DRDO's unmanned aerial vehicle crashes in Karnataka, no casualties reported

Defence

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) reportedly suffered a technical snag soon after take-off.

Theja Ram

DRDO's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Rustom-II crashed at Jodi Chikkana Halli in Karnataka's Chitradurga district early on Tuesday morning. The UAV was being tested at Challakere Aeronautical Test Range, which is an outdoor testing facility of the DRDO. The UAV crash-landed in fields, 40 kms away from the DRDO facility at around 7.50 am on Tuesday, reports said. No casualties have been reported in the incident. The vehicle suffered a technical snag soon after take-off. The UAV was airborne for one of its initial development flights and was undergoing a test when it crashed, reported ANI.  Unmanned aerial vehicle crashes in farmland near DRDO facility in Chitradurga, Karnataka. Officials have rushed to the spot. pic.twitter.com/eeJ72qouyn — Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) September 17, 2019 The villagers rushed to the sight of the crash thinking there were people inside but they did not find anyone. DRDO and the local police reached the spot within minutes and reassured the civilians that it was a UAV that was being tested. UAV Rustom-II was showcased at the DefExpo in 2014 that was held in New Delhi. It was successfully tested for the first time at the Challakere Aeronautical Test Range in February 2018. Rustom-II is a medium altitude long endurance UAV which was to replace the current UAVs (Heron) used by the armed forces. Rustom-II is capable of carrying different combinations of payloads like synthetic aperture radar, electronic intelligence systems and situational awareness payloads, officials had said in 2018. Rustom-II was developed for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance). It was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment. (This is a developing story, more details are awaited)

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2O2grMZ
via IFTTT

Bengaluru techie goes missing during Kumaraparvatha trek, search launched

Missing

Santhosh, 25, a techie from Gayatri Nagar in Bengaluru, was travelling with a group of 12 trekkers trekking in Kumaraparvatha near Somwarpet in Kodagu.

TNM Staff

A software engineer from Bengaluru went missing from the group of trekkers exploring Kumaraparvatha, the fourth highest peak in Karnataka, on Monday. Santhosh, 25, a techie from Gayatri Nagar in Bengaluru, was with a group of 12 trekkers trekking in Kumaraparvatha near Somwarpet in Kodagu. The group started the trek at 7 am and walked for 5-6 km before meeting forest department officials. Since it was 12:30 pm, they were not permitted to trek further as trekking is allowed only in the morning. The group camped in the area by pitching tents. They spent the night there and started heading for the peak on Sunday morning. The twelve trekkers were divided into two groups of six members each. While one group managed to reach the peak on Sunday afternoon, the other group returned to Bhatramane. Santhosh was part of the team that reached the peak but on the way back, it started raining. When the group stopped to wear raincoats, they realised Santhosh was missing. “It started raining and we stopped for 10 minutes to wear raincoats. That’s when we lost contact with Santhosh. We assumed he had gone ahead, only to find out at the end that he was missing. There were two routes, one that reaches the town and the other the jungle. We suspect Santhosh lost his way,” Abhishek, one of the trekkers, told Times of India. Santhosh chose to descend from the trek on his own but went missing in the span of a few minutes. The group of trekkers searched for Santhosh on Monday but after he was not found, they filed a complaint at the Subramanya Police Station. A fresh search operation involving police and forest department officials was planned for Tuesday morning, Deccan Herald reported. A five-member team comprising officials from the two departments along with the remaining trekkers plan to expand the area to search for Santhosh. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/32G2kAW
via IFTTT

To avoid fines, over 5 lakh motorists in K'taka get emission certificates in 2 weeks

Motorists in Bengaluru in particular have been queuing up at emission testing centres in the city to obtain their PUC certificates which need to be renewed every six months.

