After delay of over 10 years, Pumpwell flyover inaugurated in Mangaluru

Civic

The flyover had become an election issue in Mangaluru and even mock inaugurations have taken place.

Prajwal Bhat

It is a celebration more than ten years in the making. A parade of cultural troupes, with some people playing the chende (a drum used in Yakshagana), some others dressed as giant puppets and one person even dressed as Mr. Bean, turned the Pumpwell flyover in Mangaluru into a carnival. The flyover was inaugurated amid fanfare, more than 11 years since the letter of approval was granted for its construction in 2009. Over the last decade, it was a source of conflict between the Congress and the BJP in the coastal city. Ironically, the flyover, which has been built to ease the traffic logjam at the intersection of NH66 and NH55 was inaugurated at 9.37 am, which is about the same time the area faces heavy traffic due to people heading towards city to reach offices and educational institutions. According to a traffic policemen, the inauguration was delayed from the scheduled start at 9 am. “We were told to cordon the area until VIP’s leave and allow regular commuters after the inauguration was done,” a traffic policeman said. The inauguration however lasted for about an hour, after which and the regular vehicular movement was allowed around 10.30 am. Speaking at the inauguration, Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP Karnataka President Nalin Kumar Kateel argued that it did not take over a decade but merely three years for the completion of Pumpwell flyover. “Until 2016, only the support elevated area on which the flyover stands were acquired for the project. We could not complete the entry and exit-ramps as the local residents had obtained stay order. The Congress party that had elected representatives both in the state assembly as well as Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), did not make any effort, to negotiate or bring consensus among the litigants, even as ordinary people continued to suffer from traffic congestion,” he said. Responding to the criticism and trolling over repeated changes of the deadline for the flyover’s completion, Nalin alleged that it was the opposition led ‘drama’ to show BJP leaders in poor light. “It has only made me more popular. But let them first answer that despite knowing Navayuga Udupi Tollway Pvt. Ltd (NUTPL)'s poor financial health, why did the Congress at the Centre in 2009 decide to handover the project to NUTPL. It was us (BJP) who convinced the Central government to award advance of Rs. 59 Crore for the Pumpwell project after NUTPL had failed to convince private bankers to extend loan for the project,” he said. Speaking to The News Minute, the project director of NHAI Mangaluru Project Office Shishu Mohan said that four-laning of the road is completed and only a few final touches at the two-underpasses leading to a local hospital is pending. “The flyover will easily be able to manage a load of 20,000 vehicles from the Pumpwell junction,” he said.  The inaugural event was largely dominated by the BJP’s local legislators, along with its local corporators and party workers. The event did not see any presence of Congress representatives or leaders. Nalin, a three-time MP from Dakshina Kannada, was first elected from the constituency in 2009. He subsequently won from the constituency in the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections. In the run-up to both elections, the Pumpwell flyover was an election issue raised by his opponents. At one point, the flyover was officially slated to be inaugurated on March 31, 2013 but it has now been inaugurated more than six years after the initial target. The flyover is a part of the 90 km highway widening project from Talapady to Kundapura, a distance of 112 km between Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. NUPTL was tasked with completing the construction and was supposed to hand the property back to the government in 2035 after managing the property for over 20 years. However, due to slow progress in land acquisition by the government, court litigations and local political pressure, the firm’s work on the flyover was only completed earlier this month. In the last two years, the Congress and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) had celebrated a mock inauguration of the incomplete flyover wearing masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Nalin Kumar Kateel.  

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Praveen Sood appointed as DG and IG of Karnataka after Neelamani Raju retires

Law and Order

TNM Staff

Praveen Sood, the incumbent DIG of CID’s Economic Offences Wing has been appointed as the Director General and Inspector General of Police for Karnataka state. On Friday, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms issued a notification that the current DG and IG Neelamani Raju retired on superannuation. Known as the police officer who brought in reforms in training officers deputed with cyber crime units across the state, Praveen Sood introduced several reforms that sped up investigation processes. He introduced the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System all over the state by networking all police stations in the country and ensuring data entry and retrieval of all information in police stations and higher police officers online. Born in 1964, Praveen Sood graduated from IIT Delhi and joined the Indian Police Service in 1986. He kicked off his career as the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Mysuru in 1989. He has served as the SP of Ballari and Raichur before being posted as the Deputy Police Commissioner (Law and Order) of Bengaluru. In 1999, he served as the police officer on foreign deputation as the police advisor to the Government of Mauritius for 3 years.  He was posted as Police Commissioner of Mysuru City between 2004 and 2007.  He took over as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) in Bengaluru in 2008 and continued in the post till 2011. He has won the Chief Minister’s Gold Medal for excellence in service in 1996, the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002  and the President’s Police Medal in 2011.  During 2013-14 he took over as Managing Director of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation. He later worked as the Principal Secretary to the Home  Department as the Additional Director General of Police (Karnataka State Reserve Police) and the ADGP of Administration. In 2017, he was appointed the Bengaluru Police Commissioner. He was also instrumental in launching “Suraksha” App and “Pink Hoyasalas” managed by all-women police officers. As the DIG of the CID, Economic offences and Special Units, he is credited for opening the Centre for Cyber-crime Investigation, Training and Research for training police officers, prosecutors and the judiciary in handling cyber crime cases.     

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Bidar school sedition case: Youngest student cops questioned over play is 9 years old

CAA

The mother of the pupil and the head teacher arrested may not get bail till February 4 as the judge is on leave.

