Karnataka HC urges state govt to secure food, income for informal workers

Coronavirus

The HC also took note of letters/emails seeking the court’s intervention to give relief to the affected communities, addressed to them and to the Karnataka Legal Services Authority.

Soumya Chatterjee

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The Karnataka High Court on Thursday took note of concerns over food and financial security of unorganised workers and other economically disadvantaged communities in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown. A bench comprising Chief Justice AS Oka and Justice BV Nagarathna, while hearing a petition filed by one Mohammed Arif Jameel, said the state government should give urgent attention to the points raised by the People Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) in an email to the court. The matter will come up for hearing on Monday as part of an ongoing litigation. Jameel had approached the HC seeking directions to stop all forms of evictions and demolitions and dispossessions for one month due to the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The HC also took note of letters/emails seeking the court’s intervention to give relief to the affected communities, addressed to them and to the Executive Chairman of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority. The order mentions two letters received by the KSLA. One of them expressing concerns over the failure to provide food security for vulnerable sections in Karnataka. And another by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) Porakarmikara Sangha seeking action to protect the health of sanitation workers in the state in the wake of this pandemic.   In its order on Thursday, the bench led by the CJ mentioned that it will also allow a petition, received through email from Sandhya U Prabhu, a Bengaluru-based advocate, seeking similar relief. Prabhu has been given six weeks’ time to comply with court procedures and pay the court fees.  Read: No income, food security: Activists demand safeguards for K'taka's informal sector The Register has also been asked to forward the three letters to the State Advocate General and Chief Secretary. As part of its order on Thursday, the HC also said in future, it might ask the state government to reduce overcrowding in prisons following directions of the Supreme Court. In a recent survey done by AICCTU, Karnataka Domestic Workers Rights Union, Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) and the Savithri Bai Phule Mahila Sanghatane has found drastic drop in incomes of the affected communities. 

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Mysuru pharma employee has COVID-19, no foreign travel or contact history

Coronavirus

This brings the total number of active cases in the state of Karnataka to 55 as of Thursday.

TNM Staff

PTI

A 35-year-old Mysuru man who has no relevant foreign travel or contact history was found to be positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). According to a bulletin from the Karnataka state health department the man who worked in a pharmaceutical company had however been in contact with several healthcare professionals. “The case is isolated at a designated hospital in Mysuru. The detailed investigation is under process. Seven primary contacts have been traced and are under house quarantine,” the bulletin added. The man works in the Quality Assurance department  of a pharmaceutical company in Nanjangud. He is currently being treated at the KR (Krishna Rajendra) Hospital in Mysuru city. Three others also tested  positive for were confirmed by the health department since Wednesday evening. This includes a woman who had succumbed to her comorbidities on Wednesday. The 70-year-old from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh and had returned from Saudi Arabia, when she was tested positive for coronavirus. A 64-year-old man, a resident of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. He had a history of travel to France and had landed in India on March 1. He had also travelled to Himachal Pradesh following his return and eventually arrived in Bengaluru on March 21. The third individual who tested positive is a 45-year-old man who is a contact of P25. A previous bulletin from the health department said that P25 is a 51-year-old man from Bengaluru who had travelled to London and returned to India on March 13. As of Thursday afternoon, there are 55 positive cases of COVID-19 in Karnataka, including three people who have recovered. A total of two deaths have been reported in the state as of Thursday. There are over 650 active cases in India and over 300,000 reported globally.

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Bengaluru man arrested for assaulting cops, shot in leg for attempting to flee

Coronavirus

The two men were shifted to Baptist hospital and are currently recovering.

