Rescue workers at the site of the helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday. (PTI)Karnataka 2021 Highlights: Group Captain Varun Singh, who was the sole survivor of the Dec 8 helicopter crash, passed away in Bengaluru, said the Indian Air Force in a statement. The crash in Tamil Nadu had killed Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 others.
Karnataka on Tuesday logged 263 new cases of Covid-19 and 7 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,00,934 and death toll to 38,275, the health department said. Of the new cases, 158 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 182 discharges and 1 death. Total number of active cases in the state is at 7,165.
The ruling BJP won 11 of the 25 Legislative Council seats in Karnataka for which results were declared on Tuesday, stopping just short of a clear majority in the House. The party gained five seats in the elections, while the Congress lost four of the 15 constituencies it held, and the JD(S) two of its four. The results put the BJP at 37 seats in the 75-member Legislative Council — one short of a clear majority.
Meanwhile, Karnataka has the maximum amount of forest area under encroachment, according to data provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In total, 83,092.06 hectares of forest land in the state have been encroached.
Bengaluru police have arrested four persons for allegedly helping a South African national to break quarantine and leave India with a fake Covid-negative test report before he was later diagnosed with the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
“Prima facie, it has been found that the South African national fled the country by getting a fake Covid-negative report. Four persons have been taken into custody, of which two are from a private laboratory and two are from a company, of which the South African national is one of the directors,” said a police officer. More details here.
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday quashed the order passed by a magistrate court to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Bengaluru city police commissioner Kamal Pant and two other police officers. This was in connection with a sex-for-job case, allegedly involving former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.
The High Court quashed the private complaint lodged by an activist named Adarsh R Iyer, based on which the 8th additional metropolitan magistrate of Bengaluru had directed to register FIR on November 23. Iyer had contended that the police officers did not register a case against the then minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, when Dinesh Kallahalli, an activist, had approached them. More details here.
A late-night notification on Tuesday issued by the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) on holding examinations from today has left students in a tizzy. It came hours after the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court quashed a KSLU examination notification for students of second and fourth semesters. However, with no direction for students attending five-year courses, the university announced examinations for them, beginning Wednesday.
The circular on Tuesday clarified that the High Court order “applies only to second and fourth semester (freshers) students of the 3-year LLB course, and the rest of the examinations will be held as scheduled.” More details here.
The central government said that it has no plans to include the Tulu language into the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Replying to a question by Lok Sabha MP Rajmohan Unnithan, Minister of State in Home Ministry Nityananda Rai categorically denied any plans of inclusion in the foreseeable future.
Rajmohan Unnithan had asked the government its stand about the inclusion of Tulu Language in 8th Schedule. The minister in a written reply informed the Lok Sabha said “Dr. Sitakant Mohapatra Committee had recommended that status quo ante should continue in regard to the recognition of the languages in the Eighth Schedule as Official Languages of the Union. It is neither practical nor administratively feasible, at present, to increase the number of Official Languages.”
The Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has developed frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) drone detection radar to detect and track mini- and micro-class drones and UAVs. BEL officials said that they started working on the product nine months ago.
“It delivers a complete surveillance solution (search and track) to threats from drones/UAVs. The maximum detection range for micro drones are 1 km, mini drones are 2 km and small drones are 3 km. The operating temperature of the radar is -20 degree Celsius to +55 degree Celsius. This is a complete indigenous product developed at the BEL with no Transfer of Technology (ToT) from any other organisation,” the official said. (Read more)
The Indian Air Force Wednesday said Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the IAF chopper crash on December 8, had succumbed to his injuries.The crash in Tamil Nadu had killed Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 others.
“IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of braveheart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident on 08 Dec 21. IAF offers sincere condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved family,” the air force tweeted. (Read more)
The Indian Air Force Wednesday said Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the IAF chopper crash on December 8, had succumbed to his injuries.
The crash in Tamil Nadu had killed Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 others.
“IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of braveheart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident on 08 Dec 21. IAF offers sincere condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved family,” the air force tweeted. (Read more)
Gangster Suresh Pujari, wanted in several extortion cases in Mumbai region and Karnataka, has been deported to India, a senior police official said on Wednesday.
Pujari was brought back to India late Tuesday night after he was arrested and extradited from the Philippines. Intelligence Bureau (IB) and CBI officials took his custody after he landed at Delhi airport, the official said.
Suresh is a close relative of gangster Ravi Pujari and separated from him in 2007. He then fled abroad. Early in his career in crime, he worked with underworld don Chhota Rajan and Ravi Pujari and later formed his own gang, the official said. (PTI)
As many as 39 incidents of hate crimes against the Christian community were reported in Karnataka since the beginning of 2021, during which the police were found “to be colluding with Hindutva groups,” a report by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) said.
“Given the frequency and intensity of these attacks, our report relies on the Christian community’s narratives of surviving majoritarian violence. The members of the Christian community, especially in rural Karnataka, continue to face threats of violence, discrimination, and survival during their everyday lives,” the report stated. It added that several other similar cases have gone undocumented so far. (Read more)
Karnataka on Tuesday logged 263 new cases of Covid-19 and 7 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,00,934 and death toll to 38,275, the health department said.The day also saw 327 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries to 29,55,465.
Of the new cases, 158 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 182 discharges and 1 death. Total number of active cases in the state is at 7,165.
Apart from Bengaluru Urban, Mysuru recorded the second highest of 16 fresh cases, Kodagu 14, Dakshina Kannada 13, Chikkamagaluru 11, followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district has now a total of 12,59,183 positive cases, Mysuru 1,80,075 and Tumakuru 1,21,216.
Karnataka crossed a new milestone in vaccination coverage against Covid-19 as 70 per cent of the total eligible population in the state have taken both doses, Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar said.
“While Karnataka crossed the 70 per cent mark in second dose coverage today, we have become the third major state in the country to do so,” he claimed. He added that Karnataka was also the first among major states with most first dose coverage of the eligible population aged 18 or above, with the same at 95.46 per cent as on Dec 14.
Meanwhile, over 2.25 lakh more doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered till 3.30 pm on Tuesday. To date, over 8.09 crore doses of the vaccine have been administered since January 16 earlier this year. Of this, 3.42 crore doses were second doses while another 4.66 crore doses were first doses.
India logged 6,984 coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,47,10,628 while the active cases declined to 87,562, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The death toll climbed to 4,76,135 with 247 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 48 days now.
The active cases comprise 0.25 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. (PTI)
A 26-year-old hacker arrested in Bengaluru last year who made claims of hacking into Bitfinex, a Bitcoin exchange based in the British Virgin Islands, a few years ago, is likely to be a person of interest to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on account of a 2016 police case registered in the US.
The Bengaluru Police arrested Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in November last year in a case of buying drugs on the Internet with Bitcoins and discovered that the accused and his associates were allegedly involved in multiple hacking crimes in India and abroad.
Srikrishna is currently at the centre of a controversy in Karnataka following claims that Bitcoins in his possession were used to pay off police officials and others involved in the investigation of cases against him. (Read more)
The meeting of Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states held at Varanasi discussed and exchanged views on many public welfare programmes being implemented by these states, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on his return to Belagavi.
"The meeting chaired by the Prime Minister fostered interaction among the Chief Ministers to exchange details on implementation of various Centrally sponsored projects in their respective states. We exchanged details on good practices in implementing public welfare programmes," Bommai said.
Bengaluru City police on Tuesday arrested a medical student for allegedly misbehaving with a homemaker and her two children when they were traveling in a car. The incident took place on December 10.
The accused was identified as Vijay Bharadwaj, a resident of Jayanagar studying a masters course in medicine in a private college. He hailed from Bihar.
