Ban on construction of new apartments in Bengaluru? Govt mulls 5 year moratorium

Infrastructure

Karnataka Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara said that they were considering such a proposal in order to tackle the drinking water crisis in Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Flickr/matt_mlinac

With Bengaluru reeling from water shortage, the Karnataka government is now mulling a moratorium on construction of new apartments in the city for the next five years. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister Dr G Parameshwara on Thursday said that the proposal comes in the wake of apartment residents, especially in the city’s suburbs, relying purely on tanker water for their drinking and domestic purposes. “Bengaluru has numerous apartment complexes and many keep coming up. With builders of apartments going ahead with construction and sale of apartments without making adequate arrangements for a basic necessity like drinking water, the state government is seriously considering clamping a five-year ban on granting permissions for construction of apartments,” Dr G Parameshwara said. Speaking to media the Deputy CM said that the rampant use of tanker water led to residents suffering from skin ailments and other health hazards. “We will discuss the issue of imposing a five-year moratorium on permissions for construction of apartments with all builders and developers in the coming weeks and will make a decision,’’ he added. The government’s proposal comes in the view of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s ongoing Cauvery Water Supply Phase. The BWSSB’s project, which aims at providing drinking water connections to the suburban areas of Bengaluru, is likely to be completed in the next five years. “A five-year moratorium will ensure that each and every household gets Cauvery water connection before new apartments come up. But we must also take into consideration that the new constructions will come up due to increase in population. The question is whether the developers can come up with a way to provide 24-hour clean water supply for drinking and domestic purposes,” a source said. DCM Parameshwara also said that concerned officials have been directed to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed Linganamakki Project, which aims at diverting water from Netravati River to Bengaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur to meet drinking water requirements.   “As the Linganamakki proposal is facing opposition, steps will be taken after examining the pros and cons. This will happen only after DPR is ready,” he said.    

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13-year-old boy, 2 women injured after elephant attacks in Kodagu

Wildlife

The forest department, however claimed that the injured persons were not attacked by the elephants and were injured while trying to run away from the animal.

Prajwal Bhat

Image for representation | Wikimedia Commons | CC 3.0 | Yathin S Krishnappa

A student and two women labourers were injured after an elephant attacked them in two separate incidents in Kodagu district on Wednesday.  Chandan, 13, a class seven student of the Government Primary School in Bittangala was on his way to school along with three other friends when at around 8:30 am, a wild elephant attacked the group.  His friends escaped injury but Chandan was severely hurt in the head, abdomen and legs in the incident and was immediately taken to the Government Hospital in Virajpet for treatment. The students are residents of a labour colony inside a coffee plantation in Bittangala. According to them, the elephant attacked Chandan and flung him in the air.  In another incident later in the day, two women labourers Kamal (51) and Ammal (65) were attacked by another elephant at Chamundi Paisari plantation in Virajpet taluk. The women were taken to Virajpet taluk hospital and are currently out of danger. According to them, the elephant pushed them when they came across it while having lunch in the plantation in the afternoon.   Forest officials in Virajpet inspected the site of both attacks. They attempted to play down the attacks by claiming that Chandan, Kamal and Ammal sustained injuries trying to run away from the elephant. "The elephant did not have a direct role in the attack. In both incidents, the injured persons were hurt while trying to run away from the elephant. There are a lot of private lands with unchecked forest growth and the elephants appear in these areas. We are doing our best to restrict conflict between humans and elephants," stated Gopal, a forest official in Virajpet. Recently, the forest department had attached GPS-fitted radio collars on one elephant each from six different herds in Kodagu. The move is the department's latest efforts to reduce the elephant-human conflict in Kodagu. "However, in yesterday's incidents, both elephants were not fitted with a radio collar," stated Gopal. Read: Radio collars fitted on elephants of different herds in Kodagu to track movement In April, an elephant was shot dead by a resident in Palangala village of Kodagu. In the same month, forest officials rescued five elephants stuck in a slushy pond in the village. The conflict has led to loss of both human and elephant lives and forest officials have tried digging trenches, setting up solar fencing, iron fencing, spike pillars among other steps to resolve the issue.   

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Residents seek fresh noise level inspection of Indiranagar pubs, say owners were warned

The residents filed objections before a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad of the Karnataka High Court.

TNM Staff

The petitioners who have moved court against the illegalities in the operation of pubs in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar area have protested against the noise-level inspection drive held between June 21 and 23, alleging that the pubs had prior information about the police visits.  The petitioners, which comprise of residents and welfare groups of Indiranagar, pointed out that few pubs had posted an announcement on their social media pages about the cancellation of music programmes on these days and further claimed that pub owners were alerted via WhatsApp messages. The petitioners filed objections before a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice HT Narendra Prasad of the Karnataka High Court.   In the early hours of June 22, Bengaluru police commissioner Alok Kumar led a team of KSPCB officials to several spots in Indiranagar, Church Street and Koramangala, where the pubs are located.   KSPCB officials measured sound levels using sound measuring equipment, while another team led by the DCP also checked noise levels in Indiranagar. Notices were later issued to pubs, bars and other establishments on rooftops, to check whether they have violated norms, reported The New Indian Express.  However, the police in its status report to the High Court admitted that the sound meters used during the inspection were ‘found to be unfit for calibration and certification’. Following the report, Alok Kumar ordered procurement of 52 sound meters to be kept in various police stations. The newly procured sound meters were calibrated and certified by an accredited laboratory on June 24, reported The Hindu. The development comes days after the High Court pulled up the police for its 'casual approach' over the inspection of pubs in Indiranagar.  Read: HC raps Bengaluru police for 'casual approach' to noise inspection at Indiranagar pubs  

