Fisheries dept dumps fishes illegally into Bengaluru lake, half of them die

Lake

After an inquiry was conducted by the BBMP, it turned out that a member of the Fisheries Department had released a group of fishes from another lake to Halage Vaderahalli lake.

Prajwal Bhat

Residents in Rajarajeshwari Nagar near the Halage Vaderahalli lake were alarmed on Wednesday when they noticed a few dead fishes floating on the lake. The residents feared that the fishes died due to the contamination of the water in the lake.  However, after an enquiry was conducted by the BBMP, it turned out that a member of the Fisheries Department had released a group of fishes from another lake to Halage Vaderahalli lake. "We have photos of a member of the fisheries department releasing around 30-40 fishes in this lake and out of them 15-20 fishes have died. The fishes cultured in this lake are safe," stated a BBMP official who inspected the lake.  This was confirmed by activists who visited the lake along with BBMP officials. "We want prompt action to be taken on the member of fisheries department for illegally dumping fish from elsewhere in this lake," Joseph Hoover, an activist told TNM.  Activists also alleged that sewage was entering the lake on its eastern and northern boundaries from houses pitched nearby. "The lake is contaminated and it is evident from the way it looks. Sewage was entering from the eastern and northern boundaries from houses pitched near the lake," says Joseph Hoover.  However, BBMP officials reiterated that sewage is no longer entering the lake after officials from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) fortified the lake boundary.  "BWSSB officials have drawn a parallel line after they were made aware of the issue. The work is being carried out near Kenchenahalli Main Road," explained a BBMP official.  The nine-acre lake was revived by the BBMP in 2016 after spending Rs 5 crore. It is one of the oldest water bodies in the city and helps recharge the groundwater in and around Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2v9wukC
via IFTTT

Bengaluru residents form human chain to protest cutting of 1800 trees for road widening

Environment

The KRDCL begins work on the road widening in Sarjapur after a public consultation which took place in a great hurry.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Images courtesy Deepten Sarkar

'Bengaluru has become unlivable already, what future do you promise us?' asked students who were at the protest against road widening and the cutting of trees on the Sarjapura-Attibele road, on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Thursday evening. About 1800 trees are set to be cut to accommodate the road widening, which residents say is completely unwarranted, as the road has already been widened. The KRDCL has already issued the tenders for road widening to a private company, says Deepanjali Naik, from Voice of Sarjapura. They have also started marking the trees which are to be cut, she added. “We found that RNS infrastructure has been given the tender. While we were holding the protest, the contractors were taking our pictures while working. They were surveying the road just opposite to the protest site,” she said. Workers surverying the road while the protest was ongoing. The work has begun despite residents being deeply unhappy with the public consultation, and had opposed the proposal to cut the trees, all of whom are more than 100 years old. The trees are native species trees like Banyan trees, which are tough to transplant. Deepanjali adds, “Trees are our external lungs, we can’t survive without them. It is suicidal to chop down few last trees in Sarjapura area, which already has a very bad water table and suffers from increasing air pollution.” One of the large trees that is set to be cut during the road widening project. People attending the protest shouted slogans, saying “Mara Kadi Bedi”, (don’t cut trees) that road widening is destroying the environment, and does not actually address congestion. They cite induced demand, wherein more people buy private transport vehicles because of the availability of space on the road for them. Instead, they have been demanding better public transportation and connectivity. According to a statement released by the protesters, they asked that “…sustainable alternatives be found instead by improving mass transit, such as suburban rail and better bus services so that people don't use cars.” Protesters stressed that “Ecology should be at the center of planning. Bengaluru has already lost green cover beyond danger levels, and it cannot afford to lose any more trees.” Disha A Ravi, from Fridays for Future said, "The government doesn't seem to have a clear plan on how this is going to help Bengaluru's traffic; and instead of looking for ecologically sustainable development, they are killing our environment and putting our health at risk.” Organisers say that this protest is a precursor to a larger mass protest being planned to save trees in Bengaluru.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2v8k4JN
via IFTTT

An automatic coach washing plant will now clean exterior of trains in Bengaluru

Transport

Inaugurated on Wednesday, the Automatic Coach Washing Plant will use lesser water and reduce the labour required for the manual method of cleaning a train.

