Karnataka

Health

While officials are yet to identify the source of the infection, they suspect that one student was exposed to it while tending to a patient in the clinic.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Image for representation

The medical students from Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Karnataka, who were admitted to the hospital after having contracted diphtheria, have now recovered. Of the 25 female students, five had been treated on an outpatient basis as they were stable, while the remaining 20 were admitted to the hospital for further treatment. “All students who were availing treatment have made good recovery and have been discharged. We are yet to figure out the source of the infection, but suspect that one of the students was exposed to a patient with diphtheria at the clinic. This host student stays in a hostel and we suspect that it spread to the other students in the hostel,” said Dr MK Patil, Kalaburagi District Health Officer (DHO). Diphtheria is an extremely contagious bacterial disease, which causes immense throat pain and can also result in a compromised respiratory passage (particularly in young children). Despite vaccination efforts against diphtheria, more cases are now being reported. Officials believe the GIMS outbreak may have occurred either because the students were not vaccinated at all or did not receive a booster dose. The vaccine for diphtheria can be given as a pentavalent vaccine, which is effective against five diseases, including diphtheria. It can also be given as a trivalent DTaP vaccine, which protects against three diseases: diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough). Booster doses are generally given as a DT (diphtheria and tetanus) vaccine, which offers immunity against diphtheria and tetanus. Diphtheria is caused by an organism called Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The other symptoms of diphtheria include severe throat pain or a sore throat, weakness, swollen glands in the neck region, and also fever. Earlier, in August, around 50 people from Tamil Nadu were admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital after having contracted the infection. Also read: Diphtheria alert in Tamil Nadu: Why so many cases are being seen now

Body 2:

Politics

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikant Senthil resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) earlier on Friday.

TNM Staff

The shock resignation of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikant Senthil from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on Friday prompted protests by Congress workers against the BJP outside the DC office. The protesters, armed with party flags and shouting slogans, blamed the ruling party in the state and Centre, even though Sasikanth stated that the decision to resign was a “purely personal one”. He also mentioned that this decision had nothing to do with his work as the DC of Dakshina Kannada. Sources, however, have told TNM that the decision was more to do with the workings of the Centre rather than the new BJP regime in the state. Read: 'Building blocks of democracy compromised': Dakshina Kannada DC quits IAS The Congress leaders alleged that Sasikanth resigned due to pressure from the BJP-led Karnataka government. "At a time when the BJP is in power in Karnataka, they are putting pressure on district officials to do anti-social work. It is due to this pressure that the DC has submitted his resignation today," Congress MLC Ivan D'Souza said, addressing the protesters."If this government continues, more IAS, IPS officers will resign due to pressure," MLA and district party president Harish Kumar told TNM, echoing his colleague’s comments. Sasikant had been serving as the DC of the coastal district since December 2017. In his previous postings, he has served as the Assistant Commissioner in Ballari, Chief Executive Officer of the Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat and Deputy Commissioner of Chitradurga and Raichur districts. Before his posting in Dakshina Kannada, he was the Director of Mines and Geology Department. He had topped the 2009 UPSC exams and secured the ninth position at the national level after leaving his job as an engineer. Sasikanth is the second IAS officer to resign in recent weeks. Kannan Gopinathan, a Malayali IAS officer from the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, submitted his resignation from the service in August over the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He quit service stating that he wanted his freedom of expression back.

Body 2:

Crime

Refuting the claims, OYO said the complaint has been wrongfully filed on the basis of “false claims and exaggeration on a regular commercial dispute”

TNM Staff

The Whitefield police in Bengaluru have booked hotel chain OYO Hotels and Homes’ CEO and founder Ritesh Agarwal for cheating and criminal breach of trust following a complaint by a city-based hotelier. Along with Ritesh, two other OYO representatives Anand Reddy and Prathik Singh, too, have been booked in the case. In his complaint, Natarajan, owner of Rajguru Shelter Hotels alleged that the company violated an agreement of taking only 20% commission from each reservation and in the process cheated him to the tune of Rs 1 crore. The agreement between Rajguru Shelter Hotels and OYO was drawn in February 2017. The three have been booked under sections 34 (common intent), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The Whitefield police refused to comment on the matter as it is still under investigation. Responding to the FIR, an OYO spokesperson denied any wrongdoing and said the company will not comment on the specifics of the matter as it is sub judice. “We strongly refute the claims made in the complaint that has been wrongfully filed against our Founder and two other office bearers, basis false claims and exaggeration on a regular commercial dispute… Our lawyers are looking into the matter and will be taking strong legal action as these claims are incorrect and defamatory in nature,” OYO said in a statement on Friday. In July, TNM had reported how many hotel operators felt the company is hurting their businesses. “OYO has been cheating the hotel owners by using various gimmicks and arm-twisting tactics, which has resulted in huge losses for hotel owners and has disrupted the hotel industry and market,” Pradeep Shetty, a committee member of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), had told TNM then. Read: Why many hotel owners across India are agitated with Oyo's business model

Body 2:

Administration

The change in name was confirmed by the state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy while briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government decided to rename the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka on Friday. The change in name was confirmed by the state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy while briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting. "All government records will see the name Hyderabad Karnataka changed to Kalyana Karnataka,” Madhuwswamy said. The name change was approved by the cabinet on Friday after demands from 41 legislators from the region to get rid of the colonial-era name, which they believe is associated with the erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad. The name change will happen in all government records and the term Hyderabad-Karnataka will be replaced with Kalyana-Karnataka, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy told the media on Friday. The Hyderabad-Karnataka region comprises Bidar, Ballari, Kalburgi, Raichur, Koppal and Yadgir. It enjoys special status under the Indian Constitution (Article 371 J). A special board called the Hyderabad Karnataka Region Development Board was constituted for the upliftment of the region. The board will now be called the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board. The chairman of the board is one of the district-ministers-in-charge in the region. People from the region also benefit from reservation in jobs and colleges. The name was changed after all 41 MLAs in the region petitioned the government about changing the name. “There are 41 legislators from the region and all of us had petitioned the government to formally rename the region. We had done the same to the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government and it has now been accepted,” Sedam BJP legislator Rajkumar Patil said at the briefing. Before Independence, this region was under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. "We got our Independence on September 17 1948, one year and one month after India got its independence. We are pleased that the region was renamed before September 17", Rajkumar Patil added. Image courtesy: AreJay, Wikimedia Commons

Body 2:

Civic Issues

The special commissioners will have the powers of the BBMP Commissioner and can make administrative decisions for their respective wards.

