DK Shivakumar accuses BSY of vendetta politics, demands medical college in Kanakapura

Politics

DK Shivakumar, in his letter, accused Yediyurappa of cancelling the project “overnight”.

TNM Staff

Former Medical Education Minister and Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar has written to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa demanding that a medical college and hospital be constructed in his constituency – Kanakapura. In his letter, DK Shivakumar accuses BS Yediyurappa of reneging on the promise he made after he took oath as the Chief Minister on July 26. “After assuming office as Chief Minister of Karnataka, you promised you would never indulge in vengeful politics… I was totally dismayed that such a decision taken by you, after making the promise of never resorting to vendetta politics,” DK Shivakumar’s letter states. DK Shivakumar, in his letter, also accused Yediyurappa of cancelling the project “overnight”. “I was shocked to learn that your government, with a single-member cabinet took a decision to cancel it (medical college construction) overnight and transfer/re-allot the same to Chikkaballapura,” Shivakumar’s letter states. DK Shivkumar stated that the announcement to construct a medical college and hospital in Kanakapura was included in the 2018-19 budget, which was also passed after debate. Shivakumar has also stated that Yediyurappa had supported the construction of the medical college at Kanakapura in 2018 during the debate regarding the budget. The proposal to construct KIMS Hospital in Kanakapura was subsequently passed by the state cabinet during Kumaraswamy’s tenure and also approved by the departments of finance, planning and law and parliamentary affairs. The government order for the same was issued on December 13, 2018. In January 2018, a total of 25 acres of land was allotted for the construction of the college in Kanakpura’s Rayasandra village. The detailed project report (DPR) and preparations of estimates and tenders were also allotted by the end June, Shivakumar claims. However, the foundation stone was not laid as the rebel leaders resigned and flew to Mumbai, which subsequently brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition. He, however, said that he has no issue of a medical college being constructed in Chikkaballapura but also warned of legal action if the government did not permit the construction of a medical college in Kanakapura. “I will be constrained to resort to serious action in my own way to get justice to the people of Kanakapura for which, I hope, you will not give scope,” he said. In early November, DK Shivakumar had accused the BJP government of transferring the funds meant for construction of the medical college in Kanakapura to Chikkaballapura. Shivakumar had accused the BJP of trying to appease the rebel MLA from Chikkaballapura, Sudhakar. Terming it as his "dream project," Shivakumar had earlier vowed to "lay down his life" for a medical college in Kanakapura. Yediyurappa had later told the media that the government was going to set up medical colleges at the district level and subsequently look into constructing them in taluks like Kanakapura.  Shivakumar’s letter comes in the wake of the Yediyurappa government being unwilling to go ahead with the construction.     

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Bengaluru man critical after fixture from Koramangala flyover falls on head

Accident

The family told TNM that they have filed a complaint with the Koramangala Police.

TNM Staff

A motorist in Bengaluru has suffered grievous injuries after a hydraulic bolt used for the construction of the Koramangala-Ejipura Flyover fell on him. At around 4.20 pm on Friday, 44-year-old Lawrence, a store manager at Titan Eye+ in CV Raman Nagar, was headed for a meeting. On his way, he was passing by Sony World Signal in Koramangala, when a hydraulic bolt, which was being fitted on pillar number 36 of the flyover fell on him. Lawrence’s helmet cracked and the hydraulic bolt injured his skull. His wound began bleeding profusely and Lawrence became unconscious within minutes. The traffic police, who were at the spot, rushed Lawrence to St John’s Hospital, located a few metres away. Speaking to TNM, Lawrence’s brother-in-law, Sylvester, told TNM that he is currently in the ICU and has been kept under observation. “He has rib fractures and also injuries on his head. The doctors said that the head injury caused a cardiac arrest. They have kept him under observation and he is still drifting in and out of consciousness. They told us that he has a 50-50 chance of surviving. The hydraulic bolt was huge and when it fell from the top, his helmet cracked. This is serious negligence on behalf of the BBMP officials and the contractor,” Sylvester said. BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said that the contract for the construction of the flyover was given to SIMPLEX Infrastructures, and that an inquiry would be conducted regarding the incident. “I spoke with the doctors at St John’s last night (Friday) and have asked them to provide him with the best possible treatment,” he said. Family members of Lawrence have accused the contractor and BBMP of negligence. They have filed a complaint with the Koramangala Police. However, an FIR was not registered at the time of writing the article. “This could have happened to anyone. We want the police to investigate this and take action against whoever is responsible. When we went to the hospital on Friday, the contractors and BBMP officials had come to us and were apologizing. We think that they did not want us to file a police complaint. But we want to pursue this legally,” Sylvester said.       

