Former Karnataka Urban Development Minister Vaijanath Patil passes away at 81

Death

Vaijanath was a two-time minister and president of the Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samithi.

TNM Staff

Vaijanath Patil, former Minister and popular social leader who fought for the special status for Kalyana Karnataka (Hyderabad Karnataka) region, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Saturday. He was 81 and was suffering from illness. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed his condolences by meeting Vaijanath's family at Fortis Hospital in the city, where the former minister was admitted recently. He passed away at around 6 am on Saturday. His family members said that the final rites will be conducted in his hometown of Kalaburagi on Sunday. Vaijanath was a two-time minister and president of the Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samithi. Vaijanath was key to the Constitutional amendment that offered special status to Kalyana Karnataka (erstwhile Hyderabad Karnataka) region by inserting Article 371 (J). The amendment provided special reservations in education and employment for people of the region. It also accorded special grants for development. A special board called the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board was constituted for the upliftment of the region.The region comprises Bidar, Ballari, Kalburgi, Raichur, Koppal and Yadgir districts of Karnataka. Vaijanath led mass movements in the region calling for the special status for over a decade before the amendment was introduced in 2013. He served as the Minister of Horticulture in the Ramakrishna Hegde government in 1984. He was also the Urban Development Minister in the government led by HD Deve Gowda in 1994. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and three sons. Vaijanath was born in Aurad taluk of Bidar and attended college in Bidar, and later in Kalaburagi (then Gulbarga).  

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Migrants in Karnataka should retain roots and learn Kannada: CM Yediyurappa

Language

Yediyurappa made the statement during the 64th celebration of Kannada Rajyotsava, marking the state's formation day.

TNM Staff

Migrants residing in Karnataka should retain their roots and also learn Kannada, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Friday.  Yediyurappa made the statement during the 64th celebration of Kannada Rajyotsava, marking the state's formation day, in Bengaluru's Kanteerava Stadium. Yediyurappa urged people from other states and countries living in Karnataka to adopt the language, culture and lifestyle of the land, and also respect the Kannada language and learn it, Times of India reported.   Yediyurappa hoisted both the Indian tricolour and the yellow-red Kannada flag. He said that both flags are equally respected and that there was no issue in hoisting them, as per Deccan Herald.  He further advocated the use of Kannada in business and commercial activities including that of private companies.  Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations were organised in many areas in the state including in Udupi, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Belagavi, Raichur, Kalaburagi and Bidar.  Yediyurappa's statements also come at a time when the Karnataka government is planning to intensify its crackdown on illegal immigrants in the state. The Home Ministry is discussing the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was first implemented in Assam. Residents of Assam were asked to prove their citizenship by providing documents that showed they were in India before March, 1971. 

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Viral video allegedly shows Karnataka CM Yediyurappa admitting to Operation Kamala

Politics

The video reportedly shot during the BJP’s core committee meeting in Hubballi recently.

TNM Staff

A video allegedly showing Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa admitting to carrying out Operation Kamala in the state on the instructions of BJP's national leaders has emerged. In the video, which was reportedly shot during the BJP core committee meeting in Hubballi recently, the man alleged to be Yediyurappa is addressing a gathering, reportedly of BJP's MLAs. The video, recorded by one of the members at the meeting, and while the audio is captured, one cannot see Yediyurappa addressing the meeting.  The voice, allegedly of Yediyurappa’s, can be heard saying: "Don't you know that Yediyurappa took the decision for 17 MLAs? The national leaders knew and they (rebel MLAs) were kept in Mumbai for 2 months. For three months, they didn't go to their constituency or even see their wives or children. You know that they were there. Whether we win or lose, it is a different issue. We gave it a shot.” The voice is also heard defending the rebel MLAs whose resignations paved the way for the BJP to form the government in the state.   "But at a serious time like this, in spite of knowing that that they (rebel MLAs) got us to form the government by resigning and going to the Supreme Court, you never said that you will stand by them come what may. Imagine you were in their spot? What would you do?", the same voice, said to be addressing BJP MLAs, can be heard saying. Yediyurappa caught yet again! In Hubli, Yeddy accepts Operation Kamala on 17 MLAs, says Shah was involved fully in the plan & arranging MLAs stay in Mumbai He also says on Nov 4th, he is 99% sure of SC verdict going in their favor Request SC to take cognisance of this tape pic.twitter.com/ZOkz7KzvSI — Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) November 1, 2019 The video appears to indicate that members of the BJP are unhappy with the rebel MLAs and are unwilling to support the then in the upcoming bye-elections. It was posted on social media by Srivatsa, who is in-charge of the Youth Congress.  This comes at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing the pleas of the rebel MLAs who were disqualified by then Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar in July. The video comes a month prior to the crucial bye-elections in Karnataka, set to take place on December 5.  In an audio clip released earlier this year in February, JD(S) leader Sharanagouda Kandakur alleged that Yediyurappa approached him to shift loyalties from the JD(S) to the BJP and offered money and plum positions for it. The BJP has maintained that the party had nothing to do with the resignations of MLAs from the Congress and JD(S). A BJP spokesperson declined to comment on the video released on Friday.

