Thunderstorms with scattered rainfall expected in Bengaluru over next two days

Weather

Besides Bengaluru, coastal and central Karnataka will also get rain.

TNM Staff

Officials in the Karnataka Disaster Management Department have warned of thunderstorms along with lightning and scattered rainfall in Bengaluru and rest of south interior Karnataka for the next two days. Thunderstorm activity accompanied with light to moderate rains is also forecast for isolated places in central and coastal Karnataka from Tuesday onwards. However, the northern part of the state is not expected to get any rainfall. At the same time, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre has warned that maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal at many places in the state during the next 24 to 48 hours.  A note from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also said, “Thunderstorm with gusty winds speed reaching upto 30-40 kmph and lightning likely to occur at isolated places over Bangalore Rural, Bangalore Urban, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagara, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar, Mandya, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Ramanagara and Tumakuru.” This comes after all five southern states in India were expected to receive rain and thunderstorms over the weekend due to the current western disturbance and ongoing moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea off the coasts of Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep. For the period of May 13, 8:30 am to May 14, 8:30 am, Maddur in Mandya got the highest rainfall of 66mm.  Anekal in Bengaluru Urban received the highest rainfall of 19.5mm rainfall in Bengaluru district for the same period.  Many parts of south Bengaluru also saw close to 40mm of rain which resulted in inundation of streets and slowing down of traffic on Monday. BTM Layout was one such neighbourhood which was majorly affected. The waterlogging was so severe that Traffic Police closed down the 29th Main Road temporarily, both for vehicles and people on foot, fearing people might drown. Water entered homes in some low lying areas while basements of apartment complexes saw water entering parked cars. Other areas that were affected were Indiranagar, Kengeri, Koramangala and Kodichikkanahalli among others.    

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Private Karnataka schools allege sudden 20% hike in price of textbooks by govt

Education

The Associated Managements of English Medium Schools has demanded that the price be rolled back and the books be delivered on time.

Haripriya Suresh

Image for representation

Private schools in Karnataka were in for a shock, as the textbooks that schools procured for students has seen a sudden hike of 20-22%. According to the Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), schools were told to pay one price when they placed the order for books with the Karnataka Textbook Society. Based on this figure, schools collected money from parents for the books for the upcoming academic year. However, when it was time to pay, schools noticed that the amount they had to pay was about 20% higher than they were initially informed. KAMS submitted a complaint to the Commissioner of the Department of Public Instruction to roll back the price and deliver the books on time, failing which legal action could be taken. “At this point of time your Department of Text Book Society who are also private body for no profit registered under the society act has now published new rate list without earlier intimations, this now has caused huge hike of price ranging between 20 % plus,” the complaint states. As per the complaint, it asks on what basis the prices have been hiked, as the price of paper has remained the same. It also states that the books aren’t being delivered on time, and despite this prices have been hiked. School managements have an indent for books needed for the next academic year in December-January, and place an order with the Text Book department accordingly. Private schools buy these books, while it is given for free to government schools. This process now takes place online, and schools ask parents to pay them the fee for the books, which schools then pay online in order to procure them. KAMS says that the price increased by 20% when it was time to pay, whereas parents had paid the lower figure. “When the payments were supposed to be made, we found that there were there was a 20+% rise. Whatever it is, they have not told us and this has happened within two months,” says Shashi Kumar, principal of Blossoms School and general secretary of KAMS, who also filed the complaint. For Class 1, the prices of some books were not raised, some were raised by Rs 1, and some by as much as Rs 10. “Either roll back or come out in public saying we have raised. Because of these people, we will be seen as the culprits. They (parents) think that we have raised.” Shashi Kumar says that the perception is that private schools are the one who take money, but that it was the government’s doing and not theirs. However, speaking to The New Indian Express, HN Gopalkrishna, Director of the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT), said that a statement on the price hike would be shared on Tuesday. "Price revision is an annual exercise. The 20 per cent increase is only for a few books which are printed fewer in numbers. So far, 80 per cent of the orders are printed and 60 per cent is already given out. The distribution will be completed in a week’s time,” he said.

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Will Bengaluru residents soon have to compost wet waste at home?

