How 131.6 mm of rain brought Bengaluru to a halt Among the many striking images to have come out of Bengaluru over the last few days was of Vinod Kaushik, founder-CEO of a construction start-up, getting on to a open truck with his family and pet dogs as they were evacuated from their home in DivyaSree 77 East, an upscale locality in Mahadevapura, in the eastern part of the rain-lashed and waterlogged city.
Merely five km away, in a slum in Munekolalu, Nagesh Nayak had to rush out of his shanty as the rain water gushed in. “At night, the water started entering our house. My family and I, and our neighbours, somehow managed to get out. Our clothes and food were washed away. We were worried for our children as we dragged them through waist-deep water. There was also the fear of snakes,” he said. His neighbour Lakshmi, a civic worker, said, “The last two days have been terrible here in Munekolalu. The government is only worried about evacuating the rich. Some activists and local people gave us food and water. I carried my children on my shoulders.” (Read more)
With the education scene in Karnataka getting clouded by politics and propaganda, teachers like TP Umesh, 41, come as a sigh of relief. Hailing from Amritpur, a village in Holalkere taluk of Chitradurga district, Umesh describes himself as a teacher who is “never on a holiday”.
With 12 years of teaching experience, Umesh is one of the 44 recipients who received the National Award to Teachers from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on September 5, 2022. Umesh has been integral in the upliftment of not just his students but also read more
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Akasa Air on Saturday commenced its operations on the Chennai-Bengaluru route making the state capital the fifth city on its network, the airliner said. Know more here
The Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Saturday Sushil Mantri, the director of Mantri Developers, in connection with a money laundering case in which his firm is accused of cheating home buyers. Sources in the CID said that Mantri was handed over in judicial custody till September 12.
Mantri was accused by buyers that he had swindled their money and FIRs were registered in Bengaluru. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had initiated a probe in March this year, arrested him in June but he got bail later. Read more...
The 10th edition of the South Indian International Movie Awards, aka the SIIMA Awards, will be held in Bengaluru today. The two-day event will see the leading actors and celebrities of the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam industries in attendance. Read more here
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai said that the President of India Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate Dasara this year in Mysuru.
The police have imposed restrictions on the sale of liquor in parts of east Bengaluru Sunday (September 11) to maintain law and order during Ganesh immersion processions.
Bengaluru police commissioner CH Prathap Reddy issued the orders Friday. Know more about these restrictions
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' questioning him on who has harmed the unity of India that required the opposition party to take out such a campaign. (PTI)
The High Court of Karnataka has ordered the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) to pay the pending bill of Rs.34,85,179 with an interest of 12 per cent to a Class I Contractor and also a fine of Rs.2,00,000 for delay in clearing the bills.
The contractor had completed the building in 2014 and was paid Rs.1,46,56,901 during the course of construction. But the last bill of Rs.34,85,179 was still not paid till he approached the HC in 2018. The HC judgement came on September 3, 2022. (PTI)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in a tweet, said that Nelamangala, Doddaballapur, Devanahalli will be developed as satellite towns. This comes in the backdrop of Janaspandan programme, BJP is celebrating one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure and three years of its governance in Karnataka.
A special court in Bengaluru Friday convicted five persons, including a government official and officials of the Mandya Urban Development Authority (MUDA), and sentenced them to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for misappropriating Rs 5 crore. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the case, had filed a chargesheet against the accused in 2015.
The convicted officials are Anand K, H S Nagalingaswamy, Chandrashekar, H K Nagaraja (first division assistant) and K B Harshan. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5.02 crore on the accused and said the amount will be forwarded to MUDA. (Read more)
With traffic congestion continuing to haunt commuters in Bengaluru, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said Friday that an international consultant would be asked to study the feasibility of implementing skybus or trolley bus operations in the city.
Gadkari, who was in Bengaluru to attend a two-day national conference ‘Manthan – Idea to Action’ said a report will be sought in three months on the matter. “Bengaluru is an IT hub and we are looking at the city’s traffic congestion as a serious issue and trying to find solutions. If we are able to bring one lakh people to travel by skybuses, it will definitely decongest traffic,” the Union minister said. (Read more)
A magistrate court has declared as null and void the election of a JD(S) councillor to a local body in Tumakuru, after he did not rebut the petitioner's claims of possessing 500 kg ornaments despite having a BPL card.
Senior Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate of First Class of Sira, Geethanjali G found K Ravishankar, councillor of Ward-9 of Sira City Municipal Council, guilty of suppressing facts in his election affidavit.
