Traffic in Bengaluru to worsen as Jayadeva flyover will be demolished for metro work

Transport

A significant part of south Bengaluru traffic will be affected, primarily contributed by those travelling between Bannerghatta Road and Silk Board junction.

TNM Staff

Commuting in Bengaluru is set to worsen from Monday due to scheduled demolition works of the Jayadeva Flyover as part of the Phase II expansion of Namma Metro. The resulting diversion will affect a significant part of south Bengaluru traffic, primarily contributed by those travelling between Bannerghatta Road and Silk Board junction.  As reported earlier, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will take on the demolition works in phases and reconstruct it as one of the first road-and-rail flyovers. The new flyover, costing more than Rs 130 crore, will be ready by February 2020 and will accommodate the RV Road-Bommasandra (Reach 5) Line of the metro rail. In the first and current phase, authorities will demolish the loop connecting Bannerghatta Road and Silk Board junction, which means, service roads on both sides will be closed for traffic, too, in the near future, except for local residents. With the commencement of the demolition work, vehicles travelling towards Silk Board Junction from Bannerghatta Road side will have to take left from JD Mara crossing and pass through 9th Cross Road, before exiting through East End Road or Marenahalli Main Road. Another alternative route, devised by the traffic police, include right from 6th Cross Junction on the 29th Main Road and left at 6th Main Road to exit at Marenahalli.  For those coming towards Bannerghatta Road from Silk Board, they will be forced to take a left from 29th Main Road and left again from 7th Cross to exit on Bannerghatta Road. Map of alternative routes, issued by the Bengaluru Traffic Police During this period, however, traffic will be allowed through the underpass as well as the main flyover on the Outer Ring Road connecting Banashankari and Silk Board. The metro works have already paralysed a key part of the Central Business District  (CBD) resulting in a traffic nightmare. A part of Kamaraj Road, a 200m section connecting Brigade Road (MG Road Cauvery Emporium) to Cubbon Road Junction has been blocked for Gottigere-Nagavara Line ((Reach 6). Similar diversions have been put in place by the Bengaluru Traffic Police in that case as well.  As a result, what would have taken minutes has now increased travel time for motorists by at least 15 minutes for those travelling from Cubbon Road to MG Road and vice-versa. This ordeal will last till 2023, and according to the traffic police, the cascading effects of this blockage can be felt as far as Shivajinagar and Residency Road.  

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Congress' hopes dashed: MLA Nagaraj flies to Mumbai, his rebellion on?

Politics

Hoskote MLA MTB Nagaraj insisted that he would remain with the Congress only if K Sudhakar Rao decides to stay with the party.