Prajwal Bhat

Bengaluru police shot a man in the leg on Thursday after he attempted to flee police custody. The man had been detained on Wednesday after he and another man were caught on camera assaulting police officers in Bhoopasandra in Sanjaynagar police station limits. On Wednesday, two men were arrested for attacking police officers as they were searching for shops to buy essential items during the lockdown. The next day, police took the two men back to the area where the assault had occurred, but officials claimed that one of the accused tried to run away and assaulted police officers with stones and bricks.  "To prevent further attack and to secure him, the Sanjaynagar inspector has fired two rounds in the air and one on the left leg," police said in a statement. The two men were shifted to Baptist hospital and are currently recovering. What happened on Wednesday Residents in the area told TNM that the initial clash took place on Wednesday when the two men were out to shop for groceries. The residents said that provision and grocery stores in the area were shut and there was limited access to essentials, which made the residents desperate. A video, which has since been widely shared on social media, shows people surrounding the police and attacking them. According to police officials in Sanjaynagar police station, the duo were stopped by the police since they were speeding at the Bhoopasandra checkpost. At one point in the video, one of the policemen is pushed onto the ground, while three others stand over him.  The two men were detained in connection with this. Bengaluru North Deputy Commissioner of Police Shashikumar declined to release the accused’s names. In the Wednesday incident, tne policeman suffered minor scratch injuries, while another officer’s shoulder pad was torn off, according to police.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night directed a 21-day lockdown across the country and urged citizens to stay inside to curb the spread of coronavirus.  However, the announcement resulted in a scramble for essential services in many parts of Bengaluru. Police had shut down grocery stores in some parts of the city citing the lockdown. The decision however was cleared up on Wednesday evening when Praveen Sood, the Karnataka Deputy General of Police (DGP) announced that all grocery stores in the state can remain open around the clock.

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Take action against landlords evicting healthcare workers: Karnataka govt to cops

Coronavirus

The decision was taken after reports emerged of house owners forcing medical professionals to vacate their residences.

Prajwal Bhat

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The Karnataka government on Thursday directed police and civic officials to take strict penal action against landlords and house owners evicting doctors, paramedical staff and healthcare personnel in the state. The decision was taken after reports emerged of house owners forcing medical professionals to vacate their residences.  "Now, therefore, in exercise of the aforesaid powers, all the Deputy Commissioners, Commissioners of Municipal Corporations, Commissioners of Police are directed to take strict penal action against such landlords/ house-owners under the relevant provisions of law and submit an action taken report on a daily basis  to the office of Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Government of Karnataka," reads a notice issued by Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department in Karnataka.  This comes after a similar directive was issued in New Delhi by Padmini Singal, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department in the Indian government on Wednesday.  The decision was taken after it emerged that house owners were evicting medical professionals from their residences.  Last week, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a notice stating that there was no directive given to PG accommodations in the city to evict its residents.  Health department officials stated that several students and working professionals staying in PG accommodations were asked to vacate the premises following the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in India.  Till date, Karnataka has reported 51 cases of COVID-19 in the state and two deaths. 

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Karnataka records second COVID-19 death: 75-yr-old woman succumbs

Coronavirus

The 75-year-old woman from AP had recently returned from Saudi Arabia and was suffering from diabetes and chest pain.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image/PTI

The Karnataka government on Thursday announced that a second person in the state has succumbed to coronavirus (COVID-19).   “I regret to inform you that the COVID-19 test result has come out as positive for (name withheld), who had succumbed to death yesterday (Wednesday). The government stands committed to curb the spread of coronaVirus in the state. Please stay home, stay safe,” said Sudhakar, the Medical Education Minister.  The 75-year-old woman was a native of Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh and had returned from Saudi Arabia. She was being treated at the district hospital in Chikkaballapura and was shifted to Bengaluru on Tuesday. In a tweet on Wednesday, Health Minister B Sriramulu had said that the woman was suffering from diabetes and chest pain and had also suffered from hip fracture recently. At that time her results had not come yet.  According to the latest update released on Wednesday, the number of positive cases stood at 51 in Karnataka. This was the highest jump in the number of cases in a single day with 10 new cases being detected in a span of 24 hours. Bengaluru has the highest number of cases in the state with a total of 32 cases. Dakshina Kannada is the second most affected district with five cases, while Chikkaballapura and Kalaburagi districts have three cases each.  Earlier in March, Karnataka had reported the first COVID-19 death in the country when a 76-year-old man from Kalaburagi succumbed. He had returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29. and was suffering from pneumonia. He was shifted from a hospital in Kalaburagi to a private hospital in Hyderabad, before being sent back to his hometown. While the man passed away in Kalaburagi on March 10, he was confirmed positive for the coronavirus days after his demise. His daughter and doctor also later tested positive for the virus.   

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Macron calls for national unity in war against coronavirus

French president promises pay rises and a ‘massive’ investment in nation’s hospitals.

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Red state governors buck Trump and stick with social distancing

"You can’t put a timeframe on saving people’s lives," said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

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