Defeated Congress candidate M Krishnappa had filed the election petition before the court in the aftermath of polls to the city municipal council in Sira held on December 30, 2021. (PTI)
Karnataka Friday reported 690 fresh Covid-19 cases and one death, taking the total infections and fatalities to 40,57,589 and 40,215 respectively, the State Health Department said.
The department in its daily Covid bulletin said 730 people were discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 40,13,063 till date. Active cases stood at 4,269.
Bengaluru urban district alone contributed 337 fresh infections. (PTI)
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani will be the chief guest for Janaspandana.
She is scheduled to arrive at 11.50 am at the Bengaluru International Airport and will be received by Karnataka ministers Shashikala Jolle and Dr C N Ashwathnarayan.
The Janaspandana event is officially set to begin at 11 am. However, there are reportedly some delays which have pushed the commencement time further to the afternoon.
These are the alternate routes for vehicles going to the programme venue:
1. Bagepalli via Chikkaballapura (NH-44) towards Doddaballapura venue
Doddaballapura cross (Devanahalli NH-44) Bengaluru City Limits- Vishwanathapura-Chapparakallu-Naganayakanahalli-Raghunathapura- Doddaballapura.
2. Kolar-KGF via Hosakote towards Doddaballapura venue
Vijayapura-Vijayapura Cross-Doddaballapura Cross (NH-44)-(DevanahalliNH-44)-Bengaluru City Limits-Vishwanathapura-Chapparakallu-Naganayakanahalli-Raghunathapura-Doddaballapura.
3. Bengaluru City via Hebbal flyover towards Devanahalli-Doddaballapura venue (only for buses/cabs)
Hebbal Flyover-Kempapura Cross-Flyover-Coffee Day-Hunasamaranahalli Cross-Kote Cross-Sadahalli Gate Via Toll-Doddaballapura Cross (Devanahalli NH-44)-Left Turn-Bengaluru rural limits-Vishwanathapura-Chapparakallu- Naganayakanahalli-Raghunathapura-Doddaballapura.
4. Bengaluru City via Hebbal towards Doddaballapura venue (only for two-wheelers and cars)
Hebbal Flyover-Sanjeevininagar Cross-left turn-Service Road-Kodigehalli Cross-Byataranapura Cross-Jakkuru Cross-left turn flyover-Yelahanka Circle- Doddaballapura Road-Puttenahalli-Nagenahalli-Bengaluru rural district limits-Singanayakanahalli-Rajanukunte-Marasandra-Doddaballapura (Read more)
The Karnataka government on Friday issued an order abolishing the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), saying all its cases will be transferred to the Lokayukta.
The government order said that as per the orders of the Karnataka High Court, the ACB will be abolished and police station powers reordered to Lokayukta police. All the cases which are pending/under inquiry/other disciplinary actions will be transferred to Lokayukta, it added.
In mid-August, a division bench of the Karnataka High Court had ordered the abolishing of ACB and revival of an anti-corruption police unit attached to the Karnataka Lokayukta, a quasi-judicial institution that works independent of the state. (Read more)
Bengaluru city is likely to see a maximum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, according to a 9 am update from the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru.
The city will see a generally cloudy sky and rain and thundershowers are very likely.
The BJP is celebrating one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure and three years of its governance in Karnataka Saturday on the outskirts of Bengaluru through the 'Janaspandan' programme.
The date of the celebration has been changed on four occasions since July 28 due to different reasons.
Bangalore University students protesting against the construction of a Ganesh temple coming up near the administrative block on the campus have said they will move the Karnataka High Court for a stay order.
The students, who have been protesting for two days, alleged on Friday that a temple on the university campus could be a possible trigger for a communal flare-up. (Read more)
Yemalur’s plush gated community Epsilon Residential Villa complex in Bengaluru remained marooned on Friday. Fire and rescue teams evacuated stranded people using boats and pumped out water from the colony.
The plush gated colony is home to top businessmen such as Rishad Premji of Wipro Ltd, Varun Berry of Britannia Industries, Byju Raveendran of Byju's, Ashok Genomal of Page Industries (Jockey) and several others.
Bangalore University students protesting against the construction of a Ganesh temple coming up near the administrative block on the campus have said they will move the Karnataka High Court for a stay order.
The students, who have been protesting for two days, alleged on Friday that a temple on the university campus could be a possible trigger for a communal flare-up.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to construct a replacement for a temple it had demolished for widening the Ullal main road, where it originally stood. Read more
In its latest bulletin released around 10 pm today, the regional met centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderstorm accompanied by lightning with light to moderate rain in the following districts in the next 3 hours: Bidar, Kalburgi, Raichur, Bijaypur, Yadgiri, Chikkabaapur and Kolar.