TNM Staff

Rebel Congress MLA from Hoskote MTB Nagaraj on Sunday boarded a private plane and is set to join the renegade legislators holed up at a hotel in Mumbai. Nagaraj’s rebellion came as a shock to the Congress when the leader walked into Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday along with Chikkaballapura MLA Dr K Sudhakar Rao and submitted their resignations. Speaking to the media, MTB Nagaraj blamed the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister and brother of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy -- HD Revanna, for the rebellion. Nagaraj alleged that Revanna interfered in the transfer of officials in the Housing Department.  “The biggest reason why leaders are unhappy is Revanna. He keeps transferring officials from all departments to suit his needs. I am a minister and if he transfers officials from my department, how can any work be carried out properly? I have discussed this with CM Kumaraswamy many times," MTB Nagaraj said. However, Nagaraj also said that he is still with the Congress and is trying to hold talks with Chikkaballapura MLA Dr K Sudhakar. “Sudhakar and I resigned at the same time and we are united. Since the last two days, Sudhakar has switched off his phone. I have spoken to Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar, Kumaraswamy and other leaders. I am still with the Congress and I am trying to convince Sudhakar to return. I will go an meet him in the afternoon,” MTB Nagaraj added. On Saturday, Nagaraj met a delegation of Congress leaders, including DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, who attempted to pacify the rebelling leader to staying with the coalition.  "The situation was such that we submitted our resignations but now DK Shivakumar and others came and requested us to withdraw the resignations. I will speak to K Sudhakar and then see what is to be done. After all, I have spent decades in Congress,” MTB Nagaraj had said. Meanwhile, BJP insiders say that Nagaraj was contacted by its Padmanabhanagar MLA R Ashoka and Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavalli, who are believed to have convinced Nagaraj to jump ship.  “R Ashoka and Arvind Limbavalli met MTB Nagaraj and convinced him to side with the BJP. Since MTB Nagaraj could be convinced to remain in Congress, it was decided that he would move to Mumbai and stay with the other MLAs until the trust vote,” a BJP source said. Nagaraj had also informed the media that he would hold talks with MLA Sudhakar and take a call on whether he must stick with the Congress or move to the BJP. He also insisted that he would remain with the Congress only if Sudhakar decides to stay with the party. MTB Nagaraj’s statement had come as a relief to the Congress, which is pinning its hopes on Nagaraj to convince the rebels to withdraw their resignation. Speaking to TNM, a Congress insider said, "After talks with Nagaraj on Saturday, he told us that he would stay back of Sudhakar also agrees to. We are hoping he will convince the rebels to return and that he will also withdraw his resignation.”  Nagaraj had submitted his resignation on Wednesday and was one of the few MLAs who were not rushed to a resort. Since the latest political crisis hit the state of Karnataka on July 6, Congress leaders have been running from pillar to post to pacify the rebels and bring them back into its fold. DK Shivakumar has been shuffling between Mumbai and Bengaluru, holding discussions with the rebel MLAs, in a bid to convince them to withdraw their resignations.  The Supreme Court on Friday gave the coalition government in Karnataka a much-needed breather as it ordered that status quo pertaining to the resignation and disqualification of 10 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly remain in place till the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Shortly after the apex court’s decision, Karnataka Chief Minister asked the Speaker to set a date for a floor test in the Assembly.  Sixteen MLAs of the coalition – including three JD(S) MLAs and 13 Congress MLAs – have so far submitted their resignation letters to the Speaker. Most of the MLAs in the state are lodged in various resorts across cities: The Congress MLAs are put up in Taj Vivanta in Yeshwanthpur, JD(S) leaders are at Prestige Golfshire and the BJP MLAs are at Ramada hotel in Yelahanka and Sai Leela hotel in Rajanakunte.  

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Karnataka woman dies after falling into farm pond while shooting Tik Tok video

Accident

The Kolar Rural police station is investigating a case of unnatural death.

TNM Staff

In a tragic incident, a 20-year-old woman from Karnataka lost her life while filming a clip for Tik Tok. The incident took place in Kolar, 75 km away from Bengaluru, on Friday evening. According to media reports, 20-year-old Mala, a final year BA student, died after falling into a farm pond while trying to enact a scene from a movie in Kolar district’s Vedagiri. Her father told the police that the incident occurred when she went out to get cattle fodder. The Times of India reported that Mala was known for her love for selfies. Her college principal told the newspaper that she had recently received a Rs 10,000 scholarship for doing well in her studies. Mala is survived by her father, mother and siblings. Following her death, her family buried her body late on Friday night. Upon learning about the incident, the police exhumed the body and conducted an autopsy. They are yet to trace the mobile phone used to shoot the video. The Kolar Rural police station is investigating a case of unnatural death.  This incident is not the first time that people have been injured attempting to perform stunts for social media. Several deaths have earlier been reported as the result of people attempting to recreate various stunts or photos to post on social media. In one of the most recent cases, a Tumakuru man broke his neck while trying to do a backflip for a TikTok clip. In a widely shared video, he was seen landing on his head while trying to the backflip. He was admitted to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries a week later. 

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Yeddyurappa presses Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy to move trust vote on Monday

Politics

Kumaraswamy on Friday told Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar that he was ready to seek a trust vote or face a no-confidence motion.

