Bandipur tiger which killed farmer finally captured, to be taken to Mysuru

Wildlife

Department officials said that the tiger is in a healthy condition and will be rehabilitated in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation guidelines.

Soumya Chatterjee

Five days after Karnataka Forest Department officials began a hunt for a maneater responsible for killing a farmer in Karnataka’s Bandipur area, the tiger was finally captured on Sunday afternoon, after being shot with tranquilizers.  Department officials confirmed that the tiger is in a healthy condition and will be rehabilitated in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation guidelines. After a thorough medical check up, the tiger will be taken to Mysuru and be put in a rehabilitation centre meant for maneater-cats. Both Head of Forest Department Sridhar Punati and Assistant Conservator of Forests of Gopalswamy Betta Range Ravi Kumar confirmed that the tiger has been captured and is being kept in a mobile enclosure. “The tiger was moving from the forest areas to fringe areas, in a 20 km radius around Chowdiah and Hindupra villages. The terrain and thick bushes made our job very difficult,” he added. The Bandipur tiger reserve, a popular tourist destination in southern India, is a 872 square km reserve forest in Chamarajanagar district on the border with Tamil Nadu. It is about 220 kms southwest of Bengaluru. Informed sources said, “The district authorities will have to issue Section 144 to ensure that they can transport the animal safely to Mysuru as there is a lot of anger among the public.” The hunt for the tiger began on Tuesday after 80-year-old Shivalingappa was killed by the big cat in the Hundipura area in the buffer zone of the tiger reserve. The situation was volatile, with villagers angry with the Forest Department for withdrawing a capture-or-shoot order the same evening it was issued. The tiger is also suspected of having killed another farmer and several cattle in September. Cameras were set up to track its movements and traps were set up. By Wednesday, there were more than 100 camera traps, 150 forest staff on six elephants and multiple vehicles taking part in the operations.  Visuals from the camera traps showed that the tiger is a healthy one and was moving very quickly.

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Mangaluru activist stages silent protest over dilapitated national highway

Civic

When the activist was joined by more people, the NHAI filled the potholes on the highway.

Harsha Raj Gatty

Plagued by the battered condition of National Highway 66 (NH-66), a 33-year old social activist Arjun Mascharenas went on a silent-solo-protest. When the protest was joined by a few others, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) got its act together and repaired the damaged stretch at Nanthoor Circle towards Mangaluru city, but activists are not content. “It was firstly the lethargic attitude of the government agencies to repair the roads that forced me to launch a sit-in at the Nanthoor circle. I appealed to the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and NHAI several times to repair the road, but to no avail. That’s why started my silent protest,” Arjun said. A resident of Derebail, Arjun said that he was among the several other motorists who, during their routine commute to the city via NH66, had to suffer the dilapidated road. “They completed a round of repairs on the same road just eight months ago. The dust emanating from the road and the potholes make it difficult to navigate and damage the vehicle as well. So many accidents take place. It is just by motorist’s sheer luck that many more accidents are avoided. Imaging this is the condition of a national highway,” he said. With a facemask, bag and a bottle of water – Arjun began his agitation within the parameters of the Nanthoor circle at 10 am on Saturday. Throughout the day, Arjun planted placard messages like ‘Bad Roads No Vote’, ‘Is it Too Much to ask for a Good Road?’, ‘Make Mangalore Pothole Free’ and ‘Safe Road Save Lives’. Even traffic cops acknowledged and complimented the peaceful protest, Arjun said.   Over the course of the day – he was joined by others. “By 3 pm, more people parked their vehicles and arrived to join the protest. It was then that the NHAI authorities brought along few trucks and workers and started to fill the potholes with gravel,” Roopan Fernandes, one of the people who joined Arjun, said. Other social activists at the location also questioned junior NHAI officials over why they charge toll on highways in Dakshina Kannada district if they cannot build a road with a standard lifespan. According to Arjun, he listed 15 locations within Mangaluru city limits where infrastructure is bad and handed over the names to the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC). These include Service Bus Stand Road, Cascia School (Jeppu), Central Market, Falnir Road, Maryhill, Bendoorwell, Old Bus Stand, Bondel Junction Falnir, KSRTC Bus Stand, Light House Hill Road, Ashok Nagar, Urva Stores, and Hampanakatta. “These are the identified black spots in the city where the road infrastructure is horrible and requires immediate attention,” he said. At about 4 pm, even as the NHAI officials were busy filling the pothole – the activist handed them a memorandum demanding repair at Pumpwell circle, Padil, Kuloor and Surathkal circle. Speaking to The News Minute, a traffic constable manning the Nathoor junction said that improper infrastructure around Nanthoor is even a major concern. “There have been several major and minor accidents during peak hours. In most cases, due to the slope and uneven road, the vehicles end up scraping against each other. Due to inaction, several times we have filled the potholes so that accidents are avoided. Else, there will be a traffic pile-up,” the constable said. According to Arjun, the repeated failure of protesters in demanding proper public infrastructure is the lack of follow-up on genuine demands. “The gravel will be washed away with another spell of rain. We want a permanent solution. We will once again meet the MCC and the NHAI authorities on Tuesday. If they fail to adhere to our demand, we will continue similar agitation from time to time,” he said.

