California town leveled by fire has chance to rethink, not just rebuild.
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Sunday, June 2, 2019
Bengaluru agency to finally start laying power cables underground
By Bescom’s own admission, 15 people have already died this year after being electrocuted by suspended high tension wires.
After several cases of electrocution, the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is finally looking into the danger of power cables hanging precariously low in the city, posing grave threat to residents. By Bescom’s own admission, 15 people have already died this year after being electrocuted by suspended high tension wires. BESCOM on Saturday approved the underground cabling work in the city which is set to begin in July. The multi-phased project is expected to be completed in three years and is estimated to cost Rs 5,300 crore. The underground cabling work will be taken up in three phases. The first phase, which will begin in July will take 18 months to complete, Bescom officials say. It is expected to cost Rs 1,870 crore. “In phase 1, work will be carried out in 22 areas. We have surveyed all the areas in Bengaluru and these 22 areas are the ones severely affected,” an official said. In phase 1, Bescom is going to carry out work in Mahalakshmi Layout, Malleshwaram, Peenya, Koramangala, Rajajinagar, Hebbal, Indiranagar, HSR Layout, Sadashivnagar, JP Nagar, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Jayanagar, Basaweshwara Nagar, BTM Layout, Jayamahal, Yelahanka, Lingarajpuram, Girinagar, Chamarajpet, Shivajinagar, Ramamurthy Nagar and Sahakaranagar. When the rain struck the city for two consecutive days – May 25 and 26 – over 600 trees fell due to the intensity, causing over 300 electric poles to also fall. According to Bangalore Mirror, power disruptions had occurred in Rajanakunte, Shivajinagar, Malleshwaram, JP Nagar, Rajajinagar, Hebbal, RR Nagar and in Indiranagar. “When the rains occurred, 27 areas in Bengaluru experienced power cuts even after the rains stopped. On Saturday, several areas did not have power as KPTCL (Karnataka Power Transport Corporation Limited) was fixing high-tension cables that were cut. Bescom had to carry out maintenance work as several transformers needed repairs,” a senior official said. Bescom officials say that by ensuring that all electricity cables run underground, the agency can cut down on maintenance costs every year, which increase especially during the monsoon. “We have shortage of maintenance personnel and the costs are high. It was a logical choice as it would also prevent accidents and deaths,” he added. The agency is planning to use High Definition Digging Mechanism to lay the cables underground. Rather that digging up the entire road, holes will be dug out for every few metres, officials say. “We are trying to avoid cutting down any trees for the project,” the senior official said.
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Congress social media chief Divya Spandana goes missing from Twitter
There have been no official statements from her or the party.
Former Mandya MP and Congress social media chief Divya Spandana has deactivated her Twitter account without giving any prior explanation. Similarly, her Instagram page also seems to have been deactivated. However, at the time of writing, her official Facebook page continues to exist. According to media reports, Divya Spandana, also known as Ramya, had last tweeted a congratulatory message to Nirmala Sitharaman for being the first woman full-time Finance Minister, sparking controversy. TNM could not reach the actor-turned-politician for a comment. However, speaking to news agency ANI, she has denied reports claiming that she was no longer a part of the party’s social media team. Ramya was given the role of chief of the All India Congress Committee's social media wing in May 2017. Since then, she has been credited for turning around the party’s online presence compared to the BJP, which had a robust IT cell already. She is also known for her tongue-in-cheek responses to the BJP and directly criticising the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duo. In a similar situation in October 2018, there were reports of Ramya getting the axe for making controversial statements against the Prime Minister after her bio on her Twitter profile went missing. A sedition case was also registered against her by Uttar Pradesh police for a photoshopped image of PM Modi painting “chor” on his wax statue. Responding to those reports, she had then said that she was on a temporary leave and the missing bio was due to a “bug”. This recent development comes days after party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjwala had announced that the party leaders or its spokespersons won’t be appearing in the media for the next month. This in the light of Rahul Gandhi being keen on resigning from the position of the party president despite opposition from many senior leaders and some party workers. Rahul’s decision comes after the party’s poor performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with little improvement from its 2014 tally. ///// ReplyReply allForward