IANS

An upbeat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday dared beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to move a confidence motion in the state Assembly on Monday to prove that his shaky coalition government has a majority. "Since Kumaraswamy himself offered to seek a trust vote and no business could be conducted in the House without proving he has a majority, he should request the Speaker to allow him to move it on Monday when the session resumes," opposition BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa told reporters here. To clear the air of uncertainty and end the political crisis gripping the southern state since 16 rebel legislators of the ruling Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S) allies resigned from their Assembly seats, Kumaraswamy on Friday told Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar that he was ready to seek a trust vote or face a no-confidence motion if the BJP moves it against him during the 10-day monsoon session till July 26. "As the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Speaker to maintain status quo on the resignations of 10 rebel lawmakers till Tuesday (July 16) when it resumes hearing in the case, let Kumaraswamy hold the floor test on Monday and prove he has the majority in the House, as the 16 rebels have decided not to attend the session as evident from their absence on Friday," said Yeddyurappa. In the 225-member Assembly, including one nominated without voting rights, the combined strength of the ruling allies is 116, with the support of one BSP legislator, which is three more than the halfway mark of 113 to win the trust vote against 107 of the BJP, including the support of two independents. "If the 16 legislators, including 13 of the Congress and three of the JD-S are not present in the House when the confidence motion is put to vote, the government will be defeated with its strength reduced to 100 (65+34+1), including the BSP but excluding the Speaker as against 107 of ours," BJP spokesman G. Madhusudana told IANS here. Even as the beleaguered ruling allies wooed the rebels through the day to withdraw their resignations and attend the session, five of them from the Congress filed petitions in the apex court, seeking its direction to the Speaker to accept their resignations too forthwith along with that of 10 other rebels whose joint writs are being heard by it since Thursday. The five Congress rebels are Anand Singh, Munirathna Naidu, .Roshan Baig, MTB Nagaraj and K.Sudhakar who submitted their resignations to the Speaker in the prescribed format. "As the opposition leader, I will advise the Speaker at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Monday to allow the Chief Minister to move the trust vote and conduct the floor test on the same day to ascertain if he has the majority in the House," asserted Yeddyurappa.

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5 more rebel MLAs in Karnataka to move SC asking Speaker to accept resignations

Politics

Seven-time Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy is the only rebel legislator who is not filing a petition in the Supreme Court asking the Speaker to accept his resignation.

TNM Staff

Five more Karnataka Congress rebel legislators are set to move the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to accept their resignations. The petitions of MTB Nagaraj (Hoskote) and Roshan Baig (Shivajinagar) were prepared by Bengaluru-based advocate HH Nagaraj and will be filed in the apex court on Monday. The petitions of three other rebel MLAs - Anand Singh (Vijayanagara), Munirathna (RR Nagar) and K.Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura) were prepared by another advocate.  This will mean that seven-time Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy is the only rebel MLA who is not filing a petition in the Supreme Court asking the Speaker to accept his resignation. The development comes even as MTB Nagaraj held discussions with Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah on Saturday. Speaking to reporters, Nagaraj hinted that he might reconsider his decision to resign from the Assembly. Anand Singh resigned on July 1, Munirathna on July 6, Roshan Baig on July 9 and Nagaraj and Sudhakar on July 10. Following Sudhakar's resignation, he was mobbed by Congress leaders including Priyank Kharge and Dinesh Gundu Rao, when he was leaving the Vidhana Soudha. Sudhakar held a two-hour long meeting inside the office of KJ George as chaos erupted in the state secretariat building. Nagaraj, meanwhile was the Housing Minister in the 13-month-old Congress-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) coalition government. He was made a minister on December 22 when the Cabinet was reshuffled and expanded. Ten rebel legislators, including seven from the Congress and three from the JD(S), had earlier petitioned the top court on July 10 for its intervention in expediting the acceptance of their resignations by the Speaker. Though a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, directed the Speaker to allow the 10 rebels to resubmit their resignations and decide on them on Thursday, it ordered the latter on Friday to maintain status quo till Tuesday when the case will be taken up for further hearing. The Speaker sought more time from the apex court in deciding on the resignations as the ruling allies have petitioned him to disqualify two of the MLAs - Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli - for defying their whip and alleged anti-party activities. The ten rebel MLAs are currently in Shirdi visiting a temple. In a related development, Independent MLAs R Shankar and H Nagesh, who resigned as ministers on July 8 and withdrew their support to the coalition government, wrote to the Speaker to arrange their seats in the Opposition benches in the Assembly when they attend its Monsoon Session from Monday. Shankar was elected as a contestant of the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) and was asked in June to merge his party with the Congress. However, sources in the Speaker's office told TNM that Shankar is still an independent and not a part of the Congress as the party is yet to submit paperwork to complete the merger. (With IANS inputs)

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DK Shivakumar effect? Rebel MLA Nagaraj may withdraw resignation

Politics

Karnataka Minister and Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar had visited Nagaraj’s residence to try and convince him to reconsider his decision.

