Bengaluru News Highlights: Karnataka on Saturday recorded 33,337 fresh Covid-19 cases along with 70 related deaths. Bengaluru alone clocked 16,586 fresh infections and 13 deaths. The test positivity rate in the state stands at 19.37 per cent. There are 2,52,132 active Covid cases in the state.
Read More
The Karnataka government on Saturday announced that it will lift night curfew and other restrictions based on the report of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The government has also allowed schools to operate offline for classes 1-9 in Bengaluru city. Speaking to the media, Revenue Minister R Ashok said the night curfew has been withdrawn from January 31 owing to the increase in recovery rate. “The recovery rates are increasing and the severity is less this time. Public transport, pubs, restaurants, government offices can operate at full seating capacity,” he said.
Cinema halls and multiplexes have been allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity, marriages can be held with up to 300 people in open venues and 200 in closed spaces. He added that religious places will be opened for daily rituals and the public will be allowed in as per Covid protocol. Swimming pools, gyms and sports stadiums can operate at 50 per cent capacity. Read less
Here are a few contacts that might come in handy for you in emergency situations:
COVID-19 related queries / emergencies / clarifications: 104 (toll free); +91-80-4684-8600/6669-2000 | Home Quarantine-related queries: Telegram messenger/WhatsApp - +91 97777 77684, Voice call - 080 45451111 | BBMP control room: 080-22221188 | In case of power disruptions, contact BESCOM: 1912. If the water supply is hit in your area, contact BWSSB: 1916
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
The Muthanallur lake, spread over 600 acres and home to several bird species such as the Indian spot-billed duck, great cormorant, Indian cormorant and the little cormorant, is one of the largest in Bengaluru Urban district. Till a decade ago the lake could boast a good water quality, but it’s on the decline now, local residents lament.
“Water from the lake has always been used for irrigation. It is sad to see the decline. With the increase in urbanisation, unfortunately the Muthanallur lake is paying the price,” said Veeresha Kumar, a local resident. Read More
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed officials to take all necessary measures to extend his ambitious programme ‘Grama One’ all over the state before the end of February. The programme was launched by Bommai on January 26.
The Karnataka government’s ambitious initiative seeks to eliminate middlemen and provide various departments’ services in the rural areas of 12 districts. These centres will be similar to Bangalore One and Karnataka One centres. Read More
Karnataka on Saturday recorded 33,337 fresh Covid-19 cases along with 70 related deaths. Bengaluru alone clocked 16,586 fresh infections and 13 deaths. The test positivity rate in the state stands at 19.37 per cent. There are 2,52,132 active Covid cases in the state.
Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Saturday said that the 'Covid Lasika Express' has been doing great work in reaching Covid vaccines to the remotest of places in rural Karnataka. He further congratulated the officials, healthcare workers and other personnel involved in the initiative.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday directed officials to ensure that the 'Grama One' project, which he had launched on January 26, is implemented across the state before February end. The scheme, which was launched on the Republic Day on January 26, is aimed at providing a host of services under one roof.
The Chief Minister has written to officials of e-governance, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR), Revenue department and the deputy commissioners of all the districts in this regard, a statement issued by his office said. He said he would personally hold weekly meetings to review the progress of implementation of 'Grama One' with Grama One operators, Tahsildars and deputy commissioners of the districts.
According to the statement, Bommai instructed the officials for speedy disposal of petitions received at 'Grama One'. In case of rejecting petitions, the officials have to mention the reasons. Further, the deputy commissioners and senior officials of the departments concerned should review the petitions rejected and initiate disciplinary action if the petitions are rejected erroneously. (PTI)
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed conducting impact assessment to ensure the success of state government sponsored food parks.
Speaking at a meeting to review the functioning of Food Karnataka Limited, he instructed the officials to oversee issues related to land acquisition, equity and infrastructure for setting up food parks in Bagalkot, Hiriyuru, Maluru and Jewargi.
