Uber ties up with Bajaj Auto to launch CNG-run passenger vehicle in Bengaluru

Transport

The new offering termed UberXS will be available only in Bengaluru starting with Indiranagar, Kormanagala, HSR Layout and ORR.

TNM Staff

Leading app-based cab aggregator Uber on Thursday announced it will start a CNG-run offering in partnership with Bajaj Auto only for Bengaluru, to make commuting more environmentally-friendly and affordable. The new offering termed UberXS will be exclusively run by the newly launched Bajaj Qute.  Uber’s riders will be able to see UberXS on the app from June 13 and it will be available in Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR Layout and parts of Outer Ring Road to begin with. Nandini Maheshwari, Head, Business Development, Uber India and South Asia, said the fares for this offering will be higher than an auto and lower than an Uber GO. Bajaj Qute is a driver plus three passenger quadricycle, which is a four-wheeled motor vehicle that’s smaller and lighter than a passenger car, a press release said. Uber said Qute’s low running cost makes it suitable for daily commuting and it’s easy to drive because of dash-mounted sequential shift gears. Speaking on the tie-up, Nandini said, “We are delighted to partner with one of India’s most trusted names, Bajaj Auto, to launch Bajaj Qute on UberXS in Bengaluru. At Uber, we constantly work towards transforming the mobility landscape of cities, with technology at the heart of our solutions. This partnership is an extension of Uber’s commitment towards lowering transportation costs, enhancing asset utilization and improving rider convenience.” While Qute comes with two fuel options- CNG and Petrol. All units available as UberXS rides will be powered by the eco-friendlier CNG fuel option, which provides a mileage of 43km/kg, Uber said. Samardeep Subandh, Senior VP, Bajaj Auto, said, “Bajaj Qute is the first quadricycle of India. It will prove to be an ideal solution for the mobility challenges of congestion and pollution arising from rapid urbanization. Launched in both CNG and Petrol variant, the Qute is powered by a lightweight 216 cc 4-valve water-cooled DTSi engine with closed loop fuel injection system resulting in higher fuel efficiency”. Read: No easy exit as Ola and Uber drivers in India face spiralling debt trap          

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Forced to travel 100 km for treatment, Kodagu residents seek better medical facilities

Health

The residents of Kodagu have started a Twitter campaign seeking better emergency healthcare services in the district.

TNM Staff

Representational image/Rameshng (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

