Karnataka

Infrastructure

This makes the Bengaluru airport the first in the country to have two parallel runways that enable simultaneous take-offs.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The second runway at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has commenced operations. The first flight took off on the 4000-m long and 45-m wide airstrip on Friday. In a statement, the KIAL officials said that this makes the Bengaluru airport the first in the country to have two parallel runways that enable simultaneous take-offs. "It is a historic day for us at BLR Airport as we commenced operations on the new runway. Our first runway opened 11 years ago, and became a linchpin for the region's economic development during the last decade. With the aviation industry in India set for exponential growth, two operational runways will provide the thrust required to cater to this demand and further bolster growth of Karnataka and India," said Hari Marar, CEO and Managing Director of KIAL. The South Runway will begin with limited operations initially, the statement says, and operations are expected to scale up gradually. The runway will initially have CAT I certification, meant for carrying out landing operations depending on visibility. “As operations stabilise, we will progressively manage CAT III B operations, enabling landing and takeoff in extremely low visibility conditions,” the statement reads. KIAL has also constructed an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Station with Crash Fire Tenders to cater to any fire-related emergencies on the South Runway. “Over 100 firefighters were recruited from across Karnataka and expert fire engineers from National Fire Safety College, Nagpur,” the statement adds. Hari Marar in October suggested that the second runway would be operational from as early as October. However, delay in regulatory paperwork led to KIAL pushing the timeline on the operations of the runway “Regulatory paperwork is under way for the South Runway and associated infrastructure at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru with the first flight expected to operate from the South Runway as soon as the approvals are received,” a Bangalore International Airport Limited’s (BIAL) spokesperson had earlier said.

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Environment

While the HC has stayed the project till January 6, 2020, NHAI is allegedly continuing work in the stretch, say activists.

Soumya Chatterjee

Environmental activists in Karnataka are up in arms because the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is allegedly continuing with a road expansion project in the Kala Tiger Reserve area in the Western Ghats region, despite a stay order. The Karnataka High Court on November 28 had stayed the work the widening National Highway 4A (Belagavi-Goa) till January 6, 2020, seeking clarity over the environmental clearances sought for the project. The HC’s stay came after the court was informed that the environmental clearance for the project had lapsed several years ago – well before the on ground work for project was taken by the NHAI. The NHAI has been asked by the court to produce documents of clearance with respect to the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. Work on this stretch began in October 2018, as part of the Centre’s ambitious Bharatmala project launched in 2017. Bhartimala Pariyojana is a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government to create and expand existing highways. The petitioners, Suresh Hebbalikar, the United Conservation Movement, and others have approached the HC citing potentially massive irreversible environmental damage to the local ecology if the project is allowed to continue. They also told the court that the project proposal is in contravention of Forest Conservation Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. Joseph Hoover, the co-founder of the United Conservation Movement, said, “Despite a stay order, they have continued with work. It’s ridiculous! This is a clear case of contempt of court.” Prince Isaac, the advocate representing the petitioners, said, “It is definitely a clear violation of the court’s order. The first bench of the High Court had clearly stayed all work for the project along entire stretch of NH 4A, and not only in the protected areas. We will inform the bench about NHAI’s acts. We will also separately a contempt petition against NHAI.” Opposition to the project is not new. Activists have been arguing that the project of widening the 85-kilometre stretch of NH 4A is unnecessary as already three routes that connect Belagavi and Goa, and none of them see congestion. NH 4A passes through the sensitive Western Ghats, and cuts across dense forests which are mainly responsible for healthy rainfall in the region. Activists say as trees will be cut for the project, it will result in water scarcity in the area, say activists. With three successive drought years, most parts of northern Karnataka are already reeling under a severe water crisis. Not only this region, but the trees are also responsible for monsoons which feed the Kali, Mahadayi, and Malaprabha rivers. While authorities claim that 22,000 trees will be felled, activists fear the number could be as high as one lakh.

Body 2:

Raids

Police officials from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained 40 men, including private bookies, for questioning.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru Police on Friday raided the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and recovered unaccounted cash belonging to private bookies amounting to Rs 96 lakh. According to TOI, police officials from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained 40 men, including private bookies, for questioning. The CCB raided the premises after several members of the turf club complained to the police that bookies have been involved in illegal activities, including GST evasion. CCB officials say that the raids revealed that only 10% of the bets placed were entered in the books. The CCB has registered a cheating case against these bookies for causing loss to the state exchequer, The Hindu reported. The CCB sleuths said that they would write to the GST Department and submit a report on the probe. CCB sleuths, who raided the club say that most of the cash was from private bookies. The CCB sleuths also issued notices to the turf club’s management, asking them to appear for questioning. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime 1), Sandeep Patil said that the bookmakers were allegedly suppressing bets in order to evade taxes. “The bookmakers are supposed to pay 28% GST for bets they win. After the ruckus at the turf club in November, several members had accused bookmakers of evading taxes and indulging in fraudulent activities. The main allegation was that these bookies were misusing funds,” Sandeep Patil said. A team of over 30 CCB officials headed by two DCPs, four ACPs and 20 inspectors raided the club, The Hindu reported. CCB officials said that there were allegations of horses being drugged during races, which are also being investigated. Police said that the complaints from members came after the ruckus at Bangalore Turf Club on November 15, which was the first race on the opening day of the winter season — November Plate. There was chaos at the BTC after three horses fell down 200 m before the finish line. Horses Aceros, Will To Win and Sir Piggot fell. Will to Win was euthanised after it broke a leg following the incident. The BTC announced the results of the race despite the accident. This led to a fight between the members and the bookies, who demanded their money back. Over 6,000 people had vandalised the turf club and the High Grounds Police registered a case of vandalism. CCB officials say that it was during this investigation that several complaints were made regarding the bookies evading taxes.

