5 people including 4 siblings drown in a pond near Bengaluru

Accident

Four of them jumped into the pond to rescue one of the siblings after he slipped and fell in.

TNM Staff

Five persons, including four from the same family, died on Saturday afternoon after they drowned in a pond near a dargah in Dobbspet in Bengaluru Rural district.   The incident occurred when 14-year-old Usman Khan apparently slipped and fell into the pond, and his three siblings — Reshma (22), Yaarab Khan (21) and Mubbin Taj (21) — jumped in to rescue him. 49-year-old Muneer Khan, who was an autorickshaw driver, also died when he jumped in to save the four siblings. All five were residents of Hegdenagar near Thanisandra. According to the Dobbspet police, the four had gone to the dargah to offer their prayers, and were near the pond to have food.   The Hindu reported the police and fire and emergency services personnel were alerted by Shakeela, the mother of the deceased siblings. The five had come to the dargah as a planned weekend getaway.   “The group lived in Hegde Nagar on Thanisandra Main Road. After their prayers at the dargah around noon, they cooked food at the spot. Between noon and 12.30 p.m., Usman ventured near the pond, slipped and fell in. His brother Yaarab jumped into the water to save him, but he too was seen struggling to stay afloat. When they saw their brothers struggling in the water, Reshma and Mubeen Taj also jumped into the water. All four did not know how to swim. At this point, Muneer tried to rescue them, but in vain,” a police source told The Hindu. “The incident occurred at 12.30pm. Muneer Khan’s brother screamed for help but they could not be rescued as there were no people around. Later, villagers got to know about the incident and alerted the police. The rescue team of fire and emergency service was called in and all the five bodies were fished out with the help of local divers. The bodies were handed over to their families after post mortem,” a police official told The New Indian Express. Following the incident, Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police Ram Nivas Sepat visited the accident spot and asked the district administration to fence the pond and erect warning boards.              

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Infosys turns barren campus land into forest in Mangaluru

Enviornment

The campus is located about 20km from the city centre at Kamblapadavu in Bantwal local body near Pajeeru hamlet.

IANS

Global software major Infosys has transformed a barren land into forest in its 360-acre sprawling campus in Karnataka's port city Mangalluru on the west coast. "As part of our commitment to environment conservation for creating a better world for present and future, we have decided to make our campus to be intrinsically green," said a company spokesman in a video that depicts the metamorphosis of a dry land into a green forest. As safeguarding nature is a fundamental responsibility of everyone, the company decided to make its campus intrinsically green. "We believe whatever we strive to do has to be done with due respect to what surrounds us. When we built the campus over a decade ago, we promised to transform the vast land into a living rain forest". Through rainwater harvesting, the IT behemoth made water walk through the campus and not run out of it. The port city, about 350 km west of Bengaluru, receives about 80-100 inch rainfall every year during the south-west monsoon from June to September. "We planted native trees in high densities from an open exposed landscape and let nature take its own course. As a result, the campus has become a home amidst a forest, with trees that are so rare and wildlife that flourishes as in a pristine rain forest. The water the company has strived hard to preserve has returned to flow through the campus and goes even into the neighbourhood. The campus is located about 20km from the city centre at Kamblapadavu in Bantwal local body near Pajeeru hamlet.  

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Bengaluru police do precautionary security checks, comb malls and bus stops

Security

Bengaluru stepped up security in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka

Theja Ram

Image for representation

On Saturday, police officials in Bengaluru conducted security checks in public places as a precautionary safety measure. Police officers were sent to public areas including bus stops and malls in order to make sure that CCTV cameras, metal detectors and other screenings devices were working effectively. Speaking to TNM, Commissioner T Suneel Kumar stated that the measures taken on Saturday were just a part of routine safety checks. “We conducted the checks to make sure that all the CCTV cameras and safety devices were intact and working properly. Our officers checked public spots including bus stops. It was just a routine check,” he said. Following the deadly terror attacks in Sri Lanka, police officials in Bengaluru had issued a notice calling for increased security measures in public places including malls and places of religious worship. The terror attacks on Easter Sunday in Colombo killed more than 250 people including six children. Among the dead were 10 Indians including seven JD(S) functionaries from Tumakuru in Karnataka. In a meeting held by officials, places which saw a daily influx of more than 500 people were instructed to ensure that CCTV cameras were installed and functional. Security measures were also beefed up. The commissioner had said to TNM at the time, “This is a security meeting with the in-charges of all religious places for awareness creation. We want to brief them and tell them to be aware and advise them in light of the Sri Lanka attacks.”  

