Rabbits dead, cats and dogs starved in Bengaluru pet shops that shut for lockdown

Crime

It's not only the lockdown, the animals were housed in small cages with no ventilation in the rooms.

Theja Ram

Pictures by State Animal Welfare Board

The Karnataka State Animal Welfare Board’s member Shivanand was shocked at the sight of dead animals, dogs and cats that were starved for days, and animals cooped up in 10 ft X 10 ft shops without any ventilation. His team saw dead rabbits and birds in two of the shops they inspected, while in a few others they found animals that were starved for days.  The horrific sight of these animals in misery, with no strength to bark or cry out for help were witnessed by Shivanand, who says that 13 pet shops in south and east Bengaluru that were inspected on April 1 and 2 and were found to have neglected the animals. “None of them had a license issued by the animal welfare board as per the rules. The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials were clueless about the fact that such animal cruelty was happening right under their noses,” Shivanand said.  Hundreds of animals -- mainly dogs, cats, rabbits and birds were rescued and sent to shelters run by NGOs in the city.  “The shop owners had not fed the animals since the last three days. They said that the police were not allowing them to open due to the lockdown. It's not only the lockdown that has affected the animals but the fact that they were housed in small cages with no ventilation in the rooms they were housed in,” he said.  He states that the shops located in Shivajinagar, Jayanagar, Infantry Road, Kammanahalli and Banaswadi were small and had only one entrance and no windows for ventilation. Since the shutters were rolled down, there was no proper air or light. “Without ventilation, food and water, the animals were suffering inside,” he added.  He says that the animal welfare board has urged the Karnataka Animal Husbandry Department to allow pet shops, which are not flouting norms, to be open for a few hours every day so the animals could be fed properly. “Only those pet shops with proper ventilation and space for the animals will be allowed to open. We will shut down others flouting norms. We are coordinating with the police as well to bust the racket where these animals are being sold illegally,” he said.  A senior member of the State Animal Welfare Board (SAWB) said that the BBMP had issued licenses to these pet shops under the Shops and Establishments Act but had failed to follow up and monitor these shops to see if they were flouting guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India. “How can these shops run without a pet shop license that is mandatory? None of the BBMP officials knew how many pet shops there are in their specific zones,” he added.  According to BBMP Director of Animal Husbandry Department Dr Shashi, more inspections are currently being carried out across the state in coordination with the SAWB. “Some of these pet shops have been illegally transporting animals through private buses that cross state borders. The SAWB and BBMP are going to rope in the police to bust the illegal import and export of animals. Some birds were being sold for Rs 60,000. They were operating without a license as well,” he added.          

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Four new COVID19 cases in Karnataka, three of them had attended Jamaat meeting

Coronvirus

This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka to 128.

TNM Staff

PTI image

The Karnataka state government reported four more cases on Friday, out of which three are in Belagavi district in North Karnataka, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi’s Nizamuddin. These three include a 70-year old man, a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, who had attended the congregation between March 13 and March 18. The fourth person who was tested positive on Friday is from Bagalkote district. This case is a 75-year-old man with no apparent travel history. The state health department said that a detailed investigation into his movements is underway. The Karnataka government also announced that Rs 150 crore has been allocated as funds for construction workers in the state. The Construction Workers Board has issued an order to disburse emergency funds to the 15 lakh construction workers in the state. Each worker will get Rs 1,000. The bulletin put out by the government on Friday said that Karnataka has collected a total of 4,587 samples testing so far out of which 4,281 have come back negative. The bulletin said that they had collected 344 samples on Friday, and 321 had come back negative, while four had come back positive. So far, 128 people have been tested positive in Karnataka and three people have died due to COVID-19. Eleven people have been discharged after recovery. These include the Dell techie, his wife and daughter; the MindTree techie; the Google techie; the daughter of the 76-year-old Kalaburagi man who died; a techie from Bengaluru, who returned from  Dallas; a 20-year-old student who returned from UK and is the daughter of a government doctor; one of the doctors who treated the 76-year-old Kalaburagi man; a 63-year-old woman, who returned to Bengaluru from Dubai via Goa; and a 56-year-old Bengaluru resident who returned from the USA. The Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a series of meetings on Friday, one with the coronavirus task force, one with his ministers, on the coronavirus pandemic. The Karnataka government has also asked that the health department staff that was scheduled to retire on March 31 extend their service for 3 more months, up to June 2020.