According to police sources, the incident took place around 2 am when the 39-year-old woman, accompanied by her 19-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter, was heading home after a visit to Hoskote. Read more
Bengaluru Police on Tuesday busted a gang that allegedly blackmailed a businesswoman and her partner into handing over gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 9.5 lakh.
According to the police, the prime accused in the case is one Deepa. Three other women and four men were part of the gang. Of these, six have been arrested while two persons – a man and a woman – are absconding.
Police sources said Deepa hatched a plan to blackmail the businesswoman. On Sunday, when the latter's business partner was at her house, Deepa and her accomplices forcefully took pictures and videos of the man in a compromising position. Read more
THE RULING BJP won 11 of the 25 Legislative Council seats in Karnataka for which results were declared on Tuesday, stopping just short of a clear majority in the House. The party gained five seats in the elections, while the Congress lost four of the 15 constituencies it held, and the JD(S) two of its four.
The results put the BJP at 37 seats in the 75-member Legislative Council -- one short of a clear majority. The BJP was hoping to win around 13 to 15 seats to end its dependency on the JD(S) to get laws passed in the Upper House of the state.
The Congress won 11 seats and the JD(S) two, with an Independent taking one of the constituencies. The Congress now has 25 seats in the Council, down from 29, and the JD(S) 10 instead of 12. Read more
Noted Kannada writer Rajeshwari Tejaswi passed away on Tuesday in Bengaluru.
Rajeshwari was the wife of Late Kannada litterateur Poornachandra Tejaswi and daughter-in-law of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, Rajeshwari (84) was admitted to a private hospital in the city couple of days back due to age-related illness.
Born in 1937 in Kalasipalya, Bengaluru, Rajeshwari had completed BA (Honours) in Philosophy and thereafter postgraduation from Mysore University. At Mysore University Rajeshwari had met Poornachandra Tejaswi and later in 1966 both of them married as per the 'Mantra Maangalya' concept started by Tejaswi's father Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. (ENS)
Opposition leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday demanded three-fold increase in the compensation to the farmers who suffered crop loss due to excess rain and floods in the state this year since June.
The senior Congress leader also accused the state government of not giving compensation to those whose houses were damaged due to rains two years ago.
The former Karnataka Chief Minister claimed in the Karnataka Assembly that this year standing crops in 35 lakh hectares were damaged whereas compensation has been given for only 12 lakh hectares land while farmers of the remaining 23 lakh hectares did not get any relief.
The compensation for unirrigated land and irrigated land is Rs 6,800 and Rs 13,500 per hectare, respectively, Siddaramaiah said. He also said the compensation is given only for a maximum of two hectares of land to each farmer even if he suffered loss in more than two hectares of land. (PTI)
Though the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it would put an end to sewage entering the Bellandur and Varthur lakes after the commissioning of sewage treatment plants (STP), activists point out that it is yet to be materialised. Channels carrying sewage are yet to be connected to the plants, they say as the lakes continue to froth.
“The sewage is yet to be treated. Water quality has not improved although the BWSSB had submitted before the NGT that it would treat sewage by March 2021, it is not being done. The connection of the channels carrying sewage with the STP is yet to be done,” said Jagadish Reddy, a member of the Varthur and Bellandur lakes rejuvenation initiative. Read more
According to data provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Karnataka has the maximum amount of forest area under encroachment. In total, 83,092.06 hectares of forest land in the state have been encroached.
The figure for Maharashtra is 61,270.35 hectares, followed by Madhya Pradesh (54,1731.28 hectares) and Arunachal Pradesh (53,450.43 hectares). While Lakshadweep and Puducherry are free of encroachment, Delhi (384.38 hectares), Daman & Diu (87.83 hectares), Chandigarh (14 hectares) and Tripura (6.77 hectares) have the lowest encroachment of forest lands. Read more
Two Bengaluru-based businessmen who allegedly hired men to rob jewellery shops and earn a quick buck to tide over losses have landed behind bars along with seven others who assisted them. The police also recovered 440 g of gold biscuits, 1 kg of silver and cash of Rs 1.5 lakh, totally worth Rs 24 lakh, from them.
