Karnataka reports 138 cases of COVID-19 in a single day, 80% from Maharashtra

Coronavirus

Chikkaballapura reported 47 cases on Friday and all of them were returnees from Maharashtra.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Karnataka reported 138 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, marking the third day of 100-plus new cases being reported in the state. Among the 138 new cases, 111 (80%) are patients who had returned from Maharashtra. With this, the total number of cases in the state comes to 1743.  Chikkaballapura district has reported the highest number of new cases in the state with 47 cases, followed by Hassan (14) and Raichur, 10. All the patients who tested positive in Chikkaballapura on Friday are all returnees from Maharashtra. Among them, 597 have already recovered and another 1104 persons are being treated in hospitals across the state. 19 among the active cases are admitted in intensive care units, according to a bulleting released by the Karnataka Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. No new deaths were reported on Friday. A total of 41 patients have so far died due to COVID-19 comorbidities. In Bengaluru Urban, 5 new cases of coronavirus has been reported. Two persons were contacts of P706, while one case has been reported as influenza like illness (ILI). Two others in Bengaluru Urban are still being traced for contacts. Tumakuru similarly has a case whose contact is still under tracing. Bengaluru Rural has reported a new case of coronavirus and the patient had ILI. Two new containment zones have been declared in Vijayapura district, while one new containment zone has been declared in Haveri and Bengaluru Urban districts.  Read: BBMP seals off road in Bengaluru's JJR Nagar, 21st containment zone in city The Karnataka Minister for Education, S Suresh Kumar said in a press conference that the state was in favour of relaxing lockdown norms, except in places which have been declared as containment zones, as many people are in economic distress due to the lockdown. However, he emphasised that the state is taking every measure to contain the spread of the virus in the state.    

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More than 160 private schools in Bengaluru get notice for hiking fees

Education

The Education Department has written to these schools and threatened disciplinary action.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

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The Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Department has served show cause notices to around 165 private schools in Bengaluru for not complying with a government order asking them not to hike fee for the upcoming academic year 2020-21. The notices were served to these schools on May 20. The education department received a total of 829 complaints from parents from both Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts on their helpline number, according to a release. The department has acted on these complaints and have sent notices to 165 of the schools against which complaints had been raised by parents. A total of 710 complaints against 116 schools were received from Bengaluru South, 113 complaints against 45 schools from Bengaluru North, and 6 complaints against 2 schools from Bengaluru Rural. This is a total of 829 complaints against 163 schools. The officials have disposed off only 370 complaints, and the rest are pending, according to a release from the education department. All these schools in Bengaluru Urban (North and South subdivisions) have been served notices from the Education department. This comes to a total of 161 schools. The letter sent by the Commissioner of the Department of Public Instruction, KG Jagadeesha, refers to the order passed on April 24, in which the department requested schools not to implement a fee hike in the following year. The letter states that schools need to consider the prevailing pandemic, and not implement the yearly hike of 15% which private schools are usually entitled to make. However, most private schools disregarded the order and continued to harass parents to pay the hiked fee, even though parents raised the issue with the school authorities. The letter states, “You have not obeyed a government order despite a reminder, which is an outrageous indifference on your part. Tell us why we should not take disciplinary action against your school.” TNM had previously reported that parents of wards who were admitted in various private schools in the city were upset about their schools not responding to queries about doing away with the fee hike. The Education department subsequently set up a helpline to take complaints from parents who were aggrieved by this. Vibgyor High, a prominent school in the city has also received a show-cause notice from the Education Commissioner.  When the controversy first surfaced, parents of children studying at this school requested that the hike be taken back, but that never materialised. Read: Many private schools in Bengaluru hike fees, despite govt order barring it  

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Bengaluru citizens group spreads awareness on COVID-19, distributes 1500 masks

Coronavirus

The initiative was started by Citizens 4 Citizens, who want others to also take up similar initiatives.

