The company will supply essential drugs to reduce the risk of shortages.
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Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Karnataka govt opposes Amulya's bail, claims she 'may threaten, influence witnesses’
It may be recalled that Amulya was arrested on February 20 and booked for sedition for saying 'Pakistan Zindabad' in an anti-CAA rally.
Three months after she was arrested for saying 'Pakistan Zindabad' thrice on stage, the Karnataka government has once again opposed the bail of Bengaluru-based student Amulya Leona. The government has called the college student an 'influential person' and opposed her bail plea before the Karnataka High Court. “The Petitioner being an influential person may threaten and influence the witnesses and hamper the case of the prosecution. The petitioner fleeing from justice is also not ruled out. In the facts and circumstances of the case, the Petitioner is not entitled for the relief of bail at the hands of this Hon’ble Court,” reads the 11th and final point of the state government’s submission made on Monday objecting to her bail application. It may be recalled that Amulya was arrested on February 20 and booked for sedition and other sections after saying 'Pakistan Zindabad' in an anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act rally in Bengaluru where AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was the chief guest. She then went on to say “Hindustan Zindabad,” and tried to make a point, but she was not allowed to do so. An FIR was registered against her under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups and imputations) and 153 B (assertions prejudicial to national integration) at the Upparpet Police Station in the city and she was arrested. In one of the points of objection raised by the government, it has been said that “law and order came to be disturbed in the state on account of sloganeering by the petitioner." “Immediately after the incident several organisations and people came on the road to protest against the Petitioner which led to law and order problems. Few such incidents have happened immediately after the incident. On 20.02.2020 itself immediately after the arrest of the Petitioner, the Karnataka Dalitha Sangarsha Samithi protested against the Petitioner to take proper legal action against her. On 21.02.2020, Hindu Jana Jagruthi Samithi and some other Organisations protested against the Petitioner in front of Town Hall peacefully,” the government’s submission read. In the same submission to the Karnataka High Court, the government has cited many technicalities and argued that the High Court should not entertain the bail plea. At first, the state government in its submission said that since her bail petition is pending before the trial court, the present “parallel petition is not maintainable”. Further the government said under trial prisoners facing trial with an imprisonment up to 7 years or less shall be tried by the concerned Jurisdictional District and Session Court designated for the same during the lockdown period as decided by the Supreme Court and the High Powered Committee of the Karnataka High Court. Incidentally, on April 24, the Karnataka HC had observed that there was no prima facie case of sedition in the incident involving three students who were arrested for allegedly raising slogans in support of Pakistan. The students from Jammu and Kashmir were arrested by Huballi police after a video of them singing to a controversial song had gone viral. However, those three students arrested in mid-February continue to remain in jail as the High Court is still hearing their bail petition.
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Taxi, auto drivers conduct ‘funeral rites’ for Karnataka govt’s compensation promise
As the government is yet to launch the portal where drivers can register for compensation, the drivers protested by performing ‘11th day rites’ for the promise.
Taxi and auto drivers in Bengaluru conducted 11th day funeral rites for the Karnataka government’s ‘false promise of compensation’ on Tuesday. The drivers, who have been promised a compensation of Rs 5,000 each for the loss of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, are miffed that the process for claiming compensation has not been initiated yet. To protest this, they held ‘funeral rites’ for the promise that was made 11 days ago – signifying the death of the promise made to them. Tanveer Pasha, president of Ola Uber Drivers and Owners’ Association, who led the protests, said, “More than 10 days after announcing the Rs 5,000 compensation for drivers, there are no forecasts for when we will receive this. So, our auto and taxi driver Associations are doing 11th day rites of this government's false declaration.” A section of drivers held the demonstration on Monday outside the office of Transport Commissioner at Shantinagar, Bengaluru. This one-time compensation amount of Rs 5,000 was announced by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on May 6. In a Rs 1,610 crore compensation package as part of COVID-19 relief, 7.75 lakh auto and taxi drivers were promised Rs 5,000 each. But the transport department is yet to initiate the registration process for these drivers. Drivers can register themselves at the Seva Sindhu website once the section of the website is ready, Additional Transport Commissioner Hemanth Kumar said, speaking to TNM. They are hopeful that the drivers can register themselves for compensation by this week, he added. “We are going to test it tomorrow. Most of the work for the drivers’ application section has been made ready. But we are facing some glitches with our network here. If all goes well, we can go live by day after tomorrow as well,” he said. However, the drivers are not hopeful that they will receive the promised compensation. “We know that this government is not going to give Rs 5,000 to our drivers which is declared by the Chief Minister of Karnataka. But we will fight and protest,” Tanveer said. Narayan Swamy, who is the president of Adarsh Auto Driver Union and Hamid Akbar Ali, president of Airport Taxi Union said that neither they nor their colleagues have gotten a single rupee from the government. Swamy complained that many of the drivers were helplessly trying to register themselves with the government’s Seva Sindhu portal but were not aware that their section was yet to be introduced. Sandeep, another Bengaluru-based Uber driver partner said, “It has been 10 days since the announcement, and the government has not been able to even set up the portal yet.” Since mid-March business has been majorly affected for taxi and auto drivers due to the COVID-19 lockdown. While the government and aggregators Uber and Ola had promised compensation, many of them were left without help. Read: Cab, auto drivers in Bengaluru remain helpless amidst lockdown No income, EMIs to pay, inadequate relief: Ola, Uber drivers struggle to make ends meet
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Bengaluru’s Brigade Road, Church Street show little sign of life though shops are open
Once bustling commercial stretches, the roads are devoid of activity despite shops being open for more than two weeks.