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Education

Controversy erupted over a chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks when Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan sought the removal of the chapter from history textbooks.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Textbooks Society, which was due to submit its report on Tipu in school textbooks, has delayed submission. Several media reports suggested that the delay was due to political pressure as the committee recommended that the chapter on Tipu remains, in its draft report. The special committee formed to look into the matter was due to submit its report on Friday after several rounds of discussions. However, this did not happened. According to Bangalore Mirror, the members of the committee were under political pressure and also because most of them were on election duty for the recently concluded bye-elections. The Hindu reported that the committee was under political pressure as its draft report stated that “not a single word” from the chapter on Tipu Sultan be removed. The report stated that several political leaders including Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa wanted the chapter dropped. Bangalore Mirror quoted the committee report, stating that elements in chapters of some specific rulers cannot be removed at any cost. Reports stated that a tug-of-war between the committee members and the state government has led to a stalemate as the committee members do not want the chapter to be removed. The report that will be submitted to the government will have two sections – one regarding primary school textbooks and another regarding high school textbooks. The lessons related to Tipu Sultan were taught in classes 6, 7 and 8. Earlier in October, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the government was trying to remove the chapter on Tipu Sultan in textbooks at any cost. Read: 'Trying to remove chapter on Tipu Sultan from textbooks': Karnataka CM to TNM Controversy erupted over the issue of removing a chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks when Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan wrote a letter to Minister Suresh Kumar, asking him to issue an order to remove the chapter from history textbooks. On October 28, Suresh Kumar acknowledged Apachu Ranjan’s letter and stated that a committee comprising experts and Apachu Ranjan would be formed to determine whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be removed. “We will discuss the issue and come out with an answer within three days,” Suresh Kumar’s letter stated. Baragur Ramachandrappa, former chairman of the textbook committee, had earlier said that the BJP government in 2008 had allegedly formed a committee to decide whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be included in the syllabus. At the time, the expert committee had allegedly concluded that the chapter stays, with some minor additions to the existing lesson.

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Caste violence

While five of the accused have been arrested, eight more are walking free and have reportedly threatened the family.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

The Talageris offer prayers under police protection

After the gruesome murder of two Dalit men, Malliappa Talageri and son Vittal Talageri, in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district on October 15, their family has decided to stay indoors for the village festival that began on December 6. TNM had previously reported that three other male members of the family were allegedly threatened that they would be killed on the day the festival started in Shirol, their village in Mudhol taluk. Read: A month after two Dalit men are murdered in Karnataka, family receives more threats Responding to the death threats, Satyavva, whose husband and son were hacked to death, says, “We were such a big happy family, and now everything is destroyed. I’ve made all the men stay with us. I don’t want them to be outside, in danger. They are all staying indoors today. It’s a crowded situation (at the festival) and the blame could be shifted, if anything happens. Five people have been arrested, but eight are still walking free.” Deputy Commissioner of Police, K Rajendra, claimed that things have gone back to normal. “We have just concluded a peace committee meeting with them, and now everyone is at the festival. Things are peaceful," he said. Satyavva, however, contradicted the DCP's claim and told TNM that she had no desire to go out on the day of the village festival. “What will I go out and celebrate? My husband and son were hacked to death. I have no face to show (to the rest of the village)," she said. Some members of the family were in Bengaluru to meet with the Committee on the Welfare of SC and ST in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the first week of December. At that time, they gave their version of events. After listening to them, the Council decided that they would hold the police officials responsible, and that the officers would face criminal action if there were any adverse consequences. N Mahesh, one of the members of the Committee, also said that the police were given strong warnings, and directed to provide police protection, to maintain law and order. “The local sub-inspector of police, Lokesh Jagala, has said that he is putting into action 180 policemen on the ground on the day of the village festival," he said. However, Yellappa Talageri, another son of Satyavva, also said that they won’t go to the festival. “We went out to offer some prayers last night, but that’s about it. There are three policemen who are with us at all times, so we have no fear," he said. In October this year, Malliappa and Vittan were murdered just outside the village, allegedly by a group of dominant caste men from their village. This was days after the accused put up a Facebook post with pictures of them brandishing swords, captioned: "The final victory is ours." Five of the accused were arrested, but the other eight were not, and they reportedly move around freely in the village. The family of the murdered men was allegedly threatened last month, saying that three more male members of the family would be killed during the village festival. The alleged motive behind the murders is caste rivalry. According to the Talageri family, their financial success and involvement in politics were resented by the dominant caste groups. They have alleged that the accused previously tried to intimidate them on the street. In March this year, the accused reportedly ransacked their homes, and verbally and physically harassed members of the family, both men and women. These instances resulted in cases against them under the SC ST (Prevention of) Atrocities Act. The accused were allegedly inflamed by these cases, and had issued threats to the family.