Prajwal Bhat

A mechanical facility that can clean the exterior of train coaches was inaugurated at the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna railway station in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning. The Automatic Coach Washing Plant (ACWP) will use lesser water and reduce the labour required for the manual method of cleaning a train. It was inaugurated by AK Singh, General Manager, South Western Railway, on Wednesday. “Take a look at Karnataka’s first Automatic Railway Coach Washing Plant installed at Bengaluru City Railway Station. Reducing water, cost, time and manpower required, the plant paves the way for clean coaches for passengers in an efficient and eco-friendly manner,” Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, tweeted. Take a look at Karnataka's first Automatic Railway Coach Washing Plant installed at Bengaluru City Railway Station. Reducing water, cost, time & manpower required, the plant paves the way for clean coaches for passengers in an efficient & eco-friendly manner. pic.twitter.com/nKb52ZTFXg — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 5, 2020 Officials claimed that the automated facility uses 300 litres of water to clean one coach as compared to 450-500 litres used when manual cleaning is done. The automated facility requires just one person to monitor the control room as opposed to six people who are usually involved in cleaning the exterior of a train.  Officials added that a 24-coach train will be cleaned in eight minutes while it is moving at a speed of 5-6 km per hour. The facility chooses the use of detergents and cleaning agents, and uses a high pressure water jet. It will also recycle waste water and use it for washing purposes again and barely use 15% of fresh water, an official from South Western Railways stated. Similar train washing facilities will be introduced in the Yeshwanthpur railway station and the New Baiyappanahalli railway station. The facility was manufactured by Oriental Manufacturers in Vadodara. It has been procured by the Indian Railways at a cost of Rs 1.67 lakh.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/39ecoVg
via IFTTT

India's first batch of Kamov choppers to be rolled out from Karnataka by 2025

Defence

The first batch of helicopters will come out of our production facility at Tumakuru in Karnataka

PTI

The first batch of Kamov military helicopters, to be manufactured in India under an Indo-Russia joint venture, is expected to be rolled out by 2025, a top official overseeing the project said on Thursday. In October 2016, India and Russia finalised a broad agreement for the joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and two Russian defence majors for production of the helicopters in India. The first batch of helicopters will come out of our production facility at Tumkur in Karnataka by 2025 if everything goes as per plan, Indo-Russian Helicopters Ltd CEO NM Srinath said. Under the joint venture, 200 Kamov 226T helicopters will be produced. Of these, 60 will be supplied to India in fly-away condition while 140 choppers will be manufactured in India under a USD 1 billion deal. India is procuring the Kamov choppers to replace its ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. The Kamov Ka-226T helicopter has 72 per cent Russian components and 28 per cent from various western countries. Srinath said the helicopters to be produced in India will have around 70 per cent Indian-origin components out of the 72 per cent Russian indigenisation. Overall, he said, the percentage of the Indian-origin component in the chopper will be around 40 per cent. The joint venture has already sent a detailed proposal to the government on the production of the helicopters, including proposed percentage of the indigenous component. A final decision on the order will have to be cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council, the highest decision-making body of the Defence ministry on procurement. The government approved the technical configuration for the twin-engine multi-role helicopter, which is known for its superior manoeuvring capabilities in mountainous areas. The Kamov helicopters will be supplied to the Indian Air Force and the Army. Both the forces have been pressing for early conclusion of the deal so they can replace their ageing fleet within the next three to four years The joint venture has already finalised an agreement specifying work-schedule and techno-commercial issues.   

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2GYIW9J
via IFTTT

Bengaluru cops nab techie who allegedly killed her mother, and fled to Port Blair

Crime

Amrutha Chandrashekar allegedly killed her mother and slashed her brother's neck with a knife.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru police arrested a 33-year-old techie Amrutha Chandrashekar on Wednesday for allegedly killing her mother and for attempting to kill her brother. Amrutha and her boyfriend were arrested in Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where they were hiding after they fled Bengaluru on Saturday morning. They were brought to Bengaluru for questioning. Her boyfriend Srishar Rao was also arrested for abetment. The KR Puram police received a call from Amrutha’s brother Harish on Saturday morning when he dialled 100 for help. Harish informed the police that his sister has slashed his neck with a knife and also killed his mother. At around 4 am on Saturday, Harish woke up from his sleep when he heard Amrutha rummaging through his cupboard. When he questioned her as to why she was up so early, Amrutha allegedly informed him that she was packing for a trip to Hyderabad. Amrutha had decided to visit Hyderabad along with her mother Nirmala and Harish on Sunday morning. “She left the room and Harish went back to sleep. Twenty to 25 minutes later, she came back into the room and slashed his throat with a knife while he was still sleeping. Harish jumped out of the bed. Amrutha informed him that she had already killed their mother and she would kill Harish by hitting him with an iron rod. He was able to defend himself. She immediately left the house along with Sridhar, who was there to pick her up,” the KR Puram police said. Police say that they gathered the CCTV footage outside the house, which showed Amrutha and Harish speeding off in a two-wheeler. The police tracked them down to Kempegowda International Airport. Up on questioning the officials at the KIAL, the police learned that the two suspects had boarded a flight to Port Blair. “She had taken a loan of Rs 15 lakh from a private money lender. She was unable to repay the money. She was scared that her family would find out and had initially planned to take them to Hyderabad on Sunday as the money lender had threatened to show up at her doorstep on Sunday. She says she is struggling with mental health issues. We are trying to understand what drove her to kill them and she says that the debt she had incurred had made her worrisome. She says she had decided to kill her family members as she could not bear to face them,” the KR Puram police added.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/382iCHq
via IFTTT

Bidar case: Bengaluru lawyers protest at DGP office, want sedition charges dropped

Protest

A delegation of lawyers and child rights activists met DG and IGP Praveen Sood and submitted a letter detailing their queries and demands.

