Karnataka Bengaluru September 3, 4 Highlights: BNP organises protest against property tax notices issued by BBMP

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said the government has still not considered reopening schools for classes 1 to 5, and guidelines will be issued once again to restrict organising large-scale events and rallies, in view of violation of COVID-19 protocols.

"No, we have not considered it yet. We will see how things will function with class 6,7 and 8, and based on that we will take further decisions," Bommai told reporters in response to a question on reopening school for classes 1-5.

The government has already allowed reopening of schools for students from class 9 to 12 since August 23, and class 6,7 and 8 will reopen from September 6. (PTI)

The Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday decided to impose a ban on online gambling or betting. However, lottery and horse racing have not been prohibited.

"We are amending the Karnataka Police Act, with an intention to put an end to online gambling, on the basis of the High Court directions. The cabinet has approved the amendments, it will be placed before the assembly," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting in Bengaluru, he said the government has decided to ban online gambling. (PTI)

NGO Janaagraha applauds BBMP for allocating Rs 60 lakhs to each of the Ward Committees in BBMP Budget 2021-22.

BBMP ran the MyCityMyBudget 2021 campaign in partnership with Janaagraha and over 40 community organisations and Civil Society groups between December 2020 and January 2021 asking citizens to give them inputs on two specific areas: footpaths and public toilets.

The BBMP Budget notification to Nodal Officers on budget allocations for Ward Committees to decide works on footpaths and roads is a first in the country. The BBMP Budget 2021 book calls out in very specific terms that these are set aside for “works decided by Citizens”!

BBMP is making history through these proactive measures to further empower the institution of Ward Committees.

"While there will be hiccups in the implementation, given the needs will outweigh the budget, we must look at this as the glass half full and proceed to strengthen the Ward Committee platforms”, Sapna Karim, Head, Civic Participation.

In an effort to bring to the notice of the Government of Karnataka, the unfair property tax notices issued by BBMP to lakhs of property owners in Bengaluru, Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP), today organised a hybrid physical cum virtual demonstration wherein around 50 people carrying plaques sloganeered against the BBMP at the BBMP Head Office while simultaneously 500 people took part in a virtual demonstration, demanding an immediate resolution of the issue. The demonstration was simultaneously streamed live on the BNP Facebook page too.

Speaking at the demonstration, Srikanth Narasimhan, Founder and General Secretary, Bengaluru Navanirmana Party said, “We have resorted to this demonstration to request the BBMP and the Government of Karnataka for timely intervention in resolving the issue. We have also petitioned the Chief Minister for his intervention. While there have been assurances that the issue will be resolved, nothing concrete has happened. BBMP officers are still issuing notices to property owners in Bengaluru. This is causing a lot of angst and anxiety among citizens as the interest and penalty keep adding up every passing day. Some property owners are also ending up paying the amount under duress from the local BBMP offices."

Karnataka Home minister Araga Jnanedra has sought for bringing an amendment to the Rules 94-C of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, invoking Rs 1,20,000 as the maximum annual income limit to get eligibility for becoming the beneficiary for the grant of land, under the Act, from the present income limit of Rs 30,000/- per annum.

In a separate letter to the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the Revenue minister R Ashok, the minister has stated that the income limit, fixed to get BPL cards to the beneficiaries from the Food and Civil supplies department, was Rs 1,20,000. 

The minister, in his letter, has also stated that in the interests of the poor people, there is a need to enhance the income limit to get eligibility for land grants under Land Reforms Act – 94-C, from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,20,000. 

The minister has also appealed to both the Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister, to direct the concerned authorities to initiate necessary actions on the subject.

With no solution for more than 15 years of the poor road conditions, the residents of Anjanapura main road on Saturday staged a protest by planting paddy in the slush and even drove coracles on the main road.

Getting to know the information, the local MLA rushed to the spot and assured the protesters the issue would be solved.

The residents on Saturday morning got a coracle and started planting paddy on the slushy roads and charged Rs 20 per person to cross the road in a coracle to mark their protest.

Anjanapura is located inward 197 Vasanthpura where the road conditions for more than 15 years have been the same.

Bengaluru south MLA M Krishnappa who visited the spot after learning about the protest assured to asphalt the road. He told that the funds had been released for the road works but ongoing cable work had delayed the repairs.

