.
“The Supreme Court has said we have to release 6000 cusecs of water. We have to respect the court order. We are also expecting some quantum of water (rainfall),” he said without directly making any reference about release to Tamil Nadu, which is at loggerheads with the state on the issue.
He said in the last 10 days, there was inflow of an average of 7,000 cusecs per day into Cauvery basin reservoirs and if water is released into canals in the state,3,000 cusecs would flow naturally and be recorded at Biligundlu, besides seepage water. About 1,200 to 1,300 cusecs would also flow even if the crest gates are closed.
Official sources said once water is released for farmers in Cauvery basin for irrigation, it would naturally flow to Tamil Nadu.
The resolution also noted that the water storage levels in Hemavathy, Harangi, Kabini and Krishnaraja Sagar had increased to 34.13 TMC ft as of today from 27.60 TMC ft on September 23, when the legislature passed resolution to use it only to meet drinking water needs. .
The Centre today issued a country- wide alert asking states to step up vigil to foil any attempt by Pakistan-based terror groups to avenge the surgical strike on their launch pads in PoK even as Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed security situation along the Indo-Pak border.
Security agencies were also apprehending stepped up action by militants currently operating in Jammu and Kashmir targeting security forces and civilians following yesterday’s surgical strike by special forces of the Army on seven terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK).
Security was strengthened at vital installations across Punjab and a high alert has been sounded at all airbases across the state while evacuation of people residing in villages along the International Border continued.
During the hour-long meeting with the country’s top security brass, Singh instructed the officials to ensure that the forces posted along the border remain on alert as the situation along the Indo-Pak border continues to be volatile, official sources said.
The Army, meanwhile, trashed reports in Pakistan about Indian casualties during the operation, saying one member of the special forces received minor injury during exfiltration but it was not due to any enemy or terrorist action.
The operation was a clinically planned one and the attack on the seven launch pads were carried out simultaneously, sources said.
The sources said it was a moonless night and total darkness helped the special forces bring in the element of surprise with total effectiveness.
It has been estimated that casualties was at least 40 on Pakistani side but there was no official confirmation.
Choppers also hovered over several sectors on the Indian side of the LoC to divert attention of the Pakistani security forces guarding various posts.
India may examine a proposal from Iran to develop airport at its strategic Chabahar port as part of comprehensive infrastructure development that includes rail-road connectivity to the port.
The Chabahar port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation’s southern coast lies outside the Persian Gulf and is easily accessed from India’s western coast bypassing Pakistan.
“There is already an operational airport at Chabahar. The Iranian delegation to India has asked us whether India would be willing to develop and modernise it during the review on the latest development and situation on the bilateral pact…
on the Chabahar port,” an official told PTI.
Apart from discussions on expanding scope of cooperation to cover development of the entire Chabahar port, it was discussed that air transport could be of much significance, the official disclosed.
The high-level Iranian delegation led by Minister of Roads and Urban Development Dr Abbas Akhoundi and comprising Ambassador Gholamreza Ansari and Deputy Minister and MD for PMO Mohammad Saeid Nejad, among others, held a meeting with Indian authorities led by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari here.
The official said Chabahar has an operational airport and the Iranian minister enquired whether India would be willing to modernise it.
After meeting the Iranian team and a delegation from Afghanistan, Gadkari hoped that Chabahar project will open a new gateway for development of India, Iran and Afghanistan by boosting regional connectivity and trade.
He said further, “We will try to complete the project within the time schedule. We are also finding out what are new things for which we will have opportunity for development and investment. The Iranian minister has given lots of innovative suggestions regarding business development.”
A “milestone” pact on the strategic Chabahar port in southern Iran that will provide India access to Afghanistan and Europe bypassing Pakistan was signed by India and Iran in May this year after detailed discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Besides the bilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port, for which India has committed USD 500 million, a trilateral agreement on transport and transit corridor was signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran, which Prime Minister Modi has said could “alter the course of the history of the region”.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan says artistes from Pakistan should not be treated like terrorists and art and terrorism should not be mixed.
The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution Friday to ban Pakistani actors from the industry in the wake of the Uri attack.
The resolution came after Indian Army announced that seven terror launch pads were targeted across the LoC by special forces during a ‘surgical strike’.