Prajwal Bhat

On Thursday, officials at the Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar district of Karnataka were prepared for the sight of police personnel in plain clothes walking into the school premises. The police had called up earlier and asked the school authorities to present all students who participated in a play staged on January 21 about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to the police station. However, when the school authorities refused to send students to the station, the police came to the school instead, this time for a second round of questioning.  While they had anticipated as much, the school authorities were not prepared for what came next. The police not only questioned students in the school but also arrested a head-teacher of the school’s primary section – Fareeda Begum (52) – for overseeing the play, and the mother of a child who took part in the play – Nazbunnisa (26). The school management is also facing charges of sedition for allowing the play to be conducted. On Friday, though the school authorities applied for bail for the two women who were arrested, it did not come up for hearing. The lawyer who is representing the two women told TNM that the judge in the District and Sessions court in Bidar was on leave till February 4 and it will most likely not be possible to secure bail. Read: Mother of student, teacher arrested after Karnataka school stages play on CAA-NRC "The students were questioned for over two hours. All the students are from classes 4, 5 and 6 and the youngest among them was aged 9," says Tauseef Madikeri, the CEO of the school.  Bidar SP T Shreedhara told TNM that the mother has been arrested for telling her daughter to say a dialogue that anyone who asks for documents should be hit with a chappal (slipper), and including abusive words which were not part of the script of the play. “The head-teacher was arrested because she was overseeing the play," the SP added. He said that while the school management is facing charges of sedition, the parent and the teacher arrested will be "charged to the extent of their involvement." The police are unwilling to disclose if there is a separate FIR against the parent and the head teacher, and the only FIR that the media has accessed till now is a case based on sedition law. "At this point we cannot reveal what charges have they been booked under. Only an investigation will reveal their role," Bidar DSP Basaveshwara Hira, who is investigating the case, told TNM.  In a video reportedly of the play which has now been taken down from social media, a child is heard telling another child, “The government is telling Muslims to leave India and go away.” The other child responds, “Amma, Modi is saying show documents of your father and grandfather otherwise he is telling us to leave the country.” At this point, another child is heard saying, “Hit them with slippers if anybody asks for documents.” Tauseef says the dialogue uttered by the child was generic. "It has been wrongly interpreted. It was not used to target anyone and the girl spoke of hitting anyone who would ever dare ask her for her documents with a chappal. She has picked up this part from watching videos and listening to conversations at home," Tauseef adds.  Speaking in an interview with India Today before her arrest, Nazmunnisa apologised for the incident and took responsibility for it in the hope that her daughter is not targeted for her part in the play. "We did not intend to portray the Prime Minister in a bad light. We were thinking about how we can do the play; saw something on YouTube and thought of doing it," Nazmunnissa says.   Complaint says play was 'insulting PM’ Police officials from New Town Police Station acted on a complaint made by Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), in which he stated that dialogues in the play "insulted the Prime Minister". Police first visited the school on January 28. On this occasion, there were police personnel in uniform as well as those in plain clothes, who questioned students involved in the play. Police officials, in plainclothes, made a second visit to the school on Thursday, and once again questioned students. The police further asked parents of the children involved in the play and the head-teacher Fareeda to visit the police station for questioning.  The police justified their actions stating that the children were witnesses in a complaint of sedition. "We have followed protocol in examining juvenile witnesses. A child rights activist was present and police officials visited the school in plain clothes. We have a system of Special Juvenile Police Units in each police station and they have acted based on the complaint," Bidar SP T Shreedhara said.  School says police didn’t follow child-friendly procedure But people connected to the school say that the questioning by the police was not conducted in a child-friendly manner, and that some of the police officials who visited the school were in uniform. "Police officials who visited on Thursday were in plain clothes. However, on January 28, there were policemen who were in uniform at the school," says Tauseef. Photographs, which have been shared widely, also show police officers in uniform questioning students.  Members of the Shaheen Alumni Association wrote to the Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights on the issue.  In the letter, it was pointed out that under the section 107 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, only a Child Welfare Police Officer (CWPO) can deal with children. The letter points out another rule which states that parents of the child may be present during the interrogation, however, this was not followed.  "Photos that are going viral on the social media prove the fact that rules of child-friendly procedures have been completely breached by the concerned police officers, as the police officer interviewing is wearing a coloured shirt, however, the other two officers accompanying him are in complete uniform and are carrying weapon which is visible. The impact of such a sight is traumatising for the children (sic)," reads a letter written by Irfan Ahmed, Coordinator of the Shaheen Alumni Association.  Police officials say that they will continue their investigation into the incident even as school authorities are scrambling to ensure bail for the teacher and the parent arrested. 

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'Love Mocktail' review: This pleasant romcom strikes all the right notes

Review

The music and cinematography enhance this romcom that the audience will surely be able to relate to.

Aravind Shwetha

From Romeo and Juliet to Preetham and Nandini (of Mungaru Male fame) we have seen millions of couple fall, rise and die in love. So, a love story in a movie is no surprise. But what makes a movie different and watchable is the emotional quotient and the connect it has with viewers. Darling Krishna’s Love Mocktail gets this connect right as he takes a slice out of a common man's life. The movie takes off with a middle-aged Adi (Darling Krishna) driving to the coastal region and rescuing a woman on the way. She accompanies him through the journey where he opens up about his love, life and an array of emotions he has been through over the last few years. Adi (played by a teenager who looks very similar to Darling Krishna) has a major crush on his classmate (Reema). But like most boys, he is hesitant to approach her. But his antics like caring for her and dreaming of a future with her keep him busy. Once the bubble is burst, Adi wakes up to reality and gets into an engineering college where he meets Jo (Amruta Iyengar) who comes from a well-to-do family. Though her love is true, she has her own doubts about his ability to take care of her and provide the lifestyle she deserves. But this doesn’t keep them away from enjoying and living in the moment. After engineering, he joins an IT company and promises to fulfil her desires. But Jo, who is under pressure from her parents to marry a well-off guy, breaks up with Adi. Heartbroken, Adi meets Nidhi (Milana Nagraj), an IT employee and a down-to-earth woman, who enjoys the simple things in life. What follows is another interesting tale. Urban love stories are what the youth look for in romcoms these days. Ideal couple goals, a dream wedding, a cutesy love story and a bundle of emotions - Love Mocktail has it all. The music and cinematography enhance this usual love story which comes with a touch of reality. There are several takeaways from the movie - teens dreaming about marrying their school crush, pressure from parents to study in candlelight, cash/currency-strapped college days, waiting for hours to get back 100 free SMS (pre-Internet era), friends who stand by like rocks in tough times, the strong bond a husband and wife share, happy moments, and more. All these small elements of life, shown through a rose-tint, put a smile on one’s face. The movie, by and large, connects to the urban teens and youth and remains true to its genre - a romance saga. Throughout the movie, like most people, Adi looks for love. When he finds Nidhi, he is satisfied. But when she leaves him, he doesn’t look for love anymore. He has now leant to live with the bittersweet memory and all the love she has filled him with. This whole concept, freshly refurbished, stands out in the movie. Darling Krishna has managed both acting and direction with responsibility. He has got casting, music and the storyline right; he has made the right choices. The locations too have contributed to bringing the story alive. His performance is up to the mark, especially as a doting husband. Amruta Iyengar shows promise and potential. Milana Nagaraj has a refreshing character and plays her part well. Milana must continue to pick roles like these that bring the best out of her. A few VIPs have played a guest role in the movie, including Vijeth Suvarna, a well-known biker and restaurateur. Raghu Dixit’s music and Sri Crazy Minds’ cinematography are the biggest highlights. Raghu has inserted the right notes in every scene and the songs too bring out the feel-good factor. 'Love you Chinna' and 'Neene Yendigu' linger even after coming out of the theatre. Sri’s camera deserves special mention for showing the greenery and coastal Karnataka like never before. Love Mocktail, served ahead of Valentine’s Day, is a pleasant romantic experience for the weekend. Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.

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Akshay Kumar shoots with Bear Grylls in Karnataka's Bandipur

Wildlife

The shoot took place two days after Rajinikanth had shot with Gryllis at the same national park.