TNM Staff

Decentralisation of the Bengaluru civic body – the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - has been a long-standing demand of numerous civic activists in the city over the last few years. This demand may come to fruition as the Karnataka government has decided to appoint four special commissioners, each to oversee two zones of the city. Bengaluru has been divided into eight zones and each zone has a Joint Commissioner appointed by the BBMP. However, the decision-making power is currently centralised as the work does not move forward without the approval of the BBMP Commissioner. The Karnataka government’s decision comes after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayana, MPs from Bengaluru PC Mohan and Rajeev Chandrashekar, and the Chief Minister’s political secretary SR Vishwanath on Friday, the Times of India reported. Speaking to the media, DyCM Ashwathnarayana said that the special commissioners will have the powers of the BBMP Commissioner and can make administrative decisions for their respective wards. “These Commissioners will be given the independence to make decisions for their zones. It is not just decentralisation of the administration but the decision has been taken to ensure that there is accountability and transparency,” Kannada Prabha quoted him as saying According to the TOI report, MP Rajeev Chandrashekar proposed the idea of having a special commissioner for each zone. However, the proposal was tweaked because of a shortage of IAS officers. Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar reportedly said eight IAS officers cannot be assigned, the report added. The ministers and MPs also decided that the solid waste management facilities must be brought to their full capacity at the earliest and also decided to bring down the cost of the compost generated at the composting units from Rs 3,000 per tonne to Rs 1,000 per tonne. BBMP will also get a new helpline to address people’s grievances with regard to civic issues. This comes after the Karnataka High Court rapped BBMP on its negligence to bring about grievance redressal mechanisms multiple times since 2018. The helpline will be called Bengaluru Sahayavani.

Body 2:

Politics

Karnataka already has three Deputy Chief Ministers and BJP sources say that the party is looking at appointing two more Deputy CMs in order to solidify the party’s reach in the state.

Theja Ram

Will Karnataka follow in the footsteps of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and appoint a total of five Deputy Chief Ministers? The issue is being discussed by the Karnataka BJP and the high command with several strategic political concerns in mind. Karnataka already has three Deputy Chief Ministers and BJP sources say that the party is looking at appointing two more Deputy CMs in order to solidify the party’s reach in the state, and at the same time pacify the 17 Congress and JD(S) rebels, a few of whom are unhappy about not being considered for the post. First reported by TOI, the report stated that the BJP is looking at appointing two more Deputy Chief Ministers from the Kuruba and Dalit communities in order to fix the caste equation in favour of the party in Karnataka. The rebel trouble However, BJP sources in the Karnataka unit told TNM that among the rebels, former Gokak legislator Ramesh Jarkiholi and former JD(S) state President and also the ex-MLA of Hunsur – AH Vishwanath, have been unhappy about the party nominating three Deputy Chief Ministers before the Supreme Court can decide on the fate of the 17 rebels, who resigned to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Party insiders say that the negotiators had promised to appoint Ramesh Jarkiholi as a Deputy Chief Minister if he resigned from the Congress. Ramesh Jarkiholi was dropped from his post as the Minister for Municipalities in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government during the reshuffle in 2018, and he had openly expressed his displeasure over the issue. Ramesh Jarkiholi had also stated that he would join the BJP soon. Insiders in the Congress say that he led the rebellion that brought down the government. Belagavi leader Laxman Sangappa Savadi, who is not even an MLA, being appointed as the Deputy CM, has made Ramesh Jarkiholi unhappy, BJP sources said. “Ramesh Jarkiholi is from the Valmiki Nayak community and so is B Sriramulu, who has traditionally been with the BJP. Since Ramesh’s brother Balachandra Jarkiholi was made the head of Karnataka Milk Federation, the party is now mulling over whether it would be too risky to just allot Ramesh a cabinet berth or if he has to be made the DCM. With AH Vishwanath, it is much easier as he can be offered a cabinet berth instead of making him the DCM,” the source added. The caste equation Another reason why the BJP is mulling over appointing two more Deputy CMs is to balance the caste equation. The BJP has come under severe criticism as a large chunk of the ministers inducted into the cabinet are from the Lingayat community. In order to get rid of the tag that the BJP in Karnataka is a Lingayat party, the high command is purportedly mulling over inducting two additional DCMs. Party sources say that the high command is bent on snaring the Ahinda community's votes away from the Congress and thereby undermining the influence of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the state. “There are too may equations to solve. First would be to assure the rebels who want to join BJP that the promises will be met. The second, more important one, is to get rid of the perception that the Ahinda (Minorities, OBCs and Dalits) are traditional vote banks of the Congress. Appointing a DCM each from the Kuruba and Dalit community may be the first step,” the BJP source said. BJP insiders say that Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, who is from the Kuruba community, is a major contender for one of the two posts. In addition, JD(S) rebel AH Vishwanath and Congress rebel MLA from KR Puram Byrathi Basavaraj, who are also from this community, are contenders too. Molakalmuru MLA B Sriramulu, Ramesh Jarkiholi are also major aspirants. “It is one thing to aspire and another to actually get appointed as DCM. What the central leadership showed by strategically choosing Laxman Savadi, Ashwathnarayana and Govind Karjol as the DCMs is that the prominence of the state leaders does not matter. What matters is that the party is confident of promoting leaders of its choice. Another message was that the high command controls all decisions. In the current scenario, there are constraints as the rebels have to be pacified too,” the source added.

