Motorists can show docs in Digilocker during traffic checks: B'luru cops' U-turn

Traffic

The clarification comes after reports suggested that traffic police officials would fine motorists Rs 2,000 if they are not carrying a hard copy of their vehicle insurance.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Traffic Police officials clarified that motorists in the city can show documents stored on Digilocker, the national Digital Locker System, during traffic police checks. The clarification comes after reports suggested that traffic police officials would fine motorists  Rs 2,000 if they are not carrying a hard copy of their vehicle insurance. The Traffic Police's official Twitter account caused the confusion while replying to queries of multiple users of the social media platform on Thursday. "It is here by clarified that The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued an advisory to states to accept driving licence, Registration certificate or other documents in 'electronic form' presented through Digilocker or mParivahan platform as valid under the Motor Vehicle Act 1988 and treat them at par with the certificates issued by the transport authorities,” a statement by Bengaluru Traffic Police said. Earlier on Thursday, the traffic police department replying to multiple queries through the official Twitter account said that while soft copies of documents will be accepted during traffic police checks, the original hard copies of the driving licence and insurance will be required in case of any violation committed by the rider or if the vehicle is seized. "In digilock DL, RC and Emession certificate is accepted (sic). It can be showed, but in case of any violation committed by driver/rider or if vehicle seized original (hard copy) DL is required", Bengaluru Traffic Police's official Twitter account stated. Insurance must be in hard copy only (original), In digilock DL, RC & Emission certificate is accepted. but in case of any violation committed by driver/rider or if vehicle seized original (hard copy) DL is required BengaluruTrafficPolice (@blrcitytraffic) September 6, 2019 However, an amended provision in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 states that, "Citizens can produce the transport related documents such as registration, insurance, fitness and permit, the driving licence, certificate for pollution under check and any other relevant documents, if required, in physical or electronic form on demand by any police officer in uniform or any other officer authorized by the State Government in this behalf." Traffic police officials booked 2,978 cases against offenders and collected a fine of Rs 30.1 lakh within the first 37 hours of the new traffic rules being implemented in the city. Traffic police stated that along with vehicle insurance, motorists need to carry driving licence, registration certificate, and emission certificate. The higher traffic fine amounts have been fixed as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The new rules were implemented starting September 2 in Karnataka since September 1 was a Sunday. A Bengaluru resident had to cough up a fine of Rs 17,000 for multiple traffic offences on Tuesday evening, which is the highest fine amount paid in the city since the higher fares kicked in. The motorist was caught driving without a helmet and without carrying a license. Moreover, he was found to be in an inebriated condition.

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BJP to add two more Deputy CMs in K'taka? Move to woo rebels, caste votes

Politics

Karnataka already has three Deputy Chief Ministers and BJP sources say that the party is looking at appointing two more Deputy CMs in order to solidify the party’s reach in the state.

