Many Republican lawmakers have viewed policies like banning flavored e-cigarette products as "nanny state" politics of the worst kind.
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Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Congress, JD(S) criticise PM Modi for lack of flood-relief funds for Karnataka
Forced into damage control mode, the office of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that a report on rain damage in Karnataka is being finalised.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was criticised by the Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka on Tuesday for alleged apathy towards the state in terms of flood relief funds from the union government. The criticism comes after Prime Minister Modi discussed the flood situation in Bihar with the Chief Minister of the state Nitish Kuma,r and said the central government is "ready to provide all possible help.” "Spoke to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Ji regarding the flood situation in parts of the state. Agencies are working with local administration to assist the affected. Centre stands ready to provide all possible further assistance that may be required," read a tweet posted by PM Modi's official Twitter account. Spoke to Bihar CM @NitishKumar Ji regarding the flood situation in parts of the state. Agencies are working with local administration to assist the affected. Centre stands ready to provide all possible further assistance that may be required. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 30, 2019 In response, Congress and JD(S) leaders in Karnataka criticised the Prime Minister for not providing relief for flood-hit residents in Karnataka. "On days like these, we cannot but wonder if Bihar's 40 seats vis-a-vis Karnataka's paltry 28, is the reason why Nitish Kumar gets a call, but BSY's repeated efforts to talk about Karnataka floods get rejected," read a tweet by former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. On days like these, we cannot but wonder if Bihar's 40 seats vis-a-vis Karnataka's paltry 28, is the reason why Nitish Kumar gets a call, but @BSYBJP's repeated efforts to talk about Karnataka floods get rejected. We are also in this nation, sir. ನೀವು ಮಾಡ್ತಿರೋದು ಏನೂ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿಲ್ಲ! https://t.co/XqIAZA98Ar — Dr. G Parameshwara (@DrParameshwara) October 1, 2019 Karnataka Congress' official social media handle also questioned why flood relief was not provided in the state more than two months after floods and landslides affected the northern, coastal and Malnad regions of the state. .@narendramodi calls Bihar CM & promises relief for floods. While Karnataka has been reeling under floods for more than 60 days with damages of more than 35000Crs Our CM has neither received any aid nor an appointment from PM Don"t we deserve some respect?#ModiMissing — Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) October 1, 2019 Since Day 1, Karnataka Congress has been asking for interim relief of ₹5000 cr be declared for relief operations. It's Day 50 now, yet not a rupee has been provided. Karnataka, a top tax contributing state has been ignored.#Justice4Karnataka#NorthKarnatakaBelongsToIndia — Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) October 1, 2019 Even the Janata Dal (Secular) claimed that Prime Minister Modi was "turning a blind eye" towards Karnataka. .@narendramodi avare, why can't you show similar interest in helping Karnataka? You visit Karnataka multiple times during elections but you do not want to be part of the sorrow of people now? How dare you say "ಎಲ್ಲ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದೆ" and turn a blind eye towards Kannadigas?#ModiMosa https://t.co/AsATM1m21v — Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) October 1, 2019 Forced into damage control mode, the office of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to social media to state that an Inter-ministerial Central Team (IMCT) assessed the damage caused by the rains and floods in Karnataka at the end of August and that the report is being finalised. Status of the report of the Inter-ministerial Central Team (IMCT) on assessment of damage caused due to rains and landslides in Karnataka. 1) The IMCT visited five districts of Karnataka from 24 to 27 August, 2019. (1/2) — NSitharamanOffice (@nsitharamanoffc) October 1, 2019 2) The team called on Hon'ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri @BSYBJP and also met senior officials of the State Government. 3) The Karnataka Government submitted a memorandum on 2nd September, 2019. 4) The report of the IMCT is under finalization. (2/2) — NSitharamanOffice (@nsitharamanoffc) October 1, 2019 The floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains in August affected 21 of the 30 districts in the state and took the lives of more than 60 people. More than 4 lakh residents of the state were displaced by the disaster which was termed as unprecedented in the state's history. Read: Karnataka records highest rainfall in 118 years from Aug 3-10 The state government estimated the damage to crops and infrastructure due to the heavy rains at Rs 3,845.11 crore and sought relief funds from the union government. This included damages to both public and private buildings. However, the union government asked the state to send a revised report since relief cannot be sanctioned for damages to private infrastructure. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa admitted on Monday that he was walking a "tightrope" when asked about the lack of flood relief measures from the union government. Funds from as many as 39 departments in the state have been re-allocated for flood relief measures for rebuilding homes for Dalit and Adivasi communities. Read: No funds yet from Centre for flood relief, Karnataka diverts money from 39 departments
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B'luru's air pollution contributing to heart diseases? Study finds drivers are at risk
The study found that out of 2,400 patients surveyed, 35% of them with no conventional risk factors were suffering from heart diseases.
