After waiting for nearly six decades, the construction of Hassan airport in Karnataka will soon begin. The district administration informed the tender process for the construction of the first phase of the airport has been completed. According to officials, the project will be taken up by the state and the Centre on a cost-sharing basis.
READ | Karnataka: 6 decades since proposal, work to build Hassan airport to begin soon
With 37,763 people in Karnataka reported to have died due to Covid-19 (as of September 28) since the beginning of the pandemic, the government is now “in the process” of verifying and disbursing ex gratia amounts to the kin of the victims. The Karnataka state government, during the tenure of B S Yediyurappa as its chief minister, had announced a death compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to below poverty line (BPL) families that had lost their earning member to the pandemic.
READ | Explained: How Karnataka govt plans to disburse Covid-19 compensation to kin of victims
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
President Ram Nath Kovind will arrive in Karnataka on Wednesday (October 6) for a four-day visit to attend various events. On Thursday, he will visit BR Hills in Chamarajanagara district after which he will inaugurate a 450-bed hospital at Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Minister for Cooperation ST Somashekar visited BR Hills on Thursday to oversee preparations for the visit.
Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra said, as per the schedule, the President will be staying overnight in Mangaluru on Thursday and Friday. Read More
monthly limit of free stories.
with an Express account.
Frequent travellers from Kasaragod district in neighbouring Kerala on Friday sought exemption from mandatory RT-PCR testing to enter Karnataka via Dakshina Kannada district.
In a memorandum submitted to the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra, Sahayathri – a forum of daily commuters – pointed out that frequent testing was proving to be inconvenient during their travel to the state. Read More
Karnataka reported 589 new Covid-19 cases and 13 deaths Friday, taking the total number of infections to 29,76,589 and the toll to 37,807. The day also saw 887 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,26,284. Of the new cases, 221 were reported from Bengaluru Urban even as the city saw 212 discharges and five deaths. While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.46 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 2.20 per cent. Read More
After requests from the Outer Ring Road Companies Association, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) Friday decided to allow company buses to use the Bus Priority Lane (BPL) on Outer Ring Road (ORR) during the construction of the Metro line from Central Silk Board to Lowry Junction. Currently, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and emergency vehicles are allowed to operate on the BPL.
DULT Commissioner V Manjula said, “In the discussion held regarding the traffic movement plan on ORR during Metro construction, it was agreed by all the stakeholders that the company buses should be allowed on the BPL”. Read More
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has said that it briefly shut down a popular mall in Malleswaram for a few hours Thursday as its owners had not paid property taxes from 2018-19.
The total outstanding amount of property tax owed by Mantri Square Mall, owned by Abhishek Developers, is Rs 39.49 crore which includes property tax arrears of Rs 27.22 crore and interest of Rs 12.26 crore, according to the BBMP. The mall was sealed for a few hours on September 30 and was allowed to open after its administration handed over demand drafts of Rs 5 crore and a requisition letter which stated that the dues would be cleared by October 31. The demand drafts will be deposited in a special account belonging to BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta. Read More
With less than a week left for the 10-day annual Dasara celebrations to begin in Mysuru, the Karnataka state government is awaiting advice from the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) constituted to decide on the permissible limit of audience for cultural events to be held within the palace premises and for the Jumbo Savari (elephant procession).
According to Health and Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, the government has sought the TAC’s advice on whether it can allow 500 persons to watch the daily cultural events. “The final decision will be taken based on the TAC’s advice,” he said. Read More
The Central Railway Hospital at Karnataka's Hubballi, a designated Covid-19 medical centre, began operating an oxygen generation plant on Friday. Expected to be handy and to minimise logistical efforts towards offering treatment to Covid-19 patients, the plant has a capacity of 500 litres per minute. The facility was launched by Vasumathi K, Chief Nursing Superintendent of the hospital in the presence of Sanjeev Kishore, General Manager, South Western Railway.
After a gap of four years, pilot training courses are set to resume at the Government Flying Training School, in Jakkur, Bengaluru. Youth Services and Sports Minister KC Narayan Gowda said development works at the aerodrome, including runway improvement work will complete in the next week.