TNM Staff

Courtesy C4C

A citizen's group has come together to remind the people in their locality that they need to continue following guidelines to safeguard themselves from coronavirus. On a warm Thursday evening, people from Bengaluru’s Vasanthnagar took it upon themselves to do something to help the community. They lined up in a group, while maintaining physical distance, holding up placards which said “Do not spit” “Stay indoors” “Wear mask” and “Wash your hands”. The idea was that people need to be reminded about the seriousness of the issue, Rajkumar Dugar, coordinator of C4C says. About a dozen people from Citizens 4 Citizens (C4C) gathered on Thursday, in the space opposite Mount Carmel College, and at around 5 pm, began moving through the Streets of Vasanthnagar to spread awareness. They walked throughout the neighbourhood for about 90 minutes, carrying their awareness-raising banners and asking people to maintain physical distancing norms. At the same time, they also distributed masks to those people who didn’t have a mask on. In 90 mins, they gave away 232 Masks, the group said in a message. So far, the group has made and distributed over 1500 reusable cotton masks. “On 24th March, hours before the PM announced the first Lockdown, C4C had implemented physical distancing in Vasanthnagar by painting markings outside shops and stores," the group says. They have also been looking after the freshly planted saplings in the area, making sure that they don’t die during the lockdown. Finally, C4C says that they want other organisations to carry out such activities in their own localities, wherever possible, “so that a combined effort helps us all win.” Such initiatives have been started in other places around the world, where guidelines are gently reinforced, and masks are being distributed rather than just impose fines. The BBMP has collected lakhs of rupees from the public for not wearing masks in public.

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Karnataka to pay ticket fares for migrant workers leaving state on Shramik trains

Coronavirus

Following criticism from the Karnataka High Court, the state government announced it would pay for tickets until May 31.

TNM Staff

After facing severe flak for asking migrant workers to pay for their travel via the Shramik Trains, the Karnataka government on Thursday said that it would pay for tickets for travel till May 31. The development comes after scathing observations by the Karnataka High Court questioning the government on making impoverished migrant workers pay for train tickets to go home.  "Government has considered the plea of migrant workers who were unable to bear the travel expenditure to go back to their home town. Government considers migrant workers, who have come from far flung parts of our country, as our own people and it is my firm belief that they too must be supported by the State. Therefore Karnataka Government will bear the cost of travel of migrant workers and stranded persons to their respective States by Shramik Trains up to 31st May, 2020," Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said in a series of tweets.  3/3 Therefore Karnataka Government will bear the cost of travel of migrant workers and stranded persons to their respective States by Shramik Trains up to 31st may, 2020. #KarnatakaFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCoronavirus — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) May 22, 2020 The Centre on Thursday placed the burden of bearing the ticket costs on the respective state governments. “As per the guidelines issued, the sending State will pay the consolidated fare to Railways. Sending State may decide to bear this cost or take it from passengers or take it from the receiving state after mutual consultation or may charge it to any fund. It is purely their prerogative,” a statement from a railway spokesperson said.   On Thursday, the High Court asked the Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar and the Labour Secretary to appear before the court via video conference since the state government had not specified any document detailing its stance on making migrant workers pay, particularly at a time many workers had no work or pay since the lockdown was imposed at the end of March.  "It appears to us that considering the constitutional rights of the migrant workers, no one should be deprived of an opportunity to go back to his own state only for the reason that he has no capacity to pay for the transport. The reason is that inability to pay is due to loss of livelihood,” the High Court bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Sreenivas Oka and Justice BV Nagarathna had noted in an order issued on May 18. While Karnataka has been paying for the fares of those migrant workers coming in from other states to Karnataka, the train fares of workers leaving the state were being paid by the workers themselves unless the corresponding states they were returning to decided to bear the train fares. The state government said so during its submissions to the High Court on Monday.   The Karnataka High Court had also asked the state government about how migrant workers are being selected to be transported by Shramik trains back to their respective states. The High Court also asked the state government to clarify its stance on whether it wants to make migrant workers who are travelling home in these trains pay for their tickets  "The High Court was critical of the government's indecision over the issue. The bench highlighted this is a question of humanity and the bench noted that the workers have not received income during the lockdown period and most of them are impoverished. The court also urged the government to take a decision on the matter urgently," Maitreyi Krishnan, a lawyer with the Alternative Law Forum, told TNM.  On May 5, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held a meeting with builders in the state, who advocated for cancelling the trains for migrant workers as it would affect business adversely. The Chief Minister had tweeted urging the migrant workers to stay back and "work,” but the decision was met with massive public outrage and just a day later Yediyurappa was forced to restart the Shramik trains.     