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Bengaluru water crisis: Individual meters, rainwater-harvesting to be mandatory by 2020

Water

Chairman of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board said that the law will apply to new and old buildings.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

In order to prevent water wastage and reward conscious users, the Karnataka government will soon introduce a law that will make it mandatory for all new and existing buildings in Bengaluru to install water meters on their premises. This law, when implemented, will be applicable to every apartment in a building.  These water meters will be used to charge individual water usage as per their consumption instead of the current practise where the whole building is billed for the entire water consumption and residents pay uniformly.  “All buildings having a built-up area of more than 2,500 sq feet or having more than three apartments will come under this law,” IAS officer Tushar Girinath, Chairman of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, told TNM. He confirmed that the law will apply retrospectively to older buildings as well and will come into effect from 2020. This proposed legislation was made public by Girinath as he was speaking at the 26th edition of the Indian Plumbing Association’s annual conference held in the city over the weekend. This year’s event was focussed on water conservation. In addition to the water meters, it will be mandatory for all new buildings being built on a 60x40 ft site to have a rainwater harvesting facility with a capacity of 60 litres, instead of the current minimum capacity of 20 litres. As part of the same legislator, a dual piping system will also be mandatory for such buildings. Read: 80,000 buildings in Bengaluru don't have rainwater harvesting systems: BWSSB survey  This announcement comes at a time when Bengaluru is facing a water crisis with many parts of the city relying on private water tankers. Over the years, overexploitation of groundwater has left the borewells dry and the deteriorating conditions of lakes have only worsened the situation. Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who was also part of the event, said, “Conservation of water has become the highest priority across the world as the availability of freshwater is hardly 3-4%. The government of Karnataka is well aware of the water situation in Bengaluru and we are working towards putting the best possible system in place in the next two to three years. We want to minimise pilferage and wastage of water below 15%.”  At present, 36% of Bengaluru’s water, which is drawn from the Cauvery, is unaccounted for. While 25% is wasted in leakages, another 11% is suspected to be used without being billed. “We want to maintain the highest standards with regard to supply and discharge of water.  I urge all constituencies in Bengaluru and Karnataka to give the highest priority to water conservation,” he added. Earlier, voluntary efforts by individual apartments in Bengaluru have shown positive results in lowering water usage.  Two case studies carried out by a private water metre company, which provides app-based water conservation solution, showed monthly savings of more than 1,000 kilolitres of water when metres were installed in apartment complexes having more than 156 and 256 apartments each.  Read: Is a combination of recycling and harvesting an answer to water crisis in Indian cities?

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BBMP commissioner pulls up officials over delay in removing idols from Ulsoor Lake

Environment

Many people complained that idols had not been removed despite the last date of immersion being October 5.

TNM Staff

Alarmed by bad reports and complaints from Bengalureans over immersed idols remaining in the Ulsoor Lake tank days after immersion, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner BH Anil Kumar came down heavily on concerned officials. He told officers to be proactive and sensitive towards the city’s demands and warned that he will not tolerate any bad press the BBMP gets due to their inaction.  “I have always been saying that our officers need to be sensitive and proactive. If not, they can take retirement and sit at home,” he said in a message to civic officials. From Friday, many people complained that idols were not being removed even after the last date of immersion had passed. October 5 was the last date of immersion.  Speaking to TNM, East Zone Chief Engineer Maradi Rangappa said, “We will clear out the idols soon. Some idols were immersed even on Friday. However, some residents are complaining that Ganesha idols are also lying from September, that is not true.” On Saturday, the BBMP Commissioner tweeted a video showing that cranes were at work lifting the immersed idols after dewatering of the tank was complete. Cleaning work in progress at the Ganesha immersion tank in Ulsoor lake. ಹಲಸೂರು ಕೆರೆ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಸರ್ಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳ ಅವಶೇಷಗಳನ್ನು ಇಂದು ತೆರವುಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.#BBMP #BBMPCOMM #Bengaluru @CMofKarnataka @csogok @BBMP_MAYOR @KarnatakaVarthe pic.twitter.com/96HhQT4I1m — B.H.Anil Kumar,IAS (@BBMPCOMM) October 12, 2019 Last week, The New Indian Express reported that Ganesha idols which were immersed mid-September were yet to be removed.  “Last year, after the festival, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had cleaned the kalyani (tank) in a week's time after immersions stopped. But it has been more than 15 days since the last immersion, and no one has come to clean the tank,”  Poonish Mehra, a resident had told TNIE.