A pre-university college, where classes equivalent to standards 11 and 12 are held, in Mandya was sealed and declared a containment zone by the health authorities on Thursday evening after 28 students tested positive for Covid-19.
According to officials of the health department, 412 students were tested for Covid-19 in two batches at the Government Pre-University College for Girls in Nagamangala town after a student there had contracted the virus on Wednesday. (Read more)
Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh Friday visited schools and PU colleges in Hassan on the first day of the government permitting all classes above the sixth standard to have 100 per cent attendance for offline classes since the pandemic began.
In an informal interaction with students at Govt PU College in Banavara, the minister urged students to decide on a convenient time to attend classes during the Dasara holidays, after discussing with concerned teachers, to attend compensatory classes as they missed out on academic sessions earlier due to the pandemic.
A sinkhole, about 30 feet deep, appeared on Tannery Road in Bengaluru metro during tunnelling work just 100 metres away from the alignment of the underground tunnel of Namma Metro.
The metro officials have immediately evacuated all the residents of a building on the property where a sinkhole appeared and the building was not damaged and no one was injured. (Read more)
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will restart its package tour from Bengaluru to Hampi and Tungabhadra dam starting from October 1.
Passengers will get to travel in a non-a/c sleeper service of KSRTC. According to officials, the package fare is Rs 2,500 for an adult and Rs 2,300 for a child aged between 6 and 12.
The Karnataka government has launched a new music therapy facility at the Jayanagar Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) in Bengaluru.
According to Health and Medical Education K Sudhakar who launched the same, the facility is expected to be used to detect fetal anomalies using music and sound therapy. "The same model adopted by Vani Vilas Hospital will be replicated here," he said.
Karnataka Transport minister B Sriramulu Thursday unveiled Bengaluru’s first electric bus which will run as a feeder service at Namma Metro stations and resolve last-mile connectivity problems faced by Metro passengers.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) received the e-bus from Uttar Pradesh-based JBM Auto Limited. The nine-meter non-AC bus has a capacity of operating 120 km per single charge. Each e-bus will have a carrying capacity of 33 passengers. (Read more)
Even as schools (from Class 6) and pre-university colleges (where classes equivalent to Class 9 and 12 are held) in Karnataka have been asked to conduct classes at 100 per cent capacity from Friday, the schools and parents are wary of their wards stepping into campuses as an anticipated third wave of the pandemic continues to loom over their head.
D Shashikumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) told indianexpress.com it is inevitable for schools to welcome back students in full strength although the timing “looked unfavourable”. (Read more)
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) asked establishments, shops and industries using diesel generator (DG) sets of 125 KVA capacity and above to retrofit them with emission-control devices or shift to gas-based generators.
The move comes after the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) identified diesel generator sets as the major source of emission of particulate matter. (Read more)
Accusing the BJP of “misleading” the youth in the name of Hindutva and Hindu Rashtra, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday said, the focus should be rather on creating jobs and providing employment to them.
He said the JD(S) will focus on mobilising the youth power as part of its “mission 123 seats” to bring the party to power after the 2023 Assembly polls in Karnataka. (Read more)
In a bid to expedite Covid-19 vaccination in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, the civic authorities Thursday decided to establish block and lane-level vaccination centers.
These vaccination centres, according to Special Commissioner (Health) D Randeep, will begin functioning from October 4. “This will ensure vaccination for all citizens across 198 wards. Each ward will have block and lane-level vaccination centers. Strategy to how to set up these and to execute the work has been discussed with all ward level health inspectors, medical officers at primary health centres, doctors, ANMs, and ASHA workers,” he said after a training program held at Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall in the city. Read More
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) asked establishments, shops and industries using diesel generator (DG) sets of 125 KVA capacity and above to retrofit them with emission-control devices or shift to gas-based generators.
The move comes after the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) identified diesel generator sets as the major source of emission of particulate matter.
The order has to be complied with in 120 days from the date of issuance (September 17). The retrofitting device should have a minimum specified particulate matter capturing efficiency of at least 70 per cent. Read More
Even as schools (from Class 6) and pre-university colleges (where classes equivalent to Class 9 and 12 are held) in Karnataka have been asked to conduct classes at 100 per cent capacity from Friday, the schools and parents are wary of their wards stepping into campuses as an anticipated third wave of the pandemic continues to loom over their head.
D Shashikumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) told indianexpress.com it is inevitable for schools to welcome back students in full strength although the timing “looked unfavourable”.
“We had to compensate for the learning deficit that the students have been subjected to for the last 18 months at least now. However, schools have been reminded that adhering to all Covid guidelines is very important. The situation at large (of the pandemic) has overburdened private schools in total,” he said. Read More
As many as 87 higher educational institutions from Karnataka have completed the process of registering themselves on the National Academic Depository (NAD), state Higher Education Minister C N Ashwathnarayan said Thursday.
“This includes 18 government-run universities and 17 private universities from the state. Although Karnataka tops the list with the highest number of registrations among other states, there are still many institutions that need to be registered,” he said, urging others to expedite the process.
In a review meeting of NAD held in Bengaluru, the minister instructed Additional Chief Secretary (Higher Education) Kumar Naik to issue a circular to all the universities on the matter. Read More
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Thursday stressed on the need to sell agri-products on e-commerce platforms so that farmers (producers) can directly benefit from it.
Bommai met Rajaneesh Kumar, Chief of Corporate Affairs of e-commerce firm Flipkart in Bengaluru and discussed various issues. “During the meeting, Chief Minister appreciated Flipkart for creating employment in significant numbers and providing a marketing platform for farmers, artisans etc,” said the Chief Minister’s office in a statement. Read More
In a bid to expedite Covid-19 vaccination process in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits of the Karnataka capital, the civic authorities Thursday decided to establish block and lane level vaccination centers.
These vaccination centres, according to Special commissioner (Health) D Randeep, will begin functioning from October 4. "This will ensure vaccination for all citizens across 198 wards. Each ward will have block and lane-level vaccination centers. Strategy to how to set up these and to execute the work has been discussed with all ward level health inspectors, medical officers at primary health centres, doctors, ANMs, and ASHA workers," he said after a training program held at Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall in the city.
The transport department is likely to increase auto-rickshaw fares in Bengaluru with the base fare likely to be hiked to Rs 30 from the present Rs 25.
District Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban J Manjunath, who is also the chairman of Road Transport Authority, said recently they held a meeting with stakeholders on the proposed hike and decided to hike the fare.
According to officials, it’s been almost eight years since 2013 when auto fares were last hiked by the government. Transport Minister B Sriramulu said, “The proposal has been made and it will be discussed with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Auto-rickshaw unions have requested a hike.” Read More
The Karnataka High Court has dismissed a petition against the anointment of a minor as the seer of Udupi's Shiroor Mutt saying there is no constitutional or statutory bar on anyone becoming a 'Sanyasi'.
The petitioner P Lathavya Acharya, who is a secretary and managing trustee of Sri Shiroor Mutt Bhakta Samiti, Udupi and three others of the Samiti questioned the anointment of Aniruddha Saralathaya (Sanyas name Vedavardhana Teertha), who is under 18 years.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Shankar said the petitioner failed to make out any violation of any statutory or constitutional provisions by the anointment of Saralathaya as the head of the Shiroor Mutt. (PTI)
BJP MLA M P Renukacharya and former legislator Jeevaraj Dwaramakki have been appointed as Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's political secretaries.
Renukacharya represents Honnali assembly constituency, while Jeevaraj had earlier represented Sringeri.
Official notifications issued on September 29 states that the appointments are with immediate effect. The appointments are with cabinet ranking and both will be entitled to all the facilities given to a cabinet Minister.
Renukacharya and Jeevaraj were political secretaries to former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, Bommai's predecessor, as well.
Renukacharya is a Yediyurappa loyalist and was aspiring to become a Minister. Both on Thursday met Chief Minister Bommai and greeted him, the CMO said in a statement. (PTI)
A budding TV actress on Thursday allegedly died by suicide in her apartment at Doddabele near Kumbalgodu on the city outskirts, police said.