Pavan Vasishta, a resident told Indian Express that the road has huge craters and during the rainy season it fills up and even in cars, one cannot take the road. He said, "We have been demanding to asphalt the road for a long time but none paid any heed but assured every time which led to stage protest on Saturday."

Anjanapura road is the same place where a techie was abducted, raped and murdered in 2005 by a cab driver. 

The two-seater Hansa New Generation (Hansa-NG) aircraft, a revamped version of the original Hansa developed three decades ago, had a successful maiden flight Friday when it took off from the HAL airport and flew for about 20 minutes.

Eleven new ambient air quality monitoring stations will be set up in industrial areas by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board under the central government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

A 40-year-old civil contractor was killed outside a bar-cum-restaurant in Basaveshwararanagar on Thursday night. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) West Sanjeev M Patil said the accused had questioned the victim for staring at him, leading to an argument.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a modular, self-contained device to cultivate microorganisms, which could enable scientists to carry out biological experiments even in space.

Four years after Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh was gunned down allegedly by members of a radical Hindutva group, the trial of the 17 accused is yet to begin even as investigators continue to probe the logistics supply network involved in the 2017 murder.

In anticipation of a Covid-19 third wave, the Karnataka government Friday decided to keep Dasara festivities in Mysuru and adjoining districts low-key.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary charge sheet in a special court in Bengaluru against a suspected ISIS terrorist Shihabudeen for his alleged involvement in collecting and handing over arms and ammunitions in Mumbai part of the larger conspiracy.

The Karnataka government’s decision to begin implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP), making it the first state to do so, has fuelled debates among the political circles as well.

The Karnataka High Court Friday extended a stay on the filing of final reports by a Special Investigation Team of the Bengaluru Police in connection with an alleged sex CD of former BJP minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.

Karnataka Minister for Energy, Kannada and Culture V Sunil Kumar on Friday interacted with Industry and Trade Association representatives under the aegis of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI). G Kumar Naik, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department and N Manjula, IAS, Managing Director of KPTCL also attended the meeting that discussed the issues faced by the industries and business communities.

Perikal M Sundar, President of FKCCI, requested the minister to reduce Power Tax from 9% to 3% to help the industries to recover from economic crisis.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) opened a new sub-zonal office in Mangaluru district in coastal Karnataka that began functioning on Friday.

The office is located at E-7, Central Excise Staff Quarters, Kankanady in Mangaluru and it will function under its existing zonal office in the state based in Bengaluru, the ED said in a statement.

The new office will be headed by a deputy director rank officer and have jurisdiction over 15 districts of the state -- Dakshina Kannada, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Gadag, Haveri, Davangere, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Uttara Kannada, Koppal, Udupi and Raichur, it said.

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar Friday said that around 700 to 800 residents living in the neighbourhood of Christian College of Nursing in Horamavu would be tested for Covid-19 as a precautionary measure.

"The infected students have been shifted to Covid care centres for isolation. The college will be sealed down for 7-8 days and then testing will be conducted again. The area has been declared as micro-containment zone," he said after visiting the college.

Earlier, as many as 34 students had tested Covid positive in the college in over four days after which samples were sent by BBMP officials for genomic sequencing.

Hansa-NG (New Generation) aircraft, designed and developed by CSIR-NAL, Bengaluru under the aegis of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, successfully made its maiden flight on September 3.

The aircraft took off from HAL airport at 2.09 PM and flew at an altitude of 4000 ft. and gained a speed of 80 knots before it made a landing after about 20 minutes.

Capt. Amit Dahiya, test pilot, who flew the maiden flight expressed his happiness and said that all the flight parameters were found normal and it was a Text Book flight.

Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra has directed the city traffic police to strictly adhere to the ‘towing' rules while lifting the vehicles parked at the 'no parking' areas in the city and to give any 'no room' for any complaints of harassment by the public.

The minister held a meeting with the city police commissioner, Kamal Pant and the Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Ravikanthe Gowda on Friday in this regard.

"The traffic police should alert the vehicle owners by sounding sirens and collect only the prescribed fine amount for parking at the no-parking area, if the owner is present at the spot," the Home Minister instructed them.

He also stressed that the towing staff should not engage in any arguments with the public during their duty and treat them with a courteous manner adding that “all care should be taken not to cause any damage to the vehicles during towing”.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have developed a modular, self-contained device to cultivate microorganisms, which could enable scientists to carry out biological experiments in outer space. 