Prajwal Bhat

Higher fines for traffic violations has prompted motorists in Karnataka to queue up in emission testing centres (ETC) to ensure that their pollution under control (PUC) certificates are in order.  Statistics compiled by the Transport Department confirmed that in the first two weeks of September, more than 5 lakh motorists in the state obtained a PUC certificate from an emission testing centre (ETC).   This takes the number of PUC certificate holders in the state up from 2,35,246 to 7,77,717 between the end of August and the second week of September. "People have come forward in large numbers to obtain PUCs after the new fines were announced", confirmed Shivaraj Patil, Additional Commissioner of Transport (Enforcement and e-governance). As per the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, failure to carry emission certificates attracts a fine of Rs 10,000. To avoid the fine, motorists in Bengaluru in particular have queued up in one of the 385 emission testing centres in the city to obtain their PUC certificates which need to be renewed every six months.  "Earlier, we used to get around 30-40 vehicles per day but now there are around 150 vehicles queuing up in our emission testing centres. Many of them have not conducted tests for years,” says Yogesh, President of Karnataka Emission Testing Owners Association. Yogesh operates Greencity Emission Testing Centre, which has nine branches in Bengaluru including its biggest one in KR Puram. "We have decided to keep the centre at KR Puram open 24 hours a day due to the current demand. Most other testing centres operate from 8 am to 8 pm,” Yogesh says.  He further pointed out that for a city with over 80 lakh vehicles plying on its roads, there were just 385 ETCs conducting emission tests. "The number of people swarming ETCs in last two weeks has seen queues from morning till evening,” Yogesh added.  The testing centres conduct a test to check carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in the exhaust of petrol vehicles at slow speeds and also measure the smoke from diesel vehicles while accelerating. A hydrocarbon test is also conducted on petrol vehicles. The cost of conducting the tests is Rs 50 for a two-wheeler, Rs 60 for a three-wheeler, Rs 90 for a four-wheeler and Rs 125 for all types of diesel vehicles. Officials expect that the swarm of people showing up at ETCs will now reduce and hope that PUCs will be periodically updated every six months.  

Body 2: 

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

Karnataka CM orders cancellation of Bengaluru elevated corridor project tender

Civic

The first stage consisting of 21 km divided into three packages was pegged at a cost of Rs 6,885 crore.

TNM Staff

In a relief to many Bengalureans who have consistently opposed the contentious 90-km elevated corridor project worth thousands of crores, Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on Monday cancelled the existing tender for the corridor's first stage. The first stage consisting of 21 km divided into three packages was pegged at a cost of Rs 6,8885 crore. However, it remains unclear if the present government has scrapped the project altogether and will re-issue the tender.  A statement from the CMO said, “KRDCL had planned an Elevated Corridor Road of total 87.87 kms to solve the traffic problem. They invited tender for the first 21.54kms under 3 packages which would cost 6,885 cr approx. Media and others have claimed that there are irregularities in tender process and project execution plan and hence the above mentioned tender for first 21.54 kms has been cancelled.” It added, “KRDCL has been ordered to make a new plan with practical approximate expenditure.” In addition to the allegation that the project will impact environment adversely, it is also mired in legal disputes with citizens opposing it in the Karnataka High Court and the National Green Tribunal separately. The HC had also asked the previous Kumaraswamy government not to proceed with the matter further until it hears in a case in connection with how big infrastructure projects are undertaken in the city. Other than the high financial cost and environmental costs, people had opposed the project due to lack of feasibility studies and legally mandated public consultation process which subsequent governments had tried to bypass. Read: Elevated corridor beda: Bengaluru residents fight new govt plan Most recently in March, thousands of citizens had hit the streets opposing the mammoth structure and instead demanded sustainable solutions to the city’s traffic problem. They asked for better roads, cheaper and better bus service, suburban trains and expansion of the metro rail. Srinivas Alavilli, co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru, a citizen collective which campaigned for cancellation of the tender said,  “We stand vindicated. More than 3000 people showed up at Mourya Circle with one loud slogan #TenderRadduMaadi! We are grateful to the CM for cancelling this ill conceived anti people project. The solutions are in public transport - we urge the government to urgently procure more bus, reduce bus fares, make bus priority lanes on major roads, expedite suburban and metro.” However, he added that the prospect of re-tendering is worrisome. "We humbly urge the CM to shelve the project and focus entirely on public transport," he said Another citizen collective Whitefield Rising said, “Great news that the elevated corridor tender  has been scrapped. GoK should constitute UMTA (Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority and get real traffic experts to study the ground realities and come up with the most optimum solution. Increasing Public Transport options and bridging the last mile connectivity issues should be the number one priority.” The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) also made a simialr demand welcoming the tender cancellation. "We welcome the fact that the tender has been cancelled. We also demand an inquiry into how this project was approved and tender called for in violation of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act. If the government is serious about the inquiry, they must also conduct an inquiry into the EC that was granted in most suspicious circumstances," they said. BBPV added, "We also demand that the project itself be scrapped. We demand that the money instead be allotted to BMTC in order to build a pro people bus system with larger fleet and lower fares. We also ask that public consultations be done through ward committees and the MPC to assess the mobility needs of people so that effective solutions be planned that are pro-people." Also read:Over 3000 trees to be axed, lakes will be impacted by Bengaluru elevated corridor: EIA  

Body 2: 

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

Scores of Zomato delivery executives logout, protest against reduction of incentives

FoodTech

Delivery executives claim that Zomato has reduced their per delivery earning, increased the number of orders that will earn them an incentive.