A decision would be taken on providing a 26 crore grant for Food Karnataka Limited to set up food parks after examining the proposal with the finance department, Bommai said.
The Karnataka government on Saturday announced that it will lift night curfew and other restrictions based on the report of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The government has also allowed schools to operate offline for classes 1-9 in Bengaluru city.
The other guidelines issued are:
The Karnataka government on Saturday lifted the weekend curfew imposed in view of the coronavirus surge. Here's what's allowed:
The Karnataka government on Saturday lifted the weekend curfew imposed in view of the coronavirus surge. The decision was taken based on a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) report.
Speaking to the media, Revenue Minister R Ashok said that the night curfew has been withdrawn from January 31 owing to the increase in recovery rate. He said, “The recovery rates are increasing and the severity is less this time. The public transports, pubs, restaurants, government offices can operate with full seating capacity.”
The Bengaluru police Saturday arrested two Nigerian nationals who were allegedly involved in drug peddling and seized materials worth Rs 3 crore. According to the police sources, they seized 1.5kg of MDMA crystals, 16.5kg of two plastic cans with MDMA mix water, 300 grams of Weed oil and 120 grams of MDMA blocks. The police officials said that the arrests were made based on a tip-off they received and the accused were caught near Ambedkar grounds in HBR Layout.
The Karnataka government on Saturday lifted the weekend curfew imposed in view of the coronavirus surge.
The private sector Karnataka bank has posted a net profit of Rs 146.42 crore for the third quarter of current financial year with a year-on-year growth rate of 8.16 percent as against Rs 135.37 crore net profit earned during the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The financial results for the quarter and nine months period ended December 31, 2021 were approved at a meeting of the director board held here Friday, a bank release here said.
The asset quality also improved significantly. The gross non-performing assets (GNPA) has declined by 39 basic points (bps) to 4.11 per cent from 4.50 per cent as compared to the sequential previous quarter in September, 2021. In absolute terms also, the GNPA declined by Rs 170.60 crore to Rs 2,330.52 crore from Rs 2,501.12 crore as at the previous quarter. Similarly, the NNPA also declined by 39 bps to 2.45 per cent from 2.84 per cent as compared to the sequential previous quarter. (PTI)
According to the state health department, around 5.14 crore people were administered the first dose of the vaccine and over 4.25 crore people administered the second dose till Jan 28. Additionally, over 22 lakh children between the age group of 15-17 were given the first dose and 6,64,691 were administered with the precaution dose.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru on Saturday predicted partly cloudy sky with fog and mist during early morning hours in some areas of the city. The maximum temperature is likely to be around 28 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be around 17 degrees Celsius.
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday said that as per the genome sequencing sample, the third wave in the state is dominated by Omicron followed by Delta.
Sudhakar told reporters that of the 5996 samples which were genome sequenced, Delta and it’s sub lineages make up for three-fourths of the cases followed by Omicron. Delta and its sub lineages were found in 4431 samples (73.89 percent) while Omicron was found in 1115 samples (18.59 percent).
After Dalit organisations staged protests in parts of Karnataka Thursday over the alleged removal of a portrait of Dr B R Ambedkar from the dais during the Republic Day celebrations in Raichur, Principal District and Sessions Judge Mallikarjuna Gowda dismissed the allegation that he had asked it to be removed. In a press release, Gowda said the allegations are a form of propaganda against him and he did not cause disrespect to such a great personality. Read more
“If the government thinks wearing the hijab is a crime, and does not allow my daughter to attend the final exams, let her stay at home… We want our daughter to study well and excel in life but why are her rights being snatched?”
It’s a decision driven by despair. His daughter, a Class 12 student, is among six Muslim girls who have been denied entry into their classrooms at a Government Pre-University College in Karnataka’s Udupi since January 1 for wearing the hijab.