IANS

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar filmed a Discovery channel programme with Bear Grylls in Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Thursday, an official said. "Akshay Kumar shot for a day in Bandipur on Thursday for a Discovery channel programme," Chief Wildlife Warden Sanjay Mohan said. Discovery channel had sought permission for shooting between January 28 and January 30.  The actual shooting with the actors, Rajinikanth and Akshay, was only for one day each on Tuesday and Thursday. "The Discovery team had come to my office. We told them they would have to follow the rules strictly. If they fail to abide by the norms, we will cancel the shooting," said Sanjay. The permission is needed from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and others. The Bandipur Tiger Reserve, an 874 sq km national park, was formed by integrating forest areas of erstwhile Venugopala Wildlife Park, which was established in 1941, and was later enlarged to its current size in the Chamarajanagar district, about 220 km southwest of Bengaluru. The tiger reserve lists 28 species of mammals, including Royal Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, bonnet macaque, Indian pipistrelle and barking deer. However, a forest official was unhappy with the channel for not recognising the department's role in nurturing the forest. "I told them you must include information in the programme and show how the forest guards are working tirelessly to save the forest," said the official. According to the official, Discovery should not just use Indian forests for shooting programmes but also recognise India’s efforts at conservation. Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director T Balachandra said the channel paid Rs 10 lakh for four days of shooting. The Forest department didn't charge Discovery anything more than the usual fees, Sanjay said.

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Mother of student, teacher arrested after Karnataka school stages play on CAA-NRC

CAA

Nazbunnisa, the mother of a student who played a role in the play and Fareeda Begum, the teacher who was involved in staging it, were arrested by police officials on Thursday.

TNM Staff

The mother of a student and a head teacher of a Karnataka school were arrested and booked for sedition on Thursday by police officials in Bidar in connection with a school play which was allegedly against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The arrests were made after the school authorities blocked the police from further questioning the students. Nazbunnisa, 26, the mother of a girl who played a role in the play and Fareeda Begum, 52,  the head teacher who was involved in staging it, were arrested by police officials from Bidar New Town Police Station. Fareeda is the teacher in-charge of the primary section of the school.  They were booked under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505(2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes), 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting, attempting to promote disharmony) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code. The arrests were made based on a complaint by Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) after the play was staged by students of classes 4, 5 and 6 at the Shaheen Primary and High School on January 21. Following the complaint, three policemen, two of whom were in uniform and one in plain clothes, visited the school and questioned the students who were part of the play, including a 9-year-old child.  While the play was focused on the CAA, the school's CEO Tauseef Madikeri says it was one particular line in the play that caused trouble. Speaking to The Wire, Tauseef says that the line was a generic one, which was wrongly interpreted.  In a video reportedly of the same event, which has now been taken down, a child is heard telling another child, “The government is telling Muslims to leave India and go away.” In reply, the other child says, “Amma, Modi is saying show documents of your father and grandfather otherwise he is telling us to leave the country.” At this point, another child is heard saying, “Hit them with slippers if anybody asks for documents.” Police stated that Anuja Minsa's daughter delivered the dialogues 'insulting' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Hindu reported. The complainant had alleged that anti-Modi lines were delivered in the play.  Read: School in Karnataka's Bidar booked for sedition over children’s play on CAA-NRC

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Trump sticks embattled health chief with coronavirus response

Trump and his top aides are privately on edge about the global threat, ramping up their response as fear starts to spread across the U.S.

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Trump releases block grant plan that would transform Medicaid

The plan to cap Medicaid spending, rejected by Congress just three years ago, will face swift resistance from Democrats and legal challenges.

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JD(S) in talks with poll expert Prashant Kishor to revive party's image

Politics

JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is slated to hold talks with Kishor soon on organising the party for the days ahead.

TNM Staff

After facing setbacks in successive polls, the Janata Dal (Secular) leadership in Karnataka is in talks with poll strategist Prashant Kishor to revive the party for the future, party sources said on Thursday. JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is slated to hold talks with Kishor soon on organising the party for the days ahead. "Kumaraswamy will be meeting Prashant Kishor. The date and time is yet to be fixed but after seeing his strategy work out in Bihar and other places, the JD(S) wants to try it here," a party source said.  "It is to discuss the strategy to build the party. Kishor is also said to have expressed keenness to meet Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy), they will meet soon," another party source told PTI. JD(S) state president HK Kumaraswamy merely said there was nothing wrong in taking such help in the interest of the party. "We can take advice from such people to build and organise the party. We have already begun work towards organising the party from the grassroots level, and it will get a boost after the national level meeting of the party on February 10 and 11," he said. The JD(S) that bagged only 37 seats in the 2018 assembly polls and came to power in alliance with the Congress with H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister managed to win only one seat in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Party patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda was also defeated in the parliamentary polls. The party also failed to win even a single seat during the December 2019 bye-polls to 15 assembly constituencies in the state. The Prashant Kishor-led Indian Political Action Committee (I- PAC) is currently helping the AAP in the Delhi assembly polls. The political advocacy group also helped in the electioneering campaign of Narendra Modi in 2014 when he was BJP's prime ministerial candidate. The I-PAC has worked on a number of successful campaigns since 2014, including the one that brought JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to power in 2015. The organisation also helped Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy win both state and Lok Sabha elections. Kishor, who was the Janata Dal (United) national vice-president, was on Wednesday expelled from the party following a bitter fallout with its chief Nitish Kumar.

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Karnataka cops arrest 2 Kerala men for trying to dump bio medical waste in Mysuru

Civic Issues

The police seized 2 tonnes of biomedical waste, which was brought to Karnataka from Kerala.

Theja Ram

Garbage trucks from Kerala dumping waste in Karnataka is a long-standing problem. On Wednesday, the police in Mysuru arrested two men from the neighbouring state for trying to dump two tonnes of hazardous bio medical waste in an empty site in Nanjangud. At around 3.30 am on Wednesday, two trucks bearing Kerala number plates crossed the check point at Mysuru district’s Nanjangud. The police, who were warned of garbage trucks coming in from Kerala, followed the truck from the check point. The truck stopped at the Adakanahalli Industrial Area and two men were allegedly trying to unload the bio-medical waste onto an empty plot of land, when they were caught red-handed. The Nanjangud Rural Police immediately arrested two men Afzal Muneer and Syed Mohammed, both residents of Kerala’s Kozhikode. However, the truck driver Kabir and two other accomplices Shoaib and Muneer escaped. Speaking to TNM, Mysuru SP Ryshyanth said that the Nanjangud Rural Police booked the five men under section 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC. They have also been booked under the Motor Vehicles Act for illegal transportation of waste. SP Ryshyanth said that the residents had complained of incessant dumping of garbage and biomedical waste in the area, after which the check point was set up. The police are now trying to track down the other three accused. Nanjangud Rural Police said that the same group of five men had allegedly dumped bio medical waste in empty plots in the industrial area around 8 to 10 times in the past. “For so many years, people of Mysuru have been facing this problem where garbage from Kerala is being dumped in several of our taluks including Nanjangud, T Narasipura and HD Kote. Initially they used to dump mixed waste and plastic waste. Now they are dumping hazardous bio medical waste, which can cause major health problems for people living here,” a police official with the Nanjangud Rural Police said. The two truck loads of bio medical waste has been handed over to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, which will send the waste to an empanelled bio-medical waste disposal facility, where it will be processed. In January last year, the Mysuru City Corporation demanded that the police set up check point to stop Kerala’s waste from entering the state. Police check points were set up last year after several protests erupted in Mysuru over the issue. The Mysuru City Corporation and residents complained that the pits were dug up in jaggery manufacturing units in Mysuru and Mandya districts, which were being used to illegally dump the garbage being brought in from Kerala, thereby turning these spaces into landfills. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board had also conducted raids on these jaggery manufactures and found that the units were accepting money in return for dumping the garbage in their plots. Bio medical waste generated in Kerala has also been dumped in Tamil Nadu several times. TN authorities allege that for four years now, cutting edge hospitals in Kerala have been disposing their medical waste in an irresponsible manner in many areas in TN. On paper, these hospitals sell the waste to agents or brokers who promise to arrange for the disposal of the bio-hazardous material. Coimbatore and Tirunelveli are the most affected in this waste war, as they border the neighbouring state, allowing for easy and quick access. In Tirunelveli, tonnes of waste was being dumped in rural areas near Valliyoor and other parts of the district. The police and revenue department officials were ordered to be on vigil.  