In a study published in Acta Astronautica, the team showed how the device can be used to activate and track the growth of a bacterium called Sporosarcina pasteurii over several days, with minimal human involvement.

Stoking a fresh controversy against IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri, former minister and K R Nagar JDS MLA Sa Ra Mahesh accused the officer of a Rs six crore-scam in the purchase of cotton bags.

Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah Friday urged Higher Education Minister CN Ashwathnarayan to withdraw the decision to implement the new National Education Policy (NEP) in the state.

In a letter, the former Karnataka CM noted, “It is not correct to call for discussion now after inaugurating the implementation. Policy change in matters like education and health are not small.”

He added that detailed deliberations should have been initiated democratically before drafting such issues which have wide implications

Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police seized narcotic substances worth Rs 2 crore from a house and arrested two persons engaged in doorstep delivery of contraband items.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi cast his vote in the Hubballi-Dharwad corporation polls along with his family members in Ward no 46 at Vivekanand Nagar, Hubbali.

The long-delayed Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi and Kalaburagi city corporation polls in Karnataka is underway today.

Over 17 lakh voters will decide the fate of 1,105 candidates contesting from 195 wards. Counting will take place on September 6.

The Karnataka government has decided to include eggs in the mid-day meal diet of school students in seven districts to mitigate malnourishment. According to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), over 14.4 lakh children will benefit from the decision.

According to Commissioner of Public Instruction V Anbukumar, the scheme will be implemented in Ballari, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayapura and Yadgir districts, where malnourishment has been found to persist among children.

Officials were instructed at a recent meeting to include items of supplementary nutrition in mid-day meals in districts where there is higher malnourishment — such a list was recently published by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The scheme is expected to be implemented soon.

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A day after local civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) sealed Christian College of Nursing, situated on Horamavu-Agara Road in the Karnataka capital, Health Minister K Sudhakar said he will visit the institution. 

According to the minister's office, Sudhakar will visit the campus and meet the management to find out more information on how the infection spread to others despite students being asked to furnish RT-PCR reports at the time of entering the hostels and the campus. 

As many as 34 students had tested positive in the college over four days after which it was declared a containment zone.

Karnataka BJP MLA Basavaraj Dadesugur's son cutting a cake using his iPhone has drawn severe criticism, with several people calling it an ugly display of wealth. 

Basavaraj is the MLA from Kanakagiri in Koppal. His son Suresh recently celebrated his birthday and the video of him cutting his cake using an iPhone drew criticism. 

A local said that his father, citing lack of funds had requested residents to source money to fight elections and after winning the assembly polls, they have now bought atleast three luxury cars. 

Speaking to the media, Basavaraj defended his son's action and said that it was his 'hard earned money' and he could celebrate as he wished.

Karnataka BJP MLA Basavaraj Dadesugur's son cutting a cake using his iPhone has drawn severe criticism, with several people calling it an ugly display of wealth. 

Basavaraj is the MLA from Kanakagiri in Koppal. His son Suresh recently celebrated his birthday and the video of him cutting his cake using an iPhone drew criticism. 

A local said that his father, citing lack of funds had requested residents to source money to fight elections and after winning the assembly polls, they have now bought atleast three luxury cars. 

Speaking to the media, Basavaraj defended his son's action and said that it was his 'hard earned money' and he could celebrate as he wished.

Three people have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old youth from Raichur, who had come to meet a girl from a different faith at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, police sources said.

The youth had complained to the police that he was assaulted by a five-member gang when he was chatting with his friend at the KSRTC bus stand in Puttur on Wednesday. They had also threatened him for talking to a girl from a different religion, he said in the complaint.

The arrested accused have been identified as Abdul Majeed (27) of Puttur and G Farooq (32) and G Alebi (33) from Sullia. Two others involved in the case are absconding, police sources said. 

Puttur police had on Wednesday registered a case against the five people on charges of criminal intimidation, unlawful assembly and wrongful restraint. (PTI)

Citizen activists of Bengaluru, along with the NGO Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF), have submitted a memorandum to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta and BBMP deputy conservator of forest (DCF) Govinda Raju asking them to reconsider their decision of cutting trees to construct an elevated corridor from Ejipura Main Road (Inner Ring Road), Sony World Junction to Kendriya Sadan in Koramangala.