Is Bengaluru's air pollution, which is primarily down to emissions made by the city's traffic, contributing to a rise in heart diseases among the city's residents? This was the question that researchers at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (JICSR) hoped to answer when they took up a study in 2017. "We started a long-term project two years ago to research heart diseases among young people. What we found was that 35% of the people who had no conventional risk factors were developing heart diseases," explains Dr Rahul Patil, a cardiologist at JICSR. The study found that 35% of the 2,400 patients studied, who showed no previous conventional risk factors suffered from cardiovascular diseases (CAD) that were attributed to air pollution. While drivers who operated public transport like autos and buses were vulnerable due to the long periods of time spent in traffic, other risk factors like smoking, diabetes, hypertension and obesity also increased the risk of developing heart ailments. All patients who were part of the study were under the age of 40, and had been admitted in the Premature Coronary Artery Disease (PCAD) clinic in Jayadeva between April 2017 and April 2019. The study was conducted along with six institutions including NIMHANS and St John’s Research Centre. Auto, cab drivers at risk The link to air pollution being a factor in people developing heart ailments was established by studying the professions of the patients admitted in the PCAD clinic. The study found that the most common nature of work among the patients was driving public transport vehicles like auto, taxi and buses, constituting nearly one fourth of the patients (24%) surveyed. The study also showed that agriculturists (15%) and daily-wage workers (15%) are at risk from suffering from heart diseases. According to Dr Rahul, PM 2.5 or fine particulate matter, is the main factor causing heart diseases. “If PM 2.5 matter penetrates the alveoli-capillary membrane, it can enter the blood stream and cause an allergic response,” he explains. The alveoli-capillary membrane in the lungs is where the exchange takes place – the oxygen is diffused into the blood, and carbon dioxide exits it. A study published in 2018 by Climate Trends and Co Media Lab, a city-based organisation, showed that fine particles (PM 2.5) in the air touch hazardous levels during peak traffic hours in the city. Karnataka's Transport Department reported in April this year that there were more than 80 lakh vehicles in Bengaluru with around 1,800 vehicles being added every day. This does not include vehicles registered in other cities being used in Bengaluru. In addition, open waste burning and debris from construction also contribute to high PM 2.5 levels in the city.
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Money laundering case: DK Shivakumar's judicial custody extended till Oct 15
The court has granted the Enforcement Directorate permission to interrogate DK Shivakumar on October 3 and 4 at Tihar jail, where he is currently lodged.
A CBI special court on Tuesday extended former Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar’s judicial custody till October 15. DK Shivakumar is currently lodged at Tihar jail in New Delhi. The former Congress Minister’s judicial custody ended on Tuesday and he was produced before the court. During the hearing, the Enforcement Directorate’s counsel moved an application seeking permission to question Shivakumar while in judicial custody. The court granted the agency permission to interrogate DK Shivakumar on October 3 and 4 at Tihar jail. DK Shivakumar was arrested by the ED on September 3, four days after he was questioned in the alleged money laundering case. He had been in ED’s custody and on September 17, he was remanded to judicial custody. On September 27, DK Shivakumar moved the Delhi High Court seeking bail. The court ordered the Enforcement Directorate to submit a response to Shivakumar’s plea by October 14. Shivakumar has been on the radar of the Income Tax Department and the ED since demonetisation in 2016. An Income Tax search at his New Delhi flat on August 2, 2017, led to the seizure of unaccounted cash worth Rs 8.83 crore. Thereafter, the I-T Department lodged cases against the Congress leader and his four associates under Sections 277 and 278 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and Sections 120(B) ( criminal conspiracy), 193 (Punishment for false evidence) and 199 (False statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Incidentally, according to Shivakumar’s affidavit submitted to the Election Commission ahead of the Assembly elections in 2018, Aisshwarya owned assets of Rs 108 crore compared to only Rs 1.09 crore in 2013. Shivakumar, however, clarified that Aisshwarya was not dependent on his income and that he was still declaring her assets as per the Representation of Peoples Act. The ED has also questioned DK Shivakumar’s daughter and Belagavi Rural MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar in connection with the case.