According to the police, Maharashtra native Ganesh Pawar, who owns a jewellery shop in Nagaratpet, filed a complaint on October 6 stating that his shop had been burgled. The accused had broken into the shop using a gas cutter and made away with 750 grams of gold, Rs 7.5 lakh cash and one kg of silver ornaments. Read more
The richest contestant of MLC elections in Karnataka, Yusuf Sharif who had contested from Bengaluru city loses.
Yusuf Sharif alias scrap Babu who had declared assets worth Rs 1,744 crore lost against HS Gopinath of BJP. (ENS)
Bengaluru Police on Monday arrested four people who allegedly helped a South-African national obtain a fake Covid-19 negative certificate to facilitate his departure.
The 66-year-old, who works for a pharmaceutical firm, tested positive on arrival on November 20. He was supposed to be quarantined at the Shangri La Hotel for 14 days, but left for South Africa on November 27 after showing a Covid-negative report. Read more
Amid of counting for the MLC polls is underway in Karnataka Leader of the opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah and BJP senior leader BS Yediyurappa said that they were happy with the results of their respective parties.
"Congress did well even while being in Opposition," Siddaramaiah said.
BS Yediyurappa said, "the BJP's equation in the council has changed with the result. BJP will not need to depend on other parties anymore."
Counting of votes in the biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council's 25 seats from 20 Local Authorities' constituencies is underway. So far, the BJP has clinched six MLC seats, Congress won three, JD(S) gets one seat. The saffron party is leading in 12 seats, Congress is leading in 11 seats while regional party JDS is leading in one seat till 2 pm. (ENS)
Congress candidate Channaraj Hattiholi won the election for Legislative Council from Belgaum constituency.
With this victory, the Congress has won back the seat it had lost in the previous election. Incidently, Channaraj Hattiholi is the brother of MLA Laxmi Hebbalkar.
In a bid to follow-up the Karnataka government’s decision to include boiled eggs or bananas in mid-day meal to tackle malnourishment among schoolchildren in various parts of the state, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has planned to conduct a survey of students who were made part of the initiative.
According to a senior DPI official, the survey is scheduled to be carried out at the end of this month to help the bodies concerned assess improvements, if any, in the nutritional status of children. “While the primary objective of this survey is to understand whether malnourishment levels in the seven districts have reduced, the same will also be used to deliberate upon extending the scheme to more districts before the end of this academic year itself,” the official told indianexpress.com.
Following the results of the recent National Family Health Survey, the state government had introduced boiled eggs or bananas for students in Ballari, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayapura and Yadgir districts. (Read more)
BJP candidate D S Arun defeated Congress incumbent MLC R Prasanna Kumar in Shivamogga.
Arun from BJP has secured 2,192 votes while Congress secured 1,848 ones. JD (U) three and the independent candidate secured four votes.
Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary and Congress candidate Manjunath Bhandari won the election and retained their seats in the Legislative Council election from the Dakshina Kannada local bodies constituency.
After winning the election, Kota Srinivas Poojary said that he will dedicate the victory to the hard work of BJP party workers.
He may have been a little known name in the party circles but Congress’ Yousuf Sharif has now got all the attention on him, thanks to a declared family worth of over Rs 1,000 crore, made in his poll affidavit for the December 10 Karnataka Legislative Council polls.
Sharif, a multi billionaire who was earlier into selling scrap before foraying into real estate, has declared assets belonging to him and his family worth over Rs 1,744 crore, making him arguably the richest candidate among the lot. (Read more)
Congress candidate Saleem Ahmed has secured 1,274 first preference votes while BJP nominee Pradeep Shettar had bagged 931 after second round of counting in Dharwad
The voters were over 1 lakh elected representatives from local bodies — members of gram panchayats, town panchayats, MLAs, etc. — in 20 districts of the state. Two seats each are at stake in as many as five districts.