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Who demolished migrant huts claiming Bangladeshi infiltration? BBMP says it didn't

Civic

On January 19, sheds in migrant settlements in Devarabeesanahalli and Kariyammana Agrahara in Bellandur were demolished by an excavator.

Prajwal Bhat

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) told the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that it did not carry out the demolitions in the migrant settlements in Bellandur over fears that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were staying there. The counsel appearing for the BBMP distanced itself from the demolitions. This despite the fact that Assistant Executive Engineer of the BBMP’s Marathahalli subdivision had written to Marathahalli police station seeking police protection to carry out the evictions in the migrant settlements in Bellandur. In the letter, the engineer had said that "Bangladeshi nationals have built illegal sheds and the residents here have converted this into a slum area". Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka was hearing a petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) challenging the demolition of migrant settlements in Bellandur and Whitefield in the city on January 18 and 19. The Chief Justice questioned, "Who carried out the demolitions?," after neither the BBMP nor the Bengaluru Police came forward to take responsibility. "The BBMP's engineer (Assistant Executive Engineer, Mahadevapura Zone) had written to the police but the BBMP did not carry out demolition of sheds," the BBMP counsel told the High Court. On January 18 and 19, sheds in migrant settlements in Devarabeesanahalli and Kariyammana Agrahara in Bellandur were demolished by an excavator. Police officials from Marathahalli police station were present during the demolitions. Read: After video claims 'Bangladeshi immigrant' settlement in Bengaluru, BBMP razes 100 huts However, it turned out that many residents in the migrant settlement were from states like Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and even Karnataka. When TNM visited the spot, the residents held up their identification cards to prove their citizenship. Residents of the settlements are BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar later stated that the demolitions were unauthorised and blamed the engineer for 'going rogue' and demolishing sheds without permission from higher officials. Read: Demolition in Bengaluru migrant colony over ‘Bangladeshi’ fears unauthorised, says BBMP "Local residents came to the office of the AEE twice to complain that there are a large number of illegal sheds in the area and it was causing a nuisance, especially in the night time," the BBMP's counsel told the High Court. The complaints made by these residents eventually led to the demolition of migrant settlements behind Mantri Espana apartment. The BBMP has sent Narayan Swamy back to his parent department - Public Works Department - and recommended that he should be suspended. Police officials from Marathahalli police station were present at the site of the demolition until it was called off on January 19. However, a police notice sent to a landowner on January 11 stated that the sheds constructed behind Mantri Espana apartment in Bellandur are illegal and that Bangladeshi immigrants were illegally settled there.  Residents in a migrant settlement in Kundalahalli near Marathahalli  were also evicted on the day demolitions were carried out in Bellandur. Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka asked the BBMP to file its statement of objections by Saturday. The High Court also asked the state government to clarify its stance on the demolitions. The counsel appearing for the state government said that an enquiry is underway. The case will be heard again on Monday.  Since the demolition, Bengaluru police have arrested three people living in a migrant settlement near Whitefield stating that they are illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Read: Migrant workers in Bengaluru live in fear as police search for Bangladeshi immigrants           

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Kannada reporter-poet booked for ‘breach of peace’ for his anti-CAA poetry

CAA

Siraj Bisaralli has sought anticipatory bail even as the local BJP workers have filed a complaint against him.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Siraj Bisaralli, in a Facebook post

Siraj Bisaralli, a poet with many Kannada poetry books to his name, has been booked for reciting his poem “Ninna Dakhale Yaavaga Needuttee?” (When will you give your documents?) at the Anegundi Utsava that was held in Koppal recently. The Koppala unit of BJP took notice of the poem recited at the festival after they saw that it was shared widely on the internet, and went to the police, according to The Hindu. The complainants alleged that the poem insulted PM Narendra Modi.  Siraj is also a reporter for Koppala with the Kannada news channel PrajaaTV, as confirmed by Ravi Ganiga, MD of PrajaaTV. The Gangavathi Rural police in Koppala district have filed an FIR against the poet, and against Rajabaxi HV, the editor of Kannadanet.com, who shared the poem on the internet. The FIR has been filed under IPC sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505(2) (Statements conducive to public mischief). Siraj told TOI that he has never faced such problems, despite authoring two anthologies of his poetry, and was seeking anticipatory bail as he could get arrested any moment. The Anegundi Utsava is a local cultural festival celebrated in the village of Anegundi in Koppal. It was organised on January 9, after a gap of five years, according to media reports. The festival was organised with funds from the state exchequer amounting to Rs 1 crore, along with Rs 1.10 crore CSR funding from various corporate organisations. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yediyurappa, along with Deputy CM Laxman Savidi and Karnataka Cultural Affairs Minister CT Ravi, according to newspaper Kannada Prabha. This case comes amidst several crackdowns on protests and cultural activities that criticise the controversial CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and the proposed nationwide NRC (National Register of Citizens). On January 26, the police in Bidar district booked a sedition case against a school and its management for a play performed by children. The play reportedly had a line against PM Modi – a line in the play reportedly said those who ask for documents for NRC should be beaten with slippers.  Read: School in Karnataka's Bidar booked for sedition over children’s play on CAA-NRC On January 9, the Mysuru police booked a case of sedition against Nalini, a former student of Mysuru University for holding a poster which said “Free Kashmir”. At the time, she gave a statement as to why she held the poster. “I wanted to remember and remind people that coming out to the streets to protest against the unconstitutional CAA, NRC, NPR is a privilege we have. We have been able to amplify our voices against it, while the valley has been in darkness unable to voice out their dissent. This is all I meant by ‘Free Kashmir’. Nothing more, nothing less. None of the student bodies of the University of Mysore are responsible for the placard.” Read: Sedition charges filed against protester at Mysuru University for ‘Free Kashmir’ poster

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Bengaluru civic body to rename Tipu Sultan circle, Congress corporators protest

Controversy

On Tuesday, a meeting was held, where Mayor Goutham Kumar made a decision to remove Tipu Sultan’s name from the junction.