Theja Ram

Will Karnataka follow in the footsteps of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and appoint a total of five Deputy Chief Ministers? The issue is being discussed by the Karnataka BJP and the high command with several strategic political concerns in mind. Karnataka already has three Deputy Chief Ministers and BJP sources say that the party is looking at appointing two more Deputy CMs in order to solidify the party’s reach in the state, and at the same time pacify the 17 Congress and JD(S) rebels, a few of whom are unhappy about not being considered for the post. First reported by TOI, the report stated that the BJP is looking at appointing two more Deputy Chief Ministers from the Kuruba and Dalit communities in order to fix the caste equation in favour of the party in Karnataka. The rebel trouble However, BJP sources in the Karnataka unit told TNM that among the rebels, former Gokak legislator Ramesh Jarkiholi and former JD(S) state President and also the ex-MLA of Hunsur – AH Vishwanath, have been unhappy about the party nominating three Deputy Chief Ministers before the Supreme Court can decide on the fate of the 17 rebels, who resigned to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. Party insiders say that the negotiators had promised to appoint Ramesh Jarkiholi as a Deputy Chief Minister if he resigned from the Congress. Ramesh Jarkiholi was dropped from his post as the Minister for Municipalities in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government during the reshuffle in 2018, and he had openly expressed his displeasure over the issue. Ramesh Jarkiholi had also stated that he would join the BJP soon. Insiders in the Congress say that he led the rebellion that brought down the government. Belagavi leader Laxman Sangappa Savadi, who is not even an MLA, being appointed as the Deputy CM, has made Ramesh Jarkiholi unhappy, BJP sources said. “Ramesh Jarkiholi is from the Valmiki Nayak community and so is B Sriramulu, who has traditionally been with the BJP. Since Ramesh’s brother Balachandra Jarkiholi was made the head of Karnataka Milk Federation, the party is now mulling over whether it would be too risky to just allot Ramesh a cabinet berth or if he has to be made the DCM. With AH Vishwanath, it is much easier as he can be offered a cabinet berth instead of making him the DCM,” the source added. The caste equation Another reason why the BJP is mulling over appointing two more Deputy CMs is to balance the caste equation. The BJP has come under severe criticism as a large chunk of the ministers inducted into the cabinet are from the Lingayat community. In order to get rid of the tag that the BJP in Karnataka is a Lingayat party, the high command is purportedly mulling over inducting two additional DCMs. Party sources say that the high command is bent on snaring the Ahinda community's votes away from the Congress and thereby undermining the influence of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the state.  “There are too may equations to solve. First would be to assure the rebels who want to join BJP that the promises will be met. The second, more important one, is to get rid of the perception that the Ahinda (Minorities, OBCs and Dalits) are traditional vote banks of the Congress. Appointing a DCM each from the Kuruba and Dalit community may be the first step,” the BJP source said. BJP insiders say that Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa, who is from the Kuruba community, is a major contender for one of the two posts. In addition, JD(S) rebel AH Vishwanath and Congress rebel MLA from KR Puram Byrathi Basavaraj, who are also from this community, are contenders too. Molakalmuru MLA B Sriramulu, Ramesh Jarkiholi are also major aspirants. “It is one thing to aspire and another to actually get appointed as DCM. What the central leadership showed by strategically choosing Laxman Savadi, Ashwathnarayana and Govind Karjol as the DCMs is that the prominence of the state leaders does not matter.  What matters is that the party is confident of promoting leaders of its choice. Another message was that the high command controls all decisions. In the current scenario, there are constraints as the rebels have to be pacified too,” the source added. 

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Bengaluru civic body to be decentralised, will get four new special commissioners

Civic Issues

The special commissioners will have the powers of the BBMP Commissioner and can make administrative decisions for their respective wards.

TNM Staff

Decentralisation of the Bengaluru civic body – the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - has been a long-standing demand of numerous civic activists in the city over the last few years. This demand may come to fruition as the Karnataka government has decided to appoint four special commissioners, each to oversee two zones of the city. Bengaluru has been divided into eight zones and each zone has a Joint Commissioner appointed by the BBMP. However, the decision-making power is currently centralised as the work does not move forward without the approval of the BBMP Commissioner. The Karnataka government’s decision comes after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwathnarayana, MPs from Bengaluru PC Mohan and Rajeev Chandrashekar, and the Chief Minister’s political secretary SR Vishwanath on Friday, the Times of India reported. Speaking to the media, DyCM Ashwathnarayana said that the special commissioners will have the powers of the BBMP Commissioner and can make administrative decisions for their respective wards. “These Commissioners will be given the independence to make decisions for their zones. It is not just decentralisation of the administration but the decision has been taken to ensure that there is accountability and transparency,” Kannada Prabha quoted him as saying According to the TOI report, MP Rajeev Chandrashekar proposed the idea of having a special commissioner for each zone. However, the proposal was tweaked because of a shortage of IAS officers. Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar reportedly said eight IAS officers cannot be assigned, the report added. The ministers and MPs also decided that the solid waste management facilities must be brought to their full capacity at the earliest and also decided to bring down the cost of the compost generated at the composting units from Rs 3,000 per tonne to Rs 1,000 per tonne. BBMP will also get a new helpline to address people’s grievances with regard to civic issues. This comes after the Karnataka High Court rapped BBMP on its negligence to bring about grievance redressal mechanisms multiple times since 2018. The helpline will be called Bengaluru Sahayavani.    

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Hyderabad-Karnataka region will now be called Kalyana Karnataka

