Over 25,000 people evacuated, flood situation in K’taka under control, say officials

Rains

A holiday has been announced for schools and colleges in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts.

TNM Staff

PTI

As widespread rainfall continues over north, central and coastal Karnataka, district administrations have declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru districts as a preventive measure. According to officials, the flood situation in the state is under control but the situation remains tense with more rainfall predicted in the coming days.  In a message issued to Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada on Thursday at 7 am, the IMD has predicted moderate to heavy spells of rain in Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Hassan and Mysuru. Weathermen said there will be light to moderate rainfall in Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Chamarajanagar, Chitradurga and Davangere districts.  According to Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner Harish Kumar, around 8,000 people have been evacuated to camps and an equal number of people have been shifted to their relatives’ homes located in high areas.  “We are releasing water from various dams. Apart from this belt, the rest of the district is under control and normal. There has been heavy rain over the past two days in the catchment area of Kadra river and we are monitoring the level of Kadra dam, which is the last dam around 30 km away from the Arabian sea. The people living in this 30 km stretch have been evacuated. Downstream of Kadra damn is under control. Because we have taken preventive measures there has been no loss of life,” Harish Kumar said.  A release from district authorities stated that the releases from reservoirs are well-coordinated and as per protocol to prevent inundation of downstream areas and the villages that likely to be affected due to heavy discharge have been identified and necessary precaution has been taken.  A joint rescue team comprising of Fire and Emergency, SDRF, NDRF and Army evacuated around 25,794 people on Wednesday. The Nodal officers are camping in vulnerable villages. The district administration is on high alert and is prepared to tackle any emergency arising out of heavy discharge from reservoirs.  The release added that minor landslips and tree falls have taken place and a few stretches of NH-66 (Panvel, Maharashtra to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu), NH-275 (Bengaluru-Bantwal), SH-91 (Lonanur - Ramanathapura - Kushalanagar - Siddapura - Virajpet- Makutta) have been damaged.  Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa visited flood-affected areas of Belagavi and interacted with officials and residents of the area. The Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary have been constantly monitoring the situation, officials have said.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31tjMs2
via IFTTT

Karnataka tender e-Procurement website temporarily shut after cyber attack

Cyber Attack

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, and a police compliant has been filed.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government’s e-Procurement portal for tenders has become the target of cyber attack. The e-Procurement portal https://ift.tt/2GTHYf8 the state government has been shut temporarily from the last six days, following the detection of external cyber attack, reported Bangalore Mirror. The portal was shut down temporarily for system repairs. "A police complaint has been filed with the cyber police station and matter has also been reported to CERT-In. Soon after CERT-In enquiry is over and system is hardened as per CERT-In recommendations, the eProc application would be restored in a couple of days," he said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. According to the chief executive officer of the e-Governance Centre, all tender processes in Karnataka as per Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act were functioning well for the last eight years.  The last instance of a government-run website being hacked in the state happened in August 2016. The Mysore University website was breached and defaced for about 8 hours, after hackers claiming to be from an Islamic group posted ‘jihadi literature’ on the homepage. The hackers had then identified themselves as the `Tunisian cyber resistance al-Fallaga Team' and their message called for an end to sectarian killings in Myanmar. Before that, in June 2016, the state police website was hacked. In that breach, the ksp.gov.in website was claimed by one “Faisal 1337”. A Pakistani flag was put in the middle of the website and a text ran, “We are team Pak Cyber Attackers, # Pakitan Zindabad”. However, it is not that only Karnataka government websites became the target of cyber criminals. A total of 25 websites of central ministries and state governments were hacked in the first five months of 2019 alone. This was revealed by IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in the Rajya Sabha.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2YQ70BZ
via IFTTT

Despite HC ban on felling, five trees axed in Bengaluru for road widening

Environment

This even though the road, located in Whitefield, did not require any widening as it had very little traffic in the first place.