TNM Staff

From banning state-sponsored Tipu Jayanti celebrations, to wanting the chapter on Tipu Sultan removed from school textbooks, the BJP government in Karnataka has courted many controversies surrounding Tipu. Now, Bengaluru’s civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s council has decided to rename Tipu Sultan Circle in the city. On Tuesday, a special meeting was held, where Mayor Goutham Kumar made a decision to remove Tipu Sultan’s name from the junction. An order was issued for the same, and this was done without discussion in the council. Back in 2018, then Congress leader in the BBMP Council, M Shivaraju had proposed renaming Bellahalli junction to Tipu Sultan Circle in Jakkur. The decision was seconded by Congress corporator RS Satyanarayana. The proposal was also supported by BJP corporator from Yediyur NR Ramesh. At the time, the BBMP Council had unanimously passed the decision to rename the junction as Tipu Sultan Circle. The council members had floated the proposal after consulting with the residents of Bellahalli. However, the decision was overturned in Tuesday’s meeting. Angered by the turn of events, the Congress leaders in the BBMP Council raised objections to the decision, stating that no consultation was done and that the matter was not put to vote in the council before the decision was made by Mayor Goutham. “Naming the circle after Tipu Sultan had been, in fact, first proposed by BJP council member NR Ramesh. Why is the BJP going back on its own actions? The mayor cannot take suo motu decisions without floating the matter in the council,” said Leader of Opposition in the BBMP Council Abdul Wajid. Congress corporators accused the ruling party of flouting laws. Quoting the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, Wajid said that such decisions cannot be made by the mayor without obtaining the vote of two-thirds of the council members. Speaking to TNM, Mayor Goutham said that it was an error that the issue was not discussed in the council. He added that he had only deferred the issue, and asked the BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar to look into the legality of the issue. “We have only decided to not go ahead with changing the name. We will discuss it further in the council,” he said. BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar said that the matter has been sent to the Palike’s legal team, after which a final decision will be made. “Let them put the matter to vote, we don’t want the junction to be named after Tipu Sultan. Once legalities are sorted out, we will proceed with the matter,” BBMP Leader of the ruling party in the council, Padmanabha Reddy said.     

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Karnataka govt withdraws security cover given to former Cong-JD(S) ministers

Politics

Senior MLAs like RV Deshpande and Bandeppa Kashempur are on the list of those who have now lost their security cover.

TNM Staff

Representational Image

Six months after BS Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka for the fourth time, the security cover for 27 former ministers of the HD Kumaraswamy-led Congress-JD(S) coalition government was withdrawn on Thursday. The order issued on January 25 said other than ex-Deputy CM G Parameshwara, and former ministers HD Revanna, DK Shivakumar, KJ George and MB Patil, all former ministers will lose their security cover. Even senior MLAs who were ministers like RV Deshpande and Bandeppa Kashempur have lost their security cover. Last time when Yediyurappa had become CM only for two days in 2018, post the fractured mandate in the Assembly elections, he had withdrawn state security for the Congress MLAs stationed in the Eagleton resort just hours after taking oath. Recently the Union government had withdrawn central security for high profile political leaders including Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and DMK president MK Stalin in a controversial decision.  Meanwhile, CM Yeddyurappa is on his way to the national capital to meet BJP working president JP Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah to finalise the decision on the much-delayed Cabinet expansion in the state. Speaking on the same on Wednesday, the CM said, “I will go to New Delhi tomorrow (Thursday) and meet with the national leaders and discuss the issue of Cabinet expansion.” Yediyurappa had earlier set a deadline of January 15 to speak with the high command and announce the names of the new ministers, and yet he seems unable to form a decision without offending crucial figures within the BJP. The CM has to balance the promise of ministerial berths, made to former Congress and JD(S) MLAs who won byepolls and cemented his position as CM, and also meet demands of long term BJP loyalists. For this process, one or two sitting senior ministers are also likely to lose their portfolios, according to sources. 

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U.S. life expectancy increases for first time in 4 years

Fatal drug overdoses dropped in 2018 for the first time in nearly 30 years, and cancer-related deaths also declined

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Bengaluru man who kidnapped boy outside school arrested hours after making ransom call

Crime

The kidnapped allegedly knew that the boy was picked up from school every day around 4 pm.

TNM Staff

Police in Bengaluru arrested a 21-year-old man on Tuesday for allegedly kidnapping an 11-year-old boy. According to police, he had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from the boy's parents and was inspired by a Hindi crime TV series, reported Deccan Herald. The police identified the accused as Chirag R Mehta, who was a resident of Basavanagudi’s Bull Temple Road.   According to reports, a joint team of Cottonpet and Chamrajpet Police Station were able to nab the accused within just five hours of him making the ransom call. Police said that he had committed the crime as he wanted to make some money quickly to fund his betting and gambling habit, according to The Times of India. Reports said Chirag knew that the boy was usually picked up by an employee of his father, who is a businessman, around 4 pm from his school. He made sure that on Tuesday, he reached the school around 3 pm and met the boy. The accused allegedly convinced the child that he was his father’s friend and took him pillion on a rented bike.  Meanwhile, the boy’s mother was informed by the man who usually picks him up from school that somebody else had taken the boy. After speaking to the child, Chirag acquired the phone number of the boy’s father and allegedly made the ransom call, with a warning not to approach the police. The ransom call came when the boy’s father was already on his way to the police station. Without paying any heed to the warning, the businessman approached Cottonpet police who, in turn, formed teams to identify the accused. The Cottonpet Police inspector-led team started going through CCTV footage of the school area, while the team led by the Chamrajpet Inspector started tracking the location of the caller. Soon the police were able to track the accused’s location to a hotel on St Mark’s Road near Lavelle Road. Upon reaching the location, police found the boy alone at the Traffic Police Park. The boy led him to the accused, who had tried to flee the police.

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2% cess on property tax: Bengaluru Mayor defers decision a day after passing resolution

Civic

The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the BBMP council’s proceedings on Wednesday.