Soujanya(25), who had acted in a couple of serials and films like 'Chaukattu Fun' and 'Nanobbne Olleyavnu", hung herself from the ceiling fan in her room, they said. She has left behind a four-page suicide note expressing "sorry" for taking the extreme step. The woman wrote that the health issues were "killing" her and her mental state was not good. (PTI)
As state-run varsities are developing and restructuring curriculum to enable implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP 2020) in Karnataka from this academic year, Gulbarga University has focussed on making students “industry-ready” during their undergraduate study in various domains.
According to vice-chancellor Dr Dayanand Agsar, experts behind restructuring the new curriculum as per NEP for the varsity have focussed on skill development based on local industries.
“Each student will be equipped with a set of skills required for the job he (or she) is going to do by the time the undergraduate course is completed. Further, NEP enables students to attend classes in other colleges in case the college where they are at lacks a specific facility,” he explained. Read More
Karnataka Transport minister Sriramulu unveiled Bengaluru’s first electric bus.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) received the e-bus built by the Uttar Pradesh-based JBM Auto Limited.
The nine-meter non-AC bus has a capacity of operating 120 kms per single charge. Each e-bus will have a carrying capacity of 33 passengers.
Breastfeeding is an inalienable right of a lactating mother under the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, the High Court of Karnataka has held.
The single bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit made the observation when a woman Husna Banu moved the court seeking custody of her child, who was stolen from a maternity hospital in Bengaluru and sold to a childless woman Anupama Desai from the district headquarters town of Koppal.
The court also observed that the right of the suckling infant for being breastfed should be assimilated with the mother’s right.
Read more
After remaining steady for a day, petrol and diesel prices were hiked on Thursday, September 30, 2021. In the national capital, the petrol price rose 25 paise while diesel inched up 30 paise.
In Bengaluru, petrol costs Rs. 105.18 per litre and diesel costs Rs. 95.38 per litre.
The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) Karnataka will soon declare the diploma result of BTELINX 2020 diploma courses. The candidates can check the result on the official websites — btekarlinx.net and dte.kar.nic.in.
DTE Karnataka Result 2021 would be available soon on the official websites, bteresults.net and dtek.karnataka.gov.in. Students can check BTELINX Karnataka Diploma Result 2021 using their roll numbers.
Read more
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said the party plans to field women candidates in at least 30-35 constituencies for the 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka.
He also said the party wants to give priority to committed women workers in the organisation work and strengthen its women’s wing.
“We want to field more women candidates this time (2023 polls), in minimum 30-35 seats (out of total 224) we want to field, we are identifying constituencies. In the first phase (of identifying candidates) we have identified to six to seven women,” Kumaraswamy said.
Read more
A local bjp leader from Anekal lost his life after his bike fell into a ditch by the road.
BJP Leader Madesh was on his way to meet his relative on September 28 at night. On his way back, he fell into a ditch created in the process of road widening, according to police.
A road widening work is being carried out on the Anekal-Hosur road stretch where ditches have been dug to uproot trees and translocate them.
50-year-old Madesh who fell into the ditch was badly injured and eventually succumbed, said police.
With 37,763 people in Karnataka reported to have died due to Covid-19 (as of September 28) since the beginning of the pandemic, the government is now “in the process” of verifying and disbursing ex gratia amounts to the kin of the victims.
The Karnataka state government, during the tenure of B S Yediyurappa as its chief minister, had announced a death compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to below poverty line (BPL) families that had lost their earning member to the pandemic. But it has not been disbursed yet. While the announcement was made on June 14 by the CM, an order specifying guidelines to claim the same was issued on July 8.
Even though the government order announcing Rs 1 lakh ex gratia amount was issued on July 8, the process could not be initiated until September 23 due to “procedural delays,” as stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister K Sudhakar in the state legislative assembly last week.
However, the distribution was symbolically launched by Revenue Minister R Ashoka as he handed over cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to 16 BPL families in Bengaluru last Thursday. The minister announced that the government had received 7,729 applications till then.
Read more
Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Wednesday hit back at Congress leader Siddaramaiah for his “Talibanis” jibe at the J P Nadda-led party, by calling him a ‘Bhayotpaadaka’ (terrorist).