Body 2:

Inflation

Officials did not find any evidence of illegal activity but blamed discrepancies on low supplies of onions.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The Anti Corruption Bureau conducted inspections at various Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) establishments on Friday evening after several wholesale traders accused them of illegally siphoning off onions. In Bengaluru, the APMC centre at Yeshwanthpur was inspected by Lokayukta SP Tyagarajan, two DySPs and two inspectors. Lokayukta police say that they did not find any discrepancies but the problem was low supply of onions. On Friday evening, onion prices shot up in Karnataka. Onions are currently being priced between Rs 140 and Rs 200 per kilo. Lokayukat police said that regular inspections are being conducted on APMC centres to ensure that onions are not being siphoned off. Officials with the Food and Civil Supplies Department said that random inspections are being conducted on small and medium-sized outlets selling onions to ensure that onions are not being siphoned away illegally. "We have been conducting random inspections for the last 10 days to ensure that there are no illegal activities taking place. Bengaluru alone used to get 1.39 lakh tonnes of onion per day. Now we are getting only 36,000 tonnes per day," he said. Supermarkets are selling onions for Rs 180 per kilo and hypermarkets have priced them at Rs 200 per kilo. AMPC officials said that the smaller variety of shallots are being sold at Rs 60 per kilo. Food and Civil Supplies Department officials say that the prices of onions are likely to go up in the coming week as the imports initiated by the Centre have not yet reached India. Karnataka Chief Secretary on Friday wrote to the central government, requesting it to provide 250 metric tonnes of onions to Karnataka. The Centre has initiated imports of onions from Egypt and Turkey, which is expected to reach India by December 15, the officials said. “The supply of onions has decreased by 70% in Karnataka. The recent floods and crop loss in Karnataka and Maharashtra has reduced the supply. The Lokayukta, local police and our department officials are monitoring thefts as there were cases reported in Gadag and other districts,” the official said. On December 1, about 40 bags of onions were stolen from the fields belonging to a farmer named Kalkayya Prabhuswamimutt, in Gadag’s Naregal town. In Gajendragad in Gadag, onions worth Rs 80,000 was stolen from the fields of Muttappa Yavagal on November 29. Farmers are now keeping watch on their fields at night as they are wary of thieves. A video of farmers guarding their crops had gone viral on December 2, soon after the thefts were reported in Gadag.

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Accident

The family told TNM that they have filed a complaint with the Koramangala Police.

TNM Staff

A motorist in Bengaluru has suffered grievous injuries after a hydraulic bolt used for the construction of the Koramangala-Ejipura Flyover fell on him. At around 4.20 pm on Friday, 44-year-old Lawrence, a store manager at Titan Eye+ in CV Raman Nagar, was headed for a meeting. On his way, he was passing by Sony World Signal in Koramangala, when a hydraulic bolt, which was being fitted on pillar number 36 of the flyover fell on him. Lawrence’s helmet cracked and the hydraulic bolt injured his skull. His wound began bleeding profusely and Lawrence became unconscious within minutes. The traffic police, who were at the spot, rushed Lawrence to St John’s Hospital, located a few metres away. Speaking to TNM, Lawrence’s brother-in-law, Sylvester, told TNM that he is currently in the ICU and has been kept under observation. “He has rib fractures and also injuries on his head. The doctors said that the head injury caused a cardiac arrest. They have kept him under observation and he is still drifting in and out of consciousness. They told us that he has a 50-50 chance of surviving. The hydraulic bolt was huge and when it fell from the top, his helmet cracked. This is serious negligence on behalf of the BBMP officials and the contractor,” Sylvester said. BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said that the contract for the construction of the flyover was given to SIMPLEX Infrastructures, and that an inquiry would be conducted regarding the incident. “I spoke with the doctors at St John’s last night (Friday) and have asked them to provide him with the best possible treatment,” he said. Family members of Lawrence have accused the contractor and BBMP of negligence. They have filed a complaint with the Koramangala Police. An FIR has been registered under section 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the IPC against nine people. The acused named in the FIR include Naskar, Project Manager of SIMPLEX Infrastructures; Amblin Mitra, Commercial In-charge; Arun Hegdekar, Administrator; Kamal Sardar, safety engineer; Paraman, site enginner; Faisal, labour in-charge; Ajmath Hussain, contractor of SIMPLEX Infrastructures; work incharge and security at the site and unnamed BBMP officials. “This could have happened to anyone. We want the police to investigate this and take action against whoever is responsible. When we went to the hospital on Friday, the contractors and BBMP officials had come to us and were apologizing. We think that they did not want us to file a police complaint. But we want to pursue this legally,” Sylvester said.