Administration

The change in name was confirmed by the state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy while briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government decided to rename the Hyderabad-Karnataka region as Kalyana Karnataka on Friday.  The change in name was confirmed by the state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy while briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting. "All government records will see the name Hyderabad Karnataka changed to Kalyana Karnataka,” Madhuwswamy said.  The name change was approved by the cabinet on Friday after demands from 41 legislators from the region to get rid of the colonial-era name, which they believe is associated with the erstwhile Nizams of Hyderabad. The name change will happen in all government records and the term Hyderabad-Karnataka will be replaced with Kalyana-Karnataka, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy told the media on Friday.  The Hyderabad-Karnataka region comprises Bidar, Ballari, Kalburgi, Raichur, Koppal and Yadgir. It enjoys special status under the Indian Constitution (Article 371 J). A special board called the Hyderabad Karnataka Region Development Board was constituted for the upliftment of the region. The board will now be called the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board. The chairman of the board is one of the district-ministers-in-charge in the region. People from the region also benefit from reservation in jobs and colleges.  The name was changed after all 41 MLAs in the region petitioned the government about changing the name. “There are 41 legislators from the region and all of us had petitioned the government to formally rename the region. We had done the same to the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government and it has now been accepted,” Sedam BJP legislator Rajkumar Patil said at the briefing. Before Independence, this region was under the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad. "We got our Independence on September 17 1948, one year and one month after India got its independence. We are pleased that the region was renamed before September 17", Rajkumar Patil added.     

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CDC suggests vapers stop vaping as lung disease numbers rise

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Bengaluru police book OYO CEO Ritesh Agarwal for allegedly cheating hotelier

Crime

Refuting the claims, OYO said the complaint has been wrongfully filed on the basis of “false claims and exaggeration on a regular commercial dispute”

TNM Staff

The Whitefield police in Bengaluru have booked hotel chain OYO Hotels and Homes’ CEO and founder Ritesh Agarwal for cheating and criminal breach of trust following a complaint by a city-based hotelier. Along with Ritesh, two other OYO representatives Anand Reddy and Prathik Singh, too, have been booked in the case. In his complaint, Natarajan, owner of Rajguru Shelter Hotels alleged that the company violated an agreement of taking only 20% commission from each reservation and in the process cheated him to the tune of Rs 1 crore. The agreement between Rajguru Shelter Hotels and OYO was drawn in February 2017. The three have been booked under sections 34 (common intent), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. The Whitefield police refused to comment on the matter as it is still under investigation.  Responding to the FIR, an OYO spokesperson denied any wrongdoing and said the company will not comment on the specifics of the matter as it is sub judice.  “We strongly refute the claims made in the complaint that has been wrongfully filed against our Founder and two other office bearers, basis false claims and exaggeration on a regular commercial dispute… Our lawyers are looking into the matter and will be taking strong legal action as these claims are incorrect and defamatory in nature,” OYO said in a statement on Friday.  In July, TNM had reported how many hotel operators felt the company is hurting their businesses.  “OYO has been cheating the hotel owners by using various gimmicks and arm-twisting tactics, which has resulted in huge losses for hotel owners and has disrupted the hotel industry and market,” Pradeep Shetty, a committee member of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI), had told TNM then.  Read: Why many hotel owners across India are agitated with Oyo's business model    

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Congress protests against BJP, blames state govt for IAS officer's resignation

Politics

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikant Senthil resigned from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) earlier on Friday.

TNM Staff

The shock resignation of Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sasikant Senthil from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on Friday prompted protests by Congress workers against the BJP outside the DC office. The protesters, armed with party flags and shouting slogans, blamed the ruling party in the state and Centre, even though Sasikanth stated that the decision to resign was a “purely personal one”. He also mentioned that this decision had nothing to do with his work as the DC of Dakshina Kannada. Sources, however, have told TNM that the decision was more to do with the workings of the Centre rather than the new BJP regime in the state.  Read: 'Building blocks of democracy compromised': Dakshina Kannada DC quits IAS The Congress leaders alleged that Sasikanth resigned due to pressure from the BJP-led Karnataka government. "At a time when the BJP is in power in Karnataka, they are putting pressure on district officials to do anti-social work. It is due to this pressure that the DC has submitted his resignation today," Congress MLC Ivan D'Souza said, addressing the protesters. "If this government continues, more IAS, IPS officers will resign due to pressure," MLA and district party president Harish Kumar told TNM, echoing his colleague’s comments. Sasikant had been serving as the DC of the coastal district since December 2017. In his previous postings, he has served as the Assistant Commissioner in Ballari, Chief Executive Officer of the Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat and Deputy Commissioner of Chitradurga and Raichur districts. Before his posting in Dakshina Kannada, he was the Director of Mines and Geology Department. He had topped the 2009 UPSC exams and secured the ninth position at the national level after leaving his job as an engineer. Sasikanth is the second IAS officer to resign in recent weeks. Kannan Gopinathan, a Malayali IAS officer from the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, submitted his resignation from the service in August over the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. He quit service stating that he wanted his freedom of expression back. 

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