Fact check: 19 people not affected by Coronavirus in Bengaluru’s Wilson Garden

Coronavirus

A viral message claimed 19 people in Bengaluru have tested positive for Coronavirus, but officials confirmed to TNM that the message is false.

TNM Staff

There have been two confirmed cases of Coronavirus in India so far — both in Kerala, but panic has spread fast. A message is now doing the rounds on messaging apps as well as social media stating that 19 people from Wilson Garden in Bengaluru have tested positive for the virus.  “Today's breaking news now...19 ppl r affected with CORONA VIRUS only in WILSON GARDEN Surrounding areas ...pls friends kindly update it to family and friends too.....all of us take care.....” the message read. This message is fake. Speaking to TNM Dr Prakasha, Bengaluru DHO, stated that there have been no such cases from Wilson Garden. “There have been no such cases reported from Wilson Garden. The situation is being monitored and any potentially affected individuals are being screened. Such forwards are being circulated and are causing a lot of panic. Please don’t believe them.” she said.  From January 20 and January 31, 4,367 travellers were screened at the Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. This included three travellers with a history of travelling to Wuhan in the past two weeks. None of the travellers tested positive on the thermal scanner.  20 people with a travel history of visiting China recently also tested negative for the Coronavirus in Bengaluru. Only one man's test results are awaited and the patient is currently in an isolation ward in RGICD. On Friday, a Bengaluru family of five was tested, after neighbours alerted authorities that the family had returned from China. The family did not visit Wuhan, but another province in China.   According to Dr Deepak UG, the nodal officer at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, the family was screened at the airport. "When they visited the hospital, they were asymptomatic and did not have fever or chest pain. They had gastrointestinal problems. Their blood and sputum samples were collected and their test results are awaited," Dr Deepak told TNM.  The Karnataka government has identified four private hospitals where suspected persons with travel history are quarantined. Their blood and sputum samples will be sent to either a lab at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) or a branch of the National Institute of Virology located near RGICD as they are the only two centres authorised for testing.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2RP5HTH
via IFTTT

Karnataka CM Yediyurappa hails pro-farmer budget, suburban rail allocation

Budget

Former CM Siddaramaiah has criticised the allocation for the agriculture sector in the budget, which is 2.5%.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hailed the Union Budget 2020 as "pro-people, pro-farmer and pro-poor" on Saturday.  "For the first time in the history of the country, priority has been given to farmers, poor and rural areas. This is a boon to the farmers. The programmes announced for the farming sector compliment the Prime Minister's vision to double the income of farmers," said Yediyurappa. He recognized that agriculture has been discussed in such detail for the first time in the Budget. "Providing Rs 2.83 lakh crore to the agriculture sector is a major deviation from the routine budgetary allocations. Kisan Rail and Kisan Udan will facilitate speedy transportation and export of perishable agricultural products and this, in turn, will boost farmers' income," he said. Praising the budget plan to undertake water conservation measures in 100 water-stressed districts, constituting one-fifth of the country's area will help farmers in those districts where underground water has been almost exhausted, he said. However, the budget was criticised by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He stated that for growth to be achieved, the agriculture sector needed to get an allocation of at least 10% of the budget. The allocation announced was 2.5%. Siddaramaiah added that the Opposition had sought the waiver of farmer loans in nationalised banks but it was not implemented. However, solar energy production and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan (PM-KUSUM), a scheme to energise pump-sets through solar energy, was announced. The scheme aims to help over 20 lakh farmers. Yediyurappa also welcomed the decision to approve Bengaluru suburban rail whose funding up to 40 per cent will be shared by the state and the Centre, with the balance coming from external assistance. The Finance Minister allocated Rs 18,000 crore for the 148-km-long Bengaluru suburban railway line on Saturday in her Budget speech. "This will boost the infrastructure facilities in Bengaluru which has turned out to be a favourite investment destination for the MNCs. This will help us to eliminate traffic congestion in this investment-friendly city," said Yediyurappa. Joining corporates, the chief minister highlighted that measures to eliminate harassment of taxpayers will be a big relief. He also supported the reduction of income tax rates in almost all slabs. WIth IANS inputs

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31oSiVC
via IFTTT

Bengaluru family tested for Coronavirus after neighbours complain

Health

According to an official, the family did not travel to Wuhan but visited another province in China before returning to India on January 23.