The letter has expressed dissent to a BBMP forest division memorandum that has increased the number of trees to be felled as opposed to the initial statement given in 2018.

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The Karnataka government has been recommended by a panel constituted by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education that government schools across the state should be brought on par with private unaided schools in terms of implementing safety and security measures.

The committee chaired by Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) SV Sankanur found such standards were yet to be streamlined at government schools while the same was found to be met by private managements. The panel was constituted to assess whether managements of private schools had to submit safety and security certificates while applying for affiliation renewals.

Further, the report, which was submitted to Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh in Bengaluru, stressed the need for the government to allocate funds in the upcoming Budget to upgrade safety and security measures in government schools.

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Kodagu-Mysore MP Pratap Simha on Thursday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai demanding the Rajiv Gandhi Nagarhole National Park in Kodagu to be renamed after Field Marshal Cariappa, who was the first Indian commander-in-chief after Indian independence.

Cariappa hailed from Kodagu and Simha said the people demand that the Rajiv Gandhi Nagarhole National Park be renamed after him. “Requesting the Hon. @CMofKarnataka Bommai Sir, to rename Rajiv Gandhi Nagarahole National Park & Tiger Reserve as FM K.M.Cariappa Nagarahole National Park & Tiger Reserve lies in the jurisdiction of Mysuru & Kodagu District,” he said while sharing the letter he wrote to the CM on Twitter.

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The long-delayed Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi and Kalaburagi city corporation polls in Karnataka is underway.

Over 17 lakh voters will decide the fate of 1,105 candidates contesting from 195 wards. Counting will take place on September 6.

The state election commission had announced the dates early last month and the BJP, Congress and the JDS have all geared up for the polls. The election is being seen as a biggest test for the BJP government which recently replaced BS Yeddyurappa with BS Bommai as chief minister.

The city corporation polls will be held by adhering to COVID-19 protocols. The State Election Commission has already done all preparations in this regard. Voters will have to wear masks and maintain physical distance.

Karnataka on Thursday clocked 1,240 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the caseload to 29.52 lakh, while 22 deaths pushed the death toll to 37,361. The day also saw 1,252 people being discharged, taking the total number of recoveries to 28,96,079. Active cases stood at 18,378, a health department bulletin said.

Bengaluru Urban accounted for the maximum number of 319 cases and four fatalities, it said.

Dakshina Kannada district bordering Kerala remained a major COVID-19 hotspot with 264 fresh infections and five fatalities. Other districts too reported fresh cases, including Udupi 111, Mysuru 88, Hassan 76, Belagavi 49 and Uttara Kannada 42.

Chikkaballapura and Haveri reported zero infections and zero deaths. Twenty districts reported zero fatalities, the bulletin said. 

A total of 1,65,386 samples were tested in the state today, taking the cumulative number of specimens examined to 4.38 crore. The number of vaccinations done in the state rose to 4.39 crore, with 2,47,409 people being inoculated on Thursday, it said. (PTI)

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will hold a phone-in programme on Saturday between 9 am and 10.30 am, according to a press release. 

BWSSB Chairman, N. Jayaram will address the grievances of consumers relating to water billing, manhole overflow, meter reading, improper water supply, and sanitary issues, the release stated.

Consumers should call 080-22945119 to participate in the programme where they have to share their R.R. number before raising a complaint.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Wednesday night arrested police sub-inspector (PSI) Arjun who had forced a Dalit youth to drink an inmate’s urine at the Gonibeedu police station in Mudigere taluk in May this year.

The investigation was handed over to the CID and a team led by superintendent of police Ravi D Channannavar, which began the investigation under the guidance of the director general of police B S Sandhu, arrested Arjun.

Police sources told The Indian Express that Arjun was arrested in Bengaluru on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, he was produced before a court which remanded him in judicial custody as requested by the CID officials for further inquiry.

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The Central crime branch police in Bengaluru seize Rs 2 crore-worth narcotic substances from a house and arrested two persons. 

Initial probe revealed that a person in Delhi, who is suspected to be the kingpin used to buy these substances from the dark web. He had hired two people in Bengaluru to sell it and was paying monthly salaries to them. 

The cops said that probe underway. The seizure includes hybrid marijuana, ecstasy pills, MDMA and many more.

Yet another nursing college in the state was identified as a Covid-19 cluster and sealed Thursday after 34 students of the private institution in Bengaluru tested positive for the virus.