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Amid cost spike, Karnataka Lokayukta inspects onion godowns accused of hoarding

Inflation

Officials did not find any evidence of illegal activity but blamed discrepancies on low supplies of onions.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The Anti Corruption Bureau conducted inspections at various Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) establishments on Friday evening after several wholesale traders accused them of illegally siphoning off onions. In Bengaluru, the APMC centre at Yeshwanthpur was inspected by Lokayukta SP Tyagarajan, two DySPs and two inspectors. Lokayukta police say that they did not find any discrepancies but the problem was low supply of onions.  On Friday evening, onion prices shot up in Karnataka. Onions are currently being priced between Rs 140 and Rs 200 per kilo. Lokayukat police said that regular inspections are being conducted on APMC centres to ensure that onions are not being siphoned off. Officials with the Food and Civil Supplies Department said that random inspections are being conducted on small and medium-sized outlets selling onions to ensure that onions are not being siphoned away illegally.  "We have been conducting random inspections for the last 10 days to ensure that there are no illegal activities taking place. Bengaluru alone used to get 1.39 lakh tonnes of onion per day. Now we are getting only 36,000 tonnes per day," he said.  Supermarkets are selling onions for Rs 180 per kilo and hypermarkets have priced them at Rs 200 per kilo. AMPC officials said that the smaller variety of shallots are being sold at Rs 60 per kilo. Food and Civil Supplies Department officials say that the prices of onions are likely to go up in the coming week as the imports initiated by the Centre have not yet reached India.  Karnataka Chief Secretary on Friday wrote to the central government, requesting it to provide 250 metric tonnes of onions to Karnataka. The Centre has initiated imports of onions from Egypt and Turkey, which is expected to reach India by December 15, the officials said.  “The supply of onions has decreased by 70% in Karnataka. The recent floods and crop loss in Karnataka and Maharashtra has reduced the supply. The Lokayukta, local police and our department officials are monitoring thefts as there were cases reported in Gadag and other districts,” the official said. On December 1, about 40 bags of onions were stolen from the fields belonging to a farmer named Kalkayya Prabhuswamimutt, in Gadag’s Naregal town. In Gajendragad in Gadag, onions worth Rs 80,000 was stolen from the fields of Muttappa Yavagal on November 29. Farmers are now keeping watch on their fields at night as they are wary of thieves. A video of farmers guarding their crops had gone viral on December 2, soon after the thefts were reported in Gadag.    

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Family of murdered K'taka Dalit men forced to skip village fest due to death threats

Caste violence

While five of the accused have been arrested, eight more are walking free and have reportedly threatened the family.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

