Food in Bengaluru’s Indira Canteens ‘unfit for consumption’, lab tests reveal

Politics

Samples of bisibelebath, sambar and rice from four Indira Canteens tested by two laboratories were found to be unfit for consumption

TNM Staff

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The standard of food served in Karnataka’s Indira Canteens has come into question once again after a BJP councillor alleged that the food was poisonous. Umesh Shetty, the corporator from Govindarajanagar (Ward 104) in Bengaluru, got the food tested by sending samples to the Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory and to the government-run Public Health Institute. He claimed the food was ‘poisonous’ after the results suggested that it contained high levels of bacteria. The food samples were collected from the Indira Canteens at Byatarayanapura, JP Nagar, Jayanagar and Nagapura wards on 20 February. The lab report found that the bisibelebath was bacteria ridden and concluded that the sample was unfit for human consumption. The report also found that the microbiological quality of the sambar and rice samples was “not within satisfactory limits”. The report, however, did not find the presence of any other pathogenic organisms. Indira Canteen is a food subsidisation programme run by the Karnataka government. It was initiated by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and carried forward by the coalition government that came to power last year. Speaking to TNM, Umesh Shetty said that he decided to test the food after receiving complaints about pourakarmikas suffering from stomach ache after consuming food from the canteens. “We heard about pourakarmikas suffering from stomach upset, diarrhoea due to eating Indira Canteen food and decided to get food samples tested,” he said. Reacting to the report, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara ordered the BBMP to conduct further quality tests on food samples and take action on any erring contractors. The BBMP had recently conducted tests on food samples and not found any poisonous or pathogenic contents in the food. However, the samples will now be tested in 12 labs accredited by the National Accreditation Board and approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to clear up any confusion over the quality of the food samples. While many have praised the setting up of Indira Canteens across the state to provide subsidised food, there have been previous occasions when the quality of the food and the administration of the canteens have been called into question by BJP leaders. Read: ‘How can Indira canteens have 1 lakh visitors during bandh?’ BJP leader alleges ‘scam’  

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44-yr-old man in Bengaluru arrested for stalking, flashing 21-yr-old techie

Crime

Police say that the woman was being stalked by Veeraiah for a month.

TNM Staff

A chilling case of stalking has come to light in Bengaluru after a 44-year-old man was arrested by the Puttenahalli police on March 16 following a complaint filed by a 21-year-old techie. Veeraiah was arrested after the woman accused him of stalking and flashing her on the road. He has been remanded to judicial custody and is currently out on bail. Maanya*, a techie residing near Puttenahalli, would take her dog for a walk every day between 6 and 7 am. On February 15, Maanya first encountered a middle-aged man on Jaraganahalli Road in JP Nagar. The man allegedly began following her when she walked past him. Maanya, who did not pay much heed to it initially, got scared when he began singing songs to her. “The woman told us that after the first day, she did not expect him to appear again the next day as well. But the man would appear every single day since February 15 and he would follow her and sing to her,” said Chandrashekar, the court constable at Puttenahalli police station. Maanya was allegedly apprehensive of telling her parents about Veeraiah. “She thought that he would stop it if she went at different times. Veeraiah runs a business of making and selling incense sticks. He would come to the area and wait for an hour sometimes for her on the pretext of delivering incense sticks to customers,” the Puttenhalli police said. On March 15, when Maanya was taking her dog for a walk at around 6.30 am, Veeraiah appeared once again. He began following her but this time, he got close to Maanya and allegedly flashed her. Maanya ran back home and informed her parents about the incident and she finally approached the Puttenahalli police. In order to nab Veeraiah, the police dressed up in civilian clothes and waited for him. When Maanya began walking along Jaraganahalli Road, Veeraiah allegedly approached her once again. “We arrested him on the spot and took him into custody. He was remanded to judicial custody the same day,” the police added. Veeraiah has been booked under sections 354D (stalking), 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). Puttenahalli police say that although they made the arrest, the case has now been transferred to the jurisdictional Kumaraswamy Layout police, who will investigate the matter and file a chargesheet.    

