Karnataka conservationist wins Rolex award, state forest dept objects

Conservation

Karnataka Forest Department is contesting the Rolex Award given to conservationist Krithi for facilitating compensation for people affected by human-wildlife conflict.

TNM Staff

Krithi Karanth via FB

On June 14, Bengaluru-based conservationist Krithi Karanth won the Rolex Award for Enterprise for her and her four-year-old organisation Wild Seve’s work for helping people who have been affected by human-wildlife conflicts in getting compensation. “[Wild Seve] identifies conflict hotspots and currently serves half a million people living in 600 villages near Bandipur and Nagarahole Parks in Karnataka. It has filed 14,000 claims for 6,400 families, worth $200,000, which has decreased hostility and increased trust between conservationists and communities,” the citation reads. While this should have been cause for celebration, the Karnataka Forest Department raised an objection to the same, saying Krithi played no role in facilitating compensation to thousands of human-wildlife conflict victims in Karnataka. Countering Krithi, the Forest Department has said that the Bandipur Tiger Reserve has never engaged or associated – either in the past or as of now – with any private individuals or organizations/NGOs for the such work. "The activities such as crop/livestock damage assessment, processing of claim records, and settlement of compensation/ex-gratia payment claims etc. are performed by the forest officials of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka," the statement said. “Hence, the claims being made in this regard by any individuals, organization, or NGOs are false baseless and far from the truth.” In response, the Centre for Wildlife Studies, of which 40-year-old Krithi is the director, has also issued a counter, clarifying that they have merely assisted people who approached them for help in seeking compensation, and have not paid the said compensation to them. "The Wild Seve Program does not claim that has provided direct compensation payment as is alleged. We have built 48 livestock sheds for rural beneficiaries as well as borne expenses of managing the project. We also want to make clear that there may be other cases of wildlife damage which were filed with the government without our assistance. Nowhere have we claimed that such cases were facilitated by our Wild Seve program." “Providing such assistance to victims of wildlife conflict is a perfectly legal activity which is encouraged by the government,” CWS added. They also said that they had submitted the requisite documents regarding the cases they assisted on to the Forest Department’s local staff. “All the 13702 claims for ex-gratia compensation handled by Wild Seve were submitted to forest department local staff on behalf beneficiaries for the past four years. For the Forest Department to now assert it was unaware of these claims is absurd.” The Rolex Award for Enterprise is awarded by Rolex, the luxury watch maker, to people with innovative and original ideas that are changing communities. The winners are also given a large financial grant to further their projects.

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Student organisation protests steep fee hike for Karnataka medical and dental courses

Protest

The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) argued that the new fee was discriminatory and took away opportunities for economically weaker sections.

Theja Ram

The hike in fee for medical and dental courses by the Karnataka government led to protests in Bengaluru on Saturday. Earlier in June, the state government had announced a 15% hike in fees for MBBS and BDS (dental) courses for the government quota for the 2019-20 academic year. The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) on Saturday staged a protest at Mysore Bank Circle arguing that the fee hike was discriminatory and took away opportunities to study medicine for economically weaker sections. AIDSO representatives submitted a memorandum to the Medical Education Department, asking them to roll back the decision. Since 2012, the hike in fees for private medical and dental colleges has gone up by 50%. According to the Department of Medical Education, the fees for MBBS courses is up from Rs 97,350 in 2018 to Rs 1,11,959 for the 2019-20 academic year. The fee was Rs 46,000 in 2012. The BDS fee has increased from Rs 63,030 to Rs 72,484. It was only Rs 35,000 in 2012. The fees are much high under the management quota. Under this quota, a medical seat will cost Rs 7,85,565. Last year, the fees was 6,83,100. The fee in dental colleges will be Rs 5,32,818, as opposed to Rs 4,63,320 in 2018. In 2012, the fees for MBBS course under management quota was Rs 3,57,500 and Rs 2,53,000 for BDS. However, no fee hike was imposed on government colleges. They will remain at Rs 50,000 for MBBS and Rs 40,000 for BDS. Officials with the department say that the owners of private medical colleges had been demanding a 25% fee hike owing to various operational costs. “How is this hike even fair? Every student who aspires to study medicine must be able to afford the fees. What if the NEET topper did not have money to pay the fees? Rich and poor alike must be afforded the same chance to study. This fee hike indirectly tells us that only the rich are allowed to study medicine. This is not fair,” said Ashwini, state secretary of AIDSO.  