All parties have fielded wealthy candidates with significant purchasing power — Congress candidate Yusuf Sharif, for example, is a real estate businessman with a declared wealth of Rs 1,744 crore.
The BJP and Congress contested all 25 seats; the JD(S) 6 seats.
The Legislative Council polls were held because the six-year terms of 25 elected members of the House will come to an end on January 5, 2022. Of the members who will retire on January 5, the Congress has 15, the BJP 6, and the JD(S) 4. The BJP hopes to wrest a sizable number of seats from the Congress, while both the opposition parties would like to at least hold on to their positions in the House.
Congress candidate Bhimrao B Patil won in Bidar constiutuency against BJP candidate Prakash Khandre by 200 votes.
JD(S) candidate Suraj Revanna has won the council polls from Hassan with a lead of over 1,400 votes.
Suraj is the grandson of former PM H D Deve Gowda. Earlier in 2019, Suraj's brother Prajwal Revanna had contested from Hassan and been elected as an MP.
BJP candidate from Kodagu has won, securing the party's seat in legislative council polls. Suja Kushalappa secured 705 votes against the 603 votes clocked for Congress candidate Mantra Gowda.
The results of an election for 25 seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council, held on December 10, will be announced on Tuesday (December 14). With a third of the seats in the 75-member upper chamber of the state legislature up for grabs, the elections are important for both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly polls of 2023.
There is a possibility of change in the composition of the Vidhan Parishad after the results are declared. The BJP, which has 32 seats in the upper house, is looking to obtain a clear majority so that it is able to dictate the legislative agenda without having to depend on the support of the opposition Janata Dal (Secular), which has 12 members in the Council, including the chairman. (Read more)
The poll outcome will have a bearing on the power equation in the 75-member Upper House, where the ruling BJP wants to gain a majority.
The BJP that has expressed confidence about winning maximum seats needs to win at least 13 seats to secure a majority. The good performance in this election will also be a morale booster for the party after losing Hangal seat in the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's home district of Haveri during the recent Assembly bypolls.
The Congress too is determined to win maximum seats to keep the BJP away from gaining control of the upper house; while JD(S) has expressed confidence about winning all the six seats it is contesting in.
With the aim to get a majority in the Council, State BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, ahead of the polls, had openly sought JD(S)' support for BJP candidates in the seats where the regional party was not contesting. However, amid buzz about a possible pact with the ruling BJP, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had said local leaders have been authorised to take a decision on whom to support in the seats where his party is not contesting, keeping in mind the prospects for the 2023 Assembly election.
Grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and JD(S) candidate Suraj Revanna is in the lead of 300 votes in Hassan.
BJP takes early lead in Kodagu district. BJP party candidate Suja Kushalappa is leading by 94 votes against his Congress candidate Mantar Gowda.
The Karnataka State Contractors' Association on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into all irregularities including in government projects after having sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this effect.
Also, the association sought an overhaul of the tender allotment process and stressed the need for a transparent system in place for tenders and bill payments.
In their letter to the Prime Minister in July, the association claimed harassment by Ministers, elected representatives and others accusing them of demanding up to 30 per cent of the tender amount for approving a contract and 5-6 per cent towards release of 'Letter of Credit' against pending bills. (PTI)
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday condemned the "timid" ink attack on Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) leader Deepak Dalvi in Karnataka's Belagavi district. In a statement, Pawar said the incident will not have any bearing on the movement there to get Marathi speaking areas merged with Maharashtra and, rather, it will gain momentum after this episode.
"The timid ink attack on Dalvi is despicable and I condemn it. The attack on Dalvi is a deliberate and well-planned attack on Marathi pride. Entire Maharashtra stands with Dalvi and the Marathi-language movement," the statement quoted Pawar as saying. (PTI)
On the sidelines of the Karnataka Assembly session that began Monday, state Kannada and Culture minister V Sunil Kumar said that the government would bring in a law prohibiting ‘love jihad’ in the days to come.