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A year after Bengaluru man’s death, wife and her lover arrested for murder

Crime

The post-mortem report had recently confirmed that Umashankar had died due to asphyxiation.

TNM Staff

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Bengaluru police have arrested a 30-year-old woman and her alleged lover for the murder of her husband. The accused, Sukhita, a garment factory worker, was married to 35-year-old Umashankar ten years ago. Sukhita was allegedly in an affair with her neighbour, Srinivas, a school van driver for the past two years. On February 25 last year, Umashankar had reportedly caught Sukhita and Srinivas in a ‘compromising position’ following which the duo strangulated Umashankar. Sukhita then allegedly tried to make it appear as though her husband had died due to excess alcohol consumption. Umashankar’s uncle was suspicious of his death and informed the police. The police sent the body for post-mortem, the reports of which returned recently and confirmed foul play. The forensic science laboratory (FSL) report confirmed that Umashankar had died due to asphyxiation, though the examination of his body by police did not reveal any marks. Over a year after the crime, the police sarrested Sukhita and Srinivas on Monday. “Assuming that the two had escaped from being accused, Srinivas boldly came home to be with Sukhita. After the pathology report indicated their involvement, we questioned Sukhita and during the interrogation she confessed to killing her husband after he caught her and Srinivas in a compromising position,” an officer investigating the case was reported to have said. Umashankar worked as a construction labourer. The couple had two children, a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. While the police had earlier registered a case of unnatural death, it was changed to a case of murder under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sukhita and Srinivas have been remanded to judicial custody.

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What Sandalwood stars Yash and Darshan's backing means for Sumalatha

Lok Sabha 2019

Sumalatha will contest as an independent from Mandya and will take on HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda.

TNM Staff

The air was thick with anticipation at Bengaluru's Radisson Blu Hotel ahead of Sumalatha Ambareesh's press meet. Around 12 noon on Monday, Sumalatha walked into the conference hall, flanked by Sandalwood stars Darshan and Yash. The presence of the two actors was an unspoken signal to those gathered and those watching -- that Sumalatha had all the moral support she needed to contest the upcoming elections. The support from the two immensely popular actors from Mandya and perhaps from others in the industry will be an added bonus for Sumalatha, who is up against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda, the Congress-JD(S) coalition’s candidate. “It is not just me and Darshan who are supporting her. The entire film industry is with her,” actor Yash said. Sumalatha herself has starred in more than 200 films in Malayala, Telugu and Kannada in the 1980s and 90s. Known for acting in several super hit films, Yash and Darshan have identified themselves as the mascots of Mandya. The two actors have on multiple occasions announced their pride in being born and brought up in the Mysuru region. They also have a huge fan following in the district and the show of strength only means that fans of Yash and Darshan would support Sumalatha. The two have fan clubs in the Mandya-Mysuru-Hassan region and Yash's popularity is at its peak after the stupendous success of his movie 'KGF'. "I have grown up in Ambareesh's house. Suma akka (referring to Sumalatha) is family to me. She has been with me through good times and bad ones. I know what it was like for her when she lost Ambareesh and I also saw her struggle. When she was thinking about contesting elections, I only asked her one thing. What do you want me to do and where do you want me to campaign? I only tell my fans one thing. If you believe in me, then you will believe in Suma akka. The entire film industry is with her and we will support her," actor Yash said. Actor Darshan, who identifies himself as a member of Ambareesh’s family, refers to Sumalatha as ‘amma’ (mother). The actor, who has been accused and arrested in a domestic violence case, has campaigned for Sumalatha’s late husband and legendary Sandalwood actor Ambareesh during many elections. Since the 1999 Parliamentary elections, when Ambareesh was chosen as the Congress candidate from Mandya, Darshan had worked alongside Ambareesh and also actively campaigned for him. “Film stars are always concerned about how they look as it is a huge deal when on screen. If Yash and I are saying we will handle the heat and campaign for her, we are telling the people that we believe in her vision. We believe that she wants to serve the people of Mandya. I have helped Ambareesh when he contested election four times – one Parliamentary election and three Assembly elections. Now, I am helping a person, who I consider as a mother to me. She should not ask for my help but in fact demand that I help her,” Darshan said.    