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Two die after falling off second floor of pub in Bengaluru’s Church Street

Accident

The two have been identified as Pawan, who works in a private publication company, and Vedha, who was an IT employee.

TNM Staff

Representative image

Two people died after falling off the second floor of a pub located in Bengaluru’s Church Street on Friday. The two have been identified as Pawan, who works in a private publication company, and Vedha, who worked in an IT firm. According to the police, the two were walking down a flight of stairs at the pub in an inebriated state on Friday night, when they lost their balance and stumbled onto the window next to the flight of stairs. The window frame, which was made out of sub-standard material, gave way and the two fell out of the window located on the second floor. A video put out by a news channel shows Pawan falling on a portico just below the window and then crashing to the ground. While Vedha died on the spot, Pawan was rushed to Bowring Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. A case has been registered at Cubbon Park police station. The police have stated that the window that the two fell out of was made with sub-standard material in order to save costs and thus was not sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the two people. The owner of the building, the owner of the club and the manager of the pub have been booked by the police under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (Causing death by negligence). However, no arrests have been made yet. The mortal remains of the two victims have been sent for post mortem. The police have begun an investigation and have questioned the pub staff in connection with the accident. (This is a developing story)  

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Security lapse at Bengaluru airport: 7 passengers reach boarding gate without frisking

Security

They managed to get to the boarding area without going through the security check as the screening booths were not being manned at the time.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

In a serious lapse of security at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, seven people reached the boarding gate without having gone through the mandatory frisking. The incident took place on Monday night at around 9pm. Staff members of Indigo airlines took note of four women passengers at a boarding gate whose boarding passes had not been stamped by security personnel. The women who were bound for Pune were later taken to the domestic security holding area and underwent security check before they were allowed to board the flight. Shortly after this incident, a second group consisting of two men and one woman boarded a flight to Nagpur. It was only after they had boarded that the staff members of the airline noticed their passes had not been stamped. The Additional Director General (airport sector) has reportedly asked for a thorough investigation into the incident and has written to the KIA personnel asking for a response. Dated June 18, the letter has sought a proper explanation about the incident. According to reports, the security booth was not manned at the time the passengers entered the security check premises. As a result, these passengers went through without any frisking or checking taking place. The Central Industrial Security Force (CSIF) stated that the seven passengers crossed through an unmanned frisking area and went through it collecting their bags. One set of passengers who were headed to Pune was made to go back and undergo security check after an airline staff member noticed there were no stamps on the boarding passes. The other group managed to board the flight and reached their destination in Nagpur, before the incident was flagged. CISF headquarters in Delhi will look into the issue and decide on the next course of action. 

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‘Want to create a unique model’: NGT panel on Bellandur-Varthur lakes rejuvenation

Civic Issues

The Bellandur-Varthur lakes are expected to regain their past glory in two years’ time.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