“Pakistani artistes are just artistes and not terrorists.
Terrorism and art are two different subjects. They come with proper visa and the government gives them a work permit.” Salman said, when asked about his take on banning the actors from Pakistan.
The actor said the action (surgical strike) taken by the Indian Army is proper as it was against terrorism, but he would prefer to have a situation of peace and harmony.
“Ideal situation should have been that of peace. But, now a reaction to an action has happened. It was a proper action as they were terrorists. But still in this day and age, I think if we lived in peace an harmony it would have been better for everyone and especially for common people,” he said while speaking at the launch of his jwellery range for Being Human.
Last week, Raj Thackeray-led MNS issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes and actors including Fawad Khan, who is part of one of the productions under Salman’s banner, and Ali Zafar, to leave India by September 25 or else they would be “pushed out”.
Recently concerts of Pakistani singers Shafqat Amanat Ali and Atif Aslam, scheduled in Bengaluru and Gurgaon, respectively were also cancelled.
Rahul Gandhi, who has been unrelenting in his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today lauded him for the surgical strikes by the Army across LoC, saying it was the “first action” befitting his post in two-and-a-half years.
Days after he slammed Modi’s “short-sighted” political alliance with PDP, saying it has “opened space” for terrorism in Kashmir and apportioned blame to NDA government’s “politics” for the Uri attack, the Congress Vice President said he and his party stand by the Prime Minister’s decision to carry out surgical strikes.
“When Prime Minister acts as the prime minister of the country then I too support him…I want to thank him that in the past two-and-a-half years, this is the first action which can be termed as worthy of prime minister,” he said at a road show as part of his Deoria-to-Delhi Kisan yatra here.
The Army yesterday carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launchpads across the LoC and inflicted “significant casualties” on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from PoK.
Rahul said, “He (Modi) has my full support and that of Congress…The entire nation is with him today.”
He also paid homage to the jawans, who were prepared to make the supreme sacrifice to safeguard the country. His tribute came against the backdrop of the attack by Pakistan- based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad on the army base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed. .
India and France today signed the Euro 7.87-billion (Rs 59,000 crore approx) deal for Rafale fighter jets, equipped with latest missiles and weapon system besides multiple India-specific modifications that will give the IAF cutting edge capability over arch rival Pakistan.
The deal was signed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his visiting French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian sixteen months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s plans to buy 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in fly away condition during his trip to France.
The deal comes with a saving of nearly 750 million Euros, gained through hard negotiations by the Indian side, over the one struck during the previous UPA government, which was scrapped by the Narendra Modi government, besides a 50 per cent offset clause.
The 50 per cent offset clause means that Indian businesses, both big and small, will gain work to the tune of over three billion Euros.
These combat aircraft, delivery of which will start in 36 months and will be completed in 66 months from the date the contract is inked, comes equipped with state-of-the-art missiles like ‘Meteor’ and ‘Scalp’ that will give IAF a capability that had been sorely missing in its arsenal.
The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF include its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 150 km.
Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India’s territorial boundary.
Pakistan at present has only a BVR with 80 km range.
During the Kargil war, India had used a BVR of 50 km range while Pakistan had none.
However, Pakistan later acquired 80-km-range BVR, but now with ‘Meteor’, the balance of power in the air space has again tilted in India’s favour.
‘Scalp’, a long-range air-to-ground cruise missile with a range in excess of 300 km, also gives IAF an edge over its adversaries.
Sources said the “vanilla price” of just the 36 aircraft is about 3.42 billion Euros. The armaments cost about 710 million Euros while Indian specific changes, including integration of Israeli helmet-mounted displays, will cost 1,700 million Euros.
Associate supplies for the 36 fighter jets will cost about 1800 million Euros while performance based logistics will cost about 353 million Euros. .
Amid tension in the wake of Uri terror attack, the MNS on Friday asked Pakistani artistes like Fawad Khan to leave immediately, failing which their shootings will be stalled.
Actors like Mahira Khan (starring Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Raees’) and “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” star Fawad Khan are hijacking the opportunities of Indian artistes, Shalini Thackeray, said in a press conference.
She said these two actors have been served the ultimatum to leave the country.