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Railways install foot operated hand washes at stations

Coronavirus

Various Railways divisions are also converting train coaches into isolation wards

TNM Staff

In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel foot operated hand washing mechanism has been devised by staff at the South Western Railways. In a statement, the Railways said that as suggested by the medical community, washing hands frequently can prevent spread of COVID-19 but the hand washing arrangements present at working places where large numbers of people work itself are a potential threat for virus transmission. To counter this, a novel method was devised as instructed by Arvind Malkhede, Divisional Railway Manager. The hands free hand sanitising arrangement helps in sanitising the hands without physically touching the water tap and sanitiser dispenser, thereby making it safe for usage at common places.    The statement said, “This system will also help in saving a lot of water. A water tank of 500/1000 litres capacity is mounted on a fabricated stand along with a wash basin. A gravity water tap is connected to this water tank. A hand sanitizer dispenser is fixed adjacent to the tap. Both the tap and hand sanitiser dispenser are mechanically linked to peddles fixed at the bottom portion of the stand. Both the tap and sanitizer can be independently operated by pressing pedals. Releasing the pedal will automatically shut off the supply of water and sanitiser liquid.” These systems have been installed at Carriage and Wagon depot, Crew Lobby, Railway Protection Force office in Hubballi. 100 more are planned for installation at various offices in Hubballi Division. Other than this, as earlier announced, like across all divisions in the country, the South Western Railways are converting train coaches into a total of 312 Isolation wards to provide facilities to combat the pandemic. The coaches are being prepared as per the prototype decided following consultations between the Armed Forces Medical Services, Medical Department of Railways and Ayushman Bharath.   The coaches will be equipped with basic facilities needed as per medical guidelines. This will include charging points of mobiles and laptops, mosquito nets with space for paramedics.  

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SC asks Centre to mediate between Kerala and Karnataka over road blockade on border

Coronavirus

The blockade has prevented several patients from Kerala’s Kasaragod district from travelling to Mangaluru in Karnataka for its medical facilities.

TNM Staff

KARNATAKA BORDER IN DELAMPADY, PHOTO : ABDU SWAMADH UA

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Union Health Secretary to mediate a discussion between the Chief Secretaries of Kerala and Karnataka to resolve the issue of allowing patients from Kasaragod district to avail emergency medical facilities in Mangaluru.  The Karnataka government has blockaded the roads leading from Kasaragod to Mangaluru in the wake of the lockdown imposed following the outbreak of coronavirus cases in India.  A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Deepak Gupta were hearing a special leave petition filed by the Karnataka government challenging the Kerala High Court's April 1 order asking the Centre to intervene and remove blockades to allow passage for patients from Kasaragod seeking health services in Mangaluru. The matter will be heard again in the apex court on April 7. It asked both states to ‘not precipitate’ the matter until then, LiveLaw reported. The Karnataka government challenged the Kerala High Court order stating that the Kerala High Court had overstepped its territorial jurisdiction by issuing directions in Karnataka. It also stated that the decision to block the roads leading to the state was taken due to a public health emergency citing the outbreak of coronavirus cases in Kasaragod district. As of April 3, 118 coronavirus cases have been reported in Kasaragod district of Kerala.  Residents in border areas of Kasaragod including Manjeswaram rely on medical services in Mangaluru. The Kerala border is around 30-35 km from Mangaluru. At least five deaths have been reported from Manjeswaram of Kasaragod district after Karnataka closed its borders. TNM earlier reported that a woman from Kasaragod’s Manjeswaram town, which is located close to the Kerala-Karnataka border gave birth to her baby in the ambulance after the road to Mangaluru was blocked. Read: After Karnataka lockdown, Kerala patients on state border struggle to get treatment The blockade has been an ongoing issue since March 27 when Dakshina Kannada district imposed stringent lockdown measures which included sealing the district borders. Mud embankments were kept in place on the arterial roads connecting the two states to stop people from travelling. BJP leaders including Karnataka Tourism and Culture Minister CT Ravi took to social media to voice their opposition against the Kerala High Court's decision directing the Centre to open the state highways leading to Kasaragod district. Congress leader Mithun Rai, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Dakshina Kannada constituency in 2019, also filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court’s order. However, key opposition leaders including former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda and former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah criticised the decision to disallow patients with medical emergencies to travel to Mangaluru for treatment.  Several others also slammed CT Ravi for political opportunism and for being inhumane during a public emergency. Read: 'Communists and Congis boast of Kerala healthcare. Why come to Mangaluru?’: BJP Min      

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As contractors inflate prices, Karnataka halts free food at Indira Canteens

Coronavirus

Karnataka government has said food will be given at subsidised rates, as it used to prior to the lockdown.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government on Friday decided to withdraw its order announcing free food at all Indira Canteens across the state. In a fresh order issued on Friday, the state government said that the Indira Canteens will continue to provide food at subsidised rates, as it used to, prior to the lockdown.  Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner BH Anil Kumar said that the decision was taken by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Speaking to TNM, leader of the ruling party (BJP) in the BBMP Council, Padmanabha Reddy said that the decision was taken as the government suspects that the contractors were hiking up the outstanding amount in the bills that are being sent to the government.  "They issued a bill of Rs 1.35 crore per day. When free food was not being given, they were supposed to maintain tokens and bills for every order. That way, the billing was not compromised. Earlier, the bill was Rs 6 crore per month. This Rs 1.35 crore per day looks highly inflated," Padmanabha Reddy said.  He further stated that the Karnataka government is trying to figure out a foolproof billing system and until then, the money will be charged for the food at the canteens as per the previous procedure.  "People will have to pay Rs 5 for breakfast and Rs 10 each for lunch and dinner. The system will be the same though. Food packets will be handed out after money is given," he added.  The home delivery of food from Indira Canteen was rolled out on March 24.  However, the state government has not provided clarity on whether food will be delivered to the homes of the poor.  With the country under lockdown, people from low-income backgrounds and daily wage workers depend on the free food from Indira Canteens. Residents of various slums in the city too have been struggling to access food and ration as the food from Indira Canteens has not been reaching them. In addition, several residents of slums had also stated that the Public Distribution System (PDS) centres, where subsidised ration is available, are also not functioning properly.    