Body 2:

Traffic

The clarification comes after reports suggested that traffic police officials would fine motorists Rs 2,000 if they are not carrying a hard copy of their vehicle insurance.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Traffic Police officials clarified that motorists in the city can show documents stored on Digilocker, the national Digital Locker System, during traffic police checks. The clarification comes after reports suggested that traffic police officials would fine motorists Rs 2,000 if they are not carrying a hard copy of their vehicle insurance. The Traffic Police's official Twitter account caused the confusion while replying to queries of multiple users of the social media platform on Thursday."It is here by clarified that The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued an advisory to states to accept driving licence, Registration certificate or other documents in 'electronic form' presented through Digilocker or mParivahan platform as valid under the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and treat them at par with the certificates issued by the transport authorities,” a statement by Bengaluru Traffic Police said. Earlier on Thursday, the traffic police department replying to multiple queries through the official Twitter account said that while soft copies of documents will be accepted during traffic police checks, the original hard copies of the driving licence and insurance will be required in case of any violation committed by the rider or if the vehicle is seized. "In digilock DL, RC and Emession certificate is accepted (sic). It can be showed, but in case of any violation committed by driver/rider or if vehicle seized original (hard copy) DL is required", Bengaluru Traffic Police's official Twitter account stated. Insurance must be in hard copy only (original), In digilock DL, RC & Emission certificate is accepted. but in case of any violation committed by driver/rider or if vehicle seized original (hard copy) DL is required BengaluruTrafficPolice (@blrcitytraffic) September 6, 2019 However, an amended provision in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 states that, "Citizens can produce the transport related documents such as registration, insurance, fitness and permit, the driving licence, certificate for pollution under check and any other relevant documents, if required, in physical or electronic form on demand by any police officer in uniform or any other officer authorized by the State Government in this behalf." Traffic police officials booked 2,978 cases against offenders and collected a fine of Rs 30.1 lakh within the first 37 hours of the new traffic rules being implemented in the city. Traffic police stated that along with vehicle insurance, motorists need to carry driving licence, registration certificate, and emission certificate. The higher traffic fine amounts have been fixed as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The new rules were implemented starting September 2 in Karnataka since September 1 was a Sunday. A Bengaluru resident had to cough up a fine of Rs 17,000 for multiple traffic offences on Tuesday evening, which is the highest fine amount paid in the city since the higher fares kicked in. The motorist was caught driving without a helmet and without carrying a license. Moreover, he was found to be in an inebriated condition.

Body 2:

Resignation

Sasikanth says that the state of public affairs in India is 'genuinely worrying' and that to stand up and say something about it, he has had to leave the civil services.

Prajwal Bhat

S Sasikanth Senthil, a 2009 batch IAS officer who was working as the Deputy Commissioner of Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, resigned from the Indian Administrative Service on Friday. His resignation comes less than two weeks after Kannan Gopinathan, a Malayali IAS officer from the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, resigned from the service citing the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking to TNM, Sasikanth explains that the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir is part of the reason for his decision to resign and that there is a "framework of fascism" developing in the country. Read: ‘No intention to return’: Kannan IAS, who resigned from service over J&K, is emphatic "You can see the framework being deployed (in the country) and it is the time-tested framework deployed in many countries in history. The situation in Kashmir is part of this framework. A month-long clampdown of an entire state is unheard of in India and it tells you that something is fundamentally wrong," says Sasikanth. He clarified that his decision was not connected to an issue in his administrative work in Dakshina Kannada. 'No space for rational debate' He, however, feels that there is no space for rational debate in the country and that debates tend to become a question of one's nationalism. "One of the tenets of a fascist framework is to replace rational debate with hyper-nationalism. The moment you start a debate, the third argument invariably will be whether you are an anti-national. This brings in the question of your loyalty to the nation. If people are not shown that this is part of a larger framework, they will never understand why someone is debating. It is important for the media, free press and bureaucracy to debate this," he says. When asked whether it is possible for bureaucrats to separate the ideology of the political party in power from their own functioning, Sasikanth replies that the differences in ideology cannot go beyond the spirit of the Constitution. "Our country is built upon values enshrined in our Constitution. It is a broad understanding that there might be differences in ideology but that cannot be beyond the spirit of the Constitution. We are supposed to implement policies within the framework of Constitutional values. When something is right according to the letter of the law but it does not stand the test of the spirit of our Constitution, then it is wrong," he says. Sasikanth served as the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada for almost two years, starting in October 2017. An engineer by profession, Sasikanth quit his job in a reputed company to join the civil services in 2009. Managing communal conflict in Dakshina Kannada During his years in the civil service, Sasikanth earned a reputation for being a no-nonsense bureaucrat and was admired by his peers for his fairness in administration. He served in Shivamogga, Ballari, Chitradurga and Raichur districts before he was tasked with administrating the communally sensitive Dakshina Kannada district. In the two years since Sasikanth took over, statistics show that incidents of communal violence have decreased in the district. Sasikanth believes that it is because of the action of the district administration in cutting down the supply of funds to groups fuelling communal violence.. "We managed to cut down the funds supplied to groups engaged in communal violence. This was achieved by restricting illegal sand mining in the district since the two are linked. We also held meetings with members of different religious groups and they often respond to fairness in administration. It is when a group believes that the administration is unfair to them, a law and order problem occurs," he says. According to the numbers, there were 42 cases and 6 incidents of communalism in Dakshina Kannada in 2017. In 2018, it came down to 3 cases and 3 incidents while 2019 has so far seen 4 cases and 3 incidents. Earlier this year, an online sand booking and monitoring system for delivering sand (www.dksandbazaar.com) was launched by the district administration. Sasikanth is also credited with hosting the first Mangaluru River Festival in January 2019 to promote the riverbank as an eco-friendly tourist attraction. He adds that the next step for Mangaluru would be to achieve zero waste management and the plan to achieve this will be implemented in the next six months. But 10 years after entering the civil services, he says that he finds the state of public affairs 'genuinely worrying' and that for him to stand up and say something about it, he has had to leave the civil services. "The pattern is very clear to me and I will be working outside of the bureaucracy to inform the common public about this with clarity. But, there is no question of joining politics since I belong in the academic field," he adds. Read: 'Building blocks of democracy compromised': Dakshina Kannada DC quits IAS