TNM Staff

In a partial relief to the crisis-hit Congress in Karnataka, rebel MLA MTB Nagaraj, who submitted his resignation to the Speaker, has hinted that he may withdraw his resignation. Nagaraj, one of the richest MLAs in the country, was elected as the MLA of Hoskote constituency. He, along with Chikkaballapura MLA K Sudhakar had submitted their resignations to the Speaker on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, flanked by senior Congress leaders, including DK Shivakumar, Nagaraj said, "The situation was such that we submitted our resignations but now DK Shivakumar and others came and requested us to withdraw resignations. I will speak to K Sudhakar Rao and then see what is to be done. After all, I have spent decades in Congress." Nagaraj spoke to the media hours after Karnataka Minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar visited his residence to try and convince him to reconsider his decision. Speaking to reporters, DK Shivakumar said, “At midnight we met our senior leader MTB Nagaraj. He is a loyal, sincere Congressman who has been with the party for 30 years and has stood by his party in all crises. We are happy he has said he will be with us and convince others to rejoin us.” Nagaraj had submitted his resignation on Wednesday and was one of the few MLAs who were not rushed to a resort. Since the political crisis hit the state of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar has been shuffling between Mumbai and Bengaluru and has been holding discussions with the rebel MLAs to try and convince them to withdraw their resignations.  Also read: Why politicians in Karnataka are afraid of – and admire – DK Shivakumar’s ‘persuasion’ The Supreme Court on Friday gave the coalition government in Karnataka a much-needed breather as it ordered that status quo pertaining to the resignation and disqualification of 10 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly remain in place till the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Shortly after the apex court’s decision, Karnataka Chief Minister asked the Speaker to set a date for a floor test in the Assembly. Sixteen MLAs of the coalition – including three JD(S) MLAs and 13 Congress MLAs – have so far submitted their resignation letters to the Speaker. Most of the MLAs in the state are lodged in various resorts across cities – The Congress MLAs are put up in Taj Vivanta Yeshwanthpur, JD(S) leaders are at Prestige Golfshire and the BJP MLAs are at Ramada hotel in Yelahanka and Sai Leela hotel in Rajanakunte.

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Another round of resort politics in Karnataka as JD(S)-Cong coalition faces crisis

Politics

This is the third instance in the past one year where Karnataka MLAs have been lodged in various resorts and hotels in the light of a political crisis.

TNM Staff

With a trust vote in offing in the coming week in the Karnataka Assembly amidst the political crisis, the legislators of both the ruling coalition and the opposition are set for yet another cosy weekend in luxury hotels and resorts. While the Congress MLAs are put up in Taj Vivanta Yeshwanthpur, JD(S) leaders are already in Prestige Golfshire and the BJP MLAs will be staying in Ramada hotel in Yelahanka and Sai Leela hotel in Rajanakunte. Five of the Congress rebel MLAs – Roshan Baig, Anand SIngh, Ramalinga Reddy, Sudhakar and Munirathna Naidu – are not in any of these resorts. The 10 MLAs – Pratap Gouda Patil, Ramesh Jarkhiholi, Byrati Basavaraj, BC Patil, ST Somashekar, Arbail Sivaram Hebbar, Mahesh Kumathalli, K Gopalaiah, HD Vishwanath and Narayan Gowda – who have been holed up in a hotel in Mumbai since July 6, continue to stay there. The political crisis in the state triggered panic in the JD(S) ranks and they have been staying at Golfshire resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru since their reservation at a Kodagu resort was cancelled. Incidentally, this is not the first time in recent history that the state has witnessed MLAs shepherded to resorts. In May 2018, soon after the fractured mandate of the 2018 Assembly elections, the state of Karnataka saw similar resort politics. The Congress-JD(S) legislators had then gone to stay at a hotel in Hyderabad after being locked up in different resorts in Bengaluru. The same was true for the BJP, whose MLAs were initially taken to Gurgaon.  In January earlier this year, the Congress CLP party was holed up at the Eagleton resort after rumours that some MLAs were being lured by the BJP. Also read: Karnataka MLAs are insulting people’s mandate right now, and voters must punish them  

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