Shilpa S Ranipeta

Soumya Chatterjee

Even as many restaurants stay logged out of Zomato, troubled has spilled to its delivery business as thousands of delivery executives in Bengaluru and Mumbai are protesting against the food aggregator over revised rate cards. Around 3000 delivery executives in Mumbai and another 3000 in Bengaluru have logged out of the app and have been protesting since Saturday. The bone of contention is the change in their payment systems. Delivery executives are given rate cards which define how much they will be paid per delivery and lays out incentives based on orders completed and kilometres travelled. Delivery executives claim that Zomato has reduced their per delivery earning, increased the number of orders that will earn them an incentive and has also increased the kilometres they need to travel to get additional bonus. In Bengaluru, delivery executives earlier earned Rs 40 per delivery, which has now been reduced to Rs 30. In terms of incentives, the executives were earlier paid Rs 550 as incentive for 15 deliveries on weekends. This has been changed to Rs 500 for 18 deliveries. Zomato has also allegedly increased the distance required (from 4 kms to 5.5 kms) to make workers eligible to receive ‘bonus points’. Zomato delivery executives protesting in HSR Layout, Bengaluru Wasim a native of Kolkata, who joined Zomato a year ago was earning Rs 34,000 -- minus fuel cost of Rs 6000 – after working for 15-16 hours a day. "Now for the last three days, I have logged out. My wife is pregnant, my costs will further go up. It will be impossible to make a living. I have a small loan to service also. Earlier we had bonuses for every order in excess of 5km. Now this is no longer there. It is very hard to compete 20 orders in a day with the new target of 24 orders, it is impossible to get the incentive which is the most important part,” he says. The situation is similar in Mumbai. Delivery executives, who earlier got paid Rs 35 per delivery, will now be paid only Rs 25. And while they used to get Rs 240 as an incentive on completing 11 orders, this has now changed to 14 orders. Rakesh, a delivery executive in Mumbai says that they were promised earnings of up to Rs 20,000 for part time and Rs 40,000 for full time. “We now work for 12 hours and still barely earn Rs 20,000. Of that we need to spend for petrol and mobile recharge. Petrol prices are increasing. In any company, salary increases as time goes. So on what basis is Zomato reducing our earnings?” he asks. Zomato delivery executives protesting in Mumbai Prakash*, a college student who funds himself and his family says that his monthly earning will be affected by nearly Rs 5000 with the new rates. "On Thursday, I had logged in for the whole day and I made Rs 1400 on the app. Now imagine if I had to spend almost the whole day and logged out at 11 pm to make that. In the current situation, I have to deliver more orders, which would mean an additional three hours on the app to make the same amount. Do you think this is possible? If I do the same work as now, I would only make Rs 1200,” he says. Delivery executives also claim that the number of orders they have been receiving has significantly come down. And this is mainly because of the number of delivery executives Zomato has onboarded. This would mean that it takes longer for an executive to receive an order and takes even longer to complete the required number of orders to receive an incentive. Zomato delivery executives protesting in Worli, Mumbai Sivanandan, another delivery executive from Mumbai claims that the company does not even help them when they meet with accidents and get injured. “Zomato says they are running under loss. But the real loss is for us – we pay for petrol, for mobile bills and even medical bills when we meet with an accident,” he adds. Several delivery executives in Bengaluru too, shared instances of them meeting with an accident resulting in severe injuries and Zomato taking no responsibility for the same. Delivery executives in Bengaluru have now written to Zomato opposing the new incentive scheme and that order distance also be reduced so that it doesn’t take them too long to deliver. They will be meeting with the company later today. Shaheed from Mumbai, however, claims that Zomato is not paying heed to their demands. Some executives were called for a meeting, but there hasn’t been any resolution. “We have given Zomato so much of our time. Our main demand is that the old rate system and incentive system be restored,” Shaheed adds. While Zomato did not specifically respond to TNM’s questions on how the new scheme will work, a company spokesperson said, “Different metrics such as base pay, user satisfaction, delivery touchpoints, minimum guarantee etc. help us appreciate our delivery partners in accordance with their efforts. Reduced average delivery time (less than 30 mins) and increased system efficiency have enabled our delivery partners to perform more deliveries in the same amount of time.” “We regret the inconvenience caused to our users and are continuously working to resume our services in the affected areas,” it added.  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/30cswpv
via IFTTT