Body 2:

Civic

This drive comes after the CM took exception to the functioning of the city’s civic body soon after taking charge.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will be inspecting the civic amenities of Bengaluru’s IT corridor on Sunday. The inspection will cover peripheral areas like Hebbal, Tin Factory, Bellandur and Silk Board. These areas are marred by perennial traffic jams, bad roads and even waste management issues. During the CM’s visit, party MLAs and MPs are likely to accompany the CM along with the city mayor Gangambike Malikarjun. “I received the message that there are city rounds on Sunday. As the mayor, it is my duty to attend it and I will do so. I’m not sure what the chief minister is inspecting. We’ll get to know only by the end of the day,” the Mayor told Deccan Herald. This drive comes after the CM had taken exception to the functioning of the city’s civic body — the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. Soon after taking charge, he had ordered a garbage-free city within two weeks’ time. He had also directed the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department to probe into the money spent on Siddaramaiah's Nagarothana scheme. This included money spent on Indira Canteens, whitetopping works and TenderSure roads. The budget for BBMP was also withheld temporarily with a halt on all work orders. The following is the full list of CM’s itinerary of inspections Krishna - Sankey Road(Chowdaiah Road) - Left Turn opp Rajbhavan – Right Turn to Infantry Road - Right Turn to Queens Road - Left Turn to MG Road – Right Turn to Brigade Road – Vellara Junction – Before Anepalya Junction – Right Turn to Bannerghatta Road – Continue on Underpass of Dairy Circle – Continue on Jayadeva underpass on Bannerghatta Road Near Jayadeva Hospital Junction - Continue upto IIM Bangalore via Jedimara Junction – U Turn at IIMB – Continue upto Jedimara Junction – Left Turn to ORR – Continue upto Dalmia Junction service road – Right turn to 8 th Main – Continue upto Marenahalli Road – Right Turn towards Jayadeva Hospital Junction – Continue on ORR upto Central Silk Board Junction – After Silk Board Junction on ORR Service Road (Inspection of KSRP Land Required for BMRCL near BMTC Bus Stand) – Continue in ORR upto Ibbalur junction – Left Turn to ORR – Continue in ORR cross the Devara Beesanahalli Flyover – Turn to Service Road – Left Turn to Helious Business Park (Meeting with ORRCA) – Return to ORR Junction - Continue in ORR upto Marathhalli Underpass – U Turn on ORR Near Ezone – Continue upto Kalamandir – on Service Road Take 1 st Main road – Continue upto Varthur Road and Left Turn to towards Kundalahalli junction (Inspection of Underpass Work) – Left Turn to ITPL Main Road – Continue via Graphite India Junction upto White Field Main Road –Turn Left at White Field Main Road - Continue on White Field Main Road upto Old Madras Road – KR Puram Metro Station work Inspection – Continue upto Benniganahalli Flyover – Right Turn towards ORR – Continue upto Nagavara(White Topping work) – via Manyata Tech Park - Continue in ORR upto Hebbala Junction (Inspection of BDA work and Metro proposal) – U Turn on to the Left Lane of ORR –Turn Left on the Loop of Hebbal Flyover towards Mekhri Circle – Continue upto Windsor Manor Circle and Right Turn to Krishna.

Body 2:

Politics

Karnataka is the second Indian state to express an interest to set up such a centre in Kashmir.

Prajwal Bhat

Representational Image| Basharat Shah/Flickr

The Karnataka government will buy land in Jammu and Kashmir to set up a yoga and tourism promotion centre in the conflict-ridden region, senior BJP leader and Karnataka Tourism Minister CT Ravi told TNM. “We will buy land in Jammu and Kashmir and build a tourism centre for Karnataka. It will be a win-win situation for all. We will exchange culture as tourists all over the world visit there (Kashmir) and we will attract their attention and make them learn about Karnataka. Tourists who visit Jammu and Kashmir will learn about our food, our culture and our tourist attractions. We will ask for land and then we'll finalize,” Ravi told TNM. Ravi’s statements came after a Cabinet meeting was held to discuss the issue. Before Karnataka, the BJP-ruled state Maharashtra has expressed interest in setting up tourism promotion centre in the Valley. The Karnataka Minister’s announcement comes over a month after the central government removed the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into 2 Union Territories. The Union Territory of Ladakh was carved out and the rest of the state was designated as a Union Territory with a legislature. The decision came even as there was no functional Assembly in place and President’s rule was put in place in the Valley For over a month now, the Valley has been under a communication blockade. Currently, only 26,000 landlines are working in the state and there has been no mobile or internet connectivity. All major political leaders, including former CMs, of the state, except those from the BJP, have been put under indefinite detention. Though there have been media reports on incidents of violence and crises of essential commodities in the state, authorities have denied these reports as well as allegations of violence against dissenters. Congress leaders in Karnataka and across the country have opposed the BJP-led union government’s decisions in the Valley.

Body 2:

Floods

District authorities have taken precautionary measures and people have been warned to stay away from rivers and streams.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

District authorities in northern Karnataka’s Belagavi, which was the worst hit during the recent floods, are on alert yet again. Out of the 88 dead in the state due to the floods, 24 were from Belagavi alone. The district also saw more than 28,000 houses damaged as well. The high alert in Belagavi is a result of the heavy rainfall in neighbouring Maharashtra and the discharge of excess water from the state into the downstream areas and also due to rainfall locally. The IMD has predicted heavy to heavy rainfall with likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall in the catchment of the Krishna river. There will be fairly widespread moderate rains in all of north interior Karnataka as well. At the moment, no evacuation measures have been taken by the district authorities. Revenue department officials are also ready to set up relief camp if such a situation arises, district officials said. Speaking to TNM, Belagavi SP Laxman Nimbaragi said, “The Krishna river belt is receiving about 1,70,000 cusecs of water right now. There will be flooding once the inflow crosses two lakh cusecs. Right now it depends on how much rainfall Maharashtra receives in the next 24 hours. We have already taken all precautionary measures. Everybody has been warned to stay away from rivers and streams.” He added, “Police and panchayat officials have informed all the people at the grassroot levels. SDRF, NDRF and Fire department officials are stationed in strategic locations to counter any emergency if required. Ghataprabha and Malaprabha are also in spate.” Officials at the Karnataka Disaster Monitoring Centre said that the situation is likely to continue to remain the same for the next 48 hours. “Monsoon activity will reduce from Wednesday, not only in Maharashtra but also in Karnataka. We don’t expect the situation to be as bad as it was last month. We are expecting a maximum of 3 lakh cusecs of inflow. There won’t be further damage to crops or infrastructure as during the floods we had 6.5 lakh cusecs of inflow. District officials will take a call as and when to evacuate people. Rehabilitation and restoration works might get further hampered due to this,” KSNDMC Director GS Sreenivasa Reddy told TNM.