“We are being treated like criminals for demanding the fundamental right to practise our religion. My classmates were not allowed to talk to me and if someone was seen talking to us, they were pulled up,” said the student. Read more
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday exuded confidence that the BJP would win the forthcoming civic body election in Bengaluru. 'The victory of BJP in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike election is as true as the sun rising in the east. There is no doubt that people of Bengaluru will support the BJP,' Bommai said at a special programme organised at the State BJP office to felicitate him on completing six months in the office which coincides with his birthday.
He appealed to the party workers to convey the work done by the BJP government in the past two-and-a-half years to the people of Bengaluru. Bommai explained that his government provided Rs 6,000 crore provided for development of Bengaluru, Rs1,500 crore for remodeling of main stormwater drains and Rs 2,300 crore for development of 12 corridors. He said the development of 75 slums and 75 parks under the Amrith programme has been taken up. (PTI)
An academic from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has highlighted the importance of the monetary valuation of ecosystems, which helps policy makers better assess the trade-offs between the conservation of ecosystems and natural resources and economic growth.
In his report titled Valuation of Terrestrial Ecosystems Services, Dr T V Ramachandra of the premier institute’s Centre for Ecological Science, stated that environmental accounting systems seek to determine a region’s environmental and economic assets and can be used to assess whether economic development is consistent with sustainable development or to help ensure the optimal use of natural resources and the environment. Read more
Karnataka recorded a slump in fresh Covid-19 infections on Friday, an indicator that the third wave of the pandemic may have plateaued. The state logged 31,198 cases, nearly half of which were reported in Bengaluru. On Thursday, the state had reported over 38,000 new cases. The positivity rate now stands at 20.91 per cent and the case fatality rate is 0.16 per cent.
Private sector Karnataka Bank on Friday reported an 8 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 146.42 crore for the quarter ended December 2021 on the back of a fall in provisions for bad loans and contingencies.
The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 135.37 crore in the same quarter a year ago.
Total income during the October-December period of 2021-22 was down at Rs 1,761.55 crore from Rs 1,878.74 crore in same quarter of 2020-21, Karanataka Bank said in a regulatory filing.
Gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio rose to 4.11 per cent from 3.16 per cent at the end of December 2020. However, it was down sequentially from 4.50 per cent in the quarter ended September 2021. (PTI)
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday said that as per the genome sequencing sample, the third wave in the state is dominated by Omicron followed by Delta. Over 67 per cent of the sample detected Omicron variant of Coronavirus in the state.
Karnataka on Friday reported 31,198 Covid-19 cases along with 50 deaths. The positivity rate of the state stood at 20.91 per cent. Capital Bengaluru alone logged 15,199 new infections.
Karnataka Congress leader DK Shiva Kumar on Friday said the Narendra Modi government had curtailed the benefits of soldiers and had also failed to fill over 1.22 lakh vacant defence posts.
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president was campaigning for his party in the Goa Assembly polls scheduled for February 14.
"The Modi government is compromising national security as around 1,22,555 posts are vacant in defence areas. It has also deprived 30 lakh ex-servicemen from getting benefits of 'One Rank One Pension'. While Congress government always worked in the interest of our soldiers, the BJP is playing politics with the nation's security," he alleged. (PTI)
For more Assembly Elections LIVE updates follow: Assembly Election 2022 Live Updates
After the completion of six months of the Bommai-led government in Karnataka, the Chief Minister on Friday said, "Over 5 lakh new houses were allotted to the homeless people in the rural and urban."
The Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar on Friday informed about the guideline which has been issued for disposal of Rapid Antigen Tets (RAT) and other testing kits in home usage. In a tweet the Sudhakar said,
1. Do not dispose used kits along with domestic wet/dry waste as it is contagious.
2. Put it in a bio hazard bag and hand it over to waste collectors separately.
3. If test is positive, update status on https://cvstatus.icmr.gov.in
4. If test is negative but has Covid symptoms, go for RTPCR test.
5. If test is negative and no symptom, no action required.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the state has attracted the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India. "About 50 per cent of new startups in India are from Karnataka," he added.