Civic Issues

The proposal is being made considering the reluctance of Bengaluru’s residents to segregate the waste at home.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Bengaluru generates about 4,200 metric tonnes of garbage every day and the city’s civic body – the BBMP, is grappling with the problem of excess waste piling up in landfills. Time and again, the BBMP has failed to perform one duty – to ensure that the waste collected from residential areas is segregated into wet and dry waste. Since there is no viable way to ensure that recalcitrant residents segregate the waste, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is proposing the idea of compulsory composting of wet waste in all homes. The KSPCB in its proposal to the Urban Development department has stated that by bringing in amendments to the Karnataka Municipal Act, the BBMP will be able to ensure that each household in the city composts its own wet waste. “This has not been mandated by any other state government in the country and if we make it mandatory that every household compost their own wet waste, the amount of garbage being piled up in landfills will be minimised. We will be the first state in India to implement this policy, if we get government approval. Around 70% of all waste generated in Bengaluru is wet waste. Almost 60% of the households do not segregate their waste and hence it ends up in landfills,” a KSPCB official said. KSPCB has proposed that households compost the wet waste individually or have localised collection points where the wet waste can be turned into compost and then sold for agricultural purposes. “No matter how many awareness programs BBMP conducts, people still do not segregate waste at home and dump everything into the auto tippers which arrive at their door step to collect waste. These garbage loads end up in landfills because contractors are not willing to sift through tonnes of garbage daily and segregate it. If BBMP stops collecting wet waste, then people will become more responsible,” the official added. KSPCB has suggested that the civic body issue occupancy certificates to new residents, only if they have the provision for on-site composting. The proposal, however, is pending approval. “After the election code of conduct is lifted, the decision will be made,” the official said. 

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Drinking water crisis looms over Karnataka with groundwater, reservoir levels low

Water

Water rationing has begun in Mangaluru, even as the state government has declared over 3000 regions as severely affected by drinking water scarcity.

TNM Staff

PTI/Representation Photo

Depleting reservoir levels, dried up lakes, wells and borewells has resulted in a drinking water scarcity looming over Karnataka. The state government has declared 3,122 regions to be severely affected by drinking water scarcity. According to data obtained from the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, 138 out of 176 taluks in Karnataka have very low groundwater levels. Of these, the worst affected are Bagepalli, Chikkaballapura, Sidlaghatta, Bangarpet and Kolar. “The groundwater level is so low in Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts. It is less than 60 metres below ground level. Most of the borewells have dried up here and many people do not have the resources to dig up new borewells,” an official from the department said. The depletion of groundwater and the decreasing reservoir levels has resulted in water shortage in the coastal belt as well. On Monday, a notice was issued to all residents of Mangaluru that water rationing would begin. For the next 48 hours, residents of Mangaluru will not receive drinking water supply as the Mangaluru City Corporation is rationing water till June 1. “They are hoping for rainfall so the inflow in the rivers will increase,” the official added. According to data obtained from the Karnataka Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts had received above normal rain during the previous monsoon, while Uttara Kannada had faced a shortfall of 586.1 mm. The coastal region received below normal rainfall post-monsoon (180.4 mm) and during January-May (36.6 mm). “Fresh water flow has stopped in all major rivers in the coastal belt including Netravathi, Phalguni, Swarna, Chakra, Varahi, Sharavathi, Aghanashini and Kali. Groundwater levels have depleted and have reached 30-40 m below ground level in Mangaluru. Water level has reached the dead-storage limit in the Baje dam across the Swarna river, which is the main source of water for Udupi,” the KSNDMC official said. The agency, which also monitors reservoir levels states that the entire state has only 155 TMC of water in 13 reservoirs. The Hemavathi dam, Tungabhadra dam in Koppal, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha in Belagavi have the least amount of water. Currently, the Tungabhadra Dam has 3% live storage followed by Malaprabha (5%) and Ghataprabha (9%). The Supa Dam in Uttara Kannada district has the highest live storage this summer at 35%. “Last year, the reservoirs were 40% full when compared to this year. Currently the average water levels in all reservoirs combined is only 19%. Since rainfall was less compared to what was expected last year, several regions in arid north Karnataka have ended up using the water in the lakes much earlier. Now, many of them have to travel 5 to 6 km every day to fetch water. Even though the department is willing to shell out money to provide tanker water, there is no water in the borewells,” the official from the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj said.    

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‘What's so special about Siddaramaiah's rule?’ JD(S) leader's statement sparks row

Politics

The JD(S) leader’s statement comes at a time when speculation is rife in the Congress that Siddaramaiah is planning to pull off a coup to break up the coalition after elections.

