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Rising temps take toll: Infants show signs of dehydration in Karnataka and Telangana
Doctors agree that fatigue and irregular eating are usually seen as initial symptoms among these infants.
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Seven days after he was born, baby Abu Thala was rushed from his home in Bellary district to Motherhood Hospital in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar after he showed signs of severe dehydration. He was brought in an extremely critical stage, but fortunately made a complete recovery. Abu Thala is one of several newborn babies and young children who are presenting with severe dehydration in view of the rising temperatures. Many postnatal and children’s intensive care units (ICU) in hospitals in both Karnataka and parts of Telangana (largely in Hyderabad) are seeing an increase in the numbers of infants presenting with dehydration. Doctors have largely attributed the rising temperatures to this sudden influx of reports of dehydration. According to Dr Prathap Chandra, the neonatologist who oversaw Abu Thala’s case, such instances are seen during the peak summer time. “This is different from childhood dehydration where some children may present with similar symptoms, but it is not as severe. Weight loss up to 10% of the body weight is still considered within normal limits, but when it goes beyond that, it becomes a cause of concern,” he explains. As summer sets in, several states including Karnataka and Telangana, have been hit by the heat wave. Several cases of heat-related dehydration are being reported in large numbers from parts of central and northern Karnataka. “In Bellary, Raichur, Gulbarga, we are now seeing many cases of dehydration-related fever and several babies presenting with a significant loss of weight,” adds the doctor. Spotting signs of dehydration Symptoms of dehydration may initially present as extremely subtle signs. Doctors agree that lethargy (fatigue) and irregular feeding are usually seen first among these infants. In addition, urine output may be less. Any young children and newborns showing these signs should be taken to a doctor for evaluation. The sudden increase in temperatures has caused various states to issue precautionary notices to the public telling them to take preventive steps against heat stroke and other health issues related to high temperatures. In Kerala, officials from the State Disaster Management Authority had listed precautions to be taken by the public in order to prevent heat-related health problems.
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Bengaluru Uber driver leaves family on road at night after they refuse to pay cash
The Uber driver had reportedly insisted that that they cancel the ride on the app and pay him directly.
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It seems like there is no end to the ordeals faced by customers using app-based cab services from the Bengaluru International Airport. In the latest incident, a family of three including a three-year-old child were left stranded on a deserted road near the airport on April 27 night. This because they refused to cancel the ride on the app, and pay the driver upfront instead. The issue came to light on Monday after Neha Sehgal Bhatia shared her unpleasant experience on Facebook along with videos and photographs. A video posted by her shows the driver Kiran taking out their luggage and keeping it in middle of the road. While they tried to book another Uber in the absence of other alternative options, it was not possible. Cabs booked on the Uber platform from the airport can only start after PIN sent to the rider is shared with the driver from the designated pick up point. Besides the cab driver deserting them, she alleged that Uber did not help, instead citing, “they have exhausted all resources”. The cab aggregator advised Neha to call the police. She wrote, “The driver, as soon as we left from the pickup point, insisted that we cancel the trip, and give him cash. Looks like, he wanted to avoid the commission paid to Uber. We did not want to do that, lose the tracking and other so-called safety features provided by Uber (In hindsight, now, it looks like it's all only on books, and Uber is as unsafe as any other direct booking of cabs)....Since we were near the airport, we asked him to drop us so we can get another cab, but he was not ready to do that either.” “Then, he switched off the AC, and locked the windows and doors. We felt really unsafe with our 3-year-old son, so immediately dialled the SOS number, the police helpline worked, and we were also able to call a couple of security guards to get us dropped near the airport premise,” she added. Following the incident, Neha alleges that Uber did not reach out besides sending out an autogenerated email. Reacting to the incident, an Uber spokesperson said, “We regret the inconvenience caused to the rider. This form of misconduct by a driver partner violates our community guidelines. We are investigating this matter and will take necessary actions, as needed. Safety is paramount to Uber and we are deeply committed to it.”
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Activists are opposing a waste to energy plant in Bengaluru: Here’s why
While the WTE plant may mean less dumping and burning of garbage on the streets, experts warn of its less apparent harms.