TNM Staff

A Bengaluru-based family of five living in an apartment on Bannerghatta Road was tested for the Coronavirus after it emerged that the family had visited China recently. On Thursday, the family had shut their doors on a team of doctors from the health and family welfare department who visited to check them for Coronavirus. The family’s neighbours alerted officials that the family had recently returned from China.  However, the family was reportedly unwilling to meet the doctors. On Friday, an ambulance with staffers arrived at the apartment again and the family then agreed to visit the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), Times of India reported.  According to Dr Deepak UG, nodal officer, coronavirus isolation ward at RGICD, the family did not travel to Wuhan but visited another province in China before returning to India on January 23. The family was also screened at the airport. "When they visited the hospital, they were asymptomatic and did not have fever or chest pain. They had gastrointestinal problems. Their blood and sputum samples were collected and their test results are awaited," Dr Deepak told TNM.  Though in this case the family had come back from China, there have been other instances in Bengaluru where panic is being spread for no reason. One message that is viral on Whatsapp groups says, "Today's breaking news now...19 ppl r affected with CORONA VIRUS only in WILSON GARDEN Surrounding areas ...pls friends kindly update it to family and friends too.....all of us take care...." The District Health Officer confirmed to TNM that this was absolutely false. Meanwhile, 20 people with a travel history of visiting China recently have tested negative for the Coronavirus in Bengaluru. Only one man's test results are awaited and the patient is currently in an isolation ward in RGICD. Between January 20 and 31, 4,367 travellers were screened at the Bengaluru International Airport including three travellers with a history of travelling to Wuhan in the past two weeks. None of the travellers tested positive on the thermal scanner.  The Karnataka government has identified four private hospitals where suspected persons with travel history are quarantined. Their blood and sputum samples will be sent  to either a lab at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) or a branch of the National Institute of Virology located near RGICD as they are the only two authorised for testing. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/36QRIRA
via IFTTT

Road closed in Bengaluru’s Banashankari for white-topping: Alternate routes here

Civic

The affected stretch is from Teacher’s Training College circle up to South-end circle signal.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Image for representation

In continuation of the white topping project across Bengaluru, BBMP engineers have closed RV Road. The affected stretch is from Teacher’s Training College circle up to South-end circle signal. The work is scheduled to begin from February 1. RV road is in Banashankari adjoining Lalbagh, and entry to the park from RV road is likely to be affected by laying of cement on the road. The BBMP has released a map of alternative roads that people are suggested to use, to avoid the road undergoing white-topping. The notification does not give a specific timeframe for the completion of white-topping on that particular stretch. White topping in the city has been plagued by constant delays. Touted as the one stop solution for potholes in the city, the delays in white-topping have become the new bane for the city’s motorists. In fact, TNM had previously reported on how proposals for future white-topping of roads were stopped and a probe initiated into previous projects, due to alleged irregularities in the works carried out on roads that underwent white-topping. Read: Explainer: White-topping of Bengaluru roads and why there’s a probe into the project Experts have criticised the white-topping project in the city, calling it unscientific, as it does not take away the existing grit on the road, thus raising the level of the road which results in various unforeseen problems. There are also allegations of non-coordination between units, as traffic was affected near the Jayadeva Flyover demolition. Buses and cars were stuck in pile-ups that went on for hours, due to the delay in completing the white-topping work on Hosur road, which is the alternate route to avoid the region surrounding Jayadeva Flyover. Read: Bengaluru’s Jayadeva flyover demolition causes traffic nightmare, commuters vent out  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2u26B6j
via IFTTT

Bidar school kids quizzed third time by cops over their play against NRC-CAA

CAA

While a parent and a head-teacher are in jail, police questioned over 60 minor students.

Theja Ram

The Bidar police on Saturday questioned around 60 students of the Shaheen Primary and High School in connection with the sedition case filed against the school and two others for staging an anti-CAA play. The police booked five members of the school’s management. The head mistress Fareeda Begum and the mother of a child who had taken part in the play, were arrested on January 30 under several sections of the IPC including sedition. Speaking to TNM, Touseef Madikeri, who heads the school, said that the police questioned children aged between 9 and 12 years. “DySP Basaveshwara Hira and two other police officers came and questioned the children. They started at 12 pm and finished the interrogation at 4 pm,” he said. Touseef says that the children were asked whether they watched the play and whether the school was “spreading false information” about CAA and NRC. “They asked the children whether the school had taught them or coerced them into making statements against Prime Minister Modi. They answered whatever questions they knew,” Touseef added. Read: Bidar school sedition case: Youngest student cops questioned over play is 9 years old The FIR was registered against the school on January 26 following a complaint registered by an ABVP member Nilesh Rakshala. However, the two women were arrested on January 30 and the remand application was filed on January 31. In the remand application, the Bidar new Town Police have said that the parent Nazbunnisa and Fareeda Begum were being charged under section 124A (sedition) along with sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505(2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes), 153A (promoting, attempting to promote disharmony) and 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code.  The police have accused the school and the two women of “trying to spread false information about CAA and NRC” and also “making minor children state that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be hit with a chappal”. A video of the play had gone viral on social media after on January 26. According to the remand application, a copy of which is with TNM, the Bidar New Town Police questioned the girl, who took part in the play. “The girl told the police during questioning that her mother Nazbunnisa told her to make the statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while she was practicing the lines for the play at home,” the remand application states. However, the school has denied this and said that the line was misinterpreted and was not targeted at the PM. They have also said the child added a line as extempore. On Saturday, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi met the women in the jail. He told TNM that they were scared and were hoping that the court would give them bail. Nazbunnisa is a widow and there was no one to look after her child, added Owaisi.  Read: 'They are scared': Owaisi after visiting Bidar women arrested for kids' play on CAA-NRC  

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2UgZ0va
via IFTTT

'They are scared': Owaisi after visiting Bidar women arrested for kids' play on CAA-NRC

The parent arrested is a widow and she told Owaisi that her child, who was a part of the play, was now being taken care of by her landlord.