In Karan Johar’s “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, which is slated to release next month, Fawad is in a supporting role Mahira plays the lead role opposite SRK in ‘Raees’.
However, Mumbai police assured the actors that they need not worry as they will be given protection.
Shalini, who is the general secretary of MNS, told PTI that their Chitrapat wing has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to all the Pakistani actors to leave the country.
“We have started dashing off letters to Pakistani actors, whose country is allegedly sponsoring terrorism, to stop their acting business here.
“We would also issue letters to the producers on what grounds they are hiring the Pakistani actors, when there are ample number of actors here in the country and struggling to find an opportunity,” she said.
In a country of 1.25 billion people where lakhs and crores struggle a lot for an opportunity to be launched in movies, these big brands are giving opportunity to Pakistani artistes, she added.
To a query on what MNS would do if the Pakistani artistes don’t leave, Thackeray said, “Our workers would push them out… would not let them do their acting business.
Condemning the militant attack on an army camp in North Kashmir’s Uri town that killed 17 soldiers, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hoped the perpetrators of the crime will be brought to justice and all involved will work for the re-establishment of stability and prevent further loss of life.
“The United Nations is following developments closely and shares the concerns of people living in the region for peace,” a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson here said.
Ban expressed hope that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and all stakeholders will meet their responsibilities to maintain peace and stability.
“The Secretary-General hopes that the perpetrators of this crime will be identified and brought to justice,” it said.
He “hopes that all involved will prioritise the re-establishment of stability and prevent any further loss of life. The Secretary-General encourages all stakeholders to meet their respective responsibilities to maintain peace and stability,” the statement said.
Condemning the “militant attack”, Ban expressed his “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the families of the soldiers who lost their lives and to the government of India and wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as the head of the Non-Aligned Movement, also expressed solidarity with the people of India “who have suffered a terrorist attack.”
“We are committed along with our brotherly people of the world to get into the depth of this problem that has generated proliferation of terrorist movements, which doesn’t respect life and the need for coexistence of people,” he said at a press conference after the summit in Margarita Island yesterday.
In one of the deadliest attacks on the Army in recent years, 17 soldiers were killed and 19 others injured as heavily armed militants stormed a battalion headquarters of the force in North Kashmir’s Uri town early yesterday.
Four militants involved in the terror strike were killed by the Army.
The attack comes two years after militants had carried out a similar type of attack at Mohra in the same area. Ten security personnel were killed in the attack that took place on December 5, 2014.
With Masood Azhar-led JeM suspected to be behind the Uri attack, Congress leader Digvijay Singh today sought to put the National Democratic Alliance government in the dock, suggesting the earlier NDA regime had “compromised” with national security by releasing the terrorist following the 1999 Indian airlines hijack.
In a series of tweets, he also made a strong pitch for building strong international pressure to isolate Pakistan in the wake of the terror strike and also stressed on looking into the “failure” of the Army to protect its camp near the LoC.
“We compromised to let Masood Azhar go after Indian Airlines hijack. Lesson? Never compromise with National Security,” the Congress General Secretary said.
“Masood Azhar’s Jaish-e-Mohammad behind the attack. Of course with full connivance of Pakistan Establishment.”
“Should also look at the failure of the Army to protect its Army Camp near the LOC,” he said.
“Pay homage to the Martyrs in Uri. GOI must strongly build International pressure to isolate Pakistan”, the Congress leader added.
Flight IC 814, which was en route from Nepal to Delhi, was hijacked on December 24, 1999 with 176 passengers onboard.
Three terrorists, including Masood Azhar, were released by the Indian government in exchange for the safe release of passengers and the crew.
An AIIMS doctor allegedly committed suicide by injecting herself with some poisonous substance at her flat in IP Extension in east Delhi, police said on Friday.
30-year-old Dr Ritu Bangoti allegedly took the extreme step at her flat in Kurmanchal Apartment of IP Extension on Thursday evening, police said.
The deceased was reportedly having strained relations with her husband. Neighbours told police that the couple had frequent fights over domestic issues.
Sources said the deceased left behind a suicide note but police did not confirm it.
Dr Ritu got married three years back and had a two-year- old daughter.
Police questioned the husband of the deceased, Brajesh for several hours.PTI
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