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Why conviction rate for cyber crime cases in Karnataka is abysmally low
Police say a third of the cases involving economic offences in Karnataka are related to job scams, a third related to OTP and UPI fraud, and the remaining are lottery related scams.
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Just like thousands of engineering graduates in pursuit of a job, 22-year-old Samhita RH had been trying to find one since she graduated from AMC Engineering College in Bengaluru. Samhita’s parents, who live in Hassan district’s Sakleshpur, were counting on their daughter to help clear loans they had taken for her education. A year after graduating, Samhita was desperate. She had uploaded her resume on several job portals and hoped she would get an interview call. On the afternoon of December 21 last year, Samhita received an email from an id that read: hr.monster13@india.com. Samhita had signed up for job alerts on employment portal Monster and was thrilled when she finally received a call for an interview, over a year after graduating. “I did not suspect that this was a fake account. Soon after I received the email, I also got a call on my mobile number and a man named Abhishek Acharya said he was from Monster and that there was an interview call for a position at HCL. He said I have to pay Rs 1,200 as registration fee and that I would be able to go for the interview then. A few hours later, he asked me to pay Rs 18,000. The next day I had to pay Rs 13,000 and later the same day another Rs 15,000,” Samhita says. The next day, she received a fake offer letter from HCL after a telephonic conversation and this time another man named Amit Singh, who claimed to be an employee in HCL’s HR department, allegedly told Samhita that she had to pay Rs 29,000 for a certification programme that would be conducted as part of her induction programme. Samhita paid Amit Singh too and when she asked him the date of joining, Amit allegedly informed her that he would be in touch. By the first week of January 2019, Samhita was worried that she may have been duped. She got in touch with HCL in Bengaluru and enquired about the job offer she had received. She even sent them a copy of the “offer letter” she had received. To her dismay, HCL informed her that the letter was forged and that no one from the company had reached out to her. When she contacted the mobile number of the alleged Amit Singh and demanded her money back, he allegedly hung up and could never be reached again. “I lost around Rs 76,000 in a few days’ time. My parents were struggling for money. They had taken loans to pay for the job and it turned out to be a sham. When I got that email, I should have been more alert. But hope and relief of finally getting a job had clouded my judgement. I filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru on January 19 this year, but there has been no progress in my case,” Samhita says. In Samhita’s case, police say that the phones used to contact her were last used in Madhya Pradesh and the IP address from which the email was sent was from Nigeria. “How can we track down some online identity that we don’t know. If it’s a robbery or a murder, its jurisdictional. When it comes to people morphing pictures and extortion rackets on online dating platforms, it is easier to track down the people as there is an ID of the person. But economic offences are the hardest to crack,” says Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Crime, Bengaluru. Just like Samhita, thousands of people have fallen victim to job scams on the internet and the Bengaluru Cyber Crime Police say that a third of the cases involving economic offences in Karnataka are related to job scams, a third of them are related to OTP and UPI fraud, and the remaining are lottery related scams. And the police say that investigating cyber crimes related to economic offenses are very difficult. UPI, lottery fraud on the rise Ever since demonetisation led people to switch to online money transfer, police say that Unique Identification Pin (UPI) related cyber crimes are on the rise. According to the Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru, of the 12,754 cyber crime cases reported in the city between January 2018 and August 2019, 38% of them were related to UPI. “Before demonetisation, a lot of people were not using Google Pay, PayTM, BHIM and other UPI apps for money transfer. With more users, the pool of potential victims for those committing cyber crimes has increased,” Sandeep Patil says. In July this year, a Madhusudhan, businessman from Bengaluru, filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station that a person posing to be a representative of an e-commerce company had looted Rs 1.6 lakh from three of his bank accounts via his BHIM app. Madhusudhan’s wife Lekha had ordered material for a dress from an e-commerce website. After it was delivered, she wanted to return it, and found a customer service number when she searched on Google. She asked Madhusudhan to help her get the money back. Madhusudhan spoke to the representative, who informed him that the product could not be returned but that he could initiate a refund. “The product quality was bad and so we wanted to return it. The representative said he would refund the money and told me that he would send me a message, I had to click the link in the message and fill in a form for the refund to be processed. I never thought that this could be a scam. Within minutes, Madhusudhan received a message with a message ID that read: HDFC-UPI. Assuming it was legitimate, I clicked the link, which led me to a portal. But