Karnataka govt announces district in-charge ministers, CM Yediyurappa retains Bengaluru

Politics

DCM Ashwathnarayana has been put in charge of Chikkaballapura and Ramanagara districts, both with a considerable population of Vokkaligas.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Monday announced the list of district in-charge ministers. Speculation was rife ahead of the announcement that Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnaraya would be made the minister in-charge of Bengaluru. However, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa retained control of the city. DCM Ashwathnarayana has been put in charge of Chikkaballapura and Ramanagara districts, both with a considerable population of Vokkaligas. Minister for Revenue, R Ashok, who is also a Vokkaliga has been put in charge of Bengaluru Rural and Mandya, both districts with a large Vokkaliga population. DCM Laxman Sangappa Savadi has been put in charge of Ballari and Koppal, while DCM Govind Karjol has been made the minster in-charge of Bagalakote and Kalaburgi. Minister for Health, B Sriramulu had earlier told the media that he was aspiring to be made the minister in charge of Ballari. However, the high command has put him in charge of Raichur and Chitradurga. Sriramulu had in August, openly stated that he was unhappy about being allotted the Health portfolio. The BJP has strategically chosen the district in charge ministers to meet caste combinations and also indicate that the leader appointed are well known in the regions allotted to them. Here is a full list of district in-charge ministers: BS Yediyurappa: Bengaluru Urban Dr CN Ashwathnarayana: Ramanagara and Chikkaballpura Laxman Sangappa Savadi: Ballari and Koppala Govind Karjol: Bagalakote and Kalaburgi KS Eshwarappa: Shivamogga and Davangere R Ashoka: Bengaluru Rural and Mandya Jagadish Shettar: Belagavi and Hubballi-Dharwad B Sriramulu: Raichur and Chitradurga Suresh Kumar: Chamarajanagar V Somanna: Mysuru and Kodagu CT Ravi: Chikkamagaluru Basavaraj Bommai: Udupi and Haveri Kota Srinivas Poojary: Mangaluru JC Madhuswamy: Tumakuru and Hassan Chandrakantgouda Patil: Vijayapura and Gadag H Nagesh: Kolar Prabhu Chavan: Bidar and Yadgir Shashikala Jolle: Uttara Kannada      

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/34GcmUu
via IFTTT

ED objects to DK Shivakumar's bail plea, alleges he will influence witnesses

Crime

The ED has been given custody of former Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar until September 17.

TNM Staff

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday filed objections to Congress leader and former Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar’s bail application at a special court in New Delhi. The ED stated that DK Shivakumar could influence witnesses and tamper with evidence if granted bail. “'Investigation has revealed names of various persons and entities. Interrogation of these persons is necessary to take the case to its logical conclusion. If granted bail, there exists all likelihood that he will tamper with evidence and influence the witnesses,” the ED’s objection states. The ED also maintained that DK Shivakumar was not cooperating with the probe despite alleged “evidence linking him with the crime” was put forth before him.  DK Shivakumar had applied for bail on September 4 at the special court in New Delhi for ED cases. On September 13, the special court had extended the ED’s custody of DK Shivakumar till Tuesday. The Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the ED, had stated that DK Shivakumar and his family members collectively have 317 bank accounts and accused him of laundering more than Rs 200 crore cash. The ED accused DK Shivakumar and his family members of acquiring assets worth more than Rs 800 crore through tainted money. The Enforcement Directorate had arrested DK Shivakumar on September 3.  He has been accused of setting up hawala networks to launder money. The ED began probing DK Shivakumar’s alleged money laundering activities after the Income Tax Department had alleged found Rs 8.86 crore in cash at DK Shivakumar’s residence in New Delhi’s Safdarjung Enclave in August 2017.  DK Shivakumar’s daughter Aisshwarya was questioned by the ED last week for 7 hours. Aisshwarya was questioned regarding several of her business transactions in Singapore and India. The ED also questioned her regarding her investment in a green energy company in Kolar and how she had increased her assets from Rs 1.08 crore to Rs 108 crore in a span of five years.    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2Ajx2Uu
via IFTTT