TNM Staff

In what comes as a temporary relief to property owners in the city, Bengaluru Mayor M Goutham Kumar on Wednesday deferred the decision to impose an additional  2% ‘road transport cess’ on property tax following protests. A final decision on the cess would be taken after detailed deliberations, he said on the floor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council.  The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the council’s proceedings over the Mayor's decision to unilaterally pass the resolution without discussing it with other members of the council. Residents in the city criticised the proposal and said it would be a burden to those who already pay their taxes properly.  TNM had earlier reported that the cess has to be approved by the Urban Development Department of the state government after BBMP council approval. The BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the council and is also in power in the state. The cess, which was earlier proposed by the Congress-JD(S)-led council as well, was planned to be used for road, street and drain maintenance with the Mayor pegging the cess amount to be around Rs 150 crore for the entire city.  However, in the last two years, after the Congress mayors had proposed it, the opposition had come from BJP corporators. Tuesday’s decision to impose the new cess was not well received by the residents either who targeted the BBMP over its failure to collect the existing property tax itself and for imposing additional burden.  Over the last four fiscal years, BBMP has failed to meet even 90% of its property tax collection target, with the FY 2016-17 being the most successful with 86% collection. In the last two years, the BBMP has managed to collect only around 82% of its target for property tax. Even this year, with just two months to go for the financial year to end, BBMP has collected only Rs 2425.3 crore (up till January 15) out of the targeted amount of Rs 3,500 crore. In what comes as a temporary relief to property owners in the city, Bengaluru Mayor M Goutham Kumar on Wednesday deferred the decision to impose an additional  2% ‘road transport cess’ on property tax following protests.  A final decision on the cess would be taken after detailed deliberations, he said on the floor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council.  The decision to defer the move came in light of protests by opposition corporators— mainly the Congress and JD(S) who threatened to stall the council’s proceedings over the Mayor's decision to unilaterally pass the resolution without discussing it with other members of the council. Residents in the city criticised the proposal and said it would be a burden to those who already pay their taxes properly.  TNM had earlier reported that the cess has to be approved by the Urban Development Department of the state government after BBMP council approval. The BJP enjoys a comfortable majority in the council and is also in power in the state. The cess, which was earlier proposed by the Congress-JD(S)-led council as well, was planned to be used for road, street and drain maintenance with the Mayor pegging the cess amount to be around Rs 150 crore for the entire city.  However, in the last two years, after the Congress mayors had proposed it, the opposition had come from BJP corporators. Tuesday’s decision to impose the new cess was not well received by the residents either who targeted the BBMP over its failure to collect the existing property tax itself and for imposing additional burden.  Over the last four fiscal years, BBMP has failed to meet even 90% of its property tax collection target, with the FY 2016-17 being the most successful with 86% collection. In the last two years, the BBMP has managed to collect only around 82% of its target for property tax. Even this year, with just two months to go for the financial year to end, BBMP has collected only Rs 2425.3 crore (up till January 15) out of the targeted amount of Rs 3,500 crore.

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‘Block grants’ no more: Trump's Medicaid overhaul has new name, same goals

New details on the forthcoming plan show the Trump administration is also trying to protect the policy in the courts.

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AH Vishwanath, rebel who lost bye-election, seeks Karnataka ministerial position

Politics

While 12 BJP candidates won in the December bye-election, Vishwanath was among the rebel leaders who were defeated.

TNM Staff

AH Vishwanath, who was defeated in the bye-election from the Hunasuru Assembly constituency, appealed to the state BJP leadership to make him a Minister when the cabinet expansion takes place. The expansion of the Karnataka cabinet is expected to be announced after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's visit to New Delhi on January 30. Speaking to reporters, Vishwanath said, "Yediyurappa had told me not to contest bye-elections. But I had to try to retain my constituency. Winning and losing is a part of elections. I am asking them to make me a minister."  "I am asking them to make me a minister. I am not asking them to make me the Deputy Chief Minister. Those who have lost have been made Deputy Chief Minister. Who is (Laxman) Savadi? When someone like Savadi who lost has been made Deputy Chief Minister, why are you denying me? I cannot be denied and I have suffered a loss because of you people (BJP)," Vishwanath said. He further added that the BJP should keep its promise made to rebel leaders who paved the way for the party to take power from the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in Karnataka. "Because of my seniority, experience and sacrifice I must be given a chance. Just because I lost, I should not be denied the opportunity. It is not about winning or losing but about keeping promises," he added.  The former JD(S) leader had earlier revealed that he planned to write a book about ‘Operation Kamala’ - a moniker for the Karnataka BJP’s plan of poaching leaders from the ruling party to bring down the government in a bid to clinch power. Vishwanath, who was earlier in the JD(S), resigned as the MLA of Hunasuru constituency and jumped ship to the BJP in 2019. Vishwanath had told TNM that BJP MP V Srinivas Prasad approached him with an offer of leaving the JD(S) and joining the BJP. While 12 BJP candidates won the bye-elections to 15 constituencies in December, Vishwanath, Saravana and MTB Nagaraj were among the rebel leaders who were defeated.    Currently there are 18 Ministers, including the Chief Minister in the cabinet that has a sanctioned strength of 34. Sixteen positions in the cabinet are vacant. In all, 17 leaders from the Congress and JD(S) jumped ship and helped the BJP form the state government in Karnataka.

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Trouble in Karnataka BJP: Belagavi MLAs skip program with CM Yediyurappa

Politics

The decision to skip the event with the CM comes at a time when the Karnataka cabinet expansion is being discussed.

Theja Ram

Newly elected BJP MLAs from Karnataka’s Belagavi – Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumatahalli and Srimanth Patil seem to be distancing themselves from Chief Minister Yediyurappa. The three, who had rebelled against the Congress-JD(S) government, did not show up for the event where Yediyurappa inaugurated the Belagavi Smart City Limited’s integrated command and control centre on Wednesday. Their absence in addition to Yediyurappa’s close aide, Umesh Katti’s late arrival to the event has raised several eyebrows. Sources close to Ramesh Jarkiholi say that the three MLAs were expected to travel from Bengaluru to Belagavi along with the CM but they refrained from doing so in order to show their dissatisfaction with the BJP leaders, who are trying to curb them from becoming ministers. When Yediyurappa was asked what he is planning to do to pacify the leaders from Belagavi, he said, “I will go to New Delhi tomorrow (Thursday) and meet with the national leaders and discuss the issue of cabinet expansion. All those who won the bye-polls from Belagavi will be made ministers. Even Umesh Katti (MLA from Hukkeri who was kept out of the cabinet) will be made a minister,” Yediyurappa said. The Karnataka cabinet expansion has put Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in a rather awkward fix. Yediyurappa, who had promised to induct all 11 rebels, who won the bye-polls, into the cabinet is now facing their ire. This, after the high command suggested that only six to seven of the rebels be given ministerial berths instead of all 11. The fallout: MLAs from Belagavi – Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumatahalli and Srimanth Patil are distancing themselves from Yediyurappa. “Initially all (former rebels) were together and demanding that they all get ministerial berths. Once the infighting began, they began lobbying only for themselves. It is only leaders from Belagavi who are trying to stick together and show that their support is crucial for the BJP as they even managed to ensure that other BJP MLAs Anand (Saundatti), Mahadevappa Yedawad (Ramdurg) and Balachandra Jarkiholi (Arabhavi) did not attend the function today (Wednesday),” the BJP source added.   On Tuesday, speculation was rife that the BJP’s national leaders were opposed to appointing all 11 newly elected MLAs as ministers, especially all those who won from Belagavi and Bengaluru districts. This is a bitter pill for them to swallow as they resigned from their posts as MLAs, were cooped up at a hotel in Mumbai, faced the censure of their constituents, all for achieving one goal – to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition. The 17 rebels had in July 2019 resigned on the promise from the BJP that they would be made ministers if they won the bye-polls. Although this seemed like a done deal in the past, pressure began building within the BJP as many party loyalists demanded that they be rewarded with ministerial berths as well. In order to quell the discontent, the high command has proposed that six or seven of the 11 rebels, who won, be given ministries. On Tuesday, Jarkiholi and two other leaders from Belagavi met Yediyurappa and expressed their dissatisfaction. Yediyurappa, sources said, is hoping to convince the high command that the new MLAs be accommodated by openly making proclamations that all will be made ministers. 