there was no form,” Madhusudhan says. Madhusudhan tried calling the customer care number once more but there was no response. About three or four minutes later he received a message from his bank that Rs 90,000 was transferred to an unknown account via BHIM. Seconds later, he received another message that Rs 70,000 was transferred to another bank account via the same app. Madhusudhan immediately called his bank and asked them to stop any fund transfer from his account. “I have three bank accounts linked to BHIM and money was wiped out from two accounts. I was able to save Rs 40,000 only after I called the bank,” he says. When Madhusudhan approached the police, Cyber Crime sleuths informed him that it was a phishing scam. “That message that I clicked, that was where it started,” Madhusudhan adds. According to Karan Saini, Programme Officer with the Centre for Internet and Society, most UPI-related crimes are phishing operations and in rare cases involve spyware. Karan says that SMS gateways are the easiest means to con people into believing that a message is from a legitimate source. “In the Bengaluru case, the man believed that the message was legitimate because the SMS ID was HDFC-UPI. TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) allows businesses to send hundreds of messages to people from an SMS gateway. Like the messages we get from e-commerce sites, banks etc. Telephone service providers share contact info with businesses and the cost of using this is also cheap. It costs around Rs 300 to be able to send 1,000 messages. The users can change the Sender ID (the name that appears on the SMS). Most phishing scams related to UPI happen because people are conned by the name of the sender,” Karan says. In December 2017, Venkateshulu S, a jewellery store owner in Bengaluru, received an SMS allegedly from an e-commerce website stating that he had won Rs 1,00,00,000 in a lucky draw. The message stated that Venkateshulu, who had recently purchased a TV from the website, had won the lucky draw from a pool of customers chosen for it. Venkateshulu, who was initially sceptical, had ignored the SMS. A day later, he received another SMS from the same sender ID, which claimed that he had to claim the prize within the next 24 hours or the offer would expire. He also received a call from a person posing as a customer care executive and informed him that he had to pay Rs 1 lakh to claim the prize and that the money would be refunded to him once the winnings were deposited into his account. Within a few minutes, he transferred the money to an account number given by the conman. It was only after two days that Venkateshulu realised he had been swindled. “I was waiting for the money to get deposited into my account. When I contacted that man again, his phone was switched off. Then I filed a complaint with the cyber crime police but they haven’t caught the culprit even now,” Venkateshulu says. Speaking to The News Minute, Director General of Police, CID, Praveen Sood, said that just like Venkateshulu, thousands of people get conned in lottery scams. “When someone is asking you to pay money to collect alleged winnings, that must be the trigger. People get conned a lot by lotteries because the amount of money is too huge for them to pass up,” he says. Thousands of cases, negligible convictions From just 1,045 cases registered in 2014 to 8,495 cases between January and August 2019, the number of cyber crime cases being reported in Karnataka are on the rise. Between January 2014 and August 2019, 20,920 cases were registered across 30 Cyber Crime police stations in Karnataka and a whopping 85% of them have been registered in the lone Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru City. Of the 8,495 cases registered between January and August 2019, 7,516 of them were in Bengaluru. Another alarming reality is the low rate of conviction. There have been only 36 convictions in cyber crime cases in Karnataka in the last six years and out of them only 5 convictions have occurred in cases registered in Bengaluru. Of these convictions, four of them occurred in 2014 and one in 2018. There were zero convictions in the years in between. The shockingly low rate of conviction, Cyber Crime sleuths say, is because 95% of the cases registered go unresolved for various reasons. Of the total number of cases registered in the last six years, arrests have been made in only 6.2% of the cases and the number of cases in which chargesheets have been filed is even lower. Between 2014 and August 2019, chargesheets were filed only in 736 cases in Karnataka, of which 46.86% were from Bengaluru. DGP Sood says that one of the primary reasons for the low conviction rate in cyber crime cases, not only in Karnataka but across the country, is the lack of geographical boundaries in cyber crime cases. “In most cases across the country, the crime is perpetrated by people from other countries,” he says. Senior police officials who have worked on numerous cyber crime cases in Karnataka say that another reason for low conviction rates in these crimes is that the cost of investigating cyber crime cases, especially economic offences, exceeds the actual loss suffered by victims. “In many cases that I have worked on, the IP addresses or phone numbers are from Nigeria, Trinidad, Congo or an eastern European country. How do we track down and arrest these people? After five to six days of investigating, we reach a dead end. Between the amount that individual victims lose and the amount that needs to be spent on investigating that case, there is a huge difference. Lakhs have to be spent on one investigation. The economics do not