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How a Mangaluru professor is using geo-tagging, QR codes to help save trees from the axe

Environment

Dr Smitha Hegde, an expert in the study of ferns, has documented more than one thousand trees with her students so far.

Arza Safiya

A Mangaluru professor and her students are working towards documenting the trees and plants in the area in an effort to save the city’s greenery. The team, led by Dr Smitha Hegde, a scientist who studies ferns and a professor at the Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), has worked to geo-tag more than a thousand trees. From June 2018 to February 2019, Smitha and students who volunteered for the project, have been geo-tagging more than 1,200 trees, plus over 700 medicinal plants. “If you walk on the streets of Hampankatta or Falnir, you’ll notice very few trees. Most of the trees have been felled for road widening projects,” said Smitha. Plant saplings were not planned for either, she said, but planted randomly on either side of the road, only to be cut down to accommodate further road works. “Our town planners need to have a proper plan in place before carrying out saplings drive. It does not hold any good if you plant a sapling today and tomorrow you axe it for civic projects,” said Smitha. In February this year, Smitha launched the second phase of the project -- developing QR codes for the trees. The process is ongoing and more than 100 trees that have been geo-tagged have also been bar-coded so far. The students have documented important information about the trees -- its botanical name, the common name, its origin and its benefits. A well-regarded expert in her field, Smitha has been awarded the Professor SS Bir gold medal in Pteridology for her scientific work towards the advancement of science in the area of ferns. She has extensively worked on ferns of the Western Ghats region, particularly the Kudremukh National Park region. Besides, she has also undertaken a project on DNA fingerprinting of ferns of the region. Through her efforts, Smitha wants her students and others to be aware of the carbon released into the atmosphere. “Such projects sensitise them as they are directly involved with the plants and they maintain a bond while documenting them,” she said. And QR codes will help people immediately get to know each tree. “It is something like when you meet a person for the first time, you would ask his/her name. Isn’t that a way to build a bond?” asks Smitha. She now plans to have students from other institutions of the campus join the project. The novel initiative was launched to commemorate the International Day of Forest. The United Nations had declared this year’s International Day of Forests theme to be 'Forests and Education – Learn to Love the Forests.' Smitha has worked relentlessly on the conservation of trees. Earlier, she had earlier audited 1,904 trees on the campus besides geo-tagging them on the Google Earth. In a span of one year, she had also audited the plants and geo-tagged them at her former employer's campus at St Aloysius College. "The tree auditing has immensely helped in assessing the total carbon emission at Aloysius campus. Through the process, the amount of carbon corrected by a tree was calculated and compared it to the amount of carbon released by human beings. If the score was equal, the carbon emission would be null," she said. In due course, Smitha says she wants the policymakers to take cognisance of the importance and role of the tree and further intends to roll out a similar drive to conserve tree in the public sphere. “The need to educate the masses in this region is urgent and immediate,” she said. Content provided by http://bit.ly/2DX7vnh and Scribes Media Ventures LLP).

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Chased and assaulted by goons at night, victims of bonded labour rescued in Bengaluru

Bonded labour

A building contractor had allegedly harassed Jyothi and her family for years after lending them a sum of Rs 20,000.