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BBMP seals off road in Bengaluru's JJR Nagar, 21st containment zone in city

Coronavirus

Places like Hongasandra, Shivajinagar, Mangammanapalya and Padarayanapura were earlier named as containment zones.

TNM Staff

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced on Friday that a road in Vinayak Nagar in the Jagajeevanram Nagar (JJR Nagar) ward in the city was sealed down after a person who was arrested for a crime from the area tested positive. BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar confirmed the development after visiting the 2nd Cross Road in Vinayak Nagar along with Special Commissioner M Lokesh and Special Officer Hephsiba R Korlapati, who is in charge of the BBMP’s war room. "A road in Vinayaka Nagar, JJ Nagar Ward 136, has been sealed down after an arrested person tested positive. Visited the area along with Special Commissioner M Lokesh and Special Officer, War Room and cautioned elderly, pregnant and those with co-morbidities to remain indoors," BH Anil Kumar said in a social media post. Workers set up barricades at the Entry/Exit point in Nagawara, Ward 23 today, which has been declared a containment zone. ನಾಗವಾರ ವಾರ್ಡ್ 23ಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸುವ/ನಿರ್ಗಮಿಸುವ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳನ್ನು ಬ್ಯಾರಿಕೇಡ್ ಗಳಿಂದ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ಮುಚ್ಚಲಾಗಿದೆ. #ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಯು ಈ ಪ್ರದೇಶವನ್ನು ಕಂಟೈನ್ಮೆಂಟ್ ವಲಯವೆಂದು ಘೋಷಿಸಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/djNWgFwBGT — B.H.Anil Kumar,IAS (@BBMPCOMM) May 21, 2020 The decision to seal off the area in JJR Nagar was taken after two accused persons arrested and jailed at Hebbagodi police station tested positive for the virus. One of the accused persons is a 28-year-old man from Padarayanapura, a ward close to JJR Nagar in southwestern Bengaluru where 61 cases have been reported. Staff members in the police station, who were present when the arrest was made, have been quarantined since the test results returned positive. The accused members were arrested after a complaint on May 16 for an alleged theft of steel and raw material. With the addition of the road in Vinayak Nagar, it takes the number of containment zones in the city to 21. Places like Hongasandra, Shivajinagar, Mangammanapalya and Padarayanapura were earlier named as containment zones after cases were reported from there. The BBMP also sealed off containment zones in Nagawara and Jnana Bharati late on Thursday evening. Barricades have been put up at the entry and exit points, and the residents have been informed about the precautions. Instead of a lockdown of the entire city, officials are focusing on a strategy of sealing off areas with active cases, and are then tracing the primary and secondary contacts of the infected persons. There are a total of 260 cases reported in Bengaluru Urban district, of which 126 are active cases. It is the district with the highest number of cases reported in the state and the highest number of deaths -9  The total number of cases reported in the state is 1710.   

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Heat wave conditions predicted in some north Karnataka districts

Weather

According to IMD, Kalaburagi recorded the highest temperature in the state in the last 24 hours at 43.1 degrees Celsius.