In Bengaluru, the once-lively Brigade Road, where one would hardly have had space to walk on the pavement just a few months ago, is now devoid of foot traffic. Church Street, one of Bengaluru’s most commercially-vibrant stretches lined with bars, restaurants and shops, wears a ghostly look. Several shops, including branded shoe and clothing stores, have been open to customers since earlier this month, but the city’s iconic streets remain almost completely deserted, a rare and spooky sight for Bengaluru residents. Though some city dwellers have been venturing out to shops in recent days, it’s a far cry from the crowds that previously occupied these stores. And while pedestrians once jostled for space on the pavement, people now gingerly step aside as they approach each other. Shops are encouraging customers to return, while also maintaining minimum safety measures, such as wearing masks and physical distancing. But on a recent Monday, the only shop with a small queue of customers outside was the OnePlus mobile showroom. Others remained nearly empty, though many have been open for more than two weeks. The Levi’s showroom, which once played music to attract customers, posted a sign that read, “Our store is clean.” Those who were entering the Puma store were checked for their temperature and were given hand sanitiser. Cauvery Emporium, the state government’s well-known handicrafts enterprise located at the corner of MG Road and Brigade Road, will open its doors on Wednesday. However, without tourists to rely on, foot traffic is expected to be low. “We cannot expect a lot of people to come. There will be a dip in sales,” said manager Mainakamandal. However, he is anticipating increased sales for home items like agarbathis and sandalwood products. The popular hotspot Church Street was recently revamped to be made pedestrian-friendly, not unlike internationally-famous hubs like Singapore’s Orchard Street. But the street showed no sign of life, almost as if the city had forgotten about it. There were no students walking together in bunches, people thronging at cigarette shops or music emanating from the stores. Instead, the only movement was the trash that drifted on the sides of the road and the occasional two-wheeler driving past. The MG Road metro station was shut tight, and a group of boys lingered to pose for photographs in a spot where once you wouldn’t have been able to stand for more than a few minutes. At the People clothing store, dismantled mannequins were strewn behind the locked glass doors. Bookstores on Church Street like Blossom’s, Bookworm and Goobe’s were all open, but they were seeing only a handful of walk-in customers. Most of their orders were being placed on the phone or through their websites. Mayi Gowda, the owner of Blossom's bookstore, said that they have been open from May 1 onwards. "While there weren't many walk-in customers, we have received a number of orders on the phone. Previously, we used to offer delivery of books by courier but that takes 2-3 days. But now we have Dunzo, and when we receive an order, we keep the parcel ready and the person can get their books in half an hour. It works out great for both us and our customers." Shahram Janahi, store manager at Goobe's book republic, says, "We have very few walk-in customers, but are accepting orders on Instamojo and on Dunzo as well. We have a curated section of books which we feel would interest our audiences, and those are easily available on our website. Besides this, we also take orders for books, which we can source and send in when we can." Still, businesses across the country are struggling to get back on their feet after the lockdown-mandated closure of non-essential retail stores. One employee at a bookstore disclosed that only half the salary had been paid last month. And though Lockdown 4.0 has significantly reduced restrictions, particularly for the commercial sector, some residents remain wary of going back to their normal routines outside their homes. Rijul Ballal, a resident of the city and frequenter of Church Street, says that he hasn’t even considered stepping out. “I am still in the lockdown mentality, and I don’t feel safe stepping out. I am keeping busy with work, and I don’t expect that I will be leaving home for the next two months at least.” Read: What public transportation in Bengaluru could look like in a post-COVID world
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Migratory bird Montagu’s Harrier may lose habitat with airport coming up in Shivamogga
The birds, which arrive by October and stay till May before making the journey back home, might never return to Shivamogga due to the disturbance caused by flight operations.