The British royal family’s Queen Elizabeth II on her first visit to India in 1961 had planted a sapling of a Christmas tree in Bengaluru’s iconic Lal Bagh. After over 60 years, the tree stands 60 feet tall at the garden.
On February 21, 1961, Queen Elizabeth visited several places in Bengaluru, including Lal Bagh. The Queen then stayed at Nandi Hills, 60 km from Bengaluru. She received a grand welcome from then governor and Mysuru state king Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. He was also accompanied by then chief minister B D Jatti and several other officials. Read more
The BJP will celebrate one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure and three years of its governance in the state on Saturday (September 10) on the outskirts of Bengaluru through the 'Janaspandan' programme, preparations for which are in full swing.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Gaviyappa and his supporters Friday joined the Congress party in the presence of AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, KPCC president DK Shivakumar and other Congress leaders at KPCC office, Bengaluru.
To mark the completion of 3 years of the BJP government in Karnataka, the state government will host the Janaspandan programme on Saturday in Doddaballapur.
State minister K. Sudhakar on Friday spoke to the media on the observation of the 'Janaspandan' programme at Raghunathpur, Devanahalli Road, Doddaballapur, and briefed about the achievements of the BJP government in the past 3 years.
To mark the completion of 3 years of the BJP government in Karnataka, the state government will hold the 'Janaspandan' programme on September 10 in Doddaballapur.
State minister K. Sudhakar on Friday addressed the media on the observation of the 'Janaspandan' programme at Raghunathpur, Devanahalli Road, Doddaballapur. Preparations are in full swing for the event.
Bengaluru residents whose houses were inundated are picking up the pieces with rainfall subsiding and floodwaters gradually receding. The Outer Ring Road stretch from Silk Board to Marathahalli, Whitefield, Sarjapur, Varthur and Kadugodi was free from waterlogging on Friday.
A resident of Frazer Town, Sabiha Patel, said she got no help from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) after her house was flooded on Monday. Patel also said the white-topping that the BBMP had done ended up raising the footpath, closing the drains and causing flooding.
Architect and environmentalist Dikshu C Kukreja said it was important for real estate developers to undertake proper topographical studies. Read more
The flood situation remained grim in certain parts of north Karnataka following torrential rains.
Many rivers, rivulets and streams were in spate on Friday as water was released from the Tungabhadra Dam, sources said. According to sources, water-level rose in Hirehalla rivulet, trapping five farmers on an island in Koluru village. Soon, the others informed the police, which sent a team from the fire and emergency services that rescued the five.
In Vijayapura district, a bridge was washed away and some villagers went there after learning that it had developed cracks and may not withstand the flow in the Sogli rivulet. The bridge was connecting Sogli with Mookihal in Taalikote Taluk.
Reports said onions grown in a large swathe of land in the Bagalkote district were washed away due to floods. (PTI)
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has approached the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to fix the parameters for using treated sewage water for construction purposes.
Senior environmental officer Syed Khaja told The Indian Express that a study regarding the feasibility of using treated sewage water for construction works was completed by the KSPCB and The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru last month. He said if a set of guidelines is listed out by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), it would be the first-of-its-kind in the world. Read more
The Karnataka government has proposed a new traffic management authority for Bengaluru that will bring road, metro, railways and civic authorities under one umbrella.
A bill in this regard will be tabled during the legislative session starting on September 12, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said after meeting Union surface transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday. The bill would outline the powers of the authority.Bommai suggested that some of the traffic woes were due to multiple agencies like the municipal corporation, National Highways Authority of India, BDA, BMRDA and PWD working separately. Read more
The overflowing of Bellandur, Varthur, Saul Kere and Kaikondrahalli lakes in Bengaluru has put the spotlight back on the loss of interconnectivity of water bodies, which is being blamed for the recent urban flooding. While the government took up the desilting work of Bellandur and Varthur lakes in June 2020, that work is yet to be completed. Aksheev Thakur explains
The Karnataka health department’s first sero-prevalence survey in the 6-14 age group has found that 75.38 per cent of unvaccinated children were exposed to coronavirus.
