Bengaluru: The Karnataka govt’s plan to increase the height of Almatti dam on Krishna river in Bagalkot district faces significant challenges especially regarding land acquisition and rehabilitation, as it would affect 20 villages that would be submerged.The plan has been mired in a dispute with other riparian states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — objecting, but there appears light at the end of the tunnel with the Centre calling for a meeting. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the meeting was postponed and is now expected to be held next week. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, also water resources minister, arrived in New Delhi Tuesday for a series of meetings, including on the Krishna water sharing dispute. He was optimistic of reaching a consensus. “There are clear signs that the Centre and neighbouring states will agree to increasing the height of the dam. Let us wait and see,” said Shivakumar.Karnataka plans to raise the dam’s height from 519m to 524.2m, which would provide an additional 100tmcft of storage capacity and enable irrigation of an additional 6 lakh hectares of land. But the primary challenge is that 20 villages and a considerable portion of Bagalkot town would be submerged.The project necessitates acquiring 1,33,867 acres for relief and rehabilitation and construction of a water distribution network. The project cost has escalated from Rs 55,148 crore in 2018 to Rs 1 lakh crore due to rising land prices, attributed to delays in the Centre’s gazette notification. But chief minister Siddaramaiah has allocated only Rs 5,563 crore in his budget as an initial amount.Jal Shakti minister CR Patil is said to have taken steps to resolve the dispute by facilitating discussions among the four states. “We welcome the Centre’s initiative to convene a meeting, but it should own responsibility for the escalation of project costs,” said Basavaraj Rayareddi, economic adviser to Siddaramaiah. “A possible solution is that the Centre declare the Upper Krishna Project-3, that covers Almatti dam, as a national project and bear the cost.”The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal announced its verdict in 2010, but undivided Andhra Pradesh moved the Supreme Court against it in 2011. The tribunal gave its final award in 2013, which includes permission to increase the height of the dam.But the Centre kept a decision on notify it in the gazette in abeyance following a Supreme Court order in 2011, mandating that the Centre consult it first. Meanwhile, Telangana, a state carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, also approached the court, seeking a share of water.

New Delhi: A 35-year-old man from Punjab has been arrested in connection with a passport fraud racket, following the detention of a passenger at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport who returned from France with mismatched travel records. The accused, identified as Gagan Sharma, a resident of Gurdaspur, was allegedly part of a network that facilitated illegal travel to Europe through forged passports and visas.The case came to light on April 29 when a 19-year-old man arrived at the IGI Airport from France using an emergency travel certificate. During immigration clearance, officials discovered that there was no record of his departure from India on his original passport, raising suspicions of unlawful travel. He was detained and later arrested under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Passports Act, according to DCP (IGI) Usha Rangnani.A subsequent investigation revealed that the youth had travelled to France in 2022 on a fake passport under the name ‘Tanu Vaid’. He reportedly got involved in the scheme through a friend and was introduced to the main agent, Jagmohan Singh, at a gurdwara in Punjab. A deal was struck for Rs 12 lakh, after which he was taken to Delhi and provided with a forged identity. A passport with fabricated details was issued, and a Spain visa was obtained, DCP Rangnani said.The youth travelled to Abu Dhabi via Mumbai in March 2022 and then entered France with the help of agents. Upon arrival, he claimed the agents destroyed all his forged documents and abandoned him.Following the death of his grandmother in April 2025, he applied for an emergency travel certificate and returned to India. Immigration authorities flagged discrepancies in his travel history upon arrival, leading to his detention.During the probe, another agent, Rohit Vaid, was arrested in Delhi. Based on information gathered from him, police traced Gagan Sharma to Batala city in Punjab. After conducting multiple raids and surveillance operations, Sharma was taken into custody. He confessed to collecting payments and facilitating visa and travel arrangements on behalf of Jagmohan Singh.Efforts are ongoing to trace and apprehend Jagmohan Singh, the alleged kingpin of the racket.New Delhi: A 35-year-old man from Punjab has been arrested in connection with a passport fraud racket, following the detention of a passenger at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport who returned from France with mismatched travel records. The accused, identified as Gagan Sharma, a resident of Gurdaspur, was allegedly part of a network that facilitated illegal travel to Europe through forged passports and visas.The case came to light on April 29 when a 19-year-old man arrived at the IGI Airport from France using an emergency travel certificate. During immigration clearance, officials discovered that there was no record of his departure from India on his original passport, raising suspicions of unlawful travel. He was detained and later arrested under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Passports Act, according to DCP (IGI) Usha Rangnani.A subsequent investigation revealed that the youth had travelled to France in 2022 on a fake passport under the name ‘Tanu Vaid’. He reportedly got involved in the scheme through a friend and was introduced to the main agent, Jagmohan Singh, at a gurdwara in Punjab. A deal was struck for Rs 12 lakh, after which he was taken to Delhi and provided with a forged identity. A passport with fabricated details was issued, and a Spain visa was obtained, DCP Rangnani said.The youth travelled to Abu Dhabi via Mumbai in March 2022 and then entered France with the help of agents. Upon arrival, he claimed the agents destroyed all his forged documents and abandoned him.Following the death of his grandmother in April 2025, he applied for an emergency travel certificate and returned to India. Immigration authorities flagged discrepancies in his travel history upon arrival, leading to his detention.During the probe, another agent, Rohit Vaid, was arrested in Delhi. Based on information gathered from him, police traced Gagan Sharma to Batala city in Punjab. After conducting multiple raids and surveillance operations, Sharma was taken into custody. He confessed to collecting payments and facilitating visa and travel arrangements on behalf of Jagmohan Singh.Efforts are ongoing to trace and apprehend Jagmohan Singh, the alleged kingpin of the racket.

These images taken during the end of April and early part of May in 2025 show Little stints and Kentish plovers sharing space at a saltern in Thaiyur, near Kelambakkam.
| Photo Credit: PRINCE FREDERICK

Take in this familiar scenario; and that might make it easier to figure out why the Little stints and Kentish plovers hang out together. Two colleagues are in the same department, and they have taken residence in the quarters provided by their office (a situation usually playing out in government jobs in India). They head out for work and hit the trail back home around the same hours, and therefore end up taking the same route both ways, and become travel companions.

Now shift the focus to a saltern in Thaiyur near Kelambakkam. The wintering season is in its fag end, and during the end of April and early part of May in 2025, one has been greeted by sights of Little stints sharing space with Kentish plovers.

Similarity in their dining habits and shared routes to the wintering grounds and back to the breeding grounds make them compatible and they are at home in each other’s company.

Whoever said familiarity breeds contempt has never been introduced to the Little stint and the Kentish plover.