All photos by Ravi Kolar
Montagu’s Harrier, a European/Central Asian migratory bird which visits Karnataka’s Shivamogga every year, is all set to lose its habitat at Sogane village, about 8.5 km from the city, to make way for the proposed construction of an airport. Forest officials fear that when operational the airport might stop these visitors from making a journey to Shivamogga ever again, owing to habitat loss and the disturbance caused by flight operations. According to official sources, civil works on the airport might begin shortly. The site where the airport is coming up in Shivamogga, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s native district, is the only refuge for these migratory birds. Every winter these migratory birds travel from European countries to settle in dry areas in the Indian sub-continent. In Karnataka, these birds arrive by October and stay till May before making the journey back home once the monsoon starts in the country. An ornithologist said that these birds arrive here for the warm conditions and in search of food. The ornithologist said, “Montagu’s Harriers are habitat restricted species and they come here for the warm conditions and in search of food. If their habitat is lost, then these birds won’t come back.” He reasons that, for instance, if people are displaced by the construction of a reservoir then they settle in other parts, similarly these birds will look for another suitable location and settle there but will not return to where their habitat has been lost. Speaking to TNM, a forest officer observed that the track used by the Montagu’s Harrier will be turned into runways and the disturbance might stop the birds from returning to same location. “The site where the airport is proposed in Shivamogga is a grassland perfectly suited for these birds. I have not seen or heard any other place in the district that has given refuge to Montagu’s Harrier at present,” he said, expressing fear that these birds might give Shivamogga a miss the next season as construction of the airport is expected to begin shortly. He is also apprehensive that even if these birds make it to the same site, they might be hit by aircraft. Not only Montagu’s Harrier but the Pied Harrier, Pale Harrier and Marsh Harrier also travel here and settle in different habitats. Pied Harriers are very rare while Marsh and Pale Harriers settle in marshy conditions, says the ornithologist. In Shivamogga, apart from the airport site, Ragigudda forest area on the outskirts of the city was another location that offered refuge for these migratory birds. In recent years, Ragigudda and adjoining areas have witnessed huge habitat destruction after agricultural fields made way for the construction of huge concrete structures, such as an engineering college and an agri college among other buildings. As a result, the Montagu’s Harrier disappeared from there altogether leaving only the airport site as their last refuge in the district. While birdwatchers in Shivamogga have observed many Montagu’s Harriers at Ragigudda in the past, none have been recorded in the last seven years. A birdwatcher told TNM, “I visited Ragigudda for the last four years but didn’t come across any Montagu’s Harrier in the vicinity.” “Vast residential layouts have come up around Ragigudda while portions of the forest area have been encroached upon. All this has caused habitat destruction for Montagu’s Harriers, among other raptors,” the birdwatcher added. The solace for conservationists is that even if the habitat in Shivamogga is lost, dry land areas of Bagalkot and Vijayapura in north Karnataka offer the birds refuge. A birdwatcher said that he has seen Montagu’s Harriers at Ajjampura in Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga and Jamakhandi in Bagalkot district. Girisha is a freelancer who reports on wildlife and the environment.
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57% of new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka in last 6 days were Maharashtra returnees
Of 414 people who tested positive in Karnataka since May 14, 237 were people who came back from Maharashtra.
Representation photo
In the last six days, over half of the COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka were of people who had returned from Maharashtra. Karnataka reported 414 cases of COVID-19 between May 14 and May 19, a relatively higher number than the number of cases the state had been reporting till then. Of these, 237 cases were of people who returned from Maharashtra, which is 57.25% of the positive cases. As many as 64,674 people have returned to Karnataka until May 15, out of the total 1,16,761 people who have received permission through Seva Sindhu service to come back to Karnataka. The state government, however, has not yet tabulated the total number of people who came to Karnataka from Maharashtra alone. Most of these returnees from Maharashtra travelled to Mandya, Hassan, Shivamogga, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Uttara Kannada districts. However, a large portion of those who returned from Maharashtra entered Mandya district. In the last six days, 114 people, or 48% of those who returned from Maharashtra, travelled to Mandya. These districts have seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in the past four days. Speaking to TNM, Mandya Deputy Commissioner Venkatesh said that in the last fortnight, around 2,000 migrant workers returned home from Maharashtra. “Almost everyone who came back from Maharashtra is a migrant worker. Fortunately, we quarantined everyone in government-designated centres as soon as they deboarded the train. They have not come into contact with any local resident of Mandya,” Collector Venkatesh added. The Mandya district administration is in the process of collecting swab samples of all the migrant workers who returned. “We had expected this to happen and were prepared to house at least 4,000 people in quarantine centres. Today (May 19), over 60 migrant workers tested positive in Mandya alone. We expected more cases to appear in the coming days,” he added. Karnataka reported the highest number of cases as on Tuesday morning with 127 people testing positive for the SARS-Cov-2. Of these, 62 are from Mandya. The Karnataka government on Monday stopped the inter-state travel between three states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. One of the primary reasons for stopping the influx of people from these three states was due to the high number of COVID-19 cases reported in these states. And the influx of people has increased the number of cases in Karnataka drastically. Speaking to TNM, a senior official with the Health Department said that due to the increasing number of cases from Maharashtra, the state government decided to restrict the entry of people from this state. “There were a lot of cases of people who were returning from Gujarat to Gadag, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and other north Karnataka districts, and then testing positive. There was a lot of influx of people from Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru, Kolar and Chikkaballapura. We did not want the districts with fewer cases to have more and more cases,” the official added.
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‘Hard stop’: States could lose National Guard virus workers
Trump administration’s order ends deployments on June 24, just one day before thousands would qualify for education and retirement benefits.
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