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Warren backs eliminating private insurance for 'Medicare for All'

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10 dogs found dead in Manipal, activist files complaint over intentional 'poisoning'

Animal cruelty

Police have begun the search for an unidentified person accused of luring stray dogs with food that was allegedly poisoned.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Police officials in Udupi district of Karnataka are investigating the death of 10 dogs, including a puppy, after their bodies were discovered in front of two apartments in Manipal on Tuesday.  The police have begun the search for an unidentified person accused of luring stray dogs with food that was allegedly poisoned.   On Tuesday morning, locals passing through Vidyaratna Nagar towards the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Manipal, discovered the bodies of 10 stray dogs. "While eight were found in front of Mandavi Emerald apartment, two were found near Mandavi Sovereign apartment, on the road proceeding towards the DC office in Manipal," Babita Madhwaraj, the founder trustee of Madhwaraj Animal Care Trust (MACT), said. Citing eyewitness accounts of two students, the animal activist Babita, in her complaint to the police, said that on Saturday night, an unidentified person on a two-wheeler was found feeding ‘poisoned fish’ to the stray animals. “Among the dead included a puppy. The animals were friendly with the neighbouring residents and they were not aggressive. Moreover, they were sterilised. so such brutality was totally uncalled for,” she said. The local police authorities have registered a case under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act as well as the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 428 and 429 (Mischief by killing or maiming animal) against the unidentified person. According to the officials, the bodies of the dogs have been retrieved and sent for an autopsy. The blood samples of the animals have been further sent for forensic analysis.  “After a preliminary inquiry, it looks like someone was trying to do away with the stray dogs in the locality, although we have never received any complaint from either the civic authorities or from the local residents about any stray dog issue,” the police said.  While the police have asked the two apartment associations to hand over the CCTV footage, the security cameras were reportedly not working for the last few days. However, the police added that they now have in their possession some CCTV camera footage from the surrounding commercial establishments, through which they may be able to identify the suspected bike and its rider as suggested by the complainant. “Beyond this, we are also inquiring with the locals if they have seen any suspicious individual in the vicinity,” he said. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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Appellate court raises new threat to Obamacare

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Mangaluru restaurant packages food with banana leaves after appeal by MLA

Environment

Online delivery companies generate thousands of tonnes of plastic every month.

Prajwal Bhat

When Mangaluru resident Surendra Salian read an appeal made by BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath about reducing plastic waste, he decided to explore ways he could help the cause.  Surendra, the manager of Tandoor restaurant in the city, decided to pack food delivered by the restaurant using banana leaves instead of plastic. "We receive more than hundred online orders every day, so we thought why don't we replace plastic with banana leaves and butter paper. The packaging looks better and is cheaper for us compared to plastic," says Surendra. The restaurant has now begun packing dishes like fish fry, chicken sukka, and kebabs in banana leaves.  The decision taken by the restaurant and the MLA's message of reducing plastic is now catching on in other restaurants in Mangaluru.  "Other restaurants are now looking at how Tandoor did it and are exploring ways to reduce the use of plastic. This was our plan. If we are able to introduce the idea to people and companies, then it could influence their thinking and prompt them to explore how they can begin doing this," says Vedavyas Kamath, a BJP MLA from Mangaluru (South) constituency.  Vedavyas discussed the idea with caterers in the city as well as members of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants in the district. "Plastic is not recyclable and by substituting it with banana or areca leaves, we are helping reduce wastage in the environment. In coastal Karnataka, there are many farmers growing arecanut and banana and these farmers will be able to sell products manufactured using their leaves. This will strengthen the farmers who make these products as well," says Vedavyas.  According to Surendra, the switch to banana leaves should be easier to make in coastal Karnataka, where people are accustomed to eating out of banana leaves and also preparing food enclosed in leaves like Kadubu and Pathrode. "In Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, people eat out of banana leaves and make food enclosed in leaves. So, it is not a surprise to people when we start sending food packed in banana leaves," adds Surendra. Popular online food delivery companies Zomato and Swiggy have also taken notice of Vedavyas' plea. In a September 2018 blog post, Zomato had revealed that online food delivery companies were generating up to 22,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste every month. "And whether we intend it or not, quite a lot of it ends up in the ocean. Much as we care about delighting our partners and our users, we must also care about the impact we have on our planet," read the post by Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Zomato.  Swiggy is also looking to address the amount of plastic waste generated by online food delivery orders. The company launched Swiggy Packaging Assist, a marketplace allowing restaurants to access eco-friendly packaging options made of glass and paper.  The company is also set to roll out a feature in which users can opt out of receiving disposable plastic cutlery in their orders. "We will work with relevant bodies, restaurant partners and our users to promote the need to start addressing this issue through other long-term and sustainable plans,” a Swiggy spokesperson told TNM. Vedavyas and Surendra are now hoping that restaurants in Mangaluru can set an example for the rest of the country and help reduce plastic waste generated. "There are challenges but they can be overcome if restaurants try to make the switch," says Surendra. "The only difference we have seen so far is that packaging using banana leaves is more time consuming because they have to be tied carefully. Otherwise, in every aspect, we have found it to be better." 

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