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Politics

DK Shivakumar, in his letter, accused Yediyurappa of cancelling the project “overnight”.

TNM Staff

Former Medical Education Minister and Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar has written to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa demanding that a medical college and hospital be constructed in his constituency – Kanakapura. In his letter, DK Shivakumar accuses BS Yediyurappa of reneging on the promise he made after he took oath as the Chief Minister on July 26. “After assuming office as Chief Minister of Karnataka, you promised you would never indulge in vengeful politics… I was totally dismayed that such a decision taken by you, after making the promise of never resorting to vendetta politics,” DK Shivakumar’s letter states. DK Shivakumar, in his letter, also accused Yediyurappa of cancelling the project “overnight”. “I was shocked to learn that your government, with a single-member cabinet took a decision to cancel it (medical college construction) overnight and transfer/re-allot the same to Chikkaballapura,” Shivakumar’s letter states. DK Shivkumar stated that the announcement to construct a medical college and hospital in Kanakapura was included in the 2018-19 budget, which was also passed after debate. Shivakumar has also stated that Yediyurappa had supported the construction of the medical college at Kanakapura in 2018 during the debate regarding the budget. The proposal to construct KIMS Hospital in Kanakapura was subsequently passed by the state cabinet during Kumaraswamy’s tenure and also approved by the departments of finance, planning and law and parliamentary affairs. The government order for the same was issued on December 13, 2018. In January 2018, a total of 25 acres of land was allotted for the construction of the college in Kanakpura’s Rayasandra village. The detailed project report (DPR) and preparations of estimates and tenders were also allotted by the end June, Shivakumar claims. However, the foundation stone was not laid as the rebel leaders resigned and flew to Mumbai, which subsequently brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition. He, however, said that he has no issue of a medical college being constructed in Chikkaballapura but also warned of legal action if the government did not permit the construction of a medical college in Kanakapura. “I will be constrained to resort to serious action in my own way to get justice to the people of Kanakapura for which, I hope, you will not give scope,” he said. In early November, DK Shivakumar had accused the BJP government of transferring the funds meant for construction of the medical college in Kanakapura to Chikkaballapura. Shivakumar had accused the BJP of trying to appease the rebel MLA from Chikkaballapura, Sudhakar. Terming it as his "dream project," Shivakumar had earlier vowed to "lay down his life" for a medical college in Kanakapura. Yediyurappa had later told the media that the government was going to set up medical colleges at the district level and subsequently look into constructing them in taluks like Kanakapura. Shivakumar’s letter comes in the wake of the Yediyurappa government being unwilling to go ahead with the construction.

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Security

This comes following the massive outrage over the lack of women’s safety after the brutal rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad.

TNM Staff

Sunnya343 Wikimedia Commons

In the wake of massive outrage following the brutal rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, various agencies in Bengaluru are stepping up security measures to ensure women’s safety. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) have now installed measures to ensure the safety of female passengers. According to TOI, BMTC on Saturday said that women security guards would be deployed at waiting lounges in 12 major bus stations in the city, who will survey the premises. The waiting lounges will be open from 6 am till the last bus leaves the station. “BMTC has constructed lounges for the safety and convenience of women passengers at the stations/traffic and transit management centres under the Nirbhaya Scheme,” a BMTC press release said. “Apart from seating arrangements, the lounges provide facilities like infant feeding rooms, washrooms and glass partitions, which will help track bus movement,” the release said. In March this year, BMTC inaugurated the waiting lounges after a long wait. The BMTC had proposed the idea in 2017, however, the agency had complained of delay in the central government allotting Nirbhaya Funds, leading to the delay in constructing these lounges. The BMTC stated that these waiting lounges too would be under surveillance of women security guards. Since December 3, the BMRCL has been providing a woman guard on every train that runs beyond 10 pm. According to The New Indian Express, nearly 31% of BMRCL’s daily ridership of 4 lakh commuters are women. However, the ridership of women passengers is low after 9.30 pm, the report stated. BMRCL introduced this in the wake of reports of crimes against women and also after several women passengers had complained of men entering the coaches meant for women only. There were also complaints of men misbehaving with women travelling late at night. BMRCL, on December 4, issued a notification that allowed women to carry pepper spray for self defence. Earlier, the BMRCL had banned pepper spray as it is flammable.

Body 2:

Crime

A closure report is submitted when there is no evidence, suspicion or reasonable grounds against the person named in the case.

