To appease rain gods, Bengaluru priests sit in water-filled vessels with phones

Social Media

People wondered why the priests were using their mobile phones while a special ritual for rain was being conducted.

TNM Staff

Pic courtesy: ANI Image

Pictures of two priests sitting inside vessels filled with water while another priest performed a ritual in front of a fire was shared on social media. The special ritual was conducted at the Someshwara temple in Halasuru in Bengaluru to appease the 'rain god' as per a directive of the Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (commonly known as the Muzrai Department). However, the visual, in which an old and young priest sitting side by side and looking at mobile phones has become a topic of discussion on social media. Users were baffled by the sight of priests using their phones during a ritual and many of them quipped about the 'hi-tech' ritual being conducted. Pujaris connecting to iCloud https://t.co/Vfw77k0NGV ankit upadhyay (@sunny_shine1991) June 7, 2019 The Karnataka government had issued a circular stating that special rituals will be conducted in temples across the state to pray for rains after a lack of pre-monsoon rainfall left the state reeling in drought. Temples in the state were also 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. Similar rituals were also held in Sringeri, Mandya, Chamarajanagara, and Mysuru. “As a precautionary measure, the government is organising puja. We prayed in the wee hours after taking blessings from the pontiff of Sringeri mutt. I have faith that there will be good rain thanks to the blessings of Lord Sri Rishya Shringeshwara," Power Minister DK Shivakumar told The New Indian Express in Sringeri. Are those two pandit checking weather app already?!! — Axit Darji (@IMaxit97) June 7, 2019 Much like yagna done to tackle air pollution...  — Jyothi  جیوتھی ‏ (@MrsNair_1112) June 7, 2019 Are they whatsapping Indra dev for monsoon? What's the phones for https://t.co/uh42jxo914 — Confusedicius (@MauveMemory) June 7, 2019 Over 100 out of 175 taluks in the state have been declared drought hit this year. Even the state's coastal districts Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, which receives perennial rainfall, has reported a scarcity of water. The situation is similarly adverse in the state's northern districts which have been parched by a lack of rainfall.

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22-year-old woman found murdered at rented house in Mangaluru

Crime

A male companion Sandeep, who lived-in with the 22-year-old woman, is now absconding and is the prime suspect in the case.

Harsha Raj Gatty

A banking aspirant was found strangulated to death at a rented accommodation in Mangaluru city on Friday. Mangaluru City Police said that a male companion who lived-in with the 22-year-old woman is now absconding and is the prime suspect in the case. The victim was identified as Anjana Vasista. She was found dead with a TV cable cord wound around her neck in a rented house at Attavar in Mangaluru on Friday. "Upon the discovery of the victim's body, her head was found wedged in between the passage (headrest) of the cot," a police official from Pandeshwar said. According to the police, the victim is an MSc graduate from SDM College in Ujire and she was in the city since June 2 to train at a coaching centre for a banking exam. "Anjana, along with another male identified as Sandeep, had rented a room at Attavar for a 'short-term' stay and the couple claimed they were married," the police officials said citing the landlord. The landlord, Louis, told the police that briefly Anjana went to her hometown in Chikamagalur and had returned only on Friday morning.  The locals also have confirmed that they saw Anjana doing some household errands on the day of her death. However, later in the evening, a house help informed the landlord that the couple did not open the door for cleaning. The landlord, who arrived the spot, repeatedly asked the inhabitants to open the door. Suspecting foul play they broke open the door and discovered her body. Meanwhile, police investigation also revealed that around Rs. 15,000 was withdrawn from Anjana’s account through debit card from two ATMs in the afternoon. The Pandeshwar police are investigating the matter and have launched a search for the person who lived with Anjana, who is suspected to be the murderer. The FSL team, who were summoned to the crime scene collected samples of evidence. The police have informed Anjana's father Manjunatha Y N, a resident of Tarikere near Chikkamagaluru and are on the lookout for Sandeep. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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69 trees uprooted, 90 electric poles collapse as heavy rains batter Bengaluru

Trees

The BBMP's forest cell confirmed that as many as 69 trees, 220 tree branches and 90 electric poles collapsed in the storm in southern Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

The downpour in Bengaluru on Thursday has led to more than 50 trees being uprooted in the city. The BBMP's forest cell confirmed that as many as 69 trees, 220 tree branches and 90 electric poles collapsed in the storm in southern Bengaluru. This means that more than 400 trees have been uprooted at the start of the monsoon season this year with another three months of rains expected.  Officials from the cell were mostly diverted to southern Bengaluru after traffic on Girinagar main road was blocked and underpasses like KR Circle and Le Meridien were flooded, as per a report by Deccan Herald.  Even other areas in the city like Rajarajeshwari Nagar were severely affected. It recorded the highest rainfall (40 mm) and saw 40 trees uprooted. Heavy rainfall was reported at Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Jalahalli, Majestic, Hebbal, Vidyaranyapura Yelahanka, Jayanagar, JP. Nagar, Koramangala, Halasuru and KR Puram.  The inmates of two houses in Girinagar were trapped under uprooted trees for an entire night. The inmates were trapped after a tree blocked the driveway and stairs leading out of the house. They managed to contact their friends and family over phone. 