Body 2:

Civic

Apart from the awareness campaigns, BBMP had carried out drives seizing PoP idols from key areas in the city ahead of the festival.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

The high-pitched campaign against the use of Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols ahead of this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and many NGOs seems to have paid off. According to the BBMP's latest data, less than 2 per cent of the idols that were immersed in the first few days of the festival were made of PoP. Officials said in the six zones in the city, only 3,871 (1.44%) out of the 2,67,772 idols immersed in Bengaluru are made of PoP. Officials said that the data for two zones – Mahadevpura and Yehalanka zones – is still being collected. This trend was observed on Monday as well, the first day of the idol immersion for this year’s festivities. Only 1,654 out of 1,91,247 (0.86%) idols immersed in the whole city were made of PoP. This was comparatively lesser than the previous years – 6,000 out of 52,000 in 2018 and 12,000 out of 2,00,000 in 2017, as per the first-day figures. Vishwanath, Chief Engineer, Solid Waste Management, BBMP said, “This is the result of the continuous efforts of the KSPCB and BBMP in the last three-four years. The general public has also understood the importance of not using PoP. Since there is an awareness, obviously the demand for PoP has gone down.” Apart from the awareness campaigns, BBMP had carried out drives seizing PoP idols from key areas in the city ahead of the festival. The KSPCB had also asked the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM), BBMP, police department, fire and emergency services to give permission to groups or individuals to organise the rituals in public spaces provided they are using an eco-friendly Ganesha idol. Read: Ahead of Ganesh Chaturti, Bengaluru civic body seizes 179 idols made of plaster of Paris PoP idols have been banned by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for a while now and the ban was reinforced in 2017 when the Karnataka High Court dismissed the writ petitions against the ban and upheld the KSPCB’s decision. PoP idols are bad for the environment, as studies have shown a steep increase in the levels of heavy metals, acids, and a decrease in dissolved oxygen among other things in water bodies where the idols are immersed. Read: Bought PoP idols for Ganesh Chaturthi in Bengaluru? You won’t be able to immerse them The fate of PoP idols All the idols seized by various authorities or recovered after immersion are handed over to Rock Crystals, a company that won the bid to run BBMP’s construction waste recycling unit. Break up of latest figures: Western Zone Idols of clay Ganesha: 94,181 Idols of POP Ganesh: 1,647 South Zone Idols of clay Ganesha: 1,21,033 Idols of POP Ganesh: 1,933 Dasarahalli Zone Idols of clay Ganesha: 4,620 Idols of P.O.P Ganesh: 48 Eastern Zone Clay Ganesha Idols: 23,037 Idols of POP Ganesha: 114 RR Nagar Zone Idols of soil Ganesha: 11,148 Idols of POP Ganesh: 00 Bommanahalli Zone Idols of soil Ganesha: 13,753 Idols of POP Ganesha: 129

Body 2:

Construction

Puttenahalli police are trying to trace the building owner who has been absconding since Sunday.

TNM Staff

Youtube/News9

Panic gripped Bengaluru’s JP Nagar neighbourhood on Sunday evening as the ground floor of a building partially collapsed after developing cracks. The incident took place at Vivekananda Colony, near Puttenahalli Circle. No casualties or major injuries were reported. At around 6.30pm in the evening, the cracks reportedly grew wider and residents began to run outside. By 7pm, the ground floor had completely sunk in and left only the first two floors visible. Residents who ran outside informed the police and the Fire and Emergency services. Police evacuated all five families as a precaution, upon reaching the spot. “The building now looks like a two-floor structure. Personnel from Fire and Emergency services have taken all precautionary measures and evacuated occupants of adjacent buildings too,” DCP South, Rohini Sepat-Koch stated to the Times of India (ToI). According to reports, the 30-year-old building in JP Nagar’s 7th phase had allegedly started collapsing at around 7 in the morning on Sunday, due to cracks which developed in the building. However, residents allegedly did not pay much heed to the issue at first. Speaking to ToI, police officers stated that five families lived on the first and second floors. In addition, four shops were present on the ground floor. Puttenahalli police are trying to track down the building owner Gautam Harsha, who has been absconding. A case of negligence has been registered against him by the police. Earlier in July, in a similar case, a building in Bengaluru’s Thomas Town had sunk into the ground. The pillars of an under-construction building near Sai Adi Ambal residential building had given way. The structure then leaned onto the complex and caused an section of the parking area to collapse. As a result of the parking area collapsing, the rest of the building too sunk in. Five casualties were reported.

