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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
4-lane Ganga Path to ease traffic woes
Kanpur: To alleviate the rising traffic pressure on VIP road and to further the development of the City, the authorities have formulated an ambitious plan to construct a 4-lane Ganga Path road, stretching approximately 9 kms from the proposed new bridge at Shuklaganj to Atal Ghat. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The route is set to be linked to the RiverFront, following the model of Patna Ganga Path. Divisional commissioner K Vijayendra on Friday instructed the officials of the Bridge Corporation to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for this initiative. The commissioner said that a team comprising members from the public works department, irrigation department, Setu Nigam, KDA and Kanpur Municipal Corporation, led by coordinator Neeraj Srivastava, had recently visited the Patna Ganga Path RiverFront Project to examine its multifaceted features. Following their visit, the committee has compiled suitable recommendations for the Kanpur project and forwarded a proposal to the government, aligning with provisions such as those of NGT. This proposal forms part of the submissions under 'Vision 2050'. As part of the ongoing government review, the task of preparing the DPR has now been assigned to Setu Nigam, coordinated by Neeraj Srivastava. For effective preparation of the DPR, Neeraj Srivastava is set to draw on insights from Bihar State Path Vikas Nigam and consultants of Patna Ganga Path Yojana. The commissioner said that the project would greatly enhance the City's traffic system and contribute to its beautification and tourism.
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Centre advances talks to July 20; Sonam Wangchuk defers hunger strike
Following a proposal by the BJP government at the Centre to pre-pone another rounds of talks over statehood and Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, co-chairman of the Leh apex body and former minister, Chering Dorje Lakrook on Saturday announced that environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk has deferred his 35 day-long hunger strike. Sonam Wangchuk, newly inducted into the Leh apex body, was set to begin a hunger strike on July 15.(PTI ) Wangchuk, a newly inducted member of the Leh apex body, had planned to go on hunger strike from July 15, if the Centre failed to hold talks with LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) before July 15. Addressing a press conference at Leh, Lakrook said, 'Since a new proposal has come from the Centre to hold talks on July 20 and there is no big gap between July 15 and 20, Sonam Wangchuk has decided to defer his hunger strike.' 'However, we have to see if they (MHA) invite us on July 20 for another round of talks. At the same time, we have to see if they include statehood and Sixth Schedule in the agenda or not because we don't want to remain entangled on the issue of unemployment. A lot of talks followed by action for jobs has already taken place,' said Lakrook. On recent developments regarding the Buddhist spiritual leader Thupstan Chhewang parting ways with LAB, he said, 'We will resolve the issue soon.' Leh apex body along with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has been spearheading a protracted agitation for statehood and Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. The home ministry had earlier assured to hold the meeting on July 28, which according to LAB, has now pre-poned the date to July 20. Following continual agitations by the people of Ladakh, the Union home ministry had formed a high-powered committee in 2023 under minister of state Nityanand Rai to discuss ways to protect Ladakh's unique culture, considering its location and strategic importance. During his visit to the strategic region on June 30 and July 1, union home secretary Govind Mohan had met a delegation of the Leh apex body and assured them that next meeting of the MHA with apex body and KDA will be convened soon. It may be stated here that Sonam Wangchuk has recently joined the Leh apex body and also agreed upon to represent high powered committee and sub committee during deliberations with the union home ministry. However, veteran Buddhist spiritual leader Thupstan Chhewang recently quit the apex body and high powered committee. He was the chairman of the high powered panel. In a statement issued to media, Chhewang reiterated his decision to stay away from electoral politics and partisan affiliations. 'In keeping with this stance, I hereby resign as Chairman and member of the Apex Body, as well as from the High-Powered Committee. I prefer not to be entangled in competing interests,' he said in the note.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
SEP Commission decides to propose two-language policy in Karnataka
Amidst heated debates over whether Karnataka should also ditch the three-language policy in education and opt for a two-language one, like what Maharashtra did recently and Tamil Nadu has been doing for decades, the State Education Policy (SEP) Commission has in its report recommended a two-language policy, multiple sources confirmed to The Hindu. The commission is expected to submit its report to the State government by the end of July. It may be recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also recently expressed support for a two-language policy. The Karnataka Development Authority (KDA) had also demanded it. The commission has reportedly comprehensively discussed the pressure and effects on children owing to the three-language policy, the number of students failing in the third language — Hindi — in the SSLC exam and the fact that the third language or regional languages are not considered for board examinations in central board schools, before finalising the two-language policy recommendation. Purushottam Bilimale, chairman, Kannada Development Authority (KDA), has said that the State government should also show commitment like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments on the implementation of the two-language policy. He said it was a tricky issue for any government headed by a national party, as all national parties have been champions of Hindi. 