The Talageris offer prayers under police protection

After the gruesome murder of two Dalit men, Malliappa Talageri and son Vittal Talageri, in Karnataka’s Bagalkot district on October 15, their family has decided to stay indoors for the village festival that began on December 6. TNM had previously reported that three other male members of the family were allegedly threatened that they would be killed on the day the festival started in Shirol, their village in Mudhol taluk. Read: A month after two Dalit men are murdered in Karnataka, family receives more threats Responding to the death threats, Satyavva, whose husband and son were hacked to death, says, “We were such a big happy family, and now everything is destroyed. I’ve made all the men stay with us. I don’t want them to be outside, in danger. They are all staying indoors today. It’s a crowded situation (at the festival) and the blame could be shifted, if anything happens. Five people have been arrested, but eight are still walking free.”  Deputy Commissioner of Police, K Rajendra, claimed that things have gone back to normal.  “We have just concluded a peace committee meeting with them, and now everyone is at the festival. Things are peaceful," he said.  Satyavva, however, contradicted the DCP's claim and told TNM that she had no desire to go out on the day of the village festival. “What will I go out and celebrate? My husband and son were hacked to death. I have no face to show (to the rest of the village)," she said.  Some members of the family were in Bengaluru to meet with the Committee on the Welfare of SC and ST in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in the first week of December. At that time, they gave their version of events. After listening to them, the Council decided that they would hold the police officials responsible, and that the officers would face criminal action if there were any adverse consequences. N Mahesh, one of the members of the Committee, also said that the police were given strong warnings, and directed to provide police protection, to maintain law and order.  “The local sub-inspector of police, Lokesh Jagala, has said that he is putting into action 180 policemen on the ground on the day of the village festival," he said.  However, Yellappa Talageri, another son of Satyavva, also said that they won’t go to the festival. “We went out to offer some prayers last night, but that’s about it. There are three policemen who are with us at all times, so we have no fear," he said.  In October this year, Malliappa and Vittan were murdered just outside the village, allegedly by a group of dominant caste men from their village. This was days after the accused put up a Facebook post with pictures of them brandishing swords, captioned: "The final victory is ours." Five of the accused were arrested, but the other eight were not, and they reportedly move around freely in the village. The family of the murdered men was allegedly threatened last month, saying that three more male members of the family would be killed during the village festival.  The alleged motive behind the murders is caste rivalry. According to the Talageri family, their financial success and involvement in politics were resented by the dominant caste groups. They have alleged that the accused previously tried to intimidate them on the street. In March this year, the accused reportedly ransacked their homes, and verbally and physically harassed members of the family, both men and women. These instances resulted in cases against them under the SC ST (Prevention of) Atrocities Act. The accused were allegedly inflamed by these cases, and had issued threats to the family.

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Tipu in textbooks: Karnataka govt and expert committee reach stalemate

Education

Controversy erupted over a chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks when Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan sought the removal of the chapter from history textbooks.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Textbooks Society, which was due to submit its report on Tipu in school textbooks, has delayed submission. Several media reports suggested that the delay was due to political pressure as the committee recommended that the chapter on Tipu remains, in its draft report. The special committee formed to look into the matter was due to submit its report on Friday after several rounds of discussions. However, this did not happened. According to Bangalore Mirror, the members of the committee were under political pressure and also because most of them were on election duty for the recently concluded bye-elections. The Hindu reported that the committee was under political pressure as its draft report stated that “not a single word” from the chapter on Tipu Sultan be removed. The report stated that several political leaders including Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa wanted the chapter dropped. Bangalore Mirror quoted the committee report, stating that elements in chapters of some specific rulers cannot be removed at any cost. Reports stated that a tug-of-war between the committee members and the state government has led to a stalemate as the committee members do not want the chapter to be removed. The report that will be submitted to the government will have two sections – one regarding primary school textbooks and another regarding high school textbooks. The lessons related to Tipu Sultan were taught in classes 6, 7 and 8. Earlier in October, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the government was trying to remove the chapter on Tipu Sultan in textbooks at any cost. Read: 'Trying to remove chapter on Tipu Sultan from textbooks': Karnataka CM to TNM Controversy erupted over the issue of removing a chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks when Madikeri MLA Apachu Ranjan wrote a letter to Minister Suresh Kumar, asking him to issue an order to remove the chapter from history textbooks. On October 28, Suresh Kumar acknowledged Apachu Ranjan’s letter and stated that a committee comprising experts and Apachu Ranjan would be formed to determine whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be removed. “We will discuss the issue and come out with an answer within three days,” Suresh Kumar’s letter stated. Baragur Ramachandrappa, former chairman of the textbook committee, had earlier said that the BJP government in 2008 had allegedly formed a committee to decide whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be included in the syllabus. At the time, the expert committee had allegedly concluded that the chapter stays, with some minor additions to the existing lesson.       