This comes as the BJP government prepares to table the anti-conversion Bill in the Winter Session, which is held at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, North Karnataka. Read More
Karnataka on Monday recorded 236 new cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths, taking the total number of infections to 30,00,671 and death toll to 38,268. The day also saw 321 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries to 29,55,138. Of 236 new cases reported today, 121 were from Bengaluru Urban, as the city saw 188 discharges and 4 deaths. Total number of active cases in the state is at 7,236.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.29 per cent, case fatality rate (CFR) was at 2.96 per cent. Of 7 deaths reported on Monday, 4 are from Bengaluru Urban and one each from Ballari, Belagavi and Kolar. Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 121, Kodagu 35, Dakshina Kannada 19, Mysuru 13, Hassan 10, followed by others. Bengaluru Urban district now has a total of 12,59,025 positive cases, while Mysuru has 1,80,059 and Tumakuru 1,21,209.
Among discharges, Bengaluru Urban is at the top with 12,37,124, followed by Mysuru 1,77,420 and Tumakuru 1,19,936, according to a health department bulletin. Cumulatively a total of 5,46,55,864 samples have been tested in the state so far, of which 80,217 were tested on Monday alone. (PTI)
Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has developed tethered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which are ideally suited for applications that require more endurance. It is designed to secure airbases which, the officials pointed out, could prevent attacks like the one that took place at Pathankot Air Force Station in 2016. The UAV system can be used for aerial reconnaissance and intelligence gathering as well. Read More
A 36-year-old African man was stabbed to death by his friend here on Sunday night. The incident took place near Kullappa circle in Kammanahalli.
The deceased has been identified as Victor. The police said that the man was staying in Bengaluru for many years. The accused reportedly took out a knife and stabbed Victor in his chest and abdomen during an argument and fled from the spot. The accused is also said to be of African descent. Read More
Bengaluru police have arrested four persons for allegedly helping a South African national to break quarantine and leave India with a fake Covid-negative test report before he was later diagnosed with the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
“Prima facie, it has been found that the South African national fled the country by getting a fake Covid-negative report. Four persons have been taken into custody, of which two are from a private laboratory and two are from a company, of which the South African national is one of the directors,” said a police officer. Read More
The skin bank at the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) located within the Victoria Hospital has sent skin graft to the Air Force Command Hospital here, where Group Captain Varun Singh is undergoing treatment for serious burn injuries. Singh is the lone survivor in the December 8 helicopter crash in which the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and 12 others lost their lives. Read More
The government is ready to reply effectively to all the questions and issues that the Opposition is set to raise at the winter session of the State legislature, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters at the Belagavi airport on his arrival to participate in the session.
"Bringing legislation, debating pro-people issues and finding solutions to their grievances is the priority of the government. Our intention is to have debates and discussions on the overall development of Karnataka, especially northern Karnataka," Bommai said.
"Opposition has the opportunity to raise any issue at the legislature session, and the government would reply to them all effectively. Government is committed to all round development of northern Karnataka. We intend to bring many development projects, take decisions in this regard. We will work with a positive intent to fulfill the long pending demands of the people," Bommai added.
Seven persons have been arrested in two separate incidents of moral policing in coastal Karnataka. In Mangaluru, the police arrested four persons for allegedly harassing two students of a private college while they were travelling on a bus. The victims, a boy and a girl, belong to different faiths.
The arrested individuals have been identified as bus drivers Prakash and Ranjith and conductors Raghavendra and Pawan. The incident took place Friday when the accused questioned the duo as they were travelling on a bus. The police said the suspects accused the boy, a native of Shivamogga, of misbehaving on the bus and assaulted him.
The proposed anti-conversion bill is likely to be tabled during the winter session of the Karnataka legislature, being held at Belagavi, home minister Araga Jnanendra, informed on Monday.
Speaking to media persons, the minister informed that "A draft of the bill is ready and is under serious consideration."