'But we hope the State government demonstrates its commitment,' he said. He further said that since the language policy played an important role in the education system, the authority would wait for the SEP Commission's report and then take an appropriate decision on the two-language policy and make its recommendations to the government. Private schools' stand Private school organisations such as the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) have opposed the two-language policy in the State education system. 'The government should not abandon the three-language policy for any reason. There should be an opportunity to learn a third language in schools. But there should not be an imposition of Hindi,' said Shashikumar D., general secretary, KAMS. 'If the three-language policy is abandoned and a two-language policy is implemented in the State, hundreds of schools in Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and other mediums will be closed. Children will be deprived of the right to learn their mother tongue,' he said, adding that learning multiple languages would improve the cognitive ability of children.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
KDA urges State govt. to fill all 55,000 vacancies in schools
The Karnataka Development Authority (KDA) has urged the State government to fill all 55,000 vacancies of teachers in government primary and high schools as soon as possible, KDA chairman Purushottam Bilimale said in Belagavi on Friday. He was speaking at a meeting of officials at Rani Channamma University. 'There are many vacancies in the State and these will soon increase owing to retirement of teachers. Teaching in schools is already affected and the situation will worsen if there is no immediate recruitment,' he said. Prof. Bilimale urged university teachers to ensure that the teaching-learning process was of high standards. 'Kannada is not just a means of communication, but also a medium of our rich culture. Universities bear the real responsibility of keeping our heritage alive'. He said KDA would encourage research in Kannada studies. He asked them to promote research and publication in science subjects in Kannada medium. 'We are trying to create a lot of reading material for schoolchildren in various disciplines. University faculty members should help us by contributing to the effort,' he said. Santosh Hanagal, secretary, said the authority was constantly working for the promotion and development of Kannada at the academic level. 'We aim to instil the true Kannada spirit in the hearts of the students,' he said. Vice-Chancellor C.M. Thyagaraja said the RCU will work with KDA to promote learning and higher studies in Kannada.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two language policy is our stand, says KDA chairman
'Karnataka Development Authority's stand is that the State should follow the policy of teaching two languages to children in primary school. We are in the process of recommending this to the State government,' KDA chairman Purushottam Bilimale said in Belagavi on Thursday. Addressing officers of various departments in the Deputy Commissioner's office, Prof. Bilimale said that the authority has taken the ideological stand of supporting the two-language policy. 'This is based on the idea that Kannada will be the language of instruction and English and Kannada will be taught from the first standard. Other languages can be taught when children reach higher classes,' he said. He said that the objective of institutions like KDA is to see that administration is in the language of the people. He said that of all Indian languages, the growth of Hindi has been the fastest across the country. Between 1971 and 2011, Hindi has recorded a growth rate of 66%. 'The other major languages like Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam have shown growth of around 12%-13%. The slowest growth has been of Kannada. It has grown only by 3.73%. If the same trend continues, then Kannada will remain only a spoken language in a few decades. It is not just a matter of figures and numbers, but it is evident in cities like Bengaluru,' he said. 'In Karnataka that has around 6.4 crore people, 25% cannot speak Kannada. We have nothing against people who speak different languages. But we expect them to learn Kannada as long as they live here. However, if other linguistic communities are not speaking Kannada, I do not hold them responsible,' he said. 'Speakers of other languages don't speak Kannada only because we have failed to teach them. KDA has taken up this responsibility. We have set up 100 Kannada training centres across the State. We are starting them in border districts like Belagavi,' he said. 'Let me clarify that we are supporters of Kannada, but not language chauvinists. We love our language, but do not hate other tongues. We are naturally concerned about the condition of Kannada and want it to be preserved for the next generations. I come from the coastal districts and have worked in Delhi for several years. I can speak several languages. I strongly believe that being bilingual is not a crime. Preserving one's mother tongue is not just the responsibility of Kannadigas. It is the sacred duty of all Indian language communities,' he said. 'Belagavi is a border district and the challenges in protecting the language here are different. I am not unaware of such issues. I accept these issues but will take steps to promote Kannada. However, we need to find creative solutions to these issues. We need to introspect on all earlier attempts and see why have we succeeded or failed,' he said. 'We should not be too bothered about historical events like linguistic reorganisation of States. The government and civil society organisations should work together in protecting and promoting Kannada,' he said. He expressed concern over the fall in the standard of education. 'At one time, Karnataka used to be known for high standard of education. But we are now witnessing a rapid fall in the standard of education. A national level survey has revealed that half the primary school students cannot recite simple tables. I think the solution is commitment from the side of teachers and administrators to provide quality education to students,' he said. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao, Superintendent of Police Bheemashakar S. Guled, KDA secretary Santosh Hangal and others were present.