Theja Ram

A Bengaluru Court has accepted a closure report filed by the Halasuru Police in connection with the sexual harassment case filed against the Bishop of Holy Trinity Church, PK Samuel, and a church member, Vinod Dasan. According to section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a closure report is submitted by the investigating officials when there is no evidence, suspicion or reasonable grounds against the person named in the case, and hence, the person can be released. On November 30, the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Bengaluru dismissed the case after accepting the B report or cancellation report (when there is no evidence to file a chargesheet or seek trial). According to the Central Crime Branch sleuths, the court had accepted the B report as the complainant had not appeared before the magistrate to challenge the report and hence, had accepted it. The woman had filed a sexual harassment complaint on the night of January 21 this year at Halasuru Police Station,stating that Bishop Samuel touched her inappropriately and also threatened her to withdraw the complaint she had filed against him and Vinod Dasan in Kothanur Police Station in 2013. The CCB officials said that the woman allegedly did not cooperate with the investigation. “The mobile tower location of Vinod’s phone and CCTV footage from his house shows that Vinod did not go to Devanahalli as alleged by the woman and the Bishop was in his house,” a CCB official said. Back in 2013, the woman had also filed a complaint at the Kothanur Police Station accusing Vinod of sexual harassment. Since there were multiple cases related to the same parties, the CCB had taken up the investigation. In her complaint, the woman had stated that Vinod visited the woman’s mother in Bengaluru’s Devanahalli and told her to convince the complainant to drop the case. He had also informed the woman’s mother that that Bishop PK Samuel wanted to meet her daughter and counsel her on the case. On January 21, the woman and her husband arrived at Holy Trinity Church near Trinity Circle in Bengaluru, where they met both Samuel and Vinod. After they spoke, Vinod allegedly said that he wanted to speak to her husband, leaving the woman alone with Samuel. Samuel allegedly continued to pressurise her to withdraw the case and allegedly offered to pay her Rs 1 crore as well as employment through the Diocese. However, she refused. At that point, he allegedly put his hand on her shoulder and misbehaved with her. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Rahul Kumar, Bishop PK Samuel was booked under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Vinod Dasan has been booked for criminal intimidation after the woman tried to take her own life on January 21. The case was registered in the Shivajinagar Police Station. It was later transferred to the Halasuru Police as she had already filed a complaint there.

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Environment/Civic

Activists have demanded that the BMRCL stick to its original detailed project report (DPR) and not touch the church land at all.

Soumya Chatterjee

In yet another protest, scores of people gathered on Sunday morning at the All Saints Church in Richmond Town against the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The church complex is home to more than a 100 trees, with lush green lawns that are dotted with benches, and is reminiscent of what the Garden City used to be. The BMRCL is planning to carry out temporary construction activity inside the tree-dotted compound of the 150-year-old church at the expense of the old trees, a school for children with learning and cognitive disabilities, and an old age home. This is one of the many protests that have been held regularly since the beginning of the year. Activists have demanded that the BMRCL stick to its original detailed project report (DPR) and build the proposed metro station on the land presently occupied by the petrol station. Moreover, they fear that if any construction work is allowed in the church compound, then with all the tunnel digging and drilling, the heritage structure of the 150-year-old church itself will crumble. This planned construction is for the metro line from Dairy Circle to Nagawara (part of the Namma Metro Phase II). The commercial property that the church-owned, including Tom’s Hotel, Fatima Bakery and Daniel Garage, has already been handed to BMRCL for the same metro project. Environmental conservationists have said that along with the trees, some of which are over 100 years old, the vicinity will lose the cool atmosphere which it now enjoys due to the current microclimate. Plus, the area acts as a roosting spot many species of birds, including the rare Paradise Flycatcher. Arun Prasad, an activist part of the protest, said, “BMRCL can use the open, barren space at the Central Military Police for its temporary acquisition, which is less than 100m down the road. This would be a win-win situation for all concerned. We don’t want the BMRCL to touch any part of the church compound.” Currently, the matter is at a stalemate as the Tree Committee, which has the authority to allow the BMRCL to cull this many trees, is yet to meet due to ongoing litigation at the Karnataka High Court. Even the Tree Committee, prior to the litigation, in its correspondence to the BMRCL, has asked the body to use the vacant military land for the purpose. Moreover, the activists say the hardline approach of the BMRCL amounts to contempt of court as the High Court has recently reiterated that all large scale infrastructure projects in the state should follow three rounds of a process of public consultation as per the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. The Environment Support Group, an NGO working for environmental and social justice has also written to the Karnataka Chief Secretary and Home Secretary on the issue. ESG in its letter said, “As per the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, this campus is an appropriate candidate for being declared as a ‘Biodiversity Heritage Site’ and the proposed (draft) Revised Master Plan – 2031 already lists the church and its campus as a ‘living heritage’.” The letter highlights the alleged legal loopholes and illegality with which the BMRCL is pursuing the church land. The letter also mentioned a move by Ashokenagar Police for issuing a police notice dated December 5 which ESG said it “amounts to issuing a threat to the congregation” for exercising their fundamental right to pray, and to gather peacefully to protect their church and its environs.

