The State government was resorting to “jugglery of words” when speaking about the Netravati diversion project and the Yettinahole project, member of the Western Ghats Task Force B.M. Kumaraswamy said here on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Hindu here on the sidelines of a programme organised by the task force and the Department of Forests, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the government was denying that there was any attempt to divert the Netravati, and instead it was saying that it would supply drinking water to Kolar, Chickballapur, Chitradurga and Bangalore Rural districts from the Yettinahole, a tributary of the Netravati, he said.

The illegal mining scam has not deterred mining companies from making a beeline for Karnataka. Over 19,000 applications seeking permission to excavate ore in the State are pending with the government.

Data compiled by the Union Ministry of Mines shows that of the 42,535 pending applications seeking permission for mining in various mineral-rich states in the country, (as on April 19), more than 45 per cent (19,351) of them are pending in Karnataka alone — the highest in the country.

Bellary Thermal Plant may become operational in May second week

Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje has said the State will purchase 990 MW of power to meet the demand during summer. The State is finding it difficult to purchase more power because of lack of corridors to evacuate electricity.

Rs 24,000-crore estimation to meet City’s water needs

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Minister S Suresh Kumar has evinced interest in a plan prepared by the Centre for Policies and Practices (CPP), an NGO, to solve the growing demand for water in the City.

New Delhi National Green Tribunal has sought a reply from the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) on a plea challenging the environmental clearance granted to Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project Stage-I (2,400 MW) in Karnataka.

A bench headed tribunal’s acting chairperson AS Naidusought MoEF's response on the plea seeking quashing of clearance granted on January 25, to the NTPC project in Bijapur.

Thanks to rider that flow of JnNURM funds would stop, if it is not formed. The State government has begun the process of constituting the much-delayed Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Bangalore.

Under the 74th amendment of the Constitution, MPC is mandatory for a city with a population of more than 10 lakh. Bangalore is home to over 85 lakh (as per census 2011).

Faced with a power shortage of 840 megawatts (MW), the energy crisis in the State is likely to worsen in the coming summer days if the dependency on hydel power stations continues for long.

The current demand of 160 million units (mu) has left a peak load gap of about 15 mu, thanks to the water supply crisis at the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS).

Bangalore Uncertain times await investors planning to start iron-ore mining in Karnataka, as the state government has made it clear that fresh leases will be given only after the Supreme Court clears all legal cases concerning the sector.

The state's controversy-ridden industry has come under the purview of the central empowered committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court which has recommended a ban on issuing fresh mining permits.

Emerges best feeder rail network for City

The Light Rail Transit (LRT) system is likely to be preferred over to Monorail for the City. Capita Symonds - the UK-based consultancy firm for property and infrastructure solutions to which the State government has assigned the job of suggesting the best feeder rail network for the City - considers LRT more advantageous than Monorail.

Shortage of water is not due to lack of water but due to its mismanagement, the Samiti members said here on Monday.

Projects not implemented: According to them, Karnataka received 725 tmc ft of water under , which should be enough for small, medium and large irrigation projects; but they aren’t being implemented, specifically the Upper Krishna project.