TNM Staff

JD(S) state President AH Vishwanath’s remarks against Siddaramaiah’s performance as a Chief Minister on Monday has now triggered a war of words. The slugfest between Vishwanath and Siddaramaiah has come at a time when speculation is rife about the Congress-JD(S) coalition breaking apart. "What is so special (about Siddaramaiah's rule)? Was his administration greater than Devaraj Urs’s? People remember Devaraj Urs even today, after 30 years. Was there anything great that happened during his (Siddaramaiah’s) tenure to remember it for decades? What major developmental work happened? Nothing..." Vishwanath said. The JD(S) leader’s statement comes at a time when speculation is rife in the Congress that Siddaramaiah is planning to pull off a coup to break up the coalition soon after the Lok Sabha results are announced. Vishwanath – who was earlier with the Congress, and was instrumental in bringing Siddaramaiah into the party – also took a dig at Siddaramaiah’s followers in the Congress and said that the party leaders must not resort to making mischief. “Congress leaders must stop their mischievous attitude. They must stop trying to sabotage the coalition government. They can do all this politics in 2022, this is not the time. We had brought Siddaramaiah to Congress, we created a situation that made him the Chief Minister,” Vishwanath told the media. Soon after Vishwanath made the statement to the media, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took a dig at the JD(S) leader. “Vishwanath was a minister in the SM Krishna government and that government was also defeated. He (Vishwanath) is speaking out of jealousy. Don't give importance to what he says," Siddaramaiah said. Over the last few weeks, several Congress leaders have come out in support of Siddaramaiah, claiming that he is “their true CM”. In addition, the coalition’s decision to bring on board AH Vishwanath into the co-ordination committee is said to have angered Siddaramaiah. “During the Assembly elections, Vishwanath worked hard toward defeating Siddaramaiah in the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency. In fact, one of the major reasons for Vishwanath to quit Congress and join the JD(S) was his rivalry with Siddaramaiah,” a Congress source said. Vishwanath quit the Congress in 2017 after falling out with Siddaramaiah. Vishwanath had accused Siddaramaiah of not allowing other leaders in the party to climb up the political ladder. Sources in the Congress say that Vishwanath and former Congress MLA, who is now with BJP – V Srinivas Prasad were tall leaders in the party who ended up leaving the Congress simply because they were antagonised by Siddaramaiah.  

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Bengaluru’s BTM Layout inundated after 30 mins of rain, police block main road

Rains

According to KSNDMC, Bengaluru received 39mm of rainfall on Monday afternoon.

TNM Staff

Heavy rains of close to half an hour on Monday afternoon in Bengaluru saw the upscale neighbourhood of BTM Layout flooded with rainwater mixed with sewage. Water entered homes in some low lying areas while basements of apartment complexes saw water entering parked cars. The waterlogging was so severe that Traffic Police closed down the 29th Main Road of the BTM Layout both for vehicles and people on foot on fearing people might drown.  “We cannot let any vehicle go on the road as we fear any accident could be severe and spin-off effects could last long,” Puttamadaiah, traffic police inspector of Mico Layout told The Times of India. According to the KSNDMC, Bengaluru South received a rainfall of 39mm till Monday afternoon. “Roads near and in BTM Layout overflowing upto knee level with rainwater. All riders, drivers and pedestrians, please proceed with caution,” one Twitter user cautioned. A video posted by well-known activist Ram Prasad shows water upto knee level in a BTM Layout 2nd stage street. Responding to the allegations of inaction, Assistant executive engineer (AEE) BBMP Hanumanth Rayappa shifted the blame to the residents. He said residents had opposed the cutting of a tree which blocked the storm water drain. In the coming days, the Met department has warned of more rains in the city due to Western Disturbances. According to Indian Meteorological Department, Tuesday will see partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers.  

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Betting in IPL final: Police arrest one bookie from Bengaluru

Crime

Investigation revealed the accused was receiving bets placed through online apps.

TNM Staff

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Police in Bengaluru arrested one person for accepting bets for the IPL  final match held in Hyderabad on Sunday. Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch arrested 25-year-old Chand Pasha, a resident of Tannery Road from a Koramangala 3rd block house and recovered Rs 70 lakh in cash. Two mobile phones have also been seized. Investigation revealed the accused was receiving bets placed through online apps. Police said prime accused in the case, one Syed Illiyas is absconding. According to police, Pasha admitted that he was running the racket at the behest of Syed Ilyas. The investigations revealed that he would accept bets starting from the toss to the number of boundaries to be hit in the entire match. While, all the money would be sent to Ilyas. Pasha would keep Rs 1.5 lakh per month as commission. Police found that bookies from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal are also part of the racket. Earlier in April, the CCB had arrested one bookie for conducting an online betting racket only for those placing bets above Rs 5000. Once he received Rs 5000 he would give access to the app to those willing to place bets.  The accused 35-year-old Vishwanath was arrested and Rs 1.8 lakh in cash and two phones were seized. Even in that case, police found that Vishwanath was working for another bookie who had offered him 10% of the cut for every bet. While placing bets in IPL or international cricket matches is illegal, it is common. However, in December 2018, police in Bengaluru unearthed a betting racket which was accepting bets on the Mzanzi T20 super league series in South Africa.   In multiple raids carried out then, police busted three gambling dens and arrested four bookies. At least Rs 17 lakh in cash was seized as part of the operations.

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