TNM Staff

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The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that heat wave conditions are likely to prevail over parts of north interior Karnataka for the next two-three days. The districts that will be affected till May 24 are Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur and Vijayapura. According to IMD, Kalaburagi recorded the highest temperature in Karnataka in the last 24 hours on Thursday at 43.1 degrees Celsius. The forecast dated Friday warned farmers and the general public “not to expose themselves to direct sunlight” between 11.30 am and 3.30 pm. Other parts of the state in central, coastal and south interior districts like Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Hassan, Mandya, and Mysuru are likely to get light to moderate rainfall in isolated places. High temperatures in the north interior districts were observed at the end of the previous week as well but the authorities did not declare it as a heat wave. Sunil M Gavaskar, meteorologist at the Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre, said, “Although there was a similar situation last week, it could not be called a heat wave. In order to declare a heat wave, we have to record the high temperatures that are 3-5 degrees Celsius higher than normal for over three days. Last week, due to overreaching effects of Cyclone Amphan, there were some cloudy skies which reduced the temperature during the day.” He added, “District authorities have been informed and the local authorities will take decisions to regulate work timings as deemed fit.”  Due to COVID-19 related lockdown, all educational institutes are already shut. Otherwise, depending on the situation, district collectors would tweak school timings for children, and restrict outdoor labour work during afternoons. What is a heat wave? The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) describes heat wave as a period of 2-3 days in the pre-monsoon summer season which see abnormally high temperatures, considered more than the normal maximum temperature at that time. On the contrary the World Health Organisation deems it a heat wave if the daily maximum temperature for more than five consecutive days exceeds the average maximum temperature by 5 degrees Celsius.

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Karnataka rejects draft notification of eco-sensitive areas in Western Ghats: CM

Environment

Environmental activists have demanded implementation of the Madhav Gadgil Commission report, formed in 2010.

TNM Staff

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Karnataka on Thursday said Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has agreed to hold discussions with the states individually regarding implementation of the K Kasturirangan committee report on the Western Ghats. "The Chief Minister, expressing the state's opinion, said gram panchayats, taluk panchayats, zilla panchayats, elected representatives and the Cabinet have rejected the draft notification of ecologically sensitive areas according to Kasturirangan committee report in its present format," Karnataka CMO (Chief Ministers’ Office) in a statement said. The issue came up after Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday participated in the video conference held by Javadekar on implementation of the report and discussed the draft notification on ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in the Ghats. The chief ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu also asked the Centre to expedite notification of ecologically sensitive areas  during the same video interaction with the Union minister. A draft notification was issued in October 2018 mentioning the ESAs. Since every state has different problems and challenges, it is not for the central government to issue an identical notification for all states, the Chief Minister explained, adding that Javadekar expressed his consent on the matter and said that he would discuss the issue with the states individually. Karnataka Forest Minister Anand Singh; Chief Secretary T M Vijaya Bhaskar; Chief Minister, Ministers and senior officials of Maharashtra, Kerala, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat; participated in the video conference. The Kasturirangan Committee in 2012 had suggested declaring 1,592 villages along the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive areas, which would heighten conservation measures there, and according to the government, this would put restrictions on developmental activities in these villages. The Madhav Gadgil Commission, formed in 2010, had recommended that 64% of the Western Ghats be declared ecologically sensitive, in its report submitted to the government in August 2011. However, in 2012, the Environment Ministry formed a working group on Western Ghats under Indian space scientist K Kasturirangan to examine the Gadgil Commission report and recommended 37% of the Ghats be declared ESAs. Meanwhile, activists have argued that the Gadgil committee recommendations are implemented especially in light of frequent natural calamities. J Manjunath, a conservationist and founder of The Wilderness Club, said, “We completely reject the Kasturirangan report and demand the implementation of Dr Madhav Gadgil report.” Joseph Hoover, another conservationist has demanded stricter norms. He said, “Despite restrictions imposed by eco-sensitive zone notification, rich and influential people are constructing private residences and stay-homes around Bandipur tiger reserve. At most times, there is acute water shortage in the region but these politically connected and well-heeled people are constructing swimming pools.” He added, “Bandipur tiger reserve field director, T Balchandra, has written to Chamrajnagar Deputy Commissioner, asking for the illegally constructed houses to be removed. Despite being told to stop the work, the  transgressions continue unabated. There are far too many resorts and home-stays in and around Bandipur tiger reserve.” (With PTI Inputs)

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