Body 2:

Dasara Festival

Balarama, one of the elephants set to take part in the Dasara procession, reached the city on Sunday.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Ahead of Dasara festivities, the second batch of elephants for the processions are set to reach Mysuru. As per reports, the second group of elephants will reach the premises of the Mysuru Palace on Tuesday morning. Eight elephants, Cauvery, Vikrama, and Gopi from Dubare; Durga Parameshwari from K. Gudi; Jayaprakash, Lakshmi, and Rohit from Bandipur will reach the city on Tuesday. The last three are new additions to the Dasara festivities. Earlier, the first batch of elephants for the procession reached the city in August. The six elephants brought then were Arjuna, Abhimanyu, Dhananjaya, Eshwara, Varalakshmi and Vijaya who made it to the Palace grounds on August 26. Eshwara is also a new addition to the procession. On Sunday, another Dasara star, the 61-year-old jumbo Balarama reached Mysuru. Balarama, who belongs to the Mattigodu camp, has been a familiar sight in the processions. It has reportedly carried the Golden Howdah, or carrier of the idol, 13 times between 1999 and 2011. It has been a part of the Dasara festivities 18 times. Balarama was captured from Kodagu district’s Kattepura forests in the 1980s and succeeded the jumbo Drona, who was tragically electrocuted while in a forest in the 1990s. Each year, the same elephants are brought to the city from Nagarhole and remain in the Palace until the end of the 10-day Dasara festival, under the care of animal husbandry and caretakers. The festivities for Dasara this year begin on Sunday, September 29 and will continue until Tuesday, October 8. An elephant march was held earlier on August 22, as part of the preparations for celebrations in the city, with several residents taking part in the march.

Body 2:

Traffic

The statistics were compiled after new fine amounts were fixed as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019.

Prajwal Bhat

Wikimedia Commons/ CC 1.0/ Bharathiya

In just a week, Bengaluru Traffic Police officials have collected over Rs 70 lakh in fines from motorists in the city. Several residents have been made to cough up hefty fines as per the new rules in the Motor Vehicles Act; in fact, one resident had to pay Rs 17,000 for multiple traffic violations. As per statistics released by Bengaluru Traffic Police department, there were 6813 people booked for traffic violations in Bengaluru between September 4 and September 9 (until 10 am). Traffic police officials collected Rs 72, 49,900 in fines in the same period i.e over Rs 18 lakh collected as fines per day. The statistics were compiled after new fine amounts were fixed as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The fines collected per day has not increased significantly, however the money collected has increased due to a steep hike in the fines. The fines levied included the Rs 17,000 fine paid by Akash, a resident of Varthur in the city, for multiple offences. He was caught by the traffic police on September 3 on Kanakapura Road with charges of drinking and driving, driving without a helmet and driving without a license. The most common offence since the new rules kicked in were cases of pillion riders without a helmet. There were 2645 such cases while there were an additional 1968 cases of motorists riding without a helmet. In both cases, the new fine is Rs 1000 for each offence. There were also 708 cases of motorists driving without wearing the seat belt. The new fine for such an offence is Rs 1000. There were 695 cases of drivers using their mobile phones while driving and 109 cases of drivers without the vehicle insurance. 72 cases of drinking and driving were also registered in this period. Traffic police officials also clarified that motorists in the city can show the documents stored on Digilocker, the national Digital Locker System, during traffic police checks and that they need not necessarily show a hard copy of the original documents. As per statistics of traffic violations compiled from January to July, Bengaluru traffic police officials booked 5103649 cases of traffic violations, which is over 7 lakh cases on average per month. In these cases, traffic police collected Rs 381,102,350 as fines which is around Rs 54,445,192 on average per month. This comes down to Rs 18 lakh collected in traffic fines everyday. In comparison, around Rs. 23 lakh was collected on average in traffic fines in 2018.

Body 2:

Crime

On Sunday night, 21-yr-old Raghuveer approached his father and asked him for money to recharge his phone so that he could play PUBG, but his father refused.

TNM Staff

A 21-year-old youth from Karnataka’s Belagavi has been accused of murdering and dismembering his father’s body as he was stopped from playing PUBG. Raghuveer Kammaar, a 21-year-old college student, was allegedly addicted to playing the mobile game PUBG. On Sunday night, Raghuveer approached his father Shankrappa Kammaar and asked him for money to recharge his phone, so he could play the game. In the early hours of Monday, the Katki Police in Belagavi district received a call from the family members of Shankrappa stating that he had been beheaded and his legs chopped off. Shankrappa’s family members allegedly told the police that Raghuveer had killed him and absconded. Katki Police, who are investigating the case, say that Raghuveer wanted to top up his mobile internet pack and Shankrappa refused to give him the money. “Shankrappa was working in the police department. He had been trying to get his son off PUBG for months now. Shankrappa had told his colleagues that his son was addicted to the game. Over the last few months too, he had advised Raghuveer to stop playing the game but the boy did not listen to him. Raghuveer was not going to college and was also unemployed,” said Shivanand Koujalgi, Inspector of Katki Police Station. The Inspector told TNM that Raghuveer and Shankrappa had fought on multiple occasions over his addiction to the game and on Sunday night, Shankrappa allegedly confiscated Raghuveer’s phone and had refused to give him money to recharge his mobile. “When everyone went to sleep, Raghuveer slit his father’s throat, beheaded him and also cut off his legs. He then took his phone and ran away from the house,” Inspector Shivanand added. Raghuveer was arrested by the Katki Police on Monday afternoon and the police say that he confessed to killing his father. “We are questioning him now. We will produce him before the magistrate in the evening. We are currently retrieving the machete he used, to kill Shankrappa,” he said. Raghuveer has been booked for murder.

Body 2:

Politics

Sasikanth Senthil tendered his resignation from the service on Friday saying a "framework of fascism" is developing in the country.