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Trump bets on Washington outsider to lead FDA amid political battles

The longtime cancer researcher will have a large role in Trump's agenda on vaping, drug prices and opioids.

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Youth football league set to kick off in Bengaluru

Sport

The league is the initiative of Double Pass, a football consultancy group, which is focussed on improving grassroots-level football across the world.

Prajwal Bhat

Photograph via Facebook/ Double Pass Development League

 A youth football league aimed at grassroots development of the sport in Bengaluru is set to kick off at the HAL Sports Club on Sunday. The Double Pass Development League competition will pit teams from across the city in the under-14 and under-16 categories and matches will be held every Sunday from November 2019 to February 2020. The league is the initiative of Double Pass, a football consultancy group, which aims to improve grassroots-level football across the world.  “Competition is an integral part of any successful talent development system. Our football academies can have the best training curriculums and the latest training methods, but without meaningful competition, it’s insignificant and incomplete,” said Sarthak Dubey, director of Double Pass India The organisers of the league aim to develop football players in Bengaluru from a young age and believe that competitive football is necessary to do it. “If we want to develop elite players, our young footballers first need to play more competitive football. Everything else is secondary. And our league provides just such a platform,” added Sarthak. The league allows students from the city to play a four-month season of football. Previously, Double Pass had launched the 'Baby League' in Bengaluru, which features children in the under-7, under-9 and under-11 categories. Some of Bengaluru's established football academies, including Bengaluru FC, Roots Football School, BARCA Academy Bengaluru, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and Raman Sports Academy are part of the league. The new youth league will see participants such as BOCA Juniors, FC Bengaluru United, Football Academy of Bangalore (FAB), and Rebels FC. “We are delighted to support Double Pass, who are playing a crucial role in providing much needed game experience to our budding footballers. KSFA is very committed to grassroots and youth football and such initiatives by private organisations and academies play a key role in the development of football in the city and state,” Satyanarayan, the general secretary of the Karnataka State Football Association, said. Double Pass has worked with football academies around the world including in the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga aiming to build football ecosystems that nurture young talent. The league also has the backing of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

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Bengaluru civic body promises to fill around 15,000 potholes in 10 days

Civic Issues

Although roads have turned into slush pits, the BBMP had not started repair works citing heavy rains.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Photos by Kheerthan Karunakar