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‘I have people's support’: Sumalatha Ambareesh will contest as an independent

Lok Sabha 2019

Sandalwood actors Yash, Darshan and Sudeep have also offered to support Sumalatha.

Theja Ram

After weeks of speculation regarding her candidature, former Congress leader Ambareesh’s wife and actor Sumalatha finally announced on Monday that she would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate. Sumalatha, who was aspiring for a Congress ticket was denied one as the Congress-JD(S) alliance had allotted the ticket to a JD(S) candidate. With Chief Minister Kumaraswamy wanting his son Nikhil Gowda to contest from Mandya, Sumalatha was not chosen as the coalition’s candidate. Despite the rejection, Sumalatha toured Mandya for three weeks and held several rounds of talks with residents and local leaders. Her popularity even had the BJP request her to join the party. “The people of Mandya have assured me their support and local Congress party workers have also offered their support to me. Since I announced my candidature, I have been faced with a dilemma. There were two roads in front of me and I have decided to choose the difficult path. I am contesting as an independent candidate,” Sumalatha said addressing a press meet in Bengaluru. Sumalatha also announced that she would file her nomination on March 20 at 10 am in Mandya. At around 12 pm, Sumalatha arrived at the Raddison Blu hotel in Bengaluru with popular Sandalwood stars – Yash and Darshan- by her side. “Four months ago, the very moment that I never wanted to see in my life, came looking for me (referring to Ambareesh’s death). I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I had my family and friends to support me but I was still grieving and somehow a little lost and I never believed I could recover. In such a dark period in my life, Ambareesh’s supporters were there for me. But they also wanted me to continue Ambareesh’s legacy and support them in return,” Sumalatha said as she began her heartfelt speech. Sumalatha also clarified that her meeting with BJP leader SM Krishna had nothing to do with her joining any political party but it was just to seek his blessings. Sumalatha also said that she was confident of obtaining support from workers cutting across party lines. “The only party I wanted a ticket to contest from was the Congress party and I had also approached Siddaramaiah. This was because Ambareesh was also a part of the Congress. They replied saying that they could not offer me a ticket since they cannot field a candidate from Mandya as it was to be given to the coalition partner JD(S). I expected the Congress to put up a fight. Not for me but for the party workers. There are thousands of party workers in Mandya today who are facing an identity crisis. They also want me to contest. They seem to believe that with this decision, the Congress will never ever come back to power in Mandya and they have sought my help,” she added. When asked whether she was confident of taking on Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son, Sumalatha said that she had the support of various groups cutting across party lines in Mandya. "The people of Mandya came to me and asked me to contest. I have the people's support and I also have the support of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (a leading farmer’s organisation). I am confident that the people will support me," Sumalatha added.   Sandalwood star Yash and Darshan, who have a huge fan following in Mandya also stated that they would support Sumalatha and also actively campaign for her in the days to come.   “Ambareesh and Sumalatha have always treated me like a family member and she always said that I was like her son. I believe that she has the acumen, the courage, poise and knowledge one needs to take such a huge step and come out victorious. I will campaign for her actively and I want to tell my fans one thing – if you trust me, then support Sumalatha,” Yash said. Sandalwood actor Darshan, who has been close to Ambareesh’s family added that he had worked for three legislative assembly elections and one Parliamentary election for Ambareesh and ensured his victory in the past and he was determined to work for Sumalatha. “Ambareesh always said I am his first son. When Amma (Sumalatha) decided to contest, I told her that I would work for her. I have done this for Ambareesh and I will do it again for her too,” Darshan said.    

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Bengalureans adopt half bucket challenge, other measures to tackle water shortage

Water

From water meters to aerators, Bengalurueans are exploring ways to deal with low water supply.

