43-year-old man tries to kill self at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, rescued

Crime

The 43-year-old took the step allegedly after his job application seeking the regularisation of his service was rejected.

TNM Staff

A 43-year-old man tried to take his own life in a washroom at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Monday. The man has been identified as Revanna Kumar, who works as an assistant librarian at the Gram Panchayath office in Anoor village in Chintamani. Revanna took the step allegedly after his job application seeking the regularisation of his services was rejected. Police officials investigating the incident said Revanna worked as a temporary staffer and had applied for regularisation. After he received news of the rejection, he decided to take his own life. According to a report in  Deccan Herald, Revanna visited the Vidhana Soudha and went to the third floor to meet the official concerned with submitting the application. At around 1:30 pm, he was found bleeding in the washroom by people who immediately informed the police. Vidhana Soudha police officials rushed to the spot and Revanna was shifted to Bowring Hospital. He is currently undergoing treatment and is reported to be stable. According to Deccan Chronicle, police officials found an identity card, an appointment letter and the application for regularisation of service from Revanna. They are now waiting for the librarian to recover to question him as to why he tried to take his own life. They are also trying to investigate the sharp object with which Revanna tried to kill himself. This is not the first such incident reported inside the Vidhan Soudha. In April this year, a man working as a KSRTC bus conductor jumped to his death from the fifth floor of the Vidhana Soudha. The incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon when the number of people at the state secretariat is at its lowest. In June 2018, a businessman had attempted suicide alleging that an MLA had taken Rs 1 crore from him to get some work completed.

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Science City to come up in Mysuru in 5 years, proposal submitted to Centre

Project

"The Science City, which will come up at a cost of Rs 200 crore, will emerge as the biggest city in south India,” K'taka Deputy CM G Parameshwara said.

TNM Staff

In order to boost the prospects of Mysuru as a tourist hub further, the Centre and state governments will soon come up with a Science City. Speaking about the project, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said Sri Suttur Math has offered 25-acre land for the project and a proposal has been submitted to the Centre seeking approval. “The Union Government has introduced an initiative to set up a Science City in every state and in this regard, it has been proposed to set up a Science City in Mysuru. The Science City, which will come up at a cost of Rs 200 crore, will emerge as the biggest city in south India,” he said.  The construction expense will be shared equally by the State and Union government.  “Mysuru already attracts tourists in large numbers. Science City in Mysuru will be beneficial to the city. The city will have earth galaxy, solar system and others that will attract students too,” he added.  The construction is expected to be completed in five years but efforts will be made to finish the construction in three years, the minister said. Reflecting that children of this age are keen on becoming doctors or engineers, Parameshwara said this interest is not the same when it comes to science. To inculcate an interest in science in students, science centres are being set up in every district. The works have been initiated in Mangaluru and Davanagere. The works will commence in rest of the 19 districts as well.   The minister also lauded the efforts of Sri Suttur Math, which runs more than 200 educational institutions, for offering their land for the science city. On the same day, the Deputy CM also met farmers in Mandya who were protesting for water to be released from Cauvery and Hemavati in the districts’ canals.

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Bengaluru police promise protection to IMA scam accused Mansoor Khan

Crime

Khan in a purported video tape offered to return to India if his life was protected from those plotting to kill him.

IANS

IMA Jewels

Multi-crore ponzi scheme fraudster and IMA Jewels fugitive founder Mohammed Mansoor Khan would be protected if he surrendered and submitted to law, a senior police officer said on Monday. "We will give protection to Khan. He should have no doubt about it. Whether an accused or anybody who wants to surrender or submit to law will be protected," Deputy Inspector General (IGP) Bengaluru and Special Investigation Team (SIT) head B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda told reporters here. Gowda's response came a day after Khan in a purported video tape on the official Youtube of the city-based jewellery-cum-investment firm offered to return to India if his life was protected from those plotting to kill him. Declining to share more details about Khan who fled from Bengaluru on June 8, Gowda said as investigation was underway, he would not reveal more as it would hamper the inquiry which was at various stages with international ramifications. "We know where he (Khan) is but cannot disclose his location for the sake of investigation, which is progressing well. We will share more information with the media as and when necessary in public interest," said Gowda. In the 18-minute video uploaded on the social media Youtube on Sunday, Khan sought protection as he fears death threat to his life from all those who betrayed and ruined his 12-year business empire. "As Khan is an accused in the ponzi scheme scam, we have to verify his claims and charges with facts, documents and evidence. Though he told many things, they have to be cross-checked with those whose names he took," said Gowda. Accusing politicians, realty developers and an unnamed IAS officer for the downfall of his empire, Khan said in a mix of Urdu and English that he tried to return to India on June 14 but could not, as the airport security "off boarded" him from the plane. "I was not allowed to fly back to India. I was told to meet the immigration officials, but could not as it was Jumma (Friday) and a government holiday. I made a mistake by leaving India. All were after my life. I had to hide my family in India for their safety and left in a hurry," says Khan, seeking help from Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar for his return and safety of his life. Khan, however, did not disclose in the video from which country airport and in which airlinea¿s aircraft he was off-loaded and by whom. As the SIT, set up to probe the scam, got Khan's passport suspended to prevent him fleeing from where he fled to, ostensibly, Dubai, the airport security directed him to get official clearance even to fly back to India. "To secure Khan's custody, we got the Interpol to issue a blue corner notice on Saturday to locate, identify and obtain information on him as he was wanted here for criminal investigation,a said Gowda. The SIT also invoked the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments Act 2004 on Sunday to ensure justice to about 35,000 investors by recovering their money.  