Inspired by residents of Uttara Kannada who ran a Twitter campaign recently seeking a super speciality hospital in their districts, people from Kodagu have started a similar drive seeking emergency healthcare services in the district. On Wednesday evening, #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu trended on Twitter. In most of the tweets,Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha have been tagged. The CM has not reacted to the demand yet, unlike previously, when a similar demand was made for Uttara Kannada.   ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೆ ಒಂದು ಸುಸಜ್ಜಿತ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಯ ಅಗತ್ಯಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಅಭಿಯಾನ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ನನ್ನ ಗಮನಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಈ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಂದ ವರದಿ ತರಿಸಿ ಅಗತ್ಯ ಕ್ರಮ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲಾಗುವುದು.#weneedEmergencyhospitalinuttarkannada #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInUK — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 8, 2019   The tourist hotspot of Kodagu is a hilly district in the lap of Western Ghats and covers an area of 4,102 sq km. Even today, however, the district does not have a major hospital. The residents have been forced to travel more than a hundred kilometres, either to Mangaluru or Mysuru, to avail benefits of advanced medicine, even in case of an emergency. While both Kumaraswamy and Simha have not responded yet, the BJP unit of Karnataka tweeted in support. “People of Kodagu & Uttara Kannada have been demanding #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu & #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInUK BJP completely supports their demand & we urge @CMofKarnataka to act on this regard. Super speciality hospitals should be set in every district of Karnataka,” it said,   People of Kodagu & Uttara Kannada have been demanding #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu & #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInUK BJP completely supports their demand & we urge @CMofKarnataka to act on this regard. Super speciality hospitals should be set in every district of Karnataka — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 12, 2019   Support also came from celebrity and film star Shivaraj Kumar. “I heard that there's a scarcity of hospitals in Coorg. You need not worry, we are all united. On behalf of the industry, I request the government to construct a hospital with facilities as soon as possible because it's a basic necessity and should be present in every small town and village,” the actor said, in a video that is now being widely shared.   ಕೊಡಗಿನ ಜನರ ಕಷ್ಟಗಳಿಗೆ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸುವಂತೆ ಕರುನಾಡ ಚಕ್ರವರ್ತಿ ಮನವಿ.! ಕೊಡಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಉನ್ನತ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯವುಳ್ಳ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಡಾ.ಶಿವರಾಜಕುಮಾರ್ ಒತ್ತಾಯ#DrShivarajkumar #Shivanna#WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu@Shivarajkumar_ @cariappa14 @DEOKodagu @hd_kumaraswamy @kp_sreekanth @SagarManasu pic.twitter.com/yTaAoAbJ3T — Dr.Shivarajkumar (@Shivarajkumar_) June 13, 2019   Many Kodagu residents and supporters of the cause pointed out the historical neglect faced by the district, in spite of it being the origin of Cauvery and many stated that many athletes and soldiers hail from there.     #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu Our government seems to be only keen in developing tourism in Kodagu, the well being of it's people seems to be the last priority. There is not even a single hospital in Kodagu that can handle severe accidents and cases like heart attack. — PrithviA (@PrithviA6) June 10, 2019     When wealth is lost something is lost , But when health is lost everything is lost.. #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu @mepratap @CMofKarnataka @DVSBJP pic.twitter.com/VjZRFo0fwz — Ajjikutti Achu Nayaka (@samson_mand) June 12, 2019     Remember our service and sacrifice to defence and sports with culture...Don't we need a proper medical support #WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu pic.twitter.com/jDEmLfksCG — VilotsKB (@meVilotsKB) June 12, 2019     Black mold (Stachybotrys) on the walls of ICU, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences#WeNeedEmergencyHospitalInKodagu@hd_kumaraswamy @CMofKarnataka @RV_Deshpande @Shivanand_S_P @mepratap pic.twitter.com/whIMzC7D3Z — Bhavan Nidyamale (@Bhavanravi) June 11, 2019   Environmentalists, who have been fighting the state and central governments over the contentious rail project in the district, have also come forward to support this cause.   Plz do support fr the hospital facilities in coorg plz do support guys#weneedemergencyhospitalinkodagu pic.twitter.com/qoL23tP4GF — Nellira Ananya (@AnanyaNellira) June 12, 2019   The demand for such a medical facility has been long pending but successive governments have not taken any steps in this direction.      

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Rains bring relief to coastal Karnataka, district admins remain on alert

Weather

Fishermen, tourists have been warned to not venture into the sea.

TNM Staff

Representational image

Heavy rains and thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday brought relief to residents of Karnataka’s coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi who were suffering from the rising temperatures and acute water shortage. According to officials from Dakshina Kannada district administration, the district received an average of 40.8 mm rain in the 24 hours from June 12, 8 am. Bantwal received 50.4 mm; Belthangady, 35.1 mm; Mangaluru, 84.6 mm; Puttur, 20.6 mm and Sullia received 6.8 mm in the same time period. Further, Udupi received 128.0 mm rain, Kundapura, 67.8 mm and Karkala, 88.5 mm rain, district officials said. According to IMD, most parts of the coastal district is likely to see heavy rain, accompanied by thunderstorms till June 17. Damage due to rains While the rain has brought much joy to a most residents, the resultant rough sea has spelt trouble for some. As a precautionary measure, Dakshina Kannada district administration has shifted eight families residing in Ullal and Someshwara-Uchila areas on Wednesday. Home guards have been positioned in eight locations on the Ullal to Someshwara stretch as well. They have been directed to stop people from venturing into the sea and are points of contact during emergencies. The heavy rains and turbulent sea have damaged houses in a few localities in Ullal as well as the protective wall of private resort along the coast. A building adjacent to the resort has also developed cracks. In Udupi, a house in Karkala was heavily damaged due to incessant rain and lighting.There were reports of electric poles being uprooted as well. Residents of Ullal Mogaveerapatna, Ullal Kody, Kaiko, Killeria Nagar, Seaground, Mukkacheri are also facing risks of their properties being washed away by the waves. They allege that the retaining wall constructed in Ullal has intensified the sea erosion in Someshwar areas. Several trees were uprooted in an estuary near Sasihithulu beach. Sasihithulu Beach Development Committee President H Vasanth raised concerns that the benches in the estuary could get washed away. “We have brought the issues to the notice of DK district-in-charge minister U T Khader. We have submitted a proposal for work that can permanently solve the sea erosion problem in this area. The estimated cost is Rs 2 crore and we are awaiting response from the government,” Vasanth told media. Preparedness Following last year’s incidents, this year, the district administrations of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have stepped up precautionary measures. A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has been stationed to handle emergencies. The 50 personnel are from the 10th Battalion of the NDRF which was stationed in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge minister U T Khader has already convened meetings with officials of different departments for laying out protocols and ensuring they are prepared to handle mishaps due to monsoons. Fishermen have been warned to not venture into Tannirbhavi and Panambur beaches on the coast lines for the next 24 hours and barricades have been installed to deter the tourists. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)        