Body 2:

Food

While there was a similar crisis in 2017 as well, the situation was contained within a short period of time.

IANS

Price of onion shot up to a whopping Rs 200 per kg in Bengaluru due to severe short supply in the market, an official said here on Saturday."Onion price touched Rs 200 per kg in some retail shops of Bengaluru, after its wholesale rate ranged between Rs 5,500 and Rs 14,000 per quintal," state agricultural marketing officer Siddagangaiah told IANS. As a result, the most common and staple vegetable was conspicuously missing from the menu in homes and restaurants across this tech hub. According to Siddagangaiah, skyrocketing onion prices and the bulb's shortage is expected to last until mid-January. India has an annual onion requirement of 150 lakh metric tonnes, with Karnataka chipping in with onion production of 20.19 lakh metric tonnes. Almost 50 per cent of the onion production gets lost after factoring in crop loss and post-harvest loss, leaving only the balance to arrive in the market. Heavy rains during the harvest also led to the rotting of a good share of the onion production. In November, Karnataka markets received 60-70 quintals of onion a day, which fell by 50 per cent in December, leading to the crisis. Aiming to increase the availability of onion, the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) has issued a circular that onion trade should happen even on holidays."There is not much stock left with the wholesalers and retailers. Surprisingly, Karnataka does not have well defined onion storage facilities," Siddagangaiah said. Meanwhile, Karnataka department of food and civil supplies is conducting raids to crack down on hoarders. There have been reports of restaurans removing onion dosas from their menu as well. In some shops have started adding or replacing onions with cabbage in their samosas.” While there was a similar crisis in 2017 as well, the situation was contained within a short period of time.

Body 2:

Jobs

The government is likely to come up with a legislation detailing on the percentage of reservation and detailed clauses soon.

Soumya Chatterjee

Image for representation

In a move that’s a step closer to reservation, the BS Yediyurappa-led Karnataka government on Saturday passed a notification giving priority to Kannadigas for clerical and factory jobs in private companies. The state government is likely to come up with legislation detailing the percentage of reservation and detailed clauses. It had in November amended the Karnataka Industrial (Standing Orders) Rules, 1961 to make provisions for such reservation possible. In his Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Yediyurappa addressed the growing demands for reservation for locals in jobs, and assured a lion’s share of jobs for Kannadigas in Karnataka. However, the move has been mooted by past governments as well. In February, the then HD Kumaraswamy-led government had introduced recommendations made in the Sarojini Mahishi Committee report of 1986, to give 100% reservation for Kannadigas in Group C and D jobs in private establishments. The same proposal was also there in the 2017-18 state budget. However, after questions were raised by the Advocate General of the Karnataka High Court about whether the rule violates Article 19 of the Constitution, the recommendations were not enforced and jobs for Kannadigas were only made a priority. Applicants who believe that they have been wrongfully denied a job can now write to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the district complaining about the company. If the charges are proved, the DC can issue a notice to the company and the government can revoke incentives or facilities given to the company. Information Technology/Biotechnology sector and other sectors that demand technical knowledge will be exempted from this change. The Sarojini Mahishi report prepared in 1986 recommended job reservations for Kannadigas in government jobs, public sector units and even in the private sector. Several of the 58 recommendations made in the report were implemented by the then state government and over the years, local organisations have demanded greater job opportunities for Kannadigas. Earlier in 2017, then Labour Minister Santosh Lad in the Siddaramaiah-government had said 100% reservations for Kannadigas in private companies could not be taken ahead as it violates constitutional provisions for reservations. Recently, the Andhra government became the first state to form such a law in the country wherein 75% jobs are reserved for locals in industrial units as well as factories established under public-private partnership mode. Under this policy, companies are also mandated to train locals with the state government’s support if they are unable to source skilled workers locally.

Body 2:

Politics

Around 67.9 per cent (26 lakh) of the 38 lakh voters cast their ballots in the 15 constituencies to fill the vacancies caused by the resignation of 17 coalition government members.