“The overall adjusted seroprevalence of IgG (immunoglobulin-G, a type of antibody prevalent in blood and other body fluids) was 75.38% at the state level, obtained after adjusting for the sensitivity and specificity of the antibody testing kit. There were no previous surveys in the paediatric age groups (6-14 years). Thus, it was planned to conduct COVID-19 Sero Survey among paediatric age group, based on the recommendation from Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Karnataka, keeping in mind the epidemiological issues related to infections following the three waves and the state’s progress in vaccination,” said the survey report released on Thursday evening. Read more
After being postponed multiple times, the BJP Thursday announced it would celebrate one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure and three years of its governance in the state on Saturday (September 10) on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The event, initially titled Janotsava, will now be called Janaspandana.
The BJP completed one year under Bommai on July 28, and a total of three years in power in the state two days earlier on July 26 (B S Yediyurappa was chief minister from July 26, 2019 to July 28, 2021). It will use the Janaspandana event to highlight its achievements in Karnataka. Read more
Britain's longest-standing monarch Queen Elizabeth-II passed away on Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced. She was aged 96. Here is a picture of the Queen during her visit to Bangalore in the late 1950s. The Queen is seen with the then Governor and former Maharaja of Mysore State Sri Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar.
Courtesy: Photo Archives of the Department of Information and Public Relations.
The Regional Meteorological Department in Bengaluru has predicted rainfall in parts of the city today. A weather bulletin said that cloudy sky and few spells of light to moderate rain was likely. The maximum temperature would be around 25 degree Celsius and Minimum at 20 degrees Celsius.
Bengaluru received 131.6mm rain overnight on September 5, just short of breaching the recent single-day rainfall record of 132.3mm, noted on September 26, 2014. The highest rainfall in Bengaluru in the last 30 years was recorded on October 1, 1997, when the city received 180mm rainfall, a source in the weather department said.
On September 1 this year, the city received 2.9mm rain. It further received 11.9mm and 41mm rainfall on September 2 and September 4, respectively. There was no rainfall on September 3. Aksheev Thakur reports
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over a few places in coastal and south interior Karnataka on September 9 and interior Karnataka on September 9-10, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
After being postponed multiple times, the BJP Thursday announced it would celebrate one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s tenure and three years of its governance in the state on Saturday (September 10) on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The event, initially titled Janotsava, will now be called Janaspandana.
The BJP completed one year under Bommai on July 28, and a total of three years in power in the state two days earlier on July 26 (B S Yediyurappa was chief minister from July 26, 2019 to July 28, 2021). It will use the Janaspandana event to highlight its achievements in Karnataka. Read more
A consumer forum in Karnataka Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 85,177 on the State Bank of India’s (SBI) Haliyal branch in Uttara Kannada for dishonouring a cheque written in Kannada, the official language of the state. Vadirajacharya Inamdar, an English lecturer in a government pre-university college at Hubballi approached Dharwad District Consumer Redressal Forum after the bank rejected his cheque in 2020 and fined him Rs 177.
Forum president Ishappa Bhute, members V A Bolishetti and P C Hiremath, ordered the bank to pay the amount as compensation and fine to Inamdar. Read more
In the wake of the recent floods in different parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Health Commissioner Randeep D. Wednesday directed the district health officers and health officers within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to prepare an action on how to contain the spread of communicable diseases. The Health Commissioner also directed that a control room should be set up for close monitoring and coordination at all levels. Read more
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused the ruling BJP in Karnataka of trying to ‘shift blame’ on the Congress for the recent rain-related miseries in Bengaluru to hide its failures, PTI reported.
Siddaramaiah urged the government to come out with a white paper on clearing encroachment on stormwater drains in the city. The former chief minister, who visited several rain-battered areas of the state capital and took stock of the situation, said ‘brand Bengaluru’ is affected, and all attempts should be made to protect the pride of the city at the international level.
While flood waters receded in some parts of Bengaluru Thursday, the worst is not over for IT capital yet, with the weather bureau predicting heavy rainfall over south interior Karnataka, including the city, for the next two days. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted over a few places in coastal and south interior Karnataka on September 8-9 and interior Karnataka on September 9-10, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Good morning! Welcome to today's Bangalore live blog. We bring to you the latest news on the flood situation and rain forecast in Bengaluru and parts of Karnataka. Stay tuned!
The Karnataka High Court has observed that election petitions should ideally be disposed within six months. It derided the habit of dragging such petitions till the next elections.
Justice Krishna S Dixit made this observation while hearing an election petition filed in 2018 by Muniraju Gowda, who as the BJP candidate, lost the Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly seat to the then Congress candidate Munirathna Naidu, who is now a minister in the BJP government.The court made this observation during the arguments when the counsels for both the petitioner and respondent were struggling to verify some of the documents submitted. The court said it was not prudent to waste the court's time in such cases.