SPARSH Group of Hospitals has launched a new Multi-Organ Transplant Centre at Sparsh RR Nagar Unit, Mysore Road, Bengaluru to offer comprehensive and multidisciplinary care to patients.
Led by Dr. Kumud Dhital, a globally renowned Heart & Lung Transplant Surgeon, SPARSH Multi-Organ Transplant Centre brings together a team of 50 transplant specialists who will provide integrated care during every step of the transplant process.
The launch event was inaugurated by Dr. K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education and Health.
I will work 24X7 to build a strong Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in his address after releasing a booklet 'Bhavya Bhavishyakkagi Bharavaseya Hejjegalu'(Confident Strides towards a Glorious Karnataka), to mark the completion of 6 months of his government.
Eradication of Regional Imbalance
A sum of Rs1500cr has been provided for the development of Kalyana Karnataka region. We have announced to raise this grant to Rs3000cr next year if the Rs1500cr is fully utilised. Financial approval has been given to fill 14,000 vacant posts in the region, Bommai said.
Responsive and inclusive
Prime Minister Modi has released the pending grants for the housing projects. Many decisions related to development have been taken in the last 6 months. This is the occasion to place them before the people. This is a responsive and inclusive government. Maintenance of law and order is a prerequisite for development and the Police department has been doing a good job," Bommai said.
Study on impact of the projects and programmes
The Institute of Social and Economic Change(ISEC) has conducted a study on the impact of various programmes and projects of the government and has brought out a book on it. The Chief Minister instructed the head of ISEC to continue the study and provide him with feedback on the beneficial effects of the projects and also any lacunae in them.
"We have aimed big. There are challenges as well. However, we have the confidence to face them. A strong foundation has been laid for a bright future. We will work with utmost care for the welfare of the people," he said.
We are ready to play aggressively
"Administration is like a game of football. Nobody will keep the ball for too long. You should pass the ball to the other at the right time and score the goal. Administration too is like the same," he said.
We can play both defensive and attacking game. We will use the available opportunity for the welfare of the people, Bommai said.
Police probing the case of missing girls from a government-run children's home here said on Friday that all of them have been found from various locations in Kerala and Karnataka.
Six girls had gone missing from the Children's Home in Vellimadukunnu here on Wednesday evening. Police had traced one girl to a hotel in Madiwala area of Bengaluru on Thursday. Another girl was tracked from Mysuru while boarding a bus to Kozhikode late on Thursday night.
Four others were traced to Edakkara near Nilambur in Malappuram district around Friday noon, police said. All of them have been taken into custody, the police said. (PTI)
Showing the way in cow protection on the occasion of his 62nd birthday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai adopted 11 cows from the Rashtrothana Gau Shala (cow shelter).
The Chief Minister along with his wife Chennamma performed puja to a cow and calf in the morning. They later took the cow and calf inside their residence and fed them. Bommai showed the way for cow protection through his deeds by adopting 11 cows.
The Meteorological Centre, Bengaluru on Friday predicted partly cloudy sky with Fog and mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and Minimum temperatures very likely to be around 28 and 17 degrees Celsius respectively.
The Karnataka High Court Thursday pulled up Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over the civic body’s claims that all potholes in the city have been filled and called the compliance report “a total sham”. It also asked the BBMP civic engineer to appear before it on February 7.
Here's a look at the present condition of the roads in certain areas in Bengaluru captured by Jithendra M :
The postmortem of Soundarya, the granddaughter of former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa's granddaughter, was underway at the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru. The reports are awaited.
Dr Satish, HOD Forensic dept, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital said, "We have conducted the postmortem, we will hand over the report," news agency ANI quoted.
Karnataka Law Minister, KC Madhuswamy said that BS Yediyurappa's granddaughter Soundarya's post mortem is over, news agency ANI reported. In a statement, the minister said, "I got the information just now, so I arrived at the hospital; reason is not known to us, the post mortem is over."
Bengaluru Police Thursday arrested a Bangladeshi woman who had allegedly been living illegally in India for the past 10 years.