I feel that Siddaramaiah himself is a ‘Bhayotpaadaka’ (terrorist). He is in a precarious situation in Congress today, whenever he is in such a situation he gives such statements. His is a Taliban culture,” he said.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, he alleged that when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister, most number of murders took place in the state.
Read more
As many as 9,79,285 doses of vaccine were administered as of 6:30 pm across the state Wednesday amid the “weekly special vaccination drive” planned by the Health Department.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare Services had set a target of administering 23.08 lakh doses as a part of the drive held across all the 30 districts and BBMP areas.
Health Minister K Sudhakar had earlier announced that special vaccination drives will be held on Wednesdays to accelerate the pace of inoculation in the state.
Read more
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner K V Rajendra issued an order stating cinemas and multiplexes in the district will be allowed to operate only with 50 per cent seating capacity from Friday (October 1).
The DC added that the same would be applicable to the reopening of ranga mandirs, auditoriums and public halls as well. However, only people who have taken at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be permitted entry to such places.
Meanwhile, Rajendra clarified that those entering Dakshina Kannada from Kerala will continue to be subjected to checks at border checkposts, irrespective of their vaccination status.
Read more
Karnataka recorded 504 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, as per the bulletin issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 17 deaths were also reported throughout the day.
Meanwhile, 591 persons were discharged, taking the total number so far to 29,23,320. There are 12,565 active cases in the state. The total number of cases and deaths stands at 29,75,067 and 37,780, respectively.
The positivity rate stood at 0.48 per cent against 1,11,538 tests, while the case fatality rate was 3.15%. However, experts said the high CFR was owing to the lower number of cases.
Bengaluru reported 239 new cases, 141 recoveries and seven new deaths in the last 24 hours.
Read more
The South Western Railways recently upgraded Bengaluru city’s second busiest railway station Yesvantpur at the cost of Rs 12 crore.
The station in North Bengaluru has now been equipped with upgraded facilities, roofing and landscaping has been done in front of the station and the common and parking areas, including auto and cab stands, have been upgraded with wider approach roads.
According to officials, the new amenities include additional parking areas for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. “A bus bay was constructed which will allow BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses to ferry people directly to and from the station,” a senior official told indianexpress.com.
Read more
After waiting for nearly six decades, the construction of Hassan airport in Karnataka will soon begin. The district administration informed the tender process for the construction of the first phase of the airport has been completed.
According to officials, the project will be taken up by the state and the Centre on a cost-sharing basis.
The greenfield domestic passenger airport project at Hassan in South Karnataka was proposed in 1967 by the state government and in 1996, the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda had laid the foundation stone at Boovanahalli, on the outskirts of Hassan, for the project.
Read more
Transport minister B Sriramulu will unveil Bengaluru’s first electric bus on Thursday. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has already received the e-bus built by the Uttar Pradesh-based JBM Auto Limited.
The first e-bus will be unveiled by the minister at the Kengeri depot. Apart from Kengeri, e-buses will be operated from the Yeshwantpur and the KR Puram depots of the BMTC. Each e-bus will have a carrying capacity of 33 passengers.
According to BMTC officials, commercial service of e-buses will start on Kannada Rajyotsava (November 1). “We have only received one e-bus till now but we expect to get at least 10 e-buses by November. We will then be able to run feeder services to Namma Metro stations and resolve last-mile connectivity problems faced by Metro passengers,” a senior BMTC officer told IndianExpress.com.
Read more
The collapse of two buildings in the past two days has again raised concerns about the state of dilapidated buildings in the Karnataka capital. In the last survey undertaken by the civic body in 2019, 185 dilapidated buildings were identified across the city but only 10 of those structures have been demolished till date.
In the wake of the collapse of two buildings on Monday and Tuesday, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to conduct a fresh survey of dilapidated buildings in all eight zones of the city.
Chief Commissioner of BBMP Gaurav Gupta has instructed the zonal joint commissioners and chief engineers to form a committee lead by the special commissioner of the project department within 15 days and re-conduct the survey.