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Bangalore Turf Club raided, cops recover Rs 96 lakh unaccounted cash

Raids

Police officials from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained 40 men, including private bookies, for questioning.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru Police on Friday raided the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and recovered unaccounted cash belonging to private bookies amounting to Rs 96 lakh. According to TOI, police officials from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) detained 40 men, including private bookies, for questioning. The CCB raided the premises after several members of the turf club complained to the police that bookies have been involved in illegal activities, including GST evasion. CCB officials say that the raids revealed that only 10% of the bets placed were entered in the books. The CCB has registered a cheating case against these bookies for causing loss to the state exchequer, The Hindu reported. The CCB sleuths said that they would write to the GST Department and submit a report on the probe. CCB sleuths, who raided the club say that most of the cash was from private bookies. The CCB sleuths also issued notices to the turf club’s management, asking them to appear for questioning. Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime 1), Sandeep Patil said that the bookmakers were allegedly suppressing bets in order to evade taxes. “The bookmakers are supposed to pay 28% GST for bets they win. After the ruckus at the turf club in November, several members had accused bookmakers of evading taxes and indulging in fraudulent activities. The main allegation was that these bookies were misusing funds,” Sandeep Patil said. A team of over 30 CCB officials headed by two DCPs, four ACPs and 20 inspectors raided the club, The Hindu reported. CCB officials said that there were allegations of horses being drugged during races, which are also being investigated. Police said that the complaints from members came after the ruckus at Bangalore Turf Club on November 15, which was the first race on the opening day of the winter season — November Plate. There was chaos at the BTC after three horses fell down 200 m before the finish line. Horses Aceros, Will To Win and Sir Piggot fell. Will to Win was euthanised after it broke a leg following the incident. The BTC announced the results of the race despite the accident. This led to a fight between the members and the bookies, who demanded their money back. Over 6,000 people had vandalised the turf club and the High Grounds Police registered a case of vandalism. CCB officials say that it was during this investigation that several complaints were made regarding the bookies evading taxes.

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Widening of Belagavi-Goa Highway: Activists accuse NHAI officials of contempt of court

Environment

While the HC has stayed the project till January 6, 2020, NHAI is allegedly continuing work in the stretch, say activists.

Soumya Chatterjee

Environmental activists in Karnataka are up in arms because the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is allegedly continuing with a road expansion project in the Kala Tiger Reserve area in the Western Ghats region, despite a stay order. The Karnataka High Court on November 28 had stayed the work the widening National Highway 4A (Belagavi-Goa) till January 6, 2020, seeking clarity over the environmental clearances sought for the project. The HC’s stay came after the court was informed that the environmental clearance for the project had lapsed several years ago – well before the on ground work for project was taken by the NHAI. The NHAI has been asked by the court to produce documents of clearance with respect to the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. Work on this stretch began in October 2018, as part of the Centre’s ambitious Bharatmala project launched in 2017. Bhartimala Pariyojana is a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government to create and expand existing highways. The petitioners, Suresh Hebbalikar, the United Conservation Movement, and others have approached the HC citing potentially massive irreversible environmental damage to the local ecology if the project is allowed to continue. They also told the court that the project proposal is in contravention of Forest Conservation Act and the Wildlife Protection Act. Joseph Hoover, the co-founder of the United Conservation Movement, said, “Despite a stay order, they have continued with work. It’s ridiculous! This is a clear case of contempt of court.” Prince Isaac, the advocate representing the petitioners, said, “It is definitely a clear violation of the court’s order. The first bench of the High Court had clearly stayed all work for the project along entire stretch of NH 4A, and not only in the protected areas. We will inform the bench about NHAI’s acts. We will also separately a contempt petition against NHAI.” Opposition to the project is not new. Activists have been arguing that the project of widening the 85-kilometre stretch of NH 4A is unnecessary as already three routes that connect Belagavi and Goa, and none of them see congestion. NH 4A passes through the sensitive Western Ghats, and cuts across dense forests which are mainly responsible for healthy rainfall in the region. Activists say as trees will be cut for the project, it will result in water scarcity in the area, say activists. With three successive drought years, most parts of northern Karnataka are already reeling under a severe water crisis. Not only this region, but the trees are also responsible for monsoons which feed the Kali, Mahadayi, and Malaprabha rivers. While authorities claim that 22,000 trees will be felled, activists fear the number could be as high as one lakh.

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