Allaying fear that, the bill was aimed to target a particular community or religion, he said that "It was aimed to ensure people of all the religions to profess their faith peacefully and harmoniously. The proposed bill is being formulated within the framework of the Constitution."
Starting from December 20, SpiceJet will operate the Belagavi-Delhi flight four times a week, according to Belagavi airport authorities. Belagavi Airport in a tweet said that SpiceJet will provide flight connectivity to Delhi on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in a week.
Bengaluru police on Sunday arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly posting a derogatory message about the death of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat on Facebook. He is one of the two Facebook users booked by the police on Saturday for derogatory posts on the CDS. This is the first arrest in Karnataka over remarks on the demise of Rawat.
The arrested is identified as Vasanth Kumar TK, a native of Mysuru working in a private hospital in Bengaluru as a lab technician. He has been sent to judicial custody.
West zone, power cuts will start from around 9 am to 5.30 pm. Affected areas include Malagal, Pantharapalya, Nayandahalli, Azad Nagar Chamararajapet, Uttarahalli Road, Konchandra Road, Kodipalya, Annapoorneshwari Layout, BHEL Layout, Krishna Garden, Harsha Layout, Vidyapitha Road, TG Palya Main Road, Vidyamana Nagar, Syndicate Bank Layout, Gandhi Nagar, Ullal Nagar, Maruti Nagar, BEL 1st Stage, BEL 2nd Stage, Mallathalli, and Bhavaninagar.
In the North zone, power cuts will occur from 10 am to around 5.30 pm. Areas affected will include Narayanrao Colony, Kranti Kavi Sarvagna Road, Nagappa Block, Vyalikaval, New BEL Road, Dollars Colony, Lottegollahalli, Yeshwanthpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Nanjappa Layout 1st Main, Kodigehalli, Balaji Layout, Vinayaka Layout, Medarahalli, Hegde Nagar, Dwaraka Nagar, Hesaraghatta Main Road, Bhuvaneshwari Nagar, T Dasarahalli, Shetihalli, and Mallasandra.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday reached Belagavi to attend the Winter Session of the State Legislature which will begin in Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.
At the session – set to conclude on December 24 – the state government is expected to introduce an anti-conversion bill with stringent punishments for those found guilty. The opposition Congress has said it will oppose the bill, which is yet to be cleared by the state’s law department.
In the South zone power cuts will start from 10 am to 5.30 pm. Affected areas include Subbanna Garden, Vasantha Vallaba Nagar, Sarada Nagar, Maruthi Layout, Bikisipura, Mango Garden, Prathima Industrial Layout, Kashi Nagar Lake, ISRO Layout, Bank of Baroda Colony, Wilson Garden Society, Chunchagatta Village, Supraja nagar, Ganapathipura, Old Bank Colony, Teachers Colony, Beereshwara Nagar, Konanakunte Industrial Area, Chunchagatta Main Road, CR Layout, LIC colony, JP nagar 1st phase, Bhavani Nagar, Banashankari 2nd stage, Kaderanahalli, Shastri Nagar Main Road, KR Road, Banagiri Nagar, Kidney Foundation Main Road,Padmanabhanagar JP Nagar 5th Phase, Venkatadri Layout, Viveknagara, Ejipura, Jogi Colony, Vinayaka Nagar, Marathalli, Kaveri Layout, Vinayaka Layout, Balaji Layout, AECS Layout, ITPL Main Road, Devarabisanahalli, and Narayana Nagar.
Several areas in Bengaluru will face power cuts from Monday to Wednesday, according to Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM).
BESCOM said power outages is due to Maintenance and other works by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).
On Monday in the East zone, power disruption will start from 9 am to 5 pm. Affected areas include Double road, Near Leela Palace, Murphy Town, Nala Road, Varthur Road, Nagavara Palya, Udaynagar, HRBR 3rd Block, CMR Road, Ramaiah Layout, Ajmallappa Layout, Manjunath Nagar, and Coffee Board Layout.