Theja Ram

Image for representation

It was around 8 pm on Thursday night when Jyothi, a 32-year-old woman informed her children and sister that they had to pack their bags and flee from Bengaluru. Jyothi wanted her family to be free of bonded labour. While they were walking out of their home in a slum at HBR Layout in Bengaluru, a group of five men allegedly began chasing them. With her 7-day-old baby in hand, two other daughters in tow, Jyothi, her sister and brother-in-law ran for their lives. By the time they reached Shampura Road, the goons had allegedly caught up to them and allegedly began assaulting Jyothi and her family. Fortunately for Jyothi, the incident took place in front of social worker Habeebullah Khan’s office. When Habeebullah heard Jyothi’s cries for help, he rushed out and intervened. When Habeebullah informed the men that he would call the police, they allegedly fled the spot. Up on talking to Jyothi, Habeebullah realised that Jyothi and her family members were victims of bonded labour for the last seven years. Speaking to TNM, Jyothi says that she and her family arrived in Bengaluru seven years ago from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. “Jaysilla is a building contractor here and he promised us construction jobs. Initially, he had set up hutments for us in an empty site where were living and we were getting paid for the work we did,” Jyothi says. Jyothi’s hutment in HBR Layout was demolished by the BBMP seven years ago and Jaysilla had allegedly loaned the family Rs 20,000 to build a house in the HBR Layout slum. “He told us that we had to pay Rs 4,000 interest every month. We were basically not getting any salary as we were getting paid only Rs 100 per day. Somehow, with the help of our family, we managed to get Rs 20,000 but when we went to Jaysilla to return it two months ago, he assaulted us and told us that we have to pay interest until he feels we have paid him back,” Jyothi alleges. Jyothi began feeling trapped and unable to bear the harassment, she decided to escape with her family members on Thursday night. After Jyothi was rescued by Habeebullah, he took her to Bowring Hospital, where a medico-legal case was registered. Jyothi and her 16-year old daughter had injuries due to the assault they had allegedly suffered at the hands of Jaysilla’s goons on Thursday. “My 7-day-old baby too had injuries on her arm because the goons did not even spare my baby. Now they are threatening to kill us. My brother-in-law was stabbed in the back two months ago when he questioned Jaysilla as to why he was refusing to take back the Rs 20,000. Now he is threatening to kill us and anyone who helps us,” Jyothi adds. She and her family are currently lodged at an undisclosed location in the city, as they fear harm from Jaysilla. According to Jyothi, Jaysilla’s men Karthi, Vijay, Surya, Vinod, Shiva and Bharat, who had allegedly attacked her on Thursday night are still threatening her. Jyothi alleges that when she had approached the KG Halli Police, wanting to file a complaint, the officers did not take her seriously. “They did not take my complaint. I don’t know why,” she said.

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Election betting in Karnataka and why conviction rates are drastically low

Lok Sabha 2019

Betting money on elections has now become passé and properties are allegedly being wagered on election outcomes in Bengaluru and Mandya.