The police have also seized fake identification documents from the accused identified as Roni Begum (27). According to the police, she came to India around 10 years back and started living in Mumbai. Around five years back, she shifted to Bengaluru. (Read more)
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar participates in a review meeting with Southern States over Covid figures conducted by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) Mansukh Mandaviya.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai thanked Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for wishing him on his birthday. The CM in a tweet said, "I look forward to spending every moment of my life in the service of the people of my state and our country."
The High Grounds police have confirmed that former CM BS Yediyurappa’s granddaughter Dr. Soundarya has allegedly died by suicide on Friday morning. Soundarya's body has been shifted to Bowring hospital in the city for postmortem to ascertain the cause of death, police added.Soundarya was a doctor at a private hospital in Bengaluru. She was living with her husband, who is also a doctor. (Read more)
Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa's granddaughter died by suicide on Friday.
Dr Soundarya is the daughter of Yediyurappa's eldest daughter Padma. She was found dead at a private apartment in Bengaluru, according to initial reports.
The postmortem is going on at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, said news agency ANI, quoting the office of Yediyurappa.
CM Basavaraj Bommai said that Karnataka has logged the highest FDI inflow in the first half of FY2022. Maharashtra and Delhi have clocked the second and third highest inflows, respectively.
The Karnataka High Court Thursday pulled up Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over the civic body’s claims that all potholes in the city have been filled and called the compliance report “a total sham”. It also asked the BBMP civic engineer to appear before it on February 7.
A division bench of Chief Justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and Suraj Govindaraj said, “We are not satisfied with the status report submitted by the BBMP. Why do potholes erupt after every rain? The Palike should inform as to what technology is being adopted by them for repair of roads and whether they have engaged any experts or outside agencies in construction and repair of roads.” (Read more)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has completed six months in office on Friday.
To mark the occasion, the state government released a booklet on his achievements. “Instructions have been issued to ministers to present the achievements of their respective ministries through print and electronic media by holding media conferences so that the performance could get wide publicity to reach the people,” Bommai said.
Minister K Sudhakar took to Twitter to mark Field Marshal K M Cariappa's birth anniversary.
Who was Field Marshal KM Cariappa?
KM Cariappa is a man known for many firsts, but most importantly, he is known as the man who took charge of the Indian Army from its last British Commander in Chief, General Sir Roy Bucher. Born on January 28, 1899, in Coorg, Cariappa completed his education at Central High School at Madikeri and went on to study at the Presidency College in Madras. (Read more)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who turned 62 years old, said on his official Twitter page that he has adopted 11 cows Rashtrakotha Goshalaya to mark his birthday.
Having completed six months in office, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has decided to conduct a low-key event on Friday when he will also turn 62 years old.
“I have never celebrated my birthday. So there will be no celebration tomorrow as well,” Bommai said on Thursday when asked about his plans for the day.
On Friday morning, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa sent birthday wishes to Bommai, the Chief Minister’s office said.
In case you missed it, here are the latest Covid numbers from Karnataka, as compared to those from Jan 26.
?New cases in state: 38,083 (? from 48,905)
?New cases in Bengaluru: 17,717 (? from 22,427)
?Positivity rate in state: 20.44% (? from 22.51%)
?Active cases state: 3,28,711 (? from 3,57,909)
?Deaths:49 (? from 39)
Bengaluru city is likely to see a maximum temperature of 27.2 degree Celsius and a minimum temperature of 18.3 degree Celsius, according to an 8.30 am update from the Meteorological Centre in Bengaluru. The humidity is set to be 80%. No rainfall has been predicted.
Here's the local forecast at 9 am:
For 24 hours: Partly cloudy sky. Fog/Mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 29 and 17 degrees Celsius respectively.
For 48 hrs.: Partly cloudy sky. Fog/Mist very likely during early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures very likely to be around 29 and 17 degrees Celsius respectively.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT authorities have suspended the headmistress of a government school in Kolar district of Karnataka following outrage from Hindu outfits over Muslim students being allowed to offer namaz prayers inside the classroom.