Soumya Sarkar

Representational Image

With summer in Bengaluru warmer than normal, and water supply affected due to power-related technical problems, residents especially those in the newer parts of the city have started adopting several measures to cope with the challenge. It has been widely reported how many parts of the city especially those along the IT corridor of the city like Bellandur, KR Puram and Marathahalli have been struggling with erratic Cauvery water supply. Read: Amid water crisis, residents of Bengaluru’s Bellandur struggle against the tanker mafia In one such initiative, the Bangalore Apartments' Federation which has a membership of two lakh residents who reside in 400 apartment complexes across the city had launched a Half Bucket Challenge, in a bid to ditch the shower. Speaking about this, Srikanth Narasimhan, General Secretary of BAF, said, “I have been taking bath with half a bucket of water for quite some time and it is pretty easy. It just takes a little bit of a mindset change and focus on conservation.” He added, “A lot of people including non-apartment residents have also taken the challenge up.” Other methods adopted by residents include monitoring water usage by installing water meters for individual water meters for each apartment and household. Odette Katrak, an activist and co-founder of Beautiful Bengaluru (BB), said, “We often think that the water crisis can only be solved by government intervention or by paying extra money to private water tankers. We as BB have been carrying out a daily messaging program through which we are trying to make everyone aware about their responsibility and how little changes can make a difference.” Many residents have started using reverse osmosis-based water purifiers to reuse water for bathing and mopping purposes. People are also installing tap aerators to curb water usage in their kitchen sink and basin tap. Rajesh DM, who runs a company, which produces these aerators said that there has been an increase in the sale of his products in the last few weeks. He explains, “With these installed in taps, in a minute only 3-4 litres of water is used compared to 9-12 litres of water and for the end-user, there is no difference in experience.” With the onset of water crisis right at the start of summer has also prompted many apartments to finally initiate rainwater harvesting and reuse their water treated in their in-situ sewage treatment plant. Residents are also rallying for limited use of washing machines and optimal usage of water for washing their cars. Sandeep Anirudhan, the member of the Coalition of Water Security, which has been advocating for restoring open wells and lake systems of Bengaluru, said this is a good start. “It's a good step, to generate awareness. This crisis should make people wonder where their water comes from and how those sources need to be conserved or even renewed,” he said. He added, "If we had the awareness long ago, we would have saved the 1800 lakes in Bengaluru, and we would still have water in our shallow wells, or community wells. We should have never had shifted to piped water from Cauvery, and instead taken care of our forests and watersheds, and ensured lakes were protected. Water literacy is the need of the hour."  

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Akshaya Patra ties up with Karnataka govt, to continue giving school mid-day meals

Mid-day Meals

There were complaints against the Akshaya Patra foundation that the children were not being given nutritious food

Dr. Nimeshika Jayachandran

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Putting an end to an argument that was raised earlier, the Karnataka state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF). In November, complaints were raised against TAPF, citing that children were not being given nutritious food. Furthermore, some activists alleged that lack of garlic and onions in the meals resulted in bland food which discouraged children from consuming the food. However setting aside these issues, the government seems to have come to an understanding with TAPF and has signed the MoU, reinstating the foundation’s credibility to provide midday meals to school children. “We had put forth an MoU last year, and that has now been accepted by the government. Akshaya Patra is committed to serving nutritious, tasty, hygiene food. This is the objective we have always held and will continue to do so. It is the message and mission that is extremely close to our hearts and we will continue at all costs to provide this service to the children,” TAPF representative Naveena Neerada Dasa told TNM. While the MoU was presented by the foundation to the government earlier, it has only now been accepted. The Food Commission had earlier raised a few concerns after the quality of the meals being served by Akshaya Patra came under scrutiny. Head of the Food Commission, N Krishnamurthy had stated to TNM earlier that, “Each child is supposed to be given 150 gm of food per day. But in many schools, especially in Ballari district, the quantity of food being given to the children was less than 150 gm per meal.” Another allegation that was raised was that the food was too bland for the children who didn’t eat it because it didn’t taste good. In some instances, the Commission allegedly found that the milk being served to the children was cold, spoilt and did not adhere to the Ksheera Bhagya scheme. Though the CEO of the Zilla Panchayat, Bangalore Urban refused to sign the MoU citing the above reasons, it has now been reported that the MoU will be reinstated. However, a conclusion has yet to be reached regarding the inclusion of garlic and onions in the midday meals.  

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