Theja Ram

A school in Karnataka’s Bidar had its children stage a play against Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC. The fallout: A case of sedition slapped against the Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar district, the headmistress and the mother of a child who had said, “hit those people with a chappal” in the play. The two women were arrested after a bunch of students were questioned twice by police officials. On Saturday, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi met the two women, who are currently lodged in a prison in Bidar. “Nazbunnisa (the mother of the child) is a widow. She told me that her daughter is alone in the house and the landlord was looking after her. She was clearly in pain and wanted to come out of jail quickly.  The head mistress of the school- Fareeda Begum- told me that her BP shot up and she was unwell and was administered glucose in the jail,” Owaisi said. Owaisis said that the women pleaded with him to get them out of jail. “They are still in shock. They asked me how long they had to stay in jail. I met Fareeda Begum’s husband. He had tears in his eyes,” Owaisi said. The play about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was staged on January 21. Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), filed a case stating that the dialogues in the play "insulted the Prime Minister".  Owaisi also met the Bidar Superintendent of Police Nagesh DL and questioned him about whether sedition charges were slapped against the two women. “I asked the SP why sedition was used and he said it was because the Prime Minister was criticised. I asked him if a citizen is not allowed to criticise a Prime Minister in a democracy. Also, how does this become sedition?” Owaisi said.  Owaisi said that he questioned the police as to why they had not conducted a preliminary investigation before including the sedition charges in the FIR. He alleged that this was a tactic to punish those who criticized the government. “SP said that sedition charges were added because a complaint was given. He said that the remand report in court would include only section 504 intentional use of abusive or provocative language),” Owaisi said. However, in the remand report, the police have mentioned sedition and alleged that the mother taught the child the dialogues on the Prime Minister.  “The woman will now have to go to sessions court to get bail and this will be difficult. Using sedition is a way of punishing people who criticize the government,” Owaisi told TNM. Owaisi also said that the police questioning the children was uncalled for. Till Saturday, students of the school have been questioned thrice.  “The chappal line which was found objectionable was not something which was taught to them. The children said it extempore. It was not part of the play. The sky is not going to fall for it,” Owaisi said, while adding, “What is it that the children did? What crime have they done that this sort of reaction has been there from the department that the officers had to interrogate children? Do you know what psychological impact it can have on the children?” He said that police officials must be doubly cautious and unbiased when political elements or parties file complaints.   “When sedition charge is filed, one suffers in jail for a long time. It becomes almost impossible to prove in the court as the burden of proof is so high. Not everyone has the financial capability to approach high court, afford a good lawyer, and fight the case. He or she would be languishing in jail unless the HC hears the matter. It is to teach them a lesson. They are using sedition to silence people,” he added.   

Body 2: 

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

Road closed in Bengaluru’s Banashankari for white-topping: Alternate routes here

Civic Issues

The affected stretch is from Teacher’s Training College circle up to South-end circle signal.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Representation Photo

In continuation of the white topping project across Bengaluru, BBMP engineers have closed RV Road. The affected stretch is from Teacher’s Training College circle up to South-end circle signal. The work is scheduled to begin from February 1. RV road is in Banashankari adjoining Lalbagh, and entry to the park from RV road is likely to be affected by laying of cement on the road. The BBMP has released a map of alternative roads that people are suggested to use, to avoid the road undergoing white-topping. The notification does not give a specific timeframe for the completion of white-topping on that particular stretch. White topping in the city has been plagued by constant delays. Touted as the one stop solution for potholes in the city, the delays in white-topping have become the new bane for the city’s motorists. In fact, TNM had previously reported on how proposals for future white-topping of roads were stopped and a probe initiated into previous projects, due to alleged irregularities in the works carried out on roads that underwent white-topping. READ: Explainer: White-topping of Bengaluru roads and why there’s a probe into the project Experts have criticised the white-topping project in the city, calling it unscientific, as it does not take away the existing grit on the road, thus raising the level of the road which results in various unforeseen problems. There are also allegations of non-coordination between units, as traffic was affected near the Jayadeva Flyover demolition. Buses and cars were stuck in pile-ups that went on for hours, due to the delay in completing the white-topping work on Hosur road, which is the alternate route to avoid the region surrounding Jayadeva Flyover. READ: Bengaluru’s Jayadeva flyover demolition causes traffic nightmare, commuters vent out    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/36RMG77
via IFTTT