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IMA scam: Bengaluru MLA Roshan Baig says allegations against him baseless

IMA Scam

“After my recent political fallouts, some of my adversaries have made a full-fledged attempt at assassinating my character by orchestrating a series of events using underhanded methods,” said the Congress leader.

TNM Staff

Senior Congress leader and Shivajinagar MLA Roshan Baig has come out to clarify that he has no connection with the Bengaluru IMA Jewels scam. The MLA’s name surfaced in the case after an audio clip purportedly of the absconding I Monetary Advisory chief, Mohammed Mansoor Khan named the Congress leader. “By the time you would be listening to this message, I’m certain that I won’t be there in this world. I have decided to end my life. Sir, I built this company with a lot of hard work in the last 12 to 13 years. But because of the corruption in the Central government and the state government, I kept bribing the bureaucrats and Muslim politicians. The PMO and the RBI were misinformed,” says the voice in the clip, which was sent to the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner allegedly by Mansoor Khan himself. Responding to these allegations, the Congress leader took to Twitter to state that he had no connection to the case and that this was the work of his political rivals. “After my recent political fallouts, some of my adversaries have made a full-fledged attempt at assassinating my character by orchestrating a series of events using underhanded methods. The entire hitjob has been carried out using a baseless, un-investigated audio recording,” he wrote on the microblogging site. In an interview to TOI he reiterated that he was not connected to the crime. “I’ve clearly said the voice recorded in the clip is of a fraudster, who has cheated thousands of investors from the Muslim community. The clip says I have taken Rs 400 crores from Mansoor Khan. While I am astonished by this, I want to ask, how can one believe a fraudster? He is absconding and nobody knows his whereabouts.”

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K’taka HC grants bail to HIV-positive woman accused of murdering daughter-in-law

Law

The court ruled that the woman’s HIV-positive status has to be factored in when considering her bail petition.

TNM Staff

A Bengaluru woman who had been arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter-in-law was granted bail after Karnataka High Court ruled that her HIV status must be considered when reviewing her bail application. The 48-year-old woman had been in prison since September 2018 after she was arrested for torturing her daughter-in-law to death for dowry. “The Sessions Court, by its order dated December 31, 2018 rejected the bail application, despite observing that the petitioner is HIV-positive. The fact that the accused-petitioner is HIV-positive is also a fact to be considered while deciding as to whether the petitioner is entitled to be released on bail,” stated the court as per the Hindu. Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav oversaw the hearing and ruled that the woman could be granted bail. “Note is taken of the fact that chargesheet has been filed after the investigation. The fact as to whether the deceased was driven to end her life as a result of the role of the petitioner along with other accused is a matter to be established in trial. More so, in this case, the petitioner is the mother-in-law of the deceased and whether her acts for demand of dowry constitute an offence is a matter to be proved during trial. Further, as regards to the other allegation that the petitioner had burnt a portion of saree fabric used by the deceased to hang herself is also a matter to be established in trial,” stated the court. While the woman has been granted bail, the court has ordered her to execute a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. The deceased’s parents have alleged that their daughter was routinely harassed by the accused and her son (deceased’s husband) for dowry and that they killed her. The accused, however, denied this and maintained that her daughter-in-law had committed suicide. The deceased was found hanging at her residence on September 25, 2018. 

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Karnataka govt to reassess Jindal land deal, what the controversy is all about

Business

CM Kumaraswamy’s decision to review came on the same day when industry leaders urged the government not to “send a wrong signal to investor community”.