TNM Staff

Former minister and BJP MP from Karnataka Anant Kumar Hegde has termed former Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner S Sasikanth Senthil a “traitor” for criticising the Centre and resigning from civil service. Taking to Twitter, the six-time MP from Uttara Kannada constituency, known for his acerbic comments said, “The state government should realize that it should have sacked him after he opened his polluted mindset against the Union Government. But cajoling this #Gaddar to return, amounts to treacherous act against the Nation.” The state government should realize that it should have sacked him after he opened his polluted mindset against the Union Government. But cajoling this #Gaddar to return, amounts to treacherous act against the Nation.@BSYBJP https://t.co/EZR3tg6TFL — Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) September 8, 2019 The MP is talking about Karnataka Chief Secretary Vijayabhaskar's call to Sasikanth Senthil, in which the state's top bureaucrat asked Sasikanth to re-consider his resignation. Hegde added, “If this guy can conclude that the Union Government is fascist; then we have the liberty to call him another paid #Gaddar, dancing to the tunes set by his real paymasters! This may be the debate he wants to initiate!” If this guy can conclude that the Union Government is fascist; then we have the liberty to call him another paid #Gaddar, dancing to the tunes set by his real paymasters! This may be the debate he wants to initiate! https://t.co/6C1v0D0vYM — Anantkumar Hegde (@AnantkumarH) September 8, 2019 Sasikanth tendered his resignation from civil service last Friday saying, “I have taken this decision as I feel it is unethical for me to continue as a civil servant in the government when the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner.” In his initial statement, however, Sasikanth said that his decision had little to do with the Karnataka state government led by BJP incidentally or his work as the DC of Dakshina Kannada. Later in an interview with TNM, the former IAS officer said, "You can see the framework being deployed (in the country) and it is the time-tested framework deployed in many countries in history. The situation in Kashmir is part of this framework. A month-long clampdown of an entire state is unheard of in India and it tells you that something is fundamentally wrong," Sasikanth's resignation was the second such one in recent weeks. Kannan Gopinathan, an IAS officer posted in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu also resigned from the service over the government’s handling of the Kashmir issue. Read: Why Anantkumar Hegde must be held accountable for misogyny, Islamophobia

Body 2:

Language

The campaigners also want to include the language in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.

Prajwal Bhat

A Twitter campaign has been launched by an organisation called Jai Tulunad to urge the Karnataka and Kerala state governments to recognise Tulu as an official language. The campaigners also want to include the language in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, which lists the official languages of the Republic of India."This time around, Jai Tulunad organised themselves on WhatsApp, created a group and Twitter accounts for those who did not have one. We received support from politicians, celebrities who came forward to highlight Tulu and make it an official language in Karnataka. This time we received an overwhelming response," one of the campaigners Mahesh Poojary told TNM. The campaign received support from politicians cutting across parties and from celebrities in the state. ತುಳು ಭಾಷೆನ್ ಸಂವಿಧಾನೊದ‌ 8ನೇ‌ ಪರಿಚ್ಛೇದೊಗು‌ ಸೇರ್ಪಾವೊಡು ಪನ್ಪಿನವು ನಮ್ಮ‌ ಅರಿಕೆ. ಇತ್ತೆ‌ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಬೊಕ್ಕ ಕೇಂದ್ರೊಡು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಉಪ್ಪುನೇರ್ದಾವರ ತುಳು ಭಾಷೆನ್ ಸಂವಿಧಾನೊದ‌ 8ನೇ‌ ಪರಿಚ್ಛೇದೊಗು‌ ಸೇರ್ಪಾವಿನ‌ ಬೇಲೆ‌ ಅಪುಂಡು ಪನ್ಪಿ‌ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಎಂಕುಂಡು.#TuluTo8thSchedule — Nalinkumar Kateel (@nalinkateel) September 8, 2019 Irrespective of our political differences let’s strive to constitutionally recognise tulu language and ensure that tulu language and culture gets its rightful due from central and State govts #TuluOfficialinKA_KL — Pramod Madhwaraj (@PMadhwaraj) September 8, 2019 Tulu is as much part of me, as much close to me as Kannada. Tulu is a culture, not just a language. Richly deserves the recognition both at state and national level. #TuluOfficialinKA_KL #TuluTo8thSchedule pic.twitter.com/vTeG5Rxay6 — Satish Acharya (@satishacharya) September 8, 2019 I have always been and will always be with you all when it comes to uplifting of our language, culture and age old traditions. Although I believe this just can’t happen through social media alone. Tulu samodaya has to come together and talk to respective officials. https://t.co/pocBMvVOft — Rakshit Shetty (@rakshitshetty) September 8, 2019 The campaigners point to the fact that several states in India have multiple official languages including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana which recognise Telugu and Urdu, Goa which recognises Konkani and Marathi and so on. "Article 345 of the Constitution states that a language which is not in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution can be declared as official language of a state," adds Mahesh. The campaign to recognise Tulu language also received support from pro-Kannada groups including Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), Karnataka Ranadheera Pade and Banavasi Balaga. The pro-Kannada groups have been campaigning for the preservation of Kannada language and for the reservation of jobs for Kannadigas in the state."In the same way that India's diversity needs to be protected, Karnataka's diversity also needs to be protected and Tulu, Kodava and Beary should be included in the Eighth schedule to the Constitution and in addition, it should be used as an official language by the Karnataka government," a member of Banavasi Balaga, a pro-Kannada group told TNM. Even the Kannada and Culture Minister of Karnataka expressed his support to add Tulu to the Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution. Tulu as a language has been recorded in inscriptions as early as 1159 CE and was used to write classical works of literature. Tulu with a rich oral tradition is arguably the best known non literary Indian language. I fully support the efforts towards #TuluTo8thSchedule.— C T Ravi ಸಿ ಟಿ ರವಿ (@CTRavi_BJP) September 9, 2019 However, there has been no communication about if and when Tulu will be adopted as an official language in Karnataka yet. Earlier in August 2017, on the third anniversary of the organisation, Jai Tulunad members started a campaign on Twitter asking for Tulu to be included in the Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution. As per the 2011 Census, Tulu is primarily spoken in Dakshina Kannada district (by 48.6% of the population) and Udupi (31.4%) and is also widely spoken in Manjeshwaram and Kasaragod taluks (16.2% combined) in Kasaragod district of Kerala. The region is referred to as Tulu Nadu and is also home to people who speak Beary, Konkani and various local dialects of Kannada language. The language has a rich oral tradition with folk song forms like Paddana and theatre, including Yakshagana. Tulu films have also been produced, adding to the cultural heritage of the language.

Body 2:

Politics

MLA Sowmya Reddy claimed that the inspections were done in the presence of BJP leaders and BBMP officials but no Congress MLA was informed.