Soumya Chatterjee

Despite strict guidelines from the Karnataka High Court to make every effort to prevent indiscriminate tree felling in Bengaluru, more than five fully grown trees were allegedly axed by the civic body’s Major Roads Department without the requisite permission.  This incident occurred in Whitefield’s Kadugodi ward where the trees were felled for the widening of BTP Road off the ITPL Main Road leading to GR Tech Park. This even though the road did not require any widening since there is not a lot of traffic on the road anyway. The local residents had suspected that the trees would be felled when they saw boards announcing the road widening on Tuesday and they approached the local corporator. However, his office kept on insisting that the trees will only be trimmed and not face the axe. By Wednesday, these trees were cut. Sandeep Anirundhan, a resident of the area, who had first raised alarm with various authorities to stop the tree cutting, did not get any positive response. He said, “Now a well-shaped junction will become a deserted road. I discovered that the workers had no permission to cut the trees. In fact, there is a high court ban on tree felling until the tree committee is constituted.  So essentially what the BBMP has done is contempt of court.” The Forest Cell of the BBMP only took notice of the matter only after another activist Arun Prasad approached the Deputy Conservator of Forests himself.  TNM could not reach the Chief Engineer for Major Roads (BBMP) for a comment. Arun Prasad said, “The concerned BBMP officials should be punished. How can they do this when the metro (BMRCL) don’t dare to touch the trees without permission.” He added, “Now the officials want to wash their hands off the matter and are putting the blame on the contractor. This matter should be dealt with an iron hand.”  He also contended the action should be taken against them for not only the tree cutting but also for contempt of court.   It has now been learnt that Deputy Conservator of Forests Cholarajappa (also the Head of BBMP’s Tree Cell) did not give any permission to cut the trees. To give any permission the BBMP Tree Cell needs to form a ‘Tree Committee’ as directed by the high court. Upon learning of the matter, he has instructed the BBMP Forest staff to lodge a police complaint on the matter.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2ToK7ER
via IFTTT

IMA probe: Karnataka govt seizes 23 properties of Mansoor Khan worth Rs 300 crore

Crime

The Ponzi scam came to light on June 10 when the IMA showroom in the city centre did not open for business after a week-long closure for Eid at the end of Ramzan amid reports that Khan had fled to Dubai.

IANS

The Karnataka government has seized 23 properties of IMA Jewellers scam prime accused Mansoor Khan valued at Rs 300 crore in five districts across the southern state, an official said on Wednesday. "We have seized 23 properties valued at Rs 300 crore of Khan in Bengaluru, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Hassan and Kolar in the state as part of the investigation in the multi-crore Ponzi scheme scam," Bengaluru Urban District Deputy Commissioner K. Srinivas said here in a statement in Kannada. The previous Congress-JD(S) coalition government had set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 11 to probe the scam in which about 40,000 people from across the state and outside were allegedly duped of their hard-earned money they invested in Khan's Ponzi scheme in the form of deposits, gold and jewellery since a decade. "We are seeking the special court's permission to interrogate Khan on the scam as he is lodged in city central jail under 14-day judicial custody since August 1," an SIT official told IANS. Though Khan returned to India on July 19 and to Bengaluru on July 20 from New Delhi, he has been in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) who are quizzing him on the alleged transfer of funds through 'hawala' route by his IMA Jewellers firm in violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act. The Ponzi scam came to light on June 10 when the IMA showroom in the city centre did not open for business after a week-long closure for Eid at the end of Ramzan amid reports that Khan had fled to Dubai to escape the wrath of investors for causing huge losses to them. In video recordings Khan released to local news channels and posted on social media such as his Facebook and Whatsapp accounts from Dubai where he was hiding since he fled from the country on June 8-9, he accused some politicians, police officials, businessmen, realtors, advocates and leaders of his religious community of having received "bribes" in crores of rupees from him over the years for building his empire. "Of the 20 arrests made so far on charges of abetting the multi-crore fraud, former Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner BM Vijayashankar was taken into custody on July 8 for allegedly taking Rs 1.5 crore as bribe from Khan to bail him out of the scam," the SIT official said. The SIT also arrested Bengaluru North Assistant Commissioner Nagaraj on July 5 for allegedly taking Rs 4.5 crore from Khan to submit a favourable report on his company to the state government and the Reserve Bank of India in a bid to legitimise it for raising funds from banks.  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2TiTWnI
via IFTTT