Theja Ram

Lawyers, child rights activists and residents of Bengaluru showed up outside the Director-General and Inspector General of Police Praveen Sood’s office on Thursday and held a silent protest condemning the police interrogation of minors in the Bidar school play case. The protesters held up several posters questioning the legality of the way the students, aged between 9 and 12, were interrogated at the Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar. The students were questioned after a play against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC was staged at the school on January 21. Based on a complaint filed by an ABVP activist, the police had registered a sedition case against the school administration and the mother of an 11-year-old student who took part in the play. The mother and a school teacher have been arrested. Condemning this, Mujahid Ahsan, a parent at the protest, said that the interrogation amounts to police excess.  “I am the father of a nine-year-old girl. The children in that school in Bidar have been put through hell with the police repeatedly questioning them. We want the police to answer questions about why they did this and why they did not exercise restraint as they did in the school belonging to Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat,” he said. A delegation of lawyers and child rights activists met DG and IGP Praveen Sood and submitted a letter detailing their queries and demands.  A delegation of lawyers and activists met @Copsview and demanded that the sedition case be withdrawn against the school and mother of a child in Bidar. They questioned violation of JJ Act by police and also the indiscriminate usage of sedition to clamp down on free speech. pic.twitter.com/5b0VtxvmdY — Theja Ram (@thejaram92) February 6, 2020 “The interrogation of children some as young as nine years old about the play that they enacted goes against one of the closely held tenets of a democratic order, which is that children should be able to access the right to education without fear and favour. By the police intruding into the school and repeatedly questioning children they are violating the child’s right to dignity, non-discrimination and equality,” the letter submitted to Praveen Sood states.   The members of the delegation said that invocation of sedition charges in the context of a school play marks a new low in our democracy. They demanded that the sedition case be withdrawn against the school and the mother. DG and IGP Praveen Sood told the lawyers and activists that though he would not defend the actions of Bidar police, the interrogation of children took place before he took charge as the DG and IGP. “He assured us that the children would no longer be interrogated and that what had occurred in the school was not an interrogation. He stated that it was only a police interaction and the police were only speaking and asking questions,” Maitree, a lawyer with Alternative Law Forum said. Praveen Sood assured the delegation that the police would be sympathetic to the accused in the case and would not oppose the bail application in court.  “He also agreed to our demand that the police need certain guidelines which have to be followed in terms of when a sedition can and cannot be registered. He also agreed that these guidelines must be in compliance of the Kedar Nath judgment of 1962,” Vinay Sreenivasa, a lawyer who was a part of the delegation, said. The delegation also demanded that a probe must be conducted regarding the behaviour of the police officer who was involved in the case. "Praveen Sood did not give us any assurances in this regard but he said that legal opinion would be sought before proceeding further," Vinay said.     

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/378NBAB
via IFTTT

Kodava cuisine on Gordon Ramsay's ‘Uncharted’: Chef films in Kodagu

Television

Gordon Ramsay filmed sequences of cooking dishes from the Kodava cuisine from 29 January to 31 January at the Tamara Coorg, a luxury resort in Kodagu.

TNM Staff

Michelin star chef, restaureteur and television host Gordon Gordon Ramsay is no stranger to travelling to remote corners of the world to explore food. He has now landed in Kodagu, the hilly district in Karnataka to film an episode of the second season of his National Geographic show Uncharted. Gordon Ramsay filmed sequences of cooking dishes from the Kodava cuisine from 29 January to 31 January at the Tamara Coorg, a luxury resort in Kodagu. Suresh Babu, general manager of Tamara Coorg said, “We were thrilled to have had the opportunity to host Chef Ramsay at our property."  Prior to his visit to Kodagu, Gordon Ramsay filmed sequences for the show in the coastal town of Kannur in Kerala. He reportedly spent a day filming sequences in beach locations in Kannur at the Malabar Beach Resort. This is the first time the celebrity chef is filming for the series in India. The episode will explore the nuances of the cuisine prevalent in the Malabar region of India.  In the first season of the National Geographic show Uncharted aired in 2019, Gordon Ramsay travelled to remote locations around the world including the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, South Island of New Zealand, Hana Coast of Maui, along the Mekong River in Laos, mountain areas in Morocco and Alaska. The first season of the show consisted of six episodes.  The British chef, whose restaurants have been awarded 16 Michelin stars in total, travels to these remote locations to engross himself in the local cuisine and cook a special dish from the cuisine to be served to local chefs and residents.  During his visit to Kodagu, Gordon Ramsay interacted with chefs at Tamara Coorg and also planted a sapling in the resort after accompanying the staff members on a tour of the place.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/396sY9k
via IFTTT