The infamous Bellandur lake which had attracted headlines nationally for catching fire twice in less than five years will be a model for lake rejuvenation in the country after 18-24 months, according to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) panel. “We want the cooperation of all residents so that we can give a model which is unique to the country,” veteran scientist and member of the committee TV Ramachandra, said.  The NGT-appointed committee, which is monitoring the lake rejuvenation process, apprised the public about the future course of action to restore the Bellandur and its downstream Varthur lake. As reported earlier, the dewatering of the lakes has started and at the same time, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has started the de-weeding and dredging process. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has also been tasked with stopping the ingress of sewage as the BDA has readied alternate channels on either side of Bellandur to transport the flow downstream. From next June, a sewage treatment plant (STP) is expected to be readied which will solve the problem of untreated sewage entering the water bodies. “After the STP is ready, we will only take 20 MLD of treated water into the lake to maintain it, the rest of the treated water will be diverted elsewhere,” Professor TV Ramachandra told the gathering. He also assured that all encroachment will be removed going by the revenue record of 1887. Sonali Singh, a resident-activist closely following the developments, said, “We had concerns about the quantum of desilting and where it will be dumped. As per some recent studies by IISc, there is upto 10-12 feet of silt. We were very happy to note the response that desilting will be till the lake bed which will allow for groundwater recharging.” She added, “The committee informed that no more than 5% of the lake land will be lost for the beautification process which will include creation of a park and walking tracks.” The two lakes, once full of life, have been reduced to a cesspool of sewage and sludge due to the increased flow of untreated sewage. While not much was done by the authorities despite much noise from civil society, it was the NGT which took suo motu notice of the matter and indicted the state and local authorities like BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), BWSSB and the KSPCB (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board).  Even then, with them failing, the NGT had recently fined the state government and ordered another Rs 500 crore to be put in an escrow account for the lakes’ restoration and appointed a committee headed by former SC judge Justice Santosh Hegde and comprising Professor TV Ramachandra of the IISc. Suresh NR, Namma Bengaluru Foundation, which impleaded in the NGT case, said, “The meeting went very well today. The committee also took the farmers into confidence about the restoration plan. They were also happy that the lost lake will be back to its old glory.” He added, “The committee also told them that the silt to be used in their farmlands should be free of any harmful contaminants and also educated the farmers on the issue. The committee also welcomed suggestions from the public and the farmers for the process and highlighted the importance of local knowledge and ancient practices.”

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Biden's stands on abortion remain a mystery after Hyde flap

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Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy kicks off village stay campaign: First stop, in Yadgir

Politics

CM Kumaraswamy made big promises for the village – from ensuring top-notch infrastructure for government schools to constructing a 300-bed district hospital.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday kick-started his village stay campaign ‘Grama Vastavya 2.0’ from Gurmitkal in Yadgir district. Kumaraswamy had announced that he will be starting his programme soon after the party suffered a major setback in the Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, Kumaraswamy announced a slew of developmental programmes for Yadgir district. From ensuring top-notch infrastructure for government schools to constructing a 300-bed district hospital, Kumaraswamy said that he had directed the district administration and concerned ministers to ensure that the work is completed in a speedy manner. “Grama Vastavya is not a political gimmick. I had started this programme 12 years ago in a bid to develop rural areas by obtaining information from the people itself. This is not just a one-night stay at a village for me. This is a way for me to learn about the problems people in Gurmitkal are facing. The district officials and gram panchayat officials have briefed me about the problems in Gurmitkal,” Kumaraswamy said. The Chief Minister promised to ensure that every household in the district would have drinking water taps within the next year-and-a-half. “The district administration had informed me that there is no veterinarian in Gurmitkal and Chandargi village some time ago. They said that many people were complaining that their cattle were dying as there was no doctor. The veterinary hospital will open tomorrow and we have also appointed doctors there so the cattle do not die,” Kumaraswamy said. Kumaraswamy held talks with the people of Gurmitkal at the government school between 1 and 6 pm. Kumaraswamy announced that a 300-bed district hospital would be constructed for Yadgir. Until now, the people had to depend on the PHCs and the Kalaburgi district hospital. “There is no ICU facility and barely any beds in the taluk hospital. I promise you that the 300-bed hospital will be constructed within a year. We will also ensure that the roads leading to the hospital are laid properly so that people do not have to struggle to reach the hospital,” Kumaraswamy added. The CM also announced that the district administration has been directed to issue tenders for a detailed project report to construct an underground drainage system in Yadgir district. “12-years-ago, when I was the CM, I wanted to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of swaraj. He had said that the country will achieve freedom only when each and every village in the country has the basic necessities to improve livelihood. Grama Vastavya is what I believe would be a way to realise Gandhiji’s dreams. By the evening, I will review all the problems – short term and long term. Those issues which can be sorted out today will be done so,” he said. Embarrassed by JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s defeat in the general elections, the Chief Minister had vowed to “show the people of Karnataka” that voting against the JD(S) was a “regrettable decision.” Speaking to the media, CM Kumaraswamy on Thursday had said, “I have taken it as a challenge. I will change gears and make Karnataka the number one state in the country in terms of development. I will win back people’s confidence so much so that they would repent for not voting for us in the Lok Sabha elections.”    

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