Theja Ram

PTI Representational image

The counting of votes is set to take place on May 23 and bookies are currently offering odds of 1 to 6 for Bengaluru Central PC Mohan. This means that for every Re 1, the stake offered is Rs 6. This translates to a take away of Rs 6. But for serious gamblers, “the take away is not in lakhs but in crores,” an industry source said. The betting market for elections in Bengaluru is estimated to be worth around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 crore, especially since prime real estate is being wagered. “There are people who have bet acres of land and apartments they own. In return they are expecting to win more properties across the city. People have wagered properties in Bellandur, Mahadevapura, Avalahalli and Hosakerehalli. Most people are currently betting against Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad in Bengaluru. However, there are barely any people betting for the candidates in Bengaluru North and Bengaluru South in comparison,” the source said. In Mandya, however, the betting has become a battle between fans of actors Yash and Darshan and the followers of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. Darshan and Yash have been campaigning for independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who is up against Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the Chief Minister's son.  The odds in Mandya are currently 10 to 11 for Nikhil Kumaraswamy, which means that for every Rs 10, Rs 11 is at stake. If Nikhil Kumaraswamy wins, then the take away would be Rs 21. The betting market in Mandya is estimated to be worth around Rs 200 crore with the odds favouring Nikhil. “If Sumalatha wins, then the take away is more for those who bet against Nikhil. These are mostly fans of actors Yash and Darshan. People are not only betting on elections here but also betting on whether Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is a prominent member of Sandalwood, would put an end to the acting careers of Yash and Darshan,” an industry source in Mandya told TNM. Sources say that betting on elections is a way for cadre cutting across party lines to earn the money spent on electioneering. “They expect to receive at least 30% of the election costs. However, people in Mandya are betting their farms and cattle in addition to placing monetary bets this time around. The stakes are high mostly due to the stardom surrounding the election campaign,” the source added. The high stakes and the nature of the bets, however, bring one question to the fore – do the police manage to bust election betting rackets? And if they do, what happens to the accused? The raids Speaking to TNM, a senior police official with the Central Crime Branch says that election betting is rampant across Karnataka and no matter how many raids are conducted, new ring masters and bookies crop up, keeping the market alive. “Election betting is definitely an organised crime. But there are numerous ringmasters and the number of bookies is twice as much. By the time one raid is conducted, two other rackets would have cropped up and it is very hard to crack down on them,” the police official says. According to DCP South Annamalai, betting is so rampant in Bengaluru simply because there have rarely been any convictions in betting cases. Even if there are convictions, the punishment is so lenient that getting caught by the police is of little consequence to those running the rackets. “Even if a conviction happens, which is very rare, the accused is fined with anywhere between Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 and let go. The punishment is not strict,” he added. Why conviction rates are negligible in betting cases Public Prosecutor Balan, who has practiced in Karnataka for 30 years, told TNM that the way in which police conduct raids is so flawed that their findings do not stand a chance in a court of law. This, he maintains is because the police do not have proper knowledge about the provisions in the Karnataka Police Act 1963, pertaining to betting. “Gambling is a non-cognisable offense. In Karnataka, the raids on gambling dens are conducted by the Central Crime Branch, which firstly has no jurisdictional authority to do so. The jurisdictional police must obtain permission from the court before conducting these raids and this never happens. The police have no idea about what the law says and they are not trained properly, which is why the betting cases almost always end in acquittal,” Balan says. He also says that the police do not investigate the cases properly after conducting the raids, which leads to the cases getting quashed in the court. “Their intention may be right but without proper knowledge of the law and adequate training, the cases fall flat in court just because of minor legalities. The inspector dictates the witness statements to the station writer and in most cases, the station writers end up writing elaborate stories without any facts to back the stories. These procedures must be corrected,” he added.  

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Relief for Bengaluru residents fighting elevated corridor project: HC stays work

Law

Work on the controversial project is halted until the next hearing in the case on June 3.

Prajwal Bhat

The Karnataka High Court has put the controversial elevated corridor project on hold by passing an interim stay order on starting work on the project until the next hearing in the case.  The High Court asked the state government to halt work on the project while  hearing a petition filed two years ago by Citizens'Action Forum on the functioning of the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC). The court observed that the state government had decided to start work on the project without clearing it with the MPC, which is mandated for any development project in Bengaluru.   The Citizens' Action Forum had told the court that Karnataka Road Development Corporation (KRDCL) had invited bids for the elevated corridor project without getting clearance from the MPC.  The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 3. The High Court had previously asked the state government to halt work on the project while hearing the same case in March.  Read: K'taka HC asks govt to halt controversial elevated corridor project in Bengaluru The High Court's decision brings relief to protesting residents who have been fighting against the project proposed by the state government, which plans to build a network of elevated corridors in Bengaluru spanning 102 km in the city.  Before the Lok Sabha elections, KRDCL had invited bids for starting working on a part of the project. Moreover, more than 3700 trees are set to be cut across the city for the project, including 120 trees in the iconic Cubbon Park area.  Residents and activists agitated against the state government seeking public consultation on the project. A Change.org petition on the issue was signed by more than 2.5 lakh people while a protest was held on March 16 at Maurya Circle in the city. Following the protest, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that he would be holding public consultation before starting work on the project.  Read: Elevated corridor beda: Bengaluru residents fight new govt plan The High Court also directed that an expert committee be set up to examine if there are ways to save trees proposed to be cut down for the elevated corridor project. The expert committee will be constituted with members from the fields of environment, science and technology. "After exhausting all methods, if it is found that it is impossible to save any tree, only then it shall be permissible to cut trees. The expert committee will give its opinion on saving trees," noted Justice PS Dinesh Kumar, while hearing the case related to the controversial project. 

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