Muniraju Gowda had filed the petition under the Representation of the People Act seeking the disqualification of Naidu. Naidu subsequently joined the BJP and won the same assembly seat from the party in a by-election. While, Gowda is now an MLC from the ruling party. (PTI)
Axis Bank Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, pledging to dedicate the paediatrics wing at IISc’s new Bagchi-Parthasarathy Hospital .
“The pediatrics wing will be equipped with the latest technology in neonatal care and will have 20 state-of-the-art Neonatal ICU (NICU) beds for the care of critically-ill neonates. The dedicated wing will also enable postgraduate students to undergo world-class training in paediatrics care and further contribute to the development of innovative solutions in this field. This will take forward the IISc Medical School’s ethos of creating a generation of physician-scientists, capable of melding clinical care with cutting-edge research. The Axis Bank paediatrics wing is expected to be operational by early 2025,” a statement from the IISc read. (Read More)
A drone show was held at Bengaluru's palace grounds which attracted a large gathering on Thursday evening. The drone show comprised of a swarm of 900 drones.
The drone show was organised by Botlab Dynamics Pvt Ltd— a startup by two IIT graduates, Tanmay Bunkar, Anuj Kumar and Dr Sarita Ahlawat. These drones and related technologies are all Made in India.
In the wake of the recent floods in different parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Health Commissioner Randeep D. Wednesday directed the district health officers and health officers within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to prepare an action on how to contain the spread of communicable diseases.
The Health Commissioner also directed that a control room should be set up for close monitoring and coordination at all levels. (Read More)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said his government would bring a legislation to form an authority to implement a master plan for Bengaluru to address traffic woes in and around the city.
The Chief Minister's statement comes amid the havoc in parts of Bengaluru following two days of heavy rains.
"For all the traffic related issues in and around Bengaluru, an authority will be created. Already, we have taken a decision at the government level. I have already given my approval to it. In the next session, a legislation to this effect would be passed," Bommai said.
He was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari, who was in the city to attend a two-day 'Manthan' programme under the 'Bharatmala' series here.
Bommai said the National Highways Authority of India, State Public Works Department, 'Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike' (city civic agency), Bangalore Development Authority and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority have been undertaking many works. (PTI)
Accusing the ruling BJP in Karnataka of trying to 'shift blame' on the Congress for the recent rain related miseries in Bengaluru to hide its failures, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged the government to come out with a white paper on clearing encroachment on storm water drains in the city.
The former Chief Minister said, the "brand Bengaluru" is affected, and all attempts should be made to protect the pride of the city at the international level.
"During our tenure, we had identified the encroachment and measures were taken to clear most encroachments on storm water drains. If merciless action against the encroachers had continued, such a situation wouldn't have arisen.... BJP is responsible for the havoc," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has blamed the previous Congress governments for the mess, but the BJP government should reveal what they did in the last three years; how many encroachments on the storm water drains have been cleared. (PTI)
The IMD has predicted thunderstorm accompanied by lightning with light to moderate spells of rain with gusty wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph in Kalburgi and Tumkur.
The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall likely to occur at one or two places over Coastal Karnataka on 8th & 9th and over North Interior Karnataka on 9th.
A consumer forum in Karnataka Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs 85,177 on the State Bank of India’s (SBI) Haliyal branch in Uttara Kannada for dishonouring a cheque written in Kannada, the official language of the state.
Vadirajacharya Inamdar, an English lecturer in a government pre-university college at Hubballi approached Dharwad District Consumer Redressal Forum after the bank rejected his cheque in 2020 and fined him Rs 177. (Read More)
Following the controversy over a paragraph from class 8 Kannada second language textbook on V D Savarkar, which had gone viral on social media, for apparent “glorification” of the freedom fighter, the wife of the author has released a statement saying that the bulbul imagery in it is “nothing but a metaphor.” The lesson, “Kalavannu Geddavaru” is a travelogue written by author K T Gatti, narrating his experience about a visit to the Andaman cellular jail, where the Hindutva leader was imprisoned. (Read More)
Aiming towards solving traffic congestion problems in Bengaluru, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari chaired a meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday. They brainstormed over the ideas suggested by Professional Agencies.
Nitin Gadkari directed the State Officials to submit proposals regarding demands/works related to NHAI and also assured full support of MoRTH to the state.
The Minister also suggested about exploring options to create Bus-Ports, Inter-Modal Stations and Parking Plazas to solve traffic woes.