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Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge's dig at Home Minister Amit Shah sparks row
Kharge’s tweet elicited responses from state BJP leaders including state president BS Yeddyurappa and Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led council of ministers took oath earlier in the week, former BJP state president Amit Shah being given Home MInistry has turned into Twitter spat among politicians from Karnataka. Karnataka Minister for Social Welfare Priyank Kharge tweeted on Saturday: “Now that we have a new home minister, I think it is better to rename the Ministry of Home Affairs as Ministry of Providing Clean Chits.” Now that we have a new Home Minister, I think it is better to rename the Ministry of Home Affairs as Ministry of Providing Clean Chits. — Priyank Kharge (@PriyankKharge) June 1, 2019 The tweet by Priyank does not divulge any details but attracted strong opposition from BJP stalwarts in the state including that BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa and Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda. Reacting to the same tweet, Yeddyurappa said, “It is because of Mr Priyank, Mallikarjun Kharge lost less than a lakh votes. He is speaking non-sense without any bases.” Union Fertilizer Minister DV Sadananda Gowda in a cheeky tweet, said, “Dear Priyank Kharge, you should stop showing your palm to astrologers for them to tell you that you have bad fortune. Your party's “Hand” symbol has been rejected by the people of our state. Just ten days ago people of the country have decided your fate. First, set your house in order before commenting on others.” ಮಾನ್ಯ @PriyankKharge ರವರೇ ಕೈ ತೋರಿಸಿ ಅವಲಕ್ಷಣ ಹೇಳಿಸಿಕ್ಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಡಿ , ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಚಿನ್ನೆ “ಕೈ” ಅದರ ಅವಲಕ್ಷಣ ದೇಶದ ಜನ ಹೇಳಿ 10 ದಿನವೂ ಆಗಿಲ್ಲ . ಆಗಲೇ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿದ್ರಲ್ಲ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹಿರಿಯಕ್ಕನ ಚಾಳಿ . ಮೊದಲು ನಿಮ್ಮಮನೆ ಸರಿ ಮಾಡ್ಕೊಳಿ ಆಮೇಲೆ ಊರು ಉಸಾಬರಿಗೆ ಬರುವಿರಂತೆ . — Sadananda Gowda (@DVSBJP) June 1, 2019 Amit Shah, the former Home Minister of Gujarat during current Prime Minister’s chief ministership was alleged to be part of the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. As part of the legal proceedings, the Central Bureau of Investigation gave him a clean chit in May. 2014. Other than this, Amit Shah was accused of sidelining police officers who spoke up against the government during the 2002 Gujarat riots. He was also alleged to be part of other cases related to snooping on a woman in 2009 during his tenure as Home Minister. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, amidst opposition, Shah got a clean chit from the Election Commission after being accused of violating the Model Code of Conduct for using the term “Modi’s Airforce”
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IT sector exempted from Industrial Employment Act for five more years in Karnataka
The Industrial Employment Act protects employees from arbitrary suspension, discharge, termination, demotion, and dismissal.
The Karnataka government has once again exempted the IT/ITeS sector from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, for five years despite stiff opposition from trade unions and other labour rights organisation. Other than IT/ITes, the other sectors that have been given exemption are startups, animation, gaming, computer graphics, telecom, BPO, KPO and other knowledge-based industries. The Industrial Employment Act is important as it protects employees from arbitrary suspension, discharge, termination, demotion, and dismissal. While there is opposition from trade unions, the exemption was sought by trade bodies like NASSCOM. The exemption for the IT/ITeS was in place for the last 20 years, ending January 24. On May 25, a new notification was issued, extending the exemption for another five years. Like the previous two decades of this exemption, companies have been asked to form internal committees per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and other employee grievance redressal forums. Companies also have to mandatorily inform the Labour Department in case of any such action. “Barring one consultation meeting that was not inclusive, the government did not hold discussions with all the stakeholders. It is disappointing that despite several representations to implement the Standing Orders in the IT sector by trade unions, the government has chosen to exempt the sector,” told The Hindu. He added, “We will seek a legal recourse against this order as it is anti-labour welfare.” The argument put forward by trade bodies was that unlike traditional factory jobs, the IT sector has robust HR policies and everybody has an opportunity to be heard. “Companies have devised robust internal employee feedback mechanisms which have been evolving over the years. Every employee has a right to be heard, and has access to open door policies, 360-degree feedback, escalation metrics, etc, for grievance redressal.” an earlier statement of NASSCOM said.