Karnataka CM extends date to pay CET counselling fees in wake of floods

Administration

According to the Karnataka Examination Authority, the final date for submitting the fee is now August 13.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday directed to extend the last date of paying fees for candidates in the third round of counselling for Common Entrance Test (CET), by one week. CET is the entrance exam which Class 12 and PUC II students write to qualify for engineering, pharmacology and technical education courses for colleges in Karnataka. Also read: No cabinet or district ministers in flood-hit Karnataka: Bureaucrats hold the fort “Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has directed officials to extend the last date to pay fee for candidates selected in third round counselling of CET by one week. Today was the last day to pay fees. This step is taken in the wake of the flood situation in various parts of Karnataka,” the CM’s office tweeted. According to the Karnataka Examination Authority, the final date for submitting the fee is now August 13.  The order by the CM is set to give relief to many students in the wake of heavy rainfall and flooding which have affected central, coastal and northern districts of the state in the past week. Around two lakh candidates appear for the exam held in various centres in Karnataka every year. Out of those applicants, 67,000 students have been allotted seats. At present, many parts of coastal, Malnad and northern Karnataka are flooded affecting normal life. Heavy rainfall in neighbouring Maharashtra, Telangana has worsened the situation for north Karnataka districts, as water is being released from reservoirs in upper riparian areas.   On Wednesday, the Indian Meteorological Department had predicted more heavy rainfall in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Belagavi, Raichur, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar. Apart from teams of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, State Fire and Emergency Department officials, the Indian Army is on the ground to conduct rescue and relief operations. Even bus and train routes have been affected as landslides and road cave-ins are being reported due to the persistent rainfall.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2YQz5ZX
via IFTTT

We sat on our rooftop for two days in the rain: Belagavi flood victims recount ordeal

Floods

The landslides and flooding in the city have been attributed primarily to the illegal construction of buildings that has occurred over the last decade.

Theja Ram

Waterlogged roads, flooded homes, residents huddled in relief camps – incessant rain has marooned Karnataka’s Belagavi. For the last 10 days, the rampant rains have crippled the daily life of residents in the city. Shanthavva Uppari, a 65-year-old weaver and resident of Belagavi’s Sai Nagar, was asleep on Saturday night when the rains began lashing with force. Shanthavva shut all the doors and windows in her home and hoped that the rain would stop soon. Within an hour, rain water began seeping into her living room and in a few hours, the entire ground floor was flooded. “My son Anand, daughter Renuka and daughter-in-law Roopa went up to the first floor and waited there but the water level kept rising. From our window on the first floor bedroom, we could see the neighbouring houses getting completely submerged. We were just praying that someone would come and help us,” Shanthavva tells TNM. By Sunday morning, Shanthavva and her family members were waiting on their rooftop for rescue. She says that the heavy rains began 10 days ago and several of her neighbours had left their homes to go stay with their relatives in other places. By Saturday, only 100 members of Sai Nagar remained. “Our neighbours asked us to pack up and leave but we did not have anywhere to go. When our house was flooded, our weaving machine was destroyed. It was our only source of livelihood,” Shanthavva recounts. By Sunday afternoon, Shanthavva’s neighbours waded through the water with the help of a few journalists and made it up to her roof. Around 50 residents were stranded on the rooftop. When news of their condition reached the Deputy Commissioner, rescue personnel rushed to the spot and shifted them to a relief camp. Similarly, in Chikodi’s Kallol, Bheemappa Sontakki, a 40-year-old autorickshaw driver, was stranded at his home along with his wife Gayatri for two days before rescue personnel arrived. Bheemappa and Gayatri sat on their terracotta rooftop for a night and two days in the pouring rain before the Fire and Emergency Service personnel arrived to rescue them. “Our farm is located near the Krishna river. We were not really worried that the rain would flood the entire village when it started pouring heavily 10 days ago. The nalas (storm water drains) were washing away the rain water. But on Sunday morning, the whole village flooded. We were not able to move away as quickly as our neighbours and other people in the village because we decided to pack a few belongings. But soon, the water gushed into our house. We waited on the roof for two days until help came. We were moved to a relief camp in Ankali,” Bheemappa says. On Wednesday, 2,95,890 cusecs of water was released from the Rajapur barrage, 50,677 cusecs from the Dudhganga and the Vedhganga barrages, 3,46,567 cusecs from the Kallol barrage, 27,000 cusecs from the Markandeya barrage, 21,000 cusecs from Ballari Nala, 38000 cusecs from Hiranyakeshi and 86,000 cusecs from the Hidkal Dam. “Totally, 5,18,567 cusecs of water was released on Wednesday alone. Almost all of Belagavi district is flooded. The last time we witnessed such floods was in 2005. But that time the city areas were not affected as much as the villages closer to the Krishna river and its tributaries,” an official with the Flood Forecast Monitoring Centre said. According to the Central Water Commission, 25,151 residents were evacuated to 53 relief camps set up in north Karnataka’s Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Bagalakote and Raichur. Officials say that Uttara Kannada and Belagavi are the worst hit, while rainfall in the remaining districts in the northern part of the state had mellowed down by Wednesday morning. What led to waterlogging in Belagavi According to Deepak Goni, Disaster Management Case Worker, landslides and flooding in the city were primarily due to the illegal construction of buildings that has occurred over the last decade. “If you see the areas that were flooded in Belagavi City, it was the illegally constructed layouts that caused so much troubles for the rest of the city. The city corporation (Belagavi City Corporation) has not taken any measures to rectify the mistakes,” he said. According to data obtained by the Belagavi City Corporation, Old and New Gandhi Nagar located near the Belagavi Airport, the layout near Suvarna Soudha, Ujwal Nagar, Samarth Nagar, Sai Nagar, Nekaar Nagar, Kunti Nagar, Gayatri Nagar, Kanakadas Nagar, Bangarappa Colony, Shambaji Nagar, Anand Nagar and Mangayi Nagar are all illegally constructed. “The land in these areas is listed as agricultural land in the corporation’s land records. Farmers sold their lands to relators who illegally constructed affordable homes. These areas have no nalas and no sewage connection. The sewage flows into the Ballari Nala directly. Earlier, this nala was an irrigation canal. Now it has become a sewage dump. With no place for rain water to run, the city flooded,” a senior official with the Belagavi City Corporation told TNM.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2GT4pRP
via IFTTT