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CM Yediyurappa meets Muslim legislators to discuss Tablighi Jamaat issue

Coronavirus

Yediyurappa in his statement said that the Muslim leaders “responded positively and assured to extend their full cooperation.”

TNM Staff

The Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with Muslim legislators in Karnataka on Friday, to look for their cooperation in containing coronavirus in the state. This comes after a rise in the number of reported cases across the country after a religious meeting conducted by the international Muslim leaders of Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by thousands of people from across the country in March, which has led to a spike in testing and reporting of positive cases of coronavirus in the country. Yediyurappa in his statement said that the Muslim leaders “responded positively and assured to extend their full cooperation.” The Muslim leaders have said that they will give the details of the people who visited Tablighi Markaz mosque in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. The leaders have said that they will make sure that these individuals go through the necessary tests, and also observe strict quarantine for the full stipulated period of 14 days. The Muslim legislators also told the state government that they have conducted meetings with the religious leaders of the community, and created awareness about COVID-19. They are advising the members of the community to offer prayers at home, in order to maintain physical distance while offering azaan. Yediyurappa, in his statement, made it clear that this applies to everyone. “Prevention is the only way to contain the spread of coronavirus. Every individual without discrimination of caste, religion or community has to maintain social distance during the lockdown.” The Chief Minister further said, "I appeal to the people of the state to not heed to any rumours. Let us all strictly follow precautionary measures and win the battle over coronavirus.” Yediyurappa on Wednesday had announced he will donate his one year's salary to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. He has appealed to Ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament, officials and citizens to also do their bit and contribute in whatever capacity possible to help the state in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. "It is a very difficult time that we are all going through. And it is important that we fight this together. Personally, I am donating my one year's salary to the #CMRF Covid19. I request you all to contribute, however small, and help #Karnataka fight #Corona. Thank you," Yediyurappa tweeted along with a video message announcing the same. Yediyurappa on March 25 had appealed to people to help the state government by donating money for the advanced medical support system to fight the spread of COVID-19. Those willing to donate can transfer funds online and also send cheques or DDs to the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID- 19, he had said.

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Over 8000 block level officers in Karnataka roped in for COVID-19 surveillance

Coronavirus

Block level officers include those attached with BBMP, teachers and BLOs from the Women and Child Welfare Dept, who are normally on election duty.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government has roped in block level officers, who are generally deployed for election duty, to be part of surveillance teams tracking secondary contacts of COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru. Headed by Dr Ravikumar, Special Commissioner of Projects and Health, the task force roped in the block-level officers attached with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Integrated Child Development Services (which is a part of the Women and Child Welfare and the teachers, who are generally on election duty and teachers from the Education Department. The government has constituted 1328 teams with 8146 block level officers. However, during the training program on Thursday, 3320 persons attended. "We are the first state to implement these kinds of surveillance teams for low risk and secondary contacts. Currently, we have three to four people in each ward as a part of the surveillance teams. Once we finish training for the others, they will join too. If this works, it can be used across the state," Dr Ravikumar added.   Each team will have to monitor the secondary and low risk contacts of the COVID-19 positive patients, who are under home quarantine.  "The purpose of roping in block level officers is because they know the layouts of the cities and areas where they are generally deployed for election duty. They are experienced in going door to door," Dr Ravikumar said.  The Health Department officials will map the primary and secondary contacts of the patients who are positive. The list of secondary contacts will be given to block level officers and they would have to stamp those who have to be put under home quarantine and also monitor them.  "Only when there are secondary contacts to be stamped or monitored in their respective blocks, will the BLOs have to become active. We are monitoring those who have been stamped via the Corona Watch app. The neighbours of those who are quarantined and those who are in home quarantine can call the BLOs if they start showing symptoms. The BLO will follow up with regular phone calls," Dr Ravikumar added.  Each team will report to the respective assistant revenue officers in their respective wards and these teams will be linked to the respective primary health centre in their areas.  The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is piloting the surveillance teams across 27 constituencies in Bengaluru. The plan was conceptualised on March 27. The Commissioners of the Department of Public Instruction KG Jagadeesha and that of the Women and Child Welfare Department, Dayanand rolled out advertisements in newspapers asking BLOs to come for the training. Auditoriums, community halls and schools that have currently been shut, were used as venues for the training program.  "Some of the BLOs did not end up coming because they had gone to their hometowns. We coordinated with the police to ensure that the BLOs could go to the venues closest to their homes and attend the training. We had arranged the seating so they maintain social distance," Dr Ravikumar added. 

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