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Elusive tiger that killed a farmer seen on camera in Karnataka's Bandipur forest

Wildlife

In two months, the big cat has devoured 14 cattle.and is suspected to have killed another man.

IANS

The elusive tiger which killed a farmer on Tuesday was 'caught' on a camera in the Bandipur Reserve Forest of Karnataka, said an official on Saturday. "One of the camera traps in Mel Kamanahalli captured the tiger earlier in the day," Sanjay Mohan, a senior wildlife official, told IANS on phone from the fringes of forest. The wildlife official also shared the camera trap picture with IANS to substantiate his claim of the sighting. The Bandipur tiger reserve, a popular tourist destination, is spread across 872 sq km reserve forest in the Chamarajanagar district that borders Tamil Nadu. The forest is about 220 km southwest of Bengaluru. The search teams are combing the area to capture the feline, said to be hiding in the dense forest after claiming its second victim early this week. "We have sent elephant teams to dart the tiger. But they could not locate it," said Mohan. The search team has also roped in Soliga tribals, adept at hunting on foot, from the Biligiri Ranganathaswamy temple wildlife sanctuary, about 170km southwest of Bengaluru. "Soligas are good at searching big cats and at following the trail left by leopards and tigers," Mohan said. Shivappa was the second victim of the big cat, which allegedly turned man-eater two months ago. It claimed its first victim, identified as Shivamadaiah, in the same area in mid-September when he was returning to his village with two bullocks from another village. In two months, the big cat has devoured 14 cattle.  

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Facing flak from Opposition, Karnataka CM offers additional aid for flood-hit farmers

Floods

An additional financial aid of Rs 10,000 for every hectare of crop loss has been announced for farmers hit by the floods.

TNM Staff

In a bid to quell opposition criticism of the BJP-led Karnataka government's handling of flood relief works in the state, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced additional financial aid of Rs 10,000 for every hectare of crop loss suffered during the floods. Yediyurappa made the announcement while speaking in the Assembly on Friday during a debate on flood relief works. This was during the winter session of the Karnataka Assembly. Horticulture crops, irrigated land and dry land were included in the latest financial aid. "We provided all possible relief to flood victims within the funds available with the state government," Yediyurappa said. Yediyurappa added that Rs 5 lakh would be provided to each family which lost their homes in the floods. This includes property damage of over 75% as well. In all, almost 27,000 households will receive Rs 5 lakh as compensation. Yediyurappa claimed that Rs 1 lakh to build foundation of new homes has been sanctioned so far. The flood relief measures are expected to cost Rs 2,500 crore to the state exchequer. Opposition leaders have continuously criticised the government's lack of flood relief works. Recently appointed Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed that the compensation being provided is 'too little too late'. He called for the floods that hit the state in August to be declared as a national calamity.  The Union government released Rs 1,200 crore as interim flood relief to the state earlier this month, over two months after the floods and landslides hit the state. The delay in handing out flood relief was criticised by opposition leaders from JD(S) and Congress. The floods affected over 100 out of 175 taluks and as many as 22 out of 30 districts in the state. The disaster occurred weeks after the BJP-led government came to power in Karnataka. 

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Anil Kumble appointed Kings XI Punjab head coach

Sport

With the signing, Kumble becomes the only Indian coach currently in the IPL.

IANS

Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble has been appointed as the head coach of Kings XI Punjab for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Kumble will also be put in charge of "all cricket-related affairs" of the team for the foreseeable future. With the signing, Kumble becomes the only Indian coach in the IPL. The report further stated that Kumble would make a presentation to the team management on his plans for the road ahead on October 19. Kumble, who is India's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, will be replacing Mike Hesson who in August parted ways with the Punjab-based franchise after one season at helm with them. Even though Hesson had signed a two-year contract, the 44-year-old left the role midway with the Punjab-based franchise, who finished sixth in this year's edition. He has been appointed as Royal Challengers of Bangalore'S (RCB) director of cricket. Kings XI will be the third IPL team Kumble will be involved with. He started out as a player - and later captain - with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008. He was then appointed as a mentor by the same team, before joining Mumbai Indians in a similar role in 2013. In June 2016, he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian men's team by BCCI for a period of one year but resigned due to "untenable" differences with captain Virat Kohli. A number of players from Karnataka including KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair play for the Karnataka Ranji cricket team. Kings XI Punjab is led by Tamil Nadu spinner R Ashwin however reports stated that there are talks involving the franchise and Delhi Capitals to trade the off-spinner ahead of the upcoming IPL season. The final decision on the matter will be taken by Anil Kumble. 

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