add up and the physical international boundaries are major hurdles,” a senior police officer says. Limited knowledge about advanced technology Senior officials with the Cyber Crime unit in the Criminal Investigation department say that apart from a severe staff crunch in Cyber Crime stations, most police officers, public prosecutors and magistrates have limited knowledge about cyber crimes, the technology used, the methods of perpetrating such crimes and, most importantly, the technological jargon. “Initially, we had only 10 police officials working in one police station in Bengaluru and they were handling thousands of cases. It was only in 2018 that the number of personnel were increased to 40. Even now, these officers are handling thousands of cases and it’s an overload,” JCP Sandeep Patil says. According to DGP Praveen Sood, even in cases where arrests are made and chargesheets filed, overburdened sessions courts with limited magistrates who understand the nuances of cyber crime cases contribute to low rates of conviction. The information stored in your inbox is a treasure trove for cyber criminals. Have you secured your email account properly? #CyberProtect pic.twitter.com/8sWKQVGYuO — Cyber Protect (@CyberProtectUK) September 23, 2019 Students are being lured into laundering dirty cash with fake job adverts offering easy money.@DigitalEagles are sharing their top tips to help you stay safe during your studies.https://t.co/Y0RLaR17Ua #MoneyMules pic.twitter.com/k3ZHgWyPLI — Cyber Protect (@CyberProtectUK) September 19, 2019 New trick for cheating. https://t.co/3qdJBWbBeY — Praveen Sood DGP CID Karnataka (@Copsview) September 16, 2019 Senior police officials who work with the Centre for Cyber Crime Investigation and Training Centre say that prosecutors and lawyers fail to put forth a strong case due to lack of knowledge about these crimes. “Understanding the methods used by perpetrators of cyber crimes and most importantly the jargon is difficult for prosecutors and magistrates. Even officers working in Cyber Crime stations keep learning new things every day. Magistrate courts are overloaded and to find judges who can understand the nuances of the case and prosecutors who can put forth a good case is difficult,” the official explains. In February this year, the Centre for Cyber Crime Investigation and Training Centre was inaugurated in Bengaluru in order to train police officers, prosecutors and magistrates on the nuances of cyber crime. DGP Praveen Sood says that with more police officers being trained, it is a first step towards ensuring that more cases are detected and disposed of quickly. “Since cyber crime has no boundaries, the best way is to prevent it. More awareness is required. People must not use the same email ID for personal and financial transactions. Separate email IDs must be used for social media accounts because many people get conned on social media. There are many cases where social media accounts are hacked and pictures of women are morphed. It’s always better to change passwords frequently and not share it with anyone. Do not believe people who say they are bank officials asking for OTP and PINs. Never buy into lottery scams where they ask you to pay money in order to get your winnings,” Praveen Sood adds.
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K’taka govt ad cites ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to bring in more visitors for Mysuru Dasara
An ad published in newspapers on Tuesday reads, "A shapeshifting demon, an angry goddess, The Avengers Endgame retold. You don't want to miss this, do you?"
Screenshot of the ad
The Karnataka government is trying to attract more visitors to this year's Dasara celebrations in Mysuru by invoking Avengers: Endgame, the popular superhero film based on the Marvel Comic superhero team - The Avengers. An advertisement published on the front page of newspapers in the state on Tuesday reads, "A shapeshifting demon, an angry goddess, The Avengers Endgame retold. You don't want to miss this, do you?" The words were published alongside a picture of Mahishasura. The Dasara festival celebrated in Mysuru remembers goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura, who is believed to have shape-shifting powers. It is popularly believed that Mysuru received its name from Mahishasuramardini, a manifestation of Goddess Durga. The superhero film Avengers: Endgame released earlier this year after an extensive marketing campaign around the world. It was the culmination of a 22-film story and broke numerous box office records upon its release, including becoming the highest grossing film of all-time by overtaking the 2009 film Avatar. It appears now that the Karnataka government wants to attract younger audiences to the Mysore Dasara event by linking the celebrations to the story of Avengers: Endgame, which is also described as the victory of good over evil. The festival in Mysuru has historical relevance as it dates back to the 16th century, when the Wodeyar kings who ruled the region celebrated it with grandeur. The current titular head of the Mysuru royal family - Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja - will hold a private audience by ascending the Golden Throne in the Palace durbar hall at an auspicious time decided by family priests. A giant statue of Mahishasura is located on Chamundi Hill, which faces Mysuru city. The 10-day celebration of the festival kicked off in Mysuru on Sunday. Kannada litterateur S. Bhyarappa inaugurated the 409th year of the festival celebrations while Indian badminton player PV Sindhu was invited to inaugurate the sports events taking place this week.