“The college authorities have helped us identify that the cluster mostly comprises students who returned to the state from Kerala and West Bengal. The cluster, in the Mahadevapura zone, is the biggest active cluster in the city as well,” a senior BBMP official told The Indian Express.

According to officials of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), all students who tested positive in the college situated at Horamavu have been shifted to the Covid Care Centre (CCC) at the premises of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai on Thursday said he would discuss with the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the issue of rising retail fuel prices.

"It depends on international prices," he said when asked about the rising prices of petrol and diesel and LPG cylinder and that "people are angry about it". "Let's see. I will speak to Central Ministers (on rising prices)", Bommai said.

On the Congress allegation that retail prices have gone up despite crude oil prices ruling lower, he said the prices do not depend on only that factor. In this context, he referred to various factors including refining, financial health of companies in the sector and payments in lieu of oil bonds (issued by the previous UPA government).

"They (the Congress) know it. They were in power earlier. The prices had also gone up when they were in power," Bommai said. "Anyway, the Finance Minister  (Nirmala Sitharaman) is coming (to Karnataka) on September 5. I will discuss with her," the Chief Minister added. (PTI)

The modus operandi is simple — and yet, audacious.

A nexus of operators creates fake documents and claims ownership to prime property. Then, a case is filed in the small causes court, which deals with civil matters, for eviction of a fictitious tenant named by the fake owner. Once a favourable decree is obtained, it is used to try and forcibly evict the legal owner.

So far, 118 cases have been unearthed in Bengaluru, where “fake decrees” were obtained by the nexus including a former public prosecutor and at least six lawyers, in an investigation conducted by the CID after the racket came to the notice of the Karnataka High Court last year.

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More than hundred persons representing the civil society, including historians Ramachandra Guha, Dr Usha Rao, academician Professor Janaki Nair and heritage expert Dr Meera Iyer, sought the intervention of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the communalisation of Begur Lake in south Bengaluru.

The civil society members have also apprised the CM about encroachments at the lake.

“Despite the Karnataka High Court prima facie finding the construction of islands on the lake illegal and also the subsequent decision of installation of a statue of Lord Shiva, individuals claiming to be from Right-wing groups unveiled the statue,” the civil society members have said in their letter.

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On his first visit to Karnataka since changes in the state leadership, Union Home Minister Amit Shah showered praises on new Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and expressed confidence about the BJP returning to power under his leadership. Shah also said that veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa had stepped aside from the CM’s post in July on his own.

“Yediyurappaji recently decided to make way for a new person and a new leader to take responsibility for Karnataka. The BJP decided to give Basavaraj Bommai the responsibility,” Shah said at a public event in the city of Davangere on Thursday.

The minister attended the wedding of the elder daughter of Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi in Hubli. He also attended an event at the GMIT college campus in Davangere to inaugurate a few projects.

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Ten days after a 30-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped and murdered in a village in Karnataka’s Tumkur district, police are yet to make any headway in the investigation.

The Tumkur case is solely dependent on ground information, unlike the Mysuru rape-murder case, which took place on the same day, made headlines and where police managed to nab the accused through mobile phone location information and witness account, police sources said.

“This probe cannot be compared with the Mysuru case as no mobile phones were active at the location and there are no witnesses or victims alive to share even a word of information. We are suspecting that someone who is known (to the victim) or lives in neighbouring villages might have committed the crime,” a police officer said.

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The Karnataka government has made RT-PCR test mandatory for passengers from select countries arriving at airports in the State even if they possess a negative COVID-19 report. However, those coming from Brazil and South Africa will have to wait at the airport for test results and be allowed to leave only after testing negative.

"The passengers arriving from the UK, Europe, (the) Middle East, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe on arrival at the Kempegowda International Airport and other entry airports in Karnataka shall provide the sample and leave the airport for further compliance as per the Standard Operating Procedure," an order said on Wednesday.

The order further said, "The passengers arriving from Brazil and South Africa after providing the samples at Kempegowda International Airport/ other entry airports shall wait for the results at the airport. They shall leave the airport only after testing negative".

The order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Jawaid Akhtar said strict tele-monitoring of these passengers should be ensured. He also said in his order that the protocols should be periodically reviewed according to the scenario of COVID-19 in the state. (PTI)

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.