IANS

Image for representation

Votes polled in Karnataka's by-elections on December 5 in 15 Assembly constituencies will be counted on Monday and results would be declared by evening, an EC official said on Sunday."Arrangements have been made for counting of votes in the 15 Assembly segments on Monday from 8:00 a.m. at 11 centres, including three in Bengaluru for four urban seats. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by counting of votes in EVMs," Election Commission official G. Jadiyappa told IANS here. The results of the by-elections are crucial for the four-month-old BJP government in the southern state, as the ruling party requires at least seven seats in the 223-member Assembly for a simple majority, with 112 as the halfway mark."Though trends will be available from 9-10 a.m., a clear picture of the votes polled will emerge post-noon and results will be declared after completing 20 rounds of vote count in each constituency," said Jadiyappa. Around 67.9 per cent (26 lakh) of the 38 lakh voters cast their ballots in the 15 constituencies to fill the vacancies caused by the resignation of 14 Congress and three Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and their subsequent disqualification by former Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar for defying their party whip. Of the nearly 38 lakh voters in all the constituencies, around 26 lakh voted, with 8 of them in semi-urban and rural areas recording above 75 per cent and 4 seats in Bengaluru registering below 60 per cent. Hosakote in Bengaluru Rural district recorded the highest voting percentage of 90.90, followed by Chikkaballapur 86.84, Hunsur 80.59, K.R. Pete 80.52, Hirekerur 79.03, Yellapur 77.53, Kagwad 76.24 and Athani 75.37. Bypolls in two seats - Muski in Raichur district and R.R. Nagar in Bengaluru southwest were not held due to a litigation in the Karnataka High Court on their results in the May 2018 Assembly elections. The BJP and the opposition Congress contested in all the 15 Assembly seats, while the JD-S in 12 seats. BJP Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday claimed they would win the majority of seats.

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Arrest

The organisers of the party allegedly distributed invites on Instagram in a private conversation and police believe that there may have been a supply of narcotics at the party.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/Pixabay

In the early hours of Sunday, police officials from Ramanagara station in Karnataka received a call from concerned villagers in Ramanagara stating that over 500 people had gathered at a mango grove on the outskirts of town. After receiving the call, the police officers from the station conducted a raid on the party at around 2.30 am. Individuals at the party attempted to run and escape upon seeing the police enter the premises, however, the police have managed to apprehend and arrest 17 of the organisers. According to reports, the police also seized liquor bottles, cameras and even a DJ music system from the party and are currently investigating to see if there had been any sale and/or use of drugs at the party. The organisers of the party were reportedly working as managers and HR professionals in Bengaluru companies and did not have the appropriate permission necessary to hold the party. They have been identified as Madhumitha, Puranik and Purohit. During the investigation of the culprits, police were able to ascertain that an entry fee ranging anywhere from Rs 3000 up to Rs 5000 was charged. The organisers had sent invites to the party via Instagram. The organisers had utilised the social media app to send invites to a private group. Police officials believe that there may have been a supply of narcotics at the rave party, the drug tests which have been administered so have returned negative and further investigations are underway. “Some of the people were from Tamil Nadu and Kerala while a majority of them are from the IT sector in Bengaluru. There were men and women at the party, the consumption of alcohol was high and the music was at a high volume,” the police reportedly stated.

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Protest

The protestors contended that both these laws will destroy the secular foundations of this country.

Soumya Chatterjee

Scores of people, carrying placards and shouting slogans, gathered at Bengaluru’s Mysore Bank circle on Sunday afternoon to protest against the Centre’s move to bring in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). The protest was organised by a Bengaluru-based techie Ashok Koyi and members of the All India People’s Forum and other progressive groups also joined the demonstration. The protest comes after on Monday Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the NRC implemented across the country by 2024. Opposing the NRC and the CAB, the protestors contended both these laws will destroy the secular foundations of this country. They iterated that the Constitution of India guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, which the CAB and NRC will violate this. Demanding that government withdraw both these bills immediately, several protesters likened the present ruling union government with ‘Nazi Germany’. They said by offering only non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan citizenship, this Bill blatantly ignores the plight of persecuted Muslim minorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Sri Lankan Tamils, Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and many other persecuted communities in the region. Critics of the NRC, including former IAS officers and scholars, say while the NRC is anti-poor and against the migrant, tribal population, the CAB is unabashedly communal. Incidentally, in Assam, where the first such exercise was carried out, there were reports of retired soldiers being stripped off their citizenship due to lack of legacy documents. Speaking to TNM, Ashok said, “There is a narrative thrown at us that so-called illegal immigrants are exploiting our resources. Even if that is the case, NRC and such exercises is not the solution.” He asked, “If there is a rat in the house, do we burn the house down or find the rat? He stressed many people who have been living in India for generations do not have any documents other than ration cards, voter ID cards. “What is the need for a poor landless person to have other documents?” “So the only way for these people to exist for the current government is to bribe government officials or create fake documents,” he added. Safeer Asif, another protestor, said, “We should be careful of the people we elect. While the government is expected to work for the welfare of the people, it is giving unnecessary trouble to the people. When they say everybody else from other countries will be allowed and only Muslims will be rejected, is it not wrong? We call our country as Bharat Mata and we call all of us as sons of Bharat Mata, then why are we being discriminated against?”

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Politics

The BJP needs to win at least six seats to stay in power.