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Coronavirus outbreak: IndiGo suspends flights on Delhi-Chengdu, Bengaluru-Hong Kong routes

Coronavirus

Indigo said it will continue to operate the Kolkata-Guangzhou flight which it is "monitoring on a daily basis".

PTI

Representational image

 IndiGo airlines said on Wednesday that due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, it has decided to suspend its flights on the Bengaluru-Hong Kong route from February 1 and on the Delhi-Chengdu route from February 1 to 20. The low-cost carrier said for now, it will continue to operate the Kolkata-Guangzhou flight which it is "monitoring on a daily basis". "And for our operating crew, we are ensuring that they return to India on the inbound flights without any layover in China," the airline said in a statement. Moreover, according to a source, India's largest airline has also told its crew members who are working on flights connecting India with East Asian countries like Thailand and Singapore to wear N95 masks at all times when they are on ground. "However, these crew members have been asked not to wear the mask when they are flying. They have also been told to avoid public places, meat from unverified sources and uncooked meat in East Asian cities. They have also been told to wash their hands frequently," the source added. According to an Air India official, all crew members working on flights between India and South East Asia have been asked to wear N95 masks. In India, many people are under observation in hospitals for suspected coronavirus infection including in Maharashtra, Goa, Odisha and the national capital. People returning to the country after visiting China are being regularly screened for the deadly virus at airports across the country. Novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from common cold to acute respiratory syndromes. The virus, which has killed 132 people and affected at least 6,000 others in China, is a novel strain not seen before. In its statement, IndiGo said on Wednesday, "After carefully assessing the current coronavirus situation in China, IndiGo is taking some safety measures for its customers, crew and staff. Due to China travel restrictions, we have seen a high number of cancellations from China on our Delhi-Chengdu route and vice versa." "Therefore, we are suspending our flights between Delhi and Chengdu from February 1 until February 20. We are also suspending our Bengaluru- Hong Kong flight effective February 1," it added. The low-cost carrier stated that these are purely temporary and precautionary measures. "We understand that these measures will cause inconvenience to our customers and we will be refunding the full amount to the impacted passengers," it clarified. IndiGo added that it is in "close touch" with the "relevant government authorities" and "we thank them and our partners in China for all the help and support that they have extended so far". Air India has kept a 423-seater jumbo plane ready in Mumbai to airlift Indian citizens from Wuhan city in China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Wuhan is the capital of China's Hubei province. As India started the preparations to evacuate over 250 Indians, mostly students, stuck in the Hubei province, its embassy in Beijing said these nationals will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on their return.

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'Thurthu Nirgamana': Director and cast on what makes this Kannada fantasy film unique

Sandalwood

What would you do if you were given a chance to go back three days in time after your death? That's the subject of the film.

Ikyatha Yerasala

What would you do if you were given a chance to go back three days in time after your death? Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Hemanth Kumar’s solo debut directorial Thurthu Nirgamana explores this fascinating subject with actor Sunil Raoh in the lead. The unconventional yet mainstream Kannada film, which will see Sunil grace the big screen after 10 years, also stars Raj B Shetty, Samyuktha Hegde, Sudha Rani, Achyutha Kumar and Hitha Chandrashekar. Talking about how Thurthu Nirgamana was born, Hemanth Kumar, who had earlier co-directed Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu with Hemanth Rao, says, “The movie portrays what one could do when they get back to the last three days of their life. How do you get this chance, what would you do and what’s the meaning of these three days – these are the metaphors in this film. It’s been narrated in a simple way without getting preachy. It mocks life and death in certain places and suggests that one shouldn’t take life too seriously. The concept was born through my personal experiences.” Hemanth Kumar The project, produced by Kumar and Kumar films and Shylaja Pictures, has visual effects that cinema buffs should watch out for.  “When writing it, I didn’t think of it as a ‘VFX’ film, but the VFX is one of the highlights of this movie. When you watch it, you will feel like this can happen to you. There’s surreal stuff in the film and the special effects are such that they should be watched only on the big screen! Technically, it’s been quite a learning experience, as we didn’t have a reference point,” reveals Hemanth, who had initially picked another actor before Sunil Raoh. “When I watched the Loose Connection teaser, I wanted to hire him. It was a hard decision as I’d already confirmed another actor, but thankfully, he was good enough to let go of it. I spoke to Sunil who jumped into it,” shares the filmmaker. For Sunil, who’s back to Kannada cinema after a decade, Thurthu was the perfect comeback choice. “The concept is whacky as revealed in the teaser. On one hand, you have my character Vikram, who’s very laidback and doesn’t value time and life, but these three days make him realise the value of time.  His interpersonal relationships, how he realises the importance of these things, his interactions with his mum and sister etc., are some things that appealed to me and will definitely interest the audiences too,” says the actor, who wanted to pick something really out-of-the-box for his comeback. Sunil Raoh As for his director Hemanth, he says, “I was impressed by his clarity and confidence. He’s surprisingly composed for a first-timer and is quite sure-footed. He has a good team that knows its craft well. He’s open to new things and to different ways of thinking.” For actor Samyuktha Hegde, who plays an 18-year-old college student in the flick, the idea of the film was fascinating. And the fact that she got to play yet another character similar to her personality was a plus point for the outspoken artiste. “I love the fact that they’re experimenting with a new genre. My character is really cool, just like myself and loves playing cricket! She’s similar to Arya in Kirik Party. She’s a fun-loving girl who makes sure people are seen and heard,” says the actor, who praises her director for earnestly putting in great effort into the film. Samyuktha Hegde Ask them why the audiences should watch Thurthu Nirgamana and the film’s lead actor instantly replies, “Sunil Raoh! Also, apart from what’s shown in the teaser, there’s so much more in the film in terms of technical stuff and hitting the right notes at the emotional and intellectual level. It’s a neatly made film which has content and entertainment. We’ve also tried things that are quite new to our industry. And the cast is so versatile – from Sudha Rani to Achyutha Kumar playing never-seen-before roles. Raj Shetty will be seen in a totally different avatar too. There’s also some zing factor in terms of visuals and we’ve tried some novel things as well.” Thurthu Nirgamana aka Emergency Exit hits theatres at the end of February.