Prajwal Bhat

Bengaluru's lone woman MLA Sowmya Reddy of the Congress on Monday claimed that the BJP government in Karnataka was politicising the development works in Bengaluru by not including Congress legislators in the decision-making process. Referring to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's inspection of Bengaluru's IT corridors on Sunday, Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy claimed that the inspections were done in the presence of BJP leaders and BBMP officials, including mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun."Congress MLAs have not been invited to meetings related to Bengaluru's development. No Congress MLA was involved in the inspection tour on Sunday and this is unfortunate because the BJP should not come in the way of development in this way. The Chief Minister is leading the state and not just BJP legislators and corporators. Are they saying that issues like potholes and garbage are only in constituencies represented by the BJP?" Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy said. She further pointed to an August 14 meeting chaired by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in which BJP leaders from Bengaluru are seen huddled in a meeting. Sowmya's claims were reiterated by Shanthinagar MLA NA Harris. "The Chief Minister should call us since we are also representatives of the people of our constituencies. We should be asking why Congress MLAs were not informed (about the inspection) since we are also responsible for the civic amenities of the city," he told TNM. Responding to the claims, BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash said, "For problems relating to Bengaluru's civic administration, Ms. Sowmya Reddy should contact BBMP Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun, who is leading a Congress-JD(S) coalition in the BBMP Council". Sowmya further added that there is a lack of women representation in the city's administration. "There is one woman MLA and in the inspection tour. Apart from the mayor, all others were men,” she said. However, Malavika points out that women are represented in Bengaluru's civic administration, particularly in the BBMP council, where there is a 50% reservation for women. In addition, either the mayor or the deputy mayor is a woman."In terms of civic administration of Bengaluru, 50% of councillors in the BBMP are women and the mayor is also a woman. So, where is the question of women representation coming from?" Malavika asked. But according to Sowmya, it is not a question of representation but whether the women are able to take decisions independently. "While women are represented in terms of numbers, how many of these women work independently?" she asks. The inspection by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday focused on the city's cleanliness, traffic woes and infrastructure, particularly in the IT corridors.

Body 2:

Railways

Officials said that the decision to introduce new services has to be authorised by the Railway Board, headed by Rail Minister Piyush Goyal.

Soumya Chatterjee

Concerted efforts in Bengaluru by activists for a suburban rail service has not been successful till now, but authorities have finally started taking note of basic amenities that are missing in the city’s railway stations. After a meeting between teams of activists with Ajay Kumar Singh, the General Manager of South Western Railways on Sunday, the manager promised entrances to the Whitefield Railway Station from all sides. Sandeep Anirudhan, one of the activists present at the meeting, said, “He heard us out patiently and showed understanding about the problems faced by thousands of commuters every day. He understood the difficulties faced by the old and infirm at the Whitefield Railway Station due to lack of commuter-friendly access, especially from the south side. He then issued instructions to the Divisional Railway Manager to arrange small entrances on all sides to facilitate commuter movement.” Read: Want to tackle B'luru's toughest obstacle course? Try getting to Whitefield station Following the meeting, it was also announced that the Kadugodi station would be connected with the BBMP foot over bridge, giving easier access to commuters. There are also several other issues related to accessibility in Bengaluru’s suburban rail stations, especially in the Outer Ring Road areas. This remains an issue despite a long-standing demand for regular train services within the city and to the outskirts, with successive state and central governments dragging their feet over the matter. The introduction of these suburban trains is touted to be a quick fix to Bengaluru’s ever-growing traffic jam problem, especially with long delays due to construction of the metro. Read: Ridership of proposed Bengaluru’s suburban rail to exceed that of metro by 2025: Report Officials on Sunday said that the decision to introduce new services has to be authorised by the Railway Board, headed by Rail Minister Piyush Goyal. “We will continue to appeal to our elected representatives to convince the Railway Minister to prioritise local trains, shift all goods train movements to non-peak and night hours, and open up at least four slots every hour on each corridor for local trains,” Sandeep added. Suburban rail activists have upped the ante since the appointment of Karnataka MP Suresh Angadi as the Minister of State for Railways and a BJP government coming into power in the state. They have been petitioning all concerned elected representatives, including the CM and bureaucrats, to clear hurdles for the launch of services. Responding to a call for suggestions from the public on newer train services between KSR Bengaluru and Whitefield, a group called the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Users have prepared a detailed five-point agenda and have called for wider public consultation. They have also demanded the creation of easy access to metro and bus stations and multimodal transport hubs. Some of their key demands include the running of trains every 15 minutes during peak hours and 30 minutes in non-peak hours and starting of a suburban rail line from Cantonment to the airport.

Body 2:

25 Karnataka medical students who contracted diphtheria discharged

Congress protests against BJP, blames state govt for IAS officer's resignation

Bengaluru police book OYO CEO Ritesh Agarwal for allegedly cheating hotelier

Hyderabad-Karnataka region will now be called Kalyana Karnataka

Bengaluru civic body to be decentralised, will get four new special commissioners

BJP to add two more Deputy CMs in K'taka? Move to woo rebels, caste votes

Motorists can show docs in Digilocker during traffic checks: B'luru cops' U-turn

'No space for rational debate': Sasikanth Senthil who quit IAS tells TNM

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa to inspect Bengaluru’s IT corridor on Sunday

Karnataka to open tourism promotion centre in Kashmir: CT Ravi to TNM

Belagavi on high alert yet again as heavy rains batter Maharashtra

Less than 2% Ganesha idols immersed in Bengaluru this year made of Plaster of Paris

Building partially collapses in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar, all residents evacuated

Second group of eight elephants for Dasara festivities to reach Mysuru on Tuesday

6813 traffic violations in 5 days, B'luru traffic police collects over Rs 70 lakh

Karnataka shocker: 21-yr-old allegedly beheads father for not letting him play PUBG

BJP MP calls ex-IAS officer a 'traitor' for criticising union government

Celebs, politicians support online campaign to make Tulu official language in 2 states

Cong MLAs in Bengaluru protest being left out of Yediyurappa's city inspection tour

Rail officials promise access to Bengaluru’s Whitefield Station from all sides