Read more
In a decision that is expected to provide relief to students and parents, the Karnataka government has reached an understanding with private engineering colleges that fees will not be hiked during the ongoing academic year.
According to Higher Education Minister C N Ashwathnarayan, this decision was taken on Wednesday in a meeting held with the representatives of private colleges at Vikasa Soudha.
“The fees for engineering courses in private colleges for students who secured admission this year under government quota will continue to be the same. The fees will have to be paid in two different slabs of Rs 65,340 and Rs 58,806,” Ashwathnarayan said.
Read more
With a few days left for schools and PU colleges (classes 6 to 12) to resume functioning with 100 per cent attendance from October 1, new Covid-19 clusters reported from educational institutions in Bengaluru and Kolar have caught the attention of officials from the health and education departments in Karnataka.
The cluster in the Karnataka capital was identified by the health authorities after tests were conducted at the hostel of Sri Chaitanya PU and CBSE College located near Electronics City Phase 2, after a student tested positive on September 26.
According to a staff member from the PU college, the student who tested positive first (on Sunday) was an inmate of the hostel. “While the student had developed symptoms including fever, vomiting, and diarrhea, she first underwent Rapid Antigen Testing for which the result came positive. An RT-PCR test was also done for confirmation, which also turned positive,” the staff member said.
Read more
A residential college on the outskirts of Bengaluru has been shut after 60 students tested positive for COVID-19. "We tested 195 students after one of them got fever. Results showed that 60 of them had COVID. The results of the remaining are yet to come," District Health Officer of Bengaluru Urban district, G Srinivas told PTI on Wednesday.
While 59 students are asymptomatic and quarantined, the student with high fever has been admitted to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital. "We have shut the college for the time being," Srinivas said.
A majority of students of the college located at Anekal who have tested positive are from Karnataka and the rest from Tamil Nadu, he added. According to Health Department officials, there were 485 students in the hostel, while the college has 22 teachers and 35 other staff.
Following the COVID-19 positive cases, disinfectants have been sprayed in the hostel and the classrooms, they added. (PTI)
After a turbulent year when Covid-19 disrupted the training of young soldiers at the over 200-year-old army unit — the Madras Engineers Group (MEG) and Centre — in Bengaluru, a batch of 240 trainee soldiers featured in a passing out parade held at the centre in East Bengaluru Wednesday.
The passing out parade was held a day ahead of MEG Day. However, with Covid restrictions still in place, the parade could not be witnessed by the families.
Brigadier TPS Wadhwa, Commandant MEG and Centre, told The Indian Express the passing out batch of 2021 were trained under difficult conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic which restricted group activities.
Read more
The Karnataka High Court Wednesday lifted a legal bar on the execution of serial killer and rapist Umesh Reddy, alias B A Umesh, by dismissing a plea filed by him against the rejection of mercy petition by the President of India in 2012.
Reddy (52), a former police constable, was sentenced to death in 2006 by a sessions court in Bengaluru for the rape and murder of Jayashree Subbaiah, a single mother.
Although he was accused in over 21 cases of rape and murder, he was eventually convicted in the Jayashree Subbaiah murder case on the basis of evidence provided by the victim’s five-year-old son who testified to having seen Reddy leave his house after the murder.
Read more
The Karnataka High Court quashed a 2018 order of the state government entrusting the religious ceremonies at a shrine shared by Hindus and Muslims in the Chikamagalur district of the state to a Muslim Mujawar.
The High Court asked the state to “reconsider the matter afresh” keeping in mind the shared customs at the Datta Peetha shrine in the Bababudangiri Hills in Chikmagalur.
In an order issued September 28 on a plea filed against the 2018 order by the Sree Guru Dattatreya Peeta Devasthana, a single judge bench of Justice P S Dinesh Kumar ruled that the order entrusting ceremonies to the Mujawar of the shrine at the exclusion of Hindu priests is “unsustainable in law”.
Read more
Good morning Bengaluru!
Welcome to the live blog from Bengaluru where we bring to you the latest updates on Basavaraj Bommai, Karnataka politics, Covid-19, BBMP and more across Bengaluru and Karnataka. Follow the blog and @IEBengaluru to stay up to date with the state in real time.