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Trump aims at health cost transparency with executive order

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Supreme Court agrees to hear Obamacare cases with billions of dollars at stake

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Environmentalists oppose plan to take Sharavathi river water to Bengaluru

River

The Karnataka government is set to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on drawing water from the Linganamakki reservoir in Shivamogga, which is built on the Sharavathi river.

Prajwal Bhat

Citizen and environment groups in Karnataka's Shivamogga district are planning a resistance against the state government's proposed plan to take water from Sharavathi river to Bengaluru. The Karnataka government is set to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on drawing water from the Linganamakki reservoir in Shivamogga, which is built on the Sharavathi river. But the reservoir, which acts as a source of water for the Sharavathi hydel project, is currently facing a shortage of water since the water available is just 9% of the total capacity and will be able to generate power for only one more month at the current rate. In addition, environmentalists have pointed out concerns that the project will lead to wide-scale deforestation and add to the district's water problems. The BJP has also thrown its weight behind the protests with the party's state president BS Yeddyurappa terming the project unscientific. The party's MLA in Sagar – Hartal Halappa – has also written to Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy asking him to scrap the project. Diminishing power generation The Linganamakki reservoir built on the Sharavathi River is the source of water for the Sharavathi Hydel project. The project, which has ten units generating power, can generate up to 1035 MW of power every day. According to engineers at the Linganamakki reservoir, the hydel project has the capacity to generate up to 24 million units per day. "However, we generate 14 million units or even lesser depending on what is asked. This is decided by taking into account the generation of electricity via thermal, wind and solar as well," explains Hanumanthappa, an engineer at the Linganamakki reservoir. At the current rate of generation, the hydel project can continue to generate power for the next month. "Even then, if the catchment areas are dry and the rainfall reduces, we could be stopping power generation even sooner,” adds Hanumanthappa. Activists further point out that the plan to transport water from the reservoir to Bengaluru, which is around 400 km eastwards, will require a high amount of power. "To take 30 tmcft water from Sharavathi river to Bengaluru, civil engineers in Shivamogga calculated that it would require around 1500 MW of power, which is close to capacity of the hydel project...There is a shortage of power generation in the state," says Shankar Sharma, a retired engineer and an activist opposing the project. Linganamakki Dam | Photograph via: USAID, Historical Archive Environmental concerns In addition to the concerns of power generation, environmentalists point out that rainfall in the catchment areas of the Sharavathi river is declining due to deforestation and that the project proposed will only add to the district's problems. According to reports by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), Shivamogga district received 56% deficient rainfall so far in June. "This summer, 133 villages in Sagar taluk were provided water by tankers. The rains have not yet begun here and this has delayed sowing season. When there is a drought-like situation here, there is no need to construct pipelines and transport water from here to Bengaluru, particularly when we have seen this fail with the Yettinahole project," says Akhilesh Chipli, a Sagar-based environmentalist. Activists also say that project to transport water will also affect fishermen in 80 villages depending on the Sharavathi river for their sustenance. They argue that instead of starting expensive and time-consuming projects to divert water from the Western Ghats region to Bengaluru, the state government must assess the alternative sustainability measures available to them to conserve water. "If rainwater harvesting is implemented and lakes are rejuvenated in Bengaluru, the city can conserve water without the need for projects like this," says Akhilesh. Lessons from Yettinahole This is not the first time the Karnataka government has decided to divert the flow of a west-flowing river eastwards. The Netravati river diversion project proposed by the state government was met with similar resistance from environmentalists and activists before the project was renamed the Yettinahole river diversion project. Yettinahole is a tributary of the Netravathi river and the project to transport water from the river thousands of kilometres eastwards to areas around Bengaluru received an approval from the National Green Tribunal in May despite a lack of an environmental clearance since it is a drinking water project. Residents and environmentalists opposed to the project have organised themselves under the banner 'Sharavathi Ulisi' and have held public meetings in Shivamogga, Sagar and Hosanagara. "We do not want the situation playing out with the Yettinahole river diversion to happen all over again with the Sharavathi river," warns Akhilesh.  

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Narrow escape for 6 persons after car catches fire on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road

Accident

Smoke emanated from the bonnet of the car, and in a matter of minutes, the car was engulfed in flames, say eyewitnesses.

Soumya Chatterjee

There was panic in Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road on Monday evening after a car caught fire and was gutted. Fortunately, all the six persons in the car including the driver got out of the vehicle in time. No one was injured in the fire.  The incident took place near Agara Lake junction at around 5:20 pm. An official at the Fire Control Team confirmed the blaze was completely doused within 25 minutes by a single engine. “There are no injuries. There was a total number of six persons.  All the six passengers had managed to get out of the vehicle as soon as they spotted the fire,” HSR Layout Police Station Inspector Victor Simon who rushed to the spot told TNM. He added the cause of the fire was yet to be determined and further investigation by the police and fire department will reveal details. The car is a Chevrolet Enjoy registered in the Electronic City Regional Transport Office in the city little less than three years ago. According to eyewitnesses, the car had stopped briefly at the Agara Lake bus stop after smoke emanated from the bonnet. In a matter of minutes, the car was engulfed in flames. The incident created panic among passers-by and a crowd gathered in the area before the fire engine arrived. Traffic flow was also disrupted due to this with delays of upwards of five minutes at the Agara junction. This is not the first incidence of vehicles catching fire. In a recent incident in Hyderabad, the driver of the car was burnt alive as his vehicle caught fire in February. In that instant, the vehicle was a Maruti Suzuki Celero plying on Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road. Read: Man charred to death after car catches fire on Hyd's outer ring road

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