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Rahul Gandhi to join hunger strike against night traffic ban in Bandipur forest area
The Kerala government has been demanding that the night traffic ban on the highway passing through Bandipur Tiger Reserve be relaxed, which environmentalists oppose.
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has registered his opposition against the contentious night traffic ban in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi who is also an MP from Wayanad, has said that he will join youth groups backed by both the Congress and the Left parties in Kerala in their hunger strike against the night traffic ban on October 3. TWEETS Rahul had faced criticism earlier as well when he had spoken in favour of lifting the ban. Read: Rahul Gandhi irks environmentalists as he seeks lifting of Bandipur night traffic ban The Kerala government has demanded for years that the night traffic ban be relaxed on this highway that connects Wayanad and Mysuru. However, earlier in August, the Supreme Court had upheld the ban which has been in place since 2009, much to the relief of environmentalists in both Kerala and Karnataka. Read: Night traffic ban in Bandipur Tiger Reserve to stay: Centre to Pinarayi Vijayan The existing ban on traffic after dark came into effect in 2009 when the Karnataka High Court was hearing a case pertaining to roadkill. At least 215 animals were killed due to traffic between 2004 and 2007, the court had contended, leading to the decision. Prior to the Supreme Court order, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, in March 2018, had also advised the Union government against moving ahead with an elevated corridor project in the same area for the adverse effects it could have on the forest habitat, where over a hundred tigers currently reside. TNM on Thursday had also reported on a communique from the Union government reiterating that the elevated corridor project cannot be undertaken on ecological grounds – much to the cheer of environmentalists. This was a response to the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan writing to the Union government, offering to fund half of the project, which, the chief minister said, would benefit residents of Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Currently, only a limited number of government-run buses and emergency vehicles are allowed to operate during the restricted period of 9 pm to 6 am on the stretch. During this period motorists take an alternative route via Hunsur-Gonikoppal-Kutta-Mananthavady Road, which is around 30 km longer. A top Karnataka Forest Department official said, “The Kerala government’s stand (to allow traffic through the Reserve at night) has been same over the years even though their Forest Department agrees with us. This is more of a political stance more than anything else as there is already an existing bypass which is just 30-40 km longer. But we need not worry, the Supreme Court has made it clear tiger habitats cannot be touched and other options have to be explored.” Kerala-based environmentalists echoed the same view. President of Wayanad Prakruti Samrakshana Samiti N Badusha said that present traffic ban on the highway has to continue until governments find an alternative. "Politicians, religious groups, and various other groups with vested interest are very active in boosting this baseless rumour,” Badusha said, referring to the rumour that the highway would be closed forever, compelling people to reroute through hundreds of kilometres to cross the Kerala-Karnataka border. “As a consequence of this, farmer groups and students are blindly being led to take part in the protest and strikes which is presently grabbing attention from all over the country," he added in a statement. Others, meanwhile, argue in favour of lifting the traffic ban. "Wayanad doesn't have any other means of transport other than this road. If this highway is closed, our trade, tourism industry and our livelihood will sink. After floods, tourism was one of the main means of livelihood here. If this ban persists, we will have to migrate," Advocate Sudheesh, a DYFI leader, told TNM. He also said that local people's voice was not being heard in the country’s top courts. "The present highway consists of 19 kilometres of forest; the proposed alternative consists of 25 kilometres. Upgrading to an alternative route will also require road widening and destruction of the forest," he argued. Sudheesh said that the present move to close the highway will trouble farmers, labourers and students who cross the borders for their necessities.
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