Soumya Chatterjee

Theja Ram

In a sudden U-turn, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that the state government may not go ahead with the controversial decision to give land to Jindal group’s JSW Steel Ltd in Ballari for iron ore mining. “I have discussed the controversy with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Industries Minister K J George. I’ve directed that this be re-examined and placed before the Cabinet for a discussion,” the CM said in a late night tweet on Tuesday. A source said, “Continuous bad press has led to the decision, After a consultation with Deputy CM, the CM decided to go for another round of cabinet review.” Incidentally this came on the same day when industry leaders urged the government not to “send a wrong signal to investor community”. “The facilitation of industry to set up shop in Karnataka is one of the most important tasks of the Government of Karnataka. The present controversy over regularisation of land lease of JSW Steel Ltd is unfortunate as well as unnecessary. We understand that political colour has been given to the legitimate use of land by a large industry to set up its plant and facilities." Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Kishore Alva said. Until now the CM had maintained a studied silence on the issue despite opposition from many quarters including allegations of kickbacks. What is the row over the land in Ballari? The Karnataka cabinet on May 30, 2019 had unanimously agreed to allocate 2000.58 acres of land in Ballari district’s Sandur and an additional 1666.73 acres of land in the district’s Yalaburga region to JSW Steel Ltd for mining operations. However, Congress leader HK Patil, in a letter to Industries Minister KJ George had alleged that JSW Steel Ltd owed Rs 1,200 crore to Mysore Minerals Ltd as on May 27, 2019 and that the state government was giving away the land for a depreciated value.  JSW Steel Ltd has been accused of supplying iron ore to Mysore Minerals at a low premium between 2000-01 and 2009-10. During this time period, 9.25 million tonnes of iron ore valued at Rs 1,059.89 crore was mined, for which Mysore Minerals got only Rs 63.17 crore as premium, while JSW Steel Ltd made a profit of Rs 876.9 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report in 2013 states. “This case is still in court. There was debate about whether the land should be given to such a company and hence the Law department was consulted. The department had recommended against handing over the land to JSW Steel Ltd. The reason why I brought this issue forwards is because Minister KJ George told the media after the cabinet meeting on May 30 that the company had cleared all dues. When the illegal mining by Janardhana Reddy came to the fore, Congress had campaigned against such activities. This decision will hurt the party and so I brought it up,” HK Patil told TNM. Meanwhile, Sajjan Jindal, chairman, JSW Group, told the media in Ballari that the company had not indulged in illegalities. “The company has not committed any illegalities. I cannot react on the land alienation issue which is being politicised. This is quite common in politics. People have the right to question the government’s actions in a democratic set-up. This is the beauty of democracy. Nothing’s going to happen if someone opposes it (the land deal),” he said.

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Pharma company employees assault journos for reporting on mishap, held

Crime

The two victims, Manjunath and Devaraju, are journalists working with regional TV channels Raj News and Samaya TV.

TNM Staff

ANI

In a brazen attack against journalists, two Karnataka-based scribes were hospitalised on Wednesday after they were assaulted by employees of a pharmaceutical company in Tumakuru. Four people have been arrested in connection with the attack. The two victims, Manjunath and Devaraju, are journalists for Raj News and Samaya TV Kannada news channels respectively. According to police, the journalists were attacked for reporting about the environmental hazard being created by a pharmaceutical company named Beloor Biotech Boylor a locality in Tumakuru. Since June 8, smoke has been emanating from the factory after one of their boilers exploded. The smoke has been causing difficulty for children, elderly and the sick in the area. The journalists were on the spot reporting the news when around four to five people attacked them. Police said apart from the assaulting the two, the attackers also damaged two cameras and two tripods. Based on a complaint filed by the two news channels, Tumakuru police on Wednesday arrested four people, including the HR representative of the pharma company. “They have been booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 146 (rioting) of the Indian Penal Code and other stringent sections. We are investigating and we need to know at what exact point this violence took place,” Tumakuru SP Vamshi Krishna told TNM. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who visited the two journalists at the hospital, said, “I have asked officials to inspect the boiler blast and take appropriate action against the owner and concerned officials. Journalists from various channels were attacked by a group of about 50-60 employees of the firm. The incident should not have occurred.”. “I have instructed the SP to ensure that the attackers are arrested. I have also instructed the hospital to ensure that the journalists are treated on priority. I condemn the attack on the freedom of the press,” he added. The development in Tumakuru came on the same day when an UP-based journalist Amit Sharma was accosted by General Railway Police as he went to cover an incident of a train derailment near Dhimanpura in Shamli district. "I was locked up, stripped and they urinated upon right into my mouth," the victim, Amit Sharma of News24, told reporters. Station House Officer Rakesh Kumar and GRP constable Sunil Kumar have been suspended and a probe has been ordered into the incident.

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