Now that the rain is gone and the sun is out, Bengaluru’s civic body -- the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) can no longer blame the weather for bad roads. The BBMP, which started filling up potholes on Friday, expects to finish the work by November 10. BBMP sources say that although a proper survey of potholes was not conducted, the civic body’s engineers have estimated that there could be around 15,000 potholes in the city.  The rains, which ravaged Bengaluru’s roads, turned these stretches into slush pits, causing immense inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists. Despite numerous complaints and outrage from citizens activists, the BBMP had made no forays into fixing the roads. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday announced that work would be taken up on war footing and the BBMP began repair works on Friday.   “The roads are being cut into geometric shapes to pour concrete into it,” says Joint Commissioner of Yelahanka Zone, Veerabhadraswamy. He expects that asphalting will commence on Saturday in his zone. In many cases, the roads are in such a bad condition that the entire layer of asphalt has disappeared. It is even impossible to walk through it, let alone ride a two wheeler, without danger of incurring an injury.  A resident of Horamavu, Kheerthan Karunakar, said, “It is almost like the government is preparing us for off-roading competitions when we see the condition of the roads in our area. It is high time that the concerned authorities work towards making all local roads navigable.” David Paul, a member of the Horamavu Resident Welfare Association says that the commuters are helpless and have been facing the issue of bad roads since the last 16 years. “We’re really feeling helpless about the state of the roads in our locality. The roads here have never been good for the past 16 years that we have lived here. In one of the localities, the residents themselves took up road work, but the roads were promptly dug up by the BWSSB and are yet to be repaired. There is so much of dust that rises up from these damaged roads. People, including the old and children find it hard to use these roads," he said.  Rakesh Malhotra, a member of a citizen activist group called Hennur Taskers, says that the roads in the locality too are in an extremely bad condition. He says that the stretch between from Shell petrol pump near Lingarajapuram to Kannur is terrible. “The pothole filling assignment is completely useless. Crores of people’s public money has been used to fill up roads with a formula that cannot sustain another monsoon, and we are fed up with fighting with the authorities year after year. Even after fixing a road, they come back and dig it up once again,” he said. The BBMP was to carry out road repair works in September this year. However, BBMP Chief Engineer for Road Widening, Somashekar told TNM that the civic body conducted a survey of bad roads only in October and cited heavy rains as an impediment.  “It is impossible to fill potholes during the rains. Even if we do, the asphalt will not stay. That is why we waited for the rain to stop. There was a small delay in conducting the survey but it was completed in October and the survey was not done in all the zones. We have started the repairs now,” he said.   BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar told TNM that there was no need for a survey as the work is being carried out ward-wise. “As and when they find potholes in each ward, contractors have been told to fill it up,” BH Anil Kumar added.  The city’s zonal commissioners said that they expect to meet the November 10 deadline, set by the BBMP to fill all the potholes in the city. The BBMP had also issued a warning to the contractors, who have been tasked with filling potholes, stating that they would be blacklisted if they failed to meet the deadline. The BBMP has also warned of suspending engineers-in-charge if the work is not completed by November 10. However, civic activists in the city are furious with the lack of proper redressal to the chronic problem of potholes. “Can you count the number of leaves in the tree?” asks Mr MN Sreehari, a traffic expert. Sreehari says that the BBMP figures are skewed as it does not count the interior roads that have been damaged.  “The BBMP will give a bogus figures for the number of potholes. That too is only for the major roads. What about the interior roads? In many cases there is no existence of a road at all. There is no final solution. The problem will come again as the rains come. As the Supreme Court rightly said, the BBMP must be dissolved as they are so incompetent,” he added.    

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Bengaluru suburban rail services to airport likely to start before 2020

Transport

Bengaluru MPs Tejasvi Surya and PC Mohan have met the Rail Minister and Niti Aayog chief in recent days seeking approval for a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

Soumya Chatterjee

A suburban rail route to the Bengaluru airport is on the anvil and services are expected to start before 2020, as earlier promised.  The services will start with two trains that will run from Majestic and gradually more trains will be added to the airport, Divisional Railway Manager Ashok Kumar Verma announced during a meeting with Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya and a group of activists on Thursday. Railway officials in Bengaluru said that work on the station halt at Trumpet Flyover near the Kempegowda International Airport has already started on October 30 and should be ready by December 2019. While the train will not reach the airport terminal, the Kempegowda International Airport operator will run a shuttle bus service to cater to the suburban rail users. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said, “It takes more than 2 or 2.5 hours for anyone in the city to reach the Airport due to the saturated traffic situation in Bengaluru today. This will benefit at least half a million people of Bengaluru.” He added, “The KIAL will also run feeder services for last-mile connectivity from the Devanahalli Halt to the airport as and when the trains are scheduled to arrive. Similarly, they will provide drop services to the Devanahalli Halt as per the arrivals of the trains.” Other important announcements made by the officials include work on quadrupling of tracks between Cantonment and Whitefield that will begin from the second week of November, and tender for building a new terminal for suburban rail. Read: Bengaluru MPs seek more trains for suburban rail, feasibility study to be undertaken Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan again met Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi on Thursday to expedite the formation of the long-pending special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the suburban rail project. This comes after Tejasvi Surya had also met NITI Aayog Chairman Amitabh Kant on the issue on Wednesday. These meetings come ahead of a meeting by the Extended Railway Board on November 4, which has to approve the project specifics after which the Union Cabinet will clear the project.       G M T Y     Detect languageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu   AfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEnglishEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKoreanKurdishKyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianPashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu                     Text-to-speech function is limited to 200 characters     Options : History : Feedback : Donate Close  

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