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Saturday, June 1, 2019
‘Pray for rain’: Karnataka Muzrai dept issues order to temples in state
The Muzrai department issued a notice asking temples in its jurisdiction to conduct rituals to invoke the Hindu rain god.
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It seems that the Karnataka state government has recently decided to take all and any possible measures to end drought in the state. Leaving no stone unturned, the Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (commonly known as the Muzrai Department) has announced that all temples falling within its jurisdiction will be performing a ceremony to appease the ‘rain god’ on June 6. (Translation) “Due to a lack of rainfall, people and wildlife in the state are struggling for drinking water. For the state's prosperity and for the growth of crops grown here, prayers have been offered in the past in the temples under the Muzrai department in the state," circular states. "So, to help the state in the time of drought, the state government has deemed it necessary that all temples under Muzrai department begin 'parjanya japa' and special prayers. The state government has also asked for the prayers to begin on 6 June during the Braahmi Muhurta,” it continues. Temporary measures have already been in effect in several parts of Karnataka, in view of the water crisis. The state had earlier launched a district-wise call centre for citizens to issue complaints regarding water scarcity in their localities. However, K Nagesh, a geologist at the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department had stated that the call centre was a short-term solution which would act as a band-aid until rainfall increases groundwater levels. Over 150 of 176 taluks in the state of Karnataka are experiencing a severe drought, with many villages in north Karnataka facing the brunt of the situation. But it seems that the state is willing to go to any lengths to ensure that rain does fall, stating that chanting the ‘Parjanya japa’ was necessary as the chant would invoke Varuna, the Hindu god of rain, in addition to performing certain rituals which would allegedly lessen the drought in the state. It has been reported that the temples will be allowed to take Rs 10,001 from the donation boxes towards the ceremony, stating that similar orders had been issued to tackle similar crises in the past. Earlier, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department in Tamil Nadu had also issued a circular on April 26 asking for special rituals and prayers to be conducted in the temples it oversaw.
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Mysuru gangrape case: Police arrest 3 suspects, on the lookout for others
Police confirmed that the incident was a pre-planned attack and the accused was known to the survivor.
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More than three weeks after the brutal case of a 23-year-old woman gangraped in Mysuru came to light, police have arrested three suspects involved in the case. "We can confirm that three persons were arrested and taken into police custody after being produced in a court. The suspects planned the crime in advance to take revenge. We cannot reveal anything more at the moment since there are still 3 or 4 more suspects we are looking to arrest," confirmed M Muthuraj, DCP (Law and Order), Mysuru. The case was reported at Lingambudhi Palya, an area on the outskirts of the city on May 8 when the woman and her colleague set out to return money borrowed from a person in the area. The woman, who works as an assistant in a lodge in the city, was left in a critical condition following the incident. Officials from Kuvempunagar police station in the city confirmed the arrests but refused to disclose the names of the arrested persons as the case is under investigation and the police are on the lookout for three more suspects involved in the case. The DCP further added that the survivor was working in a lodge as an assistant and that the accused knew her. "There was a feud between one of the accused and the girl. The two used to be on good terms in the past but fell out recently," added the DCP. The police had earlier stated that the attackers were inebriated and surprised the woman and her colleague when they were waiting to return the money. Despite the colleague's cries for help, the woman was dragged to an empty plot of land and gangraped. While the man received three stitches on his forehead, a fracture on his right leg and bruises on his arms, the woman was in critical condition and underwent treatment at KR Hospital in the city.
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