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SC pulls up CBI for not framing charges against Janardhana Reddy in mining case

Crime

It has been six years since the case against Janardhana Reddy was filed.

IANS

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the CBI for failing to frame charges even after a gap of 6 years in a mining case registered against former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, who had moved the apex court seeking permission to visit Ballari to see his father-in-law recuperating from a health condition and currently admitted in the ICU of a local hospital. Although, the court granted Reddy two weeks, beginning from June 8, to visit Ballari and attend to his ailing father-in-law, but sought a concrete reply from the CBI regarding the reason for not framing charges in the case yet. "Even 6 yrs down the line charges have not been framed yet. Why? We would like to know", said a bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and Ajay Rastogi The CBI counsel contended that Reddy has been delaying the trial proceedings by filing applications at various stages of the trial. A chargesheet has been filed in the case, but charges are yet to be framed. And, this is his seventh application in the apex court to visit Ballari after being granted bail in the matter. Senior advocate S Ganesh appearing for Reddy rebutted that there have been no complaints against Reddy for violating any conditions of bail. "He had earlier been to Ballari for three weeks, but there is no complaint against him. His father-in-law had bypass surgeries and we have already placed medical records to establish the same", submitted Ganesh before the court. The CBI counsel contended that Reddy on one pretext or the other has been seeking permission to visit Ballari. "He had already been Ballari for his daughter's wedding then again, he wanted to visit Ballari to attend one of his friend's daughter wedding....he had already diluted the conditions imposed on his bail", said the CBI counsel.  The court observed that delay in failing to frame charges cannot be justified, and it is the burden on the prosecution to counter the delay. The CBI counsel informed the court that nearly 300 witnesses have been listed in the case, and that Reddy is the main accused.

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Debris dumped on Bengaluru’s Hennur bridge impacts traffic, poses safety risk

Civic Issues

According to regular commuters, the waste was dumped on the bridge 3-4 months ago but no action has been taken by the authorities since then.

Soumya Chatterjee

Dumping of construction and demolition waste on the Hennur bridge, which connects Kalyan Nagar and Nagawara over the New Airport Road in north Bengaluru, has made driving agonising for regular commuters on the stretch. With frequent rainfall, not only has this forced all vehicles to move in a single file resulting in traffic snarls but also made the area prone to accidents. Sampath Ramanujam, who was driving down the stretch on Wednesday evening, had a stroke of luck narrowly escaping an accident.  “It was raining heavily and all vehicles were plying in a single lane due to this debris on the bridge. While I was wondering how come someone used a bridge to dump waste materials, my car went over the divider as I tried to avoid crashing into an overtaking lorry. Fortunately, I was able to prevent my vehicle from toppling as I was on low speed,” he said. “But discarding construction material on top of the bridge is atrocious and looks like the BBMP is overlooking this. This can cause many such accidents for sure and it is a risk to the bridge itself,” Sampath added. Nadia Zaccharia, a resident of the area who uses the stretch for her regular commute, said that the dumping has been an issue for some time now and the rains have made it worse. She said, “It’s most problematic for people who are driving towards the Outer Ring Road.” According to locals, the debris was dumped overnight on the bridge 3-4 months ago and since then no action has been taken by authorities. In a recent directive by BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad, the zonal commissioners of each zone in the city is responsible for the upkeep of major roads. TNM could not reach the East Zonal Commissioner or concerned officials for comment. The BBMP has also recently identified a site for setting up its own Construction & Demolition waste recycling plant.

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Main access road to Bengaluru Airport to be closed for next 2 years for expansion

Airport

The main access road which is currently four lanes wide will be expanded to a 10-lane.