Last Sunday, members of the Hindu outfits barged into the Mulbagal Someswara Palaya Bale Changappa Government Kannada Model Higher Primary School and held protests after a video purportedly of some students offering namaaz in a classroom on Friday went viral. (Read more)
Amid the expected cabinet reshuffle in the Bommai-led Karnataka cabinet, BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal said that he is not on any waiting list for any ministry. "The Cabinet expansion is expected to happen very soon. I am not on the waiting list. I have never lobbied for any ministry," the MLA said in a statement, news agency ANI reported.
Health minister K Sudhakar Thursday said 185 new Omicron cases were confirmed in Bengaluru, taking the tally of the variant in the state to 1,115.
However, on a positive note, Covid cases continue to dip in Karnataka.
On Thursday, the state health department reported 38,083 fresh Covid cases of which 17,717 were in Bengaluru. The total number of recoveries outnumbered the fresh cases as 67,236 patients were discharged. (Read more)
The 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFF) will be held from March 3. A decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of BIFF Organising Committee chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The film festival would be a 10 day event.
BIFF has received the recognition of Federation of International Film Producers Association. Thus the film festival would have a global stature. It is a matter of pride that BIFF is one of the 45 global level international film festivals, Bommai said.
Kannada films had successfully tried many experiments much before in many countries. Best of the artistic Kannada movies should be exhibited at the international film festival. BIFF should be made a show piece for other film festivals by giving importance for quality cinemas, Bommai said. (ENS)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will interact with health ministers of southern states tomorrow over Covid-19 vaccination, health infrastructure, emergency response and health System Preparedness Package, news agency ANI said quoting official sources.
Six girls have gone missing from a state government-owned Children's Home for Girls at Vellimadukunnu in Kozhikode and one of them has been traced in Bengaluru, police said on Thursday.
A police team will leave for Bengaluru to trace the others who went missing last evening.
Sources in Chevayur police, which is investigating the case, said one of the six girls was traced to a hotel at Madiwala in Bengaluru. The police had been closely following the case after the care home authorities had reported the disappearance of the girls, including two sisters. (PTI)
Early indications of Covid cases plateauing have been reported in some places but the trend needs to be observed, the Union government said on Thursday whilst noting that 400 districts have logged over 10 per cent positivity rate in the week ending January 26.
Stressing the need to continue with precautions to curb the surge in infections, it noted that Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan were recording a high number of Covid cases and positivity.
Simultaneously, a decline in Covid cases and positivity rate have been observed in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha, Haryana and West Bengal, the government stated. (PTI)
For more Covid LIVE updates follow: Coronavirus Omicron India Live
The Karnataka Cabinet has cleared a Rs 482-crore project for extension of an elevated corridor in the Varthur area in south east Bengaluru, law minister J C Madhuswamy said on Thursday.
“The project involves extension of an existing 1.3 km elevated corridor by a further 1.92 km at an estimated cost of Rs 482 crore,” the law minister said. The cabinet also approved an extension of a flyover at the Basaveshwara Nagar junction in north Bengaluru, he added. (Read more)
Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Thursday issued a revised testing strategy in the state as per the Advisory of Purposive Testing Strategy issued by the ICMR.
"The new strategy advises testing only symptomatic people, At-risk groups and international travellers," Sudhakar said in a tweet.
The Karnataka Forest Department has placed a request for helicopters before the state government to use them to douse forest fires. The helicopters will be stationed in Mysuru.
Confirming the development to The Indian Express, a senior forest official said, “This is being pursued at the head office level and the helicopter unit will be placed at an airbase in Mysuru which will be used during emergencies. The helicopter will cater to the emergencies at Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and B R Tiger Reserve.”
In 2019, two helicopters of the Indian Air Force were deployed to douse a fire in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. (Read report by Aksheev Thakur)