No cabinet or district ministers in flood-hit Karnataka: Bureaucrats hold the fort

Flood

In fact, six constituencies which are hit by heavy rains, do not have MLAs in place after the elected representatives resigned last month.

Prajwal Bhat

  Incessant rains in the past week has caused floods and prompted rescue operations in parts of coastal, Malnad and northern Karnataka.  At least 10 districts - Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Belagavi, Raichur, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar - are facing a spell of moderate to heavy rainfall with high speed winds. Thousands have been moved to relief camps in many of these districts.   Rescue and relief efforts are currently underway without a cabinet or district-in-charge ministers in place and are being coordinated solely by bureaucrats. In fact, six constituencies which are hit by heavy rains - Kagwad, Athani, Gokak, Yellapur, Hirekerur and Ranebennur - do not have MLAs in place after the elected representatives resigned last month.Three of the constituencies are in Belagavi, where more than 8,000 have been evacuated from their homes following rains. Shrimant Patil, Mahesh Kumathalli and Ramesh Jarkiholi who represented Kagwad, Athani and Gokak respectively are no longer MLAs.    In Yellapur, where incessant rains have left roads and paddy fields waterlogged, Shivaram Hebbar resigned as MLA last month. There is a similar situation in Haveri's Hirekerur and Ranebennur, where BC Patil and independent MLA R Shankar too resigned.    Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners (DC) and conducted an aerial survey of the rain-hit areas before flying to New Delhi to discuss the expansion of the Karnataka cabinet. Since then, the disaster relief operations in the state have been managed by Gangaram Baderiya, Principal Secretary, Disaster Management who is receiving daily updates from the DC's of affected districts.   The DC's chair the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and are the nominal heads of the rescue and relief efforts. The DC's report to the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Disaster Management everyday with updates.     However, the absence of a cabinet and district ministers has affected the flood relief efforts, according to some observers.    In Udupi, electricity poles and trees were uprooted after heavy rainfall on Tuesday and former minister and Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj believes that the absence of a District Minister-In-Charge is being felt in the district.    "An absence of a district minister is felt during calamities like this. If District Minister in charge was in place, they could have done much better. Officials in charge will have to go by the rules and there is a delay in giving immediate relief to the people. In such a situation, lot of places electricity has been cut off and re-installation is taking place at a slow pace," he argues.    The Chief Minister's decision to camp in New Delhi has also come under criticism with former minister for Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Krishna Byre Gowda questioning the lack of a cabinet 12 days after the government was formed.   Terrible floods in many parts of Karnataka. And CM is away politicking in Delhi. No minister even to attend to flood problems. 12 days since new Govt, BJP still hasn’t given Karnataka a Cabinet. #KarnatakaFloods — Krishna Byre Gowda (@krishnabgowda) August 7, 2019 Another Congress leader HK Patil wrote to Yediyurappa asking him to turn his attention to the flood situation in the state.   

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2MKqcPd
via IFTTT