TNM Staff

For the next two years starting from June 10, the 1.4 km main access road to the Kempegowda International Airport terminal will be closed due to expansion work. During this period, traffic will be directed through the south access road which was opened recently. The road runs parallel to the main access road and is six lanes wide. This means vehicles coming to the airport from the city side will turn right after the Trumpet Interchange and reach the South Access Road (SAR).  Vehicles heading out of the Airport from the departure gates, will follow the existing exit path from the Terminal and head towards P6 parking to reach the SAR. Vehicles returning from Arrival Gates, will continue using the existing route towards SAR. The main access road which is currently four lanes wide will be expanded to a 10-lane road. As part of the same expansion plan, to manage increasing cargo traffic, the secondary road leading to the Cargo Terminals will be widened to four lanes later this year. The Trumpet interchange, too be will be expanded – from the existing three to five lanes, on either side – without causing any disruptions to traffic movement. “Owing to a sharp rise in passenger volumes and cargo transportation, vehicular movement at the BLR Airport has witnessed a rapid surge. The trend will increase as the passenger volumes are expected to grow at an intense pace in the coming years. To cater to this stupendous growth, BIAL has invested Rs. 13,000 crore to construct a Terminal 2, second runway and other associated projects,” Bangalore International Airport Limited, the company that manages the airport, stated. Kempegowda International Airport is currently the busiest airport in south India and the third largest in the country. It was built as a private-public partnership. Private promoters hold 74% (Fairfax 48% and Siemens Projects Ventures 26%) stake in BIAL, while the government holds the remaining 26% – through Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited – 13%, Airport Authority of India – 13%. The Airport began operations in May 2008 with over 37 passenger airlines and 12 cargo airlines connecting Bengaluru to the rest of the country and world. For financial year 2018-19 it clocked 33.30 million passengers registering a 23.8% year-on--year growth.  

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Only 2 more days’ worth of water in Udupi: Residents wait for monsoon

Water

Lack of pre-monsoon rainfall led to unprecedented levels of water scarcity in the two districts prompting authorities to begin rationing water supply to its residents.

Prajwal Bhat

Baje reservoir, Udupi | Photograph via Twitter

“We have almost run out of water and we are hoping and praying that the monsoon rains arrive and save our district,” Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat speaks on behalf of almost everyone in the coastal Karnataka district while describing the unprecedented water scarcity that has seen residents struggle this year. District authorities in Karnataka’s Udupi and neighbouring Dakshina Kannada are hoping that the monsoons arrive before the water supply from the Baje and Thumbe reservoirs, which supply water to Udupi and Mangaluru respectively, runs out. The situation in Udupi has reached a tipping point with the water at the Baje reservoir, built on the Swarna river, set to run out in the next two days. “We had hit dead storage on May 4 and we have been pumping water out of the dam ever since. This will run out in one or two days. Even today, we are yet to begin supplying the water because we need to be careful that we save some water in the river otherwise it will affect the marine life here,” explains Raghavendra, environmental engineer with the Udupi Municipal Council. Dead storage refers to water in a reservoir that cannot be drained by gravity and has to be pumped out. Baje reservoir, Udupi in May 2019 | Photograph via Raghupathi Bhat The situation is slightly better in Mangaluru. Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) executive engineer KS Lingegowda told TNM that the water at the Thumbe reservoir, built on the Nethravati river, is set to last one more week. “The water level at the dam is currently at 2.3 metres. The dead storage at the dam is 1.3 metres so we have a 1 metre cushion but we are praying for the rains to arrive before the water runs out,” Lingegowda says. A lack of pre-monsoon rainfall led to unprecedented levels of water scarcity in the two districts prompting authorities to begin rationing water supply to its residents. In Mangaluru, water is being supplied for four days followed by a three-day break. In Udupi, water is being supplied once in three days since the start of April. Read: Mangaluru gripped by water scarcity, unprecedented situation sees residents struggle The lack of water availability has even forced some schools to postpone reopening for the new academic year while other schools have decided to send students back home after the morning session. “We are having severe problems because there is no water anywhere. We are waiting and praying for rains to arrive through the monsoon. This time around, there has been negligible pre-monsoon rains and this has hit Udupi badly,” Raghupathi Bhat says. Baje reservoir, Udupi in May 2019 | Photograph via Raghupathi Bhat Read: Water scarcity forces schools in coastal Karnataka to postpone reopening The monsoon, which usually begins at the start of June, has also been delayed this year. However, in what will come as a relief to the residents of the two districts, meteorologists at the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) predict that the monsoon will arrive in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi by Monday. “The monsoon is expected to arrive in Kerala on Saturday and it may take a maximum of two more days to bring rains in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu. It is expected to bring a good amount of rainfall coupled with heavy winds of up 30 km/hr,” Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist with KSNDMC stated. The water scarcity in the district has even forced authorities to plan rain-water harvesting during the monsoon this year in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.

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