3wayste
On April 25, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced that an MoU had been signed with the CEO of a French company, 3wayste, to set up the waste to energy (WTE) plant. The five-megawatt capacity plant will be set up near Electronic City in Bengaluru. However, city-based activists are objecting to the plant on grounds of health risks, sustainability and governance. These developments come at a time when the city’s waste management problem remains unresolved, with the Karnataka High Court pulling up BBMP time and again for the same. While WTE plants may reduce garbage dumping or burning in the streets, experts warn of its less apparent harms. Health risks Aishwarya Sudhir, Air Quality and Health Programme Lead - Bengaluru, Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL) pointed out that world over, there have been concerns over these WTE plants. One major concern is the huge amount of bottom ash they generate. Bottom ash is essentially that part of the fuel – in this case, waste – that is non-combustible. “Over the years, there has been no real solution for the bottom ash that WTE plants generate. It all ends up adding to the air pollution in our cities. Further, the combustion process releases many gases into the atmosphere, depending on the constitution of the waste being burnt. The gases could also contain heavy metals and result in other noxious emissions,” she said. “Segregating waste and addressing it at the source irrespective of the tedious management that it demands remains the safest method of waste management. There have been several examples in the past, such as the Okhla WTE plant, that we need to learn from and ensure that we do not go down that path,” she added. The Okhla plant in the national capital was fined Rs 25 lakh in 2016 by the National Green Tribunal for polluting the environment and releasing toxins in the air, which affected the health of those living around the plant. Sustainability Vinay Sreenivasa, a Bengaluru-based lawyer-activist said having a WTE plant is opposed to the basic idea of waste management – to reduce, recycle and reuse, and manage waste locally. “Once there are WTE plants, there is no motivation to segregate as you will burn the waste when it’s mixed only. It is an easy fix; it is not going to solve the problem in the long term. So, the amount of waste is going to increase,” he said. Against local governance The other prime opposition to the project is that it’s not part of the BBMP’s Solid Waste Management (SWM) policy and violates the Swacch Sarvekshan guidelines of the union government. Sandeep Anirudhan, an activist advocating sustainable living, said the move also a violates the 74th amendment of the Constitution which guarantees public consultation over matters concerning local governance. “There is no scientific study, holistic evaluation or even cost-benefit analysis done before going ahead with the project. Then they (the political class) steamroll these over citizens’ rights, by not even holding a public consultation. This is nothing but highjacking of democracy,” he argued. Legal hurdles A senior lawyer at the Karnataka High Court argued that the proposed plant is illegal and contrary to BBMP’s submissions to the Karnataka High Court. “The BBMP had said in the court that it will segregate waste at source and not burn it elsewhere outside the city,” he said. When asked about this, a top BBMP official said that the BBMP did not have much say in the project and was forced into it due to external obligations. “The only thing the BBMP had to do here was to finalise the agreement. We have put strong conditions to ensure that the company performs on ground,” he said. “It is not that WTE plants are illegal but it ideally should be the last option,” he added. The official further explained, “Urban Development Department had floated a tender for Waste to Energy plants in 2017 and there were no takers. The French company had approached them and later there were discussions between the governments. As part of this, they were exempted from the tendering process and it became a zero-cost proposal for us. They will install their own equipment and all we have to ensure is that waste of 200 metric tonnes is delivered to them at free of cost.” Feasibility In addition to the considerable opposition to setting up of WTE plants, a recent analysisby the Centre for Science and Environment has shown half of the existing WTE plants in India have been shut on grounds of feasibility. Firstly, because WTE plants do not get many buyers for the power they generate due to cheaper alternatives being available. And secondly, costs for maintaining the plants is higher in India, owing to the high moisture and low-calorie content of India’s municipal waste compared to other parts of the world. Company’s response When TNM approached Robert Filipp, CEO of 3Wayste with these concerns, he said that the plant will follow both Indian and European standards of emission and abide by the applicable laws. "We support waste segregation but unfortunately people are not so compliant as we imagine. We recycle everything and only use for the energy the part that is of high calorific value and has no other use," he said. However, a BBMP official said that unless waste is segregated at source, it is difficult to understand what to compost, reuse and recycle respectively. “We do not know what will happen if this issue with mixed waste is challenged in court or NGT,” the official said.
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Results declared for Karnataka SSLC Class 10, two students score 100 per cent
The overall pass percentage is 73.3 per cent, an improvement of 1.8 per cent from last year’s results.