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Bengaluru wants to impose 2% cess on property tax to increase revenue, residents miffed

Taxes

This proposal has been passed by the BBMP council and now waits for a nod from the Urban Development Department.

Soumya Chatterjee

The Bengaluru civic body on Tuesday passed a resolution to impose a 2% ‘road transport cess’ on property tax. The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) council currently led by Mayor M Goutham Kumar passed the resolution on Tuesday – and while the move still has to be approved by the Urban Development Department of the state government, it is likely that the approval will be given, since both the government and the BBMP council are led by the same party – the BJP.  The cess is planned to be used for road, street and drain maintenance, officials said. A sum of Rs 150 crore is expected to be collected through this, as the BBMP has been facing the heat in the High Court over pothole ridden roads and related accidents. However, residents in the city are miffed with the proposal and say this is effectively punishing those who pay their taxes properly.  This 2% additional cess has been proposed by two previous Mayors too, but was opposed by BJP corporators in the council who were in a majority. A proposal to hike the property tax itself – of residential properties by 20% and that of commercial buildings by 25% – mooted by the then Congress mayor in June 2019, had also failed to get passed by the Council. But sources said with both the government and the BBMP council led by the same party, these deliberations were worked on beforehand and the state government's assent for the same is now only a matter of formality. While BBMP officials say that this financial boost is necessary for the upkeep of road infrastructure, civic activists say BBMP should be looking to improve tax compliance instead of increasing taxes.  “This is a big joke,” said Srikanth Narshiman, co-founder of Bengaluru Nava Nirmana Party, a recently formed party that plants to contest the upcoming civic polls in the city. “First they haven’t been able to collect property tax from all the properties that exist. This move is like making those who actually pay tax, pay more and more. What about the people who are not paying the property tax at all?” he asked. “Let us not even expect 100% collection, they can at least collect 90%,” he added. BBMP currently sees a property tax compliance rate of a little over 80%.   “Secondly, BBMP accounts are not internally-audited on time and there is no transparency in ward wise spendings. So when there is a basic lack of accountability, how can they think of adding on tax?” Srikanth asked.  Tara Krishnaswamy, co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru, (CfB) called this an attempt by the BBMP to shore up its revenue despite its inefficiency in collection of taxes and money management. “Every year, they spend only about half of what they budget for,” she said. But she said a major part of the BBMP’s financial problem still is not a result of the BBMP’s wrongdoing. “For example whatever revenue is collected in Bengaluru, there should be some proportion of what goes back to Bengaluru. The State Finance Commission has not published a formula on how funds are devolved unlike the Central FInance Commission. What is worse is that you don't know how much money each ward will get and it entirely depends on whether the ward is run by a ruling party corporator or not,” Tara said. “So it is safe to say Bengaluru generates 80% of the state’s revenue but in turn does not get even 10% of it back. So if the state budget is Rs 2 lakh crore, then Bengaluru should get Rs 20,000 crore, but the budget is only around half of it. So the issue of fund shortage in BBMP is a genuine issue,” she explained.  Tara however objected to property owners being made to pay the cess for road transport; she instead suggested that a cess should be collected on vehicle usage like in Punjab, where a road cess is collected for fuel.  Srinivas Alavilli, also a co-founder of CfB concurred saying, “As long as BBMP does not get its own funds from the state government by the way of allocations from state finance commission all these cess won’t do justice to city finances. I think property tax is too low and further their collection rate is abysmally low. Fix that first before any of this.” He added, “If the cess is used for making public transport free, then I will welcome it.” Incidentally over the last four fiscals, BBMP had failed to meet even 90% of its property tax collection target with the FY 2016-17 being the most successful with 86% collection. In the last two fiscals, the Palike has managed to collect only around 82% of its target for property tax. Even this year with just two months to go for the FY to end, BBMP has collected only Rs 2425.3 crore (till January 15) out of target of Rs 3,500 crore. TNM could not reach Ramanna Reddy, the Additional Chief Secretary heading the UDD, for a comment.

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Study confirms what Bengaluru always knew: City has world's worst traffic congestion

Traffic

A report which looks at traffic data from 416 cities in 57 countries named Bengaluru as the number one city for the worst traffic in the world.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Ten days and 3 hours — if you live in Bengaluru, that’s how much time you probably spent in rush hour traffic in a year, according to a new report by Tomtom traffic index. In that time, you could have knitted 61 hats and 11 sweaters, watched 215 episodes of Game of Thrones and completed 49 500-piece jigsaw puzzles.  Bengaluru’s traffic has put the city on the global map, becoming the number one city for the worst traffic congestion. According to a report by Tomtom traffic index, which looks at traffic data from 416 cities in 57 countries around the world, Bengaluru had 71% traffic congestion last year. Comparatively, Mumbai had 65% congestion, Pune had 59% congestion, and Delhi is at 56%: an improvement of 2 percentage points from the previous year. Bengaluru’s traffic is a constant headache for its motorists and residents, with social media becoming an outlet for jokes to cope. The traffic in the city has even previously foiled a terrorist attack. The report noted that Bengaluru’s worst traffic day was August 20, 2019 and its best day was April 6 of the same year. From a weekly perspective, Fridays between 7 pm and 8 pm are the worst for rush hour traffic, with congestion reaching 100 to 120%.  The second most traffic congested city in the world is Manila, in the Philippines. The remaining top five include Bogotá in Colombia, Mumbai, and Pune. While Manila also has 71% congestion, Bengaluru was higher on the list because of its 107% daily congestion, beating out Manila by a slight margin. Citizens and activists from Bengaluru have been demanding better public transportation in the city to combat the chronic traffic troubles in the city. The buses in the city from BMTC hardly caters to the needs of the population in Bengaluru, estimated at 12.9 million people, with only around 6,500 buses in operation. The Karnataka government has announced that they plan to add another 6,000 buses to the bus fleet in a phased manner. Read: Bengaluru set to add 6,000 buses in phased manner, will double fleet Only recently did the Karnataka government announce that the city would have a suburban railways system, after an extended citizens’ campaign for it, “Chuku Buku Beku”. The proposed project will have 81 stations to connect the city through the already existing railway lines in the city. Read: K'taka govt approves suburban rail project for Bengaluru, will have 81 stations The Bengaluru metro is also being constructed and expanded across the city, which is expected to bring down the traffic in the city considerably. However, the metro has consistently missed deadlines to complete the projects in the city, making the affair more expensive and adding to the congestion in the city, even as many major roads are affected by metro construction activities. Bengaluru currently has two metro lines, at a total reach of 42 kms, along with 40 stations. Meanwhile, the metro authority in the city, BMRCL, put out a proposed master plan recently, which includes the controversial elevated corridor project. Experts and activists have repeatedly pointed out that building more flyovers only increases the traffic rather than reduce it, because of ‘induced demand’; which is a phenomenon where private vehicular traffic only increases due to the existence of infrastructure to support it. Read: Bengaluru Comprehensive Mobility Plan a 'backdoor’ to elevated corridor?  

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