There's no damange to Kalasa Nala wall, say Cops

Belagavi: BJP leader Girish Mattannavar's claims of demolishing the Kalasa Nala wall near Kanakumbi in Khanapur taluk sent police as well as the district administration into a tizzy on Saturday morning.
After an inspection, police said no such thing had happened.
Dharwad-based Mattannavar, who hit the headlines some time ago for planting explosives at the Vidhana Soudha, claimed that he and his team damaged the Kalasa right wall on Friday night as a part of the Har Har Mahadayi Mission.He did this to attract the attention of the central government for a long-pending issue. Mattannavar claimed he went near the wall using a boat.
Some organizations burst crackers at Channamma Circle here to celebrate this alleged mission of the former policeman.
Immediately after the news was telecast on some channels, SP BR Ravikanthe Gowda, officials of the revenue department and Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Ltd (KNNL) inspected the spot. Ravikanthe Gowda said the claims are false and baseless.
"The base of the nala wall, built of concrete, is 20ft under water and no one can reach it easily and damaging it is not easy. Besides, the boat that Mattannavar claimed he used is under repair and has been at the nala for over a year. Legal action will be initiated against Mattannavar for spreading false reports and creating a disturbance," he said.
Further, Gowda said some work by KNNL is going on at the spot and there's adequate police security. He added that there's no need to deploy additional police personnel at the spot following the rumours.
However, Vijay Kulkarni, president, Kalasa-Banduri Kendra Horata Samiti, said, "He (Mattannavar) damaged the wall but it's not a crime. Through this, Mattannavar has expressed the desire of North Karnataka people who are desperate for drinking water. We'll fight against the government if any legal action is initiated against him," he said.