Two students have topped Karnataka’s Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination, the results of which were declared on Thursday. Naganjali Parameshwara Naik from Kamata, Uttara Kannada district, and Srujana D from Anekal, Bengaluru Rural, have received the first rank, scoring 625 out of 625 marks. SR Umashankar, General Secretary of the Primary and Secondary Education department announced the SSLC results at 12 pm. Results were declared on the official website http://bit.ly/PKQXhk after a delay of two hours and will be announced in schools on Wednesday. The overall pass percentage is 73.3 per cent, an improvement of 1.8 per cent from last year’s results. The pass percentage of rural students (76.67 per cent) is more than that of urban students (70.05 per cent). According to the Education Department, the pass percentage in government schools is 77.84 per cent and aided schools have shown 77.21 per cent pass percentage. The pass percentage of students studying in private schools is 82.72 per cent. 11 students have acquired the second rank, scoring 624 marks out of total 625, with girls outperforming boys this year too. Some of the students who have attained the second rank include Sinchana Lakshmi, Harshith, Pragathi Gowda, Krupa, Shambhavi, Bhavana, Abhin, and Anupama Kamath, among others. 1,626 schools have achieved 100 per cent results. Hassan district stands in the first position when it comes to the number of passing students, followed by Ramanagara, Bengaluru North, Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board had conducted the SSLC examination between March 21 and April 4, 2019, with 8.41 lakh students taking the exam this year. In 2018, the SSLC examination results were declared on May 7, 2018. A total of 8.5 lakh students had appeared for the SSLC Examination, and the pass percentage was 71.93 per cent. Two students had scored full marks and 8 students had scored 624 marks out of 625. The pass percentage of girls was more than that of boys and the rural students had shown a better performance than the urban students last year too. Here is how students can check their results: Log on to http://bit.ly/PKQXhk Find ‘KSEEB SSLC Results 2019’ on the main page Click on the link Enter your registration number in the redirected page Press Submit
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3 poll officials suspended in K’taka's Hassan over alleged ‘proxy voting’
The BJP alleged that these officials had allowed 30 supporters of PWD Minister and Holenarasipura MLA, HD Revanna to engage in proxy voting.
Three polling officials accused of dereliction of duty on polling day during the Lok Sabha polls, have been suspended. This comes following a preliminary inquiry by Hassan District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner, Priyanka Mary Francis. The probe was ordered after the BJP alleged that these officers had allowed 30 supporters of PWD Minister and Holenarasipura MLA, HD Revanna to engage in proxy voting. Their suspension was reportedly ordered after the EC officials reviewed the CCTV footage. The suspended officials are Yogesh, a polytechnic college lecturer along with Ramachandra Rao and DS Dinesh, who are both government high school teachers. The three were posted at a polling booth in Paduvalahippe village in Holenarasipura taluk. Revanna’s son Prajwal is the JD(S) candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha seat which is a JD(S) stronghold. The outgoing MP and former PM, HD Deve Gowda had won from the seat five times. The suspension of the three officers comes after Rs 1.2 lakh in cash was recovered from a police vehicle in Hassan by a flying squad of the Karnataka State Election Commission on April 16. A case was registered at the Holenarsipura Town Police Station under section 171-C (Undue influence at elections) of the Indian Penal Code in this connection. IAS officer Munish Moudgil who was appointed as the Special Officer (Enforcement) by the Election Commission had asked for a high-level inquiry into the incident. The letter mentioned that the vehicle from which cash was recovered was a Toyota Innova with registration number KA01MH4477 and that it was registered under the name of Deputy Commissioner of Police, City Armed Reserve. Informed sources also said that the police vehicle was part of PWD Minister HD Revanna’s convoy. “The said vehicle belongs to Bengaluru City Police and registered in the name of Deputy Commissioner of Police, CAR HQ, Bengaluru (copy of report from Transport Commissioner attached herewith),” Munish’s letter to the CEO read. “The above incident is extremely serious as it, prima facie, reveals the use of police vehicle for carrying money for misuse in elections. Due to extreme seriousness, the case requires a proper investigation and everyone, including the police officers, who might be involved, are required to be brought out and law is taken to its logical conclusion against them,” it added.
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Bail pleas rejected for accused in Dharwad building collapse
An advocate who spoke on behalf of the complainants reportedly said that if the accused were granted bail, they could use their influence to intimidate witnesses.
Two of the accused in the Dharwad building collapse which occurred in March, who had appealed for bail, have been denied their request. Gangappa Shintri and his partner, Basavaraj Nigadi, are the main accused in the incident. On Monday, a District Sessions court rejected the bail plea submitted by the accused. An advocate who was representing Gangappa and Basavaraj claimed that the duo had health issues which needed to be continuously monitored by medical experts and that they would comply with and follow any rules and restrictions set forth by the court, adding that they would cooperate with the investigating team as deemed necessary. However, the advocate who spoke on behalf of the complainants reportedly said that if the accused were granted bail, they could use their influence to intimidate witnesses. An under-construction shopping complex in Dharwad collapsed in March and resulted in several deaths and left more than 50 people injured. The building which was under construction was located in the region's Kumareshwara Nagar and collapsed on March 19 at around 3:40 pm. Rescue efforts went on for days as search teams had to go through the rubble to find people who were trapped underneath. Survivors were taken to the Civil hospital in Dharwad district. Rescue efforts were led by 10 ambulances, 5 earthmovers and over 20 fire officials. A team of NDRF officials was flown in from Lucknow to aid the rescue efforts. Gangadar Shintry, one of the accused, is the father-in-law of Congress leader Vinay Kulkarni and is one of the owners of the building. The owners had obtained a partial completion certificate from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation. A case had been filed under section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC against the owners of the building.
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