TNM Staff

PTI/ File image

In what is a litmus test for rebel MLAs of the former Congress-JD(S) government and one which will also seal the fate of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, counting of votes for the December 5 bye-polls have begun. Bye-elections were held in Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapura, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijaynagara, Chickballapura, KR Pura, Yeshwanthpura, Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivajinagar, Hosakote, KR Pete and Hunsur Assembly seats. Except for Shivajinagar, in all the seats, the rebels have fought on a BJP ticket. The result of the bye-elections is crucial for the four-month-old BJP government in Karnataka, as the rulingparty requires at least seven seats in the 224-member Assembly for a simple majority, with 112 as the halfway mark. The BJP which currently has 106 members needs to win at least six more seats on Monday to tay in power. Around 67.9 % (26 lakh) of the 38 lakh voters cast their ballots in the 15 constituencies to fill the vacancies caused by the resignation of 14 Congress and three Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and their subsequent disqualification by former Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar for defying their party whip. Follow live updates here: Note: Please disable your ad blocker if the blog is not loading

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Fire Accident

Police are investigating the incident which took place on Saturday night at around 7.30 pm.

TNM Staff

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It was a providential escape for four individuals of a family after their BMW car caught fire in Bengaluru. No injuries were reported in the incident which happened on Saturday. Mohammed Irshad, a resident of Bagalagunte in Bengaluru, was travelling in his BMW 5 series along with his wife and two children, when a motorist passing by alerted him to smoke that was emanating from the back of the vehicle. Mohammed and his wife, who were seated in the front, were able to immediately get out, but the two children were stuck as the back doors weren’t opening. The two children were subsequently pulled out through the front doors minutes after which the car burst into flames. Traffic police in the vicinity and passersby stopped to help the family retrieve their belongings from the car. According to reports, the incident took place on Saturday night at around 7.30 pm near 8th Mile Cross in Bengaluru’s Peenya neighbourhood. A fire brigade was called to the location by the traffic police; they quickly put out the fire. As per reports, initial investigations revealed that the car had been parked in the family’s home for a long time and had not been used. The family was reportedly on their way to distribute blankets to poor people living on footpaths and bus stands. They had only driven for about a kilometre when the motorcyclist drew their attention to the smoke coming from the back of the car. Bagalagunte police are investigating the incident. It was in the last week of November that a woman from Hyderabad had died in Karnataka’s Bidar district after a car that she had been travelling in caught fire. The 39-year-old was travelling back to Hyderabad from Udgir in Maharashtra, when the incident occurred.

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Election

"These parties will now have to bite the dust," the PM asserted.

PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of stealing people's mandate in Karnataka through back door, contending that the party has been taught a lesson in the just-concluded bypolls. Addressing a poll meeting here, he said those that said the BJP has limited influence in southern part of the country were punished by the people in a democratic way. "The Congress and its allies subverted the mandate in Karnataka, stabbed it in the back These parties will now have to bite the dust," he asserted. The Congress, during its tenure in Karnataka, had no development agenda, he claimed. "The bypolls results today showed that the voters have ensured that the Congress and the JD(S) don't get to stab them in the back again," he added. The BJP has so far bagged four seats in Karnataka and was leading in eight others, as the B S Yediyurappa-led government appeared on course to sweep the bypolls in 15 constituencies.

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Rizwan Arshad had lost twice in the parliamentary elections in Bengaluru Central. This is the first time he has contested Assembly bye-elections.

Soumya Chatterjee

Third time's the charm for 40-year-old Rizwan Arshad. An MLC since 2016, Rizwan is tasting his first success in electoral politics after being unsuccessful in his two previous attempts to win a Parliamentary seat from the Bangalore Central constituency. Soon after the victory, Rizwan Arshan tweeted a thank you to his constituents. ಧನ್ಯವಾದ ಶಿವಾಜಿನಗರ! Thank you Shivajinagar! pic.twitter.com/aiBbWC5yIN — Rizwan Arshad (@ArshadRizwan) December 9, 2019 Rizwan who was formerly Youth Congress President of Karnataka, contested from the Shivajinagar assembly constituency vacated by former minister and veteran politician Roshan Baig. "I had not expected the Congress to lose in so many segments. We had expectd to win in 6 to 7 segments. But the BJP has power and money and we all know how they go about with elections. We never expected this kind of defeat," Chamarajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan said. With the BJP not willing to accommodate Roshan Baig, tained in the IMA ponzi scam, Rizwan faced A Saravana, a former corporator of the BJP and Tanveer Ahmed of the JD(S) as his prime competitors. At 1 pm, Rizwan aced past his nearest rival from the BJP by 15,924 votes. With this Rizwan became the only Congress candidate in Bengaluru to win the bye-polls. In an interview with TNM in the run-up to the polls, Rizwan was upbeat about his prospects this time around stating that even though he lost in the Lok Sabha elections, he has always maintained a lead from the Shivajinagar areas. Prior to securing a Lok Sabha ticket, Rizwan was active in student politics. From being the General Secretary of the Karnataka unit of Congress-affiliated NSUI in 1998 to become the first elected president of Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress in 2011. In between, Rizwan had also held the position of National Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress before joining the electoral battle in 2014.

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